April 2025 - Part 1

1April 2025

World of Warships

Got the Oregon and ran it just to earn the rewards associated with it. Not a permanent port ship however. The Metz, Vyazma, and the Oregon will be permanently removed from your port after Update 14.7. But the aim of the experiment was to test a new ship mode that will no doubt be introduced later in the year.

Next dockyard event rewards with the German Tier IX Hipper-class cruiser Blucher. Reviews from most YT streamers is that it's not that good. Halfway reward is a new ship, a Tier VII Commonwealth cruiser Gambia. It served first in the British navy before being transferred to the NZ navy and finished out the war. Usual early start packs - two-pack and six-pack. Total cost is around ten thousand dubs. But you can just grind for free although it will take longer. However, the last few progressions will cost more doubloons than if you purchased the starter packs early on. Given that Blucher is not rated great anyway (being nerfed so many claim), I'm not bothered as it will be another addition to my port fleet. More interested in the Gambia from its Kiwi historical connection.

There are also some new ships coming with the next Update. New Italian ship (steel) and another split in the US destroyer tech tree line (future Updates). 

The problem of the new signup notification still persists from time to time. But as Flambass pointed recently, why are they insisting players signup again with new accounts simply to link them into the one overarching account. He's fine as he's going great guns over at Lesta. 

Tried following the steps to link my Steam and Weegee account initially (several times) but the new signup notification still rears its ugly head and cause some strife ingame as I get connected, often at the most intense moments.

Steam community isn't exactly forthcoming with useful information regarding linking apart from stating that you need to manually link them together. How though? Steam automatically updates; no need to interfere. And what am I meant to manually update? 

The community says once linked you can change it ingame in your profile. The notification disruption popping up periodically however means I'm still not linked, and will continue to experience this situation until resolved. Not in a rush however as I am adapting to the "new" situation. I still get to play without too many bootings.

And the new events are no longer enticing costing too much and most are just clones of existing ships anyway with tweaks here and there. CVs are still OP as heck and becoming more prominent as capital ships. And submarines define the secret mentality of the creators with their fantastic creations existing and redefining naval battles (online at least) to the extent that surface ships are just one big turkey shoot. 

Yes, 2025 is fast becoming the year of indifference and disgruntlement.   

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

3 April 2025

World of Warships

New events began today - Battle Pass (split into two sub events - second one is the Daruma crates), the Blucher Dockyard, Star Kitakaze (AUD 140.11) and Edinburgh (AUD 90.58). New steel ship Barbiano (or whatever it's called). 

Partook of the Dockyard event and got the Gambia after straight up paying for the 8 phases, as advertised. Figured the value was worth it given I will be getting two new ships (grinding for the Blucher though). Both ships interest me because they are historical, not imaginary like some of the more recent additions to the game. 

Experimental ships new mission also began today which explained why I was seeing so many Metz whilst grinding in my Nelson. These new missions reward with coal and apply to all three experimentals which I now have in my port - Metz, Vyazma, and Oregon. 

Still need to play the Soviet sub S-1 to gain the last mission reward. And then convert the accumulated tokens into credits. 

Odd thing most noticeable is that there have been no signup notifications or connection issues. The days before I was getting notifications daily, and thereby disconnections happening. But today, no sight of them. Everything was hunky dory; and I was on all afternoon and most of tonight. Expecting it to return to normal eventually after the initial enthusiasm of the new Update has died down and Weegee see no more moneys from me.

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

5 April 2025

New family member

Drove over an hour to pick up a new family member - a fourteen week old Shi Tzu Maltese cross male puppy. 

Meet Miles aka Milo, newest companion to Sally and Sam and Oliver and Albert. So tiny. A fluff ball. He will be loved of course. 

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

8 April 2025

Medieval Balkans

Finished Chapter 5 while in hospital. New realisation is that there is a great many engagements not recorded, or the records were lost or doctored to favour one side (usually victor) is exciting. Those records/accounts that do survive are filled with holes that can only be speculated upon. Which is interesting because it's now possible to simply define the combatants and let them at it whether it be a single battle or a campaign. And there are many many conflicts that ran rampant during the early part of the fourteenth century throughout Byzantium, Serbia, Bosnia, and Bulgaria. Not to forget the various Grecian states - Moria, Epirus, Thessalay, Macedonia, Thrace, and others - as well as the independent cities like Durazzo, Dubrovnik, Belograd, Thessaloniki and so on. 

So let's take the example of the Battle of Kephissos (Halmyros) in March 1311 when the Catalans surprised and defeated the Latin forces of the Duchy of Athens. To the victors went the spoils - the duchy itself and the many widows of the fallen defeated knights.  

This would make an interesting game. It's well known and can be played. But more interesting (to me at least) are those engagements for whom no record exists such as the Hungarian campaign fighting againsts disloyal vassals with the assistance of Bosnian troops in 1340. There's hardly any published information to digest by Western readers in English. 

Or there is an account of a battle fought in 1302 between Kotroman, a ruler of Bosnian territory and the Subici, a powerful Slavic family seeking to extend their territory at the expense of Kotroman. The outcome of these fought engagements are not known or there are no records (reliable or otherwise) but the subsequent outcomes are known. Excellent fodder for a skirmish or speculated engagement.

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

11 April 2025

Grandson

Photos from grandson's visit to USC with his cousin. Relos are happy to host Kato at their home in Utah over the summer break. Should be an experience and a half.

Boys (above) standing next to some of the Heismann trophies on display. Heismann, in case you don't know, is the epitome of college football. Sort of like the John Eales medal (rugby) or rugby league's Dally M. USC Heismann winners include Marcus Allen (RB), O J Simpson (RB), Matt Leinart (QB), Reggie Bush (RB), and others.

The boys got to sit in on the O line training room over the weekend. Hopefully, the work ethic will impress Kato and further instill both self-discipline and focus.  

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

12 April 2025

YT streaming and finishing games

Watching such popular YouTubers like Jingles and Flambass made me realise that at times watching them play games can often save both time and money in evaluating the game's value or worth. And spare you bothering with the game in the first place. 

