Konflikt '47 - Converting Automated Carriers

Friend of the LRDG cast, Stu Williams, has been working on an original, incredible looking Konflikt '47 British army built around a number of units of Automatons and Automated Carriers. You might have found his "work in progress" shots on the Konflikt '47 Facebook page. We were lucky enough to catch up with Stu and he has outlined how he went about making his original automated carriers. Enjoy.

Afternoon all, Old Man Morin at the LRDG Podcast and WWPD asked me to throw together a quick "how to" article describing how to scratch build my versions of the Automated Carriers. So grab a brew and I’ll explain my process to you.

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The British are Coming (For Team Yankee): Iron Maiden, a Quick Spoiler

Holy Smoke, we got to preview the upcoming expansion for Team Yankee that features the British contingent that were a part of the NATO forces in West Germany.  In this article, I will give you a brief overview of the new book and in the next few weeks it will be my Burning Ambition to give you a detailed look at the lists and weapons in Iron Maiden.  When I first looked over the book, I got the same kind of excitement that I had when I first saw Leopard.  I think many folks will really like this book because it is a bit different than the other three nationalities in the game. If you like a very diverse force and good infantry, this book may see your Wildest Dreams come true.

The book is based around the British 3rd Armoured Division - also known as the “Iron Division” - who were also featured in Flames of War when they were an Infantry Division who hit the beaches of Normandy.  The Troopers in this unit have a long history. Iron Maiden features 4 different formations from the 3rd, an Armoured Squadron, Mechanized Company, an Airmobile Company, and a Recce Company with fast moving vehicles who can Run to the Hills on your opponent's side of the table. I really love the fact that the guys from Battlefront are putting out more diverse formations with each new release. 

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A Tale of Two Tournaments (Part 1)

Up here in the Northeast of the United States, we aren't as spoiled for tournaments as many of the folks down in the Virginia and MidAtlantic Area.  There isn't a "Why we Fight" podcast that goes by when I don't envy Luke, Eric, and Mitch for the litany of options they have in terms of competitive play.  But over the past year I've seen a small renaissance of sorts for my area.

Kirwan's Game Store up in Catskill NY, Home to 2nd place Nationals Finisher (and best sport, and best painted) Chris Johnson, has hosted a large number of tournaments.  His store, an excellent venue, will be hosting a Flames of War Regional Tournament this October. Kirwan's Game Store has a pretty regular crowd, and is only about an hour from my home in Western Connecticut.

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Star Wars Armada: Double Interdictors vs Ackbar

A dual interdiction fleet faces a neo Ackbar list! Can the Dictors stop them cold?

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Konflikt '47 - Things That Go Bump In The Night: A Look At "Supernatural" Units In The German Army List

Things That Go Bump In The Night

The idea that classic monster archetypes freely roam the battlefield is a common feature of the “Weird War Two” genre. Given the horrific nature of total war and the long-speculated fascination that high ranking Nazi’s had with the occult, it is not hard to see why. As a “Weird War” game, Konflikt ’47 does not disappoint. The beasties of our childhood stalk from our imaginations into the Bolt Action universe. In K'47, the existence of these creatures is explained as a result of scientific exploration and experimentation gone mad. That does not change the fact that we, for the first time, can add werewolves, vampires and zombies to our BA armies. It is a great time to play the game!

Of the four major nationalities covered in the Konflikt book, only two nations utilise these genetically modified fiends. Today I will be investigating and discussing the three new “supernatural” creatures introduced in the K’47 German army list.

As we begin, I think it is again important to say that the authors of Konflikt ’47 are quick to point out that these “super soldiers” are not supernatural at all. In the story of the K’47 universe, after the atomic bombing of Dresden in 1944, the Germans discover and partially translate messages transmitted from a “rift” created by the dropping of the bomb. These messages are interpreted by scientists looking for technology to give their forces a needed edge on the battlefield. German leadership encouraged these scientists and researchers to throw caution to the wind in their pursuit of new “wonder weapons” that could be used against Allied troops. One of these new, secret scientific discoveries was in the area of genetic manipulation of human beings leading to the creation of our three new units types: the Totenkorps, the Schreckwulfen and the Nachtjager.

