Got in 7 games (plus 4 more for JC by himself) at the convention. Very happy with them all.
T-237 Battle of Mockern October 16, 1813
Napoleonic; 6 PM; Length: 4 hrs; Hosted by: Peter Anderson; Scale: 28mm; Rules: Field of Battle, 2nd edition by Piquet; No. of Players: 6.
On the opening day
of the Battle of Leipzig, Blucher’s attack from the North
prevents Marmont’s Corps from aiding Napoleon’s main
attack in the South. Teens age 14 and above welcome with a playing adult.
Fantastic game with my chosen rule set. I try to always
get in two of Peter’s games. A fun group with friendly play all around. It was
a marathon game that came down to the final card about midnight.
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| My forces on the right flank at Mockern (Prussians) |
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| Facing a solid wall of French with lots of cannon |
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| I got stuck in with several charges and broke the line despite heavy casualties |
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| Only had to defeat this last unit for a total victory |
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| But got smacked by a cavalry counter-attack |
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| French morale broke at the end but they were a single card draw (artillery fire) from probably breaking the Allies |
Dresden, August 27, 1813
Napoleonic; 6 PM; Length: 5 hrs; Hosted by: Peter Anderson; Scale:28mm; Rules: Field of Battle, 2nd edition by Piquet; No. of Players: 10.
The Armistice has
ended, and the allied armies have converged on Dresden, with
King Frederick-Wilhelm and Tsar Alexander in tow. Little did
they know that they were soon to be joined by Napoleon, setting the stage for his last great victory.
My second FOB game of the convention and another great
time. I have learned the rules well enough that I was teaching my cross-table
opponent. I also managed to route an entire Austrian Korps and prepare to flank
a second. There were some odd runs of the cards that made things tough on the
Austrians at the beginning but they recovered on the left flank and center…just
not down my end of the table.
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| I commanded Marshal Murat with the French Reserve Cavalry at Dresden |
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| I charged without hesitation and crashed right through the Austrian Advanced Guard Division |
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| Quite a sight to behold...3 full divisions of cavalry |
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| I then turned the flank... |
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| Lined up the divisions in column... |
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| And rolled up the entire Austrian Korps that was being pinned by infantry to the front |
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| The enemy evaporated or fled the field |
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| I was poised to take another korps in the flank when the game was called after 5 hours...my best wargaming victory! |
Goblins are Coming!
Fantasy; 9 AM; Length: 4 hrs; Hosted by: Buck Surdu; Scale: 10mm;
Rules: Bear Yourselves Valiantly: Look
Sarge, No Charts: Fantasy, Ancient and Mediaeval; No. of Players: 14.
The forces of evil
are at it again. The forces of good have formed an alliance to push
them back into the “dark lands.” This game uses the latest
installment of the “no charts” family of rules, which is still
under active development. Fight the battle, not the rules. Rules
will be taught. Younger gamers welcome with a participating adult.
I will do a separate post about the LS,NC rules later. I
had a great time during this game and used it as inspiration to start my
fantasy 15mm project next month. It was the best organized game I have been
in…Buck started on time, explained the rules quickly with a few examples, and
had everything laid out ahead of time. He kept the game moving with slight
pressure to finish moves and combat so we came to a resolution on time. The Forces
of Good (boo!) won a narrow victory over the glorious Forces of Evil (including
my evil humans). Special mention goes to the young man (about age 14 or so)
that held off 4 adult attackers to save the day. He used his forces well and
focused on his objective (keeping the road open). He even delayed my attack by
dropping a fire wall tied in with an existing rock formation and only leaving a
small gap by the river…that he covered with a ballista. Perfect engagement area
development.
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| I commanded the right flank of the Forces of Evil in a Look Sarge, No Charts game |
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| Bears...gotta love these guys (despite the poor photo)...but the never got into action |
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| My division attacking in column |
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| Things got jumbled up along the riverbank |
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| An Elven commander killed by my spearmen |
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| My opponent drops a wall of fire to stop my attack |
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| We held off a counter-attack in the center |
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| The shot at endgame...we were about 12 inches short of victory (had to capture as much of the road as possible) |
T-355 Blunder on the Danube: Battle of Teugn-Hausen (or Thann), 1809
Napoleonic; 10 AM; Length: 4 hrs; Hosted by: Bruce Taylor; Scale: 28mm; Rules: Napoleonic Warfare; No. of Players: 6.
