I’ve been busy today so haven’t had time to run the Fighting Iron game as planned, but should be able to give it a go tomorrow once the garage spring cleaning and bicycle maintenance is out of the way. To make up for this, I’ve been working on the forces for the new SCW rules, For Whom The Dice Rolls, which arrived in the post yesterday. I have to say that I am enthused by the rules, which are very well written and have an AK47 feel about them, not so much in the mechanics or focus but very much in the level of game represented. They also seem to make a lot of sense and I haven’t had the usual mind bending or head scratching exercise that I tend to experience when reading a set of rules for the first time. 

Anyway, I’ve picked out a good place to start, with a later war Republican Mixed Brigade, for which I already have at least half of the figures and models required. The core of this consists of four infantry battalions, each of which has six three figure stands, two HMG stands and a command stand. Up to two of these can be militia, so I’m going to have one battalion of CNT / FAI militia figures to add a bit of colour to the brigade with the other three battalions being regulars. The rest of the brigade includes an artillery grupo, which for the moment I am going to limit to a single light battery of two field guns and an observer, as suggested in the rules. This is so that I can include an attached company of three T-26 tanks without overcooking it and have some air support, which will be in 1/144th for scale effect.

I already have an anti tank battery of one 37mm anti-tank gun so this means that all I need to complete the full Mixed Brigade is an armoured car or two stand cavalry reconnaissance squadron, the aforementioned militia battalion and a heavy mortar battery of two mortars or a single infantry gun. These I can add once I’ve painted and based the rest of the force, which I’m thinking won’t be a massive task given the relatively simple uniforms and limited range of colours required. I’ve also found an excellent painting guide on the Minairons site which references Vallejo paint shades and should take all of the guesswork out of the process.  

It’s all slated for some point in the middle of next month, once the Cruel Seas Kriegsmarine coastal forces have been painted, and I’m really looking forward to it!