Zona Alfa - New Additions (Small Suburbia) - pt2

[Original draft 2022-08-10]

Amongst the recent orders I got some pieces from brutal cities. 2x of the 'Cabbage Palms' apartments, and 1x of the 'Vantann Small' office blocks...

The idea with these additions is to be able to build some small, edge-of-the-city suburbia. A couple of low-rise apartment blocks and a similarly low-key office building.

These are intended to be the 'hub' of the local shops and then possibly a couple of single story generic habs around that.

Something vaguely like this...

That's on a 900x900mm board just for scale. Colours just to denote different types.

By the time I add in scatter and trees and fences and I picked up crappy vehicles... it should be suitable.

[Update 2022-08-27]

Oki doke. Got these guys done, which is actually all the new stuff complete. Yhay. 

They're just super-simple paint jobs. Rattle-can unders. Then blocking in minimal colours bits, floors, gubbins. Then null oil over everything. Very limited dry brush.  Happy enough with them.

I have no other terrain that goes this high, so that's a nice new feature. Mainly from a visual point of view. The ship and warehouse have some high points I guess.

Looking forward to making a table or two with all these new piece. They're perhaps a little plain on their own but once they're in context I'm sure they're going to create something exceptional.

Then I need to work out the storage situation, eeek.

So... I don't think I have any sub-conscious desires to add anything else to the collection... not that I know of, hahaha. 

[Update 2022-09-04]

So I managed to pull the terrain box upstairs and make a start on building a table... but that really stalled when a migraine was triggered somehow.  Oh well, suffice to say I didn't have much motivation to set up a table, let alone roll dice and play a game.

So I kind of just mustered the relevant sets of things I'd been working on...

The more 'urban' pieces. I'm not convinced at all about the mix. The adobe huts don't much well enough imo. I could potentially do with a few 'lo-rise' apartments to fit the apartments and office and perhaps blend into the other buildings.

I'm also considering making some more of these low-tech roads.  as well as roads they can stand is as asphalt carparks or just open sealed surfaces.

And the 'rural' pieces. Nuf said.

So between both of these I've more than got a 6x4' covered in terrain. And that's not even tapping into the military or warehouse pieces.

Basically there's more than enough for 2x or even 3x   6x4's simultaneously.

Finally - the new pieces don't fit into the boxes. No great surprise there. I have recollection of 'shallow' storage boxes, as in a 1/3rd of the height of 'regular' boxes. I'm contemplating looking for one of those for the ZA terrain overflow. It might hold the trees and swamp sub-boxes... dunno.  Anyways just contemplating options at this stage.

Update 2022-09-06

I got a new storage box but only a 'shallow' one (90L).  It's about 10-12" tall which comfortably fits the new apartments when assembled, the office on its side and I put in my 'corridor' terrain box as well. There's also room for some more 'expansion', but hopefully that will take years. At least that's the intention.

Until next time...

Old Gear - Grimdark Future - Kraits Divergent

When I was trialling One Page Rule (OPR) / Grimdark Future (GF) naturally I went and grabbed some squads from my different 40k models.

By default, for just regular/standard/old marines (they did an update a few years ago and made everything taller -> annoying) I like to use my homebrew chapter, the Kraits Divergent.  This is a chapter I put together when I was on an old forum and was interested in working up some fluffy background and fiction and so on.

So anyway, it turns out I was minus some models I wanted to use (Terminators) so I ran the trial with another bunch of old-marines I have.

But after that I dug out the Kraits again.

With a worthy system to play they're now likely to get some table time.

I had a squad of Terminators that I assembled years ago (years as in 7+, not years as in 2) for this force but they got boxed before getting a lick of paint.

So I got everything out and painted the new terminators.

I had original through of upskilling all of the models, applying techniques that I'd learned in the intervening years, but I decided against.

Instead, I painted the new Termi's to a similar, basic finish as the main force.

