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sjrresearch · 4 years

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Lightening the Load – Is it Time to Prune the Wargames Collection?

I know this article isn’t going to make me real popular in wargaming circles, but I look at it this way - I think it’s a subject worth writing about. Too many of us in the hobby take on projects we don’t finish or get frustrated with or any number of things. And then we have a half-painted army or a boardgame we didn’t’ punch and read the rules for sitting on our shelves, mocking us, and taking up space that we could use for other things.

How many of us have bought that one item we swore we had space for? How many of us have bought a duplicate research book because we didn’t think we owned a copy (I did)? We are the masters of our wargaming fate. It’s not enough to catalog our collections. Sometimes, we need to prune them.

And yeah, it can be painful.

I’m not going to say you should follow the Marie Kondo method. Hell, I wouldn’t let that lady near my wargaming stuff. People like her don’t really understand the nature of having collections. And I am also not saying it’s not a good idea to have a few “backup” copies of something rare and out of print. Accidents happen. Lord knows, I have duplicate copies of more than a few of my roleplaying books because most of those are of games I played in high school, and the companies are long out of business.

But that said, what are the principles that one should use when deciding “what to prune?”

“Am I going to play with this?” – To me, that’s the fundamental question. I’ve bought into projects or been given well-meaning gifts of things that just don’t fit with my armies or where I am going. There’s no shame in selling that stuff off. Let it go to someone who WILL make use of it.

“I have too much of this” – To use an example, a French Napoleonics player can only have so many French Imperial Guard figures in their army. Soon, you’ll have more than Napoleon actually had serving under him. When I was in a wargaming club in NYC, we had a member who died unexpectedly. He had more painted and unpainted 15mm Confederates than were probably in both the Army of the Northern Virginia and the Army of the Tennessee! He needed to prune a bit.

“I’m already doing this in two other scales” – This is one I am guilty of. I once was doing World War II in 20mm and 15mm, as well as moderns in 20mm and 6mm. I still do the moderns in two scales because I have different focuses, but I now only do World War II in 20mm. Why? Because I felt I was duplicating my efforts in 20mm, plus, the reason I was getting into 15mm WWII was a ruleset, namely Fireball Forward. In retrospect? I am glad I made the decision. It just wasn’t a good idea.

“It’s taking over the house.” – This is usually said by an exasperated spouse (Hi Honey!) And it’s best to listen if you value your marriage. I admit. Sometimes, it’s hard realizing it, especially when they have hobbies, and then you’re tempted to use the “Well, what about your hobbies” argument. My advice is, don’t. Wargaming is a space-intensive hobby. Even the board gaming end has monster games like War in the East and The African Campaign. Trust me. They’re unplayable monsters that make even VASSAL choke.

So how do you prune? Well, there are plenty of options, and if you followed the advice of my last article, you’d have a list to go through and consult to start organizing what you want to get rid of into lots for sale.

Now, as to where to go? Well, each has an up and a downside.

Conventions

Convention flea markets were traditionally the “go-to” for buying and selling used gaming stuff. This has been usurped to some extent by the Internet, but the upside? It’s a one-stop shopping extravaganza, and you can physically inspect the goods in many cases, not to mention a bit of patient looking can unveil some real gems. The downside? Not only are you limited to what’s there, but I’d say any savings over eBay or elsewhere on the Internet are long gone, as these institutions are often driving prices. Also, conventions may not be an option for a while (Thanks a lot, COVID!).

eBay

Often not-so-jokingly called “Fleabay” by the wargaming community, you can also find some real gems here. The problem is? You can find those gems for prices that would make a spendthrift blush. And because of that reputation, it’s now more challenging than ever to price and sell stuff on eBay. And the “fees” eBay charges can be a bit pricy, but they do protect buyers and sellers well. Someone tried to con me when I sold an old cell phone on eBay, but eBay came through and protected me from his scam).

Other Web Sites

While they seem to have all the advantages without all the disadvantages, it’s also the wild west out there. Buyers and sellers can and do get ripped off, though word gets around about the habitual scam artists. My advice? Check people’s feedback, as many of the websites have places now where you can praise a good seller or buyer. And use Paypal. The protections there are solid. I should know, having had to make use of them on occasion.

Consignment Stores

There are more than a few gaming stores who will take your used stuff and either buy it or exchange it for store credit. You’ll typically get more for store credit. One outfit I’ve had great success with is Noble Knight Games, and I recommend them heartily, but there are other stores out there, and a bit of research will help you find them. Be advised that “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” What you may consider “rare and out of print worth hundreds,” they may have fifty copies they can’t move on a good day.

I hope this article has been helpful and has been something of food for thought. With the new year, it’s a perfect time to take stock of your gaming collections and decide, “do I really want this anymore?”

At SJR Research, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse SJR Research’s service on our site at SJR Research.

(This article is credited to Jason Weiser. Jason is a long-time wargamer with published works in the Journal of the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers; Miniature Wargames Magazine; and Wargames, Strategy, and Soldier.)

#wargaming #hobbies #wargamers

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epochxp · 4 years

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Whatever Happened to 20mm World War II Miniatures?

