The Alternative Armies Blog

Welcome to the Alternative Armies blog. This blog tells you all about what we are up to and it is where we post our latest tabletop gaming news and articles.
We cover Flintloque and Slaughterloo, High Fantasy, Other Ranges as well as our 15mm scale fantasy, science fiction and historical ranges.
Our game systems and free content such as PDF downloads and reading articles. Enjoy and do dig back in time to see what was going on before now.

Feel free to comment and ask questions. We are always happy to help gamers with their hobby.

Friday 26 February 2016

Free Worldwide Postage until 1st March 2016 at Alternative Armies


Leap into the Fray with our Leap Year Offer!

From now until early morning 1st March 2016 we are having a free worldwide postage on all orders over 10.00GBP in product value!  This applies to Alternative Armies, 15mm.co.uk and The Ion Age on all our 6mm, 15mm and 28mm miniatures and game systems in fact everything on our websites you can put in your cart (not downloads).  All you need to do is add to the cart and the website will do the rest.  Go HERE.


So if you like Flintloque, High Fantasy, Ganesha Games and other 28mm scale ranges check out Alternative Armies.  



All the offers on our websites made during this month are still valid until the end of this event so in some cases you can get a double advantage.  


Combing Orders
If you like 15mm scale including HOT Fantasy, TTF Fantasy, HOF Science Fiction, Laserburn, Altuos Renaissance, Pony Wars and ACW, Isarus Dark Age, Medus Medieval along with 6mm sci-fi and a lot more go to 15mm.co.uk.  Space Opera science fiction wargamers should look to the unique range and setting of The Ion Age for excellent 15mm and 28mm miniatures, vehicles and rule systems.

Our three websites are having a free postage event.  If you place an order for more then ten pounds (10.00GBP) the shopping cart will automatically give you free shipping worldwide.  As many orders as you like across one, two or all three of our websites at www.alternative-armies.com, www.15mm.co.uk and www.theionage.com.  While the vast majority of customers are happy to place orders in this way we know that some of you would like to place a combined order by email and receive a paypal invoice to pay.  This is totally fine with us and here is what to do for a combined order by email.  Firstly choose your point of contact.  Is it Alternative Armies, 15mm.co.uk or The Ion Age?  Choose one and email us on sales@alternative-armies.com, sales@15mm.co.uk or info@theionage.com.  

Make your email title 'combined order' and give us your name, your shipping address, your paypal email address and a list of codes and quantities that you want to order from across our ranges.  We will then reply with a total and a paypal invoice.  You will get a free monthly miniature if you have Ion Age codes and you will get any other items offered free if applicable from the other websites if you have codes from its ranges in your order.  We typically reply quickly but be assured you WILL NOT miss the free postage on your combined order as we will honour it as long as your email comes in before the offer ends.  Speak to you soon.  Thanks.  

Gavin Syme (GBS).

Thursday 25 February 2016

Free rules for the Imperiale Trois Cannon in Flintloque and Slaughterloo


Earlier this month Alternative Armies released the 59519 Le Imperiale Trois Cannon a three barrelled medium field gun of an exotic design in 28mm scale.  This artillery piece can be used in our own game systems Flintloque and Slaughterloo as well as any period suitable historical wargame system. This article gives you for free the rules for this gun in Flintloque (taken from 5027 Grapeshotte) and for Slaughterloo new here (not in 5030 Slaughterloo).  

Le Imperiale Trois Cannon - 10lb
During the dark days of the intercine wars between the High Elves of Armorica and the Dark Elves of Catalucia, a conflict known as the ‘Warre of thee Catalucian Successor’ many new ideas were ferment among the artificers of the Peacock Throne. One aspiring fellow named Hugenvale petitioned the government in Lyonesse with a revolutionary idea for a new type of artillery piece which he named the Imperiale Trois.  With copious sheaves of designs all neatly drawn and unrolled across several tables at the Academie Artillerie he outlined his idea.  An idea for a new cannon which would change the world and make it all for his Emperor.  A three barrelled cannon. The Imperial Trois caused a storm among artificers all claiming and counter claiming that it simply could be be done, that it was lunacy, that is would never work and would most likely kill all those who tried to forge it or to give fire with it in battle.   Early models were extremely dangerous to the gunners who crewed them and several exploded in spectacular fashion killing many around them.  It looked like the design would fail without ever seeing the field of battle.

However the design was rescued by two changes.  The first was to use far more expensive but lighter and stronger brass instead of iron for the three barrel  cannon.  The second was linked to the first and that was to take several precious Magicke lode stones and to infuse them into the brass to make each cannon partially Magicke in its operation.  With these changes made the Imperiale Trois began not only to work properly but to take to the battlefield and to win several key encounters between the small Armorican Armee and the much larger Catalucian forces. There are few of these three barrel cannons in the arsenal of the Elves and they are saved for Marshals who really have need of them.

