SOUND OFFICERS CALL!

GHQ's WWII MicroArmour - The Game

2012-03-16T22:14:00.000-07:00

Tonight I played my old, favorite MicroArmor rules but with my 15mm figures and vehicles. Dave F and I had been talking at length about GHQ's excellent WWII Rules set and I thought it was about time I played a game with them since it has been so long.

Tonight's scenario pitted an American company with mortars and a weapons platoon defending a small bridge and road junction against 2 German Companies with a Tiger I platoon in support. Both sides had reinforcements scheduled to arrive. The Americans on turn 5 and the Germans on turn 7. The Americans were to receive a Sherman platoon and an additional company plus heavy weapons and the Germans were to receive a Stug III platoon and a Mk IV platoon along with the Battalion HQs, Mortar platoon, and some more infantry. Add it all together and throw in a self-propelled battery of 105mm tubes on both sides and you've got yourself quite a battle.

American Company dug in at the tree-line defending the bridge

View towards the Road junction from the bridge

Here comes Gerry!

The attack started off slowly. Infantry only moves 3" (i never changed the distance to accomodate the larger base sizes...) so it took the landsers a hell of a long time to get into the fight. Not to mention the awful-accurate American artillery began to fall on them as they advanced causing devastating casualties.

The southern prong of the attack grinds forward. Eventually I learned about the "tank rider" rule and the Tiger platoon transported an infantry platoon to get them to the fight faster!

The American company Battle Position. CP & Mortars

Right off the bat on turn 2, two German platoons are KO from 105mm strike in the open. We Americans sure love Artillery and we know how to use it!!!

Fritz has some arty of his own and a 105mm mission (platoon 2, HE PD in effect!) double suppresses my weapons section and I gotta move that .30 back!

The Germans want to move 1 Kampfgruppe parallel to the river and another up from the road. Unfortunately the movement was so slow that the southern most arm never got into action until the second last turn of the game. One platoon hopped onto the Tigers backs and off they went. I picked the coolest painted platoon to go into action first...

The American artillery was very responsive the entire game. The German FO was a loser and kept failing his cohesion roll and the Battery never even fired much after turn 4. By turn 5 the American reinforcements arrived but had some trouble of their own...in the form of a Panzer VIA Tiger I and it's 88mm main gun. The Sherman platoon took up a position by the bridge and was knocked out almost immediately.

The US infantry reinforcements crept along the edge of the map and attempted a battalion river crossing under fire. Needless to say I learned the wrong way to cross a river this evening. 3 American platoons were KO'd as they reached the bank or were hammered with artillery fire while they were stacked up waiting to cross. The US reinforcement objective was the manor house and orchard that would dominate the road and provide a blocking position against the Germans. Too bad the Germans got there first.

Company thinned out by the American artillery

Hopping on the Tiger platoon for a lift.

Riding in style! The Green bead indicates movement posture

American reinforcements arrive and not a moment too soon

Germans advancing

Sherman position shortly before it brews up.

Tiger on the prowl - advancing towards the bridge.

Germans reach the manor house and orchard first

sweet fences....

German Battalion CP and mortars

business end of the Panzer IV engaging the Sherman

Stug

American artillery impacts the tree-line keeping these guys out of the fight!

Putting those .30 cals to work

The Peter Pig Platoon. All of these jokers hail from the illustrious Peter Pig

After a nasty close combat round, the Manor House and orchard falls to the Germans. Good thing too because the Battalion river crossing wasn't going so well. The Germans were forced to break off the attack and never actually reached the far side of the shore. So for all of their tactical successes - they never did capture the objective today. There were several reasons for this.

LESSONS LEARNED

Synchronized Artillery with the Scheme of Maneuver: German artillery was more focused on causing casualties than supporting the advance. I don't want to spoil the ending but the only platoon that managed to cross the river intact was shot up so badly it disintegrated because it had no smoke and the far side observers were not suppressed. Stopping the river crossing was great, but shouldn't someone have made sure the Artillery was focusing on the objective???

Supported River Crossings: When you cross a river you need everything you've got working together to keep the bad guys' heads down and get the good guys across. Tonight's action didn't go off so well becuase the infantry crossed without any concealing smoke and with a full treeline of Americans shooting at them.

Economy of Force: Why on Earth was the Tiger platoon on the Southern prong of the advance? It took them almost half of the game to get into action. Besides the nice taxi ride they gave an infantry unit, they were sorely needed. While they made up for it showering the river crossing Americans with shells, they could have been used to cover the advance.

Do your Staffwork Well: With an advance of only 3 to 4 inches per turn and a game of 12 turns, the bulk of my infantry would literally arrive on the objective on the end of turn 10 giving them only 2 turns to engage and defeat the enemy. That being said, it's not even a guaruntee they'll pass their cohesion roll to even engage. They should have started farther up and closer to the objective earlier on.

Always buy artillery!!!! - preferably an entire battalion of it! In GHQ, the Artillery is terrific and you don't need much more than 105mm to knock out infantry in the open. even the deviation distances aren't too bad (nothing like those scatter dice with GW) If you time it right and you are sharp with how you place your observers, you can get the enemy as he advances towards you and really shake things up as with the Germans this evening. The Americans totally broke up the German advance on the northern prong. They needed reinforcements to bring the attack home because of the US Artillery attacks.

Artillery as Counter Maneuver: I used the Artillery to blanket the tree-lines that Gerry was going to need to step off his attack. Perfect support by fire positions that were denied to him simply becuase there were 50 lb shells falling there all turn! Brilliant!

It's easier to kill something if it's already suppressed. You can do this with a combination of attacks and weapons.

Remember your mortars can lay smoke too! Lots of guys forget this simple fact.

All in all, it was a terrific game that brought back alot of fond and not-so-fond memories! I really love this game for its simplicity and elegance. It's not as simple as spearhead and not as complicated as some other systems out there. It was also nice NOT to have to throw buckets of dice tonight a la Blitzkrieg Commander. I am going to play around with unit movement rates and weapons ranges to accommodate larger bases but I think we have a winner here! Huzzah!

HaT French Battalion (Brigade...)

2012-03-11T16:37:00.001-07:00

Finally have some Nappies ready. The original intent was to base these guys 3 to a base on 1 inch square bases. Unfortunately I hit a snag and was forced to base them on larger bases. This produced 2 circumstances that were not originally forseen:

1. I had to double the amount of troops that went into a unit.
2. The unit, when assembled, looks alot bigger and better.

So not all bad. Also, they can stand on their own as Napoleonic Brigades for Volley & Bayonet. Additionally, 3 stand units comprise a Shako Battalion. Still though, my original plans were to use them for Age of Eagles, which I fully intend on doing. Starting a British Brigade next. Huzzah!

The Battalion is assembled!

I am particularly fond of the drummer. I think he turned out pretty well

Marching to war!

Rear shot

here they come!

Different angle.

Modern US Troops & Project Update

2012-03-10T12:13:00.000-08:00

Another squad for my modern Disposable Heroes Modern US platoon. (They could also be used in a pinch to play a truly huge or epic game of Crossfire or Cold War Commander as well.) Playing all these games of Modern Warfare as well as Medal of Honor has really pumped me up to play more modern skirmish games.

I know I've said it in the past, but I love the DH: C7B system for enabling really "cool" skirmish type scenarios. I'm going to play around with a dawn raid, a patrol, a snatch and grab, and maybe even a "soft knock" operation that turns ugly.

The old, trusty FM 7-8 Infantry Rifle Platoon & Squad stipulates a US Army Rifle Squad consist of two 4 Soldier Fireteams and a Squad Leader. (Strength of 9)

The "Alpha" Team and the "Bravo" Team each have 1 M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (for the rest of the world, it's called the FN Minimi), 1 Rifleman, 1 Rifleman Grenadier, and a Team-leader Rifleman. This gives the fireteam the capabilities to suppress any targets that the squad alone outnumbers.

The squad-leader always travels with the maneuvering element during a squad-attack.

For situations when the entire platoon is needed to capture an objective, an entire squad can be used to suppress a target.

Usually squads, platoons, and companies will follow a localized unit TACSOP or Tactical Standard Operating Procedure that stipulates Soldiers covering fire lanes during operations.

Right now I am working a few projects:

Once I have enough WWII guys painted up, I'm going to play an Omaha Beach scenario as well as a Saving Private Ryan Remelle Village defense scenario. COmplete with tanks and loads of pissed off German troops! Just need to paint up a squad of Rangers. That ought to be fun.
DH WWII German & American squads.

Napoleonic French Brigade in 1:72 for Age of Eagles
British Brigade in 1:72 for Age of Eagles
ACW 6mm Volley & Bayonet Scenario
Space Marine & Imperial Guard Trooper for Future War Commander Skirmish
Seek Out, Close With, & Destroy: Vietnam US and NVA Squads
US WWII Crossfire Squads & Weapons Platoon 15mm
GHQ Battle of the Bulge MicroArmour Scenario in 15mm (my actual microarmor is at my Grandfather's house...)
Additional Warmaster Swordsmen Regiment in 1:72
Additional Orc & Goblin Regiments in 1:72

Updating Procurement List:
The D-Day Canadian Supplement from GHQ $20.00
1:72 Tiger model $10.00
1:72 T-62 model $12.00???

RIP Greg Novak

2012-03-09T08:33:00.000-08:00

I just read on the Volley & Bayonet Yahoo Group List that Greg Novak passed away recently. Originally I was going to post a follow up on a hobby project but thought I would at least pay mention to what I can only describe as a legend to our hobby. Guys like Greg have advanced wargaming to the wonderful hobby we know it as today in my opinion.

I never had the pleasure of meeting Greg, but I do own quite a few of his works and I can tell you that if his past products are any guide, then we have all felt quite a loss. I have never read more scholarly or more intensely researched material on the American War for Independence or other conflicts. With guys like Greg Novak and Frank Chadwick - if you saw their name on the rules, you knew it was high-quality and elegant work. Thank you Greg! You will be missed.

Disposable Heroes: Insurgent Reinforcements!

2012-03-08T06:18:00.000-08:00

This is the second batch of "terrorist a**holes" I've painted up. These will make fine additions to my Iraqi insurgent forces. You could get away with using them for taliban "troops" although they don't have quite the same "panache" that those idiots have. Also the dress isnt the same. (the Chechens I have from the Orion set will make good Taliban).

What I'm thinking is that these warriors will make a good street-fighter cell in Fallujah or Ramadi. Perhaps even JAM warriors in Sadr City. I also purchased a Matchbox vehicle set that had some good matches with Iraqi cars. I even painted a quick Middle Eastern styled license plate on the truck. My Americans are up next. I should post them tomorrow but I am still remiss with posting my French Peninsular Battalion. More to follow. Stay tuned. Huzzah!

(by the way, I'd like to thank all my loyal readers and commenters. This is my 101st post since I've started this blog up! You guys, your gaming and stories, and especially your work has inspired me to continue mine and I thank everyone for your continued interest and support!

Cell Leader. He looks more Afghani or Chechen than any of them. I accidentally came up with some good Aussie Camo as well on the trousers. Not sure I want to think about how he got those pants though.

PKM gunner along with a mortar-man in the background. There are enough PKs painted up to suppress a Company.

This model is interesting as the figure is female. I never ran into a female insurgent in Iraq that fought, but she will make an interesting addition to the collection. I gave her camo pants and a football jersey as well. (should have painted up a Benfica jersey on her)

This guy is one of my favs.

The guy with the AKM up in the air is a neat figure. I have a few more and they'll make good Iraqi police.

Even Snappier Nappies

2012-03-04T04:32:00.000-08:00

Last night I painted up more of my HaT 20mm 1/72 French Fusiliers. While not completely historically accurate, I think they look OK. I'm not totally happy with them but they are for gaming, not for winning any contests!

I have a dilemma as far as basing them is concerned due to their size. I'm not sure the Age of Eagles basing convention was ever supposed to support 20mm figures or larger. I invoked what the French would call "licence poétique" and I upgraded the bases...

These are 1 1/2" bases and I think they look very nice when all of the figures are glued on them. I had previously had them on 1" square bases but they were too crowded. THEN i put them only 2 to a base and the line looked too skimpy for a period when the levee en masse was in effect.

So the reader is left with this - a base that is large enough to accommodate 6 figures and still small enough to form an Age of Eagles brigade. I will give them one thing - when I have a brigade of 6 to 8 stands, it's going to look super impressive on the tabletop. Unfortunately this doubled my painting time. Instead of 3 troopers per stand, it's now 6, and these pesky French already took me weeks to finish.

I think I hear the pas de charge!

Marching towards the lines at Talavera

Command stand is incomplete. I still need to finish the musician and the color bearer.

The officer turned out nicely. I wonder what his decoration is for?

The Brits should be easier with less Soldiers - the Russians harder with triple the amount. Either way, look like I won't be playing an Age of Eagles game for about 15 years!

And as an interesting side note, I only have to make 3 of these bases to form a Shako Battalion, and can fit 1 base on a sabot to make a Volley & Bayonet Brigade. So that's not too bad. Back to painting for me. Huzzah!

Mending Fences

2012-03-03T05:57:00.000-08:00

I started a project to create rail fences for my ACW and even AWI 15mm battlefields. Unfortunately they are not adequate for smaller or larger scales but they do look good with 15mm troops. I plan on making a ton of these for a proper ACW battlefield. They are quick, cheap, and very easy to make without alot of hassle. I have about 5 left to paint and that will give me a nice enclosed farm for anywhere in the rural US of the 1860s.

Half painted Union troops from Old Glory. They show the scale of the fence nicely.

If that wasn't enough, here is a stand of 15mm US WWII GIs (half painted) advancing down a road and encountering 15mm US ACW troops for scale. All Soldiers are half painted - but the fences sure look good!

My Wordle

2012-02-29T14:47:00.000-08:00

I got this from One 72nd's blog over at One 72nd Fantasy Figures. It condenses the most commonly used words in your blog and makes a collage out of them. Mine is particularly telling...

Here is the link to my wordle. Go there and you can make your own! That is all for this rainy afternoon. Hopefully I can get to some PAINTING tonight.

I need to finish the 15mm Fences for my upcoming ACW Campaign Season. Also need to finish those pesky 15mm US WWII GIs for Crossfire, as well as a sh*tload of 1:72 US, Germans, NVA and VC Troops, as well as modern US and muhj fighters.

That as well as the FRENCHIES who refuse to allow themselves to be painted!!!

Map-Making for Wargame Scenarios

2012-02-27T06:35:00.000-08:00

Got this from One Sided Miniature Wargaming Discourse. This is a terrific tool for planning scenarios as well as posting AARs for the blog. I encourage everyone to hop on over to the site below and check this out.

http://www.imagineimage.org/gbgen/gbmain.htm

Here is an example of his map posted for an AAR that he conducted for a a Blitzkrieg Commander Scenario. I thought it was excellent work and I can tell you without doubt that I will be using this application from now on! Forget about scanning and then using powerpoint! This looks even easier. Huzzah!

Armourfast Stug III Number 2

2012-02-26T18:45:00.000-08:00

Finished the other Stug III in the Armourfast kit. Got some inspiration from Paul over at Plastic Warriors and thought I would finish up my Armor section for Disposable Heroes. The first one used the Amoeba pattern and this one used a small, rust-colored line which I thought worked out nicely. The last pic has a small comparison but Stug number 112 is really the focus of tonight's post.

I am ready to paint up some more infantry, LMG, and HMG sections for DH and once I get those suckers done I'll host a large DH battle.

