The Legendary Black Beast of Arrrghhh (Rabbit of Caerbannog!)

 I've been re-basing a lot of figures over the last few months. For some reason I thought I'd rebase a few animals. Amongst those animals was a few rabbits... 

"Death awaits you all – with nasty, big, pointy teeth!"

The Legendary Black Beast of Arrrghhh who dwells in the Cave of Caerbannog!

"e's got a vicious streak a mile wide!"

I have a few such rabbits and I had one that, at one point, I thought I'd use in Hordes of the Things. It was going to be this wee tiny rabbit in the middle of a 60mmx60mm base surrounded by bits of bodies and bones and pools of blood.... Not sure if I was going to classify it as a Behemoth or a Hero...? Regardless, I've given up on Hordes of the Things, so... Here it is on a wee base. 

If it wasn't clear, there are a few skulls sitting behind it. I'd thought of coving them in blood as well... but then I'd have probably felt like I'd need to model on some scraps of flesh and hair that hadn't entirely been scraped away... and with dry, old, skulls, it kind of establishes that this rabbit has been here a while doing its evil work... 

I'm not sure what to call this in Dragon Rampant. Probably a Greater Warbeast - Single Model Unit of some sort... 

What would YOU classify it as in the games YOU play!? 

40K - STILL More Tallarn

As promised, the Missile Teams

Three Missile Teams - which COULD be a Heavy Weapon Squad... but there are for regular Infantry Squads. 

With these, and all the other stuff I've been working on the last week and a half, I've finished up NINE Infantry Squads, four Platoon Command Squads, three Heavy Weapon Squads, two Commissars, two Psykers, and a Ministorum Preacher... JUST ABOUT enough for an entirely non-mechanized Brigade Detachment... At this point I thought I would post pictures of ALL the finished Infantry Squads and their Platoon Commanders... but since I am SO CLOSE to finishing up the Brigade Detachment just need to paint four Roughriders and finish up the rifle buckets I've added to the others, I thought I'd wait until those were done and post the ENTIRE Brigade Detachment then! 

40K - MORE Assorted Tallarn

 As promised, here are the assorted Tallarn Missile Teams, Special Weapons gunner and an officer that I needed to finish up a few units

The latest batch. I've also finished three more Missile Launcher teams, but I need to finish up their bases, so I'll be posting them later (individual miniatres I do the basing gravel when I attatch them to the base and thus when they're done painting... theyre DONE and just need any grass or shrubs I want to add - teams, on the other hand - are temporarily attached to separate bases for painting and once the painting is done I attach them to their permanent bases and THEN to the base gravelling and painting...)  

Tallarn officer for a Platoon Command Squad

A pair of Psykers from the Adeptus Astra Telepathica - the miniatures are old Wyrdvane Psykers, which aren't a thing any more, so I thought I might use one as a Primaris Psyker and the other could be an Astropath...? Initially I thought I'd make the one with the shades the Astropath (as they have their eyes burned out in the process of becoming an Astropath)... but then decided, having eyes burned out, they'd have no particular need of shades out in the desert... and also the one with shades looks like he's actively blasting someone (more of a Primaris Psyker thing) and the other is holding his head trying to focus and concentrate on... something... which seems, to me, like something an Astropath would be doing. 

An assortment of Special Weapon Gunners (four Plasma, two Grenade Launcher). The ones in black head-coverings are destined for Platoon Command Squads and the others to regular Infantry Squads. 

Up next are the Missile Teams and possibly a unit of five Roughriders - which will finish up the last things I need for a completely non-mechanized Brigade Detachment! 

(Before I get to that, there might be an update to the Back of Beyond Campaign!) 

40K - Tallarn Mortar Teams

 Not technically part of the March 2023 Thirty Miniatures in Thirty Days Challenge - because I'd started them BEFORE the beginning of March... but done nonetheless! 

Three more Tallarn Mortar Teams forming a Heavy Weapon Squad. 

I think I started these YEARS ago - around the time I painted the first two - but didn't NEED them at the time and needed to get other things finished for the first Battleforce Recon Tournament I went to (which also happened to be the first 40K tournament I ever went to as well!?)... and that was FIVE YEARS AGO!? (Thank you Covid Time Warp for that jarring shake to my brain!?)

