One
of the most complicated aspects of Dirtside is vehicle design, an
involved
and laborious process that is daunting even to the experienced. I
was
fortunate enough to be given a vehicle design spreadsheet (based on
Microsoft
Excel) by someone on the GZG Listserv, which I have adapted and updated
to
my own tastes. It's presented here for your use and enjoyment:
Now,
this isn't a perfect spreadsheet; if you find issues with it,
please
email me and I'll see if I can do something about it.
Navigation:
GEV Armored Company Team
These miniatures are from Fortress Figures. They are inexpensive resin figs that I ordered from the company directly -- 50 minis for $30!
Other vehicles:
H-22a Artilleriekampfwagen
H-66e Pioneer Kampfwagen
H-22c Panzerbefehlswagen
Organization:
GEV Company Organization Table
The GEV Armored Company Team consists of three heavy armor platoons, three combined-arms platoons, a mortars section, and an engineer section. Each combined-arms platoon consists of two H-66 Leichtjagdpanzers and four H-22 PzGren KpfWgn armored personnel carriers. The APCs carry three powered-armor infantry squads and one GMS/L anti-armor team. The heavy armor (Schwerpanzer) platoons each consist of three H-17Bär heavy tanks.
Supporting the maneuver platoons are the Mortars Section (three H-22a mortar carriers), an armored engineer section (three H-66p Pioneer Kampfwagen combat engineer vehicles, each of which carry an engineering package and an automated minelaying system), and the Jagdpanzer (Anti-Tank) Platoon. The Jagdpanzer Platoon consists of four sections, each with two H-66 Leichtjagdpanzer light tanks, and fills both anti-tank and reconnaissance roles.
Coordinating and directing the company team is the Headquarters Section, which is a single H-22C Panzerbefehlswagen command vehicle carrying a C3 package and an H-66 Leichtjagdpanzer to provide security for it. The H-66 usually belongs to the company commander.
Mechanized Combined Arms Team
I was able to pick up a load of GW's old plastic Epic 40K vehicles on eBay; I think I paid $30 for 20 Land Raiders and 30 Rhinos. At least there's some good side to GW's incompetent pricing and mini-obsolesence schemes!
M-6 Raider MBT
M-40k Rhino APC
M-507 Thales Tactical Operations Center
M-991 Cerberus Counter-Battery Radar Vehicle
Other vehicles:
M-168 Sapper Combat
Engineer Vehicle
M-67 Fire Support Team Mortar Carrier
M-51 Volcano Rocket Artillery Vehicle
M-808 Armored Recovery Vehicle
Organization:
Mechanized Combined-Arms Team Organization Table
The mechanized combined-arms team operates in a more traditional fashion, with tank platoons and mechanized infantry platoons supporting each other while still retaining their distinct functional identities. The infantry platoons consist of four M-40k Rhino APCs, each carrying an infantry squad or weapons team, while the tank platoons boast four M-6 Raider MBTs in a classic "wingman" arrangement. One odd arrangement: the infantry and armor contingents each have a functional commander, while the Team Commander coordinates the battle from a Raider MBT or the TOC.
Supporting the maneuver platoons are a mechanized engineer platoon, a RAM mortar platoon (directed by a Cerberus counter-battery radar vehicle), and a M-507 Thales TOC vehicle. Quite often, a pair of armored recovery vehicles will be attached to the team to provide rapid recovery of damaged vehicles. The M-168 combat engineer vehicle also carries a dismount sapper squad, which can tackle a variety of combat engineering tasks on foot.
Anti-Grav Cavalry Troop
These are the Renegade Legion line of minis, now available from C-in-C. I bought them in the über-cheap FASA plastic cohorts box (I got two of those, one of the RL cohorts and one of the TOG cohorts).
