Hippolyta's Tiny Footsteps: wargames

Showing posts with label wargames. Show all posts

Saturday, 24 May 2025

Chain of Command 2 - a few first thoughts

My pre-order bundle arrived yesterday afternoon.

The cover keeps the spirit of the original alive, while also looking all new and shiny. I chose the Veteran Resupply Bundle, which includes the book, a PDF of the book, two Force morale trackers, nicely printed on card and a set of MDF tokens;

I've already taken the opportunity to laminate the force Morale trackers, to ensure they have a long and useful life and the MDF tokens and markers are a nice update to the original set (of which I have two) and include a few new things. All in all, an excellent set of the important stuff. I've already got patrol markers, CoC dice and jump off points, but if you are a new player, you can get two other bundles that have the extra things you'll need to play.

I've spent a bit of time skimming through the book and, so far, the changes I've seen all appear to be improvements rather than things I don't like. I've played CoC2 a couple of times already and knew how some of the new things work but there is also stuff that I'd not seen, so I expect that there will be a period of adjustment ahead.

One thing I really do like from an early dip into the book are the changes to Soviet platoons which give them a bit more punch and potentially make them a more flexible attacking force. I'm thinking that I'll be following in the footsteps of Comrade Stalin and reorganising my Soviet infantry quite soon. I may well end up with more Soviet troops than I'll ever be able to get onto the table. Looking at the cost of Supports, I still doubt that I'll ever see my T-34/85, SU-85 or IS-2 on the table.

I'm also looking at the German list and I'm now planning a Volksgrenadier force, which should be an interesting Zug to play with. Assault rifles are less powerful than in CoC1, but still pack a big punch and SMGs are also downgraded but have a longer range. Volksgrenadiers field a lot of firepower, especially at close range, but look like they might be pretty brittle once they start taking casualties and shock.

I really like the changes to the Panzergrenadier Zug too. Now, each squad is all about the two MG42 teams. There are no additional riflemen. Everyone in the team now supports the MG42.

I've not looked as closely at the British lists, but a third crewman for the 2" mortar makes sense. The Airborne platoon no longer has an embedded PIAT team, that is now a support option and the platoon structure has changed.

The new ways you can use CoC dice points is also great. I've had a chance to use it in practice and I like it a lot.

Finally, Elite status is no longer applicable, except in one specific case. I've never liked the idea of Elites. There are better ways of giving certain troop types a bit of extra welly, red dice, for example as introduced in the Blitzkrieg handbook.

So, it is looking good for the future of Chain of Command and now I'm going to have to visit the Peter Pig website and spend some money.

Thursday, 5 September 2024

OK, so I didn't post anything in August.......

..... and now it is September. I've not posted anything, because I still haven't managed to paint anything because of the damned arthritis. However, I did go to the Lardy Workshop at Britcon in Nottingham back in early August, and here are some pictures from the event.

I think I've all the games, but if I've missed anything out it'll be my mistake rather than anything else.

As you can see the quality of the tables and the figures used is superb. Lardy Days like this certainly bring out the very best examples of what can be done in wargaming.

The games covered everything from Middle Earth and the dusty plain outside Troy via medieval Japan, the 18th century Caribbean, Normandy in 1944 and Germany in 1945 right up to Vietnam in the 1960s, plus various other locations.

The rules on offer were Chain of Command, Sharp Practice, What A Cowboy, General d'Armée, Kiss Me Hardy, the soon-to-be published Midgard and the unpublished (but excellent) Until The Last Sword Is Drawn.

It was great to meet up with gaming friends old and new and my thanks go out to Don Avis whose ability to herd cats (i.e. wargamers) and organise the whole thing is pretty awesome.

Monday, 23 January 2023

My first completed work of 2023 - WW2 British Airborne in 15mm

I,ve spent all of January so far staring at these figures and finally painting them! There are a lot, so scrolling down is required.

