Saturday, October 29, 2016

Warlords of Atlantis Part 2 - An unmade Prequel.

Guy's thanks for your kind words nice to be back home and as I am under strict instructions from the household nurses who won't let me lift a finger.... At least until the novelty wears off in a day or so.
Time to make the most use of the extra hobby time.


These Antediluvian Miniatures were a joy to paint, perfect for this small projects based on the unmade prequel to the 1978 movie Warlords of Atlantis which see's 18th Century Pirates/Naval types pitted against the Atlantians....
Using Black Scorpian's Cutlass! Rules....
(I seriously need to drop the meds.....)
 

Aquarium terrain is perfect background for adventures amongst the seven cities of Atlantis.


As luck would have it I may even have some suitable opponents to try out the rules with...
I knew I would find a use for these eventually.

 



Happy gaming.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Warlords of Atlantis Part 1 & catching up in the reading list.

Well that was a week I don't want to repeat in a hurry.
One minute I am thinking about the ever growing list of projects that need completing and when I am going to find the time, the next thing you know I am in A&E and a protracted period in hospital.... Damn bits of human machine have started to fail, I was hoping to get a bit further than 44 years... :-(

Every cloud has a sliver lining and with little else to do I did manage to catch up on several books that have been languishing on the book shelf for several months/years these included A couple of books on Napoleon in Egypt, the Haiti Revolution, the RUF in Serria Leone and the Cutlass Rule book.

With a week at home I might even be able to sneak in the odd painting session whilst my Kidney's right themselves.

The first distraction to benefit from my enforced leave is the Warlords of Atlantis figures from Antediluvian Miniatures, I picked these up in March as they were lovely sculpts but could not think of a reason to use them.

However having read the Cutlass Rules I have a plan.....

Unless you were not a child of the 70's or 80's this may not be a film known to you but at the time had perhaps some of the best looking evil hencemen, although in truth they had limited screen time...



Warlords of Atlantis (1978) was perhaps the last of it's kind a Saturday Matinee Style fantasy romp.
Special effects a little on the dodgy side and it certainly lacked the BIG budget of future releases.

Around the beginning of the 20th century, British archaeologist Professor Aitken and his son, Charles, chartered a ship called the Texas Rose to take them out to sea, where they plan to dive underwater in a diving bell designed by engineer Greg Collinson.

Charles and his father are secretly searching for proof of the existence of the lost city of Atlantis.
Greg and Charles discover a statue made of solid gold, which is then hoisted up to the Texas Rose. The deckhands hatch a scheme to steal it, as they put their plan into action  a gigantic octopus known as the Sentinel, sent by the inhabitants of Atlantis, attacks the ship and the crew are thrown into the sea.
The castaways find themselves washed ashore in an unknown land.
They are greeted by Atmir and his Guardians who promise to take them "to safety". En route, Greg, Charles and the others are told by Atmir that Atlantis is not just one city, but seven cities, the first two of which have been "lost beneath the waters of the outer limits forever" and the third one, Troya, is now deserted and empty.

Atmir takes the surface-dwellers through the causeway, a prehistoric swamp inhabited by the Mogdaan, and then on to Vaar, the fourth city.

Once here, Greg and the others are thrown into a dungeon were they make friends with Briggs, the captain of the Mary Celeste and unofficial leader of the Atlanteans' human slaves, and his daughter, Delphine. Briggs informs them they are to be slaves to protect Vaar from the constant attacks of creatures known as Zaargs.

They will be given gills so they can never leave Atlantis and return to the oxygen-rich surface world, as the Atlanteans, being originally from Mars, breathe a different atmosphere. A convenient Zaarg attack allows Greg and the others to escape from their cell, but also claims the life of Briggs eaten by a Zaarg.

They steal some rifles the Atlantians have acquired from a ship they plundered and retrace the route they took through the causeway when being brought to Vaar.
After several further scrapes they make it back to the surface via the diving bell where they are again attacked by the Octopus who destroys the ship and returns the golden statue back to the deep.

Quite a seat filler in it's day - but surely these Atlantians must have been plundering ships for hundreds of years... So Atlantians/Pirates whose to say... cue a small project...

These will give me something to do whilst I prep more Napoleonics for the Ottoman project. 

Sunday, October 16, 2016

The Men who would be Kings - Russo - Japanese War

Dan Mersey's latest offering has seen games coming thick and fast recently and a chance to get plenty of toys on the table having seen how well the rules handled the Boxer Rebellion, why not give the Russo-Japanese War an outing.


Picking one of the scenario's from book, the Japanese were tasked with holding the village against the numerically superior Russian forces.
We rolled for the officer quality before hand and encoutered a mixed bag of officer material, from your bravest to quite frankly the worst officer on the planet.

The following units and stats were deployed on the table.

When picking the troop types made the bulk of the Russians poor shots to represent their difference in quality to the Japanese, but to enable them to gain additional troops on the table and figured weight of fire power should give them the edge in pinning units.


