Tuesday, June 1, 2021

1-48 Tactic Games

I've started to host some 1-48 Tactic games in my home now that my friends and I are fully vaccinated. After purchasing the rules, I printed up the free character cards and tokens that are included in the rules. I'm not interested in starting another scale, so I'm going to substitute the 1/48 scale models the rules are originally designed for with 28mm figures and terrain from my existing collection. To try out the rules and introduce them to the group I set up the sample characters with the terrain shown to the left. I pulled some appropriate bits from my unpainted terrain pile to use for the 'doughnut terrain' and painted them up. This included some craters and foxholes. 

Game one was 1 on 1 vs my friend Ed (from Ed M's Wargames Meanderings blog). Ed and I played three games to learn the rules and refine the terrain. I had initially figured there was no such thing as 'too much' terrain, but after the first game we realized that a little less density would better match the starting forces. Much thanks to Ed for helping me play test the board and learn the rules. This was also the first official game in the new gaming room!

Game number two was between my friends Greg and Mike. Both Greg and Mike have been superheros during COVID-19 hosting MANY on-line games for myself and other club members. Greg hosting Chain of Command and Sharpe's practice games and Mike hosting Saga Age of Hannibal games.

Mike and Greg played two games, swapping armies so each tried each force once. Greg went 2-0 but both played really well. 

Mike had some more time so he stuck around and played a third game against me. This was a really fun game for me to play. Mike had two of his soldiers close enough to each other for me to lay down some suppressive fire on both of them. Mike got his soldiers out of the suppression zone and in the next turn I attempted to capitalize by charging one of my SMG-armed figures within short range and peppering Mike's figure with SMG fire......to no effect. DRATS! I MISSED!  Mike didn't, put two between the eyes of my would be Nazi Rambo dropping him in his tracks. Mike then went on to finish off my NCO sealing the win.

Game three in the 'return the favor' tour was my friends Phil and Michael. Phil was HUGE in my move by using his cargo van to help me pre-move my entire miniatures collection, scenery and laser engraver prior to the hired movers arriving. Michael, another of my club friends who hosted virtual games during the lock down. Phil and Michael played much more cautiously and slowly than the other two games, showing that 1-48 Tactics can be a "thinking man's game" if you want it to be. In the end Michael got the worst end of 'General Dice' and Phil pulled out two wins, one with each force. 

So far these games have been fun to play and host. I can see an opportunity for a 'big game' using several similar rifle-armed privates with a single NCO for each player. I'd like a larger battlefield, so I might toy with the idea of doubling each figure's movement. I think the weapon ranges are still fine as-is on a larger battlefield.   I'm planning on hosting a few more 'out of the box' demo games for more of my club friends soon.

1 comment:

Ed M said...

Thanks for breaking me out of the COVID bubble for the first game in your new space!