Victorian Science Fiction action with HotT

To finish off a week of HotT games, Jim and I played a Big battle HotT game. Jim was keen to see how BBHotT played when compared with our first foray into the new DBF rules. We chose my two 20mm VSF armies - British and Turkish. Of note was my choice of a God ... that never showed up. We also both included an aerial hero in our multitudes, along with a solid core of blade supported by shooters and artillery. In HotT terms, we fielded the standard three x 24 point commands. In DBF terms, the British army totalled 194 points, the Turkish 192. Both armies included a solid core of Riders, the British also including a number of knights to the Turkish single knight base.

This isn't an AAR, so it's short on detail of composition and detail of the action. The report is more simply intended as a visual record.

British riders moving forward towards an old industrial complex

British behemoths

British aerial hero supported by two flyers

The Turkish army also included the same detachment .. aerial hero supported by two flyers (men on flying carpets, of course)

The first major clash came on the Turkish left

The Turkish right, a behemoth supported by riders and shooters

The centre became very messy very quickly once action was joined

That doesn't look good for the unit of Turkish lancers/knights that has become isolated

The two airboats went head to head.. quite a jostle

The action was fairly balanced, until my own die rolling turned to disaster, and in two turns I lost the CnC and the general of the left flank command, and quite a few fighting stands, including the artillery and several riders. That's the way it goes. We now plan to use the same armies in a DBF game some time soon. Life has got in the way over the next week, so it will be a little while.

Regardless of the dice though, HotT games are always a lot of fun... and it was good to see the larger Big Battle armies arrayed on the table.

A British VSF stronghold

Every now and then I have a flash of inspiration. Not exactly like realising how to split the atom, or solve world poverty, or banish the forces of the neo-liberal right wing .. but in the 'gaming sense, a germ of an idea that with a little time evolves into something I quite like. This is an example. 

My British Victorian Science Fiction army for HotT (Hordes of the Things) has lacked a stronghold. Browsing through my many 'bits boxes' as you do I stumbled across a 15mm old country farm house, and a futuristic piece of equipment that could perhaps have been a 'power house' .. or ... whatever heinous machine you care to imagine. The appeal, the inherent anachronism, of their juxtaposition appealed to me. Both on the same base, a heinous machine pseudo-disguised, only half hidden, behind an old farm house. So this idea took shape.

The finished product, farm house in front, scientific 'machine' behind connected with a heavy red cable, as you do.

I wanted the machine half hidden behind a mound, as if the ground had been partially excavated and the machine is half hidden deep in the earth. To create the 'mound' or hillock I glued some old plastic sprues to the base in order to give the filler compound something to key onto, and also to save weight on the overall base.

I then gradually layered filler over the sprues, allowing each thin layer to dry before proceeding. I am hoping this will minimise the chances of shrinkage and cracking

The base overall was then given a layer of plaster

... and the building and machine were glued into the wet filler

A few small hedges ... actually hedgerows for 6mm, but who notices ...

A piece of thick copper wire to represent a heavy duty cable connecting the machine and the house...

... and an old Airfix Cuirassier figure standing in the road outside the farmhouse with horse.. yes I know it's French, but this is 'fantasy', so I can do whatever I like.. and it was a way of emphasising the anachronisms I wanted on the stronghold base

And voila, a stronghold for the VSF army. 

VSF Naval elements for HotT

 Andy and I have been contemplating the incorporation of 'naval' elements into our HotT (Hordes of the Things) games for some time, partly for the simple aesthetic, and also for some additional variation. My thinking has been inspired by the naval rules within the DBR rules set (once we have trialled them, I'll post them to the Fb groups etc for comment and 'massage'). Friend Keith played a DBR game usign an Elizabethan army with galleons, and I was hooked (thanks Keith).

Anyway, to play with naval elements, you of course need naval elements, and I have been trying to understand how I might make something suitable for my VSF armies. This is the result so far. The construction is a bit rough, and doesn't really stand close up scrutiny, but you get the idea.

