Wargamer Blue

State of the Blog 2011

2011-12-29T15:57:00.001+08:00

The time has come for the annual State of the Blog address. Where are the years going?

BLOG VISITORS

Wargamer Blue blog has had over 10,000 visits from 126 nations in 2011. Top three visiting nations are the USA, the UK and Australia. The top non-english speaking nation is Germany. The most popular post of 2011 was "Best Wargaming Table Ever?" Just over 1,600 hits.

FOLLOWERS

Once again I am very fortunate to have some followers of this blog. 165 to be exact. 85 up from 2010. Many thanks to you all.

FIGURES PAINTED

The butchers bill!

In 2011 I painted :

37 x 15mm figures

1 x 15mm vehicles/guns/tanks

15 x 28mm figures

19 x Dystopian Wars Items

Total : 81 items

Painting is way down on 2010. In, fact, it's probably the worse painting year I have ever had. I believe I have isolated the source of the problem. The Xbox. Things will only get worse. I have joined a clan of work colleagues in Call of Duty. The good news is figure manufactures did not slump in figure sales as a result of my Call of Duty addiction. Buying remains at historically high levels. Especially rule books. I believe I may have some sort of rule book compulsive purchasing disorder.

GAMES PLAYED

Miniature Wargaming increased dramatically in 2011 to it's highest level ever. I put this down to expanding my gaming network. Most played game was Blitzkrieg Commander, followed by Dystopian Wars. Other games played were Victory at Sea and Disposable Heroes. I have not included Combat Commander Pacific because it's a boardgame, but bloody hell, it's good.

Disposable Heroes remains my favourite wargame of all time and I am looking forward to some games of the squad skirmish version called Point Blank in the New Year.

BEST AND WORST OF 2011

My favourite miniature release of 2011 were the 28mm Australian 6th Division figures from Harbor Designs in the USA. The figures were sculpted by Aussie Mike Broadbent. I bought a platoon worth. Very nice.

The best new release rules/expansion of 2011? I am going to have to say Hail Caesar from Warlord Games.

Disappointment of 2011? BEF Miniatures closing down. Warlord Games have bought them out and are releasing all the stuff but its sad to see Crouchy chuck it in. Top bloke.

COMPUTER WARGAMING

Call of Duty Modern Warfare on the Xbox. Enough said,

WHATS AHEAD IN 2012

If the world does not implode in 2012 I am looking forward to the Star Wars Miniature Wargame being developed by Fantasy Flight Games. Lets hope it's good.

Blitzkrieg Commander : I will be playing more games and expanding my armies in this truly excellent wargame.

Disposable Heroes Point Blank : I really want to get into this game. The appeal of only having to paint a squad of figures to play is massive.

SAGA : The new game from Gripping Beast looks interesting. The rule book sold out after a month. Great reports all over the web. Only need to paint 30 figures. Four new faction to be released shortly including the Scots. I might have a go at painting Tartan in 2012.

Dystopian Wars : More games to play and maybe buy one of the new nations to be released soon. The Italian States has some appeal.

Combat Commander Pacific: Sorry to mention a boardgame. But I want to play more and buy the Mediterranean expansion. I have a great opponent and that's half the fun. Thanks Jason for introducing me to the game.

PODCASTS OF NOTE

Chance of Gaming ; My favourite Podcast in 2011. Highlight moment was the great dummy spit of 2011 when Skyler had to record the show on steak night. I feel sorry for Americans only getting to eat steak once a week. Anyway, since that pivotal moment in Podcast history the podcast has got a bit dull. Last two episodes have been boring. The show is loosing it's miniature focus and is becoming a PC gaming podcast. Hopefully Adam re-focuses on miniatures once he beats his Battlefield 3 addiction. Bring back the good stuff.

Meeples and Miniatures : At number 2 and threatening to knock Chance of Gaming out of the number 1 spot. Neil is the gentleman of the podcast world.

Historical Wargaming Podcast : Socal Warhammer re-badged. The boys are back, kicked Games Workshop to the curb, and are as good as ever. The show mainly focuses on Ancients wargaming. Number 3 on my favourites list.

What Would Patton Do : Great show by three Flames of War fanatics. Number 4 on the favorites list.

40K Radio : I hate 40K but I love to listen to this show. Great hosts, great fun. Number 5 and climbing.

All Along the Watch Tower : Another great historical wargaming podcast. No show for about 2 months now. Hopefully it will be back.

BLOG OF NOTE IN 2011

The award goes to The Angry Lurker blog. This bloke is everywhere. Nearly a million followers, posts every other day and comments on every blog he follows. A legend and the wargaming blog of the year. Join up now.

http://theangrylurker.blogspot.com/

FINAL WORDS

2011 was a very frustrating blogging year for me, lead by the breakdown of blogger earlier in the year. I was finally able to get back on blogger after I learnt of the Google Chrome conspiracy. I still have occasional problems. There are a couple of blogs I still can't read because I suspect the owners have upgraded their settings or something along those lines. My computer may be getting a bit too old.

Thank you all for your comments and your own personal blog posts. Keeps me motivated. Gives me great idea's. And brings the wargaming world closer together. See you all in 2012.

Cheers

Paul

aka pbeccas on all forums

& Rat of Tobruk on The Miniatures Page

Christmas Haul 2011

2011-12-27T10:47:00.000+08:00

My most impressive gift and totally unexpected surprise was this 1/30 scale Australian Light Horseman from King and Country figures. Pre-painted and solid lead. It's absolutely superb. Theres a whole lot of them to collect and I immediately got an obsessive bug to buy them all. That is until I visited the website and saw the price. At an average of $100.00 per figure, one will do until next Christmas. King and Country have some nice stuff if your bored and want to do some web surfing. Check it out.

Second favourite gift and definitely written on my letter to Santa was the 28mm jungle village from Architects of War. The solid resin buildings with lift off roofs are something worth fighting over on the gaming table.

Next gift is the 15mm Desert fort from Battlefront. Pre-painted resin. It's a beauty.

And finally, the gift that I have been waiting for. Call of Duty MW3. Time to hit the XBox once I get the in-laws out of my Xbox room (They are staying here for Christmas -- Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr)

Hope you all had equally impressive hauls. I left the boring stuff off. Shirts, shorts etc.

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-20T20:03:00.000+08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY MATES OUT THERE IN BLOGGER WORLD!!

Where Have the Italians Gone? : Disposable Heroes After Action Report

2011-11-26T23:46:00.001+08:00

Not far from Beja Tunisia, thing have gone quite. The small town of El Kabab is a critical outpost manned by elements of the Italian Superga Division. But no-one has heard from them. What has gone wrong? Have the Americans captured the town? Where have the Italians gone? Maybe their omission from Point Blank was the last straw? A small recon platoon is dispatched from 21st Panzer Division. Their commander (me) is a cunning man and very popular with the ladies. The platoon dismounts from their trucks and advances on the town. Meanwhile, the American US II Corps advance. Their commander chews his bubble gum and surveys the town ahead (this did happen and took about five minutes of my life away that I will never get back). Something is not right. It's too quite. He sends in a platoon of the men he hates the most- the Disposable Heroes.

German advance.

The Americans advance.

The American use their elevated positions and start spotting. An Afrika Korps squad is revealed on the right flank.

The American reach the town.

Americans take cover in the warehouse.

Hand to hand fighting in a house,

The Germans are driven back, the last three fighting men.

Heroes of the game. This squad did all the hard fighting and won.

We played this game as a meeting engagement. Both platoons advancing on an unoccupied town. We used blinds to hide our troops. Two blinds per squad. One blind hiding the unit, the other a dummy. A simple rule burrowed from I Aint Been Shot Mum from the Too Fat Lardies. A very quick summary of the game :

Youngy advanced his units on a broad even front. I tried to be sneaky faking an attack up the centre of the board whilst most of my platoon was on the right flank. I kept my dummy blinds advancing behind cover whilst the real units advance in the open. The Ruse worked. Youngy started concentrating his weapon teams in the middle of the board and spent activations attempting to spot them. We both reached the town together and auto spotting within 12 inches revealed our forces. Then it was a mad dash for the cover of the houses. Youngy pinned and routed my HMG team early in the game. The riflemen of both sides shot it out. The dice gods deserted me and favoured Youngy. He began to pin me down. Soon four German teams could not return fire and the Americans charged in with bayonets. Vicious house to house fighting resulted in complete victory to the Americans. My brave men were wiped out or surrendered. Final result Germans : 25 Dead, 2 Surrendered, 1 Ran Away. Americans : 4 Dead. Germans driven from the village and complete victory to Youngy. Great game. Good fun. Best rules in the world. And where did the Italians go? Better send emails to Iron Ivan Keith and Chal. They might know. Thanks for reading and goodnight.

FIrst Game of Combat Commander Pacific

2011-11-23T06:54:00.000+08:00

Played my first game of Combat Commander Pacific last night. Operation Cherry Blossom - USMC landing on Bougainville Island on the 1st of November, 1943. My opponent was Jason, an experience Combat Commander Europe player but his first go at the Pacific.

Basically, after an initial naval bombardment, the USMC arrive in two waves and have to get off the beach and take the scenario objectives or wipe out the Japanese defenders. The Japs are in bunkers and trenches and have no surrender and will fight to the end. The Marines will surrender if they loose 16 squads. The game feels a lot like the original Squad Leader. However all movement and firing are controlled by cards. Each player has a huge deck of cards. You each have a card hand that you replenish each turn. The cards have orders such as fire, move, charge etc. You might really want to assault a trench but unless you have an advance card in your hand you can't. Random events pop up that put your plans in array. Your card hand management is very important.

The USMC won the game (me). The game played very well once I worked out the eb and flow of the card system. The game took 2.5 hours. The scenario was really well designed giving both players equal chance of winning. All in all, a very positive experience for me. Many thanks to Jason for teaching me how to play.

Disposable Heroes: Point Blank

2011-11-09T05:25:00.000+08:00

Everyone who knows me and follows my blog knows I am an Iron Ivan Fanboy. Disposable Heroes is my favourite wargame of all time. If Iron Ivan jazzed up the rulebook into full colour it would be HUGE.

The latest rule book from the lads is Point Blank. A squad level skirmish game. Average of 10 figures per side. The rules use the same mechanics as Disposable Heroes so I am keen to try them out. Best thing is I already have the figures. As soon as these rules arrive I will be posting battle reports.

