Caen Campaign Start Tomorrow

I did not think I would get a chance to write today as I have been rushing to finish getting ready for the Caen Campaign which will start at club tomorrow. So Nothing I can show at this stage, as it is all paperwork, squad rosters, maps and pre planning. The game we will play first will be an introduction game to get people a basic understanding of the rules we will be using. I am expecting it to go slowly as most large games do when they have many players. I might be surprised and it might go very quickly. If it does I'll raise the break points for the squads so they hang around longer but I don't think I shall need to. If it goes really fast we can always play a couple of games.or more likely play something else.

 

So the basis of the first game is that it is set one day before the campaign actually starts. The Canadians are under orders to advance to make contact with the Germans and thus establish a "front line". Once the front line is established the campaign can start. Historically speaking this section of the Normandy Campaign Monty's plan was to exert pressure along the line to draw German troops into the battle. By drawing the Germans close to Caen the Germans would need to weaken their front line elsewhere which would then allow the American beach areas to break out in "Operation Cobra". There were a number of drawbacks which stopped this being as successful as envisaged. But given that each player will be given a single squad, say 10 men, then the bigger picture need not be explored too greatly. After all war is a very personal experience and the man on the ground usually only gets to see about 100m from where they are standing at any one time.

 

Not really much of a post, but I have already put the camera in my bag so unless it falls apart an AAR of Monday. All the Best hope to give you a fuller report on Monday. Til then take care keep warm and if you can get some painting done. All the best Clint

20mm plastic soldiers.

Yes I know the world and his dog have seen 20mm plastic soldiers enough to last them a lifetime, if not longer. I thought I should offer some proof that I have been painting ready for the Caen Campaign. So here and below are just a couple of pics which show both the Brits and the Germans together with their corresponding poses. All the figures are from "the Plastic Soldier Company" and a box set of hard plastics retail for about £10 give or take. Lots of the figures are in two or three pieces, but once cleaned up the fit together very nicely. Each box contains 3 hard plastic sprues with 10-11 different figures on each sprue. As you can see with these two riflemen many of the poses are very similar but with different nationalities. I have no issue with this as they will not be put next to each other like this on the games table. The Canadian uniform is straightforward Khaki with hi-lights and shading and actually takes as long for me to do as the German Camouflage (Oak leaf spring) pattern. I don't hi-light and shade my camouflage patterns at any scale smaller then 54mm, they simply don't seem to need it!

These next two are Light machine guns on the move. The molding and angle do much to conceal the Germans MG34. But the Canadians Bren Gun is prominently on display. Given the rules we shall be using (Operation Squad) the two weapons are very different. Just as they were/are in real life. This is one aspect of the rules which appeals to me. The 30 round magazine for the Bren does a lot to restrict it's rate of fire due to reloads. While the MG34 could have a magazine, but could also be belt fed.

The Last pic for today shows each nations medics. Medics in the campaign might become very useful when players want to patch up troops on the front line. Only a few squads will have medics attached the others will just have to make do as best they can. This is simply because the lieutenants either spent the points on medics or did not. And the players will each be given a RANDOM squad. So I expect most squads to have no medical benefits, mind you the choice of how to spend the points was not easy for some people.

That's it for today. Thanks for popping by and talk again soon. All the best Clint.

A Small Gift

No wargaming stuff today- it was a weekend swamped with relatives doing the pre-Christmas rounds drinking tea eating cake and giving cards. The knock on effect is that I got No painting done. Absolutely nothing, and I did have such good intentions as well.

In fact the closest thing I could manage was to send out a small Christmas pressie to a couple of other bloggers whom have kept me amused with various antics through-out the year. With that introduction you already should know who they are. (Stadler and Waldorf). Also known as Ray and Fran.

Pictured above are the actual contents. One Each guys and you get what you get. The coin (a 20pence piece) is for scale only and is not part of the gift. Ideally open it when you are both together at work where you will or can be undisturbed. No arguing and play nice! I have a written promise from Ray already so I shall trust you Fran to do the same! The pressie was sent 1st class yesterday so you may well receive it later this day.

