Sunday, December 30, 2012

Wooden Ships and Mare Bellicus

Back in November, I was puttering around the blogosphere, as I am wont to do, looking at what interesting, and sometimes not-so-interesting, ideas that my fellow wargamers were working on. I ran into this post on scratch built pre-dreadnoughts at Lead Gardens, which gave me an idea. Nicely dovetailing with that, I saw this from Bob Cordery, with his Portable Wargame pre-dreadnought naval rules. This icing on the cake for my idea was helped by the Old Admirals blog. None of these blogs should be overlooked as they are chock full of inspiration.

So, my issue was this:

I wanted to get my sons some wargames, but with an extremely tight budget, I had little to work with. So, after going through the above sites, and utilizing the weekly 50% to 60% off coupons from Michaels, I hit on the solution to my dilemma.

Using the idea at Lead Gardens, I found these at Michaels.
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 A bag of 1000 assorted pieces retails for just under $8, but with my coupon, I got two bags for less than $7. I also got two packets of beads, with coupons, for less than $5. They go for much more (over $13) on Amazon, so avoid that trap. I had white glue and paint brushes and my sister had a large box of crafting paints. I also had straight pins, wooden matches, and I bought an 1/8 inch wooden dowel for under 80 cents. Now, the above picture does not show all of the shapes in the bag as there are at least two other shapes in the mix that are long oblongs, sort of like ship hulls. I turned out that we had plenty of wooden toothpicks for the funnels, so the dowel was not a needed purchase.

With the above supplies, and using the Portable Wargame rules, my project was ready to be presented as a Christmas gift (this was made possible because of the kind folks who supplied the other gifts).

Wanting to start with dead simple rules, the Portable Wargame naval rules fit the bill perfectly. I used the base hull points as the point costs for the individual ships, giving my sons and I each 100 points to build a fleet. Due to the wood pieces being of finite quantity, and of roughly five useable sizes, I removed the torpedo boats and coastal defense battleships from the fleet rosters.

Here are my lads busily calculating their fleets.
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I had given the group a short briefing on the characteristics of each ship type, followed by a run down of what a mixture of ships might be capable of, plus the relative construction rates for the types. Essentially, I figured 100 points to be about a task force worth of points, or perhaps a squadron of pre-dreadnoughts.
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Then, I described how the ships might be constructed, armed, and included ideas for positioning ship's components. After that, I let them loose to design their ship classes. The  above shapes are tracings of the wood pieces, of different sizes. With the uses for each.
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  Note, you can see how one of my sons had designed, on paper, the look of his ships. These pictured are destroyers, as we are doing all the classes, one at a time, together.
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The shipbuilders at work, with the materials ready at hand.

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One class of DD, the small beads represent barbettes.

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These are my own destroyers, the small beads are represent small, quick firing, guns. I later added torpedo tubes in the bow, and a single mast just behind the control room, in the bead located there.I drilled the hole for the funnel completely through the ship, giving both it and the ship more strength. This wood does tend to crack, so small pilot holes were drilled with a pin vise first, which prevented all but one piece from cracking, but that one piece was saved.

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Here is the shipyard at the end of the night's work. The white beads with letters are for 5-6" gun  turrets, which will be using also on our cruisers for 8-9" guns.

The nice things about these rules is the exact components don't matter to the game, just the ship type. This meant my sons could design their own ships according to their individual tastes, but have them all be equal in capabilities. I have their fleet rosters, which I will post over on Mare Bellicus soon.

We are also working on our zombie miniatures. We are spending a portion of our free time between each project, trying to advance them both enough to play by next weekend. I will be posting about the zombie game within a couple of days.

Friday, December 28, 2012

A few days after Christmas and all through the house

Okay, now that the fuel pump and fuse have been replaced, as a shadetree mechanic, with my dad, and now that the family gathering is done with, I have the time to post again.

