Easy Ships-Game Rules for my 1/4800 Naval Ships

Easy Ships can be played either, by choosing a historic scenario, which lists an era and a set of ships participating in a particular conflict or look up the type, class/name, guns, movement, amour, defense, and point specifications for each ship you intend to commit to the engagement on the supplied HTML's. There is a pages for each nation. Ship types are listed on the top of the page and specifications for each ship type are listed below.

Using a historic scenario will make the skirmish seem more realistic, but if you are like me you may not have too many of these naval miniatures and will have to make do with what you have. I have the following 1/4800 miniatures:

MF-4802 - United Kingdom Group 1 - 12 Ships

Contains: 1 - Duke of York, 1 - Suffolk, 1 - Southampton, 1 - Jamaica, 2 - Ajax, 2 - M Class, 2 - O Class,2 - P Class

MF-4803 - German Group 2 - 11 Ships

Contains: 1 - Bismarck, 1 - Scharnhorst, 1 - Prinz Eugen, 1 - Graf Spee, 1 - Koln, 1 - Z23, 3 - Z24, 2 - Theodor Reidel

Whether these fleets are balanced in the way of capabilities or not I do not know, but with the throw of the dice, you always have that element of chance.

Directory of Dire Wolf Suppliers

Canis dirus or Dire wolves are larger than their grey wolf cousins. They are now extinct, but were most common in North and South America living 10,000 years ago.

Since my first dire wolf perked my interest in these creatures, I have been looking for other dire wolf miniatures and have come across the following offerings:

Cool Mini or Not features several dire wolf, including this ferocious looking creature, not sure whether I will drop, the close to twenty dollars for this mini, but it does proffer many singular features, doesn’t he?

Dire Wolf NM without Card D&D / RPG Minis Dungeons of Dread Miniatures, is an ebay find. This miniature features many dire attributes and the price is not too bad that I will most probably add this one to my collection.

Reader Miniatures offers a small collection of 25mm dire wolfs and a couple of Wargs, more about these creatures at a later date.

Lastly, Splintered Light Miniatures offers a pack of 6 15mm Dire Wolves. This wolfs come in six different poses. I am planning on using these with another set of their miniatures in a small diorama.

My 28mm Games Workshop Wolf has been Completed

My Games Workshop wolf went together easily. The miniature, if you remember, came in four parts. It was a fun project; however it perked my interest for dire wolf and warg miniatures. This miniature was not advertised as a dire wolf, but its size and its apparent ferocious behavior reminds me of what a dire wolf might have looked and acted like.

Game Rules for my 1/285 Amour Miniatures

Now that I have a couple of sets of micro-amour units I am looking for a set of game rules to use in a World War Two amour skirmish game. On one hand, I am looking for a set of rules with enough options and scenarios to make the game interesting. On the other hand I don’t want the rules to be too complex.

The rules should work well with two players, but also should allow other players to play. Recently I found the following sets of rules and am reading through these rules to find the set of rules that seems to fit my criteria. More about the set of rules I have chosen will follow…

• Panzer Command
• GEV-WWII
• WEHRMACHT '47 MICRO ARMOUR® & WWII MICRO ARMOUR

Large List of Free RPG

The Darkshire site offers a very long alphabetical list of free RPG games. From Science Fiction, Fantasy, Cyberpunk, Horror, to Zombies. Most of these RPGs use dice based mechanics, but there are a few that use other means, such as cards.

Forbidden Desert Board Game Overview

“Your team of adventurers has been sent on a mission to excavate an ancient desert city.” Judging by the art work on the game tiles, the city looks like an advanced civilization. Your job once you get there is to recover an ancient flying machine, which is reported as being powered by the sun

On your way there, your team’s helicopter is forced down by a sand storm and your only way out is to uncover this ancient city, find clues about the flying machine, and escape from the grips of this hostile environment before being buried alive in sand or running out of life sustaining water

My Order from Amazon has Arrived

Even though I have a very long Wish List, this will probably be my last order from Amazon for a while. The order is a mixed bag. I have added two more texts, a book and a graphic novel. Both of these volumes are a bit different than my normal reading material. However books on diverse subjects and topics have always fascinated me.

