Dragon Rampant 2 - Homage to Blood Bath at Orc's Drift.

Every so often you stumble across something that takes you straight back to the hobby tables of the 80’s was gaming better then or did we simply have less gaming choice. I was never much of a Warhammer player but Bloodbath at Orc’s Drift was exactly that sort of thing that got the creative juices flowing.

Released back in 1985 for Warhammer 2nd Edition, the boxed set was the work of Gary Chalk, Joe Dever and Ian Page, with its roots firmly planted in the film Zulu — just swap the redcoats for Elves, Dwarves and villagers, and let the Orcs do their worst.

The box contained the scenario book, command sheets, a poster map, and those wonderful Dave Andrews cardstock buildings, which for many of us were the first “terrain” we ever owned.

The campaign itself unfolded over four linked scenarios — Kachas Pass, Ashak Rise, Linden Way, and finally Orc’s Drift — each loss or victory feeding into the next. Whilst I never played them they have always been on my long list of games I need to play.

Inspiration for tonight's game and the first outing for Dragon Rampant 2.

My good friend Paul had brought his Goblin horde out to play the savage band of green skins were laying waste to Albion. King Arthur summoned the Knights of the Round table to turn them back.

The Knights readied themselves as Goblin riders rushed forwards supported by Ogre's - nasty looking things.

The Goblin horde were many in number but King Arthur and Sir Lancelot stood firm - truly the stuff of legend.

The curse of newly painted figures plagued both sides - The Ogres fell back under the blows of Excalibur. Goblins jumped the mercenary band as they neared the wood. 

In the end the Knights beat the Goblins sending them scuttling back to their dark lands.

A cracking game of 30 points aside, Dragon Rampant really has that feel of the original Warhammer games now the conversation turns to returning to Orc’s Drift proper and converting the original game and points to Dragon Rampant. What have we done....

The buildings and the PVA glue that held them together may be long gone, but the thought of playing the linked scenario's scratches an itch that has been there for 40 years..... :-)

Happy gaming.

Sino-Japanese War 1937 - 1945 - Chinese Infantry WW2

Something a little different for 2026 and the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War Project.

Lots more to come but I thought I would start with a small section in a bluish-grey uniform, this was common in northern China with Khaki dominating in the South. The Nationalists appeared to have a patch work of uniforms due to the lack of centralised manufacturing so the plan will be to paint up a number of sections each in a different uniform shade. This will tie in with the mix of kit ranging from British, French, Russian & even German kit in the early years of the war.

These are all 3D prints from Kyoushuneko Miniatures and my first large collection of prints instead of metals or plastics, they have a reasonable range of sculpts but with a choice of 4 different heads in some of the packs and with a snip or too on the others you get quite a range to put on the table.

The greatest challenge is sticking them to the circular base as they don't print with a moulded base- Super glue is your friend here. They can be a little brittle in some areas but they represent great value for money when being printed locally.

They take the paint really well and have just the right level of detail without to many buckles, smaller elements that are missed when on the table.

For this cohort these were the colours used.

Uniform - GW Russ Grey 

Helmet - Foundry STorm Green Shade 27A

Blanket Roll - GW Eshin Grey /GW Straken Green

Boots - Black.

Sword Sheath = GW Catachan Flesh

Flesh - GW Kislev Flesh

Rifle/chin strap - Foundry Chestnut Shade 53A

Nap sack - Foundry - Rawhide Light 11C

Webbing Foundry - African Flesh Light 126 C

Wash - Warpaint Fanatic - Soft Tone.

Sened Station, Feb 1943 - Bolt Action

Sunday at the Wyre Forest Club and a Bolt Action outing..... Limited pic's I am afraid juggling seven players and umpiring.

The Italian Briefing.

Comandante,
Here is your operational overview for the current situation at Sened Station.

Comandante, we are positioned at Sened Station, a minor rail stop in southern Tunisia—minor in size, but not in importance. Though Allied air superiority prevents regular use of the railway, German High Command, under General von Arnim, has insisted that we maintain a forward presence here. His rationale is clear: if the Allies advance east from Gafsa, this station becomes a potential corridor to deeper Axis supply routes. Holding it signals that the Axis line in central Tunisia remains unbroken.

Your garrison consists primarily of troops from the Centauro Division, we do not have immediate armoured reinforcement—German panzers are reserved further north and will not respond quickly unless a major assault develops.

