Village Games' Blog - Historical Games

A Trip to the Italian Coast

nospam@example.com (Dan Hobot) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:34:00 -0600

15’S ON THE RISE

In August I will be running a 15mm WWII miniatures battle at the local miniatures convention – Recon. The last couple of weeks I have been feverishly painting away to have the forces for that battle ready in time. Well they are almost done (at least respectable enough to play with) so this past weekend I play tested the scenario I will be using with the Combat Cards.

The setting is the Anzio perimeter in Italy, 1944. The Americans are preparing to breakout from the beachhead, and are conducting a series of probing attacks to determine the best location to concentrate their efforts. The Germans, consisting of elite parachute troops from the 1^st Airborne Division, are holding this section of the front and are tasked with stopping the Americans.

LOOKING FROM THE AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE

We ran the scenario twice – once with a new fellow who had stop by the shop (welcome John) and one of the historical regulars (Chris L.); the second time between Chris and I. Both times the scenario proved balanced and very exciting.

THE GERMAN LEFT FLANK

The Americans have a depleted company supported by a pair of Sherman tanks and a battery of M7 Priests (howitzers). The Germans had a battle worn platoon with four tank-hunter teams (panzerschrecks and fausts) attached, no armor and no artillery support. They were able to dig into optimal defensive positions though.

A GERMAN PARACHUTE TEAM HOLDING THE LINE

The first game the Germans were able to repulse the American assault relatively easy (time just ran out on the Americans), but in the second game the Americans steamrolled over the German positions (although towards the end the Germans were able to inflict some serious losses on the Americans).

THE AMERICAN RIGHT FLANK

Both games were tense, fasted paced and exciting – even the first game which I was essentially watching. The best tactics proved to be the ones really used by the combatants (using firepower to pin your enemy in place, and maneuver to flank and isolate them).

THE GERMANS MOUNT A LOCALIZED COUNTER ATTACK

In my game, even though I was getting the worst cards at the least opportune times, I had a blast. It was a real challenge to my command abilities to hold things together and try to slow the Americans. In the end I couldn’t prevail, but I had fun which is what it is all about! I can’t wait until we can play another game of the 15’s – I think I sense more painting projects on the horizon…

Until next time…

Happy Gaming!

Dan

Another Sort of Conversion

nospam@example.com (Dan Hobot) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:15:00 -0600

CONVERTING TO MINIATURES

In previous entry I wrote about a couple of our regulars who have been working on converting a very good board game (World at War: The Battle of Eisenbach Gap) into an equally enjoyable miniatures game.

Recently the brought the game up to the shop again with some new terrain specially made for it. It really looked great, even though it was hexed based. The layout game me ideas as well for some games I play that could benefit from the hex gridding to convert them to miniatures.

Terry and Doug are planning to bring the game up on several more occasions to play. As they are very agreeable to teaching new players, if this interests you you may want to watch the calendar or send “Grumpy” at message on the Forums.

Until next time…

Happy Gaming!

Dan

Starting at the Begining

nospam@example.com (Dan Hobot) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:25:00 -0600

A LITTLE FOUGHT CAMPAIGN

Recently Chris L. and I played another WWII skirmish game using the Combat Cards. This time though is was during a campaign that is not often explored – the German invasion of Poland in September 1939.

Our scenario was a simple one: two patrols have a meeting encounter in a small Polish village. Both are scrambling to position themselves for a counter-attack to push out the enemy (the next scenario). We were fighting this using our 1/72 scale minis and our usual 25mm terrain (you can hardly notice the slight scale difference).

The Germans got off to a very slow start, the almost seemed a little surprised that the Poles were even attempting to aggressively probe. Quickly though, both sides figured out that speed was of the essence as they began to each seize houses one by one.

In the end the battle came down to a farmhouse in the center of the village. The Germans moved into to it first, but the Poles charged in, in force. In a final desperate act, the last German soldier in the house flung all of his grenades and dove for cover. Incredibly it worked! He forced a couple of the Polish soldiers back out of the house, while wounding and killing two others.