Which is why I am not following Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 as closely as I should. Why? Because I actually want to purchase and play the game. So I've skipped the beginning apart from the time the two (knight and our main protagonist) end up in the village and get into a fight and end up in the stocks before separating and going their own ways.

Spoilers ruin the experience, so I've learned.

I recall being keen to try Pacific Drive when it came out last year but after watching several streamers play through, I ended up not bothering. Or I would get enthused enough to buy the game, start it, but then quickly lost interest and moved on. Cyberpunk 2077, Black Myth Wukong, Warhammer 40,000 Space Marines 2, Project Zomboid, are among those that suffered this fate. Even Counter-Strike 2 no longer holds any appeal.  

Games like Strange Horticulture, Cloud Climber, Chants of Sennaar, The Planet Crafter, Little Kitty Big City, Dredge, Dave the Diver, Stardew Valley get more love and playtime instead. More often to completion. 

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

March 2025 - Part Four - End of the month

22 March 2025

Grandson

Kato visited today. He flies out to the States Monday evening to begin his two year high school football scholarship. He's 16. Very proud of him. Recognise that it will initially prove awkward settling in to a new surroundings. Not so worried about the academic side of things as he seems fine with his studies. It's more the gridiron side of things that concerns me most. He's got a lot of learning ahead of him. And it'll be a big shock to him. But that's the trade-off. It will be a big adventure and I am hoping that he fares well. Going to miss him.

Update: He arrived safely and went straight to the practice field. He's no longer a standout (size-wise) as his teammates are more or less the same height as him as this latest photo he sent over shows. He's loving it already. The school's football season doesn't start until August, and their first game is in Hawaii. He's going to love Hawaii. Not sure if he's playing O line or D but no doubt we will learn soon enough as they assess his playing abilities. He was keen to play D, possibly Edge but over here they played him Offensive Tackle. And he's got his mate from Oz to help and support him too so he should settle in real quick.

Update: Learned he's meeting up with a distant cousin (father's side) from Utah whose son is same age as Kato and has just committed to USC Trojans, a big Californian university. Cousin/nephew is paying a commitment visit this weekened (5/6 April) and taking Kato along for the experience. Becoming less concerned for Kato's adjustment - football-wise too. Also forgot about our American cousins. Big tribe too.

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2

Saw the Mighty Jingles playthrough tonight on YT. Interesting in that I'm currently wading through medieval history but in a different region. I might invest time and money in the game, just for casual fun. 

Update: seen another Jingles YT episode regarding this game tonight (30 March). Almost tempted to purchase it simply because I am enjoying the narrative plus the visual graphics. Almost tempted...awful regional English and American accents aside (game developers are Czech). 

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

29 March 2025

Balkans Late Medieval Period

Going to use the timeline from this text as my guiding reference for my first ever foray into Late Medieval in the Balkans. Scale to be determined but I want to amass large armies and not confine myself to small-scale skirmish actions. Just trying to figure out whether to go figures (6mm most likely) or paper (self-made as they're none available in the region I'm interested in). Even watched a few YT videos on cheap alternatives such as 2mm plastic mesh. Looking at paper mainly due to both manufacturing and creative options. Figurines are a last resort nowadays - cost plus storage and painting. Paper are already painted (printed): just cut and paste.

Main players will be the Byzantines, Bulgarians, Serbians, Greeks, Franks, Venetians, Genoese, Italians, Cumans (Kipchak, Tartars (Mongols), Turks (Seljuks and Ottomans). Currently doing some background research starting with the Byzantines. 

So far I've learned from wikipedia is that there were two dynastic periods - the Komnenos (12th century) and the Palaiologan (13th to mid-15th century). Focusing on the Palaiologan era first because the armies were smaller, no more than 5,000 at most. 

I do have the history text I'm still wading through. It goes into more specifics regarding the period than wikipedia which only provides a cursory overview. I also have numerous Osprey uniform books (digitals only) that can help me with period clothing. 

Ruleset? That's a big one. But given I'm doing this solo, I have plenty of options, plus there is no pressure to choose one immediately. There are basically three gaming options: skirmish, small- to mid-scale, and large-scale engagements.

For now, I will confine myself to Lion Rampant for the retinue/skirmish style games. For large (battle) type games, it looks the old standard will do for now - DBM. For mid-level games, I may explore further options that allow for quick solo games under 2 hours max. No real rush for now. 

Atomfall

The recent return of FRANKIEonPC after several years absence is always looked to with anticipation due to his extremely enjoyable entertainment value. First heard of him through Soviet Womble, and their ZF clan exploits. Which then led me to watch Frankie's Arma 3 videos, especially his Zombie adventures in this setting. His recent teaming up with Sada were always memorable for their humour, banter, and skill displayed. 

Anyway, Frankie's new recommendation (not really as such but if he's playing and raving about it, then it's work a look-see) is Atomfall, another post-apocalyptic zombie infestation set in Britain that was release a couple of days ago. So it's close to home, so to speak. Looked it up on Steam. Asking price for the base game is AUD80.

Bongo Cat

A fun little app that is based on keyboard taps. Happy accidental find the other day. After so many taps, you receive items that can be traded in the market place. You can doll up your cat with hats and so forth. Not a game but a pleasant companion when you blatting enemy ships.

Any rewarded items can be attached to your cat by simply opening the game and waiting thirty minutes then clicking the page icon next to the counter to open the inventory...

Then you can adorn your cat, as I've done, or sell your items or trade in the market.

The part I like is that Bongo Cat overlays on the screen (as it's doing now). Once the counter reaches a certain level (starting out it increments 1, 10, 100, 1000, 10000, 100000, 1000000), you will receive notification that you've been rewarded with a new item. Or it might be a duplicate of an existing item in your inventory. 

Starcraft II and Counter Strike

Recently I've been feasting on Serral's game play in SC2. Watching his play elicited fond memories of my time in Sydney's internet cafe scene back in '99. 

