Photos from the Workbench

Yes, it was for a World War II game, but a lot of this stuff is useful for any genre, and as urban table scatter? It's just how useful and resourceful you can be with a little bit of effort.

During the leadup to the game, I managed to flock a ton of trees, paint up some figures for my German Volkssturm (some LMGs they needed), and a 5cm gun (it turns out I do not in fact, have a Pak 97/38, lucky me I have the means to make some)! I also made a clock suitable for a park anywhere in the world, and a ton, and I mean a ton of barbed wire.

So, first, let's see my other efforts first?

Here is some of the flocked trees and the clock tower, it's mounted on a bit of precut balsa found in a variety pack at Michaels, and flocked with a mixed flock that makes the grass look a little like it's gone to seed. All in all, not too bad.

This time, I did the barbed wire differently than I usually do it. I used some posts this time...and honestly, it came out a lot better. Here is a list of materials: A supply of 1" x 1.5" bases or other cut materials (the size doesn't matter as much, but keep it consistent). A supply of dowels (purchased at Michaels, I meant to use them for spent shells for AT gun bases, but they worked really well for this) Barbed Wire (whatever you use for it, I use GF9's brand, but you can use whatever strikes your fancy). Brown paint (red-brown works best) The process is quite simple. First, take the base, then using super glue, cut the dowels in half, or about the size of 2/3rds of a 20mm figure (or 2/3rds of whatever scale you wish to use). Then glue said dowels to the base on the flush (not the cut ends, you use those for the ends facing up). Let this dry overnight. Next, paint the entire thing brown, mix, slather it on a bit, as you're going to need it. The bases before flocking and application of the wire Next, slather on some white glue, cut with a bit of water (50/50 mix I'd say) and carefully brush on, then flock the bases with whatever flock you like. I used the same mix of flock I used on the clock tower, but whatever works for you.  After that, cut a length of barbed wire, and wrap it around a pen or sharpie (something medium sized), and then carefully wrap the protruding ends on both sides around the posts. You can glue the wire to the posts with super glue, but if you get a tight fit, it's not really required.  I think I spent about 2 hours of total work to churn out about 30+" of barbed wire for very little effort or cost. And the results? Look either to the left or the right in the photo, I think you will agree, pretty darn good, no?

Not bad for a few hours work, eh? By the way? It's Post # 50! Wowsers! 50 posts of this stuff, and you still want more!

Also, something else just crossed my desk. It seems that the 20mm T-55s being crowdfunded by Plastic Soldier Company are very, very close to fruition. They need a few more orders to put them over the top, they say, so, if you need T-55s in 20mm, these are a very good buy! Run, do not walk to get your box, or two!

<Waves hand in Jedi-like motion> "These are the T-55s you are looking for, consider no other!"

Some News, and a Bit of Commentary

Hi all, first off, I wanted to thank everyone for the response to this blog, again. You all keep surprising me about the level of interest there is in this blog, and I promise I will do my best to keep this blog going with relevant content and ideas to share, so long as you all keep reading.

Now, the news is good, PSC has hit the halfway mark on those 1/72 scale T-55s! Now I know, it's only the halfway mark, but the fact is? It's a demonstration that there is interest. I personally would like to see fast build kits for the modern 20mm gamer out there. In a lot of cases, we have had to make do with models. (S & S and Libmins, or perhaps random diecasts notwithstanding) It's a long time coming, and while S-Model sorta counts...I have a feeling PSC is going to knock it out of the park.

So, what do I need from you dear reader? Please support the campaign. It's important and if it gets these models made, then others will follow from PSC, and that can't be bad at all.

As for the commentary? I guess I have to state that so far, it has been amazing running this blog. I enjoy hearing people have found my articles fun, easy to read, and altogether useful. It's something that makes me awfully happy especially when all of the module reviews are both eagerly awaited, and just as importantly, they are enjoyed.

I intend to write up the remaining 1st edition adventures...and yes, that does include City of Angels, lord help us, that book makes Kidnapped read like something from the Bard himself. I do not intend to lose my focus on the miniatures aspect of Twilight: 2000, in fact, once the wedding is over, I do intend to work my tail off gluing and painting. I want to get some pics of my work up on this site, and I have some pretty interesting ideas for where this all might go?

