Escape from Colditz 75th Anniversary Edition

Just heard the news that Osprey will be releasing a 75th Anniversary Edition of Escape from Colditz in October 2016! I loved this game as a kid and have often thought about getting a copy on eBay. Now I won't have to!

The press release is here:

Shootout in San Juan! - Dead Man's Hand Battle Report

The boy and I had our very first game of Dead Man's Hand at the weekend (at long last!)...and it was brilliant! Fast-paced and action-packed, we both loved it!

As this was our first game we didn't bother with the Opening or Second Scenes but went straight for the Final Scene...in this case the Final Scene of A Fistful of Models, Showdown! My son chose to play the Lawmen, in this case Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and four Deputy US Marshals, whilst I played the Outlaws, led by Black Jack and the notorious gunslinger, Mad Maggie, with four Dudes!

Anyway, without further ado, here is the battle report...Shootout in San Juan!

We were a bit pressed for time at the end and so didn't play until one side was Wiped Out or failed a Big Nerve Test but instead just called it an inconclusive draw...but it hardly mattered as we had so much fun playing it. Honestly, I can't recommend Dead Man's Hand enough! Can't wait until the next game!

Here's a Dropbox Link and a Google Docs Link to a PDF version of the battle report...the pages are a bit bigger and easier to read.

All miniatures are from Artizan and were painted for me by the inimitable Matt Slade of Glenbrook Games.The buildings are middle-eastern ones from The Colonial Steamboat Company and the gaming mat is from Deep Cut Studios.

Frostgrave Thaw of the Lich Lord Nickstarter Arrives!

I have been impatiently awaiting the arrival of my Frostgrave Thaw of the Lich Lord Nickstarter stuff...and today the long-awaited knock on the door came!

Airfix Battles The Introductory Wargame from Modiphius in 2016

For those who haven't heard the news, Modiphius in conjunction with Airfix will be releasing Airfix Battles: The Introductory Wargame in April 2016. Here's the blurb:

The Airfix Battles Introductory Set features:

• 2 double-sided maps showing the war-torn Normandy countryside to fight over.
• 2 sheets of die-cut counters featuring scenery, objectives, tanks, vehicles, guns and infantry so you can start playing immediately or better still grab your Airfix figures.
• A 16 page Rulebook with introductory rules to get you playing Airfix Battles
• A 16 page Mission book. Each mission introduces new rules leading you step by step through a series of fun narrative missions across Normandy.
• A 54 card Force Deck, each card describing a German or American squad, tank, vehicle or gun.
• A 54 card Command Deck to give orders to your forces
• 5 six-sided dice.

Whether it’s British commandos, US Marines or Germany’s Afrika Korps, Airfix’s 1/72 scale soldiers have been fighting their wars across carpets, dining tables and gardens for decades.
 
Airfix is a fondly remembered part of everyone's childhood and the company are famous for their line of injection-moulded plastic aircraft, tanks and soldiers.  The Airfix brand has been synonymous with model kits for years and now it’s back with a vengeance, with Airfix Battles bringing those adventures to life and its campaigns to a tabletop near you
 
Playable with all your existing Airfix figures and vehicles, Airfix Battles Introductory Set comes with everything you need to play exciting World War Two battles straight out of the box with the Introductory Set. 

This includes die cut cardboard counters for tanks, infantry and guns in case you don't have any figures to hand. Airfix Battles also lets you plan your army using the Force Deck. Draw the cards or select the ones you need to build an exciting army to challenge your friends.
 
Set up the battle using step-by-step instructions in the Mission book and you're ready to play. Each player has a hand of Command Cards to move and make their forces fight, bring in airstrikes or artillery support. You'll never know what your opponent is going to do next!

The game is designed to get you playing quickly, with fast and fun rules so you can play several times in an afternoon or evening with typical missions lasting from 30-60 minutes. 

Airfix Battles will be available in all good model stores & game shops from April 2016. Further releases are planned through 2016 to expand the Airfix Battles range.

And in the Summer the game will be expanded with the Collector's Edition Rulebook and Cards. Here's the blurb:

Collector’s Edition Rulebook & Card Decks. 
 
Summer 2016 will see the launch of the Airfix Battles Collector’s Edition, which introduces new rules to expand your game, as well as showing you how to move your battles from the board to wargames terrain with movement in inches or centimeters instead of squares. The book will contain fantastic photography of games in action to inspire you as well as a much bigger campaign to fight your way through. The Collector's Edition will be available in print and PDF.
 
