1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? -
2) What armies were confronted? -
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? -
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? -
5) How many players were in the game? -
6) What went well? -
7) What could have been improved? -
I hope Mad Lemmey won't mind me starting this thread
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - DBA 3.0
2) What armies were confronted? - Later Macedonian v Polybian Rome , Aitolian Greeks v Attalid Pergamene, Seleucids v Ptolemaic Egypt
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, but only played once last year
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - games flowed reasonably well and it was a good way to get these troops on the table after more than a decade of non-use
7) What could have been improved? - I need to finish my temperate DBA terrain
Last century I put together a Polybian and Later Macedonian army for DBM using 6mm H&R figures on 15mm bases and used them in a number of 15mm competitions
These haven't seen the light of day for over a decade so I sorted them into 6 DBA armies a few months ago. I decided to grab the opportunity to give them a run while my wife was out and played 3 games using the 6 armies. I'll have another 3 games when I get a chance, the Later Macedonian and Ptolemaic Egypt are currently leading the pack :)
Why would I mind? [-( =O =D>
Glad to hear some veterans getting to see daylight! 8)
Your jealousy is well known Will
I only copied Steve J's idea...
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Homebrew WW2 aerial rules inspired by BigJackMac's recent Pacific air combat writeups
2) What armies were confronted? - RAF Buffaloes vs IJN G3M Nells and A6M Zeros searching for Force Z off the coast of Malaya
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes they are only 5 pages long including diagrams.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes - going to see Paul tomorrow to show off these rules so got in a bit of practice....
5) How many players were in the game? - Just me
6) What went well? - The RAF destroyed all 6 bombers for the loss of two Buffs shot down by bomber defensive fire. Blue Section leader, who started as a junior ace, shot down four in one sortie....he rolled 4 6's in a row for movement points and literally flew rings round the enemy bombers. Both RAF pilots bailed out sucessfully, though one was captured.
7) What could have been improved? - would have been a different story if the Zero escort had actually arrived on table (needed 10+ on 2d6 to arrive from turn one....I guess with my dice rolling I shouldn't be surprised they didn't turn up ;) )
Tally ho!!
Quote from: ianrs54 on 01 January 2020, 09:48:30 AM
Your jealousy is well known Will
https://youtu.be/wADRRYNHhOA
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder I & II
2) What armies were confronted? - Union vs Confederate
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very, very rusty.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, but a good few years ago since we last played it.
5) How many players were in the game? - 2
6) What went well? - We broadly remembered the mechanics, but it was a refresher game in advance of the start of a campaign next week.
7) What could have been improved? - We both wanted to read the rules in advance, but real life prevented this.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - For King and Pariliament
2) What armies were confronted? - Scots Covenanters vs Parliamentarians - test game for Battle of Inverkiething 20 July 1651 scenario
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - 4
6) What went well? - For Parliament not a lot, For the Scots, especially Colonel Augustines Mossers things started out specatacularly.
7) What could have been improved? - We did not expect the Scots to be so agressive so our "plan" for the Parlimentarians never really got going (sounds familiar doesn't it....). Once again it was mainly the cavalry which fought (and died) while the Scots Lancers were (mainly) very effective against the English "Swedish" style horse, apart from one unit that charged into the flank of my small unit of horse and had 8 attempts to inflict the one disorder that would destroy it, but it did not have any chits with a high enough score to kill it. The Scots did not need to commit any of their infantry so the Highland Levies just watched from upslope as their cavalry rode to their 13 -6 victory.
I am going to tighten up the allowed deployment areas as bit since I think I gave the Scots too much latitiude, though historically this is a really tricky battle to balance up.
And I forgot the special rule yet again......the one about the scenario designer not being able to be on the losing side..... ;)
But that is THE most important rule! Or, if you really cannot manage it, take up umpiring. That is my own solution to my incompetence as a general!
;D ;D ;D
Pierre the Shy has a rare talent for ending up on the losing side ;)
It was an interesting scenario and I enjoyed commanding the Scottish cheer squad foot who steadfastly held their ground for the entire game ;)
We were allowed to deploy quite a way forward which made it a little more difficult for Parliament to fully deploy
A few pictures of the action, grabbed with my mobile, with my casualty markers used in action for the first time, these proved a very useful reminder of the rout rules
Parliament with some raw untried units and several small units suffered heavily from this...
The Mossers and Lancers on the Scottish left have advanced boldly. The Mossers have ridden down the English gunners and defeated the English horse that were supporting them :o
The destruction of the English horse caused panic in the small unit of horse that were supporting them and they flee the field :o :o
The two units of untried English foot fail their saves and are disordered by the collapse of the units on their flank X_X
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49411584522_b6d453e15f_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ihkhB5)
On the right after some initial success, destroying one unit of English horse, the English counter attack has destroyed two units of Scots Lancers
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49411584582_edfd5c22eb_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ihkhC7)
Back on the left the Mossers have left the field with their loot and are pursing the fleeing English horse looking for more. The Scots Lancers have managed to destroy an already disordered unit of raw Pike & Shot
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49410908588_20fa9cc730_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ihgPF3)
On the right the Scots Lancers have caught a small unit of pursing English horse in the rear and destroyed them, the already disordered unit of English horse beside them fails its 2 save attempts and routs
The English Colonel is captured surrendering the last English victory coin
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49410908613_1ff5e35fee_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ihgPFt)
The end of the game with the Scottish foot steadfastly holding their ground, the Veteran English foot have yet to get to grips #:-S
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49410908393_ef04cf8af8_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ihgPBF)
Quote from: mad lemmey on 01 January 2020, 12:17:51 PM
https://youtu.be/wADRRYNHhOA
Better one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K1hYWf5JDw
Quote from: paulr on 19 January 2020, 11:59:59 PM
;D ;D ;D
Pierre the Shy has a rare talent for ending up on the losing side ;)
It was an interesting scenario and I enjoyed commanding the Scottish cheer squad foot who steadfastly held their ground for the entire game ;)
Next time we play one of my scenarioes I will make sure I am on the same side of the table as you then ;)
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder 1st Edition
2) What armies were confronted? - 1866 Austrians vs Prussians
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Myself and Last Hussar
6) What went well? - I have been playing around with the firing rules. The rule writer's method of reflecting improved weapons is just to increase the ranges, which means the Prussian needle gun can out-range the Austrian muskets! I gave the breech loaders an extra firing die and allow a reroll on misses. We need to play a couple more times to see if we are happy with the result.
7) What could have been improved? - Both sides' reserves actually moving, it would have been nice if they could have fired a single shot between them!
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder II
2) What armies were confronted? - Union vs Confederate
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Pretty much, even though it was our second game after a few years.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, but a good few years ago since we last played it.
5) How many players were in the game? - 2
6) What went well? - The Union command rolls were outstanding, which meant they whizzed across the table.
7) What could have been improved? - The scenario could probably have been resolved with maps moves in hindsight.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder II with a bit of the Glory Hallelujah supplement
2) What armies were confronted? - Union v Confederate ACW
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - no
5) How many players were in the game? - solo
6) What went well? - A few local tactical surprises, which is the thing that BP does well
7) What could have been improved? - nothing really, it all went rather well.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder II ( using some of the Glory Hallelujah supplement)
2) What armies were confronted? - 1859 Austrians vs French and Italians
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - no
5) How many players were in the game? - 2 - Last Hussar and myself
6) What went well? - Happy with the rules, especially with the Glory Hallelujah add-ons
7) What could have been improved? - Everything - Last Hussar won :o........WITH AUSTRIANS :o........AGAINST THE FRENCH!!! :o 8-} X_X
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder II with the Glory Hallelujah supplement.
2) What armies were confronted? - Union v Confederate ACW.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Pretty much
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - Shirley Wayne whizzing across the table and the Union (Dave) command rolls. The Confederate shooting was pretty good.
7) What could have been improved? - Not rolling a Blunder at a critical point could have helped my cause, plus Butler's cavalry not moving far enough away from Wayne's cavalry, which didn't end well.
It was Wayne's World last night indeed. And still don't call him Shirley.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Twilight of the Sun King
2) What armies were confronted? - French vs Allies - War of the League of Augsburg
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - no
5) How many players were in the game? - 1 vs 1
6) What went well? - The game was an ad hoc affair after the planned game fell through. It pitted 2 large armies and was great fun.
7) What could have been improved? - Nothing except the French players morale dice rolls
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - My playtest 18th century version of FK&P, Pro Gloria
2) What armies were confronted? - Prussians v Saxons Kesselsdorv 1745 2nd Silesian War
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - no, the second with the variant, but a couple of new ideas
5) How many players were in the game? - 6, plus 1 umpire
6) What went well? - Players picked up things very quickly, and required very little umpiring. Good natured and great fun
7) What could have been improved? - My umpiring, as I kept forgetting the basic FK&P rules! Prussians won 60 medals to 39, which made it hard fought. Heresy alert, the armies used were my old 15mm figures. My new Pendraken 10mm armies await the first playtest of the regimental version of the rules, Leuthen.
I do not need another period, I do not need another period, I do not need another period, I do not need another period...
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Big Battle DBA
2) What armies were confronted? - Fatamid Egyptian, Seljuq Turkish, Syrian v Komnenan Byzantine, Cilician Armenian, Early Crusader
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - no
5) How many players were in the game? - 2, the other members of our usual group were distracted by unimportant things like birthdays or sons going to university =)
6) What went well? - The charges by the Crusader Knights and survival of the out numbered Byzantine Light Horse
7) What could have been improved? - The Christian deployment, the Cilician Armenians never got into combat, they did provide an overlap in that last combat of the game - shooting by the Crusader & Byzantine Bow and Crossbows, 3 elements died in shoot outs
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? What a Tanker
2) What armies were confronted? 1944 US Tanks and TD's vs German Tanks and TD's
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? Yep!
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? Nope!
5) How many players were in the game? 8
6) What went well? The new ones quickly got the hang of it and in the end the US tankers found out how to defeat the heavier German tanks.
7) What could have been improved? With more experience the game will speed up. We need that!
Cheers,
Rob
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Rum, Buggery, and the Lash
2) What armies were confronted? - British vs Allies
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - No. Unfamiliar, and problems emerged at every turn.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes.
5) How many players were in the game? - Four
6) What went well? Nuttin'; saving rolls for ships under the right circumstances are a good feature to retain.
7) What could have been improved? -Gales shouldn't blow up easily; the outscouted fleet shouldn't be in an upwind position; fleets should begin on the table; faster movement and longer ranges (a bit) should be possible. Above all, the rules must not allow endless jockeying for position (captains might try that, but these rules are aiming at having the players take admirals' decisions).
Quoteaiming at having the players take admirals' decisions
I'm interested in seeing how these rules evolve
What happened between Feb 1st and today?
Stuff's missing...
Quote from: steve_holmes_11 on 06 February 2020, 07:44:14 PM
What happened between Feb 1st and today?
Stuff's missing...
My mistake entirely - some chump has been posting in "What was the last ... 2019". =) =) =)
Quote7) What could have been improved? - Everything - Last Hussar won ........WITH AUSTRIANS ........AGAINST THE FRENCH!!!
I still think this thread should have been locked after this. Nothing else matters.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder II with the Glory Hallelujah supplement.
2) What armies were confronted? - Union v Confederate ACW.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Pretty much
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - Shirley Wayne and his cavalry played a starring roll as always. The scenario was the best so far, but still a tough one for the Rebs. The 'Whipped' rule worked well.
7) What could have been improved? - Gump's Brigade rolling two Blunders, one of which took them off the table. Shooting wise it was lots of Disorder and not many hits until towards the end.
Quote from: paulr on 06 February 2020, 06:45:43 PM
I'm interested in seeing how these rules evolve
Kind of you to say
how, not
if.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? Men Who Would be Kings
2) What armies were confronted? British Vs Sudanese
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? Nope!
5) How many players were in the game? 2
6) What went well? Lots of fun
7) What could have been improved? as always... My dice rolling!
Fleets bashing each other again; rules much improved, though I suspect not at their final stage yet. No sinkings yet, but damage is mounting faster than it can be repaired.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? Rum, Buggery, and the Lash
2) What forces were confronted? British vs Allies
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? Far more than previously; we've ironed out 80% + of the bugs.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? Nope!
5) How many players were in the game? 2
6) What went well? We captured five French ships of the line and Fort S. Genevieve; no ships sunk on either side, though the Colossus was in a right
mess by the end of the day.
7) What could have been improved? A cheat sheet will speed play a lot.
Not many ships were sunk by gunfire, as they are wooden.
Quote from: ianrs54 on 09 February 2020, 11:52:47 AM
Not many ships were sunk by gunfire, as they are wooden.
I'd often wondered about this, since it's an areas where rules differ a great deal.
Some have the victims sink fairly fast and occasionally explode
Others make a point of having wreckage lingering about causing a bit of a navigation hazard.
I even recall one book of "Rules for all eras" whose age of sail rules made no provision for sinking.
I suspect that was an oversight.
While understanding that most wood is floaty stuff, I suspect the presence of 72 - 104 cannon would have quite an impact on net buoyancy.
You are right, particularly in heavy weather, but a very high proportion were due to explosions, naked flames and gun powder don't mix well !
Quote from: ianrs54 on 09 February 2020, 04:08:38 PM
You are right, particularly in heavy weather, but a very high proportion were due to explosions, naked flames and gun powder don't mix well !
That makes a lot of sense, even the smaller sort of explosion may blow a big hole beneath the waterline.
Do you (or any others here) have an idea of the relative changce of sinking between big ships of the line and the smaller boats encountered in pirate engagements.
Simple "common sense" suggests to me that pirate boats with fewer guns and a bit more tendency for boarding action, might be less prone to sinking from battle damage.
(Far be it for me to impune their chosen alternative lifestyle, but a contrasting view might imply that the piratey types were prone to a bit less iron discipline when it came to powder handling).
I'm not aware of too many explosions afloat in the Age of Sail but lots of ships seem to have foundered in bad weather - especially in the aftermath of battle where already damaged ships, especially prizes, often seem to founder.
L'Orient at the Nile is probably the most famous example of a ship going bang! It's fame is down to the unusual nature of the event, I'd suggest.
I imagine smaller ships were even more likely to succumb to storms and bad navigation being less able to withstand the elements.
A quick look at some of the largest losses of life afloat in at 18th century also suggests that bad weather was more likely to sink ships than explosions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_maritime_disasters_in_the_18th_century
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder II with the Glory Hallelujah supplement.
2) What armies were confronted? - Union v Confederate ACW.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Pretty much
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - The Confederate shooting was pretty good and the scenario from the GH! book gave a nice game, even with our tweaks for a mid-week game.
7) What could have been improved? - The Union shooting and some of the Brigades didn't move that much.
... The Union Commanders could have been improved but the gene pool is somewhat limited with the dross Washington is sending out to the army!!
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Chain of Command : 1st round for the Gembloux campaign
2) What armies were confronted? - 1940 German vs French
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - The Scenario was very interesting. The game was fun, and we had to think a lot.
