Sunday, January 23, 2011

WWI Germans are such dips!

Daniel has just sent me these photos of his new Old Glory WWI Germans, painted using the Army Painter dip method. Damn but they look good!

ImagiNation: Rgt Roquefort

Today I finished up my first ImagiNation unit, 1er Battalion/Regiment d'Infanterie Roquefort. You can see the end result below. The battalion is composed of 24 musketeers and is accompanied by eight figures of the regimental command group (two standards, two drummers, two sergeants, and two officers on foot). Next up on the painting desk is the second battalion (including grenadiers) and two 3lb battalion guns with crews. I've also started cleaning the figures for my first cavalry regiment, Les Grenadiers a Cheval Boursin. 

1er Battalion, Regiment d'Infanterie Roquefort. 
All Crusader figures except the Front Rank mounted colonel. Flags by GMB.

  
A closer shot of the regimental command party with the (white) Colonel's flag and the (red/white) Ordonnance standard.

 
Le Marquis de Fromage in his distinctive royal purple tunic.

As a finished unit, I'm quite pleased with Rgt Roquefort but I had some misgivings during the painting process. For some reason I couldn't quite get the red tunics to my satisfaction. Maybe I was too far into the proverbial forest to see the trees (or is that the other way around?). Anyway, once based and flagged, the red seems to look pretty good. I'm playing around with the idea of using Army Painter red primer on the next batch, blocking in the main colours then using the Army Painter dip. In fact, I had the cans in my hand the other day in a  hobby shop, almost ready to buy them. But it would be  such a radical departure from my current method that I hesitated and will continue to mull it over.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Quick Peeks!

Some quick peeks at a couple of new projects. First up is Daniel's WWI 28mm mega-project, the terrain boards for which you can see under construction here. For Xmas, I gifted Daniel with a couple of British tanks from Old Glory and he's already finished the assembly and painting.

Apologies for the photo quality. These are from an iPhone text exchange a couple of days ago. Daniel or I will post some better pictures soon.

Here we have a Whippetso-called because of its blazing speed.
 And the real thing we found on a trip to Aberdeen a few years ago.


His Majesty's Land Ship Buttercup. 
The name is sure to send tremors of fear down the spine of the dastardly Hun.



 And again, the real thing at Aberdeen (displayed quite wonderfully by Diana).

And to kick off my new ImagiNation project, over the last two weeks I've painted the 1er Battalion, Regiment d'Infanterie Roquefort. These are without flags or finished bases but, I think, look quite nice regardless. This is just one battalion of 24 figures with assorted standard bearers, drummers and officers (all Crusader figures except the two mounted Front Rank officers). There will be another 24-figure battalion and a couple 4lb guns added in short order. Tucked up in the top right in the royal purple tunic is Le Marquis de Fromage.

 
1er Battalion, Regiment d'Infanterie Roquefort


Some musings about blogs and such...

Before I start waxing philosophic about the hobby (blah, blah, blah), I have a couple of grainy photos of a game that Daniel and I played a couple of weeks ago. It was a chance to field my new German pioneer squad. 
Daniel contemplating where to best deploy the flammenwerfer team.
Half of the German pioneer squad clustered around its transport (or are they hiding like the cowards they were?)
OK, eye-candy out of the way (despite its lack of photo quality). I've been thinking much lately about wargaming and hobby blogs, why we create and follow them. The latter is easy, at least for me. Reading others' blogs gives me inspiration, ideas and a sense of my relative place in the hobby. Besides ogling figures and terrain, keeping up with the plethora of blogs out there can help me put my own efforts into perspective. How does my painting stack up against the average...or the best? How do my games look compared to others? Thats' not the only reason, of course. I like to read painting and terrian-making tips to see if I can glean any useful information. What I don't like is lengthy game reports (especially if they don't have pictures) but maybe that's just me.

