I have just started my Japanese figures for our Balikpapan. I am going to struggle to get what I need to fin ish in time, but I will give it a good shot!
Japanese Officers were required to go through the dreaded Military Academy at Ichigaya, The Academy’s rigours of long hours, meagre rations and extensive physical training meant that only the toughest completed the course.
The team consists of three men. There is an option in some lists to include a flag bearer and I have included one. I have used the Japanese National Flag for this team as it offers the “Follow the Standard” rule. I have also included a fourth figure in case I do not wish to use a standard bearer. I have also chosen the National Flag to distinguish that it offers a benefit that the Japanese Army Flag that will be carried by my infantry sections does not.
The “Follow the Standard” rule means that one man, excluding the officer, in any offer team can replace all of his weapons with a flag, gaining the ‘Rally to the colours’ special rule – all friendly infantry and artillery units within 12″ of the flag-bearing model can re-roll (once) failed order tests when ordered to Rally. In addition, if the Rally order is successfully issued, the unit rolls two dice to determine how many pin markers are discarded and chooses the highest result. However, while the unit carrying the flag has a Down or Ambush order die on it, the flag is kept hidden and has no effect.
The Captain
Captain’s adjutant.
Flag bearer
Flag bearer
Team member
All four team members on the base for shelf storage ease.
Last night our “ancient game” drew a few onlookers. The objective for the herbivores was to get at least one Tiny-tot Triceratops of the other end of the table. The carnosaurs needed to eat both of them to gain a win.
The four-legged phalanx stomps forward.
On the hunt for “Tender Triceratops Tiny-tots”
A Brachiosaurus looks on unperturbed.
At this stage to herd was doing a great job of protecting their tiny-tots.
The bull carnosaur charges ahead certain of his own fighting skills.
With Two Tender Triceratops Tiny-tots eaten by the bull T-Rex for the loss of only one Carnosaur it was a massive victory for the bad guys.
We played a second game but swapped “armies”.
Carnage everywhere with a T-Rex, Tiny-tot, and a Triceratops just a pile of bones.
With just the bull T-Rex left and pinned in contact the remaining tiny-tot was able to crawl off the table. Two losses for me!
This is always a great fun game and certainly catches the eye.
Based on a series of successful graphic novels, Black Powder Red Earth 28mm is a captivating ultra-modern wargame that truly immerses players in the intensity of close combat scenarios. This dynamic game expertly simulates not just traditional melee combat, but also the high-stakes nature of very close firefights. As players navigate the urban setting, they must strategically navigate plenty of cover, suppressive fire, and high-tech strikes, creating a truly immersive and adrenaline-pumping gaming experience. The comprehensive product line encompasses everything players need to enhance their gaming experience, from the core rules to finely detailed 28mm miniatures, as well as essential accessories like templates, cards, and terrain tiles, ensuring that every aspect of the game is richly detailed and thoroughly engaging.
The structure of the Rulebook for BPRE reflects a comprehensive approach to documenting the game system. With 87 pages in total, the document balances providing detailed rules, scenarios, and units within 34 pages, ensuring that players have access to essential information within a reasonable length. The inclusion of a well-crafted Table of Contents enhances the accessibility of the content, allowing players to navigate through the rulebook with ease. However, the absence of an index, despite the brevity of the rules in comparison to other gaming compendiums, creates an opportunity to further improve the usability of the document. An index would offer a valuable point of reference, enabling players to quickly locate specific topics or rules within the rulebook. Therefore, the addition of an index would complement the existing organization, providing a user-friendly resource for both novice and experienced players of BPRE.
Overall, the organization and design of the content you are provided is truly commendable. Its modern book design and aesthetics showcase the level of expertise possessed by the designers. It’s evident that a great deal of thought and effort has been invested in creating a high-quality rulebook. The value for the price point is certainly impressive, and it’s clear that attention to detail has been a priority throughout the design process. This results in a product that not only meets but exceeds expectations, providing an exceptional experience for the readers.
Players in the game utilize D10s at the core. The utilization of D10s brings an added layer of complexity and variety to the statistics, as opposed to the simpler 2D6. In the case of 2d10, the chance difference between adjacent numbers is always 1.00%, first increasing and then decreasing. This means that you have a greater chance of hitting the middle of the bell curve, or in the case of 2D10 a triangle.
There are a number of things in the rules that I like. To summarize:
The card based system for unit stats;
the use of alternate activations;
the phases of the game are really well defined;
attacking is very lethal, often resulting in quick games;
opening doors has a simple rule mechanism – it costs you 3″ of movement;
the layout and illustrations of the rules is easy to read and very aesthetic;
the use of “immediate actions to interrupt your opponent;
the campaigns and scenarios are excellent.
