Happy 4th of July!

Enjoy the holiday and let the rockets take flight!

I've been enjoying the great weather here in St. Louis, hope to bring some of it back with me to New Orleans.  It's also been nice taking a short break from the show.  As far as gaming goes, I've made great use of the pool table in the basement (the ideal wargaming table) while staying here.  

The topic for the next show is up in the air and so i'm not quite sure when episode 31.0 will be posted (sometime mid to late next week?) but I will let you know as soon as that information becomes available.  Meanwhile, spend the day with family and friends and get your brats in line and column so they can do battle on the grill!

Mail Call

As I continue to scratch that ASL itch...The Pacific Theater is looking better and better these days.


Rising Sun is Advanced Squad Leader’s long-awaited return to the jungles, islands, and atolls of the southwest Pacific. Multi-Man Publishing has combined the original ASL modules Code of Bushido and Gung Ho! into one monster package. Rising Sun includes the entire Japanese, Chinese, and United States Marine Corps orders of battle; a 2nd edition of Chapter G, which covers the unique rules needed to play ASL in the Pacific Theater of Operations and incorporates all the current errata; and an updated Chapter H for the Japanese and Chinese vehicles and ordnance and for landing craft. Also included are 32 updated scenarios, combining the original Code of Bushido and Gung Ho! scenarios with 16 out-of-print PTO scenarios that originally appeared in the pages of the GENERAL, the ASL Annual, and the ASL Journal. From the ASL Annual '93b comes the Gavutu-Tanambogo campaign game (Sand and Blood), a new 17˝×22˝ Gavutu-Tanambogo map, and Chapter Z pages. Scenario errata have been incorporated, and new errata have been issued for the older scenarios to reflect the balancing changes made to the updated scenarios. The package is rounded out by seven 8˝×22˝ geomorphic mapboards (boards 34-39 and 47) and dozens of overlays, all updated to match the latest style of boards. Both the rules and the counters benefit from a larger, more readable font.

 
Rising Sun contains:
-Revised Chapter G; Chapter H for Japanese, Chinese, and Landing Craft; and Chapter Z (Gavutu-Tanambogo Campaign Game)
-1,300 ½” counters and 592 5/8” counters (1,892 total) — 
-boards 34-39, 47, 
Gavutu-Tanambogo HASL map
-overlays 1-5, B1-B5, Be1-7, Ef1-3, G1-5, M1-5, O1-5, OC1-4, OG1-5, P1-5, RP1-5, Wd1-5, X6, X11, X25-X29 — 
-32 scenarios:

Smertniki	Shanghai In Flames
On The Kokoda Trail	The Drive For Taierzhuang
Shoestring Ridge	A Stiff Fight
Bungle In The Jungle	Ramsey's Charge
The Eastern Gate	Grabbing Gavutu
Hazardous Occupation	Tanambogo Nightmare
Red Star, Red Sun	Take Two
The Bushmasters	Munda Mash
Cibik's Ridge	Totsugeki!
The Rock	Orange At Walawbum
Today We Attack	Smith & Weston
KP 167	Broken Bamboo
Jungle Citadel	OP Hill
Sea Of Tranquility	Last Of Their Strength
Hell Or High Water	White Tigers
Bloody Red Beach	Battlin' Buckeyes

The Future Of The Show

So i've set my cross hairs on 50.  Nothing lasts forever and to think the show might go on indefinitely would be naive.  Therefor, my target for the final episode is 50.0  (assuming I make it that far).  Additionally, episode 50 will put the show's life right around a year old, a good run in my opinion.   As i've stated in the past, the show has been a blast to do and your support has made it all worth while.  Now, that is not to say I may not come back for an infrequent episode just to say hey and wax nostalgic, but the break neck pace of one episode per week will be no more.  Not to fret!  That pretty much guarantees 20 more episodes which will cover a wide range of topics.  Oh and I should add that this blogspot will still be going strong.  That said, here is a very tentative topic list for future shows:

Kursk (mid war)
Waterloo
The Pacific Theater
Wargame graphics
SPI a complete history
Vietnam
Budapest offensive (late war)
Moscow 1941
The battle for Germany (late war)
Samurai/Shogun era
Chutes and ladders: a strategic analysis :)
Plus all the usual news, reviews, rants and musings

Just remember, all things are subject to change.  Finally, I am still accepting history/game topic suggestions so feel free to speak up!

Thanks for listening and keep gaming!!!

Companion Guide to Episode 30.0

In this episode I take a look at North Africa and focus on the battle of El Alamein.  The Battle of El Alamein marked the culmination of the World War II North African campaign between the British Empire and the German-Italian army. Deploying a far larger contingent of soldiers and tanks than the opposition, British commander Bernard Montgomery launched an infantry attack at El Alamein on Oct. 23, 1942. German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel returned to battle from illness and tried to halt the tide, but the British advantage in personnel and artillery proved too overwhelming. After Hitler blocked an initial retreat in early November, Rommel managed to escape annihilation by withdrawing his men to Tunisia.

What to play:
For the novice:




For the intermediate player:

 



 For the advanced player:



What to read:



What to watch:

Companion Guide to Episode 29.0

The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 1942 – 2 February 1943) was a major battle of WWII in which Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in the south-western Soviet Union. Marked by constant close quarters combat and disregard for military and civilian casualties, it is amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare. The heavy losses inflicted on the Wehrmacht make it arguably the most strategically decisive battle of the whole war. It was a turning point in the Eastern European Theater- German forces never regained the initiative in the East and withdrew a vast military force from the West to reinforce their losses.
The German offensive to capture Stalingrad began in late summer 1942 using the 6th Army and elements of the 4th Panzer Army. The attack was supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing that reduced much of the city to rubble. The fighting degenerated into house to house fighting, and both sides poured reinforcements into the city. By mid-November 1942, the Germans had pushed the Soviet defenders back at great cost into narrow zones generally along the west bank of the Volga River.
On 19 November 1942, the Red Army launched Operation Uranus, a two-pronged attack targeting the weaker Romanian and Hungarian forces protecting the German 6th Army's flanks. The Axsi forces on the flanks were overrun and the 6th Army was cut off and surrounded in the Stalingrad area. Hitler ordered that the army stay in Stalingrad and make no attempt to break out; instead, attempts were made to supply the army by air and to break the encirclement from the outside. Heavy fighting continued for another two months. By the beginning of February 1943, the Axis forces in Stalingrad had exhausted their ammunition and food. The remaining elements of the 6th Army surrendered. The battle lasted five months, one week, and three days.

What to play:



What to read:



 What to watch:

 

Episode 29 Is Up!!!

In this episode, I'll have a couple new games to tell you about then I'll reveal my opinion of Combat Commander Europe, did I sell it or shelve it?  I'll share a list of Stalingrad games, then I'll give a brief overview of the fighting that took place within the city and cover a number of key landmarks.  Finally, I will take a look at what I consider the best Stalingrad game for your money. 


So clear your tables and get your situation maps out as we take a look at Stalingrad in history and in games!

Happy Father's day!

On behalf of Hexes and Soldiers I would like to wish all you Dads out there a happy father's day!