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Going Deep; Building a Commonwealth Lists from the Bulge

By Mitch Reed

With the addition of the Commonwealth in Battlefront's upcoming Battle of the Bulge  I wanted to take a deeper look at the lists provided in the book and select two that I may play in a Bulge themed tournament.  My first army in Flames of War was the Canadians, I even painted them with the “greener” battledress and when I expanded my collection to play other commonwealth lists I made the choice to but new figures and paint their battledress brown, so I guess you can say I am dedicated.  This expanded even further when I collected an entire airborne army, and even more when built and painted an entire force just for the Mediterranean in Mid-War.  I must have about 15 Churchill tanks, and even more Cromwell’s and I always look for great lists in which to get these forces on the table.
For this article I plan to use a 1500 point total, and only select forces in which I have models.  I will try to pick a list that is both fun to play and somewhat competitive.  I know a lot of folks feel there is a “science” into picking a list, perhaps there is, however I am going to pick something I would bring to the table, not necessarily for a tournament.

7th Armoured Division: The Desert Rats

I have played the Desert Rats in the past; I liked the Reluctant/Veteran list from the Overlord book.  In this list you can put a ton of Cromwell’s on the table and with the “Cautions not Stupid” rule I was able to overcome the low motivation rating at certain times.
This is a pricey list, especially with what I plan to take.

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FOW: After Open Fire - Part 1

If you’ve recently purchased an Open Fire starter box for Flames of War (FOW), and are trying to figure out your next steps, you might be a bit overwhelmed by now. What to purchase next? Which army should I collect first? How do I paint all of this?

Don’t panic!

Just like the cover of the infamous Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, these words are there to comfort you. If you’re reading this article, you’ve taken a good first step in your quest to become a table-top general to rival Rommel, Patton, or Monty. You’ve found WWPD.net. Best yet, no towel required for this game (unless you’re hanging out with a guy named Zaphod Beeblebrox). 

Education

First, you’ve got a lot of learning to do. There are two basic types of Open Fire purchasers: The Newbie to Wargaming, and the experienced wargame player.  This piece will be geared toward the new wargamer, although some of the links I provide here may be new to even experienced players who haven’t yet learned to play FOW. But, where to start?

Where to begin? If you've played a demo event, like this one - where Able Kompanie members (in khaki shirts) "Bofors" Dave Cuthbert (left) and "FlammPanzer" Ron Hanson (center) help players learn the basic rules in their club's Stalingrad introductory game at GenCon - this article can give some guidance on your next steps to get into the Flames of War hobby.

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Star Wars Armada: Dangerous Territory Video Battle Report

Can Konstantine's Battle Group stop Dodonna's Rebel taskforce? Or will the Rebels find themselves caught in Dangerous Territory with no escape?

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FoW Battle Report: HG Assault Gun Battery vs SS Panzerbrigade Westfalen 5/5

Hey there,

Finally, time has come for the last battle report of the HG Assault Gun series. Up until that point of the tournament, I have already had my ups and downs with this company. However, when I saw my opponent's list, I was not so happy:

It seemed a good mix of cheap Panthers, a lot of veteran Pak40s with some backup from the 88s along with SS, panzerfaust-armed infantry (including tank hunters). I really did not look forward to play this company. The only positive was the scenario: Surrounded. It gave me at least some edge over the Panthers and a chance to spread out the defences of the SS Panzerbrigade Westfalen.

I completely took the chance by placing the Objectives as far from one another as possible and once I knew where the defenders were, I cut my forces in half and deployed the StuHs, one platoon of PakPumas with 1iC + 2iC on one side of the table and the rest on the other. With this kind of deployment, I was looking for a way to get some sideshots on the tanks and to force the Pak40s to move.

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Flames of War ETC Debrief - part 2/2

Hey,

It is Reksio here from Sexy Sixes and I will jump directly into the second part of my rant about the ETC I participated in this year. I already talked about gaming aspects in my previous post so I thought I would also cover everything around it. I tried to find the correct structure for this article but I think I will just go point by point and dive deeper whenever necessary.

