Adventures in Wargaming

Here we go again

2012-01-05T14:41:00.000-08:00

After a year of maintaining a blog on my own domain, I have come to realization that blogger provides a better experience.

1) It's FREE!
2) It is very easy to maintain, add posts, etc.
3) Most importantly, the community. Most wargaming blogs I read are also blogger based. Being able to follow and be followed easily is a great benefit.

Therefore, I am coming back to blogger.

Moving blog to www.miniaturewargaminggeek.com

2011-01-26T17:42:00.000-08:00

As I have gotten more familiar with maintaining a blog and building web pages, I realize I want more flexibility than a free blog allows. Thus I have taken the plunge and registered a domain of my own. I plan to add tutorial sections on terrain building as well as information about regional gaming conventions. I hope you will stop by an visit at www.miniaturewargaminggeek.com.

Thank you!

1/72 Colonial

2011-01-23T16:14:00.000-08:00

Recently I purchased a large amount of Ral Partha 25mm colonial miniatures which I am in the process of painting. I like the sturdiness of metal figures and 25mm is a bit larger than traditional 1/72 plastics. Given that I moving more in that direction for my colonial gaming, I thought I would put out my 1/72 collection for a last "hurrah" and some photos. Hope you enjoy!

Camel Corps and Highlanders.

Highlanders rounding the hill.

Camel Corps confronting the right flank.

1/72 Italieri Arab warriors for my Sudan games.

25mm Ral Partha British Camel Corps

2011-01-15T10:46:00.000-08:00

Today I finished up two 10 man units of British Camel Corps for my Sudan project. I still have to paint up the actual camels to use as scenery, but for my dismounted units I preferred to base them separately for movement purposes.

I purchased a large amount of Ral Partha 25mm miniatures at a Flea Market recently so I am moving to metal and likely will not be painting any more 1/72 figures in the immediate future.

3D printing miniatures?

2011-01-13T11:54:00.000-08:00

Although, it will probably be some time before we can design a miniature in a program like CAD and then print it off as a three dimensional piece, the technology continues to develop.

If you have $15,000 or so, you can buy a pretty decent machine that would fit in an office. If you have $100,000, you can get something truly awesome, but you’ll need a warehouse to store it.
The rest of us will be checking out the hobbyist kits that run in the $1,000 to $2,000 range.

Full article Here.

Spartacon 2011 Part Six

2011-01-09T08:24:00.000-08:00

54mm Skirmish game additional pictures.

Spartacon 2011 Part Five

2011-01-09T08:16:00.000-08:00

Imagination "Revolution" game set in the interwar time period.

Another beautiful French and Indian war game.

Check your Six Jet Age.

Spartacon 2011 Part Four

2011-01-09T08:05:00.000-08:00

Napoleon in Egypt 54mm game.

WW2 28mm game.

Spartacon 2011 Part Three

2011-01-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

Pictures from the amazing Samurai game.

Spartacon 2011 Part Two

2011-01-09T07:40:00.000-08:00

I will start off part two with some general overview pictures. Attendance was around 150 people and there were plenty of games being run over three sessions during the day.

54mm Skirmish using Songs of Drums and Shakos.

Vietnam in 20mm. This was an interesting game in which I participated as part of the American forces. As part of my role in the game, I was a "short timer" who was scheduled to leave 'Nam five days from now. Thus at the beginning of each turn, I had to roll a 20 sided die to see if I would follow my orders for the turn or just hold position and bunker down. 1-10 I stayed, 11-20 and I would move forward to located the enemy.

Americans investigate a building near the rice paddy.

A second squad is dropped in support.

Vietcong lay in ambush and an intense firefight begins.

A second ambush!

Third platoon locates a bunker. Call in an air-strike!

Wounded are extracted after the intense fighting.

Moving on, below are some images of the number of different hex based games that were present at the con. There were Civil war, Roman, and WW2 games played using hex based terrain.

Finally, another shot of one of the most beautiful boards from the day.

