More Large Jungle Scatter Pieces & Miscellaneous

    Some of my 28mm Pulp miniatures posed in front of a jungle made from my new scatter pieces

Here are several things I've been working on that I combined into one update. First, I created another six large pieces of jungle scatter. These are pretty much identical to my first batch, but seemed to go a lot faster. I imagine it is because I had a plan and knew what I was doing...ha, ha! This brings me to a dozen of these larger pieces. One more batch of smaller ones and I will call myself done with jungle scatter -- for now, at least!

    With these six complete, I now have a dozen 3" diameter jungle scatter pieces for my tabletops

I started with 3" circles of birch wood that I picked up at Michaels craft store awhile back. In the center of each, I placed a plastic palm tree. I have an entire box of plastic palm trees, and could easily spare these. I think I picked up long, long ago from Pastimes on the Square at a Historicon or Cold Wars convention. They are a great place to pick up little pieces of vegetation, foam hills, or other scenic bits made from plastic plants or other cheap sources. Once the palm tree was epoxied into place, I a khaki colored dry brush on the trunk. I followed this up with a dark brown vehicle wash and the trunk was suitably "spiffed up." Next, I did a light olive dry brush here and there over the palm fronds themselves.

    Two explorers on a jungle path: "Boy, it sure is hot in this jungle..." "Shut up, kid, and keep up..."

With the central palm done, it was time to flock the base -- yes, before putting on the other plastic plants! Flocking afterwards would be a nightmare, and get all kinds of pieces attached to the plants themselves. I used my usual three-step brown ballast and blended earth and grass turf that I use for my bases. Since cooler weather had returned, I could spray these with clear acrylic matte after this step. 

    A close up of some of the discs with no miniatures tramping by them...

Next, I pulled out all of my plastic plants I'd picked up from either Hobby Lobby or Michaels when I was doing the earlier batches (and even longer ago). I trimmed to size a variety of styles and likely more than I'd need. Next, I used a larger diameter pin vice to drill holes for the stems of the plants and covered it with a blob of two-part epoxy. Then, I inserted the stems through the holes. I would set the disc on a pair of old dice or something so that they were high enough up that the stem wouldn't hit my desk. I would do one plant per disc, let them dry a few minutes, and then drill the next hold in each disc. This assembly line method worked much better than the hodge podge way I did it before. 

    I used a variety of plastic plant types and trimmed them to create a jungle array

I let the epoxy dry for an hour or so before flipping the discs over and trimming off the stems that projected through the base. One final step remained. I grabbed a premixed bottle of brown wash made from Vallejo clear matte and brown that I don't use anymore (I mostly use the vehicle washes nowadays). I slathered this liberally over all of the greenery on each disc, the palm fronds included. This takes the plastic shine off of the plants and gives it a more realistic look, I feel. In any jungle or woods, there are always dying plants. The brown wash gives that effect.

    The neoprene mat I created with fabric spray paint for those six-player, free for all skirmishes

You may have noticed the dark, greenish-brown mat that the jungle scatter and miniatures are sitting on. The cooler temperatures and lower humidity finally gave me a chance to paint a hex-shaped neoprene mat I had created from material bought at JoAnn Fabrics going out of business sale months ago. I had decided to try fabric spray paint to color it (comes light gray off the roll). I mentioned that to my friend Mike S, and he generously gave me two large cans of it, a dark brown and a forest green. I laid a tarp down in the grass outside and gave two coats of dark brown to it first. The next day, I sprayed it less thoroughly with the forest green. I wanted both the brown and green to be showing through, which I think it does. However, it is way darker than I would have liked. I'd be curious to see what others think, though...

    Two bedrolls and a large blanket that looked vaguely "old" to use for my French encampment

The final items are three pieces of plastic scatter from a huge box of Terrain Crate scatter that I bought from my friend Bryan Borgman a few years back. They are from the Crystal Peaks Camp and included two sleeping bedrolls and a large blanket. I will be using these as part of a French camp in my refight of the skirmish at Jumonville Glen at the Ohio History Center, Sept. 7. Our HMGS Great Lakes chapter will be hosting monthly historical miniatures games at the museum to showcase our hobby to passers by. Players and GMs get in free to the museum, and we will have literature on hand to pass out about the hobby.

    "Wait...I hear zee reinforcements are on zair way, mes amis!" My Frenchies awaiting new recruits

I'm happy with the scatter and the blankets and bedrolls -- still undecided on the hexagon mat. Oh, well -- that's how it goes sometimes! Not every idea comes to fruition perfectly!! So, what else is on my painting desk? Right now, two batches of miniatures -- Orc archers for my Dragon Rampant army and six Canadian Militia to reinforce the French side in that upcoming skirmish. Terrain-wise, I am scratch-building my own French & Indian War tents for the scenery in that game, as well. Stay tuned for more!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 180

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 36
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 61

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 159

Warhost 28mm Orcs - 'Gut You Like a Bonefish!'

