Couple new games arrive or arriving........and Infamy

A couple of new games arrived at Steiners Bunker but sadly absolutely no time to spend with them so far due to ongoing duty commitments.
Hope to get a look at them later all being well.



Jours-De-Gloire Campagne IV: Allemagne 1813 de Lutzen a Leipzig
Bit of a mouth full but a game from French (really !?) company Hexasim, publishers of Vae Victis magazine.
This is a boxed game covering 1813 campaign from battles of Lutzen to Leipzig (again really !?) an extension apparently of several magazine type games using this Days of Glory system.
My first game from Hexasim (I also like look of their Liberty Roads WWII game).
First blush (all I have time for) is very nice counters decent point to point map and nice but flimsy cards.
Rule book not too thick and nicely presented and thankfully in English despite my obvious command of French :-)
A period I am very interested in (my Prussian miniatures based around the 1813/14 period).
I got this one of a chap in Scotland via BGG and its in mint condition.





Next up Combat Commander: Mediterranean as promised (to myself anyhow).
Cunningly it looks to be more of same as Europe version (indeed I believe it's essentially the 'second half' of initial system release).
Lots of counters to punch and clip (neighbours must think I have toughest toenails in Christendom !!) several new maps and card decks.
Includes British French and Italians with the latter two also doubling for various Allied and Axis 'minor' nations.
This one I got new from Hexasim site as the Euro cost including postage was several pounds cheaper than UK supplier costs.
I confess I was as site looking at Liberty Roads and got pleasantly waylaid.........
I also found myself clipping a few counters a 0200hrs after finishing a shift !!

Also inbound from US0fA I have Fast Action Battles: The Bulge a GMT block and area style game I have had a hankering for ((there must be some form of medication to subdue this !?) but which has been out of stock in UK

Of course none of this helps reduce my lead mountain (cardboard mountain fast gaining height) but what the hell eh !!!???

"Infamy, infamy they've all got it in for me"

And so on a related note my notoriety has scaled new heights with one of my Blog entries re Combat Commander: Europe being linked/referenced (or maybe it was a warning against ?) by none other than than C3i OPs site (in house magazine site of GMT run by Rodger B MacGowan an artist whose box art adorns so many of my games).
Have not seen the huge royalties cheque as yet but doubtless it is in the post :-)

http://www.c3iopscenter.com/currentops/ and specifically http://www.c3iopscenter.com/currentops/?p=22499 refer.

Wilderness War Vassal defeat............

Just finished Vassal game of Wilderness War with Norman and my British suffered a rather crushing defeat at hands of Norman's French with their Indian lackeys.
Good game this with lots of decision points and two protagonists that appear similar but are actually somewhat diverse in aims and makeup.
British have stronger Regular forces but the terrain inland prohibits effective use of these chaps.
French commanders on the whole are just that bit better (ie easier to activate) than bulk of British counterparts and this can be key to effective campaigning and use of resources.
French have a lot of Indian tribes as allies and as such they can mount a lot of troublesome raids into British territory (Norman was unlucky with initial raids) meaning Kings men need to build plentiful Stockades and Forts (these are additionally key to mounting any meaningful campaigns into the hinterland as they secure and offer supply lines).
Loss of General Johnston early in war was bit of a disaster for Brits as he is really only conduit to use Indian tribes friendly to the Crown.
I did send Wolfe on a venture towards Quebec but failed to get enough reserves to him to mount an attack against Montcalm (cards with high enough value and a Naval symbol are required which I failed to draw often enough).
With a couple of victories in field battles and raids Norman accumulated enough Victory Points in a couple of turns to make it difficult for me to thwart him especially with poor card draws.
Fun stuff and I think this would be a very good game for a real time or face to face encounter.

Final positions at end of scenario

Wolfe on approaches to Quebec awaiting reserve force from Louisbourg that never arrived............

The Victory Point track in all its horror

Still have Pbem game of Paths Of Glory ongoing and am hoping Norman up for another venture onto Vassal with any game he cares to select (To the Victor the Spoils)

Up Front on Vassal

Just finished a very interesting and fun game of Up Front on Vassal with a chap Paul Dunn (contact made through Vassal European Facebook link).
I played as Germans in the basic Meeting Of Patrols scenario versus Americans.
Never used Vassal for this and its easily 10-12 years since I played Up Front (a game I have neglected too long).
But amazing how quickly it came back (mostly) with Pauls help and a jolly nice Vassal module.
I had almost forgotten just how excellent a game this is !!
As always (and just like Combat Commander) lots of incident with this card driven system.
Paul seemed to have a factory producing barbed wire as he hit me some 3 or 4 such cards (represents all sorts of obstacles) and a Stream card.
I lost both my Squad Leaders to his shooting and 2 men to damn Snipers and then he had a couple of big Fire cards that decimated my ranks.
I did kill Yank Squad Leader and one other but conceded game being down to only four remaining Soldaten vs ten Yanks and with one less card in hand (due to leader losses).
Great fun and looking forward to another bash at it (Paul also up for other games so great to have made contact).

