The same seller who sold me the previously acquired Dulcop arditi, put up a larger lot consisting of Dulcop and Waterloo 1815 WW1 Italians. So, I snagged it.
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| New arditi to join their fellows. |
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| A unit of alpini. |
I didn't take any pictures of the Waterloo figures. There are maybe 16 or 20 of them and most of them are flaking badly. Amusingly, for some reason, the feathers in the bersaglieri helmets are painted green. Eventually, I'll strip all of these figures down to bare plastic, but in the meantime, the alpini and arditi can take the table once I paint up some Austrians.
Less exciting, unless you're me, is that I acquired some Games Plus pluck-foam storage for my metal WW2 54s. Sadly, it's many years too late for them and many have chipped paint - one has a broken bayonet. Still, better late than never.
The collection is a mix of Britain, Conte, and a few King & Country:
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| Britain's Big Red One US Infantry |
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| British paras and Waffen SS from a mix of makers. |
This collection is dedicated to 1:1 squad or less per side gaming. The US were used on bases before, but I decided to save that for the plastic figures. I find these figures inspiring, so I expect a game with them is coming in the near future.
Great haul of figures John!
ReplyDeleteI was quite excited to find them listed so soon after my previous purchase.
DeleteCurious and charming lively figures!
ReplyDeleteI think that may be the best description of them I have heard. I do find it odd that no one is in a shooting pose. The alpini at least are ready for some close up trench fighting.
DeleteI do like those Dulcop figures, fascinating. I am interested to hear more of your 1 to 1 squad gaming. What rules will you use? I have some figures that could do with a game like that that needs not too many figures. Looking forward to seeing and hearing more...
ReplyDeleteA great question. I have far too many to choose from - all of which can offer a good game but all of which can falter if the scenario doesn't suit them.
DeleteFor really small skirmishes, say 5 or so per side, it's possible to use lightweight RPGs, and I have enjoyed using Unbelivably Simple Roleplaying (USR) in the past for this. I haven't played it, but Savage Worlds often gets the nod for this kind of figure game. For more traditional wargaming, Five Men in Normandy or Fistful of Lead (Reese at 54mmempire.blogspot.com has a few posts of 5 on 5 WWII using them, and Tim Gow has at least one for AWI, I believe?). I have mixed feelings about Two Hour Wargames's titles - Chain Reaction/Nuts!/etc. work for this and feel "realistic" but that's not usually what I'm looking for. For up to 10 a side, One Hour Skirmish Wargames, Kokoda Trail (https://lonewarriorswa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Kokoda-Trail.pdf), or IN-RADIC (https://shiftymushrooms.weebly.com/rules--stuff-inradic.html) all have given me enjoyable games. Featherstone's Close Wars are an enticing choice that I may have to try (with a few modifications for the period).
I think it depends on how much you want to focus on individuals vs "fire teams" and how detailed you want to get both in terms of the kinds of actions available and how they are resolved, and in terms of tracking hits and statuses. I don't usually decide until I actually set the figures on the table.
I really enjoyed the Kokoda rules. I played them with quite small numbers of points per figure for a quicker game. How did you find the melees? I wasn’t sure if the winner kills or only wounds, perhaps it is me? I will have a look at some other rules too...
DeleteI have had the same question, so it's not just you. I've played both ways many times.
DeleteBecause it's the literal interpretation, I prefer the winner kills option. It's quick and decisive. It's also swingy and doesn't reward the side with greater Combat Effectiveness(CE),so it can be frustrating. However, it sometimes makes for a dramatic narrative - heroic last stands against all odds - and so I'm willing to accept the occasional dismay over the result for the more interesting story.
I think the wounds option plays out more like we would expect more often - high CE beats low CE. This encourages the player to wear the enemy down first, which just makes sense. However it can really drag out if you end up in melee between high CE figures. I think for this option to work without being a slog, melee has to be more damaging - at least -2 avg die wounds. For potentially greater damage, you could total the three cards together and that's how much damage the loser takes.
Regardless of which option (sudden death or wounds), I think there should be a -2 cost for melee to the participants, per round, similar to a grenade or mortar. A banzai charge committed by a 1 CE attacker might kill the enemy, but it should exhaust the attacker as well.
John, the WW1 figures look fine. I would just tidy up the paintwork, perhaps cover in superglue any extended items that are liable to flake again, and decorate the bases. A coat of gloss varnish would enhance them and provide more protection. I really hate paint stripping, but I'm able to paint large numbers of 54mm at a fast pace, so its worth my time to remove the old paint, if they really need it.
ReplyDeleteMichael
Thank you for the suggestions, Michael! I had not heard of using super glue to prevent/repair paint flaking. My first task for this project is painting up some Austrians, so minus repairs, these figures will stay as is for at least awhile longer.
DeleteMarvellous! It was a delight to have nearly 50 of my own Dulcop figures on the table last week. I have a box of (as yet unpainted) W1815 Italians - I'd better find it!
ReplyDeleteI have two as yet unpainted W1815 boxes myself. The poor Austrians are vastly outnumbered at this point. I think that means I have to buy more!
DeleteThose Dulcop poses are wild, but they remind me of my grandfather! He was in the Alpini in WWI and fought on the Austrian frontier.
ReplyDeleteHi Brad, that's awesome! I've been trying to find out from various family members if we had any relatives who served in WW1 in Italy (or just anywhere for that matter).
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