My first Zulu unit for the Anglo-Zulu War has finally been based and varnished. Getting to that stage was a bit of a journey, as when I started researching Zulu regiments for the Anglo-Zulu War, I found there was a lot of conflicting information on shield patterns and units. In the end, I made up a spreadsheet with all the information I had available and rated it. From that, I decided that the iNdluyengwe (The Leopard’s Den or Lair) was to be the first of my Zulu units.
iNdluyengwe
The figures, from Newline Designs 20mm range, had some flash that was easy to file off but the hands needed drilling so that they could be given weapons. The shields were more problematic and the first time I glued them on they all fell off. In the end, I resorted to using E6000 to get an initial hold and followed up with superglue for good measure. The figures were easy to paint and really capture the toy soldier look.
At long last, the 1/72 ECW blue-coated regiment of foot that I started 3 years ago has been based and varnished. Mind you, I originally bought the old Revell Thirty Years War figures 35 years ago when they first came out (so no rush). They did see some action fighting the ECW around 25 years ago or more, and I did start to paint a few many years ago, but didn’t get far.
Blue Coats Arrayed
The Blue Coats are the first, I hope, of a series of generic units that can be swopped about between the Cavaliers and Roundheads as needed. At some distant time in the future, I will paint some specific units for each side. The figures are, of course, painted in the classic style and gloss varnished as is proper.
Blue Coats on Parade
I have completed the pike and command for a red-coated regiment but have not yet started the musketeers. I can only hope it will not take me three years to get around to them.
Over my many years of gaming and painting, I don’t recall having ever painted a Warhammer 40K figure. The odd one has come into my possession now and then, but I have tended to use them for spare parts. However, recently that changed when I dredged up a space marine figure that had come as part of a terrain lot I had bought on eBay sometime ago.
Having once again come across this odd spaceman from 1992, I decided he would do well enough as a soldier of the Karn Empire in my Havok games. So I gave him a paint job to match in with the Havok miniatures. I simply blocked the main areas in the colours that reflected those of Karn troopers and the Darkest Suns and then picked out the details with Contrast Paints. Lastly, I painted the base in a similar fashion to the stickers on Havok miniature bases and coated him in satin varnish.
An odd space marine.
I haven’t decided what task this errant space marine will undertake for the Karn Empire. Perhaps he will become a specialist, an officer, or the Emperor’s champion.
Some time ago, I felt I needed some more large-scale terrain to use with my 54mm Britains Deetail knights, so I decided to start off by building a couple of cottages. I wasn’t particularly industrious, and it has taken me over a year to complete them, but they are finally done, and I’m quite happy with how they turned out.
Front view of the cottages.
I, of course, started out by researching mediaeval cottages and looked at lots of images, including how other people had depicted them for practical wargaming purposes. The most useful references I found were images of Hall House from Boarhunt at the Weald & Downland Living Museum in the UK.
Right side view of the cottages
The cottages were built from a foam core on a heavy card base and hot glued together and coated with acrylic sealer. Most of the woodwork was made from EVA foam and then textured, but in some areas I used actual wood from ice cream sticks, toothpicks, cheese boxes, and craft veneer. The stone doorsteps were made from suitably textured EVA foam. The door latch was made from a loop of wire and more EVA foam. I then painted the cottages in acrylics and added shell grit to the paint to achieve texture on the walls and bases.
Rear view of the cottages
The thatching, however, took me some time to get around to doing it as I went down the rabbit hole of researching the ways in which mediaeval cottages were thatched and comparing how it was depicted on wargaming models, none of which I found particularly convincing. In the end, I simply went to Spotlight and bought some suitably coloured fake fur and glued it to the roofs, but I think it sets the cottages off and is a reasonable representation of a thatched roof with a turf ridge.
“Tea, Earl Grey, hot” is one of Captain Picard’s most iconic lines as he orders his favourite beverage from a replicator on the Enterprise. While I cannot emulate the good captain, I have acquired my own replicator, although making drinks isn’t one of its functions. I have, after many years, finally given in and bought my own 3D printer. I place the blame squarely on my wonderful wife after she made the mistake of bringing home a 3D printed extendable light-sabre that one of her work colleagues had made. This caused me to go down a rabbit hole (one I had ventured down before) for some weeks and ended in me getting said printer.