That last act was what tipped the balance in the German’s favor for victory points – they won the scenario by a one point differential. Truly they had no business winning after their atrocious start, but apparently their fearless commander’s persistence paid off! J

All-in-all though it was once again a very enjoyable game. Chris is a great opponent to play (especially when you play two grenade cards in a row), the Cards always give a great game and the mini’s looked terrific. We even had a couple of folks watching, who then went on to get some 1/72 troops of their own to start painting!

Anyhow, enjoy the pictures!

Dan

PS: The Stug III you see in the pictures wasn’t actually in the battle. Some of you may notice that it is an anachronism, the long barreled Stug III didn’t arrive on scene until 1943. I had just finished painting it though, and wanted to admire it a bit. It sat motionless in the corner the whole game. Hopefully though, that isn’t a harbinger of things too come in future games… J

Boardgames in Miniature

nospam@example.com (Dan Hobot) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 22:09:27 -0600

INTERPRETING A NEW WAY

Recently one of the regulars (Doug M) and his friend (Terry) were playing a miniatures game at the shop that they had adapted from a board game. With the cool looking terrain tiles and well painted armies, it definitely caught my eye.

The original game was World at War: The Battle of the Eisenbach Gap from Lock ‘n Load games (which we carry), which is about a Soviet invasion of the West during the Cold War. Doug and his friend really liked the board game, but being miniatures players, they were looking for a way to translate it into a tabletop version.

Using some pre-printed hex tiles, and drawing from their extensive 6mm Micro Armor collections, the pair played a couple of great games that afternoon. Now with a new version of the game coming out (“Death of the 1^st Panzer”) they have even more reason to utilize the rules and expand their armies relative to the game’s scenarios.

After a great afternoon of combat, both agreed to come up and play it again. It appears though, that they are going to start using the new Oddzial Osmy 3mm miniatures for the pieces (that way a stand that represents a platoon will actually have 3-4 tanks on it, and yet will still fit in the hex).

Until next time…

Enjoy the pictures!

Dan

Hills Suck...

nospam@example.com (Dan Hobot) — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:12:00 -0600

FIGHTING OUR WAY OUT OF THE HILLS

The other day I got in another game of WWII Micro Armor with Mark. I was the Americans launching an assault on a small French village from a series of hills to the north of the town, while Mark was a very small German force trying to delay the Americans long enough for other German units to escape.

I set up in a staging area back in the hills, while the Germans set-up anywhere in the village. The American objective was to push through the German lines as quickly as possible and get as many units past “Phase Line - Green” (a road running through the village parallel to the American front) before the end of the game. The Germans objective was to hold the Americans shy of their Phase Line for as long as possible. For rules we were using the Combat Cards.

The American Attack Moving from Left to Right

The game started out beautifully for the Americans – if you are a fan of chaos and confusion. The rocky, hilly terrain proved a nightmare for launching an attack from. Units had trouble getting clear of one another, as well as getting to their jump-off points for the attack. Then a wave of panic spread through the American forces about an imminent (but non-existent) enemy spoiling attack, which resulted in numerous commanders relocating their command posts further to the rear creating more chaos.

The Americans Finally Getting Out of the Hills

Finally, and despite sporadic German sniping fire, the Americans were able to get their act together and start mounting their attack. Unfortunately, the primary axis of advance for the American attack along the northern edge of the front became bogged down by an aggressive Panther tank which wreaked havoc on the spearhead.

German Defenders on the Northern End of the Village

Fortunately for the Americans, on the southern edge of their front the artillery came reigning down fast and furious on the German positions, disrupting their defensive plans and giving the Americans an opportunity for a daring dash through the German lines. The Americans, desperate for any kind of an opening, seized the moment and sent everything they had through the gap in the German lines (was that a kitchen sink that just went by?). And they needed all of it!

The Americans Poised to Assault the Village

Realizing that he was in trouble, the German commander quickly responded by beginning to reposition his remaining Panther tanks to counter attack the American breakthrough. However, in a very fortuitous break for the Americans…er, I mean through excellent planning, time ran out on the Germans. The game time was up and victory points were awarded, which resulted in a very narrow victory for the Americans.