The Emperor Mordred has personally blessed each of the cannons and to lose one would be...unfortunate for the officer concerned.  Currently most of the Imperial Trois are in Diberia awaiting the retreating Grande Armee and of course the following legions of the Dark Czar’s Undead.


Rules for Flintloque the Skirmish 


When choosing to field an Imperiale Trois cannon follow the normal selection rules and points costs as well as creating and assigning a Gun Crew to the cannon.

NOTE:  The Emperor has decreed that only an Empire team may man the cannon and as a result you may only crew this gun with Ferach Elves or close allies.

In play the cannon operates as normal in all respects of movement and limbering, unlimbering, damage and so forth.  The unique rules for this artillery piece apply to firing, loading and misfire. Here are the special rules for these areas in play.

Firing a Three Barrel Cannon: This cannon may fire one of its three barrels at a time or all three at the same time (though all three must be loaded and in operation to do this).  Firing one barrel is done as normal obeying the loading and misfire rules.  To fire all three follow the process of DECLARING you are firing all three before you roll the dice and obey the special rules for misfire below.  When all three barrels fire successfully plot out the three shots as normal and then apply the effects of each ONE AT A TIME for all targets and then repeat again for the second and then third shotte.

Loading a Three Barrel Cannon: To load the three barrel cannon is a bit more complex than normal.  You many only load the cannon once ALL three barrels have fired or one or two of them are blocked.  The cannon requires SIX load steps for each barrel plus a final TWO load steps to prime the special firing mechanism.  Barrels which are blocked do not need to be loaded but the final two load steps must always be carried out even for only one barrel.

Misfires and a Three Barrel Cannon: When firing one barrel the chance of misfire is as normal. When firing all three the chance of misfire is increased to a roll result (on the first shot of the three only) of 1-4 and 96-100 on the percentile dice.  If a misfire occurs then roll on the misfire table for ALL three barrels.  If a barrel bursts then the whole cannon is rendered useless for the rest of the scenario.


Rules for Slaughterloo Mass Battle

In Slaughterloo this exotic cannon is treated as follows.  In all but the following the Imperiale Trois as a MEDIUM FIELD GUN in terms of its range, its gun crew and its its movement, limbering and unlimbering and so on. See page 58 in 5030 Slaughterloo.  An Imperiale Trois cannon makes up an entire battery in play and may not be deployed alongside other artillery pieces in a battery.  It is a battery of one cannon and crew and it may not use 'Battery Fire' as per the rules.  This cannon differs that it may fire three shots and takes longer to reload and runs a risk of misfire.

The Imperiale Trois cannon MUST fire THREE shots at its chosen target.  This takes one action and each shot is rolled for separately as per a Medium Field Gun for distance, to hit modifier and bounce.  All three shots must be taken at the same target.  Typical artillery pieces may fire each turn with reloading assumed to have been carried out in the span of a turn.  This exotic cannon takes an ENTIRE turn to reload meaning if it fires in turn one then it cannot fire again until turn three.  It may not be limbered or moved during the intervening turn or the process begins once more.  There is a chance that the complex construction of the cannon will fail during the battle when it is used.  Do this in the following manner.  When the Imperiale Trois fires make all three attack rolls and AFTER the third is resolved immediately roll 2D6 and on a result of 12 the cannon is fouled and may not fire again during the battle.  It is functional once more in the next game.

Note:  The Imperiale Trois three barrelled cannon may only be taken at the rate of one per ARMY on the table (regardless of number of Divisions in play) by a player who is fielding a Ferach Empire division.  This division must include a unit of Armorican Elves though this need not be the gun crew. This cannon may only be FOOTE ARTILLERY and may never be Horse Artillery.  This artillery piece costs 350 points.


See all of our Artillery packs on our website HERE.

Thanks for Reading,

GBS

Friday 19 February 2016

56590 Pudigroan Artillery Crew released for Flintloque


Following up on the release of our new excellent three barrelled cannon, if you missed this go HERE, we are happy to announce the release of the artillery crew for the Army of Pudigrochumsberg. Our last release into the range for the month. This is now online alongside the other codes in this great army of Dogmen which you can see HERE and takes near to the completion of the army with only a few codes still to come this spring. Read on for details of this white metal 28mm miniatures pack. The Pudigroan Artillery Crew! 



PUDIGROCHUMSBERG FOOT ARTILLERIE 
Trained by the finest artillerie masters in Lyonesse the newly formed batteries of the Pudigroan Artillerie have yet to see much action but in small battles against Krautian Dwarf incursions of the Confederation of Finklestein’s territory they have proven more than adequate to the task. The structure of a typical Foot Artillery battalion is as follows. There are five batteries of five artillery pieces each, these are normally medium to heavy cannon and howitzers. These pieces are served by a total of four hundred Dogs composed of gunners, infantry and officers as well as servants and bearers. All serving the guns are designated as Gunners. The gunners are armed with their normal artillery implements with officers having standard pistols or swords as well. The Foot Artillerie uniform consists a dark orange tunic, black breeches, a black shako with silver and a green plume, black shoes. Facing colours (cuffs, collars, etc.) are red. Equipment is black with equipment straps being of white leather. 




