The Armies Arrive

Just now getting a chance to post an update for my 28mm War in the Pacific project.  I received most of the figures and vehicles a couple of weeks ago, all the major manufactures are represented.  These include The Assault Group, Brigade Games, Company B miniatures, Warlord Games Bolt Action, Westwind Berlin or Bust as well as some very nice terrain pieces from Architects of War and a couple boxes of Pegasus Models Palm Trees. 

 

 

I also picked up a copy of Battlefield Evolution Pacific War off Amazon for $8, shipping included.  These look like most of the Mongoose Publishing rule sets, such as World at War and Modern Combat.  Simple but elegant game mechanics, easy to teach to new players but provides a challenging game.

In addition to the figures, vehicles, terrain and rules, I purchased Operation Galvanic and Operation Stalemate II from Britton Publishing.  These are skirmish scale scenario books for Tarawa and Peleliu respectively.  Each contains 10 scenarios which read like they will be fun to play.  The scenarios in the Tarawa book are larger, being Company level, meaning multiple Platoons up to 3 per side.  The scenarios in the Peleliu book are Platoon Level, with no more than a Platoon Plus to each side. 

I have tried to tailor my purchasing and building efforts to the scenarios in these books.  To that end I pretty much have enough stuff to play several in each in 28mm.  The biggest buy so far were the tanks; of which I have a couple M4A2 Sherman and a single Company B Stuart Light tank.  Most of the scenarios don't require vehicles or tanks, if they do its a single Sherman.  Although I should mention a couple scenarios do require substantial numbers, the Peleliu book has one that requires 6 Sherman tanks, one that requires 6 Japanese Type 95 HaGo tanks and a single scenario that requires 4 Marine LVTs; the rest are Japanese Infantry defending against US Marines with an occasional single M4 Sherman in support.  The Tarawa book has for the most part, minimal vehicle requirements as well; but there are a couple that are substantial.  One of the first in the book has 6 Marine LVTs assaulting Red Beach 1, and one of the later ones has 3 Stuarts and a pair of 75mm Gun Armed M3 Halftracks attacking a large Japanese Bunker. 

20mm Modern British Battlegroup

Santa (my wife) was very good to me this year, bringing a 1990s British Battle Group.  I received three Trumpeter Warrior IFVs and a pair of Challenger I Mk 3s for the Desert.  These will go very nicely with a pile of 20mm RH Models 1990s British Infantry and a couple Ace CVR(T) Scimitars that have been sitting around the house for the past year. 

Two Hour Wargames War Against Japan

Having read a few reviews of the Two Hour Wargames variant for Nuts!, War Against Japan (WAJ), I finally found a copy, quite by chance at a local gaming shop.  Having read them thru a couple of times and watched the HBO mini-series “The Pacific”, I am definitely inspired.

The WAJ variant can be played in some interesting ways; head to head or 1 or more players on the same (Allies, to include USMC) side against the game system AI Japanese.  The author explains his perspective as primarily due to the way in which (human) players will game the Japanese; chiefly, in a very Non-Japanese or unrealistic fashion.  The book includes all the modifications to the original 2^nd Edition of Nuts!, as well as 6 canned scenarios or tactical situations and finally a campaign game that uses the scenarios to resolve the actual table top battles in a sequence of linked games.  Overall, the book looks like it will produce fun games and the game system run Japanese has great potential for realistic table top battles, at least from the USMC perspective, and maybe the Japanese too I guess. 

 

I recently sold a hardly used batch of minis that had been laying around doing nothing except taking up space.  So, what to do with all my new wealth?  Recycle the money and buy new stuff.