All packed up and nothing to do.

So we are almost out of the house and living in Limbo. To add to the joy of moving I managed to contract Food poisoning and spent the entire time ill. As all I ate for three days (Ill and moving days)was 3 bananas so I am feeling a trifle tired at the moment and have come to work for rest

In the spare hour I have a day I haven't done a great deal. The laptop has also crapped itself so I have no internet access at the temporary lodgings until it is fixed (Power supply is toast and while I am a software genius, electrical areas are not my expertise), I have no figures to paint so have mostly been reading the Piquet Les Grognards Rule-set Les Grognards 2 I received recently, playing Xbox Fifa12 soccer and sleeping.

Why Les Grognards and Piquet for Solo?

This rule set I would be using for my solo ramblings so I was looking for a set with suitable Solo\FOG appeal. The internet is a wealth of ideas on how to achieve these, but currently I don't have the motivation to make my own set of solo mechanics so I will simply use a printed set for the time being. I do have an extensive library of solo mechanics picked up from various sources (Lonewarrior, blogs etc) so one day I will make my own. The ruleset is also card activated so it takes a lot of the I see and control all aspect out of a wargame.

I am tempted by the mechanics that SmallWorldProductions posted some time ago using counters for a solo campaign to generate battles using the rules he mentioned, as well as adding my own (Random events\Rebellions etc) to get some solo games going, simply to test out my mechanics.

My main aim is to be able to do  a solo peninsular campaign (or part of it - 1808) and the British "brought forward) invasion of Denmark in 1807 (It was in 1808 but I fancy the Cuesta's Spanish being there and on the French side). These games I can just do when I feel like when no other game opportunity exists.

I'm an avid fan of Tabletop Diversions solo dungeon campaign. When I started Historical wargaming in the late 1980's I never saw myself doing D&D\RPG but I have used Labrynth Lord myself for simply playing about and quite like the ruleset (they are very long though). Though my own dungeon delves so far have resulted in each party being wiped out really quickly !

As we are living with the in-laws I now have a bountiful supply of baby sitters so I plan to get some actual gaming going as well hopefully.

Cheerio

2014 Goals

2013 Review.


I have painted a lot of figures this year - mostly 15mm and 6mm. I haven't  done too much gaming, a few games at the start of the year plus some odd solo games on the kitchen table. I've also been sick for a great deal of this year, and also travelled for roughly 2 months for work which has really caused me all sorts of grief. However, as I spent 6 months not doing anything at all game\paint-wise as I really enjoy painting figures I should count my blessings.
 
2014 Goals

I need Goals as I've been in a bit of a drought, a bit like West Ham - wandering aimlessly through the year only talking up big but suffering humiliating defeats to Fulham.

Plans

• Complete 28mm WSS Spanish Army 8x18 figure Battalions, 12 Cavalry and some guns.
• Start 25mm HOTT army (Fairytale What goes bump in the night army - Goblins,Gnomes, bogeyman,ogres,heroes, princes blah blah)
• Finish 15mm French Army (200 odd figures)
• Finish 15mm Prussian Army(150 odd figures)
• Finish 15mm Warrior Heroes armies (Elf, Dwarf, Roman) - 100 odd figures
• Rebasing 28mm Napoleonics (Re-base current French and allied Armies to bigger bases to ease movement of figures)
• Finishing 28mm French army (I still have 6 units, 4 cav to complete)
• Finishing 28mm Russian and Prussian Armies (Still have a good 8 or so units to complete)
• Start 28mm British Army (8 Bns to do)
• Finish WW2 Desert Armies - 1/72
• Finish 6mm napoleonic armies (For quick solo games at home)
• 1/72 18th Century Imaginations (Get the ball rolling)
• Ignore trademe and ebay (and TMP, and tabletopgaming news)

Oh and some terrain would be good.

What's the common theme (Apart from OCD\ADHD with a splice of Hording )! - Napoleonics - I simply love it and have armies in 3 scales. What a nutcase !

The amount of time I spend painting I firmly believe that I can complete the above - I average 2 hours painting at least a night.

 My biggest issue has always been space, as currently I have to unpack everything and repack it at night (So little hands cant get my "pretty horsies" and "daddys little men") and this takes time. Hopefully soon (As we are homeless in 2 weeks for a month) when we have a new house I can have some decent space for a game as-well as to leave things out. I have not rebased the 28mm Nappies as it would mean getting them all out, glueing them and then putting them all away in one night - I simply havent had the motivation to do it !.

Happy New Year To all.

Refighting Amon Hen - SBH

Hi,

House move is on the go so Im not up to much at the moment. We'll be in Limbo for a few months (House purchased stopped after building report) so not much will get done. Hopefully new home )once found) will have suitable gaming area\space for me to not be like a gaming hobo and have to put away stuff at night.

Please note
i) Real Estate agents are usually lying bastards
ii) West Ham are still shit. Every year its the same - Relegation from the Premier league.
iii) There is only so much chocolate I should eat at xmas.
iv) Another relative has passed away in the UK - Getting itchy feet to go back.

A while back I did a 15mm refight of  (Balin Tomb) using Song of Blades and Heroes and it basically devolved into a mickey take  of Lord of the Rings movies.

**SPOILER ALERT**  The report below is a complete non event so don't read below unless your bored.

As I have now had my "Hobbit fix" I shall complete a few comedy re-fights of parts of Lord of the Rings and Hobbit 1 & 2 movies for the laughs.


