Painting Update - WWII

Not only have I been gaming recently, I've also gotten back to painting!

I wanted to finally finish my 29 Let's Go! project. Above are the bits and bobs of the German platoon; the Senior Leader, a Sniper Team, a medium mortar, and two panzerschreck teams. 

The Germans also have a number of artillery they can choose (although these have to be abandoned if they lose a scenario the gun is deployed in): a Pak 40, and Pak 28, and a light howitzer. I also painted up two gun teams for use with the models. 

Finally, the Germans have two Marder IIIs that can be deployed after losing in a couple scenarios. 

And that's everything! I think the only models I'm missing are medics for both sides. I may need to do some snipping for that. 

French Press - 'O' Group AAR

Last weekend Rocky was kind enough to host a game of 'O' Group, which allowed me to finally break out the French and German battalions that I had spent so much time painting. 

The scenario was a modified version of the Cristot scenario from the main rulebook. The Germans were the attackers, with three infantry companies, a machine gun section (though I realize I accidentally gave myself a second section in the game), a Panzer II platoon, and a Panzer III platoon (each of two sections). 

The defending French had three infantry companies (with one having only two platoons), two machine gun sections, two 25mm anti-tank guns, and Renault R35 platoon with two sections.

Like the book scenario, the Germans would need to capture two of the four BUAs of Cristot by the end of sixteen turns to win, or either side would need to inflict 3 FUBARs on the other side.

The German assault on the town was blunted early when a machine-gun reinforced infantry platoon was chased from an orchard by combined French infantry and tank fire.

On the other side of the road that split the table, the French enacted a refused flank, pulling back while opposing two German companies. The French FO used his placement on the hill to call in battalion mortars and the single French artillery mission that was available. 

The French fell back to the town, with four infantry platoons occupying a BUA each. 

The R35s' fire continued to hold off the attacking Germans. They had to be careful, however, as the Germans had integral AT rifles and could potentially damage the French tanks (the French infantry lack integral AT fire, thanks to their sending their AT rifles abroad).

I decided to bring the Panzer IIs on to support the German right flank. 

And the Panzer IIIs rumbled onto the table to engage the R35s. 

As the Panzer IIs rolled forward, German infantry followed behind.

The Panzer IIIs managed to knock out one of the R35 sections. Rocky revealed his two AT guns which had deployed in ambush: one aiming at the Panzer IIIs, and on aiming at the Panzer IIs.

The Panzer IIIs eventually managed to knock out the second R35 section.

A Panzer II section was lost to French AT gun fire. 

The German infantry rushed to the hedgerows lining the road, hoping to launch an assault into the town.

However, French fire was heavy enough to continually shock the German infantry. And one platoon was routed from the table, giving the Germans a FUBAR.

We decided to call the game at the end of Turn 14, as there wasn't a chance for the Germans to press into the town in two turns or cause enough casualties for three FUBARs.

I definitely could have made some better tactical decisions. The major mistake I made was poorly deploying the third German company all the way on the German right. I had hoped to catch the French on the right side of the table in a pincer attack but they fell back too quickly. This left a third of my force out of the fight, which then meant that the French actually had more infantry in the main attacking area. 

The Consolidation action is one of the more complicated aspects of 'O' Group, and I definitely need to work harder to understand it. Storm of Steel has a YouTube video that's worth watching.

I probably should have brought the tanks on earlier as well, as they could have put more pressure on the French compared to the slower moving infantry.

Rocky also suggested that the scenario itself needed tweaking. Going forward, I will remove the third French company and add a light howitzer to the Germans. We'll have to try the scenario again and see how it shakes out.

Village Quar-rel - Clash of Rhyfles AAR

It's been a while, hasn't it? 

For a number of reasons, my hobbying dropped off the map earlier this year. No purchasing, no painting, no playing. 

I did finally get around to demoing a couple games of Clash of Rhyfles, which not only has done a bit to get my hobby malaise cleared up, but ticks a couple boxes in my 6x6 challenge.

