tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14250452752413659682024-03-13T07:01:49.639-04:00Lead and CardboardMiniature wargames, board games, video games.Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-53614818236190976172023-04-23T20:24:00.001-04:002023-04-23T20:29:52.259-04:00Figures April 2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Some photos of figures I've been working on lately.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Bought a bunch of 30 Years War miniatures, maybe six years ago. Maybe longer. Finally started painting them.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBwGYGNaO_iXMj7CdUlnywaYJghOGW7FSS7_LDkBumszq_shALoHb_q3THJjUJOyaxtEc294TvT44yXlhltw7tjJzS9yGd6D3EM1Z5gAIKAeG_40XYBqMY7B2MIybMk_CNeRExInkDAThgEZBXK196H8J7JXTt-w-o4gorCcc4gAC2HFqIac6L5fl/s4032/IMG_2892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBwGYGNaO_iXMj7CdUlnywaYJghOGW7FSS7_LDkBumszq_shALoHb_q3THJjUJOyaxtEc294TvT44yXlhltw7tjJzS9yGd6D3EM1Z5gAIKAeG_40XYBqMY7B2MIybMk_CNeRExInkDAThgEZBXK196H8J7JXTt-w-o4gorCcc4gAC2HFqIac6L5fl/s320/IMG_2892.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Above is a base of pikemen in progress. I'm leaving the center vacant in order to be able to swap out different standards. To the left is a base of two standard bearers.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNUFRr-nbSLVbt12pjemOY91QDBGirR7GvlgG6v1yZroOyWsVsHJ43KWa7L9peBkIYaFaargyOqOSofFxP1ma2HbYdusdDk3FP3vivfIe6tXj1eIE6-GkD6Ew7FGsISCnT1JB8Vn7HrIVyS29K-rpmqOj7efh2IigsKbNBXGqyd7TjjqL1abr_4tC/s4032/IMG_2842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNUFRr-nbSLVbt12pjemOY91QDBGirR7GvlgG6v1yZroOyWsVsHJ43KWa7L9peBkIYaFaargyOqOSofFxP1ma2HbYdusdDk3FP3vivfIe6tXj1eIE6-GkD6Ew7FGsISCnT1JB8Vn7HrIVyS29K-rpmqOj7efh2IigsKbNBXGqyd7TjjqL1abr_4tC/s320/IMG_2842.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>Here a stand of pike with standards of the Bavarian army.</p><p><br /></p><p>Also been working on figures for Zona Alfa. Think the video games S.T.A.L.K.E.R., mixed with the miniatures game Frostgrave. You're venturing into the "exclusion zone" to find artifacts.</p><p>The rules don't specify where or what the exclusion zone is, but clearly it's Chernobyl. But what's really neat is you can make it whatever you want.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigHsiNEuwEmnTrp9CTA5j9bfDe44aJXpxY3_qG8NDxeeGWM6HslFViauiHsY8HDGAbISy-ihrkRcmvzUKI_pJA1IaPvHDJ2gJdudNef4CCZJsv1wREJx6CtV7OMIU5dEvXbF6nFJFrB3mqOA3fypW8uYUBc11ia1DCFEaTB_9tJx4uzevdvncyedyu/s4032/IMG_2899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigHsiNEuwEmnTrp9CTA5j9bfDe44aJXpxY3_qG8NDxeeGWM6HslFViauiHsY8HDGAbISy-ihrkRcmvzUKI_pJA1IaPvHDJ2gJdudNef4CCZJsv1wREJx6CtV7OMIU5dEvXbF6nFJFrB3mqOA3fypW8uYUBc11ia1DCFEaTB_9tJx4uzevdvncyedyu/s320/IMG_2899.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p>These are Empress SAS figures. I love their big backpacks. Not so crazy about the big rectangular stands they're on though.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSayeQFzT3qckPipJ_dOtmlC4RJ126uNQsH4DulDsYtixaeI-5RXpumuLea2awZbTV5E47qtdi1bZODnEhHoC2Mz39SZNDtmE_CVrUg7PLr4gr6ZGocCPSU8bB6FaJAs5DZ7zjwce9Aarx9w64T4I_-zuU3skvSKXXJ0nclGoW2MVH8oLMRjPthQFd/s4032/IMG_2905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSayeQFzT3qckPipJ_dOtmlC4RJ126uNQsH4DulDsYtixaeI-5RXpumuLea2awZbTV5E47qtdi1bZODnEhHoC2Mz39SZNDtmE_CVrUg7PLr4gr6ZGocCPSU8bB6FaJAs5DZ7zjwce9Aarx9w64T4I_-zuU3skvSKXXJ0nclGoW2MVH8oLMRjPthQFd/s320/IMG_2905.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Here's a bunch that are finished. The guys in the MOPP gear my buddy Joe gave to me to paint. They're 80's era Soviets. The others are other figures from Empress, including some from their Chechnya range.<br /> <p></p>Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-72227087678901210382021-04-19T00:39:00.002-04:002021-04-19T00:39:33.555-04:00Greek vs Greek<p> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Started up the full campaign game of Peloponnesian War, GMT's solitaire game of the conflict between Athens and Sparta.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Played the initial scenario awhile ago, but made a lot of mistakes. Quick refresher, in this game you basically play as both sides. Sort of. As in, it's possible that you will play as both sides. You start off as Athens, and depending on how things go, you may switch over and play as Sparta.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To sum up the basic mechanic of the game, whichever side you're playing as, the game rewards you less points for good things than it does bad things. As in, you win a battle as the active side, you get 10 victory points. You lose a battle as the active player, you lose 15 victory points.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KNikDHtZqEA/YH0Dt8AlkxI/AAAAAAAABQ8/RT0PrZz1Cw8ixKQWI86OEURaYGoTBWAUwCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KNikDHtZqEA/YH0Dt8AlkxI/AAAAAAAABQ8/RT0PrZz1Cw8ixKQWI86OEURaYGoTBWAUwCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0762.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Athens' First Objective<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyway, Pericles starts the game in Athens as your first general (you randomly draw them as the game progresses). I dispatched him with some ships and hoplites to Cyllere. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s1joBXgMoDg/YH0DyV_gTFI/AAAAAAAABRE/NI8wd_LlqEcxotv5JWpitPT0fRJVlLtuwCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s1joBXgMoDg/YH0DyV_gTFI/AAAAAAAABRE/NI8wd_LlqEcxotv5JWpitPT0fRJVlLtuwCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0765.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ravaging the Peloponnese<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table>The game awards victory points for ravaging the enemy's territory, as you can see above. Historical.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-am1OqtPTSnM/YH0Dw-JebDI/AAAAAAAABRA/MJOngD3v5rk0CiKG211Nu-K-UHJyYHbvwCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-am1OqtPTSnM/YH0Dw-JebDI/AAAAAAAABRA/MJOngD3v5rk0CiKG211Nu-K-UHJyYHbvwCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0764.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Meanwhile, Archidamus II rolls into Attica. Typical. But hey, his heart wasn't in it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vIt970aGC-k/YH0DyulwYUI/AAAAAAAABRI/UNXXhDvyvz8zM6mTnyDb2pTBYTyZ3DYwQCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vIt970aGC-k/YH0DyulwYUI/AAAAAAAABRI/UNXXhDvyvz8zM6mTnyDb2pTBYTyZ3DYwQCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0766.JPG" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Meanwhile, I'm feeling really frosty, and I send Cleon to Corinth with a bunch of triremes. Honestly, I knew (after checking the rules) that I couldn't capture Corinth, or even besiege it, but I'm thinking that in a naval battle where Athens has a slight edge in numbers, I can hopefully win a deceive victory.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At this point, Sparta could not mount another expedition since they lacked the manpower, and Athens had practically depleted its treasury. Up next, I resolve the battles and sieges. </div><br /><br /><br /><p></p>Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-63031426256661427712021-01-20T23:55:00.003-05:002021-01-20T23:55:47.466-05:00Marvel Crisis Protocol<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nuff said.