Boardgames Are More Than Just Fun, Science Reveals

This interesting article on the Tabletop Gaming site about Boardgames and how useful they are in promoting cognitive health and social skills, is worth a read:

https://www.tabletopgaming.co.uk/news/boardgames-are-more-than-just-fun-science-reveals/ 

Warhammer could learn from BattleTech

What A Tanker! - Dashboard & Dice Set

I recently purchaed Qty 4 of these Dashboard and Dice Set from Sabotage 3D for 'What A Tanker!'.  These are really excellent and especially useful if you want to rotate through diffent tanks in short order.  Highly recommended.  

WW2 German Wehrmacht "HUMMEL" Self Propelled Gun Tour and Restoration

Worth a watch  :)

Sarah C. M. Paine - WW2, Taiwan, Ukraine, & Maritime vs Continental Powers

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Found this to be a fascinating listen.

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York, England - A Tour Through The Most Medieval City on Earth

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I thought this was rather nice video of the city where I live.  The capital of the north situated in Gods Own County   :)

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The last British VSTOL aircraft | Harrier Jump Jet GR9

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I used to be part of the support organisation for this fantastic aircraft, good times.  

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Filmdeg Miniatures Channel

Quite by accident I came across this U-Tube channel called the Filmdeg Miniatures channel.

The channel is run by Tom Evans who is a tabletop wargaming fan in Nottingham. He goes by the I go by the internet handle of "Filmdegminiatures" and plays Warhammer Fantasy 6th edition and Mordheim, among others.

On his channel you will find interviews with John Blanche and Tuomas Pirinen and Rick Priestly.  Well worth a look.

Tales From The Periphery - BattleTech Podcast

If you're interested in BattleTech I recommend you check out 'Tales From The Periphery'.  Link

It describes itself as, 'An audio podcast, news blog, events diary and resource covering the UK BattleTech scene'.

In Episode 1 Mike Whitaker is interviewing a friend of mine Andrew Dickinson who I play Alpha Strike  with at the Leeds Wargames Club once a month. 

BattleTech Alpha Strike - Hicks Hall Leeds

On Saturday joined with my regular BattleTech group at the Leeds Wargames Club in Hicks Hall in Leeds for a fun Alpha Strike game.

Click on the following Link to see a short video of it:  Link

The Keys Of Medokh - Play-By-Mail Game

Back in the early 1990s I used to play in the Play-By-Mail (PBM) game 'The Keys Of Medokh' (TKoM) whilst it was run by Rampage Games.  I was in a total of five games, numbers: 127, 144, 160, 166 and 169.

In its day TKoM was quite something !

Did you play in the game ?  If so please leave a comment  :)

Here's one of the original adverts  :)

I've set up a Facebook page for The Keys of Medokh as well -  Link.

The Basic rulebook can be downloaded here :)   Link

Board Games Are Good For You – The Science Behind It

There is an interesting article on this subject on the Tabletop Gaming site:  Link

 

Classic Battletech - The Battle Of Butternab Ridge - After Action Report

Scenario Name:  The Battle Of Butternab Ridge 
Side A:  House Liao
Side B:  House Steiner

Points Per Side:  3,200
Game Duration:  Eight turns
Map Hex Size:  34 x 22

Entry Points:  Short Edges.

Side A Forces:
Rifleman    RFL-3N 
Jenner    JR7-F   
Hunchback    HBK-4J

Side B Forces:
Thunderbolt TDR-5SE
Javelin JVN-10F
Blackjack BJ-1

Scenario Background

The god fearing clean living peaceful traders of House Steiner have been provoked into raiding into the Liao holdings.  An operative embedded deep with the Liao military industrial complex (such that it is) has obtained info that the Liao forces are experimenting with a new revolutionary powerplant for the Manticore Heavy tank.  Field trials are underway but due to poor maintenance and lack of experience the prototype vehicle is breaking down almost daily.  Current intel indicates it is abandoned awaiting recovery in the small settlement of 'Butternab Ridge'.

