Lepanto - 1915 Part 2

Tonight sees the action described earlier with the Turks exchanging blows with a combined Austro Hungarian and Italian fleet. The rules I will be using for this are yet another version of the DBSA WW1 gridded set I have been experimenting with. I must confess to having second thoughts about my decision to abandon these simply because I have had a radical idea as to how to solve the diagonal situation when using a square grid. In a nutshell there will be no pure diagonal moves at all. What will happen though is that turning includes a displacement by a square so the effect is similar to a diagonal move. This probably sounds more complex than it is and I shall try to incorporate a diagram in the revised set showing what I mean. Ships must also complete turns within the move so there will be no carrying over a turn to the next go. I am really excited about this and hope that it works in practice.

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.

Lepanto - 1915

This Wednesday evening at the club will see Mr Fox and myself exchanging salvos across the tabletop in a naval action set in 1915 close to the scene of the great battle of Lepanto, 1571. The Turks will be taking on a combined Austro-Hungarian and Italian Fleet using my own 'soon-to-be-abandoned-and-replaced-with-something-that-will-probably-need-as-much-tinkering-with-as-its-predecessor' set of DBSA based WW1 naval rules. I will report on the action in due course but in the meantime I will be cranking out a revised play sheet for the game which incorporates some nifty amendments so the action will have elements of a play test about it.

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,
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!

Terminator Marines - dont you just love 'em!! Part 4

After the deluge of shock and awe that has been the norm in the Rayleigh Factorium this week you could be forgiven for thinking that anything gaming wise would be very much on the back burner in the grand scheme of things. You would indeed be correct in that assumption but, when faced with adversity, one must present the inevitable stiff upper lip and press on regardless. So it was I found myself with a spare hour this evening in which I made some further inroads into my painting Terminator Marines for Space Hulk. The blue section of marines have now had the imperial eagle that is embossed on the breastplate drybrushed with GW Burnished Gold over the black base colour. I have to say it looks pretty good and so these models are now a step closer to completion and my karma has been restored to a degree.

I must confess that it was a very pleasant distraction from recent events.........;-)

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...............

................And what a week it has been!! Last Sunday we had to interrupt our usual boot sale activity to bring my 13 year old daughter, Holly, home and take her to the hospital with severe stomach pains, ominously located in the region of her appendix. She spent two days at the local hospital being poked, prodded and tested in a variety of ways to ascertain the cause of the problem but to no avail. They even squeezed in an ultrasound scan for good measure but everything drew a resounding blank. SWMBO stayed with her on Sunday and we all came home Monday evening although Holly was still a little uncomfortable. She stayed at home for a couple of days and felt well enough to go back to school on Thursday but halfway through the morning had to come home as the pain was back with a vengeance. So it was back to the hospital for another round of tests only this time it was decided that more drastic action was needed. She was drugged up to the eyeballs but I was very impressed by the fact that despite her pain she managed to retain her sense of humour (obviously gained from her dad....) because at one point, after her third dose of morphine, she managed to unplug herself from the monitor (showing such things as heart rate, blood pressure and blood/gas levels) and so all her vital signs 'flat lined' and all manner of alarms and beeps sounded. She looked me straight in the eye and said "Am I dead yet?!" with jaw dropping dead pan delivery. Such is the stuff of comic legend!

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.

The Pen is Mightier than the Dice........Part 2

The course has commenced and so I am staring down the barrel of 14 assignments in the next 10 weeks with a half hour tutorial session I have to run for 6 people at the end in a subject of my choice.......sweeeet!!!

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).

The Pen is Mightier than the Dice........

........Well it will be for a while now as tonight sees my first session at college where I am studying my 'Preparing to Teach in the Life Long Learning Sector (City and Guilds 7303)' course. As already mentioned, I am also studying a History A Level and will hopefully be taking my Certificate in Teaching next year. All this means busy times ahead with the ultimate prize being a new career in Adult Education. I am itching to get started and will welcome the intellectual challenge this will bring. I will not be abandoning my gaming and modelling activities - far from it - but it will mean that I will need to focus on self contained 'pick-up-and-go' games and rules etc. This means that I will be using that which I have in the collection that is ready to use at the drop of a hat. The immediate list of such things is:

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!

