Operation Snakepit

In 2006 the isolated British garrison in Musa Qala found itself besieged and under constant attack by the Taliban. In October an agreement was reached to demilitarise Musa Qala and cede control of the town to tribal elders. When the Taliban seized control in early 2007 they blamed a US airstrike for breaking the agreement but it wasn’t until late that year when coalition forces moved to oust the Taliban.

I'll be running this mini-campaign at Conspiracy in September. Conspiracy is the spiritual successor to Confess, which closed its doors last year.
Conspiracy will be held from 23rd to 25th September in the Ormonde Hotel in Kilkenny. Visit the website

American Platoon in the Jungle

Still a way off being able to play Ambush Valley (the Force on Force supplement for the Vietnam War), but the American contingent is pretty much ready to roll

Loaded for Bear, this platoon has ACAVs (the M113 Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicle variant) and a light tank (the M551 Sheridan)



1st Squad heads left through the dense jungle

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2nd Squad is on point



3rd Squad goes right



HQ Squad, with hangers on stays frosty at the rear



Heavy Metal rolling through



Some sweep and clear missions against the VC beckons.

Ready for Action!

The guys over on Ambush Alley Games have released a few game aids over the past week or so. These should help make playing the new Force on Force a bit easier.

Quick Reference Sheet

Handy two page cheat sheet with all the major tables and such

Fog of War Cards

AAG will also be releasing a commercial quality card deck soon, but in the meantime there's no need to cut up your brand-new Force on Force rulebook

Quick Start Rules

A sneak peek at the basic rules and mechanics of the game. The PDF contains an explanation of the game's basic mechanics and a sample scenario to try them out with!

Happy gaming!

Battle of the River Coa

After eliminating the garrison at Ciudad Rodrigo, Marshal André Masséna ordered Marshal Ney’s 6th Corps to advance on the fortress of Almeida. Rather than retreat and cross the river as ordered by Wellington, Crauford courted disaster and chose to hold his bridgehead. Crauford and the French both wanted to control the narrow stone bridge which was the only way to cross the Côa for several miles.

Putting the "fighting" into a fighting defence



Portuguesse Cacadores hold the redoubts, supported by the Rifles



French hussars sweep around the British left flank to attack, the Rifles there have moved forward into the mill



The first French attack in the centre is repulsed, even the presence of Lolson cannot keep the French advancing



The French hussars' further attack seems ill-judged as Anson leads the cavalry forward, supported by the Rifles and artillery fire from Almeida. Somehow they survive the onslaught!



The second wave of the French assault, concentrating on the hill and leaving the redoubts at the bridge to their left flank



Without being broken, this attack is forced back again, with some casualties



A concentrated effort on the redoubts has little effect, beyond prompting a limited British counter-attack



The ruined French army has taken severe losses and the British have begun to pull some units across the bridge



The British counter-attack on the left is a success



The British withdraw in good order, Crauford is lauded in the press!



Counting those units which moved across in the last turn (3) the British won this an amazing 9-0!

Great game (and that's not just the heady victory talking!) - christened Mr. Kinch's new gaming table, good company and some nice wine to wash it all down

Stylish Blogger (apparently!)

This Stylish Blogger Award is doing the rounds (I can't imagine that it originated in the gaming sector!) but I am happy to be in such august company. It doesn't have the usual threat of a Chain Letter (i.e. do this or else!) so I took the time to compile my lists...

1. Thank and link back to the person giving you the award.

Ashley, of Paint it Pink was kind enough to mention me in dispatches

2. Share seven things about yourself.

a. My first wargaming experience was Little Wars-style shenanigans between the Afrika Korps and the 8th Army in the furrows of our back garden.

b. I am a qualified library and information professional, though I have only worked a year in an actual library since I got out

c. I've always been an avid reader (though my teenage practice of re-reading stuff has definitely passed). Click on the My Library tab on the blog to see some of the 2500+ books in the house

d. In school and at university I had a summer job testing barley and deciding whether we would buy it for beer. Oh the joys of negotiating with farmers who may not have agreed with my assessment!

e. Before the two girls arrived our holidays were usually trips to Mediterranean countries. My wife would get sun, and I would get historical sites - a perfect compromise!

f. Calvin & Hobbes is the funniest comic strip I know - give Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons a try, you will thank me later.

g. I am also a roleplayer, though these days I'm mostly running games rather than playing in them. You can catch up with my current fantasy setting The Giyhonan Chronicles

3. Select 10-15 blogs who you think deserve this award.

This list is neither exhaustive nor in any particular order, and I have avoided choosing blogs which have already received the honour.

While the Campaigns of General William Augustus Pettygree haven't been updated as often recently, the posts there are just of a fantastic quality. Such drama and story-telling isn't common in wargaming.

The quality of Chris' painting and conversions on 20mm Moderns over at Small Scale Operations is just fantastic.

Vinnie's work on Lonely Gamers, especially the sheer scale of his 28mm games continually take my breath away.

Again with the conversions! Eduardo at Hetairoi Wargames hits all those projects I dream of: 28mm Samurai, Gladiators and Galley Warfare.

The first hint of nepotism, Conrad Kinch is a good friend and regular gaming companion. But his thoughts over on Joy and Forgetfulness are always very interesting and his interpretation of what's on-topic keeps his readers on their toes.

I'm a big fan of Piquet, and in Eric Burgess' Din of Battle, I find someone who can turn it to siege warfare in the Age of Reason, through Colonials and all the way to 40K!

Ruaridh fights a losing battle against the Ooh Shiny Complex it seems that all wargamers are afflicted with.

Tiny Solitary Soldiers takes on 15mm Sci-Fi with gusto.

Another gamer concentrating on a single period in Golconda Rising. As well as expounding the historical context, there is some really well-turned out armies on display.

Fran, aka The Angry Lurker discusses a lot more than just gaming, reviewing book and films in gamer-friendly genres.

4. Contact these bloggers and let them know about the award.

On it!

Lead Painters' League Going Strong

Round 7 is underway over on the Lead Painters' League and I am increasingly gobsmacked at the high quality of painting on display, week-in week-out.

As before I'm not picking out my favourite pieces, but I'm hoping to highlight a few match-ups which are (or ought to be) very close

Cossacks: Scourge of the straggler vs Red Peterman & his Copious Seamen

Prof Witchheimer's Crew vs The Wild Aces

Masks on boys! vs Death Cometh...on Short Legs

Predators vs Minbari Federation

Some outstanding work there, head over to vote or just soak in the oodles of eye candy!

Britannia Update

Piers posted an update over on The Guild yesterday which is worth repeating here.

As announced last month, Andy Grubb of Grubby Tanks was sold the model ranges and he's been moving all the Britannia stuff to his premises. He's hoping to get some ranges back into production over the next few weeks.

Awesome news deserves an awesome picture

Piers suggests dropping Andy a line (I used the Contact Us form on the website) if you're after any Britannia models. It probably won't be quick to get everything up as there are over 1300 moulds involved!