A trip saved

 Hi!

I was looking at a 15+ mile trip to Barnes and Noble in South Sarasota or paying postage buying it online for a wargames magazine fix. That is until I searched for the nearest bookstore. That search came up with Books a Million, and whilst that is an exaggeration it covers a lot of ground. Similar to Waterstones in the UK which now has boxed games and, usually, a wargames magazine. This store had a little more.

And, crucially, it had Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy, 131.

The store is just less than a mile from the apartment. A stroll for a Brit. A bit too far for the average American I think (exceptions for those who go hiking/jogging, but even these are likely to use a car outside of those exercises).

Indeed, yesterday I took a two mile stroll to Hobby Lobby and came back with some vegetation for the skirmish games.

I have two of these

Now, a little light reading before lunch.

A Five Parsecs game. Turn 5 Battle

 Hi!

I had another Five Parsecs game before Milton arrived in Florida.

The crew faced off with some Gene Splicers, humans splicing their genes with alien genes to give an exotic look.

Five Stargrave alien figures with one Imitation of Life robot and an old GW Eldar.

Unluckily for them their weaponry was outranged by mine, though they had one useful weapon. That, though, got the Eldar killed first before using it.

The game wasn't a walkover by any means. The GS had hits on the crew, downing Botticelli, the robot. Hitting Flash Hari (the GW Skink with the rattle gun (a gold machine gun, hence the name).

Thanks' for dropping by.

Five Parsecs game set-up

Hi!

Managed to complete my first game since coming back to the U.S.

Five Parsecs from Home.

 The 9th District Vipers, AKA The Exotics, prepare to scavenge for equipment at a power generating site not expecting anything more than a few civilian workers.

The Exotics are GW Escher figures.

A new mat

 Hi!

I bought this two sided mat when I was in Atlanta, but it came after I returned to the UK.

It looks great. It is thin, almost cloth like but is rubber, like a mouse mat. It measures 4'x3'

For Zona Alfa, VBCW, County Road Z (when 😁). and anything else I think I can use it for

A cobbled side for dungeons etc

In this case trying out a setting for Five Parsecs from Home

And it came in this lovely cloth bag

My only regret is I couldn't find out from whom I bought it. I think I  bought it on Etsy UK. I hope to find out and will let you know.

A chance for some painting

 Hi!

Here in Sarasota it is a hard grind!

We, my wife and I, are looking after our grandson while his mother is working in Boston. I don't remember it being so hard to look after a little one!

While cute, it is much better to hand them back after a couple of hours.

I didn't come empty handed to Florida. I brought some things to paint and, of course, have games to play. Not that I have had much of a chance to do either. It saps the energy looking after the little one.

On the paint table are some German and British infantry to bring the squads up to company level. I bought some trucks for the British and a  artillery piece to even the odds a little. (If you care to look at the German available units you will see the huge discrepancy between the forces. I will add some more as we go along. Maybe.)

The Germans

The British with additional officers and the artillery, artillery crew and trucks.

I bought the tractor for scenery. The camp fire I'm not sure where it is from.

All the figures, bar the camp fire, are Heroics and Ros.

If my memory serves me well, it is a 6lb artillery piece. I will have to check that out.

Now of to do a little painting.

Quiet selling, and planning

Hi!

I've been quietly selling some of my figures and boxed games.

I sold some

6mm:- Sassanians and ECW armies.

25mm MiniFigs Pisidians and some Paphlagonian officers.

15mm keep

Space Crusade Eldar attack supplement

Space Crusade Mission Dreadnaught

Heroquest-the original game and four supplements:

Return of the Witch Lord, Kellar's Keep, Against the Ogre Horde and the Adventure Design Kit.

Several books, mostly from the 1980's early '90s with some later armies and enemies and men-at-arms books.

All these have helped with the recent purchases for the various projects. It hasn't really solved any shelf space overly much!

The bids on the boxed games and supplements was way above what I personally would pay but I'm happy they went to people who would value them. And that includes all the items sold.

As I prepare to go to the US, I'm deciding what to take with me. I do have quite a bit over there as it is. The Five Parsecs and Five League figures and terrain. The Frostgrave figures and terrain. The Wild West 15mm Tombstone Tinderbox set. And the 6mm Bolt Action British and Germans.

So far I'll be taking the 6mm BA British and German infantry I bought to expand those forces a little.

Definitely the Zona Alfa, Five Parsecs. And the 15mm buildings for the Wild west.

The rest I will leave behind, including the VBCW and 6mm Napoleonics and the Witchin' Hour figures. All of which (not witch!) pains me considerably! But I will if I get residency.

