Gruntz 15mm SCI-FI

Gruntz at Sheffield Triples this weekend!

2013-05-17T13:45:00.000+01:00

You can pick up plenty of great 15mm models this weekend at the Sheffield Triples Wargames show.

Gruntz 15mm will be on sale on the GZG stand and will be combined with a free bundle copy of the Barracks application on CD. You also get the chance to pick up some art cards for Gruntz (for early customers) and the CD contains the PDF version of the rules for electronic assimilation.

Weathering Tyres.

2013-05-09T11:41:00.001+01:00

This is a large photo guide to the work in progress on the GHQ modern tanks. I am experimenting with dust/mud weathering on the rubber tyres.

Given the small size of 6mm wheels I am looking for something that looks good in the tiny scale, whilst still being quick to paint. Just making them all very dark brown would be overkill I think and in the small scale you would end up loosing the amazing detail on these GHQ models. They really do have the correct tyre tread for the vehicles like these Stryker M1129 Mortar Carrier and the Stryker M1134 Anti-Tank missile carriers.

The initial start of just painting the wheels in Lifecolor tyre black was a challenge in brush control and I think you can imagine that around thirty 4 and 8 wheeled models results in some serious wheel painting time. I did not want to paint directly over the wheel hubs, so it was a careful job of painting the lifecolor paints onto the tyres and not covering up the hubs which had been airbrushed as part of the main paint job.

I completed a few test trials with different washes and dust filters to try and get it right. The end result uses the Lifecolor Dust type 2 wash over the tyre black but thinned down with about 4/5 parts water. This makes the dust go into the tiny grooves in the tyre tread, rather than coating the full wheel which would cover up the nice rubber base colour. I used the Smoke-Brown wash from Lifecolor to slightly darken the result like a filter over the dust. Finally I experimented with the games workshop "Agrax Earthshade" (Which is bit like the old Devlan mud) to add a much deeper and darker wash to the undercarriage and areas of the hull which face the ground and might therefore have had a splash of dust and mud. I think I will be sparing with the Agrax wash because it almost covers up the dust in the tyre grooves.

So the lesson learnt here really for me is just to have an epic amount of patience for painting the base coat on the tiny wheels. The longer you spend getting the base tyre colour on the model the better the final result will be.

These miniatures still need work on the stowage, more weathering on the hull and around exhausts and then finally the base needs to be completed. Currently the bases are just the airbrushed colours which overflowed from the miniature during the first airbrushing phase. They will eventually be a desert colour with some reddish brown pigment, static grass and painted gravel rocks.

Here is the large format overview of this last wheel painting stage.

Clicking this photo will give you a larger image where you can see the detail. You may need to hit the magnify button when the image loads in your browser.

GHQ Vehicles and some Battletech in 6mm scale.

Camo Schemes for Airbrushing

2013-04-30T20:06:00.002+01:00

Camo Schemes, a gallery on Flickr.

It is often difficult to get really creative for a sci-fi style camo scheme. If I ever spot a camoflauge scheme on Flickr I will add the best to a gallery which I can go back and explore when I feel the need.

Follow this link to have a look at this mostly US Airforce / Marines images which have some great camo.

Video Painting guides

2013-04-30T14:22:00.001+01:00

I have this week updated the video painting tutorial section. It includes 15mm and non 15mm miniature guides which are all relevant with topics covered like airbrushing, drybrushing, decal, details, washes, inks etc.

Follow this link to view the guide index page which has the youtube videos included.

http://www.gruntz.biz/p/video-tutorials.html

Gruntz WWI

2013-04-29T10:23:00.001+01:00

I spotted a great little post on the Gruntz forum where the rules are being used for a WWI game posted by Madottsel. He has run a WWI game using the Gruntz rules and shared some photos of the game.

I have for a while now considered building a simple set of modifications to cover using the rules with early tanks. This would include modz to model things like tanks getting bogged down in rough train, paper thin armour and other slow-speed issues. I think it will require a careful balance of not making the early technology too unreliable because the game still needs to be fun, but at the same time some balance needs to be put in place, especially where players might want to field early technology versus martians with shiny new grav tech etc.

You can view the post on the forum here with Photos by Madottsel.

6mm Progress on GHQ 6mm

2013-04-26T16:42:00.000+01:00

I have been continuing to build a 6mm force with my friend Jonathan Rogers. Jonathan is building a set of Brigade Pacfed Grav tanks, whilst I am using various modern models from GHQ.

