23 June 2024: Weekly Digest

17 June 2024

Bluey & Bingo

Question: Does one dispense with the 350 pennies concept when determining  the size of a warband? For those wanting to jumping straight into the game, the simple answer is "yes". If the game is the defining outcome sought, by all means. What you are likely to get though is a game where both parties run strong and powerful warbands. It's a mindset that is acceptable as well as understandable.

Using the recommended 350 pennies as your start point however far suits campaigning more because it promotes growth and expansion as well as change for a warband. It encourages those wanting to join in where the campaign is the perfect opportunity for this to happen. 

And it definitely provides a narrative for those wanting more than just a quick bash at any given moment. I personally prefer this slow-grow approach and will put to this idea to my gaming buddy. It's a slightly different mindset and approach. 

The rulebook offers eight scenarios for campaigning. But gamers being the creative individuals they are, for sure there will be more additions when diving into this game.

Campaign Ideas - Design

Each warband is given a region in which they control. All warbands are located within a defined area whereby they have their den.  Below is a simple map showing a rectangle broken up into four evenly size locations or regions. Each region is controlled by a warband. What is situated within a region can be up to those involved in the campaign. Or someone can be the determined as the controller or umpire who determines the size as well as complexity of the regions. All the player has to do is either choose or be allocated the region impartially by the umpire. 

Of course, the map does not have to be rectangular or square in shape. It can also be circular with the various regions overlapping (as in a Venn diagram) with the areas overlapping providing the incentive for the campaigning.

Or isolated from one another with neutral territory buffeting the parties involved. 

Or it can be free-form in shape and size (like a geographical area) but again with either overlapping or adjacent areas of interest to those warbands with eyes on territorial gain.

Campaign Ideas - Objective

With a campaign, there has to be an objective. The ultimate goal or reward. It might an agreed-upon reward external to the game, such as a physical prize. Or it can a bonus awarded to the winning warband, such as improvements to the den or increased recruiting power. Anything.

Campaign Ideas - Duration

How long should a campaign last? An obvious choice would be to run all eight listed scenarios at least once with the winner determined at the end. If more than two players involved in the campaign, it's for the umpire to schedule games and opponents. After a while, if the campaigning proves successful, a staleness might creep in. In order to keep it fresh and lively, this is where the creativity of the gamers steps in. Modifying existing scenarios or creating new ones based on old ones. Anything is possible with gamers. 

As for the scenarios themselves, they should be, at the very least, played once. The Open Battle scenario features several times when rolling the d12 and as such will probably be played several times although perhaps tempered at the umpire's discretion. 

Campaign Ideas - Umpiring

Umpire? Yes, if more than three players are involved. Otherwise, the players can determine their own scheduling between themselves. 

Owl-Bear

How does one classify an Owl-Bear for B&B? It's obviously a two-in-one, hybrid, creature. However one of those component creatures exists within the game; the other does not - too exotic for the region perhaps. The idea will be to take the best elements of either creature, as shown on the model itself, and create a new attribute table as follows:

Owl: Am using the Raptor (medium) attribute
Cost       M    S    B    R    N    C    A    F    P     Skills
42p        d6    d8  d6   d4  d8   d6   d8  d6  d6    Flight, Unarmed Fighter, Strong (1), Natural Hunter

Bear: Nothing shown on the list of beasts in the rulebook. So am going to use the Hounds attribute.
Cost       M    S      B   R    N    C   A    F    P     Skills
65p        d6    d10  d6  d4  d6   d6  d6  d6  d6    Flight, Unarmed Fighter, Strong (1), Natural Hunter

Owl-Bear: Firstly, it's Rare. Secondly, it's Massive. And thirdly, it's extremely expensive.
Cost       M   S      B    R    N    C    A    F    P      Skills
100p      d8   d12  d6   d4  d8   d6   d4  d8  d10   Unarmed Fighter, Strong (3), Tough (3), Fearsome,                                                                                     Natural Hunter

The Owl-Bear strike ability has to be top-tier so its gets the d12 roll for its strike capability. Does it improve over time (ie through campaigning)? Not sure. The best after d12 is probably not advisable otherwise the game loses its unique quality. And Rare is just that. 

By making it 100 pennies in cost deters perhaps further expansion into the ridiculous realm of fantasy anthromorphic creatures although they were noted back in Medieval times - a la Basilisk, etc. I only bought it at the last Briscon event because I liked the look of the model and thought it would be a fun addition to B&B.

Not sure about giving it a d12 Presence just yet. The d4 Awareness attribute makes sense though; it's just a big dumb lunk that's happy to stomp anywhere and anyplace without a care in the world. After all, who's going to openly attack it? 

Second Warband

By using the 350 pennies limit, I can create a second warband. This will likely be a Freebeast or Wildbeast outfit. They provide a nice contrast to my more conventional Royalist warband. It will contain my Owl-Bear whose name, for now, will be Brutus. A tentative composition might look as follows:

Adder - Hessel. Mage spell caster. 

Owl-Bear - Brutus. Savage beast.

Weasel - Weslek. Veteran Crossbow.

This lot might indulge in highway robbery and thefts. Murder not uncommon. Kidnappings. Anything that will turn a profit, this trio of opportunists are trying to eke out an existence in the wildlands not far from the royal road. 

First Warband

Is this my finalised listing for my first warband whose loyalty is firstly to King Redwulf Othyr and not Prince Reinert? Not a power play outfit by any means. More like your average outpost unit somehow forgotten from the normal everyday politics and shenanigans goings-ons by their location and isolation. Guarding a part near the royal road.

Hare knight - Sir Jasper Yomps. Leader. Names changed to protect the innocent.

Mouse knight - Sir Longshins. Deputy. 

Squirrel - Wanda Witchazel. Spell caster. 

Mouse shield-maiden - Ada, wife to Longshins.

Mouse - Dods. Scout/thief.

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20 June 2024

PC Gaming: Chants of Sennaar

"And now for something completely different...." Monty Python

Taking a break from the usual PC games and modelling and trying something more relaxing - a linguistic puzzle game set in the mythical Tower of Babel-like structure. 

Deciphering the five different languages to reunite the communities living in this tower is the main goal of our protagonist.

Starts off easy enough. You encounter the first person and have to navigate the water locks to advance further. So far, so good. Pay attention to the clues. Lovely game design. Clean lines, Interesting colours.

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22 June 2024

More Chants of Sennaar

Made a bit more progress last night playing the game. Deciphered enough to learn that the Preacher character is missing from the Abbey. The Preacher character is an important person in the Abbey. And the Preacher is essential for you to complete a few tasks. 

Entry to the Abbey is restricted to Devotees, who are worshippers of their God. Outsiders are not welcome into the Abbey. But you interact with a young child outside the Abbey, befriend that individual and eventually show a secret way in. You follow but have to avoid the gatekeeper who will throw you out. Watching how the child deals with this situation enables you to slip past but you need to find a way into the inner sanctum of the Abbey. Once achieved, you part ways and you are left to explore and interact with the various characters. Doing so provides more clues to deciphering their language. Doing so furthers the narrative and expands your understanding of the language which is in glyphs.

For example, the image above is made up of three glyps which transliterates: You open door.