Reviews, Reviews

Images taken from Casemate Publishing 

Images taken from Casemate Publishing 

So, I am working my way through Volume 1 of the series, and I understand Volume 3 is due in November and Volume 4 in December. So far, it's a easy, if distracting read. There are some issues, no hyphens between numbers for some strange reason, and a number of photos with transposed captions. These errors all conspire for a distracted read, to say the least. I will say the color plates have so far, proven to be useful, as well as a discussion of Iraqi and Iranian equipment holdings, but what does all this mean for Twilight: 2000 gamers? 

Well, you have some pretty good informational sources for RDF Sourcebook. The descriptions of the terrain to be found in the area, along with the defensive preparations the Iranians made make a good bit of research for games set in and around the area. 

I am not wholly convinced the books are worth $35 a piece. I got them on special at Williamsburg Muster this year, and I still think that the MSRP should be more like $25..but I don't price 'em.

In short, try to get them on sale if you can.

Cool Stuff on the Internet

In one of the games I played at Historicon, "That's my USAID", there were these awesome shanties that frankly, would fit right into a Twilight: 2000 milleu. I asked the author, Mike Demana if I could repost a link to the article here, but I also wanted to show off a photo of the finished product. It's simply gorgeous for very little effort, or cost.

Congolese paratroopers patrol a shantytown looking for signs of insurgents

(Caption and Photo taken from Mike Demana's Lead Legionaries Blog)

It would take very little, if any work to adapt this scenery for a cantonment outskirts, or a refugee camp, and it would give the table an awesome look. I am going to give this a try as soon as I can managed it, and will keep you posted on the results.

So, our next article will be a review of Return to Warsaw, as promised, and I will also be working to get out the first guest article for this blog. No telling on what that is, but I am working with the author as we speak, so stay tuned folks, more is coming for the pages of "500 Miles..".

Module Suitability Review - Airlords of the Ozarks

Image taken from Twilight 2000 Wiki, IP is GDW/FFE

Airlords of the Ozarks to me, reflected a change in the "bad guys" in Twilight: 2000 from the traditional Soviets to something far more sinister, and familiar, New America. New America is born of the darkest fears about the Neo-Nazi movement from the 1980s. The ideas were borne of the seeming rise of the neo-Nazi movement, as well as the fears real, and imagined of the Christian Right. That said. New America, whatever your views, is to me, presented an "anti-Morrow Project" to pit against your players (and might have been a bit of a parody of said game, but that is my own position).

But on to the adventure. It's got a lot. The "recon" mission has sort of a creeping horror element to it, as you realize the true nature of the "Airlords" and what they have at their disposal (three dirigibles and a mess of ultralights). Air superiority in Twilight: 2000 against unprepared towns in the Ozarks is nothing short of devastating, as our heroes might find out.

The rot of New America goes as far as the state house in Little Rock in a side plot, and the mission to destroy New America's airfleet can resemble Guns of Navarone if done right. And there is the small issue of New America having some crude CALCMs at it's disposal...(Nice job MilGov). Yeah, you gotta destroy those too.

But that said, how does it do for miniatures scenario fodder?

Skirmish Games

For skirmish games Airlords of the Ozarks does very well on a skirmish scenario basis. There is a ton of fodder really, everything from ambushing New American patrols, to scouting out New American-held towns.

Some really neat ideas I have though are:

• A raid to capture the leadership of the Jonesboro marauder band for interrogation, they would be a font of information on the nature of the "Airlords".
• Raid on an New American LC (Long Contract) Labor Camp (re: Concentration Camp) to recover valuable prisoners as well as to perhaps rile up the prisoners in a general uprising.
• A raid to capture a New American prisoner for interrogation.

Larger Scale Games

Airlords is some awesome fodder in my opinion for some larger scale games, especially for the climax of the adventure. Some of the more obvious ideas include:

• A partisan raid stiffened by some American soldiers returned from Europe on the lair of the dirigibles, it would be especially exciting if there was one loaded with ALCMs ready to launch at MilGov and CivGov HQs. (relax, they aren't nuclear armed, but 1000kgs of HE won't tickle if aimed right). 
• A fight between a captured dirigible and one held by the New Americans (what rules you would use for this, I have no idea).
• Milgov sends the 197th Mech Brigade in from Memphis to crush the New American cell in the Ozarks, one town at a time (This would make an interesting micro armor game, and the New Americans, sans airships, aren't going to have a lot of anti-tank weapons to deal with the ironmongery the 197th can bring to bear).