For any other readers I should be able to get some painting done later today (with luck) so I intend to update again on Thursday. All the best Clint.

Loud Zombie Hunter!

Many games have zombies attracted by loud noises. This zombie hunter is not so worried about making noise as getting the job done and getting the hell out of there. Firstly let me say I have no idea who makes the basic sculpt. It has a Copplestone/foundry quality to it but I can't locate it, in any quick search of the listings, which is a shame a I would like a few more of them. I have had to convert both arms. The left arm started on a Gripping beast Viking but with some green stuff and a HUGE amount of luck I finally managed to make it fit. The Right arm with the sawn off was a much easier job. It came without any clothing so I just added a ragged sleeve to the leather jacket. I won't dwell on how the leather jacket got ripped so badly, we shall just gloss over that and pretend it looks right. Sssh don't mention the sleeve! I have decided that painting motorcycles is a pain. In the end I settled on a bright red single colour having first tried black which looked too dark and green which was meh! I did consider putting some flames on it, but after a very quick trial on a piece of paper decided that painting hot rod style flames was really not something I was any good at (And that is an understatement, I was utter rubbish at painting flames).

The left arm has as you can see with a quick inspection had a small "filler2 section added between the wrist and the sleeve. His hand was not long enough to reach the handle bars other wise. You don't notice it from more than a foot away, unless you are looking for it of course. And this is also why the bike is turning as opposed to going in a straight line. As I type this I am thinking myself foolish for highlighting all the mistakes. But as I think I can get away with them on the table top I am not all that worried and it is the overall feel of the figure that is important, as it is in no way a competition piece. Although I did at one stage (before I started assembly) think I could use it for the ZOMBIE BLOGGERS ASSOCIATION Christmas competition. That idea has quickly faded! You can also see a V patch on the left sleeve. The Motorcycle club ("not gang of course it's only a club 'cos our Lawyers sez we gotta call it a club") is called VERMIN with purple and white gang erhm I mean club colours.

The right arm shows a deep scratch on his forearm (a happy painting accident) and a better view of the sawn off shot gun. The combination of sawn off shot gun and chopper is bound to attract attention from all the zeds in the area and pull them towards the figure. So he will be a Zed-magnet in most games, but if used cleverly this could be a good thing. Collect all the zombies in an area up and get them to follow you and the other players can happily loot the area, just don't run out of fuel!

That's it on the painting front for today but I would like to thank Irqan at http://lrqan.blogspot.co.uk/ for nominating me for the Liebster Award. Having thought long and hard about it I have decided not to pass it on. I mean absolutely no disrespect to anyone, least of all the nominator by doing this. But it seems to me that everyone whom I would choose to give it too has already had it. As such I feel at a dead end with it and perhaps it has run its course. At least that's my take on the situation.

 

Lastly, I am very interested in the Painting competition being run by Carl at Analogue-hobbies. I very much intent to participate next year assuming I remember and can stock up on things to paint. Yes I know I have enough unpainted already, but everything has to be historical and the key to success seems to be in numbers painted with larger figures getting more points than smaller ones. But I see this as an opportunity to start and finish a whole army (or two) from start to finish in as short a time as possible.

 

Final thoughts about the figure above If anyone can positively identify the manufacture I would be grateful. All the best keep up the blogging and hope to post again on Tuesday.

 

Cheers Clint.



