New weird ww1 rules - 'A War Transformed - WW1 on the Doggerland front (osprey)

[Metternich]

  More figs for 28mm Weird War I, there are also the SCIBOR Ogres (48mm to 51mm tall) and (in Pickelhaubes and Stahlhelms), one of the Dwarfs (in Pickelhaube - Dwarfs in stahlhelms are appropriate for WW2 as they are carrying WW2 era weapons)  and one of the Goblins (in officer's peaked cap) (Dwarfs and Gobos are "heroic" scale 28mm, so closer to 30mm - perhaps as smaller ogres or other non-humans?).

 Ogres:

  https://www.sciborminiatures.com/en_,shop.php?art=693#i/28mm_2008/big/Otto01.jpg

  https://www.sciborminiatures.com/en_,shop.php?art=694

  https://www.sciborminiatures.com/en_,shop.php?art=694

  Dwarf:
 
  https://www.sciborminiatures.com/en_,shop.php?art=805#i/sf_30mm/big/dwarf_officer_01.jpg

 Goblin:
  https://www.sciborminiatures.com/en_,shop.php?art=13770#i/2022/big/goblin_officer_01.jpg

[Metternich]

Recently seen on Ebay:

  Weird War 1 German Goblins:

  https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/SywAAOSwMyxkeNAP/s-l1600.jpg

 https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Ow4AAOSw7bZkeNAR/s-l1600.jpg

  https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/HvYAAOSwjJ5keNAN/s-l1600.jpg

  Weird War 1 French Halflings:

  https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/3HYAAOSwttdkeM5~/s-l1600.jpg

  https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/ES4AAOSwlC1keM5-/s-l1600.jpg

  https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/W6EAAOSweA1keM5-/s-l1600.jpg

 

[nicknorthstar]

I don't want to be a killjoy, but A War Transformed has nothing to do with WW1 Goblins and Halflings.

It's this world, where the Old Gods have arisen and the armies turn to pagan worship and can summon a number of creatures from folklore to fight on their side.

It's not WW1 Flintlock-queue.

Like we always have to say, you can do what the heck you want in your own games, but if you're playing the authors vision, WW1 hobbits it ain't.

[nicknorthstar]

We're starting to get figures painted for it. Here's a Brit, with cult symbols painted on his gasmask and a civilian jacket.

[swiftnick]

Sounds like they would be useful for gaming the old Kingdom novels by Garth Nix. South of the wall there is a 1930s industrial world. North of the wall there is a kingdom of charter magic and more ancient and dangerous free magic. Between them is the wall. Not just Hadriabs wall but a trench system with machine guns, wire and artillery. Unfortunately when the wind blows from the North modern technology no longer works. Troops wear WW1 uniforms with chainmail and swords. Some of the troops are charter spell casters.

[frd]

The pagan take on WW1 sounds really up my alley Nick (of North Star). While I don't need a new ruleset, I'm tempted to pick up the book for the art and lore alone. Maybe even try my hand at some kitbashing/modelling for it in my preferred scale (15mm). I'm already thinking about making a unit of those cloth sack cultists.

Never heard of the Old Kingdom novels Nick (the Swift), but it sounds very much like trenchpunk. I really like the aesthetic, so I might give those books a try. I wish there were some models out there in that style. If I ever get my modelling skills up to snuff, I would love to make some 3d printable trenchpunk models!

I think the Gloom Trench line from Fickle Dice might be useful for this game.

[nicknorthstar]

It looks a very interesting game, the background is quite deep. I've not read it properly, but it looks like what your Captain can 'tap into' depends on what star sign he is, it's recommended you have a tarot deck for the game, stuff like that.

Plus it's a platoon skirmish game, not man to man, so the rules might be something new & interesting as well.

[Romark]

Like the mini Nick,is there going to be a supporting range of figures then?

[nicknorthstar]

No, that's a Great War Miniature repainted.

We're not doing a supporting range of figures. It looks like the Great War Miniatures range (plus the WA plastics) alongside some witches, wizards and folk lore creatures will do. We have enough already. It'll be in the paint jobs we think, a bit of minor converting, like giving the figures ritual masks and garlands over their helmets will give the right feel.

[Romark]

No, that's a Great War Miniature repainted.

We're not doing a supporting range of figures. It looks like the Great War Miniatures range (plus the WA plastics) alongside some witches, wizards and folk lore creatures will do. We have enough already. It'll be in the paint jobs we think, a bit of minor converting, like giving the figures ritual masks and garlands over their helmets will give the right feel.

