Clubbing It! The Sudan

The Sudan:

The next best thing to a great looking Late Medieval game is a great looking Colonial game. The Sudan, like the Indian Mutiny, being especially attractive. To tell you the truth (don't tell my fellow Haggis Rampant players!) it was very tempting to slip through to the other room and try to worm my way into the game! The pics that follow were taken just before the Highlanders on the British/Egyptian left flank collapsed. Definitely a Valentine Baker moment as opposed Garnet Wolsley! 

It really looked like the players, Graeme Carrol, the aptly named Malcolm Gordon and Steven Hardy were having great fun playing the game. The miniatures were from the collections of the latter two gents mentioned above.

The game was certainly a spectacle and I understand it was the guys first foray into the Sudan using the Black Powder rules and are playing again next week so expect more pics of the game if I'm correct in my assumptions.

You should be able to read much more about the game and see many more pics on Steven Hardy's blog HERE very soon.

Bye for now.

Clubbing it! Haggis Rampant

Yesterday we played out the last game in our current campaign season. The randomly determined scenario turned out to be A Taxing Day which at least gave the fleet of foot Islemen a chance of gaining some Glory! Or so I thought.....

Basically the game was the usual mix of frustration as troops failed their activation rolls, typically my (effete) Fierce Foot lagged behind to play no part in the scenario (again!) whilst my Bidowers and Men at Arms of Foot legged it for the loot! A plan, though not by design which did actually yield some results as I managed to pick up two loot counters. Richard, my partner in crime got another so all things considered we had done quite well, for the Scots and Iselmen that is!

The English managed to pip us to the post with an extra point of tax and I'm quite sure that the three units of Hobilars and one unit of Mounted Men at Arms helped in this regard. The game was a bit of a weird one in that there was no actual melee and only a small amount of shooting with both sides being content to grab their respective loot and run!

We came to a gentleman's agreement that although the scenario had been completed we would continue to play and get stuck into one another which at least from my perspective was ore fun than the scenario! I guess that's the wargamer in me- we just like throwing dice don't we? LOL :>)

My 28mm (Fierce?) Iselman Leaves his `15mm Hearth and Home! :>)

My Initial Deployment; Some Things Never Change:

As Per Usual, my Bidowers Lead the Attack While my (so called) Fierce Foot Lag Behind with Positive Productiveness! 

We Tax the Locals! Hurrah!

Ariel View of Nige's Cavalry Based Force Already Pegging It off the Table with his Loot!:

The Culprits!

Bye for now.

It's arrived!! BP- Blood on the Nile!! And a Free Fred Burnaby!!

Shooting Leave Catch Up Post:

I guess that I've let the goose out of the bag  but here are my first impressions of the book and the Perry Fred Burnaby mini that came free with the order from Perry Miniatures.

Firstly, the book is lavishly illustrated with diorama style pics of beautiful that really capture a glimpse of what some of the action Perry Miniatures with some cameo appearances from Foundry Miniatures, Empress Miniatures (?), Castaway Arts (?) and a few others I spotted that I did not recognise.  As I've said, the photo's are all set up vignette style and give a flavour of the action that's lacking in some rulebooks. Overall, the production quality in on a par with most of Warlord's black Powder, Hail Caesar products but this one seems especially good.

I ordered from the Perry's as I was really taken by the free mini of Fred Burnaby at the Battle of Abu Klea. This miniature is very understated considering the gallant and somewhat futile mess he got himself into during the battle that lead to his untimely demise. I really love this figure and getting an early casting is certainly worthwhile as the quality is always better no matter who you order the miniatures from.

Colonel Frederic Gustavus Burnaby was a very interesting man....  He joined the Royal Horse Guards at a young age and was prone to searching out any reason to go on Shooting Leave, but of a life of adventure. He was a pioneer of ballooning for example as well as travelling through Spain and Russia. His Russian adventures are described in his book, A Ride to Kiva.

In 1879 he began to develop an interest in politics and ran unsuccessfully for Birmingham as a Tory Democrat. He is noted as crossing the English Channel in a hot air balloon (certainly a more successful enterprise than his political career!) and by 1882 was on active service involved in the Egyptian Campaign and later in the Sudan. He fought at the battle of El Teb and acted as political officer to General Valentine Baker. He met his death fighting in a heroic attempt to save his countrymen at Aby Klea. and his loss was much mourned by the army. 

A giant of a man, said to be able to carry two troopers under each arm(!), he was larger than life when he lived and goes down as a living legend in his time.

I'll talk much more comprehensively about Fred Burnaby in a later post.

Cheers for now.

It's arrived!! BP- Blood on the Nile!! And a Free Fred Burnaby!!

I guess that I've let the goose out of the bag  but here are my first impressions of the book and the Perry Fred Burnaby mini that came free with the order from Perry Miniatures.

Firstly, the book is lavishly illustrated with diorama style pics of beautiful that really capture a glimpse of what some of the action Perry Miniatures with some cameo appearances from Foundry Miniatures, Empress Miniatures (?), Castaway Arts (?) and a few others I spotted that I did not recognise.  As I've said, the photo's are all set up vignette style and give a flavour of the action that's lacking in some rulebooks. Overall, the production quality in on a par with most of Warlord's black Powder, Hail Caesar products but this one seems especially good.

I ordered from the Perry's as I was really taken by the free mini of Fred Burnaby at the Battle of Abu Klea. This miniature is very understated considering the gallant and somewhat futile mess he got himself into during the battle that lead to his untimely demise. I really love this figure and getting an early casting is certainly worthwhile as the quality is always better no matter who you order the miniatures from.

Colonel Frederic Gustavus Burnaby was a very interesting man....  He joined the Royal Horse Guards at a young age and was prone to searching out any reason to go on Shooting Leave, but of a life of adventure. He was a pioneer of ballooning for example as well as travelling through Spain and Russia. His Russian adventures are described in his book, A Ride to Kiva.

In 1879 he began to develop an interest in politics and ran unsuccessfully for Birmingham as a Tory Democrat. He is noted as crossing the English Channel in a hot air balloon (certainly a more successful enterprise than his political career!) and by 1882 was on active service involved in the Egyptian Campaign and later in the Sudan. He fought at the battle of El Teb and acted as political officer to General Valentine Baker. He met his death fighting in a heroic attempt to save his countrymen at Aby Klea. and his loss was much mourned by the army. 

A giant of a man, said to be able to carry a polo ponies under each arm(!), he was larger than life when he lived and goes down as a living legend in his time.

I'll talk much more comprehensively about Fred Burnaby in a later post.

Cheers for now.