US Marines at Saipan
Recommendations: 12599
About the Project
Lately, I've been running war games every weekend with members of the community via web conference. Players log on and play wargames with each other in real time, regardless of location, and we usually have at least a couple spectators as well. Many times it’s been Darkstar, but we’re also running wargames in Panzer Leader, Arab-Israeli Wars, and now Valor & Victory.
BoW/OTT community members @brucelea, @damon, @davehawes, and @rasmus have taken the plunge, leading battalions across thousands of meters of desert, starfleets in pitched battles across the heavens, or vicious firefights in the jungles of Vietnam, all without leaving the comfort of their home.
Hard-core, old-school command-tactical wargames can now be run (complete with spectators and recordings) in real time, with BOTH PLAYERS moving pieces across THE SAME virtual game board, thus maintaining player agency, speedy and instant results (no play by e-mail), interwoven turn sequences, any questions / feedback instantly received and addressed, and with the game being virtually recorded as it goes, a ready-made battle report can actually be created as we go.
All of this without the players having to install any new software on their computer, on any platform (PC or Mac). All that's needed is to agree on a time, a handful of dice, and a bellyful of courage!
Every weekend can now be a boot camp! All without costing me thousands of dollars in airfare, too!
Related Game: PanzerBlitz
Related Genre: Historical
This Project is Active
H-Hour +36 minutes. It's Getting Worse!
Turns 2 and 3 are now complete, putting us at about 36 minutes past H-Hour. The American second wave is ashore … sort of. Losses continue to be hideous. American losses now stand at 48 platoons of various types rendered combat ineffective (1680 men, so roughly 560 killed and 1120 wounded).
Although some cracks may just be starting to spread in the Atlantic Wall, casualties and equipment losses are reaching the point where I honestly don’t know if the Americans will succeed in opening the four major draws off Omaha.
Dear God, It's Started.
Turn One is complete. It took about 90 minutes. Nineteen turns to go. So far there are few surprises.
The landings are chaos.
DD tanks are sinking.
German AT guns are murdering all the American Shermans with dozer blades.
Engineers cannot push inland to blow holes in beach obstacles or the sea wall shingle.
The Americans at Dog Green and Dog White have been all but shattered, with “A” Co / 116th all but annihilated in the opening fire phase.
But some armor has made it onto the beach. And air power has knocked out at least one infantry gun and pinned German MG-42 bunkers in Wiederstandnester 71 (the exact bunker complex that butchered Captain Miller’s company at the Vierville Draw).
Meanwhile, German artillery (8.0 cm mortars, 15.0 cm mortars, 10.5 cm howitzers, and even one battery of 15.0 cm howitzers) has positively mauled American landing points at Dog Green and Easy Red (16th RCT, 1st Infantry Division).
So as horrible as things are, some parts of the American landings are actually going slightly better than historically, while others are going much worse.
What is WRONG with me?
My God, I think there is something legitimately wrong with me. What kind of fool tries to recreate a legitimate, full-scale, platoon-based, historically “approximate” re-staging of ALL of Omaha Beach?
Well, the map is complete. The initial forces are set up. Just a few special rules to iron out and it’s time to start this apocalyptic game.
Gianna vs. Oriskany - Part 01 posted
Good afternoon ~ We have now posted Part 01 of the Sitrep Podcast Live Wargame between @oriskany and @stvitusdancern. See if her US Special Forces can find, pin down, and destroy elements of my NVA main line regiment, Kon Tum Province, Central Highlands, South Vietnam, December 1967.
System: Valor and Victory
Parts 2 and 3 coming soon!
Enjoy!
Change of Gears - Heading Back to 'Nam for Some Special Forces Action
So I’ve taken a brief break from Omaha to build and run a game with @stvitusdancern on the Sitrep Command Team. The game was Valor & Victory (Barry Doyle, Vietnam Expansion by @oriskany) where we pitted a platoon of US Special Forces up against Vietnamese regulars (PAVN) near the Laotian border, Kon Tum Province, South Vietnamese Central Highlands, III Corps, mid-December 1967.
The general situation in this part of the war was dominated by a VC/NVA build-up for the Tet Offensive that would hit in January-February 1968. During this build-up, large contingents of NVA troops and weapons for the VC would come down the the Ho Chi Minh Trail through Laos and Cambodia – with branches leading off the trail at many points, leading into South Vietnam. American and ARVN ground forces were not allowed into Laos and Cambodia, but they could interdict these forces as they crossed into South Vietnam, hopefully stopping the buildup and perhaps using intelligence gained in these actions (prisoners / captured documents) to build a better picture about the Tet Offensive that was building up.