What gives me pause to think is why I do it myself. Why did I create this blog and why do I continue it? So far, I find the answer is in three parts:

1) showing off
2) soliciting opinions (closely tied to #1)
3) keeping track of my own efforts

Showing off is an integral part of the hobby, at least my hobby. And there's nothing wrong with celebrating one's own accomplishments (as long it doesn't slide into over-weening hubris, of course). Now I'm perfectly aware that for many in the hobby, aesthetic awareness is not high on their list of hobby necessities. That's OK...to each his own, as they say, but not for me. There's something special about going to a game with friends and pulling out a box with my latest painted figures to show off. And I like very much being on the other side of that as well. Seeing others' achievements gives that peculiar thrill unique to most modelling hobbies. Creating a blog was a natural extension of this. Rather than showing up at a friend's house with painted figures in hand, I can now open the virtual figure box and show them off here. 

Soliciting opinions is also a reason for my blogging. Of course, this is really just an extension of showing off. Why would one exhibit one's efforts if not to solicit opinions. Far too often, I think, the purpose is to solicit praise. That's fine, as long as one is ready for the criticism as well. Of course, offering constructive criticism of another's paint jobs is like walking on egg shells and most of us avoid it altogether. A quick anecdote to show the minefield one can walk into in this regard:

I few years ago I had invited a new group of gamers to my house for some games. At one of these gatherings, a new friend walked in and proudly opened a box of newly-painted 1/285 WWII infantry. They were mounted on GW 20mm square plastic bases. I can't recall the quality of the paint jobs (which is irrelevant to the story anyway...and besides, I can't see figures that small) but I do remember the basing. There were three or four figures per base and there were some patches of flock covering about one third of the base area. Otherwise the bases were just the bare black plastic. Quite innocently and with the intention of showing praise, I said, "Good job. They'll look great when you finish the basing." I immediately saw my mistake when the guy's eye's dropped and his face showed real disappointment. Turns out, the bases were finished. Ooops!

So you can probably see my trepidation when I say a blog is intended, at least in part, to solicit praise  (and/or criticism). The more I add to this blog, the more I realize its other intrinsic value as a diary of sorts. I find it extremely helpful in keeping track of my projects and my intentions for them. I usually have a number of things on the go and often I can't remember what I had intended for certain figures or terrain items. I didn't grow up in a pink-frilled bedroom, sitting on the bed faithfully writing my diary (my apologies to all those very manly men who did that and are living relatively well-adjusted adult lives). But maybe I wanted to, maybe. And now that I've started the ImagiNation project, using the blog as a means of keeping track of uniform ideas and rules suggestions is invaluable.

OK, enough rambling. Next up, some thoughts about tracking my ImagiNation progress and the first painted unit.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

ImagiNation Campaigning - Part Deux

Before I continue on with the ImagiNation campaigning ideas, I've noticed the New Years blogger trend of reviewing painting output for the past year. I was curious to see how many figures I had painted in 2010 and came up with these numbers:

28mm cavalry/mounted: 49
28mm infantry: 282
15mm infantry: 48

According to my long-dead painting points idea (see here), that amounts to 404 points (or just a tad over one point per day for the whole year). I recognize that I don't pump out figures at the rate of some gamers but I'm quite happy with these numbers. Besides, these numbers don't take into account terrain items and the 28mm WWII vehicles I've added.

Moving on...

To compliment the ImagiNation Campaigning ideas I presented here, I've put together some ideas for the naval portion of the project. These are based upon my current preferred Age of Sail rule set, Kiss Me, Hardy from Too Fat Lardies. Take a gander:

IMAGINATION CAMPAIGNING 

NAVAL FORCES

Note: Full understanding of these naval campaigning ideas requires knowledge of Kiss Me, Hardy but most of them can be easily understood regardless.

CREW QUALITY

Most crews begin as Landlubbers and Poor Sailors. It is recommended that one squadron of up to three ships begin as Sans Cullottes. As they accumulate experience, winning or losing their battles and capturing or sinking enemy vessels, they will change in the way that they see themselves and this will gradually change the way that they behave on the tabletop. Crews are categorised according to their experience, gunnery skills, and seamanship.

A crew is rated according to its Class and Quality. As stated, most begin their Class as Landlubbers but crew Quality is variable within each Class level.

Normally, a crew must participate in at least two actions at its current Quality level to be eligible to advance to the next highest Quality level. When this happens, roll 1d6: on a 5-6 the crew is advanced to the next Quality level (within its Class strictures). If unsuccessful, roll 1d6 after each subsequent action, adding +1 for each subsequent action fought. Advancing to the next Class level follows the same rule, except a 6 must be rolled on 1d6.  When a crew advances its Class level, it retains its current Quality level. It is entirely possible to advance a crew’s Class and Quality levels simultaneously.

