South Carolina Provincial Infantry

Things have been very slow here in GHQ post The Other Partizan last Sunday. Usually I'm more than enthused after the event, but this time I was just tired mostly. In fact all I managed in the first half of the week was to clean up and spray undercoat the few figures I'd bought at the show. Old Age rearing its head I fear!

I had made a start though in the previous week on a unit of Provincial Infantry for my French and Indian Wars expansion project. Purely on a cost basis I chose to buy the figures from Redoubt Enterprises, a decision which came back to haunt me when it came to cleaning them up! Emerging from my Post Partizan Lethargy I have finally managed to finish them off now. I thought you might enjoy seeing them ~

They are painted to suggest a unit of Provincial Infantry from the South Carolina colony, largely as I found a suggested flag on the net for free. This, together with their blue faced buff uniform, means that they will stand out from the British Regulars in red and Rangers in green. If funds and mojo allow at some point I will add a unit of French Canadian Militia from Galloping Major at some point. Meanwhile I've started on the first figures for a second regiment of Grenadiers de France for my SYW collection. More on them I hope in future posts.

A Day at T'Other Partizan

Phil and I tootled over to Newark Showground earlier today to pay a much anticipated visit to what is essentially now our 'local' show (given what seems the likely demise of WMMS) a mere two hours away now! 

The Other Partizan, likes it's twin earlier in the year, is for me the premier historical wargames show of the year. There are many other fine shows of course, not counting the soulless, over-priced and over-hyped travesty that is Salute. (Just my opinion you understand, others may disagree if they wish!). But to my taste the Partizans are the very pinnacle of wargames shows!

Why you might ask? Well, a combination of Traders; Wonderfully crafted Display Games of all sizes, scales and genres; Participation Games for those so minded; a meet the Authors feature; and finally even a Lard Zone for any who have been seduced by the Dark Side! Plus, I get to meet good friends from Oop North ~ Hello Kevin, Peter, George and Matt! And even from Doon South ~ Hello Ray! That I'm not on my own here I think is amply demonstrated by the vast array of parked cars and a show rammed to the rafters with happy gamers. Enough waffle, here are my pictures of just some of the games I enjoyed seeing when shopping was completed ~

Phil Oley & friend showing his quite marvellous C18th Imaginations War of the Vauberian Succession.

An interior view of the terrains urban centre piece.

I loved the buildings and the 'look' of this game. Small details draw you in and suspend belief so it becomes a real scene.

A grand representation of the desert in this wargame, I think by the Derby chaps. Just the right amount of terrain items and clutter to give the game the right 'feel'.

The chaps of the Very British Civil Forum getting stuck into their own world setting for a VBCW game! Top marks for enthusiasm chaps!

An ACW game complete with train! What more could you ask?

The splendid centre piece on the VBCW! The garden scenes were just excellent!

One of several Wars of the Roses games. I liked the winter trees in the foreground.

The Iron Brigade's Viking game, small but beautifully formed, well done Kevin and Peter!

An AK47 game set in a fictional African country. Perhaps not politically correct for some tastes but an excellent and unusual game in my view. More of these niche games are needed I'd hope.

Barry Hilton and the League of Augsburg's game. Packed with details and colour!

The Boondock Saints Venetians v Ottomans game. Unusual, colourful, full of little details, and just beautiful to behold!

A second view from a different aspect of the Ottoman lines.

Even the navy gets a look in! My choice for 'Game of the Show'!

Saxons in shieldwall awaiting the inevitable Norman assault!

Again, simple terrain which conveys the scene effectively and without being over fussy. Room for all variety of approaches to the visual in our wonderful hobby!

More Vikings, but on a grander scale this time!

The New Zealand Moari Wars featured in the Lard Zone. The Pa was just splendid, very redolent of those I've visited in New Zealand.

A second view with very typical vegetation shown in the foreground. The Pa I suspect is a 3D print.

A final view of one of the Viking games. Again simple and unfussy terrain draws you in and invites you to see the detail!

Now no wargamer goes to any show without a list and cash/card burning a whole in his wallet for the next 'must have' purchases. Here are mine~

From The Last Valley: two enclosed gardens and a small graveyard. Thanks Andy!

SYW Figures: on the left from Foundry French Grenadier Command, British Grenadier Characters & Prussian Mounted Officers. On the right Eagle Miniatures Prussian Grenadier unit.

A kind gift from Colin Rumford, the Rapid Fire 1940 scenarios book.

A treat to myself from Caliver Books. I got a discount too so a double treat!!

And finally and more ore prosaically: some Pill bases from Warbases and three new brushes for the stock from ABC Brushes.

