Companion Guide to Episode 26.0

 Sickle Cut (Sichelschnitt)

Case Yellow was the German offensive in May of 1940 that shocked not only the allies but the bulk of German high command. In less than a month's time it made quick work of Belgium and Holland, shattered the armies of France, and pushed the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) into the sea at Dunkirk. Additionally, Case Yellow achieved the largest pocket ever to be created in the war, with the largest number of captured soldiers as well.  In hindsight, it may seem that all went according to plan but Manstein's daring strike through the Ardennes was a gamble that could have easily gone awry.

What to read:


What to play:




A range of historical problems confront the player directing the Allies in this game. His French, Belgian, Dutch, and BEF combat units have not yet mastered the faster pace of action in WWII, and therefore are slow and don't fight at full Action Rating when in Move Mode. The Allies are also forced to adopt the historical Dyle Plan (when not playing the what-if version of the campaign), which leaves the French with inadequate reserves behind the Ardennes and too many of their best forces committed to shielding Antwerp and Brussels. Because history tells us the headlong rush into Belgium was primary cause of the quick Allied defeat, an "If I Was in Charge..." version of the campaign is presented to allow both sides to explore some different initial deployments.
A simple set of campaign objectives are presented, with Victory Point awards centered on the following:
• The French must vigilantly protect Paris, which is the ultimate German objective. Two more cities along the map's south edge, Verdun and Metz, are also worth points (so the French cannot just abandon the Maginot Line).
• The possible surrender of Holland is triggered by German armor moving adjacent to any of the three Dutch major cities. Surrender chances are modified if the French and BEF are supporting Holland (which is why French 7th Army initially moved north of Antwerp).
• The possible surrender of Belgium and BEF Evacuation are triggered when the Germans drive a wedge between the Belgian coast and Paris. Surrender chances are modified, however, if the French and BEF are supporting Belgium (another nod toward the historical rationale of the Dyle Plan).
• The Germans also win points for battering the BEF, so the Allies are encouraged to keep this force intact.
The game's special rules are judiciously chosen to evoke the full flavor of the campaign. For instance, the Maginot Line is given its historical due, shown as a strong right shield that can unfortunately be outflanked through the Ardennes. Rules for special operations are something new to OCS, and these can capture enemy bridges and forts (but just on 10 May unless playing an optional rule). As mentioned above, the BEF can get isolated or mauled as part of the victory conditions, and if this happens a ragtag assemblage rides to the rescue: RN Destroyers, special Evacuation Ports, elite Irish and Welsh battalions, and even some Spitfires finally appear to provide some top-cover. Mix in the occasional Pause — an event that tugs sharply on the panzers' leash — and you've the kind of chrome that make The Blitzkrieg Legend a tremendous tool for historical study and an exciting source of gaming pleasure.
The Blitzkrieg Legend is also a game with tremendous replay value. Presented are 7 scenarios and 3 campaigns. The longest is just 13 turns; the largest fits on a standard 4' x 6' table. Series veterans know the depth of the model can lead to some long and complex turns, but here at last we have an entire campaign that can easily be played to the finish!
Scenarios
1. South. The first 4 turns on the southern half of Map B. Covers the fighting at Sedan as well as the crossings of the Meuse further downstream by 6th and 8th Panzer.
2. Center. The first 4 turns on the northern half of Map B. Covers the fighting at Gembloux Gap as well as the crossings of the Meuse by 5th and 7th Panzer.
3. North. The first 4 turns on Map C. Covers the air landings and surrender of Holland.
4. Mini-Campaign. Links the first three scenarios into a short campaign using two maps.
5. Sedan. Lasts just 2 turns and uses just a small portion of Map B. Covers the French counterattack and German breakout.
6. Arras. Lasts just 1 player turn. A teaching scenario covering the Allied counterattack.
7. Dynamo. Lasts 8 turns. Plays like a campaign game, using just Map A to cover the important events during the last half of the campaign.
Campaigns
1. "No Holland" Version. Doesn't include the fighting in Holland, which is "automatic" and not under player control. Uses two maps, the full 13 turns.
2. "With Holland" Version. Uses all three maps, the full 13 turns.
3. "If I Was in Charge..." Several variations on either of the two campaigns are offered.
Components:

