What a Tanker, a first try

Today, we tried 2 fat lardies 'What a Tanker' at the club, we ran 2 games, one with later war tanks, and our game using mid 1940 tanks.

Our opponents were 2 Char-B's, run by Lawrence and Stuart, which had a more effective gun (47mm) and heavy armour.

Phil and I ran Panzer 3's - with 37mm guns and light armour, supported by a Panzer 4, whose 75mm gun was no better than our 'Doorknockers' !!!

Fairly rapidly, one Pzkw IV was in flames, so Dave got a replacement!  

 My Panzer 3 spent the entire game trying to shoot from behind a barn!

The French were outnumbered, but this was countered by the inability of the Germans to damage them! They were positioned to prevent any chance of us getting a flank shot, which would be the only way we could hurt them! 

Phil, on our right, did manage minor hull damage on a Char, but took heavier damage in return, he ended by moving round the flank, while the 2 Chars engaged Dave and myself. 

The other game, Dave, Dave and Jack. 

Stuart, Lawrence, Phil and Dave. 

The end of the game, Stuart's Char raced across the table , my Panzer only being able to retire. 

With both other German tanks badly damaged, I decided to retire off table, followed by the limping Panzer 4.

Overall, our opinion was favourable of the rules, and I must admit I enjoyed this best of all the 2FL games I have played.

I did notice a couple of odd things, firstly, there was no allowance for the poor turret arrangement in the French tanks, which I thought could have been well represented by giving the French a starting allowance of 5 command dice.

I also felt that some slow tanks, like the Char could have a limit to the number of 6's that can be converted to movement?

Just my thoughts, though, I will happily play it again, unless there is an X-Wing game going like today!

I do still prefer Wings/Sails of Glory and X-Wing!

Clone Wars! A play test of the new supplement!

Today, we did Star Wars skirmishing again, this time with my newly finished WOTC Clone Wars figures. The bases were not finished yet, and I still have a lot more to paint up, but we had enough to have a game!
Lawrence got Captain Rex and 5 clones, I just ran a sergeant with another 5. I have painted them in the colours of the mighty 501st!

The scenario was our section returning from a patrol finding our base had been overrun by Seppies, our job...to Clear Them Out!

Rex directed me to take the lead.

(As normal,  I had placed Portal Markers along our likely lines of approach, the more that could spot any of our men dictates the number and type of enemy to appear)

 My sergeant, 5247 'Burnem' lead my half section across a dry stream.

 A Droid patrol spotted me.

'Heyy, you're not supposed to be here!'

'Die, Republic scum!'

Burnem ducked back as laser bolts shredded the greenery he was hiding behind!. My men fired back at the droids from the cover of the stream edge. 

2 droids were quickly just scrap metal! 

Rex and the other brothers arrived...

...Moments later - the last droid got wasted!

 Attracted by the fire, another patrol replaced them!  

 These put up a stiffer fight.

 My men ran past them, leaving Rex's men to finish up.

My men pushed the portal markers away from where they had been observing us. 

 I was clearing the way to our base. The trouble with herding portal markers can be eventually be spotted by a stack of them! Asajj Ventress or general Grievous appearing would end our game rather quickly!

Rex was having a job finishing of the last 2 droids! 

 I was forced to wait for him to catch up!

The last droid simply refused to die! Where was a Jedi when you needed one!

Most of Rex's men left a couple of clones to finish up and moved after me. 

 I decided to move forward in extended order to sweep the Portals away.

 Rex finished the last droid...finally!

 As I approached the base, a group of Super Battle droids appeared...

 ...while another group of Battle droids appeared behind me.

 I had my men fall back to try and take on the Clankers in the open.

Rex now led his men against the Battle droids attacking my rear. 

 As the Big Clankers pushed forward, I prepared a blasting cap.

Behind me, Rex allowed the Battle droids to advance... 

...before surprising them and taking them all down! 

However, they were surprised in turn by another patrol. 

 My bomb took out 2 of the Big Clankers.

Rex and his men outclassed the Battle droids... 

Rex finished off the last droid with a head shot! 

 My men were still firing at the 2 remaining Super Battle droids, our fire just couldn't take them out

Rex began to sweep the base behind me. 

Finally, one of the Clankers collapsed! ...

 ...followed by the other!

With the way clear, both half sections swept the remaining portals away... 

 ...We had secured our base!