I now realise how lucky Jonathan is with his grav based army because I have started work on the tracks. These take a lot of time and so far I have only completed half a dozen models with a black base coat. After completing the tracks on about 30 miniatures I will be able to finish off some further weathering, streaking and scratches to the paint work.

You can see in the photo below that the addition of the black base coat to the tracks has already greatly increased the sweetness factor of the models. A nice contrast that I don't want to completely lose when I dry brush metal and weather the tracks.

My advice and plan for future 6mm tracked models would be to paint the tracks before basing. I usually always base during the early prep process, adding detail, gravel etc and gluing the model down. In fact the metal base means that I can use magnets on stands to help paint and airbrush the model which you can see in the video below, which is a strong reason to base early. However now I reach the track painting stage it is very difficult to get a brush in onto the track, especially where the tracks are resting into the sand base. I do complete the painting on the bases last though and static grass is added after the dull coat. In these models the bases are still not finished and will only be painted in desert colours after the rest of the paintwork and weathering is complete.

I am sure it is going to work out well but will take me more time than expected.

In this video below you can see the APC's and vehicles with wheels are aslo improved when the wheels are painted. I now wish my entire force had wheels because it would be quicker than painting all the tracks!

In this miniature painting tutorial guide video, you can see these models in progress and at the stage where I dry brushed the hulls to bring out the small 6mm details.

GZG New Camera

2013-04-26T14:31:00.002+01:00

I have a new camera, so I decided to take some close ups of these older models and talk about the detail. They are GZG vehicles and I have added some parts from GW to make them look different.

The close ups show you "Warts and All" on these paint jobs which were mostly speed painted.

This has had a plasma gun added. It was cut off and glued to the turret. I also added a red light, which is from a 1/35th scale tank rear light.

These two cylinders and the flamer are GW.

Up close on the front right you can see I added very tiny paint lines to look like scratches in the paintwork.

Gruntz at Salute 2013

2013-04-19T15:11:00.002+01:00

Gruntz is available this year at the Salute wargames convention in printed copy. A limited quantity is available on the GZG (Ground Zero Games) stand.

As a show special it will be bundled with a CD-ROM which contains a PDF version of the rules and the Barracks application. So for £20 you get the full printed rules, including an electronic copy and the ability to make your own unit cards using the Barracks app.

Please pop by the GZG stand for full details.

How to Play Gruntz 15mm.

2013-03-19T09:36:00.002Z

This weekend I put a second two hour video together which covers the last part of this 15mm SCI-FI solo game. The game itself used Khurasan Space Demons used as proxies for the Gruntz Heliopause setting "Prime aliens". I also used the GZG NAC troops to represent East Hyadum Trade forces.

The scenario was an attack on an outpost scientific base. The Mil-Sec ARM forces were investigating genetic manipulation of the Prime queen in a clandestine operation on the planet Hera. After discovering the research base the East Hyadum Trade corporation decided to shut it down.

This part two of the lengthy game session includes every dice rule, move and attack in detail with discussion on tactics and play method. It uses the alternative optional activation sequence from the rules which makes use of a card sequence mechanic.

Halfway into this solo game I was joined by Jonathan Rogers who kindly helped me move things along to get through the lengthy recording session. So thanks for Jonathan for helping out and pushing for the final showdown with the Prime queen.

At the beginning of the youtube video I have inserted an index, so you can jump to a couple of sections should you not have the patience to stick with the full show. I have been told that it makes a good background video during a painting session.

Don't hesitate to fire off questions regarding the rules, either as a comment on the video or a post here.

Gruntz Play Video

2013-03-15T14:48:00.001Z

I have uploaded an epic 2 hour length discussion about Gruntz and play guide on youtube. This is part one and is an overview of the terrain and a start to the game.

I am playing Gruntz in solo mode on the base station terrain, using the card based mechanism from the optional rules section of the hard copy Gruntz 15mm v1.1 book. This allows me to demo the basics of the game without an opponent and I talk at length about various aspects of the game. I also raise the importance of having matched pairs of colored dice to improve the speed of play.

Gruntz 15mm Barracks Application

2013-02-13T22:51:00.005Z

The Gruntz 15mm Barracks application is now out on the Wargames Vault which draws to a close our Indiegogo Project. Many thanks to the supporters of the project and we hope you like the application which will let you build the various units featured in the builders for the game. Supporters of the project will receive an email with a free voucher download for the application (both Windows and Mac versions).

The Barracks app allows you to make units from the game and save the JPG cards so you can drop them on a reference sheet while you play or cut them out and put them in protector sleeves. It makes it a lot easier and quicker to start a Gruntz game. Please also have a look at the forum link (from this site), there are lots of Gruntz players discussion games and sharing designs which will help you decide on the best designs for your army.