From their website :
Point Blank is a brand new squad level skirmish system for 1:1 modern tactical firearm combat. Players are in charge of a squad or several fire teams and control the individual actions of their soldiers, weapon teams, vehicles or support weapons. The rules are focused on the tactical concepts of fire and maneuver, command and control, and morale as well as training and experience. Any period of modern firearms combat can be simulated, from The Great War all the way to today and beyond.

The Point Blank book contains everything you need to run games with infantry, artillery, and vehicles as well as rules for spotting and hiding, as well as night, weather, smoke, and fog. There are three major periods represented for the army lists in the book: WWII (which includes Germany, U.S., Soviet, British, French, and Polish. Vietnam (which includes U.S., ARVN, Australian, NVA, and VC. As well as modern forces for the Global War on Terror or any other modern hot spot (which includes U.S., British, Mujaheddin, and Insurgent). Rounding out the book are three scenarios, each one concentrating on one of the periods covered in the book and focusing on a tactical concept. The missions include Combat Patrol, Ambush, and a VIP Snatch. There is lots more besides in this 94 page rulebook to keep players busy and gaming.

Australian Infantry

2011-10-23T12:50:00.000+08:00

1200 Point Australian Infantry Battlegroup for Blitzkrieg Commander. Figures are 15mm Battlefront.

Bark Endeavor

2011-10-12T14:02:00.000+08:00

Took the rug rat down to Fremantle today to watch Her Majesty's Bark Endeavor return home after 12 years. The replica was built here but now lives in Sydney. The Endeavor was the ship that claimed Australia for the British Empire. After her voyage to Australia she was used to transport British troops to the American colonies during the American War of Independence. She was scuttled at the entrance of Newport Harbour in the US in an effort to deny access to the port by a fleet of French ships arriving with French troops.

A Fire Fighting boat leads the way.

Endeavor enters the port.

Man, sailing ships are sure slow.

And away she goes past us.

Union Regiment Painted

2011-10-09T14:31:00.001+08:00

I promised I would paint something. A standard Union Civil War Regiment with Black Powder rules in mind. Figures are 15mm Peter Pig.

Combat Commander

2011-09-29T10:04:00.001+08:00

Apologies for the lack of posts this month. I have been ultra slack at painting (done none). Playing too much Call of Duty live on the Xbox. But I have also been playing a lot of tabletop games, averaging one a week. That's been a mixture of Dystopian Wars, Blitzkrieg Commander and Victory at Sea.

My latest shinny thing is Combat Commander Pacific and the New Guinea expansion pack from GMT Games. .Combat Commander Pacific is ranked number 3 on Boardgame Geeks best wargames of all time list. It's a Squad Leader style game with squad counters and squad weapons such as LMG's, HMG's and mortars. You control platoons of units fighting historical scenarios. All your moves are card driven which is a great game mechanic because you can't really pre-plan anything. You need to think on the spot with this game. Combat Commander Pacific has Australian units and battles so that's why I got it. And I can convert a lot of the scenarios to miniature wargaming. Anyway, my friend Jason is going to walk me through a game shortly. He is a veteran gamer of Combat Commander Europe. I will let you know how I go.

And I will paint something soon - I promise. And if anyone want's to link up on Xbox live. Let me know.

Afrika Korps v Australians : Blitzkrieg Commander Battle Report

2011-08-20T09:06:00.002+08:00

Welcome to another Blitzkrieg Commander Battle Report. This time we return to the desert in 1943 and pit the Deutschland Afrika Korps against the Australian Imperial Force. Godders commands the Germans, I command the AIF. At stake is the small town of El Godfrey, a place where weary goat herders can rest after a long day of goat herding. (Does anyone know where I can buy some 15mm goats?) Rommel needs this town as a staging point for his thrust to Cairo. The Australian plan is simple and it worked at Tobruk. Let Rommels tanks pass the outer defensive perimeter and draw them onto hidden guns. Ambush the following infantry. And cut off the panzers retreat.

The Panzers advance towards El Godfrey in two powerful formations.

"It's a trap!" The Australian anti-tank guns sited in the town open fire on the Germans. British armoured support hits the Panzers in the flanks. The German commander is not worried. His following infantry will deal with the guns while he turns to deal with the flank tank attack. "Where are the infantry?"

"It's another trap!" The Australians rise out of their caves and ambush the panzer grenadiers on the left & right flanks. This was a blood bath. All the bonus flank shots decimated the Germans. After the first round of shooting only a few Germans remained. (Apologies for unpainted figures - that's a carton).

The Panzers take a terrible beating from the Anti-Tank guns.

But the Australians don't get it all their own way.

The Germans turn to secure their flanks.

The British are out gunned and out armoured. Very soon the British tanks are all burning wrecks. However enough damage has been done to the German Battlegroup and they reach breaking point. A roll of the dice seals their fate and they are forced to retreat.

El Godfrey has been held.

This game was set up in scenario format ignoring army points. It was going to be a hard ask for the Germans to win. The idea was to have a fun game. All it takes are a few failed CV rolls on the Australians part and the Germans would have a good chance of winning. We tried to simulate the circumstances of the first battle of Tobruk, using a later time period to suit our models. It seemed to work. A good interesting game that lasted 2 hours. We have seen what German do to cows, thankfully the goats where saved.

Over the Top

2011-08-02T03:42:00.000+08:00

SHOCK!

I checked my emails this morning and found a Warhammer Historical Newsletter proclaiming the release of Over the Top. This is the long awaited supplement to The Great War, containing army lists for the whole war and new trench fighting rules. As you will remember The Great War only covered 1914 & 1918 when the war was mobile. Full colour WWI. I had to order a copy.

Belgians v Germans : Blitzkrieg Commander Battle Report

2011-07-29T08:06:00.000+08:00

The brave Belgians and the Germans face off in a 1000 point meeting engagement of Blitzkrieg Commander. Both sides advance towards a farmhouse destroyed by the relentless Luftwaffe. Yours truly commands the Belgians, Guido commands the Hun.

The Belgians win initiative and move first, attempting an outflanking maneuver on the left. The Belgians have one awesome ACG-1, and two not so awesome FT-17's.

Unfortunately, the Belgian flanking tanks are up against a nasty German tank formation. Outranged and outgunned the Belgians are destroyed in a matter of minutes. Flanking maneuver failed.

The Germans decided they don't like cows and shoot them all. Here two German mortar teams set up behind a stone wall. Ready to rain suppression down on any Belgian infantry that advance towards the farm.

And here come the Belgians advancing along the right road. Infantry with a couple of HMGs in support. They come under heavy mortar fire. Yellow markers are suppression. Blue dice are the hits taken. Each unit needs 6 hits to be knocked out of the game.

More Belgian infantry advancing in the centre. This time they have 47mm SA-FRC anti-tank guns in support. However highly mobile German infantry are now in the farmhouse and are raining down fire on the attackers. Both AT Guns are suppressed and are soon knocked out without firing a shot.

The Belgians Alamo. They make it towards the protective cover of a stone wall and find more German cow atrocities. The Belgians have two anti-tank rifles which will surely put a halt to the advancing Panzers.

The Panzers line up on the Belgians left flank and let rip. The Belgians are under intense fire from armour, mortars, infantry and HMG's. Before long the Belgians reach breakpoint, fail their break dice roll and run off the battlefield. Germany victorious. The Belgians lost three tank units, two AT units, two AT Rifle units, and three infantry units before breaking and fleeing. The Germans lost one HMG unit and two Infantry units. Thanks for the game Guido.

1st Game of Dystopian Wars

2011-07-26T09:21:00.003+08:00

The ocean battleground.

The heroic Empire of the Blazing Sun on the right. The evil Federated States of America on the left. This was a 400pt recon game.

Two fine squadrons of Empire ships. A mighty Battleship and two cruisers.

Two sneaky Federation blimps and one solitary heroic squadron of Empire tiny flyer fighters.

The final shame. My Empire battleship was boarded by Marines from three Federation cruisers and taken as a prize.

Last night I travelled to the Outpost North gaming club to participate in my first ever game of Dystopian Wars. It was a simple 400 point recon game. My opponent was Jason, a fine outstanding gentleman with excellent modeling and game tutorial skills. The game lasted three turns. To put it simply, I got SMASHED. My whole fleet was sunk, except the battleship which was taken as a prize. My Tiny Flyers were all shot down. I did get a couple of campaign points for having a fully painted fleet. YAY. The Federals lost three frigates sunk, and one taken as a prize. (That only happened because Jason was gracious enough to tell me how to carry out that maneuver).

My thoughts on Dystopian Wars. This is not an easy game to play. You need to be aware of your ships capabilities. When to link attack and defensive weapons, when not to link them. Be aware of ranges. Watch out for blimps. They are nasty. Tiny Flyers suck. They are really complex to use, get shot down easily, and they don't do much damage. Jason explained that they are better to use as a swarm. Frigates are nasty little ships. Fast, and they throw out a heap of firepower. I really underrated the frigate but I now have a greater appreciation for them. Boarding ships is nasty. The number of marines in each ship is very important. Stay away from ships with a lot of marines. The battlefield gets ugly with a lot of counters next to damaged ships. I really don't like that but its part of the game. In summary, I really enjoyed myself. I have to study the rulebook more. Again, many thanks to Jason for his time. I learnt a lot. But will I remember it!

Tiny Flyers

2011-07-25T13:43:00.000+08:00

I have not been very painting pro-active lately and in a mad rush today I had to paint up six bases of tiny flyers for my Dystopian Wars campaign game tonight. White are my fighters, and the silvers are my torpedo bombers. These things are tiny. The bases are 20mm x 20mm and each plane is 6mm in length.

Bombers over the Phillippines

2011-07-08T16:55:00.003+08:00

I just signed up to a Dystopian Wars escalation campaign with a bunch of local D-Wars players. Bombers over the Philippines written by Mr D6G Craig Gallant will have us all waring over the above map with sea, air and land forces. It's a casual paced campaign which really suits me.

First mission is recon. 400 pts. I am thinking about throwing in a Battleship, two Cruisers, and eight frigates with 6 squadrons of tiny flyer's as air support. Any suggestions welcome.