Tempted to download the game now and play it for old time sake. Wasn't that good at it but played it regularly with my Polish mate who loved it so much. He thumped me no matter what species he played - Terran, Protoss, Zerg. 

Only agreed to play against him if he would reciprocate and join me in multiplayer Counter Strike. Often we would hit servers that quickly filled up fast. I was often lucky against other players which generally pissed them off; getting booted off was a common outcome for me. 

Remember once going up against a local Asian CS clan with real cool tag names like Emperor, Empress, Joker, and so on. I managed to piss them off though because I somehow managed to stay alive long enough to foil their plans within the game. So much so that they targetted me specifically. I hung in there and managed to get quite a few kills off them before they eventually threw a hissy fit and left the game server. Ah, the good old trolling days.  

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

30 March 2025

World of Warships

Playing the Nelson all week and really liking its hitting power. Smack-a-dos every so often. As stated previously, I got this ship in the recent Christmas Santa crate but it was the first item in a sequential bundle so I bought it again and got instant access to the specific mission for it. It's the last week for the 200% bonuses every time you take her out of port. 

The Soviet submarine event is worth playing if you're not prepared to fork out doubloons. Acquired one of the subs (S-1) with the tokens earned. The Soviet era crates don't reward much but what's there is gladly accepted (can't have enough signals).

Not even touching the Monmouth and Gonzaga ship events. Not at the prices WG are asking. Saw the Gonzaga in one game last week but oddly nothing since. 

Waiting on the Blucher Dockyard event which is coming in the next Update in April. 

The April Fools Day sequential bundle is a blatant rip off which most players are avoiding. It is really fit only for those willing to throw money at WG. I've spent some doubloons already from my pile but not outlayed real money. 

I did fork out AUD15 to unlock level 2 access to the Battle Pass Soviet navy event. Did so only for the coal which I spend on the Battle of Jutland containers in the hope of getting the K. Albert, a rare premium. Unfortunately, odds are one in two hundred and fifty. No mind as it's just coal anyway and I have a fair amount accumulated. And what you get are small piddly items but still useful if asset-poor, as I seem to be.

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

31 March 2025

NWS Newsletter

Received the April newsletter from NWS (UK). Lots of interesting ideas and articles. Keen to read another member's report on Topside Minis, paper print outs of ships that you cut out and paste onto something more substantial such as wood or hard plastic. A cheap option if you can't afford the 3D versions. Got my Battle of Jutland set. The article writer has three sets - Battle of Jutland, the Russo-Japanese War, and WW2. He mentions a Cold War naval set - Soviet and US - that's due for release soon. 

There is also a batrep regarding Operation Pedestal, the British relief convoy to Malta in 1942, and the Axis attempts to sink and scuttle their efforts. Previous missions had seen Axis success, and the island of Malta was undergoing severe rationing as a result. A gaming club in the UK ran the operation. So far, it's looking good. Oddly, the HMS Nelson was sunk through persistent and successful aerial bombing. Also sunk was the British destroyer HMS Derwent. The other capital ship, the HMS Rodney, sister ship to the Nelson, exacted revenge however by sinking the Italian heavy cruisers Gorizia and Bolzano.

A recommendation come through to try out an Age of Sail boardgame Rule the Waves Britannia!. Interested me because it can be played solo as well as multiplayer. The article writer pointed out you can start at any rank be it Captain of a 3rd rater or Admiral of a 100-gun ship of the line. 

But what got me interested more was the solo wargaming notion of playing such a game as a solo campaign but starting at the bottom of the promotion ladder and working your way up to the top tier as a natural progression. Numerous book series have followed this path, and it's a common writing device - such glorious characters as Horatio Hornblower, Luke Skywalker, Richard Sharpe, etc., owe their existence (and popularity) because they made their way up from the bottom. Can it work as a solo gaming concept?

World of Warships

One more day of playing until I can upgrade to the OREGON for free in the Experimental Ships (a WOWS) event. Four more days of playing the Nelson special mission and helping to upskill my seasoned commander, one of the Dunkirk brothers. He's got a few XP points to go before he's a 21-pt captain so "head down and arse up!" as we would say.

March 2025 - Part Three

14 March 2025

Late Medieval Balkans read

Finished Chapters Four and Five in one late night sitting. Found another interesting battle to game tabletop-wise. 

The Battle of Klokotnitsa was fought in 1230 and involved the forces from the 2nd Bulgarian Empire under Ivan Asen II and the Thessaloniki Empire under one of the several 'Byzantine' Emperors, Theodore Comemnus Ducas. The Bulgarians won a major victory and expanded their territory to include much of Macedonia, parts of Albania and of course Thessaly. And they now were a major player in the region, and a threat to both the Latins who held Constantinople and the rival Nicean Empirate in Anatolia. 

As I don't have the models, I'm looking at paper 2D models. Currently looking at options because I would like to get back into Lion Rampant some time this year. 

16 March 2025

World of Warships

Currently grinding the new Dutch light cruiser line using Michiel de Ruyter, the only Dutch special commander in the game (as far as I know). Finished the Jaarsveld yesterday, upgraded, and began grinding the M. van Coehoorn. Last ship in this line will be the Utrecht. 

Not sure about the release of the new Soviet subs. As one well known YT streamer pointed out, what's the obsession with submarines. Part of me doesn't understand either, but another part has a theory and it's not complimentary to the creators. 

19 March 2025

World of Warships

Decided to continue playing the experimental ships partly for rewards. Coal plus rewards for other events (Soviet subs reward tokens that can be exchanged for crates). Not going to fast track to the Oregon however. So it's the slow grind to accumulate the requisite Action reports. Each day it resets and the maximum obtainable is 45. But each ship has around eight modules costing 150 Action reports per module plus so many credits. The only way is to spend 10,000 doubloons (nearly AUD60). Will therefore take the slow grind approach. Already completed two mods. Six more to go.  

Managed to upgrade from the M. van Coehoorn to the Tier X Utrecht, plonked orange camo on it and ran it for a couple of games. Another tech tree line done.

Priority this year will be to upskill as many special commanders (Legendary and Seasoned) to 21 points. 

