95th Rifles

This week I've been working on the 95th Rifles from Warlord for my Chosen Men force. They are lovely sculpts. I think I did them ok. 

On the bases

First up was to stick them on bases. They don't come with bases in the box this I believe is because of the variety of ways people made Napoleonic stuff. I wanted square bases in case I decided to get them in line formation. Some of the models are laying down so they've had to have rectangle bases.

Got the base green done.  Not the historically correct colour but hey it's all I have and it looks ok. Next up I added all the other base colours. I made a mistake of doing the whole box so this took longer as I did 14 greens then 14 Brown's.  I need to remember to break them into groups of 4 or 5 as I find it harder to paint on large numbers.

Major has a few more details on.

The models have little details on that my talents just aremt good enough to pick out so I always aim for the 3ft rule.

Love a good flocking

Flocked and based painted next.

All done and I think they look ok. Will have to get a photo of all my Napoleonic forces up soon.

Dice Tray

For a while I've fancied getting a dice tray. My kids (two boys 2 and 4) love to watch my wargaming and are desperate to 'help' throw the dice.  Except they throw dice with a lot of gusto! So random models and  pieces of scenery get hit or the dice end up under the table. Now I don't wanna put them off playing by saying no all the time so I thought a dice tray would help out.
Now I've seen some on eBay for around £12 but I've also seen on the net that it's cheaper to make your own. While we were at the Range I scoped out what i would need.
1. A tray of some kind. General consensus in internet is a photo frame.
2. Some thing to deaden the roll of the dice. Internet said cork.
3. Something to line the tray to make it look nice. Clothe etc

I gathered a photo frame, couldn't find cork so bought some kids craft foam paper type stuff and some felt to line it.  Total spend a little over £4.
First off take the back off the photo frame and take out the display picture and glass.  Oh and important point! Choose a frame where you can take the glass out!! I didn't so I had to smash it so all the bits fell out. 
Then I took the backing off the photo frame and glued two sheets of craft foam to it to absorb the dice impacts.

Foam was cut to fit the backing of the photo frame

Next I took the felt and wrapped it around the backing and pushed it into place and secured it using the photo frames tabs (For the more talented people I'm sure you could attach the Felt on on the inside of the photo frame with out taking the back off).

Once the felt was wrapped around the backing and secured I trimmed the rest off

And that's it! All completed

All done

RKStudios talking about Contamination their New Game

My go to online store RKStudiostore has created their own game. Contamination, an  apocalyptic game set in a world being ravaged by a virus.  I really like the look of this. So I contacted Terence  from RKStudio and we had a chat about the new game.

M: How did RKStudios store start and how long as it been going?

T: RK Studio Store started from our desire to see online retailing done the way we thought it should be – with physical stock held ready to ship so you don’t wait months for your order and with great customer service. We have always wanted to run an independent retailer so decided to do it at last!
RK Studio Store has been running for a little over 2 years now, we started trading in April 2016. Our range of stock held here has increased massively and we’ve added the Special Order system so you can order in anything we don’t have in stock, or where you want 30 boxes and we only hold 2!

M: Where did the idea for Contamination come from?

Contamination came out of discussions we had after playing several other apocalypse games, both miniature games and computer games. We discussed writing an unofficial update for one of the games we already played to make it do the things we wanted before deciding to ‘simply’ write the game we wanted to play. Contamination is that game.




M: Can you briefly describe the game. What is in your mind it's unique selling point? What size table would you need?

T: Contamination is an apocalyptic wargame set during an apocalypse rather than after it. It is what we call an ‘open world’ game in the same sense as some popular computer games, with your characters able to do anything you would want to do in the real world. In my mind this is the unique selling point of Contamination. Want to vault over that fence, spin round and shoot that Contaminated in the head? OK, the rules let you do it! Want to hide in that wheelie bin? OK! Jump off that building? OK! 
We’ve got a lot planned for Contamination with the first expansion coming out before Christmas this year. One thing we wanted to make sure of with Contamination was that there were as few as possible ‘compulsory’ purchases. As gamers we know how annoying this is so we didn’t want to do it! The only thing you need is the main rulebook and we don’t intend to make any of the expansions compulsory to keep playing the game. We’ll also be releasing more scenarios for free on the website along with the tokens and intro rules already on there.
The size of table for contamination isn’t fixed and different scenarios will use different sizes, We have been using the new Micra Matz for our games which are just under 3’ wide and 4’ long, designed to fit on a dining room table.
M:  Are there any factions in the game or is it all completely player made?  I've read that there are around 1300 character combinations. How is this achieved?