This was, I admit, partly laziness. I just couldn't be bothered detailing 30+ models at the moment, even if it was probably 'just' washes and dry brushing.

However, as I was looking at them I felt growing sentimentality for the basic style I used to have.

I happened to be repainting some of the KT Templar models while I was paint the Terminators and the difference/improvement in technique is substantial.

Anyway I kind of like having this reminder of my progress.

No, they're not my best work but they're still table-worthy, and if I feel inspired one day then I guess they might get zuzhed up then.

This is all of them. They're an under-resourced, light-weight force based on their fluff. Lots of assault marines. Not a lot of heavy/vehicles.

Two squads of 5 assault marines with jet packs. The helmets are an obvious, non-standard feature, probably ordered from Anvil way back when. And most of the sergeants have 'deathshroud' helmets which I really like too (ebay).

The commander (captain) with chainaxe, shield, jump pack... all the goodies, and possibly a chaplain skull helmet.

And the tactical marines, by majority bolters, plus heavy bolter, flamer, 2x melta guns.  Very little in the way of plasma, done as a stylistic choice. 

Foot slogging assault marines.

As the Kraits are no long part of the Imperium (and would be attacked by loyalist forces if they crossed paths) they no longer stick to standard marines practices. An obviously expression of this is in rank symbolism. Sergeants have a red chevron. Captains have a red star.  Can't remember if I made any intermediate ranks between those in the fluff.

Jet pack assault marine veterans, with bonus helmet zuzh (also Anvil).

And the new Terminators. Suitably painted to theme, and I'm happy with the results.

Their kit bashed Storm Talon support craft. Filament printed wing extenders from my very first printer.  Very basic stuff, but sometimes it's nice to just appreciate its part in the development process.

This reminds me that I actually have a Storm Raven (transport aircraft) sitting in a box unassembled which was meant for these guys too. I'm a little hesitant to put it together as it's probably not going to see table time, and might inspire escalation of the opposing forces as well (which I'm not keen on)... Maybe one day.

Until next time...

Change. Grimdark Future / Grimdark Future Firefight

There is a new (for me) game system I've been exploring over the last couple of weeks.

For a few years now I have been sticking to a principal of having a (small) fixed number of games that I focus on (and more or less ignore all the others).  You can't play/collect/remember the stats for everything... well, I can't.  And the chances of playing some of everything at games day is zero.

The systems I've selected address different game styles/scales/formats, and (historically) includes:

- Epic is my full battlefield level system where the scale makes rolling around in tanks, titans and infantry hordes make sense.

- Necromunda is my skirmish level system, where you have individual operatives booting around a compact board *.

[* I was contemplating this on the weekend and there's not a huge amount of difference between 'battlefield' and 'skirmish' from a high level perspective. With 'battlefield' you have formations of units/soldiers, with 'skirmish' you have a single model but with multiple wounds. So they could be viewed as quite similar in that regard. When you add that you only have to build/paint 10 models instead of 100, it's easy to see why skirmish games are gaining more traction with hobbyists.]

- BFG is my space ship level game.  I list is as a game I'm happy to play with others if that's what we're all playing this meet, but not something I'd normally suggest playing myself.

- Blackstone Fortress is something that doesn't get much of an opportunity due to it really requiring an extended campaign to be worth the effort starting. I put this down as my dungeon crawler game.

- Zone Alfa is my freeform/exploration/sandbox game. Not as good for player vs player compared to others imo but a nice generic canvas for solo playtime.

Ok, so?

I was visiting a friend on the weekend and during the drive I was contemplating this list. And there are some changes in the wind.

New Kill Team has been high on my radar for over a year now. While I have played Munda during that time, I've played more games of KT, and I generally prefer KT over Munda for a number of reasons. It's not unreasonable to consider adjusting the Skirmish level selection from Munda to Kill Team.  Obviously I can play both/either, but I feel that the default has now changed.

