HBG WW1 Set

@coachofmany:

Tank- FT-17

Yes, absolutely.  The Renault FT is a classic: the first tank in the world to have what eventually became the standard tank configuration (the driver in front, the engine at the rear, and a central fighting compartment carrying a rotating turret).  Some were still in service in the early days of WWII.

@coachofmany:

HBG is tossing the idea of making a WW1 set that will fill in the current WOTC game as well as IL’s game. We thought it would be neat to have a French set made in French OOB blue and HBG’s other Neutral colors. Many French pieces were used by many Nations so it would be a neat set. I will post them and update as suggestions are made on this first post! These pieces should fill in for both games.

Infantry - French Soldier
Cavalry-?
Artillery - Le Fabulux 75
Tank- FT-17
Fighter Spad S XIII
Bomber- ?
Transport-?
Submarine- Brumaire Class
Cruiser- Quinet Class
Battleship- Courbet Class

––As is usually the case,…Three cheers for the “Coach”, General of the the Big Green H Division.  :-D

I’ll be looking forward to what HBG develops along these lines as I’m sure many others will, too. The “Coach” is proving to be a talented capitalist, too!
Keep up the good work!

“Tall Paul”

This is awesome news!

Regarding the fighters: WWI fighters were a fierce step-by-step arms race: Air superiority shifted back and forth between sides. Research & Development was an essential aspect (in other areas as well like Anti-Submarine-Warfare, Tanks, Chemical Warfare,…).
So if proper captured there should be more than one fighter (in the long run)
Moraine-Saulnier N -> Nieuport 17 -> Spad XIII
The bomber ought to be Bleguet 14 B2!

The ship models are excellent, representative choices!
Let me add an important additional ship type: Destroyers!
Those played a decisive role in taming the “submarine menace”!
Destroyer: Bouclier class!

Last but not least, it would be outstanding if the pieces came in historical “Horizon Blue”!

I think these units should be the following:

Cavalry
Zeppelin ( Germany only)
Railgun
Bomber
Destroyer
Transport ( as opposed to Princes Cruises liner)
Stosstrupen Infantry
Fortifications ( like Verdun)

same sculpt for every player, just different color.

Some suggested units:

French Bomber:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breguet_14

French Cavalry should look like these:

http://www.hat.com/Curr3/Bx8272BC/Bx8273FC.html

Regarding infantry, why not make the opposite type to that provided in the game re: Early or Late war model, particularly in regard to steel helmets? The late models can be used for “Stormtrooper” rules, or “Veteran” units.

So, for the French, provide early war types with Kepis such as:

http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx8148FI/Bx8148FI.html

You’d need early war: British, French, US (Montana hats?), Italians
Late war: Russian, Germans, Turks, Austrians (stahlhelms)

I’ve suggested elsewhere that 3 sets would cover most units vel:

1. French, Italian, Russian (maybe Muramets bomber?)

2. British, American (Whippet tank, Sopwith Camel, Handley-Page bomber)

3. Central Powers (A7V tank, Albatross, Gotha bomber)

since each of these groups used much of the same equipment.

For example the “Central Powers” sets could be the same pieces made in the 3 appropriate colours, and maybe a light grey for Austrian green haters. Tan set for alternative Turks?
Also, a French set in paler “horizon” blue might be popular.

To supplement the UK set, Anzac, Indian and Arab irregulars; the Indian infantry could also be used for WWII.

My own suggestion for a new unit type is the Askaris (native African infantry); either in the appropriate colours for UK, F, G & I, or a generic unit (in black?) which can be recruited by any power owning African tts.

I don’t think you do decals, but that would be a nice touch.

Also:

The sea mine pieces in two colours (red & blue?)

Revolution markers

“Anarchy” marker? (for tts that have fallen out of any power’s control)

I strongly vote for different sculpts for each nation!!! [Axis&Allies LIVES and BREATHES with this!]
I very much agree with your list of basic units plus the destroyer! Keep it straight!

If France is a success then proceed with the next one:Germany of course!
And maybe add expansion packs later with a wider unit focus or even some more special units!
(recon plane, more than one fighter, heavy artillery, railway artillery, …armoured car…trench would be so cool!)

