[John Treadaway]

Thanks Rhoderic. Yeah, I’ve tried over the years to catalogue what I’ve done and – as is so often the case – what people around the globe have done with Slammers games. For me, so many times people take pics of games and do a little piece on it and it all just gets a bit lost… somewhere on the web. So collecting it together seemed to me to be a good approach.

And yeah: “You weren’t there, man! You weren’t there!” would have been much better!

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Anyway, after doing some magazine editing and reinstalling a computer that my mate kindly rebuilt, I present the photo report I did of the game. My shots – along with the work of Tony Francis and Andy King – are accompanied by a short bit of text, mostly culled from Tony Francis’ blog report. What I’ve done on the Slammers site is put 92 photos to show the whole game as it progressed.

What else ws there?

The mad dash by the Hiroseki where all command and control was ponied up by their other detachments to enable their commanding officer to push his heavy unit forward, right up until when he was killed by mortar fire and the rest of the force was diverted by fighting off an attack in the rear by Clark’s Commandos.

The Hiroseki Mercenary anti-air support – the Foster’s Regiment – being shot up in their lightly armoured vehicles so badly that they ran when their morale broke.

The Other Hiroseki mercs – the Lightning division – using every means possible to make a Thunder Run down the main road to get an AFV to the radio mast.

The Stewart Regimental piper leading his tanks into town.

The Stewart tanks being targetted by missiles guided in by a hiden Hiroseki sniper – but constantly swatting them away by means of the United Defence Batteries and their calliopes.

The mortar exchanges from both sides which proved deadly when they had found their range against static targets.

You had to be there, man!

Have a look http://www.hammers-slammers.com/maidstone2018_1.htm

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Wot Tony said: the shoulder launched stuff is only stopped by the Slammers type explosive reacitve armour; the (even more sophisitcated) version used by the TAS; the less sophisticated version used by the likes of the Zaporoskiye (amongst others) or is degraded by plain spaced armour used by, for example, the Hiroseki army (the latter also works against ATGWs as well).

There is an optional rule for allowing the Slammers style reactive armour to work against ATGWs as well (though rather less effectively: Using ADS against missile attacks, Supplement 4).

Calliopes – along with some other rapid fire weapons like tribarrels – have (if they have the AI to control it) the ability to shoot down incoming ATGWs ained at the vehicle in question or – optionally and at a reduction in success – when aimed at other vehicles on the same ‘net’ (ie other vehicles in the detachmet or even the force if the scenario permits it: the Slammers often arrange to provide AA cover for other units). Page 122-124 main rules, Anti-Artillery and anti-ATGW capability, Supplement 4 and the sidebar on the same page.

The same systems (either red triangles or blue triangles if they aren’t as good marked on the play sheets) will also attack incoming artillery rounds from off table or even mortar rounds if fired off table (optional rules: Steel Rain, Supplement 1). On table, the mortars get through and hit the roof!

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Good point Rhoderic. To set the balance straight, meet that Dark Star that is the Clark’s Commandos who also put in a show on the day

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Ouch…. bugger me but they are good. Top notch sir, just bloody top notch.

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Thanks Norm!

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Although I haven’t played it in 25 years, I remember the Soldier’s Companion as being rather dull and clunky, I have to say.

 

I played a game a couple of weeks ago using Death in the Dark Continent suitably ammended. Not my ammendments (I was a guest, as it were)  but it worked rather well, I have to say.

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Why, thankyou sir. It is certainly my avowed intent to get as much variety in the magazine as possible. One of my favourite Wargames Widow pieces was a few issues ago where she made a basic stone cottage and added “lean-to’s”, butted up against it which could be removed or swapped at will to change the look and even period of the basic shell. Very thought provoking, I’d agree.

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

It’s a lovely piece of design: the only decent thing to come out of Space 1999. But then it was originally built for the proposed second season of the wonderful UFO show from the same stable, so what does one expect

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Darkest Star Games wrote:

I find it interesting that a blower force would have a defense specialty. I would figure tracks would be much better suited to such a doctrine, and blowers would be better at mobile doctrines?

