Twilight Struggle vs my son and ongoing Vassal games

Played Twilight Struggle today against my lad Steven. And low and behold I managed a win for once.
I played as the USSR achieving an auto win in the mid-war period.
Cue much crowing and dancing !
As ever a nice game to play with each turn generating a hand you have to play as best you can whilst trying to achieve your strategic aims.
Not a 'true' wargame as such but a fine and fun game of itself.

Several ongoing PBEM games via Vassal on my schedule at present:

Another Twilight Struggle game (which I have just lost on last turn as USA)

Turning Point Stalingrad game (into its fourth turn 16th September 1942) 

Barbarossa To Berlin (with me as Axis) facing massive Red build up having failed to advance far into Russia.

Hannibal: Rome vs Carthage (using AH rules but newer board on Vassal) with me as Rome. Hannibal rampant in Italy but Varro now in Western Numidia

Bitter Woods (am brand new to this one) with me commanding US troops (AH 2nd edition rules on L2 Vassal map). Yanks are really thin on ground at start ! 

Another Barbarossa To Berlin game with me as Allies this time and early in Turn 2

WWII Barbarossa To Berlin: Grandson vs Grandfather

My lad (with a little initial help from me) played my Dad at WWII Barbarossa To Berlin and seemed to have a good time with probably 'heaviest' Wargame he has tried thus far.
Plenty of moments of me having to bite my tongue as they both missed opportunities to put a lot of hurt on each other !
But a real slug-fest ensued as Steven counterattacked a lot even when not most judicious choice and launched both Sledgehammer and Shingle invasions and managed to get away with it mostly causing Axis to divert a lot of effort trying to deal with several incursions.
Did not manage to complete the game but Africa was cleared and Neutrals converted to Allied cause by Casablanca conference just as it ended.
Interesting watching from sidelines for a change as you tend to see overall picture a bit clearer than when involved directly.

But I really need to get a figure game as suffering lead withdrawal !

Barbarossa To Berlin at Fathers

Played another game of Barbarossa To Berlin with my Dad last night (we both really like this game) with me as ever as Allies.
Dad used Von Paulus Pause instead of Op Barbarossa and struggled to get VP locations throughout 1941.
I had FDR declares war as early as possible which brought Total War into play before Axis could get to magic 11 VP minimum required for 20 point boost and so by Winter 43 (ie 42/43) with Op Torch and then Casablanca played the Allies obtained an Auto victory by knocking VPs down to nil.
Great fun as ever with a game we do not seem to tire of.

Tigers In The Mist a Bulge (yes another !) game arrived this week in pristine condition despite being second hand.
Lower level complexity than most but does look good.

And this one inbound The Supreme Commander (such delusions of grandeur I entertain)

Vassal Pbem two different games but similar outlook pour moi

Couple of screenshots from Vassal games I have ongoing at present

First up Barbarossa To Berlin (I love this game even though I truly suck at it) in an Online tournament I joined at last minute to make up numbers (never a truer word typed !). Playing against a US bloke called Marc and getting fairly drubbed by his Nazi onslaught.

Just about to start Fall (ie Autumn) 41 turn and already Stalin is dead and Moscow under Swastika. Ivans holding on grimly with Axis only 4 Victory Points from auto win.

Next up a game of Paths Of Glory against frequent opponent Mike, and things looking rather grim for Allies here to (I just managed to avoid a Central Powers auto win 2 turns ago) on the Western Front with Hun right up to Paris. 

At least this one is going the course as we into Winter 1917/18.

GMT's WWII Barbarossa To Berlin another outing

As a change of pace from Combat Commander my Dad and I had another go at WWII Barabarossa to Berlin from GMT games.
And another cracking nights entertainment it was.
Dad as Axis (as ever) went with 'standard' Barbarossa opening but failed to make any great headway towards Moscow due to some very good Allied dice rolling (I seemed to get nothing but 5 or 6 to his 1 or 2).
This despite his surrounding and eliminating a large pocket of Soviets in South.
I got Replacements and Reinforcements pretty much as required and things soon stagnated on the Ost front with both sides entrenching.
A lack of Taifun and Nordlicht cards also stymied the Axis advance.
This lead to a ding dong struggle for North Africa with Panzer Afrika striking as far as Alexandria (and being reconstituted three seperate times !) but being caught by Torch landings in mid 1942.
Whilst Axis got the Totaller Krieg card as Total War started they had just fallen below the 11VP required to use it.
The arrival of Soviet Tank Fronts allowed pressure to be mounted on German lines especially in North with Koingsberg under threat.
Both sides lost lots of troops here.
The killer blow came after North Africa was rid of Axis troops with US and British launching Husky and the play of Casablanca (giving Neutral VPs to Allies) which left Axis with a mere 2 VP which they soon lost as Allies romped through Italy almost unoppossed to achieve victory in early 1944.
A great game with lots of hard decisions as to how to play cards and acheive best use of their options.
Some events are very enticing but usually are one offs (ie removes card from play) and they generally have good OPs and RP values.
I was lucky to get Bomber Command twice in a row with no Axis Fighter counter to reduce Axis hand size twice whilst he only managed one use of Wolfpacks.
Very enjoyable once more.
Just wish my Vassal Pbem game was going as well.............................



Modest gains for Third Reich in the East

End is nigh for Rommel in North Africa (although he did bloody 8th Armies nose)

Vassal PBEM games status

Few pics from ongoing Vassal (and ACTs) games I am currently playing via PBEM.

Playing third game of this versus Greig with me as Axis this time, as I wanted to the 'Von Paulus Pause' card.


















Situation in on the Ost front early 1942 with limited gains for Germans

Western Desert with Rommels Panzer Armee Afrika about to attack the Desert Army

On very last card play of this one against Mike which has been hugely enjoyable with swings of fortune abounding.
Going to end up a hard fought draw.
















Overall situation with only last Catholic card to be played

Swedes last Protestant force left and having taken Austria and devastated Bavaria

Tilly with last Catholic force (still Spainish armies in their zone) clawing back lands from Protestants in Germany.

The score with only one more card to play (Catholics likely to bring score up to 15 max) so a draw.

Another against Mike wherein the British have just gotten back into fray on Western Front having been ousted entirely earlier !
















Overall view of situation on mainland Europe

The Western Front with French weakened and British resurgent but Germans in strong posistion. Italians in dire straits too.

The Eastern theatre pretty much stalemated

'Lardie' alternatives

'Lardie Rules' Day at Belfast Club on Saturday (with Richard Clarke in town to show off Chain Of Command rules) which I had planned to attend but sadly could not (damn work yet again). However I did manage to get out to Fathers with my son Steven for a couple of 'compensatory' games. We played a fun Zombie game called it think....er.......Zombies with a nice tile laying system and plastic Zombies. Nice fun game especially multi-player. My son also got in a game of Combat Commander against my Dad and seemed to really enjoy it (winning the scenario helped). Also an EBay purchase arrived, Bitter Woods (Avalon Hill/MMP 2nd edition) that I got set up on table but not played any of yet.
Couple of Pbem Vassal game turn also played in Thirty Years War and Barbarossa To Berlin (kinda hooked on this one)

Combat Commander action

Zombie action

Bitter Woods

Thirty Years War

Barbarossa To Berlin