Bert Bat Con

Noisemaker 29 Games Played pt. A

2011-06-14T23:16:00.004-05:00

Here are the initial deployments for the British. The French are on the hill...

Here the British start to cross the river. Artillery fire rains down on them.

British crossing the river on the bridge.

Artillery fire heats up from the ridge.

The Brits get close the first time, within canister range even, but they are thrown back.

Here we see that the cavalry battle on the British right was a stalemate. Note the burning house, set ablaze by British artillery.

There is opportunity on the British left.

If the British can push, they can trap the entire French army by taking the defile...

The French realize the danger and begin to move, and the British advance on the ridge...

The French decide to try to stand against the British attack on their right, the British left.

On the British right, a second cavalry attack threatens the French artillery, left out to dry by the moving French cavalry.

The French cavalry make a foolhardy charge against a couple British artillery batteries. They are destroyed by canister shot.

The fighting on the British left. French reinforcements are continuously arriving.

The fighting on the British left stagnates, the French will get away, but not without a cost.

Noisemaker 28 Terrain Segment

2011-06-08T23:08:00.011-05:00

Here is picture one... The 2x2 ft. section was made by using white polystyrene... It works good... Take a long look at a creek somewhere in your area to understand exactly how things work... There will generally be a bank, with some areas more accessible than others. These accessible areas will be perfect fore fords.

Here is picture two. I have painted the fields using green acrylic paint.

Here is picture three. I have flocked the green fields using dark green flock from a model railroad terrain flock.

Here is picture four. I have painted the "deep" areas of the creek with a dark blue. This is best done away from those areas where sandbars will naturally be. Again, take a long hard look at a creek in your area to see how this works in real life.

Here is picture five. I have added some light green, and I have begun to mix it with the dark blue. The dark blue and the light green will generally mix well to make the medium depths. Don't worry too much about the deepest depths, there will be a remnant of dark blue in the middle, even if you have to paint over it. If you are not satisfied, just add more dark blue after this step.

Here is picture six. I have added some yellow to the sides and mixed it with the green and the dark blue. The yellow areas are the shallowest areas of the creek. You can see that this gives a really nice sandbar effect in the creek, while still giving the illusion that there is water, even in the yellowish green areas. I really like this method of making creeks.

Here is picture seven. I like to paint the banks of the creek in an earthy tone... Perhaps there is a better color. I have not found one... Take your cues from real life.

Here is picture eight. I have added dark green areas where there will be forests. I have chosen to make the forests removable for ease of putting men there.

Ryan's Warmachine Pictures Pt 2

2009-10-22T11:18:00.002-05:00

Here's some more Warmachine pictures.

Ryan's Warmachine Pictures

2009-10-22T11:14:00.003-05:00

Here's my warmachine pictures. I might try and throw up some of my Romans too!

Which miniatures should I play?

2008-10-07T15:54:00.005-05:00

So, I've been debating on getting into some miniatures games. And I'm asking for some guidance. I've played MageKnight Dungeons (it's a dungeon crawl not the massive battle one) and also HeroClix Marvel. And I have some of those figures still around. I liked Dungeons and they had some great miniatures but the ones they are producing now don't look that good. Plus, there's not too many people that play. As for HeroClix, it was fun but the rules in my opinion were really hard to understand and I hated the 'activation' markers. Also I did play Warmachine once and loved the miniatures and the play. So here's my options:
1) Make my own game rules using my MageKnight Dungeons guys (like what many others have been doing)
2) Make my own Heroes games using my HeroClix (a little more complicated with all the different hero ablilities)
3)Start Warmachine (I like the miniatures and the play)

Any other suggestions? I'm looking for something that's not too expensive, that's why I like Warmachine ($40 to start...cost of a board game). What do you think?

Return fire!

2008-08-28T12:21:00.003-05:00

Return fire! Well...may not since I'll be talking about Euro-games which are very much non-war games. I wouldn't call them anti-war games but they generally do not have pieces being destroyed. Thank you to WargamerBert for his excellent article and I will try and respond for the Euro-games. First I want to note that I love both wargames and euro-games. After all I am the current reigning champion of Samurai Swords! Yes, WargamerBert was the reigning champion of 3 times until my sneaky ninjas came and have triumphed during the remaining three past games. But I digress. Since WargamerBert has listed his responses so shall I.

