"When The Foeman Bares His Steel""Tarantara,Tarantara"

                                  Wednesday 25th July

                                                Tonight's Garvald film production brought us the return of the Airship Harmony with its gallant captain Mal Reynolds and his crew of air pirates pitting their wits against the newly formed Honourable Penzance Police Company(Limited) supported by the world's only consulting detective and the good doctor recently recruited after their dog hunting adventures on the Cornish moors.The location of his adventure was in some forgotten North African backwater port and it involved a set too between the two sides.A side plot involved the local constabulary but they didn't really move far from their hookahs to cause any problems.There was also an awful lot of eye candy about to distract my men as a lot of you know this is normal with a Colin Jack game.

Lull before the storm.

Dodgy dealings at the casbah.

The Navy's here-again!

I still think he looks like Angus.

                                                Colin's scenery is a bit like a film set as it can quickly be arranged to serve as another part of the world.In the past few weeks we have used the scenery to cover various games from 1945 Berlin to a North African port via the Russian Steppes,the Bulgarian/Hungarian border,a modern American trailer park and a Victorian London dock.I am sure the future will produce even more varieties of scenarios.

Rock the Casbah!

Definitely my kind of shepherdess.

"Well,well well!"

The outside broadcast Garvald film crew capture all the action.

                                                   Anyway tonight's game was a set too between the two factions to give us more experience of the In Her Majesty's Name rules and gameplay.

Touting for business.

The Honourable Penzance Police Company(Limited)

"Hallo,hallo.hallo!"

!Is that a truncheon or are you just pleased to see me?"

Who needs a boat?

                                      The game kicked off with my lads landing from a procured Royal Navy steam launch ready to do some arresting of piratical criminals.The problem was that as soon as my lads landed they found themselves being distracted by the local delights on offer mainly the multitude of scantily clad women from Colin's collection.

Rooftop candy.

The man himself.

Dragged from distraction.

Jane about to shimmy.

                                                After a few kicks up he rear end my men started to head for their objectives mainly arresting Colin's pirates who had just emerged from his dirigible covered by Kayleigh and her dancing machine gun which made my lads head for cover but not before one of them was wounded and eventually leaving the game as when the good doctor came to administer first aid Kayleigh showed no remorse and machine gunned him as well forcing him to refrain from saving the downed policeman.

Shepherd Book prepares to throw the book at my constable'

"Right behind you sarge!"

And Mal goes down.

Trying to shoot the airship.

The doc goes down.

                                         Mal Reynolds and Inara emerged from the shadow of a dockside building and started taking pot shots at the consulting detective and inspector Stradel respectively.This made my lads a bit p'd off so they ran into the pair and indulged in some fisticuffs but not before the inspector had to take a pluck test due to to Inara's beauty which he passed-poor man!Once he got into hand to hand it proved to be no contest with Inara being consigned to the wounded pile.This was to prove to be my only victory of the evening.

And Mal gets up.

"Watch this boys"

My kind of pirate captain.

A rumble on the dock.

                                             Shepherd Book arrived and immediately went into hand to hand with one of my uniformed constables who held his own and was eventually supported by one of his colleagues but even this didn't turn the tide.This gave Jayne-wooly hat et al-the chance to shimmy down from the airship,avoiding fire from one of the Special Branch lads and get stuck in to the Shepherd's scrap.

with interfering locals.

Still can't put Mal down permanently.

To the rescue.

Still selling her wares.

                            Meanwhile my sergeant supported by a constable headed round the casbah with the attention of doing away with Zoe one way or another but they found themselves coming under accurate fire from Zoe herself forcing them to hide behind some innocent bystanders-if needs must.Zoe managed first to fumble and then break her main weapon but this still left her with a pistol and a knife with which she was very proficient.

The casbah quietens down again.

Shepherd Book arrives to help out.

"Anytime today Zoe!"

Quiet as a tomb.

                                                  The combined effort of the Shepherd and Jayne proved to be too much for my two constables and they eventually went the way of the good doctor and the constable(and I don't mean a painting).Shepherd Book ran to the assistance of Mal who was actually not doing to bad for himself as the vagaries of the rules made or a very boring slugfest.Jayne meanwhile had done away with my remaining Special Branch covstable.The evening drew to a close with the airship pirates just coming out on top.

