Another go at "Ghosts of the Jungle"

In the interests of diverse game play I introduced my D&D group to Ghosts of the Jungle to see how these lads (RPG'ers, aka none mainstream wargamers) played it (see below, I was also experimenting with new novel markers [sourced from the random wood decoration department in "The Works" shop] - 'big feet' markers to say that a square had been entered, and as a "trail" marker [VC tracker to pick up, but teh method was a bit cumbersome]):

As I explained the rules, appropriate beverages [for the Aussies at least] were imbibed (see below, the exotic range of non-standard glassware down to what was left in the cupboard - aka stuff that teenagers like to drink their fizzy pop from): 

Sarge leads his troops off into the jungle and stops when he sees something suspicious. Is it a villager or VC? (see below, green squares are jungle vegetation hiding spots, red ones rural village houses, the warped cardboard sufficed as make-shift road [appropriate as it is a poor quality dirt track]): 

The gameboard gets a bit more complex as the VC and village encounters pose challenges for the strung out ANZAC patrol. The RPG'ers tried not to "shoot first and ask questions later" as the D&D "send the thief scouting forward" strategy came through in droves (see below, edging forward quietly and then ... the shooting started and all hell burst forth): 

Things looked bad as the SAS LRRP got trapped in a mathematical puzzle (insufficient actions to safelt do it and nobody wanted to get stuck in the middle) in trying to safely cross the road (despite all those scary 1970 BBC educational cartoons helping children to cross the road safely), but eventually they "reset" and went round the longer way (see below, the end result was a pile of VC [or are they really just innocent villagers] as the SAS exited safely off table):      

The RPG boys found the rules at first a bit of a challenge in understanding the [simple] game play, but their RPG problem solving skills ensured collaborative play so they got out alive and made devasting use of the "grenade" rule (when the VC attraction to noise makes them "clump" together). All-in-all a  nice diversion, but back to wizards, orcs and fireballs next time!

Ghosts of the Jungle .. More Nam Figures .. (1/72, 20mm, 1/76)

When you are preparing for a game like "Ghosts of the Jungle" (allegedly a player cooperative play game, which also means you can be left at the mercy of other players "intelligent" decisions), there are always the game "odds and ends" you need to paint up .. just to oil the mechanics and make-up "special events" or have in the "background". They are typically not the sexy, sexy exciting figures that jump onto the painting table, but they have an important game function to do. For example, a VC truck (on loan to North Vietnam from the USSR, via the Plastic Soldier Company WWII Russian transport collection) to terrorise anybody trying to cross a seemingly deserted jungle track in the game, a couple of VC figures who can nicely fit in the back of said truck [of ESCI/Italeri 1/72 VC origins - waiting to be painted for some twenty years], some (as in eight) Platoon 20 Villagers [who under the game the mechanics could turn into VC], eight Platoon 20 SAS LRRP soldiers [OK they are pretty sexy, but were an upgrade from the US LRRP that I was previously using] and finally a downed helicopter pilot, in wounded and walking poses (see below, the primed and Vallejo brown washed ready for the "real" painting to start): 

It is "good for the soul" when you get figures at least to this stage ;) 

Australian SAS in Vietnam - Painting Information: Notes To Self

As part of the gaming material needed for my "Follow the Bush Tucker Trail" at CoW 2023 I decided that I really had to paint some genuine Platoon 20 Australians in (as opposed to using some LRRP US types play their part). Perhaps there would be nothing to notice, but I would "know". 

Web Links: Inspiration was gained and sought from:

• https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=138996.0
• https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=b11e6959ca02c6d727b2c8eba5dbd65e&topic=46452.0
• https://www.scalemodellingnow.com/tbpainting-how-to-paint-135-bravo6-australian-sas-vietnam-war
• https://armedfigures.com/t/vietnam-war-australian-sas/2430
• https://www.onesixthwarriors.com/threads/phantom-of-the-jungle-australian-sas-in-vietnam.86309/
• https://www.pinterest.com.au/tonypenhale/sasr-australia-in-vietnam/

Painting Description - basically a Hodge-podge of Vallejo Model Colour greens with a Sand and Brown thrown in (read, listen and look at the above links) with copious amounts of black, brown and green washes and inks chucked in for good measure and satisfaction (see below, the jungle is dirty, sweaty and dangerous):

I hope this does the Diggers credit! Additional link and reference suggestions welcomed. 

