Bayou Wars Pictures - Part 2

This set of pictures from the Gulf South regional convention will focus on one of the games in which I played.

My friend Bill ran a pulp fiction game using the Two Fat Lardies rules I Ain't Been Shot, Mum that pitted a British column escorting some archaeologists (with their treasures) against some Chinese bandits.  Aiding the British was a unit of American rocketeers while a detachment of German Zeppelintruppe were somewhat allied with the Chinese bandits.

The jungle covered terrain traversed by a rough road and a small stream.  The various flagged markers are the "blinds" that the players use to initially mark their troop positions.

The British column led by HMAC Ajax, a Rolls Royce armoured car.  The archaeologists are beside the Ajax while their "treasure" truck in behind it.  The flags are the blinds that the British players used to initially conceal their sections' locations.

The British column consisted of His Majesty's Armoured Car Ajax, two "big" men (to use the rules' parlance), two British infantry sections, a Ghurkha infantry section, and a Vickers machinegun team.  They were escorting five archaeologists and their "treasure" truck.  Their objective was to proceed across the stream and exit the playing area on the opposite side.

The afternoon sun glints off the stream.  The various flagged markers are the blinds each player used to conceal their initial locations and forces.

A closer look at the Ajax and the archaeologists' truck, with one of the British blinds to the right of the truck.

The German blinds in the background have spotted one of the British blinds, revealing an eight man section, one of the "big" men, and the Vickers machinegun team.

The Germans had two or three (I can't remember exactly) sections of Zeppelintruppe that had off-loaded from their Zeppelin which was off the board.  Their mission was to "invite" the archaeologists to return to the Fatherland, meet Der Fuehrer, and assist the Reich in their hunt for powerful archaeological relics.

More British forces, some of the Germans, and one of the Chinese sections have been revealed.  The Ajax has crossed the stream but has been pinned down by the Chinese bandit ambush.

There were four bands of Chinese bandits.  One of them had a heavy machinegun team and another had a heavy mortar.  Between those two, they were able to pin the British.  The Chinese mission was to block the British column and recover the looted treasures from the archaeologists.

Towards the end of the game with the British still pinned at the stream crossing.  The red markers are "wound" indicators which are decrements to the fighting strength of the sections.  The American rocketeers are just off the picture to the left.  There were three sections of rocketeers whose mission was to aid their British allies.  The figure at the rear of the archaeologists' truck is one of the German "big men" who was trying to reach the archaeologists.

The British were unable to complete their mission due to the able emplacement of the ambushes by the Chinese.  But the Germans didn't complete their mission either as all the archaeologists remained under British control.

It was a fun little game and my British, Ghurkha, and Chinese troops all saw action together.  HMAC Ajax was unfortunately outclassed by the Chinese heavy weapons and really didn't have much impact on the fighting.  We'll definitely have more of these games up in Jackson during the coming months.

Bayou Wars Pictures - Part 1

Our Gulf South regional convention, Bayou Wars, was held June 10-13.  I've finally had time to post some of the pictures I took there.  Please click on each image for a larger view.

Clay Cooper's Command and Colors Napoleonic game pitted the French against an Anglo-Portuguese force.  Clay used his 15mm Napoleonic figures that were based for Napoleon's Battles rules in specially built movement trays on a 4" hex gridded Hotz matt.  It was a fun little game.

Larry Reeves' 15mm Napoleonic game, using his home rules, pitted an historical 1813 French force against the Prussian I Korps at the Battle of Wurttemburg.  The Prussians had to advance across a stream and its accompanying marshes before we could deploy against the French.  Although we didn't finish the game, it was apparent that the Prussians would probably win.

The main French force deploying against the Prussian advance

The Prussian battalions file down the single road and also slog through the marshes

As the leading brigades deploy, the trailing brigades venture into the marshes and more Prussians clog the road

Now all across the stream, the Prussians begin their advance

One of the French commanders (a "Marie Louise") eyes the attacking Prussians

The Prussian and French forces spread out as they maneuver for advantage

Travis Melton's WW2 Microarmor pick-up game:

Mark Stevens' Zulu game using The Sword and the Flame rules:

Martha advances her British towards the objective, a farm stead, while keeping an eye out for the Zulu impis.  One of her fellow British commanders watches.

A Zulu unit has been revealed and gets a decent movement towards the invading British.