Not quite as much painted up as I wanted this weekend but the Stug is a nice check-off on my list. I also sprayed a ton of German, US, and got some 15mm scaled fences done for my Fire and Fury games coming up. Is it next Friday night yet? Huzzah!

The tracks have some (read some as...alot) flaws. Note to self - paint them prior to glue on next time.

Camo pattern looks good. Got the idea for the ditching-logs from Paul over at Plastic Warriors. These were railroad ties that were "borrowed" from Northwestern France.

Next to Hans for scale.

Posing for a quick picture somewhere outside Putot, France.

Business End

Stug 112, and 113.

Penny. My little Hetzer in her "hide position."

Dachshund Siegt an allen fronten!

Making short work of a rawhide!

Armourfast Stug III Redux

2012-02-20T18:03:00.000-08:00

Finally picked up a can of "Afrika Mustard" and repainted the Stug long-barrel you might remember from the Disposable Heroes game a couple weeks ago.

I used a slightly different camo concept I picked up from Grenzer John's blog and this seems to do the trick since I don't have an airbrush or any green putty to make camo lines.

The cross looks good on the side as well - it's free-handed! I goofed on the tracks and the roadwheels a little but what the heck. The 3 foot rule applies to this vehicle! It's now ready to take on some Shermans in Northwest Europe! Huzzah!

Check out those kill-rings!

Good angle.

The reader will excuse the sloppy job on the road wheels!

Also please excuse the drying nappies in the background!

Got alot done today. Finished some Brigade sized 6mm ACW stands for Volley & Bayonet and also finished this 20mm monster as well. Now that I see the pattern works, I'm ready to start the other Stug and also the Panther i've got hiding around in the closet. I am waiting on 2 Armourfast 251 half tracks and I'll probably put lines on those however!! Happy gaming!

Blitzkrieg Commander Ostfront Game: Positional Defense 2

2012-02-19T20:03:00.000-08:00

For anyone who is familiar with Charles Grant's "Scenarios for Wargames" I played "Positional Defense 2" from the book (pg 12). This pitted a Soviet Battalion with an Armor Company in support assaulting a German Company position with a Stug III Long Barrel platoon in support. The German Kampfgruppe fielded 4 infantry platoons atop a ridgeline in rifle pits and a walled farm complex. Additionally the Germans had Wespe Artillery and Nebelwerfer support as well.

What a nail biter with a few surprises mixed in just to keep the evening lively.

Had some unusual dice problems this evening, resulting in a Soviet command group staying at the line of departure for almost 4 straight turns! Also could not, for the life of me, get the German command group to issue more than 1 or 2 orders the entire battle. On the German left however, things were fairly intense with the Germans beating back 4 repeated assaults up the hill and finally charging down hill to flush out the Soviets from the woods at the bottom of the hill. (a la Chamberlain from Gettysburg).

Eventually on the Soviet left flank the Battalion Command Group got the ball rolling and they stormed the farm complex along with tank support. The German air never showed up and eventually the numbers won over. The German Stug was knocked out early on by the T34 Company so it never got to join in the fun.

The Soviets over ran the farm complex and knocked out the last rifle platoon and weapons platoon in the same turn (turn 10 of 12) and the game ended when the Germans reached their breakpoint of 3.

The game was a classic late war, eastern front engagement where the Germans were tasked with holding on against incredible odds. In this case, Soviet command problems precluded them from launching an all-out coordinated assault. Instead they threw themselves piecemeal against the German defenders. This pro-longed the game and although Mr Grant does not include reinforcements in his scenario, I imagine this rear-guard type action would have bought the German command alot of time to pull Soldiers out in other sectors of the front. Also, the Soviets lost 7 rifle platoons, almost an understrength battalion of troops!

I will let the pictures speak for themselves, then I'll include my lessons learned. There are alot of pics and eye-candy so bear with me.

Soviet troops advancing with T34 support

Moving up the hill!

Jerry watches Ivan move into position at the tree-line

T-34s in action!

On the German left. This company would eventually beat back 4 separate assaults!

The first assault against the German left moving into position

Tanks forward!!!!

Soviets moving up the hill

Intense rifle fire forces the platoon back. The Commissar is only too eager to provide "additional inspiration" to the troops to encourage them to assault again.

German troops meet the assault and return fire

Meanwhile at the farmhouse...

Turn 9, Soviet left finally reaches the farm

Suppressing the MG42 teams in the farmhouse

Soviet HMG supporting the advance

It's only a matter of time now.

Soviet machine presses on.

LESSONS LEARNED:
Artillery Support. Seems like there is always an artillery lesson to be had here. In this case, the Germans really made excellent use of their artillery breaking up Soviet assaults. The Artillery softens up the enemy enough that when the rifles open fire (assuming you can pass the command roll) it is much easier to knock out enemy units.

Tank Support / Combined Arms. Remember, once again just because you can move 30cms doesn't always mean that you should. The infantry on the Soviet right were forced to handle the bulk of the fighting for almost 8 turns by themselves and could have used some of those terrific 85mm guns operating in support. In this instance, the tanks were firing at an MG42 stand that could neither see any infantry (Sov left still below the crest of the hill) nor hit anything yet. Imagine how they could have steam-rolled over Jerry if proper coordination took place.

Protect your assets. The loss of the German Stug almost guaranteed a defeat early on. The Stug could have been kept behind the farm house and brought out to make pop up attacks against the Russians. Instead, the Stug was killed without even knocking out a single Russian tank.

Purchase Support all the time! Again, I cannot stress enough how awesome it was to have my choice of self propelled 105mm support or rocket fire blanketing the Russian infantry. In this instance, artillery was the big killer and I can totally understand the old adage : if there isn't enough artillery...quit! Probably could have used some minefields in support and maybe a Stuka as well. That might have leveled the playing field.

Huzzah!

Disposable Heroes: Long Road South Game

2012-02-18T18:45:00.000-08:00

Played my first modern variant of Disposable Heroes with the "Long Road South" supplement. Game pitted 1 American Squad, 1 M60 LMG Section, and 1 Platoon Headquarters Section against a Vietcong "Main Force" Platoon Command Section, a Rifle Squad with RPD, an RPD Section, and an RPG Section.

Additionally the VC had a dude armed with an SKS rifle in a pop up attack who would come up out of a spider hole later in the game!

The action started out right away (I have a small table...) with the VC engaging the American flank elements as they were trying to get into position. (The VC won initiative almost every time with their guts value of 9 and the US troops value of 8.)

US Forces advance through rice paddies in Vietnam ca 1969

Main Force Viet Cong troopers take up position in a rubble heap.

VC RPD / HQ Section readies itself for the ambush!

The VC engaged the US M60 section with their RPD and on the first round knocked out the entire M60 team! Luckily the Platoon HQs was right there to assault through! They moved up and immediately engaged the VC who were in a makeshift "bunker" which was actually a log wall.

US M60 section knocked out, Platoon HQs and B Team return fire and assault through the Ambush!

Platoon Command Section returning fire.

Unfortunately Fireteam A was already advancing in a different direction, so Fireteam B and the Platoon HQs became a squad for the case of the game. A firefight ensued and the VC brought in their RPG section.
Long story short? The US Fireteam eventually moved into position to flank the VC and open fire on them while fireteam B moved up through the orchard for the kill.

Team A advancing.

Team B on the move, flanking the enemy.

A short but vicious close combat ensued on the rubble pile. American forces took down the VC defender and exacted vengeance for a "snap fire" kill earned while advancing into close combat!

chaos. Note all the knocked out VC. The guy with 2 red beads just fell back from his position.

VC Officer returns fire!

Close Combat over. Americans win this one but just barely! I think I got the close combat rules down now.

The game was quick and bloody and I have to say, alot of fun.

Thoughts and Lessons Learned about the DH System.

Right off the bat - this game was alot of fun. It was intense and the casualties were realistic. I like how only 50% of troops can fire under certain circumstances and here is my example: When the platoon HQs came under fire, the runner was hit and went down in the firefight. When the HQs section returned fire, they were only able to do so with the PL's stand. I find this incredibly realistic since the other guy in the HQs section would have been tending to the wounded rifleman.

Additionally, the RPG team naturally has another guy servicing the launcher and not firing his own AK. This is a great feature and Iron Ivan got it right with this restriction.

Remember to use the principles of fire and movement. Have a fireteam to suppress the enemy (preferably with a SAW or LMG) and advance on the enemy with another fireteam.

You need a larger game with more "stuff" to fully take advantage of the unique activation rules for the modern variant! I only had about 3 to 4 units on a side and both units had activation chits left over when the turn ended.

Have a quick reference sheet or write down your stats prior to the game starting. It helped me out to have my figure stats in front of me so I didn't have to track down other stuff while tracking down rule questions.

Sneaky VC conducts a pop-up attack against an American fireteam.

At least with the Long Road South Game, remember to read, and make sure you're using the special rules. The VC player used his pop up attack to great advantage and scored a casualty against an American trooper.

Ensure that when you are close-assaulting you A. Bring enough guys with you [ 3:1 ratio is recommended for close combat] B ensure you have mutually supporting units if you're on the defensive. The VC guys could have used some more muscle on the rubble pile and were outnumbered without any supporting guns.

Well my M79 bloop gun and RPG-7 didn't make much of a difference at all. The AP 2 value for the RPG didn't do much to anyone and didn't come close to wounding anyone! Same with the M79. That was a let-down but I understand the logic behind not having too many crazy-dominant weapons on the field.

I don't like how fireteams operate seemingly independently when a platoon leader is on the field. At least in US doctrine, fireteams "typically" operate within close proximity to each other. In this game, Fireteam A was its own entity and Fireteam B was its own show as well. Technically this was ok and the game felt just fine, but in the back of my mind it irked me a little...

The final analysis? Go out and purchase Disposable Heroes: Coffin for 7 Brothers! The game is crisp and realistic. Additionally, the game is very easily "tweaked" if you want to slightly change a value. I for one did not find a need to although I might in the future. I liked it so much I bought the modern supplement and the Vietnam supplement, and i have plans to purchase Angriff, Urrah, and Go Forward Together. My biggest issue is that I don't have enough guys painted to field a full platoon for WWII or Modern yet. But that will come in time! What a great game. Huzzah!

Disposable Heroes First Game!

2012-02-10T20:20:00.000-08:00

I played a quick game of Disposable Heroes / Coffin for Seven Brothers this evening on Game Night. It was the first time I got to take my 1:72 WWII guys out for a spin and I have to admit I had fun.

While I am still a little choppy with the DH rules, I will say one thing – playing a skirmish game is altogether different than playing a platoon-based game.

Right off the bat, I’ll warn the faint of heart – Disposable Heroes is not a game for those with weak constitutions. Bad tactics are paid for in blood and plastic. Good tactics are rewarded with a modicum of battlefield success. What a bloody mess this was!

Scenario pitted a German platoon with an attached Stug III tasked with seizing a road junction occupied by a very understrength American platoon. The Americans occupied the houses around the junction and hoped for the best. There were no crew-served weapons save for the on-board MG on the Stug and an American BAR team with a gorgeous field of fire in a stone house.

Waiting for Jerry...

BAR Gunner scans his field of fire

Platoon Command Group waits in the woods

Outrageously, the American platoon leader SHOT THE GERMAN PLATOON LEADER on the second turn…. This didn’t bode well for the Germans. It was poetic justice for the entire command group almost being waxed in their command post next to the junction. I need a bigger table…

The BAR team also scored impressive hits on the Germans right as they crossed their own line of departure and began the attack.

Germans advancing

Attempting to flank the American left...crossing a linear danger area. the yellow bead indicates their movement is complete.

Americans making short work of the moving Germans...

fighting back!

Once the STUG finally acquired the team in the house though, they were toast. Those MGs really hurt.

The Germans attempted to flank the American left and were thrown back with 4 casualties. Back to the drawing board for Fritz.

Germans taking cover.

platoon leader is killed - one of the first casualties of the battle...

STUG advancing!

Americans firing shortly before close-assaulting the STUG

Germans throw an all-out gamble to flank the American position

But the STUG is blown up after a successful close assault. Game over Jerry!

Meanwhile the American platoon leader dashed across the road and took up position in the house to direct the battle from there, comfortably ensconced behind the -4 ACC cover! (meaning it takes rolling a 1 on a D10 to hit him!) The American squad guarding the left occupied the woods to their front to try and take out that Stug as it passed by. Fat chance – the Stug took 3 turns to acquire the Americans in the house, it wasn’t moving! Long story short, the Americans assaulted the Stug and not only immobilized it, but the “sticky bomb” placed on the hull resulted in a catastrophic kill for the Stug and it brewed up.

Game over for the Germans. The Americans held the junction with the loss of their BAR team and most of the platoon HQs (platoon sergeant, radio man, and a rifleman runner).

I have some thoughts on Disposable Heroes so far. I like it. I found out towards the end of the match that good tactics are rewarded.

LESSONS LEARNED:

FLANK THEM! Flanking the enemy should be accomplished wherever and whenever possible.

SUPPORT SYSTEMS: I completely understand why we have SAWs in our modern forces (squad automatic weapons) and I completely understand why we have light machine guns in our platoons. If only I would have had them painted up for tonight! The advances would have been a lot easier going against suppressed troops.

COVERING FIRE! Moving forward with out the cover of smoke or a belt-fed or crew served weapon to suppress the enemy is a bad idea. Advancing up to the enemy’s kill zone ends badly in this game.

ANTI TANK: You should spend the extra points for AT weapons if you know you’ll be facing tanks.

Okay time for some critiques – there are lots of “little” rules in DH that I learned as I was playing. Too many to remember for the first time (like using a semi auto weapon system – it allows you to move 6” and not pay a penalty when firing) the rules made the game choppy but I imagine that corrects itself with time.

I’m not sure I’m getting the acquisition rules for guns on vehicles completely. I understand it’s hard to hit infantry in cover and concealment but is it really that hard to hit a house with a tank gun? Am I missing the point?

All in all I had a fun time. I am looking forward to doing a few more games and then moving up to the Vietnam and Modern Supplements I purchased.

US 57mm Anti Tank Gun

2012-02-09T16:04:00.000-08:00

In an effort to save some money I thought I would try and build an Anti Tank Gun. What's the logic? Well consider I might play 2 to 3 scenarios per year with it, there aren't many good hobby shops with model kits around me, and frankly I just wanted the challenge.

I have to say it went pretty well building it , and it turned out almost exactly like I thought it would - save for one minor detail - it's too big! Anti Tank guns are built to be manhandled and this behemoth is definitely not as "portable" as its real-life cousin.

Still though, it will make a nice addition to my US Forces once it's painted.

Next project is a PAK 40. Enjoy. Now back to painting more French Fusiliers!

Can't wait until it is painted.

I wonder if General Dean is satisfied with their position?

I'd have to call this thing at least 1:76 or maybe even 1:87. Note how he towers over the poor 15mm guys in the background...

Note how the gunner almost has to squat his body down to receive the benevolent cover

Huzzah!

Sick Day - Reorganization

2012-02-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

Stayed home from work today due to being sick. You might think that an amazing opportunity to get some painting done and you would be right if not for the fact that my head hurt so bad I wanted to spare my eyeballs the extra pain.

So I just relaxed the eyes today and didn't do any painting. That being said, I did do some thinking about what's coming up next as I wrap up certain projects that were started months ago. There has been some considerable progress from summer until now and the projects from Christmas are wrapping up as well.