Yeah, I can’t say it’s been a question on everyone’s mind, but it has been on my mind and the minds of many like-minded aficionados. Many have proclaimed that 20mm is a dead scale for World War II. I can honestly say it’s the furthest thing from the truth. There are quite a few established manufacturers, as well as some new quality manufacturers out there. I would even argue that the scale is on a cusp of a renaissance., both in plastic and metal. This is going to be the first article in a series about 20mm and World War II, starting with a look at what I consider some of the best lead 20mm World War II manufacturers out there and where I’d go to get started in the scale.

Part 2 will be about the plastic side of the hobby, and Part 3 will be a discussion of various rules sets.

Why 20mm?

20mm has had many advantages traditionally for miniatures gaming. The availability of soft and hard plastic figures has always been good, and for a box of $10, you can put together the beginnings of an army in many rules sets. When I was a kid, I used to call it “platoon in a box.” Most lead manufacturers back in the 70s and 80s used to have their 20mm lines supplement these plastic figure lines. But that’s not the case anymore. Now, there are many fine lead 20mm lines that stand on their own that we’ll be discussing here today. This list isn’t exhaustive, but it’s meant to show that 20mm as a scale for World War II is far from dead.

So, what is 20mm?

20mm, as wargamers call it, is a nebulous scale. We’re using it to refer to the height of a miniature, from the sole of a figure’s foot to the level of his eyes. To be honest, most “20mm” figures range on a scale between 18mm and 23mm. Let’s be honest, most scales have that sort of range, and sometimes, some manufacturers don’t play well with other manufacturers. It’s just a question of getting to know what you’re looking for.

As for vehicles, the scale corresponds with 1/72 to 1/76 scale, with many gamers preferring 1/76, but I personally like 1/72. I just like the larger vehicles, and it’s easier to find vehicle kits in 1/72 these days. That not to say you can’t mix the scales on the table-top, but I wouldn’t do it too often. The differences in scales can be a bit jarring, to say the least.

Here’s a comparison side-by-side of some of the more popular figure lines out there:

A Whistle-Stop Tour Through the Land of 20mm!

A.B. Miniatures – Their offerings in 20mm are basically the gold standard of 20mm World War II right now. The sculpts are excellent! (I can personally attest to their British as those figures are excellent in their quality and proportions). The packs are well-designed, and one pack usually gets you what you need for a given squad or heavy weapons crew. The packs are designed to mostly cover the mid-to-late war period, with Americans, Brits, Germans, Soviets, with some extra tank crews for the Italians and the French and some Polish paras for Arnhem. I will say the German Fallschirmjager works well for the Low Countries, Norway, and Crete, so long as you remember which kit you’re buying (no Stg-44s or Pak-40s). Their website is easy to navigate, and for American customers, you can purchase them through Eureka USA. One plea from this American customer, can you please do late war Americans in M43 uniforms?

Wargames Foundry – This is a reissue of a miniatures line from the 1980s. There are things to like about the line, and there are things I don’t like about the line. I have some of the figures from some secondhand purchases at conventions, but not a full set of anything. The sculpting quality, like all Foundry products, is excellent but not quite as good as AB in 20mm. I don’t like that in many sets, you mostly get the same poses. I wish there were more dynamism in the sets. That said, you have German DAK, Fallschirmjager, Panzergrenadiers, winter dress, late war Germans with the anklet boots, tank crews, as well as early war Germans. You also have Italians in European and African uniforms and Askari colonial troops. You also have Nationalist Chinese (one of the few 20mm manufacturers to have them), as well as 1939 Poles, 1940 French, including Colonial infantry, and Foreign Legionnaires for Bir Hakim and Resistance types to fight the Boche at home! There are also Australians, Finns, Indians in turbans (all suitable for North Africa) as well as the SAS and Americans in summer and winter dress. It’s a fairly complete range, but the poses are an issue for me. Prices are a bit high with shipping on this side of the pond, and I am not familiar with any American distributor of the line currently.

Britannia Miniatures – Currently being sold by Grubby Tanks, I own a lot of these. The depth and breadth of the line is extensive! Want SS Cavalry on Horseback? They have them. Want late war Japanese? They have them. There’s very little they don’t have. Much of my Soviet army are Britannia and I rather like them and their manner of sculpting makes them easy to paint. Some aren’t nuts about it, as the figures tend to be on the larger side than other 20mm, but I find they mix well with most lines if you’re careful. Again, I am not aware of any current U.S. distributors for the range, but the prices are reasonable, but postage these days is going to take a bite.

Simon’s Soldiers – Simon Ford has been in the miniatures industry for a long time. He has retained the services of Andrew Stevens who has sculpted for Drews Militia, Battlefield, Wartime, and now Simon’s Soldiers. I’ve always liked Andrew’s sculpting style, especially for the Germans (of which I have legions of). All of the figures are full of character and give you that “I’m a tired guy on the frontline” look and I can recommend his Volkssturm line and the Panzer Lehr. The late war Americans are also particularly good figures. There’s really nothing bad I can say about them. My only regret is there’s no U.S. distributor, as while the Australian Dollar is lower than the U.S. Dollar, you’re gonna get nuked on postage these days. But, if you make a big order, you can probably order enough to make the postage not hurt as much! And you have to love Simon’s customer service. Who can’t like a guy who reminds you on Facebook you haven’t purchased any figures lately? Pay Simon a visit, and tell them Jason sent you. Simon and I are friends, and I can honestly recommend his product. Andrew also works for Playa Manor, a new Spanish company focusing on Battle of the Bulge, and the figures are gorgeous!