Epic has been out of favour for some time. I love the scale, I love the setting, the terrain, the people,  but I have serious reservations about the complexity of lists, balance, default game play... all adding up to 'I will play it, but I don't enjoy playing it much anymore.'

But... something about change?

For 'reasons' I recently had a look at a system called Grimdark Future. This is from One Page Rules, an... independent (at least from major manufacturers) endeavour. It has sci-fi and fantasy versions (re that first pic at the top of the post). It has battlefield and skirmish scale offerings. It even has a 'space ship' level ruleset.

I ended up watching a couple of battle reports and was impressed enough to print out the rules... and they have a free version that is probably enough for all but hardcore gamers wanting to take things very seriously.

I then played a couple of small test games and was even more impressed.

Basically One Page Rules' systems are 'no name' brand systems designed for you to use your 40k or any other system models with... halo, infinity, whatever, or all of those at the same time even.

Pertinent to my topic, there's Grimdark Future (GF) and Grimdark Future Firefight (GFF), battlefield and skirmish respectively.  Not a great deal of difference between the two systems [which prompted my contemplation of multi-units vs multi-wound above].

I was able to pull out squads of my old marines and squads of my tyranids and actually run a coherent and (from my now experienced viewpoint) sane battle level game with 28mm models.

I'm sure there are other worthy systems available, but GF is looking like it's going to be pushing itself forcefully onto the list. I'm just not sure which slots it's going to be taking.

Why I'm liking GF...

Alternating Activations: I usually won't even play a game that doesn't have this now. The idea that one side moves, shoots, charges, has tea, and sets off a load of laundry before the other side can respond is just ludicrous.

Simple Rules: Enough to make the game function, not so many that you're looking up edge-case rules every 2 minutes. Comprehensible for beginners, not restrictive for the experienced.

Less Tricks: GF army lists use a tiny number of basic stats, and a small list of optional skills that can be added to units. The stats and skills are common to all forces.

This means a higher commonality between forces, that in turn means you're unlike to encounter a force you are totally unprepared to handle - they do what you do... more or less.

While there are special mechanics (extra speed, power, armour penetration etc) these seem to be universal, as in all forces could apply the same rules if/when appropriate.

i.e.   You don't have extra-special eldar or necron tricksy features that you'll have no idea about until you encounter them on the table.

While it could be argued that this makes the game 'more generic', imo it also makes it more accessible for wargamers who don't want to have to study reams of special rules for armies they may never encounter. Also good for people with crap memories and/or for lazy gamers who just want a fun dice and models session (which is probably the majority of us).

Freely and Easily Accessible:  You can point someone at the site and they can download the basic rules and army lists without having to commit (financially) to rules they might not even like.  The accessibility aspect is a huge plus, and you can subscribe to 'advanced' stuff if you're super keen.

Easy Learning Curve:  If you've played other things before you could/should be confident within 2 games. Complete noobs might benefit from a demo/run through, but it's not rocket science. And compared to "some commercial" games the rules are sooooooooooooooooo digestable.

Well Written:  I didn't feel compelled to rule-lawyer the intention of the RaW too much. There were a couple of things ('cover' comes to mind) that were perhaps missing or in the wrong spot or could have benefited from a little more explanation... but especially in terms of being a lightweight (and free) system it's very well done.

Conclusions...

I really like this system.

I'm going to be exploring it as potentially my main 28mm battlefield level game (technically there wasn't one of these previously). It's a strong candidate for the 'battlefield' level in general, and maybe even baying for the 'skirmish' level.

Until next time...

Zona Alfa - New Additions (Sundry) - pt1

[geez, i really wish blogger would avoid making some of the text large and some of it smaller at random. It's visually annoying.]

I had a Terrain and Exploration post not long ago, and following on to that I ordered some new terrain pieces which I've now completed... enough.

