Thursday, 25 July 2024

Red Propaganda Posters

Next up are some Bolshevik posters.  I'm planning to try printing off some of these to add to terrain and my trains.

1919 'The golden idol of the world, the capital'

1920 propaganda poster- 'In order to have more, it is necessary to produce more. In order to produce more, it is necessary to know more'.

Absence from Work vs. Hero of Labor, Russia, 1920

'Are you helping to eliminate illiteracy' 1920

'Be on guard!', Dmitry Moor, Russia, 1920

Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge (1920)

'Beware of Mensheviks and Social Revolutionaries, they are followed by Tsarist generals, priests and landowners' Soviet Russia, 1920

Bolshevik portrait of Leon Trotsky as Saint George slaying the dragon of capitalism, 1918

Bolshevik poster- 'Priests are helping capital and interfering with the worker. Get out of the way!' 1920.

Bolshevik poster, 1919 - The party of the rich is over

Bolshevik propaganda showing all the revolutions across Europe, 1919-20

Comrade Lenin cleans the earth from scum - Soviet Russia, 1920

Comrade, your factory is your pride!, 1919

Cossack, who do you stand with Us or them? 1918-1920

Death to World Imperialism! (1919)

Every hammer blow is a blow to the enemy, Russia, 1920

Finnish Civil war Poster (pro-Reds) 1918

In 1919 - Bolshevik Propaganda. Tsar, Pope & the Rich on the Worker's Shoulders

'Kappel's soldier, who are you protecting. Take off the blindfold and look around', Soviet Anti-White Poster, 1918-1920

'Knowledge will break the chains of slavery', Russia (1920)

Kochergin N.M.- May 1, 1920. Through the Wreckage of Capitalism to the World Brotherhood of Working People'

Life or Death under the Heel of Capital, circa 1919 by Viktor Deni

Literacy is the path to communism 1920

'May 1st, All Russian Subbotnik' (1920) - poster promoting the first Communist Saturday to be held

Parasites and idlers, 1920, Moscow

Political poster by Victor Deni, 'Capitalism' (caricature) 1919 Russia Private collection

Proletarians of all lands, unite!!! - RSFSR 1919

Soon the whole world will be ours - RSFSR, 1919

'The Bolshevik' (1920) by Boris Kustodiev, a painting from the Russian Civil War

'The October Revolution is a bridge to a brighter future!' Soviet Russian poster, 1920.

'The Red Army is the Defense of the Proletarian Revolution', Russia, 1919

To the lighthouse of the Communist International (1919)

Workers, grab a gun! - Russia, ca. 1919

Wrangel is coming To Arms, Proletarians, 1920 Russian Civil War Propaganda

More to follow, the Russo Polish War ...

Wednesday, 24 July 2024

White Propaganda Posters

These are some propaganda posters I have collected for the Russian Civil War period.  I'll start with the Russian Whites.

1919 White Army poster depicting Leon Trotsky as the Devil

'Federal Soviet Monarchy', White Army Anti-Soviet Poster, 1919-1920

For United Russia Anti-Bolshevik poster, 1919

'Here he is! The culprit of tortures and death, the Killer of women and children!', White Army Poster about Trotsky, 1918-1920

My son! Go and save your Motherland!, White Army Poster, 1919

Retribution, White Army Poster, 1918-1920

'The bolshevik monster, the death-horse found its own death in Vistula' Poland, poster after the 1920 victory.

'This is how Bolshevik punishment platoon of Latvians and Chinese forcibly took away grain, ravaged villages and shot peasants', White Army Poster about Latvians and Chinese in Red Army, 1918-1920

'This is how the Soviets solved the labor issue', White Army Poster, 1918-1920

Victim of The International' White Russian poster showing Russia being sacrificed on the altar of Karl Marx, circa 1919

Why aren't you in the army - (Russian civil war poster 1919)

Mountain dwellers and Muslims, enlist -anti-Bolshevik recruitment poster -Russia 1920

More to follow...

Monday, 6 May 2024

Knave 2e and RPG You Tubers

A while ago I backed the Kickstarter for Questing Beast Ben Milton's update to his simplified OSR RPG, Knave, but I've only just got around to reading the PDF through.  It is rather good.

Knave 2e is certainly not a simple product, a very great amount of thought seems to have gone into every page.  Both design and content.  It does however cut away a great deal of the chaff to leave an elegant set of rules and concepts that should give a really enjoyable game with a focus on old school exploration.

To brush up on the my DM tips, and campaign design knowledge, I've also been watching some of the many YouTube D&D channels, especially those related to Sandbox Campaign design and DMing advice.

Here is what I have found so far:

Questing Beast - all the latest from the OSR scene, plus Ben's excellent analysis on game design. Including these on Dungeon Crawling Rules, Nine Dungeon Design Secrets, Building Living Dungeons, and how to Stop Hiding Traps.

Matt Colville - the daddy of YouTube DMing advice, there is something for everyone here.  Matt's take on West Marches and Sandboxing brought the concept to a new audience.  This one on Dead Empires, the time abyss, and an endless decline is interesting too.

The Alexandrian - an extension of Justin Alexander's excellent blog advice

Master the Dungeon - Lots on traps and game design.  The videos on using Metroid and Legend of Zelda for dungeon design were interesting, as well as this one on using resources as keys.

Bob World Builder - Bob's infectiously cheerful approach to world building

Dungeon Masterpiece -  another lighthearted and entertaining, but often thought provoking, look at RPG DMing and Campaign building.  Here is the Baron's take on the Super Metroid approach and Random Encounter Tables.

Dungeon Craft - Professor DM has lots of great advice, I especially loved his B4 - The Lost City play through video.

Loki's Lair - has lots of game advice including a great video on using a hex flower for weather.

Map Crow - great stuff on designing and drawing maps

Trekiros - a new channel with an interesting video on Random Encounters.

Yinka - discusses world building concepts, including mistakes

Ginny Di - a more new school D&D channel but with lots of good ideas, high production values and a fun presentation style.

Dicebreaker - a more general gaming channel than the others but their OSR and OSE episodes were good explainers for the un-initiated new school players.

 On Tools, there is this video from LoreTeller and a link to their resource web page.

Hexcrawls, Hex Maps, & Sandboxes Hexed Press PlayList on YouTube 

How to Hexcrawl GFC D&D goes through the process they use.

Another quite new but entertaining channel is Quinns Quest the Mothership review is great.

How I ran my West Marches - quite new school but interesting

DiekuGames - Lots of videos on a wide range of RPG stuff

Bandit's keep - rambling old school D&D wisdom

Sunday, 31 March 2024

Congo Merc Vehicles Update

I've managed to get some paint on a few of my Congo Crisis mercenary column vehicles.  The variety is helping create the 'Ommegang' eclectic look.

This first one is a Willy's jeep painted as part of 5 Commando and armed with a .50 cal browning MG.

Next up is another .50 cal armed jeep, this time for one of the French/Belgian units, probably part of 6 Commando.

For a bit of armour the Mercenaries have one of the former Malayan Ferret armoured cars.

Last up, so far is the Swedish SKPF with twin browning .30 cal MGs.  I've added some gear to the back of the truck.  Most are nondescript green boxes, probably ammo.  However, I also added a quiver of spears.  This is a reference to a candid admission by Mike Hoare in Congo Mercenary, that some of his troops carried bundles of spears to posthumously issue to unarmed 'rebels'.

I still have some die-cast trucks to re-paint and a 3d printed M8 Greyhound on order, for some heavier armour.  So, hopefully more updates before long.