HAWKS

Buck

This is the second installment of Brian Ivers’ Black Jackals battle report using Combat Patrol™: WWII.  The Jackals prepare to retreat toward Battalion.

The Boys ATR and another section offsite them hold the line while the rest of the platoon “hops it.” The 2-inch mortar prepares a fire mission to screen the withdrawal.

“Jerry” is not sympathetic and moves Panzer Grenadiers into the houses. They push forward a Panzer III.

The Boys ATR will only scratch the paint on the Pz. III, and the mortar won’t do much better. Things are looking grim!

(Pardon the anachronistic skirts on the Pz. III.) The two-inch mortar gets to incredibly lucky hits on the halftracks. Even using the grenade template the mortar has a huge effect.

Unteroffizer Schreck Lodges a formal complaint about the mortar into the building occupied by Lance Corporal Jones and the Boys ATR team. This is the second hit on the building, which is tracked using a green die. Since the gun on the Pz. III is small and the first round was AP, Brian decided that the building could take three hits before it was destroyed.  All the occupants are stunned (as denoted by the red rubber bands).

I use red rubber bands for wounds, black for stunts, and white for out of ammunition, but any mechanism that works for you is fine.  Sally 4th also makes some nice markers from MDF.

To add injury to insult [sic], a rather motivated squad of Panzer Grenadiers course small arms and machine-gun fire into the house occupied by no. 3 section. All inside are stunned, and one is incapacitated.

German mortars fall like leaves in Autumn. No. 3 section suffers two wounded. All are stunned. Lt. Lamb has needs to get it sorted “before we have a bloody disaster on our hands.”

Meanwhile the rest of the lads have almost reached relative comfort of the forest when the sound of a Stuka’s siren interrupts their quiet walk in the sun. It misses again. God favors the Jackals. But the sound of armored treads can be heard from the forest…

It’s Lt. Tiffan-Smyte from the Lancastershire Yeomanry. “I heard you were in trouble, old boy, and thought you’d like a lift.” Lamb reaches out a hand in greeting. “Bloody Hell! Where did you come from?”

The platoon retreats into the forest to link up with another battalion.  Theirs has retreated and is miles away.  Lamb has lost four men, with three wounded.  2nd section disappeared completely, as they continued moving into another part of the forest and were scooped up by another retreating company.  Lamb has his mortar, but no ammunition.  The ATR is damaged and is now even less useful.  His little command is not just one officer and 21 men.  Jerry outflanked the canal, and the Belgians and French are retreating.  The British are now trying to avoid being “put in the bag.”

To be continued…

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Chris Palmer     As I posted earlier, a couple weekends ago, I helped run a pair of Ghost Archipelago games at our club’s regional miniatures gaming con.   Before the games though, I had to build some of the spell effects for the Wardens I planned to use  in the game.  Specifically, some Earthen Walls and Pits for an Earth Warden, and some Pools for the off-school spell of a Storm Warden.
     I began by making the pits, since they seemed like they would be the easiest.   I began with some 1.5" fender washers, first gluing a bit of paper over the hole in the center.  I then used some greenstuff to build up a rim around the outer edge.  When the greenstuff was dry, I sprayed the pits black, and then painted them with shades of brown, leaving a bit of black in the center to give the illusion of depth.

     For the Earthen Walls, I cut the basic 3"x2"x1" shape from some scrap pink insulation foam, and carved it to give it a rough appearance as a pile of dirt might have.   I then glued it to a 3"x1.5" steel base.    When the glue was dry, I painted the walls with a paint and sand mixture to give it some texture, and then sprayed the walls with some Flat Dark Brown camo spray paint.   When dry, I drybrushed some lighter browns over the surface.

  When they were dry, I flocked the bases, and added some bits of flock and static grass here and there on the walls. 

     
     For the Pool spell, I took some CDs, and cut them down a little to give them an uneven outline.  I then cut some 3" circles from some heavy paper.

