[Shaun Travers]

Thanks Ian,  I have thoughts about creating varied 12″ terrain squares and using them for campaigns or whatever, but it never makes it high enough in the priority of gaming projects 🙂  I do look forward to seeing what you do with 12″ squares.

[Shaun Travers]

Thanks Tony.  Blogging is a perfect way to document a gaming journey.  Although I am definitely not in the same class as the greats, I understand what you are getting at.  I continue to flitter and so expect more of the same for years yet 🙂

[Shaun Travers]

Thanks for the kind words.  11 years ago I started playing on 2’x2′ with Ancient figures as 2’x2′ fit into some map drawers and I had no other space to leave things setup due to small children.  I fell in love with 2’x2′ gaming.  I then restarted WW2 gaming about 8-9 years ago but I only had 20mm so acquired some 6mm to play WW2 games.  It was only supposed to be a side project and so the terrain is basic and I wanted fast rules so I could get games in and done.  My 6mm WW2 gaming has grown organically since then 🙂

Just Jack convinced me to do campaigns a few years ago.  While I have not fell in love with them, they do add a great extra dimension to the battles.

[Shaun Travers]

A thousand! More than enough.  At least it is keeping you busy.  You have so much other stuff going on as well, no wonder you are not sleeping (from your FB posts).

[Shaun Travers]

Hello Mike,

I don’t use either.  I know of my local clubs and I don’t buy much stuff these days  When I did I would find it easier to to an internet search for reviews and recommendations.

[Shaun Travers]

Excellent stuff, keep up the momentum!

[Shaun Travers]

I was mostly happy with the two rulesets I was using for WW2 (Take Cover!!) and for ancients (Armati II) from 2000-2010.  But then I started playing other rules just to see how they worked and that led me to writing my own.  I have spent the last 10 years mostly tweaking my own rules through various solo playtests.  Having lots of fun so too busy to really look at playing a lot with other sets.  I think FTF I would still go back to Armati II, but for WW2 I do not know what I would use!

[Shaun Travers]

It was a great combination.  The 20mm figures are back with me now so the next time he gets the urge to play it will be with the preferred scale.  While I have gradually moved to preferring co-op games, when I ask what he wants to to he prefers playing against me!

[Shaun Travers]

You are active on facebook (congrats on the weight losing btw) so I know you are still doing stuff, just not gaming!

[Shaun Travers]

Yay!  Congratulations!

[Shaun Travers]

Hmm..

Then (1980):

WRG 6th Edition Ancients rules using 25mm figures

TRACTICS using 20mm plastics

Now:

My own Ancient rules using 15mm figures

My own WW2 rules using 20mm figures (same ones from 1980 still in the mix!)

 

[Shaun Travers]

@Thomaston, you are absolutely right.  The British did an illegal fire – the second activation should not have been allocated to the 1st platoon.    Can’t even remember my own rules 🙂  I will update the blog post to indicate this was against the rules.

[Shaun Travers]

Yes, talking about 6mm.

[Shaun Travers]

It really depends on the rules, for my rules 0-3 tanks is enough.  But I am playing on a very small space! If you were playing on a larger table with rules more suited to larger tables e.g. 3’x3′ or larger, then a company of tanks would be fine to use.

[Shaun Travers]

For the rules I am playing, anything from 0 to 3 tanks with infantry would be a good game.  This assumes infantry squad numbers are about 4-10 in total.

[Shaun Travers]

I chose 3×4 as I have been trying to get a Collectable Card Game – Tank Commander – to work and it uses a 3×4.  My original post on 3×4 games in 2017 has too much background on why 3×4.  The whole post is basically going from the CCG to a playable 3×4 game.

https://shaun-wargaming-minis.blogspot.com/2017/07/portable-play-in-document-box-or-very.html

Flank attacks can happen as there are so few units on the board.  I think there were a couple in the 2017 games.  But I am not sure how easy it would be for flank attacks anyway.  The latter is just an excuse 🙂

The IGOYGO is interesting.  I originally played a lot of Take Cover (Rapid Fire clone) that was IGOYGO.  To play solo I moved to unit card activation and for small games (as the 3×4) rolling to see which side gets a unit to activate.  I am right now in the process of going right back to Take Cover and playing a few games with a slightly streamlined games (cutting down on table modifiers mainly).  I think there may be enough friction with the rule mechanisms and the turn sequence that it doesn’t need more random activation.

The short answer is the 3×4 provides a bunch of really difficult tactical decisions as it is easy to figure out the possibilities of different outcomes – a few units, few squares, simple rules.  I am drifting towards smaller games than 2’x2′ but only due to being time poor and so lazy to set up 2’x2′ games 🙂  i am sure it is a phase.  My favourite gaming is actually 20mm WW2 on half a table tennis table (4.5’x5′).

I have thought about tiles but have been too time poor to give them the treatment they would deserve.  I was also considering keeping the 3×4 grid but going up scale to an A3 page (double the size!) if I was going to do tiles.  But that has got me thinking that tiles for an A4 page may be not that hard after all….worth considering again anyway.  You would not need to may tiles – maybe 30-40?  I will ponder on this.

