Dampf 1914 (Salute updated)

[levied troop]

I’m planning a demo game for 2014 and given that it is the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of WW1, my choice of period is fairly predictable.  There’s a really excellent scenario in the Two Fat Lardies ‘Stout Hearts and Iron Troopers’ book called Race to the Sea.  In this the Germans and the British are advancing along opposite sides of a canal to the small town of Dampf, the object being to seize the bridge crossing the canal, starting with small forces and getting additions dependent on which card is drawn in any turn.  The players find they have a  choice between dashing along the road to get to the town (there’s movement penalties for moving off-road in a rather soggy field system) and shooting to disrupt the opposition as they try and do the same thing.  My  team have played this before and found it gave a nail-biting little action with some tricky decisions – obviously using Mud and Blood rules from the Lardies.

Luckily we have most of the troops required and can field British, Belgian and French forces as alternatives to face off against the ‘orrible ‘un.
I need to finish off the French and create the terrain – all in time for the Tunbridge show in February (or 1st Partizan).  If LAF will permit, I’ll show progress here – the  photo shoot should shame me into finishing in time.
 
The main boards are 9mm MDF with Craftfoam on top to provide the contours (I have a sneaking megalomaniac plan to join up with other terrain boards I’ve made for 1914-40 and create a sculptured terrain that runs 30x6 feet and can only be used once before I give myself a hernia):




The assumption is Dampf is built in a low-lying border region between France and Belgium, with a canal running straight through it.  So the roads and town are raised 10mm above land, which is 10mm off the canal surface:


The town layout has been varied a little from the original town map in SH&IT, mainly because I can’t follow instructions.  The principle objective has been to ensure that the buildings form obstructions to sight and cover from fire, without providing too many ‘strongpoints’ that would make an ambush easy, so there’s been much fiddling around with the buildings.  The sudden decision to buy the Total Battle Terrain French Church also meant some jiggery pokery to make it all fit.  The final layout looks broadly like this (the white straight line is the canal and not necessarily indicative of my inability to measure):


The buildings will be a mix of scratchbuilt, heavily modified dolls houses, Fenris Games, partly modified Oshiro Terrain and straight out of the box Total Battle Terrain, with quite a few ideas stolen from this site (Thunderchicken especially).  More on them next update.

[OSHIROmodels]

That's going to be really impressive when done, looking forward to more updates 

partly modified Oshiro Terrain 

If you need some more bits or modding drop me a pm 

cheers

James

[levied troop]

Normandie  Ferme
First building, based on a typical farm/barn at Grandieu.  Slightly delayed by wine, food and wenches over the holiday period.
Basis is two Warbases buildings (Terraced House and Red Lion – just because I had them to hand) as the carcass but I don’t like the dimensions for their windows and doors, so the building was clad in card, new  windows and doors came from Fenris Games except the big barn doors which were scratchbuilt.  Interior detail from card, balsa and Slater’s plasticard.  The building was then covered with scraps of card and paper to represent loose, rough stonework, washed with FoamCoat.  Tiles are Warbases laser-cut paper - I did try to model a small bow to the roof line, not sure it's emphasised sufficently.

Renegade figure for scale.
Front:

Back:

Interior:

Side:

[Quendil]

Really impressed 

[Hammers]

That's a huge board!

[Dobbie71064]

Amazing! holy crap, ill be watching this one!

[Gun bunny]

too cool!

[worrywort]

Very nice !!

[redzed]

looking good LT

this for Bovvy?

[OSHIROmodels]

Looking forward to seeing the stone house painted 

cheers

James

[Gary Peach]

You realise we are all impresses so far and want to see more NOW...  your cant stop for little things like work, food or drink...  MORE.

[levied troop]

Thanks for the nice words folks.

looking good LT

this for Bovvy?

If they let us back 

Aiming for Partizan as the first outing - was hoping for Tunbridge but it's not physically possible.  Of course, if I'd started earlier....

[Wirelizard]

Missed this up until now, I am very impressed. That is going to be one heck of a board when you're done. Teddy bear fur for the waterlogged fields of Flanders, perhaps?

I keep meaning to re-create the "Race to the Sea" scenario in some soggy part of Russia using my RCW figures, but haven't gotten to it quite yet. I've filed the serial numbers off a number of the scenarios in SH&IT to use as Russian Civil War fodder, but not the Dampf one so far!

[Phil Robinson]

Looking good, making the trip to Partizan these days depends on if I have things to deliver or the display games that interest me. This is one reason to go, just need a few more.

[levied troop]

Teddy bear fur is being accumulated - I couldn't do without it   

Phil - Hopefully we can tempt you further with:

Le boucher, le boulanger et le fabricant de bougies

I was aiming for a very French provincial look with a nicely mixed roofline for the Dampf High Street -  this row is based on three different Petitie Properties kits:
http://www.petite-properties.com/

All three are bookshelf models and therefore have no detail on the rear so this needed to be built up. The candlestick maker’s shop is heavily modified with a new Finecast plasticard front and back and Grandt Line windows, as is the corner baker’s shop .  Chimney pots from  S&D Models:
http://www.sanddmodels.co.uk/index.htm

The butcher’s shop was used pretty much as is, with additional plasticard and yes I need to replace the door, which managed to lean to the right during gluing.  There’s a little fettling to be done before they are finally ready for painting and I’ve kept the  windows and shopfronts  separate for the moment.









All comments and criticisms welcome.