D.C. 2150

Building completion.

2010-01-18T22:11:00.004+10:30

It's been a while since my last post, but i've been enjoying many of the other bloggs as people snap and type away.

This year i've decided to be a bit more decisive with my time and industrious. Just like many other gamers i can flit from project to project and not finish any one thing. So this terrain is the first example of me "knuckling down" on my whimsy.

I did have other planes to do complete and "proper" modeling for this terrain. Namely detritus and junk filling up some of the space of the buildings. But executing the concept and not mention, getting started, became a problem. After seeing Vampifan and Veloci's examples of World Works terrain i decided, why not?

Now, i've never had a realy good track record with terrain and i've left many pieces unfinished because i can never get the effect i'm after. But after my purchase of sdome of the World Works sets i got down to it. I think in the end a shaved a great deal of time of this project and most likely got a better looking result had i gone for my original vision.

So here are the fruits of my very brief labour and there is more to follow shortly. Comment and criticism is welcome as when the buidings are put together they won't look quite like the photo i've been using for the Dead City blog. I hope i have given the impression of an abandoned city with enough attraction for the scavengers of the wasteland.

Batrep on Post Apoc Wargaming

2009-12-16T12:12:00.002+10:30

I've been playing a few games with my modified 5150/CR3 rules and decided to post a Batrep even though the terrain is far from finished.

THW rules are very action packed and cinimatic and perfect for solo games.

This Batrep sees the Buckaroos doing a Scav run that gets interuppted by wasteland predators such as The Wolf Pack and the Aryan Enclave. I'll be doing some other Batreps that will tie into this one and develop a story as i go.

Please enjoy and find the Batrep here.

Super-Mutants

2009-12-16T11:59:00.002+10:30

These were quite the pleasure to paint. If i wore a hat i'd take it off to GZG as they really show what can be done in 15mm.

So i've borrowed the concept of the Super-Mutants from the Fallout series of games. They are a great non/semi human faction to have before you start moving onto aliens.

These guys have no allies in the DC 2150 so they must be very resilient. Their Reaction chart will reflect and willingness to engage in hand to hand combat and a general superiority in that form of combat. They won't be the best of shots, but will use their SAW's to keep heads down as they get close.

To accommodate a bit more hand to hand in the THW rules i've had to make some changes to the rules. It's near suicide at the moment. :) Receiving Charge reaction will be toned down alot and i won't require the chargers to take Recieved Fire checks if they have passed the Wanting to Charge reaction on 2d6. Also, i'll be making Assault Rifles or larger bulky, which translates as 1 less d6 in combat. This last rule will also make SMG's and Carbines a actually option over Assault Rifles for some Factions.

The Wolf Pack

2009-12-16T11:52:00.003+10:30

These Sahadeen infantry are from Rebel Minis. They will be part of an exmillitary raider group called; The Wolf Pack. They will have there own Reaction Table for 5150/CR3.

They did satisfy me once painted, but they do pale in quality compared to the new GZG offerings. The commnader has a static if not strange pose. And some of the infantry are not up to GZG's standard. I do like these guys however and have found them to be the most fitting mini's i have to the PA setting.

The Wolf Pack act as a sort of Wasteland enforcer group, that taxes the various communities in water, food and conscripts. They are ruthless when commanding obidence from the wasteland towns. The only town to be rid of them proper is Babylon, which is protected by the New Eden funded gang, the Buckeroos. The Enclaves prefer not to tangle with these guys due to thier armaments and training. Considering thier equipment, The Wolf Pack must still have access to a stash of WW 4 era vehicles and weapons.

Wasteland Vermin

2009-12-16T11:47:00.001+10:30

Every Post Apocalyptic game has to have mutant bugs or rats. Some sort of wildlife nasty that harasses the warriors of the wasteland.

Well i chose rats (because i got them in a trade). They are GW rats so they are almost the height of a human in 15mm. With the THW rules i'll probably give them something akin to the Bug rules. So yeah, very dangerous. Watch this spot for a Batrep invovling them soon.

Wire Trees

2009-12-16T11:37:00.007+10:30

These trees were very easy and quick to make. Taking various lengths of fuse wire i just wrapped them together and used the longer pieces to make the branches. After that, to take away the obvious wire construction i mixed PVA with Plaster of Paris which i just glopped on, then painted and drybrushed them. I used 2 different types of sponge flock for the foilage and have been finding sponge flock to be just the right texture for anything 15mm.

