Fred’s 2024 Painting and Gaming log

Started by fred., 20 July 2024, 09:04:43 AM

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steve_holmes_11

Thanks Fred, most generous to take the time and share your methodology.

I think your rankings for Recon is credible, through it's been a while since I dallied among divisional ToEs.
From what I remember, German Recon was organised as battalions, including some relatively robust armoured cars.
Pre D-day, I recall the British having armoured car companies (Lighter stuff) and carrier platoons.

I've toyed with Google Maps as a source for terrain.
The photo mode gives a nice impression of land and big features.
Flipping to map mode shows the precise routes of roads and waterways.

Of course, Google Maps shows the modern world; motorways, enlarged cities with sprawling suburbs.
Period maps, or a bit of imagination is necessary here.
Overlaying the grid seems an artform.


One tip I could share (regarding grids).
Don't feel compelled to zig zag the rivers precisely along square boundaries.
It sometimes looks neater, or more natural with some curves and diagonals.
This can leave a few cut-off square corners - just ignore them.

Raider4


QuoteOf course, Google Maps shows the modern world; motorways, enlarged cities with sprawling suburbs.
Period maps, or a bit of imagination is necessary here.


These any help: Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection?

Last Hussar

Is Eisenhower a Sam Mustafa game? - I do like Blucher, so am willing to spend money on his rules that fit with my forces.
I have neither the time nor the crayons to explain why you are wrong.

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."
Franklin D. Roosevelt

GNU PTerry

fred.


QuoteYou have been busy Forbes, great painting and two lovely write ups.  8)
Cheers Will. Finishing the figures has taken a while but they are done which is the key thing. 
2011 Painting Competition - Winner!
2012 Painting Competition - 2 x Runner-Up
2016 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!
2017 Paint-Off - 3 x Winner!

My wife's creations: Jewellery and decorations with sparkle and shine at http://www.Etsy.com/uk/shop/ISCHIOCrafts

fred.


QuoteIs Eisenhower a Sam Mustafa game? - I do like Blucher, so am willing to spend money on his rules that fit with my forces.
Yes they are 
2011 Painting Competition - Winner!
2012 Painting Competition - 2 x Runner-Up
2016 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!
2017 Paint-Off - 3 x Winner!

My wife's creations: Jewellery and decorations with sparkle and shine at http://www.Etsy.com/uk/shop/ISCHIOCrafts

Last Hussar

QuoteI've toyed with Google Maps as a source for terrain.

Try doing this for 1809 - Aspern and Essling are now suburbs of Vienna!
I have neither the time nor the crayons to explain why you are wrong.

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."
Franklin D. Roosevelt

GNU PTerry

fred.

QuoteOne tip I could share (regarding grids).
Don't feel compelled to zig zag the rivers precisely along square boundaries.
It sometimes looks neater, or more natural with some curves and diagonals.
This can leave a few cut-off square corners - just ignore them.


This is a good tip - I do try to use more rounded terrain where possible - in the Sedan game the main river sections I allowed to follow a diagonal as I didn't see them having in game impact. The canal I made linear - not least as it's a canal but also those river pieces where largely straight peices

2011 Painting Competition - Winner!
2012 Painting Competition - 2 x Runner-Up
2016 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!
2017 Paint-Off - 3 x Winner!

My wife's creations: Jewellery and decorations with sparkle and shine at http://www.Etsy.com/uk/shop/ISCHIOCrafts

steve_holmes_11


QuoteThese any help: Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection?
Very nice, thank you.


I checked out Antwerp.
It's already gridded.
The key and scale information makes conversion to tabletop relatively easy.

steve_holmes_11


QuoteIs Eisenhower a Sam Mustafa game? - I do like Blucher, so am willing to spend money on his rules that fit with my forces.
Yes, there's more information here: https://sammustafa.com/downloads


You'll need a gridded play area.
Your stands represent battalions, and are mostly foot, motorised, or armoured (I think those are the types).

pierre the shy

QuoteThanks Fred, most generous to take the time and share your methodology.