Axis and Allies: War at Sea Campaign Ideas

My earlier post concerning Axis and Allies: War at Sea had the effect of getting me reaching for my folder of ideas for this game from a mini campaign perspective. The tactical rules are simple enough for a good game that can be fought to a conclusion on a usual club night - hence the attraction for me. Between myself and Mr Fox we can field some very respectable sized fleets with all the trimmings of air power etc. I have run a mini campaign based on the Bismarck affair in the past that was very well received although the campaign map movement needed some clarification. With this in mind I am planning to use a version of the approach used by Frank Chadwick in his Command Decision WW2 rules. In this, the area of operations was reduced in scale to cover a couple of tabletops. This may sound extreme but he very successfully adapted Operation Barbarossa using this method. I have a number of WW2 naval mini campaigns in mind using this method (it certainly eases the pressure on the umpire and cuts down on a lot of paperwork) as follows:

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!

Terminator Marines - dont you just love em!! Part 3

As these are currently under the brush (at least the blue marines are - the red versions will follow once these are finished) I thought it would be a good idea to describe my painting process. After the customary wash with detergent I gave the models a spray white undercoat using Halfords White Primer. Once dry I painted the model overall in Humbrol Matt 109 WW1 Air Force Blue. After this I gave the figures an overall wash with GW Blue Ink. I then dry brushed the models with the Humbrol Blue for the highlights. I have just finished painting the weapons and the breastplate eagle in Humbrol Matt 33 Black. I will dry brush the metallics over this - the gold and gunmetal from the GW acrylics range (not sure of the names of these without checking in the paint box). I have not made the transition to acrylics and most of my painting is still firmly rooted in enamels although I always use acrylic metals - simply because varnish does not seem to 'lift' the colour. I am still sorting out transfers for the models and I will of course remember to put some gloss varnish on the location of the transfer so that when applied and varnished over the 'surround' disappears. Bases will be PVA-ed and then dipped in two coats of fine sand (I still have the pot of sand that the original red marines were based with - now some 20 years old!) which will be dry brushed in a lighter shade and varnished again for protection.

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

The next release in the Axis and Allies: War at Sea collectible miniatures game is now available and has already got me reaching for the fleet lists to see what is on offer. For the RN we at last see HMS Repulse (gonna need a pair of them!) and HMS Belfast (gonna need a pair of them as well!) as well as an S class destroyer and, best of all, a Flower class corvette. There is also a Martlet for the Fleet Air Arm. I have not mentioned the KGV as we already have one as do we the Leander class cruiser. The KM get the Schleswig Holstein (a really lovely model), an Elbing class TBD, U47 and best of all, a JU 88. This will give the RN something to think about! The Pacific stuff also gets some reinforcements - the Japanese especially do quite well - Nagato, Soryu and an Oi class cruiser is not to be sniffed at! The USN get an Intrepid class carrier and sundry other items including the Arizona - I can't quite figure the rationale behind that one though. The set also sees the first of the Russians and some extra bits for the Italians and the French. A full list is available through the forum on the WOTC site (although it may have changed slightly).

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

You mat recall that I mentioned I would be giving the Terminator marines something of a makeover in order to freshen them up, as well as painting up another force of a similar size in a different colour scheme. I have now decided on the approach I shall be taking with this. The red marines will have the chest eagle changed to gold and the command figures (sergeants, captain and librarian) will have some gold trim to the shoulder pads in order to make them stand out. The weapons will also have a spruce up and will gain some transfers for effect - I have some US air force ordinance decals that will look good - warning triangles and such like.

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.

Defeat in Detail - The Ottoman Army in the Balkan Wars 1912 - 1913

I am a very happy gamer at the moment. The picture above is of my copy of this wonderful title now residing safely in the Rayleigh Factorium Library. For anybody interested in this period this is an absolute gem and in fact, even if the period does nothing for you then you would surely fully appreciate the level of detail, scale, scope and quantity of information contained therein. At the risk of sounding cliched - this book is one of my wargaming defining moments!

