See this book.
See the suggested reading level of this book.
See Helen read this book.
Read.  Read.  Read.
Watch the unedited video straight from Daddy's phone of Helen read the book.
See Helen struggle with words.
See Helen keep trying.
Try!  Try!  Try!

See the note Helen brought home from the teacher today:

"This book is significantly above Helen's current reading level.  In addition this is not a book she is allowed to check out while at school.  You may check it out & read it with her.  However, please do not send it with her to school on library days.  This book must stay at home until you are ready to return or renew it."

See Daddy and Mommy read the note?  That is called "going ballistic".
See Daddy hug and congratulate his daughter on trying something difficult, instead of humiliating Helen in front of her class.
See Helen tell Mommy and Daddy that she is tired of reading the 'allowed' books in her class, as she has already finished all of them twice.
See Mommy listen to Helen read 3 chapters while Daddy composes an angry post.

See Mommy and Daddy find a new school for their children...

Mutants and Death Ray Guns first play

Mutants and Death Ray Guns First Play

Had to game something, too much painting makes Tom a dull boy.  I decided to try out some “Mutants and Death Ray Guns”, a post-apoc sci-fi set of rules based on my favorite “Songs of” engine. Since all I have are Gruntz-style 15mm figures, I made a minor modification to the ruleset:  everybody gets a roll on the weapon table.  If your equipment roll was a weapon, too bad.

The Factions:

An all-human Purity Squad.  These gene-freaks are from an advanced enclave, so I decided they should be well-armed.  They ignore the first ‘jam’ result.  Since they also ended up with a gunsmith, they should hardly ever have gun problems.

All Humans are Q3, C2.

Commander Vimes:  U2.  Leader, flak jacket, A rifle, energy cell

Private ‘Eel’:  U1.  Slippery, flak jacket, A rifle, 2 food points

Private ‘Rock’: U1.  Steadfast, flak jacket, A rifle, energy cell (he rolled ‘any armor’, so I kept uniformity)

‘Gunny’:  U1.  Gunsmith, sniper rifle, defoliant grenade (fat lot of good that will do in the desert)

An all-mutant ‘next-gen’ Squad.  They are convinced this is the future of humanity.  It is time to purge all the un-enlightened.  To simulate ‘psykers’, I reversed the standard mutation roll.  1-4 got you a mental mutation, 5-6 a physical.  To top it off, everybody rolled high enough that they all ended up with 2 mutations each.

All mutants are Q4, C3.

Renaldo:  U1.  Stealth, phobia to mutated plants, fear of fire.  4 food points.  Shotgun

Vance:  U1.  Stealth, telepathic scream, telekinetic shield, flak jacket, A rifle.

Jamar:  U2.  Slippery, super-leap, energy projection (lasers from his eyes, how cool!), sonic stunner, 2 food points

Jere:  U1.  Slippery, Telekinetic push, phobia to artificial beings, electric gun, energy cell

Robin:  U1.  Savage, Kinetic Absorption!, phobia to artificial beings, flamethrower, energy cell

Really have to quit using the camera phone...

The scenario called for the mutants and humans to stumble upon an old water reclamation facility at the same time.  Each faction will try to control the facility.

Deployment and first turns:  Both teams started a general push for the center.  Despite their leader bonus, the humans moved slowly, with only Gunny getting a good position.  Even with the Q4 activation, the mutants moved up quickly (even forgetting Jamar’s superleap).  Robin the tank has already reached the facility.

Gunny takes up overwatch as Commander Vimes looks at the pretty rocks...

But now it is time to put kids to bed…

I can't get there from here

Nope, can't go

sample

An example of my cowboys made up for Songs of Sixguns

Drums along the Songs of...

