Day of Days 2016- kind of

Had an entertaining day of gaming with Simon and Mark down from Wellington, Dale, Nigel and Kent. The brothers brought a couple of games down for us to play.

Skirmish Outbreak 

First up was Poochie's own Skirmish Outbreak, a zombie apocalypse game. He gave me a copy of the rules when I was in Wellington for Nick's funeral- cheers Poochie- but hadn't had a chance to play it. Mark and Simon had a bit of a scenario. A Rangers humvee had broken down and we had to get 4 elite rangers across town to a awaiting helicopter so off we snuck trying our best to avoid stirring up too much trouble. Soon enough Dale and Nigel turned up and our mission changed...

Fed agents, Scully and Mulder, along with two two hillbillies, Bill and Ted, needed rescuing and taking to the chopper. A rendezvous point was arranged and we all started to converge on it, dodging Zombies as we went. Next up Kent arrived and soon Sheriff Roscoe P Coltrane and Blondini, a hooker he was arresting, too needed to get to the chopper.

I'd like to say it was a well structured game and we all worked together to achieve our goals but that would be utter bollocks. We all ran off in random directions to the chopper. Sometimes converging to gang up on and smack down some Zeds, then running off to leave people to fight their way free- when the apocalypse comes its every man for himself!

In the end we had to clear the chopper of a "rager" and hold off the horde till the pilot was able to start up the chopper. Some good saves vs zombie infections meant we only lost one person (Sheriff Coltrane) and managed to get most of us away. Much hilarity ensued throughout the game and it was a hell of a lot of fun, highlights being Scully and Mulder being pretty pathetic Feds at fighting Zombies till Nigel learned about taking head shots and suddenly the zombie count started climbing rapidly.

The mad rush for the chopper.

Out objective.

Thoughts: A fun game but found the D20 mechanism a bit counter intuitive to our D&D brains in that low was good. I'd reverse the rolls if I were to play it regularly. The action point mecahics etc seemed pretty cool and the game was a lot of fun, and a great beer and pretzels game. Kent is now plotting his own force and Nigel was showing a lot of interest too.

1:48 scale Combat
Well after that we didn't think we'd be able to get a more enjoyable game but Simon and Mark had one more game for us to try. Bueada miniatures free 1:48 scale combat. A free one page skirmish ruleset. Now those that know me will tell you I'm not  a fan of skirmish gaming but I must say this game was one hell of a blast. We each chose two soldiers to play and ended having the most entertaining 1 1/2 hours of gaming. 6 vs 6 on a 6ft x 5ft table and it was an absolute blast. The Germans (Kent, me and Nigel) started off well but then a crazy Free French (we re-skinned the Soviets) took out half our squads and in the end it came down to Kent and m,y last Germans trying to take out the Free French sniper. Kent ran at him and died so it came down to my landser charging the sniper in hand to hand and missing with all his attacks, only for the French sniper to likewise miss with all his attacks (we both had one wound left) then the German finished him off.

A very entertaining and surprisingly tactical game, not bad for a one page rule set and it really was a blast to play.

The Free French are on the right- Mark, Dale and Simon, closest to the camera is Kent and Nigel "the wheelchaired one" are on the left.

Thanks guys, I look forward to our game next year.

Craig

Day of Days 2016 + Earthquake anniversary

It’s been a while since my last update, most of the summer in fact. I have continued to do next to no gaming, or gaming related activities. but have been busy on other things, surfing, going to the bach, football at the masters games, cricket etc. All the usual summer stuff, as well as getting ready for a major building reno on my bach. Work has also gone a bit crazy. The polytech I worked for has merged with our larger norther neighbour (CPIT) and so trying to align two completely different systems and ways of doing almost everything has been a tad difficult, to say the least. Still students have started for the year now so hopefully things will settle down over the next few months. Other news, last week Julie and I celebrated our 20^th wedding anniversary and she also started work last week as a fully qualified midwife. So things have definitely been changing around here.