Remember less is more in Gruntz, so when you use the application and design your forces try to use some restraint and pick Shoot and Skill at around the 5/6 level for core units and pick higher skills for those unique specialist experts. If you make every unit an elite killing machine the games tend to be short and less fun.

You can download the application here: http://www.wargamevault.com/product/111366/Barracks-for-Gruntz-15mm-1.25

Print copy and PDF available now.

2012-12-02T19:10:00.003Z

It is nearly 18Months since the initial launch of Gruntz v1 and since then it has been a really hard slog to maintain the focus and update this latest v1.1 release with player feedback and ideas from games played at conventions and locally. It is a bumper edition with the page count leaping from 88 to 135. There are more charts to explain the basics and some further tweaks. The core rules remain the same, so no major mechanical adjustments however the points system has been changed to create more a curve and differential between units. It is far from perfect but certainly a more complete cut of rules than the first edition.

The rules can be purchased here http://www.wargamevault.com/product/92879/Gruntz-15mm-SCI-FI

You can now purchase a print copy of Gruntz on the Wargames Vault. Existing purchasers of the current v1 PDF version should have received an email from the Wargames Vault today to confirm a download link to free update to v1.1. If you login to your account there is a product section which will allow you to download the new update. I am very happy to provide this as a free PDF update to existing owners of Gruntz because it is the players and feedback provided from the community that has

There are some new goodies to make it worthwhile going for a full colour print version, with additional artwork, story content and charts. The purchase now also includes a super-hi-res version of the Heliopause map in PNG format which is featured in the rules. You can download the PNG version to view on your PC, rather than relying on the smaller image in the printed copy. I am looking into a poster printer option for those that want it. The layout on the poster and design was completed by Michael Ptak who is famous for his support of the Homeworld PC game - he makes some of the coolest looking starmaps. Aris Kolehmainen provided the new faction logo's and some design work in the rules which are also stunning and feature on the map.

The rules now also have additional artwork by Jake Parker, an artist that worked on films like Ice Age. The original tanks images by Istvan Pely (lead artist for Sony on Fallout3) are still in the rules and look great in print.

There are new faction intro stories in the book, written by Jennifer Brozek who is an award winning author with recent works completed for the Battletech setting. Jennifer's short intro's far surpass any ability I have for written story content and I was glued to them when I originally received them - they are well worth a read.

Gruntz 1.1 now printing.

2012-11-25T13:47:00.000Z

Yesterday my updated proof arrived here in the UK. I was attending the Hyper Japan convention in London and the postman passed me Gruntz as I walked out to the station to catch the train to the London Olympia venue. I was lucky that I did not end up with a "Sorry you were out" card from the postman.

This made it a great Saturday, because I could read and scan the proof on the train and spend some money on some new Bandai model Gundam kits a the Hyper Japan show. These will be painted up for a Gruntz game when I find the time!

I have now sent all the address details to the printers for the printed copy supporters of the Indiegogo campaign. Shipping has hurt the wallet greatly because I thought that the printing was being completed in the UK and USA (depending on the customers location). However they only print Black and White orders in the UK, so the large number of UK, European and ROW orders are being shipped over from the USA with the associated international shipping costs. I am surprised I did not spot this in the process and I am lobbying Wargames Vault to investigate switching on a UK colour printing for future orders.

It does mean everyone gets a full colour copy as expected but UK, European and ROW orders will take a bit longer to arrive from the USA due to the longer shipping times.

Once I know those copies are in transit, I will be organising the PDF and then switching on the free upgrade email to existing owners. The free PDF upgrade will be issued as an email from the Wargames vault, so watch out for a message in the next week or so. You should be presented with a "Updated" product download. For those that had previously purchased the PDF on the Vault and then also supported the printed copy in Indiegogo, you will of course receive the printed version and the updated PDF from the Wargames Vault when it is switched on.

Some quick sample snaps of the pages follow below.

You can join the conversation about the shipping process here:
Read more:http://gruntz15.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=news&action=display&thread=928#ixzz2DF3bk100

SELWG 2012 Purchases

2012-10-14T22:30:00.001+01:00

This Sunday I took the Gruntz 15mm game to one of the best sci-fi, historical and fantasy Wargames conventions in the South East. Running since 1971 (when I was born), it is a relaxed show, with easy access in South London and worth making the effort to attend with some great traders and games. I have been attending since the early 90's and still get that same Wargames show buzz on every visit.