Ehliem Miniatures - I really like their sculpts, and Matt Hingley (See our previous interview here) does a fine job of customer service and providing miniatures nobody else does in 20mm for World War II. I mean, he has early, mid, and late-war Waffen-SS (FAA does Early War S.S., but their sculpts are a bit…eh compared to Ehliem). One of my favorites—and I might be a bit biased as I commissioned them—were the Soviet Navy sailors he produced. They’re the only ones with helmets in 20mm. Everyone else does them in the full uniforms, rather than the mixed uniforms of Army and Navy gear they wore as the war ground on. Again, postage is a bear from the U.K., but Matt will work with you! Again, tell him Jason sent you.

This article barely scratches the surface of what’s out there, as you have Xan and Adler, whom I haven’t tried, but hear good things about, and the multitude of fast build plastic kits out there, which we’ll discuss in a subsequent article. But 20mm World War II is a plethora of options. If you want to wargame World War II in 20mm, a grand adventure awaits. One more piece of advice. I’d pay the Frontline Wargaming – WW2 Facebook group a visit. The group is a great place for the novice 20mm gamer to visit, and you’ll get tons of help and advice there.

At Epoch Xperience, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse Epoch Xperience’s service on our parent site, SJR Research.

-- (This article is credited to Jason Weiser. Jason is a long-time wargamer with published works in the Journal of the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers; Miniature Wargames Magazine; and Wargames, Strategy, and Soldier.)

#Wargame Miscellaneous #wargaming #history

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civilpunk · 8 years

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20mm WWII battle of the bulge game.

#20mm #miniature wargaming #miniatures #models #scenery #diy #German #American #GI #Battle #battle of the bulge

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crosis101-blog · 5 years

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For the raid in #Area51 @spectreminiatures produced a limited edition Grey objective fig for their 20mm ultra modern miniatures game. Mine arrive today #Wargaming #area51raid #miniatures (at Area 51) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3JAsR6gTc8/?igshid=4h091ejobcry

#area51 #wargaming #area51raid #miniatures

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thebattleforge · 7 years

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Something else for the painting table 20mm 1/72 Trebuchet #zvezda #tabletopgaming #wargames #wargaming #warhammer #frostgrave #dba #dbm @zvezdamodels

#wargames #wargaming #tabletopgaming #dba #frostgrave #zvezda #warhammer #dbm

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misternizz · 3 years

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Played some Spanish Civil War 20mm at Pete’s house today! Lots of fun. #ironivan #20mm #miniatures #wargaming (at Fairfax Station, Virginia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPzK-cZHraw/?utm_medium=tumblr

#ironivan #20mm #miniatures #wargaming

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droneseco · 5 years

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Anycubic Photon S: The Best Resin 3D Printer? (And Less Than $500)

Our verdict of the Anycubic Photon S: A stunning 3D printer, capable of producing outstanding 3D prints. Liquid resin plastic means this isn't for everyone.910

The Photon S is the follow-up to Anycubic’s wildly popular Photon, SLA 3D printer. This fully-enclosed 3D printer is perfect for producing highly detailed small models such as tabletop gaming miniatures. Retailing for $489 (but on sale for $100 less until 28th October!), is it worth your money? Are the upgrades worthy of this new price tag when compared to its predecessor, and what makes SLA 3D printers better than traditional Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) designs?

Let’s find out.

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At the end of this review, we’ve got a brand new Photon S to giveaway thanks to our friends at Anycubic. Read on to find out how to win, and be sure to watch all of the review video for some bonus entries.

How the Photon S Works

While FDM 3D printers cost as little as $100, SLA technology is still relatively new for consumers, so is only starting to trickle down to an affordable price range. SLA 3D printing uses a vat of liquid plastic, which gets cured through the use of an LCD screen and a series of UV LEDs. When exposed to a specific wavelength of UV light, the resin solidifies. By using an LCD screen (like you’d find in your laptop), it’s possible to mask a UV LED to produce specific shapes. Stack enough of these cured layers together and the end result is a 3D printed part.

Contrast this with FDM 3D printing, which heats up spaghetti-like plastic into molten goop, and draws shapes with it, much like piping icing onto a cake. SLA 3D printing provides several benefits over FDM. SLA 3D printing can cure a whole layer at once, so if you’re printing ten objects at once, it takes no longer than producing one part. They have less moving parts, and are capable of far higher precision than FDM, with almost invisible layer lines at times.

Naturally, SLA printers are more expensive than FDM, and the plastic resin can be as much as 4-5x more expensive than FDM filament. You also have to keep uncured resin out of direct light, and it can be a messy product to work with.

Both SLA and FDM printers are tools to solve a problem, and there’s no definitive “best” method of 3D printing. SLA 3D printers are capable of stunning print quality, with relatively little effort when compared to FDM printers. FDM printers can produce very high-quality prints, but they often involve far more mechanical and software components.

