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Normandy ’44 Campaign AAR Part V: June 16th-18th

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The Invasion So Far…

The US Army successfully took Carentan and linked the Omaha and Utah beaches. More infantry will be needed as the front continues to expand deeper into the boccage. The British Army has landed more tanks and expanded their front line. Joining as reinforcements are the 11th Armoured Division and the rest of the 4th Armoured Brigade to help make up for losses sustained by the 7th Armoured Division, 8th Armoured Brigade and 27th Armoured Brigade. They were added to the front lines to complement the Canadian 2nd Armoured Brigade and the Guards Armoured Division.

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Secrets of the South Pacific – Part 1

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Strategies for South Pacific: Breaking the Bismark Barrier Scenario in Empire of the Sun

The South Pacific Scenario was initially released in C3i Magazine #30 in late 2016. It was also integrated into the 2nd Edition/2nd printing (or 3rd Printing) of the Empire of the Sun base game that was released in Feb 2019. At the World Boardgaming Championships last year (2018), it was added into the Empire of the Sun tournament event and was very well received. The attendance for the event more than doubled from the previous year and many attendees took the time to discuss the scenario at length after playing it for the first time.

It’s getting a lot of attention and play time for a couple of key reasons. One, this scenario uses the base game rules without modification, so experienced Empire of the Sun players can get a quick fix of the game in less than 3 hours. And two, the scenario significantly lowers the barrier to entry for new players by presenting a relatively simple and focused scenario for Empire of the Sun.

With all this table time, strategies have started to emerge that highlight the fact that although the scenario focuses only on small section of the base game map, it still fully carries its depth. The next (or first) time you sit down with this game, these strategy secrets should help propel you to success.

Each section will open with a brief discussion on the objectives that both sides will be looking to accomplish during that turn followed by some detailed tips to help highlight advantage. Note also that I’ll be discussing South Pacific strategy as it is played at a tournament. Meaning, all draw conditions are considered a Japanese victory.

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Tank Duel Scenario 2: Hold the High Ground – Round 9

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Fire erupts from the barrels of the Panther and PZ IV nearly simultaneously as they open up on the T-34/85, which is creeping further into the building. The Commander sees one shot impact the T-34/85 in the hull between the driver and Assistant driver! No smoke or flames, but how bad is the damage?  The other round just misses, the small movement throwing off the aim of the Panther.

Behind him the SU-100 fires at the Panther again – another hit but it bounces off the sloped armor again! They need to flank him!

The T-34/76 moves into another building and has a nice flanking position on the Panther – if they hurry they can get a shot in before the Panther can move! This may be our chance to take out that Panther!

A round whistles past the T-34/76 – the Stug took a shot after it had stopped but missed.

The T-34/85 just sits there, how bad is it damaged?

The Commander looks around, but the situation is dim. The end of the day is approaching, the Germans control the high ground, and his tanks have been unable to dislodge the Panzers. If we can make one last push before nightfall, we just may be able to drive them off the hills. Attack!

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Normandy ’44 Campaign AAR Part IV: June 13th-15th

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The Invasion So Far…

Last time the Germans tried to take out the British mulberry but failed with one last lunge by Panzer Lehr (which got surrounded and mostly destroyed for their efforts). Now the British can turn their focus to firming up their front line and pushing to Caen again. The American armies expanded their front at Omaha but it’s really thin and they need to land more infantry if they want to push to St. Lo. Over at Utah premature efforts to cut off the peninsula were abandoned and instead the focus is to link the beaches by sieging Carentan and driving northwest to Cherbourg.

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General Eisenhower’s Armchair: How War Becomes a Game

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This is a guest post from a friend of a friend. It speaks to the relationship the world at large might have to our hobby as wargamers. We thought you might enjoy it… — Mitch

by Jerad Alexander

Davin has a problem. His advance on Poland is being gutted by the collective will of democratic Europe. His army of high-powered Russian and Belarus troops are being hammered by NATO air power across northeastern Poland and the Baltics. His casualties began to mount on the second week of his campaign—how many has it been? 5,000 dead and wounded? 7,000? Davin isn’t a military general. He hasn’t trained for any of this. He lives with his girlfriend Joanna in Chelsea. He collects soundtracks on LP and works as a webmaster. He’s not even Russian. He’s from
Fresno.

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Welcome to Centerville – Strategy Tips from ElusiveMeeple

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Today’s Welcome to Centerville Strategy Tips article is from Robert Crowter-Jones, the writer behind ElusiveMeeple, a wonderful and useful site that provides both reviews and strategy tips for a wide variety of boardgames. Robert has reviewed Welcome to Centerville in some depth and written strategy tips for the game on his blog (see the ElusiveMeeple site). For strategy tips on Triumph and Tragedy, 1960: The Making of the President, Time of Crisis, Churchill, Fire in the Lake, Here I Stand (2-Player), and Thunder Alley, see his InsideGMT articles here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

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Tank Duel Scenario 2: Hold the High Ground – Round 8

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Coughing from the acrid smoke that envelopes his men, the Commander realizes that they are going to lose this battle unless they can kill the Panther and Stug that have captured the high ground in front of him. And they need to do it soon as German reinforcements have been spotted moving towards the hills. They command the battlefield from there and are laying waste to his men. Fortunately the two German Panzers appear to have lost targets as they just sit there, exposed. 

The SU-100 behind him opens up, nearly knocking him into the side of the gulley. He sees the round impact the Panther in the Hull and bounce off! The angle from the hill was just enough to deflect the round! That Panther…

Behind him the T-34/85 moves up and moves into a building when a round bounces off the hull! The PZ IV has him in his sights, but fortunately that round failed to penetrate.

The T-34/76 appears to have spotted the Stug and is preparing to shoot.   Hurry up! Hurry up!

“The Panther and PZ IV are zeroing in on the T-34/85!” he hears his Loader shout out. Looking at the hills, he sees both tanks lining up shots on the T-34-85!

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The Gandhi Chronicles Issue #5: Playing the Congress in Gandhi — Operations and Special Activities

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In a lot of ways, the Congress Faction represents the heart of the game. Gandhi himself was a major player in the movement and many of the founding principles of the game developed out of building a system around nonviolent resistance. Playing Congress will feel unlike any other COIN faction you’ve played before, for their aim is to persuade, not destroy, their opponents.