Omaha Map Complete - American Forces Built and Set Up
The Omaha Beach Panzer Leader mega-game continues to come together. The overall map is now complete (2500+ hexes, 24 square miles, or almost 63 square kilometers, estimated 2800 Flames of War tables).
American landings are researched and set up to pretty precise to the historical plan, we’ll see what the current, tides, beach obstacles, and enemy fire do to it.
Now I just have to set up the Germans.
The project is temporarily paused, however, to facilitate construction of a Valor & Victory Vietnam game for Saturday.
Omaha Beach - Panzer Leader - Map and Counter Construction
So after the success of last week’s Gold Beach game (Gold Beach is one of the British invasion beach zones during the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944), I thought I would create a new scenario for Omaha Beach, the big American beach depicted in Saving Private Ryan.
The system will be Avalon Hill’s Panzer Leader.
This will be a monster game, play-tested solitaire (not live … it would literally take days). But the ambition here is to run all of Omaha Beach, in true scale, no shortcuts, no gimmicks.
So far I have the map mostly complete – with the American units built.
Gold Beach Wargame - Final Video Posted!!
Part III of our Gold Beach Panzer Leader game (myself with the Germans, @brucelea and @damon with the British) has now been posted on the Sitrep YouTube channel. It comes down to the final crunch here, folks, a 9+ hour game to the last turn, and almost the last roll! We have Typhoon fighter bombers, German FlaK, Royal Marine Commandos, Centaur assault tanks, Churchill AVREs, desperate defense and frantic close assaults!
This is one for the record books! With some funny jokes and sound effectsm too! 😀
British units: 1st Hampshire Rifles, 1st Dorsetshire Rifles, 2nd Devonshire Rifles (231st Brigade), “B” Assault Squadron / 6th Royal Engineers, Winchester Dragoons, 47th Royal Marine Commandos, Sherwood Rangers
German units: Infantry Division 352 (Grenadier Rgt 916, III. Battalion) and elements of 441 “East” Battalion, Infantry Rgt 726, 716 Static Infantry Division.
Gold Beach Wargame - Second Video Posted
Part II of our Gold Beach Panzer Leader game (myself with the Germans, @brucelea and @damon with the British) has now been posted on the Sitrep YouTube channel. Now that all the rules, units, history, and initial landings are out of the way, this video jumps straight into the carnage with improved sound, music, and a lot more combat. We see Royal Engineer AVREs blowing up beach obstacles, pipers striding out of landing craft, steadfast defense by German coastal troops, British armored bridgelayers, and Flail tanks clearing lanes through German minefields.
The Germans are just about starting to crack (maybe ???) But have the British lost too much already? And will my reserves be able to seal the breach? 🙂
British units: 1st Hampshire Rifles, 1st Dorsetshire Rifles, 2nd Devonshire Rifles (231st Brigade), “B” Assault Squadron / 6th Royal Engineers, Winchester Dragoons.
German units: Infantry Division 352 (Grenadier Rgt 916, III. Battalion) and elements of 441 “East” Battalion, Infantry Rgt 726, 716 Static Infantry Division.
Gold Beach Wargame - First Video Posted
Things are just getting started here, everyone. Myself, @brucelea , and @damon go over the map setup, the units involved on both sides, some of the objectives and special rules. Finally we get into the opening shore bombardment barrage from HMS Warspite and her escorting destroyers … and then look into the first wave of landings of 1st Hampshire and 1st Dorsetshire.
This one gets bloody fast!
There will be at least two more videos. Again, just the highlights, this game went for nine and a half hours, I wouldn’t even try to record, render, and post that much video. 😐
I hope some of you will check it out! We really try to recreate the historical conditions and tactical situation of 50th Northumberland’s right wing on that fateful day, putting the leading elements (first wave on our table is about 1300 men), 231st Brigade on Jig Green and Jig Red assault beaches.
Gold Beach D-Day Landing Game - COMPLETE (9 Hours!)
Gold Beach Panzer Leader game: COMPLETE
Run Time: NINE HOURS
Result: EPIC
Losses (both sides): BRUTAL
Decision: LAST TURN
Players: (@brucelea and @damon): WARGAME HEROES
D-Day 75th Anniversary: COMMEMORATED
>> End Transmission.
Counters Complete - Map Finalized - Special Rules Posted
Okay, we’re all set. Game starts in 1 hour (minus). 😀
SPECIAL RULES:
LANDING:
- Coastal hexes are designated either SEA hexes or BEACH hexes by the color of the hex beneath their central dot.