The rationale for that is straightforward: The Hiroseki are a National Army and – presumably – have officers and commanders (right up to generals) coming out of the wazoo. They are brave, though only trained with limited experience (hence classed as ‘Fanatics’) however Major Okuninushi’s personal elite skill is Defensive Stalwart: he is simply a cautious man. There’s no reason that another commander (above or below his rank – or even as an alternative) couldn’t have all sorts of Elite skills, picked and points costed from the Optional Rules or Elite Skills list which can be calculated using the table in Supplement 5 (starting on page 6).

No, I wouldn’t go too bonkers and Major Okuninushi is a good starting position, but it all adds tothe fun of a scenario.

As to the blower/tracked, well technically they’re ACVs rather than hard skirted blowes but I take your point: not ideal in defence but – as Slammers stories detail (and yes the Slammers are blowers but bear with me) – for example “The Warrior” – when pressed, Slammers will stay in position and use their AI driven tribarrels for anti-artillery work all day long: the Shamans and Soheis could do that work with their heavy lasers very well indeed!

On the second point, the multi-story buildings in that game are Kato (the plastics) and 4Ground (the colourful MDF ones, including the tall, mirror windowed HQ building) and all in about N guage/12mm. All of the others are Hornby (the Sewage works); Kato (the monorail station, up on Lego blocks with scratch built track on Ainsty pillars); Brigade (low lying buildings), converted Britains pig pens (the silver sheds) and scratch built (low brown building from a desk draw tidy and greenhouses from bulkhead lights) all with doors added from GZG/Brigade/etc.

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

“Seems like the TAS list might be the one for a friend of mine, he loves massive armor and firepower and direct drives to the objective”

The later model (Post 350TW) Brigade ones are even nastier. The TAS are meant to be the chaps you send in to sort things out when a Mercenary company – or a whole planetary army (however tough either of them are) – goes a bit rogue…

“Might make it over to “jolly ole” next summer, you’ll have to school me!”

I’d love to. You can certainly play with some Clark’s Commandos as they are, after all, made by your good self.

 

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

I hit those TAS buggers with strike after strike. Those that I actually hit with were mostly stopped by the buzzbomb shredding ADS (wrecks ’em on a 3+ so 66% of the time) and then – even those that got through – have to punch through a frontal armour of 12. Even the advanced shoulder launched stuff (FP7 rather than FP6) need a 5 or 6 to get through. When I did get one in, he rolled damage and…. ho hum: I took out his engines! Result: a pill box… 🙁

No, the only TAS tank I took with buzz bombs was massed fire through the (slightly weaker at an armour value of 10) roof. I took out another with a side shot from heavy lasers and a lot of luck.

But yeah: that was a lot of kit on the table for two players! Too much really, but we had all day, so….

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Thanks chaps

Yes the chrome pen is a really useful thing and I’m really glad I found it.

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

I didn’t realise? It still seems to be on pocket mags. Have you a link showing it’s going?

If this is the case then – as an ex contributor (and  – back in the day – purchaser of both that and Battle) – this is really sad news.

No I don’t have my old copies either (which probably says something, though I’m not quite sure what). Does anyone rememebr the ‘winter of discontent power cut issue’? All mono except for a two colour cover?

Very sad to see it go.

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Slammers Stories? “Crucible fiction: it’s a doddle”

(“Stop saying that…”)

We could do this all day long Mike

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Tinfoil will certainly work – as would any particulate, I guess (sandcasters from Traveller etc). The problem with all of them is the limitied supply of each, I suppose. Water is cheap and – if you are next to a lake or ocan – effectively in infinite supply.

Anti-laser aerosol will work if the laser takes a split second to heat up enough to do damage. I don’t think the reaction times will work against Slammers powerguns (travelling at SOL but delivering the hit all at once).

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

All of that sounds pretty good. For me, antigrav comes as a result of faster than light drive in star ships. To stop the crew being turned into red jam on the rear bulkhead, you need something to counteract inertia (I figure). When you can do that, you can control gravity (I also assume).

