Into the Bocage

When I started playing WW2 games I decided (or rather my regular gaming partner and I decided) to initially focus on Normandy. Unfortunately my opponent was very slow to start collecting, veered off by buying Russians and then, sadly it seems, lost interest altogether (at one point during a game he even said “I’m bored of Normandy gaming”, I looked at the open table where Germans and Russians were fighting and realised that I was on my own). If I’d known (whilst I am really interested in Normandy) I might have chosen an easier theatre with less scenery like Africa (it’s in the works). Luckily my new gaming friends from my local club are really interested in playing D-Day onwards so nothing has really been wasted.

A key feature of Normandy gaming (at least in some sectors) is Bocage hedgerows. These are banks with thick hedge on top which create a very unique gaming experience. They are hard to cross and reduce the effectiveness of tanks by blocking line of sight, perfect from my point of view as I wanted to play games like Chain of Command which are infantry centric. Unfortunately this means that to play such games you need to build a fair bit of bocage (literally tens of feet of the stuff); something that often stops gamers totally or means that the bocage that is put on the table is just not representative (usually there is just not enough of it).

Allied troops fighting through the bocage in 1944. 

I was lucky enough to grow up in deepest, darkest Herefordshire where most lanes are lined with what is in reality bocage. I have experienced trying to get through it whilst adventuring as a child and have a realistic view of how hard this would be for adults under fire in full kit. Whilst you can buy pre-built bocage from various online sellers such as battlefront (quite costly, not particularly realistic and comes in small amounts) I’d decided I wanted to try and make my own.

Scots Guards fighting in the bocage by Terence Cuneo from Cranston Fine Arts website. This is an excellent representation of the true severity and size of the bocage country (and a beautiful painting).

I started  by using laser cut MDF from Supreme Littleness products using their 25mm wide linear terrain bases. I could have cut them myself (with considerable effort and hassle) but the ones from SL were the perfect size, affordable and had a good range of junctions to make it varied. The owner Michael was really helpful and went out of his way to provide exactly what I needed. Sometimes I’d rather spend money and support a fellow hobbyist when it reduces the work I’d need to do and the products are of such good standard.

The sheets of MDF ready to be separated and become many feet of bocage.

I bevelled the edges using a sharp knife, then cut and glued some 10mm thick blue foam I had in store to each piece and left it to dry overnight. Next day I trimmed the foam to generate a bank like profile. I then covered each section with 4ground base render (any grout or render would work I just seemed to accidentally keep buying pots of the stuff) and left it to dry. Next day I coated the pieces in Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement and covered them in sand. In some sections I added gateways using bits of 4ground fences, I also marked up some parts to be made as destroyed sections or as defensive positions for the Germans to hide in. I then sprayed the finished pieces with Citadel black spray paint. I have started twisting and forming some of the smaller Woodlands Scenic trees which would be be inserted in various places to raise the height of the hedgerow and give it a more realistic appearance. At this point I realised that I hadn’t made quite enough straight sections and got back in touch with Michael at Supreme Littleness. He rapidly sent out more straight sections which arrived promptly just before the current lockdown. 

The pieces ready to covered in 4ground base render. Note the defensive positions (writing on them in pen saved a lot of confusion later). 

Some of the final pieces before and after being covered in sand. At this point it seemed an endless task. Let’s hope it’s worth it.

So that’s where I am at the moment. The bulk of the bocage bases are done and I’m working on the extra bits (I’ve had to give up my evening workspace recently as my multi-talented wife has been busily making scrubs for our local doctors and hospital). I have a good selection of Woodland Scenics products to create the hedges and will cover this in a further post (a clever way to say I don’t yet know what I’m going to do yet).

Not the most exciting post or pictures but I’m getting quite excited to play on a proper Normandy table soon. I’ve also started forming and basing trees to help make my table more aesthetically pleasing and I’ll post about these too soon.

Hope you are all safe and well

BALM

Bolt Action from June.

Some pictures of one of our games in June. It was approx. 3000pts of Soviets versus Germans with a 24 dice limit. The soviets were a classic infantry horde with maxims and varied zis guns, supported by some T-34's and other green tanks (who can tell the red hordes clunky death traps apart). My Germans had a core of motorised veteran infantry supported by mortars, Panzer IV's, a Panther and even a Tiger.

The view from the German side of the table. The church and village are flanked by some farmland and woods.

A little western in appearance this area of the eastern front. The church offered a perfect vantage point and the battle was sure to focus around the surrounding village.

My Tiger rumbles on to be instantly KIA'd by a waiting T34. It was a long shot and caused an instantaneous drop in my (and thus my little chaps) moral.

First blood to the Russians and my Tiger burns merrily, the assailant can be seen to the right of the outbuilding in the distance.

My half tracks rush forward supported by the pz.IV's and the Panther. The infantry dismount and begin the push to dislodge the soviets from the village.

The infantry disgorge from the transport and prepare to meet the oncoming Russians.

The Panther and panzer IV's prowl amongst the trees as they respond to the soviet threat across the village. The burning Tiger a constant reminder that they aren't untouchable.