7) What could have been improved? - The german bombed the village with stukas ! ( Seriously, at the end I was tired and forget to deploy some supports .. )
( as usual I wrote an AAR : http://2d6.fr/?p=4803 (http://2d6.fr/?p=4803) )
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? IACTA ALEA EST!
2) What armies were confronted? Norse and Byzantines
3) Happy with these rules? Why do you keep asking this silly question?
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? vide supra
5) How many players were in the game? 2
6) What went well? My saving rolls were absurdly good, and the opposition's really weak. My morale went wibbley for a mment, but we recovered well.
7) What could have been improved? I forgot that the bondi were disciplined troops; missed two rounds of movement after bad control rolls that did not in fact apply to them. Nobody to blame but myself.
Quote from: ronan on 16 February 2020, 11:17:32 AM
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Chain of Command : 1st round for the Gembloux campaign
2) What armies were confronted? - 1940 German vs French .......
....... ( as usual I wrote an AAR : http://2d6.fr/?p=4803 (http://2d6.fr/?p=4803) )
Interesting looking game. It was also fun for a short while trying to remember my schoolboy French and then comparing my efforts to your English translation - a couple of daft translations on my part, e.g., "The Germans left their heads in the fields ...." :-\ :-[ :D
Quote from: Westmarcher on 16 February 2020, 12:27:23 PM
Interesting looking game. It was also fun for a short while trying to remember my schoolboy French and then comparing my efforts to your English translation - a couple of daft translations on my part, e.g., "The Germans left their heads in the fields ...." :- :-[ :D
I thank you ! :)
I do not translate exactly - an Italian proverb says : "traduttore, traditore" (translator, traitor) ;) - and I'm sometimes a bit lazy :D
"
The germans raised their heads from the fields" ?
Another possibility was from "Google translate" which settled on, "The Germans stuck their heads out of the wheat fields" and yet another using the verb "quitter" instead of "sortir(?)" ... but it does not matter, you're own translations were perfectly understandable and it was definitely appreciated that you had gone to the trouble of making life easy for us English speakers. :-bd
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder II with the Glory Hallelujah supplement.
2) What armies were confronted? - Union v Confederate ACW, the Battle of New Market 1864.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - The Union shooting which stopped the Confederates in very short order.
7) What could have been improved? - The Confederate shooting and movement. Failed orders caused the Rebs to rush forward, only to be shot to pieces.
An AAR to follow once I can bring myself to record the less than glorious battle from the Confederate point of view. Oh and I can't sit down for a few days as I got my **** well and truly kicked!
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Team Yankee
2) What armies were confronted? - Soviets vs. NATO
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - No... first time we tried these.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes
5) How many players were in the game? - Three
6) What went well? - Game mechanics are okay.
7) What could have been improved? - Firing distances, CC ranges and Morale checks.
A very enjoyable day on Thursday refighting the Battle of Killiecrankie with Pendraken's lovely LoA range
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Pike & Shotte
2) What armies were confronted? - Jacobite / Highlanders Vs Williamite / English / Lowlanders
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Mostly (all players had previously played Black Powder and only one of us P&S)
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No & Yes (x2)
5) How many players were in the game? - Three
6) What went well? - Game was great fun and a lovely learning experience for the new guys
7) What could have been improved? - Darn sassanachs refused to repeat the errors of their forebears and attacked lengthwise down the field, the highland charge was stymied
and few of my brave lads escaped the carnage!
(https://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb192/scorpio_rocks/Killie%20200220%20-%2006%20highlander%20in%20action%20allows%20english%20to%20finish%20deployment_zpstc21c4tg.jpg)
(excuse poor photo)
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Midway (boardgame)
2) What armies were confronted? - United States Navy v Imperial Japanese Navy
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - I do now, but it took a couple of reads and a play test game to get there.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes, other than a test game as I went through the rules
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - As with carrier battle games, playing double blind brings game tension and surprises as each side sends in airstrikes against enemy carriers
7) What could have been improved? - Nothing really, the narrative went really well, though Victory Point circumstances brought the battle to an end after the first day, we want to get as far as the secondday to see the Midway nvasion landings in action.
Quote from: Norm on 22 February 2020, 06:33:25 AM
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Midway (boardgame)
2) What armies were confronted? - United States Navy v Imperial Japanese Navy
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - I do now, but it took a couple of reads and a play test game to get there.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes, other than a test game as I went through the rules
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - As with carrier battle games, playing double blind brings game tension and surprises as each side sends in airstrikes against enemy carriers
7) What could have been improved? - Nothing really, the narrative went really well, though Victory Point circumstances brought the battle to an end after the first day, we want to get as far as the secondday to see the Midway nvasion landings in action.
Which game? BGG lists over 20; I am interested in the new Bonsai version. Bonsai seem to do small, innovative but effective games.
Quote from: Scorpio_Rocks on 21 February 2020, 10:38:32 PM
A very enjoyable day on Thursday refighting the Battle of Killiecrankie with Pendraken's lovely LoA range
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Pike & Shotte
2) What armies were confronted? - Jacobite / Highlanders Vs Williamite / English / Lowlanders
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Mostly (all players had previously played Black Powder and only one of us P&S)
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No & Yes (x2)
5) How many players were in the game? - Three
6) What went well? - Game was great fun and a lovely learning experience for the new guys
7) What could have been improved? - Darn sassanachs refused to repeat the errors of their forebears and attacked lengthwise down the field, the highland charge was stymied
and few of my brave lads escaped the carnage!
Looks very interesting Scorpio......any chance of providing a breakdown of the units that you used in the game please?
Killiecrankie is a battle that I would love to refight at some stage and have enough 10mm sassanach units, just need a few more readcoat units....hmmm ;)
Thanks
Peter
Here's a read coat.
Quote from: pierre the shy on 22 February 2020, 11:20:42 PM
Looks very interesting Scorpio......any chance of providing a breakdown of the units that you used in the game please?
Killiecrankie is a battle that I would love to refight at some stage and have enough 10mm sassanach units, just need a few more readcoat units....hmmm ;)
Thanks
Peter
Not a totally historically accurate rendition,
We used (Pike and Shotte stats):
Jacobites5 units of "Highlanders" Warband - ferocious charge, Clansmen, Militia, Swordsmen
1 unit Regular Infantry Line foot - Pike company, plug bayonet, flintlocks
1 unit Freshly raised Line foot - Pike company, Militia, plug bayonet, matchlocks
1 unit dragoons Dragoons - flintlocks, marauder - representing the very small amount of horse troops available (as few as 50!)
Government2 units of Horse Line Cavalry - Swords and Pistols
2 units Dutch Line foot - pike company, first fire, plug bayonets, flintlocks, Crack
2 Units Fusiliers Line foot - first fire, plug bayonets, flintlocks
3 units Lowland infantry Line foot - pike company, first fire, plug bayonets, flintlocks
1 small cannon - Light artillery
The battle field was as accurate as we could make it. Both armies entered in column. The Highlanders had awful command rolls and moved slowly along the highground. The Government troops fanned out almost immediately across the valley rather than deploying along the road as historically. The Highlanders refused to charge for most of the battle and were cut to pieces by sustained volleys by the "english"
Right click "view image" above to see pic properly
Thanks very much Scorpio (and Kitty for the readcoat picture :) )
Quote from: hammurabi70 on 22 February 2020, 11:37:51 AM
Which game? BGG lists over 20; I am interested in the new Bonsai version. Bonsai seem to do small, innovative but effective games.
This is the Revolution Games update of the Bonsai game.
BGG Link
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/297702/fury-midway
) What ruleset didst use in thy last game? - IACTA ALEA EST!
2) What armies were confronted? - Skythians vs Thracians
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - I do.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Of course not.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - One good cavalry charge routed a unit of Sakae off. And the sandy side of the new mat is also very smart (a bit greener in reality than in Mike's picture below).
7) What could have been improved? - Everything else. My ambush was accidentally detected when the Massagetae nobles blundered into it - and wiped it out. Time after time the remaining Sakae shot and evaded, shot and evaded.
) What ruleset didst use in thy last game? - Soldiers of God
2) What armies were confronted? - First Crusade Christians vs Sultanate of Rum Turks
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes mostly, though a little rusty.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Nope
5) How many players were in the game? - One
6) What went well? - With a much higher proportion of cavalry in the OOBs than my previous runs with it, the game moved faster and turned into a bloody massacre and mutual destruction very quickly.
7) What could have been improved? - I had to do a fair bit of rule flipping at the start due to my rustiness, plus I probably didn't give enough plains space on the board meaning the knights got stalled against the ridgeline for a few turns (the cards that would enable them to turn around or pull back just did not come up for the Crusaders!) but overall it went pretty well, and it just meant the infantry actually got to play a role in the battle and when the knights did finally get turned around, things got violent very quickly!
You can read a full report here:
https://mmcvhistory.home.blog/2020/02/23/the-battle-of-nicaea-may-1097/
Quote from: Norm on 23 February 2020, 08:45:52 AM
This is the Revolution Games update of the Bonsai game.
BGG Link
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/297702/fury-midway
So if that was the game you played were you impressed?
1) What ruleset didst use in thy last game? - Hordes of the Things
2) What armies were confronted? Cromwell's Roundheads vs Undead Horde
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Not initially, a lot of page flipping and head-scratching at odd terms and scattered rules at first but got into the swing of things after a few rounds.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yep
5) How many players were in the game? - One
6) What went well? - The roundheads' movement rolls, they fairly zipped across the table, which gave them the manoeuvrability to take the victory.
7) What could have been improved? The shambling forces of the undead lived up to their name and moved very slowly all game, though made up for it with their combat rolls for a while. The hordes of zombies repeatedly pushed back the stout pikemen and the skeleton archers obliterated two units of Ironsides before the Roundhead artillery and shooters cleared the way and the rest of the Ironsides took their vengeance.
This was mostly a test game using stand-in armies to see if I want to add another project to my growing list. I'll probably play another test game to see how I like things now I have a better grip and see...
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder II with the Glory Hallelujah supplement.
2) What armies were confronted? - Union v Confederate ACW, fictional scenario
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - The scenario worked a treat and it was a real ding dong battle that could have gone either way.
7) What could have been improved? - Our knowledge of some rules which we'd never had to use before. Rather than exhaustively look things up (the game was rather involved at this point), we went with what seemed reasonable.
AAR to follow once I've recovered from the game :D.
Sounds a good'un :)
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder II with the Glory Hallelujah supplement.
2) What armies were confronted? - Union v Confederate ACW, fictional scenario
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - The scenario worked a treat and could have been a close battle, except the Union shooting and save rolls were excellent
7) What could have been improved? - The Confederate shooting rolls which were pretty poor and the Union cavalry that moved once all game.
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? IACTA ALEA EST
2) What armies were confronted? - Athenians vs Spartans
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - Wild Thracian mercenary horse stripped away the Pelopennesian horse in short order.
7) What could have been improved? - Everything else. We had communication problems which delayed our peltasts (and a bit of ethnic tension with similar results), the victorious light cavalry wasted the rest of the battle chasing Greek peltasts in the hills. and the Spartan hoplites lived up to their reputation.
Hells highway, a board wargame from 1982, hexes, card counters etc. Its Operation Market Garden, 1 hex is 1300m, counters are battalions!
Not yet finished, we are on turn 6 of 26. Number 1 Son and I have booked days off work to get it done between Wednesday and Sunday.
Box says 25 hours for full scenario.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2077/hells-highway (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2077/hells-highway)
Its quite complex, as these things often are, and we layer a short scenario a few weeks ago to learn it- I got it 2nd hand over 20 years ago, and this year is the first time its been played by me.
It doesn't have the traditional CRT based on odds, instead you roll d6, and add modifier depending on terrain, and cross ref that against firers strength. All units have 6movement points, and the terrain costs vary by unit type, so you have to constantly double check.
Turns are AM, PM or Night, and start with PM 17th.
The confusion with terrain meant I didnt bring on a couple of German units when I could, so Arnhem was easier for Paras to occupy - Not sure if I would have got there anyway.
XXX are in a traffic jam, 101st can't quite clear a Panzer bn in in Eindhoven, and I've blown many bridges (not allowed to blow the main ones on the route). However the terrain problems in the south are the same for the SS in the north, woods mean I can't get the tigers in at 1st Airborne, who are tightly packed in most of Arnhem. Add to this the weather stayed clear, allowing airborne reinforcements, to arrive, including all of the Poles, who now hold the South side of Arnhem bridge.
Many photos taken, another 2-3 days to be played tomorrow.
Sounds interesting :)
Agreed, sounds interesting and would love to see some pics.
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? Pike & Shotte
2) What armies were confronted? - French Vs Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg)
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No.
5) How many players were in the game? - Three
6) What went well? - First time out for newly painted units - expected them to underperform but they didnt! French Guard excelled
7) What could have been improved? - We had a couple of head scratching moments and rule book searching with fighting in a built-up area - We are currently writing some clarifications/house rules for this
Hell's Highway' 5 turns - 7 to 11 (PM 19th Sept to Night 20th Sept)
Frustrating couple of days for both armies. 1 Para firmly ensconsed in Arnhem, SS unable to get enough troops against any one point. Brits not attacking, but allowing the Germans to come at them, and hoping defensive fire will disrupt the attacks.
Meanwhile lone German armoured units cling to the north sides of the crossings at Eindhoven and Nijmegen. though XXX corps pass through Eindhoven in a corridor shielded by the 101st, panzer and A/T units will cut supplies if they are not kept in a state of disruption, the panzers finally dissolving due to being surrounded, though the Stugs are still there.
north of the Waal a lone SS armoured recce bn defends the bridge despite XXX corps artillery throwing everything at it in coordination with tanks trying to force the bridge while Polish paras attack from the north. XXX corps wait along the road in travel mode, waiting for the germans to be pushed back.
Frustrated at being unable to bring reinforcements to bear - entering from east and west off road in combat mode means too slow or even impassible terrain, while using Travel mode on road makes them vulnerable if they arrive anywhere near the enemy - the germans start placing units in the empty area where they can deny the road between Eindhoven and Grave to the logistics and supply.
Though polyglot and ad hoc formations from XXX and 101 try to push them back, the road is closed to lorries in 2 - 3 places.
then the logistics officer (visit from #2 son) spots a circuitous route to the East on minor Roads.
Watching the supply move north, a couple of panzer units drive along the route and sit astride the road at Valkenswaard! XXX move to counter, units rushing back south to try to aid those still coming up from Belgium. Morning will bring more delays, but also typhoons.
The Autumn night is lit up by the allies desperately trying to push the germans off the road, while the SS give up on a direct drive into Arnhem from the north and east, and instead stat planning to see if the ragged western edge offers a chance.
And still along the road south of Nijmegen, XXXc wait in convoy, just 20km from the Bridge Too Far.
Quote from: Last Hussar on 13 March 2020, 02:07:21 AM
Hell's Highway' 5 turns - 7 to 11 (PM 19th Sept to Night 20th Sept)
Frustrating couple of days for both armies...