This weekend is the weekend we would typically run our Day of Days events and although they have gone by the by but two of the stalwarts of the past few years, Simon and Mark Taylor come down as it coincides with their mothers birthday so we’ve arranged a bit of a get together to roll some dice and have invited a few of our locals along too- Dale, Nigel, Kent and Brad.

Finally, tomorrow marks the 5^th anniversary of the devastating Christchurch Earthquake and last Sunday was the first major aftershock in a couple of years, which caused cliffs to crumble at Sumner and Godley Heads and was a reminder to  people that is isn't completely over for them yet. 

I was in town for work a couple of days  two weeks back and stayed at my mate Ian’s place. He still lives just round the road from where we flatted together before I got married and just round the road form where we both grew up. We went for a walk round the old neighbourhood. I was hoping to forage for some fruit (apricots, nectarines, peaches etc are in season) but much to my surprise all the fruit trees had gone and all that is left is street after street of abandoned lots. Even the street signs, apart from "No Exit" ones have been taken, I assume as mementos by former residents of this once thriving suburb. We could not a single fruit tree in the entire area.

This is all that remains of the street we lived in, Kingsford St. We found only two houses remaining in the red zone one of which, to my surprise, was the place my Grandmother owned when she first moved to Christchurch in the early 1980s. Everything else is long gone.

This google satellite image shows part of the street, post earthquake but before the houses had been removed as a comparison.

This cabbage tree is all that remains of Ian’s old house where we lived.

And a post earthquake comparison of his former home.

Looking up Kingsford St towards the Port Hills.

And how it used to look, again post earthquake but before the houses were removed.  

Craig

BA- Free French vs Germans

Kent popped over for another game tonight. He's been busy over the holidays, making some great buildings.

And adding some extra armour to his German list. He tweaked his list to fit them all in, at the expense of a squad if infantry. My force remained the same.

Late in the game a sole German infantry man tried to assault my armourd car but missed.  

Kent's nice new hanomag finally got into action too but didn't make much difference. Like me Kent found half tracks way overcosted for what they do. Lovely brush work on this though.

The game ended up the second major Free French victory in a row. We intend to reverse roles and replay the game in the next week or so.

Craig

Plans for 2016

Hi everyone

It’s been summer holidays down here in NZ so have been off to the bach and surfing, camping in the Southern Alps with the family etc and generally making the most of the summer so not much happening on the gaming front. However, I did manage to get in a game of Bolt Action just before New Year vs Kent and my Free French came away with their first comprehensive win.

I think one of the things that worked in my favour, was deciding to experiment with smoke to shut down his artillery and stug. It was more effective than I'd hoped and was a major factor in the win...

...along with my uber 105mm howitzer than was once again MVP.

Plans for 2016?

Haven’t too many plans regarding wargaming at this stage this year; I hope to get a game in vs Kent in the next week or so but have no projects on the go- or planned. However, I am about to start my largest building project to date. I've decided to renovate my old bach, actually it's something I started planning this time last year. We enjoy our new bach and it is working really well as a holiday home rental/let so my plan is to do up the old bach and move into it- keeping the new place as a rental. 

The old bach is really small (the two bedrooms are less than 9m2 each) so I'm adding a new lounge and upstairs main bedroom and aim to make it my permanent home- hopefully from the end of this year.

It’s been  a year in the making so far but had to wait till my wife finished her studies before we started. Should have building consent in the next few days and will be underway early next month. At this stage I am aiming to spend 3 days a week down there working on the alterations but will depend a bit on work. I had arranged ot cut down to 4 days a week for 2016 but we have just merged with another polytech )so am still trying to renegotiate my hours/contract for this year with the aim of cutting down to 4 days per week while my wife works fulltime as a midwife. 

So I've decided this year is going to be about looking into options to try to set up living in Kakanui fultime, such as exploring  options for work or starting a small business to support myself.  It’s fast approaching time for a major career change I think so have this year to sort out what my next move is going to be. I aim to cut down to part time and get a better work life balance but will need some sort of work as well. I've a few months to try to sort out what I'm going to do for work but I’m really looking forward to the alterations and finally putting a plan into action.

