Wednesday, August 31, 2011

10mm Napoleonics... the Battle of Edificio finished (finally!)



Hey all!

Okay, it has been a LONG time since I got any 10mm Napoleonics up here!

So, I decided to finally finish up this game from some time ago, especially because I need the table for another piece of that super secret and unique project I hinted at some months back!

Now... here is how things left off:


So!  Here is another shot of where we left off..


The British seemed to be in a bit of trouble... it looked like it would be a very near thing if the British didn't use their one advantage; their large cavalry brigade.  So... in went the cavalry!


The British cavalry attacked in an attempt to hit the French Guard in the orchard, but were quickly intercepted by the French cavalry.  Because of the orchard on one side and the edge of the board on the other, the British couldn't engage with all their cavalry at once, thus making use of their superior numbers... could they beat the French cavalry back and support the infantry?


Meanwhile in the center the British Guard brigade, under Colonel Smith, continued to try to push between the French line, splitting their attention between the French in the orchard (to support Del Rio's Spaniards) and the main French line.


However the French fought valiantly, and with fire coming from the orchard on their flank the regiment of Scottish infantry were forced back.


The Scots, however, quickly regained their nerve and turned their attention to the orchard... however, many redcoats dropped under the withering fire from the French Old Guard battalion in cover behind the thick orchard walls.


Meanwhile on the far right of the British line the redcoats continued to fall under the fierce French fire coming from the woodline, and one battalion and then another broke under fire and fled, allowing a French battalion of converged Grenadiers to push out in an attempt to complete the rout!



And under that pressure the last British battalion on the right broke and fled.



Here is another view of the British rout on the right.


In the center the British Guards under Colonel Smith continued to fight, but all three battalions had been terribly battered... in game terms they had all taken maximum casualties, and it was only good rolling, their elite nature, and nearby commanders that kept them on the field. 


Then the French grenadier battalion turned and, under the direct command of Colonel Vin, began to pour fire into the British Guards.


The cavalry combat dragged out, with first one and then another group breaking and routing, until it came down to one French cavalry unit versus one British unit.  To the right you can see Colonel Del Rio's Spanish infantry, which were whittled down by an almost impossible fight against the French Guards in the orchard, and they eventually broke and ran.


The British Guard in the center continued to defy all expectations (how many sixs can one man roll?!) and stand and fight, but now the entire French center and left turned and began to pour fire into them from the rear.  The Scots broke and ran first, followed by one of the Guard battalions, as the rest of the French in the orchard also began to redeploy, the Spanish to their front being beaten back.


Finally there was only one British Guard battalion left, which fought on, surrounded on all sides... but this last battalion finally broke and ran, the British finally routed from the field.


So that was it!  The British were beaten!  Above is a shot of the surviving French... in a bizarre circumstance, the only French battalions that survived the fight were elite battalions!  Very strange, given that elites get only a few small bonuses, but still...


Here is a shot of one of the French division commanders.


And another shot of the other division commander!

So... that was it!  It was a very near thing for a while... but the French troops being in cover across their battle line really helped keep them alive and in the fight, and the Spanish troops failing that crucial command role and therefore rolling down the hill to attack was a huge problem.  Still... a good time!



(In a note... for some reason, the pictures are all very small, even when you click them.  I'll try to figure out why.)

Friday, August 19, 2011

An iPad version of Pirates of the Spanish Main

Howdy all!

Well, a few months ago I got an iPad2 as a birthday gift (a rather generous one at that)!

I've been playing with it a bit, looking for great games as well as looking for anything related to wargaming.  I have actually found some great games, and thought I would share a few (as well as take some suggestions!)

The first fun one is called "Age of Wind," and it is basically like a PC version of Pirates of the Spanish Main crossed with a roleplaying game.

You start with a small pirate ship in the Caribbean.  You can sail between islands, either trading a small number of goods or attacking ship convoys.  There is a basic story that is very cheesy (and clearly written by a non-native English speaker) but really it is just fun to sail around having battles.  The controls are simple, and the game is simple, but it is definitely worth the 99 cents it costs.

The fact that the game opens with the classical piece from "Master and Commander" and has a wonderful version of the Pirates of the Carib. movie theme, doesn't hurt the atmosphere!

