Jimasa has a burning desire….

Jim suggested he had individually mounted Japanese Samurai to add to my collection for a “Lion Rampant” rules game.

These rules, while designed for the European medieval period, work well for other conflicts and convert well for early Japanese warfare ( well for tabletop wargames anyway)
The introduction of the gunpowder handgun (‘teppo’) into Japan in the early 16th century adds a weapon not within the Lion Rampant rules arsenal.  Jim declared he would rather use a bunch of bows, but I like them as Samurai killers.  But each troop type has advantages and disadvantages…as long as you can activate them!  That is the key to LR, and outcome of games as usual, will depend upon them.

The scenario has the holders of the castle running out of the castle to prevent Jim and his contingent, along with the ambushers of Kevin arriving randomly later, to systematically burn each of the fields and village buildings thus burning the castle inhabitants food source.

Jim's ashigaru burning along.  One of the banner designs he used is the same as mine and the same Kingsford Miniatures.

Jim and Kevin were having the usual LR trouble with activating, while Will and Peter were doing better, shooting up opposing teppo units “before they can shoot back!” Even the rather weak firepower from the castle wall got a couple of important hits. As Peter points out:  “Every courage test required could be a disaster”.

a teppo unit about to be attacked by irate peasants 

The game swung slowly to the castle defenders favour despite my back up plan to have a reinforcements arrive after a (d6) number of units from one side or the other were eliminated and we had a few more hours to go. Kevin’s dice rolling had the extra unit depart rather quickly unfortunately.

Jim's ashigaru vs one of Takeda samurai commanded this game by WillB. More of the Samurai's friends are just off camera.

Fighting at the village gate

I had my Peasant favourites situated in the village to attack any unit trying to burn a building.  Peasants are rather poor fighters and did little, even against a teppo unit, so fell back to their station within the village. One of Kevin’s ashigaru infantry units ignored them while torching ( well, TRYING to alight the thatch of a village building…all that was needed to do so was the unit’s  ‘move’ activation, something he was unable to do for many turns! ).  My peasants, finally rallied, had enough of this burning and went into these elite fighters.  The results were not good. The peasants were slaughtered.  And their attack on the ashigaru?  I needed sixes.  I got 6 ones! Ugg. But as was agreed by all, it was “Doug’s usual rolling”.

my usual dice rolling....... sigh ......

Fun game with the usual unpredictability.

ground eye view of the action between my collection's clans (Kingsford Miniatures)

Happy Waterloo Day!

I almost missed this celebration, one of my biggies of the year....
How could I?!

British Life Guards clash with French Cuirassiers

This most famous of battles was my early interest in wargaming, probably after viewing the movie "Waterloo" (still a great movie for the Napoleonic crowd)  My first historical book, that of the battle, is still in my library some 47 years later.  I remember discovering it, with all the pretty pictures, at a used book store but not having the money to purchase it; waiting a full week until I could get back to the store; hoping beyond hope that it would still be there during all that time. It was, thankfully.

So Happy Waterloo Day and hope your Napoleonics painting or game will be that more fun for it.

a magic trick...

A request from Ron, had me thinking about bases.  He was starting up a new MDF company and wanted new ideas for bases.   I suggested 'petals' and 'clumps'.

Huh?

Let me explain.  When doing my Samurai army, I went to thin wood rather than card as it would be stiffer as they were carrying multiple metal figures in a spread out group

A trip to the art store Micheal's produced various circles,  ovals and a flower petal cutout which I could get numerous small circles.  I left one roughly intact for the musician/banner group

banner group on 'petal' multi-base

From any distance it looked like a group of individual stands rather than one single element. Too bad it was almost the last stand to be done or I may have altered my basing scheme from the start!

But this in mind, I suggested to Ron this petal ideas along with clumps of seemingly singles all attached to make group moves made easy.  I don't like the sabot concept and do enjoy the look of each figure as an individual; but as moving individual figures, especially stretched across a table at full extension time after time is rather tedious and sore on the back, it gives the benefits of both.

We can see this in this photo of a line of six Roman Auxilia being held, as if by magic by two digits of the hand.

the Roman Auxilia

my magic trick!

12 figures on only five stands

same rank as from the previous photo

The rest of the army is grouped in various sizes to offer any combo of casualties to the unit.  I have subsequently suggested two rank versions which again offers a look of individually based miniatures but with a group move effect.

You can see his comments on his company's blog at: https://www.3d-dzyn.com
He is going over pricing currently and hopes to start in earnest in August.  I will put in an order for more!

It's dry in a desert: a WW1 game.

"It's Dry in a Desert"

 Hmm, that could be the title of the my new rules I tried out with the help of KevinA at the club.
( IDIAD)?

After a beer or two at home while looking at new basing techniques for my small collection of 20mm Ottoman and ANZAC troops for the desert of Sinai 1917, a concept for the basis of a home-brew rule set popped into my head,  so I produced a VERY sketchy idea which needed some help filling out. Such as....umm, how far do they move...THAT sort of thing!
Luckily Kevin was game to help me out during the club night and by the end of the evening we had a simple, convention friendly game which we both stepped back from the table, with a grin on our faces and stating "That was a fun game!"

The rules are still very rough but seemed to flow.  Lots and lots of dice.  Only sixes do anything.  Kevin and I certainly have trouble rolling sixes (twice Kevin rolled 32 x d6 dice and did not score a single 6!)  The real slow part was carefully counting out the dice for each roll!

The figures are HaT 1:72 soft plastics with a very simple paint job and highlighting wash.  The trenches are made from cheap self-hardening clay with the 'sandbags' a mere impression in the clay (a very quickly done impression...obviously....). The tents are cut from a large Toblerone chocolate triangular box, painted and glued on card.  Very old school!
I have not finalized the basing still so went really simple but actually kinda works so might stay with it!

Turkish heavy machine gun company.  Lots of dice worth of firepower. 

Australian horse attack Turkish position

Needed only NOT to roll any six to activate on two die.  I couldn't do it for five turns in a row! Thus my poor disheartened Turks continued to mill about.

"What the FLaK??!"

“Myya planna, az sa Italiano torpedo pilot, isa tooa fly straighta and low, denna turn left to the carrier. To hecka witta Brits and da flak…..”

"Iya doa datta wella, butta myya fish mustta beena duds, as Iya coulda notta throwa the required 10 onna the cueba."  Momma mia!

The flight of three Italian torpedo bombers I controlled to help take out the HMS Illustrious:

British fighters on patrol defending the British carrier in the distance:

The British fighters fly past my rear.  I manage to shoot one down and damage the other.

Coming through the flak.  As the attackers came from all directions and communicated little, it was surprising that we ended up with had multiple waves of attackers near the same point.   I am the third wave.  The first from the far side earlier had a hit on the carrier. The second attack is closer to the ship.  The forth wave is the German Stuka dive-bombers above my planes :

The attacks were ultimately unsuccessful. Either blown out of the sky or completely missing.
Good game nevertheless. Thanks to Kevin and Dave.
See their blog posts at :  link  and  link