The Airfix Battles Force Deck and Command Deck will be available as a double pack to enable commanders to purchase just the Collector's Edition book and dive in to battle. Each deck consists of 54 cards. Watch out for new Force Decks to expand your forces!

What a great idea! Sounds like this could be a perfect introduction to wargames for young 'uns...and something they could pick up and play themselves! We're certainly looking forward to learning more!

More Lost World and Strange Aeons Miniatures!

My latest lot of figures from the inimitable Matt (of Glenbrook Games) arrived yesterday! This month sees a return to The Lost World with Antediluvian Miniatures' 'Lost World Adventurers'...

Dr Abner Perry, David Innes and Loana, the Fair One

...and 'Lemurian Warlord and Guardians'...

Lemurian Warlord and Guardians

Lemurian Warlord and Guardians

 ...as well as Lucid Eye's second pack of 'Amazon Warriors'...

Amazon Warriors

...and some more 'Atlanteans'.

Atlantean Slave Master and Atlanteans

Atlantean Slave Master and Atlanteans

I shall add the Lemurians and Lost World Adventurers to my In Her Majesty's Name 'Lost World' setting some time over the next few weeks and update the PDF.

There are also a few new figures for Strange Aeons and Pulp Alley! Some North Star Cultists from the Servants of Ra pack, painted up as Cultists of the Black Goat with a couple of Formless Things from CP Models...

Cultists of the Black Goat with Formless Things

Cultists of the Black Goat with Formless Things

Formless Things

...as well as a few more characters for Section O of the British Intelligence Service from Artizan's Thrilling Tales range.

Section O

Section O

Matt has, as always, done a brilliant job! Can't wait to get these figs onto the table!

Doctor Who Miniatures Game

A few days ago I got a package from the wonderful chaps behind the Doctor Who Miniatures Game...a set of Profile Cards for the game! These cards have the stats on one side and rules on the other for every profile in the basic game. Very handy! And still available, I believe, if you drop them an email (mail@drwhominiatures.co.uk) or get in touch via their Facebook Page.

Now I really must sort through our rather large collection of Doctor Who Character Building figures and get a game going...

Deep Cut Studio - Wastelands Theme Wargames Terrain Mat

Somewhere near the border with Mexico...

I've been tempted for a while by the many excellent wargames mats I've seen being used...particularly Cigar Box Battle mats (now available from North Star) and Deep Cut Studio mats (now available from Wayland Games). My only concerns have been that they sometimes seem to make the table look a bit too 'busy' and the cost...they aren't cheap!

However, when Wayland Games recently started stocking Deep Cut Studio mats, I thought I'd take the plunge and so I bought a Wastelands Theme Cloth mat which I figure will do nicely for Dead Man's Hand, In Her Majesty's Name and the upcoming The Men Who Would Be Kings. It arrived a couple of weeks ago and I was surprised at how thin it was...I was expecting some sort of thin fleece whereas this is much thinner. That said it seems to be pretty tough and sturdy, is machine-washable (I tried it!) and looks the business...so I'm well pleased!

So much so that I just ordered a Red Planet mat for my planned In Her Majesty's Name Mars Campaign and plan to pick up the Cobblestone one soon, too, for both Frostgrave and In Her Majesty's Name!

Whitechapel Specials...from Artizan's FOG Range!

The "Whitechapel Specials", a police unit formed to deal with the uncanny goings on in the city's underbelly. Where regular police units and the Watchmen deal with common criminals the specials are called in to deal with the more unusual crimes, anything from escaped Martian prisoners of war, the risen dead or just your common garden demonically possessed. The constables are equipped with the latest weaponry and rubberised coats and breathing masks to allow them operate in the city's more hazardous environments.

Artizan have just released these splendid chaps as part of their FOG range. The Constables have been available individually for a while but the three Detectives are new. More figs to add to the pile!

Peachy and Danny...coming soon to Artizan's North-West Frontier Range!

North Star have just shown a pic on their Facebook page of a pair of upcoming figures for Artizan's North-West Frontier range. Another must-buy!

In Her Majesty's Name Company - US Marshals

The American West is seen by many to be a refuge for outlaws and desperadoes. And, while it is true that many places have no local government or law enforcement of their own, there is one group of men who are instrumental in the maintenance of law and order...the US Marshals.

US Marshals are often the only source of law enforcement in this notoriously lawless place and have apprehended a variety of notorious outlaws and desperadoes. Indeed, some individual Marshals have become legendary heroes in the face of the rampant lawlessness. One name, in particular, stands out...Wyatt Earp, who, along with his brothers, Morgan and Virgil, and his good friend, Doc Holliday, have become the scourge of the outlaw!