Anycubic Kobra 2 Pro
The tipping point proved to be a flash sale on Amazon, where I managed to pick up an Anycubic Kobra 2 Pro for a reasonable sum. While it isn’t the latest generation of 3D printer, it is very fast compared to its predecessors and more than capable of reproducing anything I am likely to want to make from heated plastic filament. So far, I have only done a few experimental prints with the small quantity of filament that came with the printer and I have been mightily impressed with the quality of the output. I envision that, initially at least, I will be mostly printing terrain pieces and such gewgaws as I fancy. However, after I have a better understanding of how to dial in the printer, I will most certainly add miniatures to the repertoire. Thankfully, my 1kg roll of filament has just arrived, so now I can put the machine through its paces.
Some six months have passed since I last posted, and I have been making use of a permanent painting table. I can’t say I have been very productive, but not having to set stuff up every time to undertake some painting makes a huge difference. I have also acquired some new items over the past few months. The first of these purchases was a box of HaT Industries 1/72 Late Roman Medium Cavalry to add to the pile of Late Romans and Goths I have stashed away. Then a trip to the local op-shop yielded “The Wars of the Roses: A Concise History” by Charles Ross. It is still a good overview of the wars despite being fairly old now.
A couple of searches on eBay proved quite fruitful. I was lucky to find a set of Klan Warriors from the long-defunct Havok game for a more than reasonable price. The miniatures were in great condition but missing their shield stickers. So I will make some form of replacement shield stickers for them in the future. It has become quite difficult to find Havok miniatures at good prices, but I still keep searching because you just never know.
My best eBay purchase was the outcome of a late-night trawl. I was mightily fortunate to find a complete set of the Wizard’s Room from the “Children of the Night” range produced by Ral Partha circa 1982. Both the miniatures and the box were in excellent condition and at a good price. I was most driven by nostalgia to buy the boxed set that I once owned. I still have the lectern with the spellbook on it that I painted decades ago, but unfortunately, the rest of the miniatures are long-lost. However, I now have the set I once owned and will be painting it all again sometime in the future.
So everything was pottering along as usual, and then inconveniently I had a heart attack, and that has somewhat taken the wind from my sails. I have recovered pretty well but run out of energy quite fast, so I haven’t really gone back to painting or other hobby-related stuff. It has, however, put me in a more contemplative mood about the future of my hobby stuff. So now I wonder what I should do with the various detritus and dead-end collections that have accumulated over the years. I doubt any of them are worth anything, as my hobby is quite insular, and I don’t follow gaming and miniature trends. What do I keep and what do I get rid of are considerations? Further, will I get anything into a truly usable state before I pop my clogs, baring in mind my glacial painting speed?
As day broke over Tannhauser 5, the Karn expeditionary force, newly dropped from orbit, deployed and eagerly moved forward to claim the planet for the Karn Empire. As the Karn advanced, they found that the planet had already been claimed by the Pteravore Prime Genus, and they were ready to violently oppose any rivals.
Stand off on Tannhauser 5
The Game
Turn 1. The entire Karn force conducted a general advance; the Glaive Riders on the left flank and Borkian mercenaries on the right flank moved ahead of the battle line in an attempt to flank the enemy Pteravore.
The Pteravore were defensive and cautiously sent their own right flank units of Hell Hounds and Razors forward to counter the Glaive Rider jump troops. On the Pteravore left, a unit of Razors moved forward to oppose the Borkians, and a unit of elite Screamers advanced to take the wood to their front.
Turn 2. The Karn continued their advance. Their centre was made up of two units of Karn Troopers supported by a battle-form. Close to the centre left were the elite Darkest Suns, and to the immediate right were the equally elite Kai-Une. The Karn flanks remained stationary to allow the centre to close up the battle line. The Kai-Une occupied the wood to their front, beating the Pteravore Screamers to it.