Spartacon 2011 Part one

2011-01-08T21:44:00.000-08:00

Good evening or should I say Good Morning. I just returned home from the Spartacon convention which is held in Lansing, Michigan each year. I have been awake from nearly 20 hours of which 15 were spent at the convention. Therefore I will keep this short and sweet and post some of the cool pictures I took. Check back for further updates with additional pictures and information.

The following pictures are of two of the best looking games at the convention: A Samurai game and an AWI game.

25mm World War 2

2011-01-06T15:35:00.000-08:00

Last night the our club played a beautiful 25mm World War Two skirmish game using Mike's Battlegrounds rule set.

The scenario was as follows: Americans forces have recently pushed through German lines and are occupying
the town. A certain Fraulein living in the town has become very cozy with a particular officer and knows a little too much about the activities in the area. German orders are to retake the town and find Fraulein Schninklebaum in the process. She must not be allowed to reveal any information to the Americans! If all else fails, she must be silenced.

The initial set up and overview.

Americans forces moving into defensive positions.

Harv moves his German assault team up the river bank to attack the right flank of the town.

Lee and I move several teams up through the woods to approach the left flank.

The American armor is merely wreckage from previous engagements. So far the right flank it eerily quiet though the squad may here commotion in the house.

American forces spring from their fox holes and open fire. Chuck is caught in a serious firefight and casualties are heavy. I circle back my assault squad which was preparing to enter the house on the left flank and assault the American rear flank. The action is fast and furious!

An American Jeep emerges from the woods and opens fire. Lee is pinned in the corn field.

Harv is moving his team up the main road when machine gun fire from the square erupts inflicting heavy damage.

American forces fire protect the left flank from their defensive positions behind the wall.

Americans poor from the buildings to provide support for their fellow soldiers.

After eliminating the American squad from the woods, Chuck and I move our teams into a position to assault the square. Our mission must not fail!

The action starts in town square.

The Germans call in support of their own!

German forces engage the remaining American troops but casualties have been much heavier than expected.

The 10 O'clock hour is upon us and Fraulein Schninklebaum has not been located. American forces have won the day and held the town!

1/72 Hat British Camel Corps

2011-01-02T07:15:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more recent additions to my 1/72 Sudan collection.

British Camel Corps.

Highlanders

The local village. These are homemade out of foam insulation. The watering hole and river are left over vinyl tile from a flooring project painted and flocked. I created the raised edge with liquid nails glue and sand.

How my table is currently set up. I have yet to game with these figures as I will need quite a few more before I will have enough to run a club game.

The Camel Corps dismount and take up firing positions.


		Camel Corps

Link to purchase 1/72 Hat products if you are interested.

Ruined gothic building 28mm

2010-12-31T12:29:00.000-08:00

I am off work this week for the Holidays which means I have been able to dig into the projects that have been sitting on the sidelines. Today I painted up a ruined gothic building for 28mm skirmish gaming, Necromunda, or even a WW2 Stalingrad board.

The piece is made of resin but was missing key components, including the roof. I went to work with the clippers and busted it up a bit. I base coated it in black, brush on brick red, dry brushed black and tan on the brick portion.

The wood splintering is made with wooden sticks and painted tan with black drybrushing. Total construction time was around an hour.

Front view.

Side view.

Side view with 28mm figures for scale.

1/72 Egyptian Camel Corp

2010-12-31T07:39:00.000-08:00

I have slowly been working on putting a together a Mahdist Revolt game using 1/72 figures. They are cheap and plentiful, though often the poses are more suited for dioramas rather than wargaming. Soft plastic figures can be a bit more difficult to paint than metal.

Here is my process:

1) Prime with plastic sealing spray paint such as Rustoleum.
2) Paint.
3) Wash the figure with diluted PVA glue with a drop of black paint.
4) Seal with dull coat.

Below is my first batch of 1/72 Egyptian Camel Corp by Hat with a quick introduction.

Following the British invasion of Egypt in 1882 the Egyptian army was disbanded and reformed along British lines with British officers. Lacking an effective and sizeable army it was the British troops that shouldered much of the fighting, but as time passed the Egyptians became an effective force, defending their country against invasion from the south with little or no British support. By the 1890s they were very strong, and in the campaign that ended with Omdurman they formed the majority of the Anglo-Egyptian army.

