Operation Torch - Angels 20/Bandits High Game Night

 I recently ran a game at our club game night. The scenario pits American Wildcats escorting Dauntlesses dive bombers flying in to support the upcoming American invasion by attacking Vichy gun positions and an airfield. Here at game night we had three Americans facing off against two French players. The French divided the forces into a squadron of three MS406’s and another of two D520’s. The American players divided their forces into a group of one Wildcat and two groups of a Wildcats and a Dauntless. The game proceeded well.  There were two new players and three veterans. We have great gamers in our club and within two turns the players had the rules down and were running the game themselves. 

The Wildcats are a really tough aircraft in this rules set and I tried to balance the forces by giving the French some positive pilot skills. The American players did a good job for the most part of holding the Vichy fighters off the Dauntlesses, but as one of the American players lined up a gun position for a bomb run and a Vichy D520 forced him to abort with a hit. The other Dauntless managed to hit and destroy the other gun position.

The Wildcats eventually shot down both D520’s and one of the MS406’s. One of the Wildcats ended the games crippled. This was definitely an American victory.  We did learn a lot by playing through the scenario. I’m preparing another D520 and will go with a French force of Three D520’s and two MS406’s in the next game. With the pilot skills, this should be a much more balanced force. 

Here are some photos of the game:

The furball forms as squadrons come together. 

A Wildcat takes on an MS406 at close range. 

I like the game mat. It is really for the Pacific, but works for my fictional scenario off the coast of N. Africa.

A crippled D520 tries to engage a Dauntless.

A Wildcat destroys a D520 with a vital hit roll.

My thanks to Gordon and Phil (Vichy players) and Kevin, Ralph and Michael (American players). This was a great game and I look forward to the next one at the Mayhem gaming convention in April. 

Gaming for the 2nd Half of 2019

As I was looking at my Hobby Activities for the Year (See Below), I noticed that so far in 2019 I have played the largest number of different rule sets than any other year I've been in the hobby - by far.

It just seems that I have been willing to go out on a limb and try new things (such as Star Wars ver 2, Warlords of Erehwon, and GW Kill Team).  More so, it seems, then ever.  I'm not really sure why this is, it just seems to all be piling up this year.

And I don't think that the trend will be slowing down either.  Right now I am planning to play in a game of 'Fistful of Lead' later this month (I'm painting up some US Cavalry and Plains Infantry, complete with Gatling Gun for that game!).  I also have planned to try a game of Black Ops from Osprey War-games sometimes later this summer.  And right now I am reading another set of rules from Osprey, Rebels and Patriots, that I want to try out for that all elusive 'great' rules set for my War of 1812 skirmishes.

So many games, so little time!  I really want to settle on a rules that I enjoy playing and that I have enough painted minis to do effective games and/or campaigns.  There will always be one off games like the Fistful of Lead at my local hobby store, but I am talking about rules that I play enough to get comfortable with, or that I 'work harder' at so I can become somewhat proficient.  I don't ever want to 'work' on game system to be a competitive player, but I would like to develop a feel for some game systems so I can game master a game or campaign and be do a pretty good job.

Right now I think that is the following games in the indicated period:

Napoleonics
Volley & Bayonet Wing Scale
Napoleon's Rules of War

War of 1812
Volley & Bayonet Wing Scale (Ed's Edits) - For battles
Rebels and Patriots - For skirmishes

WWII
Cruel Seas - Naval
Blood Red Skies - Air
Bolt Action - Skirmishes

Modern
???

Sci Fi and Fantasy
X-Wing ver 2
GW Kill Team
Warlords of Erehwon

Ten sets of rules plus at least one for modern gaming!  Too many, I think.  But these are all rules that I have tried out and I really have enjoyed each one of them for their own reasons.  I think that I will have to consider them one-by-one and pair out the ones that I really don't want to play on a regular basis.

I have figures for most, if not all, of them so painting isn't really an issue - just have to finish off lead that I already have as I go along and then get stuff out to the table.  Terrain is also not an issue as I have all types of terrain already made for all of the scales of figures that I have and for all of the time periods and settings (Europe, N. America, etc.).

I will update the blog as I play through these.

Warlords of Erehwon

Here are some pics of recent battles I have participated in from the new (for me at least) Warlords of Erehwon.  I have an Elven Army that I have fought through 7 battles now and I have both won and lost with it.  I really enjoy the game system - even if my sucky dice make it more than a challenge sometimes.  One example is that I have, while attempting to cast spells with my Mage, changed myself into a frog a total of four times in seven games.  Ask anyone who plays - that is a pretty high percentage!

My Elves are a pretty strong army and I have enjoyed putting the force together and have also enjoyed getting them on the table a fair number of times.

