Enfilade! 2011

Two days down, one more to go. Tomorrow my buddy Adrian & I will be hosting our Battle of Magnesia game using WAB 2.0 rules. Friday I hosted a reprise of the Ichi no Tani samurai skirmish game that I ran last summer at Fix Bayonets! The rules are modified WAB rules that are really simple and fast playing - which all the players so far said they enjoyed.

I've run this game three times so far, and every time the outcome has been totally different. This time the Minamoto attackers along the shoreline chose to disregard the Taira camp entirely and focus on burning their boats. This they accomplished, but later lost both their heroes (Yoshitsune & Benkei), as wells as both of their standards. The Taira won the battle, but couldn't escape out to sea - but I guess that became a moot point.

Friday evening I got to play in Mike Garcia's super cool Ice Age Hunting game. I managed to bag a load of edible beasts, at the cost of losing most of my hunting party.

Saturday morning had me participating in a huge Roman versus Ancient Germans in the Teutoberg Forest. This impressive game was hosted by the White Rock Gamers from Vancouver, B.C. The rules were a modified (simplified) version of ARMATI 2nd ed. First time I had ever played these Ancients rules. At the end of the game, all of the gamers were presented a large color poster of the game flyer - class act those White Rockers!

Saturday afternoon, I got into one of Eric Hotz' always enjoyable Roman Seas games. I now feel like I erred in selling off the fleets I had built last year. Although I did pick up a packet of Valiant 1/900th scale pentekontors.

I scored some pretty good stuff from the Bring & Buy tables - one goodie is an OG Napoleonic Limber set which I got for $10.00. I also sold off some stuff that was only collecting dust.

There have been a lot of great looking games going on so far. I only managed to take a few photos being engaged in games the whole time though. Here are just a few of them - hopefully captioned correctly.

Roman Seas - First Game

My buddy Adrian and I just played our first Roman Seas game today. It was very, very productive. We ran through pretty much all of the basic rules, to include movement, ramming, grappling, oar raking, missile fire, and close combat. We used the pre-filled ship rosters so not having actual deck combat stands wasn't really an issue. I only regret that I couldn't find my alcohol markers for the roster sheets. We ended up keeping track with pen and paper. Here are a few photos I managed to snap while busy playing, re-reading and discussing the rules.  The numbers on the stands indicate movement rates - which is important for following on moves.

Having played the game with the rule's author, Eric Hotz, in the past really helped. Adrian remembered a few rules clarifications that had come up in his game.

Since the game mat I ordered is the smaller one, we probably max'd out the number of ships - six per side. Which was not a bad thing as we were within ballista range by the first turn. Also, a bigger playing area would've allowed more maneuvering, but for learning the basic rules, this wasn't necessary in my opinion. Much better to get in close right away and try out all the combat rules; as well as subsequent effects such as drifting from broken oars and successful ramming.

My blue hemoila in the foreground of the photo above successfully grappled the red heoila soon after this ramming.

One thing we kind of agreed upon was that for 1/300 scale models - as these are - a large surface area would be needed for larger scale battles. I'm considering going to something like 1/1200th scale with smaller hexes. We did agree that we really like the rules and will definitely be playing this again soon - and often.

Roman Navy fleets (Red & Blue):

Roman Seas - Playtest Prep

Tomorrow my buddy Adrian and I will play our first Roman Seas game - first time without the rule's author, Eric Hotz, running the game that is. Both Adrian and I were fortunate enough to have played in a game or two at past Enfilade! conventions. At the time, Eric hadn't even released the rules - he wanted to ensure the rules were well-written and defined before going to print. I think he's accomplished this. I actually went pretty hog-wild when I first got the PDF rules several months ago; building more of the PDF ships than my 4' x 6' mat can fit. Once I get the hang of the rules, I'll likely order another mat to have an 8' x 6' playing area.

