Grenzing away

I'm still sawing away at the Black Powder project, and I'm pleased to report pretty good progress on my Grenzer unit. I made it to the half-way point last night and now have 20 of the troops painted. Here is a little update picture:



I found a pack of mounted infantry officers wearing shakos in my Foundry pile, so this unit will have a mounted figure in the mix as well. A mounted, shako-wearing Hungarian officer should stand in reasonably for an officer without it being too silly.

That will leave 18 infantry and the mounted officer left to paint before the unit is ready for basing. I don't think I'll be able to get it done before an approaching vacation dents my momentum, but we'll see what progress I can manage this weekend.

Project 'Beat Dallas' continues

A while ago I finished the bulk of my space marine refurbishing project. I had started a space marine army at the end of grade 12 (that's the year 2000, just so there isn't any confusion) and stupidly painted them as Salamanders. Codex Armageddon was new and it had a cool army list for the army. Like all things that reside on the fringes of GW's rules and army lists, the salamanders were no more and I was stuck with snot green painted models. Repainting began shortly after 5th edition came out.
Below are some of the odds and ends that I always ignored in past editions of space marines, but now appear to be pretty good.



Former tactical Terminators who have had their arms swapped out for TH/SS. The 3+ invulnerable is the main reason for this.


My future Britz have used the above Razorback for transport in the past, but I have something else for them to ride around in (once I get it painted) so I'm giving it to the marines. I also converted the turret to a lascannon/twin-linked plasmagun. Beside the Razorback is an alternate turret for my Predator. I have another Predator hull with lascannon sponsons, but it's too expensive points wise (maybe I'll paint it for the next edition).

Hopefully, I'll have pictures of a new Sternguard unit soon.

Battle report - rise of "smoke spam"

More plans wrecked by smoke rounds...

Last night Dallas hosted a game of Spearhead. The scenario set during the early days of the Battle of the Bulge, Hitler's last major counter-offensive in the war, and the fighting around St. Vith. I played the US side - a combat command that included a rifle battalion, some Shermans, some M-10 tank destroyers and a company of 57mm ATGs.

Dallas, later joined by Cam, took control of the German side, which featured three battalions - one panzer battalion loaded down with Panthers, and two foot-slogging Grenadier battalions.

The scenario was fairly straight forward. The German goal was to get through the US force. They could win two ways - by routing the US force prior to turn six, or exiting more than half of the Panzer battalion off the opposite table edge by turn 12. For fun I used a house rule to simulate the "on-fumes" state of the Panzers' fuel tanks - each turn Dallas would roll 2d6, and on an 11 or 12, one platoon would run out of gas and grind to a halt.

Well, the US gave a good fight. In particular, we really pasted Cam's grenadier battalion. That did little to halt the tide of Panthers, which rolled majestically over our infantry while the fire of the Shermans and 57mm ATGs pinged harmlessly off their armour. Dallas used the German off-table fire missions to deploy smoke screens at important times, which was really, really irritating.

My US lads held past turn six, compelling the Panzers to dash for the breakthrough. Sadly, I had few platoons left that could take advantage of the exposed flank and rear aspects of the Panthers. Spearhead's target priority rules also ensured that my infantry were tangled with the opposing German infantry, and the Panthers rolled right past them, leaving the Germans with a narrow but nonetheless definitive win, particularly as I failed a morale roll for the combat command.

Here are some pictures of the game. Note the carelessly exposed deployment of my tank destroyers. I'm sure the crews would condemn me for that, had any of them survived...

A cheesey smoke barrage obscures the German advance

Sherman tanks await the rare opportunity to take a flank shot at the enemy tanks

Q - do riverbanks provide good cover? A - NO

German armour rolls across the shallow creek

My very small collection of German armour in winter camo smashes its way through the infantry line

Cam's grenadier battalion got chewed up by artillery and a particularly stubborn platoon of M-20 armoured cars (seen on the far side of the creek)- none of which really helped me win, but at least we lit up somebody...

