Vassal - more Combat Commander and Thirty Years War

Bit of a dearth of Wargaming activity this week (seemed to be busy with stuff for reasons unknown !?) but did have another Vassal session tonight with Dad using the ever excellent Combat Commander.
We played through two Scenarios (all so far from original game Playbook) Bessarabian Nights and Cold Front and have set up another Commando School for next session.

I did manage also to finish a Vassal PBEM game of The Thirty Years War: Europe In Agony with my Catholics being soundly defeated (I won as Protestants last time out).


Overview

Wallenstein about to be defeated by Gustavus having been chased from Wien.

Vassal PBEM games ongoing

Have a couple of Vassal games ongoing (both for several months) via Email.

One is 'Thirty Years War' wherein I am playing Protestants and we (bloke in England) have just started the penultimate turn.

Also ongoing a game of 'The Dark Valley' (with US chap) which has reached August 1943.

Thirty Years War - PBEM via ACTs and Vassal

Started PBEM game using ACTS and Vassal against a chap called Przemek Bozek.

Ages since I played using these methods but great to get playing a board wargame I have not played for awhile.

Early days as we are just on turn one with Prezemek as Catholics and me as Protestants.

Tilly has massed his Bavarians and overrun freshly deployed Protestant forces in Baden

Mansfeld has marched north into Saxony and battle about to take place outside Leipzig.

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

Vassal games update and another new arrival !

Several (well four) games ongoing at present using Vassal (and ACTs for couple).

First up WW2 Barbarossa To Berlin against Greig.
My Easrern Front holding up ok thus far against Nazis with Reds getting some Armoured and Siberian Corps into play.
However I boobed big style in North Africa moving Desert Army too far forward which alloewd a Panzer Corps to slip around behind me taking Alexandria, Cairo and Suez !!! worse still British forces in Eqypt cut off and about to wither on the vine.
Did however manage to Launch Torch invasion so now Tunis in allied hand and still able to contest North African theatre.

Next its Thirty Years War again Mike wherein my Protestant forces are grimly hanging on in face of superior Catholic and Imperial Forces. Badly need Sweden and Mr Adolphus to join in the fray.









Protestant holding Northern Germany but have lost gains in Southern regions.

Next its Paths Of Glory again against Mike.
We have both traded blows on Western Front as things have sort of stalemated in the East.
Allied Powers have assimilated Mid and Late War decks whilst Central Powers still not availing of Late War cards (ie not enough War Status accumulated yet).
Several bloody encounters at Liege bewteen British and Germans with it changing hands several times now.
We are just beginning Winter 1916 period.





Situation in the East

And in the West (far from being all quiet !)

Finally I have just started another game with Norman who chose KingDom Of Heaven The Crusader States with opening First Crusade scenario.
I am leading Holders of the  Holy Lance (and hopefully Holy Hand Grenade !) into the East to try to establish Outremer.
Attrition has bitten already with several losses to my horde after leaving flesh pots of Constantinople and marching into Asia Minor.

And finally this game arrived today !

Not strictly a 'Wargame' more a Conflict based game but one that intrigues and certainly garners rave reviews. I ordered this via Amazon for reasonable £37 and was expecting the 2009 version as pictured however very pleasently surprised to receive brand new 2012 Deluxe Version (2009 version essentially same anyhow I believe).
Yet more time required for rule learning & game playing !!!!

Vassal Pbem games ongoing

Couple of screenshots from Pbem Vassal games I have onging at present.
Vassal is great way to play board style wargames over internet via Pbem.
I took a while to get used to its system but find it very enjoyable now.
Still prefer physical gameplay (I sometimes miss units in Vassal compared to real three dimensional counters) but as needs must.



Thirty Years War game by GMT just started vs Mike Ketterman from USA
Mike is Cathloics and I the 'Prods'

Protestants under Mansfeld put pressure on Elector of Saxony

Paths Of Glory by GMT also versus Mike (we are well into this one now)
Mike is Central Powers (ie the baddies) and Allies under my whims 

Shifting Sands by MMP vs Norman Johnston (ex pat Ulsterman in Merry ole England) we are nearing end of the short Sonneblumme scenario in this. Norman is leading the Allies in this one as I try to emulate Herr Rommel and his mates.