Before this happens though, after making you way through the various water barriers, you pass several monuments documenting the history of these people. More glyphs to decipher. Once done (or as best as you can attempt) you enter a main square where you encounter more devotees who wish to advance to the next level but the gate is locked and guarded by a trio of Warriors armed with nasty looking blades. The guards speak a different "language" of glyphs (clue is that journal you keep opens up a new tab devoted to the Warrior group) and they are ready to attack you if you persist. I figure that completing the tasks surrounding the apparent disappearance of the Preacher from the Abbey is important if you wish to progress further.

In the square, as if to reinforce the "class" of this level, there is a dude who is like those street card hustler. Only the cards he deals depict the four classes: the individual, the devotee, the warrior, God.  Beating the hustler earns nothing other than praise for winning.

Note: there are locations (or booths) that are like transporters and/or communicators. As yet I have not worked out how to use them properly. But they are useful for getting in and out of the Abbey without negotiating the gate keeper.

There are various clues at times when interacting with the game. So far, I've earned a coin to give to the beggar outside the church area. The beggar directs you to where the Preacher is normally located. 

The Abbey is divided into three distinct areas - the temple, the graveyard, and the garden. There are other areas of interest. One such is where the Devotees offer skills and/or items to those within the Abbey. There is an instrument maker (music), a potter, a locksmith, and an alchemist.

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Historical Gaming

Interesting commentary by an English YouTuber. 

https://youtu.be/SA4YEKs6Exk

I like how he is commenting on why 40K has such a massive global appeal whereas historical gaming has become so niche and loses out on that global connection because it is so niche. Funny that he mentions the popularity of Black Powder and Valour and Fortitude whose creators worked for GW back in the day. They, it seems, understand what makes a game globally appealing and have applied it to historical gaming insofar as the historical element has been reduced to the level of cosplay - dressed up historical but not historical. If that makes any sense. 

People understand and can connect to historical in the way that it is very much a part of human history whereas the universe of 40K is made up; it is not real and therefore anything virtually goes. But not history. He describes how there are limits imposed by timeline. For example he cites the problems a 1798 Napoleonic army encounters when coming up against an 1809 or 1814 army. The two are so different in so many ways it's not funny. Tactics, formation, dress are just part of it.

And the number of Napoleonic rules are so vast as to make it virtually impossible to have a standardised set of rules that everyone will agree upon. Unlike 40K. 

Yes, there is complexity. But all one has to do is show up with a basic understanding of how 40K to easily field their own niche army. And it does not matter if the Space Marine force you bring is 2nd edition or 10th edition, the core rules remains the same. Not so with historical because of the technological advances made over time historically. So, for example, an Early Way Fokker EIII just cannot compete with a Late War SPAD XIIIC. And it would be totally inept against a modern day jet fighter. 

Not so 40K. A Rhino from 40K universe is a Rhino whether it's from the first century or third century. Time is an abstract concept whereas in history it's for real. Hence why you will never ever have a universally acceptable standardised Nap ruleset. Ever.

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PC Gaming

Bought Little Kitty, Big City tonight. And I finally installed a few others that have been on my Wishlist on Steam for some time now. Games like OpenTTD, Crusader Kings II, Cloud Climber (very short game), The Alters (demo), Solaris, Plant Therapy, and Sheep A Short Adventure. Some are free while those that do cost are low priced (or cheap). Doubt I will ever play all of them over the coming days or weeks, especially the free ones. 

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Air Wargaming

SPAD A2 (SPAD S.A - Wikipedia) had a very brief operational life in French military aviation in 1915 although it was much prolonged in Imperial Russia who acquired a quantity of the A2 and A4 types and maintained them due to aircraft shortage during the First World War. Served in both roles as fighter and reconnaissance. 

Gaming buddy found the above kit locally and currently seeking purchase of it. Looks dangerous if the wiki is to be believed. Model is historically accurate and based on the real thing below.

Image: SDASM Archives - https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/8519597778/in/photostream/

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12 June 2024: Weekly Digest

12-16 June 2024

Bloody & Billions

Planned to take the week off from gaming and/or modelling. But the brain always remains active so I've pulled out some notes I made regarding Bitumen & Blowholes while incapacitated in hospital. 

1. Rules state that for every Spell chosen/employed, the Magic User must also take the Delicate (1) and Weak (1) skill. 

2. Every Spell costs five pennies. 

3. Spells taken must be from the same Magic school. One cannot mix different school spells. 

4. Spell ingredients do make it easier to cast the spell or enhance the potency of the spell. Or both. But they cost pingas. 

5. Every spell within a magic school are available for use. 

5. A warband starts out with 350 pennies. This covers the cost for characters, their equipment, and any items they might use. Also, items selected must be shown on the mini so WYSIWYG. You cannot claim a claymore if your model only has a knife.

5. Every warband must have a LEADER and DEPUTY LEADER. Leaders receive a 1 Skill bonus plus 1 die level increase of their choosing. Deputies/2IC get only the 1 Skill enhancement. The wording of this option permits exploitation (Mouse deputy with Strong (2) skill.  

6. No stat can be over d12. All others in the warband start without any skill apart from their own race's natural skill.

Routing

Spent time absorbing this important part of the rules. 

Routing Roll-Off occur whenever:

• 50% or more models have been taken Out Of Action with side conducting Routing Roll-Off using their leader's Fortitude stat against the enemy leader's Presence stat.
• If either leader is taken out, use the deputy/21C. 
• If both leader and deputy/2IC are taken out then the warband automatically routes.
• If the warband passes the Roll-Off, game continues. 
• If the warband fails, game ends. 
• If both parties have to Roll-Off and both fail, loss is recorded to both sides. 
• A side may Voluntarily Rout but only after 3 Turns have been played and no experience points are gained for surviving but applies for any other reasons such as completing secondary objectives or scenario condition. 

Dens

Not a section of the rules that interests me at the moment as it relates more to campaigning than single games.

Warband

Now that I know how much to spend, how does that translate to what was purchased originally. Originally I purchased a starter pack with one additional extra model. Using the 350 pennies limit from the rulebook to calculate the cost using what's on the actual model, here's my breakdown. The enhancements are in italics.

Hare knight
Large Beast - Leader - Base cost: 53p - Skills (base): Leap, Strong (1)
Additional Skills (afforded by Equipment and/or Items): TBA
Bonus (Command): 1 Skill and 1 die level
M        S        B         R        N        C        A        F        P
d8       d10     d8       d6       d6       d6      d6       d8      d8
Equipment: One-handed weapon = 8p; Heavy armour = 25p; Heavy shield = 20p
Total cost = 106p !!

NOTE: Already spent nearly a third of my allocation and I still have five others to go. 

