On the turn of a card.

I thought I would just share some of the concept work that has been done for what we are calling the 'Chance' cards.  Various loot markers will be situated throughout the terrain; these can be investigated by using the 'Oh, Shiny!' action.  The player will draw a chance card to see what they have found, but be warned some cards have negative effects!  

I had an idea that I wanted the deck to resemble an old and worn pack of playing cards, adding the logo that I had created at the centre.  Looking at it again, I can see some faults with alignment and have probably overdone the wear and tear, but got close to where I wanted to be.

Concept wise the cards in our game owe much to the 'Zombicide' game and so it seemed fitting to start there when it came to design.  For the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with Guillotine Games' Kickstarter breaking phenomenon, Zombicide is a collaborative board game where the players 'search' for equipment by drawing cards.  These can give a survivor's chances a boost with the addition weapons or artefacts, sometimes having to be combined to increase the value or strength of the item.  The cards might also have an impact on game play, sometimes for the worse!  Above is a typical example of an equipment card and as I was reviewing them, I was suddenly struck by the black, red & white colour scheme, which echoes the German Imperial war flag design and had been a consideration when thinking about palette for this adventure.  As a result, I shamelessly stole payed homage to the card design and added our theme to their existing background.

I was aware of the box art for 'Escape from Colditz' board game and Action Man set and was channeling these themes, along with the Commando comics of my youth.  I was interested to discover that the 'Escape from Colditz' game also came with equipment cards and that theirs had historical information relating to the various escape attempts.  Again this was something we had considered and so will be looking to add facts about the battle to ours; after all our core goal is education. 

With a design concept in place, I thought it only right to try out a few ideas for actual cards.  I have had to learn a few new skills along the way, but quite excited at the results.  Obviously there is a need for consistency, particularly when applying fonts and filters, but these examples are done to show a variety of ideas for discussion rather than a finished article.   I imagined any historical information at the base of the card and the light colour on red, seems to work well, making us realise that this is relevant, but separate information from the game itself. 

 Another concern was how do we show that some elements can be combined?  A simple numerical solution perhaps?  There is a lot of information on this set of cards and I wonder if all is necessary?  As always, these are just my thoughts and any additional considerations about them or their development can only be helpful so please don't hold back. 

I have been considering the possibility of two separate decks, one for the attackers and one for the defenders, but it might be easier just to have the one that can be recycled when exhausted.  If that were to be the case then some of the cards may well be duplicates for example Ammunition, but at the same time it would be nice to have a good variety of items.  

The 'Chance' cards  could seriously change the outcome of the game for the individual player.  This uncertainty hopefully adds some fun to the proceedings and a random element to the game play that echoes the fog of war.  We already have a good number of cards worked up, but we could do with some more suggestions.  Below is a list of ideas that have not yet been completed, please feel free to add any suggestions as to how they might be used, or better still come up with some new ones for us.

In addition if anyone knows of a good source for having cards printed up, do please let us know, thank you.

F.U.B.A.R.
Binoculars
Maps
Lost!
Bazooka!
Sausage
Beef Jerky
Wine Bottles
Canned Food
Frying Pan
Chewing Gum
A lonely goat herd
Nuns on the Run!
The Hills are Alive
Bear Trap!

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28mm Waffen SS - test sprue

I have taken a liking to the 'Warlord Games' plastic miniatures as a quick, and relatively cheap way to build up the units required.  So to represent members of the SS 17th Panzer Grenadier Div. that attacked the Castle on that fateful day in 1945, I have gone for the late war Waffen-SS Grenadier miniatures.  By way of a test, I assembled a couple of frames and found myself spoilt for choice with a myriad of options.  In the end I decided to keep things relatively simple for this first run out and based them on 20mm MDF discs from 'Warbases'. 

The quality of the sculpts is just amazing, so many fine details and expressive faces, but when it came to painting, I was a little apprehensive.  This is area that I have very little knowledge of, and although I have tried camouflage patterns before there seemed so many to choose from!  Armed with a clutch of new Osprey titles and some rather good painting guides, I started to make some decisions as to which uniforms these chaps would have.

