Wooden Fences

I'm still making 28mm card-stock terrain. This time wooden fences. I designed them using Photoshop. I'm also currently designing a weatherboard suburban house in several colours.

I had the files for these from a few years back where I made a few fences. This time I redesigned the bases by making little stands so they're a bit less intrusive and can be used in any terrain set up. With the originals I printed some grass texture, glued it to some card and glued the fence on top. The new method takes a bit longer but the result is better.

I also made a few with some graffiti for a more modern look and some gates.

 Here's a bunch of them (but not all) and Harry for scale.

Modern Life & Zombies

I've been working away at constructing a city for the impending Zombie Apocalypse (and believe me: The End Is Nigh!).

I decided to do this using WorldWorksGames modular card terrain. There's several reasons for this: 1) It looks good, 2) It's reasonably priced, 3) It's totally modular, and 4) I already have a bunch of card terrain that will work well with it (the diner and the apartments plus more).

I think it's come up well. Of course it does look a bit less realistic than fully modeled terrain but it can be reused and reconfigured in any way I choose. I also have a bunch of props to make which will help bring it to life - dumpsters, traffic lights, road signs, etc

Here it is so far in a 2' x 4' set up:

Return to Napoleonic's

I decided to get back to Napoleonic's this week. I played a game with my clubs hardcore Napoleonic group using the club's homegrown Napoleonic rules: Cold Steel. This is a set of rules that started as a simplified derivative of Empire but over the past 15 years has morphed into something almost as complicated. The main bonus is familiarity because I've played a hundred or more games of Cold Steel.

So I dusted off my French, and under the command of General L'Emmings, they took to the field against a combined Russo/Austrian force commanded by Pal and Van. Ben was my French compatriot on the left. Each player had approximately a division (I had 14 battalions, 2 below strength regiments of chaseurs a cheval, a regiment of dragoons, and a 8lb gun battery).

My guys deployed in depth with my main strength in the centre. I was facing Van and his Austrians who were very strong in cavalry. But I had some woods and a marsh on my right wherein to secure my flank. I also had some high ground on my right where I deployed my guns.

The Russo/Austrians got the initiative and moved first. They were pretty aggressive and moved up to take two small villages. I maneuvered a bit and sent out skirmishers to harass them and moved forward on my right.

And so it went...

I managed to get my infantry into strong positions and got my guns and cavalry into the battle with good effect. My Dragoons were the stars of the show. I got them into line in front of my center where a 12 Russian horse battery had set up with support of a cavalry brigade. I planned to charge the battery but I thought they were doomed.

But an Austrian infantry battalion moved in front of the guns prompting an Opportunity Charge by the dragoons. They pushed the column back and went forward into the guns, driving off the crew in a rout. They were then charged by the Russian cavalry and were themselves pushed back with some casualties. But they destroyed the guns which was a good result.

The dragoons retreated behind the infantry and managed to reform in short order. As the game went on I bolstered my center expecting an Austrian assault, but another fortunate chain of events resulted in another Opportunity Charge that smashed a second Austrian infantry battalion. The dragoons then took a major breakthrough into some Russian Dragoons that were blown and beaten up. Behind them was a badly mauled Austrian cavalry regiment...

And at that point the game was called.

The Russians had run out of steam after a strong infantry assault in the center that pushed back Ben's infantry but failed to make any real gains. On the French left Ben had pushed Paul's Russian's right back to breaking point, and my center was in a perfect position to launch their attack with several a veteran battalions.

Aftermath...

I had some lucky breaks, one being with my rightmost battalion just managing to from square and fend of Van's Austrian cavalry which could have rundown more battalions and my guns. But the Austrian's also made some mistakes which I managed to take advantage of. Paul, the Russian commander, decided to play the numbers by calculating dice bonuses and odds instead of assessing the tactical situation and taking some risks. Not the best way to win in my opinion. But there was also plenty of command confusion in the center where Van and Paul struggled with getting their troops coordinated.