Foregoing going for the Gonzaga and the Monmouth. They simply cost too much dollars (in the hundreds now). There are other "new" ships being promoted but will most likely skip them if they're being made available like the aforementioned two ships.

Phone Games

I only have the one phone game - Triple Tile 3D. Found it on my wife's phone some time last year and was instantly hooked. I love it because it's a rapid hand eye coordination reaction game. Got up to level 1820 before I decided to install it on my phone after vigorous complaints over the hogging of her phone. Anyway, I noticed a few things about this addictive (for me at least) game:

• Upon completing the level in the time alloted, the remaining time left is converted to gold. However, it's misleading to believe the time remainder converts fairly. The gold converter cycles faster than the time remaining conversion rate. For example, you might complete a particular level with 2 minutes and 07 seconds remaining. Your gold earned is, say, 175. If you watch the conversion process, you'll notice the gold counter clicks over much slower than the time remaining reduces. Which is not that important if you have an abundant amount of boosters and gold accumulated. Just be aware though.
• Every ten levels completed rewards you with a new set of tiles which normally follow a theme like toys, hats, flags, plants, tools, fruits, etc. But this only seems to work up to just past level 2200. About here, the reward tile set starts to randomize in that you'll get repeats for a while. Then the odd new tile set. I suspect this might be a glitch or something because the new tile sets returns after a while. 
• The shortest alloted time limit is 4 minutes which isn't too bad while the longest can be near 8 minutes (enough time to make a coffee and still finish in time). Playing it though means total concentration and not allowing yourself to be distracted. That's where the boosters come in. 
• Of the boosters, there are four lots: two in the pre-game startup, and two in-game. The magnet one is meh in my opinion but handy for clearing a first few. Used with the time bonus booster which adds 1 minute to your time allocation, you can get a good starting run. Which can be useful especially if you're up against the dreaded 4 minute timer. Once you begin play, there are two more at the bottom of your screen. The left one randomly removes a 3-tile set (useful if you're having trouble finding or focusing and you delay longer than ten seconds). The right one is the freeze time, and is pretty handy and often used once I'm down to thirty seconds and still got loads to clear. Once these in-game boosters run out, you can pay using the gold you've earned to purchase more. Unfortunately, you can only purchase just three at a time, and you cannot buy repeatedly while you still have boosters. A pity. 
• The game periodically provides opportunities to earn more boosters and gold. There are twenty such opportunities. This is where you can start building a decent amount of gold and boosters. Temptation is to use boosters initially because you haven't got your "eye in", so to speak, and you're still adjusting to the pace of the timer. Don't worry. It soon improves. And it appears regularly: the timer will inform you when the next set will appear.
• Of the object sets in the random tile pile, some are easy to identify and some not so easy. The not so easy moments occur when colours are fairly similar between objects or the objects are very tiny, such as children's toys, or when come up against tiles that are similar in shape and colour like red flowers that are of two different types but look similar to the sweeping eye. 
• With practice you can easily finish the 4 minute timer in under 2 minutes if you focus. And learn to use all your fingers (like guitar finger picking). 
• Try to avoid clusters that are lodged side-on along the edge or close to the edge of your phone screen. The remedy is simply slide a finger down the side affected to release it. May have to do it several times to dislodge the offending tile. Tiles directly on top of one another can also be tough to dislodge, especially if it's the last tile set. But you'll find a way. It does claim to be randomly dropped but I've found that there are usually three fairly standard patterns: (1) grouped close together, (2) horizontally and/or vertically aligned along the entire length/breadth of the pile, and (3) one will be at the opposite end of the pile compared to the other two. Also, triplets are dropped at the same time so you will find them layered unless get spread wide during the drop. Once you get used to playing it, you will know instinctively these patterns.
• After you've completed a level, there is the screen that shows two sliding bars sliding back and forth. This is the claim window. Click the bottom one any time to advance your progress by five. It's an automatic increment. Thus five times twenty equals one hundred which represents one advancement level at the end of which you receive a new set (of eight new and different tiles - I think). In other words, you need to succeed twenty times in order to receive the new set of tiles. The top bar provides an opportunity to multiply your earning by whatever number you click on. Usually this is five (max) for me. But you have to wait a short time (usually thirty seconds) for an ad (or three) to play through before you can claim your multiplied earnings. Three hundred multiplied by five is a better reward by far so I sometimes click it. Of course, you have to be using either wi-fi or have data usage activated to make this happen. 
• There are 48 sets of triplet tiles to clear in each level.
• Somewhere between levels 2650 and 2700, the countdown (new tile sets) stops altogether. Instead, you keep getting the message "New pack is coming soon...?" instead each time you finish a cleared set. But when that's likely to happen is anyone's guess. Currently at level 2941, and there is no update on the new pack coming soon notification. So, it's possible to believe the app game is done which is what I suspect. Maybe it will happen once I crack the 3000 mark? Doubt it however. But one never knows...
• One more thing: do not use wi-fi connection as your playing time will be bombarded by ads. Also turn off data usage and you can have an ad-free time playing this game. Battery life? Played it solid for over two hours, and battery usage was around 30+%. Cheers. 
• UPDATE: Currently at level 3100. Yeah, no new pack...so game is pretty much finished between 2600 and 2700. 
• UPDATE: Highest score for stars is 440. Average is usually in the low 200s. A good session is around 300 but that's generally uncommon. So 440 is exceptional. 

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

21 March 2025

ECW: Baggage train and others

Resumed work on the baggage train along with some of the command elements.

A couple of the carts and in the background the donkey train.

Still to add the top part of the water barrel. Wheels painted up don't look so bad if you don't look too closely. Still too big but it's not going to matter anyway, so it'll do.

King Charles (on the grey), three aides (red cloaked) and one of the Royalist generals, Lord Astley, who commands the infantry overall. His son, Sir Bernard Astley who commands one of the tercios, was painted earlier.

