So let's try this...

Inspired by Henry Hyde's Battlechat 28 with patron Simon Tonkiss, I am going to try to track my hobby work using a tool I use every day at work, a Kanban Board.  Give the podcast a listen and see if you like the idea.

You can see my attempt at the link to the right.  Also, enlist as a Patron of Henry Hyde, you'll be glad you did!

Game 2 of my 6x6 challenge is on the docket for this week, I have not fallen off the wagon yet!

6x6 Challenge Round 1 / Game 1 : Meeting Engagement

Thank you to everyone who has expressed support for my attempt at the coveted 6 x 6 Challenge.  I will be tracking all of my games here. 

So, what is more important in the 6 x 6 challenge, playing games or blogging about them?  I am going to select playing the games, so I regret that my battle report will not be incredibly detailed.  But suffice it to say that I had a fun solo game in about 45 minutes and so far I am happy with how the rules are turning out.

This is a meeting engagement between two small task forces, both with the objective of seizing an industrial town.  The forces consisted of: (fort force descriptions, see my last post)

125th Panzer Grenadier Regiment

• 3 x Armor Platoons
• 1 x Mechanized Infantry platoon
• 1 x Panzer Jaeger Platoon (heavy rail guns)
• 1 x MLR Battery

Battalion Chassuers

• 3 x Armor Platoons
• 2 x Light Mechanized Infantry platoons
• 1 x Calliope AA Battery

 The table layout.  The 125th PG is entering from the right-hand side, the Frenchies from the left.

 The 125th PG at the line of departure.  The Heavy Rail guns would do sterling service when positioned on the hill to the left and could dominate most of the battlefield

The Chaussures roll into action. 

The Germans draw first blood

The endgame.  The arrows show the rough axis of maneuver.  The Chaussures lost all but 2 infantry platoons, who did gain some measure of revenge with buzz bombs against tanks at close range.  The Callaiopes tried to counter the 125th's flanking movement unsuccessfully, although they did take a tank platoon with them.  With the loss of the air defense unit, the 125th could bombard the remaining Chaussures with impunity, so this ended as a solid win for the 125th.

In the next game, we will see if the 125th can hold on to what they have taken.

Good gaming!

6x6 Challenge Round 1: 3mm Sci Fi in the Slammer's Universe Intro

Stay tuned for the first game (already played), but here is a brief intro to the rules I am using and the background for the 6 games of this sprint of my 6 x 6 Challenge.

This is a modification/ extension of Squad Hammer by Ivan Sorenson of Nordic Weasel Games.  To use this, you will need one or more of the following rules from Wargames Vault:

•          Original Squad hammer
•          Squad Hammer options Pack
•          New Squad Hammer Core

These are affordable and provide a great toolbox for any miniature game.  BUY THESE RULES!!!!

These mods are for Company – Battalion sized engagements in a Hammer’s Slammer’s-like Sci-Fi universe.  So…  “hard” Sci-Fi, 11^th Armored Cavalry Regiment in space.  No infringement of anyone’s copyright is intended, I just love David Drake!  For background, you should immediately go out and buy these reference materials:

•          The Complete Hammer’s Slammer’s, Volume 1
•          The Complete Hammer’s Slammer’s, Volume 2
•          The Complete Hammer’s Slammer’s, Volume 3

My quick assumptions are:

•          Played on a hex grid big enough to hold ~ 4 units
•          Each unit = 1 platoon-sized element
•          There may be serious tech disparities, but a lot of non-penetrating or partially penetrating hits can render even a Blower platoon combat ineffective
•          Fast and simple is better than slow and complex
•          Push maybe up to a battalion a side comfortably
•          Makes me happy when I solo game

Use them as you will, feel free to deconstruct them as much as you like.  In the spirit of Squad Hammer, use your judgment on things like spotting, the difficulty of shots, etc.  I have included stats for some mercenary units (mostly ones I have made up.)

I have chosen to use O8 3mm Sci Fi vehicles from Pico Armor (augmented by vehicles from their modern range) mounted 2-3 per 40mm wide base, but feel free to use whatever you like, even [gasp] paper counters on a map sheet would work.  You just need a way to track hits on units, I use plastic explosion markers.

The Rules are posted HERE

It took me 2 weeks to paint and base 4 forces for the game, 2 high tech and two mid-tech units.  I have a batch of Low Tech / Local Forces to do as well but will get back to painting them later.

Here is a brief intro to the forces involved, except for the Slammer's and the Lightning Division, I just made up my own mercenary units.

