Battle Report

I have been asked about how the quarry game went.

Marines did well at start due to their high training factor and morale. Opening shots with TOW launchers killed 5 Soviet tanks with 6 shots. In fact the first wave of Soviets were annihilated. However Paul had bought a regiment of cheap conscripts and these were the first wave and acted as a human shield for the better troops following up. In the end it was a close draw.

We hadn't played the rules for a while and it was the first time we had used the Marines. Usually we play tank heavy and so it will take some time to get used to using a heap of high quality infantry running around in Humvees. I think the tank ratio was 9 US vehicles (a battalion) vs 50+.

I think it will take some  to learn how to best use my Marines. In Multi Player games we usually have 10,000 pts plus 500 for support. I think a few 1 on 1 games at lower points will hone my skills.

The highlight for me was the US airstrike. FFT3 has an almost narrative approach. The plane entered our edge and you look on a table considering our quality minus factors such as anti air, height etc and a dice roll. The result was that the pilot veered off at the last moment but dropped his bombs before he did so. The result was a close miss on a PT76 crossing a small lake . A pity because it would have been the first Us Air Force plane to SINK a tank!

Recent Modern Game

Here are some photos from a recent modern micro armour game played at Paul’s place. The table was 6' x 4'. The figures were 6 mm, mainly from GHQ. The rules used were our usual for modern games, a Fist Full of TOWs. We mainly fight fictional battles from WW3, set in the Central Front in 1989. NATO forces used include US, German Dutch or British. This was the 1st game for my United States Marine Corps and I was playing against Paul's Soviets. 

Paul had created the battlefield by using Google Earth to locate a suitable area in modern-day Germany and then taking a photo on his iPad 2, and then recreating it on his wargame’s table. You will probably note two really interesting terrain features on the table. The 1st is Paul's autobahn overpass complete with armco railing and the 2nd is the quarry on one flank.

The quarry was actually in the photo that Paul took using Google Earth and so he decided to recreate it. This was interesting tactical challenge as it was basically a hill in reverse. The quarry was made of painted cardboard with hand drawn contours and consisted of a series of layers going down instead of up. Several of the contours were close together creating cliff faces. A road ran its way through the quarry, but even this was slow going.

A you Tube review of the rules can be found here

East West View of Table

West East

Close-up of Quarry.Outside lightest is at ground level, road entrance at bottom of picture. The greenish areas at top are water hazards.

Close up of one of Paul's towns. Resin buildings which can be removed, but underneath each building is painted their unique "footprint".

The overpass. 

With Friends Like These

The scene: Cancon 2012. Up early for the annual 5 hour drive plus breaks, then a visit to the show, War Memorial, back to the show and then to my friend Anthony's house before going out for dinner. I sat down on a dangerously comfortable electric arm chair and this happened.

Next thing I know this photo was sent to my wife and daughter. I'm not ashamed, see the dog loves me and I went down reading a new set of rules I had bought. ;-)

Some Wednesday at Frank's Games

Naval Wargaming using Age of Sale Rules

And Some Falklands War using modified Crossfire

 

Starship Troopers

We had some early problems using the Moongoose rules, but it meant we got our money's worth, at least 3 totally different sets of rules from the one book ;-)

2 Posts 1 Day

Bigger picture of table

The whole table

Its either look after my much neglected blog or mark university student assignments!

Eureka 15mm Sci Fi Germans as very late Germans for either Flames of War or Alien Squad Leader. Paint job not great but look at those bases!!!

Where Have I been?

Sometimes life just gets way too busy. With my wife moving away for work and taking sole responsibility for our Special Needs 18yo son its been quite a ride. Anyways heres some gaming eye candy for you.

 German troops scientists and hunters explore and defend.

 Don't you just hate it when a T Rex climbs onto your ride?

 Victory!! ... Oh look! Hey whats that over there?

Unplanned cuteness (Cause we're really artistic misunderstood softies at heart).

These come from the Eat Hitler game by Howard Whitehouse that was published in Wargames Illustrated. When a Nazi UFO gets lost and goes back in time you can only root for the dinosaurs.

Figures by Copplestone and Foundry. Plastic dinosaurs and a scratch built UFO from plastic plates, blank CD case and bits box bits.

Here is Something You Don't See Every Day!

Two new armies! Not DBA or HotT, but full, honest to goodness, 25/28mm armies! Not mine but my good friend Frank's. A matched set of Romans and Gauls. Figures by Old Glory, painted by Frank.