End of the year again! so time for this one!
So feel free to fill in the questions, i always enjoy reading what people did this year!
1: best new rules/game you played?
2: worst new rules/game you played?
3: best purchase you did this year?
4: worst purchase you did this year?
5: most expensive purchase this year? And did you regret it?
6: game you played the most this year?
7: game you wish you had played more this year?
8: how many models did you paint (roughly)?
9:wich unused models/games did you sell/trade?
10: would you review your year as a good year of wargaming, or did you want more?
I'll fill in the questions myself in the first post!
1: best new rules/game you played?
For me, sharp practise 2
2: worst new rules/game you played?
None this year actually, all fine this time!
3: best purchase you did this year?
optivizor!!!
4: worst purchase you did this year?
fireforge albion knight. great models, but about 25% smaller than the rest of my knights!
5: most expensive purchase this year? And did you regret it?
that will be the d&d boardgame dungeon of the mad mage. no regret
6: game you played the most this year?
blitzkrieg commander i believe, might be tied with d&d boardgames!
7: game you wish you had played more this year?
Lord of the rings SBG!
8: how many models did you paint (roughly)?
654
9:wich unused models/games did you sell/trade?
Idon't think i sold anything :-\
10: would you review your year as a good year of wargaming, or did you want more?
Was a good year, but more games would be great!
1: best new rules/game you played? Nothing new here - just a few additions for special effects (Berserkir; Hunnic terror bonus)
2: worst new rules/game you played? vide supra
3: best purchase you did this year? Huns. They've proved much better fun than expected. (Aztecs were free and last year, so don't count)
4: worst purchase you did this year? Nothing I'm unhappy with. I did get the wrong piece of terrain sent me by Leven, but they were quick to replace it.
5: most expensive purchase this year? And did you regret it? Trafalgar fleets and a bit more. No regrets, though I think they'll be the last new forces I'll be buying, unless I inherit a fortune.
6: game you played the most this year? A lot of ancients.
7: game you wish you had played more this year? Strip poker?
8: how many models did you paint (roughly)? Several thousand.
9:which unused models/games did you sell/trade? Silly person!
10: would you review your year as a good year of wargaming, or did you want more? A good one. Since Lee's got interested, there's seldom been a gameless week. She even lets me win from time to time.
1: best new rules/game you played? Sellswords and Sorcerers or Last Days:Zombie Apocalypse
2: worst new rules/game you played? none
3: best purchase you did this year? Hausa and Last Days
4: worst purchase you did this year? more GW LoTR Halflings, love them, but will I ever use them.
5: most expensive purchase this year? And did you regret it? Last Days terrain, nope.
6: game you played the most this year? Mortiem et Gloriam
7: game you wish you had played more this year? Star War Armada or any game actually since September (Daughter's archery club clashes with club night)
8: how many models did you paint (roughly)? (exactly) 2875 (with another 96 to finish basing) a bit of a slow year.
9:wich unused models/games did you sell/trade? erm, a 15mm Sassanid army, a painted 15mm Roman, a pile of F8re and Sword Renaissance and a couple of 28mm but nowt else.
10: would you review your year as a good year of wargaming, or did you want more? Its been a great year, but to quote the Wonder Stuff: Give, give, give, me more more more
1: best new rules/game you played?
The Pikeman's Lament (actually, it was only one of two new rules)
2: worst new rules/game you played?
Unfairly, it has to be the other rules :D but as these were also good, I will not name them.
3: best purchase you did this year?
Can't remember. :-\ Good candidate would be the battalion guns I purchased from Magister Militum that painted up rather well. Their pack horses with leaders were also good. The Pendraken walls also turned out very well after painting and basing.
4: worst purchase you did this year?
A battalion gun from Donnington's Thirty Years War range that was a write-off because the two halves of the mould hadn't been properly lined up during the casting process. I wasn't too enamoured by some Donnington Halberds either for the same reason but was able to tidy them up.
5: most expensive purchase this year? And did you regret it?
Nothing too expensive this year so no regrets (the most expensive single item was a gift).
6: game you played the most this year?
Probably The Pikeman's Lament
7: game you wish you had played more this year?
Possibly another go at Bloody Big Battles, I always enjoy Honours of War and would like to re-visit some others that I haven't played in years (e.g., Field of Battle, Black Powder)
8: how many models did you paint (roughly)?
