Looks ok on paper - Update 2: Bank Holiday Special

Bank Holiday Weekend Objectives

1. Get some painting done (that's partly happened)

2. Cut the grass (pending)

3. Play a game or two...

Paper Games

Looking for a quick gaming fix for this afternoon, it's going to be either an old favourite from the vaults

or a new game downloaded this morning from Numbers, Wargames and Arsing about produced extremely artistically by Old Trousers

which is in fact more than just a game, it's a whole Campaign with rules, maps and figures included.

Map and figures printed and stuck on card for robustness (not real game play)

Happy May Bank Holiday reader.

Update to the update

Disaster at Apostrophe Hill!

Bad Schmaltzberg's dastardly invasion of Aix-En-Pains began today when they captured the strategic position of Apostrophe Hill over-looking the main Westward road.

Start of the game: Aix-En-Pains hold the hill with reinforcements on the way

All is lost! Bad Schmaltzberg troops completely over-run their enemy

Short and sharp, this was a fun game. On to the next battle which will be played using the card driven system.

Introducing... the Sons of the Desert

No! Not them

That's more like it

A brief flurry of activity

A bit like buses everywhere, nothing happens for ages then two of them come along at once. Well I had a little time to spare; this afternoon I intend to view (read fall asleep in front of) some of the famous Liege-Bastogne-Liege cycle race so a game had to be squeezed in this morning as I had some table space to myself for a change.

Another Action in Albionian Uqbal (Portable Wargame)

The continent of Uqbal is the setting for another Imagi-Colonial game...

The tired column approach a watering hole

What's this coming over the dunes? The Sons of the Desert..

AND hill-tribesmen! Infamy - they've joined forces!!

Camelry in action - infantry get the hump (apologies)

Screaming hordes outflank the Colonial forces

Carnage ensues 

Exhaustion Point for the Imperial troops

A captured gun as prize for the Desert Tribe

The Cavalry are finally defeated on the Right flank

Both sides reach Exhaustion Point - the battle is over

A Sinister Development

An officer from the Independent Kingdom of Uqbalistan, still considered a puppet state, has been spotted by Albionian spies in talks with chiefs of the Hill and Desert tribes. There may be more trouble ahead..?

The Quests of Brin the Barbarian - test games

Preamble

Much like the current UK Government, I seem to have squandered an awful lot of time recently with very little to show for it (oh, bit of politics, bit of politics). Unlike them, however, I have at least achieved one of my objectives and messed about with the Quest of Thane Tostig rules (see side column for link to my simple version for a grid based game).

Brin the Barbarian

(A note on pronunciation; Brin should rhyme with teen rather than tin)

Brin is travelling from his home in the cold wastelands of the North to the "Civilised" South, looking for Adventure, Treasure and some warm weather. On the way he has various encounters which will, hopefully, form the basis for some skirmish games. The following are some of the test games I played.

Quest the First

During his journey South, Brin (here played by Anvar from Minifigs Valley of the Four Winds range) is attacked by wolves

Why do barbarians from cold lands wear so little?

Brin has no trouble with a couple of wolves

Quest the Second

In order to earn a few coins Brin agrees to kill a monster that has been harassing villagers. The creature dwells in a swamp (cannot be entered by Brin). Brin approaches the swamp and the creature attacks.

Minifigs Slimeman from the Sword and Sorcery range

Fighting Old Boggy, the swamp monster

Old Boggy retreats into the swamp to tend his wounds - failed quest

Quest the Third

Further South Brin comes upon a village that is being terrorised by some bandits (sound familiar..). Teaching a couple of the men to fight, Brin leads them into the forest to find the outlaw leader, know as Red Hood, a shadowy figure of indeterminate gender..

