Andy shares some photos of games at the meeting on 25/07/2026.
PETER – 10mm AWI. A Shot Heard Round The Pub.
MARK J – 28mm WW2 – Chain of Command, Operation Martlet.
STEPHEN – 15mm Vietnam – Charlie Don’t Surf: ‘Battle For AnLoc April 1972’
If you would like to see what games are coming up at the Society you can see our diary here.
That’s all for this week.
Andy shares a 2026 Open Day photo round up.
Yesterday the Society staged its Open Day, putting on half a dozen games.
Here are a few photos in, roughly, historical order
Barons War (13th Century)
Commando raid, WW2, 1940’s (0200 Hours Rules)
Vietnam (1960’s – 70’s) Charlie don’t Surf rules
Technicals, somewhere in Africa, 1970’s – 80’s, home grown rules
Apologies to David, I only got one photo of his game, if any are shared by other members I’ll update the post.
We now depart history for some more whimsical,and fantastical, games.
A Clash of Rhyfles, battles with the Quar.
And finally, some Dragon Rampant.
That’s all for now. Our next open day will be in June next year, but if you fancy coming along to the club we meet between 10:00 and 17:00 on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month (only the first of these in December) at Linton Village Hall, Linton Hill (A229), Maidstone. The first two meetings attended are free for prospective members, and subs are prorated.
You can find more details and directions here.
Andy reports on the first day of a Barons’ War mini campaign (with comments from Stephen)
Stephen and I arranged to play the Barons War “A Most Ignoble Feud” mini campaign. This comprises of three linked battles of 500 points, 750 points and 1000 points.
The campaign gives army lists for both commanders in each battle, it was written for edition 1 of the rules and we have moved on to edition 2 so we decided to create our own lists, to the original points values. In the original campaign one side has a number of militant monks in their force, so we kept that requirement, together with the requirement to have 10% of a retinue made up of Green troops.
Stephen’s force was led by Baron Stephen le Tookere, ably assisted by one of his retainers Willard of Wickham. Andy’s force was led by Sir Andrew Fitzroi, supported by his Sergeant at Arms and half-brother Geoffrey Fitzroi, which had the contingent of monks.
The reason for the enmity between Baron Stephen and Sir Andrew was an incident during a hunting party where the Baron accused Sir Andrew of trespassing on his lands, an accusation Sir Andrew firmly rejected.
Battle 1 The Ambush.
Objectives and Victory Conditions
Sir Andrew must fight off the ambushers and escape the battlefield via the board edge opposite their deployment zone, and scores VP based on the points values of all his Warriors that escape the battlefield, doubling the amount of any commanders.
Baron Stephen must try and kill all the opposition, and scores points values of the enemy Warriors his Retinue slays during the battle, doubling the value of any Commanders.
The scenario specifies that the game lasts 5 turns, with a sixth turn available if any unit has a chance of exiting the table. We considered that somewhat challenging considering the distance the defenders would have to move, 7 turns of normal movement for the slowest foot assuming no combat, so we amended that to 9 to 10 turns.
(Stephen: seems strange this wasn’t picked up in play testing. With just 5 turns to get off table they would have to Run for every activation and couldn’t stop to fight or shoot arrows. That’s extremely unlikely and wouldn’t make for a fun game. Hence we increased turns, which would still make it difficult for that ne’er-do-well poacher, Sir Andrew).
Baron Stephen’s Retinue
Sir Andrew’s Retinue
(V) Veteran, (R) Regular, (G) Green and (C) Commander.
This scenario uses Deployment map D, forces deployed along opposite short edges of the table.
While escorting a group of monks from Yorkshire to Derbyshire Sir Andrew found the road blocked near the hamlet of Brookhill by a couple of abandoned carts, above the carts he could see the tips of spears, to the left of the road were two groups of archers, while on a hill to the far right he could see a group of knights flying Sir Stephen’s pennant.
(Stephen: I still don’t know why I put them there. It was pretty much the only open bit of terrain where I could use the might of a knightly charge).
Sir Andrew sent his mounted sergeants through the village to find a route around the ambush. The spearmen and crossbows advanced either side of the road, coming under fire from both of Baron Stephen’s groups of archers. Sir Andrew following so he could issue orders as needed. Sir Andrew’s monks and archers were deployed to the right, the archers advancing to the crest of a hill and the monks running as if for their lives towards a patch of woodland.
The Marksmen loosed quarrels as fast as they could, to paltry effect, one knight fell from his horse and an archer was brought down.
As the spearmen under Geoffrey advanced past the village they came under relentless archery, Geoffrey and two of his men fell leaving a single man, however his nerve held and he charged into one of the enemy archer groups despatching two of them and forcing them back.
