Arab troops for the Middle East World War 1

I've returned to the Middle East 1914-1918 WW1 project, this week with the start of the Arab troops. Here are 9 bases of Arab infantry, all Irregular figures. These could serve with either British or Turkish forces, and of course for the Arab Revolt, which I often felt ought to be called the Wars for Arab Independence. I haven't yet created labels for them.. oh well, soon..

Somewhere in the Peninsular .. maybe.. 1809 .. maybe

Spain, maybe... 1809, maybe... and a semi historical game using my 25mm armies, and the Volley and Bayonet rules. I say maybe, because the forces used included O(for example) British heavy cavalry which were not a feature of Wellington's Peninsular army. But this is only a semi historical game, with a small Spanish force held up in a fortified town complete with star fort, a besieging French force, and a British column on the way to relieve the seige.

The Spanish began the game occupying the town and fort (Jon's 15mm terrain, and a beautiful piece, too). Their troops were stationary. They were besieged by French troops occupying hasty works. The British relief forces were due to arrive turn three.. The French had 8 game turns in which to eject the Spanish and occupy the town and fort.

On the first turn Jon's French (including brigades of converged grenadiers M6 shock troops) assaulted the fort.

The Turn 1 French assault on the Spanish.. soundly defeated

The first assault was defeated, the net result was an entire French division going into morale collapse.

A close up of the first assault, which included a charge by a brigade of French Chasseurs, top right

The Spanish had occupied an outlying village on the left with a single regiment. The aim was to draw French troops away form the main works, buying time for the relief column to arrive. The French however eject the Spanish in turn 2.

Two successive assaults by the French on the right flank of the fort see the right flank defending Spanish division exhausted, with a single defending regiment remaining

The British relief column arrives, the cavalry taking the left to pin a force of French cavalry.

French forces fighting their way into the fort on the right

The relief column assaults the French forces holding the outlying village on the Spanish left

French infantry are now swarming into the fort.. the end is near for the few remaining Spanish defenders

French cavalry pinning the British cavalry

The aforementioned British cavalry ..

The final French assault on the last of the defenders, the second of the two artillery batteries

One of the two Spanish defending batteries in the fort remains... but not for long

The relief column has ejected the French from the outlying village

British artillery advancing with the relief column

Rule Britannia ...

French infantry are now completely in control of the fort and town

This is turn 6, and it is clear that the British relief column has failed to relieve the Spanish force which has been completely eliminated. In addition, with only two game turns left there is no chance that the British can retake the fort.

The game was fascinating. When Jon suffered one division exhausted in his first turn assault things didn't look hopeful for the French. However as we learn repeatedly with Volley and Bayonet, 'it ain't over 'til it's over'... 

An 'aircraft carrier' for HotT.. one final naval element

Can you ever have too much of a good thing? Well maybe. There was a craze went around the 'modelling' web a year of two ago for building space ships from clothes pegs... it eventually went quiet, but not before folk had demonstrated some wonderful creativity.

Having created three 'naval' elements for my HotT armies, I had the bug, but realised this was not something that could go on forever. However I wanted to create just one more.. a matter of indulging the creativity, and the old fashioned model building, rather than any necessary desire to create elements for the games, simply because I had enjoyed the process and the challenges so much. After all we have not yet trialled the 'naval' rules, so have no guarantee that this will actually work.

That said, as friend Jon and I have discussed, this is a hobby of multiple dimensions, one is the gaming, and another is the modelling. So .. given that in our 'mind's eyes' these naval elements are likened to airboats, it did seem reasonable that one of the elements should be some sort of 'VSF aircraft carrier'. Aren't airboats about projecting airpower? This is it.

The core of the ship based on a couple of shapes carved from core board.

The core is 'clad' in light card. I wanted some sort of pseudo- carrier/dreadnought (a bit of a cliche, I guess), so it needed gun turrets down each side

A flight deck is added

A bit of a superstructure, and three funnels

Based, and the water texturing added to the base

Basic painting, some flight deck markings, and a base deep green applied to the 'water'

Lighter blue water and white foam added around the ship

I wanted some sort of 'flyer' on the flight deck, and it took four failed attempts before this came out .. a sort of gyrocopter.. far from perfect, but at arms length it looks okay, just don't peer too closely

The finished product

The final products, from left to right an orc ship, two VSF ships, and a VSF submarine

This has been one of those projects that hasn't necessarily been 'gaming focussed, but a lot of fun. The project engaged some good old fashioned imagination, and model making skills, using spares, scraps, and recycled materials.. the sort of thing I love most. I am pleased with the final products, and am looking forward to seeing some of these on the table. Now I just hope we can generate some 'naval' rules that work. Watch this space.

Orc ships .... ahoy!!

