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
Christmas Carnage - North Pole Defense Game (Part 02)
We’re back for the fiery conclusion of our “North Pole Defense” Christmas wargame! As we saw last week, once again an army of villains have mobilized to attack Santa’s North Pole workshop and Christmas village. This time it’s a brigade of Spartan and ODST troopers form the Halo universe, reinforced with vehicle and heavy weapons support.
Losses have been heavy, with heroes eliminated on both sides, only for new heroes to arise to take their place. Santa’s forces are holding for now, but the game remains precariously in doubt!
Christmas Carnage - North Pole Defense Game (Part 01)
Well, looks like it’s happened again! Once more an army of miscellaneous evil doers has gathered their strength for a direct, tabletop assault on Santa’s north pole workshop and holiday village, intent on ruining the Christmas holiday for everyone.
Fortunately, the heroes of Santa’s North Pole Defense Force have mobilized to save the day in the name of the holiday spirit and Christmas cheer. But it seems every year the enemy gets stronger! Fortunately, the NPDF has also been reinforced with new reindeer and polar bear figures, but will it be enough?
Epic Defense at the Valley of Tears - 50th Anniversary - 15mm Wargame P2
Well, this was going to be a series of wargames and discussions to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Yom Kippur War of October, 1973. But for now, we’ll just finish up with our Part 2 of Golan Heights and we hope you enjoyed it. We’re using Seven Days to the River Rhine System by Great Escape Games. Here, the “OZ 77” Battalion fought an epic defensive battle against huge Syrian forces at what history would call the “Valley of Tears.”
Epic Defense at the Valley of Tears - 50th Anniversary - 15mm Wargame P1
We’re kicking off a short series of wargames and discussions to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Yom Kippur War of October, 1973. For starters, I’ve put together a game set on the Golan Heights using the Seven Days to the River Rhine System by Great Escape Games. Here, the “OZ 77” Battalion fought an epic defensive battle against huge Syrian forces at what history would call the “Valley of Tears.”
This release was originally scheduled for the first week of October, the actual 50th Anniversary of this battle. However, that date was uncomfortably close to the start of the current Gaza Conflict, so the release was postponed until now.
Lebanon, September 1983
Had a great game of Mark Ritchie’s Tactical Combat today, with pro-Syrian Druze vs. Phalange “Kataeb” Christians, northern Lebanon, September 1983.
30th Anniversary: Black Hawk Down (Game Video) Conclusion
We’re back to finish our 30th Anniversary wargame of the Battle of Mogadishu!
October 3 marks the 30th Anniversary of the “Day of the Rangers” – the Battle of Mogadishu. To mark the date, I put together and ran a 20mm game of Force on Force by Ambush Alley Games and Osprey Publishing.
So far, the Americans have eliminated about twenty SNA militia, but have taken two casualties themselves and lost their first humvee. Making matters worse, their supporting MH-6 “Little Bird” gunship is now out of ammo and has returned to base. It’s still up to Lt. Colonel McKnight, SFC Norm “Hoot” Hooten and SSgt Eversmann to get to the first “Black Hawk Down” crash site and secure it for the supporting UN convoy.
30th Anniversary: Black Hawk Down (Game Video)
October 3 marks the 30th Anniversary of the “Day of the Rangers” – the Battle of Mogadishu. To mark the anniversary, I put together and ran a 20mm game of Force on Force by Ambush Alley Games and Osprey Publishing.
In our scenario, the Olympic Hotel has been hit and the target prisoners captured, but now the Black Hawk helicopter “Super Six One” has been hit by an RPG and crashed. It’s up to Lt. Colonel McKnight, SFC Norm “Hoot” Hooten and SSgt Eversmann to get to the crash site and secure it for the supporting UN convoy.
German Counterattack at Salerno (Panzer Leader - 80th Anniversary)
This weekend marks another important 80th Anniversary in World War II history: Operation Avalanche and the Allied invasion of mainland Italy in September, 1943. More specifically, on September 12, 13, and 14 we saw a powerful German counterattack mounted by elements of 16th Panzer Division (XIV Panzer Corps) that damned near could have driven a big part of the Allied bridgehead back into the sea.
This is the counterattack we’re recreating in a game of Avalon Hill’s classic Panzer Leader, with “Kampfgruppe Stempel” of the 16th Panzer Division hitting 143rd US Infantry Regiment, 36th Division along the Calore River near Salerno, Italy.
