First Playtest: Surviving 'Nam - A Year In-Country with Mr. Charles...

    Viet Cong have an ambush ready for the soldiers of the Big Red One in my first play test of the rules

Well, the system worked! And boy, was it bloody for my soldiers from the Big Red One (1st Infantry Division)!! 2nd Lt. Cooper was tasked with leading two squads with an attached M60 light machine gun (LMG) team and medic, to check out a small, Vietnamese hamlet, taking place as part of a company-wide sweep. Each squad was led by a veteran sergeant with three riflemen and an M79 bloop gunner (grenade launcher). A total of 15 soldiers, recently arrived in Vietnam, were humping single-file on a trail through the bush heading towards the hooches of Su Khoi Dau Khong Vui. From the distant sounds of firing from where the other platoons in the company likely were, they could expect contact at any moment. If it happened, it would be their first significant firefight of their 12-month tour of duty. The troopers were nervous, but confident in their sergeants, old timers Sgt. Hayes and Sgt. Bruce. However, they still were not 100% sure about their brand new second lieutenant, Cooper, who'd just been placed in charge of their platoon shortly after arriving in Vietnam.  

    Layout of my fictional Vietnamese hamlet & the hooches the soldiers have been tasked to investigate

My system is an adaption of Ganesha Games' cooperative or solo miniatures game, Sellswords & Spellslingers.  The intention is for players to each control a squad of American soldiers trying to survive their year-long tour in Vietnam. The enemy, in this battle the Viet Cong (VC), are controlled by the Event Cards and the game's mechanics. I played it as if I were two separate players, though, each controlling a squad and splitting the attached elements up between them. My imaginary two players would alternate activating a soldier until all soldiers had acted, and then a new turn would begin. 

The game lasted 11 turns, with the final group of soldiers exiting the table, assisting their wounded comrades to safety. They left behind 21 dead or wounded VC at the hamlet, but suffered grievous wounds in the process. Luckily, that included only one American Killed in Action (KIA). After the battle, I rolled on the chart for recovery from wounds to see who would be available next month (Mission #2), who would still be recuperating in the rear, and who had the misfortune to make a quick full recovery and be available for the next scenario...ha, ha! The ranks will be considerably thinned for that game, with each squad down from five to four and three new replacements assigned to fill the void. I'm getting ahead of myself, though! How about a battle report?

    The Big Red One in column as it marches past fields & patches of woods as it nears the hamlet

In the lead, Sgt. Hayes motioned his point man and slack man towards the hooches, as they came into view. Things seemed peaceful, with about a dozen Vietnamese farmers and villagers going about their business in the fields, leading animals, or stopping to stare at the approaching G.I.'s. For my rules, I've created a new pre-battle sequence called Countdown to Contact. Instead of players rolling for each soldier individually for their actions, and then moving them like normal, each player rolls two dice per soldier under their command all at once. He then assigns the dice to figures and moves them. Any failures to activate do NOT result in the draw of an Event Card. This pre-battle sequence is meant to reflect that players nott really know when the you-know-what is going to hit the fan. So, Sgt. Hayes gave his lead three soldiers two moves towards the hooches, hoping to get them checked out before any enemy appeared, while the rest of his squad followed up with one move. Sgt. Bruce moved his squad up behind, some beginning to fan out into the woods to the left of the trail.

    Sgt. Bruce's 2nd Squad begins to deploy into the woods to cover 1st Squad's search of the hamlet

At the end of each turn of Countdown to Contact, a single d6 is rolled. You add +1 for each elapsed turn, plus any scenario modifiers to the roll (I gave this scenario, "Check out the Hooches!", a +2, meaning I was adding three total to the die roll). If a "6" or higher is rolled, Countdown to Contact ends and the normal activation procedure begins. Players then roll one or two 20-sided dice (their choice) for each of their characters -- called PCs. I've changed it from the three dice of Sellswords to two dice to make for fewer wild swings in events. Veterans activate on a roll of 7+ (Sgt. Hayes and Sgt. Bruce were the only veterans, having seen combat in Korea). Most troops are "Grunts," and activate on an 8+, while FNGs on a 9+ (the N&G stand for "New Guy" -- can you figure out what the "F" is for?). Wouldn't you know it, but I rolled to end Countdown to Contact after only one turn! That was only the first of many unexpected things to occur for my newly-arrived troops!

    Even before the shooting started, some of the villagers wisely decided to flee for safety

I had also created a chart for civilian movement, with results ranging from Freeze to moving away from U.S. troops, moving away from any VC, double moving towards the nearest board edge, and even "transforming" into a VC, revealing a weapon, and opening fire or throwing a grenade. I rolled at the end of each turn, with most civilians having escaped off-table by turns 4 or 5. Only one doughty old mamasan, just as she neared the table edge, pulled out a sub-machine gun from under her black pajamas and joined the VC in the woods. Meanwhile, Pvt. Parker and Pfc. Taum reached the stairs of the two hooches by the end of their moves. The rest of the two squads were moving up to cover them, expecting gunfire at any moment.