The surprise
Austrian declaration of war and rapid advance into Bavaria has
caught the French unprepared and Marshal Davout’s corps
isolated. Poor staff work has resulted in Davout being ordered to
march on the wrong side of the Danube River across the axis of
the Austrian offensive. Davout must fight his way to join the
main army while the Austrians attempt to defeat him in
detail. Refight one of the many battles in the 1809 campaign in Bavaria.
New to the rules but I had fun. Only had a few units per
player but it still felt right. Went down to defeat after almost breaking the
enemy line.
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| I commanded the Austrian center |
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| Our right flank disintegrated late in the game |
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| But the center held |
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| Marginal win for the French |
S-436 Fireball Forward - RailroadStation #1 - Counterattack, Stalingrad, 1942
WWII; 2 PM; Length: 3 hrs; Hosted by: Mark Fastoso; Scale: 15mm;
Rules: Fireball Forward; No. of Players: 7.
Lt Dragan and his
guardsmen had held the railroad station for several days
against weak German attacks. The German commander in this
sector was apprehensive of assaulting the station head on
as his men would have to cross a maze of abandoned rolling
stock in the rail yard. After several days of limited attacks and
shelling he was ordered to launch a major offensive to
capture the station. Lt Dragan’s men dug in an prepared to hold on.---CHANGE OF SCENARIO
Mark changed the scenario but no matter. A fun, short game
lasting about 2 hours. A nice bunch of guys joined our (winning) Russian side.
JG advanced to hold a key building early in the game and it had a major impact
on the game. Some lucky shots from our end (killing the German CO to deny them
arty support) helped.
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| JG's platoon of Russian's defending in Stalingrad |
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| Despite heavy losses, he would hold out for the win (4-0 with Fireball Forward rules) |
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| Russian's hold the whole block |
T-364 Seal Team 6: Snatch and Grab
Modern; 2 PM; Length: 3 hrs; Hosted by: Ben Fornshell; Scale: 25mm; Rules: Tabletop Battle System; No. of Players: 6.
An ancient walled
city in Yemen lies quiet at night—until the drone of
helicopters and bursts of automatic gunfire shatter the calm. An
Al-Queda cell is holed up in the city, and Seal Team 6 goes in to
grab some prisoners—and any intel they can find. The
challenge is, the streets are a maze—and filled with unfriendly and
armed natives. Small-arms tactics will be needed. You’re all
the Good Guys, and you’ve got to stay alive, watch your ammo,
and, if you take wounded, you’ll have to fight the battle burdened with their care.
JG played in this game and while he did capture a prisoner
to interrogate, the loss of the Blackhawk cost his side the game. Good, simple
skirmish rules that could be used for any period.
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| SEAL Team 6 going in to grab some intel |
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| Blackhawk in support |
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| JG's team ready to move |
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| Had to go down ambush alley |
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| Blackhawk Down! |
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| Grabbed a prisoner |
Z-292 The Fall of Echo Base: The South Slope
SciFi; 10 AM; Length: 2 hrs; Hosted by: Grant Greffey; Scale: 30mm; Rules: Star Wars Skirmish, Home Rules; No. of Players: 6.
“Send all troops in
Sector 12 to the South Slope to protect the fighters!”
Imperial forces are overrunning the Rebel base on Hoth. Rebel
soldiers must desperately try to protect the evacuating starfighters. This game is youngling friendly.
JG played in the last game of the convention using
StarWars pre-painted figures. His side narrowly lost by getting too hung up
killing enemy and not advancing to meet the victory conditions. His AT-AT did
do maximum carnage to the Rebel Scum. Grant put on a nice game with simple
rules for 5 kids and 1 adult. Conventions could use more kids games. JG and I
are considering running a kids game at Cold Wars next March.
