The Road to LEAD MOUNTAIN......

.....is not so much paved with good intentions as much as it is childish glee and greed bent in all angles to somehow reach adult justification.

As it kind of fits the season, though I'd be banging on no matter the date, I shall explain;

Some many months ago a few of us were dabbling with some Pulp gaming, lead mainly by Jon who directed our gazes to various manufactures including Pulp Figures who have a number of very fine offerings. I then discovered that as something of a side project PF's main man, Bob Murch, was also working on some particularly lovely woodland Indians for the Huron / Iroquois war.

I drooled over these figures during many a lunch break as I'm a sucker for AWI and the Black Powder skirmish thing. The Last Mohican has to be a Top 10 film for me. They're also really nice, lovingly crafted figures. Having previously read a bit around the subject I found myself a copy of Orenda on Bob's suggestion and enjoyed it thoroughly.

I've dabbled with the period previously on a number of occasions, most recently as my St Peytersburg project being a Sleepy Hollow village to range through any historical genre I fancied. Scenery was built, many figures were based and base-coated, some figures were even painted. Musket and Tomahawk was purchased and played. Mordheim was ported across to provide Zombies vs Redcoats. STUFF happened....until it didn't anymore as the unholy trinity of time, money and opponents, aka reality, confined everything into a variety of storage boxes.

So imagine my delight when I discovered that those figures had been developed into Flint and Feather as part of Crucible Crush. All of a sudden it's a package deal of figures and rules all wrapped up in a starter box set. These days, to me, easy access into a genre / period is a big deal. Old school demanded that you do all the legwork yourself and to an extant you got a greater sense of accomplishment, assuming you actually got there. More and more these days entry point boxed sets are coming onto the market.

When I worked for Gee-Dub I did pretty well from the maxim; "Sell the Hobby not the Product" because once you're into the hobby you sell yourself the product.  For myself, and I'm sure many others, it's more about limiting myself and despite the commen sense in that I often rail against it despite the shadow of the mountain over my shoulder.

Kind of half the point isn't it?

This is NOT Sparta!

How much for a Finecast Orc Shaman!!!

Hello people, 300th post don't you know and an apt time for one of those retro/intro-spective posts that I'm sure we all enjoy reading all so much :)

As I have bemoaned previously and my recent posts and lack of painting points demonstrates over the last couple of months I have been playing but not playing.

This has been due to LIFE and as mentioned I've not really minded up til now but a probable 4th month without a painting point has arrived.


Along with a few other events I have felt the need to further define my more focused (+ve spin) / restricted (-ve spin) hobby goals. The recent GW price rise and 40K froth has finally killed any lingering desires to return to "the good old days" as they've not existed for sometime taking with them any gaming that's not skirmish. Even the alternatively retro pull of 15mm Sci-Fi has finally been designated ILLOGICAL :(

Aren't you a little short for an Uruk Hai?


That however is where the bad news ends :)

I've REALLY got into SAGA recently and not just because I've been winning but because I've finally caught onto it's full scope thanks to Rich's Fantasy style campaign down at the club.

My gratitude Mr Jones!

So much so in fact that I've finally bitten the bullet and picked up 44 Mordor Orcs and 20 Uruk-Hai via E-Bay for the princely sum of £35. A couple of dozen more Uruk-Hai scouts may join them along with a couple of characters but that will be it.

Beards! Dozens of them!!

Re-based onto tuppences this will give me everything I need to play any faction I like and keep the Fantasy angle covered with what I'm happy will be a good degree of "authenticity".

Watching The Return of the King again the other week I remembered how much I like the feel and background of the force, painted and sold previously, and how much I've enjoyed playing with them.

With sabots at the reading they can also work for Impetus, Fantasy or otherwise, as a few of us occasionally threaten.
Another shout-out to Mr Jones for my recent introduction to Muskets and Tomahawks, upon which I have recently blogged lyrical, which will so easily reclaim St Peytersburg from it's stalled project status. Smiles all round.

With my birthday a mere fortnight away I've even been brave enough to request both rulesets and some Perry Indians from my nearest and / or dearest :)

That covers those bases but what about the traditional indulgence of ones present to oneself?

Dystopian Wars still lurks offshore and though becalmed I have 90% of what I need / want, other than the application of paint. A campaign will appear at the club at some point. One way or the other games WILL be played. I digress.

