Dust Warfare Review: Part 2

Welcome back, readers,
 I have really been enjoying reading over the rules of this game.  I haven't had the chance to try it out with another person, but I think this game will catch on with those who want the flexibility of a miniatures game without the hardcore rules of most games currently on the market.  I noticed when I read over my previous post that I had only just scratched the surface of what the game is like.  Here is a bit more detail on what goes into a game turn. This is part 2 of my review of the core rulebook.

Chapter 2- Continued...

Most everything in the game is based on rolling the dice and obtaining successes or misses.  A bulls-eye is a success and a blank is a miss.  Each die has 2/3 chance of missing and 1/3 chance of succeeding.  For example: initiative is based on each side rolling dice and counting up successes.  Each side gets a number of orders, in the command phase, based on the successes rolled with the low roller activating first.  The high roller goes second, but does get more orders.  The difference between the Command Phase and Unit Phase is that units may be given only one of two orders: Take Action! and Regroup!
The key is that a miniature in the unit must be within command range of the command unit or a hero acting as a command unit.  An opponent may not react during the Command Phase.

The Unit Phase

In the Unit Phase, the player may activate all units.  Each unit typically gets two orders.  This can be modified by the number of suppression tokens.  There is an order to each activation and enemy units can react.  Units with no suppression or reaction tokens can take double actions.  These are basically stronger versions of movement and attack.  There are also special actions some units can take depending on their own rules.  During these actions, the enemy may react.  In order to react the unit must make a move action that begins or ends within 12" of the enemy unit(s) or targets an enemy unit that is within 12".  The unit reacting may make one move order or one fire order.  A third kind of reaction is not based on range.  The HIT THE DIRT! order is available to all soldier units.  They do take a suppression marker as well as a reaction token, but they get better cover saves.

The End Phase

The End Phase is just a clean up phase.  Basically it's for any special scenario rules, time marking, and removing suppression and reaction markers.

The rules for moving and combat are very clear.  Even my addled brain got a hold of the concepts without much difficulty (which is saying a lot!)  I will not go into much detail here because that really is what buying the book is for.  I will highlight some of the points that I was most interested in before I bought the book.
1.  Cover is based on line of sight from the attacking miniature to a miniature in the opposing unit.
2.  Hits are distributed by the defender, and if no miniatures are in LOS then the rest of the hits are lost.
3.  Range can be measured at any time.
4.  Two types of LOS: obscured and blocked.
5.  Two types of cover: hard and soft.  Soft cover stacks to make hard cover.
6.  You can split fire.
7.  Vehicles take damage and make rolls on rudimentary damage table.
8.  There is suppression and retreat.
9.  Vehicles have a turn radius and a firing arc.

Lots of goodness here.  Can't wait to try all this out!

Chapter 3- Spec Ops

This chapter is a listing of all the special abilities that units and heroes have.  There is a comprehensive list based on all the units and heroes up to April 2012.  The next book, Zverograd, will add stats and rules for the SSU (Russians and Chinese) as well as new weapons of war for the Axis and Allies.

Chapter 4- Battles

DW has a great system called the Battle Builder.  For one off and tournament battles, the players get a certain number of scenario points with which to influence the encounter.  They can use their points to affect the objectives, deployment, or conditions of the battle.  What's more, they can use their army points to buy fortifications, obstacles, camouflage, etc.  There are also rules for campaign battles, similar to the game's older sister Dust Tactics.

Chapters 5 & 6 - Army Lists

The final two chapters contain the rules for building platoons as well as listing each unit, weapons, special abilities, costs, etc.  There is also more fluff regarding the heroes.  Some cool parts are: each platoon comes with a special ability, each platoon has a limited range of units to draw from, and each platoon seems suited for a particular type of play style.  I have built two different army lists and the procedure is very intuitive and clear.  All in all, it rounds out the book nicely.