Okay, so the movie is from the wrong war, but it had a great chase scene.  Today's battle was an attempt to recreate it.
The Players:
Helen's warband:  Chief Q4 C2 Leader Musket Woodsman Scalper, 3x Braves Q4 C2 Musket Woodsman Scalper
Miles' warband:  Same
Sara's Settlers:
Gil Martin Q4 C2 Hero Musket Sprinter
Adam & Joe:  Q4 C2 Elan Marksman Musket
6x Settlers:  Q4 C2 Musket

(286 Indians, 294 settlers, figured the lack of Leaders would balance it out)
Indian bands were in competition with each other for scalps.  Settlers just trying to make it to the fort with 1/2 starting people.  The cart could carry 4 total, on a driver activation it would move 1 long.

Starting locations.  Helen insisted on having a fence for her Indians to jump over.

The goal.  Can they make it to safety?

Settlers started within 1 medium of the cart, nobody in the cart.  Both warbands started within 1 short of the edge.

The battle:
It started well for the Indian bands, Sara was only rolling singles for the settlers to avoid turnover.  She got a quick kill in on Helen's band.  Helen retaliated by getting a settler kill and a successful scalp.  Miles' band moved up but had several unfortunate turnovers.
Gil, Adam and Joe all were successful at fire and maneuver, thanks to Hero and Elan.  They succeeded in knocking over several pursuers, moving well out of range, and reloading.
Once Sara got the cart loaded, it was a one-sided contest.  She left 1 settler to his fate, being mobbed by all 3 remaining members of Helen's band.  The cart hightailed it out of dodge.  Riders in the cart never even activated again.

Hero and Sprinter is an awesome combination.  Gil started in the trees and made it that far on 1 die.

And that poor nameless abandoned settler?  He put up a heck of a fight.  After being knocked down once, he got back up, killed 1 of his attackers, got knocked down again, popped back up, knocked down the chief, then was finally killed.  That one fight tied up Helen's whole band, allowing the rest to escape.  Miles' band started through the woods, but never caught up.

The settler that would not die is up top.  He's already killed 1 Indian and is about to knock down Chief Blue Jacket.  The other settler below wasn't so lucky.

Next time:
Either make the cart only move medium or make the clear path much more of a zig-zag.  It was very easy for the cart to outpace the Indians.  Another alternative would be to allow the Indians to enter from the short sides.  Also, Q4 leaders don't work great.  They get outpaced by their followers.

Too straight of a shot for the cart.

bits and bobs

Just some terrain bits.

Lydia vs Natividad - Part 2

Part 2, in which we see the thrilling conclusion of this epic battle.

Astute viewers will notice a major sea change overnight.  I changed from the mats to squares.  These are 1-foot artist canvasses I found on sale awhile ago.  Once I repaint them in a better sea color they will work well.  It's easy to move the occupied tiles and add new ones as the ships sail across the table.

Lydia round 2

Turn 7 (or whatever)
Natividad moves:  I had a problem judging the wind.  I tried a couple ways of using the wind gauge, I found laying it on top of the wind marker was the clearest. She makes a wide turn to port,
unmasking her port (unfired) broadside.

Is the wind on her quarter?

Now it is easier to figure out.

Natividad fires:  First shot with broadside, long range, both decks can fire!  6d6, needs 5 to hit.  Only 1, but it's a 6.  More damage to Lydia's rigging.
Lydia fires:  reserves card.
Getting choppy:  Yes!  Seas pick up, Natividad will fire at 1/2 effect.
Lydia moves:  she pivots in a tight circle (gotta love frigate's move) and plays her fire card.  3 hits to the hull and a special!  +2 DP and Natividad lost a boat. I think I did some calculations wrong before, because now Nat is down to 8 move.  (In the long run, it didn't matter)

Trading broadsides - not where Lydia wants to be

Turn 8
Natividad fires.  Should be 3 dice (reduced broadside +landlubber), but 1/2 because of heavy seas.  Round up to 2.  Another rigging hit!
Natividad moves.  8cm - 1d6.  Needs to quit sailing so close to the wind.  She turns away and presents her stern to the Lydia (not the smartest move).
Wind change!  Back to South East.
Lydia moves:  Now I have a question about the speed test.  Elite JJT, traveling at Astern (Basic +1d6), wants to slow.  What can they slow to?  In any case, they get the stern shot.

