Master plan for 2013

1 – Gaming in general

No specific target for the number of games.  I would like to try to get around more though so I will look to game somewhere new an average of once a month.  I already have a couple of new venues lined up – the York show in February and the Viking wargames day at the National Museum of Scotland in March.

2 – Projects

Tournaments – 3 or 4 25mm Impetus competitions plus a trial Warmachine one.  I need to get the Warmachine models painted.

Dux Britanniarum campaign – being run by fellow SOA member Richard.  I may try to get some figures painted.

Peloponnesian Wars – 25mm and micro naval – some more battles fought

Henry VIII’s invasion of France in 1513 and Scottish Renaissance battles – at least one battle and some figures painted.  I cheat a bit by using the same figures for both.

 

RN Carrier Ops – Mers el Kebir linked scenarios played and the article I have in draft for the Society of 20^th Century Wargamers on this subject written and submitted

SF – 28mm – paint the few Pig Iron figures that I have and get a game of some sort with them

Paraguayan War – get figures sorted and a game or two played. Research some historical games and expand the armies as needed with a view to bigger games late 2013 or in 2014.  Investigate the naval side of the war for possible games.

Cold War British Colonial - Paint up my Commando Miniatures figures and find some opposition for them.  Possibly 2014 before I can get a game in.

Warhammer Fantasy- Get some games in and bulk out the Chaos army a bit

Purple Heart Valley – get some games in. 

Others – games of, in no particular order - Piquet, Force on Force, Hail Caesar, WRG 6^th , 15mm WSS, 28mm RCW, Dux Bellorum, Check Your 6 and Bag the Hun. 

Something new – perhaps Augustus to Aurelian or Comitatus

3 – Blog

A few more posts, but basically keep it going for another year

 

4 – Clubs

Falkirk District Wargames Club - I have been a member for over ten years now and have beem on the committee for a while.  2012 was an excellent year and I hope to continue to help the club and our show ‘Carronade’ continue to grow in 2013.  I am particularly keen on expanding our once a month Sunday gaming days to have more organised events which reach out to a wider audience than just our club members.

Washington Wargames Club – Last year was the first year I did not manage a game down in Washington since I joined the club back in 1978.  I am determined to get down at least once and hopefully two or three times in 2013.

Other Clubs – I hope to revisit Stirling Wargames and the Dumbarton club.  It would be good to get along to another club or two as a visitor

Societies – I am a member of The Society of Ancients, The Society of 20^th Century Wargamers and the Naval Wargames Society.  I will continue to support them in 2013 and it would be good to get a little more involved in some way, even if that just means writing an article for their excellent magazines. 

So that is the plan for 2013.  Not having had a game since the 10th December, with the next one not due until 7th January, I am champing at the bit to get started again.

Good gaming in 2013!

Master plan for 2012 – How did I do?

1 – Get more gaming done

 

I will have had about 60 wargames in 2011 which is not bad and my aim for 2012 is to get up to 70.  Although the majority will be at the Falkirk club in Grangemouth I hope to get a few more games in some different/new locations/opponents as well.  I have played wargames in 9 places in 2011 and the aim is 16 in 2012

 
         60 again so no improvement but still not a bad years wargaming – only in 6 places though

2 – Get more painting done

600 figures/models table ready in 2012.  Now that is a bit of a stretch

 

            148 – pretty pathetic really

3 – Progress my current projects

Impetus Tournaments – I have enjoyed the 2 competitions I took part in 2011 – the target is 4 in 2012 plus a few one off games at the club

       
             Yes – played in 4 tournaments and enjoyed them all.  Even Smoggycon where I achieved  a perfect (or should that be imperfect) score of zero

 

Peloponnesian Wars – 25mm and micro naval – some more battles fought

             I managed Cimolia I and II but no naval games as yet

Henry VIII’s invasion of France in 1513 – in 28mm – more figures painted and at least one battle

             No Progress

 

Scottish Renaissance battles (pre Civil War) in 25/28mm – probably just painting but a battle would be good

            No progress

RN Carrier Ops – in 1/300 – need to get some more planes painted and find some rules – at least one game as well

