Sunday 2 November 2014

Board Game Night

Well, these are becoming few and far between, but it's always good to get out and see the gang. We had a new addition today. My friend William had his fiancée play. Apparently her boardgame experience started yesterday with Pandemic and Kerplunk! We had discussed playing Settlers of Catan so I brought that and Forbidden Desert. Power gaming couple Jamie and Vanessa brought Tsuro, Letters from White Chapel and Cosmic Encounters.


We played a five player Cities and Knights expansion. I haven't played Settlers in a while and I forgot the importance of upgrading technologies and did Will. Jamie won this one rather quickly. I was the bank so I can't even accuse him of cheating...


Next we played 2 games of Letters from White Chapel. Jamie was Jack the Ripper for the first and Will was the Chief of Police. We managed to find the Ripper fairly quickly and won. Next Will was the Ripper and I led the police to catch the dastardly villain and once again good triumphed over evil.


Next we played Tsuro where Vanessa (green) eliminated herself 1st. And I took out myself (red),Will (blue) and Ashley (yellow) in the bottom Left handle corner two turns later.


Lastly we squeezed in two games of Cosmic encounters. I could have won the second game but sidetracked myself and took a big gamble (for the win!) that utterly failed. 

After 5 1/2 hours we called it. I really enjoy Settlers but having forgot a crucial element of strategy cost us all quickly. I had never played the other games before. Tsuro was nice and quick. A nice casual game. Letters from White Chapel was good. I'd like to have a go as the Ripper though. Both Will and Jamie said they got pretty nervous trying to elude police. Cosmic Encounters was good too. I'd like to play it again before I give my full opinion on it though. 

Thursday 9 October 2014

Council Fires 2014



On Saturday, I had the pleasure to drive out to Cambridge ON, to partake in Council Fires. It is a wargames convention that is trying to make a comeback.

It was a one day affair at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 126. Entry was $10.00 but came with a Ltd Edition Pulp Figures Native American warrior.


I brought my dad and we ended up being later than I would have liked meaning all the 2pm game slots were full.

It was a smaller convention (4 vendors) and maybe 40 players when I arrived. 

I saw two friends from the Lead Adventure Forum, Dave (chairface) and Pete (sterling moose). 

Dave kindly let my father and I play on his wonderful In Her Majesty's Name table against himself and another gentleman named Barry. We each had 1 rifle company and had to get a single figure across the enemy's deployment zone.


My troops hiding, I mean deploying behind a mausoleum.


Overview of the table. Dad's forces in bottom left. Dave's top left (unseen), Barry's forces top right (unseen).


I run some troopers down the alley whilst Barry's take cover, preparing for a melee.


Dave takes a run through the centre of town. Dad's troops  (by buildings) attempt to shoot at them but miss. I've moved some figures near mausoleum and also miss my shots.


Meanwhile, I continue my advance and get blocked in by Barry's troops. Combat ensues in a stalemate.


Dave continues advancing and my troops move into combat to stop their advance. But I am outnumbered.


My best shot at victory is slaughtered in a 1 on 2 fight, whilst his companions are blocked by two doughty fighters of Barry's.


One of Dave's and Barry's troops each slip through the combat lines and take victory. A well earned and fought game. And naturally, now I have another new rule set to peruse.

Tuesday 30 September 2014

X-Wing: Rebel Aces Expansion


The new X-Wing expansion is now in my grubby little mitts. 


It's chock full of goodness! I can't wait to get these guys on the table. 

I'm not crazy about either of the paint jobs...I know, I know, picky right....the A-Wing is the better of the two. I just don't like the blue. The B-Wing looks sloppy. 

I'm a big fan of B-W's so I'm happy to get another with additional pilot cards. 

I have an A-W but only got it to get the ship upgrades.

Hopefully I get get a quick game in soon to highlight these ships. 

Can't wait for the upcoming releases!

Sunday 21 September 2014

KEGSCon

Yesterday the Kent-Essex Gaming Society hosted their second wargaming event in Chatham ON.

