tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40874033734001362712024-02-19T17:32:40.815-08:002mm-madnessAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10833908552095803861noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4087403373400136271.post-11867171359963908252011-12-11T23:37:00.001-08:002011-12-11T23:37:34.737-08:00Quick and Dirty Summary of Corps Level RulesThe rules I have at the moment are coming along well for playtesting - they are 'published' here under the 'Corps Level Rules' tab on this blog, but I am finding blogger pretty bad for publishing in this format .. so they are barely readable on this blog. <br />
<br />
I can only fix that by posting them as a PDF and hosting them somewhere other than blogger. Easy enough - I have a bunch of web servers that can handle that.<br />
<br />
Still a lot of work to get them completed, presentable, and presented. Playtesting however is working well with what I have.<br />
<br />
Anyway, here is a quick and dirty summary of how I currently handle actions at Corps level, and cover the problem you mentioned above, with tanks attacking infantry in towns, etc. This is a bit long winded to explain, but its all simple mechanisms at the end of the day, so bear with me please :<br />
<br />
<br />
- Ranges and game scales .. the battlefield is divided into a grid system. A grid represents around 2km x 2km squares. (I use 4" square = 1 grid, as that suits my terrain tiles). <br />
<br />
- Each grid square can stack up to 6 battalions, and 3 of those can be used at 1 time during fighting.<br />
<br />
- To complicate that simple setup, a number of grids make up a Sector. Most of my terrain tiles are 8" x 8" (see http://2mm-madness.blogspot.com/2011/11/russian-buas-in-early-winter.html for a board setup), which is 2x2 grids per sector. Woods / Towns / Mountains, etc are 1 grid = 1 sector. Big open areas, 3x3 grids make up a sector. If you have a look at my example game board made up of tiles, you can easily see variable sized sectors made up of consistently sized grids.<br />
<br />
- Most units have a movement rate of 2. Infantry move 2 grid squares per turn, all mechanised units move 2 sectors per turn. Thats the basic movement rate, there are also mechanisms for HQs to spend command points and rush units along a little further, but so far, no tables to lookup and no tape measures needed.<br />
<br />
- For modern extensions to this, whilst gun ranges are in grid squares, guided missle (Sagger / TOW, etc) have ranges in sectors. <br />
<br />
- 2 types of attacks - ranged combat and assault combat. Tanks and heavy support weapons are the only types of units that can fire on ranged combat. Infantry for example, can only attack using assault combat. Tanks can conduct ranged fire on infantry if they sit back at a distance and pound them. Most direct ranged weapons have a range of 1 grid square, some excellent ranged weapons can fire out to 2 grid squares. Artillery can indirect fire out to 4-6 grid squares (8-12km range)<br />
<br />
- Each type of battalion has 2 combat factors. Attack vs Armour, and vs Everything else. Attack / Defence factors are in the range 1-10, So an attack factor of 4 represents a 40% chance to "score a hit" during a turn of combat. Friendly support weapons in range of the target can add +1 to the attack factor of the attacking unit.<br />
<br />
- Each Division has a grading, or 'Combat Proficiency' rating, on a scale of 1-10. Average troops are rated 5, special troops get higher ratings. This grading applies to all battalions in the Division. The CP rating is critical, as it provides the "Saving Throw" number on a D10 for any unit in that Division to survive a hit.<br />
<br />
- Each unit has an armour rating (generally 0), which is a + added to the saving throw for that unit. Armour bonuses are ignored in assault combat.<br />
<br />
- A battalion which fails to save vs a hit is removed from the board, and considered dispersed. During the game, HQ units get the opportunity to try and recover dispersed units, which again requires a saving throw vs CP.<br />
<br />
- Infantry are generally rated 4 vs soft targets, and 3 or 4 vs Armour. Tanks are generally rated 2 vs soft targets, and 4-6 vs Armour, depending on the class of tanks. Straight away, you can see that a tank battalion conducting ranged fire on an infantry unit has a very low base chance of success. It can improve this by adding supporting fire from mortars, artillery, HMG companies, etc.<br />
<br />
- Assault combat occurs when up to 3 battalions attempt to storm a grid square. (place the units on the border between 2 grid squares). Players nominate which unit in the group leads the attack / or defence. Calculate the attack factor, and add +1 for each fire support in range. Assault combat continues during the turn until one side or the other breaks. <br />
<br />
- Towns and woods are nasty things to attack - if the defender suffers an unsaved hit in a town or wood or mountain .. and there is another friendly grid square of the same type adjoining this grid, then the defending unit retires to that grid square rather than being dispersed. Big Stalingrad maps with lots of adjacent city grids = slow grinding bloodbath for all involved.<br />
<br />
Thats a quick and dirty summary anyway. I must get some time to put all this into a decent document soon :)<br />
<br />
---------------<br />
<br />
<br />
So, having said all that, if a tank unit close assaults an infantry battalion on it's own, it will more than likely get destroyed. If it assaults together with a friendly infantry unit, then assign the infantry to lead the assault (it has a better attack value vs infantry than the tank unit), and get the tanks to provide fire support.<br />
<br />
Tanks attacking into towns on their own, are pretty much certain to be destroyed.<br />
<br />
Tanks are deadly against other tanks (in the open), but not that useful in close fighting.<br />
<br />
Tanks are quite fragile if the player allows them to get bogged down or isolated - infantry remain the best unit for taking and holding ground. Tanks are best used to exploit breakthroughs in the line, drive deep and take out the enemy HQs at the rear.<br />
<br />
The simple mechanisms above reward that sort of behavior from the commander.<br />
<br />
Have a play with those ideas anyway and see it feels for you.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10833908552095803861noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4087403373400136271.post-901022893621972982011-12-11T16:23:00.000-08:002011-12-11T16:29:28.118-08:00Nice work on 3mm basing over here ...<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Link of the Day</b></span><br />
<br />
Some good stuff happening over at this site : <a href="http://modernwarsinminiature.blogspot.com/">http://modernwarsinminiature.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<br />
... where he is doing battle of the bulge in 3mm. Really like the large battalion stands with mini dioramas.<br />
<br />
Quite a large base size for this scale, but the results are excellent.<br />
<br />
Enjoy the eye candy :)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvL6zpSEXwb7AdmG_ZmLQwQHp_khr0FFmHNkger40HbxzvkgRdELzE_XyJUfhOuWml6LFBXRJLlvW7PTMZBqArY396H6_pdNsPYLY34dlT38Ws85XZFNOvueOqEQf8zFnoInhWXR_mNnlq/s1600/IMG_0383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvL6zpSEXwb7AdmG_ZmLQwQHp_khr0FFmHNkger40HbxzvkgRdELzE_XyJUfhOuWml6LFBXRJLlvW7PTMZBqArY396H6_pdNsPYLY34dlT38Ws85XZFNOvueOqEQf8zFnoInhWXR_mNnlq/s640/IMG_0383.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggEqJCro8HXBe8YIz8aulRe_Byoc2Wopqos1nCpspILXlNxzGa2v6cE0MrnehPb2gHnHYSaA33xUHhYTFMIBpsU78Kmog_b0qLi0-9at6utUzeRR6dQS5Zir_oxb_W5n9mTPVzEPg62UDB/s1600/IMG_0384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggEqJCro8HXBe8YIz8aulRe_Byoc2Wopqos1nCpspILXlNxzGa2v6cE0MrnehPb2gHnHYSaA33xUHhYTFMIBpsU78Kmog_b0qLi0-9at6utUzeRR6dQS5Zir_oxb_W5n9mTPVzEPg62UDB/s640/IMG_0384.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10833908552095803861noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4087403373400136271.post-56224343108911030972011-12-06T07:33:00.000-08:002011-12-06T07:49:32.502-08:00Semi Random OOBs for game scenarios<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Operational Game Design Thought of the Day</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYW1P3tOFrWNs0iGzHbkVn7dcfq3lSOpj20qrRILK9Evax9doTKISWP72x7OSLwUmKJJOYbC5WUdrmodhv3QeRLU98vMI7fyDYG1HpqsIBab7GD6ycBQdmMqiuSkoaG5CVSO3QnkwhXNA/s1600/b6p93r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYW1P3tOFrWNs0iGzHbkVn7dcfq3lSOpj20qrRILK9Evax9doTKISWP72x7OSLwUmKJJOYbC5WUdrmodhv3QeRLU98vMI7fyDYG1HpqsIBab7GD6ycBQdmMqiuSkoaG5CVSO3QnkwhXNA/s400/b6p93r.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Having been reading up on typical Divisional OrBats for WW2, it is easy to come to the conclusion that what happens on paper back at HQ has little resemblence to what happens at the front line.<br />
<br />
Excellent site here with lots of detail on WW2 OOBs : <br />
<a href="http://www.orbat.com/site/ww2/drleo/000_admin/000oob.htm">http://www.orbat.com/site/ww2/drleo/000_admin/000oob.htm</a><br />
<br />
For a number of reasons, the actual mix of fighting battalions that face off against each other when Divisions meet on the battlefield is rarely (it seems) in synch with the paper strengths of those units.<br />
<br />
So from a game design point of view, there are 2 aspects that can be addressed to cover this.<br />
<br />
1) To what extent should the scenario notes detail the composition of Divisions on the battlefield ?<br />
<br />
2) To what extent can good old Clauswitzian 'Friction' be applied to this to muddle up the game a little ?<br />
<br />
Well, at first glance, the answer to Part 1) appears obvious - Like all good scenarios, the scenario notes should detail exactly what units make up each Division on the table top. There .. all done .. problem sorted.<br />
<br />
On second thought, maybe not so obvious. How about this idea to spice up the game a just a little :<br />
<br />
- In each scenario, the OOBs for each side shall be well defined in terms of Corps, with each Corps having a set number and type of Divisions.<br />
<br />
- The Divisions are deployed on the tabletop as 'blinds', which represent Divisional sized formations moving on the battlefield. The Blue Force commander knows that Blue Blind number 3 represents the 'Blue Force - 24th Infantry Division'. The opposing Red Force player only knows that Blue Blind number 3 represents something within the Blue Force up to the size of a Division. Could be infantry, could be armour, could be a lone cavalry squadron.<br />
<br />
- The exact composition of the 24th Infantry Division is unknown to BOTH players until the bullets start firing.<br />
<br />
So, on contact, or on a successful recon mission against Blue Blind number 3, the Blue Force commander rolls a few dice to determine the exact make up of the 24th Infantry Division, and replaces the blind with a set of combat bases. <br />
<br />
From a scenario design point of view, this makes the job of scenario design much much simpler. As I am currently putting together a set of scenarios for Poland 1939, endless hours of research are telling me that almost every single Division on both sides has a distinct lack of uniformity once the first shots were fired. <br />
<br />
I would love to get the OOBs for some of these battles exactly 100% historically correct ... which is possible given enough research ... but that may take forever to pull off. At best, it may only be possible to know the theoretical book strength of various units from the start of the conflict.<br />
<br />
If you march a week or 2 past the date of 1st September, and look at some of the dramatic Polish counter moves to break out of the Poznan pocket ... information on the make up of the remnant units is next to impossible to determine.<br />
<br />
From the Grand Commander's point of view, we need to ask how reasonable this is. It is difficult to imagine that a commander in a professional army does not know exactly what troops are available in the 24th Infantry Division at the start of a campaign. Very true. But then again, it is also reasonable to expect that the actual combat capabilities of the 24th Infantry are an unknown quantity up to the point of battle .. and those combat capabilities may well vary from the unit's book strength.<br />
<br />
Supply state, sickness and injury, equipment breakdown, bad weather, confusion, and a million other factors may determine the real effective strength of the 24th as compared to its book strength on the day. These factors may well remain unknown to the commander until it is truly too late.<br />
<br />
From a game point of view, it adds an extra level of friction and fog of war, in that you dont know exactly what state your units are in at the start of a battle.<br />
<br />
Should make game setup a lot quicker - just place the Divisional binds on the table and get rolling immediately. No need to spend ages sorting out all the figures into lovely little organised piles before you start playing.<br />
<br />
Scenario writing becomes a lot simpler - just specify how many Divisions of which type make up each command, and provide a randomization table for determining the make up of each Division.<br />
<br />
To simulate a well supplied and supported force for a scenario, flatten the curve .. or create a dramatic randomization curve for a force that is well less supported.<br />
<br />
<br />
So anyway, here is a proposed Divisional OOB randomizer for infantry Divisions in this Poland '39 period. At best, units will hit combat at full strength .. generally they will fall a little below full strength, and sometimes they will be severely depleted.<br />
<br />
To use this table, roll 1D6 for each stated type of unit in the Division. Cross reference the die roll with the column on the right to get the number of bases capable of putting up a fight at this point in time. Repeat the die roll for each unit type listed within the Division.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="text-align: left; width: 100%;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;"><b>Division</b></td> <td style="text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"><b>Dice Score (D6) -></b></td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">2-4</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">5</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">6</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1939 German Infantry Division</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Infantry Battalions</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">6</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">9</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">9</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">9</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;"><br />
</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Border Guard Battalion</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">0</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">0</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">3</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">6</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;"><br />
</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Heavy Weapons Company</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">2</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">3</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">3</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;"><br />