    Beginning of an orc horde -- 8 Warhost 'Linebreakers' (28mm metal figs from Hobday & Hicks)

Somewhere, Theoden is looking down at me, sighing, "And so it begins..." With this first batch of 28mm Orcs, I have begun my "2026 Project" of painting an Orc army for Dragon Rampant. These are metal miniatures from the Warhost line produced this year by Hobday & Hicks. I purchased them when my friend Jeff Gatlin was running one of his 50% off sales, downsizing (and eventually shutting down) his gaming business. I bought two packs of four "Linebreakers" and two packs of orc archers. Frequent readers of Lead Legionaries may remember I bought way more than that a couple months later of 28mm metal Gripping Beast Orcs (from their Ragnarok line).

    These sculpts have lots of personality and very vile looking, ferocious Orc faces

I began with the Warhost ones because it gave me a chance to experiment some. I am a bit of Tolkien traditionalist when it comes to my fantasy. No green orcs or no D&D pig-noses for me! I take the description from the text of the Lord of the Rings and interpret it as I think it is meant. Described as "sallow" skinned, and dark (even "black" in one passage), I am interpreting that as very dark-skinned creatures with an olive or yellowish hint to their flesh. My particularity about orc skin color necessitated a test batch, and what more perfect group than the one from a different line than the rest?

    Left-hand fig is one of my favorites, every time I picked him up to paint I would recite Orc lines

After priming them with White Gesso (I was tempted to buy a bottle of Black Gesso and use that), I painted the skin areas with a craft paint from Delta Ceramcoat called "Walnut." It has a more watery mixture than some, and settles into low areas acting almost like a wash if you don't put it on thickly enough. After the base coat had dried overnight, I dry brushed it with two different colors. The first was a Folk Art craft paint called "Raw Sienna" -- a medium leathery tone. The next day I did a final highlighting with Delta Ceramcoat "Khaki." I was very happy with how the skin tone came out. Much to my surprise, there was even an olive tint, especially if next to green clothing. Not a bright, Games Workshop green skin, but a true olive complexion, as is sometimes used as a description for Mediterranean flesh tone. I was worried that the eventual black wash would ruin that, but I was happy that it did not. It just made them more dark skinned, which is something Tolkien refers to more than once in Lord of the Rings.

    I like how the dark red clothing looks on the Orcs, and their patched-together, repaired armor

Next up was the metal and armored parts of the figures. The Linebreakers are heavily armored -- most in chainmail and a couple in scale mail. There is a lot of great detail on the armor, too. Some have metallic discs or bands attached in random places, as if to patch up holes made in them (and also, likely, the previous wearer of the mail shirt!). I painted all the metal, including the metallic part of their weapons, in Iron Wind Steel. There was one scale armored orc that I painted the individual scales bronze, next (leaving the sides, tops, and bottom steel), as well as a couple Orcs that got bronze discs attached to their chainmail. For the rest, the steel received a light drybrush of Silver. Here and there, I went back and added steel to rivets and such and then painted the center part copper. For the most part, though, you see a sea of dark metal with only a hint of a silvery glint here and there when you look at this batch of Orcs. That was definitely how I wanted it.

    Half of the Linebreakers were armed with heavy, two-handed weapons & the rest with crude swords

The next step was to paint the clothing colors. I surveyed my paint racks and wrote down a list of colors that I think would look good for orcs. Most were darker versions of a color (like red), or pale versions (blue or green). I had no real plan at this stage, just working my way, in general, from the "inside out" on the clothes they were wearing. Cloaks, hoods, and such would be last. There were a couple colors, such as the pale yellow, that I probably won't repeat. Otherwise, once dry brushed to give a worn look, I think most of the colors work well. I will probably do more tans next time, and I definitely liked the olive and pale greens next to the dark orc flesh.

    Filing out of the ruins was vile batch of dark, sallow-skinned Orcs, edging stealthily forward

Another interesting and unusual detail on these metal sculpts was the "Orc take out" many seemed to have hanging from their belt or around their neck. These appeared to be hands or other random body parts carved off of a dead enemy. I assume the orc must be carrying them around in case he got peckish and wanted a snack! In one case, a severed head is tied by its hair to the Orcs belt. I painted all of the carved off body parts with a very pale flesh, and liberally added Iron Wind Blood Red to them. Straps and belts were painted leather, various hilts of knives or swords often got some bronze on the them, and this batch was getting very close to being finished. I used a pale yellow for both the eyes and the Orc teeth, where they could be seen. The eyes received a dark brown dot for their iris/pupil. 

