Fall In 2013 Bolt Action Tournament: Learnings

I thought I would post my key learnings I took away from the Fall-In Bolt Action tournament. The most obvious learning is the realization that Stefan (Sheck2) puts on a grand event and we are all very fortunate that he does given the huge amount of effort he puts forth - thanks again for a great event.

I played Japanese and overall still really like them as a tournament force. I went 2-1 and came in 6th so was very pleased with my showing. I got lucky and won the "First Tank Kill" award for the second round but it was against one of my own tanks as I loaned an army out to another player so that's a bit tainted.

Here are my take aways:

(1) I was surprised at the low number of axis players (4 out of 19). That meant a lot of blue on blue games which is OK. Of course as the sole Japanese representative, I only played allies. I suspect this will change by Cold Wars as the Finns appear to be the new Hotness right now.

(2) From a Japanese list perspective the 2 new "unique" units for the army - the suicide AT guys (SATG's) and the bamboo spear squad are very effective units when used for their role.

- The SAT'G's draw a lot of fire so I highly recommend taking vets (at 26 points each). I took out 3 tanks with these guys and when not directly attacking the vehicles their

presence made my opponent very nervous and cautious and consumed order dice as his units targeted my SATGs.

- I had one Bamboo Spear 15 figure squad and it rocked - at 75 points for the unit you can play with some abandon. In my second game this unit accounted for at least 300

points of enemy kills. Of course there were only 5 guys left a the end of the game but that's part of the "charm"

(3) I took a Ho-Ro assault gun with a 150mm howitzer (155 points @ regular, 7+ armor, open top). It's a fearsome weapon on paper but didn't really do much in the tournament. In my first game with Mike (the guy with a plan) his 4 shot Crusader AA tank made short work of it. During the second game the tank survived but didn't score any hits and in the third game it managed to kill a squad before being silenced in turn 3 by John B's M-10. Next time, I think I'll get a regular gun and use the freed up points for a tankete.

(4) My basic infantry squad was 12 regular rifle men vs 10 with a light machine gun from last time. The new configuration worked a lot better (12 shots vs 11 and 12 dice in close combat vs 10). The extra close combat dice are really key when playing the Japanese

(5) I need to spread stuff out more - in all three of my games I got hit by either arty or air that managed to hit 3-5 units. I also forgot about the option to go down to halve hits.

I will definitely play the Japanese again at Cold Wars, but will tweak my list. I need to find some games in the DC area to "test"

Just to repeat, the tournament was a great experience and in addition to thanking Mr Stefan, I'd like to thank all of you other competitors who make playing this game so much fun.

4Ground Ruined House 2: A Review

 I continue to see lots of the new 4Ground laser cut buildings and Fall In was no exception.  After playing on a few tables with the terrain pieces during the Bolt Action Tournament, I decided to take the plunge and pick up a few of them at the Vendor Hall.  The first one up for review is the 28mm "Ruined House 2".  The kit come flat packed which makes them very easy for retailers to stock.  The kit had a price of $25.00 US.

 Components:
So, what's inside the plastic bag?  There were 8 sheets of laser cut wood.  As you can see, sheets come in different shades which allow the kit to not require painting when completed.  The planning that goes into the layout of all the parts is very, very impressive.  There are a lot of small details that are either cut onto the parts themselves (bullet holes, knots in the wood planking) or are separate pieces.  For example, the red sheet (center / front sheet) is used for the exposed brick work has extra brick sections to use as rubble including 80 individual bricks.  All of the components where very well produced and the sheet coloring was well done.  The only thing I can ding 4Ground on is the instruction sheet, which is a color fold out that shows how all the parts go together.  I find 4Ground's presentation style to be a bit confusing but that's a minor nit.  Build Tip 1: ALWAYS test fit parts before gluing, it's easy to get a bit confused as to which part goes where.

Components: 9 out of 10

Assembly:
It took me roughly 45 minutes of build time to complete the model and, as advertised, it's ready for the tabletop (more on that later).  I used standard yellow wood glue for the model and all the parts fit together snuggly.  The walls of the house are two parts Outside and inside facing so the both sides are "painted" but it also adds a good deal of strength to the kit.  I did my standard drop test from 4 feet and nothing happened.  OK, I don't really have a standard drop test (dropping one of my resin kits are you crazy?).  I accidentally dropped the finished kit and it survived the fall intact!  There is a surprising amount of interior detail, walls, posts and stairs.  The plank flooring is well done.  I was a little skeptical about building the stairs but they proved to be an easy assembly.  The stairs are designed to accommodate a 25 mm round base so 28mm figures can be placed securely on the stairs.  Build Tip 2: Don't remove parts from the sheet until you need them.  There are part numbers printed on the sheet next to the parts (not on them) so it can become hard to identify parts once they are separated from their part number.  This should just be a model kit, not a puzzle and model kit.

