COSTA VERDE - Terrain Update 1

 Just finished my first building for my 6mm Costa Verde project plus a bit of work on a great Mayan Pyramid 3d printed for me by fellow Cold War Commander Peter S. 

Costa Verde is a fictional Central/South American country constantly under threat from it's Tintin inspired neighbour San Theodoros. More on the background and situation in the coming weeks. I also plan to do some 20mm games using the Arc of Fire rules which we use for our big Andreivia games.

Building from Leven Miniatures and Palm Trees are the cheap plastic ones from eBay given a paint job.

Great 3d printed Mayan Pyramid WIP. Had to include one of these as it appears in Herges Tintin and the Picaros set in San Theodoros.

 

WOEBETIDES - Vulture Tribe Meeting Area

One of the terrain pieces complete that will be part of the hilltop village of the Vulture Tribe in the Central Highlands of Grand Woebetide. This is the village meeting area where the chief presides over village matters and also village celebrations take place around the fire. 

The base is an old CD with three benches from the Scotia Grendel accessories range, the fire is just small bits of gravel and scatter and the palm tree is part of an eBay purchase of several different size palm trees. The tree was painted as the basic plastic finish doesn't look great.

As always thanks for looking and stay safe. More updates from the Woebetides soon plus some more projects that are on the go.

WOEBETIDES - Scatter Terrain & Deployment Points

 A few bits of scatter terrain completed. Although Richard C pointed out that some of them could also be used as Deployment Points as we are planning on using the Sharp Practice 2 rules.

Monkey Totem which I got from eBay.

I understand it's a model of Kubo from a film.

Totem of the Monkey Tribes in the Woebetides.

Pots set from Scotia Grendel

With an added shield and weapons they will make ideal Deployment Points or scatter terrain for the villages.

A couple more of the scatter terrain bases.

Gallows, originally a Jousting Target from Blotz.

Next up my completed Woebetideus Raiding Party. As always stay safe and thanks for looking.

WOEBETIDES - More Woebetideus with Firearms

There may be the possibility of gaining extra tribesmen with firearms during the first day of our 2021 Crisis Point Sharp Practice 18th Century weekend. So while I was waiting for a box of Perry Miniatures Zulus and an eBay purchase of some Wargames Factory Zulus to arrive I took the opportunity to paint up another unit of Woebetideus with firearms for my Vulture Tribe.

Six Irregular Skirmishers plus a Lvl II Leader

Mixture of Warlord Games Natal Native Contingent and Victrix Numidians with various bits from other Warlord sprues (WSS Cavalry, Woodland Indians, AWI)

As mentioned in my previous post, I had planned to replace the chap with the bugle as I had forgotten about the use of Musicians in Sharp Practice II. I decided that it might be interesting to replace him with a shipwrecked sailor who has been taken in by the Vulture Tribe. So after a quick rummage in the lead mountain I found a suitable AWI figure that I had picked up at the Bring & Buy at Durham in 2019. 

John Gillick - Shipwrecked on Grand Woebetide nearly 20 years ago!

I think it's a Perry Miniatures figure.

As if by magic! While I was typing this update there was a knock at the door and the postman delivered my eBay purchase.

So now it's on to the tribesmen with spear & shield. Again I plan to convert most of the figures using a mix from the Warlord Games Natal Native Contingent, the Perry's Plastic Zulus and the Wargames Factory set above. I will also mix in a few Victrix Numidian figures using Zulu heads. I need 24 -36 figures for the game depending on which force type I field. I wanted a different look to them so rather than using the Zulu shields I experimented with using the shields included in the Victrix Numidian box. I painted up a sample figure and I'm happy with how he has turned out so I will carry on with the rest of the force. 

Perry's Plastic Zulu with shield replaced.

I liked the idea of having a group of 12 warriors with bald heads, maybe they are younger warriors yet to prove themselves in battle. Richard C very kindly sent me a few extra bald heads as well as a rather nice beer mat which now found its way to my painting table. Thanks Mr C!

As always thanks for looking and take care.

