Lockdown continues with a few more Ghosts of Gaia

I've got into the habit of overlapping things on the painting table over the last couple of years. It stops me getting bored with painting just one thing, gives me the chance to work on something else while I am waiting for the paint to dry on the first subject and it is useful for finishing off odd blobs of paint on my palette.

Obviously, at the moment I also have a lot of time on my hands, and I am getting lots of figures done which have been hanging around, but also things that I just fancy painting. These are definitely in the latter category. They are six more Ghosts of Gaia from Bad Squiddo. I actually really love these. I liked them when I first saw them, but at the time I didn't need any 28mm science fiction minis. Now, with my S.F. skirmish rules, Reivers Of The Outer Rim in a playable state, they have a purpose, so I am gradually collecting the whole range.

I've photographed them front and back, because there is so much great detail on these figures. The first four are basic fighters with close combat or ranged weapons.

And the final two are equipped with heavy weapons.

While I was painting these, it occurred to me that the Ghosts would make a fantastic Escher gang for the Games Workshop Necromunda skirmish game, although they are certainly better dressed (and with more flesh covered) than the GW originals.

Actually, when GW re-released Necromunda a year or so ago, I thought about buying an Escher gang for old times' sake but I didn't like the new minis that they put out. The originals were much more to my liking, and the Ghosts of Gaia have, to my eyes at least, the same vibe.

Crooked Dice heroic characters

As the lockdown continues, perhaps we all need heroes to look up to? Apart from the real-life ones working in the health service, emergency services, the food supply chain and the essential retail sector, who else is there? In the miniature world how about four heroic stars for 7TV and 7TV Pulp games?

First up, here is a robust no-nonsense chap who sorts problems out by direct means, and his equally no-nonsense female companion. Is there a problem with Nazi treasure hunters seeking out occult objects? These two will soon put a stop to that sort of thing.

Next, a couple of more exotic heroes. An occult investigator and a masked crime-fighter with technology on his side. Step up and take a bow, Dexter Ward Phillips and Captain Infinity.

Here they are from behind, which is clearly the view most commonly seen by the Gribblies. "Behind you!" "Oh, no, they aren't." "Oh, yes they are!"

And two more shots of our intrepid crusaders for justice and a universe free from tentacled horrors from another dimension.

"Did you hear something, Captain?" "Yes, if was coming from behind you!"

"Oh my God, Dr. Phillips! What is that?" "I dare not utter its name, Captain, but I have seen a picture of it in the Book of Abdul Alhazred!"

"

Lockdown painting continues

These two badass ladies are from Bad Squiddo, where they are described as "Action Heroines", which seems pretty self-explanatory in a Ronseal way.

They look like classic hard-boiled crime fighters, the kind with a set of dodgy attitudes when it comes to following the rules. That pretty much says "hardcore TV crime-busting series" to me, and therefore makes them ideal for 7TV. Here is a rear view of them, possibly heading down a Mean Street in pursuit of a perp, after screaming to a halt in their 1971 Chevrolet Camaro and leaping energetically out of the vehicle.

I wanted to give them a beaten-up, tough, streetwise feel, so the colour palette I chose was muted and only used a few colours.

Anyway, they have to have names, don't they? 

So, meet our heroines, Mary Beth Lagney (with the blonde hairdo that needs her roots done) and Christine Casey, who NEVER takes off her mirror shades. They are former NYPD detectives who were kicked off the force for breaking the rules, using excessive methods and having a few too many suspects ending up deceased in suspicious circumstances. Now, the two are available to take on those dirty jobs where no questions are asked and getting the "right" result means they get paid handsomely, with no strings and no audit trail.

Women's Militia Lewis Gun team

A couple of years ago, I started to create a Women's Militia for VBCW, that might also work for Home Front imaginary scenarios for WW2. Once I'd done the original figures, here, I bought a Lewis Gun team from Ironclad Miniatures, and then put the figures away and forgot about them, mostly due to other things taking prominence in my To Do painting list.

Of course, I now have no excuses, because I have no painting deadlines that are more pressing, so I am painting things just because I want to paint them.

I've tried to keep them as similar as possible to the originals I painted back in 2017. I hope that I have succeeded. I even put them on 2cm bases, instead of the 2.5cm bases I use more frequently nowadays.