Black Powder - The Last Argument of Kings

2011-07-01T19:58:00.000+08:00

Warlord Games have announced the impending arrival of the first Black Powder supplement titled The Last Argument of Kings : Warfare in the 18th Century. Wars covered will include

The War of the Spanish Succession – the Battle of Blenheim (1704)
The Great Northern War – the Battle of Holowczyn (1708)
The Austro-Turkish Wars – the Battle of Petrovardin (1716)
The War of the Austrian Succession – the Battle of Fontenoy (1745)
The Wars of the English Succession – the 1745 Rebellion
The Seven Years’ War – the Battle of Hundorf (1762)
War in the Colonies – The French Indian War & The War in India
Raids and Invasions – Amphibious Warfare in the 18th Century

Very interesting indeed. Can't wait for an American Civil War supplement.

I'm Back

2011-06-19T08:20:00.000+08:00

I'm Back. Downloaded Google Chrome and now the blog is back to normal. I will be able to catch up with everyone's blogs again. Thanks to Monty who alerted me to the solution.

South Seas Detachment

2011-06-08T11:04:00.000+08:00

I have just finished the ships from the Empire of the Blazing Sun Dystopian Wars starter box. Introducing the Imperial South Seas Detachment or SSD. The Empress Shizuna has dispatched the SSD to the Southern Ocean to discourage the ever growing terrorist state of the Covenant of Antarctica. The so called Lord Sturgeon is of Britannian origin and we can never trust those pale skin fish and chip eaters. The SSD is lead by a mighty Sokotsu Class Battleship, and supported by three Nakatsu Class Cruisers and nine Uwatsu Class Frigates. They will be soon joined by an Imperial Carrier. The SSD is the finest fleet in the Empire of the Blazing Sun. May they bring honour to our Empire .

Sokotsu Class Battleship

Sokotsu Class Battleship Top View

These ships were a lot of fun to paint. Without doubt the best detailed miniatures I have ever owned. A lot of Dystopian Wars gamers are painting their fleets in bright colours but I decided to go for the traditional naval look. The base grey colour is WWII Japanese Navy Sasebo. The decks are traditional ship deck tan. I painted the Dystopian tech items in bronze. Missiles in white. I have ordered the carrier and that will be the next addition to the fleet.

Disposable Heroes Showdown

2011-05-15T18:41:00.000+08:00

I travelled into the club last night and met up with Youngy for a Disposable Heroes showdown. My Waffen SS v Youngy's US Airborne. Elite v Elite. No-ones running from the fight in this battle. We used the page 44 Meeting Engagement scenario. The building objective is in the centre of the table.

My SS are on the left. The US Para's are on the right. I am fielding a Command Team, 2 Full Sections, 1 Sniper Team, 1 HMG, and 1 Mortar. The Para's have a Command Team, 3 Full Sections, 1 Browning MMG, and 1 Mortar Team crewed by about six men. I am thinking to myself. Whoever wins initiative is going to run into that objective building in turn 1. We throw the dice, I loose. Youngy's into the hard cover objective and I am going to be pressed getting him out. From there we move all our units at a run and get into cover and good firing positions.

Once the shooting starts it's first blood to the Para's. Youngy is very worried about the SS HMG that has set up on the second floor in the next building.

From that point on it's a gun battle. Troops are getting picked off let right and centre. Because both sides are elite, pins are very hard to achieve.

Youngy must have got bored because out of the blue his section holding the objective charge out and into the opposite building that houses by HMG team and Command Team. Prep-Firing takes it toll on the Germans, but no pins are achieved. That allows snap firing back and a few para's fall in no-mans land but they get in the building and close combat to the death occurs. The SS HMG crew give the Command a hand. The SS are triumphant. But only two of them remain. 7 Paras and 5 SS are KIA in the melee.

Over the next few turns the SS HMG rules the battlefield in the centre. The para's are mowed down whenever they broke cover. The Paras retired from the field of battle to fight another day. The SS are victorious. The butchers bill. 26 Paras Killed. 10 SS Killed. Game length 120mins. Great fun and many thanks to Youngy for the game. Thanks to NWS blokes as well. The club hall was full of gamers and travelling well.

RE the blog. Still playing up.

My Blogger Problems

2011-05-03T20:11:00.000+08:00

Hi guys. Just letting you know I am having a lot of problems with blogspot. From my home computer I cannot see my followers or recent posts from the blogs I follow. If you notice I have been a bit quite it's because I don't know when you post new stuff. From work I can see but I dare not comment from there. So basically, apologies for not being as social as I would like to be. Hopefully the blogger people sort out the problem because keeping up with you guys is now a big part of my hobby.
Cheers
Paul

Never Forget… Never Forgive. Justice has been done.

2011-05-02T11:34:00.004+08:00

Big breaking news. The Americans have killed Bin Laden in Pakistan. US Special Forces took him out and claimed his corpse. DNA has confirmed the dog is dead.

This is a great day. Hats off the Americans. The debt is now paid. Well done.

New York is celebrating.
(Sorry for the rant but this needs to be said)

Australian Vickers MMG Team

2011-04-21T07:41:00.000+08:00

Painted up this Australian pacific Vickers MMG team. Figures are 28mm from Brigade Games Diggers in the Pacific range.

Australian 3" Mortar Crew

2011-04-19T10:35:00.000+08:00

Australian 3" Mortar Crew for the pacific. Figures are 28mm Brigade Games - Diggers in the Pacific.

Followers

2011-04-19T08:52:00.002+08:00

I can't see my followers anymore. Is anyone else having this problem?

Australian 2" Mortar Team

2011-04-17T16:51:00.000+08:00

I have not been slacking off, honest. I just finished three support teams for my planned WWII Australian Pacific platoon. Usually I paint the support options last. This time I painted them first. Over the next couple of days I will put up pics of a 3" Mortar Team and a Vickers MMG Team. Figures are 28mm and they are from Brigade Games Diggers in the Pacific range.

And a sneak preview of whats next on the painting table. First coat is on. Time to bring out the details. I plan to make this fleet very WWII like. Thanks for looking.

Remembering the Anzacs

2011-04-12T13:10:00.002+08:00

Some highlights from the Kokoda movie.

Force on Force

2011-04-11T16:15:00.001+08:00

Ambush Alley Games have graduated to the big time signing a deal with Osprey Publishing to release their popular modern rules in full colour hardback. These rules cover modern skirmish wargaming in current hot spots. It appears you need around 10 figures for the regular armies and around 25 figures for iregular armies. Originally designed for 15mm, the ideal table size is 2ft x 2ft. Think DBA size. However, you can play in what ever scale you want. The rule book covers army lists for the Australians, Germans, USA, and British regular and elite units. A deal has been signed to release around 20 scenario books including a Vietnam and a future war version (think Battle Los Angles).

Neil from the Meeples and Miniatures Podcast has done a review of the rules and interviews with the authors and Osprey. Well worth a listen. (Episode 73)
http://www.meeplesandminiatures.co.uk/

I got brainwashed into buying a copy. Don't tell the wife!

Waffen SS Panzergrenadier Platoon

2011-03-22T09:25:00.003+08:00

I have now finished my Waffen SS Panzergrenadier platoon for Disposable Heroes. As with all my Disposable Heroes platoons I build two sections (incorrectly labeled above as platoons - opps), plus command and support. Support usually consists of a mortar, HMG and some AT capability. My core NCO's are armed with Assault Rifles so I had to paint an extra 5 NCO's with MP40's. That way I can swap and change depending upon the theatre of war. In the future I would like to add a scout team with a 250/1 halftrack for transport. And maybe some 251 halftracks for the troops. But that will be a long, long time away. All figures and vehicle above are 28mm Bolt Action Miniatures. Except one. The gunner on the back of the Schwimmwagen is from Company B Miniatures.

Next on the painting table I have some half finished WWII Australians. Once they are done it's full steam ahead with Dystopian Wars.

Waffen SS Panzerschreck Team

2011-03-20T18:44:00.002+08:00

Waffen SS Panzerschreck Team to bolster my Disposable Heroes Platoon's anti-tank capability. Figures are 28mm Bolt Action Miniatures.

100+ FOLLOWERS!!!!

2011-03-19T13:39:00.002+08:00

WOW!!!!!!

100+ followers. Many, many thanks to all of you that are following my blog.

UNBELIEVABLE

Waffen SS Mortar Team

2011-03-18T17:03:00.002+08:00

Next up is the SS Mortar Team. These figures figures are 28mm Bolt Action Miniatures.

Waffen SS Anti-Tank Team

2011-03-17T15:28:00.004+08:00

Been doing a wee bit of painting lately. Mainly finishing off odds and ends so I can start my Empire Fleet. First off I had to finish my Disposable Heroes SS platoon. Which I did do and I will show some pics over the next few days. First off is the anti-tank team. These lads are armed to the teeth with Panzerfausts and mines. I am a bit disappointed with the flesh. Figures are 28mm from Bolt Action Miniatures.

Real Australia

2011-03-16T18:03:00.008+08:00

Guido and me were based at this place for four years and it was during this time I became a wargamer. Guido was hiding in a back office painting his soldiers one day and I said "whats that?" The rest is history and I went from hero to nerd in 60 seconds. I had no Internet. All model buying was by paper catalogue and snail mail. Never heard of GW either. This is real Australia.

Best Wargaming Table Ever?

2011-03-12T12:33:00.004+08:00

Anzac Cove, Gallipoli 1915, 28mm terrain table. Table made for Salute 2011 by Battlefront/Wargames Illustrated. They are putting on a Battle of Lone Pine demo game.

Guido, build one.

Hail Caesar Available for Pre-Order

2011-03-09T09:37:00.005+08:00

Hail Caesar is now available for pre-order from Warlord Games. 30 British pounds, free postage, and a free figure of that Centurion on the front cover. Book is due for release early April. I ordered mine.
http://www.warlordgames.co.uk/

Tabled

2011-03-07T09:44:00.004+08:00

On Friday night I travelled to Godders house to play a game of Blitzkrieg Commander. It was a 1000 point meeting engagement with new forces. I was the Germans and Godders was the Russians. We are both building up to 2000 point armoured battlegroups for the very late war period. This is not much of an after action report because I got tabled after six turns. Tabled means I lost all my units and Godders lost none. I was thoroughly beaten down and humiliated, Hero unit of the battle, a Russian Katyusha Rocket launching truck (unpainted!!). Godders got all his forward observer command roles in. Constantly suppressed my units and maneuvered his formations into positions that offered him cover and good fields of fire. Artillery is king of the battlefield. Good win to Godders.