Mk. 3 Minotaur Light Armored Fighting Vehicle
Mk. 4 Scylla Light Infantry Fighting Vehicle
Mk. 61 Osiris Main Battle Tank
Mk. 12 Khopesh Heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicle
Organization:
Anti-Grav Cavalry Troop Organization Table
The anti-grav cavalry usually operates as needs dictate, with the basic operational unit being a "wing" of four vehicles -- three main battle tanks and an infantry fighting vehicle. The light tanks and IFVs are most often used in screening actions, seeking out the enemy and fixing their location while the heavier forces bring their might to bear. The standard troop configuration fields three heavy maneuver wings, three light maneuver wings, a wing of four salvo-missile carriers, and a wing of self-propelled mortar or artillery vehicles, all coordinated by a tactical operations vehicle.
The cavalry troop's doctrine is based around its superior mobility, but the cavalry commanders are not afraid to stand and fight when necessary, and each wing carries a complement of infantry dismounts -- one line squad in the case of a light wing and up to three squads or teams in the case of heavy wings (or a standard squad and a squad of powered-armor troops), owing to the huge hull of the Mk. 12 Khopesh IFV. Doctrine calls for one of the elements in a heavy wing to be a GMS/L team.
The cavalry troop also provides its own fire support in the form of SLAM missile carriers and RAM mortar vehicles; more information will be posted about these once the webmaster gets off his lazy ass and builds the conversions.
Heavy Anti-Grav Armor Company
More of the Renegade Legion plastics. I picked up two boxes of them on eBay for $15 each. That's a whopping 108 minis for $30! Hard to beat a deal like that.
Other vehicles:
Organization:
Heavy Anti-Grav Armor Company
The heavy grav armor company is a more traditional organization than their cavalry cousins. With as much of an emphasis on firepower as speed, the heavy armor company works with a combined force of tank platoons, combined-arms platoons, and fire support. Light grav tanks screen the company as it maneuvers.
The company is organized around a headquarters element, four tank platoons, three combined-arms platoons, three assault platoons, two reconnaissance sections, and a fire-support section. Air-defense and recovery vehicles may be attached from the parent brigade or regiment. Each tank platoon features four heavy T-10 Apache main battle tanks, while each combined-arms platoon is formed of two T-30 Navajo light tanks and three T-14 Comanche light infantry fighting vehicles, carrying three standard dismount infantry squads. The assault platoons boast three heavy T-98 Sioux infantry assault vehicles, each carrying a powered-armor assault squad, and a T-56 Lakota combat engineer vehicle, to defeat bunkers and obstacles. The recon sections each consist of two T-30 Navajo light tanks.
Supporting the maneuver elements is the fire-support section, which consists of four T-9 Blackfoot self-propelled auto-loading howitzers. These are under the direction of the company's tactical operations center and answer to fire missions as assigned by the TOC. The headquarters element itself is comprised of a single T-77 command vehicle (built on the T-30 chassis) and a pair of T-10 tanks in the security/reserve role.
Air Assault Company
The one redeeming quality of WizKids' Mechwarrior figs is how incredibly cheap they are. I was able to buy nine Cardinal Transport VTOLs for just $15 -- that's the same price as a single Epic Thunderhawk from GW!
Organization:
Air Assault Company Organization Table
The Air Assault Company consists of five IV-9 Harpy VTOLs carrying four squads of line infantry each -- three Rifle and one GMS/L -- supported by four AV-6 Stirge VTOLs providing fire support on the approach and after the infantry has been inserted. Each company generally also puts several Sapper squads and a Forward Observer team into the field with each insertion, as well.
Medium Wheeled Armor Team
Featuring the excellent new South African armor minis from Brigade Models. If you haven't bought any minis from them yet, don't hesitate to do so; the quality is great and Brigade is great to deal with.
SA-602 Oliphant MBT
K-53 Demon Combat Walker
K-90 Minion Transport Walker
K-14 Imp Artillery Walker
K-2 Hades Defense Walker
K-33 Orcus Engineer Walker
K-13 Scythe Command Walker (C3)
K-13b Scythe Command Walker (CBR)
Indigenous
Forces
Additional Vehicles
Below are a couple of infantry walker designs I made up to go with the 10mm power-armor I picked up from a Mechwarrior outlet. I have ten of each of the pictured models and I think I paid about six bucks total. Gotta love that cheap Chinese labor.
