The Inspiration
Modern conflicts beckon. I recently noticed a set of rules called Ambush Alley. Reading through the free download version I found myself very inspired to try them out so I bought the full version and set about deciding what figures to buy.
I have some modern British from TAG which are based singularly and painted as UNIT troops. These are a good starting point for Ambush Alley so I ordered some Taliban and other assorted Afghans from TAG to go with them. I received a couple of free special edition Saddam Hussein figures at the same time which was a nice bonus.
Embarking on a modern conflicts project also gives me a proper reason to build the modern buildings I've wanted to do for a long time. These are currently well underway and I expect to have them finished very soon. Once they're finished I will be able to play games set all around the Middle East and also in several parts of Africa.
Eventually I'd like to be able to stage games based on the Wild Geese with mercenaries fighting the forces of African dictators, Black Hawk Down style scenarios in Mogadishu and even Raid on Entebbe style commando missions.
I've wanted to do AK-47 Republic by Peter Pig for a long time too; this is a game about warring factions set in a fictitious African state.
However, first things first, I had to settle on a starting conflict. My original idea of Afghans vs. British seemed like a good one. Some of the students at my school were enthusiastic enough to buy some figures and start painting their own forces. I started to do my final planning before I began to do my own painting and then I hit a snag.
The Problem
There is a problem with having forces for lots of different wargame periods; usually you end up with many different sets of rules too. This isn't really a problem if the rules are good and you enjoy playing them but can cause difficulties if you don't get to play regularly. You forget the rules and it takes a lot longer to set up a game because everyone needs to be reminded of how things work and then the game runs slower because you need to look everything up. It makes for a far less enjoyable experience than you would like.
I find I am noticing this far more recently and so I'm trying to take steps to remedy it.
Ambush Alley may well be an excellent game, I certainly believe it's a very good game from my initial read through, but reading isn't playing. Buying and painting a couple of hundred figures for a game you may not like is not a very wise investment of time, money or effort. My solution is this:
I may end up loving Ambush Alley but I know I love Crossfire. Therefore I am going to base my figures for Crossfire and use them to play Ambush Alley. Although Ambush Alley uses single figure basing and has casualty removal I prefer multi figure basing (it protects my painting and I much prefer the aesthetics) and I can live with a few dead markers to show a unit that's under strength.
I always intended to use Crossfire for the fighting part of AK-47 too; I don't like the combat rules as written.
I can still use my singularly based British but the Afghans are going to be based in groups with single leaders. All my American and Somali forces will be multi based when they arrive as will any subsequent forces.
Basing
Deciding on a final basing convention was fairly difficult. I want my regular troops to be based in fours so they look like a fire team. This meant that the base size of 50mm square that I normally use for WWII troops wasn't going to be big enough.
I settled on using 60mm circular bases in the end. This matches my existing Vietnam figures and allows for four figures to be placed together. And, since these bases are only 2 square cm larger than my 50mm x 50mm bases, a group of three irregular troops or a pair of specialist troops don't look out of place either. I have ordered some 40mm circular bases for individual leaders.
Modern conflicts beckon. I recently noticed a set of rules called Ambush Alley. Reading through the free download version I found myself very inspired to try them out so I bought the full version and set about deciding what figures to buy.
I have some modern British from TAG which are based singularly and painted as UNIT troops. These are a good starting point for Ambush Alley so I ordered some Taliban and other assorted Afghans from TAG to go with them. I received a couple of free special edition Saddam Hussein figures at the same time which was a nice bonus.
Embarking on a modern conflicts project also gives me a proper reason to build the modern buildings I've wanted to do for a long time. These are currently well underway and I expect to have them finished very soon. Once they're finished I will be able to play games set all around the Middle East and also in several parts of Africa.
Eventually I'd like to be able to stage games based on the Wild Geese with mercenaries fighting the forces of African dictators, Black Hawk Down style scenarios in Mogadishu and even Raid on Entebbe style commando missions.
I've wanted to do AK-47 Republic by Peter Pig for a long time too; this is a game about warring factions set in a fictitious African state.
However, first things first, I had to settle on a starting conflict. My original idea of Afghans vs. British seemed like a good one. Some of the students at my school were enthusiastic enough to buy some figures and start painting their own forces. I started to do my final planning before I began to do my own painting and then I hit a snag.
The Problem
There is a problem with having forces for lots of different wargame periods; usually you end up with many different sets of rules too. This isn't really a problem if the rules are good and you enjoy playing them but can cause difficulties if you don't get to play regularly. You forget the rules and it takes a lot longer to set up a game because everyone needs to be reminded of how things work and then the game runs slower because you need to look everything up. It makes for a far less enjoyable experience than you would like.
I find I am noticing this far more recently and so I'm trying to take steps to remedy it.
Ambush Alley may well be an excellent game, I certainly believe it's a very good game from my initial read through, but reading isn't playing. Buying and painting a couple of hundred figures for a game you may not like is not a very wise investment of time, money or effort. My solution is this:
I may end up loving Ambush Alley but I know I love Crossfire. Therefore I am going to base my figures for Crossfire and use them to play Ambush Alley. Although Ambush Alley uses single figure basing and has casualty removal I prefer multi figure basing (it protects my painting and I much prefer the aesthetics) and I can live with a few dead markers to show a unit that's under strength.
I always intended to use Crossfire for the fighting part of AK-47 too; I don't like the combat rules as written.
I can still use my singularly based British but the Afghans are going to be based in groups with single leaders. All my American and Somali forces will be multi based when they arrive as will any subsequent forces.
Basing
Deciding on a final basing convention was fairly difficult. I want my regular troops to be based in fours so they look like a fire team. This meant that the base size of 50mm square that I normally use for WWII troops wasn't going to be big enough.
I settled on using 60mm circular bases in the end. This matches my existing Vietnam figures and allows for four figures to be placed together. And, since these bases are only 2 square cm larger than my 50mm x 50mm bases, a group of three irregular troops or a pair of specialist troops don't look out of place either. I have ordered some 40mm circular bases for individual leaders.
