The Temple of the Golden Guacamole.

It's as hot in the UK as South America so what better than a game set in the Jungles of the new world as Spanish conquistadors attempt to raid a sacred Aztec temple while determined local warriors stand in their way.

The self-proclaimed explorer Don Fernando de la Siesta, having heard rumours of a temple holding piles of gold, leads an expedition inland (But is hindered by being forced to roll to see which side of the river they land.)

Unfortunately for him, the temple is protected by the fierce warriors of High Priest Tlacotzin "The Slightly Irritated", who have no intention of letting a group of heavily armoured strangers walk off with their sacred treasures.

As dawn breaks, the conquistadors march through the jungle towards the Temple of the Golden Guacamole, while drums echo across the valley rallying warriors to block there advance (Also rolled for random entry).

As is the way for random rolls, the Spanish are heavily weighted on the left flank, whilst the bulk of the Aztec Warriors appear on the right.

Breaking the curse of newly painted figures, Spanish horsemen ride down a unit of unbloodied warriors, they were looking for captives such as their way, while the Conquistadors were happy to hack them down in droves... 

The invaders were not having all their own way, despite the bang and flash of gunpower scaring some warriors away, a number of Spaniards were captured, being dragged out of the shield wall for sacrifice later.

The Aztec warriors rushed to defend the temple as the native left flank collapsed, fearful of dogs and horses.

The temple fell to the invaders as the Aztec warriors were routed from the table, having been ridden down, attacked by dogs or shot at by fire sticks. The gold was secure... but 5 men were missing.. feels like a rescue is in order.

A fun encounter and nice to get the extra Aztecs on the table.

Although I do sense I will need a number of extra warriors to hold the Spanish at bay, thanks to David over at I Live with Cats: Quetzalcoatl Rampant who created the first draft of modifications to the Lion Rampant rules.

Aztec warriors - Wargames Atlantic.

Aztec month is nearly complete and pressure is on complete the latest batch of Mexica Infantry. The limited clothing and equipment allowed me to turn these around within a few days.

I am aiming to cluster these together into the various military ranks with Aztec culture. Individual fighters advancement was not simply on surviving battles, but on capturing enemies alive. Taking captives brought prestige, social advancement, and access to increasingly elaborate weapons, armour, and insignia.

The hierarchy described in surviving sources such as the Codex Mendoza should probably be viewed as a guideline rather than an absolute rulebook which is perfect for what I am after and the Wargames Atlantic sculpts come with enough variety to represent the various classes, but for now pic's of the mass.

Commoners or Yaoquizqueh - The lowest tier of Aztec warriors. These men had yet to capture an opponent and would have formed the bulk of an army's manpower - these will be presented by those in simply a loin cloth, armed with spears, slings and bows together with wooden clubs.

Low-Status Warriors or Telpochyahqui - Warriors who had captured their first enemy, these will be wearing the ichcahuipilli or quilted cotton armour, I have armed this in the main with the macuahuitl, or edged wooden club.

The additional Eagle Warriors might have to wait, they are primed and based but I am running out of days - August is back to the Sino-Japanese War although it would be good to sneak in a game with these extra warriors and the latest Spanish additions.

They it's a wait until Christmas to see if another box appears :-)

Cortez Cavalry - Lion Rampant

According to accounts Cortez took 16 cavalry when he left Cuba in 1519 - so 12 should be more than enough for my needs.

Two units of 6 from Wargames Atlantic designed for Lion/Queztacoata Rampant to strike fear into the hearts of the Aztec warriors....

I broke the units up into a lance and sword unit, following the theme from the foot troops and common colours for each type, I suspect the Jungle and general wear and tear would have meant they would have had less of a uniform in reality but they fit with the broader theme of the Aztec project.

Half way through the month - now for more Aztecs the clock is ticking.... 

Dogs of War - Conquistadors.

