Colonial Barracks

Well, Colonial Barracks is done and gone, and it was great.  Friday I was on call, and so just chatted with everyone.  Got to meet Chick Lewis, Ross Maker, and Tim Cheatem face-to-face after chatting with them for years on ColonialWars@Yahoo.com, or whatever the actual url is.

There were some beautiful games going on, Nick's ansar battle, and the fabulous terrain for Maiwand.

On Saturday, I got into Jim Pitt's Darkest Africa game, controlling a group of archers for the natives.  I managed to pretty well wipe out a group of Zanzibari slavers, get the peaceful villagers out of the village for the loss of only 2 villagers and a goat, but left a lot of goods in the village for the taxman!  My warriors who were in the village took out a couple of the taxman's askari, but elephants did a lot more damage.  The warrior leader tried a heroic charge against one of the taxman, but was shot down.  Jay Stribling and I gave the natives their only win on points, according to Jim.

Here are three pics of my brave archers in action!

Next, I ran my game using Larry Brom's "With Old Gimlet Eye", US Marines vs Sandinistas in Nicaragua, 1926.  Due to some fine shooting by Donna, and growing casualties, the Marines were forced to withdraw with their wounded, leaving behind their dead, whom the Sandanistas looted of maybe 10 Springfields, a Lewis gun, and a Browing machine gun.

They were not without losses, however.  They lost one Lewis gun operator for sure, and Jim's single Marine unit ran off 2 Sandinista units in hand-to-hand.  Marine bayonets are deadly!

I wasn't as up on the rules as I should have been, and so some points got overlooked.  Sigh.

That pooped me out, and though Nick's "Wind and the Lion" game was very tempting, I went home and to bed, since I was on call again.

Sunday, I played in Mark Steven's Maxmillian Adventure game, in reserve.  Didn't get to fire a single shot from my French Foreign Legion because the Juaristas spent too much time and units on the Mexicans and Belgians on the hill, and never got to the village.  Of course that meant that I got to fondle and ogle Mark's beautifully painted French Foreign Legion.  Wonderful job!

Oh, I forgot the raffle on Saturday evening.  I got Larry's Marines and Japanese, and a copy of "M-1's and Arisakis".  Of course, I got the best prize, and I'm sure all of the winners felt that they got the best prize!

It was a great little con at a really nice venue (one Bayou Wars should consider, hint, hint, BOD), and with a great groups of ladies and gentlemen.