You can find a full review of these figures at http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=1257


Close up of Egyptian Camel Corp

I base my figures on card stock and tend to try for diorama like poses. The game I run will be a TSATF variant where we remove casualties by the base, not the figure so number of men per base is irrelevant.


Camel Corps

This link is provided is you wish to purchase via Amazon. There are many other fine retailers that also carry this product.

What I am currently reading

2010-12-30T10:01:00.000-08:00

I peruse the local used book store on a frequent basis looking for good reads to add to my collection. Recently I picked up Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World and The Nelson Companion for $2 each!

It is a fascinating account of the main naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars, where the British fleet commanded by Lord Horatio Nelson engaged the combined fleet of the Spanish and French near Cadiz. The British decisively won the battle, effectively ending Napoleon's naval ambitions and any question of a sea invasion of England. Trafalgar was the last great naval battle between fleets of sailing ships, and led the way to the British domination of the seas during the 19th century. In what I can only describe as foreshadowing, Nelson prepared for his demise during the battle, which inevitably did occur.

The Nelson Companion is a museum quality book full of many great photos, I would recommend both of these fine books to anyone interested in the Age of Sail or The Napoleonic wars.

15mm Romans vs Viking

2010-12-29T19:49:00.000-08:00

Tonight the club played a game of 15mm Romans against Vikings using Harv's home brewed DBM variant "Pointy Stick". The game utilized a unique mechanic- both of the Generals were sequestered upstairs away from the gaming action.

Throughout the game, various Commanders would report the action from their point of view using a map of the scenario. After receiving orders, they would return and do their best to implement the tactics assigned.

The initial Roman deployment.

The Roman objective was a classic meeting engagement- control the middle of the board and kill the enemy.

Roman cavalry deploys left to attempt a flanking charge.

The lines move forward to clash.

After a successful charge, Roman Auxilia charges the flank of the barbarian axe men.

The reserves are deployed. Here come the heavy cavalry to lend support.

The bloody aftermath at quitting time.

Space Marine Army for sale Warhammer 40k

2010-12-28T09:11:00.000-08:00

For sale I have a Space Marine army which I intended to give it to my nephew who expressed in gaming. As tides turn, so did his interest so I am offering the army for sale. I purchased the army painted. The color was particularly bright before I went to work using the dip method. For the vehicles I repainted them Olive Drab and added significant weathering.

Overall, this was the best remedy I could think of aside from a complete strip and repaint, which would take time I would rather invest in painting a period of interest for my growing historical gaming collection.

Retail value on this is probably close to $500. I am asking $150 or best offer shipped with confirmation anywhere in the US. Paypal is the preferred payment method.

The contents:

Landraider
Rhino
Whirlwind tank
Landspeeder
Dreadnought
Biker
Terminators with several special characters.
Lots of Marines, a number with heavy/special weapons.

Please see the photos. Thanks for looking.

Pro or Con convention Dearborn, MI October 2010

2010-12-25T08:05:00.001-08:00

Our club sponsors two conventions each year in Dearborn, Michigan. In the fall we host Pro or Con followed by Battlefields in the Spring. This year was my first Pro or Con and I have to say it was a great success. Several hundred gaming enthusiasts participated in two days of gaming with a robust flea market and vendor area.

This year the convention spanned several rooms providing both the general convention area as well as a dedicated gaming room. Club members rotated staffing the door and assisting convention attendees while squeezing in some gaming time in between.

Double blind WW2 naval action with food available for sale behind.

Flea market area with some smaller gaming tables available as well. I picked up variety of great things at the flea market including several hundred Ral Partha 25mm colonials, Imperial Guard for Warhammer 40K, and some WW1 Brits for skirmishing.

Flames of War game in action.

Battletech game in the games room.

World War 2 skirmish action.

Brad's 54mm AWI skirmish using Songs of Drums and Shakos.

Snakes eyes! Curse the dice gods!

