Game Design #116: Problematic Hills and Not-truly-flat-ground

My son and I often have odd discussions where we relate gaming to real life. As you do. When watching movies, he often says "Bet that guy has an extra attack or two wounds" when a villain is particularly tough or persistent - referring to ME:SBG where heroes (and arch villains) roll extra attack dice or have extra wounds. Or "looks like he passed his Fate roll" when a villain or hero re-emerges from certain death.

Often when we are out driving, we say stuff like  "where would be the best place to set up a machine gun" or "if I wanted to cover this crossroads, I'd set up an anti-tank TOW here and a squad or so here. You could cover all the way to the bridge but fall back onto that reverse slope"    Yeah, perhaps we are weird.

Something we have noticed a lot while doing this is how limited line of sight actually is. We live in a very flat part of Queensland, Australia. There are barely any hills and what we might call a hill wouldn't even count as one in any other part of the world.   

However, there are plentiful slight depressions and undulations in the ground - easily enough to obscure a crouching human. In fact it's very difficult, even when looking along even a relatively straight road, to find many places where you truly have 300m+ line of sight. 

The problem of the perfectly flat wargame table. Flat tables suck.

I always found artificially capped weapon ranges stupid.  I remember the hard 24" rifle range in Bolt Action would barely cover the length of an Arnhem/Pegasus Bridge kit they sold. It LOOKS weird. Like, the model could probably pitch a grenade that far, in true scale. (It's why I avoid vehicles in any scale over 15mm).  But this range capping may actually not be as stupid as it appears.

In reality, due to depressions in the ground, culverts, ditches, etc in real life terrain - things not properly modelled on our completely ironingboard-flat wargame table - might extremely restrict shooting ranges.  

But limiting range on a perfectly flat table seems silly. After all, the target is sitting in the middle of a bowling green. It seems like bullets magically evaporate at 25" in mid air.  

So - stop using a flat table draped in a sheet, dummy - make some proper 3D terrain! 

Not many of us can store a special foam block base table where slopes, depressions etc are built in. Heck, where I live you can't even get the pink foam beloved of modellers.  So making a proper 3D table will depressions, ditches, trenches etc recessed into the table is not always a viable option. (Especially if like me you play 10 genres and need lots of terrain for each). 

So why not lots of hills as scatter terrain then?

This leads us to another problem. Or set of problems actually.

Wargame Hills Suck. Wargame RULES for Hills also suck. 

Mesa/contour/wedding cake vs Dome/Slope

I'm going to classify the hill types I most often see as plateau-like "mes/contour map/tiered wedding cake" style with sharp edges/defined elevation bands like you see in some Westerns; and a more natural true "long sloped hill" or "single peak sloped dome aka boob style" which looks nicer (ahem) but is less defined game-wise and probably more tippy. Also models tilted 45d sideways on their flat bases looks a bit silly too..

Hopefully my artistic skills show the type of hills I mean....^

Determining who is "Uphill" is a pain

Usually there's a bonus for melee if you're uphill. But it isn't always clear who is actually uphill. If you have single minis and a wedding cake hill, it's probably straightforward enough. I.e. are you on the next contour or closer to the next contour = you are uphill. 

But what if only part of your unit is uphill? You have a big square block of troops (al la rank/flank) or a messy blob/squad of scattered minis (Bolt Action/40K) and you+your opponent's units are angled almost parallel to the peak/ridge? (see above)

Actually while we are talking about elevation/uphill....

Line of Sight is a pain 

Who can shoot whom? If you're not using true line of sight, it's a bit (a lot!) messy. I'd presume for sloped hills, the peak/ridgeline would block line of sight if neither unit is on the ridge itself. Buuuuut unless you mark it on with a pen or something (boo) the ridge is kinda just inferred.  Not very clear cut for game purposes. 

Something like this? (dotted line shows the kinda inferred/implied part of the hill).

Even for wedding cake hills.... whilst you could presume the hill itself blocks line of sight through... what about between levels? (see below)

For natural sloped long ridge hills, you could say a ridgeline goes from one side of the hill to the other which makes it a bit more clearcut, blocking fire across it, but....   ......what if a hill has rounded ends? 

Along the hill slope lengthwise should be obvious, but what about a "boob" shaped dome hill? Or around the end/tip of a long, rounded hill?

The top left example has a ridge that runs the whole length of the hill. Top right has rounded ends. Bottom right is your "boob" hill. Yes, I am mature.

What about firing over your own units? (my favourite from the PC Total War series). How do you determine when it is feasible? How far away do you need to be from your ally? How steep the slope? Options like arcing fire vs direct fire adds complexity.

Cliffs are a pain. Model placement in general is annoying.

The steep bits are a pain for placing models no matter what the hill method. They either tip over (slopes) or can't balance well (wedding cakes)... or are just impassable terrain - which is a cop out (unless it truly is impassable and not just "a bit steep, fine for actual people but no-go to minis on bases").

 

So what are you telling us?

