Next Battle Group Kursk game

Weather permitting our next game will be this Saturday. Since there will be 4 of us the next scenario in the campaign in my opinion is too small. So instead we're planning a 2000 point game. I want to have a Soviet defence German attack game in the vain of the first days of Kursk..

I found on the web an article that details Soviet defences and in particular Kursk. 

http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/glantz2.pdf

So within the limits of my terrain and points allowed I aim to put together a homage to the defences. As host I am in charge of the Soviets forces and one of the chaps is putting the Germans together which I should have tonight. Tomorrow I will set it all out terrain, Soviets and Germans and iron out any kinks e.g. discover gaps in the collection.

Ironic that I will put away the snow terrain for summer steppes just before an amber warning of kiddies delight arrives.

2012-12-28 7TV Ep.1 Moon Nazi's Steal Christmas

Episode 1 'You better watch out, you better not cry'

Synopsis

It’s Christmas Eve NORAD has reported on object approaching the Earth. It was tracked over the North Pole where the object either split in to two or another object appeared. Both hit the Earth in Alaska. Dr Kate Stewart, the Brigadiers daughter leads a United Nations team of Brits, Canadians and Americans, with the US providing the soldiers on a mission to investigate. One crash site has been pin pointed and the team get ready to parachute on to it...

In WW2 they wanted Europe now they want the Earth. They have bided their time on the dark side of the Moon since 1945 and now is the time to act.  The Moon Fuhrer has dispatched a Valkyrie to intercept a vehicle of one of the factions preventing his glorious return. Recovering this technology will further the Reich's goals, but most important of all is finding the location of the secret base the perfect start point for INVASION!!!

Cast      500 points of Moon Nazis, and U.N.I.T

Location  

The episode takes place on a 6’ by 6’ table in snow bound Alaska. In one quarter is a hill with a crash site, another a wooded long ridge, then a tall wooded hill and the final quarter woods in a river valley. 

There is deep snow up the slope of the crash site which reduces movement by half. The crash site summit must be climbed.

Set Up  

Moon Nazis 24” from crash site coming from the direction of the frozen lake where the Valkyrie is hidden

U.N.I.T parachute on to crash site. Use parachute rules.

And …Action  U.N.I.T goes first

Special Rules

On Location rules for snow.

Agility test required while clambering on Sleigh.

Intelligence test required to find hi tech items in sleigh

Sleigh Pilot 1138 also known as Dobby has infiltrated the U.N.I.T for safety. He is immobile with injuries and fear.

End Credits

The episode will end if all the opposing models are Stunned, Dominated or are otherwise removed from play. The attacker can exit his models via any table edges in his set-up area.

Victory Points

Victory Condition Description VP award

Enemy Star/Co-Star Model Eliminated                                                             + 1 VP per Hit

For each enemy Star or Co-Star eliminated, gain VPs equal to

that model's initial Hits

Table Quarter Controlled                                                                                  + 1 VP

You have at least 1 model on that quarter, and the enemy

has none

Enemy Stars/Co-Stars with Statuses at end of game                                        +1 VP

For Each enemy Star or Co-Star with any Statuses at the

end of the game

Enemy Shaken                                                                                                 + 2 VPs

Opponent's force reduced to 50% models or less

Enemy Wiped Out                                                                                            + 2 VPs

Opponent's force reduced to 25% models or less

Scenario Objective Achieved                                                                           

Sleigh found                                                                                                        + 4 VP
Per technology recovered                                                                                     + 4 VP

Gadget points

Moon Nazis – 20 points

U.N.I.T. – 20 points

Event Cards

4 per team

THE GAME

The 6x8 board before deployment.  The frozen lake is top left with a meandering frozen river  flowing from the dip in the hills middle bottom of the picture to the top left. The crash site is on the top right of the board. Originally when I pulled to white sheet out I noticed it was transparent, however as you can see you can't see the water features.

