Day: March 22, 2017

Combat Patrol(TM): World War II in the Bocage

SdKfz 222s advance across fields to stop the American advance

I ran two Bocage games at Cold Wars using Combat Patrol(TM): World War II.  Both games went well.  In fact three of the American players form the first time I ran the game came back to play Germans in the second game.

Americans take cover behind the farmhouse
The Americans didn't know what kinds of anti-tank weapons the Germans possessed, so they were very cautious. After an unsuccessful Panzerschreck shot, the Americans became even more cautions, seeking cover behind this farmhouse. A couple of turns later, the Sherman advanced up the road and was destroyed by a Panzerfaust from behind a hedge.
The Sherman disabled the SdKfz222. Then the Stuart advanced to push the disabled German vehicle out of the way and try to outflank the Germans.
The Sherman was disabled by a Panzerfaust shot. The Americans then changed their plan, moving the Stuart toward the road intersection while the halftrack attempted to push the SdKfz 222 out of the way.
US infantry advances on line.

The second time I ran the game, the American advance was more orderly.  The American infantry advanced on line with support from the Stuart and their halftracks.  The Stuart took a Panzerschrek shot that disabled its tracks, so it spent the rest of the game as a pillbox.

Americans advance through another open field on their right flank. These troops ran into a hidden German squad in the hedgerow to their front and were forced to drop back into their own hedge and engage in a protracted firefight.

Both games went very well, and all the players seemed to have a really good time.  They also quickly grasped the rules and were quickly self-sufficient.

Schlegel’s Ferry at Cold Wars

The HAWKs, mostly Kurt and Eric, ran a series of games on Schlegel’s Ferry.  The initial concept for Schlegel’s Ferry was to run a game on the same ground in various historical periods, and update the map for each battle.  Initially we ran early Indian vs. arquebus-armed settlers, French and Indian Wars, American Revolution, War of 1812, and American Civil War.

The last couple of years, Eric has run a series of games with a holiday theme, from St. Valentine’s Day to Christmas.  Using Blood and Swash, these games are always a crowd pleaser.

Winter War 1939 Double Blind with Combat Patrol(TM)

A Finnish AT gun brews up a Russian T-26B.

Zeb Cook and I ran a Winter War 1939 with Combat Patrol(TM): World War II and Zeb’s Winter War supplement.  The Russian objective was to advance up the road, capture some supplies, and hold open the road for later extraction.

The Russians were forced to advance across open ground.  Initially they only suspected the locations of the Finns, but they soon were taking withering fire.  The Russians received some very bad morale results.  While they inflicted some damage on the Finns, a combination of Finn good shooting and Russian poor shooting mad the game a one-sided affair.

Russians take cover in the river bank, but they were caught in a crossfire and decimated.

Despite the one-sided outcome, I think the players still had a good time.

Don Hogge Wins and Award

The HMGS Legion of Honor presented Don Hogge with an award for his excellent Congo game at Cold Wars.  The game looked terrific, and the players had a great time.

Three HAWKs won awards at Cold Wars: Don (for his Congo game), Greg (for his This is Not a Test post-apocalyptic game), and Eric Schlegel (for one of his Schlegel’s Ferry holiday games).