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Miniatures Adventure => VSF Adventures => Topic started by: AdamPHayes on August 01, 2017, 11:20:56 PM

Title: Alternate History Campaign Setting 1895
Post by: AdamPHayes on August 01, 2017, 11:20:56 PM
The eventual arrival of some figures from the slightly delayed Empire In Peril range by Unfeasibly got me enthused enough to sketch out a campaign setting for Brits and Germans in Home Service uniforms to fight over...

The Heligoland Crisis will allow me to fight small skirmishes in a confined geography without the use  of a "the Royal Navy had a day off" Deus ex machina needed to get the Germans to England's shores. (Also the dubious idea that the German Empire would even want to invade Great Britain...)

http://wargamewarrior.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/44694329-the-heligoland-crisis-1895

(http://wargamewarrior.webs.com/Blog-pictures/Heligoland/small%20Islands%20Map02.jpg)

I'm intending to use Donnybrook modified for 1895. The campaign is intended to generate interesting game scenarios but it will also be driven by what figures people want to get on the tabletop. Gunboats seem to be the focus of  the moment but I expect unicycling deathray pistoleers may not be far behind...
Title: Re: Alternate History Campaign Setting 1895
Post by: The_Beast on August 02, 2017, 02:34:55 AM
 Seriously, who would complain about that set up?!? Especially Bill's noted off-hand comments, and Otto's way of winding him up.

As for what's next,  you know some German arms developer will be trying to find a reason to deploy dig-carried falke-mensch drop troops.

Doug
Title: Re: Alternate History Campaign Setting 1895
Post by: carlos marighela on August 02, 2017, 03:52:54 AM
Seriously, who would complain about that set up?!? Especially Bill's noted off-hand comments, and Otto's way of winding him up.

As for what's next,  you know some German arms developer will be trying to find a reason to deploy dig-carried falke-mensch drop troops.

Doug

For a moment there I thought you were talking about a notorious gaming website. lol

Clever set up indeed, I like it a lot. Look forward to seeing the campaign unfold.
Title: Re: Alternate History Campaign Setting 1895
Post by: jambo1 on August 02, 2017, 04:32:48 AM
Super idea for a campaign, and whats not to like in fielding soldiers in home service uniforms. Look forward to seeing more. :)
Title: Re: Alternate History Campaign Setting 1895
Post by: Romark on August 02, 2017, 12:31:16 PM
Nice idea,looking forward to pictures and updates  :)
Title: Re: Alternate History Campaign Setting 1895
Post by: Wargamer Dave on August 03, 2017, 02:31:09 PM
Great premise! Looking forward to hearing more!
Title: Re: Alternate History Campaign Setting 1895
Post by: AdamPHayes on September 16, 2017, 12:33:44 PM
The first figures are ready for action and being tried out on some new "urban" area bases...

(https://myalbum.com/photo/pM3Q37u6CARb/360.jpg)

Figures are from the Empire in Peril range from Unfeasibly Miniatures. The long awaited Kickstarter packages have mostly been distributed so I would expect them to soon be available to all. (Probably via Black Hat Miniatures.)
Title: Re: Alternate History Campaign Setting 1895
Post by: AdamPHayes on October 06, 2017, 03:41:14 PM
The first opponents of the invaders are the plucky Heligoland Garrison Regiment. Some background for the regiment is here:

http://wargamewarrior.webs.com/apps/blog/show/44798206-the-first-to-fight (http://wargamewarrior.webs.com/apps/blog/show/44798206-the-first-to-fight)

(https://myalbum.com/photo/2Lty4z1eT2pE/360.jpg)

(https://myalbum.com/photo/zc7o0t5jPBuY/360.jpg)
Title: Re: Alternate History Campaign Setting 1895
Post by: horridperson on October 21, 2017, 11:51:45 AM
A really enjoyable read.  I appreciate history but playing hypothetical and fantastic scenarios is more interesting as you don't feel a prisoner to history.  Very cool!
Title: Re: Alternate History Campaign Setting 1895
Post by: AdamPHayes on November 19, 2017, 08:18:40 PM
Steadily painting up the combatants for the two sides but I snuck in a couple of command characters (who might bear a resemblance to friends I game with*.)

