Been a while since the last update and a few things have been added. The following are what I can recall!
First up are Victrix Unarmoured Samnites which were a joy to assemble and paint. Went for simple tunic and let the shield decals star.
Close up of command base.
The slow expansion of my 1809 Austrians with a 36 figure unit being added.
This completes a brigade of 6, with the other 5 needing the addition of 12 figures each to make up to 36s. Thankfully I have the figures already.
2 more Netherlands Militia bttns.
Which now completes the brigade.
My Team Yankee West Germans. The choppers are missing…rather fragile and rotors have fallen apart and in repair shop. View from above.
View from front.
View from side!!
Doing an expansion of my C10th Byzantines Heavy Infantry by adding several units of Rus. Using plastic Gripping Beast Vikings and Dark Age Warriors with commands from metal/SAGA ranges with addition of the rectangular shields. I really should have used Victrix Vikings as these figures really don’t rank very well at all. These current project so obviously, not finished!
At Xmas I picked up a box of Fireforge Byzantine Auxiliaries to really see if they matched with my Gripping Beast figures and they do. Planning cavalry expansion as the Fireforge are plastics far cheaper than metals and the postage from GB is a killer. Below are archers in light mail.
Standard skirmishing archers.
The guys who stand in front of the battleline with long spears to stick them in horses. Crazy dudes!
Sigh…..while I waited the lonnnnnng awaited Perry Franco Prussian French…that I first begged them for 20 years ago over a beer and Chinese meal here in Wellington…..I started practicing on some Foundry French. The quality of casting is……poor…being polite..its REALLY BAD! Which is why they have languished in a box for years. I have never drilled and filed figures as much as these required(actually…on reflection I did have a unit of Connoisseur Cuirassiers which I was going to bin but Brian the ‘Woolshed Gamer’ took them off my hands that were worse) …and these were the best of the bunch.
But the good news is Goldie was at Salute on Saturday and has picked me up 3 boxes of the newly released plastics to start with.
Valour & Fortitude (V&F for short) is a set of rules that you can download from this website and then use to fight tabletop wargames using the Perry Miniatures range of figures. The rules are complemented by a set of army sheets, that contain the information needed to use one of the armies from the Perry Miniatures range in V&F, and scenarios that provide all the information needed to set up a battle.
The rules, army sheets and scenarios are completely free of charge, and are designed to fit onto just half a dozen sides of A4 paper. All you need to do is download them and print them out and you are good to go! In addition, a full colour printed version of V&F is available with the October 2022 issue of Wargames Illustrated magazine, and the magazine itself includes further V&F coverage. You can find out more by visiting the Wargames Illustrated website.
These rules are written by Jervois Johnson, Alan and Michael Perry, names well known to all Wargamers. The rules are aimed at those hosting games for new players and convention demonstration games.
So, Goldie expressed a desire to give them a whirl at the year ending BBQ so 4 of us gathered to give them a first whirl…I had printed them….as had Alan while Goldie and SteveC had actually read them…so a good start. As usual I managed drinks while Alan and Steve playing French took on Goldie in a 150 point game. The Army lists allow you to point out a force.
A second game was played between Xmas and New Year; however, I missed that one as Covid finally got me on Xmas Day… sigh…….but a third one was played with Alan and I with Goldie (Alan also had Covid over Xmas). So, a scattering of pictures is below from several games with my initial thoughts…….
The Rules are the standard fare of I move, you move with caveat of they are FAST PLAY rules so don’t expect a BLACK POWDER game.
It’s designed to be quick, and it is as once you get the hang of the rules…a good-sized game will probably last a couple of hours. The rules are 4 pages however with the Army lists you get a wee bit of the National characteristics along with a small deck of cards which add a wee bit of flavour.
Some pictures from games follow:
So below we have French infantry brigade on the left v Prussian infantry and a French Cuirassier brigade on v Prussian Cavalry. In the infantry fight the French have advantage as have a flanking unit and a rear unit…they add differing attack factors. Now the Cavalry bash is very interesting….. the Dragoons get 6 attacks….the support adds 3 as is touching corner of French Cuirassiers…the Cuirassiers get 7 attacks…but only 1 for the supporting unit…Prussians roll average…French less than average and they explode(several tests are performed).
