Sharp Practice 2 At The Harrogate Wargames Club

Had a recent game the club using the Sharp Practice 2 rules.  Organised by John S this was our first bash using these Napoleonic Skirmish rules.  It was interesting to contrast these rules with the 'Eagle Rampant' (ER) version of Lion Rampant that I posted about back 8th April this year. Link.

In terms of ease of play and accessibility ER wins hands down, as SP2 is a far far more complex offering.  That said SP2 offers a deeper richer gaming experience for the more hard-core/enthusiastic Napoleonic gamer.

In the game we played I was the clean-living god fearing British taking on the unworthy French dictator and his henchmen :)  Sadly one I lost due to being insufficiently aggressive with my Rifle Regt.  Great fun however  :)


Here's some pics of the game :)   Figures belong to both John S and Gavin M.
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Why HeroQuest Is So Great

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Comment:  Got this game, and this video made me smile :)
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A Ferrari 250 GT TdF! An Aston Vulcan! Blackpool! Rain! - New Top Gear Teaser

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Comment:  The new Top Gear presenters are getting so much hate and negative vibes, I'm almost starting to feel sorry for them.  Fact is we won't know how it is until the series starts showing, so I'm now writing it off just yet...
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Battlefield 1 Official Reveal Trailer

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Comment:  My son Alex is getting all excited out this.  My observation was that Tank seemed to be going too fast ! LOL
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On board the aircraft carrier fighting IS - USS Harry S Truman

Over the past four months USS Harry S Truman has been sailing somewhere in the North Arabian Gulf launching wave after wave of attacks on so-called Islamic State (IS). Link to the BBC web site.
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Dawn of War III – Announcement Trailer

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Space Hulk Deathwing First Gameplay Trailer

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Comment: This looks good !  :)
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Picture Of The Week - No 57 - Hellcat In Action

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Comment:  A good action photo of a WW2 American M18 'Hellcat' just after firing.  Lots of dust kicked up by the blast from the 76mm gun.
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Simba Superplay Castle

Following a link posted on one of the Facebook pages it seems that Debenhams (in the UK) are selling off cheap 'Simba Superplay Castles'. For only £21 delivered, I must confess I couldn't resist getting one :)
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Orc Warlord makes himself at home :)
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The keep.
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Currently in the process of painting one of the towers up. I'll post photos of my progress in due course. Currently intending on using it in both Lion and Dragon Rampant games.
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Mongol Horrors in Hungary 1241

In 1241 – 42 the Mongol invasions of Hungary caused widespread destruction.  Recently, a house filled with the charred remains of murdered victims plus a forgotten treasure reminds us of these horrors. Link to the Medieval Histories web site.
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Tank Posters

The tank encyclopedia has an excellent range of tank posters that are worth downloading. Link
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Bourne Legacy Ending Music

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Comment:  Re-watched the Bourne Lagacy last night with the family and loved the film ending cinematics and music enough to post here.  Music by Moby - Extreme Ways.
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A Century Later, Relics Emerge From a War Frozen in Time

Retreating ice in the Alps sheds new light on high-altitude battle in World War I. Link
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Comment:  A fascinating article well worth a read.
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“Landwasters and Raven Feeders”: Official rules for Lion Rampant in the Dark Ages

Back in issue 331 (May 2015) of Wargames Illustrated magazine, Dan Mersey looked at how to raise a Warband (which seems a more suitable title for this period than the medieval ‘Retinue’; your Leader is restyled as your Warlord) for your preferred Dark Ages nation using the Lion Rampant rules, and added a list of Boasts more suited to the Dark Ages.

As that issue now seems almost impossible to find, Dan has added an article to his web site about it:  Link.

 

An intereting new feature and one that could be used be adapted to use in Dragon Rampant as well is:

New Upgrade: Holy Men & Banners

‘Holy Men & Banners’ special characters

• Available to: Any unit except for Skirmishers or Villagers; units containing your Leader may not take this upgrade.
• Cost: 1 point per unit.
• Maximum of 1 special character per unit.
• Special characters may not transfer between units.
• Replace one ordinary model in the unit with a special character. This special character moves, fights, and acts in all ways like any other model in the unit.
• Units with a special character gain +1 to all Courage tests (in the same way as, and in addition to, being within 12” of their Leader – see page 11 of the rulebook).
• Test for the death of special characters in the same way as Leader Lucky Blows.
• A player killing an opposing unit’s special character gains +1 Glory.

Raining Humvees! Military vehicles plummet in failed US airdrop drill

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Comment:  Opppsssss, someone's in for a bollocking over that !
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WWII Artillery Gun Used On Syrian Battlefield

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Footage of the ex-Wehrmacht 'leFH 18' in Syria, Shelling of the Shia town of Al-Fu'ah, Aug 30, 2015. The 10.5 cm leFH 18 was the standard divisional field howitzer used by the Wehrmacht during the Second World War.
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Comment:  Amazing that this is a) still serviceable enough to be used and b) that they have ammo for it (although it could have been rechambered I suppose).
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Yorkshire Military Vehicle Trust - 2016 'Crank Up'

Here in the UK, the Yorkshire Military Vehicle Trust (MVT) had its annual 'Crank Up' event in the middle of York on Sun 17th April.  Different location this year, down by the river in the Castle Gardens.

The weather gods smiled upon on our gathering and although it was cold, we had sun for much of the day.  My truck developed a miss-fire on the way, but a change of condenser sorted the snag out (thankfully).

Here's a few pictures of the event. Including motorcyles there were 80+ vehicles there. 5 CCKWs made it along.  Standout vehicle for me (apart from the the CCKWs of course) was a Humber 'Pig' with its 4.2 litre Rolls-Royce engine - I'd love to own one.

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Great vehicle this Humber Pig.
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View of the 4.2 litres (petrol) engine.
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Good view of the RPG screens.
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Dodge.
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Replica of a US Fast Attack vehicle.  Looks a lot better than it sounds ! LOL
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Landrover
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Hillman staff car.
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Hillman staff car interior.
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My friend Chris and jeep with my godson Gareth.
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Morris quad tractor.
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Reo, CCKW and Dodge.
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Reo
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Dodge.
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CCKW 353.
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CCKW 353.
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Stalwart.
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CCKW 353.
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Cliffords Tower
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A geese family, there were several around hissing at us if we went too close ! :)
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33 keeps came along.
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Roman villa unearthed 'by chance' in Wiltshire garden

An "elaborate" Roman villa has been unearthed by chance by a homeowner laying electric cables in his garden in Wiltshire.  Link to the BBC web site for more info.
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Tank Chat - David Fletcher has returned to host the latest Tank Chat, on the Mark I tank.

The Museum's Mark I is the only surviving example of this, the first tank produced to go into battle.
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Remains of WW1 German ships found in Portsmouth

The remains of two First World War German destroyers have been found at the home of the British Navy in Portsmouth.

The ships were taken there after the Great War and left to rust in the mud and water, then forgotten.
Link

Picture Of The Week - No 56 - T72

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Comment:   Some years back I got to have a quick look round this T72.  Compared with NATO tanks the interior is horrible.
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