Planes well on their way to being painted (thanks Doug) and both Bag the Hun and Check Your 6 seem good possibilities for rules

SF – 28mm - need to buy and paint and come up with a setting – looking to use Tomorrows War to begin with and hopefully a couple of games at least

            No progress

Post WWI Baltic states / RCW – 28mm – not so much my project but I want to get my figures onto the table

            Played a game

4 – Start a new project

It would be a boring year without a completely new project

             Paraguayan War figures purchased for use in 2013

Got some 28mm 1960’s British figures for either Borneo or perhaps a  fictional Belize campaign

 5 – Play a good variety of other games

Lots of different periods and rules.  I am hoping to have my first ever Piquet game, shoot down some more US bombers with Purple Heart Valley, play Force on Force, plus the odd game of FOG and Hail Ceaser.  Also a game of WRG 6^th – I have played them every year since they came out in 1980 and I would hate to break the sequence now!  Perhaps a Napoleonic game as well.  A 15mm WSS game would be good.  Oh and at least a couple of games of WHFB.

            Played 22 different systems including almost all the above which is excellent

6 – Tidy the attic

That’s where all my wargames stuff is – it needs a good sort – another target that is a bit of a stretch

 

            I am not very good at these stretch targets am I ?

 

7 - Start a blog

 

To record my games and progress on everything else

            It has been a bit patchy from time to time but enjoyable none the less.

8 – Review this list in December 2012

And be very pleased with how much I’ve got done

      

            Real life did get in the way a bit so not a bad result

 Or complain how real life has got in the way as usual!

9 – Stay married and keep my job

         Yes Thank God

Historic Battles – two firsts

I like to play a game which attempts to recreate an historic battle.  They are usually a fair bit of work to organise so I don’t do them as often as I would like.  However both of my last two Monday night games at the Falkirk Club have fallen under this category, with not only my first ‘historic battle’ air game but also my first ‘historic battle’ naval game.

This Monday gone was the Battle of Ortegal, a set to between British and French squadrons in the aftermath of Trafalgar.  Four ships of the line were making a dash for a friendly port and were intercepted by four British ships of the line with some frigates in support.  Myself and Doug took the French and Kevan and Mark the British.  In the terms of the Kiss Me Hardy rules we were sans culottes and they were jolly jack Tars.

John, who had organised the game, evened things up a bit by giving the French crews a higher rating than he might but all to no avail.  Kevan skilfully used a frigate to slow us down (even if he did eventually have to strike) and Mark kept his ships together to give us a pounding.  Three of the French ships were attempting a slow exit when British reinforcements led by Chuck arrived and pretty much finished us off.

All in all an enjoyable game.   We were probably outplayed but the fall of the cards (typical TFL mechanism) was certainly cruel.  Very much an historical result.

A week earlier Doug had brought along CY6 Jet Age for another Indian Pakistan set to.  This was a scenario form the book entitled ‘Stake Through The Heart’.  It recreated the action on 1^st September 1965 over Kashmir.  The Indian army was in danger of being overrun by Pakistani tanks.  In desperation the Indians threw in some elderly Vampires to try and throw them back. The first wave got through but the second was intercepted by Pakistani Sabres (we used Mig 19s).

Doug took the Indians and launched a successful attack knocking out two tanks.  As the Pakistanis pounced some unlucky throwing of one’s meant that 3  of their opponents were unable to jettison their rockets which both slowed them and made them less manoeuvrable,

The superiority of the Pakistani aircraft soon told with 2 vampires biting the dust early on.  The air to air defences then came into play.  Not being able to distinguish friend from foe they let rip at the nearest aircraft.  A Mig 19 was hit by a burst of fire from one of the Vampire’s but then almost immediately had to jink heavily to evade ground fire (from his own side) and tore his wings off.

The outclassed Vampires broke for home but both were brought down, the last by a lucky long range shot.  All four Indian pilots were killed but the Pakistani pilot managed to bail out successfully.  When victory points were totalled up it was a dead draw with the early brewing up of the Pakistani tanks as well as the downing of the Mig 19 offsetting the loss of the 4 Vampires.

Two great games – thanks to Doug and John for organising them.  Both games I am keen to play again in 2013.