    I decided to do my normal base flocking on the Orcs, rationalizing they're invading fertile lands

I really like how these "Orcses filth" (as Gollum would say) came out. These are really cool sculpts, with lots of fierce-looking character. The only thing I didn't like were the "knuckle dusters" or metallic domes the characters carrying swords one-handed had molded on their off-hand. I Googled what they might be, and one result said they were intended to be metallic reinforcements for their fists to either smash enemy faces or perhaps deflect blows? I also felt there was a chance they were supposed to be metal bosses for a shield that was sculpted with a hole in the middle (for the boss to poke through?). There were no shields in my Linebreaker packs, though. So, I painted them up as dubious, un-Tolkien like, knuckle dusters or brass knuckles. 

    The trio of craft paints that I used for my Orc flesh -- base coat Walnut, and two dry brush highlights

The next batch, the Warhost archers, is just underway on my painting desk. There is another batch of figures and some terrain and scatter in front of them, though. So, stay tuned here for more updates on the coming orc horde....!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 180

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 36
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 61

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

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

Giving 'Men Who Would Be Kings a Try'

    Left wing of my force on its way to destroy a Pathan village in Keith's 'Men Who Would be Kings'

Our group has become enamored with the Daniel Mersey line of rules in the last year or so. Our latest foray into the "Rampant" system, as it is sometimes known, was last night trying out the Colonial rules, The Men Who Would be Kings. Our group has played Lion Rampant, Xenos Rampant, and Rebels and Patriots, so far. This was a new one for us, and in our opinion, the bloodiest of the lot! Since we had six players, and Keith did not have enough figures of any one native people to make a three-player side, he decided to set up three separate, one-on-one matchups. In the first, Allen's Zulus trying to prevent Mike W's British colonial force from marching past them and reaching the safety of the opposite board edge. In the middle game, Tom was commanding a Boxer Rebellion force intent on reducing a church they'd previously burned, and drive off the Western powers forces attempting to save the Chinese Christians there. Joel and I played a Brits vs. Pathans matchup on the Northwest frontier. I was attempting to destroy a village while Joel was trying to prevent me from reducing the buildings to rubble.

    Although they activated below par, my British artillerists were deadly with their shots!

Unfortunately, I did not think to take pictures of any of the other matchups. I focused on my game with Joel, as we were trying to learn the specifics of this set. Although the Rampant games share a common set of mechanics, each game has their own twist or tweaks for the periods. The big thing we noticed for Men Who Would be Kings, besides the bloodiness, was that all types of activation rolls need the same score for success. In our games, it was usually a "6" on 2d6, or a "5" if you had Discipline +1. So, it didn't really matter if you were activating to move, move at the double, shoot, or charge into melee, your unit needed the same number for all of them. Each troop type does receive one or two "free" actions -- well, most of them do. My artillery did not, and ended up failing their activation roll pretty much every other turn like clockwork!

    Early stages of the battle as my British force of 4 units advances on the Pathan village

The biggest difference -- and what caused this game be so bloody -- is everyone's base "armor" is one. In Rampant games, the shooter or both sides in melee roll their prescribed number of attack dice, typically looking for a 5 or 6 (or 4-6 for many cases in this game) on 10-12 dice. You total up your hits and compare it to the armor of the enemy. If they have an armor of two, you inflict a casualty for every two hits. For example, if a shooting unit score five hits, and the target has an armor of three, you would do only one casualty (no rounding up). If they have an armor of 2, you inflict two. And if you have a armor one, like most troops in this game, that's five hits! Actually, the game doesn't even use the term "armor." The only things that acts as armor are cover and long range.

    Close up of Keith's 25mm Ral Partha highlander figures, who fought very well in battle

So, when my British highlander units at short range and in close order (Why not be in close order, as it doesn't reduce your move or make you easier to hit?) fired at Joel's Pathan unit, I was hitting on each 4-6 on 12d6. I admit that I was rolling very well to hit throughout the game, routinely scoring six or even eight hits. Needless to say, that will devastate a 12-man unit! So, Joel and I were done in about an hour of gaming. Although he was defending a village of hard cover buildings, it didn't help him much. The scenario ruled that a unit inside would be eliminated if a building was destroyed. To do that, I had to inflict 10 hits. When attacking the building (at short or long range), I rolled 12 dice and needed a 4-6. On my first shot at a building, I rolled five hits in one turn. Joel's occupants realized that an average roll on my next shot would destroy it. So, they scrammed and advaned to attack my infantry, instead. So, the hard cover was essentially a death trap for his troops, and useless as cover for him. 

