[Mike Headden]

He’ll be an objective (hence the round base) for my “King of Kish” rules. These are home grown and intended entirely for my own amusement.

Units are all on 60mm square bases with 16 skirmishers, 32 tribal types, 48 close order infantry, 6 chariots or a general and 24 bodyguards.

If I ever get them finished I’ll have Sumerians, Old Kingdom Egyptians, Elamites, Amurru, Melukhans and Hill Tribes (Gutians etc.). I also have some ships.

Sumerian General and Bodyguard

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

Me, I think.

Alexander knows me as Ithoriel, elsewhere on the ‘net.

And I know him as a complete pussycat 🙂

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

Bad Squiddo do some very nice 28mm scale Soviet female troops

http://badsquiddogames.com/shop#!/WW2/c/20887953/offset=0&sort=addedTimeDesc

Can’t think of a 15mm equivalent I’m afraid.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

The black sides, white upper works, black funnel colour scheme seems to have been common for merchant ships of the period.

I’ve seen pics of “Komet” disguised as a Soviet and as a Japanese freighter in that same colour scheme but with prominent national flags on the hull sides and, in the case of the Soviet disguise, with the letters USSR painted on the sides too.

Picture of the Japanese disguise in the link below.

https://www.bismarck-class.dk/hilfskreuzer/pictures/hk_komet/hk_komet_04.jpg

For the final run from Vlissingen to Dunkirk she was masquerading as a sperrbrecher or auxiliary minesweeper so may have been painted grey or even camo colours. Whether she changed identity during the week spent at Dunkirk I have no idea.

So, basically, no idea what identity she used for the run down the channel but hopefully that gives some ideas!

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

Despite, or perhaps because of, a career that included decades working with IT, I prefer printed to virtual rulebooks, for much the same reasons as given above. Perhaps it’s because I started out as a librarian. 🙂

Online resources (rulebooks, searchable indices, FAQs) are for the time between games when you see if the fudge you came up with to keep the game going was what the rules intended.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

With photobucket becoming increasingly annoying it’s nice to have this facility.

Being used to Pendraken’s Forum where images need to me 128Kb or less if linked directly I use The GIMP to resize regularly.

So, Humbaba, Lord of the Cedar Forest

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

NMM is a solution looking for a problem, IMHO.

On the other hand, because it doesn’t look like metal, again IMHO, it can look good on SciFi models whose armour is supposedly made of non-metallic metals like Adamantium, Ceramite or Unobtanium.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

All of my stuff is either metal, resin or hard plastic. Never washed any of it in a painting career that spans around half a century. I don’t use primer as such but spray paint an undercoat using Halford’s Black or White matt car paint (very, very occasionally a coat of coloured spray paint actually designed for figures) and after painting I use a spray of artist’s or gaming matt varnish, final touch up of shiny bits with gloss varnish completes it. I have figures that have shoogled around in a box through three house moves and umpteen moving of the box they are in with no noticeable loss of paint.

So, not sure why it’s a problem – sorry.

tl:dr Don’t know Norm, doesn’t seem to happen to mine. 🙂

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

If it’s Robin Hood then armour and weaponry is not the important factor but rather narrative significance.

A wicked minion with chainmail, sword and shield is as easy to take out as a plucky peasant with a leather jerkin and club.

Heroes in a linen shirt can go toe-to-toe with boss baddies in partial plate, no problem.

Longbows have an accuracy, rate of fire and penetration that puts the M102 sniper rifle in the shade.

If you are a cute kid, terrified but plucky you have the life expectancy of a snowball in an oven.

In fantasy, as in historical gaming, source material is everything 🙂

As to rules, GWs Lord of the Rings rule-set works quite well for Robin Hood type games. Might need to be simplified depending on age of children involved.

I’ve run a game for 8 upper primary school age boys for a child’s birthday party using 54mm scale figures and the GW rules. The cardboard treasure chest full of chocolate coins and midget gems “jewels” they captured at the end of the game certainly helped incentivize the two kids not immediately taken with the idea of a wargame for a birthday party activity 🙂

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

I’ve been a player in a number of very enjoyable WW2 Pacific Naval games using GWs “Battlefleet Gothic” spaceship rules.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

Just MkIII and MkIV as far as I’m aware. Around 300 were sent of which around 40 were lost en route to German action, IIRC.