Not many this year. I don't take on anything too onerous and only tackle 'small' projects now, as and when I feel like it, often to augment existing armies with specialist units (e.g., dismounted cavalry, siege guns, transport elements, etc.) or single terrain items (e.g., buildings, bridges, etc.),
9: which unused models/games did you sell/trade?
Not applicable (at one point I offered some free stuff - some excess Pendraken SYW cavalry - but offer wasn't even taken up).
10: would you review your year as a good year of wargaming, or did you want more?
It was a good year, augmenting my solo games with games playing a human opponent thanks to meeting up with Steve Holmes through this forum.
1: best new rules/game you played?
Warstuff - quick, easy, flexible and, best of all, free!
2: worst new rules/game you played?
Some "modern" era game a friend inveigled me in to and who's name, possibly just as well, escapes me. It tracked so much detail and had so many add-ions it would have been cheaper, simpler and faster to get a couple of hundred thousand guys together and slug it out on the north German Plain!!!
3: best purchase you did this year?
Soda Pop Miniatures "Ninja All Stars" chibi ninja/ ronin/ samurai
4: worst purchase you did this year?
"Non, je ne regrette rien" :)
5: most expensive purchase this year? And did you regret it?
Lots and lots of chibi ninja. Nope
6: game you played the most this year?
Terraforming Mars
7: game you wish you had played more this year?
All of them!
8: how many models did you paint (roughly)?
Three or four dozen, mainly scenery.
9: which unused models/games did you sell/trade?
Wash your mouth out! As if I'd sell my babies! :D
10: would you review your year as a good year of wargaming, or did you want more?
Excellent for board gaming and computer gaming, not so much for miniatures games but gaming was definitely better on average than pretty much any other aspect of a fraught year.
1: best new rules/game you played? Honours of War (Osprey)
2: worst new rules/game you played?
3: best purchase you did this year? Figures for the Daniel Mersey (Osprey Games). Pendreken 10mm, Essex, Museum and Peter Pig 15mm.
4: worst purchase you did this year? A new cheap inkjet printer - I'll inevitably buy another new cheap printer in 2020, and it will likely be that year's worst purchase.
5: most expensive purchase this year? And did you regret it? Car to replace the one written off by a white van gent. I miss the old one, growing to love the new one.
6: game you played the most this year? Congo - Adventures in the heart of Africa (Studio Tomahawk)
7: game you wish you had played more this year?
8: how many models did you paint (roughly)? I'd guess I'm approaching a thousand this year.
9:wich unused models/games did you sell/trade? What is this sell/trade you speak of?
10: would you review your year as a good year of wargaming, or did you want more? Yes an excellent year.
1: best new rules/game you played? only one 'new' set tried this year an Indian Mutiny V&B variant that played rather well, if I do say so myself ;)
2: worst new rules/game you played? none, see above
3: best purchase you did this year? very few purchases this year, mainly terrain bits and pieces (including clump foliage for 300 hedges for Cheriton)
4: worst purchase you did this year? none
5: most expensive purchase this year? And did you regret it? clump foliage and ice block sticks for 300 hedges for Cheriton, not at all
6: game you played the most this year? For King & Parliament
7: game you wish you had played more this year? All of them
8: how many models did you paint (roughly)? around 3,000 :) :) :)
9:wich unused models/games did you sell/trade? je ne comprends pas
10: would you review your year as a good year of wargaming, or did you want more? Good, more would be better :)
1: best new rules/game you played?
Black Powder II rules to replace 1st edition
2: worst new rules/game you played?
I have one set, which does not have a QRS and the charts and modifiers are all over the place embedded in text and hard to find as I grind through repeated testing with just a couple of units per side - I would like to work with the set a little more before dissing it publicly.
3: best purchase you did this year?
Boardgame - Old School tactical, Stalingrad, this had gone out of print and this year returned and was the only module I was missing for the collection.
Figures - city printed neoprene game mat from Gale Force Nine
4: worst purchase you did this year?
I'm lucky enough to have liked everything - I am easily pleased!
5: most expensive purchase this year? And did you regret it?
Woodlands Scenic static grass applicator - hmmmn, a bit, but I am getting used to it!
6: game you played the most this year?
