My second game of DBA with Mark at the Falkirk club last night got me over the line. I will post more details of games played in a review of the year at some point over the Christmas break
Thanks to all my opponents in 2016.
Can I do even better in 2017?
My Blog List
Tuesday 6 December 2016
Wednesday 21 September 2016
What rules to use with Wood Elves
I am just about to purchase a collection of wood elves from
a fellow club member, all old citadel stuff.
I will have about 90 infantry, 8 cavalry, 3 hawks/eagles with archer
crew and a tree man ent type creature
Forces for Hordes of the Things and Dragon Rampant are very
doable but I wondered if anyone had suggestions for other rule sets that might
be suitable?
Monday 19 September 2016
First game with the Elves
Played my first game of Songs of Blades and Heroes tonight and got taken down by Dwarfs. The Curse of newly painted figures strikes again !!!!
Saturday 17 September 2016
I am enjoying painting Elves!!!
At a loose end for a game this coming Monday I posted up on
the club facebook page looking for an opponent.
Tim replied. I know that he is a
fan of Songs of Blades and Heroes and as this is a system I have not yet played
I suggested this to him. He was happy to
oblige with an introductionary game and sent me some info through.
A starter force is only half a dozen models so I thought
that I might have enough figures in my “stash” for a wood elf band. Sure enough I found half a dozen plastic GW
archers in need of a bit of a repaint, a couple of metal figures of unknown origin in need of a
touch up and a nicely painted dark elf (a little on the small side) who can be drafted
in as a leader.
Last night I spent a happy hour applying paint to the
figures. Those of you who know me will
recognise this as an unusual occurrence.
To me painting is a necessary chore rather than a pleasure. I do get a good feeling once having completed
a figure (however imperfectly) but the act itself is not one I particularly
enjoy.
However, for some strange reason, painting the elves last
night was a great experience. Perhaps it
was a one off but today I feel enthusiastic about expanding my elf collection
(about 25 high elves, 12 dark elves and 8 wood elves) into full army sized
forces. As well as potentially SOBH I am
thinking Hordes of the Things, Dragon Rampant and Chaos Wars.
I am not foolish enough to start buying masses of new lead
or plastic. One of my problems is that
the transition from bare metal to finished figure always seems a long and
daunting one. My plan is to scour the
bring and buys at shows for (cheap) painted and partly painted figures and
bring the armies together over a period of time, looking for opportunities to
find games I can use them in as I go.
Wish me luck.
Friday 5 August 2016
My Claymore Challenge
Off to Claymore tomorrow (Sat).
I have set myself the challenge of playing 7 games, to help me get closer to 100 this year.
I will report back
I have set myself the challenge of playing 7 games, to help me get closer to 100 this year.
I will report back
Friday 15 July 2016
Mid July - games played to date
Up to 62 so not too bad. Helped a lot by playing shorter games such as DBA. Lets see if I can keep on track. The list is:
DBA 3.0 | 24 |
Lion Rampant | 5 |
Wings of War | 4 |
Dragon Rampant | 3 |
Saga | 3 |
Blood Eagle | 2 |
Chain of Command | 2 |
Hordes of the Things | 2 |
Mordhiem | 2 |
Star Wars Attack Wing | 2 |
Algernon Gets it Off 2nd ed | 1 |
Beyond the Gates of Antates | 1 |
Blood & Faith | 1 |
Bolt Action | 1 |
Check your 6 Jet Age | 1 |
Custers Last Stand | 1 |
DBR | 1 |
Frostgrave | 1 |
Hail Caeser | 1 |
Hammerin Iron | 1 |
Irregular Wars:Conflict at the World's End | 1 |
Otherworld | 1 |
Renaissance Warfare | 1 |
Team Yankee | 1 |
War of the Ring | 1 |
Saturday 2 July 2016
100 Years of War Sunday 25th September 2016
I am organising this event again. If you are interested in taking part or putting on a game please drop me a note.