Specifications and Design

The Photon S is a sleek, compact unit. It’s small enough to fit on most desks and the futuristic door opens to reveal your printed parts like something from the Blade Runner universe. It sports a color touchscreen on the front panel and operates from the included USB drive. It’s not possible to operate this machine over the network, or tethered to a computer–you must use a flash drive.

This printer features a dual linear rail for its Z-axis, as this is the only moving part. Other models (including the original Photon) only use a single linear rail, so this significant upgrade should result in less Z wobble when printing, leading to more accurate prints.

The Photon S features:

0.78in (20mm) per hour printing speed

13lbs (5.9kg) weight

2560 x 1440 pixel LCD display

25-100 micron layer resolution

4.5in x 2.6in x 6in (115mm x 65mm x 165mm) build volume

50W UV output

9in x 7.9in x 15.8in (230mm x 200mm x 400mm) total dimensions

On the surface, these specifications appear rather pathetic, especially the small build volume. This is typical of an SLA printer, and due to the nature of liquid plastic and resin vats, it could be expensive to use a large-format SLA printer.

The maximum printing speed of 0.78in/hour refers to the Z-axis and is about on par with other SLA printers. On average, prints take between 5-6 hours, with taller models taking between 10-15 hours. Remember though, that you can increase the dimensions or number of models in both the X and Y axis with no impact on the print speed. A 50W UV output is excellent and is a step-up from the 30 or 40W bulbs found on similar models. More power here can cure resin faster, theoretically resulting in faster print times.

This machine features dual fans to extract fumes from the print chamber, but these use an activated charcoal filter to reduce the strong plastic smell associated with liquid resin. I don’t mind the smell, but family members often comment on it. I print with a window open which reduces the fumes (and helps to reduce any potential health issues). You may not want to sleep with this printer running in the same room, not least because of the noise it makes.

Inside the box, you’ll find a selection of tools, 250ml of resin, several dust masks, several coffee filters (for straining resin when emptying the tank), a few pairs of rubber gloves, some spare parts, a plastic scraper (for removing prints), and an instruction manual.

First Prints with the Photon S

As an owner of the original Photon, I knew the configuration required to get a machine working. While it’s not too difficult to get the Photon S up and running, the process can be confusing for a beginner, and the sometimes incoherent instructions in broken English don’t help the process.

Before starting any prints you must level the bed. Unlike most FDM printers, SLA printers pull the bed up out of a pool of resin, gradually exposing the print. They still work from the bottom up, but generally, are upside down. The bed must be parallel to the LCD surface, and it needs calibrating to a very precise distance.

This process is simple enough in practice — unscrew the two retaining bolts holding the resin vat in and place the vat in a safe location. After this, use the included tools to loosen the bed screw, and use the touchscreen to home the Z-axis. Next, place a sheet of paper between the bed and the LCD, and adjust the distance until you feel friction on the paper. Hold the bed square and tighten the screws again. This is a simple process in theory, but the required pressure on the paper is not clear until you have repeated the process several times, and scoured the internet for tutorial videos.

You don’t need to level the bed often, fortunately. Once leveled, you can reinstall the vat, pour some resin in, and get ready to print. Using the supplied USB drive, you can print a test model. It’s fascinating to see the bed dunk itself into the liquid plastic again and again. In a few short hours, you’ll have a 3D printed model, ready to clean up.

Post-Processing Prints

As prints get submerged in a bath of liquid resin, they need some cleaning up after printing. This is something not required with FDM printers. You need to use strong alcohol such as 99.9% Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol to clean off any uncured resin. After this, you need to clean off any remaining alcohol. Finally, you need to allow the prints to finish curing, either by sitting in direct sunlight for several hours (or less depending on your location), or by using a UV curing station such as those found at nail salons.

This process isn’t complicated and after one or two attempts you’ll soon get the hang of it, but it’s all extra work and requires equipment besides the printer itself. You’ll need to wear gloves during all this, as the resin is sticky stuff, which can make a mess of anything you transfer it to. It’s not recommended to let the resin touch your bare skin or eyes.

Slicing Your Own Models

The Photon S comes with a software package to convert your 3D models into printer instructions. This tool lets you configure the layer height, exposure time, placement of models and support structures, and more. It’s basic but gets the job done.

Unlike FDM printing, SLA prints do not have a hollow support structure inside — they remain completely solid. Because of this, it can be expensive to print large objects. Many people adapt their models by hollowing them out, but this presents other challenges. Not only do you need to learn how to do this, but you need to produce port holes to allow the resin to drain out, otherwise you’ll have trapped, uncured resin inside your sealed model.

Stunning Print Quality

The Photon S produces stunning prints. It’s almost impossible to see any layer lines at all, even on the coarsest setting of 100-microns (0.0039in/0.1mm) layer height. This is the biggest selling point of the Photon S, and it’s so worth it. If you’re frustrated with FDM print quality or want the absolute best quality from a machine, then this is where resin and SLA shines.

Moving up to 25-micron layer heights (0.00098in/0.025mm) produces jaw-dropping prints but at the expense of print time. You can expect to spend close to 20 hours of machine time on a 1-inch figure printed at 25 microns. While the quality is outstanding at this level, it’s not worth the time investment for 99% of models, as coarser settings are still mind-blowing.

