Itinerant Hobbyist: 10 Games Challenge

Check out Itinerant Hobbyist: 10 Games Challenge

What 10 Games (or Game Series) would YOU focus on?


Here was my response:


If I had to focus on 10 games (or 10 game series), it would likely look something like this (in no particular order):

Miniatures:
Bolt Action - My first major dive into the miniatures scene... and man has it been a dive off of the DEEP end!! It's not a great simulation, but it is fun and easy for folks from other genres to come in and play. That has helped grow the community.

Chain of Command - This is where I'd like spend some more time. The beauty part of miniatures, just buy the rule set and go (already have minis from BA). This one focuses more on the doctrine of the time. It feels more historical than BA and leadership/command plays a much bigger part.

(TBD) Modern rule set (playing Force on Force at Historicon) - I've heard horrors of the rule book for this one, but seems once you get into it it's an enjoyable Skirmish level system. It also has the benefit of covering multiple theaters. Building on a theme here... Focus on one core system to cover multiple theaters.

Smoke on the Water (ACW Ironclad rule set) - This was truly my first miniature purchase. I bought a couple ironclads, painted them up and found this rule set for free! Having played and enjoyed the board game Wooden Ships & Iron Men, there were some additional features here that really stood out - like rate of fire... bigger guns take longer to load.

Dead Man's Hand - I bought the rules and some minis, but have only gotten through a few pages and primer. It intrigues me, but haven't had time to focus on it just yet.

Board Games:
LNL "Heroes" Tactical Series (to include WWII, Day of Heroes, Ring of Heroes, etc.) - Once you get through the rules, there's a really good tactical game with some chrome and even better covers a wide range of theaters. To your point, once you focus on the series and grasp the core rules, you'll have hours of tactical goodness.

Combat Commander Series - Almost dropped this one since LNL covers a similar level of game play but is broader (Vietnam, Falklands, etc). However, every time I play it, I'm reminded how much FUN it is. The card play, while random and frustrating to some, is what differentiates this from the other and makes for some good chaotic fun.

No Retreat Series - Fairly accessible Operation level game series. Eastern Front to N. Africa are different enough that you need to read through the rules for each, but most of the core rules and counter markings carry over.

Labyrinth: The War on Terror - I've only played it once so far, but really enjoyed getting into it. It also plays along with my recent interest in moderns.

Thunder Alley - I'm going to throw this one up here for now... Our group has played this one a couple times now on Vassal and it seems like some good fun. Grab some beers, grab some friends, and let's go racing boys! The only thing missing here is running someone into the wall ;)

EDIT: After posting, I realized I had forgotten about LNLP's White Star Rising / Nations at War Series! I recently acquired Desert Heat and prior to that the expansion to WSR, Operation Cobra. This is one I would like to focus on as well.

More than just a magazine - C3i Nr 27

Finally opened the latest C3i (Nr 27)... I continue to be amazed at the content of this publication. In general, it's very good. But when you own games of the added content, it's like opening the shrink wrap all over again. In C3i Nr 27, I think this is the most content I've been able to add to my collection. Counters, errata and clarifications (much needed for Rebel Raiders), new scenarios, and even some terrain (coastline,  island and sandbar grids for Iron & Oak). Also includes a new (for me) solitaire game (Soviet Dawn). And Designer's Notes and Player's Notes articles for Rebel Raiders... Hey, it is a magazine after all ;)

For more information and ordering you're own copy, check out GMT's C3i site

The Hunters - The hunter becomes the hunted (Type IXA, Part 3)

I hadn't planned on reporting again so soon, but after moving into the next British Isle Patrol Box, I rolled snake-eyes - a Capital Ship!



Capital Ships are always under escort, but first we must roll to see which one. A '7' is rolled - the 31,100t BB Barham! Sink her and a Knight's Cross will be awarded upon return.

Unfortunately, we have to approach her during the day and there is no re-roll attempt on a Capital Ship. Either take it or leave it. Our Kmdt. Lehmann feeling confident after his early success, dives and floods all four torpedo tubes.

"FIRE!!!"

And then this... a terrible stretch of die rolls:

* G7a Steam Torpedo, G7a Steam Torpedo, G7a Steam Torpedo, G7a Steam Torpedo moves Target 1 -> Target 1 *
*** 2d6 = [6] [5]*** <Michael Collarin>
*** 2d6 = [2] [4]*** <Michael Collarin>
*** 2d6 = [4] [1]*** <Michael Collarin>
*** 2d6 = [4] [4]*** <Michael Collarin>
*** 1d6 = [1] *** <Michael Collarin>
*** 1d6 = [2] *** <Michael Collarin>

The first line of the Vassal log shows the four torpedoes being assigned a target. The next four lines are the To Hit rolls - two hits (needing '7's or less when firing G7a steam torpedoes submerged at medium range). The next two lines are the dud check rolls for the two hits... both duds! No damage inflicted on the battleship.