Following the A Hundred Years of War label will take you to posts from previous years
Some notes follow:
Following the A Hundred Years of War label will take you to posts from previous years
Some notes follow:
Jointly sponsored by Falkirk and District Wargames Club and
the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers – now in its 4thd year
Date: Sunday 25th September 2016
Timing: 10:00 – 17:00 (2 gaming sessions with a short break in
between for lunch)
Venue: Newlands Community Centre, Montgomery Street,
Grangemouth, FK3 8QR
Cost: Free – tea and
coffee (and possibly biscuits) will be available without charge from the
kitchen
Notes for Those putting on games
Each game should be
capable of being run in full in one of the 2 gaming sessions and will normally only
run once. The expectation is that games
will be run by individuals or small groups.
Think participation game rather than demonstration game. Any system from 1900 onwards, land, sea or
air.
Those taking part
are very likely to be experienced wargamers but may have not played the rules
before – indeed people use this as an opportunity to have a go at a rules
system that they have not used before so please bear this in mind when
designing your scenarios
Tables and boards
are available as is some club terrain if needed
If you put a game on
hopefully you will be able to take part in another game during the other
session and you will have first choice of which game you want to take part in
Please contact Dave
Knight with details of the game as soon as you can. An initial statement of intent is helpful but
please forward details of those putting the game on. period, scale, board size
and number of participants as soon as you have them worked out and by
mid-September at the latest if at all possible. An example would be John Smith and Joe
Brown, Normandy 1944, 15mm, Chain of Command 6 x 4 table 2 – 6
participants. Also advise if you expect to
play in the other session.
Notes for game participants
You will have the
opportunity to play 2 games during the day, although if you can only make one
session this is no problem.
There will be an
opportunity for you to state a preference of which games you want to take part
in nearer the time, but please be aware that your first choice may not be
available and you may be placed in a different game. If this causes you a major
issue please have a quiet word on the day.
Part of the fun is
to mix people from different clubs and for you to have a chance to play
something new, but the primary aim is for us all to have 2 fun games so no
strict rules apply other than normal sensible behaviour.
Friday 1 July 2016
Mid Year update
Against my annual target of 100 games I have managed 59 so broadly
on track but still pretty challenging as December is usually a write off and I
have (non wargaming) holiday weeks to take yet.
What has helped has been a playing much more DBA – Monday saw
another 3 games. It was my regular last
Monday in the month DBA/HotT event but this
time we down to just myself and Dave P.
No matter as we had 3 interesting games with me using Romans against his
recently acquired Cartheginians. It
ended up 2 -1 to myself – I was a bit reckless with my general in the last
game.
Last Saturday I attended the Lakeland Phoenix show event at
Penrith. Not a bad start for a new show –
I am sure it has the potential to grow in future years. I had a quick run through with Beyond the
Gates of Atares – think SF Bolt Action.
I don’t think I was in the target audience as we ran through it all in
not much more than 10 minutes – I would have appreciated more of a game. I then played an absolutely excellent Lion
Rampant Lord of the Rings game recreating the final scene before the Fellowship
went their different ways. The aim was
to get the Hobbits to the boats and thanks to some good rolls I managed to get
them all away. Great fun – well done to
Matt who played it through 9 times on the day – I have suggested that he might
like to bring a game to Carronade.
Onwards and upwards – just another 41 games to play this
year!
Thursday 23 June 2016
Mordhiem Round 2
We all went down to the woods on Monday and the big surprise was the effectiveness of the wandering Dryads who took out more opponents than the 6 warbands together. I only lost 3 figures all to one wandering Dryad.
My forces reputation obviously preceded them as almost all the other warbands headed for the hills after minimal contact. Even the hated Witchhunters whom we had been hoping to get stuck into ran off rather than fight us.
There was talk of a casket of treasure but we never saw it, probably just duff intel.
My forces reputation obviously preceded them as almost all the other warbands headed for the hills after minimal contact. Even the hated Witchhunters whom we had been hoping to get stuck into ran off rather than fight us.
There was talk of a casket of treasure but we never saw it, probably just duff intel.
Saturday 11 June 2016
Dance of Power First Campaign Season
Red Orm's fame preceded him to the lands of the Anglo Saxons who were happy to pay him and his raiders off further boosting his already impressive reputation.
'As it should be' he mused on his return - 'now where to go a Viking next?'