Who is General L'Emmings?
When I play historical various games, I often use my own distorted surname (Hemmings). So when I play pirates my captain is the wily Spaniard: Don Emmingo. My medieval Germans are the Hemmingseatic League lead by Baron von Rickenbacker (because I am a long time lover and player of the bass). So General L'Emmings is my French general.

Oh yeas, and the Prussian: General von Hemmingstein!

~~~~~~ Crappy photo's by me. The better ones stolen from club member Russel ~~~~~~~

Oh No... Not Another Apocalypse!

I'm a bit burned out with ancients after the Siege of Rhodes, so I've decided to get back to something closer to the current day. And what better way to get back to the modern age than a good old fashioned Zombie Apocalypse?

I've always liked zombie games as long as it's relatively modern. I don't like it when people have these great ideas of making historical games "different". All that usually means is adding zombies. Nothing imaginative or new. Just zombies. Germans always have to have zombies because they're the bad guys, despite what era is being made "different".In my opinion, it's pathetic.

But, in their right time & place (which is 1970's onward - and don't argue!!!) I think zombies are great. I love 'em!

I've started by picking up a few 28mm figures that had literally gathered dust on my painting table. I dusted them off and finished painting them. I also dug out the very basic zombie rules I wrote a few years back and I've been expanding them to make them more detailed and suitable for campaigns or semi-role playing.

I also stared making some card terrain by WorldWorkGames. I decided on card terrain because I've done it before and I already have a pretty decent collection of city buildings. I'm also going to build a bunch of WorldWorks' fantasy terrain because I want to get into Frostgrave some time soon.

Anyway, here are some posed pics that I took for inclusion in the rules. Maybe I'll eventually publish them. Who knows?

This TV crew were some of the figures gathering dust.

 These riot police were very dusty. They waited very patiently for a paint job

My Little Wars Melbourne ~ 2019

Little Wars Melbourne has come and gone. I presented my Siege of Rhodes game and it was a hit. I got plenty of interest and a lot of great comments. I rounded up some players who played the game through the afternoon.

Thanks to Chee, Carston and Dylan for playing. Unfortunately, we didn't get to finish but I think Rhodes was doomed this time around. Chee played the naval game and destroyed the Rhodian fleet, whilst Carston knocked holes in the landward walls (although Dylan gave him a very bloody nose).

My game was part of a display by the Naval Wargames Society (Victoria branch) run by Bob and Mark. We had three tables: one with my game, a display of different scale ships and a Napoleonic game.

There were a whole range of games on display: some big, some small and some in between. From what I could see most of them were participation games, so plenty of people got to join in.

All in all, a great day (if somewhat tiring). But I got home safe and my wife Zoe, cooked some nice salmon with a butter sauce and now my belly is full and contented.

Fist some pics of my game:

 I made these Moral Clocks for the game. They're used in the Age of Hannibal rules. They look better than dice.

 I took this photo to show the holes in the wall created by Carston.

 Lord of the Rings game (without figures).

 I don't know what this is but it looked good.

 FOG Waterloo in 15mm - This was very popular (as Waterloo always is).

 SAGA - A very nice set up.

 Pirates. I don't know the rules. Another nice set up.

 A Vietnam game by NWA member, Cameron. I really liked the look of

this and, if I'd had the chance, I would have like to play it. My favorite of the day.

 Jason and the Argonauts. I sold the bloke running it the GW stone arch at LW last year.

 Ancients - I don't know what.

 Chain of Command run by NWA Member John. 

This one was good. Denisovan hunting. I really liked that he used

whittled sticks from the garden as measuring rods.

Views from my table.

 WWII Wings of War in the Western Desert.

This looked fantastic and the pics do it no justice at all.

 I don't know what this one was but it involved racing trucks

Shopping
As usual there are always plenty of traders at these events and how could I not spend? My haul for the day was: A box of Zombiecide zombies, two Wings of War biplanes and the Frostgrave rulebbook.