 

WOEBETIDES - First Unit Complete

Unfortunately due to the current world situation this years Crisis Point event was cancelled and immediately thoughts turned towards what to do at 2021's event. The Oracle himself, Richard C, had been working on an idea to use a setting he had used in a play-by-email campaign way back in 2000. The original game was set in 1942 and centred around events on the fictional Indian Ocean islands of the Woebetides.

Now rewind over 200 years and you'll end up in the Woebetides in the first quarter of the 18th Century. This will be the setting for the 2021 Crisis Point weekend. Lots of information regarding the setting, game ideas and background over on Richard C's fantastic blog 

http://thelandofcounterpane.blogspot.com/2019/04/muskets-and-mangoes-future-project.html

I will be working on a few units plus a load of terrain for the event and I will post regular updates on my progress.

First up is Nyimbu and his band of Irregular Skirmishers from the Vulture Tribe (Mother in Law's Tribe)

Nyimbu Lvl II Leader (Sharp Practice 2)

Nyimbu's band of Irregular Skirmishers

Figures are all converted using a mixture of Warlord Natal Native Contingent and Victrix Numidians. With additional bits from Warlord Marlborough, Warlord AWI and Warlord Woodland Indians  

I will probably replace the chap in the Tricorne at the back as I forgot about the role musicians play in Sharp Practice 2 so he needs to be attached to my overall commander (Lvl III). I found an old Perry's AWI figure, part of a load which I'd picked up on the Bring & Buy at the Durham show last year. I was thinking I could use him as a shipwrecked sailor who had been rescued by the tribe and now is part of the warband. More on him later.

Been a while since I posted but I will be posting here regularly from now on. As always thanks for looking and please come back soon as I have a lot of projects planned. You may even see these chaps in a different setting..... 

INCIDENT AT FEARNLEY WHITTINGSTALL - WW2 Arc of Fire

Every Christmas my good friend Richard Crawley (aka The Oracle of Andreivia) runs one or two games over the Christmas period. It's become a bit of a tradition to head over the Peak District between Christmas and New Year and this year was no different. Unfortunately my original plans of making the game on the 27th had to be altered as I got the dates mixed up on a family get together! But I was in luck as Richard had another game planned for the 29th. So over the Peak District I headed, although I didn't see much of the wonderful scenery as it was very foggy over the tops.

The game was a WW2 game set in the small village of Fearnley Whittingstall on the Dorset coast. A local Home Guard force plus a small contingent of Grenadier Guards who were in the area escorting a couple of 'boffins' from the Ministry were to come under a night attack from some glider borne Fallschirmjager.

The quiet Dorset village of Fearnley Whittingstall. The villagers asleep in their beds.

The village pub. The 'Boffins' from the Ministry are enjoying the village hospitality.

Rose Cottage and the Barn requisitioned by the Grenadier Guards during their visit as a CP and Barracks.

The Coast Road and in the distance the cliff top bunkers occupied by a small Home Guard patrol and a ROC spotting team.

The Home Guard transport parked outside the Church Hall.

A saloon requisitioned by the Grenadier Guards.

Guards transport parked outside the barn.

Home Guard occupy the two bunkers on the left of the picture with the ROC spotting team on the right.

It's been a quiet night until gliders begin to descend from the skies and land near the Coast Road. Glider 1 lands slightly off target and crashes into the Home Guard bunker immediately alerting them!

Glider 2 lands on target and the Fallschirmjager immediately disembark.

Meanwhile north of the village Glider 3 lands!

A firefight breaks out at the Home Guard bunker near the cliffs as the Paratroopers from the crashed glider try and disembark under rifle and Lewis gun fire. 

The Grenadier Guards at Rose Cottage are alerted to the sound of gun fire from the direction of the Coast Road. To make matters worse a random event means that the heavens have opened and it's now pouring with rain reducing visibility even further.

The firefight continues on the cliff tops.

The Fallschirmjager take some casualties under the intense and accurate fire from the bunkers.

The ROC bunker, now alerted to the gilder assault, keep a watchful eye along the coast.

The paratroopers from Glider 2 head towards the village in search of their objective. The two British scientists.

Paratroopers from Glider 3 approach the Barn unaware of the Grenadier Guards within! Paratroopers from Glider 4 can be seen disembarking top right.