    Pathan left wing advances towards my forces, thankfully across open ground where we could shoot

My tactics in the scenario were simple. The artillery was on my far right corner of the board, and would shoot every turn it activated (about 50% of the time) at either enemy troops or reduce buildings. I placed both of my highlander infantry units in close order, and they would advance till within range and then plant themselves and fire. And fire. And fire again. My British lancers would wait till a unit had been reduced below half strength, and then charge and finish them off, while the infantry switched to target a new Pathan infantry unit and begin reducing them down. 

    After the enemy was softened up by the highlander's fire, the lancers would dash in & destroy them!

We outranged the Pathans' rifles, too, firing 24" to their 18". So, I essentially had the advantage of sitting back and waiting for them to come within range, and then shooting them down. Yes, I realize that was the basic tactic of colonial European powers in this era. I can't imagine it made for a fun game for Joel, though. He killed four of my troops the entire game -- two by shooting and two by fighting back in melee when my lancers charged home. When he and I decided the outcome was a foregone conclusion and called it, he had only two reduced units left of the six he began the game. It was a bloody slaughter!

One difference in Men Who Would be King that I did like was that the number of dice rolled to attack an enemy by shooting or melee is controlled by the number of figures in your unit. In most Rampant games, a unit rolls the maximum dice (typically 12 or 10) when it is above half strength. When it falls to half or below, it rolls half that number of dice. In these rules, it is normally one dice per figure. So, you can wear a unit down with casualties and gradually see a reduction in its effectiveness. Maybe another reason our games were so bloody is that Keith made the decision to minimize the terrain in our first, learning game. I think that was a good idea, but it hurt the natives. Another thing that hurt the natives was the boards were relatively narrow -- each area was only about 3.5 feet wide by about 4-5 feet deep. The narrow frontage prevented them outflanking the colonials, and made our firepower that much deadlier, with enemy units always in our shooting arc. 

    The closest the Pathan advance got to my forces -- they were soon driven back by artillery & rifle fire

An obvious fix would be to give the natives more cover and the opportunity to outflank the enemy. Would it help the native forces? Definitely. That said, in the middle game, Tom's Boxers cleared the field of the colonial Western power units. He was able to use the Boxers' deadly charge and cut down the enemy. Now, Tom and Mike S admitted they got a couple rules wrong that might have affected the game some. Mike seemed pretty convinced he was outclassed, though. So, maybe it depends on which native force is matched up against which colonial power? What about the third game? It was pretty evenly fought -- and bloody, of course! However, Mike W's British fought off the attacks and destroyed enough of the Zulu enemy that it was obvious he'd be able to eventually fulfill his victory conditions and march off-table. So, it was 2-1 colonials. 

The games went VERY quickly -- the longest finished at two hours (Joel and I after an hour or so). So, I think the balance probably hangs in the scenario design and forces chosen. An unfavorable scenario, plus unfavorable matchup, can be very one-sided -- like my game. With me having the superior range (36" for my artillery and 24" for my rifles), I could sit back and pound his village all day long. That forced him to come out of the buildings and come after me. He was also hampered by the scenario, which forced him to deploy half of his force in the central buildings and the other half on his baseline. Contrast that with Tom's scenario in the center. Mike S was forced to put on sacrificial lamb of one of his units in the center ruins of the church. Tom's entire force could advance from his baseline together -- too many for one unit to keep at bay. It was just a matter of time before one of the Boxer charges drove him from the church and slaughtered him. And then, his remainder force coming up would be depleted of its firepower by the lost unit. With the Boxer's bigger units and superior hand-to-hand ability, I think Tom's scenario favored him as much as mine favored me over Joel.

    One building reduced to rubble in the village, and now the lancers prepare to sweep through it

Still, I enjoy playing the Rampant series of games. I think this particular one may need more tweaks, or careful scenario design, to prevent it from being a one-sided bloodbath. Obviously, we could use the same colonial figures and simply play the Xenos Rampant rules, if we wanted. We'll see what Keith wants to do, though. Either way, it was a quick fun game, which is what the Rampant series does well!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 172

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 36
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 61

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

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

Last of the 28mm Fishmen

    My 2nd batch of 28mm Fishmen -- the center three are from Beldolor Studios I picked up at Origins

Right after I finished the last of my 28mm Vietnam figures, I was kind of at a loss what to paint up next. I got several batches of things ready to go, though. One of which were these five 28mm Fishmen to go with the others I painted up for the heck of it, awhile back. Three of them are excellent, 3-D resin printed figures from Beldolor Studios that I've seen the last two years at Origins Game Fair. The other two looked vaguely fishman-like from the D&D Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures line, Kuo-Toa & Kua-Toa Whip. As I mentioned when posting the last batch, I'm really not sure what I'll use these for. The most likely possibility is to work them into my Tales of the Splintered Band using Sellswords & Spellslingers.