T: There are over 1300 possible crew types in Contamination just using the main rulebook. We use a system of perks and flaws to allow you to personalise your crew and add massive replayability to the game. When you start a game you can pick one perk and one flaw from the charts in the rulebook. Each perk is a positive trait for everyone in your crew showing what type of people they are. Each flaw is a negative trait showing what they aren’t so good at. There are 36 perks and 36 flaws in the rulebook for a total of 1296 combinations (of you include weapon selections the combinations go past 300k!) and we’ve included the ability to randomly select them if you can’t choose or want the extra challenge.
An example of a perk is ‘the doctor’ which upgrades one of your crew to a medic who can heal the other members of your crew who are within 3’’, on a roll of 5+. One of the flaws is ‘Mummy?’, meaning your models will always engage lone Contaminated in melee if possible. A lot of the perks and flaws use rules from the main rulebook that aren’t in the intro rules, however these two should work fine if you want to add them to the free intro pack.
There are factions in the background of Contamination to help with the immersion of the game. So if you want your crew to be part of The Burnings, then choose the perks and flaws you think they could have. This will also help when you are running campaigns to make the moral choices more ‘real’ and give a better sense of ‘right and wrong’…. We’ll leave it up to you to decide who is in the right!




M: On the website you mention about the game being open world and players being able to do anything. Was this what you envisioned all along or did it come in game development?

T: This was the main reason we wrote Contamination. We always felt that some games were too limited and wouldn’t allow us to do the cool things we could imagine, so we wrote a game that does. This is what makes Contamination special, if you can imagine it you can do it.

M:  In the free rules, 'infected' are mentioned. How do you feel they add to the game?

T: Infected are living people who have been unlucky enough to become infected with a world ending virus. We’ve got a section of graphic novel in the rulebook explaining the background behind Contamination. The important thing with the infected is that they are not dead and are not zombies. These are living people who are simply very ill and looking for help, comfort, or the essentials of remaining alive.
In the game the infected are a type of environmental hazard as they not only fight the survivors for resources, they also carry the infection which you can catch in game. In campaign play this means that without adequate medical care this model will only be available for another couple of games before someone puts them out of their misery, or turns them out of your home, as they are simply too dangerous to have around.
This mechanic leads to some interesting games where who has won is debateable. Is it better to have captured three resources and got half your crew infected, or is it better to only get one but still be free of the virus? Also, during the game they can be baited and effectively used as a weapon by either side, this is very dangerous as more and more of them turn up, but it can be a game winning tactic.




M: How long would you expect a game to last?

T: This is a difficult one! Games will be of varying length depending on the size of your crews, the scenario being played and the experience of the players. When you are playing a new game it is bound to be slower. Not a great answer I know, but this really is ‘how long is a piece of string!’. We’ve already thought of some quick play scenarios designed for your lunch break but haven’t got any of these ready to share yet!

M:  Will players be able to run their own campaigns?

T: Yes! The whole game was written with campaigns in mind so this isn’t a tack on feature and the full rules for this are in the main rulebook. During a game of contamination you are fighting over supplies to keep your crew alive. In campaign play this is essential, as it allows you to equip your people with new stuff you’ve found, and upgrade their living conditions to allow them more comfort or just a hot meal. The resource card deck up on pre-order is designed to add to the possible types of item collected during a game and I’ll send over some PDFs of the cards so you can put them with this article. We intend to release more of these over time and each expansion will come with a new card pack to show the types of things you are likely to find in that area.








M: I've pre ordered the rulebook. What else will be available on release?

T: Great to hear you’re getting a copy yourself. Knowing people want to play the game we love is the best part about releasing Contamination. After three months of work and over 2000 hours it’s good to know that people enjoy our game.
As well as the main rulebook we are also releasing the resource card deck and the first two Micra Matz gaming mats. Finally you’ve got the roster pads to allow you to easily record your crew’s stats.
Everyone is going to get half a pack of free roster pads with their rulebook as we’ve hit our first target for book sales. We are hoping to get enough sales in this last few days to add some more freebies but we’ll see how it goes!




