Tank on Tank Campaigns

The one game I did remember to bring on holiday this time is Tank on Tank: Westfront, including the new Defenders of the Rhine scenario expansion which I want to play through. This includes an enormous double sided map but uses the standard counter mix from the original core set. I was wondering about some sort of linked campaign using the scenarios in both the rules and the expansion, with a narrative to tie them together?

Zombies!!!

I'm on holiday for the Easter break so thought I'd finally get round to running a few games of Zombies!!!, which I found in a cupboard at the place where we are staying (I must have left it here last time by accident). I think it will be a lot of fun and should keep the teenagers happy while the weather socks in, as it will almost certainly do over the next few days!

Defenders of the Rhine

I managed to locate a UK based trader selling this expansion in the Tank on Tank series, which I've been wanting to get hold of for ages. I really like this game so thought it was well worth it to add the Defenders of the Rhine expansion, which includes new maps and scenarios for the original Westfront game. I have some time off work tomorrow too, so will be digging out the original Tank on Tank set for a couple of games while the weather outside is so cold!

Close Combat IV: Battle of the Bulge

I found my old CD of Close Combat IV: Battle of the Bulge today after a fairly long and very cold search in the loft. I haven't played this for at least twenty years, so have loaded it up and will get a few games underway over the weekend. I liked this edition of the game a lot although I remember that it crashed a few times back in the day, no doubt as my PC wasn't great and it also probably needed a patch or two, as I bought it brand new when it came out. I'll have to see if it works this time round without any glitches?

Close Combat III: The Russian Front

I was up in the loft today when I found my old CD of Close Combat III. I used to play this game and the others in the series a lot back in the day, so I thought I'd load it up on the laptop to see if it has stood the test of time. I wasn't sure if it would still work, being designed for Windows 98, but it loaded up fine and I was able to play through a couple of scenarios. It is still a great little game and I'm going to play a few more scenarios as soon as I work out all the various key commands that I've forgotten. I'm also going to try to find the other two Close Combat games that I have in the loft, if I can track them down in all the boxes of stuff. A cracking little game!

Command and Colours

I was given a copy of Command and Colours: Napoleonics for my birthday. I have no time now to learn the rules and set up a game but will take the box on holiday at Easter to play through some of the scenarios. It's not exactly beer and pretzels but is simple enough to not be overly difficult to play, so I think it deserves a place here rather than the other blog. I've heard some really good things about  the Command and Colours system, so I'm looking forward to trying it out in a few weeks time.

Tanks: Playtest Game

I tried out Tanks today using a couple of counters from Airfix Battles to stand in for model tanks, with one US Sherman M4 versus a German Panzer IV. The game ran pretty smoothly, as I only used two tanks with an upgrade card each, so it didn't take long to play through the basic scenario to a fair conclusion. In the end the Panzer IV suffered two hits and two criticals, one of which was a bail out, so I left it at that point rather than playing on to the end. I think the Sherman crew would count it as a victory, even though the panzer crew could have re-mounted their tank as it was still working and hadn't actually blown up. I enjoyed the game so will be looking around for some cheap pre-painted plastic or diecast tanks to use instead of the card counters, saving the plastic kits for use with my miniature wargaming projects.