Coldwars 2012

Bob and I decided to go to the Coldwars gaming convention in Lancaster Pennsylvania. We haven't been there in 3 years so we were long overdue. Coldwars is one of the larger conventions that occupies the whole Lancaster hotel. All the ballrooms were used. After a 9 hour drive we were greeted with a $40 fee for the convention. Wow! Prices have gone up. This will definitely be an every other year event for me.

Well we got what we wanted from this event. The dealer hall!!!

Shopping anyone?

After doing some serious damage to our wallets it was time to game. This year's theme at Coldwars was the War of 1812. There was quite a few 1812 games presented. Some of the presentations were beautiful. One of the first I observed was the Battle of Chippewa done in 25mm.

Looking at ground level the Chippewa battlefield.

Most if not all the terrain was bought by the game host. Still the visual impact was evident.

A US regiment attempts to clear British skirmishers on the US left flank.

British Artillery

The 2 apposing lines get engaged.

I thought at first the British had the upper hand in this one but the US forces prevailed.

I saw the largest age of sail game in my life. It was the Battle of Beachy Head, June 30th 1690. This was a naval battle between an Anglo Dutch force and the French.

Naval battle of Beachy Head 1690.

This game was huge. I believe they were looking for 30 people to play it. The most I saw play was about 10. Perhaps it's size was intimidating?

A closeup view. An endless line of ships.

There was some excellent games going on. The neatest trend I saw was the use of mini flashing LED lights in cotton puffs. It really looked like gun fire through the smoke. I managed to capture the look in the photo below.

English civil war, 25mm.

The fighting gets hot as the opposing lines get closer (ECW)

One of the strangest presentations was the use of a sand table. These guys actually slugged bags of sand and put together some framing to contain it.

The sand is formed and ready for terrain colouring and trees.

The finished product.

 I can understand the versatility of the sand table but for gaming it's not practical for portability or even gaming. The sand is very soft so you can't lean on it. I even found it was difficult to even see the gaming figures on it!

A large ACW game done in 25mm.

I loved the beautiful terrain for this ACW game. The cornfield in the center became the main combat area.

The Rebs make a stand at the edge of the cornfield as the Union attack in column.

Gettysburg, Devil's Den, 15mm.

The one game I did participate in was the Battle of Queenston Heights, War of 1812. This was a fun game and a nail biter I might add. I played on the Brit/Canuck side and had to repel the US landing on the Canadian shore.

Boats full of US troops make their way to shore.

The US Forces managed to land on shore and capture the battery that was halfway up the heights. That became the area of fighting. The US tried to capture the town of Queenston but couldn't hold on to it. The game ended up with a Brit/Canadian victory.
Overall I highly recommend going to these larger conventions. Just the dealer hall alone is worth it.

Overwhelming force attack.

We've all read stories on how a few German tanks if located in the right spot could hold off numerous Allied forces. To see if this was possible in a wargaming event we decided to throw as much armour as we could at a small yet powerful German force. The Allies attacked with about 36 tanks. A combination of Sherman M4A1's, Firefly's, and Churchill Mk VII's. The Germans had 2 Stug III's, a Tiger I, 2 Panthers, A Jagpanzer IV, and 2 Mk IV's. A 4 to 1 attack ratio. The terrain this time would have no rivers or creeks with choke points at crossings. It would be a simple western Europe landscape with a few hills, lots of woods and roads.

View from the German side.

The German's kept their heavies back on the right but moved their Panthers and Jagpanzer IV up to a stone wall which acted like being in a defilade position. The Allied forces on the other hand had to move through some choke points in the terrain. The Germans had them zero'd in.

Initial deployment on the German left.

 The 2 Panthers on the left soon moved away from the stone wall. One went further left to protect that area from flank attacks while the other maneuvered to the crossroads to the right or center of the table on the other side of the shelled out house.

Allied forces advance under deadly fire.

As the Allied forces advance a few Shermans are picked off. It was decided to rush up as much armour as possible with the objective of overwhelming the German defense.

