August Digest #6

General News

If not aware yet, Google are removing third-party mods so you cannot upload images via the Insert Image tab because doing so involves a third-party and that's now a no-no. Why? No idea but whatever excuse Google gives is perfectly fine by them. I suspect it might be strengthening its claim on any images you upload to any of Google sites (YT and Blogger for instance). 

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World of Warships

A couple of sessions today. Did an early morning one - my usual commander upskill grind - for a bit before I had to step out. Got back into it 

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Sunday. Last day of the month of August. Finished the latest Dockyard event mission. A few days ago, finished the fourth Operations mission and got the San Diego compensation reward - 11,000 doubloons. 

Also finished the Welcome part (complete 24 days playing and earn 1,600 doubloons bonus). Exchanged it for doubloons and now have a healthy amount ready for the Christmas snowflake event in three months time. 

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July Digest #2

Kato

Grandson came over for a short visit today before he heads back to the US to resume his football scholarship. Since the new (US) administration came into power, all visas are being reviewed, as I understand the present situation. And my grandson's initial visa is no exception - so he flew down to Sydney for an interview with the embassy. They asked of him a few questions, namely the reason for wanting to come to the US. He told them why and his response seemed to satisfy them enough for his visa application to be re-approved. I just wonder if it was a mere formality or, as most speculate, they are doing background checks on his social media to see if he's anti-American. Anyway, now he flies back to California but has to do so from Sydney this Friday. His student visa is for six years which I reckon is the remaining two years of high school and four years of college (university) should he get that far. Asked him what does he want to do with his future, and he replied, "Business management." Smart lad. Going to miss him. 

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Eldritch Horror

Pulled out this boardgame to replay amid the growing recognition that I have so many games and hobby options quietly sitting neglected in my studio. And maybe it's time for another "spring clean of sorts". But more on that later. 

Eldritch Horror is a boardgame acquired back in 2016 when I was contracting out of Sydney. Heard of it through the hobby grapevine but hadn't really warmed to it until I actually purchased it from a store in Parramatta. Began playing it solo and immediately enjoyed the experience. After several playthroughs, I realised I had made a good impulsive buy. 

Tonight however was struggle: remembering how to play it. Reviving the setup was initially time-consuming because I forgot what certain pieces were and their purpose. However, once I found all the pieces (quite a few), and reread how they action, I was ready to go. But I did start playing immediately.

As I am playing it solo I have opted for two characters (for two heads are better than one, so they say) chosen randomly - Jim Oliver (musician) and Trish Scarborough (spy). 

Azathoth will be the Ancient god they will contend with. 

Footnote: Rediscovered an expansion set as well as the original Arkham Horror. All are unopened. Not sure what to do with them at the moment.

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World of Warship

Currently into Update 14.6 (July). 

Playing out the Bastille Day event (Common missions) - event using only French ships. As well grinding through The Coalface mission tasks using specifed Experimental ships. Which makes for a nice break from the daily Commander upskill grind. 

The only restriction imposed on the Commander upskill grind is that I cannot spend any Free XP because that's needed for resetting the Research Bureau tech tree line. My target is a little over 1.5 million Free XP. Incidentally, the price for Research and Steel ships has just risen so maybe I will go for 2 million instead.

You can obtain Free XP by spending doubloons on excess ship XP. But it's very pricey and not recommended by most. Doubloons can be earned but it's usually pittance so you end up spending real money. Many agree that it's just not worth the effort. So I will keep grinding the slow yet methodical way.

As stated previous post, the new line of US destroyers opens into Early Access which is why Personal Challenge is happening. PC (Personal Challenge) is pretty common in clans. I expect however one will have to fork out money for more American tokens to buy some of these Early Access ships because there's a restriction of the amount of available American tokens through PC - set at 500 for Phase 1; Phase 2 commences in a few days, and what amount is available is unknown. Half interested only because new ships means my ultimate goal of 700+ ships is nearing closer to fruition.

There is also a new German heavy cruiser line coming out I believe though I know nothing of the details surrounding their eventual release. Don't really care to know to be honest; I expect it will be much the same as every other new tech tree line release. Again, half interested because they're new ships to add to the port fleet.

