Kings of War on Hamilton Road, London

 

The Hamilton Road Games Group meets Saturdays at the Crouch Branch Library on Hamilton Road (Amazing!) in London, ON. All sort of games are played. This past Saturday GasLands, a post-apocalyptic car battle game and Rebels and Patriots, a skirmish game originally meant for gaming the American War of Independence but used for the American Civil War that day. Both of those games are from Osprey. A few of us played Kings of War, a large unit fantasy wargame from Mantic Games. Since GW's Warhammer became a skirmish games with a new set of larger figures, huge armies lie languishing and unused in basements, closets, garages, and sheds. Now... they can be used. (The picture above has NOTHING do to with KoW; I just thought it was cool. The photos used in this blog are courtesy of  Rich, who played Rebels and Patriots, and myself... who took all the lousy photos.)

Andy and I played on one table - his Salamanders vs. my Kings of Men Renaissance-type army. (Okay, they were WHFB Empire troops with some additions.) Tyler (more Salamanders) took on Ralph's Force of Nature army. Lots of lizards there. (Tyler and my daughter, who fields elves, have a constant grudge match going on, so I was not permitted - by plebiscite - to take on Tyler, who had to leave by lunch time anyway.)

Since I'm lazy, most of my photos are of the backside of my army.
Heavy pikes, mounted scouts with carbines, a giant, knights, and a cannon.

Skinks Geckos in a huge horde. All in proper Salamander Red!

A horde of big time Salamanders. Andy intends to mount the figs on permanent scenic bases.
I can't bring myself to do that... yet.

A phalanx of spears. I like the green/yellow combination - my old high school colours!

The army standard bearer.
I commit historical larceny for flags all the time!

Kings of Men mounted scouts - who were originally "pistoliers."
On the advice of my son - who knows the game better than I - I armed them with carbines, an option in the list.

While the Ghekos attack the pikes, Jake the Giant (a recent draft choice) takes on the Salamanders.
He lost badly.

More scouts wheel to come into the battle line while the heavy pikes (Mostly Old Glory Italian Wars figures) slap the Ghekos around for a while. The Knights come forward and were destroyed by the Salamander shortly after.

My wizard, Dermot the Incomprehensible, follows up my mounted sergeants... who look incredibly Polish!
So "Nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy" (Not my circus, not my monkeys.) Worth remembering!

Andy's Big Kahuna (or whatever you call the leader of a Salamander force)
tossing healings around like they were going out of style

Arquebusiers with three casualties (d10) and reloading (black d6) stand with the bigger gun and the Captain, a good choice to lead a human army. He can reposition up to d3 units before the game begins because he's a "Master Tactician."
The spear phalanx in the background begins it cumbersome wheel.

The pikes have disposed of the Ghekos, but not without damage.
The knights are about to get creamed.

An overhead view of the battlefield.

"Swab! Stop vent! Load with beehive rounds!" (I wish)
The cannon was effective; the archers less so, although they are an economical choice. 

I think we're getting ready to break for lunch - I see my can of iced tea on the table.

Andy and I called it at lunch time. His dice were not cooperating in any way shape or form. However he did wipe out my giant and my knights in short order.

Following lunch, Ralph and I fought it out. 

This is a bird's-eye view of Tyler and Ralph's game - Salamanders vs. Force of Nature

Ralph's Naiads and some sort of stone elemental - a nasty piece of work!
Ralph's modelling is always superb!

The Knights charge the stone elemental while the archers keep other naiads busy and the Grand Battery warms up.
(Martin loves Grand Batteries, whether Napoleon's or Zhukov's.)

"Action front! Double canister and no swabbing!" (Again, I wish!)

I was required to take this photo to show Tyler that the stone elemental could deal out punishment!

Ralph courteously threw in the towel when my giant ran amok all over the table and finally faced his Tree Herder along with the Captain and the Army Standard bearer - and still couldn't beat 'em! I'm getting the real feeling that no army in this game is a pushover! 

Other painting... the ballistae seen below were painted for my wife's Basilian force. She loves the Arthurian legends and is basing her army on them. Why not?

Whiz Kids Ballistae with found figures for crew

 Dredging old boxes my son left behind when he moved, I found this Mech. I thought it could be used by his Dwarven army as a "Juggernaut" suit, a steam-powered suit of power armour with a hand cannon. He liked it when he saw it. It has since been flocked.

I have no idea which company made this beast.

Painted this way, it appears properly "Dwarvish."

I have a few ideas for some upcoming games that I'll work out later... after Hot Lead and the upcoming WWII Pacific "Battlefront" battle between the Japanese and the Dutch. Should be interesting!