The busy life of a Wargamer in retirement with a bit more solo dabbling, some Pbem and missing pics.

Been dabbling and dibbling again this last few days with various board Wargames but also made a couple of purchases (!!) and did manage to play a minis game but photos seem to have gone AWOL ?

On board Wargame front I set up (always prefer physical game to Vassal as excellent as that is) and played through several turns (up until I realised Axis were stuffed in late 1943) of WW2: Barbarossa To Berlin a CDG type I have always enjoyed.

Then I got Battle of Britain onto table this being the Plastic Soldier Company version (bought a while back for bargain £15) of an old TSR game (which I own). 

A fairly simple but quick playing game. 

Ironically despite being by PSC the plastic aircraft are rather underwhelming so I used those from old TSR version as these are much crisper castings.

On Pbem front game of No Retreat! The Russian Front continues with German (moi) Turn 3 having just ended. 

Ivans (Mike) looking rather thin on ground but they will have 6 cards in their part of turn to 'spend' to restore units and they have a few reserves arriving as well so should look better for them.

I also played with Stephen a Napoleonic minis game using the superbly priced (ie free) Valour & Fortitude Rules for a bash with my Prussians against his French. 

Stephen used an old (V1) GDB scenario based on action at Gross-Gorschen 1813. 

This was mainly to try out a couple of house rules concerning Open Order units as we don't like how they play as written and are trying to make them more akin to pure Skirmish formation. 

Went well but I whilst I took photos they seem to have gotten deleted from my phone/Google account accidentally I assume. 

The rules (and other stuff) are downloadable at https://www.perry-miniatures.com/valour-fortitude/vf-rules/

And then I bought a couple of items the first being the long awaited second edition of General D'Armee by Dave Brown which is a pre-order due 4th of March or so.

Also made an EBay purchase of one of the expansions for Fire In The Lake game namely 'The Fall Of Saigon 1972-1975' a title I have been on lookout for to expand this hugely enjoyable COIN system game.

A bit of solo dabbling about - Battle Command & I Ain't Been Shot Mum

Set up and played a couple of 'lonely pint' games over weekend for purposes of rule refreshing and plain old fun because (thankfully) this is how I still see myself and wargaming !

First I set up a Napoleonic game for Battle Command based on an old Lasalle scenario 'Pitschberg 1813' with French attacking Prussians.

However the scenario has French attacking from short end of table and set up right in face of Prussians especially their Advance Guard so all pretty squashed and very bloody from get go.

Forces are nicely balanced but think I would re-jig the table to extend French deployment area by at least 12" and maybe its orientation, so did not complete this one.

French arriving at 'whites of their eyes' range to Prussians

Then I set up IABSM scenario 'Action at Galmanche' from rule book.

Only partly through this as lots of rules refreshing (been ages since used IABSM) but lots of action already.

Forgot that Blinds are auto-spotted on a Tea Break Card so was a bit nonchalant with the British deployments and they were all spotted in one go.

Still the German Pak40 failed to brew 2 Shermans (some damage to gun-sights and mobility) and crew has been reduced to a mere 2 so Actions reduced.

German infantry shooting also sub-par (much less potent than in Chain of Command) although I did miss that Shock is doubled if shooting from Ambush.

British pre-game Stonk did inflict a lot of shock and killed the German Mortar Observer (not sure if any Big Men/Cot CO can call in these now ?)

Had also forgotten that there can be a lot of markers required (I had to dig mine out) with Pins, Suppression, Overwatch, Shock and several types of damage for AFVs but this is a nice playable and flavoursome WW2 game (I prefer it to CoC in many aspects)

British Blinds advancing with Germans all hidden (Green pipe cleaner denotes)

British force of a an Infantry Company (3 Platoons) and 2 Sherman Tank Troops

Pre-game Stonk has inflicted Shock on several German sections

Dug-in Pak 40 lies in wait 

British Blinds clumped together and should have held the Tanks back

All revealed on a Tea Break as too close to enemy d'oh !

Oudenarde again but with Battle Command

Played Oudenarde scenario again (as too lazy to prepare something else) but this time using Battle Command and with Stephen as French and I as Allies.

This time of course both aware of the flank marchers and the bonus for taking village.

