NUTS WW2 skirmish rules

[SBMiniaturesGuy]

Greetings All!
I have less time to play games given family things going on, so most of my gaming outlet is writing NUTS WW2 skirmish game rules and scenario books. I've always been writing game content as a hobby outlet (ranging from wargames to roleplaying games - historical, scifi and fantasy), and have become an author for Two Hour Wargames as a result.

So I hope you don't mind if I share projects here. With the addition of a Patreon project at Two Hour Wargames I'm pretty much writing a new NUTS book every month. Here's the writing results starting from October 2023. Many of these books may find their way onto Wargames Vault at some point.

Oh, I also release free content at the Patreon as well, the occasional scenario or rules. So go ahead and "Follow" the Patreon to get free stuff and see what else is coming, no obligation to join.



https://www.patreon.com/TwoHourWargames

Of course, any comments or suggestions are welcome! Any books you'd like to see? Any interesting campaigns, battles or units you'd like to see in game format? And if you have questions about the rules themselves, please ask!

Cheers!

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NUTS! War Tales - When Aliens Attack!
Oct 3, 2023

Aliens in WW2?!?

So you want to add more Weirdness to your War? Fantastic, you’ve come to the right place! We have alien Bugs, Greys, Reptons and Nordics all in one NUTS Halloween special -- complete with Ray Guns, Alien Mechs and acid spitting Bugs!

World War 2 was already weird, and if you weren’t aware of it, included what could have been encounters with Alien spacecraft. Combat pilots from both sides in Europe, North Africa and the Pacific reported scores of encounters with what Allied airmen called “Foo Fighters” (a term from a popular comic book) – what we could call UFOs or Flying Saucers today. Foo Fighters ranged in shape and size, typically reported as being a round ball of light or a cigar shaped cylinder that could fly and accelerate like no airplane they’d ever seen. Several “Close Encounters” were also reported by French civilians during the Normandy campaign – in one case a young farmgirl reported being paralyzed by small men in grey coveralls who had exited their metallic grey craft. Others reported encountering human-looking people, and even a reptile man!

You could decide these Foo Fighters are German “Hanebu” flying saucers (NUTS Weird War page 130) -- or maybe they are Aliens, like in this supplement!

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NUTS War Tales - Black Devils (Soviet Naval Infantry)
Nov 1, 2023

NUTS War Tales - Black Devils is sourcebook describing the Soviet Naval Infantry of WW2, also know as the "Black Devils." The Black Devils were known for their tenacity and became famous for their stand at The Grain Silo in Stalingrad.

The sourcebook includes:

1. A history of Soviet Naval infantry units

2. Unit Lists in NUTS

3. How to add them to your campaign, including rules for amphibious and riverine operations

4. A mini-campaign called Black Devils at Stalingrad.

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NUTS Weird War 2 Vehicle Designer Kit
Nov 7, 2023

Want to make your own Weird War Super tank or Combat Walker based upon your favorite figures and models? Here’s a quick mechanic’s lesson on building vehicles for NUTS! Weird War so you can add any vehicle, from any game or model to your games!

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NUTS Alaska Scouts & The Aleutian Campaign
January 3, 2024

This 25-page NUTS Campaign Book focuses on the “Forgotten Front” of the Aleutian Campaign, a fight against a brutal enemy in brutal conditions that cost as many US casualties as many more well-known Pacific Island battles. This book provides Aleutian Island Campaign Background and Campaign Rules, the Alaska Scouts as a special unit you can play, and several battle scenarios.

Inside you'll find:

Background of the Campaign & Campaign Map
The History and Unit Organization of the Alaska Scouts
A complete Special Operations campaign and 6 unique maps
Terrain and Weather rules
A new Battle Board map
While you can use this as a sourcebook for any Skirmish system, the specific rules are designed for NUTS. You will get the most out of this book if you also use the core NUTS 4e rulebook, the NUTS Compendium, and NUTS War Against Japan Campaign Book.

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NUTS War Tales - Soviet Paratroopers


Soviet Paratroopers -  Uncle Vasya's Troops, Nobody But Us!

 The Soviet Union was one of the first countries to realize the potential of parachute forces, and experimented with small-scale operations in 1927-1929, using parachute troops against bandits in Central Asia. In WW2 Soviet Paratroopers played an important role in coordinating Partisan activities, operating behind enemy lines – and supporting “Deep Battle” assaults to encircle German units.

The 19-page sourcebook includes:

A history of Soviet Paratroopers and campaigns in WW2
Unit Lists in NUTS
How to add them to your campaign, including rules for Air Drops and Partisan operations
A mini-campaign for Partisan Operations
The Dnieper River campaign and sample scenario

[SBMiniaturesGuy]

Free Scenario - NUTS Filippov at the Bridge

SITUATION

Early Morning, November 22. Soviet Lt. Col  G N Filippov, commander of 19th Tank Brigade of the 26th Tank Corps, launches a surprise attack against the key bridge at Kalach-on-Don -- the 6th Army’s life-line to Stalingrad.  Filippov’s attack is lead by three captured German vehicles, two Panzer III tanks and an armored car. Fillipov’s group passes unchallenged through the German lines and rolls towards the bridge, the follow-on units waiting until the first group starts its attack. German troops at Kalach, primarily mechanics and supply personnel, cheer when they see the tanks roll into town…until Feldwebel Wiemann, a security guard and gunner of an 88mm Flak gun, notices the tank riders on the Panzers aren’t German!! Yelling in alarm as he scrambles for his gun, “Achtung, Achtung!!,” the Feldwebel is the first to react as the tanks open fire on the guards at the bridge. A desperate battle swirls around the bridge, the fate of 6th Army is at stake!

