June Digest #3

Naval Wargaming

Was updating my current inventory of 1/3000 naval ships, and was wondering if they're still available. My collection comes from the old defunct Skytrex range which was taken over by Davco (UK). Skytrex was my go-to back in the day but it was sold off when the owners chose to retire. 

But now in 2026 I'm curious to learn if that range is still available. Initial search was not helpful. One of the listings was a company that I know is not a model maker. They're known more as a second-hand trader. 

Anyway, of the two remaining online retailers that sell 1/3000 WW2 naval warships, the first proved a dead-end as the website is down. The second website was found but is also a trader of Davco minis. Relieved when I saw their listing is pretty much unchanged from when I saw decades ago. And they still selling them as separate battlepacks for a reasonable price. 

While there I noticed a couple of other ranges such as the 1/700 Trafalgar range that looked interesting to me. Potential for small-scale skirmish scenarios. 

============================

WOWS

Was sorely tempted to buy an Azure Lane ship in order to complete the Collection today. Needing just two more Collection tiles with one day left before event ends. And the Collection tiles will not be available through the Armoury so I will likely have to wait until event returns - most likely next year. 

But then the sudden blood rush to the head faded and ended up foregoing the temptation. AUD70+ was way too much of an asking price for some pixels just to complete a valueless and useless collection. 

============================

Usual Update day on Steam today (Wednesday). Read more about the new Event Pass in the News section. I think I'm due for at least 12+ million credit compensation - for a ship and special permanent camo that I already have - if what I read is correct. 

Was actually trying to verify the news that with the Update there's a chance to grab 11,000 dub compensation for a Tier VIII ship (if you have it). Couldn't find the verification. No probs.

Continued exclusively grinding the Cossack today while its special mission remains active. Just under two weeks to go. Will I make 21 points with its commander? Presently at 17 points. Doubt it though. Needing a total of 1.9 million Free XP.  

============================

Friday. Dawn of a Nation is an event that seems to be part of the overall WG 250 years of Independence celebration. Overhyped for sure but you ignore that because it's something to do in this game. Anyway, the DoaN is made of four chapters.

Just finished the first chapter and obtained all the rewards for that chapter. The rewards are earned by spending tokens which come in lots of 5 or 10. These can only be earned by playing the game and scoring respectively either 300 BASE XP or 500 BASE XP per game. 

Each chapter is released sequentially, one after the other. So the next one will be available in 5 days.

The event itself is active for another twenty-six days. Final reward is a Tier VIII USA premium ship, Congress. I reread the notification that if you have it already you will be compensated 11,000 doubloons. So, that's the incentive to continue completing this silly event. 

They are also releasing two historical commander, one of whom is the famous John Paul Jones who I think will be a Seasoned commander (guy with perks). 

Also released is a new Collection with the same name as the Event. Not sure if the Collection will be made available for purchase or if it's like the Azure Lane Comics which is a one-off, i.e. not available for purchase in the Armoury. 

The new Event Pass offers only one ship - Tier VI Arizona at the midway point. Nothing else apart from permanent camo and explosive effect. Compensation is over six million credit if you already have the ship in your port fleet.

Bring on Santa crates and Christmas...!

============================

Saturday saw me play one of my best PvE games ever. 

It was in Asymmetrics. I was playing my usual Karl XIV Johan. Map was Shards. Myself and a Pommern spawned on the right side in the south. Went to our cap. Loosed off torps at long range to area deny because two enemy cruisers were approaching from those vectors supported by three battleships. 

Had some air support from our friendly CV Graf Zeppelin. Together we three completed the capping. But I soon lost both the Zeppelin and Pommern; the former to an enemy Gokase torp and the latter to an enemy P. Heinrich torp. 

I had moved past the cap to tackle the two retreating battleships (a Lyon and a Colorado) which were eventually sunk. Just as I turned around to help out the Pommern it was gone. To make matters worse, the other two friendlies on our other flank were no longer around. This left me to face six enemy ships on my own.

At this stage, I wasn't expecting to live long even though I managed to whittle the threat down further to just two ships. But the remaining enemy ships were a serious threat because they were on nearly full health while I was now down to less than fifty HP. I had to hide and avoid any secondary fire because just one hit would end the game.

Fortunately we were winning on points so I had to play for time and hid behind an island while waiting for the timer to count out. And just as the enemy Chios appeared and was about to take me out the countdown ended. 

It was the most unlikely victory I had ever experienced in my six years of playing this game. I was so chuffed. 

The reason I went into Asymmetrics today was to see if I could win a 10-token round (instead of the usual five playing Co-Op). I learned it's more doable and less time so will continue but vary the ships used. 

Did some quick estimating. The DoaN event comprises four chapters (finished the first one yesterday). Chapter 2 requires a total of 150 tokens. Chapter 3 wants 170 tokens. Chapter 4 demands 200 tokens. Difficulty (in terms of grind) increments per chapter - to be expected. The reward at the end of it is worth it though. 

Also learned the new Collection tiles can only be earned through the two DoaN crates (phase 20) which will be active throughout the event which will end in twenty-five days. And like the Azure Lane Comics collection, you will never see it again. To earn the two crates you need to win 30 tokens. So, either six 5-tokens or three 10-tokens games. Co-Op or Asymmetrics? Or combination of both? Choice is up to you. 

Sixty tiles to complete the collection. Or fifty-three left to go in my case. Two duplicates can be exchanged for one original. Is the collection worthwhile? Not really when you realise that completing this collection offers nothing of value in return for the time and effort required. There is no ship reward. No legendary commander either. So is it worth considering? Unless you have the Maine then no because the reward for completing the collection is a Maine-specific permanent camo. 