Two choices seem to remain. Further investment in Warhammer Invasion or something completely different and a $100 Kickstarter investment in to Zombicide. Once again I've blogged about both.

WI is the "safe" option. A game that I do and will continue to play and enjoy giving me what I actually want from GW, feel and fluff, in a way that their products can't. Almost a no-brainer, an expansion on a current vice that doesn't stretched my more focused / restricted TIME resource.

Zombicide however is a new format for me in a lot of ways and something of a shot in the dark. Multi-use comes as it would provide most of what I need for modern day St Peytersburg but how long would it sit about for, a la Space-Hulk though does that matter?

So SAGA plus Muskets and Tomahawks ably supported by Warhammer Invasion. Just how focused do I want / need to be? Opinions welcome :)

Give Fire!!

Hello people.

After too many abortive attempts, my fault entirely, Rich dropped round Thursday night and, suitably equipped with tea and biscuits, ran me through a game of Muskets and Tomahawks. As usual I'm not going to provide and in-depth review but link you to that of Mike Hobbs who has already done so and particularly well at that. I am however going to provide you with my more impressionistic approach.

I'd heard lots of good things about T&M, and not just from Rich. I was aware of it's randomly drawn card activation system, always one I've liked, and its Sideplots adding plenty of extra pith to the scenarios.

Taking the Brits I rolled up a Scout mission, needing to visit each quarter of the board and then exit, whilst Rich's French rolled up Slaughter, charged with objectionable task of wiping out a local farmstead thought to be less than keen on frogslegs.

Fortuitously I had already laid out one of St Peyetrsburg's outlying farmsteads with civilians and livestock in attendance so with fresh brews to hand the game commenced.

A few French activation cards came up first and Rich wasted no time in marching straight towards it hollering all the way. The locals quickly took flight though the farmers wife insisted on fetching her prize china first whilst Grandad marshaled the kids to drive the pigs.

The British and their Indian allies arrive by line and blind marker respectively. Marching to the sounds of commotion their scouting mission quickly becomes one of rescue. No Jonny Foreigner will be allowed to sully the King's new territories!

Advancing in the British line deliberately draw the fire of their French counterparts. The Frog militia had already set about their grisly work but a strong Redcoat volley from their unsighted flank sends them fleeing back into the woods.

Despicable Frog that he so obviously is the French Captain steps away from the line and takes aim at the fleeing back of Sara, the Negro housemaid............and shoots her down in cold blood!

A failed thrust by the Brits Indian allies sees the French Militia chase after them only for them to run into the rifles sights of the Indian sharpshooters. Morale is well modelled within M&T giving regular line plenty of staying power whilst leaving Militia decidedly fickle all through one simple mechanic.

Meanwhile the remaining civilians, and their pigs continue their headlong charge for safety. The British delaying action was working and in fact repulsing the French. Rich was having to take further risks to chase his scenario objectives. With neither sideplot looking likely to be fulfilled, they can modify the scale of any victory, it was turning into winner takes all!


Virtuous as the day is long Captain Horatio Long-Bottom had stood mortified by the casual slaughter of he house-maid and as such determined that the rules of gentlemanly conduct no longer applied.

Continuing to loudly exhort his men to hold their rapidly reducing line, one of his randomly determined traits that had previously held his men fast in the face of the French fusillade, he calmly drew his pistol and shot that dastard Frenchman in the head!

A lucky shot no doubt but one that seemed almost karmic given his actions. As the only French officer the Morale card was now added to the French deck. When it next came up all French units would be subject to an immediate Morale check. Mon Dur!!

Whilst Grandad lead his charges deeper into the woods the Morale came up for Rich causing his remaining Militia to flee the field leaving just a few true born Frenchmen to carry the fight to the hated John Bull.

Said Frenchmen were quickly set upon by the Indian Braves, who despite being outnumbered 2 to 1 routed their foes leaving all but three of their number with a new haircut! Major British victory in the offing one feels!

A quick game played in a few hours there was nothing too difficult to learn but plenty to admire. A simple set of rules that plays well and allows the scenarios and subplots to shine through, I enjoyed it immensely. Post game chatter turned to how well it would work for my St Peytersburg gothic horror setting just using stat and abilities already laid out. The supernatural could be easily run as a third force by either a third player or by scenario / automatic / random very easily.

In short this is a game that WILL motivate me out of my current painting slump........it's really that good, give it a go :)