Zona Alfa - Cheeky Mid-Week Mission

Managed to get a board setup today and rolled some dice.

The temptation to get the newly completed terrain pieces was too hard to resist - will check failed.

The Distribution Centre and one of the Offices made it on (yhay). I used some of my plain (unmarked) mdf road as hardstand. Regular road running vertically with (busted in places) chain link fence demarcating the Distro Centre boundary.  And a whole bunch (ALL !!) of the new trees (yhay) making a forest to the right. 

The mission was rolled up randomly and then I made a story/details from that. 

The crew's APC hit some kind of anomaly that killed the electric system, the battery is dead. The crew needs to get to the APC, fix it, get it rolling again, then get the heck out of dodge.

Specifically one of the crew members needs to make 3 successful (not consecutive, though that would be helpful) will checks to 'fix' the vehicle.

Infil point is middle right, and Exfil point is middle top. Once fixed the APC will trundle down the road to the Exfil point (which takes a few turns) - meet up with it there.

Being Threat Level 2 there are 4 Hot Spots which I positioned 'non-randomly).

One was at the rubbish dump on the right, another in a clearing in the forest...

Another in the Distro Centre near some containers and the last near a fuel dump...

The crew sets out. Same line-up as previous couple of missions. Two veterans, one hardened and 3 rookies.

Actually SCROUNGER  was promoted but I keep forgetting (and wasn't on my cheat-sheet) he's a veteran so I'm leaking activations a little. Got him all updated on the stat sheet for next time.

HUSTLE and LEADER quickly move up to the Distro Centre, inspect the MO point and trigger it with bolt toss. Zombies.

I should only have given them a 1x move deployment bonus move but they accidentally got two. oh well.

HUSTLE uses his activations to lob grenades at them, taking out 3, leaving one, who ambles up into base-to-base with HUSTLE.

SCROUNGER runs up into base-to-base with the zombie and manages to take it out, but suffers wounds doing so. Self-medkit brings him to OoA and feeling poorly.

LEADER (bone doc) med kits him and gets him standing again next turn.

Hepped up on painkillers SCROUNGER takes off for the MO point and starts on the will checks. He has will check bonuses so not too difficult for him.

In the mean time KNIFE inspects HS2 and   HUSTLE triggers it with another bolt - failing first bolt tosses as famously as LEADER had done in previous missions.

Bandits! and an anomaly !

1x ak, 2x pistol, 1x knife

Using advanced AI processing the ak bandit and one of the pistol bandits seeks cover. The other pistol bandit takes a pot shot at SCROUNGER who's rather exposed up on the APC. and the knife bandit moves forward to close the distance (also toward SCROUNGER).

HUSTLE chugs an eJuice (and thanks to the help of some crit bonus actions) and takes out knife bandit, then ak and pistol bandit (both with -2 obscurred modifier) and leaving just the bandit who had shot at SCROUNGER.

LEADER steps in and dispatches the last bandit.

SCROUNGER has by now activated the APC, so LEADER Orders SCROUNGER on to Search the anomaly.

SCROUNGER searches like a champion despite the -2 (Threat Level) modifier and produces a shiny new artifact and some loot (forgot that he get's 2x loot bonus, oh well). 

The APC has left the centre and wass heading up the road.  At end of turn 7  I called the game as all the crew were at the Exfil point waiting for the APC which would be there next turn.

Although there was a HS quite close to the Exfil point we opted for the safe option.

Fun game. Quick. Never really had an "oh that's bad" moment, though the need to get the APC moving governed the direction of the mission for the first few turns, rather than being the usual free-flowing, casual 'scavenger hunt' event. All good.

rookies

The rookies still felt like dead weight (sorry, but that's what it felt like). They were pointed at the Exfil point from the start and despite being available as a firing squad on HS2 the veterans were able to pick off the bandits before the rookies got their guns up. It just felt like a better option to cheerleader the extra Orders to the vets to achieve bigger tasks than positioning rookies who would have brought worst stats to bear.

The rookies have another two mission to go before they graduate, so they'll probably still get a look in. I'll try to make a more rookie friendly mission for next time. 

movement

A lot of this (rookie hate :)) has to do with movement. The crew for solo needs to be fast and manoeuvrable - demonstrable imo.

