Creating a participation game Part 3

A day to go and I think we are there.

Having run through the game on a couple of occasions, I have made a couple of tweaks to the running of the game. The plan is not to tell the players that they are competing against one another.

I have completed the latest releases from Empress, these mounted Infantry will represent the Natal Troopers escorting Louis and will help separate the officers from the troopers, I can't be sure from the research how the Natal Horse Troopers were dressed, but the red tunics give that Hollywood feel which hopefully will appeal to players without the detailed historical knowledge.

Cpt Carey & the Prince Imperial.

For the senior NCO's I will be using the Natal Mounted Police Troopers to be easily identifyable from the troopers.

To represent the Officers bivouac camp I have the tents completed, I should only need one.

I have painted up several mounts to represent the dimounted characters horses, I have also painted up a couple of dead markers should the mounts be killed.

We are using a cut down version of the Too Fat Lardies Sharp Practice Rules, we felt that players would need to reminded of the basic's, so I have photographed the figures and will attach them to reference sheets, with details of the movement and weapon ranges.

Handouts and rule summaries will be needed together with some spare measurement tapes.

Plenty to do before the show date of the Sunday 29th January.

Bolt Action Rules AAR - Play Test....

Sunday night saw the first outing of the Evesham Wargames Club of 2012, 4 games on offer, I was lucky enough to play test the forth coming rules from Warlord Games - "Bolt Action" the Game.

It would be wrong of me to share anything of the rule set or unique mechanisms but as with many of Rick Preistly's previous offerings they are quick to pick up but the challange lies in how you position and order your troops.

It's been quite a while since my Jungle terrain got an airing, but it does give a great feel for the pacific, the scenario was simple, US marines and Japanese Infantry were both given the orders of seizing the village.

The initiative and order mechanism has a slick feel to it, which keeps book keeping to a minimum. I had the luck of the dice in the first rounds pushing my infantry forward.

Mean while the Marines pushed their armour along the track flanked by infantry.

My Japanese reached the entrance to the village and the tanks moved into an over watch position awaiting the slow progress of the US Marines.

Mean while the sneaky yanks had pushed through the jungle to the right flank of my Japanese and had moved into a strong firing position and were putting exstreme pressure on the section holed up in the wooden hut.

Whilst the rules provide the Japanese with a strong morale the weight of fire forced the section to become pinned and ineffective, not surprising really given that the US armour and a Flame Thrower team added to the Japs discomfort.

Finally after 3 rounds of the fire the Japanese section could take no more with killed and pinned littering the hut, they were destroyed and removed form the game.

Meanwhile the fire fight on the left had drawn a significant number of US forces away from the exposed US right flank

Thus allowing the Japanese to push through the centre of the village aided by the destruction of one of the Stuart's.

As we reached wrapping up time at the club the Japanese launched a final Banzi attack on an isolated US section, defeating them in Hand to Hand and removing them from the game, but at a significant loss to their own number.

As with any play test we came away with some questions around process and game play, but the rules played well, fast and low in book keeping, we had the rules pretty much nailed in a couple of turns...
I look forward to seeing how these develop over the coming months and look forward to the finished product in the summer.

Bolt Action Wargames Rules - Pacific War - Revamp

Several years ago I started on a WW2 project to fight out encounters on Guaducanal, like a number of project my head was turned by other ideas and shiny metal and the figures were consigned to a carry case.

However with the recent press release from the guy's at Warlord Games...

"Warlord Games and Osprey Publishing are teaming up to create Bolt Action: World War II Wargames Rules. Written by veteran game designers Alessio Cavatore and Rick Priestley, Bolt Action is a fast, fun 28mm wargame that rewards tactical play, but doesn’t get bogged down with excessive
tables and charts. The main rulebook is scheduled for a July 2012 release, followed by a series of books covering the armies of the major and minor powers of World War II."

 
http://www.warlordgames.com/13483/warlord-games-and-osprey-publishing-announce-partnership/

Coupled with the facts that one of our number at the Evesham Wargames Club has been asked to play test the rule mechanism before release, I thought it was high time the Pacific Collection got an outing... Besides he had invited Rick down to help out with the rules run through........

The figures are largely westwind with a number of the Battlehonors range added in, these are true 25mm scale, but when based and painted it's difficult to tell the scale variants apart.

I struck me how my painting style has changed over the years (improved???) and the existing collection was a little to shiny and plain for my liking and they were in need of a 60 minute make over...

A liberal wash of Devlin mud, highlighting of the skin tones, and metal items, together with Silfor on the basing and a coating of Testors Dullcoat to take the shine off has given them a far better Pacific feel...

US Marine NCO's from Battle Honours.

US Marine Pinned Markers

US Marine .50 Cal HMG Team, moving and deployed.

Japanese LMG Team Deployed.

Japanese Infantry Gun.

Japanese Sniper Team.

Japanese Command Squad, Westwind Miniatures.

I had a couple of Japanese tanks still in bare metal so these were rushed into service.
Type 97 Chi-Ha Medium Tank, Type 89 Chi-Ro Medium Tank to counter this I also completed a couple of Anti-Tank teams and flame thrower teams for the US Marines.

Each squad is built around strength as set out in both the US and Japanesse Army Manuals, which gives the Japanese a great number of riflemen, but the US Marines an extra BAR per squad.

I also found several recruits hiding out in the "spares" draw, these were pressed in to service providing the Japanese with additional support with the introduction of knee mortars for section 4.

The OCD wargamer in me is screaming out to buy some additional troops in the form of HMG's and light Tanks for the Yanks and more Japanese from Warlord, but I am fighting the urge to see how the new improved skirmish force perform and the rules pan out...

