Converted for Combat

I spent the evening converting a pair of models from Copplestone Castings – in between working on some other things – These two women are from Coppelstone’s Future Wars pack FW21 Citizen Militia 2. I picked them up for Amanda to use in a couple of Modern-ish Military Savage Worlds skirmish games.

I basically added webbing. I had though about trying to model on a Kevlar vest and maybe convert the cap into a Kevlar helmet… but then decided not to. Anyway I was rather pleased with how they turned out and wanted to take a pic of the finished conversion work so Amanda (and you, my readers) could see what I did before I painted them as she’s in Ottawa this week and they’ll be done before she gets back..

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)





I may yet do a bit of sanding and or carving on them tomorrow when the "Brown Stuff" is hard... but you get the idea.

Okay so they were ready for combat to begin with and thus weren’t really “Converted for Combat”, I just added more GEAR. I just liked it as a title….

Recon in Force

This is the second scenario in Skirmish Campaigns Screaming Eagles at Hamburger Hill.

Dong Ap Bia, 11 May 1969, 1600 hours

SITUATION

After the previous day’s skirmish, Col. Honeycutt has decided to send B Company back up the hill to do a Reconnaissance in Force.

SCENARIO

US Forces- Elements of 2nd Platoon may start anywhere within 12” of the West board edge or 20” if on the trail. Elements of 4th Platoon enter on the West board edge on turn 3. The US players objective is to exit 10 unwounded soldiers off the east board edge before the game ends OR spot/locate 5 bunkers

PAVN Forces – All forces must be set up within 36” of the east board edge. At least three bunkers must be placed more than 12” from the east board edge. Their objective is to prevent the US victory conditions.

FORCES

US Forces
Elements of 2nd Platoon, B Company, 3/187 Airborne, 101st Airborne Division

Lt. Charles Denholm – Wild Card – M-16 and M1911

Platoon Sergeant – Wild Card – M-16

Radio Operator – Radio and M-16

1x Rifle Squad with:
- Squad Leader – Wild Card – M-16
- 2x Fireteams (4) – one assistant squad leader and two rifleman each with M-16, plus one grenadier with M-79 and M1911

1x Heavy Weapons Squad
- Squad Leader – Wild Card – M-16
- 2x Fireteams (3) – Gunner with M-60, Asst. Gunner and one rifleman each with M-16

Elements of 4th Platoon, B Company, 3/187 Airborne, 101st Airborne Division

1x Rifle Squad with:
- Squad Leaders – Wild Card – M-16
- 2x Fireteams (4) – one assistant squad leader and two rifleman each with M-16, plus one grenadier with M-79 and M1911


North Vietnamese Forces
Elements of 7th Battalion 29th PAVN Regiment

2x Sniper – SKS

2x Infantry Squads each with:
- Squad Leader – Wild Card – AK-47
- Fireteam with: Gunner with Chicom 52 LMG, Asst. gunner and two riflemen each with AK-47
- Fireteam with: Gunner with RPG, and three riflemen each with AK-47

6x Two-Man Bunkers

THE GAME

7PM rolled around and no one showed. I figured no one would; John is crazy busy trying to get a house built before it snows, every second Monday Gary’s out with another Group, Christian had to drive to CFB Wainwright to return kit borrowed for an exercise this past weekend, and Mr. Miller was in a car accident that totaled his car on Thursday….

So I decided to go it alone. This was tough as I would have run it with hidden markers to have the size and disposition of the PAVN forces be unknown to the American player. I briefly considered drawing random chits whenever a hidden marker had LOS to an American player to determine what war there…. but that got a little too confusing so I just decided to set them up as I would if I had been the PAVN player and said they would all start the game on hold and I could decide what I thought they would do when they spotted an American….

I rolled for variable attachments for both sides. The US forces didn’t get any sort of attachment per se… They got an additional victory condition; Prisoners – “The Colonel wants intell!” If the US player captures any NVA soldier they receive 3 additional victory points. The PAVN got an HMG team. I actually rolled 17, which would have been a couple of claymore mines and an additional bunker, but I used one of my “attachment credits” from the previous scenario.