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Finding these side events (under the Common Missions umbrella) that pop up now and then are a good distraction from the oft-laborious grinds I set myself. For example, played the Bastille Day event, and one of the tasks was to help your team score damage through spotting. Tried a couple of lower tier DDs at first - Aigle and Duchaffault. But I wasn't getting the results expected quick enough. So I switched up to Le Terrible which is a pretty good premium DD. Results immediately improved, and I was able to achieve the goal set pretty quick. 

One of the most difficult grinds in WOWS is for Base XP. It often requires being more aggressive (ie brawling) and taking on enemy ships of a higher ship type (ie DD taking on a BB). In Co-Op battle mode the range and results are consistently low, usually up to 350. Rarely do you go above that figure but you probably need to be carrying the team. You can try other Battle modes such as Operations (although only the max allowed is half your total)

In PC this is easily noticeable when you realise you're never going to get above the first level base set (eg in the present PC, the first level Base XP requirement is 300). The next level of difficulty is 600 which is more likely possible through the other game modes but more tricky in Co-Op because the reward are set low. Forget going beyond Level 1 because it's really difficult unless you play aggressively or else play a more rewarding Battle mode. 

WG like to torment its player base and believe that slow and arduous is the way to go (think salt mines). Plus they set such high amounts required to complete any such task. 

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Base XP is that figure found in the left column (non-Premium) as shown below. It used to be openly displayed but is now hidden unnoticed among the glitter of your results. The value is normally low when playing Co-Op battle mode.

Yesterday I skipped the routine Commander upskill grind because I wanted to finish off two side missions - Bastille Day and The Coalface. The final tasks required a quantity of Base XP to advance/finish. So I jumped into Operations to speed up the process. Took my time but it was still a long grind - all day, all night, and now closing in on the witching hour (3 am). 

Glad it's done because the Early Access US destroyers starts later on today. Don't want any distractions or loose ends.

The above image shows the disparity between Base XP earned in Co-Op and what's possible in Operations battle mode. That difference increases even more when playing any of the PvP modes - Brawls, Randoms, Ranked, Unbreakable Line.

I did not realise the Tier X Italian cruiser Varese - part of the Experimental ships - has its main guns central instead of the standard fore and aft configuration. Learn something new every day, I suppose. Also, in Operations mode, the bot accuracy increases considerably. Found that out a few times to my detriment. 

Struggled playing the Bourgogne but did okay in the Republique. 

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New US destroyer line commenced today. They're in Early Access with the final Tier X ship Burrows costing 20,000 doubloons (or @AUD90+). Yeah, easy pass on getting that one. But the other three can be earned using special American event tokens. For instance, the current Battle Pass has a total of 400 on offer. Or you can purchase increments (50 to 100) through Bundles in the Armoury. Which I happily did and outlayed a small amount of cash to top up my current American token stash (that was sitting at 700) so I could obtain the first of the Early Access ships, the Hughes. Played it once: seems okay with its long-range torps and SAP shells. Aiming for the Osborne next but will wait for Phase Two of Personal Challenge to unlock to see what's on offer. Otherwise, it's buy the random bundles to cover the shortfall as a last resort. 

Like most sensible players I will avoid spending that amount of doubloons for Burrows. Only whales will buy Burrows outright. 

Rest of the session (split in two because of life duties) taken up with the daily Commander upskill grind. The more unpleasant part of the session. Luckily I got interrupted by life duties part way through the day.

The evening session resumed yucky. Decided to finish off another phase in Battle Pass in order to grab the coal so I could acquire another Seasoned commander. Needed another 5,000. 9,000 was on offer but the last 3,000 Base XP of the mission task forced me to switch to Operations. Got the amount in three games. And finally got my Seasoned commander. 

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Today I gambled and won. Got the reward I was aiming for, the Tier VIII French premium battleship Champagne from the French squadron bundles (acquired five). Missed out on it last Christmas (snowflake and Santa crate event) but pleased to have it now. 

The French squadron listed premium ships on offer through these crates I have already except for the Champagne. Figured the odds might fall in my favour. And they did...this time.

Immediately used it for the daily commander upskill grind (formerly ran Honore on Dunkerque B), and it performed better than expected with its 406mm guns, engine boost, and standard main guns configuration of fore and aft. 

Its arrival also allowed me complete the daily Experimental ships grind - obtain a total of 120 Action reports - spread out over the three mission tasks. Previously, I only had two ships available for that task - Seasoned commander George Doe on Anchorage (Tier VIII) and Seasoned commander Michiel de Ruyter on Groningen (Tier IX). With three now it becomes easier. At the same time I also realised not bother with Economic Bonus Ship XP on those ships lower than Tier VII (there are eight in total) primarily to speed up obtaining the three daily loot boxes because I'm running low. 

