Starting a new thread for 2026 games....
Played 2 games of Lion Rampant 2 last night.
Honours even between the Burgundians and Swiss based warbands at one victory a piece. First full games using LR2 so still on learning curb but the games flowed well once we got into the rythm of the rules. A bit different to what we normally play but an enjoyable experience.
Three games of the Renaissance version of Mortem et Gloriam, ReG
A draw, a win and a loss, but not particularly enjoyable.
Game four- me and my opponent played Zoontalis instead. Far more fun!
QuoteThree games of the Renaissance version of Mortem et Gloriam, ReG
A draw, a win and a loss, but not particularly enjoyable.
Game four- me and my opponent played Zoontalis instead. Far more fun!
I don't know what Zoontalis is - but it simply sounds fun 8)
Quote from: fred. on 04 January 2026, 09:50:32 PMI don't know what Zoontalis is - but it simply sounds fun 8)
Another anthropomorphic animal fighting game.
Like Burrows and Badgers,but with four characters a side.
https://dice-heads.com/
Some strange games out there nowadays
WWII for a change: Izbushenskiy (1942).
This battle is notable for featuring arguably the last big cavalry charge in history, as the Italians counterattacked a Soviet attack by three depleted Soviet rifle divisions plus tank support vs roughly a division of Italians.
It went well apart from stumbling through unfamiliar rules. Everyone got a decent slice of the game and the battle made suitable progress across the table. A good one to start the 2026 gaming season.
Well, that was a good read. :o
Do computer games count if they are a traditional Wargame (not RTS)?
Got Field of Glory II - Medieval at the weekend. It's a traditional tabletop wargame, IGOUGO, gridded (rather than measured) tabletop, move by base, with 1 figure equalling 60 men. The only difference is that the computer does all the "dice rolling", and the rules are obviously able to be far more complicated and nuanced; I think the actual unit strength is rolled for - so it rolling 'dice' for each man in the unit, rather than per figure.
QuoteDo computer games count if they are a traditional Wargame (not RTS)?
Personally I'd say no - analogue games only.
4 sided Burrows and Badgers 2.
A bloody affair, which was a hard fought draw. No photos or blog as I was umpiring with two new players involved.
WW1 Mespot with 10mm Pendrakens and 'If the Lord Spares Us' rules by TooFatLardies.
Two games yesterday (same scenario, fought through once, swapped sides and did it again):
Zulu War: Second March on Ulundi (BBB rules).
Another genius scenario from Anton, Zulus in a central position taking on two British columns, with a chance of crushing one of them before they can rendezvous.
Brief report on the BBBBlog:
https://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2026/01/zulu-war-second-march-on-ulundi.html
My first game of the year was a fantasy Song of Blades and Heroes.
WWII: Izbushenskiy.
Ran last week's game again for different players.
Good scrap, exciting finish.
Photo-AAR on the BBBBlog:
https://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2026/01/italians-in-russia-1942.html
Nice Chris
Cheers, Will. :)
Napoleonics (BBB).
I learned some history the hard way when we fought Ligny. Luckily I had brandy!
Photo-AAR on the BBBBlog:
https://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2026/01/hard-pounding-at-ligny.html
Ligne was a massive encounter that convinced Napoleon he was on to a winner and could sweep all before him!
Pity Blücher had not read that script.
Warhammer Old World.
Slightly embarrassed cough from the High Elf heavy cavalry after it rode over three Empire units..
Three games of Lion Rampant and one WWII home-brew game last Saturday
Quote from: Duke Speedy of Leighton on 14 January 2026, 03:51:32 PMLigne was a massive encounter that convinced Napoleon he was on to a winner and could sweep all before him!
Pity Blücher had not read that script.
You could never accuse Napoleon of being under-confident.
Bluecher broke the mould: most Allied commanders Napoleon had faced were daunted by him and consequently cautious. Not so Bluecher.