Yep, some fancy turns there

Lydia fires:  stern rake, at short range.  "For what we are about to receive..."  3d6, +2 for Elite JJT at short range, double for stern rake.

Mr Gerard, we must talk about your gunnery...

Result not terrible.  6 hits no special.  Strike test pending for Natividad, will see next turn.

Turn 9
Strike test:  first card.  35% chance again.  (40 base, +5 raked last turn, -10 determined).  52.  Still in the fight!
Natividad fires:  reserves fire.
Natividad move:  Wind still on the bow.  going to try to turn to starboard and engage again.  Not much happens (4cm)
Lydia fires:  2 more hits takes Natividad down to 50% health.  Another strike test coming up!
Lydia moves:  she tries a hot turn to port, but doesn't clear Nat's broadside.

Oops, thought I could turn faster than that...

Natividad fires: (reserved card)  but wait!  She's down to 2d6, -1 for landlubber, -1 for 1/2 speed (rigging obscuring the deck), -1/2 for rough seas.  She can no longer fire!  A point-blank shot and she is too busy clearing her decks.  By waiting that one moment she lost a shot.

Turn 10:
Natividad moves:  Must. Run. Away.
Lydia moves:  She's dead on to the wind.  Damage test.  On a 14 or higher she loses her foremast.

Trying to raise my blood pressure...

She makes it, barely.  Then to top it off, they only barely make their tack test.  "Elite sailors" indeed!
Strike test:  45% now.  She rolls 43!  Natividad must run away.  If she takes 5DP at once she will strike.
Natividad fires:  No shot, so she tries repairs.  Doesn't happen.
Lydia fires:  No stern rake this time.  Barely within medium range.  2 hits.

Mr. Gerard, this is your last warning! 

Turn 11
Lydia fires:  Thinks about trying to maneuver closer, but takes the shot before maneuvering.

That'll do, Mr. Gerard.  That'll do...

Now THAT'S a damage roll.  With the special, Natividad takes 7 DP and catches fire.

Natividad strikes immediately.

This is a great set of rules.  It plays fast, and really gives the flavor of the time.  The smaller, more nimble ship could sail rings around the big slow 2-decker.  But on those few occasions where the Natividad could fire a full broadside, the Lydia knew she had been hit.  This battle could easily have swung the other way.

HMS Lydia vs Natividad - a Kiss Me, Hardy! solo game

And now, as they say, for something completely different...

I have a big naval wargame coming up.  An important game, using a set of rules I've only played twice.  So what should a man do?  Well, if you're me, you buy an entirely different set of rules and try them!

This game uses Too Fat Lardies Napoleonic-era naval rules called "Kiss Me, Hardy".  Not being British, I was glad to learn the rules are named after a famous quote some chap named Admiral Nelson made.  Although designed for squadron combat, I decided to start with a one-on-one scenario.  And what better than the epic fictional battle between the outgunned HMS Lydia and the evil Nativitad, flagship of El Supremo's one-ship armada?

Based on C.S. Forester's book and his "The Hornblower Companion", I came up with these scenario rules:

Lydia and Natividad

first battle

Wind direction and position set.  (We'll ignore Natividad's initial wearing of the ship and start them in the right direction, both racing for the wind gauge).  Idea is they start as close to the wind on opposite tacks as they can get, racing to gain the weather gauge.
Wind change test:  ignore the "big jump" rule.  Wind will never shift more than 1 point at a time.
Getting choppy test:  Hornblower described Natividad as being able to fire the lower deck occasionally during the broadside duel.  So start at "choppy", but on the test change the sea on a 6-10.  This should give Natividad many more chances to fire a full 2-deck broadside.

