Another "new" Period in 2017 but at least I collect in 1/3000 scale already ;)

I did a playground style "book" for "lead" trade with a fellow wargamer whereby I gained a 1/3000 posse of Navwar US Moderns (and other US Moderns as of last century). In the first instance I have a powerful US CVN battle group. I  may add another SSN 688 attack sub and DG Burke at some point in the future to make it an "Uber Group but for now it suffices (see below, the Nimitz is "huge" more Sci-Fi than real world. Even the "Fleet Oiler" is a beast):

"As strange to the eye" is the modified Iowa (Sea Harrier capable) projected conversion in the second batch. The other stuff has transitioned from WWII "guns" to modern "missiles" (see below, the carrier [CV] is the USS Coral Sea of the famed Midway class that was too late for WWII but served well into the late twentieth century through various upgrades (see below):

Last but not least is the "aircraft carrier loo-a-likes" that are US Marine Corp amphibian support ships (see below):

All ready for "a brave new twenty first" century world and teh changing world order. Watch this space!

Looking for an 'interesting' 30 Day Project to start in February

I have veritable melting pot of disparate interests at the moment (bad sign, need to focus), so am I am looking for a suitable "30 Day" feel good project to 'focus' (focus, good idea) on. Something 'doable' that I can look back on with earnest satisfaction and think I have accomplished something thatwas quite useful and could be used almost immediately.

Inspirational Sources

Reading (1):

• Napoleonic, 'The Peninsular Campaign' in particular
• WWI early naval battles (Audio: The Battle of The Falklands)

Active Game Playing (2):

• PS4 Pacific War Carrier Battles, like the graphics, silly game play as I have it on 'easy' settings, but strangely satisfying
• Space Hulk, eyeing up another evening with friends and there are some unfinished 'odds and sods' to paint and (ahem) an issue of an "impulse" purchase I might admit to later that could be painted up in time 

Modelling (3) or rather "stalled modelling projects from 2015":

• Balsa Tank (Scale 54mm)? Stop laughing, it's as viable as anything Sci-Fi I've done so why not?
• Star Wars 'First Order' TIE Fighter (Scale bigger than 20mm but smaller than 28mm)
• Really need that RAF (Battle of France) 1940 Fairey Battle (1:72 scale) to be finished 
• A Revell Spanish Galleon (1:450 scale)
• 28mm Saxons/Vikings
• A Revell (1/144 scale) French Rafale modern jet fighter
• 28mm Napoleonic Victrix
• 2mm Napoleonic Irregular Miniatures
• 15 mm Prussian or French (I think that would see me off)
• Chasing eBob for those Bannockburn 28mm Scottish Spear :(    

Board Games and Rules (4):

• Napoleon's Battles (First Edition) although there is a YahooGroup exposing their Fourth Edition via Cavalier Press
• Wars of the Roses (A Coat of Steel)
• Impetus

Other things calling from the attic (5): 

• 20mm T-28 WW2 Russian Tank
• PSC 1/250 Small German Half-Tracks (20mm)
• PSC Marders (20mm)
• 25/28mm Renaissance Italian Wars
• 1/3000 Pacific War ships  

Whimsy, whimsy, whimsy! Where to go ... roll a dice?

Project and Painting Table Review:

"Who am I?", "what an I?" and "Where am I?" are my most confusing questions. As of January 1st 2014 I certainly did not think I would be donning a "Napoleonic Naval" cap in March/April, but as the old adage goes "variety is the spice of life!")

Active Projects:

• Playing and Making: Napoleonic Naval (1/1200)
• Playing and Making: (1/72:20mm) WWII 'Chain of Command' Skirmish (Normandy + others?)
• Currently Reading: Ancients Marathon/Xenophon/Sparta and Thebes

Projects "To Pick back up": 

• Ready and Waiting: WWII (1/200) Battalion Attack (Phil Sabin) v Miniature Rules (time to test some miniature rules [Spearhead, BGC, CDIII] against the same scenario)
• Ready and Waiting: WWII "Plastic Kit" construction Backlog aka "The Plastic and Metal;  Mountain" - paused for respite and ready for second wind
• Ready and Waiting: Ancients: Peloponnesian War (15mm) "The First Battle of Mantinea"  418BC using BBDBA (Big Battle DBA)

Future (and de-hibernated) Projects - "The Shape of Things to Come"(?): 

