Historicon part 2

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.

My forces on the right flank at Mockern (Prussians)

Facing a solid wall of French with lots of cannon

I got stuck in with several charges and broke the line despite heavy casualties

Only had to defeat this last unit for a total victory

But got smacked by a cavalry counter-attack

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.

I commanded Marshal Murat with the French Reserve Cavalry at Dresden

I charged without hesitation and crashed right through the Austrian Advanced Guard Division

Quite a sight to behold...3 full divisions of cavalry

I then turned the flank...

Lined up the divisions in column...

And rolled up the entire Austrian Korps that was being pinned by infantry to the front

The enemy evaporated or fled the field

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.

I commanded the right flank of the Forces of Evil in a Look Sarge, No Charts game

Bears...gotta love these guys (despite the poor photo)...but the never got into action

My division attacking in column

Things got jumbled up along the riverbank

An Elven commander killed by my spearmen

My opponent drops a wall of fire to stop my attack

We held off a counter-attack in the center

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.



I commanded the Austrian center

Our right flank disintegrated late in the game

But the center held

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.

JG's platoon of Russian's defending in Stalingrad

Despite heavy losses, he would hold out for the win (4-0 with Fireball Forward rules)

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.

SEAL Team 6 going in to grab some intel

Blackhawk in support

JG's team ready to move

Had to go down ambush alley

Blackhawk Down!

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.

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.

JG taking part in Wooden Wars

His side prevailed at the end and won the Oreos

Right before he knocked out the enemy guns



Longstreet’s Attack

American 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