Fire and Steel

Yesterday I was very pleased to receive the following rule set via eBay. "Fire and Steel". I was very disappointed at the first reading as I thought they were a dedicated colonial skirmish rule set. And on first reading they covered Seven years war, American Civil war and wild west gunfight. I happen to like rules that are specific to each period and not ones that try to do everything as then tend to end up doing nothing.

But my mind was changed on the second reading. They will still cover all imaginable periods. But I do not have or intend to use them for all periods.

Physically they are a little bigger than A5 with a card cover stapled on. 31 printed pages (32 pages in all but the least one is blank) printed in black and white with a few drawings and diagrams. To my mind this is so much nicer than a bigger tome that has been puffed out with pretty pictures but that don't add anything to the rules. There is no "How to paint figures" or "How to build terrain" or even pages of background history that any fool with 30mins and internet access could discover. No the rules are just that a basic set of rules in an old fashioned format and so much better for it. I have been a wargamer for a few years and so I already know a little about painting figures and making terrain. It is even conceivable that I might know a teeny tiny bit of history already for a set of rules  for which I have an interest.  So I really do thank the publishers "Keep Wargaming" for not patronising me.

The rules are pretty simple, but I can see that they would work and fill the booklet from page 4-12. After which there are some suggestions on troop types  for various campaigns, some notes on characterisations and 2 appendices on Explosions and on Machine guns. From Page 19 onwards it gives a brief note on scenario design (1 Page) and 5 scenarios. And that fill the book. It is a light easy read although  a rules "Numty" like me has had to check a few things by flipping back a page or two, just to make sure you understand and not because I am "thick and useless", which I may be as well.

The scenarios are quite varied in both scale and time period with anything up to 5 players taking part . For club games I think this will work fine I really do. Generally you are looking for 1 player controlling 5-10 figures , the rules suggest 8 but that should depend on the players. So if you want to change period a lot the expense is not too high. There are no points system in the rules, this is deliberate as the design philosophy is not ALWAYS looking for balanced scenarios. Sometimes rather than having things equal it is better to have objective based scenarios. And Objective based scenarios are really not about having an "Equal" Battle but are about achieving a set objective. So with a little thought and imagination players will be able devise completely balanced scenarios where troop equality is not the issue.

Given that the rules have a picture of Afghanis shooting in the Hindu Kush on the front cover This is what I was expecting the rules to be all about. Instead I found a very versatile set of generic rules with a couple of good ideas that one can build a very good scenario based game at club level for. I can see me using these rules at the club and even for show games as they are straight forward and easy to follow. The only issue I have with them is the need for different markers on the wargames table. M Morale markers, R reload markers (each figure may require 6 of those is fining something that takes a long while to reload, T tap load markers if the musket boys want to reload very fast. I am sure I can come up with a way round this but counters on the table do tend to detract from a games look.

Overall I really do like these rules. They are simple to use and to understand and by tailoring the weapons and forces scenarios can be created with a little thought. Will I ever use them? Yes I think I will. They may not be perfect and may require me to think as bit to set up decent situations and scenarios but that is not an unpleasant task. They are a change from the glossy rulesets I have been using but I prefer them for taking this approach. There is no "Guff" just back to basic rules.

What will I use them for? That is a whole different question. I bought them thinking "Northwest Frontier" because of the picture on the front. But now I am not sure I will use them for that as they may be better suited to French Indian wars or Boxer Rebellion.

Thanks for reading today. I have been far too busy to paint much these last few days, but with luck I should have something finished for Sunday's blog post. So take care and see you soon.

Just thought I would include a bit of music to go with the figures. feel free to ignore it if you want.

 

For those who want to know it is "Fortunate son!" By Credence Clearwater Revival. As I thought it a nice change from "Paint it black" by the Stones. But I could have selected so many more good songs. As the soundtrack to the Vietnam engagement is one of the best out there.

 

 I think this finishes my US troops for now, but I do plan to get a few more at the Salute Show. But only a few.

Firstly we have an M29, 81mm mortar and crew. Just a two man crew, there in reality may have been a few more bringing ammunition from the ammo bunker as well as an Officer and Radio operator. But All I need is a simple representation and it may never actually reach the tabletop. But then again it might. I see it being typically used from a "Secure" area such as a fire base and not by a patrol at least in any games. Should there ever be a Big battle yes I see it being used quite a lot.

There are also 3 dead or at least badly wounded. These may also be a scenario objective as the US troops want to return their own dead to the Good Ole... As with all the figures they are 20mm in scale and SHQ by design. And being honest I think they are some of the nicest 20mm figures for this conflict as you can get.