The view from the Russian lines, a scattering of light woods perfect to mask the slower moving infantry but also some open terrain to use the cossacks to flank the village.


18 Points does not get you a lot, espically when one one of your Officers is bloody terrible. Two units of Infantry and the HMG deploy within the outlying terrain.


The Japanese hold the fence line, with their free action of simply firing not a bad spot to be in.


The Russian Steam roller deploys on to the table, including a unit companded by the Tsar's Nephew.


Russian Cavalry sweep round the Japanse Eastern flank but are pinned back before they can charge home.


Very frustratingly for the Russian Commander everytime the Cavalry rally the other unit is pinned making the chances of formal charge very slim, slowly the Cossacks are emptied from their saddles.


Meanwhile in the Japanese Centre the Infantry are coming under Artillery and small arms fire and whilst casualties are light, the Officer is so poor none of his men listen to him when ordered to rally and they start to fall back.


Switiching to skirmish mode the Russians manage to pin the Japanese defenders giving the Cavalry a chance to edge to within charge range if they could only rally.


With the Japanese infantry falling back, the cavalry rally and charge into the retreating HMG team, wiping it out, which pins the remaining Japanese defenders, who fail their rally test and fall back again.


The Cavalry firmly with the initiative now press on, crashing into the Infantry falling back on the road and rest as they say is history....

Victory for the Russian Bear.

Post game thoughts.
The forces at first simply did not look enough, but in fact the points are more than enough to play through in 3 hours and give a fun encounter for both sides.

Having regulars on both sides makes your tactical positioning important and increasingly over recent games the Officer quality is the key to turning a battle, ask the Japanese commander who was hoping his CO would actually get killed.

The cavalry for once played a key role at first I thought they would be no treat but good use of the skirmish mode to pin the defenders and then charge home was a great tactic to win the scenario.

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Sharp Practice in Egypt - Support Options

Whilst I await reinforcements from the Perry's for the French forces and Brigade for more Ottoman's. I thought I would ease myself in with some of the support options available to the Ottoman's and French Forces in Egypt within Sharp Practice 2.

I ordered a number of items from Brigade several months ago and this is the first opportunity to get them on the paint table, whilst others have been repurposed and touched up a little.

In order of cost.

Physic - List One
Part of the Force Commanders Retinue, useful for bringing to a leader who has been knocked out or patching up leaders wounded in combat.
The Physic is from Brigade Miniatures and the Camel litter from Redoubt.



Musicians - List One
When attached to a force commander he my double his command range and my add plus one to any roll on the uncontrolled troops table. Very useful given the quality of some of the Ottoman troops.
A French Drummer from Brigade and also an Ottoman Trumpter from Brigade with a Drummer from BlackTree (?)


Holy Man - List One
What Ottoman Force would be complete without your inspirational Preacher, when attached to the unit he may remove 1D6 of Shock from the unit he is attached to.
Not sure of the colour in the photo but he does look better in the flesh honest...


Water Cart - List Two
Two for the price of one here, a Warbases Water Cart for the French and an Arab with flask for the Ottoman's or they could be used together if necessary, I toyed with adding a mule but figured it was more likely to be used unhitched within various scenario's.
Perfect for all kinds of uses from washing off the dusk to quenching one's thirst.

 

The Colours - List Three.
Perfect for driving home the advantage in melee espically if bested in melee by two points, but don't get them captured.
Two more offerings from Brigade Games.


And finally some additional Shock Markers from the "Bits draw".
I have added a couple of dice holders on two of the bases, given the increase in shock which a unit might absorb in a turn.
I think originally from Foundry's Zulu War and Darkest Africa Range.


Next up more cavalry.....

Thursday, October 06, 2016

TMWWBK's - ARR Boxer Rebellion Encounter.

The Wyverns rolled out "The Men Who Would be Kings" at the Club house a few weeks ago which gave me a great excuse to dust off the Boxers.


We added in the officer traits but to many of the rolls dished out poor quality officers on both sides. The plan was to get the toys on the table to run through the rules to ensure they gave a good evenings entertainment.
The scenario is your typical colonial adventure, the Europeans are holed up in the railway station waiting for Seymour to arrive and whisk them to safety, while the Boxers look to burn the place to the ground...


The defenders the US marine Corp and some civilian volunteers.


The Boxers as tribal units are cheap and out number the Europeans by at least 3:1, they sweep forward out flanking the US Marines and close in on the left flank of the small out post.


The tents are over run, cooking pots and belongings destroyed as the Boxers rush up the railway line looking to drive the foreign barbarians from their land.


However reinforcents are on their way in the shape of a Russian Sailor detachment, who pour long range fire into the Boxers, a number are killed but more importantly Boxer units were becoming pinned, poor leadership and poor dice rolls force some of the Boxers away from the cluster of buildings.


