Monday 10 April 2017

10th April - General Update

While I haven't been overly active on the blog I have been rather busy with the hobby in general. I've got a couple of games in here and there and have been getting quite a lot of painting knocked over.

Arwen and I have been sitting down watching Critical Role together and painting away since she started the holidays. Now I've knocked over a few of my own projects Jen (the wife) has decided that her Bolt Action Japanese are the next on my list so I've just started touching up what she'd started and am going on from there. Arwen has started on her Circle of Orboros Hordes starter box and using the technique guide in the back of one of the mini books she's starting to play with some layering and shading and I think it's coming along really well. I'll put a few photos up in the next update.

Due to a bit of a lack of motivation and decent weather the photos aren't the best but I'll put up what I've taken anyway.

Germans for Bolt Action



Kriegsmarines














Grenadiers












Fallschirmjager







I also pulled out the Lords of Dust for the Home Raiders game as I had promised my youngest niece that I would have a game with her when she came over to stay next. They'll be over later this week so I knocked them over in a few days so I'm ready to go for her. I've still got a Scarab Rider to go but the penguin himself is done so it shouldn't take me too long to finish off.


I should get a few games in this week so I'll try to get some battle reports done up sometime soon.

Friday 24 March 2017

24th March - 20th March Bolt Action vs The Youngest


Arwen and I managed to get another game in this week, though we did have to break it up over two nights. It's been a while since we got a game of Bolt Action and I've been feeling like getting it on the table for the last few weeks so that's what we went with. We decided to play a scenario that required us to hold five objective points spread across the table.


 




The first turn was mostly the two of us moving up into position although I did manage to hit her M13/40 with a glancing shot pinning it down slightly.



The second turn the firing really began with most of our heavier guns and fire teams beginning to attempt to pin each other down. Several units did pick up a few pin markers here and there but most of the fire was ineffectual.


Shaking off their shock from the large German shell that rattled their tank the Italians returned fire but failed to hit the Hetzer, though they did mange to pin down the nearby unit of German Grenadiers stopping the men and more importantly their panzerfaust from getting to close to their vehicle. Unfortunately the Italian's were then taken out by the return fire from the German vehicle. With that flank now relatively secure the German's began to push toward the centre heading for the objectives while suppressing the distant Italian units.



While having to deal with some fire from the Italian Autoblinda the German's continued their push across the river cutting down the Italian machine gun team. A brave squad of Grenadiers then pushed up the hill cresting the top and opening fire with their panzerfaust destroying the Italian Armoured Car.

The final Italian squad finally entered the battle after quite a bit of delay, though it was possibly going to be too little too late. While the Grenadiers on the hill came under some heavy fire and began to take casualties they managed to rally and hold their position. Several units under both commands began to suffer the effects of the engagement going down rather than attempting their assigned orders.










The final turn proved too much for the Italian morale and though they were able to prevent the Germans from gaining any further ground.










It was another really tight game and while I did manage a clear victory this time Arwen had me play quite cautiously over several turns. I've got another 4 squads of German on the painting table at the moment including one unit of Kriegsmarines and I'm toying with the idea of a larger multi player game in the near future.

Friday 10 March 2017

10th March - Malifaux Gremlin Pictures

Well I finally managed to walk the whooping five odd meters distance into the backyard and get some better shots of my finished Malifaux The Bushwackers Gremlins box. I knocked these over before I started on the Walking Dead box but the first lot of photos was badly out of focus (which I didn't realise until I'd started to to the blog post and it's taken me this long to get around to getting some better shots.





Trixiebelle




Mah Tucket




The Little Lass






Bayou Bushwackers



I've now knocked over the survivors from The Walking Dead, except for Rick on a horse (who'll get finished soonish) so I'll get a few shots of them sometime soon. I've got a table setup downstairs at the moment and it looks like Arwen and I will be getting a game of Bolt Action in on Sunday so should have another battle report up sometime next week as well.

Saturday 4 March 2017

4th March - Saga vs The Youngest

It's been a while so Arwen and I decided to get another game of Saga in. She took her Irish (easy choice for her only having the one faction) and I decided on my Vikings this time. She set up the table while I was at work and we decided just to play the standard Kill the Warchief scenario.










The Vikings while late to get their battle line set were the first to get rolling across the battlefield, with an even advance toward the Irish lines. The Irishmen then began to head toward the Norse line with warriors on both flanks hurling javelins as the surged forward though only a single warrior fell to their cowardly javelins. Meanwhile the Irish Houndmaster distracted by the baying on his charges mistakenly coursed them forward into a solid block of Viking Hirdmen who quite quickly and efficiently took out most of the dogs.


A certain capricious Norse god showed his presence on the battlefield as the remaining Irish wolfhounds disappeared from the battlefield. While the rest of the line held steady the Viking warriors on the flank charged forward to avenge their fallen comrade and drove the Irish unit back killing a few of the men. Rather than counter charge the Irish chose to hold their line and hurled more javelins across the intervening ground at the Viking's and again their efforts only resulted in a single fallen Norse warrior.



Enraged by the annoyance of the Irish missiles the Viking warriors surged ahead again and again driving the Irish warriors back and then charging in again until finally they stood alone winded but surrounded by bloody corpses. Not learning the lesson just taught on the other flank the Irish warriors once again tried to fell the Vikings from a safe distance and again failing to have any real effect. The overextended Viking warriors were then subjected to multiple charges from the Irish, while they did managed to drive off both of the Curaidh. This forced the Irish warchief to order his hearthguard into combat with the brave men who finally fell to the constant Irish attack, but I'm certain they all found their way to the halls of Valhalla.

Finally running out of patience the Viking warriors on the other flank charge into the Irish, but these men prove to be the equal of the Norsemen and manage to drive off their foes. The Irish take advantage of the relative quiet of the Viking line and take a moment to refresh themselves before throwing themselves back into the fray.

The Norse warriors throw themselves at the Irish defense but are again broken like waves on the rocks by the seemingly giant Irish warriors. Taking heart from their consistent defeat of the Viking warrior unit the Irishmen begin a charge of their own. Only a single Viking man remains on his feet but finally they found their strength and managed to drive back a tattered Irish unit even as they themselves fell.

Loki again worked his magic deciding to honour the remaining man's bravery and prowess and the tattered Irish unit across from him are whisked away. The lone man is called back behind the safety of the Hirdmen line as the Vikings prepare to withdraw from the field. With the light fading the Irish warband decides to attempt to save face for their thus far rather cowardly and poor efforts in the days fighting, though again it falls to the warriors as the warchief and his hearthguard stay as far from the Viking lines as they can and still claim to be on the field. The Irish warriors begin their run across the field hurling javelins dropping a couple of Viking men before smashing into their waiting shieldwall breaking it and driving them back and with a last surge of momentum following it up with a second charge finishing of the Norse unit.

Such a close game with only four victory points between us. Her last ditch gamble in the closing turn definitely rewarded her with the draw and good on her for it. Every time we play her tactics just get better and better. Hopefully we'll get another game in soon.