French Armor for Operation Torch: Hotchkiss H35’s, H39’s, and Renault R35’s

In November 1942, the Vichy French had a 8 division’s worth of troops in her colonies – from Morocco to the Levant. Under the terms of the Armistice of 22 June 1940, Vichy France was still obligated to defend its unoccupied lands as a neutral state.

And yes, they had more tanks than just the FT-17’s you saw in my last post. In addition to those old WWI relics, Vichy had Hotchkiss H35 and H39 tanks, as well as Renault R35’s. Both of the Hotchkiss models were “cavalry” tanks, in that they had been forced as a light tank on the French cavalry in the 1930’s (and later forced on infantry tank regiments as stopgaps). Contrastingly, the R35 was an “infantry tank”. After the Armistice, the Vichy Army had both types in the colonies. I did read somewhere that some R35’s were hidden away under hay bales behind horse barns to keep prying German and Italian officers of the Armistice Commission from finding them.

The H35, or Char léger modèle 1935 H, was a two-man tank, armed with the same cannon as the FT-17 (the Puteaux SA18 37mm cannon). The H39, or Char léger modèle 1935 H modifié 39, was a 1938 upgrade of the H35 that also got a better engine, and a newer and longer 37mm gun – the SA38 cannon, that supposedly had increased armor penetration over the SA18 (how much I cannot find!). Both variants were in North Africa in November 1942. There are only two observable differences to an outsider between the two models. Both have different engine deck configurations and the mufflers of H35’s point forward – while H39 mufflers point rearward.

An H35 tank. Note the engine deck and the forward-pointing muffler.

An H39 tank shown in Israeli markings at Yad La-Shiryon (officially: The Armored Corps Memorial Site and Museum at Latrun in Israel. Note the rearward-pointing muffler.

As for the R35, or Char léger Modèle 1935 R, it was an infantry tank under French Army doctrine. It too had a two-man crew, and was also armed with the Puteaux SA18 37mm cannon. It was thought to be slightly better mechanically than the H35/H39 variants. As the Armistice forbade Vichy from having pure tank units, these and the Hotchkiss tanks would be spread around into combined-arms units. These Vichy tanks and armored cars would play a role in Operation Torch in November 1942 against US forces in Morocco (and Algeria as well).

In gathering appropriate models for my What a Tanker game for HISTORICON, I started with looking for H35 and H39 metal or 3D-printed models in resin. I found a two listings for some on eBay. One was for Sarge_s Stuff – he had H35’s that could be bought individually – and I ordered 4 of them. The other site was the same one I bought the FT-17’s from earlier – jacobsminis (aka HobbyHouse&Miniatures.LLC). I ordered 5 from HH&M as that was the minimum order. The tanks from HH&M were (and still are) listed as H39’s, but when I got them I realized that they were actually H35’s. Unlike their excellent FT-17 models, some of these had printing errors, and I ended up using just 2 of these. However, I did use all 4 of the Sarge_s Stuff ones as H35’s. For H39’s and R35’s, I decided to rebase the ones that I painted a few years ago. I had 1 H35 and 3 H39’s (documented here) and 2 R35’s (documented here). I rebased all 6 of these.

This left me with 6 H35’s to paint to round out the tanks for Vichy (more armored cars would be coming!). As I was also working on many other vehicles at the time, plus running for reelection (I won), plus preparing for and attending HUZZAH, AND prepping for HISTORICON…plus golf…I was BUSY in April, May and even June and July. I am sure that you get the picture, and ironically I have few WIP pictures! But I’ll share what I have.

I used neodymium magnets and flat-head nail again to mount the turrets. The two H35 turret prints were slightly different, but I adapted with green stuff.

The 6 H35’s primed with the first desert sand color.

I used poster-tack again for masking/making camouflage patterns over the initial color. I did experiment with using Silly Putty as masking as I had seen someone do that – but it did not work for me. So I went back to what I knew would work – poster tack and touching up afterwards..

Then I applied a second prime with a NATO Green. Al paints are listed at the end of this post.

Now I had 6 H35’s. The third one from the left is one from an earlier project that I rebased, with the other 5 being new. The yellow is different on that older one, but ok enough I think for a game.

Now, I can share some limited…

Eye Candy

I am indeed – as promised – catching up on the posts I have backlogged for my What a Tanker Operation Torch game project- and yes there are more AFV’s to come. I do appreciate you, my readers. Of the eventually-painted 31 Vichy vehicles I had for the game, this brings me up to 24 Vichy combat vehicles that I have covered to date in this blog. I have 8 remaining Vichy armored cars to write about before I get to the USA. Those 8 will be the topic of my next post. Please, if you want, I’d love to hear any feedback – feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments section.

For all of my posts on WWII games and projects – there is a consolidated list of posts and their links located here.

MATERIALS USED

PAINTS, INKS, GLAZES, SHADES, WASHES, PIGMENTS AND FLOCKING USED ON THESE H35 MODELS:

Green Stuff
War Games Accessories Steel Bases Number 23 (1½” x 2″)
No. 19 x ½” flat head nails
Vallejo Surface Primer “German Green Brown”
Neodymium magnets (¼”)
Gorilla Glue
Wooden Blocks, steel bolts, steel washers, nails, magnets, steel screws
Citadel “Agrellan Earth” (texture)
Vallejo Primers “NATO Green”
Vallejo Surface Primer “Black”
Vallejo Primers “Desert Tan”
Vallejo Surface Primer “German Green Brown”
Reaper MSP Core Colors “Blackened Brown”
Army Painter “Mid Brown” (shade/wash)
Vallejo Mecha Color “Dark Steel”
Battlefront “Oxide Red”
Reaper MSP “Carrot Top Red”
Army Painter Speed Paint 1.0 “Dark Wood”
Army Painter “Dark Tone” (wash)
Vallejo Mecha Weathering Effects “Dark Rust Wash”
Vallejo Model Air “Tire Black”
Vallejo Model Color “Dark Sea Grey”
Vallejo “Mecha Varnish Gloss”
Microscale Industries “Micro Set”
Microscale Industries “Micro Sol”
Microscale Industries “Liquid Decal Film”
Flames of War French Decal Set (FR940)
Peddinghaus-Decals 1/100 2181 “World of Flames French tanks early war”
Citadel “‘Ardcoat”
Vallejo “Gloss Acrylic Varnish”
Citadel “Agrellan Earth” (texture)
Army Painter “Mid Brown” (shade/wash)
Reaper MSP Core Colors “Blackened Brown”
Vallejo Flow Improver
Vallejo Thinner
Vallejo “Matte Polyurethane Varnish”
Printed labels on card stock
Gamers Grass “Tiny Beige 2mm Tufts” (flocking)
PVA Glue

French Armor for Operation Torch: Renault FT-17’s

Vichy France had many different old or at least obsolete combat vehicles in their colonies. While more than half of Metropolitan France was occupied by the Germans, under the Armistice of 22 June 1940, Vichy was still obligated to defend its unoccupied lands as a neutral state.

As such, while Vichy was denied armored units, she was allowed to have integrated combined-arms units in the colonies – forces that had armored vehicles. These Vichy tanks and armored cars would play a role in Operation Torch in November 1942 against US forces in Morocco (and Algeria as well).

