Bolt Action at Adler Hobby

Yesterday I got the chance to do some rare Sunday gaming thanks to the Labor Day holiday on Monday here in the USA. Gordon at Adler hosted a day of Bolt Action gaming at his store complete with catered lunch of meatball subs and Italian ice for desert thanks to a contribution by Scott.

I played in a historical scenario Gordon is working adapted from a scenario book. It's a North African battle that actually happened pitting Italian light armor M13/14 'medium' tanks against a desperate force of Australians defending an old desert fort with just some Boys anti-tank rifles and a couple of portee 2 pounder anti tank guns. To successfully delay the Italians the Aussies would have to get up close and personal with anti-tank grenades and side armor shots with the Boys ATRs.

This scenario was well played by the Aussies, led by Chris helping new players Jeff and Marco learn the rules. On the Italian side we had Marco's son Guillermo and me being tutored by the other experienced player, Dan. This was my first game of Bolt Action actually playing and it was easy to learn and quite fun. The scenario seemed very well balanced for a first play. The Italians were down to their last shot on their last tank of the last turn. Hit and they win, miss and the Australians win. Very close with the Italians squeaking out the victory. 

 

On the other table some of the more experienced players played a four player game in the ruins of Berlin. I believe it was Americans against Germans, so western Berlin I would assume. I'm unsure of the outcome but everyone seemed to be having a great time.

EW North Africa Escalation League (7)

Last night was what might be my final game in our soon to be completed early war North Africa Flames of War Escalation League. Before the games some of us had a 'review of the troops' photograph session. The league has prize support for completing two 1500 point armies for the league. To the left you can see me with my two armies: my German Stützpunkt force (also shown in detail below left) and 1500 points of my Australian commonwealth infantry force (below right), which in all total approaches 3500 points worth of troops painted up during the league. There is a more detailed troop review of the entire Australian collection in this previous blog post.

I've had great fun painting up these two armies. I'm most likely going to continue tinkering with the forces a bit. I have a couple more units of Australians that I've purchased and will paint up just to complete the project. The Stützpunkt is a bit more of a work in progress. I still would like to add a couple platoons of armor, preferably Panzer IIc or Panzer III tanks and could also paint up one more platoon of infantry. The addition of the latter would also allow me to field this force as a regular infantry company.

 

After the photo session was over I played a very enjoyable game with my Australians running them as a Divisional Cavalry squadron, against Gordon's Black Shirt Italian infantry horde. Gordon was aided by Eric for a portion of the game. My honorable opponents are shown in the photo to the left. This game featured several successful assaults by Gordon's infantry, one against my Bren carriers (below right), and another one pushing back my captured Italian tank platoon in a great counter-attack by a lone infantry team. Brave chaps those fearless conscripts are. I guess the Italians knew exactly where the weakness of their own tanks were!

Early on I had some success with my recon moves and was able to catch Gordon's anti-tank platoon while being towed (above left) and also took out one of his heavy artillery guns also while towed. These two early gains secured me an opportunity to press him on my left flank which eventually ended up being an objective I could hold with my tanks on Turn 6 for the win. The win was not without cost. I lost both of my anti-tank platoons and had only a single carrier left from one of my Bren carrier patrols. All in all a fun game where we learned some of the new V3 rules, all of which everyone seemed to feel were significant improvements to the rules.

German North Africa 10.5 cm Artillery Battery

This is a battery of four German LeFh18 10.5 cm artillery pieces that is a divisional support option for my Stützpunkt defensive infantry company. The platoon includes command, staff and two forward observer teams. Although the bases are a bit less interesting, I think the uniforms and guns are much better looking than the early war battery I painted up earlier. This platoon brings my Stützpunkt up to just over 1500 points using this order of battle. This is significant because completing two 1500 point armies by the end of February is an achievement in our early war league that is compensated by Battlefront with some free product...and who doesn't like free figures?!!

I'm not entirely sure I'll always want to use the mortars, infantry guns and this artillery battery at the same time in a tournament setting, but having them all for historical games is a must. Most likely at some point I'll be wanting to add one or two platoons of Panzer IIc or III tanks to give the force some additional mobility.