Image from Flickr: Gun by aterpeirun

1. Eurogames are quick to play. A typical game can last from 30 minutes to 1 hour. This makes it easier to play more games. Set up time takes usually only a few minutes.
2. Eurogames have easy rules (now I know that this does depend on the game but it is typically euro). This is nice because it allows an easy entry into gaming. Where many people may fear the massive set up/pieces/time and 30 page manual on how to play of wargames, they will find eurogames easy to approach. This can lead them into learning different gaming systems and then the approach to wargames will not be that difficult.
3. Eurogames do promote non-violence. Typically any pieces are not destroyed but 'pushed' or there are not destruction of pieces but gathering of resources.
4. Eurogames promote social interaction. Now all games have social interaction but eurogames promote it within the structure and rules of the game. Imagine Settlers of Catan without being able to talk to the person next to you and persuade them to trade your piece of wood for two ores!
5. Eurogames are typically inexpensive. While a typical wargame costs about $30-50; a eurogame typically costs $10-30.
6. Eurogames provide different systems of strategy. While a wargame will teach you tactics and military strategy; eurogames will teach you a variety of strategies with each game. This way you will learn the basics of strategy and this helps to increase your learning and your ability to play other games.

Well...I only have six compared to WargamerBert's nine points! But hope this brings some good discussion of wargames and eurogames. What do you like? Is there anything to add to eurogames?

Noisemaker: the Podcast

2008-08-18T11:29:00.003-05:00

I've joined the podcasting revolution, guys! Please check it out! The show is about an hour long, and I think it holds up well. I review a book on wargaming or military history, talk a little bit about the hobby, and tell you what my project for the month is... And then you get to contact me! And you can listen wherever you have a computer or an ipod. I'm not on iTunes yet, although I'm sure that if someone likes my game, iTunes will pick me up... So, check my podcast out, and let me know what you think!

The project for this past month (August) was an ancient Trireme combat game... Enjoy!

The podcast:
www.noisemaker.libsyn.com

Ancient Trireme Rules
www.triremebattle.blogspot.com

Mini Bert Bat Con August 2008

2008-08-03T22:00:00.008-05:00

Well, the Ketelsens came over to Amherst the other day, and if you know Brian, well, we couldn't help but play a wargame. We played a game called "Sword and Shield version 2" that I made up last year. I can't believe it was last year, but it was, the date I put on the document was 2007. Regardless, it was a fun game! Here are some pictures, and some commentary.

Sword and shield is appropriately a medieval combat game. However, it is a fantasy medieval game. Each soldier represents one soldier. Version 2 is played with d6's. In this picture, you will see the main objective, a tower. Brian unfortunately got there first with his archers, which was decisive. However, it was not apparent that this was decisive until we compared our respecitve piles of casualties.

Here is a really sad picture. The officer in charge of leading the Bertonian Militia Spearmen was killed at the head of the column. He went down in a flurry of blows from Brian's clubmen and axemen.

Here's Brian looking pretty pleased with himself upon killing my officer. Basically the fight had gone poorly for him until he killed this guy. I was pretty sure that I could use the officers buff stats to pound my way through the enemy and to the door of the castle. Then I could throw the archers off the tower and put my own bowmen up there. But alas, Sam Fireson had to die on the battlefield. Apparently an axeman bashed through his armor. Tragic. But I didn't stop fighting!

Here, near the end of the battle, Brian's steadfast legion receives reenforcements (the guys with the blue shields) who had run away at the beginning of the battle. Yup, that's right, at one time I had three units to Brian's one in front of the door of the castle, and Brian held on. All of his units routed except for this one unit. And I tried to destroy it, and I lost... A very glorious day for Nevan Arms, and a very sad day for the Bertonians.

Brian's casualty pile...

Bert's sorry casualty pile.

All in all, a good time was had by all. Brian and I both liked the game, which is a blend of morale and losing figures. The combat system worked pretty well, and I was pleased because I developed it. However, we both decided that using a ten sided dice would provide more edge cases and better unit differetiation. Also, it is possible that I made it a little to hard to kill axemen and officers. So, having a 10 percent per node spread instead of a 17 percent spread would probably be better. So, look for new game rules for Sword and Shield version 3 coming out soon! The six foot by six foot table was pretty handy as these miniatures were pretty big. I've thought about buying some 25mm medieval miniatures, but my wife says I need to paint my American Revolution and Napoleonic figures first. I'll probably get around to that by Christmas? or maybe Next Summer? Who knows... :)

My Broadside...

2008-08-01T00:39:00.002-05:00

OK, so Ryan asked the question about Euro games vs. War games. I don't want to break the "geek on geek" attack rule, and I don't want to "attack" the gamer from Denver. I will say that I will gladly play a Euro game when I don't have time to play something else, or when someone else is unwilling to learn a war game with me. However, I feel compelled to give all my reasons, my broadside as it were, for playing wargames over eurogames. Here goes.