Did some shuffling those in the reserve - mostly allocating seasoned commanders to significant vessels. Ships like the Mecklenburg now have a Seasoned commander with his special talents. Just need to play it again and grind the commander up to 21 points.   

Next new priority will be to obtain all the remaining Seasoned commanders. Done it already for those costing coal. Those that remain require doubloon outlay - 1500 per commander. 

Seasoned commanders have special skills that rate below that of the few select Legendary or Unique commanders (like Halsey, Lutjens, and others). Seasoned commanders rate above those deemed Special who are thrown up with most special events. These people have no special skills or talents whatsoever. All three, of course, rate above your standard tech line commanders who are only able to be promoted according to the captain skill rating. All tech tree line commanders start at 0 and grind their way up to 21. As they rise in skill, so does their rank. Every now and then, events or rewards will feature a skilled captain higher than 0, ie 3 or 6 or 10 being the more common skill level. 

Getting close to having the required amount to reset a tech tree line (Research Bureau). But with the recent hike in Research points prices, my choices are now more focused. So I am foregoing the Paolo Emilio and aiming instead for either Vampire II (Aussie ship) or Colbert (French cruiser useful for farming). And the Slava (Soviet battleship) which are now all the same price - 62,000 Research points. Depending on how I'm travelling amassing Free XP, I may wait until the end of the year before resetting a line. 

Research Bureau points are difficult to come by in the game. And the only Research Bureau ship I have in six years of this game is the excellent and favoured Tier X US battleship Ohio which cost 62,000 Bureau points. Currently sitting at around 26,000 Bureau points. Needing therefore another 36,000 points before I can go shopping. 

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Vietnam War - CDS scenario 1

Contemplating adding a twist to this campaign which helps with motivation. Currently doing some research on the Asian lion statues. Learned they are best displayed as a pair - the male on the right with his paw on a ball (dominating the world) and the female on the left with her paw on a cub on its back. 

Well, the two lions I bought are both male. Interesting...

Haven't yet played the scenario because I've been distracted by other life issues. Also lacking motivation even though everything is set up and ready to go. May start tomorrow but you know what they say about tomorrow. 

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Studio stocktake

Started an inventory stocktake on the studio the other day. Began in the second room. Made a start but only managed to itemise around a third of what's there already. Expect this to take me at till the end of the year. No worries. No pressure. 

Art stuff. Loads of paints and brushes. And painting materials - tools, easels, etc. Several various organiser drawers, containers, boxes. Large storage crates. Bookshelves. Musical equipment. Plenty to keep me occupied albeit pleasantly to be honest because I don't mind doing art cards. 

Will post progress reports as soon as I can. 

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Paper Models

Starting to get into paper models. Whether it's just a passing interest or something more serious remains to be seen. I will post a few novice beginnings although I have made a few in the past. Problem, as always, is storage. Where and how.

Seen a recent YT video regarding Tom Greenfelder from the US who has been collecting paper models for over 20 years. He has a collection of over 7000 models of all kinds and types. Not a military enthusiast but very inspirational. 

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Eldritch Horror - solo play

Set this up some a few days back on the formal dinner table, scene of so many large project displays (Borodino project comes to mind). Kept passing it many times since. In the end, I finally sat down last and played to finish through the night. Went to bed around six am. 

As stated in previous posts, setting up took some time as I hadn't played the game in a very long time. Reacquainting myself with the game mechanics took time. But after some lost-look moments in the beginning, I soon got back into the swing of things.

Background: Chose the easiest of the four Ancient gods - Azithoth. Chose to go with two Investigators - Jim Culver (musician) and Trish Scarborough (spy). Set up Jim in the deep south of the US while Trish spawned in eastern Europe (close to Russia).

As the game unfolded, Trish gathered a team of allies around her - a PA (Personal Assistant), a PI (Private Investigator), and Hired Muscle. And she obtained a Lightning Gun that along with .45 automatic pistol meant she wasn't going to have problems combatting monsters. 

Her Influence shot sky-high which was a plus in certain situations but her other skills (Lore especially) were, and stayed, low. She also suffered sanity issues many times when conducting tests. She also experienced problems closing gates (failing tests). 