Red Hood, Will Johansson and some Merciless Bowmen

Brin (who has acquired clothes and a beard) with Sly and Rabbie, the villagers

Rabbie is shot in the head before combat is joined

Brin chops his way through the Bowmen; Sly is under pressure

Sly runs for home chased by a Bowman. Brin fights on

With both leaders injured the fight ends without resolution

Update

Due to domestic and work pressures I haven't managed to post much recently. There has however been a little hobby activity which I thought I'd share with anyone who was passing.

1. Skirmish Games

I have written, though not yet posted, an update to Heroic Encounters. This has benefitted greatly by some ideas sent to me by Arthur Harman (thanks Arthur). Hope to get this posted soon(ish). The play test games were influenced by the many posts I've seen on other peoples' blogs that feature "Hunting" games using the Paleo Diet game. I do have a few cavemen and dinosaurs somewhere, however I tried a game with some Minifigs Gnomes hunting old Britains' animals.

Chief Thistledown and members of Gnomeland Security 

Staring down a Boar

Exit pursued by a Bear

Having a butterfly mind I have also been working on another set of skirmish rules, a gridded version of Eric Knowles' "Quest of Thane Tostig". This venerable ruleset from the mid-1970s was accompanied by figures sculpted by Barry Minot ; though I remember seeing them at the time I never bought any, though I did have some of Minot's Olympians range. 

2. Reading material

With regard to Eric Knowles, I have just (today) received a copy of The Madashatta Campaign (compiled and edited by Bob Cordery) which looks like a great read, and have been reading Charge! by Brig. P. Young and Lt. Col. J.P. Lawford, which has been reprinted by The History of Wargaming Project.

3. RPGs

Being short of time for tabletop gaming I'm probably going to be doing some more solo RPGing using the Four Against Darkness (4AD) rules by Ganesha Games. To that end I have invested a whole $3.00 (US) and purchased The Crucible of Classic Critters, the 4AD expansion that features woodland encounters.

4. One Hour Wargames Mini Campaign

Last weekend I managed to squeeze in a few OHW scenarios (using a gridded version of Neil Thomas's rules), featuring Horse & Musket 2mm units; these were put together to form a mini campaign. I may post these later though I wasn't too enthused by the action so may consign them to the archives instead. Here's a couple of pics from three of the games that give an idea of play:

  Happy gaming everyone.

Hertfordshire Jones and the Kidnapped Antiquarian

Introduction

Count Sokolov, the White Russian Counter-Revolutionary Spy-Master and all-round cad, has kidnapped Professor Augustus Cartwright and his daughter Flora. The Count has been using threats of menaces against Miss Cartwright to cajole the Professor, an expert in Near Eastern and Central Asian Antiquaries, into helping him search for treasure. Meanwhile, The Royal Society for the Protection of Ancient Artefacts has asked Harry "Hertfordshire" Jones to rescue the Prof and his daughter post-haste, as Cartwright has some overdue post-excavation reports to write. Jones quickly assembles a team including Anthony "Boggles" Bogglesworth (ex Royal Flying Corps), Cyril "Mad" Carew (ex British Army in India) and Patrick "Left-Ear" O'Toole (almost deaf munitions expert).

Professor Augustus and Miss Flora Cartwright

Game

The Captives are being held in a mud-brick building with two guards; the Count and the majority of his men are away doing something dastardly and will not appear until turn 4 of 12. Whichever side has control of the captives at turn 12 wins.

The building with guards (and goats)

Jones, Boggles, Mad Carew & Left-Ear, and 2 stout chaps disembark

3 more of Jones's men approach from the left

Boggles and Carew rush for the building whilst the rest distract the guards with gun fire

The Count and his men arrive back

The Cowboys take control of the left of the building and the vehicle is brought up

The Count's men rush forward

Boggles, Left-Ear and Jones cover the Captives as they flee the building

Boggles in hand-to-hand combat with the Count (Sword against Cigar)

One of the chaps is shot in the back whilst running for the vehicle

Jones leaps from the Model T and wings the Count with a lucky shot

Count Sokolov is once again left cursing on the last turn of the game