tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60296122586596064202024-03-12T18:46:40.312-07:00Just Roll SixesThe Art and Science of Wargaming.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-56563351057978918072011-01-01T07:33:00.000-08:002011-01-01T08:01:18.329-08:00Happy New Year 2011!Another year is upon us and I've decided it is time to consider my gaming resolutions for 2011. Without further ado, here they are:<div><br /></div><div>1) Thin my miniatures collections down to just the stuff I love and use. Too many periods and scales causes me to lose focus and productivity. Bins full of unpainted figures do not bring me any enjoyment.<br /><br /></div><div>Brigadier Peter Young, in his book <u>Charge! or How to Play War Games</u>, said:</div><div><br /></div><div><i>If you are enormously rich and have plenty of room, you may be tempted to build up war game Armies of several periods. This is enticing, but it is madness! We would commend you to choose your period, stick to it, read up the subject and get the atmosphere of the age. This is the most rewarding approach to a pastime which, while not lacking excitement, is decidedly more agreeable than dropping atomic bombs on one another. (p.116)</i><br /><br /></div><div>This is valuable advice and it conforms nicely to my thoughts on simplifying my life in general. I doubt I'll drop down to a single period any time soon, but I will strive to find more focus in 2011.</div><div><br />2) Play more games with my friends. I love playing games with people I like to spend time with. 'Nuff said.</div><div><br />3) Play more games with my kids. This is obviously related to resolution number 2 above. Recently we've been playing <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/700/battle-masters">Castle Ravenloft</a> and <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/700/battle-masters">Battle Masters</a>. I want to keep this up.</div><div><br />4) Kickoff my Mutants & Masterminds 3e campaign and play at least one session per month in 2011. I'll post more about this campaign in the coming weeks.</div><div><br /></div><div>5) Blog more. I hesitate to add this one, because there is obviously a very good chance it will fall by the wayside. </div><div><br /></div><div>That's it, I guess. I'm really looking forward to some great gaming in 2011!</div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-40592715190999892562010-10-19T18:20:00.000-07:002010-10-19T18:31:35.373-07:0015 Games in 15 MinutesThis has been going around the gaming blogsphere, so I thought I'd chip in. 15 games I've played that will always stick with me (in no particular order):<div><br /></div><div>1. AD&D</div><div>2. Champions</div><div>3. The Russian Campaign</div><div>4. Advanced Civilization</div><div>5. Diplomacy</div><div>6. Villains & Vigilantes</div><div>7. Axis and Allies</div><div>8. Eastfront</div><div>9. Command Decision</div><div>10. Twilight 2000</div><div>11. Traveller</div><div>12. Squad Leader</div><div>13. War and Peace</div><div>14. Top Secret</div><div>15. Ogre/GEV</div><div><br /></div><div>It's interesting how many of these games are from high school and before as compared to after high school. Partially it's because I had a lot more time for gaming then and partially it's because it's hard to judge whether the games I'm playing now will be meaningful in 5 or 10 years.</div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-88808300406729493322009-12-15T11:55:00.000-08:002009-12-15T12:35:17.020-08:00Revisiting Old Projects That Never Got Off The GroundA few weeks ago the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Brigadista</span> was nosing around my workshop after a game of Command Decision when he stumbled across some painted stands of 15mm WW2 American infantry. "If you finished these off, you'd have almost enough for a battalion," he announced. Yeah, yeah, I thought. Those models have been sitting like that for almost two years.<div><br /></div><div>After poking around some more, he came across a second batch of painted American infantry. "This is enough for a second battalion. You need to get these on the table," he proclaimed.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Hmmm</span>... Once again, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Brigadista</span> was on to something. After I shooed him out and sent him on his way home, I took an inventory of my 15mm WW2 Americans. I had started this project on two separate occasions, but immediately lost steam each time. The two batches of figures were painted maybe two years apart, so they weren't a perfect match in terms of color or style. However, they were pretty close. Some highlights would go a long way towards making them look good together. </div><div><br /></div><div>After a count of painted figures, I determined that I did have all of the infantry I needed for two Command Decision battalions. I did need to paint some support weapons, a couple of jeeps, and a couple of light trucks to make the units complete. I dug out my unpainted metal and found everything I needed to finish the two battalions (plus a bunch of other stuff as well - more on that another time).</div><div><br /></div><div>I started by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">rebasing</span> all of the painted figures onto 3mm thick <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Litko</span> bases. I have been using magnetic bases for my other 15mm Command Decision units, but decided to go this route because I didn't have enough magnetic bases on hand and because I didn't want to wait for an order from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Litko</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next, I highlighted all of the painted figures. I did this so they would all have roughly the same shades for their pants, jackets, and helmets. The different base coats on the different batches of figures ended up giving a pleasing variation in final appearance. After the painted figures were ready, I quickly painted up the handful of figures I needed to complete this mini-project. These were painted in a different style from the first two batches, but were highlighted with the same colors.</div><div><br /></div><div>The last step was deciding how to flock the bases. For my 15mm British, I used acrylic pumice to texture the base, which was painted and highlighted before adding patches of static grass. For this project, I decided to go with something simpler. </div><div><br /></div><div>I mixed up a batch of Woodland <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Scenics</span> burnt grass flock with some very small stones. Then I covered the base in diluted white glue and piled on the flock mixture. Viola! Very simple and very quick, but I think the final result looks great on the table. The bases on my British look nice up close, but they tend to stand out on the table. These bases blend in. I like them.</div><div><br /></div><div>In less than a week I was able to field a nice sized force for Command Decision. In fact, the figures were immediately put to use in a Battle of the Bulge scenario where they valiantly held the town of Dom <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Burtgenbach</span> against the 12<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">th</span> SS Panzer Division.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's a good feeling when you can make use of figures that have been taking up space for years. In this case it was remarkably (embarrassingly?) easy. The best part? I put a nice force on the table without spending a dime. (Of course I spent many dimes when I originally bought the stuff, but that was years ago. Sunk costs. They feel free now.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Now that I have a nice foundation of American infantry, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Brigadista</span> and I have big plans for how we are going to use them. More on that soon.</div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-43107571539113336052009-05-27T15:14:00.000-07:002009-05-27T15:47:21.514-07:00Thoughts on John Prados Third ReichHere are some thoughts on John Prados Third Reich after completing a few games.<div><br /></div><div>1. The diplomatic system plays well, but doesn't give particularly historical results. Examples:</div><div><br /></div><div>France can easily build its entire force pool early in the game and still have plenty of money for diplomacy. Since everyone knows France won't be in this game for the long haul, it doesn't make sense for France to try to win allies. The best use of all that money is to reduce German and Italian influence in various places.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is very difficult for the Germans to gain allies in Eastern Europe. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is very difficult to keep Sweden from turning hostile towards the Germans (which cuts off the supply of iron ore and costs the Germans 10 BRP per year).</div><div><br /></div><div>2. The ground forces of Britain and Italy seem much more potent than they should. </div><div><br /></div><div>3. It is very easy to achieve some things that never happened historically. For example, building the Italian aircraft carrier is trivial. As is building up a substantial Italian amphibious capability. Some this stuff makes Italy more interesting to play, so it is understandable why it was included.</div><div><br /></div><div>4. Submarine warfare doesn't seem to work very well. Subs are capable of inflicting significant losses and it is very difficult for the allies to inflict losses on the subs due to the way the sea zones are laid out. Even if the allies want to commit to an ASW campaign, they just don't have the bases to pull it off.</div><div><br /></div><div>5. Both games we played had interesting interactions between Italy and the allies. In the first game, the allies left Italy alone. Italy swallowed the Balkans and then went after Britain. In the second game, Italy wanted to be left alone, but Britian and France declared war in Winter 1939 and swallowed North Africa.</div><div><br /></div><div>Neither result felt quite right. The second case was especially ahistorical. The British player (me) basically wrote off France (France will fall with or without British assistance) in order to try to achieve a quick kill of Italy. It worked, but it made me feel a little dirty.</div><div><br /></div><div>The game feels well balanced and fun, but it just doesn't always feel very historical.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our next effort for this game system (after a brief hiatus) will be the Pacific version, Great Pacific War. After that we intend to join the games together to play the entire Second World War!</div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-37842382587455701382009-05-27T15:01:00.000-07:002009-05-27T15:14:13.972-07:00John Prados Third Reich Wrap UpThe Brigadista and I managed to get in another session of our JP3R game on Friday night. As I mentioned in my last post on the subject, we ended last time after the summer 1941 turn. The Germans had invaded Russia and the British, having cleared North Africa, landed in Sicily.