Anyway, here's what I set up today - we may rearrange it tomorrow once Adrian gets here. I'm only planning to use two each hemoila and liburnian vessels, and one each trireme and quadrireme per side. Holding off on the bigger ships, the quinquereme and hexeres; as well as several more hemoilas and liburnians (beg pardon is these aren't the correct plurals). I printed out the pre-filled playsheets for these ships; and although we won't have actual deck troops, we'll simulate and keep track of them using the sheets.

Roman Seas Fleets Complete

The interior panels were added - with some trouble as they should've been added prior to gluing the ships together, but I initially had not planned on using them. I'm glad I did, as they not only make the ships look better, but add little bit more strength. The white showing at the seams of the ships were also painted.

Wake foam was added near the bow, oars, and rudders of the ships.White paint was first applied, but the results were not 3D enough, so acrylic silicon caulk was applied to the bow and steering rudder wakes.

The only thing left to add are the ship markers to the base - which helps ID the ships faster during the game.

Roman Seas Movement Bases Painted

I initially was thinking of using colored craft paper to cover the bases, but since I couldn't find the stash, I went ahead and used some blue spray paint that I had in the garage. This blue is a cheap can of "Royal Blue" from Walmart. The first few bases came out a nice colored blue, but didn't match the Blue Grey mat, nor the darker blue of the part with the oars.

I happened to notice the over spray on the black tray I used to hold the bases while painting appeared to have a fairly closer color match to the mat and the blue on the oar parts.  So, I undercoated the bases with flat black (again a cheap Walmart can), and then sprayed the blue over it. I didn't wait for the black to dry before applying the blue. In fact, the paint seeps into the card on contact and doesn't really pool. The coats weren't applied evenly - rather haphazardly, in fact - figuring the uneven coloring might better replicate the appearance of the ocean than an even solid-colored coat.

Here's the color match (or attempt) to the mat. The color matches the dark blue between the oars pretty good.

Hexeres mounted - Elmer's White Glue & rubber bands to hold them in place.

I plan add the interior panels, as well as touch up the white seams with paint.

Roman Seas Large Ships Update

I started on these late yesterday afternoon and managed to finish them before bedtime. These are the large ships in the Roman Navy set - Quadreme, Quinquereme, and Hexeres - two each. They are noticeably larger than the earlier small vessels. The largest, the Hexeres, is approximately 8.5" from stern to ram.

Since they are fairly large, including the decks, I wanted to make sure they would be able to support 6mm lead figures and artillery, so I modified the build a bit. All the ships were initially printed on 60lb. card, which my local Staples had - before jumping to 100lb. The smaller ships are fine with 60lb. However, what I did for the larger ships was this: Using spray-on tack, I added normal printer paper (20lb.) to the backs of the ships' hulls (total 80lb.). Two sheets of paper were added to the bottom of the decks (total 100lb.). I did not add more paper to the oars and outriggers, though. These I felt didn't need to be any thicker than 60lb, because of the folding they required.  Also, these would not support any extra weight, unlike the decks holding figures. I also drilled/punched holes for masts. I wanted the option to use sails for these large ships. I don't intend to use sails for the smaller vessels since the deck would be too cramped already with figures.
                                    
Here are all of the ships in the Roman Navy set - 22 ships total - quite cramped for the 6' X 4' mat I have.  Probably okay for combat, but not so great for maneuvering prior to.

Next I will finish the movement bases and then mount the ships on them.

Roman Seas Movement Base Update

I went to Michael's today and used a 40% off coupon to buy a 20' X 30" sheet of illustration board. The label states it is "Medium Textured Surface" and "Medium Weight (0.50-.060). I didn't do any math beforehand, but I was able to cut out bases for all 22 ships in the Roman Navy set - with leftover board. The bases are as follows: 14 - 5" X 3" bases for 8 Hemoilas and 6 Liburnians; 2 - 8" X 3.5" bases for 2 Triremes; 2 - 8.5" X 3.5" bases for 2 Quadremes; 2 - 9" X 3.5" bases for 2 Quinqueremes; and 2 - 9" X 4" bases for 2 Hexeres.
I also picked up a can of spray adhesive to apply backing to the larger ships. I might even use manila folder card stock for the decks of the larger ships.

