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Post by Mark Wightman on Sept 23, 2008 11:05:50 GMT
With all the talk last night, and on Sunday, of next years club demo game I thought I'd better start a thread to pull all our thoughts together.
For me, I think we should be aiming to put on another large game 12 x 6 or 16 x 6 or even bigger if needs be. For something this size to look good it needs to be either:
15mm - and covered in figures (like this years game) 28mm - and again with large blocks of figures (like last years Vikings) or with a large and impressive terrain feature.
And although we could put on a monster Fantasy game, historical games tend to attract much more interest from the punters.
If people don't want to buy complete new armies (and paint them), then I guess were limited to a game that would use some of our existing large collections - with perhaps a few extra units produced for the game. With that in mind I think this would realistically mean:
15mm - Flames of War (again) or ACW (Fire and Fury) 20mm - WWII 28mm - Chariot Wars, Punic Wars, Vikings & Saxons, El Cid, SYW, AWI, Jacobite Rebellion, Napoleonics (1812 Russia)
What do people think? I've some other more specific thoughts, but I'll hold off posting them and let other people have a go first.
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Post by sapper on Sept 23, 2008 12:27:55 GMT
Mark
For my tuppence worth, I favour 28mm SYW.
We have plenty of figures kicking around the club, and I believe Matt made some noises last night about joining us on the 28mm SYW band-wagon. There is scope for fielding large, imposing looking bodies of troops; plenty of colour and spectacle with the added bonus of being slightly more obscure than Napoleonics. We're more likely to be unique on the circuit with the earlier period. People have seen and done Napoleonics so we'd really have to pull the stops out to make a game that stands out and with SYW we're less likely to attract the sort of anorak who will tell us the facings on the collars are inappropriate for that particular month in 1813...etc.
Also, ...I've got SYW figures and I want to play with them.
Martyn
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Post by Mark Wightman on Sept 23, 2008 13:26:55 GMT
There is scope for fielding large, imposing looking bodies of troops; plenty of colour and spectacle with the added bonus of being slightly more obscure than Napoleonics. To my mind our existing SYW armies don't look that imposing on the battlefield. The majority of the Infantry units are 12's - 6 inches wide by 1 deep. They look OK, but to my mind to be imposing units have got to be a lot bigger than that. Also, ...I've got SYW figures and I want to play with them. Martyn I can understand that. We've done the SYW before though and my vote would be for something we've not done before, or at least something we've not done recently. Last few games have been: Normandy (Flames) Viking Raid (WAB) SYW (AoR) FIW (Skirmish house rules) Culloden (AoR) My memory gets hazy after that, but 3 out of the last 5 have been 18thC games.
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Post by sapper on Sept 23, 2008 14:49:32 GMT
Mark
I had envisaged fielding units of more than 12 figures 'cos you're absolutely right about small units' lack of imposingness.
However, be that as it may, I take your point about not wanting to re-hash areas already done in recent years. That being the case, though, i think it might be wise to consider re-assessing the premise that we don't want to commit to prooducing whole new armies.
My (next) suggestion would be that we use the 2009 game as a focus for starting a new period and/or scale and/or rule-set in the club. Now, I appreciate that that means we would have to find a consensus as to what period/scale/rule-set we go with, and that in itsef might be opening a can of worms. I also appreciate that it would require people dipping in to their pockets and buying new lead.
BUT, by analogy with the 2012 Olympics, the investment and effort would leave us with a tangible legacy; something which dusting off existing armies wouldn't do.
I take your point about the frequency of C18th games the club has put on in recent years, but notwithstanding this several people (including yourself) have shown interest in Beneath the Lily Banners and the 'Malburian' period. I'm sure that between us we could cobble together a significant number of Spanish Succession figures by next May. I think that is the area we are most likely to get a critical mass of club members on board with.
Other possible periods:
Rennaissance (Polish Winged Hussars, Spanish Tercios, 30YW), Crimean War, Franco-Prussian, Sudan and the fuzzie-wuzzies.
Anyway, the main theme of this ost is that we consider focussing on something new.
Martyn
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Post by Mark Wightman on Sept 23, 2008 15:23:24 GMT
Anyway, the main theme of this ost is that we consider focussing on something new. In an ideal world this would be my choice too. However, it is pie in the sky. You'll never get enough people to agree on which "new" period to start. I'll admit the BLB rules have given me an interest in the late 17th/Early 18th C, but the more I look into it the more I dislike the idea of getting a 28mm army for the period. I've already got SYW French, Austrians, British, Prussians (very old minfigs), AWI Yanks, AWI Brits, Jacobites - many of which fight in a very similar fashion to their earlier counterparts. I'd be looking at spending £250+, plus months of painting to add a period that isn't too different to one I've got comprehensively covered already. Now doing it in 15mm, where you could field every regiment/battalion for a very large battle - that sounds like fun - but it doesn't sound like a good club game. Anybody else got any suggestions for a new period? Here's a chance to suggest your pet project chaps ;D Dave - How about some Chariots
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Post by sapper on Sept 23, 2008 15:30:30 GMT
Mark
My personal preference would be for 30YW in 28mm (have a look at the lovely figures on the Assault Group web-site), but I take your point about getting sufficient consensus, I wasn't expecting it to be easy (or even possible)... but worth posing the question, surely ?