 Anyway, I just wanted to vent. I don't have any good answers here (sorry!) but I was considering making some (sloped) vs (wedding cake) hills my The Forest project, and I didn't like either. My only conclusion are hills are more trouble than they are worth - both annoying to make (can't source pink foam), use (slopes/ledges are annoying with based minis) and play (most rules I own  don't do hills - they either ignore hills or mention them very simply in passing) good luck if you don't love 1:1 skirmish+true line of sight/aka bending your face to the table all the time. I have a table permanently set up but tucked away to the side and it is a big pain. Maybe I need a laser pointer. Hmm maybe I need to get some "true line of sight" tips or just have a rant (I suspect I may have discussed this already as we're on... 100+ game design posts?).....

 Apparently I promised to make my kids an ice cream spider so any further thoughts on hills/flat ground will have to wait...

Going to the Country, Gonna See a Lot of Dinos...

Sorry for the title but Peaches is stuck in my head. I was opening a can of said peaches and inspired, started to sing. My kids didn't believe it was a real song, but unfortunately I contracted an ear worm (apparently that's a thing).

Well 'The Forest' project (apart from basing a few spider cultists) is grinding to a halt as I await more minis from UK. My French Indian War troops are on back order. But the spice must flow! (Aka I need to maintain my momentum)...

 Many of these had been half-painted and I did use craft paint. I'll award myself 8pts for all the basing though. 

 

There is quite a lot of dinos, including 4 t-rexes. There's a few more yet to paint. My son reminds me we also need them for my psychic-knights-100YW-on-dinos project which he is keen to get underway. The kids vetoed the addition of dinos to the forest as it "didn't fit the vibe" and "dinos will take over" which is surprisingly restrained. I reckon adding dinos improves everything.

These villagers are earlier settlers who live on the edge of the forest. The furry, barbarian vikings (you know, the ones who turn into werewolves) live deeper in the forest. My kids like me to tell stories about the game world and (like Tankmunda) it lives in their imagination, sometimes inspiring drawing maps or making their own stories. French Indian Dinos haven't caught on as much, despite showing them Last of the Mohicans battle scenes, then clips from Jurassic Park. Hmm maybe I need to add pirates...

Forest Project

My first Forest rules deliberately had a bit of a D&D (but d12s) feel to it.  You know, stat 6 is average, and 7 is +1, 8 is +2, 9 is +3 and 5 is -1, 4 is -2, 3 is -3 etc - roll d12s against each other to compete etc. I realized how D&D inspired Frostgrave is, actually.  It works fine, and I do like the "advantage" from D&D (a bit like Trench Crusade) but tis a bit clunky. I'm interested in making melee with choices - at least attack/power attack/aoe attack vs fight back/block/dodge - and this probably isn't the best system for that. I viewed my d12Finity rules more for shooting games but it does allow multiple dice/dice pool (defensive dice, dodge dice, etc)...

I'd like it so you can assign dice to a pool, i.e. a sword (parry) could be a defence or an attack dice. A shield is a defence dice. Everyone can use a 'dodge' dice which may break off the attack early if it triggers early in the melee sequence. Longer weapons get 'advantage' on the first round - thanks D&D; and shorter weapons get advantage on subsequent rounds when the fight moves into close/grapple range.

However if this slows the game too much I'll shelve it, use something simpler, so not to detract from the 'faster slicker than Mordheim but more tactical than Frostgrave' vibe I'm aiming for. 

 

My local Bunnings still hasn't restocked 3mm MDF but I found some old coasters and made some round terrain pieces. About a dozen of them. They will also serve as scatter terrain in the postapocalyptic world of Tankmunda where WW2 tanks drive through deserted, ruined, overgrown towns (think Stalingrad meets Pripyat) and wolves (or werewolves) roam the streets. There's a reason folk drive tanks instead of walking, folks. It isn't much but it keeps up the momentum and took only half an hour (terrain is as plastic tube hotglued into 3mm MDF, with sand, spraypainted brown, drybrushed with some real rocks glued on) and the trees I've owned since 2015 so it's all 'free.'

 

 

As you may suspect, I quite like the 'quick water' resin-y premade stuff I bought for a $10 bottle. I think I may mix my own as I currently have a greenish brackish colour only. While I prefer some other methods, I'm matching the style I already have (i.e. MDF, with pipes glued in) with the tree trunks just slipping into the pipes. The hairspray has mostly controlled the 'shedding' but I don't think my ancient Aliexpress trees are coming inside any time soon.

 

d12 40K KillFinity Project

This is frozen as I work hard at Forest mobs and terrain but it was quick to knock out some leapers. They were $15 - from a starter box, I presume. Some coral from the Barrier Reef gives me a (very simple) weird alien base. Drukahri and Orks still need to be done but that's only about ~15 each. 

 

I've been raiding my son's toybox for dinos, and also for random zoo animals etc.  This panther was a posable toy where I filled the gaps. It's quickly painted and nasty but adds another predator to The Forest. I may do some diseased/mutated animals - I've seen a sprue (WA? Frostgrave?) that sells tentacles, rats and leeches I feel I need.  My painted total this week is 40+425 = 465. Plus ~12 or so forest terrain pieces.

