We had twelve players this week for science fiction, retro science fiction, alt history, and a little bit of historical gaming too.

Renaud, Steve, Bill, and Mitch pulled out Onward to Venus, a Martin Wallace empire-builder with a steam-punk space exploration theme. Players play various earthly powers spreading the blessings of man throughout the solar system through constant warfare and relentless exploitation of resources.


To infinity and beyond!

The players spread out across our neighboring planets, so focused on their extraterrestrial land grab that they let things slip a bit at home. A robot uprising back on Earth rattled the game's economy before it was reined in. Back out in space, Renaud consolidated his gains to carry France to a narrow one point win over Mitch, with Bill and Steve trailing behind. I think they enjoyed the game - it looks good on the table and has substantial variability. As a Wallace fan I'm looking forward to trying it myself.


Feeding the flames

Natus, Smitch, El Rios, and Campoverdi convened for Forbidden Stars, playing Eldar, Chaos, Space Marines, and Orks respectively. They played the introductory start which takes a little time to spin up to speed. I saw some clever manipulation of the warp storms to frustrate plans and protect home systems, but Smitch's Chaos was able to edge out in front of the pack and squeak out a win.


The grim darkness of the far future

Smitch points out the basic setup is so finely balanced it channels your actions and probably yields the least interesting game of Forbidden Stars you'll ever play. It does at least lay down the fundamental understanding you'll need to build your board the next time out.


Chaos reigns

Scott and Jim took a trip down Memory Lane...to the future! They cracked open Natus, Nukes & Nazis 2, Ty Bomba's remake of the old XTR alt-(future)history title. This posits WWIII circa 1989, between Nazi Germany and her old mid-century enemies. Unlike the original, the new title throws in the Russians, and is really an entirely new game systems-wise. For some unknown reason the remake lacks a unique BGG page, though it certainly warrants one. [Edit: this has since been remedied by Scott]


New old school

Jim took the Nazis against Scott's everybody else. With the new activation system, players alternate moving or fighting with individual stacks, which are then vulnerable to attack due to reduced defense strength. This encourages careful planning and attention to your activation sequence, but it also makes for a looong game given the size of this mini-monster. After grinding through the first turn, they cut bait and moved on, with nary a mushroom cloud to be seen. It seems to lack the innate wackiness of the original, aspiring to something more serious. Unfortunately it seems to lack the fun of the original as well. It did at least encourage me to dig out my old copy, which should see action before year end.


Not available in Germany

Our intrepid duo moved on to The Grunwald Swords, Hollandspiele's title on the 1410 battle (sometimes called Tannenberg) between the Teutonic Knights and a Polish-Lithuanian alliance. The complexity is on the low side (Scott says it's reminiscent of Ancients) , enough to cover the expected tactical interactions but saving some brainspace for a clever order system. Players direct their wings with order chits, but the order sets are unique and each chit is backprinted with another order. If you use Order A, then you necessarily forgo Order B on the flip side.


Formed for battle

The situation finds Scott's Polish-Lithuanians attacking Jim's Germans, who are defending the edge of a long ridge. Unfortunately for the alliance, the Lithuanians take a powder at some point only to return later, as they did historically. Here the alliance player gets to choose the timing of both the departure and the return, gaining VPs the longer he holds the Lithuanians off map, but risking the rest of his army if he waits too long.


Hitting the slopes

Scott advanced with his right and engaged the Knights, before falling back under counterattacking pressure. Casualties have been heavy but the Teutons are threatening to roll up the Poles. They still have a few turns to go, and Lithuanian banners have just appeared on the horizon. We'll see if they return in time to save the day!


A hard right hook

Last up, Hawkeye and I got in a little pre-ASLOK ASL tuneup with The Tebourba Engagement, an old At The Point title featuring Germans on the attack in 1942 Tunisia. Hawkeye had a half dozen British squads backed by some support weapons, a two-pounder anti-tank gun, and a pair of US AFVs - an M3 Lee and an M3 Gun Motor Carriage (a halftrack sporting a 75mm gun). I fielded eight 548s led by three leaders, including a 9-2, along with a pair of PzIVF2s and a pair of PzIIILs. I had seven turns to travel the length of a halfboard and exit 20 CVPs, including at least eight points of non-crew infantry. Hawkeye got a little help on turn three, when a second Lee appeared along with two more squads and a leader. The terrain both helps and hurts - orchards are olive groves by SSR, lending a +1 TEM in addition to their hindrance value, but with doubled movement cost.


