Embracing Tomorrow

3D printing has slowly been building in popularity in the wargames community as the technology has become easier to use and cheaper over the last few years. The power to produce your own miniatures or terrain has seduced many to dip their toes into what essentially a whole new hobby.

This last week I had a rush of blood to the head (and wallet) and joined the ranks of the 3D printing community. As we already have a resin printer in the family I opted to get a filament printer instead, these are more suited to  making terrain or other large pieces rather than the finer prints produced by resin printers. The printer I opted for is the well regarded Bambu Lab A1 which happened to be on sale and was delivered the next day after ordering on a Sunday. The only small issue was the filament itself which came via a separate delivery a couple of days later. This gave me ample time to put the printer together, a process which took around 45 minutes and was extremely straight forwards.

With it working by heating up a long string of plastic the A1 doesn't have the toxic materials associated with resin printing, but you still want the window open whilst the print jobs are going on.

The reviews I read all pointed out how the A1 was pretty much a plug and play printer with the software working out everything for you so the first things I printed where a tray to catch the waste filament (grey tray on the left of the printer) and then some rocks for our desert campaign.

I left the rocks on the default height setting which lead to some noticeable layering on the top which I've covered with some sand effect paste. If I wanted I could have gone back and reprinted them with a lower layer height, this just adds time onto the print job as it builds the piece up. But as it's unlikely you will be spending much time studying the rock formations (unless the battle is going very badly) I doubt I will. You don't need to do any prep before painting so I stuck them on a base and hit them with the various yellows I've been using so far.

Whilst waiting for the filament I'd also picked up some designs for dirt road sections so I printed out one of the straight sections so see how that looked. This section (and the rocks) needed resizing and again this was very simple to perform in the printer software. 

Now I know this works ok I'll need to print out a load more to create a proper road network. The files include a little clip to join the sections together so they don't get easily knocked apart.

One feature of the A1 bundle I purchased (and it's software) was the ability to load multiple filament spools onto it's holder system and then swap between them as the layers go down. Whilst waiting I also picked up some files for terrain designed to fit in the 3" cubes of a Deadzone / Halo table and thought I'd give this feature a try as well. With the way the filament layers go down it's much better to have a horizontal line of colour than a vertical one as it only has one nozzle and needs to extrude waste filament between changing colours. 

I did have one failure during the print process but fortunately it was almost complete so I still had a useable item. The A1 comes with a built in camera so you can watch (and cancel/pause) your printing from your PC or smartphone. Very handy for keeping an eye on things.

It also come with built in layer settings, with the standard layer height (on the left below) being 0.20mm. You can go down to 0.12mm (on the right) and even 0.08mm, and up to 0.28mm for the fastest and roughest prints.

As things had been going so well I thought I'd throw something hard at it and grabbed a free Stuka file which I scaled up and used the auto-angle and auto-supports buttons to let the software work it all out and then hit print. Five hours later I had a perfectly respectable Stuka to put out on the table to be blown up by the SAS.

All in all I've been very impressed with how easy this has all been. I have more roads to print off and another Stuka or two and then I want to start thinking about a special project to work towards. I've had in my mind for a while a Stalingrad game based on the Deadzone rules, the issue has always been getting the terrain, until now that is.

Halo Flashpoint: This is Sparta!

Having complete one fireteam before Christmas I've taken the chance to paint up another one so we can actually have a game if required. As each fireteam is only 3 or 4 models strong then it's a quick job to get one done.

I've stuck with a metallics theme for the first Spartan team but mixed up the colours rather than making them uniform. Spartans are super-soldiers created to combat Earth's enemies and have advanced through several different phases with different armour patterns as well. 

The Spartans I've painted up are all wearing the same pattern armour (MK VII I believe) and form a balanced fireteam. 

In the orange armour we have the MK VII who carries a decent ranged weapon which he shoots with on a 4+. He also fights on a 4+ and the Spartan knife is excellent and slicing through armour (AP2) and shields (ESD1) so he's pretty dangerous up close as well. His main benefit is the extra Tactician dice he adds to the standard pool of 2. The more dice you have the more extra things you can do.

The Deadeye is dressed to kill in the gold armour and as a sniper type he benefits from a 3+ shoot, his fight is only 5+ though. His biggest plus though is the Fast Transition ability which allows him to shoot another ranged weapon (once picked up) in the same shoot action, twice the bullets for twice the killing.

Someone who is happy to get in close is the Brawler, in his green armour. Fighting on a 3+ with the normal combat knife is pretty tasty but there are more powerful melee weapons in the game for him to grab.