All Three Tallarn Mortar-Armed Heavy Weapon Squads. 

I do like mortar teams. They're very handy in that they can fire over the HORDES of infantry that take up so much space on the table and often get in each others way. can be parked behind terrain and remain relatively safe the whole game while just continuing to hammer the enemy all throughout the game. Also, if strategically located, they do a pretty good job of making it very good job of blocking deep striking units from dropping in behind your lines.

I have piles and PILES of other heavy weapon teams as well... I think I have enough for nearly three heavy weapon SQUADS armed with Heavy Bolters, Autocanons, and Lascannons. Like, each. THREE Squads of Heavy Bolters (9 teams), etc.. It's a bit ridiculous - especially considering, I think, for tournaments you can only have a maximum of three of any one type of unit (other than troops)...? So I could only ever have three Heavy Weapons Squads... Which I already have here, now... I suppose I'll eventually paint them all up - just to have them (as "options")...?

I have a few missile teams, special weapons gunners and an officer to finish up next which will finish off a few more Infantry Squads and Platoon Command Squads. 

40K - Tallarn Infantry

 Since picking up the new Astra Militarum codex last month, I've been doing a lot of rebasing and reorganizing and planning and trying to figure out how best I could potentially make use of the RIDICULOUS numbers Imperial Guard miniatures I have. This is all mental masturbations because, realistically, when am I EVER going to actually PLAY Warhammer 40k again!? 

Someday... 

Maybe.... 

So, best to BE PREPARED, right!? 

In the midst of all that, a fellow on the Saskatchewan Miniatures! Facebook Group invited members to join in a 30 Miniatures in 30 Days Challenge in March (which I thought was odd, considering March has 31 days... nevertheless...). As there were LOTS of Tallarn I was wanting to paint to finish up a few units, I thought I'd jump in on that - to help motivate me to finish up some of these Tallarn. 

Of course, the smarter thing would have been to paint up Guaiacan Commandoes, as there are fewer of those needed to be painted to COMPLETELY FINISH THAT ENTIRE FORCE, but no one ever accused me of doing things the smart way and I see no reason to start that now... 

Here is the first batch of miniatures painted for that competition. 

Nine Tallarn Infantry. 

These individuals were meant to finish for three different squads... and I was planning to include pictures of all three full squads... but then realized I also needed three Heavy Weapon Teams and one trooper with a special weapon for those squads... 

Ah, well...  

So those will be the next things I'm finishing up (along with an officer and some troopers for Platoon Command Squads) as that will finish up, not only the three Infantry Squads, but also an ENTIRE COMPANY! 

The company will consist of three platoons of three Infantry Squads and a Platoon Command Squad. I'm also very nearly finished three Mortar Teams, which will also mean I've finished up a third Heavy Weapons Squad - all armed with Mortars. 

Stay tuned for a few more of these shortly!

(Maybe I'll get to those Guaiacans in April...) 

Back of Beyond Campaign - Summer 1919

War weary from a year and a half of hard campaigning, most armies held their positions, in the summer of 1919, and prepared defences for an attack that never materialized. 

Most armies.... 

The vigorous Kombrig Mahat Mikhan of the Ist Guard Regiment, Ipatiev House, wasn't about to sit around sulking after their defeat at the hands of the heavily armed Chinese. Almost immediately upon returning to Kubassa, he began planning an expedition to relieve Kroptkand that has been besieged by the White Russians since spring. 

The Relief of Kroptkand

With reports of a Bolshevik relief column marching towards Kroptkand, ArchDuke Yevgeny Lytton prepared defences at the river crossings west of the city-under-siege.

Kombrig Mahat Mikhan is a wily character, though, and found a ford much further to the south and, under cover of darkness, snuck half his force across and advanced upon the city though the cover of the woods. The three weakest battalions marched on the White Russians defences, while the other force attacked from the flank 

I thought I'd wear my "lucky budenovka for this battle". I'm not sure how "lucky" it was for the Bolsheviks as the first three attack rolls I made for them were ONES!? 

The weakened infantry Bolshevik infantry battalions vaporized before the White Russians defences, but it bought the flanking force the time they needed! 

