Infamy, Infamy

The other half asked me what I'd like to have for Fathers Day, so I am thinking of putting a bid in for the new Too Fat Lardies ancient skirmish rules, Infamy, Infamy, which have just been made available for pre-order. I really don't need any more rules but these do look good and aren't overly hefty when it comes to figures, although I've used that same old excuse to justify new sets of rules many, many times before. I do also have some plastic Warlord Games Imperial Romans in the loft, so no need to buy any figures....? Stop it!

Plastic Royal Marine Light Infantry?

I've been painting the downstairs hallway today rather than the wargaming figures, so there's been no time to get any more progress made on the Beja. However, I have ordered a box of Perry Zulu War British infantry, with a view to using them for the Zulu War of course, but also as potential basis for some conversion into Sudan War Royal Marines. This would involve pinching the helmet heads with puragrees from the Afghanistan British set, which is the easy bit, then adding loose trouser bottoms to the legs with green stuff or plastic putty, which is a little less straightforward. It would be worth it, however, as the equivalent in metal of a plastic box set would be at least fifty quid, compared to under twenty for the plastic fantastic option. If it doesn't work, I can always start a Zulu War project too!

Beja Painting Test Run

Here are a couple of my Beja painted up in a test run of the production line approach that I'm going to use, in order to get all eighty completed by the end of the month, or thereabouts. They won't win any prizes but I'm going for quantity rather than quality, as you can see from the sloppy paintwork. The bases need some more dry brushing and a few tufts, which I've just ordered via eBay, but otherwise I think they're okay for an afternoon's trial and error, hamfisted painting especially as I haven't painted anything larger than 1/300th scale for years. They're still a bit shiny as I've only just brushed on the Army Painter matt varnish, having run out of the spray can version, but they should dull down as they dry out. Only seventy eight more to go!

Plastic Bertrand

I've been tinkering with some more Perry Miniatures plastic figures this morning, this time some late medieval men at arms from the Wars of the Roses bows and bills box set. I've had these in the plastic pile for ages, having originally intended to assemble them for a couple of Lion Rampant retinues way back in 2015.  If they aren't too fiddly and I enjoy gluing all the bits together, I'm thinking of starting a Lion Rampant project to follow on from my The Men Who Would Be Kings field forces, or perhaps even run them in parallel but only tackling one War or the Roses unit at a time. I've also been having thoughts about the numerous boxes of Wargames Factory plastic Malburian infantry, cavalry and artillery that I acquired for Maurice, but that's another story. Anyway, here's the result of my tinkering so far, in the shape of plastic Bertrand and his injection moulded mate.

Half Way There!

I have now completed basing and base coating all eighty of the figures of my Beja force for The Men Who Would Be Kings, although it's taken me three weeks to get this far. This means I'm about half way through the project, with a deadline of three weeks from now to get them all painted up, ready for a playtest game. Much to my surprise, I've really enjoyed gluing all the various plastic bits together on these Perry Miniatures figures, possibly due to the fact that they only have between three and six parts per figure and that they are superbly designed. In the past, specifically with my Warlord WW2 Japanese, I've struggled to wade through this assembly process but these have been a breeze. It's encouraged me to look again at some of my other plastic boxed sets, not only for colonials but also for other periods..... 

Base Texturing

I know most people have their own way of doing this but, as I was texturing the bases on the Beja units this morning, I thought I'd explain my method, with a get out clause for teaching you to suck eggs.

1. Mix up the base texturing gunk in a small batch, otherwise you'll have loads left over:

70% filler (I use stuff called Bartoline Ready To Use Instant Filler, as I've found it to be the best)

20% Artists Acrylic Paste (this helps to bind it together)

10% PVA Wood Glue (go easy but the stickier the better)

If you want, you can also add some cheap earth brown acrylic paint to colour the mix at this stage (a 50:50 combination of raw umber and burnt sienna is a good all round shade to use)

2. Slap it all over the bases, in this case 1p coins, using a plastic spatula thing, which you can get from art shops for use with DAS clay and so on. It's a bit like icing a cake, so work around the base in a circle to cover the edges. Don't forget to cover over the figure base with filler and wipe around the edge of the coin with a finger to wipe off any excess.

3. Dunk the base in a mixture of sand and fine grit, shaking off any excess over the box. I find that a swirling motion in the sand helps to get a good coating over the base. You can give the figure a tap on the inside edge of the box to knock off any loose bits.

4. Using a wooden stick with an angle cut in the top or similar, tamp down the sand and grit into the mixture so that it is firmly bedded in. You can also remove any loose bits of sand or grit that have attached themselves to feet or legs (I have also cleaned up his face!)

5. Put the figure aside to dry. It usually takes about half an hour or so due to the PVA and acrylic paste helping to speed up the process. To be on the safe side, give it an hour before you slap on any paint.

Job done. 

I then spray undercoat the whole figure in a basecoat of Halfords Ultra Matt Camouflage Brown, which is why I haven't bothered to stain the mix with brown acrylic paint this time round.

Beja Skirmishers

I have now based up the last unit of the Beja field force for my The Men Who Would Be Kings project, using a mix of Perry metal and plastic figures. These will be classed as Irregular Infantry rather than Tribal Infantry, so they can act as rifle armed skirmishers. My skirmish bases have also arrived from Charlie Foxtrot and very good they are too, enabling me to move the large number of figures around with ease but still allowing for individual movement and casualty removal. They come in sets of two, which tesselate, so in theory you can group them together to make a variety of unit sizes and formations. Very clever!