Wishes

OK.  I love the book!  But that doesn't mean I don't have a few minor gripes.
1.  Why is all the information about weapons spread out all over the place, or in one super long list that takes a magnifying glass to comb through?  As an example, vehicles are listed by chassis rather than each individual type.  Then, all weapons currently in use by every version of that chassis are listed.  This is needless confusion.  How hard would it have been to release unit and vehicle cards the same way they did with Dust Tactics?  They are so similar, it would only have taken a few minutes per card to change the data to correspond to DW.  Not having easy to access information, without flipping through pages of a rulebook, is a hindrance to enjoying the game.
2.  Pages of markers.  Really?  Like I am going to photocopy these from the book that won't lie flat because of the binding?  OK, they did put up the markers as a downloadable PDF, but it just made the book look a bit cheesy.
3.  FFG- I love your products.  I am not happy with buying a hard copy of the book for full value, being told through the boards that it wouldn't be available electronically, and they three weeks later having it available via download for $20 less than I paid hardback.  That was just treating your customers poorly.  At the least, you should have offered the download version for a modest fee.  I have used several rulebooks on my ipad and once you get used to it, it works really well.

Dust Warfare Core Rulebook Review Part 1

D-Day is here.  Dust Warfare has finally arrived.  And I can honestly say, not a moment too soon.  I was chomping at the bit for this to make it into print.  Well here it is, and I am suitably impressed.  The rules retain the simplicity of its progenitor but adds just enough flexibility to make it a cool minis game.  It won't make you search the rulebook for hours looking to see how rule X interacts with rule Y.  The goal of the game is to provide fun in a fast and furious environment.  And who doesn't like Axis genetically engineered apes, Zombie Stormtroopers, and girls named Rosie who can hot shot your mech?  This post is a review of the first few chapters in the new Dust Warfare book.

Ingrid and Markus

Rosie

Axis Zombies

Background

A bit of background for those who don't know the game.  Dust is a universe created by Paolo Parente.  It is a universe that mirrors ours up until the outbreak of WWII.  In this universe, the Nazi war machine discovers a huge alien crash site in Antarctica.  Amongst the debris was one surviving alien.  The axis manipulate him and he divulges military applications to a new source of energy called VK.  While it takes time to develop, by 1944, the Axis are pumping out manned robots, lasers, and other experimental weapons.  The world is torn asunder and forms three camps: the Axis, the Allies, and the Sino-Soviet Union (SSU).  It is now 1947 and the World is still at war.

The Physical

The hardbound book is laid out in 6 sections.  It has healthy doses of illustrations and photographs that illustrate game content as well as providing flavor to the text.  There are many diagrams and charts that clarify written examples and overall it succeeds in immersing you into the milieu.  I really appreciate it when companies remember that the game and rules come first and all else is just icing on the cake.  In this, FFG has done an outstanding job.  There is a healthy index, and the "appendices" contain charts for Axis and Allied weapons as well as counters that one can photocopy for their own use.  FFG has also made these available on their site devoted to the game.Link to resources

Introduction - The Fluff

 The introduction describes the conflict between the Allies, Axis, and SSU from 1938 to 1947.  It has a broad brush appeal and frankly was the only part of the book that I thought needed more time to develop.  It read like a cliff notes version.  In their previous iteration (Dust Tactics) each book provided lots of detail about the world and the conflict.  I think this section needed a bit of that flavor.  The one glaring omission was how the VK weapons were developed and how the Axis came to know about them in the first place.  It is a quick read and it does provide just enough background to get the reader interested in fighting these battles.  I thought it was clever of them, and Paolo Parente, to have Hitler assassinated in 1944 so that they can avoid the whole glorifying Nazis problem.  At least now they will be able to sell the game in Germany.

Chapter 1 - Basic Training

The first chapter is a primer on the fundamental mechanics of the game.  Anyone who has ever played a miniatures game will find this a quick read as most of it follows the standard rules for miniatures.  One rule of note is measuring which can be done at any time.  No guessing how far things are from you...just measure it.  I for one find that a breath of fresh air.  I am majorly challenged in the measurement department.  (OK, get your mind out of the gutter.  I am talking tabletop games here!)  There are also rules describing the firing arcs of vehicles and units.  Lastly, the text describes the characteristics of units and weapons.  The section is brief, but necessary and well done.  Everything is presented in a clear and concise way.

Chapter 2 - The Game

This chapter is the heart of the text.  This is how the game is played.  There is an overview/summary of the game turn and then an in-depth description of each phase.  A turn in Dust Warfare looks like this:

• Initiative Phase
• Initiating Player's Command Phase
• Responding Player's Command Phase
• Initiating Player's unit phase
• Responding Player's unit phase
• End Phase

Each phase has various actions that can be taken to gain the high ground during the battle.  There are rules for suppression, reaction, command range, leader replacement, special actions, and activations.  I really like the toolbox approach that FFG has taken.  Each phase has a purpose, but acting in one phase might preclude you from acting in another.  It is a chess-like feeling where each player can feint, attack, reposition, and maneuver.