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tGqoojqxEE8/YAkI7FNIqPI/AAAAAAAABPA/schhDLwVKhkvuook4zZJFjhjS4HLU7vGgCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tGqoojqxEE8/YAkI7FNIqPI/AAAAAAAABPA/schhDLwVKhkvuook4zZJFjhjS4HLU7vGgCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0543.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7NscNRikKwg/YAkI7U7M_FI/AAAAAAAABPE/UTgWLooyCq8f8hky8NRyOmSKw2fb0gX9ACNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7NscNRikKwg/YAkI7U7M_FI/AAAAAAAABPE/UTgWLooyCq8f8hky8NRyOmSKw2fb0gX9ACNcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0544.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c6F9XHJ-zSA/YAkI7DEgoMI/AAAAAAAABO8/OKak2cwo-F8yjI-WbSRjUvuewu22N3-mACNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c6F9XHJ-zSA/YAkI7DEgoMI/AAAAAAAABO8/OKak2cwo-F8yjI-WbSRjUvuewu22N3-mACNcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0545.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-me4Tfc_sHTA/YAkI_jw3r3I/AAAAAAAABPI/GbmD9tJ_IrojjXDa7FUpwS4RBaNmjguogCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-me4Tfc_sHTA/YAkI_jw3r3I/AAAAAAAABPI/GbmD9tJ_IrojjXDa7FUpwS4RBaNmjguogCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0546.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E5yeSQe7r68/YAkJADKcnpI/AAAAAAAABPQ/MTUQBH7PmRsV8nAJiUZBQEh2JtAtazWHgCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E5yeSQe7r68/YAkJADKcnpI/AAAAAAAABPQ/MTUQBH7PmRsV8nAJiUZBQEh2JtAtazWHgCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0547.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q-erWgIQmKM/YAkJABaiDII/AAAAAAAABPM/Gdyt_wtXSXswoFhdYNAL0ZUELqllxaBxACNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q-erWgIQmKM/YAkJABaiDII/AAAAAAAABPM/Gdyt_wtXSXswoFhdYNAL0ZUELqllxaBxACNcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0548.JPG" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-33001415762845915612020-12-02T00:44:00.001-05:002020-12-02T00:44:15.070-05:00Offensive Miniatures Germans<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0RJZYZl44Dg/X8co5LtoDSI/AAAAAAAABOY/Rz7vvqggy780EaW_sEecMGqPGOQEg5LqwCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0RJZYZl44Dg/X8co5LtoDSI/AAAAAAAABOY/Rz7vvqggy780EaW_sEecMGqPGOQEg5LqwCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0352.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Offensive Miniatures Volksgrenadiers. Got these at Cold Wars 2020 I think? Anyway, I like their figures. Relatively inexpensive metal figures with nice poses.</div><p></p>Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-2676639327372397852020-08-23T20:54:00.008-04:002020-08-23T20:55:30.500-04:00Rumbleslam<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rumbleslam figures from the starter set.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FA__tvWWx3U/X0MNqxZgs4I/AAAAAAAABMw/IdwsGmdqQnMjm0p6wMnLGUaj6r4K24PdwCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0084.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FA__tvWWx3U/X0MNqxZgs4I/AAAAAAAABMw/IdwsGmdqQnMjm0p6wMnLGUaj6r4K24PdwCNcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_0084.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These are the "Deadly Divas," which I bought after getting the starter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jtC6HIy0sv4/X0MNninjr2I/AAAAAAAABMo/6PBWkU238WswpB3TdWf4_nm70aopgMXXACNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0081.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jtC6HIy0sv4/X0MNninjr2I/AAAAAAAABMo/6PBWkU238WswpB3TdWf4_nm70aopgMXXACNcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_0081.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bought this several years ago when it first came out. Added several other of the "teams." Had them all painted up but had only played once.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Some friends of mine recently picked it up so I've finally been able to play several times.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pretty fun game. I got beat pretty bad, but I usually lose when playing games.</div> <p></p>Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-2616355561979077842020-05-01T03:35:00.001-04:002020-05-01T03:35:06.632-04:00Stonewall's Sword Part 2<br />
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This is the overall situation for the introductory scenario. Without getting too much into the "crunch" of the rules, basically, the Confederate victory objectives are in the top half of the map, and the Union ones are at the bottom.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ktq_RKd09t8/XqvNILIaL2I/AAAAAAAABKI/3CbKj4JXFDoc2X3b9Ipeqacv6xlB9TN4gCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Overview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ktq_RKd09t8/XqvNILIaL2I/AAAAAAAABKI/3CbKj4JXFDoc2X3b9Ipeqacv6xlB9TN4gCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/Overview.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The scenario's rules allow the Union player to select a brigade that basically begins the game activated. I selected Crawford's brigade, seen below, to be activated.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OSf8i3bpD6w/XqvNEG6Zc-I/AAAAAAAABKc/GPnBQH66ikcTemqgZwsjfYpunQO3pEFYwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Opening%2Bactivation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OSf8i3bpD6w/XqvNEG6Zc-I/AAAAAAAABKc/GPnBQH66ikcTemqgZwsjfYpunQO3pEFYwCEwYBhgL/s320/Opening%2Bactivation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My thought was, they could push the rebels back and try to capture the victory objectives located on the Confederate left flank.</div>
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Beyond that, I figured the Union army would more or less steamroll down the map. Never having played the game before, this playthrough was mainly an exercise in learning the game.</div>
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Well, all I can say is, the Union doesn't really have a steamroller at this battle.</div>
<br />Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-728473857183180542020-04-26T23:33:00.000-04:002020-04-26T23:33:21.755-04:00Stonewall's Sword<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Stonewall's Sword, published by Revolution Games, is a tactical recreation of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cedar_Mountain" target="_blank">Battle of Cedar Mountain</a> from the American Civil War. It is the first game in the "Blind Swords" system, a relatively light, chit-draw activation set of games where the basic units you control are regiments. The game system implements events to simulate the "fog of war" as well.</div>
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Stonewall's Sword is, I believe, the smallest of the games that have been released so far. I bought it back in 2017 or so at a gaming convention. It's just taken me years of procrastination and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%9320_coronavirus_pandemic" target="_blank">a pandemic</a> to finally get me to punch and clip the counters, read the rules, and attempt a solo play.</div>