In short, the scenario has a lot to offer, and the figures for New Americans are easy, just take a mix of Americans in uniforms from Vietnam to 90s era (ala my article on the subject)  and paint a blue armband with a white star in the middle. It should be a darker blue than the Somali flag, to be honest, and as for Ozarks terrain, there is some mention of it in my terrain article on what you can do for some ideas there. (You might have to scroll down). Vehicles for the New Americans would be a mix of pickup trucks and "technicals" for the most part.

Well, it's our 30th Post!! Thanks to everyone for their continued support and comments here. Your feedback makes this worthwhile! I apologize for the wait for this article, a cold laid me up for a few days. Our next entry will be Gateway to the Spanish Main, Post-apocalyptic pirates and kidnapped children to rescue, arr!

Twilight: 2000 - The Look on the Table, Part 3, Uniforms (LONG POST)

Many armies of the Twilight War are at the very end of their logistical rope, and the days of natty uniforms are definitely at an end. With the collapse of modern industry with the opening of the nuclear exchange, spare uniform items and new uniforms are at a premium (It would be hard pressed to know when the last time your average infantryman in Twilight: 2000 has seen anything approaching a proper field laundry). Many uniforms are a collection of scrounged items, surviving items, lovingly mended, and items of local manufacture, maintained to whatever local standard can be managed.

So how is all this reflected on the table top?

So What Came Before?

The uniforms that many of the armies went to war with in the Twilight War were a reflection that many armies in the 1990s were in transition (even if the Cold War did not end in 1991, many armies had decided to update their uniforms, and these modernization plans would have proceeded).

So, what did these uniforms look like?

Camopedia is a great resource for this, if you aren't using it, you should. It is simply an exhaustive and amazing resource. Internet searches will often find the rest you happen to be looking for.

The United States of America: The United States was soldering on into the Twilight War with the ubiquitous M81 Woodland Camouflage Uniform (affectionately known as the BDU, short for Battle Dress Uniform). It was copied by a number of nations, but the United States was the most prolific wearer of the uniform.

M81 Woodland Pattern Camouflage

As the war ground on, and supplies of M81 uniforms began to run short, other, older uniforms began to be issued to later mobilizing formations, this was especially true of units being formed after the nuclear exchange. A mix of OG-107 Uniforms and in some cases, the Tropical Combat Uniforms from Vietnam were issued or used as replacement uniforms.  

OG-107 Uniform (taken from Soldier of Fortune webshop)

Tropical Combat Uniform (taken from Soldier of Fortune webshop)

Though these uniforms were issued "as is" it was often the case, especially during the long winters of the war, that they were modified by soldiers in cantonment, common modifications were the addition of the US Flag patches, the addition of thigh cargo pockets to the OG-107 trousers, and darkening of the brass belt buckle of the OG-107 belts.

Desert uniforms were in the three color pattern, which had begun issue in 1991, and by 1995, had reached all of the units slated for deployment to the Middle East (in some cases, being issued right on the tarmac or pier side as units departed for Iran).

Three Color Desert BDUs

The huge stocks of the original six-color "chocolate chip" pattern were distributed to a variety of American allies, especially Iran, but as the war ground on, some wound up with American units as replacement issue due to the fact no new three color uniforms were arriving from the United States.

Six Color Desert BDUs

The United Kingdom: The British Army was going through a transition from the Pattern 1984 and the Pattern 1994 (which had seen limited issue) to the Soldier 95 uniform system, which was meant to function in any environment.  Soldier 95 did see issue to most of the Regular formations, as well as to the Royal Marines, but many of the TA (Territorial Army) formations, as well as conscripts, went to war before the nuclear exchange in a mix of Pattern 1984 and Pattern 1994 uniforms. Incidentally, many regulars wore the tropical pattern of DPM pre-war. It is distinguished by a slightly lighter shade of colors involved in the pattern, but it is hard to tell unless you know what you are looking for.

