'Hot LZ' Challenges Big Red One with 2nd Toughest Mission

    Sgt. Kern's ill-fated team begins to disembark from their Huey slick under fire in Surviving 'Nam

Having just finished off my 28mm Huey helicopter last week, I felt the time was right to revisit my infantry squad of the Big Red One (1st Infantry Division) and take up the tale of their tour in Vietnam. That, and the release of the rules on Ganesha Games and Wargame Vault, motivated me. This was July, their 7th month "In Country" -- so mission #7 for Sgt. Frey, Sgt. Kern, and the boys. They were tasked with a helicopter insertion and assault on a suspect Viet Cong position on a riverbank. Jenny would help me play out this game, controlling Kern's under strength fire team of four soldiers, augmented by newly-promoted 1st Lt. Fickell, his radioman Spec. 4 Byars, and the platoon medic, Spec. 5 Frank. I would be controlling Frey's similarly under strength team plus the M60 machine gun team of Cpl. Boston (just returned from recovering from his wounds in the battalion field hospital), and the very capable assistant gunner, Cpl. Warfield.

    The Landing Zone where the squad will arrive -- red circles mark where the Viet Cong enemy are

Listening to the chatter between the Huey crew on the headset, Sgt. Frey heard the pilot say that the first slicks in were reporting the LZ would be "hot." That meant Charlie was present and firing on the choppers as they landed. The pilot instructed both door gunners to lay down suppressive fire and for Frey's grunts to be ready to disembark quickly once they touched own. Frey acknowledged and lowered his head. This was not what he wanted to hear. Their squad had done helicopter insertions before, during their seven months in Vietnam, but this would be the first "hot" one. With hand signals, he informed his team of what was ahead and saw their faces drop, too. Frey stood up and leaned forward between the pilot and copilot, surveying the rapidly expanding clearing where they would land, which was lit up by flashes of gunfire. Most of it seemed to be coming from across the river as they approached. Hopefully, the trees surrounding the LZ on this side of the river would be clear.

    Sgt. Frey's team was the first to land, stepping off into a maelstrom of enemy fire

He turned back and moved towards his team, who were staring at the trees growing larger as they descended rapidly. He caught Cpl. Carter's eyes, one of his more experienced soldiers, and motioned for him to keep an eye on the new guy, Stoneburner, in his first month in Vietnam, and their M-79 gunner, Pvt. Pace, in his second. He put his hands on Boston and Warfield's shoulders, who had risen and were poised by the right hand doorway. As he felt the Huey's skids touch the ground, he patted each of them, but they were already moving. Boston looked back at him after a few steps and Frey pointed to a patch of trees not far ahead. No gunfire seemed to be coming from it. Together, the three soldiers sprinted towards for the treeline, hearing the snap of enemy rounds go overhead and the hammering fire of the door gunners trying to keep the V.C.'s heads down.

    V.C. begin to mortar the LZ, as Cpl. Carter and Pvt. Stoneburner race towards the cover of the trees

On their way in, Frey had noticed the fire still seemed to be coming mostly from across the river, but now he saw enemy shooting at them from the trees on the opposite side of the clearing. A plan of assault began to form in his mind, but first they had to get off the LZ and into cover! Boston was the first to arrive at the treeline. He wheeled and his M60 joined the sound of the Huey's machine guns, doubtless directed at the V.C.'s own machine gunners. He and Warfield took up position to either side of Boston, as brass flew in short bursts from his "hog". Suddenly, AK-47 fire rang out behind him. He heard the distinctive sound of rounds "snapping" over his head. He turned and saw three V.C. about 20 yards away, advancing from the trees behind them. Frey fired and saw one go down. He shouted to Warfield to engage them with his M-16. Frey turned back to survey his team's progress.

    As the American helicopters arrive in the clearing, V.C. across the river rise up & shoot at them

"Son of a bitch!" Frey cursed, as he saw Pvt. Pace prone just a few steps from the Huey, his head darting this way and that as he tried to get his bearings. Bullets tore up the ground around him, but he appeared to be uninjured. He caught sight of Carter, way ahead, entering the treeline to his left, trailed by Stoneburner, who seemed unsure what to do. Carter turned and waved frantically to Stoneburner to hurry up and get in cover. Their was a blast of wind as the Huey took off and spitting fire from its machine guns as it cleared out, so another helicopter with Kern's squad could arrive. Frey noticed Pace still pinned on the ground, and muttered, "Get up, Pace...!" 

    Sgt. Frey, center, and his buddies M60 gunner Boston & assistant gunner Warfield step off the Huey

It seemed only a few heartbeats before the next Huey roared in, throwing up dust all around the clearing, again. When a V.C. machine gun opened up, Frey pointed it out to Boston, who shifted his fire and quickly suppressed it. Out of the corner of his eye, Frey saw yet another V.C. stand up to the left. He patted Boston on the shoulder and pointed. The M60 gunner wheeled and fired a burst, adding his hail of lead to Warfield's. Frey saw Pace stand up and start to run, then throw his hands up in the air and fall to the ground not moving. "Pace is down!" he shouted. "Warfield, when you guys are finished with those V.C. on our flank, can you go check on him? He looks pretty messed up!"

    There is a chance in 'Hot LZ' that the V.C. will disable one of the Hueys while it disembarks troops

Meanwhile, Frey watched Kern's squad dismount from their helicopter and head towards the closest cover. Suddenly, another enemy machine gun opened up on them from a nearby patch of trees, but on this side of the river. All three soldiers emerging from that side of the helicopter hit the dirt. When the machine gun's fire paused, Kern was the first up, and Frey could see him directing his M-79 gunner Cassidy to fire a grenade at the enemy bunker where the machine gun was located. Kern then shook Cpl. Hawk, who had just returned to the squad after three months recuperating from his wounds in Japan. Frey could see blood on Hawk's much fresher uniform, but the veteran soldier got up and hobbled fiercely towards the trees with Kern. The machine gun in the bunker fired again and both went prone. Kern appeared to be trying to return fire, but Hawk was motionless. "Damn it," Frey cursed. Kern's team badly needed help from the slick's door gunners or the circling gunships. 