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When I describe it as being relatively light, I'm relating it directly to The Gamers' Civil War Brigade Series system (as an aside, recently I messaged a friend of mine who lives in New Mexico that we should play something PBEM, and he suggested ITQF 2. Admittedly I was drunk at the time and had no idea what he was talking about, so I said "Sure!" The next day he sent me the links to the rules and VASSAL module, and at some point I wound up telling some other friends of mine who were talking about how complex <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/12396/vital-lacerda" target="_blank">Vital Lacerda's games</a> were and I was like "Uh, I just read six pages on how to issue orders in this Civil War game I'm playing!").</div>
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If you've never played a chit-draw game before, basically this it how it works. You have a cup filled with a bunch of counters representing the various commands. In this system, there are chits for the divisional commanders (Ewell for example), which, when drawn, allow you to activate one of that division's brigades (such as Early's). Along with the divisional commands there are chits for the commanders-in-chiefs (Jackson and Banks) and a multitude of events, which can either help you or hinder your opponent.</div>
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At first, I thought that maybe there were too many events. Maybe the game was too chaotic. But after several turns the game is really delivering a great "feel" of what I imagine a Civil War battle would be. Some of the complexity with this game comes in just when you can play an event that you've drawn.</div>
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One thing I really like about the game is its combat results table. It's based purely on strength points (SP), as in you count up how many SP you have and do some column shifts and you're done! Personally, I dislike having to do ratios in games. The only time you have to do that with these rules is when determining column shifts in close combat; and that is limited to 3:2, 2:1, and 3:1 only. Admittedly at first I thought that maybe this was too light, but once I played a few turns I started to see how <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/36105/hermann-luttmann" target="_blank">the designer</a> had worked in a good simulation of plausible results while not overtaxing the player. </div>
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One of the best things about this game and this series is the beautiful artwork by <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgameartist/3439/rick-barber" target="_blank">Rick Barber</a>, arguably the best map artist in wargames.</div>
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Next post, I will delve deeper into the game and my first solo playthrough. </div>
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Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-48561599840139679862019-02-27T22:43:00.000-05:002019-02-27T22:45:08.177-05:00Infinity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I don't really have any idea of what to write about, so I figured I'd post some pictures from a game of Infinity I played a couple of weeks ago and give my thoughts on the game.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yu Jing</td></tr>
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Above is my collection of Yu Jing faction figures. I don't think I can actually field all of them at once, or if I could it wouldn't be the best choice. When creating an army "list," you have to contend with the usual points values but in addition to that is SWC (special weapons something) and more importantly, the number of orders your force has at its disposal. SWC limits the number of big guns and fancy gadgets you can bring to the battle. The tournament limit is 6 SWC for a standard 300 point list. Orders are trickier.<br />
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Infinity is driven by its order system. Basically, each figure contributes one order to your pool. There are some exceptions, but for the most part one man (or woman, or werewolf) equals one order. So, while getting to 300 points and staying at or under 6 SWC isn't that hard, you don't want to do that if you're winding up with 6 or 7 orders. It seems that the sweet spot is 10 orders in a 300 point list. So while I can get to 300 points with little trouble, the maximum orders I'll have with the figures I currently own is 7 maximum.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yu Jing High Value Target</td></tr>
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And the figures are the second best thing about Infinity. They are what got me interested in playing in the first place. In every game you have to place a High Value Target (HVT) that your opponent will try to do various things to in order to score points. The Yu Jing HVT pictured above is one of the reasons I chose it as my faction. That and the fact that it was one of the two factions in the two-player starter set that had just been released. But all of the models are pretty great. Almost impossibly difficult to assemble, being all-metal and very delicate, but absolutely gorgeous.<br />
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The third best thing about Infinity is the setting. The quick lowdown is it's the future and mankind has expanded beyond the solar system. But it's not 40,000 years into the future, just a few centuries. The world as we know it is gone, replaced by the superpower of Panoceania, kinda like Australia writ large, and Yu Jing, sort of a combination of Communist/Imperial China and Japan (though in the latest background Japan has separated itself). Along with that you have Aleph, which is the AI that runs everything for humanity, and well, I won't go into it anymore because I'm no expert. Why am I no expert? Because the background information is for the most part contained in the physical rules you can buy, which I don't own. But how can I play the game without owning the rules?<br />
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Because, the number one best thing about Infinity, is the rules. And they're free. So many miniature games falter over how to handle turn order. Who gets to go when. Right now, Infinity does the best job of handling this crucial part of miniature gaming. Each turn (there are three) one player is active and the other reactive. Once the active player is finished those roles reverse. On the active player's turn, he issues orders, one at a time, to his soldiers, who can be ordered multiple times in a given turn. The beauty of the system is that the reactive player gets a chance to react to what the active player is doing by winning an opposed die roll.<br />
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The game is complex. Dense is another good description for it. The action/reaction system demands both players full attention. Additionally, there are numerous weapons, abilities, and pieces of equipment each figure has that can take awhile to learn. But the game is incredibly fun and worth the learning curve.<br />
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I'm looking forward to playing the game much more in the future. The buildings shown in these pictures are 3D prints made by the guy who taught me the game. Which leads me to another observation, the game doesn't require many miniatures, but you'll need a lot of terrain. Or someone else's!<br />