The Boxers close in again but are caught in a cross fire between the US marines and Russian Sailors and again unit after unit becomes pinned and falls back.


The Chinese start to torch the buildings looking to burn them to the ground but all the time they are slowly being reduced in number by the European rifle fire.


Boxer units start to break and fall back unable to destroy the buildings on the left of the encampment, despite contacting them on several occasions they were simply not numerous enough having seen their number be reduced by the Russians and Amercians.



Finally a minor success Chinese Artillery having done nothing all game gains a hit on the right hand building bring it crashing to the ground, but it is to little to late and the Boxers have be defeated as their losses were just to great to win the day.

A great encouter fought to a conclusion in under 2 hours... Despite the numbers of Boxers their poor officers and poor Leadership was their undoing against the regulars with their automatic fire order.
TMWWBK gave a really well balanced feel to the encounter and was quick and easy for everyone to pick up in 2-3 turns.
 
Next time more conventional forces....

Sunday, October 02, 2016

Sharp Practice 2 - The Ottoman Empire Part 2 - The Nizam-i-Jedid


Following on from yesterday's post a night on the brushes and the first force is complete without the need for that many new additions, shout out if you think you can spot the new recruits...
I opted for the New Order Army First as they were the closest to the European forces in terms of structure and organisation.

The Ottoman Core Force.


The Nizam-i-Jedid
Created by Selim to counter the Janissaries the Nizam-i-Jedid or New Order Army was to become a Corp of some 24,000 men armed and drilled in a European style, often commanded by officers of French, English or Prussian origin.

Attempts to move the Janissaries to this model failed and resulted in a number of revolts, the Nizam according to correspondents of the day claim they were a mixed bag yet it was the Nizim's that stopped Napoleon at Acre.

I figured the following formation within Sharp Practice would be a good representation on the table top, giving a core Infantry formation with some Skirmishers to screen the formation.


Leader Status III
Three Groups of 8 Regulars, Muskets.
Leader Status II
Leader I

Two Groups of 6 Irregular Skirmishers, Rifle Armed.

66 Points
 
The New Order Army on the March
Nizam-i-Jedid Led by a Status III Leader
Skirmish Group Lead by a Status II Leader
Skirmish Group Lead by a Status I Leader
The Stats for Sharp Practice are included below.


Nizam-i-Jedid Infantry
Type
Conscripts & Volunteers
Points Value
8
Weapon
Musket
Size
8
Formation
First
Fire
Controlled Volley
Crashing Volley
Step
Out
Drill
Characteristics
No Shock
Yes
First Only
3
2
2
(List 5)

Arab Irregulars
Type
Irregular Skirmishers
Points Value
12
Weapon
Rifle
Size
6
Formation
First
Fire
Controlled Volley
Crashing Volley
Step
Out
Drill
Characteristics
Never
No
No
-
1
-
Prominent Leader, Tactical, Moveable DP.
(List 9)
Image result for Nizam-i-Jedid

Now to test them on the Battlefield.

Sharp Practice 2 - The Ottoman Empire Part 2 - The Nizam-i-Jedid


Following on from yesterday's post a night on the brushes and the first force is complete without the need for that many new additions, shout out if you think you can spot the new recruits...
I opted for the New Order Army First as they were the closest to the European forces in terms of structure and organisation.

The Ottoman Core Force.


The Nizam-i-Jedid
Created by Selim to counter the Janissaries the Nizam-i-Jedid or New Order Army was to become a Corp of some 24,000 men armed and drilled in a European style, often commanded by officers of French, English or Prussian origin.

Attempts to move the Janissaries to this model failed and resulted in a number of revolts, the Nizam according to correspondents of the day claim they were a mixed bag yet it was the Nizim's that stopped Napoleon at Acre.

I figured the following formation within Sharp Practice would be a good representation on the table top, giving a core Infantry formation with some Skirmishers to screen the formation.


Leader Status III
Three Groups of 8 Regulars, Muskets.
Leader Status II
Leader I

Two Groups of 6 Irregular Skirmishers, Rifle Armed.


48 Points
 
The New Order Army on the March
Nizam-i-Jedid Lead by a Status III Leader
Skirmish Group Lead by a Status II Leader
Skirmish Group Lead by a Status I Leader
The Stats for Sharp Practice are included below.


Nizam-i-Jedid Infantry
Type
Conscripts & Volunteers
Points Value
8
Weapon
Musket
Size
8
Formation
First
Fire
Controlled Volley
Crashing Volley
Step
Out
Drill
Characteristics
No Shock
Yes
First Only
3
2
2
(List 5)

Arab Irregulars
Type
Irregular Skirmishers
Points Value
12
Weapon
Rifle
Size
6
Formation
First
Fire
Controlled Volley
Crashing Volley
Step
Out
Drill
Characteristics
Never
No
No
-
1
-
Prominent Leader, Tactical, Moveable DP.
(List 9)
Image result for Nizam-i-Jedid

Now to test them on the Battlefield.