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I recently ordered this vehicle from an outfit called RealityAtWork.  Even without instructions it assembled easily.  There were some really nice features about how this kit, all 3D printed, assembled with printed clips.  I like the way I was able to assemble it so that the roofs came off easily for play.

The trailer was optional.  The door/hatch came already assembled and hinged.  The ladder is supposed to go up and down, but it is a very tight fit, and after painting, it probably won’t move any more.

The figures in these pictures are 28mm figures.

This vehicle will be the centerpiece of a science fiction skirmish scenario using the under-development Star Patrol(TM) version of Combat Patrol(R).

And this is something unrelated, but I picked it up last weekend at Hurricon in Orlando.  Yes, we are holding gaming conventions here.

Last weekend the folks in Florida hosted Hurricon, their first convention since the COVID panic overtook the nation.  It is held in Orlando (actually Kissimmee), Florida.  The venue was well lit, spacious, and clean.  There were plentiful food options on premises and nearby.  My friend, JJ, flew down from Charlotte to join me for the weekend.  I took of Friday for some gaming.  We played a Command and Colors Maori Wars game, a demo of Oak and Iron, a sailing ship game, a pirate free-for-all, and a fun little skirmish using a “stripped down” version of the d20 Star Wars roleplaying game.

On Saturday, I ran two Wars of Ozz games.  The rules were released after I moved to Florida.  Conventions all over the country were cancelled.  This was my first time running the rules in public since Fall In 2019, when they were in pre-release form.  Bottom line:  both games went well, the players like the rules, and everyone liked the figure, despite my paint job.

I ran the same scenario twice.  A force of Gillikins, Nomes, and Winkies attacked a force of Harvesters, Quadlings, and Munchkins to seize a Munchkin village.  Each attacking brigade was composed of 25 points.  Each defending brigade was composed of 20 points.

In the first instance of the game, the “defending” Munchkins were very aggressive, advancing from the town, only to be mauled by the Nomes.  The game was an easy-to-call attacker victory.

One player had to leave early.  Other young guy came over to see the game.  He was very interested in the rules and the figures.  While he was standing there, a now-commanderless brigade needed to make some Reaction Tests.  I got him to make those rolls, then a few more rolls, then move some troops.  He ended up staying for the rest of the game, and he had a great time.  He and the Winkie commander had a swirling melee involving infantry and cavalry.  He even came by during the second game to see how his troops were doing.

The second game was a much more near-run affair.  The Munchkins did a better job of trying to hold the village.  The Nomes got into the village briefly, but the Munchkins counter attacked.  In the “good guys'” center, the Quadlings advanced toward the Gillikins instead of making the Gillikins come to them, but they didn’t really commit to an attack, so the Quadlings took a beating.  On the “good guys'” left, the forces from the Land of Harvest really got spanked by the Winkies.  The Harvesters didn’t really make any mistakes, but they just didn’t seem to be able to get anything going.  By the end, they were nearly wiped out, but they held on long enough so that the Winkies really never put any pressure on the village.

I think everyone who played in the games liked the rules.  There were several people who had heard about the rules and figures.  There were at least two people there who had bought into the first Kickstarter, and one guy was actively painting his figures.  There was also a request for me to come to the local hobby store to run a demonstration game.

I have been working on this unit a little at a time over the past week, and I finished them this morning.  These are my third (and final) unit of pig-faced orcs from Dragonbait Miniatures.  I REALLY like these figures.

I hope to have these on the table for a rules play test in a week or so.  That game will likely involve my pig-faced orcs, supplemented by some Prince August home-cast orcs from 1984 (painted by my friend Ma’k), and a unit of Old Glory Dwarf Wars orcs.  They will be fighting some portion of my hobbit army.

Being a “cowboy” has become a disparaging term in our upside down society where common sense got on a boat years ago and sailed for terra incognita.  Still as a kid, I remember that my heroes were cowboys.  Men like John Wayne, Jimmy Steward, Randolph Scott, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and Hopalong Cassiday were the folks on the silver screen to whom I looked for inspiration.  For those who think being a cowboy is a bad thing, this is what Gene Autry said about being a cowboy.  I’m sure that these ideas will seem trite to many and offensive to others, but this is my blog.    🙂

I wish those domestic enemies of the Constitution in D.C. — on both sides of the aisle — would abide by these simple ideals.

Why can’t those guys in Washington figure it out?!

Merry Christmas to everyone!  It has been a busy year for us, with lots of surprises, some good, and some not so good.  On balance, it’s been a very good year.  I hope the same is true for you and yours.