Dreadball II

So our Dreadball league has begun ... and with one of member playing cricket this week and another about to take his family to Florida for a week or two, it gave us the perfect opportunity to play the first two games of the tournament.

The evening in a nut shell ...

'KAWG' Pelgars (Kick Ass and Win Games) vs 'The Waaaargh' Orx

A fast KAWG start put The Waaaargh on the back foot early and, with the apparent inability to put the boot in, the Waaaargh coach found himself chasing the game.. quick KAWG scores piled more misery onto the green skins with a solitary point their only recompense. 

An opening into the 3pt end zone placed the game beyond the reach on the away side and a valiant attempt to break every leg in the KAWG side proved fruitless. The seven point swing calling time on the meeting between these two and all  three points going to the Pelgars.

Pennygate Pnuematics (Robots) vs KAWG

A slightly more cagey affair saw the Pnuematics pick up early gains in the injury stakes, send three Pelgars to the treatment room but being unable to build on this promising start the superior agility of the KAWG shine through.

Not being able to get out of their own half the PP saw all their efforts reversed with the score board showing a massive three point deficite. As with the green skinned comrades it became obvious that trying to beat the grey headed heroes was not a winning formulae.. with another massive three points going on the board and the clock striking twelve the match was conceded ... KAWG living up to their illustrious mantel, well at least the last two letters...

28mm WW2 Germans - Part Two

The final instalment of the thousand year Reich ....

Wrapping up painting projects has been the focus of the last few months, primarily the stack of Bolt Action world war two models but also Dreadball players and some Ork bikes that we have been using with a set of rules we have developed ourselves ... in a nut shell the back log has been cleared down to only three outstanding projects, 19th Century sailing ships, 6mm WW2 (more WW2! *sigh*) and our brand spanking new 'A Very British Civil War' campaign. All this and I have moved mu workstation into my new study, don't you know! ... Anyway, I ramble on, my mobile column of German army reinforcements has now been finished. The Americans and Russians have now got a fight on their hands!!

Sd.Kfz 250/7 Neu Mortar Carrier half track ....

A little bit of mobile heavy support ...

I have modelled this so that the mortar and crew can be removed, giving me a separate mortar team and half track if needs be!

Schweres Wurfgerat 41 rocket launcher ...

The Americans named this weapon the 'The Howling Cow' ... due to the interesting noises the rockets would make as the flew overhead.

Not quite as accurate as the mortars, requiring a 6 to hit on every roll, this weapon does do a lot of damage to everything within 6" of the aim point!

Artillery/air observer and medic ...

I've been holding these two models for an absolute age, finally finishing them with the rest of my German reinforcements  ... probably because while the air observer has the entirety of the Luftwaffe to call on in support ... this consists of only three ME109s ...

and that's it, Bolt Action painting finished for a while ... and now it's VBCW!!

Dreadball

The Pennygate Pneumatics ...

So, we're a few weeks away from the opening game of our first Dreadball season (www.manticgames.com) and all four of us will actually have fully painted teams ready to start! (I offered my painting services to some our less 'brush friendly' members..)

My side is the Pennygate Pneumatics, a team of shape changing robots! Which, one would hope, will give me the advantage over my opposition!!

We also have The Regent Street Warrior ably coached by Dan ...

... The WAAARGH! led by Mark ...

... and last, but by no means least, the K.A.W.G (Kick Ass and Win Games) masterminded by Mr Clay..

Our aim is to run a Dreadball night once a month in a league format... more to follow ...

28mm WW2 German SS

While TNMC continues with the X-wing miniatures game, the painting desk is filled with projects reinforcing the Germans defending Normandy...

First up, a Marder III (cheap, mobile, anti-tank) ... a great little model from Warlord games, painted with an eye to the crew slapping on a last minute camoflage scheme..

... and a small squad of SS, just because, you know, you can't go into battle without them! I learned two valuable lessons with these, firstly, a good plan for the peadot camo scheme is a must ... however, secondly, be patient and wait for your Vallejo colours to arrive. Using the wrong green can ruin your day!!

28mm ECW

With a few weeks of the X-wing miniatures game and a bike game of our own devising, it has been all quiet in Normandy and on the Eastern front.. 

That's not to say the painting table has been deserted, 'Oh no' ... I have been working on my first diorama.

It's actually a gift, I will concede that it may be not to everybodies taste but I would hope the recipient will like it!

Very briefly, it's a scene from the ECW, with three Parlimentarian cavalrymen flanking the Royalist artillery .. the gun crew are desperately trying to wheel the piece around!!

Comments are welcome!

