Conwy Wargames Club

Today I paid a visit to the Conwy Wargames club, an informal group of like minded individuals. Some of the chaps I knew from my youth in the old LLADs days (Llandudno and District Wargamers Club). Some of them remembered my Dad who'd been a member. They meet every last Sunday of the month at roughly 12pm at the Colwyn Bay Sea Sports and Social club. Bigger games are played at players homes.

I didn't play because I mainly just wanted to introduce myself, and the rules they were using I wasn't familiar with. I forgot to take photos which was a shame as the Saga war bands looked great, and the ACW skirmish figures were pretty. The rules being used for the ACW skirmish were WRG's Fire and Steel.

I found them a very friendly bunch open to playing any rules and interested in most of the periods I like, and they've played most of the rules I like and use the rules I fancy trying. I look forward to getting some games in.

Derby World Wargames 2014

I've decided to skip this years show to continue sorting out the house after the move. Yes we finally moved! The majority of the troops and impedimenta have been found and look ok. Just as important I have found time to check I have what I need for the upcoming Ponyri campaign. The check proved that indeed I have missing elements to my force but I own them and they just need making and painting, with paints I have also located. All this helped in my decision to skip the show. I'll miss the great games to look at which always provide inspiration and chatting to traders. I hope lots of photos are put up on blogs!

... now back to sorting the house and finding the box with my German radio truck and combat medic set.

Other Partisan

A positive result of the delayed move is that I'll be able to get to the Other Partizan on Sunday. The downside is that any thing I buy will need to be packed. Once I'm moved I am not sure I'll be able to get across for this show or it's sister earlier in the year without making a weekend of it. Ooh another positive.

The troops are ready for the move

It's been a long journey but it looks like we are close to getting a move date and in anticipation all the troops and paraphernalia are finally all packed ready to go. An advance party and some awkward terrain has already gone ahead.

Max making sure all is in order

Jess checking she'll not be left behind

Final stacks.
17 x  9 litre boxes
239 x 4 litre boxes
39 x 42ish litre boxes
3 x 80ish litre boxes

 

Who knew I had so much?

WW2 Axis update

I've just updated my post to ensure the fame throwers are more aptly described as flame throwers and to trip down memory lane pointing out vehicles that are about 45 years old and going strong, plus the first tank I every bought. Thrilling stuff.

Hail Caesar Germania book

I picked this book up at Triples to my great surprise has I hadn't realised it was out yet. As an added bonus I received the free figure as well.

The book is more similar to the Dacian supplement than Britannia. In that Britannia had a campaign and army lists for each of the British tribes and details of the terrain to be fought over dependent on location and this doesn't. Nevertheless it gives a good potted history. I am no expert but I enjoyed the read. It does come from the viewpoint that Varus was incompetent, which I've read elsewhere was not a clear cut case. It does cover the main German tribes and mentions their main troop types and terrain for their lands but in descriptions rather than lists.

The scenarios are interesting and I think give a good flavour of the period. I also liked that after the write ups of games played it gave suggestions how the scenarios could be tweaked to be improved or provide a different challenge. I didn't check if the army lists in the scenarios were any different to the army options in the army list books. I suspect not.

I loved it, lots of pretty pictures and I now want a German army with divisions of different tribes with distinctive hair. I currently use my Celts!

To be balanced I also want to update my Romans to the quality in the book rather than my mix of Minifigs, Essex and who knows what.

Off to Triples but which day?

Triples wargames show in Sheffield has landed a rare sunny British weekend. Since I'm going on my own, my usually colleagues either going to Phalanx or Partizan instead, I don't have a constraint on which day I go. As previously mentioned we are head height in packed boxes and more to do in readiness for the long march to Wales. Sunny weather means I can sort out the sheds without getting wet. The best forecast is for Saturday, which logic then says I go Sunday, but I've been looking forward to going and seeing all the eye candy and I'm not sure I can wait. My usual argument for going Saturday after settling when friends are going is traders stock levels. Day 1 is always better than day 2, but the wallet is staying at home, apparently I've
A) just bought a house
B) whatever I buy I'd have to pack
C) there will be no time to paint/read/stroke/play with purchases until an unspecified point in the future.

..... I have decided. I shall make up my mind tomorrow!

