Jim's Wargames Workbench

I dug out my old, half finished Patrols in the Sudan Mahdist army yesterday and set it up on my desert terrain board to see how it matched up. As you can see, the figures are half painted but wouldn't need more than a bit of blocking in, a wash and some colour patches to be ready to deploy. I'm not intending to use PITS again, although I did enjoy the games that I've played, but did think that I could use this army for The Men Who Would Be Kings instead or for Death in the Dark Continent?

I would prefer to have individually based figures for TMWWBK and have already set aside some 15mm Peter Pig Beja and Egyptians for just the purpose, but as a fall back I could re-use these multiple based units as well, using counters or even individual wounded figures to track casualties. A quick check of the army lists (5.River Arabs) and it looks like I have more than enough bases for an army, although I would need to have five base units of fifteen not sixteen infantry, as they are based in threes not fours. 

It's worth a thought and, if I do just go down the individual figure basing route, at least I have an alternative option. It would be a shame just to shove them back in the box to gather dust.

I'm reading this at the moment, as it was only 99p and seemed to be just the sort of inspiration I need for making the most from my new desert terrain board, which I made for the 15mm post war Sandbox Skirmish project but which has all sorts of other applications. In particular, I've been thinking of ways to use it for other 15mm skirmish based projects, with a focus on the sort of Victorian colonial actions that this book was written about.

https://jimswargamesworkbench.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-men-who-would-be-kings.html

I have lots of 15mm Peter Pig figures left over from an abandoned Patrols in the Sudan project, for example, which could be used as a basis of two opposing armies for The Men Who Would Be Kings, to give just one possible option. I had this thought a while ago but, without a suitable terrain set up, it wasn't worth pursuing.  Now, however, it would be feasible and would require a minimum outlay in financial terms, even if I would need to invest some time and effort to make it happen. They're lovely figures too!

I'm of holiday for a few days so will be packing some stuff to keep me occupied on rainy afternoons. I vaguely remembered buying a box of Perry 28mm plastic mahdist figures ages ago on a whim, so had a rummaged in the loft and found them. These were originally destined for PITS in 28mm but I shelved that idea. I hate assembling plastic figures but thought this would be a relatively painless diversion over the Easter break, with a view to some low level colonial skirmish gaming of some sort, perhaps using a variant of Fistful of Lead: Reloaded, which is a splendid set of rules. 

It's the Easter holidays so time to catch up on some reading, with this optimistically titled book at the top of the reading list. I have Mike Snook's book Go Strong into the Desert, which is brilliant, so I'm looking forward to this one, especially as a source of inspiration for colonial skirmishy wargaming. Yet another use for my desert terrain or even that dusty box of plastic zulus?

With my change in jobs this year, to be an educational mercenary, I've been forced to cut back on my wargaming projects and significantly reduce my expenditure. This means that I have been looking for ways to double up or even triplicate the use of terrain, rules and figures in order to squeeze out the last drops of time, money and effort, rather than starting anything new.

The current focus has been on using my existing desert terrain as a platform for skirmish level games in both 28mm and 15mm, with an emphasis on the latter to keep the cost down. This is one reason why I've been planning the No End In Sight based project for post-war platoon level campaigning in Aden and other hot locations in the Cold War.

Today I had another idea. This would involve re-repurposing the 15mm Peter Pig colonial figures that I amassed (no exaggeration there!) for Patrols in the Sudan over a decade ago. I actually have a Madhist army for PITS and played a few games back in the day, but haven't used it for ages due to a lack of interested opponents at the club.

I do have plenty of spare figures for the British and Mahdist, however, including Hadendowah, Camel Corps, a Naval landing party, British and Egyptian infantry, artillery and some extras like heliograph teams, engineers and baggage. Quite a lot in fact. So, I thought to myself, why not use them for colonial skirmish games with Dan Mersey's The Men Who Would Be Kings rules?

It's just an idea at the moment but it would be virtually cost free and would help to reduce the lead mountain, without the need for loads of painting or vast numbers of bases. I'd like to have a crack at PITS again or possibly even Death in the Dark Continent with these figures but, as a realistic project, the skirmish option is far more likely to fit.

I'll have to dig out the figures and work it out!

