Computers and other plagues

Wwll my laptop just up and died. I had recently done something I almost never do - backed up my data. Only one issue, I forgot to back up my web bookmarks. About 300+ different reference sites are now gone. Arrrggghhhh! Oh well. Time to start over.

Keep Moving Forward....

Well, before I loose another week with no posts, I decided to take stock of where I am with my various projects.

Dark Ages
I need to finish painting the 18 spear men to wrap up my Britons. Once that is done, I have to prime and paint the leaders for my Romano-British Force. Next comes the varnishing, Dull coat and basing. I potentially could have these down within a week or two. Yet they still languish on the painting table. On the positive side, the Saxons are all done. Cavalry for all sides is on hold until I complete the infantry forces.

East Front Mud & Blood
The supplement has been getting some attention. It has grown to 15 scenarios. Four are about Maria Bochkareva including the Women's Battalion of Death. I also am writing one on the death of Prince Oleg Konstantinovich Romanov. The only Romanov who died in combat rather than through revolution.

My painting, however, languishes. I only have the first 8 figures painted. I have another 8 infantry mounted on painting sticks and as of yet, unprimed. I also have three Maxim MMG teams on a painting stick waiting their turn. The Romano-Britons are in queue ahead of them.

IABSM3: Italians on the East Front
Here the writing is stalled out completely. I have four scenarios in various states of completion and have lost the energy on this one. Then again, it has been in various states of progress now for four years so that should be no shock. Eventually, I want this to be 18 scenarios in length.

The painting for this in much better shape. I have a full company of East Front Italians ready to go and more than a company of Soviets. I have a few odds and ends left to do but I have more than enough to get a game underway.

TW&T: '82 Lebanon
This project is in its infancy. The first scenario is mostly done. I have figures painted with just a little bit of base work left to do. This one has captured my interest lately. After finishing Rock the Casbah a while back, I burned out on the period for a time. With Brian wanting to do a modern Afghanistan campaign, it has perked my interest up on this again. Now I want to get some Merkava Is from QRF. Must resist.

My opposing force is ready to go as well. The Syrians are in pretty good shape with just a little basing work needed. The PLO are about the same.

This Blog
Well, who would have thunk it. I actually have 50 folks signed up who follow this. WOW! Thanks everyone. That made my day to notice that this morning. To #50 - Sergey, thanks. Noticing your blogs, do you happen to have any information on the CSIR in Russia in 1941 or any references on small unit actions in WWI that you could share?

Well, that is it for now. Back to work.

What happened to my hobby time? Or how I started a PF campaign in '82 Lebanon

Over the past few days I have not had any time for the hobby. Miniatures remain unpainted. Supplements are still unwritten. No games are being played. There was nothing in site that would improve this. Then Brian English sent me an e-mail that got me motivated again. He wanted to run a modern TW&T game set in Afghanistan. This had me reading back through some previous supplements such as B'Maso! and Rock the Casbah. Brian's project should prove to be interesting.

That got me thinking that I really should break out my '82 Israelis again. And if I am going to do that, lets make it a campaign. So out came Platoon Forward again. Lets see what we would have....

Reserve Platoon

HQ Section
Segen Mishne Pinchas Niram - Lvl II Big Man (Platoon Commander)
PF background: Pessimistic, The Arts, Reckless in Combat, from a military family. Pinchas is a reserve officer and is genuinely pessimistic about the possibility of the war in Lebanon. He is a professional musician and as such is a disappointment to his military family. His father had obtained a Brigade command by the Yom Kippur War and retired shortly there after. He is out to prove that he is every bit as good a commander as his father was and as such is reckless in combat.

Samal Rishon Moshe Shoshan - Lvl III Big Man (Platoon Sergeant)
PF Background: Cheery, Family, Even Tempered in Combat, Average background. Moshe is a well trained and motivated leader. The army is his life. He was a regular who was placed within the reserve platoon to stiffen them. He is a family man with a wife and three small children. He is even tempered and the men serving under him respect him that he will not wantonly waste their lives. His cheery disposition makes him popular among the men and officers alike.

