Tripods & Triplanes: The End of a Year Game.

It was the last game of the year, so it didn’t need to be serious. We were in a scenario featuring Tripods and Triplanes, imagining a Martian invasion of Earth shortly after World War I. Our planet's defenders were Imperial German pilots, with some support from a British pilot. Their opponents were three tripods, which were assigned to destroy five targets.

SCENARIO: Tim Chant
UMPIRING: Tim Chant

SCENERY: SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Tim Chant, Alasdair Watson

1. Forces.

MARS:

EARTH:

2. The Game.

Tim and I played the roles of Martian creatures, while Alasdair, David, Jimmy, and Mike defended Earth. Tim commanded two smaller tripods, while I took charge of the massive Behemoth. On the opposing side, David, Jimmy, and Mike each controlled a single plane equipped with missiles or heavy guns, while Alasdair led two planes into battle.

The Earth pilots surged toward us with a boldness reminiscent of the legendary Uhlans, their spirits high as they charged forward with unwavering courage. However, the Martians skillfully manoeuvred through the Earth's attack line without taking damage and headed straight for their targets. The Earthlings then turned around and launched an assault from the rear, which made them vulnerable to preemptive black gas attacks that somewhat destabilised their offensive. Meanwhile, the Martians began to destroy the first targets.

The Earthlings changed their tactics and started attacking Tim's smaller tripods, leaving mine alone for a while. This concentrated attack proved effective, resulting in the destruction of one tripod that had been hit several times on its shields. Unfortunately, the Earthlings suffered a loss as one of their pilots, David, was shot down. Meanwhile, I remained undisturbed and destroyed the targets one by one.

Finally, only one target remained, and Tim and I set off to destroy it. A swarm of Earth planes swirled around us, but they weren't causing significant damage. Once the last target was destroyed, I could finally concentrate on shooting down enemy planes, which I must admit I wasn't very good at. I had my eye on one plane in particular: Goering's white aircraft. 

I was a bit late for the game that evening, and when I arrived, Jimmy had already chosen it as his plane, so I decided to join the Martian forces instead. Jimmy naively thought I wouldn’t be able to shoot it down since it was my favourite plane. Nothing could be further from the truth; with my last shot, I successfully brought it down. At that moment, the game ended, resulting in a decisive victory for the creatures from the Red Planet.

As this is the final game of the year and the blog will be taking a break for the holiday season, I want to wish everyone a happy holiday! May you find just the right gifts under the tree and enjoy a relaxing time. Merry Christmas!

3. Links.

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/631841809210352

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720331036195/

Gangs of Rome.

Last Thursday, Gordon invited us to play Gangs of Rome, a game from Warlord Games that I hadn’t tried before. I was very curious about it. In this game, each player controls a gang, and your opponent commands a rival gang. Typically, there is a mission to complete, which makes the scenario of the game very important. Interestingly, everything you need to know is included in the rulebook, including a painting guide.

SCENARIO: Gordon Smith
UMPIRING: Gordon Smith, Jack Glanville

SCENERY: Gordon Smith

FIGURES & MODELS: Gordon Smith

1. Introduction.

In our game, we observed a trial in which Marcus Tullius Cicero was opposing Caius Verres. Each of them hired two gangs to protect themselves and hinder their opponent's access to the court. My gang and Alasdair were working for Verres, while Ben and Tim were hired by Cicero.

2. The Game.

The rules of the game are straightforward. During each turn, you can perform up to four actions, such as moving, attacking, engaging in melee combat, or using ranged combat, etc. You declare your actions first, and then roll several dice equal to the character's attribute, which typically ranges from 5 to 7 dice.

After rolling, you compare the results against your declared actions. If the number of successful rolls (4 or higher) is equal to or greater than the actions you've declared, your character can be activated. It's important to note the order in which you declare your actions. For instance, if you say, "climb out the window onto the ledge, jump onto the wall, and then do something else." Still, you only roll one success for all three actions; you'll successfully reach the ledge but fail to make it to the wall, which could result in significant damage.

Combat is also quite simple: the attacking side rolls attack dice, while the defending side rolls their defence dice. The rolls are compared, and if the attacker has more successes (4 or higher) than the defender, the attacker inflicts wounds on the defender. Each character has a specific endurance limit; if this limit is exceeded, the character is eliminated from the game. That covers the basic rules.

In our game, my gang confronted Ben's gang while directly protecting Verres. I was able to eliminate most of Ben's gang quickly, but the situation became much more complicated when the crowd and the Roman police got involved. Despite these challenges, we managed to gain ground on Ben's gang, allowing Verres to reach the courthouse safely.

