Hexsides and Hand Grenades

Lock 'n Load was one of the first squad-based tactical combat systems that I bought when I first started getting into wargaming a few years ago.  I excitedly got it back from the store, punched out my counters and sat down to play the first scenario and then I opened the rulebook in giddy anticipation.  WHAM.  I was totally unprepared for this kind of game after looking at the rules and I desperately needed a hand just to get the basics drilled into my skull before I played a game that even resembled something that the rulebook described.   After setting up numerous scenarios and bumbling my way through them, slowly poring over the rulebook to check each and every move, I finally started to get the knack of it.  In an effort to spread the knowledge and make things a bit easier for new players, I've created a short video that shows how combat works.  It's pretty basic but I think it's enough to give new players a small headstart in learning the rules.  I

Continuing through with my video playthroughs, I've set up and played a game of "Heroes of the Gap".  In this scenario, "Air Assault", the Americans are caught by surprise as the Soviets send in airborne helicopter assault troops in a pre-dawn raid to capture three vital objectives in Eisenbach.  The Americans have a small garrison here and attempt to fend off the Spetsnaz troops for as long as they can while help is on the way. I really enjoyed playing through this scenario.  It incorporates some of the best elements of Heroes of the Gap.  There are helicopters, air strikes, anti-tank missiles, and an M-1 Abrams tank.  I thought the folks at LnLP did a nice job of creating some specific module rules that accounted for modern weaponry.  They also did a nice job of creating scenarios that let it all shine.  "Air Assault" is a really good example of one of those scenarios.

By the late 1980s, GDW was elbow-deep in both the roleplaying and wargaming business, pumping out an impressive volume and variety of award-winning titles.  The wargaming end of the business around that time saw the release of games like Stand & Die: The Battle for Borodino , Team Yankee , and Test of Arms , which were all part of the company's new (at the time) "First Battle" series.  This series was an attempt at producing wargames that were accessible to new wargamers, boasting an easy-to-learn basic rules set that allowed new players to get the game home and start playing right away.  This was quite a shift in GDW's previous approach to wargames, which were often quite complex and meant only for hardcore wargamers (see Assault , for example).  One game, "Last Battle" , was released in 1989 as part of the "First Battle" series and I'm going to talk about how and why I bought this obscure 25 year old game and the circumstances surrounding

It's the final day of the battle as Pact and NATO forces slug it out to see who wins control of the Eisenbach Gap.  The shattered remnants of the 1st Panzer Division and the West German Territorials try desperately to hang on and keep Stahlhammer Air Force Base as an armored tsunami threatens to engulf them. Meanwhile, American forces attempt to cut the line of communication between Eisenbach and the Soviet rear, pushing every man and piece of equipment across the bridges in the southwest.  The Soviets seem to have victory within their tenuous grasp but any mistake can spell disaster at this point.  Tune in for the shocking conclusion to the scenario 1 playthrough of Corps Command:  Dawn's Early Light!

Corps Command:  Dawn's Early Light continues on!  The Soviets have made some impressive gains in the last couple of game days.  With the road almost open to Stahlhammer AFB and the West Germans rapidly falling to the onslaught of the 1st Guards Tank Division, it seems that the Soviets have their first victory point in sight. Eisenbach is also currently held by the Soviets but American reinforcements may help turn the tide and keep the Warsaw Pact from winning this one outright. At the end of day 2, we pull new asset chits for both sides.  NATO gets to pull 5 asset chits while the Pact only pulls three.  On the other hand, the Pact player will get 1 regiment from the 33rd MRD rolling on the board every impulse of Day 3.  Can NATO stand up to the pressure and push back against the Russians?  The game ends after day 4 so the decisions each player makes will be critical in the coming day.  Check out the video report below for how day 3 progressed.

For those of you following my current video playthrough of Dawn's Early Light, here's the report from Day 2.   The first day of the war started with the Soviets pushing towards Eisenbach and Eben and things got very tense as NATO braced itself for the onslaught of the Warsaw Pact tanks and infantry as they poured into the Eisenbach Gap. The West Germans are protecting the narrow strip of terrain to the north, hoping to hang on to Stahlhammer Air Force Base.  Here's the report below as the clash continued on day two!

Continuing on with my video report of my recent playthrough of Corps Command:  Dawn's Early Light, here's the report from Day 1.  During the game, I stopped playing at the end of each impulse and gave a brief overview of what happened.  I'll be posting the rest of the videos throughout the next several days so stay tuned!

Sometimes it's hard to document everything you want through a still camera, especially in games where there's a heck of a lot happening at once.  At best you can end up with a pretty basic description of what happened on your table while missing out on some interesting details and at worst, the result is a confusing mess of a report that no one can understand.  I've tried to document games of Dawn's Early Light before but was never really satisfied with the end result. Since I've gotten a video camera recently, however, I've found that I'm able to convey the actions in some games in a much different way.  I still enjoy writing - don't get me wrong!  But I'm enjoying the idea of using different media to make my reports.  As a result, I'm releasing a mini-series of video updates dealing with my current game of Corps Command:  Dawn's Early Light.  After each impulse in the game, I stop the action and talk a bit about what's happened.