Combat Cards Week 6, 8/09/11

And so it ends, the 15mm WWII Tactical Assault: Combat Cards 2011 League.  It was very close in the ponits, so the last games were going to be crucial.  Dan squared off against Mike, and I had the pleasure of testing my new (and theoretically broken) army against Todd.  Unfortunately Jeff got a bye and was not able to defend his position in the standings.

Over the course of the campaign we found behemoths very, very, very hard to kill.  So hard, in fact, that I figured if one or two were bad, 6 would be unstoppable.  So I did it.  I made a list consisting of 6 behemoths, 3 aerials and 2 artillery.  Disaster was to ensue...

A shot of the table mid game.  I'm already short two Tiger tanks due to infantry attacks.

Another Tiger is surrounded.  Soon after the infantry polish this one off, too...

The same action from a different angle.

A behemoth slugs it out with an American mortar team.

After everything was said and done I ended up winning 22- 18.  Winning isn't the disasterous part; the fact that I lost three powerful units to infantry and pulled off a much smaller margin of victory than anticipated.  I figured the sheer power of a behemoth would make it able to hold it's own, even when outnumbered and outflanked, but Todd's infantry felt otherwise.  Behemoths are still incredibly devastating, but they still need someone to watch their flanks or they end up like their targets: a burning wreck!

A shot of Dan and Mike's game.  Units are taking cover where ever they can to avoid the dangerous firing lanes.

Two Russian takes fire from concealed positions in a village. 

Russians test a new hover- tank on the battlefield... :)

Dan achieved victory over Mike, solidifying his 1st place finish in the league.  My minor victory over Todd kept Jeff 2 points ahead of me in the standings, giving him 2nd place.  I was able to achieve 3rd.

The league was fun and the games were well played.  I think everyone is going to enjoy their hard break!



Combat Cards Week 5, 7/27/11

Week 5 down, and only one more to go!

Two more furious games were played.  Jeff and I played in what turned out to be a hard fought, yet uneventful game.  The combat was tight, and there was a near constant barrage of artillery, mortar, bombs, cannons and small arms fire, but both sides were able to hang in for a long time!

Not much for pictures.  We were just too busy trying to pound each other into the dirt!

Dan and Todd face off on the Russian countryside.

A small village. 

Sorry for not getting more pictures of this game.  It was over and done with before I knew what was going on.

A French village and farm.  The village center of the table is quite dense with buildings and bocage. 

The same table from the other side.  Fighting was heaviest around the farm on the opposite side of the table.

The eternal battle.  With a Tiger I, 2 StuG III's and an infantry unit nearby, it still took me many, many rounds to destroy the Sherman 76.  And Jeff dispatched my Tiger immediately after, nulifying my efforts.

A German mortar team is harassed by American infiltrators.  This one eventually became a mutual destruction.

Unfortunately that's it!  I will try to get more pictures for next week's finale. 

Dan was victorious over Todd, and Jeff rallied at the end to destroy me. 

Combat Cards Week 4, 7/20/11

We were town two players this week, but it didn't matter.  The four that did play were in games so engaging and brutal it was more than enough!

Jeff and Todd faced each other again.  This time the game was very quick and deadly, with Jeff scoring a win.

The table.  A small village surrounded by hills and woods.

Armor clash!  An M10 and a Sherman take cover in woods while German Panzers push the offensive.

German infantry and put "Out of Action" while moving towards a mysterious wreck.

Unfortunately these were the only shots I was able to get before the game ended.  Jeff won the day today!

For the first time I faced off against Dan, the current league leader, my boss, AND the creator of the game.  No pressure here! :)  Our table was a farm bordering a wood.

Russians hunker down in the farm yard. 

A look to the south from the farm.  Germans have entrenched themselves in one of the orchards, with Russians occupying the other. 

Late game carnage.  Both German and Russian forces have taken heavy damage from the fighting around the farm. 

The Tiger approaches a T34 it destroyed earlier.  Or is it destroyed?  The greenery around it is ablaze, but the tank seems to be OK!  The Tiger crew is Confused! (Don't worry, the T34 really was Eliminated.)

A StuG III burns brilliantly while Russian Infiltrators survey a hill.

No unit escaped the fury!  Three of five aircraft were destroyed in a vicious dog fight. 

In the end I was able to squeak out a narrow victory.  Regarless of who won or lost, fun was had by all!