There is very little I don’t like. I have a sneaking suspicion that it may end up like Games Workshop with its endless amounts of Codices that are required. Already there are two additional booklets with additional rules and troop types (pictured above). The rulebooks are well priced and easily available via Amazon – I received mine the next day. On the other hand the starter packs are EXTREMELY expensive.
The only rule quibble I have is the asymmetric LOS rules. Although this may be accurate it adds a complication for which there seems no positive reward. Facing is important, but I prefer the standard 180 degrees.
You might have noticed that I really like these rules and am happy to reccommned them to anyone who likes modern skirmish rules.
Last Tuesday I played my first game(s) of Black Powder Red Earth 28 (BPRE 28), and was quite impressed. The setting, in the near future, is a scramble for power and wealth during the Awabari Unity Civil War. “The year is 2027 and has become a war between various factions and has become an infantry war augmented by Kinetic Fixed wing and unmanned aerial assets.” (BPRE 28)
So much so that I have since picked mine up from Amazon. Be careful though as it is based on the author’s comic book series. Be sure to purchase “Black Powder Red Earth 28”, as the 28 defines the rules rather than the comics.
Rob and I played a Crisis Troop Scorch team. Above is our set-up for the first turn.
CT Scorch is an “Elite Adjunct Light Infantry Counter-terrorism Capable Kinetic Force. It specializes in raids and force entry seize, capture, or destroy targeted facilities or individuals without restrictions or respect for national boundaries”.(BPRE 28)
(How do they make this S#!t up?)
We were fighting against the Aayari Guard, a terrorist group supported by the Hongbin Alloy Company.
The Aayri move in to try and outflank the CT Scorch, with the objective of destroying the Scorch “operational advisor” or leader.
The scorch Automatic Rifleman (LMG) is quickly eliminated.
When the operation adviser falls soon after, the game was quickly over.
Next game a Scorch Assaulter replaced the Automatic Rifleman and suffered the same fate. A second game was played with the same set-up and ended just as quickly in the same result.
The rifleman soon followed.
Surrounded and all alone the Scorch Operational Leader is the last to fall. So much for our tactics – I blame Rob for his faulty computational algorithms – obviously without verification or validation!
Great fun game. Thanks Jason for introducing it to us.
It has been a long time since I have played Dux Bellorum so I dragged it out last Friday night with Drew and Wayne as the guinea pigs.
Dux Bellorum is another offering by Osprey publishing in their wargames line. This one focuses on Dark Age/Arthurian wargaming and is written by Daniel Mersey.
The Roman Mile Fort
It is my favourite set of rules for the Dark Age period.
The “Saxon Raiders” beached longboats
Roman bows keeping the enemy at bay.
The Saxon Huscarle prepare to charge.
The two generals and their companions about to do battle.
Roman Legions repel the attacking warriors.
The foot on both sides are starting to tire.
The battle lines.
The Roman Companions get the better of their counterparts.
In the end the Saxon line faltered and retired back to their boats.
A quick post today as I am off to see the mighty “Bulldogs” in their first game of the season. I just love this time of the year as every fan believes their team are world beaters. Woof woof woof!
These have been around for a while just waiting for some touch ups, re-basing, and flocking.
The China-Burma-India Theatre was not as focused on as Europe and the Pacific during World War II. But it had stories of brave pilots flying through the Himalayas, guerrilla fighters called Merrill’s Marauders, nurses dealing with unwanted advances, and clever intelligence agents making deals with locals in three different countries. These stories were just as interesting as those from the more well-known parts of the war.
Representing the intersection of two distinct theatres, the China-Burma-India Theatre (CBI) constituted the United States military designation encompassing all combat operations occurring in China and the Burma region of British India.
This compact booklet, comprising a concise 50 pages, provides a thorough summary of the first expedition in 1942. The book’s insightful analysis highlights how the ultimate failure of this endeavor serves as a poignant illustration of the defining characteristics of the Asia Pacific war. Furthermore, it compellingly emphasizes the pivotal significance of the interconnected and divergent interests of each of the major players involved in this historic event.
I found it extremely interesting and well worth the AU$10.00 but it is only for those interested in the political implications of each of the participants. Not for everyone.
I was struggling with how to permanently attach a telescopic base to my recent plane acquisitions. I finally worked it out and am happy with how it turned out despite not going OTT with the solution.
For the German ME 109’s two washers and a magnet were glued on one side. The Spitfires did not require washers just the magnet.
