Scout Mission on Helos

Over the holidays, I played a test game of Operation Last Train, a free game of sci-fi, bug-splatting mayhem. I tried it with individually-based, 10mm figures, but decided to convert it to a 3mm game. Last weekend I played a test game with the smaller minis.

The Set Up

The figures came from PicoArmor. I'm using their "xenomorphs" as bugs, and heavy infantry as the human forces.

Infantry are organized as heavy (2 strips per base) or light (1 strip). Heavies have better armor but lights move further.

I am creating a boxed set that will have everything I need in one place.

The Mission

My civilians are not complete, but I wanted to take my troops out for a test run. I decided to do a simple scouting mission. The human forces must move across the battlefield and exit from the far end.

I rolled randomly to determine the force composition and came up with 1 heavy and 2 light infantry squads.

After Action Report

Command sends a platoon of infantry to scout out Sector Alpha. The platoon is comprised of 2 squads of light infantry (1st and 2nd squads) and one heavy (3rd squad)

The mission has barely begun and the bugs are already swarming. 1st Squad (left) destroys a swarm.

However, a swarm overruns the heavy infantry.

1st Squad enacts revenge, wiping out two swarms. 2nd Squad advances to a hilltop.

More swarms emerge, forcing the platoon back.

Under heavy pressure, the platoon calls the dropship for extraction. 1st Squad makes it aboard. 2nd Squad is beset. The dropships turret makes short work of one swarm.

At the last moment, 2nd Squad clambers aboard and the dropship takes off.

It's been a rough day for the Corps.

Game Notes

Generally, I am using a tweaked version of Micro Battle. 

• Activation, movement, and combat rules use my current MB rules
• Damage is more like Operation Last Train. A unit that gets hit is either destroyed or disordered (akin to knocked down in OLT). Disordered units cannot do anything until spending an activation to restore order. This makes the game very bloody, yet quick

Another feature based on OLT is that destroyed bugs can respawn on a 5-6. I will then roll to determine where they respawn. Sometimes, this can occur very close to a human squad. Surprise!

Anyway, I've been enjoying OLT.

Ser Killian's Tale Begins

Introduction

Let me tell you the tale of Ser Killian, the stalwat paladin, and his companions: his squire Haiden, his confessor Brother Winston, and his retainer Gruff the Archer.

Killian is the fifth son of a minor noble. Being unable to inherit, his father has pledged Killian to serve the Church as a paladin. To enter the order, Killian must first perform a deed of chivalry. Thus, he sets out as a knight errant to the wilds of the Sword Coast, there to make a name for himself. 

Game Notes

As mentioned previously, I am starting a new campaign using the Dragon of Icespire Peak adventure in the D&D Essentials Kit.

Instead of D&D, however, I am using my latest system, which I am tentatively calling D12 Dungeon.

I am keeping a record of Killian's adventures in a journal my wife gave me. It's a Narnia journal, but close enough I guess.

In brief, here are descriptions of the heroes:

• Ser Killian is a paladin. He is very strong, intelligent, and charismatic. He rides a warhorse, wears chain, and is armed with shield, lance, and sword.
• Squire Haiden is a fighter. He is strong and intelligent, but a bit clumsy. He wears padded armor and wields a shield and spear.
• Brother Winston is a priest. He is agile and very wise, but a bit sickly. He wears no armor but faith in Daeus, and wields a rod and staff.
• Gruff serves as an archer, but he is rogue by training. He is strong and very agile, but is a tad offensive. He has no armor and carries a bow and a sword.

Finally, I am using a different pantheon. There are three "gods:" 

• Daeus, the creator
• Alterra, mother of nature, and 
• Erlik, lord of death. 

Daeuans do not acknowledge the others as gods. Instead, they consider them powerful spirits of nature and evil respectively. Furthermore, both were created by Daeus.

The Story

[Scroll down for the TL;DR version]

Killian's story begins in the town of Leilon. There, he learns that a dragon has been spotted near the village of Phandalin.

