Henry House Hill - First Bull Run

July 21st, 1861 saw First Bull Run, or First Manassas fought by two poorly trained and poorly led armies.  On the left flank of the Union army their attack was successful, driving the Rebels from Matthews Hill back towards Henry House Hill where a brash brigadier and his Virginians stood to stem the tide of retreat.

Scale is 15mm, rules are Johnny Reb III with four players on a 4x6' table.  The Union forces are advancing across open, grassy fields.  The Confederate forces are significantly outnumbered to start, but reinforcements, including mounted troops under a cavalier named Stuart, are on the way.  For game purposes all troops were rated "green."

Initial deployment.

Union view of the waiting Rebels.

Jackson's Virginians.

Knowing they will only grow stronger in time, the Yankees
advance boldly.

Early Union success as green troops do not stand well
against flanking fire.

A charge captures some guns from disengaging Rebs as the rest
of the brigade then advances.

We begin to lever Jackson off the hill as reinforcements arrive
along the Warrenton Pike.

"There stands Jackson like a stone... wait, where'd he go?"  But
Stuart arrives with his Virginia Horse.

The two cavalry regiments pictured above charged the next turn and routed two Union infantry regiments caught in the flank, with one pushing deep into the Union sector.  With several charges going all over the table and being out of practice playing, I missed the photo op.

Slow progress on the left as Georgians fill the woods.

The Confederate line is getting thin and multiple units shaken
by the sight of routing comrades keep them from filling the line.

The only Rebs remaining on the hill are the routing or shaken
remnants of Stuart's cavalry.

End of turn 6 and time to end the game.

The Confederates were outnumbered in infantry, but had a slight edge in artillery and cavalry.  Their cavalry did prodigies of valor in our game but weren't enough to stem the tide.  A good game with both sides experiencing some success.

Armored Fury! - Flames of War

After enjoying the Flames of War D-Day campaign featured by the Battlefront folks, some of us wanted to continue the theme.  So my friend Paul and I started into the scenarios provided in the American and German "army" books.  The Americans were victorious in two of three games in the US book so we started on the German book scenarios.  The first is Armored Fury. 

As an experiment we opted for 150 point forces instead of the usual 100.  This led to a higher troop density than we are used to, but also allowed a lot more toys to see the table.  The mission calls for a German counter-attack.  The Americans are pinned along one of the long table edges with the Germans attacking from a short edge.  American reserves, 40% of their total, would enter from the opposite short edge, delayed till turn 3 and scattered.  My reserves could be rolled for immediately.

I chose an Aufklarungs (recon) company since I had a mess of newly painted SdKfz 250 halftracks.  Artillery, tank destroyers and regular tanks in support.  The Americans featured a tank company with oodles of artillery, air support, airborne spotters and armored infantry backing them up.  As the designated attacker, I had the first move.

One victory objective is on the road, the second to the far left.

My reserves were a company of MkIV tanks and I got one platoon immediately.  Using the spearhead move, one platoon of recon halftracks with panzergrenadiers aboard scooted down the left side of the table, with Puma armored cares and mortar halftracks accompanying.

My recon platoon continues to scoot as the Pumas engage some
Shermans from the flank.

P-47s with 2000lb. bombs sweep in but are ineffective.  This time.

The Americans lay down a smoke barrage to hinder my movement
on the center objective as the TDs brew up the Shermans.

The Americans started the game with most of the artillery and support platoons on table with limited tank support.  Counting on their airpower and artillery to keep the Germans at bay till the highly mobile reserves showed up.  The question is where they will arrive.

I reach the required proximity of the far objective on a dash, but
cannot claim it yet.

The P-47s return with rockets and kill six of seven halftracks.
The survivor passes his last stand test.

The TD and panzer grenadiers kept up the pressure in the center.
Out of view to the right are the MkIV tanks.

In a make-it-break-it move the American reserves and self-propelled artillery attempt to shoot me off the objective, without success.  So the game ended with a major German victory.  This means the Germans will also be the attacker in the next game.  A total of five games will determine the ultimate success of the break-out.  Of course, by then we'll have the new British book in hand and will have to play those scenarios!

Tundra Con VI

Even though we were missing several gamers who usually attend, the 6th rendition of Tundra Con has to be judged highly successful.  We had 57 paid entries, plus our four vendors and a number of interested spectators from the patrons of the Legion Hall.  The post commander even got in a game!

A great many photos of our eye-candy games follows.  We finally got our regular website going, one cannot rely just on Facebook and word of mouth.  The plan is have a game master sign-up spot and a regularly updated event listing.  Be sure to put us on your calendar for next year.  January 9th!

Rebels and Patriots - French and Indian War.

Naval Thunder - Battle of the Java Sea.

Bolt Action

Battlefleet Gothic

Games and Mats

X-Wing - Epic space battles.

More space fighting.

ESR brought their shop and a demo game.

ESR - 10mm Napoleonics

En Sans Resutlat!

54mm Trojan Wars for sale.

One of the most popular games.

French Legionnaires, pirates, sampans, what's not to love?

Battle Fleet Gothic continues...

Marvel Crisis Protocol.

Poles and Swedes.

Getting started.

Follow the river.

Adeptus Titanicus.

Board gamers were an expanded presence this year.

I believe this was 3D printed.

Battle of the Bulge scenario that got no players.

Giant robots continues.

We also had Memoir '44 and Wings of War but sadly I missed out on getting pictures.  I suppose I was distracted setting up my "Bulge" game that didn't resonate with players.

Sunday we had our usual invitational game of Batailles de l'Ancien Regimes, planned by Brent Olson and featuring eleven players.  Unfortunately I was so busy helping players that I neglected to take many pictures.  The engagement, based on the Battle of Long Island, was fought on three tables that were connected but not connected.  We got a very historic result as the "British" made short work of the "rebels."

One of the set up tables.

The gang.

Final Argument of Kings Refresher

After a long delay in getting back to one of our favorite systems I put together a small game to introduce it to new players and bloody some freshly painted Prussians.  FAoK is a simul move game by the late, great, Dean West that uses a Johnny Reb II style.  For our four player game we had 18 French battalions, six guns and five cavalry going against eight Prussian (four grenadier) and four Brunswick with the Lippe-Schaumberg battalion.  Three cannons and four cavalry rounded out the force under Prince Henry.

Initial deployment from the Prussian side of the table.

Looking the length of the table starting positions.

FAoK has a grand tactical system so we were able to get a jump on them.

The new Prussian cuirassiers made short work of their French opponents.

On the right the French sought to use their numbers to turn our flank.

Things got fast and furious in the center.

The pipe cleaner marks the extent of the charge, just reaching the
French rear.

A timely Brunswick flank charge stabilized the right.

Things were confused in the center but superior musketry was
taking a huge toll.

The French artillery had not done much and found themselves flanked.

Yellow pipe cleaners indicate shaken units.

Disordered but the cuirassiers are still very dangerous.

Slowly losing to superior numbers on the right but they lasted
long enough.

So with their center ruptured, the cavalry largely gone and a confused mess on our right the French chose to withdraw precipitously.  Other games have taken the focus because of campaigns, but Final Argument of Kings remains one of our top three systems.  I'm sure 2020 will see more games.