The Final Assault Into the Village

In reality though, the push through the German lines had cost the Americans so dearly that a couple more turns would have resulted in the Germans sealing the breakthrough and essentially ending the American’s hopes for a breakthrough this game.

All-in-all it was a great game which really went back and forth! I am left with an excitement for the next game and a chance to apply the lessons I learned from this game.

(UPDATE: I was so motivated after this battle, I prepped and finished another platoon of American infantry, Sherman tanks and M3 halftracks after this game in preparation for the next battle.)

Until next time…

Happy Gaming!

Dan

SATURDAY WARS AGAIN

nospam@example.com (Dan Hobot) — Tue, 06 May 2008 00:48:00 -0600

ANOTHER COLD WAR GAME

The Saturday modern micro armor regulars were up again for another battle using Cold War Commander. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to grab more than a single picture of the game, but it looked like a pretty cool scenario anyways.

Until next time…

Cheers!

Dan

Closing Falaise

nospam@example.com (Dan Hobot) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:14:00 -0600

TRYING SOMETHING NEW

The other day Chris and I played a game of 6mm WWII micro armor using the Combat Cards. This time we tried something a little different with the scenario – it was set up to reflect a more specific real world mission for each of our forces.

Looking West to the Village

The setting was northern France 1944, near Falaise. Chris was playing the Americans and was in command of a Task Force (a battalion strength combined arms force). I was playing the Germans with a rather pathetic Kampgruppe acting as a rearguard/flanking screen.

THE FORCES

Chris had two full strength companies of M4 Shermans, a company of armored infantry, an M10 tank destroyer platoon and a battery of M7 Priests in support. I had two under strength Panther platoons (for a total of five tanks), an under strength assault gun platoon (three Stug III’s) and two remnant infantry companies (for rifle platoons and one weapons platoon between them).

The Americans Amass before the Village

There was a village at the western end of the table, and rolling country to the east. The Germans were tasked with delaying, and if possible destroying, the rapid American advance which would allow more of their comrades to escape through the Falaise gap. The Americans were ordered to either secure the village, or rapidly flank it and keep the advance moving in an attempt to rapidly close the gap and trap the maximum number of enemy forces.

THE BATTLE

The game was very fun, with lots of back and forth momentum. The Americans made several probing attacks to determine where their best attack option was. Eventually they found a vulnerable point in the German defenses, which were spread very thin, and were able to push much of their armor through the gap. They were also able to make a strong push on the village by utilizing their infantry and artillery with great effect.

Fighting in the Village

The only thing that really helped the Germans was the confusion on the American side as units got redirected during the attack, and a pair of Panthers situated on the dominant heights. Besides accounting for numerous kills, the Panthers drew much of the American’s attention and concern.

The Americans Breakthrough

In the end the Americans just weren’t quite able to push the attack through at the speed required so the Germans eked (and I mean eked) out a victory point win. All in all, it was a very entertaining game with the usual amount of trash talking and corresponding humility as the battle flowed.

Shermans in Action in the Village (An Action Shot!)

Using the historically researched and realistic scenario and objectives really provided a great game. I think I am going to try and incorporate those elements into as many future games as I can.

I can’t wait for the next battle!

Until next time…

Cheers!

Dan

More Modern

nospam@example.com (Dan Hobot) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:57:00 -0600

BRING ON THE INFANTRY – SORT OF…

The Modern Micro Armor guys ran a battle the other day that was a little different for them. The entire scenario consisted of infantry units! Granted they were mechanized infantry units, but it was all infantry nonetheless. They were of course using the very popular Cold War Commander rules set from Pete Jones.

I believe it was a modern Russian vs. Polish game, and I am not sure who won. It did look like a lot of fun so I included some pictures. All the players felt like they learned a bit about modern infantry fighting from the battle, and of course they had a good time.

