"The army (and terrain) you've got! - N. Africa" Topic

Guys,

You know the old saying – a nation goes to war with the army its got, rather than the one it wish it had.

Well, it's that way in this hobby too – in regards to minis and terrain on hand, to be able to put that game on with.

I had made up some resin hills and rock outcrops for my North Africa kit, but a few months back got a few really nice entrenchment pieces in 10mm from Total Battle Miniatures, to add to it. Today I've got the strongpoints finished here, and wanted to show how I plan on using these as 'before and after' bits, to play future WW2 desert games with.

Seen here, how the tabletop will appear before any potential stongpoint might be positioned during the gameplay -

Now with strongpoints placed and things looking a bit more 'engaging' -

All sorts of game mechanics can be folded into a scenario, that can manage the triggering of this transition from "unoccupied" to "occupied" ground – somewhat like using unit blinds, but with such terrain holders marking the ground (for that extra bit of fog of war potential).

Hoping also to engage on this topic of terrain, types of placeholder bits, and presenting ideas on managing hidden unit placement and/or entrenched positions – in-game.

We just use playing cards for this. When I design scenarios for Irrational Number Line Games, the same.

Playing cards are ubiquitous and familiar. Also cheap. They come with numbers on them, which is often useful.

You can easily get lots of different backs to match your terrain pretty closely (if you want that), and with the easy availability of custom printed cards, you can make the back (and fron) however you want. You could even take a picture of your ground cloth and put that on the back.

it's pretty easy to get two or three decks with different backs to give different levels of information. For example red backs meean high probabiliy of small numbers of units and blue backs mean low probabilith of large numbers of units.

It's also easy to get multiple decks with the same back, if that fits the hidden information paradigm better.

And if you really really really need to have custome info on the cards for reveal during the game, being a cheap pharmacy item, you can just grab a sharpie and write on them.

Very nice, Dapper Dave!

Hiya Jerry, thanks, and figures you might like this! ;)

etotheipi, I try to eliminate gaming aids from on my tabletops as much as possible – and that rocky terrain pictured above doesn't have to indicate an actual hidden position is present, unlike a card placed there would do (otherwise why place cards on the game board)?

Having 3D pieces can help maintain fog of war, especially in a desert scenario, because the advancing force has no idea if it's actual rocky terrain ahead, or evidence of rock sangers, sandbag construction, and trenching – they must gain this information from advancing closer and through the terrain, by direct observation of the battle space, or by receiving fire out of camouflaged, prepared positions.

Cards certainly would be cheaper, but aren't substitutes for actual 3D terrain. Of course, maybe a terrain area represents an unoccupied entrenchment, without a unit in it – would this terrain be placed on a tabletop if it's an abandoned feature, or if it were an unoccupied feature like a farmstead instead?

I think cards could be fine for tracking hidden units, however they aren't the way I want to populate my tabletop using terrain features that can be occupied.

Looks Great!

I'm with Fly on this one! I play miniatures for the visual appeal. It's more than a game for me. It must appeal to the eye.

Recently been pondering over the same question. The old Aurora "Rat Patrol" kit had several desert terrain dunes and even an oasis in it. I think it may be easy to recreate scatter terrain with a gradual slope ending in a steep drop to simulate shifting dunes. Recently reading some Helion books for action in N. Africa, as you get closer to Tunisia, the terrain topography is similar to Europe but with much less vegetation (yet decent amount of scrub brushes exiat). Reminds me of the pictures in China where the Russo-Japanese War happened in 1905-6. Because of that, I want to create some scatter terrain useable in both theatres/wars with pockets for entrenched weapons. All I need is time!! Been busy with family but ideas still hatching. Nice start, Dave!

Tom, you're on to something here – a "gradual slope ending in a steep drop" – this is what I'm seeing works best to the eye for lay-on terrain.

In the two pics above, the rocky pieces with vertical sides seem to set onto the map best, and it's the gradual slopes that seem artificial, with their final edges looking "pretentious".

Best rises would probably be created underneath, if one is using a mat that is flexible enough to conform in all directions.

For some Tunisian hills, one could do a combination of underneath contours topped with rock outcrops along their peaks.

The terrain looks great. I am definitely a visual appeal sort of guy when it comes to miniature gaming. Otherwise, for me at least, why bother.

But most of us cannot imagine the work that goes into producing the quality of scenery you keep showing us, each on a huge scale.

I am the sort who could once spend days (and much money, for extra parts in brass or resin) to get a Sherman just right. Only a Sherman as well….madness I know, in 1/72. The 1/35s are mostly in the attic unopened. Seriously.

My time is now committed to Waterloo in 1/72 (definitely not my choice of scale but that is what is needed). But when I see your work in 1/144th I find it incredible. The scenery is amazing and the AFVs are not what I recall from 45 years ago. Yes, the visual appeal is terrific.

TY! TY! TY!

(largely means I'm playing far less, and holed up here dreaming of the next opportunity to see this stuff out in the light of day) ;)

Dave- what size of hexes are your infantry mounted on, in the picture?

Tom, those are 2-inches across – flat side to flat side, bought from Litko (they're 3-layer plywood I believe). Litko also makes hexes die-cut from magnet sheet, that will stick to the bottom of their wood bases if desired, so the bases can be fixed into cases or carriers, for storing, or for transporting these to your game event.

I usually arrange each side's game forces on magnetic trays, organized for each scenario. That way I can explain the unit structures pre-game, and then the players detach what they need as the game commences – and everything can go back onto the trays post-game too.

Let me spam ya some…..

Makin' desert bases here (there's a flat piece of square steel underneath the top texturing – for magnetic attachment – so sorta function as 'sabot' bases) -

Showing the magnets on the models, for swapping out onto your assortment of bases (instead of making a stand for each model – that's too much work! – and you retain the option of having your vehicle models remaining unattached) -

Some of the desert kit below – the infantry figures and the heavy weapons are permanently fixed into the basing texture on these, Bases that I made later just had the crews fixed, and the guns could be swapped out – this limited the crew stands I needed (for typical – medium-class hvy. weapons).

Let me pop some game trays in here also – these are ready-to-play troops for particular scenarios – unit structures prepared pre-game, and sometimes special player aids/markers can be included on the trays too (of course, they can also be magnetically attachable). :)))

Thank you, Sir, fir these ideas. I will play around with them.