Stalingrad'42 - Turns 1 to 3

Another great looking game from GMT that is playing well.  Just a few tweaks to learn to the existing game system used in the series.

I am lucky Richard has the space to set up.  He went Axis.

It's a big game, but with wide open spaces as you can see.

These images were taken with my phone and I have not compressed them,

so clicking on the image will bring up the whole 5MBs.

 End of Turn 1.

The Axis have pierced the Soviet line in two places

Note the spearheads with the light blue aircraft counters.

Air support stays with the combat units which is different.

Turn 2

The Soviets have started an orderly retreat.

The Axis start an offensive towards Rostov

 Turn 3 in the north.

The Soviets have lost a few units, 

but still have an orderly line that is carefully retreating.

 Down south the way is open to Rostov.

It will be a battle of attrition.  

The Axis will need to break around to cut off reinforcements to the city

 if they want to be able to capture it.

 It is still a long way to Stalingrad.

Richard tells me the game is following the historical timetable so far.  Victory is achieved by the Axis in capturing various locations that are marked with a red circled number.  As the game progresses they need to capture more and more to avoid a Soviet victory.  It was the same system as used in Ukraine'43 and works well in maintaining tension.

World in Flames 22

Well there is good news and bad news.  The July/August 1941 turn is over.  However it looks like it is nearly over for the USSR...

To survive USSR will need reinforcements (check the production cycle top of the image)

and bad weather during September/October.

And just to make my day, China, which had been holding out nicely,

lost another hex bringing the Japanese closer to its second to last factory.

Reinforcing China has become very difficult.

When will the US enter?  We hear they are rebasing their fleet to Pearl Harbour.

Elsewhere not much happened as the Commonwealth took a pass (to aid end of turn) and the Japanese failed to find any targets (except in China, eventually).

Nikephorian Byzantine versus Classical Indians

Although very similar game systems, Basic Impetus 2.0 plays quite differently to Impetus Second Edition.  I prefer the latter, but the club league competition uses the former so Dave and I had a practice match.

Carrying the Standard of Saint Zoe, the dice gods were with me.

 Dave had to deploy first which gave me an advantage.

 End of first turn and both sides are boldy advancing.

Being well provisioned with missile weapons, 

getting the armies quickly into range is important.

 The second turn saw the Byzantine archery repeatedly find their target,

the Indian archery less so.

 By turn three everything is at short range and the arrows, javelins 

and other various assorted weapons are flying through the air.

 With turn four the Byzantine foot has held off the elephant charge.

Better still the Byzantine cavalry have eliminated the Indian mounted.

 Bird of prey's eye's view, or if you prefer,

imaging from early drone technology.

 But turn five sees the Indians fighting back.

Thankfully ineffectually.

Turn six and victory!

Year in Review

Napoleon’s Battles got a welcome work out with recreating the Battle of Auerstadt, and a couple of goes at Scenario One and a game using Scharnhorst to set up an interesting encounter.  I also agonised over markers, labels etc for use with this rule set (and others).

Computer games were Hearts of Iron IV playing France which I blogged, and later playing Romania which I didn’t blog along with Europa Universalis (France again) and my crushing addiction Everquest (where my long suffering wizard went from level 100 to Level 106 and rising). I don’t/didn’t blog these.

Boardgames were a dominant feature and included Holland’44, Ardennes’44, Fortress Europa, The African Campaign and amazingly World in Flames.  This included some play throughs using Vassal.  Oh, and I can’t forget Amoeba Wars.

There were only a few fantasy games using Songs of Blades and Heroes.  A few Wings of Glory Games.

Rommel was a big focus and saw an evolution to using hexes as well as more figures and kit added to my 15mm WW2 armies.

Probably the main miniatures game I played was Impetus in its various guises and my Byzantine Army handled itself well.  It received numerous reinforcements and even a trophy: a highlight of the year which I modestly didn’t blog was winning my club’s Ancients and Medieval League trophy.  Yeah me!

In reviewing 2019 I see I got a substantial indexing of my Military Modelling magazines completed. I fear with the wealth of information on the Internet these old magazines are a bit redundant (and space occupiers), however they can’t be beat for nostalgia.

World in Flames 21

This Thursday we completed two Axis turns and one Allied.

Moscow has fallen.

The Axis are now threatening the Commonwealth in Murmansk.

It is pretty bleak.

Japan tried to ground strike the Chinese,

but failed miserably.

They declared war on the Commonwealth,

but were unable to stop them garrisoning Singapore.

World in Flames 20

Anyone spreading rumours that Stalin has left Moscow for a holiday in Hawaii will receive a visit from the NKVD.

The session, the July/August turn for 1941, got of to a good start when I won the initiative.  But then it promptly disintegrated when the Axis grabbed it back using a reroll.  The weather was fine.

We completed only one impulse.  The Axis made four attacks one of which was just mopping up.  Another encroached on Moscow while the other two breached the Dnieper, north and south.  The only good things is that this consumed Offensive Chits and a number of German HQs.

 Militia is being rushed forward.  

The Belorussian Front is isolated, but determined to die hard (I hope).

With the first Russian-Japanese war concluded,

Japan seems to be switching its attention elsewhere.

Next session will be 2/1/2020.  In the meantime I have set up the Barbarossa scenario again in Vassal and so might give it a spin during the festive season.

Nikephorian Byzantine versus Late Eastern Imperial Romans Again

For my last miniatures game of 2019 my usually triumphant Byzantines ran out of arrows.

 Dave won the roll to be attacker,

but I won the role to decide who deployed first.

My two terrain choices had both been null,

so looking good.

 Game got off to a great start when Dave's CinC was downgraded.

Whoop!

 Turn One archery was dismal.

 Turn Two archery was no better.

 Roman cataphracts ride down some Byzantine light cavalry that had failed to evade.

 Turn Three saw my Byzantine foot disordered while my cavalry just couldn't get a shot in.

 Crow's eye view of this critical stage.

 Turn Four.  

My Byzantine foot is struggling, 

and my cavalry is thinning out.

Nothing like rolling sixes for cohesion tests.

 The Gods must be crazy.

My CinC is upgraded to Genius!

Ha Ha

Turn Five and it's all over.

Despite the ignominious loss, this was yet another great game of Impetus.  400 points seems just right for a club night.