My 1000 point Germans. (Sorry about the crappy photos)

Godders 1000 point Russians. Note the unpainted and unmade Katyusha!

An example of my units in flames.

I Painted Something

2011-03-04T15:41:00.003+08:00

I actually painted something. I had to get out of my slumber. Perth is in it's hottest recorded summer and boy is it hot. Even at night. Painting is hard work. I painted up this 15mm Sd.Kfz. 250/1 Halftrack. This little fellow will be a Blitzkrieg Commander HQ leading a Panther formation. He will be in his first battle tonight against the Soviets. Vehicle is 15mm Battlefront.

The Blazing Sun Arrives

2011-03-02T13:49:00.003+08:00

I finally got my Empire of the Sun starter fleet for Dystopian Wars. A box full of goodness. I am about to clean and prime. I can't wait to paint these babies. I am thinking a traditional Japanese Navy dark grey. Probably won't do cam. The heavy bombers in green and the fighters in cream like WWII zeros.

Anzac Fury

2011-02-10T09:26:00.003+08:00

Highly recommended book I am reading. Anzac Fury : The Bloody Battle of Crete by Peter Thompson. The legendary Anzac battlegroup was formed only once in WWII for the Battles of Greece and Crete. This book concentrates on the Battle of Crete and gives a voice to the Australians and New Zealanders who fought in one of the most vicious and desperate battles of World War II. Two thumbs up.

Black Cross Blue Sky

2011-02-08T10:20:00.003+08:00

Another wargame added to my growing collection.

Dystopian Wars

2011-02-01T20:46:00.004+08:00

At long last my Dystopian Wars rule book from Spartan Games has arrived. The original rules had sold out shortly after release and I had to wait for the reprint. The rule book is full colour eye candy. It's amazing.

I shall be collecting and building the Empire of the Blazing Sun. (Pictured above).

Battle of Cape Spada

2011-01-30T13:19:00.009+08:00

Sunday morning in Perth. Tropical cyclone forming off the coast. More humid than hell. And the setting for a historical refight of the Battle of Cape Spada. I travelled to Godders house where the ping pong table became the Mediterranean Sea, Cape Spada Crete, July 19, 1940. Victory at Sea are the rules. The Royal Australian Navy, The Royal Navy and the Italian Navy are set to clash. I was playing the roll of Rear Admiral Ferdinando Casardi in command of the two Italian Light Cruisers Giovanni Delle Bande Nere and Bartolomeo Colleoni. My fine ships pictured above.

Godders was Captain John Collins of the light cruiser HMAS Sydney, and flotilla commander of five British destroyers, HMS Ilex, Hero, Hasty, Havock & Hyperion. Sydney and Hyperion pictured above.

Ilex, Hero, Hasty and Havock pictured above. The battle started off in historical positions. Ilex, Hero, Hasty and Havock patrolling the Cape. They run into the two Italians light cruisers. HMAS Sydney and HMS Hyperion are 64km's north. Their presence unknown to the Italians. The British destroyers turn northwest hoping to lead the Italians onto the Australians guns. The Italians are in hot pursuit of easy prey. Turn one begins with the appearance of HMAS Sydney.

Godders drives Sydney and Hyperion straight at me. Guns blazing. He begins to turn his Destroyers towards the Italians. I try some long range shots at Sydney from the Colleoni but I am unsuccessful. Bande Nere fires at Havock and causes two hits crippling and then sinking the Destroyer.

The Italians historically begin to turn to the southwest to escape the trap. But I am caught between Sydney and the Destroyers and must pass close to the Australian cruiser. The Sydney and Italians exchange gunfire, Colleoni and Sydney taking hits. Sydney launches her port torpedoes pictured above, crippling the Colleoni.

The British destroyers close in on the Colleoni and launch three salvos of torpedoes. The Colleoni sinks. The allied fleet celebrates. HMS Hyperion launches a torpedo spread straight at Bande Nere to no effect. All the destroyers have now depleted their torpedoes.

I race the Bande Nere for the southwest edge of the table hotly pursued by the three destroyers, Sydney and Hyperion moving to block off my escape route.

Sydney and Hyperion move to intercept. Sydney launching her final spread of torpedoes into Bande Nere. They miss. Bande Nere launches torpedoes into Hyperion. Also missing. Bande Nere and Sydney unload all their guns into each other. Sydney takes terrible damage and sinks.

Bande Nere is left cripled after the gun battle with the Sydney and is running at half speed. One more shot will sink her. The British Destroyers closed in like wolves and unleash all their guns. Bande Nere sinks. Honours to the victorious leader Godders.

Final tally. Colleoni and Bande Nere sunk. Sydney and Havock sunk. Heavy damage to Havock. Minor damage to Hasty, Ilex and Hyperion. Another fun game with Godders. I am dripping with sweat from the excitment, or the humidity, I can't tell which one.

Historical Note. The above battle was fought as described. The Italian ships were in the process of transferring base when they ran into the British Destroyers. The British believed the Sydney was 100km's to the north. However the Australian Commander was only 64kn's away. Captain Collins had been worried that the original patrol distance was too far in the event of an encounter so he had brought Sydney and Hyperion in closer to the Destroyers. The British turned north towards Sydney not knowing her location. The British began broadcasting requests for help. Captain Collins heard the distress calls but did not answer, not wishing to reveal his position to the Italians. The Italians blood was up and they wanted to sink the British Destroyers and the chase began. Mussolini himself was being updated with the status of the pursuit. The arrival of Sydney surprised the Italians and they turned tail and made a run for the southwest. Sydney and the Destroyers began to close the gap and after 50 minutes of continuous fire the Sydney hit the Colleoni's boiler room and the Italian Cruiser stopped dead in the water. The crew of the Colleoni kept firing and refused to give in. Torpedoes from Ilex and Hyperion sent her to the deep. Meanwhile Sydney kept up the pursuit on the Bande Nere until she ran out of ammo and was forced to disengage. The Bande Nere and been hit twice. One hit in the hanger and one in the bow. Sydney took one shot to her funnel.

As a result of the battle 121 Italian sailors were killed, and 555 taken prisoner. No allied sailors were killed in the battle. Mussolini went into deep depression after the battle as the war in North Africa was not going well at all.

Belgian 47mm SA-FRC Anti-Tank Gun

2011-01-27T19:37:00.003+08:00

In between turns playing Battlefield Academy on-line over the last two days I painted a couple of Belgian 47mm SA-FRC Anti-Tank Guns for my Belgian Blitzkrieg Commander Army. These two units were the last parts needed for my 1000pt army. I was held up by a very long wait for the gunners to arrive in the post (3 months). 15mm guns are from QRF and the 15mm figures are from True North. I will attempt to photograph the whole army over the next couple of days.

15mm Belgians are finished. Next on the painting table are 28mm Waffen SS. And Monty, have mercy in BA. Give me a chance.

Cancon 2011 on TV News.

2011-01-24T15:44:00.003+08:00

Australia's number 1 Wargaming Convention cracks a mention on the ABC News. Described as a Nerds Paradise.

First Painted Figures of 2011

2011-01-15T17:25:00.002+08:00

Finished my first figures of 2011. Union Cavalry based up as a regiment for Black Powder. Figures are 15mm Peter Pig. I dropped one of these bases after I took the photo so now I have to repair it, sigh..........

Hail Caesar - Rick Speaks

2011-01-15T07:04:00.003+08:00

Rick speaks about Hail Caesar on the Warlord Games website. Link below.

http://www.warlordgames.co.uk/?p=9769

Tomorrow I'm off to Melbourne for a week to watch the Australian Open tennis. I intend to visit the Melbourne war museum as well. Hope I can get some great photo's for you. And does anyone know of any wargaming stores in central Melbourne? Let me know.

STATE OF THE BLOG 2010

2010-12-31T10:06:00.013+08:00

31st of December is the day of my yearly State of the Blog speech and my review of 2010.

BLOG VISITORS

There have been over 10,000 visits to the blog from 88 countries. That's double on 2009. The top three visiting nations are the USA, the UK and Australia. The top non-english speaking visiting nation is Germany. The most popular post of 2010 was a battle report posted on September 20 titled "Blitzkrieg Commander 8th Army v Afrika Korps." Just under 1000 hits. Many thanks to you all.

FOLLOWERS

I am very fortunate to have 75 gamers following my blog. An increase of 30 followers from 2009. Thanks guys.

FIGURES PAINTED

The butchers bill!

In 2010 I painted :

67 x 15mm figures

9 x 15mm vehicles/guns/tanks

56 x 28mm figures

4 x 28mm vehicles/guns/tanks

Total 136 items

Painting is way down 0n 2009. But purchasing was also down on 2009. As always, total purchasing remains my horrid little secret that no-one is allowed to know but me. Although I have noted a new purchasing trend towards pre-painted terrain. It's no good painting figures and then playing on a piss poor table.

GAMES PLAYED

I am pleased to report that gaming increased in 2010. The game most played was Blitzkrieg Commander. Other games played included Disposable Heroes, Victory at Sea, I Ain't Been Shot Mum, Black Powder and WAB.

Blitzkrieg Commander has taken me by storm and I wished I had tried this game earlier. It's perfect for 15mm and if any of you FOWers are reading this post. Have a go. Command and Control make the game. Nothing you do is certain. I am tending to favour this style of wargaming.

Disposable Heroes remains my favourite wargame but I hardly played it in 2010. Must play more in 2011.

BEST AND WORST OF 2010

My favourite miniature release of 2010 would have to be the 28mm Belgians from BEF Miniatures. Really nice figures. The range is not yet complete and no doubt they will rank highly in 2011.

The best new release rules/expansion of 2010? None really. Nothing caught my eye. I purchased Warhammer 8th Ed but the thought of gluing together hundreds of plastic figures is comparable to getting run over by a tank feet first.

Disappointment of 2010? Warhammer Ancient Battles 2. The most hyped and egergally anticipated rules release of the century. Turned out to be rubbish. The book was poorly written. Example diagrams do not match the actual rules, and you need to print off an accompanying errata that is larger than most wargaming rulebooks. Very poor show Forge World. I feel sorry for the fans who are keeping the game alive now with their own unofficial amendments.