Soldier 95 Pattern

Pattern 1994 DPM

Pattern 1984 DPM

After the nuclear exchange, the issue of uniforms got a bit more confused, and stocks of all three uniforms ran low. While a wartime economy uniform in olive green known as the "98 Pattern" was issued, supplies of it were often low as the British textile industry (like much of the economy) was in shambles. Thus, a mix of uniforms was often issued, such as tropical DPM, desert DPM, and in at least one case, Korean-war issue Battledress that had been found in a warehouse, complete with Denison smocks.

The Federal Republic of Germany: Germany was in a transitional phase with it's uniforms when war came. While about a third of the Bundeswehr had converted over to the new Flektarn uniform (this was mostly concentrated in the airborne units, and some of the Panzergrenadier battalions attached to the Panzer divisions), most were still soldiering on with the old Olivgrun uniform, this was especially true in the reserves.

Flecktarn Camo Pattern

Olivgrun Combat Uniform

As the war went nuclear, and the supply lines broke down, later arriving replacements, as well as uniform replacements became a mix of sources, mostly consisting of the Splitternmunster pattern uniforms which had been retired in the 1960s. Not many of these were issued, as there were ample stocks of the Olivgrun uniforms, and due to it's simplicity, it was easy to produce new Olivgrun uniforms from cottage industries.

Splitternmunster Pattern

As for the East Germans, their army's integration with the West German one was to say the least, a thorny issue that was decided, best left for after the war. Thus, the East Germans went to war with what they had and wore their distinctive Strichmunster, or "rain" camouflage for the entire war, with ample stocks available as replacement issue as needed.

Strichmunster Pattern

Canada: The Canadian Army was in the midst of a planned transition from the Olive Green Combat Uniform which had been around since the 1960s to the planned issue of CADPAT (which wound up never actually being issued until well after the Twilight War). Thus, the Army continued to soldier on with the Combat Dress for the entire war, even after the nuclear exchange, as with the German Olivgrun uniform, it was easy to produce in many cottage industries.

Canadian Army Combat Dress (taken from Canadian Army.com)

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics:  The Soviets at the beginning of hostilities had a dizzying array of uniforms they issued their forces, including the ubiquitous khaki uniform (which had been modernized in 1985 and now had cargo pockets and a field cap and was affectionately known as the "afghanska" ). Most camo patterns were issued as either a one piece or two piece pullover.

This however, began to change in 1981, with the issue of the tritsvetnaia kamuflirovannaia odezhda (TTsKO) pattern. TTsKO was at first, issued as a six-pocket uniform meant for VDV and SF personnel, but it rapidly was developed into a variety of other patterns and uniforms.(It was by no means, general issue, however).  

By 1995, many Category A units were wearing some form of TTsKO "afghanska", or at least khaki "afghanska", with TTsKO pullover smocks and many other B and C units had at least been issued some version of the older KLMK one or two piece smocks, and also wore "afghanska".  Many Mobilization Only units made do with a mix of World War II "leaf" pattern camo smocks and wore the M-1969 uniforms, this was especially true after the nuclear exchanges.

TTsKO Green/Brown Pattern, this was the most common Soviet camouflage pattern seen in Europe during the Twilight War.

M-1985 Summer Uniform, the most common uniform worn by Soviet forces during the Twilight War (taken from russianwarrrior.com)

The M-1969 Uniform, this began to become more common with Mobilization Only divisions called up after the nuclear exchange, or as replacement uniforms to other units. (taken from Russianwarrior.com)

A later pattern of KMLK pattern camouflage

Poland: The Polish Army had a number of uniforms it was transitioning into and out of when hostilities broke out in 1996. There was first, the wz89 "Zaba" pattern, which had seen general issue throughout the Polish military, but was being phased out in favor of the wz93 pattern, which bore a resemblance to the American M81 pattern. Alas, the only units that got wz93 uniforms were the 6th "Pomeranian" Air Assault Division, and the 7th Marine Division. As for called up reserve units, including the ORMO, they made do with varying versions of the wz68 "Moro" or "worm" uniform. Many of these latter uniforms were later issued as replacements as stocks of the Zaba uniform ran out and home made versions of the Moro (often without the "worms") were made in Krakow for the city's defense forces.

wz89 "Zaba" pattern of camouflage

wz93 pattern of camouflage

 

wz68 "Moro" pattern of camouflage

Czechoslovakia:  The Czechs were transitioning from their long serving "needles" pattern of camouflage uniform, which was based on a Polish design, to a new "leaf" pattern that looked vaguely like the US M81 Woodland pattern. 