First I needed to prepare the telescopic stand obtained from Bunnings. It is only available from their larger stores. I am indebted to Drew from Wargames Holiday Centre Australia for this idea.
I first needed to remove the “pocket clip”.
Fortunately it was just screwed on which made it easier for fixing to a base later on.
Lastly I needed to remove the mirror with some high quality side cutters to create the flange that would connect to the bottom of the fuselage. You need to be careful if you want to keep the mirrors for other projects.
With the flange and telescope now prepared it was glued onto a base of the two washers and the magnet.When the glue had dried it was ready to complete the final assembly.
A poor photo but this is how it looks inside when both fuselages are put together.
For storage, travel, and for using grounded, the telescope is just unscrewed from the base and folded up behind the tail.
Large washers (I will get larger ones for the next lot) on the base to provide some weight and to provide “feet” for the screw dome head.
I also put a similar washer on the centre of the upside to make sure flocking did not interfere with the removing and adding the telescope to the base.
Two planes flying at different angles, banks, and heights. (Ignore the mess on the table).
Chris McDowall and Osprey Games’ latest skirmish wargame has light core rules, wild scenarios, and a call to cut loose and kitbash some crazy minis.
A miniatures skirmish game, with simple rules, no measuring of distances, and an ethos of “playing to see what happens”. Players bring their own miniatures, from any game range they like – or “kitbashed” from parts.
Game play is semi-competitive, with two player-controlled teams competing over the same scenario, with an automated “Horror” that threatens both teams.
Players alternate activating a character, with each character taking up to three actions. Actions (movement, attacks, saves) involve a six-sided die rolled and compared to a single “Quality” stat for that character.
The Doomed is a skirmish wargame with lightweight rules and heavy metal everything else. The setting – a sci-fi world abandoned by ‘The Company’ that settled it, now haunted by Horrors from beyond the stars – would fit right at home in the darker corners of the Warhammer 40k universe.
The core rules by Chris McDowall are incredibly light, fitting onto 10 pages. Models have a single stat, Quality, which ranges from 3+ for a leader to 5+ for a basic minion. Models get three actions per turn, and everything but the first move in a turn requires a roll equal to or over Quality to succeed.
There’s no range measurement. Battles take place on small boards about the size of a Kill Team board, with plenty of terrain. A movement is any distance across open ground in a straight line, or vaulting an obstacle, climbing a wall, leaping a small gap. Fail a Quality roll to move and your opponent gets to place you, leaving you out in the open.
Weapons have two stats: the number of dice they roll to attack and the number of saves the opponent needs to make for each attack that hit. Again, these are rolls against Quality.
The Horror, though, is something else. A monster, warmachine, cult, sentient dust storm, echo of sin, zombie horde, or any other unimaginable threat, each Horror has deadly weapons, weird abilities, and can only be killed when its three ‘Nexuses’ are destroyed.
The Doomed delivers on the central promise: it’s a skirmish warband game that gives you many excuses to get your weirdest kit bashes on the table. The central rules are light, but that slack is taken up by incredibly varied missions and blossoming options for warband customisation. Combat swings between inconclusive and utterly lethal, producing memorable, sometimes ridiculous turns of fate.
This one had all the elements but it didn’t quite gel for me.
The Kickstarter for this one has been completed and arrived the other day.
“Step into the streets and alleyways of the ancient Roman Empire. Those streets have become rife with carnage and unrest in these uncertain times. Gangs of brutal Fighters are used as weapons to exert the will of their paymasters. These paymasters, known as Domini, are ambitious heads of Roman households; as such a Dominus you begin your story in troubled times…
Gangs of Rome is a new skirmish game from War Banner in which you will use unique fighters, pitting them against the gangs of rival Domini in both campaign and scenario play to earn influence enough to manipulate your way into the Senate. Then, as a Senator of Rome, you will be granted the power destroy your enemies with methods far greater than the sword.
So hold on to your sandals and watch your back, Dominus!
Things are about to get bloody…“
—description from the designer
The other really helpful infographic which was shared over on their Facebook Group looks into what has changed between the two versions of the game.
For those who are familiar with the way that Gangs Of Rome works, this is going to be a handy guide for those looking to get a handle on what they need to be aware of when the new edition hits. Rocking in at a hefty 200 pages, this isn’t some simple rehash. The team have gone back to the drawing board and produced a much more refined product. It seems like a bunch of changes for the better.
I do like the bonus elements for the campaign where you can now fight and scrap to become part of the Senate during your games of Gangs Of Rome. I’m sure there will be more changes to be aware of but this seems like a good start!
It is a bit sad when version two of a rules set gets published before you have finished your figures for the first version.
