*
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 29, 2024, 08:18:37 AM

Login with username, password and session length

Donate

We Appreciate Your Support

Members
Stats
  • Total Posts: 1686621
  • Total Topics: 118114
  • Online Today: 777
  • Online Ever: 2235
  • (October 29, 2023, 12:32:45 AM)
Users Online

Recent

Author Topic: Curious ...  (Read 2283 times)

Offline Unlucky General

  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Scientist
  • *
  • Posts: 359
Curious ...
« on: June 18, 2019, 09:04:33 PM »
Can anyone tell me if anybody does Weird WWII in the Pacific?

Offline Wyrmalla

  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • *
  • Posts: 2296
Re: Curious ...
« Reply #1 on: June 18, 2019, 09:44:01 PM »
Do you mean if there's figures available covering the setting, or personal modelling projects?

The Pacific's a largely overlooked front as far as this subject matter goes (with hardly anyone doing much outside of Europe to be honest). Dust has part of its setting there, as does Konflikt 47 - so those would be the games to look at for projects.

I started dabbling a while ago, though never followed through with my own models. The Japanese have some options as far as their tanks go - as their whifs like the Chi-Ri used the more common Chi-Ha as a basis (or at least it did as far as modeller's are concerned). As was there work being done on shaped charge weapons, and potential German collaborations (i.e. Tigers/ Panthers in Japanese service). However much of the development going on in Japan was related to their Navy, so there isn't much fodder - at least in the settings I collect - for alt-history projects as with other Nations.

As for potential settings. Operation Downfall's the biggee - where the Japanese would fend off the combined Allied forces attacking the Home Islands, and being the opportunity to field both Allied whifs, and Japanese whifs + Last Ditch vehicles (say captured Allied stuff). There's also the Japanese invasions of Australia and India - again giving the Allies the option to field whifs of their own, and the Japanese to maybe use different technology (for dealing with the Australian outback). Or you could do a Japanese invasion of Eastern Russia - with them going up against more modern Soviet tanks.

That's all depending on how realistic you want your setting. With at least a basis in reality. You could bring in mecha or Kaiju if you felt like it. :P


Offline Inkpaduta

  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Mastermind
  • *
  • Posts: 1323
Re: Curious ...
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2019, 10:36:35 PM »
I know some company, Warlord? does Japanese zombies and other WWWII Japanese stuff.
But I have never seen an AAR or pictures of Weird War in the Pacific games or figures.

Offline Ballardian

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1585
  • Too old to stop now
Re: Curious ...
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2019, 03:08:24 PM »

 
Quote
Can anyone tell me if anybody does Weird WWII in the Pacific?
- As mentioned by Wyrmalla, both Konflict'47 and Dust have IJA factions - as does Westwinds Secrets Of The Third Reich (and I think 'Nuts - War Without End'). The Japanese zombies could be the old AEWWII ones (which I think are still available, if a pain to get outside the US), but Westwind has some coming too.

Offline FreakyFenton

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1122
Re: Curious ...
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2019, 06:19:11 PM »
There's an old Pinnacle Entertainment book that covers the topic greatly which is further expanded upon in their monster booklet.

https://www.peginc.com/store/weird-war-two-d20-land-of-the-rising-dead/

https://www.peginc.com/store/weird-war-two-d20-horrors-of-weird-war-ii-2/

Apart from that, a few fantasy models go a long way, such as weresharks or other such figures for 'weird' troop types. I had a few players face a Pennangalan, which made for some fun scenario.
"No human being would stack books like -that-!" -Dr. Peter Venkman

Offline Ultravanillasmurf

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 9305
    • Ultravanillasmurf
Re: Curious ...
« Reply #5 on: June 20, 2019, 07:29:52 AM »
Company B have some Japanese zombies, due to an OS problem (and the nature of their site) I cannot post a link.
Go to companyb.biz and search for zombie.

Offline Unlucky General

  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Scientist
  • *
  • Posts: 359
Re: Curious ...
« Reply #6 on: June 21, 2019, 06:08:53 PM »
Excellent and thanks everyone. I'm inclined to create an historical extension rather than a fantasy weird game so for me, sci-fi type tech and zombies/monsters are not in my sights.

I suppose if I'm going to do this then I need to invent an alternative history from some point in the past? I'm thinking perhaps if Pearl Harbour, Midway and the Coral Sea had been Japanese victories and take it from there?

Offline Wyrmalla

  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • *
  • Posts: 2296
Re: Curious ...
« Reply #7 on: June 21, 2019, 07:12:12 PM »
The setting I'm using is based on WWII largely ending after Dunkirk. With the British signing a peace treaty with the Axis that they'd allowed Germany Europe, but there'd be no interfering with the British colonies. Which would leave Japan out of the War with the European powers and instead left to focus on the occupation of the Far East and potentially a conflict with the Soviet Union. Though they'd likely be dissuaded from attacking the British Empire by the Germans so as not to restart the war. However with the European powers having lost their capitals, who's to say what would happen to their colonies. I'd expect Britain would attempt to secure them.