1. Location

When I first heard about Athens I was not fully convinced this was a good idea. The political/social/financial instability of the region, combined with relatively high prices was in my opinion a big obstacle on the way to organize a successful event. I also got the feeling that some other teams shared the same fears and simply did not show up. This had an impact on the number of teams attending the FoW tournament, which dropped from 30 (in Prague) to 22. It was not a disaster but still a painful decrease.
In the end, the reality was not so bad. There were signs of financial crisis in the streets of Athens, with many businesses closed and homeless people appearing here and there but the overall conditions, apart from searing heat (I'd say 36 degrees Celsius on average at noon, without a single cloud to stop the sun), were acceptable. We were never harassed in any way, cash machines were working just fine, staff of the nearby restaurants was very friendly, etc.
The venue itself was ok for gaming purposes, although not so clean. What was most important however, it had a functional AC system, which apparently was a huge improvement over what Prague offered :)
We also had good fun doing some sightseeing - we went to see the Acropolis, the Olympic Stadium, the temple of Zeus and some nearby monuments). Going to the beach would have been fun if not for the fact that the public one was just plain filthy. Learning from this, we checked out cleanbeaches.gr and found one that was more fitting to our needs :)

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Guild Ball- Meet the Fishermen's Guild!

"Ain't no other team that can catch 'em, and until someone seriously gets their game on, the Fisherman's Guild are going to keep winning."

-Flint, Vice-Captain, Mason's Guild 

As many of you know by now, Guildball has taken some of us by storm! This post isn't much more than my attempt to showcase some of the beautiful models by Steam Forged Games, which is a big draw to the game for me!

The whole team! This is everything that's been released so far except the new Mascot- which is a squid. Cause, obviously, squids are great at playing soccer!

Angel- Angel is good at one thing: kicking. But she is really, really good at kicking!

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Konflikt '47 - An Examination Of New Weapons That K'47 Brings To The Battlefield

One of the most exciting parts of devouring new game expansions for me has always been diving into new weapon systems or equipment that change the rules of the game. These new items broaden the horizons of possibilities in the game, for better or worse, and always refresh the viability of older units and options as new combinations of gear come into existence.

While Konflikt ’47 is not technically an expansion to Bolt Action perse, it kind of is. Because it is built on the version one rule set of BA and because units of BA immediately slot comfortably into the K’47 game and universe, it is hard not to consider new weaponry within its pages as a expansion on how armies in the game play. Today, I will be looking at the three new tank mounted weapon systems that K’47 introduces to game.

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Team Yankee Dust-up Soviet Motor Rifle vs US Mech Infantry Company

by Eric "Tarzan" Lauterbach

I had another chance to play on Sean Mackintosh's geo-hex 6mm board.
We decided on a dust up between a Soviet MRR and US Mech Company. The Soviets had two Motor Rifle Companies, BMP Scouts, Full T-72 company, Hinds, and some Gohpers. The US OB was Three platoons of Infantry, mortar platoon, Vulcan platoon, 2 ITV platoons, Arty, Abrams, Attack Helos, and A10s for good measure. It was shapping up to be a good fight we rolled random for who was Soviet and let the action begin.

 The board the Soviet side to the right, US top left.

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Star Wars Armada: Konstantine vs Dodonna video Battle Report

Steven and Sean battle it out with new Armada stuff! Konstantine takes on Dodonna in a battle to the death!

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Team Yankee: West German Tips & Tricks #1: Spahpanzer Luchs (TGBX05)

Guten tag comaraden!

Translation:  Hey y'all!

It's me! SonBae! Live from WWPD-South, bringing to you another in my installment of tips and tricks from models from Battlefront's Team Yankee game.  This time we are going to look at models from the newest faction to enter the Team Yankee fray, the West Germans.

First up is the Luchs (TGBX05).  No, not the PzII variant from World War II, although it does bear a closer resemblance to an 8-Rad or Puma.  This Luchs is a sleek little all-terrain Armored Car.  In Leopard, you can find these bad boys in all of the West German lists.  You can get up to 2 Trupps of 2 Luchs each in the Leopard II Panzer Kompanie, Marder Panzergrenadier Kompanie and up to 4 Trupps of 2 Luchs eat in the Panzer Aufklarungs Kompanie.  You get some pretty cool rules with it  like Spearhead, Scout and thermal that help beef up that 20mm gun.

On to the models!

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Guild Ball- Meet the Butchers' Guild!

"You're just meat to them … weak, tender, soft meat. And they're the Butchers."

