2mm prepared positions for Rommel

Bruce and I have been playing a fair bit of Rommel this summer and, in prepping to get my 2mm tanks on the table, I needed to create some markers for prepared positions. I could have used counters but it has been forever since I have modelled anything.

We play Rommel on a hex grid and my hexes at 4" across so the prepared position indicator needed to fit along with up to three bases and some terrain. I decided on a 2.0" by 0.5" base and that I'd just model some barbed wire coils.

The base was grid plasticard that I had (which is easy to cut into square sections). I use plastic toothpicks to make the posts. Overall, this is a bit out of scale (more 6mm) but it creates the impression I wanted at a size I could still see and work with. Then I textured the base and tried to match the colour scheme from several years ago (a struggle since I never write this stuff down). The colour palette is a vague khaki colour that can do for the desert (if you squint), Italy, or Europe.

The upshot is not bad. The posts are too thick and the coil is a bit big but good enough for my purposes.

I ended up making 12, which is likely way more than I will ever need, but since I was doing it, knocking off a few extra was no big deal.

My next task is to look at doing some markers to denote a forest that I can set atop a green piece of felt.

Rommel

Rommel, by Sam Mustafa, is likely the best WW2 game I have ever played. I had a chance to re-acquaint myself with it this summer at Bruce's place and I think we're on deck to play several times over the winter.

Bruce hosted a very messy German counter offensive on the Russian front. There was a huge amount of terrain in the middle of the table, which pushed play to the flanks. Interestingly, both sides made quick thrusts to capture the other's supply base, impeding future momentum.

In the end, it was a bloody Russian win as the Germans ran out of time and tanks.

I've got some 3mm WW2 figures I painted up a few years back and am keen to run a desert game this fall.

I need to spend a bit of time working up some scenic entrenchment markers as well as a tiny bit more terrain.

Battlefront Valkyrie

I've watched the guys at the club play Battlefront Valkyrie a couple of times. This is a cool, printable game which seem to foreshadow the likely direction of gaming: buy your pdfs and stls and away you go. Basically, it is a streamlined, off-brand Star Fleet Battles.

The pros are super-slick energy allocation and combat system, all managed on ship cards. This is very, very well designed.

The cons are the initiative and more mechanics are fiddly and confusing in practice and don't seem to follow Newtonian physics (i.e., don't power your engine and your ship stops?!? what?).

Bruce fixed the by adding some pre-plotting of moves (retention of momentum, accelerate or decelerate, turns) which allows for simultaneous action. The result is a very slick game and a chance to pull out his 1/7000 fleets.

Would definitely play again and probably my favourite ship-level game at this point. You can reasonably play three ships (so a small squadron) and still face incredibly difficult choices.

Would definitely play again!

Back from summer vacation with some 28mm fantasy

Alright, after a lovely break over the summer (mostly spent in the garden and my kayak), Im back to regular posting. First up are these nine 28mm fantasy figures that have been haunting my painting table since spring.

Not my best work but this is the first time I've picked up a brush in literally months so I'm going to call it a success.

I have another bunch from this fantasy box selected for painting next. Hopefully, the knack returns!