The Gruntz 15mm games played well and we managed three sessions which took between 45mins and 1hr 20. This depended on the players and how rapidly the players were pushing for the objective and the general chat during game. Jon from GZG gave us some excellent 15mm prize packs for the winning player of every game and some troop packs for players that took part.

Just after setting up the small 3x3 demo table

The scenario was very simple to provide an easy intro to the game. I had some forces from the Gruntz "Heliopause" setting called "The East Hyadym Trade Company". The EHTC were represented with NAC models from GZG and were painted in a colonial red and white scheme. The EHTC were defending a frontier planet outpost and launch pad. The alien enemies were Protolene models from Critical Mass Games and they had the slight edge on the defenders with a large Marok walker with dual plasma heavy arm weapons. The defending EHTC had two APC support vehicles which were GZG hi-mobility models. One was fitted with an anti-infantry automatic weapon and the second had a single plasma cannon. At the start of the game one of the APC's had a squad of EHTC troops already embarked and the second had the Specialist heavy weapons team loaded and ready to be driven to an ideal vantage point to provide covering fire.

During the third game the defending EHTC player Jonathan, made a great move with the heavy weapons team by driving up the ramp on the launch pad and letting them disembark into a good defending location on the edge of the platform.

The games played well and I was really pleased to meet many of the game followers who popped by to say hello. Thanks also to Ben for helping me out on the day.
Here are a few snaps with notes.

Edit: Thanks for the comments on the miniature names. I got my manga mixed up and need to watch Bubblegum crisis, so I can recognise the models.

Spider Droids from GZG with shield up face some Protolene walkers. All three spider droids focused laser fire on a single walker which was smoked. The remaining two turned tail and ran to follow the main force on their following activation.

The starting location on the third game.

Crowds begin to gather on the balcony at the sports centre venue.

Interesting rock top skirmish in this first game.

Planning some full auto fire from a specialist heavy weapons team at the protolene walkers

Protolene closing in on the launch pad

The last few moments for the East Hyadum Trade forces. Both vehicles are smoked.

Some game chat and pre-measuring.

2nd game and they fight to the last. Protolene win

GZG Bubblegum Crisis robots. Amazing stance and details.

4A Miniatures Drop Troopers 28mm

GZG trike truck

GZG new fix mount weapon

New GZG skimmer bikes and Brigade Models Power Armour. The Brigade power armour has the look of a MAK style egg suit.

4A miniatures hale and pace 28mm models.

GZG 25mm Squad

GZG boomers from Appleseed

GZG GENOM Battlesuit. 25mm

GZG AD police in 25mm

Magnetic bases uk. Handy steel bases.

Gruntz at SELWG Convention.

2012-10-04T16:42:00.001+01:00

Gruntz is at the SELWG (South East London Wargames Group) convention on Sunday 14th October. The venue is the Crystal Palace Sports ground. More details of traders etc on their web site: http://www.selwg.org/selwg-2012/ There is the usual great range of traders, bring and buy and show games on the day.

SELWG is a classic show, with a great history and always plenty of good terrain layouts and traders to visit. It was one of the shows in the 90's that gave me a major bug for attending gaming conventions. I somehow always manage to find a bargain on the bring and buy and the mix of traders makes it worth attending.

I will be up on the Balcony area which is along from where you walk in. Jon at Ground Zero Games (GZG) will be trading at the show and will be providing some mini-give-aways and winners gifts for people that join in and have a game of Gruntz.

I will only have the one small gaming table and will run games as and when people approach me and will also find time to chat about Gruntz and discuss painting etc whilst there. It is unlikely that my printed copies of the latest 1.1 rules will be printed in time for the event, however you will be able to try the new rules because I will have some printed guides and some pre-built armies ready to roll.

I will also be attending the Warfare Reading show later in November and hope to take some printed copies of the rules on the Saturday which will be sold via a trader(s).

This is probably the terrain layout I will take with me, so it will be a small table but great for getting straight into a game.

Even if you are not a Gruntz player, please come over and say hello!

Gruntz 15mm 1.1 Finished

2012-10-04T11:39:00.002+01:00

The 1.1 rules are now complete and I just noticed I started version v1 work back in June 2010, with a release of version 1 about a year after in the summer of 2011. This update does not change the core rules developed for v1 but it does have many revisions and tweaks, adjusted due to feedback from players on the forum and various good friends that have helped at convention games and other events.

