Have You Ever Seen The Rain?

It's Tuesday, and that can only mean more tutorials! It was raining on the way into work today and I got to thinking about whether or not it was possible to capture that moment on my miniatures when it first starts to rain. I then started thinking about water effects in general and thought perhaps that should be the theme for this week's article. So let's have a look at how to use water effects!

Wargaming Tradecraft
Water Effects: Bottomless and Animated
http://www.wargamingtradecraft.com/2013/06/water-effects-bottomless-and-animated.html

Tiny Worlds
Swamp Scenery & Basing
http://www.tinyworlds.co.uk/blog/swamp-scenery-basing/

Call to Arms
Modelling water on Ship Bases
http://calltoarmsmwg.blogspot.co.nz/2012/12/modelling-water-on-ship-bases.html

Terrain Wench
Miniature Terrain: Water & Waves


Awaken Relms
How to make a Swamp Base


thebige61
Building the River Scene

I'm sure there are more excellent tutorials out there, so if you find one, let us know and I'll add them to this page!

Thanks for stopping by and happy modelling!

About Us Gamers

One of the most important things to me is narrative gaming. The term narrative is a loaded word and often people think it means very different things. Some people place narrative games in direct opposition to tournament games (an unfair assessment in my opinion). Generally it's accepted that the game being played has a story attached to it, but from there is diverges into several ways of going about it. Here's some interesting articles from around the internets that focus on the types out there.

What's awesome about this hobby (gaming in general) is the fact that we've reached a point where we can have an interesting introspective of ourselves as gamers. If we can be true to ourselves and know who we are and what we expect from games, we can head into this hobby seeking and achieving truly rewarding experiences.

So, here's a pair of articles on the subject, followed by a spot article on Narrative gaming, my personal favorite choice of gaming. Have a read and sound off below with your thoughts. Stay classy and enjoy!


Whose Turn Is It Anyways?
Player Psychographic Profiles
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Bell of Lost Souls
Safe, Sane and Consensual, or The Arrogance of Unacknowledged Playstyles
Link...

I'd like to close with a gamer doing awesome things. Here's Martin Bond's blog about using narrative gameplay to connect with his daughter.

The Garage Gamers
Narrative Gaming with Family
Link...

All Roads Lead to Tutorial Tuesday

This week we're gonna have a look at roads in all their various forms. They are common on our wargames tables, offering useful strategic movement to our troops. There's several places to purchase wargames roads, but we don't need a tutorial on how to get your dredit card out and buy them. So, let's have a look at how we make them in Tutorial Tuesday, Part IV!

As always, we're keen to have your feedback, links and more, so drop them in the comments below and we'll keep this article updated!

Roads as Terrain Pieces:

Craig Baxter's Homemade Paved Roads
Link...

SBS's Highway to the Imminent Peril Zone
Link...

Brian Burger's Caulk Roads 
Link...

Phil Broeders' Flexible Road Tutorial
Link...

Architects of War's Roads
Link...


Roads as Basing:

Xaul's Asphalt Base Tutorial

Link...

Signage:
Also dont forget that all roads need some road signs!
Link...

Or perhaps some vintage European signs:

Episode 10 - Sandboxes

We have done it! We made it to a decade of episodes and we couldn't be prouder! Thanks to all our listeners along the way and if you like our little show, the best thing you can do is share it with your gaming friends or your club.

So, what are we getting up to in episode 10?

Part 1 has our usual n00b news section with a a run-down of what we've seen coming out of the gaming world over the past couple of weeks. We have a look at a few Kickstarters that have piqued our interest too. We managed to get an advanced copy of Berlin from our good mates at Battlefront so give you our thoughts there.
There's something about some computer game in there as well I think?

In Part 2 we answer our listener questions on all the important issues and a few that aren't so important. There's also a quick talk about what happened at TCOW with a special guest appearance from one of the Elder Gods.

And Part 3 looks at how we prep for tournaments, specifically looking at what we're doing for the upcoming WolfCry and Panzerschreck tournaments here in NZ.

What are you waiting for?! Plug in and listen!

EPISODE 10

Waterloo 200

Today for Awesome Sauce Thursday we celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815). To mark this historic passing, here's some pretty cool Napoleonic games and events  to have a look at!

