Great War at Drumbeat 2010

Today's Drumbeat up in Seattle was a nice way to start the new year's gaming. This is an historical games event run by Dick Larsen. Kind of a one-man show. It really comes together on the day of; all the games were excellently hosted and looked great. Kevin Smyth put on a nice Hundred Years War siege game with cogs included. A LaSalle Napoleonics game was hosted by Mitch Berdinka in both the morning & afternoon sessions. I was lucky to get in on the afternoon game; commanding and losing a few regiments of British.  Bill Stewart hosted a very nice-looking ACW game using Black Powder rules. I failed to take pictures of all three of these, as well as some others. I have an excuse though; I was involved in my own Great War game with Bruce D. in the morning session.

Here are some photos of games set up for the morning session. I apologize for not getting the rules or the game names for some of these. The one with the nice Vietnam jungle terrain was hosted by Damond Crump and Lawrence Bateman using Damond's Patrol rules.

The Great War scenario pitted three French infantry platoons against three German ones. The objective was to secure and hold the two ruined buildings. The French were allowed to have their one veteran platoon occupy one of the ruins. All three French platoons had two Chauchat LMG gunners each. Two French reserve platoons moved on from their side of the table after the Germans in turn 1. The Germans had two regular infantry platoons and one Stormtrooper platoon with Bergman SMGs and a flamethrower.

 

Above - German Stormtrooper platoon pinned after opting to go to ground while in cover after sustaining 5 wounds. The next photo shows German and French platoons each racing to reach the other ruined building first.

 

 

Above -Unpinned German Stromtroopers moving up to assault the French in cover using SMGs and flamethower. Although the Stromtroopers never were able to engage in close combat and took heavy casualties from small arms fire, they did take out a lot of the veteran French in good cover. I think they did very well considering the circumstances.

Above - The French and Germans in the other building ruins ended up in hand to hand combat for two turns with the Germans eventually being reduced to less than 5 and routed off the battlefield.

Above - Another French reserve platoon assaults Germans reduced by previous small arms fire. The result was similar to the one in the ruined building at the other end of the table. The French used grenades in their assault and the Germans failed their Pinning test, having their leadership reduced by being assaulted by the greater numbered French.

Above - At the end of turn 7, the French had accomplished their objective by occupying both ruined buildings. In the process destroying two German platoons in close combat, and  reducing the Stormtrooper platoon to to less than 5 figures from shooting, but still passing their Leadership test.

What I may do is get some troops with rifle grenades - or maybe sculpt them onto existing figures using Green Stuff. This may help soften up targets in cover prior to an assault.

As an aside, here's a photo comparing the Old Glory A7V tank next to a 1:50 scale Corgi Tiger I. An Old Glory WW1 German is in front of the Tiger, and a Victory Force Miniatures WW2 figure in front of the A7V.