M: I believe the pre-order for the game rulebook is still active till the end of April. If pre ordered, when will the rulebook be received by backers?

T: The pre-order is running till 28th April and backers will receive their orders by the end of May.
We will be sending the books to the printers with the names of all our backers to be printed in the front, this will happen within a few days of the pre-order ending. The printers estimate we should get the books by 21st May so with everything going well you’ll get your books somewhere towards the end of May. If there is any delay at all we will be in touch with everyone who has ordered, by email , to let you all know what is going on.

Well there you go. I'm quite excited about what this game has to offer. Thanks again to Terence for talking to me and sending over the images of some resource cards and images from the rulebook itself. 
Need to start looking at what models I could use now.

Games night part 2 Gaslands

Next on the games night menu was Gaslands. A new game yet to be played by us. We are in the process of making some vehicles (See blog here) so it was a rough learning the rules game tonight. We set up a death race. Sort of a figure of  8 track weapons not activated till gate one has been passed . My opponents team was Rutherford and had 2 jeep type cars one with a ram the other with rockets.  I had team Idris. A buggy with a caltrop dropper and a performance car with mini gun and oil dropper. 

Gentleman start your engines!

My friend rolled pole position and it was Go! Go! Go! (Except I realised my team was over 50 cans so I dropped one of my buggies after it activated)

The cars speed away from the start line

We got the hang of using templates really quickly (Thanks to previous x wing games), we didn't have any shift dice so we used a dice maker app. I definatly would have preferred skid dice as there is no substitute for the real think.  So on the cards will be some templates and dice. 
The shift dice mechanic works great giving you some great and tough options to choose from.

2 vehicles get a good lead

My performance car and opponents ram car raced ahead.  My buggy was hampered at the start so ended up behind with the rocket armed opponent.  The Rutherford ram truck made it through gate 1 activating weapons!!
The 2 lead vehicles screeched around the corner after gate 1. The performance car saw an opportunity and drove into the Rutherford vehicle!

T-bone smash !!

The Rutherford truck evaded the one hit I managed to cause. 
*Note here we got the rules wrong. My opponents has the ability to choose to smash me back or evade where we assumed he could just evade.

My performance car got in front and dropped an oil slick

Oil dropped!

My opponent  picked a template and bam! The vehicle ploughed through the oil slick  (acquiring 2 hazards ).
Meanwhile at the back the Rutherford rocket armed vehicle was behind my buggy shooting rockets.  One gear phase I lost 3 of 6 hull points the next gear phase my buggy was blown apart! !!

Boom!!!

My performance car was flying now and got a good lead on followed by the ram equipped Rutherford.

Performance car is flying!

My opponent for his next template choose I have to say chosr amazingly well.  Check out below picture

Inches from disastor!! Precision driving!

Winner winner Chicken Dinner!

My performance car crossed the line to take the race win.

Great little fun game.  Next time we will use driver perks a bit more, now we are a bit more up on the rules. Games plays nice and simple once you get the hang of it. I would definatly recommend this game!
Thanks for reading guys. Here's a cheeky plug for my blogs Facebook page.  Go on you know you want to.
Trials of a Casual Wargamer  

Have great day folks! !

Games Night part 1 Konflict 47

Tonight's Battlefield

Tonight's first game was a 750 pt Konflict 47 battle. This mainly so we could use all of or as much of our K47 as we could.
My friend brought his German mad scientist, Totenkorps, Schreckwulfun, NachtJager, Zeus super heavy walker and  an anti tank rifle team. I had my British lieutenant, Armoured infantry, Automated Infantry, Guardian Walker, Mudskipper, Anti tank Rifle team and a PIAT team. We rolled up the top secret mission and an objective marker (in tonight's case a secret part off a experimental walker) placed in the middle of the board. The mission was grab it and get it off your board edge.  No forces start on the board you roll the reserve roll to get them on the board. I got the first dice out of the bag and promptly failed my reserve roll! ! So my leader!!! Stayed off the board.  My friend got his anti tank rifle team on the board in a corner on a hill. Getting a great view of the battlefield.

