Massacre at the Lizardmen Temple

I played a solo game with my fantasy rules mash up based on the Piquet/Hostile Realms rules. The undead forces led by the Evil Overlord (trademark EO) sought an ancient relic at a Lizardman temple. The local Lizardmen called on their neighbors in the Great Kingdom and the Hillmen tribes to defeat the unholy threat.

The undead had a better card deck but otherwise the sides were evenly matched.

Undead in the foreground with the best troops in the center headed for the temple.

Skeletal Knights face their living counterparts and get flanked by additional horsemen.

The undead hunters and Lizardmen reach the temple and set up a stout defense.

While a huge demon tears into the Hillmen warbands.

The action is focused in the center and on the undead's right flank.

More Hillmen (and women) take on their skeletal enemies.

Cavalry destroys the Mummies...in their first battle.

The fanatics (naked and clothed) slam into more skeletal warriors. This would turn out poorly.

Dismounted skeletal knights caught between the cavalry. This went on forever...the cavalry could not finish them off.

Things were looking good on the allied left; the warbands have turned the flank.

The demon keeps chewing up the opposing warbands, but they held out to the end.

Despite taking their sweet time getting into action, the Vampire Thralls send the naked fanatics running for some clothes.

The best allied command on the table was unwilling to get their hands dirty...rolled three "1s" on a row to activate.

These guys turned the tide...Dracula would be proud.

It was like a dog fight on the opposite flank.

The Zombie Horde could not take the temple, but they kept the Lizardmen engaged while others closed the noose.

The Kingdom and Hillmen forces began to withdraw to avoid being destroyed.

Surrounded on three sides, most of the Lizardmen were slaughtered at the temple in this devastating defeat.

A fun battle that came down to the wire. Both sides could have pulled it out and although they still held the temple, the allied side eventually failed the Army Morale Card roll.

Some key points of the battle:
- The Undead Hunters and Lizardmen reaching the temple so quickly on great rolls/cards.
- The demon chasing the warbands all the way back to the baseline, but not finishing them off. The demon was really needed at the temple and almost cost the undead the game.
- The failure of the cavalry to destroy the Skeletal Knights despite taking them from both sides.
- The Vampire Thralls defeating the fanatics and turning the tide of the battle.

August 2016

A very nice month for painting. I leisurely worked my way through some figures while also starting a fantasy game. I am about to embark on a major addition for the Katzenstein project...time to get my OPFOR painted and return to some horse&musket gaming. I am planning on this expansion taking about a year...we will see. Things did not start out well. The white primer has left a gritty covering. I tried putting white gesso over it but that only helped a little bit. I will see how these 144 figures turn out. Time for new spray primer or just stick with brush on gesso.

I will continue with Pulp Alley as well. For anyone who has not checked out the Pulp Alley rules, I suggest giving them a go. Absolutely fabulous skirmish game.
http://pulpalley.com/

Pretty Detective and an Ancient Horror

PAINTING
36 x 15mm infantry figures: 36 points
8 x 15mm cavalry: 16 points
2 x 28mm Pulp: 2 points

TOTAL: 54 points

Added the four units for the Kingdom of Katzenstein; each represents a significant life event:
- Duchess of Bartley "Viva's Own" Guard Grenadiers - named for my dog, very small 15mm figures since she is very small...these are the men who are too small to make the other guard units.
- Carlisle Musketeers - named for my War College graduation site
- Westfield Dragoons - location of my unit armory
- Madison Musketeers - twenty years since graduating JMU

Carlisle Musketeers

Duchess of Bartley "Viva's Own" Guard Grenadiers

Madison Musketeers

Westfield Dragoons

Next up: 12 x 12 figure units for "The Imperial Army"

GAMES
1 x Fantasy game in progress
---also scheduled for a game over Labor Day Weekend

PURCHASES and BUDGET
$58 this month: 2 Pulp figures and more Pulp Alley cards
Total for the year: $411
Budget: $389 under budget, 
Plan: <$100 per month; on target
Reminder: bases (round), paint, and brush supplies...plus some shield transfers.

