East Front II update

One of my favouritest ever computer games is Talonsoft's East Front II. Although it is now getting quite old (seven years?!) they certainly got it right as a good computer sim that comes closish to the Squad Leader experience. Very good fun with another serious gamer if you have the time to play through a game, or meet often enough to enable enough frequency of turns that the game won't lose momentum. It is involved enough that you don't want to wait too long between turns.

Anyway, Wayne and I are looking at playing it by email, now that he is connected. We are just working out the file protocols etc, and then I can look forward to the computer age's closest aproximation to the classic wargames experience without the downloading and mucking around with beta versions of simulation software.

PF - Mission success

In Pacific Fighters I finally flew the first mission of Squadron 30'2 campaign well enough for it to be applied as a success. I managed to shoot down three fighters, destroy 3 AA guns, five cars and two ships (freighters). I flew most of the mission with a cockpit view and map, and the difficulty level is set at 'easy'. Never-the-less, and not just because of the glitch (see previous post), there is a deal of satisfaction in the victory.

The next mission is a scenic flight along the southern face of the Owen Stanleys from Port Moresby to Milne Bay. Will be interesting.

Pacific Fighter glitch

I have found a fustrating bug in Pacific Fighters. In the first mission of the campaign based upon Squadron 30 (RAAF Beafighters, New Guinea, 1942), the rest of the flight crashes into a cliff face before they've gotten half way to the target (Buna airfield). That makes it fairly difficult for one's surviving beafighter to work its way through AAA defences to score sufficient hits on transport assets to enable the mission to be a 'success'.

Upon reading reviews, it appears that this bug is not peculiar to my experience of the game. You'd think that in such a generally brilliant game, such glitches wouldn't find their way into the final product...

Friend on line

My 'son in law' is now on the web and is a keen gamer, so we are looking forward to playing East Front online and various other things (perhaps cyberboard versions of all the games we wished we had time to play even before kids and other associated interuptions to quality gaming time arrived). Will keep you updated.

Easter Presents - Pacific Fighters and Ghost Recon Expansions

My 'Easter Present' this year was a couple of computer games, Pacific Fighters (Ubisoft, 2004, realistic combat flight sim) and the Gold Edition of Ghost Recon (2001, with expansion disks of Desert Seige and Island Thunder, first player special forces shoot 'em up). So guess what I've been doing since Easter?

That has, of course, impacted upon my painting schedule, which has ground down back to stationary. I managed to paint up all of my new vehicular and ordinance elements (exception: london bus, horse and cart, Bf 109s). I have also painted most of the bases of all the painted troops in a matt green. Previously, they were painted with an impossible to replace Prussian Green acrylic, didn't look good (way too dark) and couldn't replace the bottle when it ran out. The next two steps in the project will be to complete the base painting, and then matt varnish the entire army.

That still leaves me the following to paint:

2 Bf 109s
Bus
Horse and Cart
Half company mounted troops
2 Battallions soft hatted troops
3 Battallions helmeted troops
1 Machine Gun Battalion
1 Carlist Company
6 Flag Groups.

That should give me something to do over winter ...

And, I found my tractor!

Possible rules changes and painting update.

I am thinking of some rule modifications (after a hiatus of over a month from thinking of such things) for my 6mm SCW rules. Firstly, simplify written text - to something I won't feel a need to explain when it gets put up on the web for the public to access. Secondly, alter a few of the mechanics, and their limitations, to more reflect what I want to draw out of the SCW.

Examples of the later include, adding limitations to who can combine with who into a fire group. For example, small arms can't support MGs, though MGs can support small arms, similarly with armoured vehicles and ordinance, and these weapons able to support any number of attacks - the point of this being to make support weapons be used more as such. Similarly, I am thinking of making it a bit difficult for units from different formations, nationalities and troop types to combine into groups - reflecting command and control difficulties of the war.

Related to this last, I am thinking of a way that will enable a bit more continuity of command mobility without removing entirely the quandaries my present system of command points imposes upon play.