56590 Pudigroan Artillery Crew 
A set of 28mm white metal Dogman miniatures which gives you the gunners and limber beasts for your army. These are meant for use with the rest of the Pudigrochumsberg packs but they will also serve well in Confederation of Finklestein collections and also revolutionary older style Ostarian Empire forces. Sculpted by our lead designer Sam Croes there are eight miniatures in this pack six gunners and two limber horses. Go HERE


The poses are an Artillery Officer pointing out the direction of shotte and holding a sword, a Gunner with trail spike waving his fist and tongue lolling and a Gunner with sponger ready for use. A Gunner carrying a water bucket who has a wooden leg, a Gunner who is bare headed with an eye patch carrying a cannon ball and a Gunner with lit fuse who is also holding a pistol. Lastly two identical Limber Horses with tackle and trail fitted for use pulling artillery pieces. All are wearing Pudigrochumsberg uniform and most wear a tricorne hat. These Dogmen are all 'poodle' types making them the same average height and bulk as an Elf. They are character filled miniatures that are your gun crew but who would also make excellent additions to an infantry section as well. While they can be used with any artillery piece from our range HERE. They are intended for use with any Ferach guns and remember the 59519 Le Imperiale Trois Cannon or the 'Menage a Trois' three barrelled cannon. You can see it in action with these gunners below. 



The leader of Pudigrochunsberg the illustrious King Bonio limited edition code has been very popular this year and you can see HERE


Remember to download the free PDF insert for this king too. Its on the page of the website for the pack.  Thanks for Reading,
 GBS

Thursday 18 February 2016

Dogmen getting new resin Horse in March!


Next month in March 2016 Alternative Armies will be replacing all of the white metal horses in the cavalry and command codes for the Ostarian Army and the Confederation of Finklestein armies of Dogmen in the Flintloque and Slaughterloo range with a new resin horse. This continues our mount replacement which has thus far covered Trolka Moose, Ogre Rhino, Orc Horses and others. This short article shows you the new horse and all of the codes which will be changed with this new horse replacing the older one. We will also will be having some offers on these codes changed by way of a little celebration next month. 



The new resin horse is a combined design based on the standard cavalry mount and the lancers mount. It is in a running pose and fits with all the existing riders who will remain in white metal. The artillery limber horse will also remain in white metal. Here is a list of the codes which will be given these new horses: 


56508 Dogmen Cuirassiers 
56509 Dogmen Hussars 
56524 Dogmen Lancers 
56510 Dogmen Command 
56537 Dogmen Engineers 
LE032 Prince Swartzenbarch 
56600 Ostarian Dogman DAP 
56601 Confederation Dogmen DAP 
56602 Saxhunde Dogmen DAP 


We have withdrawn these codes from the website for the remainder of the month while we prepare.

If you have any questions please do email us on enquiries@alternative-armies.com and I will be happy to talk about it. 

Thanks for Reading,

GBS

Monday 15 February 2016

59519 Le Imperiale Three Barrelled Cannon released at Alternative Armies


Based on a real 18th century three barrelled cannon held in a French museum Alternative Armies is delighted to announce the release of our 28mm scale resin and white metal kit of this exotic artillery piece. This model can be used in straight historical wargaming or in our own fantasy Napoleonic rule systems such as Flintloque and Slaughterloo. Go HERE or read on for more information. 


59519 Le Imperiale Trois Cannon 
This is a 28mm scale white metal and resin artillery kit. Comprising four pieces which are a resin three barrelled cannon, a resin cannon body and two white metal wheels. Easy to assemble and once assembled measures 60mm long, 40mm wide and 30mm tall. Sculpted by our lead designer Sam Croes and nicknamed the 'Menage a Trois' this triple shot gun is an exotic weapon. As many of our other miniatures we will offer the additional choice of purchase pro-painted and based by our team of ladies here in Scotland. See it and the rest of our Artillery park HERE. It is priced at 6.00GBP.


For players of Flintloque and Slaughterloo this cannon belongs to the Elves of Armorica and is used by them and a few select nations in the employ of the Ferach Empire. There are a few with the Dogmen of ruined Pudigrochunsberg. 

Le Imperiale Trois Cannon - 10lb 
During the dark days of the intercine wars between the High Elves of Armorica and the Dark Elves of Catalucia, a conflict known as the ‘Warre of thee Catalucian Successor’ many new ideas were ferment among the artificers of the Peacock Throne. One aspiring fellow named Hugenvale petitioned the government in Lyonesse with a revolutionary idea for a new type of artillery piece which he named the Imperiale Trois. With copious sheaves of designs all neatly drawn and unrolled across several tables at the Academie Artillerie he outlined his idea. 