The Russians had their own mine-clearing and flame tanks and who needs an AVRE when you have SU152s?

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

“The real question is, of course, whether you need “assault” rules at all. I would say a ruleset can work perfectly as well by limiting your combat rules to fire only, esp for modern periods (including WW2).” – Phil Dutré

For me a close assault is a completely different beast to a firefight. A WW2 rule set that doesn’t include close assault rules is like an Ancients set that only includes melee combat, IMHO. Of course, as always, YMMV!

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

I used Never-Winter Nights to create a small number of adventures. I found it relatively easy to use, the few friends who played them enjoyed them but frankly I quickly decided I’d sooner leave scenario design to those who were paid to put up with the tedium.

In this age of MMORPGs I’m not aware of any game with a similarly accessible toolset but the plethora of Skyrim mods suggests that it, at least, is a potential candidate.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

I use hexes for some naval and air wargames but dislike them intensely for land warfare. Consistency is not my strong point 🙂

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

My 6mm Middle Eastern Early Bronze Age armies – mainly Rapier and Baccus minis with a few odds and sods thrown in from other manufacturers, especially for shipping and siege stuff.

Sumerians, Old Kingdom Egyptians, Desert Nomads, Hill Tribes, Melukkhans and Elamites … so far.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

Depends who I’m talking to, in what context and about what. I think I use all of these terms and never thought it odd … until now 🙁

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

Ignacio Corrao did an excellent points calculator for Warmaster that was in the files section of the Yahoo Warmaster group back when I visited it regularly. May still be available.

Points were fudged somewhat in Warmaster in any case but the calculator gave you a pretty good value for units.

I’d have thought that most of the Renaissance armies in Italy would largely be variants of the Empire Armylist. The Araby list would do at a pinch for Fantasy Ottomans. The Poles would be doable with the Kislevite list – possibly with fewer bears and more types of armoured cavalry. 🙂

I did have the same idea when I saw the Microworld range but, fortunately for my bank balance, postage and import costs made the enterprise more expensive than I could justify.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

Currently it would be a complete range of 6mm Early Bronze Age Near Eastern figures. Amorites, Elamites, Gutians, Maganites, Melukkhans, Old Kingdom Egyptians and the rest.

At the moment I am relying on 6mm being small enough that I can get away with “near enough” figures and “paintbrush conversions” 🙂

In terms of commercial viability, I suspect those of us interested in the complete range could have a get together in a phone box … if we could find one these days!! 😀

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

A game played without a goodly selection of dice, tapes, QRF sheets, digital cameras, coke and beer cans, snack wrappers (full and empty) and other “impedimenta” is barely worth playing, IMHO.

Also “I HATE markers (morale, casualties, etc) which don’t blend well in the gaming terrain.” … WHUT!? Markers need to be visible and identifiable from anywhere round the table …. or, better still, from space!! I loathe markers that leave me thinking,”Is that an indication the unit is disordered, or that it is out of ammo or is that just a bit of terrain clutter that’s been accidentally dragged round with that unit for the last three turns?”

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

Kursk for me. Arguably the tipping point of the war.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

Glyptodon (ancient relative of the armadillo but bigger, better armoured and weighing much the same as a VW Beetle!)

Exculcator (“Squasher” in Latin)

Elefant

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

I buy some stuff and scratch build others. Often mixing scratch build and bought in a single terrain item.

This is a mix of MDF bases from Pendraken and buildings mainly from Leven, with a couple from Hovels. It’s a 6mm scale Early Bronze Age Mesopotamian town.

Couple of other items from my 6mm collection. Bought sci-fi building on an MDF base as a temple plus a fort with added paper crenellations. Further crenellation to be done and base to be finished on fort!

Finally, couple of Amorite tents that started off as resin necklace beads

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

I game in a wide range of scales and have terrain to match.

I understand why people do it but I can’t bear under-scale terrain as I always end up feeling like my troops are fighting over children’s Wendy Houses!!

Each to their own though.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

I use commercial hills from S&A under a cloth coupled with Brigade Miniatures buildings. Works for me.

Brigade (http://www.brigademodels.co.uk/SmallScaleScenery/index.html) cover a wide range of potential theatres of war now.

