World War III: Armageddon

Okay, here's my pretty much finished WWIII wargame rules. I say pretty much finished because, as any rule-writer knows, there's always room for improvement, and I'll probably make some modifications at some point. But for now, they're pretty playable rules. Be warned, however; this game is conducive to heavy casualties. No protracted slugfests here; whole units can be wiped out with a few unlucky rolls. The basic combat system is easy enough: each figure rolls 2D6 against his Accuracy to see if he scores a hit; then roll 1D6 to determine the extent of the damage. Activation tests, reaction tests and morale tests are also used. No revolutionary game mechanics.
I've included pdfs for the core rules, reference sheet, and two sample army help cards at the bottom of this page. Feel free to download (and adapt, if you want) all or any of the documents.The army help cards are meant as examples of the type of army lists you can create; you'll probably want to create your own, unless you happen to have modern Russians and British available.
This game is supposed to be played using scenarios with specific objectives and troop placement. Make up your own (its easier than you might think) or look in some other wargame rules for scenario ideas.
Please note that I have revised and updated these rules several times, so if there is a slight discrepancy or mistake in the rules, forgive me.
Here are some pictures from a test game.

WWIII: Armageddon Core Rules

Cover

Reference Sheet

Russian Army Card

British Army Card

Italeri 11th Century Crusaders

Got these figures for Lion Rampant, the rulebook for which I just received for my birthday. I did a few test games of Lion
Rampant using unpainted figures, and it's really fun. Fast paced and easy to learn. Me and my opponent were playing smoothly and fluidly, without too many checks to the rulebook, in the first game. Intuitive game mechanics and it doesn't take itself to seriously. Highly recommended. I'll have to get some more of those Osprey Publishing wargame rulebooks.
The figures are not great - a lot of the figures are on the skinny side, as is common with Italeri sets - and some of the poses are unnatural and stiff. But the mounted figures make up with it with their fluid knightly grace. They'll look great, all painted up in bright heraldic colors and ready for battle.

Finished Panzer IV Tiger I

So, here it is in all its painted glory. This was only the second tank I've ever built, so I was pretty happy with the way it came out. There were certain things about the model that were really irritating, however. When I used a heated metal screwdriver to fuse the first track together, it worked fine, but when I tried the second track, one of the little holes for the peg broke open, and it ended up looking like a mess.
Also, the decals didn't work well at all - even though I used Testors decal set, one of the crosses on the side of the hull disintegrated and fell God knows where, so I had to paint the cross on. Still, doesn't look too bad. The decals on the side of the turret were also a pain in the butt, they didn't stick well at all to the bumpy and rounded surface.

HaT Gallic Chariot Element

Here's my latest addition to my Gallic DBA army. Just two more of these babies to go - one more regular light chariot, then a LCh(Gen) as an alternative to the 4Wb(Gen).
 I'm pretty pleased with this set from HaT; the figures are relativley well sculpted, the horses are nice, and the chariot fits together well. My one problem was with the softness of the plastic. And you get 3 chariots for 5 bucks - can't beat the price. Plus each chariot comes with two options for the guy in back.

All 8 Gallic Warbands

I have finally finished all eight elements of Gallic warband! My psiloi is also in the bag, so now I just have three chariots and a general element to paint. Then on to the Marian Romans.

Hasegawa Pz.Kpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. E Late Model

I bought this tank a little while ago to go with my recently finished Esci US Paratroopers. I'm thinking about the possibility of - dare I say it - starting a new wargame. This is probably a terrible idea, since I already have a handful of unfinished wargame projects sitting around, but I like the idea of a skirmish-style WW2 wargame set in Normandy after the invasions.
I learned after I got the kit that the rough zimmerit coating (applied to late war German tanks to prevent magnetic grenades from sticking to the hull) was not modelled in the plastic of the tank; in other words, I had to apply it myself.
I looked up methods of doing this on modelling forums and such, and was inundated with a wealth of accumulated knowledge on the subject. Wow. It's amazing how much people have to say about zimmerit coating.  Anyway, one method rose above the rest, and it works very well.
Apply a thin coat of regular modelling glue (I use Testors) over the surface area to be treated. (The surfaces to be coated with zimmerit are the sides of the turret, the front of the turret, the sides of the hull, and the front and back). Wait for the glue to dry, about 30 minutes. Wait too little, and the glue will be too wet and sticky. Too long, and you won't be able to make an impression in it.
Once the glue has dried for about 30 minutes, take a small screwdriver and make horizontal marks in the surface of the paint, forming columns running vertically down the vehicle.As you can imagine, this takes a really long time.
Unfortunately for me, the Tamiya Dark Yellow paint I ordered for the dunkelgelb camouflage (literally 'dark yellow' in German) will not arrive for several weeks, so even after I finish the tedious task of applying the zimmerit, I won't be able to finish the model for a while.

You can see my attempts at zimmerit on the side of the tank

The size of the screw driver I use in comparison to the model

Esci WW2 US Paratroopers

I got these figures years ago, and finally got around to painting my first batch. I'm pretty pleased with the way they turned out; I added a little water to thin down the varnish shadow wash, and I think it helped.
The Esci advertising for this set is very self-contradictory: the box proclaims them to be 82nd Airborne "Screaming Eagles." Any WW2 buff will tell you, the 101st, NOT the 82nd, had the nickname "Screaming Eagles." They are also pictured with the 82nd division's 'All American' double A badge on the sleeve.
Anyway, I painted these guys with the 82nd's insignia, despite the fact that one pose features the mohawk haircut that was a trademark of the 101st. Whatever.
As to the set itself, the figures are superbly modeled and, despite the mixup on the box, historically accurate. They wear the 1943-style uniform which, ironically, was worn in 1944 during the D-Day landings and afterward. The details are great and the poses anatomically correct. A great set all round. 

A Small Wargame

A few days ago I whipped up some simple, fast-play modern skirmish rules. I adapted parts of Chain Reaction 3.1 and Fireteam Tactical Combat (which you can find at Freewwargamesrules Wiki) and blended them up with some ideas from my own imagination to create World War III: Armageddon. Ostensibly, these will be the working rules for my WWIII wargame, though they work just as well for WWII or other modern conflicts. The system is easy to learn and requires only 1D6 for all tests.
Here are some pics from the first test game. I used 16 of my WWIII Russians against 8 Modern British and 8 US WW2 Paratroopers, since I didn't have enough Brits painted up. The game was fun, but it definitely needs some revisions. Once I have a system of playable rules, I might put them up on this blog.
It started off badly for me, with my opponent wiping off my entire raw unit in the first turn and then bagging my elite officer in the second. I managed to strike back late and take out some of his bolt-action rifles on my right flank, but it was too little, too late. 

Airfix Messerschmitt Bf110 C-4/B, Eastern Front, 1941

I don't post a lot of aircraft models, partly because I do very few, and partly because I'm not very good at them. This is my most recent and best aircraft model. While it is no-where near the quality of some other aircraft-painting aficionados whose work looks real enough to be dropping bombs over Russia, it is what it is.