A picture of the desperate US defenders

The game was a lot of fun. The scenario was very simple, and there was not a ton of different types of units involved, which helped cut down on the headaches. Dallas and Cam did a good job breaking the US defence, balancing the need for speed while trying to ensure the troops could shoot back. In particular, Cam reorganized his attack away from a "one-at-time" approach (which worked great for my defenders) to an "all-at-once" (which sucked for my hapless guys).

I love Spearhead, because the game represents a confrontation between plans as much as dice-rolling and different stat sheets. Much depends on your plan, and your initial deployment, as it is not quick to move stuff around the table if you are caught out. Compared to the goofed-out, endless-special-rules impaired world of the byzantine power-creeping codices that dominate 40k, Spearhead is pure wargaming joy.

Dallas really played the Germans well, rushing straight ahead, conscious of the ticking clock. His plan spread out the attack enough to keep me busy, while still ensuring the panzers punched hard, and had infantry support when it counted. Only one tank platoon ran out of gas (dammit!) but the roll each turn added a nice little sense of "uh-oh". On the American side, you got a good feel for the hopeless defence - infantry just waiting in the trenches while the German treads ground towards them....yikes!

Thanks to Dallas for hosting, and to Cam and Brian for coming out.

Game tonight - Battle of the Bulge

Tonight we will be playing Spearhead. The scenario will be set in the Western Front, the Ardennes in late 1944 and the Battle of the Bulge.

I concede readily that I have not delved too deeply into the specifics of the Bulge. I purchased "Hitler's Last Gamble" over a year ago in the hopes of finding gaming inspiration. Instead, it was one of those rare military history books with almost NO MAPS, so was damn hard to follow and I never did finish it. But I think we will capture the flavour of the Bulge with tonight's game, even if the unit specifics are not exactly right.

Another point of disclosure - I have precious few parts of my 6mm collection actually painted for winter - but screw that. We'll be able to make the table look somewhat wintry, and at any rate I don't know that the US troops had much of their stuff painted white. I know the Germans probably had a lot more...but hey, it's 6mm for fr*k sakes, and I do at least have some "winter" Panthers.

Anyway, the specific scenario will feature a desperate US defence of the approaches to the town of St. Vith. US "Combat Commands", scraped together from available local resources are in place to block the German advance. The Germans, who had envisioned capturing St. Vith on the second day of the offensive, are behind schedule. They still have the advantage, but will have to deal with challenging terrain, roads and unforgiving victory conditions that will call for them to get past the Americans as soon as they can.

In looking through my collection, it occurred to me that tonight will be something of a watershed when it comes to Spearhead - it will be the first time we use Americans. In fact, while I have a significant chunk of American models, I don't think we have ever rolled with Americans on the board for either Spearhead or Modern Spearhead. So a first for tonight's game! Look forward to seeing everyone and watching the tanks get stuck in the snow and mud.

Squeek-eek!

As threatened previously, work has begun on the chittering horde of Skaven for Warhammer Fantasy Battle.  Of course, finally seeing the new Skaven models from the eighth edition "Island of Blood" box "in the plastic" helped with motivation.  The first two units to be completed are a 30-strong unit of Clanrats and a 36-rat regiment of Plague Monks (25 shown).  The magic of Devlan Mud and a few choice highlights, plus a colour change on the Monks from purple robes to Knarloc Green - much more pestilential, I think!

Many, many more rats to come, obviously!

Roll Over Beethoven

Okay, Greg has been going great guns on his Napoleonic Austrians and I thought it high-time to show that I've not been doing nothing these past few months since I issued the Challenge. I have a ton of Foundry metals from past purchases but I also bought a schwack of the Victrix plastics as they have the early French in their bicornes and long coat-tails which I like the look of. The Victrix stuff is great but putting them all together can be a little crazy-making. Nonetheless, I do like the ability to build unique units without too much hassle. Here are a few 'raw' unpainted figures which have been arranged for a command stand concept.