    Definitely my favorites of this batch, the two 28mm Pikes -- I love how their skin came out!

Of the Beldolor Studies fishmen, two of them are Pikes and one a Bass. My favorites of the batch are the two pikes. I decided to paint their coloring up similarly, as they had different weapons to tell them apart. I really like how they came out. I used a dark olive green as a base coat (after priming them with Liquitex White Gesso). I dry brushed them with a light olive. I made the underbelly of the fish lighter, highlighting that area more heavily. Next, I replicated some fish patterns I'd seen on Google Image searches by doing rows of dark green splotches going from head to tail. The rows stopped at the lighter underbelly, and I think it gives a nice effect. 

    The Bass is a cool figure, too -- I like his two swords and gaping fishy mouth (I added the teeth)

I did the weapons in normal wood and metal, though in my mind I debated the physics of an aquatic species armed with a buoyant piece of wood...! I decided they would know how to balance the wood's buoyancy with the metal head to give a more neutral weight, like scuba divers! I know, I know...it's fantasy. It doesn't have to make scientific sense! Still, if you know my group of friends that I game with, I wouldn't put it past one of them bringing up that point. It is good to have a ready answer when confronted with a gamer know-it-all (anyone want to guess who I'm referring to...? Ha, ha)! I even Google Image searched "fish eyes" so that I could give them the right effect. I really like how those eyes turned out -- especially on the Pikes. The tiny black pupil was done with a micron pen, by the way!

I wanted the Bass fishman to look different than the two pikes, so I gave him a much darker green base coat. He received a medium green highlight that doesn't show up very well, unfortunately. For his fish pattern, I chose to do lines of yellow dots. I was happy with how his pattern, too. I went back and forth on how to do the fish lips -- yes, these are the things miniature painters debate with themselves! I ended up repainting them to make them darker than the skin pattern for the pikes, and lighter for the bass. The important thing was I wanted them to show up clearly. I mean, after all, "fish lips" is a kind of description isn't it? For the Bass, I even added some tiny teeth that weren't sculpted on the figure.

    I also like how the Kuo Toa came out -- the plastic they're made with is a little too bendy for me

I had Googled various fish images, so used some that I liked for the coloring of the two Kuo Toa. One was done in a gray green and the other in a brighter "leaf green." They also got lighter colored highlights, a bright but light green for the leaf green one and very light gray for the other. Since patterns were looking good on these fishmen, I had do ones on these figs, too! All in all, I was happy with all five of the patterns. After all this effort, I certainly hope they do see the tabletop sometime!

The equipment for the Kuo Toa were done in leathers and browns. I used bone for their cutting edges on the one Kua Toa's weapons, because that's how they appeared to be sculpted. These guys had clothes, so I had to decide what color to do those, as well. I simply went with a nice contrast to the skin tones. I really like the dull purple color that I did the net fishman in. It is a color I try to work in from time to time on my miniatures. I also like the little details on these miniatures, such as the bone necklaces. I really don't like the plastic material they are made from, though. It is too flexible and bendy. I honestly prefer metal figures and you can't get much more opposite than these!

    Over the sound of the surf, you hear an ominous, wet-sounding tramp moving up the beach...

I debated with myself whether to give these guys a dark wash, eventually deciding to do so. I liked how the sand flocking worked out on the first batch, so I replicated that here with these five. Sand is a nice neutral basing look -- they could have just staggered out of the sea and onto the beach, right? At this point, the poor fishy dudes sat on my painting desk for at least a week. I wanted to do a spray matte coat, and it has been the typical Columbus, OH, Southeast Asia type weather this summer. Once I finally got a day that was BOTH cooler and less humid, they finally got their spray. The last step was to give their skin a brush on gloss coat. I mean, they are dripping went having just come out of the waves and onto land, right??

So, what else is on my painting desk? Seeing as how a week or more has gone by since these were finished...quite a bit! My first batch of 28mm Orcs is nearly complete. Plus, I've begun another six large jungle scatter pieces. They're just underway, really. Only the central palm tree is done. I haven't even cut up the pieces of plastic plants yet to put on the rest of the base. I've been pretty busy otherwise with my 28mm Vietnam project. I did my second playtest and put the first draft of the rules together to send out to other playtesters. So, that's been keeping me busy. I have a few other odds and ends that I'll be working in, so stay tuned!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 172

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 36
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 61

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

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

Surving 'Nam Playtests: Mission 2 - Temple at River Bend

    1st Squad lined up in the trees along the river, ready to open up on any V.C. that appear

Both squads crouched in a circle around Lt. Cooper and Cpl. Kern. "There's a ruined temple complex across the river up ahead," Cooper said, pointing at his folded map. "S-2 say that there's good Intel some V.C. are using it as a bivouac and bunker against H&I fire. Our mission is to sneak up on it, pour fire into it, and drive the V.C. out of there. Second & Third Platoon are waiting in ambush along the trail they'll withdraw on and should shoot them up pretty good. Those we don't get, that is!"