As the main infantry attack pushes into the village my recon 250 speeds down the left flank to put its small squad in an advantageous position.

The game was a success for the Axis powers even with the Tiger destruction but it was a hard fight with the soviet armour being a tough opposition. Once again I took half tracks in an attempt to use them in BA rather than dismiss them. The tank combat in BA is so simple you can't pin your hopes on them, as I proved with such appalling use of my iconic German super tank. I'm still having a lot of fun with BA, our tables and miniatures are slowly getting prettier. I'm looking forwards to getting the bulk of my Germans done so I can start on my allied forces.

Thank you for taking the time,

BALM.

A return and quick catch up

The on going battle with my time has gone against me again. Since Salute I haven't touched this blog but that hasn't stopped my hobby furtlings. This post is a simple catch up with some of the pictures of Salute that are lurking on my phone followed by some pictures of the games we played before and after the show.

A few shots of the Dropzone Commander display table. It was beautifully thought out and my camera work does nit do it justice. There were little tableaus and scenes scattered throughout the table and the whole thing was an excellent advert for the game (I've been told it's brilliant).

 

 



Various vendors were entrenched in the hall but, as an already confirmed fan, I only have some pics of 4ground. The fantasy town was excellent and something I'd never have the room for.....

 

 

 

 

An awe inspiring scratchbuilt ship model that was the pinnacle of functionality meeting

aesthetic beauty. It's since been featured in WI and some other publications and rightly so.

 







 

Finally an extended Cold War gone hot table with a section of autobahn being used to land a C130. Big, well thought out but not very exciting for me....

 

 



That's the Salute pictures briefly and hopefully if you're reading this it means I can update my blog using my little tablet (attempts using the phone blogger app were destroyed due to crapness). Next up some shots of the games we played during the Salute weekend.

 

Thank you for taking the time,

 

BALM

Pictures from our games of Chain of Command

     A few more pictures from our January gaming binge. Probably not in any order. I've only just got the rules square(ish) in my mind, remembering to take photographs and make notes instead of being excited about tiny metal men is still a problem.

     Set up for a head to head match to check we had the rules straight. The little red dice are the russian's patrol marker and the large orange d20's are their JOPs. Unhelpfully I seem to have removed my dice and put some scenic JOPs down. Extremely close together. Had it gone wrong I was risking a cascading collapse in force morale if over run. Stereotypical German efficiency (and stunning generalship - of course) however meant the Germans were victorious. Their ability to concentrate withering (if not always that effective - Nuffle be praised) fire on a tightly concentrated front can hold back a numerically superior foe like the russians - sometimes.

Russians swarm over the outnumbered but staunch germans. Urk! an unpainted  bit of scenery - the shame

Disbelieving flapping of rule book fails to reward my opponent with the rulings he was looking for.

     An interesting and contentious moment. Playing the probe scenario I managed to sneak a patrol marker out on a flank. By the time my opponent noticed it was too late. Slight grumpiness and much angry shaking of the rule book later, plus some measuring and thinking and I managed to prove that he could have stopped it but would have had to react straight away to effectively deny the flank. This was the first time either of us had used such "game legal" but unsporting behaviour so I wasn't too shocked when he didn't see it coming. I deployed my recon 250 asset and with the second phase drove it straight to his table edge achieving my forces victory conditions. 

     Brilliant moment of gaming genius - absolutely rubbish game experience, especially for him (at least one of my miniatures had made it onto the table), we'd spent all the time setting up for almost nothing. It was a campaign ladder game though, and my focus was on getting as many chaps to the next scenario alive.

A cross between a deep rumbling noise (what I think a tiger sounds like) and the Jaws theme tune are playing in my head at this point.

      I actually spent all my 10 points of assets on a Tiger. Neither of us are power gamers and the only reason I have it was because it had a schwimmwagen with it and I'm that obsessed. I was faced with what I knew would be an overwhelming Soviet force containing at least one tank and chaps dug into a building complex that I'd have to take and hold. In a desperate gamble I select my undercoated kitty. We don't tell each other what we've selected as we don't see that the opponent should know until they turn up. I stated "vehicle coming on at point y and performed all necessary rolls/movement/noises as I placed it in the edge of the treeline behind a vast range of soft cover from the occupied buildings".  A few more phases and the kitty was moving up with infantry squads in support.

The Tiger opens up and my opponent realises his mistake.

     A russian ATR pops up by the wall (using a CoC dice) and completely fails to hit. Ivan's predilection for fortifying liquids has left him lucky not to have blown his own leg off. Armour values aren't asked after and the tiger rumbles slowly on. Another russian phase and a squad appears by the wall and proceeds to hose the approaching grenadiers waiting at the hedge line for the command to assault. The tiger's mmg opens up on them and they suffer some shock. I declare I'm going to fire the main gun. My opponent points out I'd have to had pivoted my "Stug" to do that and accept the modifiers, and in a gentlemanly way asked me if I'd like to take back my turn and re-do it including the pivot. I am bewildered, then realisation slowly dawns. I reach forward and slowly rotate the turret slightly to the left. My opponent says "Ah" and "Sh%t". 

