It has been a while since the last post but never fear more updates are coming...hopefully

The last few months have been quite hectic with work and taking the wife on holiday. As such the gaming and painting side of things has been squeezed in where ever a bit of spare time was found. As such the blog suffered through lack of updates.

My Eldar have graced the gaming tables twice over the last few months and actually performed quite well in some areas and awful in others (so many failed activations). One thing the Eldar have taught me is the finer points of playing Epic, they are so different to using an Ork horde.
But what of the Chaos army that I was working on? Well that is going to be getting an injection of love in the new year. I have two warhounds to work on and some more infantry and the army should be ready to try out.

Vietnam has also taken a bit of a back seat for now but will be getting additions in the new year once I can find time to make more terrain. As ever there are more VC and US forces to paint including some Hueys.

I attended the Battlegroup Barbarossa weekend at the end of October and had a lot of fun and played three great opponents. There was an interesting mix of forces from all the players, all three of my opponents fielded very different forces which was nice as made the weekend interesting. I was using a PZ III heavy list with infantry in half tracks. This seemed to work well but the lack of mortar or artillery support was noticeable in the games. I hear next years event is to be Desert. James and I are already talking about getting stuff sorted well in advance (rather than the weeks before in my case). The other nice thing is that we will be starting this in 20mm rather than our usual 15mm and then having to do a separate force for the weekend in 20mm. The main reason for this is due to not having anything for the desert so terrain and forces will have to be made from scratch so why not do 20mm.

Finally James and I have been playing some scenarios that James has come up with based around key airborne actions in Normany (well the first week or two). We have played the scenario and then swtiched sides and made some modifications to make the game either flow or have a slightly better balance.

Below are a few of the pictures that I managed to get at the Battlegroup: Barbarossa weekend.

Here are some from our 15mm Normandy games. 

So I hope to have another update shortly with plans for the new year and can show off my gang that I painted for Deadmans Hand. I have also started the AWI in 28mm so this is going to be quite a pr0ject for 2016 and it would be nice to do regular updates on it. 

Charlie Don't Surf

Last night I finally managed to get a game in of Charlie Don't Surf. For a first outing it was a lot of fun ( I played the role of the umpire).

However there were a few thoughts that came up when playing or trying to play.

The first is that the rulebook is a bit of a muddle when first playing the game and trying to work your way around it for certain aspects or abilities of your troops.
The playsheets help but I think it would be an idea to also have a summery section of how the game deck starts and when you add cards in (all this is in the book but each bit is under its own section which means you have to have read the book cover to cover and remember where something is mentioned etc).
The second aspect is that the wording is sometimes not that clear on intent. Which is fine with an umpire but could cause some issues.

Once the game gets going it does tend to flow however and doesn't feel like it takes forever to resolve something.

The scenario we played was from the expansion and was the Great Rice Hunt. This proved a lot of fun but we needed a bit more cover. Was interesting to see how players that are used to only using army lists and having what they want, handled the situation.
The blinds added another dimension to the game as well. However due to where both sides had opted to deploy they actually ran straight into each other so there wasn't much opportunity for sneaky manoeuvring. This led the game in the direction of a very messy firefight.

The end result was an overwhelming victory to the VC forces both with a military and a political victory. If the game had carried on it might have swung in the favour of the US forces for a military victory.

Either way was a fun first game with plenty of mistakes made. Next game should be interesting as I know the rules a bit better now and can introduce further aspects.

No pictures again this week (mainly because the terrain is not fully finished so wouldn't make for a good look photo).

Ulthwe vs Ad Mech Defence Force - Epic Armageddon 3000 points

Finally I got to play another game of Epic Armageddon. For this game we decided that we would play a standard 3K game using the tournament scenario.

My regular opponent Neil took his Ad Mech force which had a good mix of units (don't have the list to hand I am afraid).

I took an Ulthwe force as I wanted to give the Eldar another go and also to use a different force to my Orks.

