They came from Outer Space (3): Space Crusade Mission 3 Counter-Attack

The 'badly wounded' Imperial Fist Commander ("Yellow Sarge") demonstrates considerable agility in out-running the little silver 'advanced cleaning droid' armed with 'advanced cleaning agents and anti-bacterial wipes' as the four inert bodies of his dead Space Marine Troopers are carried off by minions of Chaos to be recycled as new "zombified forms of unintelligent life" intent on attacking humanity (see below):

Chaos falls back into Quadrant Four daring the Red Blood Angels and Blue Ultramarines forward into a "trap" (see below):

Meanwhile the assault on Quadrant Four was highly synchronised by Red and Blue Teams, focused on taking out a batch of dangerous Necron Combat Androids, albeit not armed with "cleaning fluids" but the lesser "high energy plasma weapons"> The 'two Sarges' go hand-to-hand in a desperate struggle (see below):

An unexpected act of violence that shocked the confidence of the Space Marines in Quadrant Four as the Necron Android in hand-to-hand "self destructed" causing four points of damage to each adjacent "Sarge" leaving them critically wounded on only 1 Hit Point (see below):

"White or Yellow Sarge" (delete as appropriate) felt a surge of relief as he fell back onto the Ultra Marine perimeter line. As he was forming up with two Ultra Marine Troopers an unexpected "alien event" meant that a Genestealer appeared in their midst to cause havoc a wreck his hopes of stabilising thew situation (see below):

Two Ultra Marine Space Troopers fall to the claws of the dreaded Genestealer monster and next the clambering hoard of aliens (including dangerous cleaning droids) lead by a really deadly Necron Android (ask the Blood Angel and Ultra Marine Sergeants) surge down the corridor (see below, a pretty tight looking fix if you ask me):

Luckily all the hours Yellow/White Sarge had put into the "battle simulation Hollodeck" were paying off, as a cunning plan formed in his head. The first part of which was .. run away again as the Ultra Marine Troopers bodies were carried off by the Chaos monsters. (Ed: I can see a pattern forming here!)

They came from Outer Space (2): Space Crusade Mission 3 Counter-Attack

The Imperial Fists engage in vicious hand-to-tentacle(?) fighting but lose a Space Marine Trooper to a "freakish act of Chaos inspired chance" as a Kroot (which I am using in place of Space Orks)  shot pieces a weak spot in the Imperially blessed armour. More as yet unidentified 'aliens' are ominously moving up in the background (see below, orange dot counters representa aliens out of "Line of Sight"):

Adopting a combative stance the Imperial Fist Commander ("The Sarge") unhesitatingly orders an immediate counter attack, straight out of the operational tactic scrolls of the Corp. Huzzah! Sadly this plays straight into the hands of the Chaos player's "swarm attack" (Ed: Will try not to gloat at this point. Sorry failed, "Gloat!") particularly as a couple of Necron Androids appeared "as if out of nowhere" to bulk up the the Chaos "umpf". Three more Space Marine Troopers fall in quick succession to the complete disbelief of "The Sarge" his squad was "gone" and the holes in his battlesuit betrayed the fact that most of his Hit Points  had too (see below):

Meanwhile, at the other end of the sector, the Blood Angels are carving a path of gore and spare robot parts as the engage in a bit of room-to-room "Space Hulk" cleaning with "Red Sarge" Power Sword in hand leading the way (see below, two Kroots [aka Orcs] and a Chaos Space Marine [aka a Tau figure] fall):

So effective is he that the Chaos Commander elects to order a tactical withdrawal, taking potshots from a distance as they retreat [Ed: Ahem, in "good chaotic order"] to the next defensive position (see below):  

Buoyed by the apparent success of the Blood Angels the Ultra Marine Commander "Blue Sarge" makes an appearance taking out another Chaos Space Marine (aka represented by another Tau figure) clearing the way for an advance on the final unexplored quadrant the aliens seem to be massing in (see below):

The Space Marines seem to be advancing in one sector (with Blue and Red Teams) but are being annihilated in another (Yellow Team). Coordination seems to be somewhat lacking, or is it inter-chapter rivalry coming to the fore!

They came from Outer Space (1): Space Crusade Mission 3 Counter-Attack

Records of a game played circa Xmas 2015 have been discovered by the Imperium Librarians. Let the dark tale be told in all its gruesome detail.