Also consider that the entire point of all these projects is to play games! Somehow that thought escapes me from time to time.

So what's on the horizon? Games for one thing. And here is a list of games coming up:

1. Guns of Liberty: The Battle of Hubbardton

2. Disposable Heroes: SS Panzer "wave of terror" scenario

3. Blitzkrieg Commander: Germans in the Woods scenario

4. Crossfire "Bloody 110th" Scenario (Bulge)

5. Modern Disposable Heroes: Samarra Town Center scenario

6. Blitzkrieg Commander/GHQ/Spearhead rules playing Charles Grant's "Positional Defense #2" Scenario from his book. (more than likely will be Blitzkrieg Commander rules set) 1 Soviet Battalion pitted against a German Kampfgruppe.

7. 6mm ACW Volley &Bayonet: "Holding Action #1" from Charles Grant's wargame scenarios booklet

8. Warmaster Scenario with added regiments, cavalry, artillery, and goblins.

More than likely I'll roll a 1D8 to determine what game I play when I'm ready to play one but these are the priorities I'd most like see soon.

PROJECTS LIST (Stuff Coming Up Next)

Well the German WWII Crossfire Company is complete and that is a big load off my mind. Now a few more stands of US WWII Crossfire and I can start the British Airborne, US Airborne, and German SS units for Market Garden Crossfire in 15mm!

I am ready to start about 10 more Modern US, WWII US, WWII German, and Muhj forces for Disposable Heroes Skirmish. About 40 additional troops in all - piece of cake in 1:72! I also want to start a few experimental 1:72 Soviets for Disposable Heroes as well.

The Nappy Project is underway. I am working on my first French Fusilier Brigade. Not sure which battle I will fight (will research that this evening). Also - how the heck do I work individual Battalions into Age of Eagles???

If I learned one thing from my Halloween Warmaster game, it's that I know that I want to play more Warmaster! In this case, I need to work on my Orc and Goblin forces basing lizard riders, painting "black orcs" and I want to model some additional empire regiments like men from Bretonnia and other parts of the empire. I want to play another battle soon.

I also want to play a Vietnam Disposable Heroes game, as well as a Vietnam Crossfire game using Charles Grant scenarios.

Don't forget about my ACW project either. I still need some more Union and Rebel Brigades for my SUMMER OF FURY! (I just coined that...An entire summer of Fire & Fury coming up in May!) I don't anticipate painting any ACW troops until at least APril when I have some Nappy units complete, enough WWII guys to make me happy, and some games under my belt.

PROCUREMENT:

IMEX Mexicans for US War of 1812
IMEX Alamo Defenders for Militia units

15mm 251/1 Halftracks
15mm M4 Sherman
15mm Panther A
15mm Soviet Scouts

1:72 Scale Soviet Scouts
1:72 Caesar Orcs and Skeletons (more)
1:72 100 Years War Infantry (plastic)

This blog post turned out to be way bigger than I had thought. If you made it this far, thanks for reading! Tune in tomorrow to see pics of my home-made US 57mm Anti-Tank gun!!! (seriously, I made one from scratch).

Huzzah! *cough cough*

Disposable Heroes: WWII Americans

2012-02-02T16:10:00.000-08:00

Bloody Yanks. Dog-faces. GI's. The American Soldier in WWII had many monikers and Caesar miniatures captures all of those perfectly!
Here is a small sampling of my first batch of American troops from WWII based for Disposable Heroes, the popular skirmish game from Iron Ivan Games.

These troops are painted as belonging to the US Army's 4th Infantry Division (Steadfast & Loyal) who stormed Utah Beach on D-Day. (the Ivy Division will always hold a special place in my heart as they were the unit I always seemed to serve either with or alongside in Iraq)

I am planning on playing a small skirmish this weekend with the forces I have. Should be fun. I'll try a few attack scenarios out for US and German troops. Pictures to follow.

Meanwhile, enjoy the pics. I think they look better than the Germans I posted last night. Huzzah!

BAR Team minus some riflemen

Platoon Command Team Platoon Leader and Platoon Sergeant

Platoon Leader decides the next move...

Supporting the advance!

Fireteam

The Soldier marching is one of my favorites - great detail!

Thompson Gunner

The squad bursts into action

Just painted the helmet markings for the PL and PSG....

I barely have enough troops for a rifle team and a BAR team along with the platoon command team minus the RTO (radio telephone operator). Need to work up another American squad along with a radio-man for the Platoon Leader. With the Germans I need to finish some MG34/42 teams. We'll see how well the Armourfast troops paint up!

Disposable Heroes: Germans

2012-02-01T19:27:00.000-08:00

Finally finished a batch of WWII Germans for Disposable Heroes. They are based on Warhammer 40k 25mm round bases. Figures are Caesar 1:72 German Panzer Grenadiers and I think they turned out OK. I finally tried a German Camo scheme that works somewhat ok. (it's actually a Fallschirmjaeger scheme that morphed into something else).

They aren't going to win any awards, but they are ready for action now! Enjoy. Huzzah!

(WWII Americans are tomorrow. Followed by American and German 15mm's for Crossfire. Almost done with both Companies!)

Caesar German PanzerGrenadier

More PanzerGrenadiers

Grenadiers in action!

Engaging the enemy.

Germans...

Officer and Platoon Sergeant

Platoon Command Group

Posing for a picture.

Advancing! "Dachshund" Sieg an allen fronten!!!

Upcoming Projects

2012-01-27T11:05:00.000-08:00

Requiem for 6mm...or not?
Maybe I was a bit rash when I said 6mm was dead... last night I had a few completed 6mm regiments of ACW infantry from adler and baccus sitting around. One thing invariably led to another and I started ripping them OFF their bases and affixing them to Volley & Bayonet "Brigade" sized bases to make a complete V&B Division and supporting Corps Artillery. Looks pretty neat and I am going to add grass, rocks, fences, and some other accoutrements to the stands to make them look even better. *SIGH* it's the Gamer ADD setting in once again!

Disposable Heroes: WWII / Modern
That being said, the other projects on the list have not disappeared either. Right now I am almost finished with the first couple German and American squads for my Disposable Heroes skirmish units and plan on fielding an American, German, Russian, Fallschirmjager, and eventually British and Japanese platoon.
I am going to start a series of quick and brutal skirmish actions to get a better grasp of Disposable Heroes by slowly integrating vehicles and bigger support weapons into the mix.

15mm WWII Crossfire
I am always fighting the good fight with my Crossfire minis. Having completed the Russian Rifle Company, I am almost finished with the American and German Companies as well and as soon as those 2 companies are ready, I'll be able to finally game a good battle with those minis. I am also going to use them for BKC and GHQ's rules as well.

20mm Peninsular Napoleonics
I have finally started my 20mm Nappies project. 1 Soldier finished....about 400 more to go!

Snappy Nappies

2012-01-26T10:21:00.000-08:00

Finally got around to painting a HaT French Fusilier. I think he came out pretty well considering I was using crappy brushes and had bad lighting. Anyone who knows me, knows my ultimate objective is to have decent or nice looking troops but the overall goal is to "get them in the field!" This is the opening shots of my Peninsular Project. I am going to base a bunch of units for Age of Eagles and hopefully play a few segments of Talavera or Salamanca. Then once I do that, I'll play a whole, damn battle in Volley & Bayonet! Huzzah!

This was my first go at a French Soldier. Note the furniture on the musket - paint had already started to chip off. I thought I'd get lucky but all of his battle-buddies received a bath prior to prepping.

Unfortunately, with modern HD cameras you can see all of the imperfections (or my imperfections are just that noticeable!) but all in all he looks pretty good I think. Note the chevrons on his arms and decoration on cuffs.

Needed an osprey book or better reference for his kit. It didn't look like the Fusiliers had any ornaments on their cartridge box on the HaT packaging. Just the light infantry and grenadiers. By the way, the detail on these HaT guys is extraordinary!

Here he is marching off to find dinner.

The officer and a Fusilier next to our corporal. It's going to be a long campaign!

Favorites (if anyone cares)

2012-01-25T09:26:00.000-08:00

This seems to be all the rage this week on blogger (and last 2 weeks as well) and I used to enjoy doing these personality surveys back in the late 90s so here goes.

I enjoy reading what people are talking about in regards to their hobbies and leisure and I'm sure that if you're on here reading my blog, then there's a chance you feel similar! Here is some insight into my favorite periods, rules, miniatures, and games.

Periods -
There are so many periods to mention so where does one begin? Look at the right side of my blog under Wargame Rules and Genres if you want a quick introduction. Certainly modern mechanized warfare in the 20th century started off this passion for gaming so that encompasses anything from the early 1920's up to and through today. I suppose that means WWII, and modern wars being 1946 and onwards to include ground, naval, and air. I branched out from that period due to my intense love and fascination with the American Civil War and American Revolution and have robust forces to game engagements in both of those wars. The Horse and Musket era from early 1700s up to the Franco-Prussian War with the Seven Years War and the Napoleonic Wars being my most intensely read-about periods lately, after the ACW and AWI. In college, my concentration was Colonial American History if that gives you any indication on the sheer amount of reading and writing I've done in regards to the AWI.

I also enjoy dabbling into fantasy and sci-fi with the Warmaster and EPIC: Space Marine in there somewhere although I am not a huge fan of their current line of games and minis, though Warmaster, Epic, Milton Bradley/GW's Heroquest and Battlemaster were excellent and elegant games.

Rules -

To understand my rules selections I think you have to understand that I first started my gaming career out as a Board Wargamer, playing Avalon Hill's NATO: The Next War in Europe which is an operational level game of war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact over Germany. I fell in love with basic Squad Leader and PanzerBlitz and both boxes could have been found on my bookshelf at any time in my life from 1996 onwards up to and including today. Rules for board wargames, strategic, operational, and tactical have definitely shaped my ideas of battle and warfare and what rules "ought" to include. Namely the feel of the rules and the manners in which they portray problems faced by commanders. With that in mind, here is a quick list.

Horse & Musket Rules I love Volley and Bayonet and am convinced there is not a more solid rules set out there to teach basic military fundamental principles.

Tactical AWI Engagements I very much like Guns of Liberty and feel it is the most accurate at reflecting both AWI casualties and tactical problems.

ACW I still love Brigade Fire & Fury. I would say if you're a die-hard "simulation" guy however, you should purchase Johnny Reb III. Fire & Fury makes me feel like an ACW General Officer. JOhnny Reb III just depresses me with its overwhelming casualty rates and the difficulty of carrying a position...any position.

While I have not played a truly "napoleonic" rule set yet, I have played napoleonic battles with Volley and Bayonet and find that rule set satisfying so far. I own Age of Eagles and am painting up forces for it.

For WWII there are a ton of rules I own and play - GHQ's WWII MicroArmor I still play. I play Pete Jones' excellent Blitzkrieg Commander and ColdWar Commander, I play Arty Conliffe's Crossfire WWII and modern, and have just purchased Disposable Heroes along with their modern and vietnam supplement.

Figures -
My WWII and modern microarmor is probably measured in tons and not by vehicle. I think I have more tiger tanks than the entire third reich did! All of my microarmor is GHQ. I don't like how other manufacturers are not as compatible with GHQ and I love the detail of GHQ's stuff.

Most of my ACW and AWI troops are Musket Miniatures or Old Glory 15mm you cannot beat their value in my opinion. I am not looking to win any contests or pageants. I simply want nice looking troops that can hit the field and deliver the volleys of sixes I need!! For WWII, most of my 15mm are Old Glory, Flames of War (battlefront) with a few peter pig mixed in as well. All of my moderns are plastic 1:72

In the skirmish realm and fantasy realm, most of my troops are Caesar 1:72, Armourfast 1:72, Orion, Ykreol, IMEX, Italeri, ESCI, and Revell, although if you follow HO scale plastics, you already knew that since those are primary brands out there.

My horse and musket 6mm troops are all baccus or adler. (I own my bodyweight in adler ACW, AWI, and SYW.

If anyone is interested in purchasing by the way, I am selling them for a very very insanely cheap price.

Influences -

I would have to say over the years that I have been influenced at first by the excellent TV programs "Fields of Armor" "Firepower" WWII GI Diary and World of Valor on the Discovery channel when I was a kid. When other friends were going out, I was staying in on Thursday and Friday nights to watch those programs. I had friends who played battletech, Epic Space Marine, 40k, Warhammer, and of course Heroquest and Battlemasters which I loved. All of that ensured my continued interest in modern wargaming. It was a natural evolution that I eventually played historical miniatures.

Literally the first day of my assignment as a brand new US Army 2nd Lieutentant of Field Artillery, I met my best friend and perhaps most talented painter, researcher, organizer, reenactor, and hobbyist I have ever known. We both were assigned to the same brigade, battalion, and battery on the same day and spent alot of time waiting around. Conversation turned to our hobbies and Dave F and I have been great friends ever since. Dave's passion for history is inspiring and I have to say without a doubt he is the biggest influence on my hobby decisions ever since. (arguably since my wife has power of the purse....) I dont know if I've ever met anyone with a greater knowledge of the experience of Soldiers, their kit their tools, or their tribulations and experiences than Dave.

Books -
Wow - too many to mention. Ketchum's books on the AWI are extremely important works and inspiring both for research and for historical miniature gaming. If you have rules questions, you can almost always refer to one of his books for a definitive answer on AWI combat. My favorite is Saratoga, however Decisive Day comes in a close second. Hugh Bichenko's Gettysburg is the most definitive literary recreation of that battle and ANY person who has an interest in the battle should own it simply for its excellent maps, charts, figures, methodology in breaking down events and for his candor in describing the faults of both armies. Ward's The War of the Revolution is also worth mentioning for AWI as well. Excellent description of the Armies and decisions by both sides. For WWII Norm McDonald's Company Commander is a first-rate description, and equally inspiring for the German side is Guy Sajer's "The Forgotten Soldier" which ranks among my favorite books ever. Patton's War as I knew It is a decent book. As far as modern books are concerned, Read Certain Victory, if you want a good solid and concise history of Desert Storm. Steel My Soldiers Hearts for Vietnam .My all-time favorites are Anton Myrer's Once an Eagle, Ralph Peters' Red Army, Harold Coyle's Team Yankee, and Larry Bond's very interesting books about modern wars in Europe and Africa. Vortex and Cauldron I think. Who can argue that Mark Bowden's "Black Hawk Down" is a good inspiration for hobbying, although with my own experiences in Iraq for over 3 years, I shy away from the movie now...

Movies -

Waterloo (thanks Dave), Barry Lyndon (just the first hour lol - the rest is all blah blah blah) The Bridge at Remagen, A Bridge Too Far, Patton, Glory, Courage Under Fire, Red Dawn, Lord of the Rings, Stalingrad, Platoon, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers Series, Flags of Our Fathers and I dont know why Im mentioning it but I love the ACW massive Combat scene over the bridge in the end of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

Happy gaming everyone. This list is by no means definitive but I'm waiting for the "roadside assistance" people to come and jump-start my car!!!!!

WWII 15mm German Camouflage Experiment

2012-01-20T13:08:00.000-08:00

Since this worked pretty well on my 20mm guys I thought I would try the same concept out on my 15mm troops.

I am still working on a 15mm German Rifle Company for Crossfire and have some great Old Glory troops with helmet covers as well as smocks (zeltbahns? can't be sure I'm not that good at identifying and too lazy to go google it right now) to model it for us.

