6mm sci fi - a Dirtside2 battle

This weekend saw my second game of dirtside since getting back into wargaming. I umpired whilst two friends from my local club took command of the opposing forces.

The scenario was a pretty straight forward attack - defend affair. The game was set in central Europe. One side, deemed to be Polish were tasked with taking a village held by Soviet troops. The two forces were kept small whilst we all got use to the rules (this was only my second game in ten years and both players were new to the system). To add some interest to the plot it was decided that the attacking forces lacked motivation and thus their starting morale levels were determined at random. To compensate for this they had the technological edge.

The game went well. An early Soviet airstrike proved very effective and wiped out most of the Polish HQ section. There were also some fierce light armour battles. The attackers were able to air drop some light walkers into the enemies rear area and they became involved in some heavy fighting with a Soviet infantry platoon.

As is often the case time ran out before a definite conclusion had been reached. This was partly due to our inexperience with the rules and games should move faster in future. The village remained in Soviet hands but the Poles were poised to launch a large infantry assault. The Umpire's official verdict was a draw (although I did say the players were free to argue about the result amongst themselves...). Most importantly everyone had fun.

The remains of the Polish HQ section shelter behind a wood following a Soviet airstrike.

Soviet forces deployed in and around the village.

Some of the Polish grav tanks make a dash across open ground.

Soviet MBT's in position on a hedge lined road.  The HQ unit sits just behind the road.

Eurasian Solar Union light tanks

The latest units to be painted up for this weekends game of Dirtside are some Eurasian Solar Union (ESU) light tanks. The ESU is one of the major players in the optional background provided for the Dirtside system. These miniatures are part of the excellent 6mm sci fi range from Brigade Models. When I get some more transfers these models will be finished off with the addition of suitably Soviet insignia (red stars and the like). Pictures of the game and a full battle report will follow shortly.

1/300 Sci Fi Armour for Dirtside

With a game arranged for a couple of weeks I have been busy painting some new 1/300 scale models to complement those already in my collection. First up were a couple of troops of Mechanised Infantry Combat Vehicles (MICV's - like an Armoured Personnel Carrier but with more fire power). With Dirtside having a science fiction setting these are hover vehicles - note the absence of tracks. My painting philosophy with Micro Armour is not to spend too long on each model. I try for a basic paint job that looks ok when used en masse. I've not yet decided what nationality these vehicles will represent hence the lack of any insignia. I'm leaning towards some white stars to give them an American feel. These particular models are from Irregular Miniatures.      

Dirtside

Dirtside is a set of rules for science fiction ground combat from Ground Zero Games. The second edition (known as Dirtside 2) was released in the early nineties.  It is my favourite game of all time.

The game mechanics are elegant yet fun. The 'opposed' die rolls really give you a sense of participation at all times, even in your opponents turn. The term 'turn' is a bit misleading as the game uses an alternative unit by unit activation that I really enjoy. An added bonus these days is that the rules are available as a free download from the Ground Zero Games website. I strongly recommend you take a look.

I have arranged to play a game at my local club in a few weeks so am busy painting up some 1/300 scale miniatures. I will post a few pics shortly.

Man O War - Dwarf Fleet and the first battle!

After a good few hours with the paintbrush my newly acquired Dwarf ships were ready. This was a considerably quicker process than the Imperial ships due to the absence of masts and sails. Here are a few shots of the dwarf ships followed by a pic of the first game played down at my local club.

This was my first game of Man O War for over ten years. It was every bit as much fun as I remembered. I deliberately kept the fleets small whilst I got the hang of the rules again. I decided on 800 points a side (a 'normal' sized game would be 1000+). The use of smaller fleets allowed us to fit in two games. I umpired the first and played in the second. They rather neatly resulted in a victory apiece for the Dwarfs and the Empire. I should point out I was on the losing Empire side in the second game!

Man O War

Man O war is a fantasy naval game from Games Workshop that was released back in the early nineties. It was sadly discontinued not too long after. It is my favourite GW game and one of my all time favourites.

One of my first projects after getting back into gaming was to get a couple of fleets together. I had the core of a dwarf fleet already. I also had a few empire ships. After some ebaying I was able to get enough ships to complete the empire fleet. Not a cheap endeavour I can tell you.

After a couple of weeks of painting (and general faffing about) the empire fleet is nearly complete. Here are a couple of shots of the newly completed wolfship squadron.

Welcome to the geekosphere.

After a lengthy absence (10 years plus) I have recently got back into wargaming. The main difference between now and then is the internet. I've decided to embrace the brave new world and so have launched the geekosphere. It will be a home for all my half baked wafflings on the subject of playing with toy soldiers. Or wargaming as it's sometimes known.

Bazza's geekosphere. A home for my ramblings on all things wargaming.