    First VC enemy appears - a light machine gun team opens fire on the U.S. soldiers in the hamlet

I jotted down on a notepad any thing I encountered during the play test that I thought needed clarified or changed. One of the first changes I feel I will make was prompted by the sequence of Event Cards I flipped for each activation failure of my soldiers. The first four or five would have activated enemy troops (called "Foes" in the rules) if any had been present. However, since none began on the table, I was skating by with no ill effect from some pretty nasty cards, such as "All Hell Breaking Loose" (which activates all foes on the table). So, my first change will be that once Countdown to Contact ends, scenarios will dictate a certain number of foes be placed on the table immediately. The first one that eventually did show up was an enemy LMG team in the woods along the left hand board edge. It opened fire, pinning several soldiers, but not taking anyone "Down." One of the effects of an LMG in my game is that, even if its roll to hit is unsuccessful, it "Pins" its target and any other enemies within 2". Everything I have read about Vietnam indicated the M60 was the killing weapon in close combat on the battlefields of Vietnam. I found this to be true in my play test, as well. The American's M60 and the VC's RPD (and also the U.S. grenade launchers), wreaked the most havoc on the enemy.

    The first U.S. casualty -- Cpl. Kern is hit by LMG fire while Pvt. Cassidy and a villager look on

Not all Event Cards activate or bring foes onto the table, though. One that didn't bring new enemy hit me on the first turn of normal activation procedure (technically Turn 2). "Colonel on the Horn" has several possible outcomes listed on the card, requiring a further die roll to see what the battalion commander wants. My roll was "Mission Scrubbed - get off table with your wounded ASAP." I reasoned that one of the other companies had walked into a nasty ambush and Cooper's squads were needed to reinforce them. That was the last thing poor privates Tatum and Parker wanted to hear, though! Now they had to double time back across the open ground with VC popping up in the woods all around the ville. This mission was FUBAR before it had barely begun! Another change I'm making is to add a few more outcomes to "Colonel on the Horn." I included ones that don't scrub the mission, including an insistent colonel requiring a detailed Situation Report right away, dammit! This will cause the C.O. and radioman to lose their next turn. 

    Pvt. Janowicz lobs a perfect 'bloop gun' shot amidst a VC squad that just opened fire on his buddies

"All Hell" was truly breaking loose as more and more VC opened fire on my guys. Turn 2 saw the first Americans going "Down." One of the key concepts of Sellswords & Spellslingers, thus also in my "Surviving 'Nam" rules, is the Danger Level (DL) of a foe. It is used when the foe shoots at a PC (the PC must roll higher than the DL to be unscathed), or when a PC is shooting AT a foe. The tricky part for that is modifiers for cover and distance must be listed as "+ / -". That thick Medium Cover is subtracted from the Danger Level of the foe when he's shooting at you, making it easier to roll. However, it has the opposite effect when your PC is shooting at an enemy tucked away behind the trees, making the number you need to roll to hit higher. The first of my troops to go Down (fail to roll over the enemy's DL) was Cpl. Kern, who had moved to the edge of the field and was drawing a bead on the enemy LMG. 

    Another squad of VC shoot from ambush downing Pfc. Griffin, but missing the medic, Cpl. Spellman

I say "Down" instead of wounded because of something peculiar I had read in numerous memoirs by soldiers who served in Vietnam. A soldier would be struck and go down. More than once, they wrote the impact of the bullet felt like they were hit by a truck. However, when someone went to check on them, they found that a piece of equipment had deflected or stopped the force of the round, and the soldier was unharmed. Or sometimes the soldier was only lightly wounded, but the sight of their blood and knowing they'd been shot was keeping them from functioning. I represent this in my rules by a roll below the DL meaning the PC goes "Down." Tip the figure over. Another friendly figure has to go and spend an action checking on him. Once that action has been spent, players roll on the chart to see how badly hurt the soldier was, in fact. A full range of possibilities from unhurt like above, lightly wounded, seriously hurt, or "Messed Up" -- out of action. 

    Having almost begun the search of the hooches, Pvt. Tatum & Pvt. Parker are hurriedly recalled

I began the play test scenario later in the evening, and was surprised when Jenny came downstairs to tell me it was 10:30pm already. Time went by fast while playing! I finished the turn, and resolved to finish the game after lunch tomorrow. My troops were in the process of falling back to our entry point, and things were looking fairly good. Cpl. Spellman, the medic, was Johnny on the spot, bouncing from one downed soldier to another. He had been targeted himself numerous times, but seemed to be leading a charmed life. Every time, he rolled above the foe's DL and came away unscathed. A shout to Spellman's rear distracted him, though, as he was checking on Pfc. Griffin. Sgt. Hayes had been hit! After patching up Griffin's flesh wound and ordering him back into the fight, he jogged off to check on his sergeant. 

