Sudan - The last of the baggage.

 I picked up some Iron Duke miniatures baggage camels to add to the collection , increasing the size of the supply camel caravan and column to 40 camels. There are a range of manufacturers , Connoisser, Redoubt, Castaway Arts, Brigade , Perry and Iron Duke - so plenty of variety.

 So while photographing the new additions I took the opportunity to get a few other units out and take a proper picture or three.

the supply column

Camel Corps lead the way 

Haul Away boys , Haul away....

The Bengal Lancers on the flank

and a bit of period feel

So here are the lastest and final camel additions!

Still a few more bits and bobs left to do for this collection - amazingly enough

ACW - The start of the Confedrate army.

Having completed my own Union troops last year for the  Old Guard group  game at Battleground I decided I also needed some Confederates of my own. Having reviewed the current project list - in despair -  I decided I would commission these to get me off the ground.

I looked around and saw a local painter Chris (Marching In Colour) who has talent, a good reputation , and reasonable rates. They were duly completed as agreed.  I have now based and flagged them so here they are.

So here is the Brigade of Infantry - and too much artillery!  - well until i get a lot more infantry ! All Pendraken 10 mm

good job Chris - thanks

They have a thin coat of satin varnish , which personally I think really helps to make the visuals of smaller scale figures "pop"

Team Yankee - First Scenario game

The second game over the weekend was a 6mm modern game from the Cold War Gone Hot, using the Team Yankee rules. We played one of the defined scenarios from the British book Iron Maiden, which is a first engagement using the British covering force attempting to delay the initial Soviet advance and then pull out after having done its job.

Given we were actually using a larger table and smaller - 6mm rather then 15mm toys - we upped the starting forces by doubling the points values. - used mine to flesh out the starting force with some Hinds,and artillery battery and some AA defences.. I am still no great fan of points games - I would rather have a campaign scenario style thing going on, but it did its job to focus  on the mechanisms etc - where last time we just threw loads of toys on the table.

So on with the show.

The table was 8x4 - and for a European battle field had a lot of free space with lots of fields of fire.

The new girder bridge in the distance  added to the collection - I have along one coming along too. 

The view across the brook towards the small town

British Infantry skulk in the woods near an objective 

Soviet Motor Rifle unit hides behind cover as the tanks prepare an advance 

Forward comrades - the Coca Cola is stored in the town!

The Chieftains start their work of burning T72'S..

Exchanging short range blows as the Soviets cross the bridge flanking the wood

However the two companies on the soviet left were suffering

The Soviet right was faring better as  Hinds were knocking out Chieftains

The British light forces were making their appearance with their Swingfires from long distance 

The Soviet left was collapsing - the British defence was aggresive and counterattacked. It swung to reinforce the  British left that was under pressure. 

The Soviet infantry had deployed using its RPGS across the brook , but they dd not enough about them to capture the town in time

We had played 8 turns , it had swung with the Soviets being very close at one point to capturing an objective for a an early victory. Overall it played out well and we all enjoyed it. We will play out the follow up scenario. I need to use my artillery assets better next time.

Eye Spy an Ambush - Sudan Death in the Dark Continent Game

I had Martin over at the weekend for a full days gaming - we would be joined by James in the afternoon. So for the morning we decided to revisit Death in the Dark Continent rules . We had played a game previously where it had gone very one sided with the European forces annihilating the natives. , and we wanted to revisit it.

This time I set up an ambush game with high quality Beja opposition (Elite Warriors) in tough terrain  to ambush a column of 3 Egyptian battalions , a field gun,  a Naval Brigade detachment with Gardner gun and a baggage train. I wanted to see how things would go if we have the Beja a lot of advantages - and after all its was Martins turn to be the Army!!

Beja , spy the opposition from the rocks...

It looks quiet out there.... too quiet..

Column has to cross the table with 2/3rd of its fighting units in tact.

Right then - time for the off... what can possibly go wrong...

