August so far

Sharpe Practice: blinds used for Fog of war.

Lots of games going on, but not enough time to document it all.  Most notably, our Saturday Night Skirmishers group experienced out first game with Sharpe Practice, a set of skirmish/small tactical Napoleonic rules by Too Fat Lardies. The WFHGS group has enjoyed playing this set, and Dennis set up a a big game where most of our members could try it out. From the reaction so far, it looks like several members are putting forces together and we'll be playing this again.

Gary's Russian column is revealed to defending French

French company defending; Troop ratio = 1:5

French Voltigeurs and artillery hold the right

I've also managed to get in a game of Babylon-5 space combat, and Chris at GAJO put on a game of Grande Armee for interested players. The focus was Waterloo. This time Napoleon kept Ney (me) busy with the French right at Plancenoit, waiting to hold off the Prussians, while the Guard was thrown right in to overwhelm the Allied right flank. 

Centauri and Shadows deploy.

Fireballs represent the Centauri left wing getting slaughtered; Shadow ship drifting, lifeless. Victory to the Earth Defence Force and their Vorlon allies.

Waterloo: French Guard and other lesser mortals swarm over the Allies.

French Cuirassier division holds Flank at Plancenoit, waiting for the Prussians.

1805 Trafalgar refight

Last weekend GAJO put on the largest naval game held there so far, a refight of the historical sea battle of Trafalgar (1805). This is the famous Age-of-Sail battle between the British (under the legendary Admiral Horatio Nelson) and the allied Franco-Spanish fleet. Unfortunately for me, I had to work that afternoon and was not able to participate. Chris at GAJO tells me he will have photos of the battle up this weekend at www.Gajominis.com.   I was able to get pictures of the setup on the Friday night before.

HMS Victory leads the windward column toward the enemy.

The rules used were Grand Fleet Action,  a very good set for managing a large fleet action. I'm sure everyone had a great time last Saturday. Tonight, our club's first Armchair Admirals session will be held playing a WW2 naval game using the Micronauts: the Game set from GHQ.

While Chris set up the Trafalgar refight in the store lobby, several gamers including some of the N.U.T.S. players as well as some of our SNS chaps playing a large desert WW2 battle using Flames of War rules. From what I could tell, it was a game more for introducing new players and  refreshing up on the rules. The table was packed with figures as you can see. From the look of things everyone was enjoying pushing armor.

Panzer III's maneuver through a gap in the ridge.

SNS Gamenight - July 2009

This month, our only game on gamenight was a large game of Johnny Reb 3 in 28mm. Gary, Lynn and Pat have a large collection for this and prepared a Confederate General's dream: Outnumbering a defensive Union army by 2-1 odds. The first photo shows the Union troops setting upon the defending ridge.

Initial Union brigade defenses on the ridge.

The first of several Rebel brigades attacking the Union left flank.

A division of Reb troops prepares to attack the Union center across wide open fields.

I commanded the cavalry brigade on the Union right flank. I suspected that enemy units would be coming this way and intended to hold them up for a while as Union reinforcements arrived. Little did I know how many enemy troops were off table!

Two brigades of Union reinforcements arrive. Hordes of Confederate reinforcements arrive.

As the Union reinforces the right flank, the Stonewall Brigade advances across the fields.

My cavalry brigade fails to hold up three brigades of Rebs. Instead, they turn into a speed bump. A small speed bump.

Stonewall brigade moves fast across open space. Unfortunately for them, they faced 6 batteries of guns.

On the right flank the Union troops are losing the attrition battle and the first brigade is whittled down.

Survivors of the cavalry reform on the ridge. The reinforcing Union brigade on the right is smashed by 3 brigades of over-enthusiastic rebels.

Seen from the Rebel right flank, hordes of troops attack the Union left flank. (unfortunately in this picture you can see union figures being used as confederate troops. Arrrrg! The Horror!)

Union troops on the left flank of the ridge redeploy to stop the Confederate advance.

Seen from the confederate left flank, 3 rebel brigades overwhelm the Union right flank at the bottom of the ridge.

In the center, the confederates reach the bottom of the ridge and start up. The Union center has been weakened by withdrawing units to cover the flanks. However, the Union batteries on the hill absolutely "wrecked" the Stonewall brigade.