Medieval Balkans

Finished Chapter 4 - The Latter Half of the Thirteenth Century. The author jumps from region to region which can prove disruptive especially when trying to absorb the wealth of information. Not complaining however because the historian/author tries to provide solid facts and/or reasoning behind the information provided. If he doesn't know or there is scant information, he says so. Which I like. Any speculation is grounded upon analysis of the most available reference material, the veracity and authenticity of which is reliant on the quality of the reference source cited.

It also pays to have a map of the area whilst reading to identify various locales mentioned. The book provides two maps: the first lists all the main towns and cities, while the second lists the political regions, geographical features including main and tributary rivers. This appendice is handy but suffers from the issue of being two pages in size meaning the spine gets in the way. One could easily photocopy the two halves, or else obtain another reference source map of the area such as an old German language area map from the late 19th or early 20th century. 

Chapter 4 mainly focused on the machinations of Bulgaria and the various Dalmatian coastal regions such as Hum and Dubrovnik. Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia, and their endless upheavals and power plays raging back and forth between the major players of these regions as well as the continued interests by the Venetians, Byzantines (and the Genovese allies) as well as the ongoing incursions and raids by the local Mongols. 

As per usual, rulers and regions come, and go fairly quick. Local families rise to prominence, endure for several generations, and then as quickly as they rise they fade into obscurity. Towns change names and allegiance so often depending on whoever rules them. 

Starting a new century (the fourteenth) with Chapter Five. And settling on a suitable timeline to game.

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

March 2025 - Part Two

4 March 2025

English Civil War

Started detailing the Oxford units. 

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

Pulp Fiction

Earlier tonight revised the two gaming sheets for my new scenario - The Vine Street Bank Heist. Happier with the new revised Profiles for the participants after paring down the Special Abilities (had too many for a first game). 

As I go along, I am also developing the scenario. So far I've got the following "facts" down. 

(1) "Boss" Lambert's gang are about to rob the 2nd National Bank on the corner of Main and Vine Street in Biggstown, a large city in the central mid-west. His gang are out-of-towners and have quietly infiltrated the city with many staying at the Cherry Street Hotel, a couple of blocks from the bank. The gang is well known in several districts so laying low is essential.

(2) The downtown district comes largely under the metropolitan jurisdiction of the 27th Precint led by the competent Lieutenant Ed "Bullrush" Zelski. Because of the way I've set this up, both parties has a Grade 3 (the head honcho), two Grade 2s (lieutenants or deputies), and two teams of Grade 1s. For the 27th Precint, patrolling Main Street and the off-streets branching from Main (up to Hopper Street in the south-west) and the Industrial Estate (north-east corner) keeps them busy. 

(3) The Second National Bank handles the financial affairs of the city and is located on the junction ofAt this time of the year, it prepares to remit a large shipment of cash to its corporate headquarters over at Centerville by rail and road. This is the payout Lambert is planning to hijack. 

(4) Conducting the recce of the bank and its environs is Whitey Zoots' crew consisting of himself, Petey the Gat Gowlinsky and Leo "Cracker" McGerkin. Attached and especially brought in for the job is the driver "Wheels" Kross. Meanwhile Boss Lambert's other crew, led by Moray "The Snake" Feisty, is gathering info on the bank personnel. Assisting him are "Bugsy" Sickle and "Sloppy" Wynstein.

(5) New enlisted Patrolman Meyer is familiarising himself with his patrol route. He is accompanied by the veteran Eli "Knocker" Pound. 

More to follow...

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

English Civil War

Rupert's "Blew" regiment figures glued to bases. Some detailing done on the headquarter element. Basecoated bases for later flocking and "decorating".

Both units (Oxford army) done and ready to enlist into the Reserve. 

Work on Talbot's and Duke of York's tomorrow - cyclone willing. Cheers.

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

6 March 2025

English Civil War

On a slow roll of sorts.

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

13 March 2025

Ex Tropical Cyclone Alfred

Power was finally restored after going dead Sunday. Dumb authorities kept telling those affected to go to their effen website. Problem is no one had power nor comms nor internet so couldn't access the effen stupid website. And I hear we're getting billed more with our power. Third-world country.

In the interim, the power outage allowed me to finish off the ECW foot, all seven units. And a couple of commanders. A few minor detailings to go and base flocking. Hand made the 60mm bases for the commanders from MDF. Quality of the material is shite but what do you expect from Bunnings?

Today I began the baggage train. Found one item (water cart) has no wheels so am hand crafting them. Because I had no reference (no internet) when I made my start I soon realised I had made the wheels too large interfering with the water barrel. No problem as no one is really going to pay attention to a high sitting water cart. 

Also one of the horses was so flimsy that it broke as soon as I pushed it to straighten its hind leg. Viewed from the front, the legs of the creature are not properly formed. Poor creature has more in common with those 2D flats than viable 3D. Oh well, it is what it is; too late crying spilt milk. 

There are several ways to dress this farcical attempt up. Lots of dark paint and foliage is one way. Hide it at the back of the baggage train. Or never have it come on; just claim it's refilling at the nearest lake or pond. And so on. Lol.

Reading List

With little to do in the blackout, I took to reading the Medieval Balkans history book. Chapter 2 concerned the Fourth Crusade and its influence on the region in that Byzantine lost Constantinople to the crusaders. The establishment of a Latin Emperor in Constantinople also saw expansion into Greece so much so that little fiefdoms and principalities were established by the crusaders (Franks mostly) throughout. Thessaloniki, Morea, Epirus are some of the more familiar states established by the crusaders and their descendants. 

The amount of treachery by the rulers during this period of upheaval from Latin, Byzantine, Greek, Serbian, Bulgarian, Hungarians - is phenomenal. Here I was thinking the modern Middle East and Near East is the byword for turmoil. Yet it was so common in the 12th and 13th centuries so much so that the only way to know who held what is by historical accounts and records. And even they can be misleading or vacant on information. 

I am so looking forward to the Ottomans finally capturing and establishing their empire. But that's several chapters on. Chapter 3 - The First Half of the Thirteenth Century - was a whirlwind of political intrigue, usurpation, fragile or broken alliances. And forever back-stabbing. Had to pause to absorb much of what was happening in the various regions.