Hi
Played my first wargame of 2026 yesterday, Ancient British v Early Imperial Romans, using Basic Impetus 2 (BI2). I played a fair amount of Impetus games up to around 2018/19 when I went over to 'To the Strongest!' (TtS!) for ancient and medieval games (once I managed to get over my ingrained fear of using 'grids' on the table top). Anyway just felt it was time to for something different from TtS! (also had a game of BI2 just before Christmas). Had an enjoyable game with my good friend Phil, but that said, it did remind me of all the reasons we moved from Impetus to TtS! in the first place.
Cheers Paul
Colonials: Sudan/Little Big Horn (BBB rules).
A really clever disguised scenario.
AAR here:
https://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2026/01/little-big-horn-in-sudan.html
Hi
Excellent game of 'To the Strongest!' today, Egyptians v Assyrians, lots of light chariots going all over the place. Nail biting last few turns with the Assyrians just coming out on top. Lots of fun all round.
Cheers Paul
Napoleonics: Uclés (1809). (BBB rules)
A division-sized Peninsular War action in which historically the French inflicted an utterly one-sided rout on the Spanish.
Our game of it recreated the lop-sided casualty count but was far more interesting, close and exciting than that might suggest. AAR here:
https://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2026/01/not-so-one-sided-ucles-1809.html
So,this week,3 games of A Song of Blades and Heroes
And a game of Burrows and Badgers tonight.
WWII, set during the battle of Kursk. (Scott's home rules.)
Two platoons of tankriders on T-34s attacking a platoon of 305th Security Division with one PaK 38.
A lot like the Winter War game I reported in December: a simple frontal assault against a dug-in enemy. Like that Finnish game, this involved a surprising degree of tactical subtlety and was an absorbing game. Halfway through, when all my T-34s had been knocked out and my infantry were faced with having to dash across open ground from the captured trench to attack the German second line, I was tempted to give up. But I soldiered on and a judicious human wave attack (OK, more like a ripple) managed to overwhelm the last Germans on the last turn.
Za Rodinu!
Quote from: Duke Speedy of Leighton on 28 January 2026, 10:14:25 PMSo,this week,3 games of A Song of Blades and Heroes
And a game of Burrows and Badgers tonight.
Those badgers sure are keeping you entertained, aren't they, Will!
After repeatedly having to cancel games due to a nasty chest bug, I've excelled myself with six games of A Song of Blades and Heroes in just two nights!
Two more games this week, Wars of the Roses with orcs using Midgard and ECW trying out FK&P with Last Hussar. I can confirm that LH is a crap at drawing cards as he is at rolling dice! ;D
Quote from: sunjester on 31 January 2026, 04:36:48 PMI can confirm that LH is a crap at drawing cards as he is at rolling dice! ;D
Yep.
So far this year I have played 8 games of Art de la Guerre.
6 x 15mm games in an weekend International 'classical' period competition, at Alicante, Spain.
Where my Armenia army lost to two Sarmatians, one early Imperial Roman, 2 Carthaginian armies and beat another Carthaginian. There were 60+ players competing, with players from Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Italy, the Uk and even New Zealand.
My learning was primarily that I needed to throw better combat dice. I won the Initiative in all 6 games & had fab command dice, but my shooting & melee dice were dire. Still, it was a great way to kick-off my 2026 competative gaming calendar.
This weekend I am 1 day into a 2 day ADLG 28mm comoetution at the PAWs show down in Plymouth. I've played 2 games so far, with my Scots Isles & Highlanders, both narrow losses. First against a Lowland Scot & then against a Catalan Grand Company. Tomorrow morning I face a Navarrese. What can possibly go wrong ;D ;D ;D
In Jan I have played three games of Armoured Clash and one of Live Free or Die
We played LR2 using English and French Hundred Years War troops on Friday.....the French commander assidously manuvered to avoid coming into effective range of the English archers while beating the snot out of serveral of our other foot units with his fierce foot.
More messing about in triremes last night, so far the Athenians have done a pretty good job of convincing the Spartans that while they are good at fighting ashore at sea they are not so good, but the game is far from over...
We are lucky to be able to leave the game set up between sessions.
