I've had in mind to scratch a gyrocoptor. I don't know how good they are in the rules but I just fancied building one.
I used a busted up diecast helicopter that I chopped up added a cut down 40k lascannon and sprue end for the tail. FOW wheels. metal mesh, plasticard girder for wheel mounts, 18mm metal cannon, HO plastic seated model railway mini and sprue bits for control panel.
I'll airbrush it and then fo the weathering/ rust etc.
It's an idea but the only sides contesting the final battle for kingship of the island are those who won the last round and became rulers.
In that case the natives (Welsh and Romans) v the barbarian interlopers (Franks with some hired help from fellow barbarians Irish and Saxons).
If the barbarians win then the Franks pay off their hired help and take overlordship.
If the natives win they split up the territory and reign in their own area.
There's scope for future games if the Franks win and their hired help revolts of the Welsh and Romans win and decide to go for whole island leadership by defeating their erstwhile ally.
Final game when everyone is here. Romans & Welsh v Franks, Irish and Saxons (barbarians). A bit tricky as is 3 v 2 so base pts needed adjusting.
Welsh 1500pts (base) + 120pts (Tiern to King) 2x VP @164 total 1784pts
Romans 1500pts (base) + 120pts (Tribune to Dux) 2x VP @ 122 total 1742pts (Romans can buy up to 3x Ballistae as per Fort Guinion scenario)
Franks 1000pts (base)+ 120ts (Antrusito to King) 2 x VP@88 total 1208pts
Irish 1000pts (base) + 1.5 x VP @ 1106pts (can use Chariots)
Saxons 1000pts (base) + 1.5x VP @ 1081pts
3526 Romans/Welsh v 3333 Barbarians.
Each player generates 1 piece of terrain. Romans/Welsh can roll a D6, on a 4+ they can move enemy terrain up to 6" including off the board).
I don't think that chap in the dragster is wearing appropriate head protection Peter!
I think all the Health and Safety staff were wiped out in the apocalypse 
Apparently all they need now to survive is a go faster stripe and a can do attitude.
First three builds, a Truck, Buggy and Dragster. I'll look for some transfers to apply. Those 50 pts don't go far! Truck, crew SMG, Ram, Exploding Ram, Oil, Armour.
Buggy, Ram, Oil, crew SMG.
The Dragster would give some different options. I'll build some more variations of vehicles.
Thanks to Shaun for vehicles and Craig for printed kit.
I've got some fine metal mesh that I'll bring and add to the pile. It's easy to cut to shape with scissors. Also got some plastic US Vietnam, VC/NVA and Spetznaz
minis that can be added as crew if needed etc (they are the right scale for the vehicles).
Those look really good. Are there any rules for an oversized gun ( like orange truck has) that is so big the recoil will make it go backwards!
I wouldn't mind giving this a try? Is it version 2 of the rules Craig?
I'll bring some of my WW1 minis and we can see who is around.
I'll bring the Undead as well for DR.
Not sure who is around but as we need one big game to finish the dark age campaign which we said we'd try and do Easter or Bank Holiday. Maybe we could have a game of something else tomorrow? Dragon Rampant, WW1 etc? Maybe Pulp pre WW1 Back of Beyond type thing?
The Frankish and Welsh pretenders to their respective thrones had both failed in their initial attempts on their kings lives. They had however come very close and the rulers were now ragged fugitives hiding out in wild countryside desperately evading the search parties of their adversaries. There was hope though. A cadre of loyal supporters remained and they were also searching for them. If they found them and rescued them then they had a chance of resuming their rule and banishing the usurpers to exile.
The Franks had the .most dramatic outcome. With the loyalist faction finding the dishevelled King Pepin Le Peu hiding in a stand of trees things looked to be positive. The loyalists threw themselves at the traitors and with their star killer dog to the fore were handing out a beat down to the rebels. A cordon of loyalist troops formed in front of Pepin to better protect him and a couple of marksmen urged him to move further away from the fighting to ensure his safety saying they'd give cover.