And then the hunter became the hunted!

A brief aside - knowing I would be playing The Hunters soon, I wanted to watch a U-boat movie. I browsed Netflix and the only worthwhile option was The Hunt for Red October. A movie I enjoy, no doubt, but it was not what I was looking for. I wanted something WWII related. Really, anything WWII related... U-571, anything! But no such luck. I looked through another XBox app, Crackle, but no joy there either. I then tried Amazon Prime movies. And bam! Das Boot. Oh, Das Boot. A proper movie to set the mood! I tell you about this, not only because it's a great submarine movie, but if you recall the depth charge scenes, you will understand the seemingly relentless pounding you will take once the escorts have honed in on you. If you don't recall or haven't seen it or just want to recapture that feeling - watch this (same as below). It's a trailer, but it actually does a better job portraying that feeling than any of the clips I could find on YouTube.

 

The following is the Vassal log, starting with the escort detection rolls:

*** 2d6 = [6] [1]*** <Michael Collarin>
*** 2d6 = [4] [4]*** <Michael Collarin>
* Incoming Hits moves offboard -> 2 Hits on U-Boat *
*** 2d6 = [3] [2]*** <Michael Collarin>
*** 2d6 = [5] [1]*** <Michael Collarin>
*** 1d6 = [6] *** <Michael Collarin>
* Flooding moves Fooding -> Fooding *
* Hull Damage moves Hull Damage -> Hull Damage *
*** 2d6 = [6] [1]*** <Michael Collarin>
*** 2d6 = [1] [4]*** <Michael Collarin>
* Incoming Hits moves 2 Hits on U-Boat -> 1 Hit on U-Boat *
*** 2d6 = [2] [6]*** <Michael Collarin>
*  Damage created in Deck Gun and Flak
* Hull Damage moves Hull Damage -> Hull Damage *
*** 2d6 = [1] [5]*** <Michael Collarin>
*** 2d6 = [6] [2]*** <Michael Collarin>
*** 2d6 = [2] [1]*** <Michael Collarin>
* Incoming Hits moves 1 Hit on U-Boat -> offboard *
* Hull Damage moves Hull Damage -> Hull Damage *
*** 2d6 = [1] [4]*** <Michael Collarin>
*** 2d6 = [2] [1]*** <Michael Collarin>

The initial detection lead to two hits - one Minor Damage (no effect) and the other caused Flooding... followed by a die roll of '6' causing additional flooding.

The Hull Damage in the log was me attempting to Exceed Test Depth. This evasive maneuver causes one hull damage and requires a 2d6 die roll. However, since this was my first hull damage inflicted and it's impossible to roll a '1' on 2d6, I continued with the detection phase. A '7'. Normally, that would avoid detection (8 or less), however, there are several modifiers in play here - +1 for Capital Ship, +1 for being Previously Detected, and +1 for firing G7a Steam Torpedoes during the Day. Exceeding Test Depth provides a -1 modifier. The '7' becomes a '9' and we are detected once again.

One new hit is inflicted - the 3.7cm Flak is damaged. Hardly of any consequence at this stage. We're just hoping to evade the pigs on the surface.

We take another hull damage by Exceeding Test Depth, but this time roll to check as well now have a possible '2'. Nothing more serious due to the depth, but we are detected a third time! But with a roll of '3' and no modifiers on the hit table, the depth charges are ineffective.

We must evade soon as each time we Exceed Test Depth we take an additional hull damage and increase our chances of catastrophe. The roll of '5' causes no problems for the depth and the finally a '3'! We evade!

Unfortunately, since we did not damage the Capital Ship, we are unable to follow her and we can attempt to lick our wounds - rolling to see whether we can repair some of the damages or if they will be inoperable for the remainder of the patrol.

The Hunters - The hunting begins (Type IXA, Part 2)

The Type IXA has an impressive Torpedo Load of 22. Of those, 12 are designated to be G7a (steam) torpedoes and 10 are designated to be G7e (electric) torpedoes. However, as noted just below, that mix may be adjusted by 4. Therefore, I will equip (16) G7a steam torpedoes and (6) G7e electric torpedoes. I have also opted for the historical option, pre-loading only steam torpedoes into the tubes upon leaving port (the electric torpedoes required more maintenance and would not be pre-loaded).