First, some anti-tank support options for my existing Airborne platoon, a 6-pdr A/T gun with a jeep and an officer followed by four two-man PIAT teams;

Next a couple of Vickers MMGs;

Finally, a few extra officers, one pair can also be used as a FOO for off-table mortar support and a couple of Rifle sections;

All of these figures come from Peter Pig, as do the original platoon. They will be used for a game of Big Chain of Command (two players a side) I will be running at Winter Wonder Lard at BIG in Bristol in late February.

I am sure that they will also come in handy for possible Arnhem games in the future.

Tuesday, 6 September 2022

Allied infantry battalions for my 15mm SYW project

The Grand Duchy of Überwald's army usually includes allied units.

These two battalions represent troops recruited in the Margravate of Streslau. The current Grand Duke, Carl Emanuel III was the Margrave of Streslau before succeeding his father, Carl Emanuel II to the title several years ago. Streslau has been a feudal vassal of Überwald since the 16th century and provides well-respected and stubborn infantry to the Ducal Army.

The infantry regiments of Streslau wear green uniforms and their standards are distinguished by the yellow Cross of St Alberich, the patron saint of Streslau.

Thursday, 1 July 2021

Three more metal Stargrave figures

These are the final three metal Stargrave figures from the Nickstarter;

From left to right they are a Hacker, a Rogue (or maybe a Veteran) and a Medic.

Once again, they are lovely sculpts with a lot of nice details and plenty of character.

I am seeing the Hacker as someone who has escaped from some Hive City on a ruined and polluted industrial world, probably on the run from the city's security forces or the agents of some mega-corporation whose systems she has penetrated to gain its secrets.

The Rogue or Veteran is an enigmatic figure, a survivor of many battles whose homeworld was destroyed in one final cataclysmic conflict between competing warlords. Now, a lone survivor of a warship's crew in a hostile sector of the galaxy, he lives on his wits, cutting dodgy deals and taking on contracts from whoever is prepared to pay, regardless of their legality or morality.

The Medic is another survivor, this time from some obscure Medical College or Order, maybe one whose aims were controversial and methods less than legal, leading to it being attacked and destroyed by militia forces of the local population, sick and tired of seeing their children and friends disappearing behind the forbidding walls of the Order's Fortress Hospital, never to emerge again. Yes, the Medic is a man with a shady past. Perhaps he seeks to atone for the scientific and medical atrocities in which he participated in the past? Or perhaps he still carries out secret experiments and is happy to carry out no-questions-asked illegal procedures so long as the price is right?

Wednesday, 30 June 2021

Two more Stargrave minis

Here are my second two Stargrave metal figures that were Nickstarter stretch goals.

These two are Mystics; a type of character who might be a kind of Warrior Monk, a member of an ancient spiritual Militant Order or an initiate of a Post-Apocalyptic Cult.

They have unnatural powers that are different to those of Psionicists, derived from their ability to sense the underlying power of the universe around them and shape it to suit their purposes, whether for good or ill.

I see the figure on the left as a former knight of a Militant Order, still wearing their Order's armour, striving to bring some kind of law and justice to a wild and lawless galaxy. The figure on the right could be a cult initiate, someone whose world has been subjected to a near-total breakdown of society and who is searching for meaning and answers where none seem to exist, or perhaps a warrior monk, whose role is to hold back the forces of decay and destruction via a special emotional and spiritual oneness with the Cosmic All. Perhaps the overlap between cult member and monastic warrior is greater than many might think?

Thursday, 24 June 2021

My first two minis for Stargrave

I signed up for the Stargrave Nickstarter (which is now over) a month or so ago and went in for the whole package. I've finally started painting things, starting with the stretch goal metal figures. Here are the first two I've completed.

These two are Psionicists (also called Psykers in other media). The figure on the left has a definite Bad Guy vibe about it/him/her (who knows?). I think it is the teeth, but let's not be too judgemental about their dentistry.

The female figure on the right could be a more neutral character. She doesn't give off the same sort of Dark Lord of the Sith aura.