I've been substituting two company command stands from my early war continental German army as I forgot to paint up the company commander and 2iC when I painted up my required infantry platoon. I completed these two stands so that I would have proper North Africa theater figures for my company commanders. How embarrassing it was to have the most important stands in my company be the wrong uniforms!

Destroyed Supply Truck - FOW Objective Marker

This is an objective marker I've painted up for my German Stutzpunkt defensive force. The piece was originally designed for what I think was an Italian village scene with cobble stone pavement and a destroyed wall. Since I wanted to use this for my North Africa German army I covered the cobble stones with sand, but kept the wall. I imagine on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa tile roofs aren't all that uncommon, or at least weren't back in 1942.

The scene shows what I believe is a Mercedes truck that was knocked out by a near miss shell burst. Cargo is spilled about and the truck sits pushed up against the broken wall. Other than re-decorating the base the only other things I did was to paint it up and add some Silfor grass tufts on the open areas. I have one more objective to go for this army which will featured a destroyed Panzer IIc tank. The rest of the scene I haven't figured out yet.

In my 2012 painting totals I'm going to count this as a vehicle. I think it's the category that fits the closest.

The Last Crusade(ers)

This is the last platoon of Crusader tanks for my British North Africa WWII army. These have been lingering on the painting table too long so I decided to just finish them up to clear some space for something new. I had initially intended on using these for early war, but they're just too damned expensive in points early war, even more so after Battlefront increased the cost for all of the British armor. These will still get plenty of use mid-war where they can form the core of a light tank swarm supported by my Grants and some Australian infantry and artillery. These are first-generation Battlefront models with the more modern styled turret which I like a lot. This platoon is adorned with blue triangle platoon markings on the turrets. The platoon commander had the hull MG turret left on more for identification purposes than for utility.

This will be my last post for January. I just thought I'd mention that it's been a VERY active month on the blog for me. The next most active month was 14 posts, which I've done a few times. This month I had 20 posts. That's a lot of painting, modeling and gaming! hopefully I can maintain momentum and continue to do a lot of fun stuff over the next few months. I know once the good weather returns to New Hampshire my wargaming hobby will suffer.

Saturday Game Day at Adler Hobby

Today was one of our twice-monthly game days at Adler Hobby. The second such game day normally focuses on painting, terrain building and anything else we decide to do. Gaming of course is always on the menu if people bring armies and want to play. Several of us are considering supporting an upcoming benefit tournament hosted by our friends from the Boston Trained Bands club. To help support this effort I brought a couple of DBA armies so I could teach people how to play the rules.

The tutorial game started with Gordon playing the Greeks and Russ playing the Romans, but Don took over for Gordon when some new customers came to the store that needed help. All three players picked up the rules quickly and Don and Russ played a very good game with both making good tactical DBA decisions several times. In the end Russ squeaked out a win with the Romans with a score of 4-2 assaulting and capturing the Roman camp with a unit of Triarii. There's something you don't see all the time!

Russ had to leave but Don and I still had some time before Gordon had to close up shop so we played a 1500 point Flames of War game as part of our ongoing Campaign. Don brought his Fallschirmjäger company from the Burning Empires rule book, and I opted to use my Australian Divisional Cavalry Squadron. Don's Fallschirmjäger stands are beautifully based with tall grass and meadow flowers from Army Painter. They were so nice that I took the photos below so people can enjoy them.

For our game we played this month's featured mission 'Pincers'. Since I was using a mechanized company and Don was using an infantry I was the attacker and Don was the defender. Don placed his Artillery, Mortars and a large kampfgroup of infantry and weapons, including a very deadly recoilless rifle on the table and kept a platoon of Pak38 AT guns (proxied by Pak40 models) in ambush. The photos below show the first two turns. With delayed reserves I thought a bull rush attack was the best approach. I knew Don's AT guns and recoilless rifle would take their toll. I could only hope I could press him off the objective before my army vaporized.....then the Stukas came!

