Germans in Foxholes

I'm currently playing the Abbeville Chain of Command campaign. The first three scenarios of this campaign have the British attacking the Germans, while the following scenarios have the Germans attacking.

I'm currently finishing my 1940 German platoon to replace the one I'm currently using, that's not really mine, is Bill's. I'm hoping it will be ready for the next battle.

Since the Germans will be in the defensive, I thought my opponent could use some fortifications.

Trenches in the tabletop are somewhat of a problem, since you can't cut into the surface. There are basically two methods to do them, that I'm aware of. One involves elevated fortifications, very popular to represent WWI trenches. This method is quite simple.

The other method is a bit more involved and you have to cut your miniatures in half. There are great examples in John Bond Blog and in The Tactical Painter Blog.

This second method is much better in my opinion, but for some time I was reluctant to cut my miniatures in half. It's hard enough to get miniatures in Uruguay to be cutting them in half to use them in something so specific as trenches.The solution came with 3D printing.

First step was to cut the miniatures in half, but not with a knife, with a 3D editing software. Then I got two sections printed. I also added a small hole in the bottom to insert a tiny rare earth magnet. The idea is that each miniature can be individually removed as the unit sustains casualties. The only exception was the MG34, that is glued to the trench. It's usually the last figure in the LMG team to be removed, and because it's a bit fragile, it's better to remove the whole foxhole and replace it with an empty one.

I then measured the size of each foxhole using the miniatures and cut approximate shapes of magnet sheet from an old calendar. Using old sprue parts, I built an edge.

Next step was adding some volume with spackle.

When it was dry, it was covered with the mix of sand I use to base my miniatures.

Then it was just a matter of priming and painting.

Last step was to add flock and they are ready for the next battle.

Alemanes atrincherados

Actualmente tengo en progreso la campaña de Abbeville para Chain of Command. Los primeros tres escenarios de esta campaña son ataques Británicos, mientras que los siguientes escenarios son ataques Alemanes. Como van a estar a la defensiva, pensé que mi contrincante podría hacer uso de fortificaciones. 

Las trincheras en la mesa de juego son difíciles de representar. Básicamente hay dos métodos populares que yo conozca. Hacer fortificaciones elevadas, muy popular para representar las trincheras de la primera guerra mundial. Este método es bastante sencillo.

El otro método es un poco más complicado y conlleva cortar las miniaturas por la mitad. Pueden ver ejemplos en el Blog de John Bond y en el Blog de The Tactical Painter.

Este segundo método me parece mucho mejor, pero por bastante tiempo estuve reacio a cortar mis miniaturas a la mitad. Ya es suficientemente difícil conseguir miniaturas en Uruguay como para utilizarlas en algo tan específico como trincheras. La solución llegó con las miniaturas en 3D. 

El primer paso fue cortarlas por la mitad, pero no con un cuchillo, si no con un programa de edición 3D. Luego imprimir dos secciones de alemanes. Las miniaturas fueron impresas con un pequeño agujero en en la parte de abajo para poder insertar un diminuto imán de neodimio. La idea es que cada miniatura pueda retirarse del juego a medida que la unidad sufre bajas. La única excepción es la MG34, que está pegada a la trinchera. Por lo general es la última figura del equipo de LMG en ser retirada, así que por su fragilidad es más fácil retirar toda la trinchera y reemplazarla por una vacía.

Después, tomando la medida de cuantas tropas quería en cada trinchera, corté un pedazo de imán de un viejo calendario, de los que se usan en la heladera. Utilizando partes de sprues viejas fui recreando el contorno de cada trinchera, pegando los pedazos con Super Glue.

Cuando estuvo todo seco, fui creando volumen y forma con enduido.

Esta capa de enduído fue cubierta con la mezcla de arena que utilizo normalmente para la base de todas mis miniaturas.

Hecho esto, solo restaba imprimar y pintar todo.

El último paso, un poco de flock, y ya están listas para la próxima partida!

Chain of Command Blitzkrieg!

