Buck Surdu's "Combat Patrol" WWII Skirmish, Now Availalbe

    I wanted to let my readers know that Buck Surdu's "Combat Patrol" WWII card-based skirmish rules for miniatures gaming are now available for purchase at Drive Thru Cards.   I as lucky enogh to be one of the playtesters for these rules, and can say they really are a lot of fun.
Here is a quick promotional video:

 Here are some of the features of the rules:

• The Double Random Activation™ mechanism provides the unpredictability and drama of card-based activation without the drawbacks. This activation mechanism was originally developed for Battles by GASLIGHT and was refined during the development of Look, Sarge, No Charts titles.  The mechanism uses cards for activation but ensures that multiple players are acting at the same time.
• No big yellow or pink chart cards cluttering up your beautiful gaming tables.  Each player needs one or two 3″x5″ cards with the information about his units, including their weapons and equipment.   Other than those, there are no chart cards.  The back of these unit records includes the modifiers for hand-to-hand combat and terrain effects on movement.  After a game or two, players rarely need to refer to these, so two unit records can be taped back to back for even less clutter.
• Combat resolution is resolved by flipping cards.  Players read different sections of the cards in the Action Deck depending on what they are trying to do:  shooting, resolving hits, “rolling” to penetrate enemy vehicles, hand-to-hand combat, movement, and morale.  In development, I took a series of charts and then broke them apart to fit on an Action Deck of 50 cards.  Flipping a card is essentially the same as rolling a die and looking up the result on a table.  The difference is that you don’t have to do all that table look up.  Flip a card and determine whether you got a hit.  If so, flip the next card to see which target figure was hit, how severely, and whether he is protected by cover.
• Cover is represented explicitly.  Instead of cover providing a negative modifier to hit, if you get a hit, when you flip the next card in the Action Deck, you look for cover icons.  If the target figure is in the type of cover indicated on the card, instead of being wounded or incapacitate he ducks back behind cover and is stunned.  While the use of cover as a to-hit modifier and the process in Combat Patrol™ can be mathematically equivalent, there is something intuitively appealing to knowing that the window sill deflected that round that would have otherwise hit your figure.  In play tests, this explicit representation of cover has made players make better use of cover while maneuvering their squads.
• Messy “opportunity fire” rules are replaced by a simple reaction mechanism.
• Somewhat randomized movement speeds based on the Guts level of the unit or its leader.
• The G.A.M.E.R.™ engine name is an acronym for the attributes which describe figures in Combat Patrol™: Guts (morale), Accuracy (shooting), Melee (hand-to-hand combat), Endurance (how many wounds a figure can take), and Reaction.  The game master can “sculpt” a unit to fit a historical scenario.
• Playable on multiple levels of resolution.  At the lowest level, all the figures in a unit have the same attributes.  At the highest level, each figure can have different attributes.  The levels of resolution can be mixed so that the Commando unit has more detail than the installation security personnel.  The allows games that have a historical feel as well as those with a more cinematic feel.
• Rules for replacements of personnel and equipment between scenarios enable players to represent mini-campaigns.
• Ground scale is 1 inch = 5 yards, pretty close to the scale of the 28mm figures I used in play testing.
• The basic rules are just eight pages!  And that includes several pictorial examples of firing and grenade resolution that fill almost a full page themselves.

Buck has prepared a tutorial video, explaining soe of the mechanics of the rules:

The rules are free, all you need to do is buy a set of 4 decks of cards to get started!
Combat-Patrol

Buck Surdu's "Combat Patrol" Coming Soon!

I just wanted to give you all a heads up about this exciting new set of rules by Buck Surdu.  I had a chance to take part in the playtesting for theses, and I can say that they really are fun and innovative.

After nearly three years of development, Combat Patrol™ is nearing completion.  The game features some really innovative mechanics that streamline play and reduce table cutter.  I have also play tested it in numerous convention games.  My gaming group has even begun adapting it to other historical periods.  There are many good WWII skirmish rules on the market.  So what makes this interesting and unique?

