Hundred Years and Waiting...

At an HMGS convention long ago, I purchased a bunch of 15mm Donnington battalion packs for the Hundred Years War. I had envisaged me basing them on unit bases and using Kings of War Historical to game with them. I think the driving motivation was the fact that I really liked the look of the Genoese crossbowmen with the butterfly pavises strapped to their backs. Such a cool sculpt. I bought more and even added some packs of the Corvus Belli sculpts. 

Anyway, I painted and based up some units of English longbowmen and a unit of the aforementioned crossbowmen. I started on the mounted French knights with their caprisoned horses and I stumbled on the project and it never recovered. 

Here's a few pictures of the crossbowmen. The discerning eye might see some Corvus Belli figures who have pavises added to their backs. 

The plucky English longbowmen. I even add arrows in the ground and stakes to fend off pesky French knights.

I have a healthy sized collection of these figures but haven't had the heart to move on and sell them off. When I was in Scotland, I purchased the recently released Test of Resolve variant for the Hundred Years War and flirted with the idea of using these 15mm figures for the project. This was quickly scrubbed when I saw Wargames Atlantic was planning to release 10mm plastics for the HYW. Now as the release is likely mere weeks away, I have decided to share this failed project. Perhaps it will spur on the successful embarkation of a new project that will hopefully be completed. Fingers crossed. 

Nyenschantz 1656

Tonight my gaming buddy Alex and I got in another game of Tercios. Alex offered to design the scenario and bring the armies which sounded great to me as I just had to come and roll dice (and push lead).

Alex chose a battle from the Russo-Swedish War of 1656-1658, he took the "Defenders of the Realm" scenario and crafted it around the siege of Nyenschantz (1656). Historically, Pyotr Potemkin took his Russian army and laid siege to the Swedish-occupied city of Nyenschantz (present day St Petersburg). 

(Pyotr Potemkin)

For the scenario, as the Russian commander, I gained victory points for damaging the fortress. The Swedes needed to destroy Russian units and prevent the Russians from causing too much damage to the fortifications. 

The Russian army deployed. A streltsi unit on the left flank with two pike and shot units in the center with an artillery battery and cavalry on the right. Facing them are two Swedish pike and shot units and cavalry on the way to the rescue.

The Russian right flank comprised of two boyar units and a unit of dragoons (adorned in red).

The Russian right and center comprised of a unit of streltsi and two mercenary pike and shot units.

A Swedish defender of the realm. The Swedes start with two pike and shot units to defend their fort but could expect three units of cuirassiers to help push back the Russian horde.

A turn of cards during the opening rounds of the battle. My plan was to get the streltsi into an assault of the fort while the pike and shot pinned the Swedish foot. Alex decided the best defense is a good offense and moved his infantry forward.

A gap opened between the Swedish infantry units and my dragoons raced through towards the fort. My artillery moved forward and began to bombard the fort before getting wiped out by a Swedish infantry unit.

The pike and shot units on each sides lugged it out and the Swedish cavalry inflicted some wear points on the boyar cavalry. As the Russian commander, I was fine with this...the boyars needed to occupy the Swedish cavalry for as long as possible. To make this happen, the boyar cavalry executed several evades to stay alive and draw the Swedish cavalry away from relieving the siege.

As the Russian center held and the boyar cavalry played a delaying action, the streltsi and the dragoons assaulted the fort. At the end of five turns, the Russians had inflicted enough damage on the fort while keeping their army (barely) intact to achieve a victory.

The game was a blast, thanks to Alex's scenario design. It was a much smaller battle than Fleurus so it played smoother and quicker. I am a big fan of the rules, the cards create friction with the command and control. Units had orders but sometimes events on the battlefield made those orders less than ideal. I look forward to more games of Tercios in the future!

Krapistan: Battle of Mirhadan

I had the opportunity to fight the first battle of the Krapistan project, the battle of Mirhadan. In the south of Kaput province, sit the twin villages of Mirhadan. Al Kebab felt the time was right to launch their offensive against these villages in an effort to establish a proper base of operations. The Nawab of Kaput was well informed of these plans and brought several of his clans and a detachment of Krapistani regulars to Mirhadan to thwart the fundamentalist assault. 