    Medic & Pvt. Janowicz check on Pfc. Griffin, while behind them veteran Sgt. Hayes goes down

It was at this moment, that the wheels came off the Big Red jalopy! Spellman was Downed himself by fire from a squad of VC that had popped up to his right. Pfc. Tatum, panting from his hair-raising run through the center of the ville, stopped to help Hayes and Spellman. Another burst of fire, and Tatum went down, too. What was truly turning the tide in favor of the VC was a horrible run of my die rolling for activation. First Squad's M79 gunner, Pvt. Cassidy, failed on both his activation rolls for two turns in a row. I kept a log of what each soldier did to help me analyze the game afterwards. Turn 4 reads "x2 Failures" over and over. Plus, cards like "All Hell Breaks Loose" came up back to back. 

    One mamasan fleeing off-board changes course, pulls out a weapon, and join the VC in the woods

Sgt. Bruce was doing his best, though, to pick up the slack when his counterpart went down. He kept the M60 gunner, Pfc. George, hammering away at the VC. One ability of the squad leader is to give a free activation to any soldier within 6" -- even if they've already acted. Pfc. George and his assistant gunner Pvt. Boston, fed belt after belt through the M60. George was quick to pin and silence enemy LMGs as they opened up on the squads. However, the problem facing the Big Red One was that the guys who were Down were back out in the open, in the center of the village. Plus, it didn't help that Lt. Cooper and his radioman, back on Turn 3 when things looked smooth, extracted themselves off-table. So, no Fire Missions to lay smoke or bail out the troops with the radio gone! Nice job, "Butterbar!"

I wrote my mechanics to encourage players to do what U.S. troops would do when their buddies went down. They risk their own lives to check on them and recover their wounded. The Down mechanic rewards players for doing this. You're not really sure how badly they're hit. This encourages players to check on their buddies, like troops actually would, and help them get off the table to Medevac. 

    Pvt. Janowicz continues to "get some" with his M79 grenade launcher & another great shot!

Things continued to go downhill as the turn count rose. Sgt. Bruce went down on Turn 5. Now, both squad leaders and the lieutenant were unable to help their command. At one point, I counted that I had only five guys standing and seven laying Down or otherwise out of action. Luckily, Pvt. Carter was able to help patch up Sgt. Hayes. Once on his feet, Hayes immediately began to make a difference. His extra action motivated the soldiers to gather up their wounded buddies and begin hobbling with them to the rear. Potential disaster struck when M60 gunner Pfc. George went Down, too. Hayes pulled him to his feet, though, and the two began limping to the rear. 

    Another VC LMG team fires at Cpl. Frey as he moves to rescue Kern, who has been down for awhile

Finally, a lull in new arrivals gave the soldiers some breathing space. Using the woods as cover, the remnants of both squads pulled back and finally were able to withdraw from the field. They weren't exactly in any shape to reinforce another platoon, but they could get their seriously wounded to Medevac, which would hopefully save their lives. At the start of Turn 12, when I noticed no VC had any of the pairs of survivors hobbling together towards the rear in line of sight, I called the game. All were within one move of the board edge, so it was obvious they'd get off. Whew! What a rush, though! At one point, I thought for sure both squads were going to be completely wiped out. Well, except for lucky Lt. Cooper and his radioman Pvt. Byers, doubtless wondering where everyone else was, and why they were lagging behind on the trail! 

    Things looked bleak with both Sgt. Hayes & Sgt. Bruce, the medic, and Pvt. Tatum down in a heap

After the battle was over, I carefully recorded each soldier's status at the end of the game. Luckily, all wounded had been helped off board by their fellow soldiers. This is important because each injured soldiers requires a roll on a Recovery Chart. There are positive modifiers if a soldier has been helped off board, or if the wounds were light. I pulled up the chart, snagged a likely 20-sided die, and wished for the best. So, here are the results of the Big Red One's first action in Vietnam:

    Near the end, I began to wonder if we'd have enough uninjured soldiers to carry all the wounded!

 

1ST SQUAD

• Squad Leader Sgt. Hayes = (Lost Limb - his war is over!) This was a frustratingly bad, post-game die roll. I had a +4 for him being only Lightly Wounded, and +1 for making it off-board. My roll? A "1" on 1d20! Apparently, the old Korean War veteran toughed out that serious leg wound at the end game, but once at the hospital it turned out much worse than it looked.
• Cpl. Kern = fit for duty (Roll was "Bad Luck - soldier returned to unit after a few days of medical care"...ha, ha!). 
• Pfc. Tatum = out for 1 month, recuperating from wounds.
• Pvt. Parker = Killed In Action - the unit's only fatality.
• Pvt. Cassidy = fit for duty. 

