Campaign Map

Here is a map I made for a campaign. It shows the northeastern coast of Waltrop. As you can see, I like old school hex maps.

Rocket Science

I think, in general war-gamers don’t like it when non-wargaming stuff appears on wargaming blogs. Please keep on reading. This is wargaming-related in a strange way.

After play-testing Aaron Overton’s ruleset WarEngine a couple of days ago, which took about three hours, Krüger stayed for dinner. We went to the supermarket and bought a Czech Budweiser for Marjorie, a non-alcoholic beer for me and an artificially flavored yoghurt drink for Krüger. It came in a large white plastic bottle.

My son Hendrik tried the yoghurt drink and enjoyed it so much that it became his favorite drink that night. After dinner Hendrik asked Krüger to build a rocket for him. This is the result:

Then Hendrik asked about an astronaut for the rocket. I said that it is possible to make astronauts from the cardboard they had used to make parts of the rocket. I said I could do this, but that we should postpone the project, as it was already getting late. Krüger said that I was bragging in front of my children and that only a genius could make a figure out of cardboard that resembled a human being. He said: „You already have difficulties making human figures out of green stuff.“

This reminded me of another situation. A couple of years ago, Krüger and I were sitting at our kitchen table. Krüger was painting space marines and I was sculpting two horses.

Janitz, one of Marjorie’s friends, who had come over to see her, asked if I had sculpted the space marines. Krüger replied: „No! Of course not. If Karl had sculpted the space marines, he would be a genius.“ (Please keep in mind that Krüger isn’t four years old like my son.)

Now, I don’t think a lot of people would consider me a genius if I could make space marines from cardboard, but somehow I’m tempted to do this now. It would gain me the respect of Krüger and Hendrik, I guess.

Play-Testing WarEngine v 3.0.1

Aaron Overton, the author of WarEngine, is currently play-testing version 3 of his rules. You can contact him through his WarEngine Yahoo Group.

WarEngine is a generic skirmish game. It caught my attention a couple of years ago, when it was used by a group of French wargamers for their Golgo Island setting. The second edition of the ruleset is in my bookshelf but I never tried it.

I'm currently preparing an ancient campaign with fantasy elements, so a generic skirmish game would be an interesting addition to HotT and Warhammer which we play regularly.

Last Tuesday, Krüger and I had our first game of WarEngine 3.0.1. We played Hoplites vs Orcs & Goblins, using about 3800 points each. I played 3 units of hoplites, 2 units of slingers and 5 Thracian riders. Krüger played 4 units of orcs, one unit of goblins, a unit of wolf riders and an ugly giant.

WarEngine is a modular system. You need to define how weapons, figures and units work, before you write an army list. I gave the hoplites the tweak combat assistance, for example, and added a champion with 6 hero points to each unit. To be honest, during play I forgot most of the advantages the tweaks gave me, but it was ok.

WarEngine feels lighter and is more flexible than a game like 40K, without being too simple. It has some interesting game mechanics involving control, reserved actions, massed attacks and suppression fire. You can add powers to simulate magic or psychological effects. Since every figure only has one life point, the game is fast. This allowed me to finish Krüger's giant in turn 1 with a group of slingers.  (David and Goliath.)

The only doubt Krüger and I had about the rules concerns the use of hero points. Figures get hero points through tweaks. They can be spend in combat to alter the attack and defense scores, after the dice are rolled. Both players know how many hero points the other player's figure has. Our first impression was that hero points are very powerful. Maybe it would be more fun to spent hero points first and then roll the dice for the attack and defense scores.

All in all, WarEngine is lots of fun and we will have another game soon.

Chaos Space Marines versus Space Marines and Orks / 40K Battle Report / 1500 points

On Sunday, Krüger, Jörg and I had a game of 40K. It took four hours. After two hours we had a break to eat a marble cake and to talk about coffee machines. Krüger drinks seven cups of coffee a day. As the result of our discussion Krüger now wants to buy a second coffee machine.

Jörg started with 40K not so long ago. He brought the Chaos Space Marines from the Dark Vengeance box, painted in an eerie Genestealer purple and Rakarth Flesh. I played with Jörg in a team and added about 1000 points: a Chaos Lord, 2 units of Plague Marines, a Rhino and 3 Obliterators. Krüger brought all the Orks and Space Marines he has.

We are in the process of balancing our lists. Jörg’s part of the chaos army is a bit fragile. He has two small units of cultists, a small unit of Chosen CSMs, a Dreadnought and a Chaos Lord, whereas Krüger’s list is quite effective, the result of many years of gaming against me.

We still use the rules of the 5th edition because nobody could convince me yet that there is a better edition. The scenario was seize ground and spearhead with four objectives.

I took pictures with my dad’s old 35 mm camera and notes on a piece of paper. I don’t think it’s easy to write an entertaining battle report. Here are some inspiring blogs:

Ancient Battles

Andy's Wargaming Blog

The Stronghold Rebuilt

1000 Foot General

So what happened on our table? In turn 1 Jörg’s Chaos Dreadnought (Hellbrute) destroyed Krüger’s Dreadnought. (I know. It’s just dice and probabilities, but the thing has a long history of bad luck. It doesn’t work. It’s malfunctioning. Instead of buying more coffee machines, Krüger should get a new Dreadnought.) 

In turn 2 Jörg lost a unit of Cultists and the Chosen Chaos Space Marines, but we were able to shoot down a Deffkopta.