I tend to look at these what if scenarios by not trying to alter a point in history by starting from that place. I.e. Germany somehow holding out and winning the war from 1945 Berlin. But working back a while so that the original event would have a bit more credibility to have changed in the first place. Japan for instance would have to deal with Allied shipping and bombing to have ever won their part of the war. Without raw materials their defeat just came slowly. Some mechanism to prevent these attacks on their raw materials - i.e. like an increase in submarine activity, the Allies having to divert their resources elsewhere, etc- would be necessary for any substantial Japanese campaign. Or at least something more than just a repeat of the real war, but in slightly different locations.

Japan's sphere of influence would likely limit them to the Far East. You could have them in weird scenario attacking the United States - perhaps as far as Alaska or the East Coast. In some alt-history timeline where things in Europe are going better for the Axis and just terribly for the Allies ("What if the Nazis got the Nuke first?").

Though I'd focus more on one of the speculative scenarios during the war. Further attacks on Commonwealth States like India or Australia - again in the early war period where Britain was on the back foot and America hadn't spooled up for war. America could enter the war at this point due to Japan widening its influence - just in another theater.

You could limit things to the same level of technology - just in a different location. Or push things further with the assumption that with Japan controlling different areas of land, or with more foreign support, they had the infrastructure to be capable of producing their later tank designs. Say they had the open deserts of Australia to fight in they'd put less focus on the Navy there, and more on their Airforce and tanks (with heavier Allied designs - alongside things like the Australian Sentinel - leading to heavier Japanese tanks too. I believe someone does a Sentinel in 1/56th).

As could you take the opportunity to make some Allied technology in Japanese hands - beyond the early war equipment they did capture. Shermans, T-34 and the like. Or as I said earlier in this post go ahead and paint up a Tiger or Panther in Japanese colours.

Another area to consider is the Japanese using different tactics than they did on the island campaigns. More conventional armoured combat for instance. Or in particular the Japanese forgoing their faux pas against using chemical weapons on the Allies - leading to wider spread use of gas masks, a different form of uniform being adopted, or even custom APCs with NBC systems entering service (the technology was there and used on French tanks for instance). How about Japanese troops fighting in the snow?

You could manage a decent amount of this without having to do a lot of modelling work. There's a few obscure Japanese tank models available out there - like their APCs - and substituting in other Nation's vehicles for the heavier stuff would work too. As far as infantry, I doubt their equipment would change substantially between theaters (besides needing winter uniforms) - just the inclusion of the odd new weapon would be enough, like Panzerfaust if it came to it.


Offline Terry37

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 301
Re: Curious ...
« Reply #8 on: June 22, 2019, 09:21:50 PM »
I've been slowly working on a Weird WWI Japanese army based on some interesting pictures I found on line. Using standard Samurai figures with firearms and swords. Converted a French Schneider for the tank.










Terry
"My heart has joined the thousand for a friend stopped running today." - Richard Adams

Offline Ultravanillasmurf

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 9305
    • Ultravanillasmurf
Re: Curious ...
« Reply #9 on: June 23, 2019, 12:03:44 PM »
It is quite a while since I read it, but there might be some background information in The Man In The High Castle.

Offline Unlucky General

  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Scientist
  • *
  • Posts: 359
Re: Curious ...
« Reply #10 on: June 24, 2019, 05:48:37 AM »
Terry37 ... very interesting stuff.

Wyrmalla,

Some good ideas and thanks for sharing. I've leapt ahead with a concept over the weekend and written up a background which steers me in the direction I may go. I'm calling it 'Beyond '45' and it's really an alternative which gets me to play with prototypes, late war models which were soon abandoned at wars end and to create some plausible extension of real designs.

I'm looking at an Australian based campaign where both sides fight over the territories defined by the Brisbane Line (a real option explored in the darkest hour). It doesn't really matter for my purposes but I'm putting up two options and both depend on the Unites States - one is neutrality where the Japanese risk their flank and don't attack the Philippines or Pearl Harbour - and the other is a more successful attack on Pearl Harbour, a resounding victory at the Coral Sea which allows the Port Moresby invasion and expulsion of ANZAC forces from New Guinea etc. and no Midway.

It's a vehicle to play speculative/imaginary conflicts in 1946/47. I also want to do some kit bashing to see what I can come up with as well as collect what's already out there. Should be fun.

Offline Blackwolf

  • Potato Cup 3 winner
  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Galactic Brain
  • *
  • Posts: 6225
Re: Curious ...
« Reply #11 on: June 24, 2019, 06:03:18 AM »
Unlucky General you shall have to read The Bush Soldiers by John Hooker,I think you may enjoy it  :)
May the Wolf  Walk With You
http://greywolf1066.blogspot.com.au/

Painting Clubs Joined: APC,MPC, PPC,PAPC,LPC.