5+1 go AK 47'ening!

Sunday 24th Feb

The Jewel of Setumsa.

The locals have pinched the track.

Setumsa in the sun.

                                  First multi game at the Gothenburg pub for a wee while so I thought it was fitting to host an AK 47 extravaganza with an abundance of players.It didn't quite work out that way numbers wise but a great game was held by all and proves that quality does beat quantity.

The industrial heartland.

Setumsa airport.

Two DC-3s(both with the same serial numbers.

                                          In total 15 people were invited but due to excuses like model railway shows,baby naming,club Napoleonic games and some not even replying only six turned up.The present encumbent to the grand dictatorship of Setumsa, Papa Deek Hodge was a last minute call off due to him coming into contact with his staircase and coming off third best and yes I did see him this morning so unless he has a good make up artist,it was the real deal.

Stephen's starters.

Ma Boys!

Donald's ditherers.

                                                             Five of us turned up for a great day's gaming and were joined by my son Stephen who like a lot of people hadn't played the game for over ten years.He didn't let this get into the way of enjoying the nonsense and actually walked away as the newly elected (democratically off course) leader of Setumsa stabbing his daddy in the back along the way with .50 calibre bullets.

Colin's collection.

Dave's dawdlers.

Bill's only starting unit.

                              The table was set up and the armies were divvied out and we ended up with two colonial powers,two superpower clients,one nationalist communist(Bill Gilchrist off course)and one dictatorship(who else but Dave O'Brien).

VW25-Had to show It.I love VW's.

Dave contemplating his would be conquests.

Bill pensive about his only unit.

                                            As always as soon as the whistle blew for the start of the game we all headed for the nearest victory point location of which six were placed around the board.One victory condition was the possession of a Vulcan bomber which had been placed on the board.One of the rules of this game is to dice at the start of the game  to see which of your units will enter at the start of the game.Bill being his usual lucky self ended up with only one unit of armoured cars,his other units in their true Soviet style,dragged their heals when it came to moving.

Donald seeing red.

Shooting daddy in the back.

Taking over the town.

"Hurrah!Bill's reinforcements arrive.

                                                          The first encounter was between Stephen's machine gun armed jeeps against my armoured cars -no contest!.No it wasn't as with Stephen's first shot he took out one of my armoured cars and it wasn't long before he took out another one.The only thing that saved my third one was that it couldn't be seen.Bill headed for the town that Dave had encamped in and managed to take out on of Mr O'Brien's Shermans.This p'd him off as he didn't intend to attack Bill so quick but now the gloves were off.

Colin's Centurions moving to contact.

More of Donald's ditherers.

Taking more shots at daddy.

Winner in the making.

My glorious armour.

O'Brienville.

                                                               Colin Jack and Donald Adamson who were both in charge of colonial settler armies found themselves confronting each other.Colin with his Israeli type army against Donald's Rhodesian type army.Colin was in charge of a brace of Centurion tanks which usually he is very good in turning  into scrap metal but today he managed to field them with not getting as much as a scratch on them.Donald's two T34s headed straight up midfield hoping to do away with any challengers but alas came out second best.Maybe he should have kept to skulking instead of ending up sulking.

Centurions-two off!

"Maybe I'll bring this plane on?"

"Or maybe this one?"

"Or maybe this one?""Make your mind up Dave!"

                                                 The randomly drawn rounds soon sped up and whilst my three technicals went mano a mano with Stephen's jeeps my other lads headed through the nearby village hoping to procure the isolated Vulcan.Trouble was they couldn't move very fast and took their time.

Yes,Colin had more than Centurions.

Airport before the fisticuffs.

Donald's APCs

                                               Stephen meanwhile headed with the rest of his available force towards the crocodile infested river and the hope of greater glory.Bill was valiantly fighting of Dave's advances until he could get some reinforcements.

Donald going for drop off!

The Meteor strikes.

                                                      Lunch time arrived and we headed for the bar and enjoyed a very nice repast.I also had the added bonus apart from a couple of foaming ales,of watching my favourite football team Rangers,put five goals past the opposition.

Getting nasty.

And nastier.

                                                         Lunch time over we headed back to the slog of the African Veldt and the hope of becoming successor to Papa Deek.

Maybe it will take off.

Bill fighting a two way battle.

                                                   Bill had new infantry to back up his well put on armoured cars which came in the nick of time as Stephen started to hit him in the rear with his Ratel armoured cars.Dave meanwhile was hitting him from the other flank and doing some damage.Colin was slowly moving his Israeli backed forces slowly towards Donald's lads and even although Colin was attacking his flank Donald decided to head for the airport and I don't mean to drop somebody off,he intended to dig in.Dave clocked this and even although there were guys entombed in the departure lounge he decided to attack the airport with the help of some air support which eventually came in the form of a Gloster Meteor.

Heading for the Vulcan.

Aeriel view of the scrap.

                                A big melee was developing in the middle of the table with the fight for the airport between Dave and Donald with Bill sniping at Dave's rear end with Stephen attacking Bill's strung out infantry and coming out second as all his Ratels went down in a blaze of glory or in reality up in a puff of smoke.Meanwhile a unit of Stephen's infantry headed towards the Vulcan in order to evict my militia and achieve another objective which actually was the difference between victory and defeat.My militia obliged by disappearing into the wilderness

Colin hunting for Donald.

Peak hour in O'Brienville.

                                                                          The game came to an end with burning vehicles all around the airport building and bodies strewn all over the table providing fodder for the roaming crocodiles.The victory conditions and objectives achieved were added up and lo and behold Stephen is he newly elected tyrant of Setumsa,This game report was brought to you by the Petramco company purveyors of oil,petrol and ju-ju juice to the world.