The Autumn night is lit up by the allies desperately trying to push the germans off the road, while the SS give up on a direct drive into Arnhem from the north and east, and instead stat planning to see if the ragged western edge offers a chance.
And still along the road south of Nijmegen, XXXc wait in convoy, just 20km from the Bridge Too Far.
Sounds pretty accurate then ;)
Hell's Highway,
Turns 12 to 17 (21st to 22nd Sept)
"Horrocks said he'd be here in 3 days"
"You did say you could hold for 5."
The biggest problem is the rules. They were written in 82, and we really have learned a lot in 40 years! The lay out of rules in the left column and examples, clarifications and exceptions in the right seems a good idea, but sometimes they appear to clash- I'm still not certain what the rules for XXXc in "travel mode" if cut of are. Also some of the rules have important little extra bits tacked on a few paragraphs later,such as if you fired your artillery in your turn, you can't use it defensively in the opponents, and vice versa. Also the supply bypass XXXc ran yesterday missed the rule Allies can't use a bridge if the Germans haven't had a chance to blow it, which is triggered when a Allied unit moves next to it.
Dawn on the 21st rose, with various German units clinging to parts of the Dutch countryside that meant they were either sitting astride the titular Hells Highway, or close enough to shoot any logistics trucks, putting most of XXX out of supply. 2 pz bn sat at the Valkenswaard bridge, south of Eindhoven, PaK guns in Eindhoven fired across the river, while various infantry units covered the road to Zon. Worse for the operation, the Armoured Recce of 9SS was in a town on the north end of the Nijmegen bridge, doing its best to be a bloody nuisance (I believe this is the unit we see in the film that rushes across the Arnhem bridge, only to be completed knackered - history definitely wasn't repeating its self).
Between lack of supplies,and the recalcitrant Recce, the road was becoming the prototype for the M25 on a Friday, with tanks and halftracks parked along it from south Nijmegen almost to Eindhoven - 50km of armour going nowhere.
The Germans had their own problems. They were rapidly running out of units south of the Waal , the SS couldn't pierce the para perimeter, and there is no way for them to drive round to attack further south.
To start with the British ran a couple of units along the minor eastern roads, causing one bridge to blow, but the other 3 stayed intact, thus establishing a roundabout route at Eindhoven.
The remaining panzers at the Valkenswaard bridge suffered repeated air attacks when ever the weather was clear enough, and a XXXc HQ could be brought in to act as FAC (due to an error in orders both the HQs for the Guards and 43rd had ended up in Nijmegen, rather than one staying back for such a need). Infantry crossed the stream/minor river, to join with units that had been sent back, and finally the surrounded tanks, with no supply line, surrendered.
Nijmegen proved to be much harder, much of it to do with #1 having inherited my die rolling ability. In the end, on the afternoon of the 22nd, having suffered 48 hours of attacks by two bn of Polish paras marching from the Neder Rjin, the Corps artillery of XXX, and finally a bn of the 82nd charging across from the south, the Aufklärung disintegrated. However, they had given enough time for arriving SS units to withdraw and cross the Rjin further west, marching round, allowing some units to reach the highway and take position on the final stretch of road . by this time XXXc armour-park reached all the way to Belgium!
With the main road cut, the tank column wound its way through the back roads, not ideal, and they have had spread out to give room.
The allies didn't have it all their own way, with a couple of German bns sitting on the supply point and HQ for the 82 for much of the 22nd- the yanks better be careful with their rate of fire.
In Arnhem, after 2 days of probing attacks at a salient, the SS launch an all out attack along the whole para front. Despite using ever GU. They could and concentration on the east with every artillery piece, it makes no headway.
The attack was prompted by the Sherman's of 1/Coldstream rolling over the bridge. It appears to be no longer a case of if the British will make breakthrough, but when...
General Urquhart smiled at the young Major sitting in the Sherman he had clambered up. "Remind me never to make a foolish promise like that again. Now, can your bloody radio get General Adair, because I'm buggered if ours can."
:-SS
Quote from: paulr on 14 March 2020, 03:02:02 AM
:-SS
Paul, you'll note I've added to it - I posted just to stop losing it all!
Panzers near Arnhem? what Panzers? Don't be silly man 8-}
Sounds like XXX Corps needs some their own..... ;)
Sounds ace
It's now 2021!
John - the way this year is going I wish !
Just found Parachute regiment have cheated :o
Quote from: Last Hussar on 14 March 2020, 12:34:19 PM
Just found Parachute regiment have cheated :o
They always do !
:D
Quote from: Last Hussar on 14 March 2020, 02:53:00 AM
The attack was prompted by the Sherman's of 1/Coldstream rolling over the bridge. It appears to be no longer a case of if the British will make breakthrough, but when...
General Urquhart smiled at the young Major sitting in the Sherman he had clambered up. "Remind me never to make a foolish promise like that again. Now, can your bloody radio get General Adair, because I'm buggered if ours can."
#:-S
;D
Bugger, so much for hibernation.
Hells Highway, turns 18 & 19 - daytime 22nd Sept.
General Bittich massaged his temples. There seemed to be more British paratroopers packed in to the city than there should have been room for. He had tried various tactics for the past week - artillery bombardments, attacks along the whole line, attempting to pinch off the salient that's jutted out along the road north to Apeldoorn, all had failed. He thumped the table, 500 meters was all he needed, enough for his panzers to clear the woods so they could deploy off the the road, instead of being stuck in travel column.
He looked at his Chief of staff. "Go with every things every rifle, every artillery piece. Oh four hundred. Might as well be cut to pieces trying, rather than wait for the British tanks to do it."
...
The sergeant rushed into the room, stopped, took a deep breath and, fully composed, snapped a salute. "We've stopped 'em sir. Started dropping back about 13-30. The lad have had a battering, think they fired every shell in Germany at the eastern road, but the Staffies on the northern road held.
Adair smiled at Urquhart. "Fancy handing back some of what they've been dishing out for a week?"
He leant over the map spread across the dining table.
"The Grenadiers and Coldstream will move to here - they will like that, right of the line, while the 43rd will push up the Apeldoorn road, supported by the paras...
***
Number one son started the awkward process of shuffling units on the map, to ensure no more than 2 counters a hex as the tanks rolled into Arnhem. With a couple of units on the main road, and panzers arriving painfully slowly from the west, following a long loop round from the north, the eastern minor roads had become a tank park, with a number of battalions spread on many roads.
The Poles were taking a battering from the Germans arriving from the west, but the 82nd were rampaging; though they did send some units to push the Germans off their HQ, a number were in Germany itself, chasing Germans back to Berlin. If the map east of Grosbeck had gone further, I swear #1 would still have pushed to the edge.the last units of 15th army were mopped up in the south, and the side road loop secured.
After my final desperate attack, he pushed back all along the line, achieving break through in the west, and also on the road north.
It was obvious that playing more would be pointless, even if I sealed the road breach, I was getting stretched too thin in the light of XXXc arrival with more units
Having no options left, along with few units, I suggested we call the game on turn 19 (22/9, PM turn), rather than play the full 26 turns.
***
The radio operator scrawled the translation from Morse down, checked it said what he thought it did, then turned to Adair with a huge smile. "Message from Recce battalion, 2 Stafford's, 1745 22 September. Have cleared units in front of me, and are pushing north on road. Can you spare some Sherman's to join us?"
My Post-game thoughts later, when I can get on proper keyboard.
:-bd =D> :-bd
Sounds like a great way to spend a few days with your son(s) :)
Looking forward to the post-game thoughts.
So - Operation Market Garden, as played by the Victory Games boardgame "Hell's Highway".
This is a hex board and counter game of the famous operation. 1 counter = 1 Bn, 1 hex =1300m. 1 turn = AM, PM, or night. 26 turns total (designer estimate 25 hours for full operation).
Part 1 - The game
Number 1 son had studied the battle extensively in the run up to the game, once it was arranges about a month ago, when we had a short learning game. It paid off, in that he was able to use the 'Travel Mode' rule, and friends cancelling Zone of Control (ZoC) to shield the paras as they charged towards Arnhem. He was definitely helped by the fact I misread the QR/Counters I had initially available, and thought the 2 units of Armoured infantry from 10 SS had to come-on in Travel mode. This delayed me 2 turns, by which time he was already in the city. This isn't to take anything away from the rather fantastic charge down the two roads past Oosterbeck by 1 Para - a colonel somewhere misread a map, the sort of friction miniature games often use command rolls for. By the time I got to the outskirts he had enough to form a perimeter This limited my ability to use tanks, as the terrain outside of the city was mostly prohibited to armour- I couldn't get off the road to deploy, and where the terrain was track friendly I couldn't get to it in Travel mode as it was in his ZoC.
At the other end of the map the German units dug in along the Valkenswaard - Eindhoven road proved to particularly stubborn, delaying him by 2 days. Eindhoven was another delay, and even when he had both ends of the bridge, armour and PaK in the rest of the city was a problem. He again was able to use paras in combat mode (the 101st this time) to negate ZoC, and push the travel columns up to Son. However this did provide a hostage to fortune, in that XXX corps supply route can be negated by a single enemy ZoC, even if it was occupied by friends (RLC drivers don't particularly want to drive POL and Ammo in range of machine guns, no matter who else is there with them!) This meant he was forced to continually attack units next to the road in the hope he would inflict "Disrupt" results to stop ZoC.
The 101st and 82nd were having a whale of a time, running round the countryside and jumping on every flak unit they could find and "Punching them in the face" (#1s words). This gave them pretty much free reign to do what they needed.
Although XXXc could keep pushing along the road, as long as they were shielded by paras, the non armour-friendly terrain off the road did mean that there was a hell of a queue of tanks back from Nijmegen while 9SS Recce held the north end of the bridge in Lent (a town, not the bit before Easter). What with the fights and German re-enforcements further south they continually flitted in and out of supply.
Probably the allies biggest stroke of luck was the weather clearing, so although the Polish were late, they were nowhere near as late as historically, and so managed to get control of "The Island" between the Waal and the Rhine, letting the allies hold both ends of the Bridge, and being able to help at Lent.
The game has a good way to deal with 'off-map' German movement. There are "Tactical Reserve" boxes around the edge of the map - these serve German entry areas. They can also exit into them, and from there transfer as a turn's movement to the Operational Reserve areas. 1 OR is connected to a number of unique TRs each allowing units to exit, move to the OR, move to a different TR, then re-enter somewhere else - 1 box jump per turn. The ORs are connected to Command Reserve for each German Army (1Fj, 15th and 2nd SS), so over 5 turns a unit can skirt round part of the map. TRs become closed in sequence as VIII and XII corps "Advance" off map. I didn't use these as much as I could have, being able to consolidate in one or two areas may have changed things. The other problem is the SS CR only connects to one OR south of the Rhine, and due to distance/having to cross the Rhine only one unit per turn can move from the SS CR to this OR. I needed to start moving idle stuck panzer bns early, which I didn't, rather they were waiting for a 1 or 2 hex advance by the infantry so they could get somewhere they could deploy.
By turn 19 (PM 23rd) it was obvious that there was nothing I could do to stop XXX reaching the south bank of the Rhine, and as he held not only both ends of the Bridge, but the hexes around the north end, there was nothing I could do to stop the paras moving out the way to make room for the Guards tanks, however slow that was, (even with Red Caps yelling that they had never seen such useless driving!) And no, I didn't let him win just because he's my son and I was the Germans. I'm impressed with his early turn actions with 1 Para - they almost certainly made the win possible. Screw that up, and no matter what he had done for the rest of the time, it probably would have been impossible.
It certainly was an experience over the 4 (real) days it took, at 5-6 turns a day. We stopped at the end of every German turn (Allies go first in each Game Turn) for tea or food. It won't be something I will do again in the near future (these were the first times it had been played in the 20+ years I've had it, since picking it up 2nd hand) However its a very useful resource for maybe doing with a 'Megablitz' scale set of rules, or even just putting terrain out for a scenario.
:-bd =D> :-bd
I'll comment on the rules later, except for this little bit, which acts as a footnote to above, but is about the rule mechanism.
Stacking limits are 2 counters per hex, In addition units have a number of steps, from 1 to 4, represented by small black dots. A unit can lose one or more steps in an attack, losing Combat Value (flip them) as they do, and for those that start with 3-4 steps replacement counters for the 1-2 steps. The rules also state that no more than 5 steps can be in a hex.
Towards the end we found that a number of para units in Arnhem had 2 x 3 steps in a hex, The rules, as written state excess units in a hex should be eliminated. This seemed harsh for one excess step, and I had decided on day 1 that I would say it meant reduce unit steps until the 5 were achieved, though I hadn't told #1 this, as I didn't think it would come up- we both knew the 5 step limit.
It was as much my oversight as his, as I was doing a lot of the fiddly movement in Arnhem - 14 counters in 7 hexes, surrounded by the SS counters, also doubled, and then Disruption markers on various stacks - because my fingers are more nimble, and they were on my side of the table. I failed to note the three dots on the bottom counters as I picked up the top counter to tell him what he had under it.
When I did spot it we just put a step loss on one counter, making it legal. I checked the CRT, and the difference would have been minor. Of the 2 or 3 step losses inflicted by him in defence, there is a 1 in 6 chance it wouldn't have happened, and that depends if the loss was caused by the unit that we reduced. In offence there is no CRT difference between 2 Strength 5 units attacking together and a 5 and a 3.
If we played EXACTLY as written then things may have been different, he would have had to lose a unit (which seems too much for a single step - a third counter maybe, but not a single step), so my attacks would have had more undisrupted units. However I checked, and I'm pretty sure with planning he could put 2 legal units in each hex anyway, and some of these would have been a 4 which on the CRT is the same as a 5.
So although he 'cheated' it should be treated exactly the same as we actually achieved. It was just a bit disappointing to find it slightly tainted by a playing cockup, rather than actual play. I post this as part of my game-experience, rather than any criticism of him.
Having two different stacking limits to keep track of must have been a pain
This sort of thing is one of the reasons that I don't play many board games
Hells Highway
Thoughts on the rules.
The rules for the game are for a board wargame, rather than a miniatures game, and written in 1982/3. And it shows, especially the age.
As mentioned above they are frequently confusing, or difficult to find the bit that you are looking for - though I think we all know that feeling! What the biggest style difference seems to be is the ORDER of presentation. The bit that stops you firing both in your turn and as defensive fire is at the end of the section, and because it isn't hinted at above I had stopped reading at the point I needed, though I probably had read them. The artillery rules have each paragraph title highlighted, but it doesn't have a 'QR' at the top, that takes you through the order of actions as a simple list. If I wrote the artillery section I'd put the first bit as
"Artillery fires using the following sequence
Requirements and restrictions (10.1)
Spotting (10.2)
Communication (10.3)
Method (no paragraph in the rules for this - same as direct firing, but always good to repeat)
Firer Disruption (10.4)
The player can just remind himself of sequence, and know where to go for clarification. Also the most used sequences - turn order, fire method - are NOT on the QR, instead 2/3 of one side is 'Unit Types' which actually has very little of use, and is on the rule book back page anyway.
