Great battle report from the Small Sagas blog featuring a game using one of the Normandy scenarios included in the IABSM v3 rulebook to an encounter on the eastern front.
Click on the pic below to see all...
Hello all. Despite the rigours of real life, there always time for a quick update to the Painting Challenge...and what an update it is. Lots of inspirational paint jobs to admire and emulate, and a volume of work that's nothing but impressive.
So, for today's update, in no particular order, we have:
As always, clicking on the name of the gallery owner in the list above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window), and here are today's pictures:
Iberian Cavalry from the Hat
A Sturmtiger from Travis Hiett. Note the "thrown track" marker that ca be used to indicate the vehicle is disabled
SYW Hussars from everyone's favourite Fat Wally
Shock markers for Sharp Practice/The Zulu Years from Stumpy
A rather nice R-35 from Jason Ralls
Some of Matt and Ralph's Celtic Champions
What with real life and working on the IABSM early war theatre handbooks (the Dutch and Belgian handbook is out at the end of the month: almost broke me!) I have had no time for either painting or gaming so far this year.
So I'm quite pleased to be able to post that I've finally managed to finish the first of nine late war German infantry squads, shown here on a custom-made sabot base from Warbases:
The figures are Plastic Soldier Company in 15mm.
Just think: only another eight more squads to go. At this rate, the company will be finished sometime in 2019...not a very good showing for this year's painting challenge!
Here's a great looking battle report from the Devon Wargames Group, playing the Over the Hill scenario produced as a free PDF download by Rich Clarke the author and co-partner of Too Fat Lardies during the early incarnation of the rule set and easily converted to the latest version of the rules.
The scenario along with others is available to download from the Lardies Yahoo Group, which is well worth joining if you are interested in the best WWII Company level rule sets available!
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Toofatlardies/info
Click on the pic below to see all:
Yes, it's a Monday update to the Challenge: occasioned by heavy traffic over the weekend!
In no particular order we have:
As always, clicking on the name above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window) and I'll update the Scorecard tonight.
Today's pictures:
Bundeswehr support from Egg
Blue Moose Ken's WW1 British. The thing about uniform is that it isn't!
WW2 Romanians from Ralph Plowman
Romans from Lloyd Bowler
ECW horse from Andrew Helliwell
*Translation: Caesar had some jam for tea
Here's a great solo AAR from James Mantos' excellent Rabbits In My Basement blog.
Inspired by reading the Cinderella Campaign and the dash across France in Sept 1944, featuring the 4th Canadian Armoured Division, James plays a Sherman-heavy assault on a German position.
Click on the pic below to see more:
One of the great things about the IABSM Facebook page is that it encourages people to post a few photos and comments about their games, even if they don't have the time to write up a full AAR.
Sometimes, however, all the various bits and pieces posted on FB about a particular game add up to what is effectively a full AAR: a group effort if you like!
Mike Whitaker, for example, posted a note about an incredibly lucky shot in a recent club game: an Elefant spotted despite cover, distance and the weather, and then dispatched by a single shell from a 17pdr, despite a considerable difference in Strike and Armour values.
The German player, Gary Martin, then replied: giving an outline of what happened in the rest of the game. Put the two together, and Lord Salisbury's your uncle...
Click on the picture below to see how I've stitched the various posts and pictures together into an AAR.
The sun is shining and it looks like being a glorious day, despite the fact that four inches of snow are apparently on the way.
But we don't care: not whilst there are figures to paint. Being snowed in has its advantages...
Today's entries into this year's TooFatLardies Painting Challenge are as follows:
As always, clicking on the name above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window) and I'll update the Scorecard tonight.
Today's pictures:
Just some of Matt Slade's robot women
"Nellie the elephant packed her trunk and said goodbye to the painting table"
Japanese 20mm AA gun from Travis
Mr Haines: somewhere for the above to live!
Here's a quick AAR from James Tree, taken from the IABSM Facebook page, featuring a recent eastern front game of IABSM played solo.
The Germans are defending a village as the Soviets move in for the attack. Click on the pic below to see who will triumph.
Here's a quick battle report from Ioannis Pavlidis, take from a recent post on the IABSM Facebook page.
It's 1941. A unit of Soviet soldiers has fallen back in disarray in the face of the overwhelming German assault. The German spearhead has now moved on, leaving a force behind to mop up the battered Soviets, who have fallen back to an abandoned barracks not far from the Niemirov Ferry crossing.
Click on the picture below to find out what happened.
