Shoot-Out at the Storage Yard

After a few months of relative peace, the Assumption Defenders, under the capable leadership of young Tom Gunne, were assembled once more to deal with encroaching outlaws. Little was known about the band of rustlers sniffing around the county borders, except that they were run by a ruthless desperado known only as Roscoe.

The Assumption Defenders - Summer 1891
(L to R) Deputy Sam Blake, Jake Hackett, Gabe McIntyre, Sheriff Tom
Gunne, Deputy Bill Chafe, Augustus Carver, Heinrich Epstein, John Duffy

Tom Gunne had recieved word that the bandits were moving his way and had assembled his deputies along with some concerned citizens before their arrival. (see comments from previous post - JET)

The first of the villians snuck-up behind the jail...

..and continued their advance behind the JP's house.

Gunne's men advanced down main street, guns drawn.

Gunne's group moved up to the Saloon for cover while Ole Gabe moved towards the back of Chafe's store.

Roscoe and one of the rustlers moved into the storage yard. They had realized that the element of surprise had been lost.

Shots were fired. The bandits on the other side of the street pulled back to reload.

Gus and Gabe got ready to move around the front of the store. Jake readied his shotgun and moved around the back.

Roscoe and his men held-up in the storage yard. There was much desperate shooting from both sides. For the most part, Bill Chafe's clapboard took the brunt of the damage.

The outlaws refused to give ground.

The Defenders prepared to storm the storage yard. A deafening volley erupted from both sides.

The bandits on the other side of the street moved towards the action. Gunne and his men pulled back to regroup.

After reloading, Gunne's men stormed from both sides of the Dry Goods Store.

Close-range fire erupted. The fighters closed with knives, saps, and fists being employed to good use.

When the dust settled, the bandits fled from the town proper without suffering a single casualty. Although Gunne had driven the bandits away, John Duffy was gunned down in the corral. It was a grim day for the defenders.

The day after the engagement, a travelling preacher by the name of Hezekiah Hargrave rode into town. Tom Gunne approached him.

Sam Blake was standing nearby and reported the following conversation:

Tom: "What brings ya down this way, Preacha."

Hargrave: "God's work son... God's work..."

Tom: "Well, if yer able, there's good men here in Assumption, in need of ministerin'. The JP's been doin' funerals and Bill reads from good book Sunday mornin's on the Bank steps. These are God-fearin' folk Preacha. We could ce'tainly use the helpin' hand of a man of God. We could offer room, board, and few dolla's ta help with the Lord's work. What say ya, Preacha?"

Reportedly, the aged churchman looked up and down main street, closed his eyes, and mumbled to himself while holding the leather-bound bible to his chest. When he re-opened his eyes, he held his hand out to Gunne and spoke;

"Well son, saith the disciple, Acts 22:21, 'And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee forth far hence unto the Gentiles.' The Lord's sent me to Assumption to minister to these good men. Togetha', we shall do the Lord's work."

"Welcome Reverend," Tom said cheerfully, offering his hand in return. "Now, let's go see about that room..."

The Rest of the Evening:

We had the table split into two halves as there were four of us playing. One side was laid out as Assumption, while the other was set-up as a prospector's hut in the hills outside of town. Although I played against Marc's outlaws and Chris E's Virginia Cavalry, I never got any good shots of mine and Marc's game, and the Chris engagement ended in two or three turns. However, I did take some randow shots through the evening and have posted them below for your entertainment.


The Assumption Defenders meet Black Cole's men near the prospector's cabin.

Gus, Sam, and Jake advance in the twilight.

Roscoe and Paco smash it up with the Major.

The Major's men plan their assault.

Outlaws fight amongst themselves.

Tom Gunne, Bill Chafe, and Gabe McIntyre hold out at the stream.

More skylarkin' between Roscoe's men and the Virginia boys.

Dandy Dan moves around the back of the cabin, Winchester cocked and ready.

Yours truly, giving Marc a lesson in the fine art of Oklahoma rifle-shootin.

The apt pupil.