Opening blows

Hawkeye set up with most of his forces strung along the forward edge of his setup area, about mid-board. The AFVs were nicely spaced on either side, with infantry anchoring the flanks. One stack of infantry looked suspiciously like a leader-led MMG commanding a fire lane-friendly line of sight. The ATG was nowhere to be seen. I decided to enter heavy on my right, with a reduced platoon advancing through the riverbank woods on my left. Three tanks supported my right flank while one PzIVF2 headed left to engage the unidentified AFV on that flank.


Breaking through

My men frolicked through the olive groves, with a couple half squads breaking from small arms fire. A low-firepower shot inflicted a normal morale check on my left-flank platoon; one squad broke, while the second passed with Hawkeye's SAN. The sniper came in hot, selecting both the unbroken squad and my leader. Hawkeye naturally popped the leader, and the squad went down on the subsequent die roll. Nice shooting, Tex! The AFV on that side revealed itself to be the Lee, bouncing multiple shells off my PzIV. The PzIV forgot its APCR, but bagged the Lee with straight AP. Hawkeye's GMC quickly evened the score, knocking out a PzIII.

The mid game saw me kill the GMC before I pierced the main British line and cracked the BB4 stone building. A smoke round took care of one squad and a leader, and a successful CC eliminated another. My infantry slipped past but not before Hawkeye's reinforcements arrived. I had three AFVs to his one, but he still had three tank-killing weapons, including both tubes on the Lee and the still-hidden two-pounder.


Almost home

I spread my assets and timed my exit for one large rush, hoping Hawkeye would either miss or at least lose rate of fire. The ATG failed to follow the script, popping up in GG7 to kill a PzIII as it attempted to exit. However, it immediately malfunctioned on its subsequent ROF shot. The Lee was more polite, missing entirely. With both my PzIVs off, I needed eight points of infantry - my first couple squads went down but soaked up a lot of shots, allowing the 9-2 to scamper off with his platoon for the win.


Consoled by Campari

This is a tidy little scenario, perfect for covering a lot of ASL in a small package. The olive groves add a nice twist, and it's fun to see a couple nationalities fighting side by side. I think the outcome breaks on the initial armor engagement - if the Lee wins that first exchange, I probably lose another tank as well and am hard pressed to get the points off. Worth tracking down for an evening's play. On to Cleveland in a couple weeks!

On the table last night was Airfix Battles, from Modiphius. This is a cardboard miniatures game of WWII combat.

Units are individual soldiers and tanks. While perfectly playable out of the box, the real goal here is to get you to play it with miniatures (Airfix, I presume). The maps are a square grid. Movement and range are counted orthogonally (only), while LOS is determined center to center (so it can be diagonal).

The game play is pretty standard minis stuff - you give orders to your units, one order per unit per round. Combat is simple roll-to-hit, using one die per figure.

Orders are given using cards. The number of cards is based upon the level of leadership you have (a captain has more hand and play capacity than a lieutenant, for example). The only real order issue Scott and I had was the artillery card is way too powerful. You throw one die per target figure for a 5 or higher. Scott rolled 10 dice against my U.S. squad, killing 5 before the first round was over. Next turn he attacked them again, killing 2 out of 5. With only two squads on a side, the game was pretty much over.

The game is labeled quite clearly as an introductory level game, so don't expect ASL (or even ASLSK) levels of detail.

Visually, the artwork is very nice, although it's weird to have detailed terrain on the map that don't have any effect on game play (shell holes, trees, etc.). Terrain is marked with counters when it has a terrain effect (blocking, cover, or movement). Buildings, hedges, and walls are represented by counters placed on the map.

The unit counters are nicely done overhead shots. It's a bit difficulty to view them on the map since they have the same background color as the map - I guess this is one more incentive to switch to miniatures.

I wish this had come out 10 years ago - I could have played this with my kids. It's rated ages 10+, which is about right. While I won't consider this a game that I would regularly play, it does seem pretty ideal for an intro wargame.

With the new activation system, players alternate moving or fighting with individual stacks, which are then vulnerable to attack due to reduced defense strength.

The same system, dubbed BADASS by the Bombinator (you can't make this stuff up) also features in the new Putin Strikes from the same publisher (my copy arrived yesterday). In the new game, however, stacking is only two divisions instead of six despite the same map scale. That should improve things somewhat.

I wish this had come out 10 years ago - I could have played this with my kids. It's rated ages 10+, which is about right. While I won't consider this a game that I would regularly play, it does seem pretty ideal for an intro wargame.

Bill, did I ever show you Bitskrieg?

No, Scott, you didn't. Maybe we can not play it at FATDOG?

The game where I think the regular edition bits are better than the limited edition wooden bits.

I hope nobody of the NY/NJ crew was hurt in the Hoboken incident...

