This is just a quick post of some pictures from a game last night of Star Wars Legion. It seems to be starting to pick up steam again so I will start adding some occasional coverage of the games and painting taking place. Matt "PhantomRescue" came by with his buddy for a game of Legion. My Imperial forces were used against Matt's Rebels. Here are some pictures of the action:
Overview of the table
E-web heavy gun and some Stormtrooper squads ready to deal with the Rebel Scum
Speeder bikes readying to advance
Rebel Commandos defending the small generator station
Rebels holding the line
Overview on Turn 2
Han Solo (up close in the brown coat) is trying to help hold the flank against speeder bikes and advancing Snowtroopers in the distance.
Once again Ottawa played host to the Canadian Nationals during the long weekend in September. it's the end of summer and kids are headed back to school, but it didn't stop 38 players from entering the biggest tournament that this country has to offer.
So with another Friday Night Fights in the books, we had a little bit of everything on the table. I hosted and was able to setup a Flames of War table and an area for me to try out Kings Of War. It's a 28mm fantasy battle game where it is fast, easy to learn and actually fun to play. Yes, I said fun. I am a huge skeptic when it comes to playing anything 'fantasy' related. I never got into the Warhammer or the 40K of many years ago. I think I wanted to, but likely couldn't afford the models. I played Battletech, a ton of other RPG type games and of course military strategy games like 'Escape From Colditz', 'Axis and Allies', 'Shogun' and of course 'RISK'.
This particular video was from last week, when Dennis and I had a night to practice our Flames of War Mid-War lists for Canadian Nationals, coming up in September. Normally we have been playing elsewhere, but with not a lot going on due to scheduling conflicts and summer holidays winding down, I decided to setup a desert table in the 'War Room'. Duane had a pretty decent German list to take on Den and his Brits (New Zealand from N. Africa).
Duane looks on and plans his next move. They rolled up 'Encounter' and it was a lot of back and forth in the opening turns.
Duane was not able to save his Tiger from being assaulted in the middle of town. He did manage to kill a few stands in Defensive Fire, but ultimately failed a check to stay in the fight, the crew ultimately fled the Kiwi onslaught.
Carriers move in to try and secure the objective from the grip of a few lone stands of Infantry. Duane would come out of this a little better. The Sturmgeschütz III platoon in the top left of the frame came to the aide of their comrades and destroyed the Recce platoon. This, after a mistake was made in not being able to come into base contact for assaults. This error would cost Dennis the game and more victory points for the Allies.
German Infantry leave their foxholes after a carefully executed assault on a British position. A Crusader platoon lays destroyed and burning in the center of the battlefield.
With prior commitments, I won't have the chance to play very many games in the coming weeks. I'm looking forward to painting and getting my army setup for Canadian Nationals, I have a few ideas on how to base and paint the Dwarves I got free in order to play Kings of War. The rulebook should be out in the coming weeks and I look forward to it's release. As does most of our group, it's nice to have something new on the table. I think it'll be a fun game to pick up and get into a little more. My focus though will always be Flames of War, despite the perceived LW 'creep', I will keep an open mind and continue to play that system and it's expansions. MW will no doubt get some more re-writes and with some new models on the horizon, give me something to paint.
Just a friendly face to remind me I have a lot of Vietnam stuff to assemble and paint up. Really need to get a game of that in soon!
The games of Kings of War are fast and furious. This past Friday I played a game against a new comer to 28mm - our own Phantom Rescue. He was given (yes - free!) a whole fantasy dwarf army on one condition - he paint it! So with this newly acquired horde, we faced off with 750pts a side.
This time out I brought Kingdoms of Men - using old Warhammer Fantasy Empire models. Where did those come from you ask? I picked up just over 2000points, about half painted, for $40!
Enjoy the mayhem that ensues:
Part 1
Part 2!
This game was a blast, and it has spurred a few others in the group to start ordering models and pulling out old gear from the "good 'ol days" of GW gaming.
My second game of the Dice Devils Italian Campaign had me facing off against Tristan and his US Armored Rifles. He also had a platoon of Chaffees and Shermans for armored support. I went with a Panzergrenadier Company, throwing in some Panzer IV and Elefants to bolster up the offensive side. The table was little more open and made for a great game in the later part of the afternoon!
The Americans dig in for the long term!
The mission we played was Counterattack, a mission I have gotten used to when it comes time to deploy. I think this is key, as you have to get to one of the objectives in a hurry and also be wary that you may have your ass hanging out in the wind when your opponent get's his reserves on the table!
Dusting off some more Mid-War for this installment of Friday Night Fights. We're back at Brett's place after some lengthy renovations to his home. Moving around keeps from the same person hosting over and over every week. Dennis(MattVarnish) has once again brought his DAK over and we decided to play a game of Dust-Up. It's going to be one of the missions at our tanks only event, 'May Madness' we will be having May 3rd at FdB in Gatineau. The idea was to have an all armored event where there are minimal support platoons containing anything other than tanks. Should be fun and hope you can make it out, or at least read about it once the AAR is done!
