Lock N Load AAR - Kalach Bridge

Kalach Bridge
Mission - Germans need to blow up one side of the bridge in 7 turns. It means though they need to be to
the bridge by the end of turn 6 and be of good order all of 7.

Russians set up units beyond bridge to have as a reserve. They spread out the wrecks to hopefully
block out some of the shots that would probably come from the level two hill with a nasty 88 set up.

Germans have no motorized equipment. The plan is to attack heavily on the right hand side.
This will be a tough one. But heck, any attack is tough for me.

1st Turn - German 88 takes out the PZ II on the Bridge in the first shot. Shots from a T-34 Shook Sgt
Bauman and his Squad with the MG34 up on the hill. In addition, the German 2-3-4-5 squad attempted
to close assualt a T-34, but like my last game of LnL, they failed their morale roll and will be crushed
or shot to pieces. Sgt Beck moved up very close to the T-34 on the right as they prepared to go into the
house in F4 to start laying down fire. But perhaps they'll wait until more troops are forward to help.

Turn 2
German Inititative (You roll each turn for inititative simple d6vd6 roll. Ties go to the last side with initiative.)
The Germans needed initiative and also needed their 2-3-4-5 in E5 to pass their morale roll (2d6<=Morale,
in this case a "5" - rolled a "4"!)

Got initiative and the squad jumped in with their Satchel charge and blew the tank and it's crew to...
Scratch one more Russian armor unit in two turns.

I can't help but think about Chain of Command and how this loss of 2 armor units would reduce the morale
of the Russian side, potentially significantly... I like that rule and miss that a little in this.)

Anyway, nice start to a turn.

Turns out Russians can't hit much in opp fire. However, the T-34 did shake the 88mm...so the Russians can
hope they don't successfully rally.

Turn 3 - Germans maintain initiative.
88 Remains Shaken.
But have no fear the AA gun just forced the remaining T-34 to be abandoned and the crew shaken upon coming
out of the vehicle...seriously, who wouldn't be shaken after taking multiple rounds from an AA gun?

No more armor for the Russians. Goodness that didn't take long.

The Russians moved their troops to their right/Germans Left and filled in the gaps and take on the German
flanking move.

Man-o-man, suppressive fire just doesn't cut it. Germans laid tons o fire into the Rusians to no
effect. The lone squad that had been in G8, now in D8 took fire from 5 squads at various times thorughout
the turn and suffered nothing.

Other German 2-3-4-5 is pushing aggressively forward to what was an empty foxhole...However, the Russians
moved in there with a 1-1-4-5 to cover that advance.

The German Mortar is moving to the Southern Hill to get a better vantage point.

Based on Movement points, the Germans need to move at least one unit toward the bridge at
full speed for the next two turns.

Turn 4
2-3-4-5 Squad eliminated leader and Russian squad in G8 to eliminate a threat to approach the
bridge. The big problem, the leader and squad the G6 stone building. The 88 is ineffective against
it, unless it can roll very high damage roll.

Turn 5
Germans made slow progress, but there will need to be many melees to rid the area of effective
units so that one unit can stand by the bridge for 1full turn. the 2-3-4-6 German Squad entered into
melee with the Russian leader, squad and lmg. They locked into melee for the next turn.

Turn 6
Russians and Germans fought to the death in the stone building in G6. A sacrifice that needed to
happen for the Germans to get up to the hex. MG fire also shook the German squad in H5, so they
won't be able to recover from that because there's no leader to rally them. So the Germans will win
this one because the sole unshaken Russian squad can't see hex H6 in order to fire on it.

These are well designed scenarios. At least for the solo player. Almost all of the Lock N Load Scenarios that I've played have come down to the last turn. Well, okay, this one came down to the second to last turn, I'm sure there are a few things I could've done to help the Russian cause a bit. For one, I could've kept a guy in the stone building on the bridge to fire protected.

Initiative rolls also could've helped the Russians. Out of 7 turns (I rolled for the last one to see what would happen.) the Russians only won initiative once! Therefore, their tanks were blown to bits quickly by charges and AT guns.

Speaking of those guns, they couldn't do much against the infantry units.

