Tuesday, December 15, 2009

2010 - A New Year's Project List (Part 1 of 2)

In the past week I'm seeing more and more bloggers with end of year and New Years lists so I thought I'd join the club. As for my best of list I'm keeping it short and sweet and listing not only new things but the best of what I've enjoyed most, discovered or rediscovered this year.

1) The Too Fat Lardies Yahoo forum. A witty, rambling roundtable of information and tomfoolery from wargame fans around the world, the only ingredient missing which would make this the best site online is hearing the accents of all involve. A bonus read if you actually own a set of their rules.

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Toofatlardies/

2) The Meeples and Miniatures podcast. And here you actually hear the accents! Coverage of all types of miniature and board gaming, Neil really covers the gamut in a delightful way. His weekly video reviews are a joy to watch. New for me this year.

http://meeples.wordpress.com/

3) The Perry Brothers figures. I've purchased figures from Perry on and off over the years, mainly 40mm Nappies but this year I dove into their 28mm AWI line and I'm dumb struck by the quality of casting, sculpting and posing in this range. Building up forces to do AWI with the supplement and scenarios from the TFL specials. Better looking figures than I've seen in Juggs magazine.

http://www.perry-miniatures.com/

4) The 2 Half Squads Podcast. What could be better than 2 guys sitting around drinking beer and scotch talking about the best board war game ever designed. Dedicated to Advanced Squad Leader and it's continuing expansions they discuss rules, tactics and the joy and despair of the dice rolling life.

http://www.the2halfsquads.com/

Next time I'll try and get my house in order and lay out a plan for purchasing, painting and playing games for 2010.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Sirens of lead

Once again, part way into a new project it's tossed to the roadside for a shinier, newer interest. It seems a word, a reference, a link within a forum or on TMP will zombie like steer me off course. Oh the sirens of lead men call me constantly! Within the past four months I've reorganized, rebased, purchased figures, dabbled with painting, bought books for research, and generally shuffle around both my painting area and my gaming table the following bit and pieces.
28mm ECW figures for a skirmish play test rule set from TFL
10mm ancients for Impetus (painting and rebasing)
28mm ancients for Impetus (painting and rebasing - purchased more figs)
28mm US Airborne for M&B WW2 (finishing out a weapons platoon - Actually got this finished)
28mm Dark Age figures for a skirmish rule set rumor heard on the TFL forum
36mm German WW2 figures purchased as a lark
28mm AWI Perry figures for Sharp Practice (this after finally reading "This Land Divided" a supplement for SP)
Advanced Squad Leader - pulled out my old board games and set up not one, but 3 different scenarios to relearn the rules for this monster from my past.
Rejoined my board game buddies at the local game store for a Combat Commander campaign game every other Sunday.
..and finally, Ambush Alley. I'd purchased a big handful of 20mm modern US and insurgents for this game and as usual started basing and laying down a base coat of paint about 6 months ago and put them away for something newer. Now I find an opponent living just 1/2 hour away and have promised to meet up after Christmas. Can't let my fickle nature distract me from AA till I have at least 40-50 figures finished.
Pictures to follow this weekend of what I have finished, promise.

Mud and Blood WW2 Playtest

I finally had a chance to try out the playtest version of the Too Fat Lardies rules "Through the Mud and Blood" as adapted for the Second World War. Originally a WW1 rules set, the mechanics were felt to be an improvement over their TW&T platoon level rules.Quite a good feel at first try and looking forward to our second game after the holidays. Have to paint up another squad or two for each side to bring it up to 2 platoons per side and see what happens. I'm really pleased with the quality (both production and mechanics) of the latest rules coming out of Lard Island. The Winter special is due to be released today with over 100 pages of scenarios and articles for their rule sets "Merry Christmas" to me!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

28MM Airborne Figures

My 28mm American Airborne along with the Fallschrimjaeger opponents for the TFL game "Troops, Weapons and Tactics"





















Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Another switch in direction

Last month, after posting the pictures of my current projects it suddenly dawned on me I have a Demo game coming up real quick. I'm running Sharp Practice at Conquest in Santa Clara California on Labor Day weekend. I did have some figures purchased last winter which I never got around to painting for my spring demo in Sacrament for lack of time. To spice up the scenarios I've added some French Hussars, the 10th Regt. actually along with another Big Man.

Pictured to the right is the group of 8 Hussars and Big Man along with a 28mm figure so you can get the scale of the 40mm Perry's and Sash and Saber figures. Still an hour or two of detailing on the figures to do and then the base detail.
I'm going to make an effort to add the 3 remaining horsemen before Labor Day and make it a 10 figure group with trumpeter and Officer.

I'm really enjoying painting up these bigger figures and intend to throw another group of British infantry on the painting table to balance out my forces for the next gaming session after the Con.

After that the fall/winter will find me back on the Mud and Blood WW1 figures to demo in March 2010.

Oh....I've forgotten completely about the ECW figures for either the skirmish rules or the larger scale rules the TFL group is working on.