I wish I could get a hold of this game and modify it, but I have no one with any iPad programming skills:)

Thursday, August 18, 2011

First game of Pirates of the Spanish Main


Hey all!

Got a game of Pirates of the Spanish Main in, so thought I'd share a few photos.  I made one or two changes (didn't use crew for this game, and I also made a range ruler that increased the ranges by a bit... felt that the old white/red card sides were a little too short... but I kept the same ratio between them) but otherwise we used the regular rules.

I finished the islands just recently, and after placing them I do think they turned out basically fine... not great, but fine.  In the first photo above you can see one of my pirate ships looming up on a docked enemy... I got close enough that my ship took fire, but in a horrific display of poor rolling the enemy didn't so much as put a hole in my hull.


I, in return, sheered the masts off in one massive volley, and in the next turn I simply sank the derelict ship with another broadside.


After some pretty spectacular fire my opponent and I pass each other in the ocean, each towing an enemy derelict!


My enemy proceeded to repair my own ship fully and sail it against me!


Here is one of my ships, collecting gold from an island guarded by a fort... this full shipment of gold won the game for me when I returned to my home island!

So... that's that!  It was a fun little game.  There are changes I'd make to the game to make it last a bit longer (for example, the cannon hit a little too easily...) but overall it is a fun game.  Wish I could play it more often!

And in that spirit... well... nevermind, I'll save it for my next post;)  Stick around!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Islands are done!

Howdy all!

Okay, looks like the islands are done!  I have six total, two of which are quite small, four of which are larger.  I don't really have any sandy beaches, although I was hoping the entire shoreline would look sandy, but it doesn't really... I may have to more heavily paint some parts, I guess?  I messed that up a bit.

Also the church needs work, as the roof is messed up, but for now I am leaving it.

Overall I think they turned out okay, although not amazing.  A hot knife would have really helped, I think, so I could add more cliffs, as they look sharp.  Still, they'll do for now!


Thursday, August 11, 2011

Work on the last three islands

Howdy all,

Well, I got some work done on my last three islands, which are my larger ones.  I am still not thrilled with the trees from the first few, so I need to do a little thinking.  I did settle on one change, which will be to mix in a flock with more texture... the flock I have on there is just too thin, it needs a little more body.

Oh... also, what do I do with the church?  Should there be a flat top on the steeple?  And what about the fort floor?  Left sandy?

Anyway... thanks for the advice all!

Three islands done, three to go

Hey all!

Okay, I think I've finished up three islands... I did some drybrushing with browns, and then worked up to whites and yellows, although I am not sure if maybe I went a little too light on the whites...

I am still considering mounting all of these on some cut card... and then making a little sandy beach around them and painting on some waves crashing... we'll see.

Anyway... three more to go.  If anyone has any suggestions at ALL I am happy to hear them... I think these three work, but I think there are things I am missing.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Making some islands for Pirates of the Spanish Main

Howdy all!

Just back from a week in Seattle and a week in Los Angeles... and now that the nursery is painted I am getting back to other projects.

So... first up is a half dozen islands for the Pirates of the Spanish Main game.

Now, the islands aren't totally to scale, but I find that rarely matters as much as looking good.  Clockwise from the top right there is one island with a fort, one with a dramatic cliff, one with a larger town (with a dock and church) a small one with a few fishing huts, a little sand-bar-looking one, and a large one with two hills. 

Now that they are undercoated I am going to do the drybrushing of the browns and beiges (should I do the cliff in that color palate too I assume?) and then I'll flock.  Then, for forests, I'll use glued down clumps of flock... at this scale I am not going to bother with trunks or anything, I don't think they are needed.  Still not sure what colors to do the buildings... I am probably going to do them a white, sort of like whitewashing... I think I need to do a little looking at some reference photos before I go too far.

Anyway... so that is that!  Sorry for the long absence... I am sure that when the baby comes I'll post far more often... :)

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Sorry, away on vacation!

Howdy all!

Very sorry, but I've been away on vacation for the last two weeks, so there have been no updates.  When I get back, I'll put up a few photos of some stuff I had wanted to share.

Hope everyone is doing well!