There are rules for terrain and cover.  There is also a section clarifying line of sight for shooting.  The largest part details the actions a unit/vehicle can take while moving and the actions a unit/vehicle can take when attacking.  Everything comes with diagrams and charts that clarify each concept.  FFG did an excellent job making these rules reader friendly.  The last few pages of this chapter explain the special rules for heavy walkers and diagrams a battle in progress.  I am looking forward to getting into some games to see how it plays out.  In the next post, I will finish out the review and maybe have a battle report!

  Happy Gaming!        

Pics From the Store

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Dust Tactics in Sin City

After Christmas, Pete and I usually plan a trip. This year we decided to head out to one of our favorite places... Las Vegas. Now I love to play slots, but after this Christmas I decided I wanted to save a little money. Pete looked for game stores for me to visit and he found one that was having a Dust Tactics tournament. I went to the store and hung out for a while and played a game of D.T.
The name of the store was Little Shop of Magic. 4160 S. Durango Dr. The owner was super nice and helpful. The store had a wide variety of miniatures and boardgames. They were heavy on GW stock and flames of war. They also had a healthy invetory of Malifaux and warmachine minis.
There were usually 5-7 players that show up for DT. Due to the holidays only three people showed up and one couldn't stay, but i got to sit in and play a game. I played the allies and had a great time trying out some crazy tactics with flamethrowers and phasers. All in all, it was a cool time. Below are some pics from the shop and game.
Rob

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Las Vegas

WOOT! Dust Warfare!

Next Week!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nuff said.

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=3195

Just Had To Share

So this is has nothing to do with anything, but I wanted to share. I love monkey movies. Planet of the Apes is my favorite. As a kid I grew up with Lancelot Link Secret Chimp and my fantasy football team is the Evolution Revolution. So here they are.. found again... from Youtube...

It's a really big shooo woooo woooo

Day 2 - First three games

We just finshed our first round of gaming. We started with Combat Commander. I was the Russians and Steve was the Germans. it was a very close battle. Steve won with 2 victory points. We are going to play some of the Stalingrad campaigns this weekend, so this was a relearning of the game. I am really excited to revisit this game because it has some really cool elements that I am finally getting the hang of. It pissed us both off at different times, but we had fun.
Next up was an Ameritrash game from Zman games called Earth Reborn. It has tons of bits and some cool mechanics. We played the first scenario twice switching sides. Steve was not as enamored with the game as I was. He felt parts were a bit gimmicky, especially the activation chits. I really liked it. We both won as the Salemites. That may be due to the fact we didn't know what we were doing, or it may be the scenario is not balanced, but I hardly think it fair to judge based on only two plays.
We have stopped for lunch. It is 4:52 and people are beginning to roll in. Looking forward to some more games after a delicious salad. Yeah, even gamers need to watch what they sludge up their arteries with.
Rob



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Charlottesville

Wed. 2/23. 7:55

Settled in at the con. Our first game up is Conflict of Heroes:Price of Honour. I am taking the side of the Polish. Steve is the Wehrmacht. This is a newish game for me. I played this once last year and I had a good time learning the system. This is the newest expansion. The scenario starts with the Germans entrenched and the Poles arriving on the edge of the board. I began by assaulting the German main line and trying to wear him down, meanwhile advancing to one of the two far objective points. The game lasted 5 turns. At the end, the one with the most victory points was the winner.
It looked good for me at the beginning. I did some decent damage and was moving into the board. In the middle, the tide turned and I was flat-footed with most of my troops. When Steve brought his big armored car on, I thought for sure it was over. But in the end, I won. It was very close. See Steve's blog for a more complete description. He is better at the play by play than I am. But it was a really fun game.
Next we played Dust Tactics. Steve was the Americans and I played the Germans. I will do a full review of DT in the near future when I get a few more plays under my belt. Steve totally demolished me in the third scenario. I was totally unprepared for the ass whooping I received. Tomorrow promises to be more adventurous with some brand new games like Earth Reborn and possibly Fortress America.
Pictures of the games will be posted tomorrow sometime.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Charlotesville, Va