I watched/read some battle reports. Where people are playing with multiple crews, even if they're playing co-op, they tend to focus on the MO and HS point on their side of the board. There's not a mad dash to cross the table, achieve what you need to, and then dash out ASAP.

Different requirements is my conclusion. I'm actually thinking about running the APC as a usable transport method rather than just an In/Out marker.

d10

Had some discussions and inspiration on/from FB.  This mission saw the use of modified tables, requiring nothing but d10, so no d6 required (yhay). Worked as anticipated.   I like one set of dice for my game, whatever that game might be or whatever the chosen dice type is.

holiday

LEADER and SCROUNGER have run all 8 missions on record thus far. I'm considering giving them a holiday, but probably after mission 10 when the rookies step up to big-kid duties. Will need to restructure the crew. All fluff considerations.

Until next time...

Zona Alfa - Forest... More Forest

original draft 2021-01-15

The forest scatter terrain that I made previously I was happy with, but on a full size board (only 4x4' really) the stands just can't provide the depth of cover/obstruction I'd like.

It certainly felt like I'd made more than 8 pieces... but reality demonstrates otherwise.

Here the trees provide some obscuring of the opposite side of the board, but very sparse...

And here I was getting the type of density I'm aiming for, but only in a very small area...

Before xmas I managed to find some cheap bulk batches of the same trees and ordered them - and they arrived over the last couple of days.

I've already started assembling these. They all on single layer mdf - the previous batch being 2x3mm layers. Not fussed, they should be sturdy enough on 1 layer.

That's a total of 17 new pieces.

There are 3x big bases (7 trees), 8x medium bases (5 trees) and 6x small bases (3 trees).

I probably could have ditched the big segments as most shapes can be constructed from the medium and small segments placed side by side. but... why not I guess.

The majority of the forest filler is still based around using the medium bases, and then extra filling/detail/shapes using the smaller pieces is the intention.

I have applied some wood glue at the bases to start fixing them in place. They're still all placed in holes drilled through the mdf base.

So slightly different construction method to the first lot but close enough to fit the theme.

update 2021-01-19

Calling it done. The clear coat is still wet but good enough - no further steps required.

Sprayed the hell out of the foliage to help stop it dropping too much foam blobbles.

They do look slightly different to the older batch but not enough to bother me. In fact I kind of like the variance in these organic pieces. Structures and uniforms not so much.  

Now I just need to find a box for all the forest pieces.

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Until next time...

Zona Alfa - Local Inspiration

There's a servo on Windsor Road in an area that's still semi-rural despite the estates going in relentlessly all along the length of that road.

Anyway, at said servo there is a hamburger establishment which we wanted to try yesterday (after a full day gardening and housework mind you - earned it), and adjacent is a derelict property.

Art and inspiration to be had all around if only we're open to it. Definitely a camping ground for stalkers imo.

I didn't wander too far in because, well... summer... Australia... snakes... exhausted from scrubbing...

Not that I want to be promoting squatting or anything.   

Until next time...

Zona Alfa - New Terrain - Industrial

Original Draft 2020-12-04

Got a couple of terrain pieces from ttCombat via mightyape.

A 'distribution centre' and 2x 'distribution office's.

Something my scenery is/was lacking is 'industrial' genre pieces and also 'large' pieces.   This is/was partially intentional (storage) but for variety I think these three new pieces will add a bit of something.

The STALKER pc game often alternates between large 'islands' of structures* and very open 'free forest'. And the new items will add a large central point of interest for an industrial map.

   * although you're not actually maze-running, the long sides of the structures effectively determine movement, but you can also go inside buildings.

I can make various theme areas with what i have of course;

village - houses, barns, shops, shacks

military - outpost, fences, possibly the containers and/or adobe shacks

dockside - containers, barns, shop and shacks

but these are really all thrown together under a very 'rose-glasses' theme.

The big distribution building is definitely a better fit for a dockside warehouses,  or an armament/vehicle depot for a military base.  The offices similarly can add to those themes.

