Sharpen the Sickle! Brink of Battle VBCW in the Malverns

[jp1885]

Hi all,

I managed to cram in a couple skirmish games last week, using the Brink of Battle universal skirmish rules. The full AAR can be found on my blog at http://hereford1938.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/sharpen-sickle-scarecrows-in-malverns.html but for those of you who don't want to follow the link, here are some piccies...

Game 1 - Malvern Hills Conservators comb Witches Wood for a missing weapons cache, opposed by a bunch of rural protestors.















Unable to bring their superior firepower to bear in the close confines of the wood, the MHC were eventually worn down by the scarecrows, who claimed victory.

Game 2 - same board, but with a more open woodland.















Although the scarecrows managed to turn the MHC's flank, the more open ground allowed the MHC's firepower to tell more keenly and see off the protesters.

Great fun all round!

[Doug ex-em4]

Nice AAR Jon - now read from both sides' perspectives.

How big was your table? And what's your post-game impression of the rules?

Doug

[jp1885]

My table is quite small - about 4'x3', so good for skirmish games, but (speaking from experience) too small for, say, WTDW?, Chain of Command or Bolt Action.

I've always enjoyed playing Brink of Battle. Yes there is some number crunching involved, and like all rules it took a while to get my head around them, but they play very well, and keep both players involved regardless of who's turn it is (all dice rolls are made vs the other player). Turn sequence is a bit 'you go, I go', but you can interrupt this sequence by declaring a 'break', effectively giving you two goes in a row. Used tactically this can have a considerable effect on the game.

The key with BoB is in my view preparation - you can spend x amount of points by giving your figures their basic stats, and then adding on weapons, equipment and traits (special skills such as marksmen, ranger etc.) If you have painted all your minis and given them a background you get extra points to spend.

The guys behind the rules are very helpful and ready to answer any queries, and there is an active Facebook page to support the newbie.