Mk. 11 Infantry Walker
LX-70 Infantry Walker
L9 Vortex Gunship
Dirtside Vehicle DesignsI've been building my own Dirtside miniatures collections for just about two years now, and below are some of the designs I've drawn up for them using the spreadsheet above (Click on the links or the pictures to download the Dirtside data card).
Navigation:
GEV Armored Company Team
These miniatures are from Fortress Figures. They are inexpensive resin figs that I ordered from the company directly -- 50 minis for $30!
Other vehicles:
H-66e Pioneer Kampfwagen
H-22c Panzerbefehlswagen
GEV Company Organization Table
The GEV Armored Company Team consists of three heavy armor platoons, three combined-arms platoons, a mortars section, and an engineer section. Each combined-arms platoon consists of two H-66 Leichtjagdpanzers and four H-22 PzGren KpfWgn armored personnel carriers. The APCs carry three powered-armor infantry squads and one GMS/L anti-armor team. The heavy armor (Schwerpanzer) platoons each consist of three H-17Bär heavy tanks.
Supporting the maneuver platoons are the Mortars Section (three H-22a mortar carriers), an armored engineer section (three H-66p Pioneer Kampfwagen combat engineer vehicles, each of which carry an engineering package and an automated minelaying system), and the Jagdpanzer (Anti-Tank) Platoon. The Jagdpanzer Platoon consists of four sections, each with two H-66 Leichtjagdpanzer light tanks, and fills both anti-tank and reconnaissance roles.
Coordinating and directing the company team is the Headquarters Section, which is a single H-22C Panzerbefehlswagen command vehicle carrying a C3 package and an H-66 Leichtjagdpanzer to provide security for it. The H-66 usually belongs to the company commander.
Mechanized Combined Arms Team
I was able to pick up a load of GW's old plastic Epic 40K vehicles on eBay; I think I paid $30 for 20 Land Raiders and 30 Rhinos. At least there's some good side to GW's incompetent pricing and mini-obsolesence schemes!
M-6 Raider MBT
M-40k Rhino APC
M-507 Thales Tactical Operations Center
M-991 Cerberus Counter-Battery Radar Vehicle
Other vehicles:
M-67 Fire Support Team Mortar Carrier
M-51 Volcano Rocket Artillery Vehicle
M-808 Armored Recovery Vehicle
Organization:
Mechanized Combined-Arms Team Organization Table
The mechanized combined-arms team operates in a more traditional fashion, with tank platoons and mechanized infantry platoons supporting each other while still retaining their distinct functional identities. The infantry platoons consist of four M-40k Rhino APCs, each carrying an infantry squad or weapons team, while the tank platoons boast four M-6 Raider MBTs in a classic "wingman" arrangement. One odd arrangement: the infantry and armor contingents each have a functional commander, while the Team Commander coordinates the battle from a Raider MBT or the TOC.
Supporting the maneuver platoons are a mechanized engineer platoon, a RAM mortar platoon (directed by a Cerberus counter-battery radar vehicle), and a M-507 Thales TOC vehicle. Quite often, a pair of armored recovery vehicles will be attached to the team to provide rapid recovery of damaged vehicles. The M-168 combat engineer vehicle also carries a dismount sapper squad, which can tackle a variety of combat engineering tasks on foot.
Anti-Grav Cavalry Troop
These are the Renegade Legion line of minis, now available from C-in-C. I bought them in the über-cheap FASA plastic cohorts box (I got two of those, one of the RL cohorts and one of the TOG cohorts).