I finished writing at 21:34 on Tuesday 2nd October. So with a fair wind and rapid print proof I should have everything rolling out and ready for players in the next two-three weeks. The files have been uploaded to the printers (The Adobe Indesign master document is now over 600MB in size) to confirm everything is correctly formatted for a proof print out. The page count has jumped form 88 to 136 pages with lots of interesting new content in addition to the clarifications and adjusted points builders.

I adjusted the front cover very slightly, with an enhanced grey hex background and a subtle change to the blue.

As stated before this 1.1. PDF release will be issued for free to current owners of the v1.0 rules. So there is no additional cost for people that already own the first issue of the rules. I am hoping that the playtesting and player feedback over the last year is enough to make 1.1 a stronger set of rules to use as a "toolkit" for science fiction gaming.

One area of the rules which had a lot of attention were the unit builders. These allow you to pick up any sci-fi model from current miniature providers and design your own hull size, weapons payload, mobility type and troop or vehicle transport. The big super heavy types are now also in which allow you to bring in dropships carrying tanks or support vehicles. Some of the unit builder changes were more subtle, with a split between field artillery and mobile artillery. Specialist supporting units are now also split between vehicle specialists and Gruntz specialists, which allow you to create mini walkers, droids, speeder bikes, medics, engineers and anything else in the range of SCI-FI esoteric technology.

Mecha unit types are now able to be upgraded with transformation to flight mode or ground vehicle mode. They can also take both modifications for the ultimate converting vehicle with an increase in the points cost.

You can see the list of unit types in the following image.

More news soon as I have the first hard copy in my hands and will be pushing the button to issue the back orders to supports of the Indiegogo project.

Continued work on the 15mm VTOL

2012-09-19T13:47:00.001+01:00

A quick update on last nights continued painting. With the base coat completed with airbrushing over the weekend the next phase is now detailing and weathering.

Taking a closer look at my base coat I decided that it was the sort of dark blue/black that you would find on a law enforcement type vehicle. So with that in mind I ended up adding decals and details that were in keeping with a police type vehicle rather than the original plan of going for a military stealth theme (like a black Apache helicopter). I added some spot green and red panels which were completed with three colour tones, a base dark one followed by a medium tone and a highlight. I used the new GW paints for the lights and kept the highlighting bold rather than blending in. I used the same three tones of red as a rim to the engine intakes.

I then also went around the engine components and various other panels with a dark black from lifecolour called cockpit black. It provided a nice additional shade to blend into the corners and bottom areas of the engine where the various cylinders and bars meet the fuselage. It is not very easy to see the shade in the photos and the effect on the model is subtle. I don't plan to highlight up the VTOL because I am after a flat stealth darker look which does not need a lot of highlighting. I was impressed again at the quality, matte level and smoothness of the lifecolor paints.

To avoid the figure looking like it has just been basecoated with no detail, I selected a range of Bandai decals to use which provide a bold distraction to the eye. Some of the Bandai decals are very tiny and only just visible on the VTOL, however they still add detail and improved the look of the bland dark base coat. On the nose of the model I dropped two very tiny white text decals which looked satisfyingly sharp. Note that black text decals would not show up on a dark model like this.

The very back of the exhausts on both the central engine and the thrusters was base coated black and then painted with the range of new GW silvers, gradually getting brighter toward the edge. I was experimenting with thin coats of the new paints and was not 100% happy with the result. So for now I went back over them with Smoke from Lifecolor. I also dropped some Oil from Lifecolor around the engine and exhausts which is an unusual paint and blobs on just like real oil, leaving a raised blob of paint. They now look like dirty blackened exhausts but could probably do with a small amount of highlighting and weathering to finish them.

I cut the Bandai decals out and dropped them in water to let them slide off the cardboard, before applying them with Microsol which you can see in the photo above (small red text pot). Bandai decals are very good quality and don't tear easily, so you can be rough and ready with them as you pull them from the water on a brush and lay them on the figure. I let the water dry on the model for 10mins then applied a thin coat of MicroSol directly to the decal in place on the model. This then thins and softens the decal making it look more like a smooth flat painted detail on the figure. Finally after about 3-4 coats of Microsol I will add some Microflat which is just a fine matt varnish which has the result of securing and flattening any remaining edges of the decal. You could easily use your favourite brand of varnish thinned down rather than Microflat. I should have really painted a gloss smooth coat of varnish onto the areas where the decals are placed before I apply them because you get a better super flat look to the finished decal. However that level of care and attention is only really needed if you are aiming for a showcase standard. This model is for wargaming and does not need to be perfect.

The next step is to hit it with weathering, some streaking around the engines, dust and wear and tear on the paint. I also need to add colour and detail to the sensor bank on the robotic UAV control panel on the front. This should be about another hours work plus about twenty minutes to finish the base. It will finally get a matt spray from Testors dull-coat.