I have added a new board game to our small, but growing collection of games. Past times against the boredom; board games give my wife and I something to do when there is nothing else to do.

In addition, I have added a new video to my collection. I have been acquiring World War Two movies. These classics are great to watch before playing a war game of any sort as they put you the mood and mind set for these strategy games.

More information on these topics will follow.

Blog Management and Updates

I have been weeding through my list of labels and blog posts recently and have gotten rid of a few posts and label topics that I don’t see myself ever adding to. In addition, where I had duplicate entries because of misspelled or mistyped label names I corrected these entries. I am sorry for any inconvenience this might cause.

A Riddle from the Silver Chair

“Though under Earth and throne less now I be, yet while I lived, all Earth was under me.”

The Chronicles of Narnia

A Meal Ate under the Earth

It seems that I have neglected to mention the meals our characters have eaten while on their travels. Pity me. This luncheon was set before the Prince (Knight), and his guests, of Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum. The meal consisted of:

Pigeon pie
Cold ham
Salad
And cakes; one of these cakes was reported as being a honey cake.

The Silver Chair, The Chronicles of Narnia.

I haven’t had pigeon pie or honey cake, but the menu is enticing just the same.

Jill’s Quest

Upon entering Narnia for the first time, Jill meets Aslan while she is refreshing herself at a stream. Since she had pushed Eustace off the cliff in fear of falling herself, she is given a task by Aslan for Eustace and she to complete. The quest was be guided by Aslan who gave Jill the following four steps in which they must proceed.

“These are the signs by which I will guide you in your quest. First; as soon as the boy Eustace sets foot in Narnia, he will meet an old and dear friend. He must greet the friend at once; if he does, you will both have good help. Second; you must journey out of Narnia to the north till you come to a ruined city of the ancient giants. Third; you shall find writing on a stone in that ruined city, and you must do what the writing tells you. Forth; you will know the lost prince( if you find him) by this, that he will be the first person you have met in your travels who will ask you to do something in my name, in the name of Aslan.”

The Silver Chair, Jill’s is Given a Task, The Chronicles of Narnia.

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If it had not been for some quick acting on the parts of Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum, the trio would had failed to achieve the task set before them by Aslan. They had missed opportunities with the first three signs and had suffered many hardships and delays because of their obstinacy. This was more so with the children than Puddleglum.

Five Sherman’s 1/285 Miniatures

The Sherman, a US medium tank, was the most common American tank in World War II. The Sherman proved itself somewhat effective against German Mk II and Mk IV Panzers, but was thoroughly outclassed by the Tiger, Panther and King Tiger tanks.

Although the Sherman might not have been the best tank on the battle field it held its superiority in the number units that were produced. The Sherman was mass produced by the Ford Motor Company. More than 49,234 Sherman’s were produced between 1942 and 1945.

The Sherman was used in all combat theaters and by many allied nations; United States, Great Britain, the Free French, China and even the Soviet Union used the Sherman

These 1/285 Sherman miniature will be used along with Panzers I recently made a post on in a skirmish game of some sort. More will follow…

Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin

And of Tuor a son of Huor and kin to Hurin, a lord of Man traveled abroad during the first-age of middle earth.

“Tuor went on now in great hope and delight, finding a path beneath the southern wall…

…thus Tuor journeyed slowly for three days, drinking the cold water, but desiring no food though there were many fish that shone as gold and silver, or gleamed with colors like to the rainbow in the spray above.”

Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin, Unfinished Tales-The Lost Lore of Middle Earth, J.R.R.Tolkien.

Unfinished Tales, by J.R.R. Tolkien-First Impressions

Unfinished Tales, like the Silmarillion was published posthumously by J.R.R. Tolkien’s son. The mass marketed paperback edition contains 493 pages including a 59 page index. Unfinished Tales includes lore from the first, second and third ages of Middle Earth. The text includes maps from three locations of Middle Earth; Númenórë, Far Harad, and Dagorlad.

Although many topics are discussed within this text the publisher has featured three topics at the preface of the text. They are:

1. The telling of the origins of Middle Earths wizards
2. The story of Galadriel, the daughter Finarfin and the co-ruler and Lady of Lothlórien. It is said that she had almost unlimited magical powers
3. And the story of Bilbo Baggins before his great adventure.