'As it should be' he mused on his return - 'now where to go a Viking next?'
Saturday 4 June 2016
DBA/HotT good SAGA bad
Last Monday saw the first of our 'last Monday in the month' DBA/HotT events.
Myself, Frazer, Gordon and Andy K got through 3 games of 25mm DBA. We played a round Robin with Andy and Frazer winning 2 games each and myself and Gordon 1. We still have a lot to learn but it was fun. I got 2 new armies (to DBA) on the table, Early Achamenid Persian and Seleucid.
The 4 playing 15mm fantasy were Andy W, who provided the figures, John M, Ric and Doug. I think they only got 2 games in but once again all seemed satisfied.
The next event is scheduled for 27th June.
Bad news on the SAGA front, 2 Mondays with work commitments and other campaign nights mean that I am probably going to have to pay Danegeld for the first round!
Looking forward to tomorrow as we are taking a couple of games to the Wartime Experience event at the National Museum of Flight.
Myself, Frazer, Gordon and Andy K got through 3 games of 25mm DBA. We played a round Robin with Andy and Frazer winning 2 games each and myself and Gordon 1. We still have a lot to learn but it was fun. I got 2 new armies (to DBA) on the table, Early Achamenid Persian and Seleucid.
The 4 playing 15mm fantasy were Andy W, who provided the figures, John M, Ric and Doug. I think they only got 2 games in but once again all seemed satisfied.
The next event is scheduled for 27th June.
Bad news on the SAGA front, 2 Mondays with work commitments and other campaign nights mean that I am probably going to have to pay Danegeld for the first round!
Looking forward to tomorrow as we are taking a couple of games to the Wartime Experience event at the National Museum of Flight.
Friday 27 May 2016
SAGA game plus DBA plan
On Monday I had a final rehearsal game of SAGA before the campaign kicks off. It was my opponent's first game of SAGA and I of course took advantage and soundly thrashed him. To be fair rolling lots of 6s helped. I now have a catch phrase for the campaign 'The Viking Way'. This means that my plan is to ignore scenario's victory points etc. and just get stuck in at every opportunity. We will see how well that approach works!
We have a good turn out for Monday 30th and our first DBA/HotT night. There are 4 playing 25mm DBA and 4 15mm HotT. I have been working up some new armies so we have Achemenid Persian v Hoplite Greek and Seleucid v Roman. Although most of the figures are painted some need finishing off and others based up - DBA has certainly increased my output compared to previous years. I will probably bring along another couple of armies in case anyone else wants to join in.
We have a good turn out for Monday 30th and our first DBA/HotT night. There are 4 playing 25mm DBA and 4 15mm HotT. I have been working up some new armies so we have Achemenid Persian v Hoplite Greek and Seleucid v Roman. Although most of the figures are painted some need finishing off and others based up - DBA has certainly increased my output compared to previous years. I will probably bring along another couple of armies in case anyone else wants to join in.
Sunday 22 May 2016
Blog Relaunch
The blog has been very quiet recently – largely due to my difficulty
in getting pictures onto it. Some time
ago I found that I was unable to post photos saved on my laptop onto the
blog. This was compounded more recently
when I could not even download photos from my camera to the laptop. I am afraid that I have very little patience with
computer issues and when a couple of attempts to fix these issues failed I have
simply parked them for another day.
So what has changed?
Well firstly I have made a resolution to have another serious go at
solving these problems. More importantly
I want to record my progress on current projects and the blog is the best place
to do that. So these projects are:
Mordhiem campaign.
This will be my second campaign of this system at the Falkirk Club. The games are always relaxed and fun. I picked up some old citadel medieval/fantasy
types at the Carronade flea market for a song (nicely painted as well) so these
have formed the basis of my Marienburger warband. We had our first outing on Monday with 6 of
us on the table with a simple treasure hunt.
I paired off against Andy’s Skaven and we quickly knocked each other to
pieces. I departed first with no
treasure quickly followed Andy who did rather better – however in the post game
phase Andy lost 3 killed whilst the worst that happened to me was that one of
my heroes was knocked stupid. Kev and
his Undead were the winners. Next game
20th June.
