This week has been very productive with the making of a Sci-Fi themed backboard and now a couple of Fantasy units are completed. Off the painting desk came a unit of Centaurs. I was very relieved to have finished these. They are metal figures with separate arms and equipment which all seemed a bit fragile and had to be drilled and pinned, so I don't get any breakages from handling on the tabletop. This was very time consuming and my enthusiasm dropped during process, but now they are finished all that is forgotten and I am pleased with the end result.
Centaurs completed - from Mantic Games
A side view
Out from storage I pulled out some Goblins for rebasing from their individual bases to larger multi-figure bases. A total of 30 Goblin figures fit quite nicely on three bases (which are 3x3 inches).
A close up of the Goblin standard. I painted these 10 years ago when my eyesight was better.
The Goblins all rebased as a unit.
As the weekend comes to an end I could not resist trying out the Sci-Fi backboard which I completed on Friday. A quick game has been thrown together. It looks like an ambush is on the cards.
Today I was able to spend time making an alien looking backboard for some Sci-Fi games. The backboard is made from foam board. I have used this material before for other backboards. It is light and sturdy and can be easily clipped on to the side of the tabletop.
An alien landscape backboard
For this backboard I first quickly sketched out a suitably alien looking landscape, then used cheap poster paints to block in the base colours I planned to use. Once the paint was dry I used soft chalk pastels to draw on the details. This all got sprayed with a can of clear semi-gloss varnish.
The backboard blocked in with paint.
The board itself is 9.5 inches tall.
On the back of the board I tape some wire bent at 90 degrees so I can clip the backboard to the tabletop.
The Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) are now advancing again having spent 4 months regrouping and preparing for the next stage of the campaign, the advance upon Jerusalem, will see them fighting over some rugged terrain. In this game they are attempting to capture a bridge over a wadi and hold a nearby town. While the Turks have a counter-attack planned using a couple of crossings which the EEF are unaware of.
The game is using Scenario #18 (Counter-Attack) from One-Hour Wargames
In the early morning EEF forces moved into their positions around the town ready for the assault upon the bridge. They were expecting re-enforcements at midday with the arrival of a mounted infantry unit. The assault began as planned with their forces advancing upon the bridge while their 2 artillery units bombarded the Turkish defenders who are entrenched on the opposite side of the wadi.
EEF forces take up position for the assault
Late in the morning just as success seemed to be in hand for the EEF. Turkish reserves arrived to bolster their bridges defences. The EEF pushed on with their assault while their artillery were providing accurate fire. However, at midday Turkish troops appeared on the EEF's flanks.
Turkish reserve units arrive to bolster the bridge defences and cross to wadi to threaten the EEF flanks
EEF mounted infantry reserve arrive
During the afternoon as the EEF became busy defending their flanks from the Turkish and were unable to effectively support the assault on the bridge. It was not until late afternoon, after the flank threats had been neutralised, that they made a final attempt to dislodge the Turkish defenders. As evening arrived and with water and ammunition supplies running low, the EEF were forced to call off the assault and retire back to their starting position.
The EEF has a toe hold on the bridge, but their flanks are under pressure.
The EEF are able to hold off the flank attacks, but are unable to support the bridge assault.
With the flank attacks neutralised the EEF make a last ditch attempt to take the bridge, but are unable to remove the defenders and the bridge remains contested.
Neither force was able to achieve the victory conditions of the scenario and the game was drawn. The Turkish counter attack while disrupting the bridge assault did not come near taking the town. In scheme of the campaign a draw for Turkish forces is a good as a victory, as the EEF will have to spend valuable time preparing for another battle.
Having purchased a tripod I have given the videoing another go (this time without assistance). The game is condensed down to 1 minute and 7 seconds and can be viewed below.
I am still working on getting some closer shots of the action and will have to practice that next time.
The last game of the campaign saw the EEF finally break through the Gaza defensive line on their fourth attempt. The offensive now moves on to the hills around Jerusalem as the EEF try and regain the campaign momentum. The area now being fought over is rugged terrain with hills and wadis which will likely slow the advance.
Campaign map showing the EEF advance to the next campaign step.
The EEF Headquarters has chosen to spend an additional month preparing on top of the 3 months they automatically spend preparing to move into the next campaign stage (4). The campaign turn clock moves forward to October 1917.
The EEF order of battle has 7 units:
2 x Mounted Infantry
3 x Infantry
2 x Artillery
The additional Mounted Infantry, which arrives from reserves on turn 8, came from the turn of an event card which the EEF get for spending an additional month preparing. This is on top of the 3 months the EEF automatically spend when advancing a campaign step. The campaign rules can be found here and are the featured post.