HQ Squad: Jr NCO, RTO, Platoon Sniper, Medic, 2x Riflemen.
Transport: 1x M113 Zelda with TOGA armor

1st Squad
Samal Dani Nitzan - Lvl II Big Man (Squad Leader)
PF Background: Foolish, Hedonism, Even, Up From the Ranks. Dani was born in Tel Aviv and is more interested in the next party than anything else in life. He works as a bartender on the beach but was rudely called back up for reserve service. He is competent enough to have worked his way to a squad command but has risen to the limits of his abilities.

Rabat Shlomo Barchov - Lvl I Big Man (Assistant Squad Leader)
PF Background: Idealistic, Revenge, Even, Privileged. Shlomo's parents were killed in a bus bombing in Hertzelia. He believes that Israel can only have peace with secure borders. As an only child he has inherited the family business. Even with the demands of the family business, he rapidly responded to his country's call and is looking for some payback for his parent's death.

Light Machinegunner, Rifleman with RPG7, Rifle Grenadier (M203), 4x Riflemen
Transport: 1x M113 Zelda (Standard Armor)

The Squad is divided into two fire teams. The first fire team includes the Rabat, the Light Machinegunner, the rifle grenadier and one rifleman. The second fire team includes the rifleman with the RPG7 and three riflemen.

2nd Squad
Samal Shamir Frum - Lvl I Big Man (Squad Leader)
PF Background: Coarse, Engineering, Reckless, Privileged. Shamir's father owns an engineering firm that supplies the army with the new TOGA Armor for the M113. He has a doctoral degree in engineering and speaks to his men in terse and technical terms. His is disliked by his men for his coarse nature and further disliked by his reckless style in battle.

Rabat Yaakov Eliad - Lvl I Big Man (Assistant Squad Leader)
PF Background: Generous, The Arts, Cautious, Average. Yaakov is almost the opposite of his squad leader Shamir. He was raised on a Kibbutz bordering the Negev. He is an affable man who loves to garden. He finds relaxation in landscaping. He has a cautious nature that balances out the squad leader's recklessness. The men love Yaakov and will do anything for him.

Light Machinegunner, Rifleman with RPG7, Rifle Grenadier (M203), 4x Riflemen
Transport: 1x M113 Zelda (Standard Armor)

The Squad is divided into two fire teams. The first fire team includes the Rabat, the Light Machinegunner, the rifle grenadier and one rifleman. The second fire team includes the rifleman with the RPG7 and three riflemen.

3rd Squad
Samal Gavriel Blechman - Lvl II Big Man (Squad Leader)
PF Background: Egotistical, Wealth, Reckless, Average. Gavriel works as a diamond cutter in Tel Aviv. He is rather good at his art. His approach to life is one of all or nothing. He takes that same approach to his leadership, his business and women. For some odd reason, he is still single.

Rabat Tamir Feist - Lvl I Big Man (Assistant Squad Leader)
PF Background: Careful, Religion, Even, Military Family. Tamir's father is still an acting staff officer. Tamir, however, did not take to military life during his mandatory service. After his term was up, he began to study Talmud. His reserve unit has been called up and he declined to take his exemption from service due to his theological studies. He is careful and methodical in how he does things. The men respect him as he is rather even in temperament and will not seek to waste lives foolishly. He is orthodox but still very Zionist in his views.

Light Machinegunner, Rifleman with RPG7, Rifle Grenadier (M203), 4x Riflemen
Transport: 1x M113 Zelda (Standard Armor)

The Squad is divided into two fire teams. The first fire team includes the Rabat, the Light Machinegunner, the rifle grenadier and one rifleman. The second fire team includes the rifleman with the RPG7 and three riflemen.

This is my scratch force. My first game will be a Point Reconnaissance mission. Since I am basing the campaign on the opening days of Operation Peace for Galilee, this makes sense. I rolled for terrain and based on the rolls it seems that this will be a reconnaissance of a village.

The terrain is laid out so that squares 1,2 and 3 are all light woods (possibly olive groves). Square 4 is open ground Square 5 and six have buildings with a road passing through square 6. Square 7 is more light woods. A key building is in square 8 and square 9 is also open.

More to come....