A new game of Chain of Command, this time with a new opponent, Diego. The scenario was Blitzkrieg, from the 1940 supplement. In this scenario, the attacker must take two units off the opposing table edge before the defender can get two full chain of command dice. The map is mostly identical to the last map in the "30 Days to Dunkirk" Campaign.

Blitzkrieg! en Chain of Command

Una nueva partida de Chain of Command, esta vez con un oponente nuevo, Diego. El escenario que utilizamos fue Blitzkrieg del suplemento de 1940. En este escenario, el atacante debe lograr que dos de sus unidades crucen el borde de la mesa del contrincante, mientras que el defensor debe lograr dos dados completos de Chain of Command, para así llamar a sus refuerzos. El mapa que utilizamos está prácticamente copiado del último mapa de la campaña "30 days to Dunkirk".

Markers for Chain of Command

Until now, we have used naturalistic markers that blend into the terrain in our games of Chain of Command, for example a stick covered in green turf representing moss would be our overwatch marker. I recently decided to get myself some markers a bit more intrusive but that will be less prone to confusion.

Marcadores para Chain of Command

Hasta ahora, en nuestras partidas de Chain of Command hemos estado utilizando marcadores "naturalistas" que se mezclan bien con el terreno, por ejemplo un tronco cubierto de follaje verde representando musgo era nuestro marcador de "Overwatch". Hace poco decidí conseguirme unos marcadores un poco más intrusivos, pero que generen menos confusión.

New Project: Far East

For a couple of weeks I have been pondering with the idea of starting with the Far East for Chain of Command. A couple of tweets from Richard Clarke about the eventual release of the Fat East supplement and the fact that I have been reading The Tactical Painter's Malaya 1942 Campaign AARs was all that I needed to dive in and start gathering a new platoon

Nuevo proyecto: El Extremo Oriente

Desde hace unas semanas le vengo dando vueltas a la idea de comenzar con el Extremo Oriente para Chain of Command. Un par de tweets de Richard Clarke sobre un futuro suplemento para este teatro, sumados a que estoy leyendo los AAR de la campaña de Malaya 1942 de The Tactical Painter, me hicieron dar el salto y comenzar con un nuevo pelotón.

Laying bridges

In my, hopefully not too distant, future I have planned a new game of Chain of Command to show it to more people in my town.

To prepare for said game, I have been thinking about maps and looking at the terrain I already have. I don't want this to be just another table. I want us to play in an interesting map, hopefully with a bit of history behind it, not necessarily a real location, but a realistic one, grounded on real events. Looking around on the Internet, searching for ideas, I decided for a German attack on a bridge over a canal defended by British, probably on the Dunkir perimeter in 1940.

 

Tendiendo puentes

En mi, espero que no muy lejano, futuro hay planeada una nueva partida de Chain of Command para demostrar el juego a más gente.

Para prepararme para este juego, estuve pensando en mapas y evaluando mi terreno. Desde el principio sabía que no quería simplemente una mesa más. Quería que jugáramos en un mapa interesante, de ser posible con un poco de historia detrás, no necesariamente una locación real, pero si algo realista, basado en eventos históricos. Mirando en internet, buscando ideas, se me ocurrió que una partida interesante podría ser un ataque Alemán a un puente sobre un canal defendido por Británicos, probablemente en el perímetro o cercanías de Dunkerque en 1940.

Jump Off Points for Chain of Command

One of  the necessary implements for a game of Chain of Command are the Jum Off Points. They usually take the shape of little vignettes of supply dumps, with gasoline barrels, weapons and ammo.

Until now, we have used the Patrol Markers as JOPs, but I wanted to do something different for our future games.

Puntos de despliegue para Chain of Command

Uno de los implementos necesarios para jugar Chain of Command son los puntos de despliegue, Jump Off Points en inglés. Estos JOP normalmente toman la forma de pequeñas viñetas como pilas de suministros, con taques de gasolina, armas y municiones.

Hasta ahora en nuestros juegos hemos utilizado los mismos marcadores que utilizamos para la fase de patrulla, pero para nuestras próximas partidas quería hacer algo diferente.