Seeing the monks heading into the woods, Baron Stephen ordered his spearmen to leave the barricade and try to head them off
(Stephen: like anyone, I was determined those damned monks were not going to get off the table, even though I knew they probably weren’t worth many points and there were bigger fish to catch).
Baron Stephen and his bodyguard eventually came down from the hill, advancing towards the barricade.
Sir Andrew’s Mounted Sergeants moved swiftly through the woods, but lost one of their number to archery before they left the battlefield.
The monks ran from the wood and headed up the next hill, with the enemy spearmen chasing them. They almost made it but were caught and lost a brother to the vicious spearmen, fortunately on their next turn they were able to escape the field of battle.
(Stephen: Sir Andrew won initiative meaning he got them within one move of being off table, otherwise I’d have caught up with them sooner)
In the centre Sir Andrew and his bodyguard advanced and charged a group of Baron Stephen’s archers, wiping them out for the loss of one of Sir Andrew’s knights.
Baron Stephen then committed himself and his three remaining knights, charging Sir Andrew and his pennant bearer. Sir Andrew won the first clash, but Baron Stephen charged again and, in the melee, both Baron Stephen and Sir Andrew fell.
As Sir Andrew had no commanders left to try to take over command the battle ended; the loyal retainers carrying their respective lords from the field of battle.
(Stephen: Willard of Wickham had loyally passed his Morale test and took control of the brave Baron’s forces, meaning they would fight on).
Determining the winner
Sir Andrew had managed to get two Mounted Sergeants (50 pts) and 4 Monks (44 pts) off the table for a total of 94 points.
Baron Stephen had injured Sir Andrew (116 pts) and killed Geoffrey (82 pts), a knight (34 pts), a mounted sergeant (25 pts), two spearmen (40 pts) and a Monk (11 pts) for a total of 308 points.
A major victory to Baron Stephen, but still only one campaign point!
The post-game injury rolls resulted in Baron Stephen suffering a Mangled Arm, meaning he can no longer carry a shield. Sir Andrew suffered a mangled leg, as written this would slow him down whether on foot or mounted, but we thought that as the horse would be doing all the hard work we changed that to slowing him down only if dismounted and reducing his points value by 1.
The astute among you will have noticed a distinct lack of photos from the first game. We were so engrossed in the game we forgot to take any!
Game 2 Burying the Hatchet. 750 points
Following the ambush on the remote Derbyshire road, the conflict between Sir Andrew and Baron Stephen escalated. Small clashes bled both sides, in a senseless waste of blood and treasure. Determined to settle things once and for all, the two lords agreed to meet on a stretch of open ground nestled in a meander of the river Don between Sheffield and Doncaster.
There would be no subtlety here, this was to be a straight up fight between the two aggrieved nobles’ retinues, with a duration of 8 turns.
(Stephen: Again, we extended game duration. Although on this occasion it was simply because we had the time and wanted to make full use of it).
Baron Stephen’s Retinue
Sir Andrew’s Retinue
(V) Veteran, (R) Regular, (G) Green and (C) Commander.
This scenario uses Deployment map C, forces deployed along opposite long edges of the table.
Baron Stephen arrayed his retinue with a group of Archers in a cornfield on his right flank, with the Baron himself nearby in a field of cabbages. To the Baron’s left was Fulkes de Boutin and his mounted sergeants.
In a small hamlet Willard of Wickham deployed with his spearmen, the second group of mounted sergeants and second group of Archers, the latter taking cover behind a wall.
Sir Andrew’ Monks were on his left flank in another cornfield, opposite Baron Stephen’s archers, next to them were the mounted sergeants, and then the Marksmen Sergeants with crossbows.
Next came Sir Andrew and his bodyguard, and the archers, with Geoffrey and his 4 Spearmen on the right flank.
All were sheltered by a hedge lining the road that ran through the battlefield.
The battle started with a volley of quarrels from Sir Andrew’s crossbowmen aimed at Fulkes de Boutin’s mounted sergeants, the quarrels flew true and two sergeants were felled.
(Stephen: stern words were had with all the mounted sergeants once we got back to the castle. Suffice to say, they did not earn their keep that day).
This shattered Fulkes’ resolve and he and the remaining sergeant were broken, falling back towards the hamlet behind them.
Sir Andrew’s monks and mounted sergeants advanced towards the Baron’s archers in the cornfield, with one of the monks going to his heavenly reward courtesy of one of the Baron’s archers.
On the other flank the Baron’s second unit of archers loosed arrows at Sir Andrew’s knights, one falling to a lucky shaft.