• More Preparation Required: Circus Maximus (6mm) Avalon Hill Board (Ancient Race Horse in Chariots) Game
• Undercoated and Ready to Start Painting: Impetus Army Unit Expansion: (25mm/28mm) Mounted Harquebusier Unit for Renaissance Period "Maximilian-Landschneckts" 
• Army in Early Stages of Collection: (25mm/28mm) ECW Covenanter/Montrose Armies
• Naval Musings (1) Ships Acquired but Intellectual Thoughts (Aka Rules)/Historical Reading Required : WWI/WW2 [Jutland/Bismarck Chase/Early Pacific War] 
• Naval Musings (2) In Minds Eye Only: A strange attraction with sailing ships seems to be developing [Napoleonic has started it up (see above)] but then there is the Spanish Armada, Dutch Wars and Salamis to contend with (the latter been a "project" I know I must do)

"That's all for now folks" ... but like every other wargamer I can think of I would be very disappointed if I could not find even more material in the "loft" that I had totally forgotten about that goes "active" (did I mention my crazy 2mm Napoleonics or more traditional 15mm Franco-Prussians?)

;)

A Battle to be Played: "Over and Over Again"

This is my WWII (land) project for 2013. 

It is a battle scenario based on Phillip Sabin's "Fire and Movement" game in his book Simulating War. It does not require that many figures or a particularly large board. In many ways is resembles the "portable wargaming" craze that has been sweeping the varios CoW (Conference of Wargamers) blogs (for example see Bob Cordery's blog "Wagaming Miscellany").

The scenario Phillip Sabin's poses is of interest when I think back to the mid-1990's when I was feverishly collecting (at that time exclusively 20mm) WWII toys. I was left with an awful sinking feeling that after I had painted and based them (at that time for the Command Decision rule set, a project that in itself is still "not complete" and an active never ending Work In Progress [WIP]), I still didn't or wouldn't know what to do with the "toys". Not just the mechanics of the rules (hard enough), but a sensible way to set things up. Yes there were scenario's ... but did they really make any sense? What for a battalion's purpose was a sensible sort of fight (and yes I know war is not fair).  

By this I meant "What was a realistic battle scenario" in terms of space and time?". What was a common battle the rules were meant to control and simulate. All the 'command and control' commentary in Designers Notes describing commanding Divisional strength table top formations (which I personally is over reaching Command Decision) didn't help me nor did the interesting aspect of rates of fire. I needed a simple scenario to blood myself on infantry combat.

The Scenario:

A infantry battalion is on the "attack", against a half a battalion of infantry under "hasty defensive positions", as in using cover rather than entrenchments. The attackers are a full strength whereas the defenders are deemed under strength (roughly 2:1, 13 attacking stands to the defenders 6 [all stands representing platoons]). Good or lucky intelligence has directed the attack against a sector that "should give" or "could hold" depending upon the tactics and skill of the attacker (plus a bit of "lady luck"). The defenders are trying to cover a kilometer wide frontage and can call upon an indirect fire base (medium 81mm mortar) while the attacker has the luxury of an initial artillery barrage (25pdrs or 105mm howitzers), then a mortar and indirect machine gun fire bases. The additional support assets seem to tip the odds in the attackers favour but there is a large random element of "battlefield terrain" creates a good deal of uncertainty (as it is generated new each time). The duration of the attack is deemed to be abut "two" hours which translates into about 12 x 10 minute turns. The "board" is twelve hexes wide (the kilometer "battle zone" of the defending battalion) and six hexes deep. The determination of victory is determined in an attritional manner of "unbroken" units on the enemy baseline at the end of the twelve turns. Thus it is assumed that the full battalion "should be able to dislodge" two companies out of 'hasty positions'. .

Starting from this more board-game orientated description I plan to take "the scenario" for a long walk, starting with Sabin's rules and then through the various rule-sets I possess, varying nationalities and periods (early, mid and late WW2). Initially from Simulating War the attack is envisioned to take place in 1944, Normandy/France, with a British Infantry Battalion advancing against a composite, scratch force of German Infantry, reduced from an initial battalion and supplemented by "a series drafts" of replacement sections and platoons that 'keep making up'the numbers up.

Kit to use:


The battles should be suitable for my: 1/300, 1/200, 20mm, 1/72 and 1/76 toys (but not all at the same time), heck I might even start things off with my old Squad Leader counters

Rules to Use (Initial List): 

• Fire and Movement (Phillip Sabin)
• Command Decision II/II/I
• Spearhead
• Battle Group Commander 
• CrossFire
• Great Battles of WWII
• Squad Leader

Watch this space ...