Orc Stronghold for HotT

All too often I say I've finished an army having failed to create the necessary stronghold (HotT) or camp (DBA). With the last of the basic army components completed for the Big Battle HotT army, I sat for a while thinking about a suitable stronghold. No way I was going to fall for my usual lethargy. A little creative provocation from Andy, and this sprang to mind. It's an 'homage' to GW's orc lore, and 'Mad Max', and .. well.... whatever else popped into my mind when I thought of Orcs. I asked Lorraine what words sprang to mind when she saw it, and she said 'ramshackle', 'rickety'.. so I knew I'd hit the mark with an orc structure.

The structure is scratch build from balsa and cardboard. The 'tools' propped up in the corner are ex GW Dwarves, and the dogs are actually 'zombie dogs' that came in a packet of 100, apparently for some Board game that I've never seen. I picked them up, along with a pack of 100 zombies, in a toy store in Sydney 10+ years ago.

Righto .. next project?

Bludgeoned to a standstill.. an ACW Volley and Bayonet game

Murray and I hadn't played a Volley and Bayonet for a while.. Murray had a HotT itch that needed itching. However this week it was it... and I composed a fictional scenario with 16 Union brigades, and fourteen CSA (with two cavalry regiments).  The CSA cavalry came in on a random throw. It turned out to be turn 6, and as it happened they never appeared as we had to all the game before we got to that stage. The battle had two objectives, the two built up areas. The Union began the battle with an M4 division (new recruits) occupying the central town objective. All other troops entered the table as each commander deemed fit, but within 12" either side of the pike that exited their base edge. Obviously the CSA cavalry were the exception. The game was fought using my own 15mm armies

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The Reb M6 unit attacks the defenders of the central town block, with artillery in support. On the upper left there had been a single Union artillery battery which the Rebs also attacked.. it lost and was eliminated

The M6 Confederate brigade lost its melee and recoiled, leaving its supporting artillery stand alone

On the Confederate left a division deployed to threaten the Union right, facing off against a Union division moving in a column along a long two contour ridge

On their right, the Confederates attack the advancing Union, pushing a brigade back in disorder

The Union attacked the Confederate left, but were defeated in their attacks

The Confederate reserves move up to hold off the Union division that had advanced along the long ridge

The Rebs attack the central town sectors again. The defenders (M4), despite being behind some hasty works, failed their morale, and lost their combat

Meanwhile the CSA forces occupy the town sector objective on their right

The CSA brigade occupies the ground vacated by the original defenders in the central town sectors

Fire fight on the CSA left

The Union attacks on their left, the CSA right, and drive the CSA division back

Union attack in the centre

Firefight still going on on the left, casualties accruing for both sides

The CSA attack the Union right

The CSA right loses two brigades... and goes into exhaustion

Both the CSA left flank and it's opposing Union right flank divisions are both exhausted..

After only four turns, each side had three exhausted divisions, although none had suffered a morale collapse. The action had been frenetic and intense. With time limited we called the game at that stage, deeming neither side any longer in a fit condition to pursue the battle. Casualties were heavy. What a battle, what a game.

An unusual orc 'lurker'

The orc army needed a single point element to allow me to field a complete 72 points for Big battle HotT. points totals were put 'out of kilter' by the 3 point artillery piece. In HotT there are only two troops types that cost 1 point: a horde and a lurker. The obvious answer was a horde base, which seemed appropriate to the army, but I'd run out of orc figures. So, I thought.. how about a lurker, with NO figures on the base? After all, a lurker is meant to be hard to find in terrain (not to be confused with a sneaker of course).

So, a lurker base with no figures, but surely the very idea of a lurker seems to be the antithesis of warfare for an orc army?? So, if we are going to have a lurker, surely it would lack subtlety? Would't it be the antithesis of subtlety? Yep... its presence would be announced in some way.. a tree largely chopped down? An axe stuck in the remnants of the tree? Lots of mess? Righto... here it is.... with thanks to Andy for some lateral thinking in the creative process.

Job done.. army done... what's next?

