24 listopada 2024

Warsaw 1656. Lithuanian-Tatar attack on the Brandenburgian positions. 29.07.1656.

The best way to showcase a newly painted army is to display it on the table, and that's exactly what I did. I utilized one of the scenarios from the By Fire and Sword supplement, specifically Warsaw 1656. Although this supplement was originally designed for the game's first edition, I made some modifications to adapt it for the second edition. This allowed us to play using the new rules. The scenario we played was number four, which details the Lithuanian-Tatar attack on the Brandenburg positions on July 29, 1656.



SCENARIO: Warsaw 1656 supplement. Scenario 4.
UMPIRING
Bartek Żynda
SCENERYBartek Żynda, SESWC
FIGURES & MODELSBartek Żynda


1. Forces.




When preparing the army lists, I began by taking the number of bases from the original scenario and then converted them to match the new unit sizes. For the Tartars, I borrowed units from the Lithuanian Tartars and used them to create an Elite Tartar cavalry.

LITHUANIANS
(Michael)

COLONEL (3 orders)
ROTEMAISTER (2 orders)

1 x ELITE COSSACK STYLE CAVALRY (M) (Veterans Presented)
1 x COSSACK STYLE CAVALRY WITH SPEARS (M)
1 x COSSACK STYLE CAVALRY (M)
3 x DRAGOONS (S)

TATARS
(Tim)

BEY (4 orders)

1 x ELITE TATAR CAVALRY (M)
1 x TATAR CAVALRY WITH SPEARS (M) (Kalkan Shields)
1 x TATAR CAVALRY (S)


Tatars

Lithuanians


BRANDENBURGIANS
(Alasdair, Bartek)

FRIEDRICH WILHELM (2 orders)

INFANTRY

COLONEL (2 orders)
MAJOR (1 order)

2 x MERCENARY INFANTRY (M)
1 x MUSKEETER SQUADRON (S)
2 x DRAGOONS (S)
1 x LIGHT CANON BATTERY (S)

CAVALRY

COLONEL (2 orders)
MAJOR (1 order)

1 x VETERAN REITERS (M)  (Veterans)
1 x REITERS (M)
1 x ARMOURED REITERS (S)


 



2. The Game.

The Brandenburgers were the first to deploy their units, followed by the Tatars. After that, I gave the Lithuanians an opportunity to deploy. They could do this by sacrificing their colonel's orders. They would roll a die and if they sacrificed one order, they would enter on a roll of 1, if two, then on the roll of 2, and so on. However, these sacrificed orders could not be used during their first turn on the board. This meant that even if they faced failure, the Colonel would have fewer actions available. Ultimately, Michael chose not to sacrifice any orders and decided to enter the game on the second turn. He had his chance...





The first round began with the Tatars launching a massive barrage of arrows at the Brandenburg positions, which proved to be highly effective. In response, two units of Brandenburg cavalry—comprising veterans and armoured troops—charged at the Tatars. They successfully pushed back the Tatars with Spears and one unit of the regular Tatars. However, the veterans sustained heavy casualties and were forced to retreat to the dunes to regroup. Shortly thereafter, the Lithuanians arrived on the scene.





The Lithuanians, accompanied by their dragoons, approached the Brandenburg positions but were met with a volley of muskets, resulting in the loss of one Dragoon unit. Subsequently, the Lithuanian cavalry took the lead, charging at the Germans. They successfully destroyed a Musketeer Squadron and the  Dragoons; however, their charge against the pikemen failed, forcing the Cossack Style Cavalry to retreat.



The situation was different for the Brandenburg cavalrymen, who faced attack from two units of Cossack cavalry. They managed to repel both charges, suffering only minor losses in the process. On the other flank, the Tatars continued to use their bows effectively, striking their opponents from a distance, even managing to shoot a cannon crew. However, they were eventually forced to retreat when met with another volley of muskets.










Ultimately, the Brandenburgers held the crucial hill and emerged victorious in this scenario.

