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Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures – Yavin Avenged

This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures game. The scenario was a rematch of the previous game, but with equal points instead of a canonical setup.

Six X-wings faced 8 Tie fighters and 1 Tie Advanced starfighter.

Everyone shifts to the Imperial left except the Tie Advanced and its wingmen.

The lines exchange fire and pass through.

Two remaining X-wings escape off the table.

Four X-wings and two Tie fighters were lost. The last two X-wings escaped.

Ship ‘o the Line Test Game

Today we did a quick test of the Ship ‘o the Line naval rules by Battleline, after converting them from the original square grid to a hex grid. This is similar to what was done to create the Wooden Ships and Iron Men game, but retaining the slightly higher complexity of Ship ‘o the Line.

Main Battle Tank Game AAR

This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a 1980s Europe game using GMT’s MBT rules, with miniatures substituted for the counters. The miniatures used were GHQ 1/285 Micro Armor.

The Soviet 210th Motor Rifle Division leads the Soviet Center Front’s surge across border against the US VII Corps in the Hof Gap region of Germany. The US 1st I.D. (Mech) is moving to block the Soviet advance.

In the initial moves the US loses a lot more tanks than the Soviets do.

View from the US left wing.

US troops take the main town.

View from the Soviet left wing.

The US left wing is mostly burning tanks.

The objective bridge is held by the US, but only by a knocked out tank.

Objective bridges held at the end of the game.

At the end of the game the US had slightly more points from objectives, but the Soviets more than made up for that in forces destroyed. A solid Soviet win.

Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures – Battle of Yavin

This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures game. The scenario was based on the Battle of Yavin.

With the Death Star approaching, Y-wings from Gold Squadron and X-wings from Red Squadron and Green Squadron were dispatched to carry out the attack plan. A total of 30 ships were deployed in the assault on the Death Star: 8 Y-wings making up Gold Squadron and 22 X-wings, some making up Red Squadron and the rest making up Green Squadron. The Starfighters weaved through the turret emplacements destroying many as they passed.

The Death Star’s defenses were designed for a direct, large-scale assault. By using small, one-man fighters, the Rebels would slip through the Death Star’s main defenses, maneuver down a narrow trench leading to the exhaust port, and insert proton torpedoes through the exhaust port.

Some time into the battle, Imperial officer Jude Edivon aboard the Death Star identified the threat of the Rebels’ attack strategy, and attempted to warn her superiors of the danger. However, Grand Moff Tarkin ignored the warning and refused to evacuate the station or launch any of the stations hundreds of fighters. Meanwhile, Darth Vader himself decided to lead his personal squadron of TIE Fighters to destroy the remaining Rebel fighters.

The game consisted of the main dogfight between elements of Red Squadron (7 X-wings), Gold Squadron (3 Y-wings) against Black Squadron’s 9 Tie Fighters. Meanwhile Han Solo was fighting with his conscience whether to intervene with the Millennium Falcon or continue on his way to payoff Jabba the Hut.

X-wings advance and Y-wings edge right toward the center.

Tie Fighters move to both flamks while Vader and his two wingmen advance in the center.

Vader has lost a wingman to concentrated X-wing fire.

A furball in the foreground. Vader has lost his other wingman.

Another Tie Fighter is destroyed on the Imperial left wing.

In the distance, the Imperial right wing swings inward to attack the Y-wings.

In the end, seven Tie Fighters and one X-wing were lost. The Rebel ships continued on toward their mission to bomb the Death Star. Darth Vader survived to return in Episodes V and VI.

Bolt Action – Aslito Airfield, Saipan

This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a Bolt Action game set during the Battle of Saipan. The scenario was based on the Japanese counterattack on Aslito airfield on the night of 16-17 June 1944 and pitted the 23rd Marine Regiment against the Japanese 118th Infantry Regiment.