I am now wading through Chapter 4 - The Second Half of the Thirteenth Century. I am chuckling though at how devious some of these players are. For example, the importance of having documentation securely stored away can never be overstated. Which comes handy in disputes such as one town's claim over religious authority were nullified when the claimant failed to produce the authentic documents supporting their case. Of course, during their disputes these were missing, destroyed by the rival side when they captured the town before it was recaptured by the claimants.

Towns would change hands many times over. Much like a merry-go-round. A veritable carousel of "sea changes".  

There are ten chapters in all. So far, six to go after tonight's reading. Of course, I now have a wealth of new wargaming inspiration. Maybe look at familiar rulesets covering the period. Certainly enough new source material to resume Lion Rampant. Or even bigger if I can source suitable minis. 

NOTE: A lot of little wars going on, some documented, others not, is rampant throughout the thirteenth centuries. And quite a few are never even known about except as hearsay or through fireside tales. The amount of interference from Hungary is quite common given it bordered the Danube. And the Venetians are also right in the mix for meddling in the affairs of the region. A real hotbed of intrigue and greed. But then that's much the spice that is history.  

Games

Recent power outage (storm related) has affirmed the need to get games happening on spare tablets and laptops. So am ready for next time because there will be a next time with some sort of natural disaster emergency. Still don't have full comms (mobile phone coverage). 

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

February 2025 - Part Five - End of the month

27 February 2025

The Late Medieval Balkans

Finished Chapter One. Long-winded in terms of complexity. Covering the region during the late 12th century reveals a rich source for wargaming. Already found enough to get me started for the Eastern European phase of Season 7 of Lion Rampant solo campaign. When that kicks off depends on time availability and enthusiasm. 

Learning about old names for modern regions such as what is now mostly Montenegro was once known as Zeta. And the medieval realm of Hum covered areas of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia. Rich stuff if a historical buff. 

The chapter relies on many sources of which the main ones are listed at the end. 

But the really exciting find was starting Chapter Two which mainly concerns the Fourth Crusade. Keen to research more about the Norman ransacking of Thessaloniki in 1185 as it's given me ideas for a battle scenario or possible extended campaign. Solo of course. 

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

February 2025: Part One

2 February: Huxley: The Oracle and Huxley trailers

I have rewatched the Syama Pedersen trailer for HUXLEY: THE ORACLE numerous times since coming across it in his Digital Bones studio trailer on YT. And I am intrigued by the world thanks to Mr Pedersen's involvement in bringing it alive.

This in turn led me to discover and rewatch the earlier trailer HUXLEY, the official trailer produced by Sava Zivkovic and Ben Mauro (author), and directed by Sava Zivkovic. Link. The trailer lists the entire production crew who contributed to this trailer. And it has further raised my interest in this world enough to want to read about it. But everything is on Pre-Order so I will await its eventual release.

In the meantime, I will go down the Digital Bones rabbit hole and see what Mr Pedersen is up to. NOTE: There is an unrelated and unreleased MMOFPS game of the same name which I managed to locate a single episode from fifteen years ago and should not be confused with Ben Mauro's work. Link. 

Yes, it's easy to claim DUNE vibes when one views both trailers of HUXLEY. But that's just a lazy connection to make for Frank Herbert's world is totally different, and the assumption made is due to the recent successes of the Dune film remakes and its subsequent huge imprint upon current memory and consciousness.

Things I've noticed or am beginning to notice - thanks in large to the more observant commenters of the HTO trailers - show aspects of Mr Pedersen's cinematographic skill that somehow makes his work quite relevant, noticeable, and which connects immediately with the audience. 

(1) When the recruits are being inducted, the tingling of the bell pole device (reminiscent of the Chapeau Chinois (Chinese Hat) or Jingling Johnny (familiar to those Napoleonic Wars enthusiasts) synchronises perfectly with the solemnity and gravitas of the music being played in the background, accentuating the ceremony being played out.

(2) The frequent use of zoomed-out overhead shots to convey size and magnitude - the solo aircraft flying across the desert with the remains of something huge buried in the sands, the overview of the hole into which the Ronin scavengers are about to enter and reminds one of the hole the Space Marines are about to journey down in the Secret Level's episode - are just two of many examples. The epic scale, the empty vastness of the terrain, is shown so well. The horizontal plane is conveyed also as when the Ronins are patrolling among the ruins of desolation which speak of huge monuments (such as the opening scene depicting the parade against the huge metropolis. It's similar to when Titus, Metaurus and the other two Bladeguards are moving through what looks to be the remains of either a Titan or Knight claw in the Secret Level.

(3) His familiar use of black space to convey both mood (the unknown) and as a way of introducing new scenes (most strongly seen and felt in the original Astartes) without being abrupt or sudden. Prime example of the switch between the command vessel and the squad on the Heretic ship and then back again from the Orb back to Interrogation cell. 

(4) Lack or absence of dialogue. Letting the visual tell the story. Mr Pedersen shows a complete mastery of the "picture paints a thousand words" adage. Same as the "show and not tell" axiom promoted in good writing. I watched a newcomer today absorb and quickly recognise what was going on (even if unable to fully understand why) in the five shorts of ASTARTES. That tells me that Mr Pedersen can tell a story using effective visuals.

(5) Economy of motion exhibited by Mr Pedersen's Retributors throughout (Astartes) and the Lamentor (the original Astartes II short) when he blocked the second Ork before swiftly counterattacking. No extraneous efforts. No flashy movements. No Hollywood bogus. Just brutal efficiency at its prime.

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

3 February: Book Review

The book I've chosen for this month's read and review is a library discard: The Late Medieval Balkans - A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest by John V. A. Fine, Jr. (1996), The University of Michigan Press.

Bought this at the local Bookfest last year for eight dollars. 

Why this title? Because it might provide information regarding the East European region that formed part of my paused solo Lion Rampant campaign, Season Seven. I have given myself the entire month of February to read and absorb the text. A book review will likely be made available at the end of the month but it is such a weighty and detailed tome so no promises. Cheers.

