T2K Modelling and Skirmish Gaming

[Anna Elizabeth]

Hi Cynic, I found it thru a search on "radio communication" it's this one: T2K: State of the U.S. Army in the late Twilight War http://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.p...+communication

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Whoa okay no wonder I didn't remember it, it's from way back - nearly half a decade ago!
Thanks for locating that Anna, much appreciated


P.S. Okay having now read the thread again, Raellus' actually puts a figure of 1-in-4, i.e. one working radio for every three non-working radios. Given the attrition of personnel & equipment in the thread I don't disagree with the idea, 1-in-3 or 1-in-4 is probably a good average across the board given attempts to recover and repair but including the lack of spares and replacements and trained personnel.

[Anna Elizabeth]

You're welcome. I like to search before I ask questions, and that thread helped me focus my question.

[Ancestor]

Thank you, Ancestor.

I've got two things in mind with her. The first idea, is she's a Texan, going into the Guard after the war started, trained to operate AFVs, and wearing "liberated" Soviet headgear because she drives a captured BMP, like in the Soviet Vehicle Guide.

The other, is that she's Polish, and has hooked up with a NATO unit after the 5th Infantry disintegrated.

While I like them both, I think you have your answer. I had a creative writing professor in college who used to always ask "whose story is it" I think with your backstory it's definitely the Texan BMP driver. Alt-country/punk riot girl from Austin with an attitude, I love it!

For my campaign I'm getting ready to paint a BTR-70 captured by 5ID and utilized by the PC's as part of the 256 BDE for Escape from Kalisz. I'm not a very good painter but I'm trying to find a way to make it not only make it look nice and beat up but also flying a large flag with "LSU" in purple and yellow on one side and a New Orleans Saints gold Fleur de lis on a black background on the other. Not only to show pride in their home state but also as a way of IFF. I will post the disastrous results when complete.

[Anna Elizabeth]

While I like them both, I think you have your answer. I had a creative writing professor in college who used to always ask "whose story is it" I think with your backstory it's definitely the Texan BMP driver. Alt-country/punk riot girl from Austin with an attitude, I love it!

For my campaign I'm getting ready to paint a BTR-70 captured by 5ID and utilized by the PC's as part of the 256 BDE for Escape from Kalisz. I'm not a very good painter but I'm trying to find a way to make it not only make it look nice and beat up but also flying a large flag with "LSU" in purple and yellow on one side and a New Orleans Saints gold Fleur de lis on a black background on the other. Not only to show pride in their home state but also as a way of IFF. I will post the disastrous results when complete.

Hey Ancestor, thank you. I think you are right that she's the Texas Tank Girl.

What scale are you doing your BTR-70 I do a lot of my vehicles with spray paint you can get at the big-box stores, and Krylon make several camouflage colors like Olive Drab. Whichever color you choose, do a smooth spray-coat, drybrush with lighter tones to show wear, and add your Louisiana Pride banner.

There are a lot of great painting videos on youtube, for example I learned how to do washes watching the Beasts of War paint 40K minis.

[Ancestor]

Thanks!

The BTR-70 is 1/100 (Russian "Art of Tactic"). BUT, I've got an awesome local game store. I'll take your advice on painting and work on that with the folks there.

Again, thanks for the advice and I'm very glad you made her "Texas Tank Girl"!

[Schone23666]

Oh Anna NOOOOO!

(The following are the silly prejudices of a long time miniature wargamer who has done moderns since he was knee high to a VDV trooper)...

I do wish you had spoken to me first...

20mm is the one true scale

(A strong voice cries out, "No it is not! 28s are the new wave and the voice of the gaming proletariat, we shall purge the bourgeois 54mm from..(BLAM!))

(Jason puts away a pistol, having shot the offending voice...)

Now that we have solved that problem and I can continue...ahem...

(Another, meeker voice, sounding like a dead ringer for Droopy Dog, states "Um, excuse me sir, but 15mm is more popular than 20mm, it's a fact!" (BLAM, BLAM!))

(Jason puts aside a smoking double barrel shotgun)

Really, I could so do without these interruptions....

Anyhow, yes, 20mm is a grand, wonderful scale, and it is cheaper if you work with the plastics. (Glares in direction of the peanut gallery)...anyone else got anything to say to that

"What about 6mm"

6mm is for bedwetting pansies! (Jason pulls pin on M67, cries "frag out" and tosses the orb of hate in the general direction of the idiot who spoke up, then cowers behind a wall, waiting for the inevitable bang..the bang occurs, Jason looks up over the cover, shakes his head with satisfaction as to the result, then gets himself up and dusts himself off)

Now, where was I...ah yes, 20mm good, all other scales bad.

Now, go to this website, tell Matt I sent you..quickly, before any of the other buffoons show up!

http://www.elhiemfigures.com/

At least you didn't break out the KPV...

Soooo....what about 25mm

"ducks"

[swaghauler]

Um....... I was still issued and using an M16A1 in 1993 at White Sands Missile Range.

Also..... someone (cough cough S3) ordered M193 ball for an M4 range in 2005. I had to explain to some SFCs why not a single person was going to get expert and overall scores were going to drop for the company if we just "Shoot it anyway".

