Sunday, November 20, 2016

BLACK POWDER NAPOLEONICS
Prussian & British vs. French
 
Had a couple of Nappy's games with my buddy Ed last week and haven't gotten around to posting any photos yet.  We played a Prussian (Ed) vs. French (me) meeting engagement and a French (Ed) attack vs. British (me).  Good tight games and Ed pulls out the win for both.
 
French deployment with infantry supported by Hussars and Dragoons going deep right to try to get to a built up area, dismount, and occupy it to harass the Prussian advance.

 
Ed's having none of that and will send a unit of Fusiliers over to challenge the Dragoons.  The initiative goes to Ed on turn 2, the Dragoons get disordered, and are stuck in place until they are destroyed.  Merde!

 
Prussian formations move up supported by Jagers and a couple of Field pieces.

 
Prussian cavalry make a bold move up the middle, but the French respond with concentrated gun fire and blow them away, much to Ed's obvious displeasure. 

 
Prussian infantry has also pushed up to the middle.  The French Hussars charge to force their lead unit into square, the Hussars bounce clear, and the enemy's unit is destroyed by concentrated fire and assault.  Vive l' France!


 
The battle comes to a climax with the Prussians holding their position surrounded by French troops.  Legere destroy a field gun and clear the way for a Hussar charge into the rear of a Prussian Musketeer battalion.

 
The Hussars roll boxcars to continue their charge through Fusilier traversing fire, close with the rear of the Musketeers, but the shaken cavalry are just too light to win the battle and are pushed back by their enemy.

 
Marshal Vorwarts approves of this result!
 
 
The last gambit has failed.  Jagers finish off the French cannons and the French Hussars and remaining infantry are forced to retreat leaving the field to the Prussians.  

 
 
Game 2 has a British Brigade, reinforced by field pieces and cavalry, in a rear guard role blocking a road passing through a built up area. 

 
The French, outnumbering their enemy, confidently come at them "in the same old style".

 
French Hussars and a field gun keep the enemy honest on their light flank.


One French Brigade blunders and holds position while the other one moves up rapidly.  The British redeploy to meet the main attack.
 
 
The British cavalry sound the charge, ride out to glory, destroy two enemy guns, and are in turn dispersed by the third while French heavies move up to seal the deal if needed.

 
With the enemy closing, the British give the enemy a volley and attack.  Huzzah!
 

 
Battle rages with both sides losing units, but the French can afford it.  The enemy close in on the remainder of the British position and Hussars are attacking their lines from the rear.
 

 
The Rifles disperse the Hussars, but to no avail.  The French wave assault rolls forward to push the British back and seize the road off of the battlefield.
 
 
VIVE L' EMPEREUR !!!


Sunday, November 13, 2016

TEAM YANKEE
Soviets vs. West Germans
Somewhere west of the IGB, 1985

My longtime buddy Ed and I met up this weekend at METAGAMES in Springfield, MO, for a gaming weekend.  Nice hobby shop there with excellent gaming area!  Highly recommended.  We start off on Friday night with a couple of games of TEAM YANKEE. 


Ed's bringing 80 points of Soviets (two T-72 companies, recon BMP 2s, Shilkas, Geckos, and Hails with Frogfoot air support).

I have 80 points of West Germans that I've been working on in their wargaming debut (Leo2s, Marders with Panzergrens, Jaguar1s, Gepards, Luchs, PAHs and F4 Phantoms standing in for Tornadoes).  To match up with the Luchs, I have some camo netting to do on the rest of these guys but overall I'm very happy with how the army came out in their mid-80's Bundeswehr scheme!


'Ere we go with a nice game of ENCOUNTER.

 
I've got PAH's and Jaguar1's backed up by the Leo2's in a strongpoint position in the middle of the table waiting to see where the Soviets head to and will respond from there.
 
 
The enemy sends a T-72 company around my left with recon BMP2s and a second T-72 company coming right at me.
 
 
My Leo2s move out using Stabilisers to shoot rate of fire 2 on the move.  They and the PAH's open fire and decimate the center T-72 company while my Jaguar1s lay some supporting fire for a couple of tank kills on the enemy's left flank company.
 

 
 
I lose a PAH to guided missile fire from the recon BMP2s and the remaining chopper passes morale and relocates over to the right flank!
 
 
The Leo2s, committed, move out to the left and begin destroying the remainder of the Soviet tanks while losing 1 tank to enemy return fire.  Tank fights are deadly and quick in this game, and the Leo2 is currently the "Apex Predator" as someone called them.  Lots of points, but incredibly deadly even on the move and also have good survivability chances against most hits.
 
 
 
Gepards come in from reserve to secure an objective and fire a few shots at the recon BMP2s moving up to threaten the Jaguars.  At least two Gepards always remain in AA mode in case Frogfoots threaten the Leos while the other two can fire at ground targets.
 
 
As the game is coming to a close I get Phantoms making a run at a lone enemy tank from the center company.  In our second game, a flight of two of these attacked a tank company and, even after losing one of the planes to Soviet AA fire, decimated the company with the Salvo sized sub-munitions attack these planes have.  No missiles and very little gun, but if they make it over the target whatever is under that salvo template is in trouble!
 
 
 
The second game was DUSTUP and, once again, the Bundeswehr defend the Fatherland from the Soviet hordes, losing a Jaguar platoon and taking a tank casualty from a Frogfoot missile strike.
 
Fun gaming!  Never thought I'd be into Cold War Gone Hot, but as soon as the Bundeswehr were released for TEAM YANKEE I was in.  GITSUM!


Sunday, October 9, 2016

FLAMES OF WAR
Tank 'er Treat Late War Tournament
The Game Store, Jacksonville, AR

On Saturday, October 8, we had 18 Flames of War players join us for our annual TANK 'ER TREAT tournament using Late War Tank Companies at 1650 points.  There were 9 Allied and 9 Axis players so it was well balanced contest of Red vs. Blue action!

Here are some of the great looking armies that locked horns or some very nice looking tables.


 






 
 
Some of our players and tables in use for today's gaming.



 
 
 
And on to the action shots!
 
Here's a lot of bad news rolling someone's way.

 
 
Hunkering down in a town square.

 
Air power did very well all day for both sides!
 

 
 
Canadians advance through a small village.

 
Winter Russians on a winter table.. nice!

 
AMBUSH!

 
This was an epic fight over and objective that was fun to watch.

 
ERGLY!

 
 
German armor and infantry on the move.

 
Soviet tank column advances towards a bridge.

 
Our big winners for the day!



Hope everyone had as much fun as I did doing the T.O. Duties! 

We'll see you all again next Spring for our GITSUMONYA tourney.