A somewhat different game overall and with some devastating French artillery fire as they routed 2 units (one the Dutch Foot Guard !!) in 2 opening salvoes !

French did not take village and the flank march did very little as faced by ready lines of defenders.

Allies fought decently but their shooting was dire despite having several better shooting units.

French won in end as Allied losses accumulated although actual units lost were much less than previous game.

Despite the better CinC quality I failed so many times to win the initiative dice off with lots of Lost or Tied results reducing my order options or when I did win I rolled Odd again reducing choices whereas the French seldom rolled high but did manage to roll mostly Even maximizing their action choice.

I really like this extra choice forced upon you by odd vs even rolls within the Action Matrix 

Flow of game is somewhat different using BCmd and personally I think it has edge over FOB for 2 player games, but not by much, as really just an alternative way to use dice and card options to generate orders/actions. 

It really is a neck and neck 'race' for which I favour (FOB wins for multi-player).

Allied right under pressure (their guns were soon overrun) from superior French numbers

Four Allied units are routing (2 from each command although 2 did later recover)

French are pouring across stream on Allied left

French preparing for Allied flank march

Both sides suffering lots of disorder 

Allied reserves have arrived but solid line of French face them

Allied centre crumbling with only 2 reserve units arriving to shore things up

Well formed lines of French troops

Allies manage to push back on right but too late

 

Ulster Wargame Society - Oudenarde with Field of Battle 3

UWS meeting today and I put on another Malburian game with FOB3 and my 10mm kit.

Scenario was based on Battle of Oudenarde 1708 (adapted -ie blatantly stolen- from a Maurice scenario) with units representing approx brigade sized units (4-6 battalions of foot).

French have numbers but are mostly average with average command (only 2 Generals - Vendomme and Burgundy) and control, the Allies are smaller in number but higher quality with better command overall (they start with 2 excellent Generals - Marlborough and Eugene) but with 2 others appearing as reinforcements (Lottum and Overkirk) and a better card deck.

The French could gain 10 morale by capturing a central village (Eyne) whilst Allied reserves under Overkirk could flank march to anywhere on Allied left arriving on their 3rd move card (Lottum was to arrive home on base edge on 2nd Move card).

I had indicated this on the OOB sheets I gave the players (Dave T took Allies and Dave B the French) but they both failed to notice this enemy information (spys and scouts not up to task).

This turned out to be another cracking game that went right down to the wire with both sides almost at zero morale at same time (French greatly aided by swiftly taking that village which Allies had unknowingly left unguarded). 

The Allied flank march (2 Dutch foot and 2 Dutch horse) arrived in good time but made a meal of turning French flank as opposing French horse were, assaulted, outflanked and took several hits but just refused to go away !

French left wing was slow in making progress which helped the Allies (despite Mr T having a run of truly awful dice rolls) and eventually the odds swung in Allies favour. 

Allies finished with only 1 of their 32 morale intact but having been 'gifted' several from French pool of 36 which had concurrently been depleted and the French quit the field after their second Army Morale test (had they gotten another run of cards and results and this might well have seen Allies falter).

Scenario map game was based on 

This is my version of map from test set up at home (I used a 6' x 5' table and did not bother marking roads as no effect in game)

French left wing (in foreground) is making slow progress as Allied left is pinned back along Diepenbeek stream but with Eyne taken already by Swiss foot from right wing

Allies under pressure from French numbers as they await reserves

Later stages as both sides taking losses (note Allied flanking force has arrived on distant hill engaging French horse) 

Several units routing (red markers) with several units having been destroyed on both sides as French left moves to assault just as Allied left is gaining ascendancy

A grim battle of attrition just prior to French collapse

Burgundy on French left is Hors De Combat (dreaded roll of 1 on a D12 test) putting whole of left wing into disorder (yellow markers)

Also today Phil ran a 'Men Who Would Be Kings' game in 20mm (think it was Indian Mutiny ?) but no idea how it turned out ?

Andy and co had final practice with Team Yankee for a competition in Cardiff next month

Mike and Simon played board game ("burn the heretics !" I heard in background) with the excellent No Retreat! The Russian Front which Russians won in 1943 after a large portion of Germans surrounded. Nice to see some cardboard wargaming action.