</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Field Gun </td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">2</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">3</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;"><br />
</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Recon</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">0</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">2</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">2</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1939 German Motorised Division</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Motorised Infantry Battalions</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">4</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">6</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">6</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">8</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;"><br />
</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Heavy Weapons Company</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">2</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">3</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">3</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;"><br />
</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Field Gun </td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">2</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">2</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">3</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;"><br />
</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Recon</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">0</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">2</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">2</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;"><br />
</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">AT guns</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">0</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1<br />
</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;"><br />
</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Tank</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">0</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">0</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">0</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1939 Polish Infantry Division</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Infantry Battalion</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">4</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">6</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">6</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">7</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;"><br />
</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Onrova Nardona (National Guard)</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">0</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">0</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">4</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">6</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;"><br />
</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Heavy Weapons Company</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">0</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1<br />
</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">2</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;"><br />
</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">AT guns</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">0</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">0</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1<br />
</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">2</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;"><br />
</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Field Guns</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">0</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">2</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">3 (Onrova Nardona)</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;"><br />
</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Recon</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">0</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1 cav</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1<br />
cav </td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1<br />
tankette </td> </tr>
</tbody> </table><br />
As an optional (nasty) rule, you could specify that on rolling a '1', finish rolling for that Division.<br />
<br />
eg :<br />
<br />
A German Infantry Division first contacts the enemy, and needs to be deployed on the table.<br />
<br />
First D6 rolls a 5, so they get 9 full infantry battalions.<br />
<br />
Next D6 rolls a 3, so no border guards at this time.<br />
<br />
Next D6 rolls a 4, so they get 2 heavy weapons companies.<br />
<br />
Next D6 rolls a 1 ... so they get 1 field gun, and due to running low on fuel, the other Divisional guns and the Recon battalion are out of effective action for this battle.<br />
<br />
The Polish Infantry Division they contact rolls :<br />
<br />
First D6 is a 6, so they get 7 infantry battalions<br />
<br />
Next D6 is also a 6, so they get 6 Onrova Nardona (National Guard) battalions.<br />
<br />
Next D6 is a 1 .. ouch ! The rest of the Division, it seems, was caught on the march by a Stuka attack, and wont be able to make it to the front for this one.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10833908552095803861noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4087403373400136271.post-12513430208594566772011-11-29T23:26:00.000-08:002011-11-29T23:27:31.400-08:002 Level PIP system<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Operational Warfare Thought of the Day</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVklJKGD_61MwMt_nH0Wr_FSNP5nXdEdJP3aJ4S9D801My-CA5XhoGNBbTBCF9p0Y402CNH1p1vLa5BhVOmhTbts1eN5UR0pE3zEfEnQC6_UhwOia1cr9ySWb9TlzaYVF1oD8QgCdAl34/s1600/the-challenge-of-afghanistan8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVklJKGD_61MwMt_nH0Wr_FSNP5nXdEdJP3aJ4S9D801My-CA5XhoGNBbTBCF9p0Y402CNH1p1vLa5BhVOmhTbts1eN5UR0pE3zEfEnQC6_UhwOia1cr9ySWb9TlzaYVF1oD8QgCdAl34/s640/the-challenge-of-afghanistan8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I was reading an excellent set of books on the Soviet War Machine published in the West after the fall of the wall, and one little paragraph of that book has stuck with me ever since.<br />
<br />
<br />
In a classroom in the Soviet Tank School, and instructor addresses his young officer Cadets with a tactical problem :<br />
<br />
... So, you are in command of an Armoured Division driving the capitalist / fascist lackeys back from the Motherland.<br />
<br />
The battle is in progress, and as you are sitting in your command vehicle - there is not much you can do but wait. You have at your disposal some assets such as the Divisional rocket battery, a squadron of attack helicopters, and a reserve battalion of tanks.<br />
<br />
After the morning's fighting, the first reports filter back to you in your command vehicle.<br />
<br />
The first Regiment reports - "Have met some enemy resistance in this sector, and we are locked in a fierce battle with the enemy. The enemy appears to be weakening. With some extra support, we can break through the enemy lines, otherwise we may remain locked in battle for the afternoon"<br />
<br />
The second Regiment reports - "Heavy resistance in this sector - We are taking heavy losses. With some support we can hold our position, otherwise we may be in trouble. More losses and the regiment may break".<br />
<br />
The third Regiment reports - "Light resistance in this sector. After a short fight, our tanks overran their positions. Currently advancing in strength. Nothing further to report".<br />
<br />
Now, young Cadet .. decision time. You have these additional resources available, so to which sector shall you employ them ?<br />
<br />
...........<br />
<br />
Most Cadets are horrified at the state of the 2nd Regiment, and tend to want to put their resources there to save them from annihilation.<br />
<br />
The more savvy Cadets suggest throwing the reserves into helping the 1st Regiment achieve its breakthrough ... therefore winning the battle in 2 out of 3 sectors.<br />
<br />
A lone voice from the back of the class, cold-heartily writes off 2nd Regiment as a loss, leaves 1st Regiment to fight it out, and throws the reserves in to support 3rd Regiment.<br />
<br />
"Correct" says the instructor ... you must reinforce success, at all costs.<br />
<br />
-----------<br />
<br />
How did you go ? Classical Clauswitz of course, 'Maintenance to the aim' and all that. That theory predates Soviet attack doctrine by over a century, if not way before the hon. Mr Clauswitz put quill to parchment.<br />
<br />
Which brings us back to the gaming table, and playing the operational level.<br />
<br />
In the feel of command at this level, it is a bit like a coach during a football match. You make all of your contribution to the game in the change rooms before the match ... but once the whistle has blown and the team is on the field, all you can do is watch and bite your nails.<br />
<br />
You do have some reserves sitting on the bench, and can influence the game by changing the team around in response to events on the field ... but it is not a real time reaction. There is a lag between your actions, and those actions which are immediately next to the ball.<br />
<br />
The players on the field - they are the only ones who have a real time reaction to events, and you can at best cross your fingers as the coach and hope that luck is on their side.<br />
<br />
To simulate this 2 level approach, I use 2 levels of PIPs in the operational game.<br />
<br />
At the top level - the Corps commander, he has a pool of Corps reserve assets, and a pool of PIPs that are to be spent throughout the day.<br />
<br />
At the lower level - the Divisional commander, he has a set of orders for the day, and his own set of PIPs that are to be spent throughout the day.<br />
<br />
So as a Corps commander, you issue orders to each Division at the start of the day ... but once the day is rolling, intervening is hard to do. There are only 4 game 'moves' during each day, so its not the end of the world, but it does reward forethought. These 'game moves' are simply - Dawn, Early, Noon, and Late. There is a Night move as well, but that is only available at large cost .. its there for emergency or desperate moves.<br />
<br />
During the day, the Division will follow the orders to the letter, but has a pool of PIPs that it can use to activate some level of common sense and initiative of it's own. These PIPs can be used to alter the line of advance, alter the formation, or employ Divisional fire support against targets of opportunity.<br />
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If an unseen enemy is contacted through the day, the Divisional commander may spend 2 PIPs to enter into an assault against that enemy. <br />
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The Corps commander also has a store of daily PIPs, which are typically spent to employ Corps Assets during the day - Corps artillery, Air strikes, activate reserve formations, etc. <br />
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I am thinking about other ways that the Corps commander can spend his PIPs to assist his Divisions .. capturing the feel of the Soviet Tank Cadet's little tactical dilemma above.<br />
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Spending Corps level PIPs on employing Corps assets is fine, that makes perfect sense.<br />
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Should the Corps commander be able to 'send PIPs' down the line to give his Divisional commander more flexibility perhaps ? Maybe not ... If the Div commander rolls a '1' for the daily PIPs, then thats just the way things roll, and there is little the Corps commander can do about it until the following day.<br />
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Anyway, something to think about ... looking forward to playtesting various problems using this 2 level PIP allocation scheme, and see how it plays out.<br />
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Comments welcome.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10833908552095803861noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4087403373400136271.post-85876994543144381442011-11-25T18:54:00.000-08:002011-11-25T18:59:17.731-08:00Rules - Scale representation, TOEs and paper keeping<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Wargaming Rules thoughts of the Day</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw5DznQIllRoIP4E98fL7JihCukOKOM-TLFLJPJw1NRoo6WzcXPauBy3mfPStJOwhmGgTvHiJzJ0qnb6vQ6Kifj8LxasB2V-2JqWooGUeaDWTqpmbe6Q9a40C7Wv1GdT-7IU7uIHFy4_Y/s1600/dice.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw5DznQIllRoIP4E98fL7JihCukOKOM-TLFLJPJw1NRoo6WzcXPauBy3mfPStJOwhmGgTvHiJzJ0qnb6vQ6Kifj8LxasB2V-2JqWooGUeaDWTqpmbe6Q9a40C7Wv1GdT-7IU7uIHFy4_Y/s320/dice.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Just having a think this morning about rules systems for gaming in this scale, at the operational level.<br />
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I am slowly putting together my own set of house rules (of course), and dwelling on some of the issues involved. There are 2 little points that are consuming my thought processes at the moment that need some expansion.<br />
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Number 1) is the paper keeping issue.<br />
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Number 2) is the TOE and representation of Divisions issue.<br />
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And these 2 subjects are necessarily intertwined. <br />
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<u><b>Simulation vs Game ?</b></u><br />
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I am definitely leaning towards the latter here more than the former.<br />
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I have spent way too many hours in real command tents over the years - its tedious work, often boring, the coffee is shit and the flies and mosquitoes will never leave you alone. The stakes are high and gravely imposing as well ... so any tabletop 'gaming' you do will neccessarily be lacking in that aspect of the simulation. (Hopefully !!)<br />
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That is not to say we cannot capture some of the feel of operational command on a grand scale on a model tabletop. Of course we can ! With great models, great terrain, and decent rule mechanics we can easily transport our minds to other times and other places, and feel the rush of being there.<br />
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Calling it a 'game' is probably as inaccurate as calling it a 'simulation' as well. It is neither. Its a tool to invoke your imagination and get you thinking, acting, and feeling like you are there.<br />
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With that in mind, lets look at rule mechanics for operational scale warfare with 2mm miniatures ... and see how we can tweak and enhance them to improve that experience.<br />
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<u><b>Paper Keeping on the Gaming Table</b></u><br />
