Narrative and Team Yankee

One thing I really enjoy about Flames of War is how dependent on the narrative of WW II history it is. To be honest, the narrative is what it's all about for me - as far as playing a game anyway. I crave a good back story and purpose to my battles. Having the entire history of WW II as your backdrop makes the FoW rules really shine for me. However, when it came to the cold war era of the 1980's I definitely had some reservations. For one, open war never happened! This dance with the hypothetical was something new to me in wargaming - at least in terms of known history. It was in fact something more along the lines of a hard sci-fi type of background. Anyway, I decided some time ago to give it a shot, fan that I am of FoW.

The new rulebook is really high quality - to be expected from Battlefront. Although

smaller in dimensions to the core FoW rules for WW II, this baby packs a lot of detail!

Boy was I surprised when I got the Team Yankee rulebook today. After a quick read - focusing on the initial pages covering the history and background of the conflict, I was drawn in to the story big time! Take note that I have never read the Team Yankee novel itself, so I am pretty much restricted at the moment to the information provided for Battlefronts rules themselves. Regardless, after a read all I can say is I am hooked! In fact, I have decided that I need to get a copy of the Team Yankee novel ASAP! Of course, marketing is what it is, and I am sure all those concerned with the sale of this product will be pleased. However, all I can say is that it is worth it. That narrative and back story is exactly what I was hoping for with this new set of rules in the FoW family.

Anyway, as I peer through my new and shiny rulebook with a giant smile running across my face, I realize that I haven't been this excited since I first got back in to the hobby four years ago. How amazing is that?! With such a fascinating background how could I resist playing this with my favorite set of rules. Again, backstory and narrative is everything to me. Flames of War offers much regarding that, for me anyway. The game play is almost always full of drama and story. Of course, not everyone can see it, perhaps too caught up in the game-play itself. But for me, I like to hang back a bit, take my time, and absorb it. That is my play-style.

I hope to get more stuff up on this soon. I already have my tokens all bought, and the Leopard book on its way - I am going for the West Germans and Russians initially. After a good read of the Leopard book I will be buying my actual units. So stay tuned folks, good things come!

Until next time,

~K

Team Yankee!

Finally took the bait and tried a game of Team Yankee! Wow! What a fun game with a really interesting background. I have been thinking about having a go with these rules for some time - if for anything, to see how well the rules have been adapted. I really feel Battlefront has done an excellent job regarding this. It is still FoW, but much more streamlined in certain respects. I should have more details on this new era in the coming months. I have already ordered the rules, the West German supplement, markers, etc. - and yes, I will be playing West Germans to start with :() Should have pics up soon.

In other news, expect some additional content for FoW in the coming weeks as well. I have an interesting game coming up soon - in Normandy once again, as well as a full campaign in Italy. Yes, this Italy campaign is the same one I have been trying to get a start on since last year! For some reason I have yet to play out a beach landing! So this is something I am looking at doing as well. Again, I should have more pics up soon.

Anyway, just a short update. Lots coming soon.

~K

The Saxons on Parade!

Finally finished off my first regiment of Saxon infantry on a 1:5-8 figure to men scale. Quite big units I must say. Like the Russians, the infantry companies are mounted on the bigger 4cm frontage bases; four companies to the battalion. Keep in mind I have not included a fifth grenadier company for either battalion in the regiment - at least not at the moment. This is mainly due to the fact I just don't have any proper figure to represent them. Unfortunately, the Old Glory "Allied" elite infantry pack does not include the shako with tall plume! Of course, the grenadiers have such a tall plume. So, it looks like I have to buy another pack of elites, this time with a proper shako.

The Saxons so far. Note the battery of Saxon med. field guns deployed to flank.

I also painted up some third-rank skirmishers for the regiment as well - only two stands, which is equal to a single platoon in General de Brigade rules. So, I still need to paint up some more of these. Note that these men are basically "line" troops pulled from the battalion - not proper light troops like the French voltigeurs.

A platoon of third-rankers deployed as skirmishers.

I have been asked how I am representing my units in General de Brigade, in terms of figure scale and mounting. Basically, I use the 15mm scale basing system described in the GdB rules (p. 9). However, since I am using 10mm scale figures I am actually able to get more models on a base. In my case, I am fitting two to three times the normal amount of models on a base, including adding a third rank! This equates to about a figure to man scale of 1:5-8. This look awesome, not to mention realistic. Such is the benefit of using 10mm scale miniatures. Of course, when I am actually playing a battle with GdB, I still count each base as holding the proper number of 15mm scale miniatures - I ignore the fact I have all those extra models on the base. So, in the case of my Saxons, each base counts as eight models in two ranks during play.

