Star Wars Legion: Second Intro-Game

The Initial Set-up

Monday afternoon, Michael came down from Glamsbjerg to visit me and inspect my 3D-printer, and I had set up for a game of Legion, of course with my newly printed Imperial Outpost on the table.

The experience from my first game with Ulolkish told me that cover is of the utmost importance in Legion, so I threw the extra printed barricade on the table as well. I need to print some more scatter terrain, but right now my printer is busy printing dungeon corridors, so that will have to wait until tomorrow, or so...

I had assembled another squad of Stormtroopers for Vader to motivate, and I used some Fringe Walker as AT-RT proxy for the rebs.

Michael donned the black mask, and started breathing heavily, while I meditated to clear my mind of all aggression.

Everybody decided that caution is the better part of valour, and the first turn saw lots of ducking and weaving, and diving for cover.

I managed to maneuver the AT-RT into a position, from which I am not sure if it was able to advance (I have to study those vehicle rules)...

...so of course I backed it off a bit (haven't checked if that is possible, either, but...).

Vader advanced, waving his lightsaber in front of him.

I forgot to take a photo after the third turn, but the most interesting thing that happened was the Stormtrooper section emerging from the bunker and coming towards the rebels on my right flank.

The Stormtroopers charged home, while my AT-RT picked on the section defending the outpost.

The Stormtroopers annihilated the Rebel section (I have to read up on the rules for close combat, too), and then Luke charged them and cut down two, while the walker joined the fight.

As soon as Luke left the Rebel section on the left, Vader ordered all-out attack, and led the charge from behind... (he is rather slow, you know)

With Luke occupied elsewhere, Vader's relentless attack secured the day for the Empire, as the Rebles only managed to obliterate one enemy unit.

This game was a bit more tactical than the first one, and we both enjoyed it.

I had some terrible Dodge Rolls, while Michael succeeded with a lot of his, so with a little luck I might have secured a draw, as the game really hang in the balance until the very last moment.

Vader is a beast, and I am really looking forward to playing some games with the full rules (and Force Power Upgrades), as I think it will only cause more cinematic moments!

Star Wars Legion: Expanding the WotC Forces

I have a gaming appointment with Michael on Monday, and I expect to introduce him to Legion, and I would like the game to have a bit more 'oomph' that the first one, so I checked my WotC collection and was able to build another Stormtrooper squad (actually, when I start using the optional support weapon troopers, I can probably build four), while the Rebels got some Fringe-walker-thingy to use as proxy for an AT-ST.

I really need to start assembling those Scout Speeder Bikes...

Star Wars Legion: First Test Game

Played a small test game with Ulolkish today, using the old pre-paints from Wizards of the Coast.

I do not have an AT-RT, and no Scout Bikes, but I mocked up two squads of Stormtroopers, two of Rebel Troopers, plus Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker (the mini is 'Jacen Solo', but I think he has been erased from canon).

Ulokish took it upon him to restore peace and order to the Galaxy, while I inserted a rag-tag force of insurgents.

Both the Force-using commanders moved forward supported by one squad, while keeping a tactical reserve hanging back. Luke was dodging a lot, expecting to have to deflect some Stormtrooper fire, while Vader is just plain slow...

While Vader was drawing a lot of attention from the Rebel Troopers, Luke charged in, and all but obliterated the Stormtrooper squad guarding the Sith Lord. Unfortunately, this also exposed him to a lot of fire from the second Imperial squad.

Thus softened up, Luke was no match for Vader, who relentlessly mopped the floor with his promising offspring.

The Rebel reserve squad. which had begun moving forward, came under fire and quickly fell back to hard cover once more. No strolling in the killing fields! Vader, in spite of being under heavy aimed fire from the forward Rebel squad, kept advancing in them.

Soon, the Rebels were no more. This was pretty much the end of this skirmish, only the lonely Stormtrooper commander was also wounded.

With the Lord Vader having destroyed two Rebel units, and the Rebels only managing to remove one enemy unit, Victory belonged to the Emperor's finest.

Thoughts on the game:
This was our first tussle with these rules, and we made quite a few mistakes (but learned from most of them), and we shall definitely have to play again with a few units more; I shall have to print some Order Tokens for that to be possible, though, as the game box contains only the tokens need for the included models (so if I want to field, for instance, another squad of Stormtroopers, I have one 'Corps' token less than needed).

Characters with lightsabers are powerful, but they can be withered down. I am very much looking forward to try the Force upgrade cards for both Vader and Luke, as I think they will add a lot of Star Warsy flavour to the game.

