Borsetshire Diaries: The Grumblers Go Forth - Conclusion

[Golgotha]

Huh, a scarecrow thwarted by barbed wire.   

Down with Silas and his strawmen 
Up with Bunty Thimble and her girlfriends 

[Doug ex-em4]

The MRW are looking suitably heroic. However, I can't help but worry that Silas and his tatterdemalion straw-men are going to be a problem for the formidable ladies.

How delightful to see "tatterdemalion"in a post - thank you old fruit😊

Huh, a scarecrow thwarted by barbed wire.   

Down with Silas and his strawmen 
Up with Bunty Thimble and her girlfriends 

The scarecrows do have a few issues in the modern (1930s) countryside what with barbed wire, threshing machines and hay bailers.


ONWARDS


Lurching stumbling and discarding whisps of straw, the scarecrows, urged on by Silas, approach the crossroads. It has to said, the road surfaces in Borsetshire leave something to be desired.



They are spotted by the MRW. Lady F and Miss Bunty-Thimble open fire, although what effect this will have on scarecrows, they’re not sure of. As it happens, it knocks one over. Taking advantage of the covering fire, Persistence, Miss Ping and Anticipation move into the field to the right - a tactical manoeuvre….!



Doug

[Golgotha]

I have been inspired by your game Doug ex-em4 and decided to make my own scarecrow.

Herewith, therefore, a miniature I made from scratch - did however use a Mantic miniatures hand and crow.

I am rather pleased with the result, the first proper attempt at making my own miniature from mostly scratch. I wanted some interest on his base so also did an old wooden post from balsa. He still needs painting and some more base work. More pictures here:
https://frictionbmcminiatures.blogspot.com/2022/03/golgothas-fantasy-scratch-built.html

Maybe I can post him to you so that he can take on the MRW - if you want - though I would like him back... Hopefully, he would not fall foul to some 1930s countryside dangers...

He is called: "Hay, my hand!" - which works on a number of levels... 

Apologies for the square base but I tend to use square bases rather than round.

[Vagabond]

A slow burn for the Strawmen as they advance down the road, I expect the gunfire from Bunty Thimble and her girlfriends must have knocked the stuffing out of one of them.

Who is Miss Ping? She sounds a very enigmatic creature, is her alter ego Mr Pong or is that just silly?

Golgotha your scarecrow is suitably scary, well done with the sculpting.

[Doug ex-em4]

Ladies Recreation and Reality slide off to the left and we are really hitting our tactical straps with this attempt at a double flank envelopment.

There’s a couple of things must be said about the above photo. First, I’d laid the hedges on their side for some reason and forgot to stand them up again; just ignore them. Second, I have to mention the Belonna/Bellona? walls. I got these in about 1970 and recently found them again. They need repainting and general tarting up. I apologise for their current condition.




A second scarecrow lurches forward and almost contacts Audacity before being brought down in a hail of MRW fire. Bitch, the Doberman bitch, attacks the last scarecrow - it’s a maelstrom of fur and straw…!




Recreation and Reality reach the critical road to Much Rampling. Two things occur to them simultaneously. First, Jack Archer and his Detroit friends are approaching them. Second, they (Recreation and Reality) are not particularly good at fighting.



An overview.




Nature red in tooth and straw.

This could go either way
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[Vagabond]

Things are moving apace in Borsetshire, the Gals are going to give those strawmen hell. I like that they are taking the bull and horns tactic from the Zulu Impi's, it's bound to go well unless the farm down the road is called Rorkes Drift.

I did notice the hedges on their sides and thought that it was either a road widening scheme or cosmic forces coming into play. It never occurred to me that you would lay them down for any other reason. 

The figures and names are brilliant, I wish I could be as inventive.
Well done and it's wine and nibbles time here so cheers as well.

[syrinx0]

Perhaps Recreation and Reality should consider an expeditious withdrawal to warn others more suited to violence that they are being flanked? 

[Doug ex-em4]

The figures and names are brilliant, I wish I could be as inventive.
Well done and it's wine and nibbles time here so cheers as well.

