Training Day

The club was very quiet last night, only Simon and I playing X-Wing, Clive and Dave with their boardgame and four others trying out Sword and Spear Fantasy. Fantasy on the wargame table is just not my thing, I read some as a rite of passage of course years ago, Conan and Thongor of Lemuria, but I never felt the urge to play it. I also don't get the urge to mirror something like Bolt Action or Dead Man's Hand with werewolves and zombies but each to his own in our multi faceted world of wargaming. Now Sci-Fi I have no problem with as long as it is spaceship battles.

Simon had put together the evenings scenario, a training exercise for rookie Tie pilots, which is very apt as Imperial forces cannot seem to hit a barn door standing in front of it, and don't get me started on why they wear 'armour.' Right, Alpha Squadron had to protect a shuttle which would be leaving a stranded, dead in the water, large ship with an important dignitary on it. Bravo Squadron had to either destroy the hulk before the shuttle launched or, if it did, shoot it down before it jumped to hyperspace.

Bravo Squadron.

Alpha Squadron.

 

For the first game I was Bravo Squadron, I charged in and managed to cause around 50% damage to the hulk but as I manoeuvred it was obvious I was not going to be able to do the same to the front end, so I positioned my fighters to take the shuttle out on launch. Out it came and just like in the movies my men, who had been hotshots up until then if not particularly good fliers, only managed to scratch the paint on the shuttle as it sped away into the recesses of space. Some awkward explaining to do in the classroom later.

We had time for a second game and changed sides. I thought I would keep my escort out of harms way at first then come in behind the raiders and pick off tail end Charlies, not a good idea. Simon, who had obviously been practicing his tactics on the dining room table, raked the hulk from stem to stern and up it went. My escorts were no more than a minor distraction, I always seemed to be unable to get a decent shot in, I could see my pilots driving transports out on the Rim, whatever that is.

So, a good idea which needs a bit of tweaking, either that or I need to concentrate more. We have not played X-Wing for a while and it showed, at least it did with me, perhaps Simon could tweak it that I won.

It is a gorgeous day after yesterdays rain, I really don't feel like doing much, however I have received another couple of map projects, both WWI so that will keep me busy and I have to paint the front of the PO tomorrow, not looking forward to that, maybe it will rain again.