COMPUTER WARGAMING

Battlefield Academy. What a brilliant game. I am playing wargamers from countries like Belgium, Spain, Italy and Germany. When do you get to do stuff like that living in the most remote city in the world? Great on-line community and the game is getting bigger and bigger.

WHATS AHEAD IN 2011

Hail Caesar. Rick Priestly's Ancient rules using his Warmaster gaming mechanics which are also used in Blitzkrieg Commander & Black Powder. You can see why I can't wait to get hold of them. My 28mm Romano-British are back on the painting table in 2011.

Dystopian Wars. Spartan Games new 6mm game featuring the Steam Punk theme. Pictures on the web are unbelievable. A large following is gathering in Perth and I might get in on the action with the Blazing Sun Empire.

Blitzkrieg Commander. Armoured forces are being mustered for Late War Eastern Front.

Disposable Heroes. Must play more games and maybe do a Soviet Platoon to counter the SS.

Star Wars. The licence has been issued to a mystery company. It's all top secret stuff. Could this be the greatest moment in wargaming? Everything else will be dropped on my painting table if this turns out to be good.

Legends of the Old West. Wild West in 15mm. Coming to the blog in 2011.

PODCASTS OF NOTE

What am I listening to?

"What Would Patton Do". This is a Flames of War podcast. I don't play FOW but these guys are excellent to listen to. They are very passionate about the game and they cover my favourite topic - WWII.

"Chance of Gaming Podcast" Adam Chance and his sidekicks deliver a brilliant fortnightly podcast covering news in the historical wargaming world. Most of the time they sound pissed which is very entertaining. My No1 podcast at the moment.

"Meeples and Miniatures" As always a great listen but shows are not regular and Neil needs to eat some Bran Flakes to keep the shows flowing.

"Podhammer" Rude and crude Australians that can't go a minute without offending someone. Who else would hire strippers to play Flames of War with them and take photos? Great podcast.

"Worlds End Radio" local Perth podcast. Great for the local scene. But they wear GW blinkers.

SPECIAL FRIENDS OF THE BLOG

Whilst all of you are special I need to single a few out that are always posting positive comments on the blog and keeping me motivated to play. In no particular order:

Helen Tank Girl - Ex-west aussie & army girl. Always very kind to me and earlier this year surprised me with a gift that puts me in a wookie lifedebt. Thanks Helen. Keeping painting those Japs. Best I have ever seen.

Godders - Can't tell you his real name because he thinks internals read my blog. Real life work mentor and great gaming buddy with gaming interest like mine. Thanks for the games of BKC in 2010 (and Belgian beer).

Guido - Another local gaming buddy that tries to use Jedi Mind tricks to make me deviate from my highly organised gaming plans. Owner of the best gaming room in Australia.

Captain Richard from the Captain Richards Miniature Civil War blog. He is undoubted the most talented painter and modeler I have ever seen. Really nice bloke as well.

Al from 20th Century Wargames Blog. Really talented modeler in 20mm. Top bloke.

Paul from Plastic Warriors blog. Another 20mm modeling genius. Really good bloke, always chipping in on the comments section.

Monty from Monty's Wargaming blog. One of my favourite bloggers. He has been a good mate since we both started blogging three years ago. And hopefully a Battlefield Academy opponent in 2011.

And finally Paul from Pauls Bod's. Popped up as a loyal follower in 2010 and is always making some good comments, and his blog is rated A1. Thanks Paul.

FINAL WORDS

Thank you to all who visited Wargamer Blue in 2010 and thank you for your blog posts. Keeps me motivated. Gives me great idea's. And brings the wargaming geek world closer together. Bring on 2011.

Cheers

Paul

aka pbeccas on all forums

& Rat of Tobruk on The Miniatures Page

Battlefield Academy Blitzkrieg France

2010-12-28T12:05:00.003+08:00

Just purchased the new expansion for Battlefield Academy called Blitzkrieg France. I have played the first campaign game and found the French tanks to be very hard nuts to crack.

Germans v the BEF

Germans v French

My Battlefield Academy on-line play ranking has risen to 260 in the world. I am on the slow rise to number 1 in the world.

The expansion includes new units & new camouflage patterns and stats to represent the war in 1940: Panzer II German Light Tank, Sturmpanzer German SP Gun, French Infantry, French LMG, Matilda I British Light Tank, Renault FT17 French Light Tank, Char Bis French Heavy Tank, R35 French Medium Tank, Somua 35 French Heavy Tank, French 25mm AT Gun, French Lorry, French Mortar, French Engineer, French Hotchkiss MG, Corps Francs, British Boyes AT Rifle, Sau 40 French SP Gun, Sdkfz 251/10/4 German Halftrack, Berliet VPH Mobile AA, French Scout, Lorraine 38 APC, Panzerjager I, German Panzerbusche AT Rifle, Panhard P178 French Armoured Car, Schneider P16 French Armoured Car.

Christmas Loot

2010-12-27T08:05:00.003+08:00

The number 1 item of Christmas Loot interest is Legends of the Old West from Forge World. Most of you know these rules but for those that don't. Cowboy skirmishing. You get $400 (points) to buy a posse and equip them with weapons. You cannot have more than 15 figures in your posse. Played on a 4ft x 4ft table, usually in some western town. A shootout to the end or you can play campaigns. I have a Mexican Bandido posse in mind. One of the guys that I work with has these rules so I have an opponent. I also got some Peter Pig ACW figures and some Gripping Beast figures, a 28mm Churchill Tank, and a few of books on Australians in the pacific war and WWI Western Front.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T12:22:00.003+08:00

Santa and the Easter Bunny Team Up

Wishing all my blogging friends and their families a very merry Christmas, and a safe and happy new year - wherever you are in the world. I am on duty Christmas Day and they have forecast a stinking hot day. Home to the aircon, open my presents, eat the Turkey and down some beers in the evening. Good luck with your presents everyone.

Granddad in the War

2010-12-22T16:26:00.003+08:00

Captain Richard stuck up a similar picture of his dad from WWII on his blog so I'm doing the same with a bit chopped off so you can't see the name. Both my two grandfathers (now departed) were in the Australian Infantry in the pacific but this one was my favourite. He served as a Lance Corporal with 2/28th Battalion, 9th Australian Division in the Middle East, New Guinea and Borneo. I have some of his equipment from WWII. A compass, binoculars with range markers, a ground sheet, kit bag, webbing, and an army sewing kit. My old man has an Italian Army 16 gauge shotgun which was somehow brought back from the Middle East. I have my other granddads medals and one day I will fix them up as well. He served with 28th Battalion in New Britain. It's good to remember what all these people did and I hope some of you post pictures of your WWII relatives as well.

A Difficult Affair II

2010-12-16T08:52:00.006+08:00

Wednesday night is gaming night and once again Godders and myself faced off with Blitzkrieg Commander. This time we used a real historical battle scenario titled "A Difficult Affair II" written by Steve Curtis. A Difficult Affair II is part of a series of scenarios centred around the Battle of Kursk in 1943. This scenario is played out in a small area of 16" x 24". All infantry.

The situation : At 1500hrs, on the 4th of July 1943 various German units of the 4th Panzer Army are sent forward into Soviet positions on reconnaissance in force missions. The objectives of these missions were to discover traps and gain lodgement in the Soviet lines.

Godders in Command of the 15th Company, 3rd Battalion, Panzer Fusilier Regiment, Grossdeutschland is tasked to capture the western edge of a low treeless ridge west of the village of Butovo. High command believes the ridge consists of dummy positions.

Godders sets up in his starting positions. He is in command of 9 Infantry Sections, 2 HMG Sections, a FAO and off board 81mm Mortars.

I am in command of a Soviet Reinforced Platoon, 3rd Battalion, 199th Guards Rifle Regiment. My mission is simple, hold the postion at all costs. Not one step back. I have 4 Infantry Sections, 1 MMG, 1 on-board 50mm mortar, a FAO and off-board 82mm Mortars. I have one wooden bunker and my troops can start the game dug in. I have access to barbed wire. The string line in the centre of the photo represents the crest of the ridge. I placed my MMG in the bunker. I put two infantry Sections in the crops on the left flank. And two infantry Sections dug in on the crest of the slope on the right flank. All troops are concealed.

The Germans started and immediately advanced into no-man's land. As the Soviets are concealed the Germans cannot shoot until they reveal the Soviet positions, or the Soviets reveal themselves by opening fire. Which they did to good effect. Most Germans were under half range and were in the open. German sections began dropping like flies or were suppressed. This went on for three turns then Godders diced up a blunder. Which was actually lucky because his visit to the blunder table forced all his units to retreat one full move, safely away from the open ground.

Now in cover, and all Soviet positions revealed, the Germans began the process of concentrating fire and slowly withering down the defenders. Although the Germans took casualties from return fire. But it was the Soviets turn to blunder. My visit to the blunder table was devastating. All my troops advanced one half move towards the enemy. This included my MMG in the bunker and my dug in sections. Now they were all exposed in the open in no-mans land. (The blunder chart represents a loss of command and control of your troops and my lads obviously got all excited at their success to date and went forward after the Germans).

Needless to say, I lost 3 sections and the MMG. I was now down to 1 section, 1 mortar, and my off board mortars.

The Germans advanced up the hill without much effort. The mortar and remaining section were knocked out in close combat. And the game was over. Victory to Godders. And a game well played.

The Butchers Bill. The Soviets were wiped out. Not one step back. The Germans lost 7 Sections and achieved their objective.

Real Historical Outcome. The German 15th Company took the ridge after two hours of fighting at a very high cost in soldiers. It was pre-planned that the 15th Company would then support an attack on the village of Butovo but due to their heavy losses the company was withdrawn from the line. A sign of things to come in the Battle of Kursk.

So as you can see the game played out on the tabletop matched the historical result perfectly. The game would have dragged on if I had not blundered but the result would have been the same. Godders would have stayed in cover and slowly whittled away the defences with HMG, rifle and mortar file. Both of us agreed it was a great scenario to play and using infantry exclusively was challenging and fun. In this scenario one unit of infantry (stand) represent one section. We had to house rule off-board mortars as these are not covered in the rules. And once again Godders supplied me with Belgian beer. Very nice all round.

Hail Caeser Formations

2010-12-13T04:19:00.007+08:00

Rick Priestly has posted recommended 28mm formation sizes for his forthcoming Ancient rules titled Hail Caesar.