Andrew’s archers returned the compliment taking out one of the Baron’s Archers. The Baron’s mounted sergeants advanced to protect the archers.
Sir Andrew advanced his bodyguard to counter the Baron’s mounted sergeants.
(Stephen: In fairness to these sergeants, I’m not entirely sure what made me advance them. I could see it was a dicey situation to put them in, but I think I just wanted to stir things up and see what Sir Andrew would do in response).
Fulkes de Boutin tried to rally his mounted sergeants, but failed miserably and they routed from the field of battle.
Sir Andrew and his knights charged the Baron’s other group of Mounted Sergeants.
In the ensuing melee Sir Andrew killed two of the Baron’s sergeants and breaking the remainder who fell back
Geoffrey and his spearmen crossed the road and entered the woods, coming under ineffectual fire from the Baron’s archers.
The Baron’s Knights advanced, only to be charged by Sir Andrew’s Mounted Sergeants, taking advantage of a split in the group due to the terrain.
Despite their numerical advantage Sir Andrew’s sergeants failed to cause any casualties.
(Stephen: my mind may be a bit fuzzy here, but I seem to recall killing off a couple of Sir Andrew’s sergeants and, what’s more, I have photographic evidence to prove it).
The monks advanced again, being shot at by the archers without loss.
Willard of Wickham’s spearmen advanced to counter Sir Andrew’s Knights
My Marksmen shot at the Baron’s Knights, to no effect, who then charged my Mounted Sergeants, killing two and breaking the sole survivor.
(Stephen: Oh, maybe that was it then…).
Sir Andrew charged Willard of Wickham’s spearmen, killing two and forcing them back.
Geoffrey’s spearmen charged out of the woods, reaching the Baron’s archers hiding behind the wall, killing one and forcing them back.
The monks moved again towards the Baron’s other archers suffering one casualty.
The Baron charged his Knights at Sir Andrew’s crossbowmen, but just failed to make contact.
A nice juicy target for the crossbows, who failed to hit anyone!
The Baron issued a second order, and charged my crossbowmen, inflicting a casualty and forcing them back from the hedge.
(Stephen: I had to charge. My knights were in crossbow range and I knew that I could expect one or two flurries of bolts every turn unless I killed them. It wasn’t an enviable situation – the crossbows were behind a hedge and Sir Andrew and his knights were just a short way down the lane, but I had no choice).
Sir Andrew charged the Baron, with no effect. His archer’s shot at my Spearmen, to no avail.
The monks finally were close enough to charge the Baron’s other archers in the cornfield, killing one of them and forcing them back.
My crossbowmen returned to the wall and shot at the Baron’s group, but inflicted no casualties. The Baron then charged again killing a crossbowman and forcing them back only to receive another flank charge from Sir Andrew’s knights, with two of the Baron’s men falling this time with no losses to Sir Andrew.
On the right flank Sir Andrew’s archers shot at Willard of Wickham’s spearmen, who were then charged by Geoffrey’s Spearmen, but no casualties were inflicted.
(Stephen: Good ol’ Willard. He’ll be receiving a promotion and some land for his sterling service).
The Baron turned his attention from the crossbowmen and charged Sir Andrew, but came off worse, losing a Knight and falling back, only for my Crossbows to shoot at them as they passed, sadly with no effect.
On the right the Baron’s archers shot at Geoffrey’s Spearmen, killing one, the spearmen failed their morale test and broke.
Sir Andrew’s archers shot at Willard of Wickham and his men, killing one but their morale held and they charged Geoffrey’s broken Spearmen, killing one and routing them from the field, Geoffrey running with them.
(Stephen: Again, good ol’ Willard).
We reached the last turn of the game.
The Monks charged the Baron’s archers again, killing another one and forcing them back. Sir Andrew’s archers shot at the Baron’s archers but missed.
Sir Andrew’s last Mounted Sergeant launched a last-minute charge at the Baron and his sole remaining companion, killing the latter and forcing the Baron back. The Baron then charged back in, but failed to cause a casualty, so fell back himself.
In a last desperate gamble, the remaining Marksmen Sergeants moved to their left, into a position where three of them could draw a line of sight to the Baron; Sir Andrew gave them a second order to shoot at the Baron; the shots fell true and the Baron fell from his horse clutching his eye.
(Stephen: you’ll notice how the cowardly Sir Andrew never had the courage to charge himself).
(Andy: I think Sir Andrew proved his mettle in several combats earlier in the game; and the Marksmen Sergeants needed to earn their pay!)
The victory conditions for this game were simple, based on the points value of the figures lost with commanders counted at double their cost.