A Panther and Pak 40 await the Allied rush.

On the Allied right it was decided that the Shermans would hit over the around the left side of the hill while a group of 6 Churchill Mk VII's would attack to the right of the hill.

The Panther attacks.

The Pak 40 at the tree line was overwhelmed with gunfire but the Churchill's were outclassed by the more lethal Panther and it's high velocity 75mm gun. Soon all 6 Churchill's were knocked out. Even a Sherman comes over to lend some help to the struggling Churchill's and ends up getting knocked out by a Panzershreck.

Panther gets nailed.

 Some limited Allied success happened in the middle of the table with the Panther stationed there getting knocked out from a very tight flank shot.

Allied problems on their left

Maneuvering room was a premium for the Allies. The limited space they had was getting choked up with knocked out Shermans. The Allies lost 12 tanks while the Germans had lost only 1 (Panther) with 2 others (Stug III's) having their main guns knocked out. One managed to back out of the battle while the other became immobile and would eventually be abandoned.We discovered that with limited maneuvering room the Allies vast numbers couldn't be brought to bare in an effective way. We were thinking of running this game with the direction of advance being from the width of the table rather than the length. This would widen the table and allow for more maneuvering room for the Allies.

The scale of the game was 1 to 1 both for vehicles and figures. The rules are homegrown. The game lasted about 4 1/2 hours.

Rush to capture the town.

We decided to try a scenario of Allied armour trying to cross a few bridges and capture a small Normandy town. The Allies had as usual vast amounts of armour while the German forces had 3 MkIVH's, 2 Stug III's, and a Panther. Also in the German OOB was a Pak 40 and Pak 38 anti-tank gun and 3 squads of infantry.

One of the bridge crossings across from the town. The other crossing is far to the left.

The Germans didn't want to expose their armour trying to hold the bridges so they decided to set up defensive positions further back.

The other crossing. No resistance yet.

The Allied OOB has a Canadian force attacking with about 10 Shermans from the left while and American force of roughly the same size attacks from the crossing directly in front of the town.

The view from the German side showing the Canucks crossing. The Germans are about to start defensive firing.

The Canadian armour was surprised the crossing was unapposed but a short distance down the road the German forces opened up. The Stug III on the hilltop was in excellent position to slow them down. The Panther was there too to add support while the remaining Stug III waited off to the left in reserve.

The fighting starts.

The most effective units on the German side where the Stug III on the hill and the Pak 38. 2 Shermans were knocked out and one immobilized. A German squad in the shelled out building added to the carnage with a Panzerfaust. The Canadian response was immediate. The Panther was surprisingly ineffective. The Canadians moved up infantry to take out the Pak 38. The Panther had it's main gun knocked out so it quickly backed out of the area with a panicked crew. The Stug III on the the other hand had to deal with the remaining 7 Shermans and was soon knocked out.

Canadian armour moves past.

The reserve Stug III can't maneuver in time and is quickly taken out.

The German right was torn open. The infantry squad that was in the ruined house fell back. They had nothing to stop the armoured onslaught.
At the American crossing again the Germans allowed them to cross.

A traffic jam at the bridge crossing.

At this crossing the Germans had a Pak 40, and the 3 Mk IVH's. The American infantry stayed off the bridge and crossed the river at a ford to the left.

Waiting for the Allied rush.

As the American Shermans rushed across the bridge the Germans fired everything they had.

4 Shermans are knocked out and the German infantry in a nearby building pins the American infantry at the treeline.

The Pak 40 fires as fast as it can but it's support of 2 MkIVH's don't last long.

The American forces at this time realize that the only resistance left is infantry and the Pak 40.

The Pak 40 is overrun. The town is soon under Allied control.

The Mk IVH in the distance was soon knocked out.

The game ended with about a 3rd of the Allied armour knocked out. The Germans fared worse. All their armour was destroyed with the exception of the Panther. It managed to exit the board. Both Pak guns were destroyed too. One of the three German squads was lost.
The game lasted about 4 hours with 4 of us playing. We used my home grown rules. The scale of the gaming material is 1/72 and the rules use a 1 figure = 1 man set up.

