Counter-attack at Bir Kalifa - second remote game

This past Friday I played a couple of remote WW2 Western Desert games with Jon from the Palouse Wargaming Journal. The games moved along at a brisk pace, playing both games took just under two hours. We were using the Tank on Tank board game rules from Lock 'n Load Publishing, with a handful of house rules and some updated unit capabilities.

The rules are fast and decisive, if a unit is hit, it is eliminated. However, this cut-throat combat is balanced by the fact that a player is limited to between two and four activations each turn, with the third and fourth activations having to be diced for.

An activation allows a unit (or units) to fire at one enemy unit, move individually, or make a group move using an HQ. For a useful overview of the board game rules and how it plays, see the review posted by Norm of Battlefield and Warriors Blog (here).

Scenario

The scenario has a German counterattack following a successful Commonwealth advance. As the Commonwealth forces look to consolidate their gains near the settlement of Bir Kalifa, elements of the Afrika Korps launch an attack.

Map

The game is played on a hex grid.

Tabletop set up

Order of Battle

Commonwealth Forces

• 2 × HQs
• 4 × Grant tanks
• 2 × A13 Cruiser tanks

These units begin the game deployed behind the red dotted line. The Commonwealth player deploys first and has the first turn.

Beginning on Turn 5, the following reinforcements may arrive:

• 2 × A13 Cruiser tanks
• 1 × Bishop self-propelled 25-pounder

Afrika Korps Forces

• 2 × HQs
• 2 × Panzer IV (75mm short)
• 2 × Panzer IV (75mm long)
• 5 × Panzer III
• 1 × Wespe (105mm)

The German force begins the game deployed behind the blue dotted line. The Afrika Korps deploy second.

Victory Conditions

The Germans win if, by the end of Turn 9, they either:

1. Destroy all Commonwealth units, or
2. Successfully exit three units from the opposite tabletop edge.

If neither objective is achieved, the Commonwealth player is the winner.

House Rules

For those familiar with the Tank on Tank rules, the following house rules were used in the game:

• Attached HQs – HQs are attached to combat units and may transfer to another unit by spending 1 Action Point.
• Dust – Any unit that moves or pivots in open terrain raises dust. A marker is placed beside the unit to indicate this, and it adds 1 to its defence value unless it already benefits from cover.
• Indirect Fire – Only HQs participating in the shooting action may call in indirect artillery fire.
• Terrain – Hills and buildings are treated as described in the standard rules, while all areas of broken ground provide cover.
• Use solo activation mechanism from the rules - Where the first two activations are free and a 3+ is required for the third activation and a 4+ for the fourth activation. This was because it was a remote game and the usual method requires a bowl and tokens and not suitable for a remote game.

The above unit values were used.

Battle Report #1

For the first game please read Jon's battle report on his blog here. (We decided to split the battle report writing effort.)

I used small sticky notes to attach labels to the back of each unit to help with unit identification for this remote game.

Dyed soft toy stuffing is used for dust markers where units have moved or pivoted, and black dyed stuffing attached to little wooden blocks to show brewed up vehicles where units have been destroyed. The dust did on occasion hide the unit labels - I did not think about that when setting up.

I had a few key takeaways from this first game:

• As the attacker, the priority should always be forward movement, with shooting taking second place unless the odds are overwhelmingly in your favour. The nine turns go by very quickly, so there is little time (turns) to waste.
• The tracks (roads) are important, they provide a useful boost to movement. A blocking unit positioned to on the track can create delays and need to be eliminated.
• Attack with two groups in the beginning and the limited activations should be used with the group able to make the most progress.

It is always easier to be the defender. There is less to think about once the defensive line has been set. Jon was kind enough to take the attacking role first. This was appreciated as when hosting a remote game being the defender makes things a little easier. There plenty of things to be mindful of when running a game for the first time.

Battle Report #2

The second game opened with my Afrika Korps forces advancing towards the settlement of Bir Kalifa and along the left flank. Jon responded by moving a mix of A13 and Grant tanks into defensive positions in and around the broken ground near the settlement, while a second group pushed up around the opposite side of the town.

