Feallan, Not Fall In

My group of friends regularly traveled to the HMGS-E conventions. Fall-In was generally regarded as the highlight and best attended. Some years it was a couple of van loads going down. But this year everyone decided to not do that until the current political silliness is sorted out. 

Brian attended a family birthday celebration in the tiny village of Port Albert on the Lake Huron shore and realized that the venue, the Port Albert Inn, would make a nice venue for a game gathering. So a bunch of us said it sounded like a Good Idea and he booked the entire inn. Operation Feallan was born.
 

Bar and lounge. We had to stock the bar ourselves

Just some of the libations that were consumed. I had a cider.

Cozy little room

But I'd only want to share it with someone I really liked being in close proximity to

Eleven games were played over the course of Friday night and Saturday. I was last to arrive and a 15mm game of Ruthless was already underway as gangs of desperados shot up Kevin's 3d printed town.

Your correspondent, in the corner, green cardigan

After that there was the board game Thunder Road on one table and the card game Groo on another. The third game of Groo, featuring seven of us and after several drinks, got very raucous and went until 0200.

Groo

Saturday morning Keith whipped up a Full English, including blood pudding for those who like it, and stuffed on eggs, ham, mushrooms, tomatoes, beans and toast we got down to the serious business. There were two games on offer. Six of us played Midgard while others played Devilry Afoot.

Saturday morning. Midgard on left and Devilry Afoot on the right.

Devilry Afoot. Blackadder and Baldric encounter some very cuddly witches

Six of us played Midgard using Brett's 30-plus year old classic metal Warhammer Fantasy Battle armies and some custom traits he devised to cover some of the unique WFB things like Night Goblin fanatics and the Imperial Steam Tank.

 

The Old Worlde comes to Midgard

Ogres

Trolls

Boar and wolf riders surge forward!

Imperial knights, steam tank and flagellants

My command of Night Goblins

Dramatic Things Happening on the right wing

Center hotting up

Me, doing my best to keep big scary knights busy

Man of the Match. Brian's Imperial Captain, who even after the rest of his command was dead around him, pulled Victory from the bloody, and rapidly closing, Jaws of Defeat by slaying Keith's War Boss in single combat after already killing Kevin's Orc War Boss as well! Game ended with the Empire at negative 7 Reputation and the Orcs at negative 9 Reputation! Very close indeed.

After a late lunch of potato soup and ham sandwiches, Keith and Brian ran a 6mm game of O Group while Peter ran a game of When Nightmares Come.

German Kompanie HQ. The Germans were Brian's Fallschirmjaeger kompanie.

American Company HQ. The American forces were Keith's.

Norman farm

Tank duel. I knock out two StuGs!

I finally get my attack moving in the center but by then the Germans had collected their three FUBARs to end the game. Keith's flanking attack on the right and US heavy artillery battering the Built Up Areas in front of me killed the necessary number of Germans to win.

Meanwhile on the other table...

When Nightmares Come

They played a total of three linked scenarios in the afternoon

After dinner Brian ran a 15mm Slave Holder's Rebellion (or more commonly called the American Civil War) game using the computer moderated Carnage and Glory rules.

Leading Union brigade

The Carnage and Glory rules are interesting in that the computer tracks casualties and morale status and all you know is if your troops are advancing or disordered or not responding to orders. There are no dice rolls or figure removal.

This was a historic action from 1862 in Kentucky that was a heavy Union defeat. We did better than the historic commanders by not being bundled off the table as quickly as they had been.

My cavalry brigade trying to protect our flank

On the other table people were playing some board games: Battle of Hoth, Splendour, and 1812.

Charcuterie and dessert wine for Afters, which sadly my stomach was in no mood for. If I'd known, I'd have skipped dinner and held out for this!

Sunday morning was just clean up and March Out. Plans are afoot to do it again next fall.

Sunday morning group photo

Fun was had.

'Feallan' is the Old English word from which we get the common English name for the Autumn season.

Battle Masters

Holiday weekend and grandson asked to play Battle Masters. I had purchased it some 25 years ago to play with his mother. Getting the battered box down and reassembling the bases brought back a lot of happy memories. Notes in the rule book tell me that my daughter and I even played a couple of campaigns, with somewhat even honours.

The rules came back to me quickly. I was really impressed with what a solid game these mechanically very simple rules result in.

An early run of Chaos cards had me advancing and pushing my mounted units to envelope his right.

But of course that meant that all the Empire cards came up later, resulting in multiple attacks from his cavalry to smash my center and right giving him the victory. 

I emerged from the shower Sunday morning to find grandson and his mother having a second game. Although this time he took the harder to play Chaos and set himself up behind the river, giving him a lot problems advancing as he learned how to manage traffic jams at the fords. His mother has a very solid grasp on tactics and the nuances of the game. She's also ruthless. So his win-loss record is one each.

I've sent them home with some odd fantasy figures and his mother's box of dwarves and the cardboard castle that we made together msny years ago.