[Mr. Average]

All those, but NOT Mad Max, The Road Warrior, Children of Men, or Blade Runner?

[Mr. Average]

I’d have to say the American Revolution would be my personal interest in the period, and not just because it was the event that created my country (though that’s a big part of it).  It’s the touchstone of so much history that came after it, in that it didn’t so much result in territory changing hands as so many European wars did, it resulted in the creation of an entirely new country altogether, which I find very interesting to consider in parallel with the dynastic politics of the XVIII Century.

It’s also fun to play out on the tabletop, as others have said, since you can play battles of many varying sizes with lots of the goodies of the period – colorful uniforms, livery, etc.

[Mr. Average]

Well, even aside from the generic pro-3mm sentiments I’ve already expressed, I’m really thrilled to know that there are 3mm ancients out from MM now.  I have never bought their stuff myself but Roman Legion packs are a brilliant idea and as a temporarily-misassigned Classical Archaeologist, gaming with the Romans is one of the most versatile ways to go.  You had Romans versus basically everyone in the ancient world at some point or another – and frequently, Romans versus Romans!  I’ve half a mind to pick up a few legions and stage some of the battles from the Civil Wars.  It’d be a bit of a chore to do Philippi (total of 36+ legions!) but there are plenty of smaller actions that could be done, fictional or otherwise.  It might be the kick some people around the club needed to at least examine the scale as a viable one for scale wargaming.

By the way, I should say that GHQ’s TerrainMaker hex tiles are fantastic for realistic and functional 3mm scale terrain, and Brigade’s line of 2mm scale Mediterranean buildings would make superb Greek and Roman towns.  I’ve also heard positive things about Hexon-II boards for 3mm scale, but the cost to import them to the USA has so far been prohibitive.

[Mr. Average]

By the way, TB or others, (and at the risk of derailing the original, for which I apologize) what rules would you recommend for someone thinking of Napoleonic or ACW 3mm gaming in the near future?

[Mr. Average]

I have, as in the past, to second Senhor Blanchette on the subject of scale. 3mm scale has come into its own in the past five years, and O8, and now others, are producing casts of stunning quality and detail. For a relatively small outlay of money and effort you can have a sizable force for just about any period, and store it in minimal space. I play at every scale, and find 3mm is great for games that feel very large and (dare I say it?) epic in scale. You don’t have to imagine that one big tank represents four smaller ones – you can just have four smaller ones.

And the cost being as low as it is, what are you losing by giving it a try? I can put together a fully playable TO&E for any interested party that costs $25, and will get you a combat battalion or equivalent, or two sides of multi-company strength or better. Would you be willing to go in for that little and risk not liking it? Any other game and you’d be in for a minimum risk of $100, $200 or more if you bought two sides for the game. At the 3mm scale price point you can experiment with lots of different armies, organizations and strategies without getting in over your head with any one of them.

[Mr. Average]

Pig Iron makes a lot of great stuff that may be of use.  Their “Kolony Militia” are close in spirit to the Imperial Guard.

[Mr. Average]

In the beforetime, in the long-long ago, in the midst of a hurricane, my apartment flooded and I lost a whole pile of amazing micro games from the old days, including my original Star Viking, Grav Armor, Triplanetary, and Starforce Alpha Centauri.  I’d rarely played them at the time, and the water and muck and filth from my upstairs neighbor’s leaking toilet basically fouled the whole lot, but now that I’m older and wiser, I wish I still had them.

I did manage to replace my copies of Shockwave and Battlesuit, but still.  Considering that some people died I got off easy.  But I still don’t have to like it.

[Mr. Average]

A Compagnia Meccanizzata of the St. Vincent Brigade and one of the Vinnies’ two BOLOs, a wing of Polish dropships, and (off camera to the right) I. Eskadra of the Krakow Winged Hussars.

[Mr. Average]

I like the SF3D vibe you have going here.

[Mr. Average]

I don’t mind Grav vehicles so much, but I like them to look distinctively different and to have a reasonable rationale in a given universe.  In my own Federated Space sci-fi canon, they are actually “repulsor” vehicles, using a planet’s magnetic field to lift them, and therefore useless on planets with magnetic fields that are either weak or negligible, or radically too strong.  I like the Grav vehicles the Foundationists use (from Microworld’s line), and the smooth-hulled DEIMOS series from GZG.  Darkest Star’s LODAV vehicles are particular favorites of mine, too, with a reasonable rationale (low-orbit reentry drop tanks launched from spacecraft).

