What rules?

My apologies one and all, the end of any academic year is always a challenging time, but this year was even more frenetic.  Virtual assemblies and farewells, reports and administrative tasks, there was even some time for teaching!  Suffice to say, time was a precious commodity and it was inevitable that something had to be sacrificed and, sadly, it was this most humble of weblogs.

That's not to say that I haven't been tinkering around in the shadows, but things are about to go a little off piste.  The Battle for Schloss Itter was, and still is, a massive undertaking and one that James and I are committed to bringing to the conclusion it deserves.  Just before the end of term we managed to reunite the castle structure with its base board in a hope to finish off the last details before photographing the completed boards over the summer.  The plan was to work on it in the evenings of the final week at school, but I just didn't have the time and now, having returned to the Sunshine Coast and the sanctuary of Awdry Towers, the project remains unfinished.  If I am honest, I simply needed a break and that's what I have decided to do.

I have resolved to catch up with some long overdue posts of miniatures started over a year ago as well as indulge in a diversion that has been bubbling under the surface for a while now.  Expect, of the summer months, a hugely eclectic mix of periods, ideas and projects as I look to tidy up some loose ends.  As will become abundantly clear there is no scheduled plan, no themed months, just fun as I flit like a hobby butterfly from one idea to the next.

Now to start things off, I need your help, but here too lies a tale.  I have always enjoyed the escapism of the motion picture, the wonder of being transported to galaxy far, far away or the opportunity to capture a bridge too far.  Being a child of the video age this escapism had a seemingly never ending mine of material, provided you were prepared to peer through the stygian gloom, suffer the inaudible dialogue and run the risk of debilitating migraines brought on by flickering tracking; how we miss those halcyon days of the 1980s video rentals! 

When young Master Awdry wasn't being terrified witless by the latest celluloid slasher he was plunged into the jungles of the far east, rescuing forgotten P.O.W.s or stemming the tide of Communist incursion, winning the day against all odds.  Vietnam became synonymous with action and adventure, a place where camaraderie overcame bigotry and bravery was issued with frag grenades.  With the onset of age, if not wisdom, I am aware that these cinematic exploits couldn't have been further from the truth and that the Vietnam, or second Indochina War, was a complex, brutal and seemingly endless conflict that cost the lives of countless soldiers and civilians.  

The fascination with the period is difficult to pin down, but undoubtedly had something to do with films like Apocalypse Now, Platoon and Full Metal Jacket.  These undeniable masterpieces would portray a struggle that would often go beyond the conflict on the ground and, being a sensitive sort of chap, would strike a chord with my awkward sensibilities.  Add to this an intoxicating blend of rock 'n' roll and high explosive ordnance, all stirred together with the rotor blades of the ubiquitous 'Huey' and you had a cocktail that may a teenage boy found difficult to resist. 

So why has these bubbled to the surface now?  Again it's difficult to say with any degree of certainty, but one catalyst might be the release of several ranges of finely sculpted miniatures.  These have certainly caught my eye and a rather serendipitous series of posts by Martin Thornton on his wonderfully entertaining blog, 'The Life and Times of Mad Lord Snapcase' has seen me slowly build a fledging collection, nominally around the aforementioned films.  

Finally, then, to the somewhat circuitous point of the post, to what end?  How do I get to play with my toys?  I have in mind a rather bespoke, intimate affair and relatively small scale.  A handful of miniatures, a narrative or mission framed by the conflict in Vietnam, but not beholden to it.  I would like to roll dice or draw cards, feel the apprehension build as we edge through the steaming jungles or witness the firepower of a barrage directed by troops on the ground.  Does this already exist or is there perhaps something that can be adapted to my needs?  

I imagine this to be very much an ongoing project, the scale of which allowing it to be delved into at any given time without too much trouble.  I already have some jungle, built for the Congo games, but could see several scenarios framed around locations that might include the P.O.W. camp, the Temple, the Delta, the City, the Firebase, the abandoned Plantation and the Village, all of which will prick a memory of a film or historic battle.  The concept is very much to draw on the conflict, but not to be restricted by it historically, in doing so avoiding the grim reality of the war itself.  I am only too aware that the Vietnam War, is to many, a recent conflict and would certainly not want to belittle the sacrifices made.  This somewhat bubblegum approach is a bid to put some creative distance between the realities of war and tabletop entrainment; it should also allow me to sidestep the button counters and history police, keeping fun at the fore.   