This interest in modelling possible naval elements for the HotT  (Hordes of the Things) armies isn't abating (even though we haven't yet tested the possible 'naval rule add-ons' we've come up with). I had thought for a while about the next element, and decided that something that might suit the Orc army would be a good idea. I must confess to having something of the stereotypical mental image with random bolted steel plates, crooked engineering, big guns, and of course red, all the result of exposure to the concepts of a large miniatures company which shall remain nameless.

Anyway, here it is.... step by step.

The hull template, cut to ensure that there is somerthing approaching symmetry between the two sides of the hull

The basic hull was cut from foam board

I then proceeded to 'clad' the core with light card shapes to give the essential structure

A 'raked' masts,. the end of a kebab stick

Ladders from the spares box, and guns from a Churchill petard mortar, and the clicker end of a very old Bc biro

Based on heavy card, using 'No More Gaps' to contour the waves

At this stage I felt that the model still lacked something, so proceeded to give it a couple of crooked funnels, and a little deck 'furniture'. just to pad it out a little. See the final photos for details.

Below are photos of the finished product, an Orc ship suitable for bashing and shooting.. as all good Orcs will know. The triangular sail was part of the remains of a small model of the Cutty Sark, most of which has disappeared in the mists of time, but some of which was still to be found in the bottom of my 50 year old 'spares box'.. and as any modeller knows, the spares boxes of old modellers are a veritable treasure trove.

I guess we really are going to have to try out the 'naval' rules (which as mentioned previously have been largely based on Phil Barker's DBR rules). If we think they work (and at this stage I can't see why the won't), then will publish them for anyone to use.

World War 2 in 20mm: A nostalgic view (4)

This is the fourth and last part of my WW2 wargames nostalgia series in which I feature the accumulated German forces. The core of this army was a collection I bought from friend Scott who had built the base of a later war German army. 

I had mentioned that little if any of this kit has been used on the table. I realised that wasn't quite true, as I have been playing a few Crossfire games using the infantry of the various nationalities. I rate Crossfire as one of the best systems I have ever played - innovative, fast paced, giving a semblance of similarity to real world action that I've not seen in any other wargames rules. That said, I'm not very good at the game .... oh well.. and of course anyone is entitled to enjoy any rules set they like. 

 

In Spearhead terms, that's a regiment of infantry, and also an armoured (Gepanzert) infantry regiment.

 The collection contains equipment for early, mid, and late, war options.

Late war armour... this stuff really has never been out on the table under my command

Scott did a lovely job of this camouflage pattern

Mid and late war kit, Pz III's and IV's, and a range of StuG's .. oops, a gun barrel is off...

Air support - an Airfix Stuka. The canopy needs some repair work there.

Early war armour, including some PzI's. In Spearhead we found close assaulting enemy infantry was a good use for them, provided there was of course no enemy armour around which took priority under the SH target priority rules

The early war equipment has seen some limited table use .. see the AAR here and here

An additional box of sundry 'bits' .. again, never seen action on the table.

I began wargaming in 1971 with good friend Pete. This whole 20mm WW2 thing began at that time, with the first Russians assembled and painted that year. It's hard to think that it's been over 50 years of hobby'ing, with all of the painting and modelling challenges, and all those games. Some have been wonderful, some less pleasant. I'd have to say that 'less pleasant' I've found to be best defined by the nature of the opponent, not the nature of the outcome of the game. I've played bad losers, and bad winners, both equally repugnant. I played an opponent in a national competition who, on losing the game to me, through an entire bag of dice across the hall and stormed out. I'll bet more than a few of us will have equivalent memories to that. The people I game with now don't fit into either of those categories. They are simply good friends whose company I enjoy as we push miniatures around ever better looking table tops, often with a beer and a sausage roll. Some games even include collaboration as we see a move the opponent could make to our detriment, and share that with them Alastair, an opponent in a game just last night, did exactly that, twice. 

I've a few years of 'gaming still in me (well that's the plan). Continuing participation in a hobby that goes back to my childhood keeps me young in mind and spirit. As a secondary school Principal I kept a selection of Matchbox die cast military vehicles on the shelves in my study. They were there to remind me daily of what it was like to be a boy, to remind me of the fun and laughter, the insecurity, and the uncertainty, of adolescence. They reminded me of the constant need for empathy when dealing with the many troubled 'teens that I worked with daily. Similarly my 20mm WW2 collections remind me of all of these things, of what it was to be a boy filled with the prospect of a life ahead. Nostalgia is great, in moderation.

Hopefully as I grow ever more curmudgeonly my friends will remain tolerant of me. We all have our failings and our foibles. It's healthier and more useful to focus on what we have in common than on what could divide us, and to practice kindness, all in the spirit of good fun .. isn't that a great formula for life?