Gates activated: Arkham (closed by Jum). London (closed by Jim). Istanbul (closed by Trish). Sydney, Shanghai, Buenos Aires, and Tokyo remain open by game's end. 

Rumor tokens played: 2

Rumor tokens solved: 2.

Monsters spawned: 11 or 12 (forget now)

Monsters defeated: 7

Jim's forte proved to be his ability to accumulate clue tokens. At one point he had eight. This proved useful when dealing with certain Mythos cards. And he drew a Blessed condition early on which was a boon when rolling dice (pass on 4,5,6). He also drew a couple of Incantation spells which were never used and eventually lost.

Doom track reached: 1

Mysteries solved: 3. Investigators win the game in a very tight contest. The wins (mystery solved) happened in the last four turns.

Rounds played: 13. 

Moments of note: In Round 2, after drawing the Bermuda Triangle mythos card, both Investigators were plucked from their locations and plonked on the Bermuda space (8). Both Delayed and took a while to get back to their original locations to resume investigations.

In the last round, both reach Tunguska and complete the final mystery to win the game with the Doom track on 1. Nail biter finish.

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July Digest #1

Grinds Are Often Long and Frustrating

Some days the gaming grind (especially online) can get frustrating, annoying, tedious, time-wasting, and a whole host of other negative emotions. That's why laughter, music, and good food are essential remedies. Along with the loyalty and love of your furkids who never disappoint.  

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Charlie Don't Surf - Scenario One

The other day popped into a pet store and on the off-chance I found this statuette. Thought it would make a nice addition to my Buddha statuette acquired from a different pet store. Grabbed it without noticing that there was no price listed on the item. And I did not check the shelving to see if the price was shown there. My impulsive mistake. 

Later I went online to check the manufacturer to check what they list the cost of the item. Sadly, the website does not list prices: you must be logged in. Tried to register but found it's for businesses only. So, I have no idea what the true price of the item is. One last thing: the website claims it was made of high quality plastic. Just a quick scan of it refutes that claim as the miniature I now possess is NOT plastic. Be ware.

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The Eastern Front - a WWII gallery

Came across this website through a random YT video. Quality modelling. Love it.

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World of Warships

Taking a short break because the daily grind eventually does your head in. Anyway, still logging in and collecting the daily reward for sure. Everything else however is up in the air and dependent on how I'm feeling at the time. 

Next update will 14.6. New ships lines that I don't care about. 

Advance news is that WG's tenth anniversary is going to be a big celebration and possible benefit to the players. According to Sealord Mountbatten (head of the TF clan and noted YT WOW streamer), it's going to be a giveaway event. Several thousand doubloons or steel will be given away; all you have to do is participate. Celebration will commence in August and continue until November (for part) and end of the year (for the other parts). 

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Avoid at all cost: the latest Wishing Well event. No interest whatsoever in this gambling event. You spend more than you receive in terms of rewards. Also running today is the Bastille Day mission - prize is a Revolutionary maid patch. Wow! The Coalface is a special mission utlising the Experimental ships in your port. No rush to complete as a priority however. Part way through completing.

Continued the commander upskill grind after I found out the Personal Challenge has a limit on the amount of American tokens one can earn - 500. Once you reach that tally, any further progress just rewards you with 10,000 credits. Part 2 commences in a few days though what the reward is I know not, and the Early Access for the new US destroyer line commences Wednesday. Expect to be able to acquire one or two of the Early Access ships first up; the rest, I will have to play for somehow though what form that takes remains unknown to me. And then two Updates later, they're released as tech tree line ships you can grind for free. Sigh.

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More Naval Wargaming

Ostfront Publishing have just released War By Sails, a naval Age of Sails wargame, that covers the period 1563 to 1812. There is also a "generic" sail period between 1300-1550. 

Ruleset is available as a PDF format through Wargames Vault although you can also obtain either hardcover or softcover versions. 

The YT example game featured a run-through of the game mechanics. Looks promising, and got me interested enough to want to drag out my dust-gathering Napoleonic fleets and crank up the old Kiss Me Hardy game and cruise around some islands for a couple of hours like in those old Sunday matinees. 

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30th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade, May 1940

Got email notifying me of the last days of the Summer Sale being run. Among the titles listed in the email I noticed one that caught my interest - 30th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade, May 1940. Ho, some of the Dominion troops were involved back then that I hadn't heard of, so I wondered. 

