Preparations for Blood and Plunder Participation game at Hammerhead 2022

Yesterday we ran some trial games in preparation for our Blood and Plunder participation game which will be run at Hammerhead 2022 on  Saturday 5th March.

The table will be around 12ft long with two small land battles and a sea battle in the middle. The game will be suited to players with no previous experience of Blood and Plunder.

Kings of War - Sylvan Kin - New Formation

So since we're back at the club now I've started to think about playing Kings of War again. I've decided to concentrate on my Sylvan Kin army and have had a couple of games now using the new Clash of Kings 2022 book. 

So far it's been great with a wonderful synergy between the elves and the trees and the wide availability of the Scout rule has made it a really fast and scary army, up in the face of the enemy right on turn 1.

Of course there's a formation in the list and it looked interesting to me. But it needed two units I didn't have. Forest Guard and Boskwraiths. 

Looking at the stats and fluff I could see that Forest Guards were basically elves with sword and shield (and a little extra). The Boskwraiths seemed to be elves dual-wielding swords. I decided I could do conversions to make these models.

The Forest Guards I made from some of my spare, already painted bowmen and spearmen. I had far too many. It was a simple case of replacing their weapons with swords. Some were spares from the elf sprues and others 3D printed.

The Boskwraiths I used some new untouched sprues of Gladestalkers I got for Christmas and replaced their bows with swords in the same way.

The King is just the same Elf King model I've been using for years...

Blücher - Lützen 1813

Today at Dales Wargames we played the Battle of Lützen 1813. This was using the Old Meldrum Wargames Scenario with very minor modifications to meet my available terrain and troops.

Initial layout as prepared at home yesterday

The battle sees a small French force defending 4 villages/towns against attacking Prussian and Russian troops. The forces arrive on board at specific times during the day as the battle escalates. Initially the Prussians and Russians have the advantage in numbers but this see-saws between them and the French as each turn progresses.

The key to the battle is for the Allies to push the French out of the 4 urban areas before the French manage to bring up reinforcements.

Initially the Allies push forward into the first and the largest urban area before the French can prepare. The Cavalry are useless in urban areas so move out to the left to put pressure on the French flank.

The French pull their flank back to the objective villages and get ready to repel the attack. The prussians push into the town and are initially repelled. They get a foothold though. The allied cavalry advance.

The first set of Allied reinforcements arrive and the cavalry push past the objectives to try to slow the French reinforcements moving up on each flank. There is bloody fighting over the objectives, but the Allied greater numbers and the poor quality of the French conscripts mean the allies are winning.

The Allies are really making inroads into the urban areas. Meanwhile the French reinforcements have to deal with the screening cavalry. Marmont's corps finds itself stopped in its tracks, but Ney manages to sneak towards the objective area.

By mid-afternoon the Allies have 3 of the objectives. Ney's troops are putting up a fight for the fourth, but the Allied numbers are greater. Marmont's corps is stalled completely by the Allied cavalry and artillery.

Still Ney is holding on, but still the Allies continue to push. Serious French reinforcements will arrive soon and its important the Allies have control before they do.

The French Imperial Guard is spotted in the distance and the Allied cavalry has to pull back. But the allies have just been reinforced by a terrifying amount of Russian artillery. The Guard can't get in to help Ney and the last of his brigades is destroyed. The Allies have all the objectives, they just need to hold them until the end of the game.

Some Italians and Croatians arrive on the Allied left flank, but the Allies have put in a defensive line and they are just too late to be useful.

On the Allied right flank French reinforcements arrive unexpectedly. The allies quickly prepare a defence. It doesn't have to be a strong one as the day is coming to an end.

In the end despite a valiant attempt from some French reinforcements the Allies occupied all four of the objective urban areas at the end of the last turn and so won the game.

It's been a bloody battle, especially for the French. All the lost units are lined up beyond the river on the allied right flank, we gave it the nickname, "The River Styx"

What a great scenario this is! Well done Old Meldrum Wargames. It's good job I have Dales Wargames to get to play at. This scenario took 5 hours to play after we'd set up. There's no way we could play it at COGS.

Right now I'm looking at the next of their 1813 scenarios, Bauzten. This one is an even larger battle.

3D Printed OpenLOCK Tavern complete

I have managed to get some modelling done this summer. Not much, mind you... drones have taken up far too much of my time. 

The main thing I've completed is the OpenLOCK Tavern I started in the Spring. Mainly I got this finished so I could get it stored away and make space for my next project, but yes also so I could use it in an upcoming 7TV Fantasy game I'd like to run soonish. It perhaps would have happened sooner if I'd not gone and caught COVID last week!

Anyway, here are the photos of the Tavern, fully furnished with furniture new and old.

Whoops... almost 5 months without a post. Sorry!

So what has happened!!

• Summer re-enactment season...
• A new hobby, FPV... so not much modelling going on...
• I was posting gaming my photos direct to Facebook in order to promote COGS...

But have no fear... my wargaming exploits have not stopped... I still play and model and always will do I expect. I just forgot to post anything on here!

So to fill in the gap here's a few photos of games I've run at COGS over the summer. 

I think that's one photo from each game I've put on since my last post. (almost)