 

The Forest - Paint Progress

My local hardware store is out of 3mm MDF so besides purchasing some more hairspray, the terrain building is on hold.  I need 3 sets of terrain:

Ruined towns on the outskirts of The Forest (mysteriously missing townsfolk, or all turned to zombies, or mass graves found - you know the drill). Kinda have this already.

Forest terrain - with some ruins a la Amon Hen whence to access the deeper dark ruins buried beneath. Pending - when the local Bunnings learns to restock its shelves.

Dungeon/ruins/underworld level - where the best and most powerful, malignant relics are to be found. This was a recent project and it's super easy to whip up more.

 

These Fireforge undead peasants were a fantastic addition to my collection and will do duty for fantasy/medieval into the Napoleonic period. They are very versatile sculpts and have lots of leftovers for me to kitbash... I now have about 60-70 various generic undead (skellies, ghouls, zombies, vampires etc) which is a pretty good 'base' for the project. Now I can just get random stuff that catches my fancy. 

I have had success with a $10 botle of premade water/resin stuff on the bases for puddles so I will be adding some muddy pools and swamp areas to my forest floor. Still not 100% sure if I'm going to attach trees directly onto a big scenic base (where they will be removable) or individually base the trees (so they are freestanding atop a scenic base). I've got a bucketload of pines and model railroad trees from a decade ago; they were abandoned when they "shed" too much green flecks but my daughter offered her hairspray which apparently is a good way to fix Christmas trees. (My Christmas is about 35 decrees Celsius so I wouldn't know). 

 

I had some Dire Wolves 3D printed as 5 for $20 is better than 9 for $82...  Especially if you only need 5. These serve as generic corrupted monsters but also can do double duty in a Mordheim-esque warband.
 

Some vampires and necromancers who also serve a dual role - as an "encounter" in The Forest or as warband leaders and heroes. I have now painted all my recent purchases. 395 + this week's 30 = 425 minis painted in 2026 since I started counting. 

Miniature Hunt. I am also trying to create enemies for each biome.  I'm keeping an eye out at the local toy store for animals that can be based/repainted/kitbashed. I'm free to make up my own stuff. The twisted energies of the wyrdstone relics in the Forest as well as radiation zones corruption make a looooot of mutants (I'm channelling a fair bit of STALKER: Pripyat meets Mordheim in my ideas). So some toy dollar-store leopard may sprout the odd tentacle...

I'd welcome any suggestions for cheap or cool forest enemies. I see Wargames Atlantic has a farmyard kit to give your vikings something to Pillage (pun intended), but I may have to get some 3D printed stuff. I need a bear/Bjorn anyway...  ...I'm pretty sure the local K Mart has some animal packs of animals and insects - a human-sized praying mantis would be an epic Forest predator...

 

 

The spiders are tiny plastic toys I found in the bottom of a terrain tub, now based to be a "swarm."  I've just watched The Hobbit so I've decided the spiders are all mildly sentient and will be a major part of the fauna of the Forest. I think the wraith is a 3D print freebie and the bats (maybe from a West Wind kit?) will serve in Middle Earth as well, after being discovered during another shed clean. 

 

Basing. I use very generic bases to allow myself to swap-and-choose among projects - usually a generic light brown and a generic grey/stone.  This is because I was trapped a bit by having lots of those Warmachine lipped 30mm bases - having 200+ of these meant I decided to base my Confrontation OOP minis like them...  and which has left my multi-role pulp minis on a bit of a limb in 30mm as well, not to mention many 30m-base monsters/zombies etc which would be fine vs historicals which I always base on the standard 25mm slotta. Then the Western minis also got 30mm - as I of course prefer Weird West and they fit pretty well with many of the more modern C3/WM models but they technically more akin to my 25mm based stuff... Agh.

 

New Arrivals. My Excel spreadsheet (which is referenced for compatibility) says a few sprues of female Frostgrave soldiers/barbarians etc to pad out my church/witch hunter/crusader/not-sisters-of-sigmar faction/s. Hopefully the heads will match my WA Guards/Conquistadors as I don't plan on getting a female version of anything in plate armour. Then maybe some WA demons to serve as darksouls and I will have pretty complete Mordheim undead and chaos warbands. Also they will make good ghostly suits of armour for the Forest. I'm eyeing some GW beastmen vs WA satyrs who can also double in my Greek mythological project (a long time in the future - I hate painting flesh or white). 

 

Dinosaurs Everywhere! I'm currently basing a lot of K-Mart toy dinos. They are painted with cheap poster paint. The bits of flocking and stuff I add plus the 50mm+ base will probably be the most expensive part of the mini. 

 

Yes, it's chaos at the moment, but currently my work table is fully extended (it folds up against the wall). I fold away a half and shut up my desk depending on how my wife's patience lasts. The whole lot folds up innocuously against the wall...  She tends to tolerate it if my painting output is high.