Lastly we have the Zvezda who at speed 1/3 is a bit slower than the other Spartans (2/3) but he does have Scout to get an extra move in before the game starts and he has the best save (4+) of the team so could be a bit more tanky than the others.

I have another copy of these models and also a second variant with the same Spartan archetypes carrying different weapons. So I'll paint up the other variant next.

DAK: My Little Tank

Everyone loves a little tank and despite not being Lt Gruber's famous 222 this is very much a little tank.

The kit comes from Perry and has only a few metal parts that need to be attached to the resin turret / body. I had completed the main paint job in time for our first game last week but was waiting on some decals to arrive before calling it complete. Now with the decals in place it's a proud member of the 15th Panzer Division.

Mr T has bought an M3 Honey so with the Panzer II only sporting a 20mm cannon as it's main gun it will need to out manoeuvre the 37mm armed Honey rather than take it head on.

I've also completed the third infantry squad bringing the platoon up to full strength. I do have some reinforcements to paint as well if we want to fill out the sections, but I'll be working on the heavy weapons before those.

One 'heavy' weapon I did complete is the A/T rifle team, they should be able to trouble the Indian Pattern Carrier but probably will struggle with anything heavier.

 

Ill Tides: Smoke & Mirrors

 KoW/ 1500 points/ Smoke & Mirrors/ Abyssal Dwarf Win

The Gods were now smiling on Sycorax.  The blundering Admiral had failed to secure the unfathomable treasure but had at least stopped it tumbling into the greedy claws of the Twilight Kin, something to be thankful for he grudgingly conceded.  But now another chance to grab stupefying wealth had arisen and Sycorax wasn’t going to entrust this to some snivelling underling.  This was his time!

Rumour of the vast riches had travelled and the hated Dark Elves were amassing to steal away Sycorax’s future.  So typical of the foul and traitorous race.

He surveyed the plain to his front - but where was the prize?  It wasn’t obvious to him even though he communed with Ariagful Herself.  The Elves though would have the same blindness he consoled himself.  His only chance therefore would be to vanquish the Piratical Scum from the field and then freely claim the gleaming horde.  It was ever thus he allowed himself to smirk.

He arrayed his force with his left flank anchored on a wood relying on Basu’su’s Children and the monstrous Abyssal Grotesques to blunt, or at least slow the Elven advance.  Meanwhile his centre would overwhelm the Corsairs - here he had Blacksouls, Decimators and Immortal Guard - a formidable foe if ever there was one.  They were supported by The Hex Caster and Infernox.  On the right were the beastly hounds of hell straining at their chains covering the monolithic bloc of the stone giants.  In between these and the Immortal Guard were placed the fearsome liquid fire of the Dragon Fire team.  Sycorax was only too well aware how the Elves despised fire power the Dwarves could bring to bear.

The Elves, on Sycorax’s left, had the Phantoms and one unit of flying chariots along with an apocalyptic Souldbane on his spectral beast.  The centre was crammed with an array of Pirates, so-called Fleetwardens, covering the much-vaunted Impalers cowering at the rear of the battle line.  At least their Void Captain knew what it was to stand up and be counted, placing themself in the front rank.  Also cowering was the wiccan, The Summoner Crone, with her cruel tricksy magick.  Finally on Sycorax’s right a second unit of flying chariots, Void-Skiffs he believed they were known as.  He wasn’t interested in their odious nomenclature.

The Dwarves commenced a measured advance, much was at stake for Sycorax, and he knew the foul Elves were masters of trickery and craven deception.  The Phantoms surged forward goading the Abyssal Grotesques to commit themselves.  Sycorax knew this was a ploy to allow the flying wains to counter and blunt his misfigured brutes.  Nevertheless he thought he’d be able to thwart this.  The brutes made short work of the Phantoms and the Gargoyles threatened the Void-Skiffs.  Sycorax had miscalculated though!  The Disfigured brutes tower above Basu’sus vile breed allowing the chariots and Soulbane to crash into his tortured yet beloved children.  Sycorax’s venture could be snuffed out before the first trembling finger of light had stretched towards the darkness……he momentarily dared not breathe!  The Abyssal Grotesques were battered mercilessly but held!

It was time to force the centre.  Now in range Sycorax unleashed hell against the cowering pirates who were showing no appetite for the struggle, reluctant to move forward.  The Blacksouls propelled their ravenous Mastiff at the Void Captain who was stalled and winded but remained resolute.  The Infernox and Decimators poured infernal rage into a block of the Corsairs.  Despite heavy losses they stayed their fraying nerves but like the Void Captain were temporarily paralysed and hesitated.  The Dragon Fire team sought to incinerate these pirates too but barely singed their foes.  The Elven line was buckling but stayed firm.