To keep things simple, the Coftyrans and Crusaders had four basic rhyflers and a milwer (the in-universe equivalent of a corporal). This meant that all models were equipped with basic rifles, and players could use the Leader rule with the milwer. The objective was just fighting to the last quar.

The rules have largely stayed the same between the previous iteration in the Rhyfler’s Pocketbook and the current version. 

The streets of the village were quickly filled with bodies from both sides.

The first game saw the Coftyrans start with an early lead, but eventually the Crusders came back to win with a single model left. The higher Snapshot value of the Crusader's Bogen rifle helps when returning fire or making Snapshots, where the longer Harlech rifles of the Coftyrans have better range.

In our second we, the two side deployed different. Playing as the Crusaders, I realized I was boxed in with the placement of the buildings and bushes! 

It didn't help that I kept rolling terribly when attempting to treat my wounded Quar, which left two of them dead outright.

The Coftyrans cleaned up the remaining Crusaders, leaving them in control of the village. 

The demos created some local buzz, and I've assembled my Crusader and Coftyran specialists and tractors. And there's been some movement on the next starter set from Wargames Atlantic, which will feature Creevin, who have the best uniforms. 

Painting Update - WWII, Trench Crusade

Here's another update with what I've been painting.

I've been coaxed into joining a Trench Crusade campaign by a friend and some other local gamers. I wasn't really interested in the rules, but they seem to put on a fun enough game and I haven't played anything campaign-based in a while (maybe I can get them interested in some Blood Bowl?). I put together a Trench Pilgrim warband using the St. Methodius subfaction, as I liked the big mech-like Shrine Anchorites. 

The above features the warband's two Elite choices, a War Prophet and a Castigator. The two other unique models are a Shrine Anchorite and a Stigmatic Nun.

The rest of the warband consists of a few Trench Pilgrims and a couple Ecclesiastical Prisoners. 

I've also been working on the Germans for the Chain of Command campaign. Above is a standard infantry squad. It's smaller than the American squad by a couple of riflemen, but has an integral light-machine gun. 

Bits and Gits - Space Gits AAR

Recently I was delighted to hear that a local club was going to be running a Space Gits event, where you could show up, build a few gits, and play. As it's part of my 6x6 challenge and I had some gits painted, I showed up to get a few games in. 

Both games were simple affairs using the quickstart rules - three orcs each, either with blasters and headbutts or pistols and hand weapons. 

The goal was to collect as many bottle caps as possible either in 30 minutes or when everyone was knocked out. 

The biggest draw of the game is its dexterity-based gameplay. Players move and shoot in the direction that the dice roll, representing drunken orcs stumbling around and firing wildly. Even damage is represented by dice towers that have to move with the orc they're attached to, and if the tower falls over, the orc drops to the ground, drunk and inchoate!

It's definitely not a serious game, and you have to be in the right mindset for it. There's going to be a lot of eyeballing whether a die is aligned with an orc you're shooting at, or if you've got to fudged a little movement. 

Hilariously, we had to move over to a side table in the second game, which meant a reordering of the table and a tarp that made moving way harder! Apparently our orcs chugged a few more beers during a smoke break...

I'm hoping to play more games soon! Since games should only last 30 minutes on average (and will likely end sooner), you could easily run a campaign in a single day. 

Big Day - Fire in the Sky AAR

This past weekend was Cold Barrage. While I wasn't able to make it to Saturday, I had decided to volunteer as a gamemaster on Friday, running Fire in the Sky.

Amazingly, three people decided to sign up! We had enough time to run through three scenarios from the rulebook with some slight modifications. 

First, I ran the players through a quick history of Operation Argument (or Big Week), then a quick walk through the rules. After answering some questions, we hopped into the first scenario: Rolling Thunder.

The Allied player started with three squadrons of P-47s, defending three squadrons of B-17 bombers. The Germans have two ME-109 squadrons (one of which has one-shot rockets attached) and one FW-190 squadron. 

