BUF Motorcycle Recce Platoon

Finished these off the other day. Will be the last of my VBCW figures for a while until I have broken the back of my AWI army painting. The figures are Call of the Cluthu cops. Not a very good picture so I will replace it asap.

FIRST AWI TROOPS FINISHED

Well, I have finished the first burst of activity in getting my next project off the starting blocks. I'm not sure I like the end result so far but time is of a premium so getting two opposing armies ready for a game is, as always, my main priority. Target date - Christmas holidays 2010. I have really gone off painting and after 10 months of 28mm Russian Civil War and VBCW getting back to 'proper' uniforms is proving to be a big adjustment. Just waiting from some finials from Front Rank to finish this lot off (and I've just noticed I need to paint the base edges of several of these units. ooops!). I've not made my mind up yet about rules or anything like that so am using 30 as the standard unit size for the English and 24 for the Americans - I can always remove a base or two depending on the figure scale required AND I like big battalions! As for rules, British Grenadier look ok but might be a little too complicated for my aging brain to handle. I think Rank and File or Black Powder will work well, as will our own 'house' set of 'old school' rules. Its half term this week so I have a few days off. My aim is to get two more Anerican battalions finished (both half done) and then try and get some generals finished for both sides and start some American artillery and cavalry. I have probably (definately) gone a bit OTT again, as based on my recent purchasing binge, I will end up with 12 English/Scots/Loyalist battalions, plus guns and a small body of cavalry to face something like 18 units of Americans with cavalry and artillery in support. Oh dear! Too many English but it'll give me some variety - that's the plan anyway. Honest! Actually, I am in the process of moving my games room across the top landing to a the much bigger spare bedroom (games room will then be decorated and become a smaller spare bedroom but big enough for any transient guest who might drop in needing a bed). This will mean I will be able to fit a respectable 10' x 6' table in the new room, which will be nice except I shall have to buy a new terrain mat! Happy days ;o)

VBCW The assault on Wolsingham

We fought the long-awaited Government assault on Wolsingham last night. John played the Government forces from Stanhope and commanded two platoons of the DLI (regulars) with a supporting 18pdr field gun, mortar, HMG and 2pdr anti tank gun. He also had 2 Vickers MkVI light tanks and two troops of cavalry; a troop of BUF and an LDV troop - the Weardale Hunt, complete with foxhounds! Topping this off was a BUF armoured train (which John chose to use to mount the 18pdr on). There was also supposed to be some air support but in the heat of battle we forgot to dice to bring it on. Quite a tooled up force for a hard mission. John's task was to capture or destroy a socialist super heavy railway gun that had been reportedly refurbished and recently rolled out from the steelworks. Not something that could be ignored!!!

Rob and I commanded the defenders. On table were the local Anglican League; a platoon of the Bishop of Durham's guard and the Wolsingham School cadet force. They were supported by an 18pdr, a mortar and an HMG, together with a vintage Vickers MkII tank and an old Rolls Royce armoured car. My combined Shildon Railwayman's and Wolsingham Steelworkers were off table as they were stationed to the east of the town. I had potentially six platoons, a tank and a truck-mounted gun available but only two platoons and the portee were activated - the rest were occupied with a government diversionary attack.

I had envisaged a rapid government thrust to capture the gun using the speed of their train, tanks and cavalry to get them into the fight asap. We used much-simplified Triumph and Tragedy rules with a card-driven movement system, i.e. a black card allowed any government unit to move and if they wished to fire, and the red for the opposition (I was diamonds and Rob was hearts).

We drew a black card first so John's forces began to arrive on table, then we drew another, and another, and another!!!!! In all we must have drawn 18 spades or clubs in the first 20 or so cards! This meant was that John's forces did establish themselves on table and caused some serious damage to Rob's men who were unable to respond. Ah yes, I hear you say! Well the odds are that very soon there will be fewer black cards and the reds will start being churned out. Correct except for one twist. I left the jokers in the deck so when they were drawn we re-shuffled the pack! Went down well......not!

Anyway, it was a hard fought battle. Highlights have to be the demonstration of poor driving skills by one of my militia platoons in a truck that in an effort to avoid ramming the rear of the League's disabled tank blocking Front Street, swerved down a side street and collided with Rob's HMG lurking behind someone's back yard wall, and the valour of the crew serving Rob's 18pdr. Pounded by artillery fire and riddled with machine guns from the enemy tanks the gun crew was so reduced and supressed that the vicar, a passing motorcyclist and my famous Belgian reporter (avec chien) had to help serve the gun. They hung on though and did stirling work holding back the enemy and damaging the train. Less 'stirling' were the afore-mentioned militia platoon who scrambled out of their truck into someone's back yard only to be shelled and machine gunned so heavily that they immediately ran off! (Strangely no pictures of their flight have survived).