This shook the Twilight Kin from their watchful slumber.  A troop of Fleet Wardens crashed into the flank of the Abyssal Grotesques which those tortured beasts would not survive this time.  However the Gargoyles had nimbly manoeuvred to the rear of the Elvish Hammer, the flying wains, and imbued with Basu’sus Vile Brood managed to overcome and vanquish these elite warriors.

A second troop of Fleetwardens flattened the Dragon Fire team who were seeking shelter behind a wall but were in turn pummelled by the Stone Giants .

The Soulbane now threatened the Hex Caster who proved no match.  His spectral beast trampled the mangle corpse of the valiant caster and into the flank of the Decimators who were covering part of the uncovered treasure secreted within a marshy bog.

The second flying wains had decided now was the time to act and hurled themselves against the Molten Menace.  Like cooling lava he was rooted to the very earth and would not yield.  A regiment of Fleetwardens did their best to uproot this micro-volcano and targeted his flank yet this impertinence just made him more resolute.  The Immortal Guards removed the strain of the Void-Skiffs from the Molten Menace by charging their front and the Decimators had survived the initial surge of the Soulbane and now became embattled this Horseman of the Apocalypse.

Meanwhile the Stone Giants had continued their inexorable flow forwards.  The Summoner Crone had sought to blunt this with her withering Alchemist’s Curse but for once it fizzed and whizzed but barely a scratch was made.  Relief for Sycorax, she had the power to seriously trouble the pride of his battle line.

The Golems were now able to smash the flank of the Void-Skiff while the Immortal Guard gripped their front in a lethal vice nothing could survive and they were crushed to splinters and dust.  The Mastiffs now emerged from the wood on the Elves’ left and charged like the wild beasts they were into Fleet Wardens protecting the Impalers.  The Elves though, with pikes were able to withstand the beastial ferocity and the Mastiffs’ effort was for nought. 

The Souldbane overcame the Decimators and was able to claim the marshy treasure.  Towards the centre of the field was more of the glittering prize but what remained of the Twilight Kin were pushing forwards over this.

Sycorax could feel his very being twisting and shrinking inside him.  The treasure was literally slipping through his fingers.  His forces were exhausted and on the brink of collapse…..He joined the line and with the fury of Ariagful vanquished the wiccan with fire.  This act momentarily revived his troops.  The Golems overran the Fleet Wardens, so recently victors against the dogs, while the Infernox turned to face his craven attackers, yet more Fleet Wardens, who he put to the vengeful sword.

The scarring and fracturing of the landscape was now giving up the the secrets of the golden horde.  Unless Sycorax could exhort his battered force for one last push all would be utterly lost….

The Impalers now roused themselves from their own slumber and charged the exhausted Molten Menace.  He had stood firm against so many foes this day he knew, as did Sycorax, the Impalers, cream of the Pirate force, would overwhelm him.  And so they did!  And in doing so had uncovered a mountain of gold.

It had come to one last desperate gamble or Sycorax would lose and would be lost, supplanted by one of any number of wolfish Ironcasters too cowardly to stand with him this day.

He unleashed a rock and molten fury against the Soulbane who had been content to sit atop the half-submerged horde, the fool, and condemned him and his foul beast to nothing more that hissing steam rising from what had become a bubbling cauldron of a marsh, so intense was the heat of the fireball.

And now his Immortal Guard hurled themselves against the immense shields of the Impalers.  The Infernox, though vanquished, had done just enough to chink the armour of these seemingly impregnable beings and the Immortal Guard were able to first push, then prize and then burst open those armoured sentinels and fall upon them in such fury there was nothing to be hauled away as grizzly prizes…..

The rest of the Elvish host, that which remained, had no stomach to continue this slaughter and Sycorax had achieved a most stunning and profitable triumph.  He collapsed.

Next time: Armada/ 250 points/ Icy Waters

V for Victory: Midday at the Oasis

I was fortunate enough to have Stu over today to bring in the new year with a new game, our first try of V for Victory. I had just about enough figures for a command section, 2 infantry sections, a sniper and a MMG team for each side.

I set up the first scenario from the book that has three objectives spread across the table with VP's being scored for holding the objectives at the end of each turn and destroying enemy units. As we'd not played before I took a guess at how much terrain would be required and I think it was probably about right, perhaps a little high on the linear terrain and wooded areas. We will need to have a little play about with larger (and better armed) forces to see what is the sweet spot. 

