EW FoW Scenario- The Queen's Cauldron

This is an after action report by Richmond's own Ron Bingham.

FoWarriors from Richmond and the Battle Barn area met on WED night to play-test a new France 1940 scenario I designed to GM at Historicon. Steve and Sean of the “What Patton Would Do “joined arms with Rob, Malcolm and Dav of the Battle Barn to fight a modified 1750pt “No Retreat” scenario I’ve named “The Queens Cauldron”




Queens Cauldron, France, 13 May 1940
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Some Steve-o-grad progress!

Just a quick update- I've done the second Steve-o-grad building (see the first here)



And Chris Miller (the inimitable) generously made this sweet Lenin statue!



Onward!

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WWPD joins the expanding ranks of the Stylish Blogger Award Recipients

Anatoli of Anatoli's Game Room fame has generously nominated us for a "Stylish Blogger Award"!  Anatoli maintains one of my favorite blogs in the "blog-o-sphere" (I still gag when I hear that word).  His prolific work are always a joy to see, and he has a wide focus on different aspects of gaming and entertainment that is worth checking out.

Anyhow, this award is sort of an e-pat on the back, given from one blog to another.  It's spreading much like a virus, but it's all good intentioned so WWPD will definitely play ball!  If you haven't already read this, there's a few rules:

1. Thank and link back to the person giving you the award
2. Share seven things about yourself
3. Select 10-15 blogs who you think deserve this award
4. Contact these bloggers and let them know about the award

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1) Opposite of Anatoli, I am a total Apple fanboy.  I use a Macbook pro for my personal computer. My wife uses a Macbook.  We use a Mac Mini for our home theater (and got rid of cable over a year ago!).  We have a Time Capsule as our wireless router/automatic backup device.  2 iPads, 2 iPhone 4s, and countless little gadgets.  I'm a relatively new convert to Apple (just over 2 years now), and there's no zealot like a convert!

2) Despite #1, I am a programmer/analyst/consultant, and thus spend the majority of my professional time in a Windows environment.  Although I love OSX, I have to give it to Microsoft- Windows 7 is really quite nice.

3) Not a day of my life goes by where I don't quote either Aliens or The Big Lebowski.  I don't trust people who dislike either of these movies... but that's just like, my opinion, man.

4) One of my pet peeves is when people mispronounces "Reece's Pieces".  They're pieces that belong to Reece.  Not "Ree Sees Pee Sees".

5) I prefer staycations over vacations.  I saved a ton of money to buy, and put a lot of time into my house.  I do that because I love it.  I like spending time in my own house.  This makes me a crotchety old man and a homebody.

6) I prefer Star Trek to Star Wars. 


7) When Wendy's introduced their dollar menu, I got very fat on delicious jr. bacon cheeseburgers.  I then lost 65 pounds to make up for it.  I am now smaller than I was in High school.  It gives me a new appreciation for trying to eat right- it's tough work!

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There's no way I can nominate 10-15 blogs- though I follow quite a few, I think a good number of them have already received it.  Here goes:

Mik's Minis - All kinds of different stuff, and always a good read.  Plus, he's an awesome dude!
Model Dads - They make the prettiest battle reports I've ever seen.
World of Tanks Skins - If you aren't playing this game, fix that.  If you aren't using these skins, fix that too!
Lead, Paint, and the General - Fellow WWPDer and good buddy Joe's blog.  His painting updates are always gold!

Thanks again, Anatoli!

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Domination Mission Updates

Eric from The I-95 crew sent us some updated pdfs for the Domination missions. Included is the "Blind Domination", which is by far my favorite Domination to date.

The standard Domination has also seen some modification- only 8 points are needed now (rather than 10) making the points much more valuable.

Check them out on the Downloads Page.

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A Bridge in Progress

Jon has gotten a lot one recently on his Arnhem board. He sent me 4 pics as an update:



Click here to see the Rest of Jon's Arnhem photos.

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Try out "The Outpost" and let me know what you think!

I've been tweaking my home brew mission "The Outpost" for a while now and I think I've gotten it where I like it. Are there situations that can still break it? Probably, but that can be an issue in just about all missions.

Check it out here. Pay special attention to the reserves rules- they can come in a little faster than you might think if you have a lot of platoons back there! Also note that the objectives don't "go hot" until turn 7, giving the battle time to build up.