Seriously though, and whilst trying to control my breathing and to still my thunderously beating heart (sorry, I must rein this in a little...) I have to say this book is an absolute goldmine of information. To give an idea of the content take a look at the chapter headings:

1. Defeat and Military Reform 1877 - 1910

2. Revolutions and the Eastern Question 1877 - 1912

3. Nexus of Disaster 1911 - 1912

4. The Thracian Campaigns 1912

5. The Macedonian Campaigns 1912

6. The Greek and Montenegrin Campaigns 1912

7. The Armistice and Military Politics

8. The Thracian Campaigns 1913

9. The Western Theater: Greece and Albania

10. Final Operations

11. Defeat in Detail: Conclusion

The book also contains an overview of Turkish aviation and even one of the amphibious operations the Turks attempted is described. There is an extensive bibliography and some 60 odd maps - both tactical and strategic in nature as well as orders of battle and whom was where and when. I am going to savour this one in no uncertain terms and the Balkan Wars project may see the light of day sooner rather than later as a result.

A 'Risky' Business

I guess this could also fall under the heading of being a credit crunch wargaming idea as it has thus far cost the princely sum of £2. I am referring to my boot sale acquisition of a complete and unused copy of the Parker game Risk. As readers of the blog may know, Risk is an abstract game of world domination. Recent versions of this have been themed around, for example, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Transformers and others. The reason I was so pleased to get this particular version is because it contains nigh on 372 hard plastic 12/13mm generic 18th century figures. There is an infantryman advancing, a charging cavalryman and a cannon with a flag wielding gunner attached to the gun carriage. All are wearing a tricorn and the kit (knapsack etc) places the models as firmly in the third quarter of the 18th century - they look very much like British Infantry of the American Revolution. There are no command figures of any description.

There are six coloured armies in the game so in total there are over 240 infantry, 72 cavalry and 48 guns although I have based that on multiplying the contents of one army by six! An earlier version of the game had Napoleonic style figures although the infantryman was kneeling at the ready and so less useful than the advancing version.

What then does this mean? Well, to begin with, it is a very cheap source of figures and they are suitably generic enough to cover a variety of historical and 'imagi-nations'. The size is a little on the problematic side but I would probably look to Pendraken for their 10mm stuff for command groups and gunners etc as their newer models are slightly larger than 10mm and so would fit in with these without too much problem. The plastic models are also fairly crude in terms of detail so a simple paint job would be very much the order of the day. It is certainly something I would not rush into at the present but as a long term project it has a certain charm - a pair of mythical 18th century armies could be on the cards - perhaps even the Grand Duchy of Artois and the Electorate of Kronenbourg could see the light of day.

It was with this in mind I acquired (some time ago) a copy of the Lord of the Rings version of Risk - solely for the figures. This version cost me, IIRC, about a pound and there is some 400 figures in this variant. Again, not something I will be doing anything with anytime soon but it is nice to have them as a backstop.

An Example of a Mini Project

Readers of the blog will no doubt be aware of my fondness for the GW game Space Hulk and how pleased I was to be reacquainted with my 20 year old collection. After a couple of fun games at the club it did not take much to persuade me that this set up needed to be brought up to date and given a makeover. With this in mind (and bearing in mind that I also have an untouched copy of Tyranid Attack) I decided to see what I could pick up cheaply off of ebay to modernise the collection. I should also point out that I recently discovered a really good set of grid based sci fi rules called Space Hive on the www.freewargamesrules.co.uk website. These are, for want of a better expression, a more normal set of sci fi rules and less like the usual GW fare. In fact, they could just as easily be used for modern skirmishes in any kind of close, urban style terrain. In fact, the use of these rules has really been a major driver in my revamp plans for this set up.

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

Time has finally caught up with me and at last the start of my college course looms large on the horizon. It is only one night a week for eleven weeks but there will be the inevitable assignments etc to be completed so my gaming time will be reduced over the next quarter. I still intend visiting the club and a number of small projects may be wheeled out over the period but nothing on a large scale. I have also received the first half of my history course which will provide some welcome distraction - the first part covers Tsarist Russia from 1850 until 1917 and the second is Britain and Appeasement 1919 to 1940. Both of these will be interesting as I have covered some of the military side of these periods of history so it will be good to get the social and political background to round out my knowledge.



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!

I almost forgot.........Boot Sale Bargains (Again!)

I had a double whammy this weekend as we went not only the Sadlers Farm Saturday boot sale but also the Lazy Bones version on Sunday. The pickings were pretty good to say the least! First up, I have acquired copies of the old Airfix Magazine Guide No.21 - Modelling Armoured Cars by Gerald Scarborough. I am sure that many readers of this blog are familiar with these from way back when. The famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) Napoleonic Wargaming title by Bruce Quarrie was a major influence on my wargaming career so any of these titles are always good to see - rather like catching up with an old friend - and this was no exception. Included are plans for scratchbuilding a selection of Armoured cars from WW1 to WW2 including my own favourite - the Rolls Royce Armoured car. Great for the modeller or occasional scratchbuilder.