Ulthwé Craftworld (NetEA Army Compendium v20120208)
Guardian Warhost
4x Guardians
Seer Council
3x Heavy Weapon Platform 3 Support Weapon Platforms
Guardian Warhost (Mounted)
4 Wave Serpents
4x Guardians
Farseer
3x Heavy Weapon Platform
Black Guardian Warhost (Mounted)
4 Wave Serpents 6x Guardians
2x Farseer
War Walker Troupe
4x War Walker
Windrider Troupe
6x Jetbike
Swords of Vaul Troupe
5x Fire Prism
Night Spinner Troupe
3 Night Spinners
Engine of Vaul Troupe
Scorpion
Ranger Troupe
4x Ranger
Swords of Vaul Troupe
5x Falcon
Guardian Warhost
4x Guardians
Farseer
3x Heavy Weapon Platform
Avatar
Phoenix Bombers
3 Phoenix Bombers

2975 pts

I am not sure that this was the best list to take for the Ulthwe force but it felt like it had a good mix of units at least.

I would post up a battle report of all the action.....except it lasted only two turns and the Eldar got walked over without really getting to do much. The Ad Mech forces blasted various formations and either broke them or dealt out so many blast makers that the formation was not that effective.
Bad dice rolls also meant that the few engagements that I was able to initiate went horribly wrong.

This was probably the harshest game of Epic Armageddon that I have played. I had expected a bit of a learning curve with the Eldar, but this was very humbling.

Not to be daunted I am going back to the drawing board with the list and will probably drop the Phoenix Bombers and some thing else to take two revenants.

I think a few of the formations could also do with being larger. But I will have to have another read of the list and various special rules. Hopefully using the Eldar with give me some experience for using my Chaos once they are finally painted.

In other hobby related news the VC have been painted and ready for a few minor details on a couple of specialist figures and final touches added to the bases.  I hope to have some pictures up by this time next week.

Into The Woods

This week I made a start on the woods for my gaming table. I have plenty of trees that work for 28mm games and are all based individually. Recently I have been playing a lot more games in 20,15 and 6mm so needed some smaller scale trees.

I managed to obtain around 50 trees from Ebay for under £10 including shipping. They are very nice trees and really work well with 15 and 20mm figures. The only drawback is that I could not work out an easy way of basing them individually so opted to make bases that hold around 5 trees each (I have tended to prefer individual trees and then use felt templates if wanting to represent a wooded area). I have made the bases from fibreboard as it is easy to cut and shape, doesnt warp too easily and is cheap.

The fibreboard bases with trees

 After drilling the holes for the trees I used PVA to fix them to the base and then applied some filler to help hold them in place and give the base some texture. The filler also helps them look more like trees with roots etc.

The bases with added texture

 I still  need to texture the bases with my sand mix and then paint the bases. Should not take much longer to have them done. Then I will start on my river sections, also fibreboard and filler. Just need to work out how I am going to get the shade for the river. I am thinking somewhere between green and brown for the water.

Also on the work station are my Vietnam figures. Another batch have been undercoated and the basecoat is being applied. Once these are painted then it will be time to try out the rules for "Charlie Don't Surf".  Which I am looking forward to trying.

Drybrush applied to the robes and the flesh tone started. 

Hopefully I will have another update shortly based on boardgames that I have been playing and received in the post.

Back to Nam

After a hectic couple of months, I have finally managed to get started again on my Vietnam project.
Just finished basing an other platoon or so of VC.

15mm VC PeterPig and Battlefront

They are quite nice figures and so far have been ok to paint. The only thing with this batch is it includes some of the Battlefront VC figures which are not up to the same standard as the Peter Pig ones.

Once these are painted then it will be onto the buildings before trying to finish the US forces. Which also includes sourcing some Huey's ( I really hope that Battlefront get round to doing some plastic ones).

Also on the painting desk are my Wild West figures. Hopefully I will be able to make a start on these soon enough.