Cue thematic music .. Space Marine counterattack. Mission brief: Wipe out all alien creatures as per Space Marine prime directive, "If in doubt - Shoot to Kill." Especially since no Dreadnought is ' known' to be deployed. So no heavily armoured nasty blasty, blasty thing is in town for the minions of Chaos (boo hiss). In go the Space Marines (see below):

Red Team (aka The Blood Angels) go looking for 'critters' and find one which is neutralised rather inhumanely (see above and below, note in the background Blue Team, the Ultra Marines, seem to be having an Op Group or are playing cards while the Blood Angels 'string out' [Oh for a Genestealer attack random event]):

The Space Hulk level seems strangely quiet, is it a trap? The Chaos player is playing the 'long game' awaiting attrition to the "Space Marine Corp" through as many random event cards he can get into play. Blue, Read and Yellow teams (the infamous Imperial Fists, bodyguards of the 99% dead Galactic Emperor, nice one lads!) go hunting for little green men and silver robots hiding in dark corner. No luck until Sgt "Very Lucky" from The Fists finds "the corridor of death" all by his little lonesome (see below):

The clatter and discharge of heavy bolter, spore guns and other hideous items of chaos weaponry brought the rest of the Imperial Fists Space Marine Troopers running to form a protective bodyguard around their beloved leader, as befits their tactical operations manual (see below, whew another dangerous situation stabilised):

Meanwhile the Blood Angels had stumbled into a room full of dangerous Terminator Necron Androids and Chaos Space Marines armed with heavy weaponry thatbmade loud, big bangs and were designed to make large holes in nice Space Marine armour. An exchange of fire started immediately after the door opened with patent Star Trek "hiss" (see below):

Operation proceeding to plan. Noisy, messy and utterly chaotic, with the Ultra Marines no where to be seen where there was a remote bit of danger ;)

Playing around with "Speed Painting" some "Fantasy" with "Washes"

Fantasy Interlude : Explained

Some friends visited and I entertained myself and their kids on how to paint up shome D&D plastic/resin figures that came with the Ravenloft AD&D game. Before they came I remember "up in the loft" I had an old D&D boardgame with some chunky (and cast/injected in slightly bendy plastic) so I had a 'cast of thousands' myself to demonstrate on (see below):

Many dubiously chunky looking monsters (and four characters figures ) that looked 'easy' painting exercises (see below):

After washing in soapy detergent water to remove excess grease, I primed them with Humbrol/Airfix 01 Grey Primer. When dry I liberally splashed on Vallejo Brown Sepia Wash from a huge dipping jar I had acquired (see below):

The detail is not bad and comes out beautifully and certainly is in contrast to a naked 'bare plastic' figure. I took the kids model to the painting stage, but that night and following day I primed and washed the contents of the D&D started box.  Quite therapeutic as no real decision was required.  

Eastern Front (4) Chain of Command: Germans v Soviets

The German MG42 shuffles into place alongside the Rifle Section to give it some "much needed fire power assistance". The German NCO's and Senior Commander elect to stay more than 4" inches back to avoid getting "bad things happening" dice rolls affecting their depleted Force Morale (see below):

Nevertheless the "shock" steadily mounts (see below), though the MG42s pour out a stream of devastating firepower making the Russians suffer. The German player is now in the tactical dilemma of needing his NCOs forward as he is losing 'fighting' bodies at an alarming rate (see below):  

The Russians in "Suppression Wood" are particularly "well hammered" (see below). To alleviate the pressure on their comrades the Russians hiding in the Wooden Dacha become 'Heroes of the Soviet Union' nominees as they heroically expose themselves to the Germans and open fire with the LMG team adding more shock. The point blank German response makes them 'posthumous heroes" KIA all three of the LMG and the Junior Leader to boot (see below):

Russian Force Morale is tumbling at this point while somehow the Germans are holding it together despite the almost critical levels of shock (see below):

Then it happens. Despite all the German NCOs in the front line a good round of Russian fire breaks the German Second Section and they route. The Russian player smiles as his carefully hoarded Six Chain of Command Points are used to "End the Turn" immediately removing routed troops. The following "bad things happening" dice rolls reduce the German Force Morale to zero and "Game Over" (see below):

Wow.A good one. Instructional, even if for the things we got wrong and emphasising the need to"read the rules again" as there are plenty of other special things we could be doing to add spice and flavour to the games.

Great to get the Soviets on table. Need to paint up some more Americans and 'odds and sods' of other nationalities. There are plenty of speciality "Platoon Forces" hiding in the loft wanting painting.

:)

Eastern Front (3) Chain of Command: Germans v Soviets

The Germans looked on in horror as the last man of the First Section dropped lifelessly to the floor. Immediately their professional training clicked in and they turned the small hillock into a fortress, preparing themselves for the inevitable Russian assault (see below):

The MG42 in the cemetery was told to move up (see below):

Meanwhile the Russians lined the woods on the German left (see below):

And also to the far German right [definition of the Nazi party I think] figures shrouded like ghosts emerged from the trees and formed a firing line (see below):

The firing started and the shock started to mount on the German defenders (see below):

Three and a half "healthy" Soviet squads faced two "heavily armed" German squads in a fight to the death!

Eastern Front (2) Chain of Command: Germans v Soviets

The Soviets put pressure on the isolated German section by fanning out another section into a firing line along cover (see below):

It works as 'shock' and 'KIA' mount on the startled Germans (see below):

Finally there is only the Adjutant left who is ruthlessly hunted down and also eliminated (see below, actually the Soviet player was the father shooting his son! Teaching his protege that "all is fair in love and war"):

However, the trade-off is not all one way, as the German rifle section on the central hill manages to take out the Soviet LMG team with accurately aimed fire. As the only Soviets in LOS are the LMG team, they have to take it (see below):

The survivors however are capable of being 'shocked' but as it happens not quite "pinned" (see below):

It all still hangs on the balance but the complete elimination of the German section with all its leaders has seriously dented their Force Morale. They cannot afford another reverse!