Goping back to the mortar and crew very quickly, I did not put any tall reeds on those figures as I did not want them to look like they were deep "In Country" but that is all personal choice.

Then almost another squad of 9 figures. Not a single Booper or M60 LMG this time. 6 are armed with M16 rifles, 2 with Remington shotguns, while the last has a radio (and a pistol). These extra shotgun figures were stored in a different location to the other squads but at least I now have 3 painted and ready to use. Should nay of my players want to equip their squad with one. I have probably mentioned it before but think "Bunny" from Platoon. (Called Bunny as he has a cartoon tattoo of Bugs Bunny on his arm).

 The guy with a radio is also a welcome addition (I now have 2) as it allows me to easily call in fire support in the form of mortars, heavier artillery, air strikes and even naval bombardment from ships on the coast. Ok ships on the coast will only work in certain areas but it was something that did happen on occasion. Some of the figures are the same casting but that is to be expected when you put 30+ on display or even on the same table. As such I have given them different skin tones as well as where possible different equipment. Such as the red head band.

As I am enjoying Youtube and the ability to put it on my blog here is one more. Yes that's right the iconic attack in "Apocalypse now"

Take care and Paint when you can. Best wishes Clint.



 

 

Leather stockings

Well a bit of a change. Only because I needed a break. But I can assure you there are some more 20mm Vietnam figures coming. And a shout out to Peter in the wargames club for giving me two die cast helicopters.

But today something a little different. While at the skirmish show you may remember I was given charge of some woodland Indians in a "Muskets and Tomahawks" game. I would have done well if I had not had quite so many Indians killed by my arch nemesis Graham.

So just for fun I painted up some 28mm "Redoubt" figures. They ready were a nice change of pace from the 20mm Vietnam stuff. AS I was compelled "Last of the Mohicans" By James Fenimore Cooper while at college and it at the time was a heinous chore of the greatest magnitude being as I am dyslexic and the book was not written in modern English. Anyway I was at least able to remember the Last of the Mohicans was not a stand alone book but was part of the "Leather stocking tales" which all tell the story of "Natty Bumppo" (Yes I know it sounds like a Hobbit name but is actually the name of the lead character) commonly caller Hawkeye.

So anyway I painted up 3 Indians just for fun. As you can see they all have warpaint and leather stockings as well! And carry a mixture of traditional native and European weapons. I bought them several years ago (about 12 I think) and they have finally made it as far as the painting table. I will be doing some more in the future and may eventually make an Iroquois or Abanaki war party for "Muskets and Tomahawks" but at this stage I must stress they were only painted for the joy of painting and not part of a plan.

Do not take that to mean I have no long-term plan for them as I do. But do not expect to see too many of these in the near future. (Famous last words).

There are problems with the Redoubt figures. They are slightly taller than most 28mm figures and sometimes they are not amazingly well sculpted, but for the price I think they are pretty hard to beat in that you can get 6 for £7.50 (+P&P). And I have found that they do paint up quite nicely so I may well pick up some more at the Salute show. Just another pack or two, not a whole tribe or force but just to be able to put a few units on the table for any future "Muskets and Tomahawks" Games.

Thanks for looking today. More (Vietnam) again soon, then maybe some more WW1 German Jaegers or Zulus or something completely different.

Enjoy the rest of Easter and take care and paint a few figures. I know I will.

Cheers Clint

20mm Vietnam North and South armies.

Before you all get bored and wander away in droves to find something more interesting to look at. And let's be blunt there is loads out there of interest. I thought I would finish off all that I have rebased for the Vietnam conflict. I am still working on some bits and bobs so there will be more at a later date, indeed I expect to have repainted and re-based some more Americans by next week.

But until then here are all my North Vietnamese army (NVA). Yes a massive amount, OK only 12. But there is an RPG and a LMG included there. I may at a later date get an additional 6 so I can field 2 squads even if they are diminished squads. As you know from the last couple of posts I am looking to do "Local Militia" and not the NVA so I expect these to be used sparingly. As I lay in bed this morning I did ponder the possibility of doing it from their point of view as opposed to the US troops. And while I still could and in doing so some of my players would be happy I also know that some would not be.

I have even less of the South Vietnam army. Just a mere 9 figures. And it is interesting to note they all have WW2 Vintage weapons including BARs, M1 Carbines and Garand rifles. Yes there is even one with a rifle grenade. I have not put the tall grass on these yet. That is a job for this afternoon. And I think it is a case that the tall "Elephant" grass does improve the bases. When you look at their uniforms you can see I have painted the green striped camouflage patterns on. Simply a green base colour, then a white stripe and a thinner black strip through the white. At this scale there is little point in over doing it and trying to get the uniforms totally 100% correct. As that would drive me doo-lally. And to be honest about it I just do not want or need the stress.