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

3 February: Season Seven of Lion Rampant

Looking for further information regarding this period (mid to late 12th century), I am using the book I am currently reading to draft up the various retinues that will play out the renewed Season Seven of my ongoing solo Lion Rampant game. Took a long hiatus however and am now keen to get back into some medieval conflicts of the solo kind. 

My main retinues will primarily be fourfold - Vlach, Cuman, Byzantine, and Bulgarians. Currently have none of the models. May try paper. For now I will proxy from my existing Lion Rampant collection. My knowledge of the retinues is spartan, noob quality to be frank. But hopefully that will expand as I get back into the swing of things, so to speak.

Time period will be around 1188, give or take a few years. 

Theme for this new revitalised season of campaigning will be the constant raids conducted by the Cumans (or Kipchak) into imperial (Byzantine) territory after the establishment of the Bulgarian state under Peter and Asen. The Cumans raid at will as neither the Bulgarians nor the Byzantine are able to deal with them. For now. 

The next few weeks I will draft up some maps and tabletop scenarios to game hopefully tabletop or computer-generated. Cheers.

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

4 February: English Civil War: The Royalists

Started my first Royalist unit this morning. Aptly enough, I grabbed the first unit from the sorted piles and it happened to be the King's Foot. The trimming, as per usual, took some time before I applied the grey priming coat. Then I left it to dry and took a break.

I am now in the process of printing out the two flags of the King's Foot (undecided on which companies as yet) this afternoon. Had to resize the printout below as they were too large. Showing the 3rd Captains and Lieutenant Colonel's standards (top right).

Update: Resized the above. Added a few more infantry flags. Two - Prince Rupert's and Talbot's - are MS Paint creations based on online sources for flags. 

One, Queen's Foot, is actually a cavalry standard (the blue one with lots of fleur-de-lis) and is a nice contrast to its companion infantry red flag with the single fleur-de-lis. Transposing a cavalry standard into an infantry one is an idea I thought would look okay.

One of Tillier's Foote flags is also speculative. I wanted to add Broughton's Foote flag but could not locate a reliable source. Both Broughton and Tillier are thought to have contributed units that made up the "Shrewsbury" Foote unit. 

Adding Talbot's Foote (with the Talbot hound) to the Royalist list because they wore yellow coats and I thought it would look nice on the tabletop. Who they replace has yet to be determined. Or maybe they will join later should I choose to expand the list which seems likely once I have the finances. Cheers.

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

1 August 2024: New Month, new opportunities. Same old, same old...

1 August 2024

Interesting Thursday. Played WOWS for a few hours. Focus was on completing the single Common Mission on offer - a dedicated throwback to the Transformers series they ran several months ago. Gave me a chance to run a few battleships I've not touched in a long while - Georgia, St. Vincent, Pommern, Yamato. Also ran Groningen on one mission task which required scoring 300 main battery hits. Achieved it in the one run. The rewards would be meaningful if I hadn't already completed the Transformers collection long ago. And for playing the mission, you get a Transformer flag. Really? Still, the credit recompense for getting the duplicate tokens allowed me to finally reach one hundred million credits. Just gathering resources for Christmas nowadays whenever I do log in and actually choose to play. Next update (in a couple of weeks) will feature a new Dockyard event of some paper ship. Not sure if I'm going to try for this one as it's another fantasy paper ship probably OP and/or with some gimmick feature. CV rework is considered convoluted and over-complicated; the request by the community to nerf the CVs is not being directly addressed so it is felt by the majority. One of the top comp players (from a EU clan that are in the top five globally) announced he was quitting doing YT streams on the game (and War Thunder). Expressed what many have already pointed out - the game is shite nowadays and WG is determined to run it into the ground with this incessant monetizing and paper fantasy OP vessels. But he did say he will still play competitive but no longer stream WOWS replays as, at least in comp play, they're good players and actually have a clue. I enjoy his observations: says it like it really is. Calls a spade a spade too. I like that forthrightness. Even in Co-Op where I loiter, there are some brain-dead amoeba passing themselves off as live players. No team play whatsoever. No support. Sail around without contributing to the match. Needlessly die within the first few minute. Ecetera, ecetera. Play Naval Battles (Clan thing only) and try to contribute where I can. In the last one I made the mistake of taking the Zara when I should have up-tiered to the Michelangelo. Kept missing out on making required target of 1400 Base XP on the remaining attempts. Might have had better chance with the uptier cruiser but forgot I had it. D'Oh!

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

2 August 2024

Friday. Which means another round of Naval Battles (Clans) started today and will be running the entire weekend ending Monday arvo. Jumped into it this time in order to help out but also to collect my fifth year anniversary gifts as well as get in early while the bars are set low. Played Le Hardi but failed to get the required 800 Base XP mark (either Ranked or Random or Clan battle modes will work better than Co-Op). So switched to the Edinburgh and Atlanta for the cruiser benchmarks (300 Base XP each). Achieved that after a few attempts in Co-Op mode. Noticed that Base XP in Co-Op mode is not high so was surprised to find I was able to score at least 600 Base XP in a couple of games. Figured it had something to do with the kills: because I'm in a cruiser, killing a battleship or carrier helps. Engaging and sinking more ships, especially higher-tiered and higher-class ships is the goal therefore; in other words, play aggressively - difficult in Randoms but easier in Co-Op. Anyway, kept that little fact tucked away for future reference. 

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

3 August 2024

Checking out Wargames Vault, the US-based online store for all things wargaming and hobby-related at a reasonable price during the midnight hour/night owl session. Checked out some of the alternate ECW rulesets available alongside a few other things that also caught my eye.

Liking the paper structures models - medieval period gate structures and the like. Immense potential for assembly. Certainly would enhance any tabletop gaming experience. My previous efforts haven't been quite as successful but I haven't really applied myself so may still have another crack at it, especially as I need some medieval style gate structures for planned sieges and the like. 