By far the most... shall we say unusual... part is the fire table.
As miniature gamers we are used to roll x, modified by firer, do y.
Board games tend to have CRT - at odds x:y roll z causes this.
These are in a way closer to miniature games. You roll a die, add for target type- the addition in itself being dependent on terrain the target is in, then cross ref with the firers strength for result. This leads to disrupt, and possible 'step losses'. The worse the terrain, the lower the +, with indirect tending to be 1 lower.
The odd thing is the addition is fixed Direct Fire at Infantry in Clear and it is ALWAYS +6, no matter unit firing. If you have AT capability then shooting at armour is +1, otherwise tanks shooting at tanks is the same (+3) as infantry shooting at tanks in the open. (oddly, the rules make no mention that tanks have AT capability, so we just didn't add 1. It wasn't a choice - we didn't discuss this, it never really crossed our minds).
The other thing is tanks in cities. +0. Infantry targets have +3 - both the same as woods. Yes, the units are battalions, not just one type of target, but did panzer battalions have integral infantry support? I don't think I need to comment further. (Though if I did it would be to opine maybe different AP and GP ratings should have been done!)
The Supply rules are worth mentioning. Every top level formation - 2 SS, 1 Para etc, has a supply track. Extra supply happens at the start of the AM turn- dependent on formation type - SS get 6, for airborne it is variable, and modified by flack and enemy close by. Every 6 rolled in combat uses 1 SP per direct fire unit, and 1 per artillery STEP. A particularly impressive barrage wiped out the Paras supply - luckily it was the night turn. If you don't have supply, lose 1 step per 2 SP used. Out of supply units, ie those who get cut off by ZoC, are assigned their own small supply from the main track which they use instead. Being out of supply limits some units, and gives a +2 against Germans (not SS north of the Rhine). XXX corps are always in supply as long as they are 8 movement points from a road connected to the entry point. The road is the supply hex as long as it connects to a road that is a supply point - enemy ZoC stop a road being a supply point, which is why the Germans managed to stop supply by being near the road.
The problem was the writers didn't consider a whole formation may lose access, as the 82nd did when I moved into the supply drop hex. We just assumed that no resupply could take place while it was blocked - what they carried was what they had. As they have a max of 12, this could have got interesting (but it didn't).
Now please explain this
"A motorized [sic] unit (except those in XXX corps) may not enter or remain in Travel mode if Isolated in the friendly Command Phase"
[my emphasis]
"An Allied unit in XXX Corps Command can enter of remain in Travel Mode only if it occupies a valid XXX Corps supply source during the Allied Command phase."
Well, which is it?
We left them in Travel mode, mostly to avoid having to take off then put on counters, and I strongly suggested to #1 he shouldn't really be using them.
While trying to find this rule to type it now, I've found this - "A unit in XXX Corps Command in Travel Mode that is not on a Supply Source hex during the friendly Command Phase must immediately change to combat mode."
As no XXX unit can leave the road in Travel Mode (they are all motorised), is this about a road not being a supply source? Or does it mean POTENTIAL source!
As the rules went, this was probably the most frustrating part - what could XXX do while the road south was blocked, and my indecision caused some annoyance with #1 son.
Despite this, the rules have a number of good points - the concept of the supply pool, the way travel on Minor Roads is handled, as it forces you to spread out units on the road if they will be going on the minor road (which is the last 2 hexes in Nijmegen, annoyingly for #1). Also the concept of the disruption coming off at different times depending whether it happened when you were attacking (you are vulnerable during their turn) or defending (you lose the next turn).
Because of the scale - 1300m hexes - combat represents an assault, not just firing, so neighbouring units can be drawn in to support.
The German off-board movement is a good idea.
On top of it all the Orbat and Map is a fantastic resource - more useful than many books I've tried.
Quote from: paulr on 15 March 2020, 11:59:44 PM
Having two different stacking limits to keep track of must have been a pain
This sort of thing is one of the reasons that I don't play many board games
Not really - 2 counters, with a total of 5 dots between them.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - BKCII
2) What armies were confronted? - AVBCW Army of the Severn Valley vs The Loyal Army of the South
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, been playing them since they were published.
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - The scenario went well, considering I first thought about it over a year ago! The Char St Chamond shooting was awesome and the cavalry arrived in the nick of time to save the day. The Police units had a field day.
7) What could have been improved? - The BUF shooting and both sides rolled a fair few Blunders.
AAR report to follow with plenty of pics.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - IACTA ALEA EST
2) What armies were confronted? - Indian vs Scythian
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, been playing them since they were published.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - Umm...first time the Sakae have won in this match up, I suppose.
7) What could have been improved? - An atheist army that wasn't crippled by bad omens and consequent poor control and combat would have been an improvement.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Ten More Sons!
2) What armies were confronted? - Cavaliers and NMA
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, been playing them since they were published.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - Byron's horse survived a frontal encounter with a pike and shot tercio, and then repelled a relief attack by the lobsters. Other horse cleared the opposite flank and won the day.
7) What could have been improved? - We were brutally outshot by the Roundhead centre. Oh, and Black's Regiment of Foot rolled a 1 for movement on FOUR successive rounds.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Neil Thomas One Hour Wargames (Medieval edition)
2) What armies were confronted? - Two generic medieval forces - one with 2 knights and 2 men at arms, one with 2 archers, 1 knights and 1 men at arms.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Reasonably, they're very simple
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yep, quick lunchtime test game.
5) How many players were in the game? - One
6) What went well? - Rules were quick and easy to grasp. The action was hit pretty quickly with the archers doing some serious damage to the charging knights and the final couple of turns were pretty violent. Went down to the last dice roll.
7) What could have been improved? - The midgame was a bit of a grind. Defenders on a hill take half damage, which meant my archers were able to hold the knights there for most of the game, only gradually getting ground down. The half damage rule applies to men at arms too, and I couldn't see anything that changed that for a hill (taking half of the half damage would seem a bit silly) so was in an odd situation where it benefitted the defending men at arms to charge down the hill at the attackers, while the defending knights just hung out on the hill letting the attacking men at arms charge them. They are a decent set of very basic rules that could be fun for a quick game with a little modification.
It would also have been good if work hadn't been pestering me every 10 mins making me forget whose turn it was.
Was reading through the sample of the book last night trying to decide if it was worthwhile. The sample doesn't include any of the scenarios so I made my own king of the hill style scenario with attackers and defenders.
(https://i.imgur.com/fEwUUoM.jpg)
The view from the defenders position.
(https://i.imgur.com/UGcle8r.jpg)
The charging knights weather a storm of arrows only to grind to a halt on the slopes of the hill.
(https://i.imgur.com/BaInCZp.jpg)
Encirclement denied.
(https://i.imgur.com/ApVVEzG.jpg)
The archers on one flank collapse letting the attacking knights charge into the rear of the defenders. The archers on the other flank, however, manage to drive off the other attacking knights. With some fancy footwork they were able to take the victorious attackers in the rear while they gloated over the defeat of the defending knights and wipe them from the field. The attacking men at arms managed to eliminate the defending archers, but not without taking some damage. The defending men at arms drove their opponents off and turned to face the last of the attackers. In an epic struggle it was the defending men at arms who were the last standing on the field of battle this day.
(https://i.imgur.com/xZcEhO7.jpg)
King of the hill.
I'll have to have another, less distracted game in the future and try again.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Ancient & Medieval Wargaming by Neil Thomas
2) What armies were confronted? - Greeks vs Trojans
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Sort of ...
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, but a while since I last played them.
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - The rules flowed nicely and very easy and quick to pick up. Anything not immediately clear was resolved by a good dose of common sense.
7) What could have been improved? - Not a lot really. I used my wooden blocks and no terrain just for a getting to know you game. Also I used a DBA style PIP activation die roll to see how many units could move, which worked well, but needs tweaking.
So tomorrow a more considered game with terrain and unit labels, so I can take a few pics and write a report.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Ancient & Medieval Wargaming by Neil Thomas
2) What armies were confronted? - Condottieri vs Holy Roman Empire
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Getting there
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - The rules are very easy to pick up the basics and flow nicely. Using an Average Die for unit activation worked well.
7) What could have been improved? - The second game threw up more questions than the first game. I need to have a good read of the intro sections in case I've missed anything.
1) What rulesets do you use in your last games? - King of Tokyo and Star Wars Destiny
2) What armies were confronted? - The King, Space Penguin, Pandakai and Mekadragon, then Rey and K2S0 vs Kylo Eek and Jango Fett
3) Did you feel comfortable with the rulesets? - yes
4) and... was this the first time you used these rulesets? - hell no
5) How many players were in the games? - 4 then 2
6) What went well? - Imi squeaked a win in game 1, then decided she really wanted to play Destiny, She hasn't touched it in about a year. I was so happy.
7) What could have been improved? - my rolling, my destiny deck is too geared to Ren, when Imi mercilessly despatched him, I had nothing effective for Jango. Deck rebuild time! :)
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? Something I made up as we went along
2) What armies were confronted? - British v German
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? Made it up as I went along. What does a 5 on a d10 mean?
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? sort of
5) How many players were in the game? 1 plus an umpire
6) What went well? - Ask Sunjester
7) What could have been improved? - a better way to set the video feed, the men need refresher training in house clearance.
I ran the game over video, putting the camera (on my phone) only where Sj's Lieutenant was standing. Terrain was only revealed as he became able to see it, or one of his men was able to describe it to him. Enemy forces were marked but only to show general location, not actual numbers.
The tanks were being hit by a 88 on a hill as part of the D-Day+12 push, so a platoon (which was already 4-5 men down from casualties) of the supporting infantry was tasked with knocking it out. Tried to keep ground and vertical scale close.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - White Man's Burden
2) What armies were confronted? - Khedival Egyptians vs Mahdists
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, been playing them since they were published.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - What EVER goes well if you're leading that army?
7) What could have been improved? - Not having to come on in column, so my army were thumped before half of them even got onto the field.
Quote from: Last Hussar on 28 April 2020, 03:31:09 PM
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? Something I made up as we went along
2) What armies were confronted? - British v German
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? Made it up as I went along. What does a 5 on a d10 mean?
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? sort of
5) How many players were in the game? 1 plus an umpire
6) What went well? - Ask Sunjester
7) What could have been improved? - a better way to set the video feed, the men need refresher training in house clearance.
I ran the game over video, putting the camera (on my phone) only where Sj's Lieutenant was standing. Terrain was only revealed as he became able to see it, or one of his men was able to describe it to him. Enemy forces were marked but only to show general location, not actual numbers.
The tanks were being hit by a 88 on a hill as part of the D-Day+12 push, so a platoon (which was already 4-5 men down from casualties) of the supporting infantry was tasked with knocking it out. Tried to keep ground and vertical scale close.
Sounds a really good idea to playing in lockdown - more RPG than wargame, but nothing wrong with that. Did it work, or was their too little info for the player?
We tried a few traditional wargames over video, and most have worked OK, but we haven't tried this reduced info style game, although we have talked about it.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Five Kilometres From Leipzig - black powder solo skirmish
2) What armies were confronted? - French vs British (Napoleonic), Abenaki vs Settlers (French & Indians Wars) and French Foreign Legion vs Mexican Guerrillas (French Intervention in Mexico)
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - They are very simple
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - Well I won all 3 games
7) What could have been improved? - the rules are only in beta but maybe a better Decision Tree and possibly objectives for the solo side
An AAR of the first two games is on my blog https://twomarshals.blogspot.com/2020/04/five-kilometres-from-leipzig-solo-rules.html (https://twomarshals.blogspot.com/2020/04/five-kilometres-from-leipzig-solo-rules.html)
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - the Portable Napoleonic wargame with my own ACW modifications
2) What armies were confronted? - Union and Confederate
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes
5) How many players were in the game? - just me
6) What went well? - card based activation mechanism worked well, rules seem to work well for the period.
7) What could have been improved? - I needed to have thought about a couple of factors in the scenario to decide how it would work out.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - The Portable Wargame and Neil Thomas' Ancient & Medieval Wargames
2) What armies were confronted? - Two nominaly classical armies with basic troop types
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, but a while since I played both.
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - Both games played well and very easy to pick up again, but preferred the A&MW rules.
7) What could have been improved? - Nothing really other than some QRS' would have helped.
Quote from: fred. on 28 April 2020, 04:00:11 PM
Quote from: Last Hussar on 28 April 2020, 03:31:09 PM
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? Something I made up as we went along
2) What armies were confronted? - British v German
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? Made it up as I went along. What does a 5 on a d10 mean?
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? sort of
5) How many players were in the game? 1 plus an umpire
6) What went well? - Ask Sunjester
7) What could have been improved? - a better way to set the video feed, the men need refresher training in house clearance.
I ran the game over video, putting the camera (on my phone) only where Sj's Lieutenant was standing. Terrain was only revealed as he became able to see it, or one of his men was able to describe it to him. Enemy forces were marked but only to show general location, not actual numbers.
The tanks were being hit by a 88 on a hill as part of the D-Day+12 push, so a platoon (which was already 4-5 men down from casualties) of the supporting infantry was tasked with knocking it out. Tried to keep ground and vertical scale close.
Sounds a really good idea to playing in lockdown - more RPG than wargame, but nothing wrong with that. Did it work, or was their too little info for the player?
We tried a few traditional wargames over video, and most have worked OK, but we haven't tried this reduced info style game, although we have talked about it.
We're currently playing a Spearhead game with an umpire moving all the troops on a table at his place. The Battalion commanders are providing orders for each of their companies based on reports back from the umpire and providing reports up to the Brigade Commander for each side. He then issues orders to the Battalion commanders.
The much more realistically limited information available is giving the game a very different feel. It is proving to be a fascinating experience.
I can't say too much about how it is going as there is at least one player on the 'other side' on this forum... :-h
I did take part on a "reveal as you go" game 30 years ago, but that was on a table. Sunjester was getting less info than that, I restricted the camera to what he could see as much as I could. It did mean that he did a lot of running around, rather than wait for reports back. Also I had the Section Leaders act on their own initiative, Lance Corporals shifting Bren fire without instruction if target presented, etc. Of course the fact that he relied on just two runners for communications out side shouting/waving range wasn't helping.
I look forward to any comments he has.
The SH games sounds like a kriegspiel set up. I have run games on 1:50000 maps, with the umpires communicating by radios with the teams in real time. That is hard work. You need two umpires per team, plus an overseer
Quote from: paulr on 28 April 2020, 07:25:15 PM
I can't say too much about how it is going as there is at least one player on the 'other side' on this forum... :-h
neither can I ;)
So what are you doing - Umpire has the gaming table, but players just have maps and messages back?
Quote from: Last Hussar on 28 April 2020, 08:10:52 PM
I did take part on a "reveal as you go" game 30 years ago,
So did I about 16 years ago, got me into lots of trouble. :d
Brain Bleach please :-&
Quote from: Last Hussar on 28 April 2020, 09:02:33 PM
So what are you doing - Umpire has the gaming table, but players just have maps and messages back?