 

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

FASA Kickstarter

Fasa for these of you who don't know are a games company having produced several classic wargames and role-playing-games in the past, but not having released anything new for a decade. So it was some surprise to me that they have been seeking funds to start a new project. They are using "crowd funding" which is a system of raising cash from the masses without approaching the banks (whom we all love and trust!) Until now I have not gotten involved in "crowd funding" projects but given the track record of Fasa and knowing them as a reputable company from whom I have purchased a number of games in the past and not been disappointed I thought I should check out their offer. The system works by individual people pledging money in return for the company sending them an agreed upon reward when the project completes. I am thinking it is very little different from pre-ordering an item, but with a longer lead time.
The game they are proposing is called "1879". Hence the picture on the right, which is at this stage the logo for the game. I say "at this stage" only because until it arrives in my sweaty grasping hands I am aware that the design process may dictate a change of name or logo. But once it hits the shelves (assuming it does) then we shall all know for sure.  Fasa are running the "crowd funding" from the popular Kickstarter website. (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/783548120/1879-rpg-miniatures-and-app-0?ref=live). I was the 37th person to pledge money for the project. I have personally put $64.00 forward in exchange for the following rewards. The Miniatures rules and both army books, the British and the Samsut. The British should be fairly self explanatory, although there is a picture of British Cavalry riding large lizards, so it might have a few twists. The Samsut we are told come from a different planet/dimension/place/time/whatever and with a little bit of searching there troop types contain zombies and skeletons. Ral Patha have already signed in to sculpt the figures for Fasa and the scale for the tabletop game has been set as 15mm. If you know me you will not have to make a huge leap to realise the idea of colonial era British against the undead hordes is right up my street!

Having already pointed this Kickstarter out to a friend who just happens to have a 10mm undead army, I painted up the samples I got from Pendraken some years ago and based them on similar matching bases to the undead so the sizes would match. I have placed a 5p coin next to the figures for a size comparison. (Or take the front edge to be 40mm if you are unfamiliar with British currency). So the figures are quite small, and this is a single pack which currently retails for £4.00 and contains 30 miniatures (I lost one so only 29 in the picture and a rock!)

As well as the miniatures game Fasa are also planning an RPG and an electronic App game using the same setting background and one would hope forces. All the details are on the kickstarter and if like me the idea grabs you then check it out. Even if Fasa don't manage to achieve the funding goal I just love the idea so I may go ahead on my own as a personal project. After all who does not want to pit the British Empire at it's height against the forces of the dead.

That's today's post, hope you like the figures and the kickstarter. Thanks for reading, I shall blog again on Monday, all the best Clint


Serious Firepower

About 7 months ago I finished some Victorian naval British landing party figures. Yesterday I managed to up grade them with some serious firepower. I think this is by the Perrys, but not 100% sure, one carriage mounted Nordfelt machine gun with Royal Navy crew. This is the kind of Victorian firepower that is idea for maintaining the standards of the empire. I am sure they could have done with a few of these as Roarke's Drift or Isanwanda as well as several other places. As wargamers we all want something unusual and "fun" to play with on the battle field. Something to make us rub our hands together and chuckle. And that is what this is for. I have grand delusions about it being a game winner and sweeping all opponents before me. The reality will no doubt be TOTALLY different.

As a Perry Miniature it is of course 28mm figures, and not for the 20mm WW1East Africa show game. I have used the same background only for convenience and no other reason. It has a coat of gloss varnish which has caught the flash from the camera, but you should still get the idea of what it should look like.

 Just a couple more snaps to give you an all round view of the model, front and rear.

 

 

That's it for today. With luck I should be able to post on Saturday. All the best folks and speak soon. Cheers Clint.

Officers (WW1 East Africa)

I have really struggled to get anything finished these last 2 days. However I did finish the two 20mm IT miniatures ( http://www.frontlinewargaming.co.uk/) European Officers to go with the Asakari that I posted on Friday. There uniforms are darker but remain a similar colour to the native troops. I am told the ratio to Asakari to Germans was 11 to 1 so two Germans and 22 Asakai is perfect. Other nations had less European troops in relation to native troops I am not sure why this was but can imagine several reasons. The figures painted easily and are full of characters. Being the same sculpts and wearing the same uniforms there is only so much you can do to make them different from each other. As such all I have done is to give them different hair colours, different shade of the same brown hats and the one on the left a moustache. It was about all I could sensibly do to create variety. Given that they are 20mm figure I don't see a huge problem with them being so similar.