So here is the plans- removing a small section of wall and...

adding a lounge area with a bedroom above. The design is something I came up with the night before finalising the plans with the architect. as it is being built into a hillside decided to step the upstairs back into the hill a bit to make use of th hill slope and give space for a balcony. 

 So with these plans starting may not be so focused on gaming and hobbies for the next few months either but will get the odd game in all going well. 

Craig

BA: Hold the Line

Been a bit busy lately but last week and tonight I finally got a couple of games in vs Kent. Tonight we decided to shake things up a bit and play a modified FoW Hold the Line scenario and, although we were making it up as we went, it worked really well.

I ran my Free French:

• Vet 1st Lt
• 3x vet squads
• 1x tough fighter vets (Goumiers)
• MMG, Mortar, 105mm howitzer, 75mm Sherman, Greyhound and half track.

Kent ran his SS/FJ mix but swapped his MkIII (he usually runs it as an early war version) for his stug for extra fire power- so lost his flamethrower and panzershrek

• Vet 1st lt
• 4x Vet Squads (2x 8 man, 2x 10 men) with a sprinkling of assault rifles. 
• mortar, 105 recoiless gun, MMG, stug, 222 AC

Since it was my idea Kent got to decide to attack or defend and chose to attack. As with hold the line we played lengthwise.

Rules:

• 1/2 defenders on table, rest in reserve. 
• Each turn roll 1 die for each reserve unit, on a 6 the unit arrives. Next turn it is on a 5+, the following turn a 4+ etc.
• 2 objectives placed by the attacker at least 12" from the table centreline. The defender could then move one objective up to 6".
• To win the attacker had to have one uncontested objective at the end of a turn, otherwise the defender won.
• The defender deployed then the attacked could place all his force on the table at least 24" from the centreline, but could also use flanking forces if they wished. 

That was it really.

I chose 2x rifle squads on table, the 105mm, MMG and mortar.

The table from the Free French lines.The objectives are just in front of the hill and in the right rear corner of the area of scrub/copse on the left. One squad and the MMG are on the hill, the other squad is in the hedge row at the top of the wooded area.

And from the German perspective.

Germans advance towards the ruined house.

The stug advances, covering some infantry on the German left flank, the rest of the German force is heading towards the copse.

Turn 2 the Sherman arrives and misses the stug in the distance. The two red markers are to represent dead mortarmen- Kent's mortar took out mine, and his was taken out by a direct hit from the 105mm howitzer (the first of 4 units it claimed!)

 Return fire fro the stug immobilised the Sherman at the start of turn 3 but in return the 105mm ranged in with its first round and blew up the stug!

On the French left flank the German infantry mass and overcome my squad

 Turn 4: With the US squad destroyed the Germans stream though the copse towards the objective which was now undefended - luckily my reserves finally arrive.

The 222 hits the French half track.

Free infantry prepare to assault the advancing Germans.

Outnumbered the French inflict 3 casualties but are wiped out. Still, it may slow the Germans down a bit.

 The Goumiers now arrive and, supported by the Greyhound, advance.

The smoke represents where the 105 has just destroyed a squad of Germans, its 4th 6 to range in in a row. So far it has accounted for: the 105, the stug and now a squad of infantry!

Goumiers and SS trade blows at the end of turn 6. I'm just hanging on but Kent has lost half his units. Alas we rolled and got a turn 7.

The goumiers get shredded by SMG and assault rifle fire and my last squad on the hill desperately try to run over to contest but are out of range.

 End of turn 7, Kent survives a break test and so wins the game!

A real nail biter, and the mission worked really well. My artillery was MVP knocking out 3 squads/units, the mortar claimed another kill of the 5 German squads/units knocked out.

We are going to swap roles on the same table over the holidays and see how it goes, only tweak at this stage is to allow the defenders to start dug in.

Craig