Now none of that modesty - it doesn’t become you. You’re games are a model of inventiveness and eye-candy and anyone who has missed them need only look here https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=136295.0 for a Vagabond treat.

Perhaps Recreation and Reality should consider an expeditious withdrawal to warn others more suited to violence that they are being flanked? 

You’re way ahead of me but read on anyway (please…!).




Mayhem….! (I do like that word). Bitch is Down; Scarecrow three is Down; Temerity Ping is Down. But are they Down as in "get the Pearly Gates Open" Down? Or are they Down as in "I don’t feel brilliant so I’ll have a little rest" Down? Agonisingly, we don’t yet know. On a positive note for the MRW, Persistence has scooted over from the right flank and is checking over Bitch.







Meanwhile, on the left, Reality is Down (resting or the unthinkable?) and Recreation has wisely taken cover behind the comforting stone buttresses of the church. Jack Archer, Loquacious Lovelace and Miranda Hazebutt have arrived and they mean business.








Meanwhile, in the centre, it’s a knock ‘em down and drag ‘em out free-for-all. Scarecrow three is Up; Bitch is Up but Temerity is….well, not there . Silas and Persistence have joined in for a real Götterdämmerung in the centre.









Back on the left, Reality is technically Up but has sensibly stayed down (not Down). Jack, Loquacious and Miranda are hunting Recreation round the church.







 
Back to the centre again (this is exhausting) and Persistence takes out Scarecrow 3 with a pistol shot to the head?. If only it’d been hand-to-hand and I could have said she delivered a punishing haymaker to the straw man. Bitch, Lady Ferocity and Audacity pile onto Silas.









Oh - what happened there? It seems the MRW in the centre have cleaned up their opposition and have switched their attention to the developing crisis on the left.










Where Recreation has managed to stay hidden as Jack and Miranda circle round the church having cunningly split up. But where is Loquacious? And what happened to Reality?

[MaleGriffin]

Brilliant! Lovely game!

[FramFramson]

And what happened to Reality?

A question I often have myself! 

[Doug ex-em4]

Brilliant! Lovely game!

Thank you….

A question I often have myself! 

I think we’re on the same wavelength - is it an age thing? I’m old……

Doug

[Doug ex-em4]

Ahh-ha….! Thats what happened to Reality. While Jack and his friends hunted Recreation, she nipped through the gap in the hedge where the footpath led and escaped. She also has Ladies Anticipation (red beret) and Acceptance (purple dress) moving up in support.





Loquacious is ready to take on Lady Ferocity’s group but is distracted by a ferocious attack from Bitch. She Downs the dog but behind her, Jack is felled by a shot from Anticipation.





Jack is Up again and decides to join Loquacious in her unequal fight against Lady F’s group.





Overwhelming firepower proves too much and Jack is Down……





…….slotted by a long range shot from Anticipation. Seeing this, Loquacious and Miranda realise the game is up and surrender. Jack and Silas are wounded and also captured. Temerity and Bitch eventually respond to treatment. The MRW have prevented Jack from interfering with the fight at Much Rampling and have him in custody but have themselves been prevented from helping Sir Rufus at Much Rampling. Will he have prevailed….?

Doug

[CapnJim]

It is with great amusement and some interest that I have followed along with these tales of derring-do.  It appears that the Ladies of the MRW has, at least in part, done what they set out to do. 

Fear not, however.  My money's on Sir Rufus at Much Rampling.  Perhaps if the ladies scrounge about the barns and outbuildings, they can come across a suitable means with which to arrive at Much Rampling in the proverbial nick of time.  Remember, nothing is anything until Reality come into play...

[Vagabond]

Ahh-ha….! Thats what happened to Reality.

A bit like Fram, I always wondered what happened to reality.

An exciting interlude in the overall story. Will Sir Rufus have prevailed, well my moneys on him , two shillings and six pence should cover it.

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Well, that was an epic fight and no mistake. I was only away for the weekend and all this happens! Jack was up and down like a Jack-in-the-Box. Superb game, a real tonic for the troops, old boy. Looking forward to seeing the next instalment. Pip, pip!