But I was quickly disappointed when consulting a recent source that the 30th was an English formation, a motorised brigade comprising the Queen Victoria's Rifles (a motorcycle Territorial scout unit), two Regular motorised units - the 2nd Battalion of the King's Royal Rifles Corps (the old 60th) and 1st Battalion of the Rifle Brigade. An armoured regiment (3rd Tank regiment) was drafted in to complete the force despatched hurriedly to France. 

This was the 30th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade of May 1940. 

Not the Commonwealth I was expecting. 

But there were Australian connections sprinkled throughout: the commanding officer of the QVR, for one, was Tasmanian-born; the parents of one officer from the Rifles were from Brisbane. And doubtless others, here and there, suggested colonial ties to the mother country.   

However, and it's a big one as far as I'm concerned, this initial dig into fact-finding has opened a whole new can of wormy interest for me. And the story of the sacrifice of the 30th Brigade is proving most intriguing. Maybe it's also worthy of gaming? We shall see. 

Funny sidenote: The use of the term "fog of war" as a euphemism to describe command incompetence is a novel way that's is hilarious yet painful. 

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Charlie Don't Surf slow-burn campaign

Thus begins the long journey...

Stage One - Lang Dong Nam

For the first scenario I decided to make the scenario a small setup based on the district village of Lang Dong Nam. This meant designing the village itself which I worked out to be around 300 yards square. 

Next, for personal interest reasons, I designed the Firezone map. Each grid square was 1000 yards square and six figured. Why? For fire missions and air support call ups. Just guessing and not based on any historical reality apart from using the old grid square coordinate system I learnt in the Army. 

Once done, I've now created the fictional village of Lang Dong Nam. I had already classified the habitations of my original campaign map (see below) into the following sizes:

• Village/hamlet/hovel - 2000 yds x 2000 yds OR 4 Grid Squares in total
• District village - 3000 yds x 3000 yds OR 9 Grid Squares in total 
  
• District town - 6000 yds x 9000 yds OR 54 Grid Squares in total
• Note: The dimensions represent the limitation of a habitation's total size (area-wise), but NOT the configuration so that district village for example can be two 4-Grid squares and one single Grid square in size. Also, any terrain item (especially dwellings) can be placed outside the habitation zone and does not count as part of that habitation.

Restrictions on buildings per habitation zone

For the purpose of this campaign, I've placed a limit on the number of buildings per habitation zone.

• Level 1 village or hamlet: 1-4 structures (any covered structure)
• Level 2 village: Up to 8 structures
• District town: 9+ structures

What I eventually came up with, after dicing for terrain, is this sketch map done in MS Paint:

The main road north-west passes by the village which consists of just three liveable buildings (hooches), some paddy fields and a few bamboo thickets. The surrounding jungle is typically dense and uncultivated jungle.

At the current scale, this will be played on a 4' x 3' table. 

I'm still going with my fictional ANZAC platoon tasked with sweeping through the village; I have yet to decide which platoon. 

Once the platoon has successfully cleared the village of any perceived hostile threat or intent, the rest of the company will move in and secure the village as the forward base for the upcoming operations. 

The simple question is why take it so slowly or cautiously? Simple answer is narrative. 

Several factors contribute in creating this narrative: 

• (1) the area might appear to be peacefully neutral but it's apparent (from Intel) that many locals sympathise with the VC cause. By making a strong show of force it may dissuade such sentiments from becoming more overt and therefore problematic, 
• (2) little Intel is available on any VC activity in the area. A clearer picture of what are gaps in the Intel overview is essential to better appreciating and understanding the VC,
• (3) the future intention is to set up a major presence in the area politically as well as militarily given the strategic location of the region, 
• (4) the higher ups fear the that the Ho Chi Min trail may spread its invasive tentacles into the region. They may already be infiltrating both arms and personnel but Intel have no idea how, where or who. This operation may go some way to answering those questions. Or so the higher ups believe. 

And so on...

I may be overstating the obvious but a narrative campaign such as the one undertaken requires connection between battles or engagements. Starting from nothing but one's fertile imagination is part of the fun and the ultimate satisfaction derived stems from the links between the first and last battle. 

Reproduced this particular CDS post into the other forum page. Cheers. 

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Set out village on the table then worked on improving some of the helos.

Working on providing a narrative for the AI enemy - VC. Once done, will set up and play the game. 