Recent intelligence indicates that the Americans are reorganizing after their earlier setbacks in Tunisia. Among them is a new formation—the 1st Ranger Battalion, commanded by Major William Darby. These Rangers are not conventional infantry. They are trained specifically for deep‑penetration raids.

We believe the enemy has begun employing these forces to test our defensive lines and to probe for weaknesses. The rugged terrain around this station—broken rock, ravines, and low ridges—offers ideal cover for infiltrators.

In summary, Comandante: our position is significant, our troops are capable, but our defences are thin for any raid and the enemy has exactly the kind of force designed to strike an isolated outpost like Sened Station.

The approach road to Sened Station, Italian trenches can be seen outside of the town and on the high ground on the right.

Bad luck strikes for the Rangers a ranging shot from the Italian defenders hits a lorry full of troops, 6 men were killed without firing a shot.

Revenge is sweet, on the left flank the Rangers debus and set about clearing the German defenders from the slit trench.

Allied armour rolls forward as the Italian defenders were proving tough to shift despite Artillery battering their lines.

As the allies pushed forward, the German Panzers appeared on the base line. Sened Station would be staying in Axis hands for now.

Great fun and a couple of new recruits getting bloodied at the club, now firmly thinking about painting up forces. It feels like mission accomplished on a several fronts.

First post of the year - Desert defences.

First post of the year and as the news tells me we can expect a weather bomb due to Storm Goretti and with snow outside.... the perfect time to throw up some trenches for the Western Desert.

Having been gaming for over 35 years, it's inevitable that as some point long and trusted traders would likely be looking to get out and retire. December saw John over at Ironclad Miniatures decide to call it a day.

Great news they have been saved and sold on to Leon over at Pendraken.. John held a retirement sale - just the excuse I needed to grab a few more trenches to help bolster the Vichy defences for Operation Exporter or perhaps Torch?

Great castings and the prefect balance between playability and sculpts.

Not a bad start for 2026.

Dispatches from the front XXXVII - Last post of the year.

It's been a while since the last dispatch from the front....... 

Time for an end of year review and some annual awards to dish out..... :-)

Unit or Unit of the Year.

Looking back over this years painting efforts I thought it would be interesting on which units where the most enjoyable to get on the table. 

The paint count this year was not to bad at all.

Over 150 15mm Foot Figures, 24 Cavalry, 220 28mm Foot, 30 28mm Mounted Figures and around 20 buildings and Terrain pieces.

The winner has to be the men of Massachusetts. 

At the time these 10mm Pendraken miniatures were far too many in one go... but 10 months later and reflecting on the overall output it was great to get 5 units on the table in one go. 

Rule set of the year.

It has to be Lion Rampant - They are so flexible and have provided numerous well balanced games. The Outremer games have kept the paint table ticking over.

More next year that's for sure.

Game of the year.

This was a tough one, but based on the look, feel and challenge playing VC forces against a mobile well armed US force it has to be La Drang Valley - Dust, Tears & Dice: Ia Drang Valley 1965 - Force on Force. We played using Force on Force which gave a great feel for the period.

Book of the Year.

Saul David - Tunisgrad a great read that takes you from the trenches to the generals map table. Inspiration for future games that's for sure.

Near miss.

This was a fun one... Projects or Rabbit holes that almost resulted in another project - Inspiration can come from a range of things. A weekend trip to Barcelona and a sense you had seen this building before. 

Several years ago I completed a Nationalist Spanish force - I was almost tempted to build an CNT Militia force I put it down to too much sangria.

Find of the Year.

Blitzkrieg Workshop - Printed and Painted WW2 vehicles - Items for sale by blitzkriegworkshop | eBay

£22.50 for a ready painted Tiger I

Now that's good value for money.

Save from the brink.

I must be getting old but the past 12 months I have seen several trusted brands wind up or retire. It was great to see Pendraken acquire Ironclad Miniatures and keep them in the market they had a great range of figures and terrain it would have been a shame to see them disappear. 

It's been a productive 12 months it was good to finish off the American War of Independence project with more than enough completed for most encounters especially using the Rebels and Patriot rules they play really well and have resulted in some great games - This year finally Lexington and Concorde over a couple of days.

The Crusades project is almost complete definitely a project that got out of hand.... so many cavalry. I bloody hate cavalry. With two more Arab units to go... the aim is get these done before the return to work on the 5th.

So what for 2026

The Christmas haul is a hint.