    First chopper takes off, leaving Pvt. Pace pinned nearby while new guy Stoneburner sprints away

His mind registered all of this while he was firing his own M-16 at an enemy machine gun directly across the clearing. He saw Lt. Fickell and his radioman pounding towards them and duck into the treeline, just a few yards away. Frey shouted to them, "Kern's in trouble -- enemy bunker!" Both wheeled, spotted the bunker, and let loose with their M-16's on full automatic. The machine gun in the bunker fell silent. Frey waited a few heartbeats, but it did not fire again. He chuckled, "Get some, L.T.! Maybe we should have you carry the hog instead of Boston??" Frey saw Boston flash a momentary grin at him, his eyes and teeth white against his dark face. Frey added, "Lieutenant, if you don't mind, get these gunships to do something besides sitting on the sidelines and cheering!" Fickell immediately took the microphone from Byars, and began to relay their situation to the colonel, who was in one of the choppers circling overhead. "Tell the colonel we have several men down already," Frey added, "and we'll need medevacs once the LZ is clear!"

    New group of V.C. emerge from the jungle behind Frey, Boston, & Warfield and open fire on them

Next to him, Boston spun back around, "Me and Warfie took care of Charlie behind us!" Frey gave him a thumbs up, then kept firing at the machine gun across the clearing. An explosion in the trees across the LZ erupted, where another V.C. machine gun had been. He could make out the shape of Carter, in the treeline, unslinging his M-16 after eliminating the position with a grenade. He chuckled, and called over to Boston, "Carter just got a machine gun, the L.T. got one, when is my '60-gunner' gonna get one?" Frey smiled as Boston's head shook back and forth, his machine gun spiting flame and pinning V.C. all across the battlefield. 

    From left, Cassidy, Kern, Hawk, & Tatum leap out of the Huey and begin to move towards cover

"Yah see, Warfie?" Boston laughed. "Us 'Splibs' get no respect!" He turned to look at his friend, but Warfield was already racing past him into the clearing. Head down, he sprinted to Pace's position and checked him over. Frey could see him shake his head and quickly apply a bandage. Once it was secured, he tossed the heavyset soldier over his shoulder and began jogging back towards the treeline. Frey and Boston fired frantically to keep the V.C.'s heads down while Warfield was exposed. Both sighed in relief when Warfield staggered into the trees, and set Pace down next to the radioman and lieutenant. Byars immediately took over and began applying more bandages to the unconscious Pace.

Enemy bunker is revealed dangerously close to the 2nd chopper & fires on Kern's disembarking team 

"That was some serious Bronze Star shit," Frey said. "Hell, he's even faster than you, Boston." The M60 gunner grinned and snapped the cover shut on another belt of ammunition. He replied that the only reason his friend Warfield was faster was because he was carrying one of those "little toy guns you guys carry." He slapped the M60, smiled, and lowered the bipod down to the ground and began firing again. Frey looked back to Kern's beleaguered fire team, only to see a cloud of smoke begin to obscure his view of the distant river -- their objective. One of Kern's men had thrown a smoke grenade, probably so that they could get to the wounded without enemy machine guns pinning them down in the open.  He swore as he saw the platoon medic Frank was one of those who was down, too. Warfield must have noticed this, too, because he sprinted back out into the clearing. Upon reaching him, he rolled Frank over and saw the medic was unresponsive. He quickly bandaged his wounds, then tossed him over his shoulder as he had done with Pace. His legs churned resolutely and Warfield soon had Frank in the cover of the trees, and bent over to give him more treatment.

    The chopper roars off, leaving a handful of U.S. soldiers pinned in the open by enemy fire

Frey called out, "Hey L.T.! Are you seeing this?" Just then a rocket from a gunship slammed into the riverbank and erupted, tossing V.C. to the left and right. Finally, Frey thought! He called for the lieutenant to shift his position down to where Warfield and Boston had been -- he'd have a better angle for his airstrikes. Soon enough, the two scurried past him, both craning to see the river in between two patches of jungle. Their eyes widened as they saw several squads of V.C. wading across to take the battle to the Americans. Apparently, their line of sight had been blocked where they'd been hiding in the trees. Frey saw them too, and pointed the fresh waves of enemy to Boston, who immediately shifted his fire. Waterspouts spurted up all around the V.C. Boston was muttering about Charlie being crazy. They should have stayed hidden because now his squad was going to have to mess them up!

    Their line of sight blocked by some of the jungle patches, V.C. emerge and stream across the river

As the tendrils of smoke grenade expanded and spread over a wider area, Frey noticed Kern get up and begin to carry Hawk towards the woods. Tatum raced in and threw Hawk's other arm over his shoulder. Frey silently urged them on till they reached the cover of the trees. He called over to the lieutenant, "Sitrep for Kern's team: Hawk and Frank are down. Cassidy is wounded, but on his feet. For my boys, only Pace is down." Lt. Fickell held up a hand and responded to a call on the radio. After he was done, he turned back to the sergeant and told him to gather some men and make a push across the river. "Yes, sir," Frey nodded. He waved and caught Carter's attention across the clearing. He motioned for him and Stoneburner to begin pushing towards the river from their side of the clearing. "Let's go, Boston! We're going to join your friend, our future Bronze Star winner." Boston gathered up his ammo and followed the sergeant along the treeline, heading towards the river.