Fucking study guide promotion system.

This doesn't surprise me at all. I was reading about an engineering company in Afghanistan getting 10 M67 90mm Recoilless Rifles and a couple of hundred rounds of ammunition for destroying bunkers. They were removed from service with the 82nd in the early 90's; Yet there they are again.
Kind of like the DOD digging up a batch of "A Rack" Grade M16A1's to make the original batch of SPR MK-12 mod 0 Designated Marksman's Rifles (complete with Full Auto trigger group).

[Olefin]

Here is the link discussing the M67 90mm Recoilless Rifles being used in Afghanistan

http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2011/02/12/currahees-add-to-their-weapons-arsenal/

"oeThe M67 will be used by mainly infantrymen in a static position, said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nathan J. Hyman of Clovis, CA, master gunner for 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th BCT, 101st Abn. Div. oeThis means the weapon will be stationary, it wont move unless necessary."

[Apache6]

T2K is excellent for skirmish gaming with miniatures

Excellent figure. Looking forward to seeing more I have war-gamed T2K, though, I have to admit my figures were war-game quality and nothing near as well painted as yours.

I agree with Jason Weiser, 20mm is the scale for Twilight 2000 gaming. I gamed this extensively back in college days. I enjoyed modeling forces for this, as you didn't need 42 man platoons and 14 tank (or IFV) Companies, all painted up 'uniformly.'

I mostly used 1/72 figures, though I have some 1/76 and even 1/87 scale (railroad HO scale) figures. I prefer plastic figures as they are very convertible. You can use a huge range of figures for T2K, modern figures, cowboys, WWII resistance fighters, I even had some based on Zulu figures. Back around 1989 or 90 I bought a box each of ESCI US Special Forces (Vietnam Era) and a box of ESCI Warsaw Pact troops and based them individually on washers. With a handful of models and die cast vehicles my gaming group and I played a dozen or so enjoyable war-games. I latter bought ESCI NVA and Zulu figures. Arm and torso swaps (easy with plastics) gave me 'Zulu' like figures armed with AK-47s, M60s and RPG-7s. You can also use many HO scale civilians figures. You can easily do 'paint' conversions and a NVA figure with an AK-47 becomes a resistance fighter wearing blue jeans, hiking boots, and a BDU shirt You can also cut a modern figure off at the waist, and mate it with the legs from a historic cavalry figure giving you M16 or AK-74 armed cavalry

As for vehicles, I 1/72 models are easily available and relatively inexpensive. You can mix 1/76 vehicles in since you are likely to have only a few vehicles. T2K is good for this as it is fun to customize to reflect the ad-hoc nature of T2K. Toy Cars: "Matchbox type" also offer great ability to field commercial trucks, pickups, "technicals" and even bulldozers. You can convert the vehicles with plastic sheet armor plating to represent expedient armored vehicles.

I big advantage to 20mm is the size for storing and transporting the figures as well as size of the table you need. I think the biggest/best game I played had the PCs with about 15 combatants (3 or 4 Players Characters, the rest NPCs) equipped with a LAV-25, a HMMWV mounting a TOW system missile (w 2 missiles), a captured BMP-2 (no missiles and limited 30mm ammo), and a 5 ton truck (overloaded with wounded soldiers and refuges). Against a T-54, a BMP-2 and a ZU-4 (nomenclature may be off, the Soviet towed AAA with 4 x 14.5mm HMG) and 15 dismounts with Ak47 and 2 RPG-7. This was played out on a ping-pong table, covered with a green sheet underneath which books and other stuff was placed to create hills.

I dont have any photos of T2K games (sigh) but here are some of a oemodern Iraq scenario using 1/72 figures. The buildings were made from foamboard.

[Ancestor]

Where did you get/find/make the Haji family

[Apache6]

Ancestor: The family are from the IMEX American Pioneers sets in 1/72 scale. Many of the figures in that set can be painted in a way that they work decently for Iraqis. I've also used some of them for IED emplacers and the cows ended up as a "mobile terrain" feature.

A review and pics can be seen at below link:

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspxid=490

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Anybody else notice that Anna Elizabeth seems to have vanished I've tried to view her blog a few times over the last 10 days and the blog is listed as having been removed and the Photobucket page were she hosted her pics is listed as "does not exist".

Without diving into wild speculation, the blog removal could simply be a case of rebuilding the blog or some sort of suspension for some infraction of the terms of service (some blog sites are pretty anal about adherence to their ToS).
Hope everything is okay

[Anna Elizabeth]

Anybody else notice that Anna Elizabeth seems to have vanished I've tried to view her blog a few times over the last 10 days and the blog is listed as having been removed and the Photobucket page were she hosted her pics is listed as "does not exist".

Without diving into wild speculation, the blog removal could simply be a case of rebuilding the blog or some sort of suspension for some infraction of the terms of service (some blog sites are pretty anal about adherence to their ToS).
Hope everything is okay

And....she's back. Umm, not everything was okay, but it's betters now, thank you.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Hey there, glad to see you're still hanging out with us!
Hope life is a little less trouble for you from now on.