Friday Night Games - Imaginations campaign, Naval game

Friday 24th July saw us at Rupert's gaff playing the first in Steve's Imaginations campaign games - surprisingly a Naval game, set in quasi Napoleonic times.

Two fleets of ships faced each other, with Mat, Ollie & Mike W, commanding one fleet, lets call it the 'Good' side! It has more vessels, although with lower quality vessels but on the whole better crew. Their opponents, we'll call them the 'Evil' side,  were Mike N, Nigel & Rupert who had a smaller fleet with better class vessels but potentially poorer crews.

The forces of 'Good' commanded by Mat, Ollie & Mike W.
All line astern and sailing up the table.

All the fantastic models were from Steve's collection and the rules were home brewed by Steve as well who acted as umpire.

Close-up of the 'Good' side's Blue Squadron, commanded by Ollie.

The 'Good' side's White Squadron, commanded by Mike W.

Much death and destruction was handed out by both sides and it looks like the game will go on for another week, not least because no vessel has the movement capability to get off the table to safety in the near future!

The 'Good' side's Red Squadron, commanded by Mat.

The 'Evil' side's White Squadron, commanded by Nigel.

The 'Evil' side's BlueSquadron, commanded by Rupert.

The 'Evil' side's Red Squadron, commanded by Mike N.

Friday Night Games - Battles for the Berezena Crossings, Part 3

Russians advance on their right wing to engage the French

The final week of the epic 3 week game saw John & Dave continue on as the French whilst Mat, Mike W, Mike N, Steve & Mat commanded the huge Russian force.

French left wing is compromised as they retire towards the bridge

Mat's command on the Russian left continued to batter the French in that sector, who also dealt as good as they received. However on the French left the tide had truly turned and over the course of the night the whole French left wing gradually collapsed under the weight of Russian onslaught.

Russians attack and break the French squares

Ultimately all French units to the left of the bridge were destroyed or broken, leading to the preparations for a pre-emptive flight of the right wing. Whilst the French had fought valiantly, they were defeated with significant losses.

French right from their side of the table

Close-up of small actions on the French right

One of the Russian columns marching on the French left

What's left of the French left, from the Russian PoV.

The French right, from their side, central position

More Russians closing

The French left collapses towards the river bridge, the game nears its end

Final shot of the French right, Guards positioned to defend
against Russians crossing the bridge (bottom right)

Friday Night Games - More Marian Wars II

Week two of the game saw the continuation of the previous post's events. Steve was away on holiday so we were down to two players per side for this week.

Top - Dave & Mat's forces move to the left during the game. The village is defended by Steve's forces, commanded by Mike N. in his absence.

Dave's appalling luck with the dice had a significant turn around and he started being able to activate and move his forces, whilst his bad luck seemed to transfer its-self to Rupert, whose forces seemed to struggle to move more than 2-3 foot onto the tabletop.

Rupert's forces appearing on the tabletop and (slowly) to interdict Dave & Mat.

Close-up of a Shot unit

Two units of Trotters

The game develops, with Dave & Mat attempting to form a defensive ring around their thieved cattle 

Mike N's command - officers and trotters

More posturing!

Awaiting the expected attack

Mat's forces reach the outskirts of the village

A Firing line

Rupert's forces close in  on Mat, whilst Mike  has sent some
pikemen to cross the river at a ford in support.

Fighting between Dave & Steve's forces as the game closes

Friday Night Games - More Marian Wars

Friday 29th May saw the first week of Mike W & John's latest Marian Wars campaign using the Pikemen's Lament Rules. Figures were from Mike W & John's own collections.

Mat & Dave commanded the four companies of the forces supporting the claim of the protestant claimant to the throne in favour of Prince John. On Mary's side were Rupert, Steve and Mike N.

The battlefield

The background of the game is that Robert Kerr and his forces had rustled some cattle belonging to his nemisis James Kerr, Robert Kerr's forces are returning home after the raid only to find that James has garrisoned a company of his forces in a village by the only bridge over the river on the tabletop!

Steve's company garrison's the village

The majority of Robert Kerr's forces were (very) slowly moving across the tabletop, with Mat's company sent to conduct a flanking move to draw Steve's defending units from the village.

The massed forces of Robert Kerr and his compatriots,
with their recently looted cattle.

Archers and Shot garrisoning the village.

Unexpectedly for Mat, Mike N's troops arrived on the tabletop forcing Mat to have to engage these prior to reaching the village. In a series of combats Mat's Cavalry and Gallowglass units were decimated and Mat was himself taken prisoner. However, this was not before Mike N's cavalry unit taking a battering and wavering. To rub salt into Mat's wounds his javelin men were shot out by defenders from the village and Mike N's own units of shot.

Forces of Robert Kerr move forwards.

Mat's forces containing Gallowgas and Javelin men
attempt an out flanking movement on the village.

Meanwhile Dave is slowly moving the main force across the tabletop and has units of horse scouting ahead. Ahead of him he can see Rupert's command entering the table top as well! All to play for in week two, when Mark & Nige are expected to lend additional leadership to Robert Kerr's forces.

More movement from Robert Kerr's forces as they move
to cross the river at the bridge or fords

Dave's forces approaching the village

Mat's forces atacking Mike N's forces.

Close-up of the stolen cattle within Robert Kerr's forces

Dave's command under Eroll McFlynn probing the village

Gun and crew defending the village

Final view of Robert Kerr and his forces moving across the tabletop, albeit slowly.

Friday Night Games - Dr Who

Friday 9/5/26 and 16/5/26 saw two linked Dr Who scenarios put on by Mat at Rupert's establishment, set in a period when the Dalek Emperor was hunting down renegade Daleks that had been cast out of the Empire after a failed revolt.

The game table

Rebel Daleks scouring the crash site of an Imperial Flying Saucer

Rebel daleks had been scattered across the Galaxy in prison cubes, several of which had landed thousands of years ago on Earth. The scenarios we played represented Imperial Dalek forces coming to reclaim the Dalek prisoners to incorporate into the Imperium again. Why do this? Well the Daleks had developed technology to reprogram the rebel Dalek minds and make them loyal again....

The Imperial stronghold set-up in an old castle.

Nothing can really be that easy can it! The scenarios played Imperial & Rebel Dalek factions against each other and the inhabitants of Earth....

Imperial Daleks about to be accosted by the Doctor himself

Imperial Daleks were commanded by Steve & John, Rebel daleks by Mark & Mike W whilst the forces of Earth were played by Mike N & Rupert. Mat umpired.

Friday Night Games: Good v Evil Fantasy Game

From Feb 20th through March 5th we played out a Fantasy Game where an alliance of Good fought the hordes of Evil, both on the tabletop and below ground in dark dingy caverns.

All figures were from Rupert's collection and we used Rupert home written Fantasy Rules, Rupert acted as umpire and it was staged at his house!

Good was represented by John, Dave, Steve & Mike M, whilst teh dastardly Evil crew were Mike N, Mat plus others.

The arrayed forces of Good, mostly Humans with Elves and some others

The Evil horde, comprising of Greenskins, Undead and various other monstrosities!

Elven Imperial Foot backed up by Human Militia

An undead Mammoth, backed by skeleton Chariots and Infantry

The Great Undead Horde, who turned out to be impervious to missle fire!

Lots & Lots of Greenskins

Human Knights and Levy Foot await the Evil onslught

The forces of Good garrison the local Castle

More of the Mounted Knights!