Friday 27 February 2015

Nightfighter - Aircraft by Scenario

Scenario 3 and Variants.
Wellingtons or Stirlings up against a Ju88C-2.

The Stirlings are used in a low level dash through the Searchlight belt.  Fun can be had with the umpire not declaring the altitude advantage until the first fix or tally attempt.



The Wellington is loosely based on No.301 (Pomeranian) Squadron RAF.  I couldn't fit the MG code letters on the fuselage.



The Ju88C-2 is from I/NJG 2.  This would have been an all black scheme with R4+ codes.  National Insignia would have appeared as white only which fits the range of decals I have.  Minor green stuff added to the nose to bulk it up to turn it into the solid nose on the C-2

Thursday 26 February 2015

WOTR - Livery for ACOS/ACOP Nobles

I have been back through my FW book on Standards & Livery and updated the picture below

Still adrift some information on the Nobles in the unconfirmed row



Wednesday 11 February 2015

WOTR - Leicester 1459

Just messing around my youngest and I played 1459 from A Crown of Paper.
After playing round with it last week I though, as I was Lancastrian, to try something a little different.
Somerset and Courtenay did a recruiting drive into Dorsert, Devon and Cornwall picking up a sizeable force before moving to Wells.
Duke of York however had other ideas and after recruiting in the Welsh Marches headed straight for Margaret and Edward at Coventry. Outnumbered by over 4:1 I managed to avoid the battle but lost 1 point of campaign morale. Not realising how pugnacious York would be I sent the Lancastrians to Tamworth. Only to find York hadn't finished and was heading to Coventry and the King. With no time to recruit it looked like a repeat of St Albans but on a much smaller scale.

Duke of York - Himself, 2 MAA with captains, Gonne, 13 Retinue Archers
Earl of March - Himself, 1 MAA with captain, 3 MAA, Gonne, 8 Retinue Archers
Devereux - Himself, 5 Retinue Archers

Buckingham - Himself, 1 MAA with captain, 4 Retinue Archers
Shrewsbury - Himself, 2 Retinue Archers
Wiltshire - Himself, 1 MAA with captain, 6 Retinue Archers
Beaumont - Himself, 3 Retinue Archers

Even this small battle equates to somewhere between 2100 - 3500 Yorkists v 1200 - 2100 Lancastrians. It will see two companies (or three small ones) face off against three of York (or possibly two large ones) in single battles.

WOTR - ACOS Riding Retinues

This is the current state of my WOTR collection in terms of just the Riding Retinues.  The RR are the troops each noble starts the campaign with and normally form his most trusted and loyal companions. I have concentrated on the nobles who appear most frequently in the campaigns and hope to use non liveried models for those appearing less frequent.







There is by no means enough for what I want to do with it using A Coat of Steel. So far we have just started the 1459 campaign so I am in the process of adding those nobles these existing forces.  I still need to add:

  • John Beaumont - Viscount Beaumont
  • James Touchet - Baron Audley
  • Henry Percy - Baron Egremont*
  • Henry Percy - Earl of Northumberland*
  • Ralph Neville - Earl of Westmoreland*
  • William Fitzalan - Earl of Arundel*


and
  • Walter Devereux - Baron Ferrers
  • John Neville - Baron Montague
  • William Herbert - Baron Herbert*
  • Richard Grey of Powis*
  • Andrew Trollope
  • Thomas Stanley**

* - Inactive at game start so may not appear
** - Traitorous and may be recruited by either side

However, the pictures do show my entire collection of retinue archers. Since the 1455 game I have added another 96 archers (32 bases) taking me upto 300.  And still not enough.




The figures for Richard, Duke of York and Jasper Tudor need to be finished next.

Saturday 7 February 2015

WOTR - Battle of Northampton 1455

Is a fictional battle generated using the ACOP campaign system. The 1455 campaign sees King Henry VI heading towards Leicester to call a Royal Council, while Richard Duke of York, pledging his loyalty, gathers his forces to deal with his corrupt advisors.

This should have resulted in 1st Albans, however here the engagement occurs at Northampton. Salisbury and Warwick had both managed to recruit sizeable contingents on the way south.  The Lancastrians generated smaller forces than expected. So a mismatch was on the cards. The beauty of ACOP is that it generates something akin to reality and not match equal forces. You have to work for you win.

The Lancastrian forces

The Yorkist host

The commanders. Cobham

Northumberland and Somerset

Wiltshire and Shrewsbury

Stafford, Clifford (being represented by Oxford) and Jasper Tudor with Courtenay on the far right.

Warwick

Salisbury had recruited the largest force, but their commitment wasn't on par with the rest of the Yorkist army

The Lancastrian left

The Yorkist army attacks with Salisbury trying to turn the flank. The Lancastrian left has to react creating a dangerous dogleg

The noose begins to close

With the Lancastrian left pinned in place, the Yorkist Rearward goes for the kill

Combat is joined

The Yorkist Mainward exploits the dogleg. It looks ominous for the Lancastrians.

All over for Lancaster, as Nobles are struck down and the line disintergrates 

Cracking game, we did lots of things wrong but have learnt from this. Need more troops as usual so another 100 archers are now on their way. Then I will need to work on the levy spears