"I said send me 'CAVALRY' damn it all"

The cable from Major General Carruthers, as written by his ever tactful ADC, read:

"Appreciate despatch of mounted troops with which to pursue the and subdue the heathen alien hords. Request addition of Lancers to provide punch to pursuit."

What Carruthers actually said:

"Call these blasted mounted infantry cavalry? Give a man a horse doesn't make him a cavalry man. Give me some Lancers damn it all. Am I to be plagued forever with the incompetence of those damend scoundrels at Horse Guards?"

The second purchase from Stan last week was a box of HaT Zulu wars mounted infantry. These will be Riders for the expanded VSF army. Riders are a troop type that doesn't feature in any of my HotT armies at the moment. These will be the last of a frenetic period of figure output before the net school term starts tomorrow. I'm lining these boys \up for 'A HotT Winter's Day', our Hordes of the Things tournament scheduled for July.

This stand uses a spare standard bearer from the Italeri Zulu ars British Infantry box, and while still counting as a Rider base, will double as a General base for the expanded Big Battle HotT army.

In the desert ....

My last game for a month, as Lorraine and I set off for some overseas travel (leaving our daughter to house and dog sit, hope the dog isn't too flat when we return), so Adrian brought over his 15mm Colonial troops and Jon, Adrian and I fought some action in the Sudan: British and Egyptian forces versus Mahdists.  We used the Volley and bayonet rules, with some adaptations designed by Adrian that produce very good Colonial games.

This is simply an assortment of photos taken during the game, rather than a battle report. The action in outline saw some Egyptian forces settled in a town in the centre of the table with a camel train. A British force was returning from action on one end of the table, while a relief force (the camel Corps) came on from the other end. The British forces had to escort a camel train off the end of the board from which the Camel Corps entered, gathering the Egyptian forces along with the camel train if possible.

The British forces won the day this time, and I have to say that for the third week in a row my luck ran hot and Jon's did not. Regardless of the result we had plenty of laughs.

I hope to make a few blog posts as we visit Arras and Ypres, depends on finding some wireless hotspots mostly, so I'll keep you posted.

VSF .. yeah!!!

It has been a while in 'gestation', but finally the Victorian Science Fiction army is complete (well, playable, although there are a number of other troop types I may yet add). I posted some photos of the first batch to come off the painting line several months ago, and here now is the final product,  a HotT (Hordes of the Things) VSF army:

1 x Blade General
2 x Blades (British infantry charging with bayonets)
4 x shooters (British infantry and sailors)
2 x Artillery (a Gardner gun and a Gatling gun)
1 x Behemoth (Steam powered Robot)

I chose a darker basing scheme for this army to reflect a slightly darker sinister dimension to the army and the genre.

The artillery, with shooters in the background. The Gardner and Gatling guns are from the HaT range.

Sailors as shooters, also from the HaT Gatling and Gardner gun box.

Blade General, all of the rest of the infantry are from the Italeri range.

Another view of the artillery and sailors, with the steam powered robot in the background (from the Privateer Press Warmachine range).

The Italeri Infantry blades.

I choose each new HotT army primarily to create a 'different' army in terms of troop types. This is basically a shooting army (none of the others are). I may add an airboat, and some riders (perhaps some of the Victorian lancers??) to allow it to morph into something that plays differently - we'll see, I'm already 5 projects ahead .. AGAIN!!!!!

A little progress on the VSF HotT

I bought a box of figures for the planned Victorian Science Fiction HotT army probably about two years ago ... yes, I have the same disease that most other 'gamers have: plans far bigger than the time available. I finally started on a few of them a few weeks ago: figures for a stand of Blade (charging with bayonet) and three stands of shooters. Here is the result. These will form the core of the army. I am still contemplating what else, and how to construct it. 

Thoughts: 

1. Riders on bicycles, or unicycles, or mechanical steads. 

2. Airboats: dirigibles.

3. Behemoths: team tanks.

4. Artillery.

This army will be different from the other five in that I had planned it to be shooter heavy. I'm always fascinated by how plans change from conception to reality.

Keep watching. In the meantime, here are the first units.

Volley and Bayonet in the Sudan

I've made no secret of my opinion that Volley and Bayonet is arguably one of the best 1700-1900 rules sets written. That is to say, it's the one that best matches my own 'gaming paradigm. Good friend Adrian has written some nice little amendments that allow it to play very nicely for the Colonial period. The British and Egyptian infantry are mounted onto linear stands, while the Dervish infantry all fight on massed stands. The photos below show our most recent Colonial adventures, with chaps fighting hard under the hot desert sun for the sake of the Empire (British, or Dervish, depending upon your preference). The troops are 15mm (mostly Essex, painted by Adrian Powell). The steamer was scratch built by Adrian.

The British forces have a mule 'train' of wagons carrying wounded soldiers, including the esteemed Lord N Derwear) that they must get to the waiting paddle steamer for evacuation down river. The assembled Dervish forces know that it would be a great victory for their forces, and a slap in the face for the invading British, if they can stop the 'train' making it to the steamer, and capture Lord Derwear.

The photos follow the sequence of the battle, as the Mule train races forward, covered by both Egyptian forces and those brave few British. They are oriented with the British 'train' travelling from right to left in each photo. Adrian commanded the British, while Andy and I commanded the Dervish forces.

The early stages saw the Dervish attackers looking as if they would to stop the train in its tracks (as it were), with Dervish cavalry entering from behind the right flank of the fleeing forces. With the aid of fanatical Dervish troops advancing from the right of the train, they wiped out the escorting Egyptian forces. But the valiant Egyptian infantry had sold their lives dearly, winning the time necessary for the mule train to be passed into the hands of the waiting British Camel Corp troops. The Camel Corps was able to escort the train towards safety, holding up the bulk of the remaining Dervish infantry long enough.

The final photo shows the mule train racing towards the welcoming arms of the waiting British forces and the steamer in the river, with the last of the Dervish cavalry coming up short in the face of fierce volleys from the British infantry standing waiting.

In the midst of the battle photos are Adrian and Andy, facing off mid battle as Andy's Dervishes throw themselves at the Egyptian infantry.