The Bolshevik Heavy battalion and artillery hammered the White Russian 1st Battalion, 437th Infantry Regiment (Heavy). When they had been reduced to point of no longer being combat effective, they turned on the White Russian Guns, but not before the 245th Artillery Regiment exacted it's toll on the advancing Bolshevik's.

The opposing Cavalry regiments fought a brief engagement in the middle of the field of battle. The Bolshevik  drove off the White Cossacks, but then were themselves driven off by the 1st Battalion, 231st Infantry Regiment. 

The remaining White Russian infantry battalions left their entrenchment about the city to face the remains of the Bloshevik force. Unfortunately those battalions that had been left in the trenches around the city were a shell of their former selves. 

As each left the safety of their entrenchments, to avoid being outflanked by the Bolshevik infantry, the artillery pummelled them and drove them off. 

The savaged remains of the Gvardiya Belykh Koroley we obliged to retreat to Bakunin! 

The state of things as Autumn approached. Little has changed since winter... 

ORANGE

• Commander of the Field Army: Lieutenant General Sir Percy Arbuthnot-Worcester-Gruntfuttock-Smythe
• Faction: Western Interventionists
• Army: 14th Allied Eastern Expeditionary Army
• Base of Operations: Canadar 
• Other Cities: Canuckand, Molsensk, Stlojia
• Resource Points: 4
• Field Army:
• 3rd Battalion, Winnipeg Grenadiers (10)
• 5th Battalion, Cape Breton Highlanders  (10)
• 2nd Battalion, Regina Rifles - Heavy Infantry Battalion (10)
• 105th Canadian Fusiliers - Heavy Infantry Battalion (12)
• 8th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles - Cavalry (13)
• 37th Field Artillery (13)

YELLOW

• Commander of the Field Army: Hedwig Markus von Eggenberg, Margrave of Grosswardein
• Faction: Tsarist
• Army: East Asia Cavalry Division 
• Base of Operations: Gura
• Other Cities:  Driutsek 
• Resource Points: 0
• Field Army:
• 1st Battalion, 337th Infantry Regiment (Heavy) (8)
• 2nd Battalion, 337th Infantry Regiment (6)
• 1st Battalion, 369th Infantry Regiment (6)
• 2nd Battalion, 369th Infantry Regiment (5)
• Mongolian Cavalry (10)
• 38th Hussars Cavalry (15)

GREEN

• Commander of the Field Army: Altan Baatar Kahn
• Faction: Warlord Chinese
• Army: The Red Horde
• Base of Operations: Lung-Hu
• Other Cities: Wurumchi, Sui-Pei, Bashkent 
• Field Army:
• Heavy Infantry Battalion (15)
• Heavy Infantry Battalion (15)
• Infantry Battalion (15)
• Infantry Battalion (15)
• Cavalry (15)
• Artillery (15)

LIGHT BLUE

• Commander of the Field Army: Win-Cao Lo-Fat, The Most Illustrious Beacon of Celestial Light and Commander of the Arm of Earthly Might
• Faction: Warlord Chinese
• Army: The Illustrious Arm of the Nine Illuminated Terrestrial Immortals 
• Base of Operations: Wei-Li
• Other Cities: Ching-Ho, Ulaan-Goom, Holopchi
• Resource Points: 2
• Field Army:
• 1st Heavy Infantry Battalion (9)
• 2nd Heavy Infantry Battalion (12) 
• 3rd Infantry Battalion (12)
• 4th Infantry Battalion (15)
• Cavalry Regiment (15)
• Artillery Regiment (15)

DARK BLUE

• Commander of the Field Army: Kombrig Mahat Mikhan
• Faction: Bolshevik
• Army: Ist Guard Regiment, Ipatiev House
• Base of Operations: Kubassa
• Other Cities: Kropotkand, Pyrohy, 
• Resource Points: 0
• Field Army:
• 1st Infantry Battalion (Heavy )(13)
• 2nd Infantry Battalion (6)
• 3rd Infantry Battalion (8)
• 4th Infantry Battalion (3)
• 5th Cavalry Regiment (7)
• 6th Artillery Regiment (13)

