Gruntz at Sheffield Triples this weekend!

You can pick up plenty of great 15mm models this weekend at the  Sheffield Triples Wargames show. 

Gruntz 15mm will be on sale on the GZG stand and will be combined with a free bundle copy of the Barracks application on CD. You also get the chance to pick up some art cards for Gruntz (for early customers) and the CD contains the PDF version of the rules for electronic assimilation. 

Weathering Tyres.

This is a large photo guide to the work in progress on the GHQ modern tanks.  I am experimenting with dust/mud weathering on the rubber tyres.   

Given the small size of 6mm wheels I am looking for something that looks good in the tiny scale, whilst still being quick to paint.  Just making them all very dark brown would be overkill I think and in the small scale you would end up loosing the amazing detail on these GHQ models. They really do have the correct tyre tread for the vehicles like these Stryker M1129 Mortar Carrier and the Stryker M1134 Anti-Tank missile carriers.

The initial start of just painting the wheels in Lifecolor tyre black was a challenge in brush control and I think you can imagine that around thirty 4 and 8 wheeled models results in some serious wheel painting time.  I did not want to paint directly over the wheel hubs, so it was a careful job of painting the lifecolor paints onto the tyres and not covering up the hubs which had been airbrushed as part of the main paint job. 

I completed a few test trials with different washes and dust filters to try and get it right. The end result uses the Lifecolor Dust type 2 wash over the tyre black but thinned down with about 4/5 parts water. This makes the dust go into the tiny grooves in the tyre tread, rather than coating the full wheel which would cover up the nice rubber base colour.   I used the Smoke-Brown wash from Lifecolor to slightly darken the result like a filter over the dust.    Finally I experimented with the games workshop "Agrax Earthshade" (Which is bit like the old Devlan mud) to add a much deeper and darker wash to the undercarriage and areas of the hull which face the ground and might therefore have had a splash of dust and mud.   I think I will be sparing with the Agrax wash because it almost covers up the dust in the tyre grooves.

So the lesson learnt here really for me is just to have an epic amount of patience for painting the base coat on the tiny wheels.   The longer you spend getting the base tyre colour on the model the better the final result will be.

These miniatures still need work on the stowage, more weathering on the hull and around exhausts and then finally the base needs to be completed. Currently the bases are just the airbrushed colours which overflowed from the miniature during the first airbrushing phase. They will eventually be a desert colour with some reddish brown pigment, static grass and painted gravel rocks.

Here is the large format overview of this last wheel painting stage.

Clicking this photo will give you a larger image where you can see the detail. You may need to hit the magnify button when the image loads in your browser. 

GHQ Vehicles and some Battletech in 6mm scale.

Camo Schemes for Airbrushing

Camo Schemes, a gallery on Flickr.

It is often difficult to get really creative for a sci-fi style camo scheme. If I ever spot a camoflauge scheme on Flickr I will add the best to a gallery which I can go back and explore when I feel the need.

Follow this link to have a look at this mostly US Airforce / Marines images which have some great camo.

Video Painting guides

I have this week updated the video painting tutorial section. It includes 15mm and non 15mm miniature guides which are all relevant with topics covered like airbrushing, drybrushing, decal, details, washes, inks etc.

Follow this link to view the guide index page which has the youtube videos included.

http://www.gruntz.biz/p/video-tutorials.html

Gruntz WWI

I spotted a great little post on the Gruntz forum where the rules are being used for a WWI game  posted by Madottsel.  He has run a WWI game using the Gruntz rules and shared some photos of the game.

I have for a while now considered building a simple set of modifications to cover using the rules with early tanks. This would include modz to model things like tanks getting bogged down in rough train, paper thin armour and other slow-speed issues.  I think it will require a careful balance of not making the early technology too unreliable because the game still needs to be fun, but at the same time some balance needs to be put in place, especially where players might want to field early technology versus martians with shiny new grav tech etc.

You can view the post on the forum here with Photos by Madottsel. 