Three games this week! (All BBB.)
Franco-Prussian War: Loigny/Poupry.
Always produces a nailbiter.
Produced a "Reflections on Wargaming" essay this time as well:
https://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2026/02/why-do-some-battles-become-favourites.html
Austro-Prussian War: Langensalza.
A great little tabletop teaser. I didn't give it nearly enough thought, so got comprehensively beaten by Anton.
ACW: Pea Ridge.
A very different, very characterful scuffle in the woods between two armies of contrasting quality.
Full AAR to follow.
BKC IV tonight
Western Desert, 138th Borcester Light Heavy Infantry under Lt Colonel Antrobus failed to shift a dug in selection of Kamofgroup Philios.
Mostly because the 139th couldn't be bothered moving.
88s are brutal!
We concluded the Athenian/Spartian trireme game quite quickly last night, with the Athenians continuing to dominate proceedings :-bd :)
Started another game "somewhere in the Aegean Sea" with quite a few islands and shoals which makes manuvering by squadrons a lot more challenging.
Just one game this week, a fantasy game with Midgard Heroic Battles
Played an excellent game tonight.
Peninsular War (BBB): Vitoria.
This was refined version of the scenario we played in 2024, as briefly reported here:
https://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2024/03/bbb-busy-busy-busy.html
No report this time. Suffice to say I found it just as hard playing the French as I had to play the Allies! Really good scenario by Mark that presents both sides with an interesting challenge and produced a game that followed the historical shape of the battle pleasingly closely. Will be just one of a number of such jewels in the forthcoming BBB Peninsular War scenario book.
Warhammer Old World
Gobbos Vs Lizzies
Another loss
Sooooooooooo close...
Another turn and the Lizzies were in trouble.
Just one game this week, Guards of Traitor's Toll
Bloodbowl last night, my Dark Elves smashed by Snotlings.
Scrapjacks at Sunjester's. An interesting co&op survival system, set in ruined spaceships...
Report in Batreos
Rapid fire at Elton - 42 in Western Desert, Italian (me) victory. I suspect due to having more tanks.
BKCII set during Fall Rot, British vs Germans.
Hungary 1849: the battle of Debrecen (BBB rules).
Pleased with this as it was a scenario I bashed out on a 3-day deadline and produced a good game, despite not looking promising (historically, the Hungarian corps commander made an unwise decision to make stand despite facing 5:1 odds).
Full AAR on the BBBBlog:
https://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2026/02/alexander-not-so-great-at-debrecen.html
2 sci-fi games last week, trying out Scrapjacks.
WWII: my first ever game of Chain of Command.
Brits vs Germans in Normandy.
I wisely chose to join Justin on the German side.
Leigh's poor old Brits didn't have the numerical superiority to crack our defence. Good fun though.
Just two fantasy games this week, Song of Blades and Heroes and Midgard Heroic Battles.
More Armoured Clash - Sultanate vs Enlightened VSF fun - portal shenanigans vs stompy mars tripods. Fairly small 2 player game.
(https://i.postimg.cc/x8dyZsgJ/IMG_3161.jpg)
Last Week in The Lakes
Star Wars: Outer Rim x 1
King of Tokoyo x 1
Carcassonne x 1
Oh Brother, why? X 1 ( https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/447572/brother-why )
Unstable Unicorns (NSFW remix) - many
Flux Original- innumerable
Tonight - Burrows and Badgers, Fox Force gave the Dutchy of Duckdom a good bashing.
Last week 4 games
Guards of Traitors Toll fantasy
Reign in Hell fantasy
then I went to Herts of Lard on Saturday,
Midgard Saxon vs Viking historical. The scenario was based on Bernard Cornwell's Last Kingdom novel, I almost got Utred killed (which would have spoiled the sequel!).
Aliens game using What an Cowboy mechanisms.
Honours of War, played solo, set circa 1760 near to Berlin.
Napoleonics: Albuera (BBB).
Should it count as more than one if it was a particularly good game? This was a cracker.