The Germans appear randomly (both in time and deployment space) behind the B-17s, with one squadron starting on the table. 

The initial German attack was successfully, with the rocket-equipped Me 109s knocking out two B-17 sections before being wiped out in return.

Unfortunately, Lady Luck seemed to be against the Germans in this scenario. While they managed to shoot down a couple of B-17 sections, the Germans were eventually either shot down or had to retreat. The Americans claimed a solid victory. 

The second scenario, Zerstorer Ace, gave the Americans three P-51 squadrons, while the Germans would be attacking with two Me 109 squadrons and one Me 410 squadron. The Me 410 squadron leader was also an Ace, which meant his could reroll failed Firepower rolls and Saves and could modify his Special Ability die roll by plus or minus 1.

This was another uphill battle for the Germans, as their activation cards saw them go in piecemeal against the Americans and were picked off. The slower Me 410s were the last to go in, but their anti-bomber guns and rockets weren't enough to shoot down the amount of B-17s needed to even the score. 

Which meant another American victory!

I decided to change things up for the final game and skipped to the Dora Dora scenario. The Americans had two squadrons each of P-47s and P-38s (my favorite twin boom plane!). The Germans originally had three squadrons of Me 109s, but I swapped squadron out for two squadrons of FW 190s. 

For this scenario, the Germans could deploy their squadrons as they pleased. 

During this scenario, the Germans had better luck with activation cards. They also spent a good amount of time circling around the American formation in a large group, rather than approaching by separate squadrons. 

It was during this third game that the Germans solidified a potentially devastating tactic: get in close, wait for the Americans to approach, then use a Reaction to slip towards the B-17s and then attack. This led to one squadron of B-17s being wiped out!

However, the American players still had Lady Luck rooting for them, and while this was the closest game of the three, the Americans still scored more victory points by the time the last German squadron was cleared from the skies.  

Overall, the players said they had fun and one (a board game designer working on his own strategic-level game focused on the 8th Air Force!) commented on how the game had enough period-specific distinction to feel correct. I was also complimented on my work with the miniatures, which was very kind.  

I feel like I have a handle on teaching the rules. I have two immediate improvements that I know I have to make: 

1. I need to make the German players more aware that they can use their Reaction to beeline towards the B-17s (they just can't attack them during the Reaction)
2. Squadron Leaders are NOT needed to perform combat actions such as Side Bounces, Rear Bounces, or Focused Attacks. This stemmed from me extending the condition that Squadron Leaders are needed to fight head-on for zero action points, or are needed in order to attempt Reactions, to other complicated aerial maneuvers. 

I also need to redo the unit labels, as I messed up some of the plane designations. A friend also suggested adding Axis and Allied symbols to the labels for better recognition on the table. I did this in marker before the game, but proper symbols would be an improvement. 

That said, I believe I have a good enough handle on the rules that I plan on running more games this year, and can hopefully make this a successful 6x6 goal. 

 

Painting Update - WWII

 I'm back with another painting update! 

I've continued apace with the 15mm WWII project for Chain of Command. Two more infantry platoons have been finished, in addition to the platoon commanders, a Sniper Team, additional BARs (which are an option for the American player to add to their infantry squads), and two bazooka teams. 

I also completed a medium machine gun team and a heavy machine gun team. 

These are a trio of engineering teams that represent options for the American players to help clear German defenses.

The Americans can also bring a light mortar team and a medium mortar. Technically only the heavy mortar's forward observer is on the table, but I put together a heavy mortar base as a reminder for players that it's available.

Four M4 Shermans are the last of the American models to work on. No fancy versions here, as the only enemy armor in the campaign are a pair of Marders on one table. Their main concern will be anti-tank guns, panzerschrecks, and panzerfausts.

Painting Update - Atomic Tank, Space Gits, WWII

Here's my first painting post of 2026! I had to delay a bunch of varnishing, as the temperatures haven't gotten above freezing for some time now. 

