Some fabulous fantasy modelling

While visiting last night, Murray shared with me two new model pieces he has finished for HotT, or DBF.

A Great Flyer for the Ratmen

This one a knight, specifically a chariot, for the Ratmen. The figures are old GW figures.

Hordes in De Bellis Fantasiae

A little 'fantasy' this week, with a large DBF game. First however, this 'Great Flyer' for DBF (Airboat for HotT) that Murray has just completed for his 'Ratmen' army. The figures are old GW figures, the airboat itself is scratch built... good old fashioned modelling skills

Here a few random photos form a British VSF/Spiders game of DBF.

The spiders were largely horde. That is how I'd field them in HotT. However a horde army if very problematic in DBF. They don't com e back, they are 'unwieldy' and so take an extra movement 'PIP to move, and do count towards losses (in DBA Hordes don't count towards losses). If I conbtinue to use them as Hopardes I will need to rethink how to use them. Maybe:

• four commands so four pip dice; and/or
• concentrate the powerful elements (behemoths etc) all in one command with a minimum of hordes, and/or
• hold back with the rest of the hordes

I may also change the hordes to  'beast packs'.. might better reflect their capabilities. It's a fascinating challenge.

The end is nigh ...

Well, the end of the year, anyway... and so it was a week of lighter games, the first a HotT with Jon, and the second the annual 'Snoopy's Christmas' games night hosted by Keith, in which we play games of Wings of War/Wings of Glory .. both evenings were enormous fun. 

The HotT game saw spiders vs pirates... the spiders were ever victorious

And then ....

Swirling dogfights ...

... and some balloon busting

VSF Prussians complete.. for now

I'm going to call this one finished, for now anyway: the Victorian Science Fiction Prussian army for HotT (Hordes of the Things). 

It is composed of :
3 x airboats
2 x flyers

3 x riders

2 x artillery

6 x warband

8 x shooters

3 x blades (one of which is intended as the general)

2 x hordes

1 x hero

1 x magician

1 x behemoth

The army is based around two boxes of Airfix 20mm WW1 German infantry. These are old molds, and the flash was profuse on some of the figures.

The blade general element on the right

The two most recently completed shooter bases, using some of the many prone figures in the box. I'd run out of kneeling and standing firing figures (although I still have plenty of the infantry carrying the man pack flamethrowers)

I liked the idea of prone riflemen firing while taking fire orders from their NCO who has his head up

 

The Kaiser's Aerial Navy: 3 airboats, and two flyers

I may see the inspiration for one or two other elements as time goes by. This lot totals 73 points, so for Big Battle games there isn't too much choice.

More Prussians... flyers and hordes

Still pottering with the VSF Prussians for HotT, and I turned my mind to a couple of flyers. In imagining these I thought that perhaps the Prussians had stuck with the mechanical wing approach to one-man flyers rather than trying such things as rocket or jet packs. So I took a look at some da Vinci drawings, and came up with these.

They are based on this figure from the Airfix WW1 Germans.

The wings are made from light card cut to shape, and scored heavily before painting to represent the 'ribs', the articulation if you prefer.

Given the number of 3 point elements I have chosen to make (again reflecting the idea that the Prussians had opted for an airborne navy with airboats, and artillery), I felt the need for some 1 point elements to allow me to balance things up where necessary. Lurkers simply don't 'feel' Prussian to me. However a commenter on a previous post on the HotT iOGroup (thanks Terry) suggested some Landwehr. So, finally a use for the Airfix marching figures, and those 'casualties' as well, in a couple of horde bases. 

I think the army is at about 67 points, so not too far to go to reach the 72 point mark for Big Battle.

An armoured landship, did you say?

I've had an idea for an ironclad 'behemoth' for the Prussian VSF army (for Hordes of the Things) for a while now. I'd been inspired by this sort of thing, but wanted to put my own unique 'spin' on it. I ended up with this:

I began my mapping out what mathematicians call a 'net'.. 

This was then cut from light card

The 'chimney' (after all, it's VSF, steam driven) came from a small piece of card tubing.

The wheels were left over from some colonial British guns

Applique armoured plates were added. The boiler arrangement is more small card tubing, and the 'condenser coils' are old biro springs. Finally a few boxes and hatches were added.

Now, I'm not that happy with it. I don't feel that it captures the aesthetic I was after, the Prussian land ship look that ought to be more sophisticated than this. However it will do for now, and I did enjoy the creative processes. So that gives 61 of the 72 points needed for Big Battle HotT.. getting there. Maybe some Hordes to even out the numbers, and perhaps some more blade.

Weekly wargames rhythm

The last few weeks have been a little light on the 'gaming front, as other aspects of life took precedence. However things have just started to settle back into their more usual rhythm. Last week I took part n another DBA evening at Keith's where 7 of us played a series of DBA games. I was a little too preoccupied to take any photos. You can find Keith's account of the evening here.

This week I took part in the play testing a new scenario for Adrian and Jon's next Volley and Bayonet scenario book: Seneffe, 1674. A wagon load of gold, used as bait by the Prince of Orange in order to bring the French army to battle, must be driven off the board. A very cool scenario, something very different from the usual game as forces entered the board and the battle escalated. The figures are Adrian's beautiful 15mm Dutch and French.

The following evening four of us got together to play some 24 point Hordes of the Things (HotT) games.

Andy's Weird World war 1 Germans and my British

British behemoth attacks German blade

Orc knight (chariot) general about to meet his end at the hands of Murray's Dwarven blade and hero

First outing for the new VSF Prussian, featuring 3 airboats (it was never going to be an easy army to use)

The airboats

Muray's new Ratmen airboat... an inspired piece

Ratmen blades, and sider riders, all old GW figures repurpose for HotT

The stronghold for Murray's Ratmen

All in all, a nice way to ease back into the weekly 'gaming rhythm.