Fred - 2021 Painting Bits

Started by fred., 10 April 2021, 08:30:02 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

fred.

Well its April and I'm just getting round to starting a painting diary for 2021...

Not entirely sure why, as I have been painting and playing - but probably due to spending all my working hours at a screen, I've not been really feeling the need to post stuff up. Or something.

Anyway - this week I've been putting together some limbers for my WWI artillery - which I keep wanting to call horse artillery, but I don't really think it is, as horse artillery implies artillery for cavalry units, and these are just horse drawn artillery for infantry divisions - its all a bit confusing when everything is moved by horses...

Anyway, I decided that I wanted to add limbers to the bases of my firing guns, partly as the current preferred rules (If the Lard Spares Us) suggest 50mm wide bases for artillery, and partly from seeing photos of the limbers next to the guns which looks cool.

A bit of research (google) showed that the British and French approaches were different, and both would need some work to convert the standard Pendraken limbers.

British QF 18-pounder FG


Unpainted, showing plastic card additions, of fold down door (which was bullet proof) and the shorten pole with addition of a stand. I decided that adding the 24 small circles to represent the shells was a step too far...


All painted up


And from behind - I've also added more crew figures. 6 was the normal complement per gun


French 75mm

First attempt - the French limber has too side opening doors. After gluing these in place on both limbers, I then double checked the photo, and found that I had got the orientation wrong - the French rolled the limber back (I assume to provide a shield) so I had to remove the handles cast on the limber, and move the doors to the 'top'. The limber pole needed trimming and angling downwards.


Front view - showing limber pole bent downwards - one I bent, the other I cut. I think the cut version probably sits better.




Rear view - again I've not shown the shells in the limber.

I've also put together a horse team along with travelling limber and gun for the French - with 6 horses. I think the horses might be spaced out a little too much (and a little far from the limber).

I've got a second gun and limber built and painted, but need more horses. And I think I will add the second limber and caisson per gun too - so more horses needed! As each gun had its own limber and 6 horses, along with an ammunition cassion with its limber and 6 horses. And possibly a further wagon for each per of guns.

2011 Painting Competition - Winner!
2012 Painting Competition - 2 x Runner-Up
2016 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!
2017 Paint-Off - 3 x Winner!

My wife's creations: Jewellery and decorations with sparkle and shine at http://www.Etsy.com/uk/shop/ISCHIOCrafts

Steve J


Lord Kermit of Birkenhead

FOG IN CHANNEL - EUROPE CUT OFF
Lord Kermit of Birkenhead
Muppet of the year 2019, 2020 and 2021

Norm

Nicely done Fred, I do like the limber and gun on the same base.

Techno II

Looking really good, Forbes !  :-bd

Cheers - Phil. :)

paulr

Lord Lensman of Wellington
2018 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!
2022 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!
2023 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

fred.

Thanks all

Quote from: Norm on 11 April 2021, 07:11:43 AM
I do like the limber and gun on the same base.

I do like the look of this too - not sure that I will be replicating across my whole artillery park though!
2011 Painting Competition - Winner!
2012 Painting Competition - 2 x Runner-Up
2016 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!
2017 Paint-Off - 3 x Winner!

My wife's creations: Jewellery and decorations with sparkle and shine at http://www.Etsy.com/uk/shop/ISCHIOCrafts

fred.

11 April 2021, 10:38:32 AM #7 Last Edit: 11 April 2021, 10:43:32 AM by fred.
Dragon Rampant Game

On Friday night I had a solo game of Dragon Rampant, as my planned remote game fell through. I'd seen a report on LAF about a DR game using Warmaster figures, and this made me want to get some of my own 10mm Fantasy on the table for a game of DR.

I put together a force of Elves (mainly using the sample list in the rules) and Ogres (rather more ad hoc, in its creation, but that is the point of the rules). The scenario was an interesting one, with lots of areas of dangerous terrain, and both forces split in their deployment, and trying to get troops off, either end of the table. But needing to destroy enough enemy units that they couldn't win by getting their troops off the table


The Ogre Forces

The Ogres were deployed top left and bottom right. The Elves bottom left and top right. The exit points where in the middle of the top and bottom edges (shown by the roads).


After the first turn, both sides only managed a couple of activations each. The Elven knights have moved in to the middle of the table and their Reaver light cavalry have moved too. For the Ogres their Leader's unit of Ogres has moved forward, as have the greenlings nearest the camera.


Another turn of some activations, the Wolf riders move forward, as do the Elven infantry at the top right (there is a unit of Elven spears off camera at the bottom left). The second unit of wolf riders fails to activate when right in front of the Elven knights  :o


The knights charge the wolf riders - who could attempt to evade, but are too close so would be caught, which would be very bad. So they stand to receive the charge, which is just bad.

Both units roll 12 dice, the knights needing 3+ to hit, the Wolf riders needing 6+. The knights need 3 hits to cause a wound, the Wolf riders need 4.
The knights unsurprisingly do a lot of damage! The Wolf riders do manage to get 4 hits and cause a point of damage back. The wolf riders are knocked down to half strength by this attack. Both sides need to take a Courage test from the combat result. The wolf riders at -3 on the test, but they pass an just retreat from the combat.


Troops continue to advance slowly, there has been an exchange of arrows between the Reavers and other unit of Wolf riders, both suffering minor damage.

