Battle report: who needs Tiger tanks?

Ju-87 with 37mm AT - ready to wreck some sh*t.

Last night we assembled at Dallas' place for a game of WW2 Spearhead. The scenario was based on an article from an old copy of Gloire, pitting a German heavy tank battalion against a Russian tank brigade loaded for bear with JS-2 heavy tanks. The scenario was set for Command Decision, but I fiddled with it and set it up for Spearhead. A clash of the heavy tanks - should be good stuff...

The scenario was a basic breakthrough, set in early 1945 in Eastern Poland. The hapless 9th army, watching its supply corridors get overrun, decides to protect at least one of them by committing the 502nd HeavyPanzer Battalion, freshly equipped with some new Tiger II tanks, against the Soviet Spearhead.

Dallas and Brian rolled with the Germans, while Bill, Mike F and Wes went forward for the proleteriat.

The terrain was covered in swamps and forests, and if that wasn't good enough, all the clear ground was treated as rough going for tanks, to account for the winter muck.

The German side had battle group of an infantry battalion, with attached PAK 40s, included one mobile battery on an RSO chassis, and a company of Stug IIIgs. The Panzer Battalion had two companies of Tiger IIs, and one company Tiger Is. I applied a house rule for the King Tigers, where they would risk breaking down if they tried to move too far too fast, to account for what I understand to be their pretty awful record of mechanical liability.

Soviets always bring a lot to the Spearhead table, and this was no exception, with 20 platoons of T-34/85s, 9 platoons of JS-2s and attached heavy and light gun regiments, as well as two infantry battalions.

Of course, with Spearhead, you get to have all of the elements covered off, including off-table artillery and air support. The Russians had the use of a Sturmovik flight, while the Germans had a 150mm gun battalion off table (with only three fire missions) and the vain hope for as many as two passes by Ju-87s with AT cannons. Given the state of the Luftwaffe at this point in the war, the Germans would need to roll Vegas to get those Stukas to show...

"Who came up with the terrain rules for this f**ing scenario?"

The Soviets made a slow, mud-choked advance, ultimately being ambushed by the waiting German infantry and AT guns. The hapless German rifle platoons knocked out several tanks, and a first mission of 150mm artillery hit some Russian infantry pretty hard, but the mud was a bigger opponent than the Germans. Gradually Bill and Mike managed to collect a fairly serious concentration of armour and infantry ready to roll over some Stug IIIs defending a German roadway.

For the German's part, Dallas advanced the heavy panzer battalion slowly on to the table, with only one platoon suffering a break down. The pace was gradual, but a pretty cool head to head tank smack down was taking shape.

But then the Stukas came...

Yes - the German players needed a vegas roll, and they got it - TWICE! The German forward air controller obviously had a phone plan with unlimited weekday and weekend minutes. The Russian armoured column was quite concentrated, and the Stug crews had a great vantage as the planes massacred the Soviet tanks with their 37mm AT cannons. It was enough to rout the JS-2s, and leave the T-34-85s, weakened by suprise AT attacks from pockets of German infantry to face a gun line of Tiger IIs...we called the game at that point.

Props to Dallas for the Rudel-like air support rolls (especially after the last two artillery strikes accomplished nothing). As Arty says in his rules, airpower brings "joy and heartbreak". A valley full of smoking Russian tanks served as testament to both aspects of timely air support in this game.

So, in terms of the JS-2s vs. Tiger IIs...I guess that will have to wait for another game! The JS tanks were all wrecked before the Tigers could engage them.

As for the scenario, I really overdid it with the terrain restricitions. While the gumbo-like terrain rules gave an appreciation of what fun it is to lead a tank spearhead through muck, I think it prolonged the game needlessly. In the event we play this one again, those aspects of the rules will change for sure!

Thanks to everyone for coming out and playing (even though the mud-like progress kept us up pretty late). Thanks also to Bill for the show and tell from Historicon!

40K Reborn

It seems that Greg and Dallas are building 40k armies, Cam has talked some trash about finishing a Tau army, Dave is making a Crimson Fist army and with my modern Germans done, I'm going to finally get this 1500 point Space Marine army repainted. With all this flurry of 40k, do we want to set some kind of goal to keep us on track (and hold Cam to his word)? Last summer Dave mentioned running a mini-campaign including some Apocalypse games. This idea sounded pretty cool! Do we dare delve into so much 40k? Did Cam actually paint his Tau? Does Greg have any gaskets to spare? What do you think?

Bundeswehr finished!

This squad will ride in their soon to be complete Marder
The 40mm grenade launcher!
Panzerfaust 3's and Milan below.

I've Seen the Future, and it is Dark

I feel like I'm fast becoming master of the mini-project. Stick some junk together, roll out a game on Thursday, call it done. Works for me, I guess :-)

Anyway in this case we roll back about 4 years. A local used book/comic shop had a copy of the old GW game "Dark Future", the game of future vehicle combat. It was in great shape, complete and something like $20 so I picked it up and it went in the closet, there to sit for, well, 4 years.