          Next, I glued the heavy paper to the CDs, and then ran a ring of thick Tacky glue around the outer edge of the circle to make an edge for the pool

     When everything was dry, I sprayed-primed  them black.

     When the spary was dry, I painted the pools to look like deepening water.

     When the paint was dry, I flocked the bases; and when the flock was dry, I covered the pools with a layer of Woodland Scenics “Water Effects”.

via One More Gaming Project http://onemoregamingproject.blogspot.com/2018/01/some-ghost-archipelago-spell-effects.html
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Chris Palmer

     This past week I painted the Woody Stumpwimple, Halfling Ranger, figure from the Bones 2 Core Set.   I plan to use this figure as a Scout in a Ghost Archipelago Crew I am building made up of Halflings and Gnomes.
      I prepped the figure in the usual way; soaking it in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving it a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying it.    I then glued the figure to a black-primed 7/8" fender washer with Aleene’s Tacky glue.   And, when the glue was dry,  I put it in my Citadel painting grip.

     I began by giving the figure with a thinned wash of Reaper MSP “Brown Liner”.  When the wash was dry, I painted the lower armor with Black, and when the Black was dry, I drybrushed it with Folk Art Metallics “Gunmetal Grey”.  I then painted his face, feet, and hands with Reaper MSP “Tanned Shadow” and his torso armor with Citadel “Snakebite Leather”.

     Next, I painted his coat with Reaper MSP “Christmas Wreath”, and his gloves with Ceramcoat “Territorial Beige”.  I then painted his belts and quiver with Americana “Sable Brown”, and his pouch with Americana “Khaki Tan”.  After that, I painted his bow with Crafters Edition “Spice Brown”, and the fletchings on his arrows with Americana “Dove Grey”.

    I painted his hair (both head and feet) with Crafter’s Acrylic “Cinnamon Brown”,  and the fasteners on his coat with Folk Art “Barn Wood”.  Then, after the figure had a while to dry, I came back and I gave the body a wash with Citadel “Agrax Earthshade” wash, and the face a wash with Citadel “Reikland Fleshshade” wash.   When the washes were dry, I painted his eyes, and then highlighted the face with Reaper MSP “Tanned Skin” and some Reaper MSP “Tanned Highlight”.  After that, I painted his sword, first with Americana Zinc", and then with the “Gunmetal Grey”.

     I then worked on the highlighting his coat using Americana “Leaf Green”, and his leather armor with Ceramcoat “Maple Sugar Tan”.  I highlighted the gloves with the “Khaki Tan”, and the belts and quiver with Americana “Mississippi Mud”.  I highlighted the bow with Folk Art “Teddy Bear Fur”, and the Fletchings with White. The pouch I highlighted with Crafter’s Edition “Taupe”, and the coat’s fasteners I highlighted with the base “Barn Wood”.   I finished up by highlighting the metal with Ceramcoat “Metallic Silver”.
     Lastly, I painted the figure’s base with Ceramcoat “Walnut”.
     I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave it a coat of Americana “DuraClear Matte” varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to flock the base.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed it with Testor’s Dullcote".

     I’m really happy with how this little guy turned out, though I don’t think his Dullcote dried dull enough.  I may have to respray him.

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Buck

Not quite a bastle house, but it was okay for a play test.

Yesterday I held an impromptu play test of the version of Combat Patrol for pre-flintlock ear warfare.  The initial impetus for this project was to game the border rievers period, but the guys in the club want to use it for various fantasy projects.  I think it will also be good for dark ages, medieval, and ancient skirmishes.

The initial setup for the game.

This was meant to exercise the rules, so the scenario was sort of an afterthought.  I had ten “teams” or “gangs.”  Players drew record cards randomly to determine which forces they commanded.  Then they drew a poker chip from their bag to determine which side they were on.  It didn’t result in as convoluted a situation as I had hoped, as all the “good guys” ended up on one end of the table, making it easy for them to protect the herds of sheep and cows.

