I thought I would give an update on the progress (or otherwise) of the various projects for this year:
28mm Winter War
The Soviets are now complete and I finished the second Bolt Action Miniatures building for Lenin's last visit but I still have the Snapdragon revetments to paint up, mainly due to running out of suitable undercoat - something I hope to remedy this week.
28mm Spanish Civil War
I have the Assaltos, Carlists, Moroccan Regulares, the Falange and a few Republicans on the workbench at the moment and hope to make some progress on finishing their basing today. I also have the armoured truck to finish painting, although I'm not entirely happy with progress to date. The Grand Manner church is still on the wish list!
28mm WW1
With virtually all the figures now complete and based - I only have to finish off a couple of HMGs and the German field artillery piece (which is proving more difficult to assemble than its British counterpart) - its clear that putting on a game does provide the impetus to getting this stuff done.
The new Lardies supplement, Stout Hearts & Iron Troopers, has prompted me to review the figures I have and, as usual when you get a new supplement, I've found I need a few more figures. This is mainly for my late war ranges, which is a shame as they are all Brigade figures and the exchange rates is somewhat less favourable than it was. But I can sense an order coming on...
28mm Irish War of Independence
I still have the Sloppy Jalopy armoured car to assemble as it is needs a lot more work than the other vehicles I have made up recently. The resin is a pretty coarse moulding and lacks anything in the way of holes or marks for the white metal parts to be fixed to. Plus the white metal wheels simply don't fit onto the axles and so they will require drilling out. I'm hoping it will be worth the effort.
I do now have my Musketeer BEF, which just need basing, which can be used for regulars as well as for the 1938 project. I won't be able to mix them with the Renegade early war figures though as they are markedly different in size. The Lancia armoured truck is going together pretty well and I hope to have that finished soon - although the steering wheel doesn't have any mounting point and a couple of the smaller parts are a bit fiddly.
28mm Tudor Irish
No real progress here again. I have had some ideas about the rules - some prompted by the Lardies new sets, Sharp Practice in particular. But, being honest, I can see this not really progressing until later in the year.
28mm Early WW2
The Foundry and Crusader British and German figures are back now and I have started the basing process, although they are now in the queue behind the SCW stuff. I am hoping to get the French figures back shortly too and I can see a game in the offing. Although I'm not sure whether it will be France or Sealion - the latter being the most probable since I am reading a book on the subject!
28mm 1938 A Very British Civil War
I am hoping to get the Musketeer BUF and Police back shortly and am slowly amassing a militia force as they make new releases. I think I will probably put a game on with these figures for Lenin's next visit using a combination of the Crusader WW2 (as regulars), BEF (as Territorials) and some IRA plus SCW figures as the opposition. With the possibility I may throw a few suitable Pulp figures in too. Rules and the current question as to whether to go with Chain Reaction 3.0 or to go for a larger game and use Through the Mud & the Blood given the content of the Triumphant Standards supplement.
28mm Wild West
Having put on a game for Lenin's last visit I think I've really got this where I wanted for this year. Six Gun Sound worked well as the rule set - even though I did get a pasting in both the games we played! My next task is to review the Dixons figures I have and see which ones will fit with the new Brigade ones and whether any rebasing is necessary.
28mm Polar Bear Expedition
This really hasn't advanced since I got the HLBS figures - although I see Tiger have bought the range now so they won't be going away. I'm thinking this will become a wider RCW project using the Musketeer WW1 Russian figures for whites and probably getting some Copplestone figures to add to Lenin's for the Reds. I'm waiting for Musketeer to release the Russians in greatcoats before pushing this one forward too much. TTM&TB is likely to be the preferred ruleset which will dictate the figure numbers needed
28mm Greek Myth
Still no real progress here as Lenin is snowed under with other stuff and so they'll be a little while yet.
28mm Napoleonics
I am currently packing up the Front Rank figures for dispatch to the painter having cleaned them up a little. After having had another go with Sharp Practice recently I'm keen to get these ones to the table.
