Using My Head on the Block

The final design of the vehicles for the block armies - I have orientated them lengthways so that that they will give the impression of travelling when deployed on the playing surface - a neat touch, if I say so myself!

I have been pondering the style of the labels to be used for the 20th century part of my block armies for some time and have swung between stylised images of generic looking vehicles or using proper military map symbols. It has caused me several sessions of head scratching I can tell you! On the one hand using purely military symbols serves to give the impression of, in effect, a 3D map but on the other, is it not better to represent the more obvious 'modern' unit types with more readily recognisable imagery?

I bounced an email off Bob Cordery mentioning this dilemma and his thoughts have proven to be most useful in respect of my final decision. I shall use stylised images for vehicles and artillery (both conventional and anti tank) simply because they are instantly recognisable but will stick with the conventional map symbol for infantry and cavalry. Command units are based on that found in David Chandler's Campaigns of Napoleon whilst MG and Mortar symbols are based on those in use with the modern US army. So the final set up of the block armies will be a mixture of the old and the new, the symbolic and the stylised.

There are not many trucks and half tracks in evidence simply because I plan to use them with conventional infantry units by merely replacing an infantry block with the appropriate vehicle type. This will serve as a reminder of what the unit is - either motorised (with a truck) or mechanised (with a half track) infantry.

These have been printed off in the sic colours I am using and so should be completed and ready for action very soon.