All in all, though, I prefer hover and tracked vehicles.  They’re things we already know we can produce, and are unlikely to go out of vogue any time soon.  Wheeled vehicles are nice, but I think there’s a glut of them at the moment, model-wise.  Everyone and his uncle is making a sci-fi version of the BTR-90 or the Stryker, and it’s getting to be a cliché.  I rate the O8 M-577 series as a significant exception, as the design is just so slick, recalling the Colonial Marine APC, that I can’t help myself.

[Mr. Average]

I think the complaint (and mine as well) is that they don’t look plausibly like hovercraft, but like tanks with a lift skirt tacked on the bottom.  Generally speaking, deeper and wider skirts are needed to generate more ground pressure to lift heavier vehicles.  Also, the intakes on the TNCE tanks are not evident – hover vehicles need to draw in a LOT of air.  To wit:

These are the ones that are from earlier in the TNCE career, and are more tentative.  The Grav vehicles are particularly plain, and would benefit from a “remastering.”  They aren’t “bad,” but they are not as good as they might be, given later efforts like the wheeled vehicles previously reviewed.

[Mr. Average]

Seems awfully generic to me.  I think you may want to consider something more vibrant and exciting.  There are plenty of artists on sites like deviantArt who would do a job for you for not very much money, I think.  I’d consider it – appearances matter in book sales.

The title is also a little scattered in terms of its meaning.  Like, I don’t get it exactly.  It’s a string of adjectives, basically, and not descriptive if the game content.  Metal Rogue sounds like science fiction – like Metal Gear, which makes me think of Heavy Gear, and spins my mind off-subject.  And then, what does “Radiant Fire Heart” mean?  I think you need to consider that a little more carefully.

And also, red text contrasts poorly on a grey background.

[Mr. Average]

The first few “model” vehicles for the Krakow Winged Hussars are coming off the line.  The commander is denoted as the inverse of the line units.  Line units are red with gold stripe; commanders are gold with red stripe.  The colors are a bit washed out due to the fluorescent lighting.  Nevertheless:

[Mr. Average]

Yes, some of the earlier NCE efforts are a bit too tentative, but he’s shaping up into a very good modeler as he goes, and a remastering of earlier forces might well pay off, too.

[Mr. Average]

I’d really love to see these taken on by Studio Bergstrom or someone else similar, and cast up in metal.  The rendition would be better and the cost to us gamers would be cheaper – plus, as Thaddeus notes, they can’t be bought in different unit sizes and mixes otherwise.

[Mr. Average]

If you don’t mind getting a little bit craft-y yourself, there’s this:

http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/index.php?view=product&product=37

Scale to any desired size, print and paste.  They look great on the table.  You’ll want a good inkjet or laser printer, though – or a good copy center.

[Mr. Average]

Great looking game, and some nice figures! As for the scenario, I’m afraid I feel I’m missing something. Is it because I’m an American? Admittedly, I have only a passing familiarity with the rule set.

Still and all, I’m perfectly willing to “go with it” I suppose. Keep it up!

[Mr. Average]

The BOLO.  I just wish someone would make a miniature of this.

USS Sulaco is a close second.

[Mr. Average]

“Putting Warfare In Its Place” is one I’ve used in reference to the hobby, but it’s a little tendentious.

The motto of the New York Law School is “New York’s Law School.” Which is about as lame as it gets.

Hmm. This is an interesting one. Maybe… Hmm… “Fighting Friendly.” Or to further elaborate on James’ entry above, “Fighting Hard, Playing Nice.”

[Mr. Average]

6mm Sci fi (Skirmish and Platoon combat)

3mm Sci Fi (Battalion to Brigade level)

15mm and 3mm modern, postmodern and Cold War.

Lots of historical and sci fi boardgames, but rarely earlier periods than World War II. Except a little WWI naval combat.

My preferences run mostly to modern and later. Although, I have recently been tempted to Napoleonic by the Baccus and O8 6mm/3mm lines, and fantasy by the Microworld 6mm line. Before I get a new set though, I’m finishing my 3mm armies first.

Really, I just like writing my own background, and it tends to be more digestible to other players in the non-historical or near-modern genres.

