Gripping Beast Archers & reinforcements arrive....

It's amazing what the motivation of a big game does for your painting mojo although it is starting to feel a little like a job. Another batch of Gripping Beast miniatures for the big game on Sunday, thank heavens they lack some of the finer details and are only armed with basic bows and daggers it does allow you to churn out quite a few.

We shall be using Lion Rampant so these will make up 2 additional archer units, plenty to keep the Christian forces occupied.

Thanks to a good friend of mine who seeing the rate of expansion of the Islamic forces very kindly offered a swap his bare metal which was on the to do list for some of my WW2 collection giving us both fresh projects to be getting on with. 

I am so grateful but so many extra cavalry.... I really need to think about picking periods with less mounted figures.

These coupled with  a fresh order from Footsore with yet more cavalry will see me painting Crusader types from now until Christmas, let's see how many I can get through over the next 5 days.... 

Footsore Miniatures - Islamic Command.

Less than two weeks before the the Cotswold All Dayer, it's going to require a few late nights to get the requisite number of units complete.

Across our group of gamers we have quite the production line going in order to create the mass horde of Islamic warriors. Good job the Normans and the bulk of the Christian foot have been completed some time ago.

First off the production line this week the Commander of Arab forces, with his standard, trusted advisor and his escorting heavy cavalry.

Excellent sculpts as always from Mr Hicks and the guys at Footsore Miniatures, roll on the plastics to fill out the Christian lines.

The standards have been hard to come by but Pete Barfield over on the Baron's War Facebook Page has very kindly posted up a number of standards in the files section is very helpful.

Right off to get the finer detail on a batcher of archers done, as others are mini's are being stuck to bases and others have are under coated.... Let's hope it's stops raining so I can get the varnishing and undercoating done.

Allied Turn 4 - The Allied hammer blow falls.

Allied Turn 4

Things are hotting up in the Tactics II campaign with engagements taking place across the front (normally the breaking point of most campaigns with more games than time allows.) 4 battles to play out this round..

Starting from right to left the Allies look to break out from the recently captured port of Karalaan but found there way unhindered by a solitary Infantry formation they would need to pushed aside. Rolling for a scenario within Platoon Forward - A platoon attack is called for against a defensive position. Heavily outnumbered this could be a short lived battle for the Axis defenders.

Similarly in the centre the blue forces/allied army was pushing up from the centre catching the Axis forces who had crossed the river and were screening the city, they had failed to activate to fall back and have been caught by three times their number.

The third battle is an all armoured affair with both sides under taking a point reconnaissance and finally on the left flank allied forces continued to face off against each other, a veteran mountain unit had cleared the pass looking to cut off the Axis forces at the river, but have out stripped their supporting units.

On the far left the allied forces have pushed down the mountain road and were on the outskirts of El Habira generating a Battle (Type N) Defence against flank attack.

On with the first battle and a challenging clash. The Italian defenders who were outnumbered 3:1 but were confident in taking a chunk out of the allied attackers. The terrain fell nicely for the red forces with a village and rough ground all sitting on their side of the table. The Allied forces would need to clear open ground to reach the defenders.

We are a small gaming group and you get to know how people play, however every now and again you can be surprised by players actions and this was one of those occasions.

With a road running into the cluster of buildings the British player put is foot down and headed straight for the village neither side knew the exact numbers they are up against.

Turn one and the Italian defenders open up turning the lead lorry into a burning wreck with the occupants scrambling into the scrub.

However having sprung the trap the remainder of the allied column bypassed the first wreck and pushed into the village, the small number of defenders were unable to stop the charging lorries.

The allied attackers spilled from the backs of trucks and set about the defenders. Quite a bold move and not one the Italians had expected.

On the right flank more allied troops entered the fray, they were brought under mortar fire but it did not stop their advance as they looked to envelope the village.

In the centre the Italians were flanked as the allies leapt from one house to the next.

Finally Italian reinforcements entered the table but the village was already in allied hands, the Italians looked to open up on the speeding transport but far off a solitary Matilda fired a 2 Pdr round which sent the Italian tank to go Down.

Boom and a second shell brews the first tank. The second tank had had enough and retired from the table it's Force Morale broken.

A short but bloody affair the Italian formation was all but destroyed as a fighting force and will need to be reconstituted in the replacement zone as an inexperienced unit.

On to the next encounter and hopefully a more balanced battle.

Gripping Beast Arabs - 40 become 6.

Another week and the last of the Gripping Beast Plastics are done.

With the various options on the sprue I have been able to create 6 whole units from a single box, all really useful for the forthcoming Lion Rampant outing. The original batch generated 4 spear units, now for additional options.

