Super Secret Project V (i.e. Famine, Sword, & Fire)

 Many moons ago, I decided on yet another game design challenge - but a kind of "spare time" challenge.  To wit I started assembling miniatures to have on hand if I ever decided to actually start working on it.

The challenge?  A rank-n-flank game.  I've always been enamored by the "look" of rank-n-flank games, such as Warhammer Fantasy, Hail Caesar, etc.  My experience in watching reports though, has always been a little less stellar.

I started scribbling notes down for something to play around with...and started assembling an army, in secret.

Why in secret?  Oh, just to have something to piss off a buddy.  It's a game he wouldn't enjoy, so I, in turn, enjoyed teasing him about it for the past few months.  Another buddy of mine is my partner in crime and we're assembling small armies to give this thing a shot.

So...first the miniatures.

We decided to do a vague ancients/medieval styled "Imagi-Nations" approach.  I selected Dacians as my primary miniatures of choice, building a semi-tribal army.  My first effort was the above unit.

As a "core" kind of unit, I built another small infantry unit.  (Units in this game will consist of between one and ten bases).

The Dacians come with some warriors called Bastarnae - these I cobbled into a unit of berserker styled infantry, using a shaman from a chariot box to lead them. 

From my first bag of Dacians I now have three solid infantry units, plenty to at least playtest with in the future.

The best part - this is all less than one bag of miniatures from Victrix!

Following my initial infantry I build two chariots.  These are Gallic chariots, converted over with Dacian with heads and models.  I swapped in some archers, making these "light" chariots for my game's purposes.  These are amazing kits, if finnicky and annoying to build/paint.  The bags contain three chariots, three shamands, three female shamands, and eight armoured bodies, etc.  A real value for $27!

Using more miniatures from the same bag of Dacians I assembled a unit of missile skirmishers.  These are on round bases to identify that they're skirmishers.  The lone figure is to represent a "hero" (a possible outcome during combat).

The army thus far, though there are more models on the way.

Then, by accident...my buddy and I playtested the game last week and it worked out pretty well.  now rules are being written, tokens are being ordered, mats are being designed, etc.  The name for the project comes from Henry V - a film I was watching while painting and wondering what I could call it...

So, there will be plenty more coming - as I engage in yet another gaming project!

Games!; Merciless, Scrapheap and a Secret project!

 A few awful pictures from a handful of games over the past week.

Also had a buddy over to playtest a new secret project!

A mix of things...

I knocked out three T-34/85s for my Soviets.  This will allow me to play more post-Kursk engagements.  These are the old Battlefront T-34's which are pretty underwhelming kits.  However, you get tons of them in most of their starter boxes.  I have another four on the way if I decide to even use them!

I also finished a 'Wandering Machine' (big robot) for use with Scrapheap.  This is an NPC category that can be encountered in the middle of the game.  This was a 3D print I saw on Etsy and purchased the STL - had a buddy of mine print a few (shrunken down).  In normal prints they're very large.  This one is small enough for use with Scrapheap.

He shipped me two, but one was shattered in shipping...so I may try to rescue it eventually.

Zwei Panzerkampfwagen V.

Working on some models from the Kursk box I just picked up - two later war Panthers.  A/G models, as opposed to the D models I had painted up for Kursk.  These two will be more appropriate later war.  Slightly older Battlefront kits.

Ein Panzerkampfwagen VI.

 A simple Battlefront Tiger to add to the 15mm German force.  Every German force needs a Tiger!

Games!: Battlegroup (Normandy, 1944)

Got in a game of Battlegroup today.  I played my Fallschirmjaeger force around 650 points vs. a 750 point British armoured column.  I lost, just.  My FJ hit 45 of 43 Battle Rating, while my opponent was at 40 of 46.  A well fought close game.  A lot of hectic close range firefights in/out of trenches, etc.  Many assaults.