<div><br /></div><div>Things really didn't go the Brigadista's way at all. The German fall attacks in Russia were successful, but not overwhelmingly so. The Russians were able to rebuild their units and even start to counter-attack. Bad weather and a lack of money stymied any German efforts in Winter and Spring. The Russians received massive force pool additions in Spring 1942, which pretty much eliminated any German opportunity to win the war.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Sicily, the British army bypassed the main Italian army and captured Messina. The Italian forces on Sicily were forced to surrender. The British hopped the straights of Messina and invaded the boot of Italy proper, where they were stopped by hastily summoned German infantry. The Italians had had enough at this point - the Brigadista blew the surrender die roll (a '3' on 2d6) and the Italians promptly surrendered.</div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile the Pearl Harbor event came up and the U.S. joined the war. Soon American troops were flooding to Britain. A Summer 1942 invasion of France was definitely in the cards. At this point the Brigadista wisely threw in the towel.</div><div><br /></div><div>The game was enjoyable, but not as much fun as our first session.</div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-69107780578565100602009-05-05T18:47:00.000-07:002009-05-05T19:07:38.912-07:00Happy Birthday Sir HarryThe Brigadista has informed me that Sir Harry Paget Flashman VC KCB KCIE was born this day in 1822. The Brigadista has also informed me that we shall be holding a party in Sir Harry's honor next year on May 5th. Details to folow.<div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-12619731466737809442009-04-22T12:50:00.000-07:002009-04-22T13:25:51.821-07:00Back, with Stuff to SaySorry for the long hiatus, but I haven't been doing much gaming or painting. Shame on me.<div><br /></div><div>Right now I've got one gaming project going on. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Brigadista</span> and I have started a new game of Avalanche <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Press's</span> John <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Prados</span> Third Reich. This time I'm commanding the Allies and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Brigadista</span> is commanding the forces of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">fascism</span> and oppression. This game is a bit of a monster and we can usually finish about four turns in an evening session.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not going to give a detailed blow-by-blow of this game because I don't want to lose the few readers I have. (Or at least think I have... Hello?? Is anyone out there??) The game got off to a typical start - the Germans quickly overran Poland, the Low Countries, and Denmark. France held out until Fall 1940, despite receiving no help from the British. The Germans never invaded Norway. The Germans invaded the Soviet Union in summer 1941 and things are on schedule there. (One bad thing for the Germans - the Swedes got tired of German aggression and cut off the iron ore supply! Fortunately for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Brigadista</span> the game impact isn't as severe as what I suspect the real world impact would have been.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Things went off script in the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Mediterranean</span>. Yugoslavia got fed up with fascist Italy and declared war in the Winter of 1939. Britain followed up with a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">declaration</span> of war against Italy that same turn. The Italians defeated Yugoslavia in a couple of turns, but things did not go so well in the Western Desert. The British (under <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Wavell</span> no doubt) quickly cleared Libya and, after a series of costly naval battles, seized control of the Med and landed in Sicily in spring 1941. Monty hopes to win the 'Race to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Messina</span>' since Patton is still back at Fort <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Benning</span> with the rest of the U.S. Army. To add to the Italian misery, Mussolini decided that the best course of action in the face of these setbacks would be to declare war on Greece. (In fairness to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Brigadista</span>, this was a random event and not his own hair-brained idea!) Fun stuff. I can't wait for our next session.</div><div><br /></div><div>In other news, I'm currently rearranging my basement game room. I've added taller shelves, which has allowed me to shift things around a bit and have more stuff out and accessible. Now I'm trying to get my painting desk under control so I can actually paint some something. It's hard to claim to be a miniatures gamer when you don't paint anything!</div><div><br /></div><div>I guess that's enough for now.</div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-87284046755891304902009-02-27T07:51:00.000-08:002009-04-22T12:50:50.986-07:0028mm French and Indian War Canadian Militia<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';"><div style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 3px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 3px; width: auto; font: normal normal normal 100%/normal Georgia, serif; text-align: left; ">As I mentioned previously, we've been playing 28mm French and Indian War games using figures mainly from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Brigadista's</span> collection. I decided to contribute something by painting up some Old Glory Canadian militia I had laying around. In addition to the militia figures, I mixed in some random Courier <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">de</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Bois</span> figures to give the unit a bit more variety.<div><br /></div><div>These figures are not Old Glory's best. It appears that some of them got a little squashed while the molds were being made. In addition, some<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; ">of the faces look a little undead-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ish</span>. As in, "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">The dead have risen and joined the Canadian Militia!" Just the thing to scare the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">bejesus</span> out of some New <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Englanders</span>. (Especially the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Brigadista's</span> fictional provincial unit, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Arkham</span> Volunteers.) </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; ">Still, I think the figures look good enough on the table for a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">wargame</span>. Like all Old Glory figures, they have a pleasing energetic look about them.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>I chose drab colors for most of the figures, although many are in white shirts. I painted all of the toques (funny knit hats) red to indicate that the units are from Quebec. I have only one source that says this was done, but in any case it looks good on the table and gives the figures a degree of uniformity.</div></div></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvpke_ZYO9gNpYegpVvAbhefm9phtuGUyPRE6_C9Qn_GZJyUc6tVUfeZdDK1l-qq9CNwpMAG9FVMbssHfvyqTmTyPBBoTT1D9ft66IVxTlCjCtCdSGz1WRL5HRUiJgoaaZQi9YXy5-RA/s1600-h/006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 128px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvpke_ZYO9gNpYegpVvAbhefm9phtuGUyPRE6_C9Qn_GZJyUc6tVUfeZdDK1l-qq9CNwpMAG9FVMbssHfvyqTmTyPBBoTT1D9ft66IVxTlCjCtCdSGz1WRL5HRUiJgoaaZQi9YXy5-RA/s400/006.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307507947774098594" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNx21W7kwHRFY2fPTl7Lo0GLgFGq5f_SGzqnYM4qArWz7uyr5_sjJ6oJ0oz5HpU6m_GMg3EkKqpntJ6PbyRaHqYAtE_Bh4lS9W12GU9nj0lMubjU2NijWg5d8hVjmE5lwyEhtTFkKayQ/s1600-h/005.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNx21W7kwHRFY2fPTl7Lo0GLgFGq5f_SGzqnYM4qArWz7uyr5_sjJ6oJ0oz5HpU6m_GMg3EkKqpntJ6PbyRaHqYAtE_Bh4lS9W12GU9nj0lMubjU2NijWg5d8hVjmE5lwyEhtTFkKayQ/s400/005.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307507937892001186" /></a><br />The Wilderness Wars rules we use are flexible in terms of unit sizes. Typically these figures will be fielded as two units of four stands each, but they could be used as a single unit of six or eight stands as well.<div><br /></div><div>These guys are going to get their baptism of fire tomorrow at Recon, the local quarterly mini-con, in a game the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Brigadista</span> and I will be running. Hopefully they will stand their ground and shoot down hordes of redcoats.</div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-57381281093074817792009-02-23T08:43:00.000-08:002009-02-23T09:10:54.447-08:00Volley and Bayonet: Road to GloryLately I've been trying to thin out my rules collection and I haven't been buying much new stuff. However, I made an exception for the new edition of Volley and Bayonet. So why did I go out and buy a $40 second edition of a set of rules I already own and have never played?<div><br /></div><div>Well, first of all I'm pretty much a Frank Chadwick <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">fanboy</span> and I tended to buy anything he produces. Second, I've always been a sucker for grand tactical horse and musket games. I guess I want to pretend to be Napoleon or something. Third, the original set of rules had a lot of elegant mechanics. I was eager to see what changes were made for the new edition.<div><br /></div><div>I'm not going to go into a full review here, because others have done so. Besides, I haven't really run any games with it yet. Capsule reviews from people who haven't played the game, a staple in some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">wargaming</span> magazines, don't seem very useful to me. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think this edition of Volley and Bayonet will be the one to get me off my butt and painting some figures. I'm still trying to decide what period I will use the rules for: Seven Years War, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Napoleonics</span>, or American Civil War. Heck, ultimately I'd like to do all three. But where to start?</div><div><br /></div><div>I've always been interested in the 100 Days campaign for some reason, so I may start there. I'm a bit of an Anglophile, so it just seems <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">necessary </span>to be able to play Waterloo. It's also an interesting campaign in the sense that in addition to French, British, and Prussians, you also have Dutch-Belgians, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Hanoverians</span>, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Brunswickers</span>. There are four battles to fight and the campaign itself could be recreated. I'm also not adverse to fictional battles using the historical armies. In all, it gives a lot of options.