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"Formula" for creating DIY counters?
04-12-2018, 02:33 PM,
#1
"Formula" for creating DIY counters?
Sorry, I just joined up here and I feel I am asking a lot of newbie questions. Blush 

I was wondering if there was a formula (for lack of a better word) for assigning values to units.
One of my "pet" wars is the Chaco conflict (Paraguay vs Bolivia '32-'35, about 100,000+ casualties), and I thought it would be interesting to try my hand at making some counters for it.
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04-13-2018, 01:22 AM,
#2
RE: "Formula" for creating DIY counters?
I think the Chaco War is a good test bed for gaming too. A quality versus quantity war, but unlike Peru-Ecuador war, quality is on the strategic defense.

I don't think there is a formula per se. DF values seem to mostly be a feel for the squad/section values. Fire discipline, automatic weapon numbers and such, and the the overall size of the platoon. Reduced values are ½ full strength, rounded up. The exceptions are platoons with high numbers of personal automatic weapons (Grenadiers & such) which get an additional -1 to the reduced value. Heavy weapons platoons used to be an exception in that they were ½ full strength, rounded down. (I thought it was good idea in that it created a distinction to go with the difference.) Generally I would suggest going through the unit library and finding the infantry from comparably equipped armies, and work from there.

For the counters them selves, I use Inkscape. I like the better quality and scalability of vector graphics, but an too cheap to pay for Adobe's drawing tools. I have also found GIMP to be very handy, though scaling can be more difficult. If you really want to get into this, I have almost all the soldier images used in the game. You would need to change uniform and helmet/hat colors. Guns are similar to soldiers in their standardization, but less diverse. Of course, all appropriate APP-6 symbols. Vehicles are mostly individualized images.

I start with a template that looks something like this:
   
If you really want to get into this, I have lots of stuff to get you started.
... More and more, people around the world are coming to realize that the world is flat! Winking
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04-13-2018, 04:00 AM,
#3
RE: "Formula" for creating DIY counters?
(04-13-2018, 01:22 AM)plloyd1010 Wrote: I think the Chaco War is a good test bed for gaming too. A quality versus quantity war, but unlike Peru-Ecuador war, quality is on the strategic defense.

I don't think there is a formula per se. DF values seem to mostly be a feel for the squad/section values. Fire discipline, automatic weapon numbers and such, and the the overall size of the platoon. Reduced values are ½ full strength, rounded up. The exceptions are platoons with high numbers of personal automatic weapons (Grenadiers & such) which get an additional -1 to the reduced value. Heavy weapons platoons used to be an exception in that they were ½ full strength, rounded down. (I thought it was good idea in that it created a distinction to go with the difference.) Generally I would suggest going through the unit library and finding the infantry from comparably equipped armies, and work from there.

For the counters them selves, I use Inkscape. I like the better quality and scalability of vector graphics, but an too cheap to pay for Adobe's drawing tools. I have also found GIMP to be very handy, though scaling can be more difficult. If you really want to get into this, I have almost all the soldier images used in the game. You would need to change uniform and helmet/hat colors. Guns are similar to soldiers in their standardization, but less diverse. Of course, all appropriate APP-6 symbols. Vehicles are mostly individualized images.

I start with a template that looks something like this:

If you really want to get into this, I have lots of stuff to get you started.

I recently downloaded Inkscape, but haven't had too much time to dig into it yet. I used to have a copy of Adobe, but felt like I was maybe using 15% of what it was capable of... Undecided
I would be interested in any assistance you could offer.
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04-13-2018, 06:53 AM,
#4
RE: "Formula" for creating DIY counters?
Get the stuff in this folder.
See what you can make of it. Ask questions.
... More and more, people around the world are coming to realize that the world is flat! Winking
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04-13-2018, 08:05 AM,
#5
RE: "Formula" for creating DIY counters?
(04-12-2018, 02:33 PM)canology Wrote: Sorry, I just joined up here and I feel I am asking a lot of newbie questions. Blush

That's why we're all here! Never hesitate to ask!
...came for the cardboard, stayed for the camaraderie...
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04-13-2018, 12:26 PM,
#6
RE: "Formula" for creating DIY counters?
Peter is very good with this stuff. If I ever owned a game company I would hire him!
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04-14-2018, 12:01 AM,
#7
RE: "Formula" for creating DIY counters?
Thanks for the plug Jay!

(I'll get the check in the mail this afternoon. Wink )
... More and more, people around the world are coming to realize that the world is flat! Winking
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04-21-2018, 02:33 AM,
#8
RE: "Formula" for creating DIY counters?
(04-13-2018, 06:53 AM)plloyd1010 Wrote: Get the stuff in this folder.
See what you can make of it. Ask questions.

Has anything come of this?
... More and more, people around the world are coming to realize that the world is flat! Winking
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04-21-2018, 05:10 AM, (This post was last modified: 04-21-2018, 05:14 AM by canology. Edit Reason: Idiotically didn't see the link... )
#9
RE: "Formula" for creating DIY counters?
(04-21-2018, 02:33 AM)plloyd1010 Wrote:
(04-13-2018, 06:53 AM)plloyd1010 Wrote: Get the stuff in this folder.
See what you can make of it. Ask questions.

Has anything come of this?

Still poking around, looking at stuff and formulatin' what I want to do. Sadly, real-life has been interfering with gaming plans...

I'm also trying to practice with Inkscape, so I have a feel for how to do stuff.

OMG! I just realized that "this folder" was a link... it didn't show as different from the rest of the text. I thought you simply meant the DIY folder. I'll be checking all the goodies out that you linked to!
Thanks!
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04-22-2018, 08:18 AM,
#10
RE: "Formula" for creating DIY counters?
For Shad:

Is there a way to have the links automatically come up in different color from the surrounding text?  I try to make it blue when I add a link, but it would be nice if they came up blue (or some other color) without requiring the poster to change it manually.
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