Friday, 27 November 2015

WW2 playtest part 1

One bit of gaming I did fit in over the past few weeks was a first playtest of a WW2 game I've been tinkering with.  This owes much to the Little Cold Wars game seen on these pages before but is intended and an even lighter and less serious excuse to shove some toy soldiers around.  I'll explain the detail of it another time, but the look of the thing is also important - working on the basis that 'if it looks right it is right'. I feel it does look right - what do you think?
The game saw an attack by a German battalion-sized force of two rifle companies supported by a platoon each of mortars, tanks and assault guns. All of the figures are from the old Britains Deetail range.  The AFVs are Solido diecasts.

The defenders.  A US infantry company with platoons of mortars, AT and tanks.  The terrain was laid out on my 6x3 foot table - the surface is a carpet mat purchased a few months back from Aldi.
The German mortar battery in action.  The matchstick in the distance was fired by the US mortar.  The unforgiving camera flash showed up the amount of dust on my Panther - I've since cleaned it up a bit!

The German mortar mostly fired smoke....

...while the US mortar got an early lucky hit on the assault gun!
Will the Germans be able to recover from this early setback?
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16 comments:

  1. tradgardmastare27 November 2015 at 16:52

    Great fun looking game ,I look forward to hearing more...
    Alan

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  2. Robert (Bob) Cordery27 November 2015 at 18:16

    Tim,

    Very interesting. Is this a possible COW2016 session in the making ... and if not, why not?

    All the best,

    Bob

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  3. Archduke Piccolo28 November 2015 at 05:09

    Looking forward to more of this. The problem you have presented me with is the strong temptation to adopt your system, instead of the system I have chosen. I'm also curious to see how the thing goes on your 6x3 table. Apart from the back yard or maybe the floor, I am limited to my 6x4 table or maybe the 4x4'5" one. Mind you, that might work out very well for some urban fighting...
    Cheers,
    Ion

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  4. Brian Carrick28 November 2015 at 07:59

    I foresee lots of tank bodging to come on this blog, not that you ever needed an excuse to bodge a tank Tim! Great stuff, can't wait to see more.

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  5. Tim Gow28 November 2015 at 09:06

    tradgardmastare
    I need to work some more 'fun' elements in but it's a start.

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  6. Tim Gow28 November 2015 at 09:07

    Bob Cordery
    As yet it's not even half-baked enough for COW - but hopefully it will be ready in time.

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  7. Paul Foster28 November 2015 at 09:09

    Gripping stuff, dustmiester general.

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  8. Tim Gow28 November 2015 at 09:09

    Archduke Piccolo
    My table is a smaller than ideal playing surface. The game is intended for a bigger able/floor/garden but - as with Little Cold Wars - with the facility to run smaller games (such as battalion level urban assaults) on my own table.

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  9. Tim Gow28 November 2015 at 09:11

    Brian Carrick
    The only bodging to tale place in connection with this game (so far) has been the repair of some of the Deetail figures. But you're right - there will be some along the way...

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  10. Tim Gow28 November 2015 at 09:13

    Paul Foster
    I understand that 'proper' modellers can buy small and expensive packs of what is effectively dust to enhance their models. Which just goes to show how good most of mine already are...

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  11. Steve86 December 2015 at 22:29

    I am so jealous Tim. I love the toy soldier set up. I used to have most of the Airfix 1/32 like every other little boy in the 70s, but the Deetail models were outside our finances. Now they are just outside of my part of the planet. Ah. Vancouver, Washington in the beautiful Pacific North West, the wargames arsehole of the universe.

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  12. Tim Gow6 December 2015 at 22:32

    Stephen Briddon
    I could never afford this stuff either - until now! Sounds like it might be time for you to visit...

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  13. Steve87 December 2015 at 23:15

    Ha ha! Now we know...something. I confess, I did go funny in the head and ordered a Britains 25 pdr cannon from eBay. I just couldn't help myself... I know I can afford this luxury, but then I have to ask where it will all lead?

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  14. Tim Gow8 December 2015 at 08:46

    Stephen Briddon
    It's a slippery slope - soon you'll be down to my level....

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  15. Steve810 December 2015 at 00:50

    I wonder Tim. What color are those Deetail Germans exactly? Do you know the paint code off hand?

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  16. Tim Gow10 December 2015 at 08:14

    Stephen Briddon
    Funny you should ask - I will soon be experimenting to find the answer to that very question. I've already matched the US green so my Yanks can have the benefit of the BAR gunners which never formed part of the Deetail range.

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