Boardgame - Stonewall's Sword - Battle of Cedar Mountain by revolution Games
Figures - Black Powder ACW
7: game you wish you had played more this year?
Boardgame - Advanced Squad Leader (ASL)
Figures - to explore Battlegroup (WWII tactical)
8: how many models did you paint (roughly)?
40 x 28's (ACW), 6 x 1/72 WWII vehicles, 375+ 12mm (1066 armies), felt like a million - it always does!
9: which unused models/games did you sell/trade?
Boardgames - the Panzer series by GMT sold off (sad)
Figures - All 15's went (stupid, stupid, stupid),
10: would you review your year as a good year of wargaming, or did you want more?
A good year I think, family wise, I am given the freedom to spend a lot of time thinking about and doing the hobby - but the thinking and doing are not in balance yet :-)
1: best new rules/game you played? - not really "new" since got themin 2018 but FK&P ECW rules
2: worst new rules/game you played? - None really
3: best purchase you did this year? "Highland" tufted grasses - really offset the 10mm Scots bases well.
4: worst purchase you did this year? - Didn't buy anything I can't use ;)
5: most expensive purchase this year? And did you regret it? More 10mm ECW Scots figures - err no regrets....
6: game you played the most this year? Lots of different stuff
7: game you wish you had played more this year? ITLSU - might be more active in 2020 depending on various factors currently beyond my control.....
8: how many models did you paint (roughly)? 50+ artillery pieces, animals and did a LOT of basing.
9: which unused models/games did you sell/trade? None
10: would you review your year as a good year of wargaming, or did you want more? (Almost) finished 10mm Scots ECW so yes that's a big box ticked off for me. Got inspired thanks to Jack to develop an WW2 aerial campaign using fairly simple rules, will be doing some more with these in 2020 as they seem to work well.
1: best new rules/game you played?
Nobby's Renaissance Rules
2: worst new rules/game you played?
Nobby's Air Rules. Ripped 'em up to start again.
3: best purchase you did this year?
Ummm ... dunno. Definitely Pendraken ... probably the Saracen and Saladin.
I would also add Posca pens.
4: worst purchase you did this year?
Some £1 superglue gel. Wouldn't stick anything to anything.
5: most expensive purchase this year? And did you regret it?
I spent quite a bit in Ikea to set up my wargames room ...and I didn't regret a penny.
6: game you played the most this year?
Nobby's ACW
7: game you wish you had played more this year?
Nobby's WWII
8: how many models did you paint (roughly)?
4,323 (271 aircraft, 6 ships, 2682 infantry, 233 artillery, 67 guns, 180 vehicles, 164 command and 466 "other")
9:which unused models/games did you sell/trade?
Nah.
10: would you review your year as a good year of wargaming, or did you want more?
Wanted to play more. Can do that now I have the room set up.
Quote from: fsn on 31 December 2019, 09:58:36 PM
8: how many models did you paint (roughly)?
4,323 (271 aircraft, 6 ships, 2682 infantry, 233 artillery, 67 guns, 180 vehicles, 164 command and 466 "other")
(https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/green-park/things-to-see-and-do/events-in-green-park/royal-gun-salutes/_gallery/Gun-Salute-2-Feb-2013.jpg/w_560.jpg)
Seconded =D>
MiLord Oik appears to be a quiet achiever :-/
1: best new rules/game you played? - Probably The Portable Wargame by Bob Cordery.
2: worst new rules/game you played? - Nothing I can think of.
3: best purchase you did this year? - Pendraken Fenian Raids figures.
4: worst purchase you did this year? - Nothing terrible but one book I bought is not an easy read, so have parked it for a while...
5: most expensive purchase this year? And did you regret it? - Nothing really expensive (£30 ish) and no regrets.
6: game you played the most this year? - Blitzkreig Commander
7: game you wish you had played more this year? - I had a good broad mix of games that ticked all the boxes.
8: how many models did you paint (roughly)? - Around 200 ish.
9:wich unused models/games did you sell/trade? - I sold some rules and figures that have never really been used or were still bare metal after many years of storage. Pointless keeping them and the space freed up was used for rules and figures I do use.
10: would you review your year as a good year of wargaming, or did you want more? - A good year with the right mix of wargaming, painting mixed up with my other interests.