No “combined sets” please!

P.S.: It would be great if you could offer a choice for French colour: Royal or Horizon Blue.

Apart from early war infantry and cavalry, all CP units looked pretty much the same; they tended to use the same artillery, planes, helmets etc. (Don’t know about ships, but Turkey didn’t build any mechanical units anyway).

Hence, a single set in different colours for the CPs would do the job well enough.

Also like some armaments counters; a generic artillery shell design, perhaps in 4 colours to represent different shell types. For use in possible supply rules.

@coachofmany:

HBG is tossing the idea of making a WW1 set that will fill in the current WOTC game as well as IL’s game. We thought it would be neat to have a French set made in French OOB blue and HBG’s other Neutral colors. Many French pieces were used by many Nations so it would be a neat set. I will post them and update as suggestions are made on this first post! These pieces should fill in for both games.

Sold!

Love the idea!

I am extremely interested in this idea. I hope it comes along well.

I’ll buy it

@coachofmany:

What would be a good choice for a WW1 French Destroyer?

I did a little research around the web and found that the ARQUEBUSE Class Destroyers were the most numerous in the French Navy. Right around 20 ships at the outset of the war. Although they are not the most visually exciting ships.

Suggestion for Fighters:

Fighter Ace unit.

Representing advanced fighter design, and rolling @3.

There are a number of ways these can be introduced: available after a set number of turns, as a tech development, as a promotion of standard fighters which score a “kill” in air combat.

A neat way of implementing this would be to model tri-planes, this being a visual representation of the fact that these units roll @3 in combat:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopwith_Triplane

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fokker_Dr.I

The set must also have a replacement ocean liner that looks like a transport. Only thing the Lusitania is good for is a one off piece used to possibly trigger a war.

Yes, and we need plastic telegrams in 8 colours to trigger wars we want but pretend not to.

@De:

@coachofmany:

What would be a good choice for a WW1 French Destroyer?

I did a little research around the web and found that the ARQUEBUSE Class Destroyers were the most numerous in the French Navy. Right around 20 ships at the outset of the war. Although they are not the most visually exciting ships.

Correct.
They were the most numerous BUT already “old” at the start of the war.
So the French used their modern destroyers of the Bouclier class (except 3) with their main fleet in the Mediterranean.
3 of them were used in Atlantic/Channel as leaders of the respective destroyer flotillas there.
Tbh the 12 Bouclier class destroyers would make piecemeal of the 20 Arquebuse destroyers (speed, armament)

As a French player I would definately prefer the Bouclier class (looks better, too)

P.S.: 100% historically correct would be an Arquebuse class destroyer in the Channel and a Bouclier class destroyer in the Mediterranean in a 1914 start setup!  :wink:

@xxstefanx:

@De:

@coachofmany:

What would be a good choice for a WW1 French Destroyer?

I did a little research around the web and found that the ARQUEBUSE Class Destroyers were the most numerous in the French Navy. Right around 20 ships at the outset of the war. Although they are not the most visually exciting ships.

Correct.
They were the most numerous BUT already “old” at the start of the war.
So the French used their modern destroyers of the Bouclier class (except 3) with their main fleet in the Mediterranean.
3 of them were used in Atlantic/Channel as leaders of the respective destroyer flotillas there.
Tbh the 12 Bouclier class destroyers would make piecemeal of the 20 Arquebuse destroyers (speed, armament)

As a French player I would definately prefer the Bouclier class (looks better, too)

P.S.: 100% historically correct would be an Arquebuse class destroyer in the Channel and a Bouclier class destroyer in the Mediterranean in a 1914 start setup!  :wink:

Yes of course. All valid points. We want somthing more visually appealing anyway. Bouclier sounds like it fits the boot.

Why doesn’t somebody post pictures of all these proposed units?

Hello Coach!

Please make the set:
1. OOB Blue for the A&A Nerds
2. Horizon Blue for the History Nerds
(3. whatever colours for neutrals)

Thx in advance!

How do you propose that “neutral” units work?

For example if Dutch and Belgian infantry were made in white and ended up on opposing sides, wouldn’t people get confused about which was which?