Other Ideas
I am having my usual problem of spotting new projects before I have finished the current ones. I have been good and haven't yet bought any new figures but the time will come. The new ideas include:
WW1 Italian Front: Using the new Brigade Games figures (Paul Hicks again!) which look superb. I understand that North Star may be stocking these later in the year so I am using that as an excuse not to progress this at the moment. My only investment here so far has been in a book.
WW2 Eastern Front: This has been an idea since I picked up my winter Germans and so far I have a couple of figures and a T34 but have been holding off until I decided which range of Soviets to go with as each of BAM and Artizan have their advantages; however, only Black Tree seems to do figures with specific winter coveralls - other than scouts. I would like to plan this out so it will provide me an other opportunity to use my Brigade Gebirgsjaegers too.
Freikorps: Having some late WW1 Germans gives me some of the figures for this but I would need more appropriate civilians and also have to make up some suitable urban terrain too. I have spotted some potential figures from Copplestone and Artizan but the urban terrain is likely to hold this one back for a little while anyway.
WW2 Normandy: I have a couple of books on the US troops which have provided plenty of inspiration and I do have some suitable vehicles already but this could be an expensive project as I will need some more appropriate opposition as the Germans I do have a really focussed on early war.
WW2 Poland: I would love to get some Poles as I already have the appropriate SkimishCampaigns book, albeit that no one really does the suitable figures for the Black Brigade. The BAM Poles are nice but without some anti-tank support they're not quite complete enough for me to start this yet (well that's the excuse I using at the moment!)
WW2 Norway: I may try to do this with my existing figures but it would be nice to get some more suitable ones to mix in and I'm not entirely happy about using Finns as Norwegians but since no-one seems to do the figures in 28mm...
Showing posts with label rcw. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rcw. Show all posts
Sunday, 17 May 2009
Saturday, 11 April 2009
Sloppy Jalopy Austin Armoured Car (the parts)
Here's the next vehicle on the assembly line, the Austin armoured car from Sloppy Jalopy:
As you can see the main body is in resin with the balance being white metal parts. The resin casting isn't as detailed as white metal or the resin vehicles I have from Force of Arms for example. In addition, there are no preformed holes for the various parts like the mudguards, something the Force of Arms vehicles did have. Whilst an assembly guide was provided it isn't entirely obvious where some of the parts should be fixed (or how given the lack of holes) and the side guard and step have only a small flat area for gluing which may not make for a strong bond.
I report back once I have assembled it.
As you can see the main body is in resin with the balance being white metal parts. The resin casting isn't as detailed as white metal or the resin vehicles I have from Force of Arms for example. In addition, there are no preformed holes for the various parts like the mudguards, something the Force of Arms vehicles did have. Whilst an assembly guide was provided it isn't entirely obvious where some of the parts should be fixed (or how given the lack of holes) and the side guard and step have only a small flat area for gluing which may not make for a strong bond.
I report back once I have assembled it.
Saturday, 7 March 2009
Project Update
As 2009 rushes by I thought it might be an idea to collect my thoughts as to the "current" projects. These have changed a little from the plan I outlined in December but that's par for the course. Here's what's been happening with my 2008 projects:
28mm Winter War
The Soviets are now based with only a mortar to be completed. I am about to start on the second Bolt Action Miniatures building and, of course, there are the Snapdragon revetments to paint up.
28mm Spanish Civil War
Having based up quite a few for one of the gaming weekends the remainder, including the Assaltos, Carlists, Moroccan Regulares and the Falange are in progress. The Grand Manner buildings have worked out nicely and I'm still toying with the idea of getting their church (on the back of a project later down the list!)
28mm WW1
The early war Brits are nearly all based, apart from the HMGs. I still have some additional figures for the early and later war Germans to finish basing and the late war French to get around to. I'm hoping that the upcoming TooFatLardies rules will spur me into action on these. In any event I am planning to stage a game for late April which should force me to make some progress!
