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Miniatures Adventure => The Conflicts that came in from the Cold => Topic started by: tomek917 on 28 April 2013, 03:44:04 PM

Title: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: tomek917 on 28 April 2013, 03:44:04 PM
Not really an AAR, more a collection of pictures from e few games played during this weekend. But everyone likes pictures right?  :D

The scenario was pretty straight forward, the IDF had to escort an M109 self-propelled howitzer across the table. Easier said than done when the table was swarming with PLO-fighters.
Since it was played at a small con at my club I kept it simple and used a slightly tweaked version of Bolt Action. It's so easy a monkey can learn it in two or three turns, so worked perfect!  lol

Enough talk, roll on the pictures!

(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c361/tomek917/DSC_0173_zps687b9a64.jpg) (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/tomek917/media/DSC_0173_zps687b9a64.jpg.html)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c361/tomek917/DSC_0156_zpscac19425.jpg) (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/tomek917/media/DSC_0156_zpscac19425.jpg.html)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c361/tomek917/DSC_0146-1_zps61b950cc.jpg) (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/tomek917/media/DSC_0146-1_zps61b950cc.jpg.html)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c361/tomek917/DSC_0183_zpsf4c46bb4.jpg) (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/tomek917/media/DSC_0183_zpsf4c46bb4.jpg.html)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c361/tomek917/DSC_0186_zpsfaf5cdad.jpg) (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/tomek917/media/DSC_0186_zpsfaf5cdad.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: Rob_bresnen on 28 April 2013, 04:05:21 PM
great pictures- well done. it looked a fun game.
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: carlos marighela on 28 April 2013, 06:31:51 PM
Very nice! 28mm? Where on earth did you find an M109 in 28mm?
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: tomek917 on 29 April 2013, 02:26:36 PM
Very nice! 28mm? Where on earth did you find an M109 in 28mm?

In the darkest corners of Ebay ofcourse ;)
It's actually a really old (1976 I think) 1/48 Aurora plastic kit. I found it and just had to have it, it was fairly expensive though.
Its had some conversion work, the barrels have been lenghthened, some plating has been added to the front and so on. It's not perfect though but I found out I'm not a plastic modeler and gave up and slapped some paint on it. Looks really cool on the table though! :)
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: carlos marighela on 29 April 2013, 10:04:23 PM
Looks really cool on the table though! :)

Agreed!  :)
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: Arlequín on 30 April 2013, 09:12:57 AM
I went all moist-eyed when he said 'Aurora plastic kit'...

Great looking stuff though!  :)
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: Centaur_Seducer on 30 April 2013, 09:36:47 AM
Lovely! :-*

Now, drop from Magnus' SAGA project and do this on Galore instead ;)
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: 6sided on 30 April 2013, 11:52:36 AM
A lot of purists turn their Moses up at bolt action, but in terms of its ability to get people gaming with tanks and stuff it is out there on its own!
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: tomek917 on 30 April 2013, 04:42:41 PM
Now, drop from Magnus' SAGA project and do this on Galore instead ;)

I won't be able to come to Galore unfortunately, just before you guys changed weekend I booked a trip to Paris on the Galore weekend. But Magnus board looks great, he won't dissapoint  ;) I'll bring this set-up next year instead  :)

A lot of purists turn their Moses up at bolt action, but in terms of its ability to get people gaming with tanks and stuff it is out there on its own!
Definitely, it just took a few minutes before people could game completely on their own! It may not have been the most accurate of modern games but the players sure had fun!  ;D
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: Arlequín on 30 April 2013, 05:40:55 PM
A lot of purists turn their Moses up at bolt action, but in terms of its ability to get people gaming with tanks and stuff it is out there on its own!
I won't be able to come to Galore unfortunately, just before you guys changed weekend I booked a trip to Paris on the Galore weekend. But Magnus board looks great, he won't dissapoint  ;) I'll bring this set-up next year instead  :)
Definitely, it just took a few minutes before people could game completely on their own! It may not have been the most accurate of modern games but the players sure had fun!  ;D

I think it's more the 'beardy element' who inhabit the Warlord forum that do more harm to Bolt Action than anything.  ::)

It is a simple and straight forward system, I quite like it. Some of the weapon ranges are a bit odd in relation to each other, but that's easily corrected. Otherwise, if people stick to fielding forces based more on history than points, then there is no reason why it should be any less 'real' than other rule sets.
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: commissarmoody on 30 April 2013, 06:11:48 PM
So are you going to post up a blow by blow? Or at least give us the states you used?
I can guess but, would like to see your take on it.  :)
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: tomek917 on 01 May 2013, 11:18:20 AM
I think it's more the 'beardy element' who inhabit the Warlord forum that do more harm to Bolt Action than anything.  ::)

Agreed, that's why I hang out here! ;)

So are you going to post up a blow by blow? Or at least give us the states you used?
I can guess but, would like to see your take on it.  :)

Sorry I don't have a blow by blow. We played a total of three games during one day and had six different players. It was interesting to see how the players tackled the scenario in their own way. Some were very cautious with their M109, screening it with infantry, others just rolled on with it, leaving the infantry on their own. The PLO players units regenerated during the whole game and could pop up anywhere, they had a decision in creating big 10 man units or small 5 man units. The bigger units obviously had more staying power while the smaller ones let the PLO player gain a bigger initiative because they had more order dice (a big flaw in the Bolt Action rules in my opinion).

