Normal Service Will Shortly Be Resumed

I've been delayed a bit from blogging due to lose of electricity for nearly 48 hours. I'm quite thankful, because outside of the loss of power and a bit of tree branch cutting and removal, my family has not suffered very much in the terrible storms that hit the Tennessee Valley. It was the scariest storm I've been through that I can recall - and I can't believe we couldn't hear the large trees in the woods crashing down.

Anyway, I plan to pick up on the Wargames Illustrated 'Gallipoli Issue' coverage next week. I happened to notice that some of the Ottoman/Memoir 44 for Great War posts had made the Top 10 read posts for the week. Well, if you suspected that some of that material is related to the playtests me and few of my wargaming friends did for John Bianchi's scenarios, then you are correct. The scenarios gave us the perfect excuse to mess about with perfectly good rules and see if we could get them to do something with a little different taste. More later...

Wargames Illustrated: The Gallipoli Issue

Here's a glimpse of WI 283, the Gallipoli issue. You can get a full preview over at the Flames of War website here.

This was one of the coolest projects I've got to work on in the past year. However, most of the credit goes to veteran WWI article writer John Bianchi and Francophile Tom Downs (you'll be seeing more of him, I'm sure). They know their stuff and showed me a gateway to understanding the Gallipoli campaign far better than I ever had. Check out that awesome battle cover - I think the supporting campaign, battle, and army articles capture the whole venture in that kind of way - unabashedly brutal; as I like to say and do - I believe we called 'em like we saw 'em. I came away amazed at the big and small pictures of the naval, land, and - just as important - the political battles that shaped the miserable meatgrinder fought on the cheap by the Allies and the Turks.

It's hard to read any of the primary sources and not feel humbled by the sacrifice and courage of the men who had to fight for their countries in the Dardanelles during those nine months of terrible bloodletting, hunger, and disease.

More later this week - and I will likely include a battle report or two that I submitted to John regarding his multiple Lone Pine scenarios. Those were some great games. I'll tell you right now - two of them very closely matched and one just an outright nail-biter.

Dungeons & Dragons and Me: 30 years on

D&D Basic Set box cover art

Dungeons & Dragons has been around for a little longer than 30 years; I think something close to 35 year or older if you count Chainmail and the other early works by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. It was around Easter in 1981 that I got a copy of the D&D Basic Set. This was at a time when the D&D game was published under a couple of different rules/brands. The short of it is that Basic D&D (and its follow up companion, Expert D&D), is that it was simpler than the regular game (called Advanced Dungeons & Dragons), although it they shared core mechanics. The biggest thing that comes to mind is that it combined race and class into one class. All dwarves would probably translate into dwarven fighters in AD&D; elves would be like elven fighter/magic-users (ie. wizards); halflings were like halfling thieves or maybe fighter/thieves. Fighters, clerics, and magic-users were all human.

It was a major epiphany for me to play this game - it was like nothing else. No board, no pieces - just paper, pencils, and maps (that you might not be able to look at). You played a character in a fantasy setting - which was already kind of out there for me. I hadn't really read any fantasy at that time, and about all I could relate it to was The Hobbit animated film I had seen around Thanksgiving back in 1977. 

Speaking of art - dig that picture on the box cover to the Basic D&D Set, which included a rulebook and The Keep on the Borderlands adventure module. That's Erol Otus - one of the signature artists that defined the look of the game in the late 70s/early 80s.

The game itself sometimes had a pulp fantasy feel to it (at least what I recognize as such in hindsight) - and it felt great. Time to pick up some dice soon, and kick off some new campaigns and revisit some old ones. 

Hail Caesar released at Salute 2011

I suppose it was no big surprise that Warlord Games released their new ancients wargame title at Salute this weekend. Now that it's out, I know I've got to have a copy. When that happens, I'll be sure to post about it on this blog.

In the meantime, check out the PDF reference sheet downloads available at Warlord here (full color) and here (b&w). Talk about your troop types - it looks like 20 or so infantry classifications and another 20 split between all sorts of mounted, plus specials such as elephants and artillery.

I suppose as far as that goes, you might want to check out the previews and all that kind of stuff on the Hail Caesar page.

FOW Project: Just Add Tufts

I have added Army Painter winter tufts to my US heavy weapons teams, and I like how they turned out. I tried out the model railroad straw stuff about 20 years ago and only managed to get a lot of straw glued to my hands. For $6, I think I got a good value for 20+ tufts that only require me to use a set of tweezers and some glue.