 ============================

Wargaming Projects

Today I found a ruleset by Osprey Publishing that I will trial for my return to the SYW period. It's called Honours of War. Know nothing about it so some reading is required. Likely candidate for my paper armies.

Located several other rulesets as well. Nearly all I've been meaning to test but got shelved as I quickly got distracted...squirrel! One is even a set I've created myself using matchbox cars, but it's not like the popular post-apoc Gaslands. My game is set in an alternate universe that's more akin to the GTA franchise focusing on in-game objectives to win the game.

Among the other archived rulesets found was a campaign for the Battle of the Coral Sea (1942) conducted in the early 2000s by a US wargaming club. They did a write-up which impressed me enough to download the available details regarding the campaign. As with most things, it's no longer available online so rediscovering it was a big relief as I would like to replay it using my 1/3000 naval. I will either use General Quarters III or Stations Manned & Ready II as the ruleset for play modified to the campaign conditions imposed by the US gaming group.

Then there are two airwargames rulesets. In Clouds Of Glory is an old previous interest but I never got round to playtesting. The other, called Typhoon, is relatively "new". By "new" I mean untried. I can also use Check Your Six! Jet Age which was my original modern airwargame ruleset.

Typhoon uses 1/144 scale aircraft. At the moment, I have no 1/144 modern aircraft. Looking at either 3D printing them to scale or else buying Tumbling Dice 1/600 aircraft. TD have a limited range.

============================

Had another squizz at ICOG tonight (Saturday/Sunday). Learned the planes they've listed on their website are now limited given that that part of Shapeways has ceased to exist. Bummer. At least they released a ZIP file containing 20 of the most common STL files if you're still wanting to take the 3D printing route. 

After reviewing their situation I've decided to stick with Canvas Eagles. Their planes are too tiny, and the emphasis seems more on having the awesome terrain to fly over when a printed gaming mat of that same terrain is just as doable. 

Then I had another closer investigation of Naumachiae, an Ancients Naval ruleset by Martin Johncock and Rod Langton (yes, he of Langton minis fame) I downloaded decades ago. Designed primarily for 1/1200 scale. Detailed (especially for a newcomer to the period) but interesting enough for me to give a "proper go". Will likely trial using my Battle of Salamis Ancients naval fleets. Have to rebase them first. 

============================

June Digest #2

WOWS

Yeah, not going to complete the Azure Lane Comics collection. Concerned enough to feel some regret because I made an effort, but not enough to resolve the issue that is hindering or blocking completion. 

===========================

Weekend. Grind cut short thanks to WG. Time to do something else.

===========================

First day of the new week. Realised the only way to get the 2000 BASE XP requirement is to play PVP. Either Random, Ranked or Brawl. You cannot obtain it via PvE which is Co-Op or Operations.

Been playing Cossack while its 200% economic bonus mission remains active.

===========================

SurrounDead

After the disgruntling experience with WOWS (weekend), I was still keen to play a game so decided to finally tackle the Observatory in SurrounDead.

Had earlier watched a couple of Jingles vidz doing the same thing a few days back. Guess it was the inspiration but I had been contemplating taking them on since the encounter at the Redacted Underground base a few weeks back. Figured the viewing was a "sign" to finally put talk to walk. 

Initially approached the site with a tentativeness that was irritating. The Coyote surprised me with their aggressive response to trespassing. Initially tried to approach by daylight but it wasn't working because of my lame timid approach.

...so I decided to make the main approach at night which I had calculated would be the ideal way to approach the site before making the attempt. Late afternoon I began my approach by luring a couple of Coyote squads to attack me. Took them out by the time night had fallen. Night vision time! However, the weather was against me as I neared the carpark. 

It got murky as night descended along with a low mist when I finally launched my night attack. Made sure to have my night vision goggles was fully charged. Also ensured I had full health (with plenty of medkits - assigned keys 6 & 7), was fully fed and hydrated. Note: mines are in the carpark area so watch where you're stepping.

Got lucky by enticing the zombie boss (The Astronomer) and some zombies to attack the soldiers as distraction while I snuck closer. And then got even luckier while using my grenade launcher I managed to kill the entire gathering with several launched grenades. 

Daylight saw me still looting the many dead. The mist had lifted during the night. These Coyote soldiers are well armed so looting them proved very useful. Mainly after keycards, credits, ammunition, and any other items of interest especially legendary weapons for trading.

I chose not to enter the observatory through the open front entrance deciding to go around the side and see if there was another way in. Why? Because the Coyote had the habit of not fully committing their entire force, and I was expecting more to appear from deep within the Observatory. As I was moving cautiously around the side, I could admire why the militia took over the place: 360 views for some distance from a high and easily defendable vantage point.

Found an open way in through the back. Entered cautiously just in case. But my fears proved groundless. The Observatory inside was empty downstairs in both rotunda and lobby. Snuck upstairs and after checking for no hidden surprises lurking within I looted everything including the high tier loot box.

Lots of good loot inside the target crate. Legendary rifles, special magazines, attachments (common and rare), money, credits, keycards, medical, food and drink. After taking what I wanted from upstairs, I went outside and checked the lower roof. One was boarded up and inaccessible while the other two were cupolas to downstairs.

Weapons I took on my raid: (1) a legendary .300 Lechie sniper rifle with scope and four 12-round magazines (it does 247 damage with attachments), (2) a 6-round M32 Grenade launcher with 48 grenades backup (inflicting up to 225 damage), (3) Backup rifle: a legendary Guardian (7.62) with four 40-round mags (60+ damage), and (4) a Battle Ready Glock pistol with two 60-round drum mags.