Seems like ages since I updated the Painting Challenge, but it's only been about a week. Must be all the work for the publication of the BEF handbook for IABSM yesterday that makes it seem longer. Anyway, to business: in today's update, in no particular order, we have:
As always, clicking on the name above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window) and I'll update the Scorecard tonight.
Today's pictures:
A cracking first entry from Mr Hiett
Mongol types from Blue Moose Ken
French Dragoons from Sapper
More modern cavalry: Chieftains from Chris Kay
Would these stop the Chieftains? Some rather nice anti-tank guns from Mr Hodge.
Frenchies from Stumpy
I'm very happy to announce that Blitzkrieg in the West: The BEF, the second of the series of theatre handbooks covering the early war in the West is now available. It covers the British Expeditionary Force from 1939 to the fall of France in 1940. Designed primarily for use with IABSM v3, the handbook will still prove useful to all players of WW2 company-sized wargames.
This incredibly detailed guide to British forces, written by me, is 75 pages in size and is packed with data, including the following British forces:
With additional sections on the Second British Expeditionary Force, other British independent formations, fielding British forces, rating your forces and a comprehensive armoury.
Just in case people were wondering why it's all been a bit quiet on here lately, it's because I've been working hard on the series of Blitzkrieg in the West theatre books for I Ain't Been Shot, Mum.
The French handbook is already available from the TooFatLardies website, and I'm pleased to announce that the handbook covering the British Expeditionary Force should be available to buy on Thursday this week, 1st March.
Covering everything from the Regulars to the Territorials, from the Pioneers to the Searchlights, the BEF handbook will give you everything you need to field a British force in May/June 1940. There's a lot of background info too, so the handbook should be useful for players of other game systems as well.
Lots of entries in already this week, so a quick update to avoid a backlog!
In no particular order, we have:
As always, clicking on the name above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window) and I'll update the Scorecard tonight.
Today's pictures:
Sapper's Edward II and entourage
Cabbages from Mr Stoesen
A Firefly in 28mm from Andy Duffell
Fellow Lardie Desmondo Darkin takes his panzers for a spin in the first scenario from the Bashnya or Bust! scenario pack set against Operation Bagration in 1944.
See how he gets along by clicking on the picture, below...
The good news is that I've finished the first draft of the Belgian Army handbook for IABSM v3. That should be out in a combined Belgian/Nederlands pack on 1st April, following the BEF handbook which is still on track for publication on 1st March.
The bad news means that all the research and writing is severely cutting in to my painting time. All I have managed to finish this week is three late war German Panzerschrek teams for my Aufklarungs Kompanie.
Nice figures from The Plastic Soldier Company, but it's going to be a long haul to finish the main body of the infantry!
This is what happens when you don't update the Challenge for a few extra days: loads of entries flood in!
In no particular order, we have:
As always, clicking on the name above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window) and I've updated the Scorecard as well!
Today's pictures:
Resin church from Carole
WOTR Command stands from Lloyd Bowler. Nice flags.
Gripping Beast Sudanese Spearmen from Master Ken
Another great podcast from the Big Rich, Nick and Sidney.
The lads get together once again to discuss what's new in the world of Lard and what they are working on, and then get stuck into a couple of meaty topics: including political symbols in wargames and how the design of a game can provide a plausible command experience for the gamer.
Please note, the section on Nazi symbols is potentially contentious but they were asked the question and didn't want to shy away from the tough ones. You may not agree with what they say, but hopefully they don't upset too many people.
The usual trip to the library rounds off this episode.
Sorry about the lack of posts recently: real world and too much time spent on the next Blitzkrieg supplements!
Let's see if we can end this drought with a quick Painting Challenge update.
In no particular order, we have:
As always, clicking on the name above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window) and I've updated the Scorecard as well!
Today's pictures:
Andy Duffell's Somua in 28mm
Carole's European types for the Congo
Nice knights from Mr Davenport
Here's something we haven't had for some time: an after action report for Charlie Don't Surf!
This is taken from the CDS Facebook group, and involves a small force of US troops conducting a sweep through a village searching for rice and weapon caches.
Click on the picture below to see all:
Vis Lardica is a website devoted to wargaming and military history, with a special emphasis on the company-sized rulesets produced by the TooFatLardies: I Ain't Been Shot Mum (WW2); Charlie Don't Surf (Vietnam); and Quadrant 13 (science fiction)
Welcome to Vis Lardica, a not-for-profit website mostly dedicated to the company-sized wargaming rules produced by the TooFatLardies, but encompassing my other gaming interests as well.
If you need to contact me, you can do so at:
vislardica@gmail.com
If you have enjoyed visiting this site, please add a link to it on your own wargaming blog: www.vislardica.com.