The 1st and 2nd battalions of the Prinz Anton regiment.

In other news, I still have my 10mm scale trees and some Blucher trays awaiting completion. I plan on getting an order out to LITKO soon for some more properly sized wooden bases so I can continue the project. For the moment, I have these still to be finished. This of course means I will be holding off my next battle using my beloved Blucher rules. Not to worry, I have some games of Black Powder planned for the next few weeks. :)

Some Black Powder scenario action on the way! :)

Speaking of Black Powder, I am currently working up some army lists for the 1812-1815 campaigns for these rules. This is the kind of stuff I love doing, as it involves a bit of research and referencing. I may post these up to the blog when I am done with a preliminary listing. I plan on maintaining this list as I expand it over the years. Will be fun. Interested in seeing such a list?

The French advance in strength. Note the Saxon brigade to the rear.

The might of imperial Russa advances on the French.

The Prinz Anton regiment parades past the great Napoleon I.

After a long day of parade! :()

Until next time,

~K

Blucher Movement Trays

As I mentioned in my previous post I was considering making some movement trays specifically for the Blucher rules. So taken was I to the use of the cards during play, I thought trays were an excellent idea. Thus, here I am making a little prototype tray.

The prototype I am working with is made from some old bases I got for the Impetvs rules years ago. The tray measurers 8cm wide by 6cm deep - a little smaller than the standard Blucher cards. I also set a smaller 8cm x 2cm base on top of the rear of the base to help line up the troops and provide a place to set dice pods and an information strip.

I decided that I wanted the trays to fit TWO stands of my troops - all my troops are based for the General de Brigade rules, which will set in the center of the tray. I used spackle, or joint compound/filler, to sculpt the actual outside edges of the tray to allow me to add flock later. The stands of troops would fit perfect on the tray. Lastly, I sculpted a couple pods for two dice. These will come in handy for keeping track of current elan, as well as artillery dice representing number of shots left and number of dice to roll.

The trays are designed to look good while standing out on the tabletop. They will make moving about the individual stands much easier. In addition, all the most important information for a unit will be right there before me - something that I was really impressed with in my last game using those cards. Of course this one is just a prototype. I am planning to alter it by making the strip containing the information a little longer. Note that this strip is actually cut from a card protector sleeve so I can actually place a piece of paper in it just as if it was a little playing card. This will keep the information in place, allow me to fill out any information I deem important, and can be swapped out as needed. The most important information here will be the corps designation, unit type - grenadiers/elites, line, heavy guns, etc. I could even add a little icon to make note of any attached guns to an infantry unit.

The size of the trays. I got these from LITKO.

I sculpted the borders with spackle - with some brown paint and white glue added to the mix. This makes the spackle like concrete when dry.

I can fit two - three of my GdB bases side by side within the tray - a 6cm x 3cm area. Perfect for all of my bases.

Little dice pods are added. Nice touch I think :)

All textured and flocked up. Note the little sleeve to hold a small paper note.

A couple of my separate dice pods I use with various games. These are made from 2cm square bases.

A look at how I lined up the troops to fit perfectly on the tray.

Works perfect for all my troops, including this massed battery of cannon. Two micro dice are used to represent current shots available, as well as the dice to roll when shooting - the red die

Looks pretty good all flocked up. I would like a little more color. I have been thinking of adding a national flag or something to the paper slip that will help.

The notes of paper can be anything - hand-written, or printed out. Also, the plastic sleeve protector allows me to actually use dry erase pens on these  if I so choose.

So there you go folks. I hope this little article will inspire you to make your own little trays. Of course such is not needed to play, but having all that information to hand is definitely a plus. Oh, and I think they look great and are quite fitting for the Blucher rules :)

Till next time, take care.

~K

Blucher Action and Some Terrain

After a little diversion in to WW II last week, I opted for a game of Blucher to finish off my weekend. What a great battle it was too. I wont say who won or go in to too much detail regarding the fight, suffice to say I changed it up a little and had a blast.

This weeks battle was a blast. Frst time I actually used the cards with my miniatures. I liked it a lot

I have always preferred playing out scenarios as opposed to a set-piece battle using army lists and a points system. Don't get me wrong, I do actually love points systems and all. However, the challenge of coming up with something a tad bit more interesting, filled with backstory, is what really keeps the game aspect of the hobby alive for me. So, with this game I chose to play a slightly modified version of scenario 10 from the classic Charles Grant book, Scenarios for All Ages. There really wasn't much to modify however, outside of some adjustments for the Blucher rules and the Nashville Battle Mat by Cigar Box. A small affair of only 10 non-artillery units per side, it played very well. I will however, save the rest of the tale for the BatRep posted later this week on my YouTube channel, A Dash of Elan. Be sure to check it out :)

The Russians advance to deploy in front of the French guns.

