10mm Scourge Tank Battalion for LSNC: Sci-Fi

   We are slowly gearing up to begin work on our latest rulebook in the "Look, Sarge, No Charts" series of rules.  This will be geared towards Near Future and Science Fiction battles.   Therefore, I have been busily working on assembling some forces to use during playtesting; and have just completed my first full tank battalion.

The entire battalion

    I used tanks from the Scourge faction from Hawk Wargames Dropzone Commander range.  Since I didn't see needing a ton of Anti-Aircraft vehicles, which came with the Scourge Starter Sets I purchased,  I converted them to be HQ tanks for each company and the battalion.  I chose the Scourge becuase I like hover tanks, and I felt they had a cool alien look about them.

The Battalion HQ stand.

     I organized the battalion in a basic 3 by 3 arrangement of three companies with three platoons each.   I will probably eventually create an actual AA platoon stand to attach to the Battalion HQ once we start working on the aircraft support rules.

A company of three platoons and an HQ. 

Cold War Report: The Battle of Paris 1814, using "Fate of Battle" Rules

Saturday morning we were up early to do the final set-up for our big 12 player "Battle of Paris, 1814" game using "Fate of Battle" rules and 10mm figures on a 20 ft. table.    The battle centered around the Montmartre Heights on the outskirts of the city, as Russian and Prussian armies attempted to storm the city and oust Napoleon.  Joseph, who had been left in charge of the city while Napoleon  was out trying to raise a new army, was supposed to have been fortifying Paris, but had only managed a few hasty defensive works as the enemy approached.
      Buck Surdu, Dave Wood and I were the GM's, but due to being short a few players, I ended up commanding a force rather than doing a lot of help with the game-mastering

An overview of the battlefield near the beginning. The Montmartre Heights can be seen in the back left of the table.

    The game began with the Prussians and Russians making the march towards the slopes and coming under long range cannon fire.  My command was located on the French right, were we attempted to fight a delaying withdrawal against superior numbers.

A view of the battlefield from the other end of the table. The ranks of Prussians and Russians can be seen preparing to climb the slopes. 

     As the battle raged on the Allies began to push further up the slopes. Meanwhile, on the French right, the canals and built-up areas prevented either the attackers or defenders from gaining a true initiative as movement was slowed and maneuver difficult.

Buck Surdu, pointing, helps a player work out an artillery fire result.

    It  eventually began to look to everyone that an Allied victory was inevitable, as the Allied forces neared the crest of the heights; but the wear of the uphill battle began to show on the attackers, as one after another brigade began to rout back down the heights. To everyone surprise it suddenly began to look like the French would be able to hold the heights after all.

Dave Wood, the other GM, explains a rule to an onlooking player.

      As the game wound down there were some tense turns as the French and Allies, like two battered boxers, tried to land some decisive punches on the heights, but both seemed too exhausted to do so.  When time was up, the French were declared the winner; as the Allies did not appear to have enough strength left to dislodge the remaining defenders from the hill.

A close-up  of some cavalry action on the French right, as a unit of Russian Cavalry appears on the flank and French cavalry turns to meet it. 

     Everyone seemed to have a good time, and it was a great group of players who took part.     I certainly enjoyed myself; even though no decisive outcome was had on the French right were I as located.  

The Allies push further up the heights, meeting a determined defense.

Dave helps measure a range, as fighting nears the crest. Some of the retreating Allies can be seen on the plain below the hill.

A shot of myself, maneuvering some cavalry to counter Russian cavalry dogging my steps as I attempt a gradual withdrawal.

10mm North Polenburg Hussars Completed for LSNQSYW Project

This week I completed the 34th Hussar Regiment for my 10mm North Polenburg Imagi-Nation Army.  This is for a force I started based on a long standing club project, started by Rob Dean and myself, called the Not Quite the Seven Years War (NQSYW), in which members of the HAWKs created forces for their own 18th century Imagi-Nations using homecast 40mm figures.  I decided last year to do an offshoot project in 10mm for use with our "Look, Sarge, No Charts" series of rules...a little project I call Look, Sarge, its Not Quite the Seven Years War. (LSNQSYW) :)  (See this blog entry for more information on the project, and some photos of the rest of the 10mm North Polenburg Army.)

The North Polenburg 34th Hussars ready for action.

The regiment shown with one of their NQSYW 40mm counterparts.

