Mortal Engines Wargames Musings

The more I think about making a playable game out of the Mortal Engines books the closer I come to 3 effective methods:

I) City on City - tiny scale cities, each about the size of a 1/72nd tank (maybe with big cities up to the size of a 1/35th scale tank) scooting around eating each other, with airships etc out of scale (well, seeing as they are larger, what with being closer to the viewers eye) but present for landings and what not. In terms of game play, it'd be rather like a land version of a Space-ship battle game like Full thrust... infact, FT might not be too bad an idea for a rules set. This is very definitely limited to the later books, as there are actually moving cities. I guess something similar could be achieved with land barges and traction fortresses, maybe evening making them vaguely inter-compatible by doing so in say in 3mm or 6mm. Certainly some of the Epic Ork models would work well.

II) Skirmish 'Gang' warfare inside a city - Effectively Necromunda or combat zone, involving various 'gang' size warbands skirmishing in a multi-level diesel-punk industrial setting. There are quite a few suitable figures out, and games would be along the lines of the Engineers guild try to storm London Museum, or a small band of anti-tractionist terrorists battling with say the crew of a pirate suburb. It could also work for the early period stuff - A small group of London Trained Bandsmen skirmishing with Movement warriors in the outskirts of London, or what have you. No vehicles or suchlike used, with the focus very much on each individual figure.

The final option (III) is really  limited to the Early period (pre-traction) stuff, which is the 'massed battle' game. Although there are possibilities for Battle Mammoths, Campavans, traction bunkers and the like in 28mm, unless one is using a particularly large board, they cannot be used in any real numbers; and certainly for the likes of traction fortresses are really relegated to the role of mobile scenery. To actually be able to deal with a reasonable number (say a few warmachines and a platoon or two of infantry) will require a smaller scale - around 10-15mm. Ruleswise, maybe GASLIGHT, or a varient...

Udate (28mm) - Painted 'cold apocalypse' survivor convesions and a few more WiPs

So here's the latest update on my cold/winter British Apocalypse (yeah - I'm still working on a snappy name). I've actually done quite a bit of work since I took these pictures, but updated pictures will be along in their due course...

Here are the figures I showed last time in paint. I've tried to keep to a muted pallet, but make them look like anyone you might pass in the street or any outfits that you might buy from an out-doors store. The guy in the black hooded jacket has since got some red fingerless gloves, a) to make him look a bit warmer and b) to break up the drab colour scheme some more. I'm a bit stuck on how to do bases on these guys, and I'm knocking up a couple of dummy runs on blank penny-washers to try to work out what looks best...

These folks have changed a fair bit, but this was the state of conversion a while ago. From the left: TAG Criminal, Hasslefree, TAG African Militia,TAG African Militia, TAG Tunnel Rat, Dixon Resistance Fighter. Since then, far left & right have been finished and are actually in paint, whilst the others are all only awaiting minor details (bag straps, etc). The grey paint is for improved contrast (I find it hard to work out quite how things will look in just the green)

Here is the 'quiver' I eventually settled on - I was going to try to sculpt it open, with bolts sticking out... but my sculpting isn't quite up to that yet, so closed it is.

Objective markers - the two bags I sculpted in paint, along with a couple of jerry cans and a mystery crate....!

Painting update (20mm) - Paras, Motor Rifles & Partizans...

Apologies for the non-scenic pictures, but the table was still laid up for christmas and I didn't want to disrupt it...! 

Here are the latest 20mm offerings...

More NATO partisans - with a  couple of Eastern Europeans mixed in. Currently hitting about the half way point, although Santa did bring a pile of WW2 resistance fighters who will mainly be heading to Poland (and potentially Yugoslavia) 

Soviet Motor Rifles, including a AGS grenade launcher - still more (21, of which 4 have yet to be purchased) to do before I finish the 2nd platoon...

British Paras - 10 left to (hopefully) finish off the platoon, assuming my initial calculations were correct...!

The first of my unarmed civilians/refugees - quite a few more to come as they are a fairly prominent feature in many of the FoF scenarios... 

Painting update (28mm) - Malaya: Planters, Police and CTs..... Hmmm that alliteration was going so well...

These are the Malayan war bits that I've had chance to do so far - Santa bought CTs & some British squaddies, so they should be turning up in the not too distant future... 

'European' (used as a term to distinguish whites) planters and miners - all the figures are conversions/paint conversions. From the left: repaint of a converted Foundry Darkest Africa figure, converted Foundry Chindit, BTD Partizan, Artizan Agent. Very mixed bag of weapons - certainly a few people had  Brens for personal defence, although I'm not sure if any had Thompsons. Mostly it seems to be a mix of 'Sporting' weapons (shotguns, rifles - including a mention of an elephant gun of some sort, and various hand guns) with the government issuing Stens and later M1 (possibly M2?) carbines. The Pacific Tin Mine (? I cant find the reference to it in "The war of the running dogs") also issued shot-barrelled shotguns as part of an 'emergency' arms supply in the early days of the war.

A slightly mix bag: on the left, an (Artizan) Sikh officer of the Malayan Police Jungle squad, a (Tiger/HLBS)  dog for use with a British army dog team and  a Malayan Special  Policeman, of the fort who would have helped guard planters . The uniform colours are both slightly theoretical, as is the colour of the webbing on Special Policeman. I thought it'd be a good way to differentiate him form a CT.

My 'improvised'  (Pulp figures) CTs... I went for a mix of two colours on the uniform to add to the irregular look of the figures.

Happy New Year and a mini-update

Just a quick note to say Happy New Year to everyone! There will be more of the same coming up next year - although I'm going to resist trying to make any predictions as given my butterfly tendencies I'm unlikely to follow them!  