In response, the Pteravore cautiously moved their centre unit of Razors forward to occupy a hill and then moved two units of Screamers from their left flank to the centre to support the Razors. On the Pteravore left, the unit of Razors there charged the Borkians. On the right, the Razors and Hell Hounds charged towards the Glaive Riders and Darkest Suns.
First contact.
Turn 3. The Glaive Riders opened fire on the charging Hell Hounds, inflicting four hits (the break point for all units was 15). The Darkest Suns and centre-left troopers opened fire on the other unit of Hell Hounds and did four damage to them. On the right flank, the Borkians fired on the charging Razors, inflicting three hits. The Kai-Une opened fire from the wood on the Screamers opposite but failed to inflict any losses on them.
The cautious Pteravore kept their position in the centre but continued their ferocious attack on the flanks. The Hell Hounds on the extreme right charged into the Glaive Riders, causing a total of five casualties. The other unit of Hell Hounds tore into the front of the Darkest Suns, while the unit of Razors bloodily attacked them in the flank, doing nine damage. On the left flank, the Razors inflicted five hits on the Borkians, but the Screamers were unable to do anything to the Kai-Une in the woods.
Turn 4. The Karn, under pressure on their flanks, held their position. The Glaive Riders inflicted a further six casualties on the Hell Hounds (10 total). The Darkest Suns desperately attempted to fight off the attacking Pteravore and caused four additional casualties to the Hell Hounds (8 total) and four to the Razors. The Karn Troopers on the centre left attempted to aid the Suns and fired on the Hounds but only did two additional casualties (bringing the total to 10 on the Hounds). The Borkians were able to inflict another three hits on the Razors in the melee with them. Kai-Une also caused three damage to the Screamer unit opposite them.
The Pteravore scenting blood became aggressive, causing the centre units to advance. The Hell Hounds, in contact with the Glaive Riders, caused four further casualties (9 total). The combined attack of the other Hounds and Razors wiped out the Darkest Suns. The Pteravore left flank Razors inflicted another eight hits on the Borkians (13 total). The Kai-Une, however, remained unscathed by the Pteravore.
Turn 5. The Karn were finally able to receive support from the Banshee gunship, which appeared on their left flank and immediately targeted the Razors that had done for the Suns and caused them three damage. The Glaive Riders inflicted two more hits on the Hell Hounds (12 total). The combined firepower of the battle-form and the centre-left troopers only managed to do three damage to the fresh unit of Razors that had charged towards them in the centre. The other unit of Karn Troopers opened fire on the Pteravore Screamers advancing towards them, causing three casualties. The Kai-Une inflicted two hits on the Screamers (5 total) opposing them.
The Pteravore, while remaining cautious in the centre, still heavily attacked the Karn flanks. On their right, the Hell Hounds inflicted five hits on the Glaive Riders (14 total). The Hounds and the Razors in the centre attacked the Karn Troopers opposite them and almost wiped them out with thirteen damage. The other unit of Karn Troopers only took one casualty from the Screamers opposite them. The Screamers on the Pteravore left flank had no effect on the Kai-Une safely ensconced in the woods, while the Razors imposed four more casualties on the Borkian mercenaries, wiping them out.
The Karn line under pressure.
Turn 6. The Karn Glaive Riders inflicted six more casualties on the Hell Hounds and wiped them out. The Banshee gunship turned its weaponry on the other unit of Hounds but only did four damage to them. The battle-form and the centre-left troopers poured fire into the Razors and inflicted seven damage on the unit of Razors (10 total) in the centre. The fire from the centre-right Karn Troopers on the Pteravore Screamers advancing towards them resulted in only one hit (7 total). The Kai-Une inflicted two further hits on the Screamers (7 total) opposing them.
The Pteravore, who moved to further strengthen their centre and support their weakened right flank, still concentrated their main attack on the Karn flanks. The units of Hounds and Razors inflicted another five hits on the Karn Troopers they were in contact with, wiping them out. The centre-right unit of Karn Troopers took a further three casualties from the Screamers targeting them (4 total). The Screamers on the Pteravore left flank caused the Kai-Une to take a casualty, while the Razors, after making a flanking attack, dealt four more casualties to the Kai-Une (5 total).