1. Wargames allow better plot development. What could be more dramatic than war?
2. Wargames "game" historical human interaction (as opposed to non-historical interaction).
3. Wargames "game" (simulate is not always the best word) conflict.

4. Wargames make military history tangible.
5. Wargames combine the disciplines of geography, history, sociology, psychology, and sometimes economics.
6. Wargames are usually about real people in real life situations.

7. Wargames don't pretend an imaginary world where conflict doesn't take place.
8. It actually takes some time to play a wargame, and this is a good thing (see point A).
9. Wargames are just a lot more fun.

OK, so the last one is completely subjective. But I felt like I had to have nine reasons, because the USS Iowa has nine 18 inch guns. Such is life.

Point A: I think it is to a Euro game's credit that Euro games can be played rather quickly, at least usually. However, I tend to like longer games. I don't know, I guess I like the detail. When a game takes a long time to finish, I feel like I have accomplished something. When a game is over quickly, sometimes I feel cheated.

So, if you question any of my broadside points, or if you want to add a point, or if you want to give your broadside in favor of Euro games, then do it!

Dan's Contribution...

2008-07-24T23:01:00.002-05:00

Dan has found an awesome site for 25mm miniatures... I checked it out, and I am nearly envious (trying not to break the 9th commandment...) concerning the fact that he has purchased some of his own moulds with which to cast metal figures! Wow! Looking forward to seeing your casts, Dan!

Here's the site...

http://www.princeaugust.ie/

The prices are in Euros, but I'm sure that Wargamer money is just as good... ha ha... :)

Heroscape: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly...

2008-07-24T22:08:00.007-05:00

Well, Ryan asked for it, and since I've become a little more of an expert on this one in the past few months, I'll talk about it a little bit.

First I'll tell why I think I'm qualified to talk about it...

I've bought both of the starter sets, you can still get them at the Hasbro site, along with many of the expansion sets. I've also listened to a couple of podcasts where the whole show was dedicated to the game. I have also played a couple games with my wife and by myself. I like the game, so I want to talk about it a little...

Let's start with the good.

First, I have to say that the miniatures are well done. They are pre-painted (which is confusing to some... Basically that means that you get them ready to play, out of the box). They come in dynamic poses, and they rarely repeat within units. The miniatures are large, I suppose the size for the human soldiers is somewhere around 35-40mm, foot to eyeball (that's how miniatures are classified -- by a measurment of miniatures from foot to eyeball...)

The conflict resolution system is good too. It is extreemly satisfying to roll 8 dice at a time and have 5 of them come up skulls (i.e. hits).

The many various units are a mixture of history and fantasy, and they have unique special effects that are well thought out.

Now let's talk about the bad... (Not the cards, they're pretty cool... but the activation...)

Frankly, at first I thought the activation system was good. But now, it really lacks something. Basically, in the rules you place tokens on the units you are activating that turn. Then you activate your units in order. But this means that only 3 of my guys can shoot at one time. That doesn't seem realistic. It also means that you can't move all your troops at the same time. While it is true that you probably can't get away with this in real life, the activation system puts more restrictions on the player than a general would expereince in real life.

There have been some attempts to fix this, basically leaving activation up to card draw. I think this could work. Therefore, in stead of putting order tokens, you would draw specially designed cards that would have things like "Activate any two adjacent units" or "Activate any three units" or "Fire all ranged units in range" or stuff like that.

Now let's talk about the ugly.

At first I really liked the terrain, but now I've got a better idea... The terrain is hexagons, and you know that as a wargamer I just love hexagons. But to tell you the truth, I think a miniatures game ought to be more "free form" movement. This means ditching the hexagons and going with terrain pieces on the tabletop. I've got some trees that are just the right size, and some hills that are really good at blocking line of site. Just multiply all of the movement numbers by 2 and do the movement in inches on the tabletop, and change a couple of engagement rules, and you've probably got a better game.

Finally, to answer Ryan's question...

I am not bothered by the collectibility factor. My experience has been that if you buy the master sets, you have a lot to play with. They both retail at 40 bucks a pop, but I got my master set 2 for half that because of a sale at my local Target store. If you can catch a sale, I recommend it.

It is true that there are some expansion sets that are "out of stock," but I really don't think that they will ever tell you that your miniatures are "fased out" like some other popular miniature games. Take a look at Hasbro's site below...

http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/ProductsByBrand.htm?BR=746&ST=SO&PG=1

Also, here's the official heroscape site address...

http://www.hasbro.com/games/kid-games/heroscape/

Heroscape is the intellectual property of Hasbro. It is also a pretty cool game.

Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars for the Xbox 360

2008-07-22T14:03:00.003-05:00

I have always been a fan of the Command & Conquer series. My first experience of it was playing at a bachelor's party (Dan was that yours?? I can't remember). We had 2 TV s and 2 Playstations, so we had to groups playing one each team (one could only do the controls). It was a blast. Of course my best experience was playing Command & Conquer Red Alert 2 on the computer. Real Time Strategy games are best on the computer. You can do every faster.
So when Command & Conquer 3 came out, the question was: Computer or Xbox 360? It came down to this: I would need a new computer to play this game! So Xbox 360 it was. I was leary about playing it on the console and even though my first experience with Command & Conquer was on the console, I know the great ease of playing it on the computer.
Well, after playing it for several months now I must say that the Xbox 36o version is great! They have helped try and take the ease of having a keyboard into a controller. Certainly it is not as fast but it is simple and fluid. Purist will not like it on the 360 but you still get that feeling of playing it. There are times when I play that I wish I had a keyboard because I know that unit wouldn't have been destroyed with my engineer in it! But to experience Command & Conquer again without purchasing a new computer, the 360 is perfect.
They stick with the Red Alert 2 like physical cutscenes which is fantastic. And the story is as thrilling as the previous ones (excluding Generals...ugh). So if I'd recommend you check Command & Conquer out on the console...you'll be surprised.

Wargames or Eurogames?

2008-07-20T12:30:00.006-05:00

This has always been a conflict of mine: war games or euro games? To clarify war game are board/miniature games that usually focus on attacking or gaining territories. These games are similar to Axis & Allies, Samurai Swords, Heroscape (although that's maybe a 3rd Category), and your typical Risk game. Euro games are not just games from europe. They are called Euro games because many of the games from Europe do not have 'war' or the pieces are not destroyed but 'pushed'. Some 'euro games' are also from America. These games are similar to Settlers of Catan, Carcassone, Citadels, Game of Thrones and Ticket to Ride.
The big question is which one is better? Which one has the highest level of strategy? Why do you prefer one over the other? I have a feeling what "WargamerBert" will say!
Images: Fase Preparatoria Dello Sbarco Alleato by Pigliapost
Includes Free River Expansion by Brett L.

Heroscape

2008-07-14T23:29:00.002-05:00

So, the question is, does Bert think it is OK to play a game that he has not made up? "Of course" is the answer. One such game is Heroscape. The figures are pretty good, and the terrain is OK too... however, I would like a more free-form style of movement (ditch the hexes and go with a ruler) as well as a different activation system. But, no game can be "perfect" not even my games...

Well, I was going to show you some images of a heroscape setup that I have on my table, but the interface is proving uncooperative. So, just wait a bit...

A Little Teaser...

2008-07-11T19:03:00.004-05:00

Well, I've been hard at work today turning this...

Into this...

Click the Bertonian Blogosphere July 2008 link to the right and find out what I was doing...

Family Stuff...

2008-07-07T23:56:00.005-05:00

I guess I could put a little bit about my family here... Here are some pictures of Naomi and Micah...

As you can see, Naomi is really doing well. She's a "big girl" and enjoys playing with her stuffed "friends." Clifford is her favorite TV show, and her favorite toys include the "Little People" (daddy's influence, I'm sure...), her "Et" (a security blankET), and anyone she can get to tickle her.

Here's Micah. He enjoys dreuling, cooing, standing at the water table and splashing, and crawling all over the place and chewing on anything that he can find. I found him beginning to chew on my computer cable when I first started to blog this afternoon. Anyway, I caught it in time... :) (let the reader understand "right away.")

Here's both of them playing the piano. I love my kids. Micah is ten months and Naomi is three years old. He weighs only 3 pounds less than she does. But they are both fun and a lot of work to boot. It's great being a dad. Just to let you know that I don't (at least I try not to...) let this wargaming hobby take over all aspects of my life... :) I did have a few pictures of Kristen, my lovely wife, too, but I'll save them for next time...

I'm Baaaaaack...

2008-07-07T17:11:00.002-05:00

Ok guys... Yes, I know, I messed up. Mea Culpa. Let's get over it. And let's start talking about wargames again. Yes, lets.

So, I've decided to add another link to this site. I'm developing rules for 25mm Napoleonics combat. The link to the left will show you what I'm talking about. So... I'm back. Deal with it.

Anway, I also wanted to let you know that I'm going to be publishing a monthly magazine focused on having a get together sometime in, yes, you guessed it, 2009... :) It will be a monthly magazine posted as a blogspot dealy. Look for new coming out soon.