I did request a quote from a whole collection buyer with a view to selling the Alexandrian and Classical Indian 25mm MiniFigs armies. The offer came back as £0.20 per figure, and that was for ready painted figures. I thought that was more a steal than an offer so I turned that down. I'd rather give them to my younger brother than sell them that cheaply. Which is why I sold those figures on eBay. Some other items didn't sell which is a shame.

Was I being unrealistic in their value, besides emotional value to me? No, I don't think so.

Perhaps when I come back I'll take them to shows where you can rent a table or through a bring-and-buy at a wargames show.

Characters for Five Parsecs. Miners, assault section and transport for A VBCW

 Hi!

I've posted these pictures of some painting I'd done on the other gaming blogs but thought I'd share them on Travels to keep anyone interested in the loop.

We have some character figures for Five Parsecs. Miniatures from Crooked Dice Colony 87

Some figures and transport for for A VBCW.

Mosley Common Miners Militia

Liverpool Free City Assault Section

Transport and scenic vehicles for A VBCW

Witchin' Hour. Searching for clues. Scenario 2

 The Witchfinder sent a party of mercenaries (3) and townsfolk (3) out to search the area for evidence after hearing the reports of the villagers.

Only the bowman had armour. The spearman had a shield. All the others had none so as to increase their numbers.

A Witch (1) formed a party of cultist henchmen (4) to hide any evidence of their activity in the area. 

The Witch took the spells Shield and Bind feet. 

The henchmen had the armour previously listed

We sent a group out from the security of the village to investigate the area further. It being thought there was safety in numbers.

They came a cross a derelict church and found a witch and her henchmen collecting what they thought were evidence of their evil doings. A fight for these things ensued and swords were crossed.

The first moves. The Witch and her band are at the far side

The Witches band move up through the church as the Witch moves down the left

The Bowman takes aim at his first victim.

Eat your heart out Robin Hood!

The Witch receives her first would. The shield reduced the effect of the Witch below that of her attacker.

The bowman meets his end after killing the crossbowman.

She can run, but she can't hide. 

The three villagers and a henchman, having dropped off their first collections can be seen in the background hastening to join the fight and collect further evidence.

We gained the upper hand, killing three of their number including the witch, though one of our number was killed.

It was a good day to be a witchfinder.

A trip to Great Yarmouth

 On Thursday 6th, I went on a day trip to Great Yarmouth. The weather was very British. Sunshine, rain, warm and cold.

I did though, have a nice time. I also found the following when there.

Norfolk Boardgames, Wargames and Collectables

New and second had figures and terrain. GW, obviously, some historicals, rules books and boxed games. Certainly worth a little of your time.

The Spanish galleon Andalucia

It makes the Golden Hind look like a lifeboat!

Sadly, leaving in a couple of days. A two day trip onboard from Gt. Yarmouth to Holland is €400.

I'd love to go but...

The town walls of Gt. Yarmouth

Not all the seaside shops and amusements were open which spoiled it only a little. But Chinese take-aways, please open before 5pm I'm hungry at lunchtime!

Witchin' Hour. The Curse of Fairhaven. Answering the Call part 2, Battle Report. AAR.

 cont...

We approached the villagers who seemed in much consternation as to which avenue to escape the two groups approaching them. The villagers were controlled by dice and the table edges numbered 1-4. The villagers moved to table edge as dice roll indicated. It was very amusing. Some villagers were whizzing round the table.

We grew ever closer to the village centre and the opposing force. Crossbow arrows flew each way. Melees began.

All this while questioning any villagers close by.

I was attacked by the coven's Henchmen leader and bested him. 

His men fought on without a care.

We slowly got the better of the enemy. Whittling them down. One man ran away. A 'coward' check, which is a morale check in other rule terminology.

The man who ran

But others fought on until the villagers were no more to be seen. The aim was to question for information (witchfinders) or intimidate into silence (Coven Henchmen).

Witchfinders gained answers from 4 villagers.

The Henchmen intimidated 2 into silence

Two villagers left the area safely of their own accord.

As an introductory scenario is was very pleasing. There were swings in first activation. Shooting was hit and, more usually, miss. Melees were not prolonged, most combatants had only 1 health point. The accumulation of factors in both attack and defence is not long so easily worked out (if you remember them!). I did forget the parry in the first melee but re-did it but with the same dice rolls.

The shields really turned the game, deflecting arrows or sword strokes in the Witchfinders favour.

The Coven Cultist Henchmen were unlucky in that the the polearmed henchmen was the first killed. He could have been lethal in melee. As could have been their leader, but he came upon a wily Apprentice (who threw much better dice).

One thing I didn't use in this first game was interruptions, whereby an opponent can interrupt the opposing player. I will add this next time.

I'm very much looking forward to the second scenario.