No Need to Fear the Russki's

Last night I joined in a 'Modern' wargame with 1/300 models, the rules were a shortened version of the real rules and were free online, so we found ourselves somewhere in Europe with the British and Americans fighting off a Soviet attack. No Belgians, Danes, French etc. cheap shot but it was too good to pass up in the present climate. I have never fancied warfare after WWII as it seemed too complex to me unless it was grand strategy with a boardgame at divisional level.

I did play a fantastic computer game entitled Wargame: The Next War In Europe and its expansions which moved to the East and brought in aircraft and ships, this is almost the only computer 'wargame' worth the title. You had a points limit and you chose your forces from either Nato or Warsaw Pact countries and fought the game in real time with up to ten people, it was and is brilliant, although I have not played in a long time as real wargaming is now taking up most of my time.

Anyway, I commanded two platoons of mechanised Soviet infantry and a small recce force, I decided to hare it along a road and debus in a wood and set up a defence. I found out that my recce units were basically useless and my armoured column was toast on the road, if you can see it you kill it ruled. I had to withdraw my BMP's to keep them alive, if I had won the race it would have been the same result but the Americans would all be dead.

Forwardski!

Ooops.

Ooops II.

Stuart on the other flank with the tanks advanced in true Soviet fashion and got slaughtered, our artillery was pointless as you had to put a marker down and the enemy seeing it there simply drove past or around it, then it was catch up for the spotters. We finished the game early as the Russians had no one left and the same fate obviously awaited our reinforcements, I didn't actually get one shot off. Another club member said he had a much better and simpler rule set and given a week or so would put something together so we could try it out, so we will see.

On the other table we had Matt giving an introduction to Chain of Command on the Eastern Front, by the look of the troops the Germans had just invaded, there were some lovely Germans on the table, I think it was 15mm or maybe even 10mm, not sure. There was a little more happening on the table than I usually see with CoC but it still seems overly complex for what it is.

 Next week there is some Sharpe Practice again and I hope to get in a Bolt Action game at last and kick off my campaign.