The Lechie was mainly used to whittle down the Coyote target singly from range while the M32 dealt big bang group damage. The Guardian was used as backup sweeper and zombie killer. Gear was your top of the line Special Forces clothing, helmet, and plate carrier with night vision goggles. 

This base was commanded by a Coyote Lieutenant who had a laptop. This discovery led me to believe this is not the main base as such but more an outpost. Why would the Coyote invade the valley be led by a lowly lieutenant? Higher command must be elsewhere that has yet to be discovered? I have a hunch they're somewhere further north and west of the Observatory which seemed to be to be more an heavily defended outpost than main central headquarters. 

Next mission: planning to return to the Redacted Underground base and find out and then clear out whatever the Coyote militia are guarding there.

Yet to find a rocket launcher. Got the rounds. Will try the clown-mask trader in his ice cream van. Also on the hunt for the Barret .50 cal weapon. Think I'm going to need them both in the future. 

===========================

When towing vehicles make sure not to jam the towed vehicle right up the keister of the tower as you might lose the towed vehicle as I did on a recent triple tow. Lead vehicle was the RV. Middle vehicle was a modified utility truck (my fourth). Last vehicle was a pickup truck (my second and a zippy little thing). When I hitched up the last two, the pickup was shoved right up close to the utility truck: glitch meant it actually was halfway into the modified utility. At the time I thought nothing of it and proceeded to return to the Valley Safe Zone for trading. 

Upon arrival I unhitched the RV and utility,. No issue. But when I unhitched the Utility and Pickup, both vehicles were suddenly flung up into the air like some wired spring released from tension. I don't know where the Utility disappeared to because I was mostly distracted by the sight of the Pickup hurtling high into the air before eventually landing about 100 metres away. 

Where the Modified Utility went, I had no clue. Climbed the nearest hill to scan for it but it had disappeared. I surmised it's in orbit around the planet. :)

Above shows a triple RV train done earlier in the session. Found these two RVs right next to each other in the south-west corner of the valley. At the time I was looking for the ice cream truck vendor to see if he has a Barret for sale. No luck locating him but I did find these vehicles. 

Investigated FOB Bravo which I had bypassed several times with my other character. But this time I decided to investigate. Took out the zombie boss, a certain Colonel S, from just outside the irradiated zone. Encountered armoured feral hounds for the first time upon checking the dead. Glad to have the grenade launcher. Did a quick cursory loot sweep of the camp's interior before leaving hurriedly. Will likely return and do a more thorough loot next time.

=============================

Sunday. After a short WOWS sesh, I jumped into SurrounDead. Went back to the Redacted area in the south-west corner. First cleared out the Primary Infestation just down the road from the entry to the military site. The entry is littered with ruined and destroyed military vehicles and lots of infected zombies, an unexploded bomb, and several mines (as seen below). The last are easily spotted but can be overlooked when least expected (as in being chased by a horde and you're not watching where you're stepping). 

Note: Each time you respawn, you still have to deal with the MG nests as well as the zombie boss and feral zombie dogs. Destroy the generator to disable them permanently.

Once inside the tunnel, you are faced with the threat that is Coyote. Made a short probe this time instead of in-and-out from my first visit but quickly left after being surrounded by Coyote coming at me from two directions at once.

I have made a sketch map (shown below and NOT TO SCALE) of what I discovered in my two short recces. The Coyote on my second visit came from two directions (top left and right) after I reach the alcove with the access door. The last position (at the intersection) shown is what I encountered first on both visits. Numbers between one and two (most likely sentries/guards and not a roving patrol).

Note: The Coyote respond aggressively toward any threat they encounter; they will come right at you, have no concern about that. First time was a surprise and I retreated instantly when I saw them coming at me. Second time I was forced to vamoose before being overwhelmed.

Double track system (not properly depicted). Tunnels and their state correct from memory. No entry via access door in the alcove. Wish I had 40K Terminator armour though.

Next visit I will hunker down at a suitable spot and wait them out. Still carrying my now-established weaponry - the 7.62 Guardian and M32 grenade launcher with the Lechie sniper rifle as backup. Even though this is a Redacted Site, I just want to see how strong Coyote are in this location. Still believing their main base is somewhere to the north where the suspected hidden labs are. 

=================================

June Digest #1

WOWS

Every now and then the game glitches. Playing Cossack today (Monday) as opposed to playing it yesterday is like chalk and cheese. Yesterday was slick, quick and trouble-free. Today, controls stuck, delays with keyboard commands via the mouse, ship refused to obey simple commands. An altogether frustrating and depressing experience. Mouse was fine. Checked the driver was updated; all good. Internet connection was obviously good although I did get disconnected once while joining a game. In the end, I got fed up and logged out. Session shortened but I didn't care. 

As soon as I did that, everything returned to normal. Keys did not stick, everything was great. You get days like this from time to time so I reassured myself but it was meaningless when all you want to do is play a game without hassle. Today was a total waste of time and quite frustrating, not to mention disheartening. Time to do something else that is NOT WOWS.

Went into the studio and tidied up a little more to get my mood back to normal. It helped a little seeing all my minis and what I'd achieved throughout the years. Even found items I'd forgotten about. Mood mollified. Went back into the house, had lunch, spent time with my delightful and adorable furkids, then crashed joined by my furkids. I really do like playing WOWS but at times, like today, it's better watching paint dry.

=========================

The roller coaster ride continues. Today (Tuesday) everything is all-good. But I did keep an eye open just in case yesterday returned. It didn't. 

I got something achieved as a result. Learned that playing Cossack with its 200% bonus on certain economic bonuses is useful for completing one of the Dockyard mission. Earning 333,333 XP (ship XP that is) seems daunting at first especially in Co-Op, but not so when you are playing the Cossack. 

