The Russian Commanders

On April 21 of this year (2018) we played a Napoleonic game using the "Commands&Colors–Napoleonic" rules. We named this game "Back into the Cauldron".  The  French were whipped soundly by the Russian army.  The Russians had a few more infantry units and one more cavalry regiment.  The French had one more artillery battery.  As the gamemaster (who played on the French side) later conceded "This was not enough".

I finish this battle report shortly.

On December 16, 2017 we played our final game of that year.  This was a 15mm German vs. American battle set loosely during the Battle of the Bulge.

Looking across (long ways) the table. The Germans will enter from the left and try to exit off the right. The Americans will set up (hidden) on the table.

Alex and Ed were given time to secretly deploy their forces and decide where to put their mine fields These anti-tank mine fields played a big part in the American defence.  The Germans had given the possibility of mines no thought.  The Americans had not realized how effective they would be.

German Kampfgruppen on their left flank – Phil’s units. One group is mostly Tiger tanks with a little infantry. The other is an infantry company supported by Stug III’s.

Near the center of the table German artillery has hit a village and set part of it on fire hoping to drive any Americans out into the snow.

Steve's units were behind a hill and weren't taken under fire on the first turn, so he hit the village and some woods with artillery. Jay advanced right into a mine field losing his armor support. Part of the unit was destroyed by mines and the rest knocked out by Alex's M36 tank destroyers which were covering the mine field.

In the foreground Steve’s kampfgroup (infantry and Panther tanks) advance on the German right flank. Editor's note: Yes the photo is rotated 90 degrees. Click on the photo and it will display correctly.

In the center of the battle Jay’s units (infantry and Mark IV’s) have hit a mine field and stumbled upon some of Alex’s infantry in the woods. On the German left the infantry dismounted and were hit by mortar and machine gun fire. The Sturmgeshutzen are trying to push the infantry out of the woods. The Tigers are advancing slowly on the German left..

Steve’s Panthers advance but are hit in the flank when they come around the hill by Ed’s M10’s.

Alex's infantry is able to hold the woods in the center and the American right. Phil's Tigers advance slowly dueling with some Shermans in the woods.

In the center the attack is bogged down. The American infantry hold the village and 2 pieces of woods. They are able to direct a lot of machine gun and mortar fire on the deployed German infantry. American tanks and tank destroyers are taking a toll on the German armor.

Ed's M10s are taken out by Steve's Panthers but cause enough damage that the Panthers are killed by some Shermans. Steve's infantry find more mine fields.

Ed’s M10’s did not duck out of sight after hitting the Panthers and retaliation was swift.

Steve’s Panthers firing up Ed’s M10’s. Some of Steve’s infantry has also stumbled into a minefield.

Ed’s remaining armor (some short 75mm Shermans) take out another Panther and damage the last one.

The German attack never really got going. The Americans hid in the woods and were able to stay hidden until they could get the first shots at close range. The mine fields in the center also took their toll.

At the end the Germans had their Tigers and very little supporting infantry. The Americans still had some Shermans and about 3 companies of infantry.

Atribution:All photos and commentary by Ed Sansing.  Such editing as was done (yes this included the photo on its side) by Jay Stribling.

On May 11, the "Old Geezers" lunch meeting was in full flower, with Eds Sansing, Jim Pitts, Russ Schneider, and Jay Stribling when two of our favorite "extended range" club members joined us.  These were Marc Fluitt from Mandeville Louisiana and Mark Stevens from Columbia Mississippi.  After the lunch, we adjourned to Jay Stribling's home where we played a previously prepared 15mm Crimean War game.

Marc Fluitt took a number of photographs with his massive camera (with that lens it could probably take images of Pluto) and I will post them here.

Russian Infantry battalions advancing across the game table.

I (Jay Stribling) had probably set up too large a game.  Certainly the Russians were too numerous.  Three divisions of infantry, three brigades of cavalry and four(?)  batteries of artillery were too many for the British and French to halt.

Above, a French battalion fires furiously.  The British and French battalions received five fire dice (at full strength) while the Russian columns were allowed only one fire die.  There were several Russian Rifle units that shot with four dice.  The allied generated far more casualties than they took (at least three to one) but there were always more Russian battalions.

In close combat the Russians did as well as the allies… I blame the one-sided game (Imperial Russia's finest day) on the game-master and his inability to balance the thing.  Who was this scoundrel of a game-master?  It was Jay Stribling (ME)!

A British battalion in line.  All the troops are mostly Minifigs.

At one point many MANY years ago, Mark Stevens and I began painting this army using 15mm Peter Laing figures.  Does anyone remember Peter Laing?  We still have a few of those (Small 15m) guys, but all of the figures painted in the last 25 years have been Minifigs.

More Russians with the tiniest portion of the British shown on the right.

This is almost a repeat of an earlier shot.  The figures shown make up perhaps half of one Russian division–they had three divisions.   These were a lot of figures on a 5′x 8′game table.

