Messages

16

General Discussion / Re: MBS Podcast Episode 34

« on: September 16, 2018, 11:12:55 am »

Good episode.  I still have my Squat Army from GW 40K Epic.     And GW is famous for edition changes just to advance their bottom line.  I think edition changes are OK, but I think the move to change for change sake is troubling.  I have pretty much abandoned GW products due to this.  Including the GW WH age of Sigmar disaster,  and War Machine/Hordes MkII to MKIII.  I also am wary of the move to electronic only rules, and counter creep.  I didn't get into Star Wars, but I can see the worry. 

Here are some of my books I like just looking on my shelf.
Jutland: An Analysis of the fighting, Campbell.  The BIBLE of ship to ship conflict in WWI.
The Rules of the game, Gordon.   How the Royal Navy evolved from the Victorian Navy to a modern service, and the culture that dominated.  A good read for the background.
The Trafalgar Companion, Mark Adkin.  The BIble for Fighting Sail, and Trafalgar. 
Neptune's Inferno, James Hornfischer:  US Navy at Guadalcanal.  A page turner of that campaign. 
/Jeff

17

General Discussion / Re: MBS Monthly Poll #26: Critical Hits!

« on: July 31, 2018, 12:08:25 pm »

Not referring to FA or Dys wars specifically since I have never played either, but many game systems use a hit points type mechanics.  Naval Thunder, General Quarters, Sea Kreig, etc.  Where damage caused reduces a ships capabilities by so much on a increasing scale.  Where a systems approach would be that a hit that causes damage would damage that system hit.  Critical hits are this way generally.  Or how Star Fleet battles (old school)  has boxes for systems.  So a hit which penetrates the armor of a target damages a system, not causing x points of damage.  I almost would like to see a good naval game of critical hits only. 

18

General Discussion / Re: MBS Podcast Episode 31

« on: July 22, 2018, 05:30:57 am »

Great Podcast. 
A great one is WTJ (Wargames Times Journal)  He makes some of the best 3D printed ones, at multiple scales. 

My sailing ships are a mix of GHQ and Langton.  Finally getting them all rigged. 

/Jeff

19

General Discussion / Re: MBS Monthly Poll #26: Critical Hits!

« on: July 22, 2018, 04:55:24 am »

Yes, Critical hits are needed.  As I have grown more senior and hopefully educated.  I am a firm believer.  I also value a more systems related approach to damage in naval games instead of a degradation mechanism.  Critical hits are the best way to represent this, unless you go to a Star Fleets battles type system.  This also fits in with my reading of damage results in combat in the WWI, and WWII periods, it also fits in with my experience as a SWO in the US Navy.  System failure, and damage is generally a result of a single cause, not a thousand paper cuts leading to issues.  /Jeff

20

General Discussion / Re: Miniature Storage & Transport

« on: May 12, 2018, 08:11:55 am »

I have some figures magnetized but most my WHFB Dwarfs- Hence Kazad Harri.  But I am converting most of my ships to clear bases.  Like in the painting contest ones.  So that won't work.  I have thought about some steel (piano wire) rod going through the foam and at the front and rear of the base to maybe hold them down,  If that was really the cause. 
 

21

General Discussion / Re: Your Favorite Warship and Why

« on: May 12, 2018, 02:03:51 am »

This one is tough for Historical I have to go with a 3 way tie.  The USS New Jersey- I served on her in the 80's and she was a first love of my life.  Also she evolved so much in her career from a Kick ass BB, to a fast AA platform, to fire support and then in the 80's as the US answer to a true modern surface action group with long range missiles, and still retained fire power.  If she had not been so expensive to operate I could have seen her with vertical launch replacing the box launchers and SPY-1 radar.
The other part of the tie is USS Constitution a frigate that was undefeated, and made all other frigates scared. 
The last is the Victory.  Not really because of Trafalgar, but her career of work.  For over 50 years she was the symbol of British naval dominance.
For space.  The Battlestar Galactica. Survived a bad series, and one war and then came back and kicked ass in the next one.  The close runner up is the Millenium Falcon.  Not a warship you say.  But how many freighters are involved in blowing up two Death Stars, and beating off countless TIE fighter attacks. 
As for fiction, the HMS Surprise.  No other ship dominates fiction like this one in the hands of Lucky Jack Aubrey.
/Jeff

22

General Discussion / Re: MBS Monthly Poll #24: To hex or not to hex?

« on: May 08, 2018, 02:36:23 pm »

Maybe for campaign movement or grand tactical.  But NEVER when ships are on the table.  If you want to use hexes or a grid, play a board game.

23

General Discussion / Re: Miniature Storage & Transport

« on: May 05, 2018, 03:11:15 am »

One question I am debating is; if you are using foam trays do you want you minitures to sit flat.  Especially if they are based, or on their sides?  So they don't bounce up and down.  I think that is what happened to my ships in the move.  Destroying many masts. 

24

2018 Painting Contest / Re: Winner of the Fantasy Category!

« on: May 02, 2018, 12:34:36 am »

Looking very nice. 

25

General Discussion / Re: Miniature Storage & Transport

« on: April 22, 2018, 03:13:53 am »

I second KR multi case.  I moved from the US to Germany a couple a years ago, and most of all of my storage and shipping solutions ended in disaster except stuff that was in Battle Foam and KR.  So I am trying to change over to that style before the move back.  It all also depends it you are just taking stuff across town, or across the country.  /Jeff

26

General Discussion / Re: MBS Monthly Poll #23: WoWS Blitz

« on: April 22, 2018, 03:09:04 am »

Just not into WoWS but like the concept.  But I have generally found that any time spent on online games takes away from my other more productive gaming.  /Jeff

27

Modeling Q&A / Re: Clear Bases and Labels

« on: January 23, 2018, 12:20:27 pm »

Yes.  1:2400 for WWII and WWI.  1:1000 for Napoleonic, 1:600 ACW, and 1:1500 for RJ war.

28

Modeling Q&A / Clear Bases and Labels

« on: January 22, 2018, 09:27:54 am »

Over the past 25+ years I have always based my ships on mat board/or plastic and then painted the bases, and wakes.  So over the course of all those years I have ended up with many different colored oceans, and bases.  Due to a recent move to Germany my age of sail ships looked like they went through a hurricane and need to be rerigged, and rebased.  I had started a project with my WWI ships and had started to convert them to clear bases, which I like since with the great new ocean mats out there.  I like that the ship always appears to be on that ocean, and not floating on its own colored piece of water.  So to make a long story short, what do people feel like with labels on the bases?  I never have done that, always just wrote on the underside of the base.  But with clear bases that is not an option.  So is there a preference for subdued (ie..Black label with ship names) or go with a flag and the ships name?  Or no label at all.

29

General Discussion / Re: MBS Monthly Poll #20

« on: January 20, 2018, 01:04:37 pm »

I picked the Battle of Yavin, but I really liked the MF / Tie fighter battle in epd. 4 but that is probably pretty close to just a dog fight than a space battle. 

30

General Discussion / Re: MBS Monthly Poll #19

« on: December 17, 2017, 12:46:53 pm »

I am hoping to play anything over the next year, but hopefully some Age of Sail stuff, as I get ready to playtest my Napoleonic rules I have been working  on.  Looking for volunteers....