A Cunning Plan (or two...) for 2022!

Some wag on Facebook has just pointed out you pronounce 2022 as '2020 too' which hopefully it won't be, though looking at my Cunning Plan (or two...) for 2020 there are still a couple of things from that plan that need sorting (and let's not mention my Cunning Plan (or two...) for 2021 eh?!)

2021 was another "interesting year" working from home (transferring from the living room to games room when SWMBO decided she'd had enough of the 9 to 5 in the summer)... 

Despite the early year lock down I've done a lot of gaming this year (three games this week alone!), mostly with Andy, George, Phil and Jenny. Thanks to them and anyone else I've played a game with, it's been great fun. I will try and catch up with the battle reports which are somewhat behind (the Gert Lush Lard posts are from games played at the end of October, so still plenty to come!).

Painting has been a bit hit and miss but I was pleased to get the planned Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy made up, painted and on the table (and then expanded). Other plans did not go to er... plan, but I also managed to knock out a 36 point Zulu army for The Men Who Would Be Kings so I'm calling 2021 a win for the home side. Sadly the Mutiny remains sadly untouched. Next year for certain (possibly).

So what are the plans for 2022?

I do have some Bavarians and French (Middle Guard 1813) Sharp Practice forces started which I'd like to finish asap. However Phil has mentioned the idea of doing the First Afghan War with Sharp Practice so I have based my old Studio Miniatures Kickstarter so already have the bulk of a British 'Retreat From Kabul' army already. Hopefully Phil likes the idea of painting Afghans... :-)

The British OpFor for my Zulus is currently undercoated red and will hopefully get finished soon into 2022 along with a Zulu kraal. I bought some huts from Empress and have ordered some in the Grandmanner unpainted resin 'sale'.

The 'Modern' bug has properly bit of late and it is a bit of a cheat to say Seven Days To The River Rhine will be a 2022 project as I have already started a small 15mm Cold War Danish army (photos soon) and my old AIW 6mm forces have seen a couple of outings this month (AAR's coming soon). However I have ordered some models to raise some 6mm late 1950's forces (T10's Conquerors that kind of thing) which will be something different. As well as 7DTTRR I fancy dusting off and trying the old copy of ColdWar Commander I have for some larger games.

Having played Brian's CoCing up the Great Game WWI version of Chain of Command I am keen to finish my WWI Germans, but have a feeling 15mm Normandy might sneak in for CoC or I Ain't Been Shot Mum the way Phil and Andy have been talking... (I might look to recreate my first wargame army in 15mm).

Also a couple of skirmish games are simmering on the hob - Black Ops (which I have started painting some PLA for) and Stargrave, which I played earlier this week and whilst not totally convinced with did end up buying a crew of aliens for later that evening!

Finally, as I sup a nice Porter from Robinson's Brewery and listen to Progzilla Radio, I'd like to thank those of you who comment on the blog (I do appreciate it) and also the authors of the blogs I follow (listed on the  right side) but rarely remember to comment on, despite your excellent writing (I will try to do better on that score in 2022). 

Have a great (and safe) New Year and may you dice roll high in 2022 when you need them too...

Gert Lush Lard II: CoCing Up the Great Game

My afternoon game at Gert Lush Lard was a Chain of Command one, but set in WWI (well the Intervention in the Russian Civil War to be exact) organised by Brian Shipp, with Frazer and myself as the brave Indian forces attempting to dislodge the Lardy Rich's pesky Reds from the Deshak railway station. Having wanted to do WWI CoC for some time this was going to be interesting...

Also interesting was using 15mm figures for Chain of Command, which worked well though I did occasionally lose the odd khaki unit on the arid patterned tabletop!

Due to an excellent Patrol phase by Frazer the Indians had a Jump Off Point half way up the table which certainly helped with our deployment for the platoon.

Whilst the Bolsheviks hunkered down on the river bank placing a Maxim HMG on top of a building.

Unfortunately for the Reds, the Indian force had some useful artillery support.

The initial push into the wood was met by withering Russian fire and the Indian rifle section took a lot of Shock...

Before breaking after amassing more Shock than survivors. Not the most auspicious of starts...

Realising victory would not be achieved by charging a dug in enemy with Maxim guns, the Indians adopted a more methodical approach firing artillery and grenades...

Targeting the Bolshevik section in the woods...