The cool thing about the multi-pose plastics is that you can build a unit incrementally to flesh out an idea for an overall theme. The box came with a couple mods for guys raising their hats and I thought I'd do a whole battalion that is in the midst of a impromptu salute. I envisioned a scene where the Colonel is passing along the praise of the brigadier to the battalion and particularly the colour party for covering itself in glory in the past engagement. The men are loving it, with lots of back-slapping, musket-waving and shouting out "Vive le Starbucks" or something.

I have a hard time getting used to how light these guys are. It kinda freaks me out as I'm used to a certain heft with a unit of this size. In retrospect I'm happy I went with metal bases as I'm thinking they would otherwise blow away with a good sneeze. I also prefer the lower profile to the bases - the figures seem more part of the playing surface.

The other thing I wanted to try with this unit was to place figures and groundwork into the 'dead space' at the front of each base. I reason that this way when the battalion is placed into column it looks a bit more integrated between the lines. Technically this would be rated as a 32-figure battalion in Black Powder or Republic to Empire but it has a few more models in it as I prefer a more packed-in look. There are a couple light conversions in there with guys holding their bicornes, bearskins and shakos. There is also the obligatory bald guy to commemorate my own follicle-challenged status.

I wasn't really sure on the autumnal groundwork colours but I think I like it now. It seems to give more variability to the overall colours instead of just seeing a mass of blue and white. I've got a bunch more models painted (no, really) but I'm waiting for some more 'filler' NCO/junior officer castings from the Perry's, Foundry and Sash and Saber to act as file closers. I'll post another update once I have a brigade's worth based and their groundwork completed.

Next up: French Dragoons!

Fighting Withdrawal

The lack of supplies and reinforcements has pushed the Defending forces into a corner. They must make a fighting withdrawal to the starport while the Attacker attempts to cut them off and finish them.

Wednesday night I missed the big Bug/Guard dustup, since I was scheduled to play a game with MarioR. We played one of the preview scenarios from Mechani-Kon2 , another local tournament coming up on September 18, put on by AlexB and ThurstonH. Of the three example scenarios, one will be present at the event, so they are a good introduction to the types of missions we will face.

I ran with my Eldar Swordwind. Mario played his Ultramarines, led by Sicarius.

Objectives:
Defender: Hold your ground as long as possible before falling back, escape with as much of your forces intact as possible.

Attacker: Prevent the enemy from falling back, do as much damage to the enemy as possible.

This is a difficult scenario. Six turns in length. The defenders gain VPs only for (1) proximity to objectives calculated at the end of each turn, and (2) for units which withdraw of the table, but only on or after the 4th turn. The attacker gains VPs for proximity to objectives and defender units destroyed/damaged.

We rolled off and the Eldar would defend.

Rats. Nothing in reserve, and all the Eldar skimmers immobile at the start of the game.

Per the scenario rules, I drew an imaginary diagonal line from the northwest to southeast table corners. Three objectives were set up in the southwest half.

I deployed the Dragons and Spiders well forward, to push back the Marine deployment. My plan would be to use the Fire Dragons and Warp Spiders to distract and delay the Space Marines, using the Vypers as a second line of support, also shielding the vulnerable rear armour of the lead Serpents from Deep Strikers. The HQ's hid behind some woods to the south, ready to move up in support of the centre. The Night Spinner and Dire Avengers would lurk in the southwest corner, gaining VPs for the objectives there and shooting at targets of opportunity.



I left a bit of a gap between the Farseer/Autarch duo and the Dragon Serpents. If the Space Marine Dreadnought in its drop pod came down there, it would get a lot of melta love.



Mario combat squadded a unit of Marines, deploying half in some ruins to the north, with a missile launcher. The remainder embarked in their Razorback fighting vehicle, a little closer to the centre of the table.



The Ultramarines started off by dropping their Dreadnought just in front of the objective in the centre of the table. Mario thought about a drop behind the Eldar lines, but gleaned my melta-laden intent. Marine fire killed some Warp Spiders.