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Scenario development continued

The Overview

Gave some thought as to what would the VC be doing while the Free World are making all these preparation to enter the region. Even though they're largely AI in this campaign, still they needed some direction rather than randomly popping up

Came up with the inital notion that the VC are operating in the area in three distinct "pockets", either disguised (mild mannered peasants by day, super-sneaky VC by night), or hidden within impenetrable terrain only coming out at times to conduct their winning-the-local-population campaign and eliminating those pro-Free World. 

Scenario One

The VC group responsible for this region (south-east on the overview map) already knew where the FF would be arriving and raced to the area with a welcome committee.

Their forces include:

• 1 mortar team 
• 2 full-strength sections armed with RPGs and AK-47s
• 1 command team including 1 Big Man (3), 1 Radio op, 1 sapper, rest are rifle squaddies armed with RPGs and bolt-action rifles

The road itself is quickly AT mined (ingress and egress) although this information is unknown to the FF. Claymores also set up. 

For the FF, I'm selecting 2 Platoon from A Company. Big Man is Lt. Mike Sommers (AUS) = 3. Unit will be mounted on APCs led by Lt Mike Delaney (AUS) = 3. The troops will debus at the the road junction and sweep through on foot. 1 section will lead the way into the village while 2 section will sweep south of the bypass road. 3 section will follow 1 section. Platoon HQ will be between 1 and 3 sections. 

One APC will take the bypass route in support of 2 section while one APC will follow the sweep through the village. Delaney and the remaining APC will be the reserve. 

On-call will artillery support (4 Fire Zones nominated) and a solitary Huey from Flight B, 65 Squadron will be on standby as dustoff and air cover. 

Intel expects nothing more than surprised glances from the villagers as recent reports state the area is clear of enemy and is neutral. 

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More Ornaments

So my wife and I visited the local pet store and somehow I ended buying these...

Buy 1, get 1 for half price. Too good to pass up. Some repainting required I suppose...or not.

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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.   

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.  

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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. 

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March 2025 - Part One

1 March 2025

English Civil War

I much prefer the journey rather than the destination these days. Getting there is so much more fun than seeing the final end result which is cool in itself but doesn't provide the memories whenever viewed as much as the struggles, modifications, adaptations, and so on.

Found some basing material yesterday and thus spent tonight cutting them for my units. Still need to basecoat several units like Hopton's and Bard's. Started detailing Duke of York's and Talbot's. As stated, King's Lifeguards and Prince Rupert's Blew regiments are very much done with only the basing, flocking and some minor final detailing to complete them out. 

Tweaking the numbers, I was able to accommodate adding Talbot's Foote without forsaking the original listings which is a good thing. All that's missing from the above list therefore is Shrewsbury Foote. This would give the Royalist seven complete infantry units (regimental level). Excluded but next on the painting program are the Forlorn Hope, the firelocks, and dismounted dragoons. Cheers.

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2nd March 2025

Some .45 Adventure gaming

Tidying up the studio of late and happened across some old terrain/buildings from my 28mm gangster era. Decided to have a quick game of .45 Adventure to pass the time as the power went out throughout the area for over an hour. Wasn't a real game as such but more a reacquaintance. Didn't go into the details of the ruleset but skimmed over the basics of the game.

Scenario was rivalry between two local gangs - one American-style gangster with the flashy suits and violin cases coming up against an Asian-Triad style criminals - that had finally reached boiling over point with both sides declaring a spontaneous turf war in the industrial area outside of Biggstown. 

Outcome was less important than simply enjoying a simple hour of gaming, as it should. 

Going to continue reviving this fun game into the week. Next scene will be a Main street scenario with cops and hoodlums. Will print out some game sheets as well. And hopefully provide a more detailed batrep rather than the result. Should be interesting. 

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3 March 2025

Studio tidy up

Resumed tidying up the studio. Realised that I have loads of stuff to finish and complete. Will try and take the same approach as I did with the Battle of Borodino project. Which is focus on one element of the project and bring that part to completion.

The list of projects as part of 2025 builds are manifold however.