• OCS Series Rulebook
• TBL Game Specific Rulebook
• Two Charts and Tables Booklets
• Full Color Game Map (two 22x34, one 28x15)
• 1,960 Counters
• One 8.5x11 Play Aid
• 10 Scenarios (3 of them are Campaign Scenarios)
• Box and Dice

Upwards and Onwards

The show now has 150 subscribers!  Thank you all for your interest.

Episode 26.0 is nearly ready to go.  The information gathering is done, I just to need to record and edit.  It should be available either late tonight or some time tomorrow.

Thanks again, and keep gaming!

Playing the odds, Luck or Science?

 When it comes to playing the odds, especially by way of dice throws, how much is luck and how much is fate?  Consider this:

The sum of 2d6

One thing that you can do is work out what the total of the dice is. This allows you to simulate throwing pairs of dice and see what the result is. Additionally, it's a good overview of the probability involved, since you can see which combinations are more likely. Nevertheless, the real world, or even a simulation of it, never matches completely with calculated probability. So how do we calculate it? The first thing is to work out what the range is. You can't have a total less than 2 (both dice being 1) and you can't have a total more than 12 (both dice being 6). The easiest way to see what the probabilities are is to write out the possible totals. There are 36 of them in all (6 x 6).

Total on dice	Pairs of dice	Probability
2	1+1	1/36 = 3%
3	1+2, 2+1	2/36 = 6%
4	1+3, 2+2, 3+1	3/36 = 8%
5	1+4, 2+3, 3+2, 4+1	4/36 = 11%
6	1+5, 2+4, 3+3, 4+2, 5+1	5/36 = 14%
7	1+6, 2+5, 3+4, 4+3, 5+2, 6+1	6/36 = 17%
8	2+6, 3+5, 4+4, 5+3, 6+2	5/36 = 14%
9	3+6, 4+5, 5+4, 6+3	4/36 = 11%
10	4+6, 5+5, 6+4	3/36 = 8%
11	5+6, 6+5	2/36 = 6%
12	6+6	1/36 = 3%

So next time you use random number generators (as SPI referred to dice at one time), know that 7 is more likely to come up than any other number, but I wouldn't bet money on it :) 

And by the way, with all the games that reward you for rolling low or high, where's the games that reward you for rolling mid?  Exactly....

Companion Guide to Episode 25.0

25 Episodes ago

It happened one day when I was checking to see if the newest episode of my favorite monthly podcast had been uploaded.  It hadn't and I think it was then and there that I got the idea to do a podcast of my own.  If they can do it why can't I? I could talk about what I wanted to hear, as often as I wanted (what was up with the once a month thing?  Why not every week?)  So between my nephew and plenty of self teaching, I was able to get my podcast legs underneath me in a relatively short amount of time.  I still remember those early episodes, chock full of uncertainty and that "will you please give a listen sir if you get time" type of voice.  I knew I wasn't going to set the world on fire and that was fine because I had no desire to do so.  I simply thought of it as a different kind of game.  One in which a trident of news, historical research and game play analysis would meet in an public arena.
   

Let the show begin

Once the pilot episode was launched, I really had no clue as to how many shows I wanted to do or at want point it would retire and that is still pretty much the case.  After crashes and incorrect uploads, sub par audio and hours upon hours of editing, I still have a lot to learn.  I still get at least one person a week asking if there is an mp3 or itunes version and believe me I wish there was, that would mean the ability to reach and please so many more listeners.  But, alas, it is yet to be.  The meager amount of research I have done regarding the matter has informed me that it pretty much cannot happen without paying somebody something and from the outset one of my tenents was that this endeavor not cost me anything other than a bit of time.  Not to say there will never be an mp3 version, but i'm honestly in no real hurry to offer it.