My rather rudimentary research suggested that the Oak Leaf pattern was the way to go and given that the battle took place in May, I would focus primarily on painting the spring side of the reversible smock.  That said, I understand that veterans would often mix and match items of uniform so there was a fair bit of leeway.

Once primed, I gathered together the requisite colours and set about try to replicate the camouflage pattern.  Given the scale of the miniatures, I wasn't unduly worried about the finer details, just happy to 'sell' the illusion.  The initial green chosen seemed a little bright to begin with, but a heavy wash did the trick and by the end I was achieving a pleasing result.

As these were, in effect, test pieces I was happy to try out a few different ideas and evening had a stab at the autumn pattern on one of the helmet covers.  I wasn't sure that I wanted to do include the runic insignia SS, but the miniatures come with some waterslide transfers.  These are insanely small and their application was accompanied by a fair amount of colourful language, but the result is rather effective.

Four done another twenty one to go!  Hopefully the next batch will be a little quicker now that I have an idea of the colours to use.

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We're back!

The start of any academic year brings with it no end of challenges and surprises.  The shock of coming out of an extended period of relaxation into an atmosphere of seemingly unrelenting industry is often daunting, even for the most seasoned of teachers.  Fortunately we are a resilient species and although faced with drowning amidst the planning, paperwork and pupils the instinct to kick for the surface remains, gulping in the air as we break from the suffocating waves.  This is the point when experience pays dividends and with it the realisation that not only can you do the job, but you enjoy it too!  You see the start of the academic year is not just a lament of the lost summer, but a celebration of beginning; a fresh start if you will.

Footprint & terrain considerations

James and I are keen to reignite our interest in the Schloss Itter project and share that passion with a wider audience.  Much has happened in our various camps over the summer holidays and we are just starting to knit the elements together so that we can share them with you here.

We hope to do this as a means to keep ourselves motivated, but also to engender a  sense of collaboration and are currently working on a couple of ideas that might allow us to ‘reach out’ to a wider audience.

So what can you expect in the coming weeks and months?  Construction is well underway with the castle and with it plenty of problems to solve and discuss.  Rules have been drafted and gameplay considered along with design considerations.  Miniatures have been collected and assembled with research into uniforms and units begun.  There have also been some distractions and diversions that have yielded unintentionally exciting results that we will share soon.

All in all there is a buzz of excitement and industry around the project, but we are only too aware that time is against us and so look to you all to keep us on track with your continued support and for that alone we thank you.  So without any further ado it is time to remove the dust sheets from the painting table and crack on with the project! 

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Woof, woof, woof!

Just a bit of fun and not a full blown distraction, but when I was painting my Sherman tank, I remembered that I had a possible commander for it in the form of a 'Studio Miniatures' survivor.  It would appear that one maverick, eccentric and somewhat wayward tank commander is not enough and I seem to have inexplicably added an 'Artizan Designs' Oddbod to the mix! 

Both characters are a nod to the wonderful 'Sgt. Oddball' so colourfully portrayed by Donald Sutherland in 1970 celluloid gem that is Kelly's Heroes.  This was another one of those films that young Master Awdry remembers watching with his father on a Sunday afternoon, replete from an utterly splendid roast lunch, curtesy of his beloved mother.

In those days, I was untroubled by a morally bankrupt squad of G.I.s that leave their comrades dead and bleeding across great swathes of the French countryside as they go in search of a bank to rob!  No back them, it was a rip-snorter of a movie, with fast paced action scenes, genuine film stars and a script that is still quoted the world over to this very day.  Every so often, I will sit and watch it again and be transported back to a simpler time.

 Both sculpts were given the same colour scheme and at some point, I will make a decision as to which one, if either, makes it to the squad destined to defend the castle.  The 'Artizan Designs' sculpt is simpler in its appearance, certainly in direct comparison to the 'Studio Miniatures' variant, but not necessarily better.  It still holds a certain charm, perhaps more akin to the age of the movie from which the character hails?  

