The Bots are Coming!

Like other wargaming blogs this blog also suddenly experienced a 'tsunami' of 'mysterious visitors' this September. All this sudden hits are presumably not 'real visitors' or human readers, but more likely 'Web Crawlers', 'Search Spiders' or 'AI Chatbots'. What they exactly was, what their mission was, where they actually came from and why, I don't know for sure. Let's assume it was 'AI chatbots' they were probably searching wargaming blogs to pick up more knowledge of the subject and learn more about wargaming? -And to perhaps also to learn to wargame?? 

This made me think if this 'phenomenon' could be transferred to a wargame, or to a scenario for a wargame? -The Bots are Coming! 

Preparing the game

To be able to transfer this to a skirmish wargame I needed to materialize some 'intelligent' bots into some kind of 'battle-machines'. The answer gave it self, and I searched Thingeverse for some free files that could be resized and 3D-printed to 54mm. It's skinny, but due to the period for my scenario it's probably an early model (T600 or pre T600):

Then they were given a very simple and basic paint job, and a couple of coats of 'blackwash':

The Rules

The Terminators cant't time-travle with weapons, so for this game they are unarmed and they'll only fight hand-to-hand. I think the free FUBAR wargame rules can be amended for a battle between a superior force in close combat VS. a larger seasoned force with ranged combat capacities. 

The Scenario

After several unsuccessfully attempts to assassinate Sarah Connor and preventing her to give birth to the future resistance leader John Connor, the AI defense network Skynet simultaneously tries to assassinate Sarah Connor's father before she's even born, and so to prevent the future birth of her and her son.

Before Sarah Connor was born in 1965, her father was a soldier and fought in an unnamed war. Skynet is therefore sending Terminators back in time to search different conflicts and battlefields in the early 60ies where they have recorded plausible 'Connors'.

In Eastern Congo, 1961 Sergeant Connor is leading a reinforced UN squad which has been ordered to hold a key junction near the village of Kalemie to keep Katangese rebels from moving supplies. The peacekeepers expect rebels — but instead, three T-600s step out of the jungle and advance relentlessly toward the crossing. -What are they, where do they come from and why are they here???

Forces:

• Terminators:
• 3 early and unarmed models of T-600 Terminators which activites independently.
• A Terminator automatically incapacitate a single human opponent per action in close combat.
• Terminators are fast, so I'll let them move 12" instead of 6".
• Terminators ignore moral checks and pinning.
• I will let the Terminators fight as 'Elite' and 'Heavy Tank'. They can be harmed by HMGs (.50 cal.) and RPGs. On early Terminators only their front was heavy armored, so these will have to roll for a save (2+) from small arms if hit from behind.
• Hit effects:
• 1-2: -2 to next activation only
• 3-4: Can only move half speed rest of the game
• 5: immobilized for rest of the game
• 6: Terminator destroyed

• UN :

All UN forces will fight as 'Seasoned' in this game. Their M1 rifles are semi automatic so I'll let them have 2FP on ranges less than 12".

• A squad of 8 soldiers armed with 1 SMG, 6 M1 rifles and 1 LMG are manning the UN-Check Point.
• A Bazooka unit with 3 soldiers armed with 1 bazooka (with armor piercing rockets), 1 SMG and  M1 rifle provides back up support.
• A Jeep with a crew of 3 armed with a .50 cal. HMG provides supporting cover for the Check Point. Luckily they trying out the new Multi Purpose ammunition from Norway.

Mission:

• Terminators: To eliminate the UN unit in search for 'Connor'.
• UN: To pacify the Terminators.

The Game

Time:    55 minutes 

Turns:   9

Result:  This point is a 'spoiler alert', isn't it? It's a win for the Sgt. Connor and his men, but I'm not sure it's a victory for humanity having a battlefield with future artificial killer technology scattered around. One of the 'bots' are even still on.

There are not Katangan Rebels who exits the Jungle and approaches the UN-Check Point outside Kalemie...