First piling Shock on and Pinning them...

Before breaking them!

The Indian platoon moved slowly forward towards the enemy positions...

Whilst the artillery and grenade launchers targeted the Red Maxim guns in an effort to suppress them...

One Maxim fell victim to the indirect fire so Comrade Rich moved up another infantry section to replace them.

The Indian Bomber section occupied the tree line...

But came under attack from a third Red section in the woods...

Taking Shock and casualties.

Undaunted, the Indians fought back piling Shock on the Russian infantry.

With the Indians moving resolutely up the table and the artillery and grenade launchers wreaking havoc on the Bolshevik defenders in the town, the Red force morale dropped to zero and they fled the field of battle...

A great game hosted by Brian, it certainly rewarded a slow and steady approach with the use of suppressive fire. Brian said that Frazer and I had put "on a fine display of how to combine the four specialist sections in a 1918 British Army platoon to storm an entrenched Bolshevik position".

Gert Lush Lard I: Goths Across the Danube

With Bristol's Winter Wonderlard annual 'Lardy Day' falling victim to Covid restrictions earlier in the year, David Hunter organised an inaugural Gert Lush Lard at the end of October with several games being put on by notable Lardy fans - giving me the opportunity to try out some games/periods I'd not yet, kicking off in the morning with my first game of Infamy, Infamy!

Although the game is set around the early Imperial Roman era, this didn't stop Colin Murray hosting a lovely looking Late Roman period game for us, with the Roman's (Frazer and Ben) attempting to defend their villas and vineyards from the depravations of some marauding Goths! (Alex and myself).

The game started well on activations for the Romans with two groups of Comitatenses turning up (Legionaries in Late Roman speak I believe)...

Followed by more Comitatenses, some Limitani (Auxiliary equivalents) and archers.

Alex deployed a group of archers in some broken ground and started peppering the Comitatenses to no effect.

Then his warband of Goth infantry surged majestically onto the table...

Swiftly followed by my own with two groups supported by a third.

My archers (off camera in a wood to the left) were more effective than Alex's, targeting the Roman archers, killing four, and piling excess Shock on them, forcing them backward.

My German allies then arrived and moved up on my left flank...

Followed by Alex's cavalry.

Meanwhile Alex had got his wagon to the vineyards and started stealing the grapes (a task which required a cumulative series of D6 rolls to reach the required target. I confess I have never seen anyone roll so many 1's as Alex did here! :-) )

Meanwhile as Alex's infantry pushed forward the Romans deployed two groups of Comitatenses to protect the villa from them...

Whilst the second formation deployed in front of my Goth infantry, bracing for the expected barbarian charge.

Sneakily the Germans swung around the Roman right flank and charged in on the poor archers.

Whilst the Germans did not manage to kill any of the archers, it proved too much for the bowmen and they fled down the road.

Now supported by some Limitani, the Comitatenses threw some spears at my Goths reducing the Fervour  (essentially positive Shock) they had nicely been building up and leaving one group with Shock.

Alex's cavalry surged past their German allies...

Who charged the Limitani...

Who, turning to face them, lost three men to the German charge!

In a subsequent round of combat they lost two more, causing the Limitani to flee with much excess Shock, though not without inflicting a fair chunk of Shock on the Germans.

Unfortunately for the Germans a second group of Limitani then arrived...

Forcing them to fall back with excess Shock.

Another group of Limitani then arrived behind the Goth cavalry...

Who charged the newly arrived Roman spear, but were beaten off.

Having got their Fervour back up my Goth infantry charged into the Comitatenses to their front...

This did not go very well and my Warband leader fell dead in the scrummage! :-(

The Germans became embroiled in a desperate melee with the third group of  Limitani...

And were pushed back although they increased the Shock on the Romans...

Who were promptly attacked in the rear by the remaining cavalry...

Which saw the Limitani run for safety!

In the centre my leaderless Goths were getting a bit of a kicking from the Comitatenses who were really tough buggers and hard to kill.

The Goth casualties kept mounting...

And mounting.

At this point Alex's Goths charged in on the Comitatenses facing them but unfortunately we had run out of time...

I must say I quite enjoyed that and found Infamy, Infamy! a lot of fun which enough similarities and differences to Sharp Practice to make playing it worthwhile. I must get around to finishing off my Ancient German army I started painting for the game one day! :-) Thanks to Colin.