Armoured Clash and Dystopian Wars

Front rank... preeee-sent... Fire!
Rear rank... preeee-sent... Fire!








Have been watching various 19th Century-set classics to fuel my inspiration for this awesome game... Zulu Dawn was the first and seeing these painted Crown Riflemen immediately made me think of the above immortal lines.

Next up it'll be Gods and Generals (heresy for an aspiring Crown player like myself as it's an ACW film, but if any of my senior officers ask, it's know-thy-enemy viewing for when I come to face any Union players...).

 

Agreed, a great film! Between it and the original Zulu we get a very nice portrayal of the two most well-known battles of the Zulu War.

Just a shame they didn't make a sequel along with Zulu Dawn's prequel, to showcase how Lord Chelmsford redeemed himself for his tactical blunder at Isandlwana in the third of the really major battles - Ulundi, where he orders his men to form moving squares to devastate the remaining Zulu army... Peter O'Toole could have reprised his character a second time to preserve the continuity. Zulu Twilight, perhaps? Or Zulu Dusk?

But then, such a film would probably be one of the most hated films of all time in this day and age with all the wokist snowflakes about - especially as the facts that we treated Cetshwayo and the Zulus perfectly decently after the war was over would go against their agenda (the Boers were to blame for Apartheid, which was only introduced after Britain relinquished South Africa... a massive irony given how they're always portrayed as the 'good guys' in the Boer War because we mistreated them). And of course such a film would never be allowed to be made now...

 

For those who like their Blue-Bellies...

 

ULLAAAAAAA!

The Enlightened are on their way to Armoured Clash, and bring with them some simply lovely War of the Worlds Martian machines:


Including the Wells Super-Heavy Surveyor/Horsell Super-Heavy Extractor:

 

Along with your mainstream Fighting Machines - the Mars-pattern Heat Ray version, the Phobos melee version and the Deimos 'Guardian' version, which looks to pack a shield generator:

 

We also have a Handling Machine in the form of the Callisto Assault Gatherer, alongside an anti-tank Artillery version and an anti-personnel Mortar version:

 

Plus a whole swathe of expendable human infantry (no doubt lobotomised victims of the Martians/deranged human scientists that command your army):

 

Another magnificent Sovereign Landship...

 

These Union troops have such grey uniforms that they could almost pass for Confederates...

 

The best thing about Enlightened being a bunch of mad scientists (or Martians, however you'd like to interpret them) is you can really go to town on conversions, as this chap is doing (mainly using Dystopian Wars sets for the same faction):

 

Got started in building the first of many 10mm houses for my Armoured Clash terrain setup last week... all the sides and window holes have been cut out, and am progressing with the bay window you can see on the left-hand side. The window fittings are not yet glued in, but will be once they have been painted and the plasticard cladding for the building fitted over the card. The four main window fittings are from PECO's N-Gauge Station Houses kit, while the bay window fitting will be one of the brass-etched ones from the sheet also in the photo, from Langley Models.

 

Nice work.

Are you taking a break from TOW?

 

I wouldn't say 'Having a break', more 'indulging in a different interest' right now, mainly because TOW releases ground to a halt in Autumn/Winter last year (luckily Armoured Clash was first released at that time to keep my mind entertained in TOW's place) and I haven't had time to get any games of TOW in lately. But don't worry, when I can start playing a few games of TOW, my excitement for it will no doubt resurge in force.

Indeed, it has started to experience a bit of a Renaissance already now that GW is getting back to some nice regular releases for TOW. Great to see all the High Elf stuff return, I certainly plan to pick up some of it to add to my existing force (the Bolt Throwers are my most desired item in the first wave alongside the Arcane Journal... and I'm looking forward to getting some Phoenix Guard too when they return). Plus, Beastmen are next! I'm especially excited about what we might see for them.

All the same, Armoured Clash has captured a different part of my mind and imagination, and I'm looking forward to giving it a go when I can grab some of the models. The game looks to be particularly well-designed, and Warcradle really seem to know what they're doing when it comes to making it balanced and offering lots of tactical opportunities.

 

Good to hear!

Nothing wrong with trying (and enjoying) something new! There is plenty of room for a multitude of games.

 

Aircraft have joined the first four Armoured Clash factions, to add a new dimension of play to the game...










Most fans seem to like the Ork Dakkajet that is the Union Corsair, but for me the Crown's Defiance is the one I like the most... a British aircraft combining Spitfire wings and a Defiant tail gun turret is a thing of beauty. Plus the Enlightened Scythe is cool for its completely alien look that is almost reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica Vipers in places.

 

Surely you can see the Ork Dakkajet parallels?



The Corsair very much seems to share the zippy-looking but stripped-down and barely-safe (though not quite so ramshackle) theme of the Dakkajet.