Mk. 3 Minotaur Light Armored Fighting Vehicle
Mk. 4 Scylla Light Infantry Fighting Vehicle
Mk. 61 Osiris Main Battle Tank
Mk. 12 Khopesh Heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicle
Organization:
Anti-Grav Cavalry Troop Organization Table
The anti-grav cavalry usually operates as needs dictate, with the basic operational unit being a "wing" of four vehicles -- three main battle tanks and an infantry fighting vehicle. The light tanks and IFVs are most often used in screening actions, seeking out the enemy and fixing their location while the heavier forces bring their might to bear. The standard troop configuration fields three heavy maneuver wings, three light maneuver wings, a wing of four salvo-missile carriers, and a wing of self-propelled mortar or artillery vehicles, all coordinated by a tactical operations vehicle.
The cavalry troop's doctrine is based around its superior mobility, but the cavalry commanders are not afraid to stand and fight when necessary, and each wing carries a complement of infantry dismounts -- one line squad in the case of a light wing and up to three squads or teams in the case of heavy wings (or a standard squad and a squad of powered-armor troops), owing to the huge hull of the Mk. 12 Khopesh IFV. Doctrine calls for one of the elements in a heavy wing to be a GMS/L team.
The cavalry troop also provides its own fire support in the form of SLAM missile carriers and RAM mortar vehicles; more information will be posted about these once the webmaster gets off his lazy ass and builds the conversions.
Heavy Anti-Grav Armor Company
More of the Renegade Legion plastics. I picked up two boxes of them on eBay for $15 each. That's a whopping 108 minis for $30! Hard to beat a deal like that.
Other vehicles:
Organization:
Heavy Anti-Grav Armor Company
The heavy grav armor company is a more traditional organization than their cavalry cousins. With as much of an emphasis on firepower as speed, the heavy armor company works with a combined force of tank platoons, combined-arms platoons, and fire support. Light grav tanks screen the company as it maneuvers.
The company is organized around a headquarters element, four tank platoons, three combined-arms platoons, three assault platoons, two reconnaissance sections, and a fire-support section. Air-defense and recovery vehicles may be attached from the parent brigade or regiment. Each tank platoon features four heavy T-10 Apache main battle tanks, while each combined-arms platoon is formed of two T-30 Navajo light tanks and three T-14 Comanche light infantry fighting vehicles, carrying three standard dismount infantry squads. The assault platoons boast three heavy T-98 Sioux infantry assault vehicles, each carrying a powered-armor assault squad, and a T-56 Lakota combat engineer vehicle, to defeat bunkers and obstacles. The recon sections each consist of two T-30 Navajo light tanks.
Supporting the maneuver elements is the fire-support section, which consists of four T-9 Blackfoot self-propelled auto-loading howitzers. These are under the direction of the company's tactical operations center and answer to fire missions as assigned by the TOC. The headquarters element itself is comprised of a single T-77 command vehicle (built on the T-30 chassis) and a pair of T-10 tanks in the security/reserve role.
Air Assault Company
The one redeeming quality of WizKids' Mechwarrior figs is how incredibly cheap they are. I was able to buy nine Cardinal Transport VTOLs for just $15 -- that's the same price as a single Epic Thunderhawk from GW!
Organization:
Air Assault Company Organization Table
The Air Assault Company consists of five IV-9 Harpy VTOLs carrying four squads of line infantry each -- three Rifle and one GMS/L -- supported by four AV-6 Stirge VTOLs providing fire support on the approach and after the infantry has been inserted. Each company generally also puts several Sapper squads and a Forward Observer team into the field with each insertion, as well.
Medium Wheeled Armor Team
Featuring the excellent new South African armor minis from Brigade Models. If you haven't bought any minis from them yet, don't hesitate to do so; the quality is great and Brigade is great to deal with.
SA-602 Oliphant MBT
Organization:
Medium Wheeled Armor Team Organization Table
The Medium Wheeled Armor Team is organized around the combined-arms concept that has proved so popular among many self-contained forces. An armor company and infantry company combine to create a mix of heavy and medium forces. The platoons are usually paired off, one armor with one infantry. This creates four maneuver units, which form the backbone of the company; each unit employs three Oliphant MBTs and three Wildebeest APCs. Each infantry platoon is assigned two dismount rifle squads and one dismount GMS/L team (although the weapons team may be replaced by an APSW team or Sapper squad as conditions dictate).