Just over a month ago, this Christmas appeared to be heading towards bleakness, with a side of despair. While I was just recently hired as a substitute teacher, I won't be paid for another month, but it won't be for a second month still before I actually have a real paycheck. Following a full year of being unemployed, with only my selling off parts of my hobby collection as a means to have spending money, I really had zero hope to have any kind of Christmas for my sons.

Over several months of scrimping on anything I absolutely did not need, as well as cutting back on things that I really do need, I was able to set aside a paltry amount of money for a "family" gift. I  belong to several yahoo groups, but to one, I posted a request for information as to where I could obtain some rules an miniatures on sale, under the amount of money I had.

Well, several individuals responded by not telling me about any sales, instead they shipped my sons and I miniatures, paper terrain, and rules. I was, and still am, overwhelmed by such generosity, especially as I have never really been on the receiving end of it. We received enough quantities of items to allow us to have a selection of "good guys" and enough "bad guys" to not have to recycle them every other turn. And the terrain provided will enable me to make a 4x4 table out of scrap plywood that my father has. All of this was totally unexpected and unsolicited, but so very greatly appreciated just the same. My sons' Christmas went from bleh to fantastic almost overnight.

I have pledged to pay forward this generosity as soon as I possibly can, so perhaps another father in similar circumstances may find a bright lining to an otherwise dreary holiday season.
                                                 http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-130746355028727_2239_12222553
Now, with my sons and I having a full three weeks together this year, we're working on building our miniatures, terrain, painting, and playing board or card games as often as we can. The result is that I needed to create two new blogs to keep track of our adventures together. Zed Dawn will regale the reader in our post-apocalyptic adventures, complete with zombies, using All Things Zombie: Final Fade Out. Mare Bellicus contains the history of six antagonistic naval empires set in the period 1898-1910. Both blogs are new works in progress (no posts as yet), but I hope to have them all sorted by next weekend (I'm only working on them when my sons are in bed). I will post here on behalf of both blogs, with terrain and miniatures updates, but battle reports (well, most of them) will be posted to those blogs.

I am hoping that by tomorrow night, I will be able to upload a number of pics I took of my sons working on their ATZ characters and our naval fleets.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Quick update

Christmas for my sons was terrific (more on this later...much ado about miracles) and my own was wonderful as one of my sisters took me to see Les Miserablès with her family. My sons and I have spent time working on their Christmas gifts, but due to the car breaking down today ( the car I borrowed from my parents ) we lost several hours of the day...and tomorrow, I lose most all my day trying to fix the car ( I think the fuel pump is dead ) now that it has been towed to my parent's driveway.

I have a few posts to put up, but losing the hours, today, means I have to put them off for another day or two.

However, I did create two new blogs, associated with this one, for our (my sons' and mine)  ATZ: FFO campaign, and for a naval wargame campaign for us. I will set up links to those blogs when I get to the posts here.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Girl Geeks...Yes, they do exist!




Star-Trek-Banner
*"Scotty, beam her up. Beam her up now!"

There exists a somewhat mythical tale of strange females who venture into the masculine world of Geekdom. While I have often heard versions of this story, usually with the women being gorgeous beyond description who hang on the every word of overweight, undersexed, and abnormal men, little evidence has been found to support the veracity of them.
 
 *The only estrogen here is in the pills taken by the guy wanting to change genders.


That is, until now. New archeological evidence has just surfaced within the last two years, with depictions of female geeks or "Geeknesses" if you would. This evidence, linked here, while as yet unverified by this investigator, may indeed be the missing link.


*Will she review my blog?

Now, I know some of you are thinking, "Hey, I have seen a girl at a game before" but anecdotes are not evidence. Also, it is a far different creature when it comes to the woman whom is attached to a man, through a relationship, who then discovers that man's geekness, and "suffers" through his fascination and participation in his hobbies. This creature considers the geek world as "something weird, but cute, which must be endured" as opposed to "hey, I think this is something I want to become more involved in for myself."

