Books, magazines, and figures

Not finding much new to read at the local Books-a-Million, except for some new to us magazines (Ancient Warfare and Medivael Warfare, as well as their Wargames Soldiers and Strategy) some great new mags well worth reading; I have reverted to rereading several series: SM Stirling's Pesawar Lancers and then his changed lands; Gary Kilworth's series starting with the Crimean War and ending with the Moari War; now I'm working on John Wilcox's Fonthill series.  All of these are great series with loads of action and scenario ideas for the colonial era.
Figure wise, since we now have a store front I have a great excuse to paint figures for sale as well as for myself.  I finished an Afghan army, well two cavalry units of 12 each, two infantry units totaling about 40 figures and general staff of eight figures.  I also finished off eight resin Old Glory buildings, a 12 woman Hinterland Naval unit, working now on 12 Hinterland lancers, finished 18 Brigade Games female soldiers in kepi as Jaegers, a bunch of Miners from Pontoonier miniatures and a bunch of Reviresco native sailors for my new colonial steamers from Richard Houston.

ATZ breakout / ATZ survivor seach

After setting out a big table for a campaign beginning, things went south.  As you will see below in the photos, I only took two, that the town was ready and I had buildings  ready to with civilians to turn into Zombie when they got there.  That didn't work.  The game went thus:

This photo shows the initial attack, you can see the note pad on the side ready to write down the story, I got four more line before it was over.

A germ warfare lab has a containment breach turning the researchers into Zombies.  they break out of the lab and immediately face a rent-a-cop, federal agent and a civilian.  The cop and agent both fire killing four Zs out of 9.  The civilian is attacked and knocked down for a feast.  The cop and agent witness this and the cop runs and hunkers down, the agent kills another Z and real police show up and the Zs are all dead by the end of turn 6. 

I was disappointed at how fast it went, but it was fun.  Ben then suggested a different tack; so removing all the civilians in sight he created a road block to shorten the table.  I chose two police, one with a shotgun rep 4 and the other a rep 3, their orders were to find survivors and bring them back. 

This photo shows more of the table, the police car in the center is where the beginning action of the second game started.  The two white trucks just beyond the police car is where the road block was constructed.  We really need to find an inexpensive roadway to better define the towns we use.

The two ride into town drawing Zs to them, they manage to kill three and climb atop a truck into the second storey of a building containing three Zs, the remaining Zs converge on the police car.  The police then climbed to the roof moving and checking several buildings for survivors then crossing the street without attracting more Zs.
Once across the street the cops found survivors and Zs but were able to dispose of the Zs and, of course, attracting more Zs.  One of the survivors had a chain saw which he used to charge  several Zs but attracting more Zs. The groupd got to a building right across from the police car where the Zs were finally moving away attracted by the chain saw but away from the survivors.  The cop with the pistol had lost a fight and was unconscious and being carried by the guy with a chain saw who had saved him from an attacking Z.  They all ran for the cop car putting the unconscious cop in the trunk to have room for the four survivors, shotgun cop misses all six shots but gets in the car just ahead of the now activated Zs and it starts, he backs up quickly and they make their get-away having killed five Zs and rescuing four.
This game was much more fun than the first and fit better with the rules than my first scenario.  There probably will not be another ATZ game for a couple of months as I need to get back to my  Mafrica Campaign on the other blog.
Most business stuff will now show up on our facebook page as well as Ben's Lead Bones blog.

ATZ coming soon

My ATZ game will come hopefully next week as the buildings are now painted and the new Zombies are primed and should be ready by Saturday.  Anyway we also have a facebook page for the store and website here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/RecreationalConflict/169418849860674#
we will have stock updates and sales listed there please check us out and like us.

