Vote for which you like!

 

Okay folks... which do you like best?  The icons on the left, which use a more varied texture for the ground and buildings, or the more "clean" icons to the right?

Would love to get some input in the vote on the left hand side of the blog!:)

Some icons for our new game

Thought folks might enjoy seeing a few icons... the left hand column is the "Recruit New Units" icon for the Dictator faction (top) the NATO faction (middle) and the Resistance faction (bottom.)  The right-hand column is the "Research and Development" icon, which is where you research new weapons and gear for your units.

Anyway, I know this is primarily a wargames blog, but this one (for the XBOX) will be basically a modern warfare wargame, so it might be of some interest!

This one is a few months away from finished (probably closer to four by the time all the AI work is done) but if anyone has anything they would like to see in a modern combat game, please do share:)

Also, just so folks know, my first XBOX game, Zombie Armageddon, is VERY cheap right now, and still doing well!  It is totally worth the money... so please do consider buying it (it is about a dollar) on XBOX Live Indie Games!

**LOADS** of GREAT eye-candy... terrain, Old West, and loads'o'antiques!

Howdy all!

Well, went over to my buddy's place today... took a bunch of table shots, played a bunch of 15mm Cowboys on the big table, and even took some photos of the room and some random stuff in it!

First up... the table shots!

Okay, first up, a shot of the table from the town side.  Please excuse the white board balanced on the edge... it is for record-keeping for a shoot-out:)

You can also see the unpainted fort, placed near the center.  It was taken out shortly after this photo... just wanted to see the layout of the fort.

Here is a shot of the mountains at the end.  You can see some swampland at the bottom left corner... if you look close, you'll even see a buck sheltering in the swamps.

Here is a shot of the mountains from the far side.  You can see the road leading out to the plains, and the camp on the near slope.  On the far mountain you can just make out the miner camp.

Here is a close-up of the nearest camp.  We finished playing and my buddy put out my gang in the camp.

Here is a more well-lit shot of the mountain pass.

Here is the far mountain, with the miner camp.  You can actually see the miners in this shot... two up top (one actually right against the tree) and two guys down below.

On a tall mountain peak, a wolf perches up on a log and howls.

Now, let's get to town!  Here is a shot from outside of town.  You can see the taller grasslands on the right.

Here is a shot of the homestead just outside of town... my buddy is using it as his home base for his gang leader.

Another shot of town, from the far side.

The train pulls up, and a man who has to leave kisses his girl goodbye.

Another shot of the backside of town... the priest is down on the lower left, visiting a grave.

A shot up main street.

A kid runs along the sidewalk in the center of town.

Folks walking around town.

The Chinese laundry.

A moment from the start of one of the gunfights we had tonight... the saloon owner doesn't see the cowboy drawing his weapon...

Now, as for games themselves... we played a bunch of hunts!  Here is "Red" from my gang hunting a wolf.  I think this one got away.

Johnny Ringo, from my buddy's gang, kills himself a cougar... I think he made some dough on that pelt!

The Wells Fargo coach comes out from the valley...

... but just as it hits the plains...

... some cowboys gallop out!

We tried to hijack maybe four stagecoaches today, but they all got away... you don't want to risk your boys too recklessly!

At the end of the night, my gang rests up!

Also, here are a few "craft" shots... first up, here is the bottom of these figures.  Remember, they are 15mm... the infantry is mounted on a button, and the mounted figures on a penny!

Here is a shot from the side.

Here are all the cowboys in their case.

My gang... Hitchcock on the left, boss leader William in the center, and "Red" on the right.

Here are a few shots of the room!  One kepi (artillery I believe) with some swords (decorative) and a few other bits.

Other side of the fireplace, including the hand-stitched Irish Brigade flag.

The mantel over the fireplace... the 15mm ACW troops normally aren't there.  Neither is the kepi; it normally lives on the drum, but was moved for a moment.

The .45s my buddy recently got.  You can see glimpses of the 28mm AWI collection to his left and right.

The K-98 he also got recently... it is an original (repro sling) in AMAZING condition.  Notice near the center left of the barrel the swastika/eagle emblem... just ahead of the K-98 forward of the breech.

Just one of the ridiculous number of shelves all around the edges of the room... note the customized Tigers on the front left of this shot, and the early war CSA unit at the back corner in havelocks.  There are about eight shelves like these of 28mm ACW in the room, along with 10 or so additional big plastic crates of the rest of the 28mm ACW collection under the table, about 20something shelves of 28mm AWI, a huge 28mm WWII shelf, a huge 15mm WWII shelf, and some other assorted figures.

Anyway... hope all have enjoyed!

15mm Old West civilians finished

And that's it!

All of my contributions to the 15mm Old West collection are done, now that I've finished up the last five civilians I had.  These five guys turned out pretty good... a woman in a plain dress, a pair of fellows who are perfect for mine work or whatever, and two gents who might serve as corrupt politicians or some other interesting character.

