Lockdown Day 84: Papergaming Ponderment

Hi!

It's looking like I might be coming to the end of the daily blogs as the Lockdown is starting to be eased here in Scotland so I'm going to use the opportunity to finish off my assorted gaming ponderments and try to set myself some challenges for the second half of the year to keep the hobby going!

Today I'm going to be looking at Paper gaming.

I must admit that I'd originally been a bit skeptical of the prospect of how engaging playing with paper standees would be when I drew up my original Battletech lances but have since discovered that it is actually quite fun.

Yes the visual aspect isn't quite as appealing as nicely painted and based miniatures would be but I have managed to play several games using standees and it does allow me to try out games that I'd not been too sure about.

With this in mind, I hope to keep going with the paper gaming front as there are some great games that I'd like to try but haven't been able to due to cost or scarcity of figures so I figure this will be a good way to test out the waters so to speak and mock up some designs for my own sculpts for future projects at the same time.

One aspect of wargaming that can be a bind at times is the time it takes to put together an army, paint it, base it and then play a game using them but by spending an hour or so I can draw up said army, scan and multiply it and even colour it in and get a game on!

This approach may well be useful for some of my long term wishlist projects such as 2nd edition 40k, Vor, Warzone and Chronopia, not to mention Star Mogul or Mordheim to name but a few. Using the paper counters I plan on trying out each game and posting my thoughts on them along the way and if any particularly catch my eye, I plan on sculpting whatever it is and replacing the paper counters.

I will continue compiling all of the black and white images here so folks can use them as they want and hopefully it will see me blast past last years gaming total.

That being said, I am still primarily interested in miniatures gaming so worry not, the vast majority of this blogs content will be miniature related and I hope to be able to put together my six month plans over the course of the next day or so.

In the meantime, All the best and if there's any games you'd like to see paper counters for, give me a shout!

Lockdown Day 83: Microscale Ponderment

Hi!

Following on from my last couple of days navel gazing, I have some further waffle about my hopes for some microscale gaming!

As I get older, I seem to be drawn to smaller scale gaming be it land, see air or space. One of the projects I'm really keen to have a bash at is Man O'War, the classic game of naval combat set in the Warhammer world!

It's a brilliant game but requires an absolute ton of counters, templates and whatnot but despite all this, the game is really enjoyable but I've not managed to play a game for years and seem to have mislaid my boxed set. Interestingly, there is a chap casting high quality resin copies of the original ships for a very reasonable price to that folks can actually play the game without dealing with the scalpers on Ebay.

I've also got Galleys and Galleons, a mod of Song of Blades which looks really good and requires an awful lot less record keeping so it's a good option for quicker games. 

I'm also fascinated by Aeronef and indeed Imperial Skies as there's something really pleasing about the newer Brigade Models releases for the games and VSF flying battleships backed up by teeny biplanes is always cool!

Speaking of VSF, I've got my ongoing Land Ironclads project with all manner of fantasy themed forces that I've got ideas for and just need to sit down and sculpt if I can keep the motivation going.

As things stand, I do have a fair number of Vongola and Dwarven vessels and a smattering of Orcish warbeasts. It wouldn't take a huge amount of effort to get them all finished and play a game...

While I've never had much luck with the spaceship gaming, I'm finding my new interest in Battletech may well change that as I'm keen to explore the opportunities of playing out a campaign starting with an enemy force jumping in system and having to force their way through the defenders cordon to assault a planet and it may be a good opportunity to test the waters with space gaming as I wouldn't need much as most Inner Sphere forces consist of a jumpship, some dropships and fighters and maybe a Corvette to back them up.

Speaking of which, I've got my eye on Brigade's Squadron Commander to see if it works for a simple version of Aerotech with flights of fighters dogfighting for dominance!

I must admit that I've found the process of writing up these last three posts rather refreshing and I may dip my toe in getting some more gubbins painted up over the next few days but also want to keep posting my thoughts on gaming related stuff and what I find interesting in the meantime as the process of doing so seems to be giving me a bit of a boost.

As always thanks for reading and All the best!

Lockdown Day 82: Sci-fi Ponderment

Hi!

Following on from my fantasy themed ramblings yesterday, I'm continuing with a sci-fi themed waffle today.

As with yesterday's post, I've been following the Rogue Trader community with great interest over the last few years and memories of teenage gaming with 2nd edition 40k is still strong with me and I've had several goes at putting together old themed warbands but with similarly dismal luck.

The older ranges are becoming more expensive second hand as the Oldhammer community continues to grow and what was up till about 6-7 years ago cheap metal miniatures are getting very expensive.

I've been playing around with the option of using the new plastic miniatures combined with some retro bits and bobs to get the old 40k feel and with the pending release of the new edition of the game which from the blurb GW have released looks to be scalable, and incorporates a lot of narrative gaming, the temptation is great!

Over the years I've managed to put together several small forces for 40k themed armies in 15mm too so there is the option of getting these back on track and fleshing them out into more sizable forces with supporting tanks, Knights and whatnot.