But star ships are big and have loads of power. Getting the tech small enough to work in a tank might be something else. Perhaps that needs a different form of the technology.

Beats me. Blowers to the fore, I say…

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

I think that the best form of defence against lasers (and, ahem, Slammers powergun weapons) would be a constant spray of water. Tanks could truely be ‘tanks’ with light armour and a huge bladder full of water and fitted with a line of spray nozzles to form a ‘curtain’ around the vehicle. Sure, water’s heavy but who needs all of that armour, right? Not when you have water mist… So – replace the cast iridium with tanks of water!

Oh, right until the water runs out or they shoot holes in your thin skinned tank (and your tank) with standard AP rounds from a pop gun.

Good for emplaced positions, perhaps (especially one’s near the sea side) but for tanks and aircraft… not so much!

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

I think the very last of the original print run has to be sold (which won’t be long now, I don’t think) before anything will happen there….

Sure, I’d like to do a revised, aimed at primarily 15mm (with 6mm as a second fiddle) version with any typos and so forth fixed. I’d like to include all of the new forces that are on the website. I’d like to include all of the 5 supplements (properly paginated into the main body of the rule book) and make it a one off, all complete item and then stick it on Wargames Vault or something (so people can order a printed version or a PDF if they want). I’d want to replace as much of the photography as was appropriate with current vehicles (so Brigade for the most part – though not exclusively).

Sadly, that’s not entirely my decision (though it’d be me doing all the work. And it’d be a fair amount of work…)

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Yeah – we went from “The hotest May day on record 28 degrees” to “rain rain go away, come again another day” all within 48 hours.

Ya couldn’t make it up…

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Come over: the weather’s lovely (at the moment…)

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Looks like we might have a big game at the Maidstone club on 25th of August: lots of time to paint more troops!

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

I’d just use the 6mm sheets for 3mm and not bother changing anything. We regularly use the 15mm sheets for the 6mm games with no ill effect whatsoever

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

If the infantry had turned up earlier, he would have had the Lt with them so help shout at his troops and – just as usefully – add to his Leadership points ‘pot’ to allow more flexibility: in game context, even if the infantry had stayed hidden waiting in the wings, the Lt could have helped the Captain do some organisation, give some orders and do some ‘shouting’ at troops.
I think in the post game analysis we said:

A) if he’s had his guys turn up earlier and if he’d brought them on from two of the alternative angles to split my defenders fire, it would have helped him.

B) if he’d found that pesky sniper

C) and if, of course, the two times he’d hit my Mammont heavy tank he’d done more than “blow the bloody tracks off” (said in a Michael Caine voice) it would have helped!

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

L4 – as I’ve said before – that’s an insane amount of detail on 6mm figures. The Slammers decals on the weapons is just bonkers…

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Hi L4 – good to see you here. And thanks for the thanks!

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Thank you all. I got a real slice of joy doing them.

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

They are Brigade’s specific vehicles for the Cecach Civil War story in Drake’s Forlorn Hope slammerverse story.

 

Play sheets here

http://www.hammers-slammers.com/pdf/Cecach_Federal_Regulars1_15mm_sheet.pdf

http://www.hammers-slammers.com/pdf/Cecach_Federal_Regulars2_15mm_sheet.pdf

http://www.hammers-slammers.com/pdf/Cecach_Republican_Regulars1_15mm_sheet.pdf

http://www.hammers-slammers.com/pdf/Cecach_Republican_Regulars2_15mm_sheet.pdf

And vehicles here on their site.

 

Have a look at this too

I had put the wrong link up for the Cecach game: I’ve now altered it

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Well, as I said I would, the new force is up on the Slammers website.

This is Clark’s Commandos and – as I went to Jim Clark’s funeral service yesterday, I feel really privilaged to have been able to do this.

Every time I get them out of the table (hopefully pitched against one of Jim’s legacy Slammers forces which carry on without him) I will think of him.

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

I have them finished. More will be revealed soon but the torture is over and I’ve not been broken by the wheel!