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<br />Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-47914106642835081072019-02-05T10:45:00.000-05:002019-02-05T10:45:02.988-05:00Necromunda<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After owning the "new" Necromunda set from Games Workshop for over a year, I've finally actually played the game. Even more significant considering that I've wanted to play Necromunda since the first edition came out back in the 90's.</div>
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Received the game for Christmas back in 2017, and while I enjoyed reading through the books (also got the first supplement which has the rules for playing what I would consider "true" Necromunda), I didn't really have any plans to play since I didn't know anyone interested in the game. Right around Christmas of 2018 I ran into a guy at the local store that I'd played Blood Bowl with, and he told me he had a group of guys playing a campaign on Fridays. Since my kids are getting older, I figured it'd be okay to have another evening out gaming, especially since Friday is generally relaxed and it'd only be every other week. The two gangs that come in the box are Goliath, big hulking brutes, and Escher, nimble females who like to gas their opponents. At first I planned on playing Escher, but decided on Goliath since they're tougher than the other gangs and since they're male I could name them after the members of Iron Maiden.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House Goliath in progress.</td></tr>
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At the time the only painting I had done on the miniatures was the bases. Earlier in the year I had painted up some WW2 Soviet and German tanks and since I planned to apply a rust effect on them I figured I might as well paint up the Necromunda bases too. One of the things that I really liked about the new Necromunda is how it comes with sculpted bases, so it was super easy to make them look really nice. Beyond that, I did what I would have said was the fastest and sloppiest paint-job I'd ever done, but that has been surpassed by my work on the A Song of Ice and Fire figures I'm working on (more to come later).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melee encounter.</td></tr>
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Not that it matters I guess, since of the six players in the campaign, I am the only one with fully-painted figures. For years I've often joked about being "that guy," like the guy who will only play with painted figures and looks down on those that don't. In reality I didn't really care. But now I have to say it's kinda disappointing. <br />
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Don't get me wrong, I'm having a good time playing, though it's still early going and I only have a vague grasp of the game as of yet. But I do wish that the other players would put forth some effort to paint their stuff.<div>
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I can't compare the game to the earlier version since I never played that. It shares some of the simplifications that Games Workshop has introduced in Warhammer 40,000, such as Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill being simple what you need to roll numbers (3+, 4+. etc...). Wounding is also simplified in that if you're Strength is equal to the target's Toughness, it's 4+, anything else is going to be 3+/5+ depending on which attribute is greater, up to being twice greater when you'll wound on 2+/6+.</div>
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Determining the actual result of a wound is somewhat complicated and uses custom dice included with the game. There are "flesh wounds," "serious wounds," etc... I won't go into any of that since I barely understand it myself. The game does have the typical (and in my opinion GREAT!) system with these campaign-style games where you have to roll to determine what actually happens to a model that is taken out completely.</div>
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Which leads me to what I really like about the game. Technically, each game you play as part of a campaign doesn't have a winner or a loser. The overall objective of the campaign is to have the highest Gang Rating, which is a combination of the number gang members you have and their skills and equipment. So instead of just worrying about capturing objectives and/or killing the enemy gang members (not that there's anything wrong with that), you have to keep the overall goal in mind, which is accumulate wealth so you can hire more gangers and gain more territories. Also, your gangers will gain skills and increase their attributes as the campaign progresses. SO, it can be a wise decision to run away if the odds are against you, considering what the ultimate goal is.</div>
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For example, in the first game that I played, I'd say that my opponent "beat" me, since he forced me to "bottle" before he had to (bottling is when you've failed what I would term an army morale test). However, none of my gangers were permanently killed, which came down to favorable rolls on the injury results table. On the other hand two of his gangers were required to be taken to the doctor after the battle. Problem was only the Leader and Champions can perform post-battle sequences like visiting the doctor (they would carry the unfortunate ganger to the doctor, if they themselves required medical attention then someone else would have to perform that action). So, he had to make a Sophie's Choice and leave one of them to die since he could only take one to receive medical attention. Since this was our first game it wasn't so bad, but if these had been experienced gang members it would have been very grim indeed.</div>
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The "leveling up" of your gang members does seem a bit slow. I'm used to Blood Bowl where usually at least one of your players gains an increase after every game. In Necromunda I'd say it takes 2-3 games to gain enough experience to improve.</div>
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Overall a very fun game. Personally I've always liked the Warhammer 40,000 setting, but never really enjoyed the few times I've actually played the game. I think that I would have liked playing the original Rogue Trader game, which I own but have never played, and that the original 40K is probably more akin to Necromunda than the later editions of the mainline game. More to come as the campaign unfolds. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "Car and Horse Pub Boys."</td></tr>
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Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-8548923916754177152018-12-15T23:51:00.001-05:002018-12-15T23:51:10.291-05:00Nothing Since July?!?!Haven't made a post in awhile. BUT I have been playing games.<br />
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Played in an escalation "league" of Games Workshop's Middle Earth game. Overall the game was fun but it was weird having Hobbits fight against Easterlings.<br />
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Mainly I enjoyed using it as an excuse to buy more Hobbit models.<br />
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A few years ago I bought some Hobbits off of Ebay. I also had some Rangers that I had gotten from the local game store in an attempt to get my son into miniature gaming.<br />