John's cavalry and infantry pushed up the road towards the town and the glorious cavalry charge I had hoped for didn't happen (boooo!) as the advance ground to a halt, held up by the tank, the cadets and the timely arrival of my other militia platoon. I think a cavalry charge might have worked and would have been a good spectacle even if it hadn't! The Weardale Hunt galloped over the fields and then dismounted, taking refuge in the church while the DLI platoon retreated under heavy fire. As usual the BUF did little and ended up running away again. Meanwhile John had started the train up in an attempt to ram the railway gun. Good idea but it was foiled by my militia portee that wrecked the gun carriage, bringing the train to a halt. Over on the far flank the other DLI platoon and mortar had been in a firefight with Rob's troops in the steelworks but had made little headway. They were eventually driven off by the Rolls Royce a/c but not without inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy.

With most of John's forces in retreat or pinned down we called it a day. Another Anglican League/Socialist victory but one won at some cost, and you can be assured the Government forces will try to take out the railway gun again, but maybe by more subtle means next time? I already have a cunning plan.........

New Project

Well, I gave in under the self-imposed pressure last weekend and bought 2 armies off Foundry taking advantage of their 25% off armies deal. What armies I hear you ask? American Revolution I answer! Have always liked this era and its still 18th C which is my favorite. The Foundry range is very nice and is complemented by the Perry miniatures range. The army deal meant that the figures were about 72p each. A bargain! my plan is to get this lot done by christmas. We shall see and wish me luck......

Newcastle Border Reiver show

Dropped into the Arena yesterday for Border Reiver. I have to say that it was quite a disappointment. Loads of trade which was good I suppose although I didn't have a shopping list that extended much beyond paints and brushes. Nothing really tempted me either. Caught up with some mates and met up with Rob and John as well as having a chat with Simon from SCM about all things VBCW. I thought that the games were disappointing though and I can't even remember what was on show which is sad - not for my memory but for the lack of anything inspiring. Oh well........

THE GAME THAT NEVER WAS.......WELL YET ANYWAY

No game again this week due to unforseen problems. Never mind though. I did manage to get a few more figures finished at long last, including a troop of BUF cavalry, pictured here moving gingerly up a country lane hoping not to go the same way as their infantry colleagues in recent skirmishes with Socialist and Anglican League forces in the Dale. I've had the table set up for a couple of weeks now so here is a shot of the objective of the next game, a government assault on Wolsingham steelworks. Hopefully we will get to fight the game next week.

INTERMISSION - GREAT NORTHERN WAR AND STUFF

Its been a funny old week. Not much painting has gone on but it happens that way sometimes. I got a bit fed up of 28mm so started rooting through my lead mountain and came across enough strips of Bacchus 6mm Streletz to make up 4 btns for my Russian Great Northern War army, as if I needed any more of course? Managed to finish them quite quickly and just need to do the bases whch will probably be harder than the figures themselves! I've not had my GNW figures out on the table for a year or two but they are very nice so here are a couple of pictures of some of my Swedes. As well as Swedes I have lots of Russians (of course) and enough Saxons for anyone, plus a few units of Poles (Winged Hussars, etc). I'll get them all on the table again one day I hope, although I still have about 6 btns of Russian infantry, several Russian dragoon rgts and 5 or 6 rgts of Saxon horse to do one day...

Had a second sift through the bottomless draw in my games room and found a few odds and ends that escaped the last purge. They will be on ebay soon. I also found some more 28mm SYW figures lurking in a corner. Looks like there is a btn of RSM Prussian infantry, a regiment (24) of hussars, half a regiment of Prussian dragoons, a btn (36) of Foundry Russian Corps of Observation, a dozen cossacks and what looks like enough for a btn of dismounted Russian dragoons plus lots of wagons and odds and ends, commanders and figures for those vignettes I never got round to, e.g. dancing bear, preacher, orthodox priest.

Still not clear what to do as my next project. Gone off the idea of Sikh Wars as no matter how nice the available figures are in 28mm (Old Glory and Foundry) I don't have the space, time or money and I don't like the old Freikorps 15mm range. So, something in plastic perhaps? I might even throw in my lot with John, Rob and Neil and get some FoW (have to be early war though). Whatever I decide I have promised myself that I won't buy anything else until the VBCW project is finished. Better get painting then!!!!!!!