The main play area. Originally the crash site at top right was on a terraced hill with  steep cliffs on 3 sides. The sheet hid this feature so I made them deep snow slopes halving cast movement again once all other movement penalties had been taken in account. I still kept the crash site model as terrain that needed to be climbed.

A view from the lake

The 3 hills are clearer in this picture

The crash site

The crater

Turn 1

U.N.I.T parachuted in and managed a close grouping around the crash site with only Dr Kate herself being injured and 2 extras Captain John Smith III and a scientist Harvey Dent Jnr being knocked prone. The Moon Nazis went next and realised they should have played their unhinged toff's star quality before the game started. Marine-SS Oberstfuhrer Otto Von Krank promptly played his 'Friends in high places' with U.N.I.T dicing for each hero who on a 5+ had to be removed from the board only to be allowed to re-enter on d6 4+ at the end of each turn. U.N.I.T began to display the kind of dice they were to have for the whole game as Dr Kate discovered she had not in fact landed right next to the crater but was somewhere in the wilderness.The power of hindsight shows that we should have diced for extras and not heroes, oops!

For their actually move the Moon Nazi's opened up with their HMG on the hill and all those that could be activated plodded forward through the snow.

The initial landings before the 'friends in high places' incident.

The Moon Nazis advance on the crash site covered by fire from the HMG

U.N.I.T landing positions. Kate is still prone by the crater yet to be moved off board. Her leadership would be missed.

U.N.I.T paras on the slope facing the Moon Nazis and under fire. 

Kate dreaming she'd landed next to the crater before she wakes up in the wilderness

Moon Nazis move forward. In the centre pointing is Marine-SS Oberstfuhrer Otto Von Krank. To his left is Dr  Brunhilde and to her left a nasty piece of work  Marine-SS Untersturmfuhrer Klaus Klinkerhofen. In front of Dr Brunhilde is one of her failed experiments, Wolfgang.

Kate fails to return at the end of the turn.

Turn 2

The Moon Nazi's win initiative and continue to move under the cover of HMG fire which takes out 2 U.N.I.T paras on the crash sites slopes. Poor dice throwing mean they do not move too far in the snow. This turn more SS Marines add their fire the HMG's weight and the U.N.I.T HMG has a man knocked prone and Sergeant Rodriguez is a goner. His extra leadership is key without Kate. Only Captain John Smith III can lead now!

In U.N.I.T's turn Dr Brunhilde takes a hit and is knocked down (slight interpretation error of the rules at this point  I'm sure she should not have been knocked prone, just a hit taken off). Klinkerhoffen is hit but not wounded and is knocked prone (again probably unnecessarily so).

A closer picture of the action above.

U.N.I.T struggle getting in to position missing Kate's leadership points.

U.N.I.T para top right is armed with a flame thrower, using the rules from  the Summer Special.   The inclusion of Trooper Ronson has become a tradition since he or his buddies when appearing in Secrets of the Third Reich games never get to shoot before becoming casualties.

Kate still somewhere in the wilderness.

Turn 3 

A 1 is rolled for initiative, a swift d6 roll on the Natural Hazards table results in a high wind blowing across the table giving a -2 to hit and a Agi or Str test if climbing.

The gun fire drops and most people from both sides struggle to get closer to the enemy. U.N.I.T's technician Lee Dixon shook her hair and peered in to the crater and confirmed it was in fact a crater. 2 U.N.I.T troopers being very confident attempted to climb to the top of the crater to get a better shot but instead slipped and fell.  The investigative academic Malcolm Taylor was more lucky and pulled himself up to the edge of the crater, like Lee he peered in.

Just as he leaned in to get a better look there was an almighty flash. Malcolm failed is agility roll and flew backwards knocking himself out and taking a hit. As the light dimmed a mysterious red craft appeared lodged in the crater....

Oh and Kate still somewhere in the wilderness.