A couple months ago I was at Wal-Mart looking at the toy cars (like you do) and saw a very cool line of 1/64 vehicles with a unique theme: "For Sale". These were basically models of cars that you see parked in a driveway with a "For Sale" sign on 'em. Kinda beat up, a bit rusty, but the kind of vehicle that would instantly attract and induce an overpowering sense of want in a 17-year-old car enthusiast, or me ;-)

So I saw these cars a few months ago, and an idea started to percolate. Last week when I saw that they were going on sale it all came together - I would pick up these cars to use for Dark Future! They're already pre-painted with some neat paintjobs, all I have to do is some minor conversion to add the guns and hey presto! Thursday game. So tonight that's what I did...

Camaro ex-Police Interceptor

"There's no Justice, there's just us"

Datsun 510

Hood lascannon and turret MG

My favorite - Shelby Mustang GT350

Called the "GT350" because it was 350 feet from Shelby's workshop to his office... true story

1967 Chevy Nova SS

My first car was a Chevy II (lower trim version of the Nova) but it wasn't much like this one!

This was a great mini-project because of the sheer lack of effort involved. I basically blacked out the front windows, drilled holes for the weapon mounts, and installed the wire cages inside the cars. I think they look pretty cool, now I just have to paint the bikers that came with the game. I've done some minor conversions to add helmets to them and they should only take maybe one or two evenings to paint.

Cheers!

Kampfgruppe Burch: Forget the Marder; meet the PUMA IFV

On July 3, 2009, the German Defence Procurement Office and PSM GmbH, Kassel, signed the contract for the production of 405 PUMA Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicles, to replace the Marder in the Bundeswehr mechanized infantry.

Here's some pages with photos:
http://www.psm-spz.com/en/
http://www.rommelkiste.de/Fahrzeuge/Puma/Puma.html

RE: new Imperial Guard APCs:
Quick solution - use Razorbacks instead of Rhinos to "count as" Chimeras, and mount the secondary weapon (heavy bolter or heavy flamer) co-axially in the turret instead of in the hull. Count the hatches as the fire points for the mounted infantry.

Cool - Bundeswehr Theme it is!

Thanks to Conscript Dave V for his awesome and quite thorough recommendations on a new, 1500 point 5th Edition 40k army. Definitely looks cool, and I am fired up to get moving on it.

Painting the camo could be tricky - I've done it on ultra-moderns, but on my 6mm tanks! Dallas and Mike F are the ones with the awesome results painting camo, so I'll have to crib off of them to get a sense of how it is done. But I'm pretty sure the GW washes will definitely come in handy!

I'm still trying to decided whether to go woodland, desert, or perhaps something a bit "alien". We'll see what the upcoming experiments bring...

Also, I may experiment with bashing a GW Rhino into some kind of APC that would count as a Chimera - it could be made to look a lot like a Marder IFV. On the other hand, I have a bunch of unpainted Chimeras - and while they are a pain to assemble, they look plenty fine on their own.

So watch for photos kit bashing and experimental painting, coming soon to this blog! And thanks again to Dave V for his excellent tips.

Imperial Guard - 5th ed.

I'm thinking that, in addition to the items Greg mentioned in his main post, he is also a tread-head, thinks snipers are cool, and thinks GunSchwarm is 'da bomb'.

LOOKS COOL FACTOR (LCF)

With that it mind, I suggest as a theme the 40K equivalent of a Bundeswehr reinforced mechanized platoon. The Guardsmen themselves could be painted in the Flecktarn scheme adopted by the modern German Army.

Wiki on Flecktarn:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flecktarn

Here are some ideas for painting the figs themselves:
http://eurekamin.com.au/news.php?newsid=EkuEVlyVVuZuHPvPKs
http://eurekamin.com.au/ideas.php?postid=56

Here are some links regarding vehicles like the Leopard 2:
http://images42.fotosik.pl/43/9c674b12c7534c63.jpg
http://www.deutschesheer.de
http://www.casr.ca/101-army-armour-leopard-2a6m.htm

In the end, Greg would get a very interesting looking army, that could easily do double duty as Gunschwarm forces mobilized by Future Angela Merkel.

ARMY LIST

HQ
Company Command Squad = 245
- Hauptmann Burch (Company Commander) w/ Plasma Pistol
- Veteran w/ Vox-caster
- Veteran with Medi-pack
- 2 x Veterans w/ Meltaguns
- Officer of the Fleet
- Master of Ordnance
- Bodyguard
- Chimera APC w/ Scatter Laser/Heavy Bolter

Troops
Infantry Platoon:
Platoon Command = 120
- Leutnant (Platoon Commander) w/ Plasma Pistol
- Guardsman w/ Vox-caster
- 2 x Guardsmen w/ Meltaguns
- Guardsman w/ Lasgun
- Chimera APC w/ Scatter Laser/Heavy Flamer

Infantry Squad = 125
- Feldwebel (Sergeant) w/ Plasma Pistol
- Guardsman w/ Vox-caster
- Guardsman w/ Flamer
- 7 Guardsmen
- Chimera APC w/ Scatter Laser/Heavy Bolter