    Tatum throws a smoke grenade to give his comrades a chance to reach the 3 soldiers down

As he and Boston stalked through the trees, he realized he could hear more choppers circling overhead, but no new squads had been inserted into the field. Maybe they considered it too hot, and were deploying them to alternate landing spots? "Sarge," Boston called, "there's still a lot of V.C. in this clearing. I think I should stay and keep them pinned down." Frey caught the machine gunner's eyes and nodded. "Oh, send Warfield back when you see him -- I'm running low on ammo!" Frey gave him a thumbs up as he ducked under the trees. He passed where Frank and Hawk lay, tended by Cassidy, whose sleeve was covered by more bandages than uniform. The look of pain on his face as he tended to his friends was clear, and Frey told him to hang in there. They almost had the enemy on the run. 

    Cpl. Carter leads FNG Stoneburner along the treeline to begin working their way towards the river

Just as he reached Kern, he heard another explosion from a gunship's rockets. "Get some, L.T.!" he quipped. Kern's smile in response was weak and pained. His team was having a rough day. "Come on, buddy," Frey said. "Fickell wants us to gather some men and cross the river. He says if we cross, the enemy will probably fall back to avoid being cut off." Kern nodded and they collected Tatum as they advanced. As gunfire rang out all around the clearing, the three moved quickly towards the edge of the trees bordering the river. 

    Newly-promoted 1st Lt. Fickell calls in Fire Missions on the V.C., catching some in the open

As the three looked up and down the river, Kern whispered, "You have seniority in sergeant rank on me, Frey...you first!" The trio crouched at the edge of the river. V.C. were hunkered down along the river bank, about 50 yards away. Frey took a deep breath. The lieutenant was right. If the V.C. knew they were being outflanked, they'd likely withdraw. He aimed his M-16 at the closest V.C. and fired, seeing him fall. Then he sprinted across the river as he heard the startled V.C. shoot wildly, trying to draw a bead on him. Once in the trees, he began firing bursts to cover the crossing of Tatum. He could see the V.C. were getting nervous, looking behind them. A single shot rang out, though, and his heart seemed to stop as he saw Kern crumple against a tree. Sniper! Dammit!!

    V.C. pinned down by the air strikes & Boston's M60 fire begin to waver & look to their rear

"Light them up, Tatum!" Frey ordered. Together they blasted away at the V.C. in the river. A couple fell, but the rest began withdrawing back into the trees on the other side of the river. He heard Boston's M60 fire chasing them as they disappeared into the greenery. "All right, Tatum," he said. "we did what the colonel asked. Now, let's go check on our buddies and get some medevac choppers here!" The two sprinted back across the river to check on Kern. 

    Sgt. Frey & Cpl. Tatum make it across the river, which prompts the remaining V.C. to 'but out'

Whew! That was a one bloody game -- probably the squad's most casualties since the very mission! Of the 13 soldiers who rode in with Frey and Kern on the Hueys, six flew out in medevacs. I had to hope that my rolls on the Recovery Table were kinder than Jenny's Event Card deck draws during the game. Our misfortunes began when the Bunker! card came up very early -- while the second helicopter was unloading. Also, the early cards drawn in response to activation failures brought a lot of additional figures on the table. 

One of the things about Surviving 'Nam is the constant reshuffling of the event deck (which controls V.C. actions) in response to certain cards drawn means specific cards may come up more often in one game and never appear in others. So, one mission may be drastically harder than the next, or alternately seem like a cakewalk, depending on the deck and your activation rolls. In fact, one part of a game may seem easier, and then suddenly (as the card says), All Hell is Breaking Loose! We were also handicapped in that both of our M79 gunners were out of the fight almost right away. We lost two big important support weapons with Cassidy wounded and Pace out of action.

    Two of the squad's wounded, Pvt. Pace & Spec. 5 Frank, moments being cut down by enemy fire

So, how did my wounded guys fare on their post-game rolls? Jenny had four of her seven guys wounded during the game. Team Leader Sgt. Kern fortunately (for us) rolled "Bad Luck! The unlucky soldier comes back to unit after just a few days of medical care, and is available for the next mission." Yes, the verbiage is tongue in cheek, but it is the best roll possible for a player. For Jenny, it just got worse. Poor Cpl. Hawk, the thrice-wounded, one-time team leader rolled, "Million Dollar Wound! Their injury was serious enough that he will be sent home, but is not permanently disabling." Oh, Hawk -- we hardly knew ye...but you were "lucky" in the end! Much less fortunate were Cpl. Cassidy and Spec. 5 Frank. Both rolled "Lost a Limb! They will be honorably discharged once recovered." Wow, that is three of Jenny's four wounded who aren't coming back to the squad. Tough mission for Sgt. Kern!

Now, it was my turn to roll. I had lost only (!) two guys -- poor Pvt. Pace (who never really made it past stepping off the helicopter) and Cpl. Carter, who was shot at the very end of the game and then carried off by his loyal newbie, Pvt. Stoneburner. Pace rolled "REMF for a month! They will be in a field hospital in the rear for a month and be unavailable for missions during that time." Okay, only one mission out -- not too bad. Older readers might appreciate my reference to the 1970s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter when I say his name upon activation, "Mr. Cah-TER! Anyway, my very experienced Cpl. Carter rolled "Enjoy Japan! They will rehabilitate in Japan and be unavailable to the fire team for the next 3 months." Unfortunate for the team, but good for him!