I see this last squad as being used even less regularly than any of the others which is bound to get them used in every game. Life is just like that.

Thanks for looking today. Take care and have a great Easter. And I hope you get a very nice chocolate egg.

Cheers Clint

20mm Local force Viet Mihn

 Yes continuing with the Vietnam conflict today we have local force Viet Mihn. These are all locals fighting for the communist faction. They are Viet Mihn as opposed to Viet Cong as there was no such thing as Viet Cong EXCEPT that the US forces called them Cong as it sounded more aggressive than "Mihn". But strictly speaking they should be called Viet Mihn and NOT Viet Cong!

Rant over, there are 26 in all with a wide variety of weapons. And 1 Casualty marker (I may have to buy a few more). The weapons range from rifles and carbines through sub machine guns and Ak47s all the way up to LNMGs and Rocket propelled grenades. Simply put they were using everything they could get their hands on including stuff from WW2 and the French Invasion a few years before up to and including the stuff supplied to them from China and Russia. I have very few LMGs or RPGs just one of each so they are very likely to get out gunned at most opportunities. But as Local force militia they will rely on ambush and evasion. Firing a few shots from cover and then disappearing rapidly and taking any dead and wounded with them if they are able.

All the figures are SHQ and 20mm for easy of use with vehicles and my US troops. There will be more of these to show soon, but also some NVA and some south Vietnamese army as well, but in lesser numbers as I want to keep the games manageable. And Games do get over complex sometimes with too many figures on the table. Dependant on the rules uses of course. But as I am looking for a squad level game more troops would be gilding the lily I suspect!

Thanks for looking, I hope/plan to post again on Saturday. But If I don't have a great Easter.

Take care Clint.

20mm Vietnam Platoon.

Well as mentioned a couple of days ago. Here are some 20mm Vietnam conflict figures. Typically I am starting with the US troops by which I mean no disrespect to any other nation involved.

I have 3 squads of 10 for your standard US Troops. Each of the soldiers has the 7th Cavalry shoulder patch on the left arm. Which if you look really closely you will see as a black and yellow triangle with an additional "Diagonal" black stripe.


Each squad consists of a Pig gunner (M60 LMG) and a Booper (M79) Grenade launcher. I do have sufficient Bloopers to go to 2 in each squad if need be, or enough M203 grenade launchers to swap them out if need be. I did select the M79 Booper in preference to the M203 as it did have a higher rate of fire and was more common in the earlier part of the conflict. Additionally 1 squad has a shotgun (I may buy a few more at the Salute show) and while they were used think of "Bunny" in the film Platoon, I already suspect that many players if given the choice will opt for an M16. It is just a case of knowing your players. And by that I know they will want one to start with just to try it out, but will most likely prefer an M16 as the game(s) progress.

Someone is bound to ask "What rules will you use?" Well currently I am reading "FNG" by 2 hour wargames and quite like them. Many players do like them for this conflict when dealing with few figures but prefer "Charlie Don't Surf!" by Too Fat Lardies for company actions. But as I want to keep to squad level actions I do not feel the need for there purchase. Plenty of other rule sets exist of course so it is all personal choice.

All these figures are SHQ miniatures and painted a long while ago so all I have done is to re-base them and to touch them up where needed so they were never going to make the Analogue painting challenge. The basing was done exactly the same as my WW2 US Paratroops so if you flick back a dozen posts or so you will find a walkthrough of how that was done. But the bristles were not cut as short this time as I wanted a Jungle feel and not a scrubland/marsh look.

In addition to swap out figures I also Have some LLRP and special forces but I do not intend to use them at this stage simply because they are not always carrying the weapons you would think of in a squad. Far too many telescopic sights for example. And while telescopic sights were issued to first platoon then squad level it would only really be 1 a squad at the END of the conflict. So not common at all for the 67-8 period I would choose to portray.

Next time either Viet Mihn or South Vietnamese troops.  But I only have a single squad of South Vietnamese troops so may have to include a vehicle to bolster the post. So the Salute shopping list may grow!!

Thanks for looking, have a great day and take care. All the best Clint

 

WW1 German Jaegers (28mm)

Yes Paint monkey has done it again. Here are some more Germans for Matt. Matt has said that hw wants to do some WW1 games in 28mm so I would imagine I will be painting some more bits for him soon, actually I think he'll give me some more to do next weekend as I think Scott at the club will also but Scott wants Malburians in 15mms done so that might be a nice change of pace.

