Finally time to post

I have finally found time to  update my blog after being away from it for so long.  It is amazing how little time I have had due to teaching and running a FLGS.  I started up Pegasus Gaming at a time when I had no relief work at all and about a week after I started teaching took off so time became a premium.  But I have now managed to find a good mix, with the help of my lovely wife and some good friends, and so I now have some spare time.

In fact I have actually managed to get some painting done as well.  I have painted up some Sohei Monks for Ronin (the Samurai skirmish game).  I have not yet taken photos of them yet but will post them up soon.

The reason for this post is that today I received my new terrain from Kallistra Ltd.  I have bought enough to play Battle Cry and other Command & Colours games as well as FFG's new Battle Lore.  Having now seen it up close, I wouldn't mind getting enough for a 6' x 4' table.  Anyway, pictures are better than words so here they are.

These are just photos of the hexon system by itself.

These show the hills and woods tiles that are placed on top.  The woods will have trees (probably 2-3mm scale ) on them ready for the above games so these are just stand in trees.  The figures are 15mm ACW that we shown in a previous post.

This one shows some of the river sections as well as the mountain pieces.

This is a close up of the mountains and you can just see the rough terrain in the bottom right corner.

And here is a better view of the rough.

This one shows the road.

And a close up.

Well that's it for this post, hopefully I will be posting more frequently.  C&C's always welcome.

Living the 'dream'?

Well the news that I had hinted at in April can finally be revealed.  Drum roll please............ I have started up my own FLGS called Pegasus Gaming.  I am currently getting everything sorted out but we will officially open this coming Monday.  It is very exciting as my wife and I will tag-team working there during school hours, allowing me to continue supporting the family with relief primary school teaching and on the days there is no available work and after school hours I can be in there.

I am definitely looking forward to this new chapter.  Our town has gone through a lot recently and my hope is that this will bring the gaming community together.  It has been fragmented for far too long and this worsened as a large number of gamers lost not only gaming material but their entire house contents during the floods.  Over the last couple of days, while I have been setting up the store, we have had people come in and not only to chat but to play as well, and I must admit to enjoying each moment that a laugh or an anguished cry echoed around the rooms.

Anyway back to filling out forms for trade accounts.

Just thought I would post up some pictures that I took today of my space hulk board section.  Need to get moving on this project again.  Like always though, another project is vying for time and looks like it will be winning.  I want to make up 3d version of the warhammer quest tiles as myself and a couple of others are wanting to get back in and play it........ahhh memories!

Anyway on to the space hulk photos.

The next ones are just all the painted pieces I have thrown together.

And these last ones are obviously of pieces that need to be completed.

Floods and computer issues

Apologies for the lack of updates but things have been very hectic here over the last few months.  We have had record level flooding here at the end of January and things are only just returning to normal as a result.

Also my computer has decided to have motherboard issues so I have managed to get my hands on an old laptop.

The third issue is that my internet up until now has been sketchy at best and utter crap at worst.  My previous provider's wireless coverage is just utter rubbish and I was lucky to get an hour of connection each day.  This has now changed so I can connect when I need to.

So all in all, hopefully updates will be more frequent.  Current projects that I am starting to work on are painting up 40k Dark Angels and daemons, starting preparations for my pocket 40k armies, (see previous post) and some very big news that is too early to discuss yet.

Epic strikes back

A friend of mine has managed to drag me back (only slightly screaming and kicking) to Epic scale 40k.  He is currently using the Epic Armageddon rules but what I find interesting is the minigedon version.  This version is played with only 1000 pt armies instead of the 3000-4000 pt games so it uses only 4-5 detachments per side.  Therefore games are completed in only an hour or two.

As a side effect, I have some enthusiasm to play 40K again, this is more due to the fact that I discovered a website that plays it in 6mm and not 32mm.  This allows you to use epic scale figures and vehicles and can be played on a A3 size piece of paper.  It can be found here.  I intend to buy a magnetic whiteboard and use it to play this scale 40k on as the owners of the site recommend basing each individual figure on magnetic base to stop them moving around.