Getting Ready For Prezcon

Well, the packing is almost done. Prezcon is finally here and I am looking forward to getting to the con. I think I have everything. Let me see....
Got my games. Check.
Got my clothes. Check.
Computer. Check.
Deodorant. Check. (It seems gamers have an aversion to deodorant.)
Kilt. Check. ;) Just in case I meet a sexy gamer!
Seriously, the games I will be bringing are:
Dust Tactics, Triumph of Chaos, Earth Reborn, Command and Colors Ancients, Asia Engulfed, Warhammer Invasion, Imperium (old version), Space Hulk, Twilight Struggle, Space Alert, Battles of Westeros, Manoeuvre, Fortress America, Incursion, Tanhauser, and The Republic of Rome. Whew, it is quite a list. Steve is bringing the other half of the games with just as many titles. We will have our work cut out for us. We won't get to play everything, but we will make a dent in what we bring. The goal is, as my buddy so eloquently put it, is "To play these babies!" So I will keep the blog updated as to our progress and the count. I've been told I will lose a lot of games. That is not how I see it! Here's to the week!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

New Title Chosen

The new title of my blog will be.... From the Front Line!
I was just sitting here and moping about everything and the blog name came to me in a half dream.  I wasn't even thinking about it.  It just popped in my head in a moment of perspiration, or inspiration, take your pick.  I am pretty excited about this change because it is a title that can incorporate all my various musings on games I like to play.  This week will kick off with my daily posting from Prezcon.  I will endeavor to keep up to date with the different games I play and how things are going.  I can upload pictures and stuff using my new ipad.  We will see how it goes.  So.... Here it is...

From The Front Line

Renaming the Blog

Well, I have been giving some thought as to what name I should choose for the blog.  I have a couple ideas that I will put below.  Tell me what you think.  Maybe some of you have some ideas, feel free to comment.

Thanks,
Rob

 Wooden Steel
Pointless Subdivision
Discarded Dice
Cheerful Winter
Obscure Magiks
Metal Toys of Joy

I might try out some others later.  I am interested in what you all think.

Rob

The Red Star

     I am so stoked- even if just a little. For Christmas, I got an ipad from my folks.  I love that thing.  :)  But I just discovered some apps that feature the first three episodes of one of my favorite comics ever.  It was a little known series called The Red Star.
     The series takes place in an alternate universe, very similar to ours.  There were only 21 total issues set in this universe, I believe.   The series is set in a post WW2 mythical Soviet Russia.  The country is known as The United Republics of the Red Star.  As the series opens, they are at war with the country of Al'lstaan - a country similar to Afghanistan.  What makes the series unique and worth looking up is the incredible artwork and storytelling.  This comic exudes atmosphere and mood.  You don't so much read each issue as savor it for the experience.
      The first story follows Maya, a warkaster, who is part of the red fleet.  The fleet is made up of giant skyfurnaces which are huge skyships that unleash holy terror.  Maya is an instrument of that terror.  The first three issues are a remembrance of the the battle where her husband was lost.  The subsequent issues and volumes follow other citizens of the URR and we see a glimpse into the revolution and the downfall of the URR's greatest hero.
In addition to the comics, there was an almost aborted PS2 game, finally released- to pretty good reviews- and a D20 role playing game based on the D20 Modern rules set.  If you like Warmachine or Hordes- you might like this comic series.  Check it out!
The Red Star Home Page
1st Graphic novel (issues 1 - 4) on Amazon
Some of the Great Artwork!!!!

A Quick New Year's Update

Hi All,
I am sitting here helping out a buddy, and I have decided, once again, to try to make something out of this blog.  It's not like I don't have a lot to say, as my friends will all attest, it's just that I don't know that what I have to contribute is all that interesting or accurate.  That being as it may, I will just press on and let my shit be my shit and not fret too much about what all 12 of you think about what I might have to say.  (12 being the sum total of my readership as of January 8)  As my friend Steve has told me over and over, if I want people to read this then I need to post more often.
The funny thing about this blog is that it started over a year ago as kind of a competition between Steve and I.  We were working out at the gym and just joking around about it and then it just kind of happened.  What I thought was just a gag kind of thing, really turned in to something I wanted to care about.  I got real excited, but my limited knowledge of what I was playing and my total lack of experience with this medium made for a rocky start.  I pride myself on trying to be youthful.  That's why I teach.  I love having a child's outlook on life.  Miniature games and wargames bring me back to that time in my life when everything was possible and toys could bring such joy.  It is my happy place, you could say.  I guess what I am saying is that the joke of me always losing, while true, really constricted my ability to write and enjoy this blog.  What I really want to do is convey the excitement and just plain old joy of playing with toys. To that end, I think I will be changing my blog title.  I will think on it a bit, and post some ideas.  If any of you have any ideas about the title, please let me know.  I don't have any New Year's resolutions, but I do have a new resolve.  I just want to get out there and play!!!
To the multitude of you out there reading this...., er to the hundreds of you tuning in...., er to handful of you who clicked on Steve's link to my page by mistake- I hope you will like what is coming.  To my friends who read this blog and play games with me - You all are the best friends a guy could ask for!  Here is to a great new year!