When I had finished my Airborne Americans for Historicon this past year, I had full intention of getting some more games in with them to finish out 2013. Playing with more of an 'infantry' based list allows you to try more things in both defensive and attacking roles. I learned a lot more about the game and my abilities to come up with tactics, deployments, strengths and shortcomings of my 82nd w/ Guards. The biggest thing being talked about at tournaments in 2013 has still been 'Sitzkrieg', which is still an issue for some. I've always been of the opinion, you can not win as an attacker, unless you do EXACTLY that. Sitting back and using artillery or aircraft to win a game is not going to happen, and sitting around until turn six waiting to lose is not an option either. Look at it like you have already lost unless you do something about it!
In November, a few of us went up to Petawawa for a Late War tournament. My goal was to come back and have a writeup of my games and post some pics, but the holidays were fast approaching and having some renos of my own to do, I simply did not have the time. Though I did take some pics of the games I played. Using the new 1650 point limit that has come down from Battlefront, my list was fairly balanced.
I will likely work a little more on this list after I decide what else to paint this coming year. I only have two resolutions I want to concentrate on in 2014. The first one is to assemble and paint an armored list, something like Canadians, heavy armored Brit squadrons or maybe even a German Panther Company. We've talked about an all out 'tanks only' list tournament. I'll have more on this when the time comes, for now here are some of the pics from the Nov. 17th tournament that was hosted by Perkins' Hobby's. With the temperature dipping down to nearly -40*C with the wind this week, stay inside, play some CoD:Ghosts and do some painting! Talk to you soon.
For this past Friday Night Fights, we broke out the desert terrain and went at it under the sun! We had a full house and quite a few games were played, I managed to grab some pics of the games and get a game in against Duane's in progress 'Cromwell' list. 1500 points was the total we went with, this gave everyone over at the house a chance to play. It was an all out slug fest on the camo table with Chris and Marty fielding what must have been 25+ pieces of armor running around the table.
Marty and Chris prepare their forces on the camo desert table.
Duane points out to Tristan that Cromwell's are a 'viable' tank.
Tristan's forces prepare for battle, note the 'bailed out' figures.
The night was fairly quick as we got two games in on one table, while Marty and Chris slugged it out for the whole two and a half hours. I was busy catching up and being a good host, so that means I was a terrible correspondent.....not really sure what either mission was and Duane was testing his list, so he pretty much had German's representing his British Cromwell recon list. Have no fear, his tanks are in the mail! I was able to score him a great deal on the Cromwell recon box for $140! They should be here sometime this week, although likely not in time for this weeks FnF.
Deployments done, now time to fight it out! The game only lasted a few turns.
A few weeks ago during Friday Night Fights, there was some discussion about my gaming table and a few of the guys thought it would be good to turn my modular table into a 'how-to' type post for the blog. I took some video and some pictures, so everything you are about to see is easy to do and best of all, CHEAP!! I think I ended up spending maybe $40 for all the wood and the legs for this project. Feel free to leave any questions you may have and I hope a few of you build your own table to use with your mates on your next gaming night!
Materials and Tools Required
Wood Glue
Wood Saw (Power Saw or Table Saw)
#2 Phillips Screwdriver
Measuring Tape
C-Clamps x3 (I used 3" Spring Loaded Clamps)
Wood Screws (At Least 1.5" or 2" Long)
(2x) 1"x3"x6' Table Rails
(2x) 1"x4"x6' Main Table Support
(4x) 1"x2"x4' Crossmember
(3x) 1/4"x2'x4' MDF Boards
(4x) Removable Legs
The Build Lay everything out on the floor so you have all the edges lined up and the table ends are FLUSH. I left the center MDF board out so you can see how it should look before you start putting everything together.
LAYING IT ALL OUT FIRST ENSURES YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO BEGIN YOUR BUILD
A THIN STRIP OF GLUE ALL THE WAY DOWN THE EDGE
Once you have that, take one of the 1"x3"x6' pieces and put glue all the way down the one side as shown in the picture above. Line up the edges of the 1"x4"x6' piece and ensure they are flush before you clamp them in place. Once you have them glued and clamped in place, let them dry for a few hours or as directed by the wood glue you used. I did mine late the night before I built the rest of the table. Go play some World of Tanks or muck about on EasyArmy to kill time!
