AVBCW: A little Game at Little Marcle

12/03/2013 1 Comment

On Friday Byakhee Gav H and I had a little game to try out some rules we’d been tinkering with loosely based on the newly released “Went the Day Well” rules Ook has produced and that we are bashing into shape for my Back of Beyond game.

A cut down platoon of two units plus command unit faced off against each other – MHC vs BUF.

Gav’s unsophisticated walk straight at them tactic should have spelt disaster.

But a combination of good cards for initiative…

…and good dice…

Saw him win.

A quick and simple game that tested out a few of the new rules we’d dreamt up (mostly his).

Which left time for a quick game afterwards of my BoB rules…

Stay tuned pop pickers…

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AVBCW: Big Game Hereford 2013 – 1

17/02/2013

After a last minute line up change we got to the game. On Table 1 – we had two tables…

The BUF (Richard) and Royalists (Roo & Tom) massed their cavalry, some 40+.
Now Cavalry did not have a good track record in AVBCW games (note past tense)…

But when augmented with Tanks, and a few good dice rolls they stormed across the table towards the Anglican and Socialists. Though the BUF tank did blow up a building on the way over…

Whilst the Socialists from B’ham after rather placing thier car in a rather rakish position on the bridge suffered from the effects of a chance card that meant it was out of petrol. This seemingly small event went on to make a major impact on the game, as the broken down car was then shelled by the BUF tank, blown up and left wrecked on the bridge blocking it. It provided cover for Anglican bomb squads who attempted to blow up the BUF super tank later as it crossed the stream.

Meanwhile the Socialist NCO checked out the wrecked car..and found that it had contained the Bishop of Hereford, who had now escaped and was somewhere on one of the two tables…capturing the Bishop would be a major issue for both sides.

Elsewhere, the Anglicans had sent forward a unit across the stream. Screams were heard across the fields, and the survivors later claimed that they had found an Abyssinian Lion in the bushes that attacked them. Both the Anglican troops who claimed to be attacked, and the Royalists moving towards them made these claims, but to date no reliable photographic evidence has been shown. It is suspected that a domestic house cat or two was responsible for clawing a few ankles.

The staff of Emperor Hailie Sellasie have declined to comment on the whereabouts of his highness’ pet lions.

With the Royalists and BUF approaching the bridge, the Socialists called up their reserves !

With both their lead car and motorised tachanka out of action (kaput), the socialists retreated as per orders whilst the BUF and Royalists targeted them with mortars and tank guns. Luckily for the socialists the BUF super tank managed to get stuck trying to cross a hedge which bought them some time. However, spies in their midst, fog and other adverse chance cards really hindered them and they were not able to mount a decent defence.

Having loped off the head of the scarecrow that was taunting them (it was dressed up in BUF uniform), the BUF cavalry cantered on, leaving in their wake some very annoyed Twiggy Mommet protesters who turned their scythes, pitchforks and shotguns on the unfortunate BUF infantry.

Breakthrough !

The BUF supertank crosses not only the hedge, but the stream !
Thbis was the beginning of the end for the Anglicans and Socialists. With the tank across, and seemingly immune to the tank killers of the Anglicans who made a brave effort, the ATR squad mown down by BUF cavalry, the tide turned against them.

However, the Anglicans went down fighting, the Royalists assaulted the immobilised tanks (known as the Hot-Rod), but the Anglican commander raced to the rescue and valiantly fought off the Royalists.

And then a Chance card through everything up in to the air. It turned out the commanders were old enemies and basically everyone had a grudge against each other…CHARGE…

To be continued…

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BoB/RCW: White Command II

14/02/2013

Here are some figures for my White Command unit, to lead their ragged troops into battle:

One of the standards has slipped a little as you can see – somenthing you notice in a close up photo like this is totally unseen when deployed on the table. The second more animated standard is the St Andrew’s flag that was occasionally used and was also the standard of the Imperial Russian Navy.

A Brigade Games and an Artizan figure – a medic, and a mad officer wielding two mauser pistols (one with snail magazine). I painted the Officer’s ‘tache white, like the one in Dr Zhivago.