Ta

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Photo update














I've promised some photos of my current projects, most stalled for lack of movtivation. First up are the excellent WW1 Austrian 28mm figures from Scarab with a few discontinued firgues from the HLBS Company. These along with my Italians are for the new WW1 platoon level rules from TFL, "Through the Mud & the Blood. The number of figures got to me and I moved on. Next is the project of rebasing 28mm ancients from WHA to Impetus. They Celts are the first crack along with a base of Romans just behind them. This has been an ongoing painting project for 3-4 years now. Next up on the disabled list is the Quar, for a fantasy game set "This Quar's War"
Sort of a WW1 era / tool using anteater kind of thing. Unique combat rules with a small figure count. At the author is a local I will be returning to the Quar over the winter. Now to something I'm actaully progressing on. Currently the ECW figures are getting painted, slowly but I do have a unit near completion. This unit is for the playtesting of a skirmish set of rules based on Sharp Practice. Royalist here with the Parliamentarian to follow along with dragoons for both sides.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

An ADHD update

Like many of you I flit between scales, periods and rule sets making incremental progress on a certain group of figures before something shiny catches my eye. Usually the shiny object is a harmless post on a forum or a link from TMP. I despise myself and occasionally clean off my panting table of all projects but the "one" I'm going to dedicate myself to finish. In reality it doesn't work quite as well as I'd like. This year, 2009, has seen me complete my initial batch of 40MM Napoleonic figures for a "Sharp Practice" demo in March. This is one project, about 120 foot figures and including terrain and buildings that I can be proud of, even though the 30 or so planned French cavalry figures and a few mounted officers have yet to be finished. In the midst of this Napoleonic painting spree for some strange reason I started an American FOW company and got about 75% finished before backing off. I don't even play FOW anymore. Then came the First World War and the Too Fat Lardies and Rob Bloom. I gobbled up "Through the Mud and the Blood" 28MM Scarab Austrians and Italians and Kallistra trenches.
I was devoted to WW1 and loved the figures, researching the period and reading the history. A Sunday visit in early June to my local stockist led me to a new rule set actually written by one of the owners of the store. Well, I couldn't buy the rules without buying at least a pack of figures as a colorful diversion from my feldgray Austrians so the "Quar" bumped my Austrians lads back a bit. Surely to be finished the minute the 5 pack of Quar were painted. Well, further trips to the store after reading the rules ("This Quar's War") led to buying a full section and command with some HMG support. Now here's where I always get bollocked up, I seem to be able to assemble, base and prime any amount of figures but the minute I begin painting in my sub-conscience I begin looking for something new. This past week had me follow a new thread on the Too Fat Lardies forum discussing a ECW version of the skirmish rules "Sharp Practice" a late 18th early 19th century set of rules. Out come the ECW figures I'd purchased over the past year awaiting the still to be published TFL rules tentatively called "In The Buff" The past week has seen me prime, assemble, base and slap a regimental coat color on about 50 figures.

So my dilemma continues, ECW skirmish for a play test rule set which may not happen? "Quar" for a club game which is happening the end of July? Or soldier on with the WW1 Austrians. Did I mention the Litko bases shipped today to rebase my 28mm ancients for Impetus?

God! minutes after publishing this I remembered the CWC 6mm Cold War project, Ambush Alley 20mm project, Star Trek miniatures and numerous board games set up and then taken down in the past 6 months. Where did I put my meds?

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Summer projects

Kubla Khan passed me by this Memorial Day without running a "Too Fat Lardies" demo game. I try and do this 2-3 times a year here in California both for my own enjoyment and to spread the word. A wedding and a barbecue foiled my plans this year. Conquest San Francisco in September will be my next demo. Hopefully a "Through the mud and Blood" demo of the WW1 Lardie rules.
That said my Scarab Austrians and Italians for M&B were shunted aside as I latched onto a modern set of micro armor rules, "Cold War Commander" Thinking it'd be a piece of cake to paint up two forces quickly I'm bogged down now with painters block and spend my time reading board game rules and clipping counters like a fool. But! I've recently become involved in a kriegsspiel game covering the Great War battle of Cambrai. I'm playing the part of the IV British Corps commander, General Woollsey. I'll be updating both the Cambrai battle and posting some photos of my work bench projects soon.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Too Fat Lardies Normandy game day - Fall 2008






Fall 2008's Game day featured the Airborne operations on June 5/6 throughout the invasion area. Each team was assigned a scenario based on figures available. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday my team here in California bailed on me and I ended up running a solo game. Most Pictures and notes to follow soon.

Friday, January 23, 2009

What's on the work bench - January 2009








First entry in what I hope is a recurring habit. This is now about the third website attempt to collects my thoughts and photographs on my hobbies. The current project is 40mm Napoleonics for the Too Fat Lardies skirmish rules "Sharp Practice' I'm running a participation game in Sacramento the third weekend in March and have to hustle a bit to finish in time. Here's the current state of affairs. I've shown the big figures along side some 15mm vehicles to give you an idea of the scale. I'm sorely tempted to continue in 40mm for future projects like the ECW and Le Feu Sacre.
 
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