Single figures are assumed to be based on 20mm x 20mm square bases. Cavalry on 25mm x 50mm bases. Elephants 60mm x 80mm. Light Artillery 40mm x 60mm. Heavy Artillery 60mm x 100mm. 2 Horse Chariots 40mm x 80mm & 4 Horse Chariots 80mm x 80mm.

Formations come in sizes of Standard, Large, Small, and Tiny. Aka Black Powder.

A Standard formation will consist of 16 to 20 models in a two rank formation. So you can have a front rank of 8 models, 9 models or 10 models. It's your choice but it has no effect on the game.

A Large formation will consist of 32 to 40 models in a two rank formation. So a front of 16 to 20 models.

A Small formation will consist of 8 to 12 models in a two rank formation. A frontage of 4 to 6 models.

A Tiny formation will consist of 6 models in a two rank formation. A frontage of 3 models.

Phalanx and Warband are recommended to be in four rank formations with frontages as above with double to amount of figures.

This is only a small summary of the two page document. For a full version you will need to join the Hail Caesar Rules yahoo group.

I got excited and order some more Gripping Beast Romano-British to make an impressive and sizable army.

Another Game

2010-12-09T07:33:00.003+08:00

Myself and Godders had another game of Blitzkrieg Commander. Godders hosted and supplied all the figures and old school terrain. This time we played a convoy ambush. I was the Germans ambushing a British convoy. 1000pts each. It was a good game and I won. The picture above shows a road going through crops in which visibility is reduced to 20cm. It caused all sorts of problems when firing at the enemy and added a new level of tactics to our game. Sorry, I only took one photo.

In Memory of Cassie the Beagle

2010-12-08T11:33:00.003+08:00

Our Beagle passed away today - aged 8. R.I.P Cassie

Dismounted Australian Tank Crew

2010-12-05T20:04:00.004+08:00

Just in case the lads need to dismount after a freakish Japanese suicide tank attack. Figures are 28mm Black Tree Design. I managed to prep, paint and base these guys in about 4hrs. A personal record.

Star Blazers the Movie

2010-12-05T14:53:00.003+08:00

Put your hands up if you got home from school everyday and watched this. Sometime in the late 70's, early 80's I think it was. Well, it's back as a movie. AWESOME. And I found a company that does miniatures.

Some editional information about the plot for those who did not have a TV in their house

"In the distant future, the war between the human race and the Gamilon has taken its toll on the planet Earth. Constant bombardment of radioactive asteroids has rendered the planet's atmosphere uninhabitable. As a means of relief aid, Queen Starsha of the planet Iscandar offers the Earth Forces a device that can completely neutalize the radiation off the planet. For this task, the space battleship Yamato is launched from the remains of its World War II ancestor on a 148,000 light-year journey. However, the crew of the Yamato has only one Earth year to travel to Iscandar and back, or the human race will come to an end".

Rumble in the Western Desert

2010-12-02T20:14:00.013+08:00

On Wednesday night the Afrika Korps commanded by Godders attended my house with victory in North Africa on their mind. A small band of Australian Infantry, a British 17pdr and one Valentine stood in their way. The allies were outnumbered 2 to 1. The game is Blitzkrieg Commander. Scenario 14 is the mission. The Allies must hold the town for 8 turns for victory. The Germans must break the defenders and force them off the battlefield.

The Australians and British hold the small desert town of El Whatitsname somewhere in Western Libya. The town is very famous for it goats. The 8th Army have been on the offensive and now the Germans are counter attacking. Godders chose flank deployment to enter the battlefield. An armoured formation will deploy on the Allies left flank. A small armour formation and an infantry formation will deploy on the right flank.

The Allies have three small formations. A 25pdr Gun and a HMG on the left flank. A Valentine Tank, a 17pdr Anti-Tank Gun, and a section on Australian veteran infantry in the centre. And two 6pdr Anti Tank Guns and a HMG on the right. An Australian Forward Observer is ready to call in support from an off-board artillery battery. The allies have spent resources on defenses in the form of gun pits, barbed wire, one visible minefield and one hidden minefield.

Enter the Germans. Godders passed command rolls on all three formations in turn 1 and they entered the battlefield. Three of his motorcycles carrying HMGs drove straight into the hidden minefield and were destroyed. The HMG crews were left suppressed and stranded in the minefield. The Australians thought this was very funny. One German truck was also destroyed by HMG fire. Godders placed his armour formations into good firing positions by the end of Turn 1.

The dreaded and very strong Afrika Korps armoured formation on the Allies left flank was under the direct command of the Commanding Officer with a CV of 10. Very tough. Turn 2 was a general slugfest between the two armies. The Allies took their first loss with the 17pdr being destroyed. The Germans remained unscratched but the infantry on the right flank were suppressed by artillery fire.

Turn 3 was the turning point of the battle lead by Godders throwing a double 6 for his infantry on the right flank. The resulting visit to the blunder table caused his infantry to advance into close combat with one of the 6pdr guns. Normally a disaster but hand to hand combat favours infantry over a gun crew and the 6pdr was knocked out. Firing between both sides continued with the Germans taking out the Vickers HMG on the left flank. Things were starting to fall apart for the allies.

Turn 4 saw the Germans continue to use their ranged shooting. First the 25pdr Gun was destroyed. Then the Valentine. Then the Australian Infantry section. The Allies fired back with what forces they could muster but to no effect. The allies had lost 5 units and were below Break Point. I had to roll a 9 or below from two D6s for the battlegroup to stay on the table. I rolled two 5's. The allies ran. Tabled in turn 4. Victory to Godders. His honour and prestige returned, a fact confirmed when Rommel invited him over to his tent for a late night coffee!

Once again an enjoyable game. I had great fun with the hidden minefield. If playing this game again I would take more armour. Thanks to Godders for the game. Nothing better than sitting around after the game in the spiritual guidance of "Black Powder" enjoying a beer and talking wargaming. Godders supplied some fancy beer from Belgian called Hoegaarden. At $70.00 a block it as very good. Those Belgians know how to make beer. All figures and terrain are 15mm.

Australian 2pdr Anti-Tank Gun

2010-12-01T10:48:00.009+08:00

Back to 28mm for a little bit. I have revisited my desert Australians. I have not added any new stuff to this army since 2006. I feel I need some armour and support guns. Inspired by Paul from the Plastic Warriors blog I painted up a QF 2pdr anti-tank gun and crew. The gun is an absolutely superb model from fellow blue brother Crouchie. I hope I have done it justice.

Gun is 28mm from BEF Miniatures and crew are 28mm from Battle Honors. (US Spelling).

Belgian Army Commander

2010-11-28T15:10:00.002+08:00

My Belgian Army Commander is done. I'm not too happy with the staff car. I would rate the actual model as poor. A classic case of a worn mold. I found it to be very difficult to paint. The rear end looks like it melted in the sun. However, it will do the job. All my army needs now are two 47mm AT Guns. I have the gun models but I am waiting on Old Glory UK to send a pack of Belgian AT crew. (Ordered early October!) Once they have arrived I can complete my 1000pt Blitzkrieg Commander Army. Staff car is from Quick Reaction Force and figures are from True North, all 15mm.

I have some 28mm figures on the paint desk now. 80% complete. Should have pictures soon. I also got too cocky in Battlefield Academy. I got absolutely smashed in my latest game. Back to the loser corner for the time being.

VICTORY!!!!!

2010-11-27T11:32:00.004+08:00

I finally won an online game - UNBELIEVABLE.

Battlefield Academy is a really good game.

Belgian Ford-Marmon Herrington Armoured Truck

2010-11-22T12:11:00.002+08:00

Sorry for the lack of miniature posts lately. I have not been doing any painting or wargaming. I have been heavily engaged on the Internet playing Battlefield Academy. And what a poor commander I am turning out to be. There are a lot of good players out there.

Today I finished a Ford-Marmon Herrington Armoured Truck for my Belgium Blitzkrieg Commander Battlegroup. This particular truck will be the HQ for my armour formation. I stuck an officer figure in there to give the vehicle the look of command. I have been doing a bit of research on these trucks. Mainly used by Belgians and Dutch. The Germans and Japanese also used them as captured vehicles. The Japanese got hold of them in Timor. Blitzkrieg Commander don't do stats for this truck as an armoured vehicle so it will played as a normal truck when not in use as a HQ model.

Truck is 15mm from QRF. Officer is 15mm from True North.

Black Powder Ancients Named - Hail Caeser

2010-11-22T07:23:00.002+08:00

Rick Priestly writes on the Black Powder yahoo group :

"Hail Caesar is indeed the title - but the game does cover the broad ancient and early medieval periods - New Kingdom Egyptians through to Crusaders in the battle write-ups. I think the rules cover the whole period equally well - they would need a little work to cover the high middle ages - but that wasn't really the idea when we started. Ist C Romans have certainly seen a lot of action - as have the Britons -the Roman conquest of Britain being my 'thing' I'm afraid. But the rule are in the framework style of BP with lots of suggested tweaks covering weapons, formations and unit status."

I like the name. What do you think?

New Australian Combat Cams

2010-11-19T09:54:00.003+08:00

The Australian army has gone all American. Our troops are now wearing US multicam combat uniforms with the Australian Government signing up with the US manufacturer. The current all Australian design cams will be gone forever. The multicam is for use in the jungle and desert and has been tested and given the big thumbs up from the SAS. The only thing left to pick our lads out from the yanks is the AuSteyr rifle. This video shows Australian soldiers in their new gear heading out from the wire in Afganistan.

Warhammer Historical No-More

2010-11-11T15:56:00.004+08:00

Well, we knew things were not travelling well. They got rid of Mr Warhammer Historical Rob Broom, WAB2 is an unedited flop. Rick Priestly got retrenched. And now we learn Warhammer Historical has been dissolved. I wish I had bought that copy of Legends of the Old West.

http://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/2010/11/10/40843

Battlefield Academy

2010-11-03T08:04:00.003+08:00

My latest wargaming interest is Battlefield Academy from Slitherine. What a great game. It's old school style I go-You go computer wargaming. Reminds me a lot of the old game Steel Panthers. Graphics are great. The best feature of this game is the play on line ability utilising the PBEM system. You link the game to the Slitherine website and away you go. Simple. Slitherine keep a ranking record of all players involved. I highly recommend this game and if anyone wants to issue me an online challenge I am more than happy to oblige.