Combat Cards Week 3, 7/13/11

And another week of play is behind us.  Only two games this week as one player didn't show up and forced the other player into a bye.  They were both fun games though, and despite the outcomes I think everyone had a good time.

I remembered to use my fire markers this time to make some shots more interesting.

Here's a look at the table Jeff and Dan played on.  Dan's bomber passes over with a fighter escort.

Todd and I squared off for another game.  Against my better judgement, I went light on the buildings today.

Our table from the other end.

Todd's Americans receive a heavy shelling while moving through the bocage.  One of my infantry units tries to sneak up on the Sherman.

German amor and mortar team taking cover in the woods.

U.S. infantry and a mortar team wait for tank support...

...While German infantry moves around their own minefield and into a defensive position.

Only a few miles way (Ok, actually a few feet on another table) Jeff's Sherman 76 takes up position in a farmstead.

Both Dan's Panzers and Jeff's Ronsons :) getting cozy in the woods.

KA- BLAAAAAAAM!!! 

My Tiger scores a direct hit on Todd's M4, sending it up in flames.

My squad of infantry finally assault another one of Todd's Shermans, just to destroy themselves in the process.

Behmoth's pound on each other on Dan and Jeff's table.

Jeff's mortar team is down, but not out! 

(Well, they are Out of Action.  Which is technically "out" I suppose.  You know what I mean.)

The games were a good time as always.  I would like to thank Todd especially.  It simply wasn't his night for gaming, but he was still a very good sport about it!

Winners this week were Dan and myself.

Combat Cards League, Week 2, 7/5/11

Another week of league play has come and gone, with 3 more great games played.  I did manage to grab a few shots of the other games being played this week.

My table.  I had the pleasure of facing off against Jeff in this dense village setup.

A shot of the table from the other side.  Jeff's Flames of War wrecked vehicles were very distracting.  Throughout the game I kept confusing them as Jeff's units!

The only real action shot of the game.  American infiltrators snuck up on my Tiger and blew it straight to hell.  The Americans suffer no lasting effects.

 A look at the village mid- game.  The units are few, and the table is big, so it looks quiet.  My StuG is advancing along the road along the right side, trying to get a better angle on the Sherman 76 and mortar team.  Minefields block off- road access to the other half of the table.

A look at Dan and John's game.  Soviets battle it out with those pesky Germans!  

A Soviet T-34/85 uses the woods and smoke cover to sneak up on a German Elefant.

 Soviet armor watching for the German advance.  Infantry tangle with German armor at the top of the picture.

Todd and Mike face off with Germans and Russians. 

Russian infantry hide behind a tank, in the smoke and woods.  Why?

Because there's a confused German command in the open!!! :)

German forces move in to dislodge Soviet infantry from the farmhouse.

Jeff, John and Mike pulled down victories today; all of them close, well played, and fun!  If you're not playing you are really missing out.

Never heard of Combat Cards?  Check out their website: http://www.tacticalassaultgames.com/

Combat Cards League, Week 1

The Tactical Assault: Combat Cards league at Village Games in Anoka, MN officially kicked off on Tuesday.  7 players showed up and three games were played.  I would have liked to get some shots of the other games, but I got too engrossed in my own game.  I took very few meaningful pictures of my own!

I had the pleasure of playing Todd in a German training exercise (we were both running German armies.)

A shot of the table before deployment.  Each building counted as a covering template, with medium elevation if a unit was above the 1st floor.

Units Deployed.  My Germans took positions in town, and to the south and east of town.  Todd split his forces, approaching from the northeast and west sides.

My Stug III takes a position in the woods on the east side.  Todd had a Pz IV there a minute ago...

Two of my machine guns teams watch over the village.  Todd's Panzer tucks in behind a building to harass the MG's while avoiding the Tiger I on the south side of the table.

A view from the smoke.  After shrouding my Tiger in smoke, two more of Todd's armored units maneuver into position to destroy it as soon as the smoke clears.

Todd's units taking cover on the west side of the table.

One of my infiltrators standing in the open.  They had just eliminated another Panzer IV.

Todd moves a StuG III to assault the Tiger I.  These two units spent much of the last portion of the game confused.

My StuG III's begin pushing toward the west side of the map to support the beleaguered Tiger I.

Unable to clear the confusion on his StuG III, Todd braces for an assault from the Tiger I.  Do not fear; it survived the attack and almost caused the Tiger to flee the tabletop!

This was a great game that could have gone either way.  At the end I was ahead by 11 points, giving me only a marginal victory. 

More action to come next week!