Is It Me?

I ask this because I have now played 3 games of Muskets and Tomahawks and it does nothing for me!

Could that be because I lost every game?

While it certainly doesn’t help get you become engaged in a game, I am not sure it would be better even if I won.

Game 1 we soon realised we had too little terrain. But I had already been decimated with lack of force cards and shooting.

Game 2 more terrain and a bigger force. Shot to pieces and a lack of cards

Games 3 more terrain. Shot to pieces, lack of cards.

So is it me, unlucky with cards and poor dice rolling? Maybe but I hate games where you advance your force and then due to lack of cards they are left hanging while enemy can just shoot again and again.

In the latest game I had two regular units and a native unit, so I get 6 force cards.my opponent have Regulars, natives and irregulars so had 9 force cards.

Turn one, I was dealt 3 of my opponent’s cards so could only move one unit with command takens. Enemynot only moved when I played his cards but also his own. This enabled him to cover the area around the bridge so when I eventually stepped out of cover to attempt to takebridge I was shot up, luckily or unluckily passed morale so stayed. I had to play his card from my hand, he reloaded, and he played his card which allowed another fire, this time decimating me!

Movement got me thinking, I move Regulars at 4″ in open. That is 6 moves to close in on someone with a musket!

Why does everyone fire at the same rates to hit? Indians fire at the same factor to hit as Grenadiers or woodsman only the conversions to kill are different and then only by 1 on a d10.

Do I need to pick a more balanced force to get more cards? Probably yes, but then you are playing the rules and not a battle.

Have I got my perception of this game system wrong, why do I need three orders to move natives out of woods, fire and retreat!

What am I missing?

As they say, answers on a postcard please.

We intend to play again next week using Osprey Rebels and Patriots.

June 17 2023 Cardiff,so Firestorm Games Goes Down a Storm

The club day out. We decided to pop into Firestorm Games.

When I say wargame shop most of you will think or if you have one in your town will conjure an image of a small well hidden shop, poorly lit and with models and games if lucky that you want, normally with a proprietor wearing a funny tee shirt but not seeming to care if you buy anything or has the stock answer” I may be able to order that in for you”.

Well no more, the image has been changed forever by Firestorm Games. Huge , bright modern facilities, massive range of products and all at fantastic pricing, plenty of tables, loyalty programme, food and even a bar!

I have never been to a Firestorm Games shop before and I belive they have 3, so please check them out.

It was Taff who suggested we visit and play a game. So I took BattleMasters as a simple and visual game for newbies as we had played it once, a couple of years ago. More later.

The store opened at 10am and we were in and set up on the second floor next to cafe, bar and toilets. Then looking around the store, so much and most at 10% or more off rrp.

I picked up a preordained of Perry ACWs, brushes and paint.

Bar opened at 10 as well, so those not driving, sorry Taff, had great cider and boy was it strong at 8.4%. Back to game. Then lunch cooked fresh on the premises, and such great value for money and cracking food it was.

More shopping. Store had brushes, I think every brand of paint possible, flock, trees, accessories, Warlord, gripping beast, victrix, Perry, Wargames Atlantic, Tt Combat, warhammer, star wars, blackpowder, victory as sea, dystopia war, mantic games, Flames of war plus a ton of stuff I have never seen or heard of.

If you can’t get there, order from them on line as they deserve our support because this is what a wargame shops should be, welcoming but not a creche, modern, clean and supporting adults with great parking, food and drink.

At 8.4 % glad we brought a simple game.

June 6th 2023 A shield and flags update

If anyone is interested here is the file for the shield and flags of the Mac Donald’s below.

MacDonald PNG file. Put into paint and print at 100% not fill page.Download

Remember ink jet printers are not waterproof unlike laser printers. I spray both sides with varnish before cutting out.

The figure are from Antediluvian Miniatures.

If you can’t download but would like a copy send me your email and I will send it to you.

June 5th 2023 A shield and flags

I am at my happiest when researching, painting or playing medievals.

For a long time I have been working on my Scottish Wars of Independence.

This week I have finished painting a second unit of Islemen and done the flags and shields for the lairds.

While I am OK at painting simple designs, age has caught up with me on the more complex ones. So I cheat and use mspaint.

Simple hand painted shield and flag added to recently finished unit. Just basing to do.

I stopped using metal flagpoles/spears a while ago. Too expensive, sharp and they bled through rust even if I painted and sealed them.

The answer was a dustpan and brush set from the range I think. £3.99 and I have over a 1000 pikes, spears, lances, flagpoles even vehicle antennas.

Just cut, flatten end and snip to a spear point.

For the more complex flag and shield designs, I find image on Internet and snippet into paint. Having measured the shield in this case 10mm x 14mm I design the shield and flag. Cut out and glue with PVA.

The figure are from Antediluvian Miniatures.

Update 20th Feb Spain part Dos

Nathan ex RHA turned up and within 2 hours we had played to a result. The French had taken their left flank defeating the KGL Hussars and continuing on to threaten the centre. Their right flank was broken by the British Heavy Dragoons supported by two regiments of infantry.