The Elven knights activate and swing round to charge the greenlings nearest the camera - due to the scale of the game this isn't a flank charge - but this is the end result of the combat:


The knights caused several wounds on the Greenlings, who caused 1 back to the knights. Both had to test for Courage, and both rolled poorly, the Greenlings had to retreat - directly away from the enemy - off the table and as such are destroyed. The knights rolled even worse and became battered - basically they need to spend their next turn recovering (they need to roll to recover but for the knights this should be easy enough with a base score of 4+ (on 2d6) -2 for wounds and +1 for the leader).
This does highlight the swinginess of the 2d6 courage test - with both units failing. And it being catastrophic for the Greenlings as they were trying to head towards the exit point along the table edge


This pretty much cleared the south of the table for the Elves, and the two main Ogre combat units were still shuffling forwards at the top due to failed activation rolls.

The Elven archers got a good volley in against the Yeti, who failed their courage test and retreated.

But this wasn't enough and the Yetis charged in the next turn - causing lots of damage- but the Elves rolled high on their courage test and just fell back. Putting them out of charge range of the Ogre infantry.

The Wolf Riders came out on top of the skirmishes with the Reavers, breaking them under repeated volleys of arrows.

The Yetis charged the archers again, causing enough damage that they couldn't make their Courage roll so routed, but the archers gave enough back that the Yetis became battered



The Elven knights managed to catch the Wolf riders (who failed to evade) and destroyed them

This put the Ogre force below 50% causing another round of Courage tests, which meant the Yetis broke, leaving just the Ogre Infantry, who had suffered a fair number of wounds by this stage



This was effectively game over, as the Ogres where being hit by 2 Elven units, with a 3rd on its way

Overall it was good to get the figure son the table, and the scenario was interesting. I like the DR combat mechanism with different to hit scores depending if you are attacking or defending, along with armour affecting the number of hits needed to score a wound. This tends to give the results you would expect, but has a bit of variance in there too.

But the activation rolls - which are needed for each unit (typically 5+ or 6+ on 2d6), and with a failure it is turn over,  means that for many turns large parts of the force does nothing. The Courage rolls feel equally swingy with both combatants falling back on more than one occasion.

This is my second solo play through of DR - and after the first, some time ago, I felt it was too random, and this play through reinforces that. I do like a degree of randomness and friction to the activation within a game, but I don't like it to totally dominate.

If I was to play again, I'd perhaps do some or all of the below
1) Failed order doesn't end the turn
2) Leader can give a re-roll per turn (this is one of the Leader traits, but perhaps give it too all leaders)
3) Give a small pool of re-rolls to each side

Which might help it feel what you as the player is doing has more influence than just the dice.





2011 Painting Competition - Winner!
2012 Painting Competition - 2 x Runner-Up
2016 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!
2017 Paint-Off - 3 x Winner!

My wife's creations: Jewellery and decorations with sparkle and shine at http://www.Etsy.com/uk/shop/ISCHIOCrafts

Techno II

Looks like it was fun in any case, Forbes.....which is the main thing.

Cheers - Phil :)

Duke Speedy of Leighton

Great report, bought the rules during lockdown 1, and still not played.
Lovely guns too.
You may refer to me as: Your Grace, Duke Speedy of Leighton.
2016 Pendraken Painting Competion Participation Prize  (Lucky Dip Catagory) Winner

fred.

Quote from: Techno II on 11 April 2021, 11:20:46 AM
Looks like it was fun in any case, Forbes.....which is the main thing.
It was - but only because I wasn't too bothered about the outcome - as a 2 player game I think the Ogre player would have been annoyed by the dice rolls for activation and courage tests.

Quote from: Lord Speedy of Leighton on 11 April 2021, 02:20:21 PM
Great report, bought the rules during lockdown 1, and still not played.
Lovely guns too.
Cheers Will
2011 Painting Competition - Winner!
2012 Painting Competition - 2 x Runner-Up
2016 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!
2017 Paint-Off - 3 x Winner!

My wife's creations: Jewellery and decorations with sparkle and shine at http://www.Etsy.com/uk/shop/ISCHIOCrafts

fred.

Continuing the sporadic updates...

Painted some 10mm this week - added on detailing to some Ashigaru I'd started some time ago  - these figures do paint up nice and quickly, I don't know why they had been on the back burner quite so long!



Should get them based over the weekend - then need to find the sashimono I have got printed out somewhere!

This should give me six more bases, 2 x archer, 2 x yari and 2 x naginta
2011 Painting Competition - Winner!
2012 Painting Competition - 2 x Runner-Up
2016 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!
2017 Paint-Off - 3 x Winner!

My wife's creations: Jewellery and decorations with sparkle and shine at http://www.Etsy.com/uk/shop/ISCHIOCrafts

Techno II

Looking good, Forbes !  8)

Cheers - Phil. :)

Duke Speedy of Leighton

You may refer to me as: Your Grace, Duke Speedy of Leighton.
2016 Pendraken Painting Competion Participation Prize  (Lucky Dip Catagory) Winner

fred.

2011 Painting Competition - Winner!
2012 Painting Competition - 2 x Runner-Up
2016 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!
2017 Paint-Off - 3 x Winner!

My wife's creations: Jewellery and decorations with sparkle and shine at http://www.Etsy.com/uk/shop/ISCHIOCrafts