Alamo - a scenario everyone knows

The Alamo.  Everyone has heard of it.  Famous enough that Tom Hanks in "Saving Private Ryan" can say it and the movie makers didn't even feel compelled to explain its meaning.  Modern Texans, and indeed all Americans flock to its remnants with the feeling it was a significant victory.  It was not...well for the Texicans anyway.  And when you are to enjoy playing the game and become the defenders, you know what the expected end will be.  

Nate's very nice and practical home-made model in 15mm.

I took a road trip to Vancouver Island and had a great Alamo game hosted by NateS.  DavidB who graciously provided my room and board, was my fellow Texican. Nate's very nice model of the Alamo made from solid wood and foamcore in 15mm scale formed the excellent backdrop to the thinly distributed defenders. 

Mexicans over the wall!

The rules were nice and 'convention' simple but did allow the Texicans to shoot better but allowed the Mexicans better melee factor - when they finally could come to grips.  The superior numbers of the Mexicans finally pushed the Texicans off the walls and into the compound which sealed their fate. DavidB and I could claim a 'moral victory' by eliminating 2/3 the Mexican assault force, at approximately a 2:1 ratio.  Wargaming is one of those activities that, when even losing, you can have great fun and enjoyment...but still cursing the dice, of course!

"Well, gal' dern it!"  The last of the Texicans.

Nest hunting on Folium III

 Yeah, OK, a Xenos Rampant game using ex-GW plastic Catachans as "Palaeoeversors" (my very poor Latin of "Old Thing Killers" [as in Palaeolithic as the Raptors being Hollywood dinosaurs and all...] ) with blue skin verses Wizkids Raptors.  Think aqua-tinted Schwarzenegger-ian Commandos with big guns in Jurassic Park.  These rather silly GW plastics were, unbeknown to me, on the bottom of an inexpensive box of Bring-and-Buy Zulus(!). Once discovered would be built but ultimately unpainted until recently, brought to life by these new rule's possibilities and a new contrast painting style.

The "Palaeoeversors" were painted, for me, in a new technique Contrast-ish using inks which proved relatively fast and effective. Much different from my usual style. Teaching an old doug new tricks? (I state somewhat reluctantly:  see previous post for closer views)

The game went surprisingly well as the players using my 'Blue Boys' expressed doubt as to their success early in the game.  Despite big losses, the two friends finally co-operated and realized that firepower was the key... after discovering that the Raptors needed to go into line of sight BEFORE activating to Wild Charge the next turn. This allowed a turn of fire before the Raptor's claws could do some severe damage [with their activation roll requirements of course!]. The Paleoeversors managed to gain the objective of eliminating a Raptor nest AND taking out all four Raptors. While it was certainly a Pyrrhic victory, it was a close run thing.