Monday, December 31, 2018

2018 in Review

How did 2018 go, in terms of gaming? Let's take a look.

I started the year with an idea to try out 6 new games. First up was Dragon Rampant, using my block armies.

I then meandered aimlessly for a while, starting one project after another only to abandon them after a brief flirtation.

For example, I experimented with mecha rules (using tanks as stand-ins),

followed by dogfights,

and then gladiator rules.

I then got back into horse & musket gaming, ultimately adapting the Twilight of the Sun King rules.

Which led to Age of Sail naval battles. I created some 2D counters for my games.

I then turned to a post-apocalyptic setting, first with road battles.

Then, inspired by Kaptain Kobold, I developed some jousting rules. Lacking knight miniatures, I changed the setting to post-apocalyptic motorcycle jousting.

My father passed away in November.

I decided to get some B-57 minis (which he flew in his Air Force days) as a tribute. This led me to a search for air raid rules. From The Wargames Website, I learned of a set of Battle of Britain rules that make an excellent model for bomber runs. I've been playing with my miniatures for Aetheria (1930s imagi-nation).

I ended by experimenting with Squad-Hammer.

Which takes me to the end of the year. So, how were my predictions?
  • Six Game Challenge - I wanted to try out 6 new games but only managed 2 (if I include Squad-Hammer). I did some experiments based on new games (such as Blood Red Skies) but did not actually play any of the actual rules sets as written! So this was a fail.
  • Board Gamer - In January, I was enamored with blocks/counters so I thought I would ditch miniatures. Shortly thereafter, I went back to 2mm, and then later found myself stocking up on planes. Another fail. Nevertheless, I may revisit my blocks (inspired by this post at Wargaming Odyssey).
I would say that the theme of the year was GADD (Gamer's Attention Deficit Disorder). Stay tuned for my annual, usually useless, prognostications!

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Assessing Squad-Hammer

I recently purchased and experimented with Squad-Hammer by Nordic Weasel Games. It is described as "dirt simple gaming for many settings..or all of them." In essence, it is set up as a flexible, simple set of rules that can handle multiple settings. As you can see from the cover, you can mix dinosaurs and tanks!

The author admits that the system is intended for eras relying on ranged firepower so they aren't quite universal (although they likely can be adapted for melee-era battles). The rules themselves are fairly light. As Kaptain Kobold noted on Stronghold Rebuilt: "The rules are very much a toolkit, with no clearly defined troop stats, but lots of information on how to prepare such things." Sounds like my cup of tea.

So what are my thought after my first game of S-H? Let's take a look at a couple of the core mechanics and my thoughts about them.

Activation
On his turn, the player rolls 2D6 and keeps the highest. The die score is the number of activation points available for the turn. One activation point will allow the player to act with one unit; armies typically have 4 - 6 units. Thus, it is possible for all units to activate on a turn. This is especially true because rolling 2 dice can mitigate against a bad roll. For example, a player would have a 1/6 chance of having 1 activation point per turn if only rolling 1D6 but that probability drops to 1/36 on 2 dice.

At first I was a little concerned about this mechanism. It reminded me of De Bellis Antiquitatis (roll 1D6 activation points). In my home-brew games I dropped the DBA system because it did not generate enough fog of war for my taste. If I rolled a 1, I could take a deliberately conservative move because I knew I could not move up support. Later I adapted the Song of Blade and Heroes system because it created greater uncertainty. When I moved the first unit, I did not know if any others would follow it. Thus, I could move a unit forward aggressively only to find it unsupported. Or I could be more conservative but find that I missed an opportunity. Decisions, decisions. . .

Nevertheless, there is merit in the S-H approach. First, it is very simple in application with minimal dice-rolling. Second, it mitigates frustratingly bad activation rolls. There have been many times in my solo games when one side does nothing in a turn because of bad rolling. That won't happen with S-H.

Overall, I was content with the S-H approach. Because most units could move in a turn, the game moved along at a good pace. Nevertheless, there were enough times when a side was restricted in what it could do, which forced some decision-making. Although I may try out other activation methods, I will likely continue to use this approach for the time being.