Abandoned / damaged Vichy French Renault FT-17 tanks are examined by curious US Personnel in Safi Morocco during Operation Torch – November 1942 – from https://www.reddit.com/r/WW2info/comments/17rn03o/abandoned_damaged_vichy_french_renault_ft17_tanks/

My last post covered two older (by November 1942 standards) armored cars used by Vichy forces – the White-Laffly AMD 80 and the Schneider AMC P16. Vichy also had tanks in North Africa, one of the most common was the WWI-vintage Renault FT-17.

For this post, I will discuss the venerable Renault FT-17’s that I built and painted up for my Operation Torch game of What a Tanker that I ran at HISTORICON 2025.

3,000 FT-17’s were built by France between 1917 and 1919. Indeed, she had so many old FT-17’s that the development and acquisition of newer tanks was negatively affected. Simply put, the French budgetary bean counters saw that the French Army had plenty of tanks available on paper, so why build too many more expensive ones? This would not bode well when May-June 1940 came around. Of course, French military doctrine was as least as equally to blame for the Fall of France (read BG Doughty’s The Seeds of Disaster: The Development of French Army Doctrine 1919-1939). After that debacle, Vichy did have many FT-17’s still in her colonies.

For my game, I had to have some FT-17’s. Historically, some were armed with the Puteaux SA18 37mm cannon, others with machine guns and even a very few with a short-barreled 75mm howitzer. For my game-design purposes, I decided that all should be armed with the 37mm cannon. I did have one completed 15mm/1:100 scale metal FT-17 from Peter Pig that I could rebase and use – it was described in my blog here.

To augment that, I purchased a 5-vehicle FT-17 platoon on eBay from jacobsminis (aka HobbyHouse&Miniatures.LLC). The tanks were nice crisp resin models. I ordered them on April 8th, and they arrived on April 14th. I started to work on them on April 28th (while concurrently working on all of the other vehicles for the project).

After washing the models, I drilled out and installed neodymium magnets in the hulls with green stuff. I also drilled out the turret bases to accommodate small flat-headed steel nails. These would work with the magnets in the hulls to both allow rotation and keep the turrets relatively secure. Priming and painting followed.

As I was working on many other vehicles, photo time got to be rare for me. Therefore, I do not have much in terms of WIP shots. I adopted the same airbrush painting pattern as I used for the Peter Pig model. The only difference was that I did not add a lot of mud to the tracks.

The main painting is done. You can see the turrets are semi-mounted temporarily on magnets and steel washers for painting purposes.

Then it was on to the decal and basing phases, which were like those that I employed and shared in my last post. I did end up with similar numerical decals on different tanks – but I did vary the sides and the other decals. Each one had a distinct name.

As an example, here is “MARECHAL PETAIN”. Each steel base is 1½” x 2″.

I’m sure that you’d like some better “eye candy”, so…

FT-17’s

“REIMS”

“MARECHAL FOCH”

“MARECHAL PETAIN”

“TYPHON”

“TOMBOUCTOU”

Group Shots

Below are all my FT-17’s, including the Peter Pig model on the front right. It has no name – but it does have mud!

Another view of the opposite side of the tanks – the Peter Pig model is on the bottom right here as well.

With terrible armor – yet the same 37mm gun as many other Vichy French AFV’s – these antique FT-17’s did indeed engage the US in battle in November 1942.

And an Instagram link for a video: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMwIOgMNcpD/

I do want to dedicate this post to my good friend Leif, who adores the FT-17 more than anyone else I know. When we play, it’s an easy choice as to which side he wants. He also helps me immensely at conventions – so this post is for you!

To all of you, thanks for looking! I will have share more Vichy vehicles soon. I eventually painted up 31 Vichy – and so far I’ve covered just 12 of them (6 FT-17’s, 3 White-Laffly AMD 80’s, and 3 Schneider AMC P16’s). More to come as I catch up. And there of course will be US vehicles. As always, if you want, I’d love to hear any feedback – feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments section.

For all of my posts on WWII games and projects – there is a consolidated list of posts and their links located here.

Next up – Hotchkiss 35’s, 39’s, and Renault 35’s. Until my next post!

MATERIALS USED

PAINTS, INKS, GLAZES, SHADES, WASHES, PIGMENTS AND FLOCKING USED ON THESE FT-17 MODELS:

Vallejo “Flow Improver”
Green Stuff
War Games Accessories Steel Bases Number 23 (1½” x 2″)
No. 19 x ½” flat head nails
Neodymium magnets (⅛” and ¼”)
Gorilla Glue
Vallejo Surface Primer “Black”
Wooden Blocks, steel bolts, steel washers, nails, magnets, steel screws
Vallejo Model Air “Dark Brown”
Vallejo Primers “NATO Green”
Vallejo Premium Color “Yellow Ochre”
Hataka “Vert Fonce”
Vallejo Model Air “Tire Black”
Vallejo Model Color “Dark Sea Grey”
Battlefront “Oxide Red”
Army Painter “Dark Tone” (wash)
Vallejo Mecha Weathering Effects “Dark Rust Wash”
Vallejo “Mecha Varnish Gloss”
Microscale Industries “Micro Set”
Microscale Industries “Micro Sol”
Microscale Industries “Liquid Decal Film”
Flames of War French Decal Set (FR940)
Peddinghaus-Decals 1/100 2181 “World of Flames French tanks early war”
Citadel “‘Ardcoat”
Vallejo Surface Primer “German Green Brown”
Vallejo “Gloss Acrylic Varnish”
Citadel “Agrellan Earth” (texture)
Army Painter “Mid Brown” (shade/wash)
Reaper MSP Core Colors “Blackened Brown”
Vallejo Flow Improver
Vallejo Thinner
Vallejo “Matte Polyurethane Varnish”
Printed labels on card stock
Gamers Grass “Tiny Beige 2mm Tufts” (flocking)
PVA Glue

French Armor for Operation Torch: White-Laffly AMD 80’s & Schneider AMC P16’s

Having decided to run an Operation Torch game of What a Tanker at HISTORICON 2025, I had to get working back in March and early April. It was time to gather enough vehicles and paint them up. As you will see in these entries, it was not always easy, especially for some of the esoteric/rare Vichy vehicles.

This blog will, as I promised, catch you up on the myriad of US and Vichy French vehicles that I assembled and painted for that recent convention. If I had stopped to blog about them at the time, I don’t think I would have gotten everything done. I had not built any tanks in many years, so I was excited!

After the Fall of France, there were still French Army units defending the colonies. So let’s start with some of these Vichy French vehicles for November 1942.

I will start with two types of Old Glory models. Both are metal and 1:100 in scale (15mm).

The first one is SKU CD607, “White-Laffly AMD 80“. This vehicle was a twice-modified holdover from WWI, and it looks it. Around 28 were reworked in 1934. It was rearmed with three machine guns. One heavy machine gun replaced the Puteaux SA18 37mm cannon in the turret that its predecessor, the AMD 50, had. AMD stands for “automitrailleuse de decouverte” – basically “armored scout car” in English. By the time war broke out in Europe, all of these were in North Africa in the colonies. This was a common fate for all older French armaments.