Sparker's Wargaming Blog
Waterloo 200 Megagame - To the Limits of Glory?
http://sparkerswargames.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/waterloo-200-megagame-to-limits-of-glory.html

GITSUM (Gamers Into Tactical Simulation Using Miniatures) gaming club

Waterloo 200

http://m1tankrider.blogspot.co.nz/2015/06/blog-post.html

Wades World of Wargaming

Waterloo 200

http://wadesworldofwargaming.blogspot.co.nz/2015/06/waterloo-200-wellesley-club-wellington.html

Also, our local AWC will be running their Waterloo 200 this week (21 June) for those Aucklanders keen to have a look. You can find information here:

Auckland Wargames Club

Waterloo 200

http://awc.wargaming.info/2015/200th-anniversary-of-waterloo-club-project/#.VYIrWfmqqko

That's all for this week! Thanks for stopping by.

Have some nominations for Awesome Sauce Thursday? Post them in the comments below and we'll collect them for next Thursday!

Tutorial Tuesday - Airbrushing Modulation

Hey guys, Greg here with my first run at a Tutorial Tuesday article. I'd be grateful for your feedback on if this was helpful or if I should just leave it to the professionals (i.e. Mike).

So let me start by saying that I have been painting toy soldiers on and off for about 20 years and you'd think that over that time I would have developed some decent skills. Truth be told that because of the on and off nature of my painting and presence in the hobby, I just haven't honed and developed those skills until the last year or so. Now, my painting is at a level where I'm comfortable that it looks good for me. I'll be the first person to admit that I'm not going to be taking on commissions or winning painting awards any time soon and honestly, I don't think I want to.

I have always, always been a brush painter though. I have never once used an airbrush and have, for the most part, considered it cheating on some level. Don't ask me why, I've got no clue. Recently though, I've started seriously considering getting an airbrush and starting to use it, mostly on my Bolt Action tanks and other bits but potentially for my Flames of War stuff as well. 

I really like seeing the results that people get from colour modulation on their tanks, there is just something that really pops about them when they're done right so in that vein, I looked around the YouTubes for some beginners guides to modulation. A couple of really good ones that I have come across (and this is my opinion only) are the following ones:

International Scale Modeller

This one is a noobs guide to German Grey (Dunkelgrau) modulation using the AK Interactive Panzer Grey kit. Its a long and detailed video at 50 mins and has some great tips for airbrush noobs like me. This was his first time doing any kind of airbrushing and I think it looks pretty good.

Carsten the Tightheadprop

Again, this is using Dunkelgrau modulation but this time on a 15mm StuG and shows a bit more of the detail in terms of masking to get the right mix of shine and depth. Another very good video in my opinion.

I'm now seriously investigating my options in terms of buying a decent starter airbrushing set and really getting hands on with the devil! If you have any recommendations, let me know!

Are there any other channels I should be looking at for tips? Let me know in the comments team!

- Greg

Awesome Sauce Thursday II: Hit the Beach!

Part I: Normandy

June 6 marked the anniversary of the greates amphibious invasion ever attempted: Operation Overlord. This week for Awesome Sauce Thursday, I'd like to feature some excellent battles in miniature commemorating the important date and event. I'm a sucker for a good D-Day mega battle, so I was really pleased to see these two!

Miniature War Gaming's D-Day on D-Day

http://www.mantorvilleexpress.com/gaming/2015/06/07/d-day-on-d-day/

House of Hengist's Ambieve AAR

http://houseofhengist.blogspot.co.nz/2015/05/ambieve-1944.html

Part II: Novac

Fallout New Vegas is pretty awesome. You end up seetting up camp in a town called Novac (the town's name comes from a "No Vacancy" sign, where the "-ancy" removed). The principal attraction is a huge roadside monument of a T-Rex with a gift shop inside. With This is Not a Test gaining popularity, there is a guy in Australia who is working on a table featuring this small collection of buildings. I'm looking forward to seeing his progress and, with a little luck, going to see it myself at PAX Aus later this year. It's an awesome project! Now, I just need to get cracking on my own table!

Jayden Barr's Building NOVAC

http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php?topic=78900.0

That's all for this week! Thanks for stopping by.

Have some nominations for Awesome Sauce Thursday? Post them in the comments below and we'll collect them for next Thursday!

Tutorial Tuesday II: Wasteland

Since we here at BEL are all agog about World's End Publishing's This is Not A Test (TNT), I thought it would be appropriate to have a look at post-apocalyptic terrain.

Bizarrely, this is the first wargame that has me more excited about working on the terrain than on the figures. I suppose this has to do with the fact that its a completely new genre for my collection and whenever that happens, I'm first and foremost drawn to what terrain I can make. As an avid Fallout player, the opportunity (or temptation) to physically recreate some of that virtual world is too much to resist. So for this week, here's some cool tutorials about making semi-modern terrain. Enjoy!

Part 1: Rust in the City
Cameron is an excellent painter, modeler. He runs a great blog over at: http://rustandthecity.blogspot.com. He's got a lot of great tutorials with some pro tips for making terrain for your TNT battlefield.

