Virginia Line Regiment : AWI

 I am certainly finding the AWI figures slightly slower than ACW , so I am mixing them with other figures. But hot off the painting desk a Virginia Line Regiment.

Perry plastic range and I have included a couple of hunting shirts to break the uniformity.

We also managed to get out for a walk/hike this weekend not too far from home in the Fells around Ullswater the autumnal colours are amazing at the moment, cloud base was fairly low

This was the second small summit, the shot shows the atmospheric low cloud which was swirling around all morning

Finally I treated myself to a parade shot of the Continentals so far, happy with the progress although they do feel rather rag-tag at the moment so I might do a more formal unit next. Both forces also need some artillery?

Battle for Penrithski Junction : RCW

In the gradual tightening grip of lockdown so it looks like virtual gaming will be back on the menu. Sadly not the massive games I love so much but entertaining, and way better than nothing. This time Phil from NEWS FROM THE FRONT was up for a game so I rolled out my RCW figures. 

A small game using Bolt Action which works for virtual games lasting at most a couple of hours. Somewhere in the Northern Ukraine a train has been stopped before it could reach the intended Tsarist forces. The prize for both sides is a recently imported Mk IV Tank but food is also running low and troops are getting hungry not far from the abandoned train is a local pig farm !

Penrithski junction where the train has been stopped, both forces are rushing to claim the tank 

The Whites from the north, fan out and position their Howitzer in the long grass

The Reds a more mixed force of elite sailors and irregular troops, but they do have a captured armoured car and a machine gun. But the machine gun only last one turn with a fluke direct hit from the howitzer second turn !

But the Reds are not holding back and already have numbers of troops looking to defend the tank

The Whites also advance towards the Pig Farm realising this is equally important to capture

Urged on by the commissar and motivated by hunger an irregular unit also races for the Pork !

A fire fight kicks off across the pig pens

and initially the Reds get the better of it, able to direct more fire in this direction

The white commander looks on with disgust as a unit of Cossacks mis-understand their orders and retreat away from their objective ( this was Phil’s first experience of my random events and he got the better of them !)

Finally the Cossacks rally back towards the objectives but they are caught in the centre and it’s not clear where they should go ?

The Reds are still in a commanding position, a full unit over looked by Natasha the Red Commander

A second white unit has replaced the first at the pig farm and continues to exchange fire their morale supported by the standard bearer

On the far side the ‘white’ unit has been exchanging fire with the Red sailors who have been whittled down to the last few, the Whites then see their chance and charge towards the tank across the road. 

At this rate there will be nobody left to eat the pigs !

After an initial exchange of fire the Reds make a determined assault, leaping across the tank to force the enemy away. This is classic grim hand to hand combat lasting several rounds. 

but wielding his grandfathers saber Captain Philipski somehow manages to single handedly  fight off the White assault 👍

No wonder the White commander is looking glum there will be no bacon for him this evening as the commissar and the irregulars take control of the Pig farm in the last turn

The reward for Captain Philipski is a warm embrace from Natasha whilst the sailors admire their captured prize, but his mind is already thinking of a bacon sandwich !

A fun game played in good spirits. Nice to get the RCW on the table, I do have a couple more units to paint up when I get around to them 🙂

General update

 All the Gaming shows in the uk seem to have been cancelled and obviously things are getting difficult again especially in the north where lots of local lockdowns are in place. We are managing to get some occasional games in but the dungeon is not ideal as the ventilation isn’t good and it is a relatively enclosed space. The colder weather is likely to discourage (I am still hopefully on sunny days to get outside) too many outdoor games.

All this means we are moving back to virtual gaming so hopefully I can share some of these soon. I do feel quite a lot of ‘mojo’ though at the moment and am really enthusiastic on lots of different aspects. So I thought I would share a couple of things.

First up we have now played a couple of big games outdoors using the green blankets you are familiar with, however at this bigger scale which we definitely intend to indulge in more when we can I didn’t have the option of desert terrain. I spent quite while hunting a solution to meet my style and pocket. Whilst the newer printed options are nice they are expensive at this size. But I found the above from S&A Scenics a good quality felt cloth for £54 . When I get some reasonably warm weather I intend to use some paint to create a little variation in the colours. The first likely use will be a Greek vs Persian Battle .

I have also been considering a new project........humph I hear you sigh another project but you haven’t finished the last one. This is just the way I work, thinking in my head about the next project whilst slaving away painting. Anyway enough of the self flagilation I have been thinking about the War of the Roses for some time well before the recent encouragement from WI and a number of fellow bloggers these just tipped me over the edge, and seeing my moment of weakness Phil very kindly offered me some unwanted figures to get me started. (Like offering an addict one more hit !) after the polite exchange of a modest financial renumeration this lovely box arrived in the post yesterday. A really good start which with some Front rank  figures I already had get me started in the Medieval Period.

With all this figure painting I find myself using basic supplies and I needed a restock of Milliput I don’t really do many Wip blogs but if anybody wondered this is how I now do all my bases for larger scale figures, it is slightly laborious but works for me.