Turn 7. The Karn Glaive Riders pivoted and fired on the right flank Razors, doing two damage to them (9 total). The Banshee gunship targeted the remaining Hell Hounds, inflicting four hits and wiping them out. The battle-form poured fire into the Razors’ front, causing six more casualties and destroying them. The remaining Karn Troopers inflicted two more hits on the Screamers opposing them (6 total). The Kai-Une turned and faced the Razors, attacking them and imposing three damage on them.
The right flank Pteravore Razors inflicted another five hits on the Karn Glaive Riders and wiped them out. The centre-right Screamers targeted the battle form, causing it two damage. Fire from the second unit of Screamers caused the last Karn Troopers to suffer six more casualties. The Kai-Une remained undaunted after not receiving any effective hits from the Screamers or Razors opposing them.
Turn 8. The Banshee inflicted one more hit upon the Razors before it returned to home base. The battle-form unleashed a hail of fire upon one unit of Screamers and caused six casualties. The remaining Troopers managed to do another three casualties to the other unit of Screamers, while the Kai-Une wiped out the Razors with a further six casualties.
In turn, the Ptervore Razors moved towards the Battle Form. Fire from the centre right Screamers inflicted three damage on the Karn battle-form (5 total), while the Screamers to their left caused six further casualties to the remaining Karn Troopers, wiping them out. The Pteravore, however, were unable to do anything to Kai-Une in the woods. However, it was clear that the Pteravore Prime Genus had defeated the Karn force, and the empire could not extend its dominion to Tannhauser 5.
The Karn empire is defeated.
This game was played on an idle weekend afternoon just before the King’s Birthday holiday some weeks ago, but it has taken me a while to get around to typing up my notes. The rules I used were an untested set that I wrote eight years ago based on “One Hour Wargames” by Neil Thomas. I wrote the rules specifically for use with my collection of “vintage” Havok Skirmish game miniatures. I have a fairly large, but by no means complete, collection of pre-painted miniatures from the long-defunct game. Some of the missing elements are filled using Heroscape and Confrontation miniatures.
Setup saw the deployment of the Karn forces, and then a die was rolled for the availability of a gunship to support them. A four was rolled, indicating that a gunship would be available for four turns. I decided the gunship would be most useful on the Karn left flank for turns five through eight. The Pteravore were deployed and controlled using the dice-driven AI from “De Bellis Solitarius.” On this occasion, I didn’t make use of the random event list as I wanted to see how well the rules functioned themselves.
I think the rules worked well enough and made for an interesting and enjoyable game. I found that allowing elite units to only receive half of the casualties inflicted upon them meant they could take a great deal of punishment and offer a lot of resistance when occupying a defensive position. It is an idea that I am likely to use in other games. The close combat units proved somewhat overpowered, so I will split the units into two types, as I originally considered. Close combat troops such as the Pteravore Razors will retain their combat bonus but will move at a standard movement rate of 6”, while units such as the Pteravore Hell Hounds will be classed as “fast” and retain their 8” movement rate but lose the combat bonus.
When I wrote the rules, I believed that gunships would prove too powerful, so I limited their availability to a random number of turns decided by rolling a die. The game demonstrated that gunships don’t have as big an impact on the game as I originally thought, so I will remove the limitation on availability. However, I may be forced to reconsider after a game in which armoured fighting vehicles are a large factor. Maybe in the next game, using the rules, I will need to test the Nexus Rebellion against the Karn Empire.
Recently, and for the first time in many years, my good lady wife and I ventured down to Hobart. While I did not find anything of interest in Hobart, the journey down did yield a great find when we took a break from travelling at Campbell Town and visited The Book Cellar. Among the many books, I found a copy of “With the Volunteers, A Historical Diary of the Volunteer Military Forces of the North West and West Coasts of Tasmania, 1886–1986.”