Skirmish Rules for the Sudan

It's pay day tomorrow but, as I'm on furlough at the moment I can't really afford to splash out. Instead, I'm going to download a copy of the new Fistful of Lead Bigger Battles! rules, which allow for unit rather than individual figure activation. This is perfect for all sorts of historical periods including the Back of Beyond, for example, but I'm going to use them as a pick up alternative to The Men Who Would Be Kings for my Sudan project. I really rate the Fistful of Lead system and have used it a lot, so it's a no brainer at not much more than a fiver!

The Myth of Ansar Firepower

It's been chucking down today, so my plan to play the Broadside and Ram game on the ping pong tables outside had been well and truly scuppered. Instead, I've been doing some more background reading for The Men Who Would Be Kings project, having unshelved several relevant books from the library. These include the excellent Mahdist War Source Book Volume 1: 1883-1885 publishing by the Virtual Armchair General in the USA, but available over here from the likes of Caliver Books. If you haven't got a copy, it's well worth getting hold of.

I was particularly interested to read an article by Doug Johnson on the use of firearms by the Mahdist forces, as it gives some credence to my inclusion of a Remington rifle armed 'skirmisher' Irregular Infantry unit for my Beja, which otherwise might be seen as a little indulgent, not to say unrealistic. In the article, which references several contemporary sources and eyewitness accounts, the author makes a convincing argument for the effectiveness of rifle armed Ansar in the skirmishing role and even for high levels of marksmanship amongst some elements of the Mahdiyya, at least in the 1884-85 campaigns. 

It's a pretty solid interpretation and certainly adds some weight to my use of a rifle equipped Beja unit.

Broadside and Ram Battle Plan

This is the scenario for the third and final game in my 'What If?' Anglo American war of 1871. In the previous two games, the US Navy took a bit of a battering but the Royal Navy also suffered some significant damage, leaving HMS Captain and HMS Monarch out of action for the final clash. 

In this scenario, a powerful Royal Navy squadron under command of Admiral Sir James Hope, GCB, is approaching Halifax to relieve the US blockade, when a frigate delivers an urgent dispatch. The dispatch includes a top secret intelligence report, confirming that a US Navy ironclad squadron under command of Rear Admiral Charles S. Boggs, has sailed from Boston to reinforce the weakened naval blockade before the British fleet can reach Halifax. 

With this information in his grasp, Admiral Hope immediately orders a change of course to intercept the US warships as they round Cape Sable Island on the southern tip of Nova Scotia. His plan is to concentrate his powerful squadron of superior broadside ironclads and strike a crippling blow against the US ironclad fleet, driving it onshore and destroying it before it can break out into the Atlantic. 

However, Admiral Hope is unaware that an allied French squadron of central battery ironclads is approaching from the South West, to escort the US ironclads on their passage to Halifax. This small but formidable squadron is under the command of Contre Amiral Louis Pierre Alexis Pothuau, who has orders to open fire on any British warships, in support of the American squadron.

The Scenario

The game itself is limited to ten turns, after which nightfall will prevent any further action, unless the victory conditions have already been met. These are the same as the conditions in the rules i.e. 25% of a fleet crippled or sunk at the end of any one player's move, with the French and US being counted as one fleet and the British as another. If this is not achieved, the total damage inflicted on each side at the end of the last turn will be calculated, with the results compared to determine which side has been defeated:

Damaged = 1 point

Silenced =  2 points

Crippled =  4 points

Shattered = 8 points

Initial Deployment

The Royal Navy squadron deploys on table from the NW corner in Turn 1 as a single battle line, consisting of the following warships:

Van - HMS Warrior, HMS Black Prince, HMS Achilles.

Centre - HMS Agincourt, HMS Northumberland (Flag), HMS Minotaur

Rear - HMS Caledonia, HMS Royal Oak, HMS Prince Consort, HMS Ocean

Each division has a commander rated as +0 with Admiral Hope in overall command at the start of the game, rated as +1. If the squadron is ordered to separate, the divisional commanders will roll their own AP dice for their divisions, in addition to the overall command dice.

The US Navy deploys on table at the centre point of the Eastern end in Turn 1 in one battle line, consisting of the following ironclad monitors:

Van - USS Wyandotte, USS Ajax,

Centre - USS Nebraska USS Dictator, USS Puritan (Flag)

Rear - USS Roanoke, USS Catskill, USS Collossus (damaged)

Each divisional commander is rated as +0, with Rear Admiral Boggs also rated as +0. If the squadron is ordered to separate, the divisional commanders will roll their own AP dice for their divisions, in addition to the overall command dice.

The French squadron will arrive on the turn determined at the start of the game by the roll of a D6+1, entering in battle line from the South West corner of the table, with the following warships:

Revanche(Flag), Provence, Flandre, Guyenne

Contre Amiral Pothuau is in overall command rated as +1, with no divisional commanders required.

Special Rules

There is an area of dangerous shoals extending 12'' from the North edge of the table and 36'' in length. Any ship entering this area runs aground and is Shattered. Any ship that is Crippled will drift at a rate of D6'' per movement phase due North, unless repaired, as will any ship that has been Shattered. This may result in them running aground!