Home Made Craters

Good evening,

I've just finished slapping on couple of layers of paint on some craters I made out of MDF and Jovi (air dried modelling clay).



You know those silly sabot city sections I made a while back? Well, the MDF bits that I cut out to fit in the vac form plastic craters in the city sections I kept (and a few more from another couple of industrial type sections I'm working on), seeing as they were crater shaped, purchased some air dried clay to build up some crater walls around them. Not particularly robust (the clay shrinks as it dries, and cracks when bent back into shape), but with some PVA and a couple of layers of paint...well, we'll see how they last!

Ironically, I can't use them in the sabot bases themselves, as, well, the fit is too tight! They'll be good for additional atmosphere and cover during Epic and Crossfire games.

And hey, I had these cool crater bases, so...why not?!

Nick

Warclouds Over Woolston. Game 3.

Good afternoon,

And back we go to Warclouds Over Woolston.

Right, where were we? Oh, that's right, two up for me, onto Game 3.

Same army as before vs. Late Imperial Romans.

• Hero General (or was he a Blade General...? Must have been an Hero, counting up the points...)
• 3 Blades
• 3 Riders - or was that Camel element an element of Beasts?
• 2 Artillery
• 1 Airboat

We set up, and I already knew I was taking a risk refusing my left like that with an enemy mounted element across the way. Still, he'd take ages to get round that lake, right? The plan was to swing forward with my more mobile elements to roll up his flank. Well, that was the plan...



In retrospect, I would have been better served with the Behemoth (Steam Tank) on my left...



Drats, and there went my overlapping advantage against that Rider element.


And so two of my most visually dramatic elements were thus effectively out of action for the remainder of the game.

On my left, well, things were looking dicey. Ha! Get it? Dicey!


I tried to do something decisive in the centre with my tank, but, well...


...that wasn't really where I was feeling the pressure!




Dratted double artillery!

Bravely my Magician General (the Steam Powered Zappy Gun) turned to face his foe.


And again...though I can't exactly remember how I managed to get him into this situation below...


Still, I managed to push that nasty Rider element back.


And then...?? I have recollections that my General got ran over, but for some reason haven't got recorded evidence thereof. Does that mean that it didn't happen?!

No. No it does not. I went down. Done like a dinner.

Nick

Chewbacca Triumphant

Good evening,

As I wait to write up my next Warclouds over Woolston batrep, I thought you might enjoy this. I know I did!

Last Friday Mark D came round and we pulled out the X Wing minis. A 100 point game, he took the Falcon flown by Chewie with a weapon specialist and engineer, along with Wedge with R2, and I flew Vader with assault missles and Squad Leader, Soontir with Push the Limit and...that other TIE Interceptor named pilot, whose name escapes me.




For good reason!


He near'y got off a shot.

Mind you, I had managed to pound the Falcon, striping its shields and chewing away at its hull. Get it? Chewing away?!

So Mark flew him away a bit, and I decided to concentrate on Wedge.



In the next two rounds I had stripped him of his shields and down to one remaining hull point.


So Mark flew him away too.

Still, it hadn't been all one sided, Soontir was also down to his last hull point, and Vader down to his last two.


So we played rock around the rocks for a bit.


"I have you now," said Soontir to Wedge.


And he dodged every. Single Shot!

Alas for Soontir, Wedge kinda turned the tables...


...and, well...



...kablamo!

It was at this point that Vader decided that discretion is the better part of valour...


...and zipped off into hyperspace.

Leaving one very satisfied Wookie!


Well played Mark. Well played.

Nick

Warclouds Over Woolston. Game 2.

And so onto Game 2.

My same VSF Brits as used in Game 1, against Gordon's 28mm Dwarves. Jolly big fellows they were too...

• 1 Knight General
• 1 Knight
• 1 Hero
• 1 Behemoth
• 1 Artillery piece
• umm, a couple of Shooters
• and some Blades...I think...pretty sure...or were they Spear?
• Oh, and a Lurker.

So, we lined up, me trying to avoid that Artillery.


As soon as I entered the wood, the Lurker pounced. Or backed up. Or something.


Thankfully I had left behind my Gatling Gun (Shooter), so I, too, pounced.


And that was the end of that! (The skunk had not enough room to recoil.)

Anyway, I flew the aerials forward, and Gordon rode his line into them.


Next bound, and I rolled high PIPs. So, into the flank flew the Rocketeers, while my Redcoats rolled forward, as did my Steam Tank.



Huzzah! Now that opened up some options for me!


Gordon rushes over his Hero to hold the line.

Right in front of my Steam Powered Zappy Gun - my Magician.


Zaaapppp!


And the Hero gets turned into a frog!


And that was the end of that! (Is anyone out there familiar with Greedy Cat?)

Game two to me...and still no loss!

Cool!

Nick

Warclouds Over Woolston. Game 1.

Good afternoon,

Seemly ages back (8 February) we had a bit of a HOTT tournie at the Warclouds over Woolston event here in Christchurch.

My first (and all subsequent) game(s) was with my VSF Brits...

• 1 Magician General (steam powered zappy gun)
• 5 Shooters (including a Gatling gun)
• 1 Behemoth (the steam tank)
• 1 Airboat (Her Majesty's Air Boat Vulture)
• 1 Flyer (steam powered red coats)

...against Stan's Thomas the Tank Engine and the Army of Sodor.

• Knight General (Gordon)
• 2 Heroes (Thomas and Percy)
• Knight (Edward)
• 3 Riders (Bertie the Bus, Toby the Tram Engine and Mavis the Dizesiel)
• 1 Cleric (Annie and Clarabelle, Thomas' carriages)
• 1 Lurker (Signal "11 Min. Delay Norbiton - badger ate the signal box")
• 1 Flyer (Harold the Helicopter)
• 1 God (Sir Topham Hat)

Soon the respective flyers are in action, as Harold is sent around the flank...


...while Thomas scoots forward and hides behind the station's platform (essentially, and artificial wood - bad going).



Harold gets pushed back...


...and then the Airboat joins the fray.




To Harold's demise.


Meanwhile Thomas takes some fire.


Note Annie and Clarabelle adding Clerical support to Thomas against my Magician.


"Huzzah!" cries Stan as Sir Topham Hat arrives on the field...


...while I continue to push forward in the centre.

Next bound, Stan rolls a "1" for his PIP die, and..."Oh rats!" cried Stan!


Still, Stan pushes forward on the flank of my Behemoth with Edward (Knight)...


...while I enter the 'platform' to chase down Thomas, springing the Lurker, so to speak.

 

On my right, the HMAS Vulture relieves the pressure on the steam tank...



...while in rolls Toby, supported by Mavis, to also tackle my tank.



Even Annie and Clarabelle pile in to help out.



Lots of pushing and shoving ensues.


A tense moment...



...which takes the steam out of Toby and bounces back Mavis....

...into the flank of my flyers...

...and that was the end of that. Win to me, no lost elements no less!

 

Nick