I've been having laser cut mdf withdrawal symptoms so, as it's pay day, I've splashed out on a small order of three 15mm Middle Eastern style buildings from Blotz. They've added a few new structures to their existing selection of adobe style houses including this really imposing compound, which I can use for my long planned Britain's Small Wars post-colonial skirmish ideas and for 15mm Sci-Fi or Victorian colonial games like PITS, to name a fraction of the obvious options. I have a couple of the 28mm Blotz Middle Eastern buildings and if these 15mm ones are as well-designed and easy to construct, I will be very happy.

I'm thinking of a colonial something or other in the latter half of the year, although Lion Rampant and Frostgrave also high on the list of things to do, assuming the Chain of Command Japanese continue to creep their way forward to completion by Xmas! With this in mind, I'll be doing some reading around the subject, starting with Beyond the reach of Empire which I'll be packing for my camping trip next week. This might mean skirmishes in the Sudan could be on the cards, but they could also pop up in Darkest Africa, Zululand or the North West Frontier?

 

I followed a link on TMP to this set of big battle colonial rules this morning and liked what I found a lot. This is a ruleset designed specifically for colonial wargaming and includes just about everything you would need for the period. I have a 15mm Mahdist army that I set up for Patrols in the Sudan, which is a great set of rules but very much a company level skirmish style game, so this set of rules would be a good way to scale up to brigade sized games. It also ticks the wargame campaigns box!

 

 

The rules are designed around square stands of 2 to 6 figures, each of which represents a company, with eight of so companies forming a brigade. I have enough 15mm dervish to put together several brigades, although I do need to finish off the highlighting and detailing, which I could add to the list of things to do over the summer. I don't have any Anglo-Egyptian forces yet but there's plenty of 15mm figures in the leadpile that will double up for PITS.

 

You can read more about the rules here:

 

http://www.victorian-steel.com/about-the-rules

 

One of the nice things about the rules is that a proportion of the cover price goes to the Combat Stress appeal, so it's a bit of a no-brainer all round. The rules also include two 28mm flag sheets, although what they are isn't specified, but I guess they are probably for the Sudan. I don't have plans to do anything in 28mm for this but I do have some 28mm plastic Zulus that would be a great way to branch out into larger scales.

 

 

I think I'll order a set of the rules instead of the Frostgrave option, as it would make more sense to make use of my existng 15mm armies rather than starting something completely new. If they arrive before the end of term I can work out what I need to do to either finish off the 15mm Mahdist or to assemble the 28mm Zulus. I've always had a soft spot for colonial gaming so this looks like a really exciting ruleset and a very effective way to get an existing project finished off.

I spotted a paperback copy of this in Trago Mills yesterday for £5 so snapped it up. It's fully illustrated with contemporary sketches by the likes of Melton Prior and covers most of the colonial campaigns of the Victorian era, from the first Afghan War to the Boer War. 

The sketches are very atmospheric and full of detail, with a splash of stiff upper lipped derring-do, as you'd expect. I've seen many of them before in other books but it's great to have them all here in one comprehensive volume. It also cost a third of the cover price, so well worth it.

It reminds me that I really should finish the last stages of my Dervish army for PITS and paint up an opposing British patrol for them to ambush, somewhere deep in the Sudan. This project has been mothballed for far too long, so it really should be dusted off and finished this year.

I spotted that Northstar are selling off some of their US import titles today so, as I've been working hard and it's nearly the holidays, I thought I'd buy myself an early Xmas present. This consists of a copy of the Science v Pluck rules for the Sudan, together with both volumes of the Madhist Wars Sourcebook, the whole lot setting me back forty quid. A bit pricey but I think it'll be well worth it and will give me something to think about for next year, especially as the PITS project has stalled of late.

Those very nice people at Peter Pig have given me a 20% discount voucher for services rendered. I'm not  sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Either way, it reminds me of a visit to the Peter Pig stand at Warfare a few years ago, when I was greeted by the slightly disturbing but nonetheless apt comment: 

'Ah, Mr J...,you're our best customer'.

Oh dear.

This should have sent alarm bells ringing in the local branch of my ever tolerant bank, but I managed to shrug it off with some ACW ironclads and some extra bits for AK47.

Ha Ha!

