More mining...

So, I spent the day sanding and gluing. Had to stop now as I need to buy some more pieces (and of course it was the cocktail hour!).

Mine board

I've started work on my mine board. These are resin pieces from Ainsty Castings. I bought them in a sale last year. The board should be suitable for all sorts of games, Old West, Gothic Horror, Pulp, WWI and WWII, maybe even a POW escape game!

First attempt at a layout, might need a few more bits. Planning one more room and maybe an entrance from the other side.

I've had to saw up the main entrance this morning as I want the cart track to run outside. The original has wooden duck boards.

Blistering Barnacles!

I'm thinking about a Tintin league for an upcoming game of Pulp Alley on the China Station. Herewith the Leader and his Sidekick.

The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu

Supervillain Fu Manchu's murderous plots are marked by the extensive use of arcane methods; he disdains guns or explosives, preferring dacoits, thuggee and members of other secret societies as his agents armed with knives, or using "pythons and cobras ... fungi and my tiny allies, the bacilli ... my black spiders" and other peculiar animals or natural chemical weapons. He has a great respect for the truth (in fact, his word is his bond) and uses torture and other gruesome tactics to dispose of his enemies.

Donovan's Reef

I love this film, you can't beat John Wayne having a punch-up!

So now I've made my own Donovan's Reef, just need to paint a few figures now.

SAS in the Desert War

Cecil de Leominster (left) and Paddy Mayne (right) of 'L' Detachment, Special Air Service Brigade at an unknown location in Libya, early 1942. Time for a fag and a brew.

Ritterlich im Kriege, wachsam für den Frieden

Just got started on my SAS/LRDG/DAK project. Here are the first of a small DAK column patrolling the desert in Libya.

Rangers of Shadow Deep

This is not a full AAR simply because it's one of the learning missions from:

It turns out to be a really superb game, particularly if you are normally a solo player like me. I thought I'd just post a few photos of my Ranger and his Warband I created for the game. I will be playing more of this.

Part 8 - Operation Pilchard (The Denouement)

Regroup in the main courtyard for some of the commandos.

The reason for the detachment of the Navy Section, they are bringing in a steam-boat in anticipation of rescuing the prisoners.

Böhm manages to wound McScrotum but then succumbs to his own wounds.

Samman is dispatched by McFee on the balcony.

‘Buster’ sprays the upper landing with his Bren and down comes Oberbootsmann August Ronshausen.

de Tassigny has ascended his rope up to the attic window and broken in to save Prince Phillip. Druce has come in through another attic window and shot Engelmann, taking a wound himself. Sir Douglas D’Emfore wrenches open the door of the room where he has been held captive and gives Gustav Werder a mighty wallop with his umbrella.

The badly wounded but triumphant Hector McSnapcase, Laird of Glencairn leads the released prisoners down to the canal where they offer their grateful thanks to him and Snapforce.

After a round of hand-shakes the steam-boat pulls out into the canal, heading in the direction of Much-Piddling.

But what’s this? Prien not dead? Good grief! Coming around from a serious concussion, Prien finds himself alone on the first-floor landing. Not one to waste any chance of freedom, Gunther Prien lowers himself from the window of the Pilchard Inn into the deserted back garden below.

Still suffering from his wounds, Prien boards the abandoned narrow boat ELM, moored on the nearby tow-path.

Finding the lock gates open from the departing steam-boat, Prien steers the boat in the opposite direction towards Market Snodsbury. He will live to fight again.

Whilst the exhausted but successful commandos of Snapforce check the bar area for medicinal brandy, a solitary narrow boat chugs peacefully away.

THE END

Part 7 - Operation Pilchard (Rescue Plans)

‘Buster’ bursts in through the external door and takes in the scene at a glance. The Laird is sitting in the doorway having taken two wounds. Heinrich Heinz has managed to overcome his pin again and has caused the second wound to Hector. Firing his Bren over Hector’s head, Heinz comes to a sticky end.

Bothmann is killed as Shughie and McScrotum race up to the second-floor landing. Gustav Böhm has overcome his pin, left the balcony and appeared behind McScroutm in the doorway, unnoticed as yet.

Outside the stables, the last Fallschirmjäger shuffles off this mortal coil, dispatched by Ronnie Biggs and ‘Stinker’.

In the main courtyard, the snipers have lined up to take care of Sammann and Böhm, but as we have seen, Böhm crawls back into the inn.

The hapless McAuslan who broke and ran from the fight is trampled by a flock of maddened sheep who have stampeded. Flock you, McAuslan!

The ‘rum, bum and baccy’ boys are on a mission, the nature of which is yet to become clear.

Captain Druce and de Tassigny break out the grapnels and are trying to lodge them at roof level.

Old Shut-Up takes charge on the ground floor and prepares to support the assault upstairs.

‘Camp’ Freddie and Miss Spigot (the housekeeper) are relieved that the commandos are now in possession of the ground-floor.

The situation as it now stands.

To be continued...