</div><div><br /></div><div>Figures are available in a number of scales for this campaign. The Perry Brothers have a 28mm range that will shortly include all of the participants save the Prussians and it seems like they can't be far behind. The downside is that I don't think I have the painting chops to pull it off. Even if I can paint the figures to a standard that does them justice, it will take f-o-r-e-v-e-r. Another downside it that once I did it, I'd probably be afraid to ever take the figures out of my house!</div><div><br /></div><div>A more realistic option may be to use 15mm. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Minifigs</span> has all of the combatants available and are sculpted in an old school style that I find appealing. Painting would be a breeze and it would be a more affordable option. Plus I wouldn't worrying about running games at the local store or at a con.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Hmmm</span>.... Decisions, decisions.</div></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-26618093431727733942009-02-21T09:41:00.000-08:002009-02-21T09:51:45.251-08:00What I'm Working OnDespite the lack of posts, I have been gaming and painting.<div><br /></div><div>Currently I'm working on two units of 28mm Old Glory Canadian militia for the French and Indian War. The Brigadista has a decent sized collection for this conflict and I'm trying to round out one of the gaps in his forces. The Old Glory French and Indian War range is mostly good, but the Canadian militia figures are poor. Most of the them have squashed heads, maybe as result of some problem that occurred when they were making the molds. In the end I think they will look OK on the table and I guess that is the main thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>The local crew has been playing the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Wilderness Wars</span> rules for this period. They work well and give a fun game. Brigadista and I will be running a game at the upcoming Recon convention next weekend.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've been continuing with my 15mm KNIL forces. I've completed an infantry battalion, but I've stalled on vehicles and Australian reinforcements. My interest has drifted to horse and musket periods a little, which has stalled my progress on this project. Never fear, my attention will wander back to them shortly I'm sure.</div><div><br /></div><div>Brigadista and I were planning another game of John Prados Third Reich, but we haven't gotten going yet. The problem is that some others were interested in joining us, but now we haven't been able to coordinate schedules. Hopefully we'll get rolling soon.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll be posting shortly with pictures of some of my completed work.</div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-8617794261760634902009-02-10T11:47:00.001-08:002009-02-10T12:43:36.653-08:00Little Wars ReportI had a fantastic time at Little Wars this year. Good games, good food, good company. What's not to like? I know I promised photos, but the sad truth is that I was having so much fun that I forgot to take any pictures!<br /><br />This year I rode up with my friend Bob, who is the proprietor of a local game store. We left Thursday morning after a quick breakfast at Perkins. The weather was good and traffic was light. We made it to the convention site in Lincolnshire, IL in a little over six hours. My proudest moment was that I after checking in, I made it to the hotel bar before Bob.<br /><br />Bob and I hung out at the bar until the Brigadista showed up. With the Brigadista in tow, we met some friends for dinner at a place called Jimmy's Charhouse. I had an excellent fillet mignon. Everyone who didn't order the pork chops had a good meal, too. (The folks who ordered pork chops weren't very happy.) It was much better than last year's outing to Buca di Beppo.<br /><br />Gaming started in earnest on Friday. Brigadista, Bob, and I played in an excellent Mexican Revolution game on Friday afternoon. The figures were wonderful 28mm figures from Old Glory. The scenario was that the rebel factions had isolated a group of federales in a town while a federale relief force with a train tried to breakthrough.<br /><br />Each faction had its own objectives, which prevented close cooperation. A partner and I played the Villistas. And we had an awful time of it. We made the mistake of splitting our forces - my group was to hold off the federale relief column and train while the other tried to take the town. All we succeeded in doing was capturing a herd of sheep, a cow, and a small amount of loot before our morale failed and our troops broke. Our only distinction was that we suffered more casualties than anyone else in the game! Bob, the federale town commander, was proclaimed the winner of the game. Besides holding the town, his main accomplishment was to steal all of the loot he was supposed to be guarding!<br /><br />Friday night we all played in a Command Decision: Test of Battle Spanish Civil War game. This was another game that featured a bunch of different factions with different objectives. The Nationalist players were trying to push through the Republican defenses to continue the march on Madrid. While the Nationalists had a unified military command, the Republicans were divided into different factions that had different secret objectives. The Republicans were also forbidden to communicate or coordinate with one another unless their command stands were touching. I was playing a Republican faction consisting of loyal naval troops. My objective was to advance to the main town and await further orders from high command.<br /><br />I was able to march into town just ahead of the advancing Nationalists. The Nationalists had crack troops from the army of Africa - Moors and Spanish Foreign Legion. My naval troops were of unknown quality - I had to roll for it the first time I took a morale check. Low and behold, I rolled about as well as I could and my troop quality ended up very high - as good as that of the Moors, but not quite as good as the Legion. Once I was in that town, it proved impossible for the Nationalists to throw me out.<br /><br />While I was busy trying to hold the town, all kinds of craziness was happening behind me. Two rival Republican factions had been given orders to occupy the telephone exchange and they came to blows over it. The POUM ended up mauling the loyal army troops who tried to evict them from the exchange. This whole situation was bad news for the Republicans because two of our five battalions were fighting one another. Fortunately the Brigadista, who commanded the doomed army troops, had left a company behind that was able to hold up some of the Moors and protect my exposed right flank.<br /><br />Bob's command, the Anarchists, had been given orders to seize (and presumably destroy) the local cathedral, which had been occupied by the Spanish Foreign Legion. Bob launched a spirited, but ultimately futile attack on the cathedral. The Legion troops were just too strong. <br /><br />To be honest, I have no idea what happened on the other side of the table, but it is obvious that it didn't go well for the Republicans. The Nationalists ended up winning a marginal victory by holding two of their three objectives. Bob won a prize for his bold attack on the cathedral. Ted, the commander of the POUM unit that savaged the Brigadista, won a medal. All in all, a very fun game run by a great gamemaster.<br /><br />Saturday morning I helped Bob and the Brigadista get set up for their own Spanish Civil War game. I then went off to play in a Volley and Bayonet game based on the battle of Lobositz. I was given command of the Austrian cavalry and I had a very good game. I just had that feeling that I was going to roll well and win the fights that I needed to win. And that's just what happened. Right off the bat I was able to eliminate half of the Prussian cavalry with no loss to my own troops. From there I went on to exhaust the rest of the Prussian cavalry, destroy an artillery battalion, and do some serious damage to the Prussian infantry in support of the main Austrian infantry counter-attack. All my troops ended up exhausted, but they had given excellent service. Very fun.<br /><br />Saturday afternoon was the flea market and I was able to clear out a bunch of stuff that was taking up space in my bunker. Very nice.<br /><br />Saturday night was an invitational game of Wilderness Wars run by the authors of the rules. The scenario was an attack on a French camp by a British column during the French and Indian War. Bob, the Brigadista, and I were all on the French side. Brigadista was the French supreme commander and, in a very uncharacteristic performance, managed to win every initiative roll but one. It was amazing.<br /><br />We French took a serious pounding from the British, but we managed to hold on for a victory. We were saved by the fact that the British regulars spent most of the game screwing around in the woods instead of marching quickly down the road to the open plain where they could deploy and be most effective. We were also helped by our Indian contingent, which went around the British left flank in canoes and massacred all of the broken and routed units milling about in the British rear. A brilliant victory snatched from the jaws of defeat. After the game, we all gathered in the hotel bar until they threw us out.<br /><br />All in all, it was a very good convention. I played in four excellent games. I spent time with my friends and made some new friends as well. The only downside was that I couldn't really find anything to blow money on in the flea market or vendor area. I guess that means I need to keep painting the stuff I already have!Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-28592693354598213402009-02-05T05:08:00.000-08:002009-02-05T05:10:57.348-08:00Off to Little WarsToday I'm off to the <a href="http://www.hmgsmidwest.com/main.taf?p=2">HMGS-Midwest Little Wars</a> gaming convention. It should be two solid days of gaming fun. I plan a full report with photos when I return.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-71193725173719789552009-01-18T18:24:00.000-08:002009-01-18T19:11:42.409-08:00John Prados Third Reich Session Report #5This is going to be the last session report as the game ended after two turns.<div><br /></div><div>Turn 13 (Spring 1943) featured mud on the eastern front, so not much happened other than a consolidation of lines. There was a Finnish offensive in the north that destroyed a Soviet corps. The Germans were able to build their two "monster" panzer units this turn, which they did and moved up to the eastern front. In Algeria, the allies brought in two British armoured corps and two infantry corps to supplement the US forces already present. The Italians tried to destroy the American armored corps, but failed. The Axis did obtain massive naval superiority in the western Mediterranean. At this point it could be fairly said that the Med was an Italian lake. The handful of allied fleets in the Med were blockaded in their ports.