 

Anyway, the dinosaurs do double duty as well. They serve as mounts for my Perry psychic dino-knights (a longbow is quite effective vs a velociraptor) but will populate the world of the French Indian Dino Wars. Yep, the forest terrain (when I finally get it sorted) will also work out for my Dino Wars in the Age of Reason.  Inspired by the ambush scene from Last of the Mohicans, but with the thought "What if it was lizardmen, not Indians, and they were accompanied by dinosaurs they could mind-control?"

 

As a bonus, the Wargames Atlantic lizardmen (which should be winging on their way) will have spare heads, for my Forest cultists. I already have a spider cult with extra arms (I knew I kept those 2nd ed genestealer bitz for a reason!) so I reckon some lizard-headed cultist mutants will make for some fun rivals in the hunt for relics..... 

Mordheim Rules Thoughts

If everyone wants "better 40K rules" then at least as popular among indie gamers is a desire for "modernized Mordheim." It remains the nostalgia-tinted gold standard for campaign games, with 'vibes' that have stood the test of time. The grimdark Old World setting has resisted GW's attempts to nuke it, and (probably because of GW's lack of meddling) the game remains surprisingly popular for a "dead" game.

I've got my old homebrew fantasy rules but as I enjoy experimenting with different mechanics I dragged Mordheim out to refresh my (now very vague) gameplay recollections. 

Now, we know it is great for thematic 'vibes' and it has a proper deep campaign system (something surprisingly few imitators bother with, despite it being the obvious main hook - not coincidentally, the most successful recent 'not-Mordheim' games - Frostgrave, 7 Leagues, Rangers of Shadowdeep etc have correctly focussed on the campaign aspect. 

But is the game itself fun to play on the table? Highly subjective. But what about the mechanics? We can look at those. How well has Mordheim aged in...    ....25 years? (I still feel like the 80s were 20 years ago ffs...)

I'm looking at the gameplay mechanics, not the strong campaign/themes. Exploration charts, skills, xp, , trading, income etc - probably the core of what makes Mordheim special - is actually outside the scope of this post.

 

My rush for NPCs to populate my "Forest" world has seen my painted total rise from 367 to 395... I've been scavenging in my shed for random animals etc. Some are 15mm scale. My son's plastic toy animals are not even safe....

(-) Activation

Although the rulebook says it is "like chess" it isn't. It's oldschool IGOUGO. You do all the things with all your models, then I do the same.  It's the most stilted, non-flowing, non-interactive way to activate.

Frostgrave (while far from being a great tactical game) breaks it up; you move your wizard + nearby minions, then you do the same; I move my apprentice + nearby minions, then you do the same, then I move my unattached minions and you do the same. It's broken into 6 phases, not 2. There's more opportunities to respond to your opponent. Or MESBG which is even better: I move, you move, I shoot, you shoot, we both melee. Heroes, like wizards, can interrupt this sequence and thus create more phases... ...from 5 to say 9 if you had two heroes each. 

More phases means more choices = more tactics.  This is really where Mordheim shows its mass-battle (WFB) rank-and-flank roots. Thumbs down.

Couldn't we just use alternate activation of individual models like the new Necromunda? Maybe. But I think the charge/counter-charge mechanics may be impacted... 

 

No idea where these came from. Copplestone? EM4? From a lost world of the early 2010s where overseas postage was actually affordable and random purchases more common....
 

(+) Counters, Status, Cinematics, Special Rules

Put down the pitchforks - this one is a positive.  Unlike Frostgrave with its D&D hitpoints, or games like Infinity with 20 status tokens - Mordheim is quite efficient with recording things.

You tip a model facedown (stunned); faceup (knocked down); or remove (dead); the tokens are pretty much just wounds (not all models) and hide. Some big models have multiple wounds but it isn't Frostgrave where everyone has 10+ meaningless hitpoints to record. (20 men x 10HP = 200 boxes). Mordheim is surprisingly clean and uncluttered. 

Despite this, it is quite cinematic. The different "states" or "status" gives a cinematic effect beyond just "OK" and "dead/removed." There are even rules from "death from above" attacks - jumping down onto people! 

Likewise, it uses familiar stats (move, shoot, fight, initiative, etc) to describe the fantasy combatants and doesn't have 101 special rules like Song of Blades. 

Weapon, (~30) spell and (~20) equipment lists are distinctive but restrained. A sword might get a simple special rule "parry" to force a re-roll. A axe might get an armour bonus.  Mordheim also uses very few modifiers (easy to remember) which would be great .....if combat didn't take 5-6 steps...

For such a cinematic, character-based warband game, it is surprisingly uncluttered and sensible in counters and special rules. 

 

This flamethrowing beetle is scarier than it looks - zombie dog for scale... I think it is a 15mm(!) from Khurasan which would make it monstrous as that scale...

(-) Mechanics. Roll a d6... again.... and again.... and again...

These are super clunky. In say Frostgrave (which I never thought I'd use as a good role model...)

