Bolt Action at Rusty's Gaming House in Waxahachie!

Played my first game of Bolt Action last night at Rusty's new war game digs in Waxahachie.  The game was not what I expected.  I had watched several games and several gamers just go ballistic playing these rules.  I was originally off put by the rules and cost of the game in terms of multiple 'codex' and cost of the miniatures in 28mm.  I eventually bought a couple of Warlord vehicles and cleaned up a bunch of 25/28mm Easy Eight Americans and Germans I had laying around.  The vehicles (M8 Greyhound and a M24 Chaffee) are still in the boxes to "get done".
Rusty hosted me for a small game of Bolt Action.  I've been playing some Black Powder Pike and Shotte plus really like Black Powder Last Argument of Kings for larger AWI games.  He plays in 20mm rather than in 28mm.  His game house is a converted detached garage on his property.  Between the two of us, we have become the "Southern Dominion" of war gaming spots in the DFW area.  His collection is outstanding, his gaming area is outstanding and he's a great host!  He lives approximately 7 minutes from my home in Red Oak.  This is serendipitous!  I do like 20mm for this rules set as well.  I can use 1/76 scale vehicles, support and aircraft.  Most 1/76 models are less expensive than larger scales. I also like AB 20mm figures. I've painted them before. Exquisite models.  Well...on to the game.  Do I like Bolt Action?  Yes!!!  It's simple to learn, fun to play and gets to the brass knuckles quickly and to a conclusion in an evening's game. I'm sure there's warts but on first blush, I'm buying these rules. Just keep those Japanese and Marines away from my checkbook!

Rusty's Display case Area. He's got some really
cool terrain, Buildings and "stuff"

Painting Area 1 of 3.

Painting Area 2 of 3

20mm Allies and Axis dudes

Give Miller a Jeep and watch him get it shot up!

More Goimans

Scenario: Find the pesky F.O. that's directing the
off board railroad gun to shoot up Allied rear area positions.

Told y'all earlier, give me a Jeep....my plan, someone go
left, someone go right, who's goin' up the middle?

The village of Schweinschiess

Medieval tower...hmm...F.O. here?

Ahhh...Jumbo time. A little HE support never hurts!

OK, I'm a whore! I'm going up to OKC to play in the Warlord Games Day. Yet one MORE project! Good evening, good game, great host! You should play there as well.  Worth your time and distance from the usual haunts.

Ready for Black Powder Pike and Shotte ECW on the 22nd!

I'm ready for Black Powder/Pike and Shotte on the 22nd. I was pretty sure I had enough for at least two armies.  Yep...right arm! I've got two full armies as portrayed in the rules.  Here's how it breaks down.
4 Battalias of 3 regiments of horse-144 figures
4 Battalias of 3 regiments of pike/shotte-240 figures
2 Forlorn Hopes-small 12 figure units on single bases
2 Dragoon units and appropriate dismounts-mounted in skirmish order
8 artillery pieces
1 Mortar
1 Sharpshooter/Sniper
2 firelock units (for guarding baggage and/or detached to artillery unit
Generals and CICs for both Parliamentary and Royalist forces

All I need to do is add players and roll some dice. Here's a small gallery. Pictures are taken in my gaming house. It's called the Rat Palace Redux. It's located in Red Oak, Texas. Come over and let's roll some bones. You're always welcome!

Force A array 

Ordnance and Firelock Guards

Chas his own sef' with wrong flag

Forlorn Hope-A good use for extra figures HA!

All hail the yeoman clubmen!

Horse Battalia and Canary Dragoons

Horse Battalia and no Dragoons

Shot of Sandy Botond constructed windmill and horse wing

I'm a doctor not a general!

Typical size of infantry units-I'm making this my standard 

Give Fire!

Norwich Dragoons

Ordnance and sharpshooter/sniper

Why We Fight!

Infantry array

Horse wings face off

Warlord Artillery Set. Not too shabby for resin and metal 

Force B Array

Force A Array

Scattershooting while getting the Rat Palace Redux Ready for Semi Prime Time

I'm getting my game house ready for a Napoleon at War game next weekend. I'm stoked about being able to play here again. I'm just posting some generic "scatter shooting" types of shots of stuff that makes my collection special to me.

Here's a shot of one of my ECW/18th/19th/whatever century you want to use it for buildings. It was constructed by Sandy Botond. Sandy is a member of the Katy/Houston gaming group, and a master artiste! 

This is my Steve Barber Miniatures "not so colossus-eum" This was a BLAST to paint. Each spectator is just a little bit different. That's the beauty of Steve Barber's work.  I just set it back up for display this evening. I'll put gladiators, tigers, oh my back in it when I dig them out of the storage garage.

I think this is a Warlord Miniatures rocket battery for the Zulu Wars.  I painted this up for my Victorian War of the Worlds game. I used to have several of Herb Gundt's H.G. Walls Martian War Machines. They literally melted some years ago in the hot Tejas summer. The legs bent just like they were hit with the "heat ray". I have no idea where to go to replace the models. I've still got the bodies and the superstructures. The legs were just jacked up. Any help on finding these miniatures would be appreciated.  I think I bought the originals from RBLPS but I'm old and sometimes have "senior moments" (you call them brain farts).  Anyway, I've got 200+ classic Charles Stadden Zulu Wars British to fight the Martians and needed (yeah right) a rocket battery to get smoked by the Martians.   Hopefully, I'll find some more of the Martian War machines. None of the new stuff fits my 1970s Jeff Wayne's War of the World theme.  Nothing else will do.

I'll post up an AAR and gallery set of the NaW game next week. Stay tuned...and yeah...your mileage may vary!