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


The table set up. The picture is taken from the “West End” of the table and the terrain rises to towards the “East End”. The near half of the table is “Dense Jungle” and the far half is “Light Jungle”. There is no LOS beyond 24” anywhere on the table and the templated areas are areas of denser wood that block LOS and incur higher shooting penalties for targets within them… With the exception of the path, and the burned out sections from the previous evenings air strikes, everything is “bad going”.

I set one team of Americans up on the path and the rest were pushing through the jungle.

You can sort of make out my crude “bunkers” that the PAVN set up in.


That Cunning Devil; Captain Nguyen Vo Tim


Commander of US forces.

TURN ONE


I dealt in the Americans (all Vietnamese started the game on hold). Right off the start the platoon commander was dealt a deuce, dropping him an ammo level (“whoops!? I think I left my spare mags back at base!?”). The leader of First Squad got a joker netting him an extra benny but little other benefits as everyone spent the turn advancing through the jungle without any contact.



TURN TWO


The Radio operator also hung back a moment to search through is ruck to confirm his worst fears… he too left his spare ammo back at camp… (another deuce). This turn saw the first contact. First a sniper on the North end of the table took a pot shot at some of first squad’s Fireteam A, missing. Then the sniper on the souther part of the table took a shot at the leader of Fireteam B (which was heading up the path) hitting him but failing to cause any damage (zinged it off his helmet!). THEN a B40 rocket sailed over in the general direction of one of the LMG teams – exploding harmlessly off in the jungle – but that certainly got everybody’s attention!

TURN THREE

Just as I was dealing out the cards for Turn Three the dogs started barking and in walked Mr. Miller! Despite being a little stiff and sore and without a car he made it over. He actually bussed it from about as far away from my house as you can be and still be in the city of Saskatoon… Now that’s dedication! Kudos to Mr. Miller!

1st Squad’s Fireteam B moved up and fired on the bunker where the B-40 rocket had come from and actually K.O.ed the loader! They then started taking fire themselves and one member was shaken. The took further fire later in the turn including a shot from one of the snipers which K.O.ed. The Gunner from LMG team B set up his M-60 to give some fire on the bunker with the rocket.

The squad from 4th platoon arrived, charging onto the board in a grand manner!

THE OTHER TURN THREE

Whoops… it seems I lost track and wrote down Turn Three twice. So this was really Turn Four but I wrote it down as another Turn three… so there it is... another Turn Three…

The Platoon Sergeant drew a joker this time, and rolled “Rally!” for his fortune – which conveniently sorted out the shaken lad in Fireteam B of the 1st Squad (“from somewhere back in the there was a thunderous roar, “PRIVATE JENKINS YOU GET OFF YOUR ASS AND GET IT BACK INTO THE FIGHT OR I WILL KICK IT CLEAR TO THE TOP OF THIS DAMN HILL!” Poor Private Jenkins didn’t even kow how the Platoon Sergeant knew he was hiding behind that big log….).

Another B40 Rocket went sailing harmlessly off into the jungle.

Automative Rifle fire from spider holes flanking the Bunker with the B-40 Rocket Launcher K.O.ed another soldier from 1st Squad’s Fireteam B. The Grenadier from Fireteam B fired at the bunker. The grenade was close enough to make the B-40 Rocket gunner to dive for cover in the bottom of his bunker as well as one of ht riflemen in the spider-hole (both shaken). Unfortunately this drew much fire from another bunker and series of Spider-holes off the left which K.O.ed the remaining members of Fireteam B!?

LMG Team B opened up on the bunker to their front, which had been firing rockets in their general direction and K.O.ed the gunner, causing the rest of the team to fail morale! With no other targets in LOS they considered whether to remain here another turn to try and pick off anyone else trying to reoccupy the bunker or to pick up and move on…

TURN FOUR

A PAVN sniper got a joker. For Fortune and Calamity he rolled a “Quick and the Dead” stealing an ace from the American’s platoon commander. There was much maneuvering and firing this turn, but with little effect.

TURN FIVE

The Lieutenant got a Joker this turn and a bonus benny to go with it. The Section Commander from the PAVN 1st Section fired on and K.O.ed the grenadier in 1st Squad’s Fireteam A (I think in the previous turn he had a near miss with a grenade which brought this fire on him…). The remainder of Fireteam A fired on a Vietnamese sniper and knocked him out. Finally fire from in and around the central bunker took down the rifle man from LMG Team a (I guess that would be the ammunition bearer…).

