Thursday 29 November 2012

And the nominees are...

As most of you should have noticed, there is a liebster award thing going around at the moment amongst us fellow bloggers. Well, I got tagged by two Andrews at the same time ;). The first one from Random and creative, and the second one from Loki's great hall. Thanks guys. Both of them insisted on the variety of content, and my sense of humour. Hmmm...

Comme beaucoup d'entre vous l'auront remarque, le liebster award circule pas mal en ce moment sur internet et la blogosphere. Je considere ce phenomene comme sympathique, mais surtout comme un moyen de faire connaitre des blogs. J'ai ete remarque par deux Andrew en meme temps, qui insistent sur mon sens de l'humour ( merci les gars) et du coup, je vais me plier a cet exercice.

hmmm, nice boobs

Here are the rules:
1/ Copy and paste the award on your blog linking it to the blogger who has given it to you.


2/ Pass the award to your top 5 favourite blogs with less than 200 followers by leaving a comment on one of their posts to notify them that they have won the award and listing them on your own blog.


3/ Sit back and bask in that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing that you have just made someone's day!

Voici les regles:
1/ copier-coller l'award sur le blog en le liant au bloggueur qui vous l'a decerne.
2/ passer cette recompense a vos 5 blogs preferes  ayant moins de 200 followers, en laissant un commentaire leur indiquant qu'ils ont gagne cet award.
3/ profitez de ce moment agreable sachant que vous avez fait plaisir a quelqu'un.

Right. So the nominees are, in no particular order:



- Gilles from Wilderness of mirrors. I know Gilles. Yes, he's French too, but hey, he's a really nice guy, and he can paint very well too. You should have a look.

- Marc, from Marcofwar2 . What! Another French guy?!? Yup, this is the French connection. Seriously, Marc is also a very nice guy, and a very talented painter too.

- Fred from Hobbyonenews. Right, another French guy, but you should see what he can do in 25mm... And his 15mm are simply stunning.

- Another French guy, Boris, from la petite armee.  Also very talented, especially in 25mm. And besides, he's got the Bobby's style ;) (ok, private joke)

- Last, Pakullai from Project Terra Miniatura... Yes, he's French too, but his zombieland campaigns in 15mm are soo good to follow, so enjoyable... Trust me, you'll like the episodes ;)

Obviously I couldn't put all the blogs I follow at the moment, so don't take this personally if i didn't choose you.


 

Thursday 22 November 2012

More dragoons on the way

Right. Those guys were more or less for some time now. But they weren't based, so they weren't shown. Those minis from Old Glory, except the mounted riders, were, as always, a pleasure to paint. Though the French can only have 4 bases of dragoons, they can have an ally with 4 more bases. And yes, dragoons can be very useful. I chose to paint them in red, simply because I intend to use them for the club FOG-Renaissance competition, set during the English Civil War. And btw, I've already won my first game, but sadly you won't have any batrep, I forgot my camera. I was a game between my 1644 Parlementarian against Chris Covenanter Scots...





Smoke on the battlefield... tin, tin tinnn, tin tin tintin
Ces lascars etaient peints depuis un moment, mais ils n'avaient pas ete socles, donc hors de question de  les montrer. C'est maintenant chose faite, et ces Old Glory (sauf les deux cavaliers Museum) sont toujours aussi plaisants a peindre. Les Francais ne peuvent avoir que 4 socles de dragons, mais en prenant un allie, ils peuvent en avoir 4 autres. Et comme les dragons sont toujorus utiles ;) Je les ai peints cette fois en rouge, pour montrer leur origine differente, et pour pouvoir les utiliser tranquillement pour notre tournoi interne de FOG-Renaissance, dont le theme est la guerre civile anglaise. A ce propos, j'ai gagne mon premier match contre les Covenanter de Chris, mais vous n'aurez helas pas droit a un compte-rendu, car j'avais oublie mon APN...

Tuesday 20 November 2012

A drop of medievals

I'm not really motivated to paint at the moment, and to be honest, I haven't really used a brush for the past two weeks... But then, the weather, my studies... Anyway. Today, I present you my latest production to date, a mix of Corvus Belli and Donnington new era: crossbowmen. They're not especially powerful, armed only with their crossbows and their will to fight (erm). They can however be useful to support other units, or even to do some flank attacks. To follow, I don't know yet, I have a lot of stuff to finish basing, but you'll see soon enough.

Tata.





Je vais etre honnete avec vous, je ne suis pas tres motive pour peindre en ce moment, entre le temps et mes etudes ( c'est trop bon le web-design). Je n'ai guere touche un pinceau depuis 2 semaines... Voici toutefois ma derniere production en date, un melange de Corvus Belli et de Donnington new era, des arbaletriers. Bon, ils n'ont queleur arme de tir et leurs yeux pour pleurer, mais ils sont utiles pour supporter les autes unites, voire pour tenter des attaques de flanc. A venir, je ne sais pas encore, j'ai plein de trucs a finir de socler...