The agonies of moving

It looks like we're finally going to be moving with all the fun that entails. It was announced in the household today that the years of carefully hoarded useful items such as cardboard cat food boxes (houses - an estate's worth), insulation squares  (hills etc to cover several tables) among others shall not be travelling with us. Gasp followed by explanation of their importance e.g. the new house has room for all terrain ideas I have. Cold logic about not having time to make said terrain because we're buying a 'fixer upper' that my own plan can't see us finishing till 2016 and the space it will take up in the van was the reply. 

That was this morning, and I am just about getting over the shock. Luckily the top floor of the house has been granted to me if all goes through successfully. The top floor that is way bigger than the battle bunker that is the garage. I do like the sound of the Wargames Eyrie. 

There is a condition..... It all has to be neat and tidy..... Of course it will! I have already identified the basement as place to hide the new really useful hoard. Mwhahahahah

Post Salute Posts

I've been to Salute once back in the mists of time and another venue ago and enjoyed it. I remember joyfully sitting on the floor and my wife and I shared sandwiches. Yes, it was that long ago that my wife still accompanied me to shows before realising she had better things to do!

Although I don't go I do enjoy the weekend looking at all the blog posts of lovely games and new stuff coming out in the future.

So thanks to all the folks who share the eye candy.

Cannon Show Retford

I'm off to the Cannon show in Retford town hall on Sunday. It's a great little show, which reminds me of shows in bygone days before they got larger. Hopefully I'll be able to score some paint. Hammerhead was a bust for this, although I had a great time.

Hammerhead tickets bought

I am now the proud owner of a Hammerhead show e-ticket. I like the idea of ordering your ticket ahead of schedule especially with the incentive of a free figure. I am a sucker for free figures. This year I'll get a WW1 general, Haig I think great for well WW1 obviously, pulp games and a Very British Civil War. I'll resist turning him into a statue for my zombie games (and anything else post WW1). I have a British tommy for that purchased from Henry Hyde's Combat Stress charity.

Out with the old, in with the new

Happy New Year to everyone!

In 2013 I have...
... managed 70 posts, possible 71 if I finish my AAR later.
... played 13 games:
1 x 7TV, 1 x Doctor Who Miniatures Game (which is 7TV for Dr Who),  2 x X Wing,  3 x Black Powder Napoleonic, 5 x Battle Group games
... completed:
1 x 42 man 28mm French Napoleonic battalion
2 x 24 man 25mm British Crimean War battalions
1 x 24 man 25mm Russian Crimean War battalion
24 x 28mm Cybermen
16 x 28mm Weeping Angels
3 x 28mm Dr Who figures (Amy, Rory and the Doctor)
1 x 28mm Tardis
1 x 28mm Clyde Puffer ship
1 x 28mm Sports Cruiser ship
10 x 20mm to 28mm telegraph poles
6 x 20mm to 28mm street lamps
50 plus trees with bases
3 x 28mm Yurts
1 x 28mm Star Gate
1 x 28mm tunnelling machine
6 x 28mm barbed wire barricades
1 x Graveyard set from Ainsty Castings
... nearly finished:
3 x 24 man 25mm British Crimean War Guards Brigade (These would be finished but I was banned from painting over Christmas, apparently I'm messy)
1 x 28mm post box whose final matt varnish went flaky
... based and undercoated:
2 x 24 man 25mm Russian Crimean War battalions
Approx. 10 x 28mm fantasy figures
Approx. 100 x 28mm Sci Fi figures
Approx. 100 x 28mm Very British Civil War figures
Approx. 10 x 28mm Pulp figures
Approx. 10 x 15mm Sci Fi figures
... attended 7 wargames shows
... kept within budget

Wow, when I started writing this list I didn't think it would be so long. I've completed more stuff than I remember which is quite gratifying. Not surprisingly for me, it does bring home that although I've not listed it I've purchased much more than I've completed.

So what's the aims for 2014. Well , I'd like to...
... complete enough of my Crimean War armies to have a game
... try out my idea to create a house from a cat food box, some flecked spray paint, card and mdf windows and doors.
... maintain a similar number of the blog posts, shows attended and games played.
... sell some stuff
... keep purchases within budget and from the 'list' of things I need

Useful pictures for wargaming

I don't know about you but anywhere I go of vaguely historical or military interest I always look at it's potential for translating it into a game, be it a scenario or painting up terrain and figures.

