The Ghost Division

I am really getting excited as I prepare for my first go at Rommel. Having decided on my basing convention, I grabbed my 6mm armies painted in the '80s and did some touch up work and started remounting. Finally, at 3AM, I was finished and just needed to add the static grass this morning. I did some research and chose the 11th Panzer Division as my MW and LW army for the Eastern Front. An element of the 75th Infantry Division was added as "leg" support.

Elements of the 11th Panzer Division prepare for the coming offensive!

All infantry units are mounted on 40x30mm bases. This allows room for transport vehicles and the labels and will fit the 3 unit stacking limit into both 6" and 4" map grids along with identifying terrain in the square. 

Armor and artillery are mounted on 30x40mm bases to allow some depth so the gun barrels do not hang over the edge and allow for the transports to be placed behind the artillery where they belong.

An element of the 75th Infantry Division

Some units in Rommel report to the "Parent" and not to any specific Kampfgruppe (element) so I based those types of units on 40x40mm bases to stand out. As I expand the army or add some touches after the basic mounting, this will allow for some room for cool dioramas using figures not needed for the higher level game Rommel portrays. 

The divisions ready for a fight!

I have ordered some Marders and s18 150mm field batteries to add some more variety to my army lists. The labels are laminated so I can use dry erase marker to ID the unit and add the combat values and armor ratings, if needed, while still retaining flexibility if I change the division, the unit type, i.e. from infantry to Volksgrenadier infantry or the values change from mid-war to late war. 

So there is my starting venture into Rommel. Now all I need is to start all over again with my Soviets. Then it will be showtime on the field of battle. Until then...

Happy gaming!

Franko

Rommel has arrived!

The latest in the excellent series of Honour games by Sam Mustafa Publishing has been released! Sam sent me a message that I was the first to download the PDF and did it go smoothly. I replied I was reading the rules and life is good. Evidently life was real good as less than an hour later the website crashed from user demand. With all the excellent releases, including the long anticipated Blucher, this was a first!

Sam always provides sections of his rules for download so we can get sneak peeks into the final product. I was excited to see a higher level command WWII design in the making and the teasers looked promising. After reading through the rules the first few times, Sam, as always, appears to have delivered another simple, elegant design capturing the feel of the period and the level of command you undertake.

Providing a basic and advanced set of rules, Rommel gives you everything you need including unit values, army design, a starter scenario and 8 other scenarios using a unique bidding system to allow for uneven force sizes while still providing scenario balance. Also included is a chapter on open architecure where you can adjust units to your historical battle preferences and design units not represented in the Rommel manifest. This allows for great flexibility in your armies.

Advanced rules for engineering, pioneers, beach landings, airborne drops, etc. are all there in, again, a simple, elegant design.

The core of Rommel is the Command Post and Operation Points. At this level resource management is key. Everything costs OPs from road and tactical movement to reorganizing worn units. Each Command Post also provides Events and Tactics - both offensive and defensive. These also cost OPs! While all CPs have similarities there are National characteristics factored in making each army unique. How do you spend your OPs? Like Montgomery and hoard them until you have superiotity of troops for your big push or be a Rommel and spend them for subsequent tactical advances putting constant pressure on your enemy and exploiting breakthroughs at the risk of isolation and stretched supply lines? All this in a simple design begs playing time.

Basing conventions are open as long as you can stack your maximum of 3 bases in a grid along with any identifying terrain.  This allows for basic to mini diorama bases and no two armies need to be based the same in order to play.

The next question is one of scale. I still have a ton of 15mm used for FOW which I haven't played in years. I can use them for starters until I sell them which leaves me time to rebase and expand my 6mm collection. Rommel screams for 10mm in my opinion but given everything I have already another scale is not in my immediate future plans.

Stay tuned for pics of my  mid-war 6mm Germans!

Until then...

Happy gaming!

Franko

The Gasgan Project - Bow Levy Complete.

