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  • in reply to: Waterloo refought – Hougoumont #117016
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    And now a nice video too

     

    in reply to: Help tracking down old WW2 wargaming book #116971
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    The book may be Terry Wise’s “Introduction to Battle Gaming”

    in reply to: More Dark Age 3d prints by my son #116816
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    I think it is a trick of the lighting.  It is actually a grey towel bleached with brown patches.  Like these

    in reply to: (ESR) How Many Highlanders? #116559
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    43rd later renumbered as 42nd Highlanders now the Black Watch (the Royal Highland Regiment)

    71st Highland Light Infantry (not kilted)

    73rd Highlanders

    78th Rossshire

    79th Highlanders, later the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders,

    92nd Highlanders the Gordon Highlanders

    Raised during the Napoleonic wars

    93rd Sutherland Highalnders

    97th Strathspey Highlanders

    98th Argylshire

    in reply to: Waterloo refought – Hougoumont #116453
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    Day 2 was a fantastic spectacle – 22,600 figures (less 3,500 casualties from Day 1 Isuppose), 100 wargamers, 4 huge tables, teams of umpires, volunteers, “media” (students doing reports on social media).
    I commanded the British 1st Division (the Guards Brigades of Byng and Maitland and the Hougoumont Garrison) and later a brigade from 2nd Div including the HLI “The Glasgow Highlanders) and two Brigades of Brunswick and Hanovarian infantry with a small cavalry force.

    We held Hougoumont against overwhelming odds of Jerome’s Divisions that assaulted it then destroyed them in the garden.

    On our right the remainder of Jerome’s Corps was pushed back to their start positions. Even further to our right the French attempt to outflank us with several divisions of cavalry was halted and the repulsed by our Dutch Allies.


    Then we assisted in the complete destruction of Rielle’s Corps allowing 2nd Division to flank the Imperial Guard.

    While that was going on, with our Brunswick and Hanovarian allies and Maitland’s Guards Brigade (supported by the HLI) attacked towards La Belle Alliance forcing back the Imperial Guard Heavy Cavalry and a Line Infantry Brigade.

    while the 7th Hussars and the Dutch Light Cavalry almost reached Napoleon forcing the Old Guard to come his rescue. The road back to Paris was cut.

    Napoleon forced into the cover of the Old Guard as the rampaging 1st Division closes in.

    Major General Cooke with his forward troops heading for La Belle Alliance for a well deserved bottle of Napoleon Brandy.

    A brilliantly run weekend game.  Thanks to all who organised, attended and supported the event.

    in reply to: Waterloo refought – Hougoumont #116406
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    Thanks Donald – we are raising money for charity http://www.waterlooreplayed.com/

    The game – 100 players, plus support staff plus re-enactors and volunteers.

    4 very long tables  – the 3 northern tables

    Looking North

    The three southern tables

    southern tables

    Looking north

    in reply to: too much stuff! #115505
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    I err in the other direction — my tendency to organize my units based on pack contents is a source of great hilarity among my friends.

    Oddly enough that is what I did when I started – Airfix Infantry Combat group and Germans with strecher bearers and chaps carrying jerrycans converted into Bren gunners, PIATs, Light mortars, flamethrowers, mine detectors, demolition charges, Bangalore Torpedoes etc (I still have and use them).  The I went on to organising a planned basic force and gradually making unplanned or scenario driven additions until I have a vast “collection”.

    Now I am back to the pack contents driven purchasing so units are much more varied in size.  That said the boxes of Dark Age plastics are configured to multiples of 4 and 8.  I decided this was  way too organised so I now buy 2 or 3 boxes at a time and mix them all up to make the warbands.

    So I plan the initial forces to get enough to make 2 reasonably balanced forces so we can play and then add more as necessary or on an occasional whim.  I also look to see which models can be repurposed into new projects or be used in many different forces.

    in reply to: the appeal of the ordinary #113913
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    Virtually all my “armies” are of the ordinary sort.  Some have a sprinkling of “better” troops.  In my WW2 German forces of several hundred figures I have Volkssturm, Auxiliaries, standard (horse drawn) infantry, some motorised and a few armoured units but only a single company of Waffen SS (20 or so figures).