Battle of the Russian Bulge Campaign

Perhaps I'm mixing my metaphors here. But this week I was excited to receive from Enterprise Games (great place to acquire used wargames):

Battle of the Bulge, 1981 edition, from Avalon Hill

I have Ardenne '44. But I was looking for something a little more streamlined and less chromey so I could get the game setup and played before Christmas.

There are advanced and optional rules that I can tell from the onset would make for a better game...but I'm going to stick to my guns and play the basic game to stick with my original goal.

It was in great shape and even had stories from old General Magazines - very cool. Also, most of the chits were unpunched.

Here are a couple other pics of the game:

 Here's the unboxing video:

And, now to The Russian Campaign

I owned this a few years ago and never put it on the table. However, my tastes have changed to be in favor of my strategic games and like with the Bulge, heard this one was pretty straightforward, so wanted to give it a go.

With just 6 pages of rules, this one should be even easier than Bulge. The game came with the 3ed rules, which I believe were the last ones until L2 did their deluxe box.  I would like to have that one, but alas, it's about $140 in places, so it can wait.

This one was mostly punched but in great shape. Oh, I like this concept of this one because it's the entire war covered in a fairly small footprint. I see there's another all East Front, all war game out called The Dark Valley from GMT just being released this month. I may have to give it a look after it gets some reviews. Here's my unboxing video:

The Caucasus Campaign Game 1 Game End AAR

I finished this GMT east front WWII game, The Caucasus Campaign. It was fun and tense. A lot less exceptions than Normandy '44. I still had to review the rules at least once a turn, but it wasn't too bad.

Some things I'm remembering that I need to firm up next time (and there will be a next time):

• Mobile Assaults and how to best use them (I only used it once)
• Better use of the rail and sea movement
• Keep the Naval Brigades on the Black Sea coast to threaten the coastal towns the Germans may take
• Understand the Total quality of units 
• Keep the Germans together better with a clearer focus of which towns they will capture
• Also - better divide the armor units and air units

Weather was very good, only 3 bad days and the naval support never showed up - pretty lucky for the Germans. Also, the first couple of turns saw the Russians getting limited reserves (ie randomly drew several "None" chits for early reinforcements.) These would affect things in another playing.

And oh yes, this is post 400. Thank you all for your support (131 subs) and comments. My first post was this short post about DieCon 2011. That was June 5, 2011.  That's almost 30 months running averaging about 13 posts a month. That's pretty decent production I suppose. I'm averaging 1,885 monthly views. Or, 141 views per post. I'm not sure what that means in the big scheme of things, it's just fun crunching some numbers. At this rate, i'll be on post 500 around the first of July, 2014. See you then with a new update.

I just looked at my YouTube channel to compare: Began October 10, 2010...which doesn't seem right to me. Because I thought I started my blog way before my videos. But looking back, my first video was an unboxing of White Star Rising (also my most viewed video - it was immediately high because the game company, Lock N Load posted it on their site and it jumped up like crazy.)

54,557 video views, very close to my blog. 285 videos, quite shy of videos. and 276 subs quite higher than here. That's 191 views per video...though that first one skews it.  Anyway, fun times.

Well Done Stalingrad Pocket II AAR

I saw this on BoardGameGeek and was impressed with how it was done and since I've posted my AAR of this game here, I wanted to share it with you.  I hope their able to keep up the good work for the whole game.

from BoardGameGeek

1941 East Front WWII Blitzkrieg Commander AAR

Redtroop, on his Kampfgruppe blog writes up a great AAR of a recent East Front battle that he and his friends fought.

I like this because it seems like a nice, simple battle, with a nice looking table fought between friends. Keep 'em coming Redtroop.

Playtest of War Stories

Photo and Youtube dump of my play test game of War Stories with Dave. As usual, Dave's gone above and beyond and glued his playtest boards on thick material as well as making his terrain overlays on thick play foam material.

Any terrain that blocks line of sight will be made as a thick overlay so you can remember that the terrain does in fact block LOS.

I also like the watercolor look of the maps.  Of course, none of this is final art.

We only got one turn in, so didn't experience a whole lot, but did come up with a bunch of questions for Dave to take back to the creators of the game.