Karchev The Terrible

Hello all,
 I am excited to begin a series of posts about the main casters that Khador has.  I have used about half and I like them all for different reasons.  I have to say, that Karchev is my current favorite because he is a balls to the wall type of caster.  I used him in a recent 3-player battle and really liked his simplicity and depth.  I am looking forward to using him again.  Here is my current understanding of how Karchev works and what he offers the Khador player.

Gather around, children, and I will tell you the story of one of the Motherland's greatest defenders... Karchev The Terrible.  Gaze at his visage.  Burn his face into your memory. Keep this icon under your pillow.   His image will protect you on those nights when fear grips at your hearts.  

He began his service as a warcaster and revered military leader.  He had an uncanny affinity with those great lumbering hulks called warjacks.  It was during a brutal confrontation with the Cygnaran army that he lost all the forces under his command.  Rather than surrender to sweet death, he pushed himself beyond all limits and slew the hated enemy.  His anger and rage engulfed him and he refused to die.  His body broken and destroyed beyond all repair, Karchev demanded that a warjack body be constructed to allow him to continue his service.  That was well over 100 years ago, children, and still the terrible Karchev protects us.  He is a treasure to our nation.


Feat, Spells, and Weapons
Karchev has a pretty standard Khador type feat which is Total War.  All models in his control area get pathfinder and can charge or make power attacks without spending focus.  Also, at the beginning of their activation, they can change facing which is great for setting up those charge lanes.  This may not seem like much, but given the dearth of focus that he gets, it is crucial.  Paired with his spells it can allow a jack to unleash a beating on an unsuspecting subject.  His spells are geared to giving jacks mobility and firepower.
His own skills are Arcantrik Turbine and Man in the Machine.  Arcantrik Turbine allows him to gain an extra focus or gain +2" movement.  Man in the Machine is a lot of text that boils down to this:  his body can be healed by focus, his machine only by models with the repair skill.  He is a living model, but not a warrior nor a warjack.  He is affected by deep water, just like a warjack.
Tow
The most useful spell is Tow.  This spell allows Karchev to place jacks B2B within his back arc as long as he moved within 2" of the jacks during his movement.   This can really help move those jacks forward quite quickly.  The catch?  Only 3 can be towed.
Unearthly Rage
Unearthly Rage is Karchev's main way of gaining focus efficiency.  Rage allows all of his battlegroup warjacks, in his control area, to gain  boosted melee attack and damage.  In addition they gain the magical weapon trait.  So, for a cost of three, you could boost 3-4-5-? jacks on all attack and damage rolls.  That is incredible!  What's more, you could give two focus to a jack and have them just demolish their opponent with multiple boosted attacks and damage.
Sidearms
This spell is a defensive spell.  Basically it allows models in B2B contact in the control area to gain +1 to defense for each other model in the control group with which they are B2B.  They also avoid knockdown.  This is a great spell for making a brick move with some safety, but the lower defense of most Khador models hardly makes this worth it.  The focus is better spent elsewhere.
Eruption and Ground Zero
These are two AOE spells.  Eruption is a ranged spell that deals a POW14 damage with fire.  In addition there is a cloud effect that damages models entering or ending their move in it.  Ground Zero is a 5"AOE spell that deals a POW 13 damage and pushes the model away from the caster.  Both of these spells are highly situational and cost a lot.  I don't foresee using them too often.
Weapons
Karchev has an open fist and the sword Sunder.  He also has the ranged weapon Fissure.  Sunder is a basic melee weapon at p+s 19.  This will deal a lot of hurt when it hits and coupled with his spells and feat, could well cry the death of anything in his way.  Fissure, on the other hand, is a marvelous weapon.  It has decent p+s (12) but if it hits it knocks down the model. It is a spray so we are usually talking multiple models.  This could set up a painful series of events for your opponent. 