Movement
Movement is very straightforward. Typically, infantry will move 6" with other types moving relatively more or less. There are modifiers due to terrain. Pretty basic stuff, actually.

I had no issues with this in my test game. However, I prefer using a gridded battlefield so I will be considering ways to grid-ify S-H.

Combat
Combat is very simple, and perhaps a bit too vague for some. An attacking unit will roll 2D6, needing to roll at or above a target number to hit. In general, the target number is 7+ for targets in moderate range in the open. The game does not provide a long list of modifiers to account for different situations. Players need to improvise a target number from 5 to 10, although S-H does provide some general suggestions.

While some might hate the ambiguity, I absolutely love it for solo gaming. The lack of definitive modifiers certainly speeds play; I don't have to look anything up. In fact, I often roll before I determine the target number. If I roll really high or low, the target number becomes moot because the result is clear. If it is borderline, I usually just make a judgement call - "yeah, close enough" or "nah, not quite." Simple and quick!

Once a unit hits, roll for damage. Damage is typically D6 (although it could be D3 or best of 2D6). Damage is marked off and units are usually destroyed with 7 points. It is a simple system that is primarily attritional but can feature variability (a unit could sustain anywhere from 2 to 7 rounds of damage. Naturally, 2 would be most common but I had units that survived until 3 or 4 hits)

Damage was my biggest concern with the combat rules. I hate using rosters and it seems clunky for a unit to have up to 6 damage markers beside it. For my first game, I used a roster but I was not thrilled with it. My units were not identified in any way so I had to remember that the one on the left was unit 1, etc. Issues cropped up when units switched positions. Of course, I can mitigate the issue by adding ID numbers to the units. I'd rather not do that. Instead, I want to look into damage markers (Kaptain Kobold has some effective ones in this Trench Hammer battle report). This is going to take some experimenting.

Overall Thoughts
  • I really haven't scratched the surface of this game yet. There are things I forgot to do (for example, a unit can withdraw and recover from some of its damage). Nevertheless, I like the base mechanics and plan on more experiments.
  • I am a fan of universal mechanics and D6s. S-H offers both of these features. Thus, these rules are right in my wheelhouse.
  • The activation system worked fine. I will probably use it as-is for the time being, however I may experiment with other systems at some point.
  • My most immediate concern is with damage. I want to avoid rosters and I cannot use single figure removal. What are my options? I can make try to make some markers that are unobtrusive but still allow up to 6 damage points. Or I can play with the damage rules to reduce the amount of damage a unit could take. I would then need to modify the damage rolls. I may need to give this some thought.
Regardless of my quibbles, I am very pleased with this purchase. 
My evaluation - Buy Squad-Hammer now!

Follow-Up
After I wrote this assessment, I was perusing my battle report from the day prior. I realized that my sci-fi forces are still on wooden bases. I thought to myself that I should upgrade to the Litko clear bases (I've become a big Litko fan). I then had an epiphany - I could mark damage on the bases with a marker!

Below is an experiment. The infantry and tank have marked damage.


As you can see, the ink works on the bases. Furthermore, it was no trouble wiping off the marks. It seems like a good option. I'll have to re-base and test it out!

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Zirconia Counter Attack

Battle 3 of the Zirconian Campaign
After defeat at Vesta, the Dominion (robot) advance continued. The Zirconian (human) defenders are rushing forces forward towards a strategic hill and crossroads.

Background Notes

  • This is my first test run of Squad Hammer, a set of rules for "dirt simple gaming for many settings..or all of them." I picked it up recently based on some posts on TWW and Stronghold Rebuilt (e.g this). I was pleased on my initial read-through so I've been itching to try them out.
  • It has been a while since I played a game set on Zirconia, but I decided to dust off the campaign for this experiment.
After Action Report
Dominion forces (bottom) are pushing along the roads, heading to the Space Templar sanctuary on Mystere Island. A force consisting of robot infantry and mobile artillery is passing through the town of Newton (left) while more infantry and armor advance on the right.

