Our Fall of France game ended during the recent posting hiatus. Here’s a screen shot of situation when I conceded. Ugly.
Tim did a great job of applying unrelenting pressure on a broad front. He might argue this pressure was too dispersed, but, in the end, his operational approach worked. Yes, I held out longer than my historical counterpart(s), but the end result was still the same; a French defeat.
This broad, sustained pressure precluded any concentration for a decisive counterattack, given the Allies’ slender armor and tactical air resources. Every unit was needed to plug the recurring holes in a shallow defensive line. The combination of tactical air, armor and strong infantry divisions capable of absorbing punishment was just too great.
A strategic withdrawal in the south would have been an option. But, a passive surrender of French territory would be politically unthinkable, even though not a real game consideration in terms of victory points lost.
On second thought, maybe the end result wasn’t “the same”. The British Army is still on the Continent. No Dunkirk, no evacuation to fight another day. With this outcome, the entire course of the war changes. Negotiated settlement? An interesting “what if” that has started a soft and gentle Siren’s Call to start up a session of A World At War or Blitz.
Now is a good time to replace those entryway lights…………
Finally have the WRG 6th edition armies discussed some time ago on the table. As usual, the process was not smooth.
I’ m older than when I first started playing this system, but not wiser when it comes to matching up figures and economically compiling an army list. Always was problem. Neat listings very quickly rendered illegible with cross outs and scribbled notes. Thought I had these things worked out when I ordered the new figures. But, once based and consolidated into an army list using the finished painted figures, the results were less than optimal. Workable, not not approaching optimal.
Of course, I had the immediate wargamer reaction that the solution was buying more figures, expanding what I had. But, that was madness given cost and shipment time. Also, the thought of another larger scale painting project just makes me cringe. So, instead of that, it was back to rebasing and finagling the unit mix.
Fortunately, I came up with a very satisfactory mix for each army, minimal figure wastage (only 4 painted figures not used) and a workable 1,200 or so point total for each side. Just right for a game with each side commanded by a single general.
In between sessions of rebasing figures – which for me always includes the nerve wracking prospect of an Xacto knife blade snapping and flying into my eye – gluing and re-flocking, I found time to really dig into the rules.
When you Google up “WRG 6th Edition Rules” the narratives are not positive. There is some feeble recognition that this rule set was once state of the art but the emphasis is on complexity and the availability of newer rules. However, I find the procedural nature and author Phil Barker’s mannered and arcane presentation (with critical elements of information sometimes taking the form of a single buried sentence) oddly soothing. These rules whisper “Take your time, there’s no hurry, this action doesn’t have to be ‘fast and furious’”.
My first walk through lasted 3 turns on a terrain-less surface. Lessons were learned, some figures rebased (again), lists reorganized and I re-set, again without terrain. I ginned up army rosters to keep track of orders, casualties, and other miscellany.
Now, three turns into my second game, I’m impressed on how smoothly the system plays. Especially when there are no Rules Lawyers to deal with – and in my distant memory this system was notorious for attracting/creating them.
Sure, the checklists of reasons to test Reaction, and those for Shooting and Combat modifiers are lengthy, but not so onerous that a quick glance through takes care of any adjustments that need to be made.
All in all, I’m glad to playing WRG 6th again. No need to find a “better hole”. For Now.
This is/was my first home board game after the re-organization and re-direction of collection. The upshot of all that summertime thrashing was to establish a focus on several series of games, rather than any number of one-offs. The emphasis now is on play, not reading a new set of rules, stumbling through a couple of plays, and then moving on to something else. Sure, there are several magazine and specific games that I want to and will play, but this new emphasis increases time spent moving counters.
These GBACW games are part of the first series as published by SPI and others, before the revamping rolled out by GMT. The new rules seemed far more involved, without a commensurate increase in enjoyment.
So, the decision was made to fill out my collection, and start in on the cycle, using the last iteration of the SPI rules but ignoring, for now, options and artillery overshoot (ugh). I relied not only on that set of rules, but also the wonderful GBACW resources developed and published by Russell Gifford over at Boardgamegeek.
Just like Hollywood, my sequel unfolded much like its predecessor. The Confederates used their cavalry to pin the Union 2nd Brigade, while their three infantry brigades with attached artillery attempted to skirt the Union positions either to flank them and attack, or exit the map. If successful, either of these approaches would result in a decisive Confederate victory.
This flanking maneuver soon became a fire fight that degenerated into a nobody is moving an inch brawl.