Belgian Infantry

2010-10-21T13:47:00.002+08:00

At long last I got off my butt and did some painting and basing. This is the infantry element of my Belgian Blitkrieg Commander Battlegroup. And a spotter who is attached to an off-board battery of 105mm Artilley Guns.

The formation consists of a HQ, 8 Infantry Sections (2 upgraded with Boyes Anti-Tank Rifles), and 2 Maxim HMG sections. I broke a figure while basing. I cut off the broken figures legs and glued him back on the base as a land mine victim. Problem solved. Figures are 15mm True North. Click on the pictures to get a better look.

Tactics

2010-10-20T22:05:00.002+08:00

My local wargaming store made a commercial. I go there a lot.

Suppression Markers

2010-10-12T09:41:00.004+08:00

I have not been doing much painting lately. No reason for that really. I just finished making some suppression markers for my Blitzkrieg Commander Belgian army. Figures are 15mm Peter Pig. They are dead French figures masquerading as dead Belgians.

Warlord Ancient Battles (The other WAB)

2010-10-11T09:55:00.003+08:00

Here's a topic I am very excited about with the release of Warlord Games Ancients Black Powder style rule book. SOCAL Warhammer Podcast has interviewed John Stallard from Warlord Games about the new rule book which is growing Internet fame as being called Warlord Ancient Battles (or the other WAB). John has stated the rules will be released early in the new year and the core writer is Alessio Cavatore of Games Workshop fame. It looks like many supplements are planned and many UK ancient figure manufactures have jumped on board in a corroborative wargamer effort to create a playable rule system.

If you want to know more down load Episode 33 of SOCAL. Link below (although you will need to listen to the English Civil War bit first).

http://podcast.socalwarhammer.net/2010/10/09/episode-33-special-guest-interview-with-john-stallard-ecw-and-upcoming-warlord-ancient-rules-system--tournament-and-campaign-information.aspx

Blitzkrieg Commander 8th Army v Afrika Korps

2010-09-20T14:30:00.005+08:00

Monday morning Godders came over for a game of Blitzkrieg Commander before we went on duty. 1500pts per side. Godders played the Afrika Korps and I was the 8th Army. We each placed an objective on the 6x4 table. The goal was to reach the objective or break the enemy force. I had to reach the wounded Australians pictured above.

Godders went first and split into two formations. The first being a large tank unit consisting of various Mk III's and IV's, supported by three units of HMG infantry on motorbikes. I had three Shermans and two 6pdr Valentines waiting for him. Godders was throwing command rolls with glee racing up to my tank formation. When he came into range I used opportunity fire and halted his advance. Godders second formation consisted of infantry, two Panzer II's and a Diana. They started to sneak down the right side of the table. Godfrey's Diana is not painted and I argued unsuccessfully that it should cause a -1 to his command roll!

My command was split into three formations. The heavy tank formation now engaged in a dual with Godders tank formation. A fast tank formation consisting of three Honeys and two Crusaders, and a three 6pdr Anti-Tank formation lead by the CO. I also had a forward artillery observer floating around. I decided to send the fast tanks up around Godders flank with the intention of coming in behind his army. Good plan ruined by the Diana firing at long range. Slowly I had to break suppression and destroy that Diana. My anti-tank guns sat on the objective.

Slowly the fast tanks closed in on the Diana and destroyed it, along with two Panzer II's. My tanks were now headed for the objective guarded by three units of infantry.

Godders heavy tanks wiped out my heavy tanks but at a terrible cost. Only two of his tanks survived the engagement. In context of the game, a mortal blow to the German army. His two surviving tanks did a u-turn and raced back to protect the objective. His three HMG units were taken out by artillery fire and his army Break Point reached. Godders began each turn dicing to stay on the table. He failed and the Afrika Korps fled the battlefield with a bloody nose. Much to Rommel's displeasure.

The 8th Army (me) were victorious and basked in the glory of victory.

Thanks Godders for a good game, and thanks to Blitzkrieg Commander for being a really good gaming system. This is my fifth game and I only needed to look up the rulebook once. That's pretty good.

Random Russian

2010-09-18T16:46:00.004+08:00

The random painted Russian. I will need to darken the boots if I paint more.

Figure is 28mm Black Tree Design.

First Pictures of Black Powder Ancients

2010-09-11T08:25:00.003+08:00

It's time to start painting my Romano-British again. YEAH!!

Visit Warlord games on the link below to see more pictures.

http://www.warlordgames.co.uk/?p=7634#more-7634

Belgium ACG-1 Tank

2010-09-08T09:32:00.004+08:00

Next item off the paint table is the little known Belgium Army ACG-1 Tank. The Belgians had 12 of these tanks in service for the Battle of Belgium. The ACG-1 has three crew (commander, gunner, driver) and sports a 47mm main gun and a co-axial HMG. The armour is 25mm thick, and the tanks top speed is 42 km/h. One on One the ACG-1 was more than a match for any combat tank fielded by the Germans. Belgium tactical thinking at the time preferred combat deployment of anti-tank guns over combat tanks, thus the lack of ACG-1 numbers. This model is 15mm from Quick Reaction Force.

Belgium Utility Tractor (Infantry)

2010-09-05T16:51:00.003+08:00

These strange little vehicles are Belgium Utility Tractors (Infantry). There was a cavalry version as well. On the real vehicles the sides fold down and become bench seats providing a place for infantry to sit. These two little tractors will be towing my anti-tank guns in my Blitzkrieg Commander Belgium Battle Group. Vehicles are 15mm from Quick Reaction Force.

Fathers Day

2010-09-05T16:13:00.002+08:00

It's Fathers Day here in Australia and I got a new rule book and a box of chocolates. Warhammer 8th Edition. I am going to call it the big fat book. It's wider and heavier than the bible. If you hit your mate in the head with it he/she would en-route to hospital with a fractured skull. I have never played Warhammer before but it's time to start. Please don't make fun of me my historical friends, for this is a side project. Historical gaming is still number 1 in my house.

Confederate Regiment

2010-08-27T09:16:00.004+08:00

Finished a regiment of Rebs for Black Powder. Figures are 15mm Peter Pig.

Victory in the Pacific, Aug 15 1945

2010-08-15T20:39:00.005+08:00

Heroes of the Pacific. Never forget.......

(Click the arrow icon bottom right of video for full screen)

Australian Matilda II Frog (Flame)

2010-08-15T09:09:00.002+08:00

Finished painting this Australian Matilda II Frog flamethrower tank. The tank is marked up in 4th Division markings for the Borneo campaign of 1945. The tank is 28mm (1/56 scale) from Company B .

Basing Tip

2010-07-31T14:34:00.003+08:00

The Vallejo range of basing products was brought to my attention by Legoburner. These 200ml jars contain a textured paste which I can best compare to gritty peanut butter. Once placed on the base (with an old knife - just like spreading peanut butter) the paste dries hard ready for painting and dry brushing. The grey pumice appears best suited to 15mm and 28mm figures. They are a great time saver and one jar will last ages. Well worth a look next time your in your local hobby shop.

Thanks for the tip Legoburner.

Black Powder Ancients Version

2010-07-18T11:16:00.005+08:00

A little bit of gossip posted by the great man Rick Priestly on the Warmaster Ancients Yahoo Group.

"Thanks to all who have asked about an ancients version of Black Powder - I'd suggest that anyone interested keep an eye out on the Warlord games forum.
Cheers
Rick"

I think I could see myself getting into this. An enjoyable non competive alternative to WAB.

Other news, my 12 year old daughter Emma made the ITN Tennis final at the state tennis centre yesterday. She lost after surrendering a commanding lead half way through the match. A lot of tears after the game but she definitely played a tough player. I am very proud of her. Go Emma.

Belgium FT-17, 37mm Tank

2010-07-02T10:16:00.004+08:00

Just finished the first two tank units of my Blitzkrieg Commander Belgium Battle Group. A couple of French made FT-17's with the 37mm Anti-Tank gun. Pretty easy to paint up and nice little models. Tanks are 15mm from Peter Pig Miniatures.

Wargamer Historical Moment

2010-06-26T20:26:00.005+08:00

Personal Historical Wargamer Moment

Afrika Korps tank formation in flames.

Godfrey and myself locked horns again on Saturday in a game of Blitzkrieg Commander, 15mm Afrika Korps v 8th Army. This was the first game we played for real, using balanced armies from the rule book. We limited ourselves to 1000 points. The battle lasted three hours and it included a historical personal moment. For the first time ever I wiped out one of Godfreys super duper combo German tank formations using my poor Brit tanks and AT Guns. This has never happen before in years of dueling. And it proved Blitzkrieg Commander is a first class game and combined arms thinking is a must.

Two rule points to checkout and clarify :

Q1. Can infantry fire at Universal Carriers?

Q2. Do infantry suppress automatically when shot at?

Matilda II Frog (& 100TH POST)

2010-06-05T11:58:00.005+08:00

This is my 100th post to blogger. Can you believe it. I have been a bit slack over the last couple of weeks with my 28mm Schiminwagon half finished and motivation lacking. My next project is an Australian Matilda II Frog (Flamethrower tank). The above model is 28mm scale from Company B. The kit is 100% resin. The tank commander is metal. I picked the Australian 4th Division decals.

The 4th Division Matilda Frogs saw extensive action in New Guinea, Borneo and New Britain. My grandfather saw action alongside these tanks during the assault landings on Labuan Island in 1945. The Matilda Frog was used to burn out fanatical Japanese defenders holed up in area on the island known as The Pocket. The Pocket had a natural cave/tunnel system which made the Japanese immune to air and artillery attack. The Matilda Frog saved the day and many Australian lives. Hence the reason I'm making this one.

I will post another photo after I glue it together.

In other news my little group of mates have decided to do 15mm Early WWII using Blitzkrieg Commander. We are all starting off with 1000pt Battlegroups. I am going to build a Belgium Army because I favour the underdog. Mike is going French, Guido and Godfrey will be Huns. So look forward to seeing some weird and wacky Belgium tanks soon.

Have a good one.

