Men Against Fire Game

I got to play in a great WWII Skirmish Game Friday night. It was hosted by my friend Ralph at our club monthly game night using the Men Against Fire rules set by Frank Chadwick. Here are some photos of the game.

This is the armor and some of the infantry of the command I had in the game.

This is the town that was the objective of our attack.

The Germans' defense included a train which they could move if they were so inclined. It ended up to not play as significant a factor in our game because the American flank attack negated it to some extent. Here is a picture of the train.

Overall the terrain in this game is just outstanding, as are all of the games that Ralph hosts. Here are some other photos of the terrain before we set up the game.

This was a very fun game. We are still learning the rules, but they seem to have some real potential as the club staple for WWII skirmish. Thanks to Ralph for hosting a great game!

Waterville Valley Wargame Weekend (WVWW)

Last weekend we had a great weekend of wargames and fellowship. Several members of our wargames club visited for three days and we had several great games. There were seven of us who attended for the weekend. The gaming started on Friday night with an excellent WWII skirmish game using the Frank Chadwick rules Men Under Fire. On Saturday we had a very large Volley & Bayonet Wing Scale game set in the Napoleonic Spanish Peninsula. Finally, on Sunday we had a Russian Civil War skirmish game using a the In the Mud and the Blood which is a version of I Ain't Been Shot Mum. Overall we had about 24 hours of gaming over the weekend! All of it was set on great terrain and the figures were just great. Below are several photos from the V&B Wing Scale big game on Saturday. I am waiting to get photos of the other games from fellow participants.

Here is a photo of my new Polish troops going in for their first attack!

This is a British Brigade defending outside of a small Spanish village. All of the buildings are from my new Italian building collection from the Miniature Building Authority. Although they are 15mm scale, they fit in very nicely with the 25-18mm V&B figures we use for this game system.

Here is the ultimate prize in the game. The British had the mission of defending this group of buildings. The French had to attack through several lines of defenses and then take this town.

Here is a British Brigade moving to a new position including two squadrons of Hussars. This shows the great set up of a V&B Wing Scale game with not too many figures, but just enough to give a good look to an army.

A mixed French Allied Brigade on the attack. The forces include Swiss, Germans and Nassau troops.

Wing Scale Volley & Bayonet Game

Played in a small V&B Wing Scale game today. It was a couple of Brigades on each side, British vs. French. It was a practice/familiarization game getting ready for a bigger game we are planning to play in October. The game came out very well with most of our rule modifications working out. I look forward to playing the larger game next month. I have photos, but can't post them from this computer. Will try to get them done tomorrow.

Another Photo of the Pirate Ship

Okay, here is the second try on the second photo. The ships boat is a kit that my friend AJ made up. It is a great little kit, very easy to put together and it is very realistic. It will be even better when I get it stained. Hope you like it.

Pirate Ship Photo

Here is a photo of my "pirate" ship. It is an eight gun Brig named after an actual Privateer that sailed out of Portsmouth, NH during the American Revolution. There are ten of the 20 figures that I have painted for the game day for the wargame club that I belong to on the ship. My other figures are a landing party including Marines. I have taken them to a friends house so he can use them for the game day next week. I will post a photo when I get them back. I am working on another photo, but I can't get it to post correctly yet.

Pirate Boat Painted

I have completed the Pirate Boat project. I have the boat painted and rigged and I have twenty figures painted for the game. I won't actually be able to attend the game day, but my friend Phil will be using my stuff. The figures include a crew of ten and a landing party of ten additional figures as well as a ship's boat (a dory). Overall the painting went well and I am pretty happy with the results. Pics will come tonight.

Painting Table Visit!

I got six Canadian Sedentary Militia completed for my Lundy's Lane game! A good day at the table! They are all based and ready for flocking. I am going to do all stands remaining to be flocked for the game tomorrow. Amazing what you can get done when you have a day to yourself!

Finally, Back to the Painting Table!

Finally got back to the hobby table today! Finished four RHA gunners for my Peninsula Army. Also got ten figures re-based on some fine bases made by fellow Conspirator, AJ. The artillery will be supports for my Cavalry brigade. I am still working on the Brunswick Hussars, but I have a fresh outlook on the hobby table now that this artillery group is finished. Only six figures to go! Then four or six figures of British Hussars and the brigade will be finished.

Pegasus Bridge Photos

Here are the photos of the game last night.

The Battlefield

The British Paras

The Defenders of the West End of the Bridge

The Battle on the West End of the Bridge

The Next Battlefield

Pegasus Bridge Game

I hosted a 20mm World War Two game last night. The scenario was Pegasus Bridge, June 6, 1944. The game was played by four players who had only limited CROSSFIRE gaming experience (if any). Overall the game went pretty well. It ended in a draw when the Germans blew-up the bridge. I think that if the same players commanded in this scenario again things would be much different. Everyone who played learned more about the rules all through the game and by the end they were getting pretty comfortable with the game system.

The game started with the British players landing their gliders. For some reason one of the commanders tried to land two gliders in a small pond on the LZ - and he succeeded both times! It took over half the game to sort out the crashes. The other commander massed his platoons and prepared to assault the German pillbox, thus securing the West end of the Canal Bridge. Unfortunately for the Brits, the luck of the die was with the Germans and the assaulting troops were wiped out. It took several initiatives for the Paras to recover and they finally took the pillbox and killed Germans on the West side of the Canal. While the British Paras were trying to secure the West end of the bridge, the Germans moved their engineers onto the bridge and prepped it for demolition. The Brits assaulted onto the bridge, but the charges were set and the Brits were blown up as the bridge disappeared into a cloud of smoke and flying debris! First time ever the bridge has been blown in this game. No DSO for Major Howard and no Iron Cross for the German Company Commander! The game ended in a draw.

One of the outcomes of the battle was the set up for a follow-on game with the British trying to take the town of Benouville and set up a replacement for the Pegasus Bridge. It should provide some interesting challenges for both sides.

I took some pictures of the game and will add them in a little while.

20mm Figure Painting

Just completed painting the rest of the crew for my German gunboat. I am going to use it for my upcoming Pegasus Bridge CROSSFIRE game. I still have to mount the figures on the boat, but I should be able to get that completed this week.

Smalle Wars

Played in a great 17th Century Skirmish level game yesterday at Ed M's. The scenario was Poles vs. Cossacks. I had an opportunity to play the Poles and got to command the cavalry arm (Paneceri, Reiters and Winged Hussars) which is very appropriate for that army in that time period! Never had the opportunity to charge with the Hussars as the German mercenaries devastated the Cossack with massed musket fire and the players on that side conceded before I could get them in action.

The figures were beautiful and the company was great so I had a fantastic time. Ed is putting the game on this coming Friday at NC Game Night so hopefully there will be photos so I can show the figures we used.

Overall, a great day of wargaming!

January Game Night

I had a chance to attend the Northern Conspiracy January Game Night. I played in a Brother Against Brother ACW Skirmish game. It was a ton of fun! The rules are pretty simple while giving a good feel for the period and the level of game. I have played in a couple of games using this system before, but this is definitely my favorite game of BAB so far. I have a bunch of photos of the game on my phone, just need to figure out how to get them from there to this blog.