Mini Monday: Pairs or Parties

The Indian Ocean Pirate Party

So do you prefer playing in pairs or with parties?
'Pairs' being your more common 1 on 1 game seen at most stores and competitions while 'parties' being those games with 3+ players involved quite common at conventions.

The more usual 1 on 1 Flames of War game.

 Now, I have a pretty good reputation for running big games with 4+ players.
4 to 6 players being the norm, but a few times I've had as many as 11 at the table.
And I also like 1 on 1 games, especially during the week when time is short.
But which do I prefer? Parties of course! Why?

The Big Westerm Party

Well let's go over the advantages and disadvantages of party games.

Advantages:
More of your friends get to join in the fun! Instead of 3 tables with 2 players each you have one big table with 6 players. That's right everyone is involved and hanging out together. This really matters when you only have limited gaming weekends.

Big party wargames usually mean a lot of figures and what is more heartwarming to a wargamer than seeing a huge table filled with painted figures and terrain. Best of all, you didn't have to paint it all!

Team play, that's right, in a party game you're not on your own you have a team! Which means trying to come up with a plan. The reason to play big games!
Heh heh. Yeah, this is where you get to see what real generals have to put up with.
Not every one views those commands in the same light.

Pre-game "Okay, Tim, I want you to hit his right flank." "Okay"
2 hours later "Hey Tim, we really need you on that flank buddy.' ' I'm getting there, just had this pesky unit of skirmishers messing up my formations'.
3 hours later, "Tim! What are you doing? They're crushing us! We need you to roll up that flank." "Yeah , yeah, just trying to get all my units in the perfect postion.'
After game, "Tim, man what were you doing, we lost the game." "Well you should have waited for me. Tactically my maneuvers were sound."

Trust me, you will have years of stories to tell about games that went wrong but oh in so fun a way. Case in point, a coversation I once had with a most jovial but earnest player.

"Alright Big Guy, I want you to go forward and contact the enemy but just hold."
"Got it, Charge"
"No,no. Just advance , stay close to his front, let him charge you. You'll get your shieldwall bonus. Okay?"
"Right, got it, advance and then Charge."
"No,no,no, don't charge! Just advance!"
"Advance, Charge"
"Aaargh! Fine Charge!" I turn to James, my Reserve Commander. "Change of plans, just follow in behind the Big Guy here and clean up the mess."

Rule of thumb in big party games, know your players, even more important then knowing the force they are running.

Disadvantages or things to look out for in party games.

"They done shooting over there yet?'

One, not all rules can handle the game in a timely fashion and might need to be tweaked.
You don't want your players getting bored and roaming off.
example: rules that call for each side to alternate moving a single unit. This can really take up a lot of time with everyone sitting around while one player makes a decision. Best to allow everyone on the same side to move a unit in their force, then alternate.

Down time when all the action seems to be on one side of the table and everyone else is waiting. Good time to chat, though a good scenario can alleviate some of the down time.
So take a little extra time picking the game objectives.

Everyone should be pretty familiar with the rules or at least have rules that are easy to pick up. Once more, not all systems are equal in the task.

Planning the date so everyone can make it. The more players the harder the planning.
But I think it's well worth the extra effort!

Mini Monday: What 'Scale' to Wargame

Some of my various projects

So in what 'scale' do you prefer to wargame? For those new to wargaming, miniature ranges can come in all sorts of scales. 6mm/10mm/15mm/18mm/20mm/25mm/28mm/32mm/40mm/54mm, and trust me I left a lot out.
Now the term scale is a bit misleading but we'll go with it for now, ?mm is 'usually' used to represent the height of a figure from foot to the eyes.

Usually roleplayers deal with 25mm-32mm figs, though there are fantasy characters out there in other scales. Wargamers usually deal with 6mm to 28mm.

This was the topic of a chat I had with a friend yesterday afternoon at the local game store. He was starting to consider the smaller scales of 6mm and 10mm for a wargame project. I chuckled, because I had the same projects in 28mm.  Now this is quite common, heck gamers often have the same period in different scales. But it sucks when you  move to a new state with your 28mm Napoleonics and find that the local clubs are all using 15mm for Napoleonics!

Nope! Not going to happen!

The truth is that there are no 'rights or wrongs' in picking a scale. It really depends on what you prefer.
Some very general guidelines:
25mm -32mm- You love to paint beautiful detailed figures. You're using a small amount of figures and really want the 'character' of the figure to show. Also a wealth of options when it comes to ranges and choices of style out there.

Clearly Greeks

20mm- a wonderful scale which combines some of the best qualities of 15mm and the larger scales. But not a lot of ranges out there.

20mm Spanish Civil War

15mm- A scale to consider especially for huge armies or lots of vehicles. Plenty of detail but less to paint and usually easier on the pocket book. Plenty of different ranges and manufacters to chose from.