2ND SQUAD

• Squad Leader Sgt. Bruce = Lost Limb - his war is over! Wow - I lost both of my squad leaders on the very first mission. Will anyone survive their 12-month tour? 
• Cpl. Frey =  out for 1 month, recuperating from wounds.
• Pfc. Griffin = fit for duty.
• Pvt. Carter = fit for duty (injured, but also with the "Bad Luck" roll).
• Pvt. Janowicz = fit for duty.   

ATTACHED ELEMENTS 

• Command Officer 2nd Lt. Cooper = fit for duty.
• Radioman Pfc. Byars = fit for duty.
• Medic Cpl. Spellman = Million Dollar Wound (returning to the States for treatment -- his war is over!).
• M60 Machine Gunner Pfc. George = Lost Limb - his war is over!
• M60 Asst. Gunner Pvt. Boston = fit for duty.

    My card deck - first play test went well, though casualties were high among the two squads!

That's one KIA and four so badly wounded their tour of duty is over. An additional two won't be back in time for the next mission. So, the ranks will be a little thin for Mission #2! Reflecting on the casualties, that's seven of 15 who reported for duty that will not be there next time. It looks like Lt. Cooper is going to have to take over 2nd Squad himself, while Cpl. Kern is promoted to promoted to lead 1st Squad. He's going to be thrilled by that outcome, I'm sure! And likely, just as thrilled that he's getting two new replacements. Actually, there IS a slim chance with each Replacement roll that you don't get a FNG, but actually get someone more experienced. In the attached elements, there will be a new assistant gunner, as Pvt. Boston is promoted and moves up to take George's place on the M60. There will also be a new medic. I'll do all the rolls to see what type of replacement they get prior to the next post.

After my first play test, I am very encouraged. It was bloody, but I had some awful luck in the mid-going of the game. I want to do at least one more game before I open it up to others giving it a run with their group or by themselves. If you're interested in play testing, send me an email (mike.demana.wwm@gmail.com). I will need to type up rules more properly than I have it now, with sections scattered here and there. Thanks for any comments on the battle report, and I hope to present Mission #2 next week sometime!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 161

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 36
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 57

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 150

I'm Liking My 28mm Empress Vietnamese Civilians

    A dozen 28mm Empress Miniatures civilians I picked up from Age of Glory at Historicon 2025

I know in my last post, I pronounced myself not so enamored of the 28mm Empress Miniatures LMG-armed miniatures I bought at Historicon. I feel the exact opposite about these three packs of Vietnamese civilians I bought at the same time. First of all, the size difference for a Vietnamese civilian vs. a U.S. soldier should be pretty marked. Every memoir I've read by veterans talks about how both Americans and Vietnamese noticed how much bigger we were than the locals. The other reason is I think they did a wonderful job sculpting personality and better faces onto these figures. The features seem much sharper detailed. The variety of interesting poses makes these an easy buy for someone doing 28mm Vietnam. 

    Youth at left & his older sister in the 'Ao Dai' dress are examples of very simple but effective poses

Many of these are very simple figures and poses, I admit. For example, the walking Vietnamese youth has no equipment to note and is just simply sauntering along. Same with the one that could be his older sister -- the Vietnamese lady in the flowing "ao dai" dress, as they're called. And perhaps their grandmother, the old mamasan squatting in the dirt? Somehow, these simple poses look natural for a villager. Since about half of the figures were relatively equipment-free (we're talking hoes, baskets, and bundles here), I decided to paint all 12 at once. Normally, I would split these into two groups of six. However, I had a feeling they would paint up very quickly, and they did.

    Rural Vietnamese villagers in their traditional black costume with 'Non La' palm & bamboo hat

I reverted back to my normal method of painting for these civilians. I primed them with Liquitex white Gesso, then did their skin first, followed by clothes and equipment (if any). Since most of my Vietnam games will take place in the countryside, not in Saigon or another bigger city, I wanted a more rural look. So, after painting their flesh, I got out my black paint the next day and added black to most of the figures, reflecting traditional dress in the countryside of Vietnam. About a quarter were done in all black. The rest might receive a black shirt, but then a different color of trousers, or vice versa. Some got no black at all, such as the one that appeared to be an ethnic Hmong, with her much more elaborate traditional costume. 

    The middle pose resembled Hmong tribal costume so I painted the woman up like that - a bit fancier!

Since these are 28mm figs, though, most would receive a dry brush highlight on their clothing and whatever they were holding or carrying. This meant painting the base color one morning during my usual AM paint session, and then letting it dry overnight. The next morning, I would dry brush a highlight color, and then do the base color for either another article of clothing or their basket or whatever. This meant it took about 4-5 days to get all 12 completely done. 