(Note: Particularly notable achievements may allow players to advance a crew’s Class and/or Quality level ahead of schedule, if all participants agree).

Crew Class
Crew Quality
Landlubbers
These crews have seen little or no time at sea, let alone in action with an enemy. They have no positive factors assigned automatically, will fire at a minus, and are more likely to strike. When building/creating a new vessel/crew, roll 1d20:

1-10 =Average (poor sailors; poor shots after first broadside)
11-20 = Poor (poor sailors; poor shots at all times; cowardly; foul-bottomed)
Note: Elite not permitted
Sans Cullotes
These crews have seen some action but are not as professional as Jolly Jack Tars. Elite crews under this category have taken the opportunity to train boarders and develop a cohesive and enthusiastic unit. Average crews have no automatic extra characteristics but can purchase any using the points system. It is quite possible that vessels operating under this system will be ‘cowardly lubbers’, and a fair proportion will be poor sailors, unable to sail in tight formation. When building/creating a new vessel/crew, roll 1d20 (ignore this roll if the crew is advancing from a lower Class):

1-4 = Elite (boarding party; determined)
5-15 = Average (no modifications)
16-20 = Poor (poor firing after first broadside; poor sailors; cowardly)

Jolly Jack Tars
These crews attempt to close with the enemy as soon as possible and are well-trained and experienced in rapid fire. To reflect this in the rules, these crews have an improved fire factor at point blank and short range. Ships with this characteristic are manned by experienced sailors and officered by professionals with a firm control over their crew. They will automatically assemble boarding and counter boarding parties when necessary, and may count as ‘fervently determined’. These ships are not automatically fast sailors, and in fact, due to extreme service at sea, may be ‘foul bottomed’. No crews in this Class can be ‘cowardly lubbers.’ When building/creating a new vessel/crew, roll 1d20 (ignore this roll if the crew is advancing from a lower Class):

1-13 = Elite (double shot at close range; boarding party; fervently determined)
14-18 = Average (double shot at close range; boarding party; determined)
19-20 = Poor (boarding party; determined)

THE SIZE OF YOUR PURSE

Bonus features for ships and/or crews may be purchased as per Kiss Me, Hardy.

ENHANCE YOUR FLEET

As your fleet fights its battles it will, you hope, gain some victories; with these come Victory Points that may be used to enhance your fleet in several ways. How these points are achieved is listed below.

Result
Points
Your objectives are achieved and your enemy is obliged to withdraw
2
Your objective is achieved, but you are forced to withdraw
1
You failed to achieve your objective
0
Your fleet flagship was sunk or captured
-1
75% or more of your force was sunk or captured
-2

The points are awarded to the fleet as a whole, not to the various elements within the fleet. This serves as the basic model for gaining Victory Points. Some scenarios may have variations on this theme. These points may be spent as follows:

Enhancement
Points
Advance a crew to its next Class Level without a die roll (assuming it has otherwise satisfied the requirements for such an advancement)
4
Advance a crew to its next Quality Level without a die roll (assuming it has otherwise satisfied the requirements for such an advancement)
3
Improve Initial Broadside: adds one dice per deck for the initial broadside on either side of the vessel and is in addition to any other gunnery characteristics
1
Give a crew/ship the Fast Sailor trait: such vessels may double the lowest die score thrown when that vessel moves, or half it if a minus die
1
Give a crew/ship the Determined trait: crews with this characteristic are less likely to strike and therefore can add 10% on to any throw made on the striking table
1
Give a crew/ship the Fervently Determined trait: crews with this characteristic may add 20% to any throw made on the striking table.
2
Give a crew/ship the Boarding Party trait: vessels with this characteristic may double the lowest die thrown in a boarding action
1
Remove a crew’s Cowardly Lubbers trait
2
Remove a ship’s Foul Bottom trait
1
Remove a crew’s Poor Sailors trait
2

FLEET DETERIORATION

Negative things may also happen to your crews/ships if they perform badly in a battle.