Anyway before then here are some WW1 German Jaegers for Matt. First off 3 officer types. While 1 may not actually be an officer he is studying either some orders or a pamphlet or it could even be a map. But the other 2 are definitely officers.

I have also finished* two heavy machineguns. Each of 2 crew and each ready to bring a rain of fire down onto any British or French or even Russian should they need to. I am not looking forward to facing these! Not one little bit!

While the heavy Machineguns only have 2 crew they also have an extra one each either with binoculars or with pencil and paper. While I am not 100% sure what Matt will do with these he wanted them done and now done they are!

Lastly this week we have a few (OK 3) rank and file riflemen. These should make up the bulk of any units and not the officers and Heavy machineguns. Clearly they are all in early war uniforms before the trenches became so dominate on the Western front.  Sorry for the dullness of the pictures as it is raining here at the moment and that has left them a little darker that I would normally want. So When it dries up I will varnish them in the light.

* when I started taking the Photos I did notice that I had left the regimental number off of some of the hats so that will be added before I varnish them.

Thanks for looking today and I will most likely be repainting and rebasing my Vietnam 20mm figures this week. So expect the first of them by Close of light on Tuesday, if not earlier.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and I hope to see you all soon.
All the best Clint

ACAV M113 (1/300th scale.)

Being honest I don't know what these are for! I got them so long ago and have now painted or should I say repainted and based these 4 vehicles. The problem is now that they are done I cannot find them in the cold war era German Army lists. (I have also checked the Canadian and Greek lists) So while I am sure I shall find a use for them I just don't know what yet. DOH!

So while I figure it out here are 4 M113 ACAV personal carriers. But they are done now and despite the fact that 2 and facing the wrong way in the pics I am quite pleased with them. So Pleased in fact that they have sidetraked me into refreshing my 20mm Vietnam war figures. So expect them in a week or two. But for now I will finish painting some WW1 figures for Matt, and you can also expect them soon.

But Back to these, With the exception of starting a 1/300th scale Vietnam force (or 2, one for each side) I may have to use them as cold war era US National Guard. There is nothing wrong with doing this of course but it does not help my German cold war troops one little bit!

Thanks for stopping by today and with luck I will be able to focus on a more productive project next time.

Take care and get some painting done.
Cheers Clint

Atlas and Hermes

No not a comedy double act. But 2 more Battle tech "Mechs" painted. It has been a LONG while since I painted any mechs one of the reasons is I never know what colour to paint them. One school of thought is to paint them camouflage patterns and colours as they are fighting vehicles. The other line of thought is to use heraldic colours. Personally I do like both approaches and being totally inconsistent will flit between both with different mechs as the mood takes me. But this time I have settled on a hybrid scheme that is both heraldic and camouflage in nature. I used a sandy colour up to the waist and a light blue for the torso head and arms. You can see the camouflage colouring on the right. I will not do very many mechs this colour but you can see it might just work!

The models are that very nasty plastic and not the metals of yesteryear. They were included in the 25th anniversary box set of Battletech I bought a couple of years ago. And these were the first things started AFTER the Analogue painting challenge. The plastic has lots of casting issues and quite a bit of "Flash" overall I am not impressed with the choice of materials. The Mechs however are just about the same as the metal ones from when I was just a tad younger.

Firstly we have a 100 ton Atlas class mech,  it is just about the largest Inner Sphere mech you can get. It does not carry the scary PPC, but does have the more devastating Ac20 for close in work. This does not mean you  can stand off at long range and snipe kill it either as it also has a LRM 20 for those long range shots. As one of the biggest and most powerfull inner sphere mechs you knew it was not going to be so easy to deal with.

Secondly we have the Hermes class mech. It is only 40 tons so we cannot expect too much from it. But it has a running speed of 9 so it can move about quite well, OK very well despite the fact that it is not jump capable. It is one of the rare mechs that has a flamer and while that does not do oh so much damage to other mechs and only has a 3 hex range it can cause the opponent to "Run hot" which as battletch players we all know is not good. It also has an AC5 for long range work and a medium laser for closer in and when ammo consumption is an issue. Not as lightly armoured as some other mechs of this 40 ton weight limit but for the weight I would go for a "Whitworth" but it really is personal choice when it comes to Battltech mechs.. Some mechs are just horrid but most can be good if you choose to play them in the right way. And that is what I like about Battletech even 25 years on, it can be quite balanced if the weight classes are the same. I still don't fancy 4 "Urban Mechs2 against a single "Awesome" though.