A plus

Friday 16 November 2012

Good bye China, hello new project

Now that the Ancients competition is over, I've decided to sell my Chinese army. And to my delight, someone from the club has already bought it, and asked me to paint some extras. Hurray! Am I sad to see it go? After all the battles, the victories, the defeats? Well, yes and no. Of course it's always sad to do this, especially when you spent so much time painting the minis, but then, I really need the room , the cash, and I may decide to change the way I game. My wife has already started working very late, so I won't really be able to go the club until next March (sigh), and after that, we've decided to move out, to find a cheaper flat to live in, still in London. it means I might be too far from the club to go there. So I'm now pondering the idea of solo wargaming, and I have one or two projects in mind. The first one will be a miniature conversion of this wonderful game: Xcom:enemy unknown. I'd play it in 15mm and I've already started thinking about the rules.


Maintenant que le tournoi antique du cub est termine, j'ai decide de vendre mon armee chinoise, et quelqu'un s'en est deja porte acquereur, me demandant de lui peindre quelques extras. Je suis a la fois triste et content de la voir partir, car meme si j'avoue que je l'aimais bien, surtout avec le temps passe dessus, j'ai vraiment besoin de place et d'argent. De plus, il est possible que je m'oriente vers le wargame solo, et ce pour deux raisons: tout d'abord ma femme a commence a bosser super tard, m'empechant d'aller au club jusqu'a mi-mars. De plus, nous avons envisage par la suite de demenager dans un autre quartier pour des raisons economiques. Consequence: je m'eloigne encore du club... Donc bon. J'ai donc commence a reflechir a des projets, a commencer par celui d'une adaptation d'Xcom enemy unknown en 15mm; j'ai deja des idees.

Dans le meme temps, j'en ai profite pour actualiser la galerie des Chinois Warring States, en bidouillant un peu le code pour en faciliter le visionnage, grace a mes lecons de web design. Toute critique est la bienvenue ;)



And in the mean time, I took a picture of the whole Chinese, posted it in the Warring States Gallery page, and I've also tweaked the page using the knowledge from my web design course, to facilitate the viewing. Hope you like it ;)

Wednesday 14 November 2012

boobies trap, a FOG batrep part2


As soon as the drums were heard, the whole army sprang forward, both wings pointing towards the enemy, while the center remained calm. Wagoon-Li was leading the left, Psy the center and Tarusan the right wing, with some infantry and the cavalry... He was worried of what was about to happen... The devious madaxeman had deployed the right troups to simply contain and then destroy his whole wing... In fact, he was facing a huge part of the army all by himself... Now the plan didn't seem so good... F******* stripper: crossbows with stakes, cavalry, armoured spearmen... Yes that was a grim sight. Tarusan prayed quickly and hoped that Wagoon-Li would fast enough.

ok, very blurry pic, damn, I think my camera is dying

I don't feel that confident...
In the center, Psy was freaking out. Dim-Sun, Nuoc-nam and swallows nests! The worthless madaxeman was manoeuvering like a genius! His light infantry was simply moving to block the advance of Wagoon-Li, while the rest of the heavy troups were pouring forward, towards his only infantry unit: impact foot barbarian allies, armoured sworsdmen, heavy weapons... Right, he should have drank a few more cups of ricewine before...


By the ancestors we're screwed...

Oi!

Mummy! Where's my mummy?

But, why?
Yes, it looked as if the battle would be over soon. And Wagoon-Li was nowhere to be seen... In despair, the noble heavy chariots charged towards the spearmen and died horribly, buying some time between the center and the right wing.

Note: I don't have any pic of this, but my chariots failed twice their test not to charge those pesky armoured spearmen... Of course they died, but they lasted three roounds of combat... more than enough.

On the right, Tarusan braced and relieved himself when he saw the huge mass of troops coming at him: barbarians, cavalry.... Facing impossible odds, he threw up and then threw himself in the melee, roaring like a lion!



And then... a miracle... He won, and won again, and then routed two units of Chinese rebels.





He sent a messenger to Wagoon-Li and Psy not to despair, everything was fine on his side:




Psy felt better: his right flank was saved and, though the enemy was coming right at him and dared charge, Wagoon-Li was finally seen coming his way: Yes, the Chinese were trapped! Right against their flank!


Those who're about to die... run away!




The enemy was running away everywhere. Cheers could be heard along the Qin lines. Many heads to cut! Many promotions to be expected! And then, drums were heard. Such a number of drums... No one could have imagined that many drums... Suddenly, a single horseman moved towards our lines... Calm, dignified, he asked for Wagoon-Li.