Now for the pics with some explanation of the force in the captions:

My Elves are at the top of this photo.  I have a small bolt thrower at the far right, what's left of my Guard in front of my Mounted Elven Lord, in front of my Mage (who miscast yet another spell), then continuing left to my Mounted Hero, an Elven Warrior Unit in front of a small unit of Archers.  My Giant Eagle in on the right of the photo taking the battle to my opponent's Gnoll force.

From bottom to top - Giant Eagle, Small Bolt Thrower, Guard with Long Spear, Mounted Lord with two Bodyguards, Mounted Hero, Archers, Mage with Bound Daemons, Warrior Unit

Giant Eagle (on the right) on the attack!  Besides my Allied Griffon the Eagle has been my singularly most effective battle unit.

My Mage stinks!  He has been since been replaced by another figure who has proven to be just as ineffective in providing support to my Army!  Looking for a third figure to take over the position!

As you might be able to discern from these photos, my force is made up almost exclusively of pre-painted Mage Knight and D&D figures.  I love the fact that I have spent about $200 on this game system (with Rules!) and I have two complete armies ready to put on the table. Can't ask for more than that.  I will get a few photos of my Undead Army on the blog in a future post.

Naval Gaming on the Cruel Seas

Here are some pics of forces I am painting up for the new Game - Cruel Seas.  It is a 1/300 scale naval game that I recently started playing.  I am painting up two forces right now - a German Kriegsmarine Force and a British (Free French) Flotilla Force.  I have continued my Free French WWII theme into this game system as I can be the add on to the many different British forces that people are painting up.

Enjoy these pics while I finish painting the larger boats and get some action photos of a game soon.

The Vosper MkII's in foreground, MkI's in the background.

Decals from MiscMini 1/300 range and Flames of War 15mm French Armor sets will help with identifying boats during a game. 

Close up of a Vosper MkII.

British Dog Boats to give my force some punch!  I have some other really cool models on the painting table that will add an even heavier punch!  I will have photos soon!

The Fleet Air Arm is also well represented in my force.  Decals also from the excellent MiscMini 1/300 MTB decal sheet! I think this is one of my favorite paint jobs of the year so far.

I have made a pretty good dent in the 'too paint pile' for Cruel Seas.  I am currently working on larger ships like the Armed Trawlers and Minesweepers.  I will get pics up as soon as I can.

Warlord of a New Game System

Recently I started playing a new Game System - Warlords of Erehwon - by Warlord Games.  It is really the first Magic, Fantasy type wargame that I have played.  I purchased the rule book on a whim when I realized that I might be able to outfit an army without any real painting and for well under $100!  As far as wargames these days, it was almost too good to be true!

Although I am short and hobbit-like portly, I chose the very tall and elegant Elven force for my base army.  The special rules for the Elves have a distinct French flavor.  Haughty Disdain, Longbows, Spangly Armor and did I mention Haughty Disdain?  The base force also includes a Giant Eagle which can be very helpful.  I really like the way the army plays on the table.  Sort of like the German SS in a WWII rules set - small units of very good troops with a lot of firepower!  Playing against Gordon's Orcs/Goblins/whatever is like trying to stop the Russian Horde on the Eastern Front!  It is quite a bit of fun.

I haven't taken many photos of the army yet.  And I don't have any of it in action, but here are a couple of photos of my heavy units - my Dragon riding hero and the Allied Griffon.  The Griffon has been involved in a couple of games and has done pretty well.  The Dragon hero has been too expensive to field in a game to date because our points list has been limited.  Looking forward to getting that rectified soon!

The Elven Hero mounted on a dragon.  The dragon is a nod to my sons, Marc Paul and Andrew as it is a figure they used to play with as kids.  A bit of nostalgia that makes me smile!

Another view.  The title of the hero is "No, No, No!" with a hearty figure wave!

The two units mounted on their flying bases.  Rare earth magnets are so cool!

This Elven force now has an enemy to fight as I have organized an Undead Army out yet more ready-painted figures in Gordon's toy bin!  I love these painted figures because you only have to do ~10 figures and you are ready to play a game!  Looking forward to the first clash between these armies.

Home at Last!

The trek to and from HISTORICON has ended and we must return to the real world!  We had a very good visit to the Gettysburg Battlefield on Sunday.  We did three presentations - I did Buford's fight on the 1st Day; Ralph G. lead a discussion of Sickles' decision making process in occupying the Peach Orchard and Wheat field position; and Byron C. provided insights into the Confederate/Union artillery fight before and during Picketts' Charge on July 3rd.

All in all the trip was excellent and I am looking forward to doing it again in the future!

Here is a photo of the five guys who were my partners in crime (ok, no crime - just fun!) during the trip.  We made the obligatory stop on Little Round Top and visited the 20th Maine monument as I do every time I go to Gettysburg.