-Greyscales, Vice-Captain, Fisherman's Guild

The Butchers' Guild! These are guys and gals who play the game one way: by slicing and dicing their opponents. Let's have a look!

The team! This is every model released except for the new pig mascot: Truffles. Truffles looks awesome- smooth as buttah, can't wait to pick it up.

This is Fillet. She's one of the two captains, and she is a one-woman killing machine. Seriously, she is insanity!

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Bolt Action - Review: Knights of Dice Desert Building

Hello again team, for this review I am taking a look at an MDF building kit produced by Knights Of Dice as part of their 28mm desert range. The particular one I am looking at today is called Desert Residence 2 from their Tabula Rasa range and is made from 3mm MDF. This is the first kit produced by Knights Of Dice that I have ever built so I thought it was a good chance to do a review for you guys. The Tabula Rasa range is promoted on the website as follows - 'A range of simple shapes and shells designed for the scratch builders and terrain enthusiast to improve upon, these kits include no instructions so we suggest dry-fitting all the parts before applying glue. Add some bits from your 'bits box' and you can transform these buildings into something only limited by your imagination'

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Preview: Commonwealth forces in the Battle of the Bulge Book

By Mitch Reed

History is usually biased by the nationality of the writer, which is why many Americans do not realize that the British participated in the Battle of the Bulge. After the Allies recovered from the shock of the attack, General Eisenhower gave Field Marshall Montgomery temporary command of all forces north of the German thrust.   To be fair Monty did not do a bad job and held the Germans on his end of the salient.  Problems did arise after the battle where Monty, true to form, took credit for winning the battle.  These claims did not endear the Field Marshall with his American boss and made their relationship deteriorate further.

The developers of Battlefront did their research when creating the new Battle of the Bulge book and much to my pleasure included the forces under Monty that took part in the battle.  I have been playing with Commonwealth lists since I first started playing this game and I am always looking for new lists in which I can use my huge collection of Cromwell tanks in.

The Lucky 7th
I was not disappointed in what the Battle of the Bulge (BoB) had in store for me; the Desert Rats yet again make an appearance in the game.  The last time we saw these guys was in the Overlord book and they were Reluctant/Veteran; however a few months later in the war BoB lets us play them as Confident Veterans.  I like the fact that you can have two Cromwell’s and two Firefly’s in a platoon for 435 points.  You can even upgrade the Firefly’s to Challengers for 20 points each.  Yes it’s pricey, but at 475 points you have a very strong platoon.  Personally I would go for the 3 Cromwell with one Challenger option at 425 points.  It takes some getting used to playing with fast tanks, however a lists that can field a lot Crowell’s is always fun. This list also lets you field Commandos which are sometimes a great option to have.  Other than the commando platoon the list is the standard British lists we have seen before.

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Star Wars Armada: Fleet Ambush!

A fleet of Rebel ships ambushes an Imperial double ISD convoy! Can the Imps crush the fledgling fleet or will it be another victory for the Rebels?

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Peleliu "Bloody Nose Ridge" USMC vs Japanese scenario game.

Historicon 2016 has come and gone, but here are few pics of the scenario game I ran for WWPD and Battlefront. This game was a Peleliu September 1944 battle for the Umurbrogol Mt. or, as the Marines of the 1st Division called it, "Bloody Nose Ridge".

The game had a Marine Battalion reducing a Japanese bunker and cave complex while also defending against Japanese counter attacks attempting to break the Marine line and reestablish contact with the Japanese fortified position. It came down to the last turn and was a entertaining all the way around.

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LRDG II Podcast: Episode Seven

The LRDG II Podcast Episode 7

In this two part episode Old Man Morin invites guests from around the world to discuss Bolt Action and Konflikt '47.

In the first segment, we invite our American buddies Seamus and Dwayne on to talk about the Norway Campaign of 1939. The guys talk history, famous units involved and list building around this time. 

The second segment marks the return of show regular and TO extraordinaire Peter West. Pete and Brad explore K'47 top to bottom. They talk listing in the Konflikt universe, new rules that they have found, the impact that the game will have on the community and favourite units that they can't wait to try out. Pete even channels the infamous Otto Skorzeny at one point. It is a wild ride.

Please join us for this action packed episode. 

