Mid-summer project review

15mm WW2

Not much done lately, just a few games that are part of an Eastern Front mini-campaign. The Russians would need more anti-tank guns. I still have a bunch of unused PSC T-34 turrets that could be fitted to Zvezda hulls.

I would also like to start a second Allied faction, either Brits or Americans. This would be done only in autumn.

Weapon ranges should be modified for the rules as I find most of them too short.

Pike and shot
Two unpainted boxes, one to be converted to pancerni cossacks and the TYW/ECW command set.

Fleet Grey - Fleet Green
The Green infantry box and the cards for TtM&B are to be finished.
The second part of the naval campaign will be fought at the end of July.

6mm Schultze-Böhnstadt
Still three packs (Flossian dragoons, SB cuirassiers, Flossian infantry) remaining plus command.

Napoleonic South American
Started painting a Tropezonian contingent but didn't get very far with them, thinking about switching to something else.

Kitbashing

I have amongst the heaps of unpainted figures two little baskets that are the 'scratch baskets'. Any spare parts, sprue rubble, MDF and plasticard goes in there. This is a most useful thing. For example, I had this kit above for about 15 years now. One of my first models, an Airfix Universal Carrier with a 6-pounder gun. It was soundly beaten, too. But as I've got a lot of spare time, my little brother and I worked on it a little.

Brutal Lego Fighting

To be honest, I have almost given in to temptation.

I have stumbled upon One Page 40k and read a few 40k novels. Oh my. I have even started looking into cheap non-retail (read: non-GW) resources. 

And then it hit me: I can do better.

One Page 40k is good, but not beer-and-pretzels-fun-good. Not slaughter-everything-good. A fast-paced tabletop game of total slaughter IS, in fact, one page long. And then you can add all your scenarios, rules limitations and whatnot.

I have also had a lot of Lego on hand.

Thus was born One Page Sci-fi. 

No army lists and point limits.

No fancy mechanics.

No distinct melee and shooting.

No 9001 dice thrown at the same time.

It is bloody.

It is fun.

It is played with Lego miniatures.

In these pictures, you can observe a game where the Space Orcs defend an ancient ruins against two opposing armies. The enemy had to reach the ruins to end the game. The challenge for them was that the defender set up a series of obstacles and covers (some static shields too) the way he liked. However, the defending units were outnumbered and all armies had activations, so it was 2 enemy actions to the defender's 1. The Orcs lost but to a bloody cost. You can see that there are many types of units as it can be read in the rules.

We have also played some 'total annihilation' type games and a 'capture the flag' scenario. Since then the armies have been expanded and now any army can take up various 'mercenary' units to give way to variety as originally every army had the same number and type of units.

South-American ImagiNations: the background

First of all, sorry for the long absence. There is no particular reason to this other than the start of the summer holiday. I've got even more lazier than before. But there were some gaming and some new rules that will be published.
Here are a bunch of details on the two South American (or Napoleonic) ImagiNations I'll be using my 1/72 plastics for. I basically just generated some personalities to use, then started painting away the line units. The Ortosilian army's first units are now waiting to be based.  When their opponents are ready too, I'd like to play some Song of Drums and Shakos with them.

Inter Arma Modern 6mm - A More Strategic Approach

In this test game of the activation-based Inter Arma 6mm, the Jazygian military force conducted an exercise in a small town.
The infantry platoons are proxied with dominoes.

500 posts

This is actually the 501st published, so the previous one was #500.

This means 0,48 posts per day, 3,35 posts per week and 14 posts per month on average since the starting date, 21 August 2011.

The three months with the highest number of visits are April 2012 (1923), October 2013 (2177), May 2014 (2017).

Hits by country:
US 12571
Hungary 9437
UK 3856
Russia 3829
Germany 1860
France 1129
Ukraine 555
Poland 435
Italy 377
Belgium 345

Ortosilian staff

After a long wait and lots of work, my last exam in this term is today, and this afternoon I will be enjoying the summer regardless of its outcome (I will pass).

Lol nope. Still got one on Wednesday.

But the good news. These fine gentlemen are the leading personalities of the just begun Napoleonic South American Imagi-Nation Thing, and are painted from the Italeri Napoleonic staff sets. Namely, from left to right,  

Don Carlos Cristobal Guerrero, Reverend Major - French 

Don Pedro Carraro, Shareholder of the Treasury, personal attendant - French (Napoleon :~) )

His Majesty Manuel Ortega the 2nd, Glorious and Magnificent - Russian

Don Diego Alejandro de Robles, General of Artillery, Keeper of the Cattles - French.

The names are generated using 100 Spanish first- and surnames, 2d100 cast. I'm taking no responsibility.

Forged in Battle PaK 40 and PSC 45mm Soviet AT gun

The anti-tank capabilities for both the Soviets and Germans are finished. The FiB metal kits were a little bit stiff to put together (lots of trimming on the barrels). The primer also peeled off at some places, but I guess that's the paint's problem and not the models'. 

Used a sepia wash on the Soviet crew and a black glaze on the Germans for a quickshade.

The 45mm gun was a PSC single sprue bought on ebay. It was confusing because it was stated that the item is new, in original package. Now how can you get a single sprue without opening up the 5-gun pack, I have no idea. The price was still OK so no complaints.

6mm Schultze-Böhnstadt

I have finished four battalions and a command stand for Schultze-Böhnstadt out of the freshly arrived Baccus 6mm figures.

The command stand is Princeps Erhard Berthold and his chancellor Erik von Südflosse.

The infantry is based for Maurice, a base width came out to be perfect at 1 inch so that simplifies measuring a lot!

They are very easy to do, actually I think the basing took longer than the painting. Black undercoat, very dark grey drybrush for the uniforms; crossbelts, hats, then the reds, a medium grey on the gaiters, silver on the weapons and flesh on the hands and faces - all done in less than 2 hours.