    Moments after Kern's chopper touched down, with Pvt. Pace still pinned & unwilling to move

What does all of this mean for Mission #8? Sgt. Kern would have two newbies next mission, called "FNGs" in the rules (N is "New Guy" and you can probably guess what the "F" stands for)! Thankfully, Sgt. Frey would have only one FNG. A previously wounded soldier, Pfc. Elliott, would be returning from his recuperation. There is a chart in the rules to see what type of soldier you get as a replacement (IF you get one). Essentially, there is a 75% chance it will be a FNG of one sort or another, either a "Cherry" fresh from the States or a rear area "Pogue" who screwed up and got transferred. I got VERY lucky, and for two of them, rolled "Grunts" (experienced soldiers coming back from injuries or transferred by the company commander who took pity of the squad). So, though Frey and Kern's boys will go into next mission under strength again  -- four soldiers instead of five -- we will have newbies only for a Medic and in one of the fire team positions. Considering this was our our second deadliest mission of the tour, it could have been a LOT worse.

    My 'Surviving 'Nam' rules are out and available -- see below for links!

Since a player's mission in Survivng 'Nam is to get as many of their soldiers home safely during their 12-month tour (12 games) as possible, how is my squad doing after its seven month? At this point, both Frey and Kern's fire teams each have two men who were with the squad at the start of the campaign (including themselves). The headquarters element have exactly the same number. Carter will eventually be back and is an original member, too. So, slightly over 50% of the squad's original roster has gone home wounded or been killed in action. The best part about doing the game as a campaign, though, is how you begin to cheer for them and root for them to make it home in one piece. Even though you lost them, you kind of smile when you know that one of your guys gets to go home with his "million dollar wound."

If you want to follow the adventures of my squad of the Big Red One, click on the various links below. I will update the blog each time I play a new mission. In the meantime, if you are interested in the rules, they are now officially available for sale by Ganesha Games and a number of distributors. Click on this link for more information on how you can buy the printed or PDF download version.

 Links to missions my squad from the Big Red One in Vietnam has performed:

• Mission 01: Check out the Hooches
• Between Missions - Promotions & Replacements
• Mission 02: Temple at River Bend
• Mission 03: Perfect Ambush 
• Mission 04: Downed Airmen
• Mission 05: Perilous Paddies
• Mission 06: Tanks for the Help!
• Mission 07: Hot LZ!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Miniatures acquired in 2026: 179
  
• Miniatures painted in 2026: 135

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Terrain acquired in 2026: 12
  
• Terrain painted in 2026: 28

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Scatter acquired in 2026: 21
  
• Scatter painted in 2026: 59

 

Surviving 'Nam Vietnam Rules Released!

Ganesha Games announced that my cooperative and solo Vietnam skirmish rules are officially released and for sale. There are a number of sources to buy a print-on-demand copy or download the PDF. There will also be vendors or stores that carry them, as well. I am including a list below with links to each of the sources for the rules. As most of you may know, I have been working on them for about a year now. I have a large group of more than a dozen play testers, including ones in the UK, Italy, France, and the U.S.

    U.S. troops cross a rice paddy & prepare to search a village (Photo by David Frederick)

As of this moment, the rules are available for PDF download from the following two sources:

• Ganesha Games 
• Wargame Vault 

They will be also be up for PDF download on Ganesha Games' page in Itch.io.

Andrea will next upload them for print on demand at:

• Amazon 

• Lulu 

• Wargame Vault (including a bundle of PDF & print)

Note that currently the above links take you to Ganesha Games' page on those site. Look for the title to be available early next week (hopefully sooner). I will change the links to the appropriate page once Surviving 'Nam is up on them.

    VC Officer gives orders as a patrol returns to camp (Setup & Photo by Bob Fife, Pete Smith)

The Event Cards for the game can be obtained by players in a number of ways:

• Players can simply photocopy or print the ones in the rules and place them in card sleeves.
• Players can download a PDF file of the cards and print them and place them in sleeves.
• Players can purchase them from Drivethrucards in either Poker size or Tarot size. 

Once again, I will add links to the above once they are available.

    A U.S. fire team on patrol in the bush calls their position into headquarters

Also, I have started a Facebook group for Surviving 'Nam. If you're interested in the rules, the period, or like pics and battle reports, please join! There's already lots of posts from folks and I'm hopping to keep up and respond to all of the comments. Finally, if you would like to read more about them, feel free to peruse any of my battle reports from my own solo campaign or AARs from the various conventions I have run Surviving 'Nam at this year and last. Just look at the topics on the right, and click on Surviving 'Nam to see all posts I've made that are connected to the rules.

Links to missions my squad from the Big Red One in Vietnam has performed:

• Mission 01: Check out the Hooches
• Between Missions - Promotions & Replacements
• Mission 02: Temple at River Bend
• Mission 03: Perfect Ambush 
• Mission 04: Downed Airmen
• Mission 05: Perilous Paddies
• Mission 06: Tanks for the Help!
• Mission 07: Hot LZ! (upcoming) 

Links to Surviving 'Nam AARs at Conventions: 

• World at War 2025
• Hold the Line 2025
• Cincycon 2026 
• Buckeye Game Fest 2026
• Origins 2026

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Miniatures acquired in 2026: 179
  
• Miniatures painted in 2026: 135

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Terrain acquired in 2026: 12
  
• Terrain painted in 2026: 26

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Scatter acquired in 2026: 21
  
• Scatter painted in 2026: 59

Two 3-D Printed Ruins - Desert Fort & Stone Temple

 

    I felt this church or temple ruin fit would fit in nicely with some of the others I have painted up

I picked up these two 3-D printed ruins from my friend Scott of Sword & Scabbard Games at Advance the Colors 2025, last October. They'd been patiently waiting on my shelf for their spot in the queue since then. I knew they would paint up very fast, so awhile back, I pulled them out, spray primed them, and set them down on the edge of my desk. There they say, a little less patiently, until last week when I took a few days and got them all prepped for the tabletop.