Roll 1d6 for every ship/crew that had its squadron flagship sunk or captured during a battle. On a roll of 6, the unit is downgraded one Quality level. Add +1 to the roll for every other ship/crew in the squadron that was also sunk or captured. Add +1 to the roll if the fleet flagship was sunk or captured. If the fleet flagship was sunk or captured, all ships of the fleet present at the battle must make this roll. If a crew is downgraded to a Quality level that includes the Poor Sailors trait, ignore the latter.

If a ship is sunk, it is obviously removed from the fleet list. A new ship can be built but must begin at the Landlubbers Class level.

If a ship is captured, it can be added to the enemy's fleet list and appropriately renamed (and the model surrendered as well). The new crew for this vessel must begin at Landlubbers Class level.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Imagination Campaigning

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program...

In between cleaning up the sample Crusader figures I ordered for myself as a Xmas present and designing their new uniforms (see here), I've been puttering around with a way to improve the quality of our forces as we play with them. Vidal and I agreed early on that all units would begin our little project with the lowest troop quality allowed in our rules of choice and work their way up through campaigning and fighting. It just so happens that recently Too Fat Lardies produced an American Civil War companion rule set to Sharp Practice called Terrible Sharp Sword which contains some interesting ideas for creating your forces and improving unit qualities as you game with them. Below is a distillation of these ideas with a few of my own added in. I hold no pretensions of originality (in fact, I have lifted much of it word-for-word from Terrible Sharp Sword) and these are just a first draft intended to be a starting point. You may notice that, as with most TFL products, not every eventuality has been catered for. A fair amount of gentlemanly agreement and fair-minded play is required. Besides, these are just a framework or set of guidelines. Enough rambling...

Note: Full understanding of these campaigning ideas requires knowledge of Sharp Practice but lacking that, most of them can be easily understood regardless.

IMAGINATION CAMPAIGNING

TROOP QUALITY

All units begin as Poor. As they accumulate experience, winning or losing their battles, they will change in the way that they see themselves, and this will gradually change the way that they behave on the tabletop. Troops are categorised according to how much time they have spent in the field. Although most groups/units begin as Poor troops, skirmish and designated guard troops begin as Regular troops.

A unit must participate in at least two actions at its current quality level to be eligible to advance to the next highest Troop Quality level.  When this happens, roll 1d6: on a 5-6 the unit is advanced to the next quality level. If unsuccessful, roll 1d6 after each subsequent action, adding +1 for each subsequent action fought. (Note: Particularly notable achievements may allow players to advance a unit’s quality level ahead of schedule, if all participants agree).

Troop Quality
Effect
Poor
Poor troops are just seeing the elephant. They will tend to have lower Status officers and NCOs and lower standards of drill and musketry. That said, they are more likely to stand up to some punishment better than Good or Elite troops due to their inexperience. Poor troops ignore the first point of Shock received in Fisticuffs. If they win in Fisticuffs they must pursue a defeated enemy, attempting to close to engage in Fisticuffs on their next activation. This will break any Formation they are in. Big Men hit by musket fire from Poor troops will roll with a -1 on the appropriate chart. Skirmish troops may never be Poor.
Regular
Regular troops have seen some action and are more knowledgeable in the ways of war. They may choose to pursue an enemy defeated in Fisticuffs but if they do so, any Formation they are in will be broken. Regular troops may never have more than a +1 musketry bonus. Skirmish and guard troops may never be lower than Regular.
Good
Good troops may achieve a +1 or even +2 in musketry and may be aggressive in Fisticuffs. Big Men hit by musket fire from Good troops will roll with a +1 on the appropriate chart. Good troops pursuing an enemy defeated in Fisticuffs may retain their Formation.
Elite
Elite troops are veterans really past their best. They are experienced troops and by now they should have good officers and NCOs and have a number of benefits; however, they are more interested in self-preservation than heroics. Elite troops automatically get a +1 in musketry (in addition to any other bonuses but may not exceed +2). It requires two Initiatives from a Big Man to get them to charge into Fisticuffs. They will never add fervour in Fisticuffs (except by using a Bonus Card) and will never pursue an enemy defeated in Fisticuffs. Big Men hit by musket fire from Elite troops will roll with a +2 on the appropriate chart.