Lydia 36 gun frigate 7 months at sea. (highly drilled crew but ship is tired)
Elite, Jolly Jack Tars, Fervently Determined, Boarding party, foul bottomed

Natividad  50 gun 2 decker - but now crewed by fanatics with an able captain
Average, Landlubbers, Determined, Poor shots, Poor sailors

 Initial setup.  Ignore the wind gauge, it is wrong.

First 3 turns see the ships moving as best they can for position.  Wind speed change rolls and sea state change rolls do nothing.

Turn 4:
Natividad move card:  They seem to be pulling ahead of Lydia.  Looks like they got the wind.
Lydia fire card:  Bow chasers could hit at long range.  "Mr. Gerard!  Try your guns!"  Takes a chance.  Rolls 2d6 (bow chaser 1 + elite JJT).  needs 5 or 6 to hit.  Total miss.

"Quite disappointing, Mr. Gerard!"

Natividad fires: it's a full broadside at long range.  The bow chasers must have spooked her.  Should be 7d6 +1d6 for initial broadside, but because of sea state it is halved.  5 or 6 to hit.  result 1 hit to rigging.
Next card is "getting choppy" test:  it figures!  The seas drop.  Now Natividad can fire full broadsides.  Should have waited...

Turn 5:
Natividad moves.  Turns to Lydia.  They turn much slower but now have the wind in their best point of sailing.
Lydia moves.  Going to try and cross Nat's T.  Not quite enough speed to get past her.

(Lydia before moving into broadside range)

Lydia fires:  Full broadside into the hull.  4d6 +1d6 init broadside +2d6 Elite JJT at close range.  Hit on 3 or better.  - only 3 hits.  Lieutenants Bush and Gerard hang their heads in shame.
Nobody has done any special damage yet.

(imagine puffs of smoke in the above picture)

Natividad fires:  7d6 -1d6 for landlubbers.  Still firing at rigging.  4 hits, including 2 sixes!  Lydia takes some damage aloft.No speed reduction yet, but close.

Turn 6:
Natividad fires:  They sure are fast for an untrained crew!  Staying on that rigging.  4 hits, no sixes, but our first "special" of the fight.  Lydia's broadside reduced to 3, speed reduced to 13cm.  She won't take much of this pounding!
Natividad moves:  With the wind on their quarter, they hope to open some distance.  Since they are a poor crew they don't accelerate all the way, going only to basic speed.
Lydia moves:  Time to tack!  They move the perfect amount for an up-the-kilt shot.  This will be ugly.  Lydia still has their shooting card in the deck.

Wind change!  It is now East by South-East.  It might be enough to slow Natividad.
Lydia fires!  It's a stern rake at close range.  Starts with 3, +2 for elite JJT, and double for stern rake!  10 dice at a 3 or better to hit.  Finally, the dice gods smile on our gunners:  8 hits plus a special (adds 2 more DP).  10 damage points in one blow!  And, the stern rake means a strike test when the card comes up next.
Strike test: yep, the next card up.  Base 30%.  +15% for being raked this turn.  -10% for determined. They have a 35% chance of striking.

They roll a 95.  This battle is only getting started!

"Not yet, you scurvy English!"

(To Be Continued...)

Last year Miles and Helen both shot a 'hand mortar' - an 18th century grenade launcher.  They only shot tennis balls, not lead!

Songs of Drums and Tomahawks new scenario

Played a 3-way Songs of Drums and Tomahawks scenario today.  The scenario rules still need some adjusting, but it played well.  Sara had the settlers, Miles had the soldiers, and I ran a small yet elite Indian band.

The general board area.  War has erupted all along the frontier.  War parties roam the wilderness.  A band of settlers is desperately trying to corral the last of their cattle.  A party of regular soldiers is patrolling the area (and also looking for extra rations), while a raiding party approaches.

