Playtesting: Gettysburg: The Tide Turns, The Second Day Scenario

 I'm just about half way through the scenario.  What a battle, complete with plenty of reinforcements arriving throughout the day.  The CSA have a number of victory point objectives from which to choose.  So what to do?   I had initially decided to focus on Culps Hill but changed my mind and set about snagging a chunk of Cemetery Ridge.  

Game start

End of first turn

End of second turn

End of third turn

End of fourth turn

So after chipping away at Cemetery Ridge with little success, the Union has managed to swing around in a sickle cut style of approach all while keeping their objectives.  What is more, rather than waste time attempting to rest Cemetery Ridge, I realize I could have just made a run for Little Round Top and most likely been able to hold and reinforce the position there.  Ah well, hind sight.

Companion Guide to episode 27.0

Taken From the fine book, Campaigns of Napoleon by David G. Chandler

Also consider

Renowned for its accuracy, brevity, and readability, this book has long been the gold standard of concise histories of the Napoleonic Wars. Now in an updated and revised edition, it is unique in its portrayal of one of the world's great generals as a scrambler who never had a plan, strategic or tactical, that did not break down or change of necessity in the field. Distinguished historian Owen Connelly argues that Napoleon was the master of the broken play, so confident of his ability to improvise, cover his own mistakes, and capitalize on those of the enemy that he repeatedly plunged his armies into uncertain, seemingly desperate situations, only to emerge victorious as he "blundered" to glory.
Beginning with a sketch of Napoleon's early life, the book progresses to his command of artillery at Toulon and the "whiff of grapeshot" in Paris that netted him control of the Army of Italy, where his incredible performance catapulted him to fame. The author vividly traces Napoleon's campaigns as a general of the French Revolution and emperor of the French, knowledgeably analyzing each battle's successes and failures. The author depicts Napoleon's "art of war" as a system of engaging the enemy, waiting for him to make a mistake, improvising a plan on the spot-and winning. Far from detracting from Bonaparte's reputation, his blunders rather made him a great general, a "natural" who depended on his intuition and ability to read battlefields and his enemy to win. Exploring this neglected aspect of Napoleon's battlefield genius, Connelly at the same time offers stirring and complete accounts of all the Napoleonic campaigns.

What to play:
For the beginner:

 For the intermediate player:

For the advanced player:

Ex Post Scriptum:
Here is the link for Strategy and Tactics mag. issue 36: Just copy and paste

http://www.sdfo.org/wargame/S&T%20036%20-%20Destruction%20of%20Army%20Group%20Center.pdf

Episode 27.0 coming soon!

Episode 27.0 should be posted later this evening.  You may find this episode or should I say special issue, somewhat atypical but I think you'll enjoy it nonetheless, (I hope). What's it about?  Well, there is a not so subtle hint right here in this post!

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.