Opposing them are two groups of Zirconian infantry (left and right) and an armored column (center - 2 tanks and a missile launcher). Alas, before the battle begins one of the infantry units on the left is destroyed by a greater cat-beast.
Note - the sample units section of Squad Hammer includes a "large, black long-haired house cat-beast"  that destroys any figure it removes from the table. Well, my large, black, long-haired house cat-beast decided to play with a unit of Zirconian infantry, leading to the first casualty of the game - before the first turn began!

One of the tanks rushes forward to the island. It gets caught in a crossfire and is destroyed.

The Dominion armor on the hill takes damage. Another greater cat-beast prowls on the edge of the battlefield (no casualties though).
Note - Ollie, a brown tabby, also enjoyed the game

Dominion infantry advances on the island under the cover of withering fire that damages a missile launcher and infantry.

The Dominion infantry and artillery come under fire.

But the advance continues. One unit seizes the Templar sanctuary while another assaults the Zirconian armor.

Heavy combat destroys 2 Dominion and 1 Zirconian infantry.

Then the Zirconian missile launcher is pummeled.

Fearing that the Dominion may control the crossroads, the Zirconian armor makes a mad dash forward.

It survives heavy fire and overruns the robot infantry. Meanwhile, the Zirconians drive the robots out of the sanctuary on the island.

The armor is destroyed by sustained fire. Zirconian infantry follows up and reclaims the crossroads, but also gets destroyed.

The crossroads remains in Dominion hands, inflicting yet another defeat on the Zirconians and effectively ending all resistance. Soon after, Dominion forces seize the capital and secure control of the planet.

Thoughts
  • As mentioned, this is my first attempt with Squad Hammer. I will record my thoughts in a later post. Overall, I am pleased and plan some more experiments.
  • I decided to play the rules as written, including move and combat distances. Because my flip-mats have been cut down, I didn't really have a large enough battlefield. I improvised one with some brown wrapping paper with terrain drawn on. I will be looking to grid-ify the rules in future experiments.
  • I am counting this as a battle in the Zirconian campaign. The Dominion now has won 3 battles and lost none, giving them the campaign. Zirconia falls to the robot overlords. I may start a new campaign, with the Federation trying to drive out the Dominion.

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Merry Christmas

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:10-11 (KJV)


On this celebration of the birth of Jesus, we rejoice in receiving the greatest gift ever - salvation through the grace of Jesus Christ.

May all the world's people, regardless of their creed, have a wonderful and peaceful day and a happy new year.

Monday, December 24, 2018

Twelve Games of Christmas - 2018 Edition

As per our tradition, we have been playing games while I'm off work for the holidays. Here is a summary.

Game 1 (Dec 20) - Castle Panic
We couldn't decide what movie to watch tonight, so we played a game instead. We selected Castle Panic, a light cooperative game.


Picture from Boardgamegeek
It was a fairly easy victory. Early in the game, we managed to clear the board of enemies. They made a surge late, but it was not enough. We wiped them out. Our biggest challenge of the night was trying to stop our cat Onyx from running away with the dice. Our cat Thomasina hissed at him (she hates it when he messes with the game - she just likes to watch).

Game 2 (Dec 21) - Air Raid
 I decided to play out the next raid in my Lucranian aerial campaign. My wife volunteered to play with me. I posted a battle report the day after.


Tom and Onyx really loved the game. Onyx tried to roll the dice and Tom was very frisky, running up and down the stairs.

 Games 3 - 5 (Dec 22) - Ticket to Ride, Shadows Over Camelot Card Game, Love Letter
Today was a trifecta. We visited my brothers and brought over a couple of games. One of my brothers owns Ticket to Ride so we played that. At first, I was doing well and had an extensive rail network in the west. However, I was soon surpassed and ended the game in last place. Elizabeth completed the NY-LA run however my brother Brett managed to complete 6 routes. His rail system proved supreme by a mere 4 points. Great game.

We followed it up with the Shadows Over Camelot card game. We managed to out the traitor (Brett) and had finished a few quests. We were close to victory.

Shadows Over Camelot components
Then Morgan le Fey blinded us. Unable to see the cards, we messed up some quests and ended up losing. The traitor had destroyed Camelot.