Building Shipping Containters
http://rustandthecity.blogspot.co.nz/2012/12/tutorial-building-shipping-containers.html

Painting Shipping Containers
http://rustandthecity.blogspot.co.nz/2012/12/tutorial-painting-shipping-container.html

Airbrushing Graffiti
http://rustandthecity.blogspot.co.nz/2012/12/tutorial-airbrushing-graffiti-in-40k.html

Painting Chipped Metal and Rust
http://rustandthecity.blogspot.co.nz/2011/12/tutorial-painting-chipped-metal-and.html

Part 2: Props!
For me a large portion of making a post apocalyptic table is all of the props and ambient pieces, that add to the feel, but are usually ignored by modelers because they don't add anything tactical to the game. These include small rubbish piles, traffic signs, dilapidated picket fences, playgrounds, and things like that. Here's a few good tutorials that will add a new level of detail to your terrain project.

28mm Soda Cans
http://a-painters-thoughts.blogspot.de/2014/02/do-it-yourself-135-coke-cans.html

Making Tiny Trash Bags



Have some nominations for Tutorial Tuesday? Post them in the comments below and we'll collect them for next Tuesday!

Episode 9 - IT'S ALIVE!!!

That's right Jungen und Mädchen...we're back! Episode 9 is live over at wwpd.net right now! 

Or just click here! http://wwpd.libsyn.com/podcast/behind-enemy-lines-episode-9 

Here's what's happening:

An even more milleaneous episode as we cover a lot of interesting topics, mostly inspired by some amazing questions submitted by you, the listeners! Danger: contains discussion about adult onesies.

 

In Act I, n00b news and rumours are gathered and redistributed.

 

In Act II, the cast talk about our gaming goings-ons, discuss our AARs, and answer even more probing, but nevertheless excellent, questions from our listeners. 

In Act III, the guys cover what’s in their painting queues and answer an excellent question about how to infuse a narrative style into your wargames.

- Greg

Awesome Sauce Thursday

Today marks the inaugural Awesome-sauce Thursday, the second half of our weekly regular blog content (for the other half, check out Tutorial Tuesdays here...).  In this article series, we focus on you the gaming hobby; what people are doing to improve our exciting hobby. This is intentionally left wide open, to include anything from showcasing awesome paint jobs, to discussing interesting aspects of the hobby.

The articles will typically be brief with a link for you to follow because we want to help these members of the community receive some well-deserved attention.  So without further ado here's two amazing blogs and projects we'd like you to have a look at:

Shawn Morris's Project ETC
LINK: http://forum.wwpd.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=16184

Shawn's making an amazing table for the ETC. His process has all sorts of great tips and tricks for building your own table!

Martin Bond's Mars Attacks Campaign
LINK: http://thegaragegamers.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/Mars%20Attacks

Martin Bond plays through some Mars Attacks games with a narrative style. The twist to the story is that his worthy opponent is his daughter! Read on to see how gaming with your kids can enhance your gaming hobby!



Have some nominations for Awesome Sauce Thursday? Post them in the comments below and we'll collect them for next Thursday!

Tutorial Tuesday!

So, here we are! Tutorial Tuesday, the first article for our regular blog content. Tutorial Tuesdays are pretty self explanatory, as we post up some helpful tutorials from the wargaming community. These will range from painting guides, to terrain modelling, and other hobby-related guides such as running events, etc. These will all come from the community, so if you find something helpful that we should feature, please let us know and we'll post it up!

So... it's time to

Run Through the Jungle!

One of the most iconic things about tropical combat is the battlefield's vegetation. The common vision is one of dense palm trees with a double or triple canopy. While stereotypical, the truth is that it's not actually realistic for an entire battlefield. Jungles are thick and inaccessible for armies to operate, which is why terrain areas that lacked it were the actual battlefields, like the Mekong River or highlands in Vietnam, the beaches and mountain slopes of south Pacific atolls, or developed plantations or bases.

So building a tropical battlefield need not be covered with vegetation, but neither should it be devoid of it! When you are making your own terrain, vegetation can be a challenge. I've been making my own Vietnam/Jungle terrain, and so for today, here are a few tutorials that I found exceptionally helpful for my project.

Good luck and thanks for reading!

Bamboo groves:
http://www.wargamerau.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t110815.html

15mm Palm Trees:
http://www.tabletop-terrain.com/archives/2006/06/05/588/15mm-palm-tree-tutorial/

Scenery tutorial - Making heavy foliage
http://corbaniaprime.blogspot.co.nz/2010/03/scenery-tutorial-making-heavy-foliage.html

TerranScapes - Updated Jungle Terrain