28mm Irish War of Independence
I'm afraid that this hasn't moved forward much since the last game; however, that did prompt me to get the Crossley tenders painted. In reality I only have the Sloppy Jalopy armoured car to assemble and I suspect that my 1938 project may benefit from having that available. Again the BEF figures I have bought, mainly for 1938, will also be useable for the British Army and so will widen the possible scenarios. I am hoping that someone will produce the Lancia armoured carriers:
Musketeer did suggest that they might but were having casting issues IIRC.
28mm Tudor Irish
OK, I have to own up on this one - there has been no real progress at all here. I suspect this is partly because I have been caught up in other things and party because I still have to settle on which rules to use (or to write my own). I often find that without that element being sorted it is difficult to see when a project will make it to the table and so they often get parked.
Moving on to 2009:
28mm Early WW2
The Foundry and Crusader British, German and French figures are being painted at the moment and I've picked up a couple of pieces of armour for the Germans but I am waiting for the launch of the new BEF Miniatures (allegedly at Salute) to see what I can get for the Brits and the French.
28mm 1938 A Very British Civil War
Originally a minor spin off from the previous project this one has really taken on a life of its own and I have been spending quite a bit of time looking around for figures, vehicles and terrain to bring this period to life. The big advantage is the obvious overlap with my Operation Sealion plans and so most of the generic stuff I pick up will work for either.
Musketeer have been the main source for the specific 1938 figures and their BUF and BEF (to be used as Regulars or Territorials as appropriate) are off for painting. I will also be using figures from the early WW2 and IWI projects along with a few appropriate SCW ones. I am also hoping to get some of the upcoming Musketeer militia at Salute (which may also find their way into WW2 as LDV).
Given that terrain has been more difficult to find I have been trying to look for pieces to make the table more obviously English. Picked up some telephone boxes (you can't get more quinticentially English than that - can you?) from Black Cat Bases:
As you can see they've got the basic look but I can't understand why they didn't make them square. The casting is a little on the basic side too. These will need a bit of work but it will be interesting to see if they look better once they're tidied up and painted.
I'm pleased with the Grand Manner manor house which will work nicely and I have my eye on a couple of other pieces which might work but I'd like to have a look at them in the flesh (or is that the resin) at Salute before buying as they are a major "investment".
28mm Wild West
This is pretty much ready to go. Ideally I could do with a couple more buildings to bulk out the town but the figures are painted and based and I plan to use the Two Hour Wargames Six Gun Sound rules. I just need to come up with some scenarios.
28mm Polar Bear Expedition
I managed to pick up the HLBS figures but I now need to work out what to use for opposition. Lenin does have some Copplestone figures in greatcoats so they may well do in the interim but it would be nice to get some which are based with snow (his are for Back of Beyond)!
28mm Greek Myth
No real progress here as yet. Lenin will be painting these figures for me and he's been snowed under with other stuff so I suspect they'll be a little while yet. I have picked up some buts and pieces of minor set dressing but that's pretty much all.
28mm Napoleonics
This wasn't on the agenda in December but I have been thinking of expanding my existing small collection of Peninsular figures for a while and the TooFatLardies' Sharp Practice rules have provided the springboard. I plan to get quite a few more Front Rank figures at Salute to enable a much larger game to be put on. The other reason this has resurfaced is that it gives me an opportunity to use those Grand Manner buildings I mentioned earlier.
15mm early WW2
I have some figures ready for this but it has been on a back burner for a little while. I am thinking of starting a small Operation Sealion campaign with the larger games at 15mm (possibly using a tweaked version of Spearhead) tied in with the 28mm skirmish games. Only time will tell whether this comes off!
15mm Seven Years War
I've had a decent collection of figures to do French & Indian Wars for a number of years now. When I put them together I conciously got the British figures in the traditional tricornes rather than the F&IW campaign dress so that I could use them for the European theatre at some future time. I am thinking of kicking this off again but we'll need to see if it has the "legs" to actually get to the table. I will be putting on a F&IW game in early April which may spur me on though.