Full AAR here:
https://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2026/03/aaa-absolutely-awesome-albuera.html
Burrows and Badgers, took a mauling but won the game.
I don't normally post here, but last weekend I took my Peninsular armies out for a pair of battles.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55148179287_31c7ebed91_b.jpg)Franco-Confederation on the left; Anglo Portuguese on the right.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55149308664_39edb28b60_b.jpg)The Portuguese. Two brigades of infantry, two batteries and a small cavalry regiment. Daddy Hill oversees from beside the church.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55149237458_702d00cf9a_b.jpg) The British: Two brigades of infantry, plus the 5/60th; one Dragoon and one Light dragoon regiment and two artillery batteries.
Quote from: fsn on 15 March 2026, 05:49:34 PMI don't normally post here, but last weekend I took my Peninsular armies out for a pair of battles.
Glad you made an exception this time. Nice to see your good-looking armies in action.
What Chris said :) !
Another Honours of War game and yet again a One Hour Wargames scenario :) .
Good looking game fsn - impressive armies!
ACW: 2nd Bull Run aka 2nd Manassas (BBB rules).
A ding-dong scrap, pretty historical shape to it, good fun, multiplayer mayhem.
Photo-AAR on the BBBBlog here:
https://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2026/03/second-go-at-2nd-bull-run.html
Fine game there Chris 8) ! A very good point that in a large multiplayer game, not knowing what is going on on the other flank is a good reflection of reality.
Another top report
BKC IV a win fir the Britush in the desert, report to come.
Ingenious, just pipped into 3rd
WWII: Keren (1941). (Adapted BBB rules)
A nice exotic and different game, 4th Indian Division trying to turf Italian colonial forces out of their mountaintop entrenchments in Eritrea.
Photo-AAR on the BBBBlog:
https://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2026/03/eritrean-escapade-keren-1941.html
QuoteWWII: Keren (1941). (Adapted BBB rules)
A nice exotic and different game, 4th Indian Division trying to turf Italian colonial forces out of their mountaintop entrenchments in Eritrea.
Photo-AAR on the BBBBlog:
https://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2026/03/eritrean-escapade-keren-1941.html
Very cool. Hadn't realised anyone had adapted BBB for WWII
Soldiers of Napoleon
Guard Imperial vs Austrians
Mutual break, but had been looking like an absolute stomping of my Guard.
Quote from: fred. on 25 March 2026, 10:00:47 PMVery cool. Hadn't realised anyone had adapted BBB for WWII
Cheers, fred. Well, I'm still not sure I'm convinced, but it was a good game. Whether it would still work with tanks and mech inf on the table, rather than just being mostly an infantry fight, remains to be seen.
Bob Mackenzie's adaptation is pretty good, actually, and that does handle tank battles well.
Quote from: Duke Speedy of Leighton on 25 March 2026, 10:20:57 PMSoldiers of Napoleon
Gurdwara Imperial vs Austrians
Mutual break, but had been looking like an absolute stomping of my Guard.
A little-known campaign!
Very interesting Chris :-bd
As you say the 1940-41 East African campaign is not a subject that I have seen gamed very often. Battling Rommel's Afrika Korps in North Africa is a lot more popular.
Quote from: pierre the shy on 26 March 2026, 01:51:08 AMVery interesting Chris :-bd
As you say the 1940-41 East African campaign is not a subject that I have seen gamed very often. Battling Rommel's Afrika Korps in North Africa is a lot more popular.
I plead family interest; my granddad was there.
Quote from: Chris Pringle on 25 March 2026, 11:34:36 PMA little-known campaign!
Well, they were feared so no one fought them...
(Bloody phone)
Quote from: Chris Pringle on 25 March 2026, 05:10:10 PMWWII: Keren (1941). (Adapted BBB rules)
A nice exotic and different game, 4th Indian Division trying to turf Italian colonial forces out of their mountaintop entrenchments in Eritrea.
