Wednesday, December 8, 2010

The Father Christmas Wars

I've slowly been putting together the pieces to run a game based very loosely on J. R. R. Tolkien's, "The Father Christmas Letters." This book is a compilation of letters Tolkien wrote to his children at Christmastime from 1920 to 1939. Several of these letters describe the problems Father Christmas, his friend Polar Bear, and the Elven workers had in dealing with raiding Goblins. The Goblins would try to steal the toys from the North Pole. In my version Father Christmas will get help from some 1960's TV Christmas Special characters also!
I'm using 28mm figures and the rules will be G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T. For the Goblins I'm going to use Games Workshop Goblins. For Father Christmas' side I'm using figures from several sources. I'm not finished painting figures yet, but I thought I'd show you what I have so far. I'm going to be running the scenario New Years Eve, so I'm frantically painting the rest.

The Snowman Squad. The figures are from Team Frog Studios.

The Snowman Command. The leader figures is converted from a casualty figure with the addition of a sword and a helmet and the hole through his midsection filled with putty

The North Pole Cooks Catapult. Filled with boiling hot chocolate and marshmallows! This will teach those gobos a lesson or two! It started life as an old Games Workshop Halfling catapult

King Moonracers Misfits. An elite paratrooper squad. These are plastic mini-ornaments sold in a set. The eye-ring at the top of the umbrellas for hanging on the tree has been removed..

The Teddy Bear Battalion. The figures are from Eureka Miniatures.

Teddy bear close-up.

The beginnings of the Toy-Soldier Guard. This will be a unit of 10 figures. These figures are from Eureka
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Close-up of the Toy Soldier Command.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Fall-In '10 HAWKs Room Report

Here are my photos of some of the HAWKs' games at Fall-In 2010. I arrived Friday a little after 6:00PM, with barely enough time to set up my 7:00PM game. Excuse the first three pictures, I had to use my cell-phone for them, as my digital camera was in my luggage.
Click on any picture to view larger.

My 7:00Pm Friday game: "Look, Sarge, It's Raining Paratroopers" using LSNC:WWII rules. This was an eve of D-day scenario with American paratroopers starting the game scattered all over the place. They need to organize and assault three lightly held German towns, before the Germans start getting reinforcements.

American paratroopers approach a German held town


Overview of the table.


Saturday morning I was to be an assistant GM in Eric & Kurt Schlegel's , "Look, Sarge, the Generals are Eating Breakfast" game at 1:00PM using A Union So Tested rules, but wound up commanding Union General Palmer's (his real name!) Division just right of the Union center. This 11 player scenario was a depictions of the Battle of Stones River in Tennessee.




An overview of the big 20 foot table.




A view of the table from the Confederate left.




Another view of the table



The meat grinder in the center of the battle.




A close up of the 10mm figures, each base represents a regiment.




Union troops try to force a ford on the Union left.



A view of the left flank of the Union



Duncan Adams' "Neufchataeu: August 22, 1914" game Saturday at 2:00PM, using "Square Bashing" rules. A battle in the Ardennes from the early days of WWI


A close up of the early WWI 25mm figures.



French troops move forward supported by artillery.



Bill Acheson's "Pokemon Adventure" kids' game at 1:00PM Saturday.
The kids had a great time!



Bill helps one of the younger players.



A close up of the Pokemon action.



Geoff Graff's "Punch and Counter Punch..." WWII Autumn '41 East Front game, using LSNC:WWII rules and 6mm figures. Saturday at 1:00PM



Another view of the battle.



My "Look, Sarge, It's Mars" game at 7:00PM Saturday, using a variant of "A Union So Tested" rules modified for VSF. British and Germans fight over a key Martian canal junction in 1885.



Two of the German players consider their next move.


Two of the British players look over the battlefield.



Overview of the table.


An intense battle developed in the town. A brigade of Martians, allies of the Germans, held the bridge the entire game.

Don Hogge's doubleblind "Wrong Turn at Finegayan" game Saturday at 7:00PM using Battleground WWII rules. The scenario involved a column of Marines on Guam blundering into the Japanese unexpectedly.


A close up of some of the Marine forces.



Geoff Graff's Sunday morning kids' Lego game, "What? No Peas?" pitting plastic Pirates against the governor's troops, and angry natives.



Another shot of the Lego game.


Eric Schlegel's Sunday Morning "King of the Mountain" game, using "Blood & Swash" rules, modified for Fantasy.

Some of the action on the top of the mountain.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

10mm American Paratroopers

I've been working on a regiment of American paratroopers for an Eve of D-day game I'm doing at Fall-In using our "Look, Sarge, No Charts: WWII" rules. The figures are a mix of GFI/Minifigs and Pendraken. Each full stand equals a platoon, and half sized stands are sections or HQ's. Below are some photos of one of the battalions.
As always, click on any picture to see it larger.

Paratrooper Company: three platoons, mortar section, and Company HQ.

Close-up of Company HQ and mortar section.

Close-up of three platoons.

Battalion HQ, two MG sections, and mortar platoon

Close-up of MG sections and mortar platoon.

The full battalion

Close-up of the full battalion.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Uncharted Seas Orc Flagship and Admiral

Just finished my Orc Flagship 'The Screaming Goblin' for Uncharted Seas. I modified the standard model by adding Wargames Factory round shields to the sides and a WF ancients banner to the stern. I also added a Games Workshop Goblin head to the top of the mast.






I also painted a 28mm Black Scorpion Miniatures' "Orc Admiral" figure to represent the Orc commander in our games. We play mostly multi-player Uncharted Seas games, and I'll place this figure in front of the player who is taking the role of the commander of the Orcs' side. I plan to also do a Dwarven counterpart to represent their commander.