Cursed City

More time at home, like everyone else, has led to more time on the internet and as a result I've started to succumb to nice shiny stuff, again. This time the purveyors of original plastic sin, Games Workshop, caught my eye with their latest boxed game Cursed City.

Thus far I have avoided Age of Sigmar mainly because I don't need another collection and I already have a backlog of Warhammer Old World stuff to get through. But I really did enjoy Blackstone Fortress especially since it could be played solo and had a handy way to pack the game up mid-campaign. So, when I saw this would use the same base rules, I made my sniveling self-justifications for adding a new game system and purchased.

Front of box

Promises of lots of plasticy goodness

The good folks are in cream, the bad grey so I guess you could play without painting - I know heresy!

One of the sprues - as I would expect from GW these days highly detailed, delicate and push fit - no glue needed!

A very crowded box - books, cards and board

Lots of counters to punch

And boards to explore

Finally three books - rules for the models in Age of Sigmar, the quests and rules for Cursed City

Because of its grim dark setting Blackstone Fortress had little appeal for the rest of the family but I'm hoping with a fantasy slant I might just get them interested in this. It would make a change from the sedate pace of Ticket to Ride and Formula D!

Battle of Britain: Saturday 13th July 15:00

"Red section were flying over a convoy near Lyme Bay. Nothing much seemed to be happening until Collins spotted a flight of ME 110s vectoring in. Unfortunately they'd spotted the Hurris too and turned to meet them..."

On Saturday 13th July at about 15.00 Hurricanes of 238 and three Sptifires of 609 Squadrons encountered a large enemy raid over the Channel. The enemy formation included the first use of ME 110s in numbers during the battle which seemed as good a reason as any to introduce them to 327's Red Section.

The set up was simple, three versus three, no advantage both flights start facing each other.  

Very straightforward set up

Turns 1 and 2 went quickly with both flights hurtling towards each other and climbing to get advantage.

Nothing much has happened... except they are getting closer

Turn 3 finally saw some action. The German flight leader outmaneuvered Fletcher-Hove who despite being the Squadron Leader for the Brits was the worst pilot on the board. Reynolds tried to return the compliment on the German but failed. Luckily for F-H neither of the other German pilots could manage to get in range for a shot!

There was a little shooting in Turn 4 and a few outmaneuver attempts but everything seemed to fail with my infamous dice 'magic' ensuring that the two flights made their first pass of each other without anybody accumulating a boom chit.

Turn 4 - a lot of graft for no returns

Start Turn 5

Reynolds started Turn 5 by burning advantage to turn 180 degrees and then reducing the advantage level of one of the 110s. This left that 110 vulnerable to a very lucky deflection shot from Collins who not only gave the Luftwaffe their first boom chit but also (after the German pilot failed to roll a single 6 on 7 dice) shot it down.

Collins takes advantage

Next turn started with the German leader having a good shot at Reynolds which missed. The remaining 110 wingman made no such mistake, playing a heavy hitter card his cannon shells battered into the Hurricane causing it to flip over and crash into the Channel!

Reynolds' sortie comes to an untimely end

In Turn 7 F-H tries to avenge Reynolds and manages to cause a boom chit but this is saved. All others are trying to find a position from which to make an attack.

The C.O. manages to hit something!

In what was the final turn F-H proved that the previous turn was no fluke inflicting two more boom chits on the 110s. Both are saved but the Luftwaffe had enough chits now to mean their morale was depleted and with no more shooting the Germans sped off towards France and safety.

"Hard to guage F-H's mood on landing. He grunted at the ground crew, grunted at the chaps in dispersal, found a phone and started grunting into that. I guess he was trying to find out if Reynolds had been picked up or not but he doesn't seem to be a sharer our C.O."

March 2021 Count

Another slow month on the painting front. Still nothing bought this year though which helps - I'm not counting the Civil War stuff as it was purchased in 2020. Sneaky, I know but ACW will have its revenge given the pre-orders made!

Painted: 39

32 Austrian Jaegar (6mm)

1 15mm Confederate General (test piece)

5 Imperial Scouts from Legion

1 Luke Skywalker

Bought: 0

Yearly Count: +669

Necrons

These have been in the paint queue since 2018 when I picked up the Forge Bane box set at Warhammer World and then supplemented it with a few additional pieces.

These were a simplified colour scheme; spry painted in Iron Breaker then given a wash with Nuln Oil (the Gloss version) and finished off using Nighthaunt Bloom (blue/grey), Hexwraith Flame and Tesseracht Glow (for the greens). There's a random bit of gold in their too. I used my standard Mars type basing to fit in with my Sector Boards.