This was an interesting game. My Desert Rats dice show a rat when they roll a 1. Early in the game I was saying 'RATS!' a LOT. This meant a lot of bailed and bogged down vehicles some of which refused to get back into action for multiple turns. Don's fearless veteran Germans didn't need much luck early on to whittle me down. The combination of their high skill and my Australian's trained status meant Don was scoring a lot of solid hits.

A platoon of Bren carriers was bailed by the Pak38 AT platoon and finished off by an infantry assault, then 2 of 3 Humber II armored cars perished and then two of my captured Italian tanks died with the third failing morale (another RATS! moment). Just when things looked lost Don started to have a few turns of bad dice as well. Stukas failed to score kills, and after killing a PaK38 and their officer Don's remaining fearless gun decided they'd rather go to the rear for ammo. I was able to call in some smoke with my artillery at a critical time, and then Don's reserve rolls for turns 3 and 4 came up empty. With one last assault from my remaining few tanks and a spray of MG fire from behind the cover of a thin ridge I was finally able to eliminate Don's infantry platoon that was contesting the objective.

In turn five Don did get one reserve unit, but it was too far from the objective to contest it. Don attempted to storm trooper move a gun from his artillery battery to contest but it failed it's skill check to do so. Also in that turn Don's Stukas weren't able to kill enough of my force to force me to company morale so I squeaked out a narrow victory on turn six. If any one of a half dozen rolls that SHOULD have gone Don's way had, I'd be writing about a defeat instead of a victory. Don took it all in stride like the gentleman he is. This is why I like gaming with friends. Thanks for the fun game Don.

Australia Day - EW North Africa Escalation League (6)

Last night I celebrated Australia Day  by going to Adler Hobby for one of my infrequent Thursday night visits to play in the early war North Africa FOW escalation league. I missed this past Saturday due to other commitments so I wanted to get in a game or two. My first game was a 1750 point game using new scenario called "Pincers" which will be in the new 3rd edition book. This scenario had my Australian infantry deploying half their force with delayed reserves against Adam's attacking German armor force.

Adam's force contains two platoons of tanks: one Panzer IVd and one Panzer IIc along with some pioneer infantry, a battery of 10.5cm leFH18 artillery and a single 88 AT gun. Very high quality, but low quantity. My Australians are quite the opposite, I had ten (10) platoons all fairly inexpensive, with the exception of my battery of OQF 18/25 artillery. To reach 1750 points I to have to use everything I have painted up for the Aussies, including much to Adam's dismay three platoons of AT guns and two platoons of light Italian tanks (which never got to the battle).

I was afraid of being overrun by Adam's tanks early so I deployed both of my infantry platoons on the table to act as a 'speed bump' delaying force while I waited for reserves. Behind them I put my artillery in a direct-fire position supporting the infantry, one platoon of captured Italian 47/32 AT guns on one flank and I held a platoon of 2 pounder AT guns in ambush. They were placed interspersed with the artillery on my first turn.

This was a tough draw for Adam as far as match ups go. My AT assets are a nightmare for a small tank force and I had early success with my 2 pounders and 18/25 artillery firing over open sights against Adam's Panzer IVd platoon eliminating it, and my Italian 47/32 AT platoon scored just enough bails and kills on the Panzer IIc platoon to cause it to take a platoon morale check which it failed. I also was VERY lucky with all my saves from Adam's artillery and 88 hits in his first turn making 5 gun saves in a row - all sixes, three in one turn shown above.

Adam took everything in stride and was an excellent sport about it and chose to continue attacking with his infantry. He knew it was a lost cause, but took the sportsmanly route to finish the game aggressively rather than concede the game early. I have to compliment him on this I can't say I would have had the fortitude not to toss in the towel. On my third turn I received one reserve unit and chose my scout patrol of six Bren carriers. With Adam's tanks all but eliminated the bristling Bren and Boys guns on the carriers made short work of the remaining infantry. For Australia day my troops were able to celebrate a victory.