For the scenario, the cattle started at random locations on the board.  I have the perfect mechanism for this, it's called "Helen".  She did insist on naming each cow before placing it.  Settlers will get points for any cattle in the pen after 10 turns.  Soldiers will get points for killing Indians, and also if they can sneak any cattle off the board.  Indians get points for killing and scalping.

 On turn one, War Chief Not-so-lucky orders his braves to fire on the settlers in the open, while "Elsie" stares him down.

 Later in the game, we see how the war chief got his name.  He's combat 3 with a bonus for hand to hand, his opponent is only a combat 1 and already on the ground!  And chief not-so-lucky rolls a double fail.

This was but one of many double fails.  The average activation on all 3 sides was a 3, but we had an amazing number of fails with turnovers.  Activation was random order, with uncontrolled cows moving after all 3 sides had moved.

You might think this was Chief Not-so-lucky's son.  He is in quite a pickle here.  But thanks to his great activation and big fails on the soldier rolls, he managed to get into the woods, then on his next turn kill the officer!

The final tally:  

Indians win with 4 kills, no scalps.

Settlers in 2nd place with 2 cows penned and 1 person in the blockhouse.  They could have pulled a win by rushing the house on the last turn.  Somehow, I forgot to remind her of that...

Soldiers in 3rd place with 2 kills.  In 2 more turns (or with better activation) he would have snuck a cow off the board.  

I cannot fail to mention the kickstarter!  SDT is a part of the "Songs of" game family.  There's a kickstarter going on for a whole new breed (phylum?) of warrior.  Check it out, well worth backing!

Miles already has plans for the vampire mushroom...

Fightin Fungi Kickstarter

windshield washer

I finally fixed the commander windshield washer!

SDT river crossing

Not having fun trying to cross the stream here.

trailer update

Hey!  I actually did some work on the trailer!

Get The Message Through - A Songs of Drums and Tomahawks AAR

Songs of Drums and Tomahawks AAR

“Get the Message Through”

Based off the great SoBH / WHFB conversions available at

http://hour11gaming.blogspot.com/p/song-of-blades-heroes-stuff.html

(Scenario 24 “send for help”)

"Get the Message Through"

Hawkeye, Uncas (red leggings) Chingachgook and 2 disposable frontiersmen (336 pts)

Versus

Magua, 2 elite braves, and 6 braves (340 pts).

(Magua top right, 2 elite braves on the handle, mooks down below)

(The scenario called for the defender to have more than the attacker.  I found that not having a leader on the attacker side helps balance the books.)

Hawkeye's group has to advance up a river valley to deliver a message to the fort about a beleaguered town.  Magua's band has to stop them.  Hawkeye's band will not take morale checks, the message must get through. The Hawkeye player secretly designates 2 figures as the messenger and alternate.  One of them has to make it off the board on the other side.  Magua's band gets to use the hidden deployment rules.

Battlefield:  3 x 4.  Battle is fought lengthwise across the table.  I pre-built the table and designated entry and exit points.  Magua’s band gets to use the hidden deployment rules from SoDT.  He deploys first.  Then Hawkeye deploys in the starting area (1 long wide, 1 short deep).  The goal is for the messenger or the alternate to make it off the board at the other edge center (1 long wide). 

My home rules for the board:

-          All cover is light (-1)

-          If your base touches the cover you are in cover

-          Only 2 figures per tree can claim cover

-          Elevation: if you are more than short from a player at different level, the defender gets light cover bonus (-1).  Does not stack with other cover bonuses.  (this really encourages the use of the gullies)

-          

f    Streambed costs 1 short to cross.  There is no “middle”, they are either on one side or the other.  Bushes in the streambed count as cover.

The battlefield:

A stream runs up the center of the board.  Light trees all around, no heavy forests.  A gully transects the middle but is dry at this time of the year.  The stone fences at the far side are only there to designate the exit area.  Once a figure reaches this area, they are covered by the guns of the fort and will not be pursued (win the game).