Onward to Venus is, IMO, a game that has fantastic artwork, but shrunk down on the counters so much I can hardly see what it is.

One small error we made playing is that despite the fact that all of our factories were wiped out in the first turn's robot uprising, it is till possible to manufacture thanks and rocket ships as if factories were there (only on Earth).

Also, while there is conflict, it is mostly competition for limited resources (indigenous mines and factories on other planets). Stealing a mine or a factory from another power is possible, but requires the presence of a tension tile. Effectively, it parallels the scramble for Africa where direct conflict between the powers was rare.

Redeploy is free during the Air Power Phase.

I guess I missed that rule. Thanks. Maybe another take, but I'd like to switch to a mag game soon and I volunteered to playtest another game.

Since the Axis only gets one "free" RP part of the Allies strategy before Overlord is bleeding the Axis.

What do you mean "free"- you mean without VP deduction? But, yes, attritional warfare is in full swing. I was even able to get a VP by forcing an Eastern mechanized corps withdrawal that the Germans couldn't satisfy.

Onward to Venus is a lot of fun. How the heck did you get a robot uprising on turn 1??

Robin

Robin, we really need to make sure to get this on the table at NBW in a few months. :smile:

3 Crisis tiles including 2 with skulls. I think we defeated one before turn end, and then got one skull roll, thus resulting in a Level 3 crisis.

The plan is to play the whole series, eventually.

And so yesterday was Coutras, a battle with little room for maneuver. Henry activated first and charged right into the fray, knocking out Lavardin's wing but losing two heavy cavalry in pursuit of rabble, and getting himself killed. That was a very inauspicious start for the Protestant player and it only got worse. The remaining Catholic wing under Joyeuse maneuvered to hit from the flanks, Condé replaced the dead Henry, failed to rally, got pulled in even deeper, but managed to hold against the first Catholic charge. The second proved fatal, though, and we stopped the game there, on turn 3, with France's history fatally altered.

Sounds good, Rob. You bringing it or am I?

Robin

Either way -- let's just remind each other before NBW that one of us needs to pack it!

Deal.

The arrival of the Bavarian and Badenese Ambassador at Foulenough Hall led to a two bottle session.

First up (after a Rhone) was The 2015 Election. The result was a bit closer to the pollsters dreams as the debates produced a Labour 4 point swing for Ed Millerbünd, a 2 point loss for the Tories, the LibDems got a maximum 6 point boost and UKIP collapsed by 8 points. However, the churn of the new parties still left the Tories ahead in the polls.

The end result was: Lab 240 Con 313 LibDem 15 UKIP 3 PF 1 (hoorah, County Kilburn swinging to a marching beat) PC 1 SNP 59 (only the LDs in the North avoided the SNP storm) DUP 8 UUP 1 SDLP 3 SF 5 (they retained Fermanagh & South Tyrone) Ind 1

This was pretty much the projection on the night (Tories under by 5), but under the actual figures (so no referendum mein dickie old chums).

To get past the 325 the Tories need the LibDems, OR an alliance of UKIP, DUP and UUP with the Parti Falangist holding the required last vote (golfers prepare to suffer). Of course with SF not taking their seats the PF is unlikely to be needed and must remain forever the King Across The Water.

After a strange German vino we visited Blenheim at B1704

As Captain Klarmann has an affinity for sixes (that is, his staff work and tactical grasp are of the highest order) he won as the French with Marlborough bogged down before Oberglau after a morale sapping artillery bombardment. It was more William III than John Churchill at this side. Many of the French officers were served ices at the head of their regiments so heavy was the Allied slaughter before Oberglau. The Elector of Bavaria (what a coincidence) being reckoned the Man of the Match.

We then spun the game round and this time Prinz Philipp attacked only with his Imperials leaving Marlborough to pin the French line. Marsin suffered a heavy thrashing, his only good luck (a cavalry charge that broke into the infantry) being stopped by the young Prince of Anhalt-Dessau. The Austrians pressed round the flank and ate into the French reserves. The downside of this is that the Elector's central reserve can intervene against the kaiserliks, led by the wild Irish it looked as if the Allied morale might crack, but the daring Prince abandoned his traditional 6 at the right moment. The Irish were lost and the French army collapsed from losses.

Huzzah!

The arrival of the Bavarian and Badenese Ambassador at Foulenough Hall led to a two bottle session.

First up (after a Rhone) After a strange German vino

All these bottles of wine. I suddenly feel like I'm browsing in "Black Books" about to encounter Bernard Black.

Sorry, this channel4 UK comedy series is currently running on Netflix over here across the pond and I've been binge watching and laughing at Bill Bailey and Dylan Moran.