Franco-Prussian 10mm game using They Died For Glory

Had a game at Stephens today and he picked a game of Franco-Prussian War using his newly expanded 10mm collection (we bought some of these between us some 20+ years ago !! but I swapped my Prussians for his WSS French).
We used They Died For Glory rules (which we had last used 20 years ago as well).
Stephen set up an attack defence game and I selected Prussian attackers.
I had two Divisions worth of Infantry  (only 1 on table at start) with 6 Artillery batteries in support (also off-table at start) and 2 Light Cavalry Regiments.
A dug-in French Division oppossed with support some Artillery and a Millatreuse.
Lovely figures a mix of old Pendraken and Chariot miniatures with a lot of newer Pendraken added.
We found the rules rather bloody (more so than we remembered them to be) especially using alternating Impulse system as French got to Fire twice which with 6 dice per unit firing twice proved pretty devastating to Prussians.
I tried several formations but was soon apparent that a mix of skirmish and deep column (a form of attack column) was best as deep column and line just too easy to shoot up and slow.
As my second Division and the Artillery arrived things looked up for Prussians as bulk of French fixed in place.
We were going to change to the semi-simultaneous option of play sequence as we felt it would give attackers better chance as they get one shot back potentially).
But real life took over as a phone call from one of Stephen's daughters cut game short as he had to take her to Hospital as she had cracked/split a tooth and it was causing her a lot of pain.
We are keen to try the period again but most likely will use Field Of Battle next time.


Prussians initial Division deploys...er....initially

French dug-in in 'trenches' and built up areas

The initial attacks go in and suffer high losses

Prussian 2nd Division and Artillery arrives

Five (yes 5 !!) Combat Commander games (pictastic)

Couple of days off (ye hah) and got in some more games with my Dad. Of course this meant Combat Commander got yet more play (I do have a miniatures game of Franco-Prussian) war in the offing too :-)















First scenario was from the Normandy pack with an action set on Sword Beach with me as British invader against German beach defenders. AS can be seen from pics below I had a large strech of beach to traverse to get to cover of a line of Shingle with only few hedgehogs defences to assist. Moving in sand/beach hex costs extra half movement point. The Germans have a Gun in a bunker but with fixed firing line several wire entanglement and couple of other Bunkers all connected by communication trenches (give good cover of +4). British troops a mixed bunch but they do have scenario specific ability to always discard one card even if other orders/actions taken. But by far the biggest influence in our game was pre-game smoke bombardment which puts random smoke into 10 (I think) random hexes after set-up of both sides. Thankfully for me the smoke fell very kindly effectively masking of my approach of left hand side of beach. This let me move virtually unmolested up to the left most Bunker (and the one containg the fixed gun) which soon fell to a close assault. I was then able to mass against rest of Germans and mop them up for possibly easiest win yet. Of course could have been much different of smoke not so fortutitous in its placement or if a Breeze event had occurred. One up then to the offspring.

Second scenario played was an absolute belter around the Barrikady Factory in Stalingrad. Biggest game we have played in terms of units on board. Also a unique set up method with 24 random Rubble placements and our units divided up into numerous deployment groups which also alternate in random placement (draw two random hex cards per group and placed into/adjacent to hex nearest own base line. This resulted in units all over the place often intermixed . Fritzs get a really tough bunch of reserves on 4th 'turn' of 8 Sturm units. Fritzs can auto win by outnumbering Ivans in the main factory building at any point (firing is allowed within each factory at -3 hinderance). Fritzs usual 6 card attackers hand versus the Ivan 4 card defence but have ability to play all 6 if possible per turn. Ivans have a mix of units types but are mainly Rifle and Smg squads with several bunkers and MGs. Both sides have Satchel Charges, the Fritzs have Flamethrowers and the Ivans 2 Ampulolets (can be dangerous to users !) and Molotov Cocktails and a single Infantry gun. They also have access to Sewers. This game saw us both hurl units into melee early on firing within the factory pretty ineffective and the German have couple of Pioneers squads who are very potent at the old fisticuffs stuff. Biggest influence on game was a Blaze which started outside the factory just behind advancing Fritzs. A truly amazing run of Breeze card events (which dissapate smoke but spead Blazes) saw a massive 25 or so hexes eventually consumed. As it spread behind my Dads right wing forces he found himself caught with nowhere to go (units must exit Blaze hxes immediately) several times losing 4 Units to the flames !!!. This combined with other losses saw Fritzs forced to Surrender with Ivans not too far behind. This was a hugely entertaining game with loads of incidents and events and much wailing and gnashing of teeth or hooting and ahollering as fickle fate took part. The set up etc of this means it will seldom play same way twice (as we were to find out). Great stuff.

