Egypt 1882/Darkest Africa 1914: AAR's

I played two small colonial games with Don Cox using The Sword and The Flame and The Sword in Africa this past week and yesterday afternoon.

The first game was a company level action between 1882 British and 1882 Egyptian infantry.  I got the better hand with firing cards and dice rolls.  By the time everything was done.  I'd managed to shoot up both of Don's Egyptian infantry platoons. 

Here are some photos of the game:

                                          Initial deployment before the beginning of the game.

                                          Both sides moving into action.

The second game was another company level action between Colonial German infantry and British khaki troops in German East Africa during WWI.  Again, this devolved into a shooting match between and Don and me.  But Don's dice were cursed.  He couldn't hit anything to save his life.  We kept passing morale rolls.  I finally eliminated Don to the last figure off the table.  But I only had a Maxim gun and 75% effectives left in one infantry platoon. 

Though I won both games, it's more due to favorable card and dice rolls rather than anything else.  Just wait until I play my next game to see how lady fortune smiles upon me...

Sapper Joe's Vietnam Malaise...

I bowed out a 10mm Vietnam game this afternoon ran by Sapper Joe (Joe Collins).  Everything conspired against Joe to put on his game.  He said he'd either enjoy running his 10mm Vietnam Charlie Don't Surf! or he's sell everything to the lowest bidder in the Ukraine...

Alas, I didn't stay to see what devious ruses Sapper Joe had for my friends (Hostile Contact, Combat Colours, and David Schaefer).  If it was like Joe's French and Indian War scenarios, I think caution was the better part of the day.  Don't get me wrong, I do like playing Vietnam War games.  However, I've been torn over scales and rules for the past several years.  At first, my local group of friends wanted to play 20mm Vietnam.  Then 10mm became the rage with Cold War Commander.  The problem with 10mm is I can't see to paint it.  And multi-player Cold War Commander games just don't work out well.  It's better to run Cold War Commander as a two player game because of the unit activation system and my chances of rolling blown command rolls.

Now, my friends are wanting to play Vietnam FOW in 15mm using the Tour of Duty rolls.  Don't get me wrong, I like FOW.  But I'm going be killing my eyes to paint 15mm FOW WWII in a year or two.  My bifocals work better with 20mm or 28mm figures.  So I moved up to 28mm and plan to use Ambush Valley with Force on Force.  I'm not thrilled with Ambush Valley.  But it's workable.  So I bought my 28mm Americans and Vietnam civilians.  Now I need two platoons of 28mm VC.  Afterward, I'll buy 28mm prepainted huts and 28mm palm trees.  I'll see about painting up my 28mm Vietnam figures sometime in 2014.  And I'll be ready to game with my own figures.  Assuming Sapper Joe doesn't say the hell with all his Vietnam figures and melt them down as slag!

Though Combat Colors will have his own 15mm Vietnam figures in the seeable future...

Play testing of Chassepot & Needlegun with 28mm FPW armies

Don Cox and I playtested Larry Brom's Chassepot & Needlegun using 28mm Franco-Prussian War armies.  Each side had a 28mm infantry brigade.  It took up an entire 4' x 6' table.  My figure cases are so heavy, I could barely move them from my house to Game Nite.  I have an entire French and German infantry division for Chassepot & Needlegun.  I could fill an entire 4' x 6' with my other infantry brigades.  I should have stopped with one 28mm infantry brigade aside.  But that's hindsight. 

I was foolish enough to advance my 28mm French Foreign Legion troops forward into the range of the Prussian infantry.  I started taking casualties the second turn.  I fought back with my French Chassepot rifles.  But Don's bigger Prussian infantry battalions helped him absorb casualties.  Don also brought his 28mm Prussian Cuirassier into charge range.  A weakened French infantry battalion bolted.  The Prussian Cuirassier then continued their charge into my mounted Chasseur d'Afrique Regiment.  I rolled horrible on the morale chart.  My light cavalry also bolted off the table.  The remaining infantry battalion my right flank was slammed by Prussian Cuirassier and Prussian infantry.  They rolled a withdrawal on their morale roll. Being pinned, the entire French infantry battalion surrendered. 