The green “gang” in their initial positions.

To make it easier for players to distinguish their figures on the table, the gangs are color coded, where the predominant color is easily discerned.

The purple gang.

The red gang.

A group of mounted Rievers riding to the fray.

The purple gang and the red gang lock horns.

As expected, the game started with long range musketry and archery fire.  The ranges are pretty short, so it wasn’t long before the melee began.

The green gang’s archers do a lot of damage to the farmers, as can be seen by all the rubber bands on them. Also, the leader was killed, so their command die was replaced by a black one to show that the unit is pinned.

It looked like the blue gang was going to easily overwhelm the brown gang and capture the house, so the defenders began herding their livestock away from the house.  They also ran the women out to where the herds were moving.  Apparently the defenders did not trust the brown gang to defend their daughters.

When he skirmish began, the sheep and cows were grazing.

The Action Deck was re-designed to include more melee information on the Action Cards.  Also, melee is no longer a single simultaneous “flip,” as in WWII.  Each weapon has a “reach” value, which determines who gets to attack first.   Weapons with the same reach attack simultaneously.  These changes worked quite well.

The mounted Rivers took a archery fire from the gray gang which unhorsed one of the riders.

We used the mounted rules from the Napoleonic supplement to Combat Patrol™: WWII.  They worked just fine.  In the Napoleonic supplement, when firing on mounted figures, you flip an Action Card and look at the d10 icon to determine if you hit the man or the horse.  I put an icon to help with that on the Action Cards for this version of the game.

The farmers begin to drop from carbine and archery fire.

There is now a new “cover” icon on the cards.  It looks like a shield.  If you see the shield icon, and the hit location indicates a body part with armor, the amount of damage is reduced.  Metal armor reduces damage by 2.  Non-metal armor reduces damage by 1.  Shields also reduce damage by 1.  For this scenario, most figures had not armor, but a few had metal helmets or breast plates.

The sheep and cows being herded away from the attackers.

Weapons also have a damage modifier.  For instance, a two-handed axe is a +1 weapon, so it would add one point of damage after a successful attack.

The blue gang and brown gang mix it up.

The green gang’s archers do a lot of damage to the farmers, as can be seen by all the rubber bands on them. Also, the leader was killed, so their command die was replaced by a black one to show that the unit is pinned.

The purple gang gets the upper hand on the red gang.

A scrum involving three of the gray Rievers and one of the mounted Rievers.

In the end the defenders were able to retain most of their flocks (and women).  The green gang captured a few pigs, but the sheep and cows (and women) were safe.

Again the object of this first play test wasn’t so much the scenario as the rules.  As a result, I’ve made a few changes and am ready for another play test in the foreseeable future.

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Buck

The setup for the first scenario in Brian’s campaign based on the Black Jackals books by Ian Gales.

This morning I received an Email from Brian Ivers, a Combat Patrol player in Colorado about the first game in a campaign he is running based on the books The Black Jackals by  Ian Gales (https://youtu.be/LONqUKlrC2U).  He kindly gave me permission to repost his battle report on my blog.  The campaign begins at the Driel Canal in Belgium in June 1940.  Lieutenant Lamg’s platoon from the 51st Highlanders is ordered to defend this bridge and blow it up if the Germans try to cross.

Lamb’s platoon of three sections set up on either side of the canal. The Boys anti-tank rifle was located in a building next to the bridge. Each section had a Bren.

Refugees fleeing the German advance make life difficult for both sides. Brian used French civilians and a few trucks to represent them. Brian used a green deck to control their movements.

Brian mixed in some random events, like a Stuka attack, reinforcements, communications breakdowns, etc.  When a random event occurred, he rolled on a special table he made to determine what happened.  The Combat Patrol Activation Deck includes optional cards to trigger Game Master and Random events.

As the Germans advance, they have a limited line of fire. The Boys ATR only has a penetration of 2, but it is enough to make the Germans cautious.