Just as an aside, eagle-eyed visitors to this most humble of web-logs will have noticed the 'Battle of Schloss Itter' button at the top of the blog.  This is just a simple device to link all the related posts together as we move forward with the project.  I intend to put a similar link at the bottom of each relevant post to make navigation as simple as possible.

Oddball: Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don’t you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don’t you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?

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Tentative Beginnings

It's all very well running headlong into a new project, buoyed by the childlike, naive enthusiasm that never seems to leave us, but then comes the reality check, the moment when you stop and ask yourself, "what on earth am I playing at?"

To his great credit, James had seen this coming and had started to consider a project management spreadsheet, something that now seems a rather splendid idea as I run around like like loon deciding what to do next!  We also considered trying to record some of the progress made via blog or Instagram posts as a way of encouraging vicarious collaboration from a wider audience, and so this is one of those posts.  As we broke up for the summer holidays our respective tasks were clear insomuch as James was going to battle on with the castle design, whilst I was going to consider the feasibility of building a game around the structure.

I am now starting to finally relax and have put the thoughts of a difficult academic year behind me; this mental decluttering has allowed me to give some time to the prospect of the rules for the game.  I have fleshed out my original thoughts, and although very much a work in progress, they have been offered up for consideration to others.  This is all very exciting as it is something completely new to me, but it remains the painting and modelling aspect of the hobby that I find the most relaxing, not to mention rewarding, and so have indulged in a little 'palette testing'.  I had a sprue of 'Warlord Games' plastic American G.I.s which were attached to the front cover of a copy of 'Wargames Illustrated'.  These have been duly assembled and based and colour has started to be added, aided by some rather splendid reference material that I have amassed along the way, but what I really wanted to try was a tank!

This is a completely new era for me and I was keen to cut my teeth on some Allied Armour and so ordered up a 'Warlord Games' M4 Sherman Medium Tank.  Gluing together the plastic kit took me right back to my youth, when young Master Awdry would spend many a happy hour assembling various Airfix models, the heady aroma of plastic cement filling his nostrils.  

Assembled straight from the box, without any additional customisation,  I was fortunate enough to be directed to the rather wonderful 'John Bond's Wargaming Stuff'.  What a veritable mine of fabulous work this turned out to be, carefully ordered and clear to follow.  I shall refrain from repeating John's post, suffice to say that I followed it almost to the letter.  A couple of notable exceptions being that I was fortunate enough to have a spray can of Tamiya Olive Drab that worked well for the base coat and used some of the 'Games Workshop' Typhus Corrosion along the edges of the vehicle.

I have to say that I was rather pleased with my first efforts, but have subsequently realised that the tank involved in the battle was in fact a later version,  M4A3E8 or Easy 8 Sherman, fondly known as Besotten Jenny - I have so much to learn!

So we are off an running, so much more to do, but having a lot of fun along the way!

We're going to Salute 2020!

It might seem a tad early to be considering a visit to one of the biggest independent, one-day wargaming and gaming events in Europe, but Salute is very much on our radar at the moment and I am thrilled to be able to share some exciting news with you here.

Schloss Itter at the time of the War.

So taken, were James and I, with how much interest and curiosity that the Pegasus Bridge project generated, all through its construction and beyond, that we were keen to repeat the idea and ultimately see if we could take it that bit further. 

 An obvious starting point was to celebrate the 75th anniversary of V.E. Day, 8th May 2020.  As we looked around for a suitable tale to tell we stumbled across the Battle for Schloss Itter, the incredible story of a group of German Soldiers, American G.I.s and French Prisoners of War that fought alongside each other in the final days before the War in Europe came to an end.  This really is the stuff of Hollywood, but this remarkable true story would be perfect for a lecture to the school and would provide us with another modelling challenge - Austrian Castle anyone?!

As with Pegasus Bridge, our primary goal is education and given the increased scale of this project we are keen that the pupils will be able to contribute in the construction in some way and hope to hold a club in the Spring term.  As I mentioned at the start we are keen to push ourselves that little bit further, and that progression is leading us down the totally unfamiliar path of game design.  