Sorry abou the Bert Bat Con 2008 deal, I guess I dropped the ball. But I also guess I'm a little busy. In August, of course, we added future wargamer Micah to our cadre of Muellers, and now the ten month old baby boy is allowing about 15 to 20 minutes a day for wargaming. So... Enjoy!

An Apology For Wargaming

2007-07-25T11:52:00.000-05:00

Many people today seem to think that if you play wargames this means that you are a lover of war. Some refuse to play such games on principle, others feel strangely about playing them, as if they are breaking some kind of moral code. Some would even shy away from military history in general. In this essay, I will endeavor to give good reasons for playing wargames. It is the aim of this essay to show that just the fact that you play a wargame does not make you a lover of war, more confrontational, or morally suspect.

Now, of course, it must be said that the term "wargame" is perhaps a regrettable accident of history. Real war in the real world is certainly not a game, and should never be treated as such. Perhaps a better word might be "Strategic Simulation" or "Tactical Tutorial." But, since few people know what such things are, I suppose we are stuck with "wargame."

Today our society is exposed to much senseless and non-senseless violence. This finds expression on the small screen, the big screen, and the computer screen. I don’t need to tell you that there are many movies and television shows that use senseless and non-senseless violence as a theme. But perhaps there is even more senseless violence that is found on computer games. One can, of course, play many computer games constructively, but there is a temptation to devolve the game into trying to cause as much damage and senseless violence as possible. I’ve played games which were just about running away from the cops and car-jacking as many cars as possible. While fun, the hours spent playing such games were probably not my finest.

Wargames do not tend to increase violence. The aspect of violence in wargames is always abstracted out into the rolling of dice or the playing of cards, or a mixture of these two. Sure, losses are taken in many wargames, and these losses usually are represented by huge piles of figures, chits, or blocks that are in the "discarded" pile. But there is no blood. There are no pictures of dead and dying bodies grotesquely torn to pieces. There is no gore. Wargames are rather tame in this respect when compared with other "violent" endeavors.

Also, wargames have a positive effect on people’s desire to learn history. It has been repeated so many times that it has become a cliche, but it still needs to be said: "Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it." Playing a wargame is an intensely historical enterprise. One begins to get a feel for a certain era in history through wargames. Whatever the case, usually one learns something one did not previously know about the era represented: who the characters in that era were, what were the strategies and tactis used, and what was the reason why the war was fought in the first place.

Wargames do not just teach history, but they also teach geography. Wars are always fought on real terrain in the real world. Wargames almost always either use maps representing the real world, or terrain pieces representing real world terrain. Therefore, wargames usually teach people where the rivers, roadways, cities, and mountains actually are. This is invaluable expereince that could benefit anyone willing to learn.

Given the current dearth of both history and geography instruction in our public schools, perhaps wargaming might be a helpful tool in the classroom. Of course, there would be many who would raise their hackles concerning this helpful suggestion. The fact remains that many kids these days don’t even know where Europe is, much less when the Second World War took place. I learned these things in history class, but I also had much experience with them on the wargaming table.

Wargames are also great tools that teach logic and optimal use of resources. One can learn how to think in a logical fashion by playing a wargame. Questions wargamers ask themselves include, but are not limited to: "How do I respond to what my friend just did?" "What do I do if he does this?" "How can I most effectively produce the things I need?" "How do I use my resources to provide the maximum impact?"

A word might possibly be said concerning competition in wargames. Most wargamers play wargames in a competitive spirit, striving for something called "optimal play." This means that they do whatever they can to play the game and use their pieces in the best way possible. It is true there have been a couple times when I have found someone’s presence at the wargaming table offensive. But most wargamers, while competitive, are also gracious in both victory and defeat. Most of the time, wargamers play for two reasons: First, to have fun in the atmosphere of a wargame. This involves the people one is playing with and the game that is being played. Second, most wargamers play to learn something about history, geography, strategy, and tactics. We do not play, for the most part, in order to place our opponents under our mental boot-heel. Although playing a wargame is an intense mental activity, it should not be used to belittle someone’s intellect.

As with any gift, wargames can be abused. But hopefully this essay will convince those who have an aversion to wargaming that it can’t be all that bad. And hopefully this essay will show the wargamer that playing a wargame is not so bad after all. At least it’s not as bad as watching some television shows or playing some computer games, and I would say it’s even more fun.

Bertonian Ancient Miniatures!