28mm Winter War
The Soviets are now based with only a mortar to be completed. I am about to start on the second Bolt Action Miniatures building and, of course, there are the Snapdragon revetments to paint up.
28mm Spanish Civil War
Having based up quite a few for one of the gaming weekends the remainder, including the Assaltos, Carlists, Moroccan Regulares and the Falange are in progress. The Grand Manner buildings have worked out nicely and I'm still toying with the idea of getting their church (on the back of a project later down the list!)
28mm WW1
The early war Brits are nearly all based, apart from the HMGs. I still have some additional figures for the early and later war Germans to finish basing and the late war French to get around to. I'm hoping that the upcoming TooFatLardies rules will spur me into action on these. In any event I am planning to stage a game for late April which should force me to make some progress!
28mm Irish War of Independence
I'm afraid that this hasn't moved forward much since the last game; however, that did prompt me to get the Crossley tenders painted. In reality I only have the Sloppy Jalopy armoured car to assemble and I suspect that my 1938 project may benefit from having that available. Again the BEF figures I have bought, mainly for 1938, will also be useable for the British Army and so will widen the possible scenarios. I am hoping that someone will produce the Lancia armoured carriers:
Musketeer did suggest that they might but were having casting issues IIRC.
28mm Tudor Irish
OK, I have to own up on this one - there has been no real progress at all here. I suspect this is partly because I have been caught up in other things and party because I still have to settle on which rules to use (or to write my own). I often find that without that element being sorted it is difficult to see when a project will make it to the table and so they often get parked.
Moving on to 2009:
28mm Early WW2
The Foundry and Crusader British, German and French figures are being painted at the moment and I've picked up a couple of pieces of armour for the Germans but I am waiting for the launch of the new BEF Miniatures (allegedly at Salute) to see what I can get for the Brits and the French.
28mm 1938 A Very British Civil War
Originally a minor spin off from the previous project this one has really taken on a life of its own and I have been spending quite a bit of time looking around for figures, vehicles and terrain to bring this period to life. The big advantage is the obvious overlap with my Operation Sealion plans and so most of the generic stuff I pick up will work for either.
Musketeer have been the main source for the specific 1938 figures and their BUF and BEF (to be used as Regulars or Territorials as appropriate) are off for painting. I will also be using figures from the early WW2 and IWI projects along with a few appropriate SCW ones. I am also hoping to get some of the upcoming Musketeer militia at Salute (which may also find their way into WW2 as LDV).
Given that terrain has been more difficult to find I have been trying to look for pieces to make the table more obviously English. Picked up some telephone boxes (you can't get more quinticentially English than that - can you?) from Black Cat Bases:
As you can see they've got the basic look but I can't understand why they didn't make them square. The casting is a little on the basic side too. These will need a bit of work but it will be interesting to see if they look better once they're tidied up and painted.
I'm pleased with the Grand Manner manor house which will work nicely and I have my eye on a couple of other pieces which might work but I'd like to have a look at them in the flesh (or is that the resin) at Salute before buying as they are a major "investment".
28mm Wild West
This is pretty much ready to go. Ideally I could do with a couple more buildings to bulk out the town but the figures are painted and based and I plan to use the Two Hour Wargames Six Gun Sound rules. I just need to come up with some scenarios.
28mm Polar Bear Expedition
I managed to pick up the HLBS figures but I now need to work out what to use for opposition. Lenin does have some Copplestone figures in greatcoats so they may well do in the interim but it would be nice to get some which are based with snow (his are for Back of Beyond)!
28mm Greek Myth
No real progress here as yet. Lenin will be painting these figures for me and he's been snowed under with other stuff so I suspect they'll be a little while yet. I have picked up some buts and pieces of minor set dressing but that's pretty much all.