The end of the game.

Another try at ASL for minitures

My friends Greg and Rich from London dropped by to give my friend Bob and I another try of their ASL rules modified to miniatures. I supplied the table and terrain and they'd supply the figures and vehicles.
The scenario was a run for control of a bridge '44 Eastern Front. Rich and I were the Germans while Bob and Greg were the red hordes. The game starts off with recon units from both sides approaching the river.

View from the German side, bridge in the distance.

 Rich has one Sd Kfz 251/1 halftrack and a Puma Sd Kfz 234/2 while I have 2 Sd Kfz 251/1 halftracks and a Panzerspahwagen
Sd Kfz 250/9. Rich decides to go left around the hill while I attempt a crossing of the river between the gap between the trees on the right.

The infantry stands behind are actually riding in the half tracks..

An infantry squad lost too!

The Russians manage to get some assault guns on a hill on their side of the river and manage to nail one of my half tracks.

At the river.

I decide to have my anti-tank section cross first.

A lend lease M2 waiting to nail anyone crossing the river.

Now how do I get rid of that enemy half track?

The Puma in over watch position.

On the left side Rich moves his infantry squads through the woods to attempt to cross the river higher up. The Puma watches for anything coming across the bridge.

Nailed!

The panzershreck team manages to take out the retreating M2 halftrack but the supporting squad can't go any further than the wreck because of a couple of T34's and some Russian infantry squads to their right. My plan of controlling the bridge from the far side is not going to be easy! I had hoped that my Sd Kfz 251/1 could make a quick dash across the road and into cover but I didn't expect the 2 T34's to be so attentive.

Quick kill by my Pz Mk IV H.

Greg attempts a run across the bridge with one of his T34's. My Pz Mk IV H got off the first shot and managed to take it out.

Russian armour at the river.

 German reinforcements consist of 3 Pz Mk IV H's and 3 Stug III's Rich puts a Mk IV and a Stug on the hill while one of my Mk IV's gets nailed on the road. My other one had it's main gun knocked out and the crew decides to drive off in the other direction.

Too exposed!

With all the Russian armour at the river my Mk IV was too exposed and eventually succumbed to enemy fire.

Crossing on mass.

The Puma was no match to stop the heavy Russian armour. The German squads at the tree line by the river actually had better success in holding back the Russian infantry. It was at this time we called it a game. There were points allocated for vehicle hits and infantry casualties. The German side actually had knocked out more Russian armour (which was historically correct) but that one adventurous T34 that made it across the bridge before getting knocked out gave the Russians the extra points needed to win the game.
And how did the ASL adapted rules work? Fine accept for one issue I brought up. Masses of tanks and infantry could fire through each other at different targets. Sure they got a negative modifier added to their combat results but I found this feature annoying. I mean how can one tank fire over another friendly tank? The line of sight was blocked. Besides this issue the game moved quickly and was challenging.

Making hills

Most of my wargaming table hills are styrofoam mounds cut with a foam cutter and flocked. I hate these hills. They're messy and a bit fragile. I hosted a gaming session with a few friends from out of town. They supplied the terrain and gaming pieces. The one thing that caught my attention was the hills they used. These things were indestructible! To demonstate this one hill was banged quite hard on the back of the chair. Amazing!

The photo above shows one of the hills in action. So how are they made? The list of ingredients is the following:

1. upholstery foam padding.
2. terrycloth towels
3. white glue
4. hot glue gun
5. spray paint

The upholstery foam is a bit of a bugger to cut. I found an electric carving knife (used for slicing up the turkey) works best. Once you have the shape of your hill place it on a flat surface. Make sure it's flat to the surface. Now take your terrycloth towel and drape it over the foam. Take your glue gun and lift up the towel at one end and start gluing it down to the foam. Now trim the towel around the edges of the foam hill. Make sure you leave at least a 1/2" past the foam edge.
The next step is to fill a pint size container with 50/50 ratio of white glue and water. Brush this mix over your terryclothed hill. Let dry over night. It will be hard to touch but have some flexibility in it.
The last step is spray painting it. I used 2 shades and later dry brushed on some lighter colours to highlight the cloth texture.