1. Both sides roll a d20 + their stat. The highest hits. 

2. The loser deducts their Armour from the winner's score and that is the damage (HP) inflicted. 

One d20 roll. Two things to do. I mean I hate HP and I like minimal math, but the process is very simple. 

.....Now let's take a Mordheim fight. It's like trying to do something on a Mac. Click the same button 10 times to do anything...

1. Roll a d6 to hit (on a table)

2. Roll a d6 to wound (on a different table)

3. Any crits from Step 2? These are quite common and have various effects. Roll another d6!

4. Roll a d6 armour save (this may completely cancel steps 1-3 meaning you wasted your time)

5. Downed? Roll another d6 to see if you are stunned, knocked down or dead.

That's 4-5 rolls, with some rolls cancelling the other rolls (making them meaningless) with the possibility of extra rolls being triggered by special rules.  

I've said elsewhere why tables are bad, unless they have a simple underlying formula which means you don't need them. I.e. double or more 2+, more 3+, even 4+, less 5+, half or less 6+ on a d6 (Warcry?) is fine - you don't even need a table to start with. Mordheim does not do this. Extra annoying to use a different table straight after, instead of having a universal one.

While not at Two Fat Lardies levels, there is a real hodge-podge of mechanics. Sometimes a high roll is best, sometimes low. Sometimes 2d6, usually one.  Even your shooting score (BS) is needs to be checked against the rules to see what roll you actually need....

I secretly enjoy armour saves (though inefficient/bad, they give the impression of agency and involve the defensive player) but not when they undo up to three rolls (with their own tables, modifiers, rules etc): that's really inefficient and annoying.

More subjectively - I find the equal chance of being stunned, downed or killed outright a bit arbitrary, and I never got why anyone should automatically get to "strike first". I mean, I get longer weapons like spears should have an advantage but... ...to always go first? 

I do like some rules like "shoot the closest unless you are up in a sniper perch" which are sensible. The ability to Hide also adds tactical choice. 

The combat resolution in Mordheim is super clunky and dated: alongside the IGOUGO activation it is why I don't play it with my kids. A skirmish game shouldn't need to take 2hrs due to clunky mechanics....  ...Weirdly, I really feel like Zone Raiders (sci fi anime/Infinity) is the actual modern gameplay successor to Mordheim, mechanics-wise.

These moth-a-diles look Lovecraftien (no idea where from - maybe Iron Winds?) and these 15mm Khurasan bugs are "tooth fairies" - they kill intruders to The Forest and devour only their teeth...
 

 (+) Morale

 The ability to break an enemy with only 25% losses (say 3 of your 12 warband) it actually very good in wargames where a 50% bloodbath is the norm. Fights should rarely involve the complete decimation of either or both sides, especially characterful and lovingly customized warbands where death is often permanent.  Rules like hatred, frenzy, stupid, fear are all simple enough and characterful, and have an impact on how you play the mini.  

The leaders giving a morale bonus and the all alone rule (may break if fighting solo with no allies in range) is also cool and surprisingly realistic for a fantasy game. I really like it when you don't have to fight as a team, and there's no magic 2" coherency leashes - but there is an advantage if you do. (MESBG is really good at this too - I tend to find myself making a shieldwall/battle line near a leader even though I can move minis freely anywhere...)

 

 These Heroclix gargoyles have been rebased and touched up....

TL:DR

Mordheim activation is dated. Combat resolution is also super clunky. However it is quite cinematic, surprisingly restrained with special rules, and has better morale/leadership rules and far less table clutter than many more modern offerings.  I don't hate it, but am certainly not planning on playing with my kids.

Verdict: Although the campaign and theme is still top of the line - if you plan on actually playing more than one game in an evening or are getting into skirmish campaigns for the first time - you should probably grab something more modern.

 

Ok these guys are not fantasy but I DID watch Equilibrium/Chappie recently and they were a quick +7 minis to keep my weekly momentum going while I did so....

The Forest (Early Paint Stage)

Well "The Forest" project is (despite taking 4 days holiday) in full swing. I had 27 new minis arriving so I needed to make sure I had painted at least 27.

The terrain is on hold for a day or two until I decide how I am going to base things*. In my old French Indian Dino Wars phase I had big MDF bases with tubes to slot the tree trunks into; but I am thinking I may individually base the trees.  I tend to also (nowdays) build terrain around storage i.e. can I break it down easily to fit into those A4-width clear office boxes.  

*Any links to good Youtubes of quick forest building is appreciated. No, I will not be hand-making my own trees. No, the trees will not be based on elaborate dioramas that take hours per tree.  I spend an afternoon or two, max - for the whole table. I actually plan to play on my table.

'The Forest' is an ancient, Grimms-style forest, dotted with the ruins of an ancient civilization. I am going to remake a 4x4 forest table, which has ruin entrances. If my men go into the entrance, the game moves to a underground 4x4 table (which I've been using a lot recently). Each biome has different roaming monsters. Games will be typical looking for warpstone relics but as I play with my kids I tend to GM scenarios as we go. 