Who is that podcast guy?

My interest in all things military has prevailed since I can remember, from setting up soldiers upon the floor to war movies, to books about various battles (I still remember sitting with that giant Civil War book "Campfires and Battlefields" in my lap and looking with glazed eyes at the numerous renderings of battle scenes).  All the summer days i had spent racing through the woods in some imaginary ambush.  Then one day my brother, who would come visit on weekends, had brought something with him.  It was a descent sized box with a wonderful illustration of what i don't remember but most likely some battle that matched one of the myriad scenes that oft graced my imagination.  I watched him sit for such long periods of time, absorbing some mysterious, code like source of information, then unfold a certain flat historical world and apply his rites of initiation to the maneuvering of tiny cardboard squares across it.  I was as intrigued as I was mesmerized.  He seemed to be operating a kind of intricate, toy like, analogue machine and I wanted to do likewise.  Of course I was far too young at the time and those rule books were beyond anything I could even feign having the slightest bit of understanding.  But the seed had been planted.

The first game I truly remember enjoying was Battle Hymn.  I had been shipped up to my grandfather's for a week or two one summer and was thumbing through an Avalon Hill catalog.  So I make the call and ask for Ambush.  They were sold out but had Battle Hymn, so I took a chance and the exhilaration that coursed through my body when the thing showed up is no different then when a package shows up today.  I still get that same, child like excitement. 

I had grown up in St. Louis and been shuffled to Festus Missouri before I could even have a chance to consider what fifth grade would entail.  There, I spent many a long week throughout those "formative years" with strange baby sitters as my parents traveled cross country on long trips in an 18 wheeler.   The games helped keep my occupied, helped pass the time as did hockey.

Fast forward to Columbia Missouri where I tacked on another 2 years to an already three year long college resume.  I stuck my toe in graduate school and then somehow fell backwards for most of my mid to late twenties.  I had tried my hand at writing and was able to squeeze out a novel amidst a bushel of short stories but alas, they sit in a box, amidst other boxes back in St. Louis, silently awaiting my some day return.  When I was again finally able to plant my feet firmly on the ground, I was 30 and feeling a bit confused.  10 years later, I found myself no longer employed in the warehouse where I had sacrificed 13 years of my life and that same familiar feeling of confusion remains, as does the games, as does hockey, and a certain girl whom I reluctantly ended up chasing to New Orleans where I currently reside.

The shelves of games are here with me, physical memories of a past, and inspirational instruments of a future yet to be realized (I will design my own game one day) and I wouldn't give 'em up for the world. 

So that's that... 

These days, I have developed a particular kind of calender for myself, one that relates to a particular recording of miniature exploits and their relation to history.  It registers time in weeks, and offers me a chance to reach out to a community of individuals who like me are hooked on those boxes and their cardboard contents and perhaps like me hear that faint echo somewhere in the depths of their mind whispering, "Keep Gaming".

Thanks for reading.

Gettysburg The Tide Turns Playtest Update

Playtesting has gone fairly well.  After a few adjustments (I had been doing a couple things incorrectly) I was off and running.  The following pic is for game start.  White x's represent units that cannot move.

The above pic represents the situation at start of turn two.  Not much happened and part of this is do to the units eligible to be activated with corresponding chits available to be drawn.  The main action took place near Culp's Hill.  A few mutual demoralizations and step losses with a Confederate unit retreating.

And finally, the situation below represents the conclusion of turn three and thus the end of the scenario.

