Sounds like fun, I have a box of 1/35 figures in storage somewhere, must be 300-400 figs, 95 WWII, but I need to start another scale/genre like I need another hole in the head, there’s also Nuts, haven’t played either.
WOW!!! I may have 40 figures total.Plastics are fairly easy to convert without risk ruin with candle flame, just cut and glue, use a little GS to add folds in the cloth at the joints, yeah I sometimes go overboard in collecting things.
I didn't want to spend a lot on something I may not enjoy (who am I kidding?), I just want to see how it is using 1/35 scale figures on my 4'x6' battlefield. I think I can use the trees I presently use for 28mm gaming, but need to build a couple of buildings in 1/35 to give them something to explore. I've made decent buildings (for my O-scale railroad) before using Strathmore board. Easy to cut and glue and it accepts paint well, although a laser cutter would be nice for making buildings out of MDF (or even use it on the Strathmore).
Speaking of figures...anyone modify their figures by heating and bending? I've done it in the past by holding the piece over a candle flame until it's soft enough to bend, but it usually distorts the details. Can a heat gun be used?
Not sure why the author didn't simply call them out as different versions, he was playing Germans and Americans in the Kursk game so it isn't theater specific.
Haven't tried Normandy, but I played a single test game of Five Men at Kursk a couple of years ago and oh boy, it was weird… Shooting turned out to be pretty ineffective, but at one point one of the US paras charged a poor German grenadier and, thanks to some really good dice rolls, eliminated 1/4 or maybe even 1/3 of the enemy squad in a single activation (since IIRC after winning close combat you can charge at another enemy if they're close enough). lol
I was even thinking about simply using the distance to a target and roll percentage dice. In order to "Score" the roll has to be equal to or greater than the distance. So if you can see a target 45" away then you have to roll (I'm using 2 ten-sided dice) a 45 or higher in order to "Score". If you're 9" away a 9 or higher. I have a 48"x72" table so I could possibly have a target 72" away and would have to roll a 72 or higher to Score.But how many Kill or Shock dice do you roll? With 1-2 it is even less likely to have effect than with the base rules.
If you "Score", roll the KILL die to see if the target is temporarily Down or Out of Action.
If it's a "Miss", roll the SHOCK die to see if the target Flinches or Bails.
Might need some tweaking but sounds playable.
But how many Kill or Shock dice do you roll? With 1-2 it is even less likely to have effect than with the base rules.
Hehe...That's the "Might need some tweaking" part, haven't thought that far ahead yet o_o
Distance is an important factor, if not the most important for hitting a target. But in my house rules the weapons have range bands (usually 3, close-regular-far), this way you can determine the target number by a short look in most cases, using the precise distance value itself bogs down the game with the constant need of measurements.
I am also not a great fan of the Shock mechanics of 5Core, yes, psychological effect is important but we are dealing here with live ammunition, a shot unable to kill is just weird. Bolt Action and similar games usually get the criticism of being unrealistically bloody, but close range firefights (what they simulate) usually are pretty bloody, just not every battle is fought from that close.
Agree. I have a collection of WW2 bolt-action rifles and laugh every time I look at the marking on the sights. To me a target at 100yds is small, I can't imagine trying to hit anything at 1000yds.My experience comes from hunting, but yes, we usually do not shoot for above 200 meters even with a scoped rifle. It is not the technical capability of course, but the shot has to be "sure", also the animal has to be clearly identifiable.
I use range bands in my modified Bolt Action rules, but it bothers me that 1" of difference put you in another range band.For larger teams half the guys within half out of the range border makes justice in the end. In my rules the target numbers are usually 9/10/13 for the three ranges, so no big diff at least for the short an the regular. (d10 based system where you hit by BS+d10 being over the target number)
For the sights on the old bolt action combat rifles, I wonder if their usefulness is more for achieving fire density when a section is firing as a unit. The section leader has his folks set the range on the sights for the distance where the enemy is, designates a target and has the section execute 10-rounds-rapid. With a ten man section, that’s similar fire density to an mg firing half a belt (or a Bren firing 3 magazines). At longer distances the sights help ensure the rounds are at least on the correct trajectory to be close to the enemy, but the main point is to achieve suppression. To put it another way, the marked sights on an old military rifle are primarily a tool to improve unit-level fire coordination rather than for individual marksmanship (although some shooters with excellent eyesight probably could use them for that as well).