WWII Western Desert SAS Book - Speed, Aggression Surprise

Even though I now seem to be a hardened Audible book listener these days, I do still gain pleasure from reading books in the traditional way (see below, ["Speed, Aggression, Surprise"] SAS related - LRDP North African Campaign, but more interestingly informing on miscellanea such as the1941 Levant campaign against the Vichy French and what can be best described as an early form of "strategic Psy-Ops" in the Mediterranean theatre of operations):  

Entertaining, illuminating and therefore "hand on heart", the book can be highly recommended as a good read. The genius behind much of the subterfuge being a little known British officer called Dudley Clarke, with the creation of phantom armies and Axis misdirection being his speciality. If I tried to list all the schemes devised, I would be doing them and him an injustice - instead I can recommend the book. It is sobering to read about the formation of the SAS in the context of this maelstrom of intrigue. Certain unconventional officers having a desire to put their hard earned Commando special training, learnt from the Scottish Highlands to good use, matched equally with the need to avoid standard "military bull". To think of the SAS as one of the many quirky "special forces" units and ideas floating around at the time. The LRDP by contrast being fathered in a more specialised pre-war incubation of foresight, fostered by Wavell, Hobart and Ralph Bagnold. Indeed the success of 1941 Commando Operations was highly debatable with a strong anti-special operations meme from the established military in general. Auchinleck gave the SAS an "in", being named as a parachute unit by accident brought in Clarke's distanced "approval" or "help" (despite a disastrous first parachute operation that nearly killed all the SAS participants) and really saved by the LRDP professionalism. Post North Africa, the SAS seemed to be a solution looking for a problem - "helping" French partisans in guerrilla warfare, almost fitting the bill?  

DAK Attack - Rules from "Offensive Miniatures"

Shiny Alert! I am on a Western Desert LRDP and SAS theme at the moment (see below, I saw this mentioned between wargaming friends online, looks appealing): 

https://www.offensiveminiatures.com/product-page/dak-attack-lrdg-rule-set

But I know "nothing" of it (other than it looks appealing).

Rogue Heroes Inspired Journey Continues .. Next Stop a Book!

Following on from my interest in the BBC TV series I was naturally "hooked" by the array of SAS themed books in the supermarket "in the fashionable to be reading" section, aka an area of distraction for bored dads and teenagers. I was spoilt for choice with three SAS North African Dessert themed tomes on display (see below, I chose 'Sped Aggression Surprise' a bargain with a pre-Xmas tenner spent in a flash in Tesco): 

I chose not the overtly BBC (as in, based on the recent series) one, reasoning on grounds on diversity of background research and flick-through appeal (it was not so heavy on pictures and had maps but the also content looked more interesting). Not disappointed to date, as a hundred or so pages in and it has elaborated on the pre-North African history of the SAS and the funny "other things" (Vichy French, Abyssinia, Iraq, Levant) going on around the rest of the Mediterranean at that time. The crazy intelligence chief who fabricated a SAS back-story, based on feeding the Axis disinformation features prominently (this being a certain staff officer Dudley Wrangel Clarke).

WIP: Still reading, the SAS "proper" has not appeared yet, but there is a lot of pre-SAS Commando units being talked about!

(1/72-1/76-20mm) Homage to the LRDP and SAS

These were my originals, salvaged from the loft, in a "North Africa Box" - I think they had been lying there for over a decade. The classic Revell-Matchbox LRDP Chevrolet and Jeep, plus a a bunch of Dixon 20mm metal SAS miniatures. They had been mostly base coated so I completed "the gaps" in the coverage (see below, their "potential" is evident): 

The same kit slightly different angle, there must have been a trigger happy cameraman on duty (see below, note the original paints were Tamiya, I toyed with using the  (partial) Tamiya collection I still have, but decided to move onto the Vallejo Game Colour range - partly because it is easier to squeeze out the paint after shaking):  

