Happy New Year

A Happy New Year to one and all! I hope Santa was kind to you all and you got all that you had hoped for. I traditionally don't get anything remotely gaming orientated unless I put the appropriate article in a loved ones hand and say, 'get me this for my Christmas'. I didn't do that this Christmas, so got a nice selection of the usual family kind of presents, hmmm nice.
Anyway, I have had an inkling to do some GW Tau for a long time, probably since they were released in fact, so just after the day, I went over to my local GW store, after doing the rounds post-christmas returns and cashing in vouchers and such and picked up the Tau Battleforce box set.

I managed to get away unscathed while family in tow, as one of my daughters ex teachers was in the store buying stuff for himself (an on going RPG'er) and his son, and he distracted family while I purchased said item.
I haven't really decided what I'm going to do with all these goodies, I don't play 40K, or at least haven't in a good number of years, so this is going to be a modelling only project which is fair enough and opens up all sorts of possibilities for modelling that if gaming requirements were necessary then that set of practicalities would take precedence,
I'm looking forward to do some fevourish gluing together ala Airfix kits over the next couple of days and put some thought into colour schemes. Initial thoughts are White/Grey/Black or White/ Light Bl;ue/Grey but I might go for something more colourful. We'll see.
The next few days before the dreaded work beckons should hopefully be reasonably productive hobby wise, interspersed with more domestic activities but looking forward to a good gaming year. Figures crossed.

Merry Christmas . . everyone!

Christmas day is winding to a close, the family has been visited, large quantities of very nice food has been eaten, presents given and received and a nice day was had by all. Hope all out there have a suitably pleasant Christmas day and you are now all looking forward to Boxing Day second helpings and a bit of gaming perhaps if you're allowed by the Boss.


Anyway, raising a large glass of Cognac, hope all is well and wishing a happy and perhaps a more prosperous year for 2011 for one and all.

Campaign Events Tables

As promised, I have uploaded Random Campaign Events tables into the Resources section of ALBAtwo. A slightly untidy draft but I will tidy up soon on my pdf/excel skills and get tidier copies posted soon.

There are two tables, one each for Major events and one for Minor. These were written up for my long ongoing Solo Campaign which has now drawn to a logical close with a final climactic battle (which I will do a battle rep for in the fullness of time).

I think the tables are fairly self explanatory and are intended to give a useful starting point for anyone wanting to do the campaign thing and should be easily adaptable to your own way of doing things. They are based on my own system which is made up from all sorts of sources so may not 'fit' but feel free to chop, cut, edit etc as you see fit.

Let me know here if there's any questions.

Back from the Virtual Grave

Back in the land of the Virtual Living, my computer had an 'episode' and decided it didn't want to play anymore a couple of weeks ago, fairly terminal really.


However, after much cajoling and generally slapping it about, the beast moves once again. Did lose a bit of data, files etc in the process, but managed to recover most the important stuff. I guess that back-up external hard drive I was going to get for Christmas will be useful, just a bit late.


Not getting much done in the way of gaming recently with the weather curtailing my activities in that regard and 'she who must be obeyed' directing my domestic activities to decorating and re-building kitchens etc etc preventing any real figure painting pursuits, but that should change come next week, fingers crossed with a couple of games re-scheduled and a bit of spare time coming up.


The new files promised for ALBAtwo Resources should be with you over the week end, so watch that space.

Empire AoA List

Another update on the Resources front on ALBAtwo, you can download an Excel file for converting Warhammer Empire armies for use with the Armies of Arcana rules.


The list gives various alternatives for each of the Empire Army choices and playing with them a bit to give them a bit of your own flavour, eg you can add a bit of armour to your core infantry, or add a bit of light cavalry. Check out the download at the ALBAtwo Resources page.


Note this is an Microsoft Excel file so you will need this software on your machine for it to operate, you should have suitable virus protection just in case too.