I used the colors in the Flames of War paint guide for German Fallschirmjaegers. While I am not painting Fallschirmjaegers, I thought the finished product from the FOW site looked pretty good so I went with it.
Why not use the SS Pea Dot pattern you ask? Well I tried it and I keep bungling it up. Plus I think it's too dark. I want to experiment with the reversible smocks as well and see if I can get that cool "dark green on light green" amoeba thing like the Germans had.

Fig in the forefront is an Old Glory 15mm PanzerGrenadier I think. The plant he stuck in his helmet is a nice touch.

I modeled them next to troops in the standard uniform so you can see the difference. It's subtle but a nice effect.

Squad advancing.

Flank shot.

Bear in mind that this stand isn't ready just yet. I need to redo the basework with some grass, rocks, etc. Obviously there is still some kit I need to paint and need to finish the boots as well but I wanted to get something out there!

I suppose since I mentioned them you will want to see my 20mm WWII guys as well? Well don't fret! I am starting the finishing touches on my Disposable Hero squads this evening. I will have them out tomorrow. 1 step closer to finally playing that BKC Battle of the Bulge game!

Huzzah!

Golan Heights 1973 CWC Battle Report

2012-01-18T11:48:00.000-08:00

Recently fired up my external hard-drive and found this gem - a Cold War Commander battle featuring some of my GHQ micro armor that is currently in storage.

Scenario had 2 Syrian Tank Battalions (T62) and a mechanized infantry battalion (BMP-1) squaring off against an Israeli Armored Company Team and a Mechanized Infantry Company Team in Shot Centurions and M113s. In the way of support, the Israelis fielded 2 sorties of A4 skyhawks and a Battery of Self Propelled 155mm Artillery. The Syrians had 1 Battalion of 122mm Artillery and no air cover.

Right from the start, the Syrians rolled a command blunder and a T62 Battalion foundered at the line of departure without moving. Their objective was a small ridgeline and outpost on the opposite side of the table.

Syrian LD - 2 tank battalions forward and a mechanized infantry battalion behind

racing through the valley! Syrian lead elements of the 1st Tank Battalion appear in Israeli gunsights!

Israeli infantry team on the ridge!

Israeli tanks in position

Syrian Artillery was able to claim some casualties in the initial pre-registered bombardment but no armor had yet been knocked out. From the directions the Syrians would come, they would have to cross a kill-sac of Israeli Armor, artillery, and infantry ATGM fire.

Initial positions. The Israeli Armor Team on the upper left is clearly visible and the Infantry team lower left has pulled off the ridge

Proud legions of T62s advance!

Israeli gunnery was superb, knocking out at least 1 to 2 platoons of Armor per turn. The A4 sorties didn't hurt either and attrited the advancing Syrians as well, only losing 1 shot down to accurate 57mm AA fire.

Casualties were high in the tank battalions.

The battle unfolds.

Casualties in the 1st Tank Battalion

Israeli infantry back on the ridge and have lost a tank platoon

Syrians attempting an all-out drive towards the ridge ending in disaster

The original Syrian plan had been to launch an all-out assault on the ridgeline where the Israeli infantry was located. The assault would occur with 2 Battalions abreast, 1 Infantry Battalion and 1 Armor Battalion. In the end however, the turning movement of the Battalions from their start-point (which was diced for) proved disastrous and also disrupted the Syrian plan. Instead of offering his flanks to the Israeli Armor, the Syrian Commander turned towards the Israeli Armor, with his BMPs moving in to attempt to dismount on the ridge and close assault the Armored defensive positions.

The end of the battle - the mech infantry battalion of BMPs is visible in the upper right, shattered by Israeli gunnery.

A view of the 1st Syrian Tank Bn and mechanized infantry as it advances towards contact.

The battle turned into a knife fight with the Israelis not losing a single Armored platoon in the Armor Company position, and losing only 1 Centurion platoon at the Infantry position. I apologize there isn't better detail, however it was quite awhile ago!

In hindsight, the Syrians were doomed from the start given their jumping off point. A flanking move against the Armored company would have been the preferred method with 1 Battalion shielding the other from the Israeli gunners and moving to flank the ridgeline, then clear it for good by flanking the Infantry.

LESSONS LEARNED:
Use the terrain! As obvious as this sounds, remember the old adage "if you can be seen, you can be hit. if you can be hit, you can be killed" this is as old as warfare itself and holds true in modern times. The modern battlefield is a very nasty place. Small ridge-lines and outcroppings that can shield armor should be utilized at all costs. Imagine if a tank battalion would have emerged on the flank of the tank company. Some intelligence maneuvering would have ensured the Syrians lasted a little longer than they did. It was an arrogant advance and they paid for it in blood!

Dismount infantry at the right time. The Syrian infantry died in their carriers. To quote Patton "what a waste of damned fine infantry". They could have been postured for a close assault with their armoured support, lending 2 times as many targets to kill. It would ahve overwhelmed the Israelis and is a sore spot to this day with me!

Purchase AAA. I can't stress it enough and it's worth the points. The Syrian self propelled 57s were perfect and did their jobs well, knocking out 1 A4 on a gun-run. Points well spent.

Give them the tools! Ensure your infantry or infantry teams have appropriate anti-armor capabilities. I like cross-leveling a tank platoon or 2 with my infantry and I always equip them with some sort of upgrades! Never a bad call.

Reserves. Once again this topic creeps its way into my AARs. Always plan for having reserves. I could argue the Syrian infantry was in a reserve role but that wasn't part of the plan. THey advanced behind the Armor more out of self-preservation than out of good planning. The Israelis gambled alot on what they had on the line. Imagine if the Syrian armor attack on their flank had materialized. Their 4 or 5 Shots would have been used up very quickly in overrun attacks.

As always, CWC is a joy to play and the results are satisfying. While this battle was historically accurate (even for a fictional scenario), the results were in doubt for awhile and made for excellent gaming. I like CWC's command blunders. After serving myself, I can tell you there are thousands of issues (Clausewitz called it "friction") that creep into missions and cannot be planned for and can hold up military movement. Additionally, the way CWC handles supporting arms is elegant in my opinion. PLayers are more apt to use all of the tools at their disposal than with other games and CWC pays off for using good tactics.

My inspiration for this scenario was "The Heights of Courage" by Avigdor Kahalani in which he describes a desperate action against relentless odds. One of my favorite books!

Next Projects...

2012-01-14T21:02:00.000-08:00

Happy to report the Hubbardton Battle project is complete! With all Regiments painted, based, flocked, and ready for action! I will play the Battle of Hubbardton using Guns of Liberty as my rules of choice for that engagement.

That being said, it's time to look forward to the next batch of projects! After analyzing 4 potential new "Horse & Musket" Projects, I decided with Dave F's help, to finally start my Napoleonic Project. I'm going to build a large Napoleonic Force to game either Salamanca or Talavera, with a few smaller battles in Portugal in between.

This came as a result of tough deliberation - especially with the scale size choice. I'm going to resurrect my 10mm Napoleonics and repaint many of them. They are a conglomeration of GHQ and Old Glory 10mm. While the GHQ are more difficult to paint, the Old Glory guys are a joy to paint and frankly they paint up very quickly. I am very much looking forward to putting these guys in the field. I also have quite a few officers and artillery supporting them. I also need to start painting up the cavalry as well...

The French Army assembled! 4 Age of Eagles Brigades arrayed for Battle.

British Brigade takes position in a field behind a low stone wall waiting for the French advance - note the field battery in support!

Additionally there are some more projects that bear mention. I am still working the World War II Crossfire Project. With the Soviet Rifle Company complete, I am moving on with the US Rifle Company and the Germany Company. The German Company should be interesting as I am experimenting with different types of camoflauge. The German Company is 15mm and that also brings me to my 20 mm Project! While the 15mm guys are being based for Crossfire and my other favorite WWII rules (BKC, GHQ, etc), my 20mm guys are being individually based for Disposable Heroes!

I aslo have a large amount of 20mm moderns for Disposable Heroes' modern supplement "Seek Out, Close With, and Destroy" (which arrived in the mail today!) I have a bunch of modern troops from various campaigns to include modern brits, french, chinese, russians, muhj fighters, chechen rebels, and of course us infantry.

My moderns project include modern crossfire, and soon? the Disposable Heroes modern variant.

And finally, to highlight the next in a series of projects I want to start (re-start actually) are my 20mm warmaster project. After Rattenkrieg's Demise, the empire has seen fit to send additional regiments north and hunt down the orc menace before it makes it any farther south. It is rumored they have taken long trains of artillery with them as well as the knights panther....

Should be an interesting year...

The Brandywine, 1777 After Action Report

2012-01-12T10:07:00.000-08:00

Played my largest Volley & Bayonet action today with the Brandywine scenario in the Volley & Bayonet rule book! I have a few observations from the game. While the victors are predictable, there are some observations as well as shockers that took place during the game I'd like to cover.

First of all, here is the battlefield (played in centimeters instead of inches)

Facing North. Dilworth is visible on the right of the table. There are 4 major fords over the Brandywine Creek which runs North to South. While you can't see the hills well, Chadd's Ford dominates the southern-most ford, followed by Brinton's Ford to the North, Jones' Ford, and Wistar's Ford to the north of that. The objective for the British is two-fold with an over-arching strategic goal:

The British Objectives

Capture a road to Dilworth leading across the Brandywine

Capture Dilworth

Destroy the Continental Army

The Continental Objectives

Defend Dilworth

Defend the roads from Dilworth leading to a ford.

Looking at the map and taking into consideration the objectives, the game seems almost impossible for the Continentals to win. Historically, they were defending the fords when Howe flanked them operationally and appeared on Washington's flank with an entire, powerful force. The rules reflect this situation by forcing the Continentals to set up defending the fords.

I placed my most powerful divisions with Artillery support against the fords in stationary positions with a small infantry reserve commanded by Washington himself.

The British moved first with Cornwallis' Wing and Howe striking south for Dilworth and Knyphausen's Wing attempting river crossings in force at each of the ford positions. By the way, the rules for fording are excellent. I could only assault with 1 Regiment at a time and they could only move 1/2. This made for some excitement and the outcome of the crossing operations were always in question - just like in real life!

Guards Battalions advancing! Howe is personally leading them into battle. Note the Hessians under Von Donop on the road behind the house.

The first Brigade cannot cross! No movement left this turn to complete the crossing. Troops from Greene's Division watch on.

The Second Brigade crosses, makes contact and disorders itself automatically.

The Reserve Brigade (actually highlanders but I have no highlander units modeled! Old Glory line troops will have to do! Pictured here are troops from the famous 42nd Highland Infantry and the 91st Highland Infantry.

The Hessian Brigade - they would have a bad time the entire battle

The river crossing operation, speaking from the standpoint of the headquarters was a mixed bag. 2nd Brigade was successful, 1st Brigade was not. The Highland Brigade was successful and the Hessians, while they were able to get into the ford, were not able to press home the attack against stationary Continental Artillery and troops from Stirling's Jersey Division. They would break 2 Regiments against Stirling's position and reach exhaustion quickly.

Immediately Washington moves Stephens and Wayne's Division north to meet Cornwallis' wing on the hills Northwest of Dilworth. It seems like an avalanche is bearing down on the Continental flank.

Meanwhile the crossing operations turn into a slug-fest. First Brigade finally manages to cross and slugs it out with Sullivan and Green's Divisions on the shore of the Brandywine defending Wistar and Jones' Fords. The Highland unit start to slice through at Brinton's ford and are quickly counter-attacked by elements of Stirling's Division in Reserve. Meanwhile the Hessian Division at Chadd's Ford routs and exhausts itself. Chadd's Ford was an impregnable fortress that I am not sure even the Highland units could have fought through in this game...

At that moment the lightbulb clicked in my head as well. Given the victory conditions in the game, the Continentals had already lost. Sure they were holding their own in tactical engagements, but the lack of maneuvering meant they would most likely die in place. The British wanted them to fight! And there were no victory points for exhausting British units, only Americans, most of whom were teetering dangerously close to exhaustion. Additionally, the rules are strict - each player has only 7 turns to accomplish his plan.

Decision time! As General Washington, do you pull back from the river and risk getting cut to pieces during a retrograde? (remember the militia rule in Volley and Bayonet! Non-regulars do NOT get a free facing change as this battle occurs before Von Stueben's reforms take effect). So each facing change costs half your movement. You don't ahve much time to effect a fighting withdrawal towards Dilworth at this point.

Your other course of action is to fight your way through Knyphausen's Wing and cross the Brandywine yourself, opening up a seam to retreat units through, or die trying! The British sealed off the road north and the rules stipulate you can exit as many units off of the western edge as you like (which also happen to be the British starting point so its crawling with them). You don't lose any points for retreating divisions off the map. At this point though, most of my units are decisively engaged. The only plan I could execute was to hold off the British from Dilworth - talk about do or die!

Speaking of die (dice) you won't believe what happens either. While the Hessians are essentially sitting there staring at Stirling (sitzkrieg lol) at Chadd's Ford, The Continentals launch a limited assault with Stephen's Virginians and Wayne's Division. While Wayne breaks himself against the Hessians, he does rout 1 Hessian Regiment but what happened next is beyond belief! Cornwallis' Wing attempting to push the Continentals off the slope loses each melee and 1 Guards Battalion, as well as 2 Grenadier Battalions suffer a hit. (they only get 2 hits before evaporating).

Washington, in personal command of Stephen's Division, then moves them out of the woods and they attack the Grenadiers and the Guards northwest of Dilworth in the open. I couldn't believe my eyes - they destroy a Guards Battalion, and 2 Grenadier Battalions. While this was extremely lucky dice rolling, (especially in 1777) I was astounded with the results. If the Americans had 1 more or 2 more turns, they might have occupied the northernmost road towards Dilworth, despite British Breakthroughs by the Highland units in the South.

The end of turn 7 still finds the British in command of Wistar's Ford with artillery moved over to the Eastern bank, protecting the Bridgehead. Knyphausen's wing has linked up with Cornwallis' Wing in the North and the British now present a solid line against the Continental force.

BRIDGEHEAD! Elements of 1st and 2nd Brigade link up as the Royal Artillery deploys its battery to cover Wistar's Ford.

Additionally, Greene's Division collapses and 2 more divisions reach exhaustion on the Continental side, 1 point short of the 5 needed for a "tactical victory"

The Continental units attempt to attack the Hessians at Chadd's Ford and lose the close combat... Washington's only hope is to escape South with his forces. His small tactical victory on the Hills northwest of Dilworth may have enabled him to do that.

LESSONS LEARNED

There's always a take-away when you play Volley & Bayonet! Here is a quick run-down of what I learned from the Brandywine Scenario:

Mission Objectives: Stay within the parameters of your objectives. Order your units into action based on those orders. What a simple and obvious lesson but in this scenario, the objectives are subtle and not black and white. While it's tempting to hold the British at bay and hold onto real estate, the clock is ticking! In this instance, it was feasible for the American player to preserve his combat power and exit units off the map instead of standing up and exchanging blows with the British.

Ground Scale: Proper analysis is required when playing at a condensed ground scale. I think the time constraints should have been adjusted for changing the ground scale to centimeters. Simply swapping 1:1 doesn't work. Since the map was altered, the turn sequence should have been altered as well as the distances change when the ground scale changes.