It's about over. The Rebs center assault rolls through the last units defending the ridge center and the game is called. There just aren't enough Yankees left to stop 2 divisions of troops crushing the center and left flank.

It was fun learning the Johnny Reb 3 rules again and playing with the large figures. Gary, Lynn and Pat have a tremendous collection to game with and I'm sure we'll be playing this again some time.

Brimtok Campaign - Marines clobber Space Orks

Marines deployed in a central position with Terminators on a 2nd story platform and the Dreadnought in the middle.

Dave B and I played out one of the smaller skirmishes which take place as the Mantis Legion (or Mantis Warriors) makes landings on planet Brimtok. In the last skirmish, a 500-point marine force was destroyed. This time it was different. Taking place in city terrain at a location known as "Node 15" The Marines were trying to wipe out a small 700-point force of Orks gaurding an important warboss. 750 points of Mantis Warriors deployed in a central position ahead of the ork advance.

Orks advancing through the ruins of the bombarded city, which slowed them down tremendously, even with a "waaagh!" order. Note the warboss on a trukk on the flank.

Turn 1. Scout marines, infiltrating on a dangerous mission to assassinate the warboss, get a very lucky glancing hit on the trukk, which careens off the table edge and gets wiped out. The warboss is dead!

The scouts make a break for it, but the ork kommandos catch up.

Three Killa Kans burst through the ruins of the city's ruined sanctorium, and the farthest one gets hit by a plasma cannon blast from the marine dreadnought. Meanwhile, the main ork mob is having a few difficulties just trying to get through the rubble.

The kommandos wipe out the scouts in hand-to-hand combat. This game is an assassination mission, and the score know stands at 2-1 points in favor of the marines.

The terminators shift position on the platform and maul the remaining kommandos, killing all except their Nob- who promptly takes cover and prevents the marines from getting a victory point for wiping out a unit.

The main mob finally gets in position to charge the tactical squad. The killa kans are all immobilized or destroyed. All marine units begin firing on this mob.

The surviving mob charges! The nob charges the dreadnought with an amazing 7 attacks!

Everyone "piles in." The terminators and chaplain may make the difference as several tactical marines get crunched.

One by one the orks go down until the Nob is left, and surrounded by terminators, a chaplain, and the dreadnought. SPLAT! 

The Mantis Warriors win 3 points to 1. Node 15 victory gives the marines a force bonus. There is one more Turn Zero game to play before we actually get done with the initial landings and start the first turn!

SNS June Games

Our Saturday Night official gathering featured two games this month: Field of Glory 15mm, and Blue Sky/Red Sun 1/300.On the Friday night following, a few of us got together to go through the rules of Flames of War again.

The Early Visigoth army prepares to advance.

Dominate period Late Imperial Romans advance the skirmishers.

Visigoth heavy cavalry covers their right wing.

Legionnaires stand fast as the wings advance.

Skirmishers clash. Roman light cav comes off worst.

Roman cataphracts move up to support retreating horse archers.

...and that's where it ended up when time was called. Late start=unfinished game. Of course the game was an introduction game to two new players. Favorable reviews from  participants. All figures prepainted from GAJO.

Meanwhile, in the Pacific, it's air combat between the US and the Empire of Japan.

Zeros are collecting a world of hurt. Russ put together all the nifty flight stands for his aircraft. I understand the Americans scored the victory.

One week later, Chris has set up another excellent table of the French countryside for Flames of War 15mm.

British infantry company starting positions. Support from a troop of Churchills and a troop of Shermans with a Firefly.

The British advance on the 2nd Panzer units defending a series of small hills bisected by the main road. There are already two burning armored cars on the British right flank. Curse those 88's.

2nd SS panzers moving up under cover of the flak batteries, which managed to knock out at least 5 Typhoons!

Close up of the 88's. Actually there was also a pair of 88's with the Jagdpanthers, and another pair of Pak43 88 AT guns. Figures painted by Gary Rhay, I'm told. British figures somewhat painted by me, I'm afraid. The game was called after 2 turns, as we had started very late. Lesson of the day - smaller forces are the rule for shorter battles.