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Author Topic: Tanks (pic heavy) - Vanvlak actually finishes a project and almost plays a game  (Read 839 times)

Offline Vanvlak

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 5290
It is really sad to have to say that it had to be a work-related project that got finished, and then only because it was work-related.
The evening course on tabletop wargaming I am teaching at uni has started and is nearing its first run. Yesterday evening we had a practical session, and the chosen system was one which is very simple to master and which stuff can be added to - Tanks.
I spent most of yesterday morning painting the last 19 tanks for the game.

We had two players against two, so I ended up as umpire and photographer. But I almost finally played a game.

Here's the pics and a very sketchy report - I did not include photos of the players, for privacy reasons.

The allies were represented by a British and an American force - here is their starting line up.


As you can see it's a rather spurious line-up, which included a Tortoise and 4 Grants, 2 75mm Shermans, 2 76mm Shermans, a Pershing and a T28.


Here's the Germans, with 3 Tigers (!), a Jagdpanther, 4 Panzer III and 2 Brummbar (not quite in the right place, a game of Tanks...)


They also had a Pantherturm.


General view of turn 1.


One of the players was happy when his Grant hit and promptly destroyed a Panzaer III.

Smug-looking Grant.


Crouching Tigers and other beasts.


Dirty paws on this Brummbar...


Lots of shooting in Turn 1, with little effect other than a handful of criticals, many of which were repaired. But the Grant did its player proud by hitting a Panzer III with two hits and a critical which finished it off outright!
The allies were a bit stuck in the village though, whilst the Germans Blitzkrieged through the trees.

Turn 2


Germans in the open.


A bit of a pile up - where is General Patton to guide traffic when you need him?


March of the superheavies - T28 leading a Tortoise. Only in wargaming...


The Tortoise never got to shoot! The T28 seemed to block its view each time; it did, however act as a fire magnet, getting hit a dozen times without taking damage. We tried house rules for the two superheavies, the Brummbar and the Pantherturm, and the T28 was a shell-absorbing monster.

The target Sherman.


As we only managed two turns, the Germans focused their fire on a rather forward 75mm gun Sherman, and blew it up too. The Allies tried the same with the Pantherturm, which being placed forward of the tank line at the start proved a juicy temptation for the allies, but resisted to the end.

The table was 4' x 4', and the 2 turns took 2 hours (!) including set up - but as all were new to the game, it went quite well, lessons were learned and fun was had.  :D




Offline vodkafan

  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • Posts: 3510
Mad game! Glad the kids had fun. The title of your post made me laugh.  lol
I am going to build a wargames army, a big beautiful wargames army, and Mexico is going to pay for it.

2019 Painting Challenge :
figures bought: 500+
figures painted: 57
9 vehicles painted
4 terrain pieces scratchbuilt

Offline Vanvlak

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 5290
Mad game! Glad the kids had fun. The title of your post made me laugh.  lol
One of the kids is older than me... :D
Thanks Vodkafan. It was a fun game, I think, way overboard for a first battle, but it gave them food for thought, which was part of the aim, the other being to have a bit of fun - these poor guys come to lectures from six to eight in the evening, after a day of work. The simple rules of Tanks did not limit the game, although this may have been before the tanks got into point blank range.
Curious outcome - in spite of the Tigers and the Jagdpanther and Pershing and Superheavies, the kills went to one of the Grants nabbing a PzKpfw III which had strayed too far forward, and another PzKpfw which avenged its twin by putting in the killing blows to wreck an already burning 75 mm cannon Sherman, which had similarly advanced forward whilst blazing in a death or glory rush.