Mortain

For the Centurions game I prepared a Spearhead Scenario loosely based upon the German Counter Offensive in Normandy, Operation Lüttich, August 7th, 1944.   

The scenario kicked off at 0600 on August 7th and looked at the first two to three hours with 8 turns.

We really haven't played Spearhead often in the past half-a-dozen years and it showed.    Okay the game might have been a fucktastrophy, if that was an actual word.

Why did the game bomb out and fail?

First the Scenario designer is an idiot.   Yes that is me.   I moved hill 314 from in front of Mortain to beside Mortain because I thought creating a more straight battle line would be more playable.  When I set up the table, the base plates, I setup a mirror image of what I needed to.   

Base Layout

Image of the base without trees and buildings when I tested out the layout a few weeks ago.  The Americans were going to be placed to the bottom of the table.  When I was testing the layout I was trying to figure out where to put hill 314.   

For logistical reasons I switched the Americans to the top of the table.   When I set up the table this morning, using my picture I forgot to flip the table 180 degrees.   I than decided to not spend ten minutes rotating the table to fix my mistake.   I simply moved Mortain and hill 314.   

Hill 314 on the Left Flank of Mortain

For the Germans I have the Herman Goering's Panzer Division from Sicily and the 5th Falschrimjager Division with a bunch of weird Regiments and battalions for Operation Market Garden.    These formations were going to be subbed in for the actual German forces of the oversized 2nd SS Panzer Division and 116 Panzer Division.   This substituting left the Germans short an Armored Battalion but close on Infantry.

For the record I have a large number of regular Germans either mostly painted or entirly painted on popsicle sticks that I had considered mounting up for this game.   I didn't because I ran out of time and because I am not 100% sold that we are going to continue to play Spearhead in 15mm.   I may organize them form Battlefront....  But that is another discussion.

American Airborne defending

For the Americans we used 4 Battalions of Airbourne, 2 battalions of Glider Infantry, four battalions of regular infantry and two battalions of Armor for 30th Infantry Division and CCB 2nd Armored.    

Much like the Germans I have 100 or so American regular Army painted up on popsicle sticks or mounted for Rate of Fire that are going to be remounted.   In theory these figures represent the 1st Infantry Division for Operation Husky, along with my Airborne, I just haven't had either time nor the "requirement" to get them done so they have waited.

Mortain and Hill 278

The Americans were about right for number of battalions and figures on the board.  I should have forced the Americans to divide up CCB 2nd Armored as they were done historically.

The Americans were assigned a defensive line cover Mount Furgon on the North Flank, Hill 314, Mortain, Hill 278, and Mortain Forest in the South.

Germans attacking
north of Mortain

The Germans were allowed to place their attacking Battalion commanders 18" from their baseline and their individual units 6" or 12" from their respective commanders depending on the size of the command.  In theory this put the Germans as little as 18" from the Americans.   The Germans put very few figures past the 18" line of the commanders on the battle line.   This added two to three turns for the Germans to move across no man's land where nothing happened.

The American's knowing we had a actually time limit for game play and turn limit int he scenario were willing to wait out the Germans.   If only the Germans take casualties and hold than it is an American Victory.   That is a problem with the scenario.

Northern Flank of the Americans

The German players misunderstood their objective.   Before the game I explained the Germans had reinforcements that would support the attack once the battle was engaged.   See the comment about the German's not being as far forward as they could have been and a German Commander slow playing as he counted noses in front of him.     I prepared a path and objective for the German reinforcements before the game started, I did not explicit tell the German players that when the forces on the right were engaged the reinforcements would follow up.  

The Germans on the left flank attacked head long into the teeth of the American "airborne".  Full speed ahead.  

Germans attacking on
the Southern Flank

The question in center is would the Germans have enough men to attack Mortain.  

Neither side effectively used their available off-board artillery.   That's an understatement.   Both sides had plenty of Artillery and even though I used a sheet to space out its availability, neither side called artillery, until the American side decide "what the heck why not."   It is so frustrating to watch both side squander opportunities.

In the end we played five of the eight turns, the Germans pushed the Americans on the Center Left, fought to a standstill on the left but did nothing on the right, even if played out all 8 turns the result wouldn't have changed.     

I would like to play this scenario again, knowing what I know now, putting hill 314 forward into the gap, making the Germans attack and maybe allowing one of the German Armor battalions a flank march,  the Germans may not win but it would be a much more interesting scenario.