I decided to add a basic brown/sepia wash (from the dregs of a large Vallejo dipping pot - which I liberally dipped more water into, as not to spoil everything with a tarry residue instead of a light wash) spread over the base paint and then repainted the base colour back over (sparingly) after which I would then follow up with "spot highlighting" later (see below, my frequent chats with the "good" painters from various GW shops seemed to be paying a dividend, transferring 'fantasy techniques' back to historical WW2 and why ever not; a little close up of the detail):  

 

Panning out with the picture to see a wider scope and the "weather worn look" is what I was hoping to achieve (see below, a nice little "nuisance and mischief making" LRDP/SAS combination to harass the Italian and German DAK rear areas): 

Note: The exact painting sequence of these shots might be out of order. 

I plan to use the vehicles and figures as follows: a two man team in the Jeep and a three man team in Chevrolet, hence five SAS dismounts (see below, now I do know I have two more kits somewhere in the loft to pull out and make, so that will represent my SAS Squadron as thankfully I have sufficient Dixon metals to cover them too): 

I do like the animation of the original Matchbox figures (see below, slightly smaller 1/76 as opposed to 20mm metal [Dixon size] but their relaxed posture I think is just right, and of course a man with a classic pointing arm!): 

So there it is, thank you BBC "SAS Rogue Heroes", you certainly bought some life into some old toys I had stashed away :) 

BBC Series - SAS Rogue Heroes (North Africa)

With some trepidation I started to watch Episode One of the new BBC - SAS Rogue Heroes series. It had come with dare I say it, surprised recommendations from fellow some wargamers whom I deeply respect for their taste and acumen, so I took a deep breath and watched (or rather binged it on iPlayer). The jury was out in parts, the legend and the lore of the SAS are so easily overdone but as the story progressed I was totally hooked (for better or worse) but would it hold up in the cold light of day? It certainly had all the trappings of a professional marketing sell, the line-up of actors had clout, a "sexy rock and roll-heavy metal" sound track to boot and a very pacey delivery! (see below, would this montage of history, fiction, rock music and brat-pack acting [in a good sense] actually work?):     

And the verdict was .. well .. after some (short) deliberation .. I thought it was bloody brilliant! Somehow it all came together and seemed to get the gist of all the madness and stupidity associated with that era of the war - spot on. The wife even watched the series all the way through with me (partly due to the link with Sex Education actor and the lad who played the strapping Irishman [despite the beard]), it was simply such gripping television. Well done BBC how you pulled this off I do not know, in my heart I was expecting a "bitter lemon". There should not be a way that 1970's and 1980's rock music [Motorhead] could work for WWII - but it did. How? I still don't know, but do not care! Previously I was an instrumental "Where Eagles Dare" soundtrack person for top war stories but heck, (Rock Music) it worked, along with racing jeeps across the desert. You would, wouldn't you? The depiction of the LRDP was superb, they could have been over easily done, but no, a taxi service with guns who could navigate the desert like nobody else could. As for the storyline: I was laughing at moments, crying at moments and literally in awe - terrified at what was going to happen next - moments when I though "don't be daft - they wouldn't would they?" It has left me rushing for Michael Asher's history of The Regiment for the back story (it has been on the bookshelf long enough waiting to be read) .. and I bet I will get an Xmas book (and there are a few of them already out there) from the supermarket book isle! Sure I will find "discontinuity errors" as bits will have been simply "ripping yarns" but I love the disclaimer .. "the most incredible and unbelievable bits are the bits that are probably true"! Spoiler alert .. the last episode ended with Stirling down (captured), but will there be a Series Two following Paddy Mayne (and perhaps shots of Stirling musing in Colditz)? Meanwhile I unpacked "Undaunted: North Africa" and took a look at my 20mm Western Desert collection (with the classic LRDP set and some Dixon SAS metals, Strelets SAS-North African figures and Italians/DAK). There is a game or two in there to be had there ;) 

Killing Rommel, a book by Steven Pressfield

Just finished reading this book, while it is fiction it held my attention (see below):



May well have to make and paint up my Revell (ex-Matchbox) 1/76 LRDG trucks, jeeps and Dixon Miniatures 20mm metal SAS figures.

Naturally the Airfix DAK character throwing a grenade (potato masher) will have to get a look in too

;)