Issue of the new uniform began on the eve of the Soviet invasion of China, and was limited to select  Category A units in the Czech Army when the war began in Europe. All of the other elements of the army, along with the paramilitary organizations soldiered on with the older "needles" pattern.

After the nuclear exchange, many uniforms began to be replaced with local copies of the "needles" pattern (often without the needles, leading to a uniform that hued from slate to light grey, though such poor quality control was common even before the war, it just became more pronounced after the exchange, with one unit being dressed in "needles" pattern uniforms with the grey background being almost pink, the uniforms being made in a former dress factory). This continued for the rest of the Twilight era, as the uniform was easy to produce in local industry.

 Vz95 "Leaf" camouflage pattern

"Needles" pattern camouflage

In the Field

In addition to the "war economy" versions of uniforms being issued, or the older ones being pulled from warstocks, there was a myriad of improvisation being carried out by the soldiers themselves in the field. The long winters of the war, especially after the exchange, gave soldiers long periods to modify their uniforms in a myriad of ways, and as discipline became more relaxed at the front with regards to dress and grooming standards, soon, the only standard became "make sure your own side knows who the hell you are."

Thus, creations like the US 8th Infantry Division's "Red OGs" as collectors call them, where captured Soviet uniforms, dyed crudely with Olive Drab dye (closer to olive than drab), and adorned with crude US flags were born. (Page 1, Uniforms in the Twilight War, Langham)

To give you an idea of what a single US infantryman looked like by the year 2000, take the example of this US Marine in Iran:

Steel helmet with old pattern desert cover (although this appears to be a Kevlar cover), Soviet paratrooper (“hooped”) T shirt under a Pakistani copy of the British “woolly pully” with added chest pockets (probably ex Iraqi Army), new pattern BDU trousers and French boots. Woodland pattern assault vest with British 90 pattern NBC pouch worn by waist strap. (Page 2, Uniforms in the Twilight War, Langham)

As time went on, many armies settled for simply "issuing" new soldiers a simple armband, this was especially common when those troops were to be used for internal security duties. These armbands came in many sizes and shapes, with the best well known being the New American "Blue Lone Star" armband.

In short, by the time the fighting ended due to the mutual exhaustion of the combatants, it could be said that no two soldiers on the same side, let alone the opposite side, looked alike.

On the Table

So, how best to do this on the table? There are a myriad of ways, putty, files, use of after market vehicle kits (which often have rucksacks). Many figure manufacturers sell separate heads, such as Ehliem, Ground Zero Games, Peter Pig, and Raventhorpe, to name a few. A simple head swap alone can make a lot of difference in making a figure look more "Twilight: 2000".

Armbands are a simple matter with putty, it doesn't take much to do so, and in fact, scale thickness is key, simply take a small pinch of putty, pull it around the arm, let settle, and then paint appropriately.

Never be afraid to raid a bit box, as there are a ton of things that can be found to modify figures, especially 20mm scale figures, but even 15mm figures can be changed if there is time and patience. Plastic figures, by and large, are easier to modify than metal, but with patience, putty, the right tools and time, metal figures can be easily modified.

Whatever changes you choose to make, keep in mind, plan your changes beforehand, and keep in mind, less is more. Making 8-10 changes in a figure risk all sorts of problems, whereas 2-3 changes keeps things manageable, and PLAN IT OUT BEFORE HAND. "Measure twice, cut once" isn't just a mantra, it's a good idea.

Another thing, when it comes to painting the actual uniforms, don't be afraid to mix and match types on a figure, as well as paint/putty on patches or lighten up the colors or use a heavy wash to represent fading, or staining. 

That concludes things here, next time, I will begin to talk more about my collection..and my slow and steady attempts to expand it.  

Twilight: 2000, The Look on the Table, Part 2, Buildings

Today's piece will continue on the vein of part one with terrain. Terrain as we all know, makes the wargame. You can have great looking figures on a lousy table and it can ruin the effect. But vice versa can often make a game memorable in a good way.

