18th June Games

It was a hot and sticky night last night, but we still had two games on the go. Steves S & H, Mark and Andy P played Pandemic; in three games I believe the lurgi won every time. 

I ran my WW2 air combat game Angels 20 for the benefit of Nigel, Nick and Eddie, the latter two who had never played the game before. I therefore ran my 'training' mission , where Nigel flew a French Dewoitine 520 against two RAF P-40 Tomahawks based on an actual combat over Syria in 1941/2. This went well enough that the P-40's were able to shoot down the Dewoitine when Nick and Eddie had an idea how the rules worked. I ran a second game for Nigel and Eddie who then flew a Focke Wulf 190 against a Russian La-5N, as I've found these are pretty evenly matched. Eddie conceded when his aircraft was damaged to an extent that he would have had to bail out.

Next week, I'll run Angels 20 again as requested, other ideas are in preparation.

See yer soon,

Neil  

19th March Games

Bit quiet this week; I ran a Ludo style boardgame 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' based on the characters in the first of the Hobbit film trilogy. Steve S & H, Nick, Andy P, Mark and myself played various of the members of the party, gathering skills and equipment before challenging the monsters in each second. A fast paced game led to Steve S as Gandalf wining by completing the sectors first. Just the one image taken at the start of the game for flavour. As far as I can recall, we haven't played this since before the pandemic, so it was nice to give the game another runout.

Next week, a further game of Carnevale has been scheduled and we'll organise some backup games.

See yer soon,

Neil

12th March Games

We ran two games last night; Steve S ran a Heroquest game for the bulk of those present; this is the recently re-released version of the classic dungeon crawl game from waaaaaay back when. There are substantial differences between the two, and the game was essentially a trial run for a further game which would then hopefully run better.

Dave C, Nick and I played out a further Portable ACW naval game, based on the action in Hampton Roads between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia. Monitor was tasked with protecting the grounded USS Minnesota (a wooden frigate which had run aground during the Virginia's first sort the previous day). Virginia was tasked with destroying the Minnesota and surviving to exit the table from her point of entry. Nick ran the Union ships, while I (predictably) commanded the Virginia. 

For once, my plan worked, and I was able to destroy the Minnesota and execute a ram on the stern of the Monitor; admittedly the ram was ineffective, but so VERY satisfying! Virginia was adjudged by Dave to have exited the table in time for tea and medals.

Next week, we have a further Heroquest game planned, and I'll bring a couple of games along as backup.

See yer soon,

Neil 

5th March Games

Enough on hand last night to run two games. Dave K ran Flashpoint (the firefighting game we ran a few weeks back) for the bulk of those present. Steve H and I trialled a card-based game I'd acquired a while back set during the Trojan War. 

Achilles and Hector allows two players to fight over a series of turns, playing unit cards and optional Hero cards, the object being for one player to lose all cards in a particular deck on the front of his board, or the Home deck behind. The rules need careful study (or a YouTube video) so we only got a few rounds in before time called. The game appears to require bluffing which I have yet to get the hang of. Interesting game though.

Next week it is planned to run Heroquest; Dave C's follow up ACW Ironclad game has been postponed for a couple of weeks, so I'll bring backup.

See yer soon,

Neil  

26th February Games

  We ran two very different games last night; most of those present were involved in a variant of Zombiecide I never thought I'd see, based on the TV series of Monty Python's Flying Circus, which included all the best known characters from the Ministry of Silly Walks, the Gumbies and the giant foot! It looked like great fun except for the zombies wanting to nosh on the characters, but that's zombies for you.

   In a slightly saner corner, Dave C, Nick and myself ran the much delayed play test of Dave's Gridded ACW Naval Wargame, using two small forces for the Union and the Confederacy. This was the game's first outing and as such was umpired by Dave. I ran a Confederate squadron with a broadside ironclad ram and a gunboat, while Nick had a shallow draught monitor and a gunboat. I drew first blood, hitting the monitor with fire from the gunboat. This was promptly bracketed by both Union vessels and reduced to matchwood in short order. My ram hit the Union gunboat with closed range gunfire but took damage in return, at which point we ran out of time. In all likelihood, I'd have been outmanoeuvred by the faster Union vessels and pounded into submission, but the point was to test the rules ahead of a much larger game which will be covered in a revised edition of Dave's rules for future publication. Great fun all the same.