I was unable to attend as I was working. The 3.5hr drive (one way) wasn't very appealing but I would have gone if I was off.

I'm waiting for pictures to appear online as they have GM'd some pretty decent games at Hotlead.

Saturday 13 September 2014

Building Terrain - Large Farmhouse

Bit of a break since the last post. I built the Sarissa Precision Large Farmhouse sometime last week but finally got around to talking some pictures. 

On to the review. Another nice flat pack piece of kit. Three (or four, oops it's been a while) sheets of 2mm MDF and a sheet of 1mm card.

Again a nicely laid out diagram and exploded diagram for easy installation.

The kit went together pretty easy. I read a review that stated the floors and roof have little tabs (that clip it all together) that are a pain but I didn't find it a pain. It separates quite easily.


Finished. Looks pretty good.



With the roof off. Just two separate rooms.


With the second floor off. One large room, one small room and an overhang.


All three pieces separately.


I really enjoy Sarissa Precision kits and look forward to getting many more. The 1mm card pieces were fiddly. Especially the archways.

Thursday 28 August 2014

Building Terrain - Western Wagon

I managed to find some time to put together the Sarissa Precision MDF Western Wagon. It comes flat packed and is really quite a small package.


Now onto my mini review:


Inside is a 1 page instruction manual with the overall picture (above) and the exploded diagram (below)


The kit comes on one single sheet of 2mm MDF.


I noticed that all the little punch out pieces are excellent for battlefield debris/bricks etc .

One view of wagon. There is also a long piece of MDF that attaches to the bar pictured between the front wheels. As I'm not going to attach this wagon to any animals I'm not attaching the bar. Forgive my wagon ignorance.


Reverse side


All in all, another easy kit by Sarissa. No real fiddly pieces. The lack of details inside the wagon is irrelevant as I plan to have hay in wagon bed.

Tuesday 26 August 2014

Building Terrain - Barn


Yesterday, I received my order from Sarissa Precision.

Today I thought I'd tackle the Dark Ages barn which will be an old barn in the corner of a walled farm somewhere in Normandy in 1944.

I must say these are my first MDF kits so I'm excited.


The barn comes with a single sheet of paper which includes the overall picture (above) and an exploded schematic (below).


There were also two small sheets of 2mm MDF with all the pieces.


A quick confession: I really dislike the initial smell but it goes away.

The barn pieces punched out fairly simply. I was worried about the front supports/beams but all in all, the barn went together very quickly.


Front angle - the exterior has detailing but alas, the interior is rather plain..


Rear angle - I really like the barred windows at the back. A bit fiddly getting the pieces out. When assembling these kits, a knife is a must.


The roof and walls are separate. I'll probably put a large hay bale or something on one side that a sniper can hide behind.


All built! Still a long way from being "done". 

Need to detail the roof, build a hay bale, and paint this sucker. 

This kit went together really fast and easy. It took less than 10 minutes to put together.


With Warlord American Airborne Pathfinder for scale.

Monday 25 August 2014

Sarissa Precision

I put in an order to Sarissa Precision on Aug 20th. I ordered the Large Farm from their NW Europe range, a medieval barn, a wagon from their Western range, 1 set of weapons team bases, 1 artillery base and 7 sets of custom weapons team bases in a pill shape instead of circular.

Five days is all it took to arrive. 


As I don't have a real wargaming space, I need a table that can be put away but can stay set up as a dedicated wargaming table if required. I found a 34" square, foldable card table today for $24.99 at Canadian Tire (1/2 off Yay!). My plan is to build a 4'x4' box top that can sit on top and be deep enough that a lid/table surface can go on preserving a game underneath.

But what of my hiatus? I'm still hurt but having a neighbour who is an outstanding physiotherapist means I walk next door for treatment 2x daily which has resulted in (knock on wood) rapid progress.

Sunday 24 August 2014

Zombicide Ridiculousness

I missed out on Zombicide Season 1 on Kickstarter and lucked out to buy the Abomination level minus some promotional figures at cost. The missing figures cost quite a bit considering they were a $10 add on each.

