Friday Night Games Pinkie Week #2

Friday 26th September saw the conclusion of our refight of the Battle of Pinkie using Pikeman's Lament rules.  Commanders were the same as Week one, except that Nigel was able to join the English crew and lend his weight to their Command line.

Mike W's command advance towards Pinkie Clough

Fighting picked up where it had left off last week with the Scots left wing continuing to assault hte Churchyard and deny this position to the English. Ultimately Steve's Highland command destroyed the English flank commanded by Mark, whilst Mike W's command advanced to the botton of the slopes of Pinkie Clough its-self.

 

Steve's Highlander's finally clear the St. Michael's Churchyard Hill of English defenders and then set about battering the survivors.

In the centre the Scots pike blocks are met by the combined forces of Nigel & Dave who break a second block with fire power before the remaining block enters a titanic struggle with mercenary German Landsknechts fighting in the pay of the English. This struggle went on the duration of the game and was not resolved when the umpire called time!

Mike N's Scots Pike v Landsknechts as they advance up Pinkie |Clough

Meanwhile of the English left, Mat finally unleashed his horse and disrupted Rupert's Scots battle lines.

Rupert's forces engage with Mat's forces on the Scots right.

Ultimately the umpire called time on the game, declaring a 'winning' draw to the English - the Scots having taken and held St Michael's Churchyard and the English having secured their left flank having battered Rupert's forces. The English line in the centre being too strong to be forced with the remaining enemy forces available before darkness fell.

Rupert's Scots Trotters

Scottish Billmen

Rupert's forces cross the Tweed only to be push back forcefully

English and Spanish (mercenary) horse line up upon the Scot's Billmen

English horse force forwards again

Off the Workbench - Albertine Royalist Infantry

Its been a couple of weeks since I posted any of my Off the Workbench items, I'm afraid real life has got in the way!

As a quick filler here us a platoon of Albertine Royalists with their transport. The truck is a Lledo model, pretty much out the box albeit with a coat of matt varnish apples and fixed to a base.

The infantry are a mix of mostly Wargames Atlantic and Perry Zulu War / Sudan British infantry with a variety of Wargames Atlantic WW1 arms, weapons and heads swapped,  there is also Warlord Games pieces in the mix as well.

I opted for a dark grey unform with purple trim to represent their Royalist affinations.

Friday Night Games - The Battle of Pinkie, 1547

Friday 18th September saw the start of a two week game recreating the Battle of Pinkie, 1547, using figures from the collection of John & Mike W.

Fighting for the Scots were Rupert, Mike N, Mike W and Steve, whilst the English side was commanded by Dave, Matt & Mark. John provided sterling service as the umpire, we used the Pikeman's Lament rule system, which we have found produces results, has simple mechanisms and is playable - albeit somewhat controversial at times with those players that prefer more traditional rulesets.

St. Michael's Churchyard on the Scots' left, which would be hotly fought over.

Highland troops from Steve's command cross the River Esk and head towards St Michael's Church.

Close-up of highlanders from the collections of John & Mike W

Leading Highland units cross the Esk and to their right flank is a Galloper Gun from Mike W's command, heading for the same hill.

Mike W's command of Pike, Archers and Galloper Gun

In the centre, Mike N's attack across the bridge develops,
supported on his right by Rupert's command.

Close-up of Mike N's command, prior to attempting to cross the bridge

Trotters from Mark's English command round the flank of hill upon which St. Michael's Church stands, about to engage Highland foes.

The hotly contested St. Michaels Churchyard, a Scots Galloper Gun deploys whilst Highlanders attempt to force their way into the church. Meanwhile the church has been occupied by English archers and a unit of English Billmen cross the churchyard to attack the gun.

Mike N's pike blocks begin to cross the Esk at the bridge but come under artillery fire.

The English forces arrayed upon Pinkie Clough, awaiting the Scot's attack.

English Trotters engage with the highlanders whilst the Billmen take on the Artillery position

More of Mike N's forces get to cross the Esk

Out on the extreme right flank of the Scots lines, Rupert's forces advance, whilst Mat holds back with his superior mounted force looking for the right chance to strike.

Mike N's forces are largely across the Esk and begin their assault up the hill taking withering fire from the English lines.

First engagements between Mat & Rupert's forces begin

Return to see what happens in Week 2....