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So when this escalation league started up, comprised of players from West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland (maybe even Pennsylvania), I picked up some more Hobbits, including the Old Took and Lobelia Sackville-Baggins.<br />
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Here she is in the painting process.<br />
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And here she is "fighting" an orc.<br />
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Basically she's not much good in a scrape, she more or less nags the enemy to death.<br />
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Farmer Maggot. Unlike Lobelia, he's actually fairly effective in the game.<br />
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My main problem with the game was the Hobbits are very cheap points-wise, so playing the game tactically generally involved sacrificing your models. While this makes sense in the game, it definitely bothered me lore-wise. <br />
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Generally I'd say I enjoyed painting up the models more than the actual games. GW games definitely bring out the, I don't know what to call it, "uber" gamers. But still fun overall.<br />
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Beyond that we are starting up a campaign of Legends of the Old West, another GW game. A long out of print GW game.<br />
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This mainly came about because of my friend Jim. For years he has talked about playing an Old West game. I knew that last year he had bought some of the Western buildings from 4Ground. So one night while driving back home from our weekly board game night, I said let's actually play an Old West game. The thing is I knew he wouldn't paint his figures, so I offered to paint his for him.<br />
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Three months later, we've played about four "training" games, and we start up the campaign December 18.<br />
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I was into it from the outset, but what's really got me excited was the set of figures I picked up at Cold Wars. Basically female gunfighters. I think they're sold for Dead Man's Hand. Also bought a figure that's supposed to be Jonah Hex which was packaged for the Dracula's America game I believe.<br />
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Anyway, I'll make a more detailed post on the Old West game sometime soon.<br />
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And hopefully I'll tell you about the Necromunda campaign I'm in. Can't really yet since I have violated my usual rule of never playing with unpainted figures.<br />
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<br />Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-57028852556185826952018-07-29T01:23:00.001-04:002018-07-29T01:23:17.189-04:00Russians and CowboysNot a lengthy post, just some pictures of figures I've finished (or almost finished) lately.<br />
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Various WW2 Soviet command type figures. Closeups below. </div>
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The Iron Cross rules call for command elements, so I had to add to my 28mm Soviet forces. These are all from Black Tree Design.<br />
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Wild West.</div>
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These are Pinkerton detectives from Brigade Games. Love them.<br />
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The rest are also from Brigade Games. The two dandies at the bottom are "debt collectors," for whatever that's worth.<br />
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<br />Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-19226028245647981422018-03-29T08:35:00.001-04:002018-03-29T08:35:12.371-04:00Stompa Bay BukaneersOrcs from the new Blood Bowl set along with the new troll.<br />
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<br />Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-53154802468533032422018-03-20T10:30:00.001-04:002018-03-20T10:30:12.437-04:00Cold Wars 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Attended the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society's Winter convention "Cold Wars" this past weekend. Got up at 4:45am Friday morning in order to make it to Lancaster PA in time to play the first game I was signed up for at 9:00am.</div>
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Arrived at the Lancaster Host at 815am, plenty of time to get my badge and settle in for <a href="http://www.grandtacticalrules.com/1859-reviews.htm">1859</a>, run by the designer Bruce Weigle. Mr. Weigle, other than designing several sets of rules covering European conflicts in the mid-19th century, is known for his outstanding terrain.</div>
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Coupled with his use of 6mm miniatures, the visual effect is outstanding. Above you can see a corps of Italians marching onto the battlefield, San Martino, on the northern flank of Solferino.</div>
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The two things that stand out in Weigle's rules are the use of order chits and the variety of formations in which your brigades can be. </div>
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Here you can see that the artillery has been given a rally order and the cavalry have been ordered to advance on the disordered Italians in the center (I was Austrian).<br />
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One big handicap for the Italians was that their reinforcements didn't arrive until turn five.<br />
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Therefor while the Italians that started the game on the board were able to capture the town that was their objective, I was able to concentrate an entire brigade for the counterattack and push them out. By the time their reinforcements did arrive it was too late for them to take it back.<br />
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All in all a very fun game.Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-51312690650540891382018-02-14T00:39:00.002-05:002018-02-14T00:39:49.136-05:00Blood Bowl OrcsWorking on a new Blood Bowl team, Orcs. Modeling them after the old Tampa Bay Buccaneers "creamsicle" uniforms.<br />
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<br />Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-22658141925810670832018-01-29T11:36:00.003-05:002018-01-29T11:36:48.990-05:00Fall of the Reich AARRan my late WW2 skirmish game for some friends a couple of weeks ago. A force of Soviets are attempting to cross a canal bridge in some unnamed city in eastern Germany and push on towards the lair of the fascist beast, while its doomed defenders sell their lives dearly. Overall my impression of the session is mixed. Though if judged strictly as a playtest it was a success. I definitely got some good feedback and I have a few ideas on how to improve the scenario.<div>