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On the subject of paper keeping .. tracking statuses of individual units is always required at some point in all gaming systems. At the one end of the scale, where you have a role playing systems with a small number of 'units' on the table - each representing a character in 1:1 scale .. there is a massive amount of paperwork involved in tracking their abilities and current status.<br />
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At the other end of the scale - say, a monstrous WW2 campaign with Army Groups clashing over vast areas, there are a lot of models on the table. As you go down to 2/3mm scale especially, I think that any level of paperwork and additional battlefield counters would spoil the look and flow of the game.<br />
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The other subject - of TOE's of models and how they represent the various Divisions has an impact on this as well. Let me explain ....<br />
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A lot of the existing systems use a concept of 'Strength Points' for each base of units on the table. This allows for units to be gradually worn down by combat and attrition. Very good, very realistic. This approach is ideal if you were building a computer game, where the computer keeps track of all these little details on each unit.<br />
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On a tabletop game though, I am not convinced that is a good plan. Why not just use the model bases themselves as a representation of the current strength and standing of a unit ? Instead of having a single base and tracking the strength of that base ... use 3 bases for the unit instead, and remove bases as strength is lost. You then have a visual indication of the 'strength' of the unit, and no paperwork.<br />
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That solves the problem of paperwork at the expense of having a lot more figures on the table. I really dont like that idea either .. it would become extremely messy keeping track of all the models, as the growing casualty pile off table gets as big as the models on the table. Waste of good models I reckon.<br />
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KISS Rommel - although dirt simple - has an extremely clever and elegant way of handling this. When a unit takes damage - is hit and fails a saving throw, it is removed from play, as 'disbursed'. It goes into a reserves pile for that Division, and comes back into play at some random time in the future, out of your control. <br />
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Now looking at this from a Corps commander's point of view, it works. You care about your Divisions (next level down), and you care about how many battalions each Division has effective at a point in time (2 levels down). Its too much information to worry about what the % combat effectiveness of a given Battalion is at a point in time.<br />
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Removing battalions as Disbursed, and bringing them back into play later on the whim of the dice makes a lot more sense. It is imposing the idea that what is happening in detail at the battalion level is obscured from view in the Corps HQ tent, and that feels just right to me.<br />
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I will be sticking with that mechanism, unless something radically better comes along.<br />
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<u><b>Modelling a typical combat Division</b></u><br />
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That leaves us with the TOE issue.<br />
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I am going to go out on a limb now and suggest a general rule of thumb that in any good gaming system, you command a half dozen or so of large units per side (Divisions), each of which contains around a dozen bases representing sub units (Battalions).<br />
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This general rule of thumb works with systems like DBx / HoTT / Napoleonic Grand Tactical, etc, so lets see how that impacts WW2 operational wargaming.<br />
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The bottom line is that the representation of a typical Division should equate to something around 12 bases of troops of differing types. That would be maybe 6-9 front line teeth bases - infantry battalions, and 3-6 support assets (Artillery, Heavy Weapons fire support, recon, engineers, etc)<br />
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That would allow 1 base of infantry = 1 battalion very accurately.<br />
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It becomes a problem with the supporting assets, especially mortars and HMG companies. In scale, a Division would end up with 1 heavy weapons stand, and that is just not granular enough. What I would prefer there is to have a larger number of 'half bases' to represent these important support assets.<br />
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Artillery - what to do ? Only 1 per Division, and its too hard to lose the lot on a bad dice roll. Too many, and the game bogs down with artillery fire. <br />
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So I am thinking I will put my full combat battalions on larger 30x20mm rectangular bases, and have a larger number of small support bases on little 20mm circular bases.<br />
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So my German 1939 Infantry Division now looks like this :<br />
<ul><li>HQ base</li>
<li>Regiment 1 - 3 x infantry full combat battalions. 1 HMG group, 1 Infantry gun group.</li>
<li>Regiment 2 - 3 x infantry full combat battalions. 1 HMG group, 1 Infantry gun group.</li>
<li>Regiment 3 - 3 x infantry full combat battalions. 1 HMG group, 1 Infantry gun group.</li>
<li>Recon group - circular half base</li>
<li>Artillery Regiment - 3 x Artillery batteries.</li>
</ul><b><u>The Artillery Problem</u></b><br />
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To solve the artillery problem - which is that in my experience, artillery fire can get so horribly complex that it consumes the game and blows out the time to play. I have even been in games where both players have deliberately passed on even firing their own artillery because they want to get on with the game and see if their bigger plans work out. Its not a good feeling :(<br />
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So I am thinking of treating artillery as a supporting asset, and employ it as a combat factor bonus applied to those front line units it is supporting. Other deliberate artillery barrages will still happen, but the mechanics have to be quick and simple, and not ruin a good game.<br />
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I want the Corps commander to keep their mind on holding the line together, and finding breakthroughs in the enemy line ... not getting lost in the detail of artillery barrages.<br />
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So to that end, I like the idea of having 1-3 artillery bases attached to a Division instead of 1. Allows for more granularity, and it allows the modelling of slightly differing artillery support capabilities between the different Divisions of different nations.<br />
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A simple mechanism for counter battery fire and weight of opposing artillery - lets say there is a combat happening in a sector. Blue Force has 3 batteries in support range, Red Force has 2 batteries in support range. The 2 Red Force Batteries cancel out 2 of the Blue Force batteries ... so Blue Force gets a +1 for artillery support, Red Force gets +0. Simple !<br />
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All those other little support groups - MG companies, Infantry Guns, Mortar Batteries, etc .. work in the same way. Those in range of support cancel each other out, and the player with the surplus gets the combat bonus for their main front line fighting force. Keep it simple, and reduce the die rolls.<br />
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<u><b>The Tank Problem</b></u><br />
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Now we have nice problem ! As above, I have said that 1 base of infantry = 1 combat battalion.<br />
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If we were to stick with the same scaling rule, and keep to historical TOEs,. then we are going to end up with battles with around 50 infantry combat battalions, and (if you are lucky) 3-4 tank bases on the table to represent a large scale battle.<br />
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Where is the fun in that ?<br />
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A couple of bad dice rolls may be enough to lose a base of tanks, and its then pretty much game over. That would be both silly and annoying.<br />
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I want to see games where large numbers of Infantry Divisions define the front line, and where clusters of tank units exploit breakthroughs in the enemy line, and throw the enemy into confusion. Thats what I want to feel when I play an operational game. Would need more than 2 tank bases to get that feel right.<br />
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I think it is necessary to model tank combat units on a different scale. We need to think in different terms here. Instead of sticking to a rigid thought that "1 model base represents X men / vehicles in real life", we need to think in terms of "1 model base represents a level of combat capability and zone of control which is roughly the equivalent of a typical infantry battalion".<br />
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If you phrase it in those terms, then you can rightly justify some far more interesting and plausible armoured organisations.<br />
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Nothing concrete yet, but here are some possible examples :<br />
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Red Force 39th Shock Corps (15 combat bases, 7 support bases, 5 artillery)<br />
<ul><li>HQ base</li>
<li>Recon Battalion - 1 base armoured recon </li>
<li>Rifle Division - 3 "Motor Rifle Shock Regiments", each with 3 combat battalions in trucks, 1 HMG, and 1 Assault gun battery</li>
<li>Heavy Tank Assault Regiment - 2 bases of KV-1 heavy tanks (3 tank models and some infantry per base)</li>
<li>Tank Breakthrough Division - 4 bases of T-34 fast tanks (4 tank models and some infantry jammed on each base)</li>
<li>Artillery Regiment : 3 x 122mm artillery batteries, 2 x Katyusha Rocket batteries</li>
</ul>Nasty looking unit indeed, but the mix feels right, and most importantly, the massed look of the unit matches the feel of how it is to be used.<br />
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In comparison -<br />
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Blue Force 103rd Panzer Kampfgruppe (14 combat bases, 8 support, 3 artillery/AA)<br />
<ul><li>HQ base</li>
<li>Recon Battalion - 1 base armoured recon, 1 base motorcycle recon</li>
<li>2 PzGren Regiments - each with 4 bases of armoured infantry (2 half tracks and some infantry on each base), and 1 Combat engineer support base.</li>
<li>Heavy Tank Company - 1 x Tiger I model and some infantry on a base.</li>
<li>Tank Battalion - 4 bases of tanks. 2 bases with a couple of Panther models, 2 bases with a mix of PzIVs, a Stug, and some sort of improvised AT gun on a motorised chassis.</li>
<li>Artillery Regiment - 2 x 105mm Battery</li>
<li>Flack detachment - 1 battery of quad 20mm AA </li>
<li>AT detachment - 1 x 75mm AT gun battery, 1 x PzJager company (half track and some infantry on a small support base)</li>
</ul><br />
Note how with well equipped armoured infantry battalions here, I am using 2 bases per battalion now, instead of 1 base for an infantry battalion. Does not mean that there are twice as many troops, it just means that an armoured infantry battalion can cover a wider frontage, take more damage, and project more capability than their leg borne brethren.<br />
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I think that works.<br />
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The battered remnants of the Blue Force organisation is obviously a lot smaller than the Red Force opponent - and there are less models on the bases to show that ... but they can still project a lot of combat capability on to sectors of the battlefield.<br />
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It would be visually interesting to see that lone model of a Tiger holding off swarms of T-34s as well. A little bit Hollywood perhaps, but its an example of how a more flexible TOE and model basing system can be used to capture the imagined feel of this engagement ... without adding any paperwork or table lookups.<br />
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<u><b>Using Medals to Spice Up the Game</b></u><br />
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Here is an interesting idea.<br />
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In my playtesting using a mix of tables based around KISS Rommel / Pz8 ... I had a moment at a critical phase of the battle where the whole balance of power switched over to one side because of a single bad dice roll.<br />
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I am using a mechanism similar to KISS - roll 1 dice to 'Hit', and 1 dice to 'Save'.<br />
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Using D10 instead of D6, since I like the wider spread and finer control of combat bonuses. Remembering that if a unit fails a saving throw, it is considered disbursed, and removed from play until it can roll to get back on the table later on.<br />
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I thought it would be fun to say on the saving throw of a hit - if you roll a natural 0, then treat that not just as a fail, but as a catastrophic fail (Epic Fail ?). Removed from play for the rest of the game, not to be returned.<br />
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Well, it so happened that the lone elite heavy tank group leading the flank attack suffered an unlucky long shot from some measly light gun on the flank (2-4km away), and rolled a natural 0 on the save. Ouch !<br />
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Yes, I know that bad luck can happen, but I wasnt very pleased with the effect that had on the game. Such rare events, although fun when they happen, can mean that all the good generalship and preparation can go out the window on a single die roll. That doesnt particularly feel right.<br />
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The solution to the tank problem above - ie, representing tank battalions with multiple bases, removes the possibility of the whole unit being wiped off the board with 1 dice roll. That goes a long way towards solving this problem.<br />
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In addition, I have broken that catastrophic event down into a little more detail, and added some extra die rolls and mechanisms .. will see how it plays out.<br />
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Realistic Simulation ? Dont ask.<br />
Battlefield Bling ? Definitely !<br />
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If a unit takes a catastrophic hit, they roll a D6 on the catastrophic hit table. There is a range of reactions there from surrender, annihilation, through to heroic reaction and fighting their way back. So it can go either way.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Catastrophic Loss Table</span> - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Regular Units</span><br />
