Sudan and Renaissance roll call

This Thursday I joined The Men who would be Kings, in 28mm, deep in the deserts of the Sudan, the miniatures were Campbells and the scenario as arid and merciless as the mat we played on. All 3, me, Mike and Campbell had two units of Brits and we just needed to reach the other side (of the long 6x4 table) which would be just hindered by the scenario rules and some fanatics popping up here and there as soon we rolled for a movement - Viel Feind, viel Ehr, don't know were I heard that before, but it did not induce me with too much optimism.
So surprise, I was the only one who choose 2 infantry regiments and no cavalry. If I had to get down then please in style with as much fire power I could muster. Then I rolled one for my officers: one of them a "greeny" (the one with the red uniform) and the other regiment was "destined for great things" which saved some arses as they gained one free action per turn.

Mike choose the camel riders and some British light Cavalry, while Campbell was going for the Egyptians, lancers in chainmail and then some red hat wearing infantry (their most distinguished mark). But both came under pressure in the midway as the horse units weren't particularly resistant against fanatic counter attacks so they started to fall apart. Meanwhile I shot nearly every unit to pieces before they could even come near me.

In the end they all run away or died, APART from half a light cavalry of Brits who pissed off earlier, while securing a shitload of more insurgent units to fight for the rest of the unhappy strugglers and probably hoped no one would survived to tell the tale AND half of my unit that were "destined for great things" were the only survivors of this ploy. Sometimes the great things are the little things.

Good start into the game, my units were on stealth and rolled often 1 or 2 which meant no insurgent appeared!!!

But the other two did not travel so light ...

The Lancers were quite brutal though

Pop! a sudanese insurgent unit! Aaaaand Fire!

The green boy who wanted to be captain (in red)

while the camels were attacked left right and center

Egyptian allies were worried ...

while reloading and firing is a good thing to do ...

Egyptians like rabbits caught off guard

aaannd FIRE! with a little help of their friends

while ignoring the danger in the back

More units (and trees) appearing in our rear

and gone are the Egyptians (like Kermit - phsssiuh!) 

while here you can see the 4 Brits on horse running away from the enemy

meanwhile the Camel circus melted away 

and even my boys were getting hits

last of the Camels end up in the pan

That was it, the ones that made it with honour in tact

while greeny boy decided to make a stand

Almost ... but he was hit by a flag pole 

Then this weekend, I ceremoniously painted my last landsknechts!! - to finish my Renaissance collections (until I can‘t resist next time I have some funds and sit in front of the computer) ...

Now I have two armies; Imperial and Frenchies with three pike blocks each and some guns and Horse to look respectable .... .. next time (as soon as tinywargames  deliver my second mat) I will host a Sunday game .... enjoy the show ...

two armies ...

... basking in the sun

the Imperial Horse flank

the big "Fugger" pike block 

and some Kaiserliche Kanonen

vs the infamous Schwyz pikes and the Bande Neri

vs another two Landsknecht blocks and Doppelsöldner

Vs the Berner Pike Haufen

and of course the French King 

 

vs the Kaiser!

Ekatharina the Great - Army nucleus

... a piece of self-motivation here I guess ... today, I (nearly apart from varnish and basing) finished the Russian Seven Years War, Curassiers! - Huzzah! And with them basking in the Scottish evening sun, the nucleus of my 28mm Russian Army, some musketiers, some grenadiers and the first two guns. Also supervising the effort some 3 Infantry generals/brigadier commander for the upcoming foot soldiers...

FIW and Classical Ancients

Well here is buy one get one free - as I paid for them with defeats dearly, hahah!

French-Indian Wars (15mm, Rebels & Patriots):
We decided to put Mikes 15mm FIW collection to the test, me and his son Alex playing the Brits, while he umpired and Campbell and Bart were playing the French and Indians.

Well what turned out to be a disaster soon, was still enjoyable. Bart did get the Indians and used them as a steam roller against my feeble Brits and didn't let me near the wooden huts (scenario objective) - but I wiped them off board for this insufferable affront ... but it didn‘t change the outcome - we were beaten. And yes maybe the Indians are, just a tiny wee bit too strong ... and I miss my closing fire, the firing lines seem to be as effective as your usual common American open order rabbles ... but that is just me .. whining on high neveau ... (horse noise) ...

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Classical Ancients, (28mm, To the Strongest):

Me (Classical Greeks) and Peter (Macedonian Greeks) were facing the Romans (Campbell, Alisdair and Bart (a mix of times) on a straight board, what could go possibly go wrong! Aces, I tell you, Aces they were everywhere! Most re-occuringly in mine and Peters card stash it seemed!

The Romans proceeded and Even if Bart got stuck a bit and for a second it seemed I could just hold while Peter would trash Campbell ... Peter just got annihilated! I don't know how, can‘t be Campbell's tactical experience, he isn‘t used to that, yes you guess right a lot of aces on Peter ...

Well then again I stood in my second TTS game with an disintegrated flank there against a bunch of Romans fro the future. The only interesting thing would be how long it would take them to take me down now ... a quarter to ten they did, pulled the last phalanx off the table ...

Next time we need to mix these pesky Romans, TTS seem to be written just for them! I need a roman flank that does not dissapear within 3 turns!