Mi primer partida verdadera de Chain of Command

Esta es la historia de mi tercer partida de Chain of Command, pero la primera de verdad.

La primr partida fue una prueba, jugada en una mesa de 4x2 con miniaturas de 20mm y escenografía de 28mm, pero eso era lo que teníamos a mano en el momento.

La segunda partida fue mejor, teníamos una mesa del tamaño correcto y miniaturas de 15mm con su correspondiente escenografía a escala. Supongo que se podría decir que esa fue la primer partida de verdad, pero el mapa no era muy bueno, había mucho terreno descampado que hizo que el juego fuese aburrido.

My first proper game of Chain of Command

This is the story of my third game of Chain of Command, but the first proper game.

The first game was a trial run, played on 4x2 table with 20mm miniatures and 28mm scenery, but that was what we had at hand at the moment.

The second game was better, it involved a proper size table, 15mm miniatures with corresponding scaled scenery. I guess you could call this the first proper game but the table was not very good. Lot of open space made for a very boring game.

British Early War Platoon

I am currently working on a British Early War Platoon for Chain of Command.
As I have mentioned before, my main force is composed of miniatures from Plastic Soldier Company, even though they are Late War, I'm not really bothered by it, and supplemented by some Peter Pig.

I'm aiming for a 1940 Regulation Platoon, that amount of figures will be enough to field a 1939 Regulation Platoon if I need to.

This is my progress so far.

HQ
1 x Platoon Lieutenant (Primed)
1 x Sergeant (Primed)
1 x 2" Mortar Team (2 men) (Being painted)
1 x Boys AT Rifle Team (2 men) (Assembled)

1st, 2nd & 3rd Squads
3 x Squad Leader W/Rifle (Being Painted)
3 x Bren Team (9 men) (1 team ready, other 2 being painted)
3 x Rifle Team (21 men) (13 Ready, 5 being painted, 3 primed)

The current batch of minis on the painting station.

Head surgery

I purchased some figure kits from Peter Pig to enhance my British Early War platoon. Among them a 3" mortar pack that I didn't really needed, but the figures might be repurposed for something else. For example, there was a nice folk with a knee on the ground and binoculars that I have already earmarked to be a spotter.

But what I did needed was a Lieutenant and Platoon Sergeant and a Boys Team, all those where really useful, except that the scale was not exactly right with the rest of my miniatures from Plastic Soldier Company. You might not notice it in the first picture, but the difference in the figures is quite noticeable, specially the small helmets.

I decided that with the right heads, the difference would not be so noticeable, so I went in and did some head surgery to the Lieutenant and Platoon Sergeant.

An original Lieutenant, a PSC rifleman and the modified Lieutenant.

The Platoon Sergeant and Lieutenant among some PSC soldiers.

Both figures turned out pretty good, and even if they seem that the head is a little big in the pictures, when viewed from the angle you would see them if you are playing, they look alright. 

Now I have to base to do all the process of basing and priming and eventually finish my platoon that hasn't really advanced much since my last post.

3D Printing Support

My opponent and I have decided to start playing 1940 using TooFatLardies Blitzkrieg 1940 booklet. I'm still working on my British infantry, they are really late war infantry but we are not too picky about that. I have settled for a 1940s Regulation Platoon because that gives me the most flexibility, if I need a 1939 Reg. Plt. I can just take out a couple of miniatures to fit the TO&E.

For support I decided to go with 3D printing. I test printed a Cruiser MkII A10 and I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the quality. It's by no means perfect, but it's enough for me. I was amazed to find pretty much all the vehicles I needed, and then some more, on thingiverse. Right now the rest of my support options are being printed.

I was more amazed that I could not find some of the support options for the Germans, they are usually the most popular faction and people love all their toys.

At first I thought about using different colour camo for Infantry and Cruiser tanks, that was something I saw on a Flames of War tutorial, but I don't have the necessary colours so I settled for the same scheme for every tank.