Twilight: 2000, is as I said before, is a unique post-apocalyptic experience, not everywhere was nuked or fought over as part of the frontline, but everywhere felt the war. Everywhere felt the shortages, the collapse of modern civilization, law and order, and the lack of fuel. Everywhere is crowded, dirty, neglected, and standing in mute testimony to a lost age, but not a forgotten one. They are also symbols of what could be again, and what may still be worth fighting for.

This article will mostly concentrate on man-made terrain, as natural terrain will have not had much time to change, with only 2 years having elapsed since the exchange.

So, how do we reflect this on a table top?

Home Sweet Home

Very few buildings in Twilight: 2000 have power. Most haven't had their exterior cleaned in years. Many are either abandoned completely, left to the elements, or overcrowded with refugees looking for any port in a storm. Which type of building is entirely up to the proximity of said building to a conflict zone or a nuclear strike.

Inspiration can be found in a lot of places for buildings that are in places that have been fought over..Grozny comes to mind:

Note the details in the photo, many of the buildings are bombed out shells, with soot stains on the upper parts of the windows, (the soot stains are subtle, weathering has done it's work there). All the trees are dead husks, and the road is quickly becoming a churned up mess as the asphalt has been damaged from multiple tracked vehicles passing by. This is what the average conflict zone in the Europe of Twilight: 2000 should look like.

Even in places where the fighting was either light, or non--existent, there would still be damage, more due to neglect, rather than deliberate, man made damage. It might look something like this:

Note the mix of boarded up and empty windows (looting of intact window glass in Twilight 2000 is going to be common, nobody's making it any more). Note also the weathering on the roof especially, the yards gone to seed and the beginnings of weeds growing up from the sidewalks. This look is going to be common in Twilight: 2000 Britain and North America.

For nuked areas, the look is going to be a mix of this, as the nuclear exchange in Twilight: 2000 was a limited one for the most part. You can certainly pull ideas from such movies as "Threads", "The Day After" and "The War Game", but remember, those movies depict an exchange far worse than anything Twilight:2000 does.

But, here are some images for ideas:

Note the soot and small bits of rubble EVERYWHERE. Everything is weathered and dirty from the fallout coming down, no effort has been made to clean up (people are just trying to see the next dawn). This is going to be common on the outskirts of most places that got hit by a nuke,

This would be common closer to ground zero. Note the lack of roofs or windows, but that most of the buildings are still standing. Everything has burned, so remember to reflect that on your table and there are veritable piles of rubble that have not been cleared (though in Ruins of Warsaw, you would see systematic clearing of the rubble to re-purpose it for walls and other structures).

Putting it Together

So, now that we have seen some ideas for how the look should be, how do we reflect this on the table top, remember the themes: rubble, neglect, and time. All of these are going to play on a Twilight: 2000 table. But yet, people are going to re-purpose things to reflect the new reality, and new needs. Have your buildings have a story, and do not be afraid to doctor up any kits you get. Remember, Twilight: 2000 is a fountain for your creativity, let it loose.

So with that said, let's look at a couple of buildings I did up:

This is the first of two railroad buildings I worked up, I was living in DC at the time, so it was not hard to look around for weathering effects on buildings, especially abandoned ones. The posters and signs were homemade, taken from signs on the internet, then appropriately weathered. The boards were made of Starbucks swizzle sticks. 

One of the sides of the building that show clearly the weathering of the brick face, some white and light grey paint, mixed together and painted gingerly, then washed with some black work wonders here. As for the bit of grey paint in the lower center, that is a painting over of graffiti, it is a method that is in common practice in the US. The sign is there to warn folks this area has been evacuated due to radiation on orders of CG, 1st Army in 1998. I pictured this building being on the outskirts of Perth Amboy, or Linden, one of the NJ refinery towns that got hit in the CONUS strikes.

Here is my attempt at a tar paper roof over the plastic one that came with the kit. I cut up strips of toilet paper, then glued them paper mache style to the roof after soaking them through with a mix of white glue and water. You then let it dry overnight, paint it black with a mix of grey (I would say 70/30 black), let that dry, and then drybrush some off white or light grey on the top..the effect looks great. I got it from a guy who was doing scratchbuilt buildings for zombie games.