To keep the forward momentum, my left-flanking force pushed around the broken ground. Jon responded by withdrawing from the position and forming a new defensive line ready to block my advance, using his reserves to reinforce this new position. Meanwhile, around the settlement, I attacked one of the Grant units and successfully destroyed it. Outnumbered, Jon's left-flank group opted to retire back along the road.

Opening moves.

The Settlement of Bir Kalifa is occupied as Commonwealth forces retire to form a second defensive line with their recently arriving reserves.

Pressing forward with both groups, the Afrika Korps left flank engaged the larger Commonwealth defensive line, while on the right flank my forces moved out of the settlement and advanced along the road. The smaller Commonwealth defensive group defending the road was forced further back as it tried to contain the advance.

With the clock ticking, both sides were beginning to lose units in the fighting. However, the Afrika Korps was gradually working its way around the larger Commonwealth defensive line while, at the same time, continuing to inch further along the track.

The tow groups advance on the left flank and out of the settlement.

Nearing the last turn as the attackers are poised to exit the table.

By the final turn, the situation was on a knife-edge. I had four units in a positioned ready to exit the table, two on the left flank and two on the road. With two activations Jon managed to destroy one of them on my left flank. He then needed a third activation with a 3+ on the dice to move a unit into position to block the road and prevent a third unit from escaping using the track bonus to movement (one unit could already travel off road to exit the table).

Fortunately for me, luck was on my side. Jon rolled a 2, leaving the road open. I was able to exit three units from the table on Turn 9, securing a last gasp victory for the attacking Afrika Korps.

Wrap Up

Winning this scenario as the attacker is no easy task, and I certainly needed a little luck at the end to get a victory. These games played very quickly, with the first taking around an hour and the second just 40 minutes. Remote gaming does slow things down a bit at the start until you get into the swing of things.

One of the reasons for running these remote games was so I could to get back into playing Western Desert games using the Tank on Tank rules, keeping them as close as possible to the original rules while making a few small house rules to better reflect the desert environment, such as the use of dust markers.

I have now finally managed to get my own copy of the game, so the next step will be to work through the various scenarios and try to adapt them to the Western Desert. The scenarios are important as without them the game can descent into a shoot out. I am looking forward to seeing how they work on the tabletop.

The game arrived this past week.

What's Next?

I am also thinking about playing a larger campaign using Avalon Hill's old Afrika Korps board game board and may be the counters, with the battles being fought on the tabletop using the Tank on Tank rules and modified scenarios.

I have not yet worked out best to translate the situation on the campaign map on to a tabletop while keeping the overall number of games to a manageable level. I do not want the campaign to become so large that it stops being enjoyable.

This is not my first attempt at a Western Desert campaign. I previously ran a linear campaign starting in early 2020 that continued well into 2021. It was a lot of fun, but I was getting a bit tired of the games towards the end and was quite glad when it ended. You can read about that earlier campaign it starts here.

A second hand game I picked up a couple of years ago always with the idea of using it for a wargame campaign.

Some painting, terrain, and a second hand find

This week I managed to finish painting a unit of Highlanders for my Anglo-Zulu War project. These figures, other than the officer, are nicely converted old Airfix Napoleonic Highlanders and have had an interesting journey before finally reaching my painting table.

Converted Airfix Highlanders that were recently gifted and are now painted and based. The officer is from a HaT kit. I could not resist adding the bagpipes.

A view from the front.

The figures originally belonged to John of the "Wargame Hermit: Solo Wargaming" blog before being passed on to James of the "Solo Slow Wargaming" and "The Chauvinistic Blog" blogs. James had been unable to find a use for these, along with a selection of other Colonial miniatures, so very kindly passed them on to me. I wrote about this unexpected gift a couple of posts ago (here). They have now been repainted and based, and make a very useful addition to my growing British force.