In developing Combat Patrol™ I developed the G.A.M.E.R.™ “engine.”  Key features of the engine are:

• The Double Random Activation™ mechanism provides the unpredictability and drama of card-based activation without the drawbacks. This activation mechanism was originally developed for Battles by GASLIGHT and was refined during the development of Look, Sarge, No Charts titles.  The mechanism uses cards for activation but ensures that multiple players are acting at the same time.
• No big yellow or pink chart cards cluttering up your beautiful gaming tables.  Each player needs one or two 3″x5″ cards with the information about his units, including their weapons and equipment.   Other than those, there are no chart cards.  The back of these unit records includes the modifiers for hand-to-hand combat and terrain effects on movement.  After a game or two, players rarely need to refer to these, so two unit records can be taped back to back for even less clutter.
• Combat resolution is resolved by flipping cards.  Players read different sections of the cards in the Action Deck depending on what they are trying to do:  shooting, resolving hits, “rolling” to penetrate enemy vehicles, hand-to-hand combat, movement, and morale.  In development, I took a series of charts and then broke them apart to fit on an Action Deck of 50 cards.  Flipping a card is essentially the same as rolling a die and looking up the result on a table.  The difference is that you don’t have to do all that table look up.  Flip a card and determine whether you got a hit.  If so, flip the next card to see which target figure was hit, how severely, and whether he is protected by cover.
• Cover is represented explicitly.  Instead of cover providing a negative modifier to hit, if you get a hit, when you flip the next card in the Action Deck, you look for cover icons.  If the target figure is in the type of cover indicated on the card, instead of being wounded or incapacitate he ducks back behind cover and is stunned.  While the use of cover as a to-hit modifier and the process in Combat Patrol™ can be mathematically equivalent, there is something intuitively appealing to knowing that the window sill deflected that round that would have otherwise hit your figure.  In play tests, this explicit representation of cover has made players make better use of cover while maneuvering their squads.
• Messy “opportunity fire” rules are replaced by a simple reaction mechanism.
• Somewhat randomized movement speeds based on the Guts level of the unit or its leader.
• The G.A.M.E.R.™ engine name is an acronym for the attributes which describe figures in Combat Patrol™: Guts (morale), Accuracy (shooting), Melee (hand-to-hand combat), Endurance (how many wounds a figure can take), and Reaction.  The game master can “sculpt” a unit to fit a historical scenario.
• Playable on multiple levels of resolution.  At the lowest level, all the figures in a unit have the same attributes.  At the highest level, each figure can have different attributes.  The levels of resolution can be mixed so that the Commando unit has more detail than the installation security personnel.  The allows games that have a historical feel as well as those with a more cinematic feel.
• Rules for replacements of personnel and equipment between scenarios enable players to represent mini-campaigns.
• Ground scale is 1 inch = 5 yards, pretty close to the scale of the 28mm figures I used in play testing.
• The basic rules are just eight pages!  And that includes several pictorial examples of firing and grenade resolution that fill almost a full page themselves.

Combat Patrol™ will soon be available through DriveThruCards on durable, premium stock cards.  It is helpful for each player or pair of players to have an Action Deck to speed play.  On DriveThru customers may purchase either set A or set B of the cards.  Each set includes four Action Decks (supporting four to eight players), with different colored backs to keep them separated, and an Activation Deck.  Purchasing both set A and set B will give you eight different backs, supporting eight to sixteen players for those really large games.  The basic rules and an introductory scenario will be a free .pdf download from DriveThru as well.  The advanced rules and vehicle rules will be a second download.  In this way, the rules will be available worldwide without customers having to hunt for them in retail outlets.