In turn 3 Jörg’s Chaos Lord and one of my Plague Marine units destroyed a unit of Space Marines. Krüger attacked my obliterators with a large horde of Orks and destroyed them. I countered his attack with two units of Plague Marines, won the fight, and the two models that survived, a Warboss and a Nob, flew.

In turn 4, Krüger’s Kommandos appeared and we lost the Chaos Dreadnought. Another unit  of Cultists that was supposed to secure an objective on our side dropped like flies.

In turn 5, Krüger held one objective on his side while the objective on our side was contested by two Killa Kans. I tried to fight them off with two units of Plague Marines.

I think we made some mistakes figuring out the dice scores needed to damage the Killa Kans, but I’m not sure if the result would have been different. I wasn’t able to destroy one Killa Kan and Krüger won the game. All in all, it was fun. Krüger’s list is almost a Dreadnought / Killa Kan spam list. Jörg and I need something to counter that. And Jörg’s CSMs need more punch.

Last Trip to the DUZI

I had a website about my wargaming activities called the "Wambeler Zinnfigurenmuseum". I had written its HTML code using a simple text editor which was a lot of work. The website was in German. I'm sure nobody read it. Not even the friends I game with, although it was supposed to be our club website. When I realized that, I closed the "Wambeler Zinnfigurenmuseum" and started this blog.

The link list you can find under the label "Herr Zinnlings Links" on the right side is the only part of the old website that I'm still using.

My cousin and I used to go to a wargaming convention in October called DUZI. They had a big Warhammer tournament which looked like fun and many vendors selling miniatures, terrain, books and sculpting supplies. One year they even had people dressed up as Romans.

In 2013 the convention was cancelled. This year it wasn't even announced. Who knows, maybe it's gone forever. Last time I was there with my cousin was in 2011.

I looked through the archives of the "Wambeler Zinnfigurenmuseum" today and found a text about our last trip to the DUZI. What irritates me is that I mentioned I was about to start an ancient imagi-nation project with my cousin, a project which is slowly taking shape now, three years later. I haven't changed much since, I guess. I'm the same quirky, childish, silly, slow person I was back then, trying to convince my friends to start new wargaming projects once in a while, which usually takes forever.

Here is the original text for you to read: 

Auf diesen beiden Bildern ist Herr Karl auf der Empore der Niederrheinhalle in Wesel zu sehen, wie er ein Miniaturledersofa und zwei kleine Kistenstapel aus Gips in Papiertaschentücher einwickelt - alles kurz zuvor am Stand von Didier Fünfrock-Dymowski auf der DUZI erworben.

Herr Karl ist zwanghafter Sammler von Zinnminiaturen und Geländeteilen. So gut er kann, versucht er zu vermeiden, daß seine Sammlung zu Schaden kommt. Abgeblätterte Farbe oder Klebe, die nicht mehr hält, kann ihm mehrere Tage lang die Stimmung vermiesen.

Die Fotografien wurden von Herrn Sven mit seiner neuen digitalen Schnappschußkamera aufgenommen.

Herr Sven und Herr Karl waren in den letzten Jahren oft auf der Duisburger Zinnfigurenbörse.

Während der Aufnahme der Fotos befanden sich auf der Empore der Niederrheinhalle neben den beiden Herren noch ein paar junge Menschen, die dort die deutsche Fearless Meisterschaft austrugen - irgendwie ein trauriger Anblick, wie abgeschoben, ausgestoßen wirkten sie. Und das trotz der unglaublichen Preisgelder von insgesamt 600 €, die es dort zu gewinnen gab.

Das große Warhammer Turnier fand in diesem Jahr zum ersten Mal im Parkettsaal statt, nicht mehr auf der Empore.

Alles in allem war es ein sehr entspannter Messebesuch. Herr Sven kaufte sich mehrere Boxen mit Zauberern des Imperiums von Games Workshop und einen wunderschönen Turm. Herr Karl zwei Schachteln Waldelfen Bogenschützen, einen Blutbrunnen und die anfangs erwähnten Geländeteile.

Lust bekamen die beiden erneut, an dem Warhammer Turnier der DUZI teilzunehmen, das in diesem Jahr mit stattlichen 3400 Punkten ausgetragen wurde.

Ihre Gespräche kreisten hauptsächlich um ihr neues Projekt, in zwei Blogs antike Imagi-Nationen zu erfinden und Kämpfe zwischen diesen mit Miniaturen auszutragen. Daher standen sie lange an den Tischen der Anbieter von historischen 28 mm Miniaturen aus Plastik herum und begutachteten Gußrahmen von Kelten, Griechen und Numidern.

Oldhammer & Rogue Trader

Here are four Oldhammer and Rogue Trader blogs I discovered recently. Amazing stuff. Check it out!

Realm of Chaos 80s

Warhammer for Adults

Deathworld Adventures

Roebeast's Magical House of Sunshine

The Statue

Heracleides and two of his officers discuss a statue they discovered on the beach of Thassikos Chorios. (Or Waltrop how the natives call it.)

Heracleides: "There are three forms of art: 1. Art that depicts things that are real, like plants and animals. 2. Ornaments which please the eye and 3. everything which has its source in human imagination. The first form of art is the best, the last the worst."

Officer 1: "Let's hope the creature depicted here does not exist, Heracleides!"

Officer 2: "And doesn't live on this island!"

(The miniatures on the picture were painted by Simon Bradley and Steve Dean as a commission.)