AFV markers for Chain of Command

I wrote an earlier post on my new game markers for Chain of Command v2, which was focussed mainly on pieces for infantry and support units. This one covers markers specifically for vehicles. As with the infantry markers, I've tried to find things that fit with the models and blend in with the table. That said, they must always serve their primary function as markers. No point crafting a beautiful looking marker that blends in so well with the table it doesn't stand out.

Once again, I've raided the spares box for various odds and ends. These include bits from various model kits as well as markers from other rule sets like What a Tanker. 

The most obvious use for a piece of spare track is to mark a tracked vehicle that has become immobilised.

The spanner can perform a similar function.

Alternatively, the spanner could be placed on the engine deck to mark Engine Damage. 

Although, I think I prefer a small plume of smoke in that role. 

The plumes of smoke have multiple uses and could easily work to represent an immobilised vehicle.

The target/gun sight marker works to record a vehicle that has already been targeted.

Rather than have it sit on the target vehicle, I also think it can work just as well to mark the gun that has the vehicle in its sights. 

I included my idea for Overwatch markers in my earlier post, but I'll include them here to be complete. I'm still debating where best to place them, as there are a few options. My original intention is they are placed on the ground, facing the direction covered by the overwatch.

A few people have commented that it looks a bit odd with half a torso appearing to emerge from the earth (perhaps that's more suited to a zombie game). As I've painted the base to match the colour of each nationality's camouflage schemes it doesn't look too out of place on the turret.

Alternatively, if that's a bit too much, perhaps on the rear engine deck?

I suspect I just need to be flexible. Much depends on the size of the vehicle and the turret.

To mark a tank commander who has been stunned, I am using the same casualty figure I use for stunned senior leaders.

Once again, there are options for where you might place it. I try to keep in mind it's key function is as a game marker, if it blends in too well with the model it may fail to achieve its purpose as a visual aid.

I find it helpful to mark an AFV that has moved flat out. As the move often occurs in a previous phase, it's easy to forget to take that into account when working out the modifiers to hit. 

I thought a plume of dust would be a great way to do that. Polyester cushion stuffing is ideal for this job as it is rigid and makes a better shape than cotton wool. To help it stay in position I glued it down to an MDF base to give it some weight.

All it needed was an earth colour to make it look more like dust. I used my airbrush and gave each of them a misting of Tamiya Flat Earth.

Not sure if I've overdone the size of the dust plume, it's probably more suited to the desert. Although having said that I know the summer in Normandy 1944 was hot and dry, making dust a major issue. So perhaps it's not too wide of the mark.

They certainly add a sense of movement to the table. More importantly, they are a good reminder that the AFV moved flat out in their last active phase.

Previously, I've used the exact same mini-dice that I use to mark shock on infantry units. However, you only ever need to record up to three points of shock on an AFV. Once it exceeds that amount the crew bail out and the markers are no longer required. In that sense a D6 is overkill, so I gave thought to how I could record up to three points of shock and came up with the idea of jerry cans. The spares box is full of far more of these than I'll ever need and so it was easy enough to paint up ten or so. I've opted for red to make them stand out, especially as I can often have jerry cans as stowage on the tank models themselves, so these need to stand out as different. 

Again, there are options for where they can best be placed.

There is certainly no requirement in the rules to represent a tank crew when it bails out. They simply vanish from the table. So this is more an indulgence and excuse to paint figures. 

That said, I do find using a few appropriate figures when photographing our games can go a long way to help tell the story. In this case, I've used figures from the excellent AB Figures range. More about that project can be found in this post.

In a slightly similar way, I can always find a use for a wreck, particularly when we are playing a pint sized campaign and refighting a scenario where tanks were destroyed in the previous game. In that instance the wreck model becomes more than a reminder of what happened earlier, it is a new piece of terrain, with potential for cover or to block line of sight. 

Saxon Warband? What Saxon Warband?

Yes indeed, I have a Saxon warband. How did this happen? 

Let's just step back a few months. Regular readers may recall that earlier this year I added Victrix Germanic tribes heads to six figures from a Gripping Beast set of Dark Age Warriors to make up a group of slingers for my Infamy, Infamy! project.