Took a fair chunk out of the requirement today by plonking economic bonuses on the ship every game. So, for example, placing an 800% blue Ship XP economic bonus plus the 50% bonus package Cossack automatically gets PLUS the 200% bonus (mission) means a 1050% boost to your ship XP earnings. Or, in the example stated, it was around 10,000+ XP earned when I played her.

=========================

Uneventful session today (Wednesday). Played Cossack. Five games only. Whittling away at the requirements (Dockyard event). 

=========================

So, the new trade-in event began today (Thursday).

Tested it out. Only one ship was available for trade-in (already have the others). It's a sub worth over 26,000 dubs. No thank you. One more event I won't be participating in.

Just the BASE XP mission task to finish and that's the dockyard event done and dusted. Been playing Karl XIV Johan which is a really good ship. Comparable to Pommern although it doesn't have the awesome secondaries of the German premium.  Eight long-range torps (either side) are a good compensation though. The 100% Ship XP bonus was handy for completing the 333,333 XP mission task earlier than expected.

=========================

Jumped in for the second time this evening to finish the last Dockyard Mission task playing Karl XIV Johan. Completed it and grabbed the last 250 steel. Dockyard event completed. 

Also finished the Azure Lane Comics mission (earn 2 million potential damage in one game) somehow. But if I thought it would be smooth sailing, I was wrong. Next mission grouping has one mission task requiring earning 20,000 HP damage on enemy ships UNDETECTED. There are several way of doing this which involve long-range shooting either from cover or where the target cannot fire back. 

=========================

Now it's the Azure Lane Comics crates I'm pursuing. Not that it's hard. Ran Cossack all through the session for its 200% economic bonus boost. Mixed day of successes and some dumb decisions. Seeing the same familiar names, many of whom are on my blacklist which now runs to several pages so I estimate. 

Most who go on the list do so for various reasons such as hanging back and sniping from far away, congregating in one safe spot away from the action, abandoning a flank you're on, not helping out either through direct support or fire support, yoloing in regardless and dying quick, not using torps, not spotting. And so on. Quite often you can recognise their play style because it does not deviate in that it's quite mechanical. Almost robotic.

The ones who are not content to play as a BOT and actively participate I praise by complimenting. It's the least one can do. But they tend to be less common than the idiots or BOT players you encounter in-game who make you sigh and wish you were on some sunny beach soaking in the rays and enjoying your Coruba and coke. I mean, this is Co-Op, the easiest and most boring of battle modes. The Bots you are facing play a definite style, and they're not hard to take out. Yet, some players choose to ignore this fact and play "scared". 

=========================

Saturday's session. Just five more tokens needed to completion this collection. But now I'm suspecting the crates (Azur Lane) will just yield duplicates for which you need three to trade in for one original. Typical WG ploy to keep you grinding. No mind. I'm playing Cossack. And the 200% economic bonus is a decent trade-off I can abide because that's twenty-two days left worth of bonus. I may well end getting the commander up to 18-pt skill level before the special mission ends; he's already at 13-point.

=========================

Sunday session was long but productive. Ran three ships: Cossack, Karl XIV Johan, and AL Montpelier. Played Karl XIV Johan exclusively in Asymmetrics while the played the other two in Co-Op. The Montpelier is the only Azure Lane ship in my port, obtained from an event a couple of years ago; never bought any of them. As expected, unlocked mostly duplicates with the Azur Lane Comics crate rewards from today's effort. Only one original among the three rewards.  

Ran into a former clan member. Said hello, and went on my way. Happy playing solo so always turn down clan invites these days. Like I said before, not good in a clan setting particularly when they're strangers to me and I to them. 

==========================

Monday played just two ships - Karl XIV Johan and Cossack. Playing to complete the Azure Lane Comics collection. Not that I am trying too hard. Lol. 

==========================

Tuesday I jumped into a couple of Operations missions, and noticed new changes made. Played two such missions - Defence of the Newport Station and The Ultimate Frontier - playing Cossack in both. Interesting changes that will see me return tomorrow, to play other ship classes, and observe the changes made. Thus far, am liking what I experienced just from today's effort.

==========================

English Civil War

New month. Same-old, same-old as we used to say in the Army. After today's annoying WOWS session, I wanted to do something creative and positive. So tonight, after tidying up the kitchen, I went and did some ECW base flocking and tightened a few loose ends. Started with the Foot units. In descending order as shown below: Waller's Foot (black flag), Montague's Foot (purple flag), and Pickering's Foot (blue flag). 

Crimped the wire axles of the Parliamentary artillery to prevent the wheels sliding off rather than glue them on. Will trim the crimped part later. Still feel the gun wheels are too small but it's too late to complain about it now. Much too late. Looks quite dorky nonetheless.

Pulled out the three commanders I've managed to complete for the Parliament side so far and checked to see if they needed further detailing. They didn't. I forgot to label them when assembling. Guessing that Lord Fairfax, whose my commanding general and not Cromwell, will likely be the one mounted on the white/grey. The others I will have to dig through my blog archives to recall their names; so long ago now.

=========================

Wargaming In General

Books/texts I am reading at the moment - The Thirty Years War by Samuel Rawson Gardiner (1874, ebook edition 2012). Interested in learning as much as I can about this period. It's a continuation of my ECW dabbling. Well, more of an expansion really. The entire seventeenth century was rife with wars. Mostly wars of religion. Hope to gain some new insights into the period.