This building has a different story, it's in a small town in the Ozarks, and New America (a right wing fascist group making a play to take over the US that figured in several adventures) has set up shop in this building..and the locals are demonstrating their displeasure..violently. Note the shattered window, and the bullet holes. The paint is fading and weathering, I did the same method with the roof as the building above, and the trim was in a light blue, which was also then hit with a blackwash after it dried. In short, a great, gritty look.

 The weathering is more pronounced in this photo, and a New American propaganda poster and a proclamation of  some sort has been affixed to the building. In short, for just a little bit of work, the building looks just great. 

This is more of a generic ruin set I made from some cork I got at CVS, it's meant for bulletin boards, but it works great for this. Just that, some pushpins and some super glue (I used wood glue, but it turns out super glue works better). It's all you need for some awesome ruins, the other items are completely optional, but they really added to the look. Note the poster taken from the internet. I scoured the internet for Soviet propaganda posters and film posters. It's a gold mine out there if you know where to look.  

A close up of a poster I found, it was an online collection of Soviet Civil Defense posters from the 1980s. They looked great, and a little bit of smoke wash, and they will just pass nicely. the base coat is a nice grey, then just drybrush it an off white or lighter grey, then hit the whole thing with a heavy smoke wash (I like my rubble burnt out).

An overall look at the project, the wooden beams are swizzle sticks and the grates are taken from cartridge boxes, they're the plastic inserts that hold the bullets in place in the box. One thing about being a wargamer...always be on the lookout for cool ideas to beg, borrow, or steal. I have done my share of it. The cork ruin idea came from the same website I have Maxim to Minimi posted.

In short, terrain items are only as limited as your imagination..and your bits box. Dare to try some things, you'll be surprised with what you can accomplish!

One note, I will be expanding this to a part 3, I want to discuss uniforms. I will be supplementing an article by Mr. James Langham, as he has done a fine study on the subject, but I want to discuss it from a miniatures standpoint. 

Twilight 2000, The Look on the Tabletop, Part 1, Vehicles

Twilight: 2000 is in some ways, a unique post-apocalyptic experience, it isn't quite Mad Max, it isn't quite Gamma World, or for that matter, Morrow Project. It's in a way, a world all of it's own. It's a limited nuclear war after 18 months of no holds barred conventional conflict took place. It's a shattered world, where 52% of the people on the planet are gone.

Villages and small towns are either abandoned, or teeming with life, both from the surviving original residents, and the refugees seeking any port in the metaphorical storm. The great cities are either radioactive rubble, or empty, desolate shells with a few desperate souls picking over the remains of the old world.

It's a world where vehicles are rare, and getting rarer, where the sophisticated weapons of war are giving way to mortars built in garages, and men on horseback scouting for the remains of the mechanized armies, themselves tied to farms to feed their remaining soldiers and camp followers.

It's a world where warlords reign, chaos is a part of life, and yet, there is hope. Hope in that someone, somewhere, will begin the long, slow, climb back.

This is all easy enough to reflect in an RPG...but what about a tabletop miniatures game?

That takes some doing.

Detailing Your Ride

As we all know, the devil is in the details for miniatures gamers. We like putting little things in, on, and around our models to a) link the figures and other items to all the other items in the game (especially terrain and vehicles), b) because everybody likes the "ooh you did that" factor,  and c) It shows off in a neat way how much time and effort you really put into your project.

Twilight: 2000 is full of that potential for little things. Vehicles are rare, and as such, they are going to have lots of gear on them, especially after all that has occurred. Soldiers by nature, are pack rats and acquire gear, this will be doubly pronounced in Twilight: 2000 as armies are going to live off the land as much as possible. 

So, your vehicles should have that "gypsy caravan look" as much as possible. Clean vehicles should not really exist in Twilight: 2000.

 This M1 has had a base added, some camo netting made out of ACE bandages and oregeno, which was then drybrushed varying shades of green and some extra stowage added to the rear deck. The scheme of the vehicle, while older, and perhaps not quite 90s era army, works for Twilight:2000 as this vehicle might have come directly from warstocks, as CARC three-color paint was notoriously difficult to apply.