On the left two warbands appear , the Egyptian 1st Battalion lines out and blasts away - Martins dice are hot..

2nd Egyptian battalion marches around the mesa .. and discovers a bad tempered war band - that surprises them and puts the entire Battalion to the sword...more Beja appear from the gully.. 

Despite how useful it would have been I could only roll a "1" for movement for the war band in the gully - it  took too long to get out and play a part harassing the column in the centre ..

The columns fire was telling and Beja decided to retreat back in the tall grass across the wadi. 

The Egyptians enter the marsh and tall grass area - the gun team from the navy find a  path through the gully..

The Beja bounce another Egyptian battalion destroying it ,the 3rd one saw them die and then ran off themselves. Next target was the sailors.

The Navy look on in distain as the Egyptians melted , and they blew huge chunks out of the Beja in front of them -- but at this point  the column has lost too many stands to still win - the Navy withdraw for now... 

It was a good game , which did look to be going either way - while the columns had reasonable fields of fire it blew the Beja away - mind Martins average score a d20 must have been 16 - (when you hit on 14+!). However when the visibility was down and the Beja could get in they were lethal as my melee dice were on fire too!

It was a hard scenario for the column to win I think, with tough terrain to cover - but the result at least proved that the rules can deliver for the natives in the right situation. 

We will play them again , but still think there are some things we don't like which will need a tweak. 

Sudan - Skirmishers for the Cameron Highlanders

I have finally finished the last of the tartan, with the completion of the skirmish stands for the Cameron Highlanders. So thats another 6 figures to add the collection.

Pleased to have got these done.

A thanks to MartinN - AKA Nick - and a shout out for Setting the Scene by Pat Smith

I have been a bit remiss in getting this posted , and I am playing catch up. I have long been a fan of Nicks work that appears on his fine Blog (Molterei's bunte Welt) . We met up in person at Crisis in November, and just after I sent over some bits for his ongoing Spanish Civil War project that were languishing in my lead mountain with no plans to see the light of day. However just after christmas a parcel turned up from Nick with an absolutely wonderfully painted figure -  a Centurion of the dromedarii

Nick tells me the camel (or precisely the dromedary) was by A&A miniatures, the shield by LBM Studios and rider from Aventine Miniatures.

I really appreciate the time and effort here Nick and he graces my display shelves with pride, and who knows while I have never done much ancients stuff - if i can get army with these in  it could swing it!

The other item that arrived around Christimas is my copy of Pat Smith's (Wargaming with Silver Whiste blog) Setting the Scene book.

If you ever want to know all about creating winter scenes - this is the tome for you . Full of advice suitable for the beginner to veteran terrain and model maker - top job Pat.

Again - not a project I have definite plans for , but your never know where the interest takes you do you. I am glad I have a copy that pulls everything together in one place.

Pat has announced a second and probably final print run - so don't miss out on a copy .

Cold War Gone Hot - More Soviets

Just another top up for my Soviets , with a mixed bag of T80's , BTR60's MT-LB, BRDM2s, and BMD3s. Plus some OT64 and OT65s  for other WARPAC forces - anyway enough of what would seem to be random collections of letters

So currently that completes the various soviet stuff I have from the lead pile , until I get a bit more infantry

I am going to do some small NATO forces from the Brits, Germans and the US to complement the stuff the other guys have , just so I have forces for both sides as well.

I picked up some more building from Timecast at the York show, and these on the workbench now as we have another game in couple of weeks.

Sudan - Egyptian Camel Corps

I have completed one of the more oddball units for the collection this week - the Egyptian Camel Corps. It was first raised as an irregular unit in 1883 and served throughout the period.

The figures are by Old Glory - and have a lot of character - even if they have the odd unusual pose to them .

There are 24 mounted , 24 dismounted in close order and 6 skirmishing . I also completed 3 Perry mounted Egyptian commanders as I have a number of the Egyptian army battalions to be painted soon

Overall very pleased how these came out. - and another large unit completed.