Fire Forge Games - Christian Archers.

The marathon painting task rumbles on....

Next up a unit of Fire Forge Archers to add to the march of the pilgrims.

I painted up a number of figure bases from Warbases from their Midgard range these will help with movement of the every growing mass.

With a few games of Chain of Command lined up in the next couple of weeks, I can feel a change coming.... 

Christian Warriors - Lion Rampant

Another month another batch of figures for Outremer this time Christian Warriors from Fire Forge Games. I went with a more uniform feel for these.

Thanks to a good friend of mine from the Wyre Forest Club I find myself with a whole bunch of reinforcements to swell the Christian lines, slowing but surely they make there way to the table. Thanks again Howard very generous.

They needed a few changes to the basing and a couple of shields swapping out to bring them into line with the rest of the collection. Shield and coat markings also from Fire Forge's transfer range, making the task so much easier than painting by hand.

These Warriors add some real punch to the Christian forces with Lion Rampant, lets see how they stand up on campaign.... I dropped them onto a new Midgard movement tray,  because you never know when they I might have to switch codes :-) 

A rather slow month on the painting front, but a weekend looms so should get another unit done before the end of the month.

Dispatched from the Front XXXIII - Anything but Arabs.

It's been a while since the last dispatches post. My apologies this entry might be more of a reminder for me to keep me on track.

Chatting during the Cotswold day we shared a listing of half finished projects, we also seem to share one thing in common far to many projects than ever making it to the table. It got me thinking about the need for a clear out or sweep up of the ever going list on the paint table, during lockdown when everyone appeared to have more time I did a full review of projects underway and sold off a number of half finished projects, but things appears to have been building up again with a queue of things that need completing. I can't be the only one that thinks I have two spare figures why don't I buy a regiment to build them out......

So after the mass of figures for the Crusades project a brief pause whilst I clear some of the distractions that need that little bit of focus to get them table ready. My reckoning is that these should be done over 2 weeks - Enough time for a fresh Pendraken order to arrive.

To kick the next two weeks off I found a bunch of spare figures tucked away in a draw for the American Revolution Project. Getting these done will leave me with no spare figures for this project.

Keeping the focus on the AWI I brought a few packs of snake fencing back in March together with some large cosmetic spatula's but they were not wide enough, not wishing to waste anything and gambling that who is really looking in 10mm I straightened them up.  

Not bad basing material for less than £5.00 and these should not take long to get to the table, the sharp sand and I quick spray done over a couple of lunchtimes.

Pretty sure these were 15mm but have been sitting in a box for 25 years!!! Using the same spatula's these barricades were complete in a day, I don't know what took me so long.

Also purchased back in March an extra bunker for the Western Desert a nice piece of kit from Ironclad Miniatures well you can't go to a show and not buy anything. This was half done just needed some extra dry brushing and a light wash. Now ready for the next campaign game.

A package from Studio Historia Miniatures which has been hanging around since the summer. A case of idle hands on a train ride to London and a few clicks later and I am the proud owner of Zombie Camels and the Ramesses II headquarters, I figured the tent would be a good centre piece for my New Kingdom Egyptian forces and the camels for Silver Bayonet in the desert.

They have some great items on the website I can see a few more orders coming their way in the coming months - that damn butterfly.

Hittite Walls and WW2 Greeks - hhhmmm.

A few months ago we gave Xenos Rampant a run out for Chechen Wars, a great game which was really quick to get through in an evening session, it highlighted the need for a few extra heavy weapons, so a quick order from Fighting 15's and there they sat - time to get them done.

That should do for starters 6 different projects to juggle before I even think about projects for next year.

Dispatches from the front XXII - Projects old and new.

A rather eclectic mix of games and projects.

First up club night and over at the Wyvern's a 4 player Stargrave outing, using anything we can get our hands on, just simply turn up and play.

One of the chaps dug out the Core Space playing board, despite it only being 2x2 it did make a fun encounter with lots of laser blasts and Aliens popping out of the walls and floors. Warlords Algoryn took the bragging rights on the night.

Meanwhile the Visitors from the 4th planet from the Sirian Star make hard work of picking off the local inhabitants.

After months of nagging I finally relented and let my young nephew play with the grown up toys. King Arthur has to travel the table visiting various way points picking up recruits and defeating any nasty's along the way. We picked Songs of Blades and Heroes as a great introduction to proper gaming. 

My young padawan  picked up the rules really quickly, even if  he did play fast and loose with the measuring stick :-) After slaying numerous enemies.... Arthur was victorious.

I fear I have created a monster.

A fun encounter besides it gave me the excuse to finish off a couple of odds and ends such as the Warbases Gibbet and the mighty Excalibur stuck firmly in a stone. 

Having given the Sudan a well overdue outing I saw a post of on Tales From GHQ: The Battle of Tettenhall Green with an excellent game of The Very British Civil War. It's been a long while since Worcester was a flame... so maybe time for another outing.

With the King residing in the County at Madresfield Court, Worcester has stuck to it's long held motto of "Civitas in bello et pace fidelis" - The City Faithful in War & Peace. The City maintains a moderate pro government stance with reluctant support from the regular royalist forces and local Worcester City police.