28mm SS Kavallerie

Tales from the workbench ... 

A few pics from the small unit of SS Kavallerie I have been working on. The reason they're still on the workbench?! Upon taking the pictures I noticed I hadn't done any of the metalwork on the horses!

Please feel free to comment/feedback!!

Bolt Action Scenarios - D-Day

D-Day - 6th June .... Utah Beach

As dawn breaks the assault on Fortress Europa begins, US infantry speed toward their designated beach ... as the German prepare their defences and lay in wait ...

Another Tuesday night, another model club. This week we played Bolt Action, using an additional scenario, 'Bunker Assault', published on the Warlord games website (www.warlordgames.com).

In short, the defenders (Ze Germans) have three defensive lines set up across a 6ft game board, each defensive line consisting of a bunker and 18" of hard cover, in this case the hard cover was earth banks.

The worst picture in the world ... you can, just about, make out the three defensive lines..

The US have 10 turns to take all three bunkers to win, two bunkers to draw and one bunker is a loss.

To play the game in the spirit of our scenario background we decided that no vehicles were permitted, the armies would be solely infantry..

The Germans fielding three regular infantry squads, a mortar, a sniper and an officer. The squads all armed with 2 LMGs to try and keep 'der Yankees' at bay.

The US fielding two twelve man regular squads, an eight man engineer squad (avec le flame thrower! ... which is French for 'with the flame thrower'), two eleven man Ranger squads, a mortar, a sniper and an officer.

Rangers and engineers...

The navy barrage opens up on the German defenders, but, hunkered down in their bunkers, they only take a few pin markers ....
 

Turn 1 - 'starboard side six, port side six, move fast and clear those murder holes ... keep the sand out of your weapons, keep your actions clear, I'll see you on the beach'

With the regular infantry squads and engineers given the unenviable task of the first wave we begin our beach landing, the Germans get the first dice out of the bag placing the squad in the front bunker on 'ambush' ... the first squad of Americans land and charge straight up the sand to the earth works on the edge of the beach, taking three casualties on the way in, the remaining squads following their lead and avoid any further punishment ... that is, of course, until a single short rings out catching the flamethrower square between the eyes ... the US troopers have lost their best weapon against the German bunkers!

Turn 2 -

(It's all a bit much for 1st squad and they fall back into the sea..)

With the first wave high up the beach, the Americans push on ... the engineers assault the bunker without the support of the flamethrower, orders are orders, and narrowly overcome the defenders, however, the casualties prove too much and they break and run. First bunker taken on turn two ... this is going to be a piece of cake ... 

The German mortar team open up, having pre-sighted the entire beach a direct hit was inevitable, the GIs taking two casualties. Obviously shaken by the 'deadeye' accuracy of the Wehrmacht the squad fail their orders spectacularly and end up back in the sea ...

Turn over, all in the balance ... 

Turn 3 -

With the first wave on the beach in it's entirety, the second wave begins to arrive ... two full US Rangers squads!

However, with almost unbelievably accurate mortar fire from the single team at the back of the German deployment, the American advance becomes bogged down and is slowed ... there is no further advance this turn .... the remaining German MG42s are left scanning the horizon for an opportunity to present itself ...

Turn 4 -

Quality work from Mr Clay...

With indecision rife in the American ranks the German artillery starts to make the decisions for them ... another direct hit from the mortar team combined with the push of the Rangers arriving in droves, forces the US troops to start moving of the beach.

Turn 5 -

This is it!!

Full advance on all fronts, having calculated the distance that they require to cover, and the number of turns left, nothing but a sprint through open ground up to the final bunker can win this for the U.S of A ... with the support of their own mortar laying down smoke, Rangers and infantry charge over the earthwork defences ... if that smoke can stay in play for a turn or two running directly into the jaws of death might actually work!

Dan C (aka Rommel) gives us all an incite into the deepest recesses of his military genius and declares his battle plan ... 'I've been working on a six turn strategy' .... erm, no Dan, this runs for ten turns ...

Turn 6 -

The US start to make their advantage in material show by calling in an airstrike on the German sniper team, the veteran sniper continues to pour fire into the 2nd German bunker and the sprint for the final bunker continues apace ...

The roar of engines and the thud of heavy machine guns announces the arrival of the USAF ... the ground where the German sniper had been keeping infantry units pinned down erupts into mud, smoke and splintered wood ... nothing is left standing as the P51 rises back out of sight ...

Turn 7 -

The breeze coming of the sea picks up and to the horror of each GI ... all of the smoke carefully laid down by the mortar teams ... dissipates.