First up with the addition of sword and shield a completed unit of Warriors, they mix in well with the Footsore Miniatures and the odd Blacktree which I had repurposed from other projects.

Then a unit of 6 archers to support the Spear ranks.

Next up more cavalry.... The clock is ticking the Christian forces are done and every extra Arab model will make the Christian job that little bit harder.

Outremer Arab Spearmen

Back to Outremer. 

Having decided on the plan for the next all dayer - It turns out we might be woefully short of Arab foot types. 5 weeks nothing like deadline to focus the mind.

Not usually a fan of plastics for gaming, I tend to lose bayonets and spears during regular game play, but you can't argue with the value for money. Gripping Beast offer 40 figures for £25.00 - 62p a figure can't be bad.

The box contains 8 sprues with enough to make a mixture of spear, bow and sword armed units together with command elements horns etc.

The Sprue contains 3 round shields and two teardrop so plenty of mix for the various units, while there may not be obvious leader types they are very useful to fill the ranks of generic warriors.

Good quality casts with minimal mold lines and and they detach really easily, limbs are pre-molded carrying spear or sword so construction is minimal.  

The Gripping Beast figures fit in well with other manufacturers hidden amongst the masses are a bunch of Footsore and some Black Tree Design

The shield designs are from Little Big Man Studio such a good time saver.

Next up more cavalry.

Tactics II - Turn 3 Axis - Game 6 Spotters Ridge.

After being mothballed over the summer months the Tactics II Desert Campaign kicks off again, thanks to my good gaming buddies who indulge my map movements and come along to roll some dice, the games take on a new meaning when their is a little more of a back story.

A few miles outside of Karalaan the 1st Parachute brigade are holding the road looking to stall the Axis advance.

The German Armoured formation having been slow in mustering is finally pushing forward looking to counter attack and recapture the costal city where the allies have been shipping in reinforcements the Axis force need to put them under pressure before they can breakout.

Using Platoon Forward the mission is Hasty Attack which orders the German to breakthrough the British lines who are holding a rocky rise and the only pass on route to the city.

Both sides were given the aerial photo showing the ridge and the road rather than blinds both sides were given their available points to spend, but are also provided with the option of additional support should they pass the various rolls. The allies had a positive roll on the support table and were able to deploy a stretch of barbwire to cover the road this would be deployed after the Germans had announced their table top plan.

Hidden amongst the scrub and rocks the allies awaited the advance of the Germans. A glint from the spotter reveals his location as he ranges in on the advancing column.

The Armoured Car moves up the road but is brought under fire by the allies bringing down mortar fire and an off board 25 Pdr. A lucky strike and the A/Car is immobilised. The German infantry scatter. Not the best of starts the curse of freshly painted units strikes again.

The German armour swings left across the desert plain, still no sign of the Allied defenders. They break into the compound the locals having left hours before.

The Germans fan out and head towards the ridge line Pz III's and infantry advance forward.

Shells land amongst the advancing Germans as they moved swiftly to secure the ridge line still no sign of the defenders.

Unable to wait any longer the Allied forces opened up on the advancing Axis forces killing a number of the attackers, the armour responds sweeping the line, artillery shells burst amongst the ridge line. The casualties start to mount.

The clock was ticking down the Brits start to drop from the firing line seeking shelter on the reverse sloop having kept the Germans at bay for as long as possible. At this point the British as well up on points.

No one was certain what happened next the allies ahead on points decided to fall back on the table, they only have two parachute formations in their roster and they may be needed elsewhere but in a fubar moment the Infantry falling back from the German assault bump into the Captain moving forwards, words were exchanged and burst of fire and the officer is killed. A costly loss of 75 points on game night just as the clock struck 11.00 pm.

A hard fought battle with losses at 145 Brits to the Germans 135. The allied forces fall back on the map but are forced to swing right to avoid the enemy forces on their flank, despite a hard fought effort the road to Karalaan is open.

Next up the Allied initiative and an opportunity to counter the German attack.

AWI - Rebel Sharpshooters, casualty markers and buildings

The end of the summer and the AWI stage one is complete.

I admit I might have to have watched Revolution again to get these over the line.

This post is some what of a sweep of the least elements, 4 skirmish units representing woodsmen or riflemen to counter the British Army and their German Jaegers. 

Rather than taking figures off units within Rebels and Patriots given I plan on using casualty markers before I take a base off. Hopefully clusters of ones and two's will be enough in a 48 Point game. 

Just need a game to play and this cracking purchase from Helion makes for some light reading.

Last up a couple of buildings to flesh out the table also from Pendraken.

The planning continues for phase two.