    The 'Desert Fort Ruin,' as I'm calling it, painted up very quickly -- spray, dry brush, wash & flock

Starting with the one I'm called a "Desert Ruin," I went back and forth whether to paint it up as stone or a more mud brick look. Figuring I have plenty of stone ruins, I thought it might be useful to have something to put on the table for a more desert or arid ground table. So, I spray primed it a Khaki color. I don't have a premixed 50/50 paint and water to get into the crevices for this color. So, I made sure to spray it as thoroughly as possible. 

    The flocking growing along the walls and in crevices gives a nice touch, I feel

Once it had dried, I dry brushed it a very light tan with a wide, square brush. Then I used my brown vehicle wash and brushed that on the entire ruin. I really like how it settled into all the grooves between the bricks, giving both shadow and a dirty look. I almost left it at that, but decided I wanted to put in some vegetation growth on it, as well. I took white glue and squirted it in the crevices and corners, wetting a brush down to help spread it where dust, dirt, and eventually plant life might sprout. I sprinkled on Woodland Scenics Blended Grass over it. Next, I added two different colors of green clump foliage here and there on the spots of grass to represent bushes or small plants that have taken hold. I was very happy with how it turned out, and now am just waiting on a day that I can clear coat spray it to call it completely finished.

    Some of my Saga Moors get some fresh air and pose next to the ruin - I like its tumbled down look

This stone ruin I picked up because it would go well with the European look of some of the ruins I've gotten from Rusty at Firelands Games. It is that in between look -- could be an old Roman or Greek ruin, or could be a medieval church. Since this one was going to be stone, I spray painted it Krylon Matte Black and DID go over it with my 50/50 water and acrylic paint mix. Then I simply did three layers of brushing. I began with a dark gray wet brush, then a medium gray dry brush, and finally a light gray highlight here and there. It looked good enough that I felt it didn't need a black wash to blend it all together. If the brush strokes are a little to visible, I feel a black wash softens them and blends the look of the model together. I skipped that step for this ruin.

    This stone ruin was almost as quick to paint up, but involved a couple extra layers

I added first Woodland Scenics Blended Grass in spots, and then the same clump foliage. Once again, I put the white glue in spots where dust and dirt might collect over time, leading to the growth of vegetation on the ruin. As I knew it, these two buildings were quick to paint up. I am glad I have this more church or temple like ruin to add to the ones I already have. Now, I can make a bigger area of a tabletop a tumbled down temple or church.

    One of my Saga Pictish crossbowmen peers through a gap in the upper story, on the lookout

So, what else is on my painting desk? I am getting closer to finishing the six Elven cavalry for my Dragon Rampant army. I have begun the special 20th Anniversary of the Lead Adventure Forum batch of miniatures, too. I almost pulled out another building for terrain to work on this morning. However, the Columbus is gripped in another heat wave, with high temperatures all week in the 90s.  Who knows when I will get a chance to spray prime a building in these Mad Max-style temperatures? So, instead I just grabbed some scatter I've been meaning to work on and primed them. I will definitely want to be spending time in my hobby nook in the basement with as hot as it is outside!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Miniatures acquired in 2026: 179
  
• Miniatures painted in 2026: 135

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Terrain acquired in 2026: 12
  
• Terrain painted in 2026: 28

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Scatter acquired in 2026: 21
  
• Scatter painted in 2026: 59

28mm Huey Helicopter

    My 3-D printed Huey "Slick" lands in a rice paddy, as the infantry leap off and head for cover

One of the scenarios in my Surviving 'Nam rules is called "Hot LZ." The player's fire teams are inserted one by one into a landing zone with Viet Cong guerrillas present and firing on them. Since this is a miniatures game, I felt obligated to obtain at least one 28mm scale Huey helicopter. In addition, if I run the scenario at a convention, it would be great eye candy on the tabletop. Since 28mm die cast helicopters seem fairly expensive to me, I reached out to my friend Ted, who has a 3-D printer. Sure enough, he had a STL for a "slick" (troop carrying Huey, as opposed to a medevac one or a gunship). He said he would check into printing one or more for me. Long story short -- I now own four 28mm Hueys! Ted did an amazing, high quality job printing them. From there, it was just a matter of finding time to get them painted up.

    I chose not to use the 3-D printed rotors & instead created my own rotor effect with clear plastic

I decided to be smart, too, and paint up just one first as a test rather than trying to do all four simultaneously. Also, I have not purchased any door gunners to go along with the Hueys, yet. Honestly, I wasn't sure how the Hueys would turn out or how often I'd used them. So, this model is just the helicopter -- I will add gunners later. To begin, I spray painted it with Krylon acrylic Matte Black, which I often do with 3-D prints to give them some extra strength. I went over that with my usual 50/50 mix of acrylic black paint and water to get black in all the crevices. Next, I did the interior mostly in a light gray, with some parts olive drab. I highlighted each sparingly with a lighter version of each color.

    Painting up the chopper was relatively straight forward -- it is mostly a weathered olive drab

Next, I did the entire exterior in olive drab, except for the windows, which I left black for now. I dry brushed the exterior a lighter OD, and looking at it afterwards, felt that I had ruined it. Jenny insisted it looked good and more weathered this way, though. So, I persevered. I painted a blue sky reflection effect on the upper part of the windows, then went back over the wipers on the front in black with a medium gray highlight. I was pretty happy with how the windows turned out. Typically, I like how windows done in this method by me turn out only about half the time. I got lucky here, I guess!

    I probably could have looked for decals for the 'United States Army', but did it with micron pen

There were not a lot of other details to do. I painted a Big Red One 1st Infantry Division patch on the nose of the helicopter, because I'd found an image online of a Huey painted that way. The words "United States Army" were done with my smallest nib black micron pen on the tail boom, like I saw online. I also mimicked some numbers under one of the windows like I'd seen. The tail rotor was painted black with yellow tips. I gave it a black wash all over, and finally agreed with Jenny that the dry brushing looked more like faded weathering than incompetent brush strokes...ha, ha!