Play either side, lead your Squad to victory!

]This is free at the THW Patreon page. You can use this with CR23, but for best play experience use NUTS! 4e and the NUTS Compendium, and NUTS Eastern Front Campaign book with additional rules on Winter weather, snow terrain, privation and out of supply, and unit lists. 




https://www.patreon.com/posts/free-scenario-at-96336592?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

[SBMiniaturesGuy]

New NUTS Release on the Two Hour Wargames Patreon:

NUTS Hell Hath No Fury - America's First Fight (Philippines 1941)


“As we moved up the lead tank was hit and had to get off the road and into a rice patty. The other tanks had to "beat ass out" as there was no way we could get in with no place to go. Not only was there no place to go, but they were against the odds with so many antitank guns and flamethrowers..”.

--Lester Tenney, 192nd Tank Battalion, US Army

Hell Hath No Fury – America’s First Fight is a campaign book for the NUTS Hell Hath no Fury tank combat game from Two Hour Wargames. The campaign is set during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, starting in December of 1941. The odds are stacked against you – can you make a difference?

This book includes:

*Campaign Background

*Unit Lists

*Philippines Campaign where you lead platoon or more of US Tanks and AFVs against Imperial Japan

*Three sample scenarios

*Tank control sheets for the US and Japanese tanks

*Special offer for 3D STL print files for 1/56th scale American M3 Stuart and Japanese Type 97 Chi-Ha tanks[/li][/list]




https://www.patreon.com/posts/nuts-hell-hath-101597702

[SBMiniaturesGuy]

Some future NUTS releases in the works - let me know which ones you would prefer to see first!

NUTS Czechoslovakia 1938 - The War That Never Was
NUTS Chindits
NUTS LRDG
NUTS The Last Castle
NUTS The Last Knight
NUTS Alamo Scouts
NUTS Red Army Aerosan Attack
NUTS Fall Wiess  - the Invasion of Poland
NUTS Hubal!
NUTS The Silent Killer - Captain Nieves and her Guerilla Fighters

[vtsaogames]

Wow!
Thanks for this!
I'm not the sort include aliens (an old stick in the mud) but some great ideas here.

[SBMiniaturesGuy]

Thanks! I've got NUTS Czechoslovakia in draft, working through the research on the factors that could have led to active Czech resistance against Germany, and I'm struck at how driven Chamberlain was by ego to be the Great Peacemaker. He was really convinced that he was smart enough to out fox Hitler, whom he had assured himself, was really acting from a position of fear and opportunism, and if the Great Peacemaker could put the right treaty into place, Hitler would have his fears assuaged and would join the Community of Nations. All that "Lebensraum" stuff wasn't serious, it was rhetoric for diplomatic positioning and domestic audiences, I mean, thought Chamberlain, who would actually believe that? In short, Chamberlain thought he was inside Hitler's head and knew what made him tick, and could force him to change to adapt to Chamberlain's vision of the future.

And in order to make sure there would be no resistance to forcing a Czech surrender his diplomacy included the systematic isolation of Czechoslovakia, using the carrot and stick to get all of Czechoslovakia's neighbors and potential allies to back down and accept the Munich Agreement. So the Czechs, who had defense pacts with France and a three-way Franco-Czech-Soviet defense pact were left alone, with Chamberlain even threatening them further if they didn't accept it!

He was an egotistical narcissist up to the end! If you listen to his BBC speech announcing war with German it's all about him, he says, "“You can imagine what a bitter blow it is to me, that all my long struggle to win peace has failed. Yet I cannot believe that there is anything more, anything different I could have done. I believed, up the very last, that we could have secured an honorable peace..."

A bitter blow to him...my efforts failed....I'm disappointed. Wow!

[carlos marighela]

I'd be interested in the Czech 1938 scenarios, being one of those odd people that already has an interwar Czech force in 28mm. Fortunately there's a wealth of info on Czechoslovak OOB's, unit organisation, war plans and field defences on-line.

It might be a limited market though, there's only one manufacturer of Czechoslovakian troops that I know of*. It's a small and somewhat reduced range with some of the figures apparently OOP but beautiful none the less as they are Paul Hicks' sculpts. Eureka produce a line of Czech heads, that you can use to convert other ranges but you would need to contact Nic directly as they aren't listed on the Eureka site.


* Yes, he's Czech.

[SBMiniaturesGuy]

I'd be interested in the Czech 1938 scenarios, being one of those odd people that already has an interwar Czech force in 28mm. Fortunately there's a wealth of info on Czechoslovak OOB's, unit organisation, war plans and field defences on-line.

