Speed Rally 4/26/11

We had another game of Speed Rally this past Tuesday night.  We played on a slightly larger table, so I modified the track slightly as well.  There were also 7 players which made things very interesting.

The starting grid; Jeff's '69 Ford Torino Talledega in white, my super cool '55 Chrysler 300 in flat black, Brian's '70 Dodge Challenger R/T in purple, Casey's '69 Dodge Charger in flat grey, Ben's super sized VW Golf GTi convertible in red (too boring to bother finding out what year, sorry!), Adam's 1999 Dodge Charger R/T Concept in red, and Todd's '81 Malibu Police car.

 An overall shot of the track.

Turn 5 proved to be tricky for several drivers.  The '69 Charger is already in the sand, the Golf is maneuvering back into the race, and under Ben's armes the 300 is off the track as well.

The police cruiser tries to pass the 300 again.  An aggressive bash stops that move.

The race leaders get cozy in the straight.

Again the 300 bashes the police car as it tries to pass.  This time the Chrysler pays the price!

Jeff and Brian start their 2nd lap.

The back of the pack.  The Charger Concept and Golf battle for position, while the '69 Charger pulls up the rear, firing a machine gun at any who are in range.

Chaos!  The villian in the grey Charger opens up again with his personal machine gun, but everyone is able to avoid the attack!

Somehow the VW breaks free of the cluster at the back of the pack and closes in on the Challenger.

The '69 Charger powers through the final loop and around the competition.

The race so far.  The Ford has a strong lead approaching the final loop and the finish line.  The Challenger isn't too far behind, and the VW is just out of the shot in 3rd.  the 300 and Malibu are about to finish their first lap, with the Chargers recovering after spinning out in the loop.

Out for blood!  The Golf passes the Challenger, but spins out.  To be spiteful, Brian rams Ben's battered car, bringing it down to 1 hit.  Smelling blood in the water, Casey lines up another machine gun shot...

And scores a hit on the Golf, ending his race day. 

At this point is was late and cars were scattered off the track in all directions due to heavy damage and taking EVERY turn too fast, so we called it.  We already had a winner anyway.  Any other place is still losing! :)

Again, a very fun game.  the course was narrow and brutal with that many cars.  Next week we will run one more race, this time withought the race track tiles!  Point limit is up to 2,500 and the course will be treacherous!

Combat Cards 4/5/11

The Tactical Assault: Combat Cards by Tactical Assault Games have been re- worked and re- released as a PDF download.  I still need to cut my decks out.  Fortunately Todd had just finished up assembling his decks and had his collection of 28mm WWII figures with, so we had a go.

We played a standard 36 point, 90 minute game.  I took the side of the Germans with:
1 Artillery (mortar)
1 Armor (Panther)
2 Heavy Weapons (MG 42 teams)
2 Anti Tank (Panzerschreck team; Panzerfaust)
2 Command
6 Infantry

Todd played American paratroopers and took:
1 Artillery (mortar)
1 Armor (M10)
1 Heavy Weapons (M1919 machine gun)
1 Anti Tank (Bazooka team)
1 Command
10 Infantry

The game was pretty intense and I forgot to take pictures through most of it.  Here are some highlights.

The setup.  Germans occupy the west ruin and the south terrain.  They have also snuck a platoon in on the north side behind a hill.  American paratroopers occupy the rest of the table.

Paratroopers advance with the support of the M10.

Ambush!  German soldiers attack the Americans from a dug in position.

Paras and a bazooka team take cover in woods.

The Panther rounds the ruin to get a clear shot at the M10, but the M10 is able to stun the Panzer.  A paratrooper charges in and "Sgt. Rock"s the German armor with a grenade down the turret hatch!

The game ran the full 90 minutes, with Todd scoring 12 points to my 4.  An enjoyable game as always.  And Todd, I will have my revenge...

Speed Rally- 4/5/11

Tuesday we gave Speed Rally by Glory Games another play.  The first game we played using very basic pregenerated cars to get a feel for the rules.  This time each player was allowed to make a 2,000 point car for a no weapon restriction race.

For those who aren't familiar with Speed Rally, check out their website.  There is also a review on Miniature Wargaming.

Only 4 of us played, but we were limited to a 6' x 4' table so it wasn't so bad.  We do know from playing that the more, the merrier!

The track was inspired by the short course at Suzuka in Japan.  Here is a shot of the overall track:

We are running the course "backwards" today because last time we ran it forwards and we want a bit of variety.

The grid:

Pole Position: Chris (me!)  Driver: Ivan Jehrkov, Villian.  Skill: 5 Reaction: 5.  Stock car #71, Computer, Nitro Boost, Oil Slick, Hand Grenade.

2nd: Todd; Driver: Super Trooper, Hero.  Skill: 5 Reaction: 5.  Sports car Police Car, Ram, Armor, Nitro Booster, Computer, Hyper Brakes.

3rd: Jeff; Driver: Dick Cheese, Good Ol' Boy.  Skill: 5 Reaction: 5.  Sports car #15, Nitro Booster, Stunt Suspension, Hyper Brakes.

4th: Brian; Driver: Unknown, Good Ol' Boy.  Skill: 5 Reaction: 5.  Sports car Grand Torino Talladega, Super Computer, Nitro Booster, Double Engine. 

The race started off with a bit of a log jam in the first corner.

 Things space out a bit more through turns 2 and 3 as 71 and the police go in very cautiously.

I saw what kind of success 15 and the Gran Torino were having through the turns, so I decided to pour on the power.  I used both of my nitro boosts in two turns.  It looked like it was really going to pay off until I finally failed a skill roll and wiped out in the last corner.

 And being I was facing the right way I thought I'd throw down a slick across the track...

 ...which the Gran Torino idled through and the #15 Ford just drove around.

 The action after lap 1.  #15 is well in the lead, the Gran Torino in 2nd, the police cruiser trailing a distant 3rd, and #71 just about to finish its first lap.

 A low angle shot as the leaders power through turn 6.

 And the back of the pack coming out of turn 1.

 Some of the vendors attending today's race.

 Super Trooper, desperately trying to make up some ground, tries blowing through the oil slick.  It doesn't work and he spins around in a circle. 

 The leaders starting their 3rd and last lap.  The police cruiser is about a half a lap back, and #71 is AGAIN spun out on the track and in a position to be lapped.

 Dick Cheese tries to pass Ivan Jehrkov on the outside.  Ivan responds by tossing a grenade at the Mustang, forcing Dick to swerve out of the way to avoid the blast!

 The Grand Torino forces it's way past, making the pass past #15, and forcing #71 careening off the track!  It is now determined that Ivan Jehrkov is the worst villian in racing.

 And the final positions.  The Grand Torino pulls out a suprising victory by a mere 3 squares thanks to a good double engine roll and the nitro booster he managed to save for the entire race.  Super Trooper  finished 3rd, and #71 didn't even bother trying... :)

 Another shot of the track.

This is a really fun, lighthearted, beer- and- pretzles game.  I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys goofy racing that's quick and easy!