I've written up AARs for the mission twice now, both times I was the defender. Check them out here:
Early French defending vs German Panzers
Late US 1st ID vs German Panzers


Objective placement is critical. Both players want them closer to their own reserve areas so they can be grabbed more easily.


Think about what platoon should represent the outpost- here I went with french 75s in the face of panzers.

Give the scenario a shot and let me know what you think!

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Fantastic Mr. Famo!

I've slowed down a bit recently for painting with real life getting a bit busy. Hoping to ramp it up though, now that I've cleaned up our spare room and turned it into an office! The bed in there still folds out to accomodate guests, but now it's more functional than a random storage unit. And, of course, the paint station now has a permanent home on the desk!



And now- the amazing Famo!

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WWPD After Hours Episode 2 Now Available!

After Hours 02- Steven, Luke, and Sean talk after NFTF Episode 17. Tournament lists, movies & TV shows, and other ridiculousness is on the table!

And here's a bonus video to set the mood. Dirty Jon drops a bag of tanks on the table. Is this a legal list?

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US Rifles vs German Panzers in Normandy

On Sunday, before recording his segment for Episode 17, Brian was itching to run his freshly painted panzerkompanie. We took the opportunity to give Early War a rest, and revisit Normandy. I decided to run US Rifles since it'd been a while. Furthermore, we've been enjoying my home brew mission The Outpost, and wanted to give it another run.

STEVEN'S US 1st INFANTRY DIVISION HQ Rifle Platoon Rifle Platoon Rifle Platoon A&P Platoon + 1 Bazooka Weapons Platoon (1 LMG section, attached to Rifle Platoon 3) 105mm Battery (+ AOP) 4x Shermans (Corps Support, Confident Trained) + Dozer M10 Tank Destroyers (Corps Support, Confident Trained)

BRIAN'S PANZERKOMPANIE HQ (2x Stug G) 4x Stug G 4x Stug G 3x Panzer IV H 3x Puma Scout Patrol Armored Panzerwerfers + Crew

>>>CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE BATTLE!

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WWPD News From the Front Episode 17

"The Wrath of Sean"

Steven, Luke, and Sean talk about their recent Flames of War tournament experience, Panzer IVs, tournament preparations, and general silliness! Brian and Steven talk airbrushing and quick painting.


TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• 0:00 - Intro- Contest Results, etc
• 0:18 - After Action
• 0:58 - Polish Train Modeling (P)review
• 1:10 - Brians... "adventure"
• 1:18 - Airbrushing Discussion
• 1:27 - More Painting Discussion
• 1:43 - Tournament Advice
• 2:04 - Unit Spotlight: The Panzer IV H
• 2:19 - Mail Call

Download this week's episode directly: http://www.archive.org/download/WwpdNewsFromTheFrontEpisode17/WwpdEpisode17.mp3
Subscribe via iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wwpd-news-from-the-front/id398903039
Subscribe with other: http://feeds.feedburner.com/WWPDPodCast

Links discussed in this episode:
BLOG SPOTLIGHT: Kage's Decal Tutorial http://kagefow.blogspot.com/2011/04/schwere-panzerjagerkompanie-part-vi.html
CWF Episode 50: http://wargamingforums.com/2011/04/04/cwf-game-cast-episode-50-wwpd-news-from-the-front-and-steven-maclauchlan/
WWPD Tourney AAR: http://www.whatwouldpattondo.net/2011/04/i-95-normandy-tournament-aar.html
Japan Relief: http://www.thesleepytimegal.com/for-the-children-of-ishinomaki-japan/#more-3011
Tabletop Tacticians: http://tabletoptacticians.blogspot.com/
Black Sun Games: http://www.blacksungameschicago.com/


EDITOR'S NOTES:
Long day! We had a blast though, and it was great to have Sean back in the studio.

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British 8th Army Rifles vs German DAK Schutzen in Blind Domination

After the I-95 Domination Tournament, both Sean and I couldn't wait to try their "Blind Domination" mission again. We decided it'd been a while since we were in the desert, and so decided to use some lists from a previous battle of ours that we thought were very well balanced.