Unless, of course, this is what she looks like, and the becoming-a-geek step is taken just to meet men.
 
 *Remember, you cannot un-see this!

[After that, you NEED to look at this:
 

 *Imagine, if they were in your gaming group, what trouble with the wife or girlfriend would you have?
Pause here. Spend a moment. Feel better?]

Yes, Yes. There are plenty of variations of "eye candy" at gaming shows, dressed as scantily as it is possible to be without being arrested, but these are employees who are only there for the paycheck, not because they like being ogled, and often (sadly) fondled, by the male attendees.  Expecting otherwise is like inviting supermodels whom you don't know to your birthday party and thinking they will actually show up.
 
 *I'll invite these two to my next birthday party, but I'd have to dress up like Spock. Sorted!

This evidence may well help to save the human race. After all, as gaming becomes ever more popular with the young adult segment of the population, we will need for them to actually meet in order to have a chance for mating rituals to begin, let alone take place at all. Even better, the evidence proves that attractive, active, and creative females do exist, somewhere, in Geekdom. Good luck finding one, or more, for yourself.

Now, I will leave you all with holiday video, one prepared by several of the women pictured here. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Wish List 2013

I had a few extra moments to hash out a second post for the week, as I was not called in to sub today. I thought I would post my wish list for the year, mainly as a reminder for myself to focus. My family has never "got" my interest in the wargaming hobby. The result being that I have never received from them a gift that could be associated with wargaming. Thus, I am left to my own devices, and wallet when there is something to go in it.

What follows is my list for the year, with regard to wargaming. This is not in any particular order.

1) Longstreet by Sam Mustafa.
2) Platoon Forward by Too Fat Lardies.
3) Troops, Weapons, & Tactics by Too Fat Lardies.
4) 8 boxes of ACW Infantry, 3 boxes of ACW Cavalry, 2 boxes of ACW Zouave infantry, and 3 ACW Artillery packs by Perry Miniatures. These are to go with #1 when it releases this summer.
5) Check Your 6! and a dozen or so planes to go with it.
6) Teddy Bear fur and hard grass mat for terrain making.
7) Army storage boxes or containers as the ones I have won't work with multiple based miniatures.
8) The time and space to paint more miniatures. If you knew how I lived, atm, you'd cry. I have less than 30 square feet of floor space open to me and that has to remain open so I can walk around in my rented room.  If you are worth in excess of $100 million, then contact me about buying me a house. :)
9) 12 assorted officer/ensign figures for my WSS army from Ebor Miniatures as they go well with my Wargames Factory plastics.
10) My M.A. in History. I include this as it will help to allow me to PAY for the above. If all goes well, I will graduate with it in May 2013.

and the bonus wish

11) 10mm WWII Pendraken miniatures, including Germans and Americans to go with #2 and #3 above. Will need several packs, probably $100 worth in total.

The biggest expense, limiting it to miniatures/rules, is #4 and will likely not happen, unless I can score a permanent teaching position by early Fall of next year. Of course, my necessary expenses for living, working, and supporting my sons will prevent me from acquiring even one of these items on the list until close to Summer. But, as we wargamers with families know, this is a balancing act that we never can get right.

I am curious as to what others are wishing for, for their own wargaming needs.

Monday, December 17, 2012

10 Questions for the Wargamer answered.





 I am finally posting my answers to questions posed by the Dynamic Duo of the UK, Fran and Ray back in the Summer.
1.        Favorite Wargaming period and why?
This is a tough one as my professional, and personal, interests extend to all of military history. My area of specialty is 1607(ish) to 1815, with a greater focus on 1700-1714 and also 1792-1815. 

I do enjoy wargaming WSS, SYW, Wars of Napoleon, and ACW, primarily, but I suppose my interest in imagi-nations (early) places my favorite in WSS/GNW.

2.       Next period, money no object?
ACW, truly. I have ancestors, on both sides, who fought in the war or directly supported the war economically or logistically. I was a reenactor for a few years which cemented my interest in the period rather permanently.

