Pendraken Miniatures Forum

Got these guys finished off last week: a 1:1 Para platoon. They're based for CWC, hence the black-and-white base edges which denote front, flanks and rear. I'll be getting some bits to create some support and CO elements and, of course, some Argentinians at the end of the month. I currently have some of the excellent Timecast Falklands terrain on the painting desk.

(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc93/sicluceatlux/Platoon_zpsb35494f2.jpg) (http://s217.photobucket.com/user/sicluceatlux/media/Platoon_zpsb35494f2.jpg.html)

(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc93/sicluceatlux/Para1_zps07273ba7.jpg) (http://s217.photobucket.com/user/sicluceatlux/media/Para1_zps07273ba7.jpg.html)

(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc93/sicluceatlux/Para3_zpsd153c516.jpg) (http://s217.photobucket.com/user/sicluceatlux/media/Para3_zpsd153c516.jpg.html)

Great cammo effect. ! good

Nice work, and welcome to the Forum!

8)

 :-bd =D> :-bd =D> :-bd

And welcome, certainly an impressive entrance  ;)

Welcome Gazza, what an excellent start.  =D> =D>

He'll of a first post Gazza. Welcome. Look forwards to seeing more brilliant work soon. 8)

 :-bd :-bd Looking rather nice!

Great introductory post, Gazza. Welcome to the forum.  :-bd

Thanks for the encouraging comments. These are actually the first 10mm minis I've painted so I'm fairly happy with how they turned out: certainly the Argies will be easier.

Nicely done, Gazza - and welcome  :)

Nice work mate, loving the DPMs

Just put in a sizeable order for some Argies, a few more Toms and a couple of Scimitars. Hoping to get this lot finished by the end of October. Watch this space! Incidentally as previously mentioned I'm using Cold War Commander for this project, but I wonder if anyone could recommend any other good rulesets for this period?

I reckon Peter Pigs old AK-47 would be easily adapted - it's a really good set of basic mechanisms even without the pregame bits! I'd suggest Modern Spearhead but total troops in theatre are probably about right for a game so you might have to fight the whole campaign as one huge game for it work well :D

Nice looking troops btw!

Nick Overland is working on a supplement for IABSM...

Oo - would Crossfire with a few tweaks work for rules? It's just been reissued, I believe...

Belated welcome and nice stuff.

Nice work  ;)
The Falklands orbats for modern spearhead can be downloaded for free at http://modernspearhead.wordpress.com
A table for the whole campaign would be awesome modern spearhead recommends a scale of 1 inch equals 100 metres , how big would a table have to be?   :-\

I quick look on Google maps suggests that East Falkland is about 100km across, and perhaps 80km N to S.  Which is perhaps a touch big for 1" to 100m!! This scale is approximately 1' to 1 mile.

There was approx a division on each side, but they where dispersed over a big area. I suspect Spearhead is going to be a bit big in scale.

I'd could be tempted to go with CoC to play out the low level points of attack.

But something for the whole campaign would be good. With a 5' map, you would have 20km to the foot - but there is a lot of long distance movement, with occasional actions.

Yeah, MSH scales well to the total troop numbers but as it's usually @battalion on battalion actions or using a 45' table at reduced scale it'll be a bit awkward to play...

Megablitz would work nicely for the whole campaign though, with theatre appropriate tweaks. Probably don't needs many figures as one stand = one battalion...

But for the actual detailed battalion level actions I still reckon tweaking AK-47 into FN-82 would be bonza. Each unit equals @a company, Brits mostly Pro's, Argies mostly Militia.

Thanks for all your ideas re. suitable rules. I think I'll stick with CWC for the moment, but I will certainly keep some of your suggestion in mind. Not masses to show this time, although I've got plenty on the painting bench waiting to be based-up. First up are three Argentine FN MAG teams:

(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc93/sicluceatlux/ArgentineFNMag_zps27795a78.jpg)

Next is an image of some of my Paras clambering over scenery I've made specifically for this project (more details and pictures on my blog (http://doandrollthedie.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/falklands-terrain.html))

(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc93/sicluceatlux/Tumbledown2_zps6230ce18.jpg)

Thanks for looking and, before I close, anyone know the ETA on the Argentine 50 Cals and 90mm recoilless rifles?

Very nice, good blog post too :)

nice terrain

Really good work.
Love the terrain, too.

I'm sure Leon will be along a bit later, to answer your question. ;)
Cheers - Phil

Great terrain and painting.
I'm waiting on the Argentine reinforcements too...

 :-bd =D> :-bd =D>

I can't believe how many detail there is into these 10mm minis. You could probably play skirmish basing them individually, I think !

Great terrain, Gazza. Very "volcanic"!

Nice terrain Gazza.
When I was there a lot of the runs of rocks were in stripes across the landscape.
I think your terrain is very well done
Look forward to see more
Regards
Sean

Quote from: Sean67 on 23 November 2014, 09:50:44 PM
Nice terrain Gazza.
When I was there a lot of the runs of rocks were in stripes across the landscape.
I think your terrain is very well done
Look forward to see more
Regards
Sean

Its that compromise between getting the landscape 'right' and having playable terrain.  My enduring memory of East Falkland was that in feature (or lack of them) it was not unlike the Sperrin Mountains of N Ireland or 'Basic Wales'.  