Because everything will be downloadable, there won’t be a glossy hard-cover book full of eye candy.  It’s just a solid set of rules that has gone through several years of development and testing.  I think, however, if people give the rules a try, they will really see how Combat Patrol™ results in a streamlined, enjoyable World War II skirmish game with all the nuances of any other set of rules but with most of the complexity removed.

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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.

Artizan Late War Germans in Winter Gear

  I recently competed a couple packs of Artizan's 28mm Late War Germans in winter outfits.  I plan on using these figures for the club's traditional New Year's Eve game day, and again for Cold Wars, in a GASLIGHT Pulp game called, "Santa Claus vs the Nazis."  Here is the game description as submitted to the Cold Wars PEL:
   "Bent on obtaining fabled and occult objects from across the globe, Hitler sets his sights on the magical factories of Santa’s North Pole workshops. If these factories could be turned to munitions production for the Third Reich, nothing would be able stop the Nazi war machine. The Fuhrer dispatches a team of commandos to capture Santa’s workshops. Can Santa, his elves, and toys stop the invaders, or will evil prevail? Children under 14 with playing adult only."

You can click on any photo to see it larger.

The figures will of course also  be very useful for historical scenarios too.  And will probably see service in the Bulge, and on the Russian Front.

 

  The figures were fun and easy to paint. I first sprayed them with gray Krylon primer, then drybrushed them with successively lighter shades of gray, working my way to white.  The baggy outfits have lots of great folds and creases to pick up the dry brushing.

The bases were painted white, then flocked with a mix of Woodland Scenics snow flock, white sand, and some old mica glitter.  Some were then detailed with either twigs, or rope fibers to represent dead grasses, or small white stones.

Look, Sarge, No Charts at Origins 2012

This past weekend, Buck Surdu, Dave Wood, Greg Priebe, and I, traveled out to Columbus, Ohio for the Origins convention. Out goal was to showcase our "G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T." and "Look,Sarge, No Charts" rules systems to a different set of gamers other than the regular folks we see at the local HMGS East conventions.
Buck and I each ran two LSNC games and two GASLIGHT games, and Dave Wood ran three additional LSNC games. The two LSNC games I ran were a WWII 1941 Russian Front Scenario, and a ACW First Day of Gettysburg Scenario.
   My WWII scenario I ran on Saturday morning.  It featured a German attack on a small Russian village near a river,  with the infantry using rafts to cross the river, while the panzers crossed the same river over a single small bridge.  The Russians are under strength to begin the game, but receive reinforcements as the game progresses.  The figures used were 10mm.

German troops raft across the river, and assault the hills on the far side.

Russian infantry attack a German tank platoon that enters a woods unsupported.

A player does a range measurement as another moves his forces.

A bottleneck develops as the panzer grenadiers end up taking several activations to cross the single bridge.

Meanwhile, Russian motorized reinforcements are heading into town.

The game ended in a Russian victory, as an unfortunate series of activation sequences kept the Germans from quickly getting the bulk of their forces over the river.  The players picked up the rules quick;y and seemed to have a good time.
   Saturday night I ran my First Day of Gettysburg scenario.  This game begins with the battle as it was around 2:00 PM on the fist day.  The figures used were 10mm

The table as it was at the beginning of the game. Looking from the north, southward towards Gettysburg.

Union officers around the Lutheran Seminary.

Two of the Confederate players prepare to activate their troops.

A view towards Oak Ridge .

Fighting around Rock Creek.

In he end, we ran out of time before a clear victory was established. I was very pleased with the look and feel of this scenario.

Dum Dum Dugan Figure Conversion

So now that I had a movie style Captain America figure, (see previous entry), I decided I wanted to convert a Dum Dum Dugan figure. Dugan is one of the Howling Commandos, and is recognizable as the soldier wearing the distinctive bowler hat near the center of the picture below.