A view from the left side of the Nawab's position. In the center foreground is "Little Mirhadan" and in the upper right hand corner is "Big Mirhadan". In the center is a palm grove. 

"Little" Mirhadan sitting on the left flank of the Nawab's position. The Nawab placed clan fighters of his henchman Babak (8 infantry bases and 2 RPG bases) to defend this position. The Nawab decided to place himself with Babak's men  (which probably was a bad idea).

Uncertain of al Kebab's intentions, the Nawab placed his best and most mobile units (his personal armor and a detachment of Krapistani regulars in BTRs) in the center where they can provide support to either village of Mirhadan or the palm grove.  

The two aforementioned Krapistani army BTR-60s with lots of souvenirs strapped to the vehicles to bring back after their tour of duty in Kaput The Nawab placed his lieutenant Abdul and his clan fighters (8 militia infantry with an RPG team and a mortar with two trucks) in front of  "Big Mirhadan". 

Like the rest of the Nawab's army (with the exception of the Krapistani regulars), Abdul's clan fighters are rated as militia in AK-47 Republic. Abu Kebab's fundamentalist host is a bit more devoted to the cause and are comprised of hardened militia and clan militia.

Al Kebab's fundamentalist fighters approaching the Nawab's positions. To the left are the elite black-clad Bashi-Bazooka Brigade with the Martyr-Cycles and the Samaka Brigade in the center. To the right is the Hamal Brigade. The Samaka and Hamal Brigades were armed to the teeth with AKs, RPGs, HMGs, mortars and were supported by BMP IFVs.

The Nawab wasn't sure if Abu Kebab wanted either of the villages, the palm grove (which has succulent dates), the Nawab's head or all of the above!

The Bashi-Bazookas prior to mounting up in their Toyotas for their drive on Little Mirhadan. 

Close up of the Martyr-Cycles advancing on Little Mirhadan with the Bashi-Bazookas following in the background in  their Toyotas. AK-47 Republic doesn't have rules for motorcycles so I just basically made them infantry with wheeled vehicle movement and charged them army points as if they were in trucks.

Al Kebab's Hamal Brigade suffered heavy casualties at the hands of Clan Abdul  on the right flank. Despite heavy losses, the Hamal Brigade routed Clan Abdul, leaving the road to Big Mirhadan unopposed. In a desperate move, the Nawab ordered the Krapistani regulars to stop the Hamal Brigade. This was a mistake as it pulled his most competent unit further away from the crucial fight on the left flank

Al Kebab received timely reinforcements when the Farkha Brigade arrived. It became apparent to the Nawab that Al Kebab wanted to take Little Mirhadan. The Bashi-Bazookas, Martyr-Cycles and Farkha Brigades violently assaulted the village and after desperate house to house fighting, it appeared Little Mirhadan would fall. The Nawab chose to remain in the desperate hope that his friend Khan would arrive with his clan followers. 

View from the Al Kebab right as they launch their assault on the village. The fundamentalists may have lacked proper tanks but they had speed and firepower with multiple AA guns on technicals.

The Nawab's tanks, the pride of his warlord army, snuffed out a flanking attempt on Little Mirhadan by the Samaka Brigade and were attempting the relive the pressure of al Kebab's assault on the Nawab's left.

Meanwhile, on the right flank, the Krapistani regulars took time from picking dates in the palm grove to mop up the last remaining remnants of the Hamal Brigade.

With the Hamal Brigade in flames, the residents of  Big Mirhadan were safe from the repressive recipes of Al Kebab....for now.

Abu Kebab and his followers attempt their encirclement of the smaller village.

In the end, Clan Khan never arrived on the table to save the Warlord of Kaput province, as the Nawab fell with his men to the last as Al Kabab captured Little Mirhadan. Al Kebab was victorious having achieved two of their three goals (Little Mirhadan and the Nawab's head on a skewer). 