SEAN'S GERMAN SCHUTZEN HQ + HMG + 2x Panzerknackers Schutzen + mortar + Panzerknacker Schutzen + mortar + Panzerknacker Schutzen + mortar + Panzerknacker (kamfgruppe: 2iC + all 3 mortars from the schutzen) 10.5cm Artillery Battery 3x Panzer III H 3x Panzer IV E 2x 8-rad (recon)

STEVEN'S BRITISH RIFLE COMPANY HQ + Sticky Bombs Full Rifle Platoon + Sticky Bombs Full Rifle Platoon + Sticky Bombs Full Rifle Platoon + Sticky Bombs Scout Patrol (recon) 8 Gun RA Battery Anti-Tank Battery w/ 4 6 pounders 3x Matilda II 3x Valentine III

The basic premise of Blind Domination is similar to Domination, with a few big changes. First of all, the order of platoon arrival must be mapped out ahead of time. This is done by writing platoons on a grid- 3 rows and 6 columns. The rows correspond to the turn the platoon will arrive, and the column corresponds to which 12" segment of the back edge they will arrive on! On turn 1, only recon and forward observers may arrive. On turn 2, 2 platoons + 1 independent team can arrive. On turn 3 the rest of your force comes on. No platoons are allowed to double time until turn 6, and the objectives also do not "go hot" until turn 6. 8 points must be captured to win.

>>>Click Here to Read the Rest of the Post!

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Protip: Don't use Paint Thinner to strip paint

Unfortunately, Luke tried to use paint thinner to strip some models... the result wasn't pretty.

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I-95 Normandy Tournament AAR

A big chunk of the WWPD guys (Me, Jon, Luke, and Sean) rolled up to Fredericksburg on Saturday for a Normandy themed tournament. We had a blast, and did well! Here is a very brief AAR.

The scoring wasn't standard victory points, but worked out as follows:
If you won, every domination point held is worth 200 points.
If it was a draw, domination points were worth 150 points.
If you lost, domination points were worth 100 points.

Then, you earned the value for every platoon of the enemy's you destroyed, and half the value for every enemy platoon you forced into a check. Then you subtracted the points you lost in a similar fashion (minimum of 0).

In this way there was a much broader point spectrum, and it was such that a platoon of Tigers was worth a lot more than a platoon of scouts. The math wasn't terribly difficult to do, and in my opinion it added a lot to the game.

STEVEN'S PANZER LEHR PANZERKOMPANIE (CV) HQ (2x Panzer IV H + Bergepanther) 4x Panzer IV H 4x Panzer IV H 3x Panzer IV H 2x Flakpanzer 38(t) Panzer Lehr Panzergrenadiers 3 Tubes of 21cm Nebelwerfers	SEAN'S TYNE & TEES (CV) HQ + Carrier + Stan Holliss Full strength Rifle Platoon Full Strength Rifle Platoon One Platoon Commando Company (FV) 3x Crocodiles (CT) Armoured Platoon (Cromwells + Firefly) (RV) 25 Pounder Battery + AOP Priority Typhoons
JON'S TYNE AND TEES (CV) HQ Full Strength Rifle Platoon Full Strength Rifle Platoon Pioneer Platoon w/ flamethrower Carrier Patrol Crocodiles (CT) 4x M10C (CT) 2 Full Priest Batteries (CV)	LUKE'S LIGHT TANK COMPANY (3rd Armored) (CT) HQ (2x Stuarts) 5x M5 Stuarts 5x M5 Stuarts 5x M5 Stuarts 4x M4 Shermans Full M10 Tank Destroyer Platoon Full Armored Rifle Platoon Armored Mortar Battery Recon Platoon (not full strength I don't think?)

>>>>> Click here to read the rest of the article!

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Escadron De Reconaissance vs Mittlere Panzers in Encounter

Absolutely RIDICULOUS Flames of War game tonight!

Seriously, I felt like I needed a cigarette after this game. I ran my French Escadron De Reconaissance vs Tom running Mittlere Panzers (the gorgeous Panzer IIs are all mine! :P) We rolled for Encounter.

French Escadron De Reconaissance HQ (long barrel Hotchkiss) + Air Interception 5x Panhard AMD-35 5x Panhard AMD-35 5x Panhard AMD-35 Recon Platoon (3x Hotchkiss short) 4x SOMUA S-35 All Terrain Towed 75mm Battery Colonial French Infantry Fusiliers Portes

Mittlere Panzerkompanie Panzer Befelshwagon + 2 Panzer IIs 5x Panzer II Late 4x Panzer II Late 3x Panzer II Late 3x Panzer IVd 3x Panzer IVd *Kamfgrupped such that he had 5, 3, 3, 3 panzer II platoons

>>>CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ENTIRE POST

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Early War Germans so far

Though pretty much all of these have featured in recent Battle Reports, I hadn't really taken the time to show them off in their entirety! Now that I have a repsectable panzer force for EW, it's time to move on to some infantry after a quick detour to work on another Steve-o-grad building!