Amon Hen is a scene in the movie where Frodo decides the Fellowship is cutting his style and that Sam is going a bit "Brokeback Mountain". Aragorn gets a bit emotional but then they are attacked by Orcs and a big fight is viewed.

The movies has the following fight - Aragorn is up against 30+ Uruk Hai.

So I thought I do the same - Aragorn (Ral partha) vs a load of Orcs. (15mm.co.uk). 30 or so Orcs all in a line waiting to get a piece of the actions. All yelling "FIND THE HALFLINGS" with a great gnashing of teeth and stomping of feet.

Unfortunately in the first game the Orcs activate in large droves and swamp Aragorn. A little like the movie I guess as he did charge into them.

 However more orcs activate and it is starting to get a little dicey (The orcs can just reach Aragorn but don't have the ap to fight him) and he soon has three in-front. 3 quickly turns into 5........I can just see Aragorn trying to get Peter Jacksons attention to yell cut.

 Oh Dear. Aragorn activates and attempts to fight - He rolls a 1, the orc rolls a 6. As Aragorn is surrounded by 4 other combatants he gets a -4 a total result of Aragorn 1 Orcs 10. The result is the orcs at least treble his score which in SBH means a gruesome kill (Envisage Aragorn basically getting butchered in little bits). Its one thing about the Tolkien movies, the horrible beheadings and deaths are only shown for Orcs - the are so discriminated against so I guess some Justice for orks has occurred.

Peter Jackson is not happy.

So I roll back to when Aragorn (The joys of directing) is attacked and I decide to make him flee. That was the rest of the game - he simply legs it away from groups of Orcs, Gimli (AND MY AXE) ad the walking Pantene advert Legolas arrive but don't do anything apart from pop a sole orc who is brave enough to have a crack.

 As I rather brassed off now I decide to call it a day

 

Next on my list:

Boromir's last stand

Dwarves v Trolls

Dwarves v Wargs

Dwarves v Goblin City etc etc.

In other news I have been busy painting some WSS figures and have finished my figure for Colonel Barry Taylor, who will lead the fictitious Spanish Foreign unit "Herzogtum von Rechburg" for my Spanish "Amansa" army. I loved painting this front rank figure but am entirely annoyed at the varnish I used as it seems pretty crappy. There is something about a painted 28mm figure that is so appealing, I added some standards to some test figures and they look great so maybe I'll try to get some more done.

I won't mention the 6mm Sudan and Zulu armies I also finished :)

Cheers

Old tanks

I spent an hour or two at Archduke Piccilo's this afternoon "chewing the fat" (As well call talking in NZ) and seeing what he was up to project wise. I offloaded some late war German kits I would never use any time soon (Part of the clear-out due to impending house move) and managed to get a good old PzII in return (Much needed for my Desert War forces)


That great chap Mr Shields in Dunedin also sold me some Italian tanks which are much needed. 2 M13's and Sp guns. This will now take my M13 numbers to 6 which is a good number to have (If anyone has an Italian AFVs to offload let me know). I'll give them a touch up to make them more uniform with my other vehicles.

My WSS generals have arrived from Front Rank. One shall command my forces and the others is for the unit Barry gave me.

Cheers

Surgery and AFV's

Hi,

I had my Septo-rhinoplasty to fix my smashed up nose last Friday and I thought I was going to have so much spare time to paint figures. Well today has been the first day I have been able to as the rest of the time I have felt terrible due to swelling, sleeping and the drug mix I have to take. I have a nose cast on which really is irritating, however the silver lining is that it comes off in 2 hours as well as the stitches (eek !)

I started playing around with my 1/72 Modern US vehicles and attempting my first ever painting of NATO camouflage. The pics below are of the base coats so other coat plus weathering\touch-ups etc etc but I don't mind them. I used Vallejo German Grey for my NATO black but I might give it a touch up with  a darker shade. (Models are Trumpeter 1/72 Stryker and LAV)

And I did something really stupid this week while resting in bed. I watched Zulu, Gettysburg and the four feathers and now a box has been hauled from the garage containing said 6mm\15mm figures.

Cheers

Barry

Hi,

As I've been clearing out my wargame's storage for the big tidy up I have found so many armies, maps and other items related to campaigns and games I have had with the late Barry Taylor. Barry passed away around a month ago after some illness. I only have 15mm Napoleonic armies as Barry wanted me to play some campaigns with some other gents so he can take credit for that project (What was a small Spanish army turned into a large Spanish Army, followed by a Prussian Army and an Austrian Army)

It was only after 3 or so years of gaming I actually got to know Barry a little. Its funny how you can play games with someone but not really know anything about them.

He gave me some half painted WSS figures before he passed as he wanted something to become of them instead of being tipped in the bin after he had gone. I have created a fictional unit lead by one Colonel Taylor and I shall endeavour to paint them with the best of my ability.


Cheerio Barry

Zvedza

Hi,

Our house is now on the market and I have my septorhinoplasty in two weeks so wargaming\painting is now non-existant.

However on a rare visit to the childish hell hole TMP is I found a link to a Zvedza factory visit.

http://miniatures.ru/categories/events/1214-zvezda-kak-rozhdayutsya-soldatiki-ili-polnyj-vpered

I've been to Front Rank, Essex and Wargames  Foundry but have never seen any information on how plastic figures are made.

Cheerio.