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| Leading an AT-AT in the attack on Hoth |
F-441 Fireball Forward - Panther Hunter, Normandy, France, 14 June 1944
WWII; 10 AM; Length: 4 hrs; Hosted by: Sean Barnett; Scale: 15mm; Rules: Fireball Forward; No. of Players: 8.
When the Durham
Light Infantry broke into the village of Lingèvres on 14
June 1944, they were immediately counterattacked by
armored elements of the Panzer Lehr Division. German
Panthers attacking in turn from the east and west sides of
the village were taken under fire from concealed positions
in the village by Sergeant Wilfred Harris in his Sherman
Firefly and by British infantry PIAT teams. Sgt. Harris knocked
out five Panthers that day. Come and see if you can do the
same! A scenario from the upcoming Fireball Forward book on the
battle of Villers-Bocage. Younger gamers welcome with parent.
A tense game in which I shadowed the JG. He felt pressured
since he was holding one side of the board with an infantry platoon against an
infantry and a tank platoon. He won the game by focusing on the objective
rather than getting distracted. He did call in one spot on artillery barrage…then
had them repeat on friendly forces! It happens. Also had the Firefly's morale break and flee the table after we lost the first Sherman.
F-304 Return of Wooden Wars
Napoleonic; 5 PM; Length: 1 hrs; Hosted by: Eulalia Wiltrout; Scale: 80mm; Rules: Wooden Wars; No. of Players: 8.
Once again it is
time to pack up the tables and get down on your hands and
knees to play. Wooden Wars utilizes 80mm Wooden flats and
rubber balls. Move your units and throw rubber balls to
knock down the enemy. This game is great for kids and parents.
The objectives consist of small packets of cookies and/or crackers
which get eaten by whoever can capture them. Extremely kid friendly.
F-308 Wooden Warriors March Again
Napoleonic; 6 PM; Length: 1 hrs; Hosted by: Eulalia Wiltrout; Scale: 80mm; Rules: Wooden Wars; No. of Players: 8.
Once again the
Wooden Warriors take the FLOOR. That’s right this game is
played on the floor with 80mm wooden flats dodging
thrown rubber balls to capture edible objectives. Extremely kid
friendly not recommended for someone with bad knees.
JG played in two sessions. Great set up geared towards
young players. These are the kinds of games that get kids interested in the
hobby.
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| JG taking part in Wooden Wars |
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| His side prevailed at the end and won the Oreos |
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Right before he knocked out the enemy guns
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Longstreet’s Attack
A
merican Civil War; 9 AM; Length: 2 hrs; Hosted by: William Hupp; Scale: 54mm; Rules: Battle Cry; No. of Players: 5.
BattleCry in 54mm.
Parent child game. 2013 is the 150th Anniversary of the
battle of Gettysburg, July 1 to 3, 1863. Robert E. Lee’s
Army of Northern Virginia is pitted against he Army of the
Potomac under George Meade in the most well know battle of the
Civil War. Fight the battle for Little Round Top, the Wheatfield
and the Peach Orchard using brigade sized units. This is a
great system to start children on. Rules will be taught. Children do
not have to be accompanied by parents. A card driven game,
children should be able to read (works best with ages 9 and up.)
JG played in the BattleCry game (as a Rebel!) and had lots
of fun. Pulled out a win in the end to reverse history. He also beat me in a BC
game of the Battle of Frederickburg after we visit the battlefield a few days
ago.
--No Pictures
T-120 Steel Curtain - 9 July 1944
WWII; 7 PM; Length: 4 hrs; Hosted by: Joseph Seliga; Scale: 15mm; Rules: Fireball Forward; No. of Players: 7.
After driving off
the 2nd Battalion, 120th Regiment of the 30th Division the
Mechanized Combat Engineers of the 2nd SS Division ran into
the 1st Battalion and some Division artillery assets at Le
Haut-Quesnay on the 9th of July 1944. Will the 120th Regiment hold
or will the 2nd SS continue their success? Only you, the
commanders, will know. Kid Friendly Game, Rules Will Be Taught.
JG played in this one by himself but felt a little lost.
Still too young at 11 to play by himself in a convention game. His side did
hold out to win and he had some kills to add to his tally.
---No Pictures