	Pluck	FV	SV	Speed	Cost	Talents	Equipment
Wyatt Earp	3+	+3	+3	+2	55	Leadership +2 Duellist (+2 SV Pistol) Fearless Inspirational (+1 Pluck 12”) Skirmisher	Lined Coat (8) Pistol (+1 SV) Fighting Knife (-1 Pluck, +1 FV)
John (Doc) H. Holliday	3+	+2	+4	+2	48	Duellist (+2 SV Pistol) Fearless Marksman (ignores cover)	Pistol (+1 SV) Fighting Knife (-1 Pluck, +1 FV) Shotgun (-1 Pluck, +2 SV)
Virgil Earp	4+	+2	+3	+1	33	Fortitude (+2 Pluck to get up) Gunslinger Leadership +1 Skirmisher	Pistol (+1 SV) Fighting Knife (-1 Pluck, +1 FV)
Morgan Earp	4+	+3	+2	+1	33	Leadership +1 Skirmisher Stealthy Tough	Pistol (+1 SV) Fighting Knife (-1 Pluck, +1 FV)
US Marshals (Rifles) x3	5+	+2	+2	0	22	Skirmisher	Lined Coat (8) Fighting Knife (-1 Pluck, +1 FV) Military Rifle (-1 Pluck, +3 SV)
US Marshals (Pistols) x3	5+	+2	+2	0	16	Skirmisher	Lined Coat (8) Fighting Knife (-1 Pluck, +1 FV) Pistol (+1 SV)

Total Cost: 283

Here's a Dropbox Link and a Google Drive Link to a PDF version.

All figures are from Artizan and were painted for me by the inimitable Matt Slade of Glenbrook Games. 

In Her Majesty's Name Company - The Molly Maguires

The Molly Maguires are a secret arm of the Ancient Order of Hibernians based in the United States. Dedicated to the general improvement of conditions for working men, in particular, Irish working men or immigrants, and the strengthening of the power of the Unions, the Molly Maguires are the Ancient Order's muscle, using violence, robbery and murder to target and intimidate any industrialists or government officials they consider to stand in their way. 

The Molly Maguires in the south-west of the United States are led by the Lynch family; four Irish-born siblings. Paddy Lynch, the eldest, is the leader. A charming and charismatic man in his late thirties, he is also a gunslinger of some repute...only bettered by his beautiful but deadly younger sister, Mad Maggie. Next is Sean Lynch, the demolitions man, an expert with explosives of all kinds but especially known for his fondness of using Brick Lane Bottles, something he picked up when learning his trade under the Brick Lane Commune in London. Finally, Niall Lynch, the youngest of the siblings, is a quiet man with an explosive temper and a fondness for fighting as hard as he drinks. 

The Lycnhes can call on a large network of Molly Maguires around the south-west, most of whom are familiar with pistol or rifle. 

	Pluck	FV	SV	Speed	Cost	Talents	Equipment
Padraig (Paddy) Lynch	3+	+3	+3	+1	46	Duellist (+2 SV Pistol) Fantaic Intuitive Leadership +2	Lined Coat (8) Pistol (+1 SV) Fighting Knife (-1 Pluck, +1 FV)
Magaidh (Mad Maggie) Lynch	3+	+1	+4	+2	44	Fanatic Leadership +1 Marksman (ignores cover) Skirmisher	Lined Coat (8) Pistol (+1 SV) Fighting Knife (-1 Pluck, +1 FV)
Sean Lynch	4+	+2	+2	+1	48	Fanatic Engineer Tough (+1 Pluck Fight/Shoot)	Lined Coat (8) Pistol (+1 SV) Fighting Knife (-1 Pluck, +1 FV) Grenades (Brick Lane Bottles) x2
Niall Lynch	4+	+2	+2	+1	26	Fanatic Beserker	Lined Coat (8) Pistol (+1 SV) Fighting Knife (-1 Pluck, +1 FV)
Molly Maguires w/ Rifles	5+	+1	+1	0	18	Fanatic	Military Rifle (-1 Pluck, +3 SV)
Molly Maguires w/Pistols	5+	+1	+1	0	15	Fanatic	Pistol (+1 SV) Fighting Knife (-1 Pluck, +1 FV)

Total Cost: 284

Here's a Dropbox Link and a Google Link to a PDF version.

Figures are from Artizan and were painted for me by the inimitable Matt Slade of Glenbrook Games.