I am really pleased with the whole green and purple scheme that I've used for both figures. I decided to keep their bases pretty simple, but you can't ever have bases that will work in every possible environment.

Saturday, 15 May 2021

Bad Squiddo Women of WW2 - ATS with rifles

Here are my latest Women of WW2 from Bad Squiddo;

These are all members of the ATS, the Auxiliary Territorial Service, which was the female arm of the British Army during the Second World War. By 1941, there were around 65,000 women serving in the ATS, carrying out a wide variety of non-combat roles, such as drivers, orderlies, cooks, clerks, storekeepers, searchlight operators, anti-aircraft gun crew and military police. The ATS also provided around 10% of the strength of the Royal Corps of Signals. By the end of the war, there were nearly 200,000 women serving in the ATS.

These women are, atypically perhaps, equipped with rifles and their officer has a standard issue sidearm, but this is fine for gaming purposes, especially in games set in the UK in "What If?" scenarios, using Chain of Command or other suitable rules.

As always with Bad Squiddo minis, these are lovely sculpts and excellent casts which paint up really well.

Saturday, 1 May 2021

The Shooting Party

Four more nice figures from the excellent Ironclad Miniatures Victorian Science Fiction range, described on the website as "Victorians armed with sporting guns".

I have decided that these are four associates of Sir Henry Huntley-Palmer, old friends, drinking and shooting partners and also stout chaps who can always be relied upon to accompany him on his occasionally dangerous missions and exploits, which are sometimes sanctioned by a Mysterious Government Agency but might also be unsanctioned freelance operations.

From left to right they are George Davenport, a retired Metropolitan Police Officer, "Gentleman" Jim Mason, a bon viveur and alleged cracksman, Sir Arthur "Binkie" Beaumont QC, a former criminal barrister and Percy "Nobby" Nobbs, Sir Arthur's gamekeeper.

When Sir Henry requires their services they are always available and collectively they are known as "The Shooting Party".

In Her Majesty's Name is clearly where they are going to see most use, but they should also be useful where tentacled unpleasantness and eldritch goings-on are likely to happen.

Wednesday, 20 February 2019

Reinforcements for my 18th century imagi-nations

When I first started this blog, my original aim was to write about the imaginary countries of Syldavia and Borduria, well-known to all fans of the Tintin books, their history and their armies and personalities of the 18th century.

Over time, the blog had expanded to cover all things wargaming, but I still love my imagi-nations, and often think about what I could write about next. I am always also thinking about new units I could create for my armies (used for Sharp Practice), including some Ottoman enemies who threaten both Syldavia and Borduria from the south.

Anyway, one nagging annoyance was that I created a couple of units which were understrength and I've recently addressed that issue. Here are four groups of eight figures who all provide reinforcements for their respective units.

First, the Syldavian Douma Regiment of Pandurs. These now have two line groups, a group of skirmishers, an officer and two NCOs.

Now, the pride of the Syldavian Light Infantry, the Strelec Jäger Regiment. I am thinking that I might upgrade the Schützen group roster so that they will be equipped with rifles.

Next, the Bordurians. First the Smederevka Hajduk Regiment, volunteers and conscripts equivalent to the Syldavian Pandurs.

And finally, the feared Moznik Jäger Regiment, equipped and uniformed in the Prussian style beloved of the Bordurian Autokrat, Constantine II. Again, I am wondering whether the Schützen group for these troops should have rifles rather than muskets too.

Tuesday, 15 January 2019

My Nine Years' War Sharp Practice mods get a further revision

It's been a while since I've had a chance to use my nice Lurkio late-17th century French and Anglo-Dutch armies, which were the inspiration for my Sharp Practice mods, which were published in the TooFatLardies 2017 Summer Special.

Since first seeing these mods in print, they have undergone a revision and some resulting changes. This was a chance to playtest those revisions again and see how things could be tightened up and clarified.

I must say, in passing that I am really pleased to see that Lurkio is continuing to operate under the aegis of Simon Hall's The Wargames Zone. It did look at one point like the company would cease to exist, but happily these terrific 15mm figures are still going to be produced.

