Monthly Archives: March 2017

Wargaming scenery – Building a Mosque in 28mm scale

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The one building essential for 28mm modern Afghanistan gaming is a mosque (masjid). I was wanting something that looked substantial but was still suitable for a small village scenario. I have built a number of buildings over the years with foam card and decided that this would suit, but I have tried a few different things this time that I think would be useful to share with others.

Firstly I put the basic building together with triangular corner supports for the roof. I wanted a small entrance area, as the size of the mosque did not warrant a courtyard or “sahn”, and a larger area for the prayer room (the musalla). The building is about 24cm long, 15cm wide and 8 cm high.

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The building was then glued on to an mdf place mat available from most good hobby shops like “Spotlight”.

The roof was simply a flat piece of foam board with a polystyrene half round dome glued on to represent the qubba. The dome is available from the same hobby shop in packs of about six.

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The windows and doors were a challenge. The solution was very simple and produces an excellent result. I simply “googled” arched windows and doors, chose some suitable designs, cut and pasted these to a word document, sized them appropriately and printed them out.

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These were then stuck on “cereal packet” thick card (actually a cat food box) to give them a bit of depth and then glued onto the building. I put them in matching places on both the inside and outside.

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I wanted to show other interior details. I started with the floor. Firstly I “paved” the front foyer with card board tiles made from the same material as the backing for the windows and doors. Mr Google also proved useful for the Persian carpet for the musalla area

I decided against including a minbar or raised pulpit as it would make the internals to fragile for wargamer’s fingers.  As the niche in the wall facing Mecca (miqbar) is an essential component of the mosque I chose to represent this by just printing off a picture of one and framing it within an arched cardboard frame.

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The tiles were then painted black and when dry, dry-brushed a light grey with a white dry brush highlight.

The door between the “sahn “and the “musalla” was then trimmed with cardboard.

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Some hastily repaired “battle damage was added with a scalpel and “boarded” up with cardboard. The roof top walls were also suitably damaged to represent the ageing building.

The roof, dome, and outside walls were then painted with PVA glue. Fine sand was then sprinkled on top. You need to do one wall at a time as you need the PVA glue wet for the sand to adhere.

You will note the sand was only applied to the inside walls above the roof line as I wanted the interior to have a white washed plaster look and feel.

A bit of touch up painting and painting the boarding and door trim was all that was required to finish the building.

Kufra campaign continues….

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North African Campaign Map2

The Kufra campaign had stalled due severe desert storms and heat (code for we had a myriad of other games we wanted to play).

The campaign was a simple Chain of Command ladder campaign with the results of each battle determining the scenario for the next game.

The Italian army had been gradually falling back with little causalities over the last few skirmishes but were now caught unprepared in the Djebel Uweinat mountains.

Storming the Beaches in July Campaign Map

Both sides were carrying a few causalities into the battle but were nevertheless virtually complete platoons.

In this scenario, a somewhat disordered Italian force is attempting to blunt the advance of a stronger attacker. This scenario was played across the table length ways. The Italians were supplemented by two flamethrower teams and the Australians with a MkVI Vickers tank and an Recce Section of two Universal Carriers.

The patrol phase had allowed the Australians to outflank the Italian left and also to have sweeping fields of fire from within their deployment zone.

The game began cautiously with the Australians trying to out maneuver the central Italian position in the wheat field. The weight of fire was beginning to tell on the Italians as the amount of shock on each unit was mounting up. The Recce section moved their Universal carriers into position to outflank the Italians when the unthinkable happened………

A flamethrower appeared right in front of one of the carriers which was instantly engulfed in flames and destroyed. The second carrier, determined to seek revenge opened fire on the flamethrower and for good measure charged over the top of it and continued into the adjacent section. As the Italians had absorbed so much shock they were unable to get out of the way and were promptly ridden down by the tracked vehicle.

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With the two machine gun sections and their leader destroyed the battle was over. Losses were extremely high for the Italians with only nineteen of the original thirty nine being available for the next battle.

The Australians were in a much better position  with thirty three of the thirty six who began the campaign available for the fight for the Sarra Oasis.

War Gaming Figures painted in the last few weeks

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I have had a grab bag of figures on my painting desk, some for well over twelve months. Whilst I still have a couple of large projects still to come, particularly my 28mm Afghanistan vehicles, an ANA platoon, an African insurgent platoon, Star Wars Rebels, and Irish Saga armies, I am trying to gradually work through these “odd balls” that have been cluttering up the painting desk.

I still have a Saga Mulalawwaja general, 8 Mulalawwaja camels, 6 dwarves riding bears, and R2D2 to go. As I paint a few projects at the one time getting rid of these will allow me to clear space to spread out some things I really want to finish.

Anyway here is what I have completed over the last few weeks:

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Saga  Mulalawwaja Imam on Camel

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More Afghan Casualties

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Afghan wounded

WW1 Germans in East Africa

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Norman Saga Casualties

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British Female Engagement Team (Afghanistan)

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Capture British Soldiers (Afghanistan)

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British Medics Carrying Casualty

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MI5 Female Operatives

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“Black Water” Security Guards.

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Han Solo

 

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Obi Wan Kenobe

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Luke Skywalker

 

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Dvergar Weaponsmith (for OGAM)

Wargaming – One Little, Two Little, Three Little Indians.

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Readers should be warned that this blog is NOT politically correct, and those who might be offended should read Noddy……….oops cannot do that either can we (those who are “ear challenged” might be offended. Oh yes and by golly, isn’t there that naughty boy in stripped clothes?).

Well is was good to dust-off my 28mm French and Indian Wars figures which have not been used in a long time. We always use Musket and Tomahawks rules which give a good simple game.

The scenario was a French settlement that was being overrun by Indian tribes led by “Running Bear” and “Kaw Lija”, their hope was that they could overturn their biased history that had been  immortalized in song by those (horrible???) bards Johnny Preston and Hank Williams.

Table Layout

“Running Bear’s”  Indian Tribe

“Kaw Liga’s” Indian Tribe

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The French Settlement Inhabitants

The Scenario objective was to determine which player David S, David K or Andrew, could achieve the most “little Indian” points. Each player would in turn play the French settlers to see how many points could be scored. Points were awarded as follows:

  • 5 points for killing or routing an Indian chief;
  • 1 point for killing or routing a “little Indian”, and
  • 1 point for achieving a sub plot as the Indian player.

To the normal unit initiative deck was added one event card and the two morale cards to ensure three quick games.

The French player was required to set up first  anywhere within the settlement. The figures could be made up in units  as the player saw fit but must be between 4 and eight figures.

The standard Indian Nations and Civilians lists were used, but with all Indians being “bloodthirsty”.

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“On the Banks of the River stood Running bear….”

Indians over-running the settlement  – three times!!!

All three French settlements were burnt to the ground in quick time with very little casualties inflicted in return.

In the end the scores were:

Andrew – “one little Indian boy” (completed sub plot as an Indian).

David K – “one little, two little, three little Indian boys”(3 Indian casualties)

David S – “one little, two little, three little Indians,  four little, five little, six little Indians, seven little, eight little, nine little Indian boys (some really lucky long ranged shots and a unit of six that routed off the table after a succession of bad morale checks).

Primary source document:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KXqYHKdA94

A great “Muskets” game with a fun twist that was very suitable for mid-week gaming.