Welcome to July and a change of focus on the paint table - 

Back to the Aztecs the occasional project that tends to grow in size on Fathers day or Birthdays when they get picked from the amazon wish list :-)

These are a nice surprise, as it was a little too warm lately I thought I would get some prep done in the snipping and gluing department, I opened up the box of Conquistador cavalry only to find that there are 8 War Dogs in the box - Wonderful.

A great addition to the Spanish forces as they look to subdue the local population. The Handlers are from Antediluvian Miniatures and are a good fit for the rest of the forces.

Next up cavalry and more Aztec foot....

Conquistadors vs Aztec - First Encounters

A detachment of Spaniards having landed on the coast with Cortez have been guided by the Totonac tribes inland looking for signs of the Aztec empire. Having burnt their ships on the coast the Conquistadors are here to stay.

When the inlet can no longer be passed by row boat, time to press inland on foot.

The first outing for the Aztec's and an opportunity to give the Spanish some table time using an adapted version of Lion Rampant using David Sullivan's adaption I Live with Cats: Quetzalcoatl Rampant

The Spanish are split between the river and hinterland, somewhere on the table the Aztec are hidden looking to stop the invaders advance. Two units push towards the highway.

Natives appear from the undergrowth throwing slings at the Europeans they are met with a Boom! which sends them heading for cover. 

As a detachment of Conquistadors head for the high ground they are confronted by a units of young warriors. (I am a little lite on foot figures for the Aztecs but the great thing about the Rampant rules is their point values is either 6 or 12 points making the number of figures a mute point.) 

Elsewhere... At the river bank a unit of Sword and Buckler men push forward and are engaged by another group of young warriors, keen to grab a hostage. A Spaniard is captured but the Aztec's are soon beaten back and the captive freed.

In the centre Jaguar warriors rush forward keen to push their advantage.

Taking to the high ground the more Aztec warriors charge forward looking to secure hostages. Their wild charge made their assault a little disjointed.

The Conquistadors stand firm their steel blades hacking down multiple attacks, the Aztecs were unable to defeat the closely packed ranks of Spanish, the Aztec's were nearing breaking point. 

The fire sticks shook the Aztec's morale as they massed for a final attack. They were unable to close with the invaders. The Aztec's fell back into the jungle. The Spanish held the high ground but were nervous to pursue.

A great encounter the curse of freshly painted figures continues. The rules tweaks give the right feel for the period, with the black power weapons impacting the morale of the Aztec's, Their focus on seizing hostages make for an interesting challenge giving the Spaniards a chance to recover their losses.

Looking forward to getting a few more encounters in the coming weeks.

Aztec Jaguar Warriors - Wargames Atlantic.

Next up the last of the Wargames Atlantic box.

I am not sure I will get used to the colour Palette for these Jaguar warriors, lets hope they distract the Spaniards as much on the table top as when I was painting them.....

The Jaguar warriors were an elite military class made up of Aztec nobility and served as shock troops in battle. Their primary mission was not just to kill enemies but to capture them alive for ritual sacrifice.

To become a Jaguar warrior, one had to capture at least four enemies in battle. 

I opted for a mix of colours and will look to add a little more variety on the next batch, perhaps changing the tones to the blues and red's. This is one of the Christmas and Birthday projects when people ask what do you want and you are so difficult to buy for.

You get 10 Jaguar/Eagle Warriors in each box so plenty of choices to make up.

Now to give them a run out on the table using the adapted Lion Rampant rules - Queztacoata Rampant and see how the casualty capture rules work.

It's a good excuse to get the Spanish back on the table, stay tuned for the first run out.....

Aztec Warband - Wargames Atlantic

Purchased back in January the Aztec's finally made it to the paint table.

It's amazing what the thought of a new project does to give you a nudge to get things cleared more on that in the coming weeks.

The Wargames Atlantic Aztec's go together really well with plenty of choice on the sprues for the various warrior classes. At this stage I went for a mishmash of types, but will fill out the ranks as the units expand.