There was lots of other firing and maneuvering about this turn, as every turn … I just didn’t note it down…

TURN SIX


The other sniper K.O.ed the gunner in LMG Team B just as he was setting up his ’60 again. An LMG in a bunker in the second line of defence opened fire on The squad from 4th Platoon – thus giving up the position of a third bunker. 1st Squad’s Fireteam A concentrated thir fire on another riflemen in a spider hole and took him out1



TURN SEVEN


Mr. Miller the mastermind behind the PAVN’s defence strategy…

Lots of running about and shooting without any results.

TURN EIGHT


The game did not end… Somebody got a Joker… The remaining riflemen from LMG Team B (the loader and ammunition bearer) charged forth into the jungle and gunned down the remaining sniper. This also conveniently took them out of the LOS of the bunker to their front – but unfortunately brought them into LOS of two other bunkers – which was too good an opportunity for Mr Miller to pass up. He revealed the location of a fourth bunker in the process of firing B-40 rockets out of it at the riflemen form LMG Team B!

TURN NINE

The game rages on! The two remaining riflemen from LMG Team B were taken out and their immediate superior, the squad Leader from the Heavy Weapons Squad was wounded.


1st Squad’s Commander got to the body of one of the snipers and searching it found he was still quite alive and only lightly wounded – so he took him prisoner!!

I seem to recal there was much grenade throwing from the Vietnamese over the last turn or two….

TURN TEN


The last turn, unfortunately Mr. Miller had to run off to catch the last bus out of Riversdale before we could play it out together. So I finished it off.

Suddenly remembering my victory conditions, I had all my wildcard/leader-types with anything close to LOS of the two remaining bunker try to spot them – without any success.

One of the PAVN fireteams got a joker (and a benny) and fired on the Heavy Weapons Squad Leader and took him down!

The Squad leader from the 1st squad dragged his prisoner out of LOS and thus harms way!

The PAVN 1st Section Commander rolled a grenade down the hill and K.O.ed a soldier from 4th Platoon. Returning fire, the squad from 4th Platoon K.O.ed the last rifleman in the PAVN 1st Section and caused the section commander to dive for cover in the bottom of his bunker (shaken).

And that was it…. both sides disengaged, dragged off their casualties and got out of the way of the incoming airstrikes….

The total Buchers Bill, when all was sorted out afterwards:

US Forces:
2x KIA
3x Seriously Wounded (cases that would require immediate evacuation to a full field hospital in the rear, or perhaps even to Japan – they would be out of action for some time, if not right out of the war)
7x Lightly Wounded (cases that would probably be evacuated as far as a field dressing station and likely be out of action for a day or two)
1x Walk Away (this guy wasn’t even evacuated – I think it was a grenade casualty so the concussion from the grenade probably knocked him right out, but miraculously didn’t even leave him with a scratch!?)

Vietnamese Forces:
1x KIA
3x Seriously wounded
4x Lightly Wounded (including one that was MIA and assumed taken POW)
1x Walk Away

As for Victory Points

US
+3 for capturing a prisoner and +9 for enemy taken out of action.

PAVN
+5 for thwarting the US victory conditions and +13 for enemy taken out of action

So another victory for the Vietnamese. They now have three attachment credits (two for this victory and one left over from last).

I should have got the platoon leader up to the front earlier and had him trying to spot the last two bunkers… I had held him back a couple turns, as I didn’t want to bunch him in the firing line, which was already a bit bunched up…

Good Fun. Next week’s scenario: Firebase Airborne!

I gotta get working on some sandbag bunkers!?

No… Really… More North Vietnamese

I did finish off enough guys last night to play this evenings scenario. And probably next weeks as well. Maybe even the new few… I will keep chugging away at the last of them, though, as it will finish off a rather large collection that I won’t have to worry about anymore.

I suppose I should do some terrain building soon. A couple of bunkers would be immediately handy for a number of these Vietnam scenarios (rather than making due with a bunch of half finished trench bits). Then maybe some more buildings….

Anyway, here’s the Vietnamese:

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


Here are the North Vietnamese. They are, like the others, all from West Wind Productions.


I did, however, also finish off a few more of the VDV from Mongrel Miniatures.