Glory is Fleeting - First Try

For the Centurions game on Saturday, September 21st we tried a game of Glory is Fleeting. Glory is Fleeting is the third edition of Field of Glory – Napoleonics.  The edition is relativily new published in late in 2023. Several of members of the Centurions have copies of the rules and have read them through. This was our first attempt at playing them out.

Jim Fitzgerald set up an 1813 game loosely based on the Battle of Großbeeren.  A Prussian force faces off against a French and French Allied force as they emerge from the wood line in Northern Germany.  In theory, both sides had three infantry brigade divisions and one “heavy cavalry” division and were relatively equal in point values.

For a game that is supposed to be more tactical the fact that units represent a brigade of infantry seems counter intuitive from the get go.  I am letting that slide for the time being, but yes I will come back to it.

My command of Prussians include one regular unit with an artillery attachment and a skirmish attachment, one reserve unit with a skirmish attachment, a landwehr unit, and a unit of superior hussars.

The two sides started just over 24 inches apart and the French were the aggressor in the game.  As the right flank of the Prussian Army I made a conscious decision to move it aggressively and attempt to flank the French to my front.

By the conclusion of turn 2 I had my hussars in a flanking position and balled up the French attack.  On turn 3 my target for the infantry charge ran away under withering artillery fire an it took another turn to move into position to charge on turn 5.   

In the center a cavalry brawl occurred and was a stalemate leaning towards Prussian victory, while the left flank the French and Allie’s were able to use superior numbers to take control of that flank.  We did not play turn 6 due to time constraints but it would have decided the game.

Initial Thoughts:  I didn’t hate the rules as much as I thought I would after reading them, that doesn’t mean they are good rules, however.   It was a learning game, we did lots of the little fiddly parts wrong, which may have effected the outcome.   It isn’t a tactical game.   The game is more suited to early periods of the Napoleonic Wars, 1792 through 1808.  The game might be interesting for a Seven Years' War game.

I didn't hate the rules as much as I thought I would after reading them, that doesn't mean they are good rules, however.   I had to say it twice as a notorious rules hater, some of my collogues will not believe that I have said that.   That being said it time for tough talk.   Fleeting Glory, is in essence a complex version of Napoleon's Battles in much the same way that Command Decision is a more complex version of Spearhead.  I play Spearhead over Command Decision because the added complexity of the latter does little to improve on the first.  What bothers me most about games like Command Decision is that groups that play the more complex game seem to often ignore the more complexity of the games to basically play the less complicated game with one maybe two changes.   That's what I feel like at the moment.   There are lots of little rules complexity that can easily be ignored that will speed up game play, but at what point do you go back to the less complicated game?   

An example of this is the rules on fire, the rules play in the following order, Bombardment, Skirmisher Fire, and finally Volley Fire.   The rules have restrictions that any unit that can fire during Volley Fire, may not fire in either bombardment or skirmisher fire phase.   There are range restrictions on skirmishers and a requirement that there is a base width alley for fire.   Squares cannot do Skirmish Fire but may fire for effect in Volley.   I could go on but I hope you catch my drift.   To speed up the game those restrictions are quickly forgotten.  That doesn't look at the basic fire restrictions on who can fire where.   

The next problem in the rules is that it often contradicts it self, in one rule squares can only move straight forward, and in another squares can move in any direction if they pass a Command Test.  I have found half a dozen examples of this, basically little rules, but it leads to another problem.   Half the rules are written in Arial the other half in Times New Roman.  Which typeface takes precedent.   My guess is the Arial additions were changes that never gotten reformatted and should be considered the later rules. 

We did several things wrong, most notably Skirmish Fire, but that is overlooking lots of the command rules that we never fully used.    Anyways in Skirmish Fire we allowed units on both sides engaged in volley fire to do skirmish fire.   If we had done this correctly many of the questions about skirmish fire would have been ignored because that wouldn't of happened.   We also handled the pool of skirmish makers wrong and we did not cancel out skirmish fire makers properly.     

We rarely used Command Points, outside of myself, they may have been one maybe two points used for anything other than a rally.   For something that is so core to the game, why is that?   Was it because it was a learning game, a small game, little opportunity was given to use them, or D all of they above?   I am going to add an option E and F.  E: at one point there were a lot more rules that provided reason to use command points, but to streamline the game and speed up play they were removed.  F both D and E.   My choice is of course F.