The second one is SKU CD610, “Schneider AMC P16“. Like the White-Laffly AMD 80, this was a cavalry vehicle. Unlike it, its designation was AMC, or “automitrailleuse de combat” (combat armored car). 100 were produced. It had an innovative Kegresse suspension system that made it into a half-track. It also kept its turret-mounted Puteaux SA18 37mm cannon. This was the most common cannon on French tanks, so this gave it some anti-armor punch. Some P16’s did met the Wehrmacht in Germany, but many were similarly dispersed to the colonies before 1939.

The Old Glory Command Decision models as received. There were 3 of each type. I printed off some examples of paint schemes to start with them.

I got the models in April, and started work on them on the 26th. I did the usual drilling and washing in preparation for assembling and painting. I also used small magnets to affix the turrets. These magnets also serve to help to hold the brewed-up markers (also on magnets) that I use to indicate knocked-out tanks.

The White-Laffly AMD 80 models drilled and washed.

The Schneider AMC P16 models drilled and washed.

Metal miniatures don’t always cast perfectly. In the case of the AMD 80’s, the headlights were not great, but fixable.

Close up example of a missing White-Laffly headlight.

I used a little green stuff and they started looking old again!

I also used green stuff and to fill the cavities under the vehicles. I waited until the green stuff had hardened just slightly, then inserted screws as you can see. Once that had fully set, I had a nice way of setting up the models on wooden blocks for painting, as the screws would come out easily later.

I ended up with a typical French camouflage pattern on the AMD 80’s as opposed to the pattern in the reference.

The P16’s got a brown and green camouflage pattern.

The Schneider AMC P16’s got a darker green – shown here ready for decals.

To be efficient and productive, I worked on these (and others you will see shortly in future posts) at the same time. I ended up deciding to base these on steel bases so as to allow each type a label. Let’s face it, I can’t expect most gamers at a convention to recognize these old and rare types. Labels help. I just needed to explain to the players that the bases are irrelevant to targeting the vehicles.

Decals and labels applied, still needed an application of matte varnish, some tufts and their turrets!

I managed to finish these on May the 8th.

Eye Candy

White-Laffly AMD 80

Group shot of the three White-Laffly AMD 80 models completed.

Here is my Instagram White-Laffly AMD 80 video link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMtJSygOJqJ/

Schneider AMC P16

Group shot of the three Schneider AMC P16 80 models completed.

Here is my Instagram Schneider AMC P16 video link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMtJ_a1OSg4/

Thanks for looking!

For all of my posts on WWII games and projects – there is a consolidated list of posts and their links located here.

I hope you enjoyed the post – there are several more entries coming soon! I’d love to hear any feedback – feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments section.

MATERIALS USED

PAINTS, INKS, GLAZES, SHADES, WASHES, PIGMENTS AND FLOCKING USED ON THE WHITE-LAFFLY AMD 80 MODELS:

Vallejo “Flow Improver”
Green Stuff
War Games Accessories Steel Bases Number 23 (1½” x 2″)
Neodymium magnets (⅛” and ¼”)
Gorilla Glue Vallejo Surface Primer “Black”
Wooden Blocks, steel bolts, steel washers, magnets, steel screws
Vallejo Primers “NATO Green”
Vallejo Model Air “Duck Egg Green”
Vallejo Model Air “Dark Brown”
Vallejo Mecha Weathering Effects “Dark Rust Wash”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Deep Green”
Vallejo Model Color “Dark Yellow”
Vallejo Model Color “Black”
Battlefront “Gunship Green”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Sky Blue”
Vallejo Model Air “Gun Metal”
Vallejo Model Air “Tire Black”
Vallejo Model Color “Dark Sea Grey”
Army Painter “Dark Tone” (wash)
Vallejo “Mecha Varnish Gloss”
Microscale Industries “Micro Set”
Microscale Industries “Micro Sol”
Microscale Industries “Liquid Decal Film”
Flames of War French Decal Set (FR940)
Peddinghaus-Decals 1/100 2181 “World of Flames French tanks early war”
Citadel “‘Ardcoat”
Vallejo Surface Primer “German Green Brown”
Vallejo “Gloss Acrylic Varnish”
Citadel “Agrellan Earth” (texture)
Army Painter “Mid Brown” (shade/wash)
Reaper MSP Core Colors “Blackened Brown”
Vallejo Flow Improver Vallejo Thinner
Vallejo “Matte Polyurethane Varnish”
Printed labels on card stock
Gamers Grass “Tiny Beige 2mm Tufts” (flocking)
PVA Glue

PAINTS, INKS, GLAZES, SHADES, WASHES, PIGMENTS AND FLOCKING USED ON THE SCHNEIDER AMC P16 MODELS:

Green Stuff
War Games Accessories Steel Bases Number 23 (1½” x 2″)
Neodymium magnets (⅛” and ¼”)
Gorilla Glue
Vallejo Surface Primer “Black”
Wooden Blocks, steel bolts, steel washers, magnets, steel screws
Steel ball bearings
Vallejo Primers “NATO Green”
Vallejo Model Air “Dark Brown”
Vallejo Mecha Weathering Effects “Dark Rust Wash”
Vallejo Model Air “Tire Black”
Vallejo Model Color “Dark Sea Grey”
Army Painter “Dark Tone” (wash)
Vallejo “Mecha Varnish Gloss”
Microscale Industries “Micro Set”
Microscale Industries “Micro Sol”
Microscale Industries “Liquid Decal Film”
Flames of War French Decal Set (FR940)
Peddinghaus-Decals 1/100 2181 “World of Flames French tanks early war”
Citadel “‘Ardcoat”
Vallejo “Gloss Acrylic Varnish”
Vallejo Surface Primer “German Green Brown”
Citadel “Agrellan Earth” (texture)
Army Painter “Mid Brown” (shade/wash)
Reaper MSP Core Colors “Blackened Brown”
Vallejo Flow Improver
Vallejo Thinner
Vallejo “Matte Polyurethane Varnish”
Printed labels on card stock
Gamers Grass “Tiny Beige 2mm Tufts” (flocking)
PVA Glue

The 308 Lakeside Open of 2025 (Tour of the Brookfields)

Our fourth regular season TOB event at Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club in Oakham, MA was held on the morning of Saturday, July 26th, 2025. This was the 2025 308 Lakeside Open sponsored by 308 Lakeside restaurant. We had 96 players on 24 teams in three divisions.

Weather was once again in our favor – which was nice. We had several new players – and welcome to all of you! There are two more regular season TOB’s before the FINALS. All are at Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club:

Saturday, August 16th: Hardwick Crossing Open
Sunday, September 7th: Lamoureaux Ford Open
Saturday, September 27th: THE FINALS

In order to qualify to play in THE FINALS, a player must have signed up to participate in three TOB’s. For example, those who signed up for the originally rained-out TOB in April, get credit for participating as one event. You can sign up to play at Still Harts Cafe, Quail Hollow, or on the TOB Facebook page.

Back to the results from the 308 Lakeside Open. See the results and details below. Once again, you can get these updates automatically by becoming an email subscriber to this blog (you can do this at the end of the blog post). The cost – nothing! It’s free!

2025 308 Lakeside Open Results

There were some excellent scores this time – and several teams in each division had a shot at the top place. For the first time this year, there were no playoffs.

In the Nicklaus Flight, the team of Jack Dorman, Dennis Trela, Brian Lacroix, and Deb Durgin won with a great score of 11-under par! Just one shot back in second place was the team of Josh Russell, Tom Waugh, Jay Gregory, and Cathy Patchen. Congrats to both for hitting double-digits under par!