Pretty much, we also got pictures of the table before we started
To add a further layer of confusion the umpire emails reports to the players who then email a 'summary' to the Brigade commander
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - BKCII with BKCIV add-ons
2) What armies were confronted? - British vs Italians, Italy 1943
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, been playing them since they were published.
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - Two games played recently as part of a mini-campaign, with both scenarios giving a good and plausible outcome.
7) What could have been improved? - Not a lot really as both sides had their fair share of good and bad luck, opportunities to win etc.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - IACTA ALEA EST1
2) What armies were confronted? - Athenians vs Spartans; e-game, with Lee and me umpiring
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, been playing them since they were published.
5) How many players were in the game? - 2, with two auxilliaries
6) What went well? - Sensible moves on both sides.
7) What could have been improved? - Spartans had rotten luck in melees they needed to win. They then rolled a 1 for army morale in response to their losses. Both sides could have greatly improved their performance at key moments if they'd paid attention to what they were allowed to do (esp. deeper formations in a hoplite shoving contest).
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Blucher
2) What armies were confronted? - French and Russian
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes - solo learning game
5) How many players were in the game? - Me, running round the table
6) What went well? - Pretty much all of it. I feel I picked the rules up well, though obviously a number of leafing through the book to check things. Sam has a pretty good writing and layout style. Also used the Spreadsheet I've written to allow the use of the 'Unknown Momentum' central to the order system - Thinking of calling it 'Clausewitz' in the style of the Rules aids in the book
7) What could have been improved? - The normal things with a new rule set, especially the multiple unit combat - the only part of the rules that isn't clear - the examples appear to contradict the text; the examples are solid, but the text implies, so I went with the examples. It would also have been quicker with 2 players.
If anybody plays - what do you do? the defender roll matched up individually with each attacker roll, or combine all the attacker rolls?
It was a basic 300 pt. game, with the Russians having 5 infantry Corp and 2 Cavalry (1 heavy, 1 light). The infantry had a mixed Guard/Grenadier corps with cuirassiers, and a Conscript corps, while the French 3 infantry, the Imperial Guard, and one large corps of cavalry of 3 light and 2 heavy.
The Russians (shall we assume commanded by Bagration?) attempted to break both flanks, and were coming off better, while on the other flank (right/ north-east) the Guards and Grenadiers wore down one corps and were working to encircle the Allied corps (Possibly Italian) that was the 2nd line there. In response Napoleon threw a corps against the village in the middle, driving out the defenders, and the Guard against the centre.
The battle developed into 2 separate engagements, forming a V shape as the Russians moved round the flanks, and the Garde pushed through the middle, most of them swinging south to destroy III corps.
With the cavalry pushing back their French counterparts round the woods a quarter of the field up from the southern edge, Bagration was confident to move reserves II Corps towards the centre, where the Guard and 3 corps found themselves facing south against the fresh troops, with the Conscript IV corps moving to support those to the east
'Napoleon' had a dilemma: The break limits were 9 for the Russians, and 7 for the French, and although the Russians were losing more units (7-3), the French ones were becoming more Fragile. On Turn 20, when Routs stood at 8-4, 4 French units were voluntarily retired from the fields as they only had 1 elan left, and leaving them on the field was inviting them to be attacked - a unit in close combat will lose at least 1 elan, no matter what the combat outcome.
In what was either a characteristically bold stroke, or an act of desperation, Napoleon took command of the Italians, and a brigade of Old Guard, and threw them into the Grenadiers and guards in the north - ignoring the bulk of his army that had swung from facing east to facing south over the afternoon and now over mile away from their left flank.
The repeated attacks had obviously worn the Astrakhan Grenadier - they scored just 1 defence success, and while the Italians were happy to sit there and watch the guard - they only scored 1 - the Grognards charged like it was their first assault, not the 3rd or 4th, sweeping the Russians away. This 9th loss caused the army breakpoint to be reached, ending the game.
If this was not just a one off game, Napoleon would have been in trouble. Of the 21 units the French started with 4 were routed, and 4 retired, including a brigade of the Young Guard, his cavalry shattered, and the Guard worn down. The Russians lost 9, with 2 retired, from 26 units. The conscripts were still fresh, and III corps in pretty good state. Many Russian cavalry were severely depleted, but there was enough left to cause worries for French infantry.
On the balance the French won but broke their army to do so. The Russians had more than enough to retire and reorganise unmolested.
Quote from: Last Hussar on 23 May 2020, 03:10:25 PM
...
It was a basic 300 pt. game, with the Russians having 5 infantry Corp and 2 Cavalry (1 heavy, 1 light)...
:o :o :o I knew Blucher was a large scale game, but
Quote from: Last Hussar on 23 May 2020, 03:10:25 PM
...
In what was either a characteristically bold stroke, or an act of desperation,...This 9th loss caused the army breakpoint to be reached, ending the game...
He won, the edits above apply :D
A unit is 2-3000 men, and a "base width'" (actually a unit width if not using 1 base a unit) is approx 350 yards (8BW is a mile in the rules). Most standard line are 10-14 points, with 6-10 in a corps. There's no formations, just facing, and infantry can become "prepared", which means they do not have flanks, and don't suffer disadvantage against cavalry.
If you want to convert large or smaller historical battles scales of 3-5000 and 1200-2000 men per unit are given.
Wagram at Grand Scale is 42 Austrian units.
So yeah, I think you could call it large scale!
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Naval Thunder
2) What armies navies were confronted? - Kreigsmarine and Royal Navy
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - yes, not played in a while, but it was fine.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - nope
5) How many players were in the game? - two, one in Kent, one in Bedfordshire
6) What went well? - WhatsApp gaming in the garden.
7) What could have been improved? - my opponent blowing up HMS Exeter on his second critical roll! 1/100 chance.
A pyrric victory for the Royal Navy as a heavily damaged HMNZ Achilles (down to 2 damage points) and HMS Ajax (untouched) sink Graf Spee within a nautical mile of the spot HMS Exeter catastrophically self immolated, someone left the magazine hatch open...
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - General Quarters I/II
2) What armies navies were confronted? - Kreigsmarine and Royal Navy
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - yes, not played in a while
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - not by a long way
5) How many players were in the game? - four, appropriately socially distanced
6) What went well? - the gunnery of the German battle squadron
7) What could have been improved? - the rest of the gunnery
It was a 'throw some battleships on the table' game for a bit of fun and Pierre the Shy's scenario was enjoyed by all
A tactical German victory with one British light cruiser and one destroyer sunk to no Germans sunk. Several other ships were significantly damaged
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - DBA 3.0
2) What armies were confronted? - Polybian Roman & Syracuse v Carthaginian & Celtiberian
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - yes, not played in a while
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - not by a long way
5) How many players were in the game? - three, appropriately socially distanced
6) What went well? - a very balanced game with both sides feeling they were in with a good chance and quite a bit of to & fro
7) What could have been improved? - the dice rolling for Syracuse & the Romans
This was the debut of my Punic War - DBA project and all were pleased with the result
Deployment
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49978942692_a454da99ce_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j9t9qu)
On the right Carthaginian 1, Carthaginian 2, Celtiberian with the camps behind them
On the left Syracuse, Roman 2, Roman 1 with the camps behind them
Carthaginian centre
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49978684441_e3b9ac7699_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j9rPDT)
Spear, Warband, Elephants (supported by Psiloi), Auxilia advance across a ploughed area which turned out to be no impediment to movement
Opposing them are a mixed line of Roman blades, spear and allied auxilia
Clash in the centre and right
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49978684406_8f47cf4afa_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j9rPDh)
Mixed results in the centre, on the right the Celtiberian fast blade have been repulsed from the hill but their caetrati are overwhelming the outnumbered velites in the wood
We played many more turns but I won't bore you with the other 19 pictures
The Romans concede
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49978162413_1eabb9055e_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j9p9tp)
An overview of the confused fighting
Left
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49978162388_7c9089b41a_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j9p9sY)
With the loss of a third of their troops the remaining Syracuse forces are about to flee
Centre
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49978942542_bdd141091d_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j9t9nU)
The Romans have assembled a second line but the loss of their first line has left them close to breaking and the Carthaginians have managed to fight off the attacks on both of their flanks
Right
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49978684321_0b61170cb8_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j9rPBP)
The caetrati have cleared the wood of velites and the fast blades have a foothold on the hill
Quote from: paulr on 07 June 2020, 12:19:35 AM
7) What could have been improved? - the dice rolling for Syracuse & the Romans
Well it couldn't have got much worse, put it that way :D
Great game though Paul, hopefully I managed to only setback the ultimate triumph of the Roman Empire by a few years ;)
;D ;D ;D
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - BKCII with BKCIV add-ons
2) What armies were confronted? - British vs Italians, Italy 1943
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, been playing them since they were published.
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - The British plan of attack as well as the Die Gods being on their side.
7) What could have been improved? - The Italian 'Lady Luck' was not with them today. A die roll here or there might have made it very tough for the Brits.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Naval Thunder
2) What armies were confronted? - German and British
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - 2, 1 remotely.
6) What went well? - Not much for the Germans.
7) What could have been improved? - German gunnery and survivability!
2nd Narvick, with a twist. Warspite had to shell four land targets, but after blowing up two, this was revealed as not being the main target. Three german destroyers appeared within the Fjord, and Scharnhorst at the end of the Fjord. The German destroyers did not last, nor did HMS Kimberley. Warspite and Scharnhorst savaged each other, both losing main and secondary turrets, taking fire and flooding damage. Eventually a pair of bridge hits drove Scharnehorst off, but Warspite will need a major rebuild!
Whole game took 45 minutes. Great fun.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - IACTA ALEA EST
2) What armies were confronted? - Persians and Romans
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - Good omens (this Christianity may be worth trying, gentlemen); dense trees on one flank; lucky melee roll taking out the King of Kings; lucky saving rolls.
7) What could have been improved? - Lee's learned to wait until I set up my artillery and then put a screen of light infantry in front of them. There was no waterway to put my naval force on; and Lee won't be repeating the mistake of charging mounted against infantry with hastis in difficult going, I fear.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Naval Thunder outdoor social and remote distancing game
2) What armies were confronted? - Hood & PoW vs Bismark & Prinz Eugen
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - yes, until Prinz Eugene launched a full spread it torpedoes at Hood.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - no
5) How many players were in the game? - 2, one remote
6) What went well? - everything
7) What could have been improved? - Bismark not turning turtle...
Battle of The Denmark Strait
Longest game of Naval Thunder so far, at an hour.
Hood and Bismark took an absolute pounding, both losing all weapons and sinking within seconds of each other. Bismark through damage from PoW (no jams on any turrets) and Hood being torpedoed by Prinz Eugen. Great game, hell of a waste of young lives in reality.
Will that one always overturns history. I always get the Counties to attack Eugen, whilst teh heavys take on Bismark.
Quote from: ianrs54 on 23 June 2020, 09:12:23 AM
Will that one always overturns history. I always get the Counties to attack Eugen, whilst teh heavys take on Bismark.
Every scenario I've ever seen for this only includes the big four.
Suffolk and Norfolk were certainly there, as the Admiral aboard ordered POW to withdraw.
Quote from: ianrs54 on 23 June 2020, 10:10:54 AM
Suffolk and Norfolk were certainly there, as the Admiral aboard ordered POW to withdraw.
Yes, I'm aware of that. My statement about game scenarios still stands.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder II
2) What armies were confronted? - 19thC European ImagiNations as part of a campaign
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Pretty much
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, been playing them since January this year after a break from BP..
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - The all cavlary clash played out well and felt right.
7) What could have been improved? - The Ruthenian cavalry after a slight upper hand ended up on the back foot for the rest of the game. Post game they only lost one unit, so not too bad.
AAR to follow when appropriate.
War of 5th Coalition.
Austrians lost.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Ten More Sons!
2) What armies were confronted? - Spanish vs French
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, been playing them since they were published.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two.
6) What went well? - I made my wife happy, as a good husband should.
7) What could have been improved? - My flank march could have arrived, my Milanese horse could have held back, my veteran Spanish tercios and lancers could have rolled decently against mediocre French and Venetian opponents, I could have beaten the outnumbered and surrounded Swiss, and my genitors could have avoided rolling four 1s in a row for movement when trying to loot the enemy camp. Ah, and my coffee was cold.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder II
2) What armies were confronted? - 19thC European ImagiNations as part of a campaign
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Pretty much
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, been playing them since January this year after a break from BP..
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - Despite being outnumbered 3:1, the Defenders managed to make a game of it, which was good. One unit despite taking lots of hits, managed to survive 2-3 break tests.
7) What could have been improved? - The Prusskian light Infantry failed to move 4 out of 6 Turns, with one of those moves being a Blunder. Boths sides artillery was indeifferent to say the least.
AAR to follow when appropriate.
Hi
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Free AWI Variant of Regimental Fire and Fury
2) What armies were confronted? - British vs Rebels
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Pretty much, have been using Brigade Fire and Fury for over 20 years
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes, the AWI variant at least.
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - The British attacking with the bayonet (they really don't like it up)! Actually the 'tweaks' to the main rules to make them feel more AWI 'ish' worked really well :) Also used Charles Stewart Grant's 'Programmed Wargames Scenarios' book.
7) What could have been improved? The Hessian brigade commander deciding that it was actually time to sit down for lunch and have his bratwurst mit pommefrittes when ordered to attack.
Cheers Paul
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Naval Thunder
2) What armies were confronted? - Hipper and Lutzow vs Jamaica and Sheffield with respective escorts, Battle of Barent's Sea
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - no
5) How many players were in the game? -2, one remotely
6) What went well? - Sheffield sunk, German destroyers got into the convoy
7) What could have been improved? - Lutzow not losing her main guns immediately.
Losing draw, massive destroyer losses (2 for the Germans, 3 and a corvette for the British), but losing a cruiser each was enough to drive off both Jamaica and Hipper, leaving the German pride dented, and the convoy savaged.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder II
2) What armies were confronted? - 19thC European ImagiNations as part of a campaign
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, been playing them since January this year after a break from BP..
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - Very comfortable with the rules now and the scenario proved to be fun being it is part of a campaign. One side gained a decisive victory, but can't say yet until next game played.
7) What could have been improved? - Not a lot. Both side had their chances and similar good a bad die rolls.
AAR to follow when appropriate.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder II
2) What armies were confronted? - 19thC European ImagiNations as part of a campaign
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, been playing them since January this year after a break from BP..
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - A closely fought battle that could have gone either way.
7) What could have been improved? - Not a lot. Both side had their chances and similar good and bad die rolls. Small margins led to the victory for one side but at some cost.
AAR to follow when appropriate.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today.
2) What forces were confronted? - 1916 Brits and Germans; 7 or 8 capital ships a side, 6 or 4 cruisers, 2 destroyer squadrons each, a submarine, and a baby-killer.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Not yet, but an improvement on last time.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - vid. sup.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two.