</div><div><br /></div><div>Turn 14 (Summer 1943) unfolded perfectly for the Axis. The allies launched an offensive in Algeria/Tunisia that tried to destroy an Italian armored corps in the mountains. The axis counter-punch was an encirclement launched from Tunisia coordinated with an amphibious landing west of Algiers. Once again the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Brigadista</span> had underestimated Italian naval and amphibious capability. A huge Allied army was cut off in eastern Algeria. The Germans broke through in multiple places on the eastern front and encircled a large portion of the Soviet army. Breakout attempts were unsuccessful.</div><div><br /></div><div>We called the game at this point. The Soviet army was shattered beyond repair and there would be nothing to stop the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">panzers</span> in the fall. The Soviet Union was bound to fall. The majority of the British army was about to surrender (to join their mates who had surrendered in Egypt).</div><div><br /></div><div>Final Analysis: I think the swing of the event chits was decidedly in the Axis favor. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Brigadista</span> was hamstrung with events forcing the British to send troops to India, Ireland, and Oran. He was forced to declare war on Vichy. The Italians benefited greatly from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">AFV</span> License that let them build their armored units to full strength.</div><div><br /></div><div>All in all, it was a very fun game. And I'm not just saying that because I won!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Brigadista</span> and I will be starting a new game of this in about a month. We're going to switch sides and use all of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">variant</span> counters. We're also going to use the expanded map that includes much of the middle east. After that, we're going to give the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Pacific</span> version a shot. Then, if we haven't gotten sick of the game, we're going to play the combined Europe/Pacific game.</div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-70290302320886869432009-01-10T18:24:00.000-08:002009-01-10T19:07:01.592-08:00John Prados Third Reich Session Report #4Friday night the Brigadista and I got together for another session of our Third Reich game.<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Turn 12 (Summer 1942)</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Event:</span> Coup in Iraq (Britain must dispatch a unit to northern Iraq or lose standing with Turkey.)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Political Activity:</span> Italy declares war on Romania.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Military Activity:</span> Italy crushes Romania and redirects forces back to the Mediteranean. Germans make limited progress on the southern Russian front. Front line in Russia is stabilizing on the main river lines. U.S. ships forces to Britain.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Notes:</span> An odd situation developed: Romania had declared war on Germany, but was not allied to Russia. As a result, Italy was able to declare war on Romania without declaring war on Russia or the Western allies. The Romanian army was engaged with Hungary and the capital was weakly defended.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Turn 13 (Fall 1942)</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Event:</span> Churchill Directs (Churchill meddles again - this time forcing two British units to move to Oran.)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Political Activity:</span> Italy declares war on Britain. USA and USSR declare war on Italy in return. Germany and Italy form an alliance. The lineup is Germany, Italy, Finland, Hungary, Vichy France, and Spain against Britain, USA, and USSR. Turkey and Sweden are the only signifiacnt neutrals left in the game.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Military Activity:</span> Italian and British fleets clash in the Eastern Med. Italians establish sea control. Italy launches a surprise amphibious assault that captures Suez and isolates all the British forces in Egypt. Italian bombers pound Malta. US and British bombers hammer Essen. (They've been doing this most of the game.) Germans make more gains in southern Russia. German armored/airborne assault on Vitebsk fails. Additional British and U.S. forces move into Tunisia and Algeria.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Notes:</span> The Brigadista admitted to seriously underestimating Italian naval power and amphibious capability. They are much stronger in this game than they were historically. An additional two years to build up and absorb minor countries really helps!</div><div><br /></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Turn 12 (Winter 1942)</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Event:</span> Independent Ukraine (Germany can form an independent Ukrainian state if they control every city in Ukraine.)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Political Activity:</span> Everyone vies for the affections of Turkey with no result.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Military Activity:</span> Exceptionally mild winter in Russia. No conclusive combat. Russians repel another attack on Vitebsk. Italians, Germans, and French reinforce Tunisia. Showdown in Tunisia/Algeria looms. Italian fleets transition to move to Messina, signaling an upcoming battle for the Western Med. All British forces in Egypt surrender.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Notes:</span> The Brigadista had a window for an amphibious attack on Rome, but didn't have adequate forces available.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Session Notes:</span> Italy is a real over-achiever in this game. Brigadista pointed out that this is probably in large part due to the AFV license event that allows Italy to build full-strength armored units (strength 4 instead of strength 2). Two years of peace to conquer the Balkans didn't hurt, either. The stronger AFV units made that conquest much easier than it would have been otherwise, of course.</div></div></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-86536405475964510232009-01-05T14:38:00.000-08:002009-01-05T15:03:23.785-08:00John Prados Third Reich Session Report #3Last Friday the Brigadista came over and we continued our Third Reich game.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Situation:</span> When we last left our heroes, they had completed the Summer 1941 turn. Germany has invaded the Soviet Union. Italy has conquered Greece, but is still at peace with the other major powers. Britain is making war on Vichy France and ignoring the Germans, prompting some to wonder if the British are more interested in expanding their colonial holdings than fighting fascism.<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Turn 9 (Fall 1941)</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Event:</span> IRA (Britain must garrison northern Ireland with a combat unit for four turns.)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Political Activity:</span> Italy, fresh off the conquest of Greece, declares war on Yugoslavia.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Military Activity:</span> German forces get the jump on the Soviets and encircle two significant pockets of troops. Massive numbers of Russians surrender. However, little progress is made towards Moscow, prompting the Brigadista to dub my offensive Operation <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062711/">Barbarella</a>. Ouch. Italy conquers Yugoslavia in a lightning campaign. Damascus falls to the British.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Turn 10 (Winter 1941)</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Event:</span> Polish Rally (Polish units become available to the Soviets and British.)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Political Activity:</span> Italy, flushed with confidence, declares war on Bulgaria. Romania, after several turns of hostility, declares war on Germany.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Military Activity: </span>Extreme Russian winter slows down activity on the eastern front. More Russians are cutoff and surrender. Russians hold firm in the Carthpathians, however, tying up large numbers of German troops. Italian attack on Bulgaria falters.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Turn 11 (Spring 1941)</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Event:</span> Pearl Harbor (U.S. joins the war, but Britain is required to send forces to the Pacific.)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Political Activity:</span> None</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Military Activity:</span> Mud hampers operations on the eastern front. Minsk is encircled and falls to the Germans. Russians and Romanians continue to threaten the German southern flank. The Italians conquer Bulgaria. British forces land in French Morrocco and Algeria, which are undefended.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Session Notes:</span> It's amazing that Italy is still not in the war. That's undoubtedly why things are going so well for her! She's conquered Greece, Yugoslavia, and Bulgaria, and gained Spain as an ally. Going into the next session, the big question is should Italy get into the war? I suspect Germany will lose badly if I don't bring them in. We shall see.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think Germany has hit the high water mark. The Russians lost a lot of units, but gained a great deal more in 1942. Germany will be hard-pressed to expand further to the east. The focus for Germany will be to hold on as long as possible against the Brigadistas rapidly expanding forces.</div><div><br /></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-508687592840331612009-01-04T06:32:00.000-08:002009-01-04T06:43:12.597-08:00The Holdiay Hiatus is Done!I'm back, baby!<br /><br />I've taken a break from the blog during the holidays, in large part because my two kids have been consuming all of my energy. Tomorrow my oldest goes back to school and we return to what we consider "normal."<br /><br />I haven't been doing too much that is hobby-related lately. In part this is because of the kids and the disrupted schedule, and in part because my wife and I discovered the new Battlestar Galactica on Netflix and have been watching it like crazy every night after the kids go to bed. It has really eaten into my painting and building time.<br /><br />Here's what's on the docket for the next few weeks:<br /><br />1. Paint some microarmor for a Western Desert game between the British and Italians.