I apologise for using some of the slang from the game as if you have never played Battletech most of it will be a foreign language to you. But if you are a battletech player the slang is like music to your ears.

Thanks for looking today and I hope to have some more new stuff by Friday. (Working on it now). But most importantly have fun take care and get some painting done.

Cheers Clint

28mm Viking-es

 Yes a female Viking. Hence the "word" 'Viking-es' I do not think that is a proper word so be very careful about using it. This figure is one of Colonel Bills "Beltfed" miniatures range which are a selection of saucily clad females in various historical costumes. And this one is of course a female Viking. As I want to do some Conan style wargames this year she seemed to be just the right type of figure and for £2.50 I thought a bargain.

She was also the last figure I painted for the Analogue painting challenge and was mostly done for some fun and relaxation. I can honestly say I did muck hers skin up on the first try and it came out looking somewhat grey and dirty. Which was not my intention so I did paint her twice out of necessity.

While I did find the sculpt and casting very nice my only pet gripe is that her trousers came with the vertical markings for the stripes scratched in. While not a problem as such it does limit her to having striped trousers as to paint them in another way might show the sculptors marks. While I will only ever get one of this figure it is not a huge issue but I will forever feel that the choice has been taken from me and that everyone will paint stripes on her bow. That really is my only quibble with the miniature.

I am not totally happy with the shield I have painted either. I might re-paint the end part of the tail so that it is in line with the head, it might give it a better balance. What I do like is the shield design though and the colours. It is only where I have put the end part of the tail upwards. That is a very minor issue and I can change that in moments when I start painting today. What I do like about the design is the ambiguity between is it a "Longship" or a sea serpent. I can take very little credit for that either as I saw the design on a re-enactors shield once long ago. So credit should go to them, or the source they used for it.

Overall I am happy with the figure and for the price would struggle to find a better one.

Thanks for looking. One more post to go to catch up so expect that about Wednesday. Take care have some fun and may your paint pallet never run dry or your inspiration wane.

Cheers Clint

More 10mm Samruai

While at the Cavalier show I was able to pick up some more Pendraken 10mm Samurai from Second City games. They were a mixed bunch probably left over from someone else's collection. So together with my "Odds and Sods" I cobbled them together to make a few more stands.

As my two agmies are currently matched I have decided to make a Green force. Which I can use as an ally of either of my other armies. Not a large allied force as there are only 7 stands of infantry. And 2 of those stands may actually join my main armies as by checking the pose and the catalogue number it identifies them as Samurai with Naginata.  The issue being that the Naginata in question seem to have very short handles and to my untrained and now squinting eye look more like No Dachi (2 handed swords). So I may be better off pretending that is what they are.

4 of the Cavalry stands are already put aside for my other armies but the 5th one can belong to the allies. It just balances everything up nicely this way.

The last 2 figures are Samurai mounted separately as messengers. It is quite possible that when they do deliver new orders they may get ignored entirely as the lord in charge of that section arrogantly chooses to do his own thing.

These were also painted as part of the Analogue painting challenge but I just did not get round to posting them on my blog during the challenge.

The VERY good news is that I have started to paint already, currently working on Battle-tech mechs. Just to do something for me and to keep it light.

Thanks for looking and with any luck another post come Monday.

Take care watch the rugby and have some fun with a paintbrush in your hand.

All the best Clint

top 10

Well the Analogue Painting Challenge has ended for another year. And as my 2nd year involved I have done slightly better than last year managing to get in the top ten painters. Which means I have come in at no.10. This is not a measure of skill but of production. If it was skill I would probably have come somewhat lower. Still I worked to the criteria and I for one am pleased with my 10th place.

Next year (assuming there is another challenge) I will act very differently. I will settle on a lower production level but I will enter the side challenges and try to amass bonus points where I can. As this year I did not do any of the bonus rounds I just wanted a "Pure Points" target. I hasten to add there is no slight intended by anyone who went for bonus points it is all part of the challenge and as I have said next year (well late this year) I will do the same.

I still have figures to put on my blog from the challenge and will start doing that soon, just not today. One of the issues I have had with the painting challenge is that I was only allowed to make post onto the challenge forum on set days (Every Monday in my case). This has meant that my own blog has suffered as here I would normally post every other day. So to get back in the swing I will post again tomorrow. And then every other day after that. Well that's the plan but I am sure real life will stop that soon.

So thanks to you all for your support and in 9 months it all starts again!

Cheers Clint