Quote from: paulr on 01 January 2020, 04:03:16 AM
Seconded =D>
MiLord Oik appears to be a quiet achiever :-/
True!!! congratulations!
1: best new rules/game you played?
My own solo Ancients rules
2: worst new rules/game you played?
Early version of above
3: best purchase you did this year?
Pendraken miniatures & switching to acrylic paints
4: worst purchase you did this year?
Osprey books – Lawrence and the Arab Revolts. Not that it's not a good book just that it was not on the theme of my wargaming armies. A frustrated purchase really (at a show) as what I wanted was Osprey books on ECW tactics.
5: most expensive purchase this year? And did you regret it?
Pendraken miniatures & no.
6: game you played the most this year?
My own solo Ancients rules
7: game you wish you had played more this year?
Nothing specific – just more
8: how many models did you paint (roughly)?
100
9: which unused models/games did you sell/trade?
None
10: would you review your year as a good year of wargaming, or did you want more?
Yes
You could answer "no" to the last and be saying the same thing, Bernard.
1: best new rules/game you played?
Battleground, THis were good, but I have invested to much time in Chain of Command to change.
2: worst new rules/game you played?
Nothing really bad. I found 7 TV did ot grab me
3: best purchase you did this year?
Two boards to allow me to conert dining table to 8' x 5' gaming table
4: worst purchase you did this year?
Smoke Markers by Westwind. they were much too shiny. Going to make my own
5: most expensive purchase this year? And did you regret it?
Two Double sided gaming mats from Cigar box. No
6: game you played the most this year?
Frostgrave campaign with Sunjester and another two freinds
7: game you wish you had played more this year?
Black Powder
8: how many models did you paint (roughly)?
Not a particularly good tear this year. I think I spent too much time flitting from one project to another. The 15mm ancients took an awful lot of time, probably more than starting from scratch.
10mm
95 foot
19 Mules
3 guns
15mm
Repainted 200 odd Ancients
20mm
70 Foot
24 assorted vehicles
28mm
11 Foot
9:wich unused models/games did you sell/trade?
I got rid od quite a few bits and pieces. Biggest was 200 odd modern 1:300 tanks
10: would you review your year as a good year of wargaming, or did you want more?
26 evening games
26 all day games
so not too bad considering shifts and going away meant I missed 17 club nights
Did I want more ? - Too much is never enough
!
Quote from: paulr on 01 January 2020, 04:03:16 AM
MiLord Oik appears to be a quiet achiever :-/
Thanks, chaps.
I have gone for quantity over quality. :-[
The downside is that I have quite a few 80%-finished completed projects. I made the mistake of trying to do Flodden after the War of the Roses and overdid the late Medieval thing. Thus, the Flodden English are languishing in the to-paint box, 'cos I needed to painting something with an engine.
concluding....
Martin -- I hope this note finds you feeling much better. How are you?
Yesterday's big game was a fitting end to a great campaign. The British smashed through the German defenses and broke out of Arnhem. Here is the battle report.
According to the brief, XXX Corps had reached Arnhem in force, crossing to the north side of the river and joining with the remaining 1st Airborne Division troops. This combined force was ordered to push out of the battered bridgehead and break out of Arnhem to the ENE. The German defenders, consisting of three SS infantry battalions supported by a company of King Tiger tanks, were ordered to stop any breakout.
Terrain: The terrain on the 11 X 5 foot table was based on contemporary maps and aerial photographs. The Neder Rijn River ran just off the southern edge of the table, and the Ijssel Rijn River ran along most of the eastern edge. The western end of the table depicted the destroyed area of the city around the northern ramp of the Arnhem Road Bridge. The middle of the table held the rail yard and the more intact sections of the city. The eastern half of the table was mostly open polder land crossed by a main road on a dike and several secondary roads, with a factory complex near the river. About 12 inches in from the northern edge of the table, a high railway embankment ran from the western to the eastern edges. The five underpasses under the railway were the Objectives -- the capture of any one of these would enable the British to break out of the city into the open country beyond.
(Note: The railway embankment was shown on the table with a cork underlay beneath the tracks, and the dike road was shown with low hedges along the road. Both of these features blocked ground level line of sight across them. Vehicles could only move on roads or on the open portions of city blocks.)
