Sunday 15th Feb 2015

Black Powder Napoleonics

Today Adam and me played a game of BP 700 points.

Forces were as follows -
British -
CinC (8)
2 x R.A Foot Batteries                                       
1st Brigade (8)                                                      2nd Brigade (7)
1 x Veteran Line                                                      1 x Veteran Line
1 x Highland                                                            1 x Highland
1 x Line                                                                   1 x Line
1 x Small Rifle                                                         1 x Small Rifle
3rd Brigade (8)                                                      Cavalry Brigade (7)
2 x Line                                                                   1 x Hussars
1 x Light                                                                  1 x R.H.A Horse Battery
1 x Small Rifle

French -
CinC (9)
Guard Brigade (8)                                                 1st Brigade (8)
2 x Young Guard                                                     2 x Veteran Swiss Line (Tough Fighters)
                                                                               1 x Line
                                                                               1 x Veteran Light (Tough Fighters)
                                                                               1 x Foot Battery
2nd Brigade (7)                                                     Cavalry Brigade (8)
3 x Line                                                                   1 x Veteran Hussar
1 x Veteran Light                                                     1 x Dragoon
1 x Foot Battery                                                      1 x Horse Battery

Game was Attack/Defense with British defending. Table was 10'x4' and played along the length.
The Game started with 1 brigade each on the table, the British deployed about 3' from table edge and the French arriving on turn 1.
Another brigade arrived each turn and for the British they had to roll for which road (1 at back n d each other 1/3 further along).
Thanks to some initial bad command rolls by the French, the British were able to almost get all their reinforcements up to the first deployment zone before the French could attack.
Game was a good game with the French crossing the British "start" line by the end but only just with plenty of British reinforcements still to use. One Highland unit advanced right into the face of 2 batteries (1 flanking!)

All in we managed to play 11 turns and the British were declared winner.

Some pics -
Initial Moves

Feeling the Pressure

 Reinforcements on the move

The Allied Defense builds up and is attacked

 The final posistions

Finally, whilst rolling his dice Adams roll ended as shown below! A cocked dice when on a flat surface? what are the odds of landing on a corner?

Sunday 18th Jan 2015

Big 40K game

We played a big game 4000 points of 40k, Mark and Sam V Adam and Me.

Sam used his usual Dark Eldar and Tau, along side Marks Space Marines and Imperial Knights (now 2!!)

Adam used Space Marines and Eldar whilst I used Grey Knights with a Vindicare Assassin (my favourite)

It was a good battle, again using tactical cards - I find they definitely give a flow to the game. My GK Libarian accompanied by Paladins managed to deep strike in front of a Venom, some kabalites and a Talos pain engine - the Kabalites and Pain engine charged, when the dust had cleared (about 3 turns) 2 Knights were still standing and the DE were wiped out. I lost the libarain though giving them slay the Warlord.

On the other side, the DE warlord managed to deep strike and was then shot at by every unit possible taking out most of his escort but the 2++ save helped alot.

A few mistake were made in the rules, mainly we allowed Adam with the Eldar Farseer to use a Psyk power against an Imperial Knight inflicting 2 hits. Not a big mistake BUT my man of the match again the Assassin gave it 5 hits during the game causing it to blow up and as a knock on (again wrong) gave 2 hits to the DE flyer. Then a squad of marines fired everything at it needing 6 to hit and then 6 to glance, causing 1 hit which brought it down.

If we take these losses away the end result after 5 turns was a 3 - 3 draw and a good game. Also gave us more insight into the rules.

Pics -

Sunday 21st December - Christmas Game

Couple of games were played in 40K for the Xmas Game.
We dropped the allies rule and all players fielded legal armies, but any factions.
All armies were 1500 points.

Adam v Sam
Adam used a mix of Orc and Space Marine
Whilst Sam used Dark Eldar and Tau.

They managed to play a full game and Adam came out winner 7 - 2.

Pics -

 Mark v Me

Mark used a hotch potch of Tyranids and Imperial Knights.
My weird combination was Imperial Guard, Eldar and Space Marines.

It was a good game with Barroth and his Swooping Hawks deep striking along side a Space Marine Executioner Captain and his Vanguard Veterans.

The Hawks distracted fire allowing the Marines to finish off the Hive Tyrant and his guard.

With a lucky use of tactical cards I came out 17 - 6 winner.

Pics -

Show Review

Recon - Pudsey - December 2014

Last show of our year, and not one been to for over 14 years. Attended this as our regular late year show (Derby, Worlds) fell on a working weekend.

Easy to get to and find. Car Park was nice and big and free.

Was only a small show compared to our usual shows (Salute, Triples, Worlds), but we were happy to give it a look/

Trade Stands - For our wargame needs not many stands for us to use. Warlord and Lesleys Bits Box were the main stalls for us. There were a good few stands that took our attention but not for us this time. A couple I might have looked at but had a different shopping list - Tumbling Dice and a few selling X-Wing/Wings of War.