HAWKs GM For Army SLPD Event

    This past Thursday, a group of Gamemasters from the HAWKs (Harford Area Weekly Kriegspielers) took part in an Army Senior Leader Professional Development session by running six historical wargames.
    The set up for this event, organized by Sam Fuson,  was to run battles from six different eras in history using the same battlefield and the same order of battle (adjusted for historical differences in army compositions) and to see how differing technologies impacted the decision making of the commanders, strategies used,  and the outcomes of the battles.  Some of the goals of the event were team building, leadership training, decision making, and reinforcing the principles of battle.

This the battlefield and troops deployment that was used for all six battles.

     I ran a battle set during the War of the Roses in the Medieval Period, Dave Wood ran a Napoleonic version, Eric Schlegel and Ed Duffy ran a battle set in American Civil War, Duncan Adams did a WWI setting, Same Fuson and Geoff Graff co-hosted the WWII table, and Kurt Schlegel GM'd the table with a version of the battle set in the Arab- Israeli War of '73. Buck Surdu acted as lead Gamemaster for the event, and rotated from table to table to observe the games so he could conduct a group discussion afterwards.  All the tabletop battlefields and armies were based on the terrain and armies of the actual battle of Quatre Bras from the Napoleonic period.

Lancastrian commanders debate their next move, in my game set during the War -of the Roses

Yorkist forces sweep up over a small rise on the Lancastrian left, and capture their first, and only, objective flag of the game.

     The participants: more than 60 Army officers, NCOs and senior civilian staff, where divided up and each assigned to a table, with a senior officer and civilian taking the command of  each side in the battle, and others acting as their sub-commanders.   Four identical objective locations were marked on each of the tables with small flags,  The objectives started in control of the defenders, and it was the attackers' job to try and capture them. A fifth victory objective of eliminating more stands of enemy troops than you lost was also set.

Dave Wood, (in blue shirt), explains a rule to one of the participants at the Napoleonic table

     The rules used for the games were all from the "Look, Sarge, No Charts" series of rules sets, including: "Bear Yourselves Valiantly"(Ancients & Medieval version), Fate of Battle (Napoleonic Version), A Union So Tested (ACW version) and "Look, Sarge, No Charts;WW (WWII version).  The WWI game used a modified combination of the ACW and WWII sets, and the Arab-Israeli War both used modified versions of the WWII set.  The figures used were either 10mm or 6mm and were from the collections of the gamemasters.

Eric Schlegel, (in hat), and Ed Duffy, (in dark sweater), help players conduct an attack during the ACW game.

     For many of the participants this was their first exposure to historical miniatures wargaming, yet most were able to quickly pick up the concepts and rules, and after a few turns were fully engrossed in the games and the command of their units.  There was lots of friendly trash-talk among the participants, as well as table-wide cheers and groans as fortunes rose and fell.

Duncan Adams, ( holding tape measure), measures the range for an artillery barrage during the WWI engagement.

     Everyone had a good time, including us, the gamemasters.  This is an event that I have taken part in now for 5 years, and seventh such events, and it is always a blast.  Thanks to Sam's efforts it is always well run, and the participants are always enthusiastic.

Same Fusion, (standing at the end of the table), advises a player in the WWII game.

      At 1430 hours, Buck called the time for the games to end.  The participants gathered in the center of the room and Buck led an after-action discussion.  Commanders were questioned about their mission goals and how well their objectives were met; obstacles that arose and insights that were gained.  The similarities and differences of command in the different eras were also looked at.

Kurt Schlegel, (in yellow shirt), helps players conduct fire during the Arab-Israeli War game. 

    The HAWKs are already looking forward to our next chance to take part in another of these events.

Buck Surdu, (in blue shirt),conducts his after-action discussion after the games' conclusion.

For another report on this event, see Buck Surdu's Blog.

"Bear Yourselves Valiantly" Rules Now Available!

Just want to let all of you know that our latest Look, Sarge, No Charts series rulebook, "Bear Yourselves Valiantly", for fantasy, ancients, and medieval mass combat, is now available to be purchased from On Military Matters:

http://onmilitarymatters.com/pages/dfsearch.php?term=keywords&data=bear+yourselves+valiantly&submit=Search

We're happy to get this into your hands a few weeks early from our original Fall-In targeted release date!

