Today I am mostly...

Planting a hedge and learning the Dead Man's Hand rules for tomorrows Conwy Wargames Club game. The other games will be WW2 naval and possibly a Napoleonic one.

I've played the rules once getting in 2 games and they were great fun. Dave is the game host and has been busy building 4Ground buildings. I'm looking forward to it.

Star Wars Armada Prep game for Jan 2017

I started off pulling all the ships out and putting the unmade ones together then sorted all the cards out. Looking at the points values I decided that 300 points a side would look right and would suit 4 players. I always try to get a game to cope with 4 players as I don't always know who will want to play on the day.

Originally I set up the forces on a 3ft by 3ft map but it didn't look right and checking the rules I realised I could use 4ft by 3ft and that was much better.

The game area:

The Imperial force cards etc is the first 2 rows and the Rebels the top 2:

I wanted a force people would recognise so for the forces I picked are:

Rebels - 300 pts
Frigate - Admonition with the overall commander General Cracken
Corvette-A Tantive IV cpatained by Raymus Antilles
Corvette-A captained by Toryn Farr
2x  A-wing squadrons
1x YT2400

Imperials - 300 pts
Imperial Class 1 Star Destroyer - Relentless with overall commander Admiral Screed, and tractor beams
Victory Class Star Destroyer captained by Admiral Titus
Gozanti class cruisers with the vector capability
5 x TIE fighter squadrons
2 x TIE Interceptors

The Game

I chose the 'Intel sweep' mission. I split both forces  placing units in each corner angled so that they could intercept in the centre of the board. I then placed the objectives which undid this strategy - not on purpose. I didn't reset the forces as this was a solo game to remind of the rules so that I'd ensure a smooth game at the club.

The scout frigate picked up the first objective

The Rebel right was in trouble straight away

Boom - Tantive IV destroyed with the opening shot

TIE fighters attack the Scout Frigate

Toryn Farr aims her corvette towards the centre

A lone A wing squadron takes on the Imperial left

Toryn Farr heads for another objective

The A wings go in

The TIE's head for the Frigate and Corvette having destroys an A wing squadron. Only the YT2400 is left of the Rebel squadrons supporting the Scout Frigate

The Rebel right wing A wing squadron draws blood taking out their TIE interceptor counterparts

The TIE's focus on Toryn Farr

 

The cruisers blast away at the A wings and miss

The Rebel ships destroyed so far

The Imperial tally

The YT2400 doesn't make it. The Corvette narrowly misses flying off the board

The Scout Frigate takes shots to the rear

The last A wings bracketed

The Scout Frigate narrowly misses flying off the table

Toryn Farr opens fire on the rear of Admiral Titus's Star Destoyer

The A wings are no more

The game ends with only Toryn Farr and Titus engaged

It was a fun game, but it did feel one sided. I did learn that if I had a Corvette and the Scout Frigate firing on the Imperial Class Star Destroyer I could have taken it out with the right dice, disabusing me of its invulnerability. On the other hand a Star Destroyer with the right dice can destroy a Corvette in one go, which hurts with small forces. I like the way the rules worked and they made the game exciting, and the objective token changed how I played.

I'm now ready for the January game.

(The quick witted will notice this is getting published in March, which indicates how slow I am getting these out. I started writing this before the Jan game and kept the same present tense to avoid rewriting it. Assuming I haven't used past and present - which does happen!)

Dinosaur for 28mm games

When I found the roughly 1/76 animals I also found this bad boy. He's probably a bit big to be a realistic size alongside 28mm figures but he or she is the right size in my imagination for a terrifying dinosaur. The paint job is great. The only drawback is the front is top heavy so the model will not stand but I can sort that with a base. B&M bargains did a triceratops and stegosaurus as well, but I resisted.

Animals to use in 20mm games

I spotted these in B&M Bargains and they look almost 1/76 scale, ideal to roam the boards of Asia and Africa with stalwart 20mm figures. I resisted buying some and recommended them to a chum for his modern games mainly set in Africa.

Conwy Wargames Club Feb 2017 ACW Blackpowder game

Dave hosted a ACW game uisng his 15mm collection and the Black Powder rules supplement 'Glory Hallelujah' . Both sides had a couple of brigades and the main purpose of the game was to see how the new rules worked. 