[Mr. Average]

Hotz Mats are excellent quality, but can take a bit of waiting while he makes them up. The vinyl ones are not terrible, but the aforementioned slinging problem with flight stands can be an issue, especially if you have long arms, like I do. I always seem to be brushing something loose.

[Mr. Average]

I play at 1 Tank =1 Tank at 3mm scale on TerrainMaker hexes, and usually, clump foliage of a good mix of colors, arranged with some small clearings here and there, do the trick. A bit of dilute white glue sealer sprayed on top keeps the mess to a minimum. When necessary, putting the tank on top of the canopy doesn’t really detract too much from the visual effect as it’s rarely there for long.

[Mr. Average]

A great article, and a technique I have endeavored to follow with my Union Commander set so far, to wit:

Bright colors and sharp contrast with basing materials are key.  The inclusion of base labels also helps, visually, by adding an icon that’s easy to track.  The level of detail on pico scale figures is outstanding these days in a way that would never have been possible a decade ago, and a high-contrast scheme really brings out the best in these figures!

[Mr. Average]

So if I could redirect this ever so slightly (or expand, if you like) what rules would you RECOMMEND to someone who only ever played WH about an eon ago, but likes the look and feel of the new Microworld offerings, and is trying to find multiple uses for his newly-completed battle boards? Typically, I’m more of a sci fi and modern guy, but a 6mm undead army has a distinct appeal, and Microworld has been doing such great things lately. I’m considering a possible fantasy Romans versus Beastmen or Greeks versus Skeletons (vide: Clash of the atitans or Jason and the Argonauts?).

So what would you, the fantasy groupmind, recommend?

[Mr. Average]

Available from Reaper. I just bought some.  Follow the link on the word “Hedgehog” above.

And by the way – save a few bucks and don’t bother ordering the stand or base.  It’s dead weight, IMO.

[Mr. Average]

Any of the old “true scale” CAV APCs from Reaper would fill the bill.  I recommend the Hedgehog – blocky, utilitarian, but with clean, distinctive lines.

 

[Mr. Average]

Alas, they’re the M76 MacAuliffe tanks from O8.  I haven’t quite gotten to where I’m kitbashing anything smaller than a BOLO at 3mm scale.

[Mr. Average]

A new unit is on the painting table: the Krakow Winged Hussars.  They’re an interface-assault combined arms mercenary battalion armed with dropships, tanks, APCs – the works.

[Mr. Average]

Those look superb!  Nicely executed!

[Mr. Average]

Genuinely fantastic!

[Mr. Average]

Superb!

[Mr. Average]

FWC Skirmish should scale pretty well, but at that level my personal preference is Force on Force for modern actions.  FWC/CWC is my preference for large-scale combat – battalions, divisions, etc.

[Mr. Average]

I drew the silhouettes based on photographs of the miniatures in profile.  All the stats on these cards are provisional, as I’ve yet to do any kind of serious playtesting.  For comparison, though, this is one for the St. Vincent Brigade.

[Mr. Average]

Thanks, guys!  I’m working up unit formation cards (in the mode of the old Space Marine) for the Union Commander “unofficial expansion.”  It won’t make a ton of sense if you don’t know the Commander System rule set, but I like to think it still looks cool!  Plus, it seems, in my opinion, likely to ease new players into the game by giving them some basic unit building blocks to base a force on, to speed up the game setup and keep from overwhelming a person with choices.  It also sets a guideline for the “feel” I’m going for at this game scale.  Forgive the high pixel depth here, but I wanted it readable.  Once the campaign is playtested and the stats are set, I have ambitions of having them printed up on large-size playing cards for my game group.  The miniatures the silhouettes were taken from are the 3mm scale hover tanks from Oddzial Osmy – I’m aware of the visual similarity to John Treadaway’s Slammers “Blower” tanks – I do hope he doesn’t mind.

[Mr. Average]

Wow.  Sweet material!  The Plasmablast stuff is particularly well done!

[Mr. Average]

Not helicopters per se, but there are some anitgrav VTOLs that Microworld Games makes for the Foundationists and the TEF that are great.

[Mr. Average]

That is pretty sweet-looking.  All Quiet is one of those games that tempts me profoundly, but I fear I have neither the time, skill, nor opponents necessary to play.  But it’s so totally gorgeous!

[Mr. Average]

Just wanted to express my total, whole-hearted support for this effort.  Here’s to it!

[Author]

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