Weekender: Wargaming Kursk & A Brand New Terrain Challenge!
June 23, 2018 by brennon
Join us for another instalment of The Weekender where we're sitting down to look at some more awesome models from the Celestial Painting Competition AND presenting you folks with a new Terrain Challenge.
We've got lots to get stuck into this week so let's dive in...
Celestial Painting Competition
This week we've got entries from Sergey Chasnyk, Sergio Calvo Rubio, Ben Komets, Antonio Peña Jiménez, and Massimiliano Richiero who have created some sterling projects.
Remember that you can check out all of the entries and more over on the Facebook Group where you can also vote for your favourite. You can also learn about each of the artists HERE.
New Terrain Challenge - The End Is Nigh!
We've teamed up with 4Ground once more to bring you another Terrain Challenge for this year.
This one is titled The End Is Nigh and here are the details...
- Start Date: 23rd June 18 -- End Date: 31st August 18
- Prizes: 4x £50 vouchers
- Categories: Best Idea, Best Skill, Best Tutoring & Junior
- Theme: Apocalyptic / Post Apocalyptic
- All entries must be through the projects system, tagged as the "Terrain Challenge" and must be linked through to a forum topic for collection
Make sure to get your ideas down into the Projects system and we'll see where this one goes!
Updates
We've got some big updates to remind you of as well. There will be a new Infinity Campaign launching soon and the guys from Corvus Belli have been previewing more about the overall idea and the individual factions in video format.
We also have the UK Games Expo Press Round-Up where we've teamed up with all manner of press outlets who came to the event to show off their content, views, experiences and more from this wonderful show.
News
We have a dip into the news to find out what's been going on...
- Alien Beasts - Some awesome new alien creatures for use in Dropzone Commander
- Rolled & Told - A new hybrid comic book/choose your own adventure idea coming in September
- Strontium Dog Rocks Up - Warlord Games are taking us back to the 2000 AD world this year
- Modern AGE - Get stuck into a toolbox RPG system that allows you to play out your stories however you like
- PlastCraft's New Terrain - A new selection of Sci-Fi terrain has dropped from the PlastCraft Games crew
What from the news caught your attention?
Wargaming Kursk!
With the anniversary of Kursk around the corner, John and Justin sit down with Jim, our Historical Editor, to go through what you can expect from his new article series which launches on July 2nd.
It features a lot of tanks so John is very happy indeed!
Kickstarter
We also look towards Kickstarter and some new projects which are fundraising right now
- Tang Garden - A peaceful and meditative game where you look to create wondrous gardens for your visitors
- Evil Corp - Play as shady and shadowy business giants looking to save the world...just not for you
Which of these would you go for?
Make sure, as always, to get your thoughts into the comments below about the show and everything we've covered and prepare your hobby materials for that terrain challenge!
Have a great weekend!
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As a community member I welcome the fun times a-coming with the Infinity campaign.
As an Ariadna player I’d like to remind you all YOU’RE ON MY F*$^%^&G MUDBALL NOW MOTHE%&^*(*RS! BRING IT!
Its gonna be good mate CB putting lot of work into it 🙂
Happy Weekend!
Happy Weekend @blackspiral! 🙂
It’s the Weekend!!
Between Casper in the rafters and the ghost on Ben’s wire you did well to get through that!!
Am I the only person getting an error message when I try to play this video?
What does the error message say mate? We are not seeing any errors on our end at the moment 🙂
Originally it was giving an error saying that it was unable to upload. I kept trying and eventually it worked. Sorry I should have written down what it said. If it ever happens again I will.
The mini-bots on Sergei’s model look like Arcanist Steam Arachnids from Malifaux.
Loved Strontium Dog as a kid, looking forward to the coverage.
Being a Search/Destroy agent was the only job a mutant could get.
For those interested, Big Finish have audio plays with none other than Simon Pegg as Johnny Alpha.
Those audio plays sound like all kinds of awesome lol Great cast too
There’s a fan made short film of SD on you tube
https://youtu.be/i5EZaO1HPF4
@warzan look here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strontium_Dog
and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dus55hnBbVA
super super awesome – the weekend has begun
So it wasn’t just me who found it a relief to reach the weekend he he 🙂
Happy Weekend to everyone! Looking forward to the Infinity Campaign again this year. It just keeps getting better. Good job team, OnTableTop/Beasts of War. Or is just Beasts of War for this one? Here in Kansas, we’re getting ready for two days of “Smallville” ComicCon. Which starts today. Going to see some Hollywood stars and some comic book artists. But really looking forward to some tabletop gaming in the afternoon. I’m taking “Blood Red Skys” and running some D&D later on. Aristeia may even sneak into my pack and make an appearance. Did I mention that we rename our town… Read more »
If you get a chance take a few pics and post them in the forums mate
Great show lads, always good to hear @oriskany give inside into a historic campaign
I hadn’t realised just how epic Kursk was until this – really looking forward to it as well
It’s the Soviets … everything is ‘epic’
There’s no such thing as a small fight over there.