Eastern Front (1) Chain of Command: Germans v Soviets

The OoB:

• German Infantry Platoon + Adjutant 
• Russian Infantry Platoon + Extra Infantry Squad

The same terrain as used for the Normandy battle, but this time used correctly going across the table (East [Nazi] - West [Sov]) instead of the narrower up/down (North - South) which should mean more room for maneuver (see below) :

Both sides get an even amount of positioning in the Patrol Phase, but the Germans get the better of the Command Dice as the Russians had to effectively "miss a go" rather than let their Senior Leader face the 'might' of the Germans all on his own (see below,the Germans take up strong defensive positions):

When the Russians got onto the board they decided to use the cover for as much effect as possible (see below, nore the Russians moving into "Suppression Wood" as named after the last battle):

An exchange of fire sees the first German casualties in the 'turnip field'. One suppression and a KIA (see below):

The Russians keep up a telling fir on the lone German Platoon in the 'turnip field', while avoiding with the two German Platoons to the top (north) of the table (see below):

It comes at a price as "Suppression Wood" lives up to its name in true style. The young headstrong lieutenant commanding the Russian First Platoon becomes another casualty of this struggle of ideology. The Russian Captain (Senior Commander) has to step in (see below):

As it stands the game hangs in the balance. Can the Germans afford to stay passive, not being elite German Panzer Grenadiers means only half as many MG42s!

Airfix Battles Wargames Rules: First Look

I completely forgot that I had treated myself and signed up to a pre-production order of Airfix Battles (see below):

Unboxing later but the shiny factor of all the original Airfix artwork is a huge, huge plus. My one comment would be that it seems to be scaled at 15mm rather that Airfix HO/OO or 1/72(ish). Not a problem for me as I have just acquired some 15mm WWII kit ;)

The counters look very useful and I am looking forward to skimming through the rules.

WW2 Wings of War (WoW) Fun

I turned upon spec to my local Hartlepool club straight into a Wings of War WWII "fun pick a plane and join in night". Randomly posed battle shots of beautiful 1/200 scale aircraft follow (see below, a Zero takes on a B26 Marauder):

A P51-D Mustang (see below):

A deadly Fw 190-D (see below):

A much maligned Me110 "Destroyer" that I flew as my second ride of the night, taking cruel advantage of a crippled (with a smashed rudder and so could only fly in a straight line) Spitfire (see below):

My first charge of the night, a ME 109, that came rather unstuck in a head-to-head fight with a Beaufighter (see below):

Another closer look at the "American (Medium) Heavy" the B26 Marauder (see below):

How I met my end after tangling (unsuccessfully) with a cannon armed Beaufighter (see below):

I just hope I am picked up after floating around in a yellow life raft, ready for another mission some time soon! Well I enjoyed the hotch-potch melodrama and look forward to painting some of my 1/144 WW2 collection. The only trouble is the rule system is based on cards designed for 1/200 so I will be in search of an alternative (but simple, even hex based) rule system.
 

Chain of Command: Normandy (Part III)

The British responded with their most effective countermeasure, smoke. The little two inch mortar churned out smoke like nobody's business aiming to blind the Tiger. Instead they blocked line-of-sight (LOS) to one of the uber effective German MG42 teams, which was of least some cold comfort (see below):

The Tiger spoke as it now had clear LOS to the last "fresh" British infantry (see below, twenty five years and it has finally spoken in anger on a wargames table, but its wargaming destiny is not fulfilled until it takes out an Allied tank, preferably a Sherman):

Trouble enough for the infantry as although o kills the "shock" starts to mount on the resilient British Infantry as this French of farmland looks destined to become a graveyard (see below):

More smoke, but to no avail the Tiger's terrible 88mm is readying another in its barrel (see below):

With the battlefield shrouded in smoke the British only hope was to get their slow but armoured bulk of a Churchill into the fray. However the German MG42 teams in the graveyard (off picture to the right, see below) opened up again spelling disaster for the remain British Infantry (see below):

Enough was enough, the British broke and with that the British Force Morale crashed to zero. The Britisg retreated and left the field to the Germans as the Churchill found its reverse gear (see below):

This was a good run out for the rules. Lots of things remembered, lots of things forgotten but remembered later in those "Oh yes" moments and lots of sections to read again, but very enjoyable fun. Far too hard for the British, the German Panzer Grenadiers were hard enough but to give them a Tiger was just plain nasty. To put this into context, to be a fair booklet game the British should have had a 2d6 +5 support points, with the German half the British total of support points. Er, I had it almost the other way round, the German Tiger counts as 10 support points, the Churchill was 7 support points so I should have really put a Sherman and Sherman Firefly in the Support pool too.

Er, next time (I'll read the book a little more closely)!