PELELIU: A RE-RUN.

We re-played the Peleliu scenario from Combat Commander Pacific the Thursday after our games day (see previous post). I played the Japanese defenders and Rick took the US Marines.

Initial set up. I set up to take advantage of the enfilade special rule.

The US Marines surge forward under the cover of smoke from mortars and WP grenades.

Despite taking casualties, the marines manage to get round the back of the Japanese positions. While the forward bunkers are assaulted. The Japanese respond with  mortar fire on the supporting 50 Cal.

In the end, the US manage to take all the objectives and win the game.

This game moved quicker as the rules were still in our head and we were familiar with the scenario. Despite early success in causing casualties on the Marines, a lack of fire cards and Rick keeping my forward bunkers busy, my defences were overwhelmed. It shows we can finish a scenario in a night. It may need us to play a block of games to keep us familiar with the game. Maybe next year!

A DAY OF GAMES.

A few Saturdays ago, we had one of our infrequent games days. This is an opportunity to play games that take too long for a evening.

I put on a game of Combat Commander Pacific. We have played a few scenarios on Thursdays and found that we were not finishing them or not playing fully committed so as to finish. We had no time pressure for this scenario. The scenario was Peleliu and saw my US Marines having to take a Japanese held cave system by main force.

Starting positions. Marines in the jungle, Japanese in the safety of the hills, with their sighting marker in the jungle.

Early in the game. The first objective taken by the US. On the right the US try to move forward under cover of smoke from the mortars. In the centre, the US 50 cal thought it had broken a moving Japanese unit, only for Rick to play a 'pillbox' action card, adding 5 to the cover.

Poor manoeuvring on my part and use of  one of the scenario special rules, enfilade, which allowed all Japanese troops able to fire as one activation by giving up the initiative, cost me my flank attackers. A big blow to my hopes of attacking.

It did allow me to use naval support, also by giving up the initiative. This had little effect and the game petered out as a firefight between my 50 cal and the pillbox. Even this ended in failure when I used sustained fire, rolled  a double to break the 50 cal. Rick then managed to trigger an event that broke any weapon of his choice. Guess what he picked? The final ignominy was Rick getting reinforcements through another event, which he used to retake the last objective. Big win to the Japanese.

After lunch, we moved to Rick's and had a couple of games in our continuing Warfighter.

The first game saw us having to take out a VIP sitdown. Success in the previous game had allowed us to get more equipment and squad members.

The four members of our squad make a river approach, which cuts down the number of bad guys.

Rick's squad member.

Rick's character.

The trail is more exposed and we encounter baddies. This is the final opponent from three original units.

We double back on ourselves and cross the same river as earlier. A quick recon before we decide how we attack.

A combination of long range rocket launchers and close range explosives expertise ensures that we get the job done in the final available move!

The success brought me more skills and equipment.

Our second mission of the day saw us having to take down a cartel boss. 

Landing in rugged terrain, we quickly attracted attention.

Despite causing casualties, more of the boss' guards attacked.

The more we put down, the more were attracted to the sound of the guns.

The Boss surrounds himself with expendables.

The combat is getting hot.

More enemy keep arriving. We lose a squad member (he is medivaced). We push on to the target. The mission is all!

A combination of weapons takes down the boss and we complete the scenario.

All in all this was a good day. A break from routine and other distractions. We decided to test whether we could do the Combat Commander Pacific scenario on a week night. We set up the scenario till just before deployment and left it for the next Thursday game. See a future post for the result.

COMBAT COMMANDER: PONT DU HOC.

A few Thursdays ago, Rick put on a game of Combat Commander. The scenario was the Ranger raid on Point Du Hoc.

The initial German positions. Rick was the Germans.

Early in the game. The Rangers used a random set up and then had to find their way up the cliffs!

The Rangers initially started to take some of the bunkers. They could not make progress due to fierce German resistance and counter attacks, not to mention not always having the right cards!

The final reckoning. The Rangers managed to take two of the five bunkers. So it was a German victory.

 

The game was a fitting tribute to the bravery of all who took part. It demonstrated just how difficult it was to achieve their objectives and puts their success into perspective.