Sir Andrew lost one Knight (34 pts) 2 Mounted Sergeants (50 pts), 4 Monks (48 pts), 2 Marksmen Sergeants (40 pts) and 4 Spearmen (80 pts), for a total of 252 points
Baron Stephen lost a total of 525 points.
(Stephen: I can’t remember exact loses. My mounted sergeants all fought poorly and I lost all of them – either killed or routed off table. In addition, the kind and friendly Baron le Tookere and his knights were also taken out. Plus dribs and drabs of archers and spearmen. What did for me was losing expensive troop types plus command groups, which is what made up the bulk of my loses).
This was a decisive win for Sir Andrew, gaining him one campaign point to bring the series to a tie at one point each. The campaign would be decided by the final battle “The Bad Neighbour” of 1000 points a side, to be fought another day.
Following the first two battles both nobles have been injured.
Sir Andrew
Mangled Leg: The noble isn’t as fast on their feet as they used to be. Reduce their Move stat on foot by 1, and their total points value by -1 (Modified from original).
Baron Stephen
Mangled Arm: The Baron has lost the use of his left arm until it properly heals. He can no longer equip shields
Missing Eye: Clipped by a crossbow bolt in the dying moments of the battle, bound up behind an eyepatch, the Baron takes on a distinctly piratical air. He will always act second if counterattacked.
We are having a little detour this week. Member Stephen produced some blasted trees and we thought it would be a good idea to ask Stephen to show how easy it is to create such striking scenery.
Blasted Trees DIY
This building project came about because we had a game of Clash of Rhyfles in the club diary and, with the setting being a World War One analogue, I decided to create some themed terrain items.
When I think of a WW1 battlefield what comes to mind are the stark images of trees stripped bare by constant artillery barrages.
So that is what I am going to make.
I say ‘I am going to make’ but, truth is, Mother Nature did most of the work.
A walk through the woods of the North Downs soon yielded plenty of sticks. I could have carved some balsa and painted it, but why would I? I could never do as good a job as Nature has achieved. The important thing, when selecting your twigs, is to get variety in size, shape, and features (ed. and not to take them from the trees but the plentiful number on the ground).
Next was to stick the sticks to a base. I had some modeller’s light ply so I cut it up in 10cm squares. I used a hot glue gun. Quick tip – remove the bottom few millimetres of bark before gluing. With an old stick the bark peels off easily and if you leave it intact all you may end up doing is gluing the bark to the base and the twig comes free.
On to basing.
I know I said I wanted a WW1 appearance but I had to play this off against how I had based other terrain and the figures as well.
So rather than a muddy Somme-like basing I went with something half way between the two so they would fit in with other items and I could use them with other games.
I used my usual basing routine – paint the base (and glue) with a mid-brown, then cover with model railway ballast. When dry I then added patches of static grass. This was finished off with some clump foliage.
With that, it was all done and ready for the games’ table.
Our illustrious Chairman takes us through a recent game of Chain of Command.
Picture the scene, Linton Village Hall on a sunny Saturday morning, a gathering of War Gamers at one of the oldest clubs in the UK and a game of big CoC. Me, Mark J (club chairman), Alan K (long time fan of Lard), Pete S (best damn terrain builder south of Leeds), Eric G (bravest of them all) and last but never least Dave P (another keen lardman). All of us ready to do battle across an eight by five table.
I decided I had to run a game of Chain of Command at the club based around the aftermath of the encounter at Hill 226 on Sunday 30th July 1944, right at the start of operation Bluecoat in Normandy. What happened on that day was a crushing encounter for the Scots Guards, who were I believe one of the first British units to encounter the mighty Jagdpanther, three of them in fact. The encounter left 11 Churchills destroyed and sadly quite a few Scots casualties. If you go to Hill 226 now you will see a memorial to them.
The game took place Monday 31st July with a bit of a ‘what if’ twist to it. What if instead of simply zooming off after giving the Guards a very bloody nose, the Germans consolidated against the Guards right flank just beyond Hill 226 taking advantage of their tactical victory.
British forces
Two platoons of British infantry, The Argylls. Supported by a Vickers machine gun team, one 17 pound AT gun, an engineer team and a medic. Both platoons were armed with Gammon Bombs. The British also benefited from a pre battle bombardment and a company HQ and replen point.
One troop of Scotts Gaurds, 2 Churchill mk VIIs supported by 1 Churchill Crocodile from the 79th Division.
German forces
1 platoon of German infantry, 326th Division. Supported by MG42 team, 20mm flack cannon, 88mm flack gun and a Stug IIIG.
