Big Battle HOTT..

Every time we play Big Battle HotT (Hordes of the Things) I say the same thing: this game has a profoundly different feel as games go. With each side consisting of three 24 point 'commands', it is certainly different to the more tradition al 24 point game. So last night Andy and I got some figures out onto the table for a big battle bash.

I used a mix of semi historical./mythical Romans (old Airfix Romans) and some Huns as nomadic barbarians. The left and centre commands were the Romans (the left with a contingent of Celtic war band in the mix), while the right was the nomadic barbarians with two mammoths as behemoths. Our armies are created from a range of 20mm plastic figures. Many of my Romans are the very old Airfix figures, and the 'Huns' are 1970s conversions from the Airfix Napoleonic Hussars (yes, you read that correctly).

Initial deployment, Martian/Egyptian force on the left, Romano-European force on the right

Andy used his martians (complete with walkers) for two of his commands (right and centre) while his left was a semi-historical Egyptian force.

Martians

Egyptians

Romans

Those mammoths

First clash on the Roman left

Warband attacked by Martian shooters

and walkers (behemoths)

Two units of Romans hold off the Martians in the centre. The 'Romans' (the old Airfix figures) are deployed as HotT Blades.

Action on the Roman right, the nomadic barbarians against the Egyptians

One barbarian behemoth is eliminated and the other recoils

The Martian right is in trouble, one shooter eliminated on the extreme left of the photo, allowing Roman 'Blades' to swing around to attack the line in the flank

That Martian right looking very ragged

Shooters play 'argy bargy' in the wood that dominates the centre, the Romans getting the better of the exchange

Still going in the centre

The nomadic barbarian command under pressure, the gaps show the losses

The behemoth (walker) in the Martian centre is eliminated .. shot away by the remaining artillery (its companion having been eliminated after being assaulted by the same behemoth)

The Martian right has become demoralised, followed soon after by their centre

There is little left of the Martian centre, but at the time their army melted away, the Egyptian ally on their left was still standing strong, having taken no casualties, and their opponent the nomadic barbarian command is close to demoralisation.

This was one of those nail biting games that teetered all along the way. There were probably three specific die rolls that determined the final outcome, and it was much closer than the pictures might suggest.

But what a cracking good game.. 

'Lurkers' lurking in amongst the rubbish

Things have been pretty quiet on the hobby front over recent months. I have been heading for that stage in life for which some would use the age related 'R' word. I like the 'R' word 'Re-focussing, that's how I see it. That said, that word does have multiple meanings right now, as I have (as a result of earlier eye surgery) developed a cataract which has 'developed' very quickly. It makes things hard to see, reading requires close proximity to the face, and so it goes on.

This means that figure painting is not an option until after the cataract operation in about 5 weeks time. So, having now stepped back from my 7 years of Principalship, with time more freely available, but unable to paint figures just yet, the only option for hobby activity is things that don't require precise close up vision. 

In that light, this happened. I found some of those 'plastic egg' shapes in which sweet treats etc come packaged for kids. Lorraine had won a raffle basket with two   these. She managed to successfully give away most of the treats (thank goodness), but these remained.

The 'egg'

It splits in half to this

I wondered about a 'lurker' for my Lost Worlds HotT army, perhaps one of those pods from 'Alien', or a man eating plant found deep in the jungles of the 'Lost Worlds'.

The taller ovoid part of the 'egg' shape, cut four ways across the top, a little heat applied underneath.

To create outer 'leaves' I cut a cardboard template and then applied a layer of 'NoMoreGaps' to give texture, thickness, and flexibility

The 'egg' assembled and undercoated

The 'egg' assembled

The 'Lurker' alongside a behemoth, and a 'beast' base.

The finished 'lurker', more colourful than the 'Alien;' version, but in keeping with the 'Lost Worlds' army aesthetic

I'll make a second one, just in case.This is very much 'old school' modelling, isn't it. Many today would 3D print what they wanted. The challenge for me is to use what already exists, a type of recycling, if you will. I enjoy the creative challenge, and until I get that cataract operation, it's about as good as it will get. Who knew that a 'lurker' might be lurking in amongst the rubbish.

Dem orcs... arr ..deyz taken our camp wif da grog..

 "Arr we be returnin' from a pillagin' an' a wumpin' an' a hollerin' and there be those 'orrible orcses a yellin' an' a hollerin an' a swearin' at us sumfin 'orrible .. arrrrr.. dancin' 'roun' our strong 'old dey wuz.. sumfin' 'orrible... arrrrrr"

A HotT game, Nick and me, Pirates vs Orcs,.., with the orcs defending, specifically defending the pirate stronghold which they had previously captured while the pirates were away pillaging and .. um.. <ahem>  .. you get the picture.

The armies were:
Orc:
2 x behemoths
1 x shoooter
3 x blades
2 x knights

1 x hero general

Pirates:

1 x hero general

1 x behemoth

1 x airboat

1 x horde

1 x blade

5 x warband

The pirate stronghold being defended by the orcs

The forces faced off with the pirates' attack running along either side of a river that ran past the contested stronghold

The view from behind the pirate attack

Orc chariots (knights)

Pirate behemoth, supported by a hero (the fella with the treasure map_)

And the pirate airboat... how could you choose the pirate army and not take the airboat

Two orc behemoths

Pirate blade and warband, facing off against the behemoths

Pirate horde, the obligatory drunken pirates

The pirates rush at 'em, the airboat holding back

An orc behemoth makes a breakthrough killing a pirate warband

argy bargy on the pirate right

Not looking at all flash on the pirate left

The airboat gets stuck in against the orc blades

The airboat starts to get into the action

Having cleaned up against the pirate left, the orcs shift across to try and cross the river and attack the remainder of the pirate army

The airboat and the pirate behemoth work in cooperation to try to kill off more orcs

Success

The orcs have cross the river and charge into the attack behind the airboat

... killing off the pirate hero and another warband.. oops the pirates have had enough

So the pirate attempt to recapture their stronghold/camp was un successful. But what a great game. The river if not a terrain feature we commonly use. We need to... 

Somewhere in the Sudan

 I'm not getting a lot of 'gaming time at the moment (actually not a lot of hobby time in general) but I did get an invite from Jon and Adrian to a very cool Volley and Bayonet game last night. Set in the Sudan in the 1880s, Mahdists vs Egyptians (with a hint of 'British' in there).

Adrian has made some subtle but clever tweaks to the rules to reflect the theatre, allowing both sides to win (as distinct from the often one sided affairs other rules sets seem to produce).

This is n't an AAR, but rather just a few photos of the figures. The game waa fought using Adrian's 15mm armies.