IABSM AAR: The Biggest Bloomin' Convoy by Mike Whitaker

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Another great battle report from Mike Whitaker: this time featuring, as the title suggests, the biggest bloomin' convoy ever!

I'm a huge fan of tail (no sniggering at the back there), so to see such a huge collection of transport on the table at the same time warms the cockles of my heart!

Click on the picture to see the whole thing and, as I said in my last post, you can visit Mike's Trouble at T'Mill blog by clicking here.

Keep those battle reports coming in, by the way: plenty of room on the site for more!

TFL Painting Challenge: Lions & Hyenas

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I see the end-of-year catch-ups are starting to come through...so we have a sizeable update today including a big contribution from Kev.

In no particular order, we have:

  • 28mm figures from Mr Douglas, who has gone all Conan on us (loving the hyenas)
  • Some sci-fi goodness from Ralph Plowman in 15mm
  • A small batch of tanks from Mr Luther
  • Some spaceships and space stations from Andy Duffell, who moves with ease from his usual 28mm to these teeny-tiny models
  • A huge update from Kev, including all his gladiator material in 28mm and some very stern ECW church militia in 15mm
  • The Mad Padre blesses us with two great pics of some of his 28mm collection
  • and last, but by no means least, Mr Helliwell continues to churn out his pike and shot armies in 15mm

No shortage of candidates for today's pics:

somewhere in Canada from the Mad Padre

just some of Kev's gladiators (and I love the lions)

VTOLs in 15mm from Mr Plowman

IABSM AAR: Bashnya or Bust #4C: Holm (The Llardiff Game)

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This report is from the game played on October 15th 2016 at the first ever TFL Llardiff Games Day that took place at Firestorm Games in Cardiff.

The idea of this games day was that gamers not necessarily familiar with TFL products could come and have a go at a variety of different games, getting a taste of Lard and then hopefully coming back for more.

I was tasked with showcasing I Ain't Been Shot, Mum!, and told that I should prepare for a series of different players dipping in and out throughout the day, with my efforts focused on setting up and umpiring one game in the morning and one game in the afternoon.

Hmmm, I thought, multiple players dipping in and out: my favourite - not! No matter: Lard calls and I answer...so I decided to bring to Cardiff one of the larger (if not the largest) games from my Bashnya or Bust! scenario pack: scenario #4C, Holm.

This is a late war game where a battalion of Soviet infantry (and remember IABSM is a company-sized game!) supported by just a few tanks tries to overrun a German force defending a small village on the Kaunas front. 

Click on the picture to see all the action.

Ferdinands from Zvezda

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Just about the last of the half-term painting, and the last of the mass of Zvezda vehicles I bought myself for my birthday in August: a couple of Ferdinand tank destroyers.

Reading up about these, I was surprised to learn that they are named after Ferdinand Porsche, the designer and how very KV of the Germans, and how early they went into service: summer 1943, making them mid- rather than late-war monsters. It's the modified version of the Ferdinand, the Elefant, that's more of a later war beast.

There were only 91 of them ever modified from the Tiger I hull, so it seems appropriate to only field two of them, and to only pay a few quid for each model...as I can't see them being used very often.

Nice models, easy to put together, easy to paint. Go Zvezda!

More Poles!

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More of the half-term painting to display.

This time it's a four-gun Polish MMG platoon for my force for the 1939 September War.

These are actually a mix of Forged in Battle and Battlefront figures. I happened to have acquired a pack of each, so chose the figures I liked best from both. For example, the FiB MMGs come separately as nice chunky individual weapons, which I like, whereas the Battlefront one come with the tripod and shooter as one piece and the gun barrel as another. The Battlefront faces, however, being more detailed, paint up better, and some of the FiB foot are in very strange poses. A mixture of the best of both is definitely the right solution.

Incidentally, I've painted four MMGs rather than three required for an infantry HMG platoon only so that they can, if necessary, proxy for a typical four-gun cavalry HMG platoon, despite the lack of cavalry Adrienne helmets. I might get around to painting a separate cavalry HMG platoon, but I've already got to find tchanka figures and, if you look closely, the leader in the top right corner of each base is actually wearing an Adrienne cavalry helmet. Hopefully no-one will notice!

TFL Painting Challenge: Early Morning Update

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And the clocks have gone back in Merrie England, so it's now only 9am instead of what was, until 2am this morning, 10am.

A rather quaint habit we have of moving away from GMT each spring onto British Summer Time: an hour ahead of GMT and giving the farmers more daylight or something. I'm not a fan: disrupts my body clock (set to get up at the same time each day) and always leads to someone being early or late for something by an hour. But then I'm not a farmer...