    A good look at the blurred black outline of the rotor's "strobe effect" that I agonized over & over

Because it is 3-D printed, and we all know how fragile long and thin filament pieces can be, I decided to skip installing the main rotor that Ted had printed separately. Instead, I cut out a circle of clear plastic that I purchased from the local craft store. I measured Ted's rotor blade against several circular tins or containers I own until I found a close match. I put masking tape on the bottom of the tin to help keep it from shifting, and then installed a fresh blade on my X-acto knife. I ran it around the tin a number of times until I felt that I had cut most of the way through the plastic. I removed the tin and was able to snap off the excess plastic, leaving me with a relatively nice circle. Placing it over a cutting mat, I marked the exact center and drilled through it with my pin vice.

    The 'swirls' on the clear plastic were painted with Liquitex Glass Medium

Next, I found a cylindrical bead that matched the height of the vertical shaft that holds the rotor blade. I drilled into the 3-D printed helicopter with my pin vice, trimmed a piece of piano wire to appropriate length, and then epoxied them all into place. I carefully guided the circular plastic atop the small section of the piano wire protruding from the bead. I supported the plastic disc with wooden blocks to keep it level. I added more epoxy to the top and crossed my fingers and let it dry overnight. The next morning I was very happy that it all seemed firmly attached together. I turned the model this way and that and the plastic circle of the rotor blade didn't wobble or shift. The plastic represents the spinning rotor blades, of course. However, I wanted to add some of the blurred "strobing" effect like I did with one of my 20mm helicopters for Wars of Insurgency. 

    Compare my disc above to the photocopied transparency sheet on my 20mm Alouette helicopter

I could have left well enough alone here, but I just wasn't satisfied with a 100% clear disc. I watered down some black paint and did my best to recreate the strobe effect to match the photos I found online. Still, I felt that the rest of the plastic disc was too transparent. So, I painted the non-rotor blade part with Liquitex Acrylic Matte Medium. Whoops! That frosted the whole thing and made it opaque except for where the rotor blade effect was. Had I just ruined it...again??

The next morning, I tried to scrub off the frosty matte layer with a soft brush and water. It didn't work, and turned opaque again when dry. Weirdly, though, I noticed that water had made it relatively clear again, temporarily. Jenny suggested I painted over the matte with gloss. That worked! It wasn't 100% crystal clear, and instead looked like seeing something through water. While putting on the gloss with a wide, flat brush, I had also tried to give a swirling effect with my strokes. Once it was dry, I still wasn't 100% satisfied. Are you seeing a trend here? 

    My rotor is not as precise as the transparency, but I like how looking through it is slightly distorted

So later, I went back with a smaller brush and tidied up the black of the rotor blade with my full strength black vehicle wash. I did a series of fat line strokes in the spin direction, starting at the center and moving out to the edges. I also added in more arcs with gloss medium all along the transparent part. After doing these two things, I liked how it looked better already as it sat on my desk drying. One last touch was to paint the edge of the disc with matte, again. I felt a slightly frosted edge would hide the imperfections from cutting the plastic out with an X-acto knife. Finally, I set it aside to finish drying. Before I went to bed, I went downstairs and checked on it. Finally, I was satisfied! I really like the clear but distorted effect in the transparent part of the rotor blades and the suggestions of the swirling rotor blades.

In the long run, doing the rotor blade disc seemed to take up most of the effort. Otherwise, painting the Huey was relatively straight forward. Now that I know how to do the rotor blade disc, though, I won't have to duplicate my efforts on the next Huey or two (or three?). I plan to eventually add in door gunners, like I said, once I find a less expensive source for them. I know Crucible Crush's Black Sun range has two door gunners in one of their 5-figure packs, but that would end up being $10 per figure if I don't use the seated or standing pilots also in the pack. So, I'll continue to look for more affordable options. If you know any, let me know in the comments.

    Close up of the relatively sparse detail of the interior of the chopper (which was fine with me...haha!)

So, what else is on my painting desk? You should see two of those things tomorrow. I just finished two ruined buildings this morning that I purchased from Sword & Scabbard Games at last Advance the Colors. By the way, if you don't know, the Tabletop Events site for ATC 2026 is open. You can buy your badge or submit games, now. I also have the six mounted Elven cavalry on my desk that are more than halfway done. And my next batch of "old unpainted figures" is ready to go, receiving their base coat of flesh this morning. They're for a thread on the Lead Adventure Forum's 20th Anniversary. So, no spoilers for now...!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Miniatures acquired in 2026: 179
  
• Miniatures painted in 2026: 135

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Terrain acquired in 2026: 12
  
• Terrain painted in 2026: 26

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Scatter acquired in 2026: 21
  
• Scatter painted in 2026: 59

Crispy Critter Control in Downtown 'Chilly'

    Two members of 'Critter Control', my alien-hunting team in solo games of Majestic 13, on the roofs

Team leader Boone MacDonald, couldn't believe it when the call came through from Agricultural League HQ of Majestic 13. Critter Control was needed to respond to a nearby priority mission. Boone asked, "Can Waylon be released to respond with us? We're down one man!" Unlikely, his superior replied, but he'd see what he could do to get them some help. Shaking his head in disbelief, Boone hurried to collect Mabel, Buck, and Silas. While they drove at high speed towards downtown Chillicothe, OH, he shared what little he know about the alien they'd likely encounter on the way. "Mabel, what do you know about a Helion Beam Chaser, since your daddy told you so much...?" 

