Deathwing

With big changes afoot in Warhammer 40K, will there still be a need for the Deathwing?

Probably...

All GW's finest.

April Progress

Ok now we are really cheating, with the 15mm troops pushing me into the positives for the year in March I've pulled out the big guns for April!

Yes! It's been a 6mm Napoleonic month!

The Warhammer 40K itch still hasn't been scratched and with 8th edition announced it may continue to irritate for some time yet...

Painted:
27 Prussian Uhlans (Napoleonic 6mm, 1st, 2nd and 3rd regiments)

Purchased
5 Eldar Dire Avengers (WH40K) - don't really know why, they were there, they were shiny, they are wholly unnecessary; it was pay day - I only went in to the shop to buy some ink.

Monthly Trend: +22
Yearly Trend: +28

A whole load of 6mm artillery didn't quite make the cut this month, so the trend will continue upwards, unless something very shiny turns up at Falkirk!

I mean what are the chances?

Oh...

Guarding the Chateau

This is a Warlord set I purchased to give the French Resistance somebody to kidnap or assassinate.

There's a shady Gestapo type..

A party functionary with a familiar hairstyle...

And finally a couple of sentries.

Now I just have to find them something to guard!

March Progress

Another month slips past and the rate of painting has increased but only because I've switched to 15mm!

There seems to be a rekindled interest in Warhammer 40K this year with the mythos finally moving on a bit.

Painted:
16 US Paratroopers (WWII 15mm)
4 Deathwing Terminators (WH40K)
1 Chaos Marine (WH40K)

Purchased
3 Triumvirate of the Primarch (WH40K)
3 Triumvirate of the Imperium (WH40K)
5 Grey Knight Terminators (WH40K)

Monthly Trend: +10
Yearly Trend: +6

Unfortunately I think I need to get to +200 and beyond to actually make an impact on the plastic, resin and lead stockpile.

Dumfries 2016 - The Main Battles

The second part of the weekend was split into two large battles, the first set at Ripon in northern England where MacKay, Hamilton and Ruvigny faced the Jacobite forces led by St Ruhe, Waunchope and Dundee.

Jacobite start point at Ripon

 

Some mean clansmen!

My Huguenots had a great view of this one. In fact they spent nearly the entire engagement sat on a hill watching the Irish and Scots massacre each other over a small piece of England.

St Ruhe played by Les Rumble was following the same strategy as the Huguenot's watching his Irish allies martyr themselves on the resilient Williamite lines.

The French seemed reluctant to get involved

As ever with war games some amusing results came up, the most incongruous being when the elite clansmen of Lochaber were seen off by the military equivalent of three shepherdesses and a goat herder.

The brave lads of Shropshire

The cunning machinations of Mr Bill Robertson (MacKay) saw first the troops of Bonnie Dundee (Jim Wallace wearing that particular bonnet) agree to no longer engage the Williamites (through the time honoured ancient communication method of SMS) but also for the Jacobite right flank to retire by simply pointing out that they potentially faced encirclement.

The French finally engage



A picture says a thousand words, Dundee and St Ruhe

A victory then to the noble forces of William.

Proof (if blurry) that the Huguenots did come part way down the hill

On the other table things did not go so well for the Williamites, which is good old fashioned understatement for they were absolutely mollicated at what has become known as the battle of Badon Hill. Big political machinations in this one with betrayal by the perfidious Kirk leading to a complete collapse of the Willliamite cause.

Jacobite lines at Badon

The Williamite lines

Williamite cannon

Things get complicated

And messy...

This is a rushed dispatch, I say rushed but what I mean is since these battles were fought another weekender has taken place. Unlike other events the April 2017 one was a direct follow on to this one with many of the same shady characters resuming their roles as even shadier characters. More of which later...

February Progress

Two months into the new regime and I find myself behind already. I'm going to put the blame wholly on Games Workshop for suddenly producing some interesting Warhammer 40K miniatures and a dwarf team for the re-launched Blood Bowl (I have a sentimental attachment to those vertically challenged, spike infested, homicidal maniacs).

So February count:

Painted:
7 BLB miniatures.
4 Warlord WWII miniatures (Guarding the Chateau set)

Purchased:
3 Warhammer 40K (Elder Triumvirate of Ynnead)
12 Blood Bowl dwarves

Monthly Trend: -4
Yearly Trend: -4

Exemplary Customer Service

Like many I'm a collector of rules and books most of which never get past the browse and inspire stage.

Recently I purchased "We Shall Meet in Vienna" a source book by The Wargaming Company. Ostensibly this is for The Wargaming Company's own rule set "Et Sans Resultant" which I don't own but there are conversion charts for several rule sets I do use (or at least aspire to).

I purchased the book from Magister Militum The Wargaming Company's European distributors.

A couple of weeks after the purchase I got a letter from The Wargaming Company; there was an error in one of the scenarios and the letter apologised for this and provided two sticky labels to replace the passages!

The thing is I've never had direct contact with The Wargaming Company and they are based in the US. Which means they must have gone well out of their way to get in touch!