Update on gaming and store

Restocks and new stuff just keep piling up at the store.
I posted yesterday a second part to chapter 111 on mafricancampaigns.blogspot.com check it out.
Next weekend Ben and I plan to do an ATZ game if I can get the table cleared off from the bloodbath of the Mafrican campaign and a couple more Old Glory buildings painted.  We picked up five new police cars in 1/64th scale at Walmart to add to the two we already had so we have enough cars and will eventually add some more police figs.
I have collected four Plasticville hospitals and plan to make a two storey hospital into either a three or four storey one. I will post here the step by step construction as I can or eventually after I finish it. Hopefully within a week or so.  I have collected medical furniture from Pardulon, Ainsty, and another company that I cannot remember right now. Plus what came as furniture from the four sets of hospitals I should have enough equipment to furnish the hospital once I get the exterior completed I will add floors and walls.  Although I think Fenris or Blackcat Bases has an autopsy table set that would really add to the hospital. We have a couple of 1/64 ambulances from the 30s but would like something more modern and maybe 1/56.

Grand Opening Sales

Since we've been open a month now we thought it was time to have a Grand Opening Sale:

10% off all Vallejo Paints

20-80% off Woodland scenics (in store only currently but soon on the website) off retail

Price DECREASE on all Killer Bee figures 30% or better off

Vehicle sale will stay at $3 each rather than going back to $5 each

Hobby tools 30-45% off retail

All remaining Ramshackle vehicles and figures 40% off

30% off all Secret Weapon washes and pigments

New stock is coming in all the time, we just recently added Two Hour Wargames rules, new shipment of Lledo vehicles.  Arriving soon Trent restock, Tiger restock, and Ainsty restock.

Look for new Hydra figures soon, new Tiger Balkan Wars Montenegrins  also new Tiger Ice Station Lima in stock and coming to the web site soon!

Store Opens

On June 5th our store opens. If you are in Western Kentucky any time soon, stop by in Owensboro.  We're at 920 Frederica St. (suite 1112) across from the bronze Buffalo, around back, near the dumpster (yeah, I know we just hope it's not a sign).  We have much more than on the website, we also make terrain and take painting commissions. 

Store Front

WHAOOOO
Come the 1st of June we will have a small, 350 sq. foot, store front on street level. Tons of parking spaces, room for a small but useable game table, all our figures, terrain, books, rules, and paints. 

A Store finally

We had a good Cold Wars and a Great! Little Wars and inbetween the two we decided we needed to move out of the garage and into a real space. So we found a small (12 X 25 foot) space that we could actually afford.  It's on the third floor of an office building and are hoping that the management will find us a street level shop we can also afford, maybe soon.
I have added to my Mafrica Campaign blog.  Soon the Mittelland Army will be landing in Dakla to take over from the Jutlanders who have sailed up river to their now small colonial holdings on the North Coast of Mafrica.  Princess Louise Marie will soon be sending an escorted survey team into the interior to locate a series of military outposts, new adventures are on the horizon and should be up before Nashcon.

Inspiration!

I have been reading through books like crazy over the last month: Cussler's The Thief; Weber's A Rising Thunder (latest in the Honor Harrington series); Cornwell's Death of Kings; Wilcox's The War of the Dragon Lady; and Mallinson's On His Majesties Service.  I was like a kid in the candy store last month, then I ran out.  A couple of graphic novels Warlord of Mars and the first in the Walking Dead series.
While drifting through the local(ish) Barnes and Noble bookstore last week I came across Conn Iggulden's series Emperor: a four set series about Julius Caesar.  I had seen these listed on the Amazon UK site but was not very interested to pay the extra postage, so when I saw them here I bought all four and started reading.
This series is extremely well written and while not totally historical it almost makes me want to start, OH NO!, a new period.  But I think I'll resist, although I do have some 28mm Romans for my lost worlds adventures.  It has a lot of political maneuvering both public and in private that I am sure still goes on today just like then.  Then there are the battle scenes - very well written. Take the best of Sharpe, Hornblower, other Cornwell novels and you have Iggulden.  Highly Recommended.
A really great history entitled Vanished Kingdoms: The rise and fall of States and Nations by Norman Davies, Viking, 2011.  This is almost a must have for those interested in imagi-nations of almost any period, it's all european covering 15 states/nations over 1500 years.
Happy Reading

More new Stuff

We got lucky and now have a rack of Woodland Scenics with materials for basing, trees, water, ground cover about 100 new items.  We also got a BIG restock of Vallejo paints enough to fill up our 72 color display especially since we were down to about  half dozen colors on the rack.  Most of this should go up on the web site in a week or so.
We're still waiting for our restock of Trent figures and new Ainsty Castings, hopefully soon.
This coming week will bring another chapter to my Mafrican Campaigns wihen the first hunt takes place.
Then we're off to Cold Wars, come see us we're across from On Military Matters and RLBPS.