Pickett's Charge occurs once again and smashes against the Union troops in front of Cemetery Ridge. Here the Approach Fire rule came into heavy use as movement into an enemy zone of control allowed a defensive type fire to which no response is allowed. The South got lucky in a couple spots but it didnt last long as units retreated and shattered (units that accrue demoralizations equal to their current strength are removed from the map).  It seems the charge was as useless in the game as it was in real life.   For the North, they stand firm and are even able to tighten their strangle hold on Gettysburg.  Alas, I was unable to change history.

As mentioned, i had been doing a couple things wrong.  Namely, a unit must attack all enemy units within his zone of control.  It does so by divvying up its strength points among available targets.  Additionally, multi-units attacking a single unit do so individually, that is to say, they attack "together" but the attack is resolved with each units full strength.  There are no ratios to be determined in this game. 

Conclusions:
I like the chit draw which allows only certain formations to activate each turn.  I also like that the bulk of units in this scenario begin with strength losses and demoralizations as well as movement restrictions. 
Combat is relatively easy with no combat results table.  Determine the hex terrain, from that get a base number which you must roll equal to or less, then roll a number of ten sided dice equal to your strength (after adjusting for losses/demoralizations and morale)   Morale checks for receiving hits are easily resolved.  Simply roll a ten sided die, add a units morale which can be anywhere from -3 to +3 and if you roll equal or less then 5 you pass thus turning all hits into demoralizations.  If you fail, you take the first hit as a step loss then apply any excess hits as demoralizations and finally retreat.  Now retreating can have a complicating effect on your units for if you are forced to retreat into a friendly occupied hex the units in that hex must make a morale check, failure of which can result in demoralization and retreat.  In essence, what you can have is a cascade effect of retreating units in a densely packed area. Pretty cool stuff.  So in all, i like the game and have enjoyed every minute of playtesting thus far.  As this was only a tiny three turn scenario i can only imagine what the full campaign game will be like, can't wait!  Again, it's unfortunate that the beauty of all these gears and levers will go unnoticed once the game is released but a few of us will still "see it".

Thanks for reading.

R&R

So it looks like this week will in fact be a week of R&R.  We have a few days booked at the Royal Sonesta Hotel deep in the heart of New Orleans.  Should be good times.  At any rate, I think the show could use a break in the action as well.  It seems the last couple episodes were a bit "dry".  Back to the normal schedule next week, hopefully with a full, fresh production of Episode 25.0 the Diamond anniversary episode!!!  So until then, I'll be poolside (and sneaking in some playtesting :)

As always, thanks for listening and keep gaming! 

Playtest Update

Playtesting has begun!

So I spent most of the day pasting, cutting and mounting counters then printing more files and finally setting up for the Pickett's Charge scenario which is a smaller, three turn scenario. 

So in a nut shell, thus far:
Zones of control are sticky (units must abort movement upon entering an enemy zone of control)  and cover a full 360 degrees. Oddly, friendly units DO NOT negate zones of control for purposes of movement.

No facing or formation issues to deal with as it would seam the scale isnt micro enough for it.

Units moving into an EZOC risk Approach Fire which denies them the ability to fire back during combat and they get a negative to hit modifier.

Combat is mandatory for units within enemy zones of control and can occur twice per turn (hour) per engagement. If after the first round no one retreats or is eliminated, then proceed to another round.  If after this, the situation is still the same, then the attacker retreats.  Both sides may fire but only the activated side may retreat before combat/advance after, or bombard.

Lots of morale checks to roll for.

During combat, a natural roll of one always results in a hit regardless of modifiers, and conversely a natural 10 always results in a miss regardless of mods.  So no matter how good or bad the situation may seem, think again.  You roll 1d10 for each strength point.  Basically, if a unit is fired on, it may fire back.

Hits can result in strength loss or demoralization.  As a result, units may be forced to retreat, become eliminated or shattered.

So bascially you roll a ten sided die for each strength point and if you get a hit/s the defender makes a morale check.  If it passes, it transfers the hits into demoralizations and the unit doesnt have to retreat.  If failed, one hit is taken as a loss and the rest as demoralizations. Additionally the unit must retreat and becomes Shattered if all of its strenth points are demoralized.