"This sounds like a worthy quest for a knight errant. Come, lads, let's show this dragon what's what!"

The others look at each other nervously, but swallow their words. They are sworn to follow Killian, and so into the dragon's maw they must go.

The Trail to Phandalin

Killian decides to take a shorter, but more dangerous trail to Phandalin.

Along the way, they come across a hunter who has just bagged a deer.

"Stay away!" the hunter commands. "This is my catch!"

"Never fear, my good man!" Killian responds. "I am a knight in the service of Daeus, and these are my retainers. We are pledged to serve and protect our Lord's people. We mean you no harm."

Killian reaches into his purse, pulls out a gold coin, and tosses it to the hunter.

"In fact, here is a gift. Buy yourself a nice ale to complement your catch."

"Master, no! We will need that." his squire protests.

"Nonsense, squire. We can rough it a bit in order to bless others. And Daeus will bless us for our generosity."

"Amen," approves Brother Winston. Gruff just grimaces.

Heartened by Killian's manner, the hunter offers to guide the party to Phandalin.

In Phandalin

First thing, Killian looks for a church so he can give thanks for making it safely to the village. However, there is no church; just an untended shrine. Brother Winston tsks at the oversight.

"Never fear, good cleric. I vow that we shall rectify that situation! Why, I spy on yonder hill the ruins of a majestic structure. It would make a good church."

"But master," interrupted Haiden. "We have no money to build a house, much less a church! "How ...?"

"Never mind the hows, my good squire. Daeus shall provide the means."

Next, they visit the inn, and learn that orcs have been raiding in the area.

Afterwards, they pay a call to the townmaster. However, he is petrified of the dragon, and refuses to open the door.

Killian responds. "How am I to hunt down this beast, if you do not speak with me and provide me information for my quest?"

"Be off, you fool." the townmaster answers. "The dragon will eat you up and spit you out."

"But I must complete my quest."

"If you want a quest, try one of those on the quest board. Now be off!"

They check the quest board. There are 3 notices. All involve delivering warnings to nearby settlers.

"What? That pompous fool wants me to be a delivery boy!? Why, I never!"

"But master," Haiden interrupts. "Look at this one. We must rescue a damsel in distress!"

Killian looks at the notice. The quester must deliver a warning to Adabra, a midwife who lives a few miles from the village. Close enough.

"By Daeus, you're right! Now why didn't they make that plainer?"

And so they take on the quest.

Battle of Umbrage Hill

Adabra lives in a windmill on Umbrage Hill, which lies a few miles southeast of Phandalin.

The ground is hilly, but they make good time without incident. However, as they approach Adabra's residence, they hear roaring and cries for help.

They rush forward. Cresting a hill, they see a manticore attacking the windmill. Adabra is inside, calling for help.

Game note - really, a manticore? An 8 HD monster for a first level quest? I mean, I know that negotiation is an option, but would a paladin really do that?

Additional note - I looked back at the quests. I kind of did them out of order. I should have been 3rd level in D&D terms before tackling this one. Still kind of silly because this quest was closest to Phandalin!

Killian does not stop to think. "Charge!" he commands, and spurs his horse forward.

Haiden and Gruff follow, but Winston is frozen in fear.

The manticore is intent on its prey, and does not see the heroes attack. Killian's charge strikes home, his lance piercing the beast's hide. Simultaneously, Gruff launches an arrow that strikes deep in the manticore's neck.

Game note: both hits do 2 points of damage. The manticore is already halfway to death! Yeah, I nerfed the hit points a lot. But then, a hit only does 0-2 points of damage.

The manticore lashes out, wounding Killian's horse. The heroes attack again, but miss.

The manticore clamps it jaws into the horse's neck, killing it. Killian jumps clear, draws his sword, and attacks. The manticore knocks aside the blow. This gives Gruff a chance; he aims and fires a shot that pierces the manticore's eye. It is severely wounded, but not dead.