The other models in the photo are Art Crime Productions miniatures called Valkyrie walkers.

Sunday Airbrushing

2012-09-17T12:03:00.001+01:00

This weekend I have been on hold waiting for the proof read feedback to come through for the draft version of the 1.1 Gruntz rules. Some of it has already come in but I can't start the edits until I have a couple more proofs back or I will miss duplicate typos etc.

So for the first time for about 4 Months I found the time to do some model construction and airbrushing. I focused on a couple of models that I have had in the queue for a while and got the GZG Mantis unmanned robotic missile attack VTOL put together and the pop up ground emplacement turret from Xmarx. Both of these models play a part in the latest update to Gruntz. The VTOL is part of a new classification of Air Attack Vehicles which is in addition to the standard Air Support Vehicles which are built for troop support and transport. The Air Attack vehicles can carry main weapons which makes them more effective at dealing with vehicle targets.

The new Xmarx turret also fits into the revised artillery classifications which includes fixed mount weapons and unlimbered field artillery. The rules allow for the hardened emplacement to pop up by taking 1 action, so they have a higher Soak statistic whilst the emplacement is in closed position which makes them a great base defense. This was a model I discussed with Xmarx and thought it would be a great feature in a 15mm game. Xmarx are now also working through the design for a resin bunker which will fit into the Grunts rules. Both of these resin buildings from Xmarx are inspired by strategy computer games which make use of automated turrets and bunkers to support vehicles and other units.

The VTOL from GZG is a multipart metal kit consisting of a long central bar with fittings like the front cockpit type sections, engine, fins, undercarriage, missile pods and jet thrusters. The various pieces slot on very easily and glue tightly with no pinning needed. The ball turret style front weapon has two options, a laser/plasma or RAC type. I already have two of the Roach variant of this VTOL which has a large container beneath to transport troops and I wanted to add this version which has the AI / UAV cockpit section, so rather than glass it has some digital gubbins and sensors added to the front.

AV-12/U "Mantis UAV" VTOL Gunship unmanned variant (remote or AI-controlled)

With these VTOL's you can place the undercarriage and wheels in a stowed or down position and I went for the stowed option to represent this model is in flight. One of my exisitng Roach models is on the ground but I wanted to go for an inflight option for this Mantis variant, so it can be seen to be threatening with the missile pods.   With some effort with magnets you could probably create all the variants of the VTOL (Mantis and Roach varients) in a kit form and just click them onto the core structure "rod" which runs like a backbone through the model. Considering the low cost of 15mm and the fiddly nature of magnetising the model it is probably worth just buying the other options and painting them up.

To prep the model I used a sharp scalpel blade and various grades of Tamiya sandpaper. I did not exhaustively track down every mould line and spent most of prep time tidying up the worst of any miscast sections. It did have some junk in the VTOL blades and exhausts that needed a little TLC to get shifted by using a pin vice to drill out the worst flash. Overall it was very clean and tidy and easy to put together. It spent one night in a clear vinegar bath which then stripped any release agent and cleaned off any grease from my hands which tend to get hot when hand sanding and cutting the components. The fins at the back also needed their slots to be sanded out a bit so they could easily be glued on.

I used the amazing Gorilla Super glue which is thick and contains a resin which makes the join extra tough and avoids the usual superglue crust which can make the join weak.

I used a metal disc base and then glued on the heavy metal "Hex base" from GZG. You can't see the GZG hex base because it is underneath the gel and sand I added to disguise it. The metal rod is also GZG and comes as part of the large metal flight base. However on the top I added a Ninja magic magnetic connector. The magnetic connector allows me to pop the VTOL off the base for transport and was strong enough to keep the heavy metal VTOL in place for movement. I normally use the magnetic connectors on my Full Thrust fleets so I can quickly pack them for transport and change the fleet on the bases.

The Xmarx pop-up ground turret comes as a resin multi-part kit with 3 different turret options. A small missile, large missile and cannon option. It also has a set of bay doors which slide along rails (which are nicely detailed). It would be best integrated into a terrain base with extra details but I decided to paint it independently so I can drop it onto any type of terrain. The doors could also be magnetised to show them open or closed, however I left them lose for ease of airbrushing and you can quickly pop them on as closed bay doors when the model is in use on the table. The detail is really fine.

