Friday, July 9, 2010

Archduke Ferdinand tragically killed ...

It's some time in the early nineteenth century, and France and Austria are at war. Archduke Ferdinand is trying to stop the French from gaining a bridgehead across a river in area that looks remarkably similar to the landscape around Aspern-Essling. Translation: we played a smaller version of Aspern-Essling, set in the earlier era when (in Volley and Bayonet terms) the Austrian army is still represented on linear bases). We had planned an ACW battle, but this looked much  more interesting on the night. The battle was fought using Adrian's 15mm armies, and the Volley and Bayonet rules.

The French had to cross a river using two bridges. Upstream a unit of Austrian sappers had prepared demolitions which they had floated down the river to try to blow up the bridges and so halt the French advance. First one bridge blew, but was hurriedly repaired by French sappers, and then the second was blown, but all too late as it transpired.

Early on the French struck out at the thin Austrian centre, as the Austrian commander had thinned his troops in the center to attack the French flanks. He just had to screen off the French advance here long enough to cut through the flank defences and cut the advanced guard off from reinforcements (that was my plan, and it looked good at the start anyway...).


Their right flank was secured in one of the towns.



French cavalry have struggled across the congested bridges and stuck hard at the thin Austrian centre.



The Austrians meanwhile shielded their own left, bringing up their converged Grenadier brigades to strike into the French right.



The thin Austrian centre is seen here under attack.



The Austrian Grenadiers launched into the French right, cracking through two French brigades in quick succession.



Meanwhile, in the centre, the Austrian cavalry had arrived, the plan was that they would help screen the centre while the Grenadiers carved their way through the flank. But.. disaster struck. A Brigade of Austrian Dragoons launched themselves at a Brigade of French Cuirassiers, supporting themselves with their own horse batteries. Archduke Ferdinand was convinced that this was a vital attack, and so put himself at the head of the charge. Oh so sad to see the flower of the Austrian royalty cut down in a vicious unprovoked assault from the French Cuirass....













Finally however the Austrian centre gave way, leaving the two wings isolated while the French surged forward from their bridgehead.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Just pottering....

... as you do, and I thought I should finish the Stronghold for Lorraine's Angel army. It has been sitting sans cloud for several months, and took all of 4 minutes to finish.. 'get a move on, Robin'!!

So here it is... we were looking for the idea of something almost terrestrial towering up above the clouds .. Corinthian columns (well almost), and angelic statue...






Here it is with the Flying Angel Heroine, and one of the pixie airboats from the army.


Now to finish the "evil women" army for her....

Monday, July 5, 2010

Some more nice HotT photos ...

A few more photos from 'A HotT Winter's Day 2010' .. I thought these were quite nice and warranted putting on the blog for readers to enjoy.

This first was of the flyer from Kevin's new British army, seen here being attacked by Simon's Dwarf hero.. the Hero brought the flyer down!!


And here some knights of a Chaos army advancing against Stan's Spanish Conquistadors.



This was a nice shot form the final showdown between the two British armies.


And here a Paladin (Priest) from the Conquistador army. None of us had used a Paladin in these tournaments before, but this boy certainly returned Stan's investment in points, protecting his army against the magical powers of several armies, including Nick's Undead Necromancer!!

Undead Stronghold... flash of inspiration

Well, the force is indeed strong in this one... in a small shop today when I saw this little guy for $7.50. Now I'm not an impulse buyer but .. he is exactly what I'd been looking for as a stronghold for the Undead HotT army. With a graveyard-like basing theme (so that he becomes a stone monolith erected over a tomb.. and is he dead or alive??? Mwahahahahahaha) I thought he'd do the business.



Here he is posing with the boys ...


And again with the  boys ... he's already quite a little poser, really.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

The sun never sets... HotT Winter's Day 2010

Another great HotT tournament, 'A HotT Winter's day 2010', and 25 great HotT games amongst 10 players. The tournament included 3 relatively new players (each had played at most one or two games before), and several new armies.

A few of the players at work in the first round....




One of the new armies, Kevin N's British adventurer army 'from the back of beyond', with this nice flyer.....


... and this very cool artillery piece hiding in the tall elephant grass. In the foreground is the looming bulk of a bone dragon from the opposing undead army.



More loyal adventurers from Andy G's VSF army, fighting the same Undead (well, they do keep coming back, don't they!). Andy's nice steam tank behemoth can be seen in the background.


Those British adventurers again..


And Joe's great triumph. Joe had played no HotT before the day, but here one of his two dragons in the Chaos army he had borrowed eliminates the opposing stronghold, giving Joe his first ever HotT victory.



The other VSF army in the tournament (my most recent addition) commanded by Mark, battles against another Undead army.


The final show down. The two British armies had battled through Undead, Conquistadors, Spiders, Tigers.. all manner of greebly beasties in fact, to see that the sun never set on the British Empire, until they reached the final showdown pitted against each other. The final victor was Mark, holder of the 'Emperor Dragon Trophy until the next tournament in December.


War of the Austrian Succession scenario ..

Adrian and I took the afternoon to play a War of the Austrian Succession game, using his 15mm armies and scenery...   it's too gorgeous ...