Bleeding profusely and beset by battle-crazed warriors, the manticore decides to escape. It grabs the horse carcass and flies off.

"Come back here, you coward!" Killian shouts after him, to no avail.

Aftermath

Adabra thanks the party for their help. She refuses to leave her home, even after hearing the warning. But she does pen a letter to the townmaster confirming that she received the warning. She also provides a healing elixir to Killian as a reward.

As the party leaves, Gruff surreptitiously flashes the moon sign with his fingers. Adabra shows surprise and alarm at this symbol of Alterra.

Gruff whispers, "yer secret is safe with me. Just be careful around these goodniks," as he points to Killian and Winston.

The heroes return to Phandalin and receive payment from the townmaster. Killian pledges his share to building a church for the village.

TL;DR Version

• In Leilon, Killian learns of a dragon spotted near Phandalin
• On the road, the party befriends a hunter, who guides them to Phandalin
• In Phandalin,
• Killian remarks on the lack of a church. He vows to build one.
• they learn of orc raids while visiting the tavern
• the townmaster rebuffs them as fools
• they find the quest board, and resolve to "rescue" Adabra, a midwife who lives a few miles from the village, from the dragon.
• At Umbrage Hill, they see Adabra's residence being attacked by a manticore.
• Killian charges into battle, with Haiden and Gruff in support. Winston loses his nerve and freezes in place.
• The party surprises the manticore. Killian and Gruff wound it.
• The manticore kills Killian's horse.
• They battle on. The manticore takes more wounds.
• Now severely wounded, the manticore decides to flee. It grabs the corpse of Killian's horse and flies off.
• Adabra refuses to leave her home, but she rewards the party for their help.
• The party returns to Phandalin, and receive payment for their success. Killian donates his share to the church building fund.

RPG Thoughts

I wanted to roll some dice last weekend but did not feel like setting up a minis battle. Instead, I decided to do an RPG session.

When last we met our heroes, they had returned from an adventure in the woods. Their master, Groombal, intimated that some great evil was afoot in the woods. I had intended a sequel, but did not have all the miniatures I needed. Well, that led to some pondering.

Back to Cards?

While I love the look of miniatures, I have concluded that they don't work well for my RPG sessions because I usually don't have painted figures for the monsters I need. As a result, months go by without a session.

I really need something I can pick up and play. This has led me back to the idea of creating monster cards. I did a little experiment.

I took the goblin picture from some paper figures I purchased from Okum Arts. The art doesn't really match the background, but this is the concept I have.

I had previously made some cards, but I had so much info on it that it was rather busy. This time, I simplified to Attack factors (to-hit/damage), armor, and health.

While I like the look, I just don't have much time to work on it, so I ginned up some quick versions on index cards so I could play an adventure. More on that later.

Back to D12?

While working on the cards, I also began to ponder the monster stats. In particular, I thought about experimenting with a D12 again. This would give some more granularity in combat.

• With MicroQuest, which uses a D6, the target number varies depending on whether the enemy is higher level, lower, or the same level.
• With a D12, the modifier could be the difference between levels.

My biggest problems was that my armor classifications (light, medium, or heavy) worked better with a D6. Then I thought that a system that uses D12s for to-hit rolls and D6s for damage might work.

I haven't tried it yet, but am planning on it.

New Campaign

Well, I don't want to re-stat my current characters for a new system, so I am leaning toward starting a new campaign with new characters. However, I'm feeling lazy so I don't want to think up new adventures. Solution - buy a pre-made module.

But which module? Initially, I was leaning to something old school. I even picked up the Temple of Elemental Evil on PDF. Then I remembered that I picked up D&D 5E Essentials last year. It includes a campaign (Dragon of Icespire Peak) for characters starting at level 1 and going up to level 8. I think I'll do that instead.

Converting from D&D

In general, I think I can easily convert from D&D to my rules using these guidelines.

