The Blockade

In overrunning Hanhai, the Sakhan Liberation Army captured the garrison's air defence systems. Emplaced QW-7s have been refitted onto several relatively nimble mining vehicles for the defence of the columns advancing on WuWei. The short-range salvo-fired surface to air missiles are perfect for picking off low-flying VTOLs or interface craft using NOE approaches.

Art by UkitaKumuki

Before the main force of PLA Marines can make their landing, power armour squads have been sent in to break the air blockade.

The rebel forces have put a platoon of their forces on the ground to protect each SAM battery 

This squad of powered armour marines make their way towards a suspected site, command has identified a few likely locations based on electronic emissions

A team of rebels makes a foray from one of the hills overlooking the marines' advance - the return fire suppresses them and they miss the shot with their missile launcher

The left-hand marine fireteam has taken severe casualties, but the senior NCO leads the others straight in between the two main hills - firing on rebel forces to either side as they reveal themselves

These rebels take a pounding from that NCO's plasma gun, it sears straight through the cover they were relying on

The power armoured marines overrun and rebel team and then turn their missile launcher on the SAM vehicle, the nearby rebel commanders are helpless to stop them

Nearby rebel team harry the other marines - their suit systems have probably saved them, two are severely wounded by the end of this exchange

The other fireteam make their way out, no rebel forces are likely to stand in their way

Mission accomplished for the government forces, now it's up to their compatriots inside WuWei to hold out until relief can arrive...

Kickstarter Delivers!

So after kickstarting my first project some 12 months ago, I finally got two deliveries last week!

The first one was the large box of Gunship: First Strike, a tactical space combat game which looks very well put together indeed.

The second was the Adventures of the 19XX, a graphic novel of pulp adventures in the 1930s.

So obviously I'm going to have to play/read these at some stage, but maybe when things calm down in a few weeks. Trying to get around to posting some game reports from Leprecon and another few recent games.

Wharf Project, Part ii

So with Leprecon over, back to the wharf project we return...

As you can see the main wharf is clad with stone, while the other one (an earthen section) has wooden pilings shoring it up. This kind of earthen wharf was more common than you might think, but could be completely removed if inappropriate.

One end of the stone wharf is rather worse for wear, and the other side of it has two barred openings where sewers or streams could exit into the harbour.

There's two smaller sections for the wharf to connect to the main board. An earthen ramp and some steps (large enough to take a standard 28mm figure's base). Two 6" jetties finish off the construction, with wooden pilings to match the earthen wharf's.

I think you'll appreciate how well the whole thing fits together. Mr. Fitzpatrick is amenable to taking up your cause for a wargaming project - email him and I'm confident he'll be able to solve your design and construction quandary!

Here's two final shots of the wharf in action!

Wharf Project, Part i

A while back I commissioned a wharf from Capability Savage (whose work to make the Airfix Waterloo Farmhouse a true gaming item you may have seen before over on Joy & Forgetfulness).

My brief was simple (or at least simple-minded!):

In broad strokes I was looking for approx. 36" stone and/or wooden wharf to go around three sides of a waterway in a small colonial port. Extras like steps, piers, mooring posts would be good too.

One issue I wasn't sure about was how it would connect to the town - without building up the ground level...

Keeping the overall shape fairly uniform was important - after all I would be transporting this in a box to games. I really didn't want to fully integrate it with the land or water sections - just to set it down on a water area which will be on a earth-coloured mat. I'd be putting buildings nearby with cobbled streets and such, so it'll be a rough-and-ready transition.

Two wooden jetties would jut out from the main wharf.

I had a few boats which needed to be considered. Three of them have straight gunwales of just less than 1". The fourth one has a waist of just more than 1" and forecastle/quarterdecks of approx 2".
My initial feeling was that something of between 1 & 2" is about right (for 28mm figures by the way).

The game in question was set during the Pulp era, so aiming for 1920s/30s colonial Africa, but really I wanted to be able to use it for Mobsters as well - somewhere between a well-run merchant dock and small Caribbean port.

More photos to come...