Colonial Steam River Launch

I think that it would be fair to say that my challenge did not go exactly as I planned insomuch that larger* units of historical miniatures were been overlooked in favour of smaller, more interesting items. I am squaring this away as a direct result of my inability to focus on one thing at any one time and although initially frustrating I decided to embrace it wholeheartedly and enjoy the ride - so to speak! 

*larger for me anyway

To that end let me present to you one of my last offerings to the challenge in the shape of a 'Sarissa Precision' Colonial Steam River Launch.  Whilst I know that not everyone is a fan of the seemingly relentless march of MDF in our most wholesome of hobbies, I have to confess that I am a bit of a fan.  I really enjoy putting these kits together and in the case of the 'Sarissa Precision' models there is plenty of scope to add your own personal touches.  

Having said that when it came to mine, I shamelessly cribbed much of the colour palette and additional extras that I had seen on the Sarissa display stand when I last visited 'Salute'.  The Coal Sacks were sourced from 'The Battle Forge' and I affixed some rivets to the boiler before swapping out the somewhat angular funnel for a more cylindrical piece of tube.  

As with all MDF models, priming is essential as the nature of the material means it will absorb great quantities of paint if you do not.  That said a liberal spray with 'Games Workshop' black undercoat seemed to do the trick, followed by a couple of passes with the trusty airbrush before the details were picked out with a brush.  

Once completed, I set about looking for a suitable skipper and felt that a 'Wargames Foundry' Stouthearted Brit, enjoying his cup of Earl Grey was perfect for the job, but wait, what was that breaking the surface of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River?

As I mentioned at the start of this post, I am often misdirected by the smallest of things and in this case it was the notion that there might be something lurking beneath the waves, ready to ensnare this humble craft. Perhaps lured by the rhythmic thumping of the steam pump, something long forgotten has been stirred from its slumber. In this case some plastic tentacles from my 'Rum & Bones' Kickstarter sufficed and they seemed perfectly responsive to paint. Not content with paint alone, I used a little Vallejo water effects to give the impression of them breaking the surface.

So this was another entry for the challenge completed, but perhaps more importantly another itch scratched.  Maybe the launch will resurface in a 'Congo' scenario, or be seen ferrying troops ashore along the Irrawaddy, but either way it has proved another hugely enjoyable distraction for yours truly.

Ahoy Mateys!

The start of any academic year is a busy time at best, but this year the return to work was sweetened with arrival of my 'Rum & Bones' Kickstarter.  Having learnt my lesson from past crowd funding escapades I pledged for the basic Captain level, with a couple of extra packs of dice*, back in December 2014.  Of course that is the problem with Kickstarter, the waiting!  Back in 2014 you couldn't move for piratical wargaming fun, but at the back end of 2015 there is barely a black sail on the horizon!  

*You can never have enough dice!

Of course there are other benefits to pledging and that is all the free stuff!  The additional exclusives on this one meant that I failed to sneak the not insubstantial box past the 'Saintly Mrs. Awdry', which in turn brought a derisive, "what have you done now?"  Not one to be deterred by the sudden frost that enveloped 'Awdry Towers', I set about unpacking my plunder.

My first impressions are that it looks fabulous, the design of the miniatures, boards, rules and even the packaging have real quality to them, but what about game play?  I hurriedly set up the boards and populated them with pirates selected my factions - in this case the Wellsport Brotherhood and the Bone Devils.  From the outset it was clear that this wasn't really intended for solo play, but my intention was just to get a handle on the rules.  Before long deck guns were cutting swathes through pirates intent on crossing gangplanks, heroes were rigging across from ship to ship with no apparent regard for health and safety and the Kraken, well actually the Kraken didn't turn up because as just as I got going it was time to put my toys away for supper!

Supper time!

Unperturbed, I tried again this afternoon and can report it really is great fun!  Fast and furious, the game  requires you to accumulate objectives to secure victory points, but of course there is treasure to be had too!  Gold is awarded when Heroes dispatch Deckhands and can then be used to unleash ever more powerful attacks or unlock special abilities.   

The above pictures show key moments as members of the Wellsport Brotherhood snagged the three objectives necessary to see them win the game and below the state of boards at the end of the game.  All over in just over an hour and half, this is a great fun, fast game.  I imagine as one becomes more familiar with the factions' attributes, and depending on the luck of the draw with the tide cards, each game could differ completely.  That said, I'm glad I didn't go overboard** with my pledge as I can always add different factions if it captures the imagine of our small gaming crew.  I shall certainly be painting up a few pieces in due course as they really are too good not to, but as to well - who knows?

**Pun very much intended!