Mouse knight
Small Beast - Deputy/2IC - Base cost: 24p - Skills (base): none
Additional Skills (afforded by Equipment and/or Items): TBA
Bonus (Command): 1 Skill
M        S        B        R        N        C        A        F        P
d6       d6       d4      d6       d6       d6      d6       d6      d6
Equipment: One-handed weapon = 8p; Heavy armour = 25p; Heavy shield = 20p
Total cost = 87p

Mouse Shield Maiden 
Small Beast - Base cost: 24p - Skills (base): none
Additional Skills (afforded by Equipment and/or Items): TBA
M        S        B        R        N        C        A        F        P
d6       d6       d4      d6       d6       d6      d6       d6      d6
Equipment: One-handed weapon = 8p; Heavy armour = 25p; Heavy shield = 20p
Total cost = 87p

Weasel/Stoat
Medium Beast - Base cost: 36p - Skills (base): Fearless
Additional Skills (afforded by Equipment and/or Items): TBA
M        S        B        R        N        C        A        F        P
d8       d8       d6      d6       d8       d6      d6       d6      d6
Equipment: Crossbow = 20p; Light armour = 25p; 
Total cost = 61p

Squirrel
Medium Beast - Base cost: 34p - Skills (base): none
Additional Skills (afforded by Equipment and/or Items): TBA
M        S        B        R        N        C        A        F        P
d8       d8       d6      d6       d8       d6      d6       d6      d6
Equipment: Mage's Focus (staff) = 15p; Mage's Pouch = 10p; 
Total cost = 59p

Adder
Medium Beast - Base cost: 36p - Skills (base): Poison (Pain), Unarmed Fighters, cannot use any Weapons
Additional Skills (afforded by Equipment and/or Items): TBA
M        S        B        R        N        C        A        F        P
d6       d6       d4      d4       d4       d8      d8       d8      d8
Equipment: Mage's Focus (staff) = 15p; Mage's Pouch = 10p; 
Total cost = 59p

Mouse scout/thief
Small Beast - Base cost: 24p - Skills (base): none
Additional Skills (afforded by Equipment and/or Items): +3 Concealment
M        S        B        R        N        C        A        F        P
d6       d6       d4      d6       d6       d6      d6       d6      d6
Equipment: One-handed weapon = 8p; Concealment cloak = 15p
Total cost = 47p

Calculating the total cost is as follows: 106 + 87 + 87 + 61 + 59 + 47 = 450 !!! I am therefore 100 points over and this tally is based just on what's shown on the models. I haven't factored in the impact equipment and items bestow nor the costs for Magic Spells and/or their ingredients. It does mean some trimming down is required. 

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14 June 2024

Budget & Bogan

So how does one trim down a warband of seven figures to conform to the 350 pennies limit? You either up the pennies ante to accommodate all the minis in your warband, or else you trim down the warband numbers to fit the pennies limit.

There are several permutations available although it is restrictive because what's available is not wide-ranging or extensive.

Option 1: Power Player

This seems obvious given two of the figures are knights while a third is a shield maiden type character. Then there is the weasel crossbow. All four have some degree of armour protection. This combinations therefore reeks of heavy hitting potency. Add a magic user to round out the complement.

Typical grouping: Hare knight, Mouse knight, Mouse Shield Maiden, Weasel Crossbow, Adder/Squirrel.

Allegiance that might best fit this grouping are Royalist, Rogues, and Freebeast.

Option 2: Size Matters

Another option that is more suited to specialty tasking such as sneak thievery. At its core is the need to have at least one character of undertaking the speciality task, so you might go for a Mouse Scout/Thief or a the Adder Mage. The rest of the warband - depending on expenditure - can be any combinatioin that has to operate both fast and stealthily, 

Allegiance can be any of the four listed in the rulebook although the Wildbeast faction conjures up more of a single species kind of warband. 

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15 June 2024

PC Gaming: World of Warships - D-Day Part 2

Part Two began yesterday but didn't feel up to a long grind. Felt slightly better today so jumped right into it. Was lost for the first three games as I adjusted to the requirements. It is harder (at first) than Part One but once briefing was properly understood and implemented, it's became a matter of playing to your team's strengths and weaknesses. And the stars were harder to get as a result, at first.

Part Two has you dealing with D-Day from the Axis perspective. You are part of a destroyer flotilla comprising six destroyers (all players). You have the minelaying module (press the '9' key calls up aircraft who will deploy mines at your behest) to assist in your defence,. There is long cooldown (around 2 minutes) though once you deploy first time followed by a short lock out before you can call up again. By that time, if you're not dead, you will be busy dealing to the Allied ships targeting you.

The primary mission requires the laying of nine minefields. So some of your flotilla will have to lay twice. I soon learned to lay my minefield early to facilitate the primary mission.

To assist in this mission, the game loans you a few slightly more potent DDs (Z-32, Z-34, Z-38 are three I remember) for the duration of this phase. Instead I chose to run my own German DDs (Tier V to VII) - initially the premium K. Schonberg, and two tech tree ships, the Maass and the Z-31 - mainly to upskill my captains as once this phase is over, the loan ships are gone and so are the captains. Maximize your gain where possible.

My eventual tactic was to stay central in the map - sort of like chess where you try to control the centre board in order to gain better leverage over your opponent)  - and hang back. Let them come to you. Others chose a more aggressive stance and attacked deep which also worked because you could deal to the enemy ships quicker. But it came at a risk to your own team. 

Losing a team mate added a buff to the remaining team members. I forget what that buff was, whether it was restoration of HP or something else beneficial to your potency. 

Initially the Allied side runs trios and duos of destroyers at you from several directions, all at once. Once you manage to overcome this initial threat, then a pair of cruisers with DD escort show up. This is then followed up by a pair of battleships also with DD escort. Finally there is an aircraft carrier with DD escort lurking at the back to complete the Allied vessel threatening your position. 

Trick I found with minefields is not put them in the one spot such as when the enemy DD pop up. Firstly, it dilutes your defensive capabilities and secondly it smacks of panic. Yes, place your minefield in the approach path of the Allied vessels and hope the mines cause enough damage for your group to sink with torpedoes. But don't all overlay minefields one on top of the other as it does not cover the threat spread. Mines laid cause no damage to your ship but does alert your presence to the enemy. You also have a limited minefield laying range whereby the centre of the minefield must be inside that laying circle. A good option, if teammates are working together, is to lay the minefield in depth so that the chances of causing damage imcreases. 

Hydro and smoke are pretty much essential for this series of missions which is why I stayed with the Z-31 throughout after settling into the routine. Bought all the modules and improvements to make Z-31 contestable. Using the secret documents mods earned in the game also helps your battle performance is certain ways - buffing your damage prospects whilst decreasing enemy damage chances. 

The two Allied cruisers showing up are the Dido and Baltimore. They appear at different times and never together. The two battleships that appear are the Nelson and Queen Elizabeth. The Allied destroyers you will face include such historical ships as the Jervis, Icarus, Benson, Stord, Huron, to name those that I recall. The carrier varies although I recall seeing the Audacious.

I managed to complete all the mission phases for this Part. Subsequent rewards is a drop of a D-Day container. These include among the usual nothing rewards a chance to obtain new ships, such as the Rodney. Not that fussed about them to be honest as the chances are slim. 

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Clan Naval Battles are happening this weekend. New clan members are jumping right in and proving their worth already. I will see how the clan is faring against our latest opponent to see if it's worth mu while bothering to join in. Noticing new members and winrate improving for many so I may have to "put in the effort" or else look elsewhere for another clan. Or simply go solo. Probably the last option as I am getting really bored with this game. 