This is very true, @limburger – which is why I wante dto cover a whole range of gaming systems. Ironfist Publishing’s Battlegroup: Kursk because … well, the name of the game is “Kursk.” 😀 Flames of War because of the sheer scale of the battles involved. Flames of War is really great at putting larger battles in miniature, and Fourth Edition really is a huge step forward for the system, I think. All this said, I really wanted emphasize that despite the size of the battles and their “tank-heavy” nature, smaller-scale infantry-based games like Chain of Command and Bolt Action… Read more »
Nice video segment . We tried to do parts Kursk a few times using CD or Spearhead and never fully achieved what we wanted as it was just too damn big
Thanks very much, @torros – and never have we agreed so much on anything. In a fit of true gaming madness, I spent 1.5 days actually building (in the computer, of course), a full-scale, no-shit, no shortcuts, myth-busted game of PanzerBlitz for ALL of Prokhorovka, scaled in its true proportions. The Excel spreadsheet is 18 MB. There are 1350 counters on the board. The board is 120 hexes tall, 80 hexes across, encompassing an area of 9,600 Flames of War tables. Like you say, too damned big. I set it up for the article series but in all honestly, have… Read more »
We tried to bath tub it down a stand = a company to 12 8×5 tables .Still too big. I reckon if we had gone to a stand = a battalion it still would have been
Very roughly, Prokhorovka has 10+ divisions on the table. 3 SS PzGr divisions, 4 Soviet tank corps (basically = divisions), 1 Soviet Mech Corps, plus 9th Guards Airborne and two regiments of two more guards rifle divisions on the north (right) flan … PLUS some independent tank brigades and a independent heavy tank regiment of lend lease Churchills of all things, two self-propelled artillery regiments … So total regiments … ROUGHLY 12 German (or the equivalent thereof) plus ABOUT 32 Soviets = 132 battalions … shit, I forgot artillery. Say one regiment of artillery per division x 3 for battalions… Read more »
Looking forward to this one Jim. Great idea 🙂
Awesome! Thanks very much, @buggeroff ! 😀
Thanks very much, @rasmus and @Warzan – I’m a little late to the party today, I guess, I seriously didn’t get out of bed until almost noon – it’s been an exhausting month and this is the first “clear” weekend I’ve had … honestly since the end of April. Indeed Kursk was absolutely the biggest of the big. Other big “shoves” by the Germans or the Soviets (Barbarossa, Typhoon, Blue, Bagration) were usually spread out over a much wider area (and much longer periods of time), making them more “campaigns” than “battles.” But for this many men, tanks, guns, aircraft… Read more »
Like Sam’s dad, I also had issue 1 of 2000AD. It came with a Frisbee like spinner thing attached.
Sadly, I also do not have it any more.
Great weekender. Thanks guys 🙂
Happy weekend! The ice cream van! I remember that! <3
Can't wait for the Kursk series @oriskany
The Van has to star in our upcoming RPG session lol
The Ice Cream Van is awesome!
That’s why I tracked one down for my Weekender Set/Hobby Room!
It even made a guest appearance in our first game of ‘Gaslands’.
It’s a must 🙂
Thanks very much, @yavasa ! Part One rolls out on Monday, July 2, we wanted to hit the 75th Anniversary on July 5 (preliminary assaults started on July 4, but the main attacks of Operation Citadel open on July 5). With five parts to the series, they’re pretty much be rolling out on Mondays all through the month of July. Hope you like it!
Looking forward to it @oriskany
Cool deal, @yavasa. The highlight for me (or most brutal part) was the full-scale Prokhorovka in PanzerBlitz … we’ll see what the community thinks! 😀
Couldn’t agree more @oriskany Prokhorovka was a mess…
Absolutely, @yavasa – three exhausted and shot-up Waffen SS divisions, attacked by three fresh Soviet tank corps, plus an attached tack corps, plus an attached mech corps, all thrown together quite haphazardly at the last minute, plus a guards airborne division of all things trying to hold the line, two SP Assault gun regiments, some independent tank regiments and brigades, regiments of two more guards rifle divisions that were already under attack from the days previous … Most of this was put together the night before with very little organization, communication, or cohesion … The Soviet commander was a brilliant… Read more »
Indeed @oriskany. Although I would go for your numbers rather than those exaggerated ones. It is possible thou to do some smaller battles in a campaign style like for example the fighting at Kruglik-Berezovka where the advance was hampered or at Lutovo. It can be smaller scale but still interesting especially with the infamous but well known Grossdeutschland in play.