Synergies
Karchev is first and foremost a warjack caster.  No units have particular synergies with him.  So any units taken will just be support for the situation.  That being said, Mechaniks would be useful because they will keep his jacks up and running.  What makes him shine are the jacks that will be unleashed in a hell of fury.


Beast-09
OMG!  With Reach, Thresher, Imprint: Murderous, and Heavy Boiler this beast will roll!  Give it a few focus and unleash your feat and spells and watch it demolish all in its path.
Berserker
This jack will be totally unencumbered with Karchev.  No focus is needed to give it boosted attack and damage, and with Tow you can get them into battle quickly.  Why settle for one B?  Take two or three.  Did I mention chain attack?  Ouch!
Behemoth
OK.  This is amazing.  Two open fists, armor piercing, p+s 12 attacks.  Boosted by Unearthly Rage and can be allocated extra focus for ranged attacks.  Did I mention those same ranged attacks can be made in melee combat?  Did I add that it can make ranged and melee attacks in the same activation.  It may not be very accurate, but who cares.  It is killer!  Can you say, "Time to Die?"  

These seem to me to be the big 3 jacks that gain the most from running with Karchev.  I am looking forward to using him in a 1:1 battle.  That way I can see what he can do when he is totally focused on one enemy.  As always, comments or suggestions about my analysis are welcome!

Wow--- Long Hiatus

OK!  So I have been way out of touch for far too long.  It is not that there haven't been lots of things for me to blog about... I just had little time and I lost my drive to post.  Too much losing made me not so restrained in my discouragement.. but that was then and this is now. 
To kick off my first post in nearly three months, I wanted to talk about my closest game yet in Warmachine.  Steve and I played a game a couple of weeks ago, and it was very close- the way he tells it.  I wasn't so sure, but it did feel great to finally have some impact in the game.  His list was led by the Witch Coven and my list was led by Irusk.

CRYX List
The Witch Coven of Garlghast
- Deathripper
- Deathripper
- Defiler
- Reaper
Bane Thralls (Leader and 5 Grunts)
Bile Thralls (Leader and 5 Grunts)
Bane Lord Tartarus
Pistol Wraith
Pistol Wraith

KHADOR List
Kommandant Irusk
- Devastator
- War dog
Doom Reavers (Leader and 5 Grunts)
- Greylord Escort
Doom Reavers (Leader and 5 Grunts)
Great Bears of Gallowswood
Man-o-war Shocktroopers (Leader and 4 Grunts)
Man-o-war Kovnik


It started off with me putting down lots of forest terrain.  I don't know what I was even thinking because I had no way of gaining pathfinder through that mess.  My brain was somewhere else.  I definitely need to think about the setup better.  That being said, I did like the fact that we had lots of terrain.  It made for some great tactical decisions.
I really liked the way I chose my forces.  I thought about what I needed, the leader that would help me the most, and what I wanted to accomplish.  My main goal was to learn how to use my units effectively.  I totally got that.  I saw how to maximize them, keep them protected, and unleash them for some pain.  I did need to have some more protection for them, and I needed to pop my feat earlier, but all in all I learned what I set out to learn.
It came down to the final few combatants.  I didn't know how to seal the deal, but I did do more than I have ever done before in a game versus Steve, so that for me is saying a lot.  Maybe next time, I will carve out a victory.  Maybe next week there will be a new type of post.  One where I have vanquished the evil! 
Until then, I will remain restrained.  :)

Khadoran Forces Routed By Stunty Dwarves

Ok, so I started this blog because I lose far more games than I ever win.  And rather than becoming frustrated and stop playing games, I would restrain my discouragement and learn from my mistakes.  Well, this was one of the most discouraging battles I have ever fought.  Sorry about the fuzzy pictures, I forgot my camera so I used my cell phone pics.