This is a very common and old technique. I'm not sure who to give original credit to, but god bless'em.

Some finished vehicles

2009-11-29T15:16:00.004+10:30

Finished product for the Aryianreich dropship. A conversion of GZG's Mantis. The company now has the Cochroach dropship which would have been a bit nicer i think. But i'm happy with my little conversion. The Automated Slave System or A.S.S. is a response to the Buckaroos and other factions commandering manned vehicles. With out the proper codes which the squad leader and his second possess, A.S.S. won't operate, and will return to the Nazi enclave. Next thing for the Neo-nazis will be some sort of land vehicle. I still have the drone which is a WIP so i may be happy with that for now. And i'd like to get working on some of the other factions.

This one below is a Buckaroo vehicle, the 80's SWAT car. The Buckeroos that get their weapons from the New Eden enclave don't get vehicle funding from them. This vehicle was probably stolen from the Riech. A good addition for the gang that have had to make do with some anachronistic transport.

Below, inspired by the 'Corpse Grinder' and other wasteland cruisers. "The Bitch" is the Buckeroos quick response vehicle. It doesn't take many passengers so the better gangmembers get thier ride in it. I modelled the paint job on a car from a fairly recent film, anyone know which one?

Dead City 2150; Lay of the Land

2009-11-28T22:09:00.004+10:30

So i put all the buildings i'm working together to get some idea of what i'll need to do. With the buildings covering most of the 3'x 3' table, i think i've got enough till i want something new. The next thing to figure out are roads and trafic Islands.

I'll put a round about where the orange bucket thing is. And a sort of traffic island where the pouches of tobbacco are. Where you can see the bases are much larger than the buildings, i'll be putting in car parks. Except for one side of the Condo Block, that will have an urban park or corporate garden.

Warehouse

2009-11-28T21:24:00.006+10:30

I wanted a different type of building to break up the D.C. a bit. A challenge from one of the moderators' on the Post Apoc Wargame Forum got me to think of this one.

I'll be making a corrogated iron roof for this that will be able to lift off in the fashion of the other buildings.

There will be some stairs to come also, with a balcony looking over the inside of the warehouse. Also an outside platfrom on this side to. The truck will be a part of the building, fixed to the base. I'll leave the forklift rusted and still operable for some in-game impromtu fun.

Ruined/Abandoned Buildings update

2009-11-28T20:54:00.003+10:30

I thought it was about time for this. And after having a bit of a break from the hobby, i'm keen to get my creative juices going again.

The ones i've made so far have been fully painted. I used a wood stain to give them the very dirty look. Wouldn't mind doing some graffiti also.

The condo/corp block needs a bit more of the wood stain i think. I'll get to that once i do some of the detritus that will be around the buildings bases.

And a bit of a group shot!

Comparison Shots!

2009-08-23T13:18:00.008+09:30

Got some more minis from GZG and Splintered Light. Veyr happy with the quality of course. I have found the Splintered Light minis are made from a bit of a softer alloy than the GZG stuff.

Left to right; SLM Dark Elf, GZG 'Firefly', GZG Ravager, SLM 'Firefly.

Left to right; SLM 'Firefly', Eureka Sci-fi German, SLM 'Firefly', GZG 'Firefly.

Left to right; SLM 'Firefly, GZG 'Firefly, GZG Ravager, SLM 'Archer Collection' Rogue.

Left to right; SLM Vampire Lord, Eureka Sci-Fi German, SLM Minotaur, GZG Ravager.

Left to right; SLM Dark Elf, SLM Orc, GZG Ravager, SLM Vampire Lord,

Left to right; SLM Minotaur, GZG Ravager, SLM 'Archer Collection' Rogue, SLM Bugbear.

More Vehicles

2009-08-23T12:54:00.009+09:30

Here is another pic of the Aryan Dropship with a mini for scale. Perhaps i should have done this a bit sooner because the doors aye a bit small. Should be easy to fix by cutting up the same part of the Lemun Russ turret and making double doors.

Another Aryan vehicle. I'm not sure wether this will be autonomous in my story or piloted at this point. It is one of the Infinity Drones, so i guess it'll be some sort of drone in my world.