It's good to be reading again after a break of decades. Was an avid reader in my youth which waned and then got abandoned as I got older and life took over. Or so I thought. Now in my declining years, I've rediscovered that enjoyment albeit with some conditions. There were loads of false starts and failed attempts. Reading the Middle Ages Balkan text was a firm start that surprised me because it is a dull subject with loads of backstabbing and changing allegiances. Then I picked up The Silmarillion. And found reading was enjoyable once again.

Now I've finished The Hobbit. Enjoyed it even if it is really a children's story. The book differed considerably from Peter Jackson's movie trilogy. But I expected it would be this way after having experienced Jackson's adapting of the original LOTR text. 

I mean, Tom Bombadil was omitted because he didn't fit the narrative buildup. Bombadil was an oddity for sure. But he was also powerful. Perhaps too powerful for the scriptwriters and director? Likewise,  Glorfindel, one of the most powerful and original elves ever, was also omitted. When Frodo's was wounded and being taken to Rivendell it was by Arwen. Immediate disappointment. Memorable scene at the river crossing but nonetheless disappointing at first.

Anyway, what Jackson and his team did, in the end, was epic cinema. And LOTR remains one of the best movie trilogies, of any genre. Ever. 

=========================

Keen to get involved in an old chestnut that's grown so hoary it's itching my brain, the Hyborian campaign as run by the late Tony Bath. It featured in my idol Donald Featherstone's seminal Wargames (1962) as an introduction to the various wargames possible. That was back in 1970. So it's been germinating in my head for over fifty-plus years. 

At the time I had no idea where to obtain the miniatures. And being a huge reading fan of Robert E. Howard and his creation Conan the Barbarian, I was always drawn to that particular period. But all we had back then (late sixties/early seventies) in little old Auckland was WW1 and WW2 and Napoleonic Airfix and maybe Revell - at least in my area. No such thing as Ancients which I never heard of before reading Featherstone's book.

Anyway, keen to get involved with it as a suitable wargaming project (I keep adding these projects like one collects debts). Just figuring out what models to use. Interested in paper models still so will explore that area first. Otherwise, at a pinch, I can use proxy figures, and blocks of wood (for elephants of war).

Found a new Age of Sails set of wargame rules tonight while scouring the interweb. First thing of interest is that it's free. Always a good sign. Way too early to declare if it's a gem or phlegm as I need to playtest them after first reading through them thoroughly. What I've read so far has got me interested so that's another plus. And I do have my 1/2400 Napoleonic navals I can employ. And I have been looking for an alternative to TFL Kiss Me Hardy. Something a bit more serious. Will produce a batrep eventually over the coming months. But first I need to finish off my ECW project. 

=========================

New painting project for the future after finishing off the ECW list - retouch my Battle of Trafalgar fleets - British, French, and Spanish. Drawing a selection of ships for my rules testing game. Models are 1/2400 white metal. Crappy now in that it's hard to distinguish between a 98-gun, a 80-gun, and a 74-gun just by looking at them. Detailed? Yes. At least one can tell they're an Age of Sails ship. But that's where the praise ends, to be honest. Your painting has to be smicked-on to make them stand out from one another. And mine is adequate to below par so it's going to be a struggle. 

Top image shows the Spanish and French fleets at Trafalgar. Bottom image shows the British fleet.

Reading a late nineteenth century history text can be trying at times simply because it's written in the language of the period. But that's to be expected when reading any history text, ie you have to know Latin in order to read and interpret Latin text. And so on. Anyway, nineteenth century vocabulary does take some getting used to, but you wade through nonetheless because you are interested to learn. I like that each section and paragraph of this text in particular has a sub-heading which is a good memory jogger just in case it gets too much and one gets befuddled during the read.

First reading. Stopped just after the Third Defenestation of Prague (1618). Knew the story but thought they were killed when tossed out the window one by one and not surviving the seventy foot drop. 

Learned there were three main factions involved - the moderate northern Lutherans, the more hard-core southern Calvinists (Protestants), and the broad-based Catholics. Learned who their main leaders were to begin with which only raised more interest as to how and why they became the leaders.

What is surprising to me is how quickly the Protestant faith spread through Europe in such a short time. But spread quickly it did and was just a fire waiting to erupt given that the majority who converted were the general populace and a few nobles while those who held the power were Catholics. The Third Defenestration of Prague of 1618 simply accelerated that fire-in-waiting. 

=========================

May Digest #4

SurrounDead

Today was a "pull the train" discovery episode, so to speak. Discovered I could tow multiple vehicles. 

Picked up two vehicles in quick succession: an SUV and another modified Utility. The RV did a fine job. I was in the south-west corner heading to the last Primary infestation area but ended up picking these vehicles instead. 

Also took out a Coyote team not far from the Observatory. They were scrounging a downed military helo not far from their base. The approach was done carefully and after a quick initial recce, I attacked. Had little trouble using my grenade launcher to wipe nearly all followed by good old 7.62 support rifle fire with my Guardian. 

Running into more bandit groups and dealing to them with little to no trouble. Was heading to the safe zone when I happened upon a bandit group (more than four) ambushing a medical truck. Dealt to them easily enough and then scavenged the med supplies for resale at the Safe Zone just metres away.

Speaking of bandits I've encountered a couple of bandit bases by accident in my travels. Scored plenty of loot and supplies including legendary weaponry, attachments, access cards, and laptops after easily taking them out. Which is where having the grenade launcher comes in really handy as a valuable weapon asset. Don't care what other weapon you take but having the grenade launcher is essential because it allows you to cause damage from a relatively safe distance.

===============================

Not far from the Redacted Airfield is another Redacted facility next to a mountain. Think NORAD.

It's a Level 3 radioactive area so plenty of breathing filters and lots of pills are crucial to survival.  