In this game at the club last Sunday, I took command of the Anglo-Dutch army while Brian commanded the French.

The battle was an encounter between the two armies on the outskirts of the (fictional) Dutch town of Grolschbeek. The Anglo-Dutch were first on the field, with a cavalry brigade moving sharlpy towards the Grolschbeek junction. The aim was to secure the right flank before the French could deploy.

Elsewhere, a regiment of Dragoons took up a position in the gardens of a manor house on the Anglo-Dutch left flank. The !st Regiment of Foot (the Royal Scots) advanced, flanked by two Danish regiments of Foot. The Nassau Horse protected their right flank as they formed a defensive line.

The French began to advance across the main road into Grolschbeek, with the Rohan and Villeroy Horse supporting the Languedoc and Champagne regiments of Foot.

The Dragoons waited, relatively secure behind some hedges with a cornfield forming something of an obstacle to the French.

The English Horse began to deploy on the outskirts of Grolschbeek, behind the advance of the Nassau Horse.

Things began to get crowded as regiments in column and the artillery began to emerge from the Anglo-Dutch camp. The Anglo-Dutch Captain General Lord Lymeswold was finding it hard to get his Elite troops into position before the French advanced.

And here come the legions of Le Roi Soleil, under the command of Maréchal de France, le Duc de Cabecou.

The Dragoons began to fire on the advancing Régiment de Languedoc, supported by the Danish Fynske regiment. Lacking pikes, I hoped that these troops would be able to keep the French at arms length and avoid any Fisticuffs.

The Nassau Horse, perhaps being uncharacteristically impetuous charged into the Régiment du Lyonnais, sustaining casualties and shock.

They were repulsed with losses after a couple of rounds of combat. Elsewhere, the Danes were firing on the French Foot, with the Royal Scots waiting until they had an opponent within close range.

The Régiment de Languedoc took a lot of fire, suffering mounting shock and losses, compelling them to retire due to excess shock. Realising that they couldn't outflank the manor house, the French Horse moved to advance across the Anglo-Dutch left.

Having seen the Nassau Horse fail, both Woods' and Lumley's Horse moved to within charge distance of the French Horse. Woods' regiment came under musket fire, picking up Shock.

The Royal Scots poured musketry into the French Régiment de Champagne.

Finally, the English Foot Guards and Artillery move up towards the fighting. Lord Lymeswold directing the advance.

From the French side, the Anglo-Dutch centre begins to look menacing.

Maréchal de Cabecou sent the Régiment de Fimarcon Dragoons towards the French right, as the Gardes Françaises marched in line to fill a gap in the French line caused by the forced withdrawal of the Lyonnais Foot.

On the French left, the formidable Horse awaited the English charge. On the left of this brigade was the elite Régiment du Roi, in blue uniforms.

The two combats were bloody, with both English regiments coming off worse. Lumley's Horse suffered 50% losses and were compelled to retire back to the edge of Grolschbeek and were soon joined by Woods' Horse. However, they still protected the town, together with the remnants of the Nassau Horse.

The Anglo-Dutch centre was looking strong, with the French unable to make any headway against the effective musketry of the Danes and Scots.

At this point we decided to call a halt, because we were out of time.

What had I learnt from this game?

Well, firstly the rule mods definitely do work for these large-scale encounters, especially with the amendments made since I first wrote and tested them. Secondly, the game does seem to give a reasonable brigade level simulation as opposed to the standard SP skirmish games. One might say that it is "Sharp Practice, Jim, but not as we know it".

I am a huge fan of Sharp Practice and the Shooting and Combat mechanisms are simple and effective and do translate well to use with larger units.

One thing that I think needs to happen is giving each brigade its own Deployment Point rather than having a single one for the entire army, because that leads to massive bottlenecks early on which prevent troops from deploying. The Dutch Garde Te Voet never really got anywhere near the battle.

I have rewritten my rule modifications, adding some clarifications, so I hope very soon to play through them again.