In addition to the maneuver platoons, there is a fire-support platoon of medium field guns mounted on the Oliphant chassis -- four per company -- and a C3 vehicle based on the Wildebeest platform. It is not unusual to find a counter-battery radar vehicle as part of the fire-support element.
Guards Hovertank Company
More great minis from Brigade Models!
Type 51 Zhu De MBT
Type 53 Xie Fang APC
Type 57 Mao Zhedong SPA
Type 58 Li Peng Assault Gun
Type 53CCV Command APC
Organization:
Guards Hovertank Company Organization Table
The Guards divisions follow a more traditional doctrine of "separate arms for training, combined arms for fighting". Armor and infantry battalions train separately in garrison but are merged together as combined-arms company teams when deployed in the field. A typical hovertank guard company has two tank platoons, each with four Type 51 Zhu De hovertanks, and two motorized-infantry platoons, each with three Type 53 Xie Fang hover APCs and six squads of infantry dismounts (or powered-armor squads substituted on a two-for-one basis). Guards doctrine calls for one squad in each platoon to be armed with an APSW or GMS/L.
The company command element includes one or two tactical operations centers in the form of Type 53CCV command vehicles, three Type 57 Mao Zhedong artillery vehicles, and an assault section of four Type 58 Li Peng assault guns. The artillery and assault guns are deployed at the discretion of the company commander and remain under his control, even when attached to a platoon.
Despite the antiquated doctrine and command-channel difficulties suffered by the Guards, their vehicles are state-of-the-art. The Type 51 Zhu De tank mounts not only a heavy cannon and reactive armor, but also both a point-defense system and local air defense system.
Heavy Combat Walker Company
Medium Wheeled Armor Team Organization Table
The Medium Wheeled Armor Team is organized around the combined-arms concept that has proved so popular among many self-contained forces. An armor company and infantry company combine to create a mix of heavy and medium forces. The platoons are usually paired off, one armor with one infantry. This creates four maneuver units, which form the backbone of the company; each unit employs three Oliphant MBTs and three Wildebeest APCs. Each infantry platoon is assigned two dismount rifle squads and one dismount GMS/L team (although the weapons team may be replaced by an APSW team or Sapper squad as conditions dictate).
In addition to the maneuver platoons, there is a fire-support platoon of medium field guns mounted on the Oliphant chassis -- four per company -- and a C3 vehicle based on the Wildebeest platform. It is not unusual to find a counter-battery radar vehicle as part of the fire-support element.
Guards Hovertank Company
More great minis from Brigade Models!
Type 51 Zhu De MBT
Type 53 Xie Fang APC
Type 57 Mao Zhedong SPA
Type 58 Li Peng Assault Gun
Type 53CCV Command APC
Organization:
Guards Hovertank Company Organization Table
The Guards divisions follow a more traditional doctrine of "separate arms for training, combined arms for fighting". Armor and infantry battalions train separately in garrison but are merged together as combined-arms company teams when deployed in the field. A typical hovertank guard company has two tank platoons, each with four Type 51 Zhu De hovertanks, and two motorized-infantry platoons, each with three Type 53 Xie Fang hover APCs and six squads of infantry dismounts (or powered-armor squads substituted on a two-for-one basis). Guards doctrine calls for one squad in each platoon to be armed with an APSW or GMS/L.
The company command element includes one or two tactical operations centers in the form of Type 53CCV command vehicles, three Type 57 Mao Zhedong artillery vehicles, and an assault section of four Type 58 Li Peng assault guns. The artillery and assault guns are deployed at the discretion of the company commander and remain under his control, even when attached to a platoon.
Despite the antiquated doctrine and command-channel difficulties suffered by the Guards, their vehicles are state-of-the-art. The Type 51 Zhu De tank mounts not only a heavy cannon and reactive armor, but also both a point-defense system and local air defense system.