Full AAR report to follow.

As always comments welcome.

Renedra & Pegasus Plastic Terrain Pieces

Keeping up with my plan to complete the projects sitting in draws and cupboards. I thought this week I would turn my attention to a couple of terrain items...

First up.

Renedra - Tents.

A multi purpose terrain peice, 4 tents and a camp fire, these will work for anything from the Zulu War through to the American Civil War. I figured that a tent and a camp fire will come in handy to represent Lt Carey's camp at the forthcoming particapation game at Gloucester Minicon.

The pieces come in a grey pressed plastic which needs a couple of coats of white undercoat to cover up the grey base colour.

I decided to base them to make them a little more robust and include the camp fire as being so small it was likely to be lost.


I have given them a quick wash of GW Gryphonne Sepia Wash and wiped off the excess to give them the lived in look.

Pegasus Hobbies - Cactuses.

I picked these up cheap off e-bay with the intention of providing scenics for a texas war project that got as far as 20 figures, I thought I would make and paint them to compliment my Napoleonic French in Egypt campaign, they will serve as rough ground and places for the sneaky arabs to hide in, but also double for rough ground in the donga for the forth coming Zulu game.

The Cactus come in two different sizes one of large plants the other of a smaller variety. First impressions are terrible they are bright green and the plastic feels a little cheap, but they go together really well and with a liberal coating of undercoat and some dry brushing they look really nice and are a perfect match for 28mm figures.

I based up some lose pebbles and some scenic brush to compliment them, the project took a couple of hours to complete, but I can see a use in several games.

Pike Shot & Zombies - Arrival Points

Keeping up with my plan to complete the projects sitting in draws and cupboards. I thought this week I would turn my attention to a couple of terrain items...
In preparation for the first outing of Pike Shot & Zombies I thought I would create some arrival points for the zombies to spring from.

Renedra - Graveyard's.

I picked these up several months ago at one of the wargaming show's. Not sure why I brought them, so they sat in a draw until I could think of a use for them.

Reading the Pike Shot & Zombie's rules they call for arrival points for the zombies, these are mean't to be burial grounds and grave yards and the like so I thought these would come in handy to represent arrival points rather than a simple tabletop marker.

The Graveyard pack has 40 head stones encompassing, crosses, tombstones, slabs and even a crow to boot...

The detail is very impressive and they come away from the frames cleanly, using green stuff I attached them to a couple of old CD's and covered them in a thin layer of PVA glue and sharp sand.

a liberal covering of TSS flock and some Silfor and they were finished.
I am quite pleased with the results and they will work for the first game of PSZ in a few weeks.

Two Hour Wargames - Dog Soldiers

The first posting of 2012 and my aim this year is to game with some of the stuff that lurkes at the back of the wargames cupboard... Lead mountain only seems to grow these days....

First up several Westwind Werewolves which were already uncoated but had been left unfinished for several years, I figured I could get these done in an evening and on the table within 24 Hrs....

I have been revisiting the Chain Reaction Rules by Ed at Two Hours Wargames in recent weeks for a number of different games and remember he did a cracking free set of rules for the Dog Soldiers Movie. This was a  great low budget Werewolf fest with had a Rorkes Drift Flavour to it.... (You will know when you see it....) it's coming up to it's 10th aniversary this year - perhaps one day they will make the sequel..

I already had a bunch of Modern British painted up for Cold War Britain from Mongrel Miniatures and have used these for a number of games from Peace Keeping Missions in the Congo to Zombie outbreaks.

Any way 24 Hours later they are on the table and being gamed with - success.....

A British Section must advance through the wood and reach the cottage in the clearing, holding out until the morning and sunrise all are grade 4 whilst wells is a 5.

The section is made up of the following troopers.

Sergeant Harry G. Wells

Corporal Bruce Campbell

Private Lawrence Cooper
Private Phil "Spoon" Witherspoon
Private Joe Kirkley
Private Terry Milburn

Sergeant Wells leads is squad in an extended line hoping to bring maximum fire to any one or thing approaching his section.

A Werewolf breaks from cover on the right flank Milburn and Kirkley react quickly and let off several rounds forcing the Werewolf to Duckback into cover . To the rear of the unit 2 further Werewolves are spotted moving at speed towards the unit.

Wells orders the section to run heading along the woodland path, Milbern fails his roll and is set upon by a Werewolf breaking cover from the left.

The remainder of the Squad press on unwilling or unable to help Milbern heading to the farm house.

Before the Section is able to rest the Werewolves are on them pushing at the doors and windows, only a few lucky iniative turns save them from being overwelmed.

The Werewolves head to the safety of the tree line to regroup and consider a fresh line of attack.

Breaking into three groups the Werewolves looking to gain entry to the farm house attacking the front and back whilst a couple of single Werewolves attempt to break through the broken down corner only to be met by Private Cooper, a burst from his SLA is enough to kill a Werewolf but not before Cooper takes a fatal blow and is OD.

Elswhere Spoon & Wells drive off the foes to their front running to the rear of the farm house to support Cambell who is protecting Kirtley who has taken OFF from the lead Werewolf who has broken in via the out house.

5.00am and one turn before Sun rise and the Werewolves make an all out attack on rubble corner, Wells is out of the fight as his gun jams and is overwelmed by the furry mass. Spoon thows his only Grenade killing one of the Werewolves out right and driving another into the dawn gloom.

End of the turn and the squad have some how survived although they have lost several of their number to the Werewolves who are still out there....

A cracking game and as the rule say completed in less than two hours....