Lithuanian-Tartar loses.

Bandenburgian loses.


3. Links.

SESWC:

to be updated soon...

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720322138516/

21 listopada 2024

Tartars. 15mm.

I've painted more miniatures! I won't hide that this project was quite challenging for me. I struggled to find the motivation to finish them, which led to a three-month painting process. However, I finally completed them, and here they are 15mm scale Tatars from Wargamer. These miniatures are intended for the latest version of the By Fire and Sword, which provided me with more bases and allowed for larger units.

Bey (base from Warbases)





Mirza




Tartar with Tug




Tartars with Spears




Tartars




Tartar Rables




Yasir




Today, the Tatars are entering their first battle alongside the Lithuanians, attempting to breach the Brandenburg defence during the Battle of Warsaw in 1656.

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720322082001

16 listopada 2024

Achtung Panzer!

In today’s gaming landscape, every respectable publisher aims to offer a game focused on tank warfare. Warlord is no exception; they recently released the game Achtung Panzer! Gordon took on the responsibility of introducing us to its rules.



SCENARIO: Gordon Smith
UMPIRING
Gordon Smith
SCENERYGordon Smith
FIGURES & MODELSGordon Smith


1. Forces.



BRITISH
(Andy, Bartek, David)

1 x Sherman V
1 x Churchill II
1 x Churchill VI
1 x Comet




GERMANS
(Alasdair, Michael)

2 x Panzer IV
1 x Stug III
1 x Tiger




2. The Game.

First, let’s discuss the game mechanics. Each player controls a tank, which has its point value based on factors like armament and crew training. This information is presented on the vehicle cards, which I believe is one of the game's strongest features. The cards are very legible and contain all the necessary details.  Additionally, players select extra "national" cards that provide special support or tactics relevant to their respective nations. Each side also draws cards for special events that can influence their vehicles or those of the enemy. The game uses standard six-sided dice (D6) for gameplay.




Let's move on to our game. Gordon has prepared a scenario for urban combat, where the British tanks are tasked with clearing the city of enemy positions, such as ambush sites and strongpoints. For each point cleared, the British earn 1 point, while the Germans earn 2 points for each British tank they destroy. Each side started the game with two tanks, but we drew a reinforcements card at the beginning, allowing us to enter the battle with three tanks: a Cromwell II, a Sherman, and a Comet, against two Panzer IVs. From the start, we focused on clearing enemy positions. The progress was slow, but we achieved some successes. Eventually, the German tanks got close enough to pose a real threat, and the fight began.






The battle began with a clash between David's Churchill tank and several Panzer IVs. Unfortunately, the British tank was equipped with a weak cannon and was unable to pose a threat to the German tanks. David managed to retreat, and from that point on, his objective was to clear out resistance points while avoiding direct tank combat. Then, my Sherman tank entered the fray. I fired at Michael's tank but missed. In retaliation, the German tank fired back, successfully hitting and destroying the British tank. Fortunately, a new Churchill tank arrived on the scene, this one equipped with a better cannon. It aimed at Michael's tank and destroyed it. Meanwhile, Andy was engaged in combat with Alasdair's tank using his Comet. Alasdair seriously damaged Andy's tank, and when a Tiger tank joined the fight, Andy decided to retreat. At that moment, my Churchill successfully fired at Alasdair's tank and destroyed it. The attention of the German tanks was diverted towards us, allowing David to continue clearing resistance points in the city without being harassed. In the end, we finished the game with a decisive British victory.






In conclusion, I wanted to share my thoughts about the game. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I found that there were too many markers and cards. For a casual club night, I would choose a different game. However, I highly recommend it for a longer gaming session. We didn't utilize all the rules, focusing instead on the basics. At first, it took us some time to grasp the mechanics, and the number of cards felt overwhelming. But as we played, everything started to flow much more smoothly. We plan to play a few more games with these rules, and hopefully, they will become clearer to us with time.

3. Links.

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720321963940