Trojan War Skirmish Using Tribal Rules

Just got back from a game day up in Kent (Washington) at Wizard's Keep. This has been a monthly event for at least a couple years or so, but my first time there. It's only about 40 minutes away from my house, so not too bad. I was fortunate to get into a great Trojan War game using Tribal rules. There were six players, three each Greek and Trojans. I ran several Trojan units with two heroes, Hector and Aeneas, no less. These two heroes did well, Hector killing off Antilochus and Ajax the Greater, and even sending Poseidon scurrying off the field. Aeneas did well too in defeating Agamemnon in a round of combat, but succomed to injuries later in the game. My other spear units did well too - only one of four dying gloriously whilst defending Troy. The game was called at the end of turn 4, the Greeks only winning by a slight margin thanks to having only one more unit than the Trojans making across the center of the battlefield. My units had accumulated 18 honor points at the end of the game - the most of the players. This was only my second or third time playing the rules, but was able to pick up on them very easily - thanks in no small part to the host's awesome gaming aids including quick reference cards for units and heroes. Also, there were two other players who are experienced with the rules  - one being David Sullivan (I Live With Cats blog) and the other, Kevin Smyth (A Gamer's Tale blog). I'm sure they'll be posting about the game on their blogs too.  Here are a few pictures of the game, as well as the several other games hosted there. The other games were O Group, Clash of Spears, Battle Tech, and DBA.

All in all a great way to spend an otherwise gloomy, overcast day in the Pacific NW.

Japanese Castle/Wajo Walls - WIP +1

 Finished up the main wall sections. Waiting on some corner pieces, as well as a gate.

Tops of the stone walls are wide enough to fit 40mm squares.

Added dowels to hold the upper walls in place - and still be removable for storage/transport.

Hopefully the end/corner sections won't be too difficult to make. Until then, thanks for stopping by and checking out the blog. Best wishes to you all.

Japanese Castle/Wajo Walls - WIP

Well, started on this terrain project - using pink foam for the stone foundation of the some Japanese castle/fortress walls. The upper walls are the resin pieces from Tabletop Terrain. I'll be ordering some of their corner pieces too. 

Used left over thick foam pieces for the basic structure, and added a thinner foam to slant a bit at the front. A thinner foamcore was used for the tops of the walls. All of the foam pieces were glue-gunned together (rather sloppily in some areas). Need to use some sort of plaster to coat the walls after carving the stonework.

Update: Used a dull pencil to "carve" the stonework.

The piece above was the first test section so kind of cut the foam imprecisely. Had a general idea of how it was going to be built, but wasn't sure if it would work out. Seems to be okay - just need some kind of filler for the ends - maybe some caulking. 

Appreciate your visits and wishing you all the best.

Perry Joseon Armored Spearmen With Shields

Painted their shields to complete these figures. These are the last from the most-recent Perry order of Korean and Samurai figures. 

The figures themselves were painted a few days ago. The lion heads on the shields were painted similarly to the ones on the earlier round shields carried by swordsmen.

They remind me of Persian Immortals by the way they're armed and armored.

Not sure how they'll be deployed in a game - maybe as bodyguards for commanders, or for separate artillery.

Still awaiting a few TAG Song cavalry, but will attempt to scratch-build some Japaneses fortress/wajo stone walls next. Thanks for stopping by and hope you all are doing well and enjoying the weather.

Cavalcade Armored Ming Swordsmen - With Shields

Added the plastic shields that were from an ebay seller. The make of them wasn't listed, but someone told me they might be from the Fireforge Mongol set - the listing did say they were Mongol shields. They look just like Chinese shields, so no problem.

They were just sprayed with a white undercoat, then given a wash of Vallejo Ink Flesh and Black. The metal parts were Vallejo Bronze and then highlighted with gold. Very simple process.

Not sure if they would've been in units among themselves, or if they were mixed with lighter, unarmored, troops.

Used the image below as an example for the shields.

Still need to finish up the Perry armored spearmen's shields. After that, I should be starting on some terrain for a Japanese wajo fortress.

Perry Joseon Mounted Handgunners

Went ahead and based the three mounted handgunners after spraying them with Krylon matte/flat. Didn't do any additional highlighting after the staining. I had added some quick highlights prior to the staining - mostly on the horsehair plumes and horse tails and manes.

As with the previous mounted Koreans, the riders and horses are cast as single pieces. I normally paint riders and horses separately, but these painted up without any difficulty.

Perry Joseon Koreans are a favorite range of figures for me. Now I have a set each of their cavalry.

They're on Litko 50x25mm ovals and 3x movement trays along with the rest of the cavalry. Now a full 12-figure cavalry unit, or they can also be in smaller units of 3 or 6-figures.

As most of the Korean cavalry was wiped out in an early battle during the Imjin War, not many were present in most of the subsequent fighting. This loss was more than made up once the Ming Chinese entered the war.

Need to work on the shields for the Korean spearmen and Ming swordsmen next. Also, rebasing a bunch of the Samurai foot as I had mistakenly mounted them on stainless steel washers - which don't work with the magnetic bases, of course.

Perry Joseon Armored Spearmen And Mounted Handgunners

Just brushed on the Minwax stain. Still need to complete the shields for the spearmen. In fact, the main reason for getting the spearmen was their large wooden shields.

Speaking of shields - got some plastic Mongol shields from a UK seller on ebay. Not sure of the make (Fireforge, maybe?), but they'll be added to the Ming armored swordsmen.

Just a quick blog update on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Best wishes to you all.

Chain of Command - Philippines, Late-1944

Played another Chain of Command game ttoday at my buddy's place. The scenario was Late-War, Philippines, with US forces advancing inland against Japanese forces holding out. There were five players, and a GM, my buddy who hosted the game. Except for myself, all of the others were experienced to varying degrees with the rules. I have to admit I'm even getting some of the basic rules down too, having been playing the rules off and on for several years now. Of course, playing with folks very familiar with the rules is plus. For today's game, I ran a platoon of Japanese - one squad having four knee mortars - not bad to have in the woods with a spotter. The game ended after my fellow-Japanese player's platoon was knocked out of the game and it was called a US victory. I still had most of my platoon and had done well against a few US squads that were out in the open. My 37mm antitank gun also did well in slowing the advance of a platoon of Sherman tanks.

My buddy's tables are always filled with excellent terrain.

The infamous "Patrol Phase" - setting up Jump Off Points. Quite unique with the rules.

Capturing the hootch near the flag was a victory condition for the US troops, but the game ended when half of the Japanese force was destroyed.

Part of the Japanese platoon I ran, deep in the woods.

The Japanese end of the table.

The 37mm anti-tank gun that did well against the lead Sherman tank early in the game. It became the target of multiple US units, including two Shermans in retribution. It survived the game but if it gained one more Shock it would've been destroyed.

The US squad out in the open was one of two that were getting the worst of the Japanese knee mortars.

My two-man antitank team with bamboo poles failed to make it to the Sherman before the game ended.

One of my buddies just got back from visiting his in-laws in Japan and brought me back some cookies from a museum - the cookies had different military markings on them.

They could probably have been used as gaming aids, like Jumping Off Points, but we ate them instead.

The host lives about 5 minutes away from my place, and has a great view of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountain Range from his front yard.

When I got home, my Litko order, as well as the Mongol shields for the Ming Swordsmen were in the mail box. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday. Thanks again for stopping by and wishing you all the best.