One Jagdpanther, 311 Leutnant Scheiber
The Battle
We played a broad front big CoC with two British objectives. British orders were to take both objectives (a road junction and farm just beyond Hill 226) and hold until reinforcements arrive. The British had good intel having carried out night patrols and were aware that while the Germans had pulled in some heavy fire power, they were short on manpower. Actual intel at the time stated that the 326th were depleted and in need of rest.
The Germans having hastily consolidated their position had relatively poor intel, I told the German player to expect heavy armour and a flame thrower. I took the decision to add a Crocodile as they were in the area at the time. The addition of intel worked well, with the German player selecting two mine fields and placing one across a road, the only place where the Crocodile could pass without using its flame thrower or another Churchill smashing through the bocage hedges to clear a path. I had given the Crocodile three shots with the flamethrower.
The battle started with Pete’s platoon probing the middle section of the battlefield hoping to sweep right around the woods to reach the farm. Eric to the left fank heading for the road junction, a dangerous mission given substantial open ground to cover towards the objective. Dave’s troop supported Pete’s sweep by pushing against the German’s weaker right flank (or so he thought).
Alan played things pretty cool, not deploying for the first four phases as he tried to sus out the British plan. He knew given the terrain (bocage into farmland) that the Brits would have to pepper pot with one Platoon taking the attack to him, exposing his position with the other following up and of course the heavy armour and support. Despite a lack of Germans, the British attack was quite sluggish, and they failed to deploy their platoon mortar teams. The open ground between hedges was clearly worrying them and over occupying their thoughts.
Pete was the first to take the bit between his teeth ordering Eric to push on (Pete had company HQ) he moved forward with two sections leaving one behind cover. Time for the first German ambush. As the Argyles began to cross a field toward another hedge and potential German territory, they heard the Blam! Blam! Blam! of a 20mm flack cannon. The section hit the dirt taking one causality and two shock, could have been a lot worse.
As this was taking place the Crocodile rumbled into view just to the right of Pete’s platoon, further right a Mk VII took on a bocage hedge hoping to flatten it and create another route to the Farm for the Crocodile. Unfortunately, the Mk VII didn’t make it across the hedge and was ambushed by a couple of German infantrymen with a Panzerfaust, Boom! one Churchill down. Not looking too good for the Brits. To make things worse Alan had thrown a double phase and once again blasted the poor Argylls with his 20mm, a section corporal was hit and stunned leaving the lead section stuck in the open.
Now was the time for the Crocodile to have a go, having got into range Woosh! Great streaks of flame burst out toward the 20mm flack gun destroying it and the crew plus the hedge it was using for cover. There was now a gap in front of the Argylls in open ground. What would they do next.
Alan clearly feeling it was time for some serious heavy metal deployed Jagdpanther 311 at the farm with a line of site along the road through the woods into British territory. The British responded by deploying their 17 pounder in line of sight of the Jagdpanther, a gutsy move given they would not be able to move away in time if things didn’t go well. The Germans struck ambushing the 17 pounder as it deployed and got ready to fire. An 88mm HE shell hitting the gun but doing no significant damage, unbelievable luck. The crew wasted no time firing an AT round at the beast and taking it out in one shot to a roar of cheers from the Brits. The last few minutes may have turned the battle in their favour.
On the British right flank Eric had followed orders and had pushed hard, finally deploying his platoon mortar and laying smoke he quickly moved toward the objective using sound tactics of cover and move and deploying a reconnaissance team. However just as he reached the objective, he was ambushed by a German infantry section losing two men and gaining shock. Eric continued to lay smoke well, blocking line of sight but his attack had stalled. He fought on to hold the road junction but lost a section corporal, his lead section was now severely depleted and pinned. Eric pushed on with his two remaining sections towards the German infantry section.
Pete deployed his Lieutenant and rallied the lead section; on they went with a fresh section in support towards the broken ground. No smoke was used, and his men again hit the dirt after hearing the awful BRRRRRRP! of an MG 42. The lead section had been ambushed by a tripod mounted MG42, once again luck was on their side and while this stalled their advance they took no casualties. Pete finally started to lay smoke across the German line buying his men some time to recover and move.
The Germans sensing a pivotal moment in the battle deployed another infantry section in front of Pete’s platoon. However, Eric poured fire onto their right flank forcing them back into a cornfield and in line of site of the Crocodile. Woosh! another blast of flame and Five of the section were gone, their leader remained unscathed amazingly and they fell back to some vines to the left of the Farm. The Germans now pulled back their other section giving up the road junction to consolidate their position at the farm, the Stug III was also deployed.
Once again, the Brits stalled staying behind their line of smoke and not taking the ground. The second Mk VII pushed on to right of Pete’s flank where his third section had deployed in the woods in front of the farm. The Crocodile moved across the minefield which had now been made safe by the engineer team. The British re-supplied obtaining more smoke and got ready for a final attack but time had run out.