River Crossing Operations: If possible, when conducting a river crossing, use artillery to blanket the troops opposing you on the other side. If none is available and you still have to cross, try and use "elite" troops when crossing the obstacle. Remember to time movement correctly - units lose 1/2 their movement during fording operations and you can only squeeze 1 unit across per turn. In the British case, there were 4 different spots at which to force a crossing. Had there been only 1 or 2 the result could have been different. The Artillery was the celebrated arm in this case because it did a great job of inflicting damage on crossing units as they were making their attempt, during their morale checks, and during melee. At least on the continental side, artillery saved the day.

Elite Units Take Casualties! For some reason, I think players (at least myself) tend to use elite units more often as a spearhead of an attack or the bulwark of a defense. Unfortunately when playing at the Regimental Scale, even elite units only have 2 strength points. THey bleed quick and if you happen to roll badly, you can lose them. Conserve elite forces and include them in reserve if you have more than 1 unit.

"Economy of Force Operations" With the Artillery and 2 Regiments pinning an entire Hessian Brigade down at Chadd's Ford, there was no reason for Stirling's 2 other Regiments to sit still on the hilltop. While it could be argued that they were a reserve force, and indeed Chadd's Ford was initially a Continental main effort, I think once the northern attack was discovered, they could have easily switched out with a much smaller division and held the Hessians off for just as long. There simply wasn't a need to committ as many troops to guarding the ford as were present. They could have b een used elsewhere along the line to either shore up another ford's defense or moved to the hills Northwest of Dilworth to defend against Cornwallis.

"Try a Spoiling Attack" There really was only 1 direction for Cornwallis' wing to go - South towards Dilworth. With the limited number of turns, the British only had a set amount of time to reach their objective. I picture the light infantry literally running through the woods to get there. While Washington's spoiling attack was overwhelmingly successful in terms of what was gained over what was lost (the continentals lost 1 strength point from a state line regiment, the brits lost 2 Grenadier Battalions and a Guards Battalion...) it was borne out of a quick necessity rather than a planned endeavor. Spoiling attacks in Volley & Bayonet upset the enemy's timetable and enable your own troops to get into position. (maybe I could have used skirmish troops instead?)

So that is it. While it was arguable a British victory, I am not quite sure. There was still alot of combat power on the hills northwest of Dilworth - certainly enough to launch a small counterattack and hold a road junction or 2. That being said there was also alot more British units around those hills - enough to stabilize the front and continue south, and the light battalion was occupying Dilworth as the game ended. I give this one to the Brits, but it was a close run affair.

"YOU WILL NOT...DEFEAT...HESSIANS"

2012-01-11T11:39:00.000-08:00

Finally completed my Hessian (actually Brunswicker) Regiment for my Hubbardton Scenario. If you recall your history, Baron Von Riedesel marches with his Dragoons from their encampment to flank the Americans at Hubbardton, rendering their position untenable. The last thing the Americans hear is German singing. There's something to be said of their discipline as well - having gone to college in Vermont, I can tell you I wouldn't want to be marching around in those iron-shod riding boots they went to war in.

They are the last of my units for the Hubbardton project! (Be sure to watch the video at the bottom)

While their glue is not dry, and the bases are not finished, I wanted to take some pictures and the pictures turned out pretty nicely! Huzzah!

Hessian Dragoons cleverly disguised as Fusiliers from Musket Miniatures

The Fusilier Battalion in march column,

The glue is still wet!

Color officer. How did a minifigs guy get in there!!!

Hessian left flank.

The reader will excuse the lack of colors! Have to print the flag out.

Marching to war singing a rousing German marching song.

Watch for a classic General Gates' rant from the classic movie "The Crossing" starting at minute 3.

I completed a foot-slogging Baron (Major General) Von Riedesel but will showcase him when I complete Brigadier General Fraser. That is enough AWI for one day! I hope these Hessians are as stubborn on the battlefield as they were painting and basing...

If You Go Down to the Woods Today...

2012-01-10T20:28:00.000-08:00

While I've posted this before, I'm re-posting to give myself a leg-up on the OOB for this Blitzkrieg Commander Scenario (BKC) which I've aptly RE-named after my Favorite Squad Leader scenario.

The 15mm Crossfire US and Germans I'm working on will fit in nicely for this scenario - and it isn't a tough stretch to complete the number of stands required - especially considering it's not that many stands per side!

GERMANS IN THE WOODS

US Infantry Company (+)

1 x CO (CV 9)
4 x Infantry
1 x MG Support Unit
1 x Mortar Support Unit

Reinforcements (reinforced by an Infantry Company (+) OOA Turn 5)

1 x HQ (CV 8)
5 x Infantry Units
1 x MG Support
1 x Sherman 75mm

German Battalion (-)
1 x CO (CV 9)
1 x HQ (CV8)
1 x FAO (CV 8)
8 x Infantry Units
2 x MG Support Units
2 x 105mm Artillery Units (off-board)

Reinforcements (German Company Kampfgruppe reinforces Turn 5 via Mobile Deployment)
1 x HQ (CV 8)
3 x Infantry Units
2 x StuG III (long)

Notes: I had to whittle down the Panzers as I don't have a US Tank Destroyer and only 1 Sherman.... So the Germans lost their Panzer IV platoon - however I up-gunned the German Artillery Tubes to 105mm. Shouldn't make too much of a difference I don't think. Can't wait to play this one out. Summary from the website reads below:

Both sides’ reinforcements are due on turn 5. They arrive using the rules for mobile

deployment, so the HQ in each force is deployed on the board edge on turn 5 and may

attempt to pass a successful command roll on that turn to bring on the remaining forces.

If the roll is failed then they must wait until the next turn to try again.

American reinforcements will arrive within 15cm of the centre of the West table edge.

German reinforcements must dice for their arrival point at the start of turn 5, all

reinforcement units must arrive within 15cm of this point:

Die roll Entry point

1,2 Centre of the South edge

3,4 Centre of the East edge

5,6 Centre of the North edge

Game Length

The game lasts for 9 turns, the German player moves first

Breakpoints

Americans: breakpoint of 3 until reinforcements arrive, 7 thereafter.

Germans breakpoint of 6 until reinforcements arrive, 9 thereafter

Victory

The Germans win a major victory by establishing uncontested control of the village at the

end of the game. The Americans win by preventing this. Control requires a side to have at

least one infantry unit (not support) in the village and the other side to have none.

Map

Play on a 120cm x 120cm table. The terrain should consist of a few low hills and lots of

woods. The village should be set a few cm inside the American half of the table. The

woods count as partial cover and the village as full cover.

Optional Rules

1. Winter camouflage: all German units count as being in partial cover against longrange

fire

2. Dug-in: allow American units to set up “dug-in” as described on p114 of the BKC

rulebook

Design Notes

I have amended the command values for some units from those given in the army lists in

the BKC rulebook. This is deliberate and reflects the respective qualities of the forces

engaged. Players are free to change these values, however this may unbalance the

scenario. American forces total 615 points and Germans 890.

Modern Crossfire - Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2006

2012-01-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!
I played a modern crossfire game this evening (actually a couple smaller games trying to get the feel for the rules again and implementing some new concepts like IEDs and Fireteam-sized units. The game takes place in a small urban area on the outskirts of Baghdad prior to the Surge in 06-07. The fight is against Shia militias in Baghdad.

I took a ton of pictures and I'll showcase them all here on the blog. Better put on your IBA and ACH - things could get a little dicey from here on out...
(by the way, if you want to know about my inspiration for Crossfire Rules into modern era wargaming, check out Matakishi's Tea House. He gives a great 2 page methodology for tweaking Crossfire for moderns. He also has resources for introducing IEDs into Crossfire as well as terrain building).

Game started out with the Americans entering the town from the Mosque Complex. The American objective is to retake the town to include the government and police building from the Shia Militia of Moqtada Al Sadr's JAM gunmen. The Americans field a platoon with a M1126 Stryker ICV in support. Each American stand represents a fireteam.

The Shia Mosque - actually a kleenex box with a juice bottle cap on top.

Mahdi Militia entering the board

GIs pulling security in light cover.

American Soldiers pulling security at the Government building - note the crappy bumper number on the Stryker

The Mahdi Militia enter the board and occupy the mosque. They immediately begin firing at the American security on top of the government building.

A US Fireteam returns fire from atop the government offices towards the mosque. US Forces had to receive permission to return fire at a Mosque.

Mahdi Militia Men open fire

A militia fireteam charges through the streets towards cover but is eventually brought down by the Stryker's "Ma Deuce"

A short but vicious firefight ensues between the Americans and the militia on the mosque. Eventually the US Fireteam is suppressed and it enables militia men to flood into the streets down the tree-line street to fight the occupiers.

The Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle swings into action from its cover and the remote operated .50 Caliber machinegun opens up on the militia-men in the streets resulting in a KIA. (one of my modifications for modern Crossfire is that the .50 always receives 4 dice even when firing at hard-stand brick buildings. Given the quality of bricks and shoddy construction in places like Iraq, .50 caliber machine guns tend to penetrate more).

The Stryker pulls out to engage along with an American squad

While the battle on the street is won, the militiamen atop the mosque are firing PKMs at the government building. An American fireteam is out of commission and a fresh squad moves up to take its place, eventually silencing the mahdi guns.

The remaining militia men pull out but the battle for Baghdad is far from over as the American surge heads into full swing...

What an awesome set of games! Crossfire is still one of my all-time favorite games. While for the modern era, I think the casualties are a little on the excessive side, for a battle of the scale represented, it might not be. The Americans lost the equivalent of 2 fireteams or an entire squad but not necessarily all Killed in Action.

The ebb and flow of the action is great and gives the feel of modern day combat at its most desperate. I switched sides and had the US come in from the mosque on the second round. After 2-3 games of Crossfire, I'm beat but I have a few observations for the would-be modern infantry gamer to take heed of:

If you can be seen, you can be hit. If you can be hit, you can be killed. Crossfire models this superbly and you should choose a covered and concealed route for an advance. Additionally, defending an objective by placing a unit in a terrain feature NEXT to the objective is a terrific idea, especially if you think it's out of sight of the enemy Forward Observer.

Tips for the "crossfire insurgent player"; small arms, SAWS, and crew served weapons are nice, but you need casualty producing weapons to defeat a modern, mechanized opponent. The Stryker bounced around with relative ease and laughed off those pesky 7x62 rounds. Had the insurgents had an RPG, IED in the first game, or a mortar, they could have had a little more flexibility and chosen when and where to mass their forces.

Smoke and HE Missions: As the US or modern mechanized player, purchase mortar fire missions and use smoke rounds to conceal your movement. If possible, have your fireteams make smoke and use it to conceal rushes from cover to cover. Could have worked wonder for game 2 when an entire US squad was mowed down during a dismounted patrol by an insurgent firegroup.

Hit the Dirt! remember, anything you can do to lessen the effects of enemy fire, the better. You can get your troops to "hit the dirt" and go prone. THis simulates your troops taking advantage of anything they can find within their immediate vicinity. It also subtracts 1 die from the bad guy's shot.

All in all, a very fun game that I think I will introduce some non-gamers to (who are interested in military history and gaming as well). I had alot of fun making the terrain and it's not over yet. I am going to print out some advertisement posters in Arabic and glue them to the walls of the buildings. Also some Iraqi street signs as well. Should be fun! Next I'll be working on IED markers to place on the roads as well.

The Stryker turned out nice. It is a 1:72 "Bravo team" stryker that I slapped a coat of testor's medium green on, as well as a grey/black wash and a sealant. I also painted the water cans and put some crude unit insignia on. This M1126 is from the Army's famous 172nd Stryker Brigade from Alaska. The unit that spearheaded the surge (i was there at the time when those poor bastards were told they were staying BEYOND 12 months for an additionaly 90 to 120 days....)

Here's an interesting story also - the buildings are based off actual Iraqi buildings I've seen here and there. My favorite was graffiti on a wall in As Samawah that said 'we will never submet' and yes, submit was spelled incorrectly. You see that aptly modeled here. Go ahead and make fun of the buildings with their crude marker-drawn features all you want! The point was just to get some troops on the table. I left the rest to imagination. Look for more games, with more troops, complicated mission-sets, and more firepower! Huzzah!

Ali was extremely proud of himself for mastering the english language without the help of google.

Hassan engages the Americans in style - complete with Adidas windpants and Nikes!

American Stryker advances with troops scanning their sectors

The police building with a couple of JAM fighters hanging around outside waiting for Al Jazeera

Seven Years War Volley & Bayonet Battle

2012-01-06T08:59:00.000-08:00

Played a modest sized Volley & Bayonet battle today - Prussians vrs Austrians with multiple objectives set across the board and have some observations to share. This game was an Austrian Victory and not by any slim margin either. To be fair, the Austrians grossly outnumbered the Prussians, however that has never concerned the Prussians much in the past!

As the picture attests to, the contest was uneven, pitting 2 Prussian infantry wings and a huge division of cavalry against 3 Austrian ones. The Austrians had the benefit of setting up second and were able to deploy their troops with an advantage by making their wings strong but also flexible, with each one making good use of supporting cavalry and artillery. Unfortunately the Prussians only fielded one battery. The map shows the view from the Prussian side. The villages are each 1 point and the hill in the middle of the map is 1 point.

Austrian Troops

Austrian Left

Prussian Right Wing

The Austrians moved out with a simple plan - send a spoiling force around to the Prussian left and attack in the rear, and send each infantry unit forward slowly to attrit the Prussians. The Prussians had a slightly more complex plan - assault the hill with the cavalry division while the infantry pinned the Austrians to the front. The Prussian plan was good although it was vulnerable in that the Austrians had extra troops and cavalry to upset the timing of the attacks and throw back the Prussian advances. Additionally, the Austrians had a much larger percentage of elite troops, making close combat a scary proposition.

The Austrians reach the hill first and deploy batteries in support while the rest of the infantry moves up.

The beginnings of the Prussian cavalry division attack the deployed Prussian battery. The other cavalry units are visible in the background, continuing the attack.

The situation at the end of turn two = the three Austrian forces are clearly visible advancing and the developing fight on the right is also visible. Note the 2 x Prussian Regiments on the extreme right that have refused the flank. 2 Austrian cavalry regiments sit to their front, threatening the flank.

The Prussian cavalry swept aside the Austrian battery with ease and formed to attack the Austrian left. While mostly successful, the infantry proved more stubborn than expected and only partially gave ground. Although the Prussian attack ended with the hill in possession, there was a very strong infantry wing forming to the Prussian front to re-take the hill. The Prussians didn't have the infantry to hold the hill and the modest 2 Regiments of fusiliers proved to be inadequate to hold onto it for long.

On the Austrian left, the huge Prussian infantry wing was slowly picked apart with small, regimental attacks and cavalry charges against the flanks. At the same time, the Austrian cavalry unit appeared on the Prussian left and destroyed a routed cavalry regiment. As the infantry wing on the Prussian right reached its exhaustion point, the Prussian commander decided to retire from the field.

Small attacks decreased the strength of the Prussian right

The Austrian wing reformed after the Cavalry attack. The Prussian cavalry can be seen regrouping as well. Note the 2 crowded infantry regiments atop the hill.

The Prussians attack the Austrian musketeers on the road.

Prussian view of the Austrian assault.

Prussian infantry wing starting to break.