Deployment:  Magua’s force deploys first, using the hidden deployment rules in SoDT.  Miles chose to put his leader with the larger group of braves, leaving the 2 elites separate.  I ruled the groups have to be designated. 

Red group with elite warriors

Green group with Magua.  Ummm, not sure how that guy on the left got in there.  Methinks the 6-year old wants her figures in the game too.

He put his hidden markers on the field, then wrote down which was the real for each group, and which false.

Now, looking at the board, Hawkeye could plan his advance.  With the stream splitting his deployment, he chose to push hard on his right, leaving only Frontiersman Gray on the left of the stream.

 

The Hawkeye player also had to pre-designate the messenger and alternate.  I picked Hawkeye and Frontiersman Black.

The start:

An inglorious start.  Uncas rolled 3x 1’s to start.  Pass to Magua.

Magua (my 12 year old son) wisely decided not to do anything.  Play passed back.

Better:  Chingachgook got 3 activations and moved out, scouting the first blind position.  It was real!

slight interlude while I put new batteries in the flash...

  

Magua deployed his strong group around the point.  Chingachgook fired and dropped a Huron!  First blood to the good guys!

(He moved within medium of the marker, so Miles had to deploy at least 1 figure.  He chose to deploy his entire group)

Everybody else on that side of the stream moved up to help.  Frontiersman Grey said, “Screw you guys!” and made a runner on the left flank. 

Magua/ Miles turn:  The group advanced and engaged in melee with Chingachgook.  The first only got enough activations to move into contact.  The second had a swing at him, but lost and was knocked down. 

Hawkeye / Me turn:  Uncas and Hawkeye move up to assist Chingaghgook.  It’s going to be a real brawl.  Hawkeye doesn’t quite make it.  Frontiersman Black sneaks around the edge of the fight.  Grey just sits there.  Chingachgook discovers why “Primitive Weapon” is cool when he rolls a 6.

Magua / Miles:  The remaining braves, having pissed away their shots, all rush in to melee.  Uncas goes down, but still fights on.  And then the surprise hits:

Both forces were pre-deployed on the same side of the creek!  I never would have thought he would do that.  The 2 elite warriors fall for the bait and go charging off after Frontiersman Grey, but the other 2 are more important.  The first takes an aimed shot and knocks Hawkeye down!  Not to be outdone, the second brave rolls a 6, while poor Natty Bumpo rolls a 1 (yes, my trademark roll). Holy Crap!  They killed Daniel Day Lewis!  Is that even allowed?  The only consolation was the brave failed his scalping roll and had to rush out and collect that scalp (Hey, wouldn’t you?).

Me:  Well shoot.  There’s one of my messengers gone.  Chingachgook and Uncas dispose of the remaining braves on them.  Black makes a runner on the right, Grey on the left.  Magua / Miles is now convinced Grey and Black are the messengers and moves to intercept both. 

Several turns of mayhem and chasing later (I forgot the pictures), it ended up like this.  One Brave had a chance to catch Black before he made it to safety.  He needed 1 success to reach melee.  He’s a Q4, but was still in range of Magua.  Miles chose to roll 2, hoping for a move and attack.

(Any resemblance to Drums Along the Mohawk is totally coincidental and should not result in a lawsuit!  It was random, I swear!)

And he blew it!  

He rolled a ONE and a Two!  

And I totally forgot to take the celebratory picture!

Uncas was down, Hawkeye was gone, Grey was gone, the Huron’s were 1 more casualty away from taking a morale roll, but the message got through!  The settlement would be saved.

Dammit girl!  Get your figures off my board!

Aftermath:  It was a very close battle.  The last roll wasn’t the only example of clutch rolls that were missed.  Miles surprised me by deploying both forces on the same side of the creek.  I must be getting predictable in my deployments.  I didn't expect Hawkeye to fall so quickly, so I didn't get to exploit his Hero status.