I also want to make artillery a bit more of an area affect weapon, with barrages in a boxed area rather than the present blast radius (circular).

Finally, I also want to look at the interaction between my Unit sizes and the limit on the number of supporting fire elements that can increase an element's attack percentages.

I did think of changing the single dice theory of rolling to a standard 'two dice' roll, but on reflection I think I like the straight line probability of the later as opposed to the bell curve of the former. It makes dice modifiers a bit easier to quantify.

In terms of painting, I am painting my Condor units up - 5 Pz Is, 1 Pz II, 1 T 26, 2 light trucks, kubelwagen up in a 'panzer grey' (with 'dark brown' camo striping on the AFVs). I have done all of the grey and brown, it is now down to doing the detail (tracks, tyres, canvas, guns, people).

Forces to be painted

The forces I undercoated are composed as follows. All are from the Irregular Miniature range, available from Eureka Models in Melbourne. (I seem to have lost my artilery tractor!)

2 x Bf109 planes

2 x Light trucks
2 x Hvy trucks

3 x Hvy Artillery pieces (WWI German and British Field Guns)

1 x Bus (Double Decker)
1 x Horse and Cart

1 x Kubelwagen
3 x Pz I
1 x Pz II (I remember reading of a sighting of one in late in the war)
2 x BT5
2 x T26
2 x Pulnitov Aroured Cars (with 2 turrets each!)

3 Battalions of Helmeted troops, each composed of 12 stands
2 Battalions of capped troops, each composed of 12 stands
6 Flag stands (Battalion HQs)
13 Single Figure stands (Co HQs)

4 x 'Maqui' (WWII) stands (envision as becoming Carlist fanatics)
10 x HMGs (will use generic figures and paint to provide alternate crews for helmeted/capped formations, depending which side they are fighting for)

A can of Tamiya undercoat

I haven't posted all through March! That's a bit of a surprise. Anyway...

Today I was finally able to get a spraycan of primer. I have a significant number of miniatures waiting to be painted, for which they require undercoat. It conincided with my wife moving all her stuff out of 'my' gaming room - she had borrowed it to finalise her paperwork at the end of her PhD. So, I was able to use the last hour of light after work (daylight saving ended yesterday) to spray all my unpainted figures. Not that I intend to paint them all in one big marathon, but it is good to have all of them done so that I will be able to paint when the whim takes me over the coming season.

The Tamiya undercoat was all that was available, it seems that Modelmaster don't get stocked anywhere any more. So, it's a bit of a gamble because I didn't have very good experience with Tamiya the last time I used it. Still, it gave a good even coat this time. The question will be how much the can clogs by the time I next use it.

A like mind!

I distinctly felt the sense of human companionship today, on a wargamer's forum that I regularly visit there was a posted message to me from someone else who has a serious bug about playing SCW with 6mm. I don't have a clue where in the world this person hails from, but it sure feels nice to know that there are others afflicted by the same substrain of the malady.

Whoever you are, Red Trotsky Red, thankyou!

I am nearly done with the first 'clean up' of my rules prior to posting. It's taking much longer than I thought.

Writing my rules

This is an update on what is presently occurring with the rules I have been working on for my SCW miniatures. I have called them Al Front! (which means "to the front").

Over the years I've seen lots of rule sets and used most of them in one game or another. When I used to play 6mm WWII at a friends', they used a set that was written by a local master-gamer called Micro 300. I didn't wish to use these rules for this game, as there was some bookkeeping involved and a lot of dice rolls and charts. When we used to use them, they were great, but we had a lot more time and ability to leave a game set up for months. That is no longer the case.

I did an internet search, and had a look at lots of various sets out there at the present. There were bits and pieces in most sets which I liked, but none seemed to have the 'flavour' I was looking for. So, I did what all old wargamers eventually do, and decided to write my own.

