From one extreme to another...

Here at Abingdon Wargames Club, we try to have a campaign or two run over the winter months to get club members into something a bit different and playing against folks they might not normally meet over the gaming table.   There's a Warhammer Fantasy battle campaign this season, and I'm helping to run a 7TV campaign.  

Tonight therefore saw some of the 7TV participants draw up their casts.  So far we have "The S.P.A.C.E. Man" and two from as-yet-untitled series, one a 1960s pastiche of Torchwood and the other based around a bunch of London coppers.  A couple of other players unable to make tonight just need to get up speed, and then the first games will take place on Friday 18th November. 

We then got in two games of Pandemic (failing to halt the advance of the diseases both times) and finished with a quick and very amusing game of Worm Up.  All dice-free.

I swear I've got withdrawal symptoms already.

Resolving to be unresolved...

So, with plenty of snow over the last fortnight, attendance at AWC has been lower than might be expected. Nevertheless, the Sunday Dr Who game saw Overlord and New Andrew pit wits over four games each, each with very different but always plausible* results.  The two final AWC meetings of 2010 saw an evening of Pandemic (I was too knackered/full of head cold to sort out something myself, and Mr. Manning kindly proffered an empty seat to his game) and then an evening of Flintloque.  New Andrew had recently expressed an interest in trying out the rules, and the fortuitous temporary return of Rob Alderman meant we could indulge in a game set in the world of Valon, a Yule/Solstice tradition of ours**.

December saw no other wargaming, amidst the festivities.  A flying visit to Kenilworth and Rob (a budding sculptor of Flintloque/Slaughterloo miniatures, incidentally who has his own blog here) saw him break out various boardgames he'd owned for a long time but had yet to play.  One was Bugman's Bar Brawl or some such, and the other was War On Terror.  All good fun (I hesitate to say clean, given the content of both...).  As for New Year's Eve, a posse of workmates came over for a Western-themed murder mystery party, and no-one seemed to suffer any pain as a result (except the murder victim of course, and those foolish enough to over indulge in both grain and grape).

However, most importantly the last two weeks has seen my 15mm US Company for Vietnam games completed! Three platoons plus four MG squads, or 128 figures.  No excuses for me not to roll out Charlie Don't Surf  at AWC, particularly as it may offer a nice alternative for any members not involved in the WH40k campaign being set up (16 AWC members have signed up for this, which is being organised by Wily Nick).

So, a New Year and the knotty issue of resolutions.  I've never been any good with these, so instead here are some aims:

• Get some pictures on here.
• Be in a position to copy this brilliant idea by December 31st, 2011...
• Finish my 15mm WWI late war Brits for Squarebashing by November
• Finish my 1/600th German Battle of Britain aircraft by May

  Have all my Vietnam kit ready for a CDS game at Overlord 2011 (failure is not an option; the committee'll kill me otherwise).
• Paint some 28mm stuff, anything really- didn't touch any of the 28mm lead pile in 2010.
• Pick a period in the Lead pile that will distract me from completing one/some/all of the above...

As for pig-product, I received my share of the ridiculously oversized Christmas ham prepared by my folks, whilst some barbecue glazed mini pork sausages complemented the Murder Mystery's sippin' whiskey.

*Yes, I know we're dealing with Dr Who here. 

**At least, Rob and I consider it a tradition long-standing since 2009.  Let me know when it's appropriate to define something as traditional.

The Curious Case Of Ms. Slocombe's Posse...

So, after a quick round of social bashes at work, I find myself giving over this weekend to gaming aplenty.

Messrs Neatherway and Watkins, the Div and Rich popped round on Saturday for this months' boardgame bash.  We began with Gibson Games' Britannia, cleared the palate with The Stars Are Right (kindly provided by Mr. Watkins) and unfortunately came a cropper with the dense, rich confection that is Arkham Horror with its various expansions.

Britannia was great fun, not least because of the petty turf fighting it encourages, and the fact that it really is unclear who is winning for most of the full game's sixteen turns.  However, the balance of the five player version was the subject of some discussion, as poor Mr. Neatherway never seemed to be in control of a tribe/faction that could acquire significant numbers of points.  There was much dark muttering about "house rules for next time..."

The Stars Are Right was a great example of a fiendishly simple game to pick up, but with plenty of potential subtlety.  Mr. Watkins and the Div commented that it was all the more better for having numerous players.  There followed a short intermission as food was sought, and Rich walked a dog.

Our ambition got the better of us, as we attempted to play Arkham Horror.  Unfortunately, I'd not filtered out the various expansions, and soon we were disappearing behind stacks of counters and cards.  Never say that FFG stint on their games' components.  As the sun dawned, and mental faculties dimmed, the assembled gamers fled, to reserve their powers for forthcoming events...

Specifically, AWC's themed Club Sunday.  For the Div and I, it was time to mosey on over and take part in our One Day Legends Of The Old West campaign, magnificently organised by Chris W.  The theme days really do seem to be encouraging participation from club members, which is fantastic. 

I can only give edited highlights, focussed around Ms. Slocombe's Lawmen posse, led by Sheriff Peacock (ex-US Army Captain) and his two deputies, the Grace Brothers.  Ms. Slocombe's violent pink hairdo attracted a good deal of fire during the day, whilst Miss Brahms (late of Miss Kipling's House Of French Fancies) always seemed to get the better of her male opponents in melee (everyone made the same observation regarding this ability of hers...).  After a severe drubbing at the hands of Juan Cornetto's Mexicans, the posse rallied magnificently against some pesky Indians.  Captain Peacock seemed to be working through some kind of trauma, as he did for 3 of them with some magnificent shooting.  The Slocombe posse had the misfortune to run into Juan Cornetto's boys again towards the end of the day, but managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.  Vigilante Mr. Humphreys was particularly pleased, having spent much of the game trapped by the Mexicans, and was heard to joyously announce "I'm free!" towards the scenario's end.  A great day with many other fantastic moments and games unnoticed here, sadly.   

With AWC's regular Club Friday on the horizon, I see it's time to swap the well-worn double entendres of "Are You Being Served?" for those of  "Carry On Up The Khyber", as once again we seek to establish whether the Mahdists do indeed like it up 'em...