German Squad Transport.

Here we have two Horsch 4x4 troop carriers. These were the squad level transports used by the German Regiment that will be played in the Caen Campaign. They are 20mm Resin cast modes from FRONTLINE (Frontline Wargaming). They come as five peice kits the main casting and 4 wheels. Quiet nicly sculpted and cast and they go together easily and without fuss. As you would expect from the need to just attach the wheels. Quick simple and easy, just how I like it. As you can see I have not gone overboard with the paint scheme I have tried to keep it looking scruffy and unkempt the kind of vehicle which will do the job but without any frills.

There is still a lot to paint for the campaign but it is getting done at the right pace for me. However you should expect the next few posts from me to be centred around this task. I still have a lot of Canadian troops to paint as well as a couple of German. There will be very few vehicles on the tabletop so don't expect too many more to be blogged by me in the near future.

As you can see by the black and white photo of the real thing it is not the most glamorous and exciting of WW2 vehicles but it does serve a distict purpose of carrying a single squad and thier kit to where-ever they are needed be that across a farm in France to the depths of Russia or even through the deserts of North Africa. I don't tend to see too many of these on the wargames table as most games tend to concentrate on larger elements than squads. I think one of the reasons is that we tend to go tank heavy. I can honestly say I have seen more Tigers being used in wargames than these.

Elsewhere in my wargames life the Kickstarter run By Fasa was cancelled last night.

Below is the explanation I was sent and my moey returned.
"Dear Valued Backer,
Our project of 1879 iPad App, RPG, miniature game and figures has been live for over a week now. Based on the number of project backers, pledges and trends it looks like meeting our goal will be very challenging. Considering all of the factors, we have decided to suspend our project as described.
I would like to thank you for backing our project. Your commitment is what Kickstarter is all about.
We had hoped that the combination of miniatures, RPG and software would appeal to a large number of backers. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. So while work on the core miniatures game and rpg will continue, albeit at a slower pace, work on the iPad application will be halted.
Look for a revamped Kickstarter project early in the New Year. This streamlined project, focused on the new 1879 game system and miniatures, will hopefully be more successful.
Once again thank you, and if you decide to participate in our future projects, we will see to it that you receive something extra.
Thank you,
Ross Babcock"


So that's it for today more again on Sunday weather you want it or not! All the best Clint

Pre Campaign Admin.

At the club on Sunday I played the board game "Arkham Asylum" Having been a Call of C'thulhu reff about 20 years ago I have a working knowledge of the mythos. I have probably failed more San checks than you've had Christmas Dinners. As a board game it was OK and I don't mind the occasional board game, but there is something more full filling for me if the game is figure based.

The game for me was secondary to getting the Caen Campaign pre game admin done. Everyone playing the campaign will be taking the role of a sergeant, and leading a single squad of soldiers. Each side also has a Captain (Hauptmann), and a Lieutnant (Oberleutnant) so 4 players have to wear 2 hats. I went for an Oberleutnant as opposed to a Leutenant for the German officers but should the Oberleutnant suffer a fatality he will be replaced with a slightly junior rank of Leutnant.

The Campaign Players are as follows (In no particular Sargent order):
(Canadian)

• Captain P Wade.
• Lieutenant I Hannington.
• Sargent Downs
• Sargent Capps
• Sargent Smith
• Sargent Hannington
• Sargent Wade
• Sargent Wheeler

(German)

• Hauptmann T Vade
• Oberleutnant A Relf
• Unteroffizier Relf
• UnteroffizierVade
• UnteroffizierGiles

As is clearly demonstrated the Allies in the form of the Canadians out number the Germans 2 to 1. This is very very deliberate.

I started with the Captain Ranks and got them to mark on the campaign map (a simple grid of named squares) where if they were lucky they could call in Pre-planned Artillery barrages or keep their artillery in a counter-battery role. They also had to mark on the map where they thought the platoon objectives should be. (As several of those concerned read this blog I can't go into too much detail. At Sargent level they just would not know certain things at company level).

The bulk of the work fell on the lieutenant ranks, particularly the German one. They had to assign any platoon level assets to squads. Platoon assets include things as diverse as Binoculars and medics.  Each squad will be put into separate sealed envelopes so that no officer can give all the assets to the squad they will control and starve all the others. I don't think any of the players would, but this removes the temptation from them. I needed to know if I would need to paint anything special for the campaign and needed to be able to buy it should I need to. As it happens the painting yes the buying no.

The Lieutenants also had to place their squads on the map without knowing which squad they would actually get to command. Again this removes the temptation of trying to give themselves either an easy path to victory or a greater level of challenge.

I should say a couple of words about the Map. As mentioned above it is a simple grid with each square representing a VERY abstracted section of country. Each section has a one or two word title/description, for example "Cherry Orchard"or "L-Shape Field". The kind of objectives a squad could expect to receive.

There will be no Tanks! Yes I know a WW2 game with no Tanks that must surely be some form of heresy! The realty of the situation is that Tanks in WW2 were not that common. We tend to think they were much more common as wargamers than they really were. At Caen for example the Germans had about 50 tanks but 17,000 men. This figure does not take any account of other armoured vehicles such as half tracks or mobile artillery, but it does help to show that tanks are rare for the common soldier to encounter. There are several reasons we do think we should have tanks in WW2 games is the tendency of both still and cine photographers to capture them on film. Yes Tanks are cinematic and lend a feeling of awe. That said each platoon does have an anti-tank capability, a single Piat for the Canadians and a Panzerschrek and Panzerfausts for the Germans. These are held at platoon command and therefore most squads just won't get to see them let alone use them.

In conclusion: we are now ready to start and the first game will be a very complicated affair as it will be a rules learning experience with I hope 6 plays as well as me as a umpire all playing on one table. (maybe two).

That's a lot of waffle about where we are in the campaign at the moment. I hope you might have fond it of some interest. All the best and I should start showing the troops to be used on Friday. 90% of the Germans are done and about 1/2 the Canadians.

Till then all the best Clint.

"Grant" Zombie Hunter

Although this figure is called "Grant" by Hasslefree Miniatures. I am calling him "Edwardo". I deliberately used Mediterranean colouring for the skin with black hair. I see no reason why there should not be zombie hunters of all ethnic heritage. With a darker skin tone he can of course come from a wide variety of places around the globe. From India all the way round to Brazil. Hispanic American is the most obvious choice for a US setting. While Indian is more Likely in a UK game. Maybe he's Spanish or Italian, French Portuguese or Egyptian. His actual origin need not be pinned down to a specific country. This figure is heavily armed, sub-machine gun in right hand, Knuckleduster in left. In addition he carries two pistols and a large knife as well as several magazines should he need to reload any weapon. His SMG is the same type as Tonys' and as we all saw last week Tony is festooned with ammunition.


Overall another nice figure to paint. The black tee shirt and green trousers give him more of a military feel and less "street" than Tony. so maybe he is ex military, or wants people to think he is. Either way with the selection of weapons he carries he could be formidable if and when he gets on the tabletop.

As I forgot my camera yesterday for the club I am afraid not battle reports and just a single figure finished over the weekend. That being the case I shall blog again on Wednesday. Until then good luck with all your endeavours. Cheers Clint