Pigtickler !?!

Some figures of Victorian weirdness I've painted for a friend. Dougie
The Umpire and stokers!?!

Some Players

Chain of Command

I'm really looking forward to the Too Fat Lardies releasing their new WW2 Platoon plus rules, "Chain of Command"
http://toofatlardies.co.uk/blog/
Probably better if you check out the you tube videos here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiT70m6CJO8
Standard Richard Clarke some great ideas!
Dougie

they sent me to Sangin and I said no, no, no...

Did a short run through of Skirmish Sangin with Andy this morning. It was a small scenario and as it turned out very quick! Skirmish Sangin is first and foremost a very low level system that is rewarding when played with a good narrative, by this I mean you've gotta have a role playing element if you do you'll like it.
Andy hadn't played the game before but its easy to pick up and we didn't encounter any problems. The story's below, read on... Dougie 
Summer 2006 in the outskirts of Sangin, as part of a larger patrol a 3PARA 4 man fireteam are to check a shop trader and follow up on intel. The action takes place on a 2 foot x 2 foot terrain tile, this equates to about 50m x 50m so the engagement is at very close quarters!
This is a view of my breakfast bar pretending to be downtown Sangin

A closer view looking acress the fields towards the store

Andy played the Brits with Sgt Fearon a veteran NCO with L84A2, Watterson an average Tom also with an L85A2, Richards again an average guy with an L85A2/UGL combination and lastly McGarry with the Minimi an average Tom but with a high BODY score. The team were entering the area in the small alley opposite the store in the picture above. I was Terry with Atash, Abdul Bari and Masem all with AKs and in the field opposite the alley. Atash was a veteran, Abdul Bari an average and Masem a novice but with a high BODY score similar to McGarry.
Atash had just been told to expect a patrol of infidels to speak with the shopkeeper, he grabbed 2 other fighters and was waiting in the field right next to the shop relishing the chance to attack the ISAF forces.
My 3 fighters impatiently waiting...

Sgt Fearon and the rest of the team arrive...

The fireteam gets to the alley junction opposite the shop and we go to Combat Rounds. McGarry and Masem activate first in combat phase 1, we roll and McGarry wins activating before Masem. McGarry rolls to spot spending 1 AP of his 3 and instantly sees the 3 Talibs loitering around at the edge of the field, they've obviously become sick of waiting and arn't hidden in cover.
 McGarry spends a further 1AP and brasses them up with his Minimi!

 Both are hit and Andy rolls for damage and being his normal jammy self rolls highly on the 4d10 damage dice killing both Masem and Atash! Because poor Abdul Bari, the novice fighter, is within 12" of this he gets a morale test marker.

McGarry spends his remaining AP and steps back into cover.
Combat phase 2 and Sgt Fearon is activated, he easily spots the hapless Abdul Bari and opens up with his L85. Andy's lucky rolling continues getting 14 on 2d10 killing him instantly!
Game over and I hadn't rolled a dice!!!!!!!

To get this engagement into context you had a switched off group of Talibs standing at the edge of a field when a veteran led Airborne fire team have got to a junction and spotted them. The range was 10" on the table which equals 20metres. Sgt Fearon and his boys weren't gonna miss at that range.
When playing this system, use cover, don't walk around in the open, prone or kneeling if you're stationary and remember a 4 foot square table equals a 100m square block of terrain, if you're in the open and it goes kinetic you're gonna get slotted!

More Falklands UKSF

Another 3 for the M&AWC, the figures are left to right, Britannia, Liberation and Hotspur. The middle guy has had a scratch made M79 added. Dougie

Top Malo House in 10mm

I picked up some of the excellent 10mm Falklands offerings from Timecast at York. The photo below is one of the few available showing Top Malo House in its undamaged state albeit from the 1930s! You do get some photos purporting to be the structure but show a building at Teal inlet with 602 prisoners after the engagement.

Barrie at Timecast has done a cracking job on his rendition of the structure, cast in Timecast's quality resin the chimney comes as a seperate casting. All I've done is base it and paint it.
Later, Dougie

Commandos 602 Cdo.Coy. Argentine Army Falklands 1982

The start of my 20mm Argentine Forces. Elements of Compania de Comando 602 initially for a refight of the raid on Top Malo House. The 4 figures below are from the very old but very good Hotspur Operation Corporate range. Originally produced in the 80's they are still available from Combat Miniatures. Now these figures are very old and you'll need to check the castings, best way is to get them at a show, they're showing their age and need to be checked, some of the packs I've had are miscast and flash covered, buyer beware. That aside there are some very good figures from the talented hands of the late Dave Alsop.
They're painted up in the Argentine copy of US Woodland pattern, for reference there's a super article in Issue 3 October/November 1986 of "Military Illustrated Past & Present", Argentine Commandos in the Falklands 1982 by Carbral with a colour plate by Paul Hannon, all you need really, Osprey 250 "Argentine Forces in the Falklands" is also useful.
Going off tack a little, "Military Illustrated Past & Present" is not the magazine it was, the first issues were superb, if you can get your hands on any of the first 100 issues of this magazine, the earlier ones tend to be the best, they're worth their weight in gold. Some bang on articles on modern forces, often written by ex-members and illustrated by the likes of Volstad and my own personal favourite Kevin Lyles. Check out eBay and second hand shops worth buying if you can get them!
Dougie

African Rebels "Oldies but Goodies"

I'm making an effort to get all my figures on the blog, these are some of my Liberation African rebels, usable as 60s onwards. I got these from Rolf at Liberation years ago, I'd guess about 15-20! from his stand at either Triples or Salute when it was at Kensington town hall. They're still nice figures, they've been tarted up a little bit, weapons and tufts but are largely as they were painted all that time ago. I think Rolf has redone these figures now, however these boys have gave sterling service fighting Rhodesians, South Africans and themselves over the years!
Later, Dougie
Command Element

A couple of shots of rank and file rebels

Support Elements

The Fallen