Scenario Objective

House Steiner - Secure the abandoned Manticore Heavy Tank.  

House Liao - Deny House Steiner their objective. 

Victory Conditions
For each turn a player had an active Mech (not shut-down or dead) within three hexes of the tank, they received one point.  Player with the most points at the game is the winner.    

The Battle
Successful suppression of Liao planetary defences saw an unopposed Lyran Dropship landing.  Steiner forces entered the battlefield from the south at the same time as a hastily assembled scratch force of Liao mechs entered from the north to intercept them.

Turn 1 

Steiner win the initiative.  Initial moves onto the Battlefield by both sides (using Blips to represent Mechs) saw no shooting as line of sight was obscured by terrain.

Turn 2
Steiner win the initiative.  The Steiner Blackjack secures a good vantage point on top of a building and commences firing with its twin ACss.   An aggressive run forward by the Steiner Javelin towards the Manticore ended in disaster when the Pilot failed his Piloting Skill Roll (PSR) when he tried to make a turn.  Skidding forward he damaged his head armour in the fall and knocked himself unconscious !  WTF !   The Capellan's making the most of this disaster rush their Jenna forward to close the range and pound the rear of the immobile prone mech.  In all the excitement their Rifleman unloaded with both AC5s and both Heavy Lasers (which with only 10 Heat Sinks gave him a Heat problem).  The screaming over the radio from the rest of his team fortunately brought the Javelin pilot out of his slumber at the end of the round !      

Turn 3

Steiner win the initiative.  The Javelin gets up and seeks cover behind the nearby tree, and the Thunderbolts runs up the junction and the Blackjack jumps down.  The Hunchback starts loosening off with its LRMs as he gets a bead on the Blackjack.

Turn 4

Steiner win the initiative.  The Jenner takes the safest option and jumps to cover its rear, the Thunderbolt and Blackjack rush forward, all three Steiner mechs are within 3 hexes of the objective now.  The Blackjack takes some damage as again does the Jenna.  The Hunchback is out of position and doesn't have line of sight to a target, so doesn't fire.

Turn 5

Steiner win the initiative again !  The Jenna ends up behind the Blackjack and then the Javelin jumps behind that.  The Rifleman takes some punishment and the Javelin almost has a Torso blown off now the Hunchback is making its firepower felt!

Turn 6

Liao win the initiative for the first time.  The Javelin receives yet more damage and takes a Medium Laser to the head which goes critical and takes out a Heat Sink, the pilot managing to keep conscious despite this blow.  Further damage takes the other torso down to just one piece of internal.  The Rifleman has lots of eternal armour blown away now and loses an upper arm actuator.  

Game End

The game was meant to go onto Turn 8 but we had run out of time at the end of Turn 6, so we called it at that point.  The Steiner forces had more victory points at that time and so were determined to have secured the objective.   A very very close game, the Javelin as you can see from the record sheet was virtually scrap.  Overall a really entertaining game with my opponent Steve M :)  I'm looking forward to the return match with the same forces when we plan to switch sides.        

BattleTech Mercenaries

Check out this interesting page on BattleTech Mercenaries.  This format is for both quick casual games and for multi-round events.  It's a scenario based format where each player controls 4x Mercenary BattleMechs.  Link

I haven't tried it myself, but intend to do so.

Classic Battletech - Battle Of Duncansviller Power Station

I dived back into the crunchiness of Classic Battletech with my old friend John Elwen on Thursday night at the Harrogate Wargames Club with a 4,000 point aside battle on the planet of Drozen. 

The peace loving traders of the Lyran Commonwealth (House Steiner) defending the recently 'acquired' power plant of Duncansviller Power Station were brutally attacked by the Capellan Confederation (House Liao). 

The Liao raiding party consisted of a Crusader CRD-3L mech supported by 4x Condor Heavy Hover Tanks (standard configuration).  Opposing this unwelcome incursion was a Jenner JR7-F mech supported by 3x Manticore Heavy Tanks (standard configuration). 

