This is a long running and continuing journey around a collection of ideas, projects, games, models and a variety of wargaming related themes from my own imagination and from others. As I have been described as having the attention span of a forgetful goldfish you can rest assured the resulting subject matter will be diverse and (usually) entertaining! "He lived in a frenzy of enthusiasm — but nothing lasted for long with him".
Wednesday 30 September 2009
Lepanto - 1915 Part 2
I have also dispensed with move and turning related dice rolls and have simplified firing as when calculating ranges the firing player is allowed to count one diagonal square to the target with the rest being orthogonal. Again, this will make more sense when explained with he aid of a diagram.
I shall try to get some pictures for the blog with a report of the action for tomorrow.
Monday 28 September 2009
Lepanto - 1915
The change to the action came about as a result of a throwaway comment by Mr Fox whom had just finished reading Roger Crowley's Empires of the Sea - The Final Battle for the Mediterranean 1521-1580. No prizes for guessing where the inspiration came for the game then!
Birthday Celebrations
Happy Birthday to me,
My paint tray is overflowing,
But I've fixed my PC!
Happy birthday to me as today sees my 49th year of being on the planet (some would probably debate that statement but what the hell!). Goodies have rained down on me - a couple of DVDs, some chocolates and some 28mm Sci Fi bits and pieces so I have done pretty well. Best of all though was the happy outcome to the Holly's Appendix episode - the sighs of relief were heard for miles around!
This evening will see the traditional family custom of the birthday persons choice of takeaway for dinner - that will be an Indian then! I am drooling at the prospect of a good Jalfrezi and some Indian lager to wash it down with!
As a further piece of good news I was able to score an extra copy of Risk (with the 18th century figures therein - see the earlier post on this) from ebay for a very good price so the number of figures available has doubled. I just need now to do the same for the Lord of the Rings (and the expansion) and I shall be in business!
Sunday 27 September 2009
Terminator Marines - dont you just love 'em!! Part 4
I must confess that it was a very pleasant distraction from recent events.........;-)
Saturday 26 September 2009
Irregular Miniatures 2mm Ships
Above is the picture taken from the http://www.irregularminiatures.co.uk/ website of their newly launched range of generic 2mm (approximately 1:900th) 20th (and 19th) century warships. Just the thing for all those Aquanef fleets being planned...................;-)
Check out their website for catalogue codes and prices - as well as sizes which is quite useful.
That Was The Week That Was...............
It was decided that another overnight stay was in order (again with SWMBO) with an exploratory operation (using a camera) to finally decide, once and for all, what the problem was. This kicked off mid Friday morning and as a result of what the surgeons found my darling daughter is now minus her appendix - which the surgeon lately described as looking like 'a curly fry'. She is now home and aside from being very sore (with keyhole surgery they literally blow you up with CO2 which has the effect of making everywhere ache for a few days or so) will make full recovery in a short while. Two weeks off school and a further two excused from PE is also the result.
It is staggering to think that after some half a dozen blood and fluid tests, an ultrasound scan and an X-ray and the attention of several doctors and surgeons the only way they could find out what the problem was was actually to operate.
As a parent the worse thing you can experience is watching your offspring in pain and so this post is really one of self indulgence as I wanted to share with you all the joke from Holly for whom I have enormous respect and love for showing such bravery in the face of her obvious suffering.
On a completely separate subject I have also managed to get my PC 'deloused' and have also doubled the RAM so it should be a little faster to use and less 'clunky' in operation. I now have the small matter of a number of college items to catch up with as a result of the dramas of the week but am pleased and relieved that all ended on a positive note.
Thursday 24 September 2009
The Pen is Mightier than the Dice........Part 2
Very interesting and informative thus far and I was struck by the elements of the course that could easily be applied to pretty much anything in everyday life. The Teaching Cycle for example - the stages of running a successful session - is a great example of how to structure, for instance, the design and testing of a new set of wargames rules. The stages are as follows:
1. Identify Needs
2. Plan and Design
3. Deliver
4. Assess
5. Evaluate
Not a bad plan in any walk of life really. Much to ponder with this methinks.
On a different subject entirely, club night saw another Space Hulk game - we played Mission 6: Defend - which saw the Genestealers snatch a narrow victory in turn 15 of 16. The marines were slaughtered to a man............
Next week will see Mr Fox and myself taking to the high seas with his WW1 Austrians versus the Black Sea Fleet Russians. I will try to run this with the newest version of the rules I have been working on (admittedly not for a couple of weeks now).
Tuesday 22 September 2009
The Pen is Mightier than the Dice........
1. Axis and Allies: war at Sea
2. Space Hulk and Space Hive - the rules set I have mentioned previously
3. The Balkan and Black Sea WW1 fleets
4. Ludus Gladiatorious - I have both sets of this
5. A number of boardgames I have - Napoleon, Russian Campaign and Jutland are a few that would be eligible.
Painting wise I have a great excuse to concentrate on low intensity projects - I think that my Ottoman Dirigible Fleet will need to be included in this; as will the refurbishment of the Terminator marines. I cannot see any armies being started as such; perhaps some 2mm bits if the mood takes me and the time is available. I also have a couple of writing projects on the go which I will also need to find time for.
