6x6 challenge update for October

In the last couple of days of October I have been able to play out my last two 6x6 challenge games using Galleys and Galleons rules. The first game (fifth in the series) was an ambush game with a Spanish ship chasing an English privateer into a trap.

The chase is on as and second ship lays in wait to spring the trap 

Unaware of a trap the Spanish Galleon closes the gap 

A change in wind direction went against the ambushers and favoured the Spanish 

The Spanish catches up and delivers a devastating broadside

All ships close and exchange shots 

With one Privateers having sustained heavy damage and both decide to break off the engagement

The second game has a Spanish galleon bottled up in port and an English ship waiting for it to make a run for the other corner and escape.

An English ship waits for the Spanish ship to make a break.

The Spanish finally make a break for it 

The English ship closes and engages.

Both ships tack across the board firing when possible

The Spanish ship slips free

Two Spanish wins.

With those two games my 6x6 challenge is complete. A most enjoyable challenge set at the start of this year by Kaptain Kobold and got me playing some rulesets purchased but never played. My favourite challenge games was the Hundred Years War series which ended up running for 10 games as part of a mini-campaign.

The completed list...

• Tank-on-Tank (Lock 'n' Load Publishing) SciFi Variant - 6 games completed in February
• Dark Ages with Dux Bellorum (Osprey) - 6 games completed in January using paper armies
• WW2 Naval (Pz8 rules) - 6 games now completed in July.
• 19th Century European Imagi-Nations OHW Variant - 6 played. The final games were played in August.
• Galleys and Galleons (Ganesha Games) - 6 games completed in October.
• Hundred Years War using Lion Rampant (Osprey) - 6 games completed as part of a series of campaign games.

Finishing off long grass for jungle terrain

In my last post I mentioned the teddybear fur I used for long grass and under growth in my WW2 Burma game, and that I thought it was a bit too dark and shinny. There were a couple of comments with suggestions on how to sort this out (Thanks - Norm and Natholeon). So this weekend I popped down to the local hardware store and bought a spray can of beige/tan looking paint.

After a quick and successful test with a smaller piece. All the fur was laid out a given a series of very light spays which provided highlights and also toned down the shininess.

Green teddybear fur cut up as long grass and under growth for WW2 Burma games

The effects after a very light spaying 

With troops added

Pleased with the effect on the fur. I thought I would give the same treatment a try on the dark green felt I use for woods in other games.

Before spraying

After spraying

Not quite as effective as the grass, a light spraying has generally just lightened the dark green felt.

WW2 Burma game using Crossfire rules

This past Saturday I finally finished off all my planned WW2 Burma figures. There are not many. Each side is made up of two packets of Airfix infantry, plus an Anti-Tank gun with tow and a couple of tanks. I may yet add a couple of mortars for each side.

WW2 Burma Armies - they each fit nicely in a draw. Very useful as storage starts to become more of an issue.

This whole project was very opportunistic. Starting with a spontaneous purchase of two packets of WW2 Japanese infantry. I have always had in the back of my mind the thought of using Crossfire rules in a WW2 Burma setting. When I first purchased them a few years back, and until this weekend they have been just sitting in a draw unused.

After a quick reading of the Crossfire rules as a reminder. A 4x4 foot tabletop was set up using all the jungle terrain I made a few weeks back (jungle post here). The terrain features are marked using some dark green teddy bear fur cut into shapes and the jungle placed on top. The fur is meant to look like long grass, possible a bit too dark and needs to be lightened somehow. While the brown felt represents depressions.

Terrain all laid out for a game.

For my first game using these rules I wanted to keep it reasonably straight forwarded. The Japanese had two platoons with a company commander and machine gun with the objective of holding off the advancing Australians. Who had three platoons and a company commander with a 2 inch mortar and HMG.

Australian company.

A reduced Japanese company.

Here are some pictures of my first game. As with most first games using rules you are not familiar with, they can be frustrating affairs as you regularly re-read rules for clarifications and memory lapses. The latter do seem to be on the increase now-a-days.

Japanese squads take up position 

Two platoons and company commander take up position in a depression.

The third Australian platoon secures the other flank.

Australian sections move into the long grass and receive reactive fire from the defending Japanese. The matchsticks represent pinned and suppressed sections. One for pinned and two for suppressed.

On the other flank, Japanese sections push forward into a depression. This was a mistake, I should have moved them into  the cover of long grass.

A clear line of fire for a Japanese machine gun.

Australian move up ready to assault the Japanese. Too much rule checking on how to assault meant there are no pictures of the assault)

After successfully storming the depression the Japanese machine gun is engaged.

With the Japanese machine gun occupied on the other flank. The commander with one section are able to move around the flank.

The game is in the balance as the Japanese flank become threatened.

Another assault to clear out the Japanese defenders.

A final attack supported by the 2 inch mortar finishes off the machine gun.

So having just played my first game. I do like the rules and was starting to get in the swing of things as the game progressed. The rules certainly give that company level feel with troops rushing from one terrain feature to another.  Because I mostly use a gridded tabletop for wargaming I didn't really notice the lack of measuring, which is a notable feature of the rules where nothing is measured, movement and shooting.

French Indian War campaign - game 2 report

The second battle of the French Indian War campaign has a slightly larger French force up against the advancing British. The game is played be using house rules influenced by the Lion Rampant ruleset and One Hour Wargames (found in a link above).

The forces....

British:

• 1 Grendier unit
• 2 Frontiersmen (Skirmisher) units
• 2 Light Infantry Units
• 3 Line Infantry

French:

• 4 Line infantry units
• 1 Light artillery
• 3 Frontiersmen (Skirmisher) units
• 2 Indian units

The British skirmishers quickly secured the woods on their flank while moving their line infantry around to face the French line being formed. 

Skirmishers engage while battle lines are formed. Indians push ahead to the hill on the French left flank.

British Line infantry and light infantry units advance on the hill occupied by Indian units. While the French form two lines and have their artillery positioned. 

The hill is taken by British units.

Units exchange musket fire and French units secure their left flank after losing control of the hill.

Both sides face each other.

The French artillery while taking hits was causing hits to many British units.

Exchanges of musket and artillery fire was reducing the French line while holes were appearing in the British line. 

British skirmishers move around the French right flank.

By this time both sides had suffered 50% casualties and any units failing a rally from now on would be eliminated. 

The final stages of the battle. The French having a slight advantage with their remaining units having sustained few hits.

The British were on the ropes, but a disastrous couple of dice rolls saw the French commander fail to rally even with a re-roll option and was eliminated

A marginal victory to the British, their second win to open the campaign.

French Indian War campaign - Game 2

With painting of the WW2 Burma units I have had little opportunity to get much gaming in. As painting is progressing well I thought it was time to setup the second game of my French Indian War campaign. In the first game the British had a minor victory causing the losing French force to retire one move. A major victory would cause the losing force to retire two moves and the victorious side with the opportunity to followup with one move.

As the result of losing a battle French forces retire one move

Over the next few alternating moves, British forces push forward and attempt to flank French forces on the river. The French counter this by moving forward a force from their river defences.

British forces are selected

French forces are selected. Two additional units would be added as the French chose to  throw in some reinforcements (they are allowed to do this twice during the campaign)

The tabletop was setup with the terrain placed based upon dice rolls. Looking at the campaign map I decided the forces would not arrive on opposite sides. Instead the French would arrive on the British left flank.

French deployment 

British deployment

All being well I will be able to start the game later this week.