Fighting 15s (http://www.fighting15sshop.co.uk/) have some nice buildings suitable for 3mm in North Africa or the Middle East

Supreme Littleness (http://www.supremelittleness.co.uk/) do some nice 3mm laser-cut MDF stuff.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

At sixty quid it’s not cheap but Magister Militum have a 15mm Mycenaean Galley that would fit the bill.

https://www.magistermilitum.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=mycenaean+ship

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

In WW2 a German bomber, part of a raid on the Forth Rail Bridge apparently, which was being pursued by fighters ditched it’s bomb load so that it hit the other side of the street I used to live in. You can still see the repairs done to the buildings.

I doubt the line of damage extended more than 100 yards in total.

I’d agree with MartinR’s “it depends” answer.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

You might find some inspiration from the Age of Conan computer game magic system

http://aoc.wikia.com/wiki/Spells

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

In no particular order:

Krull and Krull the Conqueror
The Beastmaster 1, 2 and 3
The Princess Bride (My name is Inigo Montoya …)
Hawk The Slayer
Ladyhawke
Dragonslayer
Eragon
Prince of Persia
Willow
Deathstalker
The Sword and the Sorcerer

and, of course, The Barbarians

That should keep you busy some wet weekend!!

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

For small widgets like gears, spindles, etc …. Hasslefree (http://hfminis.co.uk) do bags of watch parts in four different pack sizes.

http://hfminis.co.uk/shop?category=accessories~steampunk-stuff.

Roaming the outer reaches of EBay also turns up small steel machined parts (usually from China) at low prices, from time to time.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

Mesopotamia c.2500BCE.

We know so little for sure about the big powers (Sumer, Egypt, Elam,etc) and even less about the lesser ones that my version is as much (educated-guesswork-powered) invention as any of my Fantasy RPG backgrounds.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

The Nac Mac Feegle aka The Wee Free Men aka The Pictsies

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

Very good looking army and I love what you’re doing with the temple.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

Some thoughts:

1. Only one mirror/portal works at a time, each mini-dungeon is a quest to find the ring/ amulet/ gem / puzzle piece / Door-knocker of Ineffable Wisdom (take your pick 🙂 ) that unlocks the next portal and which must be placed in the correct position on the table.

2. Optionally, make a full size version of the object on the table and hand them puzzle pieces when they complete a mini-quest.

3. Each quest should give prominence to a different character but involve all the rest.

3.1 – Initial quest involves the group fighting low level monsters (rats are the traditional enemy here) that any of the group can tackle to introduce the game mechanics.
3.2 – Perhaps a cavern or room that’s pitch dark and filled with traps. One character needs to provide light (light spell / lantern / vial of glowing stuff provided by an Elf queen) while the thief/ rogue disarms the traps. Occasional rats/ spiders appear that the rest of the party need to dispose of.
3.3 – Lair of the Beast – a major monster must be defeated. The beast has a deadly attack of some sort (fire breathing say) which will damage party members badly but fortunately the fighter type has a defence (The Asbestos Underpants of the Dark God or some such Mcguffin). While the fighter slays the beast the rest of the party must deal with the beasts numerous, but much less deadly offspring lest they overwhelm the fighter. Search the beast’s corpse for the puzzle piece.
3.4 – It’s a kind of Magic – an elemental/ daemonic/undead entity that can only be damaged by magic (spells/ enchanted weapons/ divine intervention) must be defeated. Time for the mage to step up to the plate. From time to time the entity raises some of the skeletons of those who have perished here before to assist it. Cue rest of party. The banished entity leaves the puzzle piece in it’s ashes.
3.5 – Get Off My Land! – Stalactites fall from the ceiling, gouts of flame spurt from the floor, the ground shakes, the very air is poisonous. Random party members take damage and the party healer must keep them alive (or sacrifice some for the good of the party? Decisions, decisions!) The puzzle piece is at the far side, next to a mirror that leads back to the centre.
3.6 – The Heart Of Darkness – The giant, beating heart of the Great Daemon Zzargle’flahrn is here and must be destroyed to save the world itself from destruction! Daemon hearts are not easily destroyed and the party must beat off waves of opponents while steadily destroying the heart.

Make a D6 roll every turn
1 – Heart may not be damaged this turn
2 – Heart recovers minor amounts of damage this turn
3 – Heart is immune to magic this turn
4 – Heart is immune to non-magical attacks this turn
5 – Heart takes 50% (round up) extra damage from attacks this turn
6 – Heart takes double damage from attacks this turn

Each mini-quest should reward the party with things they’ll find useful in the next.