Whilst largely peaceful as the crisis in the country unfolds a number of opposition groups have sprung up, notably armed elements from the Severn Riverside, Wharf, Labours Federation (SRWLF) with an enclave in the Diglis area. This group is supported by communists out of Birmingham and armaments being shipped over the Malvern's from the Anglican's based in Hereford. 

Just need to find where I packed the figures away now.

That's an old project now for a new one - Coming soon in May.

For years I fancied turning the excellent Standard Games - Outremer/Cry Havoc game to miniatures, with the new Baron's War range it might just make it to the table.

Until next time.....

Wagon's ho! - Baccus 6mm

On the home straight now. At least until the next parcel arrives from Baccus... These are great castings the packs come with both horse and ox options.

Six wagon should be enough to give me a reasonable wagon train for the cavalry to defend or for the Indians to raid. 

There was a slight over hang on the large prairie wagon but I wanted then to fit the medium Flames of War Bases, the schooners are a great fit and will also double up as transports for the soon to arrive US Infantry 

I also cleared the specialist pack for Pony Wars Rules in the shape of the Armoured Wagon, Stage Coach and Gun Runners.

I still have the luggage to add to the roof, but this will make for some interesting Hollywood scenario's as it races across table being chased by the angry Indian war party.

I might need to think how I tweak the War Wagon for the Sharp Practice games. knocking out the wagon might be a struggle, but I guess I am not the only one in seeing the very obvious four weak spots at the front :-)

Marked as Gun Runners in the rules, I opted for a US Cavalry supply wagon and single escort, again plenty of scenario's spring to mind.

That's all Folks.

Perfect Six Miniatures - Pony's & Buffalo's

As the ticker clicks down on the latest order from Baccus, a quick turn around from the guys at Perfect Six Miniatures and their latest releases in the form of Buffalo and Dead Pony's.

These ponies are great to add additional shock markers for the natives or civilian units,

Two dice frames which gives me up to 12 shock points against each unit.

Three to four packs of Buffalo gives me quite a herd, I based them on warbases circular bases to give me several choices for the great hunt.

Another tick box for the Pony War's rule set, but also the occasional interruption for a random event within Sharp Practice.

That's all Folk's.......

Irregular Miniatures - 6mm Teepees.

Wigwam, Lodge, Teepee, Tipi - who knew there were so many names....

With so many encounters based around the hunt for the elusive Sioux and Cheyenne, an Indian village is a must.

These from Irregular Miniatures and are great value at 88p each, I based them in clusters so they can be grouped together for a large village or smaller family groups. 

The main camp with a burnt out camp fire, is this yet an abandoned camp? 

The Chief's lodge, I toyed with painting all of the Teepee's with designs or colour but in the end opted for plain approach, perhaps the next batch?

The full village - But how many Indians are home.

With the village complete - Now for the Battle of Powder River March 1876...

6mm Plains Indians - Mounted Sioux

After a few weeks on the paint table the Lakota Sioux finally take to the field.

I was a little nervous at first dropping down from 28mm to 6mm but am really pleased with how they have come out and how they look on mass. 

Based to cover both the new Pony Wars rules albeit a leaning towards the rolling hills of the Bozeman Trail rather than the buttes of the south. But also Sharp practice for one on one play or more historical scenario's.

Wonderful sculpts from Pete at Baccus with a good mix of warriors and chiefs with the sculpts containing a mix of bow, lance and rifle. A single bag gives you 120 warriors, not a bad starting point. Although the total numbers needed for the Pony Wars Rules is likely to run into a couple of hundred.

Using them within Sharp Practice each group is an Irregular Cavalry Unit of 10 figures under the command of an individual Big Man, Indians are not able to become a formation which should help the cavalry keep them at bay.

The Sioux need some additional flocking and grass tufts to finish them off, but this first batch should be enough to give both rule sets a run through in the weeks ahead.

A fresh supply run is due to drop in the coming days from the Pony Express (ok Royal Mail) some extra's to flesh out the various scenario's and plenty more reading material for the Great Sioux War.

6mm Pony Wars - The start of the 7th Cavalry.

It seems like ages since I actually finished a unit, but finally the first of the Pony Wars Figures start to take to the field.

Ok not quite fighting men but at least the horses for elements of the 7th Cavalry. Possibly the weirdest place start for a project.

I was slightly nervous about 6mm having largely gamed in 28mm - Mirco tanks don't count as they are all green. The temptation was to paint the detail especially given the excellent castings from Baccus but as a good friend told me you are typically 3ft from the mini's so you can afford to be far more liberal with the detail.

I toyed with the idea of painting them on the sprues but in the end opted to base them first and then add the detail by adding in blocks of colour, horse blankets, neckerchief's flesh etc. It did mean that their were the occasional hard to reach area, but better that than ruining some of the painted mini's by adding in the base mix and dry brushing.

The plan is to use them for an adapted version of Sharp practice or the soon to be re-released Pony Wars Rules, basing the units on a single base will help with movement and 6mm will give me plenty of room for rolling plains on an 8ft by 4ft table with a mass of warriors against a beleaguered command. 

The US cavalry whilst having superior fire power will be encumbered by a long tail behind the firing unit, horse holders, pack mules etc, this should give the cavalry commander a real challenge on the table top.

Given the size and the need to identify the units from a far, I came a cross this plate which seemed to be the perfect way to identify the various companies.

Lot's to do in the weeks ahead but this is a good start to get my eye in.