Chuck's 6mm Arab Israeli war game.

Here come the tanks!

Ray's beautiful TSATF Sudan game. Look out behind you, the Mahdists are flanking.

They are coming from all directions!

This picture of the Fuzzy Wuzzies is a bit fuzzy itself.

The French Foreign Legion defends an outpost in this 1/72 scale game.

I was able to play in this excellent 25mm Vietnam game. Firebase Gloria came under attack by Charlie during the night. Communication amongst our squads was limited to 5 second radio excerpts. Our boys fought hard but were overrun before we could order up some proper air support.

The left flank has been breached!

Finally, a quick picture of a Wings of War game.

Thank you for looking!

28mm Taliban vs US Marines Afghanistan

2010-12-24T18:53:00.001-08:00

In August I was able to play in a four person game using Flying Lead rules from Ganesha games. We played a scenario from the Hearts and Minds supplement where an IED had been planted in a truck parked in the middle of the market square.

The US Marines needed to locate and remove the device before it could explode and injure the local civilian populace. The rules of engagement required the Marines to engage the enemy only if they had been fired on first.

I really enjoyed this rule set, which has a unique activation method for troops. It allows you to choose the number of dice you will roll (1-3) to attempt an action. 4+ and you succeed. If you fail on more than 1 attempt, the turn passes to the other side. Thus you can play conservative or aggressively and have fun nonetheless.

The Marines were on an unknown timer after which the device might explode. This was handled by the GM who began testing this via dice roll around turn 6.

The Marines did take some casualties but were able to wound and kill enough of the attackers to force a retreat. The munitions expert was successfully escorted to the vehicle and was able to remove the device with only moments before it would detonate.

The initial set up.

The Taliban lay in ambush amongst the civilians, waiting for US forces to arrive.

Fierce battle rages centered on the truck.

15mm Napoleanics

2010-12-24T15:47:00.000-08:00

In November the club played a 15mm Napoleanics game using rules which required a blind set up. Unfortunately, I do not recall the specific scenario we were playing but I want to post some pictures of the beautiful armies we used. In future posts I will be more specific in my after action reports. For now, I am trying to get a large back log of photos loaded.

The initial set up is revealed.

Defend the city!

The action is getting thick!

Up the hill men!

Imperial Guard Valhallans

2010-12-24T09:10:00.000-08:00

Here are some shots of a squad of Imperial Guard I have been working on recently. I still want to do some finishing touches to really give them character, but am generally happy with them for a game at this point. Above is a lascannon team.

Here is the squad with Captain shown along side a mortar pit I created. Inside the pit is a mortar team.

Mortar team.

Mountains

2010-12-23T19:01:00.000-08:00

Above is one of several pieces of mountain or hill terrain I created this week. A 28mm figure is shown with the piece for scale purpose. This was really quite easy to make, taking a total of about 30 minutes each.
1) I carved the shapes out of pink insulation foam using a hot blade and glued them together into several layer.
2) I base coated in dark brown acrylic paint. Only certain spray paint can be used on the foam as it will melt if exposed to most aerosol paint.
3) Dry brush rocks with gray acrylic paint.
4) Coat grassy areas with PVA glue and liberally apply terrain flock.
5) Seal with dull coat or matte spray to seal.

Crashed Imperial Guard Valkyrie terrain 40k

2010-12-23T18:52:00.000-08:00

Here is my latest piece of terrain for sci fi gaming. It comes from an older Warhammer 40k boxed set.

To paint the crashed Imperial Guard Valkyrie, I did the following:
1) Primed black.
2) Painted the metal olive drab.
3) Dry brushed the metal with gun metal.
4) Dry brushed metal corners with rust/bronze.
5) Painted the dirt with brown.
6) Dry brushed the dirt with tan.

While I am not an expert painter by any means, I do enjoy painting. I typically aim for wargaming quality so I can get my collection on the table ASAP. Overall completion time was around 35 minutes for this project.

Inspiring pictures

2010-12-23T16:48:00.001-08:00

Here is some eye candy. Hope it provides some inspiration!