Any of that of any use at all?

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

I understood Picoarmor were just US agents for 3mm Oddzial Osmy stuff, rather than making their own 3mm figures. Am I mistaken?

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

The lurkers outnumber the vocal minority in every online group I’m part of. Indeed many of the same names turn up in multiple forums so the vocal minority is probably even smaller than it might appear.

I don’t have a problem with that, providing chatterboxes like me are supportive and welcoming to those not naturally so, when they do choose to contribute.

I try always to remember,”If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing!”

I spend much of my online forum time on the Pendraken forum. It is friendly, helpful, supportive … and at times completely wacky! TWW often feels to me like a more sober version of the same kind. Which is a good thing, in case there’s any doubt.

Hard though it may be for those who know me in real life to believe I’m actually quite shy. I cope with it by talking a lot. Somewhere in first year at uni it’s as though I suddenly realised that people can’t criticize you if they can’t get a word in edgeways!!

My experience of lurkers suggests you can’t make them talk but you can make them so uncomfortable they leave.

So, here’s to making the lurkers comfortable 🙂

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

The exact arms and armour used by Cataphracts and Clibanarii are hotly debated and, unless we find new sources, unlikely ever to be completely settled!

It seems to me that the meaning of the terms changed over time, just to add to our confusion.

Wargaming convention has been that fully armoured lancers on fully armoured horses are cataphractarii while fully armoured men on part-armoured or unarmoured horses and carrying lance and perhaps bow are clibanarii. Cataphracts seem to be modelled on Sarmation cavalry and Clibanarii on Sassanid cavalry.

Frankly neither are likely to have appeared in a warband sized force.

Cataphract comes from the Greek “kataphractos” meaning fully armoured or fully enclosed. Triremes, for example, could be aphract or cataphract.

CLibanarii is said to come from either “grivpan”, the Persian word for a warrior or “klibanos”, the Greek for a camp oven or a metal furnace. Oven-men or Furnace-men sounds like a good description of what wearing such an outfit must have felt like under the Middle Eastern mid-day sun!!

</pedant mode> 🙂

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

Don’t know the rules at all so can’t comment on the particulars but it seems odd to me the the weaker army (points-wise) is the one forced to attack. Is this deliberate and/ or balanced out by the Shasu being on a flank march?

Overall looks like a nice little scenario.

It’s true we have little evidence of camels being used in Egypt before 1000BCE indeed not much evidence of them until the time of Camyses invasion of Egypt in the 500’s BCE but absence of evidence is not evidence of absence so a little licence seems perfectly excusable.

Hope you have fun. Would love to see pictures and an AAR of the game later.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

Late Roman armies have access to pretty much anything!

To keep it very short:

Elite troops are Palatini, field armies are comitatenses or pseudocomistatenses (probably no practical difference between them once in the field) and border troops are Limitanei or Ripenses who are not expected to be as effective as the field armies. These are all nominally Roman with Roman officers.

Foedorati are non-Roman troops fighting for the Romans with Roman or native officers.

The cavalry can include fully armoured lancers on fully armoured horses (cataphractarii), fully armoured men on unarmoured horses (clibanarii), heavy cavalry in a mail shirt with a shield and spear/ javelins, light cavalry with javelins or bow.

The Late Roman legions are roughly 1200 strong and include around a third of their number equipped as formed archers or light infantry with javelins/ bows/ slings/ crossbows. Legionary heavy infantry wore a mail and helmet and carried a shield, spear, javelins and sometimes large darts called martiobarbuli. Archers were probably not armoured. Light infantry certainly weren’t. Limitanei were probably more poorly equipped than the field forces and may lack armour completely or have leather rather than metallic armour.

Auxilia are smaller units of troops equipped in similar fashion to the legions but lacking body armour.

I don’t imagine the Ballistarii legions with their catapults are going to feature in a skirmish game 🙂

That said the new Saga Arthurian list is basically what I’d expect a Late Roman warband to look like.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

I really like it too – for pretty much the same reasons Guy gives.

All I need to do now is work out how to make a game out of it 🙂

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Mike Headden]

Early Bronze Age Near East is my current favourite. Mycenae and Troy? I don’t do Moderns 🙂

That said, anything from dinosaurs to space opera have (and may again) graced my gaming tables.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Author]

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