As the grateful Pepin limped towards safety the full extent of the rebels treachery was made clear. One of the marksmen had been bribed and stepped forward and shot poor Pepin through the heart. It was instant death for the diminutive ruler and though the loyalists killed the traitor and saw off the rebel warband the damage was done. Doubtless some enterprising loyalists will try to tie Pepin to his horse and pretend he's still alive but the rebels claimed victory and the crown of the Franks.
Back to Cynfarchwyn. His warband faced off against the loyalists forces of Dai. Fortunately for Dai his friends found him first. Unfortunately for Dai he was so panicked and scared that he didn't recognise them and fled directly towards Cynfarchwyn. Hardly Kingly behaviour, definitely not fitting for a ruler of the Welsh so Cynfarchwyn was left with no choice but to relieve him of the kingship. Of course this being Cynfarchwyn it involved a hail of javelins rather than duking it out mano a mano ( even if that was with a poor, bedraggled, confused, wretch).
To leave nothing to chance Cynfarchwyn relieved Dai of his head so no one was going to tie his corpse on a horse and claim he was still alive.
So it turns out being a ruler I dark age Britain is somewhat of a perilous occupation. We'll have to see how the new incumbents fare.
It was Cynfarchwyn's turn to indulge in a bit of regime change as he sought to usurp his aging uncle Dai 'the death' Cadwallader. Cynfarchwyn had Dai bottled up in a small village with a blocking force in place as his main force came forward to settle matters and help Dai choose a retirement plan, one that involved six feet of earth and placed the crown on Cynfarchwyn's head.
Cynfarchwyn had ordered his Combrogi to challenge Dai's boys whilst he performed his Hornsof the Buffalo envelopment of the village.
The Combrogi sold their lives dearly and delayed Dai sufficiently to keep him from fleeing the field with his boys whilst his fabeled Tiern saw off Dai's rear guard in the village and his skirmishers drove off Dai's skirmishers.
Unfortunately the Tien got tangled up in the village and the skirmishers ended up on the far side of the ville from Dai's remaining two units.
No worry though there was always another unit of Combrogi ( mounted) to throw into the meat grinder. You're kind of getting the idea of how Cynfarchwyn fights his battles.
The Combrogi were defeated and run down by Dai who was now feeling somewhat invigorated.
And so it ended up Dai's now thinned out boys were facing Cynfarchwyn and his cavalry. Dai charged. This was Cynfarchwyn's chance to go mano a mano and snatch the crown from Dai in a kingly manner.
Did that transpire? Sadly no. Cynfarchwyn had learned some fancy horsemanship and feigned flight.
After suffering hails of javelins Dai charged again. Surely this was Cynfarchwyn's moment of glory? No it was time for more trick ponery and he feign flighted again.
All the while hus skirmishers and been gaining ground and pelting Dai's unit with sling shot and after the Tiern and another unit of Combrogi joined in with their javelins Dai was standing alone with his standard bearer.At this point, with the skies dark with slings and javelins Dai fled the field as a fugitive with Cynfarchwyn now needs to hunt him down to claim the crown, the chance for wresting the crown from his uncle in a kingly manner having been lost under
skies full of missiles and somefancy horse riding.
Hi Mike, by all means call in on a Friday or Sunday when you are able. On Sundays we've been having some WAB and Mordheim dark ages games. Other games being run at the moment (some weeks ) is Dragon Rampant ( a fast play fantasy game).. Bolt Action (WW2). Legions Imperialis (GW Epic update).
There's odd games of other systems as well such a Pulp Alley ( kind of B movies set to a game). We'!l be having some WW1 games soon, either WAB or Osprey Men Who Would Be King.
There's some board games played as well usually those are on a Friday.
Just call in and have a chat.