Khadoran Forces

•  Forward Kommander Sorscha
•   Beast 09
•   Devestator
•   War Dog
•   Kayazy Assasins (9 + Leader)
•   Kayazy Underboss
•   Winter Guard (9 + Leader)
•   Winter Guard Infantry Officer and Standard
•   Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich

Seaforge Commission Forces

•   Durgen Madhammer
•    Ghordson Driller
•   Wroughthammer Rockram
•   Herne and Jonne
•   Horgenhold Forge Guard (9 + Leader)
•   Ogrun Bokur
•   Ogrun Bokur
•   Thor Steinhammer
•   Ghordson Avalancher

This is how the battle looked at the start

Turn 1

We began by advancing forward.  Seaforge moved first.  Peter moved into some cover and set up his barrage of ranged death.  His total force was set up on the premise that if he could rain death down on my advance, he would be able to destroy me before I could get to him.  Khador moved second.  I activated Sorscha and  I cast Iron Flesh on my WG units.   I ran the WG forward.  Kovnik Joe moved next and  gave a rousing speech that made them fearless and tough.  Courage of the Forefathers!  My assassins advanced on the left flank at a full run, and my jacks moved up.  Beast 09 ran forward and my Devastator (who was bonded to Sorscha) moved as well.  So far so good.  My WG units had a defense of 17 (12 + 3 for iron flesh and +2 for bob and weave from my unit commander).

Turn 2

On turn 2, Peter unleashed some bombarding fire.  It didn't seem to do all that much.  Killed two of my WG units.  He took a couple of pot shots knowing they would miss so that he could get blast damage from the shots.  Some of his units can get three blast shots from one shot.  The luck gods were with him, because each shot he fired scattered in the exact direction he wanted to hit the majority of my figures.  I blame myself for not spreading them out more or double ranking them.  On my turn I ran some more, repositioned my assassins, and again cast Iron Flesh.  I took a shot at his Avalancher, but did minimal damage.   Now we were in his sweet spot.

Turn 3

Peter popped his feat.  His Bombs Away gives every blast attack an extra die on blast attack and damage rolls.  Even with my defense of 17, and tough, my WG unit was decimated along with Kovnik Joe. You see my plan was to get my assassins up close to move through his army to attack his caster.  This was not going to happen, because their defense was simply too light.  And with his Explosivo, and the other multiple ways he can make AOE attacks it was likely he would just wipe them up.  So I changed tactics.  

I repositioned my assassins, and moved Sorscha and my jacks into hopeful striking range.

Turn 4

This was the last turn.  Peter took some shots against my jacks and Sorscha, but their armor was too tough.  He took out 2 assassins and protected his caster.  His last spell on his caster was Inhospitable Ground.  This meant the terrain was rough for me to advance into.  This is where I get screwed up.  Now my options were there, but I couldn't do them in the right order.  I needed to get rid of his guards, but to do that I had to activate my jack and then send Sorscha up to put the final kill.  I couldn't activate my jack to get there without first activating Sorscha to cast a spell that would allow the jack to move far enough.  My assassins could move, but they needed pathfinder, which again meant activating Sorscha first.  It was 12:30, so in the end, I popped my feat, activated Sorscha and charged with her.  I hoped I could get rid of the one blocking model and then do two attacks on his caster.  Well, this was folly.  So Peter won with a well put together force and he used his spells and abilities optimally.

Recap

I am sure there were other strategies I could take to use this force better.  I have never used Sorscha, but I did have a feel for how to use her.  I think the bottom line is that I just suck at tactics.  I just don't get it.  I am a pretty smart person, but unless I can see it and figure it out, or have someone ask/question/show me what I am doing wrong, I won't figure it out.  I can't get it on my own, it seems.  This battle reminded me a lot of AT43 with the indirect fire being the king of the battlefield.  I do like Khador's theme, and the abilities of its casters, I am just not good at making them work against an opponent.  Well, I remain restrained in my discouragement.  

Arcane Legions

A while back, at Prezcon, I tried out a game called Arcane Legions.  It is a miniatures game that takes place in an alternate type universe.  There are three basic factions: The Romans, Chinese, and Egyptians.  While I won't take time to go into the mechanics of the game just yet (I have only played it once and that was back in February) I have started to put the miniatures together.  They are very cool looking.  I especially love the Romans riding the bears into battle.  Once I get the millions (seriously a ton) on figures done and have played a few games, then I will post up a better report.  To give you an idea, here is the link to their website http://arcanelegions.com/ .  Some minis come pre-painted, but the majority come unpainted.

Dude! You are Famous!

Just a shout out to my boi Steve who had his first playtesting credit published this week in an Advanced Squad Leader magazine!  Congrats, dude!  Very cool.