I already have 3 small 'farm house' or 'rural' residences; two 'T' floor plans and one 'straight through'. This new one adds another option and/or can reduce sparseness on the map if required. It's stylistically different from the old ones, intentionally so, while still fitting the underlying theme/style/aesthetic.

I also have (I think) 3 'Adobe'/desert style residences already, which I've earmarked (or think of) as simple concrete hab-dwellings.

So an extra 3 for that set.

Minimal level effort... just to get them done/table-worthy. Happy enough with the result.

There are other WIPs and I'll probably build some hopefully nice maps once those are done.

Until next time...

Kill Team - Chaos Legionaries

These guys actually got a couple of games in before being entirely completed. Cheeky.

One day I reckon I'll learn how to take decent pics of my minis.... but not today.

Kill Team  Chaos Legionaries - completed and ready for boxing.

Happy with the results. Nothing left niggling at me or anything like that.

I reckon these guys will get fairly frequent use. Along with the Custodes.  And there was also talk about how the games run faster so we can probably play   Chaos Cultists vs Genestrealer Cult   and then escalate   to Legionaries vs Genestealer.

Chaos Marines have long been one of my favourite opposing forces.

Until next time...

Zona Alfa - Terrain and Exploration

[original circa 2022-06-14]

A while back I decided that I had too much terrain for too many games (I think this was triggered when I ditched a box or two of scratch built 40k terrain stuff... a game I do not even play at all).

When it came to Zona Alfa I decided that one big ass box was sufficient for my purposes. This seemed reasonable and, to date, I've been sticking to that premise - surprisingly perhaps - resolutely.

Whenever I see cool mdf kits  or  other people's terrain/battle reports  or  real life pics of funky terrain  I often get a twinge of... "that would be a cool project" followed by "I'd do that this way, and probably change this, add this, and drop that."

I'm getting to a stage where I'm contemplating... perhaps I can limit it to... two boxes. Well, that certainly sounds like a slippery slope.

Here's the thing... (and I don't think it's just a rationalisation because it's something I want to do (of course, there is an element of that in there)).

When you are away (as I am now, hence the specific contemplation of this topic) you can stack up some books, place some salt and pepper shakers and pine-cone trees and call it a map, for the sake of rolling dice. And... this suffices for the sake of rolling dice - it keeps you in touch with rules and mechanics, and keeps you less hobby-bored than one otherwise might be... but that's about the extent of it.

When I laid out those 3 large maps recently it wasn't about rolling dice or specifically playing ZA. The purpose of my games was exploration within a fictional setting. Similarly, but differently, when you play one vs one it's about competition... within a fictional setting.

For me, ZA provides one of my favourite exploration settings - much as people do with dungeons and dragons or (good) sandbox video games.

Aside: I actively dislike fantasy settings, not for any good reason, I just don't like them.

I like 40k and space well enough, and I really enjoy the post-apoc/stalker setting.    It's just personal taste. I don't expect to convert other gamers, nor do I anticipate a wild change in my personal tastes.

Anyways... DnD has combat in it, and it's pretty much integral to playing, but it's meant to be more about exploration and the story, than fighting everyone you encounter like murder-hobos.

As much as the combat, I like moving my characters through the map, through the setting, the suspense, the dangers, it's not a game, it's an exploration.  I don't really enjoy player vs player confrontation in this (or other) setting as it forces me away from the exploration and into competition, which I'm not into.

Anyways... I enjoy making the maps and exploring within that setting, and I'm thinking I might add a few more structures to expand the worlds I can make. I have a couple of things in mind but nothing specific... abandoned apartments type structures, that kind of thing - developed urban environments rather than very sparely scattered farmsteads and barns. I like those of course, but I'd like a little more variety.

I'm probably set for trees, though those are generally quite fun arts and crafts projects.

And I'm interested in making some water items (lino flats possibly with resin over the top) like I proxied in my winter campaign. 