I think there's potential for this tactical level game that doesn't use  dice and utilizes cards to supplement play. In addition, it has a unique way of handling movement with a new hex system.

See below for the video, BoardGameGeek posts by others and of course the pictures:

Boardgamegeek post of the game
BGG post of Dave's perspective of the game.
BGG post of another playtesters first couple of games.

SCS - SPII - Turns 2-4 End of Game AAR

This finishes with a close German victory.  Easy.  That's nice.  Fairly quick.  And enough things to think about to challenge the players. Works well solo.

SCS - SPII - Scenario 4 Turn 1 AAR

And now let's play this bad boy.

SCS - SPII - Combat, Retreat, Advance

Still learning.  But I think this is the last of the learning videos.  Next up will be simple AARs.

SCS - SPII - Overrun, Barrage, End of Turn

Continuing learning the game.

SCS - SPII - Move, Reserve, and DAM Phases

Covering more of the gaming of MMP's Stalingrad Pocket II.  Once you get involved it's not too complicated.

SCS - Stalingrad Pocket 2 - Weather and Air Determination Phases

Here I go over the first two phases of a turn.

SCS - Stalingrad Pocket 2 - Setup

Not much to say except that I'm beginning with Scenario 4, a 4 turn learning scenario.  I'll use The Scrubs' set up just because I'm not sure what a good one would be.  I used his roughly, and had to make some guesses.

Standard Combat Series - SCS - Stalingrad Pocket 2 - Unboxing

After watching and talking with the local Wargame Meetup group here playing The Blitzkrieg Legend, I was tempted to give some of this style of games a try.

TBL is actually part of The Gamers and MMP's OCS (Operational Combat Series) which covers large areas and has a 40 page series rulebook.  In addition, it has another 20+ pages of rules for this specific game.

MMP Website

Not only does it cost $110 msrp, it's humongous.  These guys have been meeting for a few months and this will continue.

Anyway, there's also the TCS (Tactical Combat Series) and Standard Combat Series or SCS.  I decided to try SCS.  From the MMP site:
 

The Standard Combat Series (SCS) enables both experienced and beginning players to enjoy simple to play and quick to learn games.  Each game is a quick-start, complete simulation:  rules, a detailed color map, 280 counters, and everything else needed to recreate the campaign in question.

And it is quite easy.  If you've played any kind of board wargames before at a strategic level. Meaning that each piece represents company or above.  The SCS rules are 5-7 pages long and each title in the series has about 5-20 pages of game specific rules. Stalingrad Pocket 2 has 5 pages of additional rules.  Not too bad.

Anyway, I want to learn by teaching the game via video. This first is the unboxing.

A Victory Denied Video AARs

Here's the post were I share a little about the game and link to a great video review by marco.

Set up and Turn 1

Turn 2

Turn 3-4

Turns 5-6

Turns 7-8 and Game End

If I was going to go another 2 turns because of Objective Moscow, I would've been hurting as the German. I had too many units wrapped up in little battles.  Lots of options.  Look forward to trying this again.

A Victory Denied Boardgame

Just finished playing through A Victory Denied by MMP.

Here's the game's description from the MMP Website:

In July of 1941, the German Army stood at the very door of Moscow. The Soviet forces before them had been routed and the path to yet another great victory for the Wehrmacht was seemingly undefended. But it was here that the Russian Army successfully rallied. For the first time in this terrible war, the Germans faced an enemy that was implacable and resolute. With victory so close, and with Germany closer to world domination then they would ever be before or since – the Russian line held – it was A Victory Denied.

Building on the enormous critical success of A Victory Lost, A Victory Denied is a wargame that offers the same elegant simplicity of A Victory Lost but also covers the unique aspects of this great battle. While the system remains the same, upgraded supply rules and command structure rules will be added to model how important these problems were in this battle – and air power and Stalin’s Organs will make their first appearance in the system. But what made A Victory Lost so special will still be in full force – easy rules, unpredictable chit pulls, wild game play, and the ability to play the game almost right out of the box.
Components:

• 1 32 by 22 map
• 280 1/2” counters
• 16 page full color rulebook

Details:

• Solitaire rating: Excellent
• Complexity: Low
• Playing time: 6 hours
• Scenarios: 1

Designer: Adam Starkweather
Developer: Nick Richardson
Graphic Artist: Niko Eskubi

 What a tremendous time I had playing through this. Played it out over several days for approximately 6+ hours. The game says it should take 4. I think this is realistic especially with two players who know the rules.  I was solo and learning the rules, so it's bound to take longer.