Unfinished Tales will bring depth to many topics that are mentioned only briefly in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. I have started my reading of Unfinished Tales at, Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin. This is one of those texts where I can see myself jumping around a bit.

The Hunt for Gollum

Screenshot is from the opening of The Hunt for Gollum.

The Hunt for Gollum is a thirty minute unofficial Lord of the Rings prequel that is based on the appendices of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. This is a very impressive short film depicting a time toward the end of the third age of Middle Earth. It was a time when the forces of darkness were encroaching upon the lives of everyday people and where rangers of the good patrolled the wilds to counter these forces of evil.

More Historical Board Gaming Supplement Parts

What is nice about the Historical Board Gaming site is that you may order supplement parts from many different versions of Axis and Allies. I currently own a copy of Axis and Allies 1941, but I was able to add some unique pieces to my game from different versions of the game.

I made the order to obtain several sets of dice for other games, but since Historical Board Gaming were offering some of their parts on sale I decided to purchase a few of these game pieces. Some of the more unique pieces that I purchased were a set of American WWII P-38 fighters, several Liberty transport ships, and a set of Japanese Type 95 ha-Go tanks.

These parts will be a welcome addition to the game, as the game no longer provides enough pieces to go around. Instead you must use markers to represent multiple pieces. Markers are a good thing in that they keep the very congested board from becoming impossible to work with. However, it is still nice to have additional pieces to pull from, when the need arises.

A Mossflower Prologue

“Late autumn winds sighed fitfully around the open gatehouse door, rustling brown gold leaves in the fading afternoon.

‘Come in, little one, and close the door’

The mouse did as he was bidden.

‘You said that you would tell me a story, Miz Bella.’

The badger nodded slowly.

‘Everything you see about you, the harvest that has been gathered, from the russet apples, to the golden honey, is yours to enjoy in freedom. Listen now, as the breeze sweeps the last autumn leaves off into the world of winter. I will tell you of a time long ago before Redwall Abby was built in Mossflower.’ “

And thus starts another adventure of Matthias the Warrior, the mouse who had helped save the Redwall Abby from the clutches of the fiendish rat, Cluny the Scourge. Mossflower is second in a long series by Brain Jacques about Matthias the Warrior, mouse, the Redwall Abby and its occupants. What a poetic start of one very noble and gallant mouse.

Mossflower, Brain Jacques

The Ecstatic Reepicheep Speaks

With only two volumes left to my reading of the Chronicles of Narnia The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is so far the best volume in this collection. With its adventures, King Caspian and his crew went looking for the lost Lords and encountered new lands, peoples and creatures.

“Yes, yes”, cried Reepicheep, clapping his paws together. “That’s how I’ve always imagined it-the World like a great round table and the waters of all the oceans endlessly pouring over the edge. The ship will tip up and stand on her head-for one moment we shall see over the edge-and then down, down, the rush, the speed.”

“And what do you think will be waiting for use at the bottom, eh?” said Drinian.

“Aslen’s country perhaps.” said the Mouse, his eyes shining. “Or perhaps there isn’t any bottom. Perhaps it goes down for ever and ever. But whatever it is, won’t it be worth anything just to have looked for one moment beyond the edge of the world?”

The Wonders of the Last Sea, The Dawn Treader, The Chronicles of Narina.

Five PzKpfw III H 1/285 Miniatures

The PzKpfw-III was a medium tank manufactured by the Germany before and during the World War II. Germany built 5774 during the years 1937-43. The PzKpfw made up the bulk of Germany’s armored forces.
The tanks were delivered in two parts, the body and their turrets. The tanks turrets fit inside a rounded indentation in the body and can swivel.
I don’t know how close or far I am from having my C in C, G-18, PZKW III H battle tanks painted in authentic colors, but they are fine for my purpose. I will using these miniatures along with the set of US Sherman’s to play a skirmish game. Once I have acquired enough of these miniatures I can use them in a full blown war game.

Axis and Allies Land Units

Table Tactics produces several Axis and Allies expansion sets. These expansion sets are distributed through Fair Play Games. The expansion sets include a total of 48 Infantry and armor units. If you are in the market for land units that factors out to about four cents apiece. The set includes various types of tanks and infantry units to add to those that were already supplied with your game. The various pieces could also be used to bring additional capabilities to your game play.