This all doesn't mean that I'll be jumping online to start ordering things immediately... more an acknowledgement and an acceptance that, yeah, I might end up having more than that one stash box... and so be it.  put another way, if I find an interesting/worth project I may do it even if it takes me over one box.

I'm also interested in making some nicer (chainlink) fences. those ones I have are too chunky/clumsy. they're not horrific and don't destroy the immersion but I'd like to make/get/assemble something better.

Until next time...

Update 2022-08-10

An update before I even release the document. Goes that way sometimes.

Well the final statement has been completed and document in advance. yhay.

The reason this particular document is being dusted off is because i ordered a couple of mdf kits last night. Three quite (nicely) plain apartment structures from brutal cities, who are an aussie co.

My concern with having multiple boxes of stuff isn't just storage. If I want to take a box to a club meet or away on holidays (roll eyes if you must) then having just one box is actually a good thing. shlubbing multiple boxes of terrain around is annoying. It's also annoying if you decide you're only taking one box and the gubbins you want to complete a map/setting are in the other box.

I will be looking hard at whether I can  actually jigsaw the new stuff into the original box. It might (hopefully) be a possibility. fingers crossed and wait and see.

And... release.

Zona Alfa - New Fences

For a while now I've been thinking about adding new/different/better fences for my terrain box.

Playing those exploration maps a couple of months ago I think had enough of my old crappy fences but 'nondescript' terrain is stuff you can normally not have too much of.

For example if you've got 6 trees then you can't create a forest, or block out a section of the board, you just have a couple of small, obscuring terrain pieces.

Similarly with fences you can create a bit of a impassable area, but you need a lot of it to i.e. properly secure an industrial warehouse.

So I was looking for mdf kits cos they're generally easy but I never saw anything I liked, or where there was enough in the box to make it a worthwhile option. aka. very overpriced for something so optional.

As usual I had a 'go make it' moment and started work. i had picked up a bag of 'craft dowels' from the two dollar shop, and i already had some paddle pop sticks.

I figured these could be the main 'framework'.

And that worked. I did a rough line up to work out how many I wanted to make, 12 apparently and 2 with 'gates' (saves knocking fences over). 

I ended up adding a second paddle pop stick on the bottom to try to make it more stable but that didn't really help.  A comparison next to my old ones.

The old ones are far chunkier, very much more a scrap post-apocalyptic feel.  I wanted something lighter that looked close to realistic scale chainlink.   Originally the wood was super-glued together, then i went back and slopped wood glue around the joins to help hold things in place.

I found some thicker/heavier plastic fly screen.  I was originally hoping for perhaps some aluminium mesh but hardware shops here are so primary colours that that wasn't an option.  Anyways, I spent an afternoon trying little mesh rectangles to the frames, then gluing the edges to reduce fraying. It dries clear. 

This is one possibility for use. Just a simple gang compound. Doesn't provide much cover like this but you can add sandbags and metal barricades and whatnot. This just defines the perimeter and keeps the hostiles from rushing you immediately.  I ended up putting little feet across the bottom of each piece to help with stability. It became much more necessary once the razor wire was attached to the top.

The razor wire is just craft wire, wound together with an electric drill into a 2-ply stand, then wrapped around a pencil.  This was then tied to the top of the fence... yes there was quite a lot of fiddly work making these.   I put some wall plaster on the bases to start the 'basing' and filling gaps.  And then a spray of leadbelcher using up the dregs of the can.

And this... is the finished product.  Pretty happy with the results. You can easily chunk off a large section of the board,  or funnel paths across the board,  or create a compound.  Didn't go nuts with this one by any means.

The fences rate in as "tall enough" and are solid and razor-wired enough to warrant being impassable. You could probably drive the APC though them but the poles are cemented into the ground so that might even be risky.  For infantry models anyway they're tough enough.

Quite an enjoyable little project, utilizing mainly scraps, leftovers, and minor bits and pieces.

Until next time...