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The rules I used are called FUBAR, a set of free, one-page rules for fighting small-scale battles available <a href="https://fubarwargames.wordpress.com/">here.</a> While I have played and enjoy Force on Force by Osprey, the activation system for that game can be complex and not necessarily suited for big multiplayer convention-style games. FUBAR's activation system is much simpler while still being more interactive than typical I go/you go systems. Basically you roll to activate a unit, the ease of which is dependent upon your troops' training level. If you succeed you perform an action with that unit and then you can try to activate another, continuing until you fail an activation roll, at which time initiative passes to your opponent. This continues back and forth until all units have activated, at which point the turn ends. It uses six-sided dice, 1's always failing and 6's always succeeding. The way casualties are taken is interesting, with each unit having a suppression number, that being the total number of figures in that unit that can absorb hits as suppression, with anything over that being kills. </div>
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The authors state that the rules should be modified as needed ("These are one page rules after all!"), and while I did make a few changes they're pretty good as written. The biggest thing I changed was the effectiveness of a sub-machine gun by considerable reducing its range. Another change my friend <a href="https://theforgottenlegions.blogspot.com/">Kelly</a> suggested involves tanks. Since it seems difficult to kill an AFV, he said to add a "stun" penalty to activation if a tank has been hit, which sounds like a good addition to me and I'll use this next time I run the game.</div>
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Beyond the rules, the scenario had a couple of problems. I wanted to create a situation where the sides weren't binary, so for the Germans they were split between troops that were defending and an additional group that was just retreating through the battle area. While I still love this idea, in practice it didn't go quite like I wanted. The retreating force was able to easily get off the board and really wouldn't have had to have fought at all if I hadn't thrown some Russians onto the table to cut them off. Which, while cheesey, did inspire me to change the scenario a bit. As I had it, the defending Germans start the game hidden in various ruins, while the retreating Germans come on the side of the table and have to retreat across the canal bridge that the other Germans are defending. The attacking Russians come on the edge of the table directly opposite the bridge and have to fight their way through both the defending and retreating Germans, which consisted of Volkssturm and Hitler Youth along with some straggling veterans. The retreating force very cheekily stayed out of sight of the Russians and got to the bridge completely unmolested. So in the future I think I'm going to have a small force of Russians who have infiltrated and captured the bridge and are holding it until the main body of infantry and tanks arrive. This will obviously prevent the retreating Germans from easily exiting the board and will give the hidden defenders something to think about since they'll have the enemy in their rear.</div>
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Additionally, there was a "problem" with the combat inside the ruins. The table set-up consisted of a number of ruins "tiles," inside each of which could have been hidden defending Germans. The problem for the Russians was they had to move their tanks though the city, wary of being ambushed by Germans with Panzerfausts. I abstracted the ruin tiles by having the players either be looking out of them, in which case they could be seen, or hiding inside. Also, once two opposing units were on a tile, I said they could either use fire combat against one another, with each side being in moderate cover, or they could close assault. The problem arose when the defending German player wanted to try and shoot his Panzerfausts at a passing T-34 while there were Russian infantry inside his tile. In my mind the Germans would have been too involved with fighting off the infantry to try and take a pot shot at the tank. The problem was I hadn't read the rules close enough (even though they're only one page!). While during the game I basically made a GM call that the German player couldn't do this, in fact, the rules clearly state a "Unit can only target enemy figures that share the same area of cover if they are within 6”. The target will get a cover save." So basically exactly as I intended and certainly the most sensible way of doing it. Great minds think alike!</div>
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The other problems with the game were definitely just an issue with me not communicating well enough with the players while explaining the scenario and rules. Such as I didn't make it clear enough that all of the German units were armed with Panzerfausts. Next time this should go much smoother. Hopefully with more experience on my part with the game and a few tweaks the next time will be better.</div>
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Hidden Volkssturm taking a shot at T-34</div>
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Veteran German defenders bracing for attack as Volkssturm member runs</div>
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Soviets trying to cut off retreating Germans</div>
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Soviet commanders.</div>
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Germans taking a selfie.</div>
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Game in progress.</div>
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Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-80152517193915482372018-01-01T12:51:00.001-05:002018-01-01T12:51:25.001-05:00FUBAR Game part 1Two weeks or so to go until I run my FUBAR late WW2 game for the first time. Took some time off of work over Christmas, and the main thing I accomplished as far as this game is concerned was I moved my terrain tiles and scenery from the old, small, kitchen table in my basement to my main miniature gaming table.<br />
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Still finalizing the final layout, along with "squading up" my figures. Also painting up ten more Soviets, though I'm not sure they're really necessary.<br />
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Some pictures for your bemusement.<br />
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<br />Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-35833112645958147692017-11-24T12:50:00.002-05:002017-11-24T12:50:39.475-05:00Soviets vs NazisStill working away on my late war Germans vs Russians game using the one page rule set FUBAR. I think I'm set as far as miniatures are concerned, but I did just start assembling Warlord's plastic Soviet Infantry (Winter) set. Mainly though that's looking ahead to possibly running the game at a convention. What I plan for Heagercon (my personal gaming convention) will be relatively small.<br />
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The main thing I'm working on now for this game are various playing aids, mainly tokens and roster sheets. I'm producing these using Google Docs. At first I was getting frustrated by the perceived lack of functionality in Google Draw, though I started to think outside the box and am now somewhat pleased by the results so far.<br />