We are now ready to set course for the British Isles!

The first Transit box roll is a '7' - no aircraft in sight.
The second Transit box roll is another '7' and again we have clear seas and clear skies.

"CONTACT!!! Bearing 3-3-6!"

"ALARM!"

Possible ship with escort. (Rolled a '6' on the British Isles table for patrol box three - 'British Isles')

"Take us to periscope depth."

Hmm... Looks like a large freighter. The Berganger (T2-83), perhaps. She's a modest 6,800t. You've got to start somewhere.

With the cover of night (rolled a '5'), we shall commence our attack from the surface at medium range.

"Flood tubes 1 and 3."

Plotting a solution...

"FIRE!"

Both torpedoes have struck the Berganger! (Note the '8' hits due to the -1 DRM for Night Surface Torpedo)

Turns out one is a dud... And the one that did hit only caused one damage (rolled a '5' on the damage chart). 

"Damned torpedoes!"

Her escort has not detected us (rolled a '6' on Escort Detection Chart [E2]).

"Reload tubes 1 and 3!" (Reload with steam torpedoes)

We will follow the damaged vessel and attack again under the cloak of night. 

"Sir, it appears the escort has abandoned the damaged ship!" (Rolled a '5')

"Bring us to the surface! We will finish her off with the deck gun." 

{Night; close range; surface attack vs. an unescorted target}

Two salvos of 10.5cm rounds are fired at the damaged ship. Two hits!

An unmodified '6' and '2' are rolled for damage, but become a '5' and '1' for the 105mm. Three more points of damage! (Only two were required)

The 6,800t Berganger has been sunk! A fine start for our young Kmdt. Lehmann.

The Hunters - The hunting begins (Type IXA, Part 1)

"Hostilities with England effective immediately."

the time is: 1256 hours, 3 September 1939

The Hunters (German U-Boats at War, 1939-43) is a solitaire tactical level game placing you in command of a German U-boat during WWII. Your mission is to destroy as much Allied Shipping and as many Capital ships as possible while advancing your crew quality and increasing your commander rank culminating in special decoration ‒ all while remembering you have to make it home.

The game, designed by Gregory M. Smith, is published by Consim Press and was recently released via P-500 by GMT Games. It saw a remarkable amount of pre-orders and I decided to jump aboard. I've been reading the rules via PDF posted to the Consim Press downloads website for the game - http://www.consimpress.com/downloads/the-hunters/

There are also some great video tutorials by John Kranz on Screencast - http://www.screencast.com/users/consimworld/folders/The%20Hunters

Between reading the rules on a couple recent flights and watching the videos, I feel I have a pretty good grasp on the game play without even opening the box (still waiting on delivery anyway at the time of writing this). But the Vassal Module is already out and I want to see how well I'm grasping things. So that's the next item to download (also available at the ConsimPress website - they really make it easy for you!).

Among other things available on the download site is a Kommandant name generator to help you begin - if you want a little more detail for you AARs and aren't necessarily the most creative or up to snuff on your German.

So here we are, September 1939...

I've selected the Type IXA U-boat (it has a pretty hefty payload!) and using the Kommandant naming generator, I am sailing as Kapitänleutnant Reiner Lehmann. My trained crew are ready to embark.

A die roll of 8 (2+6) sends us to the shipping lanes of the British Isles. As there is not an (M) after the 8's British Isles, this will be a standard mission. Had a 9 been rolled, I would be performing a mine laying mission. But alas, we are on a seek and destroy mission requiring that we sink at least one Allied vessel to be considered a Success. 

Before leaving port, I will need to refit my U-boat with torpedoes and deck gun ammo (notice the 10.5 cm on this bad boy!). Fortunately, we will not be heading through the Bay of Biscay just yet - not until July 1940 - unless of course we are assigned to the Mediterranean in the near future... assuming we make it back ;)

Pimping Iron & Oak

So, the Thoroughbred Models have arrived - a pair from an eBay purchase and a pair from Thoroughbred Models themselves.

The question arose on BGG about mixing miniatures and Iron & Oak today, so I snapped a few pictures earlier than I would have liked to get the word out. The models below are far from complete. I simply inserted the two stacks in and the turret on the Canonicus-class monitor.

