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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
Hobby Video: Scratch-Building Terrain for Modern Warfare Tables
Good morning, everyone. Here is the replay from yesterday’s hobby stream, where we added some details to our scratch-built 20mm buildings for modern warfare tables.
Might make for some easy listening while you build or hobby yourself!
Live Stream: Finishing Up Modern Warfare Table Terrain (Scratch Build)
Join us for another live stream where we finish up the scratch-built urban terrain pieces we started on Wednesday’s stream.
The structures are now complete. Now it’s on to the fun, more highly-detailed “hobby” parts, like plumbing lines, electrical conduits, chimneys, HVAC units, antennae, window sills, door accents, and other little tricks that help pick these buildings up from simple “table pieces” to viable 20mm terrain for your modern wargaming table.
Sunday, 2PM ET / 7PM UK
So the buildings have been "structurally" built. I have touched up the paint along the rims of the roof and under the awnings so you don't have the "immersion broken" by whatever was on the cardboard UNDER the awning (when you go down to eye-level to let LOS).
I have also quickly built these simpler buildings of-camera. Again, basic structure only, in today's stream we'll try some fun details to bring them to life and ready for the modern warfare table!Hobby Video - Scratch Built Modern Buildings
Good morning, everyone. Here is the video from last night’s stream, where we took a stab at scratch-building some fast, cheap, and easy suburban modern buildings to use on your miniature table.
We get about 2/3 through this one, and complete the basic structure. Next would come the details like gutters, drain pipes, electrical conduits, HVAC units, and other details.
Might be a fun video to listen in the background while working on your own hobbycraft or painting!
Hope you enjoy!
Live Stream: Scratch Building Modern Terrain
Hello, everyone:
Join us as we show how you can build some great urban terrain for your gaming tables with a little trash around the house, a sharp knife, some glue … a LOT of patience, and, oh yeah … a LITTLE work in Google Images + Photoshop.
Wednesday, 7PM ET / 12 Midnight UK Sitrep Twitch:
Video Conclusion: Marines at Tarawa (20mm Virtual Minis - Battlegroup - Anniversary Wargame)
During our recent game of Battlegroup (Tarawa Assault, 20mm virtual miniatures), our live stream dropped near the end of the game.
Twitch recovered the stream. YouTube did not.
So here is the end of our game, commemorating the assault of 2/8 Marines, D+1 on Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, 21 November 1943.
Video Replay: Marines at Tarawa (20mm Virtual Minis - Battlegroup - Anniversary Wargame)
Here is the video replay for yesterday’s experimental solo demo game, just dipping our toes in the water and see if we can run 20mm Battlegroup in a virtual setting.
The battle chosen for this was the 2nd Marine Division’s landings on Betio Island in the Tarawa Atoll (Gilbert Islands), first step in the US Navy’s Central Pacific Drive in the Pacific War.
Specifically, we’re looking at 2/8 Marine Regiment’s inland drive from Red-3 Beach on D+1.
Hopefully this new focus on miniature gaming systems will find favor with our community, and the video might make for some interesting background noise while building or painting.
US Marines at Tarawa - Virtual 20mm Anniversary Wargame
Join us for a stream where we try something totally new. We’ve been listening to your feedback and we’re trying to expand the rule sets we feature in our Sunday wargames. Specifically, we’ll be taking a look at PSC / IronFist Publishing’s Battlegroup system with “virtual miniatures” on a computerized 20mm 8′ x 5′ table.
The subject of tomorrow’s experiment will be the Marine Corps landings on Betio Island in the Tarawa atoll in the Central Pacific, 20 November 1943. In some of the most savage fighting in what was already a horrifically-intense campaign, we see Leathernecks of 2nd Marine Division up against Special Naval Landing Force of the Japanese Navy.
That’s right … the only thing worse than a battle with Marines … is a battle with Marines against other marines.
Sunday, 2PM ET / 7PM UK
More answers to further questions can be addressed on our Discord.
Here is the location of today's game. Operation Galvanic was the American invasion of the Gilbert Islands, specifically the island of Betio in the Tarawa atoll. The battles took place November 20-23, 1943 ... so obviously we're commemorating this battle's anniversary. 
The initial landings on Betio (Tarawa) by battalions of 2nd Marine Division. The part of the fight we're approximating with our virtual Battlegroup game is shown in green. This is Beach Red 3, hit by 2nd Battalion / 8th Marines. This part was chosen because its one of the few places 2nd Marine Composite Battalion was able to get at least a handful of Shermans onto the island, and we're looking to playtest some tanks in our "virtual" Battlegroup game.
Research on the exact placement of Japanese defenses, heavy guns, and buildings. This island is absurdly small, just 200 yards across at its narrowest point and 1.7 miles tip to tip. and yet well over 10,000 Marines were battling 4500 Japanese marines, army, and Korean laborers at the height of the absolute bloodbath.
Here is my virtual miniatures table. It's scaled to represent an 8 x 4 table at 1:76 (20mm).
Here are some of my "virtual miniatures." We have seven types of Marine infantry (leader, rifle standing charge, rifle standing port arms, rifle prone, Thompson, BAR, and .30 cal MMG) and two types of armor (LVT and M4A2 Sherman). And yes, the turrets on those Shermans to turn on our virtual table!
Some of our Japanese forces, including 7.0 cm field guns, twin 13mm HMG AA, and infantry. We also have some Type 95 "Ha Go" tanks as seen on Tarawa.
Heavier Japanese artillery includes a 5 inch (127mm) coastal defense gun in a blockhouse. This wasn't even the largest gun, some went as high as old British Vickers 8-inch guns dating from the 1905 Russo-Japanese War. Clearly these guns were primary targets for the TWELVE American battleships involved in the operation, especially the old Pearl Harbor survivors USS Colorado and USS Maryland. But still the Marines would have to land against fanatical Japanese resistance and dig the enemy out of these positions.Force Complete: 15mm PSC Cold War Soviet Infantry
Finally finished my half-box of Soviet 15mm Cold War infantry (15mm Plastic Soldier Company). This is the second half of the 141-figure box I purchased a while ago.
The first half of this box was painted as Iraqi infantry to support the 1991 Gulf War 30th Anniversary Project earlier this year.
The kit includes AKM rifles (obviously), some with underbarrel grenade launchers, RPK LMGs, PKM GPMGs, SA-7 MANPADS, AGS-17 autogrenade launchers, AT-5 Spandrel ATGWs, Dragunov SVD sniper rifles, and some officers.
A different angle, with some a closer look at some of the heavier support weapons.
The new infantry force (say about two platoons' worth) with a small sample of my roughly 30 Soviet Cold War AFVs (a mix of Battlefront, Zvezda, and PSC). So I guess after almost six years (Team Yankee Bootcamp, November 2015) I finally have a complete Soviet 15mm Cold War force. No, you don't have a complete force until you have at least some kind of decent infantry contingent.
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