Go, Clones!

I have done a modification to the firing rules - which we used during this game. Basically, I have done away with the 'Worse' line, and replaced it with a rule meaning you count enough enemy figures to double the defenders firepower/defence total, and any superfluous figures count as a +1 for each one to the die roll, making a kill far more likely.

How this worked in our game can be seen in my last fight with the Super Battle Droids. At short range my men had 4 firepower, while the four droids had 5.

The 4 droids therefore have 20 points. My 6 Clones have 24. I was still at risk.

My solution was to throw a grenade/ Droid popper, which took out 2 SBD's - the new firepower total for them was now a more manageable 10.

In the following firefights, My men (24pts) against the Droids (10pts) I needed 5 clones to get a 2:1, I had a clone extra, so the dice to hit the droids was at a plus 1!

When I had killed another droid, making their total 5, I needed 3 clones (12pts) to get a 2:1, leaving the other 3 as a Plus 3 to the die roll. That clanker was toast!

The new version rules will be on our website soon. Till then just e-mail me at richardbradley5@gmail.com and I will send them direct!  

Return to the Stars

Today, we returned to doing Star Wars skirmishing, using my new-ish rules (LINK)
As it was on the hoof, we decided on a simple scenario, a rebel prisoner being held in a village near a big Imperial base. Our job, to rescue him!

So, we chose figures! Lawrence having not played a Jedi before, took Obi-Wan Kenobi, Phil took Biv Bodhrik, and I ran 4 Rebel troopers...

The table, the prisoner would be in the long building on the right.

 We would be starting from this edge, opposite the off table Imperial camp.

We arrived. Obi-Wan (Lawrence) followed my troopers. 

I fully expected Biv (Phil) to join us, as this would reduce the chance of being spotted, and given our group better firepower, but instead, Biv went off to fight the Empire by himself!

Obi-Wan went forward to scout the way ahead... 

...while my men waited behind a Knoll. 

 Biv, to my delight, was managing to stay out of sight of most of the Portal markers (The more can see you, the more chance of enemy troops appearing.)

 However, eventually, enough saw our men...

 ...and a group of 4 Stormtroopers appeared.

They fired at my men, who were moving to support Obi-Wan, forcing one to duck back. 

 My return fire pinned one of the Imperials too, as they advanced!

Obi-Wan Force pushed the group into some crates, stunning them! 

Another group of Bucket heads - attracted by the fire, now replaced them! 

Die, Rebel scum! 

My fire made them take shelter , after one of my men killed one of them. 

 A new group, one with a heavy weapon attacked past them.

 Obi-Wan sliced the other stormtrooper from the group he had smashed into the crates.

 He had to take the lead now, as my 4 men were getting overfaced!

 Meanwhile, Biv, was filtering towards the other side of the village...

This triggered a group of Stormtroopers to appear opposite him. 

They started a firefight with the lone rebel. 

Back on my side, my men advanced again. 

With Obi-Wan's support, they began to get the upper hand. 

 Yet more Stormtroopers renewed the Imperial attack.

 Obi-Wan went out to greet them...

...with his Light sabre! 

The Stormtroopers were quick to reorder themselves to take down the Jedi. 

 Obi-Wan sliced through the first group...

 ...Biv managed to kill 3 of his opponents quickly.

 Obi-Wan pushed on, my men in support...

...til he was the only man standing! - well almost! 

 The few surviving Stormies summoned more help!

 The newcomers began to attack Obi-Wan.

Jedi are hard to kill! 

My troopers finished off the last of the first group. 

 Obi-Wan fought some of a new group...

...my men fought with the rest. 

 Biv had been attacked by a new group, and he went up to the roof of a building, leaving the Stormies wondering where he had gone!

Another group of Stormies moved to attack Obi-Wan and me...

 My fire pinned one down, but yet another group was behind them.

Biv, too, was getting swamped by newly arrived units of Stormies! He jumped from the roof of the first building, under fire!--to the headquarters building roof. 

Obi-Wan was still gamely hacking down Stormtroopers as if they were Battle-Droids! 

Even more Stormtroopers were appearing each turn, as we were visible to a lot of Portal markers, and the Die kept rolling high! 

Biv decided to escape from the encircling Imperials. 

Obi-Wan and my troopers, too were stuck in an endless fight! 

We therefore, reluctantly retreated. We had to leave the prisoner!

...until the next time we play!