Wyre Forest - October Club - Objective Hammer.

October club and a modern outing with Operation Desert Storm using Force on Force.

Breakthrough at Objective Hammer.

British mechanized infantry supported by Warrior IFVs and Challenger 1 tanks must breach a heavily fortified Iraqi defensive line consisting of trenches, dug-in T-55/T-72 tanks, and ATGM teams. The goal is to secure a strategic metal road behind the defensive line.

A new regular venue for the club, that conveniently has a large table tennis table, which gives us that little but extra playing area and the ability to go big..... 

On the right flank a dual a T72 and a BMP1 hide out amongst the shell scrapes awaiting the British advance. Within FoF the Iraqi's need to really mass their fire to bring down the attacking dice of the better armoured and armed Challenger I's  

he British won this dual, but the defenders had the satisfaction of knowing that the had caused the British to lose a track, not great for an attacking force of only two MBT's.

Better news on the left flank as the 2nd Challenger engaged multiple targets brewing a T55 and T72 in short order. The heavy metal fight was sort lived and it was not long before all along the line Iraqi AFV's were burning. 

A little over confident they moved over the open ground and were greeted by Saggers and RPG rounds, many missed their mark however some got through. The loss of a couple of Warriors would be difficult to justify to the bean counters in Whitehall.

As the clock ran down and the Iraqi reinforcements were turned to burning wreaks the British neared the defensive line. a partial victory for the coalition but an expensive encounter with two Warriors destroyed and all three Challengers suffering battle damage.

A fun and bruising encounter, it took a while to get the tactics right for this battle to make the best use of the British firepower, tanks don't last long. But the AT teams can still pack a punch especially when deployed in numbers.

Force on Force gives a realistic encounter the improved qualify of the British gives them an advantage in supressing the poorer quality defenders, the high value dice means certain shots will automatically get through.

As both forces were regular it can lead to protracted exchange of fire, the trick is knowing when to stop and save some of those dice for that 'Just in case' moment.

The casualty and wound tables make you think about when to put your mini warriors in danger.

17th Light Dragoons - AWI Cavalry.

A couple of take nights but I was determined to get these finished whilst the calendar still said September :-)

The last of the core troops for the AWI project and the 17th Light Dragoons from Pendraken Miniatures. Based 3 to base for Rebels and Patriots.

Given most of the cavalry of the period seems to have been deployed in small detachments 3 units of British cavalry should be fine for most engagements of the war.

A little bored of the mass of scarlet, I thought I might sneak in a unit of British Legion in green. I know the head gear is wrong, but it's 10mm so I can barely make out which way round the infantry are so head gear is not a major concern.

Really pleased which how these have come out.... Now to get them on the table....

AWI Logistic Corps....

Another batch clear the paint queue for the American War of Independence Project, these could be used for both sides of the conflict and will be useful for ammo markers or niche scenarios.

Two supply wagons and 4 mule trains should be enough for now.

Continuing the mounted theme I dug a few dead horses from the spares box, these will be perfect for extra shock/pinned markers for Rebels and Patriots.

Two days of the month to go, just enough time to finish the last of this project and the British cavalry..

No pressure....

Monthly games round up.... September.

A glut of games recently, nice to get some of the boxed up collections back on to table.

First up a trip to the back to North Africa and the launch of a mission by British regulars into the slave states to free the local minister and numerous other captives.

Rank and file was the order of day as a number of crashing volleys sent the Arab guards and angry locals heading for the hills.

It been a while since we gave The Men Who Would Be Kings A run out they are subtly different to some of the other rules in the stable. Despite their simplicity, they offer meaningful tactical decisions—especially around unit activation and leadership each leader trait can make a big difference to unit performance.

A cracking game but perhaps a couple of tweaks to allow units to retreat or go to ground once pinned or they simply become target practice. I might explore borrowing pinned results from Rebels and Patriots which forces units backwards when we next play.

Roll on to club day and a mid week conversation about early war gaming turned into AVBCW discussion and next thing you know Operation Sealion was on the cards.

Kenneth Macksey excellent Invasion Book and the what if landing on the South Coast.

German Paratroopers defending the landing grounds behind Hythe hold on awaiting the German break through on the beach head.

British Home Guard grabbed their helmets and rifles and headed to the crashed glider, Bobbies armed with rifles and pistols set out to arrest the invader.

Great fun watching the boys in blue scrambling all over German recon units to shut down the recon units. 

Bolt Action 3 gives a fast game, but I still have a problem with a couple of the improvements over V2. the rules appear to be more lethal with less opportunity for ducking and diving, the rally rules where all the pins are removed on one roll feels a little unfair given the effort that goes in to pinning units down and planning your suppression plans.

American War of Independence - Hessians

Later into September than I would have hoped for and a determination to complete the last of the 10mm American War of Independence project.

First up Hessian Grenadiers whilst their are lots of choices amongst the German regiments deployed in the colonies, I opted for the classic feel of German Infantry. Painting up the regiment pack from Pendraken gives you for units for Rebels and Patriots, together with an officer base.

I threw in a couple of casualty/shock markers to make them a standalone formation. The flags are from Maverick Models to complete the formation.

Painting all four units in one go was a stretch, but 2 colours and night picking out the rifles, straps or boots and suddenly they are done.

Next up the British cavalry.... assuming all goes to plan.....

Timecast Terrain 10mm - Return to the AWI.

After a brief detour to the New World, back to the last AWI and a concerted effort to clear the last of the AWI elements to crack the project before the of the month...