The game flows nicely. We only used the 'Learn to Play' rules, so no suppression, stand-by, and that kind of stuff, but I doubt that the full rules will slow down gameplay a whole lot.

In short: We liked it, and I shall definitely add Legion to my regular go-to wargames (I am sure that Michael can also be persuaded to play it with me, albeit probably not building his own force, not to mention Kevin).

Galleys & Galleons: First Game, Part 2

After the erratic broadside (see part 1 of this AAR), the man'o'War moved on.

The Pirate Frigate came about and closed on the Britons, firing wildly in the process, again without scoring a hit, but again taking Damage from Shallow Waters.

The Xebec did not get sufficient Actions for firing its guns.

I tried another Full Broadside, but my Master Gunners could not hit a barn from ten feet away...

...and then moved along. I would soon have to start thinking about some maneuvering...

The Frigate rammed my ship - neither of them took any damage from the impact.

The Xebec missed again...

Then a couple of Boarding Actions were carried out, resulting in the Frigate surrendering. As Bed-time was drawing close, we called that the Xebec would flee from the scene, thus ending the game.

Thoughts after the first game:

Wind and maneuvering:

Works really well. I think I am going to make some house rules regarding reducing and adding sails, though, as I don't really like the 'sails popping back up by themselves' situation (and I want ships to be able to come to a halt without turning into 'In Irons'). I'll probably use tokens on the ship roster to mark reduced sails, requiring 1 Action for each token to be added/removed - more about it at a later occasion.

Combat:

The Man'o'War with its C5 proved impossible to damage. I am not sure that I like the way this works; chance of hitting a target should not be influenced by the target's abilities, but rather be a target number depending on range and size of the target. Then, of course, we get another problem, namely that all vessels, independent of size, have only three hit points, and a large vessel like the Man'o'War will then be crippled far too easily... I need to play more games to see if things even out, but in this game, Lea had twice as many points as me, and she did not manage to inflict a single hit on my ship. Of course, she did half the damage to her ship herself, by sailing too close to an island, but still...

Paleo Diet - Recommended!

I purchased Paleo Diet - Eat or be Eaten from Ganesha Games yesterday (while waiting for Ulolkish to arrive), and I have now finished reading it through.

It is a game of pre-historic hunting - a genre I have always liked when playing it at conventions.

Like SS&SS it is well suited for solo play, and I expect many hours of fun with it.

Mechanics are also similar to SS&SS, using d6 instead of d20, and Reaction Tables instead of Event Cards (like TUSK, if that game is familiar to you), giving greater variety in the way, different types of prey react to the hunters, which is a good thing in my book.

I have to paint some animals to hunt, but I can use my painted Zulus as hunters (until I get some Cavemen - and probably also the Simians from Lucid Eye).

Although I have not yet played the game, I recommend any fans of pre-historic mayhem to get Paleo Diet, if for no other reason that:

Half of all author royalties generated from sales of these rules will be donated to the UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency who protect and assist individuals and families displaced by war and persecution.

IN AN UNFORGIVING WORLD, THE CHOICE IS SIMPLE...

2018-05-06, Black Powder: Testing the Rules

Sunday afternoon I was visiting one of my oldest friends and gaming buddies, Michael, with my entire family, and I was bringing my 1/72 Bavarians, some terrain, and the Black Powder rules for a test run.

Archduke Michael had dusted off his Austrians and we set up two roughly equal forces (we do not tend to fuss about with points values).

I had prepared army lists with troop types and profiles for both sides, so we could get stuck in fairly quickly.

We played on my new 3x3 mat, using cm. instead of inches, each battalion 8 figures (1 rank = line, 2 ranks = attack column, 2 files = march column), cavalry regiments only 4 figures (normally, I would use 8 figures, 2 bases, for the possibility of using different formations, but for some reason I never got around to paint the second half of the Bavarian cavalry regiments, so Michael just mirrored that).

Our initial setup. The Kaiser's line infantry came on in massive columns, with the light infantry and light dragoons spread out on their left flank, while the Electorate's finest were deployed more thinly, with light infantry in skirmish formation up front screening the line infantry advance, and the cavalry (Cuirassiers and Chevaulegers) placed on the right, ready to advance on the enemy position.

Archduke Michael opened the ball with a blunder, sending half of his line infantry and artillery marching off towards Vienna.

This unforeseen turn of events of course made the Austrians a bit reluctant to advance - the remaining line infantry brigade was rearranged to make up for the loss of the entire right flank...