6mm Progress on GHQ 6mm

I have been continuing to build a 6mm force with my friend Jonathan Rogers.  Jonathan is building a set of Brigade Pacfed Grav tanks, whilst I am using various modern models from GHQ.

I now realise how lucky Jonathan is with his grav based army because I have started work on the tracks. These take a lot of time and so far I have only completed half a dozen models with a black base coat.  After completing the tracks on about 30 miniatures I will be able to finish off some further weathering, streaking and scratches to the paint work.

You can see in the photo below that the addition of the black base coat to the tracks has already greatly increased the sweetness factor of the models. A nice contrast that I don't want to completely lose when I dry brush metal and weather the tracks.

My advice and plan for future 6mm tracked models would be to paint the tracks before basing.  I usually always base during the early prep process, adding detail, gravel etc and gluing the model down. In fact the metal base means that I can use magnets on stands to help paint and airbrush the model which you can see in the video below, which is a strong reason to base early. However now I reach the track painting stage it is very difficult to get a brush in onto the track, especially where the tracks are resting into the sand base.  I do complete the painting on the bases last though and static grass is added after the dull coat.  In these models the bases are still not finished and will only be painted in desert colours after the rest of the paintwork and weathering is complete.

I am sure it is going to work out well but will take me more time than expected.

In this video below you can see the APC's and vehicles with wheels are aslo improved when the wheels are painted.  I now wish my entire force had wheels because it would be quicker than painting all the tracks!

In this miniature painting tutorial guide video, you can see these models in progress and at the stage where I dry brushed the hulls to bring out the small 6mm details.

GZG New Camera

I have a new camera, so I decided to take some close ups of these older models and talk about the detail. They are GZG vehicles and I have added some parts from GW to make them look different.

The close ups show you "Warts and All" on these paint jobs which were mostly speed painted. 

This has had a plasma gun added. It was cut off and glued to the turret. I also added a red light, which is from a 1/35th scale tank rear light. 

These two cylinders and the flamer are GW.

Up close on the front right you can see I added very tiny paint lines to look like scratches in the paintwork. 

Gruntz at Salute 2013

Gruntz is available this year at the Salute wargames convention in printed copy.  A limited quantity is available on the GZG (Ground Zero Games) stand.   

As a show special it will be bundled with a CD-ROM which contains a PDF version of the rules and the Barracks application. So for £20 you get the full printed rules, including an electronic copy and the ability to make your own unit cards using the Barracks app. 

Please pop by the GZG stand for full details.  

How to Play Gruntz 15mm.

This weekend I put a second two hour video together which covers the last part of this 15mm SCI-FI solo game. The game itself used Khurasan Space Demons used as proxies for the Gruntz Heliopause setting "Prime aliens".  I also used the GZG NAC troops to represent East Hyadum Trade forces.

The scenario was an attack on an outpost scientific base.  The Mil-Sec ARM forces were investigating genetic manipulation of the Prime queen in a clandestine operation on the planet Hera.  After discovering the research base the East Hyadum Trade corporation decided to shut it down.  

This part two of the lengthy game session includes every dice rule, move and attack in detail with discussion on tactics and play method. It uses the alternative optional activation sequence from the rules which makes use of a card sequence mechanic.

Halfway into this solo game I was joined by Jonathan Rogers who kindly helped me move things along to get through the lengthy recording session.  So thanks for Jonathan for helping out and pushing for the final showdown with the Prime queen.

At the beginning of the youtube video I have inserted an index, so you can jump to a couple of sections should you not have the patience to stick with the full show. I have been told that it makes a good background video during a painting session.

Don't hesitate to fire off questions regarding the rules, either as a comment on the video or a post here. 

Gruntz Play Video

I have uploaded an epic 2 hour length discussion about Gruntz and play guide on youtube. This is part one and is an overview of the terrain and a start to the game.