So when season 2 came out I figured I'd join to save myself some cash instead of getting bent over by greedy sellers on eBay.

Having just backed season 3, I am kind of embarrassed about the money I spent, just to get each character.

And don't get me started on the special characters in the gaming night box sets (and yes I have Kyoko and Tiago)ok


Just wondering (aloud/online ) if I'm nuts for what I've put into this game. I have played it a fair bit and do enjoy it but it is getting to be ridiculous....

Maybe in a few years when my son is older and I can game with him it will all be worth it...

Tuesday 19 August 2014

Real Life Issues

On Sunday I was playing in my rec lacrosse league when I twisted suddenly and heard a "popping" noise come from my back.

Having dealt with 2 herniated discs and Sciatica for most from Mar 2012- June 2013. I was pretty worried. Needless to say I started experiencing lower back pain.

I went to the ER (hoping to get X-Ray, MRI and/or CT scans) in case I have truly bunged myself up but the Dr. said it was probably just a muscle strain. And to see my family Dr. if I wanted an MRI because he wasn't going to do it for me.

I took Monday off of work and iced and stretched my back and it felt slightly better. However, my torso had developed a tilt to the left. This happened last go around and was explained as my body trying to protect the injured side, so all the muscles compensated by pulling left.

I saw my chiro today and he said I was presenting the same as when I had sciatica and we did a series of flexibility and movement tests. He said I probably have a minor herniation.

I spent most of the day stretching and got rid of a lot of the body tilt. I saw my family Dr. and after a small portion of the tests my chiro did, she said it was a lumbar strain. And gave me a note to be off work for the rest of the week!

Seeing as it hurts to sit, my hobbying is on hiatus. Hopefully it's just a strain as that will heal a lot faster. But I don't think it is. Wish me luck!

Monday 18 August 2014

Lt. Winters Miniature II

Alrighty,
So my limited edition Dick Winters mini arrived. Minimal flash. Pretty crisp casting. Only assembly was putting kneeling leg on.


I was under the impression that the dog tags supplied were resin but mine were metal. Doesn't matter either way as I have zero use for them.


The only issue I have with this figure and it was definitely my own fault was it has come off the base once already. I didn't use enough glue as I didn't want it glopping out under the knee and foot. 

I did watch Band of Brothers and I found the scene at Brecourt Manor where Winters is kneeling and motioning with his hand like that. I thought it was pretty neat.

Friday 15 August 2014

Another Shop

I attended Hornet Hobbies today and picked up some more Vallejo paint and a Hotwire foam cutter. I really wish it was closer to my hues though. It has a fantastic selection of model trains, scenics and other hobby goodness. And the staff are really nice as well.

Wednesday 13 August 2014

Productive

This week has proven rather productive as I applied sand onto the MDF/spackled bases. I also added some sticks (fallen logs) to 3 of the weapons bases. Although I forgot to take pictures.
Lastly, I primed the HQ, one Fallschirmjager section, the sniper team and the Panther. 



Tuesday 12 August 2014

Fallschirmjager Force

Alright, yesterday I based my Warlord Games German Fallschirmjager and built my 2 Panzer IVs.


The Germans are based on Sarissa Precision 2mm MDF bases 25mm in diameter. The weapons teams are 60mm in diameter. The white stuff is drywall spackle. 

There is an HQ, 3 11 man squads, a mortar+ spotter, a machine gun team, sniper team, panzer shriek team and flamethrower team, a panther, Stug IIIG and 2 panzer IVs.

I wanted to prime them today but it's raining :(

Monday 11 August 2014

German Armour

In March, I made a purchase from Warlord when they upped their Wheels of Steel discount from 10% to 20% off any 3 vehicles purchased.

I've built the Stug III G from that order and a Panther, I picked up from the 1st Hold the Line Convention.

Panther on right, Stug on left.

Just the other day I opened the 2 Panzer IV's I got from Warlord and I found this.

It appears that the rear left handed trank guard snapped off of both tanks. Both were bubble wrapped and the boxes weren't damaged. Either there is a problem with the mold and it's a fragile piece or they were damaged and sent any ways. I created a post on Warlord's forum so am awaiting a response. Some glue has fixed the issue.