Assembly: 10 out of 10

 Finished Kit:
The finished kit looks good and is ready for the table top.  I was very impressed by the model but do have an aesthetic issue with the appearance - it's too "straight liney".  What does that mean?  As the model is assembled for sheets of plywood everything is angular, flat and "clean" - there's nothing "round".  A demolished house would have piles of rubble which don't lend themselves to being represented for flat sheet of wood.  I think this is an easy fix by adding some rubble mix and using the 80 precut individual bricks provided with the kit.

 Another view of the model which shows the stairs.

Finally the other side of the kit.  My next step for this model will be to "tart-it-up" with some rubble and debris.  I'll use a slurry of fine sand, rail road model ballast and the kit's bricks to make rubble and use my band saw to trim some planks from the frame that held the floor parts for some timbers.  The key is to add enough rubble/debris to soften the angular look without taking up too much room as models still need to fit into the house.  That project will be the subject of another post.

Finished Kit: 8/10

Summary:
Kit Components: 9 out of 10
Kit Assembly: 10 out of 10
Finished Kit: 8/10

Overall: 9/10 - Highly Recommended

I'm confident that I'll be raising the score of the completed kit once I'm done adding a small amount of debris.

NOTE: This post first appeared on the WWPD Bolt Action Blog

The 4th Annual Analog Hobbies Painting Challenge - I am sooooo in!!!!!!!

The Analogue Hobbies 4th Annual Painting Challenge is coming up again!  This event is sponsored and run by Curt C., the author of the excellent Analogue Hobbies blog and it's become one of my favorite gaming related events of the year.  The challenge starts on December 20th and runs through March 20th and essentially is a race between all of us to see who can paint the most toys in the that frame.

I usually combine the challenge with a goal of hosting a convention game that uses the majority of the mini's I've painted and will do the same this year.  I managed to paint up 10 Confederate 24 fig infantry regiments last year so it's a good motivator.

The big news for the 4th challenge is that the field of appropriate miniatures has been expanded beyond historical's and can now include sci-fi and fantasy.  That works well for me as one of my planned game expansions is "All Quiet on the Martian Front" from Alien Dungeon.  Thanks Curt!

Assembly and priming of the mini's is allowed before the start - so I've got so model prep work to get done!

Back from Fall-In 2013

 I got back from the HMGS Fall-In convention yesterday and I'm pleased to report I had a great time.  I spent both days playing in tournaments - Friday was the Flames of War doubles tournament and Saturday was Bolt Action.  Both events were a blast.  Pictured are the three objective markers I made as gifts for my opponents in the Bolt Action tournament, which is now becoming something of a standard practice and is useful in reminding us that these games only are fun if everyone is having a good time.

 I was fortunate to be paired with Luke Melia (WWPD) for the FOW doubles tournament.  Luke is great guy and a very experienced Flames of War player and I was grateful he let a tournament noob like myself tag along and learn the ropes.  He also designed the list and provided the troops!  Yes, I was pretty much just dead weight.  We fielded a german infantry teams that were backed up by 8 Marder IIIs and a King Tiger.  Pictured is our first of three games vs a US armored force and we got stomped!  We lost the second game but it was a much closer and then we won the third.  Perhaps that was me coming up the learning curve.

I did have a great time at the event and definitely want to get more playing time in with FOW.  Thanks Luke!  I spent Friday evening playing the Board game Eclipse, which was fantastic - it's a really fun game that rewards strategic thinking and will be added to my Christmas list.

 Saturday brought around the Bolt Action tournament, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  My first game was against Mike P (Mike with a Plan) and his Brits.  I fielded my Japanese force and we played on a table that featured the 4Ground Hotel Complex which is an amazing model - all the interiors are detailed (Ok, it's more doll-house than war gaming terrain!).  My game with Mike was fantastic and went down to the last turn.  Mike earned a well deserved win.

 My second game was against a very new player who was borrowing my 8th army to field a force. He played well but didn't understand the rules so I managed to win very handily so I received my first win - but it should have an "*" next to it, since I beat both a new player and my own army!

My third and final game was against John Brader and his mixed US force.  This was yet another great game and showed how the variability of the rule both given and taketh away.  This games example involved US Airpower.  He rolled a "1" for his first strike which means I got to place were it arrived and he lost a squad.  On turn three, John called in his second strike and rolled much better and I lost a squad and got a bunch of pins on 4 other units.  The game went back and forth but I managed to eek out a win on points as neither of us could capture our objectives.  At the end I had 2 wins and 1 loss and, more importantly, I had a great time.

Sorry for the lack of pictures but I tend to focus more on the games than taking pictures.  Overall it was a great con and I'm looking forward to Cold Wars which is the next HMGS con.

For Sale at Fall-In and More Japanese Done!

 A very good friend of mine, Mike M, will have some painted 28mm figures for sale this year at Fall-In.  They will be on display at the Architects of War booth.  First up is a nice sized 8th Army made from 28mm Perry and Blitzkrieg Models.  I think the camp on the Matilda II is very well done.  Also for sale (in the next photo) is a 28mm Confederate infantry brigade (again Perry figures).  Mike's done some work for me in the past and he's both a top flight painter and very good person.