I have known about “With the Volunteers” since before it was in print, and even though I have borrowed it from the local library, I have long wanted a copy to add to my small collection of books on Tasmanian military history. So, after some thirty-seven years, I finally have my own copy. It was published in 1987 and written by Major Douglas Wyatt, RFD (Reserve Force Decoration) (he was later awarded an OAM). The book, at 348 pages and containing numerous photographs, is a very comprehensive journal of volunteer military activities on the North West and West Coasts of Tasmania. My copy is signed by the author and is number 497 of a limited edition of 1,000.
The World Illustrated News is pleased to report that the British Interplanetary Zoological Society’s expedition to Venus has been a triumph. The expedition sponsored by the society was led by renowned explorer and big game hunter Sir Arthur Runcible-Spoon, E.P.N.S. He was ably supported in his endeavours by a detachment of valiant men from the Tasmanian Rifle Regiment under Captain Richard Anglesey.
The aim of the expedition was to capture alive one or more of the reptilian denizens of Venus for scientific research. The creatures, called “dinosaurs,” inhabit the jungle that surrounds the newly established colonies and, while large, are significantly smaller than those of Earth’s geological past. Although it is said by explorers that greater beasts dwell in the vast depths of the Venusian jungle.
Sir Arthur has recently returned to London with the magnificent specimen of an “Armagasaurus” obtained by the expedition. The British Interplanetary Zoological Society has generously given permission for the animal to be placed on display. The great beast can now be viewed in the Geological Court at the Crystal Palace for the trifling sum of one shilling.
The terrible lizards.
The Game
Turn 1. The expedition moves off into the forbidding Venusian jungle, consisting of Sir Arthur Runcible-Spoon E.P.N.S. and a detachment of the Tasmanian Rifle Regiment (T.R.R.) under Captain Richard Anglesey. Sir Arthur, in his eagerness, forged ahead.
From deep in the jungle, a lone Triceratops (trike) emerges, far from the expedition, and ambles towards the marsh.
Sir Arthur leads the way.
Turn 2. The men of the T.R.R. follow Sir Arthur. While a Tyrannosaurus rex also emerges from the jungle and begins to stalk the lone trike.
Turn 3. Sir Arthur, feeling the heat of the humid Venusian climate taking its toll, decides to stop for “tiffin,” and the expedition stops to take a rest.
The trike approaches the marsh. The T. rex decides not to follow and stays put. A second trike emerges from the jungle, but, hearing the unfamiliar noises coming from the adventurers, it moves away.
Turn 4. The expedition continues with their tea break. The first trike realises it is being stalked, turns around, and charges the T. rex. The second trike continues to move away from the expedition, while a Stegosaurus begins feasting on the plant life close to where the T. rex and first trike are situated.
The trike charges the king.
Turn 5. As “tiffin” continues, a very territorial Styracosaurus comes out of the jungle and aggressively attacks the peaceful Stegosaurus. The first trike attacks the T. rex. Trike two wanting to put more distance between it and the expedition keeps going.
Turn 6. With “tiffin” finally finished, Sir Arthur moves off into the jungle, leaving the men of the expedition to break camp.
The charge of the first trike so surprises the T. rex that it runs away. The Styracosaurus and the Stegosaurus fight it out. Ultimately, the Styracosaurus (which takes 3 damage) wins, and the Stegosaurus is killed (having taken 7). The second trike moves further away.
Styracosaurus carnage.
Trike one follows up and charges the T. rex again. The Styracosaurus sees the T. rex, becomes enraged, and moves sharply towards it.
The horned beasts confront the tyrant king.
Turn 7. Sir Arthur ventures ever further away from the expedition and into the jungle in search of dinosaurs. Captain Anglesey splits his men and sends three to assist Sir Arthur while he follows up with the rest.
The T. rex once again flees before the aggressive trike. With the giant predator gone, the Styracosaurus and the Triceratops turn on each other, and a fight for supremacy takes place. An Amargasaurus ventures out of the surrounding jungle and begins to graze on the lush vegetation near the expedition’s location.
The Armagasaurus is sighted.
Turn 8. Sir Arthur and the men of the expedition see the Armagasaurus. The forward party immediately begins digging a pit trap to catch the dinosaur, while Sir Arthur turns back to assist in the capture of the beast. Captain Anglesey forms the remaining men into line in preparation to drive the animal towards the pit.