My Mudskipper also failed to arrive! I eventually got my first unit on the board. My armoured infantry advanced onwards

Finally a unit on the board!

Closely followed by my Guardian light walker and my friends Zues Super Heavy Walker. 

Gert the Guardian Light Walker enters the battle

The massive Zeus Super Heavy Walker arrives

More and more forces arrived for both sides. The Nazi horrors appeared on the scene.

Shreckwulfen bound into the fight

NachtJager swoop down

Gert skips behind some trees before the Zeus's super heavy AT gun draws a bead

My Brits get advancing up the middle of the board toward the objective

"Onwards Chaps "

The Nazi Shreckwulffen race towards the Guardian walker.

Howls fill the air as the Wulfen advance

The German anti tank rifle team in the hill has a great view of the British advance taking shots at the units

PIAT team take cover behind a small hill

The arnoured infantry and anti tank rifle team take pot shots at the NachtJager

The gunfire does nothing to put off the NachtJager who take flight and land on the objective grabbing it.

The claws of the NachtJager grab hold of the objective

My Automatons finally appear and trudge slowly forward raising there MMGs and blasting at the NachtJager but to no avail.
Also my lieutenant put in an appearance at last.

About time!!

The Nachtjager used their supreme movement to make off with the objective hiding behind a low fence after landing only one move away from victory. All my Brits in that area were now focused on stopping the Nazi horrors making off with the valuable tech.  The Mudskipper moved into position and unleashed a barrage of fire at the NachtJager.

Twin auto cannons and 2 HMGs fire!

A barrage of fire kills one NachtJager leaving just one left. The automatons moved up and fired their MMGs at the remaining NachtJager but nothing happened. On the right flank my Guardian stepped out of cover and have the Shreckwulfen a blast from its flamethrower  but they remained unscathed apart from a few singed hairs!

A blast of flame does nothing to the Shreckwulfen

The PIAT team try a desperate long range shot at the remaining NachtJager but misses.

Worth a shot!

The Shreckwulfen charge at the Guardian walker and a brutal 3 rounds of close combat begins!!!

The wulfen attack!!

The wulfen manage to set the Guardian walker on fire and stun the crew. The walker fails to get a good of a wulffen

With a mighty swing of his flail the walker destroys the Shreckwulfen

Back around the objective the Mudskipper takes out the last NachtJager with its auto cannons and reduced the anti tank rifle team to one man with its left arm HMG. Dr Lange the German and scientist runs with his bodyguard and grabs the objective.

Dr Lange takes possesion of the tech

In the middle of the board Totenkorps pour out from behind a house and are met with a hail of gun fire from my armoured infantry

"Bloody zombies! Let em have it chaps! "

Lieutenant adds his teams fire at the Totenkorps

The Totenkorps are reduced to one  solitary Totenkorps.
Things were looking desperate for the Brits, the Germans had possession of the tech and we're about to escape. The anti tank rifle team quickly moved up and lined a shot up at Dr Lange.

Anti tank rifle team shoots at Dr Lange

The shot was difficult but (Thanks to a couple of excellent rolls) the shot struck Dr Lange and elimnated him!

The mad scientist is eliminated!

The Mudskipper moves up and elimnated Dr Langes remaining body guards while the PIAT team grabs the objective.

The Tech is in British hands

The Guardian walkers fight with the wulfun had attracted the attention of the Zeus Super Heavy Walker after a few wide rounds the Guardians luck ran out and the Zeus dispatched the Guardian with the super heavy anti tank round slicing through the armour with ease. 

Guardian walker eliminated

At this point I had the Zeus in my sights  (even though I should have been scarpering back with the tech ) my PIAT team missed and my mud skipper jumped behind a wall next to the Zeus. How ever I neglected to take into account the height of the wall! !

My walker and the Zeus both taller than the wall..... damn it!!!!

The Zeus's Anti Tank gun barrel was the last thing the Mudskipper saw.

The Armoured infantry dispatch the remaining Totenkorp and the game ends in a draw. British in possession of tech but not off the table.

Great game no doubt we forgot some rules but we had a blast trying out just our konflict 47 forces. Dreading what the NachtJager and Shreckwulfen will do to squads of regular infantry!
Have a great day folks