In the Player Flight, yet another team won by scoring in double-digits under par! At -11 was the team of Ron McCann, Brandon McEvoy, Jason McCarthy, and Mark Bruso. Outstanding!

In second place were two teams at -8:

Adam Kettles, John DeSimone, Jarred Dandurant, and Leo Forget
Matt DeSimone, Stan Nolin, Matt McLeod, and Marcy Kimball

In the Palmer Flight, at 9-under par, the team of Ed McLeod, Bill Gaudette, Tom McCarthy, and April Pagnoni came out on top! Close behind them tied for second were two teams at -7. These teams were:

Shane Higgins, Ron Jette, Joe Pagnoni, and Kathleen Soltys
Beth McCann, Nelson Malin, Rick Gemme, and Jim Parker

Superb golf by all there!

As for skins, this was amazingly competitive. We ONLY had one this time – and that skin was a birdie on the par-four tenth hole. The team walking away with all of the skin money was Amanda Pierce, Paul Boulette, Ted Balicki, and Eddie Kosla. Great job!

As for closest to the pin, that award went to Ron Jette and his team with a distance of 4 feet, 4 inches.

Here are all of the results:

Congrats again to the winners and thanks to all the players!

The Next Tournament and Some Notes

Special thanks again to 308 Lakeside restaurant for their longstanding sponsorship of this event!

Also, as always, thank you to Carl Fitz, Jim LeBlanc, and all the staff at Quail Hollow who work so hard to make the Tour of the Brookfields possible.

IMPORTANT!!!

The next tournament is in August on the 16th. It is a Saturday. It will be the Hardwick Crossing Open sponsored by Hardwick Crossing Country Club. It is held at Quail Hollow.

Sign ups will be coming down VERY QUICKLY – closing on August 10th.

This event will also be VERY well-attended, so sign up early at Still Harts, at Quail Hollow, or on the Tour of the Brookfields Facebook page!

Again, you can sign up for this event up until August 1oth. Teams will be published by the committee on August 13th.

Remember, to qualify as a player for the FINALS on September 27th, playing three events is the normal needed threshold (with a very few exceptions).

Registration on August 16th will start at 7 AM, so please arrive before 7:30 AM.

A FEW REQUESTS:

First, thanks everyone for being timely in arriving. It helps us to get going much faster, please keep that up.

Second, if you want to sign up, PLEASE use one of the three sign up opportunities (Still Harts, at Quail Hollow, or on event section of the Tour of the Brookfields Facebook page). Texts do get lost or buried…so please use the lists.

Lastly, if you write your name down on the closest to the pin list, MAKE SURE WE CAN READ IT AND THE DISTANCE! If we cannot read it, well…you might lose out…

A Few Photos:

Matt, Tony, and Clayton with Tara at the bar pre-round

Any comments? Add them here in the comments section or on the Facebook page! Until next event!

A Special note to my Wargame/Miniature blog followers…

Wargame “Stuff” is coming to this blog soon- I can hear it on the road…or at least I can smell the smoke…

Operation Torch: Planning My WWII Gaming Experience for HISTORICON

It’s been a while for the return of several blog-related things here.

First, this marks the first hobby post I have done in a while. The last one I did was on Professor Nitpik’s Mechanical Mini Swarm back in April. I also never got around to a recap of my games at HUZZAH in May (but I hope to at some point as I do have a good number of photos).

Secondly, I have not done any WWII-related hobby work since March of 2020 (wow 5 years!). After my last What a Tanker tank project, I did a lot with my Feudal Patrol Mesoamerican project (Aztecs, Conquistadors, Maya), and then Wars of Ozz. Luckily for me (and maybe you), I catalog and link all my posts by genre on multiple pages for easy recall. As an aside, for new readers, here are the links for all of these:

There are others as well, and these pages help me to remember how I did certain aspects of projects in terms of painting and assembly (and anything else).

Additionally, as many of you know, the US Army is celebrating its 250th Anniversary. The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society (HMGS) is celebrating that anniversary as its theme for this year’s HISTORICON gaming convention. As a proud US Army veteran, I just HAD to get a game or two together for it. As game submission was back in March, that might seem like plenty of time to get such an endeavor together. But I had HAVOC, HUZZAH, a Florida trip, my reelection, and golf in between then and now! Blogging took a back seat to actually finishing off any projects. Until now!

I usually try to create scenarios and run games that are not common or run-of-the-mill. For the US Army, there is a wide swath of stuff to choose from.

I ended up deciding on looking into the early days of WWII. I dug into Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa. I further read up on the combat in Morocco, where the US and Vichy France actually fought for several days before agreeing to an armistice and coming over to the Allies’ side. I chose to focus on the Western Task Force under then-MG George S. Patton, that invaded Morocco in three places. My specific focus would be on Sub-Task Force Goalpost, which was led by MG Lucien Truscott, Jr. – and what really intrigued me, as I did my research, was his response to a Vichy armored counterattack. Apparently the Vichy French launched an armored counterattack with what they had to interdict one of the US landing beaches. Truscott sent all his armor (7 M5 Stuart tanks) and some support to stop the threat, which outnumbered him by more than 2:1. Now I had a game concept!

As for research, here are all the books I read and used:

Certainly a lot of Steven Zaloga here, and the Breuer and Osprey books were the most helpful. There indeed was significant armored Vichy forces in the North African colonies. In Morocco was a motley assortment of tanks (WWI -era FT-17’s, Hotchkiss H35’s and H39’s, plus some R35’s that had been hidden from the German and Italian Armistice Commission). Sources vary as to what was available, but certainly these types were in Morocco in November 1942. There also were multiple old armored cars dating back to the 1920’s and early 1930’s. Vichy also had naval assets there, plus any of their air force that had flown there to escape Armistice terms. A good number of Dewoitine D.520 fighter planes and others made up a strong air component for Vichy.

The US here did not have M3 Lee’s or M4 Sherman tanks available to stop he counterattack. Those were on large ships that needed a port to unload, unlike the M5 Stuarts. The US had the Stuarts, M3 GMC’s, M3A1 Scout Cars, and the weird stopgap M6 Fargo. On the other side, the US had F4F Wildcats and Avenger TBF’s. Offshore were these significant naval assets that I would also add to the game design. Interestingly, many French tanks were hit with impact-fused depth charges from the air – plus naval gunfire from the USS Savannah.

The US Army in November 1942 was seeing its first real amphibious landing and combat in the ETO, so I incorporated that with regards to their shooting abilities. The Stuarts had gotten their radios wet, and hence inoperable, in the landing – so that was another aspect I added. The French had a lot of very worn out vehicles, and I did add an aspect of mechanical unreliability to them as well.

With these equipments as my baseline, I resurrected my WaT rules. Sourcing all of the vehicles took time, and I will chronicle each of the types in successive posts. My thought is that its better to focus on each vehicle type with a short post than a massive one now that blurred the lines. Writing all of these will take some time, and I also hope to share a review of my HISTORICON 2025 experience. If you are at the convention, I will be in the H.A.W.K.’s room as below. While my games are “sold out”, you never know if space becomes available! Besides my two Ozz games on Thursday and Friday, I’ll be running the “Operation Torch: Vichy mounts a Counterattack” game twice on Saturday. Come by!

