WIP Wednesday: Valour & Fortitude "Practice" & More Blood Pact Infantry Progress

 

This week's WIP Wednesday post will have the usual mix of eclectic items - something for everyone.  I realized I haven't posted much "gaming" related posts and I've been trying to get in a gaming post and a WIP post but sadly life has not been allowing it of late.  Track & Field has started, the school play practices are in full swing (both of my children have parts which although not major, require them to attend all of the practices - "The Play's the Thing!" as some guy across the pond once said...), and work has also blown up.  As always, the hobbies take a back seat to parenting and paying the bills!

Love the smooth playing nature of these rules - but expect to be doing ALOT of flipping and squinting (8 font?) for your first few games!

Aside from building and painting things, though, one of my WIP highlights this week is a recent. looong running game of "Valour & Fortitude" Second Edition.  I've been trying to put it through its paces of late so Dave and I can get a game in on a Friday night when both of our brains are fried.  I've been meandering down to the gaming bunker to complete a turn or 2, then ducking back upstairs like I was never gone...

I mention it because it's also competing with trying out some other rules sets, namely more of Peter's "Napoleonic Large Battles" and Martin Rapier's version of Napoleonic One Hour Wargames, which being perfectly honest are probably just the ticket for Friday night gaming with low overhead and maximum playing all but guaranteed.  Even 4 page V&F still has a learning curve and lots of "special" rules nested within the army lists.   While I love the game so far, there is a learning curve and you have to play through it a few times to get the hang of it.

For this battle, I kept the terrain and forces up from trying out Peter's "Napoleonic Large Battles" a couple weeks ago, and removed the sabots for the units.  I'm still using One Hour Wargames "Surprise Attack" scenario which is a nail biter for both sides.  

Currently the British are down 4 units (of 6!) and hanging on by their fingernails on turn 10.  The Brunswickers are just getting into the fight and attempting to threaten the French flanks.  The French Infantry Corps, after smashing through the Dutch (but taking 7 turns to do it) are trying to capture the famous crossroads.  Let's get to the action.

French Assault on Quatre Bras!  The assaulting unit has been shaken!

10 sees a French assault into QB.  They lose the combat for a number of reasons - namely their sister Infantry "units" fired this turn to try and "soften up" the defenders.  This is unfortunate because they'd have offered melee support enabling more dice to be rolled.  The British are garrisoning the town and already melee with 4 dice.  Their 4 dice became 5 dice.  Both sides had 1 hit.  Both rolled up 3 hits in the French assault and the French lose this tie because the British are in terrain.  

Both sides have 1 "defeat" having passed their other fortitude tests.

Rolling up a light detachment for the French was very useful in trying out the "open order" and "skirmish" rules, of which there are some important considerations when you play - so keep your army lists handy.  These are critical in the ACW army lists so if you want to use V&F for ACW, you should learn those rules!  I think they're also important for using your light troops appropriately to shield your line troops who are advancing.

My 10mm Brunswickers haven't seen the table in a few years!  Wellington's famous "funeral hearse" have arrived on the field to save the day!  The Royal Artillery was destroyed in 2 turns by the Voltiguer detachment, but they gave as good as they got with cannister...

The butcher's bill so far.  4 Anglo-Allied units destroyed (above) to 2 French Cavalry (below).  Actually all of the French cav has been knocked out but they helped annihilate on of the British units reinforcing QB.  

The battlefield at end of  the French 10 - Brunswickers are in the upper left, creeping towards the French.  The assault on Quatre Bras was inconclusive (technically the British won, but only made the French shaken.  No valor tests were required).  The QB garrison is still in contact with the French, so during the British turn they will have to fight another combat and both sides are shaken.  My money is on the French winning the next combat, unless my characteristic bad rolling returns.

Blood Pact Infantry Progress

The 15mm Blood Pact are looking good and only require me to finish their basing texture to be done and ready for my first game of "Grimdark Future" from "One Page Rules!"

Bloodpact Infantry officers!  Going to paint their bases black, and dry brush grey to give the impression of fighting in rubble.

The platoon / unit boasts 4 "squads" of 5 troops, as well as a weapons section consisting of an anti armor specialist, a mortar team, sniper, and flamethrower.

Blood Pact "squads" - they will look awesome when the texture is painted

Blood Pact weapons section.  from left to right:AT specialist, mortar team, sniper, flamethrower

I sure love the look of sand and rock that has been painted black and dry brushed grey, and since I'm planning on having these guys fight in rubble of some "war-torn, grimdark" city, I think it will be appropriate.  Finally, I have some planetary defense forces that I am finishing up.  These will be the primary opponents of the Blood Pact troopers, and when they're completed I'll highlight them in a future post.

Planetary Defense Force trooper.  Again - still need to paint the base texture but I am very pleased with how he turned out.

love the ballcap!  These are khurasan minis' "low tech sci fi" or something like that.

female heavy weapons and since the warhead / rocket fell off of the gunner on the right, he's now a futuristic "carl gustaf" gunner!

The whole unit.  note the white vertical stripe on the officer on the right a la WW2.

I've been watching a ton of youtube videos on Grimdark Future and the fantasy version "Age of Fantasy" which also has a "rank and flank" version called "Age of Fantasy: Regiments" which I am assuming is a Warhammer Fantasy Battles alternative.  The cool thing is all of these rules are free. (there are pay versions on wargame vault with more bells and whistles but they are not necessary).

The Grimdark universe has a skirmish version called Grimdark Future: Firefight, and even a gangs supplement for necromunda players!  I am going "all-in" on 15mm for these rules so I'm really looking forward to my first game, as I have a bunch of 15mm necromunda figures.

Anyways that's all of this week - hope everyone is having a great week and Happy Easter if you celebrate!