15mm Napoleonics

As I've mentioned before Napoleonic gaming was where I started wargamming 'proper' at the Rainham Wargames Club, my badly and wrongly painted 25mm Minifigs British took to the field in various numbers to battle mostly French enemies, marching forwards and being gunned down my the massed ranks of Derek's cannon.

Since then I've had various attempts of restarting a Napoleonic, the latest is a 15mm Napoleonic force based on the Peninsular Wars and in particular around 1810. The first formation I've finished is the Light Divison from the Battle of the Coa.

1st Battalion 43rd Foot

The battle was really only a skirmish, Wellington had been campaigning against the French commanded by Marshall Andrea Messena. The French were trying to force a crossing of the river Coa to attack Almeida.

Wellington knowing the British were outnumbered ordered his army to fall back over the Coa, The General of the Light Division, Robert Craufurd, was a very competent commander and had trained and handed his division Brilliantly but on this day 24th July 1810 his judgement or timing wasn't the best. The Light Division as the armies rearguard and was surprised by an attack my a French force of 24,000 men commanded by Ney, Craufurd's 2,900 British and Portuguese men were caught on the Spanish side of the river and he decided to stay and fight.

The Light Division fought hard but took heavy casualties, risking being outflanked they continued fighting, the French having greater numbers and a superiority in Cavalry charged the line with bayonets and in the end the french attacks threatened to cut off the British from the only escape route of the bridge so Craufurd order the retreat across the river,

The 95th Rifles were the last of the rearguard as the rest of the Division crossed, a wagon over turned on the bridge and the Rifles came under fire from the fortress of Almeida as they were mistaken for the enemy but finally the Division crossed the bridge. The French attempted to force their way across the river but had several attempts repulsed by heavy musket and cannon fire and finally a heavy thunderstorm brought the fighting to an end.

Light Division Order of battle 24th July 1810

General Robert Craufurd

1st Brigade
Lt-Colonel Sydney Beckwith

1/43rd Foot
5 Coys. 1/95th Rifles
3rd Cacadores

2nd Brigade
Lt-Colonel Robert Barclay

1/52nd Foot
5 Coys. 1/95th Rifles
1st Cacadores

Cavalry Brigade
Brigadier General George Anson

16th Light Dragoons
Light Dragoons
Ross' Troop Royal Horse Artillery

1st Battalion 52nd foot

Ross' Troop Royal Horse Artillery

British Artillery

British Light Infantry

Light Division

Portuguese and British Troops

Star Wars Armada from Fantasy Fight Games.

We all love Star Wars don't we? The new film is out soon and I'm waiting to see if its anywhere near as good as the originals or the embarrassing level of the second trilogy. JJ Abrams has a reasonable enough history with Sci Fi, I really liked his reboot of the Star Trek films so my hopes are on the positive side.

Also new Star Wars film means new Star Wars toys which no doubt I will be getting some of soon enough; meanwhile I have been mulling over games that involved some more classic Star Wars themes. Quite a few of my friends have taken up playing X Wing from Fantasy Flight Games, I've played a few times and do enjoy the system, but I do like bigger ships so I went out and brought Star Wars Armada by the same company... It's been mentioned to me that its expensive, well it's twice the price of the X Wing game. It does have a huge about of parts in the box, loads of tokens, cards and playing aids as well has three rather nice capital ships (Victory Class Star Destroyer, Nebulon B frigate and a Corellian Corvette) as well has a selection of Tie Fighters and X Wings. The ships themselves are not to scale (not a new idea as battle fleet gothic was also completely out of scale) and this is apparently done so you get pleasing detail on the models. 

I've only had one game so far, but it's easy to pick up the rules, ship maneuvering is nice and easy and the main game mechanics is around orders which you choose one, two or three turns in advance depending on ship class, special officers allow you to reorder these or change some. 

Anyway more on that once I've played a few more games, for now some pictures of my fleets so far. The capital ships come painted but the fighters don't, but being me I had to do something about that.

Imperial Fleet, two Victory Class Star Destroyers and Tie Fighter escort

Rebel Fleet of Two Nebulon Bs and a Corvette with X wings

X Wings are rather nasty in the game, the Imperial Player needs to hold them off with the Ties or its all over for the Star Destroyers

Grubby X Wings, Being rebels they obviously won't wash their space ships

  

Armoured Corps Miniatures Reboot 2.0

Hello all,

Well been away for a while, things have changed and now back on course. Armoured Corps Miniatures has a new headquarters...

Armoured Corps Miniatures new HQ, any similarity of colour to the 1st Legio Adptus Astartes is entirely coincidental... Honest

So with new painting space built there will be some new toys etc. to see. Also in other news I've finally got myself to university, and now a full time student of History; exciting times.

20mm Vietnam

As I mentioned a couple of days ago I'm working on a set of Vietnam War rules, I have ordered a platoons worth of figures and they finally arrived yesterday. Very excited and abandoned all other work to base the first squad.

Ten men, lead by a Corporal, most armed with M16s but a couple with M79 grenade launchers. I have another 2 Squads the same plus 2 M60 sections and the Company HQ.

Then need helicopters!

Britannia 20mm Vietnam figures, chunky but characterful

Corporal

Dark Future

One of my favourite GW games of all time, in fact the first GW game I brought is Dark Future. Now sadly long forgotten I still have a couple of sets and a few of the original cars and figures for it.

I haven't played for quite a while but must soon, and what reminded me of this amazing game? a couple of the cars sitting on my shelf...

One of the original plastic interceptors (sanctioned ops) from the game. This one armed with turret mounted heavy laser and 2 missile pods (and a few unseen mines)

Aircraft style paintings the order of the day

Renegade Gang member of the Maniax gang, armed with 2 front Autocannons, a 40mm Grenade Launcher and a rear facing machine gun

Another Maniax Renegade this time with a cupola mounted minigun and 40mm Grenade launcher, with a nasty surprise twin rear facing 20mm grenade launchers

Other stuff

Just a last catch up post on a few other bits, Flames of War Germans, some Imperial Guard allies for my Dark Angels which are going to be used as Dark Angels fleet security detachments; I'm using Space Marine Scout bodies with Cadian Heads and a mix of weapons.

Also currently working on a set of rules for Vietnam based on Necromunda, it started as a simple rules conversion but the more I get into it the more I'm adding cool ideas. more to come on that later though

Dark Angels Fleet Security Forces

SS Panzers. As used in a Flames of War Tank Aces campaign. My tank ace (on the right) Edward Blach Hader has an impressive number of kills and maxed out his experience halfway through the campaign

A mix of SS infantry and British Paras. More to come later

Relic

As I mentioned a year ago i received Relic for my birthday, the busts you get with the game are amazing and I have been slowly painted them up. So far I have completed the Inquisitor, Sister of Battle and Commissar...