Aftermath post-apocalyptic Kickstarter figures

I backed this Kickstarter ages ago, and I've had the figures for a fair old while too.

The figures were inspired by the box art of the original 1980s game.

Now, I've never played the game, but I thought that the figures were nice, with a fair degree of retro cool about them, and I also thought that I'd be able to do something with them in other settings.

However, I wanted to give the male figure are much more classic 1930s space opera film appearance, so I decided on a red/gold colour scheme for him, because I saw him as being a character in Pulp games, using the Crooked Dice 7TV Pulp rules. The female figure also looks like someone who could happily sit within a 7TV world.

I am really please with the pair of them, nice crisp sculpts, no flash and great to paint.

I have vague ideas about maybe using the pair as time-travelling characters for sci fi pulp, with the male character being some kind of futuristic space lawman and the woman as a 20th century Earth scientist he has hooked up with on his journeys through the dimensions of the space time continuum. I've even got a name for him; Star Marshal Solarion.

A couple of figures from Bad Squiddo

Well, I've been working on a larger project, of which more in a later post, when I have some results to show people, but while I was prepping that stuff, I also took the time to complete these two.

They are from Bad Squiddo and are on the website, here. They are nice figures, clean and flash-free, as is generally the case with all things Squiddo, but are definitely on the small side compared with the Land Girls, although they are nicely proportioned and are of a similar size to some of my Crooked Dice minis.

They painted up really well and I am pretty pleased with them. I especially like the pilot on the left. The details on her flight jacket really pop out.

Covid-19 and the 2020 Lincombe Barn Tabletop Sale

As some people already know, the LBWS has an annual tabletop sale in May. As the sale organiser, I have already been preparing for this year, but as you can all imagine, events have overtaken us.

Therefore, the TTS planned for May 17th this year has been cancelled because of the risks to all our health from the Covid-19 pandemic.

I know that this is hardly an unexpected outcome, as pretty much all public wargaming activity is coming to a halt, but it is nevertheless a sad situation.

I am in the process of sorting out refunds for people who have already booked tables.

As no one knows how long this pandemic is likely to persist, it isn't really possible to think about rescheduling the TTS for a later date.

Anyway, I hope that you are all keeping well and avoiding infection by taking sensible precautions.

Good luck everyone.

Some more resin scenic bits and bobs.

Following on from the Fenris Games resin scenic items, here are a few more pieces for Horror and Pulp games. These are all from Crooked Dice. Once again, the intrepid archaeologist is only there for scale.

Here is the complete set; three monoliths, a statue of Cthulhu and a pile of skulls.

The monoliths have a lot of detail and therefore, here is a view of them from behind. Are those green things creepers growing from a crevice in the rocks, or might they be tentacles? Just don't get close enough to find out!

Next up, everyone's favourite tentacled abomination from the stars;

Now, here is a statue of some obscure amphibian deity on a blood-stained plinth;

Or is it just a statue? Might it be some kind of unknown inhabitant of the reefs and caves near one of those fishing villages where the locals have an odd, vaguely batrachian appearance? 

Here it is again, off of its plinth, showing the nice carved effects on the surface. This could be used stand-alone as a sacrificial altar.

Bad Squiddo Land Girls

I bought these five Bad Squiddo Land Girl figures ages ago, but, as is the way of things, they slipped down the list of Things To Paint. Now, with the completion of Annie's Women of WW2 Home Front Kickstarter, I felt that I really needed to get them painted.

Officially the Women's Land Army, the Land Girls freed up men to serve in the Armed Forces and the total number of women who either volunteered or were conscripted into the WLA was around 80,000.

These are really lovely Alan Marsh sculpts, quite chunky but very much in keeping with the majority of the Bad Squiddo range. Sizewise they are similar to the glorious Shieldmaidens, also sculpted by Alan Marsh. As usual with Bad Squiddo figures they are an absolute joy to paint.

I am now one small step nearer to my ambition of mounting a multiplayer "Went The Day Well?" game. Of course, they will also be perfect for Operation Sealion games and probably for VBCW games too.

Breaking the blockade - a Sharp Practice AAR

I played this game of Sharp Practice at the club last Sunday against Martin. This was an 18th century imagi-nations game, involving, as usual, my 15mm Syldavian and Bordurian armies of Essex Miniatures. The scenario was a modified version of the Escort Duty one in the SP rule book.

