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 - End of PBEM Turn 1

Turn 1 just finished in my Pbem game of TYW.
An eventful turn with Baden changing hands twice from Neutral to Protestant then to Tillys Bavarians with besieged Breisach the last Reformer bastion.
Saxony captured by Protestants under Mansfeld after crushing Saxons at Lutzen.
Then chased by Christian of Brunswick, although Leipzig holds out under siege.
Spanish have ventured into Lower Palatintate taking the Electorate with 2 successful sieges.
Victory Points stand at down 3 for Catholic cause but the large Imperial force at Vienna is unused thus far.

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

Still gaming........just about !!

Despite bloody G8 being over am still stuck in a cycle of looong shifts with very little free time for game related stuff.

However I have managed to get a few boardgame related stints in (have not had a minis game in what seems ages).


Played couple of games ay my Dads with my son Steven also in attendance (back home from Nottingham University for summer).
He bought a copy of game we played at brothers in Liverpool called Small Worlds a very fast, light and fun fantasy themed strategy game.
We realized during first game we were playing things a tad incorrectly but then managed a win each in next three tries.
I forgot to take any pics so here is a stock image or two

I then umpired a game of Twilight Struggle between my offspring and offspringer (?) a tense encounter it was.
Steven had the Commies and went for an all out 'assault' on Europe and very nearly carried the day however his lack of influence and presence elsewhere in the world allowed the USofA to dominiate in several regions and rack up a lot of points with scoring cards.
So much so that on turn 7 Dad achieved an auto victory.
Great stuff with a game that is not strictly a wargame but has nice conflict basis.

On Vassal I am still plugging away with a Pbem games and having great time (very theraputic) against varied opponnents.


Barbarossa To Berlin game (against Greig) in which I am getting thrashed after my self-inflicted disaster in North Africa.
So many cards for Allies vioded by continued German presence in region (no invasions in Med possible).
This has allowed Axis to obtain near parity on Eastern Front especially as my seemingly unending offensives with Soviets seem to yield very little (even virtual dice hate me !!).

Thirty Years War game (against Mike) has gotten exciting with Swedes arriving, Gustavus dying tout suite (damn dice again !!) but with French now coming to aid Protestant cause.

Paths Of Glory game (also vs Mike) has seen Italy cause Central Powers some grief by pushing across Alps into southern Germany whilst Eastern and Western fronts are largely stagnated.
We have had our own version of Verdun a bit further north at Liege which has changed hands several times and cost us both a lot of combat power (ie soldiers).
Still in balance this one

After having lost Kingdom Of Heaven game to Norman we decided for  some lighter fare with a game of Command & Colours Ancients.
I picked battle of Bagradas with Norman as Carthaginians and I as Romans.
Interesting first outing for this game which whilst quite simple to pick up has bit more depth than is first apparent and is fun to play.

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