And we are back in 2019! Let’s start this Wargaming Week, covering the Christmas Break!
BLOG STUFF
First up in terms of posts was the second part of my fantasy game project! With two new sprues to look at, I managed to create a few more heroes ready for painting from the crewman and female soldier sprues. Now I just need to get to painting them…
But that wasn’t all for posts! I managed to get a game of Chain of Command in against my usual wargaming buddy Peeb’s Gaming Nonsense. Clashing over a compound in the desert using his Western Desert forces, we had a really good time! And you might be seeing more Chain of Command soon!
Looking ahead, I do also have some thoughts on my Killteam Day that I should write up at some point. Also this week I should be running a game so keep an eye out for a battle report on Friday, as well as other posts if I get anything extra painted and ready for it.
NEWS
Of course, just because I took a break didn’t mean everyone else did. So there was a bit of news waiting for me when I got back to my blog writing desk.
Black Site Studios, who will be sharing a stand with Spectre Miniatures at Adepticon, have shown off some previews for next year which is quite exciting. As someone who has been playing a lot of
Spectre Miniatures came in with a triple threat of new things. First up, and probably the biggest news, they have announced V2 of Spectre Operations coming this year. I’ve actually had a few opportunities to play with the WIP changes and they really help to polish off the sticking points I have had with the rules, especially with vehicles and larger games. The new additions will also help to extend the game with some new features.
Next up was the arrival of the Chinese in Spectre’s range. The first of two releases is the Assault Team. These guys are equipped in a similar way to many Western SF units and carry a modular rifle system complete with all the usual toys you would expect. Much like many of the other squad packs Spectre has released, this pack includes figures suitable for some other roles, such as a marksman, grenadier and an SMG to assist with stealthy eliminations.
The second SF team is a bit more of a specific role. Named as Jungle Squad, these guys are ideal for fighting through the dense rainforests around Chinese interests in some part of Africa. As well as bullpup rifles, there are also some truly unique weapons such as a M79 clone, a crossbow and, perhaps most worrying, a flamethrower. There are also some neat touches on the models themselves, such as the gaiters around the boots, to really make them ideal for their role.
Table Top Tactical Simulations continue to add releases to their range – this now includes US gunner figures matching their Army range and ideal for their trucks.
Tiny Terrain, fresh off their Kickstarters, has shown off something new coming next year. They are working on a 1:50 scale T62 – ideal for a whole host of conflicts. I’m really looking forward to it so expect news when it’s available for purchase!
So this popped up on the Modern Miniatures group. After doing some digging, this description came up:
in Fire Team Echo1, players take on the roles of an elite force similar to Seal Team Six. Game play is scenario based and extremely deadly. If a downed PC isn’t stabilized before the end of the mission he’s KIA… and combat skill don’t carryover to the new recruits.
each player takes on a role. The enemy is ran by the games tactics. The game can also be played solo as well.
This seems like a really interesting idea for a game, especially for someone who prefers the more RPG esque systems. I’ll be keeping an eye on it.
Finally some great news from Full Battle Rattle about their LAV-3 which went up for pre-order last year. Trenchworx has finished their first master and (aside from a few tweaks) are heading to production. Good news, we might see
PURCHASES
It was Christmas! So I got a few presents. Sadly the Broken Toad brushes I asked for were unavailable meaning the only gift from family I got related to wargaming is Leigh Neville’s new book. I have been eagerly awaiting it since it came out and I’m looking forward to sitting down with it properly. And then remembering all those little birds I need to finish getting ready for the tabletop.
And then there is this Christmas present that my long time wargaming buddy/opponent bought for me. Just a reminder – do not talk to your buddies about future projects you MIGHT be interested in doing in the future at some point even though you have a literal pile of other models to paint. Because they will remember.
But seriously, I am incredibly excited to sit down and build this. The Churchill is my favourite tank and there is something exciting about making one and then detailing it.
Of course, you can’t just have a single tank – it needs some infantry support. So I went to the Warlord games site and picked up… some things. I’ll be writing up a blog post at some point with more details on what I’m planning to do. Here is a hint – I’m watching Fury
Finally, I picked up Spectre’s new Chinese SF Assault Squad. These are going to be a fun team to use on the tabletop and I’m a big fan of the poses. I haven’t picked up the Jungle team – I’m not quite ready to jump across the Red Sea to Zaiweibo yet and want to do a clean out before I reach that point.
HOBBY
Just before I left for my holiday break we had a big old Back of Beyond fight down at the Wargames club. As you might expect, it was a ridiculous 8 player bloodbath. Pictured above is the White Russian commander counting their pile of loot.
For more details, go take a look at SESWC’s summary, including links to the other participants.
I painted some Space Marines! My Deathwatch Killteam has been sat unpainted for a while and I have the silly idea of speed painting them in time for the Killteam day my friends were running over Christmas. And then I started painting and realised that I actually wanted to take my time with them. So I painted the base, skin and arms and marked them as ready.
They were not ready. They did… not well. More details when I write up the post.
That’s it for this update, expect more updates next week! And Happy New Year!