NEW STUFF

Our second shipment from Ainsty Castings has arrived and is up on the site.
Also we just purchased terrain making supplies from Woodland Scenics, this will go up online soon and will travel to Cold Wars, Little Wars and Fall in this year.  There is all sorts of great stuff for adding to bases and making woods, bushes, tall grass patches and a myriad of other terrain pieces.
We have restocked Killer Bee and Tiger miniatures, and are awaiting our Trent Miniatures order.

On my own gaming side I receive three sets of rules for the colonial period from Two Hour Wargames -Great stuff- also to add to our gaming I got the risk and rewards deck for All Things Zombie.
For my Mafrican Campaigns I received the "Governors Guard" a unit of Indian Infantry and cavalry from Tradition of London.
Also I have nearly finished my Hinterland Naval force for Mafrica.  Histoifigs has sent the maps I ordered and I had them laminated so I can use grease pencils on them.
After reading on LAF about converting the Nina ship into a felucca which is photo'd on my http://www.mafricancampaigns.blogspot.com/
Soon a new chapter.

Ruritanian Map

I copied this from the front piece from Prisoner years ago.

Ruritanian Troops

Presnted below are my Ruritanian troops.
This top photo is of the regular army, and as you can see in all the photos the tie in for each unit is purple, hats, pants stripe, or shoulder boards.

This photo belowshows the Sikh unit used in it's Mafrican colony.

 In the photo below the foot artillery is on the left while the horse artillery is on the right.



 This photo shows the Jaeger unit.

 This is weird but this photo shows the Ruritanian Marines.

 This photo shows the colonial cavalry shown here on camels but could also be mounted on horses.  In the center are three figures: in the center, in blue shirt, is Rudolf Rassendyllon the left is King Rudolph, on the right is the Queen.  Somewhere I have another of the king and queen.

This shows all I have painted to date.

Ainsty Arrives

The first part of our Ainsty Castings has arrived and it is online.  Compared to some other resin castings I have seen these castings are sharp and clean  all you have to do is wash and paint.  Very nice stuff.
Also up soon we have ordered a big restock of Vallejo Model Colors and as soon as they are in stock they will go up online.
Now that we are deeply in debt for new stock, please come help us pay it off and add to  your stock of figures and terrain.

Ainsty Castings

We have come up with a deal with Andy Lyon at Ainsty Castings to carry his resin castings in the US.
Our first shipment might be in next week, but don't expect it in the store that soon as there are a number (150+) items to input and we'll probably have to rework the website to accomodate all the stuff.
Right off we will only carry the best sellers and let business settle in before buying more items (right now there are a toital of 659 items in the Ainsty line).
If you have something from the Ainsty line you would like please let us know and we'll get it in stock.

The Moro War

The Moro War: How America battled a muslim insurgency in the Philippine Jungle, 1902-1913 by James Arnold, Bloomsbury Press, 2011, $28.00.
There are a lot of positive comments to be made for this book: great photos depicting individuals in uniform or costume; great action photos; great maps.  Less positive are the maps, especially the hand drawn, they are really great unfortunately they are slightly out of focus so you can't read the original writing.
As to the text: It had been quite a while since I've read a military history book and enjoyed it as much as an action novel.  The individuals Leonard Wood and John Pershing are well drawn and give you an idea of how they think in action and strategically.  As a wargamer there are enough scenario ideas in the Lake Lanao Campaign to make me want to add more figures to my collection and take on the Lake Lanao campaign myself.  The only thing I really thought was left out of the book was a description of a Moro Cotto or fort.  There are hints and bits here and there but I have never seen here or elsewhere a description that could be used to model one.
Overall, this was one great read anyone interested in the Spanish American War and the Philippine Insurection should have this read in there library along with Victor Hurley's Jungle Patrol: the story of the Philippine Constabulary and Swish of the Kris: The story of the Moros.

Mafrica Campaign blog

Finally a new post with photos beginning the campaign.