More North Vietnamese

Just kidding….

I DID work on them a bit… I just also worked on these… a bit MORE… don't worry, they'll be done by Monday (or at least the Mongrel Miniatures will be...!)

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


A few more Mongrel Miniatures….


… and another Black Tree Design partisan.

Couldn’t Help Myself

I’ll get those North Vietnamese done… maybe tonight...

I had to paint at least one of the new toys that arrived the other day…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


A Mongrel Miniatures ‘80’s British SAS trooper.


I think these are both from Black Tree Design….? I got them in a Trade.

North Vietnamese

On Monday I decided I should, over the next month of so, run through all the scenarios in my Skirmish Campaigns Screaming Eagles at Hamburger Hill book. So I guess I’d best get painting all the PAVN figures I have. I sort of got away with using Viet Cong on the first game because it was a small clash with some “trail watchers” – a task I imagined could have been tasked to some local guerillas.

I’ve been wanting to finish up collections recently and, in particular, finish up the Vietnam stuff.

Maybe this will get me hyped to run a Tour of Darkness Campaign…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


Here is the first batch of PAVN. These guys are from West Wind Productions. I need a second squad of these for Monday nights game - along with six two man bunkers!? (gave away some secret information if any of my players are paying attention…) I should also try to finish up the HMG team as it is an optional extra.

I debated for some time whether to paint these guys in khaki or green – indeed the dilemma is probably part of the reason why it took me so darn long to get around to them. In the end I decided on green simply because the pith helmet I have is green… so…

I just got another pack of Mongrel Miniatures in the mail and they are as lovely as the last bunch… so they may prove to be a bit of a distraction this week… It shall test my resolve to the extreme (Stay on target… STAY ON TARGET!!!)

A Walk in the Sun

This evening we played the first scenario in Skirmish Campaigns Screaming Eagles at Hamburger Hill. I’ve had it for some time, but never got past this first scenario…. Thought I’d have another crack at it this fall.

The Skirmish Campaigns books are great inspiration for small skirmish war games. I have to say that after reading the world war two books (of which I have many) I wondered if they authors/publishers weren’t getting kick-backs from miniature manufacturers as there is a stunning variety of different equipment required for the different scenarios!! (Though Andy at Army Group North Miniatures assures me this is not really the case…).

The Vietnam book and the Colonial and Great War books I’ve picked up are nice as there is considerable less equipment required, as most of the scearnios are straight infantry battles.

They are available through Military Miniatures USA (a distributor to retail stores only) which has meant I have been able to order them in through my friendly local game store here in Saskatoon (the Dragon’s Den), though I think I may have picked up one or two at the Sentry Box…

We are using Savage Worlds to play these games. For anyone interested in gaming modern games with the system I would highly recommend picking up Modern Ops and/or Tour of Darkness if you are particularly interested in Vietnam – though the latter does add an element of otherworldly horror to the setting (as if Vietnam weren’t horrific enough as it is!?)

600 metres west of the peak of Dong Ap Bia, 10 May 1969, 16:30

SITUATION

B Company, 3/187 Airborne has been tasked with securing the peak of Dong Ap Bia for the new battalion CP. 2nd Platoon is leading the way. They are not expecting any enemy forces in the area…

SCENARIO

US forces must control both cross roads by the end of the game (ie. Have friendly troops adjacent with no active enemy troops within 10”) OR control one cross road and exit 3 troops off the east board edge.

North Vietnamese forces must prevent the US from achieving their victory conditions.

As with most Showdown scenarios, the game length is variable; ending somewhere between the end of turn seven and sixteen…

FORCES

US Forces
2nd squad, 2nd Platoon, B Company, 3/187 Airborne, 101st Airborne Division

Squad Leader – Wild Card – M-16 and M1911

Squad Leaders Team – One rifleman with radio and one medic, both with M-16

Point Team (2) – Two riflemen with M-16s

2x Fireteams (3) – one assistant squad leader and one rifleman each with M-16, lus one grenadier with M-79 and M1911

North Vietnamese Forces
Trail watchers from the 29th PAVN Regiment

Sniper – Wild card – SKS

1x Fireteam (4) – Team leader and three riflemen each with AK-47

2x RPG teams (2) - One grenadier with RPG and one loader with SKS


THE GAME

Gary showed up this week (seems to be a pattern developing – Christian and Mr. Miller show up one week, Gary shows up the next… repeat…). Since he defended last time he volunteered to play the Americans which were more or less attacking. I thought this would be funner as well since the PAVN forces started hidden and he would have no idea what was out there. Had I played the Americans I still wouldn’t have know what was where – but I would have had an idea of what was out there.