For a battle report see here:
http://onemoregamingproject.blogspot.com/2014/01/bear-yourselves-valiantly-fantasy.html

LSNC WWII & WWI Game Day & Farewell Party

  This past Saturday some of the HAWKs were invited up to run a couple games at Sam Fuson's Warhorse Farm in Gettysburg, PA as part of a farewell party for one of the fellows in Sam's unit who was moving on to another assignment.
  We began the day with a large semi-historical WWII battle from the Polish campaign in September of 1939, run by Buck Surdu using "Look, Sarge, No Charts: WWII" rules.  In the battle Russian and German forces are converging on the Polish held town of Zboiska, while the Poles are tasked with clearing some German heavy artillery off a nearby ridge that is shelling the city of Lvov.  Historically, the Germans left the town for the Russians to take, and moved off to other objectives.  In our game, we pitted the Russians and Germans in a race to see who could capture the town first.

An overview of the T-shaped battlefield. The Germans are attacking from the near table edge on the left, the Russians from the right, and the Poles are counterattacking up the base of the T in the center.

German infantry, on the right, tries to find a weak spot in a treeline held by Polish cavalry.

A view of the battle from the Russian side, with the town of Zboiska in the distance.

Russian armor and infantry advances 

    In the end, the Poles were able to gain the ridge and had captured some of the guns. The Germans and Russians had both been able to eventually punch through the Polish defenses with their armor and the tanks were nearing their objective, but most of their infantry had been beat up in the fight so the chances of either side taking the Polish-held town were slim.  The game was declared a Polish victory.

     After a late lunch , Duncan Adams set up a WWI battle using a combo of modifed LSNC: WWII & ACW rules.  The battle was from the opening maneuvers of the Battle of the Marne.  The Germans were tasked with pushing counterattacking French forces back from a ridgeline that the Germans occupied.

A view of the battlefield.

German forces advance on the right, as elements of a French Colonial brigade move out to meet them.

In the end the French were able to push a small force onto the German held ridge on the French left, even though the French right had been badly mauled and was collapsing under repeated German attacks.  The game was called a marginal French victory.

  Everyone had a great time, and it was a nice send-off for a friend.

"Bear Yourselves Valiantly" Battle of Barnet at Barrage XVIII

At last Saturday's BARRAGE XVIII, the HAWKs' one-day gaming con held in Havre De Grace, Maryland, I ran my War of the Roses, Battle of Barnet, game using our soon to be published "Bear Yourselves Valiantly" rules for Fantasy, Ancients and Medieval mass combat. (For more about the con see my previous post.)

A view of the battle early on. In the foreground Lord Hastings is maneuvering his men to thwart Oxford's attempt  to push his men over a nearby hedge to get on his flank.

The battle took place on April 14th, 1471.  The Yorkist King Edward tried to eliminate the threat posed to his throne by the Earl of Warwick and his allies.  The engagemnt to place on a very foggy morning, causing both side to form up for battle misaligned; both with a dangerously threatened flank.   For the game I had a full slate of 6 players, most of whom were new to the rules.  The armies were 10mm Pendraken figures.

On the Yorkist right, Gloucester and the King advance their forces against Lord Exeter, who is trying to march his Men- At-Arms over to extend his line..

   The game proved to be a closely fought affair with neither side ever able to profit much from their overlapping flank advantage.  

On the Lancastrian right, Oxford pushes his archers forward, but they are met with Hastings' advancing Men -At Arms.  Though they repel the Men-At-Arms, they are pushed back and disorganized, slowing the advance of the rest of Oxford's men over the hedge, and allowing Hastings' Men-At_Arms to retreat without further threat.

In the end though, the king and his Yorkist forces were able to manage a marginal victory over his Lancastrian opponents.

A view of the battle about midway through.

All the players said they enjoyed the game immensely.  And, they were able to virtually run the game themselves, with very little help from me, after a few turns of play.

On the Lancastrian left, Exeter's knights advance to grapple with Glouchester's knights.

The rules will be available from On Military Matters to coincide with the upcoming Fall-In gaming convention.

With a few battered forces left, Warwick views the advancing enemy and decides to call it a day.

"Bear Yourselves Valiantly" Rules Sent to the Publisher!