 

 Burn baby burn...........................

The carnage........................ 














Following day and another session saw us initially back to Stalingrad for an encounter around some fuel tanks near the Barrikady. Both sides a mix of troops and both having a small reserve that could come on on baseline or one flank edge of board. Ivans had two very tough Assault Squads (these have a low shooting range of 2 but these have really good firepower of 7 bossted to 8 in melee). The fuel tanks are only light cover. Both sides get points for exiting units with Ivans able to gain double if they can exit via three specifc hexes (either side of road exit at opposite base edge). With a good leader I was able to sweep right into Gully area and flank Fritzs who were stymied by a couple of rearguard squads and my reserves. Good meleecards and rolls saw Ivans take out key Fritz units and offered option to either go for the big exit points or to come in behind Fritzs. Guess which option I took !? Coming around behind I was able to kill enough to force another Surrender and so another win !

Next up was a scenario set in 1943 around Veilke Lukye and was a break-in/breakout setting with Ivans defending a Fritz relief force trying to break through to a town to allow its besieged garrison to escape. This was simulated by Germans getting an unbroken unit into the town (situated behind Ivans who were forbidden entry) to activate the garrison (a bunch of half squads) which reverses baselines to allow escape. Ivans gain victory points for each unit still in the town at game end. All hill hexes count as level one only. I decided to defend near the town rather than further forward as I was first tempted to do. Fritzs came on and reached tree lines. Here them came undone as they stumbled into a Minefield and my lowly Light Mortars got some great rolls and card combos to breal and kill severa units (we had found these light chaps rather impotent in past games). But this being Combat Commander two succesive events by yours truly saw two eliminated German units come back to the fray and into the damn town. Once Rallied from broken state and despite my trying to kill them, this brought the Garrison into play !! However I was able to bottle it up fairly well and at same time cause more losses to the relief force so again a Surrender by Fritzs was forced and another win !!!

We then mutually decided to finish of with a re-visit to the Barrikady scenario (Dad was determined to do better after spitting feathers about the 'bloody inferno' of previous attempt). So we duly set up scenario again and as expected the random deployments were quite different to first game . Ivans quite well established in the main Factory but had isolated units elewhere. On my left I did break a Pioneer squad (these are mean with firepower 7) but its colleague proceeded to single handidly take out three Ivan Bunkers and associated units. The arrival of the Sturm group en mass in the factory made it precarious for Ivans to take risks. A single turn massed assaults by Fritzs (4 in total) saw them lose 1 but win 3 and tip the balance of forces within the Barrikady in their favour thereby giving them the win. Not one single Blaze or Breeze event this time round. Again great fun and evidence (as if we needed it) of the variety inherent in this scenario set-up.

I really must try to get my Dad to play another game either that or buy the Resistance pack !!

Combat Commander once more

Played another couple of scenarios of Combat Commander at my Dads last night (he is hooked and cant get enough of the game and in truth neither can I).











