What a Distraction!

 

What a Tanker rules set.

What a Tanker rules set.

I’m not going to moan about the lovely weather and the Football again! No, I’ve been introduced to a new game, “What a Tanker!”. Written by Richard Clarke and Nick Skinner of Too Fat Lardies fame, the game is a simple and fun game of tank combat in World War Two. Fortunately, the game only really requires Two tanks per player ( you can of course just use one) and most wargamers will have a couple of tanks kicking around their collection somewhere! In my case I have some pre painted 1/72nd scale tanks that I had picked up cheaply as part of yet another of my ‘collections’, so I was good to go! I dusted off my late war Churchill and Sherman 75mm and trotted off to my mates house for a game. That in itself was a pleasure – no hernia inducing lifting of my growing Napoleonic army. Just two tanks, some dice and a ruler and set of rules and I’m sorted!

Sherman and Churchill ready for action

Sherman and Churchill ready for action

To be fair, Andy had set up the table with plenty of scenery, including the obligatory scattering of dead cows that were found over Normandy battlefields. He had also visited the Toofatlardies web site and downloaded the dashboard and other bits. You can see them here:

WHAT A TANKER DOWNLOADS

By the way, as far as I can see the downloads work perfectly- the people making the comments saying that they will not work may need to look at their own computer….

There are plenty of other reviews of the game out there on the net and ‘play through’ videos on Youtube but the one that I found the most useful is the one put together by the Lardies themselves. At just over thirty minutes long , it’s well worth a watch and you will be up to speed with the rules in no time.

The only thing is that I am unable to show you pictures of our game. I was so engrossed with the action, I forgot to take any! What I can tell you is that we had great fun playing the game and once we had got through a couple of turns, most of the rules/gameplay became second nature. The Lardies are experts at ensuring that their games are playable and create the sort of fun that most gamers will enjoy. The idea that initiative changes with each turn encourages players to take risks and creates those ‘cinematic’ show downs to produce high points ( or low… depending who wins through!) that keep the players engrossed in the game and provide the talking points afterwards.

My Sherman seemed to take on the character of a certain Brad Pitt movie, dicing with death and being constantly in harms way. It managed to survive most of the game- clearly there was a contract for a sequel in the offing! Andy’s star tank, a Jadgpanzer IV, quickly dealt with my Churchill, despite the superior armour of the Churchill but then he was promptly forced back into a wood and sat there as no movement dice were available! I think the correct word is schadenfreude as I watched Andy get ever more frustrated that his tank wouldn’t move. Eventually, it was the Jadgpanzer that won through, lumbering out of the wood (pun intended) and finally giving Brad Pitt the heroes ending that he was looking for! He who laughs last and all that…I only needed a small beer to overcome my brief disappointment at losing the game. Brad will no doubt be back again, perhaps next time with something more ‘shooty’ than the Churchill – pass the tank catalogue…

May be I need a bigger tank!

May be I need a bigger tank!

So we have another game to add to our repertoire. A slight distraction from Napoleonics and Samurai but with very little needed to get into the game, a welcome change. If you have a couple of Tanks gathering dust in your collection, I thoroughly recommend this game to you.

THE COMMERCIAL BIT

If you would like to get hold of this rules set, they are available post free, worldwide, at the time of writing, here:

WHAT A TANKER!

We have a huge range of 1/72nd scale tank kits in our shop. For a fast build, I recommend the Armourfast range, with two tanks per box, you only need spend £8.50 and you are in the game!

ARMOURFAST TANKS

ALL 1/72nd Scale Allied Tanks

ALL 1/72nd Scale Axis Tanks

Finally, if it’s scenery that you need we have plenty! However, We have just added some very nice 20mm or 1/72nd scale buildings to our range!

1/72 scale Buildings

I hope that you have as much fun as we did with these rules!

They think it’s all over…..

Well, it’s the day after England were knocked out of the World Cup by Croatia and I am somewhat melancholy as I sit to write my blog. To be fair, I haven’t much to write about. The World Cup gradually became all consuming for me and for once, my priority wasn’t the models on my work bench. Football combined with the hot weather meant that I have been spending less and less time on my modelling projects. Indeed, the last blog that I wrote showing my own work was dated 14th June, a month ago.

The last of Daimyo's Retinue on the work bench

The last of Daimyo’s Retinue on the work bench

In that time, I have managed to finish painting the last of Daimyos retinue. One mounted Samurai completed in a month is hardly something to crow about but I suppose it is progress. As I have been nipping out to paint and base in ever shorter bursts, I haven’t recorded my progress but six of the retinue are now complete.

Daimyos retinue

Daimyos retinue

REtinue showing detail of Arrow catcher.

Retinue showing detail of Arrow catcher.

As you can see, the last mounted Samurai that I completed has the Arrow catcher or Horo in place. I painted a very simple design on it to add some interest and based him in my usual style.

My Work bench is somewhat neglected...

My Work bench is somewhat neglected…

Another indication of my neglect of my hobby is the state of my work bench. If you look closely you can see another mounted Samurai – this is the spare Samurai that you get in the set mounted on a Warhammer horse. I’ve actually gone backwards here as although I have added some green stuff to make the horse look more ‘Samurai’ I have managed to break the model.

Green Stuff added but the model is a bit fragile...

Green Stuff added but the model is a bit fragile…

In trying to make the pose dynamic, I have created a somewhat fragile model that I doubt will stand the rigours of gaming – if you look closely, you can see that the one standing leg is threatening to snap as well – the white line above the hoof showing where the plastic is weakening.

So, the football is over for England (the play off for third place doesn’t really inspire me) and it’s time to get back to enjoying my modelling, hot weather or not. I will probably watch the Final but will find it hard to cheer for either side. More likely, I think I will tidy up my work bench and listen to it on the radio. As well as getting on with the final mounted Samurai, I can reorganise my lead mountain and decide on the next project.

Samurai Cavalry charge!

Samurai Cavalry charge!

In the meantime, just to cheer myself up, I got all of the samurai cavalry out of the cabinet for a photo shoot! I’m actually quite pleased with how they look. The football may be over but there’s plenty to keep me busy!

If you would like to read how I went about painting my Samurai, please look in the Samurai category of my Blog here:

SAMURAI BLOG

If you need anything to help you to complete your models, we probably have it in our shop and supply post free to most worldwide locations. Click here:

ARCANE SCENERY SHOP