Witchin' Hour

Stop the ritual

A game played in the garden on a lovely, sunny, English summer day.

My men were away searching the countryside when it become known to me the witches were to conduct some form of ritual nearby. I scoured the town looking for good, able bodied Christians to root out these evil doers before some plague or catastrophe should befall all roundabout.

Finding only two such men (Ah! I left my fantasy figures in the US. These unfortunate souls were left behind, luckily) I commenced a search. There were several areas that seemed worthwhile to check.

(1) A standing stone 

(2) An ancient ruin

(3) Three wooded areas and a field some distance away.

 (As before, I used dice for random movement of villagers. One for direction, one for distance).

I, being mindful that the witches would see me as the biggest threat, took one man with me to the standing stone. The other I sent to search the ruin.

At the stone I found a witch doing what I didn't have time to find out as I immediately attacked her. 

We caused each other wounds before I laid her low. I picked through her satchel and took items to examine later as time allowed.

My man found two witches in the nearby wood inflicting harm to them before killing them and receiving a wound himself.

At that time, unbeknownst to us, our companion found two witches in the ruins conducting their evil machinations. They laid him low, no doubt with foul magics.

They completed the first part of their ritual. (Each turn the witch throws a dice. The first part of the ritual needs a six, the second part a 5-6, the third a 4-5-6).

The clock is ticking!

I searched the next wood and found nothing.

My immediate companion stopped a local who turned out to be a follower of the witches (dice throw of six and they are followers who will attack the witch hunters). He made short work of him before heading toward the bridge where he hoped to meet his friend.

He approached two men at the bridge who he identified as robbers. He fell to these foul brigands.

I immediately assailed the nearer of the two and killed him but was laid low by the club of his companion.

I came to in a ditch by the bridge my possessions gone and with a head so sore I cannot think. I made my way to the place I was residing in with some difficulty.

The witches were now free to finish their ritual in peace. (They kept rolling under three each round, but with the downfall of the witch hunters needed no time limit to finish

A few new things

 Hi!

Over the last two months I've been to Salute 2025, Campaign 2025 and UK Games Expo 2025. Needless to say I picked up a few items. Not as many as I used to because I'm trying to pace myself better than I used to and keep the unpainted figures down.

As I said previously, with more 28mm terrain pieces I thought I'd buy some W2 figures for that scale and got the German Blitzkrieg platoon box. Warlord tried to tempt me to get the army, about £70 difference, but I held my ground. Platoon first, everything else later.

Currently on the paint table

Weeks later I was a bit annoyed that the early British didn't have a similar set. I was told on reddit that Wargames Atlantic had what I was looking for. So I bought a box from Amazon.

As with my 6mm WW2 British and German armies I'm starting with basic building block of the infantry platoon. At some stage, I will likely get support units, mortars and medium/heavy machineguns. And officers.

At Salute I also bought some tokens form Warbases; shaken, rout and disordered.

I've finished those and also done some blanks (25mm mdf bases I didn't use for other figures as I generally use Renedra flat bases) ready for pin markers.

At Games Expo I succumbed to buying the Bolt Action 3rd ed. I really wasn't going to buy it, but the 1st ed. is in the US. It came with a free figure of which I have zero use for, it being a an American.

and some civilians for Five Parsecs from Home

Well, you can't have too many civilians can you.

I'm actually a bit slow painting the Germans. I'd be finished by now if they were for any other game. I blame the plastic.

Until the next time

MKWS Campaign 2025

 I attended Campaign 2025 at Milton Keynes.

The show is held in the CMK shopping centre in front of John Lewis every year.

A few pictures to show event.

competition games

DBMM competition games

DBMM again

Lunchtime view from John Lewis café

as above

The hall emptied as lunchtime came around.

The new medieval game I played with the author.

I enjoyed it.

In the light game you dice for a pre-made retinue.

Each one has a leader of level 1,2 or 3. Three being the highest.

The board

You dice for who has initiative. Each unit dices for activation alternating between opposing forces. You dice for movement which can disrupt formations, if you have one.

Units can be varying sizes but it is 3 in the front rank, 3 in the second and whatever is left, 8 being the largest unit I saw. This means when shooting or attacking you get 6 dice for the front rank, 3 for the second and 1 for the third. A simple system and easily remembered.