Starting My German 28mm Skirmish Army!

I don't usually do a Work In Progress (WIP) here on my blog, but I am starting my German Army for 28mm Skirmish Gaming and I want to chronicle the progress as I go.  I also want to put a little bit on pressure on myself to get the force painted so I can use it on the gaming table!.

Here is a photo showing the organization of the force:

The first part of this force is the infantry and some supports.  On the left are two Pak 40, 75mm AT Guns.  The crews are above them.  In the center of picture are three squads each of nine men.  Each squad includes a LMG team of two men.  To the right of the infantry is a Panzerschreck team of three men.  Above the Panzerschreck team is the command team of three men.  Behind the infantry squads is a Medium Machine Gun team.  To the right of the MMG are two sets of command figures which will be my Lieutenants in Bolt Action.  Behind the infantry is a 75mm Infantry gun and crew on the left and a Sdkfz 234/1 armored car on the right.

This will be a good force to start with I think.  Once I get these models painted, I have additional armor and some more supports to follow-up.

So, what will they be painted as?  Well, I want to have a force that is usable in Italy to fight my French forces from the French Expeditionary Corps (FEC) around Monte Cassino or against the Americans/British in the Anzio area.

I have settled on the Hermann Goering Panzer Division.  This is a very interesting unit because it was a Luftwaffe formation - but is made up of some pretty hard fighting formations, lead by good combat veterans.  This means it can be a regular or veteran unit in Bolt Action.  Also, because of the Field Marshal's intervention, the HG Panzer Division had good equipment.

Uniforms will be a very interesting mix of Luftwaffe blues, tropical tans and yellows and regular and SS camouflage!  Should be a lot of fun to paint.

Ok, I want to commit to at least one hour of work on the force each night - more if I can get the time. Should be a few weeks at the really slow pace of my painting.  Can it be done by the end of March?  We will have to see how it goes!  Wish me luck!

Game Night at the Club

The Northern Conspiracy held its monthly game night last night and we had a great time!  I played in John's excellent ACW game using Regimental Fire and Fury (RFF) and his fantastic 60mm figures!  The game was visually stunning and it was a truly entertaining time.

I must admit that Kevin and Bob kicked my butt, even so it was a great time.  Here are a few photos from the evening.

As you can see from the photos - the figures and terrain were just a sight to behold!

Some of the Rebels we tried to subdue.  They were just too good.

More of them Rebels! 

Part of one of our brigades.  Even the Black Hats of the Iron Brigade were not enough to save the Union on this night!

The section of the field from behind Greg's Command.  The object of the game was to capture the road in the middle of the table.  The Confederates got the memo - our side did not!

Some of my brigade - a unit of Zouaves.  They were classified as Crack Troops in the scenario.  They fought more like Crackheads!

One of our artillery batteries.  They did actually wipe out one Confederate regiment, but it was not enough to save the day. And the other three regiments facing them wiped this battery out to a man!

HUZZAH! Shopping Results

My shopping at Huzzah! this year was not spectacular.  I got a book on modern uniforms, a book on French Foreign uniforms from the 1880's up to the present day and the Bolt Action game book - Battleground Europe.  I needed the latter as I wanted the official rules on minefields so I can incorporate them into my modern games.

Here are the books that I purchased:

I also got a bridge for my War of 1812 games from Wargamers' Terrain and some Vallejo paints.  The bridge is pretty cool as it is built up on either end with small abutment pieces.  Should be a nice addition to the terrain collection.

Here is a photo of the bridge:

I will get photos up as soon as I can get the camera operational.  Not as much as usual, but there just didn't seem to be anything that really caught my fancy - no "I have to buy that" moments.  Really pretty scary for the Sammy Sanguine in me!

Pirate Game Day

Wow!  It has been an entire month since my last post.  Work and personal life has taken a definite bite out of my available hobby time.  Here are some photos from the Pirate game day.  It was an extremely fun time - even though I had to leave the day early.  Enjoy!

Ralph brushes up on the rules before the start of the game.  Not that the person sailing around the largest ship in the ocean needs to consider the rules much!

One of the islands that participants would fight over during the day.

The government frigate.  A real pain in the pirates' butt!  Better behave yourselves within four feet of this bad boy!  This is the reason Ralph didn't need to really know the rules.

Another set of settlements.  As I recall, I had the pleasure of plundering both of these!

Some of the marines and crew manning a government ship.

Another island

The government cutter.  The governor's daughter sailed around on this beauty - and pirates chased it around all day long!

The figurehead on the government cutter.

Captain Randy and his mighty ship.  As you can see the Northern Conspiracy really gets into Pirate Game Day!

New Game Room Actually Being Used!