Thanks for clarifying Nick 👍

[robh]

I was chatting with a fellow weird war fan about this game and if we were try it how to make it look and feel unique. How to avoid it being a just a mix of WWI and folk horror figures as opposed to cowboys and folk horror or Napoleonics and folk horror.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTvOcm5dgDI

Doggerland was a mesolithic era landscape so no stone structures of any kind, not even henges. Such hunter-gatherer structures as existed would have been permanent or semi permanent pole frame tepee style. As evidenced by seabed scans now the terrain in that era was flat. Probably marshy with "hills" being little more than low dry humps and ridges above the level of the water table. It was very fertile so abundant growth of reeds and grasses and heavily forested.
All of this would have rotted away during the centuries of inundation and assuming the magical regrowth noted in the game precis insufficient to produce much more than the reeds/grasses and shrubs or bushes (I don't think this is WW1 meets Jack and the Beanstalk).
The terrain could be dotted with the remains of sealife and surface activity since the inundation to give it a "weird" edge, so skeletons of whales and the rotted wrecks of sunken ships.

Trying to include those weird elements prompted us to reassess if 28mm is actually the best scale for this (heresy on this forum I know). A sunken ship, even a small one like a trawler is going to be massive in 28mm. Given the 30 -50 figure per player game size I think 15mm, or even 10mm would potentially be a feasible option. That way you could see WW1 era tanks, vehicles and aircraft on a table with undulating sandy, saltmarsh type grasslands dotted with the eye catching skeletons or sunken wrecks, probably not at 1-1 true ground scale but enough to have scope for plenty of movement and long sighting distances.
I will need to see if the rules would support a game like that, but this has gone from a "neat idea but we already have a great WWWI alternative" (see my prior recommendation) to a consideration of it's potential as something very different to anything else we play.

[nicknorthstar]

I think you're on the right track Rob.
My only downer on the plan is you'd lose some of the character of the figures in 15mm/ 10mm. The artwork gives them a 'turnip28-esque' feel. See attached.

It reads as a very different game to Draculas America/ Silver Bayonet. This seems to be a good platoon action WW1 game with magic. The other games are gang fights/ treasure hunting games with monsters thrown in, Black Powder frostgrave to some extent.

[fred]

I’m becoming interested in the idea of doing this in a smaller scale. I have lots of 10mm WWI already so that is an immediate win for me!

I have done a Sludge force in 10mm - a lot of this was by mixing historical and fantasty ranges to give a slightly different feel to their ‘proper’ usage.

[robh]

My only downer on the plan is you'd lose some of the character of the figures in 15mm/ 10mm. The artwork gives them a 'turnip28-esque' feel.

Yes, without a doubt, but it is the 30-50 figure (platoon or company) level of Doggerland that appeals as it looks like it could be something different. However I could not even consider converting 100 odd 28mm figures plus monsters etc for a very niche game like this, that is a huge investment in time and money. I would sacrifice individual figure detail but make it up with totems or banners etc on multi figure bases.

Have you seen any more details yet?  Any clues as to what is in the bestiary? I notice Amazon and Osprey themselves have pushed the release back to end of September now.

I’m becoming interested in the idea of doing this in a smaller scale. I have lots of 10mm WWI already so that is an immediate win for me!

I have done a Sludge force in 10mm - a lot of this was by mixing historical and fantasty ranges to give a slightly different feel to their ‘proper’ usage.

 
I am thinking 10mm also, 3 or 4 figures per base counting as 1 28mm, no changes to the rules. The Pendraken WW1 range is wonderful and pulling specific pieces from their Napoleonic and Fantasy ranges will give you plenty of weird options. Plus the tanks are a manageable size.

Just need to see what monster/creature options there are. I have seen one image with German troops dancing around a burning wicker giant so presumably that sort of thing will be covered.

[fred]

I would sacrifice individual figure detail but make it up with totems or banners etc on multi figure bases.

I am thinking 10mm also, 3 or 4 figures per base counting as 1 28mm, no changes to the rules. The Pendraken WW1 range is wonderful and pulling specific pieces from their Napoleonic and Fantasy ranges will give you plenty of weird options. Plus the tanks are a manageable size.

Just need to see what monster/creature options there are. I have seen one image with German troops dancing around a burning wicker giant so presumably that sort of thing will be covered.

I was thinking very similair of a few figures on a base (3 on a 25mm round, sounds good) then play rules as is.

10mm lets you get tanks and aircraft and artillery all on the table, without it looking crazy full!

Totems etc sound good - feels some 3d printed additions could work very well