Deep Dish Lard, Two Fat Ladies Midwest #1, October 2019

This was the first Too Fat Lardies convention for the new Midwest chapter: Deep Dish Lard.  It was organized by Ed and Liam Harding, who I met at Little Wars this past April.  It was great to be invited and get to play and run some Too Fat Lardies games.  It was held at Noble Knight Games near Madison Wisconsin.  Although it was over two hour drive, it was worth attending and look forward to it next year.

Here's a picture of Noble Knight's impressive game room. They also have quite a selection of anything gaming and miniatures. I have ordered from them a few times online and they always have excellent service.  Unfortunately due to all the great gaming I didn't have time to browse or shop. Guess I just do that online.

Here is my Sharp Practice 2, Turk's Head Tavern game I ran in the afternoon. Sine the tables were available I set up early.

Here's a great Chain of Command game set in Normandy. They managed to get two game in the morning slot.

This is Ed Harding's stunning Sparp Practice 2 game set in the Jacobite Rebellioniin 1745. Here the game was an escort mission where the focus is a barrel of whiskey.  I really want to play one of Ed's Jacobite games, they look brilliant.

Here's one of Liam Harding's Vietnam games in 15mm.  Another one I would like to try.  There were so many games it was hard to pick one.

Here's another CoC game.

This was an interesting Sharp Practice  game set in the Black Hawk war in 1832, featuring Abe Lincoln and Black hawk himself.

Blackhawk?

Here was a cool What a Tanker game set in the Eastern front in WWII

I really wanted a CoC game and played Paul Scrivens-Smith's Burma game.

I took the Brits and my opponent Drew took the Japanese.  I was the attacker and I needed to take a bridge defended by a bunker. Figures were beautifully painted and much of the buildings and terrain were hand made by Paul.

Here I deployed a section and 2"mortar to keep the Japanese bunker busy.  I was rolling lots of 2s, 3s and 4s so I had trouble getting the 2" laying smoke and get my scouts moving.

There are my scouts stranded without any 1s. A Sherman moves up.

Now I have a section in the center.

The Japanese bunker out a world of hurt on my left section along with the knee mortar squad. Priority was to get smoke in front of that bunker. 

Here's Paul's beautiful bunker. Ilve been trying to smoke, but kept landing off target.

Ok, got to get this section in the village to cover the bridge which is my objective.

Sherman fires on the bunker, and the scouts are stranded with few ones being rolled. The 2' had priority.

Paul says I need my smoke to land here.

Right section taking hits an gets pinned. Bother senior and junior leaders knocked out.

Japanese section depoys now my scouts are threatening a deployment point.

Finaly, three time the charm. The 2' mortar finally lands smoke in target. But my opponent Drew had a CoC die, what will he do, end the turn?

Ambush!! Japanese suicide anti-tank team amushes my tank. I moved it up to engage the Japanese section.

Close up: they score three hits, but I have six to save. What will I role?...

No saves, Sherman burns!! AAGGHHHH!!!! That takes a big hit to my morale.

Section deploys on the right.

Japanese section attacks and wipes out my scouts. I ambush with a Vickers who wipes out the Japanese.

Japanese section deploys and charges my center section.  The fight is on.

I actually win the fight and wipe out the Japanese but I'm forced to fall back taking my morale beyond the breaking point. Game over.

This was a great game run by Paul and well played by Drew.

Battle of Prague, May 6 1757

After all these years I finally ran a big Seven Years War battle at Games Plus last Wednesday. Here I used the Honours of War rules with 15/18mm miniatures, mostly Old Glory 15's and some Essex and Old Glory 25's sprinkled in.

 

Here is the battlefield looking south. The Prussian s on the left have marched around the Austrian's right flank.  The Austrian's were lined up to the right with their army facing north.  Austrian brigades are racing west to try to stop the Prussians.

The Austrians start with one infantry brigade of grenadiers.

One of the Prussian brigades, they start with three.

View from the south, the cavalry battle takes place here.

Two brigades of Prussian cavalry.

Three brigades of Austrian cavalry who just arrived from the West.

Two Prussian brigades, with no opposion to the front.

Prussian infantry negotiating the Roketnitz-bach, which requires a whole turn of movement to cross.

Austrian reinforcements arrive on their left flank.

After many failed attempts the Austrian cavalry finally get moving. And get some reinforcements.

Prussian cavalry are hoping for some help now they are outnumbered.

The Prussian infantry cross the stream and reform.

Austrian reinforcements prepare defensive positions on the ridge..

Austrian cavalry prepare to charge the outnumbered Prussians.

Prussian Hussars arrive on the Austrian flank. Now the Austrians are surrounded.

Prussian infantry decide to wait for further reinforcements before assaulting the ridge knowing they'll arrive on the Austrian flank. Unfortunately this will limit the time to attack and the flanking reinforcements will have to attack fresh Austrians.

Austrians decide to sit tight and exchange artillery fire with the Prussians.

Massive cavalry dual about to ensue.

Prussians arrive on the Austrian flank, who are fresh and ready for a fight.

Massive cavalry duel with the Austrians sandwiched between Prussians on the front and rear.

Both side suffer retreating units...

...the Prussians still have reserves however.

Prussian infantry are finally on the move.

Game ends with time expired. Prussian cavalry defeats most I've the Austrian cavalry although few are done for and could still rally.

Reflection:. The game went well and players took to the rules quickly and everyone enjoyed the game. The cavalry flank went about as historical as possible without the initial Prussian charge. The Prussian infantry were not agressive enough and just let the Austrians occupy the ridge.  In future games I might make reinforcements more random and unexpected and maybe give Prussians a bonus for melee to make them more agressive.