     The 88 spanks the squad and goes on in further phases to batter the other defenders in the surrounding buildings, supports the charging infantry and ultimately tips the scales in my favour. At one point my opponent nearly closes with it and attempts to demo charge it. His rolls come up short (even I was hoping he'd do it - it was very cinematic and russian) and the reds are done for.

     His fault wasn't in mis-identifying the tank (although it is, quite rudely, just a dunkelgelb blob) I think he was just so engrossed in his own troops and plans that he'd assumed I wouldn't squander all my support on one thing (and we'd been playing for almost three days straight - never play on the home ground of an insomniac).

      This meritorious action has accelerated the kitty's position in the painting motor-pool. Thank you for taking the time,

BALM.

Moving Mountains.....

Having had a busy December and an exhausted January I did manage to do a fair bit of sticking, sculpting and procrastinating ( I can sit and stare at one figure I like/am painting/just can't get to work for a disturbing amount of time. I'd like to think the meds are responsible but I think it's mostly just me) but didn't managed to get anything online. From a truly full to capacity hobby room (the door opened - just) to being too shaky to take a decent photo even with magic intelligent cameras, I didn't post. I slipped a disc (and mangled some other muscles) in January 2014 and it was November before I could walk a few feet again. Now upright, if not particularly nimble yet, I feel more positive towards hobby progress.

I'm about to sacrifice my private lead mountains site in order to move into a shared office with my wife (who needs and deserves the space more) which will mean that everything has to be packed and compressed in a tardis like nature. Physics will have to obey because I only have so much house. eBay may be busy. I still intend to continue with bits but what little functionality I have will be plowed into making a better work room for us both to be productive in initially.

I did however finally get a game in with my regular opponent. Or rather 8 games over three days. Chain of Command on the Eastern front. We played a few individual games and then a simple ladder campaign. I've got quite a lot of pics but I thought I'd put up a few random ones too, and I'll try and post some more soon with specific sequences from games.

Russian farmland is the setting for our first game. The dice are our patrol markers playing short edge to short edge with the Germans (me) defending the farmhouse and Wirbelwind stationed outside.

My Germans deploy from a Opel Blitz JOP into some lovely (opponent made) area terrain.

My Stug - still not finished but performed well when called on. Nearly everything we used was painted this time, and with the scenery, it really improved the feel of the game.

Russians advancing steadily. And continuously.

More Germans, a different JOP and another bit of hedge.

Found on my old phone memory card (thought lost)

A Ultra Marine Chaplain I painstakingly freehanded as an additional Crimbo present for my nephew who was getting into 40k.

Have no idea why I don't have a picture of him completed. 

Thanks for taking the time. With a new workspace coming and slightly better health I intend to continue my purge and assault on my lead mountain this year. If anyone wants to buy serious amounts of squats in 28mm drop me a line. Oh and I've fallen foul of the beauty of GHQ 6mm.

BALM

4Ground Hotel in 15mm

Whilst my blog entries state otherwise I feel I've achieved quite a lot recently. One problem has been the inaccessibility of my computer and another being my physical state. Even with my wife's super expensive digital SLR I have been too shaky recently to take a decent photograph.

I have however managed to increase my 4Ground scenery collection by building the hotel I bought with my eBay profits.

It is, as you would expect from 4Ground, a brilliant kit with lots of details. It is composed of 4 main parts: The Hotel, the cookhouse, coaching barn and the courtyard. It comes neatly boxed with each individual part bagged up, labelled and with instructions. It also comes with a bag of elastic bands and clothes pegs. I really like this, it shows a great level of customer service (4Ground are an excellent company to deal with) and forward thinking.

It's a large and impressive building that will be a great OP or field headquarters for some of my chaps.

Lots of windows fire ports for defenders to utilise.

It has a porch with 3 different signs to choose from.

Separate back steps that fit into holes in the courtyard.

And front steps too.

Three floors with plenty of room for chaps and a tunnel leading to the courtyard and coaching barn.

The separate courtyard allows you to place the buildings as intended or just ignore and set out how you like.

Small cookhouse as an extension onto the main building.

Not exactly roomy but a good number of windows.

Coaching stable with enough room for a coach and some horses.

With the pictures being so big you can see all the places I got my PVA covered hands, most of it not noticeable when gaming. I'd forced myself to build this as I wasn't capable of painting yet didn't want a break from my hobby. The kit is one of the higher 4Ground difficulty levels but as seen it can be achieved by even the shakiest, twitchiest of modelers. I can't wait to get them onto the table.

I can't rate 4Grounds stuff enough and I'm really looking forward to a Manor House, Windmill, Water mill or whatever they bring out next.

Hopefully the rain/wind/gloom will clear at some point and I'll be able to post some pictures of my 15mm germans, a few bits of 28mm and my growing Full Thrust fleet (including some classic starforce ships and a scratch built one too).

Thanks for taking the time,

BALM.