Prints are easy to paint, and you can buy a variety of different resins, from brittle to flexible, and those suitable for casting metal. Different resins need different curing times, however. Translucent resins let more light pass through and so on.

The Photon S is perfect for printing minis for wargaming, or other small yet detailed parts. This machine is almost a new era of 3D printing, whereby machines are closer to plug-and-play than ever before, and the quality starts to approach commercial manufacturing levels. Take a look at these fantasy RPG models for some miniature inspiration.

Should You Buy the Photon S?

The Photon S is a stunning 3D printer. The quality of prints produced by this machine far exceeds any other style of printer. That said, the price of $489 is on the high side when compared to other entry-level SLA printers, and SLA printing is not suitable for everyone. The resin can smell, and you need to be careful around powerful lights, lest you cure your resin. Prints need cleaning up afterward, and large parts are difficult to print.

If you’re prepared for the cleanup process, and the Photon S suits your style of 3D printing, then you will be very happy with this machine. The print quality alone is the biggest selling point. While the instruction manual could be clearer, you’ll have a print up and running within an hour, and there is a large online community for this little machine should you encounter any problems.

Don’t forget to read our beginner’s guide to 3D printing to ensure you don’t miss a step, or if you prefer a more in-depth guide, then our comprehensive ultimate 3D printing guide will answer all your questions.

Thanks to our friends at Anycubic, we have a brand new Photon S to giveaway. All you have to do is enter our giveaway contest below, and make sure you read the instructions for the chance to enter more than once. If you can’t wait for our contest to end, then use the discount code to get off the price of a new machine.

Enter the Competition!

Anycubic Photon S Giveaway

Read the full article: Anycubic Photon S: The Best Resin 3D Printer? (And Less Than $500)

Anycubic Photon S: The Best Resin 3D Printer? (And Less Than $500) published first on http://droneseco.tumblr.com/

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epochxp · 4 years

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Epoch Xperience Interviews Nordic Weasel Founder, Ivan Sorensen

Mr. Sorensen needs no real introduction to many miniature wargamers. His company, Nordic Weasel Games, has taken the historical miniatures gaming world by storm, and he’s become the force on Wargames Vault. His formula of “substance over flash” has produced good games for a very reasonable price, and he has taken full advantage of PDF technology to produce a quality product one can buy and have in your (virtual hands) the next day.

Without further ado, I give you Ivan Sorensen:

Biography

My name is Ivan Sorensen, and I am a game designer and self-publishing writer of miniatures games, as well as the odd role-playing game. Under the moniker of Nordic Weasel Games, I have worked as a game writer for close to 7 years.

I am an avid player of board games, miniatures games, role-playing games, video games, and anything else I can get my hands on. I have spent half my life on this planet in Denmark, where I was born, and half in the United States, where I currently reside. I am married, have one kid and two cats named Scruffy and Lancelot.

Unlike a lot of historical games writers, many of my formative miniatures gaming experiences actually came from science fiction games, so I suppose that has given me a little bit of a different perspective.

So, how did you get started in writing rules? Was there an “aha” moment, or did you fall into it?

At the risk of sounding cheesy, I have basically always created little dice and board games for myself, using Lego pieces or other things that we had available, usually based on video games I had read about in magazines or other ideas like that.

When I was 12 or so, I remember getting a copy of White Dwarf magazine from a local gaming club I had joined, and it blew my mind. We had some limited exposure to the idea of space marines and all these things from the Milton Bradley Hero Quest and Space Crusade board games, but the idea of battle games played without a board, using miniatures and dice was too much to resist. I knew I had to get into this, and as I had no money for it, I sat down to write a game I could play with my Space Crusade figures, which would look as much like what I imagined Warhammer 40.000 would be like.

Since then, I had pretty much always been the “rules guy” in the gaming groups I was part of, whether we were playing miniatures games or RPG’s, so it just came naturally over time, I suppose. As I got access to the internet and later got access to ordering things from the UK or US, I devoured every game I could get my hands on and was even remotely interested in.

The start to writing games that were any good was my own attempt at creating a World War 1 game system (titled Trench Storm). I had shared it online, and to my great surprise, it began catching people’s attention and got a (very) small following, with people even purchasing miniatures to play it. Eventually, I was contacted by the US distributor for IT Miniatures, who offered to print it to promote their 20mm figure range. The rest is, as they say, history. Once in a great while, a copy of that game still pops up on eBay, it seems!

How did Nordic Weasel Games come to be?

So that story took place right around the time I moved to the United States. After moving, I had a lengthy period where I did not have my work permit yet, so game writing seemed like an obvious distraction, resulting in Fast and Dirty, a sci-fi rules set that you still see mentioned online here and there.

As the years went on, I kept tinkering and building things but mostly for my own enjoyment. Sometime during the fall of 2013, I started seriously working on a new game system for WW2 skirmish actions that I felt had some real potential to go places. At the time, I worked at a relatively dead-end middle management job at an incredibly toxic information technology company. You know the sort of job, where you have been there for too long, and you hate every minute of it.

Come the spring, I decided to take a gamble that I could make enough money from game sales to make it worth pursuing and quit. I figured if I could find a way to do it without putting money on the line, then if it all bombed, I could just walk away and find something else to do in life.

