*
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 29, 2024, 01:45:34 AM

Login with username, password and session length

Donate

We Appreciate Your Support

Members
Stats
  • Total Posts: 1686604
  • Total Topics: 118111
  • Online Today: 626
  • Online Ever: 2235
  • (October 29, 2023, 12:32:45 AM)
Users Online

Recent

Author Topic: Whatever Happened to "I Ain't Been Nuked Mum!", and/or its more PC Title?  (Read 2376 times)

Offline Mako

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 779
This was mentioned a few years back, when we used to see posted battle reports from games, including some nice battle photos, and it sounded quite promising.

The only title I know it as is "I Ain't Been Nuked Mum!", though apparently there was some mulling about for a more PC, secret title, which as far as I know, was never forthcoming.

Love the non-PC title, by the way.

It was a Cold War, Land Combat set of rules, for company-level play using armor and infantry units (perhaps two companies if on the attack, with a combined-arms mech force of tanks and IFVs/APCs),  vs. the same, or fewer defenders (frequently just a couple of platoons, if NATO was defending).  Seemed to include helos in the rules, and possibly even aircraft as well.

Sadly, haven't heard anything about it in a couple of years, which seems a shame, since based upon the battle reports and playtest comments, it appeared to be well along into being released.

It was a derivative/spinoff of the "I Ain't Been Shot Mum!" by Two Fat Lardies.

Would love to find out more, if it is still in development, or scheduled for release in the near future.

Offline Arlequín

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 6218
  • Culpame de la Bossa Nova...
I can only imagine that some of the enthusiasm for it wore off.

There are some problems with the ground scale of 12" = 80 yards too, in that much of what makes 'Moderns' modern are things like ATGWs, many of which don't operate well at under 500 metres and if they do, don't offer your opponent much in the way of countermeasures in-game.

Many of the best toys end up off-table as a result, which sort of makes them like the 'Hand of God' and leaves the on-table action pretty much the same as WWII. On those terms you may as well just stat-up forces with the rules 'as are' and go from there.

I'm sure that they can overcome these problems and I'm not aware that the project has been dropped altogether, probably it's just on the back-burner for now.   

Offline Mako

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 779
Thanks for the reply.

I doubt the game scale would have been the issue, since that's virtually the easiest thing to change in a set of rules.

From the battle reports I saw, it appeared they were using a scale of about 100m/50m per inch, give or take.


Offline Basin is BACK

  • Assistant
  • Posts: 39
    • Hrothgar's Shed
I too would like to see I ain't been nuked mum finished, but not being a rukes designer all I can do is moan on the internet  :'(.
No battle plan ever survives first contact with the dice.
Check out my blog! http://hrothgarsshed.blogspot.co.uk/

Offline Arlequín

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 6218
  • Culpame de la Bossa Nova...
Is that not what the internets are for?  ;)

Thanks for the reply.

I doubt the game scale would have been the issue, since that's virtually the easiest thing to change in a set of rules.

From the battle reports I saw, it appeared they were using a scale of about 100m/50m per inch, give or take.

You're welcome!

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure they kept the original ground scale, or near to it. The game formation is a reinforced company with individual squads and vehicles as the smallest elements, so a 1" to 100/50m, or anything like that, would be strange. You'd struggle with a squad frontage of 1-2.5" too, even 6mm figures would look like they were in close order.

Offline Flinty

  • Librarian
  • Posts: 156
I was very keen to see these progressed, there were a few AAR's posted on Montys Rat Report. I would attempt a link but im on a crappy i-pad, as the inability to type indicates, and i find it a real chore with one finger.

I recollect the reports I saw seemed to be more platoon based (so Troops Weapons and Tactics) which avoids a lot of the pitfalls Arlequin mentions about crowded tables. I dont remember any ground scale specifics, but i can see that at 28mm you'll need a pretty impressive space, an ability to stomach a FOW type approach, or stick with only basic infantry squads.

I also seem to think these were under 'indirect' development, so not a direct Clarke/Skinner product, and given that Fighting Season has hit the buffers, I imagine that there is unlikely to be any further motivation to production under the Too Fat Lardies label.

Shame, I was really looking forward to a CoC type Cold War mod...

Offline rnaylor

  • Student
  • Posts: 15
The set you saw being playtested on Montys blog was Red Dawn which is a Cold War version of Chain of Command. IABNM was definitely designed for company level games at the same ground scale as IABSM with the option to use cm instead of inches for larger games using 6mm figures.

Offline Flinty

  • Librarian
  • Posts: 156
Quote
The set you saw being playtested on Montys blog was Red Dawn

Apologies for being a lazy git, you are of course correct, I should have checked and ended up waffling about the wrong thing.

Slightly exonerated in that I haven't heard anything about IABNM in absolute years, hadn't they died off well before the Dux build up?

Still like to see Red Dawn progress though... 

Offline rnaylor

  • Student
  • Posts: 15
Apologies for being a lazy git, you are of course correct, I should have checked and ended up waffling about the wrong thing.

