"15mm Post Apocalyptic Stronghold: PHASE I" Topic

What do you guys think?

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It's just a very humble beginning, but I plan to add more and finish up the rough edges on things.

1) What I have yet to decide is if I should make each half of the stronghold be two separate sections (for loading and unloading in between), or make it a single compound.

2) The other thing I need to decide is if it is going to be on dry land or among canals of a flooded city:

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Any comments or suggestions?

Thanks.

CC
Thread on containers:
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Thread on truck:
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Thread on figures:
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Very nice. From a tactical perspective I would NOT want two separate halves, I would want to bring the trucks into a secure area to unload.

If the Zeds (or a rival human group) attacked with a truck unloading between the two halve the ability to mutually support each other may well be lost.

Jake

Really nice CC. I like your use of cut in half containers on the stronghold ramparts.

Cheers
Mark

that's really great! nice work

Very nice! You're giving me ideas.

Thanks,

John

Thanks guys.

Should I place tents (protected by sandbags*) in the open area on the right half of the camp?

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If not, how should I complete the perimeter?

CC
* Or by these:
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How about some sandbags around a set of steps, making it look as if there is an underground area?

Razor wire for the perimeter would be good!

That is very cool. I like the tower, that's a cool idea using the half containers for cover.

I'm working on a little container-based survivor camp myself and I used containers to make the walls for the entire perimeter, with gaps between containers filled with a section of container wall.

I started on my compound after seeing your post about the corrugated sheet. Thanks for the inspiration. :)

Luckyjoe

Luckyjoe,

Thanks. Glad to help. :)

I'm curious. How big is your set up?

CC

"If not, how should I complete the perimeter?"

With junk of course. Piles of sharp edged pieces of parts and parts of pieces. Loose footing, rusty, easy to rebuild, etc..

What a cool item to put in shallow trenches around a compound, lots of rusty junk…you have to slowly go through it or carefully over it…easy to maintain and you can set it on fire (oil/fuel) and it will still be there when it burns out unlike wood. And you could run gas lines to the locations of the piles (under the piles) to deliver fresh fuel and avoid being in the open.

Yes junk piles…hey CC! I have lots of stuff to use for junk piles, I will send you some with your upcoming transfer if you like? I made lots of small containers of parts to sell when I had my website online for model making.

28mmMan,

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll take whatever you can spare. One can never have enough junk! Thanks again.

CC

Looking really good CC. Glad to see all the discussions about the corrugated sheets paid off.

Now I'm thinking about something like this. Evilof the internet constantly bombaring us with more ideas than we have time to deal with . . . . .

Jeff

@CC: Right now it's 7 inches wide by 9 inches long, but is designed to be modular and so can be expanded.

Luckyjoe

Luckyjoe,

That's awesome! Please post some pictures when you get a chance.

CC

Sweet! Nice work CC!

I just added 3 more photos (this time of the truck – now modified):

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I got rid of the rear "cannon", added some styrene rods and then styrene corrugated sheets.

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CC

Nice

Awesome, CC! Well done!

You can put wire coils and sandbags on individual stands. This makes the perimeter and set-up very flexible.

Ok.

I went ahead and ordered a "Preiser HO-2703 Twin Tents package" and a pack of "MODEL POWER (#5480) of 70 sandbags":

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I may still get these other tents too:

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Hopefully they'll work to accessorize.

CC

Awesome work as always CC!

I am going to steal the idea of the containers cut in two, if you don't mind.

-Eli

LOL. By all means, steal away! :)

CC

Can't go wrong w/ junk and barbed/razor wire. Mebbe a couple of oil drums?

I particularly like the two-story building.

How about a crow's nest/spotter's scaffold type tower?

If you make a bigger compound, you could always put in a single- or double-wide trailer, or a few RV's, for more comfy habitation…. ;)

I will second the watch tower idea. You might also want to make a trap door in it someplace and model a few "tunnel" markers that you can place on the board to mark escape tunnels or "sally gates".

-Eli

Ok. For PHASE II, let's see if I have all the suggestions captured:

1) Keep it all as one compound (not two halves);
2) Put barbed wire (though I have no idea where to get it yet);
3) Steps to appear as though there's an underground area (see Emu2020's comment below);
4) Add piles of junk in shallow trenches along perimeter;
5) Place sandbag emplacements on separate bases (for versatility);
6) Add a watch tower of sorts; and
7) Add trailers/RVs for accomodations

Emu2020: "You might also want to make a trap door in it someplace and model a few 'tunnel' markers that you can place on the board to mark escape tunnels or 'sally gates'"

Hmmm. How about a second board just for gaming in the tunnels under the compound?

It would generally follow the same basic footprint, for storage of ammo and other things, plus a couple of tunnels going out under the confines of the enclosure.

It could be like this, but along a SINGLE level:

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Would be relatively easy to do, now that I know how to play with dark cork. Two tiles thick would do it:

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Who knows? It might even lead to this other Post-Apocalyptic concept:
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Or maybe I should leave such ambitious plans for a PHASE III, IV or V? :)

CC

That is definitely a cool project idea, but the trap door markers would be handy for simply table battles.