The British in the centre were broken after being hit by two French columns.

We all agreed that the unit initiative, red cards activate a British unit and Black a French unit. I also included an Event card and end of turn card.

Here are a few pics.

I think that this summer I will be walking many a field on the Spanish Peninsular!

Update 5th Feb – Going Back to Spain

Just after Christmas I woke up and decided that this was the year to start to sort things out and understand where I want to go, going forward with Wargaming.

What do I mean by this?

I have realised very slowly that I do a lot more planning, buying and painting than playing. That said I mean quality playing. Over the recent years I have fallen in to playing 2 evenings a week but only for a couple of hours at a time and ranging in size of 2 or 4 players. Therefore, more pop up games, Boardgames have appeared. I finally realised that this is not what I want.

So in January I wrote down what are my passions and desires. Don’t worry I am not going through them all now !

I think I have mentioned before that I got into Wargame at school. First gamecwas Napoleonics with our teacher playing out Waterloo with about 60 Hinchliffe miniatures a side but I was hooked. Later that week I remember two films coming on TV.

Jason and the Argonauts

Callan – not Napoleonics but I dreamt of one day having this set up for my Airfix soldiers!

So back to the post. I decided that Napoleonics is still my first love. And I love big battalions! Therefore I have been busy rebasing my units and this week tested the game using an old set of rules (Playable Napoleonic Rules) on an unsuspecting audience. Within a few minutes one player stated he had never played Napoleonics or really knew anything about how best to fight with unit. What a sad life this individual must have had, out with girls and discos rather than watching Waterloo or even Sharpe.

Here are a few photos from the evening.

All agreed they liked the playability of the rules but all agreed that the I Go You Go approach is dated and may detract from the objective.

Like Baldrick, I have a cunning plan for tomorrow when a different gamer is coming along to play. Having been in the RHA I hope he will have an appreciation of Napoleonics!

UPDATE – Jan 10th Dragon Rampant

Nathan and Taff popped over for something we have never done before!

No, I am sure Taff has done that!

Dragon Rampant, our first foray into fantasy. We decided on a simple game of Goblin and Hobbits. Really the only armies I have. Although following this game they will be expanded.

Hobbit army with dwarf Allies, Goblins on the other side of the river.

The table was 6×4. Point value was 32pts.

Army lists are here. wp-1673343536506

Download

Nathan decided to split force and resemblant of a Zulu attack of the Bull he skirted the river and woods on the left while wolf riders and chief in chariot stormed across the bridge while ogres and Goblins on the right, waded the river towards the Hobbit bows and 95th RIFLES.

Taff brought his Emu cav and dwarf Slayers forward. This lead to an engagement with the wolf riders who evaded but this put them in the flight path of the bows and 95th wiping them out!

Slayer engaged with ogres which the ogres won and the slayers on a bad roll became battered. The chariot piled in a huge melee ensued. The slayers struggling to recover despite the aid of Gandaulf providing reinforcements/recovered strength points.

In a surprising turn the ogres took damage from the bows, Gandalf casting lightning bolts and then Nathan rolling snake eyes, they left the field. Nathan’s right was a worry.

The centre was doing better the chieftain in chariot was inflicting damage on slayers who finally broke.

Nathan’s left finally cleared the Emus and started to advance towards the centre where the Hobbit pikes were formed to defend against the charioteer chieftain. Nathan had the day!

Ops, like all best plans the hobbits defeat the chieftain who breaks and takes the goblins with him. The lesser goblinsbeco e broken while the shaman laughs it off.

Game over. 1 hour 45 mins of pure fun.

UPDATE Nov 8th

Here are the next units of Dwarfs. A unit of shooters.

Finished basing these today.

Blacktree Miniatures

These will be Light Missiles @ 4pts

A Long Time No See

An old wargaming mate popped over for the first time in 4+years. Following a catch-up over a cup of tea we played a boardgame Hold The Line ACW. The scenario was the Battle of Cross Keys July 8 – 9th 1862.

It was only the 2nd time I had played but Nathan’s first time. I have to admit that while I enjoy boardgames we are both into large tabletop battles.

As we played we chatted about how good the game would look if moved to the table top but what scale? 28mm vignettes for each unit or 6mm regiments.

The game played brilliantly with the Confederates claiming victory on turn 13 of 22 having destroyed 7 Union units.

Early battle before the chatting the stopped me taking photos!

I cannot state how much I like this game. But the reason it is so much better than the very similar Command and Colors version is the command, it is down to you where you spend command points and not down to hopefully having the correct card in your hand as per C&C.

If you love C&C then give this game a go and I am sure you will love it.

I hope that it isn’t 4 years before I see Nathan again.

UPDATE OCT 30

Here are the next units of Dwarfs. A unit of miners and Berserkers.

Miners Heavy Infanty @ 4 pts

Their leader Arthur Scarkill! Leads his men forward

Berserker or Bellicose @ 4pts

On the Berserker bases I made the rocks out of Cork tiles.