    A few stoic looking 'mamasans' hardened by an agricultural life in Vietnam's climate & conditions

I am very happy with how these country folk turned out. The poses are very natural and believable, and they look like they belong out in the "boonies," as U.S. troops would call it. Many wear the traditional Non La conical hat made of palm leaves and bamboo. It is the iconic look for Vietnam, and rather than do them in a variety of colors, I made them look relatively identical. I'm sure newer ones would be brighter and older ones a little darker, but I honestly didn't bother with that. I painted them a base coat of Iron Wind Metals "Dun Yellow," and dry brushed them a very light tan craft paint called "Wild Rice." Finally, i did a dark brown wash over them with my Vallejo vehicle wash.

    Another look at the group of villagers from above, alongside two of my scratch-built jungle huts

I went for a simpler flocking system for these, too -- at least compared to the troops. I am assuming that these civilians will be hanging around villages, not out in the jungle.  As with the Empress LMG-armed figures, I based them on the raised plastic bases that came which my Crucible Crush Black Sun American and VC troops. Since I substituted the soldiers onto flat bases, I hoped this little bit of extra height would make them look more natural next to the U.S. or Vietnamese troops on the tabletop. I flocked the lip of the base, too, so that it wasn't obvious they were on a different shaped base. Hopefully, they'll look great next to my Crucible Crush figures on the tabletop.

    Tight shot showing the range of poses in just three of a dozen packs Empress Miniatures makes

What else is on my painting desk, at the moment? Well, since the weather in Congo-lumbus, OH, finally broke and it is much cooler and less humid, I was finally able to spray paint yesterday! So, I have the Miniature Building Authority bunkers and sniper positions black primed. One step ahead are the Canyon Rocks and Stacks I bought from Diabolical Terrain -- they have their tan base coat on, and await only a dry brush and brown wash. For miniatures, I have a group of six Sci-Fi civilians that I assembled from my various Stargrave boxes. I need them for my next Star Wars scenario using Space Weirdos rules. Oh, and I did finish off another batch of those movement markers that I featured in the last post. I didn't bother photographing them since they are identical to the first ones. So, stay tuned for more soon...! 

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 161

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 36
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 50

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 150

Adding 28mm Empress Machine Gunners to My V.C.

    Four 28mm light machine gun Vietnamese from Empress Miniatures to augment by Vietnam project

I have loved the Crucible Crush miniatures from their Black Sun Vietnam range, but one drawback was the lack of Vietnamese machine gunners. There were enough U.S. M60 gunners, I felt. However, there was only one VC with an LMG in the range, forcing me to look elsewhere to supplement my opposition force. I knew that Age of Glory would be at Historicon the previous weekend, so reached out to Steve to ensure he was bringing his 28mm Empress Vietnam figures. He said he was, so I looked through the website and made a list of what I wanted to buy.

    I liked how the pack came with four completely different poses (wearing different uniforms, too)

Top of the list was this pack of four LMG-armed NVA. I'd brought along one of my painted Black Sun guys bundled up in a tissue and small ziploc bag. I pulled him out and yes, as my friend Jim W had told me, the Empress figs were significantly smaller. However, I bought the pack anyway and it was the first thing I prepped and got ready to paint upon returning home from the convention. I liked how there were four completely different poses and had noticeable differences in their uniforms. This would make it easier to use them as either VC, since my force so far is all VC.

    This marching pose looked the most 'VC' of the pack, so I painted him in black pajamas

Looking back at the Age of Glory website picture in my last post, I just now noticed the figures in my pack did not come with the bipod sculpted on. That's odd, unless there was a pack with and without and I bought the latter? I didn't notice that, though. Hmmm. The bipod would have been a good way for the figure to say, "Hey, this is an LMG!" As it is, I will be using these figures in solo play tests initially. They will come on board as an LMG, so it should be fairly obvious what it is once on the tabletop. Still, I decided I needed a better indicator of the fact they are LMGs. So, I cut up pieces of brass wire and glued them on top of the flocking. I did this with my 20mm Modern Africa figures, and it made them easier to identify on the tabletop. The question is -- should I go back and do that with my Black Sun figures, too? Hmm, not sure on that one!

    This pose has the gunner firing from the hip - similar to some Black Sun poses for the Americans

Of course, as if the size difference between the Empress and Crucible Crush figures wasn't marked enough, three of the four figures are either crouching, kneeling, or prone. That would make them appear even shorter! To help make up for the sized differences a little, I used the raised black plastic bases with a wide lip that came in each pack of Black Sun figures. This would boost the Empress figs' height a bit, since I did NOT use those bases for Americans or VC. To affix a 1" adhesive magnetic bottom to the hollow base, I flipped it upside down first. I gooped in (technical term!) two-part epoxy in the center and along the rim. I placed the magnetic circle on top and then flipped it back, right-side up. Luckily, the magnetic circle has a slightly wider circumference. So, the magnet should stay in place. I hope! Either way, the "high heels" I am giving the Empress figs will make their height closer to the Crucible Crush ones, which were based on flat bases I used instead. 