I just wanted to give everyone the latest update on our rules for Fantasy, Ancients and Medieval  mass combat, "Bear Yourselves Valiantly".  The rules were sent out to our publisher, On Military Matters, today and we are on track for our planned release of the rules to coincide with Fall-In; where we will be running several demo games!
  Here is a sneak peek at the final cover:

For more information, see the rulebook's website.

South Polenburg Enters the War

Readers of my blog may remember that last year I started a project to recreate in 10mm the 40mm Imagi-Nation forces of my North Polenburg country. See here for more on that.  The goal had been to create armies suitable for using with the "Look, Sarge, No Charts" family of rules.  I had hoped that more of my club-mates might join in and and do their Imagi-Nations in 10mm as well, but so far interest has been small, with only Buck Surdu participating in the project.  So, I realized I would need to build more forces on my own in order to have enough to play games with.

The first Brigade under General Adelie. The Emperor's Regt. in the center, with the 3rd Regt. on the right in the photo, and the 2nd "Chinstrap" Regt. on he left in the photo.

I therefore decided that I would start mirroring my North Polenburg armies with the creation of her counterpart, South Polenburg's, forces.  The logic being that South Polenburg could act as both an ally to her northern sister, or as a break-away enemy, depending on the needs of the game.

This week I completed the South Polenburg 1st Brigade.  When considering the theme I was going to use for this army, the obvious idea that hit me was to go with a South Pole motif; so the Infantry uniforms are penguin based, as are the unit and officer names. The artillery uniform resembles the color of sea elephants or walruses.  For the South Polenburg flags, I decided to use the negative image of the North Polenburg flag's star motif.

The General with the Emperor's Regt. , and the 1st South Polenburg Battery

My plan is now to complete a second brigade so I ill have a full division, and paint a cavalry brigade as well.

The South Polenburg Emperor's Regiment, on the left, shown with the North Polenburg Queen Jennifer Regiment on the right. Photo taken during a time of alliance between the two countries. :)

Historicon 2014 Friday Night Report

Jennifer and I arrived at Historicon Friday afternoon, and after checking into our hotel, we headed over to the Expo center to register for the con, visit the HAWKs club room, and unload our gaming stuff.  Luckily, the table for my evening game, the Battle of Five Armies using "Bear Yourselves Valiantly" rules,  was open; so I was able to enjoy a leisurely set up, and then break for dinner in plenty of time to be all ready for the start time at 7:00 PM.

The Battle of 5 Armies begins.  The ruins of Dale can be seen in the center of the table, and the Lonely Mountain over on the right corner.

  The game got off to a good start, and I was lucky to have a couple of fellows who had played in James 'Tank' Nickle's Rome vs Carthage game on Thursday using the same rules, so they were familiar with the game mechanics and were able to help the other players.
   The battle, using 10mm figures, is from the book "The Hobbit", and features armies of Men, Elves and Dwarves, facing off against forces of Goblins and Wargs for control of the Lonely Mountain and the wealth it contains.

Goblin hordes advancing.

   Though the allied armies initially found themselves hard pressed, the Goblins found the dice were not their friend and they had trouble successfully making a number of key dice rolls that eventually led to their defeat.  First one, then three of the Goblin forces retreated, and at that point we called it a night.
    All the players said they had a great time, though as a GM it's always hard to see one side's luck turn south.

The men of Laketown find themselves facing a mass of Goblins.

At the same time, Buck Surdu and Dave Wood were running a 10mm Napoleonic battle, the Battle of Mincio River 8 February 1814, using "Fate of Battle" rules.

Dave Wood (in blue shirt on left) and Buck Surdu (in blue shirt on right) brief the rules to the players.

Players decide their next move as Buck Surdu looks on.

Also being run Friday night was Geoff Graff's 6mm Russian Front WWII game using "Look, Sarge, No Charts: WWII" rules.

Geoff Graff, in blue shirt, looks on as one of the player Dave Schlegel prepares to roll the dice.

 On another table, Bill Acheson was also running a WWII  game, set during D-Day,  featuring much larger 54mm figures.  He was using the under-development "G.A.M.E.R." rules written by Buck Surdu, an featuring an innovative card activation and combat system.

Bill Acheson, standing, running his D-Day game, "H -6 Hours"

And in the middle of the figure scale, Don Hogge was doing WWII with 25mm figures and "Battleground WWII" rules in his Panzer Lehr Counterattack game.

Gamemaster Don Hogge, in blue shirt, helps a player during his WWII game.