Return of the Fat Tanker

 This week we returned to 'What a Tanker!', after a long hiatus. When the rules were published, back in 2018, we played half a dozen games, in 1/48th scale, using Corgi diecasts. The success of these games encouraged us to embark upon a desert campaign in 20mm. This was hugely popular, involving about a dozen players, and running for 2 to 3 months. It was great fun but I think we may have burned out, as we've not played it since. [Not counting a remote game, in 15mm, during lockdown.]

So it was great to return to the Corgi diecasts and get the big toys out, once again. We played the Barkmann Corner Overdrive scenario, from the Lard magazine. This was the scenario Rich used to demo the game at WorLard back in 2018, and I recall thinking it looked great fun at the time. The idea is to pit a bunch of Shermans (I used four, as that's all I have) against a lone Panther. The catch is that the Panther is an Ace, with all the benefits that that brings. I had envisaged playing this several times and taking turns running the Panther but after terrain set up and a couple of practice turns, for new players, we only had time for one game.

We diced for sides with Oberscharführer Ernst Philipmann taking the Panther. For the U.S. the Shermans were commanded by Sergeants Quincy, Billy Bob, Jim Bob and Thunderbolt Pea.

We deployed the Shermans on the table edge and then, to represent the ambush nature of the fight, gave the Panther the choice of where to deploy, after seeing the Allied deployment. The allies deployed to the right of the road with only Sgt. Quincy deploying into the field on the left. In response, Philipmann deployed his Panther behind the wood hoping to pick off Quincy's lone Sherman.

View from the allied lines

Allied advance. Quincy already in trouble taking hits from the Panther - damaged running gear. Jim Bob lags behind - no Drive dice!

After several scary turns under fire, Quincy breaks out into the cover of the lane. Thunderbolt Pea gets in a shot from the corner of the field, whilst Billy Bob makes a dash for it.

A nice attempt at an outflanking move, by Billy Bob, but perhaps a bit foolish!

The action was quite tense at this point - so much so that I forgot to take photos. So the heroic actions of Sgt. Quincy went sadly unrecorded. With the German's attention focussed on the U.S. right, Sgt. Quincy took a left at the crossroads in an attempt to get on the Panther's flank. Unfortunately, this left Quincy side on to the inevitable response and the second Sherman went up in flames.

However, whilst that unequal duel was taking place, Jim Bob's driver had finally woken up and, with a great run of Drive dice, manoeuvred his Sherman into the Panther's flank. Short range, in the open, with an extra aim dice - he only needed 5 to hit.

Did I say he needed five? Oh dear!

To make matters worse, it was Philipmann up next. Spinning on his tracks he fired back at the Sherman - only a six needed.

Oh dear, the gunner was obviously flustered

Unfortunately, for Jim Bob, the Germans still had the requisite dice for a second shot - and this time didn't miss. Three Shermans down and one to go.

With only one tank left, the U.S. were forced into desperate action and Thunderbolt Pea threw his tank forward in an attempt to outflank the Panther. Speed was required here and Pea attempted to gain as much distance as possible by pouring in as many Drive dice as possible. With my legendary dice luck it turns out this wasn't very far. With his lightning attack scuppered, Thunderbolt was forced to seek shelter behind Quincy's burning tank.

By now Philipmann had turned his Panther around and a duel lasting several turns commenced. Somewhat improbably, Thunderbolt kept driving the Panther back to the table edge. At one point, he even managed a damage point on the Panther but it turned out that the Panther had extra sandbags and it was cancelled. Inevitably, outgunned and under-armoured, Thunderbolt's luck couldn't last and Philipmann took his 4th kill.

Burning Shermans

A great game and one that is easy to set up with little preparation needed. I think we will play this one again at some point. It will be fun to take turns at playing the Germans. But will four Shermans be enough?

The Gangs of Table E

 OK, I admit that I may have gotten a bit carried away. 'Let's get some cowboys', they said. 'You only need a handful' they said. Yeah right!

This was meant to be last year's Christmas game and, although we did play it on Zoom, it's not quite the same as playing face to face. Hopefully, this year we will manage the real thing, as it were.

In the meantime, I have been steadily  building my forces for my solo campaign. The idea was kick started by a couple of cracking lockdown games, run on WhatsApp, hosted by our Cyprus contingent, and set in the town of Purgatory. Whilst I didn't want to pinch the characters from Purgatory, I came up with the idea of using the players as the gang leaders for my own campaign. So here they are, the various 'gangs' of the Paradise County Wars.