...whereas the Bavarians sounded general advance, the center forming into line for more firepower.

The Austrian commander desperately sent off one aide-de-camp after another to order the German infantry brigade back onto the field, but with little effect. The Bavarians closed in on the weakened Austrian position which started some spread fire.

The Bavarian cavalry brigade thundered forward to the sound of picket fire from the skirmishing light infantry.

The Austrian light infantry formed squares, which halted the attack. Luckily for the Austrians, one of the aide-de-camps had found the stray infantry brigade, and it now reappeared behind their right flank.

The Bavarians kept closing in on the enemy position, while the Austrians built up a massive infantry column on their right flank.

Two Bavarian battalions charged one of the Austrain squares...

...and broke it.

In response, the Austrian light dragoons closed in, but the Bavarian attack columns quickly reformed into square.

The light Austrians formed attack column and retired a few yards.

The massive Austrian  attack column charged the skirmishing light infantry, which evaded (I did not do this entirely correctly, but pulled them a bit to the side - they should have moved directly backwards, but this is what test games are for). The Hungarian infantry in the center also advanced to point blank range of the Bavarian line.

The Bavarian line steadied itself and delivered a full strength volley. Not enough to shake the Hungarians, though! The light infantry formed into attack column to be able to support the line against the expected attack.

The Bavarians on the left flank charged the Austrian massed infantry and took some beating, but held their ground.

We had now reached dinner time (we were barbecuing tenderloin and some mushrooms, potatoes, and cabbage), and decided to call it a day.

One or two turns more would probably have seen some decisive action - I fear my leftmost infantry would have been annihilated, but hoped to be able to break the enemy center, and bring up the regiment lingering in the field at centre left to prevent the massed Austrians in turning my line.

As we left the battle, it may have swung either way.

We both liked the ease of the game flow, and we agreed that a lot of the situations arising 'felt right'.

I did not discuss this, but one aspect I find less enticing is the emphasis on decisive charges. I think it is too easy to just bunch up a heavy mass of attack columns and drive forward - if you get 3 moves you can move from well out of reach of muskets and only suffer closing fire - but I have to play more games to fully get the impression of how it affects the game.

Shall we play Black Powder again. Yes. Will it be our first choice of  Napoleonic rules? Maybe - for me it depends heavily on what else I come across, and how this holds up against other sets. I am definitely set on playing nappies on a regular basis, again. It was my first and foremost wargaming love, and there is not much I enjoy more than a gaming table filled with soldiers in neat rows and colourful uniforms!

Striker: First Test of the Rules

As mentioned some days ago, I had my mind set on trying the Striker Association Football miniatures game that I purchased in pdf-form.

To this end, I dug out my old 70's Continental Club Edition of Subbuteo (I actually had the pitch rolled up on an old broomstick since forever).

The size of the pitch and players is perfect for Striker (the author actually mentions that he used Subbuteo for playtesting the game), so I set about preparing the players (coloured dots on the bases to set apart defenders, midfielders, and strikers), and the special 'scatter' die (a six-sided die with directional arrows on all faces but the 'six'.

Dice needed is a d8, two d6s, and the special 'scatter' d6.

Apart from that, you only need a measuring tape and a special marker for the ball. The Subbuteo balls are too big to look nice, and as they are designed to roll, while the Striker ball needs to stay in place until moved by hand, I opted to use an old small coin for the test game. Then, a couple of minutes ago, I remembered that I have a soft gun, and plastic ammo pellets galore, so I have just glued one of those to a 15mm washer to paint up as a football. I may decide to glue one to a 10mm MDF-base at a later point, as I am going to get some for basing my maize/corn stalks, but for now the washer will have to do.

But  now, on to the business at hand! Here is the field with rules, teams, and the 'ball'.

The game starts with an automatic Perfect Pass from the centre to any player on the starting/attacking (red) team, and then the first Attacker 4-action sequence starts. As the receiver of a Perfect Pass cannot be challenged for a Tackle, I opted to use the four actions to move some players (Normal Move up to 6").

Then, the defending (blue) team moved 3 players.

The next attacking (red) 4-action sequence: Three players moved, then a Perfect Pass to the player near the centre.

Still not able to touch the ball, the blue team used their two actions to threaten the ball and a possible receiver of the next pass.

Then the red midfielder moves forward and receives a Perfect Pass.

The crowd cheers, as he makes a Perfect Pass at the striker.