A Syldavian column is escorting a supply train through light woods towards the town of Turksi Bazar, a few miles west of the River Drinje which is the border between the two countries. The town is being blockaded by a Bordurian force. 

To win, The Syldavians must move the convoy they are escorting into the town. The Bordurians must capture the convoy.

Turksi Bazar is surrounded by a ditch and has small bastions and a low and largely ineffective wall around the town. To the south of the bridge into the town are fields and a walled market garden.

Turksi Bazar is garrisoned by a small Syldavian force, which consists of;

4 x groups of 8 x Fusiliers, Status III leader Status I leader 

1 x cannon with 5 x crew and Status I leader 

The supply convoy is accompanied by;

2 x groups of 8 x Pandurs Status II leader Status I leader  

2 x groups of 8 x Fusiliers *Status II leader Status I leader  

1 x groups of 6 x Pandur Skirmishers Status I leader  

1 x group of 8 x Hussars Status II leader + 1 Musician

1 x group of 8 x Dragoons Status II leader   

The Syldavians are accompanied by a British military agent, Captain William Huntley-Palmer. He is  only activated when the blank chip is drawn. He is classed as a Status III leader and can be used to replace any leader who is killed or knocked down. He may also remove shock from any unit to which he is attached. He is otherwise treated as a Minor Character.

The convoy will move whenever the *leader of the convoy's chip is drawn.

The Bordurian forces have been hampered by a lack of artillery and will only be able to capture the town if they can starve out the defenders.

The Bordurian force is;

3 x groups of 8 x Fusiliers Status III leader Status I leader  

3 x groups of 8 x Freikorps Status II leader Status I leader  

2 x groups of 8 x Haiduk Status II leader Status I leader

1 x group of 6 x Hajduk Skirmishers Status I leader  

1 x group of 8 x Hussars Status II leader  

1 x group of 8 x Lancers Status II leader  

1 x group of 8 x Dragoons Status II leader  

Part of this action report is taken from dispatches sent by Captain Huntley-Palmer to his relative and patron, General Sir George Augustus Melchett, known as "M" in all documents.

"I travelled with the convoy heading towards the town and trading entrepot of Turksi Bazar in the company of of an agreeable acquaintance, Hauptmann Riccardo Zamponi, an Italian gentlemen serving in the Syldavian Infantry. I was pleased to see that our small company also contained a contingent from the Douma Regiment of Pandours, stout fellows whom I had cause to thank for saving my health on more than one occasion previously.

We were making slow progress through the forests towards the town because we were aware that there were many picquets of Bordurian Horse in the vicinity."

"Before long, we encountered a defensive line of white-coated Freikorps infantry, supported by Huzzars and those devilish Bordurian Lancers who were known as Ulani in the tongue of the Borduri. While Hauptmann Zamponi halted his column and deployed his Fusiliers and Pandours into line, the troop of De Bourbon Dragoons took little time before charging the Lancers who were emerging from the scrubby forest." 

"As the sound of musketry crashed across the clearing, the Dragoons, dressed in the French manner to honour their patron and honorary colonel, Queen Octavie de Bourbon, the wife of KIng Ottokar, charged at the Gallop into the Lancers, putting them to the sword and forcing them to flee the field in disarray. Although the gallant Syldavian Dragoons had triumphed, their numbers were somewhat depleted and soon came under fire from Bordurian Hajduk skirmishers in the trees."

"On our right flank, the Light Bobs from the Douma Pandours had inflicted several casualties on the blue-coated Bordurian Huzzars, who I believe belonged to the feared Schtroumpf regiment."

"After the battle, I discovered that the commandant of the Syldavian garrison in Turksi Bazar had been roused by the sound of musketry and led his troops towards the fray. It was his intervention that helped take the pressure off of our gallant soldiery. His Fusiliers were soon engaged in a duel of musketry with their Bordurian counterparts, with both lines receiving casualties, although neither side were shaken."

