OAAH Salty Seamen stand stout, assailed by Sea Devils and Crabs.

New Of Armies And Hordes player?  Considering the rules?  We took out time.  You can tell what's going to be a quick game.  There's a plethora of pictures to explain.

With the waxing of the year 'tis the time when my mind turns to the thought of young ladies in tight corsets and the opportunity to yell "Aaaaaaarse" in public whilst brandishing a sword without fear of arrest, court case and some sort of register.

I try hard not to be an anorak.  Would be easy, but I've a mercurial mind coupled with empty pockets.  Projects often take a year to mature.  Sometimes 2.  You'll often notice small improvements.  A few new figures, or scenic bits.  So I'm putting a slight break on Mars (which was supposed to be last year!)

I know there's more Sengoku goodies coming in June.  I've already pontificated about the BIG OAAH campaign I want to do.

Crom's Anvil has some new terror bird types that will hopefully be perfect for Mars.  They look bigger and meaner than the Rebel one's I used with artillery.  Plus nests!

I've done a small Martian Empires order that will benefit 3 different forces.

Rebel miniatures 20% off I couldn't resist.  That gives me the figures for 2 new sides.  All I'm going to say is probably/definitely Rogue Stars and the hint Time Wars.

The Plot.  We've done this afore, at least once a year.  But I make no apology.  Going as far to spit in yer eye.  No real plot, just a clash of interests.

I took a gamble making most of the pirates Quality 5's (so they need a 5 or 6 to act or react) but they're quite tasty once they do-.

I mourn the passing of this 10mm range from Pendraken.

Sea Devils (See! There Devils!) 2,228

General 94, 3 3 6 Hero 2extra lives.

Hero Reroll 1 activation OR morale per turn, not reaction.

Shooters 16 @ 48, 4 1 6 Shoot2, slow, Flaming projectiles, Amphibious.

Flaming- roll extra D against fortifications.

Tridents12 @ 40, 4 3 6 Amphibious

Netflickers 12 @ 40 4 2 6, Shoot0, Amphibious

Artillery 40, 4 1 4 Artillery2, Amphibious

Crabs 3 @ 122, 3 3 8, Monster level 2, Fear, Fast, Amphibious

Fear to attack pass morale on 1D.

Must have 'ad better firm hold hairspray back then.  Over 10 years and not a mark.  Based with sand/PVA/paint mix, as are some of the pirates.

Pirates 2,246

General 162, 3 2 4, General, Tough, 4extra lives.

Long Guns (or Seamen Shooters if you prefer) 20 @ 26, 5 2 4 Shoot2

Able Seamen 44 @ 31, 5 3 4, Shoot1, Ambushers, Devastating charge,

Ambushers 1 action to set up, +1 A&D.

Devastating charge reroll 2’s.

Older Seamen 4 @ 50, 4 2 4, Tough, Grenades.

Grenade. Shooting (so half no.) 1 per game, 4+ ignore resilience & tough)

Mixture of Old Glory pirates & AWI French,  civilians.  Rebel Pirates.  I did a base upgrade on some a while back.  Others wait in queue.  When I got the Old Glory it coincided with having our first shop sold from underneath us.


 The Game.  Tony took the pirates and was the attacker.  He decided on an "old style"  deployment, just out of shooting range.  This was not going to be a game of movement.

 I put out my left hand shooters as it was obvious Tony wasn't going to dip his toes.  Relying on his poor morale (flippers crossed!)  My Netflickers do well against shooters.

The shooters have lost more, so go back.

I toyed with the idea of using the crabs fear to create a barrier to Tony's advance.

Drat, Tony gets his Seamen into my fish.  He started with 16.  I got 3 (at the back)  with shooting and another 3 in combat.  I needed 4,5,6.  He needed 3,4,5,6 (as he didn't shoot)  he could also reroll 2's as he's got devastating charge.  12 out of 13 hits!  The 3 losses to shooting don't fight.  The shooters occupy the disputed square.

I have a line.  One crab goes after the part unit of shooters.  It kills 1 but survives.  The unit had not got rid of the disorder (from being pushed back due to losses).  The extra disorder removes another figure.

Turnover, it takes the first reaction.  Now it goes into the flank of  the Seamen  (Could be worse, crabs in a seamans rear-) They need a 6 to kill it.  I kill 2 (monster size 2, rolls 2xD6  attack 3 vs armour 4, anything over a 1-(1 always fails, 6 always kills)  They tenderize it-.

Second and third attack - both killed by shooting alone.  Bad move.

 A neat-ish line.

Two bases but 1 unit.  I charge with shooters, they reply.  I kill 3 them 1, but do really bad in the melee.

There's 2 units in this square.  a full unit of 8 Shooters & 7 Seamen.  I charge with 12 Tridents, assigning 8 & 4 respectively.  I end up with 4 left.  The Seamen lose 2 and the Shooters 3.  That's the advantage of shooting.

 Now I take a big gamble.  Tony has 3 part-units and I advance my shooters.  I tried to advance my cannon, bit they weren't 'aving it.

I get the drop and spank his Seamen.

Another turnover, I line up.  3 fails.  That's a turnover AND a reaction. I get it and plow into his shooters.

Reduced to 1, the shooters are gone.

That was the reaction, not it's my activation and I slide and shoot into the Seaman's rear.

We both lose 2 to shooting.

My 3 need 4,5,6 to kill and do rather badly-  Tony's Seamen need a 5 or 6.  They do better.  As I lost more, I go back.  If it had been equal, as the attacker I'd have pushed him into the briny deep.

That was a good end!  Tony had his older Seamen who protected the General.  Plus this one unit of Seamen who refused all rolls to move forward.

Game 2.  You guessed it.  I got defend again, so added some more scenery.  In the last game a more open terrain suited me.  I adopted a more restrained defence in depth set-up than Tony had adopted,  The marker represents a unit hidden in ambush.

Crabs are fast, come running in.

He's going for my General!  First one goes down to shooting.

Massed shooters - I'd used them in 2 units.  These prepare to crash into my flank, but just stay there-..

The biscuits are off-table so represent no threat.

On the other hand-.

Another crab, more shooting!

Final crab attack.  It dies, but my Seamen go back!

An attack on Tony's General, who gets wounded but gets away.

Not having that, his shooters pile into my Shooters.

They plow though and threaten my General!

 The cannon attempts to shoot the Tridents in, but misses.  At that range?  They could have rolled it!

The shooters do poorly, remove 1 and then they are swept aside.

Meanstwhile the quiet flank is heating up. The Netflickers lose 2 to shooting but do 4 back.

They win the fight, but that opens them up to the old Seamen and their grenado's

They die a glorious death, killing 2 to losing 3, and remove the netflickers as a serious threat.

More grind!  Seamen slap the fish in a glut of gore to protect the General.

Almost worked, but the 4 remaining are no match for the General!

 General vs artillery!  Having been weakened in the fight, he's captured.

The Victor.  With not a lot left.  Most of mine, including my ambushers, disappear due to morale.

That was fun! See the dark marks?  I did these river sections a bit late and the thick paint wouldn't dry.  So I used a hot gun that pushed the paint off onto the mat.  I need a new one, this one is wearing thin.