Clearing the facility is fine, not a problem. Knocked off the General zombie boss (why couldn't they be a corporal or second lieutenant?). Took out the turret guns positioned in certain locations. Was careful of the mines strewn about to the approach and entrance. Cleared all the buildings and looted a fair bit of weaponry. Knocked off the CCTV that was watching me throughout. Then I noticed the huge blast door and tracks leading into them. That's when I got real curious. Spotted the small side door entrance. 

But as soon as you pass through this side door entry (need access card), you run straight into the alerted Coyote guards. Was able to escape because they weren't guarding the door but they came rushing towards me from some distance down the tunnel. I managed to take them out without suffering too much damage. And then decided discretion was the better part of valour and vamoosed out of there with my loot and life. 

I was both surprised and not surprised by their presence. The facility is some distance from their Observatory homebase and an important site. What are these fine fellows guarding? How did they get there? I suspect there is a network of underground access that Coyote have somehow uncovered upon moving into the area. Or else they took over these important locations early on and are guarding them in force. Anyway, I will be going back.

Not far from the site is an abandoned gun shop that I can utilise as an overnight base (if not taking the RV). Reason for this is there is a Primary Infestation area that needs clearance not far from the Redacted military facility. Both locations are on my current investigate-thoroughly-and-clear-out-totally list. 

===============================

WOWS

Played both Operations and Asymmetrics today. Latter battle mode is still doable despite recent supposed changes. Was expecting a tougher combat based on the recent hoopla from the community about the nerfing but it turned out to be a fizzer instead. I encountered no real problems when I took my favourite ship for this battle mode - the Tier IX premium Karl XIV Johan. 

With Operations I ran Tier X German steel battleship Mecklenburg. Came close to getting 2 million potential damage on a couple of occasions which is a task needed to earn an Azure Lane comic crate to complete this particular mission run. No go unfortunately. Next time maybe. 

Otherwise it was another dull Co-Op commander upskill grind. Played both Kamikaze & Guilio Cesare for a short while before switching up to Operations and Asymmetrics. 

===============================

Went back for a second evening session. Asymmetrics and Operations. Completed the Dockyard mission task for last week. New one starts tomorrow. 

Improved my record of sinking 8 ships in one game. Twice. Yay... Came close a few times trying to score 2 million Potential damage but proving elusive for now. One day, Roger Fitch!

===============================

Thursday session was the usual continuation of the usual commander upskill grind. Played Guilio Cesare, Mecklenburg, Karl XIV Johan in both Co-Op and Operations battle modes. 

===============================

Earning 60,000 BASE XP is a tough ask at the best of times. This is part of the last mission for the Dockyard Event. And it rewards one Dockyard token. 

Fortunately I made the decision to grab the two packages allowing me to skip eight phases and thus earn the final reward - Tier X German premium destroyer ZH-1 - earlier as a result. So I don't really need to grind the BASE XP mission. But for those who did not buy the early packages, this mission task is a bit challenging. 

And the 250 steel would be welcomed as a bonus reward. So I will grind for it. Or attempt to before the time runs out. 

Finally noticed the offer in the Hunt for Bismarck page advertising the offer of 600 Wharf tokens for AUD1.51. Figured why not? Paid the price and got a ship first go - the Tier VIII British premium destroyer Cossack. Fortunately I have it in port already so got 320 Wharf token compensation instead. 

With all these tokens I decided to have some fun and spent some more. Got credits, economic bonuses, and permanent camo. Did not spend all the Wharf tokens however. Got some left over for tomorrow. Not expecting one of the touted ships (Prince of Wales or Bismarck '41) since I only have 200 tokens left which is only good enough for four tries at the Wishing Wharf. The best I am hoping for is maybe another ship that I already have in port so I can keep playing. Tomorrow I will find out.

Played Cossack because it unlocked a new common mission with the 200% economic bonuses rewards. Played it alongside the Narai with ships contributing to the Dockyard missions.

Given up bothering about the Azure Lane Comics mission of earning 2 million HP Potential damage. Came close several times but it's a challenge, especially in Co-Op, that I am unable to complete. With only a week left and several ALC missions subsequent, I won't get a chance to earn more "wonderful Azure Lane Comics collection tiles". Woe is me!

There is a new Battle of Jutland Common mission that began this week which requires playing British or German ships for crates and permanent camo. So, playing Cossack today fit that criterion nicely. 

===============================

Finished the Battle of Jutland Common Mission and obtained the rewards.

Spent the last of the Wharf tokens. No ships sadly. Contemplating getting some more Wharf tokens for more chances at a ship. There is one bundle available offering 30 chances. Even if no ship, lots of chances for more resources which I won't say "no thanks".

Logged out close to the halfway mark of earning 60,000 BASE XP. Playing daily at a rate of 8,000 BASE XP earned for the next ten days is an achievable goal. Which means I will likely finish this tough challenge (playing PvE). 

===============================

May Digest #3

English Civil War

After setting up my ECW lists on a table (parade-style) the other day (Friday), I got so enthused by the sight of their display that I actually decided do some work on my Royalist list languishing on my hobby desk. 

Sticking with my original listing of Cary's Horse, Prince Rupert's Horse, Northern Horse, Prince Maurice's Dragoons, and Queen's Horse. Staying with my modified four-stand cavalry unit style (for Royalist at least) with 2 figures per stand. It's the representation rather than the historically accurate simulation that's more important to me at the moment. 

Also going to simply plant the unit's standard/cornet into the base instead of devoting one single converted rider for that. Necessity is forcing this approach which I personally don't mind. Will have to see if it pans out. It already does so in my mind, but you know how it is with what's imagined and what is real sometimes.

Decided to add another Parliamentarian cavalry unit that's long intrigued me - Hasselrig's Cuirassers. Have enough cuirassiers to achieve this.

