Hi All,
Today is the 9th anniversary of the blog!
Last year was a very quiet one blog-wise and we missed the date somehow, but with the current lockdown I've been spending more time here again. Thanks to everyone who continues to drop by and say hi. In the current climate staying connected is more important than ever.
Have a great weekend folks and stay safe!
Cheers,
Millsy
Friday, 24 April 2020
Thursday, 23 April 2020
Language Warning!
REBASING. There. I've said it.
Told you I'd be using rude words and when it comes to my hobby time there's not much I find more offensive than rebasing to be honest. Still, I've had my interest in the WSS stuff reignited and looking to use The Portable Wargame (or another grid-based system hint hint Simon Miller!) that meant I needed to rebase all my existing French stuff.
A couple of hours of careful prising and I was able to remove all of the following from their original 25mm square bases and reorganise onto appropriate single base arrangements. The cavalry are in groups of two where only two squadrons are available, or in a single group of nine where three or more are present.
Having done that I was inspired to paint some more and enjoying the break from all things 28mm
I was able to knock out another four foot in the space of about the same number of hours. There is something incredibly satisfying in sitting down to paint and then walking away from the table with a unit absolutely completed including flags.
I've got some artillery and some staff prepped for painting now some more on those when complete.
Cheers,
Millsy
Told you I'd be using rude words and when it comes to my hobby time there's not much I find more offensive than rebasing to be honest. Still, I've had my interest in the WSS stuff reignited and looking to use The Portable Wargame (or another grid-based system hint hint Simon Miller!) that meant I needed to rebase all my existing French stuff.
A couple of hours of careful prising and I was able to remove all of the following from their original 25mm square bases and reorganise onto appropriate single base arrangements. The cavalry are in groups of two where only two squadrons are available, or in a single group of nine where three or more are present.
Having done that I was inspired to paint some more and enjoying the break from all things 28mm
I was able to knock out another four foot in the space of about the same number of hours. There is something incredibly satisfying in sitting down to paint and then walking away from the table with a unit absolutely completed including flags.
I've got some artillery and some staff prepped for painting now some more on those when complete.
Cheers,
Millsy
Saturday, 18 April 2020
Army Gallery - Lizardmen (15mm Fantasy)
Hi All,
This week I've speed painted another fantasy army in between other stuff. I have to say the whole lockdown thing is doing wonders for my painting output! Check them out here...
This week I've speed painted another fantasy army in between other stuff. I have to say the whole lockdown thing is doing wonders for my painting output! Check them out here...
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| Lovely Blood Dawn lizardmen |
Saturday, 11 April 2020
Portable Wargame Fantasy Event and Terrain Cards
I've created sets of 36 x Event and 36 x Terrain cards for my solo fantasy campaign to add variety.
If you want copies you can find them here.
If you want copies you can find them here.
Friday, 10 April 2020
Army Gallery - Italian Condottieri
I've added another page to the Army Gallery. This time it's my in progress Italian Condottieri. Enjoy!
Wednesday, 8 April 2020
Army Gallery - Army of the Barrows (15mm Fantasy)
This is the last of the painted forces in my 15mm fantasy collection at present - the Army of the Barrows. Hope you like them!
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| A mix of Ral Partha Europe and Alternative Armies 15mm miniatures |
Tuesday, 7 April 2020
Army Gallery - Grimtoof's Orc & Goblin Horde (15mm Fantasy)
Next up from the army showcase is Grimtoof's Orc & Goblin Horde. Enjoy!
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| More lovely Ral Partha Europe 15mm miniatures |
Monday, 6 April 2020
Army Gallery - Empire of Man (15mm Fantasy)
As I gear up for mt solo fantasy campaign I finally got around to taking some pics of the protagonist forces. Today's post is the Empire of Man army. For more images click here.
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| Simply gorgeous Ral Partha Europe 15mm miniatures, an absolute joy to paint |
Sunday, 5 April 2020
Solo Fantasy Campaign
I've been planning a fantasy solo gaming project for some time now and the current situation means there's a lot more time available to me and the inclination to keep myself busy is also there.