If you haven't kept up you should know that these are painted using my ultra-fast technique for EW German armor. I started on these guys not long ago at all, and have been knocking them out. Are they up to my usual standards? Probably not,but I am quite happy with them considering the small amount of time invested!

STUKAS

>>>CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REST OF THE POST

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French Compagnie De Combat vs Mittlere Panzerkompanie

Tom and I played an absolutely ridiculous game tonight. The batrep is going to devolve into many many back and forth turns and you'll see why. What a matchup! I tried to squeeze in as many of the finished German units I have- recently finished the Stukas, Panzer IVs, and 8-rads!

TOM'S FRENCH COMBAT COMPANY HQ (Hotchkiss long) 3x Char B1 Bis 3x Char B1 Bis 3x Hotchkiss (1 long) 4x SOMUA S-35

STEVEN'S MITTLERE PANZERKOMPANIE HQ (1x Panzer IVd, 1x Panzer II C (early)) 5x Panzer II C early 5x Panzer II C early 5x Panzer II C early 2x Panzer IVd 2x Panzer IVd Stuka Schwerepunkt

So, a really ridiculous matchup- especially considering we rolled BREAKTHROUGH! We decided to re-roll it, and rolled breakthrough again, so decided it was fate. Tom "won" the roll to be the attacker.

>>>>> Click Here to See the Rest of the Battle Report!

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After Hours Episode 1

The first "After Hours" Episode is now available for a mere $1.00! Immediately after recording Episode 16, the guys sat down and knocked this one out. You can think of it as an episode debrief- a chance for the guys to revisit the episode, cut loose a bit, and have a bit more fun. The structure is fairly free form, and is driven by genuine conversation (no bullet points, or set topics here!).

Is it worth your $1.00? We hope so! On its own, maybe not, but if you're jonesing for your WWPD fix, you can rest assured knowing that not only have you gotten a 4th segment of the show- you've helped us out and earned our eternal gratitude.

Check the episode out, and let us know what does and doesn't work! This is very much a new concept for us, so sit tight and ride along! Thanks everyone for all the support you've shown us.

Click on "Add to Cart" or click here!

please note: Once you purchase this, you will be prompted to download the file. In this way you do not (yet) subscribe to this like you might a podcast- you'll need to download the mp3 and then import it into whatever audio program you use. For iTunes, you can simply drag and drop the file, or put it in your podcasts folder.

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FoW HMG Pillboxes by Pete!

>>>>Click here to see quite a few more pics!

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French Fusiliers Des Portes vs Czech Panzers in The Cauldron

My favorite Sundays are when Brian comes over early for a game- it forces me to wake up early, and what better way to start your day than Flames of War?

I set up the board, and rolled on my newly completed French "list of lists" to let the decide decide what I'd run! I rolled up some Fusiliers Des Portes, and the mission was Cauldron.

BRIAN'S CZECH PANZERKOMPANIE HQ (2x Panzer 38(t)) 4x Panzer 38(t) 4x Panzer 38(t) 5x Panzer II Panzer Schutzen (No AT Rifle) 2x 8-rads 2 Tubes of 105s Limited Air

STEVEN'S FUSILIERS DES PORTES HQ + Sporadic Air Interception Fusiliers Platoon Fusiliers Platoon Fusiliers Platoon 75mm Battery 105 Battery 4x SOMUA S-35 5x Panhard AMD-35 Recon Platoon (3 Hotchkiss H-39, 1 long)

DEPLOYMENT AND TURN ONE

I decided to start with 2 fusiliers platoons and the 75s on the board. The SOMUAs would be in immediate ambush.


38(t)s in the botton left, Panzer IIs and 105s in the top right.


38(t)s.


75s in overwatch of an objective.


Panzer IIs.


Fusiliers on an objective.


SOMUAs immediate(ly) ambush!


One 38(t) brews up!


The 38(t)s move up and mix it up!


Panzerschutzen immediately arrive from reserve.


Panzer IIs race forward.

COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY
FRENCH none	GERMANS 1 38(t)

TURN TWO

75s bail 2 Panzer IIs.


