Monte Cassino. Sort of.

At our recent King Con (VIII) get-together, we played a good game (or two) of modified Bolt Action inspired by the fighting around the monastery at Monte Cassino.

Modified in that we play scenarios and not tournaments, so we don't adhere to all the rules as written. Some examples include letting vehicles move up to their movement allowance in any direction they want to go, none of the nonsense associated with turning as per the rules. We also allow 'hidden' units to actually be hidden, recorded on a map and not revealed until they move or shoot, or the enemy gets close (24 inches for infantry, 12 for vehicles.) We also 'assign' the medic to a squad of the player's choice, usually the unit at the tip of the spear. There are other rules we modify, but you get the gist.

So we ended up playing the scenario twice so eight guys got to play. And don't get your panties in a bunch; I KNOW the 8th Indian didn't face off against the Fallschirmjaegers, the latter were one village over fighting the Poles. But I like the models and wanted to use them. After all, the scenario was 'inspired' by the action, not meant to duplicate it. Deal with it.

The pics are a mix from the two games if things seem a bit disjointed.

The village with their church on a hill in the center. It was a meeting engagement with points awarded for each enemy unit KIA'ed. Instant victory for either side if they controlled the church at game end. (No infantry units within 3".) The ground was rough and full of crags. Plenty of terrain to advance in cover. 6 turns.

Here is the centerpiece of the entire weekend. My brother Tony's first attempt at a piece of terrain was this gorgeous church complete with frescoes! Just look at it! Beautiful.

Indians storm the hill.

And the FJ come in from the other side, supported by a Hetzer.

German grenadiers advance into the rubble while the FJ MMG team finds a spot to cover the church in the ruins of the village.

Leaving the cover of that part of the village behind them, the Indians went straight for the church.

The Indians were aided by Canadian armor. The M4 took a side route in the first game and got lost, never showing up. It ended up being costly.

The obligatory British artillery barrage. Unfortunately for them, the Germans scattered and it had little to no effect.

Another belt Dieter! Hurry!

I put those tiny fucking decals on those helmets. Say something nice.

A squad enters in the rubble while another crosses the tessellated floor. 

This is what happens when Germans see Allied armor.

Can AFV's sneak? In the first game, a crazed PIAT crew ran into the open and offed it at long range. Hetzer shmetzer.

Casualties mount as the Germans force their way onto the hill. There will be no instant victory today!

These guys thinking the same thing.

More of a end run this time around.

I  love these models.

Indians hunkering down in the rubble while a mortar lobs shells at them. Each side had a medium mortar and spotter and in two combined games, each firing almost every turn, there wasn't a single hit from either mortar. No one fired smoke either.

Another shot of the chiesa! Look at that fucking thing.

Doing their job. And in short pants too! The fighting was furious.

The grenadiers assault the church. Another mortar shot falls harmlessly behind them. In the way, way back, you can see the PaK40. I really, really like that model.

The artillery barrage didn't do much in the second game either. The unit in front is pinned like a prom corsage.

It was bloody all around. Both sides collecting multiple pins over and over again. Yet many of the morale checks were passed regardless, and both sides just kept pushing towards their objectives. Very cool to watch actually.

Boom goes the dynamite. These guys had quite the gun duel but the Firefly just couldn't take out the MkIV. They did not a track off though. Something nice to add in the letter home to their parents, I guess.

Both games ended in German victories on points and both were very close 4-3 and 5-4. If the Sherman had shown up, and assuming it survived, the first game would have been a draw. But, having got lost, it counted as destroyed.

Our group likes the game for it's simplicity, it's intuitiveness and consistent results. There's a lot of World War 2 in the game. Is it a simulation? Of course not, no game is, but it sure looks cool and gives us the chance to play with our toy soldiers.

The End.