• Divide levels or hit dice by 2. For example, a HD 10 monster would be level 5 in my rules
• AC 11-12 = light armor, 13-15 is medium, and 16+ is heavy
• Generally, hit points = level (in my rules) x 2

I also expect to make changes to the campaign.

• I don't care much for D&D's polytheistic pantheons. I'll replace it with a monotheistic one.
• I prefer a more human-centric setting. There will be elves and dwarves but they will be more like Celtic myth - rare and mysterious. Thus, some of the non-human NPCs will become human.
• I also prefer a lower-magic setting. There will likely be fewer magic items, and fewer spellcasters.

New Characters

For this new campaign, I'll need a new adventuring party, and it should be a full 4+ characters. Here's my thoughts so far.

My main character will be a knight errant (paladin). He is accompanied by

• his squire (a fighter)
• his confessor (a cleric), and
• an archer (actually a rogue)

And a Quick Adventure!

I actually ran a quick adventure last weekend. Tweedle and Dunh ventured back into the woods, where they ran into 2 blights. Tweedle was seriously wounded (down to his last hit point) so retreated from the woods and returned home.

But stay tuned. They have an important mission, and will return to the woods.

Another Battle

I played another test battle of Blue vs. Red.

Set Up

I decided to play the Seize scenario, which requires both sides to capture something that is in the middle of the battlefield. I chose to make the objective a town comprised of some new buildings.

The Armies

• Red - 1 cavalry, 3 heavy infantry
• Blue - 2 light infantry (on the flanks), 2 heavy infantry

The Battle

The Red and Blue armies both approach the town of Keeno.

Red assaults Blue and pushes them back. Notice the new casualty markers. I designed them to look like trails of blood. The infantry in the town are sideways just so they would fit into the square.

Red's advance destroys a light and a heavy infantry unit.

Blue has lost 2 units so rolls for morale. It fails and must retreat. Victory for Red.

Terrain Experiments

During the battle, I experimented with some terrain. The town of Keeno was made of a couple of new buildings that I got from PicoArmor. Here are some more.

I still have quite a few I haven't painted.

I also played around with the woods. I have just been using a scouring pad. It worked great for 2mm, but the 3mm figures are a bit too tall in comparison, as you can see from this picture.

I had an idea for simple trunks. I cut out a piece of black foam. It is slightly smaller than the scouring pad.

Then I placed the scouring pad on the foam. It got a little off kilter in this photo.

The idea is to raise the "leaves" above the soldiers. Furthermore, the figures can stand under the eaves of the woods instead of standing on top. In practice, it was a bit fiddly. but that was because the tree tops were not attached to the trunks. I kept knocking the top off. I think I'll try gluing them together and seeing how it works.

And here is a test forest that I crafted after the game.

In addition to gluing the two parts together, I used light brown paint to mark tree trunks. I rather like the look and can't wait to try it out in a game.

Whew, what a week!

From the looks of things, you might think I did a lot of gaming this week. That's not exactly true. I was on vacation the prior two weeks and built up a backlog of posts. It just so happens that I spaced them out so that they covered the entire week. Just don't expect me to maintain that pace.

I have been doing some game-related stuff this week.

First up, I did some painting:

• At the bottom, is a complete 3mm army for my mini mini project (games on a 5" x 7" board). It features a leader, 3 cavalry, 4 infantry, and 2 skirmisher units. I plan to add a couple of artillery pieces, so this can be a generic shock or horse & musket army.
• Next are 3mm figures for my Operation Last Train project. Flanked by 2 dropships, I have infantry (blue), civilians (red), and xenos (dark green).
• Ignore the 4 chariots at the top left. They've been sitting on my desk for months and I did nothing with them this week.

I also spent some time plotting out my Byzantine project. Now that I received the Ospreys on the Byzantines and Sassanids, I'm getting a better handle on the armies.

