Three books arrive

Three books have arrived over the past week or so. 

Recent purchases

So far I have just read Sci-Fi Skirmish Scenarios by John Lambshead with the subtitle of “Small-unit missions for use with your favourite wargaming rules”. I like the book for the following reasons:

• I especially found the chapter on creating your own world and settings particularly useful with its  tips and techniques. The example provide is interesting as you see the tips being used.
• There are 36 scenarios and a random scenario generator as well. Finally, there are two solo scenarios. Lots of scenario options all around.
• The chapter on designing scenarios and campaigns has 6 guiding principles to assist you in setting up your own campaign. This is followed by 3 example campaigns.

I often use One-Hour Skirmish Wargaming rules (by the same author) for my Necromunda style games, and will be using this book for setting up the games and adding to the background setting for my gangs.

I will no doubt be getting my AWI and ECW armies on to the tabletop after I read the other two books.

A rag-tag of things

A rag-tag of wargaming activities to report on over the last week or so.  First up, I was able to get in an Ancients game where I was using a stacked deck of chance cards. The idea behind the stacking of the decks was to try out some options to reflect the differences between the Carthaginian and Roman armies. In the game Carthaginians have more initiative cards and fewer rally cards, and the reverse is applied to the Roman chance cards. This is an attempt the reflect better commanders for the Carthaginians and the resilience of Roman forces with poorer commanders.

A second reason for playing around with chance cards is to try out some ideas for a campaign I am planning. In situations were one side has a larger force, the idea is not to have more units, but have additional rally cards instead. Also, commander quality can be introduced by having more initiative chance cards in a deck, swapping out the no effect cards.

An Ancients game in progress

Cutting up additional cards

My Ancient ship building activities continue at a steady pace with some 20 plus ships made. At one point I was thinking about adding some masts and sails to add some more colour to the ships, but I decided to avoid this complication as ships of the day generally took down their masts for action. I hope to get some painting done this week.

A fleet waiting to be painted

A surprise visit from my Daughter in New Zealand, who took advantage of a travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand, meant I actually got some face-to-face wargaming in with an opponent (rare thing for a solo gamer). 

What did we play? Gang warfare in the far flung future using the One-Hour Skirmish Wargames rule set. They are nice simple rules which give a fun and at times an unpredictable game. No game reports as there was too much laughter as poor cards were drawn at the wrong time. In all four games were played and honour was even.

One-hour skirmish wargaming

Finally, I have not forgotten my existing WW2 Western Desert Campaign. Another games was played and a battle report is to be written up.

A return to the WW2 Western Desert campaign

Quick one hour skirmish war-game

Having completed playing an English Civil War game I thought I would fit in a quick Nercomunda style skirmish game. Having recently completed painting my version of the Orlock gang, I was quite keen to get them all on to the tabletop.

Their opponents this time were the Chaos Crew gang. Both gangs were pretty evenly armed with an assortment of pistols, close combat weapons, assault rifles, and light machine gun of some type. I keep the weapon rules pretty straightforward:

Pistols - 12"
Assault rifles - 24"
Light machine gun - 36" - draws three resolution cards.
Close combat weapons - draws an extra resolution card.

The measures above are converted to the 6" squares on my tabletop.

The Chaos Gang (a motley crew if there ever was one)

The Orlock gang (recently painted)

The Chaos Gang is holed up in an ex-military outpost with some recently acquired supplies. The area is on the outer edge of the hive sprawl and has some dangerous wildlife in the form of Dropbats, which are roosting nearby and will swoop down to attack the closest food source (gang member).

Dropbats will swoop down at the end of a turn if a red card is drawn.

The Orlock Gang's objective is to take the outpost. They can arrive on any table edge and will most likely avoid the roosting Dropbats if they are sensible.

The roosting Dropbats - one will swoop down at the end of turn when a red card is drawn.

The Chaos Gang on guard.

The Orlock scout ahead. 

The first Dropbat attacks and draws attention from a number of gang members as they fight off the attack.

The rest of the Orlock gang arrives and gets a warm welcome from the defenders.

Another Dropbat attack is making life difficult for the defenders.

A few downed models show the fierce defender's fire. However, the Chaos gang  leader was also downed and was killed. At which point the Chaos gang fled.

I am enjoying the card mechanism used. It produces quick results, quicker then rolling dice, and provides a different feel the game.

Some One-Hour Skirmish Wargaming

Over the last two days I have played a few sci-fi skirmish games using rules from the book "One-Hour Skirmish Wargames" by John Lambshead. The book came as a Christmas present along with a Games Workshop's Orlock gang to add to my current set of Necromunda models.

A trial Necromunda model of the Orlock gang

A Christmas present

An in-depth review of the book and rules can be found on Dale's Wargames. There two parts to Dale's reviews plus a follow-up post with responses from the author. They are well worth the read if you are considering buying the book.

So far with the games I have played I am really enjoying the card driven approach. I find it is much quicker than rolling dice and quite fun. The book has a number of chapters after the core rules for different periods to skirmish in (musket through to pulp sci-fi). These provide ideas for different types weapons which helped me with some add-on rules for a few of the different types of weapons used by my gangs.

The rules worked well adapted to a 6 inch square grid.

A few members of the Goliath prepare for a hit and run-on the Escher gang.

A fire-fight quickly developed between the gangs

Some hand-to-hand fighting proved to be quite decisive

If you like straightforward rules without clutter, almost the bare-bones rules, which allow a wargamer to flesh out with add their own few rule modifications. Then they certainly fit the bill. I am going to be using these rules with a few additions here and there to provide flavour for my skirmish gaming in the Necromunda world.