I did a bit of scrounging around in some of my boxes of unpainted lead, and was able to come up with the two necessary components I was looking for: An old Foundry Wild West gunslinger wearing a bowler hat(who also had a nice big mustache), and a pack of Harlequin Miniatures U.S. BAR Gunners.
I selected one of the BAR Gunners that was sculpted wearing a scarf, as I figured it would help hide the neck seam. After two quick head removal operations, I glued the bowler hat wearing head onto the G.I. body, and voila...a passable Dum Dum Dugan figure!

Below, a look at the Heroclix Captain America next to the Dum Dum Dugam figure. Size wise they match up pretty well.

Another picture of Cap', and Dugan, this time as they battle a sinister Nazi robot!

Cold Wars Report Part Two: Saturday

On Saturday Buck and I met at 7:30AM to start setting up our 9:00AM "Look, Sarge, No Charts: WWII" game: The Battle of Lvov. This scenario was a 'what if' engagement based on historical circumstances that took place during the invasion of Poland in '39. The Poles controlled the small town of Zboiska near the center of the table and the Germans and Russians each started at opposite ends, both with the mission of capturing the Pole held town of first. The Russians and Germans weren't allowed to shoot at each other. We ended up being a few players short, so I pitched in and ran one of the battalions as well as assisting in GM-ing. The game resulted in a near Russian victory.
You can click on any photo to enjoy it larger.

The German battalions advance.

Polish cavalry moves to defend the river line.

The German Panzer Grenadiers race forward.


Meanwhile, the Russians have their own line of Polish defenders to deal with.

The fighting gets close and desperate in the woods around the river.

A small amount of Polish armor moves up to help stem the German tide.

Polish and German infantry engage.

Russian and German armor maneuver to attack the town of Zboiska

Saturday evening at 7:00 I ran a Fleet Battles by GASLIGHT game called, "He Who Controls the Canals, Controls Mars." The game pitted a British fleet against a German one for control of the airspace above an important Martian canal junction.

A British cruiser patrols along the canal. It was the first casualty of the game following a lucky shot from the approaching German battleship.

The opposing fleets begin to duel at close range.

Another shot of the battle as it swirls above the canal juncture.

German and British cruisers exchange fire.

The British battleship deals a crippling blow to the German battleship effectively ending the game.

Next up will be my Sunday report.

10mm American Paratroopers

I've been working on a regiment of American paratroopers for an Eve of D-day game I'm doing at Fall-In using our "Look, Sarge, No Charts: WWII" rules. The figures are a mix of GFI/Minifigs and Pendraken. Each full stand equals a platoon, and half sized stands are sections or HQ's. Below are some photos of one of the battalions.
As always, click on any picture to see it larger.

Paratrooper Company: three platoons, mortar section, and Company HQ.

Close-up of Company HQ and mortar section.

Close-up of three platoons.

Battalion HQ, two MG sections, and mortar platoon

Close-up of MG sections and mortar platoon.

The full battalion

Close-up of the full battalion.

New Pulp Robot for German Army

I started collecting Monsterpocalypse when it first came out and was struck by the conversion potential of many of the miniatures. I finally got around to finishing one Monsterpocalypse Monster conversion project that has been sitting on my work table for a year now. The miniature I used is called Defender X and it is part of the G.U.A.R.D. faction in the game. It was a simple conversion, merely slicing him from his base and gluing him on a fender washer, then trimming down his head and gluing on a spare helmet from a 1/35 scale WWII German Infantry set.
I base coated it with flat black primer, and then gave him a spray of German dark Yellow, and then blobs of dark green and red brown. Then I added some detail painting and some spare decals, and finished up with a black ink wash, and some random highlighting.
The end result is shown below with some 28mm miniatures for scale.
Remember you can click on any photo to enlarge it.

"With an army of these we will conquer the world!"

Jetpacks on the back allow for short flights around the battlefield

Sarge plays 'catch the hand grenade' with the Germans' new secret weapon.

Dr Panzerkopf stands proudly next to his latest creation.

Robot conversion next to the original Monsterpocalypse figure.

Clusters of rocket bombs surround each wrist.