    The Helion Beam Chaser in the smouldering woods behind a VW bug that it torched earlier

She whistled and pulled off her sunglasses to catch Boone's eyes in the rear view mirror. "Y'all know what plasma is?" Some heads nodded yes, others shook no. "Think of the coals in your grill about 10 times hotter. Well, this nasty space polecat is made of that stuff. And he can shoot it towards you in twin jets with both arms!" She sat back in the seat as they bumped along rural Ohio's less-than-well-maintained roads. "Daddy had a scar all along his back that looked like his flesh was just melted like wax. He said it was from one of them Beam Chasers." She shook her head. "Boone, if you want to just pull this SUV over to the berm, the four of us can say we got a flat tire. Let a full-strength team handle this one..."

    Critter Control's deployment, mostly on the rooftops with good lines of sight, and the alien's location

Boone kept driving, relaying his instructions. They would infiltrate quietly and quickly. Go to the rooftops nearest the smoke -- that was where the Beam Chaser should be. "Take the elevator or stairs, then find positions along the parapets. Report back to me on comms when you're in position. We will open fire on it until it runs away or goes down." He met each of the other's eyes briefly, while driving. "It likes to do a Heat Wave attack when multiple enemies are close. Always keep a wall or something that absorbs heat between you and it." He sighed and took a breath. "Mabel, I know how you feel about the team being under strength. But we can't let our neighbors in town down. We signed up with Majestic 13 to defend the Earth from aliens. And though it may not always seems that way, Chillicothe is part of Earth...!" The others chuckled and nodded, then sat back, alone with their thoughts.

    Beam Chaser preparing to launch jets of plasma at Mable in the top left of the picture

It had been since February since I played my first game of Majestic 13. I've been busy in the intervening months with other projects. Reading about the exploits of my friend Bill's solo, Majestic 13 campaign on his Dice, Doubloons, and Random Musings site has kept me wanting to do a mission. I just never seemed to find the time. With Origins concluded last week, and Surviving 'Nam just about ready for print, I finally had a free evening. I'd previously rolled up Mission 02, knowing our foe would be a Helion Beam Chaser. I even picked up a 3-D printed fire elemental for $3 at Origins to paint up as it. I set up the terrain for the mission and rolled randomly to see which edge Critter Control deployed on. 

    Taking damage, the fiery (and newly painted!) Beam Chaser advances towards the team members 

Since Critter Control's defeat in the last game, I had done some thinking. With a five turn limit, and only five characters, you will get only a limited number of shots at the alien. You need to minimize turns spent moving around and not shooting. So, I placed Buck, Silas, and Mabel on the rooftops of the highest buildings on our side of the table. I left team leader Boone in cover near a flaming wreck of a car that the alien had doubtless torched before our arrival. He would be our quick reaction force, able to move to get line of sight if the alien momentarily moved out of the other's field of view.  With the Beam Chaser having 110 hit points, we needed to average 22 per round. Our weapons inflicted 2d6 or 3d6 per shot. Perhaps attainable on the first turn with four shooters on the table, it would become harder and harder if it took some of team members out.

    Long ago, her daddy was wounded by a Beam Chaser, now Mabel falls to its fiery attack

The other key aspect in Majestic 13 is cover. If the target is in cover, you have to roll 2d20 for your attack and take the worst roll. The goal would be to always be in cover and to use our height and various positions to make it so the Beam Chaser was not. Turn 1 opened with the Beam Chaser firing at Mabel in her rooftop sniper position twice, but missing both times. Figures activate in Acuity Order. The Beam Chaser would activate first and third, while Buck Smithers (our Iraqi War vet) would activate second. After that, it would go Boone, Mabel, and Silas. The Beam Chaser would get a bonus activation if anyone fired at it and missed. So, our shots had to count or this would be a very short game!

    Silas lines up a shot, but misses the alien as it scampers down the street towards Boone

After the Beam Chaser's miss, Buck let loose with a burst from his light machine gun, striking the alien in the upper part of its fiery torso. Rolling 3d6+1, he did only 9 damage. We had a long way to go if we kept rolling below average on damage! The Beam Chaser seemed strangely drawn to fire at Mabel, and shifted his position so he was out of Buck's line of sight and fired again at Mabel. Once again, she ducked behind the brick parapet in time. Still, the hot June evening got even hotter as the side of the wall began smoking. Team leader Boone shifted positions from one car wreck to the next and let loose a burst with his assault rifle. A better damage roll -- 11 points with 2d6+1! Mabel popped up and aimed with her sniper rifle. The heat from the seared building made her sunglasses fog up a bit and she missed. The Beam Chaser fired back with its special ability and Mabel screamed and went down, her clothes smoking.

    The creature proves it's clever & moves so that Boone no longer has cover behind the smoking wreck

Silas switched positions to have better line of sight. He fired his light machine gun and missed. Thankfully, this alien could activate a maximum of three times in a turn, so couldn't return fire on him. Turn one was over, and we were down from four to only three figures! With black smoke rising all over downtown Chillicothe, things were NOT looking good for Critter Control. The Beam Chaser shifted his focus to the team leader, moving to where Boone was no longer in cover of the flaming vehicle. Thankfully, he missed at least once on both his pair of d20 rolls. Buck squeezed off another long burst at it, but once again, a low roll, doing only 8 points damage on 3d6+1. Where did Critter Control get its ammo from? The local Walmart?? The Beam Chaser didn't seem to notice the hit and fired again at Boone. This time, the team leader wasn't so lucky and he was burned badly -- down to a single hit point! Boone returned fire and then darted for cover behind the closest apartment building. Luckily, he struck the alien, but once again the damage roll was below average.