While I was able to get the tufts through my local gaming store, you can take a loot at them on the Warlord Games' Army Painter Battlefield Basing page here. There are winter, swamp, jungle, and Highland tufts available. 

I'll probably work in some swamp or Highland tufts in some of my other FOW models. Frankly, mixing tuft shades ought to be a good idea, just like mixing turf and flock shades - I see plenty of pastures and open fields that are not uniform in color or height, with patches of new, old, and dried grass/weeds all about.

FOW Project: Flakpanzer 38 - conversion gun shields

Flakpanzer 38 with card shield

I got a chance to catch up on some of my Flames of War miniature projects this weekend. First up are the Flak Panzer 38s.

Of my two models, only one had half a gun shield by the time I got around to assembling them. I attached the metal half-shield previously and then decided to use some thin card to do the rest of the work. Obviously, they look a little bit irregular in size/shape (and the full shield is glued on crooked...sigh) - but I think they will pass muster once painted and on the table.

Flakpanzer 38 with metal and card shield

I had originally thought about trying to work something up using plastic styrene, but thin card had a lot going for it: it was easy to bend, easy to find the right thickness (cracker box thickness), and cheap - something headed for the recycling bin. I think the thin card works really well at the  15mm scale and would recommend it to anyone needing to make a fix or conversion on something that won't likely get handled too much.
 

WI Artillery Issue: ACW to WWI

cover WI 281

Neil Smith fires a couple of impressive salvos in the WI artillery issue, covering the American Civil War, the Franco-Prussian War, and the edge of World War I.


"Bridge to the Future" reviews the industrial capacity and tactical impetus that put artillery firmly in the American arsenal during the Civil War. Beyond that, we get some down-to-earth advice on wargaming applications for such topics as smoothbore v. rifled cannons and differences in artillery organization/utility between the North and the South. A very good point was made in regards to how Confederate command ability, the changing nature of the war (entrenchments v. open field battles) and terrain considerations in general could offset the the Union Army's superiority in number and quality of artillery. A scenario based on the encounter at Brawner's Farm (at Second Manassas) helps bring it all home to the tabletop.

Neil's second artillery article is "Imperial Long Shots," which gets to grips with the Franco-Prussian War, demonstrating how the differences in doctrines served the Germans well (massed artillery) and not so well for the French (artillery reserves). Yes, there's more to it than that - differences in range, accuracy, and the like. It's on these principles - tactical and technical - that see the evolution of artillery as a truly overpowering combat arm not long into the Great War. For me, the icing on the cake was the sidebar 'The British Detour', which expounds upon the lessons learned in the Boer War. The article really helped me to understand the how's and why's artillery made the leaps it did between the American Civil War and the First World War.

For those interested in the rest of the WI Artillery Issue theme, check out the Napoleonic, Medieval, and Ancient article reviews on this blog.

WI Artillery Issue: Napoleonic Horse Artillery

cover WI 281

Dr. Stephen Summerfield gives readers a one-stop look at Napoleonic horse artillery, and goes just beyond the highlights of weapons/limbers, tactics, and organization for the major players in the period's conflicts. I'm not at all familiar with the era except in a most superficial way, nor am I familiar with Summerfield's extensive work on the subject - but I can say the article packs a lot into a few pages.

The supporting graphic sidebars of cutaway cannons and TOEs really bring the piece around from a gaming perspective. Id' say the TOEs are worth a good look for those building scenarios for the era and trying to build batteries of the correct proportion (and flexibility) for the British, French, Austrians, Prussians, and Russians. Offhand, it should serve as a quick resource for those planning a game around the very tweak-able Black Powder. There's a few anecdotal bits in the piece that might lend themselves towards special rules for deployment, role, or even hitting power in certain battles/years as well. Again, I think Black Powder players might benefit if building army list/abilities from scratch or using the game's templates as jumping off points. Frankly, I imagine that anyone who even has a set of beloved Napoleonic rules will find the article worth reading as well. They should certainly be ready to ask themselves whether or not their games capture the flavor, potential, and drawbacks of the emerging arm of horse artillery in their tabletop games.