First off we have the forces of Law and Order, represented by the Pinkertons. It's a bit of an in-joke that my characters are always short-sighted, so when I discovered one of the figures was wearing spectacles, I decided that was the one for me.  Hence, the Pinkertons are lead by Blind Pea, ably assisted by Edmund Reid and Fred Aberline (obviously a second career after policing Ripper Street in London).

Blind Pea, Edmund Reid and Fred Aberline (all Artizan figures)

Next we have a bunch of ne're do wells lead by The O'Finnigan. Casting about for suitable Irish themed names I was quite taken by O'Rourke (Sharpe's nemesis) and Rabbi Milligan (from Fargo).

O'Finnigan, Rabbi Milligan and O'Rourke. (All Dead Man's Hand figures, with Milligan from the plastics set)

Next we have the Paradise County Regulators, under Knuckles McGurk. Knuckles earned his nickname in one of our Zoom games and the name stuck. He is assisted by Ringo and Cheesy Scurlock. The latter based on the Lincoln County Regulator Doc Scurlock (Kiefer Sutherland in Young Guns). I was tickled to discover that, at least according to Wikipedia, Doc Scurlock at one time opened a cheese factory; one of his employees being Billy the Kid (allegedly).

Knuckles McGurk, Ringo and Cheesy Scurlock (DMH, Knuckleduster and DMH plastic)

For the next gang I decided I needed some 'European Adventurers'. These are lead by Swiss Michael. I don't know why but I decided that a Tom Petty vibe would look good and gave him a swanky long coat, top hat and long hair. For some reason I also decided he would be an albino. As his sidekicks, I needed two Victorian era European adventurers, so who better than Peachey and Dravot? (Obviously, before their misadventures in Kafiristan.)

Swiss Michael, Peachey and Dravot (all DMH plastics)

Of course, every good western has to have a bunch of sadistic vigilantes, so who better than the Native American hating characters from Chato's land? So here we have Quincy Whitmore, Jubal and Young Earl. In the film, they are all ex confederates but only Quincy still wears a uniform. I decided, that in this version, all would be in uniform and, in addition, Quincy would keep his cavalry sabre.

Quincy Whitmore, Jubal and Earl (all Perry Miniatures confederate cavalry)

Finally, we can't have a cowboy game without some actual cowboys. These are based upon the characters from Open Range. Whereas our Purgatory games had the Cakey Kid, I decided that a sweet toothed alternative was needed here. Hence, the cowboys are lead by Boss Spearmint (Boss Spearman in Open Range - Robert Duvall's greying beard seemed appropriate as well - just saying!). These are possibly the most expensive figures in my collection, but if I was getting Spearman, I just had to have Charley Postlethwaite as well.  The gang is completed with a Dead Man's Hand plastic figure, which I have named Shorty - being much smaller than the Empress Miniatures.

Boss Spearmint, Postlethwaite and Shorty. Empress Miniatures and DMH plastics.

Part of the expense of the Empress Miniatures is that they come as sets of mounted and dismounted characters. Lovely figures though.

Boss Spearmint and Postlethwaite. No horse for Shorty, he just gets to carry the saddlebags!

So that's it for the gangs but that's not the whole collection. I also have Native Americans lead by Smelly Parker and Johnny Tonto. Quanah Parker was a real life war leader of the Kwahadi (Antelope) band of the Comanche. His name is apparently from the Comanche kwana, smell or odour. Johnny Tonto is based on the Johnny Depp  version of Tonto (itself modelled on a painting of a Native American entitled 'I am Crow'). I used a Celtic helmet crest from a Warlords Miniatures plastic set to add the crow.

Dead Man's Hand Renegades

Next up we have a band of Mexicans.

Mexicans by Artizan and Knuckleduster

I also have the Spaghetti Western characters that started off the whole project. These and the Empress Miniatures are easily my favourites.

Spaghetti Western characters. All Knuckleduster Miniatures.

That only leaves a few leftovers. which will serve as useful filler.

Miscellaneous Dead Man's Hand figures

So that's it for the 'fighting' figures but being me, I had to have some civilians as well. Admittedly, these are not all from cowboy ranges or even necessarily the same era but I think they work OK. I have half a dozen townsfolk, from the Dead Man's Hand range, to which I have added figures from my Sharp Practice collection and even my pirate collection.

Townsfolk. Dead Man's Hand, Perry Miniatures, Eagle Figures and Firelock Games.

And that's not all. The piece de resistance............

Warbases Stagecoach

So that's the complete collection - at least for now. I have my eye on some more Knuckleduster Miniatures and it's nearly Christmas..................