 

 

[Shaun Travers]

I love a good unearthing story, especially one I am interested in as well.  Keen to here the result with Dehn’s formula if you can find the time for guessing.

[Shaun Travers]

I would like to say it only took 20 minutes.  i played it over a couple of days and multiple sessions.  It meant that I would stare at the board and run through all the options (not many but with so few units and squares every move is important).  This could take many minutes each activation!.  So I would say it should have taken about 30 minutes but it took about 1 and a half hours.  These games were supposed to be quick and all about interesting tactical decisions, instead they are not quick (due to me agonising over EVERY move) but they are all about interesting tactical decisions.

I think in my other similar games with more units and more dice rolls I tend not to worry so much about each move and so those other games do take 30 minutes.

-shaun

[Shaun Travers]

One last one, how are tractors handled? Do they count towards stand limit or are they attachments? I can’t see them as a separate stand since it could easily block movement due to square restriction.

Good catch- there are no rules for them.  Tractors should be treated as attachments.

PzII should have same AT value as SdKfz 222, they use the same 20mm gun.

Fixed.

I’s like to recommend putting Spotting and Force Morale on the Table of contents.

Also maybe move Attachments table up to where Force rating and types of stand are.

Done. Your suggestions make sense.

Can you direct me to your 6×6 rules? I want to see if I can use to to replace ym fantasy rules as well.

They are at this post where I have a bunch of game reports with them –

https://shaun-wargaming-minis.blogspot.com/2020/04/ten-one-hour-wargames-scenarios-played.html

Or go here directly for the rules:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11ar4fJX0IYn7dC1LvcXQtLz4bPpehi_g/view?usp=sharing

The combat mechanism is based on Bill Banks Ancients rules that used a CRT based on ratios.  I changed it to be a die roll that includes modifiers for ratios.  If I was to use these rules again, I think I would simply use the original CRT or use a more newer die roll system I am tinkering with at the moment.  Still very much early playtest for the latter though.

 

[Shaun Travers]

If I have 2 activations can I use it all on the same unit?

Good question, I thought it was in the rules but it isn’t 🙁  If you get two activations, the second activation must be a different square and cannot use any units/stands that were activated in the first activation.  And example of the latter: Square 01 contains stand A, Square 02 contains stand B. On first activation stand A moves from square 01 to square 02.  For a second activation can activate square 02 but only stand B can do an action.

Is spotting limited to one square per activation? It’s not clear.

It is supposed to be once per activation you can select one square to spot at.

What happens if spotted unit moves out of square or out of line of sight?

Page 4 under Spotting:  Figures out of line of sight of all enemy units become unspotted.

So if you move to a square that has no LOS to an enemy unit you are now unspotted.  Or the enemy moves out of LOS then you are unspotted.

Are there any effect to damaged vehicles like can’t move or can’t shoot?

Damaged vehicles can move or shoot if not suppressed.  On a hit result of 4 they are only damaged so can move or shoot, on a hit result of 5 they are damaged and suppressed so cannot move or shoot until rallied (although they will still be damaged).  Damaged is not great though, a -1 to be hit and one more damage result to be destroyed.

 

Hope this all helps.  Thankyou again for the questions, it does help.  I have updated the rules based on my answers to make them clearer.

 

-shuan

 

 

 

[Shaun Travers]

I haven’t a list of lethal attachments. The list in the rules are the ones I have come across in other rumours or thought might be needed.  But going by the list in the rules would be a good start on what is legal or not. So no MGs or tanks. Attachments are really for one to three soldiers with extra weaponry or a section with extra equipment then normal.

By different stand I meant different looking, not extra.

Platoons could have more than one leader as a platoon is usually three stands. But I suppose a single stand could have more than one leader but I would not make any modifiers cumulative.

[Shaun Travers]

Special characteristics like Recce and Engineering are per stand.  I just have a different looking stand to represent these.  I haven’t used them in any missions yet 9i think I did use them in my last campaign in 2017.  Attachments like panzerfausts or extra LMG I use a different stand as well.  The single based mini is a leader attachment.

When I mentioned 6×6 I was thinking of some 6×6 ancient rules I played around with a few years ago and played some One Hour Wargames scenarios with them.  I also have some 12×12 WW2 rules that I played a few times (with each square only holding one stand).  I was thinking of just jiggling the 12×12 ww2 rules to be 6×6 with 3 stands per square and then remembered about my 3×4 rules.  So I dug them out.  3×4 is a bit different sizing from 6×6.  6×6 is 3 times to area.  With 3×4 one row (the entry row) is really only there for the attacker to have somewhere to deploy without being fired on immediately (as the defender is normally deployed in the other side’s 2 rows).  And activation is normally only one square a side that works very well when there is probably only 2-3 squares with your sides forces in them.  6×6 would work fine with the 3×4 rules but you would need to double the forces, possibly redo activation, may need to rejig movement and firing distances and also it would make a larger and longer game.  The 3×4 has the melee phase that really seems to work with each square being a150m and only a few squares with occupied forces..  If I did play 6×6 I think I would take my 12×12 rules and scale them down and each square is 75m.   most interesting question and thanks for asking!