SAGA campaign. Tim,
another Falkirk club member, picked up the SAGA campaign system pre release at
Salute and has organised 8 of us to fight it out over 6 seasons. I had the figures, have played a couple of
games which were quite fun so decided to give it a go. It looks as if it will be June before the
first game. One added bonus is that with
the exception of Tim I have not played any of the participant before, some of
whom have only been down to the club a couple of times. Playing new people is always fun.
DBA gaming. This one
is not a campaign, more an opportunity to get a lot of myf25mm figures on the
table for the first time in years. This
has also involved a little bit of painting and basing resulting in me being my
most productive for years. I ran a fun
tournament back in April where I provided the 12 armies and it was well received. This also resulted in me getting some contact
at the Glasgow Phoenix club and visiting them a couple of times which I very
much enjoyed. I have a plan to play DBA (and
HotT) at Falkirk on the last Monday of the month for the remainder of the year
and am hoping to get a good turnout on the 30th May. All welcome, by the way, whether Falkirk club
members or not.
Jason and the Argonauts.
This is the one that I am most excited about. I am a member of the Society of Ancients and
the last 2 issues have included the first parts of a series on the classical
Greek story. For some reason this has
really caught my imagination. As well as
a lot of background information the articles include ‘actual’ and what if
scenarios with maps and army lists for use with the Hordes of the Things
system. There were 3 such in the first
article and 6 in the second. My rather
ambitious plan is to follow the series through to the end refighting all the
battles hopefully several times. More on my progress in a future blog.
Thanks for reading – sorry about the lack of pictures –
hopefully that will be sorted before too long.
Saturday 30 January 2016
I'm organising a friendly 25mm DBA 3.0 tournamet
It will be held at the Falkirk club's usual venue on Sunday 24th April from10:00 to 17:00.
I will be providing historically matched opposing armies with fixed terrain and the players will rotate around the tables
It's friendly because none of the players taking part have that much experience with the rules and it is really an excuse for us all to play a few games and for me to get my 25mm figures on the table.
The title of the event is Antonine's Folly which is the same name as I used for the Impetus competitions that I used to run - this one is definitely DBA 3.0!
There is enough interest so far to mean that this event will run but there is plenty of space for more participants.
Please contact me if you are interested in taking part
I will be providing historically matched opposing armies with fixed terrain and the players will rotate around the tables
It's friendly because none of the players taking part have that much experience with the rules and it is really an excuse for us all to play a few games and for me to get my 25mm figures on the table.
The title of the event is Antonine's Folly which is the same name as I used for the Impetus competitions that I used to run - this one is definitely DBA 3.0!
There is enough interest so far to mean that this event will run but there is plenty of space for more participants.
Please contact me if you are interested in taking part
Sunday 3 January 2016
2016 plan
Simply put get more done!
So (a) more time on the enjoyable stuff, (b) do the necessary but less
enjoyable stuff quicker and (c) do a lot less of the time wasting stuff.
In the wargaming context this means (a) play more games, (b)
finally get the attic fully organised so I know what I have got and can find it
quickly and (c) cut down internet browsing significantly.
On the games front my aim is to hit the magic 100 games
played this year. This basically means taking
every opportunity to get games in. For instance
in 2015 I attended 6 shows and played 4 games. I could probably have played 14 and certainly
at least 12. Fit another couple of shows
in and I could get close to 20.
It is not all about games at shows of course. Applying the get more done principles to my
non wargaming life should free up time to look for other opportunities without unduly
impacting my family life – my wife is very understanding about my hobby time
but I certainly don’t want to take that for granted.
It is not all about quantity of course – quality is just as
important. I hope to get involved in
more campaigns at the club (Falkirk and District) and perhaps even run one
myself. Also a good number of
historical refights. I am running a DBA competition for the first
time (April 24th) which I am looking forward to and expect to run
100 Years of War again in September.
More blogging would also be good and I want to write an
article or two for the publications of the various societies of which I am a
member.
So here is looking forward to a good (perhaps very good)
year. I hope all the readers of the blog
are able to do all they set out to do in 2016 as well. Happy New Year!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)