DAY OF GAMES: SAILS OF GLORY AND COMBAT COMMANDER.

In the afternoon, after some lunch, we arrived at Rick's for a try out of Sails of Glory. This game uses the same basic game engine as Wings of War/Glory, Attack Wing and X-Wing, but for sailing ships.

Here is a view of the British vessels: The 3rd Rate Defence and Frigate Terpischore. The French Ships, frigate Courageuse  and ship of the line Genereux.

The wind gauage with a wind direction device, which indicates which direction the wind is hitting a ships sails and what movement rates to use.

This picture shows the ship record cards, which take up space, but are neccessary. We used a 6 x 4 ft table for a 4ft x 4ft playing area. 

 The French are running with the wind from left to right. The British are taken aback whilst manoeuvering into the wind. 

In true British style, I had loaded the ships with double shot. This has a short range compared to normal ball, so I tried to cross the T of the French to rake them and reduce my exposure to long range broadsides. This was partially successful as Terpischore managed to get a broadside off at Le Generaux.

 Defence and Courageuse accidentally become entangled. Defence takes fire from both French ships without being able to respond effectively. Terpischore is too far away to assist.

Defence breaks free and pours a broadside of double shot into Courageuse. This casuses so many casualties that the frigate strikes its colours. The second line down, with the blue, yellow and red counters, shows that all available crew are casualties.

 Le Genereaux and Terpischore exchanged broadsides at long range.

Le Genereaux and Defence become entangled. Despite taking a broadside from Terpischore, the crew of the French ship manage to make the Defence strike her colours with a combination of musketry and a sharp boarding action. Terpischore made her way from the scene, her captain not fancying the odds against a ship of the line.

We decided it was a French marginal victory. The game is quite involved but, I think, after a few games it will become second nature. Movement can be quite complex. The system uses manoevere decks, like the original Wings of War, with cards showing different rates of movement depending on attitude to the wind and damage taken. Getting your manoeuvre right, to do what you wanted to do, was bad enough, let alone trying to guess what your opponent was up to!

It was quite a tense game with the result in the balance till near the end.

 After a takeaway haddock supper, from the Ashvale, to finish the evening, we had a game of Combat Commander. The scenario was set during the Battle of the Bulge, and focussed on a clash between the 101st at Bastogne and a German mixed force over some supply gliders that had been dropped.

Five objective chits, representing the gliders, replaced the numbered objectives on the map. With a bit of random placement, three of the gliders were closer to the Germans albeit in the open and two easily accessible and near cover, closer to the US forces.

The game took longer than we expected and lasted past the scheduled 7 turns before the Germans won. It looked close at the end, but the fact that the Germans held three of the objectives, with much higher VP value than the two held by the 101st.

A whole 14 hours of wargaming. That is the equivalent of 4 weekday games nights! Good job they are so infrequent?!?

West Tank Barrier.

Not posted for a while for one reason or another (work & charity event). Not been able, or in the mood, to post.

Managed a game two Thursday's ago. As Aidan was not available, Rick and I did scenario E from Combat Commander: Pacific.

                                           Set up for the game, prior to deployment.

The US had to find a way to breach a wire and anti-tank barrier (hence the title) whilst mopping up the scattered Japanese defences. I took the US and Rick the Japanese.

This was a close, tense game, which we were unable to finish and abandoned as a draw.

The position halfway through the game. It was a 'time' trigger and Rick is shuffling his deck.

Short busy week.

Thanks to the local Aberdeen Monday holiday, this was a short working week. As ever, five days work still has to be fitted into four. This left me tired in the evenings. The hot balmy nights here made it difficult to sleep, making things worse. With David on Holiday, there was no Wednesday game.

 On Thursday, Rick ran the Bessarabian Nights II scenario from Combat Commander: Resistance. I reprised my role as the Germans and Aidan took the Partisans, with Rick guiding Aidan on the rules.

Needless to say, the game swung back and fore, with one memorable sequence of initiative swopping, before I won by 3 VP on sudden death.

As it is a two player don't get enough chance to play this wonderful game. One of the disadvantages of a group of three.