6) What went well? - The gunnery is about right now. Easy to get mangled, hard to get sunk if you're a dreadnought.
7) What could have been improved? - Morale for destroyers. They always ran for Mummy when the first shell hit. Now the rule allows them a bit more determination. Hmmm, losing a dreadnought to a Zeppelin attack was painful (but odds-against).
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - To the Strongest!
2) What forces were confronted? - Crusaders and Saracens (medieval, not tanks)
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Mostly, though a little rusty and had to double check a few things.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Nope
5) How many players were in the game? - One
6) What went well? - Was a real back and forth fight, one side looked to be in for an easy win but a reversal of fortunes saw things come down to the last few victory points. Was nice to have some real terrain in the table for once, simple as it was. Was also my first time using a chits and cards combo (chit for activations and cards for combat) which worked out quite well.
7) What could have been improved? - around turns 2-4 there was a string of bad activations leaving commands stagnant, but ended up balancing out on both sides. Had to interrupt the game a few times to look up rules and for various domestic chores but was straightforward to pick it up again.
Battle report to follow once I've a chance to go through the photos and write it up.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Liber Militum : Tercios
2) What forces were confronted? - Spanish catholics vs. Protestants
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - It was our first game, but it went well
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes. I did play once solo but it's definitively not the same game with another player :)
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - the game ran for 3 hours, while drinking beer, playing at our pace. Manu made some tokens for the orders as we don't really like the large cards put next to the units.
7) What could have been improved? - My choices while commanding my army ! The budget : we used 1,000 points. It's ok for a first game but we could not have some options or units.. Next will be 1,200 or 1,500 points.
I wrote the usual AAR here : http://2d6.fr/?p=5102 (http://2d6.fr/?p=5102)
(http://2d6.fr/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Tercios_Manu-Ronan_1erepartie_20200628_08.jpg)
Good looking game ronan!
Very nice 8)
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - "Give the PBEM Umpire a headache" Ruleset
2) What armies were confronted? - Red and Blue block 19th Century
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yeah, really comfortable. I made the rules up every turn.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - I do this all the time
5) How many players were in the game? - Three
6) What went well? - The rhubarb got trampled and the AARs was great fun to see what happened in the games my forces took part in.
7) What could have been improved? - Bigger boots to trample the rhubarb.
https://wwiiwargaming.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-war-of-rhabarberian-succession.html (https://wwiiwargaming.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-war-of-rhabarberian-succession.html)
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Naval Thunder
2) What armies fleets were confronted? - Royal Navy and Italian , Battle of Cape Spada
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - indeed
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - no, forst time with Italians though
5) How many players were in the game? - 2 (one remotely)
6) What went well? - first Italian salvo took out HMS Ilex, last Italian shot sunk HMS Hyperion
7) What could have been improved? - my ability to hit HMS Sydney which ripped through my two Italian cruisers
Quote from: mad lemmey on 01 January 2020, 12:17:51 PM
https://youtu.be/wADRRYNHhOA
Just listened. Of course have heard before ;)
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Sword & Spear from Great Escape Games
2) What armies were confronted? - Two wars of Roses forces
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - no, the basic principles are quickly grasped, but there is a bit nuance tucked away, so I am still in the learning curve.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - almost, I have tinkered a few times.
5) How many players were in the game? - solo, this was a play test that just involved one wing of the battle
6) What went well? - for a late medieval game, play opened up nicely and there was plenty of play with some good story telling, quite interesting for what amounts to a face-off between very similar forces.
7) What could have been improved? - I need to construct a play aid that contains some reminders of those rules that are tucked away. i need to settle on a house rule that shows archer and billmen combiing a bit more, so that the archers can properly interpenetrate the friendly billmen, to get out of the way of assaulting melee troops.
I have some high hopes for these rules becoming my set of choice.
I've seen Sword & Spear recommended and I am looking for a set of big battle ancient games so I'd be interested to hear opinions on them.
Blucher.
#&*£&£&#* *#&£&#*-# *#&%-£#-# Sunjester.
4d6. Four sixes. Won him the game.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder II
2) What armies were confronted? - 19thC European ImagiNations as part of a campaign
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, been playing them since January this year after a break from BP.
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - The Ruthenians, despite being outnumbered, put up a stirling defence, but in the end numbers told, especially a superiority in cavalry for the Prusskians. Again the BPII rules gave a good game despite keeping it very vanilla.
7) What could have been improved? - Not a lot. Both sides had their chances and fantastic morale saves.
That's the end of the campaign and an AAR report to follow later.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Sword & Spear from Great Escape Games
2) What armies were confronted? - Wars of Roses, ten units per side for a bigger test game, this time gave artillery to Yorkist and mounted MAA to Lancastrians
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Still on the learning curve, but much slicker this time around
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, but this is only by second test engagement.
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - I thought that since medieval warfare is often seen as simply line two sides up and bash away, that these rules gave a nuanced look at several parts of the line, so that even in a four foot space and a frontage of 6 units, that a lot of different things were going on that made each part of the line feel uniquely active.
7) What could have been improved? - The lack of an interpenetration rule to get the 'medium' archers out of the way, has been fixed by a house rule that is working rather well. There is errata in the charts as given, but downloads fix that.
I really like Sword and Spear. I've never had a bad game with them and on one occasion snatched victory from the jaws of defeat ( 2 points remaining before breaking) with a Medieval German army against the Swiss.
I prefer to forget the times I'm in the loser corner when it's happened the other way though ;D
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder
2) What armies were confronted? - The Reds and the Browns
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - first time playing it but played similar sets before so reasonably
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - yep
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - The Reds took the initiative and seized the hill and the village, setting up a defensive position. The Browns attempted to shake them loose and while proving resilient, were eventually driven back giving the Reds a solid victory.
7) What could have been improved? The Browns had some pretty poor command rolls early on that lost them the key positions and the game. Their right flank cavalry didn't move all game and the left flank cavalry consistently got beaten back by infantry, even when hitting in the flank.
I've been painting up my 2mm Crimean War troops and some buildings and scenery for BBB and rather than finishing up the buildings tonight I took a notion to play a quick game of BP, using an individual base per unit. The playing square was fairly small, a little over 20cm a side, so only fitting in one division each. Wanted to test out how viable a mini game was, so two even forces using just the basic unit stats. It actually worked out quite well, better than I was expecting. Tempted to pick up BP2 at some point but seems a shame to have barely used the first edition when I've had it a while. Think I may experiment further with a slightly larger game in future, maybe A4 size or even A3! :o
(https://i.imgur.com/jHyIYpn.jpg)
This was start of turn 2, the reds hold the village and repulsed a cavalry charge by the browns at the hill.
(https://i.imgur.com/WeWJrv2.jpg)
The battle for the village intensifies.
(https://i.imgur.com/G2yrwMe.jpg)
End of game, remaining Browns circled.
Lovely little game there MMCV. This small size board appeals to me no end, given I've played some fun games on a 2' x 2' table.
Looks great fun, Matthew ! :)
Cheers - Phil
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder with Glory Hallelujah supplement
2) What armies were confronted? - ACW
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Orcs and myself
6) What went well? - To everyone's surprise, I rolled a lot of successful saves. :o
7) What could have been improved? - Orc's dice, especially for movement. His "surprise" flank attack took so long to get into place that I'd reinforced that flank and broken his centre before they fired a shot!
QuoteHis "surprise" flank attack took so long to get into place that I'd reinforced that flank and broken his centre before they fired a shot!
Ouch!
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder with Glory Hallelujah supplement
2) What armies were confronted? - ACW
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Fairly
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Sunjester and myself
6) What went well? - In my case Nothing - Sunjesters dice were as usual exceptional - 3 hits out of 4 D6 when he needed a 5 or 6 to hit . Similar luck with saves.
7) What could have been improved? - Orc's dice, especially for movement. Or the dice gods could have cursed Sunjesters dice for once
It was good to get a real game in after 4 months - thanks Sunjester for hosting
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - BBDBA
2) What armies were confronted? - Siciliot, Syracuse in Sicily, Apulian v 2 Celtiberian, Gallic
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Not by a long way
5) How many players were in the game? - 3
6) What went well? - the game flowed well and both sides were in with a chance
7) What could have been improved? - Syracuse needed to hold some spear or perhaps mercenary Gauls in reserve
The Siciliots (foreground) have held the initial assault by one of the Celtiberian armies with half their spear not engaged. The Apulian have pushed forward on the right and are about to pressure the Celtiberian caetrati who are attempting to cover the flank. Cavalry and light horse from both Celtiberian armies are moving up to support the caetrati
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50148710813_fbfe8cae3b_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jptfz4)
The end of the game, the Syracuse army had its line broken early and without reserves was unable to recover, it has fled the field leaving the left of the Siciliots exposed to the steadily advancing Gallic army. On the right the Apulian have destroyed the Celtiberian caetrati and demoralised one of the Celtiberian armies. The combined pressure on their front and open flank by the Celtiberian scutarii of both armies has overwhelmed the Siciliots giving victory to the Celtiberians and Gallic armies.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50149255866_c01daca5f8_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jpw3Aw)
We deliberately to not include Roman or Carthaginian forces in this game meaning that all my Punic forces have now had a run on the table :)
Lovely looking game Paul 8).
Very nice, indeed, Paul. :)
Cheers - Phil
Glad to see all those units in action
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Firepower from the Perry Brothers
2) What armies were confronted? - ACW
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - yes, I have used it several times and they are set at the 'simple playable' level.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - The scenario had random arrivals and the system has random movement based on ?D6, so this brought interest to the scenario
7) What could have been improved? - cavalry stay mounted, even when in a position and firing. I will get some dismounted figures and put in a simple house rule for mount / dismount, more of an aesthetic thing really.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Liber Militum : Tercios
2) What armies were confronted? - German Protestant vs. Holy Roman Empire Catholics.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - no. The rules are easy, but there a some fine choices to do and to use during the battle
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo. I wanted to practice.
6) What went well? - I won ! :D ( vs. a kind of very simple AI I made )
7) What could have been improved? - My use of my officers.
As usual I wrote a (very short) AAR on my blog, here's one pic :
(http://2d6.fr/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Tercios_Ronan_solo02_20200801_c.jpg)
Greetings
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Cruel Seas
2) What armies were confronted? - German Kriegsmarine vs. British Royal Navy
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - not yet
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo. First scenario to try out the rules
6) What went well? - entertaining
7) What could have been improved? - A number of things - some may be addressed by advanced rules, others may need some modification once I am used to it and use different vessels etc.
Edward
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Ten More Sons!
2) What armies were confronted? - Oda vs Takeda
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - I do.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two.
6) What went well? - Got in some effective coordinated actions with ashigaru shooting 'em silly, then samurai charging and finishing the job. Enemy made a critical error in putting four units of missile troops to one of melee troops on one side of a significant river; despite adverse dice, I couldn't fail to overwhelm him. Enemy also kept his pikemen in reserve, against a cavalry army (!); hostile artillery did no damage at all this week.
7) What didn't? - Twice superior cavalry forces (two to one in one case) led by a general got badly bogged down in a cavalry scrap that I expected to win easily.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Hail Caesar
2) What armies were confronted? - Early Crusaders and Turks at Dorylaeum
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Somewhat, though a little rusty.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No. Though it's been about a year and a half since my last game with them.
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - The custom scenario that I set up worked out well and proved to be reasonably balanced, though I might throw in another unit of Turkish heavy cavalry next time or reduce the number of special abilities the knights have to get it just right. Was nice to have enough terrain to do what I wanted too.
7) What didn't? - Took a few turns into the game before I started remembering all the rules and special rules correctly. Don't think it would have changed the outcome overall as most of the rules I forgot were ones that would have benefitted the eventual victors!
Battle report (and hopefully historical report too) in due course.
1) What rule set did you use in your last game? - SAGA - The Crescent & The Cross (with 6mm)
2) What armies were confronted? - Crusaders (Milites Christi) and Moors
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes, mostly (see below)
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No. Though it's been a while
5) How many players were in the game? - 2
6) What went well? - We had a fun romp and reignited our passions for the period
7) What didn't? - A couple of badly worded rules / battle board abilities had us scratching out heads and searching for online FAQs
We have now obtained "Version 2" - Saga 2 Age of Crusades and hope that the rules questions are resolved. We are worried, however, on a quick look at the battle boards, that some of the "flavour" of the forces has been lost.
Anyone have experience of the 2 sets and can give me their thoughts?
We played a couple of games over the weekend at Call to Arms, the local club's annual convention here in Wellington (fortunately before the NZ COVID-19 alert level was raised again).
Saturday:
1) What rule set did you use in your last game? - Spearhead (with 6mm)
2) What armies were confronted? - Germans vs Russians at Kursk July 1943
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No. Though it's been a while since our last game......
5) How many players were in the game? - 3
6) What went well? - The Russians managed to mostly contain the German armoured advance.....
7) What didn't? - not much actually....put a lot of effort into designing the scenario which proved pretty evenly balanced.
Rhys has written a battle report on his blog from the German standpoint: http://badlyleadmen.blogspot.com/2020/08/back-to-normality.html
Sunday:
1) What rule set did you use in your last game? - General Quarters 1 & 2
2) What armies were confronted? - Kreigsmarine v Royal Navy April 1942 in the Arctic Ocean
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, played a lot of GQ 1/2 games
5) How many players were in the game? - 2
6) What went well? - I managed to sink HMS Duke of York with torpedoes... .A minor miricle since we use the torpedo rules as written and I managed to slow the flagship down through a combination of several well aimed 15" salvoes from Tripitz and the sacrifice of most of my Luftwaffe He-111 torpedo bombers (which meant that she couldn't fire her secondaries at the attacking destroyers that turn) before successfully guessing where she would manuvere to.
7) What didn't? - Paul managed to inflict significant damage on Tirpitz, Scharnhorst and Admiral Scheer, all of which could eventually only crawl back to base at around 8 knots. The German victory conditions meant that they lost one level of victory if they took enough heavy damage (which they did) so the RN gained a slim tactical victory dispite the loss of Duke of York (who the heck comes up with these victory conditions?? ;D ).
Overall a pretty good weekend of gaming was had by all.
Thanks for organising two really good games Pierre the Shy :-bd =D> :-bd =D>
We were indeed very fortunate to be able to attend the event
The Saturday game was fascinating and as Rhys' report mentions I spent most of the morning suppressing the Russian defenses enough so I could commit my engineers to clearing the minefields :!!
Only to find that there were no minefields to my front :o ;D
This delay allowed the Russian reserves time to arrive and cover the exposed flank of their second line ~X(
Sunday was another fascinating scenario
Pierre the Shy has kindly not mentioned the state of Renown, King George V (who arrived later in support), my two heavy cruisers and half my destroyers :-SS
Pierre the Shy worked his destroyers into a great attack position on Duke of York using a snow squall to screen my 'covering' destroyers and a Luftwaffe attack to divert my secondary guns X_X
A careful reading of the victory conditions gave the Germans a slim tactical defeat and the British only a win in the 'battle of the memoirs', which in GQ terms is just above a draw
We had battered each other almost to a standstill and were both withdrawing before suffering any more damage
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - BKCII
2) What armies were confronted? - British vs Italians, Greece 1941
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Not by a long way
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - For a quickly set up game, not bad.
