The White Cloaks: Yojimbo mission

Under the command of Sir/Father Wolfgang, a lance of Templar has gone to the Carpathian foothills to investigate a Burgermeister's claim that the local priest has arrested his daughter and accused her of witchcraft. 
Arriving at the hill village they find the Burgermeister and the local priest have both fortified their residences against the other.
Father Wolfgang learns that over the last two months, two youths have gone missing from the village.  The local priest used his diviniation and determined that the burgermeister's daughter was the culprit and arrested her.
Father Wolfgang next went to the church to speak with the priest and see the "witch" for himself, but was denied entry with his weapons.
After negotiations reach a stalemate, Father Wolfgang decides to enter the church by force.

Fashioning a makeshift battering ram, the Father and his men cross the road from the Burgermeister's manor towards the church.

The Priest sees them coming, and unleashes a lightning bolt that cripples one of the trooper's legs.

Father Wolfgang calls for backup and soon they are smashing the church door down with the ram.

Treachery!  The dastardly priest has taken the time used making the ram to throw up a barricade in the entrance. 

Father Wolfgang and the priest trade flash spells.

Father Wolfgang has read Hiffin's primer on leadership (at least he was seen taking it into the privy...) and decides he will lead from the front.  First man into the breach he scales the obstacle...only to be struck in the leg by a lightning bolt that leaves his leg twisted and burning  (18 Health roll!)

Father Wolfgang pulls back and his squire, Mugabe, makes the next attempt to cross.  He slips on some debris and lands at a kneel at the bottom of the pile.  He is poked several times by the fanatical farmers and their sharp sticks.

Father Wolfgang uses his levitation spell to get back in the fight.  He floats over the barricade, using a flash spell that blinds the evil snipers (er..farmers with crossbows) behind.  Mugabe uses his speed to outmanuever the evil cultists  (er...farmers with cheap weapons) and bashes into the store room where the "witch" is being held.

The evil priest tries to use a command spell to get Father Wolfgang t cease hostilities, but Wolfgang resists!  He sends his holy blade deep into the priests belly, killing him.  The priest's mass charm spell broken, the remaining cultists quickly surrender.

Mugabe rescues the princess (er...witch).

"Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?"

Later that night another farm is raided.  In the morning the White cloaks track the attackers to a Valdish roadhouse.

They discover a dozen horsemen inside, but can't determine if they are the culprits.

While they are watching the roadhouse, two Valders come riding in during the night.  Deciding they are up to no good,  Father and Mugabe ride to intercept them.  Sequence!  The Valders shoot arrows to little effect.  Mugabe spears his man through before he can sound his horn.  Father Wolfgang takes on the leader, boldly parrying several wicked slashes to his face while returning several deep blows in  kind.  The Valder slides from his horse and expires with a gurgle.
Father Wolfgang leafs through his prayer book,  "Don't I have speak with dead?!"

Perry plastics, Old Glory, Grenadier (now Mirliton)

More AWI

These are 28mm 2nd Generation Old Glory figs.  I had never considered them before but these are very nice, painted easily and similar in size and style to Perry, which are what all my other forces are.

Here is a side by side with a Foundry (right) figure.  These are a little slighter than the newer Perry AWI, but a thicker base makes them stand about the same.

New Painting

Some 28mm Perry Samurai I have been working on a while.  Actually these are monks and peasants, but I do have painted Samurai, I swear!

And some WIP shots of critters for the never ending Fall Out project...a Centaur from Armorcast.  These things never struck me as very powerful in the video game, but it sure looks nasty.

And the ubiquitous Two Headed Bramin carrying stuff (also from Armorcast).

Military Show on Long Island NY May 17, 18

Hopefully you can click on the picture and see the information.  Otherwise, check the Nassau County website for details.
By the way, this is advertised in a small display in the Arches outlet shopping center in Deer Park, NY.  I don't know how long it will be there and it is pretty small (a few light vehicles and guns) but it sure beats looking at handbags.  And it is free!

Cold War Commander: Spring Offensive

A 6mm modern game using Cold War Commander rules.  US forces in a hasty defense vs. a Soviet offense.

Soviets enter from top right.  Their objective is to clear the fields in the lower left of photo.

Soviet left flank has 2 armored battalions advancing.

US drop infantry into the town objective they intend to defend.

Town objective is supported by 1 US company and the US tank company on the hill.

The soviets push the left flank hard.

The battalion closest to taking the town is pretty much shot to pieces.

The soviet attacks in the center and right cause casualties on the US forces, but they do not cover much ground towards their objective.



The soviet right flank attack stalls, although they push the US forces back.

At the end of turn 6 the soviets have not reached their objective, and the US holds the town, even choppering in some reinforcements.  The soviets did however inflict greater casualties on the US forces and took them to their breakpoint so it was a minor (and costly) victory to the US.