" My master madaxeman is dead. He prefered committing suicide rather than facing your judgement. I'm his second in command, More-Fu-Less-Rice. And I ask for your mercy. I conceit defeat."

A wave of cheers simply exploded like a volcano amongst the Qin ranks! Hurray! General Psy couldn't believe it ! Overcome with joy, he started dancing in front of his soldiers who mimicked him...




I've won. Gosh, that's it! I've won. I've won the Ancients club comp... Was I lucky during this game? Yes! But I knew I would win on my left and the center. My right would have been more problematic, so that's why I'd put my cavalry and a big infantry unit, to soak up the hits. The impact is really effective: +1 against every kind of unit Tim had, and lots of crossbows in support. Those were not that effective, but scored enough hits to force some tests.

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Trial by boobies, part 1 a FOG batrep

Wagoon-Li felt miserable. He shouldn't have drunk that much last. Though a defeat against the Assyrian rebels, his last battle had been undecisive enough to to climb up higher in the hierarchy...

Wagoon-Li se sentait miserable. Il n'aurait pas du boire autant. Meme si sa derniere bataille avait ete une defaite, celle-ci avait ete sufffisamment indecise pour lui permettre de grimper dans la hierarchie... n. 521, aie, ca devient chaud la.

Well played. You're now n.521. Be proud! I'm watching you closely

But now he faced a terrible trial: he to face again his nemesis, the despicable master Porter "madaxeman", in a brutal civil war...again... What to do? What to do? Maybe the party wasn't such a good idea. He needed to think... And not about the striper... Too late...

Mais il avait devant lui une tres lourde tache: affronter une nouvelle fois sa nemesis, le repugnant maitre Porter "madaxeman", dans ce qui serait une terrible guerre civile. Que faire? Que faire? L'orgie d'hier n'etait peut-etre pas une bonne idee finalement... Il fallait reflechir... et ne pas penser a la stripteaseuse... trop tard...





Suddenly, a flash, an idea... He had a plan...
"I'll trap him in the plain... He won't be able to escape... And I'll also recruit some Qin troops...In fact, Let be aggressive, and recruit as many Qin as possible ( in FOG, the Qin are undrilled and only protected, but theyr're impact foot, nasty, and they can have mixed troops with crossbows as well, even nastier )

Soudain, un flash, une idee... Il avait un plan.
"Je vais le pieger dans la plaine, il sera incapable de m'echapper. Oh et je vais recruter des Qin... Soyons fou et recrutons le maximum de Qin possible ( a FOG, les QIN sont undrilled et seulement protected. mais ils sont impact foot et peuvent etre mixes avec des arbaletes, pour donner un coktail detonnant).



Wagoon-Li called his two other generals, Psy and Tarusan:
- "Right guys, you know we face our most dreaded enemy, the "madaxeman".
-Yup. We're so screwed, I already the torturer coming...
- No, fear not. Because I have a plan. The most cunning plan since master Baldrick decided to retire.
- Oh, that cunning? Have you read Sun-Tzu?
-Right. Erm, not quite... Do you remember yesterday's striper? Saburina?
- Oh yeahhh... Sorry, bit of drooling there.
- I know what you mean. Well, while thinking about the best way to defeat him, I thought about her... and here is what I call the "boobies trap": We're going to create a hollow center, with two strong wings. Madaxeman will be sucked in, though he might attack one of the wings, but then it'll be too late.

- Genius!
-Thank you."

And the troops got their marching order, to try to create this "boobies trap"...

Sur ce, Wagoon-Li appela ses generaux, PSY et Tarusa:
-" Ok les gars, vous savez que nous allons affronter notre plus redoutable ennemi, le "madaxeman".
-Ouaip. Et franchement ce me fout le bourdon rien que d'y penser, car la perspective du bourreau et de ses supplices ne m'enchantent guere...
- Ne craignez rien, j'ai un plan machiavelique... Plus machiavelique que celui de maitre Chirac quand il decida de dissoudre son assemblee de conseillers.
- Ah oui quand meme. Tu as enfin lu Sun Tzu?
-Euh... un abrege. Vous vous souvenez de la stripteaseuse d'hier? Saburina?
- Gneeeeeeee. Pardon pour le filet de bave.
-Je comprends. Eh bien, en reflechissant a la meilleure maniere de le battre, j'ai pense a elle. Et voici ce que j'appelle le "piege a notaire": nous allons creer un centre vide aui va attirer Madaxeman, qui va se retrouver pieger par les deux ailes fortes. Il attaquera surement une des ailes, mais il sera alors trop tard.

-Genial!
-Je sais... Au boulot!
Et les troupes recurent leur ordre de marche...


See you very soon for part 2 ;)