    View of the tabletop before the battle -- the Americans would enter from the right, V.C. on the left

Cpl. Kern jumped in quickly. "As soon as you catch sight of the river, get in cover. Move through the trees, hump them like they're your high school buddy's girlfriend!" A couple squad members chuckled. "We're a diversion - don't take stupid risks. No John Wayne bullshit!" All were nodding or smiling at that comment, though Cooper looked at Kern a little funny. "First squad on me...let's move out. Hawk - you got point. Watch out for punji sticks!" Hawk grinned and flipped Kern the bird. He patted the pogue Otis on the shoulder as he walked by, whispering something that sounded like, "See -- told you this would be fun...!" 

    Led by Cpl. Kern, 1st Squad enters on the left -- immediately taking cover in the trees

This was my second playtest of my Surviving 'Nam: A Year In-country with Mr. Charles rules. I was encouraged after the first playtest, though it had been exceptionally bloody for the platoon. Losing NCOs left and right meant that 1st squad was now led by a corporal and 2nd by the lieutenant himself. The river he referred to took a wide U-shaped bend with the U.S. soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division (Big Red One) walking into the pocket of the "U." There was ample patches of medium vegetation on the platoon's side of the river, as well as opposite. In addition, across the river were several temple buildings and ruins, as well as a couple newer hooches. 

    Led by Lt. Cooper, 2nd Squad enters on the right and they also immediately take to the trees for cover

I gave this scenario a "+1" to the roll on ending the Countdown to Contact phase. Unlike last game, though, it took three full turns of Squad Leader-based movement before the die roll equaled or exceeded six (die roll + turns elapsed +1). During this early phase of the game, the squad leader rolls two dice per figure in his command. Successes are doled out to the soldiers as chosen by the players, with no figure receiving more than two. That meant both squads had good firing positions in cover, lining the bank of the river. The squad leaders were also in position to direct their soldiers (and give one of them a free activation each turn), and the new medic, Cpl. Frank, was back from the firing line in the center, as much as he could be. In short, we were ready once the enemy showed his face.

    Both squads advancing cautiously forward towards the river, sticking to the cover as Cpl. Kern said

After the first playtest, I tweaked the transition from the Countdown to Contact phase to the normal activation procedure. This time, instead of just moving straight into it, I first flipped Event Cards until it I revealed three cards that brought enemy onto the board. After rolling randomly for where they were deployed, I then started into rolling for my soldier's activations. I alternated a soldier from Kern's 1st Squad with one from Cooper's 2nd Squad, like two players would do if they were playing the game cooperatively. However, I was absolutely on fire with my rolling! I rarely failed activations -- unlike the first playtest! 

    1st Squad in their positions along the river, with the new medic, Cpl. Frank on the far right

In short order, the three lone VC whose cards were revealed were gunned down by the U.S. soldiers. The terrified clerk/typist even got the first kill, shooting a black-clad man across the river from him who was lining up a shot with his RPG. Someone laughed and shouted, "Get some, Otis!" Pfc. Griffin took aim at a rifleman in the distance, squeezed off a burst, and watched him fall to the ground. 2nd squad's M79 gunner, Pvt. Janowicz, moved to where he could see one of the V.C. behind the temple complex, and popped off a shot. It landed on-target, and the last of the three V.C. that I had just put on the table dropped as a casualty. Someone was still out there, though. Every time Cpl. Hawk raised his head, he drew a "That Was Close!" event card, which put a pin on him. There was a sniper out there...somewhere! Maybe not the most accurate one, but hitting close enough to keep the corporal's head down!

    2nd Squad watches incoming V.C. mortar fire land short across the river, causing no casualties

It wasn't till the end of the next turn that a V.C. light machine gunner came on board, but way off in the far corner of the board. So, for a turn and a half, Kern's and Cooper's squads held their positions or shifted just slightly. On the following turn, though, things began to happen. A squad of five V.C. popped up in the woods just across the river, on the unit's right. They lit up poor Pvt. Carter's position, but he hugged dirt and the rounds went overhead. When the fire slackened, he looked up, saw one moving and squeezed off a burst, pumping his fist as he saw him fall. Lt. Cooper had apparently been busy while the platoon was waiting for the V.C. to initiate contact, though. Shortly after the enemy squad appeared, a fire mission from the company mortars landed right on their position. I had drawn the first "Fire Mission" card during the lull, and it then it came up a second time (which is when it is actually played on an enemy) immediately after the enemy squad appeared. Cooper's radioman, Pfc. Byars, patted the lieutenant's shoulder as the rounds crashed around the enemy squad, whispering, "Get some, L-T!" Not to be outdone, Pvt. Janowicz lobbed a M79 round on target, too, killing another. After a bloody first mission, the platoon seemed to be ready for payback this time!