German Forces: The defending German forces were described as three battalions of SS infantry with a Tiger company and three battalions of off-board artillery in support. Running the game at 1/3 scale (so a platoon on the table represented three platoons in the campaign), this provided three SS infantry companies with a total of 9 platoons, 12 HMGs, 3 PaK40 ATGs, 8.0 cm mortar battery, 6 King Tigers, one 15.0 cm battery, and two 10.5 cm batteries. The infantry had panzerfausts and three panzerschreck teams. All were rated Fearless Veteran.
British Forces: The attacking British forces were described as three battalions of Para infantry at half strength, one Guards armored regiment at half strength, one infantry brigade at half strength, plus one more Guards armored regiment at full strength, and one more infantry brigade at full strength, with off board artillery support (still limited by ammunition shortages). In the game, at 1/3 scale, this massive force was represented by two Para companies with 6 platoons and one assault platoon (and no other support), six Infantry companies with 18 platoons, HMGs and 3" mortar support, one half-sized Armored company with 10 mixed Shermans, one full Armored company with 16 mixed Shermans, two 25-pdr batteries and one 5.5" battery. The paras were rated Fearless Veteran and the others were rated as Confident Veteran.
German Deployment: The Germans placed six infantry platoons, the mortar battery and two Pak40 ATGs in the urban ruins around the British bridgehead to defend Objectives One and Two. Two more platoons were dug into the polder fields behind the railway embankment to defend Objectives Three and Four. One platoon and one PaK40 were in the factory complex near the dike road, defending the route to Objective Five. The six King Tigers were placed in pairs outside of town along the eastern edge of the city, in positions where they could fire down the streets or move to defend the dike road across the polder.
British Deployment and Plan: The British concentrated all six of the para platoons to the NNW of the bridge. Their task was to assault and turn the German right flank, then continue to advance along the railway to capture Objective One. Nine platoons of regular infantry deployed to the ENE of the bridge. Their task was to move through the undefended rail yard to turn the German left flank, while keeping pressure on the German center to eventually threaten Objective One and Objective Two. Nine more infantry platoons were in reserve near the bridge, to be used as a breakthrough force where needed. The half-company of Shermans was in the lead on the road beneath the bridge, tasked with moving into the town to support the infantry attacks. The full company of Shermans was on the road behind them, tasked with moving out of the city along the dike road to the east to threaten Objective Five, with the expectation that they would draw the King Tigers away from the city. The tower of St. Eusebius church provided the British FO with an excellent vantage point.
Battle Report: On Turn 1, British artillery and mortars started to soften up the German defenders near Objective One. This bombardment would continue with varying force throughout the game. The British paras launched a series of close assaults, which swiftly cleared one block and, most importantly, captured the large, damaged house on the German right flank. The leading British infantry moved into the undefended rail yard. The Shermans started rolling, but their movement was slowed by debris on the road. In their turn, the Germans answered with their artillery and mortars and held their ground. Critically, they did not shift any troops to reinforce their threatened right flank.
On Turn 2, the leading paras bounded over the rail line into the undefended row houses on the German baseline. The Germans responded to this clear threat to their right by pivoting their right hand platoon to occupy the last row house in the block. This provided a small but solid core of resistance that temporarily stopped the paras' turning movement.
On Turn 3, the British infantry launched an assault out of the rail yard into the ruins across the street. With the support of a smoke bombardment, the British closed with the SS defenders, but then lost the melee and were thrown back. However, this was only a temporary set back, and the British cleared the block of ruins on the following turn, and also moved into some of the undefended row houses to the north of the rail yard. This prompted the Germans to shift a platoon to occupy the other houses in that block, which halted the British advance in that sector. The German defenses in the city were now stretched very thin.
On Turns 4 and 5, combined assaults by the British paras and infantry cleared one more block of ruins in the center, with the half-company of Shermans in the city providing supporting fires. The full company of Shermans reached the dike road, and attracted the attention of four King Tigers. Two of these Tigers would later move to block the British armored thrust along the dike road. Only a well-timed smoke screen limited British tank losses. The other two Tigers took long range shots at the Shermans in town, killing three, and then slowly moved into the city but arrived too late to make a difference at the objectives there.