Some Matchbox cars to use with the Buckeroo Gang. The GZG Ravagers just looked too baddass once i painted them up to Scavs. They are a bit out of scale. But if i keep the same scales with the same factions i don't think it'll get to me. :)
The first one is "The Bitch". A '69 Camero with extra armour and a mini gun.

An '80s SWAT vehicle that i think i'll add a .50cal to.

"Old Betsy", a typical gang member carrier and a place to haul thier scav and spoils of each confrontation.

I had to get one of these GZG 8 Wheeel APC's. I can echo everyones good reports on Jon's amazing delivery times. And i live in Australia! I think i'll put a mini-gun on this one and swap the .50cal to the SWAT vehicle. I'll use this 8 Wheeler to go with the New Eden Vault City Gene Troopers. The Gene Troopers will be somethin g like the Rouge Trooper of 2000 AD. But maybe i shouldn't speak too soon or i'll have another story change like i did with the GZG Ravagers. So it maybe prudent to get thigs painted before i designate any story to them.

Aryanriech Enclave Dropship

2009-08-17T21:04:00.005+09:30

It's a GZG Mantis, but the slaved version. I managed to think up a way to make it Troop Carrier with the rectangular purfume bottle top and the left over pieces of a Leman Russ Tank for the hatches.

It has a bit of a Fallout 3 feel with its VToL functionality. And satisfies some of my Cyberpunk urges.

I think i still need to put together it's landing gear on the rear, if a can't think of another way around it.

Scavengers Final

2009-08-17T20:51:00.006+09:30

After stripping the first lot i painted i decided to try my hand at the second paint scheme again. When doing the greenstuff for the googles and guns i found that detail i put in them was too small once painted over. I had to make the holes in the visors much more pronounced.

I didn't use Devlen Mud on these guys. I re-learnt the drybrushing technique and block painted the final highlight to get rid of some of the graininess that dry brushing leaves.

So these are much more high-tech Scavengers, not short of 2150. This crew's success would owe to the prime gear they've found over the years. Their transport is going to be aged however. Very much so, compared to the Aryanriech's Drop ship i'll post next.

Over all i've really enjoyed these models. Very intricate. And can't wait to get my brush onto the Space Crew and New NAC Marines from GZG, to see how they compare to thier Ravagers. They could with less detail and still be fantastic mini's.

More Scavengers

2009-08-12T21:13:00.003+09:30

So i finished more of the GZG Ravagers. I'll still mix these guys in with the other Buckaroos. They look a bit more high tech to me considering the paint scheme and the greenstuff re-modeling.

I really enjoyed doing these guys. Much more than the German Sci-Fi from Eureka, even though they turned out much cleaner.

I still have a couple more painting techniques i'd like to try up my sleeve, and a couple more factions to go. However, i'll be concentrating my work on terrrain and vehicle for the two factions i've already done, so i can start playing with these guys. And produce that Batrep i've been yapping on about.

Multi-Story Office Block

2009-08-12T19:37:00.005+09:30

Doing projects for 15's is so satisfying. I had put off finishing this building to some painting, and overall the construction didn't take that long.

There were a couple of unplanned cuts to the thumb, but a drop of super glue closed them up nice and quickly.

This building is one of the more intact structures of DC 2150. I think on the hole i want my the city to be more of an abandoned place than a completely shell shocked ruins.

I'm yet to see how these different floors and rooms will come in handing when playing games in this enviroment. As i've previously mentioned holing up in rooms is a fairly good tactic if the Aryanriech or Super-Muntants are hell bent on eradicating every single person in your team.

Before i paint this multi-story and the three other buildings i'll make a couple more at least. Next on the list for terrain is a warehouse with parking lot and store front.

At some point i'll be needing something to base these buildings on. Some kind of MDF or plasticard should fit the bill. I'd prefer of course to find something cheap and that i don't need power tools to cut, seeing as i have none.

Scavengers & Greenstuff

2009-08-10T22:40:00.004+09:30

So here are a few piccies of the changes i made to the other 8 GZG Ravagers. I found that what was hard in painting 15's well, were faces. So i greenstuffed some maskes and goggles on these guys to cover the shame of my fledgling painting.

I also buffed up the guns a bit by styling assault rifles, machine pistols and SMG's. This extra fire power will help the faction survive against some of the other nasties that will be crawling out of the wasteland.

