Roadblock on Highway 120 in the Mukha Valley

Jakalistan, 29 November 2000: There have been reports of an escalation in violence in the east of the country when an United Nations-led checkpoint was ambushed by militia from an unknown faction.

The UN peacekeepers were accompanied by police from Serbia, who are working in collaboration with the UN-stabilising mission as part of JFOR. The international forces were overseeing the recent elections , the first since the country was plunged into war following the breakup of the Soviet states, in the Mukha Valley.

The attacking force included armour, most likely T-55 tanks, along with infantry armed with RPGs and mortars. The official death toll has not be confirmed, but unofficial reports are stating around 20 men were killed or seriously wounded.

Serbian Prime Minister Minić, also facing turmoil back home since the Bulldozer Revolution, denounced the attacks and vowed to send more troops to support the humanitarian response in the tiny republic nestled in the Caucasus mountains.

Jack, Liam and I met up to play an introduction game of Crossfire, using the 'Roadblock on Highway 120' scenario from the 'Hit the Dirt' scenario supplement. With Jack umpiring (of sorts) Liam took on the role of attacker, with myself defending the roadblock. But as we were all so excited to wargame for the first time in months (as Melbourne had been in lockdown due to COVID-19), we forgot the minefields and barbed wire I was supposed to have to help me defend. That didn't bother me.

Some photos of the game (Liam attacking from the top of the screen towards me):

I defended in depth, which worked to a degree, but my fields of fire weren't as good as they could of been. The mortar and HMG on my left flank held up Liam's attack there all game. I also found it challenging (in a good way) to really think about the sequencing of orders (like in Blood Bowl), there was many frustrating moments the initiative passed between us.

Dinner was a chicken wrap from Knafeh Nabulseyeh, a Palestinian place up the road. Perfect modern conflict-themed interior and great food. Will definitely go back.

Eventually the weight of Liam's attack broke me, as his T-55s pushed their way down the road, weathering the completely ineffectual RPGs (they needed 6s to hit - we proxied them as Panzerschrecks - this worked well). Worked out to be a slight victory to Liam, I needed to have a little more reserve to counter this punch.

A note on the name of the valley the battle took place in our imagi-nation - Mukha is "Oak" in Georgian to match the location of the game (Oakleigh/Hugesdale) and I substituted "Valley" instead of "-dale".

Painted Bits and Pieces Over Christmas

Had a few bits and pieces I wanted to paint over the quiet days and all were selected as they would have a similar colour palette, which helped in getting them done in a couple of sittings.

The first batch are some AB Figures WWII British dispatch riders to use as motorbikes in Car Wars / Gaslands type games.

The second batch is some Eureka Miniatures female peasants and chickens. They aren't available from the online store yet, but emailing Eureka or dropping into the store will allow you to get some. They are cute as hell, but I could only give them a very basic paint job as they are tiny.

And finally the last batch is of Peter Pig's USS Sandusky a Marietta-class monitor that I based a display piece for Hammerin' Iron.

Not my best painting (or photography) on these (too much food and drink in the system), but I'm glad I got these on and off my painting queue relatively quickly (well the Sandusky has been in its brown undercoat for a long while...).

Little Wars Melbourne 2018

Little Wars was on at Kingston Town Hall again this year, but this time on a Saturday. The event is billed as "Games for Gamers By Gamers", and features participation and demonstration games along with manufacturers and second hand stalls. Always a good day to play games, catch up with people and pick up a bargain or two.

More infomation here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/951046525052308/

I only played two games this year, a homebrew set of skirmish rules set in mythological Greece, but based on Games Workshop's Warhammer Quest. Wal and I managed to slay the Talos in game one, but struggled a little with the 'Children of the Hydra's Teeth' skeletons in games two. An interesting twist on the original, and a lot of fun.

Did a lot of catching up with fellow gamers, particularly some I hadn't seen in a while.

And finally did a bit of shopping, which I was pretty happy with:

• Some 15mm Battlefront Team Yankee T-72s and Leopards 2s
• A 15mm Peter Pig WWII German checkpoint and modern day TV crews
• The Right Bloody Mess (ARBM) book
• 6mm Baccus SYW camp elements and artillery

The ARBM was a surprise, such good quality and beautifully presented (plenty of colour!). Definitely worth picking up if the interwar period even vaguely interests you. A pretty good review here:
http://arbm1933.blogspot.com/2018/02/a-generous-review-on-lead-adventure.html

ARBM is a self published source book for gaming in an alternate 1930s Australia. It covers the lead up to the Australian (civil) War which starts in April 1933, and the major factions involved. It is a similar concept to A Very British Civil War.

The book is 282 pages, full colour, cloth-bound hardcover with dust jacket. You can get a copy ofrom Eureka Miniatures or directly from the author by emailing ARBM1933@iinet.net.au.

Anyway, looking forward to Little Wars next year already.

Last Game I Played - Hammerin' Iron NYE

In the backyard of a wargamer who's birthday is NYE. He usually hosts a BBQ and wargaming. The last several years have been Aeronef, this year only two of us played a game of Peter Pig's Hammerin' Iron. Frustating to say the least (I lost in a landslide).