No firm decision on next week's games as yet. Flashpoint seems to be one option, others are under consideration.

See yer soon,

Neil

5th February Games

Sufficient members attended last night to make it worthwhile using both the rooms we have available at the Iveagh Club; Andy P brought along a friend named Lee, who knew Nick from a previous retail connection! Talk about the hobby having no bounds.

Dave K ran Flash Point for Andy, Lee and Eddy - this is a co-operative Firefighters' game, which there was time to play twice. This was played in the room we haven't used to date, but was greeted with approval for the extra space available. Nick ran a game of medieval naval warfare for Steve S and I, using some beautifully painted models from Essex Miniatures, with crew figures from the Peter Laing medieval range. The French were tasked with convoying two merchant ships off table, while the English were planning  something akin to smash and grab. The English (commanded by myself) were able to capture one of the French warships, but the merchants were able to exit the table. Not sure who won, but I inflicted more damage on the French than they did to me. 

Next week, Dave K will run his Ruthless Old West gunfight game again; hopefully I'll survive this one. 

See yer soon,

Neil  

29th Games Played

Still down on numbers, but we ran a Zombicide game using Andy P's 2^nd edition set. Our group of wannabe undead eradicators were tasked to recover up to five survivors hiding in the board area illustrated in my pictures; if just one was killed by the zombies we'd failed. No pressure then............

Suffice to say that we started in the bottom of frame, and slaughtered our way to the top edge, recovering and saving two survivors in the process, only for the third to run away, who - you guessed it - ran straight into the zombies. Game over man. Great fun as usual, my thanks to Andy for providing and umpiring the game.

We're planning two games next week - Flashpoint by Dave K, and Nick has offered to run a WW1 aerial game using his collection or possibly a medieval naval game. 

See yer soon,

Neil 

13th November Games

Holidays, illness and work commitments reduced our numbers this week to myself, Dave K, Matt, Mark, Nigel and Steve S and we decided to re-run Dave's 'Last Night on Earth' zombie apocalypse game. Nigel and I ran the undead and the rest played characters whose task was to destroy the places where the zombies appeared from. We ran the game twice and the characters were able to destroy the 'nests' on both occasions, despite Nigel and I generating zombies at an alarming rate. Great fun all round, a good game that does require the character players to cooperate to survive.

The room we use was noticeably cooler than usual (keeps the zombies fresh I suppose); I've had a word with Scott and he's promised to put the heating for our next meeting.

Next week, I'm not sure if Andy P will be able to run either his Corespace or Dead Man's Hand games as originally planned for this week, so I'll bring Ludus Gladiatorus as backup.

See yer soon, Neil

6th November Games

Our numbers last night were increased by the welcome return of Dave K to the fold; he brought a zombie related board game 'Last Night on Earth' which involved survivors Andy P, Steve S, Eddie and Dave escaping from zombies run by Nigel and myself. Suffice to say that the survivors managed to fuel and start the truck in the middle of the table, albeit with a few tooth marks from the zombies. Paul and Steve H were trialling a new Dungeons and Dragons game, which was apparently fairly straightforward once they'd run through a few scenarios. Dave C popped in and spoke with Iveagh staff about the use of the other available room with a view to running an ACW naval game with his extensive collection of scratch built ships.

I've discussed the possibility of running Ludus Gladiatorius as a participation game for the show circuit with Steve H using the Italeri 54 mm figures I have in stock; this might take a while to bring to fruition but there is work to be done first....

Next week Andy P has offered either Dead Man's Hand or Corespace for our entertainment, and I've no doubt there are other plans afoot.

See yer soon,

Neil  

28th August Games

Still down on numbers due to holidays etc., but we had three games to hand last night. Steve S, Eddie and Dave K played Fallout (SF post nuclear Armageddon type board game), Alan and Rob ran a Stargrave skirmish and I put on my Angels 20 game for Nigel and myself. This had been planned for a larger number of players around an encounter during the Allied invasion of Vichy French controlled Syria in 1941 using Curtiss P40 Tomahawks against Dewoitine 520s - based on an actual event.

I took the opportunity to let Nigel take a Dewoitine while I handled two P40's; the French fighter had the 'bounce' on the P40s, but had to survive after the first pass. I flew the P40s as a pair and tried to give Nigel the chance to manoeuvre his fighter and explain how to get into a firing position. As expected, numbers counted in the end and the Dewoitine was duly despatched, but there had been a lot of manouevring before hand. An enjoyable game overall, and I think Nigel has a better idea of the game mechanics now ; I'll keep this scenario in hand as a training game. 

