Tommorow's Wars meets Horizon Wars - A 6mm Democratic People's Republic of Glory (DPRG) Battlegroup?

Although Horizon Wars and Tommorow's Wars have nothing but the editor and book production value, reading the recently bought former inspired me to (beside buying a 6mm British Battlegroup) go back at the later to look at some miniature porn!

It's not the first time I think about gaming in that universe: I already wrote down some thoughts about which infantry models to use for the Republic of Arden and for the Democratic People Republic of Glory...

Brazilian built grav tanks are starting to equip select People's Republic Guard formation (the one that didn't displease Dear Leader). All pictures (except the Darghaur hereunder) from their manufacturer website.

Computer Games Imagi-Nations - ArmA 3 - Altis Armed Forces

The Armed Assault (ArmA) series website as long been in my browser favourites and an exemple of nicely done imagi-nations with exaclty the sort of information and details one needs for wargaming purposes. I've never played the games themselves (from what I've read, they're quite good but their realism and steep learning curve puts them outside the reach of the casual gamer that I am) but ArmA 2 Chernarus (a civil war ridden post-Soviet republic) and neighbouring Takistan (basicaly not-Afghanistan) were instumental in me "finding out" imagi-nations as a way to actually play with ultra-moderns minis without stressing my suspention of disbelief too much!

I recently ventured into the ArmA 3 part of the site and discovered the islands of Altis and Stratis and the fight of the NATO and Altis Armed Forces (AAF) to repel the Canton Protocol Strategic Alliance Treaty (CSAT) invasion... Another great looking imagi-nation, original factions and a very interesting weapon mix on the very edge of near future sci fi... What's not to love?

Altis Armed Forces. Screenshot from developer website.

So let's take a look at the "independents" from the game, the AAF, their gear and the best way to model them in 15mm and 6mm (not sure what scale I'd rather go for this yet)... As usual, this is just a much a place for me to consolidate info and links I gather than an actual post for your edification ;-) 

Gunners Painting Service

What it says on the lid: Gunners from Gunners Wargaming is launching his painting service! And his having a give away comp to stimulate us blogger talking about it!

GZG Crusties, painted by Gunners

So here's my part... 

I found out about Gunners during the Titanium Dropship Painting Competition I ran on Dropship Horizon last year and nearly refused his entry for being 28mm (DH has a strict "15mm only" policy!), then I had a second look and saw that his Blood Angels termies and his Leman Russ tank actually where insanely talented 15mm scratchbuilt models! I went on browsing his blog and found out he had entire scratchbuilt and painted entire armies of 15mm Space Marines, Death Corps of Krieg, Tau, Orks, Plague Marines... To mention only his not-40K products (or 20K as I call half-scaled 40K minis)!

15mm? You bet!

Pricing looks fair enough but Gunners is located in N.S.W. (Northern Southern Western?) Australia so shipping will probably make it unfordable for me... But check it:

Gunner Painting Services

And if you're blogging too, let the world now and try to win a free paint job!

All Quiet on the Quar Front - Terrain

Joshua "ZombieSmith" Qualtieri just confirmed that my Quars order is underway. The All Quiet on the Martian Front vehicles are getting closer (trans-Pond shipping being what it is, I'll try to wait for everything I want to be released - or at least available for pre-order - before I order them). My TO&E is finalized. Time to have a look at terrain options...

The obvious choice for this not-WW1 force is a muddy noquar's land full of trenches, shell craters and other obstacles... But I don't intend to use my Quars in a closed Quars-only background and want to use them against and maybe even along my other, higher tech, 15mm sci-fi forces... With, in my opinion, means that while their equipment remains decidedly low tech, their TTPs will have had to adapt quickly to the dynamic warfare conducted by other forces. Asymetric warfare and guerilla tactics anyone? So while I can imagine the odd remnant of defensive positions from a war before alien contact, I don't want to pin this forces in a (fox)hole and want a more versatile board. But I still want it to be indubitably Quar!

Jaw-dropping board by Sidney Roundwood from Roundwood's World.
There plenty more goodness where that one comes from!

Tomorrow's Wars - Republic of Arden (RA) - Arden Rangers

LtCol Baugnée, current CO of the Chasseurs Ardenais.
Picture from Begian MoD website.

In Tomorrow's Wars (TW) official background, the Democratic People's Republic of Glory (DPRG) nemesis is Republic of Arden (RA) which maintain strong military but also cultural links with France.  

