Captain Krustache and the Kashgari Falcons

[ColCampbell]

I recently completed another unit for use with "The Men Who Would Be Kings" rules.



Captain Krushtache is one of Bob Murch's special Movember sculpts.  His retinue are from the Brigade Games Great War in Africa line.  Their uniform consists of a blue coat under a hide "surcoat" and they are wearing their blue and gold turbans.  The skin and hair colors are copied from current photographs of Afghans.

The name - Falcons - and the blue and gold colors come from my high school.

Another 12 Falcons are now in the painting queue to give Krustache two units to influence whatever action needs influencing.

Jim

[Mad Guru]

Hmmm.  Congrats on the very nice and exotic looking new unit, Colonel, and the homage to your alma mater.  Still... no offense, but why is it all these new units come in these silly little sizes for those new-fangled rules you mentioned but which I shall not name... rather than a proper 20 figures of foot or 12 of cavalry, as one imagines would befit an OG original TSATF play-tester such as yourself???

[FifteensAway]

And meanwhile, marching on...

Probably a trick of the lighting or the way the image appears on my screen, but the soldier behind Krustache's left seems to have his beard unpainted! 

Nice, but won't you need at least 13 more figures so the Captain can be in command of two 12 figure units?

Now, I hope this doesn't cause apoplexy in a certain distempered guru (), but a hybrid of TSATF and TMWBK rules seems like an improvement of both.  And doesn't TSATF have a version (or 11) where half size units are used?

Okay, I have caused enough trouble in this thread; moving on. 

[giorgio]

Col Campbell, your conversion to the True Rule is spreading over valleys and villages in all Punjab, and enlightens like a torch surrounded by heresy darkness. Mad Guru I understand your desperation, you see the Good lace has encircled you and your filthy adepts. Now it is the time of cleaning all Punjab from any heresy and in the thread "Never trust anyone on the Frontier" an ...epic NWF Campaign, you will read the horrible destiny of your people.
 FifteenAway, if your proposal is to fool the heretics and converting them step by step it is okay but pay attention to play with such thorny and rough items, I cannot even tell that name.
Brother Tzarists are going to arrive, and all True Rule followers are gathering for the final Jihad. Blame on you Mad, you will turn in a second from Mad of Swat to Mad of Swamp, and your friends will be squeezed like swamp toads by the glorious pachyderm of the True Faith.
Welcome in the Holy Rule Colonel, your conversion is a precious victory and will be an argument for great propaganda! Excuse me for this invasion in your thread but heresy must be fought every where and with every weapon!
with due humble respect
yours faithfully (at least how much possible due to my sneaky nature) Mulehead, Khan of all Waziris and future Amir

[ColCampbell]

First, I have not "converted" just trying a different rule set with different mechanisms.  I still have a sizeable force of "true" 25mm Colonials organized for Sergeant Brom's venerable rule set.  And yes, there are another 12 in the painting queue.  So with 24 I can still form a single TSATF unit.  There is more than one way to true wargaming enlightenment!

And that soldier has blonde hair and beard.  I used pictures of current day Afghans to paint these guys.  the hair colors ranged from blondes and reds through various browns to blacks.  Remember that Aghans are primarily Indo-Aryans in descent just like many Europeans and Americans.

Jim

[FifteensAway]

Indeed, I am very much of north west European descent but I once had a couple of Persian gals ask me if I was Persian!  At the time when I was a LOT younger I still had 'dishwater blonde' hair.  I think they wondered because I would politely ask if it was okay to sit next to them on the bus to college (only open seat) and they assumed only a Persian would sit with them.  Of course, at that time, most of the Persian women at the college were very much secular in their dress and some of them were seriously hot.  These two however had their heads covered.  If memory serves, that was before the Iranian revolution - the day after which half the Persian men I knew at school were standing and shouting at the other half on the other side of the sidewalk shouting back.  What is north of Iran?  The Caucasus mountains where the term caucasian comes from so not that surprising they mistook me for Persian - the gals, that is.

Very different from US Navy boot camp where the Iranian companies being trained were 'perfect' in their marching and all else.  Scuttlebutt was that if they messed up they would be sent home and be shot by the Shah.  Of course, military rumors are not necessarily the most reliable rumors out there!   

[ColCampbell]

And after recovery from cataract surgery, I've added to the Kashgari Falcons.



Their second detachment is commanded by Subedar Bahadurjit (Victory of the Brave) Singh.  He was recently wounded in a scrape with some Pushtuns and still has his right arm in a sling.

And my Imperial forces got another Vickers gun team.



You can never have enough Vickers guns!

For more posts about my foray into The Men Who Would Be Kings, see http://colcampbellbarracks.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Men%20Who%20Would%20Be%20Kings%20rules

[Umra Khan]

ColCampbell your answer to the Evil King Giorgio is sublime !
he's a four-bit preacher,!
20 is the perfect unit number as teached by the Great L. Brom..
The miniatures are beautifully painted

[FifteensAway]

Glad to know you were able to return to the fray after that cataract surgery.  Loss of eyesight would be a tragedy for a hobbyist - no longer able to see the toys.

Now, as to the other matter, the rule duel, what happens when both are out of print and no new gamers are even aware of the existence of either ruleset.  Then where will you lot be?  You'll need to be allies then rather than erstwhile 'enemies'.  Or so say I. 

(for the record, I have both rulesets)

 

[ColCampbell]

Umra Khan -- I was "raised" on TSATF and counted Larry Brom as a friend (even though he was a Marine  ).  I have and will always have a large true 25mm Victorian Colonial force.  But I like TMWWBK for its smaller unit fighting.

FifteensAway  -- That is always the case for most game rules.  As long as the Brom sisters are with us, there will be TSATF.  Again, I count them as friends and my "sisters  from another mister."

Jim

[Umra Khan]

I have started my wargames battles with Newbury rules, then tried VLB or science vs pluck and many others ruleset ...but TSATF gives the real essence of colonial battles.
The little scenario of Chamla valley with just one unit is pure melody...After all with TSATF can be used half size units of 10 figures with D20 dice.

I have tested TMWWBK but I dislike various concepts of the rule...
anyway how I could be brother of my great friend Giorgio the Malicious Wazir ?   

Piero