    Normally I am not a fan of prone poses, but I guess it makes sense with a LMG

After painting up these figures, I do have to say that I like the Crucible Crush ones better. I feel the detail is more crisp in the Black Sun range and the poses are more dynamic. If my solo play tests go well, I will eventually look at adding regular NVA forces to my collection of opposition for the Big Red One in Vietnam. If I do, my plan is to use Gringo 40s for those, as their size (according to my friend Jim W) are much more in alignment with the Crucible Crush. Plus, I really like their poses, too, and the breadth of the range. Honestly, the biggest reason I went with Black Sun over Gringo was I did not want to order from the UK in this era of tariffs and wildly fluctuating rules on international trade. You-know-who has not been kind to our hobby!

    Final look at the Empress LMG figures as they take cover in a ruined temple complex

I'm fairly happy with how these LMG-armed figures came out. Not as happy as with Black Sun, but these will suffice for my play test games. Speaking of which -- I know I keep saying this -- I am very close to doing my first solo play test. The rules are pretty much written. I have only one or two small things I need to do, such as rules for throwing grenades. Otherwise, I have all the command and control, movement, combat, and cards written. I expect I will go to Office Max this week to print up my own version of the Event Cards I've created for this game. I even put artwork that I found on Google Image searches on each card. Of course, if the rules are eventually published by Ganesha Games, I will need to source artwork that is royalty free (or get Andrea to draw it -- he's a great artist, himself!).

So, what else is on my painting desk right now? I'm actually making very good progress on the on the 28mm Empress Miniatures Vietnamese civilians that I bought along with these machine gunners. I would say they are close to halfway done. And weirdly, I am painting all 12 of them as one batch -- something I normally don't do. Of course, with much less (or no) equipment, there isn't as much to paint on them! Terrain-wise, I am stalled. I really want to start the MBA bunkers and sniper positions that I bought, but it has been simply too hot and humid to trust spray priming them. It is finally supposed to cool off this weekend, though. Maybe I'll finally get a chance to spray something then! In the meantime, I'll probably do up another batch of the movement markers I showed you in the last post. 

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 149

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 36
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 50

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 138

More Buildings for 28mm Vietnam Project

    Two 3-D printed Jungle Huts & 1 Shanty Town 'Noodle House' from Miniature Building Authority

Although I purchased all three of these buildings from Miniature Building Authority, they are actually two different types of products. The two similar ones are 3-D printed and the other is a resin building from his Shanty Town range that I thought might look appropriate for rural Vietnam. I think the 3-D printed ones, Jungle Hut, although different sizes are the exact same model. I think one was printed up for 28mm scale and the other was printed for 20mm, perhaps? They both look like they'll work for 28mm, with one simply being like a bigger hut. That's my guess, as I could find only one Jungle Hut listed in MBA's Pacific and Vietnam terrain section.

    I thought this resin MBA building from the 'Shanty Town' range seemed to fit for Vietnam

For the Shanty Town building, I selected Noodle Shanty as looking like it wouldn't be out of place in a village or hamlet in the countryside during the Vietnam War. I really like MBA's Shanty Town range and have been slowly picking up more and more of them. It seems that every convention MBA attends, I come how with 2-3 new buildings or products I bought at their booth. I liked this one because of its slapped-together look, with sections made of wood, corrugated tin, and even tarp. From what I have read of villages in Vietnam, the locals built with whatever scraps they could scavenge -- including the cardboard boxes C-Rations came in!

    The larger of the two 3-D printed 'Jungle Huts' - I really liked the peaked, thatch roof

All three were primed with Krylon Fusion Acrylic matte black spray paint, and then I went over them with a 50/50 mix of water and acrylic black craft paint. I have a premixed bottle (which I need to refill!) that I use since this is a common preparation method for the terrain that I paint up. I wanted these jungle huts to somewhat match my scratch-built ones I'd made for my 28mm Pulp games a few years ago. So, I chose a medium leather color as a base coat for both the interior and exterior. I dry brushed it Khaki next, but didn't like how the wooden pole framework looked identical to what I assume is supposed to be woven mat sides. I painted the horizontal and vertical poles (and door) Howard Hues camo brown. This is usually the second step, wet brushed over dark brown, in my wood tones recipe. I did a light highlight of Wild Rice rather than khaki so it looked a bit different from than the woven mat highlighting.