Here we have a different game…..Prussian skirmishers on left that were proving very difficult to get away…Goldie checked after game, and they should have died earlier…..but the cavalry is more interesting…..I used a small brigade of Guard Cavalry…why not! To take on 3 Prussian Landwehr Cavalry…..this is where the Card deck helped…was able to auto move 2 brigades so sent Guard into Landwehr and then moved the infantry brigade up as cover. I took out the Landwehr.
Other side of table…..I was holding the village…well….actually just being target practice. Shooting is vicious,,,,,you get 3 shots…..on a 4 you cause a casualty…no save…in a village…you ignore the FIRST casualty.. the rest stick…so if you put a unit in a village…and opponent gets several units and a battery to shoot you…you don’t survive long at those odds!! Now opposite these Prussian landwehr is my Cuirassier brigade. Plan was to charge to landwehr and form them into square. This is where reading rules would have helped…..I have 7 attacks….Landwehr have 5 as in attack columns…however….there is no form square test…instead my attacks round down to 50%…so I have 3 attacks…..YIKES!!
Last picture from this game is Alans flanking cavalry having smashed my Cuirassiers, is flanking the Landwehr and the village is now devoid of French infantry as the brigade guarding it has been blown away.
So I have watched one game and played in one….. so and initial thoughts are it sure ain’t BLACK POWDER.
Do I like Valour & Fortitude…frankly unsure. Goldie has been conversing with Jervois Johnson and as a group we have been invited to do some playtesting which the guys have jumped at. But you do need A LOT OF TROOPS as brigades literally EXPLODE…. which fortunately is not an issue for our group.
I don’t like the layout of the rules…so as just headed away on holiday the plan is to do very little for couple of weeks(at a beach town….but…its going to be wet most of the time)…so will reformat them so easier to read.
Pop on over to Little Wars for a good review if you have the time.
Now the first Whisky of the Year 2023 is the Lagavulin 16.
When asked what I wanted for Xmas…I informed the Beloved a bottle of whisky of course…so she just sighed and just handed over her credit card! Last year while visiting one of my daughters who is working in Queenstown in a hotel…..while drinking whisky at the bar…the delightful young chap on the bar gave me samples of a few whiskies, one being the Lagavulin 16…which is a peaty classic….so I decided this would make a good Xmas Prezzie.
Sadly…with covid hitting me on Xmas day…was unable to sample it until this month…when friend Weakly stopped over for a night on arrival from Vanuatu (we spent the day spray coating his Warlord Epic Waterloo figures…you can’t send spray cans to the island) …so at last could open it and smell then taste it!
These are the reviewing notes:
Nose: More like Lapsang Souchong tea than Lapsang Souchong! One of the smokiest noses from Islay. It’s big, very, very concentrated, and redolent of iodine, sweet spices, good, mature Sherry and creamy vanilla. Stunning.
Palate: Very thick and rich. A massive mouthful of malt and Sherry with good fruity sweetness, but also a wonderful sweetness. Big, powerful peat and oak.
All I can say is I heartily agree….it is not for the for a Whisky newbie or the faint of heart…..but I am really looking forward to winter and enjoying this wee beauty in front the fire….. while listening to Runrig singing Loch Lomond!
For something different I am going to add regular updates on what different members of the GarageGamers are working on.
First up is Gamer Stephen who was introduced to the Group in the past year by Gamer PaulW who has absconded to Vanuatu. Stephen lives in a neighbouring suburb to me.
Now currently Stephen has 2 Projects underway….an ECW/TYW 28mm Scots Covenanters Army and Warlord Games Epic Scale(12mm) ACW. Stephen has ready a wee brief for us.
The ECW force is Scots Covenanters, who could serve in the bishops wars, either side of both civil wars, mercenaries for continental wars and right the way through to 1746 and Culloden.
The painted force is currently a unit of pike and shotte (two 60mm squares of pike, 8 figs each square, six 40mm squares of shotte, 4 figs each), a unit of cavalry (six 50mm squares, 2 figs each), light artillery (60mm square), Laird (50mm circle), and a unit of Highlanders (three 60mm squares, 9 figs each).
On the painting desk is another unit of Highlanders, and an artillery piece.
The ACW forces are a small Confederate force of 2 small regiments, a unit of skirmishers, 2 cannon and a commander. The Union force is 2 small regiments, a medium regiment of zouaves (114 Pennsylvania), the first base of the iron brigade, a cavalry regiment, 4 canon, skirmishers, dismounted cavalry, 2 commanders.