After finally getting through on the telephone to the coastal bunker, two members of the Home Guard leave the Church Hall and head for the Church to ring the bells to alert the rest of the village.

Paratroopers from Glider 2 head for cover on the edge of the village.

Paratroopers from Glider 3 come under fire from the Barn immediately losing two men and another wounded.

Cautiously the Fallschirmjager advance into the village as the Church Bells begin to ring out.

In the darkness the Paratroopers from Glider 2 head towards Rose Cottage but visibility is reduced due to the rain and they fail to spot the Grenadier Guards.

Taking more casualties the Paras from Glider 1 fall back to the Coast Road.

Paras from Glider 4 reach the northern outskirts of the village.

Overview of the village as the troops from Glider 3 come under continuous fire from the Barn and the troops from Glider 2 are pinned down in the front garden by the Guards at Rose Cottage.

Meanwhile the Paras from Glider 4 enter the garden at the rear of the Bungalow, trying to outflank the Guards in the Barn.

For their own protection the Home Guard escort the Scientists from the Village Pub to the safety of the Church Hall where the Home Guard have set up their HQ.

The Home Guard deploy their Northover Projector outside the Church Hall as the Boffins head for safety.

The Boffins just make it in time as Paras from Glider 3 begin to move past the pub towards the Church Hall.

The Home Guard truck providing great cover as the Paras reach the village square.

The Fallschirmjager come under fire from the Northover Projector as well as a squad of Home Guard hidden in the Church Hall. It does not go well for the Germans! 

One of the remaining troops from Glider 3 desperately tries to assault the Church Hall to no avail.

A straggler from Glider 3 is captured by the Grenadier Guards.

Meanwhile down at the beach a new threat emerges from the waves in the form of a Land Wasser Schlepper accompanied by some engineers to clear the beach of mines.

An overall shot of the village, with troops from Glider 1 pinned down behind the hedge on the Coast Road and troops from Glider 2 still trying to push on into the village square.

Eventually Paras from Glider 1 reorganise themselves and begin an assault on the beach defences.

Something else for the plucky defenders of Fearnley Whittingstall to worry about. The Fallschirmjager from Glider 4 have taken the bungalow and are moving into the village. They attempted to start the saloon parked outside Rose Cottage without success. 

Glider 2 troops still pinned down on the edge of the village. But with the arrival of reinforcements from Glider 4 they prepare to advance.

Two Home Guard riflemen climb the church steeple and open fire on the Paratroopers from Glider 4 as they advance across the square.

With additional fire from the Grenadier Guards in the front garden of Rose Cottage the Fallschirmjager take heavy casualties and their morale begins to falter.

Three members of the Home Guard begin to move round the back of the Church.

Down at the beach a trawler towing barges has arrived and the Germans begin to advance up the beach after finally silencing the Home Guard bunker on the cliff top.

After seeing what happened to the Paras from Glider 4 in the village square the troops from Glider 2 decide to stay put in the cover of the garden.

The remaining Fallschirmjager from Glider 4 try in vain to assault the Church and the Church Hall but the Home Guard have set up a strong defensive position.

At this point Richard C, our umpire, called time and announced a win to the British defenders as the Germans had failed in their mission to kidnap the two British Scientists.

The troops from Glider 2 were the only Fallschirmjager unit still in a position to fight as the troops from Glider 3 had all been killed in the assault on the Church Hall and the troops from Glider 4 had taken heavy casualties advancing across the village square. The Paras in Glider 1 never really recovered from the initial crash landing right on top of the Home Guard cliff top bunker. 

The Grenadier Guards had taken heavy casualties but were still in control of Rose Cottage and the Barn. All the Home Guard in the cliff top bunkers had been lost along with the ROC team. However the Boffins were safe for now and the Home Guard were in a strong defensive position in the Church and Church Hall with good fields of fire all around.

Big thanks to Richard Crawley for organising another cracking Christmas Wargame. The table looked superb and the new cliff terrain looked amazing. Thanks to my fellow British players Jamie and Sam and also to Andy and Rob for playing the Fallschirmjager. Always nice to get a game of Arc of Fire which is a fun set of rules easily adaptable to scenario play.

Looking forward to my next trip over to Dungworth for Crisis Point 2020!