Surrounded units suffer adverse affects, while units firing at a surrounded  unit receive a bonus.   There are height advantages/disadvantages and the normal terrain effects.

Retreating into a friendly occupied space can cause the units within that space to retreat or even suffer losses.

Artillery can conduct bombardments which can only result in demoralization.

A units morale can span from -3 to +3 and among other things, this number determines how many strength points can be rallied.

Demoralized units may not fire. 

You can retreat before combat under certain circumstances.

Shattered and demoralized units rally during night turns, and costs them their movement ability to do so.

Interestingly, a unit will never rally all of its strength points, always retaining 1 demoralized SP.  Thus shattered units with only 1 sp cannot rally.

Shattered units are completely removed from the map and cannot return until rallied.

Cavalry may not voluntarily enter an artillery  or infantry enemy zone of control.  So really the only purpose they serve is to beat up on horse artillery and other cav. In fact, they have to make a morale check to retreat before combat if approached by infantry, if failed, they must stand and fight.

Victory for this particular scenario consists of:
Cemetery Hill/ridge and Culp's hill plus points for eliminated/demoralized units varying for inf. to cav. to art...

For playtesting, a chit pull system is used.  For this scenario, the Confederates have the initiative which means when a chit is pulled they activate the corresponding formation and can choose to engage in combat or move. If they choose to move, they again have the option to engage in combat after doing so.

So the counter density for this scenario leaves roughly 50 percent of the map open for maneuvering.  What is more, a ton of units are unable to move at all (but still capable of combat as needed) per set up rules.  So with all that in mind plus the sticky zones of control, there isnt a ton of wide sweeping manouvers going on in this thing, its more along the lines of slug fests between well established positions. 

So when this thing comes out for IPad, obviously all this "work" will be done for you, but i wonder just how many people take all this behind the scenes stuff  into account as they manipulate a pair of thumbs across a screen.

Thanks for reading.

Mail Call

The Coming Storm arrived today!

These four games explore the major battles of 1806-07, where the French Army encountered two different opponents with different capabilities, from the leadership-challenged Prussians in Saxony to the chaotic battle conditions in winter against the Russians. Based on OSG's Special Studies, which provide a turn by turn narrative of the four battles. Each game shows the approach to the battlefield on the day before battle. The Jena-Auerstädt game has both battlefields on one map and allows both sides to re-deploy before battle. Set at the scale of Napoleon's Last Battles-525 yards per hex and one hour turns-the game retains the Command System of Commanders and Corps Officers.
BATTLES SIMULATED
JENA-AUERSTÄDT-13-14 October 1806
PULTUSK/GOLYMIN-24-25 December 1806
EYLAU-7-8 February 1807  (YAY WINTER!!!)
FRIEDLAND-13-14 June 1807
Napoleon's Last Battles system, following Four Lost Battles: 525 yards (480 meters) per hex, 1 hour per turn, 500-800 men per strength point. Each game lasts about 40 turns.
COMPONENTS
Four 22 x 34" full-color maps
Two Rulebooks (36 pages and 24 pages)
One 2" game box
Two counter sheets = 560 units
Three player aid sheets
Four player aid cards
Two decks of 50 playing cards = 100 cards
GAME SYSTEM
Napoleon's Last Battles (NLB-Series)
- scale = 480m/hex,
- time = 1hour/GT,
- strength = 500-800 men/SP.

Happy (belated) birthday

May 5th was wargame hall of famer Rodger B Macgowan's birthday.  Thank you Mr. Macgowan for all the work you have done for the wargame industry!