Heavy Combat Walker Company
K-53 Demon Combat Walker
K-90 Minion Transport Walker
K-14 Imp Artillery Walker
K-2 Hades Defense Walker
K-33 Orcus Engineer Walker
K-13 Scythe Command Walker (C3)
K-13b Scythe Command Walker (CBR)
Organization:
Heavy Combat Walker Company
The heavy walker company is comprised of three armor platoons, three infantry platoons, three combat engineer sections, one fire support section, and a headquarters section. Each armor platoon features three K-53 Demon walkers, which work in tandem with infantry platoons featuring two K-90 Minion transport walkers, which each carry either four standard or two powered-armor infantry squads, depending on mission demands; this allows the walker platoons to put a respectable number of infantrymen on the ground. Rounding out the infantry platoon is a K-2 Hades walker, armed with a top-of-the-line area defense system.
Three armored engineer sections support the line platoons, each consisting of a Demon combat walker and a K-33 Orcus engineer walker, carrying both engineering and recovery equipment. The K-33 Orcus also carries a single Sapper dismount squad for combat-engineering tasks that cannot be handled by a twelve-meter tall machine. Typically, the engineer sections will be assigned to a specific line platoon, and will maneuver with that element throughout the battle unless directed by the company commander to perform another task.
The headquarters section consists of a pair of K-13 Scythe command walkers, one of which carries a C3 package and the other of which carries a counter-battery radar system. An quartet of K-14 Imp artillery walkers, each with a medium-weight autoloading howitzer system with an extra-large load of munitions, including smoke rounds and artillery-deployable DMR mines, provide indirect fire support to whichever maneuver platoon calls for them.
Heavy Combat Walker Company
The heavy walker company is comprised of three armor platoons, three infantry platoons, three combat engineer sections, one fire support section, and a headquarters section. Each armor platoon features three K-53 Demon walkers, which work in tandem with infantry platoons featuring two K-90 Minion transport walkers, which each carry either four standard or two powered-armor infantry squads, depending on mission demands; this allows the walker platoons to put a respectable number of infantrymen on the ground. Rounding out the infantry platoon is a K-2 Hades walker, armed with a top-of-the-line area defense system.
Three armored engineer sections support the line platoons, each consisting of a Demon combat walker and a K-33 Orcus engineer walker, carrying both engineering and recovery equipment. The K-33 Orcus also carries a single Sapper dismount squad for combat-engineering tasks that cannot be handled by a twelve-meter tall machine. Typically, the engineer sections will be assigned to a specific line platoon, and will maneuver with that element throughout the battle unless directed by the company commander to perform another task.
The headquarters section consists of a pair of K-13 Scythe command walkers, one of which carries a C3 package and the other of which carries a counter-battery radar system. An quartet of K-14 Imp artillery walkers, each with a medium-weight autoloading howitzer system with an extra-large load of munitions, including smoke rounds and artillery-deployable DMR mines, provide indirect fire support to whichever maneuver platoon calls for them.
Let's face it: a fair fight
is all well and good, but sometimes
it
can be really invigorating to pitch a small, technologically-advanced
force
against a horde of retro-tech peasants! Below are ten designs for
low-tech
fighting vehicles; I imagine that most of them are converted farm
and
construction equipment, with steel slabs welded on and guns stuck
wherever
they'll fit!
Indigenous Scout Buggy
Indigenous Response Truck
Indigenous Light APC
Indigenous Light AFV
Indigenous Armored Bus
Indigenous Close Assault Vehicle
Indigenous Infantry Crawler
Indigenous Heavy Tank
Indigenous Missile Support Vehicle
Indigenous Rocket Tank
Indigenous Squad Helicopter
Additional Vehicles
Below are a couple of infantry walker designs I made up to go with the 10mm power-armor I picked up from a Mechwarrior outlet. I have ten of each of the pictured models and I think I paid about six bucks total. Gotta love that cheap Chinese labor.
Mk. 11 Infantry Walker
LX-70 Infantry Walker
Another
former inmate of the Mechwarrior world -- this is the Hawk Moth
gunship, Dirtsided for your pleasure.
L9 Vortex Gunship