Friday, 18 October 2013

Next Battle Group game

My next game is in a week and I'm host so I've mulling over what to do. It's a day game so something of a moderate size will do. The Napoleonics are still set up but having been trounced 3 times a break from the big battalions of Black Powder is in order. I also want a game that I could use with my nephews who arrive the same weekend after the game without me having to reset the board. My gaming buddy and I have been enjoying Battle Group Kursk games and have yet to try out Battle Group Overlord. So Overlord it is, but what scenario?

I've been longing for a while to play Villers Bocage and have an excuse to play some of my Tiger Is (of which I have far too many to be sensible). I've avoided it so far as I do not have enough Cromwells for the City of London Yeomanry. I have now had a brain wave and realised all those Comets I own, purchased in my youth and added to by my Dad before we both realised they were hardly used, could be stand ins. So that's the tank issue resolved what scenario to actually play?
 
Battle Group Overlord doesn't have it as a scenario but the Warwick Kinrades' previous rules, Kampgruppe Normandy do, as does not surprisingly my Flames of War Villers Bocage book. Looking at both books and reviewing the scenarios offered I've decided to translate the Kampgruppe Normandy (KGN) scenario to Battle Group Overlord.
 
So far I've decided I love the scenarios and maps in the Battle Group books as they tell you table size and are very clear, better than KGN's. I had to draw a map to work out the KGN table size and make sure I understood the N, S E, W references.
 
Writing up the roster sheet has been straight forward. I made Wittman a Panzer Ace to add to the fact he's in a Tiger as is the senior officer, makes him 133 points compared to the normal 85 points for a Tiger. Next job is to add vehicle stats to the roster and ammo to make the game flow better. I do like this prep side of the hobby!