My first batch of hills.

The underside of a hill. Note the towel is trimmed past the foam. This will make sure it sits flat.

One of my hills on the gaming table. The towel texture replaces flocking and eliminates the mess.

For more details on how to make these please see my friend's blog.
Hill making 101

The great thing about these hills is how cheap it costs to make. I bought my towels at a dollar store for a few bucks. You will go through a lot of hot glue sticks and white glue. I recommend you invest in a good glue gun. It will make it easier. I think I made about 7 hills for a combined cost of $10.
I highly recommend this technique. Give it a try!

Get across the bridge!

I'm still working on my home grown rules and as you know you have to play test and play test. Once you've done that you play test again!
So the scenario I picked was a fictional one in a historical setting. Western France '44. The allies have to get control of some cross roads at a shelled out town. An earlier recce patrol spotted a platoon of Germans in the town with unknown support.

Looking from the Allied side towards the town.

The Allies consist of a mix of numerous equipment. 2 Canadian infantry squads, 1 American squad, and lots of tanks! Remember I'm testing my ruleset so I've included a mix of equipment that normally wouldn't be seen together. The mix consists of 4 Shermans, a Firefly, and a few Churchills.

The Shermans decide to rush the bridge. Why not? What can be on the other side? An American squad moves up on the right.

The only way across for armour is the bridge. The infantry can ford across at a couple of crossings.

A mortar lays down some smoke on the other side of the bridge. The ford to the right of the bridge is undefended!

Once it was determined that the bridge isn't mined and a ford to the right of it isn't guarded the Allies rush ahead. What they didn't realize was that a squad of Germans started to move up to the bridge while leaving a clear lane of fire for their Pak 40 gun. A Sd Kfz 250/9 was also moving up to lend support and possibly challenge any ford crossings. It was too late.

Getting across. The smoke screen doesn't help.

The Pak 40 makes it's presence known and immobilizes the first Sherman across. The next 2 Shermans break right and left and look for cover.

Fighting for the ford crossing.

The Sherman that broke right had it's turret take a hit. A critical hit roll was required and the results where good. The driver didn't bail out but managed to back up his damaged tank over the hill and into cover. Meanwhile a squad of Fallschirmjagers rushed the hill above the ford to see if they can stop the Allied squad from getting across. They were too late and got into a nasty firefight with the Americans and were wiped out to a man. At the bridge the immobilized Sherman now had it's main gun knocked out and was out of action. In then nick of time 2 Churchill Mk VII's manage to get across the bridge.

The Shermans that went left manage to enter the town.

A captured Firefly returns fire!

Hiding in the back the Germans make effective use of a captured Firefly to hold back the Allies.

A panzershreck team in the ruins.

The best the Allies can do is pin down the Pak 40. The Germans rush up a Puma but she's out of her league and eventually gets knocked out. A Mk IV also supporting the Pak 40 gets knocked out too.

And that's as far as we got. The Allies did manage to knock out the enemy Firefly and start to move through the town. What other surprises do the Germans have? 
 

My ruleset is coming together nice. They are squad level (1 figure = 1 man, 1 vehicle = 1 vehicle, etc). The one thing I wanted to attain was a fast pace without simplifying the rules to the point of stupidity. One way to do this is to allow combined fire by an infantry squad. Just add up all their weapon values minus the target's defense attributes and roll for each enemy figure. Armour vs armour works pretty fast too. Roll for a hit. If successful then determine the attack value vs the defense value and roll for penetration. There's more to the rules than what I briefly described. I'll have to do a more detailed description later.

So once the rules are finished I'll offer them up to whom ever wants to try them.