Alternately they can be the centre piece, then add containers, shacks, and plenty of fences to make a depot board.

The offices are design to (optionally) 'attach' to the depot, or you can use them stand-alone.

A project for the new year. I have this and the new forest to work on so plenty to do terrain-wise.

Then I absolutely MUST get these bits and bobs boxed. If I have a limited box storage volume and if it's full I'm hoping it will ease the temptation to get new bits.

Given this particular terrain set (all of what i'm building) is themed very much just for this game (i.e. no space-faring shenanigans) I'm considering adding some more detail on all the pieces. I semi-deliberately left most of the terrain quite bare, coloured, but no downpipes or signs or debris or anything like that, just so it could all be multi-purpose and work with different themed boards. But I'm hopefully reaching a stage where i have about enough of what I need and again, perhaps finessing the piece will keep me too busy to start more terrain projects.... perhaps... maybe... hopefully.

update 2020-12-10

This arrived just now. Final bit of mdf terrain action for the year (and hopefully for a while).

The bigger building is quite a large package.

Not going to start on this yet.

My hope is that these buildings will lend themselves well to babushka'ing some of the other bits I have.

Not going to get another storage box for it all just yet. Want to get the new trees done (a next year project) and have an idea on the overall size I need. Pretty much sick of doing up storage for x project nicely, only to subsequently get an extra y item that renders the storage pointless.

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update 2020-12-11   [the next morning]

Well that was always going to happen...

Made a start on the two smaller buildings (offices) only. Takes time for the glue to dry so the whole process takes a good long while.

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update 2020-12-14

Finished off the offices the following day. Don't mind them.

Next to a barn for size comparison. The barn is fractionally taller, but obviously the office has lots more volume. However there is a mezzanine in the offices so it's not all usable for storage. 

Started the warehouse. Both offices and the barn fit inside (that's before the gantry was put in though).

I'm hoping that the roof trusses are attached to the roof, not the walls, meaning all that space is accessible. Should look at the plans I guess...

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update 2020-12-15

Assembly done. Overall, I think I can make it work on the table. They're nice enough pieces, again, a little more finicky than I'm used to, some parts perhaps a little delicate than my usual tastes, but yeah, it's decent terrain. 

Plenty of space inside. The only bits permanently attached is the gantry. I'm not sure whether I'll bother keeping the forklift, and I'm likely to ditch the pallets, they're far flimsier than the ones I made.

The trusses are attached to the roof, so score on that one. It's pretty but you don't really get to see it from a gaming perspective unless you i.e. put the roller doors up, so it's generally a hidden/lost feature. Anyway.

Speaking of, I've glued on/left on  all the small doors. none of the other terrain buildings have doors but i kind of like them with doors for a change. they don't open/close, so decision required. The roller doors do open.

So, this is the group.

And i think it will offer up some good options for positioning to get some varied cover/LoS blocking on the board. it's two action of 6" to move from end to end (plus some) so a nice big object to move around or through.

They are collectively going to need some plaster just to cover some edges/joins/holes etc, but not too much hopefully. Then on to paint, and i think a relatively simply scheme.

I deliberately left off some of the smaller features like external light and signage, just to keep the models a tiny bit cleaner/more generic.

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update 2020-12-16

Bogged things up with plaster. Sanded them back. Mainly looking at the walls join etc.

All the outers are now rattle can'd  with grey filler/primer. Will also do the inside.

Based on a poll by my hobby associates I'm going 'dull/hammered metal roof (outer), light cream colour on the outer walls, and will do a 'split' with the lower 1/5 in green. Or similar.

Later: Everything now primed.

I'm thinking that i might hand paint these. Even though there's a lot, I want to keep the same feel as all the other buildings, and those were all hand painted. I need a couple of pots of paint which I can pick up on Monday.

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update 2020-12-17

Started colours. Floors all covered with a lighter grey. Took a while but worth it I think - brush throughout.

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update 2020-12-21

More colours. outside is getting a two-tone thingy. Top will be done in screaming skull. Then a bit of washes and details and whatnot. I'm thinking that I might do the outside surface of the roof screaming skull too. will give the buildings a unified feel.  