If you are interested in how I bolt the Ninja Magic Magnetic connectors onto the GZG hex bases you can see a full video showing these components on youtube here:

Primer coat was Tamiya light grey spray primer. This is my go to primer, especially for airbrushing because it has a very fine eggshell type finish, rather than the more powdery matte coat you might get with traditional miniature model primer. This has become a personal preference after years of trying different brands and has worked when I use it on miniatures for painting or airbrushing.

You can see the roach variant here with the troop transport.

My base colour is a black from Lifecolor. I used the Tire black for the base colour, with a highlight of Vulcanized rubber mixed with a little white to lighten the tone. You can't really see the highlights in the photos but I was intending to aim for a very subtle colour because I wanted a stealth black look to the final model.

With airbrushing you will find that the base coat is ultra smooth. You don't get lost (as I did) when painting vehicles where you find yourself looking at an inconsistent coat. It is very hard to finish a large vehicle with a single base coast using a hand brush and the airbrush makes this vital stage much easier. There is nothing better than having your base colour super smooth and consistent.

You can see here how small these models are with the gas mask in the frame. The Deck Tan colour from Tamiya was used for the base colour of the gun emplacement, with the same Tire black mix from Lifecolor used on the emplacement sliding roof and weapon. Note to self to make sure you don't leave any Lifecolor paint in the airbrush when adding Tamiya paint. The Tamiya made the Life Color paint curdle and block the airbrush which stopped the flow and required a cleaning break.

For my airbrushing I use an Awata HPC-Plus airbrush which has a 0.3mm nozzle. They are often used by modellers in the military modelling hobby and can get right down to a very fine and subtle line if you learn to use the fine control. In this instance I used it with the lifecolor paints which I thinned with a few drops of Vallejo thinners. The thinners keep the paint flowing well in the airbrush cup, reducing blockages.

You need a lot of cocktail sticks and cheap pipettes to hand when airbrushing to allow you to easily drop and move thinners, paints and cleaners around. Without pipettes and spare empty pots it becomes a logistics nightmare!

Ready for Airbrushing. Sundstrom mask on and extractor behind me. My airbrush is resting in a desk mount.

I also use a Sundstrom mask respirator. It has a great filter to keep out the particles of paint and bad stuff. You can use a lighter mask and goggles but I react badly to acrylic paints and found myself suffering cold like symptons, red face and sore eyes with a standard dust type mask and full goggles. You can always find good quality used Sundstrom masks on Ebay but you might need to purchase a new filter for it. It got pretty bad so an upgrade to a Sundstrom helped. My extractor sucks the worst of the paint fumes out of the house but I still reacted badly to the paints before I purchased the respirator.

Vallejo Thinners.

Iwata HPC-Plus Airbrush.

The next phase for this mini project is weathering and details on both models. I will try and achieve a stealth look to the VTOL and will weather up the weapons base with scratches and rust water/rust damage.

Gruntz now in final draft.

2012-09-10T14:33:00.003+01:00

I can't believe the 1.1. update is almost done. Last night a draft went out to a group of proof readers, so if all goes to plan I should have some edits and typo fix work to complete next weekend before completing the PDF upload to the Wargames Vault and the prints for the Indiegogo project supporters.

The rules have grown from v1 at 88 pages to v1.1 at 136 pages which was a signifiant overhaul! The core mechanisms are the same with the focus of improvements being tweaks and changes suggested by the community. It is still a simple game to learn and play with limited table reference for a speedy game. I have added more charts and diagrams to make it easier for a first time player to understand the turn sequence, activation and various core rules.

In addition to the rules clarifications, points system update and additions there are some new artworks from Jake Parker, Aris Kolehmainen and story intros for the factions from Jennifer Borzek. Jenny is a professional award-winning writer and her story intros are well worth reading, even if you have your own preferred setting to use with the game. Jenny has already had people ask for expansion to some of the story hooks so this might be a future project.

It has ultimately been a personal struggle with Adobe DTP products and my creative ability to convert my ideas into something worth reading and playing (which are sometimes lacking). However none of this version would be possible without a lot of community help, ideas and play test feedback.

The 1.1 update is free to existing buyers of the v1 PDF and the download message will be sent from the Wargames Vault when the final proof reader edits are updated. If you have not previously bought it from the Vault but supported the Indiegogo project I will be adding you to a download link which will also point you at a free download on the Wargames Vault. The print copies for Indiegogo pleaders will follow shortly after when the copy is processed and shipped. I don't have an exact date because it depends on the printer timeframes which should not be more than 10 or so days after the PDF - but please don't hold me to it because I will be dependant on the print third party to process things quickly.

For players that were not printed copy supporters of the indiegogo project, I am working through the cost options for the final printed copy for "Print on Demand" and I am aiming to keep the price low and accessible like the PDF version.