Every time I play Volley and Bayonet I learn something I hadn't previously thought of in terms of operational planning. This game reinforces an old point I made in a previous Napoleonic battle: Task Organization means everything. While it might have been a little unrealistic to group Austrian formations into combined-arms divisions, I did it to reflect the Austrian's luck in setting up second, countering the Prussians. While they looked splendid in their long lines, arrayed for battle, the Prussian wing was ill-used which brings me to my first conclusion:

In Volley & Bayonet, if you have fresh troops you should always risk the attack. The worst thing that can happen is a loss and recoil. Although it might upset your plans, if you have the ability to do so, you should always attack. What shame that the Prussians allowed 2 powerful wings to deploy almost in front of them and then pick them apart. Given the option again, the Prussian force would have obliqued for the center of the map to protect the small but vital breakthrough initially scored on the hill. The presence of a large infantry force in the Austrian center would have made the Austrians think twice about continuing their own plan.

Artillery is a supporting arm. Every time I play Volley & Bayonet I mention something about the artillery. I wonder what that says about my ability to employ it! As much as it pains me being a former Redleg officer myself, in horse and musket battles, Artillery is a supporting arm. While it produces many casualties and is vital, it needs to be protected. A favorite strategy this time was throwing cavalry units against batteries all over the battlefield to eliminate the Artillery. I should have kept them back farther with the infantry. noted!

Cavalry opens up the flanks of the battlefield. With the addition of large amounts of cavalry on the battlefield, suddenly the entire tabletop is fair game. Always use the mobility of your cavalry in Volley & Bayonet. Assign them to their own division commander so they have the autonomy to circle around to the enemy's rear and engage him. The presence of 3 cavalry regiments in the Prussian rear caused a full-fledged halt to the assault against the Austrian infantry and, frankly, caused a re-think of the whole battle. Your cavalry can guard your flank while your infantry moves forward. I didn't particularly like using my cavalry as shock troops. While it was fun, it was poor use of combat power. Once they recoiled and the dust settled ,I realized...THE AUSTRIANS WERE STILL THERE I thought to myself "I had better bring up some infantry too..." With their mobility, they are much better suited to the deep fight.

Keep Reserve Troops handy! This is probably the most stark lesson learned in this fight. Neither side made use of reserves and that was a terrible tragedy. I can think of instances where reserve forces could have been introduced to fill vital gaps in the line and bolster the combat power of my formations. Next time I play a SYW or Nappy game, I'm going to keep my elite troops in a reserve role. Not only will they be fresh, but will have a morale of 6

So to recap - Dont just let combat power sit around - use it as you can't win on the defense. Task organize your divisions for success and give them a cavalry unit and an artillery battery if you have the troops for it. Use reserves also - include reserve forces in each and every plan.

I'm not sure what more I can say about Volley & Bayonet that hasn't been said already. I love the system. Most of the time, I'm not sitting around thinking "man this is hokey" instead I'm planning an advance and then fighting that plan. It's suitable for literally any military scenario you can think of from the period, and I think it has applicability to periods prior to 1700 as well. It rewards solid planning and really gives you the feel that you're the army commander on the tabletop.

Happy New Year - 2012!

2012-01-01T06:07:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone!
Thanks for tuning into the blog, and for your comments. The internet is a great thing because it enables all of us with similar interests to be connected. I would like to wish all of my blogger pals (and that includes people I've linked to) a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

I hope you roll nothing but 6's, draw only good "fog of war" cards in Ambush Alley, and never ever roll snake-eyes in Blitzkrieg Commander. I hope when playing Spearhead you're always the German side and you have Tiger tanks, and when you play Shako, you're always French :)

All kidding aside, everyone have a happy New Year. Stay tuned to the blog, there are many ambitious projects planned for 2012 that you won't want to miss.

Top 10 New Year's Hobby Resolutions (in no particular order):

Finish the Hubbardton AWI Project
Finish the WWII Crossfire Project
Field Platoons of 20mm US, Brit, French Fn Lgn and Muhj guys
Play a wargame every month
Start the Nappies Project for the Peninsular War
Complete my 15mm ACW Project and play a massive Fire & Fury Game
Start the Princeton AWI Project
Actually build my M48 and Panzer V 1:72 scale models and use them in my games
Print out color houses, roads, walls, and hedges on a color printer, base them and use the in a game
Paint up my 28mm Space Marine Force, IG Force, and acquire some different models to use in the same games

On a personal note, I'd also like to continue watching my diet and start running again competitively. With my job, lack of time for PT has caused me to gain a few pounds...
I would sure like to do some outdoor things again but I seriously doubt with the year we have planned that is going to be possible by any stretch of the imagination!

Cold War Commander Vietnam: Operation Attleboro

2011-12-29T09:39:00.000-08:00

Just finished a large Cold War Commander game featuring my 15mm Old Glory Vietnam figures that were painted back in 2007 (that's my excuse for their poor quality LOL!)

I randomly put terrain out and diced for the start-point (SP). US Forces were tasked with seizing key terrain and clearing out VC weapons and supply caches to erode their capabilities in the "Tropic Lightning" Area of Operations.

US Forces approached on foot from the South with 1 platoon of M48 (90mm gun) in support. The Task organization was as follows:

1st Battalion, 27th Infantry (Wolfhounds) (minus)

BN Hqs

Command Stand

FAO

Battalion Commander & FAO

Bravo Company, 1-27 INF MAIN EFFORT

4 Stands INF

1 SPT Stand (HMG)

BN Command would travel with B Company

Alpha Company, 1-27 INF SUPPORTING EFFORT

3 Stands INF

1 SPT Stand (HMG)

FAC

M48 Platoon cross-attached

Roughly 1000 points.

B Company visible on the left would advance as far as the River and swing right, towards the orchard.

The plan was simple. A Company would advance via the "highway" towards the bridge / orchard complex in the center of the map. B Company would advance to the left of A Company as far as the river, then swing right and meet A Company, thus clearing the jungle.

While B Company was slow to get going, A Company's armor and its 20cm movement sped off down the road without infantry support in hopes of securing the Bridge and the right side of the map prior to the end of the first turn. The infantry, without any mechanized support, trudged on, using the road (first mistake) and were greeted by a horrifying VC ambush complete with automatic weapons, RPGs, and mortars.

Ambush! VC pop out of the rubble and engage the M48 Platoon with RPGs

VC ambuscade along the road. These troops would engage the American infantry at point-blank range!

The M48 Platoon was close-assaulted and knocked out. 2 American infantry platoons are pinned down, suppressed, and have taken bad casualties (hits) on the road. A very dangerous situation is developing on the American right flank...

Contact! Troops! East!

Another VC unit close assaults the stricken tank platoon. Its infantry support is having problems of its own down the road...

The VC win the close assault. The 2 American platoons down the road are fighting for their life on the end of turn 1

Bravo Company's movement to contact was not as eventful but the Battalion Commander was starting to lose his nerve. Should they move to reinforce Alpha Company? A Company didn't have alot of troops to begin with. Their main purpose was to contact the enemy so B Company could swing in. However the Jungle made progress slow. To make matters worse, A Company could have used Artillery support, however the FAO was with B Company. The targets for the "fast movers" were too close to initiate Close Air Support (CAS).

The VC move in for the kill during their command phase

The US platoons are forced back...but this may be their salvation!

The VC move in for a massive close assault to destroy Alpha Company on the road, flush with success from their victory against the impetuous yankee tank platoon. They succeed in pushing back the American defenders but this is their doom - with the withdraw of the Americans from the road and a command failure, they open the way for a FAC to call in fast-movers and an F4 is orbiting at 11,000 feet waiting for the call! Despite AA fire from a VC command post in the rubble, the Americans pull their "danger close" card and are saved from disaster as 2 VC platoons are virtually annihilated by aerial bombs and strafing attacks along the road.

B Company deploys

Contact! An element of B Company spots the enemy

Meanwhile, on the left, action is heating up as a VC blocking force is destroyed in a firefight and B Company deploys. While the FAO was supposed to engage with the Artillery, the tubes remain silent as B Company gains and maintains contact. This wasn't part of the plan but B Company became decisively engaged and was forced to assault through. They didn't have to wait long as they sprung the second VC ambush in the clearing on the map. Things went wrong for the VC after this point however, as the Americans deployed smartly for both close combat and firefights with their platoons in mutually supporting positions.

American units reach the knocked-out M48 platoon and the bridge literally on the last successful command roll of the turn. This is a minor American victory.

The VC ambush was discovered and superior firepower of the US Stands literally saved the day as each VC assault element became suppressed prior to its close assault. The VC force hit its breakpoint and B Company broke through to the orchard on the last turn, turn 8.

Still however, with the destruction of the VC force opposing B Company, they kept rolling snake eyes for their breakpoint rolls and would not quit the battlefield. With Alpha Company pulled back into the jungle south of its contact point, they provided a base of fire while Bravo Company swept through the orchard and reached the bridge. The remaining VC elements called it quits at this point.

Learning Points from the Battle:

CWC, as always, is a great system. I think it's realistic and alot of fun. While I had some questions and had to re-fight some close combats after re-reading the rules, it's still a winner with me.

Artillery & Supporting Arms: I need to deploy the FAO closer to the front. If you aren't shooting artillery EVERY TURN when you have it available, YOU'RE WRONG! He serves absolutely no purpose at the Battalion Headquarters and it's a waste of assets if not used. The original plan called for B Company to gain contact, then suppress with Artillery whilst maneuvering my infantry around for a close assault.

On the VC side, the plan was to lure the American units into well-defined kill sacs, which worked on the road but not as well in the jungle. While they purchased 2 minefields also, these should have been placed within the kill sac originally but were never entered by US forces as they were north of the river...

Additionally, the VC only used their 82mm mortar once! This is an outrage and luckily the NLF Field Force commander was killed during the battle or he would have faced a court martial.

Combined Arms Combined Arms Combined Arms! The "impetuous" armor came as a result of its 20cm movement. Remember, just because you CAN move twice as fast, doesn't necessarily mean that you SHOULD! Large sprints may work in NOrth Africa, the Sinai or Fulda, but they don't work in the jungle. The Armor was there to assist and protect the infantry, eliminate strong points, and draw enemy fire, not to roll onto the objective without any infantry support. Tanks get chewed up in this game without their "crunchies" having their backs :)

Close Air Support & AAA: Money well spent. I would purchase these assets again in a second. That being said, the VC player should have purchased a AAA unit to supplement his ground defense as well as protect his troops. I had plenty of points to buy a 23mm cannon and should have done so.

Do I even have to mention the intelligence of moving my forces down a road, single file, in Vietnam? :)

Great game and I was surprised at the outcome. I thought for sure that the Americans would have been wiped out but there was a dramatic reversal of fortunes after the F4 Phantom strike. Hoping the next time I play CWC it will be a modern-Iraq or Afghanistan game. This was lots of fun and a great way to spend half of my day off! HUZZAH!

VIETNAM CROSSFIRE - Multiple Games!

2011-12-27T20:16:00.000-08:00

Finally got an opportunity to get in a quick series of CROSSFIRE-VIETNAM games. My first, even though I've owned Vietnam Minis for years. I played a quick game in 15mm and then a game with my neat-looking 20mm Italeri guys.

US Squad Attempting to Cross the Road to flank the Church

From the 20mm Game, US Platoon moves out towards known VC positions

Although the single soldier bases represented fire-teams, I think they came off rather well and the game was fun and also slightly aesthetically pleasing as well. Also - scenery is Pet Store Aquarium foliage. I think it makes nice jungle. the Palm trees are too expensive to fill up a table.

Sergeant Salisbury screams at his team "Get your asses up into that brush NOW!"

Scenario: Alpha Company, 1st Battalion 27th Infantry Regiment (Wolfhounds) and hard fighting during Operations Attleboro as the US Army and its allies attempt to drive Charlie out of his safe-havens and destroy almost a division's worth of stockpiled supplies.

This scenario saw first A Company in 15mm (stands represent squads) and then 1st Platoon, A Company (figures represent fire teams) attempt to take a destroyed church or plantation building or whatever. The VC are expecting them and mount a hasty defense to deny the area to the US Army. In the first scenario they pay the price! Second scenario, US loses 1 fireteam knocked out and that's about it. The rest are suppressions and pins that are easily remedied.

There is also some heavy metal mixed in for sport. Enjoy. Huzzah!

Heavy Metal

US Platoon enters the brush. Platoon leader is chatting away on the radio in the background.

First Squad fans out to the left.

US Squad occupies the Church and finds the VC main force commander in the open!

US Forces quickly come under fire but the church bricks and rubble offer decent protection from small arms fire and they come out unscathed.

From the 15mm game, US Forces attempt the road crossing to assault the VC element. Those 2 red dice with "6's" on them are bad news!

Towards the end of the 20mm game, the US Reserve Squad emerges from the orchard next to the church and flanks the remaining VC elements.

Final Combat!

US Platoon Leader along with an M60 section, M79 Section and a rifleteam. All this for a Platoon Leader!?

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-26T06:29:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a happy Saint Stephen's Day to you!

Ours was great and while I am working on my feast day, I am fiendishly planning future hobby endeavors and games...

While the AWI Project is still at about 80% and almost done, the US Modern Infantry in 1:72 scale is picking up steam for Iraq and Afghan Skirmish Games. I received lots of beautiful gifts from family to include 3 boxes of Caesar Miniatures Modern 1:72 Scale Troops:

US Elite Infantry: Outstanding because the "elite" guys have all the SAW Gunners and M203 Gunners to round out my Fireteams and weapons sections! I can modify some of them to wear pro-tec helmets and become instant "Tier 1" SOF guys for daring, mountain-top raids in Afghanistan, or prisoner "snatch and grabs" in Iraq.

Modern British Infantry: Perfect for Southern Iraq and Helmand Province Skirmish games against the Muhj and Badr Corps!

Israeli Defence Force Infanty: Need I say more? They will be used patrolling the contentious Bekaa Valley against PLO fighters!

I am also working on my 15mm WWII Crossfire US Forces and German Forces as well as my 15mm Vietnam forces for modern crossfire. Lots of hobby and life stuff going on to keep me busy. Huzzah!

May you all keep Christmas and its true meaning in your hearts!

Mod US Troops, Operations Iraqi & Enduring Freedom

2011-12-21T10:23:00.000-08:00

A long time ago, I painted almost a platoon's worth of Modern US Troops from Caesar. Now I can't find any of them so I started re-painting the stockpiles I have... Here are Caesar's Modern US Troops. I painted them circa 2006-07 for the famous Iraqi "surge" in Baghdad and points North and South. They will also fit in very well in my Afghanistan scenarios.

A US Fireteam provides cover as their sister team crosses a Linear Danger Area!

Their dirty "ACUs" (Army Combat Uniform) or UCP (Universal Camo Pattern) as it is officially known on the labels should be instantly apparent.

Private Smith Scans his sector of fire for insurgents

I need to find a more subdued "tan" as the ACU is covered in small, digital tan. I wanted to give you a sense of what that uniform looks like, even if it is a vague resemblance, it's good enough for this Iraqi Freedom veteran.

I used Folk Art's "Aspen Green, Italian Sage, and Pebblebrook" for the colors. Also a light black wash to darken it ever-so-slightly and show off the beautiful toy soldiers that Caesar produces. Now I REALLY need to finish my British Lights! Huzzah!

In Sadr City, everyone is alert and ready for anything.

The Team Leader, Sergeant Quinones, thinks things are too quiet. "They're up to something"

All in all, not bad looking. The wash helps bring out the detail but I need to find a better tan. GW's Graveyard Earth didn't do it. Perhaps "Kommando Khaki" with the wash applied will do the trick.