Most pictures in the TW rulebook seems to indicate that (just like most world visited by Stargate teams) Glory (the planet where both the DPRG and the RA are located) has a earth-like ecosystem with abundant evergreens...

Being Belgian, the obvious association is to the Ardennes region, a heavily hilled and forested region spreading across Belgian, German and French Frontiers and covering most of Luxembourg.

One of the most quirky units of the Belgian military are the Chasseurs Ardennais (litteraly Ardennes Hunters), a mechanized infantry battalion known (among other things) for their oversized Basque-style green berets and their wild boar mascots...

Sounds like a nicely characterful unit for a Glory based campaign! A while back, when I saw Khurasan Sepulvedans Jungle Fighters, I thought their berets to be a little too large... Sounds like I got just the right use for them, no? Meet the Arden Rangers, an elite (but not SF) unit of the Arden National Guard (ANG).

Khurasan Sepulvedan Jungle Fighters. Picture from manufacturer website.

The Sepulvedan Provisional Army Regulars can then either be used as alternate pose (Chasseurs wearing helmets) or as another ANG unit. Same thing for the Sepulvedan Resistance and horse-mounted scouts which will make good irregulars or militia!

Add your choice of vehicles, some French Foreign Legion allies (GZG's for example), the odd USMC advisors team and, together with a DPRG force, you've got everything you need for the Second Glory War!

Tomorrow's Wars - Democratic People's Republic of Glory (DPRG) - North Korean in spaaaaace!

One of GZG DPRG packs. Picture from manufacturer's website.

Having recently received By Dagger and Talon, and reread Tomorrow's Wars background... While I had initially pegged one of the main faction, the Democratic People's Republic of Glory (DPRG), as "Chineses in space", the concomitant release of Khurasan ultra-modern North-Koreans made me reconsider...

Ground Zero Games actually has an officially licensed range of Tomorrow's Wars miniatures, including some DPRG infantry. And although I'm pretty sure they'll be up to GZG standards and impeccable sculpts and casting, they don't "sing" to me and my feeling is "just another line of near-future infantry".

 The DPRG fields two main tiers of troops: the Democratic People's Army (DPA) is "a mixture of conscipts and volunteer and is haphazaedly trained and equipped" while the Democratic People's Guard is "comprised entirely of volunteers and soldiers cherry-picked from DPA's best units" (quotes from Tomorrow War's rulebook).

Khurasan North-Koreans in flapped hats, also available in helmets.
Picture from manufacturer's website.

See me coming? In my imagination, the DPA does now look like Khurasan North-Korean, while the DPG will equipped with the Nova Respublik Crimson Army equipment...

Sure they've got 20th century AK-Something, but honestly, with the similarity between the 40s AK-47 and the 90s AK-101, it wouldn't stretch my disbelief too much to have DPA fielding a AK-200 or 300 and call it a re-chambered, polymer-made, possibly 3D-print low-cost high-reliability (no-so-)near-future weapon. Just paint them something less middle-of-the-20th-century (i.e. loose the wooden parts). Which is exactly the road Tomorrow's Wars takes: the Imperial Russians use AK-200 Advanced Combat Rifles and DPRG a local knock-off, the AK-400.

With plenty of near-future not-russians vehicles to choose you've got pretty much you need for a full DPRG contigent. Some favorites of mine: the variants of the Red Banner MBT will make great Chonma-Ho or Dear Leader, the new not-BTR is exactly what the DPA needs and the not-Hind doesn't really fit any official DPRG  vehicle, but it's too good of a model not to use!

Nothing ground breaking in all that rambling, but chalk it on sheer personal preferences, Soviets in spaces wasn't doing anything for me while North-Koreans in Space has me all excited... 

Khurasan Nova Respublik infantry.Picture from manufacturer's website.

I'll probably add a third tier of troops: irregular peasant soldier's, using some Vietnam-era VC minis (maybe those) as cheap canon fodder, or alternatively has insurgents for some internal policing actions.

What would be cool to go with those (John: hint)...

• A couple of Nova Respublik troops with the the NK flapped hats would be really cool and enhance (like it needs it!) both that range sexiness  on its own and it's compatibility with the NK.
• A couple of caracterfull VIP (Dear Leader and wife) would make great characters, objectives, pulp vilains... Something a bit like those excellent African dictator, wife and kid (28mm unfortunately) by Matakishi's Tea House. 
• And maybe a couple of female body guards (parading with leg above the waist would be funny, but not terribly usefull on a game table; I'd rather go for some sensible pose).