A better roof top view.

                                            A great game played in the best gentlemanly way.The way it should be.
                 All figures,scenery and scenario apart from my Penzance Police Company(Limited)were provided by Colin Jack.
                                      We indulged in pizzas and beer at half time provided once again by the Garvald Inn.
                                     Hopefully see a lot of you at Claymore next week Saturday 4th August where the Gothenburg Gamers will putting on Colin's Suez 1956 game.
                                       Be there or be an equal sided rectangle.

"That's how its done Dave!"

Thursday 19th July.

The town in question

                                              Back to seriousness for this week's game after a couple of weeks of not so serious games involving half naked females and weeping angels.This week's foray saw us back in 1940 where us Brit's were taking a bit of a kicking in Northern France.The battle of Cassel was fought as a rearguard action within sight of Dunkirk.

Plenty of garden space

with posters to welcome visitors with

and plenty of rental accommodation.

                                                               Tonight's game was a replay of a game played away back in June by the other members of the Gothenburg Gamers as I had to indulge in that thing called work.I am led to believe that the German commanders were not quite up to the task that evening and fresh blood was brought in,ie me, to achieve victory and make sure history wasn't changed.

Ready for the off.

Officers to the fore.

Hoping to make lesser targets.

                                                 We decided to go for the jugular straight from the start before the Brits could rain down fire on us with their artillery so off we charged light armour to the fore hoping to reveal all the hiding places of the defenders.

Colin's hordes.

A brief flurry from the enemy.

Bypassed pretty quickly.

                                                    The initial artillery fire was sporadic and ineffectual allowing our advance parties the opportunity to flush out any British guns and do away with them.This we did and after a few defensive shots that were ineffectual we started to clear them away one by one.This started the arrival of the puny British armour which would eventually end up as scrap metal although they did do away with some German armour albeit lightly armoured cars.

Watching the skies.

Wata lot of water tower.

Looking confident.

                                                        Colin was steamrolling his way down our right flank and was rolling up Ray's defenders with not too many casualties of his own.My gallant lads were beginning to lose their momentum and decided to call in air support which arrived in the form of a Ju88 bomber.Yes,What could be better?A plane with a better bomb aimer for a start!He missed his target by the proverbial mile.If we were going to win this battle it was going to be done the hard way.

The heavy boys waiting their turn.

The enemy armour arrives.

"That's it games over!"

Maybe not.

                                                  We continued to get up,close and personal and after a few turns we got to bring on some needy reinforcements which we hoped would pave the way for a glorious victory. Bill and Ray's forces dug in hoping to bar our way but Colin's forces got ever nearer the defenders and with a combined effort from his infantry and armour finally got a foothold into one of the defended buildings and also captured a water tower which contained Ray's artillery spotter so that was his support done away with.

The defenders being whittled down.

More German tank fodder.

UP,close and personal.

Somebody having a quiet day.

Well you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs!

New tenants.

                                            On my side it was developing into a stand up gun fight with my armoured cars eventually being overcome by Bill's plucky defenders but my tanks finally put Bill's other armour to flight allowing them a chance to get into the fight to avenge their fallen comrades.Luck also came my way as my mortar hit pay dirt or a bren carrier to be precise and done away with its occupants.Bill's remaining armour done an advance to the rear movement in order to escape from the carnage.
                 

The inevitable grey wave.

Carnage in the British rear.

A mass of field grey.

                   Another great game played in the best of manners although it was easy seen that fresh blood was needed to motivate these gallant lads to victory not like a few weeks ago when it turned into a stalemate.Two of the generals from the previous game have been eliminated due too their incompetence.

Lonely machine gun.

The only fly in our ointment.

Getting ready to head for Dunkirk.

                                      A factual account of the battle can be found at the following link.
http://gbg-international.blogspot.com/2011/01/cassell-26-27-may-1940-2nd-glosters.html
                                                     
                                           See You All When I See You.