Spent today (Saturday) away from the PC and it was a glorious day to be honest. I actually sorted out the bases - using the light craft wood obtained from Bunnings yonks ago. A substitute for balsa that intrigued me at the time. Attached these to the assembled cavalry and flocked a couple for visual impact. Happy with the result so will continue once the PVA glue dries out fully on the rest of them.

Will eventually make a start on the long-planned but oft delayed Royalist artillery and attendant Firedrakes. 

Finally add pikes for some of the Royalist pikemen that were hastily assembled without pikes. 

Then it's on to the promised fine detailing on several units and individuals before mass flocking both sides. Hope to have some finished shots over the coming days/weeks in time for their "march out parade" where loads of pretty photos will taken. Cheers.

===============================

Sunday was a relaxing day doing some more ECW work. Grabbed the Royalist infantry to flock and do some finishing detailing on certain command stands. 

From left to right: one of the Royalist wing commanders (Sir Marmaduke Langdale, commanding the Royalist Left Wing comprising Cary's Horse and the "Northern Horse"). Behind him are two aides/couriers who will be attached to Prince Rupert, the Royalist army commander. 

Then begins the infantry lineup. First is Tiller's Foot. Next to them is the King's Foot, then Prince Rupert's Foot. Both units form the Reserve commanded by Charles I. Duke of York's Foot (red and black standard) is next. It belongs, along with Tiller's Foot, to Lucas' tertio which is part of the Centre Wing commanded by Lord Astley.

Above shows the Hopton's Foot (red flag) along with Talbot's Foot and next to them is Bard's Foot. Talbot's Foot is an add-on and will most likely join the reserve. The other two foot units belong to Bernard Astley's tertio, also part of Lord Astley's Centre Wing (all-infantry).

Unit above is Hasselrig's Cuirassiers, the new additional Parliament elite cavalry unit. 

With the cavalry it was first organising them into proper units which was done yesterday. Today was painting the bases a base green before flocking. Then base coated the individual horse - burnt umber for the troopers, white/grey for trumpeter, black for officer.

Next stage will be to individually paint the numerous figures accordingly. Basecoated those unpainted a quick matt white for now. Will return to these next weekend. 

Below unit is the Queen's Horse.

Above image shows a mostly flocked unit which is Cary's Horse (left). Behind it will be either Northampton's Horse or Washington's Dragoons. Most likely the latter for balance.

Above shows a unit in buff coat which is the Northern Horse with Prince Rupert's Horse behind it. 

===============================

Wet weather set in strong today (Monday) meant more hobby time. Further work on the Royalist cavalry done. Slow progress though. Realised that really cheap-ass craft paints are really shit hobby paints and should be avoided at all costs. But I persevere because I can and because I have boxes of thee cheap-ass craft paints. Of course, some craft paints are better than others. But nothing beats proper hobby paints which I have but would rather save for other models. 

Priority today was flocking the bases. Rather than detail everything and then flock, as one might do so normally, I decided to do it in reverse order. A change I was determined to action because I ad done so with the Royalist infantry and wanted to continue with the cavalry. One less thing to worry about later. 

Trio of photos above in descending order: Image 1 - Cary's Horse (Royalist), Hasselrig's Cuirassiers (Parliament); Image 2 - Northern Horse & Queen's Horse (Royalist); Image 3 - Washington's Dragoons & Prince Rupert's Horse (both Royalist). 

With the rain expected to settle in for the next few days, am hoping to finally get this lot completed. Then I can make a start on the Royalist artillery and firedrakes. 

=============================

WIP status. Nearly done. Next major effort will be the cavalry standards. Well, that's the plan.

==============================

Turn of the Parliamentarian force to get the flocking treatment. Once all done - flocking and final detailing, it's finally the turn of the Royalist artillery and firedrakes. Lol.

=============================

World of Warships

Last night's (Friday/Saturday) all-nighter was long but worthwhile as it allowed a pleasant change from my usual routine of daily grinding a few hours. I actually got some tabletop modelling done at a leisurely pace for once. Welcome change in routine.

As stated, last night I finally finished off the Dockyard event and scored the new Tier IX premium German destroyer ZH-1. Will most likely take out for her maiden sea trials over the next few days.

Haven't bothered to read the latest devblog for Update 15.3 or 15.5. Not really interested to be honest. Feeling quite flat about the game and have been feeling so for a while now. Will participate in whatever event WG has lined up but not interested in knowing beforehand as to what's on offer. Perhaps for the best.

===============================

Today was a quiet grind Monday. Did enough to earn the Event Pass bonus then logged out. Played Marblehead, Prins van Oranje, Exeter. Doing so to continue my commander upskill grind. 

Interesting ship is Exeter. A Tier V premium, it does enough damage with both HP & AP. Torps are useful when played well although they are slow. Useful that they can fire singly or as a spread which is good for surprising an enemy that is quite maneouvrable. No smoke but she has hydro. And her guns are deterrent enough for all but the strongest battleships. Make sure to angle her whether kiting or angling in to prolong your life. 

Marblehead is just another Omaha. Nothing unique other than her guns can do some damage to any unsuspecting cruisers presenting broadside. And her torps are slightly better than Exeter but it's her guns I like. Fairly reasonable reload.

As for the Prins van Oranje, its twelve guns can molest any ship it chooses to target. And her bombers can whittle down an enemy ship's HP foolish enough to park behind an island. As I did with two ships on one map today - took out at AL Cheshire in that manner, and then an Iowa (which had half health left when the bombers made their run). 

