Friday photo (on Sunday) "never surrender", um anyone know what this is about looks like wallpaper? Perhaps in a museum somewhere?

Friday photo - join up...
 

I'm about to buy the new Kings of War - Vanguard rule set. It's on special half price about $20 for the next few days however before I bought it for use by my sons gaming group I thought I would have a quick look through and just make sure that it's a sort of game that I would like to play. As I began to read through the individual units with their classes, statistics and abilities, moves, attacks and "armour class" it began to remind me of the 1980s in the 1980s there was this little product called Dungeons and Dragons

I was given my first copy of Dungeons and Dragons by my mother who has I have mentioned in a previous podcast thought that it might suit me because Dungeons and Dragons was apparently appropriate for "boys that walk to the beat of a different Drum". Yes I'm still not sure what that really means however from the moment that I open the red box and looked at the bazaar dice and began to try to work out how to actually play this game I was hooked.

So that was 5 years or so of my life that went by in a heartbeat. Along with ending school, getting my first job, going on many real adventures and expeditions, I also spend many, many nights staying up late with friends going on grand imaginary adventures gaming magical items and learning to work together and sometimes even how to work with the monsters rather than "just spooning them over" as I was reminder of the other day.

As I thought back to Dungeons and Dragons and the great times we had and the near impossible puzzles that we solved I began to compare this to the new version of Kings of War Vanguard I begin to wonder why it was that I was buying another game to really do just a cut down version of the existing game that I have, that I have purchased (and repurchased(and repurchased)) but I don't actually have any time to play. I began to ponder on ways The Dungeons & Dragons could be cut down somewhat from the all-encompassing monumental game that it can be to something more manageable that would be akin to the Kings of War type product and it occurred to me that this would be very easy just make it RPG light or RPG 'none at all'. (continued...)

Now I'm a computer guy and in my job I use lots of different software packages I often see cheap products that will do photo editing or video editing or do any manner of other things that I need to do on a daily basis however where possible and where budgets allow I always buy the full on professional product even though I only will be using a small part of that product to achieve the results that I need to achieve. This has held me in good Stead for many years as it has allowed me an entry into a new product or technology that I wouldn't otherwise have had experience with more often than not I will get the opportunity later to reuse and build on. Buying a full commercial product gives me something that has "legs" meaning that it will certainly suffice for my basic needs but as my needs grow and my expertise grows I don't find that I run out of whatever it is that makes that product good and have to go and repurchase and relearn another product from scratch. When I apply this though mentally to gaming I think I would rather play D&D at a reduced level than another product and be found left wanting if I decide to push on into greater depth of gaming.

This brings me to another consideration and that is the sticky question of motivation. What motivates someone to do something commercially vs. what's "best".

Hi All. So it was a long weekend here in New Zealand with our Labour weekend holiday this weekend. However; i spent a day and a half moving out of my current house...maybe ill share why in a week or so (!?!) but its because of working in a new location.

  That has meant my stuff is all in boxes this week so no ability to paint as that will require tearing everything apart..but what i DID get done was assembling some stuff. 

   Continuing with the theme of Primosole bridge in Sicily for more Bolt action scenarios, of course the story doesn't finish with the airborne forces fighting each other...the final scenario will feature the Durham Light Infantry and supporting British armour.  I had been thinking about this as we attended MOAB last month, and although one of the prizes left when it was my turn to choose a prize ( Thank you sponsors, Bryan and Andrew) was a Rubicon Sherman.. but i hadn't done my due diligence with research into which variant was present and yet something told me it wasn't the correct model i needed , so I put it back and got a fantastic Knights of Dice Jungle hut (MDF terrain) instead- thanks Viv & Team! 

  Anyway, my instincts were right, I needed the Mk3 ( diesel ) variant with small hatch & low bustle turret. These are the tanks that were used at the bridge by 3rd County of London Yeomanry ( 3 CLY-  " The Sharpshooters") in the battle. Rubicon make just such a variant;

 So, this is it! look at all those beautiful sprues...jam packed, right? NOPE!!!! Thats just the leftover bits after assembling the model i needed!!!! check this out;

​This taken into account i am REALLY impressed by the versatility of this kit!!! you can see all the same sprues in the background that were shown in the first pic- spare large hatch hull, high bustle turret and basically every main armament except the 75mm. By leaving the turret cupola unglued, and the upper hull just cliped into the lower hull, it opens the door to utilising these through being interchangeable..( although the colour schemes for the periods concerned will of course be various and undoubtedly different - but whos complaining here? Not me!!)

 I have yet to get online and check whether the extra armour about the bow MMG and other hatch 'bulge/protrusion' were present at the time of sicily '43. but thats a  2 second add before final clean up and painting;

​Here's the Sherman with the other two large things i knocked up this week...Why?!? because i reduced two boxes into the one carry case for tanks now for the move , haha! These two are the Warlord Tiger 1. Thoroughly enjoyed putting these together too. Note i have different things going on with the cupolas/pintle MMGs due to testing best ways for secure haulage to avoid breakages and also have 1 tank with a removable/interchangeable closed hatch and open hatch with panzer commander.