I am playing Gruntz in solo mode on the base station terrain, using the card based mechanism from the optional rules section of the hard copy Gruntz 15mm v1.1 book.  This allows me to demo the basics of the game without an opponent and I talk at length about various aspects of the game.  I also raise the importance of having matched pairs of colored dice to improve the speed of play.

Gruntz 15mm Barracks Application

The Gruntz 15mm Barracks application is now out on the Wargames Vault which draws to a close our Indiegogo Project. Many thanks to the supporters of the project and we hope you like the application which will let you build the various units featured in the builders for the game.  Supporters of the project will receive an email with a free voucher download for the application (both Windows and Mac versions).

The Barracks app allows you to make units from the game and save the JPG cards so you can drop them on a reference sheet while you play or cut them out and put them in protector sleeves. It makes it a lot easier and quicker to start a Gruntz game.   Please also have a look at the forum link (from this site), there are lots of Gruntz players discussion games and sharing designs which will help you decide on the best designs for your army.

Remember less is more in Gruntz, so when you use the application and design your forces try to use some restraint and pick Shoot and Skill at around the 5/6 level for core units and pick higher skills for those unique specialist experts. If you make every unit an elite killing machine the games tend to be short and less fun.  

You can download the application here: http://www.wargamevault.com/product/111366/Barracks-for-Gruntz-15mm-1.25

Print copy and PDF available now.

It is nearly 18Months since the initial launch of Gruntz v1 and since then it has been a really hard slog to maintain the focus and update this latest v1.1 release with player feedback and ideas from games played at conventions and locally. It is a bumper edition with the page count leaping from 88 to 135. There are more charts to explain the basics and some further tweaks. The core rules remain the same, so no major mechanical adjustments however the points system has been changed to create more a curve and differential between units. It is far from perfect but certainly a more complete cut of rules than the first edition. 

The rules can be purchased here http://www.wargamevault.com/product/92879/Gruntz-15mm-SCI-FI

You can now purchase a print copy of Gruntz on the Wargames Vault. Existing purchasers of the current v1 PDF version should have received an email from the Wargames Vault today to confirm a download link to free update to v1.1.  If you login to your account there is a product section which will allow you to download the new update.  I am very happy to provide this as a free PDF update to existing owners of Gruntz because it is the players and feedback provided from the community that has 

There are some new goodies to make it worthwhile going for a full colour print version, with additional artwork, story content and charts.  The purchase now also includes a super-hi-res version of the Heliopause map in PNG format which is featured in the rules. You can download the PNG version to view on your PC, rather than relying on the smaller image in the printed copy. I am looking into a poster printer option for those that want it. The layout on the poster and design was completed by Michael Ptak who is famous for his support of the Homeworld PC game - he makes some of the coolest looking starmaps. Aris Kolehmainen provided the new faction logo's and some design work in the rules which are also stunning and feature on the map. 

The rules now also have additional artwork by Jake Parker, an artist that worked on films like Ice Age. The original tanks images by Istvan Pely (lead artist for Sony on Fallout3) are still in the rules and look great in print.

There are new faction intro stories in the book, written by Jennifer Brozek who is an award winning author with recent works completed for the Battletech setting. Jennifer's short intro's far surpass any ability I have for written story content and I was glued to them when I originally received them - they are well worth a read.

Gruntz 1.1 now printing.

Yesterday my updated proof arrived here in the UK. I was attending the Hyper Japan convention in London and the postman passed me Gruntz as I walked out to the station to catch the train to the London Olympia venue. I was lucky that I did not end up with a "Sorry you were out" card from the postman.

This made it a great Saturday, because I could read and scan the proof on the train and spend some money on some new Bandai model Gundam kits a the Hyper Japan show. These will be painted up for a Gruntz game when I find the time!

I have now sent all the address details to the printers for the printed copy supporters of the Indiegogo campaign. Shipping has hurt the wallet greatly because I thought that the printing was being completed in the UK and USA (depending on the customers location). However they only print Black and White orders in the UK, so the large number of UK, European and ROW orders are being shipped over from the USA with the associated international shipping costs. I am surprised I did not spot this in the process and I am lobbying Wargames Vault to investigate switching on a UK colour printing for future orders.