Consequently, Five Men in Normandy was released on June 15, 2014, and as of today, we are still here!

What is in the future for Nordic Weasel?

Hopefully, many big things! The biggest priority for 2021 specifically is to get into print books, though there are a lot of stumbling blocks in terms of layout requirements and so on.

I always keep a list of projects I would like to do, though I try not to talk about them too much in case they fall through. I am the sort of guy who always starts with 20 ideas, so by the time the unworkable ones have been weeded out, there are 2 or 3 left.

What I can say is that I am actively looking at fantasy miniatures battles, and I would love to do more WW1 and Black Powder era gaming material.

The real big question is that I am also very much at a point where there are just too many things to do it all alone. I cannot write 4 or 5 new games, support an entire back catalogue, and update old titles all by my lonesome, so I look forward to trying to solve that in the future. I suppose this is a good problem to have, but it is certainly also an intimidating one!

Is there a period of history you want to write rules for but have not?

We have worked extensively with the two world wars and the black powder era in general, as well as 20th century-to-modern era battles, and with Knyghte, Pyke and Sworde we even delved into medieval warfare.

The one that stands out as something that would be fun to do is World War 1 air combat, complete with goggles and scarf flapping in the wind. A little romanticized sure, but great fun, and there is a lot of fantastic models available.

For a historical era I have not touched on at all, I would say that while I have done games that cover it among other 19th century conflicts, a dedicated American Civil War set is something I would be very keen to do.

There are a lot of fantastic rules out there for the period, of course, but I feel like the “Weasel” approach of being solo-friendly and campaign-oriented could carve out a nice space of that market. Plus, I find the era quite fascinating. Growing up in Denmark, I was never really raised with a particular view of the conflict, but having married into a proud Vermont family, it is, of course, unavoidable.

Can you tell our readers what goes into rules writing?

I think this is something that is intensely personal, and the rationale for writing something can be varied: It may be due to sensing an opening in the hobby space that does not seem to be catered to currently. It may be that I have a personal passion for a given setting or era, or it may simply be that I have a clever game mechanic and want to build a game around it.

The process for me usually starts with sketching out a page or two of keywords, mechanics, and things I’d like to hit on a notepad. Then I work on building it out with simple sketches for the main areas of the mechanics: Activations, movement, shooting, morale, and so forth. Basically, carving out the cornerstones of the game system. At this stage, it is entirely possible it feels like it’s not going anywhere, and it goes in the bin.

If the core idea seems to have merit in this skeleton form, it’s time to test it out with some generic troops and see if it actually feels fun on the table. From there, you just build out from it: Get other people to read and play it, read it out loud to yourself, etc. Figure out what parts need ironing out and improving and which are good.

It is really all an iterative process. Once I know the game has legs to stand on, I start writing out the table of contents in advance, so I can “fill in the blanks” as I go. If I know I am going to have a section later for off-map support, I can keep that in mind when I am developing each piece of the mechanics and so forth.

Eventually, any project hits “The Suck (TM).” This is whatever part you hate doing the most, whether it is layout or proofreading or points systems or whatever. For me, it is terrain rules, funny enough. I never read that section of a rulebook, and I never enjoy writing it, but you must. “The Suck” is where your game will probably die because if you let it overcome you, you will put the book down, and every time you click on the word processor, you will immediately be faced with it. The best way to defeat “The Suck” in my experience is caffeine and not letting up: When it starts rearing its ugly head, it is time to keep going and don’t stop until you are through with it.

Has desktop publishing and PDF only supplements changed the face of the hobby? Has it affected the quality of the product we see today?

Absolutely yeah. It’s not that long ago that a game being available in PDF was a novelty, whereas today, if a game is NOT available in PDF, you are going to lose sales.

I think the barrier of entry has also dropped dramatically. Even a basic word processing package can churn out a PDF document that you can distribute online or sell. Of course, with proper page layout software, you can achieve much greater results (as some of my friends are rarely missing a chance to tell me), but you need to examine what your skill limit is. Any tool has a skill cap, to borrow a video game term. If you are not currently good enough at what you do to push up against the limitations of your software, burning 200 dollars on new apps will not make your books any better.

It is funny, though, because the wargaming field is so diverse in the type of things we see. You can pick up relatively big-name games that are incredibly plain-looking: Black and white, no art, rudimentary layout. Then right next to it, you see a PDF that is full-color, original artwork, and gorgeous. And the two can be viewed as equal value to the audience.

Of course, eye candy DOES sell, but I think once you are beyond the Warhammer circles, gamers become a lot more content-focused.

What are your favorite historical periods and why?

The 19th Century, the two world wars and the Russian Civil War.

Really, the whole era from circa 1910 to 1925 or so is fascinating to me: It is, of course, the transition of the old, romanticized world to the world of modern warfare, as well as being incredibly diverse in the sort of things you can see. The Russian Civil War sees tanks and armored cars, partisan bands, nationalist militias, Red and White guards, Cossack cavalry armies, Anarchists, and anything else you can shake a stick at. It is really a wargamers heaven for finding odd units to model up on the gaming table.