3.       Favorite 5 films?
Somewhere in Time 
It's a Wonderful Life

Aliens 

Lord of the Rings (all three films)


The Hobbit (will be all three films)

4.       Favorite 5, err 3, TV series?
I haven't sat down to watch a television show in fifteen years, so this one is nearly impossible for me to adequately answer. Some shows I have viewed via Netflix or Amazon.com digital downloads, which are what I have listed here.

House - I really do identify with Gregory House in a number of ways. Mostly, due to my not giving a crap about a lot of things (or people).

Pushing Daisies - A cute little series that was, sadly, short-lived. My interest was drawn by 

And by


Battlestar Galactica (newer version) - it was all about her

5.       Favorite 5 books and authors?
Middle-Earth books: J.R.R Tolkien 

Warlord (series)

Alas Babylon
Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen
Dune
6.       Greatest General?
John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough
For a guy that suffered extensively from migraines and who had to cope with allies who made his job rather difficult at times, he won a war that lesser beings later gave away.


7.       Favourite Wargames rules?
Beneath the Lily Banners 2nd ed. & anything by Sam Mustafa
 01.Beneath the Lily Banners 2nd Edition

Lasalle-Front-Cover-500
Maurice-Book-sq

M-R-cover-500

8.       Favourite Sport and team?
Sports... I was an avid player of sports, in my youth, but as an adult, my interest has waned. If pressed, I would have to say:
American Football and the Pittsburg Steelers


9.       If you had an only-use-once time machine, when and where would you go?
A tricky question, really. A modern person, sent back a century or more, would likely soon die from, or at least contract, a disease we're not exposed to in our present era.  Since I have my sons, going alone would be abandoning them, so another bad side-effect.  
Also, as a migraine sufferer (I have had a headache every day for 30 years), going to a time without any medicinal relief (opiates don't count as I am not a druggie) would be a hindrance. Instead, I would go forward, with my sons, 100 years, in the hope of finding a cure for our bad eyesight and propensity to suffer from migraines.

10.   Last meal on Death Row?


And

11.    Fantasy relationship and why?
Mondays
Tuesdays
Wednesdays
Thursdays

Fridays
Saturdays
And
Sundays

And for holidays
and also
felicia day
Because I also happen to like good conversation and these lovelies would keep things interesting. Of course, with them in my life, I would have NO time for wargaming...I think I could cope.

12.   If your life were a movie, who would play you?

When sans facial hair 
And
When with facial hair

13.   Favourite Comic  Superhero?
Because the dude is bad@$$ without the damn tights from X-Men. The adamantium claws and skeleton, plus super-human healing, would keep me going for centuries.

14.   Favourite Military quote?
"Si vis pacem, para bellum" 

Flavius Vegetius Renatus

15.   Historical destination to visit?


The green hills of Ireland call to me in a way that only my ancestors would know and understand.

16.   Biggest Wargaming regret?
That I am too poor to be able to go to Historicon every year or even once a decade.

17.   Favourite Fantasy job?
Lecturer of Military History

18.   Favourite Song/Music piece Top 5?
Canon in D - I hate that this is now a wedding song as I enjoy it for the ethereal tonality when played  with piano, flute, and strings.
A Poor Wayfaring Man - my favorite hymn.
Thunderstruck by AC/DC - to get started on a Monday morning.
Only The Lonely - Roy Orbison
Come Away With Me - Norah Jones

19.   Favourite Wargaming Moment?
Don't have one, to be honest. I just like to be able to wargame when I get the opportunity.

20.   The miserable Git question, what upsets you?
When people act without thinking and only think without acting; action based solely on emotional responses. I also loathe people who tell me what I am thinking or give my actions meaning as they are invariably wrong on every count. I do not fall into whatever pattern they have learned in psychology as my aims and motivations are not based on the same thing as most everyone else.