A great game followed by a de-brief at the pub next door. What did we learn from this game. As always having fun is the main objective which we did. The Brits had opportunities to push on which would have resulted in causalities, but we all agreed would likely have won the day. Easy to say hard to do, no one wants to lose their troops.
Andy presents a taster of the games at the last meeting. Five, count them, five, games in progress!
Let’s have a look at them in historical order:
First up we have a mixed scale (6mm & 15mm) Field of Glory Game. Apologies to the players, I only took one photo of this.
Next up Stephen & Andy concluded their three game Barons War mini campaign. Totally unbiased reports of these games to follow.
Moving to more recent history, Chairman Mark ran a 28mm Chain of Command game, Operation Bluecoat, Normandy 1944.
Next we had a game of AK47 Reloaded, more 15mm mayhem in 1970s San Guano. A rare outing for this ruleset at the Society.
And last, but by no means least, Tony & Jeremey tried out Grimdark Future Mass Battle rules with their collection of 15mm armies.
That’s all for this time, next meeting is on the 9th of May, you can see Society diary here.
Stephen takes us on a starry-eyed journey to the, er, stars…
It turned out that a club meeting fell on February 14th this year. Valentine’s Day. There was only one thing for it – a suitably themed game of Stargrave.
Beneath the twin stars of Romeo and Juliet is the planet Romance. The major space port on Romance is the city of Verona. But the city is riven by two competing families: the Montagues and Capulets. One member of the Montague family, Tony, is due to marry his beloved – an Angel from the planet Seraphim, by the name of Maria. Tony believes the Capulets have kidnapped her and that she is being kept somewhere in the West Side of the city, where the Capulets are in control. He offers a substantial reward to whichever crew can return his dearest.
The table represented a section of the city. Heart-shaped chocolates were laid out on the table. These would either be clues to help them locate Maria or loot tokens (physical loot only in this game, to reflect the passion of Tony’s love). They wouldn’t know if it was a clue or loot until they reached it.
As well as the main mission of rescuing Maria, we also used the Side Hustle cards. In addition, there was a third objective – each player would gain an extra 25 experience points if they could compose a four line poem about Love. This would be doubled if the beauty and nature of the poem reduced any participant to an overflowing of emotions.
We’ll let the captains tell you how it went…
As Andy was off to my flank I decided to try the peaceful approach first and ignore him in order to acquire more information before entering the mayhem phase. This lasted about one turn before one of the nearest events turned into a ruddy big predator/doggie thing which proceeded to savage one of my crew; one down, several to go…
We made some progress towards the rogue robot, as I had quickly decided that only mega-mayhem awaited any ‘rescue parties’, whether from locals or each other – a semi-wise decision as it turned out. As we made our way around the back alleys of the starport, we soon spied a particularly dodgy and well-armed lot approaching in the distance, led (well, egged-on from somewhat further back), by Captain Jeremy, a veteran Pirate leader whose very name brought fear to many systems (and a good laugh to many more). This group had sped-up in their approach as it turned out that their entry point was near the rogue robot, and that it – displaying excellent taste – soon decided to start shooting them!
In the meantime I had led the bulk of my (remaining) crew further on and was attempting to engage a local (unarmed) robot in conversation, with a view to any knowledge about excess Juliets in the area. I tried the robot as I thought that, unlike any locals (whose loyalties and thus veracity I could not be sure about), it might give truthful answers. Alas, it soon turned out ZX81 was not programmed for either conversation, information, confirmation or even altercation – but the latter was then supplied by ‘Jeremy’s Jumpers’ who proceeded to open fire!
I won’t dwell on the subsequent exchange – some from each crew went down (rather more than Jeremy was expecting?), but Big-J was off elsewhere, by then interviewing, and then fighting with the personnel and customers in a large local cantina…. More importantly for my lot I had made a quick mental calculation about the remaining distance to the rogue robot vs the approximate time of self-destruct before we could deactivate it. Quickly deducing that the odds were by now near-impossible, I began to remove the crew from the area with a couple of minor bonus bits we had found en-route. This decision was hastened by the sounds of major fire-fights having broken out across town where Alan and Eric had discovered the lair of the other gang and thus the location of the reluctant Juliet.
Our withdrawal went without incident except for a small misunderstanding with Andy. It soon became apparent that, having found some other bonus bits early on, he had decided to leave a pile of them with only one guard while he took the bulk of his crew further into town. Now, I like to think I have drilled my disparate crew in their civil duties when visiting alien towns, and so – spotting this pile of (admittedly valuable) ‘fly-tipping’ near our exit, I offered to remove the stuff. The guard had no sense of humour, and objected most violently – if briefly… However, Alan had also left a specialist snip nearby, and so not all my crew reported back for supper that evening. And it was Spoo, as well – their favourite….