    I tried to match the color of the wall's woven matting to my earlier scratch-built jungle huts

All that was left for the building portion was to do a dark brown vehicle wash, which I think nicely darkens it up, but also gives some depth and warmth. Next, it was on to the roofs. Well, actually I had been working on them simultaneously. The huts had a thatch roof, which I painted with the same leather color, followed by a dun yellow dry brush. Normally, I do a light gray highlight on thatch, but I didn't on these as the detail on the 3-D prints was not as deep as, say, an Acheson Creations thatch building. I did a black wash over them, which I liked because it made the thatch a different tone than the buildings themselves. I like how these huts came out. They were easy and quick to do, similar to the Vietnamese Farmer's Hut and Barn that I'd finished previously for this project.

    The smaller of the two jungle huts, which I think are the exact same models in different scales

The Shanty Town noodle shop was a much more labor-intensive building. Being composed of a variety of patched-together materials, that meant a lot more steps and details than on the jungle huts. I began with the wooden portions, which I did in my usual aged wood preparation method. Dark brown base coat, Camo brown wet brush, and finally a khaki highlight gives a nice depth and still looks like wood. For the corrugated steel portions, I went all-in on the patched together look. I used a variety of colors -- light gray, pastel blue, gray-green, and salmon. I dry brushed the colors thickly over black, so that they would look aged and dirty. I did a light gray highlight on all of the colors. Finally, I used my Dirty Down rust effect bottle and added lots of rust to their surfaces. Having so much surface to cover, I learned a couple tricks. You get a different rust look depending on how thickly you apply it. If I brush it thinly over an area, and then add dark blobs of the paint in the middle after it has mostly dried, it gives a nice mottled look. I've decided I liked this purchase, and may go look at buying other effects from the Dirty Down line.

    The roof of the Noodle Hut and its patchwork look of pieces of rusted, corrugated steel

The oil barrels at the side of the house were done dry brushed terra cotta over black, with salmon highlights. I added rust effects to them, as well. Finally, the entire building received a black vehicle wash. I am really happy with how it turned out. It properly looks like an aging, pieced-together building in a backwater village. I could easily see using this building for post-apocalyptic games or even modern ones set in a slum or run-down area. Much as I really wanted to add a hand-lettered sign on the wooden placard of the building, I decided to hold off and let this building remain more generic. If I paint "Numbah 1 Noodles" in Vietnamese and English, like I was thinking, it makes it less usable for other periods and locations. Who knows? I may change my mind and go back and add something on the signboard. Or figure out a way to print out a sign and affix it there temporarily.

    The rear of the 'Shanty Town' Noodle Hut with its fabric tarps over some of the walls

Getting these done also neatly aligns with my other unofficial mantra for buying and painting things. I like to finish what I bought from a vendor the last time I saw them before I buy something new from them. So, having finished off all five of the buildings I bought from Kirk when he was at Buckeye Game Fest, I can with clear conscience (ha, ha!) buy new toys from him! Actually, if truth must be told, I have already put in an order with him to pick up at Historicon this week. It will be more stuff for Vietnam, but more bunkers and such to enable me to create a bigger variety of scenarios with my terrain. What else is on my painting desk? I have a big lot of Acheson Creations scatter that I am hoping to get some of done before we leave on Wednesday. It might not happen, though, as I they are only primed at the point I am typing up this blog entry. Maybe a couple of them will get done in time. We'll see! Very likely, though, this is the final blog post till after I return from Historicon.

    Interior of the Noodle Hut - I was looking for a mud-daubed wall effect with the colors I used

    Interior of one of the jungle huts -- simple, but playable, with openings to for troops to fire out

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 237
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 144

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 21
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 46

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 112

    'Chopper eye's view' of the three buildings in a jungle clearing...

Miniature Building Authority Vietnamese Farm Buildings & Scatter

   A patrol stocks up in a VC-friendly hamlet including my 2 MBA Farmer's House & Barn buildings

Now that I am finished with the miniatures for my 28mm Vietnam project, it is time to slip into "terrain mode." First up in the buildings I will be readying for the tabletop are from Miniature Building Authority. I purchased these from Kirk at Buckeye Game Fest this past May. When I unpacked them, they looked oddly familiar. Turns out, these were originally created by Acheson Creations and now are stocked by MBA. They are ACH-TC85 Vietnamese Farmer's House and ACH-TC88 Vietnamese Farmer's Barn.

    Originally produced by Acheson Creations, these MBA buildings were easy to ready for the tabletop

Unfortunately, I didn't realize they were originally Acheson ones until after I spray primed them and added the 50/50 mixture of acrylic black paint and water. It was then that I noticed some of the paint pulling away from the more raised areas. Uh-oh. I hadn't done my usual first step with Acheson products and run them through the dishwasher to get rid of the residue from Acheson's mold release. Once I realized it, I had two choices: strip them and start over or pile on the paint and sealant heavy enough that the paint does not wear away. I chose the latter, as I had no idea how to strip the Krylon Fusion Matte primer off without marring the surface of the buildings. These are great buildings, but I highly recommend you do the dishwasher thing before painting them, as for all Acheson's excellent products.

