Ignorant Armies Clashing

Some DBA action and pictures to enthrall and entertain for a few mo's.

I had the joy of cracking a few games off with Mark Wall. He's re-located Magna Calgaria, which is Edmontograd's loss (sorry denizens of EDBAG he's one of us now) and truly our gain.

We played two games in which I matched his Later Crusaders (cracking paint job BTW) with my Sicilians and Cilician Armenians. Sicilians and Cilicians...you'd think I do that sort of thing on purpose...

First game saw the indefatigable Cilician Armenians face down the ravenous slobs of the Crusader Kingdoms. I painted the Ar-meanie-ans up for Paul Hannah's last tourney in these parts, Skulls of Tamerlane at FallCon a few years back.

 I love my Cilician list. 1xKnG, 2xKn's, 4xSp, 2xAux, 3xPs. Good mobility and firepower, and a decent record against all comers.

Tonight however was a game changer. I started off quite well, zapping two units of Mark's and proceeding to roll up his flank. Then (see pic below) everything went screwy.

6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6 and 6. 

Those were not mine. Game ended is a slaughter: 6-2.

We go to Brother Anselm, currently held aloft by infinite Angels for the eye-in-the-sky view.

So I hauled out my trusty Sicilians. These guys have a record of mightiness as would be expected of towering German Knights, valiant Muslim Guards and Sicilian cut-throats, 

I out-manouvered and out-feinted Mark. But he sucked me into the situation below in which my Kn General is stuck in double overlap. If I won, I would have killed two of his units, including his General.

Instead:
6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6 and 6.

Suck quarrels Hospitallers!

I know those 8Cb look pretty deadly. They even have a praying monk asking for God's thumbs up. But we know what that will often get ya...carnage, lots of it, with you on the pointy end. Game over.

I know I made these last two battle seem like I'm a tactical mastermind whose wickedly cunning plans are forever foiled by the ineptitude of his underlings whose failures are expressed in a series of 1's and 2's.
THIS IS TRUE
However it does take away from Mark's nice guy 'who me' guile. Oh yes...he has that and a pocket full of luck.

As I've said before, it's not that he gets into these weird situations, it's that he gets out of them.

Please drop into Mark's blog for more pix and a less biased recount. (his camera is better too, nice looking pics.)

So, let's look at a couple of other games...one of which I actually win.

Lykian Marines! Ooo-Rah! Semper Fi! Do or Die!

I've not a had a chance to profile one of my latest armies, the Lykians. Hell, I don't remember the number but it's in Book I near the end. Don't make me go all ENTP all over your pencil-ass neck.

I'll profile them later. Needless to say they were inspired by the same Paul Hannah on a Fanaticus thread. Many years back, back when DBA was COOL, I posted as Spanikopites and people didn't post shit about me on Facebook that was hurtsome and mostly wrong.

I threw down with Evil Neil, who is always trying to get me roleplaying. He's excited to get me to play Call of Cthulhu. I have yet to tell him that I've been playing CoC since Year 0 and summoned the King in Yellow in the boys locker room in Grade 11. Lots of detention that week. 

So brought out his Late Academic Persians, whilst not legit enemies of the brave Lykian freedom fighters, still pretty close as Lykia was a sort of dependency/bitch of the Persians until Alex the Goon 'rescued' them.

This was a fun, quick deadly game. I snarfed his chop-suey chariot of doom with a forlorn hope of psiloi.   

What is Persian for Banzai Charge?

Situation looking good? See below.

'Sir, Persian horse have broken through and over-run our flanks, game over man!'

As you see from the pix, after that my speedy attack swung into full tempo, only to be stymied by the (inevitable) breakthrough of the Persian horseboys on my flank. So aside from a chance to kill his General (who proved his mettle and steamrolled my unit) the rampaging Persians brought this he game to an end.

Neil, I will avenge myself upon you 

and your stylish army!

Next up was Dangerous Don Ray fielding his Ptolemaic Army of Doom. A classic Successor army consisting of a block of Pikes and then one each of every other unit in the rulebook including a few I didn't know existed. 

The following pictures are presented in sequence and without comment. I won by playing mean and dirty. I fought a twitchy, double dealing battle. I grabbed his camp, called his phalangites naughty names and won. I guess I'm too nice and should be EVIL more often.

Sick and wrong! Lykian flower-pot heads put an end to Don's elephant powered weapon of mass destruction.

Pawn sacrifice: some must die so others live. Lykian Aux face a Knight general in the open.

Perturbed by psiloi, Ptolemaic pikers pounce.

Set and match Ptolemy. Stay out of Lykia!

Let's get it! Don trembles as the Lykians rush his undefended camp.

Thank-you for reading. 

These where 4 affirming games. 

Happy painting and games!

-TV

Art Corner: Painting tables at the Sentry Box.

Listening to: Bach Cello Suites.

Drinkin' Cheap Aussie Shiraz.

G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T. page added. Now with 75% more dinosaurs!

Due to overwhelming requests from many readers (thanks to both of them) I have built a page specifically devoted to G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T. adventures and figures.

I've organized them under the awesome* universe me and the pre-Teen Visigoth created. We basically asked what conditions need to exist so we can have Englishmen eaten by Carnosaurs?**

We proudly introduce: The Neo-Cretacious Age. 

So is it just an excuse to play with 1/72nd plastic soldiers and dollar-store dinos?

Yes. Yes it is.

-TV

*Awesome in the sense the background material was scribbled on a falafel wrapper. 

** We will ensure that all nationalities and ethnicities are represented and properly maimed and eaten.

Listening: Paul Simon (again). Coffee house needs more music choices...
Drinking: Darjeeling. Baby. 

It's the Obligatory Recap Post! 2012=meh.

I've been pretty busy, but not in the miniature department.

Been keeping an eye on the resurgence of militarism in Bavaria

Actually, I've been spending a lot of time in the mountains. The snow keeps falling and the back country beckons.

What I look like when not hunched over my desk abusing solvents.

I'll give a quick series of thoughts regarding 2012 as I don't have any cool mini pics ready (some more GASLIGHT pics coming. Some in which Englishmen are devoured by Dinosaurs!)

2012

THE GOOD: Getting back into GASLIGHT and doing it with the Pre-TeenVisigoth. It's been a blast.  It's been good to reestablish my love of 20mm/1/72nd plastic guys as well. Been chopping and swapping like Herr Doktor Frankenstein.

THE BAD: Commissions are not for me. Once when my time was less wibbly wobbly, I could devote time to them. Now, things are different. I'll find a new revenue stream.

THE UGLY: Downsizing. You know what I mean. Get rid of stuff. Mad the hard calls.

-TV