I kinda envision Pripyat/Chernobyl "The Zone" relic hunting but instead it's medieval "The Forest." I imagine my mercenaries speaking with Russian accents. Here is a nicer description of my project's Excel sheet...

 

I discovered some Mantic skellies during a shed clean. Surprisingly annoying to paint (faint detail) but will be useful monsters/undead warband members....

 

The factions will be:

*Mercenaries/Adventurers. Morally ambiguous. Want loot.

Royal Troops. Tend to frown on incursions into prohibited zone. Maybe spare MESBG rangers. 

*Evil Baron's Men. Well equipped party looking for powerful artifacts. Lots of horses and plate.

Order of Mages. A handful of magicians (WA) and some more lightly armed retainers.

*Crusaders. Maybe some Sisters to please my daughter (and allow Mordheim compatability). 

*Witch Hunters. Anything suspicious will be purged. With fire.  Maybe a sprue of flagellants?

All these generic medieval troop factions are all mostly going to be a box each of WA Conquistadors/Guards, maybe a Frostgrave wizard sprue. $125 Wargames Atlantic

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Barbarians. Tribesman living on/in forest. Vikings with more bows and fur. 

Any of my spare vikings/peasants/Saxons, maybe a few Frostgrave barbarian sprues for more furry cloaks and some female representation. $30 Frostgrave

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Elves. Not keen on humans messing with 'Powers that Should not be Awoken.'

Maybe a box of Oathmark light elves - I don't want to use MESBG's iconic style but can proxy them in the interim if needed. $50

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Goblins. Whilst having unpleasant hygiene and no social skills, these are persecuted refugees who have fled human settlements. Short lived,  lightly armed, but resourceful and very numerous.

Oathmark goblin slaves. The raggedy ones. $50 Oathmark

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*Spider/Wolf Cultists. Collect relics. Enjoy chanting and sacrificing with friends. Often have extra limbs. 

I really really wanted the Warcry spider cultists (I have heaps of MESBG spiders) but I'm going to have to kitbash my own extra arms using my Frostgrave cultist box as they are apparently OOP. I may have some barbarian-themed werewolf cultists too. $0

Tidied up and rebased some cannibals. Not sure where these come from but again; will be useful dungeon fodder or as undead ghouls.

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*Necromancers. Misunderstood, these guys really value the sanctity of human life. They don't think any humans should be risked in the search for knowledge in The Forest. ....Yes, I suppose there is that whole zombie thing.

I have  some rather large Fireforge undead peasants who were pressed into service from local village graveyards, and have just got some Frostgrave vampires... $80 Frostgrave/Fireforge

 

These random minis make 37 painted this week for The Forest. So despite my new purchases I am +10 up in the scheme of things. (I always try to paint more than what I buy). The lead mountain is shrinking steadily from it's pre COVID peak.

 --

Monsters. At the moment I am scouring through my bitz boxes, and have unearthed a real kitchen sink assortment. Wolves and eagles, skeletons: sure - but I have also found some 15mm aliens to be scurrying carnivorous beetle-thingies, some rats (meant to be Skaven pets) and a wild pig. Pity my Tyrannid gaunts have sci fi bases as one of those would be a terrifying opponent in a dark forest.  Maybe 3D print a big snake...

Some bears on my wish list - as they also can double up in MESG. $25 3D print

*As you can see, I can use most of the minis for my not-Mordheim/Vermintide game I have planned....

 

Fantasy Detour

Well, I've gone and 'invested' and completely blown my years budget. Already. In April.

You see, I had a shocking realization. I didn't have many fantasy minis! 

Yes, maybe I have 1500+ Lord of the Rings minis. But they are so strongly tied to their IP... it's not a generic forest elf, it's Elrond. They ain't any old ork - they're Saruman's mighty Uruk-Hai!

Yes, technically I have 250+ Warmachine/Hordes. They too are pretty strongly connected to an IP and their unique steampunk vibe makes them even less useful for generic fantasy than my movie-correct LoTR. 

What I needed was... some generic fantasy goodness. To fill that grimdark Mordheim-shaped gap in my heart.  

So Wargames Atlantic (guards, conquistadors) and Frostgrave/Oathmark (various undead) are getting some $$$. 3D print some dire wolves, add in my existing bitz box/sprue dump of Dark Age warriors/saxons/vikings/cultists and we're already making progress. (Damn, I've done it again. I always claim when I have enough wargame dough I'll buy Titanicus but every time I end up spending the same amount of money in smaller increments. GW's beginner boxes are still too much sticker shock - especially when you need to buy both sides).

Anywhoo, I'll post up some comparison size pics etc - if folk are interested - when the minis arrive. 

Why not resin?
I know everyone thinks 3D printing is the second coming, and will revolutionize the hobby.... but I dislike it. I don't like the feel of the material. I don't like how they explode when you drop them or break when they are being painted. I dislike the extra step of cleaning off supports. I dislike the lack of kitbashability. I dislike them far more than the switch from metal to plastic. At least plastic had redeeming features. I quite like the actual 3D printing myself with STLs etc (on my filament printer) but... ....it's a whole separate hobby on its own and I barely have time for this one.

