These are the first samples that I've actually been able to see at first hand and I am delighted by the crisp castings and the detail on the vehicles and even on the infantry. I won't necessarily be painting this detail but it's nice to know that it's there.
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| 1940 French tanks, infantry and artillery. |
Unit data cards create table clutter but I find them very convenient in play. Rosters are straightforward but take your eye off the table. Base labels would need to be quite big and the tracking part would need to be replaced after each game or this would require some workaround.
A related question is how big to make the bases. After a considerable amount of thought I'm currently favouring 60mm x 50mm bases that will sit on cards. The cards will be 60mm x 60mm so that a 60mm x 10mm strip will exposed at the rear with essential data and the track. The cards will be expendable and different sets can be used for different scenarios etc.
The 60mm x 60mm bases would fit 2-up, 1-back on a 6" grid, and if I want to use a smaller grid at home or portray a very big battle I can just game with cards. If using models it's worth making them look good, and I think that big bases look best. The tanks, for example, are spread out more realistically. And while I'm only an average painter of models, I'm quite good at doing bases!
More and more I find a combinations roster/QRS is the best of both worlds. Put just the stats you need in each section of the QRS. SO move stats in the movement section, shoot stats in the shooting section, like this:
ReplyDeletehttp://deepfriedhappymice.com/FoA_QRS.pdf
That's a nice clear QRS! In any event, I don't want to play those old-style rules which require constant reference to a lengthy text...
DeleteDue to the scale and base size, it may be useful to convey some information just by the way that figures are placed on the base or the number of figures used.
ReplyDeleteNorm
DeleteAs there are only three basic types of unit, I'm hoping that what are tanks, infantry or artillery will be reasonably obvious. It is possible that SPGs might get confused with tanks, so I could put all artillery in pairs rather than threes. However, a small tank/infantry/artillery icon on the label would clarify things beyond doubt.
At this scale I will also be able to represent the transport so it should also be obvious whether infantry are armoured, lorried or foot-sloggers and whether artillery has tows. Again, armoured infantry in half-tracks could get confused with soft-skin lorries, so I might have the half-tracks more forward and the lorries towards the back. And, again, this could be clarified with a symbol on the label.
The exact tank variant doesn't need to be on the label - but I'll put that under the base so I know what everything is in a year's time. I haven't thought much beyond that.
I knew someone who gamed with unbased, unlabeled 1/6000 ships. Remembering which ones were which was a nightmare. I'm inclinded to have all relevant data on the labels/cards as well as depicted by the models.
Richard