Triples 2009

This years outing to Triples (in Sheffield, for those of you who don't know!) featured our new game Sturmstaffel. In this participation game, up to 6 players take the part of German 'volunteer' fighter pilots defending the Reich in up-gunned and up-armoured Fw190s against a formation of B-17s.
The favoured approach was the frontal assault, turning after passing through the bomber stream and picking off the damaged and crippled.
Sturmstaffel kept us all (me, John Armatys, Jerry Elsmore, Nick Mitchell and Martin Rapier) busy throughout the weekend. I reckon that we had over 100 players in total!
Other highlights of Triples included the MAD Gamers participation game of Isandlwana (by reflex I just shouted 'Zulu') which Martin and I played late on Sunday afternoon. Suffice it to say that there were no British survivors and that one om my Impis captured Lord Chelmsford's colours. The game provided an interesting contrast to my last 'visit' to Isandlwana (also using Baccus 6mm figures) at Wayne Thomas' games day in late 2007. On that occasion I was the only British survivor - saved only by a Flashman-like headlong flight with the colours wrapped round my quaking body!

Operations hampered by bad weather!

Gaming activity over the past week consisted of Martin Rapier's offering of Operation Blockbuster as a Megablitz game (see more on Martin's 'The Games We Play' blog). John Armatys and I made convincing tired Germans while, for the Allies, Nick Mitchell got stuck in to the fighting while Jerry Elsmore struggled with traffic control and logistics.

Martin provided virtually all of the (20mm) toys while I mechanized the Canadian infantry in a Kangaroo and a de-frocked Priest. I knew that Kangaroo would come in handy. I really should paint the other one! I also unleashed my Ersatz rail gun - see photo - can you guess how I made it? (Cue cries from the cheap seats of "badly!")

I also managed an Airsoft outing on Sunday. This saw the debut of my new G3A3 rifle which achieved a few long-range 'kills'.

The weather hasn't really restricted me (not being a soft southerner) although I did call off a business trip to Somerset on Thursday. Other than that my Honda CR-V has taken me everywhere I pointed it including, on Sunday, across a snowy field! Only to be greeted by my dear friends Andrew and Heidi muttering "Bloody show-off!"

More airsofting planned for this weekend, but I'll try to do some painting too.

Vapnartak

Made a rare spur of the moment decision to attend Vapnartak in York yesterday. A pleasant little (but growing) show held in the racecourse buildings. I'd not been for 3 years so it was a nice surprise to find parking easier than I remembered. A decent range of traders were present together with a good range of games. Some good stuff on the bring & buy too. I finally bought a load (150+) of 20mm Italian Paras and a few (40) US Paras for a knock down price late in the day. The Italians will be plundered and the remnants sold on when I get round to it (let me know if you need any) but the US Paras are sufficiently nice that I'll probably keep them. The fact that there are enough of them to man a full Megablitz division helps too...

Over the weekend I managed to finish off the current batch of 6mm stuff. The Soviet SAM-2 and SAM-3 look as if they escaped from the 'Thunderbirds' props cupboard, while I look forward to the 'Thin Skin' and 'Fan Song' radars being jeered at when they finally appear in public. All of these are CinC models, by the way. The Arctic Front MR Rgt looks well too. All of the toys are either GHQ or CinC and the bases are flocked to match my 'winter' Hexon. I'll post some pics in the fullness of time. I'm thinking Norwegians next - infantry in Volvo Bv202s with a few frosty Leopards. I'll not plan too far ahead in case readers expect me to finish stuff in this lifetime.

Progress Update

Guilt has finally got the better of me so here I am with more ramblings!

The (much needed) Christmas break allowed some game-related activity including a very jolly game of AK-47 with Nick Mitchell and Martin Rapier. Sadly my troops, already intimidated by Nick’s better painting, were finally overcome by his luckier dice rolling.

I finally managed to find the time to re-base a load of 15mm Napoleonic Saxons bought off Ebay some 18 months earlier. In truth it was such a large army (4 box files) that I had already sold off about 70% of it. The survivors of this purge (I wonder if it’ll make them fight any better) are now snug on their new flocked and magnabased stands in a single box file.

The above prompted me to have a play around with a Napoleonic game I’ve been pondering for some time now. It uses 15mm toys on (inevitably) my Hexon terrain. A division fills a hex. The rules are at an early stage of development but results so far are fairly promising. Aside from any other considerations, the toys look nice on the terrain! A chat with Martin Rapier at the Sheffield club last night produced some more ideas. Perhaps I should offer to run the game at this year’s COW – that would force me to develop it!

On the 6mm front, I have sent a load of photos of old and weird toys to Pat Callahan for his Micro Armour Mayhem site. I strongly recommend visiting this site – there is a lot to see!

I have also sorted out the toys for a further (Arctic Front) Motor Rifle Regiment (from the, er Cold War) for use in NBC games. This will be tooled up with MT-LBs and be used with my ‘winter’ Hexon tiles. Having spray-painted these toys in late December, I started the brushwork on Sunday. This consisted of painting tyres, tracks, canvas, and lights etc on the vehicles and weapons, boots, packs, flesh and helmets on the infantry - finishing with an oil wash. Monday night saw much drybrushing and cutting out of stands (artists’ mounting board). On Tuesday night I stuck the toys to the stands (with PVA). I now need to flock and edge the bases, varnish everything and add squares of magnetic strip (so I can use Megablitz SP markers). Photos will follow of the completed toys.

Next up will be more snowy Russians and NATO troops to fight them (it’s still 1985 in my games room…)