On the painting desk is the iron brigade and another unit of dismounted cavalry.
So without further ado….here are the pictures!
Aren’t they GORGEOUS!
Really looking forward to them making it to a battlefield soon!
On the basis ‘You can never have enough’ here is another 1812 Russian Position battery…figures are Front Rank.
And a close up.
Next up are additions to my ACW forces. Firstly are 2 boxes of Perry Artillery which I have made into 2 x 3 inch Rifle batteries and 1 x 12pdr Smoothbore battery. I have painted the command base for them and will add a GMB Union Artillery Flag. Picture when flag arrives.
And a close up. These were fun to paint…nice and quick!
Now as I plan on running a Gettysburg BIG GAME….. I decided to start getting Corps Command stands. Here are first 3. All figures are Perry and flags of course are GMB.
And the close up.
The Confederates also got some love with Longstreet and Hood getting Command bases. I need more of the Perry mounted standard bearers….so in meantime they are making do with a couple footsloggers.
And the close up.
Jeb Stuart has even arrived with friends…..
And the close up. I have picked this particular command flag as I think it will be easy to spot on a large battlefield.
I will be taking a wee break from ACW for a few weeks and focussing on adding to my Pyrrhic Macedonian army by adding 2 units of Victrix Samnites. Been a plan for many years to add Samnites and finally got around to getting 2 x 24 figure packs from Victrix. These will be getting a very simple light linen tunic with blue trim… the star will be the lovely decals that will be on the shields.
There has some love going on my Team Yankee Germans as well but will leave them until fully ready for display!
Happy New Year from the Hermit Kingdom that is New Zealand….and another year has rolled around…..and thankfully my new(as in 4 months old) laptop is back from being repaired. The less said about that the better……and the coffee machine is also in getting repaired…again….it was blowing switches when I turned it on…..not a good sign!!
So 2022 brings us 2 of the group no longer being with us. Gamer Nick has upped stakes and moved back to Auckland(aka Plague City) but I am sure he will journey south to visit with the other members of the Auckland Group when we host ‘The Big Mother Games!’. Sadly Gamer Paul Weakley has departed to the Pacific Island resort of Vanuatu where his beloved has a Diplomatic posting which will involve 4 years of consuming Champagne and Whisky around a pool…….. a task Paul is supremely equipped to excel at!
Now 2022 finished with additional periods of interest for some. For me I have started collecting for Warlord Games ‘Victory at Sea’ 1/1800 WW2 game. I had purchased some initial box sets to start IJN and US fleets but as lovely as the models are, its not a cheap period for such tiny ships and planes. So Gamer Russ who is seemingly collecting EVERY fleet in the war has been a star and sourced 2 suppliers in the UK and US who make 3D models. For a fraction of the cost of Warlord kits I have Imperial Japanese Navy reinforcements somewhere on the way to NZ. Have gone with initial order of 1 small carrier, 3 destroyers and 20 flights of planes(have 3 carriers which need 45 flights…then my cruisers need planes etc!). The planes I have selected at 1/1200 scale as Russ got an order in over Xmas and he remarked that 1/1200 may have been better scale for the planes so I went with them. Since my order was sent Russ has been talking with the wonderful chap in the UK and he has made changes to the planes position on their bases. An in depth article including suppliers details will be made when they are here!!
The second new period for me is Battlefronts ‘Team Yankee’ which is a 1985 NATO v Soviets game with 15mm models. So have gone with West Germans, cajoled Gamer Goldie into doing Soviets and the bonus is Russ has several armies already. Perfect.
Elsewhere in Gaming Group Alan has purchased a Bavarian Napoleonic army of the new Victrix range which I checked out the other day and they do look awesome. Goldie is working through Republican Romans and Keith has started on an army Box of Warlord Games Successors(I handed over a box of Victrix Mercenary Hoplites to help him along as well) so looking forward to some good games of Ancients this year.
No pictures this time……just a quick post to start the year now laptop back!
Until next time…..which will be a report on WW2 wee ships game.
So that sneaky virus has managed to infiltrate Fortress New Zealand once again…..in late August….. and the borders once again resemble a block of Swiss Cheese……..