Anyway, this much appreciated gesture may result in some superfluous bits for PITS including some bashi basouks for the dervish and perhaps a few additional packs of fuzzy wuzzy fanatics to bulk out a second, earlier force for dangerous but no doubt sporting patrols in vicinity of Suakin.

More Oink to your elbow, as Osman Digna would probably say..

...or possibly not?

The 28mm Triumph and Tragedy game on Tuesday has re-ignited my interest in the Sudan and, in particular, my long lost Patrols in the Sudan project from three or so years ago. I picked up the latest flashy edition of the rules at Colours last month and have been flicking through it to see what changes have been made to the system, set up and scenarios. I already have an 80% finished Dervish army which I could finish off as part of my virtuous attempt not to start anything new this year.

As my VBCW A World Aflame project has fallen through for various reasons, it would be an ideal time to pick up the PITS project and finish it off. I have plenty of figures for the British and Egyptians, together with some Hademdowah 'Fuzzy Wuzzies', so there's no shortage of lead in the pile. As the British units are relatively small, I reckon it would be quite straightforward to put together a force to oppose the Dervish hordes that I already have in the nearly ready to go box.

I'll give it some more thoguht over the weekend but it could easily turn into my next big project. I already have some terrain sorted and have played a few games with the original edition of the rules, so it shouldn't be difficult to pick up where I left off. I'll have to shift the Bag the Hun aircraft first but I have some time set aside over the weekend which should move things on a bit so that I meet the all important deadline for the game on the 16th.

...I have a Plan B ready just in case!

We had a good couple of hours at Colours today but, as I forgot to take the camera with me, I'm afraid that there are no photographs this time round. The show didn't seem too busy this year but it was very hot, which isn't surprising given the weather but less than pleasant given the preponderance of overweight, sweaty middle aged blokes in attendance.  

The boys were very happy to get a game in a re-match of Tusk, thanks to the chaps from the most excellent Lincombe Barn Wargames club. They wheeled out the 28mm mammoths and cavemen for a second year, much to the delight of the offspring who ended up in a draw, having dispatched two mammoths each by the end of the hunting expedition.

A very good participation game indeed!

I managed to chat to various people and enjoyed watching the Toofatlardies and Peter Pig demo games, although I didn't get the chance to take part, having the two sprogs in tow. I did, however, pick up a few of the things I set out to acquire on the shopping list and a couple of extra items to back up my existing projects.

It was a relatively restrained outlay this year but I did get:

1. A GZG Neu Swabian starter fleet for Full Thrust (the boys got some nice FSE spaceships too)

2. A pack of Copplestone Zanzibaris.

3. A cool Viper Scout Car from Antenocitis Workshop for the 28mm Future FFL project.

4. A shiny new copy of the revised and updated Patrols in the Sudan rules!

All in all, a very enjoyable day despite the heat and my inability to find everything that I was looking for. I'm particularly pleased with the PITS rules and the Viper kit, all of which fit in with my existing list of thing to do and should make for some interesting projects in the not too immediate future.

Good day!

I bought a copy of this rather splendid book at Colours a couple of years ago but didn't get round to reading it until now. I've brought it along with me for some background research on the Gordon Relief Expedition and the Suakin Field Force, with particular emphasis on the uniforms of the various units involved, at least one of which will feature in my Anglo Egyptian infantry force for PITS. I quite like the idea of some Royal Marine Light Infantry, backed up by a contingent of the naval brigade with Gardner guns, but some further reading is needed before I make up my mind.

I've been planning out the Anglo-Egyptian force for Patrols in the Sudan over the last couple of days, using the rules and my box of figures as a guide. I originally thought of doing Egyptians but, after a head count and some number crunching, I realised that I don't have enough figures and would need another half a dozen packs to make up the numbers. I'm hoping that I might get a Peter Pig voucher in my stocking this year so I'll probably use it to fill the ranks of the Egyptians before the price goes up in January.

The revised plan for PITS is now to do a British infantry force including two or three infantry units of four to five bases plus an officer and sergeant base. One of these will probably be a naval brigade unit, as I like the idea of painting up some sailors and they'll double up as a gunboat landing party as well.

For artillery support, there will be a unit or 2.5" screw guns as a two gun battery with an attached officer base and, as a variation on the same theme, a two gun naval Gardner battery, all with mule transport so they can keep up with the infantry. I'll also do two or three scout bases plus the requisite wounded, dead and scouted markers, which are essential for the game and add to the look of the battles.

