White Star Rising Board Wargame

Very nice surprise from postman on my day off as he delivered 'Nations At War : White Star Rising' game which I had forgotten I had on order from a few weeks ago as awaiting stock. Nice components and does not look too complex.

Of course yet more time needing to be found to give it a go !

Played another game of No Retreat with Mein Fuehrer (ie my Dad) last night and another excellent game it was too (despite our getting bit confused with the Counter Blows rules this time for reasons unknown) This is indeed a very slick and playable game. The use of the event cards (also usable to restore/replace units) keeps things unpredictable on each replay without being dominant factors (thats down to dice rolls as ever !) Dad managed to capture Leningrad this time but was held off rather easily before Moscow (and indeed barely survived being surrounded in a large 'Kessel' near Smolensk in 1942 which would have netted the Ivans 2 Panzer and 2 Infantry Corps ! Lots more losses on both sides this game than last meaning a lot of tasty event cards had to be used as discards to re-generate these losses. Ivans had a Shock Army in play and 3 upgraded Guards Armies all ready to put some hurt on the Fascists just as we had to end !

Usual poor iPhone pics (really do not do justice to this game)

Mid 1941

Nazis threatening Leningrad

Struggle around Kharkov

Leningrad succumbs and counterattack gets 'Blitzed'

Hail Caesar first try (solo) at last !

Played a solo game of Hail Caesar today using table from previous Dbmm battle with couple of forces from the Classical Army Supplement namely; Republican Roman and Galatian. Used 2 wide Dbmm elements as small units (although 3 bases for Skirmishers) 3 wide for Standard sized units and 4 wide for large units. Also gave Galatian Warbands a second rank just for look of the thing. Both organized into three 'Divisions'. Only deviation from lists was I allowed Allied units as single units rather than the Allied only Divisions of lists. Played it as a straight 'run at them' type affair to try out rules. Have to say they work pretty well with the usual variance of Command dice meaning a couple of 'Divisions' failed to move on occasion (that chaos factor I so enjoy), Shooting easy to understand although it seems a bit powerful (mainly due to any 6 rolled causing a 'Break Test' often resulting in a Retreat even if only one casualty suffered). Close Combat a 'bucket of dice' system with for instance the large Warband units rolling 9 dice at 'Clash' hitting on 3+ if charging 4+ otherwise. Hits are then potentially saved via 'Morale Saving' throws with excess being casualties suffered. Loser of melee tests for Breaking (with minus difference in casualties inflicted). Supporting units provide bonus dice (their short ranged attacks) but suffer similar fate to unit supported if it loses. Movement extremely fluid (as per Black Powder) until units come withing 'Proximity' of enemy when it becomes line up and face nearest enemy. Skirmishers and Light Cavalry are 'Open Order' troops that can Evade (a successful Command Roll required) but really only charge each other and pretty much evaporate if caught in melee. As with Black Powder several special rules/abilities available but these were none to onerous to remember using the 'official' lists. All in all a slick fast moving and fun game certainly in lighter vein than Dbmm or FOG.
My main bug-bear (again ala Black Powder) is the IGO UGO sequence of play that has shooting after moves, this allows a moving unit to come up to a stationary unit, fire at it, and quite likely cause a casualty and possibly a retreat/disorder without reply. Non-phasing units only get to fire out of turn at chargers (Closing Fire) or at those moving across their front (Traversing Fire). I would much prefer simultaneous shooting or else 'Shoot then Move' and may experiment with this.

Armies line up

Galatians move forward....except for the Cavalry wing

Roman Legion prepares to meet them (all Small units)

Galatian Warbands in Standard size units

Small Roman Cavalry unit takes on a Warband

Illyrians faced by large Warband

Struggle around the rough ground

Galatian Cavalry moves after 2 turns dawdling

Also managed to pre-order this (from North Star games £30 including card deck) apparently due for release in early April

DBMM Minoan vs Assyrian

Played another Dbmm game today as Stephen desperate to field his Sargonid Assyrian army (very nice it is too), my Minoans were again the willing victims. Good game although my dice were pretty abysmal throughout both for movement Pips and Combats. Despite the fun factor of the game we both feel there is too much manouevre in Dbmm (and indeed most if not all Ancients rules) as groups are too readily able to re-deploy from one side of table to the other. However remove this manouevring and games would likely get a tad boring.
I hope to try Hail Caesar which of course seems to allow even slicker movement options !

The armies at deployment

Assyrian Cavalry

Assyrian 4 Horse Chariots

Minoan foot behind their Tower Shields

Assyrian Spearmen

Minoan Chariots

Minoans on the move

Assyrians on the move in usual 'away from me' direction

More Assyrian Chariots

No Peace Without Spain further investigated

Played a few more turns of this intriguing and enjoyable game. Bourbons holding fast in Flanders against a strong force lead by Marlborough (who just cant bring anyone to battle and has been poor at laying siege). Spain however pretty much under Alliance control with Habsburg Spainish having come into play along with Portugal. Savoy being fickle sods they are have also changed sides to Alliance. Eugene in and around Bavaria has had on and off running battles with Vendome with both trading success and losses. However in 1708 Eugene (with side kick Stahremburg) have just managed to gain a Famous Victory (first in game) at Nuremburg over Elector but with both Eugene and Stahremburg both dying (ie roll 12 on 2D6) in process !! This will give Vendome's army a definite target in up coming year.
Have to clear game off table to make way for another Dbmm game tomorrow so unlikely to finish but I must say I am really enjoying this even playing it solo as it has great flavour and a very playable system. Might be game to make me dip toes into Vassal play.

iPhone pics again...............