Screen capture from within Vassal showing end of game with my 6 man Group A wiped out !

DBMM Roman vs Selecuid

Played a game of DBMM (first since August !!) at Stephens today.
He wanted practice for the Munster Open (Cork competition that I very very sadly cannot attend this year !!!!) at end of month.
I brought my Polybian Romans (which I intended to use at Cork) with intention to play a more defensive game than usual to give him practice against this sort of play.
He decided to use Selecuids (although he has not yet decided which of his multiple armies to field - note to opponents he is looking at at least 5 possibles !!).
I managed to setup between two hills which pretty much sat with defensive posture.
I placed two Legions beside each other between the hills and my Cavalry in rear as second line (which worked quite well)
This does however yield initiative to other side.
Game was essentially decided though by charge of the Greek Companions (KnF in wedge which never count overlapped) and the massed Phalanx (very tough to disrupt) which quickly broke my right flank command.
My mounted arm done stirling work holding the line but losses mounted to break the army.
I did have two decent chances to kill a KnX Selecuid General  but of course failed miserably although overall my dice rolls were not too bad.
A fairly quick but fun game and hopefully some food for thought for Stephen and possible army choice.

Selecuids deployed

The Romans await

The Phalanx with Companions in support

Roman Cavalry in reserve

Selecuid Cataphracts

Lines clash

Companions have broken through

Auxilia types stare each other down

Not so on the other flank

Combat Commander: Europe a second outing

Had another go with extremely entertaining game with Mon Pere tonight.
We replayed the second scenario and then the third.
Father figure was Germans both times.
First game I lost as Yanks due to Time Events coming thick and fast and a Sudden Death roll before I could get to the vital victory hex.
US artillery very much a double edged sword in the restricted Bocage causing as much damage to own side with undershorts as to the enemy !
I got two Reinforcement rolls gaining a Line unit and a good Leader.
I made much better use of Commanders for group activations n this game both or firing and movement.
Great stuff
Second game I defended behind wire with Ivan Militia (good firepower but low range).
Advancing Germans did some fearful damage with an MG42 Hmg and +2 Leader but lost couple of squads in rash melees (all or nothing affairs in CC).
Time also caught up on Huns with again first Sudden Death roll ending game in Russian favour. Lots of events in this one with a Sniper event breaking one of my Squads who were promptly executed by a Commisar event !
Russians use of Concealment actions saved them several times.
Another excellent game.
Again I got so caught up in the action I forgot to take more tan a couple of pics !!
CC Mediterranean now on order as I want to see Brits in action in this excellent system.



Americans advancing on German flank in Normandy

Germans stymied in Russian wire

A Victory Denied board Wargame setup

A Victory Denied board Wargame by MMP arrived a few days ago and just managed to get it set up for a tryout over next couple of days.
Looks to be a fairly low complexity game but nice all the same.
Chit pull system to activate formations each turn with odds based combat and usual stuff like reinforcements, Luftwaffe.
Has numerous VP locations but each with hidden value which is interesting twist.
Nice map and decent counters (although bit small/fiddly for my paws)

Happy New Year

A very Happy New Year to all who peruse my ramblings, hope 2013 is a great year for everyone both in gaming terms and regarding that boring real life nonsense.

I have been reading several other wargamer's 2012 'round ups/retrospectives' but for myself I will only say 'Read This Blog !!' :-)
However must note the up crease this year in 'followers' which is actually rather nice to have achieved ' cult status'.

As to New Years resolutions again not something I do but I suppose I ought to try:

1. Paint more (ie actually some !) figures to reduce lead mountain to Everest size
Ha ha ha

2. Not add to lead mountain
Ha ha ha ha

3. At least try to use at least once all those rulesets bought last year
Ha ha ha ha

4. Do not buy any more rules until 3 fulfilled
Ha ha ha bloody ha

5. Try to play all those board Wargames obtained last year
Ha ha ha ha

6. Do not buy any more board Wargames until 5 fulfilled
Ha ha ha bloody ha ha ha

7. Spend less time on Wargame websites, blogs, forums, googles, etc etc etc
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

8. If all the above are even partially fulfilled (ha ha ha ha) then book appointment with Doctor re sunlight deprivation, paint inhalation, finger cramp, back ache, and dice hating syndrome (also for physical injuries sustained from 'better half' !!)

Oh and one more I almost forgot
Find out who that b*****d 'Anonymous' is that keeps spamming the blog (I have been using post Moderation of late - which is much better than that annoying Numbers and Words thingy but still moderately (groan) annoying) and once I do ' chastise 'the sod


Now you see why I resist doing resolutions...........