It will be interesting to look at group moves, and closer inspection of the use of Command Point opportunities in the rules.   It is kind of a choice, is the level of complexity of Command Points worth it if there is so little use for them?

One of my colleagues hates games like SAGA or SPQR because they are skirmish games ramped up to play a tactical level game.   Glory is Fleeting is the reverse of that, it is a Grand Tactical Game bath tubbed down to a tactical game.   It leaves me perplexed that the same individual that hates SAGA likes Glory is Fleeting, I just don't under stand the logic.   The tactical unit during the Napoleonic period was a battalion, or collection of companies for the Austrians, not the brigades that are used on Glory is Fleeting.  While I want a tactical game, this is not it.   By Tactical I want to be making decisions a Brigade Commander is making, not an Army Commander, I already have that in Napoleon's Battles.

Within Glory is Fleeting there are lots of complexity in Army organizations that go out the window in post 1808 era of the Napoleonic Wars.  Everyone has skirmishers is reformed, artillery, cavalry...   This is another one of those are we just ignoring the complexity of the rules based upon our choice of period, 1809, 1812, and 1813 questions.   If you play the 1806 in Prussia campaign many of these different unit types are present on the battlefield.   I could make the same argument for 1792 or 1799 or ...   Finally would these rules with adjustments finally work for our long considered Seven Years' War games in 10mm?   

I know we will be playing these rules again, and yes I will be giving them my all when I play, but I have to wonder if they have long term future in our group....   

Order of Battle:

Prussians [1042 pt.s]:
* Corps Commander - Skilled & Charismatic, 2 CP, @ 66 pt.s
  12pdr Field Artillery - Small Average Drilled Heavy Artillery @ 72 pt.s
Total Cost - 138 pt.s
*3rd Bde. - Skilled, 2 CP, @ 46 pt.s
  Musketeers - Small Average Drilled Reformed Infantry @ 48 pt.s
  Reserve - Small Average Drilled Reformed Infantry @ 48 pt.s
  Landwehr - Small Poor Conscript Reformed Infantry @ 20 pt.s
  Hussars - Small Superior Drilled Light Cavalry @ 60 pt.s
  Artillery Detachment - Drilled @ 20 pt.s
  2 Skirmisher Detachments - Drilled @ 8 pt.s
*4th Bde. - Competent, 1 CP, @ 26 pt.s
  Musketeers - Small Average Drilled Reformed Infantry @ 48 pt.s
  Reserve - Small Poor Drilled Reformed Infantry @ 36 pt.s
  Landwehr - Small Average Conscript Reformed Infantry @ 32 pt.s
  Landwehr Cav - Small Average Conscript Light Cavalry @ 32 pt.s
  Artillery Detachment - Drilled @ 20 pt.s
  2 Skirmisher Detachments - Drilled @ 8 pt.s
*5th Bde. - Competent, 1 CP, @ 26 pt.s
  Musketeers - Small Average Drilled Reformed Infantry @ 48 pt.s
  Reserve - Small Poor Drilled Reformed Infantry @ 36 pt.s
  Landwehr - Small Average Conscript Reformed Infantry @ 32 pt.s
Hussars - Small Average Drilled Light Cavalry @ 32 pt.s
Artillery Detachment - Drilled @ 20 pt.s
2 Skirmisher Detachments - Drilled @ 8 pt.s
Total Cost - 202 pt.s
* Cavalry Division
  Skilled & Charismatic, 2 CP, @ 56 pt.s
  Dragoon - Small Average Drilled Heavy Cavalry @ 56 pt.s
  Dragoon - Small Average Drilled Heavy Cavalry @ 56 pt.s
  Landwehr Cav - Small Average Conscript Light Cavalry @ 32 pt.s
  Landwehr Cav - Small Average Conscript Light Cavalry @ 32 pt.s
  Artillery Detachment - Conscript @ 18 pt.s
Total Cost - 250 pt.s