Competent, mid-range Mercenary Regiment equipped with tracked vehicles.  Small arms are primarily electro-magnetic, anti-tank weapons are liquid propellent, wire fired, squeeze bores.  The regiment also has a company of self-propelled heavy rail guns firing hypervelocity penetrators capable of penetrating even the best iridium hulls.  The regiment traces it’s lineage back to the 125th Panzer Grenadier Regiment of World War 2 but is a tank heavy force.

Francophone, mid-range Mercenary Regiment equipped with a mix of wheeled and tracked vehicles.  Small arms are primarily electro-magnetic, anti-tank weapons are liquid propellant, wire fired, squeeze bores. Artillery consists of SP Rocket Launchers and the battalion is well equipped with air defense weapons.  The unit has shown versatility in counter-insurgency as well as decisive action.

The Black Lions trace their lineage back to the 28th Infantry Regiment of the American Army back on Earth.  It is a small, specialized, mercenary unit only company sized. They are equipped with powerful but slow-moving battle suits.  Tri-barrel power gun equipped GEV’s carry them any time they route marching any significant distance.  They are frequently even subcontracted by other mercenary units for assaulting urban areas.

Possibly the best of the mercenary units for hire, the Slammers are an armored regiment with extremely high mobility and a demonstrated ability to adapt to circumstances to get the job done.  All vehicles are ground effect vehicles and all weapons, apart from the rocket howitzers, are power guns.  Infantry use one make skimmers and jeeps for transport, making for a smaller signature while being able to keep pace with the combat vehicles.  Air defense is by centralized direction of secondary tr-barrel power guns on vehicles.  For more details, see Osprey’s Men at Arms # 34,733 Vehicles of the Friesland Defense Forces.

In the same class as the Slammers, the Lightning Division prefers electromagnetic guns for its tanks, although they do mount power guns as secondary weapons and for centralized air defense.  Infantry ride in more traditional APC’s.

This represents a wide variety of local militaries or low-tech mercenaries that are common throughout the galaxy.  Using slug throwing weapons, they have limited penetration against more modern armor.  Occasionally they do field inexpensive high velocity missile systems.  Towed Power Guns are also used when available, as they have high penetration, are deadly in ambush, and vastly cheaper than the same weapon mounted on a GEV with sophisticated AI and the latest armor.   The motivation of these forces will be highly variable.

These fporces may not exactly fit canon, but frankly I am not interested.  They fit the vehicles I have and will let me pretend I am Major Danny Pritchard and go "pew-pew-pew."

I hope you enjoy, next time, battle #1.

A Pulp Space Ship for $3.16 and my personal 6 x 6 Challenge

As you can see by my two-month hiatus, my hobby time has been constrained. Plus, my attempt at project managing my way to war-gaming success died at the starting gate at my previous attempts have.

I have gotten some painting in, just no time to take pictures and post them. I find painting relaxing, so it has been a good thing.

So… let’s see if I can jump-start things again.

1. I will be running “Death Temple of Sarnath”  again at Southern Front.  I am excited as I have not been since 2017 and I am really looking forward to this.  It was my Lady Love’s idea, and should be fun!
2. I know it is two years late, but I am going to do the 6x6 Challenge… Thanks to Captain Kobold for starting this and his inspiring blog. 

The games I am planning on playing are:

1. 3mm Sci-Fi with my Tank on Tank Variant (pseudo-Slammers)
2. 10mm WW1 using Trench Hammer
3. 3mm Korean War  with 5 Core Company Command
4. 28mm Darkest Africa with The Men Who Would Be Kings
5. 6mm AWI using Rebels and Patriots
6. 28mm Pulp using Pulp Alley

As you can see, I have a wide variety of interests and figures. I have selected some of these rules because I have had them and really want to learn them, the 6x6 process will force me to do that

As usual… let’s see if I can stick to the plan.

Now for something different, I needed a Pulp, 1930's style flying saucer for my convention game, but did not want to spend a lot on it. I don't mind if it looks the part of a cardboard Pulp era serial prop, so I managed to go to a five and dime store (seriously that is what it is called) and pull one together for $3.16! Here are a few pictures of the process.

The raw materials, craft wooden flower pots, and little plastic salsa bowls

Glue it all together

Prime it

Paint it with silver paint and spray seal!

Pictured above with Pulp Miniatures Radon Zombies and their mechanical minions bent on dominating the Earth!

The pictures are terrible, but they give you an idea of what you can do. With more effort, you could really doll something like this up, but I mostly just need it as a background prop.

Now to get cracking on my 6 x 6 Challenge, let's see how I do!