A couple of weeks ago I placed a bid on what appeared to be some Peter Laing 15mm American War of Independence (AWI) figures judging by the photo. Fortunately, they turned out to be exactly that and some 60 figures. The Peter Laing range has been unavailable for many years and are difficult to find.

The Peter Laing AWI figures. Alas only one cavalry figure, I could do with another 4 to make a unit.

I originally bought my Peter Laing AWI collection back in 1978, although it remained unpainted until around 2015 when I returned to historical wargaming after reading "One-Hour Wargames" by Neil Thomas. These newly acquired figures will be a very useful addition to the collection and should allow me to add a few more units.

Finally, on to terrain, or more specifically - sci-fi terrain. I am always on the lookout for inexpensive items that can be repurposed for the tabletop, and during a visit to our local $2 shop I spotted some plastic flowers whose heads looked as though they might make some interesting alien plants.

Plastic flowers purchased for sci-fi terrain.

The flowers are removed from the stem and the connector at the bottom clipped off so the flower can sit flat on the tabletop.

Some nice colourful alien terrain.

For around $5 I decided they were worth a buy. Once home, I removed the flower heads from their stems and found that, with clipping off the base that attached them to the stems and a little bending, they sat nicely on the tabletop. I think they look best arranged in clusters of two or three adding some distinctive colours to the tabletop.

Battle of Britain Campaign - Game 7 Battle Report

This Battle of Britain campaign update is from a game played a couple of weeks ago. It has simply taken me a little while to get around to writing it up, as other games, activities, and projects have taken priority.

A game in progress.

The campaign uses the Blood Red Skies (BRS) rules and has now reached the week of 19–25 August 1940. For this seventh campaign turn, the dice determined that the Luftwaffe's mission was to bomb RAF airfields. A successful attack on the airfields does not earn any campaign victory points, but it can have an important impact on the following game. If the mission succeeds, the RAF fighters begin their next battle with one Boom token, putting them at an immediate disadvantage. In Blood Red Skies, accumulating Boom tokens eventually forces aircraft to break off combat, so even a small head start can be significant.

Dicing for the mission.

The game was set up using the standard campaign sequence (which can be found here):

1. Select aircraft based on the mission.
2. Place barrage balloons and flak.
3. Check the weather and place clouds.
4. Deploy the aircraft and determine their starting altitude.
5. Allocate pilot skill levels.

I have kept the battle report fairly brief, as I am finding that most of these games seem to follow a similar pattern. Hurricanes concentrate on attacking the bombers while Spitfires engage the German escorting fighters. This is followed by a dogfight as the RAF fighters try to position themselves for a second attack on the bombers. Occasionally, if they have managed to shoot down one or more German fighters, one or two RAF aircraft may even get a third attack run.

Battle Report...

German bomber and escorts heading to their target.

RAF intercepting aircraft.

The position of a cloud bank meant that the intercepting RAF force, two Hurricanes and two Spitfires, failed to spot the bomber as it passed through the cloud cover. As a result, the opening engagements were fought against the escorting Luftwaffe fighters.

The RAF held a clear advantage in pilot quality. They fielded one Ace, one Veteran and two Regular pilots, while the Luftwaffe consisted of one Ace and three Novices. This experience paid dividends early in the battle, with the RAF shooting down a Messerschmitt 110.

The initial dogfight as the fighters wait for the bomber to emerge from the clouds.

A Messerschmitt 110 is downed.

Once the Dornier 17 emerged from the clouds, the Hurricanes began their attack and quickly inflicted damage on the bomber. However, the RAF did not have everything their own way, as the German Ace managed to line up one of the Spitfires and shot it down.

A German Ace hits a novice Spitfire pilot.

The Dornier 17 emerges from the clouds.

After a couple of attacks the Dornier 17 takes multiple hits and crashes.

Pressing on towards its target, the Dornier came under a second wave of attacks after the RAF fighters had regrouped. This time they succeeded in bringing the bomber down before it could complete its mission.

Afterthoughts...