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To make the tokens I'm using this stuff that's for jewelry making (I think). There are several videos on Youtube showing how to make tokens for wargames. This is the one I followed: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZCtHBeHMXo">Tokens</a>. I'm not too happy with the image quality of the ones I made, but I don't want to get too bogged down with just this one aspect. Once I have them complete I'll post some pictures.<br />
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One small setback I suffered was due to my middle child's best friend. I have the game set up on my small table in my basement. The terrain tiles are 2'X2' drywall pieces that I applied textured paint to before painting black and drybrushing gray. On top of that I have a bunch of ruins that I made out of foam and cork, and a building from <a href="http://www.crescent-root.com/">Crescent Root</a>. Anyway, the drywall tiles hang over my table, and the kids were playing with their plastic bowling set, which of course they set up right by my table. My kid's friend, even after being admonished to be careful, stooped down to pick up the bowling pins that were kinda under the table, and when he stood up he hit the corner of one of the tiles and knocked everything every which way. I still don't have it set back up, still seething.<br />
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But, I will soldier on.<br />
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<br />Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-29749218786767064762017-09-30T23:27:00.001-04:002017-09-30T23:27:17.225-04:00Stalin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My Warlord T-34s and the terrain I've been working on.Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-58191508158961157732017-04-29T02:00:00.001-04:002017-04-29T02:00:32.813-04:00More Fall of the Reich<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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28mm Artizan Soviets underway.<br />
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Actually they're done, this is an old photo.Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-63245585038009835122017-04-02T02:10:00.000-04:002017-04-02T02:10:05.738-04:00Fall of the ReichWorking on a skirmish level game set in Winter of 1944/45, somewhere in Germany.<br />
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So far I've got 40 Germans completed (and one Panther as you can see) and just about finished 23 Russians.<br />
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Fairly prolific for me, since I started this in late November 2016.<br />
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Really pleased with the baking soda/Elmer's Glue snow on the Germans. For some reason I don't want to put snow on my Russian's bases.Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-55724567873854997282017-02-27T00:31:00.001-05:002017-02-27T00:31:44.028-05:00Heagercon 2017?For a couple of years I had considered moving Heagercon (basically my annual gaming party) into January in order to get out of the way of Xmas. So this year I scheduled it over MLK Day weekend. While that weekend wound up being the worst winter weather of the year (which isn't saying much) overall it was way better having it in January.<br />
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Sadly there was no miniatures game since my MD friends couldn't make the trip due to the weather, but it was still a good turnout and having the following Monday off was awesome.<br />
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On the right you have the star of our show, Marshall Wilson, and next to him my handsome brother-in-law, Albert. The two were the main providers of all the eats, pictured below.<br />
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As for the games, played some old favorites like Long Shot, new stuff like New (Ha!) Angeles, but game of the con would have to be Spyfall.<br />
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Played Cuba Libre Went over okay I think. Hadn't played in awhile, had to teach three new players, but they seemed to enjoy it.<br />
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A game that's maybe more confusing than it's worth.<br />
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This game looks like fun. Wonder where I can buy it...<br />
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Finally got to play New Angeles. Loved it!<br />
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Ron sorted his X-Wing minis like a BOSS!<br />
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Anyway, hope to see you all next year.<br />
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<br />Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-65582002865096775592016-08-31T22:53:00.000-04:002016-08-31T22:53:22.605-04:00Dungeon SagaDungeon Saga is a board game published by Mantic Games, of Mars Attacks and Kings of War fame. It's a 1 vs many dungeon crawler, similar to Fantasy Flight's Descent. However, the game is more dungeon than saga.<br />
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This was my first experience with anything from Mantic. I've leafed through the book for Kings of War, their version of Warhammer Fantasy Battle, and that seemed pretty cool. I've seen the Mars Attacks game but that didn't interest me at all. Honestly, the fact that I had no experience with Mantic was why I was looking forward to trying Dungeon Saga.</div>
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One thing I have heard about Mantic's board games is the mediocre component quality. Dungeon Saga is definitely several cuts below the sort of thing you see from Fantasy Flight, Asmodee, and Cool Mini or Not. The plastic miniatures were average sculpts at best (the hero figures) and poor at worst (the skeletons). The artwork on the dungeon tiles was drab, and the cardboard itself kind of thin. One interesting thing the game had was "furniture." The doors, bookcases, and chests, instead of just being markers were made out of plastic. While I thought that was a nice touch they looked something you'd get out of a bag of plastic toys bought from the supermarket.<br />
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Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-19281244026868214722016-04-10T01:36:00.002-04:002016-04-10T01:36:36.041-04:00Crete 1941Bought the latest issue of World at War magazine, part of the Strategy and Tactics family, and have been playing the game that comes with it, Crete 1941.<br />
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The game is a solitaire simulation of the German invasion of Crete in 1941, with the player controlling the Germans and the game system handling the various Anglo-Greek forces. It features a point to point map of the island, and is divided into four large sectors which facilitate the staging of the German forces. For example, in the staging phase of the game if you wanted to do an airborne assault on the Heraklion airfield, you would place the German paratroopers and transports in the "Heraklion Airborne Sector" space, and then move them to the airfield during the airdrop phase.<br />
