November 2022

 Fourteen years since I started painting figures while deployed in Iraq to distract me. 

Next up...the last of the Slaughterloo forces...Dwarves. Starting on the five cavalry units and four artillery units...with some dedication, I can get them done by January. 

8 regiments of Elf cavalry

Fireball forward game of Italians attacking a British held ridge in North Africa.

PAINTING

64 x 28mm Slaughterloo mounted figures: (2points each):  128 points

Total: 128

YTD: 724

GAMING

1 x Fireball Forward at the club

YTD: 20

BUDGET

$39 on basing materials

YTD: $2359

October 2022

Painting mojo is still in the dumps but I am making some progress. I have 64 horses to finish in November to complete the Elf army for Slaughterloo.

Next up...the Dwarves. 

I also have some of the Albedo figures, Burrows & Badgers, and 28mm fantasy figures waiting in the wings.

My ships flew into a death trap.

PAINTING

9 x 28mm Slaughterloo mounted leaders: 18 points

Total: 18

YTD: 596

GAMING

1 x Battlefleet Gothic at the club

YTD: 19

BUDGET

$0 ! ---- again!

YTD: $2320

August 2022

Hard push at the end of the month to finish up the Slaughterloo infantry in progress. Next up...9 x 8 figure cav units. Starting them on Labor Day weekend.

I'll miss the club September game.

Restarting my Slaughterloo campaign game...trimmed the map to a more usable size. Going to try the first battle with Soldiers of Napoleon again. 

AWC club game with 1/72nd plastics. 

PAINTING

126 x Slaughterloo figures (7 units): 126 points

Total: 126 points

YTD: 578

GAMING

1 x ACW game at the club

BUDGET

$600 on Albedo figures to complete the current collection....blew the budget

YTD: $2320

July 2022

A mixed month in the hobby...I missed the club game day and have done less painting due to having COVID early in the month, but I did still get to go to Historicon.

Plan for August: Finish the horses for the Elf force for Slaughterloo and start on some of the renewed 28mm fantasy project (enough to game 5 Leagues).

PAINTING

9 x sci fi figures: 9 points

30 x Slaughterloo figures: 30 points

TOTAL: 39

YTD: 452

GAMES

1 x Burrows and Badgers

7 x games at Historicon

YTD: 17

BUDGET

$1200 at Historicon :( and 2 of the 7TV rules set boxes

YTD: $1720

Historicon 2022

 I attended Historicon for three days in Lancaster, PA. Spent way too much but I did get in 7 games.

Attendance looked a little light but I think we rebound post COVID next year. A few companies missing from the dealer hall. There were a good number of kids and younger folks. 

I did not find any real bargains and a bust at the flea market.

One of the game masters mentioned a hobby store within an hour so I need to try that for my supplies. 

I was searching for the full set of 7TV game boxes but no luck...and my quest for relatively cheap 28mm trees failed. There is one dealer with great terrain products, but too expensive for now. Maybe I will get supplies and build my own. 

I played 7 games...all well done with enthusiastic game masters. Peter, AJ, Joe, Buck, Bruce, Konstantine, and Chris. I need to run a game when I retire to give back. 

No parking or hotel issues on my end but I always jump on getting on site lodging as soon as it opens. Plenty of food in the area. No traffic issues from NJ to Lancaster (2h ride for me). 

A WWII special operations game using the Doctor Who (7TV 1st ed?) rules. Fun game and great table.

A Star Wars game using the card driver Combat Patrol rules. Another great game and some of my go to rules. I bought the Feudal Patrol version for my renewed 28mm fantasy project.

My clones getting overrun.

A game in 1982 Angola using IABSM. Fast playing with lots of action. The use of blinds really highlighted the asynchronous nature of the game. 

Lots going on...but we destroyed the objective at the last minute. 

Chain of Command in Crete. This table won an award, and it was a great game by Joe. I will try to link up with his group in the Phili area since the are Lard America!

3mm invasion of Malta  hypothetical. An incredible map and a labor of love by the gamemaster. 

Battle of Monmouth with the unpublished computer driven Electric Brigadier rules. Each player makes entries on a tablet, making the game move along quickly. Very impressive. 

Tablet

I led the NJ regiments to victory. 

The highlight of every Historicon, Peter A's Napoleonic game with Field of Battle 3ed. 9 of the 10 players had some FOB experience, great group of folks and the game came down to the wire with morale chips passing back and forth. The Austrians defeated us in the end!

I sold off a very similar project last year because of lack of vision/direction...I have corrected that and time to get gluing some plastic (and the great female warriors from Bad Squido.)

A part of the Rebel Alliance and a Traitor ---- a Burrows and Badgers campaign game

Sinjon Stinkwater led a daring attack on the Hired Paw held village of Warren Percy, striking a blow for freedom loving creatures but at the loss of a key ally, the rebel shrew.