After listening to Gun, Dice, and Butter Podcast, I got the itch for operational level games. Not at the level he discusses, but something bigger than the tactical minis and boardgames I'm used to. However, I didn't want loads of rules to learn. This fit the bill perfectly. Low rules overhead and fairly straight forward play.  I felt tension the whole time playing. Also, I could play it simply as I read through the rules.  Also, I can see how, with a better understanding of how the rules work, I can spend some more time thinking through my strategy and tactics.

However, the game doesn't seem to get a lot of discussion on the forums. So, I'm wondering that if it's possible to "figure it out" after just a couple of plays. I've not seen anything to this effect.   I just wish there were more battles covered in this series. I really like the mechanics.

Next operational level game, I hope: Normandy '44 by GMT. OOP, but have been searching like crazy and think I've found a source.  This will be my fourth attempt.

Here's a review of the game, by Marco.  My next post will be all the videos from my play through

East Front Bolt Action by Dave

This is copied from Dave's entry on Boardgame Geek (Go check out his post and give him a thumb up to show you like miniature infiltrating the site about board games!)  about a Bolt Action Game he put on:

I've got some pictures and a little battle report of a Bolt Action game we played recently. It turned out to be a pretty enjoyable
afternoon for our gaming gang, that is once the original scenario was tweaked a bit and we played it through a second time!

By reason of explanation, let me note that I've yet to use the points system for creating forces in Bolt Action, nor have I used any of the formatted scenario encounters included in the rules either. Having put on many WW2 minaitures games over the years, I feel pretty comfortable designing my own scenarios, but one of the downsides of this - you do own the created scenario, especially if it ends up being badly balanced......

The scenario was an attack vs. defender mission, tasking a Soviet infantry force of two rifle platoons reinforced with support weapons to overcome an enemy contingent dug in around a crossroads.

The problem with the first running of the scenario was that the Germans had the open area to their front completely covered by observation and fire, and with some dandy die rolls too, the German player commanding the supporting med. mortar team was able to direct some telling mortar strikes on the Soviets as they attempted to gain stepping off points to begin their assault (which was along a woodline that ran roughly across the board). Seeing that my setup was botched from the get-go, with the distance the Soviets had to traverse being wide open, and offering little more prospects than a shooting gallery for the German defenders, after a couple turns I decided to restart the game, but by providing the Soviet team a more covered approach, and deleting two German units from their roster.

Providing the Soviet team a bit more approach cover (with standing crop fields instead of cultivated fields) made the 2nd game much tighter in game balance, and this time the Soviets were able to close up on the German entrenchments.

Near the end of the game the German players decided they would need to fall back into or through the town area in order to break off from the Soviet assault (if possible), and this was a good point to call the game, with the Soviets having the advantage at that time.

I think all who played probably had a good time, winners or losers, and I enjoyed running both games too!

Follow up to a question on BGG:

It was a 4' X 6' table this time, which is the size of these Games Workshop battle mats. I like these mats very much as they look like static grass, but they're durable synthetic fabric which can contour to terrain pieces placed underneath them for making map elevations, without having to use hills on top of the ground cover (like overlays).

In this scenario I used one GW mat, but for the first Bolt Action scenario I presented, and also posted about on the forum here, I used two GW mats together (the joining seam being covered by a straight road feature, allowing a 6' X 8' area):

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/859956/a-few-pics-of-our-first-bolt-action-game

I like the larger area, because you can make a more "panoramic" looking game board, and there's more room for flank maneuvering. By locating any of the scenario objectives towards the center of the tabletop will still draw the action to the middle of the board, so that you'll likely ensure the opposing forces actually have to encounter each other and fight it out there.

Here are more pics at the Big Muddy Historical Gaming Alliance Yahoo page.  As always, post your questions here or on Boardgame geek.