Recent Purchases

I bought some rulesets and supplements and also purchased a boardgame which had been on my wishlist after a welcome cash injection following my birthday.

First up was the boardgame Luftwaffe - the old Avalon Hill bookcase game which I'd wanted to collect for a while and try to see if it was possible to solo game with it somehow. Beautiful cover art which was almost worth the price - a very reasonable purchase under £20 and in pretty good condition.

I also wanted to try out some rules that had come to my attention when I was trying to figure out a good set that would satisfy my particular interest in early 80s Cold War: BAOR v Soviet encounters. A perfect opportunity presented itself with the Battlegroup Northag rules. I was inspired by their specific remit and the targeted time period. It also has a range of 10mm models and figures from Plastic Soldier Company which might be worth investing in to get my forces setup. Mechanics look very sound and fun to play. They evoked something of the old Navwar Combat Commander which I never actually played but always loved thumbing through to get ideas for other adaptations and background.

Next post I will detail what else I've spent my cash on.

The cat wasn't too impressed. Yeah whatever...

One Hour Wargames: Scenario 8 Melee

I like playing this scenario and have done so a couple of times already. The gradual arrival of forces provides an interesting build up with some challenging choices about where to deploy in strength. 

This time I opted for a Peninsular game with the British as Red and the defenders and the French appropriately as the Blue attacker.

A lonely Coldstream Guard unit with a gun battery occupy the objective at the start of the game and then the French start to come on in force.

Despite being a game I'd setup and was all ready to play I was interupted with DIY duties which meant my wargame space needed to be converted to storage.

The cat approved the choice of colour.
 

Command & Colours Napoleonics: Borodino - Village of Borodino 7 September 1812

I'd played this scenario as a wargame using the Neil Thomas rules and it had been an excellent and fun game, so this was a chance to get the original C&C setup out and see how it played using the board and blocks.

I like the initial fight between the Russian Guard Jager and the French assault and this like the wargame version was an exciting opener to the engagement which was decided more on the left flank once the French managed to move their cavalry and some infantry reserves over to the left section of the board.

The cat remained unimpressed by the French elan and I think she sided with the Russians in the end.

Wargaming Plans in 2021

The plan for 2021 is to try and get some wargaming done and in parallel to get through some of my unpainted Napoleonic 6mm collection.

I still favour my rules of choice, the Neil Thomas Napoleonic Wargaming Rules. This time I will use the One Hour scenarios scaled up to the 8 unit armies specified. I also have my activation and command event rules, which I find give me all the friction and unpredictability I need in a solo game.

Of course I will also continue to have the attention of the cat to help me out!

 

Hold the Line: Battle on Snowshoes 1758

A recent jaunt into the French and Indian War courtesy of the Hold the Line game by Worthington.

Beautiful components and pieces to play with.

Here the Rogers' Rangers are arrayed in a defensive position before trying to escape.

Hold the Line gives a good simulation that's quick to play and fit a game in. Particularly important when the cat is making demands on your attention.

Heroquest Adventure: Quest for the Spirit Blade

We decided to have a family game of Heroquest last weekend and decided to play the Quest for the Spirit Blade which I augmented with a few modification to reflect the play balance and incorporate a little more excitement.

There were five players so I used the additional character I'd developed before - the Knight. I also gave them a selection of equpment cards to distribute among themselves.

The game delivered a lot of excitement and fun. It really is an exceptional design.

The cat occupied a strategic position watching over the adventurers' escape route.

 

Command & Colours Napoleonics: Hougoumont Scenario

I like the idea of recreating famous small battles which involve a struggle over a contested fortified position. One such conflict is Hougoumont which would be a nice miniatures project but I also thought it would be enjoyable to setup a scenario for C&C Napoleonics.

One exists on the website that supports the rules system.

 

Recreating this involved going through my expansions and pulling out the walled gardens. I was short of orchards as these are in Expansion 6 but substituted some fieldworks with forests which did the trick.

I think it looked good. Pity I didn't have time to play it as I needed to use the table for homeworking. With the current pandemic restrictions I've been working from home since March and this will continue indefinitely. This puts a limit on how I can setup and play any wargames or board games which is a bit of a shame. I need to get smarter at using the time better.

The cat agrees.