Paint Table Saturday

Paint Table Saturday a Day Late and Other Things

Well I am doing well for 2016 as I have completed the 4Ground farm house to go along with the two barns I finished in 2015. The last of this lot is a few walls and the cemetery. Not bad starting out 2016 with one of my two Christmas orders almost completed. Now the half tracks and armoured cars will take a little longer. The early war support troops may never be completed as I only needed six figures and an infantry gun out of the pack for Martlet. May have to find another pint sized campaign to handle these unneeded (currently) figures.

Now the first battle between Mark and myself was not good for the Germans. My troops had trouble getting on the board and the mist had little effect on the British. Not a great first game.

Now the second battle that will be fought latter this month has a lot of prospects. The Germans are ready and I am sure Mark is all set.

This image is from Daddy's Little Men. Additional images and a write up by Mark can be found on the blog.

State of Gaming in 2015

I love when the end of the year rolls around and we read of predictions (including ones we make ourselves) for the new year and a look back on our general state of affairs. I know I will not make my painting goals or games played. I can live with that and try harder for 2016. Yet as a veteran gamer I do like to think about our over all condition of our hobby and for some their professions.

My history with gaming goes back forty plus years and I have seen many trends come and go. I know there will be a few new companies on the scene each year and few will also leave us. There will be the latest games dealing with The Battle of the Bulge, Midway, Waterloo or Normandy because we still have not created the ultimate gaming experience. This is generally not a bad thing, but we keep re-fighting the same two to three months of history year after year and convention after convention.

So where are we today; probably in the best possible position for our hobby ever. I will defend this statement by siting three items, technology, shows and demographics.

Technology such as 3D printing and Social Media allow gamers to have access to information and products we never believed possible. 3D printers allows designers to offer many versions and types of vehicles without the long drawn out process of traditional sculpting. This comes with a cost, in dollars, euros and pounds, but we now have the ability to add support vehicles to all of our armies. I can even add the AA-tanks to my 3mm Poles to use in Northwest Europe. Major companies have trouble making lesser know vehicles available economically. 3D printers make this possible.

Social Media not a new trend but definitely maturing, allows groups to gather and share research and technique. This also comes at cost, I need more shelf space for the books that I have acquired because of these conversations. These communities help you to find local gamers and clubs. It is surprising how many of us are out there.  If you take the time to be active on these communities you will add gaming buddies as well as friendships as some of use share their lives on there as well. Even picked up so awesome recipes from the Lardies.

Conventions and Shows are changing and in some ways for the better and others, well not so good. Attendance in the big name shows are down. That goes for attendees and the vendors. While the numbers are rarely released on the shows listening to the tone on boards and social media you get the feeling that the world has changed. I know this as I have attended some of these shows since the mid-1980s.  I have found that the major sows I attend here in the US do not have the same excitement that they did in the past. Some blame the Internet and the fact that we do not have to come to shows to buy everything we need for the coming wargaming season. But when I come to a show now there is not the excitement of seeing something new, I saw it already on line. We can do better with demos and generating the excitement online before the show, but it takes effort and that I see is missing.

But smaller regional shows are all the rage here in the northeast. There are more of them popping up all the time. Within two hours of me is a club or show event going on at least once a month. In the summer and fall I can choose up  to three in a month. Yes there are more of us out there (am I repeating myself) than we think. Are they generating excitement, some, but they are smaller and scrappier and I see them only getting better.

The D word, Demographics. I want to end on an up note for 2015. Our hobby is growing in both numbers and diversity. WS&S magazine did a second survey and the results are encouraging.  What we need to remember is to be more inviting, to get people to our clubs and allow the army of solo gamers to have a chance to use their troops against real opponents.

While I may not have painted as much as I would have wanted, I am looking forward to 2016 being a great gaming year. Now I have to place that order for the Unix P107. Von Luck needs at least two. :-)

100K is Approching

Over this weekend I should pass an awesome milestone, 100,000 views of my blog. It has been a long hard slop to get here, but it is also been a lot of fun.

It has also taken me longer than it should as I have as I took a long break as the Syrian Civil  War was gearing up and it was making gaming in the Middle East distasteful.

So thank you to one and all the have read, commented or possibly learned something from this blog.

Where to Base a Campaign?