As a result of all the above, I have tried to find all my epic armies, with only some luck. I have managed to find my marines but not my Tau or my tyranid.  They haven’t seen the light of day in more than 5 years and 4 moves so I am hoping they are somewhere.  I did spend some money though, maybe prematurely, on buying some forge world epic Tau skyrays that I have just finished converting.  Painting will follow when I find my infantry and can work out a paint scheme.

I have included an epic scale rino and infantry base to show scale.

These are skyrays and no converting was done on these.

 

These are for my recon detachment – 4 piranhas and 6 tetras

These are hammerheads.  I have had to scratch build the main guns, nothing fantastic but should be ok.

These are my devil fish that will be used for 2 detachments of warriors and 1 detachment of path finders.

More pictures to follow as this project moves along.

The Bayou comes to Pairadice

I have discovered the game of Malifaux (I know this may be old game for some) and absolutely love this game (and will give my thoughts in a different post).  Partly because it allows me to use my 28mm western stuff again but also because of PIG BOMBS.  Anyway, I have a Gremlins outcast crew (photos hopefully in the next few days as I finish up painting them) but as always my focus is on the scenery first so I have been working on some gremlin based scenery.  It is all 28mm based and you can see an unfinished gremlin for scale.

This piece is rather self explanatory.

This piece is a moonshine still.

This is a scrap pile.

This is obviously a camp.  These 3 pieces have rules in the book that allow interaction with them and not just cover, LOS blockers etc.

This is a pigpen where my taxidermist and pig whisperer keep their charges.

Comments etc always welcome.

Rally Round the King - Talomir campaign

I have joined in the Talomir campaign found here.  This is my first proper game of RRTK so I managed to make a couple of mistakes and forgot a few things.  This game is played on a 3’ x 3’ map and all tokens are to scale.  I played it Solo with the mechanics playing both sides as necessary.  I did choose movement distance but this was based on the tactics each army used for the battle.  The small blue and yellow markers are the magic users for each army and I had placed them there just to remind myself that they were being used.  Later they would reveal themselves and then would be attached to the unit they were next to.

The armies consisted of the following units

Mangu –Blue & White (based on historical Mongol army)

S – skirmish cavalry

C- cavalry

L- lancers attached is the General Aluminium Khan

MU – magic user

Stygustan – Yellow & White (based on historical Egyptian army)

LC – light chariots

Ar – archers

I – infantry

A – axemen attached is the General Warththestep

MU- magic users

Deployment

Due to the large number of Mangu skirmishing cavalry, they outscouted the Stygustans 26 - 10 and this would force them to place 6 units for every 3 of the Mangu. As the Stygustan were invading Mangu, they would move first. The table top would be mostly open. The Mangu would use the Double Envelopment tactic, while the Stygustans would employ the encircle flank tactic and setup was determined by these tactics.

Turn 1 - Stygustan

The chariots wheel right, ready to attack the flank next turn, while the archers move slowly up the centre.

Turn 1 - Mangu

The skirmish cavalry move up on both flanks and prepare to fire at the archers and light chariots while the lancers and cavalry move up the centre. Not-tu Nite (the magic user) reveals herself and prepares to cast Fog of War. She targets her lover and general Aluminium Khan but is unsuccessful as she feels a headache coming on. Luckily for Khan, he has asprin on hand and is able to keep her in the battle for a little while longer. Unfortunately she uses up 5 out of her 10 magic points.

