Monday, 7 July 2014

Somewhere in Northern France...

Yesterday 5th July, saw is play a huge battle, whilst we continue to play test the rules from the salute game. It's a very fun game, and easy to pick up. And lends it's  self to big multiplayer armoured battles amazingly. 


Amongst the boccage and farm land that stretch between villages of northan France. A great battle raged. A meeting engagement of key objective, to be taken at all costs. 

Elements of the britsh brake out force from D-Day started pushing on let objectives to gain a foot hold in Europe. 


In the North west, a German infantry brigade supported by Pak 40s and a Marder set themselves up to ambush a unknown collumb of Alies advancing toward the town. 


A Pak 40 conceals it's self in a shed. Knocking out the Churchill below. 


The brigade was left to defend the german armies forward operation base, a hotel secured in the fall of France. 

As the attack came, british mechanised convoys start led poring towards all of the strategic possistion on the map. Securing the village with ease, infantry units a Firefly and Cromwell hunkered down, with orders to hold the village at all coat. 

Realising what was happening the German FOB sprang into action, calling up renfocments as quickly as possible. 



The right wing of the German reineforcements push into the town, to try and dislodge it's new inhabitants, which would prove to be a much harder task than the first thought. 


As the left wing of German reinforcements rushed to help defend the FOB, their heavy tanks got bogged down by the rough farm ground. 



The Defenders at the fob were atleast overwhelmed by British armored vehicles well supported by infantry. Then the message came over the radio for the FOB to evacuate. The Reinforcement push hard to stop the Alied advance before it gains anymore ground. 


As the Alies come into site, a barrage of AT shots rains down on them, from a group of panzers hull down along the easterly road. 


Dissolution strikes the Alied forces hard as the Stark reality hits home that this is tiger country and they are finding their mark. 

Back at the village the infantry take a firmer grip over it, with Panzer and Firefly trading blow for blow in the streets around them. 




A courageous Cromwell tank, sneeks around the flank of an approaching Tiger tank. 


As the Tiger support is brought up to the town, more british vehicle are being lost. The infantry try their best to disrupt the vicious tanks with piat and grenades. 

 
As the Alies tighten their grip on the key objectives, all seemed lost, apart from a vital cross roads to the East where a squad of infantry and recconacence Puma, hold on and follow orders to the bitter end. 



In the end, it was a major Alied victory. The Panzer and Infantry elements in the area forces to retreat and regroup.

A final tally of the outcome: British armour suffered terrible losses, losing a Churchill, 2 Fireflies and 4 Cromwells, but the infantry suffered light casualties in securing the eastern outskirts, hotel, crossroads and part of Cuverville. 

The Germans lost 3 Pumas, a Marder, 3 Panzer IV's and their infantry company was effectively destroyed. They controlled the farmhouse and the west of Cuverville but were forced to retreat from the village before their remaining armour was mopped up by the British infantry which totally controlled the east end and were awaiting the arrival of the remaining British armour.

Overall a very good fun game, with the advantage swinging from side to side. 
I expect a lot from this rules system, for many things. Simplicity, fun and the chance to get all my toys on the table. 
I will be play testing this agin on Thursday night, seeing how it plays on a 6x4table 1vs1. I will write a small report after that.

Thanks for reading

Regards

Saturday, 5 July 2014

A little bit of C-Bax persuasion **updated** **Again**

So as a Bolt Action player and Tournament Organiser I follow with anticipation all of the big BA forums podcasts ect, you know the ones I'm taking about. Boltaction.net is a regular visit for me, and as I have a bit of a soviota groove on atm C-Bax stuff have really inspired me. 



Some tanks riders, for a list I'm planning on using this month. Along with the OT-34/85 they are riding on. 
More on these to come... 

And here is the more I promised... 
Squad 2




As always hope you like.

Regards,


Monday, 30 June 2014

Woof, woof boom! **Updated**

So on my little Soviet Union blots atm, I have been doing some cutting and shutting ect.... 


So for the game on the 19th of July, I'm looking at running these in a list with a lot of tanks, all in the name of fun :-) 

'In 1924, the Revolutionary militay Council of the Soviet Union approved the use of dogs for military purposes, which included a wide range of tasks such as rescue, delivery of first aid, communication, tracking mines and people, assisting in combat, transporting food, medicine and injured soldiers on sledges, and detonation of enemy targets. For these purposes, a specialized dog training school was founded in the Moscow Oblast. Twelve regional schools were opened soon after, three of which trained anti-tank dogs.

The Soviet Army had no dedicated dog trainers, therefore they recruited hunters and circus and police dog trainers. Several leading animal scientists were also involved, in order to help organize a wide-scale training program. German Shepard dogs were favored for the program for their physical abilities and ease of training, but other breeds were used as well. The idea of using dogs as mobile mines was developed in the 1930s, together with the dog-fitting mine design. In 1935, anti-tank dog units were officially included in the Soviet Army.'

As promised **update** with painted pictures. Hope you all like. 



Thanks as always

Fox trot down, fox trot is down

Put this airfix plane together when warlord first brought out the warplane rules but soon lost interest in it. 

The other day, I was tiding up the man cave the other day, and accidentally stepped on it. And then the thought came to me. Objective Marker! 

