Normailty (my version) returns...........I hope

After a very loooooong week or so of Night Shifts (my first stint in 15+ years !!) due to G8 madness here in NI (and complete lack of gaming time) I have returned to normal so hope to get a bit onto blog in due course.

Blame firmly lies with this bunch of n'er do wells

Thankfully it all went off peacefully


Did manage a few Vassal turns with the Thirty Years War game heating up nicely with arrival of Mr Gustavus into northern Germany

Barbarossa To Berlin addiction continues

Played another game of this with my Dad.
I really like this game so much so I have bought another copy cheap on Ebay and obtained the very nice mounted map board in GMT sale which got is first outing tonight (I dont mind spending extra on games that I actually get on to table regularily) I also obtained the updated card decks.
Some do not care for the 'scripting' included in game system but for me its a great how game generally follows historical path albeit in abstract form and usually not in struct timeline. Another game that generates a 'narrative' style experience in the space between my ears.
Also enjoying the Vassal game I have ongoing despite suffering against Axis thus far.










Couple of older cards (top) and newer replacements

Actually we played one and a bit games as cocked up the first go by forgetting to check Allied hand for the all important Soviet Re-inforcement card which gives Germans using Barbarossa a massive and virtually unbeatable advantage.

Thankfully we had only played couple of turns before we cottoned on and so re-set for another bash.
This went more to form expect that the Nazis suffered pretty horrendous dice rolls (almost constant 1 and 2s) against awesome Ivan rolls (mostly 5 and 6s !!) meaning initial assault impotent and therefore Victory Points accumulated damnably low.
However Dad conversely had great success in North Africa completely annihilating Commonwealth and British forces there with timely use of Banzai card (Japanese Intervention card which caused 2 Commonwealth Corps to dissappear to east) and arrival of Panzer Armee Africa.
This opened up the whole of Eygpt and Persia to a rampant Rommel with several VP locations falling to him to offset lack of VPs in Russia. Only my later use of Torch invasion put paid to his roaming ways as the Italian and German Corps left in North Africa failed to stand and Rommel withered due to lack of supply although he did cause Allies grief (ie minus one card in hand) for taking Oilfields at Baku tempoarily.
However with Rommel dispatched and Africa cleared of Axis forces combined with lack of any progress in Russia (where Ivans were becoming very strong with arrival of Siberians, Tank armies and Mechanized Fronts) by Summer 1943 the game was ended by my play of Casablanca card (which gives Allies VPs for all Neutral VP location ie Sweden and Turkey) which give Allies an Auto Victory by reducing Axis to a big fat Zero victory points total.

Great stuff once more