The occasional Aztec project continues with some additional cavalry, more Japanese for the January project more on that below and some US Rangers for Operation Torch - Curse you Saul David.

I have taken my first dip into 3D prints, having purchased the occasional mini this is the first major army purchase. I can't see myself buying a printer especially as there are lots of people popping up with print on demand businesses. Good to get a friendly local supplier who I can chat to about purchases and get them picked up within a few days. 

A couple of shots of the work in progress.

With an eye for the lesser known periods I fancied some Chinese for WW2 I already have plenty of terrain for the Far East and Japanese troops already painted they seemed like the perfect choice. There are some great files available for the Chinese army in a mix of headgear and supporting armour from Panzer II's to French FT17's.

These are the first batch a mix of the 88th Division in German kit.

Plenty more in British Issue helmets.

With a mix of uniforms ranging from Blue to Khaki they will certainly look that little bit different on the table... Not overly bother by Rules at this stage - Perhaps Chain of Command, Bolt Action V2 or even Xenos Rampant (Tweaked for WW2)

Having gone all in and purchased enough for 6-8 squads plus supports it will be a refreshing change from the Crusades.

Have a great new year everyone.

Babbage in the Crusades - First outing.

Games have been hard to come by of late.... but with festivities nearly upon us a well earned break and a chance to get some painting in and who knows perhaps some additional projects.... If I made the nice list :-)

I did manage to give the Babbage rules a run out and with the aid of the secret wargamers friend made a few slight revisions.

A follow on game with the Dust and Tears campaign which saw the remaining Crusaders looking to advance across the table defeating any Arab forces along the way. The Christians started in the right hand corner with the orange dots representing possible Arab forces. 

The skirmishers and light units moved forwards and triggered a number of Arab units giving the Christians a chance to order their lines ahead of any Arab assault.

Massed archery hopes to slow the Muslim advance and the hordes of light cavalry.

The Arab infantry faired no better from the Archers and Crossbows lightly armed spearmen held the line but were losing men at a rapid rate.

The Crusader Warriors came forward sensing a gap in the Arab line.

A clash in the centre of the table as the fanatic swordsmen met the Arab Spearmen.

As the Arabs fell back they were set upon by the elite Knights. Another defending unit wiped from the table.

The Christians were not having everything their own way, they were losing valuable troops, half the Knights were killed or wounded alongside a number of warriors. This would make the next encounter a challenge.

All in all not a bad first outing.

Skirmishers really prove there worth flushing out the various hot spots... The ability for Arab units to disappear and reappear on the flanks or ahead of the advancing Christian forces made it quite a challenge and force the Christians push against the known units to restrict the likelihood of them coming back elsewhere. The Christians need to think about sticking together as being out numbered and isolated will make the Arabs more aggressive.

More next year I am sure....

Thinking about the Christmas break - This was quite a shock - Dust, Tears & Dice: Dispatched from the Front XXXIV - Twixmas Projects

Two of the Arab cavalry units are still on the paint table - Can I get them done before New Years Day?

Best cancel all visitors :-)

Christmas Shoot out 2025

The annual Christmas shoot out at the Wyre Forest Club and 10 rival gangs arrive to spread some Christmas cheer. 

The mission is simple scattered across the table are 50 presents which have fallen from Santa's sleigh, players must pick them up and drop them into the festive zone in the centre of the table, due to the aura of goodwill no one is allowed to shoot in the zone.

For each present dropped into the zone players receive one point.

We used a cut down version of Dead Man's Hands to keep the game moving along, each player entered on a table edge, players were not allowed to shoot their immediate neighbours until the first two rounds had passed. Many players used the opportunity to rush to grab some early presents.

It's not long before the lead if flying.

The native warband lacking in fire power were pretty handy with the tomahawk scalping a number of characters including the all female posse - shocking behaviour....

Marching down the street took some balls - but it also attracted a whole lot of fire. The not some magnificent seven quickly became the fragile four and then the tragic three.

For many picking up a present often resulted in a hail of bullets coming your way... Santa's presents were soon littered across the table.

In the centre of the table and the safe zone players having dropped off presents used the magic circle to step out shoot and step back in - hardly the Christmas Spirit.

The final round and a mad rush for the present drop with 4 players all within one present of one another. In the end the Cinderella Cattle Company bagging a late win by one present :-)

Great fun - everybody got to take an active part, with individual firefights taking place across the table, so many mini encounters in back alleys and shop doorways.

Merry Christmas......