Turn 2 – Stygustan

Wartchthestep surveyed the battlefield and feels claustrophobic. The chariots activate and either fire at the skirmishing cavalry or move into position to fire at C1. The shots result in 1 hit on S9 and 2 hits on S8. Their reactions are to return fire hitting Light chariot 1 for 1 hit and then causing it to retire taking another hit. Unfortunately it contacts I1 and takes another hit. LC3 fares even worse - it takes 1 hit from return fire and in an appalling show of courage it routs from the battle. The infantry block containing Wartchthestep remains stationary to 'reinforce' any holes that appear. He then commands his sorcerers to assist and they then prepare to cast blast at S5 and S3. Not-tu Nite detects the spell but is unable to prevent it from being cast. S5 takes 1 hit but is unable to return fire as it is does not LOS to the sorcerers. S3 retires away from them but as this then causes them to retire through S, S routs and S3 continues on. The archers move forward slightly while Ar1, 2 and 8 halt due to the chariot. Ar5 shoots at S6 causing 1 hit for no hits in return but they do retire and then take 1 hit.

Turn 2 – Mangu

Aluminium Khan smiled to himself. His skirmish units had performed admirably. They had bottlenecked the Stygustans and had caused confusion within their battle lines. His skirmishers on his right repositioned themselves to attack the archers. C1 is ordered to charge LC2 and causes it to retire and take a hit as a result LC2 contacted LC and took another hit. Not-tu Nite had to wash her hair and as a result was unable to cast any magic this turn. S8 shot at LC and caused it to retire taking 1 hit and then a second as it contacted Ar2. The final movement of the turn was S3 & S5 moved into position to fire next turn.

Turn 3 – Stygustan

Wartchthestep looked around and saw that his front battle line was splintering apart and as a result he could not bring to bear his massed fire power. LC2 shot at C1 causing 1 hit and C1 then proceeded to advance 1/2 move and charged LC2. LC2 then proceeded to retire, taking 1 hit, take another hit as it contacted LC and then was pursued by C1 (having just discovered the rule) and routed. LC then fired on S8 causing 1 hit and forcing it to retire. Warcththestep prodded his sorcerers in to casting a spell but they were unsuccessful in summoning a hero.

LC1 could not shoot as S5 was out of arc and Ar8 blocked the shot on S3. Ar8 couldn't move as LC stopped it moving forward, it couldn't wheel without hitting Ar1 and as it had halted due to friendly troops in the road it couldn't turn to face S3 (assuming that I have done this correctly). Ar3 & 4 continued to move forward while Ar6 shot at S6 and Ar5 shot at S7. Both S6 and S7 retired taking another hit each.

Turn 3 – Mangu

Khan still felt positively about how the battle was proceeding but his skirmishers were starting to be worn down. S1, S2 & S3 fired at Ar5 and caused 3 hits and routed from the battle. Not-to Nite managed to cast despair on to Ar4 dropping their rep by 1 and then Khan gave the order to charge with both his lancers and the attending cavalry unit. Ar4 stood and shot causing a hit on the lancers and an arrow lodged in the helm of Khan, just narrowly missing the eye slit and bouncing harmlessly off. With lances raised and sabres rattling the cavalry cause 4 hits on Ar4 while Ar4 managed to hit C for 1 point.

Turn 4 – Stygustan

Things were looking grim for the Stygustan army and Wartchthestep knew it. The turned opened up with LC1 shooting at S3 hitting once S3 then returned fire also for 1 hit routing LC1. LC4 wheeled left. LC wheeled to get in to firing arc on S9. Ar1 not wanting to suffer the same fate, expanded out from behind Ar2. Wartchthestep wheeled to the left and advanced as fast as he could. Ar6 fired upon C generating 1 hit causing C to charge and routing Ar6.

Turn 4 - Mangu

S1, S2 & S4 reformed. Khan, his lancers and C1 formed up the line with C. S9 fired at LC hitting once and causing it to retire taking another hit and then a third hit as they retired in to Ar9.

Turn 5 – Stygustan

'Curse those skirmishers to the lowest level of Hell!' spat Watchthestep. The battle had been lost and now it was time to withdraw from the field. The invasion of Mangu had faltered but by conserving the army as much as possible, there would be at least a next time.

Now it was time to determine the major pursuit and casualty recovery. In the end 4 archers were not recovered.

At this point I felt the game had gone to Mangu and that as the game is part of a campaign, that the Stygustans would retreat to minimise the loses that will carry over and reduce their army composition.