Here's my plan for each army:

• Byzantines - 4 units of heavy cavalry, and 2 units each of heavy infantry, archers, and light cavalry.
• Sassanids - 3 units each of heavy cavalry (cataphracts), levies, and archers, 2 units of light cavalry, and a unit of elephants

 Because Magister Militum's packs are so big, I'm thinking I can do double duty on some packs:

• Order one pack of Parthian cataphracts to stand in as Sassanids and Romans. I don't think any differences are noticeable at 3mm.
• Likewise, use Parthian horse archers as light cavalry for both sides.
• Finally, split a pack of skirmishing archers between the two sides.

I figure my order will cost a bit over $60. I may postpone my order until after my birthday next month. Besides, I should probably wait until I finish my current projects before tackling the Byzantines.

Battle of Peirama

With this test battle, I experimented with a series of possible tweaks to MicroBattle.

Set-Up

I created random scenario, terrain, and force composition generators using a D6 roll for each.

The resulted in a force of infantry with cavalry support trying to escape from pursuing infantry.

Note - this scenario is inspired by Scenario # 13 from One Hour Wargames.

Terrain set-up is shown below. Note that I am using my mini, 5 x 7 square board.

Some Game Notes

These are some of the changes I made to MicroBattle for this experiment.

• While the board is gridded into 1 inch squares, all measurements are made in half squares. This effectively increases the size of the units and the board.
• Previous versions of MicroBattle allowed a unit to pivot freely within its square. With my movements modifications, a unit now effectively spans two spaces. Thus, I had to come up with some rules for turning. Essentially, I allowed a unit to use an activation to pivot 90 degrees.
• For activation, I rolled a D6 per unit, with the following results:
• 1 = no actions
• 2-3 = 1 action
• 4-5 = 2 actions
• 6 = 3 actions
• I did not use the S&S mechanic of giving the enemy actions for failed activations. Instead, I just rolled them as above.
• Both units rolled in melee, with any advantages or disadvantages applied as modifiers. High roll won the melee. The loser then rolled defense as per the current MicroBattle rules.
• A unit with damage (which I am calling Disorder), makes all Resolution Tests at a disadvantage.
• Light infantry damaged by heavy infantry in melee may attempt to retreat instead of suffering Disorder.
• A unit can use an activation to try to recovery from Disorder. It requires a successful Res Test.

The Backstory

A force of Gothic warriors (blue army) has raided a Roman settlement and is trying to escape with its booty. A lone unit of Roman archers blocks the path while more Roman infantry are in pursuit. 

The Goths need to get half their army to safety (off the far side of the board).

A couple of turns in. Most of the raiders have moved well onto the board. One heavy infantry unit dawdles and gets overtaken by the Romans. The Goth cavalry (right) make a break for it.

Note - The topmost warband rolled poor activations, allowing the Romans to catch up.

Roman heavy and light infantry swarm the dawdling warriors (top). The Roman archers are getting pushed off the hill.

Note - initially, I was using the standard MicroBattle melee rules, but I kept having stalemated fights. Inspired by Sellswords and Spellslingers, I tried the system outlined above. This created more interesting melees and sped up the game.

The Goths overrun the archers, drive back their pursuers, and then head for safety.

Note - It was during this fight that I instituted the rule allowing lights to try to retreat rather than suffer Disorder. It just seemed weird to me that lights would just stand and let themselves get pummeled. This has bothered me for some time but I never knew how to handle it. I came up with the rule on the spot and applied it. In this case, the lights got caught, but I can foresee times when the lights get away. Seems more plausible to me.

But the Roman light infantry catch up to the Goth warband, attack, and miraculously destroy it!

Note - This melee highlighted the benefit of the new rules. The Goth warband had a disadvantage in melee because it was disordered. It could have improved its odds by stopping to rally. I choose for the disordered warband to run for it instead, leaving it vulnerable. Still, the lights got lucky to win the melee.