This maxim also goes for packaging and 'bits' and toys, although I am more controlled about these. Literally controlled by she who must be obeyed. Apparently I am not aloud to overrun the house with junk.

Anyway I digress. My megalomania to photo all my games also spills over to the compulsion to photo everything I see of interest on visits to places of note. This desire has been facilitated by the invention of the digital camera. I've also noticed other fellow wargaming blockers sharing their photos of 'stuff' of interest. For while now I thought this was a great idea. Naturally this is always subjective so you've been warned.

I will therefore haphazardly add photos in no order of preference of things that have caught my wargaming eye.

Currently I am ...

... making a mess in the kitchen putting together trees and basing them, with a side distraction of assembling 4Ground barbed wire obstacles and West Wind telegraph poles. The tray of Cybermen are waiting for their currently shiny bases to be painted mat.

Warfare Reading loot

Here's a picture of the loot from Warfare in Reading. Not bad considering I hadn't planned on going to the show. The book was a fantastic find and I'm dead chuffed with it. The 2 15mm SciFi figures were free from GZG. These will go with me other 15mm figures I've picked up over the years. My mate is 15mm SciFi gamer and these chaps will one day be part of a mercenary force I'll create. The other items are uniform grey spray for by Russian Crimean War figures, brown ink my staple wash, mdf tokens for Battle Group Fall of the Reich, 20mm Puma and 222 plus my Crooked Dice haul.

Battle Group Fall of the Reich 1st impressions

I've now managed to flick through the new Battle Group supplement and even had time to linger on some sections. Overall this supplement is of the same quality as the previous books. A nice surprise is some period specific rules that work alongside the core rules in Kursk and Overlord. The main difference is a new set of tokens. I haven't compared the new tokens with the old but as a guess I'd say the numbers are the same but the special events have been given a more last months of the war feel.

 

As you'd expect from a late war book you get the stats for the big tanks and guns e.g. Comets, Pershings, IS2s and Jagtiger. I like the German army list with the Volkstrum, Hitler Youth, Auxiliary units and the option to field any infantry squad or tank not already listed in Fall of the Reich. This to me evokes the ad hoc nature of the last defence.I was sad to see the NKVD officer go from the Soviet list.

 

The building rules have been fleshed out more to cope with the more urban battlefield and they use the same close combat rules for building from the core rules but expand on how buildings can be destroyed and the impact on those inside. I liked the fact that I can see that you don't need real floors for your troops in buildings and can use those terrain pieces that are just a shell or solid. Since most of my buildings are like this that is a plus.

 

Well that's it for now. I'm off to read some more....

 

Battle Group Fall of the Reich

Caliver books have sent through my copy of Battle Group Fall of the Reich. Huzzah! I will immediately down tools and look through it.

I have succumbed

I have failed to resist and given in and signed up to the Battle Systems Kick Starter. I've gone for the Stronghold pledge. This will let me set up a 2x2ft board with a partial first floor. I was very tempted withe 2x4 set up but decided to leave some funds to buy some add on's when I've decided what I fancy. So far the Kick Starter has done so well some of the extras I wanted are now free as part of the pledge I've gone for.

Cats in Space

I left my black sheet on the table after playing X Wing. Big mistake. The cats loved it!

Battle Systems Kickstarter live 1st Nov

I am looking forward to the Battle Systems Kickstarter. I saw this terrain at Derby and spoke to the guys about their plans and it looks and sounds great. I like the fact the terrain is 2 storey and I can just click it together with out having to print it out first and assemble it. I'm lazy that way.

I can see Doctor Who, Blakes 7, 7TV, 7ombie TV and modern pulp playing on these easily. Well that's my plans for it anyway if I can russle up the readies. Swapping out the futuristic furniture I can see this being used as a shell for Victorian Scifi to Cold war games using the nice resin scenery that's available, of which I own a set of (in the 'I'll paint one day' pile).

The Battle Systems blog has more info:

http://battlesystemstws.wordpress.com/2013/10/30/launch-day-is-friday-1st-november/

Here's a pre-kickstarter look at the terrain I've seen below. I picked a picture from Battle Systems' blog as a taster. As this is a taster picture the kickstarter may differ so we'll find out what is included for sure tomorrow.