Tim attempted to protect Cicero from Alasdair's attacks. However, his job became significantly more challenging due to the angry mob, which had already slaughtered three of his gang members. This chaos made things easier for Alasdair, who ultimately killed Cicero with a barrage of arrows. As a result, no one could prove Verres' guilt, allowing our gangs to emerge victorious.

3. Links.

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/Seswc.co.uk/posts/1102295478594449

FLICKR: 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720330982380

28mm Mahdist reinforcements.

The next project is provisionally finished until I think of something else. It includes Mahdists and some extras. Almost all the miniatures used are from Perry Miniatures, and the bases are primarily from Warbases.

While painting Mahdists in previous periods, I ended up with two incomplete units: one equipped with spears and the other with firearms. To create full-sized units of 20 figures each, I purchased an additional box of plastic Ansar from the Perry Brothers. This allowed me to complete the missing bases. From the set, I was also able to assemble an additional Ansar. Now, my collection consists of four Ansars with rifles and 12 Ansars with spears. Additionally, I included a foot commander, bringing the total to five leaders plus Mahdi.

Of course, this isn't the end of the additions. I've also incorporated three bases of cavalry armed with rifles. This allows me to deploy two units of Mahdi cavalry: one equipped with rifles and the other with javelins, with each unit consisting of 12 figures or 4 units with 6 figures.

Last thing in this post, I want to share my project involving a caravan. I once bought three camels at a Claymore show with the intention of painting as a caravan for myself. I’m not sure where these miniatures originated, but if anyone knows, please let me know. The challenge I faced was finding suitable human figures to accompany the camels. Fortunately, I later discovered a Facebook post showcasing miniatures that would be perfect for this purpose. It seems that the best solutions can sometimes be found right under our noses!

I found that Perry Miniatures offers sets from Napoleon's Conquest of Egypt, which feature figures that fit the design beautifully, especially since clothing in that part of the world hasn’t changed much over time. Additionally, the porters carrying the chest can serve as an extra objective in games. For this project, I used some unused GM Boardgames bases I had left over from my ships for Togo.

Dead Man's Hand: Bank and Saloon.

Last Thursday, Gordon and Tim invited us to the Wild West to play Dead Man's Hand. In the past, I had the chance to play a few games of the first version. The last time I played was Claymore, which gave me a taste of the second version. Now, I've had the opportunity to take a closer look at the latest version, and I really like it. In fact, one evening I found myself browsing through miniature offers for the game. I haven’t bought anything yet, but I must admit I'm definitely intrigued!

SCENARIO: Gordon Smith
UMPIRING: Gordon Smith

SCENERY: Gordon Smith

FIGURES & MODELS: Tim Chant, Gordon Smith

1. Introduction.

Our game involved four players, and we split into two pairs. Jimmy faced off against Gordon, while I played against Tim. We managed to complete two games, while the other pair played three. Each player had a squad of seven characters, armed with various weapons typical of the Wild West. Each scenario presented a situation where one side had to take action while the other had to counteract it. In our first game, my objective was to escape the city with the loot after a bank robbery. In the second game, my task was to take over the saloon.

1. The Bank Robbery.

In my first game, my gang of bad guys had just robbed a bank. They managed to open the safe and now needed to flee the city. A squad of honest townspeople, led by the local sheriff, was tasked with stopping them. Tim deployed a squad of freshly painted miniatures, which included several female characters. I stationed most of my gang inside the bank, with two characters on the rooftops armed with shotguns to cover our retreat.

Early in the game, we came under fire from a nearby hotel. It turned out my gang was better at hand-to-hand combat than shooting, so I decided to launch a bold attack, yelling “Ura!” One of the bad guys jumped from the roof and took out one of Tim's female characters, while the entire gang poured out of the bank to confront Tim's remaining men, including the sheriff. A fierce fight quickly ensued, involving fists, knives, and whatever weapons were at hand. 

Tim's men, terrified by this aggressive tactic, began to retreat. This created an escape route for my gang, especially when my gang leader managed to take down another woman from Tim's unit. That was enough. My gang successfully fled the city with the loot.

3. Attacking the Saloon.

In our second game, both sides had their share of bad guys. One of them, Tim, was defending a Saloon, while my men were tasked with capturing it. Once again, I opted for very short-range combat. A significant number of my men were armed with revolvers and shotguns, making close combat our only strong side. My men's nerves were quite fragile; however, Tim seemed to have the same issues. It turned out that his men struggled to gauge the number of bullets in their weapons. 