    The rear of the two buildings -- all it takes to paint these is prime, wet brush, & dry brush...easy!

I decided to do the interiors first. I gave them a thick Leather Brown base coat. I let them dry overnight and then dry brushed the interiors khaki. I painted the window trim and door frames a darker brown, then similarly dry brushed them khaki. The exteriors were painted dark brown first. I let the buildings dry overnight again, then I followed up with my typical "wood pattern." I applied a Camo brown wet brush followed the next day by a Khaki dry brush. I really like the look of the aged wood it gives, but still retaining a brown tone rather than a (probably more realistic) gray. 

    The interiors of the two resin buildings with their mud walls and wooden floors

The floors were done like the outside walls, skipping the khaki dry brush. I wanted them to be darker, figuring the farmer's family regularly tracked in dirt into their home. In fact, I was surprised the home and barn were modeled with wood flooring. I wonder if dirt would be more accurate? Perhaps in some areas and not others? I can't claim to be an expert on farmer home construction during the Vietnam War! Finally, I did the thatch roofing. This began with Camo Brown, followed by a Dun Yellow wet brush, and finally a very light gray dry brush highlighting. Once dry, I gave the thatch a black vehicle wash. 

    My larger jungle scatter pieces I created, with a patrol of Viet Cong marching past

Since I was worried about the paint not adhering to the resin properly, I gave the buildings a brush on clear coat using Liquitex matte varnish instead of spray. To hold the flocking in place on the base, I used a coating of white glue and water. So far, I don't see any signs of paint scraping off, but I guess I will find out for sure once I start using them in game.

    I used circular wooden bases, palm trees, and a variety of plastic plants from the craft store for these

The other terrain I finished this week for Vietnam were larger jungle scatter bases. I picked up two packs of six 3" round wooden discs at Hobby Lobby to supplement the smaller ones I had done previously. In the center of each of the large bases, I epoxied in a plastic palm tree. I dry brushed the trunk khaki and then added a dark brown vehicle wash over it. The plain green plastic palm fronds were dry brushed here and there a light olive drab. Next, I painted the edges of the bases and flocked them with my usual method I used for miniatures. I let them flocking dry completely for a day before beginning the next step.

    A close up of one of the bases with a VC soldier - note the effect of the brown wash/varnish

I assembled my ziploc bags of various plastic plants that I'd picked up from the local craft store. I snipped off ends of various plants for vegetation to surround the palm tree. Once I felt I had enough (I didn't -- I went back and snipped more), I drilled holes into the base with a pin vice so I could insert the plastic stems. I dabbed each hole with two-part epoxy and forced the stems about a quarter of an inch through. I also added individual fallen leaves and fronds from the plastic plants to the ground. Once done with this stage, I set them atop some old dice I use so they were raised off the surface of my desk. I didn't want the stems being pushed one way or another and messing up the way I had the plants sticking up.

    Another look at one of the bases surrounded by others, with two VC stalking through the vegetation

The next morning, I turned the bases over and trimmed off the stems with a carpet knife. Finally, I added the tiny leaves that I've been adding to the base of my Vietnam figures. There was one more important step to go, though! As I mentioned in the post for the smaller jungle pieces, I think that plastic plants on their own have too shiny of a look. I mixed up a batch of Liquitex matte varnish with a few drops of brown paint. Then I painted it over all of the plants and also the fronds of the central palm tree. Not only did this dull down the sheen and make it look more natural, it also added a brownish look of dying vegetation. 

    I like the combination of palm trees with miscellaneous craft store plastic plants -- very "irregular"

I really like how these larger scatter pieces came out. I am planning on doing one more batch of the smaller ones and another of these larger ones before I'm done. When added to my fairly decent collection of palm trees, I feel they should give a nice jungle-like look. They are time consuming to build, with all the trimming of the plastic plants and drilling holes for the stems. However, they add variety to the tabletop. I'm really looking forward to what my Vietnam battle board will look like. The little vignettes I set up to photograph to display the miniatures or terrain I've painted look nice, I think. A whole table in that fashion should look great!

    A final look at my most recent additions to my Vietnam terrain -- will the VC take the chickens, too?

So, what's next on my painting desk? For miniatures, I've started a batch of 28mm resin Fishfolk that I also purchased from MBA. I wanted to practice on them before doing the more expensive Beldolor Studies ones I got at Origins. I've also primed three more buildings for the Vietnam project. So, I guess I am keeping up with my strategy of juggling of a batch of miniatures with a batch of terrain at all times. So, look for these in future posts!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 237
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 132

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 21
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 43

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 112