Seen an interesting county-based campaign system for the period that I may purchase to glean some ideas on conducting smaller-scale engagements in the ECW period. However, there is something already available through the TtS: For King and Parliament series. It's called the Siege of Norchester, a series of encounters set at a fictional Royalist-held town. I realise the core rules themselves have been around for a while (early 2010s) and the system is grid-based, which should prove interesting as well as helpful as I keep misplacing my measuring stick/tape measure! Anyway, I bought it as an option to Victory Without Quarter. 

Also checked out some medieval naval warfare which, unsurprisingly, is fascinating and a magnet of attraction to me for some reason. Would love to buy more Langton minis from the Dutch wars period but unable to as I'm already financially committed elsewhere. Plus, I don't possess the necessary skills to assemble those exquisite models anyway so will have to look elsewhere. 

A cheaper alternative would be paper models like my dreadnought WW1 sets for the Battle of Jutland that I purchased a few years back but not taken out to sea yet for my Admiral of the Fleet rules. Looking at the great medieval and early renaissance naval battles like Lepanto. Still have good memories of the Salamis solo refight with David Manley's Ancient naval ruleset.

Looking for an alternative to Lion Rampant but in 20mm scale. Think I may have found it with Chevauchee, Rules for battles with Medieval miniatures, a skirmish ruleset which I've just purchased. 

Know absolutely nothing about this system except that it's skirmishing in 20mm. Should be an interesting read over the weekend. May even drag out some medievals and playtest a couple of skirmishes. Or raids as the title suggests. I might even run out my B&B figures using these rules. Should provide an interesting experimentation.

Okay, so I went a bit overboard and purchased another two ECW titles and a wargaming annual: This War Without an Enemy, a county-based campaign system, 6mm rules for gaming The Battle of Cropedy Bridge by Peter Riley, and The Wargamers Annual Vol 1 by Partizan Press and features such well-known luminaries from the UK wargaming scene. And includes articles from the late Stuart Asquith, one of my wargaming heroes.

I've always enjoyed and loved Annuals. Whether it was hobby or comics, they provided a wealth of information and entertainment lapped up and eagerly absorbed. Wealth and variety is what you got - value for money. Looking forward to reading the blocking LOS article and what it has to add to the ongoing debate about its value in wargaming and interpreting it as a functional value in rulesets. Or not. 

There is even a battlefield visit to the site of the 1644 Battle of Tippermuir, part of the Montrose Rebellion of 1644-45. Nice! But of especial interest is Stuart Asquith's article on solo wargaming. Looking forward to reading that one.

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

Little-known Rules: War of the Roses by the Perfect Captain

Seems the English are just as fond of civil disobedience as the rest of us. Without really bothering to delve greatly into the matter (at eight years old, intellectual curiosity was very limited, under-developed, and mostly superficial anyway), I intuitively sided with the losing Lancastrian cause. Nearly sixty years later, I am still siding with the losing side simply because I know the value of what-ifs. Especially when wargaming. And, besides, ultimately the Lancastrians won when Henry defeated Richard III at Bosworth.

ACOS stands for A Coat of Steel which is set in the War of the Roses (1455-1487). It covers the main areas of conflict - England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. 

I am really liking the breakdown and detailing these rules provide into the period and how it was fought back then. 

Within the concept of the rules a Band, usually refers to a single 40mm stand representing 60-100 men. Whether this is historically the case deserve further investigation but for now I content to accept their explanation. Besides, it makes for an interesting appeal, and it's better than being called a "thingy". 

A group of bands (normally 3 or 4) belong to a Contingent while a Company comprises several contingents (ranging between 6 to 16 contingents - no more, no less). Scale for these rules is 28mm. Which allows scope for painting beautiful minis.

The Company is the basic tactical unit within the game, and must be led by a commander. Beyond that, as you rise up in organisational levels terms like Ward, Host, and Battel become more common and therefore the norm, especially in Campaign Mode (ACOP - A Coat of Paper). Like I said before, the rules are designed for company-level gaming but it is possible to wage large-scale tabletop conflicts. It means more players of course.

What is attracting me right now with this ruleset, i.e., wanting to pull out the paint brush and acrylics, are the coat-of-arms of those involved. These are part of the multitude of other files - cards, counters, personalities, scenarios - that seriously much colour to the ruleset. And it's a big plus rergarding The Perfect Captain; their production output is seriously good for Little Known rules.

Always found shield heraldry fascinating. There is colour. There is history. There is symbolism. And the perfect opportunity to create a colourful company, especially the standard bearer, is really motivating me to buy some minis and assemble a group together.

Which commander to choose from the eighty-odd has yet to be determined however. But I do know he will be Lancastrian-aligned. Although there are some nice shield emblems on theYorkist side too.

Leaders come in all degrees of competency and loyalty. I like the fact that you can have commanders on your own side suddenly turn Treacherous on you. Much like real-world situations. Gives it a spice from your usually bland commercially produced sets. 

I've already printed out Ironbow 2, Strongbow (the campaign mode), The Armies of Strongbow, and John Bull/Patriots (covering the period of the American Revolution up to 1815 on the North American continent). 

Also exploring my options in terms of suitable figurines, their availability within Australia, and type. My son is planning on travelling overseas to the UK next month so I could probably save on the pricey overseas postage if I can get my act together. 

I will test the waters, so to speak, with these various rules to some degree of commitment. 

There are other rulesets within the free grab bag from all those years ago. There is a set of seven modules based within the Pike and Shot era (16th-17th centuries) centred on the Spanish domination in European affairs at that time. Rules cover such specifics as conventional naval warfare, piracy in the New World, religious persecution (Hugenots), conventional land battles, sieges (coastal and fortifications). There is even a simple duelling module! And a Nordic ruleset covering the local wars of Scandinavia is tossed in for variety.

Of course, I should end this brief post back on the topic of English civil disobedience, namely that other great conflict that divided the nation: the English Civil War. There are three modules for this period - Planter Fox (Ireland module), Tinker Fox (core ruleset), and Very Civile Actions (campaign module).

There is a lot here to keep me occupied for many several years.