1/600 Miniatures by Thoroughbred Models. Model #TS07, TS22, TS28. Models are not yet assembled. Just inserted the stacks for the photo

USS Tecumseh. Model is 1/600 Thoroughbred Model #TS07 Canonicus class monitor. Model is not yet assembled. Just inserted the stack and turret for the photo

CSS Tennessee. Model is 1/600 Thoroughbred Model #TS28. Model is not yet assembled. Just inserted the stack for the photo

1/600 scale may be too large for some on this board. If you are interested in filling out some of the larger scenarios with all minis, then you definitely may want to consider the TITAN MMP 1/1200 models. They'll squeeze more in the grid space and be easier on the wallet.

If you're just interested in some eye-candy to duel with a friend (or maybe even a pair a piece - four in the same grid would definitely be a crowd), then don't hesitate to get these fantastic looking miniatures. It may even lead to some true miniature gaming.

Progress posts will follow, but first I need to get some supplies!

Where board games and miniatures collide

Steven Duke had posted this photo on Facebook over the weekend, commenting that it made him want to play Iron & Oak.

I was playing Iron & Oak over the weekend and saw this photo and thought: man, that's gotta be neat.

So I started doing a little research on ACW Naval miniatures. Two common scales are 1/1200 and 1/600. The models in the picture above appear to be even larger. The 1/600 scale models caught my eye and I found the following manufacturers:

Thoroughbred Models

http://thoroughbredmodels.com/

Bay Area Yards

http://bayareayards.virtualscratchbuilder.com/

TITAN Military Miniature Products
http://www.titanmmp.com/
Thoroughbred models appear to be all metal. Bay Area Yard models appear to be a mix of all metal, metal/resin, and resin. And after going back to the site, it appears TITAN MMP models are actually 1/1200 scale. 

My queries led me to the Ironclads Yahoo! Group: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/ironclads/

After that, my search turned to eBay. As fate would have it, it just so happened that a seller had posted several Thoroughbred Models that were ending Sunday evening. I put a watch on a few of them and threw a bid at a couple of others. As 8:00pm approached, the bidding intensified. I ended up withdrawing from the bidding on the USS Hartford but stuck to my guns on the CSS Tennessee (an ironclad ram). I won the auction for the Tennessee as well as one for a riverboat.

I should have looked a little more closely, as riverboat did not mean river gunboat, but rather a troop carrying riverboat transport.

This will not make for an interesting duel, so I will likely pick up a counterpart for the Tennessee. The Tecumseh seemed like an obvious choice, however, it seems Thoroughbred suggests using the Canonicus which is a similar monitor class ironclad.

On that same Facebook posting, Kev Sharp commented: ...counters are one thing, minis another. When does a game system cross the line...?

That's an interesting question, and what ultimately led me to this post rather than just responding via comment.

In this case it's just counter replacement. Glorified Monopoly pieces if you will. I could swap out the Tennessee counter and (hopefully) the Tecumseh counter for these and enhance a duel among giants.

 

Another thought I had was to replace the map with an overview of an area - Mobile Bay for example - and apply the grids in the water space to duplicate what is used on the Iron & Oak map. However, this is just pimping the board as Iron & Oak uses these grids and can abstract many locations.

What I need to figure out is if the Iron & Oak system can be tweaked to move to a grid-less map. What becomes of movement and range? Can this system be adapted... or is a new miniatures rules set the only way to go?

In the interim, pushing 1/600 metal will certainly be entertaining... More so than pushing tiny cardboard chits. But for the foreseeable future, that cool factor will be limited to duels no doubt. 

C-SPAN Book Discussion - War on the Waters (ACW)

Great discussion (link below) considering my recent gaming additions - Rebel Raiders on the High Seas and Iron & Oak

C-SPAN Book Discussion on War on the Waters

Thanks to C3i for the link!

Anti-NATO no more

When I first started playing wargames, only a few years ago as of this post, the modern made wargames that were available included beautiful, graphical depictions - silhouettes or top view - of armor, infantry, etc. A game which depicted only NATO symbols for these units was not very appealing to me. They appeared outdated and unnecessarily complex. This was mostly because I did not understand the symbolism.

Originally posted by Carl Paradis on BoardGameGeek.com

I've played Carl Paradis' No Retreat! The Russian Front (the GMT deluxe version) which introduced alternate armor counters (with graphics) and enjoyed this to some extent. At that time, I still did not comprehend the NATO symbols but there were limited differences in these counters. The game primarily used infantry and mechanized infantry in addition to the armor with some fortified units thrown in here and there. To the left is an image of the counter sheet with alternate counters for armor.