An idea for a new cannon which would change the world and make it all for his Emperor. A three barrelled cannon. The Imperial Trois caused a storm among artificers all claiming and counter claiming that it simply could be be done, that it was lunacy, that is would never work and would most likely kill all those who tried to forge it or to give fire with it in battle. Early models were extremely dangerous to the gunners who crewed them and several exploded in spectacular fashion killing many around them. It looked like the design would fail without ever seeing the field of battle. However the design was rescued by two changes. The first was to use far more expensive but lighter and stronger brass instead of iron for the three barrel cannon. The second was linked to the first and that was to take several precious Magicke lode stones and to infuse them into the brass to make each cannon partially Magicke in its operation. 

With these changes made the Imperiale Trois began not only to work properly but to take to the battlefield and to win several key encounters between the small Armorican Armee and the much larger Catalucian forces. There are few of these three barrel cannons in the arsenal of the Elves and they are saved for Marshals who really have need of them. The Emperor Mordred has personally blessed each of the cannons and to lose one would be...unfortunate for the officer concerned. Currently most of the Imperial Trois are in Diberia awaiting the retreating Grande Armee and of course the following legions of the Dark Czar’s Undead. 
(Taken from pg 37 of 5027 Grapeshotte

Thanks for Reading, 

GBS

Tuesday 9 February 2016

New Limber Rhino for Flintloque


Resin Rhinoceros for you Ogre armies in Flintloque and Slaughterloo.  We announced these last year but now with a couple of changes and an addition.  Firstly the Rhinos now have an integral base as you can see in the image making them more stable and easier to mount up.  Secondly we have a brand new resin rhino which is a limber beast complete with tackle and harness.  You can see all of the codes HERE for the Krautian Giant Legion and HERE for the Hunvarian Ogres.  


Ogres in Flintloque are some of the biggest and toughest troops you can field.  They have line infantry, light infantry, command as well as cavalry and artillery crews.  They also have Slaughterloo Divisional Army Packs (DAP) too which save off single unit prices within them.  We have special offers just now on all the codes which contain the resin rhinos.  Well worth a look until months end on these offers. 


Thanks for Reading and ride on!

GBS

Friday 5 February 2016

Fighting Fungi by Ganesha Games releases at Alternative Armies


Back in September we announced our arrangement with Ganesha Games to fulfil backers orders on their 'Song of Blades Hammer and Forge' Kickstarter. You can read about that on our blog. As well as this project we are now geared up for direct and trade sales of the Fighting Fungi range of 28mm scale white metal miniatures. The first wave of releases from the range are now online on Ganesha Games new page on the Alternative Armies website. The miniatures are manufactured right here in Scotland and shipped worldwide so no worries about stock or availability. Go HERE


It is our intention to release the Fighting Fungi range in three waves with the first now out which contains Fungi, Enoki, Spores, Nymphs and Oaken for a total of sixteen different miniatures. All the miniatures are online as singles and there is a value pack too containing one of each in this wave. We offer 15% off the value pack and until we release the next wave all the singles are 10% off too! Go HERE.


Below is a list of the codes released and if you wish to visit the Ganesha Games website for resources you can do that HERE

FIFU000 Amazon 
FIFU001 Axeman 
FIFU002 Spore Slinger 
FIFU003 Spore Spear 
FIFU004 Martial Artist 
FIFU005 Oaken Spear 
FIFU006 Drummer 
FIFU011 Zombie Fungus 
FIFU013 Fungus Monk 
FIFU015 Sporeling 
FIFU018 Enoki Ranger 
FIFU024 Goblin Fungus Zombie 
FIFU026 Mykityad Forest Nymph 
FIFU027 Warrior Fungus Queen 
FIFU 030 Enoki Evil Cleric 
FIFU 032 Puff Sporebomb 
FIFUW01 Fighting Fungi Value Pack One (16 miniatures) 


Finally remember that our VNT Undead and Monsters high fantasy 28mm range is now released with sixty five infantry miniatures, an artillery piece, a chariot, a flying wraith, ogres, trolls, demonic tree, grizzly owls and a fantastic Splendorous Djinn too! A lot to choose from covering monsters, skeletons, zombies, vampires, wraiths, lizardmen and more types. We also have some great select offers for you on the VNT range. These are valid until Valentines Day 14th February. Go HERE. Every order placed with us that contains one or more fantasy miniature of any kind (including Ganesha Games) will automatically get a free VNT29-02 Stricken Adventurer worth 2.00GBP in their package. 

Its a great time to be a fantasy wargamer! 

Thanks for Reading, 
GBS