The Germans lead with their motorcycle reconnaissance element. The ATR scores a hit and incapacitates to Germans. “The Jerries know we’re here now, boys,” Lamb says.

The Germans unload their trucks and advance using the buildings as cover.

A Stuka attack misses the men on the British side of the bridge.  Refugees race across to the British side of the bridge.  Lamb wants to blow the bridge, but he doesn’t want to kill innocent civilians.

German armor and halftracks advance. German infantry is infiltrating into the houses and firing on the British.

Lamb gets a radio message to withdraw.

Lamb blows the bridge. Only three civilians are killed. The Germans lose a motorcycle and a half track in the explosion.

The bridge needs repair. The Jackals begin their journey back to the regiment.

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Buck

Geoff and Don staffed the registration table all weekend.

This past weekend, the Harford Area Weekly Kriegspielers hosted our annual, two-day, gaming convention, Barrage.  The event was a big success.  There were a number of Combat Patrol: WWII games on offer.

Poland 1939

I ran a game set in Poland in 1939.  The Poles were conducting reconnaissance and ran into a German force moving to capture a farmhouse to establish a battle position.

Polish infantry and a machinegun-equipped tankette establish a blocking position.

This tankette slowed the German advance.

German infantry advance toward the farm house and are taken under fire from Polish infantry.

Star Wars

Greg ran a Rebels era Star Wars game using Combat Patrol.  The Rebels had attacked the cargo hold of an Imperial ship to steal supplies, but it was a trap.  Stormtroopers and Darth Vader attacked from both ends of the hold, turning the scenario into an escape and evasion mission for the Rebels.

Getting ready to start.

It looks like something important just happened…

Stormtroopers make use of improvised cover from some control panels.

Moros in the Philippines

Moros advanced to a small farm house to seize cattle for food.  An American patrol was sent to stop them.  The Moros had very few firearms but made use of the ones they had.  One American squad was caught in the open and was badly mauled until reinforcements could arrive to bail them out.  In the end, the Moros escaped with the cattle.

In the top left, you can see the remnants of the squad that was caught in the ope. Two Moro rifles were enough to stop them. In the center of the picture you can see part of a second American squad that moved up to rescue the first. In the foreground you see a third squad that was cautiously advancing toward the farm.

Moros making good use of cover to advance on the Americans.

Combat Patrol™ works very well for the Philippines.  Typically I use the Japanese decks for the Moros, but I forgot to bring them this time, so they had “normal” morale.    If the Moros make good use of cover and concealment they can mitigate the American firepower advantage.  When the Moros hit the Americans in hand-to-hand combat, the Americans feel suitable overwhelmed.  The Moros are difficult to defeat in hand-to-hand combat, but not impossible.

Tekumel

Bill Acheson ran a Tekumel game using the under-development Combat Patrol™: Dark Ages and Fantasy (working title) rules.  Tekumel is the world in the fantasy role playing game Empires of the Petal Throne by M.A.R. Barker.  The races, flora, and fauna are not based on Earth mythology, so the feel of the game is quite different.

Bill running his Tekumel game with Combat Patrol™.

His scenario involved humans attacking into a tunnel system occupied by bug-like creatures.

A view from the point of view of the crashed spaceship with ancient technology worth fighting to own.

Chaos ensures as the bugs are able to use the narrow passages to good advantage.

By all accounts the new Combat Patrol™ rules that focus on melee more than shooting worked very well.  There were some quibbles about the magic that Bill is bolting on and some scenario tweaks before he runs it at another convention, but in general, I think the players felt the rules worked for a melee-heavy period.

Finland 1939

Zeb Cook ran a Finland 1939 game with the free Winter War supplement to Combat Patrol™: WWII.  The Russians were advancing against hidden Finnish opposition.

Russians attacking Finns.