I felt the AWI battlefield lacked a little bit of colonial structure tucked in box was a bunch of trees from the guys at Time Cast perhaps some of the best trees on the market in this scale if you don't foliage shedding over years of gaming.

I opted for nice tidy rows so they could be used as an orchard or to line the roads on the approaches to towns or farm lands.

Also some poplar trees on make up sticks with some rounded edges to mirror the troop bases. 

Not really sure why it's taken so long to get them on the table but in the spirit of getting Sh*t done. On to the next unit.

Ia Drang Valley 1965 - Force on Force.

Wyre Forest Club Day and the opportunity for a big game.

Ia Drang Valley 1965 

U.S. forces have inserted via helicopter into LZ X-Ray to engage North Vietnamese regulars. What begins as a reconnaissance-in-force escalates into a brutal three-day battle. The U.S. must hold the landing zone while repelling waves of NVA assaults. The NVA aims to encircle and annihilate the isolated American battalion before reinforcements arrive.

U.S. Victory Conditions

• Hold LZ X-Ray during the day

• Evacuate wounded units via helicopter

• Prevent NVA from breaching command post perimeter

• Enter the gulley clear of enemy troops

NVA Victory Conditions

• Eliminate U.S. infantry units

• Capture or destroy the U.S. command post

• Prevent helicopter reinforcements from landing

The US forces stepped down from the helicopters and moved to cover the contact line and protect the LZ.

1st contact the US Fire Teams blaze away at the hidden NVA. 

Across the extended battle field units of North Vietnamese rushed to pressure the US landing zone. Numerous helo's were forced off the table as they attempted to bring in additional reinforcements to bolster the line.

The NVA were nimble and managed to pin a number of US units forcing them to rush across the LZ to plug multiple gaps as the NVA platoons concentrated on weak points, even over running a fire team who were wounded and unable to bring enough fire to bear on the attackers.

With casualties mounting across the LZ and a number of fire teams down to less than 50% the US fell back as the NVA moved down the ridge line to enter the open landing zone.

A tough day in the field for the US, the NVA's fluid movement and reluctance to leave dense cover until they have a concentration of forces put the Americans under pressure. the M60 Weapons teams were unable to get into an optimum firing position. When they did get set up they often lost the initiative which allowed the NVA to drop out of sight again...

I suspect next time the US will come in a lot harder with off table support. Sometimes games mirror reality..... 

Conquistadors vs Aztec - First Encounters

A detachment of Spaniards having landed on the coast with Cortez have been guided by the Totonac tribes inland looking for signs of the Aztec empire. Having burnt their ships on the coast the Conquistadors are here to stay.

When the inlet can no longer be passed by row boat, time to press inland on foot.

The first outing for the Aztec's and an opportunity to give the Spanish some table time using an adapted version of Lion Rampant using David Sullivan's adaption I Live with Cats: Quetzalcoatl Rampant

The Spanish are split between the river and hinterland, somewhere on the table the Aztec are hidden looking to stop the invaders advance. Two units push towards the highway.

Natives appear from the undergrowth throwing slings at the Europeans they are met with a Boom! which sends them heading for cover. 

As a detachment of Conquistadors head for the high ground they are confronted by a units of young warriors. (I am a little lite on foot figures for the Aztecs but the great thing about the Rampant rules is their point values is either 6 or 12 points making the number of figures a mute point.) 

Elsewhere... At the river bank a unit of Sword and Buckler men push forward and are engaged by another group of young warriors, keen to grab a hostage. A Spaniard is captured but the Aztec's are soon beaten back and the captive freed.

In the centre Jaguar warriors rush forward keen to push their advantage.

Taking to the high ground the more Aztec warriors charge forward looking to secure hostages. Their wild charge made their assault a little disjointed.

The Conquistadors stand firm their steel blades hacking down multiple attacks, the Aztecs were unable to defeat the closely packed ranks of Spanish, the Aztec's were nearing breaking point. 

The fire sticks shook the Aztec's morale as they massed for a final attack. They were unable to close with the invaders. The Aztec's fell back into the jungle. The Spanish held the high ground but were nervous to pursue.

A great encounter the curse of freshly painted figures continues. The rules tweaks give the right feel for the period, with the black power weapons impacting the morale of the Aztec's, Their focus on seizing hostages make for an interesting challenge giving the Spaniards a chance to recover their losses.

Looking forward to getting a few more encounters in the coming weeks.

Aztec Jaguar Warriors - Wargames Atlantic.

Next up the last of the Wargames Atlantic box.

I am not sure I will get used to the colour Palette for these Jaguar warriors, lets hope they distract the Spaniards as much on the table top as when I was painting them.....

The Jaguar warriors were an elite military class made up of Aztec nobility and served as shock troops in battle. Their primary mission was not just to kill enemies but to capture them alive for ritual sacrifice.

To become a Jaguar warrior, one had to capture at least four enemies in battle. 

I opted for a mix of colours and will look to add a little more variety on the next batch, perhaps changing the tones to the blues and red's. This is one of the Christmas and Birthday projects when people ask what do you want and you are so difficult to buy for.

You get 10 Jaguar/Eagle Warriors in each box so plenty of choices to make up.

Now to give them a run out on the table using the adapted Lion Rampant rules - Queztacoata Rampant and see how the casualty capture rules work.

It's a good excuse to get the Spanish back on the table, stay tuned for the first run out.....