Just a couple of BritApoc figures - I cant remember if I've shown these before or not: A BCB Viral mutant thingy and a Babylon's Burning roller ganger who will be joining one of my Yobbo Raider gangs

Merry Christmas (and a blessed Yule/Jul)!

Chances are this will be my last post this side of the new year, as I've got a busy week ahead of me visiting family and what not.... Unless there is a miraculous convergence of spare time, dry glue and my camera battery still having some juice in it/going on charge in which case, there might be some pictures from the painting table (Malayan's, lots of 20mm and some of the conversions I was working on  post-paint).

I'd just like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas, a blessed Jul (the old Norse word for 'yule'), and all the very best for the new year.

Certainly the new year will have a more frugal gaming budget (actively saving for a wedding and all that) and there may be more 'painting for profit' which will certainly slow down progress at various times. In terms of gaming "themes", Santa should be bringing lots of 20mm stuff, as well as some more bits for Malaya -so there will definitely be modern's, my current fascination and conversion drive for 'cold apocalypse' will probably continue unabated, and I've just pulled out a few Early Old West figures which only need a touch of war-paint to finish, so there might even be some more of those (which are also by far the biggest of my unpainted lead piles!)

Long cold winter - some well wrapped up BritApoc survivor conversions

Well, between the recent cold weather, and the greens for the forthcoming 'Scavenge, Skirmish, Survive' game (Modern, UK Set Post Apocalypse game, following a 'Super Volcano' eruption. The main source of information I've come across is on the LAF HERE, althought there are a few other related threads on there, whilst there is also some background on the companies webstore HERE ) I've been thinking about 'winter' after the End (yes, I'm a total butterfly!) and that maybe quite a few of my figures are a bit lightly dressed... So I've started converting a few winter ones.

Inspired by the outfits I've seen out-and-about (and the possibilities of compatibility with the SSS range) I've kept them deliberately generic (possibly even "modern"). This has also been influenced by the fact I've been wondering about maybe doing some more up to date stuff (not replacing the retro bits, but adding to it, to give some wider variety. Certainly lots of the figures are generic enough to work for both, partly due to a poor effort in respect to me converting them)

The first figure is a converted MoFo Falklands British marine officer - I converted the beret, took off the trouser pouch, epaulettes and the pocket on the left arm. The back-pack is from the never-released Em-4 miniatures 'Rioters' conversion pack. I think this figure is pretty much complete in terms of conversion...

Originally a TAG Russian Mafioso with an AKSU, I switched the assault rifle for a Sterling ages ago. Then, when I realised quite how many automatic weapons I had, I decided to change it further. The crossbow is only blu-tacked in, and is a mix of brass-rod and a 'historical' crossbow I picked up in a bits lot ages ago. coupled with the wire storck, it should give a nice 'skeleton-frame sports model' look, and will probably get a natty black paint scheme. Conversions on this guy have been pretty straight forward - converting his tee-shirt into a jacket by adding sleeves, a collar and buttons; I've also incorporated the belt into it. This guy needs a bit more work yet - the crossbow needs finishing, he'll need a back-pack or satchel, a quiver of some sort and maybe a melee weapon (knife in sheath?). I'm also deciding what to do with his head - maybe a wooly hat and/or a beard....  

This chap was part of the Killer B games 'Geezers' range - I "de-70's" him by cutting the flares back into a more standard shaped trouser, and added a beard to loose the side burns. He originally had a little snub-nosed revolver in his right hand, which I very nearly kept... but I decided that I had enough fire-arms, so I switched it out for the two-handed club (Originally a GW plastic Empire Militia club, with the spikes filed down ot look like bolts). The back pack is from a 1/35th figure. I think the only other modification was removing the epaulettes of his jacket, but as that's obscured by the shoulder straps it wouldn't have made much of a difference anyway. I think this guy is about done too. 

 I'm tempted to get another of these figures to convert, but this time keep the revolver, and maybe change the left arm to be carrying something...

Another TAG figure - this time a Vietnam era US special forces trooper. I cut the pump-action down, reworked the lock and added a fore-stock out to the figures grip to make it look more like an 'over-and-under' double barrel. It's not perfect, but it should look about right when painted. The short sleeves were cut off, long sleeves added, along with re-sculpting the collar of his jacket and adding a scarf, which has been tucked in (I was inspired by the Geezers figure above...). The Claymore bag has been change to being a normal satchel, and the figure lots the side-pockets on his trousers. In terms of what else to do, I'm going to extend the trousers so that they aren't tucked in in an effort to make him look less military, and I'll do some more work on the head. I think I'll go for a hat of some sort, but hold off on any facial hair.

Originally a Dixons Miniatures female partisan, I fear this lady looks a little more like a 1950's hiker rather than a post-apocalypse survivor, but I'm not sure what else I can do to rectify that (possibly add more hair, and change the beret into something a little more modern. I had hoped it would add and improvised look, but I'm not sure it does.) Very little conversion done to this figure - I added a scarf, and the back-pack from an Em-4 plastic ganger ( I thought rope might be useful to a scavenger!). In terms of what is left to do, I will add back-pack straps, and as I say, do something to her head gear. I might also extend the trousers down, but I think the walking boots add to the PA look, so maybe not.

I had a go at sculpting an abandoned pack pack to use as an objective marker, and I was pretty pleased with the result - there may well be a few more bits like this if it looks good painted up.

And finally, just a few size-comparison pictures to finish....

Found this guy on my table - a Acheson Creations caveman, with an SLR, inspired by an illustration in the back of an old 'arms-and-armour' book which was dealing the after-effects of nuclear weapons, and thought he might also fit in, as some-one actively trying to adapt to the new world by going for fur clothes, etc.