The Traffic Sentry shouts them to stop as they're approaching the Check Point. He has not seen 'things' like these before:

The Terminators are ignoring him and keep advancing. Following the Rules of Engagement he warns them that he will open fire if they don't stop:

The Terminators keeps advancing, and the Traffic Sentry gives them a final warning and shoots a warning shoot:

The warning shoot did not scare the terminators off or made them come to a halt. The Sentry aims carefully and fires against the closest Terminator. He can see that he hit, but with no effect at all:

The closest Terminator rushes towards the Traffic Sentry and lethally strike him. The 2 other Terminators changes course and advance towards the Cover Sentry and Search Team. Both the Cover Sentry and the Search Team open fires upon the advancing machines, and score several hits on them with no effect. Not even from their high rate fire LMG:

Sgt. Connor orders his men to retreat:

The UN Jeep covering the Check Point opens fire with it's 0.50 cal HMG, and hits the Terminator which killed the Traffic Sentry:

The UN HMG hits the Terminator with so many successfully shots, that the Terminator stumble backwards, looses balance and fall upon the Czech Hedgehog behind him. The Czech Hedgehog impales the Terminator, and the Terminator becomes immobilized for the rest of the game:

Sgt. Connor's squad are retreating, but the LMG Team falls behind. The UN-Jeep rushes forward and opens fire on the pursuing Terminators: 

Even if the Terminators are hit by several shots of the HMG it doesn't stop them, only slowing them down:

Soon the 2 Terminators catch up with the slow LMG team of Sgt. Connor's squad, and immediately takes out 2 of them:

Even if the UN HMG scores several hits on the Terminators, it doesn't stop them from taking out the last member of the LMG team:

While the Terminators starts advancing towards the Jeep and the threat it's HMG represents, they don't notice the Bazooka team sneaking up from behind:

When ready the Bazooka team aims carefully and fires an armor piercing rocket and hit one of the Terminators from behind, where it's weakest point is:

It was a lethal hit:

The last Terminator turned around and took aim to ram the Bazooka team...

...which made a daring move; They knew that they didn't have time to reload so they started to run towards the Terminator at the same time the Terminator approached them and beat the Bazooka gunner to death. The team leader and loader made to run past him. They immediately turned around and shot the Terminator in the back:

Another success by the 2 remaining members of the Bazooka team! The Terminator was finally Terminated:

Sgt. Connor didn't know he was the target for this mechanical 'kill team', and the androids did not know if they've targeted the right 'Connor'. 

Sgt. Connor gathered his men around the last Terminator impaled at the Czech Hedgehog struggling to get free, but...

... no official reports were given what happened next...

Conclusion

Ironically I used the AI bot ChatGPT to partially create this scenario and figure out a rifle-squad chance vs. a T-600 Terminator. 

I have a soft spot for the free FUBAR wargaming rules, and used the expertise in the FUBAR FB-group to check my suggested stats for the Terminators.

I really do recommend the FUBAR wargaming rules, and signing up to their FB-group. If you haven't tried these rules out, yet, I really recommend you to do.

Blog PostScript

My youngest son is autistic and is not interested in tabletop wargaming. He's very interesting in gaming characters though. While preparing for this game he came with some of his lates acquisitions and played following his own rules. -which I off course let him. In his game the robot (Metal Sonic) was the winner and the Terminators seemed chanceless.

Hobby Model Expo 2025 in Milan: the Rail, Naval and Air model event

Just a couple of days after our MRC participated in the Sarpsborg Culture Festival,  some of the members went on tour again. Each year members of our Model Railway Club visit a Model Railway Exhibition somewhere in Europe. We try to go to different ones, but sometimes we visits the same shows with some years between. The planning of our 'the next' excursion usually starts immediately after the previous one, and we try to find new shows we haven't visited before. This year we certainly found 'something new' as we decided to go to Milan, Italy, to visit the Model Hobby Show there; Hobby Model Expo 2025, which is announced as Model -Rail, -Naval and -Air show.

This was the hall of the traders covering all aspects of modelling, not only model railways. I was surprised by the number of stands trading in all different diicast cars in several scales:

This hall was dedicated to model railway layouts in a lot of different scales and sizes. There were many really large modular layouts:

And there were 2 smaller halls to cover all sorts of military modelling in all scales, dioramas, wargaming and radio controlled models. Here are some impressions. Naval modelling first, as I have an interest of that these days:

A 1/200 scale of USS Missouri, at September 2nd 1945 at the 'Japanese surrender':

This midget submarine was not only built to a high standard, but was also built to be radio controlled:

Not all the naval models was of the too serious kind or built by a prototype:

Some 'action dioramas':

This diorama was based on a real incident

There were several really 'large scale' figures, but this was one of my favorite favourites:

1:6 scale figures and RC vehicles:

There were also 1:12 scale radio controlled tanks fighting by shooting IR at each other. A kind of wargaming?

