the return of heavy/siege artillery

[former user]

I've seen them all, THX

actually, I like the Kromlech ones better, FW is true SF resembling WW1/WW2

was thinking about victoria too

I also know the FW book and have the rules, but it is not that I am interested in, but about how to make a useful and interesting scenario about big guns

[tin shed gamer]

I was planning on trying a cat and mouse type of game,Having a BFG on the move and having it found and caputred.I've started a tutorial on how to build a traction engine ,heavy gun and limber for free.With this Kind of game in mind.I'm big fan of multi objective games as I can never see the point of lines of figures pushed to the middle of a table and buckets of dice been thrown.
I've done a couple of dummy gun sets for 1st Corps,These really change games.If you've got a few bfg's have them all on the table and have a few as dummy gun positions.Its. fun watching someones evil plotting end up with an attack on a dummy gun when his real objective is the other end of the table.(not so much if its you).

[former user]

that concept sounds interesting

[Tym]

I have used the Great War Miniatures for my gun crews.  Would like them to do some purpose figures though.  We did play a game where the big guns on one table were firing on to another table.  A force was sent to stop the guns made an interesting game.  The beauty of VBCW

[tin shed gamer]

You can play on one table by limiting the fire of the bfg's to 1/3rd of the table(the enemies 1/3rd of course)and using spotters for each gun (including dummy guns)with a 45 ° los.These are place in a foot wide strip down the centre of the table.
Then the bfgs can only fire in the los of the spotters (including the los of spotters for the dummy guns)theres no measuring if a spotter can see it in the 1/3rd of the table then it can be hit.No short range No long range.Just in range if in los then roll to hit.The number of guns on the table (including dummies)=the numder of shots per turn.
If you make the spotters point heavy in a defenders force it means the defender has to think about defensive support and the positioning of the spotters.
Allowing fire from 'every' gun keeps the attacker guessing ,using a larger blast template also stops them from sitting on their board edge firing at the bfg's,as bfg's can only silenced by base to base contact.Or if all spotters are killed by base to base contact,then the bfg's can only continue to fire on the last position fired upon before spotters were killed(as theres noone to correct their fire).
This leads to more of a thinking game than a dice game.

[former user]

railway artillery hidden in an artificial mountain in east africa in ww1?  wow, did Steven eventually reveal  what "good stuff"  he was on when he concocted this?

[tin shed gamer]

  great now tempted to make a railway gun!

[tin shed gamer]

I was thinking a little smaller,Something that wouldn't make my figures look like I collect only 6mm.

[The Dozing Dragon]

In 28mm HLBS is your best bet they have three British and one German in Heavy artillery of course other nations used them

http://www.hlbs.co.uk/type.php?id=89

And now a traction engine........definite eventual pick up!

[tin shed gamer]

Oh yee of little faith

[former user]

..definite eventual pick up!

Yes, see, it is these things that make me think:

we have all these modelling wizards in the hobby, especially on LAF, who enrich our world with the fruits of their dilligence
and inspire us to dream about simillar pieces of our own, but then in the end most of us just buy the model and that's it.

So I am trying to reduce my buying to things that I can actually bring to a satisfying end. So my current motto is definitely "less is more" - less cost, less space, less complicated assembly and painting, etc. I have hobby purchases by the ton I will not be able to finish in a lifetime.

oh, hell, I am diverting my own thread 

seriously, this is what started me into posting the thoughts about heavy artillery. What is the use for wargamers....

[tin shed gamer]

The funny thing is it was the old Dozing Dragon,who asked me to make tractors for my own range.Which led me down the same path.What use are bfg's on a table so I did a bit of play testing.(Hense the card models).As direct result I've made the Holt tractors,he asked for.Then it becomes a simple case of they've got to have something to pull.Thats what the' little faith'was for.But your right showing people how to make something in card doesn't put people off buying a model.It does quite the reverse!
Its about time vs cost.(that looks great I want one! it takes how long? )
I'm a big fan of a try before you buy gaming.Make a simple model to cover a concept or an objective in a game,If its something your going to use alot the buy a model for future use.It means you don't keep adding to a lead pile without it having a use.Or ending up with dead figures as an Idea sounded great then when you tried it out 'not so much'.
Mark.

[former user]

hmm... I hope I am not getting misunderstood

I was quite musing about myself...
whether others find it appliable to their own hobby POV I can only guess...

related to the the OT I can only say that modelling the whole artillery unit (and only one of it) becomes more and more attractive to me in the long run, as opposed to the aspect of battlefield efficiency, which usually made me buy three sets of guns with the operating crew and nothing else.

This makes tutorials like Yours, @tin shed gamer, so much more valuable
becaus the latter perspective suits the selling of wargaming miniatures more (without wanting to devalue it, it's just a statement).
one could regard it as the "strategic collusion"  between wargamer and manufacturer:
(cum grano salis please  )

the miniature collector wants to play games with his figures (I guess most of us do)
games work after rules that establish a winner
winning is easier with big models that punch a hole and can take it
so manufactureres release rules that favour the advantage of large models even more
in historical wargaming it is tanks and (large) guns
with the ludicrous effect that effective firing ranges are tailored down to fit 1.5 x 2.5 m (never forget that - this is the only reason for it: we want to see guns on the battlefield, and manufacturers are only too willing to comply)
imagine how many wargamers would field HMG if they had to at least provide the full complement of 10 ammo carriers/beasts of burden/vehicle. Of course there is the problem of the crowded tabletop with the minimum complement of 6 - 6 horse trains required to pull a three gun battery, plus field forge, workshop cart and ammo train

caveat:

I am only describing what I regard as an important insight. It is my conviction that everyone is entitled to have their wargaming fun the way they see it fit and they find people to game with. Realism of the simulation is not the universal point.

so I am musing about how to incorporate the big ones on the wargaming field (and not behind the showcasing glass) so that it suits my taste better

anyway, I think this discussion is taking an interesting turn, THX everyone

[former user]

(not into argumentation here, only dialogue  )

yes, when it comes to a batallion level artillery asset and above it is basically the "raid".
artillery will still be largely immobile at the beginning of 20th C and increasingly relocating towards the end.

so it sums up to infiltration/commando actions up to being caught by in-depth reconnaisance - discounting the occasional retreat action.
disrupting the siege guns is of course a key objective of the "Navarone-type" scenario

haven't thought about the supply aspect yet...

a good movie version is in "Band of Brothers"  where the US paras attack a german battery emplacement. which wargamer would have resisted training the 10.5 cm artillery on the attackers?

[Hauptgefreiter]

If it's any help for scenario ideas: I believe to remember a battle report in the WD, where the big guns were positioned on a different table than the main action. They were firing (and therefore taking effect) on targets in the big battle, while an infiltration unit was tasked to destroy them. I can't remember if the big guns could be used against the infiltrators....

IMHO this is a good way of making more use of the big guns than just objectives to be captured...