    I prefer the “average” or “ordinary” as I get more variety and more toys to play with.  The armies with “elites” built in are my Romano British which has Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table, Early Imperial Romans have a Praetorian Guard cohort (not by design I picked up the wrong box in the shop), Saxon hearthguards and a few other personal boduguard units.

     

     

    in reply to: With whom do you game? #113856
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    I’m very intrigued by the aversion to clubs shown on this thread, I’ve never had that bad an experience with them, and if I didn’t particularly like a club, it wouldn’t put me off trying another.

    We have an informal club – a small group of people who meet in our homes, no formal membership, no fees.  Just an ever changing group of 3-7 people interested in playing anything.  We have tried expanding the club into something more formal but as we live in a rural area the population of wargamers is small and dispersed.  We tried bringing young people and we were quite successful until GW opened a store a few miles away and the young set transferred their loyalty and we reverted to infprmality.

    The nearest formal clubs are about 20 miles away and we all used to go there until the focus on competitions, internal politics and personality clashes caused such an atmosphere that the club split leading to moves of location and rivalry.  We were not interested in that so we stopped going.

    Another factor was travelling time.  At first (1970s) we were able to reach the club(s) within about 25 minutes by public transport, now the same journey takes over an hour.  The amount of traffic has increased, buses seem slower, parking places decreased, traffic schemes to prevent access to the town centre (“traffic calming”) so that to arrive by 7pm I would have to leave home by 5pm and would need to leave early to get a bus to get me home by 11.30pm.  Fine if I lived in town but I don’t.  We are not averse to formal clubs as such but, where we live, one does not appear sustainable.

    in reply to: With whom do you game? #113043
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    I have been wargaming since the late 1960s and was a member of clubs off and on for several years.  But mostly I have gamed with same opponent almost every Monday since the early 70s mostly at his house.  Our little group has sometimes been as large as 7 as small as 2 but usually hovers around the 4 – 5.  At the moment we have one over 80, one nearly 70 (me), one in their 50s and one in late 30s.  We are all interested in lots of different games and take turns at organising the games though mostly it falls to the two “seniors”.

    In addition at frequent but irregular intervals I set up games for our extended family – sons and grandsons ranging through Bolt Action WW2, Greek/Roman Mythology, Arthurian, Zombies, Giant Ants (THEM!), The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Viking Raids etc.

    At the moment we are all white males though at various times we have had ladies and ethnic minorities participate.

    Every year for as long as I can remember we have put on public participation games at shows in Scotland and used our “toys” in museum and school education projects in line with the curriculun (Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Vikings, etc) and for WW1 ans WW2 commemorations.

    in reply to: Battle at the Church of the Sacred Red Thorn #112849
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    That will teach those heathen raiders a thing or too! Looks like a pig bought the farm…

    yes they killed a pig but could not take anything away.  Being intent on fighting instead of gathering plunder the Aenglish missed the Mead barrels over by the hives, the cider in the storehouse in the orchard, the silver in the church, the cattle, the sheep … Too busy squabbling!

    The Aenglish king and his champion are old Citadel figures

    The Count and banner bearer are Warlord games figures converted by head swaps and cloak and weapon changes

    More here http://www.morvalearth.co.uk/Arthurian%20Britain/Arthur%20Intro.htm

    in reply to: Auchentoshan #112691
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    Very nice.  That would be the Great Western Road running through it.

    It is not unusual apparently for a “lady’s whisky” to be battled over in Oz – Incidentally a “lady’s whisky” or “breakfast whisky” has a smooth and soft taste.

    in reply to: Bottom of the Barrel #112131
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    I have lots of metal and plastic amassed over many many years with the notion that I would get around to it when I retired. I have been retired 7 years now and not managed to make much inroad into the mountain.  Maybe I need one of those “Round Tuit” things?

    http://www.lightspeedtokens.com/customroundtuits.html

    in reply to: Spears and axes #111596
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    The few descriptions (in translation) I have read are pretty vague about detail but imply that most mounted warriors were the military elite of their day.  So I cannot be specific or pedantic and it is very unsafe to apply modern terminology, attitudes and behaviour to the “Dark Age” warriors.  They were able and confident warriors with reputations to live up to and increase.  They were the “boy racers” and celebrities of their day.  The poems and stories seem to imply that the mounted men on campaign were raiders and scouts who collected plunder and information.  In battle they were the role models of the rest of the army.  Poems like the Goddodin imply that when the riders went into battle on horseback they would ride up to the enemy and hurl javelins and spears to break up formations.  They seldon charged home except in pursuit of a broken enemy.  It is worth remembering that the main ranged weapons were javelins and slings.