<br />2. The Brigadista dragooned me into building a 15mm scale deck truss bridge for a Spanish Civil War game he is running at Little Wars next month. Actually, I'm excited to do it and I'm happy to help out with the game. Hopefully the model will turn out decently. Right now I'm in the design stage. I'll post photos as I get started.<br />3. Keep working on my 15mm KNIL for the Dutch East Indies.<br />4. Paint some 20mm moderns for my secret project. (I find myself loving 20mm for some reason. It is easier to paint than 15mm and just as quick. I wish more stuff was available in 20mm metal!)<br /><br />That's enough for now. Happy New Year!Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-8954733186962910502008-12-20T15:00:00.000-08:002008-12-20T15:18:38.309-08:00John Prados Third Reich Session Report #2Now that the Brigadista is back in good health, we were able to play another session of our Third Reich game. We pick up with Turn 5 (Fall 1940). I'm playing the Axis and the Brigadista is playing the Allies.<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Situation:</span> France has fallen, but the Low Countries are still neutral. Italy has declared war on Greece, but is still at peace with Britain. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact is about expire. Previous session report <a href="http://justrollsixes.blogspot.com/2008/12/john-prados-third-reich-session-report.html">here</a>.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">Turn 5 (Fall 1940)</span> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Event:</span> Italian AFV license. (Italy starts building German tank designs and can therefore upgrade all armored units to full strength.)</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Political Activity:</span> Germany declares war on Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Spain becomes an Italian ally and declares war on Greece.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Military Activity:</span> Germany invades and overwhelms Belgium and the Netherlands while the British army evacuates back to Britain. (Perfidious Albion!) A German combined airborne and amphibious force captures Oslo and forces Norway to surrender. Italy moves additional forces to Albania for future Greek campaign. British desert build up continues. Russia halts offensives against Finland. Spanish forces move adjacent to Gibraltar.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Turn 6 (Winter 1940)</span><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Event:</span> Churchill Directs! (Winston has a brilliant idea! German player gets to make Britain do something dumb. My choices were to make Britain assault a German held port or declare war on a neutral nation. I chose to have Britain declare war on Vichy, which made Vichy a German ally. The British are required to attack Vichy territory this turn or next.)<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Political Activity:</span> Britain declares war on Vichy.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Military Activity:</span> German forces redeploy to the eastern front. Italians launch an attrition attack against Greece and break through on the Aegean coast. Italian fleets move to base in Rhodes. Italian submarines and bombers attack Greek economy. Britain moves forces to Palestine in preparation for an attack on the Vichy colony of Syria.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Turn 7 (Spring 1941)</span><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Event:</span> Cross of Lorraine. (Free French volunteers flock to Britain.)<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Political Activity:</span> Hungary allies with Germany and declares war on Britain.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Military Activity:</span> German units move into position on the Soviet border. Italian fleet destroys the Greek fleet. Italians launch amphibious invasion of Greece, landing near Salonika. Italian army cuts off all Greek units north of Athens and forces them to surrender. Italian attack on Athens fails. British attack on Damascus fails. Vichy fleet fights with Britain for control of the Western Mediterranean.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Turn 8 (Summer 1941)</span><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Event:</span> Yugoslavian Coup (anti-Axis elements take control of Yugoslavian government, reducing German and Italian influence in Yugoslavia.)<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Political Activity:</span> Allies successfully turn Romania and Yugoslavia hostile toward Germany and Italy. Despite some saber-rattling, neither country declares war on Germany or Italy. Germany declares war on the Soviet Union.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Military Activity:</span> Italians capture Athens and force Greek surrender. Italian force captures Crete and establishes a naval base at Suda Bay. Germans launch operation Barbarossa. Gains are limited, although some Soviet forces are cutoff in the Baltic states and forced to surrender. Two large gaps are created in the Soviet line, one in the north and one in the south. Vichy fleet defeated in battle for Western Mediterranean. British attack on Damascus fails again.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Notes:</span> It took the Italians one year to conquer Greece. Amazingly Italy and Britain are still not at war. Churchill's directive to attack Vichy was probably just as disruptive to Britain's plans as Mussolini's directive to attack Greece was to Italy's.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The Barbarossa attack wasn't particularly impressive. In fact, the Brigadista pronounced it "Barba-wussy" or something like that. There was a decent breakthrough and exploitation in the north (leading to the isolation of Russian units in the Baltic states), but there was no exploitation in the south. Russia has a shorter front line to defend because Romania is neutral (and could go pro-Allied due to hostility towards the Germans).<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Next Time:</span><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">War looms in the Balkans as both Yugoslavia and Romania are hostile to the Axis and have a 1 in 6 chance per turn of declaring war on either Germany or Italy.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The initial Barbarossa attack wasn't spectacularly impressive, but it did create some dangerous gaps that the Russians will have to deal with. Still, it's hard to imagine that Russia is in danger of falling in 1941.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Will Italy and Britain ever go to war? Right now it seems like neither the Brigadista nor I want to pay the 15 BRP cost for the declaration. Personally I'm content with the Italians building up a Mediterranean empire for now.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The Pearl Harbor chits go into the event cup starting in Fall 1941, so the U.S. could be entering the war very soon. That will change everything.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Parting Shot</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I am really enjoying this game - more than any board game in recent memory. I can't wait to continue! I'm sure the Brigadista will comment if I've screwed up the narrative.</p> </div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-45580452995372101832008-12-17T16:34:00.001-08:002008-12-18T04:47:30.875-08:00Off With Their Heads!<div>I've been working on some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">headswaps</span> for my 15mm <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">KNIL</span>. I want this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">KNIL</span> battalion to be entirely in hats of various types. It gives a nice tropical/colonial look to the little fellows. The True North infantry came with the correct headgear, but unfortunately my Peter Pig support weapons and the True North command packs came in helmets, kepis, or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">sidecaps</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had two sources for heads - a pack of Peter Pig separate heads and heads cut off of some surplus True North figures. The Peter Pig heads are easy to deal with because the head comes mounted on a cast-on rod. All you need to do is chop the head off of the figure you want to convert, drill a hole for the new head, and glue the head in the hole. Simple and the end results look good.</div><div><br /></div><div>OK, there was one complication: I didn't have the right size drill bit for my pin vice. I used a .025" bit and it was too small. I had to work at enlarging the whole and reducing the size of the rod to make it fit. I'm going to look for a little larger bit before taking on a major <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">headswapping</span> projects.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a Peter Pig Dutch <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">machinegunner</span> before the surgery:</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpZ7dj1gs7OPliCsWaRsfytgCZuftb32J19t-o74_CML_gsftQQLj5GkJoECIENylF3cyf4VOe9wRmIV8n44Ft03FjhnfgHZe4DSvlUJM8uzDbyWwI7jf6Do7zFitFZKOUz8gR5ILbnQ/s400/MGHelmet.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280922428215525890" /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's what he looks like after substituing the new head from Peter Pig pack #6-25:<br /></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokvvkcDypafpxva4Uj6G8kPLDXF5mIuX43ZSpqosv3T6O5HTsvpAx5SZhuz1TWovuy1ca2E93njlf0uwDMXibmZNcW5cYC78jInFNnAU3hFzApxa499Obrlpr_w1f5cMtW-jFTEEduII/s1600-h/MGHat.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokvvkcDypafpxva4Uj6G8kPLDXF5mIuX43ZSpqosv3T6O5HTsvpAx5SZhuz1TWovuy1ca2E93njlf0uwDMXibmZNcW5cYC78jInFNnAU3hFzApxa499Obrlpr_w1f5cMtW-jFTEEduII/s400/MGHat.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280922425133060434" /></a><br /></div><div>The end result looks pretty good in my opinion. In fact, the proportions look better with the new head. The original figure looks a little pumpkin headed, although I think the picture exaggerates the size of the head due to the camera angle.</div><div><br /></div><div>In addition to the Peter Pig weapons crews, I also swapped heads on a True North officer figure wearing a side cap. I forgot to take a 'before' picture, but here's what he looks like with his new head (which I took from a surplus True North figure):</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLe70P4o94uOOKYeBDNFqdVeVEDz300UfPOr29A-cRmFs4Tzb_so0I1f_bNrz3AtF6UkWT6hC7EHtGsDS8ST-e7Cb2znccMp6FixSUmdQvEXYMEGLos-oCS66nhIbdckOWj90yOMYqExM/s1600-h/IMG_0460.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLe70P4o94uOOKYeBDNFqdVeVEDz300UfPOr29A-cRmFs4Tzb_so0I1f_bNrz3AtF6UkWT6hC7EHtGsDS8ST-e7Cb2znccMp6FixSUmdQvEXYMEGLos-oCS66nhIbdckOWj90yOMYqExM/s400/IMG_0460.