I mentioned previously I had been working on fantasy rules based on Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame and had been painting forces. That has continued on and off in a very ad hoc manner and I now have Orcs, the Empire of Man and Undead completed. I've decided to kick the campaign off using the Orcs and the Empire of Man.
Driven from their lairs in the mountains by the harsh conditions, the Orcs crossed the ice bridge in search of food and plunder, spreading out across the island in the depths of winter. With the coming of spring the ice bridge melted leaving the Orcs trapped and determined to consolidate their hold over the island.
War between the Orcs and the Empire of Man is inevitable and as the campaign season begins we find the opposing forces in control of various provinces and ready for war...
Each season will contain a random number of between 2 and 4 battles, with campaigning happening in spring, summer and autumn. For each battle the attacker will choose to attack a province under enemy control, with limited bonuses to their force based on number of friendly provinces adjacent to the province under attack (i.e. supporting forces). The outcome will decide ownership of the province in question, with draws meaning the defender retains possession. The winner of a battle (or in the case of a draw, the defender) decides where the next battle will occur and is the attacker.
Ultimate victory will go to the force able to capture all provinces on the island or I get tired of things!
Attacker: Base 30 points + d4 points per attacking province and supporting province (max 3).
Defender: Base 30 points + d8 points per defending province.
On the map above if the Empire of Man were to attack from Oldmead into the Orc held province of Faywick they would compose a force of 30 + 3d4 points. The Orcs would defend with 30 + d8 points worth of troops. Minima and maxima of troops are according to the army builder on my Portable Wargame Fantasy page.
Table setup will be generated randomly using a set of terrain cards and mechanics allowing for some rearrangement, again based on Peter's ideas found here.
That's all for now. More when I kick things off properly.
Cheers,
Millsy
I mentioned previously I had been working on fantasy rules based on Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame and had been painting forces. That has continued on and off in a very ad hoc manner and I now have Orcs, the Empire of Man and Undead completed. I've decided to kick the campaign off using the Orcs and the Empire of Man.
Background
The winter of 1230-31 was the worst in recorded history, so bad that the very seas froze over and the island home of the Empire of Men became connected to the wider world by an ice bridge.Driven from their lairs in the mountains by the harsh conditions, the Orcs crossed the ice bridge in search of food and plunder, spreading out across the island in the depths of winter. With the coming of spring the ice bridge melted leaving the Orcs trapped and determined to consolidate their hold over the island.
War between the Orcs and the Empire of Man is inevitable and as the campaign season begins we find the opposing forces in control of various provinces and ready for war...
The Campaign
I'm a big fan of the campaign system Peter has put together on his Grid Based Wargaming - But Not Always blog and will be using something very similar.Each season will contain a random number of between 2 and 4 battles, with campaigning happening in spring, summer and autumn. For each battle the attacker will choose to attack a province under enemy control, with limited bonuses to their force based on number of friendly provinces adjacent to the province under attack (i.e. supporting forces). The outcome will decide ownership of the province in question, with draws meaning the defender retains possession. The winner of a battle (or in the case of a draw, the defender) decides where the next battle will occur and is the attacker.
Ultimate victory will go to the force able to capture all provinces on the island or I get tired of things!
The Battles
Battles will be fought using 15mm fantasy armies on a 70mm grid using Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame rules. Before each battle forces will be composed from available troops up to a point total using the following formula:Attacker: Base 30 points + d4 points per attacking province and supporting province (max 3).
Defender: Base 30 points + d8 points per defending province.
On the map above if the Empire of Man were to attack from Oldmead into the Orc held province of Faywick they would compose a force of 30 + 3d4 points. The Orcs would defend with 30 + d8 points worth of troops. Minima and maxima of troops are according to the army builder on my Portable Wargame Fantasy page.
Table setup will be generated randomly using a set of terrain cards and mechanics allowing for some rearrangement, again based on Peter's ideas found here.
What's Next...
I'm planning on running a test battle or two during the week to iron out how I want to run the defender in each battle e.g. tactics, aggression level, etc. I have loads of options to choose from in my collection of wargame books but it needs to be simple and quick to fit with the Portable Wargame ethos.That's all for now. More when I kick things off properly.
Cheers,
Millsy