Skirmish campaigns have a couple of Kursk based scenario books that might be useful
https://www.skirmishcampaigns.com/books.htm
Interesting, thanks @torros 🙂
Grossdeutschland features very heavily in the article series, @yavasa , especially Parts 03 and 05. Definitely one of my favorite German divisions to use in wargaming. Are we sure they were that “infamous” though? Are we getting them conflated with Waffen SS Panzergrenadier divisions like Das Reich, Totenkopf, Wiking, or Leibstandarte? I have about 120,000 words written into Grossdeutschland in Russia, mostly for a PanzerBlitz campaign I worked up a few years ago, concentrating on Summer 1943-44. So Kursk definitely fits in there, where PGD GD formed the spearhead of XLVIII Panzer Corps. Syrtsevo, Dubrova, Verkopenye, Hill 242, Cherkasskoye, and… Read more »
@oriskany I was referring to the Pancevo executions while calling them infamous.
I see that the articles will be well researched as usual 🙂 120,000 words!
@yavasa – Gotcha. Indeed the Pancevo Incident is a full-blown and indisputable war crime. I had heard of something in the Balkans, but since my research all focuses predominantly on GD Division in Russia, and when it was an actual division (instead of a motorized infantry regiment), this admittedly wasn’t on my radar. I make the point in the article series that the panzergrenadier Grossdeutschland Division is a pretty good choice for players who are looking for a German unit that both “gets all the best toys” and remained relatively clean of war crimes. Of course, I really have to… Read more »
@oriskany you are right in all respects. I was not trying to discredit them as a fun to play, packed with the best equipment formation. 🙂 It was a war and all sides had their hands dirty. 🙂 I don’t remember one single game that would have SS units in them that were not one of the best in game terms so I totally get why most of us like to play with them. 🙂
@yavasa – no worries at all, sir. I just relized my statement was a little too overgeneralized – PzGr Div “GD” didn’t come out of that mess with completely clean hands, just cleaner than most other divisions “of their level.” Casual history buffs, however, often mistake them for a Waffen SS division because they’re such hardened veterans, they’re so well equipped, and they fought in many of the same battles, (Third Khar’Kov, Kursk, etc), and have a “cool name” instead of a number. And many Waffen SS divisions were actually quite poor (as I’m sure you know), when gamers think… Read more »
@oriskany couldn’t agree more. Especially when it comes to the equipment of the Waffen SS forces made up from volunteers from various countries like “Hungaria” or “Wallonien”. The later one at one point had half of the manpower without basic combat training. I agree that the myth is really present among casual history buffs as you call them but also when you take books written by former military like Reynolds who describes the 1st and 2nd SS Panzer Corps history you can almost feel the admiration of the author while you read the books. At least that’s how I feel… Read more »
@yavasa – I think I have one of the books you mention Steel Inferno, 1st SS Panzer Corps in Normandy, Michael Reynolds, (c)1997, Dell/Doubleday Books. I see in his dedication – “To all those who fought with honor in Normandy, many of them deserved better commanders.” It’s a tough call. I see a little of what you mean right there in the dedication. Soldiers on different sides can often see more in common with their “enemies” than the civilians (often elected in *ahem* “democracies”) that started the wars in which they’re expected to sacrifice everything. It therefore follows that people… Read more »
@oriskany this conversation is a delight and as in most respects I agree with what you say, especially with the part about all-volunteer force and “soldiers doing their work” paragraphs.
Grossdeutschland is widely known and yes, it’s a really good call to stick with them while gaming rather than Waffen-SS 🙂
In more lighthearted news @yavasa … I’m not really following the World Cup in Russia, but everyone at work is and talking about it constantly. Last I heard the Germans are still in it, but had a tough game recently because of overconfidence and inclement weather, up to and including hail?
Why is it whenever the Germans to try win something in Russia, they’re overconfident until the weather turns against them? 😐 😐 😐 😐 😐
Kurage Island. Take a bow! 🙂
Very good show. I´m really looking forward to the Kursk series by the mighty @oriskany .
Note 1: A better translation for this awesome vehicle “Brummbär” would be “Humming Bear”.
Note 2: Gfm Model´s first name should be pronounced like “vulter” to make it sound more German.
Question 1: Is @warzan ´s Panzerzahn going to roll out against the Soviets?
Thank you and have a good time.