Mr. MacGowan has worked on over 250 wargames and designed various game magazines in his career and has won numerous game industry and hobby awards.  He was the founder of the late great mag. Fire and Movement and has done the box art for countless wargames.  Back in 1976 ( i was three years old) Avalon Hill welcomed him aboard.  His first wargame box art for them was The Russian Campaign, followed by Squad Leader and Cross of iron.  He also did the art for Avalon Hill's in house mag. The General.  You can find Mr. Macgowan's most recent work on any number of GMT game boxes, or just check out his mag. c3i.


Ah... the salad days of wargaming...

Call of Duty

I am proud to announce that I have officially been called to do my duty by way of playtesting Gettysburg The Tide Turns. I will be one among a couple dozen individuals who have been tasked with the same endeavor.  As stated previously in the show, Shenandoah studios is blazing a new trail when it comes to wargames in general and digital wargames in particular.  So far they have released to great acclaim, "Battle of the Bulge" and "Drive on Moscow".  G.T.T.T will be their third installment for IOS (ipad/iphone).  The interesting thing, (and i have gone on record as saying i do not play computer wargames) is that these games look and feel like old school hex and counter wargames.  What is more, when it comes to playtesting and development, they do it the old school way, with a table, a map and some counters.  So i am both excited and anxious regarding said playtesting.  This will be my first official go at it and unlike WWII and more, the Eastern Front, the American Civil War is not my strong suit but i will give it an honest effort and perhaps i can even bring a new perspective to this arena (or im just being naive :)    So check back in the coming days for reviews and session reports! ( assuming all goes well)

Progress thus far:
Download and print files including: 3 maps, 1 counter sheet of units, 1 counter sheet of markers, 40 pages of rules, and 2 pages of charts. 

To do list:
Pickett's charge scenario

Companion Guide to Episode 24.0

World War 1, Eastern Front, 1914, The Battle of Tannenberg.



The Battle of Tannenberg was an engagement between the Russian and the German Empires in the first days of World War 1. It was fought by the Russian Second Army against the German Eighth Army between 26 August and 30 August 1914. The battle resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Russian Second Army, as well as the death of its commander Alexander Samsonov. A series of follow-up battles (the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes) destroyed the majority of the First Army as well, and kept the Russians off-balance until the spring of 1915. The battle is notable particularly for a number of rapid movements of complete German corps by train, allowing a single German army to concentrate its forces against each Russian army in turn.
Although the battle actually took place close to Allenstein (Olsztyn), General Erich Ludendorff's aide, Colonel Max Hoffmann, suggested naming it after Tannenberg, in the interest of German nationalist ideology, to counter the defeat of the Teutonic Knights at the Battle of Grunwald (Tannenberg) in 1410 by Poles and Lithuanians. As pointed out by the Australian historian Christopher Clark, the actual Tannenberg is some 30 km (19 mi) to the west, and there was no intrinsic reason—other than the historical battle and its emotive resonance in the narrative of German and Slavic nationalism—to give its name to the 1914 battle.

What to read:

What to play:

For Hindenburg's personal account of the battle:
 http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/tannenberg_hindenburg.htm

What's on the horizon for Hexes And Soldiers...

So what's on the horizon for Hexes and Soldiers?

Well, the mantra up to this point has been, "so far so good".  I've had a blast doing the show and it seems you guys have enjoyed it as well, so, steady as she goes. 

Here is the tentative itinerary for the next couple of shows:

Episode 24:  All I will say regarding this is, "1914", beyond that, you'll just have to wait and see.

Episode 25:  This will be the "Diamond" episode and I hope to do something extra special for you guys.  So what will that entail?  It's still up in the air.  I would love to grab an interview with someone and I have a few other ideas as well, but as of this moment, i've yet to nail anything down.  Additionally, Episode 25 may be delayed a week pending family coming in from out of town.  We'll just have to wait and see. 

Finally, I'm always open to show suggestions, ideas, requests, rants, raves, applause...so let me know whats on your mind.

Beyond that, keep on keeping on with the gaming and i'll do the same. 

Oh and thanks for listening!