[I'm down with COVID and missed the club game yesterday.]

The rebels attack the south-east part of the village

Sir Barkley attacks teh shrew baker that just took out Cost Cheeswiz

Sinjon sneaks up on Ron Weasley

The rebels take some early hits from magic and long range crossbow fire

The rebels pounce on Fiona the Rabbit archer

Barkley is on a roll

Osh Cheeswiz is the next victim

Sinjon smacks Ron around upstairs

Sir Barkley comes around the house to confront the rebels, Elsbet strikes him with a sling stone

Unfair fight

Enraged, the hound drops the cheeky Otter lass

While Bitsy finishes off Osh

Barkley drops Legartha, but the enemies keep coming

Sinjon is on the way!

Victory!

Tug slinks off to fight another day.

Next up, "Stand and Deliver" scenario.

June 2022 --- mid year review

A fine start to the year on both the painting and gaming fronts. My Burrows and Badgers campaign is underway, and I have started a new map based campaign for my Slaughterloo fantasy black powder figures. A few great games at the club as well.

Club game of Gates of Antares

Looking forward to Historicon in a few weeks. I plan to play:

FOB3

7TV

Combat Patrol

IABSM

Wars of Ozz

  PAINTING 

54 x Slaughterloo figures: 54 points 

 Total: 54

 YTD: 413

Preparing the Elves for the painting table.

 GAMES 

1 x Antares at the club

1 x Soldiers of Napoleon at home

 Total: 2 

 YTD: 9

B&B game on the table at home. 

 BUDGET 

 $20 on rules

 YTD: $520 

Sold figures: -$130

Let's look at the 2022 plan progress:

Plans for 2022

1- Continue focus on Slaughterloo 

----- On track. I may be able to finish the Elves this year. That will leave me about 6 months for the Dwarves/Prussians to finish the collection. 

2- At least 12 games

-----On track.

3- Spend <$1000 plus Historicon costs

-----On track.

4- Work on B&B figures when I need a Slaughterloo break

-----No B&B figures this year so far. And I just backed the next kickstarter for 26 more figures. 

5- Sell some of the 15m MBA buildings

-----Need to get on this...maybe I can post and sell them for local pick up at Historicon

6- Finish building card terrain

-----No progress

7- Relook 28mm sci fi skirmish with 5Parsecs and/or 7TV rules

-----No progress...I am very interested in the 7TV sets of rules. I also ordered the Five Leagues rule set. 

The Canine Wars - Black Powder Fantasy with Slaughterloo figures

 Begun, The Canine Wars Have!

As it happens, from time to time, the nations of Uropa find that a time of peace is no longer advantageous. To break the recent peace, the combined dog nations that are members of the Unionist Alliance have taken offense at the independent city state of Sharpsborg's intent to join the Northern Associates. A casus belli found, forces from all over the continent mobilize for war.

Brigade contingents mobilize as fast as they can, on an imprecise timetable, resulting in piecemeal commitment to the central Sharpsborg theatre. After some initial minor skirmishes near between Burovian and Saxhunde forces, four brigades from each alliance have come to grips to the West of Sharpsborg.

The Unionist forces are on the offensive, intending to push the Associates away from the city and to take the central position. The Associate forces seek to hold the line to allow reinforcements from the North-west and North-east to consolidate around the city.


This is the opening battle in the ongoing campaigns using the black powder fantasy figures from Alternative Armies' Flintloque/Slaughterloo range. This game is played our using the new Soldiers of Napoleon card driven rules.

The battlefield from the Unionist position

The Unionist Pudigroan infantry brigade attacks the hill

Some initial success

An Associate Ogre cavalry brigade is coming to stabilize the flank

Unionist Ostarian cavalry face off with some Ogre infantry

The lancers rashly charge the steady Ogre infantry

Routed!

Artillery in support

Counterattack!

Ostarian Cuirassiers defeat the Orc Hussars

The battle is in full swing

Pudigroan troops prepare for a second attack

The Ostarian heavies are earning their pay

Taking the guns!

Rifle Orcs get hit in the flank

Heavies at it again

Third attack to take the hill

Despite holding the line, the Associates are getting nervous with the Union cavalry threatening to break through the center

Both forces are feeling the pain

Orc heavies pushed back

Pud Grenadiers hold the hill

Briefly...they face massed rifle and musket fire!

The Associates quit the field....21 to 18 on VPs....very close. 

The [blue]Associates fall back, abandoning the city.

Despite winning the battle and occupying the city, the Unionists are now outnumbered

More troops are headed for the center

A fun game. The card driven rules created a few dramatic moments and helped with solo play. The Associates almost held the field and did cause more casualties....but the Ostarian Cuirassiers saved the day for the Unionists.