Future War Commander Skirmish - Space Marine/Imperial Guard Army List

2011-12-17T22:47:00.000-08:00

Here is my Skirmish Army List for Future War Commander using Games Workshop's Space Marine and Imperial Guard figures. I used Pete Jones' matrix for creating your own units and, while I am not sure I'm using the matrix correctly, it DID actually turn out to be quite even and the odds seem about right.

Look at the points shake-down:
Imperial Guard: 1305 pts / Space Marine 975 Points. If I lose the Heavy Stubber and 1 infantryman on the guard side it will be just about even. That gives them 9 troopers and an officer versus 5 Space Marines, but I still want the Stubber!!

Here is the list:

Space Marines
Troop Type	Arm	Move	Attacks	Assault	Hits	Save	Cost	Limit
SM Sergeant (CV9)	Command	20F	4/60*	5	4L	4	235	3
Reg Marine	Infantry	20F	4/60*	5	4L	4	185	min 2


Imperial Guard
Troop Type	Arm	Move	Attacks	Assault	Hits	Save	Cost	Limit
Junior Officer	Command	20F	1/25*	5	4L	5	160	3
Commissar	Command	20F	1/25*	5		5	175	1
Guardsman	Infantry	20F	2/40*	4	4L	5	95	min 2
Stub-Gunner	Infantry	20F	4/100H	2	4L	5	195	1 per 1k

(I'm going to try out a small battle with these guys tomorrow and we'll see how it goes. Odds aren't bad. 10 Imperial Guard troopers with 1 Heavy Stubber and a Junior Officer fighting against a Marine Fireteam consisting of 4 Salamanders and 1 Salamanders Sergeant.)

SPACE MARINE FIRETEAM!

2011-12-15T10:13:00.000-08:00

Here are 2 Space Marines of the Salamanders Chapter looking to do the Emperor's good work. I call them a Fireteam because in FUTURE WAR COMMANDER these 2 guys by themselves are worth 110 points.

"Hey man, where do you think we could get a cheesesteak around here?"

For a reference, if you wanted an equivalent number of Imperial Guardsmen in the same game, you'd be able to field ELEVEN (11) soldiers for the cost of these 2 genetically enhanced bad-asses. That's crazy! Until I played a game last night....

"Cheesesteak? How could you be hungry? You ate before the drop! I'm still looking for a mens-room"

2 rebel Imperial Guardsmen were guarding a landing pad for a VTOL aircraft. The Marines were tasked with securing the pad.

No contest. Not only did these win initiative with their Command Value of 10 (CV10), but were able to sustain hit after hit and keep going.

Their bolters also range-attack with 4 dice (guardsmen with the honest and proven LasRifle, only 2) The FWC rule that elite troops lose a die for suppression tests is a plus as well and helps out your advance. The Marines laughed at the lasgun fire and were able to quickly overwhelm the defenders. The 2 guardsmen, overcome by shock from the plasma grenades (by that i mean suppressed in FWC speak) were cowering behind the objective when the marines appeared and administered the Emperor's retribution...

I may end up building a team of them for FWC as opposed to No Limit or other rules out there. Here are my 2 Salamanders so far. Still need to build 2 more and a Sergeant who will function as a team leader. There are tons more guardsmen to build and I'll play around with camo schemes and uniforms just for fun. Now it's back to AWI Lights...Onto Hubbardton! Huzzah!

"Come on let's just go kill these idiots then we'll find a pizza place. They usually have steak sandwiches and restrooms"

I just knew I should have brought trail mix or a granola bar along with me.

And Now for a Slight Diversion...

2011-12-14T11:54:00.000-08:00

Finished my first foray into 28mm troops... One Imperial Guard Trooper and one Space Marine from the 40k realm.

They didn't turn out too badly. For my painting, I am happy. The IG Trooper needs a heavier wash on his khakis however. Other than that, they are ready for details to be added now.

I plan on playing "No Limits" with these guys, a free sci fi rules system where you develop your own stats. It plays very similarly to 40k but not quite as structured and you don't have to throw tons of money into building an army either.

I will also try my Future War Commander "skirmish" rules with them as well and have been working on the stats for them lately. Unfortunately it won't be Spring until I am ready to throw some dice in one of these games! Enjoy.

FOR THE EMPEROR!!

While his facial features turned out excellent from shadowing, I'm not happy with the transition on his clothes. A heavier brown wash hopefully will bring out the wrinkles and folds in his clothing.

A Salamander not quite combat-ready as I have not added the decals onto his shoulder armor. I'd like to add big red and black rocks to his base to simulate nocturne or armageddon's scorched surface.

The business-end of a lasgun!

It is remarkable how easy Space Marines are to paint with a combination of washes. The only thing I actually painted on was the bolter. Everything else was just applying wash after wash to his armor.

That being said, I'm not quite as happy with my Guard trooper. There are 12 year old kids out there painting these guys up like pros. I'm not using inks though, so maybe that has something to do with it. I think a heavier brown wash on his khakis ought to do the trick. huzzah!

US Rifle Squad, 4th Infantry Division, 1944

2011-12-13T12:55:00.000-08:00

Finished a US Rifle Squad for Crossfire recently. I wanted to post the results! Troops are Battlefront and Old Glory. Painting up Allied WWII Troops is usually a fairly quiet and lucrative affair as there is a universal assortment of colors. Much quicker than my Germans! Just not as quick as my Russians. I wonder if that says something about national philosophy?

Anyways, I am painting these units up for Crossfire however they will work for almost any WWII game I currently have rules for to include Blitzkrieg Commander, Command Decision, Spearhead, and GHQ's WWII MicroArmour The Game. Luckily I have a ton of troops both painted and unpainted so logistics is not a problem!

One thing I'd like to do is play the same scenario with all of the different rules systems I have and see which ones play out differently, then post the analysis on this blog. I will play the Scenario highlighted on the Blitzkrieg Commander "download"s section entitled "If you go down to the woods today" however I'll name it after one of my FAVORITE Squad Leader scenarios entitled "GERMANS IN THE WOODS"

The Scenario is infantry heavy and simulates a German infantry assault with armor support to seize a village that serves, operationally anyways, as the shoulder of a thrust during the Battle of the Bulge. The Americans have 9 Infantry Stands (platoons) and the Germans field a total of 11. The Americans have a handful of tank destroyer platoons available as do the Germans. Should be a good time as the scenario is fairly balanced giving either side a chance for victory and is heavily dependent upon the arrival of reinforcements. This game would be suitable for literally any time period as well from horse and musket up to ultra modern and sci fi.

The cool thing is, I'm going to paint up some of my units in snow camo (ie white painted helmets and sheets). that will make for a fun time, I think.

Progress Pictures: Battle of Hubbardton Project

2011-12-12T11:10:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,
Lots of pictures coming as I finally got around to snapping some pics of the new Hubbardton (Saratoga Campaign) troops. Troops are mostly Musket Miniatures with a splash of Minifigs thrown in for good measure.

I apologize for the dubious quality of the pics. I tried to keep the quality at a low resolution so these wouldn't take up much space and also would be quick to upload.

Only troops missing are the British Lights and Hessians. All the Continental Forces are complete for this engagement! Huzzah!

British Combined Grenadier Battalion #1, Saratoga Campaign

Combined Grenadier Battalion #1, Saratoga Campaign

British 24th Foot Marching

British 24th Foot (South Wales Borderers)

2nd NH Line

2nd NH Colors

A minifigs trooper of the 2nd NH Infantry

11th Mass Infantry

11th Mass Infantry ca 1777

Green Mountain Boys Right Flank

Green Mountain Boys

The officers

Major Acland (British Army) and Colonel Nathan Hale (New Hampshire)

Colonel Ebeneezer Francis and Colonel Seth Warner

Epic Armageddon / Future War Commander Titans

2011-12-07T07:30:00.000-08:00

Once again in my quest for the thrifty but useful, I've decided against purchasing the outrageously expensive Games Workshop Titans for my Armageddon and Verdan Campaigns, instead choosing plastic Battlemechs for Battletech / MechWarrior. In the 6mm range, they are still MASSIVE and ready to do the emperor's will anywhere in war-torn future of the 41st millenium.

This little (big) guy is one example

They are big enough and bristling with heavy weaponry. Apply some slabs of paint, the odd detail or bit and I can make these guys look like their GW Counterparts I think. Luckily, Future War Commander has both lists for GW Titans and Battletech Battle-Mechs in case I'm feeling lazy and don't want to switch stats over.

As long as it is a harbinger or death and destruction on an almost industrial scale, I'm golden! Hopefully the shields hold out! This badboy will be the salvation (or doom) of the Verdan uprising, an imperial planet that is well-known for it's cutting edge armored vehicles as well as target acquisition systems. The Imperium can ill afford to lose it and will dedicate many, many troops to the quelling of the uprising.

Verdan is well known for producing Rhino APC and Chimera variants armed with lethal hunter-killer missiles.

I now have 4 Titans in the Titan Legion "Legio-Solaris" and i paid a whopping 5 dollars (US) for them with shipping.

Huzzah!

How to paint Salamander Space Marine Part 2 by Lester Bursley

2011-12-07T04:57:00.000-08:00

Progress Update

2011-12-04T09:02:00.000-08:00

There always seems to be ten million things to do. I have not had much time to paint lately, but when I have painted something, it's been a unit from the AWI Battle of Hubbardton Project. I am pleased to report the following readiness status:

British Forces:
Grenadier Battalion is Complete
24th Foot is Complete
Major Acland is Complete

American Forces:
2nd New Hampshire Infantry is Complete with Colors
11th Massachusetts Infantry is Complete with Colors
Colonel Nathan Hale is complete.
Colonel Ebeneezer Francis is Complete.

Workbench:
Green Mountain Boys are 65% complete!!! (very excited)
British Light Infantry Battalion is prepped and ready for their first slab of paint.
Brigadier General Simon Fraser is prepped and ready for his uniform

Still need to paint up:
Hessians
Indian Scouts
Loyalist Scouts / Canadian Sharpshooters
Jaegers

Project List: Short Term and Long Term

2011-11-19T02:57:00.000-08:00

Here is a current list of projects I'm working on - still within the confines of the "American History Project" :

15mm AWI Hubbardton Project (yes, it's back. Compelted the 11th Mass, 2nd NH, Grenadier Battalion, and am finishing up the 24th Foot (again). Just hand-selected the troops that will fill the ranks of Seth Warner's "Green Mountain Boys" once I complete the 24th Infantry. The Light Infantry are next. After the success (of failure) of the Hubbardton project, it's time to start thinking BIGGER. As in battle of Whitemarsh (edge hill) bigger! Or Freeman's Farm. One way or the other, I will start more AWI regiments for larger battles in 15mm.

15mm Crossfire Project. After the Overwhelming success of my 15mm Soviet Rifle Company based for Crossfire, I decided to start an American Rifle Company this time from the 4th Infantry Division in the Normandy Campaign and afterwards. Also going to finish a German Westfront unit and an SS platoon. It's been fun so far.

Long Term:
No Limits: I also found an awesome FREE rules set that acts as a nice alternative to Warhammer 40k so it turns out that I will not get rid of my 40k figures afterall but will finish them and play NO LIMITS. You can field any force imaginable and it's very easy to learn. In fact as soon as I get some troops painted up, I'm going to play a game!!

MicroArmour: Going to rebase my microarmour for WWII Battlefront. Should be fun and will still work well for MicroArmour games including BKC and GHQ. I have some great ideas for microarmour scenarios and am itching to play some North Africa battles.

Epic Armageddon (Future War Commander). Cannot wait to dust off my Epic Forces and play some Future War Commander! Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Check This Out

2011-11-15T17:27:00.000-08:00

Maybe I CAN do a 15mm fantasy army afterall. Who knows - might even have some great figs for Epic 40K as well...

http://15mm.co.uk/

Terrain On the Cheap

2011-11-15T10:36:00.000-08:00

Times are tough - but that's no reason why you can't game in style. Recently I had read a few blogs on terrain tips and thought I would post some of my own recently discovered gems.

Pet Supply Stores. As we were there "socializing" our cunning Dachshund, Penny the Terrible, it dawned on me that these places are veritable GOLD MINES for wargamers. Whether you play historical miniatures, Warhammer or it's 40,000 brother, there is literally something for everyone at Pet Supply stores, and you will literally pay a fraction of the cost of specialty wargame terrain.

with a PETCO or PET SMART card, this baby was almost an entire dollar off - costing me a whopping 5 dollars! THis is amazing "jungle" terrain and is large and the plastic bases are sturdy as well. What's better? It's made to be cut up into smaller squares or rectangles. You could make at least 6 decent and respectable looking "Jungle" terrain pieces for CROSSFIRE VIETNAM or Pacific Theater WWII 15mm. I have attached another picture of both!

Here is a picture of a Vietnam Crossfire Fire team with a 15mm Battlefront (FoW) Sherman stalking the jungle looking for "charlie." Okay should I have put my M48 in there? Maybe but I wanted to show the versatility of this stuff. For 5 bucks!! You would just have to put these on a base and flock it for respectable looking fauna.

Brand is "Marineland" and the product is a "linden plant mat". So check that out. I have no doubt you could get it off Amazon or an internet company for maybe even cheaper.

Additionally, if you're into the GW role playing games, or even 40k, they have larger (about 30 dollars) pieces that would make terrific skirmish terrain. As well as colorful pink and blue plants that you could put your Catachan Jungle platoon into for some serious skirmishing with the zenos scum.

And dont get me started about all of the skulls, bridges, acropolis models, etc! Remember, PETCO, Pet Smart, or your European, South Pacific etc version of the same.

AC MOORE & Paints Lastly - good paints are hard to come by. Far be it from me to try and dissuade you from using "Army Painter" or Vallejo, which I think are excellent, albeit expensive products. I use alot of GW paints as I like their suitability to cover many periods of history (and reality), but for as long as I can remember, I use Folk Art acrylics to round out my collection as their selection of colors and prices simply cannot be beat. See below:

This is almost 3 times as large as a pot of GW paint... The color is "skin tone" and it's a perfect cross between Elf Flesh and Dwarf Flesh. Folk Art also has many other skin tone colors for peoples across the earth (and galazxy? ahh if that's your thing) best of all? It cost me a whopping $1.39 (US). With GW paint prices on the rise to about 4 dollars a pot, these Folk Art paints are becoming much more attractive, especially for generic projects. Personally if I lived in the UK, besides eating beans and rice everyday and not heating my home, I'd use this brand of paint to save more of my hard earned Sterling.

That being said, while Folk Art's "True Blue" makes an excellent 'Hessian Musketeer" blue, I would not recommend using them for the fabled "Ultramarines" unless you yourself don't care at all about the reforms in the Codex Astartes In some cases you just have to use the original as it was intended. I for one wouldn't want to piss one of those guys off...

Huzzah!

Frozen Gamer AK: "The Safehouse" Short Action Scene

2011-11-06T03:50:00.000-08:00

Ummm AMAZING! Great job kids. I will subscribe to your channel on youtube.

Frozen Gamer AK: "The Safehouse" Short Action Scene: A kid from the youth group I help out with is a freakin master at film making check this out.

Intelligence in the Continental Army

2011-11-06T03:42:00.000-08:00

General George Washington advocates the gathering and analysis of tactical and operational intelligence.

