First outing for gas bombardments (by nasty Boche) in this game, although did not last too long as a breeze card dispersed the cloud.
A very gritty game with lots of close assaults on foxholes and trench line with Germans decimating French for Surrender win.
We used a newer edition of rules (2024) than last outing and I found the online army lists much easier to use than older version (more 'Armies' but less options per list).
I selected a Minas Morgul Orc list with the Witch King of Angmar on a Fell Beast as main 'character' with a Troll (well one just has to) with a selection of Orcs and associated Orc Captains with a couple of Spectres (as experiment), points total was 650.
Stephen fielded a Rivendale Elf force led by Elrond with lots of Archers, Eleven Swordsmen, a few mounted Eleven Knights (bow and lance) an Eleven Bannerman and with a couple of other Hero leaders whose names I forget.
A fun game that has a simple basic system with the complication coming from the various abilities and traits of the troops and the Heroes and how these are enacted and how they interact.
But this generates a myriad of options and decisions to make combined with the use of Might, Fate, Initiative and Heroic actions and indeed give a nice Middle Earth feeling to proceedings.
Stephen loves points based pick 'n mix and this system feeds that very well.
Overall an enjoyable foray into the fantasy realm (I do like a bit of Middle Earth).
A few pics from later in game ie after Troll had been knocked on his butt by an Elrond special ability (knocks down all enemies within 3") and surrounded and pummeled to death (he is just visible in last pic in front of Fell Beasts head) after wandering ahead of main force.
Club meeting today and I put on another FOB3 game this time using scenario 'Le Garde Au Feu' from GDB scenario booklet as basis
Scenario is set during Lutzen 1813 and depicts the afternoon counter attack by the Imperial Guard around the 'four villages' defended by a Prussian and Russian force.
French were commanded by Mike and Simon with the 'Two Daves' (Dave T and Dave M) tasked with holding off Guard with their Allied force.
French had 32 units with 2 Old Guard,12 Young Guard, 4 Line, 4 Second Line some Skirmish screens and supported by Guard Lancers and Line Lancers with several batteries of guns (some Guard standard with one Battery static on heights), they also had 45 Morale.
The French had to place 2 Brigades in off-table reserve (they choose the Old Gde and Gde Cavalry).
Allies had 24 units with 4 Prussian Line, a Prussian Guard Brigade with 2 Gde Musketeers, a small (3UI) unit of Gde Jager, 4 Russian Grenadiers (although Pavlov unit starts as a village garrison), 4 Russian Second Line, Skirmish screens and Prussian Cavalry Dragoons and Hussars, a unit of Russian Gde Hussars and several gun batteries, they started with 35 Morale.
Game was another cracker with lots of action and incident.
Highlights were Russian Gde Hussars being Routed but then Rallying and charging two units in flank destroying them but then being charged in turn on their flank and annihilated.
One Prussian Gde foot were ignominiously Routed with 3 hits by OG Guard guns but they too manged to Rally (and restore all UI losses !)
Most entertaining (at least for Umpire) was the OG Foot Brigade failing 5 times (1 on a D10) to appear but then once they did they were 'supercharged' getting 3 moves twice and essentially winning the game by inflicting musketry losses, which expended Allied Morale and of course an Army Morale was turned and the Allies quit the field.
However it transpired that the French had only 1 Morale chip left so very close to collapse themselves.
Quote of day was from Simon "how to win by rolling ones" as indeed the French had a deluge of such rolls especially early on.
Pics of varied quality as seems to depend on angle of shot how lighting effects
French Young Guard formations advance near Rahna
Also at club were two other games (another had to cancelled due to travel issues after Storm Eowyn) and as usual I have no idea how these turned out
Phil and co had a Pony Wars game using Man Who Would Be King rules in 20mm (Pics stolen from Phil as mine out of focus)
Dave M put on a WW1 game using (I think) One Hour Wargames rules
Another scenario played with this excellent game (even solo) this one set in winter at Verdun with Germans attacking through a heavily wooded area.
Quick (only had an hour spare) visit today to Clare Gaming which was pretty busy with lots of RPG type stuff ongoing with spotty oiks ie youths :-) and couple of historical games from Elimination Club.
A 28mm Zulu game in progress with Black Powder and a Bolt Action 3 game also in 28mm with Polish Paras facing Germans (this had very nice buildings and figures.
Couple of ongoing PBEM games for which I have neglected to report of late.
Still in midst of No Retreat! The Russian Front with Mike via Vassal and we are now in Sept/Oct 1944 turn with my Axis forces pushed right back to frontiers of Reich and under huge pressure all along the front. Saving grace is that Russians well off pace in their Victory Point accumulation but that could change.
Breakthrough over Carpathians looking imminent !
Also ongoing game with Combat Mission with NJ John with a newly started game (we finished a Russian Front game last week) set at Cheux in Normandy (but using CMAK data).
An '88' awaits British (John) advance
Another couple of practice games for Mr B with LADG.
First was his Abbasid Arabs (a later version than last outing) against my Maurikian Byzantines (an army I seldom field), tone set for this one when I had 11 shots and failed to achieve any hits !! Arabs firing back inflicted a few on me. I did have 2 Elite Kavallorii which rolled nothing but sixes all day but their mates let them down.
Second game I used the Khazars and faced Thematic Byzantines and this one decided when I charged in with my Impact (Lancer) Cavalry and failed to win any combats suffering multiple hits in return, no real way back from this in LADG (or any game for that matter).
