Ultramodern Wargaming – Ukraine 2024
Recommendations: 13001
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
Building US Reinforcements (Warlord 28mm Support Teams) - Part 1
My recently completed 28mm American infantry platoon needs reinforcements, if I try to put them up against my German desert force the Americans will get pasted!
To correct the issue, I’ve bought a few support units from Warlord Games, and now it’s time to build them! To start with, we’ll build an American jeep with .50 caliber heavy machine gun, an M1919A4 medium machine gun team, and an M1 81mm mortar team for battalion fire support.
Oriskany's 28mm US Reinforcements
I’ve wrapped up my reinforcements for my 30-man US Infantry force (28mm Warlord). They’re still not quite as powerful as my German DAK force, but definitely much closer. Those .50 cals and bazookas will be a big equalizer. Might actually be able to put on a decent 1943 Tunisia game.
Epic Battle in the Hürtgen Forest: America’s Worst Offensive? (15mm Wargame - Part 2)
Epic Battle in the Hürtgen Forest: America’s Worst Offensive? (15mm Wargame – Part 2)
Join us as we finish up our wargame commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest.
The system we’re using is “Battlegroup” by Plastic Soldier Company and IronFist Publishing. The engagement in hand is the German counteroffensive of 4 November, 1944. Here, Kampfgruppe Bayer slammed into the 112th Regiment of the 28th US Infantry, driving them out of Schmidt, through Kommerscheidt, and up the timber trail toward the Kall River Bridge.
So far the action’s been pretty wild, with both sides drawing plenty of special “Battle Rating Counter.” The Germans finally have their tanks in position, along with panzerfaust-armed grenadiers. But the Americans are also calling in their P-38 “Lightning” for an air strike!
Check it out to see how this battle finishes up!
Epic Battle in the Hürtgen Forest: America’s Worst Offensive? (15mm Wargame - Part 1)
Join us at the wargame table to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest, using the “Battlegroup” system by Plastic Soldier Company.
The Hürtgen Forest lies across the German-Belgian border, one of the first places the American Army reached Germany in World War II. Fighting here was brutal, slow, and bloody, one of the worst battles faced by the US Army in Europe and one of their low points for the whole war. Heavy autumn rains hampered air cover, and thick woods over steep hills obstructed tank support. Finally a German counterattack wrecked most of Americans’ hard-won progress. Now they’d have to take (and pay for) that terrain … again.
Overshadowed by the nearby Battle of the Bulge that started the following month, the Hürtgen Forest is largely forgotten today. Here we’re recreating part of the German counterattack on our 15mm tabletop. See if the Americans can hold the line this time!
Bucha, Ukraine - 27 Feb 2022 - 15mm
Had a great game of Mark Ritchie’s “Tactical Combat” system today, recreating one of the engagements in Bucha, Ukraine (27 Feb 2022). I had the Ukrainians on defense, Mark and Ron had the Russians on the attack.
Huertgen Forest - November 1944
We had a great little game of PSC’s Battlegroup today, 15mm, 6×6 table, recreating part of the German counterattack of November 4-7, 1944 (80th Anniversary).
They’ve retaken Schmidt (not on the table) and are now pushing through Kommerscheidt, up the logging trail toward the bridge the Americans have over the Kall River.
3rd Bn/120th US Infantry (28th Infantry Division) vs. KG Bayer, 116th Panzer Division and 1055th Grenadiers (89th Infanterie Div).
Savage Defense of Skybyn - Ukraine 2022 (15mm Wargame - Part 2)
Join us as we finish up our 15mm wargame of the Battle of Skybyn during the opening weeks of the Ukraine War.
As discussed last week, this fight took place when Russians of the 90th Guards Tank Division made their way down the E-95 Highway to threaten the northeastern approaches to Kyiv. After taking hideous damage to a series of Ukrainian antitank ambushes at the village of Skybyn, they then tried to shove their way around the east side of the town, resisted by units of the Ukrainian 72nd Mechanized Brigade.
We’re using the Seven Days to the River Rhine system by Great Escape Games to play out this scenario. The Russians have lost quite a few tanks, but they’ve managed to shoot down a Ukrainian attack drone and heavily damage their infantry. Will the Russians crack the Ukrainian defense, or will the 72nd hold the line again?
Savage Defense of Skybyn - Ukraine 2022 (15mm Wargame - Part 1)
Join us at the 15mm miniature tabletop for a wargamer’s look at one of the more infamous battles at the beginning of the Ukraine War. This is the Battle of Skybyn, where Ukrainian forces (included TB-2 Bayraktar battlefield attack drones) halted a determined Russian attack in March, 2022.
This scenario uses the Seven Days to the River Rhine system by Great Escape Games, with house rules for the addition of new TB-2 drone figures. Can the Ukrainian player repeat this real-life victory?