    While Lt. Cooper scans the opposite bank for enemies, his fire mission explodes into the V.C. squad

Cpl. Kern decided to switch positions to be closer to his M60 gunner, Pfc. Boston. As he was darting through the trees, he triggered a wire and KABOOM! Kern fell, and his buddy Hawk shouted, "MEDIC!" Cpl. Frank sprinted over to Kern, rolled him over and chuckled. Slightly panicked, Kern said, "What the Hell's so funny? I'm hit!" The medic pulled Kern's mess kit loose from his pack -- it was shredded, and had taken the shrapnel from the small explosion. Kern's voice cracked a little when he laughed, but his relief was obvious.

    Medic Cpl. Frank checks on the down Cpl. Kern, who triggered a booby trap during his movement

"Go get 'em, tiger --  you're okay!" Frank said, pulling the dazed squad leader to his feet. In Surviving 'Nam, a soldier who rolls lower than the Danger Level of an enemy shot, booby trap, incoming artillery, etc., is "Down." Another soldier needs to spend an action checking on them, at which point the players roll to see the result of the wound. It can range from "out of action" to "Holy Shit!" (when a player's was knocked to the ground by the force of the round or explosion, but they are unwounded). That's what happened to the lucky Cpl. Kern. He dashed off, grinning back at the medic.

    A squad of 3 V.C. riflemen appear on table and move up to take cover behind a Buddhist stupa

Cpl. Frank took off running again when he heard the shout of "MEDIC!" from Pfc. Griffin, on 2nd squad's flank. As he sprinted over (rolled a "20" which gives an extra action for a total of 3!), Griffin shouted to him that Carter had been hit. Frank found the African-American soldier laying motionless on the ground. He looked pretty messed up, so he didn't hesitate. He snatched him up and carried him out of the patch of trees and line of sight of the enemy. He called over to the lieutenant and let him know that Carter would need a Medevac. Cooper nodded and told Byars to make the call ASAP. The squad had just taken its first casualty. Would this mission end up being like the last, with seven soldiers riding out on Medevac choppers? Cooper hoped not, Capt. Meyer would have his ass if it did!

    The V.C. squad moves from behind the stupa into firing positions in the hard cover of the temple

Meanwhile, Pvt. Janowicz was watching the far treeline beyond the temple complex. He'd seen three V.C. dart out of the trees and duck behind a massive stone stupa. Too hard of a shot, he thought -- the rounded  stone surface would just bounce his round away from the enemy. Sure enough, the trio soon darted from behind the structure and raced to the cover of a crumbling stone wall and Buddha statue. "Better pray to your fat buddy, suckers," he smiled, lining up the shot. Ka-BOOM! "Got two of them!" he shouted. While reloading, he called to Boston, the M60 gunner. "You going to fire that hog, today?" Boom! "Got the other," Janowicz laughed. The M60 gunner just shook his head. Now, that crazy Chuck knows I didn't have line of sight on those dudes, he thought.

    Janowicz's first M79 round lands between 2 V.C. sheltering behind a Buddha statue, taking them out

Suddenly, AK-47 fire hammered out from behind the platoon. Cpl. Kern shouted, "Boston, on our six! Enemy to the rear!" Boston spun away from the river and saw a half dozen black-clad enemy stalking towards them, firing from the hip. He laid down a sheet of covering fire, just like his mentor, Pfc. George, had taught him. All the enemy hit the dirt, one obviously wounded. Suddenly he heard Janowicz shout, "Get down...RPG!" An explosion in the trees caused a fresh round of cursing from an obviously unwounded but narrowly missed Janowicz. Kern was shouting again, "Across the river, Boston! V.C. bunker in the trees!!" The unmistakable sound of an enemy light machine gun fire from across the river made Boston spin back again. 

    V.C. RPG gunner pops up & attempts to give Janowicz a taste of his own medicine, narrowly missing

"God damn it!" Boston cursed, hosing fire towards the muzzle flashes coming from the trees. How did they miss that freaking thing? Shit was hitting the fan, now! Boston fired off another burst at the bunker, then turned and layed down suppressive fire on the squad behind them. "A little help, guys!" he called. 1st Squad's M79 man Cassidy cursed and moved along the river until he could see the bunker. He popped off a shot, but missed long. The bunker's machine gun fired another burst and the FNG Warfield, who had been trying to follow Boston around with more M60 ammo, screamed and went down. "I'm hit!" he called.

