Re: DS2/SG2 Camouflage - LONG REPLY

Brian spake thusly upon matters weighty: 

> I would like to know what other people are using for camouflage on
thier
> DS2/SG2 vehicles (and/or figures). I have been using a Mountain
> Stone/Urban camouflage scheme for my one force (see my DS2 page for a
> picture*), but need to choose a 2nd scheme, so that I have an obvious
> 2nd side. Thus, the inquiry as to what camouflage schemes are being
> used. Also, if someone could recogmend a good reference book for other
> camouflage schemes.

If you've ever looked into modelling, you'll realize that this is no 
simple idea. To do a good looking 'ambush scheme' on a large AV 
requires usually an airbrush. Now, you can do good camo (other types) 
with just a brush. I guess what we should be thinking about is what 
is the prevalent type of terrain in the outer reaches of space? I'd 
suggest not green and clorophyl (sp wrong) laden (We aren't in the 
Gene's World of Class M planets everywhere with greenery...). I'd 
think the various shades of rock and dirt - greys, browns, indian 
reds, tans, whitish yellows of sand etc. would be appropriate. 
Studying 'earther' cam might not be useful. If you want to, Osprey 
has quite a series of books on just about every time period and 
uniform. (I'll have to look into it to get you a better description 
of the name of the series...my books are at the folks....). It 
(the series) covers everything from WWII to present, from bedouin 
cavalry  to Navy SEALS and everything between. It has good colour 
plates and lots of BW photos. 

As for how one does real life camouflage: My experience in Militia 
excercises and paintballing have been that motion is the worst give 
away. You can wear purple coveralls in a green forest and still not 
draw the eye if you are still. And for face camouflage, its 
contrasts you are trying to break up - the contrast of your nose 
with your cheeks, your chin with your cheeks, etc. When you paint 
your face, you don't paint these silly patterns you see in movies. 
You apply dark camo to the raised areas and lighter to the inset 
ones, to make the depressions look shallower and the raised areas 
look flatter - for a uniform look. You use some bug juice to make the 
stuff go on nice and it also helps to blend the lights and the darks. 
You do your face, the backs of your hands, and your ears and neck. 
You make sure to remember you pupils stand out like white orbs at 
night! (I assume some real techy types might have coloured contacts 
for that problem). (In 2300AD they had a really cool bio organic 
contact lens - sunglasses, IR, and x5 binos all in a contact lens 
creature that lived off saline....). When I went out in paintball, 
I'd wear a boonie hat (like the OUDF minis) or an Aussie bush hat 
(great in the rain!), carry webgear (where is this on most of the 
minis? Do these guys have porters?), use the light/dark green blended 
cam on face, arms, neck, ears, hands, wear green wool gloves and 
black boots. My camo clothes would be American Woodland pattern (for 
their light/shadow effectiveness) or German WWII SS Splotch Pattern 
for use in muddy conditions or in the leaves-on-ground fall 
conditions.  Helmets without helmet covers with attached twigs etc 
are an easy giveaway (look very man made, skylight easy, and draw the 
eye). I know people who won't wear a helmet for that reason. Ghillie 
or Yowie suits (you look like a walking piece of turf - AD&D 
shambling mound...) are used to break up the 'human outline' and make 
you look like a piece of ground. Work like the dickens too if the 
user knows how to wear and move in it. 

Your camo clothes should be (for most north american places) either a 
flat green (and a new uniform or anything nylon is way too shiny - 
natural fabrics rule for texture) or a dispersed woodland pattern 
like US Woodland Camouflage (Chestnut Brown, Forest Green and Black). 
The British use a pattern called DPM which seems to be a bit better 
for fall (some red and yellow mixed in as I recall). In any case, the 
point is to allow you to hide in areas along the edges of bush or 
walls where you get patches of light or dark. It works too - I've 
hidden literally in plain sight in paintball in such areas of half 
shadow - just don't move a lot. Treebark would probably be best in 
late fall or spring where snow is gone but the trees are still pretty 
bare (It's greys with a treebark appearance, but good luck in 25mm!). 
Urban (Grey/Black) pattern is okay in cities or rubble or rocky 
hills. For sandy hills, for areas like desert or plains, Desert 
Patterns (sand, light browns, some lines or spots) are appropriate 
(The Spetsnaz had an excellent camouflage for Afghanistan). The 
infamous US Tiger Stripe works well in rain forests or jungles (Green 
base, black zebra or tiger stripes).  The Germans had some excellent 
splotch pattern camouflages for their SS during WWII for use in 
poland and other spots with some greenery and lots of wheat fields 
and earthern fields. It was kind of a pinkish tan base, with little 
cell (not round, kind of irregular) shaped light green and brown 
splotches. I'm sure on Mars, a camm of indian brown, deep red, and 
brighter red would be effective. Some camouflages used by northern 
european countries throw in light blues (obviously for fighting near 
water in fjords and other spots). In alien wierdo atmospheres with 
oddball ground types, anything could work.

I don't know if all of that helps, but I guess what I'm saying is 
since real practical camo would be either planet dependent or 
phototrophic to change to match the environment (high tech!), and 
since we don't know what alien space will look like, it could be 
anything. So paint what looks good on your table with your terrain 
and at least you can argue it was matched to the colour of the 
terrain for the mission..... (*grin*)

Sorry for rambling. 

Tom.