​lastly, ive been scrubbing the resin release agent off these bad boys!!...FJR and Brit Airborne casualties, and collapsed parachute canopys...all ready to paint up in my new digs!!

   Hope you all got something done this weekend..even if you didnt get a long one! :)

Friday photo - Row, row, row your boat:

"An infantry section from 'B' Company, 1/6th Queen's Regiment try out their collapsible boats in a farmyard in preparation for crossing the Volturno river, 8 October 1943" more details here
 

The next project, 28mm British 8th Army by Warlord games. Some quick images... Waiting for paints to arrive for the next step... Comment and subscribe to this *post* to get updates on this project.

A quiet place to sit

 Battle For France - New Bolt Action Campaign book. Available for pre-order now on various sites and probably at your local games store, due out 29 Nov 2018, see below for table of contents page preview.

Fortress Budapest - New Bolt Action Campaign book, Pre-order now on various sites, due out 21 Mar 2019 (or so they say)

No further details that I have found.

Rex, Daniel and I ( Dan) all went to MOAB for the 2 Day Bolt Action event, September  27th & 28th 2018.

This was Rex's first event and coincided with his Birthday also...a worthy reason to take part and for me to fly over and spend some time with the whole family prior. We ended up oddly taking a Fallshirmjager army each! One being themed around Normandy, and the other the battle of Primosole Bridge in Sicily.

We had a cracking time, 5 rounds of fun but tough fought games, on great terrain/tables and fantastic blokes who we played. Thank you to Bryan and Andrew as the  great TO's especially Bryan, who dealt with our early enquiry so i coukd ensure we had tickets and helped with local accomodation before buying the plane ticket over! 

Thanks To our opponents, their great armies, and all those who provided the tables and terrain we fought over!

We will be doing a Podcast on the event, so this is just an opportunity to post some accompanying photos! One or two are shared from the Australia/New Zealand Bolt action group page , so thanks and credit goes to the photographers for these.

  Enjoy the photos and Join us on our forthcoming podcast...Will we be fighting with Storming Eagles or Lame Ducks??...!! tune in soon and find out......!!

Friday Photo... woof...

Bolt Action tournament/event at MOAB in Sydney October 2018, the last game... 

www.motherofallbattles.org

 Tank riders. Doesn't seam like a great place to take shelter to me, being that other tanks will be shooting at these tanks but what do I know.

Podcast EP3 (parts a & b) are live now: Operation Fustian & The Battle for Primosole Bridge, this should appear in your podcast app if you have subscribed (Search for valhallagames podcast in your app) or you can click on the image below for a web player (for part 1).

Battle for Primosole Bridge reference material can be found here

Episode 3a:
In this episode, the first of a two part history-to-wargame special, we discuss the build up for a key WW2 operation in Sicily, 1943.
Operation Fustian was the British airborne operation to seize and Hold Primosole Bridge, a strategically important gateway to the Catania Plain and vital for the advance of the Allies and the success of the Sicilian campaign.
Facing the British paratroopers were their deadly adversaries; the veteran German airborne troops of the 1st Fallshirmjager Division.....

Episode 3b:
We return- in this, the second installment of a two part history-to wargame special- to Sicily 1943 and the Battle for Primosole Bridge.
This second part continues the story of the bloody fight for the control of the bridge between the British and German paratroopers.
We also discuss some wargaming ideas around this historical action and how you, like us!, can get some ideas to play this as a scenario in your WW2 wargames.

Enjoy, and your feedback is always welcome.

Preparing a model for Operation Fustian planning. Don't know what Operation Fustian was? Watch this space...

So ...I have been busy!! As promised its time to start revealing some of my project we've been working on.....Enjoy some pics of the Sicily projects progress

   Work so far has been around the beautiful Charlie Foxtrot Pantile buildings collection, some new walls suitable for Mediterranean battlefields and my first dabblings in teddy bear fur ( A.K.A; Muppet Pelts!)

   Work does continue, however...olive groves, vineyards and fruit orchards for a start! whew....! i will post a few behind the scenes how to's after MOAB is done and dusted! I hope you enjoy these few pics.

   PS...the next Valhalla Games Podcast will feature an important battle featuring some of this terrain.......!! watch this space!!

Here is the latest installment of my Bolt Action Fallschirmjager. Finished except for basing this is a quick look there were 12 in total. Unlike my current Panzer IV project I'm pretty happy with these guys. How would you like to see a squad of those coming out of the orchard towards you? Thanks Dan for the super secret face paining recipes, I'll do some close ups when I have a chance so you can see the stubble. 

I have something to say about camo and washes at 28mm scale that I have learned along the way. To get the detail on that "comment" on this post and that will subscribe you to further updates on *this post*. That way I can just go on and on about it without generating extra main posts (and notifications) on the web site for others that may not be interested in this specific topic. This takes advantage of the web sites ability to subscribe to the whole site vs. the ability to subscribe just to updates (comments really) on a single blog post. And keeps all the updates and comments together.

I hope you like them, miniatures from Warlord Games and Artizan Designs (the chunky ones).

 Friday Photo - the Fallschirmjager bear as discussed in a recent podcast episode. I'm taking this to my next tournament! If anyone knows the story behind this photo we would be keen to hear it.