AAR: Persian v Indian (S&S) 27Jan19

Ian has been away ‘down-under’ over the festive period and this was our first opportunity to play a game of Sword and Spear. Ian provided the armies, both beautifully painted, and I simply had to turn up. We diced to see who played what; I got the Late Achaemenid Persians whilst Ian had the Classical Indians. The terrain was open, but Ian reduced the potential frontage by choosing a river on one flank.

I deployed my mercenary Hoplites near the river and thought these would vanquish the opposing large body of Indian foot, maybe suffering damage from the bow fire on the way in. On the other flank I was convinced my better cavalry would prevail against the supposed poorer Indian mounted troops. My major concern was in the centre where the enemy Elephants and chariots were located. I was unclear about how to counter this threat, so I planned for my lighter Persian troops to slow the Indians and avoid direct conflict.

View from the Persian side of the table

In many ways my hopes for the Hoplite flank were proved correct; they cut through the Indians like a ‘hot knife-though-butter’ with little damage, but it took so long to get them into action that they could not exploit their success fully. On the other flank my plans went astray and essentially lost me the battle. I’m not entirely sure why my cavalry failed. I think I could have strengthen the flank with another unit; I feel I made one poor decision by opting for a tempting flank attack rather than engaging another unit; and I had not accounted for the intervention of an Indian light chariot unit. Whatever the reason, the losses on this flank mounted at a rapid rate. In the centre my plans to counter the Elephants went well for most of the game, but I finally made a simple error and they got me!

Indian elephants keep trundling forward!

So, victory went to Ian in a close fought battle. This was a game I really enjoyed and it reminded me of how good Sword and Spear is. The rules keep both players constantly engaged, and tough decisions need to be made when allocating dice. The luck element is not overpowering but you can never take things for granted. I think Sword and Spear is my favourite Ancient rule set for club games that are time-limited. Impetus is a close second (plan to get v2 soon), and To the Strongest in third place. I look forward to many more games in the future.

Off the Painting Table (Jan 2019) part 2

Well, the second Roman legion did not take long to paint, I think the uniform character helped the production line. This time I went for a simple blue shield colour, and I plan to leave the more ornate designs for use by the Italian allied forces.

There is now light at the end of the tunnel in relation to my Punic War armies. Next up is the Italian foot, followed by Roman cavalry, then a horde of Gallic types. Finally, I plan to paint the elephants and general figures. I hope to get the painting finished by the end of February, and the basing done in March.

Off the Painting Table; Jan 2019

Over the festive period I have continued painting units for my Punic Wars armies. I have completed the Spanish contingent made up of Lancashire Games figures. I have 4 units each of Scutarii and Caetrati, plus 2 units of cavalry. The figures wear white tunics with a purple border and the shield designs are fairly Gallic in appearance (I took my inspiration and ideas from looking at 28mm decal designs on the Victorix website.).

It should be noted I have also finished the Numidian forces, but I have not photographed these because they are dull and boring.

I have a horde of Gallic figures to paint, but I don’t think I can face them immediately. Instead I think I will focus on my next Roman legion using Xyston figures. The better sculpts make these a pleasure to work on.

Review of the painting year; 2018

The year of 2018 has come to an end and I can look back on what I have managed to paint. I am a ‘sad’ gamer who logs all the items painted, generally in chronological order, so here is my 2018 list:

Number	Scale	Period	Manufacturer	Notes:
300	15mm	WW1 French	Lancashire Games
3	15mm	WW2 French S-35 tanks	Battlefront
8	1/600th	ACW Naval	Peter Pig	Plus Medium fort
6	28mm	Samurai	Col. Bills
12	28mm	Town Militia	Fireforge
15	28mm	Farmyard animals	Warlord Games
12	28mm	Gladiators	Black Tree
12	28mm	Spanish Guerrillas	Eagle Figures
1	20mm	WW2 building	?
12	28mm	Medieval Levy Archers	Gripping Beast
73	15mm	Carthaginians	Lancashire Games
25	15mm	Numidians	Lancashire Games
66	15mm	Republic Romans	Xyston Figures
24	28mm	Markers

 

Actually, 2018 was a quiet year in terms of painting. The only major projects completed were my WW1 French army, and my ACW riverine fleets for use with RFCM Hammerin’ Iron rules. Otherwise it has been a bit ‘bitty’ and lacking focus. I’m currently in the middle of my 15mm Punic Wars forces, which should be completed in early 2019. I’m really searching for inspiration at the moment but have enough to keep me occupied until Salute in Spring.