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280922418612239122" /></a><br /></div><div>This operation was a bit trickier as I had to drill holes in both the head and the body. I cut a small piece from a pin to form the connector between head and body.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's a good feeling to have all of the figures converted. Fear of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">headswapping</span> was holding back my progress on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">KNIL</span>. Now I have no excuses - full speed ahead!</div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-13908076152564041972008-12-17T04:26:00.000-08:002008-12-18T04:33:01.391-08:00Good EnoughOne of my on-going challenges with the hobby of gaming and miniatures is to stay focused on my current effort. I find it very easy to be pulled this way and that by the latest shiny thing that catches my eye. The result: not much productivity outside of acquiring new toys.<div><br /></div><div>As I posted last week, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Brigadista</span> and I have taken on a new project - the Early Pacific War. The aims of this project are pretty limited at this point and not that many figures or vehicles will be required to get started. In fact, that was a major selling point for both of us.</div><div><br /></div><div>For some reason I have found it very hard to get going on this project. As I said, I don't have that much that I really need to do and it wouldn't take that much concerted effort to get it done. However, every time I go down to the basement to work on it, I find myself working on something else. </div><div><br /></div><div>I suppose it is a bit like being back in college and procrastinating on that paper you know you need to write. Sure you could start it early and save yourself some stress, but instead you wait until the last minute and then crank it out in an all-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">nighter</span>. There is nothing like an impending deadline to provide that extra bit of motivation to get you over the hump.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thinking it over, though, there is something more to it than simple procrastination. To me, there is something amazingly appealing about a project that hasn't been started yet. A project that hasn't been started is perfect in every way. Pristine. A project that is underway has flaws and shortcomings. (I didn't use the perfect shade of green for their pants. I got brown paint on that guy's face.) It's messy. (There's a bunch of half-painted guys glued to sticks all over my painting desk. There's a bunch of half-built tanks all over my workbench.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Ultimately, I'm a bit of a dreamer. That's not unusual in this hobby. I'm also a perfectionist, but not the "good" kind. The "good" kind of perfectionist works tirelessly to try to complete his or her vision, never resting until it's complete. At least that's my idealized vision of a perfectionist. (A perfect perfectionist, if you will.) In reality people like that get ulcers and lose sleep and drink too much. I'm a lazy perfectionist. When it becomes clear that my perfect vision isn't obtainable, my instinct isn't to work harder. My instinct is to move on to a new project that still has the potential for perfection.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is obviously a trap. An excuse not to ever get anything done. Every human undertaking has flaws to one degree or another. There is no perfect miniatures project. There will be flaws with the figures, there will be flaws with the painting, and there will be flaws with the games. If you limit yourself to only producing perfect work, you will never produce anything.</div><div><br /></div><div>The key, then, is finding a balance between the perfect vision and the imperfect execution of that vision. A happy little place I like to call "good enough." Good enough is an obtainable level of quality that meets your vision without exceeding your abilities and resources.</div><div><br /></div><div>For me, determining "good enough" requires some mental negotiation. I look at the final result of my work and ask myself if I can reasonably do it any better. I also ask myself if I would be embarrassed to show the completed work in public. If the answer to both questions is no, than the work is "good enough" and I can move on.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last night I forced myself to stop planning a new project and get back to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">KNIL</span>. I didn't get a lot done, but it was a step forward. I'm looking forward to getting these figures on the table.</div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-41951930882338889822008-12-15T04:26:00.000-08:002008-12-15T04:52:56.542-08:00From the Photo Archives - Battle of Villers Bocage in 15mmI was digging through my photo archive and stumbled accross some photos from a Command Decision game based on the Battle of Villers Bocage that Brigadista and I played earlier this year. The scenario came from Bob Mackenzie's excellent Command Decision <a href="http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bob_mackenzie/index.html">website</a>.<div><br /></div><div>You might not expect Villers Bocage to give a good game, but this scenario certainly did. In fact, of all the Command Decision games Brigadista and I played this year, this was my favorite.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Here's the scene as Wittman's Tiger bursts through the bocage, surprising a British mortor company and an armoured squadron from 7th Armoured Division. I love this picture.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7kmtvvL6fh0CfVkluxSBTKHdATrCKmrUdrwpsU7HH3FOTU3Ah7PgEcGbv86AoKAcx7MazVIaUn8MVTXJAHF6xp6GZvsh-I1y4CLQD2AAXOiGw7W8LwTUEtujOVAb3IOEIDchbVsdGf4/s1600-h/WittmanBurstsThrough.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7kmtvvL6fh0CfVkluxSBTKHdATrCKmrUdrwpsU7HH3FOTU3Ah7PgEcGbv86AoKAcx7MazVIaUn8MVTXJAHF6xp6GZvsh-I1y4CLQD2AAXOiGw7W8LwTUEtujOVAb3IOEIDchbVsdGf4/s400/WittmanBurstsThrough.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279995239529300690" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the same scene from the reverse angle. The tank is the headquarters troop of 4th County of London Yeomanry. It would become a flaming wreck a few seconds after this picture was taken.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYv4SmLT8X8yMcvFdIiAbHXDI1AThndSOjjvGvuukPdlvN5DK6UzXLsIPS2GHiwqIGH606toe4sDGzUMrTSnSOqFZoWi15zdkzTKbojtABtTftqOJ-P4lHOiw_oMBAz7wG-cm5rWlKxSc/s1600-h/WittmanAgain.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYv4SmLT8X8yMcvFdIiAbHXDI1AThndSOjjvGvuukPdlvN5DK6UzXLsIPS2GHiwqIGH606toe4sDGzUMrTSnSOqFZoWi15zdkzTKbojtABtTftqOJ-P4lHOiw_oMBAz7wG-cm5rWlKxSc/s400/WittmanAgain.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279995242113141922" /></a><br /></div><div>Here are the results a quick German dash up a road in the bocage against waiting British tanks - this action saved the British from defeat in the scenario.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxdx-IuU7t9pmzvhx3u6MTF_TpWB_GqUaxABKLoa024rbR1Bx3PQPfF9gMeddmYS6gzckrOM-ou3bjjTSf1_SeiWTqr6zFRTK1wq1QGOmWI2RNbmYGJXZ68EA-EV0G8cW-FzBJ8ZKFiY/s1600-h/Ambush.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxdx-IuU7t9pmzvhx3u6MTF_TpWB_GqUaxABKLoa024rbR1Bx3PQPfF9gMeddmYS6gzckrOM-ou3bjjTSf1_SeiWTqr6zFRTK1wq1QGOmWI2RNbmYGJXZ68EA-EV0G8cW-FzBJ8ZKFiY/s400/Ambush.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279995231546608978" /></a><br /></div></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-89416610336497110022008-12-14T12:33:00.000-08:002008-12-14T13:00:37.402-08:00Saturday Gaming - A House DividedThe Brigadista bailed on our planned Third Reich game on Friday night. He was babbling something about being sick and Viking funerals. It was all rather incoherent.<div><br /></div><div>However, I did get in part of a game of <a href="http://www.phalanxgames.net/wb/pages/international/our-games/game.php?id=3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">A House Divided</span></a> with the Future Poltergeist. (Yes, my friends are real people with real names.) I have the Phalanx Games edition of the game and it's been sitting on my shelf for a few years. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">A House Divided</span> is considered to be a classic of sorts and I've really meant to get around to playing it. It was designed by Frank Chadwick and I generally like his games.</div><div><br /></div><div>If I had to sum up the game in a phrase, it would be "simple without being simplistic." It was easy to get into the game and it played quickly. It confronts players with different strategies and paths to victory. My favorite aspect of the game is the unit promotion system. All units start at militia quality, but can be promoted to veteran or crack. Every time you win a battle, you can promote one of the participants. This feature gives a very nice feeling of building up your army over the course of the game, both in terms of quantity and quality.</div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately we had to cut the game short because the Future Poltergeist's back started bothering him and he couldn't continue. Apparently the seating arrangements in my gaming <a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-A-Papua/img/USA-A-Papua-3.jpg">bunker</a> are not to his liking. What does he expect, ergonomic gaming <a href="http://www.hermanmiller.com/CDA/SSA/Product/1,1592,a10-c440-p8,00.html">chairs</a>???</div><div><br /></div><div>Look for a more complete review of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">A House Divided</span> in the future.</div><div><br /></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-61084777668282733552008-12-13T05:10:00.000-08:002008-12-13T05:29:23.158-08:00Birth of a Project - WW2 Early Pacific War<p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">[Setting: Fields of Honor gaming convention in Des Moines, IA]</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Me:</span> “Hey, I think it would be cool to game the early Pacific War in 15mm for Command Decision.”<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Brigadista:</span> “Oh, really?”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Me: </span>“Well, I'm not positive I want to do it. I'm just thinking out loud. You can't hold me to it.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">[Later, at the Flea Market]</span></span><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Brigadista: </span>“Hey, look at all these bags of Old Glory Japanese. They're selling them cheap! You should buy them for your Pacific project.”<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Me:</span> “Maybe... I'm not doing that for sure. I'm just thinking about it.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Brigadista:</span> “Well, maybe I'll buy them.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">[Fade to black...]