The stars for shame shall hide their light,
as my beloved ascends aright,
and all shall marvel at the sight,
of a new Angel born tonight.
-Cpt VanRental-
The crew of the Lost Hope landed on planet Romance and began making their way across the city of Verona, looking for clues to the location of Mariah the “Angel”, the kidnapped love of Tony Montague. Having secured a side hustle card that would prove invaluable later in the game, the team split up, with the captain making for the local watering hole, whilst first mate Kadal took the of the crew with him scouring the streets for anything that might lead them to their prize.
Knowing that information could be traded for coin Captain Greyfax entered the bar where she spied a likely candidate who might be willing to part with some intel. The alien monkey sex worker said it would cost a fair bit for her to tell anything that might be useful. She was looking to get off-planet. Despite having a pistol held to her head and being plied with credits the alien monkey sex worker remained resolute and refused any information. Realising that either the simian prostitute was ignorant of what Greyfax wanted to know, or was too afraid to spill the beans, and a few credits lighter, she left the bar.
Meanwhile, on the street outside, Kadal instructed the ship’s Chisler, Cl4pTrP to check out a container that seemed a prime candidate for storing loot. Cl4pTrP opened the container, and once the contents were established as being of some value, began to make his way back to the ship. As Cl4pTrP scuttled off, the ship’s hacker, Devo Ranks ambled up to a nearby communication tower and casually began side loading infiltration code from his advanced deck in order to hijack the tower and force it to yield its secrets.
Kadal and his retinue then ran afoul of what appeared to be some local yahoos. A fight erupted which escalated to gunplay. Shots were exchanged and judicious use of fragmentation grenades ensued. The team drove the ne’er do wells into a nearby warehouse where the thugs desperately attempted to make a last stand. Captain Greyfax caught up with Kadal and his men and the team took some casualties due to the liberal use of grenades and a psionic fire attack in an enclosed space.
The leader of the thugs finally went down (whether it was to a grenade, bullets, a swathe of fire or a simple punch, no one could recount for sure in the confusion, but all claimed they were responsible) and with that, resistance collapsed. Once the enemy had been “pacified”, the crew discovered Mariah the “Angel” was being held captive, right there in the warehouse. What luck!
Wasting no time, the crew limped or crawled from the warehouse, where they were greeted by Devo Ranks, the hacker. He cheerfully informed them that his successful hacking of the comms tower revealed a hidden matter transport network (the result of the previously mentioned side hustle card). Wasting no time, Greyfax instructed the crew to use the network to return to the ship. Once there, they rendezvoused with Tony Montague and reunited him with his betrothed.
Now two hundred and fifty credits richer, none of the crew suffered lasting injuries although, some may have interesting scars to talk about and know to stand well clear of crewmember Espinosa when he starts loading his grenade launcher.
Roses are red,
violets are blue.
I’m rubbish at poems,
Nice ****.
-Cpt Greyfax-
Let it be stated here that Murch the bounty hunter has put a bounty of 150 credits on Captain Greyfax’s head to whoever can take Greyfax down to 0 Health. This will be doubled to 300 credits if this results in a kill. Murch wants it known that Greyfax is a cheat and swindler who took his spaceship from him after Greyfax cheated at a game of Sabacc, and should never be trusted.
This was going to be an unusual mission. I wasn’t sure if it was a rescue or a kidnap, so the crew decided on a bit of caution.
The idea being to see what loot we could salvage and if there was a chance to set Mariah free to take it. We landed in a busy urban area and it was clear there were several other crews in town, the crew split up and started to gather loot and clues to finding Mariah. Good progress was made and the other crews seemed intent on the mission.
Things took a turn for the worse when what appeared to be a pile of junk suddenly turned into a fully armed and rather aggressive robot. Several shots saw a number of the crew taking damage. While taking cover several members of the crew found themselves in close proximity to a rival crew (Pete’s), meanwhile other members of the crew made their way to the local bar to start asking questions.
Things got a bit heated in the bar and Captain Blake was forced to adjust the behaviour of one of the locals. At the same time Pete’s crew were too close for comfort and with the junk robot still shooting at anything that moves we decided to fight our way through them and make good our escape.
With the clues in the bar leading to nothing, we stepped out into the town square right in the middle of a fire fight, Eric’s gang appeared to have taken out several gang members and a rogue bounty hunter. They were also about to storm a building, so we thought it was a good time to leave. The junk robot had finally finished shooting and so the rest of the crew could escape with their loot.