Dragons and Sea Serpents

Not since reading Vern’s A Journey to the Center of the Earth, have I encountered a monster either on land or at sea. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, a volume within The Chronicles of Narnia, makes mention of a dragon.

In this chapter the crew of the Dawn Treader arrives at yet a non-named island. Eustace the priggish cousin of Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, decides to make himself scarce and gets himself helplessly lost. Being thirsty and seeing a pool up a head Eustace heads toward the pool for a drink. As he finishes refreshing himself he becomes horrified as he notices, what looks like a dragon heading toward the same pool he had just taken a drink from. Too scared to run Eustace steps back into the shadows and keeps a keen watch on the dragon.

The dragon moves very slowly toward the pool. The dragon takes a couple of laps from the pool and then becomes very still. After what seems like a life time Eustace waits to see what is to become of the dragon. The dragon seems to go to sleep, but after a while Eustace notices that the dragon seems to have stopped breathing. The dragon had dragged itself out to pool to give itself a drink and to die.

Eustace was ecstatic, of course he would be, but all that excitement made him very sleepy. Eustace wanders over to the dragon’s lair and notices gems and articles of gold upon the floor of the cave. He stuffs his pockets with the gems and slides a golden bracelet on his arm and lays down to sleep.

When Eustace awakes he perceives that he had taken up residence with the dragons mate for he perceives steam coming from her nostrils. There was no other dragon, however during the night Eustace had become a dragon. So the dragon in which he sensed was actually Eustace.

In the chapter that follows “How the Adventure Ended” the crew and passengers of the Dawn Treader had left the island, which King Caspian aptly names the, Dragon Island, and were on their way to find the lost lords. They weren’t too far out from Dragon Island when a look-out noticed what looked like a set of rocks a way in the distance. It wasn’t too long afterward when it was noticed that these semi-submersion objects were seemingly following them and were getting closer all the time. The lumps that had been mistaken as rocks were the fins or the humps of a large sea serpent.

The sea serpent coiled itself around the ship. The ship’s crew and passengers worked diligently to remove the serpent from the ship by sliding its body off the ship. They were successful, however the decorative ships stern, which was fashioned after a tail of a sea serpent was lost to this monster of the deep.

Sorting Out my Spruce

Here are those Games Workshop spruce by type. As you can see all of these miniatures come in four parts and are either distributed on one, two or three separate spruce. All of the miniature have great detail.

High Elf Horse

Wolf

Bretonnian Horse

Empire Horse

In retrospect, I wish I had ordered two wolf miniatures and had not purchased the Bretonnian Horse as the wolf has more appeal. The other two horses look great and will fit perfectly into my plans for a couple of fantasy scenes I have in mind.

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WTF are these kits hiding?

Projects for June

Although I am rather free with my posts I am rather slow in getting my projects completed, I keep on purchasing new items, which of course adds to my “to-do” list. However, unless I plan, nothing gets accomplished. Here goes:

1. Finish painting 1/285 WWII German Panzer tanks
2. Paint 1/285 WWII American Sherman tanks
3. Assemble and paint at least one 28mm Persian miniature
4. Assemble and paint the Games Workshop 28mm Wolf miniature

These projects may be completed in any order, as the mood strikes.

The list is small and by rights I should be able to accomplish these tasks within the month of June. Well let’s hope so.

Can you Identify this Pig?

The other day while extending a flower bed I came upon the following discoveries: a three foot piece of string, an eight inch piece of rigid plastic tubing, a rusty metal canopy or tent peg, and this duffer. He like the rest of the artifacts was encrusted in dirt, but this duffer did clean-up nicely. Both arms, I presume, swiveled as his right arm does. Where the duffer lost his other arm is anyone’s guess. He is made of a dense hard plastic. Any ideas of this duffers origin?

My Plastic Sprue Have Arrived from Great Escapes Games

Although this pile of plastic spruce needs to be sorted out, they represent four Games Workshop’s 28mm miniatures. These miniatures were ordered from Great Escapes Games in Great Britain. With exchange rates as they are and the charge levied on me by Paypal for currency exchanges, this is one very expensive pile of plastic.