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PC Gaming: New Games

Saw a new Jingles video on YouTube today and am keen to try out a couple of the new games he's recommending. Downloaded The Alters demo game on his recommendation. But am also keen to try out Little Kitty Big City, a fun casual cat game that's not as involved as Stray which, incidentally, I've not touched since my old PC crashed just starting necessitating buying a new gaming PC. Also wanting to try out the classic Days Gone game because I enjoy a game with a good narrative. 

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Canvas Eagles

Gaming buddy caught up with several others for an evening game of Canvas Eagles today. The thought of mult-plane games is enticing to me but it's just a casual thing with these guys so any serious consideration of a league or competition depends on several factors, all outside my control or concern. Nice thought though. He sent through a few pics of tonight's engagement. 

Recognise the DH-2 push plane (left middle), the Fokker Eindecker (E-3), and the French Morane single wing (bottom right). Not sure about the other two planes - think the multi-patterned camo is either a Haberstadt or LFG Roland CII. The top left plane is French, possibly a Nieuport 11. So guessing this is likely an Early War period game. 

Mate later informed me he shot down the Eindecker in the above game. Expected that of the DH2 as it's firing arc is its greatest advantage whereas the Eindecker is fixed forward and therefore limited.

Two games were played between four players. Know my gaming buddy took his DH2 and black Fokker Drei from the photos supplied. 

Noticed the bases of the other planes looked similar to mine although thinner rods are used with determining elevation done using dice. Dissimilar to the rods I use which are telescopic and therefore give a 3D view. You could tell my gaming buddy's base went that little bit extra though because he's decorated it to resemble churned-up battleground a la World War One. Very realistic as well as eye-catching. 

Another scene from the second game. Mate is flying his distinctive black Fokker Dr-1. He looks to be chasing a French Niueport 28 aided by his companion who looks to be in Fokker D VII but can't too sure. 

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Boris & Bevin - A couple of power play warbands

Mate also sent through a couple of pics of warbands. Not sure if they're from the same group he gamed with tonight although he did say that one of the lads is keen to get into B&B. If so, and these are his warbands, then he's heavily invested in the game.

That badger in plate armour looks menacing, ready to dong someone into oblivion. Thinking he is part of a Rogue warband. Or even a Wildbeast lot. Not sure until it's revealed.

Another tough looking warband with a couple of hare knights and a massive bulldog knight in the background. Thinking this might be a Royalist warband just going off the knight figures. Nice colour scheme. Basing is perfect.  

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16 June 2024

World of Warships

D-Day: Part Two - The German perspective

Another session play the D-Day event game. Enjoying it more so because it's relatively stress-free and fairly mechanical insofar as I don't have to think much - if at all. It does foster team work and team play because the AI (bots) are more accurate and relentless. Perhaps more so than Co-Op mode although not as much as Operations mode. And the rewards are okay if nothing spectacular; not expecting any new free ships from the D-Day crates whatsoever. 

Spent some money to unlock the second level of the Battle Pass event; price keeps rising so I noticed. But I don't mind the expenditure because it's okay value for the rewards. Fair exchange I guess.

Had a quick look at how the clan is performing in Naval Battles. They are doing good. I believe they are moving up the clan battles as last time I look they're now at Level 1 whereas before they were at the lower Level 3. So I am guessing. It seems the clan now has access to clan battles on the NA server as well as our own ASIA server. Interesting.

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27 May 2024: Weekly digest

20 April 2024 (Monday)

Going with this weekly digest format because it's more convenient for me in terms of saving me space with this blogsite. If the situation warrants it urgently (highly doubt it) I will post individually,  otherwise I will go with this weekly summary of hobby endeavours and the occasional life moments. Most bloggers usually present the end-product, but I'm more into the journey rather than the destination because I already know there are plenty of destinations in one travels. While it's the journey you remember the most more vividly.

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World of Warship

Playing Random battle mode is completely different from Co-Op in certain ways. But some ways never change, namely you play for yourself. Team play doesn't really exist in Randoms; it's an illusion as well as a delusion right from the start. If you go in with that mindset that it's a team game, you are headed for major disappointment. Play for yourself at least until you get an idea how the rest of your "team" is playing. Going in with that mindset will spare you rage moments. And on the Asian server, especially, disappointment in your team is very much the norm. Worst part is, for most English is not a first language so you're raging nonsensically anyway - at least to those non-English speakers. 

Often a cluster of your teammates from the outset will collectively head in one direction. Follow them if unsure of tackling the opposing side on your own, especially with cruisers and battleships. Destroyers, not so much as their advantage is their stealth (the smaller their detection, the better) and their importance to scouting is crucial to any plan meriting success. Without their eyes, your team is as blind and as useful as tits on a bull.

Destroyers are important to capping which is a given. Capping earns your team points. The longer you hold a cap, points will accumulate much faster. It is known as playing the objective. And capping is easily one of the game's objectives when present. 

Currently there are only three battle types available. Standard battles have no caps other than opposing starting bases and its main objective is twofold: (1) the destruction of the enemy team and (2) capturing opposing base. Arms Race are buffs useful to your team so capture as many as possible. Domination is the battle type with multiple cap circles. There are other battle types that make their appearance from time to time - Airship Escort (popular), Asymmetric (popular), Brawls (meh), and others. Epicentre was removed in Update 11.4.

Causing disruption to the enemy is also another major DD role. Sneaking up and harassing the enemy who can't locate you is a definite advantage destroyers offer the intrepid player. Take note of your own detection range if you want to scout. Stay just outside that detection range otherwise you'll get focus fired on quicker than you might eat a few mouthfuls of a full English breakfast. 

Cruisers are useful for several reasons. Of those I've observed, they're handy in a big way as support for your destroyers. Effective in smashing enemy DDs, cruisers should hang back and not YOLO so much (a bad habit I exhibit), ideally near by or behind an island or using smoke if they have a long-lasting one. If they can lob shells, use them to farm opposing unwary enemy ships. Never ever be afraid to kite away; that invariably will save you much grief as most cruisers have paper-thin armour. And they can be easily deleted by one salvo if you're foolish enought to present broadside, especially to an enemy battleship.

Which leads to learning about situational awareness. And using the mini map ALL the time; by that, I mean continually checking it for your own safety and protection. 

In one Random game yesterday, I was playing the French cruiser De Grasse on the Fault Line map and hanging back using the island to block LOS (me in yellow circle) while combatting the enemy to our front when I looked at the mini map and suddenly spotted an enemy destroyer (red arrow) - the US Nicholas - suddenly emerging from around the same island from my port side only a few kilometres away. 

At the time, it was just myself and a friendly Delhi holding the right flank. My teammate (at my four o'clock position - green circle) was in smoke busy launching torps and firing at the enemy ships (large red circle) to our front and wasn't aware of what was happening until it was too late. I reacted quickest though and immediately used my guns to whittle damage on the enemy DD whilst launching a salvo of torps I had been saving. My teammate soon joined in and together we sunk the Nicholas and thereby averted what would have been a potential disaster as the enemy was being pressed our way by our other teammates pushing far the other side of the map.

Footnote: I don't think the Nicholas player was any good as he could have easily dealt to us both instead of allowing us time to react. But it's a good example of what a sneaky DD can do if you're not paying attention to your mini map. 

