'O' Group - Parachute Battalion CP stand

[FlyXwire]

Hi Guys,

Getting ready for the release of new rules, and so here's my 'O' Group Parachute Battalion CP stand - hope you like this little scenic.



Since most of my 10-12mm vehicles have rare earth magnets underneath for storage retention, I built the terrain here on top of a metal base, and can swap different vehicles on and off the road section w/o worrying if they'll fall off (the magnets adhere right through the basing putty).

[fred]

Very nice, the Pithead airborne figures and vehicles are very nice models.

That looks like a 50mm square base (or so)? What size basing are you using for infantry units with 10mm figures?

[FlyXwire]

Thanks Fred!

Yeah, that stand is 3" X 2.25", and the 'O' Group rule previews mention these Bn. HQ bases as being strictly optional, but I think players will enjoy having them.  Taking the scenic idea a bit further, players can line up any artillery stands next to these CP bases, to note the number of indirect missions they currently have available (this stuff just being some nice, thematic game aids to reference).

For infantry sections/squads, those bases are 1.5" X 1.25", and my MG teams, Plt. HQs, mortar teams, etc. are on 1.5" squares (as previously mounted).  In 'O' Group, I think they'll be classed as a support section/squad instead of as an individual weapons team - but, the bases should be usable anyway they're mounted, or however they're classed).

'O' Group doesn't use platoon HQ stands, so I'll use these instead as patrol markers, again, while trying to get as many on-table markers to look as thematic as possible.

At the moment, I'm working on a German Bn. CP stand.

[fred]

Thanks, that’s helpful to know

My 10mm figures are based for BKC, so I have CO stands that are on 50mm squares which will work well for Bttn HQs. But my infantry (and support weapons) are all on 50mm by 30mm bases, so may be a bit big. I will have to see.

[FlyXwire]

Fred, Dave Brown has recommended the basic requirement, that opposing troops be mounted similarly.

He states (if I'm relating correctly) a nominal ground scale of around 20-25 yards per inch, and I think he has a different allowance for 20mm figures.  I imagine larger stands could always use the 20mm scale.

I wouldn't think your stands would be any problem working with 'O' Group, but, I'm only relating what I think I've learned from watching the play-through videos previewed so far.

[fred]

Ta, you’ve gleaned a bit more from the play through videos than me. I had thought base size wasn’t critical, but hadn’t picked up that there was scaling for different sized figures.

[FlyXwire]

.....and that impression of mine may have come from one of the podcasts Dave Brown has done, or from dated articles or from his own forum's postings.

Some of that info perhaps superseded now.  For example, in earlier development version of the rules, vehicles were scaled at 1 to 1, but now they'll be represented via a ratio. (I'm going to see if I can still represent them at 1 to 1, and perhaps able to fit my 10-12mm models onto the table within an equivalent footprint required for 15s or 20s using a reduced ratio)

[gweirda]

"...this stuff just being some nice, thematic game aids to reference"

This.  I've taken to seeing the elements on the table (terrain, minis, markers) as things that reduce the translation burden for players from "what you see" to "what it is", and these sort of markers itch that scratch quite nicely.

Regarding base size: My only concern is with the impact/effect the stand's footprint has.  At the nominal 1"=25yds ground scale, a section on a 1.5" stand occupies over 100' of space - plausible for an open advance formation or thin defensive line, but problematic (imo) when a player is forced to take up a larger chunk of terrain with a platoon than desired, and the 'fender to fender' look clashes with the actual open formation represented: that translation problem referenced above.

[FlyXwire]

That could occur.

One thing I'm interpreting from the 'O' Group media thus far, is that the game system seems to be giving a nod to area terrain functionality, and with that, some allowances for area unit-mechanics.  For example, I believe an infantry platoon's squad/section stands are given the allowance of firing through elements of their same platoon (this may also being granted to attached support weapons too).  If this is the case, then platoon elements can deploy and fight more in-depth, and so different mounting conventions that players may have used for their collections, will function ok - even if their stands are on the larger size......sections/squads of a platoon could actually then fight 2 forward 1 back.

[bluewillow]

Nice piece

Cheers
Matt

[FlyXwire]

Thanks Matt!

[FlyXwire]

Here's the German HQ version [glorified dice holder]. 

[fred]

Very cool - is that a bike and a schwimagen (sp) on the left?

[FlyXwire]

Thanks Fred, with confirmation on the Schwimmwagen, and good eyes spotting the bike!

[Truscott Trotter]

Excellent ideas. I wonder if I could get a counter big enough to do that - I have dice on the table as I ALWAYS pick them up and roll them at some point