Pilot skill is a major factor in these rules, increasing both the number of dice rolled when shooting and the number rolled to dodge any hits. The Luftwaffe's three Novice pilots were at real disadvantage and, on several occasions, they failed to capitalise on favourable shooting positions.

The cloud cover also played an important role, shielding the Dornier during the opening stages of the battle and delaying the RAF interception. In the end, however, the better experience of the RAF pilots proved to be the decisive factor.

The version of Blood Red Skies I use is the one included in the Airfix Battle of Britain set. It is a streamlined version of the Warlord Games rules, omitting the advanced rules and aircraft trait cards. Instead, aircraft effectively have access to their traits at all times.

I also play the game on a hex grid, with each hex representing 3 inches. To accommodate this, movement values have been rounded to whole hexes, for example, aircraft with movement allowances of either 6 or 7 inches both move two hexes. This inevitably removes some of the subtle distinctions between aircraft performance, but I find the hexes help keep the game moving along quickly.

One house rule I have introduced concerns the Messerschmitts' Great Climb ability. Under the BRS rules, any enemy aircraft within 12 inches (four hexes) of a Messerschmitt must pass a manoeuvre test before it can gain altitude. I found I was always forgetting this rule, so I replaced it with a one I can remember. Messerschmitts that are at Advantage altitude may make a turn during their Pilot Action phase. It is easy to remember, adds a little tactical flexibility to the German fighters, and hopefully still reflects their superior climbing performance.

Anyway, that is all for now, and I will post this and wait to see how long it takes Google to update their blog feeds. 

Rematch of the Battle of the Tombs (Dōmyōji - 1615)

This battle report covers my second game of the Battle of the Tombs (Dōmyōji - 1615) remotely hosted by Jon of Palouse Wargaming Journal. In our first game from a few weeks ago (battle report found here) I commanded the Tokugawa forces, who were the historical victors. This time, we were switching sides and I would be leading the Osaka army.

If you've been following Jon's blog, you will know he has hosted this game several times with different wargamers. With the exception of one recent game, the Tokugawa army has been victorious every time. They do begin with the advantage of having an extra cavalry unit, and cavalry can be particularly powerful in these rules.

The game's objective is to reduce your opponent's army resolve, which can be achieved by:

• Destroying enemy units.
• Successfully pursuing after combat.
• Killing enemy leaders.

Additional resolve points can also be gained at the end of the game by controlling the tombs, making them potentially decisive in a closely fought battle.

The Rules

The game uses Jon's Samurai adaptation of the Basic Impetus rules. A few key features of the rules are worth noting:

• Successful charges, followed by pursuit, can wreak havoc on an army's battle line.
• Manoeuvring units is difficult and slow unless they are advancing or falling back (and disorganised units cannot fall back)
• The first activation is determined by a dice roll, while subsequent clan activations are decided by drawing coloured dice from a bag. Winning the initial activation can provide valuable attacking opportunities.
• Even when defending, you need to be prepared to counterattack and make full use of a unit's impetus bonus when charging.

The Plan

With these rule features in mind, my plan for the Osaka army was to refuse my right flank, withdrawing it slightly while repositioning my lone cavalry unit towards the centre, where it could hopefully launch a decisive counterattack. On the left flank, I intended to attack quickly in an attempt to disrupt the Tokugawa centre.

The starting positions with my planned opening moves in solid red arrows, and counter attacks in dotted red arrows. The original photo is from Jon's briefing pack. 

So, did the plan work?

Battle Report

Following a general advance by Jon's Tokugawa forces, I stuck to my plan and launched an attack with the Osaka left flank. The results were mixed. A Samurai unit was driven back after a bloody clash, but this opened the way for an Ashigaru unit to charge forward. They destroyed an enemy unit and successfully pursued twice before becoming isolated behind the enemy line, at which point they were swiftly cut down by the Tokugawa cavalry. 

Meanwhile, on my right flank, my lone cavalry unit continued its slow redeployment towards the centre.

The Tokugawa army advances and Osaka launches an attack from its left flank.