Madrid has fallen to Alliance

Savoy backstabs the French

Stalemate in the North

Famous Victory achieved at Nuremburg.................................... 

But at such cost as Eugene and Stahremburg are lost..............................

No Peace Without Spain initial play

Managed to get some time to put this game up on table and have a quick play. Really impressed with this as a game, whilst reasonably simple and abstract (without being simplistic) it seems to convey the period quite well. Always a tough decision whether to stand and fight a land battle against a larger or on parity army (as battle is a simple you roll your number of dice vs mine to hit  - with a few variations) or to slide off and force the enemy to lay siege to newly entered fortress area (of which there are many). The consequences of losing a battle (Demoralization) or woe betide giving enemy a Famous Victory are not desirable. This seems rather in keeping with events of the time. Action cards are simply that a method to generate actions and the Event cards have a nice historical flavour without being dominant  (certainly not to same degree as in Age of Napoleon). Lots of other stuff goes on with Fortified Lines and attempts to Bypass same, transfers of troops, replacements and so on but all limited by amount of Action rounds per turn (mainly 5 as in the usual number of action cards drawn per side) and number of rounds per  Action (max of 3 with 2 or 1 being other options on cards). Only played first two years but found it very engrossing and already thinking about how to do things better as both sides next time. Whilst I found the physical components (thin counter, unmounted map) rather underwhelming, compared to my other recent board wargame purchases, they are nice enough and perfectly functional within the game. Tis the gameplay which is the main thing in the end and this game seems to have it in spades.

Just found this informative but a tad lengthy Vassal  tutorial (I really must try this programme) for the game which shows most of the basics of the game at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjpmOzGsp9k )

Couple of iPhone pics as I was too engrossed (ie lazy) to go downstairs to get proper camera

The full game on display

Some of the very nice card art (looks better in reality)

French army holding boxes

Their Alliance counter-parts

Reinforcements on Turn Track

In Flanders fields 18th Century version

DBMM Minoan versus Hittite

Played another DBMM game (we seem to be a on a roll with this again) today at Stephens. Used a nice historical match-up with my 'have not seen the light of day in ages' Minoans against Stephens'  'aarrgghh bright light ! bright light!' Hittites.  Have not used these armies since version 1 of Dbmm and they both need a bit of a re-jig but twas a fine game once more. My Spearmen (with a few bow in support) took up central position on a hill nicely flanked by difficult terrain with my Chariots on their right. My third small Chariot command was delayed off-table (with a maximum 3 commands in this army not a optimum idea maybe). Hittites had 3 Commands with a Gascon ally command. Hittites had usual mix of Warband and Pike Fast foot but were reticent to take my Spearmen on uphill, I of course failed to stay on said hill !! 
Game was decided when my faster Chariots (KnF) failed in massed charge against slower Hittite versions (KnO) and then broke when their General fell to a 6:1 !! The delayed Command arrived just as this happened but too late to save the day. I then in all or nothing charged my huge line of Spearmen off the hill into the Hittite foot and Gascon mounted causing some damage but not enough to turn things around. Great game once more with again two rather handsome armies. Sort of unique feel to these 'Biblical' type armies.

Only a couple of pics as batteries went in camera

Minoans

Hittites

No Peace Without Spain

No Peace Without Spain board wargame arrived today (ended up ordering from US supplier as unable to source in UK and for cheaper overall price than my previous failed order). Looks rather interesting even if box contents bit spartan. The Conflict of Heroes, No Retreat and Age Of Napoleon games have such nice component quality. Hope to give this a whirl soon.

DBMM Polybian Roman versus Han Chinese

DBMM game today at mine against Stephen. Couple of contemporary (if not strictly historical) armies used with my Romans against his Han Chinese. Great game with nice ebb and flow and usual up and downs in dice rolls for us both. Roman Cavalry command on my left wing however broke before Legionaries could bring things to a conclusion in center and on my right mainly due to some judicious (or as I termed it "downright cowardly") retirements by the Han auxilia types and usual annoyance by artillery and bows.
Two nice armies these.

Initial moves

Han left wing

Roman battlelines

Han arrayed

Centers square up

Roman right wing

Roman Cavalry deploy against oncoming Light Horse

Legionaries move to support Cavalry

 Han redeploying (ie running away like cowardly girly girls)

Romans taunting girly girls as they run off

Things getting hectic (note more girly girl running away at top right near the dice)

Cavalry up against it with Light Horse and encroaching Bowmen

Toe to toe in center