First up was a Stalingrad scenario (think it was called Blood and Iron ?) set in a built up area with Russian Guards on defence and Fritzs attacking.
Rather odd set up gives the Ivans all the victory locations but then allows Fritzs to set up into one of the key objectives (VP location 5) claiming it as their own.
This proved even more key as an early event gave this same VP location an extra 10 victory points value (making it worth a whopping 26 !!). Hindsight being a wonderous thing I know I set up much too dispersed making several squads easy pickings for a Fritz juggernaut of a +2 Leader (ie damn good) with a Rifle Squad and a Crew with an HMG.
This group went into the large building on my left and chewed me up.
I did manage to make a fight of it throwing several units in to deny total possession to enemy but again hindsight would advise that this was waste of resources as it was a minor victory location (in fact no actually worth any points !).
The key VP location 5 building was solidly held by Fritzs and I could make no headway gaining only one hex with hero and a squad.
When German reserves appeared on turn 4 they immediately bolstered the already strong defence and game was up for my lot.
I did get my own reserves into fray but had no effect as next turn was a Sudden Death 'opportunity' which of course  ocurred giving Hitlerites the victory.
Both sides had satchel charges in this one and fairly nasty they are too with a 12 effect.
I used one in a Nazi held building hex which rubbled it and thereby suppressed defenders who then duly broke but sodding well recovered.

Second scenario was an entertaining affair as well but of a totally different ilk.
Was titled (I think) 'Road To Grombleux' (or Grimbleux as I soon termed it) I decided (being a glutton for punishment) to try out French forces in the game system.
Scenario (from Mediterranean pack) saw my Elite Moroccan defenders holding a sunken road in France 1940 against Regular Hun invaders.
French units are perfectly fine matching up well one on one against Germans...................BUT.................the French hand is awful as they only get to discard a single card if they do nothing else (compared to Germans who can discard 6 !).
This means in a 4 card defensive hand if you get 4 unusable Order cards it could take 4 turns to rid yourself of them !!
First couple of turns this is exactly what happened as I had a 'hand like a foot' ie 3 Command Confusion and an Unusable Artillery request card and my draws where also poor (ie no bloody Fire cards).
This allowed Germans to advance unhindered and melee a couple of my Squads to death.
After a few turns I was suddenly down to 1 Leader i Squad and a Crew with HMG in a Victory Hex).
But of course this being Combat Commander all was not lost as I managed being defender to 'place' a Pillbox in this hex which put a real crimp in Hun ambitions.
He needed to take this hex and/or kill my remaining units before time ran out.
My chaps were stoic in defence repelling several attacks and recovering from several broken status.
However inevitably the Germans simply discarded massively to get hand they needed before charging in using several Ambush cards (to which I had no reply) and wiping me out.
Great stuff in the end and a close run thing (which certainly was not apparent at beginning) but boy oh boy the French are a tough bunch to handle.
The single discard is a real killer.
Reading the historical outcome of the scenario we seemed to repeat history as the Morcoccans apparently held to last man.

So after last sessions 2 to nil for the Allies this time around Axis acheive the 2 victories and tie the 'series'.
Cant really ask for more balanced play than this.

Rommel In The Desert games hits my table

My first Columbia block game arrived this week and got it set up for a play through (not actually managed this yet).
Looks rather good and rules not too complex.
I like the concept behind the supply cards.

This also arrived and looks very nice indeed but no time for more than a cursory glance thus far.

Field Of Glory Ancients Version 2 game

Played a game against Stephen today at my gaff using FOG Ancients version 2.
I used a Maurikian Byzantine army with Sassanid allies (mainly so I could try Elephants) against a Dailami army.
A very good game it was too and we both find we enjoy FOG much more than we did with initial version.
We put this down to the tweaks which we feel generate a better game and to the fact we are more akin to FOG systems in general now after using the Rennaissance and Napoleonic sets.
Whilst it still feels to be a lower level game than DBMM, and lacks the inertia system of the PIP dice rolls, its nice to have distinct units rather than groupings of elements.
Pretty much happy to play either set now and as they use the same 'toys' this is fine.
My dice rolling today was fairly abysmal throughout as I lost all but one combat (!!!!) and lost numerous bases to death rolls in contrast to Stephens super rolls in all combats and not one lost base to death roll,   how is that even possible !!!!!
The Dailami foot with General fighting in front rank are rather tough as they are superior to begin with and count Elite with Generals.
I had a unit of Sassanid Cataphracts which died to a man against bloody medium foot bowmen aarrrggghhh !!


Oppossing lines arrayed

Byzantines

Byzantine view of the Dailami 

Battle joined

All further pictures have been censored as just way too terrrible to behold the bloody and gory decimation of the  Byzantines !!!

(plus I forgot to take any more)