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<table border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="height: 334px; text-align: left; width: 860px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="background-color: #000066; vertical-align: top;"><span style="color: white; font-weight: bold;">Die Roll</span></td> <td style="background-color: #000066; vertical-align: top;"><span style="color: white; font-weight: bold;">Result</span></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Modifier</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">+2 Elite<br />
+1 Veteran / Fanatic<br />
+0 Regular<br />
-1 2nd Rate</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1<br />
or Natural 1</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Unit surrenders</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;">2</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Unit annihilated</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;">3</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Unit broken, ineffective for remainder of game</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;">4</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Unit out of action for 2 days</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;">5</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Unit out of action for 1 day</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;">6<br />
or Natural 6</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Heroic recovery - unit reforms immediately within 1 sector. Unit is granted a Medal.</td> </tr>
</tbody> </table><br />
In the case of rolling a natural 6 on this table during a save, the unit earns a 'Medal' for their heroism. You can purchase a little bag of tiny gold and silver plastic stars in the jewelery and beads section of the cheap shop .. I use these on my Napoleonic games to denote various things such as gifted leaders ... and they would make excellent tokens for 2/3mm units as well.<br />
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If the attacking unit scores a catastrophic hit on an enemy, and that enemy then surrenders .. the attacking unit earns a 'Medal' as well.<br />
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They can carry that shiny medal token around with them on the gaming table for the rest of the game with justifiable pride.<br />
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When designing scenarios, in addition to defining troop types and troop ratings, some very special bases can start the scenario with a 'Medal' as well. Only 1-2 per side though, if at all.<br />
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The effect of having a 'Medal' is then 2 fold. During the end of day procedure, when disbursed units roll to get back on the table, disbursed units with Medals auto-pass their recovery roll. Cant keep a good man down.<br />
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When a unit with a 'Medal' suffers a catastrophic hit (Rolls a 0 on any saving throw), then they roll on a slightly different catastrophic hit table to other non-heroic units. <br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Catastrophic Loss Table - Units with Medals</span><br />
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<table border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="height: 112px; text-align: left; width: 862px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="background-color: #000066; vertical-align: top;"><span style="color: white; font-weight: bold;">Die Roll</span></td> <td style="background-color: #000066; vertical-align: top;"><span style="color: white; font-weight: bold;">Result</span></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Modifier</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">No Modifier</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;">1-2</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Unit fights heroically to the last man, annihilated</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;">3-5</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Stubborn defence, no effect</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;">6</td> <td style="vertical-align: top;">Inspiring defence, unit gets a free return fire against the attacker.</td> </tr>
</tbody> </table><br />
Anyway ... a bit of gaming bling to spice up the game, and simple mechanics that don't bog the game down.<br />
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Must get some painting done now, so I can get some troops on the table, and have fun seeing how all this works .. or doesn't work. Either way, will have fun finding out.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10833908552095803861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4087403373400136271.post-91349406986661253302011-11-24T16:19:00.000-08:002011-11-25T18:59:42.764-08:00Basing in 3mm<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tip of the Day</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">After the last experiment with the 1/600 O8 figures, I had a few questions about the basing method.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">So I thought I would share that here with you all.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Requirements for basing at this teeny weeny scale are a little different to what I am used to with my 15mm miniatures. These requirements are :</span></span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Models should sit as close as possible to the underlying board.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The basing material should be sculptable, to create small folds in the ground, dead ground, and distinct track marks.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The basing material should act as a glue to hold the models in place, although holding strength is not a huge issue, as the models are incredibly light anyway.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The basing material should offer some texture - enough for a light dry brushing, but not so much that it overwhelms the teeny weeny figures.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">A little bit of fine scale flock works well - just a dab here and there is OK.</span></span></li>
</ul><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">So with these requirements in mind, I get to work making up my own special 2/3mm specific basing mix.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0jv2LTawOK1n3oGBkcNdS1rOc3XQzmHfehAtX5_vuitpUiubElf0tITGkIHKcz3Axoq25x8UrtKk76gtFB5D5-hRbYkAwE5raAho2AJctlwQu2egyfE77-JPn3T1vgbqJ4EeB7kfJsM/s1600/2011-11-25_11-05-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0jv2LTawOK1n3oGBkcNdS1rOc3XQzmHfehAtX5_vuitpUiubElf0tITGkIHKcz3Axoq25x8UrtKk76gtFB5D5-hRbYkAwE5raAho2AJctlwQu2egyfE77-JPn3T1vgbqJ4EeB7kfJsM/s640/2011-11-25_11-05-02.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Secret ingredient number 1) - Vallejo brown earth textured paint, and a couple of tubes of cheap art paint in various shades of brown.<br />
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The Vallejo textured paint is probably overkill for this - we can make up something similar anyway, but it does offer a great base to start with. Not cheap - these tubs are close to $20 each, but they do last forever.<br />
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Worthwhile if you are totally addicted to the hobby and have a lot of figures to base in different scales, as it saves a huge amount of messing around. Designed for use with 1/35 scale armour, where it is the best thing around for putting mud on tracks and vehicles. Looks like peanut butter - but is not to be eaten !</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwz8JXe2Scy7FgJheuVao_M-4ciRbnbaaD5GLMMPYllFsVFb6SAcwftz2-Eh8hQ_Bw5ZJQnljqQDPhoKf-nMEVgUpjo55mJmFPqywykYOdum38EpSBIdpR3VNDeL6i07V8Ey8aloIEbQ/s1600/2011-11-25_11-05-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwz8JXe2Scy7FgJheuVao_M-4ciRbnbaaD5GLMMPYllFsVFb6SAcwftz2-Eh8hQ_Bw5ZJQnljqQDPhoKf-nMEVgUpjo55mJmFPqywykYOdum38EpSBIdpR3VNDeL6i07V8Ey8aloIEbQ/s640/2011-11-25_11-05-25.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Secret ingredient number 2) Beach sand.<br />
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I actually bought this from Arcane Scenery in the UK (as part of a larger purchase) .. good value for around $2 .... but a bit silly, since I live 100m away from one of the best beaches in Australia, and literally have a lifetime supply of the stuff at my back doorstep. LOL.<br />
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Definition of a gaming geek must be someone who lives by the beach, but orders beach sand by the 200g packet from the other side of the world, rather than walk across the road. Thats me.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_u7LGsBXngORB0xZ5JlTXbCyIo897KIg2RI3j-7SKCUCsInKLDrizP0Y4_dbmD0JAOr0Y9n8TNnxC6Auh88xS1vljllHmwwexTy0SUtKSc-YI4JH52Sh3bd5GpdHsZUzCybmBDQhyphenhyphenDo/s1600/2011-11-25_11-05-40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_u7LGsBXngORB0xZ5JlTXbCyIo897KIg2RI3j-7SKCUCsInKLDrizP0Y4_dbmD0JAOr0Y9n8TNnxC6Auh88xS1vljllHmwwexTy0SUtKSc-YI4JH52Sh3bd5GpdHsZUzCybmBDQhyphenhyphenDo/s640/2011-11-25_11-05-40.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Secret ingredient number 3) Monte Marte Modelling paste. Around $10 for a 500ml tub. It is a premixed modelling plaster, very useful for general artwork to build up textures on canvas, or for simulating stucco walls on little 15mm foamcore buildings.<br />
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Dries rock hard, and also acts as a glue / binding agent. Its also the perfect medium for making basing materials.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShCfqLYsg25TJv2D_kBarTLUtwn6pAbFgzwE8zCiDbXwV5uw2tB-PllBYIOQ1lhzxjOmGXJ8b4RMlgPTvD7c6p0Zzn_Kv6KJj4S_jofUgZBrnKp1jo0lx3scYcglJ_qw6rU5m6XvL8n8/s1600/2011-11-25_11-05-53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShCfqLYsg25TJv2D_kBarTLUtwn6pAbFgzwE8zCiDbXwV5uw2tB-PllBYIOQ1lhzxjOmGXJ8b4RMlgPTvD7c6p0Zzn_Kv6KJj4S_jofUgZBrnKp1jo0lx3scYcglJ_qw6rU5m6XvL8n8/s640/2011-11-25_11-05-53.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Couple of flocking materials. This one is that little sponge like material dyed green. Woodland scenics I think. Purchased a 200g pack about a year ago, and still have a tonne of it.<br />
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We only need some very small pieces of this, so sift it a little and grab the finer stuff that accumulates at the bottom on the container.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzM7D1JIsjHVdU0JYbhrhb7q0uB5dnBidnlwcrnF_tACI70pPg6RJuA7hFAst4Na5SjKEll2tWKsnIxhJAAQI-alSpukL-M-uJAxFilit9YxeioFAsxLh6ttHmiMzw4-ecTIWs2zehWc/s1600/2011-11-25_11-06-47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzM7D1JIsjHVdU0JYbhrhb7q0uB5dnBidnlwcrnF_tACI70pPg6RJuA7hFAst4Na5SjKEll2tWKsnIxhJAAQI-alSpukL-M-uJAxFilit9YxeioFAsxLh6ttHmiMzw4-ecTIWs2zehWc/s640/2011-11-25_11-06-47.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Here is a close up of the flock, so you know which one I am talking about. I dont use static grass at all on the 2mm bases, it looks way too big.<br />
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This stuff however blends in very well, and looks like it fits the scale.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGTuWV1PmdhFpUO2f968PrhkEkrYA8spP9W7tl9aWEcl5CU9jeV3cjY1w-TieK0plDlBDoArNfq3nft9AlqUTVwOydw4mXSzcP12Ob96zw6mHto8vMNcV8wa4wgpYfAfR2YhUsSFeW6k/s1600/2011-11-25_11-06-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGTuWV1PmdhFpUO2f968PrhkEkrYA8spP9W7tl9aWEcl5CU9jeV3cjY1w-TieK0plDlBDoArNfq3nft9AlqUTVwOydw4mXSzcP12Ob96zw6mHto8vMNcV8wa4wgpYfAfR2YhUsSFeW6k/s640/2011-11-25_11-06-11.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">I really love this gear - its 'Mid Green hedge material' by Javis. Got this from Arcane scenery in the UK again - you get a large packet for it for a couple of quid.<br />
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It is designed for doing little hedges and shrubberies for HO scale model railways, but at 2mm scale it makes for very awesome and substantial bushes and trees.<br />
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Its an odd sort of sponge material that has a strong level of cohesion, and is easy to work with.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZ4HjQHysc1x1ATMma8LEAr7ZnbyBwsxiUT1qIn13rY_hGJvH-uMw1_lbN5IjuuSxeD6xzVLTS8nyMOK1k6WmfoVi52wCgA1rXWMLs23jXulvoC4bpFXjdZLHow1VqjnILNku5jHRubQ/s1600/2011-11-25_11-07-09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZ4HjQHysc1x1ATMma8LEAr7ZnbyBwsxiUT1qIn13rY_hGJvH-uMw1_lbN5IjuuSxeD6xzVLTS8nyMOK1k6WmfoVi52wCgA1rXWMLs23jXulvoC4bpFXjdZLHow1VqjnILNku5jHRubQ/s640/2011-11-25_11-07-09.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">A close up of the hedging material - showing off my poor photography skills. You may notice from the shot that this stuff does clump together well, making it easy to work with at this scale.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7SCdPeXTDKXBXPBbwveDGYUj_m_ve-8HTOx3nV1jqus5wsyvO7msNrqWeSCVNtLvC1pBEUZ4uHQ9SS3XGG9tTeGLiBSnnYR6IXGPLMRrqdi8Vt4PP9_vUPliVuzlF4DNQiDPEYIgrOM/s1600/2011-11-25_11-07-23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7SCdPeXTDKXBXPBbwveDGYUj_m_ve-8HTOx3nV1jqus5wsyvO7msNrqWeSCVNtLvC1pBEUZ4uHQ9SS3XGG9tTeGLiBSnnYR6IXGPLMRrqdi8Vt4PP9_vUPliVuzlF4DNQiDPEYIgrOM/s640/2011-11-25_11-07-23.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Next part - get some tiny airtight plastic containers from the cheap shop. $2 for a pack of 10 of these. If we mix up enough gloop to fill this thing, it will last forever.<br />
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Airtight is necessary. since the mix will dry hard very quickly. We dont want that. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIr207V_4bkF7Zcddg5sRoAtM3n3t5wEwnZ9WJa6hxU8uZM8fmH5dIOcGJ9Vu6eNzaB5gdA9zCCCN-EXbMWfMvpBWSwNQrHBWy-NQwSdaH48q1tA615qPBW7fCHRf8kxJHK9z_LXiLSGI/s1600/2011-11-25_11-08-22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIr207V_4bkF7Zcddg5sRoAtM3n3t5wEwnZ9WJa6hxU8uZM8fmH5dIOcGJ9Vu6eNzaB5gdA9zCCCN-EXbMWfMvpBWSwNQrHBWy-NQwSdaH48q1tA615qPBW7fCHRf8kxJHK9z_LXiLSGI/s640/2011-11-25_11-08-22.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Finished product ! Fill the container about 1/4 full with the modelling paste. Fill to half way with the paints. Not too much though. Because the modelling paste is tinted white, the darker shades of brown paint mix down to a lighter brown.<br />
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Thats exactly what we want at this scale - you definitely want a few shades lighter than what you might be used to using at larger scales like 28mm or even 15mm.<br />
<br />
This is an established best practice thing when dealing with colours and scales - the smaller the scale, the lighter the shade, since less area means less light reflected. Finally, pour in the beach sand as you are mixing it up to create a nice appropriate gloop of a semi consistent colour. Its also OK to add in a very small amount of larger 'rocks' like railway ballast at this stage as well.<br />
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Finally - Add a dollop of PVA glue to the gloop, to give it that little extra flow, and holding power. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Now for the actual basing once this gloop has been made - </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I have settled on the following steps :</span><br />