I like how the new rules created a decision point. Do I use an action on movement or rallying? By moving, I left the unit disordered. However, if I stopped, the pursuing heavy infantry may have caught up. Decisions, decisions!

But the Goth lights barely manage to escape.

Technically, a narrow victory for the Goths, but the Romans are pleased to have destroyed both warbands of heavy infantry.

Thoughts on the Game

I was making adjustments on the fly, but I ended up with the rules changes described above. Overall, I think they worked well, and I will continue dabbling with them.

3mm Miniatures Comparison

As mentioned, I am moving toward genre-specific figures for my games.

The Byzantine Project

I ordered some O8 legionnaires from PicoArmor to build a Byzantine Army. I planed to use them to supplement some Magister Militum that I currently own.

Well, I got them. Here they are (left) next to some MM pikemen.

Very disappointing.

I took some measurements. O8 figures are approximately 3mm from top of the head to the base while MM figures are 3mm from the eyes to the base. Overall, the MM figures are closer to 5mm.

There is no way I can use these together, unless I create a hobbit army with the O8. After a bit of consideration, I decided to stick with MM for my Byzantines.

Operation Last Train

I also ordered some O8 3mm sci fi, also from Pico Armor. Again, my plan is to supplement some existing figures, specifically Germy's 2mm, available from Ground Zero Games.

Here are some heavy infantry (right) next to poorly painted Germy infantry. There is an O8 dropship in the background.

The Germy figures are a bit beefier, but they are actually about the same height as the O8. I think I can mix them.

And here are some O8 xenos next to the Germy infantry. Again, I think I can mix.

Now I have two projects underway.

S&S Experiments

Previously, I mentioned experimenting with some of the mechanics from Sellswords and Spellslingers. I wanted to give a quick update.

I had actually been writing a report where I detailed all my tweaks and experiments, but I ended up deleting it. Overall, I just did not like where they were heading, and I find myself returning to square one.

Activation

A few years ago I was using the Song of Blades & Heroes activation system but dropped it because it seemed to drag out the turn. Currently, I roll a single D6 per unit, which means I can determine my entire force's activations in a single roll of 6 dice. It moves much quicker. The S&S activation is similar to SoB&H and I encountered similar problems. 

I recently had an epiphany. I translated the S&S activation odds to a single die. Assuming activation on a 4+ on a D6, I get:

• Roll of 1 = 0 activations for the player / 3 for the enemy
• 2-3 = 1 player activation / 2 for the enemy
• 4-5 = 2 player activations / 1 for the enemy
• 6 = 3 player activations / 0 for the enemy

This roughly works out the same as 3D6 per unit.

Note that the odds for S&S are better than 50/50 in favor of the players, but I think my table is fine. I can give bonuses to the roll for units with some kind of advantage.

Melee Combat

I'm still experimenting with a hit-or-be-hit melee system. Operation Last Train uses a similar system and it seems to work well for that game - you get the bug or it'll get you.

However, I'm not sure if I buy it for man vs. man combat, for 2 reasons:

• It seems plausible for both combatants to make ineffective attacks. For example, the attacker thrusts, the defender parries and ripostes, but the attacker parries the counter.
• And I have seen plenty of simultaneous hits in my fencing and LARP experience.

I guess hit-or-be-hit makes more sense at a larger scale where a turn could represent an extended period of time. But for skirmishes it seems too final. Nevertheless, I think I'll give it a try.

I recently played a battle using these tweaks. Stay tuned for a full report.

The 3mm Byzantine Project

For 2022, I decided to do a Byzantine project in 3mm. I created a new label, 3mm Byzantine Project, to record my progress.

Here are my thoughts so far:

Focus

First I needed to decide what era of the Empire's 1,000 history I should do. There were two main contenders:

• Basil II (976 - 1025) vs. Bulgars or Arabs
• Sassanid wars of the 6th to 7th centuries

Basil had Varangians but the Sassanids had elephants. Elephants win.

