It’s Game Time….

Instant Zulu War in a box! 12 scenarios, including all the usual suspects.

The back of the box

The simple and effective counters

British units - including a Gatling and a rocket battery

Zulus! Thirty of em!

The Lulu versions of a selection of ‘Dominion’ titles - I have a feeling that others will follow….

Finally, the bout of decorating and renovation that has impacted the whole house for a month, has ended!

It has been an exhausting undertaking and so the benefits of rest and recuperation accrued whilst on holiday have long since disappeared. Just as well we have already booked for next year!

Along with the domestic disruption I have been feeling rather flat and lacking in any form of focussed motivation. For sure I have meandered around a few gaming ideas but not with any real conviction. However, a few things have ‘stuck’ and as luck would have it are relatively achievable in the short to mid term.

This week saw the arrival of some bits and pieces that are sure to drag me out of my rampant lethargy! 

Horns of the Buffalo is a simple tactical boardgame that covers a dozen of the main actions from the war of 1879. The rule book is a welcome eight pages - including the cover - and uses the following sequence of play.

Deploy Reinforcements

First Player movement

Second Player defensive combat

First Player offensive combat

Second Player movement

First Player defensive combat

Second Player offensive combat

Victory Determination

Combat uses a D10 and players are required to roll equal to or under their chosen combat factor (after any situational modifiers) to score a hit. Most units are destroyed on their second hit.

The game comes with six double sided maps, each depicting the battlefield for the individual scenarios. These are roughly 13 by 10 hexes. 

With the Mike’s Models 15mm collection roughly half complete (aside from rebasing and touching up of paintwork) the counters make for a good alternative until the figures are ready to replace them. Of course i will need to watch Zulu again for research purposes….

The four ‘Dominion’ titles are most welcome and I shall have some fun with these in conjunction with my block armies. I am sure that others in the series will follow but this will suffice for the time being.

I do feel that I have ‘come out the other side’ to a degree and so some fast and furious 3 x 3/Dominion games whilst help to reignite the creative fires.

The recent Russo Japanese naval game also certainly helped to break the dark cloud down into smaller bite sized chunks - and has proven to be a catalyst of sorts but more of which later.