Played Dbmm at Munster Open in Cork ROI over weekend using Teutonic Orders (theme was armies after 1071AD). Another really excellent trip enjoying the hospitality of Richard Aynsley and his family and talking endless crap with fellow crap talking wargamers. Played four excellent games recording a narrow win and three losses but picking up a prize for being first to sack an enemy camp (nice book on Terracotta army) and booby prize for coming last (I think I could have claimed prize for killing enemy CiC as well, but that would have been tad greedy !) . Travelled down with my chauffeur Stephen Brittain and Dave Houston. Turned out to be a lucrative cross-border incursion for this bit of Ulster contingent as beside my 'haul' Stephen received prize for overall second place (and picked up trophy for winning last years League) and Dave managed to win raffle prize of some painted Early Crusaders.
Much more importantly I managed to defeat the Aynsley brood on their Xbox for second year running this time around outscoring them all at Lips (if you don't know don't ask !!).
Great fun all round and I enjoyed using the Teutons, roll on next year.
Several pics on iPhone so bit fuzzy (maybe just as well)
My Teutonic struggles
Mick Hession's Sung Chinese in first game lots of shooty things (my favs) ArtO/I, war-wagons and BwX. Trebuchet type Artllery very nicely hand made by Mick (?) from match-sticks, he assured me no chain smoking monkeys were involved.
Teutonic formation dance team waltzing to right.
Turkpoles (RLhO) on hill done sterling service mauling a column of BwX, killing enemy CiC, killing 2 Arty peices and sacking enemy camp whilst Crusading knights (RKnO) managed to be swept away in a desperate Chinese (CvS) counter charge (I lost 4 KnO in one ghastly turn in a straight up toe to toe fight !)
Smaller dance formation (RCvI) head left.
I had Holsteiners (RKnO) allies outflanking on this edge but they announced arrival on first turn and Mick easily counter them.
What casualties in a narrow win (15:10) look like (mine on left)
Teutonic civil war (against Mark Gibson). Mine set-up ready for waltzing again
Marks Holsteiners arrive on my left thankfully I had enough Pips to turn to face but it ruined my attempt to flank his right with waltz by Crusading knights.
Post waltz on right with rival Hochmeister commands about to clash.
In this game my Holsteiner allies were shot to bits by enemy crossbowmen as Pips failed them and three 1:5 throws in row (last 2 at bottom caught trying to escape) !! My ubiquitous Turkopoles up to mischief at enemy camp again.
Family feuding continues
Slightly surreal opening phases of third game against Thomas 'Big Swede' Arnfelt and his Italian (Venetian) Condotta army as both armies initially wheeled fully 90 degrees and we ended up fighting along the narrower width. As both armies were tiny this was ok.
Thomas's ArtS visible behind fortifications as his Lh move against mine and knight form in new centre
Teutonic waltz through right angle as well !
Have seen this happen in FOG games a lot but never in Dbmm :-)
Holsteiners sent on flank march but sods failed to turn up !!
I suspect Venetian underhandedness at work.
Last game versus last years champion Nik 'I only brought this because I bought it but have never used it before' Gaukroger using Khmer (aaaarrrgghhh) an absolute horror for my lot to face with masses of anti-knight Elephants and AxS.
Holsteiners face off oncoming nellies, amazingly they managed to skirmish (I jest you not) for several turns before running out of room and charging to their doom.
Last waltz in progress but damn rough going meant it had several steps and turns too many and decent Pips from Nik allowed him to waltz more nellies to counter and defeat another desperate but glorious Teutonic charge to doom (and yet the glory of booby prize).
Don't let the fives and sixes on my dice fool you they were just set there not rolled, I had reasonable dice rolls until combat ensued then it was my version of the 'One Show' (Nik shook my hand in sympathy at one point after two remaining Pip dice -other two commands shattered- rolled snake eyes !)
Miscellaneous pictures
(note very nice boards provided by Munster club with raised lip on edges a very baggage friendly feature)
William 'the gimmick king' Coughlan (Ghurid) vs my chauffeur (100 Year War English)
Steve Bainbridge (Hochmeister mark III) vs Tony Fitzgerald (West Sudanese-a monster army)
Jan Van Embden (good Irish name) using Early Burgundian vs Mark Gibson (Hochmeister mark II)
Greg 'leave you with undesirables' Mann (another Khmer) vs Tony Bergin (?) (Medv Portugese ?)
Tom Worden (100 Years War English sods) about to be sick after some lurid suggestion from Richard 'sneak out for a smoke' Aynsley (Medv German).
Toms human dice throwing machine (young Tommy) on his right, wonder how much blame he took ? :-)
Tim Madeley (Feudal French) threatening his troops vs Tony
Hochmeister III using medieval sleight of hand blurring technique to bemuse/disconcert Mike Whelan (Anglo-Irish)
Jim 'travel to every competition' Gibson (French Ordonnance) vs 'The Gimmick King'
working out factors in difficult going (0 vs -2)
The final as such with Mike Bennett (Later Hungarian) vs my chauffeur.
This was very cagey game with total 5 ME lost between them after timed-out 13:12 game, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Mike won competition to be fair after this result and chauffeur was second (he tells me strong 'winds' hampered him in this game but am not fully sure what he meant !?)
Note table beyond which hosted my last game which is already cleared and ready to dismantle (such lightening quick finish 'forced' me into buying Rules Of Engagement WWII skirmish rules at trade stand in 'oh shiny' moment)
Government Health Warning:
following image my induce mild to severe nausea do not say who have not been warned !
These are participating blokes in group orgy photo taken prior to blood letting and punch ups.
I will leave readers to have fun game trying to match names to grim visages, note one has been semi-censored due to being on Interpol most wanted list something to do with time spent in Switzerland apparently ?
Personally I note that the four handsome chisel chinned chaps against whom I played have broadest grins did they know draw beforehand ?? I detect a fix !!
And no I don't know what Mr Gibson is preparing to do either !? :-)
Richard Aynsley Medieval German
Tom Worden 100 YW English
Tony Bergin Medieval Spanish or Portuguese
Tim Madeley Feudal French
William Coughlan Ghurid
Nik Gaukroger Khmer and Cham
Mike Bennett Later Hungarian
David Houston Anglo-Irish
Anthony Fitzgerald Western Sudanese
Mick Hession Sung Chinese
Steve Mills Catalan Company
Jan Van Embden Early Burgundian
Michael Whelan Anglo-Irish
Jim Gibson French Ordonnance
Thomas Arnfelt Italian Condotta
Stephen Brittain 100 YW English
Gary Barr Teutonic Orders
Mark Gibson Teutonic Orders
Greg Mann Khmer and Cham
Stephen Bainbridge Teutonic Orders
Great stuff and looking forward to next year already.
Edit 5th Feb 2011 with more pics from Cork Wargaming site
All the competitors as several invisible in other group orgy shot
Me aiming pistol undertable at Hochmeister Marks nether regions in case of cheating
Chauffeur in danger from double duelling pistols wielded in similar fashion by Mr Mann, note 'The Spirit' arriving at show.
My nose and army before being bloodied by Niks Khmer (note Brudder Waltz team dancing to my right again)
Crusader Waltz team start their copy cat dance to nowhere
One stunningly handsome devil receiving booby prize from another (Padraig the umpire) note the bottle of booze on left was actual booby prize but since I am tee-total this was given to more appreciated recipient (Ghurid Coughlan to help with his cough)