Army Organization

I'll use my MicroBattle rules with One Hour Wargame scenarios. I'll pattern the army organizations on the lists from Neil Thomas's Ancient & Medieval Wargaming.

For reference, here are the maximum units per troop type according to AMW.

• Byzantines – 6 heavy cavalry, 3 heavy infantry, 2 light infantry, 2 barbarian cavalry
• Persians – 4 cataphracts, 3 light cavalry, 4 levies, 4 archers, 2 elephants

Because OHW armies are 6 units and AMW armies are 8, I may reduce the above numbers accordingly.

Miniatures

I'm going to order figures from Magister Militum. I need to work out what packs to order.

I ordered two Osprey books to get a better idea how the armies (especially the Sassanids) look.

Terrain

Here are my ideas:

• Brown felt for the battle mat
• Cork hills
• Pot scrubber woods - although I don't know if I need many
• Rough ground? Fields? Probably use construction paper
• Buldings - I have my eye on these Roman buildings from PicoArmor.

A Quick Look at Swta's War Game Rules

Over at The Wargames Website, Swta (aka Stephen Wicker) posted a link to rules that he is selling. I decided to check them out and post my impressions.

Notes:

• the author has replied to this post. See the comments for his clarifications.
• As of 2/17/22, the author removed his comments but has provided a link to his blog.

First Impressions

• On his YouTube page, Swta offers several sets, but I understand that they are all the same and all cover the period 300 - 1850 AD. This seems a bit misleading so beware.
• The rules come in a 9 page PDF. Six pages are informational tables that aren't needed to play the game. The tables seem like unnecessary padding.
• I found that the paragraph format made finding specific rules difficult. The rules need more bullet points, tables, etc. to streamline reference.

Set Up

Here is the process to get ready for the game.

• Set up a board gridded into a minimum of 32 squares (4 x 8) with additional areas on the flanks and rear.
• As desired, place terrain, which is simply classified as impassable or fortified, which provides bonuses to defenders.
• Place armies of 16 - 24 units in each rear area. Units are designated as veteran or trained. Note - raw and militia are optional.

My board. Hills represent the flank area.
The squares in between are the actual battlefield 

Ordering Units

Now let's jump into gameplay. First, you must order your units.

• On your turn, you select a unit to order, then roll a modified D6 to see if it performs as commanded. Generally, you need a 4 or more to succeed. If you fail, your turn ends. 
• I'm not fond of activation systems where failure is so common and most units don't get a chance to do anything, so I modified the order rules after just a few turns.
• If you do succeed, there are 11 different commands you can issue, although they are all some variation of move or attack.

Movement

• Units may only move to an adjacent space, with diagonals counting as adjacent. Essentially, all units have a movement rate of 1, regardless of troop type.
• Units may move into or from the flank area. This seems to represent flank marches, but it seems too easy to pull off and bypass the enemy line. It also generated some questions. For example, can opposing units both occupy a flank area or do they fight?

Combat

• Units can shoot or attack (melee), but combat resolution seems the same. Roll a modified D6. The result indicates if the attacker or defender retreats, or nothing happens. 
• Like movement, there is no differentiation based on troop type. Medieval knights will melee as well as archers.
• The rules are unclear on what happens if a shooter gets an attacker retreats result. I assume nothing happens but this is not stated.
• To destroy a unit, you must force it to retreat from its rear area. It seems like this will be hard to do because you'll need to get one of your units adjacent to the enemy's rear. You can bombard the rear with artillery, but what about armies without artillery, like my medieval forces?

Victory

There is only one victory condition - destroy all your enemy's units. 

OK, I got this wrong. You just need to get all your enemy's units to retreat to the rear area or destroy them.

No army morale or scenarios with different objectives.

Final Thought

• One poster on TWW called the rules a "toolbox" and I have to echo this sentiment. There are some interesting ideas such as flank and rear areas and supported units (which I did not discuss). Nevertheless, I feel there are too many gaps, such as troop type differentiation. Note - I'm specifically referring to differentiation between infantry and cavalry.

