Bolt Action - Heer reinforcements

Bolt Action games are running in our gaming club after summer break. And I've been slowly building up my Heer power, to be able to field poor bloody infantry along my elite Fallshirmjäges.

Here's little add on to my Heer Sturmpionier platoon. Got just finalized squad of infantry, sniper team and artillety FO. Next week week they will facing their opponent the Brits.

One more squad of Sturmpieniers.

Artillery FO.

Snioer team.

And fearful Flammenwerfer!

These Sturmpioniere will be facing these tea drinkers next week. More of these Brits on Nojis blog.

Bolt Action - Recon by force

We started gaming Normandy themed games using Bolt Action rules in June. After July's holiday season, we went back to Normandy and had a little fight in a crossroads somewhere in hedgerow country. Mainly we are still learning the rules and the game, but most of all we like to field new and freshly painted models we have. As those nice toys are the thing to do gaming.

The story

However, we also want to place games in some real battlefield and pit fitting enemies against each other. Following that idea we picked point defense scenario from the Bolt Action rule book. The story behind the game was British recon forces aggressive attack on strategically important crossroads in small village somewhere in Normandy in summer 1944. The aim of Brits was to take and hold few critical points around crossroads.

The troops

Attacker had three sections of infantry, command squad and new Humber armored car, which was part of the Guards Tank division. Germans had collected ad hoc group of troops from sturmpionieer battalion and fallschimjäger regiment. They also had 30mm flack as a support.

The way it went down

British started by driving Humber along the road and foot sloggers followed beside hedgerow. During initial approach British artillery punished defending Germans quite badly and after strike Germans were    heavily pinned. This actually gave initiative to Tommies who started firing with all they had and all what Germans were actually able to do was try to survive. After four turns of intense fire fight defenders were shot up. Tommies finalized operation by charging on of the objectives contesting it. So fight ended British recon element holding on objective when another was contested. Badly mauled Germans surrendered and fight was over.

Here's some combat shots of the fight.

Tommies approach cautiously the village.

All seem quiet still.

Recce element driving to village.

And spots german staff gar in the crossroads.

30mm Flak is protecting vital point.

Lieutenant arranging defense.

Germans running to occupy the house.

Tommies prepare for fire fight.

In the end medic had lot to do!

Nice game, even though in the mid of  the game we noticed few rules played wrongly. But still as gentleman gamers we agreed few points and went on fighting. British had fine victory, and we had good game!

Black Powder- To Wagram with AB Cuirassiers

Yet another small painting update and this time with Napoleonic s. We have been gaming 1809 Danube campaign with fellow club members all year long and finally we are about to go for grande finale, the battle of Wagram. The game is now finally scheduled at mid September. As a preparation I have started adding some troops for my collection, and these Austrian Cuirassiers are latest unit to join the ranks.

Figures are AB Miniatures 15mm Austrian Cuirassiers and I must say these are absolutely fine figs all the way. Very accurate and nicely sculpted and real joy to paint, if not a bit challenging. Great animation, anatomy and especially amount of fine detail, which is important in historical figs. So these heavy hitters are proud to join my Austrian 1809 army to meet the French.

Two units of Cuirassiers line up. 

I added flags cause heavy cavalry too them in front.

General de Divisions giving orders. (this is Essex miniature by the way).

Some odd brigadiers.

These guys will go out for some practice next week when they will fight Poles in Ratzyn, little side show before big Wagram fight.

Bolt Action - Hetzer

Those who have been following my blog might remember, that I started collecting Fallshirmjäger platoon for Bolt Action games in our club. Last weekends Ropecon presented an opportunity to bolster up my collection. I picked up this nice little German tank destroyer from a sale of one of the vendor in the show. To be very strict, these tanks probably were never issued by the jäger infantry platoons, rather tank destroyer abteilungs, but I know for sure Luftwaffe had some, so.

This is Bolt Action model and really good one. It's accurate and well made, especially when it is gaming piece, not really modeling one.

The camo was found from Tamiya models box art. It looked nice and I went for it! Here you are Hetzer tank destroyer.

Side view.

And from other side.

Tail end with some mud and exhaust soot.

And business end of the beast.

Next more jägers on the way...

