Trumpeter September and Call to Arms

On September 13th, Trumpeter held their regular monthly club meet. I managed to get into a 2mm game of American Civil War. We were doing the opening day of 1st Bull Run using a set of rules call Bonny Blue Flag. I found the rules very interesting if slightly frustrating in that you could spend a lot of valuable command points and not accomplish much. But on the other hand, I did launch a very successful attack late in the game on the far right. I think I'd very much consider using them for my own 2mm figures. As an added bonus, I met Doug from https://dotsofpaint.blogspot.com/. He has a very nice blog and you should check it out.

On the 14th, Trumpeter held a brand new event for them. A whole day of gaming in the fall.

The morning saw me back at ACW with a set of rules called Stars and Bars. It's a set of rules written over 40 years ago and it shows: written orders as its command and control, features a complex damage table, and relies on details to try to achieve a "realism". Unfortunately, it took a long time to set up and get the game going, so we ran out of time before getting really stuck in.

The afternoon game was French and Indian Wars using Rebels and Patriots. Basically, it's the same rules engine as Lion Rampant. I enjoy the system but I'm thinking it's a bit too loose for my taste.

The final game was modified Force on Force for WW2. I enjoyed the game except for when we had a PIAT team sneak to the rear flank of a buttoned Panther only to lose the initiative roll and be vaporized by a lightning-reflexed tank crew. The Germans attacked from an unexpected direction and it looked grim for the Canadians. But then the Germans became fixed on firing LMGs from their halftracks. The Canadians moved troops to the threatened flank and then every slight German burst was met with a massive volume of fire in response. It was an interesting game and I didn't realize how the Canadians were winning until I saw how their reaction fire was taking its toll. They were also helped by a very effective rocket attack by a Typhoon.

No pictures because of my phone. I have an ancient camera somewhere so I think I will have to look for it so that I can take some pictures.