After 3 amazing weeks of exploring the deserts, valleys, farmland, mountains, lakes, forests, coastline, small towns, big cities and meeting some great people and food, it's back to Hobby Night! I haven't picked up a brush in over a month, so it was 100% dice-rolling glee, interspersed with some more great food and chats with the awesome Legio people.
Faizal had contacted me beforehand and said that he would like to have a couple of games of Flames of War with his US 82nd Airborne, in preparation for the Legio Malaysia Market Garden campaign coming up in October. We were both a bit rusty with the rules, having last played it in the very-FOW year of 2012 (I think we wrapped at least 2 campaigns, plus a league, or something like that), and while my favorite has always been the British infantry company, it was a good chance to try out my German infantry company.
I arrived at the Forge early, and managed to get a FOW game in with Alvin. We played a quick 1000-pt battle, his Battle of the Bulge-themed US Armored Company against my Grenadiers. It's quite amazing how quickly we were able to relearn the game mechanics (with a lot of pauses to refer to the rules), but the battle was one-sided, as his Confident-Trained Shermans went in unsupported and got massacred by the Confident-Veteran Grenadiers (not to mention the able support of the PaK40s battery and StuG platoon).
Amin came in with a scary 40k Deathwing army. At 1850pts, the army was led by Belial at the head of 7 Assault Terminators. A Librarian led another 7 Terminators, and there was another squad of 7 Terminators. They were supported by 2 Dreadnaughts with autocannons, and a squadron of 2 Land Speeder Typhoons. My 1850pt Tzeentch army was led by Ahriman, with 2 favored squads of Thousand Sons, a Land Raider, a Rhino, a Predator, a Heldrake, a Defiler, Lord Ka'Kaa the Lord of Change and a pack of Pink Horrors.
We played Purge the Alien - it was the first time I played an Eternal War mission in 7th ed, having been really loving the Maelstrom missions. The battle was hard- and closely-fought. The Deathwing aggressively Deep Striked into my lines. I was able to wipe out one squad quickly with a combination of firepower and charging with the Defiler and Lord Ka'Kaa. Ahriman's squad managed to kill most of the Librarian's squad, but was in turn charged by Belial's squad. Thanks to his Chaos compulsion to always challenge, he took on Belial. Thanks to Invisibility, he managed to last longer than expected, but when he finally fell, it was curtains for his squad too.
Seeing this, the rest of my army kept far away from Belial and his scary squad, and went on to destroy everything else on the table, before sniping at Belial's squad at range. The game ended with the Deathwing left with only Belial and one Assault Terminator left. I lost Ahriman, the Predator, a squad of Thousand Sons and 5 Pink Horrors.
After dinner break, Faizal and I set about for our appointed FOW battle. 1000-pts of his Fearless Veteran US 82nd Airborne vs 1000-pts of my Confident Veteran Grenadier Company. I had split my command into 3 parts - the PaK40s and 2nd Platoon dug in and covering the enemy objectives, while 1st Platoon and the Pionier platoon was to advance through town towards my objective on the right in a feint attack. The StuGs would barrel up the left flank in the real attack to seize my left flank objective.
His parachute infantry platoons proved incredibly reselient and tough troops, and soon my feint attack ground to a halt in the center of town - my troops forced to hold up in the church. The StuGs had to be diverted from their mission to lend MG support for my suppressed infantry. After a punishing mortar bombardment, the paras charged the church, pushing both 1st Platoon and the Pioniers back into my lines. I sent in 2nd Platoon to shore up the defenses while the rest recover. But the paras did not let up, and proceeded to follow up their advance, destroying the Pionier platoon, and routing both Grenadier platoons. I was lucky that my company morale held, and the StuGs were able to capture my objective in the knick of time.
That was a great game and simply an amazing reintroduction to FOW. I really need to paint up my German mortar platoon -any form of artillery support is just too necessary (as my British infantry know very well - they have a nice 25-pdr battery to support them).
Anyways, it's back to the hobby table. Hope to finish up a recovered OOP Hellhound for the Brandenburgers. Keep them dice rolling.
Really awesome looking models AND the terrain looks fantastic too.
ReplyDeleteThanks. These Germans were actually done byJason. I bought a bunch of his LW Germans a couple of years ago when I was rushing to get an army up for the Bagration campaign. The terrain is mostly Battlefront stuff. Good terrain is always inspiring!
DeleteYeah ... painting good terrain is a discipline in itself.
DeleteExactly. And often overlooked, sadly. I wish there were more places in the world with tables like Hobby Forge. Of course, Legio Malaysia has to claim credit for most of that :)
DeleteLove the basing on those Germans. After my FoW tournament I have decided to start another army, and that basing is making me rethink about how im gonna do them!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you back in action mate.
I'm glad to be back too. I do need to paint some more models for both my LW British and EW Germans. The Brits would need their mortar platoon painted up. I've got additional tanks to give me the option of fielding an armored company. The Germans in this post weren't painted by me, and I like the basing too. The ones I painted tend to have simpler bases. What's your next FOW army?
DeleteWell they are still a lovely army to have, regardless of the painter. Im pretty much trying to do what you have done, get enough armies or an army to have a force over all 3 periods. I dont know how im going to go about it yet. But im leaning towards cavalry or mechanized. I might steal that autumn basing off you though...
DeleteMechanized does cut down on model count, though you do need to get trucks or halftracks. The cool thing is that there are lots of 15mm WW2 manufacturers out there, and while I'm a big fan of Battlefront's awesome models, it doesn't hurt to have options. I'm getting super-distracted at the moment. My 40k IG project will start in a few weeks' time. I have a near-complete additional Hellhound for my Brandenberg IG, some more Ravenwing models, and now I'm thinking of splitting the FOW starter set to get me some Airborne and more Brit tank models ...
DeleteI really look forward to your next IG project. Whats happening first on that front?
DeleteI am looking at Zvezda? They have cheasp models I just struggle to find a place to buy them where its in stock and in groups. They dont seem to make it easy!
I hope the hell hound slays many enemies. I find it a pretty good vehicle overall.
The 2nd Denerair Highlanders project will start with a couple of test models. The plan is: West Wind British gasmask steel helmet head, GW Cadian torso & arms (lasgun magazine shaved off and all guns must have bayonets), Vic kilts, Assault Group backpacks. Basing will be sand, painted in blue-grey tones and decorated with barbed wire. Really looking forward to that.
ReplyDeleteHellhounds are awesome. The 2nd Hellhound will join the current one to cleanse the heretic, the traitor and the alien!
Same here dude, If you do it right, the basing and kilts can contrast really nicely and create a stunning effect. (If im picturing it right in my head).
DeleteHell Hounds also provide cheap precooked food for any surviving Guardsmen.
That's what I'm hoping for - khaki vs black,grey & slate. And ditto for my troops and the Hellhound ... love that tank! I'll be trying out a pair next week for the first time. All these years I only ran a single tank. Let's see how 2 of them would work :)
DeleteDo you have the room for 2 separate vehicles or are they gonna be put in a squad.
DeleteThey are in 2 separate units, each supporting one of my 2 assault platoons. My Fast Attack choices for that army is: 1 Hellhound, 1 Hellhound, 1 Vendetta. Should be toasty :)
DeleteNice work dude- good to see the blog going
ReplyDeleteThanks. It is fun to blog. Just need to create the time. Somehow :P
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