- At the end of movement, during the turn BEFORE they are scheduled to land (or in the initial set up for first wave units), British units are placed in a SEA hex adjacent to their planned beach landing hex.
- Germans may then fire at them during their subsequent turn.
- RULE SHORTCUT: Unlike “official” Amphibious Landings rules in Panzer Leader, where landing British units are inverted (so Germans cannot see which boats carry which units) – here we will roll a d6. On a 1-2, the German attack hits the intended target. 3-4, the attack hits the “next unit to the left.” On a 5-6, the attack hits the “next unit to the right.”
- As per Panzer Leader XI.D.3, all units except DD tanks are assumed to have an armored DF of 8. DD Shermans get normal DF, Germans must add +2 DRM to DF attacks (obscured target).
- Landing takes place FIRST during the movement phase of the subsequent British turn.
- DD tanks make a d6 roll. On a 1-5, they land normally. On a 6, they sink and are removed.
- All units (including surviving DD tank units) must also make a landing placement roll. Once the British player indicates which hex the unit INTENDED to land, roll a d6.
- 1-2 = unit lands normally.
- 3 = unit lands one hex to the west.
- 4 -5 = unit lands one hex to the east.
- 6 = unit lands two hexes to the east.
- Any unit that hits a block counter while trying to land is destroyed.
- Getting onto the beach hex is that unit’s whole movement.
- Exception: DD Tanks can land and hove half their movement.
- Any units that are CARRIED (towed guns, etc) must debark loaded in their carrier vehicle.
- Non-DD tank units cannot move half once they land (unloaded from LCTs, etc).
- Units scheduled to land on a given turn MUST land on that turn. They cannot “wait” until the beach opens up.
- Any hex that winds up “overstacked” (3 units to a hex) must IMMEDIATELY “lose” a unit per overstacking rules. This takes place BEFORE previously landed units move out of the hex.
- Once all units land on a given turn, units that were already landed in previous turns can now move normally.
- German units taking opportunity fire do not have to make the “shortcut randomizer” roll mentioned above if they shoot at units as they land (using normal unit DFs and target classes).
TERRAIN:
- All Beach hexes cost vehicles double movement.
- Entering a hex where the unit climbs one elevation level costs double movement (infantry included).
- Climbing a bluff hex off a beach hex costs 4 vehicle movement, 2 infantry movement, 6 truck movement. Churchill Bobbin Funnies can lay a carpet in these hexes to make it “clear.”
- Stream: This is a shallow stream. Costs infantry 2 MP to enter. Costs vehicles 4MP to enter, trucks 6MP to enter. Stream does not block LOS. Stream gives +1 DRM. Road negates stream. Churchill Bridgelayers can bridge the stream.
BEACH OBSTACLES:
- Trench rules: Normal. Cannot be crossed at all by any vehicle. No effect on infantry. Can be bridged by Churchill Bridgelayers.
- Mines: Normal. Can be removed by flail tanks per AIW rules. Can be removed by Combat or Construction engineers which move onto the mine hex and roll a 1-2 on 1d6.
- Blocks: No effect on LANDED infantry. Sinks any landing unit that drifts into them. No vehicle can enter a block hex. Can be removed by LANDED engineers who move into the hex and roll a 1-2 on 1d6. Can also be removed by Churchill AVRE that is adjacent to it and declares an attack (BOOM). Removed blocks no longer blow up landing units in subsequent waves.
- Churchill Bridgelayers can lay three bridges. Normal AIR Bridgelaying rules.
- Churchill Bobbins can lay three “roads.” Renders beach hexes and beach bluff hexes normal for movement purposes.
NAVAL GUNFIRE (SHORTCUT RULES):
- British get 50 points of (H) class INDIRECT naval gunfire support on every ODD turn.
- This can be split up into two attacks if desired (20/20, 30/10, 35/5, etc).
- Must be within LOS of the north side of the table (any beach or bluff hex)
- Can also be called in by any non-dispersed, unloaded combat unit (not trucks).
- On a 1-4 it lands as targeted. On a 5-6 the shellfire drifts one hex (1d6).
Counters *Mostly* Complete - Setting up Map
Work continues on the Gold Beach Panzer Leader game scheduled for Saturday, June 8, 4PM UK time.
We created some of the counters and set up some of the map live on Sitrep Twitch Channel last night. We had some great conversation with the role of research in “high-history” games, naval bombardment, the potential role of the panzer divisions, the real reasons why Omaha was so much bloodier than the other beaches, the Juno Beach landings, and different eras of Canadian flags.
After we signed off I tinkered a little with the Germans, and started with a general map set up. I will fill this out and get everything completed later tonight in time for tomorrow’s game.
