The Bunker

Spoilt for choice this week, with two posts in two days. Obviously everyone wants their battlefields to have big armies and big terrain features and defences to complement them. Looking at continual battles over heavily enclosed French fields is all good, but minds do wonder to Stalingrad, Berlin,               D-Day, Merville Battery, factories, ruins and more besides. Therefore I felt a bunker was the natural starting point for this month's terrain project. Built using the following tutorial Link, it was scratch built using copious amounts of foamboard, air drying clay, hot glue and filler and does the job just marvellously. I think price just came in at £2 as much of the stuff was lying around the house and the foamboard was given away by Dad's work from architectural drawing plans. Many a game of Bolt Action will be played over it and I now hope in the coming weeks to complement it with a steady supply of minefields, tank traps, craters, obstacles and marshes.

Neville takes up the Lion Rampant

News of my demise has been over exaggerated, just not enough been happening to warranting commenting on and writing for various publications, hopefully some of which the wargaming community might become familiar soon.

Anyway, painting has been going apace with a company of mounted knights and half a schiltron of Scots Spear left to paint up for Claymore Rampant Earl of Mar's army for Battle of Harlaw left to go. All said and done, hopefully this should be all finished by weekend after next, to get a good start on club border reiver campaign before putting the finishing touches to the ECW project. It never ends :)

In the meantime, started getting the rust off for playing Lion Rampant and had the first of a couple of recap games the other night, what following acting as a small battle report.

The Lord Percy's Lancastrian Forces Line the enclosures

The Yorkist Right Flank advances hard with a massed herce of bowmen

Coming up hard behind the Percy cavalry holds a clear vigil over the developing situation

Making a break through the ruins of the abbey and into the surrounding woods, the Windrush Archers hold a lonely vigil, keeping the enemy bill at bay with well aimed deadly arrowstorms

Warwick the Kingmaker and his billblock lie in wait, making a decision as to whether to assault the exposed bow or engage the bill on their flank.

Despite taking heavy casualties, Warwick and the Windrush billmen push Percy off the hill, but not for long

 The Duke of Arundel sends forward a armoured fist of bowmen and handgunners, keeping up steady volleys, while the bill smash and send the Swiss phalanx back the way they came.

Regaining the hill, Percy decides to angle his central block in a move to try and dislodge opposition from the woods.

Sending forward massed ranks of men at arms.

The scene at the end of turn 5. With a clear hook advancing under Arundel on the right flank, it is up to the Kingmaker's remaining forces (Neville being lost in the assault on the hill) to anchor the flank. However Warwick's exposed bill block is in the wake of the oncoming men at arms. Can the Yorkist cavalry reach them in time.

The Yorkist cavalry sweep their Lancastrian foes before them, forcing Percy into the frey. The game ended with a minor victory, with Michael, my opponent losing three units, to my two. A well played game, hopefully more next week with follow up practice games in the wake of April 10.