Turn 4 

The Moon Nazi's recovered first from the blowing wind, and chuckled to themselves that more casualties had been caused by wind than bullets. So U.N.I.T have found the sleigh. The HMG team eliminated their U.N.I.T counter part, the previously prone machine gunner saved from death because he'd never bothered to get up. Rifle fire took out another trooper on the edge of the slope, and then a third shot ends Trooper Ronson's game. The good news he'd fired his rifle in Turn 2, but the legend of have flame thrower will not fire continues.

Dr Brunhilde made it over the Klinkerhofen and healed his wound with a handy pick me up syringe of goodness (ironic for a nasty piece of work).

Wolfgang powered up the slope but couldn't quite get in to melee. U.N.I.T were very frustrated that his camouflage suit made him invisible. Even more frustrating their ploy to use his foot prints in the deep snow as a guide was foiled by no one being left conscious to see them as he came up the slope!

The deadly Moon Nazi fire leads to the last remaining U.N.I.T  trooper near the edge of the hill, top right, going prone to make himself a smaller target.

Close of Wolfgang reaching the edge of the hill before the summit.

Finally Dr Kate following the sound of gun fire reaches the edge of the board.

Kate still had a hurty leg from the landing.

Von Krank in  the centre watching the assault on the hill go in.

Over view of the Moon Nazi's assault.

The U.N.I.T positions.

The Sleigh with Agent Smoulder trying to get in but blocked by Lee and Malcolm who are already inside looking for anything useful. A successful intelligence test later and a single temporal grenade is found. Oooooo's of amazement all round.

View from the frozen river's exit from the board

View from the bluff above the frozen river.

Turn 5 

U.N.I.T gain the initiative. The prone machine gunner leaps up and charges Wolfgang and is swatted like a fly. This takes the wind out of the paratroopers sails and they begin to take defensive position to fire on the oncoming Nazis. Captain John Smith III who has made it to the edge of the summit takes out the panzershrek gunner. Hurrah first blood for U.N.I.T at long last!

 Meanwhile in the crater Malcolm and Lee are scrambling around the inside of the Sleigh. Between them more more item of marvelous technology is found.

The Moon Nazi's continue to struggle up the hill, but Wolfgang trots round the edge of  summit and  shoots a trooper dead. The observant will notice that once of U.N.I.T's earlier mountaineers has managed to stand up. Unnoticed by all the U.N.I.T team are over 50% casualties either out of the game or knocked prone.

U.N.I.T's aimed shots are failing to take a toll on the Moon Nazi's. Equally poor shooting in return from the Moon Fuhrer's finest.

On the left is a prone U.N.I.T trooper firing from behind a ledge. The prone trooper on the right is still trying to recover from an earlier fall.

Turn 6

Both casts take a breath and blaze away at each other causing more no U.N.I.T casualties but the Moon Nazi's start to fall.

The focus of the action was U.N.I.T's decision to try out the new tech in the Sleigh on the Moon Nazis. Anything to slow them down. Lee places the items in her satchel and swings out of the Sleigh to climb out of the crater. Just as she reaches the rim she slips her satchel snagging on a ledge as she fall towards the still molten rock cooling from the Sleigh's impact..... queue dramatic music and end credits.

Wolfgang has arms and is dangerous.

The U.N.I.T team watch with bated breath as Kate swings out of the Sleigh on to the crater rim.

Harvey Dent Jnr puts his hands on his hips in disgust as the call to fall back is given

Dr Brunhilde and Klinkerhoffen fire at Captain John Smith III

View from the hill's edge

Von Kranks troops moving throw the snow drifts

Moon Nazi's lagging behind

Final positions

Dr Kate looks on helpless as her team take a beating

John Smith III tells his men to call it a day.

Will our hero's make it out of the crater. Technically only  Malcolm and Smoulder are heroes as they are co stars. Poor Lee was an extra.

View from the Moon Nazi's start point

Still prone and hoping Wolfgang hasn't noticed him.