15mm Team Yankee

10mm- Interesting scale that combines the cheapness of 6mm with the detail of 15mm. Lot more ranges coming out in this scale.

Romans vs Britons

 
6mm-  A lot less detail and you can usually paint these guys pretty quick. But what you lose in detail you make up on mass. Perfect scale for the poor college student with dreams of conquest!

Kurt's 6mm World War 1 game

Now another element to choosing a scale is terrain. The smaller the scale the more 'epic' your 6x4ft table can look. ex. A WWI trench game in 28mm may only have a few lines of trenches on the defenders side. But a trench game in 6mm could have the attackers starting point , defenders trenches and the field and town beyond the trench.

Kurt is the master of 6mm and fills the table

Now often the big glossy rulebooks will often have lots of 28mm pictures. This is usually because the 28mm figs are more striking and often inspiring. But don't go thinking that this is the only scale for the rules. It is very rare that you can't use another scale for a set of  rules.

A final word on choosing your scale. If you are really into the project and want to build opposing sides then choose whatever feels right for your dreams and pocketbook. But if you only want to build one side then ask around and see if anyone else is playing or interested in the same period. Then work it out or go with that scale so that you will have a a sparring partner.

72 Mech Alpha Strike Game

So last night Kurita and Comstar took on the mercenary forces of Wolf's Dragoons and the Kellhounds. 72 mechs in all! It was a good old capture the city fight with every city section being worth a point and the water purification plant worth 2.  Comstar and the Dragoons grimly laid into each other,  fighting for the two city areas on the far right. Meanwhile the Kellhound force of 16 veteran/elite mechs were trying to hold the water plant and the main city against and angry wave of 24 Kurita mechs. Red flame plumes were everywhere.
We also used our experimental 'special action' cards in the game, allowing for things like artillery, aero strikes, ambushes, 2nd surprise moves etc. Cards were pulled in secret and only one card could be used per turn. The cards proved very fun and kept everyone on their toes for the next unexpected surprise.
In the end, after 3 hours of play and some 24 mechs out of action,  the Mercs pulled a tactical victory holding 2 city sections to Comsatr/Kuritas 0. Note many fighting pics I'm afraid we always get caught up in the action and forget.
Most of the terrain is new as were all the Kurita mechs, I've been busy this past week.

Comstar advancing

Kurita Sword of Light viewing Water plant target

Kellhound Red/black forces

Kurita vs the Mercs in the main city area

Mini Monday- Mechs, you gotta love them

Warhammer from RoboTech Toys

So this week's Mini Monday topic is probably spurred by the fact that
I am currently painting some 24 Battletech mechs for a game this week.
As I sit here and paint, I find myself admiring the various mech models in my force.
The Table Queen looks up from her Japanese building project and shakes her head,
'You boys, like Mechs way too much and they are so tactically foolish. Just big targets I say!"
Humph! Obviously she doesn't see alure of the Mech as a modern rendering of the knight of the field, the dashing airplane pilot or
the cunning tank commander. Aye, I love mechs and have them in all shapes and sizes. In this day and age they are everywhere.

You got your classic Battletech mechs

Battletech Mechs

Anime mechs, which can come in all shapes and sizes.

Wierd World War II mechs

28mm Dust Mechs

Steampunk mechs

Cygnar Jack from Privateer

Hard Scifi mechs

15mm mechs Picture from Rebel minis

Even GW has mechs!

Picture from Games Workshop

Few or many? You can play Classic Battletech with every pilot and mech named. Or Alpha Strike and
run a freaking Battalion of 40 mechs! 

What's not to love? So what mech tickles your fancy?

Mini Monday: Painting with a bit of Speed.

Mini Monday: Some tricks on painting quicker.

Warning; Now before I start this week's topic, let me clarify that this is
just My Opinion and Style. It's what works for me.There are many other ways to
paint and prep figures and you are free to choose whichever you like. So don't get your knickers in a twist!

Okay so you got a project in mind, 40k Army/huge Zombie game/ACW brigade, and now it's time to paint those figures.
Also you would like to finish it some time this year so that you can play and move on to other projects.

Now painting armies/forces in a short amount of time is my forte. At last count I had some 16,000 painted minis, or at least that's what Stelios told me.  So today I'm going to give you some painting tips that work for me.

1) Fully assemble your miniatures. And I mean totally. Glue those shield on, attach those riders to their horse or vehicle. No painting anything on sprues or seperately. Sometimes it has to be done, but avoid it if at all possible. I also rarely if ever wash figs, usually only if they are cheap plastic or resin.

28mm Plastic Romans and 15mm lead VC

2) Glue the figures individually to a painting strip. ( I use foamboard because it's ridged and the figs come off easliy when done.) Line similiar poses up. Try and get 5-10 figs per strip.
(Of course less if cav or vehicles.(Note big 28mm vehicles will have to be painted seperately, no duh, right?)
Why strips? Because it saves you the time of having to pick up every figure multiple times. If you're painting rank and file leave 1/2 inch between figs for more detail or leaders leave an inch. Allows you to touch up between figs better.