Now for those of us not in Auckland it was 2 weeks at Level 4 followed by 1 week at level 3. This basically means stay home….. in my case…I was told had to go to work…..how annoying. Poor old Auckland is still locked up….they may be allowed out by Xmas(hopefully this year)This has meant minimal hobby time as been a bit busy….especially as the eldest daughter and the boyfriend moved in while between flats for a month(and the lads gaming machine was put on landing by my paint table…meaning I couldn’t paint as too noisy)…..but some progress has been made.
Now first is another unit of Byzantine Heavy Kavallarioi. I have just based them as I didn’t get the right shields or decals and so had to do an order to Gripping Beast and at the moment orders take 4-6 to make it out here to the ‘Hermit Kingdom’. A big thank you to Gripping Beast for buying Front Rank Miniatures as well! So figures are Gripping Beast, shield decals and banner from LBM.
The figures are mainly from a SAGA box set I picked up in a sale. So I decided to use the ‘Warlord’ or General figure in the unit. Was fun to paint as I played around with a box set of Army painter washes I have on the figure. Happy with result. I have adopted a mainly consistent approach to armour…leather etc across all the Byzantine units with slight variation on the ochres and browns and then differing washes.
The next unit is one of Byzantine Infantry. Again from Gripping Beast and decals/banner from LBM. The unit is 2 ranks of long spears and then bows at the back.
And a close up.
This brings my Byzantine force up to 2 Heavy Kavallarioi, 1 light Kavallarioi and 2 Infantry units. Next up is a 2nd light Kav unit to finish off a Division of 4. Below is photo of the force.
Now about an hour before Lockdown started at midnight there was a knock at the door and Goldie had turned up to hand over some Front Rank Wurttemberg Jager he had just finished for me to base for him. Now I have finished the basing and returned them, but being an idiot did not take finished picture. So here is one of the 3 oval bases part based. Will steal them back for a photo shoot!
Next are 2 Bttns of Austrian Grenz for my 1809 force. These are the 2 bttns of Grenzer Regiment No 13 Wallacho-Illyrian with the figures being Front Rank.
Still being worked on are a Bttn of 1809 French to add to Friant’s Division. This is the first of the 108th Ligne’s bttn’s. Figures are Front Rank Reinforcement pack figures. Am going for a non parade look…so making look bit scruffy with stained uniforms using some Army Painter inks.
Next up are some light infantry and skirmishers for my Romans. A bit of Ancients Gaming is starting so was time added some light units to my Legions.
Now Alan and Goldie have started painting the Prussian Hordes for the Franco Prussian War. The French plastic infantry have not been released yet for me to paint thankfully. But below are some of Alan’s figures.
So its almost the end of January 2021 and so timely report on how poor my Xmas production has been.
I naturally am blaming others than my self, in particular our test cricket team who have performed way above their weight in winning 2 test series over our summer(such as it has been). As test matches go for 5 days…there has been alot of cricket to watch!
But , I have managed a handful of hobby activity.
First up are 4 Hanomags for my Panzer Lehr Bolt Action force. Have managed to assemble and undercoat 4 with the camoflage just starting to be applied. A couple of Stug 4’s are next up and have started assembling the Panzer Grenadiers to go with the Hanomags.
With the start of the 1814 Campaign I decided I needed to rebase some of my 1809 era Austrian Army which were like the French, based on a different basing size. So 8 x 24 figure units have now been rebased. I had 12 Front Rank metal figures sitting around so am painting them up to expand a unit to 36 figures.
My Austrian Army has not seen much love over the last few years so am spending a bit of time not only rebasing but repairing damaged figures and adding some more units. The picture below is the current army status minus a Jager unit getting touched up at moment.
The line infantry are from Rosenbergs 4th Corps with the Grenadiers from the Reserve Corps at Wagram. Most figures are Front Rank. The 3 bttns in front centre are IR58 which go in the Avante Guard Brigade so will remain as 24 figure bttns. The remainder all need expanding to 36’s.The Orange unit needs 1 more bttn and then will add 3 bttns blue trousered Hungarians. The plastics on the left have sustained bit damage so getting repaired, then will add the next 3 x 36’s. The 6 bttns of landwehr at back are all thats needed. Have 2 bttns Front Rank Grenz to paint up in near future. I have added some Perry hangers on around the batteries, and have the gun caissons to paint up.
Close up of rebased IR58.
The cavalry arm are in partial rebase stage with Cuirassiers so far rebased. The 2 Hussar Regts should be large units, but rather add the Dragoon and Uhlan regts before increase their size.