PURPLE

• Commander of the Field Army: Archduke Yevgeny Lytton
• Faction: Tsarist
• Army: Gvardiya Belykh Koroley (Guard of the White King’s)
• Base of Operations: Bakunin
• Other Cities: Engelsk
• Resource Points: 0
• Field Army:
• 1st Battalion, 437th Infantry Regiment (Heavy) (10)
• 2nd Battalion, 437th Infantry Regiment (2)
• 1st Battalion, 231st Infantry Regiment (5)
• 2nd Battalion, 231st Infantry Regiment (3)
• 32nd Cossack Cavalry Regiment (11)
• 245th Artillery Regiment(7)
• 
  

RED (of course) 

• Commander of the Field Army: Commissar-General Lev (Leon) Davidovitch Runstein
• Faction: Bolshevik
• Army: Первый Бабушка Армейский корпус (Ist Babushka Army Corps)
• Base of Operations: Baboushka
• Other Cities: Borschka, Vlodkask
• Resource Points: 0
• Field Army:
• 1st Transuralian Peoples Infantry Battalion (Heavy)  (10)
• 2nd Transuralian Peoples Battalion (12)
• 3rd Transuralian Peoples Battalion (13)
• 4th Transuralian Peoples Battalion (14)
• 1st Babushka Cavalry Regiment (9)
• 1st Borschka Artillery Regiment (12)

Back of Beyond Campaign - Spring 1919

Late as they are, here are the results of the Spring 1919 campaigning... 

The Battle of Holopchi

the Bolshevik Ist Guard Regiment, Ipatiev House marched on Holopchi, hoping to take it back, but The Illustrious Arm of the Nine Illuminated Terrestrial Immortals anticipated this move and also marched to Holopchi to defend their newly gained city! 

Two heavy battalions of Chinese infantry had rushed forward and prepared to defend the city with hastily constructed entrenchments. The Bolsheviks started things off with a preliminary bombardment of those trenches. 

Waves of Bosheviks drive forwward to assault the trenches and take the city before the chinese reinforcements arrive. 

The fire from the newly acquired heavy machine-guns was utterly devastating. 

The Chinese battalions in the defensive works were winkled out, but they had sold themselves dearly and the Bolsheviks had not the strength to keep fighting as the Chinese reinforcements arrived, and the Bolsheviks were obliged to retire to Kubassa. 

The Battle of Borschka

The 14th Allied Eastern Expeditionary Army again marched on Borshka, but this time found the Ist Babushka Army Corps there ready to defend the city! 

Approaching the city of Borschka, the 8th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles galloped ahead to secure a strategic bridge before the city. 

Bolsehvik Cavalry and infantry approach the bridge from the west. 

The Canadian Mounted Rifles move to engage the Bolsheviks - to buy time for the rest of the column to make it across the bridge. 

the Canadians poured across the bridge, finding themselves surrounded by Bolsheviks approaching from all directions. 

The battle ended up being a confused mess. 

Teh Canadian Mounted Rifles succeeded in driving off the Bolshevik Cavalry, then proceeded to ride down the Bolsehvik artillery. 

The Canadian infantry battalions suffered incredible losses in the bolshevik crossfire. 

Two battalions of Canadians ended up trying to hold their position surrounded by three battalions of Bolshevik infantry. 

Having driven Bolsheviks out of the woods, the remaining Canadians tried to take cover there, but were themselves eventually driven off by the Bolsheviks that had seized the bridge. 

The entire Canadian column marched back to Canuckand. 

ANOTHER Siege of Kroptkand

While the Bolshevik Ist Guard Regiment, Ipatiev House, was busy elsewhere, the Guard of the White King marched to retake the city of Kroptkand. Upon their arrival, they were surprised to not be welcomed with open arms (and doors) as liberators. It turns out the  people of the city were not so willing to go back to the old way of things... 

The state of things at the end of Spring 1919. 