The basic hull shape I drew freehand. I drew one side only, created a template, and then drew it along with a mirror image in order to get the symmetry the hull needed. The hull shape was cut from foam board, and the hull sides were added using simple thin card. This is how I managed to create the ram in the bow.

The superstructure was created from the scraps and spares boxes. The funnels etc are dismembered parts of an old Bic biro refill. The inner refill tops were cut down to create the two forward turrets. The rear turret is the cut off end of an external fuel tank from an Airfix T34 tank. The turret 'casements' are slices taken from the inner cardboard tubes in dog poop bags (I've said before that with two Border collies we have an ample supply of these tubes).

Not the best quality piece of scratch building I have done (please don't look too closely at the photos). You get the idea. Now, some HotT games with naval elements.

Martian invasion halted

 The first canisters had arrived two weeks ago. Wells had recorded their arrival, and those first battles on Horsell Common. The small scattering of British army forces had delayed the Martian invaders long enough for Carruthers to gather together a force strong enough to stand against the invaders. Small groups of men had stood, knowing that theirs was a suicide mission, their task to do and die, their task to delay the invaders, to give their lives in the service of their Queen and their nation. Today was that day when mankind would stand. Today the future of mankind would be decided.

This was a 48 point HotT game pitching Andy's expanding Martian army against  my British VSF army.

The armies face off, Martians on the left, British on the right

Martian shooters, flyers, human mercenary shooters, and tripod behemoth (from the Ares 'Tripods and Triplanes' game)

Lancers (knights), and members of the local Yeomanry cavalry (riders)

 

Lord Chelting of Cheam, the local aerial hero, supported by an airboat

Lieutenant Winstanly, the dashing young hero chappie, supported by a steam robot (behemoth) with Dr Morgenstein that amazing wizardly scientific chappie (magician).

Shooters take up position in the built up area (a scientific establishment)

Chelting and supporting airboat overfly the battle lines and attack the Martian flyers in the rear of the Martian line

Morgenstein ensorcels the enemy hero general, and the artillery eliminate a stand of Martian shooters, leaving the centre looking bare

In frantic aerial combat Chelting sends one Martian saucer spinning to the ground

The British mounted regiment struggles, one unit of Yeomanry eliminated as they battle to hold the left flank

The Martian hero general desorcels and reappears in contact with the destroyed village that is the British stronghold

Meanwhile the second of the Martian saucers is eliminated

The cavalry are still struggling, but hold the flank

The Martian hero is repulsed from the stronghold

The cavalry delaying action

Chelting turns his aerial force around and attacks Martian shooters, but the airboat is repelled

Caruthers advances against the Martian centre

The Martian centre under pressure

Martian shooters continue to drive the airboat back

The Lancers are eliminated.. that last rider unit looks lonely

Chelting charges into the rear of the Martian centre

The Martian centre crumbling under the combined pressure

The Martian hero turns and attacks Dr Morgenstein

Morgenstein is down... 

Caruthers marshalls his forces, including Winstanley, to tackle the Martian hero. At this stage the Martian left flank is demoralised

The Martian right beginning to advance on the British. In Andy's defence his right flank had been starved of PIPs for most of the game so far, consistently throwing 1s and 2s

Caruthers leading from the front, attacks the Martian hero general, with his steam robot behemoth, and WInstanley (hero), in support

Chelting keeps up the pressure

The last unit of Yeomanry falling back before the Martian advance

The Martian Hero General is eliminated

At this stage the Martian army has lost over 50% of its overall strength. Whew, what a battle, and a great evening of 'gaming. In fairness to Andy, he was starved of PIPs for much of the game, especially on his right flank, throwing far more than his fair share of 1s and 2s. The ability to win the aerial combat and to then be able to unleash the aerial hero on the rear of the Martian army was crucial. I'm not convinced players should rely on such a strategy though. In the past my attempts to do this have failed when I have been the player starved of movement PIPs.

The Martian invasion had been halted!!!