I decided to go on the offensive. On the first turn, one of my men rushed onto the saloon's ground floor and engaged the enemy gang. A chaotic shootout followed, during which Tim's men fired their weapons while my men hesitated due to morale reasons. After a brief regrouping, the fight resumed, resulting in both sides losing two men. Unfortunately, we ran out of time before we could finish the game. As a result, we agreed that the situation was a stalemate and called it a draw.

4. Gordon vs. Jimmy.

In the second match between Gordon and Jimmy, the score was much clearer, with Gordon winning all three games. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any photos of their matches. Instead, I have details about Jacqueline Ville’s town, as Gordon’s wife is the architect of this entire project. Most of the buildings are from the Warbases collection, so I encourage you to visit their website if you’re interested in any of the buildings.

5. Links.

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/Seswc.co.uk/posts/1102295478594449

FLICKR: 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720330763507/

Two games: Command and Conquer: Waterloo and Junta.

November and December are the two months of the year when my workload increases, leaving me with less time for blogging. I often find myself having to choose between painting and writing blog posts on my days off, and painting usually takes precedence. As a result, I'm now resorting to writing collective game reviews. 

Today, I want to discuss two board games. The first game, which we played two weeks ago, was the Napoleonic version of Command and Conquer, along with the most well-known battle in the UK, Waterloo. The second game we played was Junta, coinciding with our club's AGM at the end of November.

1. Command and Conquer: Waterloo.

Two weeks ago, we played a game that Mike organised called Command and Conquer. Although we had played a similar game set in Roman times before, this one featured a hexagonal board. The French occupied one side, the British the opposite, while the Prussians remained off the board for the time being. The game was based on the Battle of Waterloo, which has become somewhat emblematic in the UK.

Mike arranged for each player to command a wing, with commanders-in-chief above them who distributed activation cards. One player was designated to lead the Prussians. The roles were as follows: Fred played Wellington, Michael was on the British right flank, Tim took the centre position, and Ben commanded the left flank. On the French side, Peter played Napoleon, Andy took the left, I was in the centre, and David was on the right. Gordon led the entire Prussian army.

On the board, there were three historically significant farms that the French were required to capture and hold until the game's end. They earned victory points for each farm held as well as for destroying enemy units. The British, however, only received points for enemy units destroyed. 

It appeared that there was a flaw in the scoring system, as the French focused their efforts on capturing one farm and thus accumulated a large number of victory points, even while losing a greater number of their own units. More on that later.

Unfortunately, the scenario did not allow for a change in the timing of the French forces' attacks. It also compelled Napoleon's troops to assault farms that should have been left untouched, diverting their focus away from the British forces. We decided that I would attack La Haye Sainte, David would assault Papelotte, and Andy would not attack Hougoumont; instead, he would provide cover for my attacks.

Our plan worked partially. I managed to capture La Haye Sainte and held it for a time with varying degrees of success. David's attack on Papelotte was halted, and Andy engaged in a futile firefight with the British right wing, which forced his forces to shift to my side of the map, inadvertently fulfilling their original mission. Meanwhile, the Prussians finally arrived on the battlefield, but they were significantly delayed and did not demoralise the French forces. David was able to hold his flank.

Ultimately, the game ended in a French victory. However, I believe that points for holding villages should be awarded at the end of the game rather than for each turn the villages were under French control.

2. Junta.

Last Thursday, we held our club's AGM. This occasion also provided us with the opportunity to play our annual game of Junta. For those unfamiliar with the game, it revolves around a fictional banana republic where families compete for influence and international aid dollars.

This year, our club meeting extended significantly due to a multitude of issues we needed to address, including the election of new committee members. Although this meant we had less time to play, it also brought plenty of excitement and fun.

The meeting kicked off with our first presidential election, which Alasdair won. Shortly after we adopted our first government and budget, I grew dissatisfied with my position and sent men to assassinate the president. The assassination attempt was successful, leading to Tim becoming the new president, who then appointed me as Minister of the Interior. This scenario has become a recurring theme in our games.

After several budgets passed almost unanimously, there were multiple assassination attempts, but all failed. Michael came the closest; he pinpointed my location, but his man ultimately abandoned the mission. 

As the game progressed, Alasdair staged a coup. Initially, I was the only one loyal to Tim while everyone else joined the rebellion. Eventually, we managed to persuade David to support our cause, and Andy lost all his troops. Unfortunately, we ran out of time before we could fully resolve the coup.

In the end, I won the game by accumulating the most funds in my Swiss account.

At the end, I wanted to share some exciting news—I was elected to our club committee!