Next up I have added to Russian 2 more 1812 Musketeer battalions for the 27th Division. These are Warlord plastics with Front Rank metal Reinforcement Command packs added to them.
That’s about it for now…. February going on holiday … March we have the Borodino refight but the production line will kick back into life by late March…..list includes more French Commanders, Wurttemberg Commanders, French battery and finishing another Byzantine cavalry unit and painting the Hanomags! Then move onto the Austrians getting some more loving.
Not to forget the 1814 Campaign will be chuggin along…….
First up Alan has been busy, as ever…..so this is a post of his latest painting efforts.
Text by Alan.
I replaced/upgraded my Prussian cavalry as the new Warlord figures were a lot more animated than the Perry figures that I sold late last year.
I felt the Perry miniatures were a bit static by comparison to the new Warlord offering.
The Warlord figures are in their new soft resin which will not be acceptable to those ‘purists’ who insist on lead only figures, but while the resin figures are quite soft, there is lots of detail and they are pretty easy to prepare for painting. Once mounted on their bases the figures seem quite stable and of course there is no way any of the lances will snap if mishandled.
I have also been extending my Black Sea fleets enlarging my squadrons of British, French, Spanish vessels with everything from from 1st rates through to little cutters, plus a small American force is developing.
And finally I have started painting some of my pike and shot figures … a Royalist army of the ECW.
So that’s Alan’s wee update.
Next up will be one on an 1814 campaign Goldie has started………..
So winter is over and the Mrs has decided she wants to start renovating our lounge. I have got away with my painting desk in the lounge for 3 years so I was due to be moved!!
The result is I have moved up 1 more level to the landing on the top level and am set up in a wee nook by the fire flue so be nice and comfy in winter, although going to be bit hot in summer(not because fire on but house gets rather warm in summer and no aircon on top level, and heat rises). Picture of new location below, still get a water view.
The last contributions I added to my Borodino Russians was 2 ammo wagons and an artillery command base. The wagons are the Perry horse artillery carts, I also had a Tool/Amunition wagon to finish but the driver was awful, had a big chunk metal moulded to his front and I gave up trying to slowly get it off. The command figures are Front Rank and have added gun barrel and wheel to base as is used as my artillery commander. If we make a grand battery(ie 2 batteries or more) we can assign a commander to them so they can operate independently.
Been having a small break since Borodino game ended, focussed on some landscaping tasks and painting window frames for some shuttters we have just had installed. But getting back into some hobby stuff now and for a change not Napoleonics. The Hanomag on the paint desk is a give away, the next project is Bolt Action WW2 German force, in particular Panzer Lehr from 1944. Many decades ago a mate and I gamed WW2 in 1/76 and my force was Panzer Lehr. PaulW has lent me a wonderful book called ‘1 SS Panzer Corps at Villers-Bocage 13 June 1944’ by David Porter that has all the data I need to assemble and paint a force. I have been looking at some UTubes on how to paint the kits needed and last Xmas I got carried away buying what thought needed in all the various sales around, and of course the Mrs pitched in and ordered some online for me as a Xmas prezzie, bless her. So a picture of my kits is below, the infantry are under construction already.
Now Goldie and Nick already play Bolt Action so am expecting some lessons after Xmas, PaulW has a bunch of tanks stored in his ceiling(1/48’s) and Murray has 1/48 armies and some beautifully painted Grand Manner WW2 buildings so am looking forward to some games in 2021 been played by the group.
First up is a unit of Byzantine light cavalry that was 95% completed in Lockdown, however the shield xfers were faulty. Stephen Hales from LBM Studios sent me replacements free of charge and I have put the xfers on the shields and added a LBM banner.
My Byzantine force now has 2 cavalry units, a heavy and a light and 1 unit Skutatoi infantry. Another heavy cavalry unit is on the painting table at the moment. All figures are metals by Gripping Beast.
Next up are 4 battalions of 1809 era Austrian Grenadiers. Figures are Front Rank with flags by GBM Flags. There were some broken bayonets on the figures, so I found a use for some plastic Warlord Prussian Landwher by painting their bayonets, cutting them off then gluing them onto the metal Front Rank figures. Happy with result.
Last up are reinforcements for my Netherlands Waterloo force. I already have 2 Militia battalions and have added the 2nd Line Battalion and 35th Jager battalion plus the Belgian horse artillery battery Bichin. All figures are Perry Miniatures.
terrysgaragegaming 