The aim will be to use an adapted version of Lion Rampant, their is an excellent series of articles on the - I Live with Cats: Queztalcoatl Blog with a home grown rule set Queztacoata Rampant it will be great to give them a runout in the coming weeks once the last of the box set is complete.

   

First up a group of skirmishers these are commoners, perhaps their first battle or levied troops who have not been involved in action before. Issued with missile weapons to harass the enemy. A skirmish unit in Lion Rampant.

Next up a more experienced class of warrior allowed to carry the macuahuitl as they have proven themselves in hand to hand combat.

Finally a group of Telpochyahqui warriors - young men who have been successful in taking a captive,  a warrior was allowed to wear the ichcahuipilli, a quilted jacket, some carry the Chimalli a shield without feathers.

Just so I remember when the next box appears from the family....

Painting Guide.

Spear Tips - Gun Metal Blue

Tong or padded Jacket - F Raw Linen Light 30C, Boneyard 9B, Rawhide Light 11C, GW Corax White, GW Rakarth Flesh.

Bag & Quiver - Moss Shade 29A

Sling & Spear Binding - GW XV88

Stone - GW Dawnstone Grey

Spear, Arrow - GW Mournfang Brown

Club, Bow Shaft F Bay Brown Shade 42A

Insight of Shield - Chestnut Light 53C

Flesh - South American Flesh Shade 119A, Hight 119C

Wash - Army Painted Soft Tone

Next up 10 more warriors - As a child of the 70's I can't get past Animal Kwackers :-)

Spain in the new world - A new project looms.

Welcome to August and a change from the bouncing between the Crusades and the AWI project.

The start of a new (but planned for as very long time) project and Cortez in Mexico. As I start the snipping and gluing of Wargames Atlantic's Aztec's it gave me the opportunity of dusting off these fine looking chaps from Copplestone.

Lacking for enough clothing for the the battle of Tenochtitlan. They will certainly do for some of the encounters as the Spanish push in land and meet jungle tribes.

 

Clothing was minimal although I did give them a sheath just for modesty purposes.

Now to dig out Aguirre: Wrath of God  to give me the nudge to get the others on the table top.

Dispatches from the front XXXV - Getting stuff done.

February already...

Whilst real life can often get in the way in the final quarter of the financial year, thank heavens for a hobby that keeps me occupied outside of work.

Sticking with the theme of getting stuff done it looks like February is shaping up to be another Crusade month, after the Cotswold day I still have a pile of Arab and Christian forces to get done. But first up a Sarissa Radio Station, a gift from a friend from his to do pile.

The Sarissa kits go together really well and a swift paint job and a bunch of posters to make it suitable for a number of games for Modern Africa and the Visitor mash up in Zikanga.

The Arabs are prepped and based over Christmas so time to get them on the paint table.

Meanwhile another year older a whole pile of inspiration for the year ahead.

So many plans so little time.

Dispatched from the Front XXXIV - Twixmas Projects

I do enjoy the post Christmas lull, a couple of days down time and if I am lucky some painting time.

The last few months have been have been rather hectic with very little gaming and painting time, hopefully the next couple of days will give me the opportunity of kickstarting plans for 2025 and catch back up on several of the remaining projects from this year. I managed to get some undercoating done before the mist and cold set in.

With the 250th Anniversary of Lexington & Concorde approaching in April this gives me a focus to get the rest of the 10mm off the paint table and on to the gaming table. The AWI British Light Infantry and American militia have been hanging around for months having been side-lined by the Crusader project for the Cotswold day.

Then it's back more Crusades with still a whole bunch of Arab Cavalry and Christian foot to get through.

The family have been very generous, with some wants and some nice to have, although internally I did look at the boxes and think that's a lot of gluing and so many varied projects.

In no particular order - Russians for the Russo Japanese War, the Wargames Atlantic plastics will give a real boost for the Russian forces, the project might be getting a little too large for Sharp Practice so I might need to think about a new rule set?