There's also the siren call of Epic 40k to look at too! I've put together some small forces for that too and would love to expand them but my interest in them has waned somewhat as I've been conflicted between playing small skirmishes or painting up a big army that suits the scale but was unlikely to ever see a game.

There's also a plethora of non GW games that I love that I'm interested in playing from Warzone to Vor, Void, Star Mogul or Kryomek. Each has a great setting and interesting forces but some are difficult to get (Warzone!) whilst others have sculpts that just don't work for me.

I could sculpt my own stuff for them in my own sort of style but there's something about the retro charm of Warzone with the chunky figures and 90's paint jobs that really appeals to me. 

There's also Battletech, which is going through a bit of a renaissance at the moment (and some spectacular GW style business approaches which seems to have got a lot of folks backs up all of a sudden) but that is a project that I have either my own sculpts or paper counters for so it's kind of covered.

Looking back at this post and yesterdays, I find myself with lots of options but struggling with the motivation to actually do anything constructive about it. Yes I've sculpted and painted tons of stuff over the Lockdown but I haven't got two warbands for the same system, style or indeed scale during the whole time.

Maybe I need to take a page from the Oldhammer Army Challenge and give myself a goal to work towards, be it to build two small forces and play some games or just to concentrate at least initially on getting one force done one unit at a time. There was always something really exciting about reading the Tale of Four Gamers sagas back in White Dwarf so maybe this approach would be doable, with a tale of a solitary gamer taking the place.

Solitary or solo gaming is a must for me as I just cannot cope with playing in clubs or local store as every time I've tried, I end up pitted against a power gamer or rules lawyer who seems to take great effort to drain any enjoyment of the game and replace it with an abiding dislike for the prospect of playing again.

Instead I've thoroughly enjoyed becoming a solo gamer as I can bodge rules, scenarios or indeed the game to fit a narrative I enjoy. It's about the only time I seem to have a reasonable opponent and I seem to always get the side I'm pushing to win soundly beaten!

I'll have a look at the new edition of 40k and see if it does what I'm interested in or failing that, I have my Song of Blasters game that I have written which should allow for a more personal, quick skirmish sort of an experience that I enjoy. The question is what miniatures should I go for...

I'm going to have to have a ponder on it to see what I can realistically do and what will spark my imagination to keep going and more importantly, enjoying my hobby!

Tomorrow I'll be looking at some Microscale stuff that I've found interesting and ponder further upon what I'm going to do next but in the meantime, All the best and once again, thanks for reading my waffle!

Lockdown Day 81: Fantasy Ponderment

Hi!

As I mentioned in my last post, I have had a bit of a wobble with my hobbying and have decided that I needed to take a bit of a break from the unrelenting posting of new stuff every day and instead want to spend a bit of time pondering on how to get the mojo going again.

To get the ball rolling, I want to look at what, in an ideal world I'd like to pursue as a bit of a project. Some of these will be sheer madness to try but I do like a bit of wishlisting as it may give me some inspiration that might even get me going again!

First and foremost, I've found myself fascinated by the Oldhammer movement that has grown so spectacularly over the last four or five years. There's something really fascinating about seeing miniatures I remember from my youth painted to a modern standard and love to see folks brilliant armies. A good example of this is the Oldhammer Army Challenge, where a disparate group of gamers spend six months painting up some really original armies.

Back in the early 2000's I actually had a mighty Dwarf army that I spent quite a bit of time painting but they got sold off when I went off to uni in 2008 and since then I've struggled to get the impetus to manage anything similar.

There is the occasional urge to try out something similar using a mixture of more modern figures but I just never seem to summon up the energy to make a go of it. I think part of the issue is that I am so used to painting skirmish forces that painting whole regiments just leaves me cold.

With that being said, I have also pondered doing a 15mm scale version as it's relatively cheap and cheerful option that combines the detail of the larger scale and affordability (especially as so many of the old Warhammer figures are becoming ruinously expensive second hand). There is also the space factor in that I only have a 3'x3' board so playing the likes of Warhammer in 28mm is a bit of a stretch.

I've also had quite a bit of success with 6mm as the scale is really easy to paint and it's quite possible to put together a decent sized army in next to no time at all and for very little outlay. Again, the issue here is that while the visual spectacle of lots of teeny tiny figures is quite good, the lack of individual detail isn't as pleasing.

I'll really need to finish painting the little guys at some point but onto the next ponderment, some of the other older or niche games that I'd really love to paint an army for:

First and foremost, I'd love to get back into Chronopia as it's got such a great combination of artwork, background and miniatures that was fantastic back in the day when it was released. The downside is that the figures are almost impossible to get hold of as many of them suffered from leadrot and proxying is a bit of a challenge too.

There's also Crucible, another great game with an interesting setting and unique factions but never got the interest it deserved. Whilst technically still in print, only the first two supplements got released and many of the miniatures never got a release.

Leviathan is another game that I've obsessed about for ages and even made several attempts to collect a warband and breath fresh life into but it always stalls, partially because my own take on the game is different from the official one.

