Tuesday, July 29, 2008

GNN Report 38

Bad Movies, Good Game Scenarios!




I've posted five of arguably the worse 80s action movies made
during that era. The interesting thing to me is no matter how bad
the film is (or perhaps because of it) they make great gaming
scenarios.

COMMANDO

DELTA FORCE

INVASION USA

RED SCORPION

Monday, July 21, 2008

Weied War II: Sci-fi German Death Rays




Based on reverse-engineered technology salvaged from
craft left-over from the 1938 Martian invasion, the German
military first began field-trials of their various Death Ray
weapons in late 1943. By mid-1944 units began to receive
these weapons in limited quantities, typically with a single
unit receiving a mix of weapon types. Fitted to existing
halftrack mounts, these weapons were issued to anti aircraft
units, though they were often intended for ground attack uses.
Here we see both a Heat Ray and a plasma weapon of some
type:

Kaptain Kobold's 15mm



A much better url for the good Kaptain

Imperial Daleks


15mm Daleks specially modelled and cast for me by a friend at the
Staines Wargamers. Because of obvious licensing difficulties no
manufacturer makes Daleks in 15mm, so this kind act was the only

Manufacturer Size Comparison


15mm SCI-FI Terrain Layout


Wargame using Two Hour Wargames on a 15mm SCI-FI layout. Terrain orginally from Ainsty, now produced by Old Crow Models. Boards, layout and painting by me. Some Peter Pig Aliens presented a problem to a group rescue troops coming in to save the civilians.

Bedford Gladiators


Thursday, July 17, 2008

Dark Roasted Blend Strange Tanks



Words fail me when I try to describe its intimidating might...
Remember "Kolossal Wagen"? It's the one shown on the
bottom left for size comparison in this picture.

http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2007/11/strange-tanks-part-2.html

"Bill" you gotta make one of these!

Breakthrough! British Guards Armored Vs.Panzerpioniers




Germans defend in near left and far right quadrants with two
full strength Panzerpionier platoons with Fausts and a
Flamethrower each, a Nebelwerfer battery with attached
PAK 40, a Panther platoon, and Flakwagens offboard in
reserve. Their CO and a Panzerschreck is with the Pioneers
defending the town and road bridge and their XO is with the
Pioneers defending the railway bridge.

Monday, July 14, 2008

15mm Trench System





From Dave: historyguy1776@yahoo.com

This is just one piece of 14. After the trenches are done
I'm moving into hedgerows, roads, and about 2 dozen
other projects! These are well underway:

Straight 4"
MG Straight 4"
Mortar Straight 4"
Artillery Straight 4"
AT Straight 4"
End Straight 4"
Corner 4"
Angle 4"
T Intersection 4"
Small Bunker
Large Bunker
Small Corner Bunker
Command Bunker
Objective Command Bunker Straight 4"

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Slab Wars 08: Amphibious Craft


Just picked up ten of these landing craft for amphibious
operations. Also have about 20 USMC LVT7s and other
amphibious craft. Working on a few other things, more
to follow..............

BEE Hover Vehicles



Just acquired these off ebay , they will
get the standard BEE woodland camo.
easily enough done as they are base
coated green...)

Tasty Canadians




Artist Len Peralta of monsterbymail.com imagines
the day when hostile alien hordes finally invade Earth.
Looks like Ian was right... they'll be starting with our
tasty neighbors to the North. Watch Len create this
piece on YouTube.
***********************************************
Background, radio host Ian Punnett opens his Coast To
Coast show with a reference to all the alien ships cloaked
in outer orbit to remember to eat the Canadians first as they
are the tastier "free range North Americans", and it will
give us time to think up something.....;-)

Friday, July 11, 2008

Tank Girl's Tank





Tank Girl's movie tank was a heavily-modified,
late-production Stuart M5A1 tank.

Late-production M5A1's featured a vent port between
the front two driver's hatches, a smooth right side
turret and sometimes a rectangular rear stowage box
(which the Tank Girl tank had).

The tank stolen from Water & Power is not the tank used
for the modifications. A Soviet (PT 76) was the tank in the
scene with the theme from "Shaft."

Interior shots were not done inside either the original stolen
Water & Power tank nor the modified tank.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Ontos Project




The M50 "Ontos" tank destroyer was created as an antitank
vehicle that could be airlifted or airdropped in support of
airborne forces. It was developed in the early 1950s on the
T55/T56 chassis developed for APC use. The M50 had six
106mm M40A1 recoilless rifles which fired HEAT or HEP.
It could carry 18 rounds if the gun tubes were loaded. All six
tubes could fire at once or singly and top tubes were fitted
with a M8C spotting rifle that was used to determine range.
The M50 was used solely by the U.S. Marine Corps after the
design was rejected by the U.S. Army when 106 mounted jeeps
were found to be adequate. The name "Ontos" means thing in
Greek.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Brtish By Rob



Image shows a selection of the lighter vehicles in the British Army Task Force.

WMIK's provide close fire support, Land Rover Wolf XD's provde transport for the RMP detachment, Stripped down Wolf's provide a Long Range Recce capability, and the Ambulance at the rear provides casualty evacuation

Every vehicle in the Modern British Task Force has an orange 'Friendly Fire Identifier'.
As many of the operations (wargames) undertaken occur along side our sizeable American Unit, efforts must be made to reduce the chances of 'Blue on Blue' incidents.

