1940

[joroas]

So, I have been looking at streamlining what I have for this period.  I have all of Musketeer's and Mutton Chops' VBCW range, Foundry's Hom Guard range and most of Artizan's late war range.  

Having looked at Dave Bickley's Pig Whooey game, I have decided to compile them into one playable game set in 1940 Gloucestershire.

The Prestbury Home Guard (Foundry) will be the central force{1}, ably supported by the Glos Reg't (Artizan with Crusader Thompsons and Boyes), the police (Artizan) and the private force of the owner of Sudeley Castle, an ex-Guards officer(Mutton chop and Musketeer){2}.

Opposing them will be black marketeers, Forest of Dean brigands, the Welsh Liberation Army, the BUF (largely Musketeer), downed bomber crew (Foundry), a U-Boat crew (Artizan) and paratroopers.

The only figures I don't have are German paras.  I did look at Foundry, but the range is small and I wanted something that would match with another manufacturer.  So, I am thinking of using the Crusader minis and supplementing the range with the medic, Oberst Steiner, the sniper and flamethrower from Warlord.  In terms of heavier equipment, most available guns are from 1941 onwards, the only one I see is the 105mm that Warlord make, not available in 1940, but would this substitute for the 75mm that was available at the time?

Any other thoughts on a range?

{1} There was also a Prestbury Section, commanded by Capt. Grice-Hutchinson with Major Inglis as 2i/c and a Whaddon Factory Section under Mr R.W. Young with Mr F. Connor as 2i/c.

{2} John Henry (Jack) Dent-Brocklehurst a Captain in the Coldstream Guards was twice wounded in France, then transferred to the Sudan where he served in the Egyptian Army until 1920.

Jack, now Major, Dent-Brocklehurst took over Sudeley from his father, who died in 1932. Crippling death duties forced the sale of much of the land on which its upkeep depended and the original 12,000 acre estate is now only a tenth of its original size.

World War 2

A Prisoner of War camp for Italians and Germans who worked on the land was sited in the Castle grounds.

The Castle itself became a ‘safe house’ where much of the Tate Gallery’s picture collection was protected from the London Blitz.

[Daeothar]

How about Artizan for the Para's? I just bought a lot of them myself (but they're still to arrive).

And shouldn't this technically be in Interwar, this being a VBCW-like subject?

[joroas]

Artizan have nice paras but their weapons are largely later in the war, MG42s, etc..

Last time I looked 1940 was not interwar.

[Daeothar]

I was careful and only got the ones with rifles, MP40s and MG34s.

And while that would be true, when looking at the real world history, what does the VBCW fluff say? (as I'm not familiar with it...)

Funnily enough though, I've researched and used the BUF in my roleplaying campaign as bad guys, since that campaign runs in the early thirties. Many aspects of VBCW and also Weird War II independently found their way into my campaign. And only later did I find them mentioned in posts on LAF here and there...

[joroas]

Well, I hadn't mentioned all my WWII stuff, nor the cultists (Artizan and Pulp Figures) that I have......................... 

[Daeothar]

Great minds and all that I suppose

[joroas]

I just had a look at the Artizan paras and I may get some of them, but the Crusader set has a number of nice early weapons like the sustained fire MG34, the 5cm mortar and AT rifle, their starter set is only £20 for 24 figures!  But Artizan are compatible with Crusader so they may be joining the ranks.

Hot Fuzz gave me a few ideas for a 1940s village game..................  , but I'm not sure, yet, where I can fit in my armed Morris Dancers............

[Yankeepedlar01]

...I'm not sure, yet, where I can fit in my armed Morris Dancers............

Have you been on the scrumpy, m'Dear?

[joroas]

No, I live way too close to Gripping Beast.............................. 

[Yankeepedlar01]

No, I live way too close to Gripping Beast.............................. 

Never mind, you can always move nearer the centre of the wargaming world when you retire...

[answer_is_42]

What rules are you thinking of using? I've got an early war German infantry platoon for DH, Foundry figures mostly, although I've a few crusader mixed in and they look fine alongside.

[joroas]

Never mind, you can always move nearer the centre of the wargaming world when you retire... Cheesy

What?  Nottingham? 

[joroas]

I quite like Rate of Fire, Pete.  Thanks for the comments. 

[Helen]

Have you thought of Offensive miniatures?

http://www.offensiveminiatures.com/catalogue.asp?RID=11&CID=2

[joroas]

Thanks. Hadn't seen them before, Helen.  However, although the figures are nice, the units all have the MG42, not an MG34...................