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<ul><li><span style="font-size: small;">Superglue the unpainted model to the MDF board (tiny dab of glue only) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Let the glue dry. Nothing worse than superglue to ruin a good brush.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Now, lay out the gloop in a circle around the model. Use the brush to push the gloop towards the base of the model, gently filling up any gaps.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Overlap the gloop over the bases of the models (infantry / artillery models, etc), just enough to hide the hard and abrupt edges of the model base. No need to cover the whole base of the model - just hide the edges by glooping over it. Hope that makes sense, bit hard to describe. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Use a toothpick now to build up some interesting mounds of dirt on the base, put in tyre tracks, etc.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Put the lid back on the gloop ASAP. If required, add a bit of water before closing to keep the gloop moist till the next use.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Let it dry. Within an hour or 2, the gloop will have dried hard and act as the main structural part of the base.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Now, paint the whole of the model in a brown shade similar to the colour of the gloop. In my case, German camo brown (Vallejo) is a good match.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Let it dry again, and then hit the whole base with a stain / wash. Few options here - I prefer using Vallejo brown glaze, watered down about 1:1. Gets into all the nooks and crannies. Vallejo transparent woodgrain also gives a cool effect. Whatever works for you.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Next, let it dry again. Heavy drybrush in a light shade - sand yellow or ochre, whatever suits. Dont go overboard on the drybrushing, or it may contrast too much and overwhelm the actual figures. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Next, add a few dabs of lighter green ... light drybrush a hint of greenery here and there.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Next, glue on a few dabs of shrubbery.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Let it all dry, and your figures are now ready to paint.<br />
</span></li>
</ul><span style="font-size: small;">Sounds involved, but its pretty simple, and fast. All the hard work is done already when you mix up the gloop. The initial stage of carefully pushing the gloop into the right spots on the model is the only time consuming part. If you line up a dozen bases at a time, you easily base the whole lot in half an hour tops.<br />
</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fTWuPJwFIL1pzX1vSWZCwD_raG69NENRRX_iNgAz3QjT1lwDXbqasueW7j-5DK-UwTfSkONT1MKZjHhgLI7Y6UXZDoFQwZ_E6Rm9rbk0RvnGetNLxRFWWocu1QuTL8Ruq8wseB2nsCk/s1600/2011-11-24_15-34-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fTWuPJwFIL1pzX1vSWZCwD_raG69NENRRX_iNgAz3QjT1lwDXbqasueW7j-5DK-UwTfSkONT1MKZjHhgLI7Y6UXZDoFQwZ_E6Rm9rbk0RvnGetNLxRFWWocu1QuTL8Ruq8wseB2nsCk/s640/2011-11-24_15-34-16.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished Product 1 - Polish infantry. The main trick is to cover the edges of the model base to make it sit flush with the terrain. Really does trick the eye into believing it is real.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejkVa70-AjQH_SxRg4o7zVI6KmIKUnqGE2GRiboi5aFCSVXta4pBok6NLQlgLtJecDUmjqx8Lb8eYJverVpq4sjtcvBqDS5Cj6KsBuK8A6u4zhnNSCV5ORWSSmE_oKKMweM6ZH7uVVzc/s1600/2011-11-24_15-27-51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejkVa70-AjQH_SxRg4o7zVI6KmIKUnqGE2GRiboi5aFCSVXta4pBok6NLQlgLtJecDUmjqx8Lb8eYJverVpq4sjtcvBqDS5Cj6KsBuK8A6u4zhnNSCV5ORWSSmE_oKKMweM6ZH7uVVzc/s640/2011-11-24_15-27-51.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished product 2 - a little bit of shrubbery goes a long way.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10833908552095803861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4087403373400136271.post-70570783462479802172011-11-23T21:01:00.000-08:002011-11-25T18:59:53.151-08:00German Infantry 1939<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Regiment of the Day</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsJBt8ADGGxV4WdNH28Bu-zkqX9wTBnS0VBJFs5TC2a8THuFIUB9P2gNkWS0KG7rkwtoRbcOXMoy9L_LxwSRwXZKCHTF8YXv1n_sELHnCk_zohZ2aAdJ33EG2VqCgZx7YMyLoAzJ5FqU/s1600/2011-11-24_15-36-41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsJBt8ADGGxV4WdNH28Bu-zkqX9wTBnS0VBJFs5TC2a8THuFIUB9P2gNkWS0KG7rkwtoRbcOXMoy9L_LxwSRwXZKCHTF8YXv1n_sELHnCk_zohZ2aAdJ33EG2VqCgZx7YMyLoAzJ5FqU/s400/2011-11-24_15-36-41.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
More O8s for the troop experiment. Some Germans to match up with the Polish troops.<br />
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Again, I am ridiculously impressed with these figures. Cant say it enough - <i><b>Simply Awesome !</b></i> is the best description I can think of.<br />
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Ordered these through <a href="http://www.fighting15sshop.co.uk/">http://www.fighting15sshop.co.uk/</a> - good prices, cheap shipping costs, and quick delivery. They had them in stock, so it is always good to have a reliable supplier for your next fix. Recommended people to deal with.<br />
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On to the miniatures :<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXlAKWeMJvVspre_njO1K16OgAb7XDstJI3asE-hn68TfxkwCPrJCsiqpPQxaDFB5I4JqODaZvBXPRaKRDHTPFlkb4HVi1cjBIz3z8JvOJaR3_v28j8QoMlL_XT8s4OgS_tjqHeFHLzI/s1600/2011-11-24_15-31-36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXlAKWeMJvVspre_njO1K16OgAb7XDstJI3asE-hn68TfxkwCPrJCsiqpPQxaDFB5I4JqODaZvBXPRaKRDHTPFlkb4HVi1cjBIz3z8JvOJaR3_v28j8QoMlL_XT8s4OgS_tjqHeFHLzI/s640/2011-11-24_15-31-36.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">3 Battalions of German infantry move in to assaultt a city sector.<br />
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Fire support for the assault is provided by a 150mm Infantry Gun battery, and an MG34 company in Sustained Fire role.<br />
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A battery of 105's (a little too close to the action for comfort) provides the preliminary bombardment on the City Sector prior to the assault.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6OUO6J6U4eaQuDE4a_w37RCCHZQizszzH0-SzmRqupad-iIzLW_BlqAVLFcVwGP8RX84I5R5shCTmlJnN6wVBNhknkUZLjAVsL8CUlV2tIC-uQYpK-BX2H3i7-yOoD7yZg_rqtz53Mw0/s1600/2011-11-24_15-30-30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6OUO6J6U4eaQuDE4a_w37RCCHZQizszzH0-SzmRqupad-iIzLW_BlqAVLFcVwGP8RX84I5R5shCTmlJnN6wVBNhknkUZLjAVsL8CUlV2tIC-uQYpK-BX2H3i7-yOoD7yZg_rqtz53Mw0/s640/2011-11-24_15-30-30.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">The 105 battery, with Opel Blitz transport. The detail on these guns is simply amazing. I will let the pictures do the talking.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsY0RkFRDXyl1xSFkYig2f0DuH7VL_2yhDifhVFp_rPlOV-RmkfH6I_yYoXf9bqWvj4c0BGYZm8RXJfVsZbciNkTubGXChlN212H3YDtu5xvtdK1L87tp9JgPNzM0lpV0kx7_AmiUI_vQ/s1600/2011-11-24_15-30-09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsY0RkFRDXyl1xSFkYig2f0DuH7VL_2yhDifhVFp_rPlOV-RmkfH6I_yYoXf9bqWvj4c0BGYZm8RXJfVsZbciNkTubGXChlN212H3YDtu5xvtdK1L87tp9JgPNzM0lpV0kx7_AmiUI_vQ/s640/2011-11-24_15-30-09.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Something lurks on the defending side in the City Sector. This is a base of 2mm irregular infantry on a gently textured base. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Whilst the 2mm irregular figures are actually 50% smaller in scale than the O8 figures ... a lot of detail is lost in ther shrinking process. (ie - 1/900 for the irregular figures vs 1/600 for the O8 figures.) </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">They do make a perfectly good representation of troops in foxholes though. No need to sell them off - I will use them here and there instead.</div></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6jRjKJGn7PjAMmaUnlAG8WQY1Uin58ugGYR4FmKclDLOzEJuRUJtgTCOZDXzb-aNJpDMmTs2P5XB6tuhWyY4UmxdefdrmdXIJJof7SjwznOgsA5Y8zFhCUlHy6LCNHDCm0P7IUEF_8o/s1600/2011-11-24_15-29-50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6jRjKJGn7PjAMmaUnlAG8WQY1Uin58ugGYR4FmKclDLOzEJuRUJtgTCOZDXzb-aNJpDMmTs2P5XB6tuhWyY4UmxdefdrmdXIJJof7SjwznOgsA5Y8zFhCUlHy6LCNHDCm0P7IUEF_8o/s640/2011-11-24_15-29-50.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">150mm Infantry Gun for fire support for the infantry. Mostly used in the 'Early War' period, and gradually replaced by Mortars. In my rules, they function pretty much the same as Mortars.<br />
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By the way - I dont really enjoy seeing the terms 'Early War / Late War', etc. It is, in my opinion, a horribly anglo-centric view on the overall conflict. Given that fighting broke out in the disputed Oberschleissen region in 1919 (see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silesian_Uprisings">Wikipedia - Silesian Uprisings</a> for more details), and continued in one form or another right up to well past the official end of 'WW2', I personally subscribe to the viewpoint that we are looking at a long protracted European war that consumed the whole of the first half of the 20th Century.<br />
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Enough ranting from me :) Back to the figures.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBgtkvJ_EKsHYoZwKaphEeuIETmWPW7nD-ZuIVJfzsapbrdwoPB6dyhv2Dj96HCEg9gfCJNBpG_b67rBk-0k_amkffvOBY8Simj9w5-wtjP7fDXH7K2vozIIoWt2IMgYjgE49j0nfte8/s1600/2011-11-24_15-29-42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBgtkvJ_EKsHYoZwKaphEeuIETmWPW7nD-ZuIVJfzsapbrdwoPB6dyhv2Dj96HCEg9gfCJNBpG_b67rBk-0k_amkffvOBY8Simj9w5-wtjP7fDXH7K2vozIIoWt2IMgYjgE49j0nfte8/s640/2011-11-24_15-29-42.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Closer view of the German Infantry.<br />
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These are clearly German Infantry - belt fed machine guns, MP40 on the squad commander is clearly sculpted, gas mask cannisters are all there, and the boots are clearly marked as well. Unbelievably good figures these are.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdR-5Ace5YzuLcgfgO-uURMB4aQl_X1OA_U8CwdeS2EffGG4DLFrAmMYQ6Wl9gjGIdS8R610BjKg1gUHl5tYj_yLo31G3tp9x6Fr7RX1rDCrP13KrL0BoF2ke9oKLCuftXToe2hyQFjm4/s1600/2011-11-24_15-29-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdR-5Ace5YzuLcgfgO-uURMB4aQl_X1OA_U8CwdeS2EffGG4DLFrAmMYQ6Wl9gjGIdS8R610BjKg1gUHl5tYj_yLo31G3tp9x6Fr7RX1rDCrP13KrL0BoF2ke9oKLCuftXToe2hyQFjm4/s640/2011-11-24_15-29-11.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">I need more practice with the camera. Its not the best or newest camera in the world, but it does have a huge number of unexplored features.<br />
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Ah - for more rainy days ! No shortage of things to do and things to study.<br />
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Oh - the figures .... The Opel is brilliantly rended, just have a look at the canvas cover on the thing, and the running boards, mudguards and headlights. Staggering !</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0tnjvTVyj1VZ1tVioFuP0JmcUgaWDkKvdu37hZRbK5R-SmEEL_6stsWTlPTXL-EgrdBE-Ls_IRkmR0L0AJscnm_jyXO0k_JR2aGjDdc5J226WFS93eTp3ThSxNBW3AcsV6ORaigpyY8/s1600/2011-11-24_15-28-56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0tnjvTVyj1VZ1tVioFuP0JmcUgaWDkKvdu37hZRbK5R-SmEEL_6stsWTlPTXL-EgrdBE-Ls_IRkmR0L0AJscnm_jyXO0k_JR2aGjDdc5J226WFS93eTp3ThSxNBW3AcsV6ORaigpyY8/s640/2011-11-24_15-28-56.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">MG34 on a tripod for sustained fire support. The tripod is correctly proportioned, and even the recoil buffer and mounting rails are separately visible. Completely crazy little miniatures !</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5IdCCPqLYTSm99vdzM9WrgVorZdmjHKKet0YwgzmDpCwdiOuzTCoi6LUILSIynhBGeYyFQin17yaJ-fDjWQQgJJuzwK9RqzlS8a2WIkp-lU9ba1Z7zjF1aqBWtDf5edJj30F2GZgGdA/s1600/2011-11-24_15-28-43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5IdCCPqLYTSm99vdzM9WrgVorZdmjHKKet0YwgzmDpCwdiOuzTCoi6LUILSIynhBGeYyFQin17yaJ-fDjWQQgJJuzwK9RqzlS8a2WIkp-lU9ba1Z7zjF1aqBWtDf5edJj30F2GZgGdA/s640/2011-11-24_15-28-43.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Another shot of the infantry squad. Rifles - I have painted the stocks in a light wood tone, and dry brushed the breeches and muzzles in gunmetal.<br />
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It is hard to see in these shots, but I managed to put in a hint of should boards in very light gray, and a tiny flash of white on the side of the helmet for the national decal. It can be done after all !</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWENnbq5MEEHbLGaC8ktPao1NxW4tRUi9PHYrc2Pa03apyvi_805Rk5K3l1lJAajW_lMUT1mlqfc31FM26e1b1djC643P2ol_lrbteZaTXVW9HY2yEuQ6lc1P0W6vMxXeVTSeM9auH10/s1600/2011-11-24_15-28-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWENnbq5MEEHbLGaC8ktPao1NxW4tRUi9PHYrc2Pa03apyvi_805Rk5K3l1lJAajW_lMUT1mlqfc31FM26e1b1djC643P2ol_lrbteZaTXVW9HY2yEuQ6lc1P0W6vMxXeVTSeM9auH10/s640/2011-11-24_15-28-10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Another shot of the 105 battery. The sculpting is too good to be true - I am starting to assume that they are created using 3D computer modelling and the masters rendered on a 3D printer.<br />
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I fail to see how this level of detail and correct proportions is even remotely possible with a human hand at this scale. Either way - they are true masterworks worthy of collection.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejkVa70-AjQH_SxRg4o7zVI6KmIKUnqGE2GRiboi5aFCSVXta4pBok6NLQlgLtJecDUmjqx8Lb8eYJverVpq4sjtcvBqDS5Cj6KsBuK8A6u4zhnNSCV5ORWSSmE_oKKMweM6ZH7uVVzc/s1600/2011-11-24_15-27-51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejkVa70-AjQH_SxRg4o7zVI6KmIKUnqGE2GRiboi5aFCSVXta4pBok6NLQlgLtJecDUmjqx8Lb8eYJverVpq4sjtcvBqDS5Cj6KsBuK8A6u4zhnNSCV5ORWSSmE_oKKMweM6ZH7uVVzc/s640/2011-11-24_15-27-51.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Looking again at the use of flocking on the bases - you can get away with quite intricate flora without overwhelming the miniatures at all. Love it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qeV7yRMZ1zmd6Rp4UG-g7iBxSvIFlLdcCpQZosMMeRC3dccifOinn-hxo3qMzjJ_8kQz5UlqfkyJkn-sfvTtQyviMfOMy5O1ZYdOREyx3oAlLFXi9XttdKWZl6TJAhFBbpK10Njs4c8/s1600/2011-11-24_15-27-32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qeV7yRMZ1zmd6Rp4UG-g7iBxSvIFlLdcCpQZosMMeRC3dccifOinn-hxo3qMzjJ_8kQz5UlqfkyJkn-sfvTtQyviMfOMy5O1ZYdOREyx3oAlLFXi9XttdKWZl6TJAhFBbpK10Njs4c8/s640/2011-11-24_15-27-32.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 Battalions + fire support make the move towards the defended City Sector.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VMEYcXFnbl-ehJ8ze6VyecNoNPt1yauVYlaFehY_zvfOGKJd4MknPijan7V43ryanXhdclRxCP9s7j5bc7wyAfCvLWwleo_VbkNeN1UjIw7OBEOHeN385KNDNLS_XJ2G904MlghPerE/s1600/2011-11-24_15-27-27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VMEYcXFnbl-ehJ8ze6VyecNoNPt1yauVYlaFehY_zvfOGKJd4MknPijan7V43ryanXhdclRxCP9s7j5bc7wyAfCvLWwleo_VbkNeN1UjIw7OBEOHeN385KNDNLS_XJ2G904MlghPerE/s640/2011-11-24_15-27-27.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another gratuitous photo opp.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10833908552095803861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4087403373400136271.post-28350567571799491032011-11-23T20:27:00.000-08:002011-11-25T19:00:02.059-08:00Polish Infantry Regiment<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Regiment of the Day</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGxSXei576XlGuTGUCzDgXfTfZQwl0ShY9S2p2o7D9y2O4xK8lXt0zgseL0yIDgE5OHorC41Orbm1IA22eulCeApifrC32w52456B0lxpM5uYP-KdoU7qervyScdZzKmvGUyOPOimLAY/s1600/2011-11-24_15-35-43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGxSXei576XlGuTGUCzDgXfTfZQwl0ShY9S2p2o7D9y2O4xK8lXt0zgseL0yIDgE5OHorC41Orbm1IA22eulCeApifrC32w52456B0lxpM5uYP-KdoU7qervyScdZzKmvGUyOPOimLAY/s400/2011-11-24_15-35-43.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Continuing the troop experiment, I will have a go with some of my newly arrived Oddzial Ozzmy (O8) figures today.<br />
