I'm of the opinion that anything which floats can be made into a good game. For that reason, if you put on a game that has ships of some sort then chances are I'm going to enjoy it. Due to this, I've played with everything from sailing ships to World War II battleships. I haven't played any ancient naval (but want to try it), and I've even played Greenpeace protesters in a "Save the Whale" game. So, I don't mind trying out an oddball game. Keep that in mind as you read this.
One of the regular members of our gaming group likes to ram things when we play naval games. He's at his happiest when he can bang into other ships on the table. Preferably, the rammed ships are his opponents but I'm not sure that's completely necessary. This has actually become a bit of a running joke among the group. Unfortunately for him, ramming things with a sailing ship is really bad for the ship where rigging and the bowsprit are concerned. Because of this, I've been on the lookout for rules other than ancients where ramming is actually a viable tactic, and that wouldn't require a lot of ships. After all, this is a side project and not anything major. Well, I finally found something that I think will fit the bill:
I know what you're probably thinking: "Cod Wars? Huh?" These were a series of disputes between the UK and Iceland over fishing rights in Icelandic waters. They weren't really a war in the sense that wargamers think of one: there was only one fatality and the naval forces of the two nations never actually shot at each other. The actions of this set of "wars" consisted of the Icelandic Coast Guard cutting the lines of trawlers in Iceland's territorial waters, and vessels from both sides ramming each other. Not necessarily ramming to sink another vessel, but more like the traditional 'bumper boats' that the US and USSR played with each other during the Cold War. Well then, sounds perfect for my needs.
After buying the rules, I was pleasantly surprised (and somewhat relieved) to find that all the miniatures you would need to play a game were available on Shapeways. I bought what I would need to run the game, and was again pleasantly surprised when they arrived.
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| L to R: ICGV Baldur, ICGV Tyr, 3 side trawlers, British tug Lloydsman |
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| L to R: ICGV Odnin, ICGV Aegir, 3 stern trawlers |
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| L to R: Star Polaris, Star Aquarius, HMS Exmouth, ICGV Ver |
I will also try and get some extreme closeups before I start painting any of the models. The fact that the ships are printed in a translucent plastic doesn't help much in seeing the details from a photograph. To give you an idea of the detailing, the two ships at the top of the photograph (Star Polaris and Star Aquarius) are actually different from each other. One has slightly larger funnels than the other, AND it also has an extra crane and rubber boat on board.
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| You don't even need to label their bases. |
Wow! Didn't see that one coming! I remember the cod war, the RN frigates just weren't designed for the rough and tumble clashes, they were weapons platforms. The weather out there is pretty brutal too,I spent a winter working out there and we were trying to get a ship from Rekjavik moved around the coast and had to wait for ages because it was too rough to sail. The 3d printing looks great,I'm interested to see how it goes!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Iain,
DeleteWell, they are a set of David Manley rules, and I think it's hard to go wrong with them. I'm also putting together the ships needed to play his "Save the Whale" rules at a later date, but haven't told them anything yet. I don't necessarily know how often we'll play either of them, but it's always good to have a variety of games available, I think.
I was only 10-11 years old when the last Cod War broke out in 1975-76, so I can't really say that I remember them as such. Then again, I don't know how much coverage they received over here in the US. As with so many other things here, we probably were not paying much attention at the time.
Since you've worked in Iceland, you have some first hand experience of how bad the weather can be! I've been looking at some videos from the period to get some painting hints for the ships. All I keep thinking when seeing those videos is just how blasted rough the sea looks in every clip.
Those clear plastic ships look a little strange to me, but I’m sure they will paint up nicely. Least they have less rigging right? 😀
ReplyDeleteI’m unfamiliar with the Cod wars, but having a good friend that likes to ram ships is a good enough reason as any to start a new genre.
Yeah, the clear plastic is a bit offputting at first, but apparently it is one of the better quality plastics that Shapeways uses. They apparently have some sort of wax or something left on them from the printing process, and you should wash them with Simple Green and then a dish-washing detergent to remove it. This is sort of a new experience for me, so we will see how it goes. One thing I CAN confirm is that these ships will have NO rigging on them at all. 😂
DeleteI am very curious to see how these paint up. I have looked at many products on Shapeways but some of them are just too rough for me to contemplate. The ships from WTJ have a very similar, translucent appearance...
ReplyDeleteI've had the same problem with some other items that I bought from Shapeways. I haven't bought anything from WTJ, but have looked at them online and agree with you about their appearance.
DeleteWow Brian! Cod you find anything more obscure?🙄
ReplyDeleteI will echo the others in saying I look forward to seeing how the ships paint up. Hard to see the detail on the clear plastic.
Vol
Well gee Vol, if you don't want to read the blog anymore, I guess all I can say is, "Go with Cod." 😂 JOKING, JOKING!
DeleteSeriously though, I'm hoping to get a quick post up before the chaos of the holidays take over. I've got two side trawlers finished; the bases aren't complete but the ships are painted. I should have something up in a day or two. They really look pretty good.