Sunday 10 August 2014

So what's this all about?

A little over a week ago I posted a picture of three Allied tanks I had built. A discerning eye might recognize them as belonging to the WWII era. But what am I working on?

Well, waaay back on Friday March 21st, 2014, I attended Hotlead, Ontario's premier wargaming convention, held in Stratford, Ontario with my dad.

 We decided to attend the Friday gaming night instead of just attending on the Saturday (raiding the bring and buy).

We managed to get in on a 28mm WWII game put on by a GM named Brad. The game used the Rules of Engagement (RoE) ruleset modified with a modified dice initiative from Bolt Action.

The objective of the game was an annihilation scenario between the Canadian and German armies.

Each force consisted of an HQ, two infantry squads, an anti-tank unit, machine gun unit and a tank. Each unit had a coloured marble in a bag ( Canadian=green and German = white). There was also a black marble in the bag. So if a green marble was drawn by the GM, the Canadians could activate any unit that hadn't been activated yet. And vice versa for any white marbles drawn. The black marble ended the turn.

My father and I teamed up against another father and son tandem. We were the Canadians. We won the game with the narrowest of victories with an immobilized Sherman and 4 troops still alive.

 That night, I picked up a copy of RoE and a boxed set each of Warlord's British Red Devils and German Fallschirmjagers from J&M Miniatures.

The next morning, I raided the bring and buy and had fleshed out a legal Fallschirmjager list. Brad the GM was putting on a second game, this time with double the infantry units and 4 tanks. My dad and I opted to be the Germans this time.

The objective of this mission was to hold the most objectives by the end of the game. Several turns later, after knocking out the last Allied tank while still having all 4 of our tanks in play, we were looking good. We managed to hold the most objectives when the game ended to earn another hard fought win.

This blog will document my foray in WWII gaming focusing on the RoE ruleset and possibly others at a later date.

Additions

On Friday, I embarked on a journey to pick up some Vallejo paints and some additional WWII troops.

I attended MeepleMart in downtown Toronto. A quick Google search advised that the store would be open at 11am. However, that was not the case. In MeepleMart's defenses they do not have their store hours listed on their website or Facebook page. And the two phone numbers I located for them didn't work.

Anywho, located in the heart of 'Chinatown' there was a restaurant I hadn't visited in a few years so I stopped there to eat.

Long story short, I eventually go to look around MeepleMart and was quite impressed with the size and product available. I'm already planning my next trip down.

I managed to pick up a Warlord Fallschirmjager Panzerbuchse 41 anti-tank gun, Warlord Red devils Sniper/Flame thrower pack, Warlord 101st specialist pack and the entire Vallejo Fallschirmjager paint set and most ( missing 1) of the red  Devils paint set.







Friday 1 August 2014

Tanks!!


Some progress. I bought these 2 Sherman M4A3 tanks and the Sherman Firefly VC in April when Warlord games had a 20% off Wheels of Steel deal (basically, buy three Bolt Action vehicles and get 20% off).

 The Firefly went together the easiest (despite not having a construction diagram). Both Sherman's needed their turrets shaved down until they'd fit onto/into the hull. One of the gun barrel ports needed to be drilled out so the metal barrel would fit.

 Overall, despite some casting issues, the kits went together fairly well. My only real criticism is a lack of assembly instructions. Even the construction diagrams on Warlord's site aren't great.

 Hopefully I can get some German armour done next...

Thursday 17 July 2014

Lt. Winters Miniature

Those fortunate enough to attend Historicon can pick up a limited edition USA airborne Lt. Richard Winters. Those not fortunate enough to attend can get him from Warlord Games website for $16.00USD. It seems like a money grab for 1 figure with a resin base. Needless to say my 101st need to be led by this hero so I did pick up.

Tuesday 15 July 2014

Intro

Hello and welcome! This blog is my attempt to share my endeavors in wargaming, boardgaming and other general realms of "geekiness".