Not sure what I will do to finish the bases. I have some pressed blue paper with nice texture. It is actually my wife's stash of colored paper she has when she had a box-making hobby. Or, I may use some type of blue spray paint - maybe some type of textured spray; although it is likely to be expensive.

As you can see in the photo, I just used rulers to measure the bases and cut them out with a carpet knife. Didn't take long at all. In addition to this, I also wrote a short article on Bronze Age Greek wars for the next Citadel.

Roman Seas Shipbuilding Update

All the medium and small ships are done. These would be the Triremes, Liburnians, and Hemoilas (hope those are the plural forms).
The smallest ones, Hemoila, have some thin areas, so you should be careful when cutting. These, and the Liburnians, were a bit easier to build since they didn't have the outrigger part to glue on. The oars go directly onto the underside of the protruding part of the deck. Again, none of these have the optional inner panels - which I may or may not add. I plan to have troop stands of 6mm figures and artillery, so maybe I won't need to worry about the bare look of the inner panels.

Next up will be the large ships; two each of the following: Quadreme, Quinuereme, and Hexeres. I plan to strengthen the deck with additional paper or card (maybe from a manila folder).

How to Construct Hotz Roman Seas Galleys

I just completed the first ship from the Roman Navy set. I chose the Trireme - which was a good choice as it is one with outriggers for the oars. Only the larger ships have outriggers - the smaller ones have the oars attached directly to the underside of the deck.

The Trireme is about 6 1/2 inches long - counting the ram. It's the smallest of the larger ships - which include the Quadreme, Quinquereme, and the flagship Hexeres. The Hexeres is just shy of 9 inches long.

Here's the sheet of the Trireme - the larger ships have one ship per sheet. The smaller ones have three to four to a sheet. There is a list of tools needed for construction. I used a hobby knife (new blade), cutting mat, scissors, and a metal straight edge (actually a sheetmetal piece to be used as a movement tray). I also used Elmer's White Glue, watered down and applied with a small brush, for gluing the parts together.
Here are the parts cut out. A straight edge was used for most of the cutting. A pair of scissors was mainly used for the deck, which is a bit curved. A hobby knife was used for cutting the curved bow and stern of the ship. There are optional parts for the inside of the ship which I didn't print out. I think I'll add them to the larger ships. There are towers & commanders tents, as well as Corvus for larger ships, which again I didn't print out.This photo shows the the parts with tabs needing folding. As recommended in the instructions, I used a dull-blade (butter knife) to crease the folds.
Outrigger ready for attachment to the underside of the deck protrusion. This is the trickiest part of the gluing process. You need to ensure all the tabs are lined up, especially the two end folds. Not at all hard though.
Oars attached to the inside of the outrigger.
Trireme completed, less optional items like inner panels, sails, and towers. These can be placed on later. It will also need to be mounted on a movement stand. Now that I know the hands on process, the rest of the fleet should be put together a little faster.

Roman Seas Has Arrived

Got my order yesterday. Already went to Staples this morning & have the Roman Navy ships printed to 60lb paper. Eric recommends 67-80lb paper, but Staples only had 60 & 100lb. I could glue it to regular paper which is 20lb. I may do this for the deck. I had the PDF rules printed & spiral bound with protective covers. Also, had the QRS sheets laminated.
I've read over the construction for the ships and it seems pretty straight forward. Just need to get a good cutting surface. My normal mat for painting has a lot of crud on it - like dried paint & glue that would likely screw up any straight-edge cutting. After I glue the ships together, I'll go to Joann's or Micheal's for card matting to use as bases.

The mat I ordered uses 5" hexes; that's what Eric recommends for 1:300 scale; and the size he used at Enfilade. I'll probably get another 6' X 4' mat; one seems so small compared to the three Eric used at Enfilade. However, I don't have a table large enough for two right now.