WI Artillery Issue: Medieval Guns

Cover of WI 281

Picking up from the last review of Wargames Illustrated's Artillery Issue (#281), we move onto the late medieval period. While I have a general notion of artillery's growing role in military and social trends of the era preceding the dawn of the nation states (and some of that might very well be oversimplified myth by now...), I had no real idea of how it all really got started - nor how complicated and interesting it truly was.

Jim Graham's "Extensive Knowledge of Powder" really does the trick. He gives us a good look at the mercenary nature of the early gunsmiths and how they plied their trade between the Ottoman Empire and Scotland. The reader gets a treat of sidebars on the gunsmith, his patron, and the weapons he creates.

Jim gives us right-sized bits on the scientific, tactical, and political applications (and ramifications) of medieval gunnery.  The article finishes with a 'Siege of Orleans, 1428' scenario.

Right off I see that the article should give sneaky scenario designers some ideas on the iffy nature of medieval guns.  You know, things like increasing the chance for a catastrophic failure for attempting to fire at (or possibly exceed?) long range. Then there's the problem with the gunsmiths offering their services to the highest bidders - easily something worked into a campaign game. It also makes me think that in a campaign game that it might not be easy to replace lost artillery.

Anyway, I've come away with a lot of cool ideas that embrace the dicey nature of the medieval artillery game. Anyone who regularly plays with medieval guns in their tabletop games will get their money's worth out of Jim's insights and have every excuse to make their miniature artillery and even more exciting prospect.

Later This Month: Gallipoli

Anyone with a copy of Wargames Illustrated #282 can see that Gallipoli takes the spotlight theme for the May issue (you know, on the last page of the mag where they post a sneak peak). I got to play a supporting role in that venture, thanks to the always amiable John Bianchi. Once the issue has had a chance to make the online preview at the WI website, I will talk more about the material. I can tell you this right now - when I saw the plans that John drew up for the Gallipoli coverage, I knew it was going to be an absolute winner.

In the meantime, I recommend that anyone interested in the campaign should take a look at Alan Moorehead's classic account on the subject. 

Coming Up: "Rethinking 'Saxon' Wargaming"

Wargames Illustrated published a refreshing article to challenge the perception and tabletop interpretation of  Saxon armies in Issue 282. I'm hardly the expert to tell you what's right and what's wrong with how game rules treat the Saxons - or any of their Dark Age allies and enemies - but I love to read this kind of thing.

The author, Ryan Lavelle, made quite a few references to a favorite author around here - Guy Halsall. Specifically, he mentions Halsall's Warfare and Society in the Barbarian West c.450-900 - which I found to be an enlightening book that I ought to go back and read again (I can't believe it's been four years). I highly recommend it - it made for some interesting changes in thought I had on the period - and I don't think I grasped all that it offered.

In a later post I'll actually make some comments on the "Rethinking 'Saxon' Wargaming" article itself.

WI Artillery Issue: Greco-Roman Ballistae

cover art WI 281

It took me longer than I thought to get around to a review on this decidedly different type of theme for the relaunched Wargames Illustrated, but here it is.

For my contribution - 'Wood, Sinew, and Metal' - the piece on Greco-Roman artillery - it certainly challenged me, as I mentioned previously. It was a tough juggling act to figure out how much information to include in regards to the science and mechanics behind the war machines. I couldn't just gloss it over, but neither do I believe that most readers wanted to make scale models. I think I hit the right balance on it.

I tried to weight the piece with tactical organizations and applications and relate them to how these weapons translate in multiple gaming systems. I used a Dacian War scenario so the barbarian player could realistically use ballistae to combat the invading Romans. The setting also allowed me to give players a game that did not require much in the way of fortifications. The scenario is designed to highlight artillery's role on a battlefield that includes a fixed position, cavalry, and reserves.

I had planned to do the review in one long post, but I think I will break it up. I can say that I enjoyed what I read about 'Artillery Through the Ages' - even on periods that I have little expectation of wargaming except maybe at a convention. All of the authors brought interesting bits to the table that you might not necessarily find in a rulebook or army list, but make you want to figure out how to incorporate them. We'll pick up with Jim Graham's medieval artillery article next time.

FOW Project: Our Frank

I've done a few US commanders for my heavy weapons platoons, plus a few more leaders to spread around as needed. While I think it is standard to place three figures on a command stand of any given level (platoon, company, etc.) in Flames of War, I prefer to place two figures on platoon command stands so I can better identify them when I'm trying to figure out out where my company commander and second-in-command stands are.