This M1 is a MARS kit, which to be honest, was of iffy quality (but they were cheap). I had to do some real work with the machine guns, but they're on now. (but there is no loader MG) Note the extra stowage, the rolled camo netting, and the cooler perched on the right side bustle rack with the prominent "For Beer" legend on it. I painted that piece blue at first, then washed it over with green, with an eye toward showing it was a rushed paint job done with not much care other than to dull it down. The rest of the tank is heavily weathered with a faded paint job, showing the vehicle probably hasn't been to a depot in years. I also added a crude formation sign to the rear of the vehicle.

A trio of vehicles, a pair of LAV-25s and a M113. All are heavily weathered. The first LAV on the left has some extra sandbags, a brass aftermarket 25mm barrel from RB (it was a modified toy) and some extra jerrycans and some bottles from a stowage kit. The middle LAV (a Trumperter kit) has more aftermarket stowage, another aftermarket 25mm, and a Confederate flag attached to a radio arial I made out of thin wire. The M113 is a modified pre-build, I added stowage, heavy weathering and removed the .50 Cal in favor of a Mark-19, which is ubiquitous in Twilight: 2000. All of these vehicles are again, heavily weathered.

Don't be afraid to raid all sorts of sources for stowage. Aftermarket companies such as Legend Productions and Black Dog Models make some really nice stuff, and some of it is even tailor made for specific kits out there, but you can go with greenstuff putty, ACE bandages, oregeno and bits from kits and model railroad implementia.  Remember, regulations and pre-war load plans have broken down for the most part, doubly so if the vehicle you plan on building is in the hands of a warlord, or marauders. Most vehicles haven't seen anything approaching depot level maintenance in years, paintjobs are going to be either very faded, or crude replacements, and all sorts of unauthorized slogans, markers, and other implementia are going to be on vehicles.

Not to mention, there will be all manner of guntrucks and technicals to be found in Twilight: 2000. For inspiration, look at news coverage of the Libyan Civil War, or Yugoslavia in the 1990s. There are plenty of useful ideas that would certainly see action in a Twilight: 2000 universe.

In short, have fun with it. The "rule of cool" is going to be in full effect here.

The Stuff of Legends and Myths

Twilight: 2000 is a game of it's era. Like most games of the 1980s involving NATO and the Warsaw Pact coming to blows, there is all sorts of speculative stuff gaining wide currency in the game universe...such as these two vehicles.

Taken from the color plates from the US Army Vehicle Guide by GDW

So, you want these guys in your game? What to do? Honestly, I have not used either for my armies, as I am not that talented to build something like this from scratch. Now, I have harassed S & S for a LAV-75, and one hopes this blog will build that impetus, but again, it's all about the demand really.

But there are other, lesser speculative matters you can do yourself pretty easily. One of my big bugbears is, what to paint your vehicles? Twilight: 2000's vehicle guides had some color schemes of unknown provenance, to be honest (at least Frank Frey didn't seem to know, and he wrote the NATO Vehicle Guide). Other things, like red stars on Soviet vehicles (which even while I was a big fan of Twilight 2000, still makes me cringe a bit), are downright fanciful, to say the least.

Much of the hand-wringing, such as it is, is more hindsight based than anything else. But you have some decisions to make, in general, you can go with either of these routes:

1. Go Historical - Soviet Green for the various Warsaw Pact armies and three-color NATO for the NATO allies. It's historical, fits the period, pretty simple to do and the colors are easy to find. Not to mention the source material is out there to be had (and if you want your Soviets to have a dash of color, you can always do the three color scheme they began to convert to in the late 1980s.)

2. Go with the Game Universe - Paint 'em like you see in the color plates. The plates are there, and it would not be too hard to match colors to the plates, and if you make a mistake, well, keep in mind what I said above, paint is in short supply, and it will fade as time goes on.

Whatever you do, remember, weather and fade your models heavily, it lends itself well to the milleu.

Also, keep in mind, not all vehicles in Twilight: 2000 are drab, weathered AFV..some are like this:

Now here is something cool for a scenario and it says a lot with a little bit of work, note the chipping and slogans..Fits right into the milleu. Weathering is top notch. (Taken from the Lead Adventure Forum)

That is it for now, we'll be talking about terrain in our next installment. So stay tuned.