Roll Up The Guns!

I took a break from the Beastmen and finished up some of my Warlord Chinese support weapons. I have had two of the guns and the heavy machine-gun since March of 2006 and the last field gun before that. So only four years and two months from purchase to fully painted. It does mean I am making a dent in the mountain of metal stashed away in the corners. All of the models are from Copplestone and the bases I cut from hardboard.

A group shot of the three field guns.

A close up shot of one field gun. This gun the gunner and spotter have shoulder boards but the other two guns they do not have shoulder boards. I guess it is from a different generation or just variants of the same pose. The gunner is supposed to be facing the gun but I have set the gunners around to get more model coverage on the base.

Last is the heavy machine gun. I didn't get the knelling commander with the machine gun just the two crewmen. I thought about adding a standing commander to the base but decided to just mount a commander on a washer and stand him beside the team if I need one.

A note on the colors I used. I originally had basecoated them in grey like my Chinese troops wearing fur hats. I changed my mind and repainted them in khaki colors. The main reason is I have been toying with playing some games based in the Mexican Revolution era and plan to use these Chinese as proxy Mexican Federales. Same style hat and a bolt action rifle good enough for me. Some purists may balk at the idea but not me. The rest of my Chinese that can't double as Federales are still going to be a variation of grey.

Minotaur Hero progress

I have been working on my minotaur hero for the last few days. Mostly I have been adding a little green stuff to the shield every evening letting it cure over night. after cutting off the left hand axe I drilled out the handle and used some wire to secure the shield to the hand. Then a little more green stuff to cover the wire and make it look like a handle on the back of the shield. It is basically a weapon swap but I had to make the shield. The rest of the model is the old minotaur lord model.
Here is a detail shot of the shield. I may still do a little more work on the shield but I think it is at a good place if I decide to stop. I plan to use him as either a doom bull or gore bull depending on whichever I need. I have another of the old Minotaur lord models and plan to eventually build it as the standard two weapon version.

Last is more Beastmen reinforcements. I did some trading and picked u a pile of the old one pose beastman halberdiers, a Gor champ, a musician and a standard bearer. I have rebased them and plan to prime them up over the long weekend.

Currently I plan to use the one pose gors as back rankers for my Bestigors. This latest batch should give me over fifty Bestigors. With all of the horde unit rumours for the upcoming 8th edition I wanted to have enough models to test it out.

I am thinking about a block of fifty or so Bestigors as the centerpiece unit of the army. Of course fifty Bestigors with full command would be 630 points. I will have to wait and see the new rules in July.

Battle at Post Bibane part 2

Now for the conclusion of the Battle at Post Bibane. When we left, the Post was being over run, despite the deadly defense by the Transnestrians and the Berbers were trying to turn the French Flank.
More Berber Cavalry appear on the French Flank.

The Berbers gain the wall and charge the French colors. Private Booker downs many Berbers but it is to no avail.

More Berbers attack the walls, while the Transnestrian's hope of relief fades.

The French Colors Fall! The Berbers pile the dead in the center of the post.

All their officers dead, the surviving Transnestrians follow private Booker as they escape back to the French lines.

The Foreign Legion cavalry break away and head for the Post.

The Foreign Legion having left their Hedgehog formation for a line, fix bayonets and prepare to receive the charge from the Berber cavalry.

Some Berbers loot the Post and while the others reform and prepare to meet the French on the field.

The Transnestrian survivors take refuge in the ruins as the Berber cavalry bear down on them. The Berber Leader declares "No Survivors Of Post Bibane!" and urges his men on.

The French move up to try and save the survivors.

On the French Flank, The Berbers charge in,

And are Gunned down.

Private Booker rallies his compatriots and prepares to make the Berbers Pay!

The Legion to the Rescue! The Legion Cavalry charges the Berbers! The rest of the French line moves up. The Legion beat off the Berbers but not with out taking losses.

The last two Berbers charge into the Legion units flank. The French Major fires and kills one of the Berbers but the survivor continues into combat. The Major draws his saber and declares "This One Is Mine!" They meet and in a cloud of dust, snorting horses and flashing blades they Duel.

The French Limber their cannon and move it forward.

The Berber strikes home and the Major falls. He leans over and takes the Major's sword as a trophy then flees the field as the Legionaries try to bring him down.

The French troops move up under cover of the Oasis to gain a position to assault and recapture the Post.

Another group of surviving Berbers make a mad dash at the French gun and are cut down.

The Tribesmen charge out of the rocky ground throwing spears as they attack the Legionaries.