A good horde was collected that day and we saw on the news feeds later that Mariah had been rescued, so good all round.
My heart belongs to no other,
as I stare at you from cover.
Our future could have been bright,
But you’re currently in line of sight.
– Cpt Blake
Mal had briefed the crew before leaving the Serenity in orbit around the planet Romance: “Badger told us that the Montagues have placed an open contract to find one of the family member’s fiancée, an Angel from Seraphim. The Montagues believe she has been kidnapped by their rivals, the Capulets. They believe the Angel is being held near the spaceport that the Capulets control in Verona. Whoever returns this Angel to the Montagues in good health will be amply rewarded.”
“There’s history between these two families,” he added, “a long and bloody history. We go looking for this Angel, but I don’t want to lose anyone to this family feud. So, we’re not going to dig too deep into the Capulet’s business. And just between ourselves, we have rumours that somewhere under Verona are the remains of an Independent planetary defence bunker. We have a lead on the way in, so we’re looking for an access panel on a Pylon that should let us gain entry to the bunker.”
Inara & Wash set down the shuttle on the landing pads of Verona West Side space port. Mal led his team of Wash, Kaylee and Derrial towards the town square where he believed the Pylon they needed could be found. Zoe’s team of Jayne, Inara and River took a different route, headed for a bar, thinking they may hear news of the Angel there. Tracey and Simon held back, Tracey climbing a tower to get into a position where he could support either team.
Mal and Zoe both activated their Energy Shields, which would give them a little added protection, and Zoe activated a drone and sent it scouting towards a loot marker. Mal encountered some locals on the way and discretely asked if anyone had heard anything about the Angel. Both looked nervously around, but confided that if anyone knew anything it would be Tybalt Capulet, the family’s consigliere and head of security. Not a nice man, apparently, but he could often be found at the town centre bar.
Mal passed this intel on to Zoe, then led his team to the Pylon. After a couple of attempts he was able to unlock it, giving them the access codes needed to get into the bunker. While he was doing this Wash managed to unlock a loot token. Zoe’s drone was heading for the loot token when it was blown out of the air by a member of another crew, one we had not encountered before. Jayne got into position and opened fire taking out the opposing crew member with a headshot. KayLee came across another loot token and unlocked it. In the distance the crew could hear an exchange of gun fire.
Having unlocked the Pylon, and seeing Capt Greyfax’s crew gathering outside a storage bunker with what looked like a group of Capulets heading in their direction, Mal sent the recall and told the crew to withdraw to the Pit, which was the way into the bunker. Zoe’s team had entered the bar when they got the recall, on exiting she deployed another drone to give cover. As the crew gathered in an alleyway Derrial was assaulted, with no good reason, by a local thug. Fortunately, KayLee and Simon came to Derrial’s aid, with KayLee administering the coup de grace to the local ruffian. Leaving the ruffian sprawled in the dust the crew made their way to the Pit and used the access codes to get into the bunker.
The crew found the bunker eerie but deserted, and managed to find Trade Goods to the value of 180CR. The crew made their way through the tunnels back to the starport and lifted off in the shuttle to return to the Serenity.The other loot turned out to be another Pick Caster and a pair of Lift Gloves.
Mal commended the crew, no one was injured (apart from the loss of a Drone), and there was 540CR worth of loot added to the hold. Mal decided to sell the Trade Goods and the Pick Caster, bringing in 420CR, and hold on to the Lift Gloves for now.
Roses are red,
violets are blue.
If you need minions,
please speak to Gru.
-Cpt Reynolds-
With all of the Society’s blog editors at Salute, Stephen steps up to the plate with a short report on the games played at the Society meeting last weekend.
Andy presents a photo round up of this weekend’s games.
Peter M put on a multiplayer 25mm skirmish game set in the Indian Mutiny, 1857 ‘Don’t Lucknow’
No scenery in this game, the grey areas are roads and alleys, white are buildings.
Stephen & Andy started a Barons War mini campaign, “A Most Ignoble Feud.”
Colin & Paul ran a 2mm Strength & Honour game, Late Republican Roman vs Pontic
David P ran a 28mm GdA2 Napoleonics game, Saxons vs Prussians
Eric put on a Classic Battletech game.
That’s all for now.
A very delayed pictorial roundup of the last Society meeting of February 2026, due to some IT issues at one of the editors home.
David P ran a General d’Armee 2nd edition game of French vs Russians in 1813
Tony P ran a mixed scale FoG Ancients game (both scales use the same base sizes)
Eric ran another episode in his ongoing Shadow of the Dragon Queen D&D campaign, but sadly we have no photos.
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