Conwy Wargames Club March 2017 Dead Man's Hand game

Dave hosted a Dead Man's Hand game using his lovely buildings ( a mix of 4Ground and other manufacturers). 3 of us played so that created the scenario of desperadoes against cowboys with the Sheriff and his posse in the middle.

I played the Sheriff, Gaz the desperadoes (using his figures) and Chris the cowboys. Dave controlled a few civilians for fun.

The town with no name

My boys in the hotel

My boys in the cantina with some of Chris's cowboys and a civilian lady

One of my posse hiding from the desperadoes

Defending the jail

The Pastor is not amused

The desperadoes sweep into town guided by a tape measure

The bullets fly around the cantina

Cantina defenders

Desperadoes sneaking around trying to avoid getting shot... again

Wounds mount up, and shotguns go empty

The jail is stormed  as is the store next door

Heroic members of the posse who took one too many hits

Cowboys who bought  the farm

Desperadoes who didn't live to fight another day

Final positions

Final positions

The joys of writing up after action reports after some time goes by is that your memory can be fuzzy. We created the game on the fly and Dave was helping umpire on another game so I stepped up as I'd played these rules before. The result is a remember the excitement of the head cowboy being shot and the lead desperado as if I was the player which I wasn't. I know I defended the cantina but I also know Chris had guys inside and outside. I also can't honestly remember who was defending the jail apart from their was lots of shooting through windows and doors and corners with 'you can't hit me from there' shouts - of course they could hit them and did so! So I decided I normally play the law, I know Gaz was a desperado as he does love playing the baddies, which meant Chris must have been the cowboys. Either way great game with lots of laughter as a favourite figures were hit or missed.

So who won. Well the cowboys took the most casualties but the desperadoes were in no fit shape. The Sheriff who's posse started off inside the building unlike the other gangs so took the least hits. The rules say whoever has the most hit markers loses which was Gaz's desperadoes since they were the attackers and everyone else shot at them!

Lead/Plastic Mountain count

The collection has finally moved in to it's new long term home, currently named the Barracks. Fancy storage units aren't in place yet but at least I can see what I've got.

The horde finished and unfinished ordered by army and period:

left to right on far wall 1879AD to 1800AD, with 1945 to 1880s hidden by the chair.

On the far wall left to right 1783AD to 1300BC,  and 1 column of Middle Earth, 1 of Scifi then 1 of fantasy/scifi to be completed. 

1879 to 1800

Right to left 1945 to 1953, X Wing, Armada, Full Thrust fleet, Pulp (1914 to post apocalyptic). Pulp is separated as they are my skirmish size collections rather than armies.

Now that I can easily get at the horde I decided to review the lead/plastic horde and see what I roughly have left to complete. I counted boxes and estimated the number of figures etc inside rather than count each individual figure - joyful as that may have been.

The results:

20mm, 25mm, 28mm, 32mm infantry, cavalry and artillery - Approx. 5000 
1/72 and 1/48 aircraft - 10
1/72, 1/56 motorised vehicles - Approx. 50
1/100 ships - 2

Wow. I new I had a lot to do, but it's been 3 years since I packed some of this stuff up in the move so it's volume has been out of sight till now, and as a good wargamer I have added to the mountain since (and I'm pretty sure I will keep doing so).

Awaiting their room to be ready - the terrain boxes:

Next room to finish - not the home for the terrain but The Board Room - where I plan to build a 12x6 board made up of 6x4 sections.

Conwy Wargames Club July X Wing game

I put on an X Wing game for this month using Rebel, Scum and Imperial factions.

My scenario I came up with was Boba Fett delivering Han Solo to Jabba on Tatooine with the Rebels staging a rescue mission ordered by Princess Leia.

The table was 3x6 with Boba on the short edge, Rebels in the middle of the long edge with the Imperial planetary patrol opposite, and Jabba's escort for his new toy opposite Boba.

The Rebels approx. 200 points
3 x X wings
1 x Y wing
2 x B wings

All armed with ion weapons to stop Slave 1

Imperials approx 80 points
3 x TIE

Jabba approx 80 points
2 x Kihraxz fighters
1 x M3A interceptor
1 x Z-95
1 x Y wing

Boba Fett in Slave 1 approx. 40 points

The Game

Jabba's escort flight for Slave 1

Table overview. The cardboard counters piled in the middle are to keep the play mat from curling and play no part on the game.

Boba Fett and Slave 1 bottom right of the play mat. Played by me

Rebels on left played by Ian. I forgot his 3rd X wing - oops

Imperials on right played by me

Jabba's flight top played by Pete

Ian's  X wings open fire on Slave 1 with lasers rather than ion torpedoes as they've yet to get a target lock. The B wings and Y wing take down  a TIE

Jabba's flight heads towards the action

The Imperial planetary patrol mix it up with the B wings

Slave 1 returns fire on Ian's X wings and takes one out

The Imperials target 1 B wing which soaks up the damage

Slave 1 recovers from being immobilised by ion cannon and torpedos and slips past the Rebels with a B wing succumbing to repeated hits.  Jabba's forces come to the rescue and lose the Interceptor before it can fire a shot. 

Jabba's Z-95 is the next to go

The Imperials are left trying to catch up with the action

The Rebels give chase to Slave 1

Slave 1 gets further ahead and the Rebels lose an X wing to Jabba's forces.

In a last desperate attempt to stop Han falling in to Jabba's hands the Rebels destroy Slave 1 knowing Han will survive in space encased in carbonite.

If only the Rebels had that 3rd X wing! The remaining Y wing and B wing badly damaged get ready for hyperspace to fight another day.

X wing always provides a fun game and this one was no exception. It's the first time the club chaps have had a chance multiple ships rather than having 1 ship a piece and there was good use of target lock which is often forgotten.