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Besides the victory point track, there is a Allied Command Level track, ranging from 1-12. Once a turn you roll two dice and if you exceed the Allied Command Level, then the Allies will begin to evacuate the island. Once the evacuation is complete, you total up your victory points, which are awarded for eliminating allied units (evacuated units don't count, this is very important), and taken away for losing German ones. You also get points for occupying airfields and ports and game's end. Before this roll is made, you will increase the Allied Command Level one for every port and airfield still under Allied control or contested.<br />
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Combat is pretty simple. Each unit has a combat factor, and if you roll equal to or under that number you score a hit. All of the allied units are single-step, while the Germans are two. The flip side of the allied units features UK and Greek flags, and facilitates the hidden status of those units until the Germans are in the same zone as they are or have gained intelligence in order to reveal them. There are no movement factors on the counters since the allied units rarely move (one of the allied command events has their units moving into adjacent ports or airfields) and the Germans can move two spaces during their tactical movement phase.<br />
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There are numerous ways for your aircraft to be shot down. Not only do any AA units in a point under attack get to attack each and every aircraft in the raid or drop, but when attacking in combat any roll of six will reduce a German air unit. The Luftwaffe can either fly missions in support of the ground offensive or make strategic attacks against allied morale (these will reduce the Allied Command Level track) or the Royal Navy. Attacks against the Royal Navy reduce that track, which will make it less likely that the German amphibious operations will be intercepted.<br />
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Overall I really like the game. I feel I've learned more about the battle from playing the game that I would have from just reading. My only criticisms would be on what is typical of solitaire games (necessarily procedural rules and turn sequences) and magazine games (obvious errata and mistakes in the rules) in general. The game really gives a great feel for the battle, and since I barely scraped by with a draw in my first play, I'm already thinking of what I can do differently to achieve a better outcome next time.<br />
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Speaking of reading, I was disappointed in the magazine article on Crete. Funnily enough, I think the Wikipedia article on the battle is written much better, and has better pictures! So if you're interested, I recommend buying the game version of the magazine.<br />
<br />Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-4255331946816303482016-03-27T20:52:00.003-04:002016-03-27T20:52:48.705-04:00Painting UpdateSince one of the main purposes of me starting this blog was to give myself motivation to paint the miniatures I own, here's what I'm working on right now.<br />
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Bought this from the game store almost a year ago. I think it was around $80, and you get two guns (a saker and demi-culverin, basically a big cannon and and a bigger cannon) along with a mortar. What I really liked is you also get gabions and "wicker works" cast in resin. I always see those in magazines and knew I wouldn't ever scratch build them myself, so I feel this was a pretty awesome deal. <br />
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The box also comes with the requisite crewmen, two of which you see here before being brushed with Minwax.<br />
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And here they are after.<br />
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I'm dying to get started on my Thirty Years War 15mm figures, but I swore that I would complete everything necessary for my next 28mm English Civil War game, which is going to be First Newbury. These guns and the defenses are all I need, along with working up the army lists in <a href="http://www.carnageandgloryii.com/">Carnage and Glory</a>.Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425045275241365968.post-61222215843041385032016-01-26T00:34:00.001-05:002016-01-26T01:27:42.323-05:00Video GamesWay back when I started this blog, I intended on writing the occasional post on video games. I haven't written anything about electronic gaming recently, not because of any kind of wargaming purity, but because I haven't really played any in awhile. Until now.<br />
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I bought Star Wars Battlefront when it was released. Basically it's Battlefield for Star Wars.<br />
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For some strange reason there are people who the above description isn't enough. I've read and heard some negative reactions to the game. Not really panning it, but more like, is this all there is? I admit, being able to play a mutiplayer shooter set in the Star Wars universe is enough for me, period. Beyond that, I think that Battlefront is a great game in it's own right, if you like multiplayer shooters. Or if you like Star Wars. And if you like both, it's great. So I think it's great.<br />
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Right now though I can't stop playing Assassin's Creed Syndicate. It's actually preventing me from playing the other game I got for Christmas, Fallout 4. I played about 1/3 of the way through the original Assassin's Creed, and played Brotherhood's multiplayer, but neither of those games hooked me like this one has.<br />
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Part of the reason is the setting, Victorian era London. You play as Jacob and Evie Frye, and outside of the main story, you do missions for the likes of Dickens, Darwin, and Marx. How awesome is that!<br />
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But the main reason I'm liking the game so much is how it's the best "feeling" one of the series, at least of the ones I've played. The game's controls are only minimally frustrating, which is a compliment. And having two characters makes for a nice split between the stealthy, hide in the shadows and slit everyone's throat approach compared to the going in, guns blazing, er, slit everyone's throat approach.<br />
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The game revolves around three axes: The main story sequences, the aforementioned side missions, and the conquest of London. Each sequence has a series of missions, ending in an elaborate assassination of a Templar (the main enemies in the Assassin's Creed games). Each of the side mission's characters could be seen as sequences themselves, without the final assassination. Finally, the conquest aspect of the game has you wrenching control of London borough by borough from the Blighters, a criminal gang under the dominance of the Templars, by completing various tasks in each borough.<br />
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There's a lot to the game. I've played close to 25 hours or so by now, and I'm guessing there's at least 10 more hours of play left. That's not counting all of the collectibles. Might be awhile until I get to Fallout.<br />
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<br />Michael Heagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723904251128569919noreply@blogger.com2