Here’s a few shots but – as soon as I have access to the Slammers website (laptop with certain software is in for repair) I’ll do more (though I have done a play sheet for them).

The unit is finished as a dedication for Jim Clark – a mate and avid Slammers gamer – who died recently: this seemed a perfect opportunity to use the nice vehicles Darkest Star sent me and I’m quite pleased with the results.

The wheels… well maybe my masking could have been more accurate, but the rest – airbrushing a green pattern over an Army Painter Primer (Skeleton Bone), edge highlighting, future/black-ink dip, and then weathering with the airbrush and various washes – worked out reasonably well, I think. Certainly better than my last efforts with the Zaporoskiye Brigade where I over did the Army Painter Dip.

The Federation infantry were – again – spray primered and dipped (this time using a thinned Army Painter Dip) and detailed with various colours including Tamiya clear paints. Decals for Clark’s Commandos were home printed onto clear decal paper.

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Mike wrote:

Cool. Who does the reviews of fantasy figures in the magazine?

Er…. me!

Ferets not rodents? Well you learn something new every day

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Ta

I’ve bought a multi-size, plastic circle template thing from Amazon (the sort I used to use in geometry) that I intend to airbrush through to do the wheel centres. So hopefully that’ll help…

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

I love the look: great work.

“the silly original Trek”

Hush my mouth…

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

No, I used mineral spirits (Humbrol hobby turps) as it’s the varnish stuff. Worked on the troops a treat (and had previously worked on the vehicles) but I did need to both pay attention and thin it properly…

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Lovely work sir: fabulously impresive.

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Thanks Old Ben.

I had a real problem with painting these – as I said the dip went all thick and nasty on me. I thinned it for the figures (Iwith some sucess) but not before I’d had a real issue with the AFVs and it covering up most of my airbrushed camo.

As for the terrain, it’s palm trees, fish tank plants, a DeepCut mat and some DIY lakes: there’s an article on building the lake parts of that shot coming out i the next iissue of Miniature Wargames.

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

And thanks Darkest Star: I’m trying very hard to appeal to as many gamers as possible, as often as posssible. I may well be chasing my own shadow but I figure it’s worth a try!

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Russell – the easy way for me to answer that is to quote Jim himself:

I wanted a ‘modern’ rule set and there weren’t any that I felt caught the true feel of Twentieth century warfare (and that’s a polite way of saying that none of them pandered to my preconceptions.) So I wrote my own. We’ve used them for Boer war all the way through to near future. I confess I’m not sure when the first edition of Hell by Daylight rules came out. It’s so long ago they were written using a typewriter, with regular application of snopake to cover up the errors.

I haven’t the faintest idea how many games I’ve played with these rules, and I know from correspondence that many other people have used them. They’ve stood the test of time, so I’ve tried not to tinker too much here with what is the Hell by Daylight: ‘the second edition’. One area that people did mutter into their beers about in version one was the armour rules. Because it was a skirmish set I never really took much account of armour when I wrote the initial edition. Yet players want to have partisans hunting Tiger 1s and similar so I’ve pandered to this. Please note that – in this first section – I deal with fire, movement and morale with vehicles, aircraft and scenarios in later sections.

My emphasis in bold.

Jim wanted chance to the new improved rules and I wanted to give it to him!

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Thanks Rhys. I really enjoyed both the games (as I always do) and the building the pig-pen sheds (thanks to GZG for the help with bits for that project, by the way).

 

So far my next force – those pesky Zaporoskiye Brigade chaps – look like this:

As you can see just two part camo so far but I have decals and will get to them asap.

Oh – and the latest issue of the magazine has an article on the Prodos APC (granted in 32mm – at least) which always ‘reminds me’ of the models available from Antenociti at one time in 15mm.

Magazine shot – below:

1/100th as discussed:

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[John Treadaway]

Thanks Phil: one thing I wish was I had more space to show off that cracking ACW game at Reading. If someone want’s to write me an ACW article (scenario, etc) I have, er…, a lot of spare pictures!!!

It was a blinder.

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[Author]

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