It has been a very long summer getting the new house set up.  now I am able to spend some time on the Hobby!  I have been doing some painting over the past couple of days and I got some twenty-nine 28mm Napoleonics finished and based!  It always seem that when there is a big game day coming and I commit to supply some troops all of a sudden the brushes warm up and lead comes to life!

These figures complete my Westphalian and Polish brigades for V&B Wing Scale and Napoleon's Rules of War game systems.

I will be taking photos of the troops during the game and will post them when I get a chance.

Painting Table Active Again!

Today I got back into figure painting as part of my recovery "therapy". I am working on my British Army for Volley & Bayonet Wing Scale games that we are working on in our club. I finished a unit commander for the British 1st Foot Regiment and started painting a couple of Brunswick Oels Jager figures for Brigade supports. Good to be painting again!

Wargame Happenings Today

Today I received notice that my 1812 skirmish figures are painted and on their way back to me. I have over 120 28mm figures on their way, which is going to mean I will have the ability to put on some nice sized games. The figures include some US and British Regulars as well as lights and rifles for both sides. I also have some "specials" such as Royal Marines and West Indies Regiment to add some variety. I am really looking forward to getting the figures back and will get photos on the blog as soon as they arrive.

I also placed my order for the ships and planes that I have been waiting for from the new War at Sea set, Surface Action. I ordered several units including the Shore Battery, Strasbourg (French Battleship), Eagle (British Carrier), Andria Doria (Italian Battleship), Hawkins (British Cruiser), LST (Allied Landing Ships), Fw-190 (German Fighter), and Vosper MTB (British Torpedo Boat). There were some other smaller units that I will detail later. This should give me a very good mix of combat units that I need to complete both the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean scenarios that I want to do.

Why Continue to Wargame?

I am sure that given my last post many would ask why I would ever continue to have Wargaming as my hobby. Well, first of all it was something that Marc Paul and I enjoyed doing together. We traveled to HISTORICON together when he was younger and we had a great time manning the German defenses on Sword Beach and turning back the invading British forces with some absolute lights out die rolling by Marc! It was great fun and we did it together as father and son.

When Marc came home in December of 2009 before his deployment to Afghanistan we played my 15mm Volley & Bayonet game - Quatre Bras. Marc did an outstanding job attacking as the French player and I barely escaped with a victory for the Allies. We enjoyed drinking Cokes, eating chips and rolling dice just the two of us. It was our special time together and I will always cherish that evening.

Wargaming does not represent the blood and gore and loss of war. It is a study of history and in a way a celebration of those who have answered the call of their country throughout the ages. As a person who has experienced the loss of war in a very personal way, I am not glorifying war itself, but I want to honor the soldier who has done his duty for his country and learn more about how military things have happened throughout history.

So, there you have it. The reasons I still wargame are to remember my relationship with my son and to honor all who have gone before us in duty to their country and to learn about history. Agree or not, those are my reasons.

I am back!

I am back here on my blog. The last posts I made were in January, 2010. On January 29, 2010 we lost our son, Marc Paul, during his deployment to Afghanistan. Marc was killed along with a US Special Forces Captain who commanded the unit Marc was attached to. Marc was a great person and an outstanding soldier. Our family has been devastated by Marc's death, but we know that God has a plan for everything that happens.
Hundreds came to his funeral service at Plymouth Regional High School. During that service all of those people the message of Christian Salvation, some perhaps for the first time. If even one person made a decision to follow Christ because of that service, we will rejoice with Marc Paul when we all meet together in Heaven someday.
Through this tough time we have also seen the love of our family, friends and community manifested in so many ways. Donations were made in Marc's honor to benefit his HS Lacrosse Program. So much was donated that a new set of bleachers at the Soccer/Lacrosse Field were built along with a coaches filming booth. Also, we have been able to donate to other local charities. The Town of WV and the Waterville Valley Foundation made donations and purchased the very first flag pole for the WV Elementary School which was dedicated to Marc Paul. It is really something to see that flag flying so proudly over our community everyday, knowing that our son has joined the long list of those in a United States uniform who have given their lives to defend that flag and our nation.

Games for 2010

I will be hosting three games during 2010 at the Northern Conspiracy Gaming Club. The first game will be a WWII SPEARHEAD 15mm game for the January Game Night. I will also be hosting a Napoleonic Volley & Bayonet game and a Modern CROSSFIRE game later in the year. I will provide details on my first game in a post later this week.

New Airborne Warrior!

As you can see from the set up of my site, I just returned from Fort Benning, Georgia, home of the US Army Airborne School. It was a homecoming for me as I went through the training back in 1988. The reason I went back was to attend my son's graduation from the school! What a proud moment it was to pin his wings on and welcome him into the brotherhood of the airborne trooper. Here is a photo on Marc in his ACU's with the coveted red beret on his head and jump wings on his chest!