    So our model Saxon horsemen (and Picts, Britons, Strathclyders etc) might be present as mounted javelinmen who ride up to the enemy line and harass them.  Some of the kingdoms made more use of horses than others and some may well have retained Roman training long enough to have “shock” cavalry as in Bernard Cornwell’s novels (and my model army).   This is much easier to replicate in wargames where there is more emphasis on the individual rather units/warbands.

    in reply to: Spears and axes #111525
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    The Merovingians used throwing axes (the securis francisca) around 500 – 800 (ish) AD.  The various peoples along the south coast traded and moved relatively freely across the Channel and so may well have been familiar with them.  Any mercenaries or settlers may well have brought them as well.  Also no doubt axes were in use for chopping wood around the farms and towns so thet were probably used as hand weapons.  Maybe even the tree felling long axes were used as well.

    From my reading the most common weapon was the spear with swords being a sign of wealth and a status symbol.

    Now as for “mounted infantry”.  This terminology is probably not helpful as it reflects a relatively modern concept “combat arms” specialism.  In the period we are discussing there were vey wealthy warriors (Kings, princes, lords or whatever), wealthy warriors (land owners, professional soldiers etc), Common Folk (spearmen) and youths/poor (slingers, javelins. bows etc).

    The Very Wealthy may have had enough wealth to maintain a war horse (long time in training) and riding horses, the wealthy probably could afford a riding horse but the others were unlikely to own one.  The draught animals were usually oxen.

    Applying this to wargames the leaders of the army and the best equipped (wealthy) warriors may well have ridden to war.  They definitely fought on foot and several poems and sources suggest that they may well have fought mounted throwing javelins and spears at the enemy to goad them or weaken them before retiring to dismount and take their place in the front ranks of the army.  Some, those on trained war horses, may well have fought from the saddle against foot soldiers or other cavalry.  They were not cavalry or mounted infantry in the modern sense but mounted warriors capable of operating as missile (javelin and throwing spear) troops on horseback with a few capable of actually fighting mounted against their opponents.

    So in my forces (on the painting table today) are mounted warriors with matching warriors on foot.  Most are spear armed but will be assumed to have a javelin or two in a wargame.

    I am working on modifying our club rules and thinking that the chaps on riding horses might gain +1 bonus in melee with an “evade” capability and those on war horses have a terror infliction in the charge and also a +2 bonus in melee.  I found it difficult to get exact matches but since the two will never appear simultaneously only a general similarity of colour and dress is needed with an identical shield pattern.  We have played many medieval wargames where the knights dismount and fight on foot (battles, sieges) or mount to pursue or charge.

    in reply to: Spears and axes #111513
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    My reading of older and of current research opinion is that horses were far more common in all armies that was once thought.  This comes from the archaeology of pagan burials.  So it depends on when your model forces are supposed to depict real forces.  The long axe was less common early and became increasinly common as the “dark ages” progressed.  I would suggest that if you have Saxons (or anyone) fighting mounted the least likely weapon would be a two handed or long shafted axe.

    My brother and 2 nephews are “Viking Re-enactors” and, having handled various weapons for many years they tell me that the long axe takes an enormous amount of strength and control.  It is almost impossible to use effectively in a shield wall or a close packed melee.  There simply not enough space to swing it.  However, it is frightening and can be effective in a loose combat where there is space for sweeping blows.  They have not tried using from a horse but imaging if the axe swing is dodged?  Then the momentum of the axe continues until it hits something – ground, horse or companion.  So I revert to what I call “military probablility” for mounted combat where the weapons favoured by cavalry for centuries are javelins, spears, swords and later lances and bows.