I got to do some fun stuff with the figs from the Battlefront US Company HQ pack I picked up years ago. The rifleman and carbine-wielding officer appear to be having a frank discussion over the CO's next big plan. There's some NCOs and officers in the pack who are definitely urging the men forward, but I like the laconic posturing of these guys quite a bit.

FOW Project: Basing Experiments

Even flat ground isn't always flat. I've had to go back and make some post-flock changes to some miniatures before and its sometimes as simple as adding some lichens or weeds. Why not just add a little few bumps with wall repair putty (quick dry, no mixing required) and some assorted bits of debris in the first place?

I mixed varying amounts of model grit/rocks, sand, and dried coffee grounds to my recent basing project (US command stands for FOW miniatures). This is definitely one of those arts v. science type of things. In some case, I definitely thought "less is more."

A friend commented that one of the bases looks like it was set on volcanic ground (which might come in handy for some fantasy monsters...). I think if I ever do some basing for the Ruhr Pocket, the coffee grounds might come in handy as well - if not for individual bases, then for the mighty coal piles that the armies fought in and over in the industrial region.

For those interested in recycling coffee grounds, make sure they get a proper drying before you put them in a container. Otherwise, expect to get some mold in your mix.

On a tangent item, dried tea leaves make a good pass for little leaves.

FOW Project: US Heavy Weapons (mostly ready)

Except for a little touch up paint on some spots (more on that) and a Dull Cote finish, my Flames of War US heavy weapons teams are ready, and the command teams are next.

The picture at right was taken shortly after flocking, and you can see some of the glue showing through. That went away. I did find some spots of glue that had no flock did not turn clear, but white. I'm guessing this was because of the watered-down wood glue I used instead of just regular watered-down craft glue. I avoided this mistake when I put together the command teams.

For flocking I used some Gale Force 9 terrain products: dirt flocking, mixed with dark green and yellowed static grass. I have found more satisfying results by mixing static grass with the ground cover than by sprinkling the grass on top. I usually get a mix of grass standing and flat, and well integrated with what I perceive as earth or shorter grass (the earth flock). Looks right to me. I like mixing the grass colors because for much of the year, that's what I see in pastures and open fields, except for maybe late spring and summer.

Next time, I'll post a little bit about the command teams. I tried a few new things in regards to basing, but still keeping in with the look of the machine gun and mortar crews. 

Brunanburh Online

In case you missed my take on Brunanburh (the epic clash between Anglo-Saxons and a Norse Dublin/Scots alliance in 937) from a gaming perspective in Wargames Illustrated last spring, WI has posted it online as a PDF.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle certainly gives us the impression the battle was truly a clash a mighty armies, and I have no reason to disagree. That said, we have very little reliable information on army strengths or even the battle's location. Of course, the Norse sagas offer all kinds of details that have more to do telling a good story than offering anything like historical facts.

Well, don't let that keep you from bringing a couple of hordes of late Dark Age types to the tabletop and giving the game a go. 

The Brunanburh article appeared in WI 271. If you are interested in the other bits I wrote on the Dublin Norse, check out WI 270 (cover pictured right).

Coming Up - FOW Project: US Heavy Weapons

Just a short note this post, but I plan to talk a little bit about the work I've been doing on my Flames of War US heavy weapons platoons next week. The core troops have been flocked (pictured are teams are prior to that). I'm hardly the modeling expert, but I've got some ideas that seem to improve what I'm doing on the painting table. More on all that later.

Pathfinder Bestiary 2: Review

I'll go ahead and say it - Paizo's Bestiary 2 is the Fiend Folio of the Pathfinder RPG. For those of you not familiar with the classic Dungeons & Dragons reference, let me take you back to 1981.

The Fiend Folio was the second hardback creature tome for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game (now known as 1st ed D&D). It had some monsters that came directly from some of TSR's adventure modules (the drow or dark elves from the Against the Giants and Drow series readily claimed iconic status), but a good chunk of it came from fan-based creations in the UK. Some were winners, some weren't. It's hard to imagine the game without the likes of the planes-traveling Githyanki (who graced the book's cover), or my favorite - the dark folk (dark creepers and dark stalkers). Some of the monsters were way out there, and all of them showed a lot of imagination, regardless. While I never considered the book superior to the original Monster Manual, I cannot deny that I always brought a selection of FF creatures into my games.