Then there is the additional Sergeants for the Crusaders, I was hanging on for the release of the Baron's War plastics but the Fireforge sergeants will be just as good, the pack is really good value for money enough to give me 2 heavy spear units, a warrior unit and crossbow unit especially given how much cavalry is fielded against them.

A lovely kit from Rubicon and some much needed transport for the Africa Korps 88mm - which has been lacking game time.

If I can get through that little lot, then towards the spring.... Aztecs 

I have a whole bunch of Spanish who spend more time fighting the undead than anyone else, having sold off my Irish for the Plantation of Ireland, they need a new opponent. I blame Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook.

The Rest Is History | 384. The Fall of the Aztecs: The Adventure Begins (Part 1)

It should not be too much of a stretch to get these on the game table and the positive no cavalry to do.

Then.......Orc's nope no idea what I am going to do with these.... perhaps a tweak to the Excalibur project having read a little of Geoffrey of Monmouth's history of Briton could these be Ogres from the realm of Logres and followers of the god Orcus..... that sounds like it work..... (Blimey another rabbit hole..)

Right best get on.... this lot won't paint it self.

Dispatches from the Front XXXI - Welcome to 2024

Well here we are another New Year and the customary review of the past 12 months.

Considering the amount of real life distractions a rather productive year on the gaming front, taken up largely with WW2 and the Western Desert, quite surprising really as it was only meant to be a small project when a member of the club said did you fancy splitting a box, but it ended up turning into forces for both the Commonwealth, French and Germans, with plenty of gaming and a campaign to boot. 

We dabbled with Bolt Action and Chain of Command creating a couple of good house rules which have given us a good experience and a growing collection across several players.... Plenty more planned for 2024.

It was good to get in a couple of fun games of Silver Bayonet, with the return of Claude Canard although he does seem to get picked on in games..  The Hunt for the remaining parts of El-Cid is sure to continue into the new year, but we could see a return to the Middle East of Claude with the next campaign book set in Egypt. 

Our gaming group lost a good wargaming friend in November, Dane (on the left) no matter what we played he seemed to know every rule yet you never saw him read a rule book. He had not been well for several years, but you never saw him complain, in fact the more pain he was in the luckier he seemed to get. One of the founding members of the Wyverns Wargames Club, we had some great games including several all dayers at Salute helping Paul and Sally at Kallistra run their showcase games... Great times... I shall miss our tabletop dust ups.....

So what for 2024?

Well the Germans are in need of some armour if they are to turn the tide in the Tactics II campaign, I had a few pieces gifted over Christmas in the shape of plastic kits that will certainly help. The rise in quality of 3D prints makes the purchase of vehicles so much more affordable so quick order to 3D Valley on E-Bay should give me plenty of extra's for both sides.

The big projects are to finally get the Footsore Kickstarter off the ground and Outremer, it was a big purchase due to those weird days in lock down when I sold some collections for crazy money. I must be honest the weight and volume of shiny metal is a little bit off putting. But if I break them down into the various factions it should be fine.

Not quite sure of the rule set yet, Baron's War is the obvious choice but I am hoping to scratch an itch from over 30 years ago to turn Standard Games hex game into a mini version. With rumours of a new version coming out, it could be a sign of things to come.

I have a hankering for some BIG games with small figures and am leaning towards my first historical period of interest when I first got into gaming. The American War of Independence. A period I have read plenty on although surprising never owned, I have also never painted British Regulars in all my years of gaming.

I am thinking 10mm Pendragon to give me a comprise of a large table but with figures I can still make out the detail on.... Now for a set of rules, base and unit sizes?

I have several taster packs on order to see if I can paint them to a standard I am comfortable with, given the volumes involved.

What else?

Who knows the usual butterfly feeling may take hold, depending on what you watch and listen to, just finished a cracking pod cast on the Aztecs and the Spanish Conquistadors - Well I already have Spanish???

Happy New Year everyone.