I think your rankings for Recon is credible, through it's been a while since I dallied among divisional ToEs.
From what I remember, German Recon was organised as battalions, including some relatively robust armoured cars.
Pre D-day, I recall the British having armoured car companies (Lighter stuff) and carrier platoons.

I've toyed with Google Maps as a source for terrain.
The photo mode gives a nice impression of land and big features.
Flipping to map mode shows the precise routes of roads and waterways.

Of course, Google Maps shows the modern world; motorways, enlarged cities with sprawling suburbs.
Period maps, or a bit of imagination is necessary here.
Overlaying the grid seems an artform.


One tip I could share (regarding grids).
Don't feel compelled to zig zag the rivers precisely along square boundaries.
It sometimes looks neater, or more natural with some curves and diagonals.
This can leave a few cut-off square corners - just ignore them.

Welcome to the wonderful world of scenario design using gridded rules....as Steve Holmes says compromises about terrain are sometimes required to enable features to fit. Learnt a fair bit about that working on our War of the Three Kingdoms scenarios for the "For King and Parliament" ruleset.

Google Maps is a great resource but it does have its limits when trying to work out what places looked like physically 2 - 300 years ago. Sometimes however one does get lucky. For our Scots book we were, thanks to the National Library of Scotland, very fortunate to have digital overlays of Roy's map of the whole of Scotland that were made around 1750 available online.

We have moved on to Ireland now, and some battlefields are not covered by contemporary, or at least historical maps. However sometimes luck is with us. I have been working recently on the Battle of Rathmines which took place in 1649 just outside Dublin. Nowadays the whole area has been swallowed up by urbanisation but I did manage to find a good map of the area around 1760 here http://www.dublinhistoricmaps.ie/maps/1600-1799/index.html.

I have been able to use that as the basis of my battlefield map (lots of fields and hedgerows!).

I don't have the time to try Eisenhower myself but it looks like an interesting set of rules. Best of luck to all those budding scenario designers on the board.       
"Bomps a daisy....it's enough to make you weep!"

paulr

Lord Lensman of Wellington
2018 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!
2022 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!
2023 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

fred.

QuoteYes, there's more information here: https://sammustafa.com/downloads


You'll need a gridded play area.
Your stands represent battalions, and are mostly foot, motorised, or armoured (I think those are the types).
The 3 main troop types are
  • Infantry
  • Mechanised Infantry
  • Armour


Then there are some sub types.

Infantry can be split into Leg and Motorised - but we just use the same figures for both, sometimes I have put a truck or two with the motorised infantry, but not always. The truck only seems useful if you have the odd motorised infantry formation, to remind you which it is.

Armour can have 5 further options
  • Standard (virtually all the tanks!)
  • Inferior
  • Superior
  • Infantry Support
  • Tank Destroyer (US only)

Which can easily be represented by respective models (eg PzI for Inferior, Tiger for Superior, etc). But the 4 specialist ones tend to be quite few in a game. 


Overall you need quite a lot of infantry for these games, and not that many tanks.
2011 Painting Competition - Winner!
2012 Painting Competition - 2 x Runner-Up
2016 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!
2017 Paint-Off - 3 x Winner!

My wife's creations: Jewellery and decorations with sparkle and shine at http://www.Etsy.com/uk/shop/ISCHIOCrafts


hammurabi70

Quote from: steve_holmes_11 on 09 December 2024, 01:57:43 PMYes, there's more information here: https://sammustafa.com/downloads


You'll need a gridded play area.
Your stands represent battalions, and are mostly foot, motorised, or armoured (I think those are the types).


Both the clubs I play at want it without grids so I have had to do a rewrite.  First trial of the grid-less rules next week.

Last Hussar

There's another WW2 set to Eisenhower (can't get at the site at work). What's the difference? Which do people prefer?
I have neither the time nor the crayons to explain why you are wrong.

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."
Franklin D. Roosevelt

GNU PTerry