Photo-AAR on the BBBBlog:
https://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2026/03/eritrean-escapade-keren-1941.html
Sounds like an absolute belter of a game
A current what-if:
Battlegroup Clash Baltics.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/434134/battlegroup-clash-baltics
This is a boardgame but would translate readily to miniatures (in fact Phil has already painted some up for it).
Very interesting.
Q1 Twenty-Four
Ancients - 6
WAS - 1
Napoleonic - 1
Boer War - 1
WWI - 4
WWI(Naval) - 1
WWII - 6
WWII(Air) - 1
WWII(Naval) - 1
Post WWII / Cold War - 1
SciFi - 1
Franco-Prussian War: Coulmiers (BBB).
Introducing five mostly new players (Richard, Bill, Tim, Dave N, Les).
Used Tim's lovely 10mm armies.
Game was a riot, classic BBB finish - all three results possible on the final turn, came down to the last couple of rolls of the dice. Random events table reproduced history: a few franc-tireurs showed up and were mistaken for Germans by the French cavalry, who promptly departed ...
A thoroughly good evening. Pity I was too busy reffing and bantering with the new recruits to take a photo for a proper AAR.
just one this week, a fantasy game with A Song of Blades and Heroes.
Umpiring an experenced player and someone who had never met it befire though a game of Crossfire.
It were bloody! The new player playing Americans soon got the hang of it.
To be fair, we havent played since the 00s!
Dead Man and Redux
First time ever played, but did allow me to get out some 28mm figures I'd not used in twenty-odd years.
I really enjoyed the multi-part game and unpredictabke nature of the game. Will play again.
Aliens: Another Glorious Day In The Coros co-op with Sunjester.
We found Newt, but it was close.
ACW: Resaca. (BBB rules.)
Pendraken figures.
First serious substantial scenario I've written this year.
Considering it's basically a Union assault on well entrenched Confederates, it produced a surprisingly good game with a surprising amount of manoeuvre. I'll call it a success. (Even though I and my fellow Union player Dave T lost.)
Full AAR here:
https://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2026/04/resaca-inverted-gettysburg.html
Nice Chris
5 games in the past week.
Aliens with Duke Speedy (sci-fi)
2 x Song of Blades and Heroes (fantasy)
Reign in Hell (fantasy)
Torpedoes and Tides (WW2 coastal forces)
ACW: Resaca replayed (BBB rules).
Pendraken figures.
Revisited the scenario we played last week but with some small amendments.
Excellent close hard-fought game, came down to the last throw of the dice changing Confederate victory into a draw.
A couple more fine-tuning tweaks to the scenario and we can call it good.
Blitzkrieg Commamder IV, this time Antrobus has made it to Tunisia.
Report soon.
Cold War gone Hot, 1985 (Team Yankee).
My first time playing TY. Used Tim's very lovely Pendraken Soviets and Brits.
Swift and brutal game, not a whole lot of manoeuvre beyond advance and assault, all over in 4 turns.
We all had a good time though.
X Wing,
Wedge Antilles in an X Wing, Gold Leader in a Y Wing, amd a B Wing took out a Decimator (big shop) a Tie interceptor and a TIE fighter.
I got lucky. ;D
Wednesday -Soldiers of Napoleon,close loss for my Prussiams vs Mark's French.
Today, three games of Mortem et Gloriam. Wasn't meant to be playing,but someone was ill and I stepped in. A close loss and two big wins! 10mm Mongols amd Sassanids pretending to be Tibetain! As you do...
ACW: Kennesaw Mountain (BBB rules)
First playtest of this new scenario that covers a month of operations, including the prequel actions at New Hope Church, Pickett's Mill, Dallas, etc.
Useful scenario-wise in highlighting a couple of things I need to change.
Successful game-wise in that all the players seemed to enjoy it!
Two more playtests lined up for the next week.
I forgot to list last week's games.
My buddy Mark came to stay and cracked on with the Frostgrave campaign we started last May!
3 games of Frostgrave, an evening of boardgames and a quantity of beer!
One more game of MeG on Sunday, got slaughtered.
Burrows & Badgers v2, tonight, big win.