Instead I spent quite a bit of time sculpting my own, stylised figures that gave me great satisfaction and over the years the small warbands have expanded and campaigns have been played but I've not done anything with them in over a year now.

I'm both keen to give myself a challenge and I'm just not sure what to do about it, as I've already mentioned, it's not like I don't have lots of stuff I'd like to do but I just don't seem to be able to settle on anything. It's quite frustrating as I do want to put together some fantasy gaming but I just don't have any success with it!

Kuld

I've tried out War of Ashes and really like the progress I've made and maybe a combination of continuing with my own sculpts for it and my Somewhere on the Border project is the way to go but there is still the siren call of fantasy games of a more traditional style. 

I've actually been pondering trying out some Mordheim as I do like a bit of a skirmish campaign so maybe this will be a good option as it would allow me to scratch the 28mm scale Old/Middlehammer fantasy itch whilst not spending an age trying to paint whole armies which I know I'll never do.

I think I'll need to have a bit of a think about what my options are over the next few days while I continue my ponderings. I also think I need to have a clearout of the stuff I'm not going to use as it's causing me stress so combined with all this, I think I'm going to post some gubbins on ebay to see if I can't both clear out some space and give me some pennies to spend on a new project...

In the meantime, All the best and thanks for persevering with my rambling post!

Lockdown Day 80

Hi!

We're now 80 days into the lockdown and I've decided to have a bit of a think about what I'm wanting to do next.

My Battletech project is trundling along nicely and I've spent quite a lot of time over the last few weeks sculpting assorted gubbins but I've found myself flagging a bit and am pondering what I can do to revitalise my hobby mojo.

I think that part of the issue is that I've kept up a relentless post a day for more than eleven weeks which is starting to get to be a bit of a chore rather than something I'm enjoying.

With that in mind, I'm going to take a day or two off to refocus and look at what I want to do next. What I'm going to though is have a bit of a retrospective on my blog and assorted projects that I have worked on over the last decade and what I'd like to do in an ideal world!

Whilst some of this may be unrealistic wishlisting but it may get me going again!

All the best!

Lockdown Day 79

Hi!

I've finally finished the last of the Heavy and Assault Mechs for my Papertech project!

Heavy and Assault Mechs 3025

Battlemaster, Stalker, Cyclops, Banshee, Atlas, Zeus

Warhammer, Marauder, Orion, Awesome, Charger, Goliath, Victor

Huzzah! That's all the Mechs featured in the 3025 Technical Readout. My next challenge will be to get some of the vehicles from the 3026 Technical Readout.

Alas I've not had much time to work on much else today as commission work has kept me busy but I felt the need to get some more drawing done.

I'm still piling up supplies for my 6mm skirmish project and I spotted this on Facebook today:

Image courtesy of Mark Weddon

It's made of really simple pieces and looks awesome and I may have to steal elements for my own use!

It reminds me of PLANETARESVI who put together some really inspirational small scale skirmish scenery:

Planet Ares VI Micromunda terrain

Reading through the Planet Ares VI blog, his scenery is all magnetised so the teeny figures, also on magnets, stick to the table and don't get lost which is one of the worries about individually based 6mm skirmish. 

I'll need to get some more painting finished as time allows and we shall see what I can get completed for tomorrow but in the meantime, All the best!

Lockdown Day 78

Hi!

Today I've had a bit of a mixed bag of solo gaming and painting as well as some bits and bobs of a sculpting sort.

First up, here's my Goff Nob Mob:

Goff Nobz

I tried to keep the little guys somewhat inspired by the 2nd edition 40k original pics I showed the other day so instead of just having utilitarian black and a smidge of white, I added some bright red with orange highlights which really livens up the figures.

Here's the current mob:

The Mob so far

This will represent a single formation for my warband as it expands but will probably have the nobz put into a separate unit with the Warboss and his ride once I have it finished...

Speaking of which, I was looking at the classic Epic Battlewagon and was uninspired by the little cheesy skull and spikes on the front so have spent a bit of time working on an upgraded one this afternoon:

 Battlewagon wip

I still have a bit of work to do on it as I am going to replace the weedy wheel spikes and add some impressive banner poles on it to give it the real Orky Warboss' personal super cool ride vibe that it deserves.

I'm also starting to pull together lots of odds and ends that I can use to bodge together the retro scenery I want as I am planning on adding funky cacti and all sorts of gubbins and trying to replicate the original scenics seen in the old 2nd edition battle reports on a small scale. Hopefully I'll have the first of it finished in the next few days and will show it when I can!

I also managed to play not one but two quick games of Battletech today using the introductory rules and found it to be rather fun!

Full information can be found HERE over on my Tales From the Inner Sphere blog but having heard about how plodding Battletech was with near wrecked mechs dragging themselves along with their only operational finger, I was pleasantly surprised.

I am also working on a commission at present so I don't have quite as much time on my hands but will try and keep the entertaining posts going every day while the lockdown continues and once I'm back at work, we shall see how things go.

In the meantime, All the best!