That's it for today, a really quick post. With luck I should have something more to show on Thursday. Remember we are now only 28 days from Christmas so if you are getting anything mail order for the day you'd best be thinking of it now. (Go on treat yourself, 'cos if you don't you just wont get what you really want!!) Have fun, take care and talk soon, Clint.

Tony, Zombie Hunter

Today's offering is a single 28mm Hasslefree Miniature Tony.
(http://www.hfminis.co.uk/shop?product=tony-%28b%29~hfa058&category=miniatures~modern-adventurers) I picked up the box set of "Zombie Hunters" a few weeks back when I was doing all the overtime. Anyway I finished him this morning. I just have to tidy up the base edge and varnish him. I wanted himto have a "Ganger" feel so I went for a mix of military and ploice equipment and some more "street" clothing colours. My main reason for finishing him this week was in response to my character (Vonda) in Shelldrakes Play by Blog game. (http://zombiewargame.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/pbb2-after-action-review.html) Vonda might or might not survive, that being the case I wanted to be ready to roll with another character straight away should I need to. There may or may not be a link between the two characters, that has yet to be determined. But it's also nice to paint a single figure especially when I have been batch painting as with the Asakaris (last post). Also being a larger scale it is so much easier to add detail.

I am particularly fond of Tony's trousers with the stripe down each side. To me this gives it a sports apareal feel to the clothing which adds to the "Street" feel of the figure which I feel it needed to take it away from a paramilitary figure. It is clear that this figure has looted a set of police armour and has stocked up on ammunition for the two submachineguns he carries, one in each hand. This may not be the best tactic against a horde of zombies, but it will make him feel good. (And make a lot of noise which in turn will attract more Zeds!) So Maybe Tony's not that bright afterall, only time will tell. I shall enjoy painting the other Zombie hunters in the pack if they are as nicely sculpted as Tony. (I've had a look and they are)>

That's it for Today. Tuesday will be my next post. So enjoy the rest of the day and talk again soon.  All the best Clint

Askaris (German)

As I mentioned earlier in the week I have been working on the Askaris for the German force for the proposed WW1 East Africa show game. Despite my photography you can still probably make out that each area of the figure has three levels of painting, (hi-lighting and shading). I only have to paint the edge of the bases. I batch painted all 22 of the figures, I still have 2 European officers to paint, for that reason I don't feel as much of an attachment to them, but I know that will change as soon as they are placed on the table.

I had to mix the base for the uniform colour. A simple mix of "Coat d'arms Leather brown" and equal amounts of "Vallejo Sand Yellow (70916)" . The figures as mentioned earlier in the week are IT miniatures available from Tim and Maureen at Frontline Wargaming (http://www.frontlinewargaming.co.uk/). I used a Foundry dark grey for the leggings and blanket rolls and Games workshop Scorched brown for the webbing. The skin tomes were a mix of GW scorcher Brown and dark flesh, highlighted with dark flesh. These GW colours seem to have been discontinued, but as I still have working pots I will continue to use them. As you can tell I am not restricted to any one paint company just taking what I need from what ever source I can acquire. Overall I am happy with the colours and look of these figures as they fit very well with the Osprey book which I was using as my colour guide. I am in no way claiming that they are perfectly painted, but using the 2 foot rule I think they more than pass.




All 22 Asakaris

Close up

These last two pictures show both the close up and the the full amount of figures all painted and (almost finished). As mentioned above I have to edge the bases, but that is a job that can wait until later, much later! I think you should be able to get the feel of the quality of the figures from these pictures. The next part of the game preparations will need to be constructing the buildings that I think I shall need. Realistically I can see me cracking on with them in the break between Christmas and New Year. You never Know I might start them sooner, but no promises. About that time I shall get the next batch of figures from Tim. (I hope). I say I hope as I am not 100% sure exactly what I need just yet, I am even having second thoughts about what rules I shall use!

That's today's blog post the next one on Sunday. All the Best Clint