Slab Wars 08



Greetings Fellow Antagonists!

Attacker:
Here is this years attacker map, as always you can do your
recon rolls to refine this map.

Defender:
You will place your defenses as you see fit and then report
to me with a proper annotated map.

Good Luck.

Они сражались за родину




No idea what the name is but, they did
a convincing job making Panzers out of
T-55s!

Patton




Against a backdrop of the Stars and Stripes, General George S. Patton (George C. Scott) addresses his troops on the eve of battle. His uniform is impeccable, his medals uncountable, and his ramrod demeanor unassailable. As he speaks to the men about to embark on their first great adventure, his manor runs the gamut from stern, to jovial, amused, profane and reverent. To Patton, it is obvious that war is the greatest expression of the human condition.

North Africa, 1942: In their first encounter with Rommel's Africa Corps, the Americans are badly beaten. In the post-battle assessment, Gen. Omar Bradley (Karl Malden) decides what's needed is the best tank commander they have: Patton. He answers the call and arrives amid wailing sirens and a cloud of dust. He's also early and catches most of the soldiers off guard, a mistake they learn not to make again. Believing the casual attitude diplayed by the troops to be the primary source of their defeat, he quickly begins to set things to rights. Patton's belief in himself is unshakable, and there's only one way to get things done-his way. Quickly re-estblishing discipline and routine, he commands his men with an iron fist. He also has great respect for the Germans he's up against, and has studied the tactics of Rommel in the field.

Monday, July 7, 2008

6mm Beamstrike



6mm conversion for Beamstrike, 10 pages
A4 supplement, still requires Beamstrike
core rules and charts pack to play.


http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Beamstrike_Sci-fi_Game/

BUILDING THE ‘VERSE’


Q. "Firefly" and "Serenity"'s political and cultural underpinnings are
unusually well thought-out. You've obviously developed a whole
system of planets, a Sino-American political system, a mix of
languages. How long did the concept fester in your head before you

Friday, July 4, 2008

Independence Day Messages From John Adams




On July 2, 1776, after long and wrenching debate, the Continental Congress voted to declare independence from the Mother Country and the next night John Adams went back to his rooming house in sweltering, sticky Philadelphia to write, by candlelight, two of the most famous letters in American history. Addressing his beloved wife Abigail in far-away Boston, he exulted in the birth of a new nation:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore.

You will think me transported with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration and support and defend these states. Yet, through all the gloom, I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is more than worth all the means. And that posterity will triumph in that day’s transaction, even although we should rue it, which I trust in God we shall not…

It may be the will of Heaven that America will suffer calamities still more wasting, and distress yet more dreadful. If this is to be the case, it will have this good effect at least. It will inspire us with many virtues which we have not, and correct many errors, follies and vices which threaten to disturb, dishonor and destroy us. The furnace of affliction produces refinement, in States as well as individuals...But I must submit all my hopes and fears to an overruling Providence, in which, unfashionable as the faith may be, I firmly believe.

The prophetic nature of his vision still makes the heart race and takes the breath away, some 231 years later. Predicting “illuminations” (the 18th Century term for fireworks!) to celebrate Independence Day from “one end of the continent to the other” remains almost freakishly prescient. When Adams wrote those words, the colonies occupied only a narrow, intermittent strip of settlements along the eastern seaboard; the very notion of a true continental nation looked wildly implausible, all but unimaginable.

The one mistake in Adams’ view of the future involved his assumption that future generations would celebrate the Second of July (the date of the adoption of the resolution for Independence) rather than the Fourth of July (the date Congress approved the specific wording of the Declaration which Adams had helped his friend Thomas Jefferson to write.


Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Rumble In The Jungle



This all came about through the influence of my regular
wargaming opponent, Dougie Trail. He'd read Bernard
Fall's Street without Joy and was keen to try his hand
at wargaming the French war in Indochina. I rashly read
the same book, then others on Dien Bien Phu, and
before you know it I was hooked on yet another period.
What French Indochina has that Vietnam doesn't is
elan - just look at the French units - Foreign Legion,
Paratroops, Spahis, Moroccan Ghoums, Tirailleurs ..
hell, even foreign Legion Paratroopers! How hard can
they be?! Also, unlike the Americans, the French didn't
have overwhelming force at its disposal, only a handful
of aircraft (including ex-German Junkers transports),
precious little armour and even fewer troops on the
ground. In other words the engagements were often
fairly well matched, or else complete turkey shoots
where all the French could do was to hold on as long
as possible!

GZG OFFICIAL More 15mm Civilian/Colonists/Cops!






Now available, four new packs of 15mm SF - a second
pack of Colonial Security Cops in caps, and THREE
different packs of ARMED civilians/colonists! A wide
mix of urban and "outback" clothing (some very
SF-Western style, with a couple of Very Big Hats),
and a varied assortment of weapons - pistols, carbines,
shotguns, hunting rifles and more. Great for RPG
character figures and survivalist types (zombie hunting
anyone?) as well as for making up stands of armed
colonists to repel the slavering bug hordes... or maybe
just get eaten.

SG15-V6 Colonial Security (Cops) pack 2 (8 figs) £2.50
SG15-V7 Armed Civilians/Colonists pack A (8 figs) £2.50
SG15-V8 Armed Civilians/Colonists pack B (8 figs) £2.50
SG15-V9 Armed Civilians/Colonists pack C (8 figs) £2.50