    Historically?  I do not think we will ever have definite answer before we have access to a time machine.  So if and when I do get around to making some “Saxon Cavalry” some might have a long axe but it will be slung somewhere or strapped to a packhorse with the rest of his gear.   But they are much more likely to have swords, javelins and a few throwing or stabbing spears.

     

    in reply to: The Battle of Auchentoshan. #111489
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    I know Auchentoshan well – my wife lived just a short distance from there (Mountblow) before we were married.

     

    in reply to: Dark Ages Saxon cavalry #110587
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    If you can get it there is an interesting study that deals specifically with the horses of the Anglo Saxons

    Neville, Jennifer (2006), “Hrothgar’s horses: feral or thoroughbred?” it the journal :  Anglo Saxon England Volume 35 Dec 2006 pp 131 – 157

    And this is her original manuscript https://pure.royalholloway.ac.uk/portal/files/718433/Horse%20ASE%2004%2010.doc 

    Alan

    in reply to: Dark Ages Saxon cavalry #110422
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    Using what I call “military probablility” as much as Dark Age poetry, folk tales and the ever changing archaeological opinion I would say that firstly it depends on the “period”.

    The Saxons, Angles, Jutes may initially have arrived as mercenaries hired by the Romans.  Very likely these would have been infantry.  Later as more arrived they too would (probably) be infantry.  However, this is where military probability comes in, an expanding force needs recce forces to find the enemy or to give warning of an approaching enemy.  Now if we accept that the enemy (the Britons) employed cavalry as scouts, raiders and in battle then it is probable that the Saxons copied them.  This cavalry may have been Saxons copying the Britons or even been mercenary or subject Britons in the conquered lands.  Remember that the British kingdoms were just as likely to fight each other as the Saxons.

    So a Saxon warlord advancing to war in British territory would be incredibly daft not to say at a huge disadvantage to do so without a cavalry force.  Since horses were expensive these chaps would be the lords etc and would ride rather than walk to war.  They would be able to fight on horseback or on foot.  Maybe not as well as their enemies to start with.

    No doubt others will have different ideas but I say that a small Saxon armoured cavalry force of nobles backed by retainers as light cavalry would be certainly permitted in any game that I play.

    in reply to: Dark Age rules #110172
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    Read the rules through three times then sent some comments and asked for some clarifications.

    They are nicely and logically written though I am not sure that my granchildren will take to throwing a “1” is better than throwing a “20”.

    in reply to: Dark Age rules #110069
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    A normal person would buy/write rules & then purchase figures to suit.

    I’m not normal either, I am happy to say.  I have usually decided on a period, bought some of the figures then started finding rules.  That said, in almost every case I ended up writing my own rules and a few times altering a commercial or free set to suit.

    I cannot remember a time when I bought a set of rules then looked for figures.  The inspiration often came from a book, a film, a bit of history, a magazine article and occasionally a game at a wargame show.  I cannot say that any have come from inspiration on the web.  Though I have used the web after deciding to get colour schemes, ideas for terrain etc.

    in reply to: Dark Age rules #110009
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    Happy to proof read and playtest as I am just starting on Arthurians”

    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    Thanks for the idea.  Your post just reminded me that I am very fortunate that I have the National Library of Scotland just a 20 minute rail trip away.  They have a superb map room.  So getting eyes on a copy should not be too difficult.

    What I’m looking at recreating is the outline of Britain as they drew it.  I have looked at a couple of really old maps of “Insulae Albion et Hibernia” and they name most of the places I am interested in as well as compressing the mainland a bit.  That will suit a wargame setting.

    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    Have you seen the maps in Greg Stafford’s Pendragon RPG?

    I hadn’t but I have now.  Thanks

    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    A terrific idea.  We have our own Morval Earth setting created in the 1970s by John Mumford and still in use today.  http://www.morvalearth.co.uk/me_brief_history.htm

    I am creating a fantasy setting based on Dark Age Britain – Arthur, knights, robber barons, brigands, Welsh, Scots, Picts, Irish, Saxons, Aenglish, goblins, giants, dragons, fae folk, sidhe, damsels in distress etc.  The map is going to be created using Campaign Cartographer software and based on an old map of Britannia that I found.