In short we have decided to design and build a participation game to commemorate the Battle of Schloss Itter ahead of the 75th Anniversary of VE Day.  To use the model to illustrate a talk to the school, but also to take the game to Salute 2020, just because it would be an awesome thing to do.  Having registered with the South London Warlords we were thrilled to receive the news that we have bagged one of the Early Bird slots and have had the 'green light' to "crack on with whatever bit of genius/madness you have planned."

So crack on we have!  Working form photographs taken at the time of the battle, James has started to map out the floor plan of the castle, getting a sense for how we could construct it.  This is no mean feat and I am continually impressed at the skill James displays in bringing the past to life.  As we broke up for the summer holidays a couple of test pieces had been cut and immediately we were staggered at just how big this project was going to be!

Castle and playing area, concept design James Walters

There may yet be concessions made in the interests of gameplay, but James' first goal is to create a castle that is true to the photographic evidence, otherwise what is the point?  The drawings are moving forward and I am happy to share them here to give a sense of where we are headed and to generate some momentum and excitement about the project.

Castle Design, concept design James Walters

I have been tinkering away with ideas for how to 'play' the battle, again trying to put education at the fore with a large smattering of humour, and look forward to running them past the more experienced gamers, Mike 'The Dark Templar' Reynolds and 'Bullcher Feb'.  

Castle and Gatehouse, concept design James Walters

Our goals for the summer holidays are to flesh out our ideas and hopefully start construction on some of the landscape elements, if for no other reason than to get a better understanding as to how the game plays.  I want to try and create a 'shopping' list of the miniatures needed and plan out some colour palettes whilst James wrestles with the intricacies of a castle, gatehouse and bridge!  

We hope to share updates as we progress, particularly of areas that might be of interest to the larger modelling and gaming world and would welcome any feedback or suggestions that you might have as we are acutely aware that we are somewhat out of our comfort zone, but relishing every creative minute of the experience.  

Fellowship!

The final themed bonus round of this year's 'Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge' was simply titled, Fellowship.  After much head scratching, I brought together a selection for miniatures and ships for Star Wars: Legion, loosely arranged to give a sense of the battle that raged on the frozen planet of Hoth during the Empire Strikes Back.  

The concept, such that it was, is the idea of never leaving someone behind, here transported to a galaxy far, far away.  As the stricken pilot fumbles with the emergency radio controls, his co-pilot bravely strides towards the towering behemoth that is threatening to crush everything in its path.  Then, and just in the nick of time, air support arrives to halt the advance.

The T-47 Airspeeder, will always be a Snowspeeder to me and even though I have a hankering for a Tatooine themed board, I was struggling to see past the ice fields of Hoth. I decided that there was only one thing for it and that was to create a second flight stand, so that I could deploy the ship in both climates. I sourced some acrylic rod and attached a rare earth magnet to the top and fixing another to the speeder; this will mean, I can simply swap out the ship and fix it to another base. I had tried to get it to tilt, but had to settle for just swivel at the moment.

The obliterated Probe Droid was sadly not an original idea, but one that I had seen on an Instagram account that I follow and was just too cool not to try and replicate. I couldn’t bring myself to cut up one of my original probe droids, but managed to cast the head of one using insta-mold and some Greenstuff. A few foam rocks and some pumice gel, completed the illusion.

The basing technique was repeated with the downed Snowspeeder. The craft itself is a Revell plastic kit, that I assembled, then broke! They are available at Amazon for a few pounds and although slightly smaller than the Fantasy Flight model it is not so small to prevent it being used as a terrain piece.

 Finally then to the miniatures and again these are 3D prints from Skull Forge Studios.  I don’t know how often young Skywalker will be used in battle given the incredibly delicate lightsabre, but again both were exquisitely designed and make really interesting additions to the collection.

When it came to the photography, some fake snow was used and eagled eyed viewers may have spotted the probe droid from an earlier post, lurking in the distance.  

The AT-AT leg, is actually just the leg, I haven’t yet completed the whole Revell 1:53 scale model.  That said it was enough to sell the illusion and I gave it a little shake when the shutter was open to create the effect of movement. 

Finally the special effects used for the blizzard, laser fire and lightsabre are all created using LenFX; thank you Barks for the heads up on such a fun app.