The last week

Last week may not have been the most productive week for hobby related activity but it did see me push on with my Vietnam project. As you can see the 'spray tray' was loaded up with the VC and also an objective marker for Epic Armageddon. The black primer not being as much of a basecoat as I had wanted. Instead I settled for a very dark Brown by Vallejo (cannot remember the name right now) followed by a drybrush of Stormvermin Fur. 

I was also lucky to get another game of Epic Armageddon in against my regular opponent. He took his Blood Angels and I used my tried and tested Ork list. I think the list I use has a fair few flaws in it but it is 100% painted now (the final coat of paint going onto the Kult of Speed that is unfinished in the picture below after this game). Both Armies were 3000pts

This was my first game against the Blood Angels list and it was quite short and Brutal with the Orks managing to snatch a victory through one of the 'Big Warbands' claiming two objectives.

As ever once the game got going I forgot to take pictures. Certainly a sign of an engrossing game and Epic really can be a thinking game and produce real nail biting finishes. The game taught me not to bunch formations to tightly (even when there are no templates in the opposing list) as the intermingled formation rule can really throw a spanner into the works.  It was also the first game where the Kult of Speed made up of Buggies and Skorchas not only survived the game but also played an active part (normally they get blasted and spend the rest of the game broken).

The final event of last week was getting my hands on the Necron codex. Now I haven't played 40K in around 10 or so months and decided on a whim that the codex could be worth the investment as I have a fully painted Necron Army. Only draw back is I now need to reread the main rulebook and work out how to pick an army. 

One very quick criticism of the Codex is the colour section. One of the feature armies hasn't been finished and the silver from the dry brushing is still visible on the Scarab bases (photo from base height so very noticeable). More on the codex another time. 

Some further reading and ideas

St Patricks day and there is a flash sale on at Lard Island. Who I am to turn down an opportunity to pick up some supplements at a discount.

I have picked up 'Surfs Up' for 'Charlie Don't Surf'. I figured this would be good for scenarios and some further reading on the subject. first impressions don't disappoint and I can see myself and my gaming group getting some use out of this.

The other supplement that I have picked up is 'Kampfgruppe Von Luck', while I don't play 'Chain of Command' I really like the idea of these supplements and they provide some inspiration for games of Battlegroup (even if the forces are on the small side). The other reason for picking these up is to do some research on supplements and what is available. Like 'Surfs Up' KGVon Luck doesn't disappoint and has plenty of background information before getting to the actual campaign rules.

Having finished my US infantry for Vietnam, I have pushed on and got the Volksturm painted and just got to finish the bases.
Next is to get some Chaos Rhinos painted for Epic and get some of my other Chaos units put together. Then it is time to push on with getting the VC painted up.

D-Day Adventures

I spent the weekend visiting sites related to the American sector of the D-Day landings including going inland to a number of the Airborne sites and actions around Carentan.

While near to Omaha beach we managed to find a way up to WN60 which was very worth the trek to the top.
Bunkers and crawl trenches are still there and you can spend a good few hours exploring these and the views from the top.

Pointe du Hoc was also worth a visit to see the power of Naval and Air bombardment.

Overall it was a great trip and plenty of ideas for the scenario book.

Pictures to come once I have had a chance to download them from my camera.

In the meantime I have made a start on my GIs for Charlie Don't Surf. They should be finished in the next few days and then it is on to the VC.

Another Period/Game System

I went to the Cavalier show today. It is one of my favorite shows as there are always some great games to see, some good traders and it is also not a huge show.

So what did I see there. Two games really caught my attention and both are on y to do list.
The first was a wild west gunfilght with some amazing MDF terrain (really suite this theme). The second was a Vietnam game that I had seen before at SELWG. Vietnam is a period and conflict that I have wanted to do for a while. The game just looked amazing and the rules got a really good review from the club putting the game on.

This resulted in a walkn to the Peter Pig stand and the purchase of some VC and US Infantry, enough to here started. Also lead to the purchase of the main rule book.
Aside from that I managed to pick up a few good books on various Normandy related subjects for my interest in Battlefield touring.

So all in all a good show although it didn't feel as busy as previous years.