The White Cloaks: Toledo finale

The final chapter of the Terror in Toledo campaign.  The Templar had isolated the city of Toldeo, where a renegade group of Arken worshippers had summoned the archangel Hekat in some misguided attempt to cleanse the area of unbelievers.
The angel was lured back through the summoning gate, however, it left behind it's minions and mechanical devices that were turning the citizens of Toledo into a half human-half mechanical cyber men which the cultists could control.
While the main Templar force dealt with containing the cybermen within the city, newly promoted Grand Knight Hiffin and his trusty companions, Father Vonnegut and Squire Mugabe, was tasked with destroying one of these cybermen generators in the southwestern part of the city.  They were givin a 20 pound keg of gunpowder for the task, although none of the party had any skill with the rock that burns, so using it was going to be iffy.

The neighborhood

The cybermen generator.  Nearing completion.

Cybermen working diligently to complete the generator on schedule.  (skeleton figures substituting for cybermen)

The White Cloaks approach the SW corner and scout out the scene.

In the courtyard of the mansion a large construct creature gives cause for some concern.

The group begins by clearing the outlying buildings of cybermen lookouts.

They work their way around the perimeter, clearing 3 more houses.

Bad luck!  The cybermen have some silent way of communicating, and they are aware their sentries have been killed.  They send out patrols to investigate.

The party is forced with a decision.  The cybermen are now on alert and the generator is sure to be well guarded now.  They decide to split their force, sending Sergeant Herbert and their 2 men at arms out of the neighborhood to lure the cybermen patrols away.

The distraction works, many of the cybermen are chasing the Sergeant. But there are still workers at the generator.

Father Vonnegut signals the Templar archers, who have been hiding up on the city wall, to open fire on the cybermen workers.

While the cybermen engage in a missile duel, Father Vonnegut and Sir Hiffin move out to plant the bomb.

The fuse is lit, but fizzles out.  Sir Hiffin decides to seize the nettle and rushes out to relight it with a torch.

The gunpowder explodes, sending Sir Hiffin riding the explosion into the steps of the nearby building.  Battered but victorious.  The generator is destroyed.

 Part 2:
The primary mission is accomplished, but the citizens of the neighborhood are still being held captive in the church (awaiting conversion to cybermen).  Besides being locked in by a complicated device, the church is also booby trapped by a toxic gas that will release if any rescue is attempted.  While communicating with one of the citizens inside (an alchemist, who has worked out an antidote for the poison, but no access to his lab) one of the renegade cultists shows up and starts manipulating the gas device to stop the alchemist from revealing more information.

Mugabe and Father Vonnegut deal with the cyber cultist.
 

Unfortunately the construct is now alerted and starts to come to life.

The battlements of the mansion also fill with cyberwarriors.

Undaunted by the overwhelming odds, the group assaults the mansion.

Some may call it reckless, but Sir Hiffin prefers "brave".  "You get just as tired running away from the enemy as at them," is a common Hiffin expression.

The construct lumbers around the corner after the party.

Using his magic rope of attachment, Sir Hiffin scales the side of the mansion.  The construct  targets him with its gatling bolt thrower and unleashes a deadly volley. 

Sir Hiffin is hit several times but manages to hold onto consciousness as he throws himself over the battlements...

...into the waiting arms of cybermen warriors.  Sir Hiffin is starting to think this plan is actually more reckless than brave as he all out defends, trying to drink a healing potion.

Suddenly Squire Mugabe is over the wall, fresh and unwounded.  He engages the enemy with his deadly spear while Sir Hiffin provides a 1 man shieldwall.

Father Vonnegut also joins the fray.

With their combined efforts, the group turns the tide on the battlements, clearing them of the cyberwarriors.

The enemy defeated, the group enters the mansion, seeking the mastermind behind this evil activity.

The mansion interior.

Sir Hiffin opens the door to find the mechanically corrupted body of the Chamberlain.

It points a nozzled finger at Sir Hiffin and a gout of flame washes over the knight.

Badly burned, but not out of the fight, Sir Hiffin leaps forward and pins the offending appendage against the floor.  Father Vonegut follows up by placing his holy blade through the Chamberlain's glowing eye.

Deprived of their director, the cybermen in the area wander off, seeking new orders.  The mission is a success.  If the rest of the Templar are successful the city will be saved.  But that remains to be seen in the epilogue...

Part 3:
The people in the church still needed to be rescued.  Armed with the alchemest's list and directions the group scoured the neighborhood in search of the needed ingredients.  Through a series of puzzles and one embarrassing episode where the group struggled with a series of riddles that the game master's 9 year old daughter did better at than us, the antidote was finally prepared and the citizens safely released from the church.  No photos!