Combat Commander: Europe, first try out

Had game with my Dad of this rather excellent game.
Despite my reluctance to get this one due to lack of Tanks, or indeed any vehicles, it turned out to be a really super game system (so much so I neglected to take any in game pics of the first scenario we played as simply too engrossed in it !).
It works very well around the low level (units are Squads, Teams and individual Leaders/Commanders) Infantry actions it portrays.
Of course being a card driven game (Fate cards as they are named) with associated chaos factor puts it right into my favourite type bracket.
Really interactive system with lots of possibilities for Orders and Actions for each player and lots of Random Events.
Like the venerable Up Front game this is also a dice-less game with the die-rolls occurring via card play (another aspect I thought less than desirable as I do love rolling those little cubes). The scenarios are all essentially low level skirmishes but none the less exciting games in themselves.
A random counter pick varies the potential Victory Points associated with the 5 possible Victory hexes on each map and these can be Open (ie revealed to both players) or Secret (ie only owner knows so nice variety for replays of the 12 included scenarios).
Counters and maps of usual decent GMT standard and the cards very clear and nicely presented with each nation (Russian, USA and Germans) having its own deck (each slightly different).
Each nationality also has variation in Troop types available and abilities of these units (in regards to firepower, morale , Leader quality and suchlike) and slightly different amounts of cards that they can Discard in a 'Pass' turn (ie take no Orders or Actions) all adding flavour to the game
We did make a couple of rule errors main one being doing fire groups incorrectly but didn't detract from enjoyment to be honest.
As I suspected it plays like a sort of hybrid of Up Front and 'basic' Squad Leader and has that essential fun factor married to a feeling of a decent simulation that both these engendered.
I was warned that I would like this game and end up getting several supplements and I can see why (Mediterranean set with Brits already on my radar).
Highly recommend this one especially if you like chaos style and/or WWII skirmish actions

2nd scenario with Yanks pushing through Bocage country

Pic from end of 1st scenario with Russian and German Recon forces

Storming The Reich boardgame on table

Managed to get this one onto my table at last.
Large (double sized) map but fairly low counter totals.
Played through first couple of turns and quite fun and works quite well for solo play.
Rather odd sequence of play but which is involved rather than overly complex.
Nice combination for Allies of good units and support but hampered by Supply problems.
Germans have less effective units (with exception of Panzer Divisions of course).
Hoping to get a few more turns in to see if Allies can break out from Normandy.

More Wargaming Christmas goodness

Couple more Wargames made or making their Merry way to Steiners' bunker. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and will have a Happy New Year.

PC version of the excellent Conflict Of Heroes board wargame (digital download)

A Victory Denied game ordered (expect wont be posted until New Year)

Incoming for Christmas

Couple of games inbound for Christmas at chez Steiner:


Like the look of this one (despite the lack of AFVs) with what looks to be almost a hybrid of Up Front and Squad Leader. Not hard to pick this one out under the tree as nice deep box !

Got this one already on iPad and jolly nice it is too

And a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all

IABSM rules a proper try out

A day off !!!! so managed to get a game in with Stephen playing IABSM with the scenario I had set up on my table (seems to have been there for ages).
I took German defenders and re-jigged my defensive set up slightly (and mistakenly as it turned out).
Stephen took the British attackers.
Good game with a good try out of the various game mechanisms and systems.
We struggled a bit understanding some of the concepts around use of Blinds and Big Men but once we got it into our tiny brains it all flowed fine.
Neither of us having had time to fully read the rules not the most helpful situation of course !
Couple of minor rules issues need resolved such as whether units under Indirect HE fire count the Dense Target factor if applicable (ie units within 2" of each other) or whether this only applies to Direct Fire (which rules seem to imply).
Also biggest mistake was in how we made defenders deploy in relation to Blinds.
I read rules that a Platoon (of 3 x 8 man sections/squads) can only deploy on Blind and up to 2" from it which basically meant with 3 sections they had to be a maximum of 2 wide with third as 'second rank'. This was fine for deploying the attackers but a major crimp on defenders.
Using this for defense also meant a Spot revealed all three sections even those out of line of sight to rear. We now believe that as defenders in terrain are actually 'Hidden Units' rather than strictly blinds they can be deployed separately if desired (I drew positions on a map anyhow).
This would have made defense much more flexible and provided less targets for the roaming British Armour.
IABSM one of those sets that one really needs to play a few times to get to grips with but one I like  as it has that chaos factor via the card play that I enjoy.
If you don't like the possible frustrations of having a unit not activate every turn or a key card fail to turn up before turn ending 'Tea Break' card appears then not a set for you but I like this as it builds a nice 'narrative' style of play to games.

British advance

German Platoon deploys (note in depth as per Blinds size)

British Platoon caught in Mortar Barrage