It might be a limited market though, there's only one manufacturer of Czechoslovakian troops that I know of*. It's a small and somewhat reduced range with some of the figures apparently OOP but beautiful none the less as they are Paul Hicks' sculpts. Eureka produce a line of Czech heads, that you can use to convert other ranges but you would need to contact Nic directly as they aren't listed on the Eureka site.


* Yes, he's Czech.

Interesting! I have only found one source of Interwar Czechs, and that's on Etsy and it's just infantry and no support weapons. I've bought some British Bren gun arms to kitbash a squad LMG section, and on a discussion thread someone said WW2 Italians' helmets are close enough to pass as Czech if all else fails. Where did you get your figures?

[carlos marighela]

Bohemia Miniatures make/made them. Emil Horky, the owner is a member of LAF.

Alas, I've just looked at a bookmarked page and it just takes you to his blog. Maybe try him his blog? Emil produced two ranges. Some interwar Czechoslovakian infantry and gendarmes (around a dozen figures) and a much larger TYW range, both sculpted by Paul Hicks. The TYW range was sold to Empress recently.

For the interwar Czechs there were no supporting weapons, save for the ZB-26 LMG but the Empress Romanians provide a ZB-53, which with head swaps makes a pretty good proxy.

I added variety by converting some early Eureka Chinese, plastic Warlord Russians in puttees with either the Eureka Czech helmets or side caps and a a variety of plastic Germans to flesh out the gendarmes and financial guards. OAZ armoured cars are available as resin prints as are LT vz35 light tanks. The only complete scratch build required was an antitank gun but that was an easy job with plastic card and some bits from the spares box.

Similarly their Sudeten Freikorps opponents came from a variety of ranges, mostly armed civilian/partisan types.

I should probably get around to posting some photos. I'm still tinkering around with it intermittently, making bunkers and at some point I want to make a vz.33 tankette.

But for the moment here's a little border post with financial guards I made a while back.

https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=142828.msg1822417#msg1822417

By the by, Italian helmets don't really look like Czech vz.32 helmets, except perhaps in very small scales. Fortunately there are the Eureka heads or if you can't access those then there were still quite a few Czech troops in 1938 wearing WW1 era stahlhelms, either as is or with the Czech modification of a crest along the top in the style of the French Adrian. I've seen photos of border fortification troops wearing the older helmets.

[SBMiniaturesGuy]

Very cool! I'm considering have the player be part of a Motorized Infantry unit. The game is Squad to Platoon level, so you could have Company assets. I can't really find the TOE for this, just regular infantry - do you have any idea how they were organized?

[carlos marighela]

I do, as it happens, at least the standard infantry company. There's not much at company level in the way of support weapons, so anything attached would have to come from battalion assets.

Rather than retype it all, I'll provide a link that provides a good summary. I've cross checked this against information found on various fora and some Czech sites and it's sound.

https://www.quartermastersection.com/czechoslovakian/companies/1191/CzechInfantryCompany1938

They also have good summaries of Czech weapons in use in 1938.

https://www.quartermastersection.com/czechoslovakian/

Near as I can tell, the various SOS (State Defence Guard) battalions formed from financial guards, gendarmes and reserves were organised in a similar fashion although maybe not always with the commensurate level of squad machineguns. These were the units that bore the brunt of the guerrilla warfare launched by the Sudeten Nazis, which was essentially a prelude to the putative invasion that was stopped by Munich.

[carlos marighela]

There are some interesting potential scenarios. Firstly, you have the actual, historical, scenarios of the Sudeten Nazis launching raids on various Czech border towns, then you have the what if's of the Germans needing to break through one of the most extensive set of border fortifications in the world at the time.

The Germans planned to make an airlanding assault behind the Czech defences around Bruntal using their nascent airborne forces. Of course it never happened due to Munich but they did actually carry out the airlanding part after the surrender of Moravia as a proof of concept exercise.

You can find a bit more about that here:

https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=75032

Some footage of the airlanding exercise here:

https://app.nimia.com/fpvideo/737844810/737844810-german-occupation-sudetenland-1938

Of course if you wish to go beyond the Sept 1938 Czech German scenarios, there were actual encounters between Czech troops and Hungarians along the border, the  October  Polish annexation of Těšín/Teschen and the 1939 Slovak-Hungarian War.

[SBMiniaturesGuy]

I found several 1938 Czech Army and Division ORBATs here: http://www.niehorster.org/037_czechoslovakia/__czechoslovakia.html

[carlos marighela]

Yup.

I think you'll find that the motorised battalions in the Fast Divisions are organised pretty much as the standard infantry, at least up to platoon and company level but with the addition of transport. Nobody makes the appropriate Praga RN trucks for the Czechs but if required on table you can always proxy Chevrolet and Bedford 3 tonners, which look pretty close.

[SBMiniaturesGuy]

The Tatta 72 off-road truck was built under license in France as the Lorraine 72, and here's one on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1437634948/156-french-truck-assembled-resin-3d?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=28mm+truck+model&ref=sr_gallery-3-31&content_source=2fa7c63607bf5cafba0d6eb624e70e7d398d704e%253A1437634948&organic_search_click=1