3:15 from Wolverhampton

[flatpack]

So here we go again. We have plans for a VBCW game tomorrow in my lead shed.
Tables all set up for a seaborne invasion using the rowing boats from the park...gulp.
The navy are all ready with their new coastal gun made by Blotz.
The airforce are happy using the grass strip just inland.
Let’s see what happens.
AAR to follow on Sunday.


Defences covering the coast line.


The Navy’s new “Big Gun”


The airforce, working off a grass strip.

[vodkafan]

Ooohh that's a bit different.

[leadboy]

Lovely airforce! Look forward to the AAR..

[has.been]

As always Bob a great set up. Looking forward to the Bacon Butties.

[flatpack]

Yesterday we played another VBCW game, using the world aflame rules.

We had the evil BUF guarding the airfield, and a few rebellious naval ratings, manning the coastal defence battery. They were both supported by plenty of local militia units.

The opposition were going to make a seaborne invasion, using boats off the duck pond...never a good idea. They also had plans for armoured support, coming in from the flanks.

Initial layout.


Coastal defence.


Duck pond flotilla arrives....what could possibly go wrong ?


More militia arrive to welcome the boys on the beach.


BUF forces line the hedgerow, covering the airfield.


The opening shots on the beach, are exchanged.


Supporting armour appears on the right of the beach, only to have 2 nutters run at the tanks with their explosives in hand.


German militia guard the airfield supplies. Germans helping the BUF, who would have thought it ?


More armour appears at the airfield. The BUF weren’t expecting that.


French militia and BUF react to the new armour threat at the airfield.


Back at the beach, and it is not going well at all for the duck pond invaders. Boats and bodies everywhere.


Now for the twist. A random event card is pulled, and the duck pond navy open up on the BUF, landing two great shots into their massed ranks. The BUF fall like flies.


Oh dear.


Let’s say it again....oh dear.


With the BUF taking catastrophic casualties, the right wing armour strides forward, towards the airfield.


The right wing armour take out the BUF and their artillery.


Now there’s marauding armour everywhere.


The battle comes to an end ( because the bacon butties were ready), with the seaborne force shattered, and the land forces, eventually capturing the airfield.


Good game, but spoilt by the rules a little, as we have been playing TMWWBK and Patriots and Rebs lately, so these rules with a homemade qrs, and too many unnecessary dice rolls spoilt it a little.
We think we can adapt the other two rule sets, to get a better flowing game.
Let’s see how we get on.

[vodkafan]

It was a very fun game.  Some alternative pics from my end of the table.
Here is a shot of the wicked 4" naval gun that stopped my amphibious assault!


It's first shot passed right through one of the boats carrying Marines without causing any casualties!


But then it blew up the HQ boat with all the extra ammo and things took a bad turn...


Marines machine gunned in the boats


And after a hit from the 4" gun the shocked Sikhs surrendered....


A tank sent to help didn't fare any better...


But here's some Government troops on the way to the airfield. Luckily a thick fog meant that the 4" gun could not see them! It sent a shell over but missed.


 The lead tank takes out the BUF anti tank gun


Then the infantry rush forward and neutralized the bunker with a flame thrower


Many thanks to Bob for hosting the game, the food and drink was top notch also.

[vodkafan]

By the way this is how I tried to deal with the two fanatics in the first turn armed with the Molotov cocktail:


I activated the tank with an 8" move and I attempted to run them over . The umpire reasonably asked "Why didn't you try to machine gun them?"
 I said I wanted to teach the blighters a lesson. There was nothing in the rules about that so the umpire ruled that they simply stepped out of the way.


I had the next tank shoot them.

[has.been]

As normal we moved painted stuff around a nice table, had lashings of scoff , talked
a lot of bo****ks & had many laughs. A good time was well and truly had.

Little (only one) mention has been made about the fog. It stopped a lot of firing,
'Can't see 'em sir!' and slowed a lot of vehicle movement. It was the dominant factor in the game.
The BUF (Dicemaster, Garry) took the chance card & random dice taking away his two best
units in one move with great good humour.
I had thought (erroneously) that we would fit in about 8 to 10 moves, but Flatpack is
correct, the rule having no QRS (we had cobbled several sheets together) combined
with too many tables, quirky rules, & vagaries (the last is my fault for not following
the genial advice in the rules & working out things for myself BEFORE sitting down to play)
all lead to too few moves. Poor Flatpack's stunning flank march hardly got on the table.
Vodkafan's beach landing never got a chance to get started. I was reminded of Churchill's
comment on the Anzio landing, 'I had hoped to fling a wild-cat into the Auban hills,
but all we have is a stranded whale on the beach.'

Still it all looked good & we had fun.  Next time we will try, possibly, a different set of rules.
Which will have a one page QRS.

[Digits]

Somewhat quirky yet fun looking game chaps!

[has.been]

The only picture I took. (Spanish) artillery trying to take out a medium tank.