Next week, I've arranged a predreadnought game, and there is a Terminator game booked for Andy P's benefit.

See yer soon,

Neil

14th August Games

Reduced numbers this Wednesday still allowed us to run two games; Alan and Rob set up a Star Wars: Legion game with Separatist forces against Republic clone troopers and Mandalorian forces, while Steve H ran a new game called Dungeon Karting for myself, Eddie, Mark and Nigel. As the name implies, players drive karts around a track strewn with hazards - there were a few errors in play due to a first time out, but great fun and the opportunity to do unto others before they do unto you is always enjoyable. Nigel and I have had a chat about some tweaks to Space Weirdos which I'll take a look at asap. 

Next week, Andy P has offered to run an (as yet unspecified) game, and I'll bring Angels 20 as backup.

See yer soon,

Neil  

3rd July Games

A quiet evening for us last night (albeit not quite as peaceful elsewhere onsite!). Dave K, Nigel, Eddie, Steves S & H and I played a selection of games during the evening by way of a change from our usual multi-player affairs. Alan and Rob were playing Marvel Protocol in the main hall (Guardians of the Galaxy vs. Spiderverse if I understood correctly).

Next week, I've arranged to run an Angels 20 WW2 aerial game, not sure if anything else has been fixed. Any details would be welcomed.

See yer soon, 

Neil  

26th June Games

A fair turnout on a very hot and sticky evening; Rob, Andy P and a friend were playing Lost Souls again following last week's trial game, while I ran a Wings of Glory WW1 aerial game for Mark, Steves H & S, Eddie and Nigel. Having recently been reading up on the air combats in 1917 featuring more advanced aircraft, I gave the Steves and Mark two Albatross DIII fighters and an Albatross CIII two-seater reconnaissance aircraft tasked with a photo sortie over Allied lines, the fighters there to provide an escort. Eddie, Nigel and myself took three SPAD VII fighters to prevent this, possibly destroying the two-seater in the process. The ensuing fight went to the wire, with Nigel's SPAD catching fire and destroyed in the process, while Steve H's DIII fell to my guns (soz mate). The two-seater completed its mission, and escaped with some damage, having dished out some considerable damage in its own right; proof indeed that the two-seaters were formidable opponents in the own right by this time in the Great War. 

We've an evening of small scale games scheduled for next week by way of a change.

See yer soon, 

Neil     

19th June Games

We were down on numbers due to holidays and sickness (best wishes to Steve S) but we still ran two games last night. Alan, Rob and Andy P were playing a new fantasy game called Dark Souls which featured some very nice painting by Rob, while Dave K set up a Ruthless Old West gunfight game for myself, Mark, Steve H and Eddie. Steve and I ran a gang of bank robbers who eventually fought off the forces of law and order as played by Mark and Eddie, although not without casualties.

I’ve offered a Wings of Glory WW1 aerial game for next week, having recently read up on Bloody April 1917; this will bring in some later aircraft than the 1916 models we’ve been playing. Any news on other games would be appreciated.
 
See yer soon,
Neil    

13th March Games

We had three games on the go on Wednesday last; Rob and Alan played Marvel Protocol (beware of low-flying tuk-tuks!), Steve S, Dave K, Mark and Eddie played Pandemic, while I ran an Angels 20 mission based on Operation Judgement (the American attack on Admiral Yamamoto’s aircraft while in transit on an inspection tour) for Steve H, Nigel and myself. The Japanese fielded two ‘Betty’ bombers as transports with six Zeroes as escort commanded by Nigel and myself, while Steve played the US assault force with an initial three P38 Lightnings, and the option of a fourth if one was lost (I only have three P38s at present.....). As may be seen from the pictures, Steve got stuck in and we had some right old furballs, which cost him all three of his original force. He had the last laugh, as the fourth P38 shot down Yamamoto’s aircraft just four hexes from the table edge it had to reach to win. Thoroughly enjoyable game, I need to work out the best way to run the escort of Zeroes more effectively.

 

Next week, Andy P wants to run a game of Dead Man’s Hand, and Dave K has a set of his won Old West gunfight rules to try out.