-Eli

CC,

Go with the following –
2) Put barbed wire (though I have no idea where to get it yet);
3) Steps to appear as though there's an underground area (see Emu2020's comment below);
4) Add piles of junk in shallow trenches along perimeter;
5) Place sandbag emplacements on separate bases (for versatility);
6) Add a watch tower of sorts; and
7) Add trailers/RVs for accomodations

All of these allow you to customize your settlement for various scenarios.

One thing to remember when designing PA defenses is that the people building them are likely to fall back on traditional defenses from around the world and throughout history.

Ex-soldiers, academics, TV/RPG geeks, students, etc will all bring their own bits and pieces.

Foxholes, trenches, Roman stiled barb mines, fences made of junk will all be easy. Barriers and traps such as those found on the beaches at Normandy would be quick and quite effective against the simple vehicles of the PA world. Pike barriers made from sharpened metal would replace cut logs but work the same. Switchback defense ditches like those found on Celtic hill forts would also work.

Digging down into tunnels would make for great living conditions when materials are scarce. The earth can keep you cool and out of the elements. Muiltple entrances and a confusing tunnel plan can create a nice rabbit warren to help protect you and provide routes of temporary escape until danger passes.

-Eli

Eli,

What do you think? Should I make it as a set up on dry land or as part of an "island" in what used to be a coastal city?

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The dry land option would allow for tunnels. The wet one would have water channels and other "islands" around it.

CC

Sweet as! A i read through i was hoping you'd keep the two seperate, put in a watch tower like Lord Hynogogue suggested, and a high walk way between the two.

Like the tents. Keep it comin'.

Hmm. This looks interesting for barbed wire:

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CC

Keep it dry land. Versatility will ruin some of the art and details of one or the other.

-Eli

For the tower, how about if I buy or make something like this?

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Rustic enough?

CC

That would work, but I think you could go with metal too.

-Eli

I'm with the other guys. Keep it dry land. Makes it alot more versatile. Like the towers, I'd not seen those before.
By the way I just ordered some 20" Walthers containers.
Good Stuff!

RighteousRude,

I wish I had found this one before you placed your order!

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CC

It's all good CC. I actually need the regular containers I ordered. Looking at doing some Starship Cargo Hold/Boarding actions for Traveller. Those building containers look sweet though. : )

I know. They do look sweet.

I have them on my next shopping list.

CC

I hope I can make some sense of all this technical stuff, and put some of it to use in the defenses:

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CC

CC,

Not sure if you caught my last big comment. It might help?

-Eli

Eli: "One thing to remember when designing PA defenses is that the people building them are likely to fall back on traditional defenses from around the world and throughout history. Ex-soldiers, academics, TV/RPG geeks, students, etc will all bring their own bits and pieces."

I guess I'm trying to find out where ex-soldiers would put what. :)

CC

As a former US Marine, ex is one of those things reserved for EX-wives and EX-bosses :), as a former marine I would look at what you are trying to accomplish.

2-3 layers of defenses to soak up movement and create lines of redirection.

In the case of your encampment:

ditches with things you do not want to get into…old oil, rusted metal, mystery fluids from barrels, etc.
(this will slow down vehicles and people, no cover as the ditches are below the ground level)

fence lines with supports, barbed wire, black berries (pick the fruit between fights), etc.

the structures set up with a mind for movement, the good kind of movement that allows for defenders to move around while under cover

The layers will make it hard to rush in, reduce vehicles, and generally make thing hard for the attackers

28mmMan,

Sorry. Didn't mean anything by "ex". Thanks for the great suggestions!

CC

For concertina wire, the only thing necessary is a pencil and some wire. Wrap the wire on a pencil. For the other kind, just wrap and glue thread to posts and paint it rust brown, The paint should damp down the thread look.

You'll want something to channel the attackers so that they couldn't just rush the gate.

Japanese castles had double gates with a 90* corner in between the two doors, and many modern military bases have their main gate on a frontage road, so that entering requires that 90* turn.

You'd also see a decent-sized cleared area around the perimeter, to a bit beyond whatever the max range of the weapon of choice is. For bows and blackpowder, you're talking about a 100 yard swath of nice, mowed green grass, while modern firearms stretches that to more than 300 yards (most places aren't flat enough to have a 1km free-fire zone around them).

The security fencing found here might work. Wouldn't stop any kind of serious attack but could work for a lesser defense (keep out wandering animals, zombies etc).

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RR,

Are those 3-d accessories, or just paper/card? I can't tell from the description:

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CC

CC, I was assuming they are 3-D accessories. Guess we need to email them to be sure.

Chain link fences taken from various sources in the area.

Chain link large dog kennel in the interior as a place to retreat into for a last stand if your facing zombies or poorly armed mutant savages. A good place to secure and protect non combatants. You can still fire through the holes in the fence. Not a good idea if your opponent has projectile weapons.

Concrete highway barriers arranged around the fort to prevent anyone from ramming a vehicle into the fort. The downside is an intelligent foe would use them as cover for dismounted infantry. Arrange them so they provide minimal cover for the attacker.

Some kind of bomb shelter / overhead cover. I'm not sure how hi tech you plan on having the attackers be. Mortars would pound anyone in an open compound to dust. If I had primitive weapons I would have my force pay that fort a visit at random intervals on dark nights hurling a volley of arrows, javelins and molotovs over the wall.

Punji stick pits traps sprinkled around the area outside your perimeter.