{"id":5061,"date":"2016-05-30T10:32:54","date_gmt":"2016-05-30T10:32:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bucksurdu.com\/blog\/?p=5061"},"modified":"2016-05-30T10:32:54","modified_gmt":"2016-05-30T10:32:54","slug":"hawks-expeditionary-force-to-nashcon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/bucksurdu.com\/blog\/?p=5061","title":{"rendered":"HAWKs Expeditionary Force to Nashcon"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Packing<\/a>
Packing the rental minivan for Nashcon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Greg, Chris, Geoff, Don, and I constituted the HAWKs expeditionary force to Nashcon in Franklin, TN, this past weekend. \u00a0Our adventure began Thursday afternoon, when everyone converged on Rally Point Surdu to pack the rental minivan with terrain, drinks, snacks, and HAWKs.<\/p>\n

\"We<\/a>
We got it all in there somehow -- and we didn't need to leave anyone behind.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a group we ran six games at Nashcon. \u00a0In order to fit all the terrain and figures for this many games into a minivan with five gamers, we had to be quite clever about planning. \u00a0This meant re-using terrain between games. \u00a0We ran three games on the same jungle terrain (two WWII Pacific theater skirmish games and a Dr. Who game), two on the same Paris 1814 terrain (Paris 1814 and a fantasy battle), and one with its own terrain (British march from Concord to Lexington).<\/p>\n

\"It's<\/a>
It's a game of Tetris.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We set off a little before noon, stopped outside Lexington for the night, and arrived about 1000 on Friday — plenty of time to set up out first games, go get Chinese food for lunch, and return to start our games on time.<\/p>\n

Don and I used the same terrain to run two WWII skirmish games. \u00a0Don used Battleground WWII<\/em> by Easy Eight for an American raid on a Japanese radio outpost. \u00a0The raiding force consisted of Marine raiders and Army paratroopers. \u00a0Despite heavy casualties, the American seized the compound. \u00a0Then I ran a Combat Patrol(TM)<\/em> game featuring a Japanese counter attack to recapture the facility.<\/p>\n

While Don was running his Battleground<\/em> game, I played in Bob Duncan’s excellent Spanish American War naval game, using his Gunboat Diplomacy<\/em> rules. \u00a0Below are a few pictures of this game. \u00a0Bob scratch built all of the ships in this game. \u00a0It was fun, but we Germans were soundly defeated.<\/p>\n

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Below are some pictures from my Combat Patrol (TM)<\/em> game. \u00a0The players seemed to catch on to the unique mechanics of Combat Patrol(TM)<\/em> without much difficulty. \u00a0The game went well. \u00a0We started where Don’s Battleground game left off. \u00a0The Americans had just seized the radio facility and had not consolidated on the objective when the Japanese counter attacked with a platoon of infantry and a Chi-Ha tank. \u00a0The Chi-Ha quickly suppressed the airborne bazooka team, but the Marine bazooka team was able to get off a good shot that brewed up the tank. \u00a0Two squads of Japanese were being chewed up by an understrength Marine squad in the jungle, but then the Japanese launched a very effective banzai charge that nearly wiped out the Marines. \u00a0A funny movement (for me as GM) arrived when one of the Japanese players called for mortars on some airborne troops. \u00a0Then the player who called for the mortars decided to charge the Americans — in the blast radius of the mortars he had himself called. \u00a0When the mortar shells landed, the only figures in the blast zone were the Japanese who had called for the mortars in the first place. \u00a0About half the Japanese squad caught in the burst radius was wounded or incapacitated. \u00a0In the end, it was determined that the Japanese were unable to recapture the facility, despite having inflicted many casualties on the Americans. \u00a0I think the game went well, and the players seemed to enjoy it.<\/p>\n

\"Part<\/a>
Part of the setup for the Combat Patrol (TM) game<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Paras<\/a>
Paras searching a Japanese hut<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The Japanese radio shack was still burning form a white phosphorus round in Don's game<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A bazooka shot finally took out the Chi-Ha tank<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While I was running this Combat Patrol (TM)<\/em> game, Geoff played in a terrific looking pirate game. \u00a0The guy running the game had purchased these fully rigged models. \u00a0Then he told me he floated them in a tub of water and dye to find the waterlines. \u00a0He then used a Dremmel to cut off the bottoms. \u00a0The result was fantastic. \u00a0According to Geoff, the game was a lot of fun.<\/p>\n

\"Beautiful<\/a>
Beautiful sailing ships for a pirate-aganza<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Geoff<\/a>
Geoff preparing to demonstrate his sailing prowess<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Below are three shots of other games at Nashcon that caught my eye.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A huge 28mm fantasy game<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A naval game involving a shore fortification<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A bocage game using Battleground and 15mm figures<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saturday Greg, Chris and I ran two Look, Sarge, No Charts<\/em> games. \u00a0The first used Fate of Battle<\/em> and was the Napoleonic battle of the defense of Paris in 1814. \u00a0Russians and Prussians advanced to take \u00a0the heights around Paris. \u00a0The second game used Bear Yourselves Valiantly<\/em>. \u00a0It was a replay of the Paris game. \u00a0The Russians and Prussians were replaced by humans, dwarves, giant ants and swarms of other creatures. \u00a0The French were replaced by elves. \u00a0The Russians and Prussians were unable to get over the heights and into the outskirts of Paris. \u00a0On the other hand, the “allies” were able to breach the elven defenders and get into the outskirts of their capital. \u00a0I think the players enjoyed the games. \u00a0As usual after a turn or two, we game masters had little to do as the players were doing everything themselves. \u00a0We just had to call off activation cards and answer questions.<\/p>\n

\"Initial<\/a>
Initial disposition of Russians columns<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Prussians<\/a>
Prussians advancing against stiff French resistance before the heights<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Prussian<\/a>
Prussian players advancing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Russian<\/a>
Russian assault on the French positions on the outskirts of Paris in 1814<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Closeup<\/a>
Closeup of Russian columns advancing up the slopes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Elven<\/a>
Elven defenders on the heights outside their capital<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A view of the fantasy version of Paris 1814 in which various forces (Russians and Prussians) are arrayed against the Elves (French)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saturday evening, Geoff, Chris, and I played in Greg’s Dr. Who game along with several other folks. \u00a0The scenario involved a group of developers that were turning the site of Don’s and my WWII games from Friday into a luxury hotel on a jungle island. \u00a0While doing so, they run into Japanese who do not know the war is over as well as a Dalek in the jungle. \u00a0Hilarity ensued. \u00a0I had Duke Morrison from my various Pulp games, and I eeked out a victory over Boss Ebenezer McSneed (Geoff) and the Doctor.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The remnants of the Japanese radio post from our Friday games. The jungle has begun to encroach on the area, and the developers have constructed temporary shelter. Note that the blow-up Chi-Ha is still there.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Ebenezer<\/a>
Ebenezer McSneed orders his men to investigate.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"This<\/a>
This is something you don't see all the time: civilians, a blown up tank, and a roadster in the jungle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u00a0As usual, the HAWKs Expeditionary Force enjoyed Nashcon. \u00a0We thank the convention organizers for running this excellent event.<\/p>\n

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