These guys have started coming up almost every week now, so I am looking forward to what future scenarios they have in store.

Until next time…

Happy Gaming!

Dan

Out East Again

nospam@example.com (Dan Hobot) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:41:00 -0600

WHY WAS KLINK AFRAID OF THE RUSSIAN FRONT?

Recently we played another game of WWII 6mm micro armor. It was another Russian front scenario with the Germans and Russians colliding in a mid ’44 meeting engagement in the Ukraine. I was the Germans and Todd the Russians. We were using the Combat Cards: Tactical for the rules.

The game was a lot of fun. Out of courtesy for my esteemed opponent I will say the battle was very close (it was obvious though, that the Germans tactical skill in this engagement was far superior J). I was a challenging fight, but in the end the Germans did manage to squeak out a win.

Since my luck will surely once again swing the other way (in a suitably brutal fashion I am sure), I am going to savor this victory for just a moment and ask again: with the ease that the Germans have been dispatching the Russians, why was Col. Klink so afraid of the eastern front?

Until next time….

Happy Gaming!

Dan

Cold War Commander Rides Again

nospam@example.com (Dan Hobot) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:13:00 -0600

POLAND SAYS “NYET”

On a recent Saturday the shop was filled to the brim with people playing games (and shoppers too J). We had a 40K Apocalypse Mega-Battle going in the back game room along with a large role-playing group. In the front game room we had modern micro-armor, Battletech miniatures, Talisman board game as well as a couple of other smaller games. Hopefully I will be able to post pictures of all of these games, but for now I will share those from the 6mm modern micro armor.

The modern guys have started up playing almost every Saturday again. They really are some serious, die-hard modern armored combat fanatics. On this occasion they were working through a present day scenario where Poland and Russia go at it on Poland’s eastern border using the eminently popular Cold War Commander rules. The usual culprits were there (George H., Tom F. and Mike Z.) as well as a couple of new faces – which was good to see!

I don’t know how the battle turned out, but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves through the whole battle and they reserved another table for next week as well.

Until next time….

Happy Gaming!

Dan

More Skirmishing

nospam@example.com (Dan Hobot) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:42:00 -0600

FOLLOW UP TO RECON

A few posts ago I mentioned how I took the Combat Cards^© to a local miniatures convention -- RECON -- with the WWII skirmish stuff. The game was well received at the con, in fact was a bigger hit than I expected, and one of the comments I heard a lot was how nice the table looked. I promised to post a picture of the table in the near future, so here it is…

SKIRMISHING IN A NEW ERA

One of the guys who regularly plays WWII skirmish with us, Todd, has a collection of American Civil War 28mm miniatures that he was looking for a skirmish rule system for. The other day Todd and Mark decided to try the Combat Cards^©out for that time period.

While I don’t have many details of their game, I know the setting was a Confederate raid on a Union supply depot somewhere in New Mexico (there was a desert town terrain table available, so they put it to good use). After the game, both guys thought it went really well. They liked how the cards worked, and with a few modifications for the various period weapons, it went really smooth. Both said they would like to do more Civil War skirmish scenarios – maybe even a campaign or two of linked actions!

I am working on a version of the cards for Ancient/Medevil/Fantasy Skirmish as well. Hopefully they will be ready soon.

Well, until next time, enjoy…

Cheers!

Dan

Here We Go

nospam@example.com (Dan Hobot) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:50:17 -0600

I’M BACK…

It has been a while since my last blog entry, but by no means was it due to a lack of gaming at the shop. There has just been a lot going on for me, both at the store and at home. In any event, I have a backlog of pictures for entries so I am going to attempt to catch up over the next few days.

BATTLES IN AN ITALIAN VILLAGE

The other day we had a 15mm WWII battle using the Combat Cards^©. The scenario was a central Italian village in mid-1944. The Germans, with their infantry company and depleted assault gun platoon, were racing to get into defensive positions before the Americans arrive. The Americans, a Combat Team with a reinforced infantry company and two platoons of M4 Shermans, were approaching the village from a bad angle relative to the German’s advance. They were tasked with securing the village and thus protecting the flanks of the general advance.