Here's Ernhardt and Whacky Races - sorry Romfell armoured cars and some field artillery.
in response to Russian sabre rattling the Ottomans are gathering their forces and taking on German allies.
The Arabs could be enemies or Iraqi Arab allies.
The other irregular group I was looking at was Bashi Bazooks for which the Napoleonic Albanians would probably be a good fit.
After all her struggles and fighting Findabair was ready to overthrow the patriarchy. In her case it was a patriarchy represented by her hated uncle Phelim O'Fisticuffs, the man who'd usurped her place as leader and instituted a reign of intolerance and hierarchy on her people. She would sieze power and bring about a reign of beneficence and inclusivity never hitherto seen and it didn't matter how many people had to die for that to happen.
As Phelim was progressing around the realm with a small unarmoured group of retainers Findabair gathered her forces and launched a surprise dawn attack on his forces which were resting in a small village. Phelim had split his forces either side of a river making it even easier to defeat them in detail.
Findabair sent her Fianna by boat to pin Phelims unit on the far bank whilst she led her forces against his Ceithern and then crossed the river in force to surround and defeat his warband.
As the King's forces roused in a state of confusion they were set upon immediately by Findabairs army. On the right her Ceithern and skirmishers saw off the King's skirmishers and on the left her men defeated a unit of Ceithern that had managed to get themselves organised. That just left Phelim and his boys on the far bank and one unit of Ceithern that couldn't get themselves organised and were fighting in skirmish order.
As a furious Phelim put the beat down on her Fianna Findabair watched unbelieving as the disorganised Ceithern fought off attack after attack scattering her forces.
She was in her chariot unit with her nobles. Findabair was inordinately proud of her chariot it had a lovely pait job and struck terror into all her enemies. She charged the disorganised Ceithern. They'd break for sure. But if course they didn't. Made of stern stuff they fought her off and she had to abandon her pride and joy leaving it broken down wreck in a ditch.
She joined a unit of her Ceithern just in time to duke it out with her incandescent uncle. It didn't go well and she and her Ceithern were soon in flight.
With her army in tatters and her uncle still king, Findabair was left to ruminate on another bad day by a river and the patriarchy continuing unabated.
Andy's war on animals explained.......
All that zoosadism now makes sense. The Welsh have bear, wolf and boar shaped bagpipes.
No worries Paul, we''l do your second game when you are next down.
Very nice but they appear to fall short in the Red Trouser department?
Unfortunately for Horstwulf this was definitely a case of prematuraty. After endless campaigns for the Saxon cause, being mauled by bears in broken down abandoned cities and being run rings around by Welsh cavalry who were riding as if practicing circus tricks it came time for Horstwulf to claim his well earn prize. Kingship of the Saxons. Only problem was his ungrateful uncle Wiglaf the Terrible held that spot. Still no need to worry. Horstwulf issued a challenge to his uncle and gathered his forces having secretly bribed a unit of Wiglafs Roman mercenaries so that they deserted leaving Wiglaf outnumbered facing his churlish nephew.
Wiglafs second Roman unit was soon routed and Wiglaf now only had two units and some skirmishers against Horstwulfs whole force. Horstwulf stood atop a hill in his deployment zone and celebrated as he saw the fates dancing his victory dance.
Overcome with confidence he charged with his forces down the hill and into his uncle's Gedricht. Unfortunately he then learned why his uncle was called The Terrible and it wasn't due to misgendering people or being unsportsmanlike. Wiglaf and his boys cleaved right though Horstwulfs unit and at the same time his second unit put more of Horstwulfs boys to the sword. In no time Horstwulfs lads were in flight and the heavily outnumbered Wiglaf had won the day.
Worse still Horstwulf was captured. Who can say what fate awaits him. Made into a mounting block, his skull made into a drinking cup? It's only limited by Wiglafs imagination.
So as we all saw the Fates are fickle and perfidious and premature exultation is definitely something to be avoided.