Rolling for variable attachments… Gary got nothing (he had a 50-50 chance of getting an LMG team added to his force). I got an additional Sniper (in addition to the one listed above)


(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


Little slice of the Ashau valley.


I set up my hidden markers first (three of the eight were blank, dummy counters).


Then Gary set up his squad straddling the pathway… though they expect no hostile forces in the area, you can never be too careful.


“Sarge”


Team Leader Nguyen Vo Tim.

TURN ONE

The Squad Leaders Team (the RTop and the medic) got a joker and rolled “hand of fate” for their fortune and calamity… I have yet to start a game of Showdown and not have someone get a joker on the first turn… when it’s more or less USELESS!!

One of the American fireteams moved, then I decided to get the action going…


…and had one of my snipers take a pot shot at one of his guys in cover… and missed… but it made him think about where he was moving. I probably could have put the sniper on hold and then caught someone the next turn making a careless move into or through a slightly less covered location… but this way he kept his guys well into the dense bush… and dense bush works both ways!!

The rest of the units and hidden markers moved and there was no other shooting.

TURN TWO

Mostly moving about in the jungle, Gary being very careful to keep his guys out of the LOS of the sniper (not that he had much to worry about, he was a piss-poor shot!)

TURN THREE


The PAVN fireteam shot up the squad leader pretty bad – four wounds!


Pa-POW! He soaked one (after burning two bennies on it – one to soak, one to re-roll the soak), so remained in the game, but only just barely.


At this point the Americans more or less went to ground and fired, pretty much blind, through the dense jungle at anything that moved or in the general direction of where they figured fire was coming from - with very little effect.

TURN FOUR


One of my RPG teams got a joker and rolled “Teamwork!” for their Fortune and Calamity Roll and so the other RPG team joined in on an ambush of the Americans (with +2 to hit!) The RPGs went wild and only managed to KO the Assistant Squad Leader of Fireteam A and shook the medic – who immediately burned a benny to recover. Later said medic hauled ass over to the downed Assistant squad leader and made his successful healing roll (at -2) and brought him back into the game shaken! (that’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone actually USE the “MEDIC!” edge/ability!

One of the American Fireteams also got a benny and returned fire, wounding one of the RPG-gunners (shaken). The other got a luck shot in with an M-79 and landed a grenade right in the middle of the bunched-up PAVN fireteam knocking out one and shaking two others (I wouldn’t be making THAT mistake again!!).

TURN FIVE

The highest card dealt was an eight…?! Very little happened – wild fire at ghosts in the jungle.

TURN SIX


One of the RPG teams fired on and knocked out all of Fireteam B and the Squad Leader!!! This was a pretty major blow to the Americans. 60% of their force taken out in one shot.

The Assistant Squad Leader in Fireteam A recovered from being shaken, finally, and assumed command of the squad – not that it turned him into and instant wildcard or gave him the Command edge or anything… we just noted that he was theoretically “in charge” now.

Very little else happened. I continued moving troops around on one flank hoping to contest both forks in the path. Though Gary did start rolling for Game end… no such luck.

TURN SEVEN

Fireteam A knocked out one of the RPG-gunners. His loader failed morale, but quickly recovered when his card came up. Lost more ineffective shooting and my one fireteam still slowly making it’s way along the flank laying down some harassing fire as they went.

TURN EIGHT

My PAVN Fireteam ran through the jungle firing full-auto from the hip (why not eh? I get to roll a bucket of dice, one might get lucky…!?). I needed a 16 to hit (-6 for cover, -2 for running, -2 for full-auto firing) and I tagged the RTop! BOO-YAH!! He was only shaken but it was still a cool feat of arms (well a crazy lucky one…).