And some players just rolled some really poor dice, in the first game the M109 got blown up by a lucky shot from the T-34/85 it had just immobilized in the previous round. And that was the first, and only, shot at it during the whole game. In the last game the M109 took dozens of RPG-shots without harm.

The IDF were treated as veteran while the PLO were inexperienced. The M109 was a super-heavy tank with a super-heavy AT gun. The T-34 was a medium tank with a medium AT gun, probably should have been classified as a light tank in correlation to the M109. RPGs were simply Bazookas and everyone was armed with assault rifles, which can make the game very bloody so I use a lot of terrain. Almost everywhere were treated as soft cover in some way.
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: commissarmoody on 01 May 2013, 11:44:47 AM
I figured as much. Just wanted to see if you used any special home made rules.
And I also would have thought of the T-34 as a light tank in comparison to modern tanks and Anti-armor.
 :)
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: Westfalia Chris on 01 May 2013, 12:16:58 PM
The IDF were treated as veteran while the PLO were inexperienced. The M109 was a super-heavy tank with a super-heavy AT gun. The T-34 was a medium tank with a medium AT gun, probably should have been classified as a light tank in correlation to the M109. RPGs were simply Bazookas and everyone was armed with assault rifles, which can make the game very bloody so I use a lot of terrain. Almost everywhere were treated as soft cover in some way.

While I agree on the potential of the howitzer in direct fire mode, I wonder if "superheavy tank" doesn't make it too resilient, considering it only had 20mm armour, most of it almost vertical. That might explain the RPGs pinging off.

Apart from that, quite interesting stuff! Have to look into "modernizing" Bolt Action as a possible alternative to Ambush Alley (although I'll have to see how the latter plays, first).
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: Arlequín on 01 May 2013, 02:06:40 PM
Apart from that, quite interesting stuff! Have to look into "modernizing" Bolt Action as a possible alternative to Ambush Alley (although I'll have to see how the latter plays, first).

Try and keep up, it's called 'Force on Force' nowadays.  ;)

I'll happily tick the boxes for both systems though... I'll give FoF points for 'realism' and BA points for 'simplicity', but both are enjoyable games in their own right.
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: Westfalia Chris on 01 May 2013, 02:18:17 PM
Try and keep up, it's called 'Force on Force' nowadays.  ;)

Yes, that's what I meant, actually. Mixed up ruleset and publisher.

Quote
I'll happily tick the boxes for both systems though... I'll give FoF points for 'realism' and BA points for 'simplicity', but both are enjoyable games in their own right.

I just wonder if FoF will work fluently with larger numbers of tactical units - some of the scenarios in the Bush Wars book are huge. I just hope I'll get around with the 40-odd guerillas I have lined up for painting now...
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: tomek917 on 01 May 2013, 04:09:11 PM
While I agree on the potential of the howitzer in direct fire mode, I wonder if "superheavy tank" doesn't make it too resilient, considering it only had 20mm armour, most of it almost vertical. That might explain the RPGs pinging off.

That was sort of a scenario technical thing too, I didn't wan't the biggest thing on the table to blow up by the first shot...well now it did once but not everyone can roll two sixes in a row  ;)
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: Arlequín on 02 May 2013, 01:08:38 PM
I just wonder if FoF will work fluently with larger numbers of tactical units - some of the scenarios in the Bush Wars book are huge. I just hope I'll get around with the 40-odd guerillas I have lined up for painting now...

From my somewhat (sadly) limited experience of them, they work best at an optimum of a reinforced platoon.

They do cope with larger games, but like anything, the more units you add, the more it inevitably slows the game down. It still flows well enough though, just takes longer to work through everything. At a push and with plenty of time on your hands, you could play a company-sized game, but that's the limit in my opinion.

Less than a platoon, I would go for something like FNG, Platoon-ish is FoF territory and for a bigger game I would be tempted to try Bolt Action, despite it being supposedly a platoon-sized game.
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: grant on 03 May 2013, 02:29:25 AM
Great battle! There is an excellent Israeli film on Netflix right now, I believe it's called "Tank"; the film is pretty much shot from the INSIDE of a Centurion during the Lebanon 82 shindig. Very claustrophobic movie - but lots of neat stuff going on.
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: carlos marighela on 03 May 2013, 09:43:00 AM
Great battle! There is an excellent Israeli film on Netflix right now, I believe it's called "Tank"; the film is pretty much shot from the INSIDE of a Centurion during the Lebanon 82 shindig. Very claustrophobic movie - but lots of neat stuff going on.

Incredibly bloody silly film and a fairly tedious one if you ask me. Walk with Bashir was a much better film about the 1982 invasion of Lebanon albeit it's an animated flick. Still horses for courses.
Title: Re: Lebanon 1982 - AAR
Post by: Wilkins on 03 May 2013, 10:59:40 AM
I think it was released in the UK entitled Lebanon. It initially shows promise but the ending is a massive anti-climax. Interesting idea though