Abu Kebab secured his base of operations and destabilized the province. Rumor has it that the skewers of meat were slow-cooked on the smoldering ruins of the village buildings.  Meanwhile, back in the capital, the Krapistani government pulled the Nawab's eldest son from his harem and informed him that his father had fallen and it was now his time to become the new Nawab. Will Al Kebab continue their advance? Surely the (new) Nawab call for a counter-offensive and seek revenge? Only time (and my chaotic schedule) will tell...

 

Krapistan and it's Al Kebab Problem

On the eve of HMGS Fall In, I am preparing for my first battle of Krapistan, my AK-47 Republic imagination. Let me introduce you to the primary principals of this fantasy land:

Krapistan: a poor, backwater country plagued by tribal factionalism. The corrupt central government is at the mercy of corrupt tribal warlords. 

Kaput: Our campaign follows one of the more volatile provinces of Krapistan, Kaput. The province of Kaput is run by it's not so friendly local Warlord, the Nawab. The Nawab of Kaput enjoys the backing of the national government. 

Al Kebab: a fundamentalist religious movement centered around the preferred ways of cooking various meats on skewers. Al Kebab does not tolerate blasphemous methods of grilling skewered proteins and veggies. The mysterious leader of Al Kebab goes by his not so original "nom de Guerrero", Abu Kebab Al Kebab. 

Everyone likes flags so they know who and what to rally behind. Symbols mean so much in the world and Krapistan is no different. For the flag of Krapistan, the reds represent the meats to be enjoyed, whereas the green represents the veggies and the brown represents something entirely different in the process. This flag means little to the Nawab of Kaput, or any other Warlord, but they fly the flag nonetheless to ensure that they receive the support of the central government.

Above you will find the flag of Al Kebab. For the followers of all Kebab, all of those who refuse to honor the time-old cooking traditions will be smited...for them these grilling blasphemies are a black and white issue, thus the colors of their flag. 

Rumor has it, as a young boy growing up in the dusty back alleys of Kaput, Abu Kebab was horrified by the improper seasoning and cooking methods of grilling meats and veggies. These traumas pushed him to form a movement and that movement now threatens the establishment. The Nawab of Kaput has vowed to snuff out Abu Kebab's growing insurrection and thus we have war once again in Krapistan. 

RavenFeast Vikings and Krapistani Fighters

With my Texas sojourn behind me, I can home to a mouse infestation in my home. Apparently they made probes and found my dogs dry food in the kitchen pantry. 

While I've been waging a full-time  war of no-quarter on the rodent hordes, I've managed to squeeze in some painting time. I finished up some Krapistani Warlord fighters and some vikings for Big Battle RavenFeast. 

So far I have 7 bases of rank and file Bondi, 4 bases of axe-wielding Hirdmen and two command bases. The center right base with the red banner has my attempt at a raven symbol for Harald Hardrada's "Land Waster" flag. Still need to paint up Tostig, some Saxon rebels (traitors?), berserkers, archers and Scottish mercenary spear. Looking forward to getting my armies done so I can wage war on a 4'x4' tabletop and provide the Ravens with some 10mm casualties to feast upon!

And now on to Krapistan...

Managed to finish up 19 bases of Krapistani Warlord fighters. 13 bases of AK, RPK and PKM armed fellas, 3 command stands (look for the inspiring chaps pointing fingers in random directions) and 3 RPG bases. When I first started this project, I opted to go two figures a base (as per the rules-recommended 3 figures) to make it a bit more manageable and decided to include 2 RPGs on each RPG base. It allows me to visually identify the RPG bases a bit easier than if it was just one gent with an RPG and another with a small arm. 

Since these guys represent fighters of a run of the mill Warlord, they have a mish-mash of drab colors: washed out greys, blues, off-whites and earthtones. The absence of black attire let's you know they aren't followers of al-Kebab. The figures are hodgepodge collection of Flytrap, Irregular, Flashpoint, Old Glory and Khurasan. As you can see that, once painted, they all mix well on the same bases. 