There was lots more ineffective firing and then Gary rolled an 8 for turn end which meant we would play one more turn (if there had been another player show up and I got to be the Ref I would have made the rolls secretly so neither player would know when the game would end until I said “that’s it, it’s over!” – not that either of us did any cheesy “last ditch” actions on the final turn…

TURN NINE


The Squad leaders team pulled their second joker in this short game – rolling “close call” for their fortune and calamity, which meant my PAVN Fireteam would suffer a -2 to all trait rolls for this turn… ah well, might as well continue to blaze away on full-auto…


Somebody ( I think it might have been the RTop) took out the second RPG-gunner, and the Grenadier form Fireteam A took out a second member of the PAVN Fireteam with an M-79 grenade. Then the sniper shot down one of the members of the Point Team who had been exchanging fire with the PAVN fireteam now way off to their flank and making their way to the rear…

The Tally
I got 10 victory points (5 for denying the Americans their victory conditions, 5 for taking out five Americans). Gary only got 4 victory points for the four of my soldiers he took out. So the PAVN will get two “attachment credits” in the next scenario (they can be used to modify the variable attachment die roll at the beginning of the game).

I think I’m going to run the next couple of scenarios in the book over the next couple weeks… who knows maybe I’ll just work my way through the whole book!?

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Hmmmm… maybe I’ll start painting those PAVN…

Another Blog

I've started another hobby blog. On Saturday evenings I play Savage Worlds, but it's more of a role-playing version of the game - of course I still bust out the toys for the combat (I mean, come on... it's ME!). Anyway I thought I'd chronicle some of the adventures I run on Savage Saturdays, but didn't think it quite belonged here... so I've started a new blog:

Savage Timmy's Playhouse

Not much there yet as I just got the game night going again after a summer off... but there should be weekly updates of our "playing pretend" shenanigans... 

Wow...

The hit counter just reached 40002.... and they weren't ALL just me admiring my own blog!

28mm WW2 Russians it is!

Well, despite not really needing them right away, they were just that right combination of easy-to-paint and not-so-many-of-them – so I cranked out the 28mm WW2 Russian infantrymen last night…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


These are a mix of Artizan Designs and Crusader Miniatures.

Now all I have to finish for the WW2 Russians is the KV-2 (which is at least half painted already… and it’s a tank – not loads of fine details…) the AT gun and crew, and the GAZ. I’m not thrilled about the GAZ. First of all it looks like a pain in the butt to put together. Second I’m not a fan of open vehicle models in this scale. I mean 28mm is for skirmishing. Whether you are in or out of a vehicle matters… well… you CAN get in and out of a vehicle…! So what do I do with the crew. Glue them in or paint them separate so they can be set into the gaz when it’s actually occupied, and then take them out again when the crew has gotten out? Then, of course I need dismounted crew….UGH!!!

This is why I just prefer small infantry only fights for “skirmish” games…

It would be sensible to finish up the tank and gun and GAZ and then I could say “Hey, I’m FINISHED the 28mm Russians….” But I’m getting Savage Saturday going again tonight and required minis for whichever setting we go with will definitely take precedence.


I also finished up a pair of resin terrain bits. I’m not sure of the make – might be I-Kore or it might be Armourcast… I got them in a trade.

What to do... What to do....?

I'm not really sure what to do next....

I'm kind of feeling like "finishing things up". I've acquired quite a few things lately and honestly feel like I don't want any more, at least not until I've "finished a few things up". As I mentioned in the last post I had a brief happy/satisfied moment when I realized I had painted ALL of the 28mm Modern military figures. Now I've got a few more on the way in the mail, but not so much that a couple nights couldn't see those finished off. In the meantime, however, I'm looking for projects that I can easily finish up and have a sense that something in my life - however small - is complete.... If only for the moment...

So here's a few things I've found, unfortunately none of them really jump out as THE thing to get on with... Any suggestions? (especially from anyone that might actually play with me...?)?

28mm WW2 Russians
-Half-painted KV-2 to finish up.
-8 Riflemen
-76mm AT gun and crew.

Unfortunately even finishing the eight riflemen doesn't really give me full sections... of course when would the russians ever have fielded platoons with full sections...!? I also don't really have anything for the AT gun to shoot at... or anything with a hope of taking out a KV-2.... so...

But then finishing those eight riflemen WOULD give me something resembling an under-strength platoon... hmmmmm...