In the first installment, I went over my list and some of the expectations and experiences of this years Late War Nationals Tournament held in Fredericksburg, Virginia. After a ten hour drive and a no show for my first game, I was ready to get into playing and have some fun to make this trip worth it. I was not the only one without an opponent, as I soon found out in game two. Chuck Leach was my opponent and we both discovered we each sat out round one with no one to play against. Not a big deal for either one of us, only we could have played the first round if it was caught in time. There were a TON of players, so Dave and Bruce had their hands full for sure. So much so, that I presented them each with one of the WWPD coins for doing a great job running this event. I can't wait for next year and Early War!
I know I mention never having played Cauldron, this was only the case in tournaments. It doesn't get played much though, but after the tournament, it's a fun scenario and not sure why players don't like it.
I won that game by only a narrow margin, Chuck's reinforcements gave something else for my Sherman V's and Firefly's to deal with as I tried to put some more pressure on him. The game started out with Chuck electing to use the Night Attack rule out of the rulebook, so visibility was cut to 4" at a time and rolling the dice to see how far our troops and armor could see in the dark. As shown in the video, I struck first and was able to cut down three out of four tanks in one of his armored platoons. He made his motivation and was able to shoot back, only the visibility was so poor due to low light, the sole surviving Sherman V couldn't see his targets due to darkness. I think it ended up being a 4-3 win for me.
The Canadians Prepare To Move In!
A Kangaroo Takes A Long Range Firefly Hit!! Everyone Off the Bus!!
Game three, and the last one of the day! I faced off against British Paras and came face to face against a former Marine. The military is a dominant force for Flames of War gamers. It seems a lot of players either served or are are still serving in the US military. I wish there was as much interest up here in Canada to play Flames of War, it would be great to have a larger following and larger events in Canada. I get that there is a 'Nationals' being held in Calgary this year, but really.....it's more of a West Coast Regional event than a National one in my opinion. I'll be looking to perhaps figure something out for this region as it boasts more players in the top 25 than any other part of Canada. On to the pics of my game against Mike, the super friendly and former Sgt. Major of the USMC. Video is after the pics!
Typhoon!!! Incoming!!!!
Armor Moves Towards The Objective Under Heavy Artillery Fire!
Multiple Typhoons Close In On The 82nd!
Another Pass To Finish Off What The Minefield Couldn't!
So, I had planned on doing a large video and picture dump from our trip to Historicon. I felt it would not have looked as I wanted, I didn't want to rush it and get it posted. Stay tuned for a three part series with pictures, video and more in the coming week.
This is how my army turned out and what I took to Historicon to compete. The group of us that went down, discussed all of us running Canadians for Nationals. After Dennis (MattVarnish) was the first to bail, I went ahead and completed the army I had started some time back. I figured it would give me an opportunity to get it done and on the table!
I think the only thing I added at the end was a .50cal AA to my command Sherman V in one of the platoons. It cost me five more points and got me to 1780 points on the nose. Over the course of several weeks you have seen a few 'in progress' sessions in trying to finish painting my paratrooper stands to get them ready for this event. Right up until the night before we left, I was finishing up the basing, all the painting had been finished.
I had a lot of positive comments and for my first attempt at painting such a large portion of infantry figures, I think they turned out awesome. Thanks to Mike for stopping by and giving me some advice and tips on how I can make a few changes and really improve my painting skils. I take in as much as I can get when I have an opportunity to get tips or tricks when it comes to painting.
I'm not intimidated of getting into assaults as much as I used to be. It's the one part of the rules I have yet to nail down, all the opponents I had made it easy and helped with any questions or problems I had. I only found myself going to the rulebook a few times during the whole tournament. I was even able to point out to a veteran player that plane stands can NOT be placed in or on terrain. That was a great game on day two I think. I'll have all that for my battle reports when I get all of it ready for posting. Russ from CGR painters passed on quite a bit of info that helped me in my later games. A big shout out to him in this first of three posts. If you need anything painted and you don't have time to do it yourself or you're just overwhelmed with everything that's in your queue, look up CGR painting services.
With some well deserved time off of work, I have been busy painting, reading, and trying to get some things done around the house. With the arrival of my parents from the east coast of Canada, I need to get this all out of the way and finished so I can make my way to Historicon relatively 'guilt' free. Having time off and having friends living close to downtown, it's easy to get a game in at Boutique FDB's (Freres de Bataille) new store. Obviously with the french name, it's a short trip over the bridge into Gatineau Quebec, where they recently moved into their newer, brighter and roomier space. Dennis and myself were eager to trial our Historicon lists and generally talk about our other passion at the moment, World of Not Painting, also known as World of Tanks to everyone else in the Flames of War, or PC gaming community. If you're not a PC gamer, the Xbox 360 will soon have it as well, I know the July 4th weekend was the BETA for the game and so far has had great reviews. The game however will be hosted on a separate server, so right now Xbox vs. PC for World of Tanks is a no go for Wargaming.net
With Historicon right around the corner, it's time to put the paintbrush and basing into overdrive. I've recently completed what will be one of two platoons of 82nd Airborne troops for this years tournament. I seldom reveal what I will be playing at any event, but seeing as it's my first National event....my expectations are less than high. I've been busy working on one platoon at a time and one stand at a time. I find it a little easier to keep track of what I have left to paint and once they're complete, I can move on to tanks.