    “Gateways to The Beneath; These could be magic portals, entrances in the sides of hills, or deep pits. They will be the way down into the dungeon levels.”

    I made a couple of these from those slices of decorative quartz that can be picked up in craft tat shops.  They can be used as magic/enchanted/frozen  pools (I put silver paper under these to get a betters reflective surface) when horizontal and enchanted gates when upright.

    I will be watching this thread with interest.

    in reply to: On losing war games #109210
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    In play wargames for the social aspect,  That said I do win more often than I lose (except when playing the granchildren).  Some of the most enjoyable games are the very hard fought ones where my forces are outclassed and outnumbered.  The idea of a “last stand” and heroic demise can be as good as winning.

    in reply to: I have seen those people before #107684
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    We use the same figures over and over again in most games without any difficulty.  Probably because we concentrate on the fun gaming part of wargaming it does not matter too much.  As always there are a few exceptions.  When we run a campaign then characters do not get recycled if killed.  Sometimes a crippled or badly injured one will disappear for a while to recover or to allow me time to convert a figure to suit the new appearance if the character is needed again.  Also several of my knights appear in several guises in different games – fully armoured, light armour, plain clothes, court dress etc and most of these are “generics” renamed for that game.

    I would not worry too much if your bandits (or any other figures) were reused time and again.  We do and it does not affect the game,

    in reply to: What if? or historical battle? #107176
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    For about 40 years our small group has put on games at our local shows.  We started with, Waterloo, of course and then a couple of other historical battles.  These were largely demonstration games requested by the organisers to “draw in the interested public”.  In that they failed as the folk who attend wargame shows are generally wargamers and their pressganged offspring and other halves.  The wargamers were often interested, some asked questions, some asked why the 31st Blankshires were holding the White Farm when really it should be the Strathspey Rifles etc. So we switched to public participation gameswith invented scenarios – fantasy, scifi, pulp, TV/Film, Pirates, Flashman, Dad’s Army, Allo Allo, highwaymen, Jacobites etc based and these drew in players and by standers so much that we have a regular following at the shows.

    This year our hot air balloon mounted adventurers are heading to a lost island full of dangerous plants, dinosaurs, cavemen, Neanderthals, Atlanteans and much more.

    So it depends on what your aim is – a local historical battle goes down well, transposing Dad’s Army (localMilitia) into the ECW on terrain based on the locale might go down well, a scenario that allows the “public” to get some fun moving figures, rolling dice and killing Dad’s men etc.

    Are you showing off your toys, teaching a bit of history, or attracting new players or something else?  You decide the aim and the rest wil follow.  For us it is fun and attracting the younger element to play wargames of whatever sort.

    in reply to: Why Do You Change Rulesets? #106940
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    I come from the generation of wargamers who had to write our own rules.  To this day virtually all the rules I use are the ones written by wargaming friends or by myself dating back to the 1960s.

    That said I do play games with 3 commercial rule sets even though I am never quite satisfied with them – The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Bolt Action –

    Why?

    Because our grandchildren like to play them and also they can play the games with their friends.

    in reply to: Fantasy Settings you like #106776
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    My favourite fantasy setting is our own version of Middle Earth which we call Morval Earth in which we use our own rules and any figures from any manufacturer and date back to 1970s and 80s.  http://www.morvalearth.co.uk/me_brief_history.htm

    That said I also have Arthurian, Celtic, Conan, Greek, Roman and Egyptian mythology settings that use the same rules though not quite incorporated them into the setting.  There is no reason why they cannot fit.

    I have not tried to fit in Elric though I have a few of the figures using other names and characteristics.  So far we’ve not found a  Runesword (except in Talisman games).

    in reply to: Achilles #106743
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    Your German battle group of 2-3 big cats and 3 PzIV and so represents elements of a reinforced Panzer Division probably SS.  With your British look 2 weak tank troops from an Armoured Recce Regiment supported by some infantry spported by a weak troop of Churchills so a really mixed bag.