Here is a tease on the 31 French and 22 American vehicles that I have amassed and painted for the game since March. All are 15 mm/1:100 scale. They will get their own posts in the next few weeks (I hope).

I do want to join in a couple of painting challenges – like Fort Syllabub’s “Jagpanther Juni”, and Dave’s annual “Season of Scenery” at Wargames Terrain Workshop. With HISTORICON looming, my hope is to get these individual posts out as I can. It is golf season…

Plus I have MANY of my fellow blogger’s posts to catch up on – I have been reading them and there is some great work out there!

I hope I’ve piqued your interests! Let me know!

My WWII posts master list is again here for your enjoyment.

Until next post!

Toomey-Lovett Classic Recap: No Rain and Intense Competition

The third regular season TOB event at Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club in Oakham, MA was held on the morning of Saturday, June 21st, 2025.

This was the 2025 Toomey-Lovett Classic! We had 80 players on 20 teams in three divisions.

For the FIRST TIME NO RAIN THIS YEAR!!! It was a gorgeous day.

I’ll share the results and details below. Just as a reminder, you can get these updates automatically by becoming an email subscriber to this blog (you can do this at the end of the blog post). The cost – nothing! It’s free!

2025 Toomey-Lovett Classic Results

Time and time again this event proves to be highly competitive. This day was certainly no exception.

In the Nicklaus Flight, we had an amazing win by the team of Dan Mitchell, Jared Danitis, Jarrod Dandurant, and Steve Saunders who came in at -12. That is the lowest score by any team all year, and hats off to them for an amazing performance. Only two strokes back in second place was the team of Ken Jurczyk, Gary Donlin, Jim Lovett, and Lynn Morin. Congrats to both for hitting double-digits under par!

In the Player Flight, the team of Jim Wilson, Amanda Pierce, Doug Judd, and Doug Brown won with 8 strokes under par. In second place were not one but 4 teams all at -6:

Mike Ellis, Dave Fiske, Brian Egan, and Jim Parker
Tom Foley, Bill Gaudette, Jim McKeon, and Chris Waugh
Mark A. Morin (yes me), Beth McCann, Clayton Rice, and Jeff McLeod
Chip Wetherell, Mike Kularski, Tony Woodman, and Matt McLeod

In addition to this tight grouping at -6, the entire flight his group was very close with only 4 strokes separating the bottom team from the top.

In the Palmer Flight, we had a two-team playoff. These both came in at a stellar -7. After three hard-fought and exciting playoff holes, neither bested the other, so they ended up tied for first. These teams were:

Mark Shores, Dennis Trela, Nelson Malin, and Marcy Kimball
Tom Savage, Ken Burnham, John Desimone, and Ed Sanborn

As a testament to the competition, two other teams were just two strokes behind the winners. Well done!

As for skins, we had three this time. These were shared by the teams of:

Tom Foley, Bill Gaudette, Jim McKeon, and Chris Waugh with an eagle on hole number 3.
Mark A. Morin (yes me), Beth McCann, Clayton Rice, and Jeff McLeod with an eagle on hole number 5.
Jack Dorman, Brian Leveille, Leo Forget, and Mark Bruso with a birdie on hole number 10.

As for closest to the pin, that award went to Gary Donlin with a distance of 11 feet, two inches.

Here are all of the results.

Congrats again to the winners and thanks to all the players!

The Next Tournament and some notes

Special thanks to Jim Lovett for his longstanding sponsorship of this event – as well as his participation.

Also, as always, thank you to Carl Fitz, Jim LeBlanc, and all the staff at Quail Hollow who work so hard to make the Tour of the Brookfields possible.

The next tournament is in July on the 26th. It is a Saturday. It will be the 308 Lakeside Open sponsored by 308 Lakeside restaurant.. This event will also be VERY well-attended, so sign up early at Still Harts, at Quail Hollow, or on the Tour of the Brookfields Facebook page!

You can sign up for this event up until July 20th. Teams will be published by the committee on July 23rd.

Remember, to qualify as a player for the FINALS on September 27th, playing three events is the normal needed threshold (with a very few exceptions).

Registration on July 26th starts at 7 AM, please arrive before 7:30 AM.

REQUESTS AND FYI FOR THE NEXT EVENTS

We need you to arrive WELL-BEFORE the shotgun start time. If you are showing up at 7:55 AM for an 8 AM shotgun – YOU ARE LATE!!! This is very inconsiderate, and just not fair to the committee members at the sign-in desk. PLEASE you MUST arrive BY the registration time – we have a lot of players to sign in.
Registration opens at 7 AM!
Not showing up does carry with it a possible suspension for the TOB – just a reminder.
No one should be practice putting or chipping on a green before play on any hole is complete. Even afterwards, this is discouraged for pace of play reasons.
A reminder, once a ball is holed out, that score counts – so if you tap in a ball at the edge of the hole before another player gets his turn to putt, the hole is over.

No photos!

Sorry, but with some late arrivals and the memorial we held, I did not get much chance to take a lot photos this time. Next time…maybe…and yes the cover shot is another AI!

If you have any feedback or comments on this blog post – there is a comment section that you can use below. I will continue to put up these events on Facebook – but if you are not on Facebook and want to sign up, you can use the comment section here on this blog.

Once again, please feel free to subscribe as an email follower! (and it is free and you’ll get instant updates by email). The subscribe buttons are at the bottom of this post.

And 2025 Tour of the Brookfields golf posts will be consolidated here.

A Special note to my Wargame/Miniature blog followers…

And as I have some folks who follow this blog to see what I do with miniatures and wargaming, I have a special message. I have not forgotten you! See below.

When I am not golfing, I have been preparing for HISTORICON, where I will be running 4 games.

Two of which are What a Tanker games with my modifications. These will be in honor of the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of the US Army. The other two are Wars of Ozz games. For the US Army games, they will recreate an historical battle that happened in Morocco between the Vichy French and the US Army in Operation Torch. This occurred in November 1942 -where the US actually fought the French in the early days of the invasion of North Africa. I been assembling and painting up the needed tanks and armored cars, and have 53 vehicles done right now – 31 French and 22 American. For perspective, each vehicle base here is 1″ wide by 1.5″ long. They are 15 mm (1:100 scale).

I have not had much blogging time (but a lot of golfing time). I hope to share individual posts with you on this project very soon!

Thanks for taking a look – I’ll be back with more Life, Golf, Miniatures, & Other Distractions soon!

The Tour of the Brookfields May event – Results from the 2025 Still Harts Open

The second regular season TOB event at Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club in Oakham, MA was held on the morning of Saturday, May 24th, 2025. This was the May 2025 Still Harts Open. We had 100 players on 25 teams in three divisions. Yet again rain came in – but nothing like we have seen earlier – so it was playable weather.

I’ll share the results below and I actually got a few photos is so I will share those too.

2025 Still Harts Open Results

Fortunately, we had a very competitive day across all three flights/divisions.

In the Nicklaus Flight, we had a playoff between two teams that finished at -9. These team were: the team of Cameron Fahey, Connor Fahey, Ben Doros, and Darryl Miner; and the team of Dan Mitchell, Jim Gregoire, Jason McCarthy, and Paul Wyman. Both battled it out in a playoff on the 18th hole in the rain, with Cameron Fahey’s team acing first place with a birdie. Congrats to both for a hard-fought round! This group was very tight with only 4 strokes separating the bottom team from the top.