German MG42s open up with everything they have pinning one Ranger team and cutting one of the infantry squads, attacking the far defensive position, to pieces. It is all a little too much for these particular men and the US troopers rout.

Turn 8 -

All that is left of the assaulting army are the US Rangers, on the left a well placed mortar round puts a wall of smoke between them and the German guns ... on the right, yet another, dead eyed shot from the sniper team puts another pin on the bunker ... so distracting, in fact, that the Wehrmacht inside would rather keep their heads down than fire at the elite troops rushing their position. No fire from either bunker this turn.

Seeing the earlier devastation caused by the German mortar team, a second airstrike is called down on their position ...

... the skies remain empty ....

Turn 9 -

The American infantry position themselves to assault the German bunkers, armed to the teeth with SMGs and superior numbers it unlikely it will end well for the defenders ... just as one brave German officer sallies forth from his bunker and manages to take a Ranger with him before becoming a walking colander, the familiar sound of engines and machine guns is heard .... the German mortar team meets the same fate as the sniper team ...

... the whole game comes down to the last turn, if the Germans can just hold off one assault they could come away with a draw ...

Turn 10 -

.... the Germans are wiped out to the last man.

US victory.

In conclusion, the game was incredibly enjoyable ... we have had some thoughts about defending troops when we re-run it out on the Eastern Front and will find it interesting how the battle will run with entirely different assaulting forces ...

 

US Airborne - Bolt Action

'Take the bridge and hold it until help arrives Lt. Go to it.'

2014 and TNMC continues with reckless abandon! This week being the first Bolt Action skirmish of the year, and in keeping with making 2014 Tuesday nights more about camaraderie and fun than 'win at all costs', we put together a little D Day scenario without paying too much attention to points values. It would also give us the chance to have a look at how tough the elite Airbourne veterans were.

The early hours of 6th June 1944, an under strength platoon of the 101st Airbourne have made it to their objective, a small bridge that would be used by German reinforcements sent to push the forces landing at Utah beach later that day back into the sea.

The table was set up longways, with the river and bridge about two thirds of the way away from the German deployment..

The Americans would start one side of the river, a small squad of Wehrmacht garrisoned in a house and the rest if the German army starting off the board to come on from turn two, on the other. To represent the element of surprise, the German reinforcements would suffer a +3 to their order test to come on when first rolling to come on, then reduced to a +2 and so on!

Turn 1

The Americans charged forward, knowing that they must not let the Germans establish any sort of foothold at the bridge ... the garrison responded in kind and spilled out of the house in the direction of 'der yankies'.

Turns 2, 3 and 4 (half of the game, half the game and nothing happens!)

The paratrooper's advance continued, with a medium machine gun being placed in a house to cover  the bridge and the squads positioning themselves against walls running along the river. The German's advanced stalled however, with none of the reinforcements turning up until turn three and one of the two infantry squads not turning up at all, probably still looking for their rifles back at the barracks! It wasn't entirely 'doom and gloom' the German mortar team had managed to lay down some smoke to cover the advance of the vehicles ....

Turn 5

It turned out the German smoke worked both ways and, with the precision of a Swiss made time piece, one of the 101st squads swept over the bridge. The Americans now had both ends secured. Running out of time and with no support, the town garrison charged the Screaming Eagles on the German side of the bridge ... and met a swift end, a really, really swift end... embarrassingly swift. It was brutal.

Turn 6

With the entire bridge swamped with American troopers, the German smoke clearing and the allies dice first out of the bag ('if god be with us, who could be against us!) the battle was effectively over!! The airborne bazooka fired at a fully laden Hanomag, hit, did damage, but only blew the track off... the infantry instantly dismounted and opened fire with everything they had ... one Airbourne trooper taken casualty. The German mortar fired, and hit ... one Airbourne trooper taken casualty, but the Wehrmacht were unable to do any real damage to the veteran defenders and they stood firm..

If the overwhelming weight of allied troops on the bridge and the Germans having used everything they had wasn't enough ... the Americans brought their officer over the river as well and then preceded to put another squad on ambush. Nothing like belt and braces to make the win certain ... so much for getting away from a 'win at all costs' attitude!! 

However, in the final action of the game, in true Hollywood style and an attempt at regaining the 'right spirit' .. the German garrison officer charged the airborne officer ... breaking from behind a stack of barrels, Lt Gruber charged forward, making it three steps before disappearing in a hail of American bullets ...

All in all, it was another enjoyable WW2 romp, with a couple of lessons learned -1. veterans are tough hombres and probably worth the extra points, and 2. the Germans need to use the mechanised infantry tactic whenever they can!!