A unit of Teppo near the right-hand tombs inflicted damage on its Tokugawa counterpart, only to be charged and destroyed by Jon's second cavalry unit.

The Tokugawa army mops up the Osaka attacks.

After the initial charges on my left flank, Jon successfully reorganised his army and resumed an ordered advance. In the centre, I formed a defensive line. While Tokugawa's cavalry completed their destruction of my Samurai on the left flank. From that point on, my only real option there was to harass nearby enemy units with my archers positioned near the left-hand tomb.

A controlled retirement by Osaka units while archers harassed the enemy on the left flank. 

I was feeling a little bit apprehensive at this point in the game with my left flank all but lost. Although my right flank was still intact and my cavalry were yet to be committed.

Having initially fallen back, my right flank finally saw an opportunity to launch a counterattack (my only opportunity to attack). A unit of foot Samurai charged and destroyed one enemy unit and then drove back an Ashigaru unit. Unfortunately they were unable to follow up and finish the job. In the centre the Tokugawa continued to advance forcing back some of my units.

Tokugawa forces push forward in the centre and on their right flank with their cavalry.

My centre was now the focus and after initially giving ground they charged, lead by the cavalry, they forced back the Tokugawa line. Although one of my Ashigaru units was forced to retreat during the fighting. On the right, the foot Samurai charged again, this time destroying the remaining Tokugawa unit on that flank. 

The Tokugawa cavalry, having pursued so aggressively after destroying my Samurai, found themselves isolated and unable to influence the battle while they regrouped and turned back towards the fighting.

Tokugawa cavalry continue their pursuit, while the Osaka centre and right flank attack.

Sensing an opportunity, my centre attacked once more. This second assault destroyed another Ashigaru unit and drove back the remaining Tokugawa cavalry. These accumulated losses were enough to break the Tokugawa army's resolve, handing victory to the Osaka forces.

A final charge by the remaining Osaka units breaks the Tokugawa army resolve.

After game thoughts...

As much as I would like to say that everything went to plan, fortune certainly played its part in Osaka's victory. I won the initiative more often than Jon, allowing me to launch several timely counterattacks. Just as importantly, there were at least three occasions during the game when I rolled exceptionally well, resulting in Tokugawa units being either destroyed or badly mauled. By contrast, I cannot recall Jon enjoying the same run of good fortune. While the plan gave me opportunities, fate and the dice undoubtedly smiled on the Osaka army this time.

Here is a short poem of the battle. I did seek assistance from ChatGPT to help write this...

Beside the silent ancient tombs,

Where honour is echoed in the bones,

Banners met in clash and cry,

As arrows and smoke darkened the sky.

The battle swayed from hope to fear,

Each charge drew victory ever near.

The Tokugawa's strength gave way,

As Osaka seized the closing day.

The tombs looked on, unmoved by fame,

They cared not who would win the game.

For dust returns to dust once more—

Yet honour lives through battle's lore.

Next…

My next post will be a battle report from my Battle of Britain campaign. I opted to write about this game first as I have more notes on the Battle of Britain game to help me recall the events.

A few days of painting and a surprise package

I have managed to make some good progress with my painting recently, helped by my son visiting for a day of painting. While he worked on his Star Wars Legion collection, I finished a unit of mounted infantry for my Anglo-Zulu War project, adding to the infantry unit, a Nordenfelt Gun (which I may convert to a Gatling Gun later), and naval brigade figures which I had completed the the previous day. With the mounted infantry finished, I decided to paint some Star Wars Stormtroopers I have had sitting around for a while.

Mounted Infantry

Infantry unit.

Naval Brigade units

Stormtroopers

As having a painting day with my son was not enough, I also received a wonderful surprise in the post. James, of the Solo Slow Wargaming and The Chauvinistic blog blogs, contacted me a week ago to say he was posting through some miniatures that he thought I would find useful. When the parcel arrived, I eagerly opened it to discover some carefully converted Highlanders. There are enough figures for a small unit, and they will soon find their way onto the painting table.