In the Player Flight, the team of Donnie Casey, Mike Kularski, Tom Savage, and Mike McCarthy came in first place at -10. This was the lowest score in the tournament, so big kudos there! In second, two strokes back at -8, was the team of Tom Orszulak, Brian Lacroix, Brian Leveillee, and Lynn Morin.

In the Palmer Flight, there was yet another close win – this time a 1-stroke victory by the team of Jack Dorman, Rich Johnson, Bob DeMaio, and Susan Benoit. They came in at -8, narrowly edging out the team of Ron Allen, Rich Casault, John Desimone, and Chris Waugh, who shot -7. Well done!

As for skins, we only had two! With the carryover from the Techo Bloc Open, there was a nice skin pool. These were shared by the teams of:

Jack Dorman, Rich Johnson, Bob DeMaio, and Susan Benoit with an Eagle on hole number 3.
Dan Mitchell, Jim Gregoire, Jason McCarthy, and Paul Wyman with a birdie on hole number 18 in regulation play.

Lastly, on hole number 17, Rob Peterson threw a dart and ended up a on the green a mere 6′ 1″ from the hole! Wow!

Here are all of the results.

Congrats again to the winners and thanks to all the players!

The Next Tournament and some notes

Thanks to Still Harts for their longstanding sponsorship of this event. Also, as always, special appreciation to Carl Fitz, Jim LeBlanc, and all the staff at Quail Hollow who work so hard to make the Tour of the Brookfields possible.

The next tournament is just a few weeks away on Saturday, June 21st, 2025. It will be the Toomey-Lovett Classic. This event will also be VERY well-attended, so sign up early at Still Harts, at Quail Hollow, or on the Tour of the Brookfields Facebook page!

Sign ups will come down on Sunday, June 15th. Registration on June starts at 7 AM, please arrive before 7:30 AM.

REQUESTS AND FYI FOR THE NEXT EVENTS

We need you to arrive WELL-BEFORE the shotgun start time. If you are showing up at 7:55 AM for an 8 AM shotgun – YOU ARE LATE!!! This is very inconsiderate, and just not fair to the committee members at the sign-in desk. PLEASE you MUST arrive BY the registration time – we have a lot of players to sign in.
Not showing up does carry with it a likely suspension for the TOB – just a reminder.
No one should be practice putting or chipping on a green before a hole is complete. Even afterwards, this is discouraged for pace of play reasons.
A reminder, once a ball is holed out, that score counts – so if you tap in a ball at the edge of the hole before another player gets his turn to putt, the hole is over.

Now for some photos!

If I made any errors let me know…

Our pro, Jim LeBlanc, working hard to support us!

The Committee works the registration desk.

Dylan Allen, Rich Casault, and Matt Desimone (with Lynn Morin on the right in the back).

Matt Desimone and Tom Orszulak chum it up between practice putts.

Corey Heyes and Ryan Holway ready for action.

Shane Higgins, Deb Durgin, Paul Sanborn, and Ken Dorman await the start.

Feel free to subscribe as an email follower! (and it is free and you’ll get instant updates). The subscribe buttons are at the bottom of this post.

And 2025 posts will be consolidated here.

Lastly, in my last report, I did say I had some little tanks to paint up. Here are a few I rebased (for my non-golf audience) for my upcoming project. These are French tanks that fought in early WWII. I The bases are 1′ wide by 1.5″ long for perspective. They are 15 mm (1:100 scale). Now I have even more tanks to paint up…

The Tour of the Brookfields is Back (if a bit rained on…again!)

A quick note to start.

To my readers – this blog is titled “Life, Golf, Miniatures, & Other Distractions“. I will be covering multiple topics again this year and I hope that you will stay with me. My two main hobbies are miniatures (used for tabletop wargaming) and golf. The main golf topic will be the Tour of the Brookfields. This blog serves as the main on-line source of information about the events of the Tour of the Brookfields. Also its about my wargaming stuff, so…on to golf this time.

On the afternoon of Saturday, May 3, 2025 we had our first (rescheduled) regular season TOB event at Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club in Oakham, MA. This was the April 2024 Techo Bloc Open (held in May this time). We had 76 players on 19 teams. These teams were in three divisions.

We had already rescheduled this from April 26th due to rain. Once again Mother Nature had it in for us with a mid-round monsoon that felt like a microburst. On average we got in 11 to 14 of the 18 holes before all hell broke loose. Thankfully, most everyone got in safely as the thunder, lightning, and winds hit Quail Hollow.

As a result. the committee had to make some tough calls as to calculating “winners”. Those are denoted below in the photo. The system that we used was suggested by Jim LeBlanc and we do VERY much appreciate his help. While some did not agree with our decision, we had to make a call. This was the fairest option.

We did not award any skins or “closest to the pin” on the 17th hole. Skins will roll over to the next event on May 24th.

2025 Techo Bloc Open Results

All three flights were very competitive. Note that due to the abbreviated format I am leaving off scores as they do not really say much.

In the Nicklaus Flight, the team of Reece McLeod, John Desimone, Alex Morales, and Maddie Tighe came in first place all alone.

In the Player Flight, there were 5 of of 7 teams tied for first. Those were:

Carl Fitz, Dean Malin, George Fiske, Matt McLeod
Donnie Casey, Paul Boulette, Eddie Kosla, Joe Pagnoni
John Markey, Brian Lacroix, Jason McCarthy, Jeff McLeod
Chip Wetherell, Rick Gemme, Mike Mills, Lisa Persson
Mark Shores, Bob Demaio, Doug Judd, Dick Lapierre

In the Palmer Flight, there were three teams tied for first place. Those were:

Shane Higgins, Pete Peloquin, Sr., Darryl Furtado, Bernie Lapierre, Sr.
Ed McLeod, Mike Kularski, Nelson Malin, Scott Bombard
Brian Egan, Keith Drolet, Leo Egan, Travis Underwood

As we were short-handed on the Committee on that day, I do not have any photos to share. Next time!

Congrats again to the winners!

The Next Tournament and some notes

Thanks again to all the players, to Techo Bloc for sponsoring this event, and to Carl Fitz, Jim LeBlanc, and all the staff at Quail Hollow who work so hard to make the Tour of the Brookfields possible.

The next tournament is coming up quickly. It will be on May 24th (Saturday). It will be the Still Harts Cafe Open. Sign ups will come down on Sunday, May 18th.

REMEMBER IT WILL BE EARLIER IN THE MORNING – Registration starts at 7:30 AM. This event will be VERY well-attended, so sign up early at Still Harts, at Quail Hollow, or on the Tour of the Brookfields Facebook page!

REQUESTS AND FYI FOR THE NEXT EVENTS

We need you to arrive WELL-BEFORE the shotgun start time. If you are showing up at 7:55 AM for an 8 AM shotgun – YOU ARE LATE!!! This is very inconsiderate, and just not fair to the committee members at the sign-in desk. PLEASE you MUST arrive BY the registration time – we have a lot of players to sign in.
Not showing up does carry with it a likely suspension for the TOB – just a reminder.
No one should be practice putting or chipping on a green before a hole is complete. Even afterwards, this is discouraged for pace of play reasons.
A reminder, once a ball is holed out, that score counts – so if you tap in a ball at the edge of the hole before another player gets his turn to putt, the hole is over.