And in scraped this together... 

With a few added touches... 


Not sure about putting decals on it yet.  I may just leave it plain though. 

Thanks for looking

Sunday, 29 June 2014

Winter is coming.... **Updated**

The last few days I've been working on commotion jobs for a few friends, and I hit a wall of sorts, painters block so to speak. It's always the same with me, when there is somthing I have to do, I lose interest quick. 

So I decided to move on to somthing different to keep my interest thrifting. 
On the 19th of July, we are playing a small friendly Bolt Action tournament, at Fire storm games. We have two team of six, and it'll be mixed team between us and the lovly South Hampton chaps. 

I've decided I want to play my Russians, and of course non of them are painted. I have bought a bottle of Vallejo Karki for the airbrush, atleast they'll have some collour. ๐Ÿ˜•

I though I would start with the bigger and easier models in the army. 

Starting with my.... Ahem....OT-34/85 ๐Ÿ˜

My armies is based on a mid - late war infantry platoon, with armoured support. All the infantry will be on rubble base, with the early falls of snow. 
Wanted a wintery looking city fight look for the army. 

Next up a bit of recconacence.. BA-10

Posted else where, but I'll add them to the collection here. 
The for formidable IS-2.

New to the collection, and two the very small painted "pile".
ISU - 152 close support tanks. 

And magnetised barrel, to make the
ISU - 122


Now to paint some infantry ๐Ÿ˜‘

Regards


Monday, 16 June 2014

On Holiday with WIFI...

..... Can only mean one thing, buying. If I can do any hobby I sure as hell will buy some hobby. 
I have found sunbathing, whilst searching the inter webs very dangerouse... To my bank account that is! 

I have purchased some interesting things. I picked up some of scibor minitures stunning elven ruined bases, these will act as unit fillers for my High Elves. 

I have also purchased some armatures from E-Bob, to start down the path of sculpting my own minitures. I have also picked up some cool tools for this. Popped to the local Merca Chine (I am in Spain), I picked up some sewing needless, a vuriaty of sizes, and some things my Fiancรฉ insists are for your nails. And also this tool,
I gather it's for some sort of sewing, but it looked handy, especially after I read an artical the other night about collecting different tools, to make you sculpting life easier. 
Of course I have the standard shelf bought tools.

More purchasing, Iv grabbed a bargain of a lovely guy on Ulthuan.net, some sword masters and a griffin, some chap I bought my chariots off. 
Also picked up some bolt throwers. Of another guy on the forum. 

All this abord buying means one thing, tactics when I open the front door, A) not to step on any of my goodys that have been posted over the last 10 days. B) to quickly scramble them up to the man cave before the boss sees them. After a long days traveling the last thing I want is.... Well you know.

More sunbathing.... 

I have been mulling over all my on going projects/commissions, and been trying to decide what needs to be done first. 
When I get home on the 20th, my to do list is:
Finish painting a Viking Warband (commission) 
Sculpt some nurgle plague drones (commission) 
... This is where I tail off to things I want to do over what I need to do. 
I have High Elves to paint, lots of high elves.
I have Bolt Action Russians ready for paint, want to use these in July.. 
And now I have a new SAGA Irish warband to contend with. 

The list is endless... 

Anyway sorry for my rabbleing,

Regards

Sunday, 8 June 2014

One man, a warband and a beard...

This weekend, I partook in the first ever Saga Grand Melee.... Well I say partook, I turned up at least. 

I'm going to keep this short an sweet. 
I WON.... The wooden spoon award in grand fashion. Losing all six of the games, on the trot. 
But I turned up and I made sure my viking kin made their way to Valhalla with sword/axe in hand.

Over all I'm putting it down to not sacrificing to the Wargaming or Dice gods before I ventures to the battle fields.
 
My match ups were:
Game 1 Normans - A good game to warm up, first time agains anything on horse back. 

Game 2 Vikings - The chap clearly new the rules, I now see the advantage in reading the rule book :?

Game 3 Normans - Couldn't of played a nicer opponent, really enjoyed this game (he had one major tactic, he kept buying me alcohol! :)). It took me till turn 3 to realise that perhaps I should be marching across the board into a hail of arrows. 

Game 4 Anglo-Danish - Opponent again read the rule book, I'm sensing a trend. First time agains these guys, and how they are hard to advance on. 

Game 5 Jomsvikings - lovely opponent! Scenario and my inability to roll anything my favour, shut the game down for me. Plus he rolled like a machine, 5s/6s all over the place. 

Game 6 Anglo-Danish - Again :? Against a friend in the real world, but still shut down before I even began. Getting hell bent on kill points, I threw a lot of things away in a silly way. 

On the upside, I won the best Facial Hair award and Most sporting player. And Wow the prizes are unbelievable. 




Overall, an amazing weekend, of high some lows, but lots of laughter and brilliant banta. Some alcoholics shinnanigans along the way. 

Thank you to the gentlemen Gripping Beast. Lovely guys, with brilliant banta and amazing generousity. 
Thank you to all who turned up and made the tournament what it was, and thank your too my opponents for six spectacular defeats. 

Can't wait for next year!! 


.... Now where is my rule book