The second title is a biography of the Red Baron - Manfred von Richthofen by Peter Kilduff. This is a particularly valuable title as the author produced the first modern translation of the Barons memoirs and has researched extensively amongst the aviation records and accounts of the enigmatic Red Baron. The title also includes - in its entirety - the Barons 'fighting instructions' completed shortly after his death. the dust jacket on this is a little grubby but as the covers are a copy of this it is of little consequence.

The final title I was very pleased to acquire. Arnhem 1944 by Martin Middlebrook is an account of the Airborne battle and concentrates on the British and Polish part of the operation. This is a superb book; written as only Martin Middlebrook knows how - and is a wealth of information about the fighting at the sharp end. I have long been fascinated by Operation Market Garden (and indeed, airborne operations in general) and this is a very welcome addition to the library.

The price? Well, the Airfix title was 20p and the other two came in at 50p each!

The next three titles were purchased with the sole intention of offloading via ebay or some such. That is not to say I am not interested in the subject matter - far from it - but I really do not need another distraction and have only recently disposed of that portion of the library. The books are Folio Society editions of John Prebble's Culloden, Glencoe and The Highland Clearances. All in hardback and in the slip cases. One of the index pages in the Culloden title is a little creased but other than that they are in pristine condition. I must confess to liking the idea of a Jacobite Rebellion set up but am no more likely to paint up the kit for it than to fly to the moon so it is a non starter. The three titles cost me £1 in total and I am reckoning on easily getting that back - probably sufficiently to finance the Balkan Wars set up I am hankering after.

The final book I picked up is not really a military book although I suspect most readers will see why I did so. The book is an omnibus version of Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations by R.C.Bell. This book describes a whole raft of boardgames from around the world with their history and the variants thereof. I often think that perhaps our long distant forefathers had the right idea with games - simple mechanics and usually played on some form of grid. I am feeling a little deja vu at this point........................;-)

This little gem came in at 50p so my expenditure for the both days was the outrageous sum of £2.70 - now thats a bargain!

Serbs in the Balkan Wars

I note from the Irregular Miniatures website that the Serbian range for the Balkan Wars is now complete. This is becoming way too tempting......;-)

The thing is though, I still really need to get a copy of Defeat in Detail - The Ottoman Army in the Balkan Wars as this is going to be pretty much the definitive work on the subject (at least until the next such title comes out!) and as such will be essential reading. I can only hope that my subtle plan of hint dropping for my upcoming birthday does not go unnoticed.....;-)

The picture is of the Irregular 15mm Turkish Infantry - no doubt getting ready to repel yet another Bulgarian assault!

Terminator Marines - dont you just love em!!

As promised, above is a picture of the venerable terminator marine models from the first edition of Space Hulk restored to my ownership after a nigh on 20 year absence. There were two conversions of note - the captain and the assault cannon marines (4 of them). The captain was very simple - I merely drilled out the hand to take a power sword and added a shaped piece of sprue to use as the scabbard. A purity seal was added to the shoulder for effect. The Assault Cannons started life as a flamer (this was a clip on weapon that fitted over the stormbolter - simple bit effective) but with the addition of some parts from the old (and much missed) GW game Adeptus Titanicus. The weapon sprues from this game were really good for all manner of things - I remember mounting some n flying bases for space ships - and so I cut down the gatling type gun and stuck it straight on the front of the flamer after having removed the twin nozzles. Simple but effective - although the weapons themselves are huge!

The revamp will be very limited in scope - probably just a quick touch up of the bases and some new transfers will suffice but all in all, they will stay pretty much as they are.

Space Hulk 1st Edition - The Original and Best

I know, I know, I was wittering on about the merits of the 2nd edition over the third (mainly because of the figures being a whole lot better) but here I am posting about the 1st. The fact is I have managed to negotiate a deal with Mr Fox for all of my old 1st edition kit for my recently acquired 2nd edition, plus a box of metal terminators, an extra assault cannon armed variant figure (you can never have enough assault cannons) and a copy of Send a Gunboat by Anthony Preston. I have to say that everything was in as good a condition as the day I sold it to him back in 1991............

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?!