I will making sure that the blog gets a regular entry of some description or another - as Bob Cordery, Tas and others have pointed out - a blog is a great self motivational tool as the encouragement and inspiration received from others provides a welcome spur to the completion of a project.
All in all then, and for the immediate future, the pen (or more accurately the keyboard!) will of necessity be mightier than than the dice and probably the paintbrush!
Saturday 19 September 2009
Axis and Allies: War at Sea Campaign Ideas
1. Arctic Convoys
2. Malta Convoys
3. Japan in the Indian Ocean
4. Guadalcanal
5. The RN in the Far East East 1944/45
6. North Atlantic Breakout revisited.
Plenty of scope for actions with that little lot and the beauty of it is that the only work needed is sitting down and designing the set up - everything else is ready so no late nights painting kit for a game the next day!
Friday 18 September 2009
Terminator Marines - dont you just love em!! Part 3
I am hoping to have the blue marines ready by next weekend with the makeover on the red versions taking place after that. They will not take as long (which is just as well with college starting next week!) so I should have both forces ready within the next couple of weeks all being well.
Axis and Allies: War at Sea Flank Speed
I am pleased as it means that the Bismarck North Atlantic Breakout will at last have some meaningful opposition. It also means that the German plan to send out Bismarck, Tirpitz, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau (Gulp!!) may also see the light of day..........................;-)
Terminator Marines - dont you just love em!! Part 2
The second force have blue as their main colour and gold for the eagle and command trim. The two forces are not designed as chapter specific although the red marines are closest to the Blood Angels. i did not bother to strip the paint from the two assault cannon and single flamer marine I needed for the blue force - sadly it has covered the detail somewhat - as I could not remember what I painted them with originally - was it enamel or acrylic? They also had a generous coat of gloss and matt varnish so I doubt if I could have shifted it with anything in any event. The assault cannon marines are not too bad but the flamer is the worst affected. He is OK at table ranges but not so great when viewed in close up. Still, I suppose being a plastic figure next to a flamer is bound to have some detrimental effect.....;-)
The final part of this revamp will be the construction of a pair of remote sentry guns (as seen in Aliens - the special edition) as I think they are a really good idea and add a little extra to the marines armoury as well as another tactical option. I have some ideas about the rules for using these weapons but I really want to add a little uncertainty as to ammunition used; thereby giving the alien player something to think about. I have raided the spares box for some suitable bits for the models and am pretty much at the construction phase for these.
All in all then, it has thus far been a pleasant diversion and just the thing I needed before the serious business of college and studying intervenes.
Monday 14 September 2009
Defeat in Detail - The Ottoman Army in the Balkan Wars 1912 - 1913
Sunday 13 September 2009
A 'Risky' Business
Friday 11 September 2009
An Example of a Mini Project
My search on ebay gave me quite a shock as original first edition sets of Space Hulk are going for quite a price (averaging around the £40 to £50 level), not doubt influenced by the recent launch of the third edition, so I was very pleased to acquire a set for £25. Aside from the third set of floor tiles and doors etc in the game I now have another 20 genestealers and 10 marines. My plan is to make another marine force, identical in composition to my original set up, but in another paint scheme. Fourteen extra marines and a marine librarian would not be the same size (the original force is 23 models strong) so I had to have a minor reorganisation and took some of the original figures (two assault cannons and a flamer) and added them to the as yet unpainted force. I really had no choice about this as the assault cannons would not be easily replicated hence the repaint decision. The first phase of this was to remove them from their bases as these had been sanded and varnished. This was accomplished without too many dramas and so I now have a force of 17 marines awaiting undercoating and the brushwork.
I am classing this as a mini project simply because painting these models will be neither difficult or time consuming and the practical advantages of having an extra force at my disposal will yield many benefits - not the least of which will be the ability to have marine versus marine actions.
Colour scheme wise I expect these will be in a mid blue shade with some transfers on the shoulder pads for effect. Simple but effective.
An Academic Diversion
I will continue to post to the blog so service will be as normal in that regard - the boot sale season will be coming to a close in about 6 weeks or so - and I will probably start to report a little more on the games at my club. Rest assured though, the content will continue to be varied but will certainly never be dull!
Monday 7 September 2009
I almost forgot.........Boot Sale Bargains (Again!)
Serbs in the Balkan Wars
Friday 4 September 2009
Terminator Marines - dont you just love em!!
Thursday 3 September 2009
Space Hulk 1st Edition - The Original and Best
I will post a picture of the marines (23 of them) a little later but it was like being reunited with a long lost relative.
Mr Fox is now the proud owner of the Death Star featured in the earlier post - he was seen to wincing visibly at the prospect of calculating the damage points and firepower of the said imperial construction..................gazillion hit points anyone?!