Thanks, @jemmy! The best translation for “Brummbär” is actually “grouch” or “crank” or “sorehead.” As in: “don’t talk to Oriskany before he’s had his first coffee, he’s such a Brummbär., i.e., “cranky bear.” It’s often presented as “grizzly” – even though it’s not what it means. Kind of like “Königstiger” does not mean “King Tiger,” even though König is king and Tiger is Tiger. 🙁 Tell you what, we can call it by its proper name, the Sturmpanzer IV / 1943 SdKfz 166. 😀 Walter Model: Actually it’s pronounciation should be roughly: “Valt-her” with a little emphasis on the end… Read more »
The 1/35 scale guys I know , usually call the Brummbar – Stupa , shortened form of Sturmpanzer IRC . What ever you call it its one mean building buster
Thanks, @a27cromwell – that’s actually a pretty cool nickname (and accurate). But in any event, I agree, definitely one of the greatest weapons on the table, especially in Battlegroup where HE-class firepower, direct-fire, from armored firing point, is so important. Nothing clears a platoon of Soviet guards rifles out of a trench, bunker, woods, or building quite like a Grizzly! I especially like to use them (when I can) because they are so friggin’ rare, and they don’t get into combat very often. So of course you can use them all you want in “scrimmage games,” but for more historical-based… Read more »
Strontium Dog first appeared in the ‘Starlord’ uk comic which was later merged with 2000ad.
As an interesting side note ‘Starlord’ also had the Ro-Busters series which was the pre-runner for the ABC Warriors story. Characters included Hammerstein (with a different head to his 2000ad adaptation), Mek-Quake (who was a demolition robot “Big Jobs!!!”) and my personal favourite Ro-Jaws (who I believe was a sewer cleaning robot.
Also, regarding Strontium Dog. The name itself is a derogatory term used by norms (non mutants) to describe the Search/Destroy agents who all wore the badge marked ‘SD’
strontium dog along with nemesis the warlock, rogue trooper and co are all available as digital graphic novels on the 2000AD website Justin mate. classic sci fi and a proper comic book with something to say for itself in the same manner as Watchmen or Doom Patrol. 2000AD was inseparable from the warhammer 40000 rogue trader vibe of the 80’s, everyone i new who played rogue trader read 20000AD. i definitely recommend picking these up before you buy any more games or miniatures as i believe they will add more to your gaming experience and immersion. I the believe classic… Read more »
Golden Heroes was very good
Defintely. If you like the look of the game and the fluff – check out the graphic novels. One of the best comic book stories I grew up on. Really worth the read.
1st RPG I played was M.E.R.P. 1st edition, we listed everything we rolled for for bonus xp…
Another one of my favourites.
me too @gaz67
Not sure if we played first edition but it was the one before GW released it in the UK. The campaign packs that ICE released for Rolemaster ( and still available online if you know where to look) were also superb
If I remember 1st edition was the purple book and 2nd was red, maybe? I had all the campaign books, lent them out and they sadly never returned.
Not that I condone this sort of thing but if you look here
http://merp1.free.fr
And here
http://merp2.free.fr
You might find something interesting
So looking at a few pics of Q Con this weekend I have seen Justin in a few playing Games etc but none of John. I’m am worried Justin has left him in a cupboard ( if anyone finds him please make sure he has enough water) in his Fallout costume until its time for the cos play parade or whatever its called
Wow @brennon ! It really is a big Clark Kent/Superman thing!
w/ glasses: Ben
w/o glasses: Sexy Furious
The transformation is as amazing as it is instantaneous 😀 😀 😀
I can’t read this without think of the Mystery man quote.
“Don’t be silly, they can’t be the same person, for one thing, he wears glasses.”
“He takes his glasses off when he changes.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, how could he see?”
Warren: “Those are eyes on the head?” – why do I get the feeling that @warzan is often told by women ‘my eyes are up here’ when he’s talking to them? ? When ‘Casper’ was banging and Warren and Sam looked up, was any else half worried that a ceiling tile was about to fall down and smash up the minis? ? Good memory @dracs – is ‘judges of miniature painting competitions’ your Mastermind Specialist Subject? ? “Ultra hard ons” – looks like Sam failed his save vs double entendres; now we know the best way to incapacitate Sam is… Read more »
This terrain challenge is perfect for me right now. If I win it could help me get my Fallout table up and running quicker, but even if I don’t I can practice many techniques that I want to use on it.
Wow! There was nothing about todays show that I like, I’m sorry for saying that but I feel I should be honest about how I feel about today’s show, I guess they all can’t good.
Happy Weekend everyone! Another great show, looking forward to seeing entries for the terrain challenge, usually some awesome stuff people come up with, and it’s a great theme. Modern Age looks interesting, though I had a few issues with how they implemented magic in the Dragon Age adaption. I do enjoy the modern spate of rules-light and pro-narrative RPG’s, but every now and then I really fancy a good dungeon crawler. Just been looking to see if there is a very modern game focussed around dungeon crawling that takes my fancy. A few possibilities, but I did come across “clink”… Read more »
Looking forward to Strontium Dog. One of my favourites cracking comic strip must dig them out and read them again.
The ice cream van! It would be a perfect vehicle/ terrain for a Knight models Batman miniatures game… just wonder what the joker could do to neighboors with that sinister vehicle, some ice cream and some smilex… XDD