Twelve Games Finale

 Here are my remaining games for the 2021 Twelve Games of Christmas challenge.

Game 8 (Fri. 12/24) - I played a quick MicroBattle game using amendments based on Sellswords & Spellslingers. I used my blocks rather than minis for this game.

Game 9 (Sun. 12/26) - Some more MicroBattle. Sorry, no pics. I actually played 3 short games, but I'm just counting it as one. The most interesting was my replay of Operation Last Train using 3mm figures. Instead of tracking individual figures, I treated each stand as a squad and tracked that. It has me hankering for some more small-scale sci-fi fun.

Game 10 (Tues. 12/28) - No game on Monday. Instead, we watched a movie along with commentary from an online friend of my wife. If you like movies, you may enjoy his commentary. Check out his YouTube page at Stone Gasman.

On Tuesday, we played a couple of card games, but I'm only counting them as one game.

• We started with Holiday Fluxx. My wife, being a hoarder, likes to store up cards. So she was very happy when she played the Draw 3 card. Then I countered with Play 4. Well, this annoyed her. She eventually won by stealing my Christmas wreath. Then she said she did not want to play a rematch because she hates playing Fluxx with me.
• So we moved on to Love Letter. This was a riveting battle as the princess's favor kept switching back and forth. Eventually, we wound up tied 6-6. The next round would decide the game. On one turn, I had the Prince and Bishop. I took a chance by playing the Bishop, which meant that I compared my remaining card to my wife's. Highest card wins. It turns out she had a lowly Guard. Victory was mine!

By the way, our cat Thomasina loves Love Letter. Our nickname for her is "Princess," so whenever we mention the princess in the game she thinks we're talking about her.

Game 11 (Thurs. 12/30) - Another twofer that I'm counting as one. We started with Codenames: Duet. 

Essentially, it is a cooperative guessing word game with a loose spy theme. One player gives a clue and the other tries to guess words that match, leading to allied operatives. If you guess wrong, the assassin gets you.

I blew it in the very first round, getting iced by the assassin. We tried again. The assassin did not get us, but we ran out of time.

We then played more Love Letter. My wife cleaned my clock this time.

Game 12 (Sat. 1/1) - And we close off the challenge with Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries.

Here is the final board. I was white.

You may be able to trace a white route from Copenhagen (just off the bottom of the picture) to Murmansk (all the way at the top). This route gave me 24 bonus points. Things were nip-and-tuck the whole way, and I almost did not finish a 10-point route. As it turns out, I managed a 17 point victory!

And that's it. The Twelve Games of Christmas challenge complete!

What's in Store for 2022?

Happy New Year! 

Once again, I'll see if I can predict what will happen with my gaming in the upcoming year. It seems unlikely I'll get it right considering that I jotted down some predictions a couple of weeks ago and they are already obsolete. So I bring some new, most likely wrong, predictions for this year.

• Return to 3mm - over the past couple of years I have been collecting 10mm miniatures for skirmish gaming. I painted a few, but most are just sitting around. The biggest hurdle is actually lack of terrain. I am just not motivated to put together enough for 10mm games. This has me looking back at 3mm. I tried a skirmish game (Operation Last Train) with a 3mm stand standing in for a 10mm figure. It seemed to work fine. I'm leaning toward that squad-based approach now.
• Genre-specific miniatures - my initial MicroBattle project featured generic 3mm miniatures that could stand in for multiple eras. However, I am now leaning toward some projects with figures painted for a specific genre. I plan on putting together a Byzantine army and an opponent (to be determined) and some sci-fi troops for Operation Last Train.
• The Purge - every now and then I do a purge of items I purchased for projects that eventually got abandoned. I sense that another purge is near. I mentioned my 10mm figures, and I have other miscellaneous stuff lying around that I don't plan to use.