28mm WW2 British/Canadian Paras
-17 infantrymen
-1 mortar + 3 crew
-1 6 Pdr AT gun (crew already done)
-1 prone sniper

Finishing that section and a half of infantry (half of which are half painted....) would finish up a second full platoon of them... less a platoon command section... (not sure where I'm going to get that from....). When am I ever going to use TWO FULL PLATOONS of 28mm WW2 British Paras though!?

In addition to a command section for the second platoon I could probably do with some specialists - engineers, etc.... someday...

28mm WW2 Resistance/Partizans
-20 Assorted French Resistance/Partizan types

These could do double (or triple) duty as both French Resistance/Partizans in straight up WW2 skirmishes, but also work great in Pulp Adventure games or many could even pass off as armed Polish civilians in a Twilight:2000 campaign I've been thinking about running...? The down side is irregulars are... well... irregular, it's harder to set up a production line than with uniformed troops... not saying it can't be done or anything... but it is a bit harder...

20mm Modern Canadians
Well there's actually lots to do here... so might as well get cracking, right...? When I get them done I'll get back to sculpting and finish up the french and start working on my "generic commies" (very generic looking troops armed with soviet equipment that could be from any number of nations simply by painting them a bit different...).

28mm Modern Civvies and Supers.
-5 "Scare Crow Gang" members
-4 "Stretchy Gang" members
-4 Urban Cowgirls
-3 Street Violence Hotties
-7 Assorted Super Hero/Villain types
-16 Civilians (13 unarmed, 3 with guns)
-3 Terrorists
-2 Riot Police

Well there's a bit to do there but since I am almost done with the other moderns (the military types) I have this urge to finish these up as it is a collection that I don't feel the urge to add to (or if I did at some point it would be a figure or a pack here and there that I could paint straight away and not have such a huge backlog of stuff on the theoretical "to do" list....

Many of them will be a pain in the butt to paint, though... Especially the Super types...

28mm Vietnam
-8 ANZACs
-9 Vietcong
-3 Villagers
-20 "Cham"
-30 PAVN Infantry
-Mortar, MG, Recoiless Rifle and Crews...
-Ox Cart
-Half-finished Tank

It's another collection that has a bit to do, but is stable (i.e. not buying any more for!) so could be finished up and be FINISHED! Some of them would be easy enough to paint...

There's others too that are similarly close to being finished... Especially in the 28mm WW2 Category; Germans ("Euro" and DAK), Commandos, etc... but I dont' feel like sorting through them tonight and am not feeling particularly motivated to work on any of them. probably because they are in definite need of MORE STUFF and looking at them will make me start thinking about what more I actually "need" to make them "whole"....

Zombies, Rippers/Space:1889/Colonials, Pulp Adventure... all seem equally interesting, too, and have a few things here and there to finish up...

There's others I'd like to work on, but they're more like "starting" projects than finishing them up!

Then there's a few things I feel like I "should" do but dread... the BMDs for my Soviet VDV force. I only have six (plus a command on and a mortar one...), two companies worth, and realistically won't be adding any more any time soon. They WOULD definitely give me some fun new options for the force... but they're annoying kits to put together.... seems like "WORK" - and there's something wrong when a hobby seems like "work"...

I have an absurd amount of modern British armour in 20mm to work on too. They're Revell kits, nicer to put together but still tedious and time-consuming. Enough to equip an entire mechanized battalion. Unfortunately that's MORE than I can field for the Russians... and something about that just seems... I don't know... WRONG?!

ugh....

So where to start!?

Got any suggestions? Post 'em in the comments!

Last ot the 28mm Modern Military… for now…

This lot is actually the LAST of the 28mm modern military figures I have to paint…. Well… for this week… I have a couple packs on the way from Gripping Beast… and another from Mongrel Minis… and of course I have a pile of Modern civilian types… and superheroes… and if you want to lump the Vietnam stuff in with the “moderns”… well… then I have a pack of Aussies and a whole platoon (plus support) of PAVN yet to do…

sigh….

I was actually feeling like I was getting somewhere for the briefest of moments there…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


This lot is all from The Assault Group. Mostly Paras, plus another Brit and a Russian mob type…

Special Ops in Iran

Well I had to make use of the Russians I’ve been painting over the last week… So I set up a Savage Worlds: Modern Ops/Showdown skirmish scenario. It was somewhat inspired by a book I’ve been reading lately; Sword Point by Howard Coyle.