Well, that's what Bestiary 2 feels like to me now. There's plenty of stuff in there that if you want to populate your adventures with B2 monsters, you can readily do it. It definitely has that otherworldly feel to it, considering the number of extraplanar creatures, fey, and aberrations you can find in between the covers. Of course, you get a number of dinosaurs, magical beasts, and giant mammals and insects to boot.

I recognize a number of the creatures from prior Pathfinder publications, although I'm fairly sure a number of them are seeing print for the first time - at least in regards to how Pathfinder has re-imagined a lot of the classic monsters of the D&D game. I must say, I do like how they did some interesting takes on freaky monsters from the old D&D 3.0/3.5 Monster Manual like the destrachan and the howler - and that's just the artwork.

Oh, and the dark slayer (a new addition to the dark folk), may be a new favorite of mine.



 

Coming Up: Review on the Wargames Illustrated Artillery Issue

I have not quite finished reading my copy of WI #281, but I will offer a more in-depth review and some insights from the writer's perspective for this one as soon as I do. I can say this about the theme - there's quite a few gems on the subject of 'Artillery through the Ages'. As for my contribution to the theme (Greco-Roman artillery), it challenged me in ways I didn't expect - and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only author that felt that way about the project. I think we managed to pull off a rather interesting set of articles that mix history, technology/engineering, and gaming in compelling narratives.

Also, I have not forgot the promised review of Pathfinder Bestiary 2. I'm still giving it a good study.

More later...

RPG Advice: Necromantic Traps

The undead can prove tough foes in RPG games, and they come in all kinds of makes and models. For the purposes of today's review, we should get into the mindset of the kinds that can be created as servants (animated skeletons and zombies) and those might be summoned and possibly controlled - especially the incorporeal types. Now, consider how those kinds of monsters could be made into integral parts of wards and traps. If spell energies and elemental creatures can be harnessed for magic items and other things, why not evil spirits and other undead?

Necromantic aspects can be strictly cosmetic, but it's probably a little more interesting to introduce some tweaks to game mechanics adapted straight from the RPGs rules for traps. D&D 3.0+ and the Pathfinder game provide stock and trade listings for all kinds of traps, which should make things rather easy than coming up with this stuff from scratch.

For example, instead of using the old spiked pit trap, why not use a pit filled with skeletal arms that attack hapless victims with the same kind of chances to hit and damage? If you juice it up, why not let the skeletal hazard make continuous attacks for anyone not making a hasty climb out of the pit? You should probably assign the skeletal components hit points or something to measure damage - most likely  thanks to an area effect spell or holy energy. Alternately, you might just treat the skeletal bits as some kind of swarm (ie. like hordes of vermin) that inhabits a pit.

Think about the traps that release some kind of energy attack, such as fire or lightning. Why not use necrotic energy instead? This might have the effect of turning killed characters into some kind of undead. Alternately, it might just be a cool way to describe traps that make cold attacks, but be sure to mention that the assault on the characters has a creepy aura - ie. spirits whispering, grabbing, etc. This would certainly be the kind of trap that you could let the priests, holy warriors, or the studious use their Knowledge (Religion) skills to detect and disable/suppress harmful spirit wards.

If a trap normally requires a character to make a Fortitude or Reflex saving throw to withstand or dodge it, respectively, why not replace with an effect that requires a Will saving throw instead? As far as that goes, if the trap deals physical damage, I see no reason why a psychic attack couldn't do just that. Again, I can see malicious spiritual forces at work here, although this is great ground for those Cthulhu-minded.

Finally, let's think about hazards. Drowning is a dungeon-delving problem that can occur while swimming or if buried in enough debris. To avoid drowning, it requires Swimming checks and possibly Constitution checks if the hero goes under. Consider spiritual hazards - say a corridor of howling spirits - that requires Will save checks (or some relevant skill check), but maybe use Wisdom or Charisma checks to "hold their breath" while navigating or floundering the cursed hall.

The cover the right is from Dungeon #125 (back in 2004, I think). Mike Mearl's adventure, "The Three Faces of Evil," has an ultra creepy dungeon complex which features a section that messes with character's minds, if I recall correctly (maybe through an ever-present confusion spell effect). Lots of strange things going on in the adventure that the suggestions above would work well with. Recommended reading for anyone planning on writing  an unholy temple adventure - you just can't beat the feeling Mearls evokes. One day I'll have to write a post of why this adventure is one of my all-time favorites.