This batch of figures essentially completes my Krapistan project. I will probably add some bits and bobs: some ZSU anti-aircraft guns, perhaps some more mortars, BMPs, T-55s, trucks, (perhaps a BRDM?), etc. but the armies are pretty much finished and ready for gaming. 

Meso Americans for Irregular Wars

One of these days, I will have to go through my collection and photograph the miniatures that I have painted but haven't posted on my blog. As I was flipping through my phone, I saw some photos of my 15mm Aztecs that I painted up for Irregular Wars. 

Here we have some stands of suit-wearers and a command stand. Very vibrant colors. I used the old Wargames Foundry book by Ian Heath (Armies of the Aztecs and Inca I believe) as a guide for suit colors and shield designs.

Some yellow-clad Cuachic warriors.  Love the mohawks...I only played these guys a few times in games, I think the army was fairly effective but they needed to swarm mounted Conquistadors or catch them in bad terrain, otherwise the Spanish cavalry would carve them up. 

I can't remember who these guys are supposed to be (Otomi maybe?). Irregular Wars is really a brilliant set of rules. I have a few armies painted up (Aztecs, Eastern woodland Indians, early 17th century English adventurers, Spanish Conquistadors and Colonials, etc.). I have even more unpainted and I will really need to tackle these because the armies are fairly small (similar to DBA numbers) and Irregular Wars gives a real good game.

Some actively posed Warrior Priests. I should add that all of the figures are from the old Gladiator/Black Hat range sculpted by Josef Ochmann. I really like Ochmann's sculpting style. His range of Biblical armies are really beautiful as well. On a side note, Josef also sculpted a small 10mm Conquistador range for Obelisk Miniatures. There were some Conquistadors, Caribs, Incans and even Canari from what I can recall. Sadly they are yet another range that has slipped into the ether...

Allied Mixtec warriors with atl-atl dart launchers. Noticeably absent are the rank and file warriors. I know that I painted up a bunch but for whatever reason I didn't snap any photos of them. When I get back home, perhaps I will get some snaps in and post them.

 

al-Kebab's Growing Army

As previously reported, I have started my fictional country Krapistan for AK-47 Republic campaigns and battles. I initially called my rebel fashion al Jabar but have opted to rename them al-Kebab. I've had fun designing their flag but it's not quite ready yet. I have been slowly building the al-Kebab army. 

Here is a picture of the full army thus far. 

The grunts of the army form three units of infantry armed to the teeth with rusty AK-47s, battered RPKs a smattering of DShKs and lots of RPG-7s. 

Closeup of a command stand. You can tell it is a command stand because there is a gent pointing in a commanding nature. His friend is on his cell phone talking to a telemarketer. Khurasan sculpts.

A couple of al-Kebabis, you can tell who is a follower of al-Kebab because they wear bits of black clothing. Sometimes its just a vest and turban and sometimes its a completely black ensemble. Flashpoint and Khurasan sculpts.

More followers of al-Kebab. I believe both of these sculpts are Khurasan.

More black garb, the guy on the left is ducking and running although it is hard to tell from the angle. Flytrap and Khurasan.

Here we have an elite unit of diehard fanatical jihadists. The fact that they are in very serious-looking all black pajamas lets you know they are elite. These sculpts are CP Models with some Old Glory's FireForce range (command figures and DShK). All of these figures are enormous and don't really mix well with the other ranges in the collection. I was originally going to sell the sculpts off but I opted to paint them up and make them a separate unit.

Another command stand (see the guy pointing?) that includes the spiritual leader of al-Kebab. He's holding a small booklet with all of his favorite recipes for skewers of meat and veggies.

The al-Kebab MartyrCycles Brigade has been documented before but here's another picture of them.

Some of the al-Kebab technicals gathering for another "cars and coffee" event.

Toyota: the choice of warlords around the globe. 

Lastly, the armored fist of al-Kebab, a dusty, greasy BMP-2 aiming its gun right at you, the reader. I think I will add a T-55 to the al-Kebab army.  More to come. Now I need to finish off the Krapistan pro-government faction.