By the time I was finished, I had 24 pages of a word document, including 5 pages of tables. I am presently working on cutting back the verbosity, and simplifying generally. I was going to post them up to a free rules site http://www.deepfriedhappymice.com/html/gamers_world.html but am again going through them to simplify and rewrite. There are a couple aspects of the rules which I took almost whole from other sets and, even if I don't originalise these bits, I need to make sure I'm not done for copywrite.

The process has been real interesting, I have had to delve deep into assumptions and design theory to work out exactly what it is we wish to achieve with our simulation/game. It was a joy to find someone who has covered much of this intellectual territory and found words to express it http://www.simmonsgames.com/products/Austerlitz/Diary.html as well as the fact that many gamers this decade seem to be moving the way I am in their rules (simpler, quicker, less complex, single dice roll, card involvement).

The next scenario I'm thinking of, by the way, is the initial military coup of the SCW - in Morocco. Will involve elite Foreign Legionairres and Moroccans seizing a town centre and airport while worker militia and regular army mobilise to try and prevent.

Morning in Spain

Morning in Spain, looking back towards Italian baseline.

This photo is looking back over the central bridge where the CVs are. You can see the blue overalls of the worker's militia platoons, some in the village at left and some in the open between the bridge and town. The Italian militia (closest to camera) have swept around through the village and are about to engage the pinned militia in the open with fire. In the midground are visible an Italian infantry company, advancing towards the crossroads, and various other infantry advancing in the distance and through the woods. At the rear of the table are visible mortar support units and Italian trucks.

This photo was taken after the final turn had been completed and the markers which we use in the game removed. The Italian had had a dawn militia attack upon republican elements in village and woods. Reinforcements had arrived over the following hours, a battalion of infantry and a company of CVs. It is those CVs which have swept onto the two bridges in middle of table. They only did this with a turn to go, as Republican militia held out in the village, put up a bitter (though losing) fight for the woods nearest the river, and advanced reinforcement centurias up the roads. With only an hour of game time to go, it appeared that a draw was likely and a republican win possible. Then, the CVs swept through several gaps and stormed over the empty objectives (central bridge had been heavily shelled on previous turn by Italian artillery, and subject to air attack by a pair of CR 32 biplanes, which together had eliminated a centuria of militia that threatened to block the Italians with their lives).

For historical context, the Italians were part of the 1936 sweep to cut off republicans in Malaga. They had to get across the bridges to win this game. The Republicans were to buy time for the evacuation of Malaga. They had to deny one bridge for a draw, both for a win.

The games purpose (besides providing entertainment, which it did) was to test out the rules we are working on (Al Front!). We played it over four sessions, a couple hours per session. Not bad for a Brigade sized game. The scenery has moved on since then, and I look forward to posting pictures of our current set up.

I'm not sure when this will happen (as we have lives to live between games), so thought I'd post this to keep the blog active.

First wargame photo.

A Morning in Spain - Nailsworth Dec 2005

A mock up game from last year, played on table top with aim of honing up the rules more than impressive scenery. If someone wants, I can put up the extensive notes on the actual game. In this picture, CV 35s have snuck around republican militia to cross bridge. Those Republican militia about to be surrounded by Italians ahead and italian milita advancing between village and river. If you look carefully, you can also see the battle extends into the background (down the road between woods and river), again with a pair of CV35s advancing towards the bridge in the distance.

Didn't have a camera with us for the Sesena game. The visuals have markedly improved, however (what with new table and buildings). Will put picture up when available.

Wargames Website (miniatures)

There's lots of these out there! I'll post up sites here when they particularly grab my imagination. For example, check out the forum boards at http://theminiaturespage.com/ .

I have noticed that there doesn't appear to be a dedicated 6mm SCW site. Maybe that can be my contribution in time to come?