Feel free to subscribe as an email follower! (and it is free and you’ll get instant updates). The subscribe buttons are at the bottom of this post.

A consolidated list of 2024 Golf Posts is here.

And 2025 posts will be consolidated here.

Now I have some tanks to paint up!

Mechanical Mini Swarm with Pulse Blasters (Wars of Ozz)

And now little bots from the apocalyptic ruins of the Industrial City!

This unit is a part of Professor Nitpik’s Industrial City Army. This regiment is composed of 40 mini-mechanical men (robots), deployed on five 2″ bases. The figures are metal and 28mm in size.

I have described my work on the good Professor’s background and army in three previous posts that you can check out:

I decided to go red on gold again. I really liked the effect I got on the artillery battery.

After priming – a good airbrush application of Createx “Pearl Red” on April 15.

The pearlized red works well with pearlized copper. I faced a downside. It was unbeknownst to me that my spray booth filter needed cleaning before I started. As a result, my basement had some residual fumes after painting, which I otherwise never see. Luckily I always mask up when airbrushing.

Finished hand brush painting these on April 16th, to include a wash.

The regiment does not have a regimental commander. However, I thought it would be good to give them a standard. So I took a wire spear from my unused Aztec bits, and a nut. With some green stuff, I crafted an ersatz standard pole.

I then varnished all the bots with a gloss coat. This allowed me to handle them and better mount them on the bases without causing any damage.

I mixed and matched the bots into different places on the bases. I also drilled out one bot claw and base to hold the standard. Next came a generous flocking of Army Painter “Black Battlefield”. I also added rusted bits and brick rubble before adding pigments.

After a matte varnishing, the last step was to add the standard!

That’s a wrap on this regiment – and for my Ozz painting for a while. I will be starting a new project in support of my upcoming HISTORICON 2025 games. Yes, I will still be running Wars of Ozz games – BUT I’m branching out a bit after painting over 1,000 (1,040 to date) Ozz figures…

Hint – I’ll be plowing new ground – but not totally new ground…yes, TANKS! But for which period and theater…hmmm….do you have a guess?

I will get back to Ozz painting sometime this year, so I can finish off my forces.

Here’s the Instagram link for a video that shows the command stand:

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Final Notes and Links

Want to learn more about Ozz and its world? If you want to check out the excellent Wars of Ozz figures’ range, there are two places to get them. You can also get the rules there. (I make no money from this.) The game rules and the figures are available from the next two places:

In the US Old Glory has a site – Wars of Ozz Miniatures.

In the UK go to Sally 4th.

And the new Wars of Ozz Supplement is available as a PDF download from the next two websites:

Below you’ll see the list of paints and the like that I used on this project. They are more useful for me when I need to recreate a color scheme in the future. They are not likely as useful for you as they are for me. I have had to refer back to a post more than once. This happens when I need to recreate a color theme. It also happens when I need to repair a unit. In any case, that’s why I post the lists.

Miscellaneous details and references for those interested in that sort of thing:

For my earlier posts on Wars of Ozz games, view this page. It includes figures, units, and other related projects.

PAINTS, INKS, GLAZES, SHADES, WASHES, PIGMENTS, FLOCKING, GLUES AND MORE THAT I USED ON THE MECHANICAL MINI SWARM WITH PULSE BLASTERS REGIMENT:

Popsicle sticks
PVA Glue
War Games Accessories Steel Bases (number 16)
Vallejo Surface Primer “Black”
Createx Wicked Colors “Pearl Red”
Createx Wicked Colors “High Performance Reducer”
ComArt “Opaque Carmine”
Createx Airbrush Colors “Pearl Copper”
Vallejo Model Air “Tire Black”
Vallejo Model Air “Gun Metal”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Off White”
Army Painter Warpaints Fanatics Effects “Blue Flux” (effect)
Citadel “Nuln Oil GLOSS” (wash/shade)
Aztec leftover wire spear
Steel nut
Green stuff (kneadatite)
Army Painter “Black Battlefields” (flocking)
Citadel “Gehenna’s Gold”
Gorilla Glue
Juweela 1:35 Debris
Juweela Metal Scrap Rusty
Juweelinis “Diorama Mix” – various metal scrap, tires, bricks
Vallejo “Carbon Black” (pigment)
Vallejo “Titanium White” (pigment)
Vallejo Acrylic Varnish “Gloss”
Vallejo Flow Improver
Vallejo Thinner
Vallejo Premium Color “Matte Varnish”
Pendraken 12mm dice frame
Card stock
Wars of Ozz flag from supplement
Black Sharpie Pen
Brown Sharpie Pen

If you have any questions or feedback – go for it in the “Comments” section! Thanks for looking as always!!

HAVOC 2025: Exciting Wars of Ozz Games Recap

HAVOC XXXIX (aka HAVOC 2025) was held on the weekend of April 4-6, 2025 in Marlborough, Massachusetts. It is the annual tabletop wargaming convention for Battlegroup Boston (BGB). There were 36 4-hour games scheduled at the event. I ran 5 games of Wars of Ozz (one game on Friday, three on Saturday, and one on Sunday). Overall I think I had 27 players across my games.

The Wars of Ozz games that I ran were titled:

Friday evening: Munchkins versus Lions and Tigers and Bears – OH MY!
Saturday morning: Battle for the Magic Mushrooms & the Ancient Crystals of Power
Saturday afternoon: Rear Guard Action – The Pursuit of the Fleeing Gillikins
Saturday evening: The Desert Wars of Ozz
Sunday morning: The HAVOC XXXIX Wars of Ozz Tournament

Running so many games is indeed a challenge. I wish I could have posted about the other conventions I attended in February. These included COLD BARRAGE (3 games), TotalCon (10 games), and COLD WARS (3 games). These were done on three consecutive weekends in a row! So my apologies- blogging took a back seat. I hope to upload some photos of those events on Facebook. Yes hope.

For now, let’s take a look at each game at HAVOC 2025. Russ Dunaway had kindly supported my efforts with some prizes and giveaways that you’ll see.

Munchkins versus Lions and Tigers and Bears – OH MY!

The Munchkins are fighting the Gillikin’s Lions and Tigers and Bears (OH MY!). This is a quick session of Wars of Ozz suitable for all ages, new players and experienced ones. Will move very quickly!

The set up. There were 3 Munchkin brigades (left side) versus 3 Gillikin brigades (right side). Each Gillikin Brigade was dominated by units of Dire Lions, Dire Bears, and Dire Wolves. The Gillikins had only 1 regiment with muskets. However, the Munchkins had artillery and excellent musketry. All brigades were small – 11 to 13 points each, with each side worth 35 points.

The Gillikins assault the Munchkins directly with their regiments of dire beasts. One regiment of musketry moves to move around a town to hit their right flank (at bottom of photo).

The Munchkin Sharpshooter Regiment takes up position behind a river, flanked by a medium battery.

The Gillikin 1st Infantry and the Mystic Crone (a witch) make their move to flank the sharpshooters. The town screened their approach.

Colonel TikTok’s regiment was on the medium battery’s left. They watch as the first Dire Bear regiment approaches…their fire halts them…

Both the Tigers and Bears take hits coming in. The Munchkin infantry takes heavy damage. They hope one of the two artillery batteries will act quickly!