Straight from the off the aggressive manoeuvring by the (ridiculously) fast Condor Hover tanks seized the tactical initiative and forced the Lyrans onto the defensive.  The inability of the Hover tanks to enter woods though was exploited by the Manticore tanks who made good use of the cover available (or tried to hide like cowards, depending on your viewpoint! LOL).  After several inconclusive exchanges of fire the Liao unit swept in and reduced most of the firing to point blank, inside the minimum ranges of the PPC and LRM equipped Condors.  Two critical rounds of fire and physical attacks by the Javelin who jumped behind a Condor and repeated kicked it resulted in the destruction of 1x Condor, and the immobilisation of another. The Lyran's had 2x Manticores immobilised and the Javelin's external armour was badly shredded. 

Assessing that he was outgunned at this point, the Liao commander decided to withdraw his force (although we considered it a draw really).  A fun very closely fought game.  It's a long time since I've used vehicles in Classic Battletech and it was a reminder how very vulnerable they are to receiving critical mobility hits which reduce them to the status of a pillbox. 

Looking forward to the next game ! 🙂

Details

Rules:  by Catalyst Games - Battletech Manual - Rules Of Warfare.
Gaming Mat:  by Catalyst Games - Battletech Battlemat - Desert.

Terrain:  Small trees sold for model railways, remainder 3D home printed (FDM).
Mechs and Condor Hover Tanks:  by Iron Wind Metals.

Manticore Heavy Tanks:  Resin models supplied by Badger 3D.

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Here are a few pics from from the game.

The Steiner forces enter the battlefield...

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The Liao Condor Heavy Hover tanks make their presence felt.

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An air reccy photo from a Steiner Lucifer aerospace fighter as it screams over the battlefield

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Under pressure and outmanoeuvred the Steiner tanks seek refuge in the cover of some Light woods. 

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After initially keeping its distance the Liao Crusader jumps in to close the range down and support a Condor that had just been immobilised by a PPC hit from a Manticore. 

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A pair of Condors flank the beleaguered Manticores and heavy fire is exchanged.   

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The Steiner Jenna has jumped behind a Condor that came down the road and has proceeded to block it in. 

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A savage exchange of fire sees all the Javelin's armour stripped off its right torso and some internal structure eaten into.  The Condor is immobilised by repeated SRM hits from the one of Manticors.

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With one Condor destroyed and another immobilised and isolated the Liao commander decides to retreat to fight again another day.  His Crusader is not that damaged and could keep fighting for some time, and the Steiner forces have taken a beating and two of the Manticores are immobilised.  Critically though the Steiner unit still has its full firepower available and is a close supporting formation.

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3 Takeaways from the 2023 Great Wargaming Survey

 Worth a watch  :)

GET FV4005 RUNNING

The tank museum are planning on getting the FV4005 running again.  Check out their web site for more details of this interesting project.  Link

BADGER 3D Creations - Web Site: https://badger3d.co.uk/

I've slightly unretired myself, I'm now helping out at Badger 3D Creations one day a week.  3D printing, it's the future guys !  🙂

Check out Badger's Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/Badger3DCreations and their excellent Etsy shop:  https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Badger3DPrints.

In addition they have their own website: https://badger3d.co.uk/ suggest check there first for the latest releases.

DRAGON RAMPANT - 3 ROUND MINI CAMPAIGN - ESCAPE TO THE SOUTH

 At my local club I've been running a 3 round min-campaign using the Dragon Rampant rules called, 'Escape To The South'.  If idea interest you download the blank campaign document here.

There is also an accompanying Extra Magic Items document as well, which come into play in Round 3. 

The HWC House rule document referenced in the campaign doc is available from a link in this posting. Link

In our campaign which has 14 players in it, we are coming to the end of round 2.  The forces of 'The Black Horde' have had some success and currently leading the forces of The Greater Empire Coalition' 111 glory points to 66.

If you have any questions I'll be happy to answer them.

Battletech - Modified Layout Mech Record Sheets

If you are a classic Battletech gamer I would encourage you to have a look at the custom Mech Record Sheets made by Kieran Vincent Rowley.   