Tomorrow it's the turn of Graf Spee, Kamikaze R, K. Schonberg, Viribus Unitis, P. E. Friedrich. Time to see how they perform as I aim for either the Event Pass bonus or daily Coal loot boxes (all three).  

Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and bloody repeat. 

===============================

Quiet Wednesday. Tired but played nonetheless. Ran Kamikaze, Narai, Leipzig today.

Leipzig has strong AP. It's 10km torps are good for area denial and forcing enemy ships into your killing zone. The other two are familiar to me and I simply played them to their strengths. More of the same tomorrow with the same ships.

Next Dockyard event kicks off tomorrow. Playing for the steel but not too fussed if I miss out. 

Yeah, the next Update 15.4 features changes that will appeal to those with cash to spend. But for the rest of us, it's wait until Christmas for a chance at these overpriced ships. Expect to fork out over AUD100 per new ship, in some cases, more. So, no thanks. I will slowly grind for the daily loot rewards and resources. 

I get to try out Operations once more (one of the next Dockyard mission tasks). Know of recent changes so keen to see what and how. 

Asymmetrics is being withdrawn...again. A popular mode, it's now been nerfed in terms of rewards while the foe are now stronger and more AI independent. Which means you have to play more carefully instead of simply charging in guns a-blazing away as you might have done in the past. 

===============================

Lol. WG's Update 15.4 kicked in properly today. Hard pass for me. So nothing new to report apart from continued commander upskill grind. Same ships as yesterday. 

New Event pass. New Dockyard missions. Same-old same-old. Summa summa. Rinse and repeat. Mind switched off. 

===============================

Lol. The Hunt for Bismarck freebie enticed me enough to grab the Bounty Hunter bundle. Active for 24 hours or until you complete specific mission attached to it. Only thing is I will be playing Co-Op until it expires. Doing this to grab the limited resources being offered. See what unfolds.

Played both the Leipzig and Narai. Really comfortable with the latter. Still reacquainting myself with the former which I haven't played in a long while. 

Yay, the weekend is almost upon us.

===============================

After a weekend of no play due to internet suddenly crashing and waiting for service person to call today (Monday), I noticed one thing - nothing bloody changed. Played both Narai and Leipzig to complete two of the Dockyard mission tasks. Another four to go.

===============================

Naval Wargaming (not WOWS)

Keen to get back to some historical naval wargaming. Plenty of scenarios from the various rulesets I own that I'm keen to test out. Finding both the time and re-familiarising myself with the rulesets has always been the problem to which there is no real long-term solution apart from making time and playing as often as I possibly can. If I can do this with my WOWS (more out of habit rather than desire), I can do the same with my tabletop wargaming hobbies which have been badly neglected for such a long time now.

===============================

One Page Rules

Been looking for a way to recycle my existing Warhammer 40K and Fantasy figures dusting away on my shelving. This might be a way to do so having just been introduced to this ruleset by a comment on my local hobby blogsite forum. 

I do like that they offer 3D printed models (and the files too) so the cost of minis are reasonably priced for the average wargamer.

I already know of Kings of War but never really cliqued to it when it first came out (I was still enamoured with GW's 8th edition at the time). Mind you, I was also testing out other rulesets over time such as Dragon Rampant as my devotion to GW waned and then died with the advent of 9th edition and major changes. Change for change sake is annoying when corporations attempt it.

===============================

SurrounDead

Been playing offline since we lost internet before the weekend. Things of note in playing off-line. 

(1) Don't open multiple laptops and then die. You will lose all those "golden opportunities" which is either ELIMINATION (Coyote outposts marked with red shotgun) or CLASSIFIED documents (yellow crates as marked on map). Open them as and when needed. I therefore keep a few in each of my three 'favourite' vehicles - the RV, the modified utility, the ordinary utility - when I want a change in fortunes.

Taking the Coyote outpost out is made easier with the grenade launcher in your arsenal. Of course you can get "assistance" from hordes of zombies that serve as distractions as the above outpost found out when I happened upon it. Distracted by the zombies I was able to easily wipe them out using my trusty grenade launcher followed up by rifle fire cleansing.

(2) Weather changes happen abruptly. One minute it's fine and not a cloud in the sky, next minute you're driving in a rainstorm. Or fog suddenly descends for a few hours These weather changes can all happen within a few yards and is most noticeable when driving. Had that phenomenon happen several times which was disconcerting, especially when clearing a primary infestation location or taking on a bandit main base. 

(3) Creek Prison (below) is best entered from the side hole (right side when looking from main road or third image down)). Front door beware as the zombie boss is at the end of the corridor by the stairs. You will need access keys to enter both the front and through the side. Clear all the levels and individual cells as required. Loads of loot. Roof contains the special loot box. Don't detonate the unexploded bomb in the courtyard.

(4) Generating new ammo is simple. Collect as much scrap metal (scavenged burnt out vehicles), convert to refined metal (3 for 1), deconstruct unneeded ammo (either 9mm or 12 gauge) to collect the gunpowder, then construct your grenades or different rifle calibre rounds. With the latter, there is one more step - creating blank round casings. For me, however, it's the grenade rounds for my now-reliant and utterly dependable grenade launcher. 

Still on the prowl for a rocket launcher. Scored some rocket rounds but I want plenty for when I take on the Coyote Militia at their Observatory home base. Feel I'm going to need them. Have plenty of sniper rifles to tackle the abundant snipers thereabouts. Marking them on the map will be interesting as nothing is necessarily fixed unlike certain locations: for me, the Coyote defences will be fierce and it will be fluid. Everything changes daily. Zombies respawn daily so I expect Coyote militia killed one day may resurface the next, and not always in the same location when first killed.

Overthinking it? Probably. Doesn't hurt to do so sometimes.

============================