Our first game finished so quickly that we finished before Gordon and Chris could finish setting up their game. Instead of sitting around Adam offered me a re-match with his Free French against my German Stutzpunkt. For this game we had to play at 1250 points as that's all the Germans I currently have painted up. We rolled in Gordon's new random scenario book and drew the "Counterattack" scenario that neither Adam or I had played before which had me defending one corner while Adam attacked it or another objective in the corner opposite his deployment. I was fortunate in that I only had one platoon with vehicles (four Panzer IIc tanks) so I was able to start with my entire small force on the table. Adam's giant free French force also started on the table and Adam wisely used his national ability to move the unguarded objective even closer to his deployment zone.

With recon moves and first move Adam was contesting that objective on turn one. We miss-read the objective and didn't realize that the objectives don't go 'live' until turn six (6) so I double timed my Panzer IIs to contest bogging two on the railroad tracks and another in the rough terrain near the objective. A single brave Panzer IIc stood between me and defeat! Adam was able to soften up my Stutzpunkt by surgically destroying my gun bunkers with his artillery direct fire and silence the rest of my static forces with smoke and pins from his copious mortar fire. My Stukas were ineffective all game so it was up to my Panzer IIs and a tiny infantry gun platoon to secure the remote objective. My MG gun pits seemed to be holding the line on my objective.

Honestly I thought this game was all but over on turn one. After 6 more turns Adam's Hotchkis tanks and my Panzer IIs were still at a standstill although I was able to dispatch his Australian Bren carriers and most of one of his AT platoons. In the end we had to call the game at 1am as a draw. This was a MUCH more exciting and fun game than the first one. I only wish we could have played it first so we could have finished it.

EW North Africa Escalation League (5)

Tonight I popped into Adler hobby for one of my rare Thursday night games. I was able to play a game with my German Stützpunkt company. Chris was the attacker with his Polish infantry company complete with a platoon of two Matilda tanks which I feared very much. I deployed a maximum amount of mines and barbed wire. Chris paid dearly to gap the minefields losing several infantry stands, but once he successfully cleared a section his Matilda tanks made short work of the barbed wire (see below left).

My only answers for the queens of the desert were my Stuka dive bombers and a single 88 gun pit. Chris chose to make a night attack which is his option when attacking with commonwealth infantry (Chris' Poles use the Australian fearless trained list with some of his own self-imposed restrictions for historical accuracy). After dawn broke I got one pass with my Stukas but I only was able to bail one Matilda which re-mounted the next turn easily. My 81mm mortar platoon did cause Chris' infantry quite a bit of trouble eventually causing one platoon to make a break check, which it failed even though it was fearless. Chris re-rolled using his CinC but failed a second time removing the platoon and officer. I can sympathize with Chris, this is the type of luck usually reserved for ME! Unfortunately Chris also had a very bad streak of luck when his Matildas pressed forward into a wooded hill in order to avoid my 88 gun pit - BOTH tanks bogged down (see below right). I was able to swoop in with my infantry platoon and jump the helpless tank crews eliminating the Matilda platoon. At the same time my Panzer IIc platoon was able to shoot up Chris' second infantry platoon with MG fire and close with an assault which, thanks to the earlier damage caused by my mortars, was enough to force it to check morale which it also failed even though it was fearless.

Being below half company strength Chris auto-failed his company morale check due to his CinC leaving the table earlier in the game. I have to say Chris played very well and his dice robbed him of a better performance. Without several streaks of bad luck I think he would have rolled over my small defensive force easily with his fearless infantry and Matilda tanks. Next time we play we'll be at a higher point total. I'll need to bring TWO 88 gun pits to deal with the Matildas. One is too easy to avoid, which Chris demonstrated to me with great skill tonight.

Commonwealth 2 Pounder AT Platoon

This is a platoon of 2 pounder AT guns for my Australian early war North Africa infantry company. They may also be pressed into service mid war, although there they are of limited value. During the early war these will knock out anything the Axis can throw at the Australians. These can also be used as dismounted guns for my portee 2 pounder AT platoon that I painted up a few months ago.  I still have a few odds and ends that I could paint up for my Australian infantry company but this platoon finishes everything I NEED to field a full company up to 1750 points.