For me, any cruiser with the shortest reload time is very handy. Some time ago, I went through a list of suitable cruisers fulfilling that criterion from Tier I through to the Supership class. Came up with some interesting ships. Top of my short list was Jinan with 3 second reload standard. Second came Minotaur with 3.2 seconds standard. Third was Sejong with 4.5 seconds standard. Fourth, and I found this interesting, was the Tier VII US premium Atlanta, which the best of the mid-tiered ships. The top three are in the higher tiered bracket (Tier IX and above). Overall though that's not a bad asset to have for cruisers: very handy for farming opposing ships. 

Radar and Hydroacoustic radar are general standard tools for cruisers. Having one or both is very much an asset to have given their poor armour performance. If you add defensive AA, then the stats for cruisers improve that much more. But not by much, especially against carriers and carrier-borne aircraft in this game. 

Sidenote: Submarine Radar is designed to locate submarines at depth. I don't believe it's a surface radar device but I have yet to fully test it. May do so with the Commonwealth cruiser line as they have it as part of the build. However, I mention it because I see it often in games. Also, don't turn on Hydro as soon as the game commences: it's a noob mistake that I did until I learned otherwise. That otherwise is that hydro is range-limited so its use is limited by its range of only 3 or so kms. Beyond that, nothing. 

Cruisers is not an easy class to play, so I've found. And it is one I am now currently focusing on mastering the basic skills. In relation to the other two classes, cruisers came last in estimation and playing value.

Battleships are supposedly the top dog of surface ships. I say supposedly as carriers and submarines have pretty much taken over that king of the hill status in this game. They're a favourite with the business for some reason. Nevertheless, a good battleship is an anchor point. Its large guns, heavy armour (in comparison to destroyers and cruisers) are two of its high points. But its mobility is its weak point. So play your BB closer to the back supporting your team's push whilst contesting enemy pushes. I have little problem playing BB so won't say much. Dispersion can be your friend or foe depending on the day. Top BBs in my opinion, and suiting my particular play style, in no particular order, include most recommended ones. 

My current favourite is the Tier X US premium Ohio. I use it exclusively in Asymmetric and it has never disappointed me. I just love her durability against the lower-tiered ships she fronts up against in this game mode. 

Another favourite is the German Tier IX premium Pommern. Used her a lot in the past year as a credit earner. She is a very tanky brawler. Only has short-ranged 7 km torps so she adds punch to her already handy guns while her secondaries could range out further (up to 12km) so she is pretty potent when switched on...that is until you reach her Tier X successor, the even more deadly Schlieffen.

The British Tier VII Hood - like many other historical ships - offer unique play styles if mindful of her historical precedent. And that sniff of historical value can add a heady incentive (well, in my mind at least). 

In my earlier grinding days (2019-21), I played the Japanese tech tree line a lot. In Random and Ranked as well. But when I reached Yamato I switched to the other nations without regret. Fond memories? Not really. They served their purpose. Much like the US tech tree line: once I reached the Montana, I never returned except to play the lower tiered on-offer premium ships like the West Virginia '44. The US tech tree line, especially the slow battleship line culminating in the potent but slow Vermont, was excruiating to play many times over, especially around the Kansas, Colorado, Minnesota. The fast-battleship line (Iowa and North Carolina et al) was an improvement but not by that much; mobility was offset and often negated against other nations' equivalent firepower - especially the always OP Soviet line. 

In Randoms, I haven't used a battleship in a long while, not since my Amagi days. I mostly play cruisers nowadays because I struggle in them and trying to adapt to their particular play style. Having only played less than five hundred battles in Random in total in over five years marks me as a potato noob. But it's okay; no one is judging me worst than myself. And these days, I am trying to be more forgiving of myself. It's a game after all, so I keep reassuring myself. Lol. Cheers.

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Painting and Cards

On the planning schedule this are usual suspects with a couple of extras:

• Montagu's Foot (finish off basecoating)
• Skippon's Foot (basecoat painting started)
• Vermuyden's Horse (finish off basecoating)
• Ireton's Horse (new unit of Ironsides)
• Artillery (guns mainly)
• Fairfax and his headquarters (start detailing?)

Design work and printing this work:

• B&B magic spell cards (finish)
• B&B QRS 
• B&B Roster sheets

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World of Warships

A very long grind in World of Warships today leaving me out of sorts. It happens when I overplay the game. But persisted because I needed to finish the two final Dockyard Event mission task (spotting damage in DD and earning five achievements). And I tried one last time to help the clan out in the Naval Battle. Got beat however in the end despite my contribution. At least I am becoming more and more comfortable playing destroyers and cruisers in Randoms. Ran the Jianwei, a Pan-Asian Tier V destroyer with deep water torps, smoke, weak guns. Out of seven or eight attempts was on the winning side twice, and one of those successes enabled me to earn the +2 bonus. But, as stated, not enough to advance each successive level. Ended the session playing in Operations mode in the European Tier VII destroyer Stord '43. While the others went the other way, I was left to myself to tackle the forts on my own as well as deal to the enemy ships heading my way. Then once we'd breached the enemy defences, we had to vamoose to our exit point whilst dealing with enemy reinforcements. Had help from two US battleships and our carrier as I set myself up in the middle (the remainder went to secure our exit point) and we dealt with each successive wave of enemy reinforcements. My two battleship comrades fell one by one as we successfully held our ground and won out in the end. Surprise, surprise; I earned two achievements to close out the Dockyard event mission and earn 250 steel plus 10% clan bonus. 

The Stord '43 is a really decent destroyer as I have found today, and it is becoming a firm favourite. It holds it own in Randoms and Operations. 10 km torps (4 in each salvo) means it is a handy at area denial. Decent guns so you can trade against enemy gunboats from the same or lower tiers or finish off critically wounded cruisers and even battleships. Smoke is handy but you pay the penalty for smoke firing. Really good brakes for those obvious torps. Despite poor reviews I like her and she really helps me to focus playing destroyers. 

The Tier V Jianwei Pan-Asian destroyer (the one I played in Naval Battles) is lightweight and that's about it. Deepwater torps (around 7+ km range), no good in a gun fight, hydro and smoke, and sluggish maneouvrability are its main attributes. But I persevered and managed to earn 2 stars in it in Randoms by pushing into the middle cap and playing arena combat, ably supported by fellow teammates with a few lucky breaks. 

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21 April 2024 (Tuesday)

World of Warships

I enjoy watching replays of WOWS by other players, some of whom stream their endeavours while other submit replays from subscribers. 

Watching one favourite YT streamer of WOWS tonight. He was in a Gold Ranked match. Not three minutes in when the game suddenly got cancelled and he found himself back in port. He was surprised, claiming it was first time it's ever happened to him. And no one knows the reason although comments and chat verify the same has also happened to them recently. Must be an Update bug. Or maybe server bill not paid? Who knows. 

On the other hand, watched another Game of Throws episode courtesy of Jingles and it was a doozy. The team (Random battles with 12 per side) was down nearly nine hundred points throughout as the opposition kept doing everything right. Except win out. The underdog came back twice with the surviving players chipping in when needed. A highlight was the Delny on the opposition sside being AFK for much of the match - even his teammates wanted him reported (not that does anything as WG don't care). He was quickly blatted out of existence once spotted and recognised by his inactivity. 