I enjoy the chaos of this game system. Probably the real Loki of the system is the Ammunition Depletion rule. If a firing unit roles a “1”, it must check for ammunition depletion. If that subsequent roll is a “1” or “2”, the unit cannot fire during either the defensive or offensive fire phase until resupplied. In Kernstown, the Confederates cannot be resupplied.
Here’s an example of the fun.
With four turns left, the Union has five units ready to vaporized Brigadier Fulkerson and the remnants of his brigade, and then fall on the exposed Confederate flank. What happened? Three of the five offensive fire rolls were “1”, with each of the succeeding rolls being either a “1” or “2”. No “Blammo!!!”***
Despite the general mutual slaughter, the Confederates were able to grab critical Victory Points (VIPs) through Federal sloppiness in dealing with exiting cavalry units, and the Union garnered VIPs by maintaining morale and holding their initial positions. The result was a draw.
I’m looking forward to playing Volume II, Pea Ridge!
*** The Word Tim B (Friend and Wargaming Opponent Extraordinaire) blurts out when an an enemy stack or unit is eliminated. Adorable.
I now have one of the most expensive wargame areas in Central Oregon, if not the state, region, nation or world. We decided to devote one bay of the garage to our hobbies. This involved upgrading the lighting (sorely needed regardless) renting storage some 30 minutes away, and building a storage shed (target completion date (10/21) for those chattels, as well as Coach (our Airstream RV), The Baby (2004 Audi TT Roadster), and our other First World seldom-used-but-can’t-part-with chattels.
I now have a 4×8 surface for board games, enough for two standard size maps, with room underneath to store my various miniatures storage boxes. I also purchased a heavy-duty metal bookcase for game storage/display. Not even thinking about the cost per square foot. Why ruin the fun?
Here it is…..all brand new and ready to go.
And, an In Action shot, with Kernstown on the left and Serbia/Romania on the right.,
Two different forces. The List #117 Niekaphoron Byzantines with heavily armored cavalry, skirmishers and Pechneg light cavalry. The List #100 Arab Conquest Army is a more colorful group with cavalry, Russ, Sudanese and Arab infantry.
A fun match up. But, like most armies, they go straight from the gloss coating to a storage drawer. I think Fall will be a good time to get them out.
Here are some poor photos taken in the garage, site of organizing and basing.
German armor sweeps past the weak ad-hoc French defenses and advances towards the Marne. Also, the German commander turns loose “Ants” to disrupt the Allied rear areas. To the north, German forces grind up the Dutch and Belgians, advancing to the Dyle Line.
The Allies rush armored/mechanized units to contain the Ardennes penetration, while withdrawing from the Dyle line, using Belgian forces in support. The Dutch attempt to consolidate their defense in order to tie down German forces for as long as possible.
I’ve bitched about my Fall of France (FoF) game with Tim, but I am now compelled to report it.
As usual with this site, the graphics will be less than ideal, a condition due in equal parts to my ambivalence towards pushing the boundaries of computer literacy and reliving a wargaming hell.
I was able to figure out how to get screenshots on my ancient Dell Windows 8 machine. However, the screen shots of the JET board are just that; a shot of what is on the screen. The JET mapboard takes up more than the screen, so the graphic evidence of this debacle will be from north of Frankfurt. That’s OK, because that it is where most of the carnage occured and is continuing to occur. We are now in the Allies Jun II turn, and things are looking very grim for the Allies. But….. we must start at the beginning.
The Germans have extremely powerful air and ground units. The screenshots show only the top unit in the hex. But, below that scary surface, lies even more panzer divisions, supported by motorized units, lots of motorized flak and artillery.
One revelation was how tough the German infantry stacks were. Three 8-8 infantry, paired with artillery represents a lot of combat power.
Allied units are solid, but lack mobility, flak and supporting units.I shudder when I think about the German’s powerful ground attack air assets used to support these armored and infantry forces.
Then, there are the historically based operational rules. They create a difficult framework for the Allies to work within.
The Germans start off with an invasion turn, which includes all normal Europa turn phases except the exploitation phase.
The Allies do have a reaction phase. However, this is scripted because most northern French units and those of the BEF must enter Belgium to occupy the Dyle River Line, setting up the historical “Sickle Cut”.
While Dutch and Belgian units can move during this Allied reaction phase, they cannot enter enemy zones of control.
With the Allies sucked into Belgium, the Germans start the regular May I turn.During the Allied player May I turn, no unit in an enemy ZOC (Zone of Control) can move, and all British or French units have their movement factors halved.
