Photo Finish

While I was busy uploading photos from the Kursk game, the Solo November poll closed.

Talk about making things up as I go along - despite the Cold War option taking an early lead, the Special Ops caught up in the last few days: both finished on 13 votes apiece!

Napoleon vs. Austria, Mob vs. Marines and Battle of Saipan were all in joint 3rd place with 5 votes each.

So I guess that means that I'm just going to have to play two solo campaigns this year...For the Cold War gone Hot campaign I already have something sketched out - using some scenarios from Programmed Wargames Scenarios by Charles Stewart Grant.

For Special Operations I'm going to put on my thinking cap, either something based on The Revenge of the 47 Ronin or maybe even use the Raid on St. Michel. If you have any preferences or other ideas, please leave a comment below.

Anyway, I noticed as I went to add this that I've reached post #300! That means a State of the Union is imminent and maybe even a competition from my devoted following.

Solo November?

I think Solo November was organised as a one-off last year (the whole 11-11-11 thing).

Well, I had a lot of fun last time so I'm going to do something similar again come this year.

Some options jump out at me:

1. Play a series of Special Ops missions
   
   
   Using a selection of my 20mm moderns with Force on Force
   
2. Play Napoleon's struggle against Austria
   
   
   Using my 6mm French and Austrians (from Baccus) with C&C Napoleonics
   
3. Play a Cold War Gone Hot campaign
   
   
   Using my 6mm miniatures for either Cold War Commander or Memoir '84 (hat-tip to Oisin for his Cold War variant of '44) if I can't get my head around CWC for solo
   
4. Pit the Mob against the Marines in a Caribbean Port
   
   
   Using my 28mm collection for Perilous Trail
   
5. Continue the high medieval First War of Ruritanian Succession
   
   
   Using my 28mm Bretonnians, probably for Dux Britanniarum (just arrived in the post on Wednesday)
   
6. Storm the beaches of Saipan, 1944
   
   
   Using my 6mm Marines & Japanese (from Irregular) Memoir '44

So polling is open on the top-right corner of the blog. I've left the voting a multiple choice so if more than one takes your fancy feel free to click them.

Thanks!

Pike and Shot - A Sense of Scale

Having written a set of rules for Pike and Shot (I'm sure that my gaming companions won't let me ignore those British Civil Wars for long!) I really should put together a collection to fight massed battles with them.

However the question of what size miniatures to use is still open.

As I see the issue, I really want a sense of mass on the battlefield, so I'm ignoring the larger scales and considering 10mm, 6mm or 2mm only.
I'm inclining towards 6mm (given I have a lot of 6mm already) but await your decision. The poll is in the top-right hand corner of the blog.

To help you to make a decision before entering the polling booth, I'm going to link to a few blog posts from others who are using the miniatures I'm considering

10mm
Pendraken

From The Warrior Pole


6mm
Baccus

From Keep Your Powder Dry

2mm
Irregular

From Fighting Fantastist

Who Will Save Them?

As part of the discussion of my new 28mm Pulp Dinosaur-Hunting project I was wondering who might be able to save the hapless civilians and adventurers from the dreaded monsters.

Some standard pulp saviours suggested themselves - but I'm leaving this completely up to you guys! There's a poll on the blog (top right-hand corner) where you can cast your vote.

The Royal Navy

by Pulp Figures

I realise that these figures are actually Americans but the line is very nice and includes unarmed deck hands too...

The United States Marine Corps

by Pulp Figures

The Germans

by Pulp Figures

Native Warriors

by Dixon Miniatures

Now I'm not 100% that these would be the native warriors concerned - I might go for something in the Ngoni/Zulu line, or maybe switch to Central/South America and go for something along lost Mayan or Amazon tribe lines.

Mobsters

by Pulp Figures

Now I admit it, I was looking for a fifth option here and rather than go for French Foreign Legion or something I though I'd offer something a bit odd - while The Mob doesn't have exclusive rights on trench-coats, tommy-guns or cigars - the prospect of seeing Joey 'Two-Fingers' Salvato turn his Chicago typewriter on Raptors is immensely appealing to many.

You will note that the vote (open to Trinity Gamers for a week now) currently shows that their appetite for such cheesy incongruity cannot be restrained!

Casualties of War?

I'm getting some medic and casualty figures for my British and Taliban from Britannia, but in the meantime I was wondering whether people use casualty figures in their games (irrespective of period or scale)

Poll is on the blog at the top-right corner.

I'm running a few games of Ambush Alley this weekend. A few Soviet vs. Mujahideen games tonight and then maybe some British vs. Taliban tomorrow. So I'll be posting a few reports later in the weekend.
Thanks
Donogh

Another Blog Retrospective (100+ Posts)

Well, I passed 100 posts a few weeks back, but didn't really notice...This is post 105!
I very happy with the blogging since the 50 mark. I'm up to 37 followers (and a total of 53 RSS readers) and have posted fairly regularly over the last year - about once a week. I really appreciate the attention and comments from people.

I'm just about keeping ahead of the project sharks!

My current Project Build over on the guild is going well. I've completed three tasks (and a small bonus task) of the five so far - painting up about 70 25mm Stargrunt figures that have been sitting in storage for more years than I care to admit!

I am also considering a new small project for the William Atkinson Memorial Build over on The Guild. The theme is simple but broad - "England" - but I don't want to do something that just slots into one of my existing collections.

I was thinking a small selection of miniatures and maybe a scenario/game to go with them...

-Medieval Pilgrims (defending themselves against an unjust toll)
-Elizabethan Adventurers (a bar brawl over some Shakespearean insult)
-Highwayman & Victims (well, a highway robbery obviously!)

I've added a new poll on the right to see if people have any preferences, but again comments would be welcome with the pros and cons.

My Pulp Dinosaur Hunting project is more or less complete. I have several hunting parties and loads of dinosaurs in service, and have run games at two conventions in the last year. The rules are pretty much done, I just need to get around to a last edit. I intend to release them as a pdf from here, and hope that someone out there gets some enjoyment out of them.

I did get into Ambush Alley in a big way, and really enjoy the system, not least the banter and support over on the Ambush Alley Games forum (although that's slowed down considerably with a lot of the active members playtesting the hell out of the new editions.

Unfortunately I've not been able to get the Napoleonics project off the ground, time being the biggest constraint. I reckon that a campaign is the only way to go here but maybe that's aiming too high with current restraints...

Speaking of which, we're expecting our second at the end of November so I imagine the gaming will take a break for a few months as we reacquaint ourselves with the rigours of taking care of a brand new infant!