Craig Ambler reports on his fourth game from the Blenneville or Bust! scenario booklet: the Americans attempt to take a German command post situated in the small town of Vartres.
As a side note, the way this game played, not who won or lost, but the way in which the game played, was exactly what I wanted when I wrote the Vartres scenario. I love it when a plan comes together!
Brian Weathersby and crew play scenario 3B from the Vyazma or Bust! scenario pack.
This AAR is subtitled "Men versus Tanks".
The Felids get a couple of, well, jeeps, I suppose, to help their Big Men get about. These vehicles are from the Antenocci's Workshop GOT 15mm range and paint up beautifully. Highly recommended.
Reinforcements for the Space Bugs in the shape of some Odonate Gunships from Khurasan's excellent Stikk range. Regular visitors may recall how the Bugs were soundly squished by WW2 Americans in my last Q13 "Invasion Earth" encounter. These flyers will hopefully address the balance!
Two more game reports from Bagration featuring some brilliant figures and terrain.
Lots and lots...and lots...and lots...of photos!
Craig Ambler reports on his third game from the Blenneville or Bust! scenario booklet: the Americans attempt to break through the German lines Near Chemont. Loads of pictures!
I haven't painted anything for Vietnam for ages, and have had a platoon of M113 APCs lurking in the lead mountain for almost as long!
Here then are four M113 APCs from Battlefront. Lovely vehicles that paint up really well, and come complete with multiple crew members and plenty of decals. Recommended.
Just before Christmas, those fine chaps at Zombiesmith released some more 15mm Quar: Crusader cavalry and snipers, and the first of the Coftyran Royalists.
All I've had a chance to paint so far are the Coftyran light tanks and the Crusader snipers, but I have had a rather good idea for a battle or two. Rather than have the Crusaders and Coftyrans fight it out, I'm going to pit a combined Quar force against Space Bug invaders: what better than ant-eaters to fight what are effectively giant ants!
The last of the Forged in Battle units bought at Warfare in Reading: this time it's a platoon of Marder IIIs. Paint up very nicely, although I just can't see how you can get three crew members into the fighting compartment. I only managed two, and they are jolly crowded.
Bagration gives an excellent, photo-heavy account of his first game of IABSM along with a mini-review.
Craig Ambler gives another great account of a solo game, this time featuring the second scenario from theBlenneville or Bust! scenario booklet: the British advance on Avaux.
I've updated three Q13 army lists on the site: the Space Bugs from Highlander Studios (a few tweaks following the game, below); the Quar from Zombiesmith (to take into account their new Coftyran releases); and WWW2 Americans with experimental weapons from Clockwork Goblin (tweaks and new releases). I've also added the Stikk (a.k.a. the Entomal) range of bugs from Khurasan.
Space Bugs
The Quar
WWW2 US
The Stikk
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Craig Ambler gives an excellent account of a solo game featuring the first scenario from the Blenneville or Bust! scenario booklet.
The first game of the new year: World War Two US troops desperately try to repel an invasion from Space Bugs!
Clockwork Goblin are a relatively new miniatures company who produce a range of 15mm figures based on the alternative history premise that WW2 continues into an age of powered armour, walkers, zombies and super-boosted humans.
I am going to use the US forces to combine with my existing WW2 US forces for Invasion Earth! style scenarios using Quadrant 13. Here's a review of what the Clockwork Goblin US range consists of so far.
A couple of after action reports from the Christmas period.
First off, Katzenstein uses his British infantry for the first time and, apparently, and unlike whenever I put any newly painted troops on the table, they seem to have won!
Secondly, Sergeant Steiner tries IABSM for the first time.
AAR from Sergeant Steiner
AAR from Katzenstein
And still more of the Forged in Battle late war Germans: this time it's the SdKfz 234/2 Pumas from the Panzerspahkompanie's heavy platoon.
I've always thought that these were a must for any later German force, but apparently only 101 were ever produced. However rare, however, these are very nice models: the crew figures painting up very nicely as well.
More of the Forged in Battle late war Germans: this time it's some of the half-tracks from the Panzergrenadier Schwerer Zug (Heavy Platoon).
In a genius bit of packaging, the FiB set comes with two SdKfz 251/2 (81mm mortars) and two SdKfz 251/9 (75mm gun): all you need for a standard schwerer zug. Each vehicle comes with crew and, as is normal for FiB, has an integral base.
Only one small problem: they are considerably shorter than my Plastic Soldier Company SdKfz 251/1 models, which is a bit of a pain no matter which manufacturer has their models scaled correctly. No matter, however, I am sure the difference won' t be too noticeable on the tabletop.
SdKfz 251/8
SdKfz 251/9
Those of you who follow this site regularly will remember that battle four in Benito's Vyazma or Bust! campaign had ended in a draw. Votes were called for, and the overwhelming response was for Benito to play the game again as if the Germans had renewed their assault on Yelna the next day.
Here's the report of what happened. Another close game!
Here's the blurb about the launch from The Miniatures Page:
Lovers of science-fiction gaming are in for a real treat with the latest arrival from TooFatLardies. Penned by Robert Avery, Quadrant 13 are rules for company-plus-level actions in a science-fiction universe, using 6mm to 15mm figures. So, what are they all about?
As lovers of science-fiction gaming will know, the boom in the last couple of years has been the explosion of superb ranges of 15mm and smaller sci-fi figures and vehicles from a whole swathe of new companies with great ideas. What has been missing, for us at least, has been a "generic" set of science-fiction rules which can allow us to create our own worlds and cultures which we can then populate with these great new ranges.
But what do we mean by generic? Well, over the years, we have seen lots of sci-fi rulesets which are tied to a specific backdrop created by the publishers. Often this has involved a large slice of background "fluff" which is really only relevant to that particular universe. What we wanted to create was a set of hard sci-fi rules which were totally generic, allowing the gamer to develop his or her own setting using whatever races or technology levels they wanted. And Robert Avery was the man for the job!
Robert has worked with us to produce many scenario supplements in the past, and has been a long-time sci-fi gamer with a leaning to the hard side of the genre. He wanted to put together a set of rules where the gamer was in charge, and where the mechanisms were there to allow them complete freedom in their game design. Quadrant 13 is the result.
Borrowing the game engine used for Charlie Don't Surf, our Vietnam rules, and I Ain't Been Shot, Mum!, our WWII rules, Robert took Quadrant 13 and applied a whole new layer of technological detail and sci-fi feel. Now you can field forces of differing technologies with a whole raft of settings. Quadrant 13 is a stand-alone game: no other rulebooks or supplements are necessary to play. The rules contain a guide to creating your forces as well as a scenario generator and several army lists.
What is more, there are plenty of other lists are available on the author's own site.
Quadrant 13 is available in printable PDF formt or as a navigable PDF designed for use on the iPad or similar tablets for just £9.50 GBP. If you'd like both, the bundle for both editions is £12.50 GBP.
Vis Lardica is a website devoted to wargaming and military history, with a special emphasis on the company-sized rulesets produced by the TooFatLardies: I Ain't Been Shot Mum (WW2); Charlie Don't Surf (Vietnam); and Quadrant 13 (science fiction)
Welcome to Vis Lardica, a not-for-profit website mostly dedicated to the company-sized wargaming rules produced by the TooFatLardies, but encompassing my other gaming interests as well.
If you need to contact me, you can do so at:
vislardica@gmail.com
If you have enjoyed visiting this site, please add a link to it on your own wargaming blog: www.vislardica.com.