Hiatus

Have not been doing much in the way of gaming or painting over the last couple of weeks, partly due to work, partly being away for a few days in (or in fact practically on) the Border for a few days round Kelso, and partly laid low(ish) by the dreaded lurgie, which is doing the rounds.

What I have been doing in my more lucid moments is doing a bit of PC gaming is as my want, of an evening.

What I have discovered is the new version of the game Mount & Blade, namely Mount & Blade ; Warband.

An adventure, action orientated game set in a medieval setting, where you can build up a mercenary band and try and carve out an empire, or just run a round and cause mayhem, with real-time combat mounted and on foot including sieges. This update of the game introduces some glaringly missed options from the original, more politics, being able to become king etc etc. Much better. The tech level is circa 1250 to 1350ish and has a good mix of archetypal western medieval type troops; Russian/Moscovite types, Norse types, central European types, and southern Italian types plus Mongol Cavalry and a new faction the Sassanid/Araby types. A good game for meglomaniac medievalists.

I have also discovered a new version of the game 'With Fire & Sword' which takes the game into the renaissance era. Got to check this one out which introduces gunpowder and more formation orientated battles. Hmmm....nice.

Getting back into some painting as my health and free time improve so back to painting up Berbers etc soon. Just in time for the Festive season kicking off.

Mega Mordheim Game

This weekend saw a game with a difference, myself and JTM decided to try something with a bit more bite than our usual Mordheim skirmish game but decided to make it 'bigger' by having each side 3 warbands instead of just one. Not a free for all but sides - 'good vs bad', make your own mind up who is who!


So, we decided that each side should be made up of any warbands but not obviously impossible allies, (like witch hunters allied with Chaos Carnival etc etc). Each side could have one warband of up to 300pts rating, one of up to 200pts and one of up to 100pts rating. After our choosing process, mine being fairly easy, JTMs' being a bit more difficult we settled on, in rating order;


The Good Guys - Protectorate of Sigmar, Witch Hunters, and Kislevites
The Bad Guys - Black Orcs, Beastmen and Bandits (Good alliteration there!).


A 6' x 4' table was set up with fairly even terrain with just a couple more difficult areas and then the warbands were each determined to have a random entry point (entry points being each 2' around the table) and a random order of moving. JTMs' deployment was a bit scattered with his Black Orcs starting beside my Protectorate, his Beastmen out on their own in the middle of one side of the table, and his Bandits between my Kislevites and Witch Hunters (who were beside my Protectorate).


The game kicked off with the Protectorate and the Black Orcs rushing towards each other and locking each other in combat pretty quickly with the superior number s of the Protectorate quickly gaining the upper hand with the Witch Hunters giving support while heading off the Beatmen preventing them from lending a hand to their allies.
The Bandits, being the lightest of the bad guys thought that discretion was the better part of valour and headed away from the fray and attempted to intercept the Kislevites who were down the other end of the table.


The Kislevites advanced warily towards the Bandits who also moved cautiously with a mutually ineffective exchange of fire. Mean while the Black Orcs were getting butchered by the righteous might of the Protectorate and their Witch Hunter brethren and the Beastmen finally got into combat against a wall of steel presented by the Witch Hunter heavies, who kept their flanks secure and stopped the Beastmen numbers getting in.

Soon the Black Orcs were cut down to an orc, bellowing defiance to the last (they made their break test saves convincingly, and the Beastmen decided that they were on to the same and decided that they had some very important business else where. The Bandits also faired badly when the Kislevites charged in and cut down four of their number in one round. At this point we called it a night with two of the Black Orcs surrounded by about fifteen or so, the Beastmen in full retreat and the Bandits looking bloodied all for ... not a sigle casualty on the Good Guys side.


Interesting game but with JTMs dice throwing being pretty abysmal, lots of hits but almost no wounds it was a pretty one sided affair with the Bad Guys lack of fire power being noticeable and an unlucky deployment adding to tip the balance.


Next time I think a more their side and our side deployment, or at least a bit more choice would be more interesting. At least this time the villagers can sleep safe in their beds, but next time it might not be so simple....