Charging is fun if, unlike me, you roll the required number to reach the enemy! I charged twice and came up short, twice. This means your men become 'dispirited' and has negative consequences.

Rolling doubles on the initiative roll creates an 'event'. This can be good or bad. I was lucky in getting a field promotion for a unit with no leader. Jim, the author, got enhanced morale for all his units.

Needless to say I lost, but only because of my choices in charging and not reaching the target, 14 inches being to far for my 4 die to amount to.

The game we played was the skirmish sized game but the full rules are for larger battles.

Sunday morning action.

On the paint table and recently finished

 Hi!

I've been busy since I got back from Florida. A game or two and a visit to Salute 52, which was a nice day out, but tiring.

I saw some lovely games and enjoyed a little shopping, though the big item was already paid for and was to be collected there. Namely, the Austrian Napoleonics and some WW2 British.

The Austrians on the paint table:-

Two packs of cuirassiers, five of line infantry in helmets and one of grenadiers. I had a few of each type left over from my last big purchase, not enough of each to base, so they will come useful.

There should be enough for two elements of cuirassiers and 5 of infantry. 

I still have hussars, artillery, jaegers and light infantry to paint. I was going to make two more elements of avant-guard brigades but we will see. I wanted to reach near parity with the French, which I will be close if adding the Prussians. Next purchase will bring them above the French in infantry for sure.

I will likely finish these within the next two weeks (well, the weather is looking too good to be indoors next week it seems!).

The WW2 British:-

Not quite finished these Heroic & Ros figures but I based them anyway.

Three Daimler scout cars.

Three Daimler armoured cars.

Two Bofors on Ford 4x4 truck

Three Churchill 3's

Three Challenger tanks.

Just a little boost to the small British force.

Now, some VBCW figures.

The Supreme Leader of the socialists and his bodyguards. 

He goes by the name of Citizen Smith. His two bodyguards Fidel and Ernesto are emigres for Latin America, whose sons of the same name went on to cause a stir in the Caribbean some years later.

Smith is from MiniFigs and the other two are Giants in Miniature from Wargames Illustrated.

The socialist Polikarpov (1/48 scale), donated from Russia. The pilot (Bad Squiddo) Clara Zetkin, a German socialist.

And what's not to like about a bit of armour?

The Austin AC, British version (there is a Soviet one)

From Empress Miniatures. Yes. They are both a bit red.

Further re-enforcements for the SRA:-

Some good old MiniFigs I found whilst browsing for Citizen Smith. Just right, I feel, for this army.

And some more Bad Squiddo figures. The two pilots came in one blister and the three others in another. 

I still have to make the Hurricane for this SRA figure. 

And I bought a Stuka because, well, it's a Stuka! You never know, I may start a BUF army or use it for a scenario.

And more armour from Empress Miniatures.

The Rolls Royce Admiralty 1920 pattern armoured car. Not finished yet as I'm unsure what colour I want the running boards.

And lastly, the Salute 52 figure

That's all for now. Thanks for dropping by.

County Road Z

Gathering materials pt2

Taylor's diary

Harmony doesn't miss often , but when she does we end up in some sticky situations. Alex attacked and got injured. I attacked and the Shell blocked me.

 Another Shell came wandering in.

Ashton took another injury and I ended the Shell.

Harmony took out the wanderer.

The horde, meanwhile, was milling about. Reacting to unknown stimuli.

On the other side of the play area a gathering of Shells who were wandering into the area. (Dice rolling for where they entered each turn one at a time. It was pretty consistent on three areas. This being the most favoured.)

We crossed the road and edged towards Hodge's

Things looked good. Harmony took another Shell down.

Ashton found two stashes of resources in Hodge's

For three food. I put them in my backpack.

Things looing quiet we headed over to the corner terrace

One stash into my back pack. I had a full load

Ashton went upstairs and found one stash and he collected it.

While he was upstairs Harmony decided to take out the Shell by shooting out of the window. She missed. The Shell became alert, sensing for whatever disturbed it.

It moved off toward another Shell close by

They see a horde coming

After it passed we exited the building and were going to cross the road to the white house. That was until we saw the horde coming down towards us.

Not wanting to get trapped we left the area. 

They collected 5 resources of food for two injuries to Alex.