The Allies are further hampered by the inability of their combat / motorized units to attack a full-strength or move using full movement during their exploitation phase until the beginning of the June I turn. This reflects a lack of mechanized doctrine.
To make things even worse, during the May I turn any French non-mech/motorized unit has to retreat two hexes rather than one if it has fought an attacking German force with at least one panzer division.
One other note about the graphics. As I mentioned, JET is a real marvel. However, it cannot do several things within the rules as written Europa framework. The result is that you have to tweak things, and the file you forward may have a heading (found in the upper left hand corner of the screen) that isn’t quite accurate. An example: You cannot fly CAP (Combat Air Patrol) during the Initial Phase. You have to cheat, and “fool” the machine by forwarding to your Movement Phase, where it is allowed. So, on the files shown, the heading on the screen may show “German Movement Phase”, when in fact the file really reflects the Allied Initial Phase. Confused….good…..misery needs company…..and the weight of Tim’s advance has had me in a daze since early May.
Allied Setup
Allied Exploit – Move To The Dyle Line
You can see the German penetration through the Ardennes. Now, the Allies must avoid being enveloped. Will post up later with more carnage….after I do a better job of figuring out the screen shot sequence.
One of this summer’s ongoing projects is finishing up my 15mm ancients to use with Wargames Research Group’s (WRG) 6th Edition rules and Army Lists. So retro. The rules were published in 1980, and used by the old Kansas City Society of Ancients group.
The figures are old Tabletop Miniatures figures, which became Alliance Miniatures, and are now marketed by Alternative Armies. My collection started back in 1991 when Tabletop figures were cast in Des Moines, IA of all places. I stumbled upon their small industrial space when I was living in Cedar Rapids, IA (of all places).
The initial plan was to use them for DBA. And, they were. But my interest in DBA has waned and I became interested in reviving the WRG rules. So, some purchases had to be made at Alternative Armies to fill in the gaps for the Arab Empire (List #100) versus the Nikephorian Byzantines (List #117). These two armies provide options that fit what I had already painted, so the new purchases were – thankfully – limited. Here’s a photo of the latest recruits.
I have nine figures left to paint. Outside of refurbishing my Medieval 15mm figures, and supplementing my TSATF Boxers, this is the last painting project I have planned. My limited skills have eroded and I have more than enough painted figures from more than enough periods to keep me more than enough busy.
Next the necessary drudgery of basing/re-basing. I hope to start next week.
I purchased the 1824 version of the Kriegsspiel rules from Too Fat Lardies the other day (https://toofatlardies..uk/product-category/kriegsspiel/ probably in response to some spasmodic Napoleonic reading during the early summer.
Same motivation was probably at work when I ordered a Brandywine map from Command Post games (https://www.commandpostgames.com/product/pub-battles-brandywine/).I’ve had my eyes on this for quite some time, but not to be used with their Pub Battles.The map is gorgeous and a significant improvement over the historically accurate, but less striking, Meckel map.Not cheap, but I think the paper map is worth the money.
The presentation of the 1824 rules is far more detailed than those for 1862.Many more examples of play by situation – infantry vs. infantry, cavalry versus infantry, infantry versus unsupported artillery etc.
This is all good, but as I noted in an earlier post, part of the fun was just applying common sense, or general tactics to a situation.Now, I find myself checking the rules, and not enjoying the situation as was the case with the less detailed 1862 version.
Kriegsspiel is granular.If only because the time scale is two minutes.Things move slowly, and I am trying to figure out how to speed up play, especially in a scenario calling for movement to contact, as well as an increasing inability to focus.
My current scenario has a brigade of two regiments (Red), with attached cavalry, jaegers and artillery, marching to control two crossroads along Street Road., which runs north to south,.They only know that it is probably defended.The defense is, in fact, a reinforced regiment (Blue) with artillery.
Blue is deployed to cover both east-west roads leading to Red’s objective,with the majority of their force occupying Birmingham Hill.
Two groups of Blue skirmishers are deployed forward of the hill.Their mission is to observe and delay Red’s advance, so Blue can determine which east-west road will be Red’s primary avenue of approach.
The Blue skirmishers have engaged the Red cavalry, causing them to deploy.Now, things get interesting.The rules indicate the skirmishers will form square.If so, what does the cavalry do?I have not given them orders, nor have I written down their Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).Or, do the skirmishers simply flee – which they can also do under the rules.If so, again, what is the cavalry’s reaction?
This is fun stuff and demonstrates the breadth and scope of Kriegsspiel.