It does mean everyone gets a full colour copy as expected but UK, European and ROW orders will take a bit longer to arrive from the USA due to the longer shipping times.

Once I know those copies are in transit, I will be organising the PDF and then switching on the free upgrade email to existing owners. The free PDF upgrade will be issued as an email from the Wargames vault, so watch out for a message in the next week or so. You should be presented with a "Updated" product download. For those that had previously purchased the PDF on the Vault and then also supported the printed copy in Indiegogo, you will of course receive the printed version and the updated PDF from the Wargames Vault when it is switched on.

Some quick sample snaps of the pages follow below.

You can join the conversation about the shipping process here:
Read more:http://gruntz15.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=news&action=display&thread=928#ixzz2DF3bk100

SELWG 2012 Purchases

This Sunday I took the Gruntz 15mm game to one of the best sci-fi, historical and fantasy Wargames conventions in the South East. Running since 1971 (when I was born), it is a relaxed show, with easy access in South London and worth making the effort to attend with some great traders and games. I have been attending since the early 90's and still get that same Wargames show buzz on every visit.

The Gruntz 15mm games played well and we managed three sessions which took between 45mins and 1hr 20. This depended on the players and how rapidly the players were pushing for the objective and the general chat during game. Jon from GZG gave us some excellent 15mm prize packs for the winning player of every game and some troop packs for players that took part.

Just after setting up the small 3x3 demo table

The scenario was very simple to provide an easy intro to the game. I had some forces from the Gruntz "Heliopause" setting called "The East Hyadym Trade Company". The EHTC were represented with NAC models from GZG and were painted in a colonial red and white scheme. The EHTC were defending a frontier planet outpost and launch pad.   The alien enemies were Protolene models from Critical Mass Games and they had the slight edge on the defenders with a large Marok walker with dual plasma heavy arm weapons.  The defending EHTC had two APC support vehicles which were GZG hi-mobility models. One was fitted with an anti-infantry automatic weapon and the second had a single plasma cannon.  At the start of the game one of the APC's had a squad of EHTC troops already embarked and the second had the Specialist heavy weapons team loaded and ready to be driven to an ideal vantage point to provide covering fire.

During the third game the defending EHTC player Jonathan, made a great move with the heavy weapons team by driving up the ramp on the launch pad and letting them disembark into a good defending location on the edge of the platform.

The games played well and I was really pleased to meet many of the game followers who popped by to say hello. Thanks also to Ben for helping me out on the day.
Here are a few snaps with notes.

Edit: Thanks for the comments on the miniature names. I got my manga mixed up and need to watch Bubblegum crisis, so I can recognise the models.

Spider Droids from GZG with shield up face some Protolene walkers. All three spider droids focused laser fire on a single walker which was smoked. The remaining two turned tail and ran to follow the main force on their following activation.

The starting location on the third game.

Crowds begin to gather on the balcony at the sports centre venue.

Interesting rock top skirmish in this first game.

Planning some full auto fire from a specialist heavy weapons team at the protolene walkers

Protolene closing in on the launch pad

The last few moments for the East Hyadum Trade forces. Both vehicles are smoked.

Some game chat and pre-measuring.

2nd game and they fight to the last. Protolene win

GZG Bubblegum Crisis robots. Amazing stance and details.

4A Miniatures Drop Troopers 28mm

GZG trike truck

 

GZG new fix mount weapon

New GZG skimmer bikes and Brigade Models Power Armour. The Brigade power armour has the look of a MAK style egg suit. 

4A miniatures hale and pace 28mm models.

GZG 25mm Squad

GZG boomers from Appleseed

GZG GENOM Battlesuit. 25mm

GZG AD police in 25mm

Magnetic bases uk. Handy steel bases.