Imperial Assault -- week 1

Started an Imperial Assault game with Lowell as the empire.

We won the introductory scenario -- which you are supposed to do.

We then just managed to win the first scenario -- though all but one character was badly wounded, and we only just managed to win on the last turn

Setting up the beginner scenario

Playing the beginner scenario

Games Lab with Lowell

Met up with Lowell at the games lab.  Played in a game of 'The Resistance'.  But had to leave soon after as Alex was sick.

Not much of a board!

Who was the traitor?  Well, he is in the picture!

Games Laboratory

Caught up with Lowell at the Games Laboratory!  Played X-Wing, and Lowell (of course) trashed me!!!!  Hopefully this is the start of several games with Lowell as I travel to Melbourne.

Gaming in Style!!!!!

We played upstairs though.  Lowell planning my demise!!!!

Flooded Fokkers

The plan was for a 4 player (2 players a side) WWI dogfight with Fokkers, Camels, Albatrosses, etc. using Wings of Glory.

However, floods in Launceston got in the way.  Only Lowell could make it.  Rob was being evacuated, and Rod was worried he wouldnt be able to get back home (a not unreasonable concern!)

So we did 4 planes each.  I had 2 Fokkers and 2 Albatross, while Lowell had a Bristol and 3 Camels.  I had a height advantage, but in the end that wasn't that much of an advantage!  I had to dive to the same level as Lowell to engage.

Water under the King St Bridge on the way home

There is a park and a swimming pool under that water!

The battle commences!

What a chaotic furball.  Kirchsten (Fokker with the stripes) is tailing a Camel

One Camel down.  But I keep confusing the Albatrosses, and they keep flying away from the combat.

Eventually, all of my planes were bought down.  But the Allies werent in good shape -- they had two planes that were held together by sticky tape!!!

New Member, New Mat

We had a new member at the club -- Malcolm.  Malcolm has just moved to Launceston from Melbourne.

And, when we showed up at the club, the club had purchased a new mat or two!!!!!

We did a 3 player Flames of War game.  Malcolm had 1750 points of 21st Panzer.  Lowell had 1000 points of Russians, and I had 750 points of Russians.

Malcolm destroyed my force, and technically won the game.  But Lowell and Malcolm kept playing, and Lowell pulled out a win.

X-Wing Gone Wild!

A massive X-Wing battle with the big ships!!!

1.  Big ships are super cool
2.  Too many big ships really crowd the table!

Ships provided by Daniel.  Nick, Lowell, and myself as resistance.  Heath, Daniel, and someone whose name I have forgotten as Imperial.

The resistance was destroyed.  To paraphrase Admiral Akbar -- It was a trap!!!

Dogs of War 2016 -- Day 2

After being crushed twice on Day 1 of the Dogs tournament, I came back with two wins to finish in the middle of the pack.

Game 3 was against Rusty.  It was Hasty Attack.  I managed to kill all of his advancing forces for a 5:2 victory.  Rusty was terribly unlucky, but this was a fantastic gentleman's game.  

Game 4 was against Smithy.  He had German infantry in a 'Dust Up'.  Smithy should have won -- he was incredibly unlucky with my aircraft coming on repeatedly, whereas his planes almost never showed up.  And I managed to make my morale checks when I needed them.

Final result was:

1st Place - Leigh, with a perfect score.

2nd Place - Griggsy

3rd Place - Pat and Smithy

Ben rolling for victory

Smithy vs Lowell.  This was going to be a 6-1 one way or the other.  Smithy managed to gain the victory, but it was actually close.

Pat deep in thought

My game vs Rusty.

A tense game -- Rob vs Pat.  Lots of spectators.

Can Rob gain the victory?  It was close, but Pat managed to pull out the win,

Dogs of War 2016 - Day 1

Crushed I was -- absolutely crushed!!!!!

My first game against Griggsy.  It was close, but he managed to get his rangers to an objective.

Pat wasnt going to play -- but at the last minute managed to get free.  Which was great, because Jim had to drop out.

Leigh's horde of RV South Africans vs Rod.

Lowell's army -- 4 Tiger I's

My round 2 battle against Leigh.  I misplayed, and Leigh played perfectly.  I just couldnt get to grips with 16 25pounder guns!!!!

Americans in flames

Smithy dropped in from Army Reserve training to play a game.

Lowell's tigers just couldnt make it against Pat's Grenadiers (with pioneers and Stuka's)

Flying Circus

A quick game of Wing of Glory at the club.

Nick (Germans, with an Albatross and a Fokker DR.I) vs Lowell (with a Bristol and a Hanriot)

A swirling melee developed.  

The Fokker DR.I was spinning around all over the place spitting lead, but a shot by the Britol rear MG gunner caused an explosion, and the plane was down in seconds!

The Albatross ran for home, but the Bristol got on its tail and shot it down as well

Lowell Rickenabaker celebrates his victory

Meanwhile, on an adjacent table, the Taliban and some Rangers were going toe to toe!

Tie fighter horde

X-Wing at the club tonight.  Daniel showed us some tricks, given he has several years experience.

We had 100 points each in a 2 vs 2 game.  Me and Rob as the good guys, while Daniel and Lowell were those scum resistance folks that keep blowing up our ships.

At first the empire was doing well, when we shot down Bobba Fett (who was a mercenary for hire for the resistance).

But then the resistance got close.  They had autoblasters, and their close in firepower was destroying a ship or two a turn.  We just couldnt stand against them!!!

The battle was actually close.  If we had rolled a bit better, and taken out the resistance B-Wing, we could have kept our distance from the resistance and blasted them at long range!

Saga, Bloody Saga!

Two games with Lowell.  Both were bloody and close!!!!

Game 1: Defend the Village.  I won, because at the end of the last turn I had one figure left alive, and he was still in the village!  Lowell had taken very few casualties.

Game 2: Sacred ground.  Lowell won.  I decimated him -- he was down to a few figures.  But he managed to kill my warlord!

SAGA (in 15mm)

I introduced Lowell to Saga.  Played in 15mm figures, halving the ranges for everything.

First game was 'Defend the Village'.  The nasty vikings charged in, but the brave saxons sallied out and tried to beat up on the viking archers.  This didnt go well.  It didnt go badly, but there wasnt a resounding victory.  And the sallying troops were pulled away from the village.  The village was in dire straights -- the defenders were being cut down.  Eventually the sally got back.  I claimed a victory on the last turn by having one figure (all I had left) still in the village -- with a horde of vikings raping and pillaging!

Second game was 'The Duel'.  Again Vikings -- but this time Jomsvikings (beserker type fellows) vs Anglo Saxons.  The Jomsvikings kept doing dirty tricks, like scaring my troops into not moving.  But Anglo-saxon numbers won out -- by the end of the game the Jomsvikings only had two figures left.  But they won (convincingly), because they had done the most damage to the Anglo-Saxon warlord.

Both games were fun bloody dark ages hacks.