Radiantly Radioactive
"In this fateful hour, when the Germans had almost defeated us, those ridiculous tanks saved our positions." - Mikhail Katukov, Marshal of Armored Troops General Mikhail Katukov - Commander 1st Guards Tank Army The T-60 Scout Tank has an unusual place in history, it was beloved and universally hated at the same time. While at… Continue reading A “Ridiculous” Tank
Early Christmas Package Labor Day was last week signaling the end of Summer. Today, I received a package full of Winter! Yeah, I received miniatures from a Kickstarter I backed from Bad Squiddo Games - WWII Soviet Women in Winter Uniform! They are so beautiful, no flash or mold lines and the poses are so… Continue reading First Sign of Winter Arrives at Floozy Manor
The progress of my WWII Rzhev campaign has been halted while I scramble to build terrain for the next encounter which takes place in a Russian village. A while back, I purchased a Russian church from Warlord Games which is an almost must have for any Russian village and with that purchase I also bought… Continue reading Wire Barricades
To Roza Yedilova, the best part of attending veteran events were the buffet tables. Here her children, grandchildren, doctors and nurses didn't dare tell her what she could and could not eat. At the moment, her gaze was locked on a crostini covered with an interesting blend of melted forbidden cheeses. As she reached with… Continue reading The Meat Grinder, Part 7 – The Political Officer
The crowd "oohed and ahhed" and small children cried when they fired a small howitzer at the end of the speeches. Roza looked at her fellow veterans, they all smiled and shook their heads. Firing a single howitzer was like firing a toy gun compared to the horrors of a real barrage. Roza vividly remembered… Continue reading The Meat Grinder, Part 6 – The Rzhev-Viaz’ma Offensive Begins
Or I Painted a Monocle with a German Attached! Imagine, if you will, you are ready to play the next mission in your NUTS! campaign. You've successfully played a patrol mission, so this mission will be an attack mission. You've crafted defensive positions - a bunker and slit trench and then you realize you have… Continue reading German Support Group
Each of the speakers made mention of the "brave" women who fought alongside the men. They had to say something thought Roza Yedilova, they needed women to vote to legitimize the elections they had bought. "Fighting alongside the men? That was nonsense in the early days, the officers didn't know what to do with women… Continue reading The Meat Grinder, Part 5
1941 Soviet Rifle Platoon with Attached Assets The wind played cheerfully with wisps of white hair atop heads with solemn faces. A small group of elderly men and women wearing medals sat apart from the crowds listening as politicians droned. Roza Yedilova grumbled to herself about the weather, she was cold even though the younger… Continue reading The Meat Grinder, Part 4 – Roll Call
Here's another piece of terrain for my Rezhev Campaign - a small trench. In Mel's tutorial, it is called a "slit trench." I made mine a little wider because the Warlord Germans & the Bad Squiddo Soviets all have bits of the sculpt that overhang the base more than what Mel's figures had. I really… Continue reading The Slit Trench
I split my painting time this week between painting miniatures and building terrain. I built an earth & log bunker for my 28mm WWII campaign. The bunker may look familiar to some of you, I took my inspiration from Mel the Terrain Tutor's how-to video, though I made mine slightly larger. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqOHkRfCZK0&t=603s I didn't have… Continue reading DIY Earth & Log Bunker
Early 1942 Soviet Rifle Squad at Full Strength "Q & E Campaigning" Gaming campaigns have appeared in Two Hour Wargames for some time, but I never played any of them until the Q&E Campaigning system in Fortunes Won and Lost, a rule set now sold by Rebel Minis. This system uses a minimum amount of… Continue reading The Meat Grinder – Part 3
Getting their bearings Introduction to a New Project Most of the time I play one-off games. I have the attention span of a gnat and it is often hard to play several games linked together into a campaign. The two exceptions have been when writing the Pearl's Plight story and when writing the 5150 No… Continue reading The Meat Grinder – Part 1