Depending on how these guys turn out when i paint them, i may even go back and strip the first ravagers i did to uniform them all a bit.

I've done face masks and gun buffing before on 28's, but the goggles and magazines are a new endeavor. It all wasn't quite as hard as i expected, so i may be a bit more adventurous with my other factions.

Buckaroos Redux

2009-08-10T22:31:00.007+09:30

I mentioned that i wasn't satisfied with my work on the Scavengers. After asking around the wonderful interwebs i got some help from Mark of Dropship Horizon and Deserter from the Post Apoc Forum. The help came in the form of washes and pictures of succesful use of Devlen Mud.

I much more satisfied with this result. It's not quite my 28's standard. But i'm happy so far with what i've produced.

The next batch of GZG Ravagers i'll do will be a bit brighter so maybe they won't be as dark as these guys.

Watch this space for the new Ravager paint job. Must say i'm very keen to find my groove in the 15' painting technique. I'm sure it'll be quite comfy!

Billy Hughes and the Buckaroos

2009-08-09T18:38:00.007+09:30

I must admit i was hoping these guys would come out looking a bit better. But i'm happy with my second attempt at painting 15's.

The guy on the left is Billy Hughes. His group of scavangers are the best out of all the other smaller groups that come to the DC to find expensive luxury items and other nessesities that they sell and barter back at Babalon City out in the wastes.

Only the hardest of scavengers make their way into the Dead City. The Aryanriech regular patrols or the Super-mutants are a constant danger to those seeking an important find. Billy Hughes and his Buckaroos are one of those scavenger factions with the training and the tech to make it in and out alive. They are almost reaching radier status, but would never dare to try and take the territory that The Wolf Pack have carved out for themselves.

I have some vehicles lined up for this faction in the form of a '69 Camero that i'll fix a minigun to. A '80s Swat vehicle, and an old looking '50s pickup. I have 8 more of these fantastic GZG Ravagers to paint, and i may try my hand at some conversions seeing that they are exact doubles of the 8 i have just painted.

I think next on the agenda is to plough through some terrain before doing the last 8 and finishing of the vehicles for the scavengers and the Aryanriech vault. Step by step i'm getting closer to that promised Batrep.

Vault Raid Part 2

2009-08-05T09:39:00.003+09:30

Here is the conclusion to the raid on the Aryanriech Vault. I must say i really enjoyed doing this. Conclusion here.

On reflection i don't see why any of my enjoyment would change doing games in 15mm. The down side to this Batrep is to continue this story i have weeks of painting and terrain making ahead of me. A task which would be so much easier in 15mm. Once again i'm seeing that silver lining, it looks rather good!

Vault Raid Part 1 Batrep

2009-08-03T21:46:00.002+09:30

This Batrep uses the 5150 ruleset which i'm rather fond of. It's the constant exchange of fire that can go on and on. Love it. Anyway, this Batrep is done with my 28's, so i use rather convoluted rules since their aren't many figures. RPG lite is what Ed calls it IIRC. So you can check it out here.

I do like this style of game. Just a few figures with a bit of story. I'm pressuming with 15's i'll lose some of this feel and connect witht he squads rather than individuals. It's yet to be seen i suppose, but something for me to think about.

Every cloud has a silver lining...

2009-08-01T01:25:00.005+09:30

Had a bit of a mishap when varnishing my first attempt at painting these guys!!

After trying all things possible to fix them, i resigned my self to pinching my girlfriends nail polish and starting over. On this next attempt, i decided to lay off the washes and was pleased with what i was able to produce.

Anyway. That's finishes the first squad for the Aryanriech faction. Next will be 16 of the GZG Ravagers to be used as Scavengers. After that, some vehicles for both of those factions and some terrain for them to fight to death over. Then a Batrep! Can i produce quickly enough for viewers to maintain interest? Can i produce quickly enought for myself to maintain interest? Both of us will just have to watch this space to find out!

Ruined Buildings

2009-07-29T09:45:00.004+09:30

This is the start i've made for the buildings of DC 2150. I wanted to keep in line with the Blog title picture.
I'll be making most of the buildings with detachable levels and some rooms inside. They'll be places for players to hide and hole up. With the 5150 rule set, holing up inside a room is a very effective tactic, Players making an assult on the room will have to use grenades or flash bangs if they don't want to get slaughtered.
I used 4mm foam core or poster board which is very easy to cut out quickly. The window and door frames and achetroves seemed essential to give a realistic feel to the buildings. Stay tuned for more updates.

