2013 Lead Mountain Progress - with four months to go...

With four months to go of my 2013 Lead Mountain Challenge, the following review of progress makes interesting reading indeed

 

10mmManaged to make a start on some of the Generic Medievals  - one or two bits completed (mainly Burgundians which have yet to grace the table)

I also managed to get some of the Vikings done (about a 1/3rd of the figures I bought which is just enough to play Dux Bellorum

The Napoleonic French and Austrians and the matching ECW armies remain untouched as does the matching SCW armies for A World Aflame. Similarly the Post Roman Brits for Dux Britannarium also remain unloved...

 

Over the next month or so I will be offloading a Magister Militum Byzantine Army which is still in bags. Its likely to appear on evil-bay soon!

 

SAGA (28mm)No progress on the Gall Gaedhil mercenaries, the 6 point Scots’ Warband, the 4 point Irish Warband (although I did buy some reinforcements to take them to 6 points!) or on the baggage wagon and farmers

 
2013 has clearly not been the year for 6mm where I have made only minimal progress

I have restarted the matching ACW forces for Longstreet. If I get bored painting them (which is highly likely) they will be done to a basic standard and offloaded on evil-bay. 

The WW2 Landing Craft are awaiting a Normandy game of BGO... and have been that way since BGO was released earlier this year... similarly the Early War Germans remain untouched awaiting a potential BGB release. I remain hopeful.

I need to watch Zulu or Zulu Dawn again to relight my interest enough to have another crack at the matching Colonial British and Zulu Armies. Just not feeling th love at the moment!

The FWC ‘Not Squats’, Andrayan's and a few odds and sods Kraytonian wise need some attention but no-one is playing FWC at the moment.

 

15mm
AWI - no progress here. Half the problem is no-one else is doing Maurice in 15mm. these may end up getting bayed.


28mm WW2
This has been the one area of inspiration this year and I now have a burgeoning collection of Commando's & Late War Kraut Grenadiers and a fair bit of armour and support which I'm using for BA, RoE and CoC.

There is a new U.S Force which is based and undercoated and a growing collection of L.D.V for a VBCW campaign. I have also managed to paint up some Local Bobbies and a Gentlemans Gun Club to add colour.


Butterfly projects
In traditional fashion my willpower this year lasted a very brief period and new projects I have aquired include five different factions for IHMN and aset of Lawmen & Outlaws for DMH. These are all based and undercoated ready for the winter nights.


Projects I am still intending to look at include Muskets and Tomohawks which I own the rules for but simply cannot seem to settle my plans on an appropriate scale at which to undertake the project...

Algernon Pulls it Off seems to have gone quiet and I have ditched my plans to look at Dux Britannarium in 28mm for reasons of cost.

 

 

Panzergrenadier!

Some much needed transport and support firepower for my growing Panzergrenadier force

 

First outing - Chain of Command

I got together today with my good buddy Nick B from SADWC for a first game of Chain of Command so thought I'd post a few piccies and thoughts here rather than the traditional Batrep.

The Patrol Phase really gets you thinking! Both players take it in turn to move their patrol markers traying to gain an advantage on the choicest bits of the battlefield from which to take the fight to the enemy.

Once Patrol Markers come within 12" of an enemy marker both markers are 'locked down' and may not move anymore.

Once one sides markers are locked down both players deploy Jump Off Markers. These markers represent where your own troops may be placed on the battlefield once deployed by a senior commander.

The attacking player takes first phase and rolls a number of Chain of Command dice. The scores on the dice allow him to command either a team, section, a junior commander or a senior commander.

All dice that show 5's go into a Chain of Command Pool which once you have a chain of six points give you a Chain of Command Dice which opens a host of new tactical options you can use to thwart your enemy's plans.

If two 6's are rolled in the same Command Dice Roll you can sneak in an additional active phase, throw. Three 6's end the turn, whilst four 6's ened the turn and result in a random event.

Senior Commanders deploy troops onto the battlefield and both they and Junior Commanders activate teams and sections to carry out fire and movement, rallying, overwatch etc.

Troops being deployed by a senior commander

Tommy and Jerry creeping around the Bocage

 

Players can use Tactical Movement to creep around making best use of available cover. They can move normally and can move 'at the double' - movement is randomised by multiples of D6.

Sections and weapons team can be put on overwatch and can give covering fire denying their enemy access to areas of the battlefield. Both tactics require successful orders from a commander. A very nice mechanic which prevents omnipotence and leaves you with proper command and control issues given the limited number of orders you might be able to make!

A Tommy fire and manouvre drill expertly executed!

Firing can cause Shock as well as Casualties, often doing both! Close Combat is far slicker than other WW2 Skirmish games and whilst still very bloody, feels a far more relaistic representation.

A Tommy Infantry section is decimated by fire from an MG42 before Jerry riflemen move in for the kill. Actually in the game the assualting Jerry rifle team was manhandled by the ubiquitous Tommies and wiped out to a man...

All in all CoC is a very well thought out set of rules with lots of unique mechanisms which make command and control pivotal and central to game play. You really begin to feel a bit of the pressure commanders on the ground must have felt about which decisions are going to be the right ones.

Jerries Senior Commander in a bit of a pickle

Very, very enjoyable indeed.

Both ends of the spectrum

I've been working really hard of late with barely a weekend off since I moved to the new job, however having time off during the week when the house is quiet I have rediscovered my mojo a bit and managed to find the inspiration to finish off some loose ends.

With the impending release of Too Fat Lardies Chain of Command, my main focus has been on getting lots of 28's out of the way so it was great to put the finishing touches to some Wehrmacht Command and a number of British armoured vehicles that had been languishing in the back of the cupboard.

I also have a 6mm game of Battlegroup Kursk lined up with a colleague so found some time and a few models knocking around that I had forgot I had and gave them a re-paint ahead of the game later this month.

 

Shingle Street Gentleman's Shooting Club

Finally got around to finishing these off (less a bit of work on the bases...) The Gentleman's Shooting Club of Shingle Street

Led by another veteran of the Great War, Captain W.L Simpson (MC) of (retd) , the Club is all set for a bit of 'Boche Bashing'. Pip! Pip!

Simpson was with the 2nd Battalion of the Suffolk's as part of the BEF seeing action near Mons and Le Cateau. Simpson remained with the Battalion throughout the war and was wounded in the second battle of Arras on the Wancourt-Tilly road in 1918.