The rules themselves flowed reasonably well for a first play through with the usual amount of flicking through the rule book to answer queries around specific scenarios and checking how modifiers stacked up. The spotting rules meant that you could manoeuvre into place without the enemy being able to spot you straight away but once you opened fire then that pretty much gave your position away.

The main clash of forces ended up being on my left flank around the oasis as we both only lightly opposed the opposing forces push on one of the other tokens. The Germans went for both the flanking objectives and I went for the oasis and the central tank.

The big decision around shooting is if you go for direct fire and try to remove models or suppressing fire and try and erode the enemies morale and pin them in place. The Germans in general went for the kills more often but with some poor dice on their side and decent saving on mine didn't really make much of an impact at the start of the game. My suppressive fire was more telling and I managed to keep the German sniper out of the game and keep the heads of the Germans around the oasis down as well.

The German firing did pick up during the end game and they managed to remove my team holding the oasis objective and kill my snipers mate. I also managed a couple of good shooting activations with my MMG to take out the German MMG (with help from some poor save rolls) to leave us tied on kills but we me having held one extra objective in the last round we played.

Neither side lost masses of troops and even though we had one more round to play when we stopped it didn't feel like either side would reach the break point of >50% models lost. So perhaps a little less terrain next time will give some more shooting and greater casualties. The card mechanic is a nice improvement on Muskets and Tomahawks in that you have all the cards to choose from so you need to assign them to the correct units to make best use of the available resources and does act as a natural dampening of the firepower of both sides with a limited number of fire activations being on the cards. 

With the ongoing Kings of War/Armada campaign and the Armada event we have booked in February we probably won't be playing again for a while but I should have some more toys painted up by then to increase the firepower available to each side. In particular I'd like to see how vehicles and HE weapons alter the game dynamics.

DAK: Commander

Having completed enough Commonwealth troops to field one side of a battle I'm now able to move onto the opposing force. As Mr T had already purchased some Italians I opted for a box of the Perry Deutsches Afrika Korps infantry with supporting weapons from the same range. The big box of plastic infantry gives more than enough for a platoon strength force and then a few packs of metal round out the force.

First up with have the command section made up of a Lieutenant, senior sergeant  and a couple of riflemen. This is almost exactly the same as the Indian army command group. For the DAK we have a couple of metal models and a couple of plastic ones, as they are from the same range the blend in well together.

With these commanders in place we can have a look at what you can command your men to do on the table during a battle. Each player starts with the same seven cards in their hand at the start of a turn. Each turn is divided into up to seven activation phases where players each reveal a card and then carry out some or all of the actions on the card. Once the cards are revealed the player with the higher score on their cards (draws are handled by an initiative counter) carries out their actions and then the other player does the same.

There are three types of action that a card could allow you to undertake and each unit is only allowed to take two actions each turn. Those actions don't have to be taken together and the game has a reactive fire mechanism that also uses up an action. So you could move a unit up and leave it covering an area so it can take a reactive shot later on in the turn.

The red aiming symbol allows a unit to take a shot or make an assault. This is your chance to lay down some fire without it needing to be a reaction to an enemy move. As you can see there are five Engage Order symbols available each turn for your forces so you want to use them wisely.

The blue arrow is the Movement Order symbol and this allows you to walk or sprint your infantry across the battlefield. Vehicles use the same order but as you would expect move much more quickly than the PBI. Sprinting allows your infantry to get around quickly but at the expense of making saves against shooting more difficult. You don't want to be caught sprinting in the open by an enemy squad.

The last (green) symbol is the Tactical Order symbol and this is used for a couple of different things. Firstly it allows a heavy weapon to unlimber and setup to fire, and possibly more importantly it allows you to rally troops whose morale is wavering. You only get three of these each turn so you probably want to get that heavy weapon out early in a good spot so you can concentrate on your troops morale later in the game.

In the game squads are split up into Teams each with their own leader model. I've been representing this with painting the team leaders of a squad with the same coloured base. The reason this matters is that if your squads team leaders are within 30cm of each other you can split the actions on a card between both teams. Otherwise only one team (or vehicle / heavy weapon) can benefit from all the actions (up to two activations) on a card and you are likely to waste some. You can also play a card (up to twice in a turn) on your commander and he can take a free action of any type for himself and spread the actions on the card out to any team leader within 30cm.

Working out how to get the best out of this action economy is going to be central to commanding your forces to victory. 

I've also completed the first infantry squad which come as a standard eight man squad with two SMG armed leaders, an LMG, and five riflemen.

More infantry and some terrain to hide behind are on the way.