THE SET-UP

The terrain table we were using had a very cool layout. On the eastern end (to the American’s right) was the village – a dozen or so buildings, small gardens and fields, hedges, low walls and such. To the west of the village (the American’s right flank) were rolling hills and a few scattered copses of trees.

The Village

In terms of objectives, we tried a rather novel approach. Several terrain features were marked as objectives with there relative value to each side based on the objective’s distance form that sides' table edge. For example, one objective was 12” from the American table edge and was thus worth 12 Victory Points for the Allies. The same objective was 36” from the German table edge and thus worth 36 Victory Points for the Germans. In total there was about a dozen objectives scattered in and around the village.

THE BATTLE

The Germans got off to a quick start, moving rapidly to threaten the American right flank in the village. The Americans, on the other hand, were playing it for too cautiously in the village. They weren’t able, or willing, to advance too quickly. On the American left flank, however, the armor and infantry swept through the hills in rapid fashion capturing several objectives along the way.

The American Right Flank

Then the fighting in the village turned vicious. The Americans were able to call in some artillery support (pretty much the only time all game they were able to call it successfully) which inflicted fairly heavy casualties – including one of the two assault guns. Form there the fighting degenerated into hedge-to-hedge and wall-to-wall fighting, along with brutal fighting in and around some of the houses. One house in particular changed hands no less than four times in some costly floor-to-floor close assaults.

The Americans Sweep Through the Hills

THE ENDGAME

The German commander did a masterful job to confuse and stymie the American armor coming out of the hills. Despite having an overwhelming advantage, the Americans were held at the western end of the village until the end of the battle.

The Battle in the Village From the American Perspective

The Germans also made a determined, albeit desperate at times, effort to push the Americans back out of the village but unfortunately for them the American fire proved too accurate and deadly for them to succeed.

The Germans Desperately Try to Dislodge the Americans in the Village

In the end the Americans held the advantage, as well as the lead in Victory Points, in and around the village so the game was declared a victory for them. All players agreed though, that they had a great time and that a rematch would definitely be in order. I must say the Combat Cards^© really do give a great game almost every time, no matter what the scope and scale of the game. I always am left looking forward to the next game!

Well, until next time, enjoy the pictures…

Cheers!

Dan

Taking it to the Masses

nospam@example.com (Dan Hobot) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:57:00 -0700

SKIRMISHING IN NORMANDY

Every quarter we (the shop) put on a game at the local miniatures convention called “Recon”. This time I was going to run a WWII skirmish game with the new Combat Cards^© we developed.

In preparation I ran several playtests of the scenario I was going to run. It involved a US paratrooper patrol, in a diamond patrol formation (per the army manuals of the period*), that has been ambushed by a German grenadier squad that has been deployed in a proscribed ambush (again per the army manuals of the period*) centered on the squad’s light machine gun.

The Sight of the Ambush

The leading elements of the American patrol had been pinned down by the MG, so their objective was simply to regroup the patrol and fall back of off their end of the table. The Germans, not wanting the Americans to be able to report the location and layout of the ambush, were tasked with eliminating or capturing as many of the Americans as possible.

The American Patrol ...

... Moving Up the Road

We ran four playtests of the scenario at the shop with two German wins, one American win and one dead draw. The scenario proved to be very balanced given the sides’ respective objectives, and fun to play (well, OK Mike you had a rough game…).

Overview of the Village

Looking Towards the German Positions

AT THE CON

When I ran the game at the con I was very surprised at the reaction it got.

I never had a shortage of volunteers for any of the three games I ran. In addition to the two people playing the game there was always 2-3 more people watching and asking questions and, what I found most amazing, is that I very rarely got to answer the questions. Usually it was the players that jumped in explaining how it was played, what the scenario was and what the challenges they are facing – even though they themselves had only learned the game a little while ago!