Upland undulating peat bog between 500 and 1,000 ft, and those outcrops of rock, plus the running brooks and ponds of water (some as big as lakes).  Lots little streams coming off No Mans Land and into San Carlos  and other rivers. The outcrops of rock were weathered grey/white, and there was an abundance of tussac grass which can grow quite high, if not grazed .   By mid winter (June)  the grass is of a  brown khaki  shade, and the other feature is the abundance of loose scree of small grey stones left by glacial action . These tend to be wet and glisten in the winter sun

What is not in the official histories, is the good folk who volunteered their tractor and trailers and knew the trails .    I add a few N gauge tractors to Task Force logistics

Some more units completed! Thank you for your comments, particularly Sean67 and Sunray. I take it both you chaps have been to the Islands? As usual more details on on my blog (http://doandrollthedie.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/argentines-and-scimitars.html).

Great painting

Those vehicles rocks!

Very nice work again, Gazza !  8)
Cheers - Phil.

Some pictures of a recent game, using FiveCore's Company Commander rules. The scenery isn't quite finished yet! More information on my blog (signature). Ordering some 20mm Rheinmetalls for Goose Green at the end of the month!

(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc93/sicluceatlux/batrep3_zpscfsihyy6.jpg)

(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc93/sicluceatlux/Batrep1_zpsdsxlzrgq.jpg)

Looking good, Gazza !
Cheers - Phil

Top battle report Gaz.

These rules are winning me over. :D

Love it.

Something else I now want play =)

With Jacks batreps as well those 5core rules are lookin good - as is your Fslklands project!

Gaz,

I love the fact the rules are simple and straightforward (intuitive is perhaps a better word), while still giving solid, historical results that sound like 'real-life' after action reports. This really helps the 'immersion' aspect for me; I don't have to come out of the role to look stuff up, I'm simply focused on "I can't do everything, so should I do this over here, or that over there?"

The reason I asked about the scurries and firefights was to get your take on how they 'felt' to you. I've played games that similarly limited what a player can do (i.e., you can't move everything every turn), but I gave up on (some of) them because it felt so limiting, or the manner in which it was limiting, made me feel like more of a spectator (that simply moved a specific piece when allowed) rather than a commander carrying out a plan.

Similarly, when I've tried to explain the activation mechanism, particularly the scurries and firefights, to guys that haven't played the rules, I've gotten some pushback, i.e., 'that's not realistic, that doesn't make sense, why could I only move/shoot this turn,' etc... Thus far I have not had that feeling myself, though I also haven't had a great reply to those concerns, so I was just curious to see how those aspects struck you. My own opinion is that it is 1) a cool game mechanism to limit what the player can do, and 2) it matches what I know (or think I know) about a Company Commander trying to run a battle, but then subordinate units 'unexplainably' halting (firefight) or making better progress than expected (scurry).

Of course, 'unexplainably' applies at the company level, but makes perfect sense to the squad leader or platoon commander that unexpectedly met resistance, or came upon an unexpectedly inhospitable terrain feature. All things which are 'abstracted out' of the rules so we can focus on being the Company Commander.

Quick couple side notes:
1) I thought it pretty cool you had the reference to the TFL Boer War stuff; I can recall a few years ago when that was the only thing on their blog, and I followed it with interest.
2) I'm honored that you referenced little old me regarding the batreps, thank you Sir ;)

Take care, and looking forward to more.

V/R,
Jack

Jack, I'm in agreement with you over the amount FCC limits player control: it's enough so that the commander does not feel helpless (as can happen in CWC if you have a low command value), but not too little that he is not faced with tough decisions either. The 'scurry' and 'fire fight' results add a degree of unpredictability that is sometimes useful and other times a hindrance. I personally think that FCC works as both a historical simulation and a balanced game system and I look forward to using it again.

Then we are in agreement, Sir!  Everyone on the forum should pick out their favorite WWI to present Pendraken forces, buy the rules, and get some gaming in.   :D :D

V/R,
Jack

I've been playing about with my terrain again and also creating some scenarios for FiveCore Company Command, which I hope to be able to share in the coming weeks. Below is a picture of my current scenery laid-out for one of the aforementioned scenarios. Readers who are able to guess the engagement win a banana! (Hint: it's part of a larger battle.)

That looks really spiffy !  :-bd
Cheers - Phil

Simple layout but SO effective; love it Gazza :-bd

Nice on Gazza!
Tumbledown?

What's nice on Gazza ?   :-\
I think we should be told !  ;)
Cheers - Phil

Quote from: Techno on 29 March 2015, 04:03:15 PM
What's nice on Gazza ?   :-\

England 8 shirt???

Haha. Okay, so it's B coy, 2 PARA about to jump off at Low Pass at the beginning of Goose Green. The rules I'm using are company-level, so I'm breaking the Goose Green battle into five company-sized actions of which this is the first. I'll play through on Friday and post a batrep on my blog.

Quote from: getagrip on 29 March 2015, 05:55:05 PM
England 8 shirt???

Would that be a Gazza Strip?

Quote from: Hertsblue on 30 March 2015, 09:12:35 AM
Would that be a Gazza Strip?

Coat! ;D

All right, all right, I'm going. (mumble, mumble, mutter, mutter). 

Very nice work.
the terrain it"s terrible :-bd