I will try to post a Work-in-Progress, as this project moves along.

Roman Seas Rules Released

Wow - I was just surfing the 'net and wanted to see what was new on Eric Hotz' Roman Seas, and lo and behold, his rules have been released.

Here's the description of the rules: Roman Seas is a fast-paced, dynamic, multi-player miniatures game designed for use with 6mm (1/300th) scale ship models and miniatures, and played on a hex grid game board. Roman Seas is designed to allow each player to control a squadron of two to ten ships. Players will be able to recreate small naval actions from the start of the first Punic War when Rome constructed its first major fleets (264 BC), to Actium (31 BC), to the effective end of the Roman Navy (400 AD).

Here's the cover of the book (the illustration is also in the old National Geographic book "Greece and Rome").
Here's a page from the rules (available hard copy now; PDF version should be available soon).
I was fortunate enough to get to in on a game at Enfilade this past May. When asked about his rules, I recall Eric saying it was in the works. To me, it sounded like it was a ways off - which disappointed me, as I really enjoyed the game. I liked the mechanics, as well as the great-looking ships and terrain. As most folks know, the ships and gaming aids are printed on card stock and have crisp, clean detail. He also had 6mm figures on the decks, which are a perfect match and only add to appeal of the game.

I already plan to order the PDF version with CD, Roman Navy set, and hex mat. The CD includes files of all the gaming aids - ship rosters (pre-filled & blank), markers, counters, etc. I also plan to get some 6mm Baccus Republican Romans to man the decks. This is what I envision gaming Actium will look like:

Enfilade 2009 - WAB Game Hosting

Today, May 24, 2009 is historic, in that I managed to survive GMing my first-ever WAB game - at a Convention, no less. Actually, I had a lot of help from Bruce D. - a very experienced WAB gamer. Also, Adrian & Dan were on the next table running their large Punic Wars game. Indeed, I called over to Adrian several times when Bruce "disappeared" a couple of times. First off, I'd like to thank all of the aforementioned folks, and also Kevin Smyth for loaning me his English longbowmen. Not only for this game, but for the play-test games leading up to today. Also, thanks again to Adrian & Dan for the use of their game board & terrain - and of course, Adrian's English (some finished just days before).

Now on to the game itself. The 4 players for this game included Bryan Shein of Pacific Sky Games (& outgoing President of NHMGS), Damond Crump, author of "Patrol" - a great set of WW2 skirmish rules, and Kim Harris from Eastern Washington and board member of Tactical Solutions, a convention held in Spokane. So, with folks like these, you know I was under a lot of pressure; actually I couldn't have asked for better players. They not only had a lot of patience with me trying to get my GMing down, but also had everything to do with the game flowing so well. We actually finished 6 turns (the agreed upon finish) in well-under 3 hours. We were allotted 4 hours.

The English players were very intuitive & aggressive. They utilized all of their forces well & the end of turn 6 saw much of the French forces with heavy casualties. the French had good intentions, but consistently bad dice rolls. The battlefield itself was largely still contested, though - no side had a clear advantage over the other. It was somewhat of a draw. The interesting thing was that this was the closest finish in favor of the English for the four games this battle was gamed. The three earlier play-test games all ended with the French looking like they would end up winning. In large part to the arrival during turn 3 of Richemont's two forces of mounted knight - which was unknown to the players. During the actual battle, the arrival of these forces did in fact turn the battle in favor of the French.

Here are some photos I managed to take in between my not-so-perfect GMing. Which must not have been so bad, as all the players said they had a good time & forgave me for any mistakes.
Here are some pictures of the Punic Wars game run by Adrian & Dan - I apologize for not captioning or describing the action going on.
I was lucky enough to play a Roman Seas game hosted by Eric Hotz on Saturday - very enjoyable - definitely a game I would like to play again.