But for now …
Looking forward to a great game tomorrow! 😀
British Company Research
British Unit Research (detail) and Map Re-draw
Map complete - starting counters
Okay, the map is now complete. It’s actually complete whether I like it or not, apparently this afternoon I didn’t save it properly as editable layers … so large scale changes are lo longer possible without re-drawing the whole thing. Apparently the gods are trying to tell me something …
It’s fine! Stop obsessing and get some sleep!
I chose this sector for a number of reasons …
- My two players wanted to try British units (reasonable enough).
- Pretty sure Gold was “tougher” than Sword.
- This part of Gold (“Jig” Sector, turning west inland to fight toward Arromaches in “Item” Sector) is one of the few times we see British seaborne infantry actually fight true German troops that day (as opposed to “Ost” battalions, largely drawn from Belarus and Ukraine).
- We get some Royal Marine Commandos in the second wave (and after all this Falklands work, I loves me some Royal Marine Commandos).
- Two squadrons of tanks also land here (Sherwood Rangers – I think later renamed the Nottinghamshire Rangers?)
- The terrain here is interesting, with substantial towns right on the water, tough German beach defenses and “wiederstandnester” strongpoints, cliffs to the west leading toward Arromanches (about 20 hexes off off the west edge of the map), marshes and farmland (which are still here today), and even a small river which … rather bizarrely, never reaches the sea (?), apparently diverted east to a series of canals and marshland.
Gold Beach Commemorative 75th Anniversary Panzer Leader
My friends @brucelea and @damon are gearing up for a 75th Anniversary wargame of Avalon Hill’s classic Panzer Leader – recreating part of 50th Northumbrian Division’s landing at “Jig” sector, Gold Beach, 07:20 hours, 06 June 1944.
Initial waves will be made up of 1st Bn / Hampshire Rgt and 1st Bn / Dorsetshire Rgt, followed up by 47th Royal Marine Commandos, Royal Engineers, 2nd Bn / Devonshire Rgt, RFA batteries, and Sherwood Rangers (Sherman DD tanks).
They’ll be up against elements of Infantry Division 352 (Grenadier Rgt 916), and elements of 441 “East” Battalion, Rgt 726, 716 Static Infantry.
At least two of us have walked these battlefields, so there will be something of a connection in the design and play of this wargame.
The game will be played on-line on Saturday, June 8.
This thread will record some of the research, design, and of course game play that goes into this small week-long project.
And finally, the first work-in-progress of the Panzer Leader map board. She’s not quite finished (no trees, a few labels missing, and of course one of the German beach defenses on here yet). But she’s on her way. My goal is to finish the map by Tuesday and get started on counters Wednesday and Thursday. Friday we’ll hammer out a few special rules and design the workbook by which @brucelea and @damon and I will play the game (I’m taking the Germans) …
… and Saturday we hit the beach!
Falklands Land Ops - Argentinians, Snipers, Medics
So as shown below, we now have enough for a beginning game in Valor & Victory for the Falklands 1982.
Please join us at 8PM UK time, 3PM East US time for another live stream on the Sitrep’s Twitch Channel, where we’ll be trying out these counters in a quick demo game!
New counters, new map, new setting, new expansions for a great game system, new options for historical wargaming!
The Sitrep never sleeps!
Falklands Land Ops - Building Armies in Valor & Victory
Open Invite: Wargames on the Weekend
Once again it’s time to “stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, disguise fair nature with hard favor’d rage ” … and take your dice to the wargame table.
As always we’ll be running wargames on the web this weekend!
If anyone wants to play in any of the games listed below, please let me know what game, what day and time, and which faction you’d prefer, as soon as you can so I can start building the scenario.
Options (Saturday at 17:30 UK time or Sunday 17:00 UK time):
- Darkstar (please let me know what faction you’d prefer)
- Valor & Victory (VWW1, WW2, Vietnam, Lebanon, or even Falklands if I can get some counters and maps put together)
- Arab-Israeli Wars (1956, 67, 73, or 82 Lebanon)
- Tactical Combat Middle East (Panzer Leader in 1991)
- Panzer Leader WW2 as always, virtually any theater or campaign. 😀
- AirWar C21 for the Falklands, 1982.
- Naval Command for Falklands, 1982
Again, if interested – either in playing or in spectating, please let me know with a PM.
On Sunday, I would actually like to give Falklands 1982 a swing in Valor & Victory if anyone is interested. This would help facilitate the last Falklands episode for the Ops Center, but of course I’ll run whatever the players are most interested in.
First come first serve, and I need time to build the scenarios.
Hope to see some of you there! Either way, have a great weekend!
JIM