When we got home, we noticed that Tom seemed depressed. She had heard us talking about games earlier and was very cheerful but we had disappointed her by playing away from home. To improve her mood, Elizabeth and I played a game of Love Letter. I eked out a narrow 7-5 victory (much to Tom's pleasure).

Games 6 - 7 (Dec 24) - Squad-Hammer and Exploding Kittens
No game on the 23rd. We watched March of the Wooden Soldiers (aka Babes in Toyland) instead.

This morning I experimented with Squad Hammer using my 2mm sci-fi minis.

We visited with my family for Christmas Eve dinner. Afterwards, we pulled out Exploding Kittens (which was a Christmas gift from last year) and played a couple of hands with my brothers.

Elizabeth won the first round and then Brett won the second.

As of this night, we are halfway through the challenge so I will publish to the blog and then update the rest of the week.

Game 8 (Dec 25) - Oregon Trail Card Game
Merry Christmas!
Tonight we got use out of a Christmas gift - Oregon Trail.


Like the classic computer game, your party is trying to make it Oregon before succumbing to a multitude of possible calamities.


I made it about a third of the way to Oregon before I died of dysentery. My wife pressed on, and was nearly halfway there when she too succumbed to dysentery.

Games 9 - 10 (Dec 26) - Oregon Trail Card Game and Dragonwood
This night we tried Oregon Trail again. This time we gave ourselves 2 lives. Here was our result:


First, the mother Jo-Anne drowned while the party tried to cross the river. Little Heather was next; she died from a rattlesnake bite. Tim repeated her mistake and lost his reptilian encounter. The family patriarch, Billy, pressed on until he succumbed to dysentery. Rumors had it that he was eating his dead kin. The numbers are when they died. Billy made it through 30 trail cards. He needed another 20 to make it.

We then played Dragonwood, an enjoyable, little fantasy-themed dice-rolling game. Below is my wife's haul. She beat me by 4 victory points, and pulled out her victory by beating the last monster, the 7-VP Bronze Dragon, before I could get to it.


Game 11 - 12 (Dec 31) - Air Raid and Elder Sign
No game on the 27th. Instead, we spent the night tormenting ourselves with Darkest Dungeon, a rather brutal dungeon crawling video game. Death is frequent and the tension is high!

More video games on the 28th. This time Skyrim. I am finally playing the Thieve's Guild quests. I normally skip these quests because I prefer being a good guy. I decided to do these now because I created a Khajit character and stealth is a strong suit + I wanted to do something new.

Watched Notre Dame get crushed in the college football playoff on the 29th. Spent the 30th recovering from LARPing.

Finally got back to a game on the 31st. Played a full scale air raid (report forthcoming).

We decided to end the Twelve Games with a bang, or more appropriately a scream. In this case, the game of the night was Elder Sign.

This time we were trying to stop Ithaqua from appearing.

We started well, managing to wrack up several of the 11 Elder Signs we needed to stop him. Then we ran into a patch of trouble and lost 2 characters. But their replacements soldiered on and retrieved the remaining Elder Signs, thus sealing the portal and saving humanity!

Thus ends this year's Twelve Games of Christmas!

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Save the City!

Campaign Against Lucrania - Mission # 4

Mission Details
Mission # - 4
Target - Factory Complex
Forces Engaged - 3 Bombers and 2 Escort vs. 3 Interceptors

This mission was run by 2 players. My wife was the Lucranian defenders while I was the Imperial attackers. I added an extra fighter to each side, just to make things a bit more interesting.

After Action Report
After its recent success, the Imperial Air Force decided to shift back to attacking the factory complex in the nearby city of Sandino.

The fighters engage ahead of the wave of bombers. An Imperial fighter is damaged.

One of the Lucranian interceptors manages a pass in which he damages 2 bombers. A second interceptor follows up and destroys a bomber.

More destruction - the Empire loses a fighter but one of its bombers manage to destroy an interceptor.

The last escort falls. Now the Lucranians are free to pursue the bombers.

One goes down.

And then the last one.

Once again, the bombers fail to reach the target. Sandino is saved!