AGGRESSION

Roll 1d6 for each unit. On a 6 or more these troops are Aggressive. Add +1 to the die roll if the troop type is considered naturally Aggressive (i.e. cossack-like mercenaries from the Eastern provinces, some light troops).

BIG MEN

One Big Man is allowed per two Groups in a unit, rounding up for any odd numbers (recommended group size = eight figures). Of course, with Big Men we are not representing all of the officers and NCOs present, just the ones who are competent enough to have a positive impact on the battlefield. To reflect the variability between units, roll 1d6. On a 1, reduce the number of Big Men by one; on a 6 you add an extra one; otherwise, no change. To determine the status of the Big Men in each unit, consult the chart below. All ranks refer to a standard regimental organization but may be adjusted to national differences as required.

Big Man
Details
First
The first Big Man is always the regimental colonel (or equivalent). Give him a suitable name and roll 1d6. On 1-4 he is a Status II Big Man, on a 5 or 6 he is Status III.
Second
This Big Man is a Chef de Battalion (or equivalent) or Captain. Again, a suitable name will help, then roll 1d6. On a 1 or 2 he is a Status I Big Man, on 3-6 he is Status II.
Third
This is always a junior officer (i.e. Lieutenant). On a roll of 1-4 he has a Status of I, on a 5 or 6 his Status is II.
Fourth
Roll 1d6 to see what rank this man holds. On a 1-4 he is a Senior NCO (i.e. Sergeant); roll for his status as for the Third Big Man. One a 5 or 6 he is a junior officer; roll for his Status as for the Second Big Man, with a -1 on the die.
Fifth
and
subsequent
If you already have two junior officers, this Big Man is automatically a Sergeant. If you have two Sergeants already then roll 1d6. On 1-3 he is a Sergeant, on 4-6 a junior officer. Roll for Status as above depending on his rank with a -1 on the die.

Each Big Man may be fleshed out by using the normal characteristics rules in Sharp Practice.

BIG MEN CASUALTIES

For each Big Man who is badly wounded roll 1d6 at the end of the game. On a 6 the Big Man will be returned to the unit for the next game. Each subsequent time this is tested for, add +1 to the roll for each game played in the Big Man’s absence.

A Big Man who is lightly wounded will be available for the next game and be restored to his normal Status level.

If a Big Man is killed a more junior ranking Big Man may be promoted to fill the vacant role (or be appointed by the regimental colonel or reigning monarch, of course). In this case one of the Privates may be promoted to Sergeant with a Status I.

If a Big Man is absent from the force due to wounds one Private may be promoted from the ranks to become a Status I Sergeant after the battle; however, this man must return to the ranks once the Big Man returns unless other vacancies appear in the meantime.

ENHANCE YOUR FORCE

As your force fights its battles it will, you hope, gain some victories; with these come Victory Points that may be used to enhance your force in several ways. How these points are achieved is listed below.

Result
Points
Your objectives are achieved and your enemy is obliged to withdraw
from the field
2

Your objective is achieved, but your enemy controls the field of battle
1
You failed to achieve your objective
0

The points are awarded to the force as a whole, not to the various elements within the force. This serves as the basic model for gaining Victory Points. Some scenarios may have variations on this theme. These points may be spent as follows:

Enhancement
Points
Advance a unit to its next Quality Level without a die roll (assuming it has otherwise satisfied the requirements for such an advancement)
4
Increase a Big Man’s Status by one level
3
Add an extra Status Level I Big Man to a unit (NCO or officer)
2
Apply +1/die musketry bonus to a unit (maximum +2 per unit)
2
Add +1 to a unit’s Quality Level advancement roll
1
Acquire the unit commander a telescope
1

FORCE DETERIORATION

Negative things may also happen to your units if they perform badly in a battle.

Roll 1d6 for every unit that had at least one constituent group rout during a battle. On a roll of 6, the unit is downgraded one troop quality level. Add +1 to the roll for every constituent group in the unit that also routed (over and above the first).

A unit that has all of its Big Men killed or badly wounded in a single battle is automatically downgraded one troop quality level.

If a unit suffers 50% casualties in battle, roll 1d6. On a roll of 6, the unit is downgraded one troop quality level. Add +1 to the roll for every 10% casualties suffered over and above the initial 50%.