As a note; these guys ARE dipped.  Generally I grab their bases with an old pair of pliers, and then I dip them in.  I shake them off pretty good in a large paper bag (to contain the splatter.)  I then take a piece of paper towel and fold it over a few times and dab away at a few key spots... namely between the legs, between arms and bodies, at the bottom of robes, and on the faces... otherwise, the dip really pools up there.  Do make sure to fold the paper towel over and use the folded part; do NOT let the ripped edge near the figures, as there will be little bits of fiber that will stick to the figure.  So dab away, and done!

So that's it!  Tomorrow I am hanging out with my buddy and we are going to finally play a bit on the cowboy table... I'll take some photos and report back!

Readers thoughts on some icons?

Howdy all!

Hoping for a little help...

We are working on some of the icons and graphic displays for the UI for the new game...

Above is an early rough of what we are considering for "unit cards."

The top row is the name of the unit.  Then comes the equipment.  Then comes the combat scores (attack, defense, and morale.)  Finally comes the cost per turn in cash, oil, and personnel.

I just wanted to ask for some opinions... what do folks think of these graphics?  Do they work?  No?  Are there any changes you would like to see?  Different ideas all together for the icons?

Would love some input!

Some more 15mm Old West Civilians WIP

Okay, here are some more!

I am taking a break from eyebreaking pixel replacement on the new XBOX game (we DID have a huge breakthrough tonight, a brainwave of sorts of a new sort of game) I thought I'd do some more civilians!

There are a pair of fellows that could be mine workers or common workers... a woman in a plain dress... and a pair of gents who are a bit intimidating... one with his hand in the air preaching, and the other backing his boss up.  No real story behind them, except I thought it would be good to have civilians who had a little bit of a bad-ass presence... can use them for any number of things, or just as regular fellows who favor darker clothes!  You can't tell, but their pants are actually dark brown and dark blue... and the one has a slightly blue-tinted hat.  Can't tell in the photo though!

My buddy's insane 15mm Old West table is coming together...

Hey all!

Well, I thought I'd post this... my buddy has his 15mm Old West table somewhat together... still missing some bits (such as the fort, which is going to the righthand side near the intersection) but it is basically together.  Now we are going to start gaming on it... basically building our gangs and then having them wander the world, hunting deer and robbing stagecoaches and getting in blazing shootouts down town!

I am heading over there next week, and I'll get some shots of the games we play, and maybe some detail shots as well.  He is also getting some good lighting for the room which will look sharp.

Anyway, for a LOT more shots, head over to his blog, Echoes of Glory!

A Glimpse at the new game project

Hey all!

Just thought I'd share a quick VERY very very very very very very early shot of the new XBOX game project, which will be a modern combat sim... above you can see a force of Special Forces troops, Marines, and Army infantry moving across a dense part of the city... there is a LOT left to do, as the UI is basically being redone and a lot more is being done, but still, should be a fun little cheap XBOX game when we are done, in three or four or so months!:)

Anyway... more toy soldier goodness coming soon!

15mm Cowboy "White Hats" all done

 Hey all!

Well, the "White Hats," which will be used as the generic NPC "good guy" gang or posse in my buddy's persistent 15mm Old West game, are all done!  After I got them basically done we talked a bit, and felt that they were not "hanging together" enough as a gang of good guys... I made a few changes, including adding a few gray pants and, most important, painting ALL of the hats white.  I think this did a LOT in making them more consistently "good guy" looking.  Yeah, it is a little Spaghetti Western, but that is what we are shooting for with this gang of good guys!

Anyway, hope everyone enjoys!

15mm Cowboy "Camp" base

Hey all!

Well, finished up the "Camp" base, which will be used in our game to indicate where the player gang has left off for the evening when we are done playing.  Here is a shot with a cowboy in the spot for the figure.  Overall I think it turned out pretty cool!

Anyway, I'll have the "White Hats" tomorrow, and then some civilians, and then I think I am done with 15mm Cowboys for now... I'll have to figure out what project to tackle next!

Working on a really neat piece for the cowboys...

Hey all!

Well, thought I'd put up some WIP of a project I've been messing with today...

So, as I've mentioned I have a friend who is doing a whole 15mm Old West table that he wants to keep up for some time.  We've been working on some rules for a game on it, which include a number of options for play, including hunting, stagecoach robberies, train robberies, gang raids, and shoot-outs.  I'm trying to make it so that each "type" of gameplay takes a different amount of time (you can do a hunt in three or four minutes, whereas a full-out train robbery or shoot-out can take an hour) so that you can just jump to the table and play whenever you feel like it!

The idea had come up about creating a little "chit" to represent where your gang left off when you last played, and my buddy had the idea of doing a little "camp" scene as that chit.  The idea is that you take your gang boss and slot him into the chit, and then put the camp down wherever you left off, so at least you get a little visual of where your gang is.

So, here is the one I am working on for my gang!  I used an old poker chip to give it some weight, and then a piece of balsa-like wood for the whole.  I sanded it all down smooth, and then added the horse.  Some spackle, and then I added the fire, the treasure chest (I imagine the gang leader spends his time by the fire checking out his loot!) and then a log to sit on, with some dinner on a plate balanced on the log where the cowboy just put it down!

When it dries I'll undercoat it and then start painting!

Some shelves of Napoleonic French

 Because it is always fun to look at shelves of miniatures with mirrors behind them!:)