Grid based Sci-Fi skirmish game

Over the weekend I played a grid-based science fiction skirmish game. In the scenario a cargo flyer has crashed and its cargo has been strewn randomly around the table in four locations. Two gangs, Scavengers and Mercs, arrive quickly on opposite sides of the table in search of easy pickings. However, two crewmen of the downed flyer have survived and are hunkered down in the crash site. They will shoot at any units moving to a square containing cargo or coming within any adjacent squares.

Setup of the game with the cargo flyer crash site in the centre 

A couple of Scavengers advance towards some cargo and come under accurate fire from the Flyer's crew.

From another position other Scavengers provide some crossfire

The Mercs can be seen in the background advancing towards some of the cargo.

Other Merc gang members move up under cover behind the buildings

The rules I am using are house rules. I have written them up as a first draft. Mainly so I can remember what I eventually decided upon. My rules notes have notes on top of notes, and when I return to them in a week or so, I will have forget which rules I rejected.

Some areas of the rules I have settled upon I have included as snippets in this battle report.

Sequence of play

The game is played in a series of turns.
Both players roll a D6 and the scores are used to determine which player activates a figures and the number of actions a figure can perform.

• If D6 scores are drawn, then the player who is in control gets to activate one of their figures with 1 action point. 
• A player with a higher D6 score the get to activate one of their figures with 2 action points. 
• If a player has a higher D6 score which is three time the other player’s D6 score, they activate one of their figures with 3 action points.

A turn ends when both players have had an opportunity to activate all their figures.

Both gangs are firing at the crewmen

The Scavengers bring up their flamer 

The crewman are eliminated...

 ...and the gangs turn their attention on each other.

Actions

When a player activates a figure they get to perform a number of actions. Each action has an action point (AP) cost. A figure may not exceed their action points and cannot carry forward action points not used.

• Move (1 AP) - a figure can move 1 zone. A figure can move multiple times as part of their activation.
• Shoot (1 AP) - a figure can shoot their weapon. A figure can only shoot once in their activation.
• Reload (1 AP) - a figure can reload their weapon if out of ammunition.
• Aimed Shooting (2 AP) - a figure can take an aimed shot with their weapon. A figure can only shoot once in their activation.
• Pickup/Drop an item (1 AP)
• Throw a grenade (2 AP)
• Patch up a wound/damage (2 AP)
• Pinned/Recover from being pinned (1 AP)
• Close Combat (1 AP) - a figure already in the same zone as an enemy figure can move into base contact. Multiple close combat actions increase the D6 rolled.

Figures with a wound reduce their actions by 1 AP. (So a wounded figure requires 3 APs to recover.)

Support fire from the Merc members in the vegetation kills one of the scavengers 

The Mercs try and move in on some more of the cargo

Combat between the gangs is scattered as various members take their stolen cargo items back to their starting positions.

Fighting occurs over the downed flyer's wreckage

The Scavengers get the better of their opponent Mers 

The Mercs break off the attack after losing more than 50 percent of their number

Shooting

Weapons have three ranges: short, long and extreme.

When shooting a player selects a single target figure in a zone which can be seen by the shooting figure.

• When shooting roll 2D6 at short range and 1D6 at long range.
• Aimed fire allows an addition D6 to be rolled. So a figure rolls 3D6 at short range, 2D6 at long range, and 1D6 at extreme range.

Shooting Results - After a shooter has rolled all their D6. Select the D6 with the highest score.

The target figure now has to roll 1 or more D6 to beat the shooter’s score.
All target figures roll a minimum of 1D6. They can add:

• 1D6 for wearing armour
• 1D6 for occupying a zone with cover.
• 1D6 for if they have "hit the dirt".

The target figure rolls all their D6. Then compare their highest scoring D6 to the shooter’s highest score.

• If the scores are equal the target figure is pinned.
• If the target score is less, then the figure is wounded.
• If the target score is less by a factor of 3, then the figure is killed.

Targets which receive 2 wounds are treated as killed.

I hope to play a few more games as I get one or two more Necromunda figures painted up to add to the gang numbers.

Time for some more terrain

For my first project of 2018. I want to finish off making and painting the Necromunda miniatures I purchased las year as part of GW's Necromunda boxed set. I have already painted a few, so it should be a smallish project, while try and figure out what will be my major project of 2018. My old ECW collection, painted in random styles from when is was 15 years old and never finished, is the front runner.

Anyway, less about plans and back to some doing stuff. Most of my Warhammer 40K terrain has ruins rather than actual buildings. So I am adding a few intact buildings for the Necromunda miniatures, and decided to start with some very simple containers for a run down space dock.

A piece of timber (1 3/4 inch by 2 1/2 inch) was cut to size and corrigated cardboard from the local art shop was stuck with PVA glue to all the sides.

Cardboard (from a biscuit container by the looks of it) was cut out, scored and bent to cover all edges of the container..

The containers were then painted with a light grey from a sample pot (picture missing of this). A much cheaper option than model paints. Once this was dry, watered down colours were quickly washed over the grey. The containers begin already weather that way.

Now to add some, or a lot of, rust. Dark brown was quickly and randomly dabbed on with a focus on the container corners. Once dryish, this was followed by smaller a dabbing of orange over parts of the brown.  

A Steel/Silver colour was then dry brushed on to the rusted areas and edges of the containers.

While all this painting and waiting to dry, I was able to complete a small skirmish game with 5 figures per side. The rules used are some house rules. I had been using a Fistful of Lead rules, but found the card mechanism not so good for solo playing. This lead to a change in the activation mechanism, which in turn lead to a change in combat, and before long the house rules were quite different. More posts on them next week I suspect.

A game in progress while paint was drying

The finished containers with some models for scale.