Anyhoo, moving swiftly on, time (plenty of time) for an update to the 2016 TooFatLardies Painting Challenge. So, in no particular order, we have:

  • Mr Douglas with three ruined buildings
  • Mr Slade with some more Arab bowmen
  • Dave Humm makes a welcome return after a long absence with an assortment of figures
  • Andrew Helliwell rescues some Romans from the attic
  • Steve Burt just paints some Romans
  • Stumpy paints and bases some 15mm and 28mm figures
  • and last, but by no means least, Carole leaves her garden (probably too dark to weed or something) and pops in a couple of 15mm buildings

Today's pics? Well, first up, we have some Ferdinands from Mr Luther.

Not on the list, above, as they've been claimed for previously, but a pic to fill in one of the gaps in his gallery. Nice!

Here's one of Stumpy's built, painted and based 28mm vehicles: a jalopy of some kind 

and finally, here's a 15mm Hovels church from Carole:

Keep them coming: only a few months left to go!

Battered Old T-34/85s

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More painting done!

Having promised myself I'd concentrate on the Poles, I immediately took a quick break from early WW2, and smashed out a platoon of T-34/85s for my Six Day War UAR/Egyptian army.

I got these via the Battlefront 40% off sale, which I think is still on for the next couple of days, otherwise I would have gone for plastics again...but these are nice models: suitably hefty.

I've painted them the way I painted the other ex-Soviet WW2 kit in my UAR army: just the same as a more modern tank, but then covered in one of the Games Workshop technical washes to give them a real "twenty years old and a tank the Soviets don't want any more" look.

One thing to note: one of the models (the one on the left, furthest from the camera) came with one side of the hull broken off. You can see the left hand track is very visible, and is visible all down the side of the tank.

Now I do love Battlefront vehicles (I have literally hundreds of them, possible even a thousand) but their quality control sucks! Yes, I could have e-mailed in and got almost an immediate replacement but, as I've said before, that's not the point: get it right first time!

I'm still waiting for the gun barrel that was missing from my Polish AT guns: that's been four days and they have missed their slot in the painting queue! That's four Battlefront purchases painted this week, with two needing a replacement part. Not very good, to say the least!

As it happens, this wasn't a problem for me: the tanks were supposed to be battered, and this one is just more battered than most...still not the point, though!

Quick German Armoured Cars

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In addition to trying to get my Poles up to strength, I'm also bulking out some of the forces needed to oppose them.

Here are a couple of quick German armoured cars (pun most definitely intended): two SdKfz 222s.

These are Zvezda models, so plastic and snap together. They go together very easily, paint up well, and are half the cost of a resin or metal model.

Now I've already got two lovely Battlefront 222s which have seen quite a bit of usage on the tabletop, so these two new models will let me field (should I ever need to: having eight armoured cars scooting around the tabletop might be a bit much...but then there's always a recce troop scenario to plan for!) the 222 element of an entire light armoured car platoon.

Anyway, nice models: well done Zvezda.

Some More Poles Painted

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With the half-term hols upon us, I've taken the chance to finish a few figures that have been sitting on the painting table for far too long.

First up are a few additions to my early war Polish army:  the HQ mortars and a selection of Big Men.

I'm trying to concentrate on the Poles at the moment, as I need to have enough of them done to start playtesting the scenarios in my forthcoming September War scenario pack. That's a collusion between Anatoli and I, and should, when finished, contain 55 separate Poland 1939 scenarios for I Ain't Been Shot, Mum. Scenarios 1-19 are written already, so just need to playtest them and get some photography done at the same time (which is why I can't use proxies).

Finally, I also got around to painting the Warbases 15mm Pegasus Bridge bunker. Nice little model: it's my paint job that's uninspiring! And the pic is a bit blurred too!

TFL Painting Challenge: Another Huge Update

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Now I know why the challenge was so quiet over the summer: you were all saving your entries up so that I had something to do during these long winter nights!

So, another update is needed only a few days after the last one: and both pretty big too.

In no particular order, we have:

  • Mr Slade (always Mr Slade!) with forty-eight of the finest Arabs you can order
  • Mr Helliwell (and usually always Mr Helliwell too!) submits 32 billmen and pike
  • Lloyd "the hat" Bowler has been saving his painting all through those long summer months. Today he sends in about a trillion 6mm figures; more 1/600 ships than the whole of the current British navy (not so hard these days, I know!); and finishes off with some ACW command stands. Almost 500 points in one entry!
  • Steve Burt has some more Romans for us to look at
  • Keith Davies enters four 28mm buildings, even if I do appear to have lost the photos!
  • WillieB makes a bit of a come back with some Frostgravery and some Comitatus
  • and last, but not least, Carole takes a rest from her gardening and sends in an assortment of 15mm figures

All good stuff! Now, today's photos...