I do like the contrasts and variety you get with WOWS plays being streamed. In still another stream tonight a subscribed YT WOW streamer was detailing the standard and unique builds for playing battleships of any nation. Handy to me as I don't really pay that much attention; as long as it works, I'm fine. 

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Bed & Breakfast

WIP on Owl-Bear beast tonight...slow though...very slow....!

Worked on fur-feathers tonight. Added yellow, red, and orange using drybrushing technique to see what works. Also reworked the eye but hand slipped as I was about to dot the eye. Hand shakes happen frequently now. Plus frustration with the paint quality that is becoming intolerable. But I persevere because it's not too disruptive for now.

Front-on view. I'm liking the arrangement thus far with the chest feathers different from the bear-type fure. Also worked on the base, adding colour to the distinguishing pieces thereon. 

Other side view. Never done an owl-bear before so have no reference to base this painting attempt, not that it really matters. Biggest concern at the moment is trying to figure out where this monster of a beast fits on the creature listing. Beast with far sightedness? Raptor with the strength and ferocity of a bear? Or a wise creature that happens to enjoy ripping you to shreds? Lots of possibilities...

Side view of back. Not much work done on the back part yet as I concentrate more on the front view. Once that's sorted out, the rest will follow naturally. 

Opposite side view of same back. Cheers.

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23 April 2024

Miniatures

Last night experimented with Owl-Bear as it looked too "clean" so bloodied it up a bit; unfortunately no trace of what Fidgad had just devoured. 

Still undecided on final colour scheme though but there is no rush...got until June or July before next game of Bilbo & Bagshot.

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World of Warships

Thought about playing the newly unlocked seventh mission in the Dockyard Event but eventually decided against it. The last two days playing WOWS was frustrating to say the least and I wasn't prepared to torment myself again today.

And for the eventual rewardd of 250 steel, there's a lot of playing involved (especially in Co-Op) that just isn't worth both the time or effort. Time? Several hours - sometimes successive days - is time wasting. Effort? Steel can be had playing Ranked or Clan battles in larger amounts than the paltry 250 offered: one winning game in Ranked or Clan battles gets you that steel in one-go. Playing multiple games (one hundred-plus at a base minimum) is simply not a smart move especially as I have all the tech tree line ships.

And if the seventh mission is bad for the number of hoops to jump through, the eight and final one is worst of all. So, I simply chose to log in this morning, grab the daily reward, and then logged out. 

Of future endeavours in this game, I am looking at resetting some tech lines and playing for Research points as it's still something I've not attempted yet. I just need to familiarise myself with the requirements. Research Bureau ships that I am interested at the moment consists of only two ships, Vampire II (or Vamp Deuce as it's commonly known) and Paolo Emilio (or YOLO Emilio cos it's dangerous when played aggressively). RB ships are costly though because RB points are hard to come by except through Battle Pass events or other special Events. Or through resetting a line. 

The other avenue currently interesting me is to improve the winrate on all those ships I've performed badly in. Currently I have twenty-six ships (mostly lower tiered) with less than 50% winrate. 

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24 April 2024

Miniatures

Felt obliged to do something useful yesterday so mowed the front lawn. Much later, I decided to pay some attention to my New Model list and started colouring-in Skippon's unit (shown below). To aid distinguishing between units on the table, Skippon's Foot will be mostly wearing brown hats with orange feathered plumes while Montagu's lads will be distinguished with black hats with violet or white plumes. 

Group shot with Montagu's regiment at the back. Pikes have been cut to size, straightened, and painted. Just need attaching once painting done.  

Flags for both Montagu's Foot and Skippon's Foot will be added as well hopefully later on today (night owl session).

Next unit to be started (hopefully tomorrow) will be Waller's Foot who will be wearing light-coloured hats (grey or tan) with black feather plumes. Cheers.

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Waller's Foot below,  filed and trimmed and placed on bases. New start...

Farifax's Foot below, similar treatment as Waller's lot...

Basing experiment on Earl of Manchester...just a start, mind you...

Further work done in Night Owl session shown below...

Sort of getting into a rhythm...Waller's Foot. Going with lighter colour hats for the musketeers.

Fairfax's Foot. Darker hats and orange sashes are the distinctive features of this unit. Shown in front are the pikes. All the Foot units now have pikes. Flag poles will be red coloured. Cheers.

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World of Snoreships

Logged in and was about to log out but instead decided to play a couple of rounds to complete the next level in the Azur Lane Battle Pass. Chose the German premium light cruiser the Tier VI Leipzig and plonked my 21-pt Unique Commander Lutjens on her and sailed about merrily and generally played on autopilot in Co-Op. Anyway, initial plan went out the door however as I decided to linger longer to earn the Daily Loot (coal) crates. Was about to leave once done when I got notification the next Clan Battle season was about to begin...on the ASIA server. Our clan normally fights on the NA server (how that came about is something I don't know about but accepted as fact). Notification included changes to the Clan battle rules. I assumed that meant our clan would have to fight on the ASIA server because that was what the notification proclaimed. Not sure it will go down well with the higher-ups in the Clan because the ASIA server is probably the worst to play (skill and toxicity) while the NA server has the least number but at least English is the primary language; EU is the top server for players patronage and skill level while CHN replaces the Russian server because of the Russo-Ukraine war. Will see what happens. Another round of Naval Battles began tonight. The +2 bonus attempt got my interest, and one happened to be on the German cruiser. Hence why I chose Leipzig. Missed out on the Al Littorio 80% discount as it was only being offered in the Premium shop. No biggie as I hear it's just an upgraded Roma. Checked out the chances of obtaining the Tier X carrier Essex which was part of an Early Access event some upgrades ago. Had the credits but lacked the necessary Free XP. No biggie. *Yawn*

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19 April 2024: A summary of the week doing hobby stuff

13 April 2024 (Monday)

Added more paint to the Foot unit for the New Model army list during the witching hour. Hoping to work on the pikes but not confident it will happen. Maybe finalise work on Butler's Horse later on today instead? Will see if it happens for real although am highly doubtful.

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

Did more design work on my B&B Magic User cards, the large version, at the same time as I was painting the minis. Picked the back of the card images taken from the rulebook. Will print out a trial version as and when I can. 

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Popped into my local Aldi store to do some food shopping today mid-morning. Ended up walking down the middle section. Big mistake. Saw these items and instantly bought them.

Spotted this first. Keen to see what happens next. AUD4.99 each part. Got the last of the complete set in my store. 

Always wanted one. AUD14.99. Still a few left.

Already have this in various formats but this pen dispenser will do nicely for my New Model list, and can be binned thereafter. AUD11.99.

Also bought various acrylic paints (100ml tubes). The same kind you get in those $2 shops that charge up to AUD5! These were retailing for only AUD0.99. Bought several tubes of white and black because I go through those pretty quick. Assorted other colours. 

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

Finished initial design of the Magic User Spell cards. As intended, I went with a larger card size - 100 mm wide by 150 mm long. I borrowed images from the rulebook, modifying them using Photo before inserting them into graphic image creator MS Paint. Three different images were selected - the Mage/Wizard, the Mad Hatter, and the Toad. 