The hardest part, has been the color schemes, I went with a few different ideas to really make these guys pop. The scrim on their helmets is a very bright, almost neon green, but once it has been washed, it certainly subdues the color and it leaves a nice eye catching effect that is not distracting. Red Leather for their pistol holsters, airborne knives(M3) and gun slings. I used a Flat Brown for the boots and stocks of all the weapons, this included the BAR, M1 and Thompson MG's. Adding Gun Metal Grey to the barrels of the weapons, makes them stand out a little more. Though I find extreme detail a work a bit beyond my skill level so far when it comes to painting 15mm figures.
In a past post, I mentioned before I was using a wash made by Warpainters. They come in several different shades and each one leaves it's own look on what ever it is you are painting. The darker ones are better for the armor/vehicles and some even have more of a gloss finish once they are dry. Basing these has been relatively fun to do and I have used a few things to get them just right. The initial basing is a fine coarse train ballast, followed up by a layer of dark brown paint. Spreading white glue liberally on the base, then place the entire base into some Burnt Grass from Games Workshop. The remaining tufts of grass are more train modelling flock and a whole bag of that will go a long way for $4!
With a few more stands to do, including command and bazookas, I will be taking my time. Even though we have moved into July, there are still a few weeks left to get some more done and I will be on leave starting next week, so there will be even more time to get that armor up and ready to support the 82nd Airborne! The original plan for me, was to get some Canadians together for Historicon, but after doing 15 Chaffee tanks for my US Light Tank Company, I really feel like I have enough armor running around and wanted to do something different. There really is nothing like getting a new army on the table for a tournament. Once the whole army is done, I'll be sure to break out the game mat and set up some scenery to show the whole thing off.
In case you are not a visitor to WWPD.net and it's vast network of sites, blogs and forum. This weekend, Operation Overlord kicks off it's 6 week campaign for Flames of War. Get over to the website and sign up if you have not already done so. Something else I am excited to announce, is the creation of the WWPD Challenge Coin, aka:'Project Ultra' until I had everything necessary from Steve of WWPD, including giving me the 'ok' and letting me run with this idea. The coin will look like the picture you see below and will measure 1.75" in diameter. The cost is $20 USD and can be found on the WWPD site for payment/delivery information. Some of the proceeds from the sale of the coins will be going to Wounded Warrior and there will only be 50 coins produced. Over half the coins have already been sold in the first week, so if you are interested please leave a comment or email me. They will also be available at Historicon for sale if you happen to be down there as well. I'm hoping to have them in hand for the tournament, the company minting these coins has given me an indication they will be done and in my mailbox well before that date.
Never having painted strictly a mass amount of 15mm 'Infantry' figs before, I'm finding myself a bit overwhelmed to get through them all! Back in April I had some time off work to do a few stands and really experiment with colors and techniques in order to get it right the first time. If you missed it, you can find that entry HERE Doing this ahead of time when you have never painted 104 figures before, is the best way of getting the necessary research together. Painting videos, color charts and countless hours of Band of Brothers all helped in my road to victory......at least the uphill battle part of getting them done. The greatest delay of getting through all these is partly because I was working on some armor for a tournament around the same time I started my Paras. Since then, I have been playing my Germans almost every 'Friday Night Fights'.
Three completed stands up front.
Final detailing, washing and basing details are next!
Aside
from war gaming, I am an avid WW2 history buff and have always been
fascinated by the men and missions that shaped our world. I've been
lucky enough to feel the waves of Utah,Omaha, Juno and Dieppe crash
against my feet while I made tracks in the sand. I've dug up artifacts
the Germans left behind in the 'Falaise Pocket'. I've even lit a candle
and had some time to reflect on it all, in the famous church at
Sainte-Mere-Eglise. Vimy Ridge, Pegasus Bridge, all the museums of
Normandy, and locating Michael Wittman's resting place were all small
highlights of my trip in 2007. Though let's be clear, a member of the SS
himself, I respect Wittman's abilities as a tank commander, not any of
his political or fanatical viewpoints.
For now, I can only look back at pictures and think of all the sights
and experience of seeing it all up close as I finish what will likely be
my last army for Flames of War for some time to come, that is until I
start to assemble the boxes of Battlefront M4A3 76mm Shermans, Plastic
Soldier Company M4A1 and Firefly tanks I have lying around!
St-Mere-Eglise
One of the guns of the 'Longues-sur-Mer' Normandy battery. Four 155mm guns made up the battery.