Having finished the Robot Legions models from the Atomic Tank starter set, I moved on to the Galacteers force. Above is a pair of Heroes, a trio of Missile Tanks, and a Mobile Command Center

And to round out the force are Heavy and Regular Infantry Units and a pair of the titular Atomic Tanks.

I've also painted a small gang of Orcs for Space Gits with basic equipment. A local club is planning for a campaign in a few months, which is convenient! 

My main project for the first half of the year is to paint American and German platoons and assets to use with the 29 Let's Go! pint-sized campaign for Chain of Command. The above is one of three American infantry squads in 15mm. 

Brought to Heel - Wrath of Achilles AAR

With much of the mid-Atlantic states locked down by snow and ice, the local gaming club had to cancel the planned game. I reached out to Rocky and asked if he wanted to play at his place. 

He agreed, and brought out a ruleset of his that I haven't had a chance to play yet: The Wrath of Achilles. Specifically designed to play out the Trojan War, it has plenty of chrome (interventions of the gods, prayers, very specific units for Homer's characters). The game doesn't use dice, instead relying on chit draws of various types of metal in increasing worth. And it's best suited for two players, which means Rocky doesn't get to bring it out very often in group settings. 

I decided to take command of the Trojans, with Rocky leading the Achaeans. This battle was set early in the war, with all the major personalities present. The hordes of Achaeans had plenty of units with big shields, while the less-numerous Trojans had more units with slings and bows incorporated. 

The game would end if either side lost eight units or their camp (for the Trojans, the gates of Troy). 

As the Trojans, I pushed hard to control the hills which would anchor my left flank. 

The Achaeans made their way across the Scamander River. I hoped that the Will of the Gods would go in my favor early in the game, as there was a chance that the Scamander would rise up against any units in the river, forcing them to take a morale test. Unfortunately, the Greeks managed to cross unopposed. 

Greek skirmishers approached the Trojan lines, hoping to cause some early hits and maybe through the defenders into disarray. The Trojans fought off these attacks, forcing the skirmishers to retreat or even flee.

The Trojans' return fire did cause some problems in the Achaeans' line, forcing Rocky to halt a turn and regroup. The Greek Nestor was felled by an arrow launched by Pandarus. 

With thundering voices and crashing spears, the Greeks launched their attack into the Trojan line. 

In the grinding melee, the Greeks' martial skills began to show. Sarpedon and his troops were forced back, sundering the Trojan line in two and resulting in the loss of a frontline unit. The Trojan right flank was further harried, being forced back. 

The biggest upset, however, was Achilles and his Myrmidons being chased off by Asius and the Thracians!

Agamemnon was all too happy to prove that he didn't need swift-footed Achilles. Asius was chased from the hill, forming another hole in the Trojan line. And cowardly Paris retreated from his position next to Hector. 

King Priam's view from the wall of Troy was rather dismal. Sarpedon and Hector were the only warriors holding back the bulk of the Achaeans. The Trojan right was in complete tatters, and Odysseus was pushing for the gates. The only place the Trojans held with any real certainty were the hills, but if Hector and Sarpedon began to fall back the defenders would be flanked. 

Further combat only saw more losses on the Trojan side, until they hit their army break point. And then failed their test! Thankfully none of the major Trojan characters had fallen, and the path to the city entrance was clear. The Trojans retreated, leaving the field in the hands of the Greeks. 

As it's Rocky's set of rules, I asked if he had any tactical advice that would have helped me in the course of the game. He noted that the core of the Trojan line should be Hector flanked by Paris and Pandarus, who all have ranged attacks. Hector's inspirational aura would help keep Paris and Pandarus' smaller units in the fight, flanked by other large combat units. He also noted that I could have sent the two Trojans units who could form shieldwall into the hills, which would have locked them down and kept that flank safe, without losing the initiative of the agile units. 

Alternatively, I could have put most of my strength on the open right side of the battlefield and pressed hard for the Greek camp, which would have ended the game. A riskier choice, but maybe something to try for next time.