The lovely Angie (Marc's lady, as well as a faithful Geektactica reader) baked cupcakes and sent them along. This is what's referred to as "geeking in style" gentlemen. ("Aw, gawrsh m'aam... I really shouldn't... I don't wanna be touchin yer fancy tablecloth and linens and such with these ole hands... Just lay mine on the back step next to the dog scraps... that'll be fine.. no no... Just pour ma' tea in this ole'bean can... not that fancy china in these clumsy hands... I just couldn't m'aam... beggin yer pardon..."

It's great to be back at the Old West gaming again. It's inspired me to paint up some of my Dixon minis, including some cattle. As usual, I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for reading,
JET

The Assumption Defenders

We've decided that it's time to play some Legends of the Old West again. During our last bout of gaming, different players were joining the campaign at different points, generally depending on when models were getting finished. Such a difference in each posse's ability level had developed that the games were getting a little one-sided.

We are going to play some games this weekend with new posses selected from the main rulebook. Some of the names and character references may be carried over from the first campaign, but the important thing is that we'll all be starting on the same footing.

The Heroes:

Sheriff John Henry Mast has been called away to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia on pressing family business and will be gone for some time. With Mast leaving, the town's protection was passed to his younger cousin Tom Gunne from Wichita. Tom brought his associate Sam Blake with him from up north, and deputized local businessman Bill Chafe.

(L to R) Deputy Sam Blake, Sheriff Tom Gunne, Deputy William Chafe

The Henchmen:

John Mast encouraged Assumption's concerned citizens to continue their fight against villainy under the capable leadership of Tom Gunne. Some of the original Assumption Vigilence Committee have stayed on - Old Gabe, Ep, and Jake Hackett. Gus Carver, the local undertaker, as well as local barman and entrepreneur John Duffy have also joined the cause.

(L to R) Augustus Carver, Gabe McIntyre, Heinrich Epstein, Jake Hackett, John Duffy

For those who play Legends of the Old West, here's how I spent my $200.00 to enlist the posse:

Sherriff Tom Gunne
- repeating rifle, knife ($46.00)

Deputy Sam Blake
- sixgun, knife ($26.00)

Deputy William Chafe
- repeating rifle, sap ($36.00)

Upstanding Citizens x 5
- sixguns x 4, shotgun x 1 ($92.00)

Grand Total - $200.00 exactly

Keeping the Peace:

Ever since John Mast ran the Bullrun gang out of town, there has been little cause for concern in Assumption. The town now has a strong reputation for dealing swift justice to outlaws and thieves. Although there have been sightings of the Virginia boys to the north, Mast feels that the town is well-protected, and that there should be no cause for worry during his absence. Time will tell.

Thanks for reading,
JET

Torpedoes Away! (or starting Battlefleet Gothic Again)

Although I posted some photos of my Imperial fleet and had a few games of BFG in the new year, I haven't done much with the game since then. The group was on a long kick of Warmachine, and when break-time was due, Mk II of the Warmachine rules came along and reinvigorated our interest in the game. However, we've reached a stage where the group is ready to pursue another joint project, and we thought the next monthly Geek Day would be a great place and time to kick things off with a Battlefleet Gothic tournament.

I've been trying to organize my thoughts over the last few days, and for the sake of preparation and organization, I've decided to do so here in writing. First of all, the advantages of a BFG tournament:

1. Four guys already have close to (or more than) 1000 points painted for the game.
2. For those who don't have anything painted yet, the model-count for this game is low and the painting effort is minimal.
3. A great outer space table can be made cheaply and easily - a black cloth and some random celestial bits and pieces.
4. All of the rules and and fleet lists are part of GW's living rulebooks pages, and are free for download right here.

As you can see, all is looking well. That's not to say, however, that there aren't any concerns:

1. Some of the guys haven't played very much (or at all). Between now and June 20th, the rules have to be learned.
2. Only a small amount of terrain may be required; unfortunately, we don't have any yet. We really need some asteroids, gas clouds, a couple of planets... In short, there's some work to do.
3. We need to download or make some sort of markers to keep track of special orders, as well as attack craft.

Pros and Con's notwithstanding, we are going ahead on the 20th of June. So far, the line-up will likely include Imperial Fleets x 2 (Marc & I), Chaos Fleets x 2 (Ken & Jeff), Eldar Fleet x 1 (Chris E.), Tau Fleet x 1 (Chris H.), and a Space Marine Fleet (Martin). We need one more player to make the number even, so we'll have to see how it develops.