SOMUAs completely whiff!


More German reserves arrive!


Panzerschutzen move forward, MGs blazing!


But are thrown back in the assault, with one halftrack being captured!

COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY
FRENCH 1 SOMUA 1 Fusilier Stand	GERMANS 1 38(t) 1 halftrack + 2 infantry stands

TURN THREE

Panhards arrive from reserve, and knock out the German CO. He jumps tanks, though, only to have that tank shot out from under him by the SOMUAs- again escaping!


75s lay down a smoke barrage to isolate the 38(t)s and cover the SOMUAs from the freshly arrived panzers.


Three Stukas swoop in! (they are set up that way for looks- we now how they SHOULD be placed!)


And bail a whopping one panhard!

COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY
FRENCH 1 SOMUA 1 Fusilier Stand	GERMANS 3 38(t) 1 halftrack + 2 infantry stands

TURN FOUR

More French reserves arrive.


H39s- just before Steven changes his mind and decides to move them at the double!


The 75s open up in direct fire, nailing the Panzerschutzen moving through the wheat- 2 halftracks explode in a shower of sparks, killing everyone inside. The Panzerschutzen are decimated and quit the field.


The two remaining SOMUAs reposition.


8-rads arrive from reserve


Panzer IIs race forward!


Stukas again target the Panhards.


38(t)s reposition.


38(t)s snipe the bailed SOMUA, knocking a 2nd out.


A Panhard goes up in smoke!


The assault is launched! The Fusiliers throw the Panzers back, but at the cost of 2 stands.

COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY
FRENCH 2 SOMUA 3 Fusilier Stand	GERMANS Panzerschutzen 3 38(t)

TURN FIVE

SOMUAs reposition. Behind them, the 75s again open up in direct fire and laser beam a Panzer II.


38(t)s mass on the leftmost Fusiliers platoon.


Panzer IIs again succesfully assault the fusiliers, knocking out 2 more stands.


38(t)s assault! One 38(t) is lost, but the panzers are repulsed.

COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY
FRENCH 2 SOMUA 7 Fusilier Stand + 2 observers 1x Panhard	GERMANS Panzerschutzen 4 38(t) 1x Panzer II

TURN SIX

75s continue to hammer the Germans in direct fire.


SOMUAs and Hotchkiss reposition.


Panzer IIs race across the field to hit the other fusilier platoon!


A potshot from a Panzer 38(t) knocks a team out of the right Fusiliers platoon.


Panzer IIs brazenly assault the infantry dug in on plowed fields!


Knocking out 3 stands, and forcing the platoon back!


The fusiliers break! The objective is left wide open.

COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY
FRENCH Fusilier Platoon 2 SOMUA 5 Fusilier Stand + 2 observers 1x Panhard	GERMANS Panzerschutzen 4 38(t) 1x Panzer II

TURN SEVEN

SOMUAs have to move out to contest the objective! They can't quite get there, but neither can the Jerries.


Direct fire from the 75s and indirect fire from the 105s (who arrived from reserve some time ago, and finally got situated) knock out 2 more Panzer IIs.


The German force is in the cauldron now, but the French are battered as well!


38(t)s reposition to get shots at 3 Panhard moving at the double, but completely miss!


The Germans end up holding the objective with 2 Panzer IIs and the company commander.


8-rads move up MGs blazing!


And rush forward to assault the fusilier platoon.


The Fusilier platoon evaporates.

COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY
FRENCH Fusilier Platoon x2 2 SOMUA 5 Fusilier Stand + 2 observers 1x Panhard	GERMANS Panzerschutzen 4 38(t) 3x Panzer II

TURN EIGHT

Fusiliers move at the double to get into assault range on the German 105s.


Direct fire from the 75s annhilate the Panzer IIs and company commander.


SOMUAs and Hotchkiss tanks open up the 8-rads.


Followed up by 105s, which knock out the remaining 8-rad.


"The Cauldron".

With that, Brian's force is below half strength with no company commander. 4-3 to the french.

CLOSING

First off- I always set my board up with the goal of making a cool looking terrain board. But I have to say- this set up and mission combination was rough for Brian thanks to my 75s, who pretty much single handedly held the line. Still, Brian had be goin- my SOMUAs were at half, 2 fusilier platoons were gone, and we was pushing both objectives.

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