28mm Napoleonics
This wasn't on the agenda in December but I have been thinking of expanding my existing small collection of Peninsular figures for a while and the TooFatLardies' Sharp Practice rules have provided the springboard. I plan to get quite a few more Front Rank figures at Salute to enable a much larger game to be put on. The other reason this has resurfaced is that it gives me an opportunity to use those Grand Manner buildings I mentioned earlier.
15mm early WW2
I have some figures ready for this but it has been on a back burner for a little while. I am thinking of starting a small Operation Sealion campaign with the larger games at 15mm (possibly using a tweaked version of Spearhead) tied in with the 28mm skirmish games. Only time will tell whether this comes off!
15mm Seven Years War
I've had a decent collection of figures to do French & Indian Wars for a number of years now. When I put them together I conciously got the British figures in the traditional tricornes rather than the F&IW campaign dress so that I could use them for the European theatre at some future time. I am thinking of kicking this off again but we'll need to see if it has the "legs" to actually get to the table. I will be putting on a F&IW game in early April which may spur me on though.
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
HLBS - Rapid Service
I was somewhat surprised to have a package arrive on my doorstep this morning with the figures enclosed. Well done HLBS, noice figures, nicely packaged and amazingly fast service!
Monday, 22 December 2008
Projects for the New Year
As Christmas approaches I start pondering new projects for the coming New Year. Notwithstanding that I have quite a bit of work to complete my 2008 projects (basing and painting mostly) I like to give some thought to more unpainted lead (which will ensure my survival if the wargaming myths are true!).
I'm hoping to finish off my outstanding 2008 projects between Christmas and New Year to clear the decks for something new. Of course it may be a little while before these have all seen a decent amount of table time but that's certainly true of most of my collection. Currently on the workbench are:
28mm Winter War
The Finns are now completed and have seen the table. I have finished one of the two BAM houses I bought and so the other needs painting. I just have the Russians to base and a FoA Gaz truck to paint. Of course I'll need a few more vehicles if I want to represent a decent Motti.
28mm SCW
All the figures are now painted and just need basing (I've still to settle on a basing style I'm happy with - and I need to consider one of my proposed 2009 projects there). I have sufficient Grand Manner buildings for a decent sized village (although I really would like their church) and I have a couple of armoured cars to paint to go with a softskins I picked up from eBay.
28mm WW1
The early war French and Germans have already seen the table and I only have to base up a few more figures to finish enough to cover all the scenarios in my SkirmishCampaigns booklet. Most of the late war are done withe the exception of the French (which only need basing) but I have a few additional figures and support weapons to base and the artillery to assemble and paint.
28mm Irish War of Independence
All the original Musketeer figures I bought are now painted and based. I have almost finished the first Crossley tender conversion (from a die cast) and now I think I have the hang of it I'll give the second a go. The I just have the Sloppy Jalopy armoured car to assemble and paint (although, having looked at it, I think the FoA vehicles were an awful lot easier to put together)
28mm Tudor Irish
These have been languishing in a box for a little while now. The figures are all painted with only pikes to be added and basing to be finished but I am still awaiting the inspiration for the rules!
Which, now I think about it, may be a tall order to get done by the end of the month but I'll give it a go. So on to 2009, here's what I've been thinking about:
28mm Early WW2(ish)
I've always had an interest in the early part of the Second World War and have been toying with this as a 28mm project to complement the 15mm range I've already been working on. I think I'll probably start with some Crusader Germans to go with the Foundry figures I already have. Along with these I'll probably get some of their British too. This will give me some flexibility as I would like to explore some alternative history options with them as well as the more mainstream games. Operation Sealion and the possible (as opposed to probably) aftermath are of particular interest. But I have also been attracted to the various discussions of a Civil War in Britain before the war which would allow me to reuse some of my IWI and SCW troops too.