</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">To make a long story short, the Brigadista bought the figures and now we're doing the Pacific War. Amazingly, he somehow maneuvered things so that he got to buy the deeply discounted flea market figures and I'm stuck buying the Allies at full retail! He seems like a nice guy, but he's actually quite evil.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Anyway, the first Allied figures I'm painting up are the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KNIL">KNIL</a> (Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger), the Dutch colonial army in the Dutch East Indies. Initially, the KNIL will muster a Command Decision infantry battalion with some regimental assets. The KNIL had some other interesting stuff, including a variety of light tanks and light armored vehicles, that I also want to add at some point.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Most of my inspiration for gaming the Dutch East Indies came from photos and information provided by a guy named David Reasoner who posts on the Command Decision: Test of Battle <a href="http://testofbattle.com/phpBB2/index.php">forum</a>. David has compiled a lot of organizational material and has posted pictures of his excellent 20mm collection.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I'm using mostly <a href="http://www.truenorthminis.com/store/index.php">True North Miniatures</a> for the KNIL. The figures are pretty good and the infantry even comes wearing tropical headgear (a mix of bush hats and straw hats). Unfortunately the officers and heavy weapons crews do not.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The machine guns and mortars are from <a href="http://www.peterpig.co.uk/range8.htm">Peter Pig</a> for the simple reason that True North's support weapon packaging is inconvenient. The support weapon pack comes with two machine gun teams, two LMG teams, two mortar teams, and two anti-tank rifle teams. That's all well and good, except that all I need are three machine gun teams and one mortar team for the battalion I'm building. It doesn't make any sense to buy all of that extra stuff that I won't be using. Plus I'd have to buy two packs to get the right number of machine guns! The Peter Pig packaging is much more convenient.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">At this point I'm nearly done with the infantry. They just need touch ups, a wash, some highlights, and a varnish. I'm planning to do head swaps to put tropical hats on the support weapons crews so I'll tackle that next. Wish me luck – I've never tried this operation on a 15mm figure! I'll post photos when this unit is done.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">After this initial batch of Dutch, I'm planning to add a battalion of Australians from <a href="http://www.eurekaminusa.com/catalog.aspx?c=Australian/Pacific&cid=128&pageIndex=0">Eureka Miniatures</a>. The allied army on <a href="http://www.geocities.com/dutcheastindies/java.html">Java</a> consisted of Dutch, Australians, British, and Americans, so there is room for lots of variety here. I'll also be adding some British light tanks for armored support. The Brigadista was kind enough to give me a Quality Castings British MkVIb light tank to get me started. I figure it was the least he could do...<br /></p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-43822283484043316572008-12-12T04:42:00.000-08:002008-12-12T06:44:28.466-08:0015mm Scratchbuilt Destroyer<div>When we were preparing for the <a href="http://justrollsixes.blogspot.com/2008/12/15mm-merchant-ship.html">invasion of Majorca game</a>, we decided we should have a destroyer to go with the merchant ships. This is what I came up with:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS55k5U_nddQrOFA5pNlw3sLADGgX1ExswJh143qkQoQ49oeffrKjyY1pcQgvJNmz71SUsWGGYCI5CuqRgos6ZID7HfUQ921CsY8p9mL7FX1aq2-ceAlQtWQUBcvUj0GNuWp-1aHB2sjc/s1600-h/destroyer2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS55k5U_nddQrOFA5pNlw3sLADGgX1ExswJh143qkQoQ49oeffrKjyY1pcQgvJNmz71SUsWGGYCI5CuqRgos6ZID7HfUQ921CsY8p9mL7FX1aq2-ceAlQtWQUBcvUj0GNuWp-1aHB2sjc/s400/destroyer2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278884162817398562" /></a><br /><div>It has no specific prototype, but I did look at some <a href="http://www.kbismarck.com/mgl/destroy.htm">photos</a> of Spanish destroyers that were in service between the wars and try to capture some of their characteristics. I'm not sure how successful I was. I've never been entirely satisfied with the result. Looking at the photos right now, I can see that part of the problem is that the stack is too tall. For most destroyers, the stack is approximately level with the top of the bridge. A second stack would have been good, but there was just no way to fit one on the model.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2C9JgeuWNBqMee0ybDwa1DM28OUbwzRanBPP08Nfwrhlu5Au3xR5MIWlUsaTFYwi2jnxCd2zGsyzatHv5yvmP1aFAXVcQlX2KePGH_7ICSY2t3iZeOY0sG4NfjWYf-nhCjUn7tOmbXf4/s1600-h/destroyer1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2C9JgeuWNBqMee0ybDwa1DM28OUbwzRanBPP08Nfwrhlu5Au3xR5MIWlUsaTFYwi2jnxCd2zGsyzatHv5yvmP1aFAXVcQlX2KePGH_7ICSY2t3iZeOY0sG4NfjWYf-nhCjUn7tOmbXf4/s400/destroyer1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278884163528140850" /></a><br /></div><div><div>The turrets are all attached with small magnets and can be rotated. Aft of the stack is a platform for an anti-aircraft gun. The model is ten inches long.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another thing that is apparent is that it could really use some sort of hull number. This ship will likely see action at a game at <a href="http://www.hmgsmidwest.com/main.taf?p=2">Little Wars 2009</a>, so I will probably add one before then.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like the merchant ship, the destroyer was made from balsa and styrene. I have found that very thin sheet styrene is much easier to work with than cardboard. It is easier to cut, because all you have to do is score a line and snap it off. You don't need to worry about saturating styrene if you use too much glue. Finally, styrene is much more durable when the model is complete.</div><div><br /></div><div>When building these ships I struggled to come up with the outline of the hull. What I finally ended up doing was using the draw feature in Microsoft Word to create a template. I started with an oval that had the approximate dimensions I was looking for. Then I used other ovals and lines to make it look more like the hull of a ship. It requires some trial and error. Once you have somthing that looks right, print it out and use it to cut out your balsa for the hull and superstructure. The end result isn't good enough to win the America's Cup, but it looks right on the table and it produces a more uniform result than drawing it by hand.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like the merchant ship, the destroyer has no name. All I can think of when I see her is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">HMS Ruptured Duck</span>!</div></div><div><br /></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-49346965212356708252008-12-11T06:38:00.000-08:002008-12-11T16:43:55.471-08:00John Prados Third Reich Session Report #1<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">About a year ago the Brigadista and I separately talked ourselves into buying <a href="http://www.avalanchepress.com/line_3R_GPW.php">John Prados Third Reich</a>. Actually the Brigadista went whole hog and purchased Third Reich, the Third Reich Deluxe Map, Great Pacific War, the Third Reich/Great Pacific War Player's Guide, and (later) the Rumors of War supplement. Avalanche Press may have also sold him a <a href="http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1971-1980-ford-pinto10.htm">used car</a> and/or a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Bridge">bridge</a> in Brooklyn. I was content with Third Reich and the Deluxe Map.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Third Reich, for those who don't know, is a strategic-level game of the Second World War in Europe. It was originally published by Avalon Hill in the 1970's. The Avalanche Press version evolved from the original Avalon Hill version, but the mechanics are very different. <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/2904">Boardgame Geek</a> has an excellent overview of the game as well as some detailed reviews. (Be aware that the current version of the Third Reich rules is 3.0. Many of the reviews on Boardgame Geek reflect earlier versions of the rules, which frankly weren't very good. I plan to post a detailed review after our first complete game.)<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Brigadista and I are in the midst of our first playing of the game. This is a long game and in our first session we managed to get through four turns in about four hours. I'm sure it will go faster as we become more familiar with the rules. I'm playing the Axis and Brigadista the Allies. Here's a report of our first session.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Turn 1 (Fall 1939)</span><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Event:</span> Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (Each turn you draw a chit for a random political event. The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact divided eastern Europe between Russia and Germany and guaranteed at least a year of peace between the two powers.)<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Poltical Activity:</span> None<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Military Activity:</span> Germany invades and overwhelms Poland. France launches a limited attack on Germany. Other powers build units from their force pool.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Turn 2 (Winter 1940)</span><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Event:</span> French Mass Strike (French Communists strike, causing significant damage to the French economy.)<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Political Activity:</span> Finland, angry with the loss of Karelia due to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, declares war on Russia.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Military Activity:</span> Another French attack on Germany. German forces move west. Italians build up in Libya. Britain builds up.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Turn 3 (Spring 1940)</span><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Event:</span> Fuhrer Directive (This event represents Hitler's meddling in military affairs. The net impact was that the German offensive against France was totally disrupted for this turn.)<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Political Activity:</span> Germany declares war on Denmark.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Military Activity:</span> Germany occupies Denmark and launches a costly attack on the Maginot Line. Another French limited attack on Germany. Britain and Italy build up in the desert. Russia launches costly (and completely unsuccessful) assaults on Finland.