Jim Pitts, one of the Allied players.

Jim Pitts, Mark Stevens (Brits) and Russ Schneider (French) were the allies.  While Jim and Mark suffered heavily, Russ was just blown (or bayonetted) to nothingness.  Ed Sansing, Marc Fluitt, and Jay Stribling were the Russians.  We had so many troops that traffic control was our major problem.  Not a balanced game.

Russian columns and British line are involved in melee

There are almost no reserves for the allies, but there are many more Russians.  This is the center of the line on about turn four.  In defense of the game-master, he thought that the allied battalions' fire would stop many of the Russian units.

Mark Stevens in a joyful mood (probably just gave the Russians a good volley)

Mark obviously has pulled off a tactical coup here, but still the Russians march on.  The Russian objectives were very near the rear edge of the allied line.  This meant that the allies had very little room to fall back.  They were on higher ground than the enemy so never thought about moving forward to meet the Russians earlier.

Jay Stribling, the fiend of a game-master

We used a variant of the Brom Standard rules which were an ancestor of Larry Broms Chassepot and Needlegun rules for the Franco-Prussian war.  C&N would have worked just a well.  It was a good game however there was muttering about "Jay fixed the game and played on the winning side." In a way that was true, but the assignments to the sides (Russian or Allies) were made randomly long after the game was set up.

I enjoyed it anyway!

It was a newly discovered Earth-type planet whose soil was very compatible to growing Earth-style crops.  It was a find to be claimed by the strongest.  But who would that be—the Draconis Combine or the Federated Suns?

We used the mech forces raised by Sean P.  The rules were "Battle Tech–Alpha Strike" which are a simplified variant of the standard Battle Tech rules.  We like them because they play quicker and are easier to recall from one game to another over a period of months between the two games.

Each nation-state sent a veteran combat company to claim the planet for their own.  Let the battle begin!

A Draconis Combine platoon advances through the high grasses.

Their Draconis commander consults his battle plan as he opens fire on the Federated Suns force opposite him.

The other Draconis platoon advances against a single Federated mech.  Is he separated from his battle comrades?

The other Federated Suns platoon starts to receive fire from the Draconis platoon.

Two Federated mechs (black in center and green behind tall grass) are attacked by three Draconis mechs.  Who will come out on top?

The battle continues as the two Federated mechs stand back to back against the three Draconis mechs.

But one of each falls through close battle damage, leaving the little Federated Enforcer mech facing two Draconis mechs.

In the center of the action, a Federated Black Knight mech (brown camouflage on left) watches his red and black painted Enforcer battle buddy succumbs to the fire of a Draconis No-Dachi mech (red on right).

Later in the battle, one of the Federated platoons has been wiped out.  The two Draconis platoons (right background and foreground) now gang up on the lone Federated platoon (center and left foreground).

Closing in from all directions the Draconis mechs finally blast the remaining Federated mechs into scrap metal, winning the planet for the Draconis Combine!

We had time for a second battle but only one photograph survived.  A Draconis battle team of a Strider (left), Komodo (center–gray), and Jenner (right) mech seek cover before firing on their Federated opponents.  Unfortunately all three of these Draconis mechs were later destroyed by the Federated forces.  But that didn't do the Federated forces any good as they were forced back to their landing zone by the stronger Draconis force.

In the first game, the four players each had a platoon of four mechs.  In the second game each had a half-company of six mechs.

A fun time was had by all even though the Federated commanders couldn't roll hits worth a hoot.  If they needed an 8 or better to hit, then they rolled a 7.  The dice just weren't in their favor.

On Monday, Feb. 15, a small group of the Jackson Gamers assembled at Jim's church hall to give the "To the Strongest!" rules another try.  Jim provided his vintage 15mm early Medieval armies composed of a Norman force based in Southern Italy led by Count Robert "Guiscard" de Hautville and a Byzantine force led by Basil, the Katapan of Langobardia.  We played two games since the rules go very swiftly.  Both were basically encounter battles with each side's forces drawn up in battle array.  The Normans won both games, handily beating up on the Byzantines.

Here are a few photographs showing the action in the second game:

Action in the center with Byzantines on the left rear and Normans on the right front.

One of Jim's Norman cavalry units tries to move but draws an Ace (no activation)! Thus ends Jim's turn before it begins.

Papal allies of the Normans attack the Byzantines in the center with Swabian axemen about to cross a low ridge.  In the background there is confused fighting between Byzantines and Normans around a small village.

Jim's Norman spear units advance against some Byzantine scutatoi.

Normans (on right) press their attacks against the Byzantines.

Jim's forces are mounted on 80mm x 40mm bases originally for the "Vis Bellica" rules which we no longer use.  They've been unused for many moons until "To the Strongest!" rules came along.  Now they can be brought out with each base being a single unit.  Good to see them again.