 

See yer soon,

Neil   

15th November Games

Good turnout but we were spread around Wayland last night. Dave K, Steve S, Paul, Eddie Andy P and Mark played Here’s Negan; not sure of the outcome but it was probably messy and involved lots of zombies. Alan and Rob played Dystopian Wars naval; Alan’s dice were not his friends and it almost ended in tears. Steve H and I played a further Dark Ages Lion Rampant game, this time playing The Fugitive scenario. My Norse had to rescue a VIV (Very Important Viking) who had escaped Anglo-Saxon custody and was reported to be hiding in one of six different areas of rough terrain on the table. All I had to do was enter said areas, roll a d6 needing a score of 6 reducing by 1 for every area checked that was unoccupied. How hard could it be?

Very, as it turned out. My dice went on strike for searches and movement, combat rolls were ok but with time running out and the remaining areas behind Anglo-Saxon lines, I made one last all out attack with my leader’s unit against Steve’s commander; we both lost one figure in the combat....then I rolled a double one for the Courage test. The cloud of dust left by my leader ‘retiring’ is still settling. A deserved win for Steve, but great fun for both of us. 

Next week Dave K is hosting a Bolt Action game, and I’ll bring my WoFun ECW collection for a further test of the DBA derived rules I’ve been working on.

 

See yer soon,

Neil    

8th November Games

The Here’s Negan game was rescheduled to next week; Dave K, Paul, Mark and Steve S played a Cold War board game instead. I am not aware if anyone pressed The Button as there were no apparent thermonuclear blasts at Wayland last night. I hosted a trial game of the Lion Rampant 2^nd edition for Andy P and Eddie, commanding my Norse warband while Steve H commanded the Anglo-Saxon forces. I acted as umpire and assisted the Norse as neither player was familiar with the rules (and in fairness, neither Steve or I had played this variant of the rules recently). The pace of play was necessarily slow but by the close of play I think we’d got the measure of the basic rules. Alan and Rob were nearby playing a Dystopian Wars naval game; I’ve attached pictures of their game as well as the others.

 

As noted above, the Here’s Negan game will go ahead next week, subject of course to the usual strictures of life, the Universe and everything. In similar vein, Steve H and I will be running another Lion Rampant Norse vs. Saxons game for anyone else attending.

 

See yer soon,

Neil     

22rnd March Games

Busy again last night; Steve S ran a Firefly game for Dave K, Mark and Eddie, while Alan and Rob were engaged with Aeronautica Imperialis on a truly epic scale. Steve H and I settled to my planned WW2 Eastern Front Angels 20 game. This involved (one might think bizarrely) Italian Macchi 202's against Polikarpov I-16's - actually feasible as the Italian forces in South Russia in 1942 did include an air component. Both were fairly well matched, although the Macchis were faster and in the end this told (along with my tragic dice rolling) with two I-16's lost and not even a paint scratch on the Italians. Good fun though.

Next week, Dave K is running a Bolt Action WW2 game, while I'm looking at a pre-dreadnought naval game, rules to be confirmed.

See yer soon

Neil

1st March Games

We had three games ongoing in various parts of the Wayland site this Wednesday evening; Dave K, Steve S, Eddie, Mark, Alex and Matt were playing Hordes of the Things with a Victorian slant (British police and a naval brigade vs a vampire led force). Alan and Rob took to the skies with an Aeronautica Imperialis game (Alan's models are a particular delight), while Steve H and I played Memoir 44 using the Pacific war module for the scenario representing the landings by the Japanese on the Wake Island. In our game, Uncle Sam's Misguided Children (US Marine Corps garrison in more formal terms, for who I of course have the greatest admiration) managed to inflict severe losses on the invaders and overturn the historic result.

Next week, Dave K and Steve S are running a Mad Dogs with Guns gangster game, while I intend to run the Russian front Angels 20 game previously planned.

See yer soon

Neil

4th January Games

A welcome return to wargaming after seasonal gluttony and various lurgies amongst the membership took place last night. Mark, Steves S & H and Dave K played Cold War , Dave C also paid a visit after his debut as a published author (shameless plug for 'The Portable Naval Wargame').

Mike and I settled down to some serious early medieval mayhem with a Lion Rampant game featuring two Anglo-Norman forces. The game was bloody even by our standards, but despite heavy losses on both sides mostly due to missile fire, we agreed the game would be a test draw.

Next week, a trial game of Star Wars: Legion has been arranged. I'll bring a backup game too.

See yer soon

Neil