I Played Some Actual Games!

Over the past couple of years I haven't actually played many games against real live opponents but over the past month or so I've been getting back into putting troops back onto the table and facing off against real live opponents.

Game 1

The First of these games was an ancient battle - Republican Rome v's Carthage, using the To The Strongest rules. My opponent for this game was Jenko. Rome had Spanish allies and Carthage had Gauls. It was a great game. We missed some of the finer details of the rules but TTS is an easy set of rules to pick up. Rome came out the victor this time around.

A big cavalry/light infantry bash on the Roman left flank saw early success for Hannibal's men with one unit of Gauls standing up to repeated attacks. But in the end they were over come and the advantage went to Rome. 

The major Roman push was in the centre where the legions advanced. Hannibal on his elephant was routed and it stampeded through the Carthaginian lines causing havoc and opening up the centre.

Game 2.

My next opponent was Lorne. We played a game of Sword and Spear - Vikings V's Anglo-Saxons. This gave me a chance to bring out my Anglo-Saxons for the first time in a long lime. It had also been a long time since I last played S&S and I think that last time was also against Lorne.

The vikings had a smaller but better trained army whereas my Anglo-Saxon army, lead by Æthelguy the Seeker was larger but less battle hardened. However, in the end my brave men defended their heath and home and repelled the viking invaders.

My plan was simple: Send out skirmishers, hold back and make the enemy come to me with the hope that a long advance would break up their battle line. Lucky for Æthelguy, that this tactic paid off.

In the pic below a unit of Viking Berserkers smashed their way through the thinly defended Anglo-Saxon right flank routing several units. They were stopped by a unit of poorly armed and untrained fyrd who hit them in the flank and stopped them for just long enough to ensure the Anglo-Saxon victory.

Æthelguy also had some wild Irish allies in the form of light javelinmen. One unit advanced, hurled their javelins and got wiped out by  group of mounted hauscarls. The second band of Irish faired batter by seeing off the horsemen. Unfortunately they got carried away and hurled themselves into the flank of some heavy infantry who routed the wild Paddies with ease.

Game 3

WWII this time, and again my opponent was Jenko. We played O Group using the introductory scenario in the rulebook - Attack at Christot. Jenko took command of the attacking British and I played the Germans. This is a good intro game will all the elements present to teach someone the rules as you go along.

This time around Colonel Jenkins lead his brave battalion to victory by driving the Bosche from Christot and securing the town. I forgot to take photo's for most of this game but the action starts with the appearance of a German PAK40 taking out a Cromwell (those who know the game and scenario will note that I subbed Sherman's for Cromwell's because I don't have any British Sherman's).

And this was Col. Jenkins's response.

A second Cromwell is hit but the British infantry keep up a steady advance.

An assault on the farmhouse sees the Germans hurled back in disarray from their strong point.

And that's all the photo's I took of that one. An artillery barrage and infantry fire took out the PAK40 and also damaged the Panther tank that came up behind it in support. A second armoured section that included a Firefly came into play and took out the Panther. 

All in all, it's good to be playing some games again.

Thanks to Jenko and Lorne.

P.S. And just in case you're wondering Athol Guy is the bass player from the 60's folk group The Seekers.