Furthermore, I've envisioned a scenario-based event. Each of the three or four tables will be set up to represent a particular scenario. Each player will play once per table against four different opponents. Obviously, certain accomplishments will equate to a certain number of victory point, and the player with the highest VP total at the end of the day will be crowned the greatest admiral.

Visions of deep space terrain and scratch-built ordnance are dancing in my head. I'll soon have to get down to business.

Thanks for reading,
JET

Geek Day Diary Entry #2: "Slightly Improved Performance"

Dear Diary,

The day had finally arrived - our second Geek Day. My game group recently began hosting a monthly Geek Day. We rent space at a nearby church and organize gaming for an entire Saturday. We aren't playing any more than usual, however, these gaming days give us time to play in a closed-off location, with no interruptions from jobs, spouses, or children.

Another Warmachine tournament was the order of the day. This time, we adjusted our scoring system. The victor earned 2 victory points for winning in the first three turns of the game, and only 1 victory point for a win in the latter three turns.

Stryker w/Squire, Lancer & Sentinal, JWC w/Hunter, Strangeways w/Defender,
Black 13th Strike Team, Mechaniks x 3, and a single Stormsmith

Last time I took Major Victoria Haley as my warcaster. I came in 4th place (out of 4 players... call it last place if you will). I still think she's an excellent caster, however, I wanted to try someone new, and on Keir's advice, I took Stryker for a spin. We played 33 points this time round (to match Chris H.'s painted total) and strangely, the games seemed to go faster than last time.

After three games, the outcome was as follows:

• 1st place: Menoth (Epic Feora) played by Ken
  2 wins; 2 VP; 0 draws, 1 loss
  
  
• 2nd place: Cryx (Skarre) played by Marc
  1 win; 2 VP (turn 3 victory), 1 draw, 1 loss
  
  
• 3rd place: Cygnar (Stryker) played by me (aka JET)
  1 win, 1 VP, 1 draw, 1 loss
  
  
• 4th place: Khador (Sorscha) played by Chris H.
  1 win, 1 VP, 0 draws, 2 losses

Game #1: vs. Khador

I started the morning off by facing Chris H's Khador force. Since the last Geek Day, he has acquired and painted his Man-o-war Shocktroopers. This game was very interesting in terms of manouverability. What I mean is, I could cause damage and negative effects to the Khador army without getting close to danger. Stryker kept casting Earthquake to neutralize the big jacks while I concentrated the rest of my force on the Khador flank that contained Sorscha. In the end, a well-timed Earthquake knocked down Sorscha and her bodyguard, while Cygnar shooting finished the job.

Sorscha advanced on the right with her Man-O-War bodyguard.

The left flank advanced towards the Cygnar line.


Earthquake slows down the heavies and makes the light troops easy to hit.

The battlefield mid-game.

Stryker and Strangeways hold back and support their warjacks.

The Hunter took shots at the Destroyer and drew the Khador line towards it.


The Sentinal acted as a point-guard against Eiryss. I didn't care if it was disrupted,
but it kept the magehunter away from Strangeways and Stryker.


The Black 13th cleared out the Khadorean snipers and
helped the Defender keep the left flank at bay.


The big set-up.


With the whole line, including Sorscha, knocked down, two Arcane Bolts from Stryker
(and a little help from some shooting), took out the Khadorean caster.

Game #2: vs. Menoth

My second opponent was Ken, leading his Menoth force with the newly-painted Epic Feora model. I had never played against her during MK I, so I had nothing to compare her to. Suffice it to say, she is a terror on the battlefield, with many abilities that allow her to cause and manipulate the Fire continuous effect.

Ken and I were rather aggressive this game, as both of our flanks bashed each other around the impassable, forested hill. Near the end of the game, I made an assault that included knocking Feora and company down and doing considerable damage. Unfortunately, I didn't do enough damage, and Ken struck back with a vengence. Stryker was damaged badly, and being caught on fire, he died of fire damage during the next turn.

The Cygnar force begins a cautious advance.


Ken used Gorman di Wolfe to cover Feora with cloud effects.


The Redeemer is a terror with Epic Feora. Its rocket shots cause Fire.