1. Kelly's Heroes table. Large project. Easily the largest since the Battle of the Borodino in scope and size. Begun long ago (back in the 2010s). Made a passionate start. Interrupted thereafter with half-pie efforts over the decade. At around 30% complete with a fair number of structures mostly completed. Lot of final work needed to bring it to full completion and use. Still on the lookout for a tiger tank (a main character from the movie). Should take the whole year.
2. Generic terrain and structures items. Many started but never finished as something new popped up to distract me (as you do). Low priority but still needing completion.
3. Pulp Fiction. Main Street, USA, from the Prohibition and through to the Great Depression era. More interested in this period from the small scale gaming and narrative one can weave.
4. American Civil War. Final last fling. Red River campaign and rulesets to be finalised. Flitting with several but nothing has firmed. Terrain and buildings are few and will probably require some constructions. Priority is low though so it may never eventuate (the buildings and terrain elements that is).
5. Shelving. Need more shelves for storage. Finding the right shelving is important so I understand.
6. WW2 modular terrain (see further down). An unfinished project. Ran out of steam while putting it together. 

Shown above are a couple of pieces (right) with the train line emerging from the mountain tunnel. Also in storage is the Lizardmen temple display board that I hope to get some usage using the old ruleset. And then there is a French Foreign Legion fort that is something I've always wanted to build but I have no figures. Maybe use it for an updated WW2 desert scenario for Rapid Fire perhaps? Wait and see. At least now I can place stored items once again in this closet space.

Various modular pieces belonging to the Kelly's Heroes table. Eight pieces counted thus far. The table therefore will be large. Already attached polystyrene as basis for landscaping and the overhead railway that is meant to pass through the town. Was able to mark out the locations of the various buildings after designing the layout. 

Part of the town centre. Loads of buildings. Built card buildings. Lots and lots of detailing still remains (inset doorways, balcony, window framing, walls, etc.) to bring it up to scratch for the game so I reckon. A good two months work here (given my snail pace progress). 

There are a number of terrain boards (hills, surrounding landscape) in this project that still need constructing, not just finishing. Various notable structures, such as the ruined castle (above right) on the outskirts of the town, are basically done. Or started. The Sanitorium is not shown but is also almost done.  

Never going to win awards for my construction skills. Or even design work. Doesn't really matter: as I stated so many times before, I enjoy getting to where I'm going. I don't mind reinventing the wheel. Or relearning skills or techniques already learned or known. It's the enjoyment of filling up time doing something I like doing. 

Six modular boards. Originally designed for WW2 Rapid Fire. Setting: Europe. Possibly Normandy bocage region. Includes a small lake/pond, destroyed village, hedgerows, undulating ground, docking area, hamlets, and so on. 

Shown this before. Unopened boxes of minis. Wife really wants me to sell them off. Contemplating it although not this year. Most are 1/72 Napoleonic, a period I'm done with for now. Medieval as well (for Lion Rampant). Forming part of my various piles of shame located throughout the studio.

More Piles of Shame. Many are opened and work begun on them but not finished. Mostly 15mm, 20mm and 28mm. Not shown are two house moving cartons filled with 40K and Warhammer Fantasy (before the renaming due to copyright claims). There are odds and sods from other interested periods, mostly naval and airwargaming. So it's not just land warfare materiel.

Any drawer space is crammed with minis. These are part of my WW2 collection. For Rapid Fire. 

Sometimes I run out of drawer space for my minis. 

Ran out of small storage cells and tubs for my Borodino project. What I could fit, I did. The rest found space on the shelving in the bathroom (see below).

These buildings are from the La Haye Saint set for the Battle of Waterloo. Made a start. Time to finish them off.

Minis stored away that haven't been used in a while. Sitting atop a cabinet with mostly accessories - dice, small terrain items, mats for naval.

About halfway through cleaning up the studio. But already it's yielded much. So much that I really have no excuse not to be doing something hobby-wise. Should be an interesting year therefore. But I've said that before as well. Wish me luck. Cheers.

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Moved lots of modular boards out of the cluttered closet space (previous photo) and restored them in a spot more accessible as this is another major project for this year: (2) WW2 European battle board. Six boards I believe. Without measuring, I'd speculate the boards make for a 6' by 4' table. 

February 2025: Part Three

10 February 2025

PC problems

Unrelated to wargaming but important given I use my PC to generate material for my wargaming hobby - batreps and design work especially. The current Windows 11 update, version 24H2, has been fraught with problems so I've been informed, and am now experiencing. 

Noticing problems whenever I switch it on every day to begin my session. Logins are slow. Thumbnails sometimes do not display on video platforms like You Tube. Errors logging in to my email accounts that take a while to resolve (either restart PC or wait several minutes). And those errors extend to the overall performance of the PC itself which can be frustrating and stressing.