French and Allied [1080 pt.s]:
* Corps Commander - Skilled, 2 CP, @ 56 pt.s
 12pdr Field Artillery - Small Average Drilled Heavy Artillery @ 72 pt.s Total Cost - 128 pt.s
* 1st French Div. - Skilled, 2 CP, @ 46 pt.s
  Legere Rgt. - Small Average Drilled Light Infantry @ 48 pt.s
  2 Ligne Rgt.s - Small Average Conscript Light Infantry @ 80pt.s
  1 Artillery Detachment - Drilled @ 20 pt.s
  2 Skirmisher Detachments - Conscript @ 4 pt.s
Total Cost - 198 pt.s
* 2nd Italian Div. - Competent, 1 CP, @ 26 pt.s
  It. Light Rgt. - Small Average Drilled Light Infantry @ 60 pt.s
  2 It. Line Rgt.s - Small Average Drilled Reformed Infantry @ 96 pt.s
  1 Artillery Detachment - Drilled @ 20 pt.s
  2 Skirmisher Detachments - Drilled @ 8 pt.s
Total Cost - 210 pt.s
* 3rd French Div. - Competent, 1 CP, @ 26 pt.s
4 Ligne Rgt.s - Small Average Conscript Light Infantry @ 160 pt.s
Artillery Detachment - Conscript @ 18 pt.s
2 Skirmisher Detachments - Drilled @ 4 pt.s Total Cost - 208 pt.s
* Light Cavalry Division
  Skilled & Charismatic, 2 CP, @ 56 pt.s
Chasseur - Small Poor Drilled Light Cavalry @ 36 pt.s
Chasseur - Small Poor Drilled Light Cavalry @ 36 pt.s
Artillery Detachment - Drilled @ 20 pt.s
Total Cost - 148 pt.s
* Heavy Cavalry Division
Skilled & Charismatic, 2 CP, @ 56 pt.s
Dragoon - Small Average Drilled Heavy Cavalry @ 56 pt.s
Dragoon - Small Average Drilled Heavy Cavalry @ 56 pt.sArtillery Detachment - Drilled @ 20 pt.sTotal Cost - 188 pt.s

Numedian - Allied Contingent

Looking at expanding out my collection of 25mm Figures for the Wars of the Triumvirate; Caesar and Pompey.   This would give me the basis for conflict in North Africa.  

Planned Numidian Allied Contingent - Caesar

• Field Commander - Bogud of Mauretania
• Light Horse - Numidians - 4 Stands
• Javelinmen - 4 Stands
• Close Fighting Foot - Spanish (Iberians) - 6 Stands
• Close Fighting Foot - Spanish (Iberians) - 6 Stands
• Imitation Legions - 4 Stands

Planned Numidian Allied Contingent - Pompey

• Field Commander - Juba I
• Light Horse - Numidians - 4 Stands
• Light Horse - Gallic - 4 Stands
• Light Horse - Spanish - 4 Stands
• Javelinmen - 4 Stands
• Elephants - 2 Stands

Required Figures

• Elephants - 2 Figures
• Gallic Cavalry Command - 4 Figures
• Gallic Light Horse - 8 Figures
• Numidian Foot - 16 Figures
• Numidian Horse - 16 Figures
• Spanish Foot - 36 Figures
• Spanish Horse - 8 Figures

 

Building a Project - Franco-Prussian War

In the spring of 1994 a group of players gathered at the Source, on Rice Street, and formed the Twin Cities Historical Miniatures Gamers club.  There were a solid thirty players and after a ruckus first meeting it was decided that our first club project would be the Franco-Prussian War.   

I was at the time a very junior member to the organization, I was fascinated by the discussion.  This was my first historical project I was actively involved in.   By the second club meeting we had narrowed the choice of games to "They Died for Glory" and "In the Age of Bismarck and Napoleon III".     More than 25 years later I don't remember the specifics on why people preferred one game over the other, rather in the end we choose "In the Age of Bismarck and Napoleon III".   

As a group each individual purchased a copy of the rules and a small allotment of figures.   Being my first historical project I jumped in feet first and attempted to learn to swim.  My first units were French Foreign Legion for 1870.   I received lots of pointers from the more senior members and some of it was actually good information.  When directed to by eight times as many figures as I actually needed was not one of those times.  

As a club we played a number of games, and tell more than a few stories, ask Jim about the line in the sand.  I am not going to go into all the details but the club fell apart when the store moved locations.  I like so many others were stuck with eight times too many figures for a project that barely got off the painting table.

The figures for the Franco Prussian War have never been fully removed from my painting table.  In the past 27 years there has always been some figures for this project on my painting table, sometimes there have been a lot of figures on it.   Be it for nostalgia or desire to see the one project through I have regularly circled back and took a new view at this project and tried to envision a popular outcome that would bring it back to the table.  This may be the 10th of 15th time I have serious dug into this project since 1996 but a man has got to hope.