So your ideas please, what can I use as a starting point, or for that matter is there already a game system that incorporates these ideas?  As always your thoughts and suggestions would be gratefully received. 

Loot Markers

I have been looking forward to sharing these elements, for no other reason that I am chuffed to bits with them!  From very early on in the game's design considerations, I was keen to include some element of chance to the proceedings, this is not a new concept and is lifted directly from some of my more enjoyable gaming experiences such as Congo and Zombicide.  

I wanted players to interact with elements drawing what is in effect a chance card that could then have an impact on game play, be it positive or negative.  The cards themselves were considered a while a go, with my thought process laid out in the post, 'On the turn of a card'.  I was hoping that this element would bring some levity to the game, making it more about the experience than a strategic wargame.  

I knew that we could design a set of tokens to place in the game to represent these chance encounters and that their position could again influence decisions made, for example placed within range of the castle defenders would an attacking squad run the risk of interacting and winning a game changing panzerfäust or will they see their troops gunned down for a humble bratwurst?  Decisions, decisions.

Inspiration came from the great many examples of 'jumping off' points devised for games like Bolt Action and so having decided on 40mm MDF discs as a starting point, I began collecting together elements from left offer sprues and the bits box.  Most came together very quickly and are grouped in sets like the 'fuel dump' or food supplies, which were actually one piece resin casts from 'Bad Squiddo Games'.  The weapons caches were all based around some '4Ground' packing crates that I had kicking around and proved just the job to 'stage' the individual arms, the irony being that they are bought as pre-painted, but were then undercoated when I had everything assembled! 

I haven't really considered just how many of these stands would be available to players in the game, but given the size of the playing area I set myself the target of eighteen, for no better reason than that was how many bases I had to hand.  Initially the thought was that they would be generic to both sides, but as I started to mull the idea over I decided it might be fun to have certain markers that would be placed just in the castle and others available to the attackers and could therefore be themed accordingly.  This is where things started to get out of hand...

Discarded luggage, looted family heirlooms from the castle armoury or discarded Nazi documents all made it into the castle, I even headed the file paper with a German eagle!  Outside we can find a teddy bear's picnic on a hand painted rug and evidence of the revenge of a certain red cloak wearing heroine; anything was possible.  It was always my intention, if time permitting, to have some fun with these markers and this was definitely a situation were having the time just to tinker around has befitted the outcome.  My apologies for a rare moment of self congratulation, but I couldn't be happier with them and can't wait to see the markers take their place on the boards.

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The Monarch of the Glen

More fauna and set dressing, this time in the shape of a couple of packs of 'Wargames Foundry' deer.  These were purchased off the back of the wild boar post, 'Bringing home the bacon',  where Paul of 'Paul's Bods' fame had suggested that Roe and Red deer were plentiful in the Austrian forests and by happenstance 'Wargames Foundry' were running a sale; the rest, as they say, is history.

When they arrived I couldn't have been more thrilled, beautifully cast and with very little work needed in preparation.  A modicum of research revealed that there were subtle differences in markings between the breeds, but a red brown sufficed as the base coat for both.  To be perfectly honest, I couldn't see past Sir Edwin Landseer's iconic painting of c.1851.  Just like the painting this stag boasts an impressive twelve point, or royal, set of antlers and it's easy to see how the Victorian painting embodied all that is majestic and mysterious about the lands North of the boarder.  

Sadly, by the twentieth century the painting had become something of a cliché, the sort of image that might adorn a tin of all butter shortbread or a bottle of whisky, but it still holds a sense of mastery to me and so I am happy to champion it in miniature, even adding a clump of purple heather on the base; a little bit of Scotland in a far off corner of some foreign field.

I have to say that they make quite a lovely family group, with the addition of a couple of fawns that I couldn't resit painting to look like Bambi.   I hope to return them to the wild when we finally reunite the boards, but have made a solemn promise to James' mother that no harm will befall any livestock placed on the board, so they really are only to be considered set dressing.