28mm Wild West
Having come a little late to the attractions of Deadwood I have rekindled by interest in the Wild West. I originally got into the period through the Dixon range but have always hankered after some character figures. I have now settled on the Brigade Games range and have picked a few of their's up (no prizes for guessing why I picked them). I suspect I'll use Six Gun Sound from Two Hour Wargames as the rules (the original set rather than Blaze of Glory).
28mm Polar Bear Expedition
I've been thinking about this one for a while and the demise of the HLBS 28mm line is likely to prompt me to get the figures. It will be another period for my snow terrain mat anyway. I'm hoping that Santa might be kind a give me some reference reading for this one which will spur me on.
28mm Greek Myth
Lenin already has the Foundry and Eureka figures I plan to use for this and we have tried the Typhon rules once before and they showed some promise. I am currently reading David Gemmell's last book (the thrid in the series on Troy) which is putting me in the mood for some ancients!
Of course there are a number of ongoing projects which really need moving toward completion (or at least table time) including 15mm colonial, 28mm gothic horror, 28mm Pulp and 25mm SF to name but a few...
I'm hoping to finish off my outstanding 2008 projects between Christmas and New Year to clear the decks for something new. Of course it may be a little while before these have all seen a decent amount of table time but that's certainly true of most of my collection. Currently on the workbench are:
28mm Winter War
The Finns are now completed and have seen the table. I have finished one of the two BAM houses I bought and so the other needs painting. I just have the Russians to base and a FoA Gaz truck to paint. Of course I'll need a few more vehicles if I want to represent a decent Motti.
28mm SCW
All the figures are now painted and just need basing (I've still to settle on a basing style I'm happy with - and I need to consider one of my proposed 2009 projects there). I have sufficient Grand Manner buildings for a decent sized village (although I really would like their church) and I have a couple of armoured cars to paint to go with a softskins I picked up from eBay.
28mm WW1
The early war French and Germans have already seen the table and I only have to base up a few more figures to finish enough to cover all the scenarios in my SkirmishCampaigns booklet. Most of the late war are done withe the exception of the French (which only need basing) but I have a few additional figures and support weapons to base and the artillery to assemble and paint.
28mm Irish War of Independence
All the original Musketeer figures I bought are now painted and based. I have almost finished the first Crossley tender conversion (from a die cast) and now I think I have the hang of it I'll give the second a go. The I just have the Sloppy Jalopy armoured car to assemble and paint (although, having looked at it, I think the FoA vehicles were an awful lot easier to put together)
28mm Tudor Irish
These have been languishing in a box for a little while now. The figures are all painted with only pikes to be added and basing to be finished but I am still awaiting the inspiration for the rules!
Which, now I think about it, may be a tall order to get done by the end of the month but I'll give it a go. So on to 2009, here's what I've been thinking about:
28mm Early WW2(ish)
I've always had an interest in the early part of the Second World War and have been toying with this as a 28mm project to complement the 15mm range I've already been working on. I think I'll probably start with some Crusader Germans to go with the Foundry figures I already have. Along with these I'll probably get some of their British too. This will give me some flexibility as I would like to explore some alternative history options with them as well as the more mainstream games. Operation Sealion and the possible (as opposed to probably) aftermath are of particular interest. But I have also been attracted to the various discussions of a Civil War in Britain before the war which would allow me to reuse some of my IWI and SCW troops too.
28mm Wild West
Having come a little late to the attractions of Deadwood I have rekindled by interest in the Wild West. I originally got into the period through the Dixon range but have always hankered after some character figures. I have now settled on the Brigade Games range and have picked a few of their's up (no prizes for guessing why I picked them). I suspect I'll use Six Gun Sound from Two Hour Wargames as the rules (the original set rather than Blaze of Glory).
28mm Polar Bear Expedition
I've been thinking about this one for a while and the demise of the HLBS 28mm line is likely to prompt me to get the figures. It will be another period for my snow terrain mat anyway. I'm hoping that Santa might be kind a give me some reference reading for this one which will spur me on.