Reeling from the pain of his burns, Boone returns fire & scurries for cover behind a building

Silas, knowing the alien would get cover from his vantage point, decided to call HQ for aid instead. He rolled well, and sooner than expected, the sound of an approaching chopper drew near. Silas looked up at it hovering over the neighboring building and blinked and shook his head in disbelief. The dust kicked up by the rotor blades must be making him see things. His ears confirmed it, though, as with a loud "Geronimooooo!" Waylon -- their missing team member -- leapt from the hovering chopper and landed on the roof next to Mabel. The craziest and bravest member of the team was back! In Majestic 13, one of the options on a successful call for aid is to receive a "robot"version of a team member. I thought it made more story line sense that Waylon convinced the Agricultural League that he was fit for duty and flew him out to be ready if the team requested assistance.  

    Help arrives as Waylon (top of photo) drops from a helicopter to assist his friends against the alien

Waylon immediately opened up with his assault rifle on the alien in the street below, inflicting 8 points of damage. "That one's for Mabel, you sonofabitch!" The alien moved towards the sound of Waylon's voice, positioning itself just below Waylon and Silas. It turned to face Silas, raised both its arms, and sent a massive jet of flame that engulfed the parapet where Silas was standing. There was a cry and he fell backwards and out of sight. Waylon called over, "Silas...you okay?" There was no reply. "DaYUM! Two of us down," he said, glancing over at the unmoving Mabel. He shouted the information out to Boone and Buck, since he did not have a communication device linked with the rest of the team. 

    Silas goes down as the alien accurately times his plasma jets, catching him lining up a shot

Buck had seen the chopper deposit Waylon and also saw Silas go down. The alien was clever and had moved in close to the buildings, cutting off his line of sight. He looked down at the roof of the Quickie Mart one story below him. "Aww, Hell! My knees are getting too old for this shee-yit!" With a running jump, he cleared the parapet, landed on the Quikie Mart roof, rolling forward to reduce the impact. He got up immediately and sprinted along the ledge eyeing the gaps between the buildings until he saw the Beam Chaser. "There you are...got you!" He fired again, the bullets impacting across it flaming body. Despite his heroics, the damage roll was -- yes again -- below average! The alien seemed confused where the shots came from, and looked up at Waylon, who was lining up another shot at him. He sent a wall of flame up at the moonshine distiller and made him fall to the ground, only 3 hit points left.

    Buck continues to fire at the alien from the rooftops, this shot passing over Boone's head in the alley

Boone, hearing the screams from Waylon, lowered his head. That pain was intense. He was clinging to consciousness, and knew the heat from a near miss might finish him off. He took a deep breath, and ran down the alley way towards the alien. He stopped at the corner of the building, poked his assault rifle around and fired, striking it solidly. The alien raised its fiery arms above its head and Boone ducked just in time to be missed by an almost-solid wall of heat billowing out from its body. Above him, he heard Waylon cursing, so he too must have avoided the Beam Chaser's attack. Boone heard the snap of Buck's rounds passing over his head as the veteran continued to hammer away at the alien. Their bullets seemed to be having little effect on it, though (yes, another way below average roll...sigh).  

    Despite being down to 1 hit point, Boone continues to pursue the alien and shoot it up

"Dammit!" he ducked back around the corner and emptied the clip into the creature. Waylon was also firing at it from above. For the first time in the battle, the creature made a crackling, roaring sound. "Extremis!" Boone thought. "We're finally getting through to the creature!" He didn't see the jets of plasma shooting from its arms in time, though. The world turned red, he heard someone screaming in what sounded like his voice, and then he felt himself falling and things going from red to black. 

    Boone watches in despair as his friend and team leader is engulfed in flame and goes down

"BOONE!" both Buck and Waylon yelled as one. They fired off a volley, and the creature turned and sprinted away, across the street, vaulting the park wall, and disappearing through the trees. It was gone, but they had failed to kill the alien. Again. And this time, three of their team lay senseless and possibly dead.

    Team Leader & heart and soul of Critter Control, Boone MacDonald goes down

On the final turn, I had an opportunity to kill the Beam Chaser, but once again, incredibly poor damage rolls kept me from achieving victory. Waylon rolled a "3" on 2d6, the alien suffered only 6 points from being in "Extremis", and Buck -- despite hitting every turn -- never rolled average or higher on his five damage rolls. Whew! Maybe this game wasn't meant for my bad die rolling...ha, ha! My Sunday evening gaming friends would NOT be surprised, that's for sure. With the game over, I consoled myself with a beer and rolled on the tables to see what happened to my fallen team members. Mabel got away "all clear." Silas suffered permanent damage, which intriguingly would give him Psionic powers. However, he would be out for the next mission. Boone also would be out, his wounds being "Questionable."

    Waylon curses as he looks around, seeing the alien disappear into the woods & 3 friends down

Am I really supposed to do a mission with three team members? I may just skip a mission for them. I had my doubts about how I could be successful with four characters, and my worries proved true. Three is just simply suicide! Continuing the post-game process, my characters received only 1 experience point apiece, since we did not complete either our primary objective (killing the Beam Chaser) or our secondary one (coming into contact with all the terrain pieces -- not likely, starting on the rooftops and with 11 separate pieces!). Still, +1 point each was enough for one of my characters to raise a stat, so that was good. I requested the same equipment as last time, a Medkit and Stimulus Kit. I was successful on the MedKit, so gave that to Silas. Even better, I got the Emergency Medical Facilities upgrade (are you seeing a trend here?). So, next time I will be able to re-roll an unfavorable result after a character is out of action.

    Another look at the 3'x3' tabletop for my latest Majestic 13 game

What's next for Critter Control? We are definitely skipping Mission 03! So, next game, we will be back to full strength. Maybe this time we'll get our elusive first "successful mission!"

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Miniatures acquired in 2026: 179
  
• Miniatures painted in 2026: 134

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Terrain acquired in 2026: 12
  
• Terrain painted in 2026: 26

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Scatter acquired in 2026: 21
  
• Scatter painted in 2026: 59