Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Summer's over, Back to Gaming

Wow, what a busy Summer this year.  Kids are growing like weeds, garden was great, vegetable garden tripled in size, trip to Disney, back to mountain biking, and we installed central air this summer, Bliss!

Anyhoo,  wargaming and painting were slow so I got on with a couple of in-house projects, including making a bench from scrap wood.  It turned out pretty fairly so I was inspired to make a new wargaming table from cast-off studs and other pieces.  On an organizational perspective, I found a new source of the plastic boxes I used to use to store figs, so now all figs are re-boxed in clear boxes so I can finally see what's in what box without rummaging.

But now its Autumn, so its time to play some soldiers.  One project I did manage to get done this year is finishing off all figs and vehicles I bought for AK-47 Republic.  All done and based, so I'm quite chuffed!  So now I can play any army from the random generator, so I did:

There's a rumble in M'tumtu

The Western Peoples' Party for Resistance  (WPPR) is squaring up for a fight against the Marxist Interventionist Levy for Freedom (MILF).

Western Peoples' Party for Resistance  (WPPR) random roll: Dictatorship, attackers
Marxist Interventionist Levy for Freedom (MILF) random roll: Popular Front, defenders

The new table (needs the lower shelf installed), the roller cabinet is a great seat/storage thingy
Fragrant M'tumtu in the bright sunshine (the new table is much higher than the old, so the light is better?
 The slums of M'tumtu township
 A well protected MILF garrison
A gaggle of MILFs, L to R.  Unit 1: Reg 8xSA w trucks, 2: 3x Reg tanks, 3: Militia 4xpickup w. HMG, 4: Militia 10xSA, 2xRPG w.trucks, 5: Reg 2x AC w.Guns.  Commander w.jeep
 A festivity of WPPRs, L to R.  Unit 1: Reg 6xSA 2xRPG w. trucks, 2: Prof (Pol upgrade) 2x Tanks, 3: Reg 2x AC w. Guns, 4: Prof (Pol upgrade) 4xSA w.truck 2x Jeeps w. HMGs, 5: Militia was 10xSA 1RPG 1 RR - reduced by politics to 4xSA.  Commander w. Jeep
 WPPR commander
 Head MILF
 My objective markers: The Spoils of Victory, Path to Glory and Heart of the Nation
 Yes, its a bike, its Africa after all
 MILF garrison hard at it (work?)
 Under close supervision from the Boss
Ok, so starting troop allocations could have been *better*, both WPPR and MILF got only unit 1, things would be 'quiet' for a while.  WPPR out for a drive in the countryside
 MILFs unaware, more driving
 MILF realizes something is up
 WPPR are too quick for them
 And too far away, lots of drive-by without the shooting
 And WPPR slip past MILF
 FINALLY!, reinforcements arrive.  WPPR gets some tanks, MILF gets nothing
 Which causes a bit a  panic in the MILF garrison (failed morale test)
 Traverse Left, 100 yards, HiEx, FIRE!
MILF gets some respite, their armoured cars turn up, just as WPPR troops are assaulting the objective (upper right)
 WPPR also get their ACs, 'borrowed' from some Western Power
 In the slums WPPR militia rally and move forwards (they were severely reduced during political maneuvering)
 They are unopposed in their advance on the Heart of the Nation
 WPPR troops advance on the Spoils of Victory
 The MILF garrison desperately tries to counter all these troop movements
 Tanks try to race by the garrison
WPPR Regs gain the objective
 MILF moves to intercept the tanks


 WPPR ACs move into firing position
 MILFs take out a tank!
 MILF ACs are Pinned by fire
 WPPR pours it onto the ACs
 And more
 Until, BOOM!
 WPPR gets more reinforcements, MILF none
 WPPR militia advance
 Their goal is in sight, still no opposition
 WPPR consolidate their gains
 Run M'Tumsi, Run! (with a couple of classic GW games on the shelves in the background)
 YES! MILF gets some big guns
 WPPR militia get their glory
 WPPR respond to the appearance of MILF armour
 RPG teams run forwards
 WPPR dash for the, now unopposed, third objective
 MILF infantry pour forwards to support their armour
 The remaining WPPR tank freaks out and runs (failed Morale)
 No worries for WPPR, between RPGs and AC Guns the MILF armour is filleted
 WPPR move to block the MILF infantry advance
 Victory dancing in the street?
 Nearly...
And it was Game Over Man! - run out for the turn countdown

For a slow start ans some awful reinforcement rolls for MILF things were not so one-sided as I thought they would be.  Final tally an 11pt victory for WPPR, a "Clear victory for the World's press"

I really like this game, this is the original version, rules are simple and fun.   Maybe I'll leave the terrain and try another?

On another note, our camera died this summer, around the same time I switched to an iPhone and we have never looked back.  Mrs OA and I now just use the phones (she was ahead of me w. the iPhone). I would say that for quick game snapping its turned out to be more convenient and quicker with the iPhone than the camera, and the pics seem pretty fair too.