The Turkish defenders have 6 units which are well equiped with machine guns:
2 x Infantry with supporting Machine Guns
3 x Infantry
1 x Artillery
One unit will begin on the tabletop and will due to their event card be entrenched.
One Turkish unit defending a bridge begin on the tabletop with the advantage or being entrenched.
The remaining Turkish forces in reserve.
The scenario selected from the One-Hour Wargames book is #18 - Counter-attack. The river in the scenario become a wadi which can only be crossed at the bridge and two other crossing points only known to the Turks. The EEF are advancing with the aim of occupying the town and capturing the bridge. While the Turks are planning a surprise counter attack with the hope of capturing the town while denying the EEF from taking the bridge.
A view of the tabletop showing the bridge and two concealed crossings only known by the Turks
The EEF plan is to occupy the town and swiftly advance to take the bridge. They are unaware of the other crossings. The Turkish counter-attack using the crossings plan to take the town and swing around on the flank to disrupt any attack on the bridge.
EEF plans in red and Turkish in blue. The two objective which must be controlled are the bridge and town.
Last week I tried videoing a game with my Daughter's help and equipment (tripod). It all worked quite well and you can see the results in last week's post. I thought I would try using video on one or two other occasions and I purchased a basic tripod myself. The tripod will also be useful for hosting virtual games, something I want to do having participated in a small number of virtual games myself.
A recent purchase of a tripod
This week I finally finished another unit for my Fantasy armies. These figures (Stormcast Eternals by Games Workshop) have been sitting around half painted for a couple of weeks as I was busy gaming. They are beautifully detailed models which took some time to paint.
Just off the painting desk
I also rebased some of my Ork chariots. These models were painted a decade ago and have been sitting in a storage box since.
Ork chariots emerge after a decade in a storage box to be rebased.
I think it about time I returned to the WW1 Palestine campaign for my next post.
This post has a quick 2-minute video of the Hundred Years War game played out this Sunday. My Daughter, who was my opponent, is a keen Vlogger and she took the video so we could later edit it into a short video. The game used some modified One-Hour Wargames (OHW) rules which I have been testing over the last few weeks.
Medieval forces make it to the tabletop again
The game used OHW scenario #24 - Bottleneck. In our scenario, the French are tasked with moving the English out of their path and clearing the road. While their forces are greater, the French are blocked by a seemingly impenetrable forest on their left flank and marshland on the other. Can the English maintain their position on the road or will the French overwhelm them?
We used double the number of units stipulated in the OHW scenario. So 6 units become 12 units, and 4 units became 8 units. The orders of battle:
English
4 mounted men at arms
2 men at arms on foot
2 bowmen
French
6 mounted men at arms
4 levy
2 bowmen
There are no photographs of the action as we were videoing the game see below...
The French, commanded by my Daughter, attacked quickly using their mounted units with their levy and crossbow units following closely behind. Some English mounted units counterattacked to support the first line of defence, but they had to eventually give ground to the French foot units. A final English charge by their mounted reserve men at arms was enough to further delay the advancing French. This allowed the retiring English foot to hold the road by the end of turn 15. A close and enjoyable game.
The medieval armies got a bit of a rest this weekend as some Sci-Fi skirmish games found their way to the tabletop. Our Daughter is visiting from New Zealand and she is quite happy to play a game or two of One-Hour Skirmish Wargames. The rules use cards to determine figure actions and combat outcomes and are very entertaining to play. Our previous games have used a Necromunda style setting in the wastelands surrounding the hives. However, it was different this time as we ventured into the under-hive. This setting provided the opportunity for me to use a boxed terrain set I have.
We both selected 7 miniatures. I picked some local law enforcement figures who were trying to quell the gang activity in the under-hive while my Daughter selected a group of gang figures.
The local law enforcers
The gang or undesirables
A couple of games were played using different terrain configurations. We both won a game so honours were even.
The first setup
The second game setup
I have posted about this terrain by Tenfold Dungeon earlier this year. It has proven to be very useful on a couple of occasions, and can be setup and packed away very quickly. As you open one box there are more boxes inside, all or which can be come rooms, and finally you come to the doors and barricades. Although I tend to use my Games Workshop scatter terrain.
The Facility by Tenfold Dungeon
Opening the boxes reveals more boxes for rooms and corridors.
There is a lot packed into one of these boxes
Some of the other rooms
The 28mm figures fit quite nicely into the terrain.
A game underway
We came up with some house rules for shooting through doors and moving, to avoid having to measure movement distances in confined spaces.