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Turn 4 (Summer 1940)</span><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Event:</span> Mussolini is Always Right! (Italy is forced to declare war on either Greece or Yugoslavia; Britain gets to choose which).<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Political Activity:</span> Germany declares war on Luxembourg. Italy declares war on Greece.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Military Activity:</span> German armored forces launch a two echelon assault on France through Luxembourg. The initial echelon, with massive air support, seizes Sedan. The second echelon passes through the first and attacks and occupies Paris. France surrenders and Vichy is established. Italy moves forces from Libya to Albania to prepare for eventual Greek offensive. Italians terror bomb Athens. Russia launches another unsuccessful assault on Finland.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Notes:</span> Germany intended to declare war on Norway, but completely forgot to do so during the Declarations of War phase! </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The game has a unique sequence of play for military operations. Each country purchases chits for each offensive they wish to perform during the turn. The chits are then randomly drawn so that you don't know the sequence of actions. This is an interesting game mechanic with some advantages and disadvantages. You can choose headquarters offensives (units within four hexes of the selected headquarters may move and attack), naval actions, air actions, or attrition. Germany, Russia, and the US have the option to purchase a general offensive once per year that allows unlimited activity.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The German attack on France was accomplished by purchasing two headquarters offensives. The first headquarters activated an group of armored units for the assault on Sedan. The second headquarters activated a second group of armored units to pass through Sedan and attack Paris. Each unit may only activate once per turn.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">End of Session</span><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The first year of play ended with roughly historical results. Poland and France have fallen. An interesting twist is that the Low Countries are still neutral. Italy was on the verge of declaring war on Britain and attacking Egypt, but was completely disrupted by Mussolini's insistence on war with Greece.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Brigadista and I both liked the random political events. They threw some curveballs at us and made us change our plans on the fly. In this game, you can't count on everything going strictly according to your carefully made plans.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">There are some interesting choices to be made in the Fall of 1940. Will Britain declare war on Italy to support the Greeks? Will Germany overrun the Low Countries? Did I mention that the BEF was stuck in France and needs to march to a port if they want to go home? Plus the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact expires! How's that for a cliffhanger?<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Next game is Friday night, so look for another session report this weekend.<br /></p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029612258659606420.post-38036258286778823312008-12-10T09:06:00.000-08:002008-12-10T09:14:59.049-08:00Confessions of a Gaming Junkie<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">At one time in the not too distant I past, I wasn't really a gamer. Oh, I thought about gaming a lot. I bought and read the magazines. I read the web pages and the forums. I knew a bunch of the gamers in town. I absorbed a great deal of knowledge about the hobby. But I never really participated. I was an observer. A professional appreciator. (OK, not professional; I wasn't getting paid.)</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">That's not entirely true. I participated in the hobby as a consumer. I bought miniatures, boardgames, and rule sets like Imelda Marcos bought shoes. A favorite activity of mine after a bad day at work was to go to the local game store and buy something. Anything.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Gradually I acquired huge amounts of stuff. I had comic boxes full of rule sets. Plastic bins full of figures. Shelves full of boardgames. And, like I said, I never did much with it. The only joy of the hobby for me, if you can call it joy, was in the momentary thrill of the purchase.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">There were a couple of problems with what I was doing that prevented greater enjoyment of the hobby. The first problem was that I had no focus. I bought just about everything that caught my eye. I acquired rules and figures for periods I had no real interest in just because I had read an interesting article in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Wargames</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> Illustrated</span> or saw some pretty miniatures on The Miniatures Page. I had tons of stuff, but not enough of any one period to actually do anything with any of it. (I guess I could have relived my childhood days of an unlikely alliance of Atlantic Greeks and USMC battling <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Airfix</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Afrika</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Korps</span> and 8<sup><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span></sup> Army!)<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The second problem was that the sheer amount of stuff I owned was very intimidating. Staring at all that unpainted lead made it difficult for me to jump in and start painting. That's not to say that I never painted anything. I did, but it was all very scattered. I painted in fits and starts, and ended up with what could generously be described as an “eclectic” collection of painted figures.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">About a year ago I decided that I was losing interest in the hobby, which isn't that surprising given what I've described above. You eventually get to the point where you've read all the magazines and you've bought all the rules. If you aren't participating, there isn't much left to do.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I decided I had three options. The first option was to quit the hobby and sell off my stuff. The second was to take a break. The third was get off my butt and actually participate. To paint and play and contribute to the hobby. I chose the third option. The idea of gaming still appealed to me too much to give it up. Taking a break was really just postponing the decision.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">If I was going to change my habits, the first thing I needed to do was stop buying every new product that caught my eye. I was helped in this endeavor by taking a leave of absence from my job to care for my mother when she was sick. Having a reduced income made it easy to scale back on purchases. In fact, I didn't miss the stuff I was no longer buying. What I did miss was having an outlet for those “I just need to go buy something” moments.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I sat down and took a rough inventory of everything I had. I made a list of every period I had rules or figures or board games for. And then I started cutting. Rules, games, and figures that I had not used and had no intention of using in the near future would be sold. I didn't do this all at once. In fact I'm still in the process of doing it now. I just periodically go through my things until I find something I know I have no use for and then I sell it.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">At first I was apprehensive about selling my gaming stuff. I'm genetically predisposed to hoard things. (You should have seen the stuff my parents managed to accumulate and save in their lifetimes!) Plus you always hear sad stories from gamers who sold off a collection and then regretted it when they decided to get back into the period. Nevertheless I pressed on.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The first figures I sold off were my unpainted 28mm Renegade <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">ECW</span> figures. I knew I wasn't a fan of the figures (too big). I knew I wasn't a fan of the period (too many pikes). And, most importantly, I knew that if I was ever going to do anything with those figures I'd have to buy a bunch more stuff to go with them. Ultimately I wasn't unloading figures, I was unloading an outstanding bill for hundreds of dollars worth of additional figures to make the period playable! Surprisingly, when I sold the figures I didn't feel any pangs of regret. I felt good; like a little load had been lifted from my shoulders. I no longer had to feel guilty about not painting those figures. They had become someone <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">else's</span> problem. I've sold off a bunch more stuff after the Renegade figures and to date I haven't regretted a single sale. Each sale has cleared some space on my shelves and helped me focus on the stuff I've decided to keep.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The temptation for me when selling off my gaming stuff was to turn around and use the money to buy more gaming stuff. I'd be lying if I said I never did this, but mostly I've stuck to my guns and held on to the cash. Why? Well, in part because of the global economic meltdown. But mostly because I want to have a reserve of cash to spend on the periods and collections that I'm making real progress with.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">To use a military analogy, the Red Army had a philosophy that you should never reinforce failure. If an attack isn't working, pouring your reserves into that attack isn't likely to produce better results. Reserves should be committed to attacks that are making progress. Likewise, buying more figures for a period when you already have unpainted lead sitting around doesn't make sense. It'll just add to the problem. In my case I'm trying to use these funds to buy more things for projects where I'm making actual progress.<br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">It's always difficult when you try to change habits. It's easy to get discouraged and revert to your old ways. In my experience, the important thing is not to be too hard on yourself and to keep moving forward. Yes, I've slipped and bought some new lead that is currently sitting unpainted, but I'm doing it a lot less frequently than I used to. Every time I slip, I try to use it as a reminder the next time I'm tempted by an impulse purchase. I think back to a pack of figures that I may never get around to painting (or rules that I may never get around to playing) and it makes it a little easier to walk away from whatever is tempting me.<br /></p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com3