7) What could have been improved? - The Recce rules. Even BKCIV doesn't work for me on this front.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Ten More Sons!
2) What armies were confronted? - Japanese and Chinese
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - I do.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two.
6) What went well? - Desperately little.
7) What didn't? - Twice ambushed, and lost a senior commander each time.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - BKCII
2) What armies were confronted? - Fallschirmjager vs Somerset LDV, England 1940
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - The Fallschirmjager got going from the off and never let the LDV into the game.
7) What could have been improved? - Nothing really.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Never Mind The Billhooks
2) What armies were confronted? - York vs Lancaster
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - For afirst quick trial game, not bad.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - For a first run out the game flowed well and all seemed logical. The card activation was nice, giving a good command friction.
7) What could have been improved? - Not a lot really as it was my first go and I'm still learning.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last 5 games, this weekend? – One Hour Wargames, scenarios: 7, 14, 24, 25, 29
2) What armies were confronted? – Viking, Anglo-Saxon, Pre Feudal Scottish.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? In part.......... See 7)
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? – No. I've played most of the scenarios many times with many eras of armies.
5) How many players were in the game? – Solo (no arguing, no rule-set lawyers and I always win!)
6) What went well? – all very close games & rule adaptions worked well.
7) What could have been improved?
I have recently started using 'Johns wargaming blog' 'D6 multiples of 3' scoring method: this results in a hit/miss scoring rather than always some degradation of the opposition.
Don't like, never have liked, the force fitting of unit types in OHW: particularly when it has distorted army composition to having no resemblance to history. So for Dark Ages (some) units have integral archer units.
P.S. currently the armies are card counters
Quote from: GridGame on 07 September 2020, 11:49:22 AM
. . . and I always win!
And you always lose . . .
(Yes, I am feeling a little glass half-empty at the mo)
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Rapid Fire
2) What armies were confronted? - British paras vs German Kampfgruppe, Normandy 1944
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Thanks to my opponent knowing the rules, yes - the game rocked along quickly and easily.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - Lovely layout, and great to have my first face-to-face game since March. Early dice were kind to me, and my KG's attack went in efficiently after that.
7) What could have been improved? - The Brit paras seemed a bit outgunned - maybe that was the kind dice, maybe I had a good plan well executed, or maybe Matt was just being a good host!
AAR is on my BBBBlog. Check it out for the venue more than the game:
http://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2020/09/wargames-holiday-hotel-mayenne.html
(And yes, I did donate a copy of BBB, so I hope Matt will find my Le Mans scenario useful.)
Chris
Bloody Big BATTLES!
https://groups.io/g/bloodybigbattles
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - IACTA ALEA EST!
2) What armies were confronted? - Late NKE vs Midianite alliance
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - I do.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two.
6) What went well? - Some excellent shooting rolls paralysed the more advanced enemy units, while their others were too slow in reaching the action.
7) What didn't? - An off-table flank march got a hopeless control result and refused to charge the exposed, unshielded flank of the Amalekites, who thus had time to turn and charge my lads -low-quality Lybyan allies.
Much more seriously, the air-con is on the blink.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - General Quarters I/II with per-dreadnought mods
2) What armies navies were confronted? - Italian v Austro-Hungarian
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes, but we hadn't played with the per-dreadnought mods for a 3 years :o
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, third game with the per-dreadnought mods
5) How many players were in the game? - Five
6) What went well? - It was so engrossing that we lost track of time
7) What didn't? - Torpedoes
A small battle report can be found here http://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,20074.0.html (http://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,20074.0.html)
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - BKCII
2) What armies were confronted? - Fallschirmjager vs Somerset LDV, England 1940
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - Yet again the Fallschirmjager got going from the off and never let the LDV into the game.
7) What could have been improved? - The LDV command rolls.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Ten More Sons!
2) What armies were confronted? - Cavaliers and Roundheads
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - I do.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two.
6) What went well? - Managed to win two of the three main cavalry scraps and took out enemy high command; a few well-timed volleys saved the Ironsides from a Royalist outflanking move.
7) What didn't? - The outclassed enemy foot outshot and outfought mine (partly thanks to Lee's intelligent handling of them, credit where it's due). Rupert's Lifeguard, outflanked and heavily outshot, held on far too long.
7 a) Result? - Draw.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Never Mind the Billhooks
2) What armies were confronted? - York vs Lancaster
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Getting there...
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - The mechanics flowed well and are becoming more familiar, with a real ebb and flow to the game. For another trial game it went as well as could be expected.
7) What could have been improved? - Still not sure how to handle skirmishers. Also skirmishers can't charge, not even each other, which I would have thought would have been OK.
Another game tomorrow, but this time with some terrain to spice things up.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Shadow of the Eagles
2) What armies were confronted? - Reds vs Browns
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Not at first, but as the game progressed got into the swing of it.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - Trial game moved along briskly. Few points pondering over the rules but overall was able to suss out what needed done in most instances.
7) What could have been improved? - A bigger game would probably give a better taste of the rules, and I kept things fairly simple for this first outing. Hopefully down the line I can play again with a larger army to get a taste of the larger sweep.
Battle report and thoughts in time.
Hi
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - AWI variant of Regimental Fire and Fury
2) What armies were confronted? - British v Patriots
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Ish... very familiar with F&F just trying to remember the differences with the AWI variant (which actually work very well)
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, second.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two, first game with an opponent since March :)
6) What went well? - Game looked great and played well.
7) What could have been improved? - We were too ambitious with too many troops on the table :-[ Will try a slightly smaller game next time. That said enjoyed by both of us.
(https://i.imgur.com/BFBZDOx.jpg)
The British are coming!
(https://i.imgur.com/HkxMsms.jpg)
Rebel militia.
Cheers Paul
Beautiful looking table
Lovely looking game Paul 8).
Second all of that! Where did you get the flags?* And who won the game? :-bd
* I'm currently painting some Pendraken AWI (which are turning out rather well, thanks to Clib's excellent sculpts) but ... Sssh! .... very disappointed with the quality of the Pendraken AWI flags.
Hi
Thanks for the kind comments.
I'm afraid I was rather disappointed with the Pendraken AWI flags as well. Anyway the British flags I 'saved' from the Kronoskaf Seven Years War website:
http://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=British_Army#Line_Infantry
And then played about with them using MS Paint and then simply printed them off. Most of the American flags were downloaded from the Warflag website:
http://www.warflag.com/flags/awi/awiameric.shtml
And again played about with them using MS Paint (including some of my own 'mottoes' and designs).
Hope that helps
Cheers Paul
:-bd =D> :-bd =D>
I found my British AWI flags here http://www.fifedrum.org/crfd/BD_1.htm (http://www.fifedrum.org/crfd/BD_1.htm)
Top work.
Vaubanner rescaled his for mine...
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - BKCII with bits of BKCIV
2) What armies were confronted? - Fallschirmjager vs Somerset Light Infantry, England 1940
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - The FJ had the better of the game, but took a bloody nice in achieving their objective. The Luftwaffe air support was effective.
7) What could have been improved? - The British had some good plans but couldn't quite execute them in time to really hurt the FJ.
I think the Warmington-on-Sea Home Guard would have added backbone. They have a number of special rules (1) Mainwaring Blunders but Wins: "All command rolls from Capt Mainwaring are assumed to be blunders, but the Germans eventually surrender when Pike tells them his name"; (2) The Germans are terrified when LCpl Jones fixes his over sized bayonet: "Paratroopers fear being impaled on the largest bayonet ever seen, they fail all command rolls when Jones fixes bayonet."
Very good Dave ;D.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Ten More Sons!
2) What armies were confronted? - Valois and Hapsburg
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - I've upped the numbers of Swiss, and they look much more like the real thing now. An added Landsknecht regiment wasn't able to stop them, though I think Lee hasn't worked renaissance battles out yet. My artillery did better than usual, and actually broke a Spanish column.
7) What could have been improved? - The King led the Royal Squadron to annihilation as usual. :(
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - BKCII
2) What armies were confronted? - Fallschirmjager vs British Army Regulars, England 1940
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - The British artillery and tanks. As always the FJ command was excellent.
7) What could have been improved? - The British were slow, due to their lower CV, so struggled to get going.
1) What ruleset DID you use in your last game? - ALAMEIN TO ZEM ZEM
2) What armies were involved? - 8th Army vs Afrika Korps
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - New random tables; the Jerries had three seasoned Mk IVs, not a brace of veteran Tigers. Having even weaker armour myself, I mixed my Crusaders in with the South African elite force, and we swept all before us. The enemy had more and better aircraft, but we rolled some lucky dice. AT guns did well too,
7) What could have been improved? - I got rather poor support forces, but my opponent didn't realise that, so we did well.
Victory, but Lee wasn't commanding the Germans.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Saga 2 (Age of Crusades)
2) What armies were confronted? - Mutatawwi'a Vs Milites Christi
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes - although first time with Saga 2 it is much clearer and easier than first version
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes
5) How many players were in the game? - Two
6) What went well? - Loved the new version of the rules and we got used to the slight changes and battle boards quickly.
(Special shoutout to the "Book of battles" for a great fast way of setting up a random scenario)
7) What could have been improved? - Not much - we played in 6mmm (as is our want) without any changes - 1 base = 1 figure in rules, to give a greater spectacle
Hi
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - To the Strongest!
2) What armies were confronted? - Early Imperial Romans v Gauls
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Two, first TtS! game since March
6) What went well? - Just had a great game, these rules seem to consistently give an entertaining and enjoyable game.
7) What could have been improved? - My dice throwing was appalling, yeah, yeah, blah. blah.......
Cheers Paul
Hi
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - To the Strongest!
2) What armies were confronted? - Early Imperial Romans v Parthians
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Two,
6) What went well? - Tried out some minor house rules, they seemed to work very well and did away with an aspect of the rules that at times felt a bit 'gamey' to us. game was extremely close at the end and could have gone either way
7) What could have been improved? - Sadly it did not go my way! :(
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - 1914 by Great Escape Games (GEG).
2) What armies were confronted? - WW1 Germans v The Royal Naval Division (it was Trafalgar Night and I had Royal Marines under my command ;))
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Somewhat
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes, first time.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two, face to face in COVID mitigated conditions.
6) What went well? - Two experienced gamers who had a flexible approach to agreed to use this as a learning curve.
7) What could have been improved? - Having a GEG forum to discuss some of the understanding of the rules. 1914 has some elegant designs and interesting action/reaction rules, but we struggled with the Assault - there doesn't seem to be a bit where the troops actually do 'hand to hand'. Have sent a message via Messenger to GEG to see if we can get some feedback.
Quote from: Dave Fielder on 22 October 2020, 09:37:52 AM
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - 1914 by Great Escape Games (GEG).
Never heard of these rules? Can you comment briefly about them?
Quote from: hammurabi70 on 22 October 2020, 11:43:25 AM
Never heard of these rules? Can you comment briefly about them?
https://www.greatescapegames.co.uk/online-store/1914 (https://www.greatescapegames.co.uk/online-store/1914)
Aimed at Brigade level actions set in 1914 Western Theatre of operations. Each base is a company or squadron making units of 2-4 bases with supporting artillery and machine guns. Key concept is the Action/Reaction with Command points for each side being spent to carry out actions. The more actions on each unit, the harder it is to keep it going. Typically rifle range is up to 12", artillery - everything is in range (direct and indirect options). Set of 12mm figure ranges available, similar to Kallistra, although all my forces are 10mm Pendraken.
Well I'm glad I'm not the only one who couldn't figure out the HtH combat bit!
I've got the 1914 rules, not played them yet. Struggled a bit with understanding them at first. But have now played Iron Cross which is the WWII version, though at a lower level which is a good game, so wanting to try 1914 now.
Quote from: fred. on 22 October 2020, 05:24:50 PM
I've got the 1914 rules, not played them yet. Struggled a bit with understanding them at first. But have now played Iron Cross which is the WWII version, though at a lower level which is a good game, so wanting to try 1914 now.
And how was
Iron Cross? What are they like? I have no knowledge of
Great Escape rules, are they a neglected quality resource or yet-another-rule system?
Spoke to the 1914 author via FB Messenger and he kindly explained the rationale. The HtH is actually an abstraction with cavalry coming to within 2"/5cm and the number of dice being increased, the assumption is their action hasn't been reacted to and hence they get the jump on the enemy. For infantry it is similar but somewhat less effective due to less shock factor. From what I understand this means that careful planning and preparation is needed to get into close quarters and enough damage needs to be dished out to force enemy troops back out of position. The 'reaction' available means that troops can attempt to Fall Back if they are getting hit hard.
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Hachiman (working title for homemade Feudal Japanese rules)
2) What armies were confronted? - Oda vs Asai Clans
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yep
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - On the table yes, had previously done a few pencil and paper games.
5) How many players were in the game? - One
6) What went well? - First proper shake out of the rules and overall went pretty well. Most of the mechanics worked as I'd hoped and the "narrative" of the battle flowed well as did some of the new rules I'd added.
7) What could have been improved? - Melee did end up becoming a bit of a grind, though that was partly because I'd set a fordable river the entire width of the battlefield so naturally, after a bit of back and forth the battle bogged down there a fair bit, which is not entirely unhistorical. Need some more battles to test out and see if it flows better on more open and versatile terrain.
Generally pretty happy though with how it's progressing. Definitely motivation to look at doing some actual figures in the near future (this was fought with printout ones I made).
Battle report to follow in due course.
1) What ruleset DID you use in your two last games? - IACTA ALEA EST!
2) What armies were confronted? - Republican Romans vs Gauls; Imperial Romans vs Dacians
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes, I suppose so.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Why keep asking this question? The answer's not going to change.
5) How many players were in each game? - Two; Lee vs me in the first, Mike vs me in the second
6) What went well? - Good coffee.
7) What could have been improved? - Inflicting a single casualty on the enemy forces in either case.
Hi
1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - To the Strongest!
2) What armies were confronted? - Thracians v Macedonian Successors
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Two,
6) What went well? - Well, we were ready to start within half an hour after arriving at my friends house, then it went rather downhill from then on for me at least, starting with having to deploy my entire army first after rolling a one on a D10 for scouting.
7) What could have been improved? - Just about everything from my point of view!
(https://i.imgur.com/EBMj9bI.jpg)
My Macedonians advancing on the Thracian host.
(https://i.imgur.com/akHLgZm.jpg)
View from the Thracian right flank.
Cheers Paul
:-bd =D> :-bd
Nice looking armies, shame the game didn't go better ;)
Seconded ! :-bd
Cheers - Phil :)
Just been reading Cornered Wolves will be painting a few small units to play that in next few weeks.
also reading the Hind and Seek Rules so I think this weekend will be in the Panjshir Valley.