Using pink dice for cover I think.

                                          A great game had by one and all and played in the best spirit but still hurts when shot in the back by my beloved son armed with a .50 calibre.
                                              All figures and scenery provided by Dave O'Brien,myself and off course Papa Deek Hodge even although he was hors de' combat.Hopefully the next get-together of the Gothenburg Gamers will not be as long in forthcoming.I believe Muskets and Tomahawks was mentioned.Keep your scalp on and watch this space!

Cold Night In Canada.

Wednesday 13th February

Sleepy back of nowhere Canada.

British rocketry.

Beautiful Avro Canada CF-100 affectionately known as the "Clunk"

                                      Headed out this evening to the Garvald Film Studios Ltd expecting to be either fighting through the streets of 18th century Venice or charging over some WW2 battlefield but ending up playing one of my favourite types of game mainly a silly romp through the post WW2 world involving amongst other things a cold war skirmish interrupted by an alien invasion.What could more could one ask for especially with all the cool toys lying about.

Stripped down Shooting Star

Various rocket firing vehicles.

Canadian Sabre

                                                  After an excellent pasta repast we headed through to the games room and I was greeted by the sight of a carefully laid out "secret" base which was situated somewhere in the Canadian wilds.Fort Churchill sprung to mind as it was used as a missile testing station after the war.

Obviously spoils of war from Europe?

                                            This was an opportunity for Colin to display some of his cool vehicles collected over a few years I would imagine.These fine vehicles were complemented by some of Colin's vast modern/sci-fi figure collection.The protagonists this evening were the Russians who were doing a commando attack on the base looking for some boffins which was being defended by members of U.N.I.T ably assisted by Dan Dare.Time stands still in our sci-fi games.

Dan Dare Directs.

The "Boffins"

Andrew's girls checking their makeup.

                                               I took control of the Soviets whilst Andrew Easson took charge of the defenders.Colin arrived randomly using aliens as his creed.

The chosen few.

About to miss the fence.

Last cup of coffee.

Russkie hovercraft.

                                                     My plan was to  attack like Soviets i.e.through the front door and across the fence which I hoped to destroy with my rocket launcher.As the man says "Russians don't take a dump son without a plan!"Trouble is they never seem to go to plan especially when my rocketeer missed the fence from point-blank range.

Not exactly subtle.

Poor 'Chevy.

                                                        My first squad raced up to the front gate hoping to dispatch the gate guards but alas they couldn't shoot for toffee and had to end up grappling with them to dispatch them.This stramash led the alarm to be raised and Andrew's girl band came racing to investigate,mini skirts to the fore.My lads charged towards them hoping to put them to flight but as soon as the girl's started letting off their machine guns my lads dived for cover usually behind a beautiful 50's American car.Andrew's other squads headed for the safety of the airfield main building hoping to dig in and do away with my Russian invaders from a distance.My second squad were consistent as they missed the fence for a second time.Time to climb the fence I think.

Digby scans for the Mekon.

Ready to hit the Duty-Free.

Fisticuffs.

"Dammit-Charge!"

"F**k It,Lets climb the fence?"(In Russian)

                                                My squad began to take casualties and were saved from extinction by the arrival of Colin's aliens who came not to help me but just wanting to annihilate everybody they came across starting with the rocket crew who just happened to be near their landing point.

The aliens arrive.

Friggin ugly!

                                                      So the game basically descended into a Canadian Standoff as we were way north of the Mexican border and evolved into last man or girl standing.Andrew's girls were doing a good job of resisting my first squads intentions whilst his gang ensconced in the airfield building decided to divide their forces as they were being threatened from both sides.My lads decided that retreat was not going to be an option as a one way ticket to the nearest gulag didn't sound appealing.

Not letting them get any closer.

Looking for bear.

Standing back.

                         Andrew placed a sniper dressed in a kilt of all things on the roof of the airfield building and started taking pot shots at my slowly moving Russkies and taking a heavy toll.This cull was only reduced by the sniper having to turn  his sights towards Colin's ever nearing aliens who had just done away with all the unlucky ground crew leaving a hapless Maya from Moonbase Alpha all on her own but even her shapeshifting didn't prolong her existence for much longer after that.

Chomping on the aliens.

Moonbase Alpha Maya.

                                               My second squad started firing off round after round at the ever nearing aliens but could only scratch them.My squad advanced to the rear making sure that their was not enough room for Colin to dash into and to hand as aliens were lethal in close combat.My first squad were down to two guys but were still trading shots with the Andrew's female militia who were hiding behind a 57' Chevy.What a waste and a repair bill for the bullet holes.

Time to vacate the premises.

Girls and guns.

Dan Dare and a fire engine.

                                           Full time approached with none of us really making headway with my lads wondering what the lesser of two evils would be -Gulag or alien fodder?Andrew's lads were starting to take casualties from Colin's aliens but not reciprocating as the alien's were proving to have excellent armour even although they couldn't shoot for mince.

Some of our dear departed friend Hugh's creations.

"Fill her up!"

                                              A great game played with some great toys.My idea of a perfect evening which doesn't involve taking off clothes.
                                                   All figs,vehicles,scenery and scenario provided by Colin Jack.Rules used were adapted Legend's Of The Old West as we couldn't find any Necromunda ones.
                                                        See You All When I See You which will probably bee after our first game at the Gothenburg pub for a wee while.Sunday afternoon AK47.