Boardgame session; Xmas 2018

Christmas is a time for families to get together and play boardgames. Gill, Paul and my niece Erin visited and we played a wide range of games, which I’m not going to detail. I think Paul emerged as the clear champion, with strong performances in logic games such as Onitama and Ganz Schon Clever.

As there were 5 players I introduced a social deduction game I picked up second-hand at a show; Deception, Murder in Hong Kong. In the first game I took the role of Forensic Scientist. Everyone soon understood the game mechanics, but trying to enforce an uninterrupted 30 seconds of analysis for each player proved difficult, so we were more free-form, but I ensured all players had a say in each round. A good indicator for a game is the enthusiasm which players show for an immediate replay, and Deception did well in this regard because we played 6 games back-to-back! We found a fairly even split between the investigators uncovering the murderer, and the murderer getting away with it. The game worked well with 5-players and I think a few players more would be even better. A larger player count would also allow for the introduction of other roles (accomplice and witness), which would be interesting. I don’t think Deception will be played frequently, but it will come out in ‘party’ situations, even with non-gamers.

The other ‘new’ game played was the 2-player game, Targi (which I received as a prezzie). I have only played this game once with Elaine, and I think it may quickly become one of my favourites. The decision making aspect is tense, with a nice degree of player interaction. The rules and mechanics are easy to pick up, and I like the 30-45 minute timescale. Anyway, that’s 2018 done with; roll on 2019.

Boardgame Session; 16Dec18

  

Visited Val and Chris for a pre-Xmas games session. We started with an old game that we have not played for a while; Castles of Mad King Ludwig. I love the theme of this game, so that even though I lost, the interest and achievement in putting together a ‘nice’ castle complex makes the game worthwhile. I feel we need to play more often so that I can start to understand the strategic options open to the master-builder when placing tiles for bidding. I’m sure I could make ‘better’ decisions during this phase. I also struggled to achieve many of my in-game goals, so it was not a surprise that I came last (but not too far behind).

Next we played Metro, basically Tsuro on steroids! Elaine and I have recently played a few times as a 2-player game, so I thought we would do well. Of course, Val and Chris romped home easily! We played the basic game, but I am interested in trying some of the variants included in the game which look as though they radically alter the game play.

We finished by breaking out Lords of Vegas. Again, not a game we have played recently and my memories of it were vague. Really enjoyed the experience as the board developed and players tussled for control of key casinos. For a long time Elaine looked to have a commanding lead with stacks of money, but her luck deserted her in the final turns as the ‘Dice Gods’ thwarted every roll she made. The game was greatly enhanced by using some really nice poker chips rather than the disappointing paper money supplied in the game. Good poker chips are so tactile and fit with the theme of the game, and I’m surprised the publishers did not go with this option from the start! Both Elaine and I enjoyed this game so much that there is a good chance we will get our own copy (we usually avoid buying games that Val and Chris own to avoid duplication).

Off the Painting Table (Dec 2018)

I have been continuing to paint my Punic Wars armies. I completed the Carthaginian spearmen with the more hoplite style figures from the Lancashire Games Battlepack. They have turned out more ‘Greek’-looking than I would have wanted, but they will do. In terms of value-for-money, I don’t think Lancashire Games can be beaten, and as a result, many of the forces for these armies will use their figures.

I have also made a start on the Roman forces using the pricier Xyston Figures. My first Legion is complete. The models are nicely sculpted and it is not too fiddly fixing the separate shields and weapons. They mix well with those from Lancashire Games in terms of scale. I was not certain about what colour and design to use for the shields, many examples I have seen have ornate designs. In the end I simply went for a plain red because somehow it just gave the figures a ‘Roman’ look. I think my mindset relates to Rome of the EIR-period best, and Romans simply look ‘right’ if they resemble the standard EIR Legionary. I also choose to arm both the Hastati and Princips with the Pilum.

My next group of figures are some Numidian cavalry, together with the Carthaginian horse. Then a large Spanish force. I am leaving the Elephants to last, acting as a form of incentive to complete the armies.