    You might consider bringing the Cromwell troops up to or near full strength.  Depending on which organisation you choose with 3 Cromwells supported by one Sherman Firefly in armoured squadrons (Squadron HQ plus 4 troops of 4 tanks) or later as the Fireflies became more common 2 Cromwells and 2 Fireflies.  If you decide on an armoured Recce squadron (Squadron HQ plus 5 troops of 3 tanks) then the Cromwell troop would be 3 Cromwells or 2 Cromwells and 1 Firefly or Challenger and later 2 Cromwells and 2 Fireflies/Challengers.     Some regiments did not use the mixed troop but concentrated the Fireflies together into Firefly troops.

    By denying the British artillery preparation and air power you are changing the battle doctrine for a British assault.  Not to say that did not happen but for it to be norm is incorrect.   I suppose it depends on the rules used and the scenario being played out.  If it is not fun then you need to try to change something a little at a time.

    in reply to: Falsification of Reports #106677
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    An essay I read a while ago discussed Wittmann’s rampage through Villers-Bocage and pointed out that a good chunk of the “Panzers” he claimed as kills were anything from Bren carriers to command vehicles with no guns (and no crew at the moment either). German memoirs can be pretty funny that way.

    Many sources use the German term “panzer” to mean the same as English “tank”.  In German army usage in WW2 the term “panzer” meant what we would cal “Armoured Fighting Vehicle”.  In many memoirs written by Germans that I have read “panzer” was used describe Marders, Hetzers, Panthers, SdKfz 250, SdKfz 251 etc.  So when Wittman claimed to have killed “panzers” he was using German context not Anglo-American usage.

    In 1945 in particular the communications within German forces and between various HQs was abysmal.  Not only that “Divisions” and “Armies” were being created without any staff groups, communications, equipment and in many cases troops.  So strength returns at best are fanciful figures submitted so that might appeal to Hitler rather than reflect reality.

    Any historical document needs to be read in the political, military and linguistic context of the author.

    in reply to: How do you overcome no motivation? #106667
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    I lost motivation to model and paint while my mother was terminally ill and I was looking after her.  It was as much a complete change of focus rather than loss of motivation at first.  Then after mum died I had no motivation at all to do anything “wargamey”.  But I did do a lot of reading.

    Then about 6 or 7 weeks after the funeral I started painting again – something very simple.  Some Saxon Ceorls (Churls) that had been sitting in their boxes for about 2 years were started and slowly progressed.  The spell was broken really when the grandchildren asked to play a game and I had to paint a few figures for that.  Now I am sorting out Saxons, vikings, Arthuriand, Celts, Romans and our eldest son’s Bolt Action British and Germans.

    The real answer for me was doing something for someone else (the grandchildren).

    in reply to: The Highland charge. #106259
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    From what I’ve read there is no real justification that the Highlanders were any worse or better than their opponents at shooting muskets.  Many period illustrations and descriptions describe highlanders armed with a brace of dags tucked into their belts.

    To answer your question, yes I think the extra movement is justified and as has been stated the units on the receiving end of the charge should probably take a morale test just before impact – probably about the time that the front ranks of highlanders fire their steel dags and draw their broadswords.

    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    Some nice touches there, where did you get the stones from?

    They were left over from a plaster model of an Egyptian temple that came as separate bricks. I got them on ebay many years ago before postage made buying them uneconomical.  There used to be lots of them on ebay.

    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    It is my turn to put on the club public participation game for 2019 and I have made a start on the new terrain items we need. The items are all easily made from inexpensive or free materials and can be used for other games as much as this one.

    The Angel Pool

    The base is a piece of picture mouting card that I got free from a picture framer. The paving stones are thin card from a cereal packet and the column was a broken wedding cake plaster decoration that was being thrown away. While the pool is a bit of silver paper edged with card. For painting I used a test pot of household emulsion stained with thinned gown brown acrylic. Doctor Who Magazine provided the angels, all are separate and I have enough to have them all complete but only 4 damaged ones. Once all was fry the pool was given a fairly thick layer of Elmer’s clear washable glue to get the “water effect”. The flowers are aquarium plants.