Well, there you are, our Grand Day Out. If you went I hope to enjoyed it as much as I did! If you didn't go then I'd recommend giving either show a visit next year, you won't regret it.

Carrying On Up The Jungle!

Phil and I met today for our weekly game here in GHQ. Sue and I had spent most of last week and the early part of this week dealing with builders, roofers, bankers, internet service providers and Severn Trent Water so the game I set out was a WWII Burma game, as the terrain is quite bespoke and simple to lay out. I'd determined that the Japanese, led by the gallant samurai Onamoro, would be attacking. To win the game one tank together with one infantry unit must exit the table on the Imperial side. Brigadier 'Mad Phil' Rawnsley would lead the imperial forces attempting to block the Japanese advance! As is my wont, a photomontage follows presenting a feel of the unfolding action for the interested reader ~

Type 94 tankettes lead the Japanese advance on their left. They are somewhat out gunned by the Grant seen in the distance blocking the village route. Unknown to them is the fact that it is broken down and cannot move!

On the right the Type 95 Ha-Go advances with infantry support. The infantry gun drawn by an elephant makes stately progress in their rear.

The type 97 Chi-Ha advances on a hill position held by the Gurkha battalion. It's machine gun fire proves utterly ineffective! Is this a portent of things to come wonders Onamoro? 

The second and final off table salvo from the 105mm guns knocks out the Grant. Heartened by this the Type 94s return to the advance on the village in support of their infantry.

A mortar salvo strikes the hillside, damaging the Type 95 Ha-Go, but the infantry advance presses onward! On the ridge line in the cover of the dense jungle more Gurkhas await. Will they have any nasty surprises to spring?

Back on the Japanese left the Type 94s advance with their infantry support hoping to flank the village and break for victory. The mortar has put down smoke to screen the advance from the Imperial HMG concealed in the line of trees.

Away on the Japanese right flank the Type 95 Ha-Go leads it's supporting infantry into an assault on the Gurkhas defending the ridge line. The PIAT operator takes aim at point blank range. Surely he cannot miss?

The surviving Type 94 breaks for victory with its supporting infantry someway behind. They find themselves assaulted by the Imperial infantry occupying the village. Combat is fierce and no quarter is asked or given!

Another Japanese tank, the Type 97 Chi-Ha, is destroyed! Despite their loss the infantry surge forward on the Gurkhas with cries of "Banzai!" The defending Gurkhas fight bravely in vicious hand-to-hand fighting, their Kukris flashing in the sunlight, but they are driven back with losses by the fanatical Japanese attack!

Only a sole Type 94 has reached its objective, but without infantry support cannot claim a victory! All along the front the Japanese attack has taken heavy casualties and failed to make progress against stubborn defence. At this point, with casualties exceeding 50%, Japanese morale suddenly collapses and hands victory to the Imperial forces!

We used Rapid Fire Reloaded as the basis of our rules for this game with some areas not covered imported from Rapid Fire!2 where we felt it enhanced the feel of the game. The figures and tanks are mostly from Warlord Games, the Grant being a notable exception from Colonel Bill and unattributed. Terrain is by The Last Valley enhanced by jungle pieces I created from plastic aquarium plants. The buildings were from Mutineer Miniatures originally. I'm not sure who sells them now though. Despite the circumstances, and the result, this was a very enjoyable game. This collection doesn't get out on the tabletop battlefield as much as it might, so it's good to see it enjoy it's moment in the sun.

Regiment Bretagne

Expanding my SYW collection was the subject of my previous blog offering, as I'm confident my loyal reader recalls. For the first unit in this project I chose a French line infantry unit as the figures were in stock! I have previously added several other regiments in a variety of coloured coats, so it was back to a grey/white uniform with this addition. Now, I freely admit that I tend to choose my additions by way of their flags, hence this choice of the regiment Bretagne who have a different style of white colonel's colour and a black and gold quartered regimental colour, a nod to my home city of forty two years, Wolverhampton! Anyway, enough of the prologue for now; the regiment Bretagne awaits your inspection~

The whole Regiment Bretagne prepares to advance in line.

The figures are from Foundry's offshoot, Casting Room Miniatures and were sculpted by Rob Baker I believe. The flags are from the blog 'Not By Appointment' and the bases are from Warbases of course.  The flag finials, cords and ribbons are from Front Rank via Gripping Beast. I had a bit of an issue with these as when I cut them off the sprue piece the cords shattered, either at the top where they joined the finial or the tassel popped off. This had never happened before with Front Rank casting and made me wonder if there was a casting issue. The Beast are looking into this, so I await news...