No worries

Slightly exonerated in that I haven't heard anything about IABNM in absolute years, hadn't they died off well before the Dux build up?

Yes, it has been a long time since anything’s been mentioned about it. There is a Yahoo group about it but that’s not been used for a long time now.

Still like to see Red Dawn progress though... 

I believe it is actually finished and is somewhere in the publication queue. Hopefully it’ll come out at some point then I might finally get around to painting up the 15mm Cold War platoons I got last year.

Offline Arlequín

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 6218
  • Culpame de la Bossa Nova...
I believe it is actually finished and is somewhere in the publication queue.

Yeah, it and 'Fighting Season' are stood in it together and grumbling to each other about the line not moving for ages.

 ;)

Offline Flinty

  • Librarian
  • Posts: 156
Quote
I believe it is actually finished and is somewhere in the publication queue

Hardly definative, but a quick search of the Lard Forum:

The last posts for IABNM indicate playtesting was in progress in May 2015 - nothing since.

Fighting Season seems stalled long term - someone had discussed this with Mr Clarke in Feb 2017, when he had completed the main body of the rules, but was struggling to develop a Campaign system he was happy with.

Monty Lardo was hoping Red Dawn would be published in 2017.

I imagine that just a pdf release requires not insignificant time - and therefore cash -up front; a small business may need to keep up with the cutting edge of wargame trends, if not constantly be breaking new ground. TFL may have decided the modern/Cold War wave to have broken for the time being, and releasing these rules has become financially unattractive.

See the excellent rules comparison by Michael Charge http://hntdaab.co.uk/blog/wargaming/great-big-modern-wargaming-rules-comparison-complete-edition/ for a selection of the competition.
 
I have a sneaking suspicion both these rule sets are in a queue, but its the spud-peeling detail or, being pessimist, the firing squad.


Offline Arlequín

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 6218
  • Culpame de la Bossa Nova...
I imagine that just a pdf release requires not insignificant time - and therefore cash -up front; a small business may need to keep up with the cutting edge of wargame trends, if not constantly be breaking new ground. TFL may have decided the modern/Cold War wave to have broken for the time being, and releasing these rules has become financially unattractive.

I agree. While there are hardy periods which remain constantly popular, others require a stimulus, be it 'current affairs' or popular movies.

Back when 'Fighting Season' was being prepared Iraqistan was current and in the news, movies were being made. Here on this board there were numerous threads related to it, manufacturers were releasing figures and models, there were a flurry of rule sets too. Where is all that enthusiasm now? The wargaming boat has definitely set sail there.

Interest in 'Moderns' as was (Warpac vs NATO) died as a popular period almost overnight when the Berlin Wall came down and the Soviet Union collapsed. Team Yankee produced a resurgence of interest, but even a big company like Battlefront cannot seem to bring it back to the same level of popularity it had in the '80s and the wave has crested and broken. Both 'Red Dawn' and 'IABNM' have missed their window by a year or two and counting.

Producing a rule set does require a financial outlay, even if you don't have to recoup an hourly rate for the time spent on them. I don't see any of the rule sets mentioned here returning that investment at this point in time.

Offline ChargeDog

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 462
    • My Blog

See the excellent rules comparison by Michael Charge http://hntdaab.co.uk/blog/wargaming/great-big-modern-wargaming-rules-comparison-complete-edition/ for a selection of the competition.


I did wonder why i saw a jump in views on that post...

As someone eagerly awaiting Fighting Season and enjoying all things modern, I think there is a still a lot of interest in something TFL-esque for modern day - I've had quite a few discussions with people looking for a platoon level game. I did actually send some emails to the authors about Fighting Season (as part of research for the next Great Big Modern Wargaming Rules Comparison to see some vague pointers as to what they had tweaked from the WW2 rules) and sounded like things how slowed on it but it was still something they were both interested in making it see the light of day

Offline Arlequín

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 6218
  • Culpame de la Bossa Nova...
Sure, I wasn't saying nobody wanted to play them, but that interest in things peaks and wanes and there are fewer people who want to play them now than back then. It would be like selling gym wear in April, as opposed to January.

Offline Arrigo

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1074
  • errare humanum est, perseverare diabolicum est
    • Forward HQ my new blog where you can laugh at my crappy photos!
I do not think so. It is hard to judge popularity of a period just from new releases (well some period are well covered) or forum posts. While I agree thart post 2000 and cold war are not the big names as, for example, WW2, in my completely unsupported opinion they are more popular than people thinks. I am quite sure the antipodes evil empire had their own market research done before starting to do cold war plastic, as Will at PSC.

What has not be mentioned is the fact that, a small business like TFL that has spoiled us with high quality product still must maintain an high bar. BF can survive a rule debacle, TFL I fear not.  Also rules writing require interest and motivation,  if you hit a bloc you are bound to slow down. I do not think Red Dawn or IABNM have missed the 'perfect window' actually with the increase in available miniatures they are probably better now than before.

My completely irrelevant two pennies!
"Put Grant straight in"

for pretty tanks and troops: http://forwardhq.blogspot.com