This is the posting he put on the relevant Facebook page which I am repeating here in full:

"So for whatever reason, I post these almost entirely on Reddit, but since I'm almost done with all 3025 variants of all currently-released CGL Box Sets and ForcePacks, I feel like I should really try to get the word out in other places!

I make these! (If you've seen em on Reddit, that's me! I'm the guy)  I use them, I love them, and yes I do take requests.  I've done over 200 that are all available at this link! 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18chMT5KQApwqgA6UbEZ4ZfwPO2lyJK7C?fbclid=IwAR3bygJoOfkryzrbfrXkXoNitC24yLPMUHCgPnzGjw-s9kRC_3vlXiXpUOI

Quick edit: As with any tabletop-game element, conjecture isn't useful feedback.  If you've used it at the table and had a negative experience, let me know what went wrong!  But so far absolutely no-one who has actually used these has had any complaints, and indeed, most (like myself) find them to be much EASIER and faster to use than the official sheets, as well as making the game *feel* less like filling out paperwork.  I made them to be functional and intuitive in ways that I found the official sheets were lacking. As I said, conjecture is not feedback - playtesting is what matters.

Some variants (especially Royal SLDF versions, but sometimes others) have an additional retro art version, with either the original (sadly uncredited) Macross art or early TRO art from Duane Loose or Dana Knutson.  All known artists have been credited, although some remain unknown (Harri Kallio SIGN YER STUFF man! I think half my missing artists are you!), and I own NONE of this, all credit to Catalyst Game Labs and the respective artists and designers.  About the only thing I created here besides the format is the Clanbusters logo, which anyone may use at their own discretion."

The Avid Wargamer

Stumbled by chance across this interesting site called 'The Avid Wargamer  - Computer Wargaming & Military History'.  I highly recommend a visit, there is some really interesting stuff on it.  Link

Battletech - Alphas Strike - Jeff's Battletech Tools

If you are into playing Batteltech Alpha Strike, suggest check out Jeff's Battletech Tools which allows you to configure his improved version (in my opinion) of the AS Cards and also switch between whether the ranges are in inches or hexes. Link

The making of Warhammer 40,000: Rick Priestley on the birth of the sci-fi miniatures behemoth

 This article on the making of Warhammer 40k is worth a read.  Link 

Russia, Ukraine, and the West | Frederick Kagan - Podcast

I like many of you have been following the Ukraine crisis.  For those interested in understanding the background I highly recommend this JBP Podcast on the topic.  

ALIEN - The Nostromo Fan Art

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Comment:  Simply amazing.

The Best Tank Games on PC and All Platforms - By History Hit

Worth checking out this Link if you like tank games (mainly on the PC).  Link 

How to Pick Your First Battletech Faction: The Inner Sphere ca. 3025

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Comment
Found this quite good as a refresher.

Battletech: 40K Refugees, is the Grass Really Greener?

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Comment:  Enjoyed this video, worth a watch :) 

Tabletop gaming: The Therapy Of Fighting With Miniature Dragons

Here's an interesting article on the BBC web site that I was made aware of today.  I very much agree with many of the contributors to it that wargaming as a hobby is good for your mental health. Link 

Reference infos – WW2 German Armour paints and camouflage colours

Today I stumbled across a very useful site called 'Resources For Scale Modelers'.  In particular this page on the site is is very useful if like me you are painting up some WW2 German Armour  Link.  The fact that he is quoting RAL numbers is useful as well.  I notice that Vallejo put the RAL number on some of their paints which is a good cross-check match wise.  What I would say is that, notwithstanding that Vallejo are doing that, doesn't always means they are a good match !  LOL 

Company of Heroes Review | Should You Play it in 2021 ?

 

Although this is titled 2019, I think it equally applies to 2021 :)

Quite simply my all time favorite RTS game.