Those Gripping Beast figures were bought at the same time as a box of their Vikings and Saxon Thegns. This was a few years ago, when we first heard about the Saga rules from Studio Tomahawk. It turned out those rules were not my cup of tea and so the figures were consigned to the stash. In fact, I sold the Vikings and Saxon Thegns at a Bring & Buy a few years later, as I had no apparent need for them. I hung on to the Dark Age Warriors, imagining they might be useful to make up groups of warrior infantry for Lion Rampant. Not that I did much about it, they lingered in storage for some time.

Putting together the slingers was the motivation I needed to do something with the remaining figures. I had a few sets of Little Big Men shield transfers for the Saxons and so I used those as part of the project. My initial impression of the Gripping Beast figures was not great, especially when compared with the lovely Victrix figures I had just been working on. As a result, I decided I wouldn't base them individually, they would look better packed tighter together using multi-basing instead of sabot bases.

While multi-basing can be restrictive, I tried to think about making the figures as versatile as possible for different rule sets. A group of warrior infantry/light infantry in Lion Rampant is twelve figures, a group of warriors for Dux Britanniarum is six figures, and, a base width for Midgard is 120mm. These were all rules that I might consider using. So, the solution was six figures to a 60mmx60mm base. Two bases would give me the right width for Midgard or a group of twelve for Lion Rampant. As both Lion Rampant and Dux Britanniarum require casualty removal, I would include a mini-dice frame on each base to record losses.

That gave me enough figures for six bases, with a couple of figures to spare.

I wasn't happy with the original slingers and ended up converting Victrix figures to make these for the German tribe. At the same time, I added a group of archers to the tribe using Victrix's Dark Age Archers set. It occurred to me that their clothing closely resembled the Gripping Beast figures. 

As these were for my Infamy, Infamy! project, they were based individually. It then occurred to me that, four archers or slingers are part of a warband in Dux Britanniarum. I could make up 60mmx60mm sabot bases for Midgard to accomodate two figures each for skirmishers. Six archers/slingers or a mix of these would work as skirmishers/archers for Lion Rampant. Just to be safe I thought I should add another half dozen archers from the Gripping Beast set.

Suddenly, I had the makings of an early medieval warband. Not Dark Age note, I'm hip to the new terminology. So, with archers, slingers and warriors carrying Saxon shields, it would make sense to add groups of Thegns. Before I knew it, three frames of Gipping Beast Saxon Thegns were in the cart (yeah, I know, I know, I sold the original set I had).

That gave me more than enough to make up three groups of warriors and two of hearthguard for a Saxon warband for Dux Britanniarum.

I had the warriors, I had the archers, all that was missing were suitable figures for the nobles. That was an easy enough fix. I tracked down a single frame of the Gripping Beast Saxon Thegn command and a similar single frame of Victrix Saxon command. The Gripping Beast figures (below) obviously fit in well with the existing warrior figures.

I like the Victrix figures, but was a little concerned at first, as they were noticeably bigger than those from Gripping Beast. That said, they are lovely figures. They gave me an impressive warlord and his champion.

The starting warband for Dux Britanniarum requires a Warlord, his champion and two nobles. The Victrix figures gave me those.

My initial concerns on figure sizes didn't appear so bad once they were painted and based. Here below, the Gripping Beast commander (second from right) is not too obviously smaller.

Generally, the larger size is not noticeable, even when they are with the groups of warriors.

Although, it does depend on the angle. In the pictures below, it is more obvious.

So, there you go, suddenly, hey presto, there's a warband for Dux Britanniarum.

With thirty six based warriors that also gives me three units of warrior infantry for Lion Rampant.

When added to two units of Elite Infantry that then gives me an early Anglo-Saxon warband for that rule set.

Now, it gets worse. Making up the GB Dark Age Warriors gave me more figures than I would need for a Saxon warband for Dux Britanniarum, in fact, I've worked out that if I were to buy another twenty or so figures of Romano-British or Arthurian types, that would give me enough figures for both opposing warbands for Dux Britanniarum. Hmmm, twenty figures, that's not a lot now, is it......

Of course, all of this makes little sense. Dave and I have been playing a Dux Britanniarum campaign quite happily using his figures. While I do have other gaming opponents, I'm not at all certain I need all these. But hey, who am I kidding, this is an illness, as much as it is a hobby. I need them.