Last Flight Out - A Pulp Alley AAR

I had planned a solo continuation of the Pulp Alley "Perilous Island" campaign to close the month, but Junior General and a friend joined me in the fun. In this scenario, the leagues must first secure an initial plot point before trying to get Lady Elaine on the plane to escape, or to sabotage the flight. My Tsarist crew faced off with Junior General's Gangsters, and his friend's Chinese Pirates.

The Duke's Tsarist league...my guys.

The airfield...a rustic affair.

Tsarists at the top left, Pirates to the right, and Gangsters at the bottom..."polar bear of initiate" in the background.

Gangster firing line...shooting in the first 2 turns caused a Cultist to appear.

Red Herring! JG and I each pulled the Red Herring card for the first 2 plot points.

The Duke's hired gunslinger slowed down the Pirates...but at a cost.

The action centered around the two piles of crates. JG and his friend fought tooth and nail.

Some well played fortune cards left me with two plot points...after JG dropped one.

The Duke and the Duchess each have a point...but it is too late to get Lady Elaine to the plane.

Gangster holds the good Lady hostage.

Close to the end...mostly only our leaders and sidekicks still in the action...in true pulp style.

This spearman shook off a dozen hits.

A hollow victory...2 points for the Duke...none for the others.

Smiling even in defeat.

July 2016

One of my more motivated months in a long time. Despite being away for two weeks for work, I finished up some more fantasy figures, bought a batch of figures for the Katzenstein project, and played two games. Even worked on the fantasy rules mash up. Hoping August is this productive.

Disappointed to have missed Historicon...plan to be back in 2017. I also have my eye on two local conventions and the HAWKS Barrage convention.


PAINTING
29 x 15mm fantasy figures: 29 points
---a mixture of large monsters, leaders/characters, and markers
TOTAL: 29 points

On the table:  four units for the Kingdom of Katzenstein; each represents a significant life event:
- Duchess of Bartley "Viva's Own" Guard Grenadiers - named for my dog, very small 15mm figures since she is very small...these are the men who are too small to make the other guard units.
- Carlisle Musketeers - named for my War College graduation site
- Westfield Dragoons - location of my unit armory
- Madison Musketeers - twenty years since graduating JMU

Demon, giants, and other baddies

Elementals...like the iron one best

Cattle to use as disorder markers

Leaders and characters

Lizardmen with their leader

Mummies

Wildling warriors with spears and bows

Mantlets and stakes

GAMES
1 x Napoleoncics using Fate of Battle; played with a new group
1 x Pulp Alley game w/ Junior General and one of his friends

PURCHASES and BUDGET
$250 this month: HUGE lot of mixed Napoleonic figures for my "Imperial" army and to field the 4 units above; I will be able to resell a portion of this
Total for the year: $353
Budget: $347 under budget,
Plan: <$100 per month; on target
Reminder: bases (round), paint, and brush supplies...plus some shield transfers.

1814, Battle of La Rothier with Fate of Battle rules

Spent an enjoyable day gaming with a group of guys from the Maplewood Hobby Gaming Society (MapHoGS). Saw an announcement on their Yahoo forum about one of the gamers hosting a game just a few miles from my house. I have mostly gamed solo, with my son, or at conventions. This was a nice change to join some local folks (Allen, Bill, Steve, Lee, Jake, Garrett). Allen has been kind enough to offer an open invite for gaming.

Played the Battle of La Rothier in 1814 using the Fate of Battle rules, a variant of Buck Surdu's "Look Sarge, No Charges".

Great game even with the Russian-Austrian side on was on getting handed our heads.

My Cavalry finally drove off the opposing French Guard cavalry only to see Marshal Ney arrive to save that flank. Our center got devastated by the very aggressive enemy cavalry...kudo's to 12 year old Garrett for running over us like a Panzer Division in 1941.

Some pics of the game:

Ney arrived just in time