French Provisional Line 

There just is not any rules that just jump out at players for the period.   Arguably we have the same choices today in 2021 as our group had in 1994 to choose rules.  "1870" was published in 2001, is probably the only addition to the rules choice.  I could argue that none of the choices excite me personally and none of them strike me as truly playable for a group.   

The follow on question is what would it take to adapt another set of rules to play this period.  How long have you as a reader got?  And how much detail do you want me to get into.

The first problem is the scale of the game, followed by tactics, and experience of the military.     

The American Civil War is often called the first war of the industrial age, but it pails in comparison to scale of the Franco Prussian War.   The largest Armies in the ACW were 75,000 men, give or take, in the Franco Prussian War the numbers were 750,000 men.  The machine gun, modern artillery, and other industrial weapons of war were in their infancy, the battles at times looked like the Napoleonic Period and at times like the First World War.

I have had lengthy discussions with other parties concerning rules adaptations that might work.  We always get stuck on the argument does the game look like ACW/WWI played with figures in other uniforms or does it feel like the Wars of the second half of the 19th Century in Europe.   Usually it is the former, not the later.

Prussian Line Figures

To me to have a tactical feel to the game, opposed to a boardgame played on a tabletop, the units must
represent battalions, rather than Brigades or Regiments.   I like board games but I don't want my miniatures games to be board games. How big are Battalions?   Between 600 and 1000 men depending.   If you play games like Regimental Fire and Fury players would need 650 to 800 figures to represent a brigade while "In the Age of Bismarck and Napoleon III"  that number shirks to 60.   Neither extreme appeals to me.

In the end I think you are going to have to take a game system and scale it to meet you needs.   There are two possibilities (cough three depending on how you want to a scale).   Both come from the American Civil War genera of rules; "Regimental Fire and Fury" and "Pickett's Charge".   Personally I think there is lots of possibility for "Picket's Charge" but one huge draw back.   We already know the basis of the rules for "Regimental Fire and Fury" do we really need to learn and understand another set of rules.  

To be Continued.

   

Barbarossa - The Introductionary Battle- AAR

 

A Rough Map of our game on Saturday, July 17th at the Source.    

• SVT 1 - Soviet Assault Platoon
• SVT 2 - Soviet Rifle Platoon
• SVT 3 - Soviet Rifle Platoon and HMG
• SVT 4 - Soviet Assault Platoon
• Ger 1 - German Infantry Platoon and HMG
• Ger 2 - German Infantry Platoon and ATG
• Ger 3 - German Engineers and Panzer II
• Ger 4 - German Infantry Platoon

The German Plan was to move the 1st two German Infantry Platoons to the left gap and reinforce with the Engineers while the 3rd German Infantry Platoon was aimed at small village controlled by SVT3

Brad and Jack

After running the play test two weeks prior I decided to scale back the scenario.   There were practical reasons for this; including I hadn't a single German painted.   There was also a play issue about having too many figures in each players control  while learning the game.    To be honest I was not expecting it to go well at all and on Wednesday prior I was extremely concerned.

With eight new players, each controlling about 40 figures I think the game played far better than I had expected.  

Rolf, Odin, Jim, Steve, and Marty

German TO&E

Ger 1

• Command (Lieutenant, Messenger, Messenger, Sniper)
• Squad 1 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, LMG)
• Squad 2 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, LMG)
• Squad 3 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, LMG)
• HMG (HMG, HMG)
• Forward Observer

First Fire.  The Soviets LMG takes on some
German Infantry on the Soviet Left.

Ger 2 

• Command (Lieutenant, Messenger, Messenger, Sniper)
• Squad 1 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, LMG)
• Squad 2 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, LMG)
• Squad 3 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, LMG)
• 50mm Mortar
• ATG (ATG, ATG)

Ger 3

• Engineers (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, SMG|Rifle, SMG|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, Flame Thrower|Rifle, LMG)
  
• Engineers (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, SMG|Rifle, SMG|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, Flame Thrower|Rifle, LMG)
• Trucks (Truck, Turck)
• Panzer II (Panzer II, Panzer II, Panzer II)

Ger 4

• Command (Lieutenant, Messenger, Messenger, Sniper)
• Squad 1 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, LMG)
• Squad 2 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, LMG)
• Squad 3 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, LMG)
• 50mm Mortar

SVT 1

• 
  Command (Lieutenant, Messenger, Messenger, Sniper)
  