"One of the garrison's small number of cannon was deployed into a corner bastion, where it was able to command a clear line of fire across the open ground that separated the town from the woods. I discovered in the aftermath of the fighting that this gun had fired Cannister into the flank of a troop of Bordurian Dragoons who had been sent to strengthen the line of green-coated Fusiliers who were threatening the Syldavian garrison. The Shock of the unexpected blast of Cannister had caused many casualties and despair and fear in these Dragoons, who were sent reeling away from the source of their woes, crashing through the Freikorps line, and also disordering the line of Hajduks beyond them. In a stroke, the Bordurian invaders were so discomfited as to be incapable of further preventing our gallant relief force from  reaching the beleaguered town. The morale of the Autokrat's raiding force was shaken to the point of collapse. The coup-de-grace came when the fresh riders of the Vranach Huzzars charged across the open ground, outflanking the Hajduk skirmishers and plunged into the fleeing Freikorps infantrymen, inflicting such a Huge Shock that the morale of the Borduri fell so low that they had no alternative but to flee the field in ignominy and disarray."

Well, that could have been a very different battle if it wasn't for that single blast of canister. In Sharp Practice, canister inflicts double the normal amount of shock, which was doubled again because the Dragoons on the receiving end were hit in the flank. They then broke because they had more than twice the amount of shock as they had figures, and went 2D6+6" directly away from the cannon. That took them through two formations of infantry, which had already acquired a fair amount of both casualties and shock and were then bequeathed 9 extra points of shock each from the broken cavalry. Ouch! At that point, the Bordurian infantry were not only forced to withdraw, but one formation had so much shock that it was also broken and fled. The Bordurian Force Morale plummeted. 

After a couple more rounds of play, further events led to more setbacks for the Bordurians and their FM was soon at Zero.

Resin scenic stuff for Horror and Pulp games

Having started to paint my Pulp figures up, I decided that I really ought to give them some scenic items to explore and fight over.

These items are all from Fenris Games. They are very much suited to Cthulhu-themed Eldritch Horror games, but might also serve in other settings. The Outer Gods and Great Old Ones may well have had a presence in Felstad, for example.

First, here are two monoliths and a dais or altar with a statue (or is it?) of some unknown undersea horror, together with an intrepid 28mm Copplestone archaeologist to give a sense of scale. I've given the monolith on the left a green tinge to represent the remains of paint that once covered the carvings.

Here is another view of the strange altar, which has clearly emerged from the depths, seeing as it is covered in limpets. Of course, it might also be inside a coastal cave somewhere near the cursed seaport of Innsmouth and only revealed at low tide.

Next, here is a Summoning Circle, again featuring the intrepid archaeologist. This is definitely the sort of thing that might be hidden in the woods on top of a hill somewhere in the wild country inland from Arkham, where the whipporwills call on those nights when the Moon is full and hooded figures chant in unknown languages to certain constellations in the night skies.

Here it is from above;

I've tried to give the impression that the central circle is made from some rare mineral, probably from a meteorite from outside our solar system. It is surrounded by blood-stained basins cut into the rocks and the skulls of sacrificial victims.

More from Winter Wonder Lard - Blowing the Bridge

I've already blogged an overview of the day, but I wanted to write a bit more about the game I put on at BIG Winter Wonder Lard. I'd played this scenario a few times in the past at the club, and it seemed to provide a challenging game, but I wanted to give it an extra dimension. Big Chain of Command seemed a good idea for how to do that. I set up a long table, designed to give both sides the chance to get forward during the patrol phase and try and grab the advantage.

In the day's programme, my comments about the game were;

"D-Day was nearly three weeks ago, but the British have still not managed to capture the city of Caen. Now, Operation Epsom is about to begin. 

It is essential that armoured troops get moving into position before the operation commences. However, a vital bridge over the River Lardienne is still in enemy hands. Divisional intelligence believes that the Germans will destroy the bridge over the river before 7th Armoured can seize the objective. The RAF has mounted several sorties using Mosquitoes and Typhoons to try and drive any defenders away and now a mixed force of infantry and tanks is being sent to drive off any Germans who are still around and secure the bridge itself."

The game was played along the length of the table. The River Lardienne ran along most of the length of the table, beginning near the British edge of the table and exiting at the German end, with a bridge placed in the final third of the table. The river could only be crossed by using the bridge. There was a road from the British end of the table, exiting at the German end. A junction took the road across the bridge.