Ropecon 2014 - Mission Completed

Ropecon is one of the largest gaming conventions in  Nordics. It covers role playing, live role playing, board gaming, card gaming and of course miniature gaming. This year part of War Head stand was FonF demo, which I did with my fellow gaming club friend. This was now third year in a row when we have been demonstrating Ambush Alleys Force on Force game in Ropecon. This year we had Vietnam theme and the game was using some of the Ambush Valley Vietnam book's special rules to give some period flavor. The scenario was about SEAL team capturing a political leader from riverside village. After the capture SEAL's were waiting in the village for Swift Boat pickup from the pier. To secure extraction, two fire teams of US Marines were covering the pier. At the same time the jungle was crawling VC and later on NVA troops, and they were approaching fast, so things were about to go wrong in some stage of the mission. I did the scenario myself and it worked well, it was difficult enough for the US troops, but still doable with good tactics, so it gave a good game. Quick six turn game, with proper amount of pressure for both players.

During Saturday and Sunday we did some ten demo games, which meant that almost all we could do, was stand by the table and run the games on a row. So some twenty to thirty people were introduced to the game, not bad. Off course we promoted our gaming club too, so it was for the game and for the club equally. But after two days of standing and talking, my legs are wasted and my throat hurts. And still Ropecon is THE event of gaming, so it's nice to be there doing something fun.

Here's some pictures of the table and some shots of games on the go.

The table featured village by the Mekong river in Rung Sat special zone.

Still in peaceful lull.

The game featured also PCF 9, which was to pick up SEAL's and POI.

Intense game on the way, notice the helmet on NVA player.

A girl with interesting pet tried also the game.

More gaming.

The table was real eye candy, with the village, US firebase, the temple, rice paddies and the pier and off course the strip of river. Here's some action shots amidst the fight.

The Marines have set up ad hoc firebase by the village.

Sappers sneaking in...

Marine fire team in the village with some local civilians.

VC crossing a hill.

VC and NVA troopers have joined forces.

NVA squad bursting out of the jungle.

Navy SEAL securing POI.

Gunship joins the fight giving well needed support for the brother on the ground.

Hard and at the same time really fine weekend is behind. Games, meeting friends, buying some miniatures and having few beers after demo games, what can miniature games ask for more! I'm wasted but happy!

More nice pictures of our demo from Mika's blog.

Let's see what we device for the next year... see you at Ropecon 2015!

Force on Force - Operation River Dragon at Ropecon 2014

Preparation for Ropecon 2014 continued as we set the scene for our Force on Force demo game. We gathered scenery and did some planning for forthcoming game. After setting the table up I was really astonished it will be eye candy! Scenery has been prepared gradually during years by fellow club member and its really worth seeing.

The game will be set on Rung Sat Special Zone, where Marines and Navy are running joint operation against guerillas, somewhere up the river. Navy SEAL operators have just captured local person in order to transport him by boat back to US base for questioning. While SEALs approach rendevouz point on the riverbank US Marines have set a defensive perimeter to provide security. But VC and NVA don't want the person to go and they are approaching...

So the scene is set and basic scenario has been devised, come to see will you be able get the suspect in the boat!

Here's some more of the same, fellow club member Mika's blog. The man who has made the scenery!

We will be at Ropecon 2014 Sat. 1000 - 1800 hrs and Sun. 1000 - 1400 hrs.

Here's some teaser pictures of the table.

Rendevouz at riverbank.

Same from other side.

This will be the ride home.

Innocent villagers, or are they?

Maybe even some air assets...

Force on Force - Vietnam Demo Game at Ropecon 2014

This has been coming now for some time, this change of language in my Blog. In the future the articles will concentrate more on painting and modeling and most game AAR's will published in my other blog Council Courier. That will remain Finnish. I'm not that confident English writer, so at start these stories may be bit shorter. Let's see how this works.

Anyway to the point now. We have been presenting Force on Force game in various occasions after it was first published by Ambush Alley Games. I bought mine from Salute 2012 and after that I'v bee playing it a lot and also presenting it in many occasions. In Ropecon we have been previously doing demo twice, and this will be third time in continuum, so it's becoming kind of tradition.

Every year we have had different theme and accordingly themed tabletop and this year it will be Vietnam and more specifically the Riverine warfare. Our game is set on riverbank where US Marines and Navy will be run series of operations to against Vietgong and NVA troops. First time ever, we will have warship on the table! We will also have choppers, snipers and rubber boats and maybe some wild animals too...

The venue is Ropecon 2014

The Demo games will run Saturday and Sunday from 1000 - 1600 hrs.

Once again we will be doing this jointly with War Head grew. So if you find War Head, you find this too!

See you at Ropecon!