Turn 9. While the pit trap is being excavated, Sir Arthur moves to block the likely escape route of the Armagasaurus. The beast blissfully continues to graze, unaware of the preparations to capture it.
The clash between the first trike and the Styracosaurus ends in the death of the Styracosaurus (having taken 4 extra damage on top of that from the fight with the Stegosaurus). The trike, however, did not escape unscathed and limped away (after taking five hits).
The trap is set.
Turn 10. The pit trap is completed, and the beaters move forward, driving the Armagasaurus before them. The sauropod attempts to flee from the beaters, only to fall into the pit trap. Finally, the expedition had success.
The first trike, despite its wounds, charges the T. rex, which flees before it. The trike charges again, but this time the T. rex doesn’t give ground, and a fight ensues. The second trike encounters the fight and, seeing the T. rex, panics and flees back towards the expedition.
The beast is captured.
Turn 11. The expedition travels further into the forbidding Venusian jungle. Sir Arthur and the three men with him hear the bellows and roars of the fight and move towards the sounds. They come in sight of the titanic struggle between the T. rex and the Triceratops. The second trike flees further away from all apparent danger.
Turn 12. Hoping to bag the T. rex, Sir Arthur and the men with him fire at it but miss. The T. rex finally kills the Triceratops and roars in triumph. It then turns its attention to the men.
Battle of the beasts.
Turn 13. The rear section of the expedition under Captain Anglesey moved up to reinforce Sir Arthur’s group. The entire group forms a crescent around the T. rex and begins firing (inflicting 4 hits). The badly wounded T. rex panics and flees from the expedition.
Turns 14 and 15. The adventurers pursue the T. rex but are unable to catch it as it continues to flee deep into the jungle and out of sight.
The king flees.
The game was played out over the recent long weekend using the “Sir Harry & the Dinosaurs” rules. The object is to catch as many dinosaurs as you can in a set time. For this game, I instead decided to play it for fifteen turns. The player controls the expedition, while a simple AI governs the behaviour and actions of the dinosaurs. Unfortunately, the rules only provide stats for four types of dinosaurs, namely Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, and Brontosaurus. However, the stats can be readily applied to any similar creature, and, with some work, more specific stats could be figured out for a wide variety of prehistoric animals. The game proved to be great fun, and I enjoyed seeing how the interactions of the various dinosaurs played out with each other and ultimately with Sir Arthur’s expedition. I am sure he will eventually return to the humid jungle of Venus to make greater discoveries.
The past summer saw a few more colonial purchases, comprising a vinyl record, a book, and some more 20mm metal miniatures. The record is titled “Soldiers of the Queen” and features music from the Boer War played by the Band of the Royal Military College Duntroon. It is in mint condition and cost me the princely sum of 50 cents in a local OP shop. Sadly, I haven’t been able to find any information about it.
Late-night trawls on eBay often turn up things of interest, and I was indeed fortunate to come across “Skirmish Wargaming” by Donald Featherstone for a reasonable price. It is a neat little hardcover book published by Patrick Stephens Ltd. in 1975. In it, Featherstone provides a general set of rules for skirmish gaming. These are then used in conjunction with some more specific rules to play various scenarios, from the Viking raids to World War Two. The scenarios are based around a set of characters and are quite narrative. Essentially, it is a book about skirmish gaming as story-telling.
Over the summer, I once again took advantage of the Newline Designs annual sale and bought another batch of ready-made “Men Who Would Be King” units in 20mm metal. All the figures this time were for the Zulu War. Three packs of British included two units of imperial regulars advancing and one pack of dismounted Frontier Light Horse. The Zulus were made up of one unit in ceremonial dress and two units without. I also received a small sample packet of British regular infantry firing.
Recently, another late-night trawl on eBay turned up a fascinating book on medieval military contractors by Geoffrey Trease, an author from my childhood. It is a weighty hard cover tome called “The Condottieri: Soldiers of Fortune,” published in 1970 by Thames and Hudson. The book is a very good general history of the lives and world of the great mercenary captains of the Middle Ages. Plenty of inspiration for further games.
The wargames pavilion 