Stranger Shapes - Alien(s) Film Blog

 

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If you are a fan of the Alien series of films then this is a fascinating site to visit with all sports of info and interviews logged that people involved in the film have given - highly recommended !  Link

HQ Tiger II with Cutaway Hull and Turret Walkaround

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A interesting look round this sectioned King Tiger.

Miniature Wargaming On-line. A Beginner's Guide

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Quite a interesting discussion about gaming on-line in this u-Tube video.  I know all three guys and in fact John is one of my regular gaming friends in the Harrogate Wargames Club.  When we went into 2nd lockdown/tiering episode here in the UK in the autumn of 2020 I decided to run a few of my own-online games after speaking with John and also hearing how successful/enjoyable his were.  To date I've run 6 x Necromunda games, 1 x What A Tanker in 10mm, 1 x Dragon Rampant game in 10mm and one game of the new recently released Aliens Board game.  All have worked reasonably well with the exception of the Aliens game.  I've kept wanting to do some write ups of the games for this Blog, but lack of available time is a problem for me at the moment.  The thought of taking early retirement so I can spend more time on my gaming hobby is quite attractive...

The Heretic short film | Unity

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Definitely worth a watch :) 

STORMTROOPERS (2018)

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Worth a watch :)

11 Best Dungeons & Dragons Board Games

Find new ways to explore the fantasy world with your party of adventurers in these D&D board games.  Link

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Command & Conquer Remastered

Command & Conquer has been remastered for the PC.  Link
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Comment:  I must have played hundreds of hours of C&C and Red Alert back in the 90s, so I might just have to get this for old times sake... :)
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13 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Board Games That Are as Gorgeous to Behold as They Are Fun to Play

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Here's a link to an interesting article by James Whitbrook about 13 great looking games that are also fun to play.  Link 
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Soldier’s bedroom has not been touched since he died… in WORLD WAR I

A First World War soldier's bedroom has lain completely untouched in his former home since he died from injuries 102 years ago.

Dragoons' Second Lieutenant Hubert Rochereau died aged 21 in an English field ambulance after fighting in the village of Loker, Flanders, on 26 April 1918.

His heartbroken parents, initially unable to locate their son's body, said they would turn his bedroom into a permanent shrine to his memory.

Read more on the Daily Mail site:  Link

How To... Drink Tea in a Tank | The Tank Museum

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Comment:  An entertaining video, worth a watch :)
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How To Use Math To Crush Your Friends At 'Risk' Like You've Never Done Before

This article is worth a read is you play Risk  Link  :)
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10 best train board games to play after Ticket to Ride

Here's a useful article on train board games :)   Link
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The bitter taste of victory: why May 1945 was not a time of celebration for everyone

For those interested in WW2 history this article on the BBC History Extra site makes for interesting reading:  Link
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Astartes

Guys, stumbled across this Warhammer 40K fan fiction animation channel called Astartes.  Thus far 5 videos have done, you need to watch them all in full screen mode.  I'm so impressed.  This is essential viewing for anyone with any interest in the 40K universe.
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7 best print-and-play board games you can download at home

Quite a good little article here on 7 print and play board games you can download.  Link.
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Exploring Alpha Strike: Commander’s Edition

Interesting little article on the new Battletech rule book, Alpha Strike: Commander’s Edition published by Catalyst Games Lab.  Link
I've played several games using this mass combat system and quite enjoyed them,  The biggest advantage being that you just field so many more mechs on the table at the same time.  A 12 mech aside game using the Classic Battletech rules is a really significant game.  With AS, the game would be finished in a couple of hours max.  I'm not saying that AS is better, it's just different.  If you haven't tried it, I would encourage you to do so.
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Lock Down In The UK

Well guys, here we are on day 3 of a 3 week lock-down in the UK.  Hope you and your families are all keeping safe and well in these worrying times.
 

The Guardian - From Jenga to Taboo: The 20 Best Family-Friendly Board Games

Another good article in the press about good boardgames :) Link

We Are Not An Effective Team...

Comment:  A clip from one of my favorite sci-fi films, Oblivion.  Lots to enjoy in this film :)