Scarabs

Overlords

Warriors

Immortals with gauss blasters

Lychguard with warscythe

Annihilation Barge 

Warlord ACW

On Christmas day I succumbed, I'm weak, feckless and they offered me 10% off. Tell me you wouldn't have done the same?

Enough of my emotional and financial issues, the box finally came this week!

A big, heavy box

Just what I always wanted - brown paper

A Union Brigade and Confederate Brigade box peek out

The main event!

ACW Epic supplement

                      

A5 rulebook

Lots of sprues - 24 battalions, cannon and officers

Indistinct but resin versions of Lee and Meade

Some Sarissa buildings and fences

The ACW supplement for Black Powder

Another three buildings

Some Gettysburg specific buildings

Finally in the big box, loads of flags

Brigade box

More sprues and flags

At some point I'm going to be very, very busy!

Battle of Britain: Friday 12th July 12:30

 "Blue Section was scrambled to defend a convoy. They reached it before the enemy and managed to intercept Stukas forming up for an attack”

This was to be the first big(ish) game. A single Hurricane section was taking on six Stukas and two 109s. The Luftwaffe simply had to reach and drop bombs on a convoy represented by some very tiny ships I had acquired and quickly painted up in grey.

The convoy steaming through the Channel

Starting positions were straight forward, the Hurricanes stationed above the convoy and the Germans entering from the opposite short edge of the six by four mat.

The Hurricanes arrive to protect the convoy

Six Stukas and Two 109s start points

The first three turns were bereft of action. By setting up along the narrow edge there was plenty of room to manoeuvre before contact. The 109s used this to their advantage to get ahead of the Stukas and ensure that the first shots would be between them and the Hurricanes. By the close of turn three only one not in an advantaged state was the 109 wingman who had burned advantage to accelerate towards the Hurricanes.

Positions at the end of turn three

Turn four saw the first bit of action, both ME109s attempted to outmaneuver Davis the flight lead. The first manages this but Davis regains advantage after his move, he subsequently passes his saving roll for the second attempt.

At last combat begins!

Finally turn five saw some shooting. The German ME109 ace attempted to get on the tail of a Hurricane but failed. Davis managed to reduce the Stuka's flight leader's advantage level allowing Fraser a deflection shot on him - its a hit. In Blood Red Skies a hit always results in a boom chit but not necessarily a reduction in advantage level. Because deflection shooting is more difficult and the Stuka pilot was an ace, the Luftwaffe man had to get one six on ten d6 in order to save. But of course I rolled the dice and probability tends to nip off for a cuppa when I roll the ivories and the save failed. This left one Stuka in a disadvantaged state.

End of Turn 5

The ME109 ace saw his skills pay off at the start of turn six. Finally he got on the tail of Davis automatically reducing him to a disadvantaged state. It got worse for Davis, by the end of the turn he was isolated with the two 109s for company.

Meanwhile his wingmen were busily reducing the advantage levels of the first flight of Stukas. But although another boom chit was inflicted, probability had nipped back into the room and the Stuka flight leader not only saved but escaped the melee and managed to get back into a neutral stance.

Hurricanes get in amongst the Stukas

Turn seven saw the ME109 ace set up Davis so his wingman could have a pop! Fortunately for Davis the gunnery was not what it should have been and he survived. Fraser tried to reduce the advantage levels of a Stuka from flight 2 and Robson got a shot in resulting in another hit but its saved. Still, the boom chits are starting to mount on the Stukas - three so far.

Davis in a lot of trouble

By turn eight the Stukas have nearly reached the convoy.

Target in sight!

The 109 ace gets a deflection shot in on Davis with six dice and misses. Robson gets to take a shot at his Stuka again. Another hit and this time the Stuka crew's luck runs out and they are shot down. 

First kill of the day!

The gunner does squeeze off a burst as Robson's firing and the RAF have their first boom chit! However, the Stuka squadron has five boom chits and five engines remaining another hit and they'll disperse.

And that comes quickly, Robson moves and finds himself on the tail of another Stuka; blazes away and has another kill! Two in the one round.

And a second!

That's it for the Germans with the Stukas morale exhausted they dump their bombs, break off and scuttle back to France.

So close...

So lucky...

 "All three planes came back. Robson did a couple of victory rolls over the airfield, so we knew the news was good."

February 2021 Count

Not much activity this month due to another knee injury taking me away from just about anything other than the sofa and the tv. Sadly the cricket didn't go well either.

6 mm remains this year's theme with three more regiments completed. Still no purchases but that is about to change thanks to Warlord's new US Civil War range... they called and predictably my wallet answered!

Painted: 72

48 Austrian Infantry (6mm)

24 French Imperial Guard Grenadiers (6mm)

Bought: 0

Yearly Count: +630