Welcome back. As I mentioned previously, I wanted to practice on my optional contingents for this army amd learn the figures and practice my palette. If you recall the main feature of these sculpts, and the challenge for me, is skin. Give me tunics, chainmail, plate, robes, large shields, whatever and I am all over it. Skin, however; is my weak spot and it cannot be one for this army. So, here we go. I briefly discussed my flesh tone palette earlier and was happy with it. After I posted some early samples, my friend from down under, Greg, suggested I needed more definition so another highlight was added. The sequence turned out to be Idrian Flesh base, sepia wash, Khardic Flesh highlight and finally, a detail highlight of Midland Flesh. Thanks Greg as I am very pleased with the results. I hope you are too.

Bow Levy

I have to admit this is my best effort. Old eyes, unsteady hands and a bad back are tolerated for the love of painting. Comments, criticisms and suggestions are welcome but I may not be able to comply as I think I have reached my skill peak here. I'll always try though!

Bow Levy

So there they are. On to the warband elements which I will do 4 stands at a time. I get bored with production lines that take too long to see results. I need the satisfaction of completion as motivation. More of same as the only change is painting javelins, axes and shields while saying good-bye to bows and quivers. I hope I can match my warband results to the bow levy.

Until the next update...

...Happy Gaming!

Franko

Cold Wars Project. The Gasgans.

At every HMGS convention the "Two Davids" run their spectacular and fun themed campaigns. While it use to be for DBA, it now is for their excellent Triumph! rules. Themed for Chariot Supremacy, I opted for the wild tribesmen of the Zagros mountains - the Gasgans, also known as the Kaski, or Kaskians - who many scholars believe were a major contributor to the downfall of the great Hittite Empire.

To this end I chose the really nice Gasgan line from Khurasan Miniatures and could not wait to get started on them.

Khurasan Gasgans after clean up and there was very little of that as expected from a relatively new line. Very good detail and pose variety per pack running 3 to 4 poses which should bring the army to life on the table.

I am approaching this project differently than in the past. I opted to start with the lower level optional troops as opposed to the main feature figures. I did this for a few reasons.

First off, the predominant feature of this army is skin. That is where the detail lies and is somewhat of a weak spot in my painting skills. Normally I just apply a midtone flesh base and wash with sepia. On some armies I applied a touch of highlight flesh here and there. For this project I had to choose a level. These are not going to be showcase or entered into any painting competitions so I don't need several layers of shade and highlight. I also do not want to simply paint for the "3' rule" as that would not do the figure line justice. So, let's meet half way and call it an "18" rule".

Secondly, having selected my quality level, starting with "lesser" optional troops will help me learn the sculpts as I go and practice where the muscle detail is and how much highlight to apply since that is what will draw the eye on these figures.

Primed and ready for paint. I chose white primer. There will be very few main colors as they are mostly skin so I want the colors to pop. Due to the detail I also want to use thinner paint than I usually apply. If I were to use black I would need more coats for coverage and defeat the purpose.

Lastly, while most painters have a palette of colors in mind, whether from images, reference text, or simply just figuring out the likely dress from the era, culture or whatnot, it is only as good as the first few painting sessions and your palette may change. This is especially true for your shades and highlights. These troops will allow me to develop that final effect I want to see on my main body of troops and the specialty elements like commanders, chariots, bodyguards, etc.

Here is my first test for the skin. I went with a base of Dark Flesh and a sepia wash. I picked out the muscle definition with a highlight of Midland Flesh. I think it is good for the 18" rule. Any additional highlight may be unecessary. Your thoughts?

So let the journey begin. I hope you will follow along and feel free to comment with criticisms and suggestions. Any help is appreciated. Until next time...

...Happy Gaming!

Franko

My mantra - one project at a time. Really?

We all fight the same disease that is that mountain of unpainted metal. We may tackle it in different ways but it never seems to reduce in size. I decided the best approach was to stay focused and complete one project at a time. Here's a progress photo...

So much for the mantra. You see finishing figures for the Sumerians. On the left is the Akkadian project mid form. The plate is full of cattle, sheep, goats, buildings and accessories for villages and camps needed for Triumph! On the table is my new Khurasan Miniatures' Gasgan army. While I don't need this army until Cold Wars in March I am just so intrigued by the figures I just had to assemble them and put a brush to them.

I'll keep you posted on all, I mean, each project as it progresses. In the meantime...

...Happy Gaming!

Franko