Some of Matt's Arabs

Lots of 6mm from Lloyd

Just some of the Hat's navy

WillieB's Comitatus

Keep them coming, folks: the end of the year will be on us before you know it!

Battlefront Sale Now On

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Just a quick note for those who might not have seen it yet, but Battlefront have a 40% off sales on their Vietnam, Arab-Israeli and Great War ranges at the moment. Postage and Packing is also capped in what must be considered a great deal. Sales lasts until the end of October.

As those who visit this site regularly know, although I don't play FoW, I do like the Battlefront miniatures: I just find them a little pricey and, sometimes, a little lacking in the quality control department, although this last seems to have improved quite a bit over the last couple of years.

Click on the pic to go to the FoW site.

A 40% off sale, therefore, is an ideal time to stock up on stuff that you wouldn't normally buy because of the price. I don't happen to need any more Vietnam stuff, and don't currently collect any Great War kit, but have just taken advantage of the sale and dropped quite a bit of cash rounding out my Arab-Israeli Six Day War collection. 

Now all I need is for them to extend the sale to their WW2 Poles and I'm a happy man! 

TFL Painting Challenge: Truly Monstrous Update

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It seems as if you have all been punishing those brushes over the past few weeks, as we have a truly monstrous update to the painting challenge to consider.

In no particular order, we have:

  • Neil Hooge with no less than three separate updates: weird WW2 and 19th Century Mexicans in 15mm
  • Richard Naylor with a huge amount of 6mm Zulu wars re-basing. Looking good!
  • Andy Duffell with some 28mm WW2 Partisans and Germans
  • Jon Davenport with a gorgeous church in 28mm, a 15mm Recce Group, and almost 400 (yes, four hundred) modern 6mm vehicles
  • Mr Luther pops in some 15mm dismounted Light Dragoons
  • Owen sends in so many entries of various different scales that my computer almost melted: over 1,500 points worth
  • Mervyn has some more 28mm Old West figures
  • and last, but by no means least, the Great Gatzemeyer sends in a squad and a half of WW2 Germans in 28mm

A truly impressive haul!

As it's way past my bedtime, just a few of the many pics:

Garrett's squad and a half of Germans in 28mm

Richard Naylor's re-based Lord Chelmsford

Lawmen and/or Desperados from Mervyn

Some of Owen's housing development!

Back from Llardiff

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I'm now back from the TFL showcase at Firestorm Games in Llardiff: and an excellent day's gaming it was too.

First, a quick word about Firestorm itself. This is a huge gaming centre in the Penarth area of Cardiff. It consists of three areas.

The first is a very well stocked shop that is absolutely ideal for stocking up on all those bits and pieces that are a pain to order online:  tape measures, brushes, paints, spray cans etc. It also has a good selection of miniatures, board games and lots of card games and the like. Well worth a visit for this alone.

This gives you some idea of the size of the Battlefields area

Second is a small cafe, a medium sized bar and a large lounge-type area where important things like eating and drinking and chatting can take place. I had a very nice club sandwich from the cafe that totally made up for the fact that they were out of coffee!

Third, and perhaps most importantly, is the Battlefields area: a huge space that has to have at least 40 wargames tables in it. Apparently, on a non-function day, you can just book a table, pay a small amount (it's run like a social club, so you can pay for a day's membership - which IIRC is something like £3.50 - or do it quarterly for - again IIRC - about £17). They have loads of terrain that you can borrow to use for free, and the tables are nice and big and solid and very, very functional. 

In all, I heartily recommend Firestorm as a venue and, as such, it was ideal for our Llardiff TFL showcase.

We had various games on offer. I ran I Ain't Been Shot, Mum! in the morning (a huge battalion-sized game of which more in a later post) and there were all day games of Sharp Practice 2 and Chain of Command as well.

Mr Clarke's game of Sharp Practice 2

The main game of CoC was particularly impressive: an amazing battlefield that I wish I had a good photo of...but the one I took came out all blurred.

The day's gaming was followed by an evening's drinking with the obligatory curry (fictional in Richard's case) which was also great fun.

I shall be making a note in my diary to attend next year.

Llardiff Tomorrow

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A quick reminder that tomorrow is Llardiff: a TooFatLardies games day taking place at Firestorm Games in Cardiff.