    Temple of the Horned God

    The idol I have had for years and painted it when I did my Conan Project. The base and all structures are polystyrene packing cut about a bit,

    I fitted it with a small battery candle just for fun

    The lair of the snakemen

    I was given a box of plastic snakemen and had a few useful bits in the useful stuff box ans made this lair. On the top is a resin snake pit and a metal snake topped pillar which has a naked female victim that can be attached for torture before being thrown into the snake pit or sacrifice unless, of course, the heroes rescue her.


    All of the interior parts of the lair are removable. The floor is thin card covered with some printed flooring. The cobra idol came from a stall on one our holidays to Egypt. Behind the snake/treasure pile I carved a tullel to allow a giant snake to enter/exit. The section on the right has stairs to an exit to the top and separates the main area from a side chamber which can be a prison, store or whatever is needed for the scenario. Or it can be left out entirely.

    The Pharaoh’s bathing pool

    Artists mounting card again is the base, some plaster “stones” glued around the edge and the inner base painted silver. Once the paint on the base and “stones” was dry a layer of Elmer’s clear washable glue was laid on top. If you use this then be aware that it gives a nice effect but takes a couple of days to dry. The pillar is resin that I have had for ages and mught be Scotia-Grendel. It is removable so I can use the pond with or without it.

    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    I have been dabbling on these for quite some time for my Greek myths collection and finished them last night.

    The god Pan was the god of wild places, Mountains, shepherds and their folk music, and companion of the satyrs and nymphs. He was also known as the god of fields, groves, wooded glens and often affiliated with sex and because of this, Pan was connected to fertility and the season of spring. The ancient Greeks also considered Pan to be the god of theatrical criticism. The word “panic” is derived from his name.

    I decided that this chap was an ideal leader for the Games Workshop beastmen and similar figures that I had bought many years ago when the kids were “into Warhammer”. The idea of “panic” was also to be incorporated into our rules.


    The god is represented by the big Black Tree Designs figure from their Doctor Who range and also a small fantasy figure. Another Doctor Who figure, Nimon, on the far right is a sort of human “priest”. The large one that I use for Pan in his terrifying appearance is (I think) out of production now. The foot troops are all Games Workshop variants of Beastmen and Ungor (or Gor?).


    A unit of spear armed satyrs form the basis of the “army” led by Panvryed at least they are when they are sober and not cavorting with the Maenads!


    Some archers and club armed satyrs led by Hawrnibeest make up the rest of the army.

    in reply to: I wish I were a better hobbyist #104584
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    I am quite content with the hobby and the standard I can achieve and the number of games I can play in a month (usually 6 unless our son is home and we play at least 3 games in a weekend while the two SWMBO go shopping).

    If I have a wish it is for more space to store figures, terrain, vehicles, aircraft. ships etc. There are too many projects and too little space.

    in reply to: Falsification of Reports #104411
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    I have been reading a lot about the Battles before and of Berlin 1945.  I read two editions of the same book and the figures quoted are different in a number of engagements.  One I remember is of a group of half a dozen German tanks holding up the Russians by destroying 300 AFVs over a couple of days with the loss of one tank.  This was accepted in the first edition.  The second edition written after documents became available from East German Sources after the fall of the Berlin Wall changed the success rate of the panzers.  What the Panzer veteran had not said was that the two battalions of infantry, a battalion of Volkssturm and two flak batteries were also involved.  Oddly these also claim “killing” dozens of Russian AFVs but their reports fell into Soviet hands when they stood their ground and were overrun while panzers who withdrew were able to claim everything.

     

    in reply to: Looking for late WW2 German female auxilaries #104177
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    Thanks – I have that set in my ‘Allo ‘Allo tray.  There seems to be a large gap in the market.  All the books I have read recently about the 1945 campaigns mention female Flak crews for 2cm, 3.7cm, 8.8cm etc as well as combattants with pistols, rifles (a few snipers) and panzerfausts, also nurses, drivers, HQ staff, messengers, resupply, and more.  There are few photos but then they were probably too busy to pose for photographers.

    What I have found so far are nearly all OOP!  Some SCW figures can be converted.

    Caesar and Strelets have a few odd figures in their Berlin Defenders and Partisan sets.

    But in metal most of the females are single figures mixed into a pack of 5 – 10 other figures so very expensive

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