Assyrian army

Assyrian army

Wednesday 30 December 2015

A small skirmish

With my son Steven at home for a bit longer than expected, we decided to scrape together some troops for a scratch battle on the dining room table - most of my armies are packed away so we were using the ones in easy reach.

Firstly, assorted troops thrown on to a 4x3' dining room table and Steven decided to go with the Assyrians.

Initially I set up, then Steven, then I moved 2 pieces, leaving one poor chariot stuck out on a limb. Actually, that proved a blessing later as the chariot helped split up his attacks.


I photographed the table after each set of 2 moves.
We both went for a left hook whilst holding the centre. In both cases, that left hook would have to go a long way...

The first casualty was Steven's extreme right wing Ax element, taken out by massed archery. At the time, neither of us could really think of ways we could improve on our tactics in the battle but in retrospect  this move demonstrate two things Steven could have done. Firstly, he did advance his centre a bit - perhaps it would have been better to keep it further back. Secondly, his Ax would have been better going through the wood on his left flank, leaving the right flank to his archers.

This shows both outflanking movements working. My left flank chariots didn't get anywhere - throughout the battle, Steven got as many pips as he needed whereas I tended to come up short. My Bw became the outflanking units.

In the centre, lots of people bouncing off each other as my right flank tries to move back and keep out of combat.

My left flank continues to roll up Steven's right. If Steven had been a bit further back and had a unit of Ax flanking me from the wood...


These ones shows the start of the crunch period. Steven catches up with my refused flank but we initially bounce off each other.

Meanwhile, in the centre, Steven manages to surround my right flank blades... a win would be an instant kill... we draw... and I take out the rest of his centre...

So I win, but it really finished up on dice rolls - in combat, I tended to roll better while Steven got the rolls for pips.

Saturday 26 December 2015

Republic of Nando's





For those of you who remember The Republic of Cataplana there appears to be a rival.


My son Steven is currently visiting and he has pointed out that Nando's use the same images and story.


Friday 25 December 2015

Merry Christmas

Christmas check list...

Tree all set up with lights on...

Presents for the family all laid out for opening...

Christmas mugs ready to be filled with assorted beverages...

Turkey in the oven...


Everything set up to go...

Merry Christmas everybody.

Thursday 17 December 2015

Card castles

A while back I mentioned on Wargaming Miscellany that I had produced card castles that I used as a teaching aid - basically to teach nets/3D shapes.

This photo shows one of the castles made - in this case, cut out and assembled by an 8 year old with limited help from me.

 The first picture shows the general layout. The walkways and drawbridge were on the card template and were drawn in the same way as the decking for my Tealight Ironclads article a couple of years back in Miniature Wargames with Battlegames issue 366. The pyramid shapes on the towers were taken from nets on the SEN Teacher website

This closeup shows the simplified drawbridge. The gate was a piece of clipart from the Internet.



Wednesday 16 December 2015

Curry's PC World rubbish!

When you are getting something delivered and installed and have it written into the delivery details that it has to be after a certain time you  don't expect it to be delivered an hour early. THERE IS NO-ONE IN THEN!!! Any one with half a brain should know that!

Actually, there was someone in - I was having some work done so there was a workman in. He phoned me and I spoke to them but they couldn't wait until I got there - no, had to be a new delivery/installation date.

So 3 phone calls, one hour wasted (mainly on hold) and it's cancelled. I've wasted enough time with them. And they'll have to take their chances on collection. I may be in, I may not. As they said to me, paying £20 for time to suite delivery service is not a guarantee that they will deliver then. As I pointed out, yes it is if I make it a condition of the sale - contracts go both ways.

And get this - they can't arrange the actual refund unless I go back to the store... another wasted hour.

Guess which store has just had it's last order from me?