Inside is light floors, dark walls and just the leadbelcher on the gantry and sticky-outy bits. Washes etc.

Getting there.

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update 2021-01-16

Yep, a flash-forward...

I mentioned this project to my local gaming compadres and asked for colour scheme recommendations.

The first will start looking real familiar real soon....

And the second from someone when it jogged their memories of Counterstrike...

Both comments welcome and helpful.

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update 2020-12-23

Progress has been made. Just slowly.

All the main colour areas are now blocked in.

The outside walls, being quite light, are noticeably blotchy (below).  My plan is use a sponge to dabble area and hopefully camouflage the differences. I don't mind it all being 'nonuniform' but at the moment it looks a 'painted'. Some areas are quite solid. Screaming Skull is a bloody horrible colour, the consistency of it is invariably abhorrent - actually the colour it self is incredibly useful which makes using it that much more irksome.

So I need to do 'detailing' before I can move on to washes. Walls as above, also where the two-tone meets - some of them a sharp others are rubbish (above = rubbish), I could potentially sponge-dapple these and have it as wear... but I'm not planning on doing lots of weathering on these pieces.

The gantry needs detail brushwork, I've done the easy bits but the connections to the wall, floor for example need painting. similarly the roof trusses. 

I'm hoping to have this done over the xmas break given we're not going anywhere. Am actually keen to see this on the board for a game soon.

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update 2020-12-31

Last update of the year I'm thinking. I finally got all the base colours blocked in. Took a while but there was taping to be done, plus big surfaces and lots of waiting between coats. So I did many little sessions, nut it just took a while to get through it all. I would probably baulk at doing more items of this size.

Far from perfect, there are still paint spills and ugly spots but it probably counts as 'consistent enough' with my existing 28mm ZA terrain to be happy with it.

I did the ramp and shelves, just base metal, and didn't bother with the fork lift, may get that done once the buildings are done but couldn't be bothered with it to be blunt.

So, next up is some washes and then clear coat. don't think I'll bother with dry brushing and definitely not looking to add lots of weathering - it will be a relatively clean piece and I can always go back and revisit all the terrain for weathering later. For now I just want it available for the table.

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Update 2021-01-09

This all got a wash of null oil today. Looks pretty splotchy and ugly (just as planned). Will require a dry brush to lightening it all. But not today.

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Update 2021-01-16

Done. I drybrushed/scrubbed practically all the non-metallic surfaces just to lighten the tone.

It still has plenty of grimy, dirty patches which is pretty much what I was after. Models included to show scale (and sometimes prop open the doors).

The 'roller doors' on all models are openable. All the 'small doors' aren't. They could be but I figured it was neater/easier to just leave them all closed up. 

Generally, very happy with how it turned out. There's not a lot of detailing or fiddly modelling; debris/signage etc. Might revisit this at a later date.

The smaller buildings are very bare inside. And that can be written off by the phrase 'stripped clean'. A lot of terrain modellers now days are into debris and detritus in the models and it definitely has its place. Rather than gluing on sticks and rubbish everywhere, I'm thinking of getting some extra (or I can use the existing) barrels or drums or pallets to just fill a corner here or there.

Realistically these pieces are going to be 'roof on' the vast majority of the time, except if there's a mission objective inside etc.

The larger building came with some internal details which got bare minimum treatment. I did make a tiny effort with the floor and gantry in here, adding some washes and on the floor some scuffed and worn hazard striping (which is engraved on the floor anyway... so why not).

Open doors... looks perfectly fine from a game-use perspective, if not from a diorama/modeller/art perspective. 

Looking forward to setting it up on a table, but glad it's finally done. Despite the modelling job done on it being very simple/basic there was still a lot of time/work to get it to this level.

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Update 2021-01-09

So this morning i was trying to babushka the depot bits together... see what else i could cram in there. Not as much as I'd hoped but some. The office buildings have the whole mezzanine thing which blocks some space, but most of the stuff 'out' is larger items anyway.

So i was thinking about boxing it up etc. Occurred to me that i still have 3 industrial containers underway and someone just donated me another factor.

The goal of having a finite amount of stuff to box seems illusive.

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Until next time...