The set up

Union defenders against a Confederate assault

Confederate cavalry

Union cavalry

Lots of casualties all round

Confederate high water mark

I think both sides enjoyed it. Dave mentioned he'd made some mistakes with the rules so more play will be required to see how successful the supplement is. On paper it looked good, and some of the ideas I want to use for my Franco Prussian war games.

Conwy Wargames Club Feb 2017 7TV 'The Trumpton Job' game

For the club game in February meeting I put on a game using 2 casts I hadn't used before The Beat and Crime. I also used the Double Agent character from the Shiva pack, because she looked fun.

Episode 1 'The Trumpton Job' saw a hastily organised stake out grabbing officers from where ever to try and catch the gang in the act. Our hero's didn't know where on Trumpton's high street the gang were going to strike.

The tough detective in charge (Gaz) placed 2 under cover PC's on the street while everyone else waited in the car or the van. The PC disguised as a security guard hid behind a roof top sign and the the other PC strolled the street.

Action started after a loud bang and shop alarms going off all over the place. 2 passed mind scores saw the beat focusing on the electrical store and the bank.

Inside the electrical store the underworld boss Elvis (controled by Tony), his code named for the job, regretted the fact Black and Decker hadn't been available as his examined the lack of wall between the bank and store. Boom Brenda the explosives expert on the other hand was enjoying herself.

Having the initiative Elvis's faithful lackey Ardama pushed the kidnapped bank manager towards his office. Elvis and Brenda followed. The Dai brothers headed for the roof of the store. Since there were no obvious stairs mind tests were needed to get up there. Luckily the brothers were led by Daivina and scrambled up.

Biggles, Algy ,and Ginger went to the front of the store realised the roof would be a better vantage point and headed there. The rest of the episode is told in pictures...

The crime cast before going on set

The Beat

The Beat

Trumpton High Street. The undercover PC is on the roof. The other PC is by the bus. A bystander is walking her dog across the road. The Police car is hiding behind a container and the van has yet to enter shot.

Inside the electrical store Brenda was only supposed to blow a mouse hole through the wall. The roof has been removed and placed behind and you can see the Dai brothers led by Daivina their sister lining the roof

View from the bank managers office

Off to the first objective - the code to release the vault

Frank the bank manager was not having a good day. Ardama looking good in his jump suit and shades.

Our heroes rush to the sound of the bang

PC Killian backs up the undercover cop trying to get in to the Electrical store

The Tough detective takes an objective

The Police van stops to question the Group 4 van

Clint's mind test deduces Group 4 are innocent bystanders. Tony playing the crime gang had been given the option to use this as his getaway vehicle but turned it down for the coach.

Billy and her dog crossing the road. She'd failed a mind test to move directly away from the bank

Aerial shot

The Dai brother having failed to get on the bank's roof opened up on PC Killian. Biggles, Algy, Ginger and Dredd have moved twice to arrive at the roof's edge. Tony then played the double agent card swapped the under cover PC for his character and scored the only successful shot on our heroine

PC Killian caught in the open

The rest of the squad screech up in the van and jump out to cover PC Killian's escape. Unfortunately she failed her body test to get over the fence

The 2 drugs squad members try to force the driver of the bus to get out, weakening him

Clint in the foreground hurrys to catch up with everyone else having secured another objective. Billy looses her head and scatters in a random direction with patch running in the opposite direction

Meanwhile in the bank the drugs squad shoot out a window and use a grapple gun to swing through it landing on the balcony. The Riot squad on the 3rd attempt batter the door down followed in by PC Tubby. They're all confronted with criminals on fire from (an events card) the burst gas pipe ruptured by Brenda's explosion.

Ardama gets the vault open and fires at the drugs squad. Fred's day is just getting better

The under cover PC head across the roof to an objective. He's trying to redeem himself after taking a bribe from Elvis to take a shot at his boss. He missed, and got away with it. Gaz was not impressed with the level of corruption in the Trumpton Police force.

How did Elvis get here? Bad script writing is how. The stars swap. Elvis lands in the street takes shots from everyone is hurt. Scooby the Police dog gives chase. In the bank the tough detective appears by the vault door guns down Brenda and Daivina

The End.

On the day it was declared a draw, but since the Group 4 van got away as was classed a bystander The Beat get one more VP. So victory went to Gaz playing The Beat. Poor Tony was robbed by the cards.