As an alternative I would be in for Field of Glory Ancients in 28mm.
I'll shut up now... for a while.
Martyn
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Post by dave3 on Sept 23, 2008 17:40:02 GMT
Anyway, the main theme of this ost is that we consider focussing on something new. Anybody else got any suggestions for a new period? Here's a chance to suggest you pet project chaps ;D Dave - How about some Chariots Well, as it happens I have a few of those!! LOL I wouldn't dismiss some smaller scales, even 6mm, to portray large battles. I was impressed with the games at Colours, Alma, and Isandlwana. I even commented to the players that such large battles could only practicly be done in that scale. However yes a can of worms alert for new period and lead buying. I am already painting my new Condottas, and I have Hittites, the rest of my Egyptians, plus 40K orks to do! To add to the list of games, we did a big fantasy siege using Piquet a la Mark and 28mm WW2 "Combat" Dave
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Post by daveb on Oct 1, 2008 8:55:15 GMT
How about ones of those games with multiple small factions? "Pulp" or Back of Beyond type of things? This would mean a smaller outlay per person and it wouldn't be so important if "Marmaduke" or whoever couldn't make the Little Snoring show or whatever. It might mean a largish expenditure on terrain, I think that sort of game needs really good scenery, but could the club not stand at least some of the cost as the terrain could be used in other games at the regular club meetings?
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Post by dave3 on Oct 1, 2008 18:18:07 GMT
It's a thought, did you have anything specific in mind, Dave?
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Post by daveb on Oct 1, 2008 18:30:42 GMT
No real ideas, but I'm thinking of Indiana Jonesish sort of nonsense rather than "Back of Beyond" Chinese style stuff. Or perhaps groups of adventurers looking for various things in a Peter Jackson style King Kongish envirnoment, treasure, dinosaurs, native types, that sort of thing. Done properly, and I think we have suficient to do so, it should be fun, perhaps participation? As I said in the other post we'd only need a dozen or so figures each, plus a few of e 2special types each.
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Post by Mark Wightman on Oct 6, 2008 10:12:59 GMT
Some more thoughts after Derby . . .
6mm - Sorry chaps, with one small proviso, this scale just won't do for a club game. There were a couple of very nice looking 6mm games: Leipzig and Minden. Both looked quite good, but weren't, to my mind at least, visually engaging enough.
The small proviso would be - I think 6mm could work at a truly massive scale. And it would have to be truly massive. Using a figure ratio of maybe 1:2 or even 1:1.
Maybe something for the future, but not 2009.
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Post by mike on Oct 6, 2008 11:55:44 GMT
Must say I rather like Daves multi-player, skirmish / Indian Jones(ish) type idea - very silly and therefore great fun
A dozen or so figures per player makes for a fast game and a ruleset shouldn't be a problem - there are plenty kicking around we can easily adapt (Mordhiem, LotOW, etc)
And if we pick a simple enought ruleset (one that's relatively easy to explain to Joe Public), partiticipation also becomes an easy option - so we can put that decision off until later
Also, with only a few figures each to paint there's time to to do a proper job on them all, so it should look really good
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Post by steven on Oct 8, 2008 21:38:32 GMT
I think Mike and Dave make good points. How about WW1 in 28mm, assualt on a fort or trench attack. Or maybe something like a Zepplin fight. However, something like a large SYW game would look good. Or how about Richard the Lionheart and Arsuf? I strike one note of caution though about games needing large amounts of specialist terrain - we are running out of storage space!!!
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Post by dave3 on Oct 8, 2008 22:04:44 GMT
Yes, maybe somekind of 28mm game would be in order. How about some kind of game representing that episode in WW1. Where the Royal Navy had an expedition to put 2 gunboats in... (I forget which African Lake!). But we could use our hex boards, with the beach section as the Lake shore, the objective. and our column being attacked by German backed tribal warriors, Askaris etc. Steve Cowperthwaite could make theboats! lots of Jungle terrain to make.Thoughts?
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Post by Mark Wightman on Oct 9, 2008 11:24:25 GMT
Yes, maybe somekind of 28mm game would be in order. How about some kind of game representing that episode in WW1. Where the Royal Navy had an expedition to put 2 gunboats in... (I forget which African Lake!). But we could use our hex boards, with the beach section as the Lake shore, the objective. and our column being attacked by German backed tribal warriors, Askaris etc. Steve Cowperthwaite could make theboats! lots of Jungle terrain to make.Thoughts? You are thinking of Mimi and TouTou. The lake is Lake Tanganyika. This doesn't interest me. The Naval battle was very one-sided. There was no action on the shore. Sounds dull to me - sorry.
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