Honestly, my love of history, in general, comes from one source: “All Quiet on the Western Front.” I think anyone with a passion for history has that moment where they realize that history is not about abstract concepts and kings and dates but is about real people who lived and breathed and had dreams and hopes. “All Quiet” was that for me, and it left a life-long impression on me when I read it as a teenager a few years from the age of the characters in the book.

What do you see for the future of historical miniature wargaming?

Oof, that is a dangerous question. I think I managed to predict the rise of “Warband” level games (games where you play a small force in skirmish actions and with some level of character progression between games). Right now, that idea has set the fantasy and sci-fi miniatures scenes on fire, with everyone churning out their own version of the concept.

In historical gaming, there are elements of it, but it has not been embraced to the same extent, possibly due to the grognard bias against skirmish games. I think if I had to put money on something, I would say watch out for historical skirmish games with campaign aspects or character progression in the next year or three.

I also think solo gaming is going to continue to gain in popularity and respectability, with more games developed primarily or even specifically for solo play. I am super excited to see this field because there is a lot of things that can be done here with how enemies arrive on the table, fog of war, and so forth, which is not possible in a conventional opposed game.

Playtesting, how important is it?

Very, but it’s also very misunderstood. I see people post all the time on forums about how they have been testing their game rules for 5 years. That sounds very impressive, but if you are only getting together 3 or 4 times a year in that time frame, you are basically starting over each time. Additionally, just playing the game with your own group is fine to iron out the basic problems of a game, but it will lose its value very quickly.

To get actual feedback, give the game to people who cannot ask you questions and let them figure it out. Now your text must stand on its own feet and must work without you being there to explain the intentions. That is the real test. I would say three games played by strangers is worth more than ten games with your usual Saturday group.

Of course, tracking down people who can understand the rules, will play the game, [and] report back to you, AND aren’t crazy is a challenge. If you post online, 50 people will say they would love to, and of those, two will read the book. Once you find reliable people who can give you good feedback, cling to them for dear life.

What are the benefits and pitfalls of self-publishing your own wargaming rules?

The biggest advantage is, of course, that you are in charge. What you want in the book goes, if you want a supplement, it will happen, and so forth. Additionally, your game will reflect what you wanted it to be. I think in [self-publishing], you get a lot clearer creative visions and indie gamers tend to gravitate towards that: A game that has something to say on the topic is extremely attractive, even if you disagree with a particular conclusion.

I try to do as much myself as I can, though, of course, I do rely on outside sources for things like artwork, feedback, etc. Part of that is that this way, I know I can support the product down the road: If I want to fix a rule where we came up with a better way of doing it, or I want to add a new section, I can do that.

The downside, of course, is that you are on your own: Your art is as good as your own wallet can make it, your book looks as good as you can make it (unless you pay for it), and so forth. You also must promote it yourself. If you are writing for something like Osprey, they have marketing power and money to put behind the project.

Anything else you would like to say to our readers?

Before you write a game, ban yourself from reading any game on the same topic for a few months. If you are writing a WW2 tank game, put all your WW2 games in a box and do not open it. You should be spending that time immersing yourself in the topic in the form of books, music, documentaries, or anything else. Never ever another game.

Also, it cannot hurt to blast some metal albums, at least in my experience.

#Wargame Miscellaneous #interview #wargaming #history #gaming

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grassroutes · 5 years

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Anycubic Photon S: The Best Resin 3D Printer? (And Less Than $500)

Our verdict of the Anycubic Photon S: A stunning 3D printer, capable of producing outstanding 3D prints. Liquid resin plastic means this isn't for everyone.910

Let’s find out.

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How the Photon S Works

Specifications and Design

The Photon S features:

0.78in (20mm) per hour printing speed

13lbs (5.9kg) weight

2560 x 1440 pixel LCD display

25-100 micron layer resolution

4.5in x 2.6in x 6in (115mm x 65mm x 165mm) build volume

50W UV output

9in x 7.9in x 15.8in (230mm x 200mm x 400mm) total dimensions

First Prints with the Photon S

Post-Processing Prints

Slicing Your Own Models

Stunning Print Quality

Should You Buy the Photon S?

Enter the Competition!

Anycubic Photon S Giveaway

Read the full article: Anycubic Photon S: The Best Resin 3D Printer? (And Less Than $500)

Anycubic Photon S: The Best Resin 3D Printer? (And Less Than $500) posted first on grassroutespage.blogspot.com

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thewargameswebsite · 3 years

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swipestream · 6 years

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Wargame Wednesday: April 9th

Named after the date of the German invasion of Denmark and released in 2015 I have only just seen April 9th but it is one of my all time, favorite war movies.

Over at IMBD, there are many favorable reviews, most of them commenting on historical accuracy. The negative aspects in the one neutral review (5 out of 10 stars) are the same aspects that made this movie skyrocket up the list of my favorites. The reviewer notes the historical accuracy but bemoans the lack of character development; it wasn’t A Band of Brothers. I enjoyed A Band of Brothers but, as a gamer, I like my war films as historically accurate as possible. April 9th fits the bill and my enjoyment only increases as I realize that Hollywood has been nowhere near it.

Mild spoilers after the jump.

Various things I found interesting:

The story line covering a fighting retreat of a bicycle company and an “Encounter Platoon” of motorcyclists equipped with the only effective weapon, a 20mm automatic cannon, against the German armored vehicles.

