Tuesday, December 30, 2014

A Dark Age Hovel


I finally got around to painting a Dark Age Small Hovel from Architects of War that I got from the Toys for Tots raffle at Fall In 2013.  It painted up easily.  The hovel will make a fine addition to my 4Ground buildings.
Dark Age hovel with Viking visitors

Interior view

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Fresh From the Painting Table


People are always asking, "What are you painting these days?"  Well, here are a few things I finished this past week.  I know it is a strange assortment but I wanted to finish a few figures that have been sitting around for a while.

First up some 10mm centaur archers based for playing LSNC: Bear Yourselves Valiantly.  Unfortunately I have these for so long I do not remember the manufacturer.
10mm Centaur Archers
Next we have a base of 10mm elephants by AIM.  Again, based for Bear Yourselves Valiantly.
10mm Elephants
Now for something a bit larger....15mm Hussite war wagons from Essex.  I had started building a Field of Glory army but my opponent moved out of town so they have been sitting around collecting dust.  Finally, they are done.
15mm Hussite War Wagons
And the last few figures...more Essex 15mm.  This time a unit of Carthaginians and two Roman command stands.
15mm Essex
Hopefully I'll be able to get some more stuff finished during the holidays....as well as some gaming time.

Saturday, December 20, 2014

The Merchant's Shop


I finally got around to finishing the Merchant's Shop building by 4Ground that I bought from Age of Glory.  As usual, I failed to take any photos during assembly.  So, you'll just have to enjoy these instead.

The building went together quickly and easily.  This is the 5th 4Ground building I have assembled, haven't had any problems with them so far.  This building came with a table and six benches.

I hope to get it into a game of SAGA sometime soon.

The finished shop with table and benches

An interior view

An interior view with a Viking "shopper" and some scenery bits

An exterior view with Viking patrons




Tuesday, December 2, 2014

First Game Using a Cigar Box Battles Game Mat


Since I had recently received a desert themed game mat from Cigar Box Battles (CBB), I volunteered to run my Great (Desert) Race game during our regularly scheduled HAWKs game night.  The original version of this game was run at Fall In 2011 as part of the HAWKs 1000 race event.  Details from Fall In 2011 can be found here: http://bucksurdu.com/blog/?p=831

First off, a word about the game mat....
The CBB game mat is roughly 5 x 7 'ish (60 x 80 inches) and is printed on fleece material.  It laid over my styrofoam hill very nicely without any telltale wrinkling - even though the height of the hill was three inches.  The mat doesn't show "folding wrinkles" like a felt game mat.
CBB Game Mat

The Great Race set-up

Another view of the set-up
On to the game....
The game is a parody of The Great Race movie and the Monte Carlo Rally - first raced in 1911.  Six intrepid racers and their sidekicks set off across the desert towards the finish line.  Battling the sand, other racers, a rogue camel herd, and miscellaneous obstacles.  Along the way, the racers could gain extra points by:
  • Recovering the bones of a rare dinosaur
  • Rescuing a stranded damsel (Naggie DuBois) whose vehicle broke down/horse wandered away/was kicked out of another racer's car for talking too much/or something
  • Discovering the fate of the famous lost adventurer Amelia Earhawk
  • Searching for the fabled Maltese Elephant or other treasure
  • Obtaining a water sample from the mythical Oasis of Life
  • And they lost points by running through the territory of the endangered Striped Polka-Dotted Desert Tortoise.
Each player also received Dastardly Deeds Cards that could be used to better themselves or hinder their opponents.
A rogue camel herd waiting to rampage across the desert

The race gets under way

A collision results in two racer's cars flipping over as everyone rushes to save the damsel
 Since we had time, we ran the game twice.  The camels blocked Geoff's path several times, Chris ran into a camel and it ended up draped across his hood.  Dastardly Deeds Cards flew back and forth across the table as players attempted to hinder one another's efforts.  The Chinese guards at the archeologist's dig site shot and killed one of Mike's crew each game.  Mike also got spun around and drove backwards across the desert for most of the first race.  All in all, a great time was had by all.

The CBB game mat worked out well.  If you need a 5x7'ish mat, I recommend you look into Cigar Box Battles' variety of mats.  They probably have one that fits your needs.  I'll be adding a mat or two to my Christmas list this year.