Matte, Satin, Flat Black

3) Spray the strip of figures flat black, try to get all the angles. You can go back and touch up with a brush if you miss anything, but that takes time so spray away! ( Now don't go into shock, but I always use  cheap flat black spray cans from Dollar General and Family  Dollar. Yeah I hear the grumbles but please note above, 16,000 painted minis.)

Primed Black

4) Now, I'm not going to go into every specific of my painting method, just the main points. I basically use the 3 color drybrush technique. Blue pants? Coat area with dark blue, follow with a drybrush of medium blue and then touch up with a very light drybrush of medium blue. It creates a layering effect. No washes needed.
White shields? Start with a tan, dry brush with off white ( or mix a bit of white into the tan then drybrush) and then a light drybrush of white. Etc.
Some extra advice, don't be worried about accidently getting some paint on parts of the figure you have yet to paint. Don't touch up anything until the end, and then touch up the same color on all the figs on the strip. Ex.  You painted and trimmed all the union caps, now go back with a medium blue and touch up all the little mistakes. Also touch up the blue pants at the same time.

ECW Cav in process. I usually save the metal areas for last.

Foundry 28mm Chinese in process

5) When done varnish the figures while still on the strip. I usually use a satin coat of spray. I like a little sheen but not too much. Now here I usually buy Krylon at the local Michaels. My only advice when clearcoating is to spray a handy black piece of paper before coating the figs. That way you don't accidently get the 'snow effect' too much moisture or mistakingly use a black spray can to clearcoat (done the latter twice)

Finished figs still on strips awaiting basing.

6) Pop figs off strip and add decals or flags  if needed.

7) Glue to multi base and then grass/detail base.

Some completed Empire and Chaos figs

8) Done! Time to take the picture because the figs are now Miketastic!


   

Keeping the Mojo going

When it comes to gaming we all have big projects.
Whether it be that 200 figure Egyptian army, several teams for Blood Bowl, a US marine force for the Pacific, or a Napoleonic army for Blucher
These projects all have one thing in common, you really want to finish them.
You battle to keep that original Mojo burning,
but often that finish line seems pretty far away. And we all fear that if the Mojo goes away, then
that project will get shelved and may or may not get renewed in the future.

SO how do you keep the Mojo going? How do you get yourself to keep painting all those figs? Worse how do you stop form getting distracted?
Well here are a few suggestions.

Books: Read anything that has to do with your project. History books, fictional novels set in the period, all the fluff you can get your hands on. So if you're painting a Marine army for 40k pick up some of the GW novels. Painting ships for the Battle of the Nile, pick up a historical account or one of those countless Age of Sail novels. And if you are into Colonial gaming Flashman is a must!

 Movies: Painting Zulus. Then I'm sure you must be watching Rouke's Drift or Zulu Dawn. No matter how many times I've watched the assault on Helm's Deep, I always want to paint more orcs! WWII gamers are pretty spoiled in this catagory.

Music: Get the soundtracks to various movies or console games and play them as you paint those minis. My wife always knows when I'm painting pirates because the soundtrack to Pirates of the Carrabean comes on. Spanish Civil War. a cd of songs from the conflict. Youtube is a great source for this.

Rules: Read through the rules you intend to use. It'll get you excited to play, and you'll be ready to play.

Magazines: Pick up a gaming magazine for a bit of inspiration. GW gamers are lucky enough to have the White Dwarf that often has battle reports. While Historical and Pulp players have multiple support magazines out there with scenarios and articles on various armies.

Podcasts: Now this is a pretty new source for us older gamers but one that I have found very enjoyable. Look at I-Tunes for some podcasts that might deal with your period or game. Plenty for Flames of War or Bolt Action players as well as the GW universe. I've also found a whole series on Napoleon and Dan Carlin's Hardcore history is a must for Roman, Mongol, WWI and WWII players.

Test games; Don't wait till you have all 200 points of that army painted before you play, You need some motivation to keep going so paint up to 50 points and play a smaller game. Trust me this will always get you inspired to go home and paint some more. Again at 50 points, 100 points etc. The more you play with  the army the more Mojo you create. Many game systems have a ladder campaign designed just for this 

So good luck and keep that Mojo going!

Our growing FoW group.

So Eli suckered me into Flames of War a few years back with Arab Israeli War, then it was Team Yankee and now WWII. We usually play about 2-3 times a month and mostly WWII. Lately our games have been growing as more people show up to play our weekly or biweekly game. Today I ran a quick 200 point desert battle for 4 guys still getting their feet wet. It was a blast! Our FoW group really has some of the easiest going players in the store. And now we're up to potentially 10 players for Eli's big Kursk game in a month or two. Just some pics of todays game.