The casualties (figures only). Victory to the Moon Nazi's

Next Time....

Well we all had fun in the true Christmas spirit. The plan to play 3 episodes went out of the window quite quickly as I'd made the game too big. My error came about from building the 500 rating point Santa cast first planning to split their appearance over 2 games. I then built the other lists to match and didn't factor in phased appearances.  Having said that the objectives of the planned first 2 episodes were achieved. The Sleigh was found and high technology discovered. The only thing missing was an appearance from team Santa. 

The 2 rule errors added to the narrative of the game, but did hurt U.N.I.T quite badly. The Moon Nazi's argued if this hadn't happened they'd never would have stood a chance. 

Stay tuned for Episode 2 'Gonna find out who's naught and nice'.

Happy New Year

I hope you've had a great Christmas I have. I need to do some catching up with my after action reports. I promised a write up on the 2nd Battlegroup Kursk game we played and I've now have the Christmas game of 7TV title 'Moon Nazi's Steal Christmas' to do. I'd planned to play 3 games of  'Moon Nazi's...' but a brain fail by me meant that we played just the one, but fun was still had by all. We play the next episode next Tuesday, chums work commitments permitting.

Other highlights including finishing a unit of Napoleonic French I've been painting for 2 years on and mostly off. Quite chuffed with that. I also managed to see the Hobbit, which I heartily recommend, plus Rise of the Guardians a great Christmas film which gave me ideas for future Christmas games.

Talking of future I haven't finalised the war gaming goals for 2013 or show attendance. I like to put the shows in the calendar early to avoid holidays etc being booked at the same time. Mind you I missed 3 last year as I was off in foreign climes instead. Although I missed seeing lots of inspirational games I did save money, and through the power of the Internet was much more targeted with my purchasing.

Which projects to start which to finish? Decisions, decisions. Without going to look my choices are:

• Full Thrust NAC mega fleet to be painted
• 28mm Crimean War British and Russians to be painted
• 28mm Anglo Zulu war   Rorkes' Drift to be built and painted plus the defenders and attackers to be made and painted.  Me being me, there is also the beginning of a collection to play Isandhlwana games.
• 28mm Mongol and Sung Chinese armies to be painted
• 28mm Warring States Han army to be finished off, and a complete opponent army to be painted.
• 28mm Franco Prussian add on units to both my French and German armies. Mostly cavalry.
• 28mm Napoleonic British Penninsular and Waterloo brigades to built and painted plus French Guard and various French cavalry. These are add ons to my existing armies.
• 28mm Bibical add on units for my Egyptians, Hittites and Sea People's. My wife likes to remind me that these were brought before we were married, when I took her for a day out at the Foundry factory who were having a sale.
• 20mm Korean War add on units to be painted, mainly North Korean and Chinese, plus finishing painting a load of tanks (many being used in my current WW2 games).
• 20mm add on units of plastic figures some dating to my Dad's youth to be painted, spruced up and based for the Afrika Korps and 8th Army.
• 20mm plastics for the Pacific including Aussies, Japs and US marines.
• 20mm plastics for eastern and western front WW2 including making and painting some vehicles and aircraft.
• 28mm VBCW and cross over figures for SCW, including some vehicles and a plane to make and paint.
• 28mm pulp figures mainly modern post apocalypse to paint plus some female zombies to make and paint.
• Base a load of temperate and tropical trees
• Paint the star gate
• Paint the Japanese and Egyptian buildings. Some part painted during moments of enthusiasm. 
• Paint some 1990's fantasy figures, including rebuilding an Orc warlords chariot from Grenadier and finishing a dragon I haven't touched with a paint brush since I was 18.
• Paint and base some Ottomans, whose actual period I haven't 100 % marked down
• Various 25mm ancients to add to existing armies, plus a box Immortal miniatures plastic Greeks to make and paint.

Right I am going to stop there. I think I've covered a backlog going back 25 years here, some I must say in my defence I have inherited from my late Dad.