Off the Workbench - Mike: 28mm VBCW BUF Assault Troops.

A small batch of 7 x 28mm VBCW BUF Assault Troopers was finished off this week.

The completed group of seven Assault Troopers

These little guys were kit bashed from Wargames Atlantic WW2 Italians and WW1 British, with a dash of bits from the spares box. The exception is the prone Bren Gunner, who is a spare figure from the Wargames Atlantic WW2 BEF set.

Left to right  - NCO with Tommy Gun, Rifleman, Bren Gunner and another Rifleman

Having Italian leggings and jackets gave these figures some additional flare, I have added British backpacks where possible but as I ran out of these I pressed a couple of American packs into service. I have given them all British Helmeted heads, apart form two who have jaunty BUF caps on instead, albeit with tin hats suspended from their belts.

Left to right  - Rifleman, Bomber with Grenades & Shotgun, Tommy Gunner and a Rifleman

Jackets have been painted with a speed paint mix to give a dark grey finish, trousers are British Khaki and Puttees are blue - a nod to BUF colours. I have kept the tin hats green but have added a BUF 'Thunderbolt' badge to the front of each.

Close up of one of the Riflemen and the Bomber,
note the bandolier with shotgun cartridges and the BUF Thunderbolts on their helmets

As Assault Troopers, these guys have a potent mix of Tommy Guns, Grenades and Repeating Shotguns to give them a real punch in Hand to Hand fighting but maybe a little under powered for longer range fire fights...

Friday Night Games - Steve's Imaginations Campaign.

Some pictures from the game put on at Rupert's venue on the 21st & 28th August. This is the first of Steve's land based Imaginations Campaign and was fought with figures from Steve's collection using adapted Shako rules.

In what was to be a glorious victory for the forces of Frankfart the Hangoverian army was forced to retreat back down the road to the town of Shneezalott and back over the boarder back into Hangover.

This glorious victory was ably assisted by the experimental "Flug Luftschliff one - "Mephistopeles" whilst on flight trials out of the very secretive "Stench Works" based deep in the heart of Frankfart.  

Scaring the willies out of both Fankfart and Hangoverian troops alike,  it flew over the battlefield raining vast amounts of bombs onto the petrified Hangoverian troops killing thousands of them in the process with these weapons of mass destruction.

Well, okay, it didn't actually kill anything but why spoil a good story by telling the truth!!  

Off the Workbench - Mike: Sci Fi & VBCW

This post starts with the completion of 6 x Human Army personnel, armed with blasters and including an RPG team.

The figures are based upon WW2 German infantry in winter suits, they came from the front of a magazine and were donated to me by Grahame. I had no use for them as WW2 figures but they have been adapted to join my ever growing ranks of Sci-Fi figures.

The RPG Team.

The heads, arms & weapons are all spares from Northstar StarGrave and Wargames Atlantic frame that I have used in earlier projects, these sets come with lashings of spares so it is good to get to use  them.

Two Army types with Blaster variants

And two more little Army men (and woman) again with blaster variants.

Next up is a batch of 11 x VBCW Regular Infantry to join my swelling factions for this game. The figures are basically the Wargames Atlantic BEF set (I purchased 2 x frames to see what they are like). They are lovely figures and I have now decided that these guys will be the Regulars in my VBCW force and the WW1 figures that I have been painting up to now will be redesignated Territorial Army types.

4 x Regular Riflemen, all with Lee Enfields

Another view of the above showing that one is a designated 'Bomber'

These guys have the 1938 webbing and Battledress uniform, so I can justify these as being Regulars as they have the new kit. The WW1 types in my collection with the older webbing pattern and older tunic types can be justified as territorials. Note: I remember seeing my Granddad in the photo when he was in the pre-Ware TA and he was wearing WW1 uniform & kit.

5 more riflemen, these all have the unadorned Bordie helmets

And another view. Note the Lee Enfields with a bayonet attached
have come from the Wargames Atlantic WW1 infantry set!

Regular Mortar team

The Regular Army Mortar Team, will need to be expanded to include a No.3 but that is an excuse for me to get some more of these lovely figures.

Currently I have some BUF Assault Troopers on the workbench and some civilian militia to build in the near future, not to mention the need to complete some rather nice Norhstar 1672 Musketeers!