Gaming issues are also affected although I suspect that one specific game that's causing me angst is itself contributing to the constant in-game dropouts. Tried another game and no issues whatsoever with performance in-game.  

But back to version 24H2, rolling back to 23H2 is one option but I am loathe to go that far. Do I wait for 25H2 to appear and hopefully it will remedy the situation? Don't know. I have learned that some criticize 24H2 because Microsoft has added spyware into the update. What's new though? Gmail engage in it as well. All major corporations do it so I believe. 

Recently has an IT specialist visited to sort out connectivity issues (wifi). He informed me of a US wifi extender would boost the wifi signal. It seems the connectivity issue concerned recent additions to our wifi network (added aerials to both the studio and garage workshop and this was causing the frequent connection issues as the PC was trying to connecting to the aerials instead of the router). Unsurprisingly, adding the USB wifi boosters has resolved the connectivity issue (along with some tinkering done by the technician). 

One good thing from this present situation though is that I can walk away from the PC and straight back into my hobby.

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11 February 2025

English Civil War

Slow progress but progress nonetheless. King's Foot almost done. 

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14 February 2025

Astartes II

The big question after the release of the teaser trailer is are Games Workshop going to stuff this up? The quick and cynical answer is yes. 

A quick look at those who have a vested interest over 3% (according to Games Workshop PLC) is interesting with all being investment entities. Link. Close 40% of the business is owned by investors. 

The current CEO of Games Workshop is a CMA or Chartered Management Accountant. So, a top-dog bean counter.

I have a sinking feeling that somehow Games Workshop will totally stuff this up; the degree by which is unknown but not promising. Look at how Disney screwed up the classic Snow White big time.

Same with Amazon and The Rings of Power. The list of recent stuff ups by commercial entities proves (to me at least) that many who oversee such creative projects often lack either talent or that degree of creativity to fully entertain the hungry audience. Or vision. Or their personal agendas come to the fore that often runs contrary to the needs or wishes of the vast majority. Reminds me of the dog chasing its own tail and going round and round but never quite achieving its goal. 

Happy (and dying to be proven so) to be wrong if Astartes II indeed meets and exceeds expectations. But given the recent kerfuffle among the community regarding female Custodes, and now the uproar over denying the mystical aspect that bone singing has in the Eldar culture, I somehow suspect the powers-that-be over in Nottingham really don't care for its own 40K history. Or its customers. Hence why I have serious doubts that Astartes II will be anything but a more diluted and Hollywood-ised version of Episode 5, The Secret Level. 

Maybe we'll see Titus head up the squad after surviving Episode Five? Or, better still, Leandros becomes head of the Kill Teams and sets out to "discipline" the Kill Teams to his world view and sends them on death missions much to the benefit of his secret sponsor, one of the acolytes of one of the Dark Apostles of the Word Bearers?

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16 February 2025

World of Warships

Haven't really bothered to take note of the recent developments through their blogsite apart from heeding the reactions by several YT streamers. 

The return of Classified Documents in Random Battle mode has not been well received by many veterans of the game. In fact, there is talk of migrating to Lesta, and a few YT streamers have actually gone over and returned with praise for Lesta's setup, citing new maps, clearer defined visuals, and so on. 

Complaints regarding the upcoming changes have been ignored - unsurprisingly - and WG continues to foist ridiculous designs (with experimental ships) upon the playerbase and expect many to embrace it happily. The more astute players complain that these new developments are designed to make it easier for newcomers to play with OP ships; skill no longer exists, and the playerbase continues to devolve into dumber than ever. Pay, pay, pay!

So far, I am unaffected as I stick with Co-Op, do my daily grind routine, and avoid paying for every new offer thrown my way. The current Battle Pass event celebrating the Lunar New Year has nothing of any real value. One new 10-pt commander (WTF?!) as the final reward and the T6/7(?) Huanghe Pan-Asian cruiser (which I already have) at the halfway mark makes it very easy to skip buying the second level altogether.

Nothing in the Armoury is worth it any more. I just grab what's for free and simply ignore the paywall events (Wishing Wharf, Early Access Dutch light cruisers, Ming's Adventure, and so on). I will await these ships eventual release into the Armoury either as a coal or doubloon premium. Or even wait until Christmas 2025. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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