We’re into September now. As reported last time, house buying is still underway – a technical glitch by one of the parties has slowed it but we’re working with what we have to keep it going. Because of that, I’m still continuing to start packing things up, slowly collapsing into boxes. I’m reluctant to really pack everything up until I know a date, so it’s lots of being on edge just in case.
Good thing I’ve had plenty of hobby to distract myself with!
Spectre Monthly Update
This is getting to be a common thing isn’t it? Probably because I don’t have a news bulletin to play around with, I’m just updating cool things at the start of each month.
Well good news, the first update is that we’re getting some more physical models. Spectre announced a refresh of the Insurgent range, switching to digitally sculpted figures and bringing the gear more in line with what’s available (stuff has changed since the originals were sculpted in 2014). I’m a fan of using guns like the VHS-2, perfect for showing off some guys who have been “collecting” weapons from regular forces. The support weapons are also cool – the M60 is something different and fun while I am always happy to see FALs being used. I have both packs on order, so expect to see them soon.
On the patreon side, another pretty fantastic month from Spectre. A more realistic Delta Breacher (including a collapsible ladder), a team of PLA operatives to sneaky around running insurgents and then some add-ons to the Insurgent releases. The RPG-29 team is always going to be fun but MAN the armoured technical is a really cool thing to come out. There is a little bit of an issue with the model file for the front end of the vehicle with some pretty bad contouring on the model but aside from that it’s a really cool release. I actually upp’d my contribution this month to the highest regular tier as I’m pretty happy with what they are now offering. The preview of the next metal release is also pretty great and I’m very excited for them, especially with how they might fit into my Bazistan plans. The Patreon can be found at https://patreon.com/user?u=35495709
Speaking of the patreon, I actually printed off several of the releases, covering both this month and last month’s figures (such as the IDF operators). Printing them was great, the built in supports working rather well and coming away cleanly although I did manage to rip some of the fingers off one of the PLA insurrection team. I’m actually really excited to paint these guys and girls up, as well as giving me some plans for games.
Combat Octopus
Well if Spectre gets a preview, so does the other company I’ve been toying around with this month.
If you join this month (after being previewed all of last month), you’re getting an upgrade pack for the KSK and Bunshwer releases. I wasn’t particularly happy with the voting but the community decided that the KSK were getting SMG and the G36 with UGL while the regulars got the MG5 and a UGL – I love the UGLs getting some attention but man I wished the KSK got their MG, especially as the regulars already have the MG3. That said, this is Combat Octopus, meaning that anything is possible – a little kitbashing might get stuff up and running. If you’re interested, the Patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/combatoctopus
I’ve been continuing my adventures in building some more Counter-Intel agents for Bazistan, this time playing around with the AK74s (mostly to give them some more assault rifles and grenade launchers to assist with groups of enemies). I think Combat Octopus is one of the best investments to make in ultramodern wargaming – if you like doing any type of kitbashing, having a source for parts that you can just print when needed takes all sense of risk away (that worry about screwing up parts for a project during the construction phase). I think I have one more batch to do (need some more guys in balaclavas with AKs) but then I’ll be making a blog post and video for them.
I also painted up the Octopod PMC figures that Combat Octopus released for free. These guys had been on my desk for a while, so actually getting them painted up has been something I’ve been meaning to do. I went for a uniform but different look, with DDPM trousers and black caps matched with different coloured shirts. I’m definitely going to have some more fun with these bodies, trying out parts to make even more of these guys.
Sangin V2
I played my second game of Sangin V2 remotely and had a blast. I did a full battle report on it earlier this month but I really good time playing through it. The fact we were able to quickly swap out a player when one had to drop due to real world issues was a great advantage of playing remotely. The game itself was great, with lots of cool moments of action (although next time I’ll spend a little longer working
At the same time, playing more Sangin V2 has really fired me up when it comes to getting more into it. That said, it’s still very much a WIP ruleset. It’s missing some key things like medical rules and a greater weapon inventory and I’m pretty sure that some other systems could still do with a little bit of polish. For this reason, I have started up a little page of house rules for the game over on my wiki at https://hntdaab.co.uk/wiki/index.php/Sangin_V2_House_Rules. I’ve already added a load of weapons to provide a more interesting set of gear, as well as a few minor rules. The main thing I’m looking at next is a tweak to the spotting system (mostly to avoid the need for a full spotting matrix) and a system for night fighting (seeing as it’s not just the good guys using NVGs now). These house rules are little fun things to work on although I do wonder at what point I’ve broken the rules hard enough for them to no longer be classed as Sangin!
Necromunda
At the start of the month I got a friend around to play some games and we kicked off with Necromunda. I wrote it up on the blog, but it also kicked off our first of what will hopefully be a regular thing. As we planned the next one I suggested…
Black Powder Red Earth
And OH BOY did I not know what I was getting into. Despite having three weeks to paint them out, I ended up leaving it until the last minute, literally still basing figures at lunch time as we were playing that night. I had a really fun time painting them (even if it was a touch stressful) but more importantly I got it all ready to do the important thing – actually play the game for the first time using the tiles.
And oh MAN. I thought the game was good when playing it with the proxy parts but actually playing the full setup with all the tiles and the actual figures? It’s something else. The simple matter of having doors and interiors just turns it into some real Close Quarters combat while the gameplay system itself is simple to learn but really requires careful positioning. I’m going to be writing up something on the game soon, especially as we have another game session booked in for 13th – and we’re going for a full 5 game Night Raid.
Good news for everyone, I actually am in the process of assembling a new video/blog post covering the painting (voice acting is done, just need to grab the images for it all), with a second one planned out covering the actual games after, and I’m aiming to bring them out sooner rather than later. I’ve also been chatting to Token who is behind BPRE and hearing some exciting things that should help with coverage for whats coming in November – the Phase Line is fast approaching.
Other Things
- I picked up a few GW releases for my fantasy collection. The new Witch Hunters are gloriously on point for the style of fantasy I like and the new Vampire hero is a perfect for my setting (plus alongside a few of his buddies from other releases.
- Painting a whole boxed game in a month was a nice bonus but then my completion total got punched in the face by buying all those insurgents and printing out a pile of models. I’m sitting at 47.67%, trending upwards from last month.
- I’ve been thinking about more ChargeReal stuff – I really want to get some posts up about the lore, the main issue is the lack of pictures I have for it unless I start raiding stock photos sites. That said, I have some interesting stuff already planned, including a certain piece of history that is going to be core in how the world is setup.
That’s all for this month – I’ll be posting my plans for the month over on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ChargeBlog. As I’ve always said, the Patreon is a tip jar, letting me help to cover some of the costs associated with the blog and help me get my hands on the 3d printing STLs I use. I want to start providing more stuff for the Patrons (more than just a name at the end of a YouTube video) and the campaign above will end up being something that the patrons see first.