Get back in your ranks !!
Even more officers !

One’s from Brigade Games, the rest are Copplestone. As you should notice, the right hand one is the officer from the White Field Gun. I swapped him with another White Officer to make the command and artillery units more varied.

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BoB: Bolshevik Characters – Freedom from the White Oppression !

07/02/2013 2 Comments

Rummaging around in the Playrom and I found some more bolsheviks that in decided to finish painting

A Copplestone Bolshevik mounted standard bearer. the flag is acquired from the internet and translates as “Freedom form the White Oppression”. I have a few more flags with slogans to add to my Bolshevik standard bearers.

Next up is a bit stranger, an Artizan figure:

A Bolshevik dominatrix in red leather ? Yup entirely historical:

Nina Pavlovna Lebedeva-Kyashko, an officious 21 year-old Moscovite, paraded about shamelessly in furs, jewelry and clothing of burzhui victims, and ‘wives of the commisars’ and ’employees of the Requisition Commission’ followed suit. When not modelling the wardrobes of her victims, Kyashko reputedly strutted about ‘armed to the teeth’ and habitually clad in dark red leather.

(White Terror, Cossack Warlords of the Trans-Siberian, Bisher, 2005, p243)

Just some more Commissars. Time to start painting the rest of the army.

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BoB: White Russian Command

05/01/2013

Here’s a collection of Copplestone (BC25), Brigade Games (BG-SIER002) and Artizan models that I have used as the first infantry command unit for my normal/ragged White Russian army.

I’ve included an officer with blue breeches to represent the plastuns and the general nature of White Russian armies being top heavy with Officers who often aspired to be from the cavalry regiments that had prestige.

I have added an Artizan figure as the feisty Terek female commander/officer that can goad her male brethren into action against the rapacious Reds (nice alliteration I think).

And of course another couple to round the unit out including the cigar smoking type that helped the Whites loose the RCW due to overweening arrogance and ineptitude.

As you can see whilst the style of Artizan and Copplestone are similar, both the Artizan and Brigade Games figures are more slender/delicate and a bit smaller. I guess this represents Mark’s influence on Mike (the sculptor for both ranges) whilst they were at Foundry. They’re all compatable which is the most important thing for us wargamers however.

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A bad case of Spackle

07/12/2012

Rooting around yesterday for the archaeologists to go with the Eldritch Statues, I came across an uncorrected example of the dreaded Spackle effect.

As you can see, the back of the figure is covered in a ghostly grey – caused by atmospheric moisture when spraying the figure with varnish.

The front of the figure done earlier is free from the effect. Which goes to show you have to be very careful when spraying varnish in humid/moist conditions !

And here is the corrected paint job ! Again the static grass had to be dry brushed with a green paint to make it better.
The figure is an Artizan pilot.

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AVBCW: BUF Air Corps

20/10/2012 4 Comments

My latest acquisition:

Flasheart:
Ah! Tally ho, then! Back to the bar. You should join the Flying Corps, George. That’s the way to fight a war. Tasty tuck, soft beds and a uniform so smart it’s got a PhD from Cambridge.

NOT painted by me, but by one of my delinquent mates Ook! who I have met via AVBCW Big Games in Evesham and Tring, and at the bar at Colours. Normally I don’t buy stuff other people have painted, as it often doesn’t fit in with my painting and basing styles. On this occasion however, having seen Ook’s work, and not having to worry about the basing I went for it, and when it arrived this morning I was very pleased.

Never played a game with planes, so will have to check out some rules for them, the A World Aflame rules book has some basic rules which look up to the job. The Bombardier, JP, Tym & I are planning an AVBCW game in November, so I guess that might be a time to try out these rules. Now I need to paint some of those nice Copplestone (BC5) and Artizan pilot models (PLP015, PLP039 and PLP048.

An amended quote…

BUF Adder:
No thank you. No thank you. I have no desire to hang around with a bunch of upper-class delinquents, do twenty minutes work, and then spend the rest of the day loafing about in Madresfield drinking gallons of champagne and having dozens of moist, pink, highly-experienced young British farmer’s daughters galloping up and down my . . . Hang on!

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