Games - Here was a different story. Plenty of games and most seemed to be Participation. All were friendly and fun and we spent most of the day playing games.

Can't remember who put the games on but our favourites were -

Viking Smirmish
Adam and me played this whilst Mark and his friend Sam played Warmachine. We had to search a village for loot and the side who found it and got it back won. Adam found the loot and I waited for him in the street. A running battle started and by the time Adam had got back to his start he had 1 figure left and I was wiped out.

Later in the day all four of us played, Sam forgot all about gold and went hunting chickens!!
Adam again found the loot, this time a huge melee with Marks troops broke out and my guys joined in against Marks remaining force who had 'nicked' the gold. Sam finally put chickens down and tried to run the length of the village to snatch the gold. However, My remaining force had managed to catch up to Marks only to be finished off and allow him to escape and thus win!

We played a great game of Check Your 6 - Jet Age also, using 1/100th scale set during the Korean War, so no missiles.
Adam and me took the Americans, Mark and Sam the Korean/Chinese pilots. After lots of dodging and weaving by both sides. It ended with Mark being shot down and Sam flying away trailing smoke and debris being chased by both US planes.

Whilst in the room with the CY6 we played a map game of WW2. Adam and Mark were allies whilst Sam and me were Germans. The war started in Sept '39 and in our game ended in 1942 with the Russians taking Germany all the way to the French border - a different history altogether, with 2 failed attempts to invade England.

Finally, we had a fun game based on chariot racing.
It was a teddy bear chariot race, using Uni cards and dice.
Adam - Maximus Cuteus
Mark - Juda Ben Fur
Sam - Fuzzius Maximus
Me - Unfortunately, can't remember name and its unreadable on photo.
 I was close to getting a second place and had whipped my horses, only needed higher or lower on a 2, I went high and it came up Ace (which was low)!!

1st - Adam and Last me (other 2 can't remember)

All in All a good little show and one for us to remember if the other ones are out due to work.

Battle for the Gold - Monday 17th November 2014
Black Powder ACW

Some damned scallywags have stolen the unions gold. 
The troops have been mustered in the middle of winter and the wagons found, unfortunately the dastardly Rebs are also enroute.

6 wagons were placed on the table and the winner was the side with the most, was it the Heroic Union or Cowardly Rebs.

Unfortunately the Union Cavalry were off chasing Josey Wales, whilst the rebs managed to muster a few squadrons together.

 Bob started off the battle finding a new tactic for the Union Gatling Gun -

As expected Bob opened fire and gun jammed!!! Bailey soon made short work of the crew with some very close range cannister!

Elsewhere the centre seemed to stand still with both sides continuously failing orders. The Reb cavalry quickly reached 2 wagons, easily carting 1 off. The second wagon was denied by some accurate cannon fire causing it to blow just as they reached it.

On the union right after both sides quickly carried away a wagon and the Union got one on the left eventually moving it off table despite attempts by Reb guns to destroy it.

The right settled down to a firefight between the heroic Union Infantry and some skullking Reb cavalry in a village, too scared to emerge.

In the centre the Reb cavalry reached the remaining 2 wagons and took them under control. In an attempt to deny them the Union centre finally got moving, with Bob's units marching to the attack. Reb light infantry flanked them in a effort to deny them the chance to advance, however, one unit broke through to close range of a wagon due to some amazing saving rolls.

 Instead of shooting it to deny it to the enemy, he shot the cavalry. And was then chewed up by the Rebs.

The battered Union finally were halted due to casualties, and stopped from gaining the remaining wagons.

So who won????
Could it be a narrow Union victory by a score of 2 - 1 (as other wagons where still on table)
Or a Win for Johnny Reb 3 - 2 as they had control of those on table wagons.

The gallant Union Commander was heard muttering about the lazy Union cavalry back in warm barracks and the new General 'Bob' Burnside

Imperial Knight

Mark has bought himself an Imperial Knight.

Wanting to try it out, he set a challenge -
Knight v ALL my Imperial Guard -
Company HQ, Platoon HQ with 2 squads each with a heavy weapon.
Veteran squad also with a heavy weapon and a Kaskarin squad.
Backed up with a Leman Russ and a Hell Hound
Most of the troops were there to make up numbers, leaving the heavy weapons to fire (even a Grenade Launcher if I can get round the side!)

Forces were deployed, and battle began.
With the Ion shield giving him a 4++ save made it very hard to beat.

Eventually on turn 5, a glancing blow from a Gaunts Ghost Plasma Gun (my company HQ) finally brought the beast down with 6 HP damage.
Lucky in his death throes he missed all my troops.
I lost a lot -
Leman Russ, Hell Hound, 3 squads of Imperial Guard.
Only Company and Platoon HQ's with the Kaskarin Elites surviving/

In conclusion, its a lot to bring down at only 375 points, wouldn't want to face one in with a normal army and other troops shooting back at me!

Some pics-