Surprise package contents

Converted highlanders. I am looking forward to painting them.

The parcel also contained a selection of ESCI, Call to Arms, and HaT figures. The ESCI and Call to Arms figures include some interesting models, such as officers and buglers, which will be ideal for the command stands I still need to make, as well as adding a bit more variety to the officers leading my infantry units. The remaining HaT figures will allow me to add a couple more units to the collection.

There was also an accompanying letter, in which James explained the provenance of the miniatures, many of which had themselves had been gifts to him over the years. It was a thoughtful gesture and made receiving them even more special. Thank you, James. It was a wonderful surprise.

A blood Red Skies game for my Battle of Britain campaign.

I am not quite sure what my next post will be. Tomorrow I will be playing another remote Samurai game with Jon (playing the Osaka side) and have also completed the next scenario in my Battle of Britain campaign.

Wrapping up the Zulus and starting on the British infantry

For the moment, I have wrapped up painting my plastic HaT 20mm Zulu army with the completion of four command bases last week. They are based on 2 x 2-inch squares I cut out from a large sheet of 3mm MDF purchased from the hardware store. For one of these commanders, I converted a figure and used a spare horse so the commander could be mounted. This base will be used as the overall commander.

Zulu command bases

With the Zulu army complete (at least for now) I started painting some of the British infantry this past weekend (it was wet so no gardening). The first decision was what size of the base and number of figures per base?

Testing out base sizes and number of 20mm figures per base.

The Zulu army is based on 4 × 3-inch bases, which is the size I use for most of my armies. Each base has 12 figures, and a unit consists of two bases, giving a total of 24 figures. In the Black Powder rules and its Zulu supplement, which I plan to use for my games, units are classed as either Small or Standard. In my games, a Small unit will be represented by a single base, while a Standard unit will consist of two bases.

For the British, I wanted to give the appearance of the "Thin Red Line." So I kept the base width at 4 inches but reduced the depth from 3 inches to 1.5 inches. This allows eight figures to fit comfortably on each base, giving a Standard unit of two bases a total of 16 figures.

The completed 16 figure unit with 2 bases.

I originally considered making British units around half the size of a Zulu unit, but doing so would have required smaller base widths, not what I wanted. Although each British base only has a third fewer figures than a Zulu base, the shallower formation gives the impression of a much smaller unit and the "Thin Red Line" appearance I was hoping for.

A comparison between the British and Zulu bases.

As with all of my 20mm projects, I have used my usual block-painting approach with a glossy finish. I keep my painting simple, adding just enough detail to create the impression of straps and equipment. These armies are intended for the three-foot rule when on the tabletop rather than any close-up views. I also find that, at this scale, trying to pick out every tiny detail is becoming increasingly tricky with my eyesight.

A tabletop view.

This approach to painting is partly about speed. There are a lot of figures to paint, and I would much rather finish the project and play some games than end up with an incomplete project sitting on the shelf.

Remote game report and some board game fun

A few face-to-face board games and a remote wargame over the past week has meant I done very well on the gaming side of the hobby.

I will start with the remote game against Jon from Palouse Wargaming Journal. The scenario was the Battle of Domyoji, 1615, focusing on the fighting among the tombs between the Osaka and Tokugawa armies. I chose to command the Tokugawa army for no particular reason other than the tabletop photograph in Jon's briefing notes was taken from the Tokugawa side of the table, making it much easier to orient myself.

A photograph from Jon's briefing notes. The layout is based upon a scenario from Samurai Battles game.

For the game we used Jon's modified version of the Basic Impetus rules, which have been adapted for the Sengoku period and played on a hex grid. I had played these rules with Jon a couple of years ago and remembered two key things about the rules:

1. Turning (or pivoting) units is a very slow business and also causes unit disruption.
2. Charges can have dramatic consequences. A defeated unit that retires can be pursued, and if it is forced to retreat two hexes (representing a rout), it turns to face away from the victorious unit, leaving it in a very vulnerable position (especially with point 1).