Game Report - Attack on Sesena

January 28, 2006
Nailsworth

The tanks began moving at dawn, storming into the town square of Sesena before the company of Moroccans hidden in the church were able to mount a proper attack upon them. The Moroccans were shot down as they charged towards the approaching tanks, their remanants eliminated by the tanks as they drove by. The 75mm gun on the other side of the town square managed to immobilise the HQ armoured car of the Russians before it too fell victim to short range machine gun fire. Thus, by the time the rain lifted (around 0930) and a heavy fog blanketed the battlefield, there appeared to be no opposition lying between the armour and the highway to the West. The only problem for the Republican, the infantry was still approaching Sesena.

Nationalist reinforcements dribbled onto the field over the next couple of hours, with morroccan cavalry skirting woods to the North of the Sesena road down which the russians were approaching. A company of CV 35s similarly skirted around woods to the South of the road, attempting to encircle the russians who were, by this time, engaging foreign legion elements who were seeking cover within those woods.

As midday passed, it became clear that Republican infantry had secured the town, but had not managed to advance west to the highway. Realising this, the T26s contented themselves with hunting down the last CVs, leaving one platoon stuck on the edge of the wood and two platoons a collection of smoking wrecks on the Western approach to Sesena.

The last hurrah of the day, however, went to the Morroccan mounted troops to the north of the highway. Two platoons of T26s peeled off of the highway to engage them with fire. The Morroccans charged home and engaged the tanks in close quarters combat. Over the final hour of battle, they managed to eliminate the two platoons.

The game concluded with the Republican occupying the road junction and main buildings of Sesena, with scattered nationalist reinforcements forming a thin but unbroken screen between them and the highway. Thus, as historically, the tanks had demonstrated their tactical worth and won a comprehensive local victory. The strategic goal of the operation, however, remained beyond their grasp as the Toldedo Madrid highway continued to flow with reinforcements heading towards the fascist front lines at the South of Madrid.

The only real variation to the rules as written was to allow more than one element in a unit to conduct a fire attack in a turn. (albeit, they will have a lot less bonuses). The one lack in the rules appears to be specificity to tanks limited visibility. Otherwise, a good game.

The battalion level encounter took less than 2 ½ hours to play. And, despite the final point total of 9 – 4 in the republican’s favour, it had its moments of high tension.
We are ready, I believe, to expand and start incorporating other players.

Prelude to Sesena

I have completed my new buildings with a mix of Wine Red and Leather (about 4:1) on their rooves. I also purchased three sheets of flocked grey felt measuring 12" by 9" for 60c @. I have cut these into several squares, leaving only one full sized. Placed next to each other, they pretty well stretch across my table. Thus, I have been able to construct a barrier of the township of Sesena across the battlefied, populated with enough interesting buildings to make it visually attractive. Looks good.

Tomorrow morning Wayne will call around and we will see if we can get through a battalion sized battle in a morning. Basically, a republican armoured company of Russian T26s will try and punch through the weakly held township of Sesena (defended by a company of Moroccans and a 75 mm gun). A couple of communist infantry companies will move up and, hopefully, follow suit. There will be scattered nationalist reinforcements arriving from the Western edge (totalling a company of foreign legion infantry, a company of CV 35s (lead tankette with flamethrower), and another platoon of mounted moroccans). Should be okay.

The game will have a 15 turn time limit, and will start raining. This will make some of the land boggy. The winner will be determined by a point system. 1 pt for each enemy element destroyed, 2 for each AFV destroyed, 2 to the nationalist for each unsupported T26 that leaves the Western edge, 4 to the republican for each T26 that leaves that edge if that tank is matched by a communist infantry platoon. The T26s can leave the table and return on a later turn. There is only one highway, and it only reaches from the Western edge to the town square of Sesena in the middle of the table.

Units are all veteran or elite (Morroccans are regular in urban area). I have made the Morroccans 'reckless' - death or glory in the charge! Foreign Legionairres have molotov cocktails. The armoured units of each side will find it difficult to cooperate with their infantry. The T26s will always use the Republican's first 'command point' (thus, on some turns they will be the only republican unit to move).

The scenario is a slighlty modified form of Steve Bagalan's "Tank attack on Sesena" scenario ( www.balagan.org.uk/war/index.htm ).

I'll report the result soon.