Natural Magic card example. Back (left) and front (right). Showed wife the backing and she preferred the darker green tone version while I preferred this slighter lighter tone. Note: each school spells are in the colour of the banding (frame). 

Noble Magic card example. Mad Hatter back (left) and Spell on the front (right). 

Unbound Magic card example. Toad on the back (left) and spell on the front (right). 

Summary

Backing image are for test purpose only and will change over the course of the design and print process.

Not sure about the sandy colour edging on this first test run given the multi-colours used. It make it look both redundant and pointless. I may just go with the white edging instead as shown with the back of the card.

Differentiating between the various Magic schools by using coloured banding and matching text as follows: Natural (green), Noble (yellow/orange), Dark (black), Wild (dark brown/puce), Unbound (pale blue), and Noble (purple) is an option I am currently exploring. 

Given there are six schools of magic each with six spells apiece, that means thirty-six cards in total are required. Hoping to produce a test print run of the above three examples within the next few days. Cheers.

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14 April 2024 (Tuesday)

Clocked into WOWS today for the daily reward and saw that we had lost our Naval Battle against an NA clan. Correction: I did earn the star in De Grasse in the very time I ran her. Relieved because I thought I had failed altogether. Subsequent efforts to raise the next bar failed however. 

Yesterday, it was confirmed that Base XP for Naval Battles can only be earned in Co-Op, Random and Ranked battle modes. Not possible in Brawls, Operations, or Asymmetric. Which is a disappointing but then why make things easy? 

Ended the day playing one game of Operations in the French premium Tier VIII cruiser Bayard primarily to confirm what I already knew. Ran my Legendary skipper Philippe Auboyneau on her to continue upskilling certain commanders. Surprised myself by having a blast in the Operation Rose night and dawn mission. Sunk 8 ships which is a record for me personally. Tied with the Hatsuharu who also tallied 8 sinkings. Bayard is a DD killer and can handle other light cruisers equally well as she does smacking destroyers.

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

Concentrated on printing the game cards today. Two systems under the spotlight today: Victory without Quarter and Burrows & Badgers. Much revision as the sheet system idea did not work at all so had to fall back to doing single page images. Lots of typing involved  with VWQ requiring 60 cards and B&B needing 36 cards.

Problem, right from the start, has been aligning both front and back pages in Paint. Difficult task. Tried several approaches by measurement and alignment. However it was generally a big fail when it came to print out to A4 paper. 

Then I tried using Word itself to align the images individually (Position tool - top left corner, top right corner, bottom left corner, and bottom right corner). It proved to be more successful that previous efforts but not by much as there was still alignment issues. 

With no bleed on either side I used the banding on the front to measure off 4mm all round before using the paper cutter to trim it neatly. Not concerned with how it looks at the back, as it's the front of the card that concerns the player. With each faction coloured accordingly when a card is flipped everyone instantly knows.

The corner cutter I'm using comes in three corner sizes: 4mm, 7mm, 10mm. I've used the 7mm but it does not cut clean needing final trimming (carefully) with a pair of hand scissors. I've been searching high and low for the single 7mm cutter (got two) in the studio but I cannot find them. 

Magic spell cards for Boris and Beckett. This set belongs to the Natural magic school. Flipped the mage/wizard image from the original, and lightened even further the background colour. As you can clearly see, the back is offset quite a fair bit and thus looks lopsided. It's not helped by the 10mm corner cutter trim. Will revert to the 7mm if I can find it/them. Again, I used the Windows Position tool but this is the end result.

Original card size (100 mm x 150 mm) was reduced 70% giving a more reasonable size. The original large size works, as I suspect, if using thick card stock instead of copy paper. Anyway, this new size I am calling mid and is 70 mm x 105 mm.

I keep forgetting that printing results in darker colours. Just like acrylics. 

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15 April 2024 (Wednesday)

Slow casual day of pikes and flags. Didn't mean to but ended up gluing figures to their bases. Procrastinating again. Pickering's Foot. Next lot for basecoating will be Skippon's Foot and Montagu's Foot. 

Also ended up gluing Butler's Ironsides (minus standard bearer). 

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16 April 2024 (Thursday)

Dockyard Event still happening for another twenty-odd days. Playing it for the steel now that I have the Wisconsin. Ran Groningen, Atlanta, Bayard. Three more tasks to complete this mission series, aptly entitled "Temper, temper".

Update 13.4 happened yesterday. Return of the Azure Lane commanders which is also part of the new Battle Pass for this Update where these characters from part of a collectible collection. The Battle Pass final reward is a special flag. Purchasing the second level access costs 2000+ doubloons, but is it worth it for a flag as the final reward? 

No.

Steel, that rarest of commodities, however is worth it so will play the remaining three missions for the Dockyard Event until it ends.

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

More figures painted...sorta. Unit of Harquebusiers (gallopers) - Vermuyden's Horse.

Revised the B&B magic spell cards after reviewing the problem of alignment. Resolved the situation simply by removing the banding on the back and extending the background colour to the card edge and bled it beyond. Once printed, I will align the cutter to use the outline of the front of the card. No picture of image as it's on my other PC and haven't bothered transferring it over yet. Will produce the full set first before showcasing.

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17 April 2024 (Friday)

Times and circumstances do change. Change is, like death and taxes, one of the few certainties or constant in life these days. 

Nothing much done hobbying-wise apart from tidying a few loose ends from the week's efforts. 

I spent the early part of the day session-gaming World of Warships. Upgraded to the Tier X Cerberus, top of the line for the Commonwealth cruiser tech tree line which was made available to grind for free with the new Update. Only remembered it existed while running the Bayard as part of the cruiser mission for the Dockyard event (steel reward). 

Had already progressed during the Commonwealth cruiser Early Access event several updates back up to the Tier IX Encounter. I wasn't going to spend doubloons outright to buy the Cerberus preferring to wait until it came out of Early Access when I could get it for free by spending XP and credits which fortunately I had thus completing the Commonwealth line with a simple exchange of resources for ship. Took the same approach way back with both the Spanish and Pan-American tech tree line cruisers - grind the Early Access line for free as far as possible then wait for the remaining ships to come out of Early Access and then grind for free or purchase using XP and credits earned and hoarded.  

Cerberus is an interesting ship although like most cruisers it has paper-thin armour which means it can be easily one-shotted by a Montana or a Schlieffen if you're not paying attention to what's happening around you. It works best hiding behind islands and farming distant ships as its high arcing shells can easily fire over the island cover. It's long-lasting running smoke, reminiscent of Mysore, comes in handy when you want to "sneak" up on your opponents without drawing close attention from focused enemy fire. Its choice of torps (four in one salvo, both sides), although with a 13+ km range, means being judicious in how you use them for it's no Jinan which can flood any area quicker than you can say Rumpelstiltskin. It's a very good DD killer. It works really well as a supporting team player; don't YOLO if you can help it. Its guns are okay and can perform well against all three surface ship classes - destroyer, cruiser, and battleship; both HE and AP can be handy if used properly. You have a choice of hydro or defensive fire AA mode. I am currently running AA which has proven a good choice so far. But it's no specialist AA cruiser like seveal others in the dedicated AA bracket. It comes with the new 8 km-range submarine surveillance radar as a standard consumable which most newcomers use incorrectly as a surface ship detector; so far, I have not played any games against a sub. Its mobility (steering and rudder shift) is also average so be mindful when navigating around island clusters.

