The wargaming year 2016-17

The third year of my blog has now been completed and the number of hits continues to grow, up 76% on the previous 12 month period. The USA remains as the leading source of hits (32%), followed by the UK (19%), then France, Australia and Eire (4% each). There is a good worldwide distribution from many far flung places, and I still see bursts from Russia which accounts for 18% of the hits (I assume these are spurious ‘fishing’ hits). The most popular posts remain my reviews, with that for Pikeman’s Lament topping the list, followed by Battlegroup Kursk.

The games I have played this year are listed below:

	Period	Rules	Type	Scale
2	Ancient	Sword & Spear (Hung v Turk) Sword & Spear (Greek Hoplites)	Opposed (Lost) Opposed (Lost)	15mm 15mm
2	Ancient	Basic Impetus 2 (Athns v Thrace)                         (Sparta v Thessaly)	Opposed (Lost) Opposed (Lost)	15mm 15mm
2	Dark Ages	SAGA	Opposed (lost; Draw)	28mm
1	Medieval	Lion Rampant (Teutonics)	Solo*	28mm
2	WoR	Bloody Barons	Solo	15mm
1 2	SYW	Maurice Reveries on the Art of War	Solo Solo	15mm
2	Napoleonic	Sharp Practice	Solo	28mm
2	Napoleonic	General d’Armee	Solo	28mm
3	ACW	Longstreet	Opposed (Draw) Opposed (Win) Opposed (Lost)	15mm
3	WW1	Square Bashing	Solo	15mm
1	RCW	Red Actions	Solo	15mm
14 est.	WW2	Bolt Action	Solo	20mm
2	WW2	Flames of War	Opposed (2x Win)	15mm
1	WW2	Battlegroup - Tobruk	Solo	10mm
2	WW2	Blitzkrieg Commander v3	Solo (France 1940) Opposed (N.Africa)	6mm 10mm
2	WW2	Blitzkrieg Commander v2	Solo (N.Africa)	10mm
1	Modern Air	CY6 JA	Solo	6mm
2	Vietnam	MCB 2nd edition	Solo trials	20mm
47

 

I have played more games compared to last year (47 compared to 30) and have only played 12 opposed games. My win ratio is OK (4/12) but I have lost more (6/12). My best and most unexpected wins were against Graham using Flames of War, and I will constantly remind him of these victories for many years to come! Meanwhile, Ian and I managed to complete our protracted Longstreet ACW campaign. Very enjoyable (and not just because I won) but, strangely, I don’t think Longstreet will see much more tabletop action; I feel the rules fit well in a mini-campaign setting but are not suitable to one-off, pick-up games. Most of my gaming continues to be solo which is disappointing and is due to an overly packed social diary preventing me from attending club meetings. This was compounded by my regular opponent, Ian, taking a 6 month sabbatical in Kenya.

The game rules that stand out for me this year must be Bolt Action. I know they have been around for ages but I missed out on the earlier enthusiasm, only playing a couple of club games. With the release of the new version I decided to give the system a go. I like the simple streamlined mechanisms which produce a good WW2 game; not as ‘realistic’ as other rules but fast and enjoyable. I can see Bolt Action remaining as my go-to, light WW2 rules for solo play.

I really like the 2^nd edition of Men of Company B Vietnam rules and I can see future games occurring next year. The big rules disappointment was Blitzkrieg Commander version 3; a publishing disaster by Pendraken, but to give them their due, they are doing all they can to rectify the situation. A new set of rules I like are General d’Armee and they may provide the solution to my never-ending search for a good set of tactical Napoleonic rules. My judgement is pending because I have yet to play any opposed games using them.

Overall, 2016-17 has been an OK wargame year for me. I really must do better at arranging opposed games. Next year I hope to play some Napoleonics and find out whether General d’Armee lives up to its promise. I am dithering over whether to get the new Sam Mustafa release, ‘Rommel’. I really like Sam’s productions and the clear mechanisms he uses, but I’m not sure I want the high level simulation these rules appear to address. Another potential project for me next year will be getting my pirates on the table (again). The problem revolves around suitable rules. Donnybrook came tantalisingly close to providing the answer, but not quite, I therefore plan to write my own rule set to cover the period and ‘feel’ that I am seeking. I have a few ideas about mechanisms etc., so this might provide a focus and challenge for the year ahead.