Chicken Race on the Arumbaya

[Remington]

Well, nice models indeed! It's a pity you had to let go of the compartment in the middle. They look a bit empty and massive this way.

I wouldn't keep the screen. Although I can see gamer Mac's point, it is just too high and it looks slightly odd with miniatures behind it. Although, maybe you could raise the floor level a bit. That way the discrepancy between the inner space, the height of the "barriers" (sorry, what are these called again for non-sailors?) and the size of the miniatures would be slightly reduced. Still, I am certain... with your saviour rings and life lines they will look stunning in the end, no matter what you decide to go for.

[Hammers]

Well, nice models indeed! It's a pity you had to let go of the compartment in the middle. They look a bit empty and massive this way.

I wouldn't keep the screen. Although I can see gamer Mac's point, it is just too high and it looks slightly odd with miniatures behind it. Although, maybe you could raise the floor level a bit. That way the discrepancy between the inner space, the height of the "barriers" (sorry, what are these called again for non-sailors?) and the size of the miniatures would be slightly reduced. Still, I am certain... with your saviour rings and life lines they will look stunning in the end, no matter what you decide to go for.

They are called gunwales.

The engine compartments *have* to go or the models will have much less practical gaming value. You see, with any good game, and this in my experience certainly applies to Triumph & Tragedy, you expect a good deal of blood shed. I am already on the low end in terms of miniatures per team to last through a five round game of T&T, especially since the teams will have some automatic weapons and an instance of a light deck gun. I will post more about this consideration later. Let me just for now say that I hope to divert quite a lot of between-team firing by having plenty of monsters and NPCs to come into play.

The decks will be raised by a good 5mm, I am sure, as the planking is in place. I will place the wheel right before the bow canopy and the anchor and life saviour on the aft bulkhead. The ships bell (for fog and night conditions) will be placed on the  stern canopy on starboard side of the wheel.

[Westfalia Chris]

No, it's not a rosary (...I think. I am indeed a heathen, or rather a rationalist, so I am a bit fuzzy on the terms) but a term for the crown of Some Peoples Lord and Saviour wore on the cross. Frälsare = Saviour, Krans = , ergo saviour wreath... See what they did there...?

O_o

Now that's scandinavian saecularism at its best; I guess. Black humour, at the very least.

[Hammers]

...and now I am starting to think that I should cut the bow can-o'-pee to make room for to more sailors... Eh...! 

[Westfalia Chris]

...and now I am starting to think that I should cut the bow can-o'-pee to make room for to more sailors... Eh...! 

Honestly, I don't think you should. Saves you the trouble of adding a visible engine, which would take up space, anyway.

[Hammers]

While the life lines on the motor launches are drying I thought I delve a bit deeper into the  idea for a Deck of Fate.

A year or two ago I got this Corto Maltese tarot deck.



Being a great fan of Hugo Pratt (the art in particular) I considered it a must have thing but had no immediate plans for them. As it turned out the cards weren't illustrated for their specific purposes (The Empress, Death etc.) but watercolours from various Corto adventures across the  world. Stunningly beautiful, most of them.

A while ago Plynkes posted having purchased the same deck and casually mentioned the possibility of using it as a randomiser in a wargame. An obviously brilliant idea which for some reason had escaped me. Tarot is commonly used to predict the future and Corto Maltese is the very epitome of an adventurer. Idea nicked!

So how go about it? Well, each team would as a part of the turn sequence pull one card. The card would be cross referenced on an event table, and the card would indicate a fate of positive, negative or no consequence. For example, the Tarot trump The Wheel could be cross referenced to a fate where the vessel enters a whirlpool in the river which sets it of d6 inches in a random direction.

There are four suits (wands, swords, cups and pentacles) of 14 cards, 21 trumps and the Fool which makes a total of 78 card. Five turns times one card for each three teams makes 15 cards (plus a few extra if rules allows for discarding a card pulled). I am thinking 1/3 of the cards should mean a misfortune for the team pulling it, 1/3 should mean that Fate is smiling at them and 1/3 should have no effect.

One has to consider how many events one wants to occur to the teams. Should one have 15 events guaranteeing events every turn or should one, as an opposite, leave the possibility open for no fate alters the game at all? With 78 cards in the Deck of Fate and only roughly 20 being pulled, several cards will have the same outcome (for example, all faceless cards may of all suits means Fate is busy elsewhere). Another alternative is to remove a portion of the deck and leave only 15 to 30 cards in it.

[Remington]

Dunno why the pictures are not visible any more, but that deck looks really cool. I am a latecomer to Hugo Pratt's work (literally 5-6 weeks ago... I was slightly blinded by US graphic novels all these years), but I am collecting whatever I get my hands on now.

I like the idea to use it for random events but that seems like a lot of events in one game. I could imagine that the whole card drawing thing could become old quick with such a high frequency and maybe even too distracting from the actual game. Maybe linking drawing a card with a die result or a other events might make the whole process a bit more special.
Now that I think of it, I wouldn't connect it to die rolls, cause then it might not come up at all and that'd be a pity.

Looking forward to the feedback from others and your solution and I now I am off to buy that deck!

[Centaur_Seducer]

I vote for a lot of card drawing. But I do prefer games that are full of chaos and disorder

[Hammers]

I wonder why the deck is not showing... Weird.

[Remington]

Well, it was for a while.

[Plynkes]

I've started to primy some flamingoes but I realize that four of them won't make a flock. Who but Mega Miniatures make flamingoes in 28mm?

I could do with some too, if anybody knows. Just a few for my Great War in East Africa games.


Don't want a lot of them. About this many would do.

[coggon]

Dylan

PMT discussion on flamigoes here:

http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=231404


You might also try here: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513FYfj2pFL._SS400_.jpg  I've not counted the ones in your picture, but the second link should suffice 

[Plynkes]

PMT? Not you as well? Aren't we all a little bit old for childish name-calling? 


That bag of lawn flamingos does look kind of promising. But I worry that they would look too much like the ornaments they're supposed to be and my African lake might end up feeling like a kitsch American suburban lawn. Nice amount in the bag, though. I wonder if you can get them over here?

[Hammers]

PMT? Not you as well? Aren't we all a little bit old for childish name-calling? 


That bag of lawn flamingos does look kind of promising. But I worry that they would look too much like the ornaments they're supposed to be and my African lake might end up feeling like a kitsch American suburban lawn. Nice amount in the bag, though. I wonder if you can get them over here?

First I thought that bag was a novelty joke but looking at ebay I realize they are the real deal. I think they can be painted up nicely . With a ten or so Mega Mini birds mixed in to break the monotony they may look about right. @ $9 /bag it is worth a try.

[coggon]

PMT? Not you as well? Aren't we all a little bit old for childish name-calling? 

Oops-been spending too much time at WD3