Darth Maul Returns - Episode 1

Was goofing around with my kid last weekend and played a few skirmish games with Star Wars minis.  As usual we were too lazy to take down the table we used for other periods so we wound up with another strange setting.
We were testing out rules for light saber wielding maniacs and so Darth Maul became the natural first choice.  This was the last game we played and we are planning to keep the storyline for a while.

MAG CON 3 Weekend Gaming

This past weekend we had Mag Con 3, a local convention put on by my friend Justo.  I have been horribly sick with a serious bronchial infection for weeks now which has slowed my gaming down seriously.  However, I just had to get some games in.  I put on only two games this time.  Song of Drums and Shakos by Sergio http://drumsandshakos.blogspot.com/  which is always very popular.  Once again the Frogs and Grasshoppers had a go and we had some great gaming with 8 players at the table.  The second game I ran was Ed Texeira's Nuts! from Two Hour Wargames http://www.angelfire.com/az3/twohourwargames/index.html  which is one of the great skirmish rules for quick and entertaining games.  THW games using the Chain Reaction system are probably the best convention games around.  I didn't run ATZ this time around as one of the other lads had it covered.
Skirmish gaming is a blast, and always a lot of fun at conventions because players get to finish the games and not think too hard while they chat and throw the dice.

Some Legere rummaging around to see what can be looted.

Rifles coming on the scene.



My new grenadiers getting some action.



These Victrix poses look pretty good.

Peek a boo, I see you!

Grasshoppers taking cover.

Rifles steadily moving up.

I never get tired of looking at a good table.  Here are some of Kurts superbly painted Rifles in action.

George's crack shot Tommies got the ball rolling with some wicked shooting early on. 

Actually, his dice were hot the whole game.

But eventually Jonathon's Krauts started to come alive and the action got fierce.

These guys are fun players because they don't sit around and wait for things to happen.  Up close and personal!

We saw some good bayonet charges, or at least attempts!

And lots of good old fashioned grenade duals.  We even had some prisoner taking this game.

It took a while for Jonathon to get his MG-42 section into action, but once it did, it had a commanding presence.

George kept his lads spread out and effective on the attack.  What a novel idea!

George's Yanks were doing pretty good until a grizzled German NCO decided to go into Rambo mode.  This guy was single handedly kicking some serious arse.

But the Allies kept nibbling away at the spread out Germans.

Here's that maniac German NCO on his path of destruction.  He finally took a hit and went OOF and I think George's Allies were breathing a sigh of relief.

The Cool Thing About Gladiators..

Well, there's lots of cool things about gladiators, but I think that naming the little suckers is the most fun of all.  Of course, I have absolutely no clue as to what I'm doing with Latin, but ineptitude has never stopped me before!  Heck, not even slowed me down for that matter.  I didn't want to just go and pick out run of the mill boring Roman names for my lads, so instead of staying with normal Roman naming conventions I wandered the path a bit.  I tried to pick up on something characteristic about the particular figure and then run it through a translator and do the best I could.  Some of these are not even Latin but I thought would be cool for background.  I've listed the names with my target goals.
Speciosus:  Handsome
Profanus:  Wicked
Deceptus:  Tricky
Geminus:  Dual/Two
Magnus:  Big
Paratus:  Prepared
Ocius:  Quick
Memnon:  Generic Greek Name
Akrisios:  Thracian God
Hannibal:  Of Carthage Fame
Africanus:  Easy to remember for dark skinned gladiator
Germanicus:  Easy to remember for blondie gladiator
Lummox:  What my Mom used to call us when we were being clumsy oafs.

Some Cool Vehicles for Modern Skirmish

A few weeks ago Herrodadog and I went scavenging at a train show.  As you might imagine, most of the stuff there was hideously priced, but there were a few deals to be had.  The only thing I saw, that I just 'had' to have, was a set of vehicles by a company called Cararama.  I had never heard of them before but they had a set that really grabbed me.  I wound up paying around 3.60 each for these puppies.  Clan LTL will have to keep on the lookout for these sweet rides during their adventures.  After a little internet searching I have found that this company makes a vast collection of vehicles.

First we have three classic Beetles.  You can never go wrong with these guys, they are easy to maintain vehicles for post apoc adventuring.

But it was these vans that really grabbed and made me get the set.  There are just so many game settings where these bad boys will fit in.  I can just picture a gang of thugs or guerrillas riding in that converted bus.

More Gladiator Goodness!

Herrodadog finally got his bad ass arena posted so I can post my game pics without stealing his thunder.  Here are some shots from our test play games when his arena was still at about 80%.  Go check out his site for a look at the finished project which is incredible.  It is a great balance of looks vs playability.
http://thehistoricalminiaturist.blogspot.com/2011/03/joining-arena-race-part-3-done.html
As usual we have jumped into the gladiator thing with both feet.  Javier got me interested in this and it took a while for us to clear the decks for this project, but it is all coming together now.  Gladiator games are great for quick and entertaining minis fun when you don't have all day.

Here are a couple of my first Gladiators sparring in the arena.

I really like some of the poses that Black Tree has.

Not having any gladiators of her own didn't stop my daughter from entering the arena.  My first batch of laddies look on from the stands.

Here is my entire staff to date, including my latest additions.  Ludus Bellator Reges looks on from the stands, ready to spar against the House of Franciscus. 

And here is the House of Franciscus.*boo-hiss*  Please note the unsavory and disgraceful employment of Goblin gladiators in his school.  Some guys simply have no honor!

The first match last weekend was between my wizened old Thracian named Akrisios, and one of Jil's heavies.

Experience triumphed as my old gray beard vanquished his foe.

So it is up into the box of honor for Akrisios!

And down into the dungeon of shame for Jil's laddie.

Next up was a match between a couple of Laquearii.  You can always tell the difference between Bellator Reges and House of Franciscus because my lads are always more colorful.  We like to look good for our fans!

And once again Bellator Reges is triumphant!  The crowd goes wild!  They start to throw gifts into the arena!

So another of my lads goes into the box of honor, and the vanquished is sent below.

The last match was between one of my Murmillo types and a Hoplomachi from the House Franciscus.

It would be no sweep for me as Jil's lad is triumphant!

Luckily for me, I outnumbered him in the box of honor and after the cameras stopped rolling we mugged him proper.

This is a picture to remind me of what happened for our campaign.  Todays winners on the top step, losers below.