Regards
Sean
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - For King & Parliament
2) What armies were confronted? - Royalists v Parliamentarians 1643
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, but first time since May
5) How many players were in the game? - 4 last Saturday, 3 for the conclusion this Saturday
6) What went well? - Another close run game with plenty of twists and turns
7) What could have been improved? - not a lot
AAR to follow
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - BPII with Glory Hallelujah! supplement rules
2) What armies were confronted? - Red vs Blue
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - A bit rusty
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - Based upon a historical action, the scenario worked well.
7) What could have been improved? - Not a lot, other than the Jagers spending the whole game shooting at each other with little effect.
AAR to follow.
Quote from: sean66 on 30 October 2020, 07:43:08 AM
Just been reading Cornered Wolves will be painting a few small units to play that in next few weeks.
also reading the Hind and Seek Rules so I think this weekend will be in the Panjshir Valley.
Regards
Sean
LOVE Hind and Seek! we play a lot and have adapted rules for US & Brits in Afghan 2001-now too
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - To the Strongest!
2) What armies were confronted? - Warring States Chinese - Qin vs Chu (twice)
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Played two games - first one was a bit rusty and getting used to new armies, second went a lot smoother.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - First outings with two new armies. Game One saw the Qin make good use of the dense terrain to set up a crossbow killzone while Game Two on a more open table let the Chu deploy their cavalry wings effectively. Playing on a smaller table I used chits and d10 rather than cards, which worked well with the smaller space.
7) What could have been improved? - In Game One, the Chu shooting couldn't hit a thing and had a hard time chasing down the Qin for melee, while in Game Two the flanks saw most of the fighting while the centre didn't really engage until late game.
All in all reasonably happy. I have three different lists for these two armies, this being the "middle" one covering the later Warring States period. The Qin are a smaller, professional army, primarily mixed crossbow and infantry, while the Chu core of weaker conscript infantry is supported by two cavalry wings.
Battle reports likely to follow...
Quote from: Scorpio_Rocks on 17 November 2020, 08:45:54 PM
LOVE Hind and Seek! we play a lot and have adapted rules for US & Brits in Afghan 2001-now too
:- did you have to change the rules a lot ?
I'd be interested in a copy of your adaptations to play a more modern Afghanistan (Ive already got half of the antagonists ;))
Regards
Sean
No big changes:
Stats for the newer vehicles and some additional rules for ATGM and precision air strikes.
I can try to get it typed up and post it somewhere
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Big Battle DBA
2) What armies were confronted? - Two Polybian Roman & an Iberian v Two Later Carthaginian & a Bruttian
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes, very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, no, no...
5) How many players were in the game? - Four
6) What went well? - Everything for the Romans & Iberians
7) What could have been improved? - Deploying the Bruttian in the center was a bold move and the Carthaginian dice rolls were terrible, I could have remembered to take some pictures #-o
This was a battle of the third Punic war using the almost all spear Carthaginian armies, we also used the Bruttian and Iberians so that all the ten army lists from this project have had a run on table.
We will have another game next week with some different armies from the Punic War project.
The earlier Later Carthaginian (1st & 2nd Punic Wars) with lots of options (including elephants) will usually be used in preference to the almost all spear army of the 3rd Punic war
The Apulian with more cavalry will probably be used in preference to the Bruttian
The Celtiberian with fast Blade will probably be used in preference to the Iberians with Auxilia
There are also Siciliot, Syracuse in Sicily and Gallic armies available to add variety
Is the choice of allies a case of my enemies' enemies are my friends? From geography, Roman + Bruttian and Carthaginian + Iberian would be more likely? Then again, both options would see one of the allies traveling a sizable distance in support of the main force. Not much chance of that happening. But makes a fine ancient game anyway. :P
I think the Barker logic is that the Bruttian supported Carthage in the hope of remaining independent of Rome
The Iberians fought on either side
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Blucher.
2) What armies were confronted? - Austrian vs French 1809.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No - about the 4th game vs Sunjester, and a solo before that.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two - Sunjester was the French
6) What went well? - We found we'd been using cavalry too 18th century! We're used to WSS mod to BP, where cavalry can't charge formed infantry front on. They are usually relegated to the flanks where they muck about fighting each other ineffectively. We've tended to do the same with the limited cavalry we've been using. Today I took the decision to have a couple of cavalry units extra (okay It helped they were Cuirassier!) I charged early on. Sunjester said "Really? This early?" And then somewhere between a quarter and a third of his army stopped moving when it realised moving with horses around was a bit dangerous. I pointed out his thought of "keep throwing infantry forward to be charged so the horses eventually wear out" (winning a combat still causes the unit to lose an Elan Point) may not be universally popular.
7) What could have been improved? Sunjester's lucky dice, obviously (6 dice, 5 rolls of 4+ to hit). But mostly me not screwing up the 'Campaign' pre game, where you manoeuvre your Corps into contact on a area map. I started with just 2 corps vs his 4, with mine coming on as reinforcements. It would have been better if the Corps that came on on my right hadn't bounced of one of his units, despite a 2:1 dice advantage. They ended up not being able to stop his centre sweeping and rolling me up.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50665717828_38dbbb449d_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kca3K7)Blucher game (https://flic.kr/p/2kca3K7) by Last Hussar (https://www.flickr.com/photos/lasthussar/), on Flickr
:-bd =D> :-bd
The game looks great 8).
Thanks all- They are the 1:200 little wooden men (by Commission Figurines) in action. Units in Blucher (I'm using the Grand Scale size, so 3,000-5,000 infantry per unit) have a number of attributes, and I try to represent them with appropriate bases, so those with Skirmish advantage get a base of skirmishers, attached artillery has a gun base, and 'Mixed' (those with a squadron of cavalry to chase off skirmishers) get a spare cavalry base. This does mean some Austrian Avant Guard units have just one base of infantry!
Not seen in this picture: Horse artillery has a limber instead of a 3rd gun, and Heavy artillery has a wagon. Other traits - Shock, Steady, Conscript - are written on the die frame (using waterslide transfer so I can print a nice typeface). If you look at the cuirassiers in the centre- facing right - you may be able to see the black smudge that says 'shock' just past the die. The left hand tile at the back contains the Corp ID.
Green dice are the elan of the unit. Because artillery has ammunition that doesn't get spent evenly they have a white die so I can find them. The faces are altered to read 5-4-4-3-2-2; red dots show you are on the 2nd of a repeated number. After that you've use all the ammo so they bugger off.
I like this presentation, it keeps the info on the unit, but unobtrusively. I try to put the attachments in the same place on every units to help us when refreshment has been partaken (Rule Number 1). Bases, green dice and movement trays by Pendragon.
One problem I didn't anticipate was how much the frames for the dice swelled up on painting, and I've ended up filing many of them to make sure the dice comes out! If I had realised I would have asked Adele to note that I wanted the die space as a cut out in the corner. The frames are standard 40x20. but a few fewer in the pack to account for the extra cutting.
I've suggested to SJ that once we can meet up with others (I'm in his bubble) I umpire a game with him against Orcs being the Austrians. I would of course make sure Orcs knew the rules, but the lack of experience compared to SJ would make a good proxy for the Napoleon v others dynamic!
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - The Bulge, boardgame by Compass Games
2) What armies were confronted? - Allied (US / British) Vs German
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? -Yes, this was my third playing
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - Just that thing of repeated play that allows a gamer to get more from the system and better appreciate the nuances of play.
7) What could have been improved? - Before play, I should have read a couple of the rule section closely - particularly the Victory Conditions :-[
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Dragon Rampant
2) What armies were confronted? - Empire vs Orcs
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? -By the second turn
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - yes
5) How many players were in the game? - 2
6) What went well? -Ease of pay I am used to much more complex rules such as DBM
7) What could have been improved? -slightly confused in that it uses the word points in two different contexts 9(well it confused my opponent)
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - BPII with GH! supplement tweaks
2) What armies were confronted? - Blue vs Red circa 1850's
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - The rules came back to me despite not having played for a week or so and any queries very easy to find in the rulebook. The scenario worked well, based upon one from CS Grant's The War Game. The morale saves by Blue kept them in the game early on.
7) What could have been improved? - Not a lot, which is good, other than the usual poor die rolls when shooting.
Quote from: Last Hussar on 01 December 2020, 06:13:28 PM
Thanks all- They are the 1:200 little wooden men (by Commission Figurines) in action. Units in Blucher (I'm using the Grand Scale size, so 3,000-5,000 infantry per unit) have a number of attributes, and I try to represent them with appropriate bases, so those with Skirmish advantage get a base of skirmishers, attached artillery has a gun base, and 'Mixed' (those with a squadron of cavalry to chase off skirmishers) get a spare cavalry base. This does mean some Austrian Avant Guard units have just one base of infantry!
I hadn't visited the site for a few days so I've only just seen this. The little wooden men look really effective in the photo.
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - BBDBA
2) What armies were confronted? - two Polybian Roman & one Syracuse in Sicily v two Later Carthaginian & one Celtiberian
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Oh yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Not by a long way, our fifth game this year
5) How many players were in the game? - Five, three on the Carthaginian side and two on the Roman
6) What went well? - It was a closer game than last week and I remembered to take pictures so an AAR should follow in due course
7) What could have been improved? - The survival rate of generals, a 67% casualty rate was pretty drastic (the surviving generals didn't get into combat)
Quote from: paulr on 06 December 2020, 12:51:51 AM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - BBDBA
2) What armies were confronted? - two Polybian Roman & one Syracuse in Sicily v two Later Carthaginian & one Celtiberian
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Oh yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Not by a long way, our fifth game this year
5) How many players were in the game? - Five, three on the Carthaginian side and two on the Roman
6) What went well? - It was a closer game than last week and I remembered to take pictures so an AAR should follow in due course
7) What could have been improved? - The survival rate of generals, a 67% casualty rate was pretty drastic (the surviving generals didn't get into combat)
This was a fun game.....the Carthaginian plan did not go to plan but at least the Romans were not able to kill off either the Carthaginian C in C or our elephant corps, despite their artillery's best efforts. I will leave it up to Paul to outline how events unfolded, though he is a little bit busy these days.
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Rum, Buggery, and the Lash
2) What armies were confronted? - Allied vs British Napoleonic
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? -Getting there; this was our third time.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Two. Lee wasn't one of them.
6) What went well? - Wind behind us, and a opponent who really has no idea about concentrating force (and thus doesn't defend against my doing it)
7) What could have been improved? - I had some dismal shooting dice at the start, and a Tyrollean rifleman hit Collingwood (Nelson survived this one).
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - BPII with GH! supplement tweaks
2) What armies were confronted? - Red vs Blue circa 1850's
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - The game was a cracker with both sides having a chance to win, with it going down to the final Turn. The scenario worked well too.
7) What could have been improved? - Only some shooting at what might have been a critical point in the game.
Pic heavy AAR to follow tomorrow all being well.
QuoteThe little wooden men look really effective in the photo.
But not in real life? ;D :-
Quote from: Last Hussar on 20 December 2020, 01:37:31 PM
But not in real life? ;D :-
You obviouly aint met the bulk of the British population ;)
1) What ruleset....Avian biosecurity.
2) Armies.....Me & Von versus ALL the chickens.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the rules ?....No...but we'll do it as per spec.(being doing this for days!)
4) First time you've played this ?.......Yes
5) How many players....Too many to count.
6) What went well ?.....All the brain dead Muppets haven't escaped....yet!
7) What could be improved ?......I should be allowed to have a sawn off shotgun.....and turn the (afore-mentioned Muppets into chicken pate.)
Cheers - Phil. >:(
Under the firearms acts yiu must have a barrel of at least 24" Phil (got a hack saw :P)
=O =O =O
Go away !
I hate the bloody things.
I genuinely wish some of you lived closer.... So we could give away an awful lot of eggs that we have to get rid of.
I am genuinely sick of scrambled/fried/poached/boiled eggs for lunch.
That's a really awful thing to say, when there's SO much hunger in the World. X_X
Phil.
Phil you can freeze eggs (not in shell but if you beat them together or separated) in usable portions, e.g. in ice cube trays and store in bags then defrost to use for scramble, omlette, etc. Alternatively just use them to make a lot of cakes...
NOOOOOO !
That would make them last even longer, Matthew. X_X
I'd be more than happy to feed some of the excess to the four labs.....but Von and I would get gassed out of Techno Towers.
Cheers - Phil :)
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Black Powder and Glory Hallelujah supplement
2) What armies were confronted? - Union v Confederate
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - This is a system designed around a big table with several brigades per side, I got it to work with just 7 units in total on a 4' x 3' and the systems worked fine.
7) What could have been improved? - nothing really, it all progressed as intended.
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Black Powder II and Glory Hallelujah supplement
2) What armies were confronted? - Red vs Blue
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - Another OHW scenario, with the added bonus of my friends providing intial orders and deployment. I then simply implemented them to the best of my ability as the game unfolded.
7) What could have been improved? - The Blue sides artillery barely impacted on the game due to failed command rolls.
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Rebels & Patriots
2) What armies were confronted? - Red vs Blue
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes, but somewhat ring rusty
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Not by a long way, having been one of the play testers
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - For a simple and quick game, it all worked pretty well, once the rules came back to me.
7) What could have been improved? - The Red sides activation rolls led to Blue gaining the edge, plus some shocking morale tests by Red.
Late entry for 2020:
5th Coalition using Blucher, me and Sunjester- about the 5th game we've played.
Once again it came down to my failure of pre-game manoeuvre ability. Where we thought we were going to fight on the map turned out not to be the place we actually fought. I then cocked up the reinforcement march, so ended up outnumbered.
How it started
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50775699501_f01eefb4b8_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kmSJsR)20201228_115736[1] (https://flic.kr/p/2kmSJsR) by Last Hussar (https://www.flickr.com/photos/lasthussar/), on Flickr
Didn't help when my cuirassier charge bounced off infantry not in square.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50774948128_c7a1fc8ab9_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kmNT79)20201228_122318[1] (https://flic.kr/p/2kmNT79) by Last Hussar (https://www.flickr.com/photos/lasthussar/), on Flickr
How it went
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50774950898_0d33c9e5aa_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kmNTVU)20201228_141215[1] (https://flic.kr/p/2kmNTVU) by Last Hussar (https://www.flickr.com/photos/lasthussar/), on Flickr
Very nice 8)!
Not for the Austrians :'(
OUCH! :o
More games should have a 'Gneisenau' style pre game. Battles don't happen in a vacuum - I prefer the manoeuvre into contact way to set up a game. Odd thing is there is a post by me from 2015 (the year Blucher was published) on this very forum with a home made system that is very similar.
Quote from: Last Hussar on 11 January 2021, 12:51:27 AM
More games should have a 'Gneisenau' style pre game. Battles don't happen in a vacuum - I prefer the manoeuvre into contact way to set up a game. Odd thing is there is a post by me from 2015 (the year Blucher was published) on this very forum with a home made system that is very similar.
That is something that I like about the Too Fat Lardies and Rules for the Common Man from Peter Pig is the mini-game as part of the pregame.