Nimitz - First Game

 Five players:  two for the IJN and 3 for the USN.  Simon's hand-crafted models.

USN cruisers setting off

IJN cruisers spotted in the distance

Engagement!

Damning the torpedoes.

As a learning exercise it was perfect for the basic game.  The mechanics, while taking a little bit to get used to, work well and are easy to handle.  The tricky thing is checking firing and target arcs, and a potential solution exists which I am calling bow ties - small clear bases to place under the centre of the model to provide a visual for the arcs.

Barbarossa Revisited - GT 3

Still no attack opportunities for the Soviets.  The focus has been on defending the approach routes to Riga, Kaunas, Vilnius and Minsk.

The Axis are still a few days from Riga, but Kaunas is under attack.

AGC still has a long way to go to get to Vilnius and Minsk.

Imperial Struggle Again

This time, still playing France, I won in two turns.  Wait a minute.  Giving the initiative to the player leading in VP seems a significant benefit.  Oh dear.  We made a mistake.  Still, it was a quick game, and a quick game is a good game.

So now we will play again, with a new improved understanding of the rules.

ACW Rail Fences by Leadbear's Tufts

I have a plan to make fences, or rather more fences, for my ACW collection, particularly those distinctive to the period.  However, it is a project that is yet to get underway apart from collecting materials.  It might have happened had my partner not taken long service leave and decided to redecorate my studio.  It needed doing so can't argue, not that I would dream of arguing with her, but it did mean that the chances of progressing that project were close to the chance of Rish! getting reelected, Trump telling the truth and Australia having seven operational nuclear power plants by 2035.

Leadbear to the rescue. I think I might have mentioned previously that some of the floral tufts I have used, particularly with my Byzantines, are from Leadbear's Tufts.  In a bit of serendipity, I saw a post from Leadbear on Facebook offering some ACW rail fences for sale.  As it was my birthday, I thought they would make a wonderful present for ma belle-mère (excuse my French) to give me.  And so, it came to pass...

Rail fences pictured with some of my figures - perfect for 15mm.

The complete package.

Very happy!

Here is a link to Leadbear's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/leadbearstufts/

Barbarossa Revisited - GT 2

Well, I looked at seeing what attacks the Soviets could make.  They could have done a 1:1 in the centre which would have qualified as a Mandatory Attack.  However, there are currently no MAs specified for the centre (they get reset each time the Axis take a VP location).  If the attack had proceeded, the Axis would have easily surrounded the attacking force next turn.

Army Group North

Already supply is stretched in the north (yellow tinged units).

There are only two viable approach paths.

Much the same for Army Group Centre,

although further to go and Soviet reinforcements are moving up.

Huns versus Mongols

This was going to be a tough club competition game against an expert opponent with an army much like my Hunnic army, but with some powerful units (6 VBU), but also one unit of fairly useless foot, guaranteed to be a nuisance.

Terrain placed by the Mongols.

Impassable hill on my left 

gentle hill on the right.

The Huns won the scouting.

The Huns advance and the Mongols shuffle.

Then it is down to business.

The Huns score a lucky shot on the elite Mongol light cavalry top right-hand corner.

Shooting and evading commences.

The Hun nobles realise they are needed and start to move up

(that's them far right of the image).

Those 6 VBU Mongol medium cavalry units are scary!

Things are spreading out.

The Hun nobles charged but failed to make contact with that blocking nuisance Mongol foot unit.

Oh dear!

The Huns lose their first unit.

The Mongols have formed a solid line in the centre

and melees continue on the flanks.

A win for the Huns on the left, but a bit of a Pyrrhic win.

The enemy unit was down to one dice, but got a hit and the attacker rolled badly on the Cohesion Test.

It happens! 

Both the Mongol and Hun general units are taking casualties.

A long fight on the right has finally been won by the Huns.

Both sides suffer more losses.

The Mongol commander is trapped (the big unit in the centre).

The Hun commander is trying to charge his way out of danger.

The Huns are down another unit...

It is looking grim...

Maybe...

Victory.

The Huns carry all before them in a final set of charges.

Phew!

It was a tough game.

Imperial Struggle

Richard and I played this game last week. In soe aspects a simple game, but with a lot of moving parts or rather things you need to keep an eye on to avoid a sudden victory by your opponent.

I was France and had an unexpected sudden surge of VPs when I cornered the Carribean and European theatres.  Lucky as the English were in ascendency elsewhere.  

Well worth playing again as there are a few different strategies to try out.