Pbem PC games

Couple of screen captures from ongoing Pbem games.


Panzers advance on Ostfront (Combt Mission: Barabarossa To Berlin)

KV1s is brewed (Combat Mission: Barbarossa To Berlin)

Heavy action in the desert (Campaign Series: Western Front)

Ivan tanks held up by Tigers at Malkov (Campaign Series: Eastern Front)

Lasalle: two more Infantry units completed

Two more units of 15mm Prussian Infantry done for Lasalle.
Kurmark Landwehr and 1st Battalion of 9th Reserve Infantry Regiment.












Side by side in line

More posing hand in hand

Kurmark Landwehr

1st Battalion 9th Reserve Infantry Regiment

Die Fighting inbound......................

Author Bob Jones annoying me with this picture of completed rule set which he is in process of dispatching (estimates a fortnight to make these shores) looks really interesting.

DBMM Galatian versus Carthaginian

Played another Dbmm game last night against arch nemesis Stephen, he used another version of Carthaginian with four Elephants lots of Numidian Light Horse and hordes of Auxilia Superior (six Spear languished at rear) and some Cavalry. I used Galatian (intend to use these or Gauls at Celtic Cup here in Belfast in May) this time trying almost minimum Warband S (34) with usual Cavalry/Light Chariots and a Greek ally (one CvI AG 2 LhO & 16 PsS). I deployed with Allies in centre (hoping to catch the elephants) and Cavalry on right wing. I took risk on my left deploying Cic with only a couple of lowly CvI to protect flank and 22 WbS arraying at angle to 'sweep' towards centre. Punics set-up first and went first with standard LhO on both wings. Early disaster for Celts with Cic throwing a 1 and the Greeks also a 1 !! sodding effeminate degenerates thereafter sat out game until changing sides at the end !! particularly annoying as I spent a couple of hours re-basing to generate required 16 Psiloi S.
Consistent low Pip throws by Cic meant I was unable to move against onrushing Numidians and the CvI with 2 PsI proved a mere speed bump. They were also able to avoid coming close to Greeks (so as not to activate same) and eventually swarmed my flank. On my right my Cavalry & Chariots battled uphill against more Numidians and AxS with neither side gaining much. In centre my other Warband command  (18 WbS 4 CvI 4 PsI) gamely advanced contacting a line of AxS supported by 2 Elephants (I had 2 chances to QK an Elephant including one roll at 2 each) but failed !! The AxS vs WbS is a push and shove affair as the S grade saves both more times than enough. My CvI in centre had to advance to support flank of Warband (due to inactivity of perfidious Greeks) and were engaged by Elephants and wiped out. This command broke then shattered and with its loss the Greeks changed sides breaking the Army overall. A 22-3 result to Punics but a great game as ever with drama of feckless allies adding to fun.

Wargamers note: Game went on into wee small hours (0100) due to us spending a few minutes discussing armies and ohhing and ahhing at some new GHQ PzIII/IVs Stephen had just painted up for Afrika Korps and Spearhead. We nominally started upon my arrival at 1900hrs but not a single figure placed on table until 2100hrs !! Its really is a sad disease :-)

iPhone pics

Armies at deployment (unreliable sods visible in centre)

Celt mounted arm on right

Central warband 

Main warband on left a high risk deployment

And so it proved.......................................

