Unpunched Cry Havoc

 

A bargain at £35 on eBay! I'm really chuffed as I don't have the full set of rule booklets in my existing collection or a decent box for that matter, so I will now sort all my maps, sheets, rules booklets and counters out to be in one box. 

Airfix Battles

I have brought Airfix Battles on holiday so will be unboxing it and re-playing the first couple of scenarios over the next few days, having not had a go at it since the summer holidays. I really liked the system when I tried it out then, even though it involved quite a lot of fiddly counters and a bit of head scratching, so this time round I hope it goes a little more smoothly!

Airfix Battles: Scenario 1 - Allied Breakthrough!

I had a very bored sprog to deal with this afternoon, having confiscated his I-Pad and phone due to excessive use of the internet, so we decided to crack open the Airfix Battles box and playtest the introductory scenario, Link Up with HQ! / Halt the Allied Breakthrough!. This was a change of plan but worked out really well in the end, as we both really enjoyed the game, even if we had to pack it up half way through due to dinner time.

The sprog took the Wehrmacht and I took the Yanks, with the scenario giving us even forces of a captain, a four man veteran squad and two regular rifle squads of ten men each. The aim of the scenario was to inflict three points of damage on the enemy, which equated to the captain or a couple of squads. This seemed to be pretty straightforward, or so I thought. However, I hadn't taken account of the way the rules actually work, using card play to add a real twist to the game.

The really neat thing about this game is the use of Command Cards to issue orders and to interrupt or disrupt the enemy, throwing a card shaped spanner into the works when they least expect it. I thought this was a brilliant element of the system and happily stonked the Krauts with artillery and then assaulted their shell shocked infantry unit using my hand of special cards in Turn 2. This was rather effective and the US commander was very pleased with himself as a result.

However, the cards work both ways and the sprog used his to great effect to both neutralise the impact of my bombardment and repel my assault, with disastrous consequences for the morale of the US infantry unit involved, which ended up retreating at high speed to the rear. By the end of the game, I had taken loads of casualties while the sprog had taken only a handful, so it was a definite win for the Wehrmacht, even if the game was called off due to spaghetti. 

We have agreed that a re-match is required but this time we are going to use the armour rules and play out the third scenario instead of number one or two. This will be an interesting game, as we both have a grasp of the basic mechanics and the importance of playing your cards right, but still have some room for further practice. I'll post an after action report when the dust has settled, with the Yanks keen to even the score, this time from the turret of a Sherman!

Holiday!

I have a week of holiday coming up so will be packing some board games for the inevitable rainy days. I'm planning to take Tank on Tank: Eastfront and Airfix Battles to start with but will probably chuck in a couple of other games as well. If I can, I'm going to see if I can get hold of a copy of Escape from Colditz too, as it is being released this week. I'm hoping to repeat my very enjoyable summer of beer and pretzels wargaming, which I thoroughly enjoyed, even though it's only going to be a few days rather than a few weeks this time round. Yippee!

Airfix Battles First Impressions

I gave in and ordered a copy of Airfix Battles a couple of weeks ago but only just got round to opening the box for a quick rummage over the weekend. On first impressions it looks pretty good, with a sturdy box, robust well-printed counters and a well laid out set of rule and scenario booklets. I'm disappointed by the cards, however, which are a bit on the gaudy side of technicolour and feature generic artwork for the units involved.

I would have thought that, with the extensive range of box art in the Airfix back catalogue, that Modiphius could have designed more appropriate and varied artwork for their cards. A good example would be the Axis Veteran cards which feature the art from the 1/32nd scale German Fallschirmjager  box set but could have used the artwork from the 1/32nd scale multi-pose German Infantry box set instead, which would be far less specific and perhaps more appropriate?

It's just a minor grumble but seems even more obvious with the AFV cards. Anyway, I have some holiday time in a few weeks and will be off to North Wales to climb some mountains, visit castles and enjoy the scenery but, if the weather is as unpredictable as usual, I will definitely be getting some indoor time for wargaming. I'll pack Airfix Battles as one of my boardgames for the trip, so will be able to actually try out the game there and then.

Airfix Battles

I've been seriously contemplating getting hold of a copy of the new introductory WW2 wargame, Airfix Battles, having initially dismissed it as just a marketing ploy by whoever owns Airfix these days (Taiwan? China? Canada? Who knows?). The more I've read about it and the more feedback that I've studied from players, the more I'm starting to like the idea. It seems as though it is actually a pretty good game design, a bit like a simplified stylistic version of Heroes of Normandie but with interesting card mechanics, which is one of the things I quite like in a game. You can even download both the rules and the scenario book to see how it works.

The big plus for me is that everything is included in the box set and figures, model tanks and so on are optional extras. I also like the artwork, having grown up on Airfix kits and HO/OO scale plastic figures, although the garish design of the cards and the slightly amateurish graphics of the counters are less attractive. Even so, for about £23 if you shop around, it's a pretty good package and offers the potential for proper 'beer and pretzels' entry level WW2 skirmish wargaming. In the longer term I also have some 25mm Valiant Miniatures US and German infantry left over from an abandoned Rapid Fire! project that would be perfect as a substitute for their cardboard counterparts.

Hmmm.