Musket and Tomahawk - Dec, 13

A couple of weeks ago, thanks to Ezio's initiative, we organized a quick game using Musket and Tomahawk. The rule system published by Tomahawk Studio that is designed for French-Indian and American independence wars. 

I was the commander of the French forces, Biagio controlled the English army and Ezio was the referee.

All miniatures were painted by Ezio. Only a unit of Indians and the smaller unit of French marines are prepared by me.

Game system: Musket and Tomahawk

Miniatures scale: 28 mm

Army list

British Army

1 officer (regular)

2 units of regular infantry

1 unit of ranger

2 units of colonial militia

French Army

1 officer (irregular)

1 unit of Compagnie Franches de Marine (6 men) - Irregular

1 unit of Compagnie Franches de Marine (12 men) - Irregular

1 Indian chief

2 units of Indians 

1 unit of Indians with bloodthirsty trait

Set up

Ezio deployed three houses at the table center, some cornfields and four woods.

Objectives 

We determined the objectives drew a dice. The British army had to protect a group of civilians  (Protection mission) while French-Indian forces had to slaughter the town's citizens (Slaughter mission).

In addition to his forces Biagio received 3 units of civilian and their leader.

Victory conditions

At the end of each turn we rolled 2d6. If the score rolled was less than twice the number of turns the game ended.

British forces win if at least half of civilians are still alive at the end of the game.

On contrary, the French forces win if all civilians are killed.

Battle report

Biagio deploys one of his regular unit and the rangers at the center of the town.

All civilians are into the house at the back of the regulars. A unit of militia covers the left flank. 

A unit of regular and a unit of militia are in reserve.

I placed a part of my units into the woods on the left and the remaining models on the right. I used the rules of dummy markers to deceive my adversary. On the left only a unit of 6 marines is real. All  Indians, my officers and the 12 marines are on the right. The idea is to attack on the flank the enemy.

 

All my units are irregular and so they move very quickly. 

Biagio tries to block my flank attack with his militia  ...

..  while the British regular unit remains substantially fixed hit by my six marines that are arriving from the wood 

The Indians reach the houses and start the attack against civilians protected by the large unit of marines. 

Biagio orders to the second unit of militia to protect the houses and to his regular unit to come back to contrast my initiative

Now British forces are between "two fires" ...

Near the houses a unit of Indians destroy the militia while the other Indians tries to move out the civilian leader ... unfortunately they are repelled.

Meanwhile the British regular arrives to bother my marines … but without a great success

Unfortunately for Biagio the second unit of British regular doesn't enter into the game and my Indians attack the civilians.

 

The unit of six French marines arrives from the wood and destroys the British rangers while the second unit of marines (with the blue uniforms) assaults and neutralizes the British regular.

 

The latest unit of civilians is annihilated by marines.

End Game

French-Indians forces win the game

Conversions & Tests

A couple of months ago I got back into an old project ... Roman miniatures in 28mm. Years ago I bought  some boxes of warlord Romans appropriate for Trajan period but, my dream remains the late imperial Roman (if possible of the east part of the Empire).

Unfortunately there are no plastic miniatures available for this period so I had a strange idea. 

With some scraps of warlord pretorians and auxiliaries I modified some plastic Gripping Beast miniatures.

The helmet is a Warlord auxiliary head modified, while the body is a dark age Gripping Beast warrior.

With the appropriate shields pattern they could be confused for Goths or other late Roman auxiliaries.

I converted also some Gripping Beast vikings to create an hypothetical late imperial unit

The miniatures are Gripping Beast vikings with a crest of a Warlord praetorian. They are only a preparatory study but they seem not so bad.

Lord of the Rings: Osgiliath

In December, thanks to the great work performed by one of my club's member, we played a Lord of the Rings scenario: Osgiliath

All miniatures of the pictures below and the entire scenario are handmade by Biagio. Only the miniature of Gothmog and four Minas Tirith knights are painted by other two club's members.

Game system: Games Workshop  Lotr [Siege of Gondor]

Miniatures scale: 28 mm

Battle setup:

Good forces 

1,000 points

Boromir captain of the White Tower

Faramir captain of Gondor 

Madril 

Damdor

2 Minas Tirith captains 

23 Minas Tirith warriors

3 Minas Tirith with banner

12 Osgiliath veterans

10 Minas Tirith knights

Frodo and Sam

Evil forces

1,000 points

Gothmog

1 Nazgul

2 Orc captains

6 Orc trackers

23 Mordor orcs

3 Orcs with banner

2 Trolls

3 Morgul hunters

9 Uruk hai

Layout

We played the scenario on a board 112 cm x 112 cm. At this stage Osgiliath is a battered and crumbling wreck of a city with many ruins.

Initial deployment

The good player deploys half of his force within 28 cm from the board edge. The Evil player then deploys half of his soldiers within 28 cm from the opposite board edge. The remaining  forces are held to one side and may be available for deployment later on in the game. At the end of each player's move phase, after all models have been moved, players must roll a dice for each model not yet on the gaming table to determine if they have yet arrived (1-2 the model is delayed and does not enter; 3 the model moves onto the table from any points of either side table edge; 4 the model moves onto the table from any point of either side table edge; 5-6 the model moves onto the table from the controlling player's table edge).

Objectives

The two forces are attempting to secure the area of Osgiliath that is a strategic point for both forces. The Evil and the Good players have to put on the table 2 markers each. At the end of the battle a player controls a marker if he has more models than the enemy within 8 cm.

The game ends when one of the forces has been reduced to half its original number.

Secondary objective for the Good, to send Frodo and Sam into the well on the center of the table.

Unfortunately I couldn't to play the game for all turns so I try to comment with the pictures a quick battle report.

Starting forces

We deployed half forces on the left and the remaining on the right. On contrary our adversary decided to put all Trolls and Gothmog's force on his right and the other Mordor orcs on the left

All forces are moving to the center of the table

A global view of the battle ... the troll in the center has just received two arrows but he is still alive

Sam and Frodo protected by veterans tried to enter into the well ... 

... but the Nazgul has not intention to help them 

Some pictures of the table centre

and another overview of the battle

On the Good left side we blocked the enemies while we our archers can to block the Nazgul

the second troll attacks on the right with Mordor forces

... the fight continues

A further battle overview

At the center the fight is coming hard

and the forces are decreasing

The final score was a draw. Frodo enters into the well (using the power of the ring) while the remaining Good troops take one target. The Evil takes two targets ... the third is controlled from a Mordor orc but, during the last turn, he decides to go back to Sauron ... to be killed I suppose.

French Indian wars miniatures - a first look

One of my target at the beginning of the year was to paint the La Sarre regiment but, unfortunately, I have not finished yet my French - Indian wars miniatures.

At the present day I have finished 19 indians, 12 French fusiliers de marine and a couple of coureurs des bois.

About the lake indians Mr De Boungainville wrote "I see no difference in the dress, onaments, dances and songs of the various western nations. They go naked, excepting strip of cloth passed throught a belt". I tried to paint them as Huron warriors.

A group of Indians ready for a quick raid ...

... three different ways to paint the same miniature ...

... other Hurons in action

During the French - Indian wars the compagnies de marine represented a great part of French forces. Their experience in the colonies, the knowledge of the places and the help of their native allies made them skilled in the kind of frontier fighting typically of this war.

I prepared a group of six fusiliers de marine with their blue coats  ...

... and other six in white.

The coureurs des bois were the French settlers. They traded animal furs and during the  war they fought with the French forces