Gauntlet 2013

Well, our Internet connectivity problems persist.  British Telecom insisted they could get us between 1 and 3.5 Mbps connection speed through their lines but have now failed to get us any connection at all in the two weeks since we took delivery off their “Home Hub”.  Meanwhile T-Mobile’s signal has dropped and I can only get a decent signal by taking the Mac upstairs to an inconvenient location in our bedroom or by perching it precariously on the window ledge in the study.  Anyway, until one of the cats knocks the computer flying, here’s an update on gaming stuff in the Land of Counterpane.

Early July saw Jamie and I over in Chester for our annual trip to Gauntlet, the small show run by Deeside Defenders.  This year we weren’t contributing to the SOTCW game other than as players.  Pete Jones and Will McNally put on three games over the weekend and Jamie and I played in two of them.

Saturday saw a Tunisia 1943 game using Rapid Fire! 

Somewhere in Tunisia.  German forces entering bottom right.

Jamie ran some attacking Italians whilst I had elements of a German Panzer Division.  Will, Pete and another local (sorry, can’t remember the name) ran British and American forces and a small number of ex-Vichy French holding two villages.

The French included some wonderfully characterful Foreign Legion who were paint conversions of the original 1960s Airfix Foreign Legion figures (the type before the ones I’m converting into early WW1 French infantry). This was very reminiscent of the late John Sanders’ Eighth Army models from the Airfix Guide and old issues of Airfix Magazine.

Foreign Legionnaires hold the first village as British recce arrives to help.

As so often when called upon to attack, I think I was rather too thorough in clearing the first line of defences and didn’t push forward aggressively enough.  I managed to clear the French from the First village but didn’t get forward quickly enough to prevent the Americans giving my Italian partners a bloody nose.

Senegalese colonial troops hold off the Italians.

On Sunday morning Jamie and I decided to play a little Song of Blades and Heroes.  On both occasions a party of Wolf Pirates was defeated by the Chaos Gang.

The Wolf Pirates arrive in dribs and drabs
to find the Chaos Gang ready for them. 

The Frost Giant fires a blast of ice at a Vormaini pirate.

Sunday afternoon saw us dragged back to Will’s table to play Longstop Hill (another Tunisian action), this time using the Bolt Action rules.  

I can’t say I enjoyed this one hugely.  Not sure why but I didn’t find Bolt Action did it for me.  I found the use of dice as markers intrusive, which is odd because I live with it for Cold War Commander.