Winter is Coming!

As I write this I'm sitting out in the 'Summer Palace' {aka the family room extension off our kitchen} enjoying a sunny late summer morning, so why is this post referencing winter you may ask? The short answer is that I've been stocking up in the Lead Pimple/Lump in preparation for those long winter evenings to come. I've been prone to SAD most of my adult life it seems, I really detest the long dark evenings, so having lots of figures in store ready to go under the brush has proved a useful antidote over the years.

As chum George can testify I had been toying with two new 28mm imagination armies, he'd even kindly worked up some flag prototypes for me, but in the end courage failed me and my lists in waiting were put away. Instead I have been building up a stock of figures to expand my SYW armies. 

Firstly, I bought more French figures from Foundry s Casting Room Miniatures offshoot: a Line Infantry regiment, already underway as Bretagne; two new Grenadier battalions for the Grenadiers de France and the Royal Grenadiers; and extra cavalry and dragoon figures to convert 12 figure regiments into two 8 figure ones. At the same time I have found enough British Grenadiers to populate four more bases lurking in said Lead Pimple/Lump!

While any sensible chap or chapess would probably regard that as enough to be getting on with for several months, even years, muggins here got well carried away. Two orders to Gripping Beast, for Front Rank figures, and one to Foundry have seen the beginnings of a small Hanoverian force. Jon is largely to thank for the decision here as he gifted me some Foundry cavalry which could make up a Hanoverian dragoon regiment in both mounted and dismounted iteration. I've added a small Hussar regiment from Foundry to these just for the colour if nothing else. The Front Rank contingent provided two Hanoverian foot regiments to which I'll later add to make a brigade I hope.

Getting carried away I also made an order to North Star for some Crusader Miniatures Prussians which with the addition of British officers could make more Hanoverian infantry, or even perhaps a small Prussian brigade to fight alongside the Hanoverians and the British! Of course the Hanoverian element will need some artillery so I added them into the two orders as well as a mounted General and his ADC to command the force. 

When finances permit I intend to make a further order to Front Rank/Gripping Beast for more Hanoverian figures while the issue of flags I intend to solve by free downloads I found on the Internet. Now, right now I have no capacity to store any of these once completed here in GHQ, so something will have to be moved on. Right now the favourite choice for such relocation would be my Late Roman/Arthurian/Saxon collection so I'm open to sensible offers if anyone is interested... When all is said and done, winter is coming after all.

Desert Disaster!

 GHQ Irregular Paul paid his first visit for a game after our complex summer hiatus. We had settled on a Sudan War game using Black Powder 2 as the rules driver once again. Paul would command the British Desert Column and could call on his cavalry force after three turns, arriving simply by passing an order test, and his infantry reinforcements from the zariba surrounded camp after six turns. The Desert Column consisted of four infantry regiments and the Heavy Camel Corps, supported by a Screw gun. I took command of the Mahdist force, fielding a wing of Nile Arabs and Bagarra Horse with a captured Egyptian Krupp gun and crew, while the centre and right of my force consisted of the Fuzzy-Wuzzys, more correctly Beja warriors on foot and on camel. These were supported by a captured Gardener gun with reduced capacity due to adjusting the necessary dice required to fire, to jam and to repair. As ever, a photomontage to give a sense of the action ~

The Bagarra Horse and Nile Arabs assault the Imperial infantry's leading regiments forcing them into a square.

They beat off the horse easily while on the left the Staffordshire regiment forms line to meet the onslaught of the Beja hordes.

The Beja warriors fall in droves before the British volleys which seems to cause the supporting Rhubs to falter in their advance.

The Heavy Camel Corps defeats the remaining Bagarra Horse preserving the Imperial flank from disaster as the Nile Arabs beat the Royal Surreys and break the square!

The stout hearts of the Black Watch are not dismayed by the Surreys fate and their brisk volleys drive off the Arabs!

Losses mount and discipline fails all along the Beja lines. Commanders just cannot get their men through the hail of fire from the British infantry!

The Heavy Camel Corps has destroyed the Mahdist left flank while the infantry have shattered the Beja on the other flank. The British cavalry arrive just as the victory is secured! It was all Too Much for the Mahdi as he slinks away defeated by British pluck!

As ever Black Powder gave a good game where fortunes ebbed and flowed bringing tension and uncertainty to the fore. For those interested in such things the figures are mostly from the Perry Miniatures Sudan War range with a few baggage camels from Castaway Arts and Essex Miniatures. The wadhi is made by The Last Valley and the Palm Trees are from S&A I recall.