Finally a true WiP shot and this gives a sense of my randomness. Here are the latest figures hot/dry from spraying undercoating in the garage. It shows I am cracking through stuff. I tend to prep three or so units at a time giving me the option to paint a range of scales and figures at any one session so I never get bored. Here are 12 converted Arab camelry. Irregular camels with GB Arab riders. A unit of dark age Saxons, as I found I had them and we need some more if we want to fight the battle of Hastings in the spring. In the background two Prussian fusilier regiments. Out of interest we’ll possibly to some the figures on sticks will stay on their stick to be painted, I find this the most effective way, the camels are too large so will have to be done one at a time....old school.

Well a fairly random update from me, hopefully some more gaming but lots to be getting on with 👍

Attack on the Red Dacha

Last weekend we managed another game outdoors in the ‘shed’ area allowing us to socially distance what had threatened to be a cold day turned out quite hot. Taking photos outdoors can be a real mess so I apologise for the quality. Anyway onto the action.

The scenario was a simple one as we hadn’t played for a while. The local ‘Red’ commander has been taking a well earned rest at his holiday home Known by the locals as the Red Dacha (for obvious reasons) White forces in the area have been tipped off and have advanced to capture him.

The White commander advances with two regular units through the woods

Dismounted Cossacks advance behind a recently acquired tank, this trundles slowly forward down the road behind a much faster moving Rolls Royce armoured car

The Reds who are defending already have two units close to the objective which is the officers car parked in the road.

Pushing forward towards the Dacha......

Whilst the Cossacks advance down the road, the Tank has been hit by a lucky artillery shot and with a stunned crew can’t do anything for a turn

The Reds also have a captured Sopwith Camel, whilst only armed with machine guns it automatically pins any units it attacks.

It is obvious there is going to be a mass brawl for the objective so the Reds run a regular unit into the Area

The camel continues to cause the Whites to keep their heads down but they are making good progress......

.....and don’t you love it when a plan falls apart, just as this unit runs into the Dacha’s back garden they are spooked and forced to flee

Closer to the objective the tank pushes through the fence but slows to a stop

.....this time the Officers unit fails its activation test and decides to flee before getting into combat

The tank driver finally gets it into gear and rumbles through the edge of the woods scattering and destroying the defending irregulars

.....one final twist the White commander pulling a special event falls over drunk

Whilst the armoured troops has easily broken through to the objective they can’t claim it and despite some feared fighting the Red infantry can’t be shaken off and there is more Red infantry approaching through the woods.

So there you have it a fun an easy game played in the garden shed/structure. A pleasant way to spend the afternoon 😀

Austrian Infantry : Seven Years War

While the enthusiasm was high I rattled off another Austrian Infantry Unit this time 2 battalions of the Count von Wallis regiment, in their Red not much else I can say about them really 🙂

Baden-Durlach Regiment : SYW

 Finished the next Austrian infantry unit for the SYW the Baden-Durlach Regiment

Pendraken miniatures again these have a slightly different standard bearer which initially I didn’t like but they have grown on me now the flags are attached. I have just noticed I need to put some blue on the musicians shoulder board which I forgot to do ?

I am working on the next Regiment but plenty more to go 😀

Battle of Sagrajas : Al Andalus Part 2

We played this game some time ago in lock down but I hadn’t managed to post it up. For those interested part one of this extended battle can be found  https://wargamesinthedungeon.blogspot.com/2020/08/battle-of-sagrajas-al-andalus-part-1.html where I have outlined the background which is from an article in WSS earlier in the year.

Part 2 having won the initial surprise arrack the Christians forces under Alfonso charge through towards the Almoravid camp. Here the retreating Andalusian Muslim forces regroup and bolstered by the Almoravid black guard turn the Christian assault back. This was a fairly small skirmish game played virtually so I didn’t take to many photos. Those I did will Have to tell the story....

The outskirts of the Almoravid camp, we had set up with the elite ‘black guard’ ready to receive the charge

The first elements of Christian cavalry charge across the table and are wiped out, but the black guard are over enthusiastic and advance out of the camp before their Andalusian reserves are properly deployed on the table

The Christians are advancing their second wave more cautiously

and there are a lot of Christians including a big unit of crossbowmen

Finally the rest of the Muslim army arrives under the direct command of Yusuf ibn Tashfin

But the Almoravid black guard his best troops are already well advanced and his light troops are lagging behind, this means his archers are unable to support the advance

Tashfin is perhaps over optimistic but on his left flank his forces have pushed back the dreaded crossbowmen, in the centre light spear men are running forward to support

Isolated and in danger of being charged himself and desperate to defeat the infidel Yusuf charges against Alfonso as they trade blows he is sadly wounded sufficiently to be out of the battle this shakes the morale of the Muslim army

Who are surrounded, isolated and cut down !

Well another fun game but not how history would have had it, the main mistake was the Arab forces rushing forward and becoming isolated allowing them to be defeated piecemeal. This with a few failed activation rolls meant the Arab archers never got into the battle and they are key to weakening the heavy Christian infantry before getting them into combat. Yusuf having been removed from the field injured will have to regroup....the third scenario will now need to be slightly adapted.

Thanks for looking we have continued to have occasional good weather so I have made the most and got out into the Lake District walking, hiking for those of you on the other side of the Atlantic.

Great Langdale Valley

Scafell (England’s highest point) in the distance from Bowfell, getting colder now so next time we might see some snow !