First is Sir Leslie A. Rumbol-Smythe, Archie to his friends.

(https://myalbum.com/photo/drGVDEwm90AT/1k0.jpg)

And his old sparring partner, Baron Nikolaus von Langenfordt

(https://myalbum.com/photo/8IivWQTWmEMk/1k0.jpg)

These two will have some backstory including previous encounters in other parts of the world. Archie is rumoured to be a handy chap in the sort of situations where Her Majesty's Government cannot get directly involved. The Baron is a fanatical patriot and hsa used his family fortune to support various schemes (dubious or not) that he sees as advancing the cause of Greater Germany...

I cannot for the life of me remember where the British office figure came from, maybe London War Room's old range of figures for battles on Mars. The Baron is a Westwind Miniatures chap from a pack called German Archaologists (I'm not sure how you use a sabre in a dig but there you go.)

(*no, just the names silly!)
Title: Re: Alternate History Campaign Setting 1895
Post by: Romark on November 20, 2017, 09:33:09 AM
Love that British officer,a real character  :)
Title: Re: Alternate History Campaign Setting 1895
Post by: horridperson on November 26, 2017, 02:53:44 AM
Good looking figures.  Looks like it would be a lot of fun.  I enjoy making, "avatars" in games I play giving my friends the joy of killing me if nothing else.
Title: Re: Alternate History Campaign Setting 1895
Post by: AdamPHayes on November 30, 2017, 08:52:44 PM
Good looking figures.  Looks like it would be a lot of fun.  I enjoy making, "avatars" in games I play giving my friends the joy of killing me if nothing else.

I'm keeping my own avatar well in the shadows for that reason!
Title: Re: Alternate History Campaign Setting 1895
Post by: AdamPHayes on November 30, 2017, 09:02:07 PM
Got the first batch of figures painted/ converted / rounded up from other duties on the table. Found we had quite a bit of appropriate scenery that could be used for the setting that would make a skirmish game a bit less of a turkey shoot...

(https://myalbum.com/photo/KjDV7b8RuKA2/540.jpg)

The Germans under my orders got a bit of a pounding but my excuse is that I was busy thinking of the scenario and the changes to the rules. A poor deployment that they never recovered from really but it was interesting as games go. A new period for us and the amended Donnybrook rules worked well. Hiding behind solid things is a top tip and the machine gun wasn't overpowered. A brief write-up and more photos here:

click here (http://wargamewarrior.webs.com/apps/blog/show/45001567-heligoland-first-game)

As the campaign setting is an island frequent use of Les's nice paddle steamers is almost guaranteed!

(https://myalbum.com/photo/qfJAi8lfELxG/360.jpg)

Hauptman Schultz pointing in which direction a retreat will commence.
Title: Re: Alternate History Campaign Setting 1895
Post by: Tesla knight on December 01, 2017, 09:49:21 AM
Great scenery!

I'm a great believer that scenery is key for really memorable games.
 
Title: Re: Alternate History Campaign Setting 1895
Post by: AdamPHayes on January 05, 2018, 12:18:55 AM
After the first game  we went back to the history books to look again at the tactics of the period. I want a distinctive feel for the games in this period in the same way that Donnybrook does for the late 17th Century. Anyway, my chuntering on about the ideas for changing the rules in Donnybrook for the way officers work is here click here (http://wargamewarrior.webs.com/apps/blog/show/45147324-lions-led-by-donkeys-) There are also some photos of figures painted so far.

The draft rule additions are here: PDF of 1895 command rules (http://wargamewarrior.webs.com/Blog-pictures/Heligoland/Officer%20Characterisation%20-%20Lions%20led%20by%20Donkeys.pdf)


(https://myalbum.com/photo/Bg26jOZKSZOB/540.jpg)