I reckon I can get away with about thirty bases all told, which should make it a feasible project over a couple of months, give or take the usual diversions. I'm also thinking of making some more PITS terrain to add to the stuff I already have scratchbuilt but including some modular terrain squares made from cork tiles, which are my latest discovery for scenery construction and will conveniently fit the 5' x 3' PITS table area set up. 

We got to the in laws in record time yesterday, only twelve and a half hours door to door including an hour visiting friends on the way. As a result, we're taking it easy today thus allowing me some time to get the holiday plans sorted out in my head. To help me along, I've splashed out on a second Xmas present for myself in the shape of a Fuzzy Wuzzy army for PITS from Peter Pig.

I have a handful of Fuzzy Wuzzys that I picked up in a bundle of PITS figures on ebay ages ago, so I'll now have enough to build a decent sized force to take on the Anglo Egyptians. You can't really do the Sudan without them really, can you? They weren't very expensive either, so I think it's entirely justifiable in the interests of reviving one of my more complete 15mm unfinished projects.

Jingle Bells!

As usual.we're off to the in-laws in Brittany for the holidays, so I've packed up some lead for the duration in the hope that I'll get some cleaned up and based over the next few days. The box contains the remainder of the 28mm Nkonde native villagers army for In the Heart of Africa, together with the glue and tools I'll need to get them sorted.

In a change of plan, I've also included a couple of boxes of 15mm Peter Pig figures for Patrols in the Sudan. Although my original idea was to pack some 1/600 scale coastal warfare models I've decided to tackle the second half of my long standing PITS project, with either an Egyptian or a British force as the objective.

This is something I should have done a  long time ago, as I already have an almost complete Dervish army and have used it for a very enjoyable game or two of PITS in the not too distant past. If I can base up the PITS stuff it should give me the incentive to finish off the Dervish and get the opposition painted up too, so that I can run some games at the club with everything ready to go.

A bit ambitious but who knows?

I have a school 'enrichment' week in a couple of weeks time during which I'm running a Warhammer painting and gaming activity for a handful of kids. I've only got six sprogs and a couple of hangers on this year, rather than the usual twenty odd, so it'll be nice a quiet.

As a result, I get time to sit and paint up an army of my own figures while the sprogs glue themselves to bits of plastic and hack chunks out of themselves with craft knives. This year I've decided that, rather than start something new, I'm going to finish off some of the various projects from previous years.

So, this time I'm going to be completing the paintwork on my PITS / Death in the Dark Continent Dervish army. This only needs a little bit of work, including some lining in, detail painting and some flags to be complete. If I finish that I'll either do the TD Victorian Ironclads and the Rapid Fire! leftovers, which have been hanging about  a bit, or tackle the AK47 army that's based and ready for painting up.

It should be a productive week!

I was given a £30 Peter Pig voucher by my sister for my birthday and have been holding on to it since January, but have decided to use it to re-vitalise my PITS forces for 2011. I have already got the British Heliograph and Screw Gun sets, so any  more infantry would be a bit over the top. However, I have no Anglo Egyptian cavalry or camelry, so one or the other seemed like a good option.

In PITS you can field either an infantry force or a mounted one for the Anglo Egyptians, which seems a bit odd but there you go. The latter units need both mounted and dismounted bases, together with casualties, horseholders and so on, which makes them pretty expensive, especially as they aren't great in terms of points values.

As a result, I've had to pull out all the stops to build a force that totals the required 360 points, but I think I've done it for around £30, with the voucher taking the other half of the financial strain. The cavalry force I've number crunched will consist of the following:

This equates to a total points value of 358.

It doesn't sound like much but, with the various mounted and dismounted versions plus the horseholders, it's actually a shedload of figures to be painted, when and if I get around to it. I think at least one infantry force will need to be sorted beforehand but it will be interesting to try out the cavalry as an alternative in game terms.

I haven't given up on PITS as the couple of games I've played have been great fun. However, if you want to run historical scenarios or anything other than large skirmish style games, you need to look elsewhere.

I'm going to have a crack at this with Death in the Dark Continent first, assuming I can get some opponents and/or paint up the British and Egyptian figures I have in the lead pile. If AGD turns out to be well received I may well give it a try as well.