SITUATION

The Soviet Union invades Iran in the summer of 1989 – the US (and allies) move in to stop them, but end up fighting the Iranians as well.

Intelligence operatives on both sides discover that the Iranians may be working on a nuclear device in some backwater village in an “uncontrolled” (by Soviets or Americans...) part of the country….

SCENARIO

Special Ops units from both sides arrive at the same time with the same mission: Take out the nuclear threat! (Now I was going to come up with some sort of special rules for the nukes… a time limit before the Iranians detonate it… or have specialists along with the teams that had to be in base contact with it for x amount of turns to dismantle and destroy it… but I just didn’t have the time… so taking out the nuclear threat basically meant taking out the technicians and it was assumed that the “winner” of the scenario would also destroy the device when all was clear!

FORCES

The Russians and the British both had three teams of operatives. The Russian Spetsnaz had one more man in each team, but the British SAS were slightly better…

In the village there was four teams of Iranians guarding the facility plus a team of technicians.

THE GAME

I was really damn tired so I didn’t really take many notes…. Here’s the pictures and what I remember about the game. (maybe Tim and or Christian will post comments with their version of the events.

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


The SAS teams approach the village from the east. The sentries were “non active” so only failing a stealth roll – which each team had to make each time it moved – would make them active. Being active they would be dealt in and could make attempts to spot the approaching teams (opposed notice vs. stealth rolls). Christian’s SAS teams failed rolls on the first two turns! The first time he used a benny, the second time he didn’t bother… He was just going to start shooting them up anyway…


The Spetsnaz teams approach from the west. Straight off on the first turn Tim drew a joker (for his fortune and Calamity he rolled RALLY! – not so useful at this point…)


That’s The commander of the SAS team’s on the left there – Major Christian McKnudsen, formerly of the Scotts Guards (though I suppose the Scotts guards don’t actually wear glengarries… hmmm.. whatever…)


The commander of the Spetsnaz; Comerade Major Millerov. Though Tim did bring his “lucky” Cthulhu we refused to let him wear it.


SAS take out a roof top sentry. Also during this turn another team of SAS cleared a building with grenades – taking out one entire team of Iranian guards before they could even do anything!


The Spetsnaz team moving around the north end of the village takes cover as they hear firing erupt at the opposite side of town…


One of the SAS teams takes down a pair of Russians across the town square with a grenade from an M203.


An SAS trooper is taken down by fire from the Russians coming around the north end of town.


In the ensuing firefight a Spetsnaz team member is taken down.


A second grenade from the SAS takes down two more Russians. The SAS starts taking fire from another rooftop sentry - but he is quickly taken care of..


The SAS team moving in from the southeast enter the main building, lobbing grenades at the Spetsnaz sniper which has pinned down the two teams in the north end of town.


The SAS take down the technicians in the bomb facility.


Crazy fighting on the north end of town sees most of the Russians and British killing each other… actually a second team of Iranians was taken out by SAS clearing a building with grenades. The third team finally got up and going and took out three of the SAS with an RPG… A bunch of Spetsnaz were taken out by an SAS grenade… Grenades were the big killers in this game.


The Russian team coming around the south of the town finished off the third team of Iranians and follows the last of the SAS into the building. There was an intense little firefight there. Eventually the Russians won taking down the last of the SAS…

Conclusions

Based on tonight’s actions we thought of a few house rules we’re going to try out:

Grenades seemed a bit to powerful – we’re going to try them as 2d8 instead of 3d6 next time.

The +2 to hit and damage for three round bursts only works at close range.

Because you can fire at any point in your move – we had a lot of people moving up to corers, shooting at targets around the corner, and then stepping back where they couldn’t been seen and shot back at. So we’re also going to try a -2 to hit modifier if you are shooting at a target that you could not see at the start of your move or will not be able to see at the end of your move – and these will stack (i.e. if you are doing a pop up attack moving out from behind hard cover, shooting and then moving back, you will be -4 to hit anything you are shooting at…)

Not sure what we’re going to do next week… back to Cold War Commander or another Savage Worlds game to try out these house rules…? We shall see what the week brings and what I end up painting!