The British have advanced across relatively flat countryside, lightly wooded away from the river, and with fields and hedges closer to the water. Craters crossing the table diagonally show where RAF ground attacks have been targeted.

All British  troops are classed as Regulars. The forces available are;

  

Command 1

1 rifle platoon (HQ (1 x SL (force commander, ranking SL – 4 CIs), 1 x SL (ptn sgt), Bren and 2” mortar teams) plus three sections). 

1 recce section (3 Universal carriers, 1 x JL, 1 x Bren team, 1 x PIAT team, 1 x 2” mortar team)

Note that the force commander has taken a Bren team from the recce section and given it the platoon PIAT in exchange.

 Command 2

1 tank troop (3 x Cromwell Mk IV tank, 1 x Sherman Vc, each tank has 1 x JL apart from one of the Cromwells, which has a SL)

Having suffered heavy losses since landing in Normandy, 7th Armoured has become somewhat risk averse and is classed as being Hesitant, and the tank commander will only roll 4 Command Dice.

The German force available is a small ad hoc Panzergrenadier group;

                                                                                                                                              

Command 1                                                                

1 standard Panzergrenadier Zug; HQ 1 x SL (force commander, ranking SL - 4 CIs), 1 x 2-man Panzerschreck team, plus three sections, (each section JL has 2 x Panzerfaust 30s which can be used by any member of the section). 

These troops are classed as Regular and Aggressive, rolling 5 command dice. 

1 x MG42 tripod-mounted MMG with 5 crew                                                                                                                             

Command 2

1 x SdKfz 251/9 with 7.5 cm KwK37 low velocity gun

2 x SdKfz 251/22 with 7.5 cm PaK40 anti-tank gun

1 x SdKfz 250/9 with 2 cm KwK 38 and co-axial MG42 and 1 x JL

1 x SdKfz 250/10 with 3.7 cm PaK37 and 1 x SL

                                                     

1 x 5-man demolition engineering team (without a leader), carried in a halftrack without weapons (but with a driver who stays in the vehicle). Their role is to plant charges, not fight. 

The Germans also have two lengths of barbed wire and one small prepared defensive barricade. These will be placed after the Patrol Phase.

I was expecting two players per side but one didn't show up, leaving a gap on the British side, which I filled as the player in charge of the tank troop.

Following the patrol phase, both sides took up a fairly aggressive stance with at least one JoP in a forward position.

The game began slowly, with both sides keen to gain a positional advantage before any actual fighting took place. The Panzergrenadiers began to push down the table on their left flank.

Meanwhile the German vehicles pushed towards the bridge on the far bank of the river, with a single SP PaK 40 on the road on the other bank.

The British infantry came under fire and preferred to wait for the arrival of the tanks before attempting any aggressive moves, although eventually both the platoon sergeant and the platoon commander were deployed into the ploughed field furthest away from the German positions. This was to prove crucial later on.

Unsurprisingly, the British used both 2" mortars to get as much smoke laid down as possible, but not before the German Panzerschreck knocked out the 7th Armoured's lead Cromwell. Having four command dice really hampered the tanks. Quite often only one vehicle could be activated, but later on the troop commander became more active.

A fierce shooting match between the Panzergrenadiers and the British Rifles took place along the road, with both sides seeing the butcher's bill mount slowly. It looked as though the defenders might prevent the British from taking the bridge. However, that was soon going to change.

As the British tanks moved along the river bank (the 'Schreck team having been dealt with by a couple of applications of H.E.), their guns were able to neutralise the SdKfz 251/9 with the short 7.5 cm howitzer and a shot from the 17pdr Sherman immobilised the engineers' halftrack, forcing them to bail out at one end of the bridge.

Once the hapless engineers were on the bridge, the British used directed Bren fire and the machine guns of the tanks to hose the bridge down, whittling down the number of engineers and inflicting shock on the survivors.

Finally, the last engineer succumbed to a hail of MG fire, leaving none left to demolish the all-important river crossing. 

With the loss of the demolition team, I called a halt to proceedings awarding the victory to the British.

I think that we all agreed that it had been an entertaining game and I thank Simon, Mike and Stephen who took part in the game.

This is definitely a scenario that is worth playing again.

All figures are my Peter Pig 15mm Late War British and Germans, and the vehicles are all Plastic Soldier Company.