Thanks again to everyone that has provided support and encouragement. I will post news again over the next week when I have the proof edits back.

Gruntz at Pacificon Convention

2012-09-05T14:10:00.001+01:00

Thanks to John Murphy for putting on a great Gruntz game at Pacificon this last weekend in Santa Clara, California.

It sounds like they had a good time with a Rebels vs Alliance game with models from various manufacturers used including Rebel Minis, GZG and Khurasan. They used the Beta version of the Barracks application to create the forces for the game which allowed them to print the cards for easy use by the players attending the show.

I really wish I had the funds to attend some international shows with Gruntz at Gencon last Month and now Pacificon. It would certainly be a fun trip with a visit over to the West Coast for Pacifcon. Next year I really hope to get to at least one international show in person!

These last two weeks I have been on a personal vacation to Ireland but managed to continue to use downtime in the evenings and use the laptop for continued updates to the 1.1 rules. This weekend it will be sent in draft format to a few people for proof reading before printing and upload to the Wargames Vault. This should coincide with the launch of the final Barracks application to allow players to create forces and print the profile cards for ease of game setup.

Gruntz 15mm at Gencon 2012

2012-08-17T14:21:00.000+01:00

Gruntz is over at Gencon this week and live photo updates of the games in progress are being shared by Aaron from his twitter account. It looks like a fun game with miniatures from Rebel Mini's and Critical Mass games in use on the table.

I have dropped in a few photos from the game below.

Sample page from Gruntz 1.1

2012-07-30T09:43:00.001+01:00

Sample page from Gruntz 1.1
Originally uploaded by inrepose

Updates and work is still happening for the planned August release of the Gruntz 1.1. rules. This weekend I added the various introduction stories and started to tidy up the core rules. I have a stack of nice new miniature photography to add, along with several new art works which will be nice for owners of printed version of the rules.

This coming week I will be back into the updates again and will post the odd update when I can make the time.

Via Flickr:
Sample with art by David White and MEF. M-E-F (Igor Vitkovskiy). m3-f.deviantart.com

Welcome to the Gruntz 15mm SCI FI Rules

2012-07-28T12:00:00.000+01:00

Thanks for visiting the Gruntz website. Gruntz 15mm is a ruleset for SCI-FI skirmish wargamming. It was designed from the ground up to be specific to scales and ranges in 15mm and is focused on integrating a fun combined arms game where you can combine tanks, mecha, squads and specialist ground and air support units.

Gruntz won the Tabletop Gaming News readers vote for best new rules in 2011 and there are some excellent reviews on the Wargames Vault where you can buy the product.

The rules are now out in PDF format. You can purchase the rules here for just $9: Wargames Vault - Gruntz

In addition to the 88 page core rules the download includes:

A set of blank profile cards in PDF. These are template cards with each size of vehicle, tanks, mecha and air support pre-listed with damage points. You still need to build the units by using pts to buy weapons, mobility type etc but the cards should help with ease of creation.
A zip of the previous Critical Mass Cards which are good samples of existing units.
An Excel builder spreadsheet which is work in progress. The spreadsheet still requires some finishing touches and adjustments and is "open to development", so if you spot anything you can improve or help please let me know.

Sample pages from the 88 page rules:

Heliopause Story Arc's

2012-07-23T16:40:00.000+01:00

The new story-arc intros are complete for about 10 of the factions and they are stunning little story intros by Jennifer Brozek. I read them back to back last night and felt a terrible desire to ask Jenny to turn it into a book!

It is fantastic that they have come in on time to allow me to get them into the new 1.1 rules. I am really hoping that readers will enjoy them as much as I did, even if you don't wan't a setting to play in you should still be able to enjoy her writing and the ideas for games and encounters they stimulate.

Here is the Heliopause faction relationship overview diagram. The background intros cover almost all the factions with some excellent sci-fi by Jenny. The intros often include some political intrigue and hooks between the factions, so you might be reading about the East Hyadum Trade Company (EHTC) but hearing about their approach to an engagement with ARM.

More hi-res versions of this image on Flickr here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/inrepose/7629947346/in/photostream

French Translation of Gruntz

2012-07-13T09:21:00.001+01:00

Khurasan Miniatures

There is now a French translation document for the Gruntz v1 rules in the Wargames Vault.

It is all of the core rules and 68 pages long. It does not cover the background information or artwork, so you will need the main PDF in addition to the French copy.

http://www.wargamevault.com/product/103837/Gruntz-French-Translation