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Put together a few bases of 1939 Polish infantry to see how the O8 stuff stacks up against the 2mm Irregular units.<br />
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One word - WOW !<br />
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I am impressed, I think the word 'awesome' is overused in the English language these days, however I have to say it - these O8 figures are <i><b>Simply Awesome</b></i> !<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEJ_HtqAdVqCLBaIUFCzvi0bUjJSm2Nj2ZLo0ZcqF_df2CQEvrTQFvuLqjzXY91su8Oqh38_IQ24_se0MeV8U21ZgZyjb_iepbWs8MNAT-PY8SHALe4hLKZQEqe5rtQQqmgCexEFrzPE/s1600/2011-11-24_15-34-53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEJ_HtqAdVqCLBaIUFCzvi0bUjJSm2Nj2ZLo0ZcqF_df2CQEvrTQFvuLqjzXY91su8Oqh38_IQ24_se0MeV8U21ZgZyjb_iepbWs8MNAT-PY8SHALe4hLKZQEqe5rtQQqmgCexEFrzPE/s640/2011-11-24_15-34-53.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">3 Battalions of Polish infantry.<br />
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I was a bit cynical when I saw the O8 catalog had separate infantry figures for each different nation. I assumed that these would be the same figure, just labelled differently for packaging. Not So !<br />
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Each nation has distinctly different figures, and the details such as helmets, weapons, backpacks, equipment and even boots and gaiters are all there ready for the paintbrush. Incredibly impressive work !</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWymnOz2T75ofIXTTNcfu04vENSvp1qgMLsm8TD9d2DEbILjCIS8PDDOi-Gr3vw972WZtP3XfL-KfOSYzeq6XUNTAEIidBIGfiBWrPpfLYYJNJiedMot1YNno-rPSjU-imqFiEOHKoeY/s1600/2011-11-24_15-34-27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWymnOz2T75ofIXTTNcfu04vENSvp1qgMLsm8TD9d2DEbILjCIS8PDDOi-Gr3vw972WZtP3XfL-KfOSYzeq6XUNTAEIidBIGfiBWrPpfLYYJNJiedMot1YNno-rPSjU-imqFiEOHKoeY/s640/2011-11-24_15-34-27.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Size-wise, the actual figures are closer to 4mm than 3mm .. but no complaints here. Going any smaller than 4mm I think would be impossible to detail this level of quality. This size is beyond perfect.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fTWuPJwFIL1pzX1vSWZCwD_raG69NENRRX_iNgAz3QjT1lwDXbqasueW7j-5DK-UwTfSkONT1MKZjHhgLI7Y6UXZDoFQwZ_E6Rm9rbk0RvnGetNLxRFWWocu1QuTL8Ruq8wseB2nsCk/s1600/2011-11-24_15-34-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fTWuPJwFIL1pzX1vSWZCwD_raG69NENRRX_iNgAz3QjT1lwDXbqasueW7j-5DK-UwTfSkONT1MKZjHhgLI7Y6UXZDoFQwZ_E6Rm9rbk0RvnGetNLxRFWWocu1QuTL8Ruq8wseB2nsCk/s640/2011-11-24_15-34-16.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">With this size figure, it is possible to pick out faces, and use a different shade of colour for the helmet as well. No problems texturing the base and adding a little flock - these details do not overwhelm the figures themselves.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH85rRzoAw4FfUCxPp95gxAI6rgAD5hDLehQYbHRXejFJyV0P3m_kgDzTPG-qKqNyPj-eoEAxQiYT97Ub3K8ioBUwmDvTbooyNFRhX4ACkv_eVUGjV9RFeOInHNur_aXJxslMSBKW5dAw/s1600/2011-11-24_15-34-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH85rRzoAw4FfUCxPp95gxAI6rgAD5hDLehQYbHRXejFJyV0P3m_kgDzTPG-qKqNyPj-eoEAxQiYT97Ub3K8ioBUwmDvTbooyNFRhX4ACkv_eVUGjV9RFeOInHNur_aXJxslMSBKW5dAw/s640/2011-11-24_15-34-02.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Though teeny weeny, they clearly look like infantry, and Polish infantry at that.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLeKFqNXkZXW1MC2nQuG5n8LLxHNX8VeHyI3bxeL7Y9mV2ruCT8fwqWk56EsCa0n6RlioxlHLP2UudXUrKtf3klmcKfk0OsMK9bOzb-Oj-m-AW6kmA6S0V7l7IyxGAlUeE9QhuOnHqrY/s1600/2011-11-24_15-33-41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLeKFqNXkZXW1MC2nQuG5n8LLxHNX8VeHyI3bxeL7Y9mV2ruCT8fwqWk56EsCa0n6RlioxlHLP2UudXUrKtf3klmcKfk0OsMK9bOzb-Oj-m-AW6kmA6S0V7l7IyxGAlUeE9QhuOnHqrY/s640/2011-11-24_15-33-41.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">You can see here that there is enough detail to pick out both the backpack, and the greatcoat roll over the backback.<br />
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You cannot see individual gaiters on this shot - by they are there on the figure. Its actually quite difficult to photo in this scale.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMJM7bKRSwQuE_g4s851V-_y34x0j7IlkJZudxwaNu_a9KyUcpxwddYZeaYDBPm4zx0xWsvRaOR7ql628B639HTSCkJaaD_6Olgc3h_5H1noJiYr8IArURkUKqwTfXCWVK9T3zJIhppQ/s1600/2011-11-24_15-33-27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMJM7bKRSwQuE_g4s851V-_y34x0j7IlkJZudxwaNu_a9KyUcpxwddYZeaYDBPm4zx0xWsvRaOR7ql628B639HTSCkJaaD_6Olgc3h_5H1noJiYr8IArURkUKqwTfXCWVK9T3zJIhppQ/s640/2011-11-24_15-33-27.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Another poorly focused example ... main point with this shot is to show that a little bit of shrubbery fits in really well with these figures. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc2RYZsY2kaGwSfuGCIBrM6a2SAW4xk1rRkR2zs33z2LRd3VBkJ7dzNNfpGpRSMbRzixDOVpM8bwhoTYnbPGGH4ieG4Tpvgb-QabrFDzOLu6Sqoi5QRd2xc7BeX4BYWelDklEq_3mJHcQ/s1600/2011-11-24_15-33-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc2RYZsY2kaGwSfuGCIBrM6a2SAW4xk1rRkR2zs33z2LRd3VBkJ7dzNNfpGpRSMbRzixDOVpM8bwhoTYnbPGGH4ieG4Tpvgb-QabrFDzOLu6Sqoi5QRd2xc7BeX4BYWelDklEq_3mJHcQ/s640/2011-11-24_15-33-17.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More eye candy. Very happy I tried these .. still mighty impressed here.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPG80eoV0WBccyXkoDGfZF9sNNsuAFaTXkdwt8zfJR3wFQIEw8blhRJiVKui4g5zjIkUFjZni_tLD5Fv2CbJjCK9Fp6ZGQ3mnPGm8R8H6v8_Gf33XWZI6tuN-smvB_94NkM95ASKgQ5m0/s1600/2011-11-24_15-33-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPG80eoV0WBccyXkoDGfZF9sNNsuAFaTXkdwt8zfJR3wFQIEw8blhRJiVKui4g5zjIkUFjZni_tLD5Fv2CbJjCK9Fp6ZGQ3mnPGm8R8H6v8_Gf33XWZI6tuN-smvB_94NkM95ASKgQ5m0/s640/2011-11-24_15-33-01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">For battlefield necessity, I have gone for a simple labelling scheme on the side of the base for these.<br />
<br />
National flag on the left, Divisional number on the right, plus a colour flash to denote the type of unit. I am using green as a the Waffenfarbe for Infantry.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10833908552095803861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4087403373400136271.post-84792847993498384752011-11-22T01:16:00.000-08:002011-11-25T19:00:12.353-08:00Russian BUAs in early Winter<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Scenery of the Day</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">My first shot at doing some scenery for 2mm gaming - I chose (of course), some nameless corner of Russia in early winter, with a few city areas.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The point of this board is to create something that is dirt cheap to make, looks reasonably realistic, and can pack into a small box for transport.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is made up of 8" square tiles, each divided into 4" square 'sectors'.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">As a 'sector' is the basic measuring unit of the game system, each 4" square sector representing 2km square in real life, by having these divisions marked on the board, you can play the game without a tape measure.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anyway, on to the piccies : </span><b> </b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRLQ1VOy7YqNuWjts04ZV7j5WiCgMuOa1WVwg3qcBqfehyzAond2_HibqwkJ5EUJWowUJ78_Qd6bvc4nTHwVprrQx_0K48iNg9rlgTs_UIwpo3ffG1AzI73BKPYfoOtJBBr9ztmD6grI/s1600/2011-10-28_03-49-36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRLQ1VOy7YqNuWjts04ZV7j5WiCgMuOa1WVwg3qcBqfehyzAond2_HibqwkJ5EUJWowUJ78_Qd6bvc4nTHwVprrQx_0K48iNg9rlgTs_UIwpo3ffG1AzI73BKPYfoOtJBBr9ztmD6grI/s640/2011-10-28_03-49-36.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A 3' x 4' table, divided into 4" square sectors = 20km wide, 28km deep.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXd9YdUcKoCQlzRpZQ_hiNf5MLWUoFqF40jKGQmizJtKFFjtRPOKIubsWDulHlmOejo4inlsj6Cz-00q8rcmJNGfD84m8zppNyQ4N2sVhGtwqRDjA0d-lXVE79AmZFONk0LcDiGWBr9g/s1600/2011-10-28_03-55-41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXd9YdUcKoCQlzRpZQ_hiNf5MLWUoFqF40jKGQmizJtKFFjtRPOKIubsWDulHlmOejo4inlsj6Cz-00q8rcmJNGfD84m8zppNyQ4N2sVhGtwqRDjA0d-lXVE79AmZFONk0LcDiGWBr9g/s640/2011-10-28_03-55-41.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Completed tiles from the Russian side. A few larger city sectors connected together, and vast open plains before that. Need some river tiles yet ! The cities are dirt simple, but I reckon that they look OK from this vantage point.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRnEdLKwJ_0x_8-X2ZNDBHbNr1eTLGbz47OxScX9q0arJHDMDSiZY37IwYjgORTPfise6ONw8lepzCuymGKNZNhDLPj-H3IjVRdXANFRJCtrCfiO8Z0Bz88yzKby_XZREJBlsb0ebnfU/s1600/2011-10-28_03-54-54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRnEdLKwJ_0x_8-X2ZNDBHbNr1eTLGbz47OxScX9q0arJHDMDSiZY37IwYjgORTPfise6ONw8lepzCuymGKNZNhDLPj-H3IjVRdXANFRJCtrCfiO8Z0Bz88yzKby_XZREJBlsb0ebnfU/s640/2011-10-28_03-54-54.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Another shot from the Russian side. The BUA sectors certainly do the job of denoting where the cities are.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhmomRccf-s0KGYLcHDejUfivQRwJiussveOYZCuC8RTBmqtfpMKMG0-8VPbvV4i8s59JCV2SXCICFVwVKU82nKdAO2Hf_7v0zs1P8GHBnV_BIfZdh5I_Z90EeqTKhoDWkjoGj7ec0k8/s1600/2011-10-28_03-54-40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhmomRccf-s0KGYLcHDejUfivQRwJiussveOYZCuC8RTBmqtfpMKMG0-8VPbvV4i8s59JCV2SXCICFVwVKU82nKdAO2Hf_7v0zs1P8GHBnV_BIfZdh5I_Z90EeqTKhoDWkjoGj7ec0k8/s640/2011-10-28_03-54-40.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Z-scale Pines with light spray of snow on them - going to use these later to create wooded sectors.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0ZkIa1-yCp2st32bTnOGHR5RGym1XQva8s0D9pIy8S2TIJSC-YP5d-vre13QiOQtxoqe2a6-QTw_Ht1uAlg1-yop01qqzyH1htK4fMFo-6yW31OauJ0tG2dUsaXqCjWP0AH30s7TCZc/s1600/2011-10-28_03-54-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0ZkIa1-yCp2st32bTnOGHR5RGym1XQva8s0D9pIy8S2TIJSC-YP5d-vre13QiOQtxoqe2a6-QTw_Ht1uAlg1-yop01qqzyH1htK4fMFo-6yW31OauJ0tG2dUsaXqCjWP0AH30s7TCZc/s640/2011-10-28_03-54-24.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Closer to ground level. Happy with the way the board is looking now. Simple paint job - base coat in a sandy brown with beach sand mixed in, and then when dry, hit it with a few coats of different colours with the airbrush. Simple and effective.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-i1IRyim95Gueo9HcOd8kjTV4VGQrHE0JEvjwEJP1Ksmlo1UBYn0M8vwMuMS7vRuc673E2c1R-so-VPLHQ8iRVMx22hf4ComFXe_4f_UwFCiK2pP-NJYotvrAVdz0fMFQpufHPlGx-qM/s1600/2011-10-28_03-54-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-i1IRyim95Gueo9HcOd8kjTV4VGQrHE0JEvjwEJP1Ksmlo1UBYn0M8vwMuMS7vRuc673E2c1R-so-VPLHQ8iRVMx22hf4ComFXe_4f_UwFCiK2pP-NJYotvrAVdz0fMFQpufHPlGx-qM/s640/2011-10-28_03-54-11.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">A little bit of sand to give texture, but not too much, else it may overwhelm the board in this scale. Most important is to keep it flat.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivtp51sRn4qHIILdkYfjzCBYOggReHhHQKbsz-a3uI8fWyckyayiIPPH8IVlkR-CDMx4QYV4MBMqtx1nHTTbtInhh_fAjvQk2LR_PNvGUWAwhluiqjC3qaTtDgeA_YUEjB9SutkuZ0iQ/s1600/2011-10-28_03-51-54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivtp51sRn4qHIILdkYfjzCBYOggReHhHQKbsz-a3uI8fWyckyayiIPPH8IVlkR-CDMx4QYV4MBMqtx1nHTTbtInhh_fAjvQk2LR_PNvGUWAwhluiqjC3qaTtDgeA_YUEjB9SutkuZ0iQ/s640/2011-10-28_03-51-54.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">A half ruined city sector on a 4" x 4" tile. Apartment blocks are just that - little 1cm wooden cubes that I found at the art shop. Ruins are simply bits of foamcore cut up and airbrished with matte dark gray. Light snow effect is airbrush with a thicker mixture to induce a little splatter.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WQOWPhBeN-OtLe4ZU6x06FBGRTCtIAO3G0Kl4G4AW2VFalgaQXKHVFeQmaBRKoKvGCuVm7gyrGHUddAOphLW6h8REwtU2dU_mJYn1SyccLle_mCtCELAKsBXX27eQRVd9RARnwoMP_o/s1600/2011-10-28_03-49-47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WQOWPhBeN-OtLe4ZU6x06FBGRTCtIAO3G0Kl4G4AW2VFalgaQXKHVFeQmaBRKoKvGCuVm7gyrGHUddAOphLW6h8REwtU2dU_mJYn1SyccLle_mCtCELAKsBXX27eQRVd9RARnwoMP_o/s640/2011-10-28_03-49-47.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXEfRwT_3CZFOr0MoPGwckr2n0QEzXTamSSd9jdGhinEiHvFXoSEMoFsuLkdfacM4xVLrwKyAF9_wqVP29mP1o94aRL4V4f-2i0eVPbjrS_BcW9OpThCTG_mZ1SKbkslRWI8x6Xhffd5E/s1600/2011-10-28_03-50-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXEfRwT_3CZFOr0MoPGwckr2n0QEzXTamSSd9jdGhinEiHvFXoSEMoFsuLkdfacM4xVLrwKyAF9_wqVP29mP1o94aRL4V4f-2i0eVPbjrS_BcW9OpThCTG_mZ1SKbkslRWI8x6Xhffd5E/s640/2011-10-28_03-50-06.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlfDfiKhAfXfUpX57xKzvvWIyLbspVpMNy4KJdO8e-uRDgKO9BIpSTmntByx5g3uYefpTFYgAJzO66ppyVs4zDg-oxHd4wJTEpwCfKVj7MCftOlLmSeGxwXc96BV3ajp_kQPPT3GRjJQ/s1600/2011-10-28_03-52-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlfDfiKhAfXfUpX57xKzvvWIyLbspVpMNy4KJdO8e-uRDgKO9BIpSTmntByx5g3uYefpTFYgAJzO66ppyVs4zDg-oxHd4wJTEpwCfKVj7MCftOlLmSeGxwXc96BV3ajp_kQPPT3GRjJQ/s640/2011-10-28_03-52-05.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Started to add in some windows to the state apartment blocks with a marker pen. Does the job OK.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2H9lMSxzcibRuSfg7_bzufOF9jWRyW4MIP4zaU0oM9OJWoqh1za_8GoXeASxqf0dyOcGM81spjIV5plPDyn7Qb08RprjhR3svQsemRfWTKLiobBWWGBzvizjdBfGdBnVp5pnb73AoYkY/s1600/2011-10-28_03-53-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2H9lMSxzcibRuSfg7_bzufOF9jWRyW4MIP4zaU0oM9OJWoqh1za_8GoXeASxqf0dyOcGM81spjIV5plPDyn7Qb08RprjhR3svQsemRfWTKLiobBWWGBzvizjdBfGdBnVp5pnb73AoYkY/s640/2011-10-28_03-53-20.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More cheap and easy apartment blocks made up this worker's paradise.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_Vfwhjx91TftXFbHXaqSWINLcw4khnyVmNWzR9ZyvXhPIJnGmvQkU5nO64F3LcEdgG_QtO1Nbj4Iths1cZdSIbjf10fmzKBNOHOC_cirYlCJsO1ENNcL7SGJVq3YiO8kYWCyUcnGeDg/s1600/2011-10-28_03-50-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_Vfwhjx91TftXFbHXaqSWINLcw4khnyVmNWzR9ZyvXhPIJnGmvQkU5nO64F3LcEdgG_QtO1Nbj4Iths1cZdSIbjf10fmzKBNOHOC_cirYlCJsO1ENNcL7SGJVq3YiO8kYWCyUcnGeDg/s640/2011-10-28_03-50-17.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">They do look much better with windows after all ... fair bit of work with the marker pen, but worth the effort I think.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5J_ixfnB2VomKf7aG27-aGnjABqrGjFdIs6udz2Yamr8wIzwKAlS6ZTP9XeK2ETwkYn54RISXbnVdzBs-arA0xsB86_UXLPpdMlmknHjxtH0mNP3mWsigOwn7U7br3OcROS_zbXnfd-s/s1600/2011-10-28_03-50-36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5J_ixfnB2VomKf7aG27-aGnjABqrGjFdIs6udz2Yamr8wIzwKAlS6ZTP9XeK2ETwkYn54RISXbnVdzBs-arA0xsB86_UXLPpdMlmknHjxtH0mNP3mWsigOwn7U7br3OcROS_zbXnfd-s/s640/2011-10-28_03-50-36.