The German MG Position

The Fighting Withdrawl

Needless to say I was very happy to see so many people enjoying the game. I made sure that everybody knew we play the WWII version at the shop all the time, and that the cards work just as well for moderns (we have done some US vs. terrorist scenarios) as well as sci-fi (on the calendar for this week).

Starting to Get Strung Out

All-in-all it was very fun day, and we are definitely looking forward to the next Recon!

Until next time, enjoy the pictures…

Cheers!

Dan

*From the Osprey Elite series of books, specifically #105 and #122 on WWII Infantry Tactics.

Brother vs. Brother Again

nospam@example.com (Dan Hobot) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:11:00 -0700

THERE BE YANKEES YONDER…

A few of the guys played another game of American Civil War the other day. There were using the Johnny Reb III rules in 15mm. I believe it was the North vs. the South (J) in the battle. The Yankees were holding a crossroad and nearby small town, while a Confederate forces was closing and trying to dislodge them.

I didn’t catch who won (as I was in my own game at the time) but the guys really did appear to enjoy themselves. A couple of them have been placing their special orders to get there armies up and running (which means we will also now have 15mm ACW on the racks too J).

I am excited to see the civil war come to the shop. It has always been a period I have found fascinating and would love to explore more from a tactical and strategic standpoint. I don’t know how quickly I would be able to get an army ready, but I know I eventually would.

Until next time, enjoy the pictures…

Cheers!

Dan

Here We Go Again

nospam@example.com (Dan Hobot) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:50:00 -0700

THIS TIME IT IS IN THE EAST…

Lately I have been getting in a lot of games of WWII miniatures. I don’t know if we are just having a renewed interest, it’s a phase, or the period just feels fresh and different right now. Whatever it is, the games have been fun and our enthusiasm for them growing.

This time the scenario was set on the eastern front, in the Ukraine, sometime in late 1943. Mark was playing the Russians, and I the hard pressed Germans. We were again testing out a new set of rules – the card based ones I have mentioned previously.

The Russians were attacking German positions which had been prepared along a pair of large, low hills. The Russians had an under strength tank regiment with some accompanying infantry, while the Germans essentially had a heavily reinforced infantry company with some armor. The Russians had far more tanks, and of better quality, than the Germans, but both had similar amounts of infantry. The Germans were then forced to employ some self-propelled, but mostly towed anti-tank weapons in addition to their paltry tank allotment (only a platoon of Pz III’s) to have any hope of stemming the red tide.

The North End of the Battlefield

The Russians were trying to achieve a breakthrough in the German lines, so their mission was to punch a hole and then get as much stuff through and towards the German rear as possible (specifically, past a mission “Phase Line”). The Germans were tasked with simply killing, or taking out of action, as much Russian stuff as possible.

The Russian tank hordes came on in an impressive area of metal might which looked as if they would walk right through the German positions. That is until some AWESOME interdiction fire by the German artillery guns laid down a barrage that knocked out a platoon and a half of T34/76’s (of course that was the pinnacle of their success for balance of the game, but it was gladly accepted).

This changed the Russian strategy significantly. They now moved into a pincer action, trying to expose and crumble one or both of the German flanks. While they did have some minor early success with these two attacks, both eventually bogged down due to Russian command issues…er, I mean brilliant German generalship… and turned into wars of attrition.

From the North, Looking Southward; Note the Fearsome Looking Russian Tank "Arrows"

Unfortunately for the Germans, attrition was the one game they couldn’t afford to play. However, in the end the Germans managed to prevent enough Russian units from crossing the designated “Phase Line” for the assault, while still inflicting sufficient Russian casualties to carry the day.

This was a very fun game, with lots of back and forth momentum, heavy firefights and a good dose of “stick-it-to-your-opponent” with the card-play. I am really coming to enjoy these rules. They allow a reasonable simulation of the tactics and equipment of the period, in a framework of game play that is fast-paced and engaging at all times – if your aren’t desperately trying to play your next turn, you are scanning your cards for what you can do to thwart your opponent’s efforts during his turn. We will next have to try them in 15mm to see if the same fun can be had in a different scale.

Until next time…

Cheers!

Dan