One unexpected advantage of being holed up during the ongoing crisis is that all those 'extension' tasks that were to be considered if we had time have now been completed; a case in point would be more livestock!  Stuck to lolly pop sticks, patiently awaiting their repatriation are creatures form a variety of sources including bunnies from 'Bad Squiddo Games' and 'Warbases', a couple of toads from 'Master Crafted Miniatures', some pheasants, again from 'Warbases' and a couple of fish, sadly not included in this photograph, from 'Wargames Terrain Workshop'.

I even managed to finish some wolves, yet again from the ever dependable 'Warbases' and a nun.  Originally from 'Conquest Games', the nun's head was flattened and a crude crucifix fashioned from some plastic strip so as to create a passing semblance to Mother Abbess from the Sound of Music.  I have absolutely no idea if these will have any role to play in the game, although I quite liked the idea of Mother Abbess just randomly moving around the board, joining everyone in song,

"Climb Ev'ry Mountain".

Regardless of their ultimate use it is good to have finally ticked off these elements that have been cluttering up the painting desk for so long.  I have been beavering away on the plot points or markers for the game and will hopefully be in a position to share those shortly and then, fingers crossed, we may have the big reveal!

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Thank you N.H.S.

Being of a somewhat sensitive disposition, I find the idea of public displays of affection truly terrifying.  Imagine my horror then, when the Saintly Mrs. Awdry announced that we needed to step over the threshold of 'Awdry Towers' and show our appreciation of the National Health Service with a spirited round of applause.  "But I have my slippers on", I explained, all to no avail, as I was ousted from the armchair and presented to the street.  This became my routine every Thursday night at eight o'clock, it was all very strange, but even I had to admit that there was a palpable sense of community and hope as I cringed my way through the longest minute of the week.

Social afflictions aside, I am of course delighted to show my support of the National Health Service and was thrilled when another opportunity presented itself in the form of this splendid miniature produced by 'Empress Miniatures'.  This representation of a WWII Combat Nurse is sculpted by Paul Hicks and money raised by its sale will go to British National Health Service Charity, RCN Foundation COVID-19 Support Fund.

I love this photograph of the Canadian medical staff that Paul had used as his inspiration for the sculpt and it transpires, rather charmingly, that Lt. Woolsey is the grandmother of a good friend of his.  There is a sense of calm and professionalism about the trio in the foreground, who will no doubt finish their mugs of tea and step back into the war without a second thought for their own safety; a spirit of duty and sacrifice clearly in evidence to this day with our own nurses on the 'front line'.

Stay Safe.

A work in progress#3

This will be the final work in progress post with regards to the gaming boards and comes about due to a much needed sort out of the photographs I had taken just before lockdown.  It seems strange looking at them again now, especially as the four boards have not been in the same room since December.  The opening set of shots detail the finishing touches on the first two boards with item like the log cabin, electricity substation and ground cover all in situ. 

We then move on to the final two boards and some interesting design elements had to be considered, most notably the shape cut out of one.  As the scale and height of the castle became evident we started to worry about the playability of the game, particularly at Salute.  It was painfully obvious that players, certainly those that were small of stature, would struggle to access the miniatures on the castle walls from the far side of the board.  So it is that we have the rather fetching organic shape towards the rear of the castle.  This board also holds one or two other surprises for no other reason than we were starting to feel more confident in the construction methods used.  To that end the mountain stream continues, but is polluted by the sewage drain from the castle.  Needing a place to forge the stream without penalty, I also constructed a simple stone bridge out of scrap pieces of foam and then there is the dinosaur fossil.  A complete fabrication and fanciful element, but everything is better with dinosaurs, right?

Te final board is, in effect, the base of the castle itself and if you look closely you can see a yellow tissue paper template that represents the structure's footprint.  I hinted at the remains of the medieval predecessor to the current Schloss with more foam pieces and both areas are tied together with trees that match the same pattern and colours used in the original boards. 

I really can't explain just how excited I am to see all four boards reunited and populated with the completed miniatures.  It will be an opportunity to see what finishing details are required, but also to reflect on what has been a very strange and unforeseeable journey.

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