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Note the craters here and there - the airbrush is brilliant for making soft smudges of colour on terrain boards, highly recommended tool.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKTj2j1uG9K_qg8pDtZ6FBLyG71VdQBrEdnd22B9i_MyRunGfAYasC5ax8N1RbsP83CEU9deBoxeQLb-13MqjW1RlVTcSySySf4mZEDowLFzLLzOXJW0pPufLEU_MGwsGe1_7h1Z3Llc/s1600/2011-10-28_03-53-28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKTj2j1uG9K_qg8pDtZ6FBLyG71VdQBrEdnd22B9i_MyRunGfAYasC5ax8N1RbsP83CEU9deBoxeQLb-13MqjW1RlVTcSySySf4mZEDowLFzLLzOXJW0pPufLEU_MGwsGe1_7h1Z3Llc/s640/2011-10-28_03-53-28.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRdmLOZaFd0PfhbbzWx6QxL_-T7RuZqTLjo2-J_vmaZi2X7j-YWZp6RP0-E-uaVJ0Iw_OS7mPA3snH2PHCYN6KVHg9LlvrfBgUhA9jFbBevwb9bT7uN9u9J0egoC6EFvOP6q5EutJyOk/s1600/2011-10-28_03-53-38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRdmLOZaFd0PfhbbzWx6QxL_-T7RuZqTLjo2-J_vmaZi2X7j-YWZp6RP0-E-uaVJ0Iw_OS7mPA3snH2PHCYN6KVHg9LlvrfBgUhA9jFbBevwb9bT7uN9u9J0egoC6EFvOP6q5EutJyOk/s640/2011-10-28_03-53-38.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb70ji6DA0VONS7dNFx_88HX4ozQpS5YVG2mcsR7CKDECmXp8IRBwE2spyzoAO2Rfqpyuv_irbu-ooK9ENhgNtnr9AGduQppcx7QnzsTaEaFY4Coz5Zl8ix83hak2wCegfOQ1fyw1GudA/s1600/2011-10-28_03-53-46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb70ji6DA0VONS7dNFx_88HX4ozQpS5YVG2mcsR7CKDECmXp8IRBwE2spyzoAO2Rfqpyuv_irbu-ooK9ENhgNtnr9AGduQppcx7QnzsTaEaFY4Coz5Zl8ix83hak2wCegfOQ1fyw1GudA/s640/2011-10-28_03-53-46.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJoCO19bZBVByQ3H8bLoKv9kkduM8u_5rpuEV-qplhSSjq4aUev8KkRSLvp-LyOWirxdCVWawn0VtNggBKWiiA4J8mcZuXOTVJKI9OmgBXtzgPT-mhtcVXML2iHPHB1WBNJZwKGHUKMD0/s1600/2011-10-28_03-51-45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJoCO19bZBVByQ3H8bLoKv9kkduM8u_5rpuEV-qplhSSjq4aUev8KkRSLvp-LyOWirxdCVWawn0VtNggBKWiiA4J8mcZuXOTVJKI9OmgBXtzgPT-mhtcVXML2iHPHB1WBNJZwKGHUKMD0/s640/2011-10-28_03-51-45.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Just ruins on this sector. One thing I found was that you need to resist the temptation to put too many bits on a terrain tile ... you still need to fit bases of fighting units on here, so just limit the actual buildings to the bare minimum, enough to denote that this sector contains BUAs.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1hOuhFld3yHJgjuwaMD3NT2tvOMKo39d0bGtQ0aFZ8WLKedCZc2-SbHNA5Ode6VnzBq1ROxAiOuFCR7u0H8TUV3bZDiva5zIMVU16mwRCR_LkA_VYKTZlFGDYd8zs2skEkr3vPG5a88/s1600/2011-10-28_03-51-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1hOuhFld3yHJgjuwaMD3NT2tvOMKo39d0bGtQ0aFZ8WLKedCZc2-SbHNA5Ode6VnzBq1ROxAiOuFCR7u0H8TUV3bZDiva5zIMVU16mwRCR_LkA_VYKTZlFGDYd8zs2skEkr3vPG5a88/s640/2011-10-28_03-51-35.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Another view of the worker's paradise - state apartment block 587. The best thing about these solid wooden apartment blocks is that the tiles can all be stacked neatly in a single box, and shipped for transport with no problems. They all sit flat, since all buildings are exactly the same height. I like.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10833908552095803861noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4087403373400136271.post-72795791234651202182011-11-22T01:13:00.000-08:002011-11-25T19:00:30.603-08:00Playstesting Begins !<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Battle of the Day</b></span><br />
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First few rounds of playtesting begin, using scraps of paper for the units, and unpainted scenery to get an idea of scales involved.<br />
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I wont go into too many details about the actual battle, because it looks extremely boring without decent terrain and troops ... but I will try and caption some of the photos with interesting discoveries that come up during the playtest game. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4_f0pabXyLwlvOs3OuaZRP5C49ZkKCGVeWmFtyZteZ363gYQ3UBo6boq9ikh77I89NA6AmqXsPIoHDSSp_0cWoATXsNpmm_Qo-OuHGpDiv2XLz9iegWqBPzjn3odKiR0HJBZ5GosuAQ/s1600/2011-10-27_12-23-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4_f0pabXyLwlvOs3OuaZRP5C49ZkKCGVeWmFtyZteZ363gYQ3UBo6boq9ikh77I89NA6AmqXsPIoHDSSp_0cWoATXsNpmm_Qo-OuHGpDiv2XLz9iegWqBPzjn3odKiR0HJBZ5GosuAQ/s640/2011-10-27_12-23-03.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Initial Deployment from the Russian side - There are 2 infantry Divisions in position in the BUAs on the left and centre, and a Tank Division held back in reserve on the right flank.<br />
<a name='more'></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_nhCKMai98cnsBTkAx_jZLzpKnKIKjMRTLKqQY_KR2UQHhtZxHyZIQ3GE-ToNJdgUWXNGhu_QiKcPF2qVmizspx8gFkCIYDaI6fDE8yCaO1CmldLrM_YbtTr_CgEqC6bnNja5ZHknnM/s1600/2011-10-27_12-31-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_nhCKMai98cnsBTkAx_jZLzpKnKIKjMRTLKqQY_KR2UQHhtZxHyZIQ3GE-ToNJdgUWXNGhu_QiKcPF2qVmizspx8gFkCIYDaI6fDE8yCaO1CmldLrM_YbtTr_CgEqC6bnNja5ZHknnM/s640/2011-10-27_12-31-20.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Divisional level initiative scores see the Russians get to preempt the coming attack, and spend resources digging in.<br />
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The smaller toothpick pieces represent defences - each sector can have up to 4 such defences (one on each edge), which all add to the defender's strength in that sector. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvlm1A4f6-c9HZn-QHPpp662cBOO51Tt4gXdmM50xWD-K9epfSY54K7xRa0plrIQtpoj16qfYh0TahSlrKFESMhTMxIu2ZQj-QcoSDf-hsIK096so8lXAnSZp0ljAFXvG7WeUEAJe60Q/s1600/2011-10-27_12-33-34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvlm1A4f6-c9HZn-QHPpp662cBOO51Tt4gXdmM50xWD-K9epfSY54K7xRa0plrIQtpoj16qfYh0TahSlrKFESMhTMxIu2ZQj-QcoSDf-hsIK096so8lXAnSZp0ljAFXvG7WeUEAJe60Q/s640/2011-10-27_12-33-34.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Break of dawn - germans get rolling. First objective is the small isolated city sector on the right flank. The infantry should take care of that.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmq-zsDEELDDJiejCBEdOwGkqveoRMv68R79Qb1uaMXrNpByz0c6TSVoItCMZZahx_zez0Lg5WdbGLLOGrinvYDzAc4bvO7DNEKuf72U82PtKbNG1Ny9SIob1GGMZbAO6uiaaTT7qm1A/s1600/2011-10-27_12-38-56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmq-zsDEELDDJiejCBEdOwGkqveoRMv68R79Qb1uaMXrNpByz0c6TSVoItCMZZahx_zez0Lg5WdbGLLOGrinvYDzAc4bvO7DNEKuf72U82PtKbNG1Ny9SIob1GGMZbAO6uiaaTT7qm1A/s640/2011-10-27_12-38-56.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">German rifle battalions assault into the BUA sector. Units normally move from one sector to another, occupying the entire sector. Assault movement is denoted by placing combat units on the border between 2 sectors.<br />
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Up to 3 combat units may commit to an assault move into an enemy sector - in this case we have a rifle battalion, with 2 rifle battalions in support. The Russian deployment in the BUA sector is in all round defence.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDsWtov97Q9I96GjZFlkeXXOE1Yd0sNzQQt8buBAVdMUfVDdu54hGAi_NpQNvQ07uE83nPq-2XQ4lfQ9RfWrNYj02Q1em5zlyZvG-fIqfn9UikbnNDDJk7Rxsq-sPQfkY652AeYqCQ5yA/s1600/2011-10-27_12-52-29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDsWtov97Q9I96GjZFlkeXXOE1Yd0sNzQQt8buBAVdMUfVDdu54hGAi_NpQNvQ07uE83nPq-2XQ4lfQ9RfWrNYj02Q1em5zlyZvG-fIqfn9UikbnNDDJk7Rxsq-sPQfkY652AeYqCQ5yA/s640/2011-10-27_12-52-29.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">With supporting artillery fire, the German infantry manage to clear this first small isolated city sector by Noon, and setup the main wing of the Division to push forward against the main line of the Russians.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoktHKAhmv1il2Gl40jMs8bnvCAFxPKFziRizmNkYkCDWSAWe3gTgY6wHDtzzfLOgcmUE_i15116r1etU1JFHukrignXfXqXTIoiJ30BJq2M2e0N1szfVoSUeoilE-bZ57T4m22tPV9BQ/s1600/2011-10-27_13-04-09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoktHKAhmv1il2Gl40jMs8bnvCAFxPKFziRizmNkYkCDWSAWe3gTgY6wHDtzzfLOgcmUE_i15116r1etU1JFHukrignXfXqXTIoiJ30BJq2M2e0N1szfVoSUeoilE-bZ57T4m22tPV9BQ/s640/2011-10-27_13-04-09.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">By late afternoon, the Germans have driven forward, penetrating about 6km into the Russian lines, and taken 2 small isolated city sectors with no noticable losses. Russians move up their Tank Division on the right, and continue to consolidate defences in the main city.</div></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtiF11drrjZA6k_z2DXsakVw7LC-xaAwPZzGgMccocBLApSsOOwJcrdwd2jIMGYdZINSXJbbqXBElUjfgBn6imBHeVtWdlL2DMHsIz4QU6KHkt49az-zaIH2evor3eW8RmTr0dSckmj1w/s1600/2011-10-27_13-07-08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtiF11drrjZA6k_z2DXsakVw7LC-xaAwPZzGgMccocBLApSsOOwJcrdwd2jIMGYdZINSXJbbqXBElUjfgBn6imBHeVtWdlL2DMHsIz4QU6KHkt49az-zaIH2evor3eW8RmTr0dSckmj1w/s640/2011-10-27_13-07-08.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Next morning, the Germans open with Stuka attacks on the main city, signalling their intention to assault the city perhaps ?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwFK7U62eVMkj5RbL_sDrSN_OBKlv61wqXu3Zl4dGyXO3ASlfYVQ85nePtS22TFWJWKhq_MrcU7Ik0QmRtE4FQanE2sNRiA39VBglE8QtAFzJbc3a1HbkHjlwTEEjt4NrJtX0JuaCnvoo/s1600/2011-10-27_13-50-31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwFK7U62eVMkj5RbL_sDrSN_OBKlv61wqXu3Zl4dGyXO3ASlfYVQ85nePtS22TFWJWKhq_MrcU7Ik0QmRtE4FQanE2sNRiA39VBglE8QtAFzJbc3a1HbkHjlwTEEjt4NrJtX0JuaCnvoo/s640/2011-10-27_13-50-31.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Early on the 2nd day, the Germans make contact with the Russian tanks on the flank (who are in all round defence), and move up their infantry to begin the assault on the city in the center.<br />
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Divisional orders are locked in - its going to be a messy day for all involved. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg61lxSwR-_bDdpkTCPLQQuBhmCcQMI8WDmGCuEDQ2VDcYYpolpclRyTOFYSs4fhJjPTCmLe3VoALKQfYbrFRZggVkdEzlzlIyxk35KECMfV55mlH0V6jMc3A9hofvEzrhIPvBsjfgFEw/s1600/2011-10-27_13-29-26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg61lxSwR-_bDdpkTCPLQQuBhmCcQMI8WDmGCuEDQ2VDcYYpolpclRyTOFYSs4fhJjPTCmLe3VoALKQfYbrFRZggVkdEzlzlIyxk35KECMfV55mlH0V6jMc3A9hofvEzrhIPvBsjfgFEw/s640/2011-10-27_13-29-26.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">In the tank battle, ranged fire between the Germans and Russians .. no major casualties at the start.<br />
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Note in the center that 3 battalions of German infantry have moved into assault on the city. The city fighting rages till well into the night, as the first wave of German troops gradually wear down the defences.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKAM0fpj7lHhyphenhyphenLUerMqm8U7hdirEI6m0pe0nMGPUHOWC_Au9abqbrtyAof8KYGB4d1vokmff49wF-f3KgTVunoWcuk4yDkcJ0bCEIy0cfJmSplG5b_KhHOTksVuHDBdmXHbgs9sizn9s/s1600/2011-10-27_13-45-07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKAM0fpj7lHhyphenhyphenLUerMqm8U7hdirEI6m0pe0nMGPUHOWC_Au9abqbrtyAof8KYGB4d1vokmff49wF-f3KgTVunoWcuk4yDkcJ0bCEIy0cfJmSplG5b_KhHOTksVuHDBdmXHbgs9sizn9s/s640/2011-10-27_13-45-07.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">During the Night phases, Russian partizans start to infiltrate the German rear sectors. German Anti partizan units get involved in keeping the supply lines open.<br />
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Need to keep working on this aspect of the rules, as it adds an additional layer of strategic tension to the main game.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5SDgbP472db4toPaKn4j_y-B_o_qJAGmIZFNW5Ozs9H6zGBaU1eClOBNm_wxiXEsSKhfEdHgTlSV-BNKzoFP4SzkOkCNtg5L9MpDa0yzSoyoPicSYUdzIMHl6gpi-JHO1utwrJ9MuFXk/s1600/2011-10-27_14-02-33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5SDgbP472db4toPaKn4j_y-B_o_qJAGmIZFNW5Ozs9H6zGBaU1eClOBNm_wxiXEsSKhfEdHgTlSV-BNKzoFP4SzkOkCNtg5L9MpDa0yzSoyoPicSYUdzIMHl6gpi-JHO1utwrJ9MuFXk/s640/2011-10-27_14-02-33.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">By early next morning, 2 developments are apparent.<br />
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The ranged tank fighting on the flank, the main Russian force has broken and reeled backwards, leaving a gap for the German tanks to exploit. They move forward into this gap.<br />
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In the city fighting, the defences are getting smashed, and the Russian defenders are gradually falling back ... but the attacking Germans have broken after a full day of city fighting without progress.<br />
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The Russians use the break to start rebuilding the city defences. It is apparent that making any headway through the city sectors will take days of hard bloody fighting. (possibly weeks), without any guarantee of success.<br />
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In the rules, where defenders in a city sector are dispersed ... they can automatically recover on the next phase into an adjacent city sector. So unless they are destroyed outright, getting defenders out of BUAs is extremely hard work.<br />
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As it turns out, with the tank fighting later the next day, the Germans find themselves caught in a crossfire between the 2 Russian forces on either flank ... and after some bad dice rolls, the heavy Tiger Abt. is catastrophically lost ... not able to be recovered.<br />
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So after 2 hours of game time, we have covered 4 days of fighting with a conclusion that the German advance is halted in the city fighting, and the tank exploit has been severely blunted.<br />
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The Germans order a withdrawal with a very bloody nose in this case, despite their high level of resiliency. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10833908552095803861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4087403373400136271.post-47785404013294847662011-11-21T22:58:00.000-08:002011-11-22T03:25:27.143-08:001943 German Division<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Division of the Day</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioa8DAVq6fWq2-vflurrjDMl9VImlnmV13Ag-efPnjGjOwaxMv69rvq7Ijjxg92CTCMBm3kTLBaWzqHKmflqm5irGkCVqRTa3Q859rhDHy27gv7oZeTJ_euwti4hk-3hn3BHeZgo2FYDQ/s1600/2011-11-22_17-41-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioa8DAVq6fWq2-vflurrjDMl9VImlnmV13Ag-efPnjGjOwaxMv69rvq7Ijjxg92CTCMBm3kTLBaWzqHKmflqm5irGkCVqRTa3Q859rhDHy27gv7oZeTJ_euwti4hk-3hn3BHeZgo2FYDQ/s320/2011-11-22_17-41-18.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Some first prototype units for 1943(?) German Divisions.<br />
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Just playing around with ideas, using 2mm Irregular figures from Eureka.<br />
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Seeing what works, and what doesn't work so well at this scale.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioa8DAVq6fWq2-vflurrjDMl9VImlnmV13Ag-efPnjGjOwaxMv69rvq7Ijjxg92CTCMBm3kTLBaWzqHKmflqm5irGkCVqRTa3Q859rhDHy27gv7oZeTJ_euwti4hk-3hn3BHeZgo2FYDQ/s1600/2011-11-22_17-41-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioa8DAVq6fWq2-vflurrjDMl9VImlnmV13Ag-efPnjGjOwaxMv69rvq7Ijjxg92CTCMBm3kTLBaWzqHKmflqm5irGkCVqRTa3Q859rhDHy27gv7oZeTJ_euwti4hk-3hn3BHeZgo2FYDQ/s640/2011-11-22_17-41-18.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Medium Pz Bn, on 30x20mm base. 2 PzIII (or possibly PzIV), with some supporting PzGrenadiers.<br />