So... ...Mordheim?
Nah. You can't go back. I liked the game back in the day, but the rules are showing their age (unlike MESBG my beloved; which seems to age the same as Keanu Reeves or Paul Rudd). Yes, I printed out the rules, and I'm deliberately ensuring I can make all the base Mordheim warbands, but reckon I'll end up doing my own thing. It's also a good opportunity to experiment with homebrew melee rules. (Allocating attack and defence dice secretly etc like Bushido; I want melee to be more interesting choices than just 'push minis together then chug dice til someone dies.') I also want to experiment with wounds that aren't just disguised, simplified hitpoints - but actually cause cinematic effects and give choices. Maybe I'll smoosh together Bushido and Trench Crusade and stir in d12s. Sounds like a plan.

 

Symbaroum

The kids and I wanted a dark forest setting (like Amon Hem/Mirkwood in LotR but creepier) and while there wasn't any wargames that specifically did this, we did find a RPG that did (all the books on special in a bundle for $24 at the moment if, like me, you are a person who collects and read rules sometimes without ever intending to play them).

Strong setting? Grimdark Scandinavian forest? Exploring creepy ruins in gangs? Corrupting magic? Slightly nonstandard, offbeat theme but can use generic minis? Yup.  

The art is so good my 12 y/o daughter (who loves art) is hassling grandma (an art teacher) about how to reproduce the rulebook's art style (a kind of old fashioned impressionism+lots of light/dark). So now we have some inspiration, and as a bonus many of the minis I make for Mordhiem can do double duty if I borrow Symbaroum factions (there are Black Cloaks aka Witch Hunters, Queens Rangers/Noble Troops aka Mercenaries, Undead/corrupted cults...   ...as undead/chaos cults. Elves are ....elves, just the very unfriendly kind. As a bonus, even a RPG has stats I can use as a base for my own homebrew mechanics (probably using d12, which are my favourite dice at the moment: they are lovely and roomy, convert effortlessly from d6s, but are not as 'swingy' as d20s).

French Indian Dino Wars

I tend to try to make terrain for several uses, and not sure if you remember my French Indian Dino Wars craze? I had just seen Last of the Mohicans, and thought "you know what would make these forests creepier? Velociraptors!" 

So the forest terrain I'm going to be working on will do double duty. Also I noticed there are some really nice plastic militia sets for bulking out my forces (I love Perry sculpts - same guys who did my favourite MESBG scale).

I feel I can probably upgrade my terrain a bit and pimp out the bases. I have some model railroad trees which 'shed' a lot but an experiment with my daughter's hairspray has seemed to 'fix' this problem - kinda gluing them in place.

In my browsing I also notice some plastic lizardmen with muskets (Wargames Atlantic) who may be purchased to act as the herders of said dinosaurs. Maybe they control the dinos with psychic powers? Mind control. Muskets. Velociraptors. Yep, sounds good. 

Painting

This has re-energized my painting. The unfortunate Drukari (alongside orks, the only 40K race not represented in my d12Finity tests) have been put aside. I have to paint more minis than I buy - a rule to clear my backlog. Now I was sitting on +230 minis in recent months but ~100 incoming puts a fair dent on this; so it's off to the shed to get an early start. 

My d12Finity seems to work pretty well for shooting games and I may reuse it with some of my remaining Secrets of the Third Reich which await painting (actually the old original rules a pretty good, a bit like Bolt Action it's a 'improved 40k' with suppression, orders etc - plus werewolves! It's basically Konflikt 47 before there was Konflikt 47).

I'm digging around for stuff that may be useful in "The Forest."  I've got dark age generic fyrd, Anglo Saxons and some vikings that might do as barbarian forest dwellers. Currently some Mantic skeletons are being painted. I really like Mantic ghouls but their skellies lack depth in their details and are thus surprisingly hard to paint (usually skellies are easy.)  FYI, if you are getting into dark age etc - Victrix is the way to go. I have Gripping Beast mostly, and I don't hate them - also their weapons are pleasingly robust - but my goodness, Victrix quality rivals Games Workshop at a fraction of the price. It's just that good. They've even got me considering Napoleonics, an era I have little interest in! 

Miscellany: Space Wizards, Bolt Action, Melee and RPGs

My painting has stalled a little but I've prepped and basecoated ~30 orcs and ~30 dark elves so momentum is still happening. 

Space Wizards & Bolt Action 

Been a little sidetracked - my son wanted a "wizards vs mechs" 15mm so I've been working on rules that are very simple/familiar/40K-ish (he learnt to wargame via MESBG) so I can tack on a magic system without bogging things. My homebrew looked surprisingly like Bolt Action, so much as I may end up merely adapting it for sci fi. 

A few thoughts in this 40k-a-like game: I bounced off it hard, as the 24" maximum rifle range looks stupid (fine for 15mm though!) and Chain of Command is just so much better.