ORANGE

• Commander of the Field Army: Lieutenant General Sir Percy Arbuthnot-Worcester-Gruntfuttock-Smythe
• Faction: Western Interventionists
• Army: 14th Allied Eastern Expeditionary Army
• Base of Operations: Canadar 
• Other Cities: Canuckand, Molsensk, Stlojia
• Resource Points: 4
• Field Army:
• 3rd Battalion, Winnipeg Grenadiers (10)
• 5th Battalion, Cape Breton Highlanders  (10)
• 2nd Battalion, Regina Rifles - Heavy Infantry Battalion (10)
• 105th Canadian Fusiliers - Heavy Infantry Battalion (12)
• 8th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles - Cavalry (13)
• 37th Field Artillery (13)

YELLOW

• Commander of the Field Army: Hedwig Markus von Eggenberg, Margrave of Grosswardein
• Faction: Tsarist
• Army: East Asia Cavalry Division 
• Base of Operations: Gura
• Other Cities:  Driutsek 
• Resource Points: 0
• Field Army:
• 1st Battalion, 337th Infantry Regiment (Heavy) (8)
• 2nd Battalion, 337th Infantry Regiment (6)
• 1st Battalion, 369th Infantry Regiment (6)
• 2nd Battalion, 369th Infantry Regiment (5)
• Mongolian Cavalry (10)
• 38th Hussars Cavalry (15)

GREEN

• Commander of the Field Army: Altan Baatar Kahn
• Faction: Warlord Chinese
• Army: The Red Horde
• Base of Operations: Lung-Hu
• Other Cities: Wurumchi, Sui-Pei, Bashkent 
• Field Army:
• Heavy Infantry Battalion (15)
• Heavy Infantry Battalion (15)
• Infantry Battalion (15)
• Infantry Battalion (15)
• Cavalry (15)
• Artillery (15)

LIGHT BLUE

• Commander of the Field Army: Win-Cao Lo-Fat, The Most Illustrious Beacon of Celestial Light and Commander of the Arm of Earthly Might
• Faction: Warlord Chinese
• Army: The Illustrious Arm of the Nine Illuminated Terrestrial Immortals 
• Base of Operations: Wei-Li
• Other Cities: Ching-Ho, Ulaan-Goom, Holopchi
• Resource Points: 2
• Field Army:
• 1st Heavy Infantry Battalion (9)
• 2nd Heavy Infantry Battalion (12) 
• 3rd Infantry Battalion (12)
• 4th Infantry Battalion (15)
• Cavalry Regiment (15)
• Artillery Regiment (15)

DARK BLUE

• Commander of the Field Army: Kombrig Mahat Mikhan
• Faction: Bolshevik
• Army: Ist Guard Regiment, Ipatiev House
• Base of Operations: Kubassa
• Other Cities: Kropotkand, Pyrohy, 
• Resource Points: 0
• Field Army:
• 1st Infantry Battalion (Heavy )(14)
• 2nd Infantry Battalion (7)
• 3rd Infantry Battalion (10)
• 4th Infantry Battalion (4)
• 5th Cavalry Regiment (9)
• 6th Artillery Regiment (14)

PURPLE

• Commander of the Field Army: Baron Yevgeny Lytton
• Faction: Tsarist
• Army: Gvardiya Belykh Koroley (Guard of the White King’s)
• Base of Operations: Bakunin
• Other Cities: Engelsk
• Resource Points: 0
• Field Army:
• 1st Battalion, 437th Infantry Regiment (Heavy) (11)
• 2nd Battalion, 437th Infantry Regiment (4)
• 1st Battalion, 231st Infantry Regiment (9)
• 2nd Battalion, 231st Infantry Regiment (4)
• 32nd Cossack Cavalry Regiment (13)
• 245th Artillery Regiment(14)

RED (of course) 

• Commander of the Field Army: Commissar-General Lev (Leon) Davidovitch Runstein
• Faction: Bolshevik
• Army: Первый Бабушка Армейский корпус (Ist Babushka Army Corps)
• Base of Operations: Baboushka
• Other Cities: Borschka, Vlodkask
• Resource Points: 0
• Field Army:
• 1st Transuralian Peoples Infantry Battalion (Heavy)  (10)
• 2nd Transuralian Peoples Battalion (12)
• 3rd Transuralian Peoples Battalion (13)
• 4th Transuralian Peoples Battalion (14)
• 1st Babushka Cavalry Regiment (9)
• 1st Borschka Artillery Regiment (12)