Choices, we have so many choices. From the Middle East, Sub-Sahara Africa or Central America. Even in the Caribbean wargamers have so many choices for basing an imagination campaign. It does not matter if we base it on the movies such as Bananas or  Moon Our Parador or any number of Back-of-Beyond stories, gamers have so many choices and I for one do not know what to do. So I will ask (not for the last time in 2015) you the readers to help, where would you like to place or see a campaign occur. (For me I would want to physically play in the Caribbean.) I also would like to know why you want to game there. You have the miniatures or possibly the terrain. Maybe you like the movies.

 

The time frame is the Cold War (1960s to the early 1980s)

 

And your choices:

• Middle East (a country that looks a lot like 1970s Lebanon)
• Central America (think pseudo-Nicaragua or Guatemala)
• Caribbean (small island banana republics)
• Sub-Sahara Africa (sand, diamonds and guns, enough said)

Looking forward to your thoughts and thank you for your input.

Submarine - Cold War and The Falklands

The spring of 1982...

One of the more pressing issues for NATO during the Falkland’s War was how to replace the Royal Navy submarines that went south to the conflict.

Number Available	Class	Number Sent South
2	Valiant Class	1
3	Churchill Class	2
6	Swiftsure Class	2
6	Porpoise Class	0
13	Oberon Class	1

In general for every boat on station two are needed for support. These other two boats are undergoing refit, training, transiting to their assigned areas or in port. Six may not appear be a big number but assets were already stretched in the early 1980s. NATO did not know how long the conflict was going to last or if it would cause a wider conflict.

Both the Porpoise and Oberon Classes could cover choke points in European waters and were probably doing just that. We will have to wait for the release of official secrets to find out more. It was replacing the five nuclear boats sent south that was a concern for the Royal Navy and NATO. These boats can work in areas not conducive to their diesel brethren, under the ice or in the Arctic Ocean.

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So what does this mean for your naval wargamer? Just think of the possibilities outside of the South Atlantic. NATO is forced to use boats in locations and for missions they were not designed for. It may even give the Soviets a chance and wargamers will have a chance to use lesser known classes.

While not as sexy as the fast attack boats, the crews of these diesel boats were well trained. Any takers?

100 Years War

It started with an idea on Facebook. What is the club was to do battles from the 100 Years War using 10mm figures. OK, it is a period I know little about, I think Joan of Arc has something to do with this as do English long bows. So with the able assistance from Tony and Keith I was off.

After looking over the the Magister Militum website, I had six packs for a Company of 12 stands.

Once the order arrived I had the problem of how to paint them. I didn't think I had any references dealing with the 100 Years War, but a quick look through my old war game magazines I came up with a half a dozen articles. Add in the Internet and I was off.

My initial idea was the Company would be 12 stands with three horsed. Well with inflation I was fast approaching 15-18 stands and I was not using all of the figures.





 Yes they are small...



                            ...but still have a lot of detail

So with the forces based and priming has started I need to think of what type of Captain will be leading this force.

As I want to use a force for both the 100 Years War and the battles in Italy my Captain with be English. (May need a few now armored knights.)

As of tonight I have one stand finished and four others in different states.

I am enjoying the research and the painting and hope the campaigns will be equally enjoyable.


Thank you Tony and Keith for your assistance.

VBCW at Sea

As an American with only a single visit to Great Britain I should but be as energized as I am when it comes to a Very British Civil War gaming experience in general or the fact that I created a Cornish force in particular. I have been from the very beginning.

It has been my pleasure to contribute to the period writing on as diverse subjects as the Cornish navy, VBCW in British Honduras and a VBCW romp in the BVIs. No matter what I read and write for this period I keep coming back to Cornwall, one of the many places where Agatha Christies' Poirot was active.

I read today that PTDockYard is releasing a set of rules to cover a hypothetical US-Canada war on the Great Lakes.  These rules will allow for coastal battles in the shallow waters of the lakes using torpedeo baots, coasters and drifters.. They will also allow in my opinion to conduct the naval battles along the English Channel and Irish Sea. Battles that are important to keeping open the supply lines for food and weapons to the different factions. The ships look good and for me they will be augmented by additional ships and boats in the PTDockYard line and from Shapeways. I now wait for their release this month.