That was enough to force my army morale to break.  But I was able to deploy my artillery to force Don's light Krupp guns to withdrawal to the table edge.  But I lost the game in 1.5 hours...

This is the fourth time I've played Chassepot & Needlegun.  I'd like to play it more before Die Con 13.  But the figure cases are a bitch to move.  I really don't want to bring everything to a shop again until I get wargaming table situated in my basement.  It's one of those games best played in some one's basement if I just consider the sheer logistics of moving the armies!

Here are some photos of the play testing:

                                          Initial Prussian deployment.

                                         Initial French Deployment

                                         Midway through the fighting.

                                          How fighting on the left flank developed.

May Painting Projects

Here are the painting projects I've completed so far this month:

                                          28mm 1870 Prussiang Infantry Brigade for Chassepot & Needlegun

                                          28mm 1870 Prussian Infantry Regiment 1

                                          28mm 1870 Prussian Infantry Regiment 2

                                          28mm High Elf Archers

                                          28mm High Elf Spearmen

                                          WIP, 25mm European Buildings for Chassepot & Needlegun

Basing a 28mm 1870 Prussian infantry regiment and other plans

I spent last weekend flocking a 28mm 1870 Prussian infantry regiment.  I still have another 28mm 1870 Prussian infantry regiment to finish this coming week.  I didn't spend the time I should have flocking figures.  I'll work more on them tomorrow afternoon and then get some photos of the figures on the blog.  I've also played the new WH40K Dark Angel Deathwing army list against Tau and Orks.  I've lost all three games I've played.  That is the only gaming I've done in the past couple of weeks. 

Aside from that, my 28mm Vietnam figures from Sgt. Bob's Miniatures and Jungle Rot miniatures arrived yesterday.  I now have 20 28mm US marines in flak jackets and 2 28mm M113's.  I also have some 28mm Eureka Vietnam civilians.  I'll get 28mm VC from Eureka USA later this summer.  Afterward, I'll need terrain (palm trees) and hoochs.  I thought I'd get some prepainted hoochs from The Miniature Building Authority.  That is for later in the year or early 2014. 

I look at my painting table and I shudder in horror.  The 28mm Franco-Prussian figures are getting done.  But I have a backlog of 28mm 1870 French and Prussian cavalry to spray.  Along with some 28mm High Elves.  I'm wanting to get better weather when it's sunny this week and actually seal figures on the deck before contractors start working on the house.  I'm wanting to get done with all the 28mm 1870 armies by December 2013. 

I was going to work on 28mm Trojan War armies in 2014.  I'm torn to work on my WH40K figures instead.  I could also see about painting 15mm FOW British Paras and 15mm Waffen SS, too.  I have a lot of WH40K figures needing painting and assembling.  I also went up to Wargamers Cave in Granite City, IL to buy some Battlefoam 720 bags.  They sold the one they had on hold for me.  They also didn't have the 15mm Waffen SS infantry platoon I wanted, either.  I wasted my time drive up there.  However, I'll get around to seeing what I want to eventually do for next year.  My lead pile is getting bigger than I like.

But on the bright side, the house is slowly getting cleaned.  My roommate promised me a gaming table downstairs in the basement sometime this year.  This the last major area that needs to be cleaned.  I've taken over the basement with my gaming figures (I now have over $1200.00 in GW figure cases alone).  I also have plans for putting in some grow lights for my orchids that are struggling to flourish in the basement.  A gaming table, some chairs and lights would definitely brighten my day being able to have friends over for small engagements and scenarios.  All the gaming I've done the past several years has been at shops.  I'd like to be to stop a game and pick it up later or go for an adult beverage and then come back to playing a game at my leisure.  But that is for the autumn (hopefully)...