• Squad 1 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, SMG|SMG, SMG|SMG, SMG|SMG, LMG)
• Squad 2 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, SMG|SMG, SMG|SMG, SMG|SMG, LMG)
• Squad 3 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, SMG|SMG, SMG|SMG, LMG, LMG)
• HMG (HMG)

SVT 2

• Command (Lieutenant, Messenger, Messenger, Sniper)
• Squad 1 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, LMG)
• Squad 2 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, LMG)
• Squad 3 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, LMG, LMG)

SVT 3

• Squad 1 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, LMG)
• Squad 2 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, Rifle|Rifle, LMG)
• Squad 3 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, SMG|SMG, SMG|SMG, LMG, LMG)
• HMG (HMG)
• 
  

SVT 4

• Command (Lieutenant, Messenger, Messenger, Sniper)
• Squad 1 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, SMG|SMG, SMG|SMG, SMG|SMG, LMG)
• Squad 2 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, SMG|SMG, SMG|SMG, SMG|SMG, LMG)
• Squad 3 (Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, SMG|SMG, SMG|SMG, LMG, LMG)

For those paying attention, my first screw up.   I grabbed two Soviet Assault Platoons and 1 Rifle Platoon rather than the other way around 1 Assault Platoon and 2 Rifle Platoons.  Its not too out of the ordinary for the Soviets at the time, many of the new battalions and divisions were given PPD-40 SMG or the new PPSH-41 SMG depending on your source.  However for Game Balance...

My Second Screw up, my printer ran out of toner and I didn't print up the Command Cards.  SO players were reading the back of the figures and my notes to determine what they had. 

My third mistake, not enough pictures. 

 Actual movement map.

A few comments

• Ger 1 got bogged down in the terrain.
• Ger 2 got to the wood line and found Soviets, after a brutal exchange the Germans pushed the Soviets out of the Woods
• Ger 3 got bogged down getting around the stream, including getting a truck stuck in the Russian Mud.
• Ger 4 marched out, got 1 squad destroyed, pushed a few Soviets out of the woods and created there little fort in the clump of trees and started digging in.
• SVT 1 - Marched into the woods, and rolled badly on some morale rolls (all three squads failed right before the Germans engaged in melee) and were pushed out.  
• SVT 2 - Thinks they saw something during the game, but the magic eight ball says probably not.
• SVT 3 - Attempted to shoot Ger 4 out of the woods for no effect.
• SVT 4 - Hey these PPD-40 don't have any range, I better move.  

Things that we got wrong in the Rules

• Being in Light woods is not both Light Cover and a Hinderance while shooting.  It is a hinderance for spotting.  Go figure.
• Heavy Support Weapons cannot move "At the Double" nor "Cautiously".

Things I am not happy with

• Observation Rules.  
• Players moving their figures as a clumped mob.
• Observation Rules
• Jim is not happy with the AVF Combat Rules
• Observation Rules
• The Quick Reference Sheets are incomplete
• Observation Rules

The Quick Reference Sheets are incomplete.   There are at least four tables that should be on there that are not.   It is frustrating for players to not know what they are looking for.

Clumped Mob of figures.   It just drive me nuts, I realize it is from playing all those Horse and Musket games, but man what Artillery would do.

Jim doesn't like the combat rules for Armored Fighting Vehicles, calls it cumbersome.   I got to be honest this is not a Tank game, so I am not sure it matters that you have to roll, to hit, determine where you hit, determine penetration, and determine effect.   There is really not much way of simplifying without making it super boring.   

Observation Rules.   To be covered in a separate post.

Painting Guide - Austrian Infantry - War of Austrian Succession 10mm

• Prime Black
• White - Coat - Turnbacks - Pants - Hat Trim
• Red Leather -  Leather pouch and strap
• Red|Blue|Green - Cuffs and Lapels
• Beige Brown - Musket Stock
• Flat Brown - Hair
• Buff - Leather Crossbelt, Musket Sling
• Dark Flesh - Hands - Face
• Oily Steel - Bayonet
• Refractive Green - Base

Yellow Ochre / swirled Black and White - Flag Staff

Yellow Ochre - Wood Staff

Gold with Black Loops and White Rope - Drums

Rate of Fire - Sample Command Cards

I have created these information or command cards for our upcoming game of Rate of Fire for the Centurions game day at the Source.

Each card represents a unit which is typically a squad. for the game.   Providing the basic organization of the squad and their morale grade, plus additional notes.   The example is a platoon of German Infantry.  The Command element, four squads and the attached 50mm Light Mortar.