28mm Greek Myth
Lenin already has the Foundry and Eureka figures I plan to use for this and we have tried the Typhon rules once before and they showed some promise. I am currently reading David Gemmell's last book (the thrid in the series on Troy) which is putting me in the mood for some ancients!
Of course there are a number of ongoing projects which really need moving toward completion (or at least table time) including 15mm colonial, 28mm gothic horror, 28mm Pulp and 25mm SF to name but a few...
Friday, 13 April 2007
TotW: Spanish Civil War
In the end a victory for the Republicans but a good time had by all - but your time will come Eric!
Saturday, 31 March 2007
TotW: Flight From Smershk
Oh my Lord! Will evil Count Nikolai Vorskinski get the girl, or will she be saved in the nick of time by filthy oik Dimitri Urinovski. A bodice ripper for Triumph of the Will from the age of pulp.
We had a slight hiccup initially, largely due to my failure to proof read the email I sent to the chap providing the figures and hence the Reds were a little down on numbers but after a little reorganisation the game was rebalanced.
The Whites decided to dig in as close to the Red edge as possible to form a defensive line whilst the engineers fixed the damaged rails to enable the Count's armoured train to reach the ship. The Reds threw themselves at the line but took a substantial number of casualties; however, some of the cavalry managed a breakthrough on the left flank despite the intervention of the White's armour. Unfortunately the Reds didn't have enough fresh troops to exploit the move and whilst it held up that flank it didn't swing the game.
Meanwhile on the right flank the White defence crumbled before the Red onslaught with casualties minimised due to the cover reducing visibility for the MGs. More Red Cavalry broke through just in time to see the train steaming off towards Smershk. Comrade Urinovski led the advance crushing the Engineers which the Count had left behind but by now the breakthrough on the left flank had been crushed enabling the Whites to redeploy. The Reds didn't have enough troops to defeat the remaining Whites and were forced to withdraw. In his haste the Count nearly ruined it all by crashing the locomotive into the buffers and nearly into the sea! But he managed to unload his treasure and steam away with the girl thanks to his troops remaining loyal despite the fact he was abandoning them to their fate.
Saturday, 3 February 2007
Guards to Poltava
I have been running the Guards to Poltava Russian Civil War campaign for Triumph of the Will from the TooFatLardies featured in their 2006 Summer Special. The first two games went to the Whites but they took a bit of a beating to win the second game and it meant that they needed both a decent plan and good luck in order to win the third. Unfortunately they didn't fare too well with either and so the third game became the White high tide mark.
We all still like the Triumph of the Will rules, albeit they have a few rough edges which could do with smoothing, and they give a somewhat brutal but fast game. Given that we usually only have time for 2-2.5 hours gameplay we need rules that will work with multiple players on each side and allow us to reach a conclusion in the time available. TotW does both admirably.
We had a discussion after the game about the pros and cons of ladder campaigns and the difficulty of maintaining some sort of balance so they provide a challenge but don't end too rapidly. For a game to be fun it can't be dependent on one side making no mistakes whatsoever.
Whilst this campaign allowed the Whites to refight the scenario with the reinforcements they would have met up with at Poltava the conclusion was that they would still have had a tough time of it. It did provide an excellent example of the interesting aspects of the TotW rules with units being sized by their morale and determination rather than physical numbers. Also the need for control tests when a unit reaches five or less figures gave the Red Militia (starting with 6 figure units) plenty of worries. It did also show the need for proper consideration of counter battery fire too.
It looks like one of the chaps may try the rules for the Russo Finnish war next.
We all still like the Triumph of the Will rules, albeit they have a few rough edges which could do with smoothing, and they give a somewhat brutal but fast game. Given that we usually only have time for 2-2.5 hours gameplay we need rules that will work with multiple players on each side and allow us to reach a conclusion in the time available. TotW does both admirably.
We had a discussion after the game about the pros and cons of ladder campaigns and the difficulty of maintaining some sort of balance so they provide a challenge but don't end too rapidly. For a game to be fun it can't be dependent on one side making no mistakes whatsoever.