Alas, a Dire Bear regiment dispatches the Munchkin Light Battery. Their gun is left behind to be torn asunder.

The medium battery is now threatened! It too would be destroyed…

All the Munchkins had left was an intact infantry regiment. That unit was on the far left flank and had been successful at holding off Dire Lions and Dire Wolves. Meanwhile, the sharpshooters position was finally taken by the Gillikin Infantry (commanded by Dan Eustace). Dan’s flanking maneuver had been one of the keys to their final victory. The final score was 13-11 in favor of the Lions, Tigers, and Bears of the Gillikins. Dan was awarded a set of the Wars of Ozz rules for his efforts!

Battle for the Magic Mushrooms & the Ancient Crystals of Power

The world of Ozz is nothing if not magical – and there are many talismans & powerful weapons that spring up everywhere. In a remote section of Ozz, a wonderful magical find of a field of Magic Mushrooms near some rare Crystals of Power – has led to an Ozzian “Gold Rush”. Here, several Ozzian nations are scrambling to take seize & control of them. Factions have teamed up & are ready to fight to get these valuable resources and deny their capture by their enemies, but what will happen? Beginners are welcome. Rules will be taught. Players under 13 only with a playing adult.

I set this game up for 8 players. I ended up with two brigades being unused and two players acting as a team. So, 6 brigades competed here against each other. Here is a video of the set up:

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Players checking out their forces at the start.

Charles moves his Impkins towards the objectives. They are menaced by Professor Nitpik’s advance to their left, and the Gillikin’s advance to their right.

Carter’s Pollywomp brigade moves towards the objectives, while Gillikins and Quadlings try to catch up.

The Nitpik cavalry takes flanking artillery fire from both the Impkins and the Gillikins – and routs away!

In revenge, the Elite Axemen move towards the Impkin infantry, who form line.

Meanwhile, the 1st brigade of Gillikin’s Tigers seize a cache of crystals. They are shot at by Nitpik artillery, and rout – dropping their crystals. Their compatriot Lions grab a stash of mushrooms and hope to escape with their booty.

Across the table, Carter deftly deploys a blocking force of Pollywomp infantry against the approaching 2nd Gillikin brigade. The Quadlings try to sneak through the woods unmolested.

Carter’s block worked – and his cavalry seizes crystals while his infantry grabs mushrooms.

On the other side of the table, the Tigers recover quickly. They grab mushrooms dropped by the Lions, who had been routed. The Gillikin’s skeletons grab the crystals previously dropped by the Tigers.

At that point the game ended due to time. Crystals were worth 10 points and mushrooms 5. Carter’s (on the left) Pollywomps and Tim and his wife’s Gillikins were tied for the win(they played together). Carter chose a Zoraster the Wizard miniature for his win, and the couple got a set of the rules.

Rear Guard Action – The Pursuit of the Fleeing Gillikins (Wars of Ozz)

This is one of my favorite scenarios.

The Gillikins have recently been defeated by the Munchkins and their allies in a major battle. The remnants of the Gillikin forces are desperately trying to withdraw to the safety of their lands. The Gillikins Empress, Arella the Witch, has her Summoning Bell to call up the Undead to join her troops in retreat. Their Munchkin enemies – as well as their Nitpik and Impkin allies – are in hot pursuit. Can the Gillikins make it to safety, or will the Munchkins prevail? Beginners are welcome. Rules will be taught. Players under 13 only with a playing adult.

Brad moves his Nitpik troops towards the Gillikins.

The fleeing Gillikins and their Summoning Bell move forward towards safety.

Slow-moving Munchkins do their best to catch the Gillikins on their left flank.

Brad’s Nitpik cavalry wipes out a skeleton regiment and moves to hit the bell. The bell would not survive the encounter.

Meanwhile, the Gillikins had successfully exited multiple regiments off the table. The Munchkin alliance had destroyed many Gillikins as well. The Munchkins moved to block the road to safety, leaving a Dire Bear regiment’s remnants to be destroyed.

The game ended in a tie! 26 bases were saved by the Gillikins and 26 bases were destroyed by the Munchkin Alliance! What a nail-biter!

The Desert Wars of Ozz

Ozz has vast deserts, but they are not uninhabited. In fact, several races such as the Whim Whim and their mortal enemies the Temujicans vie for supremacy over these sandy tracts. Join this sweeping desert battle to control the deserts of Ozz and their hidden marvels and treasures. Will you be successful and prevail over your enemies – find out! Beginners are welcome. Rules will be taught. Players under 13 only with a playing adult.

This Saturday night game was set up to accommodate 8 players. I only had 4 – so I scaled it down. The game’s objective was control of a single oasis. The contestants were a Temujican Brigade and a Gillikin brigade versus 2 Whim Whim brigades.

Brad moves his Whim Whim up, while teammate Mark and opponents Mike and Richard watch.

The game became a mini-slugfest. In the end, the Temujican/Gillikins controlled the oasis for the win!

The HAVOC XXXIX Wars of Ozz Tournament

This was the final game of the convention.

At this tournament, players will be tested to see who is the best general in the Wars of Ozz. This is a playoff of evenly-valued brigades. This will be fast-paced. New players and old are welcome – but experience is a BIG plus – and there will be glory for the winner (and possibly prizes)! Do you have what it takes? Find out!

I can accommodate 8 players here, but only had 5. Each gets a 21-22 point brigade from a different faction at random. Each enemy base taken out is worth a point, with routed ones being worth half a point.

So based on a die roll, 4 players went into round one with 1 player getting a bye.

Each round lasted two turns. The winners in round one were the top three brigades so 1 player was eliminated. The player with the bye would face the strongest survivor from round 1. Bases would be made even in that match. Round two would reduce 4 players to just 2 players for the final championship. Lost bases would be lost forever and not make it into subsequent rounds.

Here is a video of the set up (not all brigades were used as described previously):

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These were the match ups in Round 1:

Pollywomps (Gregg) versus Gillikins (Eric). Gregg defeats Eric.
Gillikins (Rich) versus Nitpik (Brad). Rich defeats Brad.
Bye – Ken (Winkies)

After round 1, Rich graciously asked Brad to command his Gillikins in Round 2. Gregg and Eric were left to a rematch with their damaged units. However, Gregg was able to raise a number of Undead units with his spellcasters to offset his losses.

In Round 2, the match ups were:

Pollywomps (Gregg) versus Gillikins (Eric). Gregg defeats Eric again.
Gillikins (Brad) versus Winkies (Ken). Ken defeats Brad.

This set up the final round between Gregg’s Pollywomps and Ken’s Winkies – to the DEATH.

After a tough fight, Gregg’s Pollywomps came out on top! Congrats!

To the VICTOR! Gregg received the trophy – which I had made with a Dire Lion figure donation from Russ Dunaway!

As a side note, there will be similar prizes awarded at HUZZAH 2025.

Thanks to all at Battle Group Boston for a great event and to Russ Dunaway for his support. Thanks to ALL the players.

Special thanks to Brad Gosselin for being an outstanding wingman for the ENTIRE convention…you rock buddy!!

Next up is MAYHEM, where some of these games will be run – then HUZZAH!

Thanks for looking – and feel free to share this post and or comment!

Miscellaneous details and references for those interested in that sort of thing:

For my earlier posts on Wars of Ozz games, view this page. It includes figures, units, and other related projects.

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