Some of the figure collections:

I'm quite not sure which 'Army' this is. Perhaps it is 'The Army of Love'?

There were several stalls selling miniatures for fantasy wargaming:

-And more traditional plastic toy soldiers:

54mm

1:72

...and kits:

In the diorama section there were also a lot of different dioramas, but I found one of the exhibitors making 'What-if' dioramas very interesting:

From the movie 'Fatherland'

What-if Operation Sealion actually had happened 

Imperial Japanese Infantry at the 'American front'

The greatest 'What-if ' diorama of all. For most.

This small H0 model railway layout by Märklin was one of my favorites. I really like small layouts and this one shows what can be achieved in a small space with out looking 'overloaded':

A couple of reminders that's less than 3 months to Christmas:

This Italian 3D-printed Station kit in N-cale (1:160), we actually passed when we were visiting Florence described closer in the latter parts of this blogpost. Even the train was coincidentally the same:

Tram/streetcar layouts in H0 (1:87):

As already mentioned, I'm a big fan of small and simple layouts. These 2 N-scale layouts really captured the 'essence of Italy':

A simple H0e (1:87 on 9mm gauge) layout:

This Italian N-scale layout was built to a very high standard and really impressed me. The operators were really friendly too:

This is the interior of the Church on the very same N-scale layout. Notice the candles (!)

These images are from a modular G-scale layout:

"Lego" trains built after Italian prototypes:

The prototype of this diorama is in the photo behind it:

Some more G-scale images from another modular layout. I have this railbus in H0e scale:

A very successful kitbashing of 2 Stainz', which is LGBs most common and iconic model, into a Fairlie locomotive:

Some more Italian layouts:

Airfix 1:72 scale Italians used as an Italian memorial in 1:87 scale

This incredible Go-Cart track was made to N-scale (1:160), and the Carts were really tiny:

A German 0 gauge layout:

This Frontier Fort was made to H0 (1:87) scale, but there was no trains on 'the layout'. It was very well detailed considered the scale:

There were also areas for RC constructors...

...and a basin for RC sailors:

In the nearby park there was also a miniature railway in 2 different gauges: 

This exhibition was surprisingly large, and an Army marches on it's stomach:

So, did I buy anything at this exhibition?
Well, I found these Strelets sets I've been looking for for a while, but hasn't ordered online due to high shipping rates to Norway. These were only about € 11.50. I do not plan to use them for wargaming, but how I'll use them will perhaps be a future blogpost:

I also bought a couple of really cheap G-scale Gondolas for only € 30, which are cheaper than a single similar H0 model in Norway. What I'll use them for will be posted in a future blogpost:

The diecast bi-plane is 1:100 scale, and will look good next to a 1:87 scale figure, as 1:72 scale planes looks way too big in this scale. The motorcycles was a bonus:

HZERO Miniature Train Museum 

As we already were in Milan, we were only some 2 hours away from Florence by train. So we decided to go to Florence as well to visit the one of Europe's largest Model Railways; HZERO Miniature Train Museum. The layout is located in an old movie theatre and the entrance is indistinctive. The layout itself is not built as a plain Italian layout but to a German/Swiss/Austrian/Italian-ish mix. -But to a high standard though.

An overall look from the view of the 'balcony':

Here follow some impressions of the layout:

I really like small cameos on the layouts. It looks like it is a 'dads job' to steer the car. I wonder if he was responsible to fill fuel as well?

It looks like this rider is not going to have a 'good day':

Even i this was a very large layout, it was not much military presence on it. I fond these... 

...on their way to an American War Cemetery: 

Here are some short videos from the layout:

The museum shop was located in the old foyer:

-But didn't actually have much trains to offer. And none with HZERO logo:

But their café was a really nice one:

I hope you followed this blogpost until the end. Thanks for reading!