New orc artillery for HotT

The expansion of the Orc army for Hordes of the Things (and may be DBF) has almost reached its conclusion. Off the painting desk this week are the last few warband, and this 'artillery' piece. I suspect I've been influenced by the GW 'orc law' thing, but I based this piece on the concept that things are so stupid they have to work, the idea of the plausible impossible. 

The 'projectile' is an very angry 'p***sed off' gorilla with spears sticking tied to his back with a large hank of rope. He is 'enraged' by a bang on the bonce at the very same moment he is launched at the enemy. 

He is launched at the enemy using the transmission of force via a giant 'lever', a plank set across a log. The orc atop the tower jumps and lands on the opposite end of the plank, hurtling the now angry gorilla into the enemy ranks. Feel free to spot the flawed physics in the construction.. such is orc orthodoxy.

The weapon is fraught, as the timing of the 'hitter' and the jumper' must be impeccable. If the 'hitter' hits too soon the orcs are left with a very angry gorilla climbing down from the plank to attack their own ranks. Too late and a humble perplexed gorilla is sent hurtling into the enemy ranks. There may be some sort of 'special wargames rule' right there, but .. I dislike such army specific rules... so, I won't bother.

Anyway, here it is. The orcs are Caesar 20mm figures. The tower is scratch built from balsa wood, deliberately crooked, rustic, inept looking (reflecting my own normal modelling skills).

Orc warband in 20mm.. HotT recruits

Inspired by recent Big Battle HotT games, and a couple of trial DBF games, I grabbed the packet of Caesar Orcs Andy had given me a year or two ago, and have started painting more war bands, and a cleric. The figures came in a Caesar box, but are different to the other Caesar figures I've painted. They are still fabulous 20mm figures, and painted up really well.

Orc cleric with the sacred white banner.. an inspiration to all Orcs

War bands ...

... and .... Yep .. more war bands

The project is a bit of a time filler while I sort a new order of 15mm figures from Essex: dismounted ACW cavalry, and 1805 French infantry. However, if you are into any sort of fantasy gaming (for me it's the WRG game Hordes of the Things (and maybe DBF)), can you ever have too many orcs?

VSF trial using DBF rules

Several weeks ago Jim and I played a Big Battle HotT game with my two 20mm VSF armies (British and Turkish). Our intent was to play a game with BBHotT and then the same armies with DBF. We managed this rematch this week. As usual, this is not a detailed AAR, but a selection of photos. My reflections are at the bottom of this post.

British on the left, Turkish on the right

Turkish aerial hero and flyers, behind a behemoth and a hero

British aerial hero and flyers

British behemoths

British knights (lancers)

Turkish riders

Turkish artillery and blades

Turkish great flyer (airboat in. HotT) attacks  British behemoth

Turkish dragon (a Djin that I use as a God in BBHotT) attacks British artillery

The outcome was similar in both games. My command of the Turkish troops was seriously inhibited by poor PIP die rolls. The fact that Behemoths count as unwieldy and so take 2 PIPs to move significantly slowed the movement. The critical action occurred in the centre, again slowed by lack of PIPS. I made several attacks simply to try out a few interactions. The initial attack with the great flyer (airboat) was not one I'd have made normally, for example.  We used the shooters are 'bow'. Given the period differences, in hindsight they might have been better classified as Warbow.

The interactions were interesting, and the slightly different mix of troop types made the game itself interesting. What I don't know yet is whether that was simply the novelty factor, or whether the extended variety of troop types significantly changes the game dynamic. My suspicion is that it does. More games are required. I am fortunate that Jim invested in a copy so that we can try these things out before I commit to what is a significant purchase in these post retirement days.

War of the Triple Alliance

This week's 15mm Volley and Bayonet outing was an 1866 battle from the War of the Triple Alliance in South America. As usual, not a full blown AAR but just a few shots of Jon's lovely figures.

A surprising amount of cavalry in the war, here a first combat

One of those 'frantic cavalry Melees' developed in the centre

I am enjoying the opportunities to play so many of the great sub periods of the 1700-1900 period covered by the Volley and Bayonet rules.