[Nigel Heather]

This question has reminded me just how poor the rule books are.

 

Firstly, no index – this is a good argument for the PDF, not only are they are lot cheaper but you can search them.  If starting over, that’s what I would do, but unfortunately I like physical books and have amassed a good collection so when it comes to buy a new one I go physical so that it matches my collection.

Anyway I found I could not answer your question.

The standard rules for a flamethrower team gives them indefinite fuel – they could last the whole game they might run out quickly – the luck of the die.  The rules say that when the flamethrower runs out the team are removed as if they were casualties.  But it also clarifies that if the flamethrower team is part of a squad then only the weapon guy dies, the loader stays with the squad as an infantryman, presumably with a rifle.

But as you say there is a rule for late war light flamethrower that has one or two uses, but you are right that it doesn’t make it clear what happens to the crew when the flamethrower is expended.  Seems a bit unfair that the squad ides – I know that happens with the standard flamethrower but they could get lots of use, maybe survive the whole game.

I wonder whether it should be played more like a Panzerfaust.

The German book does say that it uses the ‘Use Once Weapon’ special rule but I can’t find this rule – another gripe about the books, they should make the special rules easier to find.

[Nigel Heather]

Looking at the exploded diagram here

British Army 17 pdr anti-tank gun

It looks like it goes on top of the breech.

Must admit, given the price of some of these metal models I’m often disappointed by the poor fit but mostly by the poor assembly instructions.

I get the limitations of the white metal moulds but there is no excuse for poor instructions.

[Nigel Heather]

I have had this dilemma too.  The advantage of a single base is that you can pose the crew accurately, add accessories and make a little diorama and of course it can all be positioned and moved as a single piece.  But advantage of having the crew separate is that they can be removed one by one as the gun takes casualties – otherwise you would need some form of marker to show how many of the crew are dead.

A compromise that I am meaning to try is to build the diorama but with all but the last crewman on their own bases – magnetised so they fit in the correct positions on the big diorama base.  Best of both worlds but a good deal more work.

Cheers,

Nigel

[Nigel Heather]

Can you tell from the photos here

Somua S35 and French Tank Crew

Must admit, this is a personally irritation with resin and white metal models, not just Warlord but they are a continual offender.  It irks me when I am faced with a set of white metal parts with no instructions, no clear location points – especially given that the moulding is often vague so even where you know where they are meant to go they don’t really fit without work.

Maybe if you put up a photo we could help you guess.

Apart from towing eyes, the exhaust and the commanders hatch/seat I can’t imagine what they could be.

[Nigel Heather]

Thanks, and great photo.

My concern was less about the rigging and more about the ratlines and sails provided for Black Sails. My understanding is that the ratlines are printed on acetate and that the sails are card or paper. Was wandering how well they say attached.

Cheers,

Nigel

[Nigel Heather]

I guess you have to glue the ratlines with superglue as they are acetate.

Are the sails paper/card or are they a plastic laminate.

I could live without the ratlines but I’d want the sails, flags and a minimum of rigging thread.

Cheers,

Nigel

[Nigel Heather]

I’d happy to accept some movement either side even if the wings are sewn on just as the tunic distorts as the arm moves. And if the wings are removeable I’d accept that they may not always be position perfectly.

But it still seems wrong that when a soldier is holding a rifle in firing position the wing rotates a full 90 degrees and end up on the back rather than the top of the shoulder.

I appreciate that this would probably be impossible for the moulding process but it would be better if the wings were moulded on the torso. Also I appreciate there is another reason why they put the wings on the arms – so they can use the same torsos for centre and flank. I wish that when designing they would look at where the arms will be positioned and model the wings in an appropriate position.

If you look at white metal moulds, they don’t have the wings rotated round so that they facing backwards.

[Nigel Heather]

Good question, I don’t have an answer for you I’m afraid.

Though I agree, for historical accuracy it should be 1 driver and 2 passengers.

But that also begs another question – in war gaming in general, the Kettenkrad is often depicted as a PAK 36 tow – but what about the gun crew – and ammunition.

I guess in reality, it wasn’t used that much as a AT gun tow, and if it was it would have to be accompanied by a lorry or half-track and in which case, why don’t they tow the gun.

I guess Kettenkrads are fun and quirky and gamers want a reason to put them on the table.

Cheers,

Nigel

[Nigel Heather]

What did it look like – just a standard rectangular French tricolour, a different shape tricolour or did it have a Croix de Lorraine in the white centre section?

Cheers,

Nigel

 

 

[Nigel Heather]

Thanks for the confirmation.  Just to be clear I was just referring to reality and wondering whether the rules addressed that.

In reality it would be extremely difficult to hit a moving armoured car with a howitzer even in direct fire, especially where the movement is at an angle to the gun.  The low velocity of the shell, the slow traverse and type of gun sights typical of a howitzer make it a very unsuitable weapon to engage a fast moving target.

There is certainly examples where field artillery have been used to engage AFVs, the 25 pounders in the western desert recorded some success, but generally such examples were rare.

Engaging a stationary AFV, absolutely, but to hit one that’s moving would need blind luck.

Cheers,

Nigel

[Nigel Heather]

I don’t know the rules that well but interested to know whether the Greyhound is moving.  I’m thinking of the reality (not the game) that it would be difficult hitting a moving vehicle (especially something as nimble as a Greyhound) with a howitzer particularly if the movement is perpendicular to the gun.  I wonder whether that is modelled at all in the rules.

Cheers,

Nigel

[Nigel Heather]

I don’t know myself but found this which is pretty interesting

http://www.rkk-museum.ru/about/sitemap_e.shtml

The RB-3, RB-M and the 13-R look like contenders for early war.  Later the A-7.  But that’s me just guessing from what’s on the site.

Cheers,

Nigel

• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by Nigel Heather.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by Nigel Heather.

[Nigel Heather]

Been thinking some more

Standard Infantry Unit – 6 bases (240mm line frontage) – even number so can do 6×1, 3×2, 2×3 or 1×6
Standard Cavalry Unit – 5 bases (250mm line frontage) – odd number so can do 5×1 or 1×5 – but that seems okay because attack columns don’t apply to cavalry
I could even tweak the cavalry bases to be 48mm wide rather than 50mm wide so that the line frontage is exactly 240mm to match the infantry.

How does that sound?

Cheers,

Nigel

[Nigel Heather]

So my independent view.

1. Looking at the retail boxes – I find it very hard to believe that they would have been packed like that at the Warlord Games warehouse – it would be a very silly thing to do especially as they have to put their personalised packing slip inside.
2. But the external packaging is intact and undamaged.

So if I were to guess what has happened it would be this.

At some point during transit, the package has been squashed and damaged.  The courier, maybe thinking they were doing the decent thing or maybe because they were trying to hide the damage they had caused have transferred the contents over to a new external box.

Out of interest, is there any Warlord branding on any of the external labelling or is it all courier stuff – when I receive orders from Warlord (albeit I’m pretty local in the UK) I have always been able to tell that the parcel is from Warlord before I even start to open it.

But either way, Warlord should replace any damaged sprues at their cost – and I’m sure they will.  Suggest you talk to them nicely rather then calling them a disgrace.

Cheers,

Nigel

• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by Nigel Heather.

[Nigel Heather]

A bit of the mystery solved. I recently bought a rule book on eBay. Seems the seller was actually warlord games (didn’t realise that) and rather cleverly they they worked out that I have a warlord games account and have matched that up with my eBay and PayPal credentials and recorded the sale on their website against my Warlord account. That explains the 25 points this month.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by Nigel Heather.

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