Notes

  • My wife complained a little that the movement rules were complex. She struggled with the rule that she had to move the full movement allowance every turn. Repeatedly she asked "Why do I have to move? Can't I hover?" I then had to explain that they weren't helicopters.
  • Nevertheless, she got the hang of it and did well (I helped a little with some advice). It doesn't hurt that she is a good dice-roller!
  • For this game, I added clouds. Planes could not shoot targets in the clouds, nor could they shoot from the clouds. I think it added some more tactical considerations.
  • Finally, this game featured my re-purposed Irregular 1/900 scale planes. I intend to use these to represent superior aircraft, so painted them differently from my standard planes. They are silver with red or blue nose and tails. The colors are hard to see in the photos (which once again are fuzzy) but are perfectly visible on the table.

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Skies over Dunkirk

Recently, The Wargames Website has been an inspiration to me. This time, it was a scenario for a dogfight from the movie Dunkirk. I decided to have a go at it, using my adaptation of the Spandau and Lewis rules.

I don't have any Battle of Britain planes so I improvised with my Aetheria imagi-nation planes. The 3 blue and yellow planes are playing the role of the Spitfires, the red planes represent Me 109s, and the silver bomber serves as a Ju88. Please pardon the blurry pics.

Two 109s are escorting a Ju88 to bomb a British minesweeper (off the map). Three Spitfires intercept.

One of the Spitfires, with an inexperienced pilot, manages to damage the Ju88. Meanwhile, another Spitfire finds itself beset by the two escorts. It too takes damage.

The inexperienced Spitfire pilot manages a nifty turn and finds itself on the bomber's tail. The Ju88's defensive fire is ineffective. The other fighters circle for advantage.

The Spitfires converge on the Ju88 and do more damage while the 109s fail to line up any shots.

One of the 109s, piloted by a veteran, manages to damage a Spitfire as it zooms past. Alas, its efforts are for nought. Two Spitfires pour fire into the bomber and bring it down.

The games lasted half a dozen turns and less than a half hour. It was a short but enjoyable scenario. Thanks TWW!

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Plane Crazy

I'm facing a bit of a dilemma right now. I need more planes for my bomber campaign, but I'm reluctant to buy more planes!

Let me explain. You see, I am not a typical wargamer. I'm a minimalist at heart so I hate having large collections. I try to keep my forces to a minimum to play the game. It's one of the reasons I like imagi-nations. I can use generic forces and not worry about collecting every plane in every theater. Unfortunately, due to my GADD (Gamer's Attention Deficit Disorder) I start and drop projects regularly, only to find duplication and overlap. That's my current situation.

Today, I rummaged among my discarded projects and found some more planes.

First up are some generic 1/900 scale planes by Irregular. To the left are some of my Aetherian planes. As you can see, they seem to fit size-wise (even though the Aetherian ones are nominally 1/600 scale from PicoArmor). The bombers are a bit bigger but they are 4-engine bombers so it makes sense. The bombers are only a little larger than my 1" squares so I think they'll work. I'll probably repaint them in Aetherian colors.

And here are some 1/600 Tumbling Dice Germans and Americans (Me-109, FW-190, P-51, P-47, and B-17). They are a bit larger so I probably won't use them.

I found some 1-engine bombers from PicoArmor (right, in red). I need to finish painting and basing them. I have another 5 (not painted).

Nevertheless, I would like some more 2-engine bombers.

However, my latest plane kick started with these.

This jet age project began as an homage to my recently deceased father, who flew Canberras in the '50s. My problem with these is that they are a bit big for my board.

To complicate matters even further, I had previously intended to get rid of all my planes. In an exercise in extreme minimalism, my plan was to create fleets of rockets which could serve either as space fighters or larger ships. I have done some space dogfights with home-made flats. However, I am not happy with my attempts and am looking for some minis that I like.

Writing this post has clarified some things in my mind. I'm going to paint up my Canberras for another set of rules while I prepare my Irregular planes for the Aetheria campaign. I'll be ordering a small batch of 2-engine bombers (probably from Irregular) to fill out my Aetherian air forces. I am going to shelve my space dogfight concept for the time being. Once I get everything sorted out, I'll put any extras in my discard pile (to be given away eventually).