Mounted wings about to clash on hill

Warband S vs Auxilia S

Carthaginian central commands

Spearhead WWII Game

Played first WWII games in absolute ages today at Stephens using Spearhead rules and 6mm kit with the excellent scenario generation system (by Keith McNelly in NZ). I used 1944 Germans against Stephens 1944 Russian hordes. Scenario system generated Nazis as Hasty Attackers against Ivan defence. Table had been set-up prior to game and we amended slightly for objectives then Ivans picked preferred edge and diced to stay on it which they did. Nazis had 2 Veteran Infantry Battalions with supports from 2 Flak attachments 2 Recce Companies and an Engineer Company along with a Battalion of Tiger 1s (6 Panzers). A battery of Nebelwerfers and 3 x 150mm Artillery along with a lone flight of Fw190s completed Nazi array. The Ivans mustered a full Mechanized Infantry Brigade backed by Katayusha's (mean !!) a Regiment of Su76 one of Su85s and a T34/76 Battalion.
Nazi massed on their left intending to try to hold in centre with one Inf Bttn whilst other attacked forward on left with Tigers in between supporting both. Ivans spread out across table but mainly concealed in woods and entrenchments with 3 Su85s in 'special ambush' (an extra hidden item of scenario system) and T34s in reserve off-table.
Nazis advanced into a hail of artillery & mortar (Katayushas, 76mm Field Guns, 81mm mortars and the Su76s) all firing from concealed support positions behind Inf stands. Nazi recce units suffered horribly as did the Engineer coy which was decimated by an accurate Katayusha strike ! Tigers managed to gain a large hill but suffered losses to the ambushing Su85s and the 76mm guns of Su76/towed batteries. FW190 arrived and only had enemy AA units as targets but managed to kill one. Ivans managed to easily change orders of Bttn on their own left which swung onto the flank of advancing Nazis. T34s arrived and took losses from Tigers but both formations were forced to test morale with Tigers failing and T34s passing twice !! Heavy loss to an Inf Bttn coupled with the Tigers demise lead Nazi commander to yield the field..................
Great to use WWII stuff again and we thought the scenario system was great but our long hiatus from Spearhead rules lead to slow play as we checked and re-checked various aspects but it was beginning to flow again towards the end. Looking forward to another game.






Ivans begin to deploy in defensive posistions

Tigers enter along roadway

Grenadiers advance on left recce to the fore

Ivans entrenched on hill and in woods

Ivan battalion visible to the right which later swung towards centre

German plans revealed

Advance on left with 88mm flak in support

Tigers nose to tail

Second Grenadier battalion

Ivans await

Lots of Commies visible

DBMM Polybian Roman versus Han Chinese

Played another Dbmm using the Romans again against Stephens Han Chinese (sort of contemporary opponents) as he wanted to try them with a view to using in Celtic Cup in May. Terrain fell quite good for Romans again but had to deploy first. Both armies being regular had several turns of manoeuvres before clashing anywhere. Sadly for Rome my 'only throw ones' syndrome struck on initial shooting/combats and 7 (!!!!) elements of AxS and Ps succumbed. From then on it was usual game of catch-up but a large Roman command broke and then shattered leaving gaping hole that could never be filled and Han were victorious at little cost to themselves.





Initial deployments

Han right flank Auxilia and Artillery

Roman centre and left

Roman right anchored on rough hill

Roman overview

Han Cavalry behind Allied Hsiung Nu 

Roman right facing Hsiung Nu

Han light horse tries to flank

Roman cavalry on left 

DBMM Punic War

Played game last night using my Polybian Romans versus Hugh (only his second game of Dbmm) and his Carthaginians. Very good game with lots of activity and events (I do so love this about Dbmm) including a successful (for once !) outflank by my Allied Cavalry Cmd (SG plus 4 rCvI) which sacked enemy camp entirely. I fielded 1 ArtO primarily to show Hugh just how annoying these things are as I knew he would field Elephants. Setting up second I was able to line the artillery up against 2 oncoming elephants and did kill one after a lot of shots. Hugh understood potential of these sods. Main struggle was in middle between a vineyard and wood (terrain fell quite kindly for me) with my Legionaries and Extraordinary doing sterling service. Hughs elephants (4 in total) killed only 1 blade and 1 psiloi before dieing due to very good combat dice on my part (not something I often type) despite having torrid Cmd Pips (not that's more like normal !). Hugh had a large Cmd of Spearmen (20 ?) which struggled to get into fray due to constricted nature of terrain and having lowest Pip allocation (mostly 1/2's). I managed to break his elephant Cmd and sack camp which combined with other losses took his army over break point just as one of mine went disheartened and only 2me of breaking.
Great game but boy is Dbmm hard to teach as such !! but worth it in the end IMHO

iPhone pics pretty poor quality as I could not find the camera despite remembering about it !!

First turn with Carthaginian elephant corps inbound

Roman right angled to receive elephants with artillery support on left

Roman left anchored on vineyard

Numidians massed on Carthaginian right

Spearmen of Carthage

Elephants advance with lots of regular Spanish AxS