2007-07-23T23:33:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's right, you heard right... The Bertonian Battles rules have gone into the Ancients category. I suppose you might see thes guys as Ancient Romans, Carthaginians, and maybe Greeks, but I know better. They're Bertonians and Liliputians... (Bertonians are in blue, Liliputians are in orange...)

While the Liliputians break down on the Left and the Right, the middle is left open for the Liliputian Heavy Cavalry. They will decimate the Bertonian Bowmen...

And this is how things ended up... It was a pretty dirty battle, but the Liliputians actually had units that were coherent at the end, while the Bertonians had few, if any, that were not broken, or in danger of breaking. The rules are simple, just that each unit has 3 stats. First, movement in inches. Second, firepower equaling the number of six sided dice each unit rolls in combat. And third, armor value. When you attack, you seek to roll above the armor value. Each die rolled above the armor value equals a hit. 1 hit = target is "checked" 2 hits = target is "pushed" 3 hits = target is "routed" and 4 hits = target is "eliminated." Dirt simple, really... :)

Axis and Allies Pacific

2007-07-23T19:38:00.000-05:00

I had the privilage of enjoying some Axis and Allies Pacific at President Oakes' house last Thursday. I, of course, as Emperor, played the Japanese. Oakes played India, Australia, China, and the United States. Now, get this... The US starts out with 72 IPC's! That's 72 million man hours of production! Japan starts with 19! So, you can see that I was at a disadvantage.

My strategy was simple... After Perl Harbor (simulated rather nicely in the rules by allowing Japan to attack at full strength and forcing everyone else, except the Chineese, to defend at 1.) I decided to give the US a "scorched water" policy in the Pacific. I decided to retreat and keep on retreating in the Pacific until the US came close to the Home Islands.

On the other side of the board, where my fleets, armies, and airpower confroted those Brits and Chineese, I dominated. By the third or fourth turn, I had almost completely destroyed the British seapower in the area. The Ark Royal (British Aircraft Carrier in the Indian Ocean) went down in a shower of bombs.

Now, of course, on land it was a near run thing. I did take the Philippeans, Java, and the Dutch East Indies, but for a time I had a hard time holding onto French Indochina. This was remedied, however, when I took my armies from all of the other islands and landed them there.

After the sea was clear of British vessels, I was able to land troops on the Indian subcontinent at will. The Brits had a nice army sitting in India, with lots of tanks, and I thought that maybe the Brits would push into French Indochina... If they would have done that, I probably would not have been able to attack India. But, for some reason, the Brits were on the defensive and didn't push. India was a close battle, but the Japs ended up victorious.

The turn before, the US had moved its fleet into the Japanese home waters. After destroying the original Jap fleet that bombed Pearl Harobor, the remainder of the US fleet was destroyed by Jap fighters. Of course, the US had a lot of stuff on the board, and they were pushing through the Pacific. But, because I took a capital and held it for a turn, I won the battle.... :)

I'd certainly like a rematch, this time with me having some 72 IPC's to start with... :)

Strategy... If you are Japan, kill the UK navy as quickly as possible. Then, do as much as you can to take a capital.

If you are the UK, basically what you should do is try to take out as many Jap ground forces as possible. Husband your navy, guard it and keep it, for you don't want the Japs to have the run of the sea.

If you are the US, you need to push NOW. If you are able to push into the South Pacific and retake some of the Dutch East Indies, then you will take some pressure off of your UK allies. If you don't do this, look for Japan to run roughshod over you. I don't think that the US going after the home islands is helpful, although I've seen it work before... (and I was the Japs that time too... I think that was the last Axis and Allies Pacific game I played against Ryan. If I remember, I barely took Japan back... Maybe that was a good idea, after all...)

Well, Happy Gaming!

One More Thing for Tonight...

2007-07-09T22:27:00.001-05:00

I've been painting and basing some army guys lately. Here you can see a small squad consisting of a rifleman, a HMG (Heavy Machine Gun) and a Bazooka defending some of the centerpieces we bought at the auction for Trinity's One Hunderedth Anniversary. (Which did go rather well, by the way..., thanks be to God!)

And here you can see some of the havoc that squat made for a poor squad of riflemen... I'll probably have terrain and rules for a skirmish game like this for BertBatCon2008. Brian Ketelsen played a game like this at PALS a couple months ago. He wiped the floor with me, as usual. (But someone once told me that that was the sign of a good game, if you consistently loose a game that you created... :) ) Anyway, I'm excited. These guys paint up quite easily, and the bases are just cardboard covered with a layer of green paint and crushed parsely flakes... :) Look for further posts concerning a set of skirmish rules, probably in about three to four weeks due to pastoral, familial, and synodical commitments... :) Again, tell me what you think so far!