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The infantry are a nightmare to paint, but the tanks come out OK. They respond well to some dry brushing in a heavily lightened tone to bring out the edges.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLK1hW6Rmoumdhdc0Kzggc0Df5CYBIkDcBo1LN7XOPGGT8fXPLc_nHdp4K9SCm8-_M8-OagNUhUAlJpXdJ9Mwz39nhRGsak-_CVNSylQAsZ6QsGVCTkz7QGR5o9Pgng0SPai2PdBSx5hE/s1600/2011-11-22_17-41-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLK1hW6Rmoumdhdc0Kzggc0Df5CYBIkDcBo1LN7XOPGGT8fXPLc_nHdp4K9SCm8-_M8-OagNUhUAlJpXdJ9Mwz39nhRGsak-_CVNSylQAsZ6QsGVCTkz7QGR5o9Pgng0SPai2PdBSx5hE/s640/2011-11-22_17-41-03.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PzGren battalion. 2 x Hanomags, and dismounted PzGrenadiers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyzUopuh359UmDJaDXQezqren-J1Gi_0TOPAR619_mprXxX6R2J_6elYuCD04TKd2iUOyKzeTbVOuAgrmzjMAnyuXXR6ZPrqgRU2kFL4CTmCaLMJTzHFV88WLtvL_NdPblp1yhQEc7Sw/s1600/2011-11-22_17-40-46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyzUopuh359UmDJaDXQezqren-J1Gi_0TOPAR619_mprXxX6R2J_6elYuCD04TKd2iUOyKzeTbVOuAgrmzjMAnyuXXR6ZPrqgRU2kFL4CTmCaLMJTzHFV88WLtvL_NdPblp1yhQEc7Sw/s640/2011-11-22_17-40-46.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Another PzGrenadier battalion. 2 Hanomags, and a mix of mounted and dismounted PzGrenadiers.<br />
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The mounted 'figures' are actually greenstuff carefully sculpted into the original model.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPICD5FaUNmQ9ZIkdLdurEKHrRsNZw3rj_uVWnu-LzvvZausqM_hc2krt0LiG4IOnkMFJGErDSmMH2p0RDpDze7HBsYyLYq9h8KpNr1mNYEzFgEA0h2SjdkKdChoL5LDugSti_79hiQMs/s1600/2011-11-22_17-40-38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPICD5FaUNmQ9ZIkdLdurEKHrRsNZw3rj_uVWnu-LzvvZausqM_hc2krt0LiG4IOnkMFJGErDSmMH2p0RDpDze7HBsYyLYq9h8KpNr1mNYEzFgEA0h2SjdkKdChoL5LDugSti_79hiQMs/s640/2011-11-22_17-40-38.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A closer shot of the sculpted PzGrenadier greens inside the Hanomag.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhriAOP0NtM6GYyy_QH3awX9FkMdDVaKmWiv9v1COH96YNIpoH-2HYR1bHxFJgFGjoHP5pyqxCFKqiECjipi4OIDh4XV7_lbnOvcZ_KjxRTPPQlD5cHYl8mjoMqSy_wzMyAHlgWxYO2kRc/s1600/2011-11-22_17-40-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhriAOP0NtM6GYyy_QH3awX9FkMdDVaKmWiv9v1COH96YNIpoH-2HYR1bHxFJgFGjoHP5pyqxCFKqiECjipi4OIDh4XV7_lbnOvcZ_KjxRTPPQlD5cHYl8mjoMqSy_wzMyAHlgWxYO2kRc/s640/2011-11-22_17-40-24.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">A StugIII battalion. 2 Stug IIIs and supporting infantry. In my own home-brew rules, Assault guns are not treated like tanks, they are a special unit that are used for close assault support.<br />
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They are great for assisting infantry units who move in to take out defended positions. When fighting as tanks in the open however, they are pretty useless.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-zRqhCqZl50JdTLp-mY2FdInVOcQcSEg94c1CSUqO_hTvcyKzucVMRSsKcIfzTaJdMDBFUbi76j3JHE4I_Z43RsCxp6Yn3Xx9_ghszxWO9FIDFehT3M_PxbCMIEK_bgHCheJFBYc3kU/s1600/2011-11-22_17-40-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-zRqhCqZl50JdTLp-mY2FdInVOcQcSEg94c1CSUqO_hTvcyKzucVMRSsKcIfzTaJdMDBFUbi76j3JHE4I_Z43RsCxp6Yn3Xx9_ghszxWO9FIDFehT3M_PxbCMIEK_bgHCheJFBYc3kU/s640/2011-11-22_17-40-10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Stugs again. Painting these is interesting in the extreme. It is not like painting 15mm/20mm/28mm units, where the figures themselves are the important factor.<br />
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When painting 2mm troops, you make up a mini diorama, which includes modelling the terrain, and the figures are just part of that diorama.<br />
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Here I have used modelling paste to make the muddy terrain, and then painted the whole base from the ground up. Adding details to the figures is the final step of the process.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZV5wNi_-XVcRBuhmUvATvpZBnfdYeRZe-tC03DxOVxM5oMQpntFgSz3z0NCOMaudwTzJ5gY8EF0nsxoN4eO2y7djijSN0tJZxJ3ngvah1qXmj0Ux0i9MATJDZZ_JugZtSshKvuBIgNw/s1600/2011-11-22_17-39-57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZV5wNi_-XVcRBuhmUvATvpZBnfdYeRZe-tC03DxOVxM5oMQpntFgSz3z0NCOMaudwTzJ5gY8EF0nsxoN4eO2y7djijSN0tJZxJ3ngvah1qXmj0Ux0i9MATJDZZ_JugZtSshKvuBIgNw/s640/2011-11-22_17-39-57.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">So you can see here the lovely little tracks in the mud - I like that effect. Havent painted the infantry on this base yet ... later.<br />
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Also, since it is so difficult to identify the individual 2mm models when there are heaps of them on the table ... I think I will try this approach, where each base gets a sort of camo scheme in keeping with the type of troops represented. Pea dot style camo bases here for those fanatic german extras that appear on the battlefields of Russia.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS2rbOaSxx73f0TYCjP57pxxJr28C0q1lS3U4DrHGA1UV3kPQtKggJOnyVsYPH2MjVH3l_4qs3bjCKV02KdcUWfYd0gelRYeG_vs1A_aWxk8g2At4vg2sJj1GlksVbI3mf1DQCmcrVPnA/s1600/2011-11-22_17-39-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS2rbOaSxx73f0TYCjP57pxxJr28C0q1lS3U4DrHGA1UV3kPQtKggJOnyVsYPH2MjVH3l_4qs3bjCKV02KdcUWfYd0gelRYeG_vs1A_aWxk8g2At4vg2sJj1GlksVbI3mf1DQCmcrVPnA/s640/2011-11-22_17-39-35.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Even though the infantry bases in this scale are ultra thin, still need to sink it into the 'mud' to avoid this effect here - a clear raised ring is seen around the infantry base.<br />
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Bit hard to fix after the base is painted. Will experiment with some other approaches to that.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXb-2FqXBy4_iwHN-8HqerdU4qaPEmhCg4MljM_qrnfaFFhQpZdlZKv29Rz2WTq04EFnvGXkQ3Q36dUVYlrHaayZDFcwQPVIIValreIh4zGrF5J18QprODoOireDiC7-Bw6z_PRNmpos/s1600/2011-11-22_17-38-41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXb-2FqXBy4_iwHN-8HqerdU4qaPEmhCg4MljM_qrnfaFFhQpZdlZKv29Rz2WTq04EFnvGXkQ3Q36dUVYlrHaayZDFcwQPVIIValreIh4zGrF5J18QprODoOireDiC7-Bw6z_PRNmpos/s640/2011-11-22_17-38-41.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Armoured recon company. In my 2mm armies, the main combat units are on 30x20mm bases, whereas Divisional support units, such as HQ, recon companies, Mortars, etc .. are on 20mm round bases. Works for me, as its important to get an idea of individual unit funtion when l.ooking at a large mass on the tablettop.<br />
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If they all looked exactly the same, I think you would quickly go nuts.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXh20Wfv5XiALgmlzRMzeOrsdEKvzwq_x1xREr76iEY8VXhkjKm7s1SYr0XetdPf_UBoy-UTIY-2aXUkzAHmoIetz5N8rsL4jnn7nidCkBHVBLYTlMjHzRK3tULGMOyUWR70jjOBgiIpg/s1600/2011-11-22_17-38-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXh20Wfv5XiALgmlzRMzeOrsdEKvzwq_x1xREr76iEY8VXhkjKm7s1SYr0XetdPf_UBoy-UTIY-2aXUkzAHmoIetz5N8rsL4jnn7nidCkBHVBLYTlMjHzRK3tULGMOyUWR70jjOBgiIpg/s640/2011-11-22_17-38-03.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Some german infantry (cant you tell).<br />
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Got to admit - these guys are teeny weeny small. Keep in mind that this is a shot from a camera with an zoom lens on macro mode, so you are getting more detail here than you would with a human eye looking over a table top.<br />
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Each of these guys is about the size of a shoe on a 15mm napoleonic figure. Still, I have gone for a 3 colour paintjob on these - Feldgrau, a hint of black on the boots, and the smallest dot of flesh I could manage to add in for the suggestion of faces.<br />
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Linzen on the collar tabs, insignia on the helmets, chinstraps and other details .... ahhhhh, I dont think so :) Not in this lifetime anyway.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEituOgZE0GxSz_ObOWBkHW2l3cxeG_4nZW2Rxf_IOStQj9tuxg1s0bAcQGpSRC89DgOZooNak6cQDuptgKjjqB28pxAV6E_o_WkiEl9wVxKnpO8LmRLeHVfVdRzbDul5hK0P1FHj3wlGYM/s1600/2011-11-22_17-37-55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEituOgZE0GxSz_ObOWBkHW2l3cxeG_4nZW2Rxf_IOStQj9tuxg1s0bAcQGpSRC89DgOZooNak6cQDuptgKjjqB28pxAV6E_o_WkiEl9wVxKnpO8LmRLeHVfVdRzbDul5hK0P1FHj3wlGYM/s640/2011-11-22_17-37-55.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Thats more like it - block of infantry battalions on a 3km frontage.<br />
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Again, I think its a good plan to give each nation its own 'camo scheme' sort of - when it comes to painting the whole base. Its very difficult to tell the nationalities apart otherwise.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6TUfMGiJ5imTE1fv-aNcAeMbQR8vbS55pwLQy_cg61JXcRaMhBADeepvb6bXgU-MDBa56eZaSzExLYKUJsLrZZiRHyySUKjeJWCLFhcKnh1fMvEWcqJMOLIPozXHjj9q02J_0HmHKGM/s1600/2011-11-22_17-37-41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6TUfMGiJ5imTE1fv-aNcAeMbQR8vbS55pwLQy_cg61JXcRaMhBADeepvb6bXgU-MDBa56eZaSzExLYKUJsLrZZiRHyySUKjeJWCLFhcKnh1fMvEWcqJMOLIPozXHjj9q02J_0HmHKGM/s640/2011-11-22_17-37-41.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another shot of the Armoured Recon company. Damn its hard to photo in this scale. Fun when it works out though.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_IjiuRW9hV1lvr_lGnx0Y4lTWLaQLwMXQ24i54dB4aIB6U1Xdrw9X_boNzOXE-K-f082e6gmm4V6RruL6_DnFC8ldrdvZljcqQIc43XOygJDXX6bacESRIRq3Jiko2793aZO5Q5dmXQ/s1600/2011-11-22_17-37-30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_IjiuRW9hV1lvr_lGnx0Y4lTWLaQLwMXQ24i54dB4aIB6U1Xdrw9X_boNzOXE-K-f082e6gmm4V6RruL6_DnFC8ldrdvZljcqQIc43XOygJDXX6bacESRIRq3Jiko2793aZO5Q5dmXQ/s640/2011-11-22_17-37-30.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">A Divisional Heavy AT battery (88mm) Nice little diorama, 2mm scale starts to make a lot more sense when you stick a lot of activity on a base.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggke6qHzJxACLZXMA-IUbcSlsvxXyFvuvysl8ZhFzmnGfp8_w2tbNj1MRRXnY8pwAL89R3mVXNyWS14DmawNNjjR6F3FDijrPLFQxI8TyHpe0T3BqVm17FyaaRFu4nztUu_ewpLEc7JSY/s1600/2011-11-22_17-37-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggke6qHzJxACLZXMA-IUbcSlsvxXyFvuvysl8ZhFzmnGfp8_w2tbNj1MRRXnY8pwAL89R3mVXNyWS14DmawNNjjR6F3FDijrPLFQxI8TyHpe0T3BqVm17FyaaRFu4nztUu_ewpLEc7JSY/s640/2011-11-22_17-37-13.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Divisional artillery Battery. Another mini diorama with a suggestion of activity in it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCD8q0-dFoCeWYoCGhDPj4Wah_opDKUFdTuBk7T3IENAh2fPFY6g2p5ehH5DplXWlx4gQJaEgvGFbYH_ydGsTHsU48VaEKBNep7Ob9pzjSf_AcCfgNuNmanjY3kNWpFeCw566Dw1-BcdQ/s1600/2011-11-22_17-36-54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCD8q0-dFoCeWYoCGhDPj4Wah_opDKUFdTuBk7T3IENAh2fPFY6g2p5ehH5DplXWlx4gQJaEgvGFbYH_ydGsTHsU48VaEKBNep7Ob9pzjSf_AcCfgNuNmanjY3kNWpFeCw566Dw1-BcdQ/s640/2011-11-22_17-36-54.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Divisional HQ stand. Yet to paint the officers here :(<br />
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Note the Horch staff car, and the sandbagged AA position .. in the gaming rules, HQ bases are assumed to have all of the Divisional AA assets on board.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10833908552095803861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4087403373400136271.post-16663348056575311312011-10-30T01:27:00.000-07:002011-11-21T22:13:44.704-08:00Welcome All !<i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Welcome to this exciting new project ...</b></span></i><br />
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Diving into 20th Century Corps-Level gaming in 2mm scale as a side project.<br />
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Developing a compact, fast flowing gaming system aimed primarily at WW2 Eastern Front for use with 2mm Pico Armour. (1/600th scale).<br />
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Painting Armies, building terrain .. and developing a freely available set of rules for gaming this period.<br />
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All ideas shamelessly copied from other similar rules - KISS Rommel, Hurrah Stalino, Pz8, etc.<br />
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Fight Multi-Day battles with several Divisions of troops per side, at a scale of 1 base represents 1 battalion (approx). Uses an innovative command and control system that is simple in concept, but challenging to master.<br />
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2 Levels of command, with PIP based activation.<br />
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Corps level command - sets Divisional orders at the start of day, and has it's own reserve of Corps PIPs/<br />
Divisional level command - DHQ moves during the day, in accordance with orders, but has it's own pool of PIPs to extend those orders if and when required.<br />
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Comprehensive combat resolution engine that uses familiar gaming mechanics - simple to pick up and understand, consistent in their approach, and only requires 1 small Quick Reference Sheet and a D10. <br />
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Uses a simple but effective morale and troop grade system that requires zero paperwork. Better grade troops are not superhuman, they are instead far more resilient over the course of a longer battle. Using the KISS Rommel approach, defeated battalions are deemed to be 'dispersed', and can be collected together and put back into battle by HQ units during each day.<br />
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<i><u>Games are fast flowing, with emphasis on the following :</u></i><br />
- Player involvement : planning orders for the day is critical.<br />
- Combined arms are essential for success.<br />
- Tanks are very powerful, but almost useless if left on their own.<br />
- Artillery is essential, but artillery support is integrated into the combat engine as a supporting arm of the main assault or defending force.<br />
- Divisions are subordinate to Corps command - they are restricted in their actions and reactions depending on Corps level orders. Divisional PIPs allow for some initiative and flexibility in Divisional commands.<br />
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Aimed at providing a playable game for the middle of the 20th Century - massive battles on the Eastern Front of WW2. However the core of the game system is general purpose enough to be adapted to the following, with only supplimental data added to the types of units involved, and the OOBs to cover :<br />
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Russo Japanese War, The Great War of 1914-1918, Interwar years .. period of revolutions and civil wars. WW2. Post war major conflicts, including Korea, Vietnam, etc.<br />
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Cold War hypothetical battles.<br />
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As the core rules are set on the Eastern Front of WW2, consideration is taken of the effects of partizan actions on the Grand Tactical scale. As this is already covered in some detail, the core rules are easily adaptable for Post Cold War assymetric warfare - Middle East, Afghanistan, Africa, Balkans, Imaginary 20th C nations and conflicts, etc.<br />
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<b>And best of all</b> .... the gaming system is freely available under a creative commons license, and will always remain so.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10833908552095803861noreply@blogger.com1