In response, the two Dragon Serpents moved up in tandem. One moved Flat Out beside the Dreadnought, capstonong the move of the second Serpent, and blocking movement/fire by the Razorback. The second Dragon Serpent moved up behind and deplyed its Fire Dragons, who blew up the Dreadnought.

The Farseer Fortuned the Autarch and herself, and moved up in support of the Dragons. The Vyper squadron and surviving Warp Spiders moved up and shot up the Combat Squad in the ruins, killing three, including a Missile Launcher dude.

The two Avenger Serpents moved up to the second objective to gain its VPs, but failed to destroy the drop pod with their fire.

The Night Spinner dropped a large blast on the Razorback, failing to damage it, but forcing a Difficult Terrain test the next time it moved.

For their second jump, the Spider Exarch and one Spider jumped back beside the lead Serpent, helping to contest the central objective.



Next turn, the Space Marines received from reserve an Assault Squad led by a Chaplain, and an outflanking Tactical Squad. The jump troops came in from the north. The outflankers rolled and came in from the east, exactly the worst place they could since they would have to move the length of the table to get into the action.

The Razorback declined to move. Instead, the Combat Squad inside the Razorback disembarked to assault the dismounted Fire Dragons. Marine fire pulled the turret off a Wave Serpent. The Fire Dragons lost a man in close combat but their morale held.

The second Fire Dragon unit dismounted. The two lead Wave Serpents pulled back, supported by the Vypers. The Night Spinner also enmeshed the Assualt Squad in monofilament wire. Eldar fire destroyed the Razorback and killed almost half of the Assault Squad.

In the Assault Phase the Autarch assaulted the Combat Squad locked with the Dragons, but only killed one. The Dragons lost another member, leaving a drawn combat.





The Marines then received from reserve an Attack Bike squadron, coming in from the north, Siccarius, who moved up behind them, and a Thunderfire Cannon, which moved on in the northeast corner. Getting revenge for the Razorback, Marine fire wiped out a Dragon Squad; the other Dragon Squad was wiped out in close combat. The Autarch fell back south.

In the bottom of the turn the Autarch rallied and joined the Farseer. They ended up taking cover behind some woods with their second move.



Concentrated Eldar fire wiped out the remains of the Combat Squad from the ruins, and reduced the Assault Squad to just the Chaplain and one jump trooper.



In the fourth turn, the Thunderfire Cannon opened up on the Vypers with a barrage that wiped out the entire unit. Ouch! That's the first time I've lost all three Vypers in a single game. Concentrated melta fire from the Attack Bikes and some lucky close combat rolls destroyed both Fire Dragon Wave Serpents. The Spiders were reduced to just the Autarch.

In just half a turn the game had turned around. With the start of their fourth turn, the Eldar could now start pulling forces off the table. My quandry was in trying to decide what, if anything, to leave behind to further slow down the Marine onslaught. The Eldar had or would gain 350 VPs for objectives, the lone Spider couldn't get off the table this turn, and the Night Spinner was pretty safe in the corner.

The Eldar chose the better part of valour. The Farseer Doomed the Assault Squad and withdrew off the table with the Autarch, followed by both Dire Avenger Wave Serpents. The Night Spinner killed a couple more of the remaining Combat Squad.



The Spider Exarch moved up and gunned down both the Chaplain and the last jump trooper. The Exarch didn't make a second jump, contesting the central objective with his last act of defiance, denying the Marines 50 VPs.



The game's last two turns proceded quickly. The Exarch fell to the guns of the Marines and the Attack Bikes surged forward to control objectives. The Night Spinner withdrew off the table as Mario's Marines consolidated their hold on the three objectives.

At the end of the game, the Eldar had managed to save over half their force for 793 VPs and gained another 350 VPs for objectives, totaling 1143 VPs. However, the Marines themselves gained 300 VPs for objectives, plus the 707 pts worth of units the Eldar lost. 1143-1007=136, shy of the 150 point spread required for a win.

Result = Draw

This was a tense and exciting game. The end was unclear until the final tallies were made.

I liked how each side had some radically different goals. Trying to hold onto objectives added an interesting twist to the proceedings.