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Saturday 23 March 2024

Upon my Oath (mark)

 Today, we returned to Oathmark, but as our pal Phil is down with a bad cold, it was just Lawrence, Rhoderick and myself playing.

I used 3000 pts of Dwarves and had to fight the others with a mix of Dark Elves, Elves and Dwarves (Traitors!)

We diced up a river crossing, but as no-one had a river we rediced and got the Oathmarks scenario again!

The table for today

I deployed Border Guard, Militia and Spears on my left, and a Heavy Catapult (my preferred anti Giant weapon)
In the centre, more Militia and Soldiers (and my 2 Spellcasters)
On my right, Archers and more Spearmen.
By the central Oathmark I deployed a block of Soldiers and more Archers.
Rod had an esoteric bunch of 'Dark Elves' Archers and Rangers on the right, Warriors in the centre and a Spellcaster.
Lawrence on his left had his Wulvers supporting some newly painted Rangers.
He also had a unit of Elven Spearmen and some Dwarven Linebreakers and Warriors.
Rhods Archers advanced and shot...
3 of my Dwarven Axemen fell.
The Rangers also advanced and shot...
...another three Axes fell.
Tough, those Dwarves, their supporting archers shot back...
...(Its hard to see in the riot of colour,)-- but we shot 3 Elven Warriors.
At the end of turn one, my Apprentice had laid smoke screening off the Elven Rangers...
...my army was advancing steadily.
The Dark Elves had a Disordered unit.
Lawrence seemed...reticent in his advance. One remembers the Elves were supposed to be trying to destroy my 3 Oathmarks!
My Archers shot another 3 Dark Elf Warriors.
The Dark Elves killed one of my Archers!
My Mage had given the catapult Explosive Ammunition...
It Exploded! leaving only 2 Warriors (including their Champion)
Shaken, they withdrew!
The Elven Spellcaster used a fireball on my Archers, killing a further three.
My Dwarves were unperturbed, I didn't fail a single morale check all game!
My Archers shot back but only killed a single Dwarven Linebreaker (he was protected by 'Gathering of Crows' cast by the enemy's Dwarven Spellcaster!
My Axemen lost their shields to a 'Sunder' spell, and my Spellcaster was out of sight of him to send magical protection!!!
The Elven Rangers bypassed my Smoke and shot a single Dwarven Spearman.
My Axemen charged the Dwarven Linebreakers, and drew! (One loss each), so we both recoiled 1" back.
My Border Guard had come through the woods on my left...
...and wiped out the Champion's unit.
At this point, the Elves gave up, there was no way they were going to get through my Dwarven Phalanx!
I have redone the points for Oathmark (using the same algorithm as I used for 'What a Tanker')  and changed the Spell Casting numbers to make them...fairer.

I hope we can try them out next game and see what effect they have on the game!!!

Saturday 16 March 2024

Armour in the desert.

 Today, with our pal Lawrence down with the flu, Rhoderick, Phil and myself decided to have a couple of games of 'What a Tanker' using my Solo system and my AI Tanker rules.

First game: 1967


Rhoderick wanted to try Egyptians, so he and Phil took SU-100s.

I took a T34-85.
The Israelis used 2 M-51s and...
...An M-50 with 76mm gun.
The table for today, I forgot the scatter we like to use so its rather more desert-ey than we usually use!
I chose not to bring the road, mainly so I didn't have to spend ages hiding the section edges on GIMP2!!!
My T34 got to go first, and this Command Die roll looks brilliant doesn't it, but my AI rules class Arabs as having 'Poor Crews' which means they discard all '6's after the first!!!
Rhoderick had a different problem, no 1's or a 6 so he didn't move!
At least my 6 allowed me to use it to move into cover behind a house!
Opposite us Phil was vulnerable to this M-51, but when it fired it got 2 '1's, which shut the tank down!
Phil had turned to hide behind the trees, but only went 1"!!!
Rhoderick moved to engage an M-51.
It advanced and got a shot off...
The Su was toast! - Rhoderick 'jumped ship' and took over an M-51!!!
I tried to engage the M-51...and missed! - it shot back...
...and only got 3 5s and 6s from his 10 dice!
I rolled 4 saves out of my 5 dice!
I survived!
The M-50 also advanced in the centre.
Phil got a 'bead' on the M-51.
The M-51 Phil had shot at limped into the town.
Phil had caused damage to its running gear.
I was getting bracketed by 2 Israelis, so when I rolled no shooting, I retreated further behind the building.
The Israeli tanks advanced like angry Daleks
Phil advanced round the flank.
I moved just to the corner to ambush the Israelis when they came round the corner.
OOOPS!
The shot missed, but my crew were...unhappy!
Phil and the M-51 were circling round this long building.
I had retreated a bit but didn't get round the corner and into cover, the M-50 got the bounce on me!
He missed again! - I got no Aim, so had to retreat into cover.
Didn't help.
Phil got 4 move dice...
...so skedaddled!


The second game (1973)

In this game, the AI used T-62's

We were opposite with 3 Sho't (Centurion) tanks.
I advanced down the left...
I hit a T-62!
I damaged its running gear.
Rhod went down the Right and began trading shots with the T-62 I had damaged.
Phil went straight into town.
The T-62 didn't react.
The centre T-62 advanced and shot at Phil's Sho't.
Fortunately it missed!
Phil withdrew and fired...
...damaging its running gear.
My Sho't was unable to move, but kept getting shooting dice.
I was nibbling at the T-62, knocking off 1 Command die each shot!.
Phil acquired and shot the T-62 on the hill.
A clean kill!
The right hand T-62 came round the wood and saw me!
Sho'ts burn just as well!
The T-62 even had another move die so advanced on Phil.
Phil and the Egyptian ended up nose to nose.
After 2 shots each, Phil got the Killing shot.
Rhod had finished off the last T-62, I had got it down to one Command die before I exploded so he easily achieved the hit that made the crew abandon their tank.

So, the Israelis won both games, and I got killed twice!

Fun!