The last few figures of my Japanese force for the Bolt Action tournament are nearing completion.  In the back row are 5 infantry figures which ail be used to bring my Bamboo Spear unit up to the max 15 figs.  Yes, I know, that 4 of those figures have rifles, but you see they are unloaded!  The flag bearer has a bayonet attached to the end of the flag pole so that's kind of spear-like.  In the front row is a two man flame thrower team an extra rifleman and, lastly, a figure with a captured Boys ATR.

 I also completed two crewman for the 150mm cannon armed Ho-Ro assault gun.  I didn't do the good of a job on those guys so the picture has to be fuzzy.

Another picture of the Ho-Ro.  All that's left to do is the flag and rifle banners and then scenic the bases and I'm ready for Fall-In!

Yet More 28mm WW2 Japanese

With Fall In less than a week away there isn't much time to finish up my Japanese army for the Bolt Action tournament.  The final figures are on the painting desk now 6 Infantry, 1 Anti-Tank Rifle, a 2 man flamethrower team and some crew for the Ho-Ro assault gun.

One of the infantry figures is a flag bearer and just for fun I added a bayonet to the end of the flag pole so the figure will qualify as a Bamboo spearman.  It's a bit silly but what the heck.

New Orleans

 I just got back from an extended weekend in New Orleans.  My wife is President of the American Womens Dental Association and they had their main meeting along with the American Dental Association in New Orleans this year so I tagged along as "arm candy".  MB and I used to live in New Orleans so we know the city well and look forward to catching up with old friends.  I will spare you the "tooth-talk" form the dental convention.  Lets just say that with 20,000 dentists and oral surgeons in town, I'm sure that the NOLA Police Department had to put on extra shifts to control the mobs.

 New Orleans does have the National WW2 museum, which is worth the trip in itself.  The museum is very well done and has lots of interesting displays.  The more interesting part is that there are literally hundreds of video and voice testimony's of the experience of veterans dying the war which makes for a very moving experience.

 On the way into the museum there are some german artillery - a 75mm infantry gun and a….

 88!

 The main part of the museum is in two parts, one focused on D-Day and the other on the Pacific.  The Pacific section is particularly well done and conveys to the public how brutal that campaign was.

 We also went to a new exhibit in New Orleans - the Audobon Insectorium!  Those of you wo know New Orleans, know the insects are a constant "friend" so NOLA is the perfect place for such a venue.  I manage to get my wife in because there's a butterfly garden at the end of the museum.

 Ahhh, the cockroach exhibits!  According to my wife I was channeling my inner 8 year old very effectively at this point

 Don't worry - you can participate via the cockroach cam!  I feel the need to share this with everyone.

The spider exhibits were a lot of fun - here's a pictured of a wolf spider.

The butterfly garden was also a lot of fun - hint wear something white as the butterflies are attracted to light / bright colors and will land on you is you stay still.  Its pretty cool to have a few dozen of them on you at a time.

Anyway we had a great time in NOLA but it did cut into my prep time for Fall-In.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone!  My artistic neighbor near St Michaels has yet another holiday "sculpture" a "Ghost Busters" themed halloween display.

FOr my wife and I this will be our first Halloween as empty nesters.  Given it's a rural area we don't get a lot of trick or treaters (usually 10 or so groups) but they will get showered in candy!

Have fun trick or treating!

Yet More 28mm Japanese

 22 more figures were completed today for my Japanese Bolt Action army.  All of the figures are metals from Brigade Games Pacific line.

 First up are twelve Japanese riflemen, which form the core of my Bolt Action force.

 Next up are 6 Suicide Anti-Tank figures.  The rules in "BA" are very interesting for Japanese Suicide anti tank teams - each unit is a single fig and gets it's own order die.  If they survive defensive fire it's an auto hit with 8+ penetration (that's pretty devastating in "BA" terms).

 An 81mm mortar just to add to the fun.

Here's a shot of the whole Japanese force.  I'm planning on fielding 5, 12 man squads and 6 suicide anti-tank teams plus a tank and some other support.

The sharp eyed amongst you may noticed a primed flamethrower team that may get added to the mix.

Bloggers for Charity Troops Arrive!

I'm participating in James and Andrews Bloggers for Charity event this year.  My small role will be to paint 13 figures up as the 60th Royal American Foot.  The figures just arrived today and will be going to front end of the painting queue.

What's Bloggers for Charity? - it's a great event that was dreamed up by James and involved a lot of bloggers contributing their talents to raise funds for charity while pushing toy soldiers around.  I think it's a grand idea and I was very flattered to be asked to participate.  To be honest, I'm a little intimidated given the painting skills of all of the other contributors far outpace my meager skills.

As for Bloggers for Charity - I think its a fantastic idea and suggest you all go over and check out the website and think about pitching in where you can.  I like the idea so much that I've agreed to help lead next year's efforts so any ideas are greatly welcome.