For the sights on the old bolt action combat rifles, I wonder if their usefulness is more for achieving fire density when a section is firing as a unit. The section leader has his folks set the range on the sights for the distance where the enemy is, designates a target and has the section execute 10-rounds-rapid. With a ten man section, that’s similar fire density to an mg firing half a belt (or a Bren firing 3 magazines). At longer distances the sights help ensure the rounds are at least on the correct trajectory to be close to the enemy, but the main point is to achieve suppression. To put it another way, the marked sights on an old military rifle are primarily a tool to improve unit-level fire coordination rather than for individual marksmanship (although some shooters with excellent eyesight probably could use them for that as well).Yes, on unit level they usually shot to the advancing enemy line. But 1vs1 use was the norm, also non-military rifles had the same type of sights. I have the user manual of an old Mosin-Nagant, it has clear instructions against each target type, from planes to attacking cavalry.
During the course of action I was constantly making changes to my rules, when I saw that something wasn't working like I thought it should. Plus solo play seems to double the amount of time it takes to activate both sides by myself.Changing rules mid-game is normal, just do not forget taking notes :)
For the sights on the old bolt action combat rifles, I wonder if their usefulness is more for achieving fire density when a section is firing as a unit.
Spot on, in my 'umble opinion. WW 1 British SMLE rifles were fitted with volley sights for just that reason. About a foot back from the foresight was a dial, marked out to a thousand yards, a post on the dial rotated to the range ordered. At the back of the bolt was a bead on a post that flipped up. Line up bead and post then lob volley fire, (just like .303 mortar bombs!) out to biff the Hun for six!
:o
"Changing rules mid-game is normal, just do not forget taking notes :)
Btw I find solo gaming faster, the only slower part is the setup."
Freddy...LOL, Years ago I invited 2 friends over to play a WW2 game with me as the "referee". 4 hours later there had not been a shot fired!!! These "Generals" were too afraid to lose any of their assets. o_o My motto has always been, Do something, even if it's wrong.
Being the 5 Men In Normandy rules have morphed into homemade rules I have them on my computer. I generally write down on the copy in front of me what I feel needs changing and make the change between turns (that's why a game is taking so long). Right now my actual step-by-step rules are only 2 pages long, 1st page is movement and terrain and 2nd page is shooting with a small blurb on brawling.
The one area of my rules I'm contemplating changes to are what to do once a figure is hit. As of now I have them bleeding out unless a medic can get to them, but it involves keeping track (writing down) their status each turn. Depending on the roll of the dice they cannot move, or shoot, or both until tended to or they're KIA. Poor medic is scurrying around the battlefield like a cat in a thunderstorm!!! I may change them to simply roll to see if they are incapacitated (and removed from play) or still in the fight, just to speed things up. I wonder how many actual soldiers stayed in the fight with a bullet in the leg, arm, or torso. I expect very few, Hollywood has us believing otherwise.
I've also realized my gaming has turn more into just that, a game, instead of recreating a specific historical event. I may at some point incorporate the campaign system from 5MiN, give my troops a bit of character, and see how long they last from one skirmish to the next.
Dang, my MkIII doesn't have one:
I was even thinking about simply using the distance to a target and roll percentage dice. In order to "Score" the roll has to be equal to or greater than the distance. So if you can see a target 45" away then you have to roll (I'm using 2 ten-sided dice) a 45 or higher in order to "Score". If you're 9" away a 9 or higher. I have a 48"x72" table so I could possibly have a target 72" away and would have to roll a 72 or higher to Score.
I've done that in rules before. The distance is essentially the "chance you miss" in that case.
It works, but there's a few caveats. One, anything close (like less than 30" away) is going to be hit most of the time. Almost always.
Two, you have to be okay with assuming that every figure is the exact same as far as skill and training. Modifiers get difficult to implement. How does cover affect things?
I found that while it certainly functioned, it didn't really work, if you know what I mean.