[Shaun Travers]

Depends on the players.  For some, it is me that learn the rules and teaches them.  For others we all read the rules and find out all our strange interpretations during the game.

[Shaun Travers]

I think Barbies and Action Men would be better suited to Pulp Alley (on a larger board).  But you would have to check the Pulp Alley rules to see if you are allowed to play with any figures.  Does Barbie count as being painted if she is one colour?  And before anyone passes comment, I will neither confirm nor deny that I may or may not have access to these figures if I was tempted to put them on the table.

🙂

[Shaun Travers]

I have no idea on the difference between the .com. and .net sites.

[Shaun Travers]

@Stephen – I see it is to published in May, from this website:

https://www.modiphius.net/products/five-parsecs-from-home

A google search has it as the first hit.  But your are right in that there is nothing at https://www.modiphius.com/  (!)

-shaun

 

 

[Shaun Travers]

C’mon John, tell us how you really feel 🙂

 

[Shaun Travers]

Yes, you are a bit stuck there.  I use hit markers that about 10mmx10mm for my 6mm portable games so not attractive all all.  Cannot think of an on table solution that would blend in.  Sorry!

[Shaun Travers]

That was quick.  Interested to hear your thoughts on both.  I see Platoon Forward as a toolbox and RFR reminds me of games I played 20 years ago.

[Shaun Travers]

I don’t know whether that is a good thing or not 🙂   Regarding Platoon Forward, I use it for the missions but there is a detailed campaign system and a decent random enemy generator as well.  There are a lot of ideas in it that are applicable to any sort of campaign. I know Just Jack uses a variation of the random enemy generator,

[Shaun Travers]

Thanks.  I have not played 6mm on anything larger than 2’x2′ so to me this is the standard size!  And I have found that in the last 5-6 years I really like the “vignette” type battles with small forces on a small table.  The terrain generator is quite simple – I have a list of 5 terrain locations (Rural, Mixed, Hills, Woods, Urban).  Each terrain location has 20 terrain cards, many repeated (e.g. hill, wood, key building, marsh, crops).  I pick a terrain location and then randomly select 9 to create the battlefield.  I do it is a spreadsheet to make it faster to generate 🙂

Rapid Fire Reloaded is much simpler with less detail than Battlegroup.  Strangely, I am not that enamoured with Rapid Fire itself but really like the streamlined/simplified Rapid Fire Reloaded, possibly as I have been slowly writing my own rules and stripping back their complexity to a similar level of detail as Rapid Fire Reloaded.

[Shaun Travers]

Thanks Jack!

[Shaun Travers]

Thanks Steve, my son does want to play again but have no idea when we will be able to find the time!

[Shaun Travers]

<blush with humility>

Maps drawers – 18 (!) of them but most store gaming aids and stuff.  Only 5 dedicated to actual games (two for ancients, two for WW2, one for boardgaming).

[Shaun Travers]

Hello Jack,

 

Glad as well, although now your output is so much more than mine, and your terrain is much better than mine now too! Lucky it is not a competition 🙂

[Shaun Travers]

Thank you Jacob.

[Shaun Travers]

Hell Jack,

Yep more to come, both ancients and WW2.  This is what happens when the gaming mojo comes back!

[Shaun Travers]

I have number 2 nearly setup.  But you know me – may take weeks to play it and weeks to write up!

[Shaun Travers]

@John,  Thanks for the compliment but it is all down to the random scenario generator.

 

Just Jack,

Lucky I did not say 5-15 or you would have me pushing 15 refights!  The campaign/scenario generator was mostly finished with some draft notes on how to use it last June.  But it was only a few weeks ago I tidied it up.  And found an error only yesterday (only in the narrative, not the generation).  I will send it to you soon.  It has some notes on how to use it but happy to take questions on how it works and how it could be modified.  And don’t forget my wife is of Russian parents, and kyote blue I think would be fine with my choice of side 🙂

For a single random scenario you can choose unit quality or have it random.  For the campaign, I have them all as green.  Experience is something tracked per squad and is based on about 4-5 things (e.g. survived, caused a casualty).  How it is worked out is in the Intro part of the spreadsheet.  It is loosely based on the Patrol WW2 rules experience points system. I will send it to you.

I was actually surprised y the left flank assaulting the listening post.  I had a plan, the right flank was routed, the centre pinned them and a suddenly realised the left flank was in range for a charge into close combat.  The odds were on their side, though not a certainty.  It paid off.

[Shaun Travers]

Outside of published scenarios, I found it hard to figure out scenarios for campaigns. But Platoon Forward by Joe Legan has a great system. I coded up a variation of them in a spreadsheet and am using that to generate forces, battlefield and missions. Has worked so far (once!)

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