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Chris Palmer    At our club’s 2-day regional gaming con, BARRAGE, this past weekend I GM’ed a game of Ghost Archipelago, and was Assistant-GM in one with fellow HAWK, Don Hogge, (in which I also got to play, to round out the player count).
   The first one, in which I was Assistant GM and a player, was Friday night.

The table set-up.  I was the center player on the right.

The Elf Heritor and his Archer scale the waterfall cliffs, as the Archer takes pot shots at the Human crew on the ground across the river.

A viscous game-long fight developed around the treasure on the ancient sacred pool, between the Halfling/Gnome crew and the Dwarven one.  Eventually the Dwarves won out. Though, the Gnome Heritor (seen standing on edge of the pool) did her share of damage.

Meanwhile, the Gnome Warden dispatched my Heritor with a Projectile, as he was trying to leave with the temple’s Central Treasure.

The Gnome Warden was then immediately swarmed by the surviving members of my crew, and did not make it out alive.

The Dwarves thought they had things well under control until a rogue Snapping Turtle wandered onto the scene behind their entry zone, and proceeded to chew it’s way through several of their crew, and claimed the central treasure for itself, since none of the other Dwarves dared go near it before the game came to an end.

     The second game, in which I was GM, was run Saturday morning.

The Saturday morning game gets underway.

The view from the top of the waterfall cliffs.

Two crews battle over the river, as the Human’s Storm Warden creates a pool under the Central Treasure on the snakewoman alter.

A highlight of the game was the indefatigable little Gnome Heritor, who bravely defended the Temple’s central treasure for several turns from an Elf crew.  The Elves’ Vine Warden cast Warp Weapon on her, and ended up destroying her sword.  She then spent several turns still winning combats despite the -2 unarmed penalty, and used her Fling ability to toss the losing opponents off the top of the temple.

Eventually the poor Gnome’s luck ran out, as the numbers were stacked against her; but it was one heroic last stand.

Another highlight was this random Mountain Goat who entered behind the Human crew, and proceeded to munch it’s way through several of the crew, before being brought down.

      All in all they were two extremely fun games, with a bunch of great players.  I’m already looking forward to running Ghost Archieplago again at the next BARRAGE in September!

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Buck

Barrage was a great success, but on Sunday I was pretty tired and couldn’t really get motivated to do any of the other stuff I needed to get done, so like any good war gamer, I painted.

A full platoon of Pig Iron “serious” science fiction figures.

I have already painted one platoon of Pig Iron figures.  I really like them.  I bought an enemy platoon.  They have been assembled, filed, primed, based, and awaiting paint for some months.  I figured they would be quick and easy to paint, since I didn’t plan to paint them in any elaborate camouflage patterns, just territorial beige.

The three rifle squads

I organized my platoon into three rifle squads a heavy weapon squad, and a couple of extra teams.

The left half of the rifle squad picture, showing the B teams.

The right half of the rifle squads showing the A teams.

An anti-tank section with a section leader.

The heavy weapons squad. One team has a light machine-gun and a flamer. The other team has a heavy machine-gun and a light machine-gun.

The sniper team attached to the platoon headquarters.

The platoon headquarters with the platoon leader, platoon sergeant, and radio operator.

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Buck

Judy, George, Jane, and Elroy

In addition to final prep for Barrage, I also managed to get a few figures painted.  The first were some science fiction civilians I ordered a month or so ago.  These were kind of fun to paint, since I really used mostly block painting to give them a cartoon look.

More civilians, mostly.  The girl on the right is holding an Alf doll.

A few more civilians.

In addition, I finally painted the Steampunk George Stephenson figure that I received at Partizan last year.  Partizan is held in the George Stephenson exhibit hall.  I don’t think he really had a mechanical arm.  

Steam Punk George Stephenson

Finally, I had this little elephant pendant (about an inch long) that my buddy Ma’k gave me to see what I might do with it.  I made it a heavy weapon platform for my space ducks.

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Buck

See pictures here:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/142143895@N06/albums/72157668763280169/page1

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