Travis Melton's WW1 naval game, using his home rules:

Three of my German battlecruisers (foreground) trade fire with British battlecruisers among the rain squalls in the North Sea in this fictional encounter between part of the High Seas Fleet and part of the Home Fleet.

My German command isn't doing so well - one battleship and two battlecruisers are sinking!  But I have sunk a pair of British battlecruisers and sent a British battleship home with severe damage.

A second German battleship and a third battlecruiser go to Davey Jones' locker as the British close in for the kill.  Only two old German pre-dreadnought battleships were able to escape from my command.  My fellow German squadron commanders, each with four battleships, also didn't fare well.  It just wasn't a good day to be a German sailor.

A close-up of the 1:2400 scale (we think) ships and the stat cards that Travis prepared for the game.

Jay Stribling's Assyrian vs Egyptian game using his home rules:

"Electric" Ed ponders how his Assyrians can get close enough to beat the fast, but lighter armored Egyptians.

The Assyrians "stole" a march on the Egyptians and get very close as the game starts.  Jay (red shirt) is flanked by Larry Brom, author of The Sword and the Flame rules.

That's all for now.  I'll post more later.

Flag Day and Army 236th Birthday

The title and these pictures say it all!!

US Army founded June 14,  1775

And still going strong, June 14, 2011

Between the Wars British and Chinese

Over the Memorial Day weekend, I completed my Between the Wars British "flying column" and also added some heavy weapons to my Back of Beyond Chinese forces.  All of these figures are Copplestone, from their Back of Beyond range.  Please click on the pictures for a larger image.

The flying column commander, a major, and his colour sergeant

Another view, showing the hand painted crown and chevrons on the colour sergeant's arm

The 1st Rifle Section, commanded by a captain, with a sergeant, corporal, Lewis gunner and loader, and seven riflemen

The 2nd Rifle Section, commanded by a Second Leftenant, with same other ranks

The machine-gun section with section sergeant and two Vickers .303 water cooled machine guns

The attached Ghurkha Rifle Section, commanded by a First Leftenant with his Ghurkha sergeant and corporal, British Lewis gunner with Ghurkha loader, and seven Ghurkha riflemen

I've had the Chinese heavy weapons for a while after purchasing them from Bobe's Hobby Shop when they were getting rid of many of their historical miniatures.  While I was painting the British, I took the opportunity to get them painted as well.

Chinese heavy machine gun team, with team commander, gunner, and loader

Chinese heavy mortar team, with two "active" pose crewmen and a "leader" (?) eating rice

Another view, showing the large mortar shell being held by the loader and the "leader" (?) enjoying his bowl of rice

These figures will see their baptism of fire in my friend Bill's game at Bayou Wars, our Gulf States regional convention.  Bill will be running his game at the Jackson Gamers table on Saturday afternoon, June 11.

A Housing Boom

The past week or so has seen a housing boom at ColCampbell's Barracks.  The carpenters, masons, roofers, and painters have been working overtime to get ready for a game on Saturday.  Here is what they have produced.

All of these houses are sized for 28mm figures.  The roofs of the 2nd and 4th buildings are removable so figures may be placed inside.  The other two have non-removable roofs.  All were painted using various craft acrylic paints.

With the houses I already possess, I now have the ability to make two medium sized or three small sized villages for future 18th or 19th Century battles.

Two More Leaders

After my play test game last Saturday, I realized that I really needed two more leaders who were more in keeping with the commands they would be leading.  So I dug around in my 18th Century boxes and came up with a Britannian Ranger leader and a Gallian Indian Ally leader.

The Britannian Ranger leader is one of a batch of tricorne wearing figures I bought via eBay.  He is a French officer from Front Rank's American Revolution line (French AWF-17).  But painted with a green coat, buckskin pants, and deer hide mitasses, he has become the leader on my combined Ranger-Light Infantry-Allied Indian "battalion" for His Britannian Majesty's forces in the 'Murica colonies.  Re-purposing with a vengeance!

Another "find" in the 18th Century troops boxes was this Old Glory Indian.  He had been purchased as part of a batch of painted figures, so he needed just some touch-ups and selected repainting to become the war chief of the Gallian allied Huron Indian war band.

They will both see action in June at our regional gaming convention - Bayou Wars.  My game will be on Saturday morning (see the PEL for details).

Justice Has Been Done!