How 'Bout a Ship Game?

2007-07-09T21:58:00.000-05:00

Well, How about a ship game? I don't know how you all feel about a naval game, but Jacob my cousin made me these lovely ship miniatures a couple years ago, and I decided to use them. I thought that would be a great tribute to his woodworking creative powers. Anyway, here's the simple idea.

First, two players roll for "initiative." This means that the winner gets to decide the direction the wind is blowing. He usually says, "It's blowing right where I want to go..." Anyway, then players turn over playing cards that correspond to their ships. This lets them know when their ships will move. Players move and then fire, one at a time, one card at a time, until one player conceeds victory to the other, or until time has expired. (We could probably play a decent game of four ships on four ships in something like 1-2 hours....)

Here's a sample of the ship data cards...

Basically, this game requires buckets of dice. For each square you see in the ship schematic (one side for port, one for starboard) you roll one six sided dice (1d6). At long range, you need a 6 to hit. At medium, 5's and 6's hit. At short, (which is six inches) you need a 4, 5, or 6. If you fire on your opponent when your opponent does not have you in a 45 degree firing arc, you are "raking" that ship, and receve a +1 to each of your dice. At medium and short ranges, you get to choose what you want to shoot at, i.e. whether you want to shoot at the sail or at the hull of your enemy ship. Shooting at the sail will slow your enemy down, and shooting at the hull will knock his guns out.

I don't have rules made up yet for critical hits, but that wouldn't be too hard to accomplish. Here's a couple other ideas I've been thinking about with this too...

You've gotta have some special effects for these ships, so to the right of the wind direction indicator, you will see a couple counters. One reads "Gunnery Officianado." This ship is captained by a man who drills his crew mercilessly in the art of firing their canon. All of his rolls are at +1.

Expert Sailors receve a +1 to their movement.

A ship with "Ironsides" status (purely metaphorical..., as in, "Her sides are made of iron!" which was said of a wooden ship, the USS Constitution) gets to ignore 1d6 of the hits given to her when an enemy fires at her.

I didn't put the turning circles or the fire arcs in a close up, but you'll probably get the idea through some pictures. Here they are...

I really think a game like this could be a hit at our BertBatCon2008, especially because you could have each participant commanding 2-3 ships in one massive battle, or you could have a tournament where you fight frigate duals for a trophy or something. Hey, I can't wait to see you guys! Let me know what you think so far of these rules...

2007-07-09T21:20:00.000-05:00

Well, Wargamer Bert is Back... Thanks to a couple posts by Rev. Oakes. Thanks! (by the way, Citizen Mueller laughs a hearty laugh as the zombies close in...)

Sorry about the short / long hiatus, but here we go again...

You all should have received BertBatCon2008 in your mail recently. Hopefully nobody threw it away, thinking it was Synodical Convention News... Ha ha... :) I've gotta wade through all that stuff myself, or else I'll look pretty silly voting for people I have never read about. Anyway, this is NOT a blog about the SYNODICAL convention.

I decided that I would spend some time this evening talking about a couple of the wargames I hope to play at BertBatCon2008. Hopefully you will find this a little interesting, and just so you know, I've got pictures!

The Word War Two Tankwar Game...

Maybe you've seen this, and maybe you haven't, but Wal-Mart is carrying 1:144 scale tanks for $1.97 per. (I've heard on other wargaming blogs that they are actually selling for less in other places...) Anyway, I just thought this was screaming for a nice quick wargame. They're cheap, and I've got the terrain... so... this is my attempt. Let me know what you think...

Tankwar has a simple system of rolling buckets of six sided dice (d6's) for successes. Normally, successes are 5's and 6's, or just 6's.

Each tank type has a quick reference card like this. I decided to put some of the historical details I found on the web for each of the tanks, just to generate a little "flavor." Anyway, I have abstracted some of those details in three categories.

First, movement. Generally, tanks of the period had a top speed around 40 kph. Therefore, most tanks move about the same speed. I decided to keep this relatively simple, so I said, "12 inches, that's simple enough..." There are modifiers for going through rough terrain, however.

Second, Armor. I sorta guessed here, and with the firepower. But when you put armor and firepower into a matrix, you get the dice you roll in combat. Then you count 5's and 6's as successes, and figure out the results. Here's an example...

Let's say the Panzer above fired on the Sherman at a range of 40 inches. The Panzer's firepower is 2, and the Sherman's armor is 3. Therefore, the Panzer rolls three dice. However, since this is long range, the Panzer loses one of his dice. Therefore, the Panzer rolls 2 dice. He rolls a 5 and a 3. The shot missed/the Panzer didn't even see the target.