A bloody melee develops on the edge of the oasis.

The tribesmen attack to tie the French down in the center while the riflemen on the Post walls pick off the soldiers behind the line.

The deadly fire from the Berber riflemen down a French commander and many of the surviving Transnestrians.

Private Booker, is the only survivor of the original Post Bibane garrison.

The Cannon redeploys on higher ground and begins to shell the Post.

The Foreign Legion clears the approach to the post and form up to assault the walls. With most of their forces scattered and the French still having overwhelming strength the Berbers in the post attempt to blow up the post magazine and fail. They set the fire to the fort and as darkness falls they fade back into the hills. abandoning the post. The French may have it back now but the Rif will return.

I had a great time playing the game . I was on the Berber side and yes I was responsible for most of the glorious (aka suicide) charges by the Berber Cav. One major combat is missing from the report. I seem to have not taken pictures of the combat between the Legionnaire cav, the last Berber cav unit and a unit of foot troops. The Berber cav was beaten and the Legionaries were left with only three models left. Other than that i believe I covered most of the high points of the game. I would like to thank Chuckaroo for putting the game together, Matt at PBK&W for letting up play, even though the "Ard Boyz was going on at the same time and the Catawba Gamers for giving us a reason to get together.

Battle at Post Bibane part 1

An overview of the placid Moroccan country side, but danger lurks in the Moroccan hills. The Berbers are on the move and every Frenchman fears of his throat being cut in the night. Since 13 April 1925 eight thousand Rif have made concentrated attacks along the French lines. Thirty nine of sixty six French posts have either been overrun or abandoned. Now 15 May 1925 a Foreign Legion relief column has been dispatched from Fez to reinforce the major post at Bibane but will it make it in time?
The Field from the West. The Bibane Post is in the center next to the Oasis.

The Defenders of Post Bibane. They may look like East Transnestrian Border Police but they are not. They are Southwestern Transnestrian Border Police serving with the french colonial forces. They man the walls and wait for the relief column.

Two of the Legion Commanders observing the approach to Bibane before mounting their horses.

The Legion troops march beside the artillery Half tracks.

The Legion Cavalry takes the field for the first time, lead by a French commander and supported by a unit of Zouaves.

More Legion troops supported by Moroccan colonial levy. They may look like Sikhs but they are not they are Moroccans.

The Berbers make their first appearance and close on the relief column.

The Berbers continue their advance toward the french line.

The defenders wave the colors to show the post is still in French hands, for the moment.

After moving up the Zouaves spot a hidden unit of Camel troops behind the hill. The Berbers regroup and form up for the charge.

A second hidden unit of camels reveal themselves and move closer to the Zouaves. The Zouaves steel themselves and fix Bayonets.

Another hidden unit of Berber cavalry reveals it self and Charges the leading Foreign Legion unit. The combat is bloody but the Berbers end up breaking off. The french Don't celebrate because half the unit is left dead and only two Berbers are killed.

The Berbers Flee the combat still intact as a unit with joy in their hearts and French blood on their swords.

A second unit of hidden Berber cavalry is revealed.

A horde of Berber assault troops swarm out of the rocky cover and close on the posts walls.

The Berber General leads the charge to try and destroy the French guns but falls short, in front of the entire French line.

The return fire from the French slay the Berber general and the survivors retreat. They salute their General as they ride past, He may not have been very smart but HE WAS A MAN!

The camel riders charge the Zouaves and are shot apart.

Both units break and flee the table.

The Survivor from the Generals unit continues to flee for cover.

More Berbers swarm from the rocky cover to reinforce the assaulting units.

Berber Cavalry rides around the hill to turn the French flank.

More Berbers appear on the French flank. The Legion unit at the bottom of the hill assumes the formidable Hedgehog formation.

The Berbers gain the top of the walls! Can the Transnestrians hold till they are relieved?

The surviving Berber cavalry ride through the French lines but are shot down before they can do any damage.

Will the Post hold out? Will the Berber Cavalry continue to charge into the French guns?

All will be revealed in the concluding episode.

This is the first part of a battle report about a The Sword and The Flame game played 15 May 2010 at Parker Banner Kent and Wayne game store in Cornelius, NC. The game was game mastered by my friend Chuckaroobob for the Catawba Military Gaming Societies' monthly game day. The Battle for the Post of Bibane is based on historical fact. The post changed hands several times between the French and the Rif in the month of May 1925. you will have to check back to see if the Post changes hands in our game.