Prospective Purchase

2009-07-29T09:37:00.004+09:30

These guys are a realease from Splintered Light Miniatures. Amoungst their other fabulous fantasy 15mm stuff, this space crew from the renowed series Firefly and film Serenity do well as Characters for a PA world. Great poses and some dynamic emotes, they will most likely go from prospective buy to part of my collection very soon!

Comparison Shots!

2009-07-26T13:04:00.007+09:30

I've always found these shots to be very helpful to me. They are as precious as gold when looking for prospective mini's to buy, or you're getting into a new scale.

From left to right there are; GZG Alien Mercs, GZG Ravagers x2, Eureka Sci-Fi Germans, Rebel Mini's Sahadeen, GZG Light EVA suits.

I'll be using the Alien Mercs as Super-Mutants. The Ravagers as resourceful Scavengers. The Sci-Fi Germans for Aryanriech Enclave. The Sahadeen as Raiders. And the Light EVA Suits for New Eden Enclave. You'll notice the Enclave troops have fully enclosed suits to prtect them from all sorts of enviromental hazards. The other factions how ever a re limited to areas in the setting of DC 2150 that are rad free if they are careful, or unless they have sufficient meds and luck to avoid rad sickness. The Super-Mutants are, of course, impervious to most enviromental factors.

Aryanriech Enclave

2009-07-26T11:48:00.005+09:30

This Enclave will be one of the vault cities lying close to the highly contested Dead City. Seeded with propaganda before World War IV, this vault was an experiment by Dr. Winterbottom to preserve clean genetic stock in an irradiated war torn post apocalyptic world.

The occupants of the Enclave are far from the ideal Aryan stock envisioned. However, they are free from mutation and have adequate military and medical resources to remain so. Whether that is a good thing or not is yet to be seen.

Their main enemies are the Super-Mutants, created by The Master (Richard Grey). But the Aryan's will cleanse any other survivors existing untainted in pockets of civilisation untainted by radiation poison.

Aryanriech Enclave does engage in some trade with New Eden Enclave, swapping their military technology for New Eden’s superior medical supplies.

Aryanriech Enclave has some of the best military resources in the region and would dominate it, if it was not for their strict genetic policy that keeps their population low.

I'll be using the Eureka Sci-Fi Germans for this faction. They only come in 4 sculpts at the moment, but i've joined the 300 Club in hopes of getting more. Click on this link to join the 300 Club and we can have additional sculpts! These guys come in at 15mm from feet to eyes, and i love 'em. I hear some people are using them for pulp games to.

At the top of the post is one i prepared earlier. I have 2 squads of 8 all up. The rest of this squad should be done soon, and i'll be sure to give you an update.

Reason for Blogging

2009-07-23T10:19:00.008+09:30

Why the Blog?

Everyone's doing it! But i 've never done one before. I have recently found a love for the 15mm scale and found other peoples blogs on Blogspot very helpful. So i've been inspired by the blogs i follow and hope i can help people getting into this very satisfiying scale of wargaming.

I'm also predicting that providing updates here will help me to stay on track just as updating in forums has been working for me.

Why 15's over well established 28's or 25's?

- Less Costly.
- Less time to create a project. As in less time to paint squads, less time to create terrain.
- It's a good time to get into 15's, there are a few great companies on the rise, which i'll be sure to point out to everyone.
- More playing area on the same size table.
- After 40K burnout a complete change is quite refreshing.

I also play D&D RPG fantasy with miniatures and find it very hard to keep up the painting compared to the encounters. So it looks like i'll be converting that genre to 15's also.

Why the Post-Apocalyptic setting?

It's someone elses fault really. This underappreciated wargame setting is finding great representation at this site.

The PA genre provides a rich soup from which to create many sorts of factions and game mechanics including high-tech, low-tech, mutants, aliens, magic or psychic powers. It also provides ample chance to try your hand at conversions for vehicles and the mini's themselves.

So with a bit of creative story telling you can use just about any genre of minature in your PA world and put them in factions ready to fight to the death in a harsh world of survivalism.