My Defender on fire.


Mid-game action.


Ken's right flank advances. The Temple Flameguard are well cleaned-out by Cygnar shooting.


The Repenter gets in range with its flamethrower. Fire, fire, everywhere!


Stryker made a very good attempt at taking Feora out. However, she survived
with a few wounds, and he was left standing in the danger zone.


My left flank was doing well, but with Stryker moving into the danger zone, it didn't matter.


Ken's final assault. Feora and her warjacks move in and cause a lot of Fire.


Feora moves her the Fire token from another model to Stryker. Although the
Reckoner didn't kill him, Stryker burned up during his next control phase.

Game #3: vs. Cryx

Marc and his tryxy Cryxy ways... oh how I hate them! (but how I enjoy them) Marc took Skarre to the field, and the entire army was focused around a pile of thralls and two heavy helljacks. Like a fool, I put a lot of effort early in the game into killing mechanithralls, but misjudged my ability to kill the Necrosurgeon. Needless to say, they kepy coming back, and soaking up resources I should have been directing elsewhere.

Like the game against Menoth, I made a good run at Skarre, caused damage, but never killed her. This time, we both recoiled from the failed assassination attempt, and although there were some blows traded between units, the game ended in a draw.

The Black 13th spent most of the gaming taking out Mechanithralls and Scrap Thralls.


The armies prepare to engage.


Stryker knocks the Mechanithralls down.


The Hunter's damage roll against the Harrower. Ouch!


Stryker's magic, assisted by the Black 13th, messes with the Pistol Wraiths.


Seconds before the storm.


Magelock pistols crack and recoil, stopping only to reload.


The Chief Mechanik and his Bodgers have their hands full.


Back to life for the third time, the Defender does his best to stay operational.


At the close of the game, the Black 13th find themselves set upon by the undead.

The Day in General:

Warmachine wasn't the only game being played. Chris E. and a newly-discovered geek named Jeff played a 1000-point game of Warhammer 40k. It's always nice to discover new geeks in area, especially those in our age bracket and who function (relatively) normally in the outside world. In any event, Jeff plans to take part in our Battlefleet Gothic tournament next month, so we'll see how it unfolds.

Although most of the close-up game shots didn't come out, Chris sent his own synopsis of the game action which I post here for your amusement:

"We played two games over the course of the day. In the first we rolled 'Secure & Control' and 'Dawn of War' which allowed my DG to set up right in his face. Highlight for me was my leading squad being hit on turn one by an assault squad led by a chaplain who failed to kill a single PM (the rest of the squad following his example like good Astartes)! Not only that but he managed to repeat this feat on the second turn as well and the squad was wiped out. The game ended on turn five with me in control of both objectives and only a single intact squad remaining in his army. Gloat gloat!!!

The second game was an Imperial victory. 'Pitched Battle' & 'Annihilation' allowed him to set up a gunline with his two tactical squads beyond my range. He then proceeded to crucify me with his plasma cannons until turn four when one of them blew up. I did manage to destroy his deep-striking terminators with massed bolter/plasma fire and his jump-packing Chaplain once again won the title of "MUT" ("Most Unbelievable Tit") for the game, his assault squad following suit like good Astartes. Assaulting on turn three and failing to wipe out my squad by game's end (turn five) AGAIN! I swear this is the guy that spent most of his seminary training falling on his own Crozius. You had to see it to believe it. Anyway, suffice it to say I struggled to get to grips while his PC's won the game for him: Two Kill Points to one. A great day out all in all and an a good sporting opponent. Well done Jeff!"

The guys laying out their table.


The Warmachine tables ready for action.


Chris has the full modular industrial sludge river from Armorcast.


Chris (left) sent his Plague Marines against Jeff's (right) Space Marines.


Get your geek on!


A scene of one of the 40k matches.

Reflections:

This monthly Geek Day is turning into quite a success. With the first two under our belt, we are ready to move on and start some new tournaments. Our next one will be a Battlefleet Gothic tournament, and the following one will likely be an all-day Old West campaign. All in all, everyone has been enjoying themselves, and perhaps because we are paying money to geek, everyone is a little bit more driven to complete their projects.

Thanks for reading,
JET