On Turn 6 the British attack on the German right flank regained its impetus. The para assault platoon had come forward with its flamethrower, and pinned the German platoon holding the row house behind the rail line. The first British assault was annihilated by a German counterassault, but a fresh British platoon continued the assault, and wiped out the Germans in turn. Only one more block of buildings stood between the British and Objective One. The Germans were left with very little with which to hold this last redoubt.
Turns 7 and 8 saw the British artillery finishing off the last of the German defenders in front of Objective One, and British paras and infantry moving to occupy the now vacant ruins. Meanwhile the paras assaulted with overwhelming force and took the last block of buildings behind Objective One. The Germans had nothing that could counterattack to contest the objective. The game was over!
Conclusion: What an epic game! This scenario pitted three German players, with a force valued at about 6000 points (in old FOW money) against five British players with a force valued at about 9000 points, although it was impossible for the British to use all of their strength in the very crowded battle area. It took about 1.5 hours to set up the terrain, .5 hours to deploy the troops, 3.5 hours to play, and .5 hours to pack up. After all this, the beer and the food tasted very good at the bar!
Analysis: Possibly the only way for the Germans to win this battle was to mass everything they had around the bridgehead to keep the British contained in as small a space as possible. The German commanders erred by initially placing three of their infantry platoons to defend Objectives Three, Four, and Five -- which were very far from the bridgehead. Two King Tigers would have sufficed to block the entrance to the dike road and thus would have kept the British armor bottled up and far away from these distant objectives. The absence of those three platoons compromised the German defense in the city. Six platoons were not strong enough to hold the necessary frontage in the ruins, and the British turned both flanks on Turn 1. Once the bridgehead was unsealed, the British could flow around the German flanks to outnumber and successfully assault the two ends of the German line, while their other troops and artillery wore down the German center. By the end of Turn 8 (less than three hours of campaign time), the German defense in the city had been crushed, with the British in firm control of Objective 1.
In contrast, the British plan was much better. It focused on the nearest objective (Objective One) with the best assault troops and most of the artillery, but if the Tigers had come into the city, the British could have made the armored move to the east their main thrust. British tactics were excellent. They used massed converging fires to suppress the frontline German defenders, then assaulted using the terrain to limit defensive fire. The British also opportunistically seized undefended portions of the city, forcing the Germans to stretch even thinner to counter the threats from these sectors. The British attack was relentless, accepting equal casualties in order to eliminate the less numerous German defenders, and willing to sacrifice Shermans to draw the King Tigers away from the city.
Casualties were nearly equal between the two sides. The British lost 33 para teams and 20 infantry teams, along with 7 Shermans. The Germans lost 40 infantry teams, 5 HMGs, 2 PaK40s, and two FOs. Proportionally, this was 20% of the British para and infantry strength and 27% of their tank strength, vs. 50% of the German infantry strength. The remaining British infantry would have been able to mop up the last few German defenders in the city, forcing the Tigers to withdraw.
I believe this concludes the campaign? If so, it has been great fun. Thank you very much for managing it and giving me the briefs, even from your hospital bed! That's the style!
P.S. -- The really bad thing about this counterfactual British victory in the campaign is that Montgomery will now be made a Duke and will be considered the third Great British Commander, along with Marlborough and Wellington! That is a bit much for us Yanks to take!
Cheers and Good Health! Tony
1: best new rules/game you played?
Rebel and Patriots
2: worst new rules/game you played?
Like Orcs, I found 7 TV was not my thing, but I'd play it.
3: best purchase you did this year?
Streets of Venice set from TTCombat
4: worst purchase you did this year?
There wasn't one
5: most expensive purchase this year? And did you regret it?
Streets of Venice set from TTCombat. No, I've been drooling over this set for a couple of years and found it with an extra £50 off on a show special!
6: game you played the most this year?
Frostgrave/Sellswords and Spellslingers/Cruel Seas are all about even in this catagory
7: game you wish you had played more this year?
En Garde
8: how many models did you paint (roughly)?
Not a lot, less than 100 28mm and no more than 150 10mm.
Mind you, building Venice has taken up most of my spare time since October.
9: which unused models/games did you sell/trade?
I had a bit of a cull on odds and ends lying around
10: would you review your year as a good year of wargaming, or did you want more?
Average 4 gaming session each month, so a good year for having fun with friends.
Did I want more ? - Of course!