Nice little Impetus Website found

For fans of Impetus, I found this nice little site:

Little Soldier Company

Lots of gorgeous photos and interesting background Impetus stuff

Impetus Battle III: Bloody Combat (4)

The Greek warband closes into hand-to-hand combat with the unit of Renaissance Shot (middle below), while in the background a whirling mass of pike, warband and cavalry clashes (top right, see below):

The charging Greek warband " evaporates in a cloud of Harquebusier smoke, though it has to be said after making rather a big impression on the "shot" unit with some nasty casualties (see below, middle). This battle field is no place for the timid or faint of heart: 

My joy of combat is short lived as a dastardly bunch of skirmishers move in from the side and finish of the Harquebusiers off while they are reloading (Editor's note: Rather artistic licence here as this sort of mechanic is certainly not in the rules). Now you see them now you don't:

The final savage blast from the Greek players phase comes in the middle (see below):

However to everyone's surprise the valiant (well in my eyes) Pike Block fights its way out of a tight and bloody corner by felling the last remaining Greek/Gaelic warband in front of it (see above), but in the process loses also its back rank (see below) to the Greek cavalry:

A body count is now required, not much being left of both armies. The Renaissance boys have reached their breaking point (9VD lost) whereas the Greeks are just hanging on (7VD lost). My army is technically broken, but as the whole turn must be played my phase has to be completed. if I can manage to inflict 2VD then a "bloody draw" can be salvaged. Casualties no longer matter to me!

Next: The last act

Impetus Battle III: Into the Flank (3)

The Burgundian Knights finally go down having exhasting themselves helping despatch four heavy enemy infantry units in the centre of the battle. It is a high cost to pay (3VD = Victory Points [in Italian(?), don't ask it's an Impetus thing/terminology]) and one unit of Pike (2VD, to make a total of "six") against the four enemy warband (4x1VD, and a total of "four"), so the Greeks are on top on the basis of trading their "average" for my "good" troops. In response I send my Pike in again (see below):

On my right flank my Germanic MAA decide not to hang about and chase of the second unit of Greek Light Horse. The first enemy nit of Greek Light Horse learns to respect the long distance shooting power of my big cannon and unit of "shot" that about faces to shoot at them (see below). The Light Cavalry still have "their eyes on the prize of my camp" which would take my total to 9VD and win him the game:

The long awaited "into the flank" of the Pike Block by the enemy "shock" cavalry unit finally materialises. It looks grim for the Pike, but it still has a certain "umpf" about it. Middle left sees a Greek warband unit closing to contact my second nit of shooters (see below):    

The gruelling combat takes place and casualties once again mount (see below): 

The Greek warband (middle left, above) learn a healthy respect for "shot" and the Greek warband (middle top, above) gets the pointy end of a pike. Things are hanging in the balance at the moment.

To be continued ...

Impetus Battle III: Casualties mount and the Light Horse dances (2)

The grim war of attrition and the casualties mounted. My Pike and Shot tried to come to the assistance of the beleaguered Burgundian Knights:

Meanwhile my "next best" mounted unit was staring off into the distance, looking at some Light Cavalry wondering what they were up to (see below):

Here it comes now (see below):

Introducing the Germanic MAA to an archery fusillade:

Which thankfully bounces of their thick skins!

Impetus Battle III: Fighting something "Greek" (1)

I took my Renaissance Impetus army out to play for a third time. This time, the figures were all mine and I had even "mostly" finished painting them (I was giving the Burgundian Knights a touch up even as they were being deployed). In my excitement at seeing my Germanic Men-At-Arms take to the field of battle, along side my virginal Burgundian Knights I sadly forgot to take a photograph until they were well "out of the blocks" (see below) and first blood had been drawn by my Burgundian Knights and Pike Block:

My Renaissance Army is working its way from bottom to top in the photograph. I had tried to make the battlefield as flat as possible without obstructing terrain but my enemy (another young Alexander still in the process of finishing his studies) had cunningly drawn a forest partially across my path. My impact troops hurtled forward scoring an early success against a deep warband but in so doing had left behind their supporting" shooters" (an obvious mistake in hindsight). Note: my crack unit of Germanic MAA is somewhat wasted pointing in the direction of some distant Light Cavalry. However skirmishers hold  the strategic toe of the forest and are eyeing up a dangerous looking unit of mounted Cavalry and another of Impact Elephant skirting the wood (top right above).  

(Above) Alas my brave Burgundian Knights now get "gubbed" in the middle (admit it you saw it was going to happen), I just didn't get through enough of the enemy warband troops before losing my "impetus" (see below).

But wait all is not lost, these boys are tough. They can still kill more warbands any day of the week despite accruing casualties in the process. Their quality shows despite the dangerous presence of more enemy "quantity" to their immediate left. Meanwhile lurking to their far right is a dangerous shadow sizing up the flank of my Pike Block (see below):

My adversary looked on despairing not of his losses. This Young General was planning something cunning with these fine fellows (above).

Holiday Purchases

A trip to see the grandparents/in-laws in Edinburgh gave me the opportunity to visit my favourite model shop, Winter Wonderland stocked full to the brim with WWII 20mm goodies. I could not resist the new Airfix WWII British trucks (seeing as Al and Paul from New Zealand had tantalised me over the last month with some interesting posts):

Likewise I picked up the new Airfix WWII British Infantry (see below). These I almost did not buy, as the figure pictures on the back of the packaging did not impress, but when I got home the figures inside the box certainly. I now have more British WWII Infantry, from various manufacturers, than I actually know what to do with (except go ahead and paint some!)

Finally I could not put down some early war classic German Infantry on bicycles from HaT (see below) How to advance into France and the Low Counties with a certain style. The early war is calling for my attention, watch this space. With twelve figures in a nice little pack can represent three Command Decision companies I think, with the rest of the battalion (heavy weapons support company and HQ) toodling along in a bit of motorised transport. Alas there was no sign of the Italian Mounted WW2 Infantry that I know exists (somewhere):

Watch this space for a slow build and paint.

;)

JagdPanzer IV repair: The anti-tank capability of an 18 month year old

A commando style raid was launched on Daddy's "Panzer IV" tray, resulting in a 'coup' for the 'special forces' operative (see below):

The hands of an eighteen month old child proved more deadly to this late war 20mm German JagdPanzer  IV than any action to date on a wargames table from a 85mm Soviet anti-tank guns or Sherman 75's. A team of expert repair workers (aka me, in a team of one) were brought in to attempt to repair the damage:

The operation reached a tense moment with the attachment of a metal pin into the broken limb (see above):

With nurses mopping the brow of the surgeon a hole was drilled in the "pig's head" mantle (see above). Superglue time and the reconstruction was complete (see below):

And the guilty culprit, got off scot free, with giggles and cuddles to mummy. There is a certain "full circle" element to all this one of my first posts to Geordie's Big Battles was showing off my 'recently' painted (in 2009) JagdPanzer IV company (in Command Decision terms) as wargame ready:

Early Photo of JagdPanzer IV Company
Better Shot of JagdPanzer IV Company

This is back in 2009. To my eternal shame I have still not "decalled" them to finish them off properly or even had them out on a wargames table proper! Maybe my youngest son was just trying to tell me something after all, using the vocabulary available to him ("All gone" is his latest phrase).