Next turn, another Sherman fires on the Panzer at a range of 20 inches. The Sherman's firepower is 3, oweing to it's 75mm gun, and the Panzer's armor is only 2. Therefore, the Sherman rolls 5d6. He scores one success, and therefore the Panzer is "damaged." If next turn, the Panzer is damaged again, it is taken off the board.

The rule mechanics are simple, but also provide for "overwatch." This means that if you move a tank toward an enemy that can see you, that enemy tank may fire at your tank during your movement phase, but with a couple penalties. First of all, because he is trying to hit a moving target, it is at -1 dice that the overwatching unit rolls. Secondly, firing while in overwatch means that you forego firing that vehicle in your next turn. If you're confused, don't worry, I plan on publishing a full blown rule book. Advanced rules could include "indirect fire" and "morale."

Here are some pretty tank pictures...

Four Panthers and a Kingtiger move off toward a town somewhere in France. Little do they know, but a group of Shermans, re-enforced by some self-propelled artillery, is waiting...

Here's the US side. The US tanks are "hull down" which means they are defending the back of the hill and receive a +2 armor bonus. It'll stink to be the Jerrys when they get through that little town...

Hopefully this'll give you a flavor for World War Two Tankwargame... :) If you've got any questions, just put them in a post. I'll answer anything you ask... :)

Zombies After Action Report

2007-06-19T00:40:00.000-05:00

It was a dark night, made blacker still by the presence of several dozen zombies in and around the town square. Two luckless citizens had the unhappy task of fighting their way through the hoards all the way to the helo-pad on the other side of town.

Therefore, we took our three lives into our own hands, along with our three bullets, and we struck out on our zombie adventure....

Citizen Oakes was the first to have success, as he both battled his way into some important supply places and killed many zombies. Citizen Mueller, however, was stymied at first by the cards Citizen Oakes was playing against him. First it was the "Brain Cramp" and then it was the "Fear" and then finally, things "Got A Lot Worse" when the sporting goods store that had some ammo and some life tragically filled with the undead hoard. Suffice it to say, Citizen Oakes was playing his cards well.

But Citizen Mueller also had a few tricks in the deck. After the fifth try, he cleared out the sporting goods store, found a fireman's axe at the firehouse, slayed many zombies, and, just as Citizen Oakes was a turn or two away from making a bid on getting through to the chopper, Citizen Mueller played a really nasty card that made Citizen Oakes go all the way back to the town center. This was the card that Mueller had been holding for most of the game, and now he had his revenge for the sporting goods store incident. Incidently Citizen Mueller won the game by destroying some thirty one zombies and taking off for some un-populated carribian island! To the victor goes the spoils! :) Oakes probably wants a rematch with more players. Will Zombies be at Bert Bat Con 2008? Most likely!

The game has a super simple combat system, a pretty neat terrain system, and an innovative way of dealing with failure in a dice roll. As wargames go, this game is dirt simple, but it does a good job of "simulating" the "historical" situations of zombie infestation as promulgated by Hollywood. It's just good fun that is finishable in one and a half to two hours. There are other expansions, but these I have not seen. I'll give it a fun factor of B B B b (that's three and a half B's out of 5 B's. A pretty good score!). The cards are inventive and fun to use. I could see this having a fun factor of B B B B or B B B B b if played with more than just two people. Thanks Citizen Oakes!

New Blog? And Will I Keep This Up?

2007-06-19T00:31:00.000-05:00

As you can tell from my title, I'm not completely sure this blog thing is my style. I've thought about putting together some kind of podcast, and that would be pretty fun. I've thought about sending a newsletter, and will probably do that in the next few weeks. But if I can reach most of my friends through a blog, well, that would be just peachy. I do like to type, but I get a bit long-winded at times. (I'm told it's an occupational hazard...) Regardless, I want to dedecate this blog to gaming in general, and wargaming in particular. Here is a list of the things I would like to cover in my blog, as well as in my newsletter.

1. I would like to do a little bit of "After Action Reports" for battles that I have fought recently.
2. I would like this blog to be a clearinghouse on information concering the Bert Bat Con 2008, which, God willing, will be held somewhere in the summer of 2008.
3. I would like this blog to help me figure out the best time and place to schedule Bert Bat Con 2008.
4. I would like to use this blog to further awareness of what is going on in the gaming world in general, specifically wargaming, and the Bertonian gaming world in particular.
5. In order to further these goals, I will probably be posting rules, pictures, product reviews, and the like here on this page.

Well, that's rather ambitious. With any luck, I'll get my second post in tonight...