Warmachine (New Minis)

I have been on a buying kick these last two weeks.  For some reason, I have wanted to put together a full fledged, no proxy, army.  I finally got Strakhov and the guard dog primed and ready for painting.  I have cleaned and assembled my Iron Fang Pikemen as well as my Assault Kommandos.  I got the Great Bears ready and my new caster, The Butcher.  I also got one of the plastic jacks kit that lets you make three types of jacks.  I bought magnets so I can swap out the arms, and weapons, etc.  This is the coolest project I have started.  The real challenge is finding someone to play.  Everyone seems real busy with life in general that everyone wants to play but nobody will commit to a time to play.  My glorious force of the motherland may never see the light of day.  Ahh well.

On a fun note, I have joined a competition about playing.  http://boisterous-exuberance.blogspot.com/2010/06/half-year-resolution-progress.html

see the bottom of the post

Pics if I can get all my stuff together this weekend

Manoeuvre

By far, the game I have enjoyed playing the most over the past 2 years is a game called Manoeuvre.  Manoeuvre is a Napoleonics game.  It was designed to be learned quickly and played in under an hour.  The game is absolutely one of my favorites.  In this post, I will try to give the flavor of the game and a rundown of each nation and their strengths.


Size Does Matter
The game is played by two players over a 4 square map.  Each square is divided into a 16 (4x4) grid.  This makes a map that is 8 squares by 8 squares.  The tight nature of the map encourages strategic thinking as well as forcing players into conflict after the first turn or so.  The different map squares sport different kinds of terrain, and this is part of the charm and appeal of the game.  The design allows for infinite replayability.
The pieces are typical cardboard chits, larger than in a wargame, but well suited for play.  Each nation has 8 units representing units that existed at the time.  The units are augmented by a deck of cards that detail the combat capability of the units as well as tactical cards that allow units to heal, move outside of their turn, build defensive groundworks, leaders, ambush, etc.  The mix of cards and abilities are different depending upon each nation and their military skill at the time.  Thus, France and Britain are the best armies of the game and the USA and Austria are the weakest.

The Game is Afoot
A turn consists of discarding cards and refilling your hand to 5, moving one unit, and then attacking with a unit.  Lastly, you may heal a unit or build a redoubt also with the play of a card.  Card management is the crux of the game.  In order to attack, you need to have a card that matches the unit you wish to attack with.  Then the defender has the option of playing a card to add to its defense.  The attacker may then play a leader card to bring in other units adjacent to the defending unit.  Dice are rolled and a simple calculation is used to determine losses.  If the die roll is less than the defense, that attacker takes a loss.  If the die roll is equal to the defense the defender chooses to retreat one space or take a loss.  Twice the defense and the attacker chooses.  Three times the defense and the defender takes a loss and retreats.  Four times the defense and the defender is eliminated.  If there is no retreat, the defender is eliminated.  In order to win you need to eliminate 5 units or get the most victory points at sundown.  Sundown is when both players have exhausted their decks one time.   Each player calculates victory points based on where they are in the opposing side's terrain.  The most vp's wins.

Nations
France- The best army in the game.  France has the highest attack on their cards, and the most maneuverability of any country.  They can make a mistake here and there and still recover from it.
 Britain- England has the best overall attack and defense in the game.  They are a good match for France.  They have excellent leaders and high attack values on their units.
Russia- Great defensive cards.  Russia can let the battle come to them and then stonewall.  A solid counterattack and they can dominate.  (My favorite faction).
Turkey- Lots of cavalry and that means pursuit losses.  Turkey is very agile on the field and can even take down France if they play conservatively enough.  I have won the most with Turkey, I think.
Prussia- An average country that has no real strength in any one area.
Spain- Weak leaders and low values make this a country that could handicap a better player versus a new player.  Spain does have guerrillas which allow it to cancel some tactics.  Very helpful for picking off wounded units.
Austria- Similar to Prussia but not as good.  This country is the weakest.
USA- A bit better than Austria due to its use of ambush.  I still don't think it is very competitive, but it is a fun country to play against.  Very unpredictable.

All in all, this game is a phenomenal game that wargamers and eurogamers both should like.  And you can get it now that it has been reprinted. 
Keep up to date with wargaming news here at my buddy Steve's blog. http://cardboard-warriors.blogspot.com/