Infantry Squad = 125
- Feldwebel (Sergeant) w/ Plasma Pistol
- Guardsman w/ Vox-caster
- Guardsman w/ Grenade Launcher
- 7 Guardsmen
- Chimera APC w/ Scatter Laser/Heavy Flamer

Troops
Veteran Squad = 130
- Oberfeldwebel (Veteran Sgt.)
- Veteran w/ Vox-caster
- 3 x Veterans w/ Sniper Rifles
- Veteran Weapons team w/ Autocannon
- 3 Veterans
- Forward Sentries - camo cloaks and snare mines

Troops
Veteran Squad = 150
- Oberfeldwebel (Veteran Sgt.)
- Veteran w/ Vox-caster
- Veteran w/ Flamer
- 2 x Veterans w/ Grenade Launchers
- Veteran w/ Demo Charge
- 4 Veterans
- Forward Sentries - camo cloaks and snare mines
- Demolitions - Melta Bombs and the one Demo Charge

Fast Attack
Bane Wolf = 145
- Heavy Flamer
- Extra Armour (Crew Stunned counted as Crew Shaken)

Heavy Support
Leman Russ Vanquisher = 250
- tank commander = Knight Commander Pask (Tank Ace)
- Lascannon
- Dozer Blade (re-roll Difficult Terrain tests)
- Camo Netting (+1 cover save)

Heavy Support
Leman Russ Demolisher = 210
- Heavy Bolter
- 2 x Multimelta Sponsons
- Extra Armour (Crew Stunned counted as Crew Shaken)


GREG'S CRITERIA:

1500 points:
The force totals exactly 1500 points.

unifying theme:
This force represents elements of a motorized infantry (Panzergrenadier) company, with some attached regimental assets.

The two Veteran squads represent elements of the regimental reconnaissance company. They're first on the battlefield; the sharpest end of the stick, that the rest of the battle group supports.

The core response force is a mechanized infantry platoon, which has the capability to fight enemy light infantry and armour at relatively close range. Using its vehicles, the squads can move to seize distant objectives, or can quickly change the direction of an advance.

Tanks from the regimental panzer battalion have been seconded to the panzer grenadiers. Supporting the infantry directly are the Bane Wolf and the Demolisher. The Vanquisher supports the formation as a whole at longer range.

It should have a chance to f***ing win:
Orders are a new feature of the Imperial Guard. All the Vox-casters in the various units allow re-rolls of failed Ld tests when giving orders.

There is a mix of effective weapon types throughout the army. The sniper rifle/autocannon Veteran squad pins the enemy at range. The Veteran demolitions squad handles enemy fortifications and bunkers. The Vanquisher and its Tank Ace is able to deal with the heaviest tank armour at long range (BS4, 9+2D6 AP w/ Vanquisher Battle Cannon, 10+D6 AP w/ Lascannon, re-roll wounds against Monstrous Creatures). The panzer grenadier squads and all the Chimera APCs have a mix of weapons to deal with both lightly armoured tanks and with hordes. The Bane Wolf can kill an entire Marine squad with its chem cannon (template, AP3, wounds on 2+), and has capability against other infantry and hordes with its heavy flamer.

Meltagun variants are "the new black" for 5th edition; the extra D6 penetration helps against most vehicles (not the Wave Serpent energy field, but oh well). Rolling +1 on the Vehicle Damage Table is a good way to destroy both Land Raiders and Eldar skimmer tanks. The two command squads have Meltaguns to deal with tank armour at close range (I envision them fighting from inside the Chimera, using its fire points). At medium range, the Demolisher can deal with 2+ armoured foes like Terminators with its cannon (S10 AP2, large blast marker), and can deal with heavy tanks with its 2 sponson Multimeltas.

The Officer of the Fleet delays enemy reserves, allowing a force multiplier for the Guard forces already on-table. The Master of Ordnance rains down S9 pie plates.

The Extra Armour helps keep the Bane Wolf and Demolisher assault tanks moving. The dozer blade allows the Vanquisher to move more easily into terrain, thus allowing it a 3+ cover save due to the camo netting.

Defensively, the Veterans' snare mines count as defensive grenades, disallowing the "charging" extra attack for enemies that close assault the Veterans. The Veterans' camo cloaks add to their cover save. If they Go to Ground while in cover, they'll gain a 2+ cover save against incoming fire.

avoid any outright cheesebag options:
No two units in this battle force are identical.

The one named character, Pask, merely adds to his unit's effectiveness, rather than being some uber killy guy himself.

There are no obvious "ploys" like a Psyker squad pinning an enemy unit, then indirect fire ordnance nailing them.

This is a balanced force, able to deal with a lot of different mission types. For what it's worth, under Astronomi-con Composition scoring, this battle group scores 19 out of 20.

it should look cool, without taking forever to paint:
IMO, the Flecktarn camo scheme looks cool. Greg has done it before with his ultramoderns. To change it up, he could go with the desert variant.

***

So, what do you think?