Intelligence analysis and estimates
On May 29, 1776, the Continental Congress received the first of many intelligence estimates prepared in response to questions it posed to military commanders. The report estimated the size of the enemy force to be encountered in an attack on New York, the number of Continental troops needed to meet it, and the kind of force needed to defend the other New England colonies.
An example of George Washington's interest in intelligence analysis and estimates can be found in instructions he wrote to General Putnam in August 1777:
"Deserters and people of that class always speak of number. . . indeed, scarce any person can form a judgement unless he sees the troops paraded and can count the divisions. But, if you can by any means obtain a list of the regiments left upon the island, we can compute the number of men within a few hundreds, over or under." On another occasion, in thanking James Lovell for a piece of intelligence, Washington wrote: "it is by comparing a variety of information, we are frequently enabled to investigate facts, which were so intricate or hidden, that no single clue could have led to the knowledge of them. . . intelligence becomes interesting which but from its connection and collateral circumstances, would not be important."
Colonel David Henley, Washington's intelligence chief for a short period in 1778, received these instructions when he wrote to Washington for guidance: "Besides communicating your information as it arises. . . you might make out a table or something in the way of columns, under which you might range, their magazines of forage, grain and the like, the different corps and regiments, the Works, where thrown up, their connexion, kind and extent, the officers commanding, with the numbers of guns &ca. &ca. This table should comprehend in one view all that can be learned from deserters, spies and persons who may come out from the enemy's boundaries." (It was common practice to interrogate travelers from such British strongholds as New York, Boston and Philadelphia.)

Rattenkrieg's Demise: The Warmaster AAR

2011-11-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

Heavily laden, the men marched out into the early morning gloom on the moor. The dampness seeped into their bones, the mud sucked at their boots and made their load feel that much worse. They were finally across the battlefield from their quarry - a large force of black orcs from the eastern forests of the Reik had been pillaging villages, killing locals, and destroying almost everything in their path. The closest garrison - the fortress at Rattenkrieg was called out to meet these raiders and defeat them. Lord Rattenkrieg, riding at the head of a thousand men, had assembled a force of crack troops from his infantry regiments. The Regiments, one of sword, of halberd, of crossbow, handgun, and another of sword, marched out in pursuit of the orcs, only to meet them in the upper dachs. It was there they were massacred almost to the man. Lord Rattenkrieg had given his journal to the man Heinrich and it was there we learned of Rattenkrieg's demise. A lesson in tactics that the empire can scarcely afford to relearn....

Doubtless by now you've looked at the pictures of Rattenkrieg's disaster and are wondering "where are the Orcs now?" By last account, wandering around the eastern forests foraging. By Sigmar, this is only the begining! The Orc flushed with victory becomes drugged by his power and seeks only the pleasures of battle. They will come again with greater force and fury than before.

This was my first game of Warmster. Believe it or not, I've played a few games of Blitzkrieg Commander and Cold War Commander and those games had given me some bad habits but the lessons I learned watching Rattenkrieg's lines being torn apart resonate.

Warmaster is a fun but unforgiving game and with all of the dice flying around, you'll find that fortunes in battle can change quickly. Take for instance an unforseen Empire victory during the last Orc charge. The Melee was won but the pursuit was a disaster as the Orcs rallied and won the second round, virtually eliminating the Empire Swordsmen. That coupled with a massive Orc breakthrough against the Crossbowmen equaled a disaster for the Empire. Rattenkrieg, it was rumored, drove his horse into a pack of marauding Orc to buy the few wounded time to escape. It was in vain. The last thing Rattenkrieg saw was his troops being eaten by dreadful 4 legged beasts, before they burned out his eyes and decapitated him.

Key Lessons Learned:

Protect Missile Troops: Crossbowmen have no armor and very poor fighting ability - especially against black orcs. They should always be behind a line of Halberds or Swordsmen (I give Swordsmen and Halberdiers the same values as I have alot of Swordsmen figures!) Crossbowmen and Archers to the rear!

Always Always Always have Supported Infantry if you expect contact!: If there is significant melee combat expected, it is wise to double up your ranks as best you can. The +1 in melee certainly helps and can tip the balance!

Advance on a broad front: Advancing conservatively with infantry on a broad front enables mutual support from your missile troops as well as flank formations. My fine halberdiers (the nicest painted troops on the table!) were gobbled up by the Orcs in 2 rounds of combat because of a command blunder that caused them to charge. Had we advanced a little more cautiously, they would never have made the charge as they would have been too far away.

The next battle will find Empire reinforcements from the various states of the Reik. It will also find more Orc regiments, Goblins, Goblin Lizard Riders, rock lobbers, and artillery! Depending on who wins that fight, there may be an epic battle fought for control Festung Rattenkrieg.

Small Warmaster Game

2011-11-02T21:57:00.000-07:00

Played my first game of "Warmaster on the Cheap" today with my 20mm Caesar, Zvezda, and Orion troops today. An incursion of Black Orcs into Empire territory sees the Garrison under Lord Rattenkrieg sent out from "Dachsland" to defeat the Orc horde...

Lord Rattenkrieg's Troops advance to meet the greenskin menace

The mighty Orc host advances!

Empire Handgunners

Orcs move out!

Empire command blunder...Charging right into an Orc mob. Note the plethora of hits against the Halberdiers

The handgunners cooly load under a barrage of Orc arrows

The final Orc charge

axes, swords, clubs, and halberds fly as the melee ensues!

Brutal Combat!

brave deeds

The orcs gain the upper hand

Final dispositions - 2 Empire Regiments evaporate as the Orcs break through on the Empire right! Lord Rattenkrieg reportedly died on the field - the men of the Dachsland garrison were slaughtered en masse! Rumors of an impending Orc invasion turned out to be true. This small engagement would pale in comparison to what lie ahead..

How to Create a believable RPG

2011-10-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

How to create an RPG. Something I've always wanted to do. I've always wanted to create (or play) an RPG that took place in one of the following environments:

-Participants in the battle of Philadelphia during a Chinese Invasion of the US Mainland ca 2020
-Post apocalyptic America
-A war torn African Region
-A British Man of War from the SYW through the Napoleonic Wars
-A military expedition to Antarctica
-A British mapping expedition to the himalaya in the mid 19th century

I understand that there are already Commercial Off The Shelf answers to some of these but I found this little gem on the internet recently:

http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Believable-Role-Playing-Game-World

6mm Wargaming Site

2011-10-21T11:48:00.001-07:00

Added a link in the Useful Gaming & Hobby Links Section

http://6mm.wargaming.info/

Very impressive array of 6mm collections and tools for wargamers.

The American History Project

2011-10-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

I am completely overwhelmed with the sheer amount of STUFF on my workbench!

At one point, there were 15mm Seven Years War, 6mm Napoleonics, 15mm Napoleonics, 20mm Vietnam etc. I have lost count of how many project management blogs I've posted with varying goals so here is a unique concept: I am unveiling "The American History Project" (AHP) in order to cut through all of the "stuff" that has piled up.

The AHP is an attempt to kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Some of my most enduring (and endearing) projects are forces and conflicts within the realm of American History (for obvious reasons). The ACW, the AWI, and our modern 20th and 21st Century conflicts are near and dear to my heart, especially considering I fought in one of them!

Additionally, I was talking with Dave F and our conversation reminded me of a salient point; namely that the ACW and AWI have been my passion for years and years. With the exception of microarmour, the ACW has been my most wargamed period ever. It is with that in mind that I launched the AHP. Here are some simple goals:

Complete the Union I Corps from Day 1 at Gettysburg at Regimental Level, 6mm.

Complete the Battle of Hubbardton Roster (OOB) at Regimental Level, 6mm (this will be the third time I am starting this project)

Complete the Korean War Troops I've started (NK and US)

Complete the Vietnam Forces I've started (ARVN, US SF, Armour, VC, and NVA Troops)

Pick up [from my Grandfather's house] the US Operation Iraqi Freedom 20mm Troops I've completed, finish off the M113A3 and Stryker IFV for my FORCE ON FORCE / MODERN CROSSFIRE games I've got planned.

Game all of these engagements (Day 1 at Gettysburg, Battle of Hubbardton, Battle for Hill 421 [Korean War 1950 pick up game], Operation Attleboro and Cedar Falls, ARVN Operations in the "Parrot's Beak," and US Operation IVY TYPHOON in Baghdad, and points North (Al Taji) AKA places I've been before.)

Amateur Hour: A Lesson in Task Organization

2011-10-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

Played an game with Frank Chadwick's excellent Volley & Bayonet rules once again pitting my hardened British 6mm Peninsular troops against Napoleon's finest troops in Spain.

Once again I have to commend Mr Chadwich and Mr Novak on their work. Volley and Bayonet is a Solid rules set and great for novices up through hardended, seasoned veterans. While I "tweaked" one or two aspects of the rules, this is in no way because of a shortfall with the rules, but rather because of shortcomings in my play area, terrain, and forces. (I used Regimental stands and values instead of Brigade stands/values and measured in centimeters instead of inches due to my small tabletop).

I diced for startup and for the scenario. both sides attempted to control a road junction, dominated by a small hill in the center of the board. This hill affected line of sight on both sides as you will see.

While I dont have time to give a play by play, I will give an executive summary of what happened along with a review of the lessons I learned this time.

This week's lesson centers around your Task Organization. Task Organization is the assignment of units to specific objectives and what resources those units have at their disposal. In modern armies, Task Orgs are very dynamic and change with the temporary addition or subtraction of resources.

When you assign an objective to a force, ask yourself, "does the unit [company, regiment, brigade, division, etc] have what it needs to accomplish the task I have given them?" In a historical miniatures tabletop wargame, you dont have the benefit of a staff coming back to you and telling you their unit isn't up to the task without resources. I learned that lesson the hard way today.

This game pitted roughly 2 French Divisions against 2 British Divisions of very equal size. Both sides had a Cavalry Division, 3 Batteries of Field guns, and about 8 Infantry "Brigades" grouped into 2 units of 4. (remember on the table they were Regimental stands).

Both sides had an offensive mission; to seize the hill and control the road in 10 turns. It turned into a British Rout, and with that route, a few lessons I picked up myself. I will let the pictures tell some of the story:

British on the Right, French on the Left, all are in March Columns. The British Heavy Cavalry Brigades are both seen with their small yellow "disorganized" dots for moving through rough terrain. The olive grove and grapevines are visible in the center.

British Heavy Cavalry Division

French Brigades move out

British Cavalry charge the French in an attempted spoiling attack

And are beaten!

British plan morphs into a defensive scheme and the left units take up positions behind the Olive Grove

French gunners supporting the advance on the Right.

From the pictures you can see how the battle immediately progressed. The British launched their Cavalry Division out to spoil the French advance, and give the British time to take the hill, and transition to the defense. That didn't happen.

The British Cavalry Division advanced into a kill-sack and were assailed on all sides by French guns, and murderous volleys of musketry. Not an auspicious beginning...

By not checking the French advance, the British were forced to modify their plan. Instead of racing to take the hill, they would now have to defend on mediocre ground, completely split up and not properly task organized to accomplish their mission. In a 1:1 ratio, the defender "should" have a complete advantage but in this game, tactical errors are not looked kindly upon...

British force suddenly realized it wasn't properly organized to attack - and so they adopt a defensive posture

Then a French Cavalry Division strikes their flank!

View from the line - FORM SQUARE!

In the midst of the French Cavalry Attack, the troops can see French Infantry start to crest the hill.

on the British Right, the French get serious about taking the hill and begin a coordinated, combined arms attack along the entire line.

The pictures don't do the situation justice either. Aside from some small acts of heroism by a highland unit, the British force was beaten and routed. I'm not sure the French were in good shape to exploit but they certainly carried the field. The British Cavalry brigade that was still standing was used to protect the British right from further attacks and pushed the French Cavalry back at high cost.

The French brought in their guns at close range and made short work of the defenders, constantly pushing them back until they broke as well.

Lessons Learned:
Use of Cavalry: In Volley and Bayonet, Cavalry receive 4 attack dice in melee and if their prey is disorganized, they hit on a 5 or better. deadly! They are a juggernaut but have their vulnerabilities as well and need to be used properly.
Cavalry are best suited to rolling up an enemy's flanks. Even just the threat of a large Cavalry attack are enough to slow down an opponent's foot advance. He will have to use his vital artillery to protect his flanks while the assault grinds forward. In the case of the British, the assaulting force was so small that the entire assault up the hill slowed and eventually stopped to redeploy to meet the French Cavalry attack. Meanwhile the French were able to straighten out their own lines and make better use of space to accommodate more infantry regiments. Not good for the British. Instead of facing a Division attack on 2 fronts, they faced a Corps-wide assault on 1 front. Bad news in Melee (supported flanks and all the firepower that their field batteries could bring to bear)
At the very least, your Cavalry pins down his Cavalry, freeing the flanks up.
"If there isn't enough artillery, quit!" Can't remember which US General said that and when, but sure knew his stuff and gamers are forced to relearn these vital principles again and again. Take the case of the British in this Napoleonic's game. All of the British batteries were wiped out whether by counterbattery, or direct assault. The French grouped their batteries together and managed the lanes of fire by which they could contend.
The British assigned a Battery per brigade and used their artillery more as infantry support than as a decisive arm. The game turned into a contest between ideologies. I have to say, if the year is 1809, you should be massing your artillery for best effect at the decisive spot, unless you are absolutely positive you will be on the defensive.
My French "grand battery" was able to hunker down in Stationary, protect anything the British threw their way, and provide wonderful fire support for a grand assault. Napoleon would have been proud.
Task Organization: Your Task Org should reflect the mission at hand. Scenario-dependent, for pick up games, Mr Chief of Staff, it is YOUR job to organize your forces with what you will think you'll need for the task.

As the Commander, you would, at the very least, approve your Chief's recommendations. IN this case, both sides were wholly unequipped to handle either task they were given and halfway through the game, morphed into a Corps Frontage for the assault. Should have been done that way from the start. Napoleon said it best about attacking swiftly with everything you have instead of shoveling men and material into the fire. In this case, the British were not tied-in flankwise and not suited for a defensive operation. There was 1 crucial Artillery Battery and Infantry Regiment attached to the Army HQs in a reserve role (why? I just thought it would have been a good idea!)
The British could have used more infantry units at the Olive Grove and occupied it from the start. Artillery Batteries should have been allocated to the advancing unit up the hill early on and in a massed fashion. Additionally, the Cavalry division should never have had infantry and artillery units under it. They should have focused on reconnoitering the hilltop, French positions, and harrassing attacks, not charging wastefully without infantry support onto the battlefield. Troops would have been better served as being organized into "wings" or a very large infantry division with the artillery, and an independent Cavalry Division.

Planning: There should be a solid plan, not just an advance and an "audible"! How seemingly obvious but rarely put into practice!!

Christmas Came Early

2011-10-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

So not only did I receive my new running shoes in the mail, but received my South Vietnamese M113 and my Revell M48 Kit! Picked up a sweet deal off megahobby.com for 11.99 and the APC for 11.00! That's the SINGLE PRICE of the M48 that my "local" hobby store was selling it for. Hmph!

Also the M48 kit contained decals and modifications to make it American, German, Greek, or Israeli which is pretty cool. I will make my either US Army or South Vietnamese considering my APC is ARVN. We'll see.

Also gave the North Korean troops and US Korean War troops a bath yesterday in anticipation of painting them. They will double as NVA and ARVN respectively, even if the weaponry isn't exactly correct.

Plan on playing a Korean War, 1951 Cold War Commander game (2000 points) in the near future. I'm going to start fabricating medium bunkers soon. Can't wait!

And as if anyone cares, I finished 3 more 6mm Regiments of ACW Union Troops of Stones' Brigade. Starting Stannard's Brigade next.

Huzzah! Pictures to come.