SS Squad Leaders with MP40's

2010-05-30T19:10:00.002+08:00

Four completed SS Squad Leaders with MP40's. My current Squad Leaders have Assault Rifles so I needed these guys to tag in for earlier scenarios. I actually painted a fifth figure but I forgot to put him in the picture. The neckless figure on the left in the field cap was a head swap, hence the no neck. The second figure from the left is the best figure in the whole range. He really looks good in the flesh. Figures are 28mm Bolt Action Miniatures. Just two figures to go to complete my unit (pending any new releases from BAM)!

Zouaves for Jmilesr

2010-05-29T14:00:00.003+08:00

Jmilesr asked for them so here they are. A generic Regiment of Union Zouaves. Once again based with Black Powder in mind. Figures are 15mm Peter Pig.

Confederate Cavalry

2010-05-26T19:10:00.002+08:00

Here is something different and out of left field. I have long wanted to do US and Rebel American Civil War armies in 15mm. I find the whole war very interesting, especially the generals. The dream has started. My first unit are Rebel Cavalry. This unit represents a Cavalry Regiment for the rules of my choice, Black Powder. Figures are 15mm Peter Pig Miniatures.

Kokoda - Documentary

2010-05-25T20:06:00.004+08:00

One of my favourite books "Kokoda" by Paul Ham has now been made into a documentry. I ran out and purchased the 2hr DVD asap. The cover of the DVD is really sad. It shows the end result of a successful bayonet charge (World War One style) across a jungle airstrip. War is truely bad. The book is good, the DVD is good. Get hold of either if you can.

Battle of the Denmark Strait

2010-05-15T17:45:00.002+08:00

Two Fires Burning on Bismark

HMS Prince of Wales on Fire. HMS Hood Cuts Across her Bow with Bismark and Prinz Eugen on the Horizon.

This weekend I had a Victory at Sea game with Godfrey. We played the historical events of the Battle of the Denmark Strait. Hood and Prince of Wales v Bismark and Prinz Eugen. I was commanding the Royal Navy, Godfrey was in charge of the Kriegsmarine.

History changed a bit. Bismark opened up on the Prince of Wales. Prince of Wales caught fire and became a wounded elephant. The Bismark took a magazine hit from the Hood early on in the battle. At one stage Godfrey had to fight seven fires which took a serious toll on Bismarks crew. I pounded Bismark with everything I had. Once the Bismark lost propulsion she was easy prey and sunk soon after.

Meanwhile the agile Prinz Eugen was ignored and came alongside Prinz of Wales with torpedo's that penetrated the ships torpedo belt. Prince of Wales became crippled, and two turrets exploded. Hood hunted Prinz Eugen, sending her to the bottom.

A really good game. I like Victory at Sea. A four ship game took 2 hours to play.

Waffen SS Panzergrenadiers 2nd Section

2010-05-07T10:05:00.002+08:00

My 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Section for Disposable Heroes is ready to go. Not much left to paint for the SS. Figures are Bolt Action Miniatures 28mm.

Waffen SS MG42 Team

2010-05-06T07:46:00.002+08:00

Next team added to my SS Disposable Heroes unit. This time it's a MG42 Team. Figures are Bolt Action Miniatures 28mm.

Disposable Heroes Review

2010-05-05T09:33:00.005+08:00

A lot of people on the internet ask about the rules mechanics for Disposable Heroes & Coffin for Seven Brothers. This is the best explantion available for the best WWII rule book in the world.

"The game is based around the platoon (or one platoon per player for multi-platoon games). The game begins with a roll for initiative where both players add their highest ranking Commander's Guts (leadership) score. The highest roll decides if they want to go first or allow his opponent to go first.The game turn sequence is a series of alternating unit activations.

During a players activation, he selects one unit to activate. That unit will act together (as a unit) and can move and fire, fire and move, or engage in close combat. The movement rates and distance you can shoot is determined by how far you move. For example, if you maneuver (6"), your firing is done at half the ROF and half range (some weapons, such as SMGs aren't affected by this). When a unit has activated you place a yellow counter next to it to indicate it has gone.

When you do fire, only half of the unit fires, but what models shoot is up to you (so you may choose to shoot the SMG and the LMG in the unit. This is important, and it is to represent that at any given time in action, not everyone is always firing their weapons. Simply put, in WWII, units did not fire to 100% efficiency. They were not firing squads. Some guys are firing, some loading, others observing or keeping their heads down etc. When you fire, you roll a number of D10 based on the weapons firing (their ROF) and your to hit is based on your Accuracy score (which is almost always 5). Cover modifies this down (you want to roll low). The type of cover determines by how much the ACC is lowered. Heavy cover has a -4, for example. Once you determine hits, you roll for wounds based on the AP (anti-personell) of the weapon. The player who's unit was fired upon chooses which casualties are removed. This way a unit can keep the squad weapons in action (representing assistants taking over etc.). There is a rule to allow leaders and special weapons to be removed though.

Movement distances are not modified by terrain. And cover has a nice abstraction to it: if one model in a unit can make it into the cover, the whole unit is pulled in and gets the benefit of cover. LOS is also done by cover. If you can draw LOS to the cover a unit is in, you can fire at the unit. No more drawing LOS to individual models (which are static and lifeless compared to real soldiers-who actively take cover).

There is a defensive "snap fire". A unit may snap fire at an enemy unit who moves within 12" of them, making units defensive in close so that you can't simply waltz in front of the enemy expecting them not to react.

Close combat is point blank and brutal. Once engaged, units will fight until one side is wiped out (surrenders, etc.). You have to make a Gut check to charge in and nearby units for both sides may sometimes be pulled in. If you are pinned when you get charged, you always fight last, meaning the units that pins the enemy then maneuvers into position to take them out will be sucessful rewarding realistic tactics.

Gut checks (morale) are taken every time a unit takes fire, regardless of the casualties. Casualties cause a -1 for each one inflicted and whatever various weapon morale modifiers (MM) apply (LMGs for example, cause a -2 MM). Also, cover modifies this back up. Meaning units in cover will negate some of the above negatives (but will only ever cancel them out, they won't take the units morale higher than it would be naturally. You can also use nearby leaders to bolster your morale (if they are within command radius-ie within their Guts score in inches away). So keeping your Lieutenant around is useful...they can also auto rally units as part of the commanders Activation. When units fail their Gut checks, they are pinned (activating them if they aren't already). Once pinned they must rally as part of their activation to act again. If a unit is pinned twice, they get pushed back 6" away. If they get pinned three times it is 9". So you can push the enemy out of positions.

Vehicles and AT guns etc. act somewhat like infantry (they activate the same way) and they have various movement rates. The big difference is that vehicles have to acquire their target before they can fire on it (meaning they are not "point and click" fire breathing monsters). Acquiring is a little like firing but with different modifiers. Once a vehicle acquires its target it can shoot at it. This represents several things: one, a vehicle is a crew of multiple individuals who must coordinate their activities. Two, it also represents the vulnerability of vehicles in close in terrain against infantry (who are much more mobile and can fire at them without hidnrance). Three, it means vehicles have incentive to maneuver for that nice shot. Once you become acquired, it often means you have to decide whether to slug it out or redeploy for a better shot. You will find vehicles actually MOVE in this game. No parking hub to hub and shooting it out like a battery of guns.

There are rules for lots of other things as well. Hidden units, setting up trip wires for heavy weapons (along which you can snap fire or ambush units who cross over-great for AT guns).There are rules for indirect firing and artillery, snipers, air attacks, off board artillery, para drops, etc. etc. Lots of things to give you the complete small unit skirmish package.

Overall, DH is a small unit skirmish game centered around the platoon. You essentially play the role of the platoon commander. You will be making platoon commander level decisions. You will be maneuvering and fighting with half sections or teams abiding by the "two steps down rule". This means that the platoon commander worries about what his squads and half squads are doing, and less about what individuals are doing (though of course, the individuals are important as to what weapons fire, etc. etc.). You will NOT be making individual combat decisions such as: "Private Snuffy goes prone and fires three shots from his Garand. That works for individual skirmish games, whereas DH is small unit action. This is a game where you can put a full platoon and support and vehicles on the table and play a game to conclusion in an hour (once familiar with the rules of course).You will find that the game plays fast, rewards real tactics, and is fun. You will pick up the basics within minutes of playing. If you accept that DH is not as detailed down to the individual level, you will find that DH is detailed at the platoon tactical level, but also that some important things are abstracted to achieve realism in results. It is a system dedicated to realistic results, not realism in process."

SS Sniper Team

2010-05-02T09:43:00.002+08:00

SS Sniper Team based up for Disposable Heroes. Figures are 28mm Bolt Action Miniatures.

Waffen SS Command

2010-04-10T13:02:00.003+08:00

SS Command Team for Disposable Heroes. A three man team made up of the Untersturmfuher (LT), Scharfuhrer (Senior Sgt), and a radio operator. Figures are 28mm Bolt Action Miniatures (BAM).

Romano-British Pedyt

2010-04-07T10:17:00.003+08:00

A unit of 24 Romano-British Pedyt complete. Figures are 28mm Gripping Beast.

MOO

2010-04-06T10:21:00.003+08:00

My wife thinks my hobby has taken a turn for the worse.

Dead 28mm animals from Warlord Games.

The Path of Infinite Sorrow

2010-04-04T15:47:00.003+08:00

I just finished reading "The Path of Infinite Sorrow : The Japanese on the Kokoda Track" by Craig Collie and Hajime Marutani. If you have any interest in the Pacific War this is a great read. True story of the Kokoda Campaign through the eyes of Japanese veterans and from diaries recovered from Japanese bodies on the track. One minute the Japanese believe they are unstoppable, the next they began to doubt their ability as they face an enemy that does not run. Highly recommended read for all World War II buffs.

Waffen SS Section

2010-03-28T09:03:00.002+08:00

I have been very slowly painting some Waffen SS for use with Disposable Heroes. Here's the first section I have completed. Figures are 28mm Bolt Action Miniatures (BAM).

WWI Anzac Battalion - Western Front

2010-02-23T20:28:00.002+08:00

My Western Front WWI project is now finished. I have completed my 1000 point 1918 Australian Battalion for Warhamer Historicals The Great War. 71 figures, one gun and one light tank. It took 18 months to complete. All figures and the 18pdr Gun are 28mm Great War Miniatures. The Whippet tank is from Brigade Games. I bought the rules, made a 1000 point legal army on paper, stuck to the plan and finished it. The army is an all round balanced unit built to have a bit of attacking power and a bit of defensive power. If you click on the pics they get bigger.

Cheers

Paul