Victory points would be awarded for controlling a tomb area without enemy units nearby, while each army also had an army break point—12 for Osaka and 15 for Tokugawa. Points were lost for any destroyed units, killed leaders, and successful enemy pursuits. In addition, after Turn 8 the Osaka army could score victory points by exiting units from its own table edge. This meant the Tokugawa army had little choice but to close with the enemy quickly and prevent Osaka from slipping away.

Battle Report

With the need to engage the Osaka army quickly, the Tokugawa line pushed forward on both flanks during the opening turn, advancing around both tombs in an attempt to bring the enemy to battle early before they could begin withdrawing.

Turn 1 - The Tokugawa army advances.

The second turn began exceptionally well for the Tokugawa army. On the left flank, Masamune led a determined assault that, with his cavalry, routed the opposing units through a series of successful combats and pursuits. In the process, the Osaka commander Kitigawa was killed. This all dealt a significant blow to the enemy resolve. Off the back of this success, the Tokugawa cavalry moved around the tombs and woodland to threaten the rear of the Osaka army.

Elsewhere, however, the battle proved far more problematic. The centre and right continued their advance but made little headway. The Osaka forces responded with a series of well-timed counter-attacks that left many of the Tokugawa centre and right flank units scattered as they were forced to retire.

Turn 2 - The Tokugawa centre and right flank are under pressure.

By the third turn, the victorious left flank was regrouping and manoeuvring into position for a flank attack. Meanwhile, the situation in the centre and on the right had become increasingly desperate as more units retired or fled. As the units attempted to rally, Tadamasa led his samurai cavalry in a charge to slow the Osaka advance. The attack inflicted some welcome damage on the enemy, but the cavalry were soon met and checked by the Osaka samurai cavalry.

Turn 3 - Cavalry to the rescue.

Turn four proved decisive. The Tokugawa left flank continued its advance, increasing the threat on the Osaka flank. When an Osaka cavalry charge was repulsed, Tadamasa immediately launched a successful pursuit. The cumulative losses finally pushed the Osaka army beyond its break point, shattering its resolve and bringing the battle to a close and a Tokugawa victory.

Turn 4 - A decisive pursuit cause the Osaka army to break.

Game Summary

The game took around two hours to finish and was most enjoyable to play. Even though the game only had four turns, the turns are broken up by drawing different coloured dice to randomly determine the order of activation of the battle groups (Sonae).

Victory points were awarded for controlling the tomb hexes. In the end, each side held one tomb, so these points effectively cancelled each other out, leaving the result to be decided by losses inflicted on the opposing army.

The cavalry proved to be the decisive throughout the battle. The Tokugawa horse dominated the left flank early on, creating the opportunity to threaten the Osaka rear. Later, Tadamasa's timely charges in the centre helped stabilise a collapsing centre and right flank. Without Tadamasa's successful attacks, Jon's counter-attack could easily have routed several more Tokugawa units and swung the battle in Osaka's favour.

Thank you to Jon for hosting a fun and exciting game. We hope to play this battle again, this time switching sides.

Board Games

A week earlier, my daughter visited for a day of gaming, and we managed to fit in three different board games. We started with the co-operative game Zombicide, where, despite being chased by the undead, our entire team managed to get all their objectives and escape alive.

Setting up Zombicide game.

I have painted up all the figures that come with the game.

Our second game was another co-operative game called The Captain is Dead. This is becoming one of our favourites. In the game you play as the crew of a spaceship under attack by aliens. The objective is to repair the ship's critical systems and get the ship's drive back online before being overwhelmed by aliens and failing systems. We played two games, with one victory and one defeat.

This game was a Christmas Present.

There is quite a lot to set up in the game.

We finished the day with a game of Space Hulk. I was commanding the Space Marines and I  unfortunately failed to complete the mission. I really should get around to painting the miniatures that come with the game.

Space Hulk game in progress.

A wonderful day spent with my daughter. My next post will cover my painting progress on the Zulu and British infantry units.