Whilst this campaign allowed the Whites to refight the scenario with the reinforcements they would have met up with at Poltava the conclusion was that they would still have had a tough time of it. It did provide an excellent example of the interesting aspects of the TotW rules with units being sized by their morale and determination rather than physical numbers. Also the need for control tests when a unit reaches five or less figures gave the Red Militia (starting with 6 figure units) plenty of worries. It did also show the need for proper consideration of counter battery fire too.
It looks like one of the chaps may try the rules for the Russo Finnish war next.
Wednesday, 6 December 2006
Review: Triumph of the Will
Presentation
TotW is available in both hard copy and Adobe .pdf download forms. The rules are clearly layed out in sections with a table of contents and some examples. There are no graphics and, other than the front cover, the rules are in black and white. This obviously has benefits if your are buying the .pdf option and printing it yourself. A few more examples would certainly be beneficial but overall the presentation is good.
Turn Sequence
The turn structure is as follows:
- Spotting
- Cavalry/infantry/MG fire
- All movement
- Artillery & AFV fire/Air attacks
- Close combat
- Command Actions
Two options are provided for turn sequence a traditional I go you go system (albeit with a reserved fire mechanism) or a card driven system (but with all cards being drawn each turn).
Spotting
A system of blinds is utilised to enable hidden unit movement. Spotting is effected by selecting the relevant blind and rolling on a table with modifications for range, terrain types and weather.
Firing
All firing in TotW is based on a rifle unit equivalency system with a unit of five infantry figures being the basic standard. A d6 is rolled for each unit of 5 figures or equivalent with modifiers for troop quality, situation, cover etc. and if the result is less than the firing group’s strength then a hit is achieved. Fire may be reserved to be used in the opponent’s turn.
Firing at extreme range does not cause casualties but rather reduces the unit’s movement in the following turn.
Movement
The deployment of the (rectangular) blinds indicates the unit formation (e.g. column, line) and this determines the distance the blind may move. Once spotted, infantry units move their unit strength in inches with vehicles moving on dAv rolls.
AFV Combat
Given the limited development of the AFV during this period the AFV combat rules are simple with weapons categorised into MG/light/medium/heavy and armour into heavy or light. AFVs have strength ratings which are lost as they suffer hits and this is also factored into their firing capability.
Close Combat
Close combat is a pretty brutal affair with units rolling a d6 per figure with the number of dice being modified for unit type, status and the like. This is then resolved on a “six and you’re dead” basis with the casualty levels inflicted being compared and the overall combat result being derived from a table.
The use of a six in this instance is a little inconsistent as elsewhere in the game a low roll is good – we have a house rule where we use a 1 rather than a 6 to avoid this.
Command Actions
Units are given one of 5 orders – Attack/Engage/Hold/Retire/Consolidate. The quality of the CinC determines the number of order changes which they can instruct in any turn (although units can attempt to change their own orders by rolling against their initiative rating which will depend on the period and unit type); however, the type of commander affects which orders he may issue. For example an aggressive commander will find it more difficult to issue Retire orders than Attack orders.
Period Specific Rules / Information
Period specific notes are provided for Revolutionary Germany, the Spanish Civil War and the Russian Civil War (RCW). These include supporting information for the relevant forces and additional rules for specific tactics and equipment. For example there is a whole section on armoured trains for the RCW.
TotW also provides appropriate guidance on the use of battlefield features such as trenches, wire and the like.
Summary
Having used these rules for both Russian Civil War and Spanish Civil War scenarios I have found they give a good quick game with plenty of period flavour. The period specific elements help greatly here and whilst the basic mechanisms remain unchanged they add a lot to the feel of the game.
These rules aren’t as well developed or supported as I Ain’t Been Shot, Mum the Lardies main offering, and consequently questions will arise during play. However, the Lardies’ Yahoo discussion group is a good source of information and the author is will usually respond to questions quickly.
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