It is three days since the French army landed in England. After initial delays and setbacks the French now appear to have the upper hand. A small group of British troops attempt to stop the French advance here at Hooks Lane Farm…
The view from Hooks Lane Farm and the British position.
Senior officers convey the importance of making a stand here.
Lining the hedges the British wait for the enemy to advance.
They are in the trees , they are coming!
View from the French position near Hooks Lane Farm and from within the woods.
A swift flies by and briefly sees what is going on below…
The farmhouse and barn are heavily defended.
I was encouraged to finally get a game on my table by this post-
Ross captures the toy soldier battle vibe so well. So yesterday l cleared the table and set up the game it will be played over the coming days maybe with these rules maybe not-
I noticed l had a number of these empty boxes-
They are what I use to make my toy soldier buildings and are what the house and barn above are made from. So perhaps some scenery making/painting in the coming week. The forecast is good and it is an ideal job for doing alfresco…
‘Multum in parvo’, Alan. All this pure Wells (and Thomas) on your small side table! Good to see more buildings too!
ReplyDeleteKind words, thank you . I view this size of table as a challenge not a restriction most of the time. It is fun to see what one can do in any scale on it, especially in 54mm.
DeleteAlan Tradgardland
Farmer Hook must wonder why armies are always fighting over his land! How's a fellow to get the harvest in?
ReplyDeleteA great looking toy soldier game in a small space. I look forward to reading how the battle develops.
So true but he will get there by hook or by crook. I am looking forward to playing it too…
DeleteAlan Tradgardland
I really like this setup. It got a classical vibe to it. I hope you'll post a battle report whatever rules you decide to use.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes!
I tried to get a LW vibe on the tabletop…
DeleteAlan Tradgardland
I'm thinking the same thing after seeing Ross' blog post. Looks like we've another heatwave coming so I shall set a small game whle I shelter indoors. I still like 'A Gentlman's War for shint toy soldier games.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to hearing what you set up. Heat coming here too l believe . I like AGW rules too but have never understood the cards part , which l believe is core, nor do they work solo, or do they?
DeleteAlan Tradgardland
There are two aspects that add fun to the game - What Luck! cards and Cameo roles. Both are optional but can be modified for solo use. A number of What Luck! cards say 'play immediately' so you do just that, possibly dicing where there are several place in could affect. The cards that can be held and played later can be left out of the deck to avoid complication.
DeleteThe Cameo roles can work solo, just dice to see which unit to attached them to (eg the mascot and the sergeant major cards) and leave out the 'difficult to apply in a solo game' such as the spy.
In multi-player games we actually have the cards and cameos appear more frequently as they add an element of uncertainty and thus I regard them as beneficial in solo games.
During the coming heatwave I'll set up a scenario from OHW and using my Little Britons, possibly wih 2/3 size units to avoid the table looking crowded. Such a shame that they've gone out of production.
Excellent stuff, Alan! Whilst I am furiously painting Bactrian Greeks and Italian Condotta for ADLG, I think maybe Hook's Lane Farm (maybe set in the ACW) would be something I could manage today or tonight.
ReplyDeleteEric
Thanks! Glad to hear you are painting away currently. ADLG always sounds complicated to me , I will be interested to hear more of it…
DeleteLooking forward to seeing what game you set up…
Alan Tradgardland
Looks like a good game in the offing. Here's to the Home team! May they see off the invaders!
ReplyDeleteI like the houses, and the woods with a perimeter of trees and room inside for figures. I'll have to keep that in mind.
Thanks. I have tried woods with perimeter of trees in my games using a squared grid successfully before but this is the first time l have tried it sans grid. I think it works well and needs to be taken further as an idea…
ReplyDeleteAlan Tradgardland
Great looking game Alan!
ReplyDeleteBravo! A delightful game!
ReplyDelete