The naivety of the Encounter Platoon setting up a road block before a village, in the open. Even if the Germans were held up by the road block (they were not) they could easily transverse the open terrain. The greater naivety of the local villagers who mingle with the soldiers, waiting for the excitement to start.

Motorcyclists with 20mm cannon versus Pz II’s.

Heaviest German armor was Pz II’s and I’m not sure of which version of armored cars that caused the bicyclist so much trouble in the first skirmish but believe it was the Sd Kfz 221, Light Armored Car. In that skirmish the bicyclist had a LMG which was able to hold the armored cars and half tracks at bay, and the LMG gunner even disable one vehicle. The company was soon outflanked.

Half tracks make an appearance but I missed any close up. I’ll have to watch over but think at least one of the half tracks was not an original recalled to active duty from a museum but created from scratch with some plate metal and excellent welding.

After the surrender the view outside of the bus window which is transporting the Danish prisoners back to their barracks. Happy children are fraternizing with the invaders, climbing over German armored cars and wearing German helmets, while in one village the civilians are happily talking with German soldiers. I learned by watching the movie that the border territory in south Jutland was German up until 1920.

I rate this one as a must see, especially for military history fans interested in an obscure early war action, soon to be overshadowed by the full force of ideological and industrial warfare.

Wargame Wednesday: April 9th published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames

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builditblog · 6 years

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Start of a new project, Primosole Bridge, Sicily 1943. Made for 20mm wargames layout, although the model is slightly smaller, to allow for changes in ground scale that are effected by firing and movement within the games rule system. So a visual representation of the bridge, rather than a true scale model.

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mariokkounnous · 6 years

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Set Design Research: Grass

It’s time to begin work on building all the assets and sets for the film. Using my experience on making wargaming boards I will start my research here. As I have been involved in making display boards for miniature gaming demonstrations in the past, my skills and knowledge will provide me with a good foundation to build upon.

There are a few factors I need to consider when designing a functional set. I have been pondering whether to use tie downs or magnets for my puppets and even though tie downs secure the puppet to the set more firmly than magnets, the animation process is longer and time is a restriction I cannot alter. Therefore my main area of research is to design a set that would allow me to use materials which would normally hinder the magnetic connection as the aesthetic of the film is important to me.

I cam across this blog, which explains what methods he used to make a World War 2 gaming board. Even though the methods used is something that has been practised myself, He still has useful tips like using cat litter as stones. This idea is cheap and resourceful which is essential to my practise.

https://admachina.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/normandy-20mm-project-1/

#Research #Set Build #Design #RP4222

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astralmouseart · 6 years

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I’m not feeling well lately. Mostly crushing despair, alienation and anxiety.

I’m undersleeping lately and all the problems - both with the Nazis and the contract just kill my motivation and ability to study. To make things worse, I got myself into beta testing a wargame.

I wasn’t able to do any learning today. Actually, haven’t done almost anything since Friday - 3 days wasted.

Literally the only thing I’ve done today during internship is colouring another mouse graphic which reflects my mood. It took me 22 minutes.

That and doing some cleaning. I started cleaning the middle shelf of my most solid bookshelf today. I removed some really old stuff like a can of Citadel spray paint and spilled basing sand.

I’ve seen some really ancient stuff. Like a drawer with pens and pencils that I think I’ve opened last time about 14-15 years ago.

I’ve found the only evidence of my old attempts to sculpt with polymer clay there. I think it was from 2002.

Besides that I there was a drawer with old stuff I had in primary school.

I also found some extremely old Citadel paints from before I got a Citadel Mega Paint set - around 2002 or 2003 - holy shit, there are two pots from late mid 90s and one from mid 90s! I think I bought it somewhere around when Quake demo was released which I think was 1996.

I also found some really old BFG ships from 1999 or 2000. All of them have broken stems. I haven’t even got to paint the battleship as the base literally crumbled under its own weight without me dropping it or anything! Which doesn’t really matter because I use counters for ships because the ships aren’t so big. A cruiser is, like 5km long and the base is 3000km across. So, the real size of the ship on map is, like 1/20mm.

BFG was one of the few expensive gifts that my father gave me in my life - it costed a work-equivalent of nowaday’s 486$. Another of which was a Commodore C-64 computer which was much more expensive. It was after my father has renewed contact with me, stopped dodging child support, started giving me pocket money, which was a pretty big sum back then a work-equivalent of nowadays 134$ per month, buying me clothes, etc. which started when I was 13-14 and was gradually decreasing and ended in 2003 as it turned out I’m disabled and won’t be successful in life.

Actually, what I wanted to do is getting my BGF counters and dices which were in another drawer and I ended up doing the cleaning because they were behind some books.

After the cleaning I decided to remove all that stuff and use that shelf for keeping big books there.

I ended up putting two big expensive miltiary history books that arrived yesterday which I bought for my part of the first internship scholarship I received and some more that I’ve recently bought. The blue one is a doctor’s thesis of a retired tank officer. Also the Annais Nin diaries and stories and web design/development books. The shelf is very deep so I’ve put a lot of other stuff which I don’t need to be immediately accessible there.

The last productive day I had was Thursday.

#mouse draws #mouse talks #mouse posts #mouse learns #Internship2018

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