The over-confident striker seizes the opportunity to dribble towards the goal, but, alas, he cannot keep the ball under control! I used the wrong die, btw, I should have used a d6.

This is the opportunity the blue team has been waiting for! For a striker, fumbling the dribble is equivalent to receiving an Imperfect Pass, and now he can be challenged for a Tackle!

The blue defender moves in and gets +1 for being a designated defender, and another +1 for tackling from the front a stonking +2, and things look bleak for the red striker. Both roll a d6, and... it is a draw!

I made a mistake here: I should now have rolled the scatter die + another d6, the result indicating whether a foul or a deflection occurred. I did not remember this, and I went straight for a deflection.

This meant that the ball was bounced off in a random direction. The 'scatter' die was rolled, and the ball deflected 5" as indicated by the arrow.

The player closest to the ball is the blue player at the bottom of the above photo, and he is moved to take possession of the ball. I think that maybe the red player across to him was close enough to contest the ball, but I forgot to check. And right now I am not sure if in this particular situation, such a contest would happen if the players are not entirely equidistant to the ball. I shall have to consult the author for this.

This was a Turnover, and the blue team immediately starts a 4-action sequence. The defender makes a Perfect Pass at the midfielder.

The midfielder makes a Perfect Pass at the next midfielder. A couple of other players moved before that.

The red team moves three players to cover the advancing blue players.

A blue midfielder makes himself playable, and receives a Perfect Pass

The second midfielder then makes a Perfect Pass at the striker on the wing.

The red team moves two players to counter the threat from the advancing blu players.

The midfielder then moves towards the striker, who is Pressed, and receives an Imperfect Pass! The ball now cannot be progressed further this sequence, although blue has two actions left.

Blue moves another couple of players, hoping to keep possession of the ball.

The red defender at the bottom of this picture then moves to challenge the ball. The rest of the defending team's actions must be completed, before the actual tackle is resolved.

The situation at the end of the action sequence.

The defender gets +1 for being a defender, and also +1 for tackling from the front - and wins the challenge. Red takes position of the ball, and the losing blue player is placed ½" behind the winning player (approximately 😉).

This was a turnover, and red begins a new 4-action sequence. The defender makes a Perfect Pass at a midfielder.

The midfielder makes a pass at a striker further up the field, and the pass Fails.

A Failed Pass is 'scattered' as indicated by the special Arrow die. One inch directly towards the blue player, who gains possession - another Turnover!

I am not sure, whether taking possession of a failed pass, and after a Tackle, is considered to be like a Perfect or an Imperfect Pass - it may be the latter, although I seem to have considered it the former all through this test game.

The next three pictures, I do not quite remember what happened - but some passing seems to have taken place.

Here, the blue striker receives a Perfect Pass.

The striker then dribbles towards the red goal, and keeps the  ball under perfect control. Again, I used the wrong die.

Unfortunately, it is not permitted to make two consecutive dribble actions (and I do not remember, if blue had one or two actions left), but I decided to try a shot at the goal.

Lots of negative modifiers, and the shot went wide past the goal.

This was all I managed to play Striker today, as it was about time to prepare hotdogs for supper (my wife was in Sønderjylland, and I was home alone with the kids).

My thoughts on the rules?

I think I like them. I need to get some details that is not explicitly covered by the rules clarified by the author (Facebook), but there is a lot of 'football feelgood' to be had from Striker, and the way the moving and passing works, seems quite realistic.

I have a feeling, that dribbling is too difficult. Other positions than the striker automatically dribble 'imperfect', thus cannot make a pass after dribbling, and can be challenged for a tackle. I know the author of the rules is a football coach, and probably has some dialectic intentions with the way the rules favour short to medium range passing, but I think it happens often in real life that a defender tackles, steals the ball, dribbles a few yards, and then passes or clears the ball, and this is not possible to do in Striker, as you cannot progress the ball further after an Imperfect Pass/Dribble (as mentioned, I need to get some of the details clarified).

ADDED 2017-03-12:

OK - I may have been a bit tired when I wrote  the above. As for tackling, if the defender wins the tackle, the attacker is placed ½" behind him, which could be interpreted as the tackler running a few yards with the ball to get clear of the opponent - AND there is a Turnover, which means that  the defender's team is nov on the offensive, starts a new 4-action sequence, and the defender can now pass or clear the ball right away, so my interpretation of the situation above does not stand.

I shall play the game with Lea later today - she asked me in the middle of the action yesterday, when we could play the game together, but I wanted to try a bit more of the possibilities, before teaching her to play.