As always, we at the LRDG love your feedback. Please let us know what you think about what you have heard by messaging us on our Facebook page. You can find (and "Like" us) at The LRDG Podcast. Thank you for tuning in.

As always you can find this fine episode in the iTunes shop or you can download it directly HERE.

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Star Wars Armada: Second Wave 4 Game!

Steven and Andrew switch sides and play another round with the new Armada stuff! The lists were put together by our friend Austin to test drive one of each new ship. Enjoy!

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Battle Report - 11th Armored Division Vs. German Grenadiers (Market Garden Campaign Game)

Up here in Danbury Connecticut, where my local club is located, we are in the midst of a Firestorm Market Garden Campaign.  So Far, the Germans are kicking butt and taking names...and as the overall Allied Commander, I'm doing my best to reverse our flagging fortunes.

Through 2 Campaign Turns, our situation is becoming desperate.  Eindhoven isn't taken yet, and this map below shows the battles marking the end of the 2nd Full Campaign Turn.

My Friend Shane was good enough to come over to my place and give me a game. We rolled off for attacker and defender, and he won, electing to attack the Fabled Groesbeek heights.  Not having any american airborne, there was some proxying going on.  I am also, embarrassingly low on Jagdpanthers so when you see a stuG...that's what those are.

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Bolt Action - Victory Road Campaign and AAR

Here at the Bolt Action Alliance, the troopers are busy with something exciting for new and existing Bolt Action players. We are currently play testing through a new campaign system for Bolt Action. The campaign system is being designed for you to play with a friend or in a large group or club. Players assume the role of a new 2nd Lieutenant. Each player then chooses two infantry squads to form the core of their force. Each nation also gets an additional free unit based on their nationality. Before each game players add two additional units to their force using a random unit generator.

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Flames of War ETC Debrief - Part 1/2

Hey, I am back from the ETC and ready to do my own report on how the event in Greece went for me!

Note: This year, I played Soviet Tanks for the Polish team. We managed to win 25/36 games and take the ETC Champions title! :)

Because there is so much I have to say about this year's ETC, I thought I would do two articles instead of one. The first one (the one you reading today) will be about gaming aspects. It will describe how my list did at the event. In the next episode of this short series, I will talk about the organizational part of the tournament and some things that happened outside of the geeky circle :)

So, what about my Tankovy?

I have to say that at first, I was not so amused to play a tank list during this tournament. Since it was Mid War, I already knew that tanks will have the hardest time of all available company types. The issue with them in this period is that they lack the tools needed to be a complete, competitive all-rounders. This inherent weakness makes them very vulnerable to bad pairings, and pairings are the essence of the ETC. Nevertheless, because of how ETC teams are composed, somebody had to play one. And because German list was already taken (you can only have one tank/mech/infantry list of a given nationality in a team), we agreed that for the lack of other options, Soviets will be a good addition.

Since I hate going the orthodox way, I had to develop my own way of making the Soviet tanks work for the Polish team. After some tests on the home front, I came up with this list:

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Why We Fight Episode 5: The Ardennes and The Bulge

Get ready for a bulging new episode of Why We Fight! In ACT I, the guys provide a quick update on some upcoming tournaments. In ACT II, we get an overview of the Axis lists in the new Ardennes Offensive book. Then in ACT III, we see what the Allies are up to in an overview of the new Battle of the Bulge book. Be sure to stick around for this special sneak peek episode.

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Team Yankee: ZSU23-4 Shilka Tips and Tricks #6

Finally! We have come to the end of this series. I hope this has been enjoyable and informative for you.  We get to wrap this up with a discussion of one of my favorite AAA systems.  A radar controlled quad 23mm machine gun!?!?!?!? Battlefront serves up another Soviet system for their Team Yankee version of Flames of War. Now its time to talk about the ZSU 23-4 Shilka AA Platoon boxed set (TSBX05) where I give a little review and share my thoughts and tricks and tips on this model.

Bottomline up front...Yet ANOTHER great resin kit. This is a solid resin and metal kit where the turret and hull are resin and the main gun barrel and tracks are white metal.

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Star Wars Armada: First Proper Wave 4 Game!

Steven and Andrew try out our very first proper Wave 4 game! With lists put together by our friend Austin to test drive one of each new ship. Enjoy!

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