Only two missions left to obtain the next lot of steel - both ship class specific. The cruiser mission requires taking an obscene amount of potential damage (30,000,000 worth) over many many battles while the destroyer mission involves contributing (not sure if several hundreds of thousands or millions) to the team's total damage score courtesy of your spotting. 

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

Tonight I finished off the Orders Cards. Sizes used thus far range (from left to right) from standard small (test run only), custom medium (Victory without Quarter), custom large (Barbeque & Brisket).

Finished laminating the VWQ cards for all four factions currently employed by the garage gaming group I associate with. Roughly between 15-18 cards (some double-ups inadvertently included during the print run) per set so a total of around 60-70. 

Learned something tonight whilst trimming the corners of these "cards". The corner cutter I use prefers multiple laminations (depending on thickness used). Kept having to trim the poor cuts on single cards previously so tonight in an inspired moment I tried two cards simultaneously. Problem seemingly solved as there were no further trimming required apart from the odd rare one which I pulled off with fingers. Encouraged, I next tried three cards at once (replicated below). Again, there were no issues, in fact, it was clean cuts all round. So, therein the problem that had plagued my earlier efforts was now seemingly resolved. Still one or two "cards" needs relaminating though which happens.

Planning on using card stock in my next design effort. Cheers.

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18 April 2024 (Saturday)

Tasks this weekend will include finishing off assembling the artillery guns to go with the painted crews. And continue more painting with Vermuyden's Horse (adding over-jackets in leather and buff). 

But first I'm going to begin assembling the next two Foot units - Montagu's Foot and Skippon's Foot during this night owl session. Test their look before painting (already primed). 

When I purchased the Foot, I wanted variety with the model types (soft hat as opposed to helmets) to easier distinguish between the individual units. Since that brain fart moment though I have since realised I could have easily facilitated that distinction through simply painting different colour uniforms. And facings. 

But as this is the New Model army that might prove problematic given that a standardised uniform was being introduced while supply was an issue early on with some units not receiving their new uniforms and forced to wear their former uniforms. And the colour dye was inconsistent across the board. 

I also forgot that regimental flags provide the simplest means of identifying any unit on the tabletop. So it was a d'oh moment at the beginning but it is what it is now so I just have to roll with it. And bringing something together from nothing is always the most challenging and fun part of any new endeavour so one can overlook initial failings. Or so I lie to myself.

Montagu's Foot. Interesting choice especially regarding flags. One source states a purple flag with yellow stars. Another says the same colour but with white lozenges. An English reenactment group who call themselves Montagu's Foot use a white flag with purple coloured devices. With such inconsistency happening between various sources, I wondered if I might add to confusion further with my own design? Nah, I'll just pick one and go with that. I could research further into the history to make an educated guess but why confuse matters for me (easy to do these days). 

Anyway, uniform will be red with white facing. Purple flag AND white flags for my two standard bearers. Really confuse the enemy and myself. 

Skippon's Foot, by comparison, is much simpler prospect in terms of flags and uniforms. Green flag is well known. One source says yellow stars while another cites yellow discs. Uniform is red with yellow facings.

I'm going to go with mostly red for both units given my timeline is around 1645 (circa Battle of Naseby) with the odd or occasional different colouring for variety and, oddly enough, adding that splash of colour to their display come tabletop time.

Okey's Dragoons (dismounted). Two stands at the moment. Will add more eventually but for now, the basecoating stage is almost done except for the drummer figure. Not including the horse at the moment but will do so when I purchase more dragoons. Different coat colours because the unit was formed from various dragoon units already existing within the Parliament forces.

As with everything ECW thus far, this is just the BASECOAT stage. I cannot stress that enough. Much more to do before I will happily declare them done and ready to go tabletop. Much like Monty prepping before the battles of El Alamein. This will do for the night owl session. Cheers.

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Continue grinding the cruiser mission for the Dockyard Event steel after having a brief kip. In the process of grinding, I opened up a received Supercontainer (part of the daily loot crates available for grinding: Supercontainers pop up every 100 standard crates opened) and actually received for free a ship, the Tier VI Pan-Asian premium cruiser HUANGHE. Woah! What a surprise...

In over five years of playing this game, this is the second time it's ever happened - a Supercontainer actually being Super. I was surprised in good way. Usually these days you receive "nothing stuff" such as signal flags, useless camo, or lower-end economic bonuses (greys and greens). 

Anyway, played Huanghe multiple times to see how she plays. Decent smoke but one needs to keep angled in order to survive pummelling from ships like the Bismarck or Scharnhorst. And other cruisers. Torps are 8 km (if memory serves well). Has hydro. AA is not so great but is serviceable. Good damage inflicted at closer ranges. Maneouvrability is not bad. Dispersion is a worry at longer range; recall targeting the Emile Bertin at mid range in one game; it was on very low health (sliver of a health bar showing) and yet I couldn't finish it off despite repeated hits with both HE and AP. 

New Naval Battle began yesterday afternoon. Different ship allocations for the bonus attempts - thankfully, no CVs or subs this time round. Same old situation though; being hammered by an NA clan. Got tomorrow to help out. Monday 4pm (local Oz time) is when the battle competition ends. Going to give it a run; got fourteen attempts to earn stars; the higher the bar, the more stars earned. I will target those categories offering the +2 bonus clan-wide first. So, it will be either Random or Ranked.

My Upskill-21 program is simple and straightforward. I will utilise the captain being upskilled usually on lower-tiered PREMIUM ships by subbing in and out. Costs you nothing. Only works with PREMIUMS only. And the captain can be any kind - standard tech tree line, event commander, seasoned or legendary (of Lujtens or Halsey Jr calibre). It's a slow given given I play Co-Op exclusively with the occasional forays into other battle modes as needed. And having to use economic bonuses when I'm usually poor in that area. Got five captains upskilled this way however - two German, one Japanese, one British, and one US. Next US one is at 20-point. Aiming to upskill my remaining legendary commanders from Italy, France, Pan-Asia, and Europe. No legendary captains for Spain, Pan-America or Commonwealth...yet. Planning on having every nation fielding at least two 21-pt captains. Thus it's an ongoing long-term project. 

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Started painting the two new Foot units for the New Model after logging out from WOWS session. Slow progress however.

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19 April 2024 (Sunday)

Night owl session productivity results. Had to push myself a little.

Montagu's Foot...

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World of Warship. Started grinding the cruisers to complete task. Did so but took a long while. During the grind, jumped into Random to chase the elusive stars for the clan's Naval Battle. Got close but not good enough. Got a star though when I spotted a chance running British cruisers for a single star. At least I contributed. Moreover, others in the clan earned the +2 bonus attempts twice over so now the good ones can advance our tally against our opponents. 

Just two more Dockyard missions - the DD one and the achievements one. 

Tired now...gonna chill out now and have something to eat whilst chilling out to music. Take care.

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