Another things I did different in this battle was making use of the Blucher army cards. Now that was different I must say. To be honest, I really liked it too. In fact, I am contemplating making large movement trays specifically for use with the rules. I have always considered this option and I think I am now at the point to doing it. Of course these will be trays, so my existing models will all fit on them in all sorts of configurations. I have some ideas and will keep you all informed as to what I come up with.

The French cannon open up! Note the use of the Blucher cards.

Some small 10mm scale trees on the agenda this week.

In other news, I started working on some 10mm scale trees. My current collection is all scaled to 15mm and look rather big all around. Some smaller trees will be a nice add and fill in my forests more appropriately.

With my Blucher BatRep all wrapped up for the week, I am now looking for my next little project. Not sure what game is next, Perhaps some ancients? We shall see. I really am trying to keep the gaming going and adding more BatReps to my channel. So we shall see what I come up with before the end of the week nears. A few things are on my mind.

Ok folks, I will talk to you all again soon.

Until next time,

~K

More Panzer Grenadier and Blucher Action

Had a great time over the weekend playing some Blucher. This time around I had a go at playing a very small battle that was part of a scenario. My copy of the classic, Scenarios for All Ages came in handy once again as I based on the game on Scenario 10 - the Important Bridge. What a great game. It turned out much better than I had expected. I won't give away the winner in the fight, as the video has yet to be posted, but needless to say it proves such small scenario based games are quite enjoyable from the normal points based game. Another feature of this battle was that I made full use of the Blucher cards - something I have never really done before. I really enjoyed the cards, I must say. They looked good on the table with my little soldiers placed on top. In addition, having all the information right there was very helpful. I am considering making proper wood trays for this purpose so I can pop my lil miniatures on them. Perhaps I will add some extra space for information such as elan. Hmmm... I like this idea actually. More on this over on my other blog, Shako & Bayonet. Well worth a go.

In regards to rules reviews, next up are the rules, Napoleon's Battles IV - a setoff classic Napoleonic rules recently released last year.

Some of the rules I am working on to post complete reviews.

Until then, expect some more videos posted on Panzer Grenadier, as well as a full BatRep of my latest Blucher battle. Below are some pics from the fight.

Cya next time.

~K

The "Nashville" Battle Mat by Cigar Box was my inspiration for the scenario.

The French took up positions early, extending along a stream.

The Russians had a clear advantage having the high ground overlooking one of the main objectives - a village/bridge.

The cards  really came in handy - and looked great too!

Some WW II Action - and More...

Been delving back in to WW II gaming the past couple of weeks. In fact, sitting on my table even now is a pretty big battle using the Panzer Grenadier Deluxe set of rules. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a big fan of David Brown's rules systems - such as General de Brigade. So far I have been greatly enjoying the PG rules a great deal. All the flavor and narrative I so enjoy are found in these rules. Of course, I already did a pretty detailed review of the rulebook itself, so I wont go I to any more detail here - check out the channel for the video review :). Expect a full BatRep of the battle in the coming weeks. Anyway, it is enough to say I am really enjoying these rules.

On the review table for the coming weeks and months are Napoleon's Battles IV, General de Brigade, and some other goodies I wont go in to at the moment. Of course, I will not do a complete review unless I actually not only read all of the rules, but also have at least a couple games with. So these things do take time. I have played GdB however, so expect this one up soon enough.

Some people have been asking me about the SOLO Tactics series I am planning. It's enough to know that I have been working on this for some time. Most of the delays are about coming up with a format for the videos - something I believe I have figured out. So yes, be on the lookout for this new series soon. In it I will not only detail useful tips for improving your enjoyment of SOLO wargaming, but also go in to some of the philosophy behind playing SOLO!

To end the update, here are some pics from my recent battle using the PGD rules. Enjoy, and see you next time :)

~K

The Americans assault the bridge - a vital objective held by German FJ units -  for the battle.

The FJ set up some deadly fire-zones overlooking the bridge, putting some well aimed fire with an MG42 section.

Ealy on the Americans were hit hard by German mort. fire. Here recon units are spreading out and taking cover.

A very dense lay-out for the fight. Lots of terrain with interesting tactical situations possible. I used the Cigar Box Nashville mat again for this one - one of my favorite mats.