Lock n Load: A Day of Heroes (LNLP)

I haven't played No Retreat! in some time but it is one that I would like to get to the table again soon. Recently, I have been playing Lock n Load Publishing's Lock n Load series which is a squad based platform covering multiple theaters. The counter images are silhouettes and profiles (leaders) and the artwork looks great. This of course is a squad based game and as such lends itself well to using silhouettes. Personally, this game would be lacking if all of these counters were marked with an  or  (Special Forces).

Heores & Generals by Reto-Moto

In the PC realm, I've recently been enjoying a game currently in Beta called Heroes & Generals by Reto-Moto. It's an interesting concept of combining a FPS with a grand strategy campaign focus around WWII. As you gain experience and credits fighting as a rifleman (FPS), you will then be able to buy Assault Teams to launch your own attacks to take resources and territory or to stop enemy advances. Even your Assault Teams can be upgraded - from Infantry to Motorized Infantry to Mechanized, etc. Well, it is in this game, which uses NATO symbols in the campaign mode, that my distaste for NATO symbols suddenly ceased to exist. I can't explain it; it just happened. Thank you Heroes & Generals!

Heores & Generals - Campaign map with NATO symbols

Mark Walker's Nations at War: White Star Rising (LNLP)

Today, I just wrapped up my first play of Mark Walker's Nations at War: White Star Rising (LNLP). This is a platoon level combat WWII game that uses a chit-pull system rather than the typical "I-go-you-go" gameplay found in most wargames. The added bonus here is that the game looks great as well (as seen to the right) - even with the NATO symbols. In fact, I personally think this blend of NATO and silhouette adds visually to the game. Better yet, it also has a function in the game to help determine which units are "hard" targets and which units are "soft" targets. All NATO symbol units are "soft" targets, they have no armor value. Whereas all units with silhouettes are "hard" targets and their armor value (and "Save number") can be found in the upper right of the counter.

Below I've included some common NATO symbols that you might come across as you are playing wargames. Hopefully, this will help to not deter you from enjoying these games. This partial list was taken from the Wiki page for NATO Military Symbols, found here.

Unit symbol	Unit type
	Anti-tank
	Armour (Stylized tank treads)
	Aviation (fixed wing)
	Engineer (stylised bridge or other structure)
	HQ
	Infantry (evocative of the crossed bandoliers of Napoleonic infantry and the crossed rifles of the U.S. Army's infantryinsignia)
	Maintenance (stylised crescent wrench)
	Medical (evocative of the Red Cross symbol)
	Mortar
	Navy
	Ordnance (excludes maintenance units of the US Army Ordnance Corps; see maintenance, above)
	Reconnaissance (or cavalry; inspired by the cavalry's sabre strap)
	Supply

Modifier symbol	Meaning
	Airborne (including Air Assault and Paratrooper forces)
	Paratrooper
	Airmobile
	Airmobile with organic lift
	Amphibious
	Motorized
	Mountain
	Rocket
	Wheeled

Modifier symbol	Meaning
	Mountain Infantry examples: Italy's Alpini, Germany's Gebirgsjäger, France's Chasseurs Alpins, Poland's Podhale Rifles
	Parachute Infantry example: 82nd Airborne Division (United States), Division Spezielle Operationen (Germany), United Kingdom's Parachute Regiment, 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (Australia)
	Airmobile Infantry example: 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Jägerregiment 1
	Mechanized Infantry example: US 3rd Infantry Division (equipment example: M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle),
	Combined Arms (new symbol for the Maneuver Elements of the US Heavy Brigade Combat Teams) example: US 1st Armored Division
	Mechanized Infantry equipped with Infantry Fighting Vehicles equipment examples: M2 Bradley, BMP-3, Dardo IFV
	Amphibious Mechanized Infantry example: 1st Marine Regiment (United States) when Amphibious Assault Vehicleunits are attached.
	Mechanized Infantry (wheeled-"medium") equipment examples: 3rd Brigade (US 2nd Infantry Division), Stryker, Patria AMV, Mowag Piranha, BTR-80, Freccia (with machine gun turrets)
	Mechanized Infantry (wheeled-"medium") equipped with wheeled Infantry Fighting Vehicles equipment examples:Stryker, Patria AMV, Mowag Piranha, BTR-90, Freccia (with autocannon turrets)
	Tank Destroyer equipment examples: B1 Centauro, AMX 10 RC
	Armoured Engineers equipment examples: M60A1 AVLB, Bergepanzer BPz3. Also engineers mounted in IFVs such as Bradley or Warrior.