Scenario: A War Between the UK and China

[tomcat51]

You could use Russian equipment and squint, it woul look more or less the same. Chinese armour has some great cammo patterns which would distinguish them as PLA once painted up. Or you could do an airborne force, no armour, just infantry with helicopter support.

[Paul @ Empress Miniatures]

Empress have been threatening to release the ZBD-2000 for a while I think. I thall definitely be snaffling it up, I've only ever seen Chinese vehicle in 1:35 scale.

We are currently sculpting two versions of the PLA amphbious tank. The MBT to follow but sadly nothing is ever as quick as we want it. Cos I want some as well.
Cheers,
Paul

[Brummie]

You can use the BMP-1 as a Chinese IFV, they are still meant to have a large number of those in service, despite a number of them undergoing changes to weaponry/turret design.

[commissarmoody]

We are currently sculpting two versions of the PLA amphbious tank. The MBT to follow but sadly nothing is ever as quick as we want it. Cos I want some as well.
Cheers,
Paul

very nice, and I am looking forward to seeing them when they come out.
And yes, the old bmp and btr are very well represented in lots of armories. Need to get some more to complement the BMP3S I got for my Russian force.

[tomcat51]

I've finally decided on a setting for my modern conflict between China and Great Britain. I've found that looking for a realistic scenario is too complicated and any likely engagement between the two countries would be naval before anything else. Plus making it too realistic reduces fun and veers too close to current affairs. It is with this in mind that I have decided to lift a scenario from Wargame: Red Dragon and bring it into the modern day.

Its the mid eighties. During negotiations between the UK and China over the lease of Hong Kong, the Chinese Premier tells Thatcher that he could simply take back Hong Kong in an afternoon. Thatcher, buoyed by her recent victory in the Falklands, invites the Chinese to try. They do not call her bluff and simply back down, leaving Hong Kong and the New Territories in British hands. Until now. No longer willing to accept its territories being in foreign hands and with more than enough military capability behind it, China is looking to make an example of a foreign military power, and the British are now in their sights. The Americans are staying out of this one, refusing to back the UK over what it views as its illegal occupation of Chinese soil. The only advantages the British have is their submarine fleet, the threat of which prevents the Chinese from risking an amphibeous invasion, and the support of Canada, Australia and New Zealand who all have a stake in the Pearl of the Orient.

The scenario is absolute nonsense I know, and the region does not lend itself to massed tank battles, but this setting does allow me to field Leopards, M1A1's and LAV's as part of the Australian and Canadian forces, which is great for me as I love the vehicles, and it should be easy to build a gaming board with a few hills and trees on it that could represent large regions of the New Territories. I've painted by first ever 6mm model, an AH7. Lynx, which I will post later tonight. I can't say it was the most fun to paint, but it looks ok for the table top. My initial PLA force has arrived from Heroics and Ros and I'm looking to get more painted soon. Once I move house I'm going to start putting a board together, then its game on for the first stages of the war!

[carlos marighela]

I'm not sure I understand is the idea to set this in the '80s or now? Neither the Australians or Canadians had Abrams in the 1980s. Australia didn't have any LAVs until 1990 for that matter.

If the idea is to transplant the 1980s into now as some sort of alternative history, then you should probably factor in the prospect of Australia going to war with its No.1 trading partner is about as implausible as it gets.

By the by, the New Territories aren't/ weren't bad tank country, open rolling hills in part. Through to the late 1960s there was a tank squadron based in Hong Kong, at first with Comets and later Centurions. They exercised in the New Territories and there were tank gunnery ranges there.

If you wanted to use HK as a setting and fancy tanks why not consider the 1960s? There was some serious civil unrest in Hong Kong in the 1960s, in part inspired by the Cultural revolution taking place across the border. You could posit that some Red Guards go rogue and cross the border, forcing the PLA to follow. There are suitable British troops for the period and setting but the Chinese would pose a challenge. I've been doing some green stuff conversions to the Eureka WW2 Chinese but I'll admit that's a lot of work to do a platoon's worth.

[tomcat51]

I'm not sure I understand is the idea to set this in the '80s or now? Neither the Australians or Canadians had Abrams in the 1980s. Australia didn't have any LAVs until 1990 for that matter.

Modern, the seeds of the conflict go back to the 80's, but the battles will be present day.

[tomcat51]

If the idea is to transplant the 1980s into now as some sort of alternative history, then you should probably factor in the prospect of Australia going to war with its No.1 trading partner is about as implausible as it gets.

This is why I decided to throw plausibility to the wind and just have fun gaming a scenario using models that I like. Whatever scenario I come up with someone tells me it wouldn't really happen, the world is too interconnectd now. This war is unlikely, but it is just a fun gaming option, like the computer game I'm using as inspiration. I'm not an historical gamer, this is alternate history.

[carlos marighela]

Fair enough. It wasn't meant as a criticism and I'm not trying to be a nay sayer, your toys your game. Your earlier posts suggested you were looking for a kernel of realism that's why I mentioned Oz and the 60s stuff.

[tomcat51]

Fair enough. It wasn't meant as a criticism and I'm not trying to be a nay sayer, your toys your game. Your earlier posts suggested you were looking for a kernel of realism that's why I mentioned Oz and the 60s stuff.

Sorry, didn't mean that to sound like I was biting, just explaining why I was giving up on the real real world. I'm just going for my own interpretation of the real world, close enough for government work, but not close enough to satisfy the history bods on this site. 

[Arrigo]

Sorry, didn't mean that to sound like I was biting, just explaining why I was giving up on the real real world. I'm just going for my own interpretation of the real world, close enough for government work, but not close enough to satisfy the history bods on this site. 

sorry it is not close enough for government work...  you want this kind of close enough you have two options:

a) do your research seriously (but then overpower blue)
b) play games with the country names. For Example you can Kong Hong, Nachi, Oz...

If you take option B, when you describe the tropical setting.... remember to do it in January in Portsmouth with wind blowing in face of listeners

There is also option C: create your own world. After all you want to use specific miniatures rather than specific countries. I have created some settings that are more or less current nations and tech, but on "colony" worlds with some artificial constraints in technology to explain wht there are Abrams rather than sci fi tanks. If, as you told us, you like story telling this is a more interesting exercise. You can also create your own geography according to your terrain collection. Just my usual two pennies.

[commissarmoody]

Not a bad idea tomcat

[Arlequín]

... or create an imagi-nation. I find myself agreeing with Arrigo once more (most unusual   ), in that it is the figures and vehicles that are important to you, not necessarily that they are actually 'British' or 'Chinese' forces.

There are few contemporary vehicles which are not on the arms market and while they may not have all the bells and whistles of the 'not for export' versions, they look the same.

 

[tomcat51]

... or create an imagi-nation.

Kind of like the Ace Combat games then, a completely fictional world with the same level of tech as our own (except with planes that can carry infinite missiles).

OK, here goes scenario attempt number 27; "The year is 2020 and Margaret Thatcher has sat on the Iron Throne for nearly 40 years..."

[Arrigo]

... or create an imagi-nation. I find myself agreeing with Arrigo once more (most unusual   ), in that it is the figures and vehicles that are important to you, not necessarily that they are actually 'British' or 'Chinese' forces.

There are few contemporary vehicles which are not on the arms market and while they may not have all the bells and whistles of the 'not for export' versions, they look the same.

 

and I was thinking we were usually in agreement...  that was an evil maskirovka!   

Tomcat,

just create the story you want, and then fit the actors and the kit. This also allow you to use ranges you were not considering in the first instance. Just knock out something believable. But I have detected a certain tendency to have over the top characters...