Sunday, November 1, 2020

Hittite Call to Arms and Another Milestone

In July, the Hittite project hit its objective of fielding a dozen units in 2020.  Given that plenty of time remained before year-end, the goal was increased to 18 total units by year-end.

Today, I am pleased to report that the last of the 18 units musters off the painting desk.  The last of the Hittites comes off the desk in the form of one more chariot stand.  By my count, that makes eight total chariots, thus far.  Figures are from Wargames Foundry.  Having noted that I plan to boost the 18 unit count to 20 by year-end, BMU #19 is in work and nearing completion.
On the gaming front, I actually got in a game with a live opponent!  The game was remote but, boy, was it fun.  Matt hosted a Rebels and Patriots AWI battle via Zoom, (see: Battle for Blue House Pike), and it went off without a hitch.  I took command of the colonial force and set off with my force to contest the crossroads.  While my militia had much trouble getting the move on, the regulars were able to take up positions to thwart British attempts to gain the vital crossroads.

Despite having my commander fall dead from his saddle and his attached Continentals panicking and skedaddling, the remaining colonials stood firm and managed to drive the British back from the crossroads.  One of the stalwart British regiments was caught in a crossfire and stood firm, dying to the man.  

The manner in which Matt had the game setup and the iPad positioned, I could see the entire battlefield.  It was as if I was present in the room, sometimes looking over Matt's shoulder as I issued instructions to my troops 4,500 miles away.  Great fun!  Perhaps after a few more games of Rebels and Patriots, I will offer up my impressions?

40 comments:

  1. Another gem, and another milestone, congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great to see you have achieved your milestone Jonathan and also aim to have 20 units by year end. Very impressive I must say. As always another lovely looking unit and I like the subtle shades on this one. Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Steve! My problem seems to be that my goalposts are always in motion. First 12, then 18, now 20; the end is likely not near since I have a number of Hittites remaining in the Lead Pile.

      Delete
  3. Lovely looking unit, 8 chariots will be an impressive force sweeping across the desert. My personal philosophy forbids me from counting how many units I have painted 🙂 looking forward to another game you’ll be glad to know I am painting up some (lots) rebel artillery !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Matt! You don't count what you paint? How do you know what you have?

      Looking forward to more Zoom games and seeing the rebels receive an allotment of artillery.

      Delete
  4. Excellent looking unit, the additional foot figures certainly add to the look of movement.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Another lovely addition Jonathan and just proves the point I have just made about Ancients in my comment on your GWS Data Analysis!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Keith! Yes, it does reinforce the point on popularity of Ancients but I am only a data point on one. I appreciate your insights on the data analysis posts.

      Delete
  6. Another splendid addition, nice and bright, will look good on the table. Good to see the Rebels and Patriot rules working for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Norm!

      In the next game of R&P, I may be a little more competent in my commanding of the troops. Matt kindly offered tactical pointers specific to the rules through our first match.

      Delete
  7. Another fine looking Hittite chariot, Jon. Glad to see you got in a game with a live opponent, even if remotely. I have played many games remotely now with Tim and David in Scotland, playtesting the new rules for Wars of the Roses that they have in development.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Much appreciated, Peter! My Hittites are grown from scratch and not a massive refurbishment project as you are taking on. I am not sure which is more daunting.

      The Zoom experience was really quite good. The experience was much smoother than I anticipated due mainly to Matt's fine hosting.

      Delete
  8. Going to be nice seeing these in action at some point once the madness has gone. I will probably be a dedicated solo gamer by the time we get back to normal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. George, it will be very nice to see these in action one day. I have always enjoyed solo gaming so our current situation has moved me even more in that direction. It will be interesting to see if this form of gaming remains strong after our crisis passes into history.

      Delete
  9. Nice work with the painting - very good - productivity too. Was your remote game a free-measurement game? I have heard of Rebels and Patriots, and I guess it was. That's interesting - I'd sort of given up on anything but grid-based games for remote, so that would be good news.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Tony! R&P is free-measure. With Matt manning the tape measure, the game flowed without issue. R&P could be converted to grid very easier, I reckon.

      Delete
  10. Lovely stuff, and I can't wait to see the line of eight chariots assembled and ready to sweep across the table. Nice to see you got a game in, and that the experience was almost like being there. I imagined it felt a bit strange at first, like internet meetings for work did initially, but like most things you get used to it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are very kind, Lawrence! I ought to clear a place on my very messy gaming table and give the augmented Hittites a parade.

      Having a remote game was really fantastic. Matt did a super job in arranging everything and making sure the technology and game went off without a hitch. Looking forward to another virtual outing in Matt's "Dungeon." Next time, I ought to get a tour of the place!

      Delete
  11. Nice work Jonathan.
    I've still yet to play a remote 'figure' game but do hope to try it out one day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Paul! Remote gaming was much easier than I expected.

      Delete
  12. I really like the basing arrangement on this one Jonathan. Lovely, as ever.
    Regards, James

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, James! We will see what eight of these look like when arrayed out on parade soon.

      Delete
  13. Your Rebels and Patriots game sounds very exciting. I would be glad to do my games similar.

    Very nice unit as always.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please take a look at Matt's battle report from this game at the link embedded in this post. The game was exciting, for sure. Participating in your games via Zoom would be fantastic! Glad you like my latest Hittites.

      Delete
  14. Eight chariots is an impressive number Jonathan, and all painted up excellently too!

    Glad you managed to face off albeit remotely with an opponent - not a straightforward task these days!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Mike! Gaming remotely was not that far removed from a F2F game. It was good fun.

      Delete
  15. Excellent figures Jonathan and great work on 18 bases in 10 months - looking forward to seeing you complete a few more by year end.

    Cheers, Ross

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Ross! Hittite base #19 coming off the painting desk next.

      Delete
  16. Great job on the Hittites army. It’s gonna be a massive force at the end. You’ve gotten very good at chariots.

    I’m glad that you had a good time with Matt and the distance game. I saw his post and it looked great and a lot of fun. What time did you end up actually playing? 😀

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Stew! Hittite unit #19 is mustering out soon. After that, a small parade to see where I stand and what I have done.

      Yeah, the game with Matt worked flawlessly. Matt is a good host. Game time for me was noon which 7pm for him. Now with our time change, Matt and I will be eight hours apart. The game lasted about 2-1/2 hours, I think.

      Delete
  17. Lovely looking chariot and screen, the basing is ace too! I've checked out Matt's post,looked like fun!
    Best Iain

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Iain! Matt’s AWI skirmish game was very enjoyable.

      Delete
  18. Another lovely looking unit Jonathan...

    I Like the scale of Rebels and Patriots and the other Lion Rampant off shoots... the games are not identical but share the same ‘engine’...
    So playing one game will prime you nicely for the others...
    I can see myself indulging in more of these games as time goes by...
    I look forward to seeing your next adventure...

    All the best. Aly

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Aly!

      Having several rules with a common core makes a lot of sense when you get to be our age. I look forward to my next adventure in R&P too.

      I saw that you made a guest appearance at the Down Under wargaming holiday with Mark, Keith, and the crew. This would be a great tradition in which to participate even if only virtually.

      Delete