Here are the details:

"On October the 15th one of the UK’s most respected gaming companies; Too Fat Lardies will be visiting the South Wales Gaming Center at Firestorm Games to host a series of participation games showcasing some of their most popular rules.

"There will be 5 games on offer with each one being played twice starting around 10.30 am and 2.30 pm, the games on offer are :-

1)      Sharp Practice – covering the black powder era this is a large skirmish game is ideally suited for 15mm to 28mm figures with forces of around 50 figures. There are 2 games on offer that people can play

a.       Viva Ras Begus, Head Lardy Rich Clarke will be hosting his award winning game set in the Horn of Africa in 1840

b.       Martian Practice, Matt and Ralph from the Forest of Dean club will be running their brand new (also award winning) Sharp Practice game set on Mars during Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee

2)      Chain of Command – this highly respected WWII game allows players to take on the role of a platoon commander and is perfect for players with existing WWII armies looking for a new challenge, again we have 2 games on offer

a.       1940 invasion of France, local gamers Geoff and Steve Bond will have a game set in France during the German offensive

b.       1944 North West Europe, Nick Skinner will show you how to play Big Chain of Command with multiple platoons after the break out of Normandy

action from the last market larden games day

3)      I Ain’t Been Shot Mum – the original Lardy game and now in its 3rd edition, this WWII game is company level and perfect for 15mm gamers, Robert Avery will be on hand to guide you through combat in Russia during Operation Bagratian

"Entry to this event is completely free, all you need to do is turn up, speak to one of the Too Fat Lardies crew and we’ll get you playing on a first come first served basis. If you are interested in learning more about the games but don’t want to play a whole game, then just turn up during the day and one of us will take you through the rules and answer any questions you have.

"Finally, this event has been arranged to take place on the Autumn Bring and Buy day at Firestorm games so you might be able to pick up a bargain as well as play some of the best games out there

"Details on how to get to Firestorm games can be found here http://www.firestormgames.co.uk/location-opening-times

"Information of Too Fat Lardies can be found here http://toofatlardies.co.uk/ "

As you will see from the above, I will be there running a couple of games of IABSM, so hope to see you there.

Firestorm Games (Cardiff)
Trade Street
Penarth Road
Cardiff
CF10 5DT
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0) 2920 227117

Pickett's Charge Now Available

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Although a divisional rather than a company-sized game, here's news of the launch of the first TFL/Reisswitz publication, Pickett's Charge.

"Written by veteran game designer Dave Brown, Pickett’s Charge are an exciting and dynamic game with plenty of fast-paced action combined with a command and control system which is intuitive and simple to use, but nuanced and subtle enough to provide the gamer with interesting and testing command challenges. ‘Simple to learn but a challenge to master’ has never been more the case as the player is constantly presented with decisions about how to best influence the action, to seize the initiative from the enemy and to inspire his troops on to great deeds.

"Packed with Civil War flavour, Pickett’s Charge is designed for Divisional and larger battles in the American Civil War, with the Regiment being the smallest manoeuvre element, the Brigade the lowest tactical command. A typical club night action involving several Brigades per side and a full day or weekend handling a Corps or two with ease.

"82 pages in length, Pickett’s Charge includes rules for using both 15mm and 28mm figures, suggestions for organising your armies with a point system and a guide to rating force. An introductory scenario is all you need to get playing with this great new set of rules from the master of the big battlefield.

"PLEASE NOTE:  This advanced order option is for the hard copy rules with the bonus of a free PDF of the rules. The PDF will be emailed to you on the day of publication, the 26th of October."

You can buy the rules by clicking either here or on the picture of the front cover.

IABSM AAR: Moiste Cabbage & a Quick Cognac by Robert Avery

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Here a battle report from a game played a couple of weeks ago featuring a scenario originally written for the TFL 2005 Xmas Special.

It's France 1940. A German probe has discovered an unguarded crossing over the river Moiste. They dig in and call for reinforcements, but the French have spotted them and send in Captain Cognac and his men to re-take the crossing.

Click on the picture, below, to see all:

Zvezda BT-5 Soviet Tanks

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Following on from yesterday's post, here's the other platoon of Soviet tanks from Zvezda: this time five 15mm BT-5 tanks. 

I didn't like these quite as much as the T-26's, but they are still great models.

These kits snap together so well that I didn't even bother with reinforcing glue. The turrets come in one piece, which is a huge improvement on anything that requires you to glue a gun barrel in place (not a lot of surface area on the rear end of a gun barrel!), and means that even after undercoat, wash, finish etc, the turrets were easy to swivel.

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