However.... I was looking though CoC with a view to using it with some of my 15mm WW2 (as part of my individual basing vs FoW debate) and.... Chain of Command is surprisingly dense.

Every paragraph has exceptions "you can do x, except when y". Typically of TFL, there are lots of ways to roll dice. Each page has little side-rules. It's like a quirky homebrew made by mates who all were along for the ride. You gotta read it through a few times unless you do have some mates to teach you.

It is a better game than Bolt Action? Certainly. They've really gone for the feel of the game over... pretty much everything else. Universal mechanics, ease of use, etc.  Is Bolt Action much more accessible and straightforward? Also yes.  It does a good job of "40K-plus" with orders and pinning adding an extra dimension while being more straightforward to play. You can pick it up, skim it, and instantly know what's going on, and probably eyeball the units in their familiar mechanics and know how they will perform.

But... isn't there Space Bolt Action already? Yep. Beyond the Gates of Antares (what a mouthful!) swaps to d10s and adds a lot more chrome. Funnily enough I prefer Bolt Action - I like a simple game where I can add my own chrome.  Is BtGoA better than 40K? Probably. As a generic ruleset it would be pretty decent. It's got complexity without being too over-complicated, although it needs a good edit and it could still be simplified. Unfortunately it's tied to the shitty minis and I'd rather play GW rules then be forced to paint a single one of them. (Pretty much my opinion for all Warlord/Mantic rules; Deadzone > Killteam, Dreadball > Bloodbowl, BtGoA > 40K...    ...the games, mechanically, are better - but I couldn't give a stuff about their generic universes or meh minis). 

While I am not gaming this week, my 10 year old has plenty of free time....

Melee and Other Stuff

As my 15mm sci fi homebrew is a thinly disguised old RPG (also based on a desert world, where the wizards "defile" an area and suck out the magic, making an AoE where troops are debuffed and magic is difficult to re-cast... ....to give you a hint). I've been experimenting with converting RPGs, at the same time musing about how melee can be better.

Digging through my rules cupboard, Ronin and En Garde are too dense and involved. I don't want extra tracking. I don't want a kinda resource management minigame. I think the best balanced "melee +" rules are more like Bushido - you just hide which dice are assigned to attack and what are assigned to defend in your hand, so you can surprise/bluff your opponent. Basically some type of dice pool that is not tracked. 

I've experimented with d12Finity in how players can assign dice rolls to cancel out opponent hits i.e. a Tyranid has 3 attacks and may chose to put aside 1 to cancel an attack from a hapless Tau; or sequencing of attacks i.e. you roll 7 and 3 vs a 5, 4. The 7 could be used to cancel lower strikes or just do damage. The 4 or 5 might get the same choice - to cancel the 3 or just attack. 

In an experimental ruleset (not Middlehiem's d10+stat which was originally a Skyrim-meets-my-Warmachine models) ....which takes place in a dark forest where using magic gains you corruption..... (you see I do like RPGs for ideas I just hate the actual rules - bonus points if you can guess this one too) I'm simply doing some sort of "attack stance" "balanced stance"  "defence stance." 

 

My son's rules, from what I can see, are a mix of 40Kisms "3+ good, 4+ OK, 5+ bad" and "the rule of cool" allowing heroes to roll extra dice or re-do fails...   ....I'm not going to criticize as Osprey published The Doomed which has about the same amount of actual rules...

Q1:40K/Necromunda's Best Psychic Rules

This is an audience question. As I'm adapting 40K stats for d12Finity - which was the most detailed 40K psychic rules? .....I mean proper rules, not some sort of 10th ed keyword nonsense.  I think my 40K rulebooks are either 2nd (cards?) or 5th (kinda bland, can't recall) but I'm sure I can source a pdf from the internet *cough.* I don't care about balance, etc - just what gives the most interesting selection of cool spells etc for all the factions.

Q2:A RPG that would make a great wargame...

I quite enjoy reading RPGs as long as I don't have to actually play them (like I energetically analyse/test boardgames but assiduously avoid boardgame nights) so this is another audience question.  

Are there any RPGs that you think would make an amazing wargame....  ....and has readily available minis?  

Or could be adopted easily without too many bespoke critters etc? I.e. I like norse fantasy but I find it hard to obtain draugr (well, affordable ones), ditto Greek hydras and harpies. But they at least have minis  (or STLs) available. Talking about unavailable minis....

Sailboats and Other Stuff

....Another distraction is my new 4.5m Nacra catamaran which has eaten up lots of weekend time. As my last sailing days were as a teen, figuring out rigging took 2hrs...  ....not 30mins. Which I predicted beforehand to my wife, so you can't claim I was overconfident. 

Obviously, not only am I ferretting around for my 1:3000 sailing ships, I also want to make a modern sailing wargame (a la Waterworld - maybe hydrofoiling little boats like a foil moth, but with a GPMG mounted on it; or maybe ice yachts set in alternate WW1 like this.  Problem is models. Even STLs are not exactly thick on the ground....