    Enemy LMG in a bunker across the river opens up on 1st Squad, catching the Americans by surprise

Kern called out to Boston, "I got Warfield -- you keep up the suppressive fire! You're doing great...no matter what Janowicz says!" The squad leader ducked through the trees to Warfield. The new guy was rolling around in agony screaming he was hit. Kern grabbed him, found the wound -- a bullet had scraped a hunk out of his shoulder, and bandaged it. Kern put his hands on either side of the terrified soldier's face. "You're going to be okay -- it was just a graze. Now, grab your rifle and move towards the rear. The C.O. says its almost time to go!"

    An "Outflanked!" Event Card brings a squad of V.C. riflemen onto the Americans' rear

When the sound of the M60 died down for a second, Janowicz called out, "Hey Boston! I bet I get the bunker before you do..." The M60 gunner smiled despite himself, loaded another belt of ammo, and fired at the bunker's opening. He swore he could see the rounds disappearing inside. Then he saw the 40mm grenade from Janowicz's M79 bounce through the hole and inside. BOOM! Well, so much for that -- even if he had killed the gunner, Janowicz would claim he did it. "TOLD YOU! Woowee! Did you see that shot, Boston?" 

    Pvt. Janowicz, at right, admires his shot bouncing a 40mm grenade through the bunker's opening 

Lt. Cooper's voice cut through the din. "Time to go, everyone! Janowicz -- shut your trap and move out!" Slowly, the squads begin to pull back. Each soldier would fire off a few shots at VC that were still attacking, then darted out of the trees towards the rear. Cooper's radioman Byars moved to help Cpl. Frank with Carter, and the two picked up speed, moving the unconscious private to the rear. Cpl. Kern lingered towards the rear, making sure no one got left behind. As he turned to run, he saw Lt. Cooper watching him. The two locked eyes, both smiled, and raced under the trees. 

    Pfc. Byars & Cpl. Frank, the medic, carry a badly wounded Pvt. Carter toward the rear & Medevac

The platoon's mission was to provide a diversionary attack on the temple complex. I ruled that once the platoon had killed a number of enemy equal to their numbers, that would be considered a sufficient diversion. When the enemy squad showed up on our rear, as a player I did the quick math, and calculated that would take us over the number required. Of course, that was also when the bunker and the RPG man appeared! Through the first half of the game, I was thinking, "This one is too easy." When Carter went down, and the enemy started appearing one after another, I was thinking, "Oh, crap -- here it comes again!" However, in the last game my dice went south at crunch time. This game, they stayed fairly consistent. 

    1st & 2nd Squad exfiltrate from the battlefield, having scored satisfying payback on the V.C.

I had only two wounded to roll for -- I got lucky when Cpl. Kern survived the booby trap unscathed. I knew Pvt. Warfield should be okay. He was only Lightly Wounded (+4 to the roll), and he made it off table (+1). I rolled the d20 and he got more than a 20. You want a high roll on the injury table. So, he was fine and wouldn't miss any time -- which the other soldiers would probably say was good since he just got there! I was sweating it a bit on Pvt. Carter. He was out of action (no modifier), but was carried off-table (+1). Carter scored, "Enjoy Japan!" He would be recuperating in Okinawa and miss the next three missions. All in all, the platoon had a MUCH better post-battle than after the first mission. 

    Screen shot of my Post-Battle Recovery table that wounded soldiers must roll on 

Organizationally, Cpl. Frey would return to take command of 2nd Squad next month. However, with Carter out, 2nd Squad needed another body -- it was only Frey, Griffin, and Janowicz. So, this meant one roll on the Replacements table. I scored a "15" -- "Welcome to the squad!" Capt. Meyer transferred a junior NCO from one of the other platoons over to 1st Platoon, 2nd Squad. He is "Grunt" status -- combat experienced. So, the guys will be happy to welcome Cpl. Bosa to their unit. Speaking of which, I imagine there has to be one or two readers out there who have figured out my naming system for the Big Red One!  Over to 1st Squad -- they are back to full strength in March with Pfc. Tatum's return. Otherwise, the new medic performed great under pressure (no failures on activation rolls). Lt. Cooper is starting to perform well under pressure -- he and Kern worked well together on this mission. So, February was a relatively good month for Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment -- at least our little section of it!

    A screen shot of my replacement table -- only one roll on it needed after this mission!

On the rules writing front, there are a couple tweaks that I'm going to make after this game, but I am happy with how the it is playing. Earlier this week, I got a chance to assemble the first draft of the rules into a coherent organization. So, if you are interested in helping me playtest Surviving 'Nam, please reach out to me. I have three folks who have done so already, so they should be getting some files this week. I hope you enjoyed the battle report. It obviously doesn't record every die roll and every Event Card drawn, hopefully conveys the main flow of the game and the action. 

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 167

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 36
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 61

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

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