Hey, nice Bulge!

 Met with the usual suspects over the weekend for King Con III, our gaming tribute to MLK. The gang likes our modified Bolt Action games, so we set our sights on Belgium, 1944, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. Bolt Action in an awesome game but it is modeled to be a tournament game and that isn't what we want to play. Also, we use 1st edition rules as they are a more honest representation of what the rules authors wanted. The 2nd edition is fine for some folks but it closes some of the loopholes that tournament players exploited (and we don't play tournament style, see above), so it adds much more 'gaminess' and forces players to do unrealistic things. We're honest and want to have fun; not try to bend every rule to our advantage. Plus the Games Workshop business model of a new edition every 24 months so players have to keep buying the same game over and over doesn't fly with me. (Steps off the soap box.)

The action was set around the fictitious village of Gros Renflement, with the  Germans attacking and Americans defending. There would be no artillery or air support. We wanted to keep it as simple and as close to a 'convention' style game as possible. VC were simple as well; each side receiving one Victory Point for each enemy unit destroyed and the Germans getting one point for each unit in the village at game end. 

The buildings (and bridge) are from Sarissa Precision. I love them. Plus the cost of what you see below would cover maybe one building from some other companies. Also, I like to model; so building and painting them was fun, not a chore.

The shell holes were sculpted by my brother Chris. They are perfect and add so much to the table top. The cobblestone roads are actually from The Miniature Building Authority and surprisingly reasonably priced. They are rubber and come in 11x17 sheets and easy to cut with scissors to fit your needs. Nice.

Gros Renflement.

The shell hole piercing the barb wire combined with the woods next to it formed the perfect path into the village. We called it 'Hitler's Highway'. The German players immediately recognized and exploited it to their advantage!

Looking south from the entry zone of one of the German players.

The church only has one door and the windows are too high to shoot from. I anticipated some blood letting in it's hallowed space. I guess the shots would sound like: 'pew, pew'. 

The rubble is an actual brick that I smashed. Pretty smart, huh?

These row houses from Sarissa are only $13 apiece! Can you really afford *not* to buy them?

The view from the original hiding spot of the American M4.

Pretty cool looking, no?

The local cemetery. It would soon be the sight of even more bodies.

My attempt to be artsy. The church tower as seen from outside town.

Here's a good shot of the shell holes. Aren't they great?

The gang. My big brother Tony, Ogre Dirty Dog, my brother Chris, me and Chris' oldest, Natbud. It was Tony, Ogre and Nat as the Germans and Chris and I as the Amis. Each player had their own color dice in the bag. The Germans had 5, 5 and 6 die, while the Americans had 9 and 7. (Originally the scenario was designed with 6 players in mind.)

Oh, wait, we're playing? First blood and first VP goes to the Americans.

On only the second die pull of the game, the German MkIV enters and parks directly in sight of the hidden American 3" anti-tank gun. One American die pull later and the MkIV is history.

One of our modifications is that 'hidden' units are really hidden, that is, NOT on the board. Hidden units become revealed if they shoot, move, or if an enemy unit comes within 24" of them. In this case, since the only unit that could see the gun was the unit it destroyed, it remained hidden. I love the idea that the Germans see the tank explode but have no idea where the gun could be. Real fear. Imagine doing that in a tournament! Hee hee.

The view from behind the mortar spotter in the church tower. He has just called a spotting round beyond the bridge. Oh yeah, the river is considered frozen, so infantry can cross but not vehicles. You can see enemy infantry advancing and that half track staying well hidden.

The American mortar team has set up in the cemetery. Cue spooky music.

Chris' American reinforcements head towards the town. I bought and painted 40 Americans in winter uniforms and 35 German. I am embarrassed to say I do not know the maker as I bought them from a shady black market miniature dealer online. I think they might be Old Glory. In any case, I love them but don't wanna paint no more of them.

Ogre's German MG34 deploys while more infantry enter, including the Big Cat: a Panther.

Nat's infantry crosses the river and prepares to enter Hitler's Highway.

Much of Tony's force also wisely use the woods to shield their advance. As he did not have an AFV, he had the Veteran infantry including Pioneres and an 81mm mortar. (They are not FJ; I just used the figs.)

The American Airborne spot the Gerries and open fire

While the American mortar is occupied elsewhere, the Pioneres rush to cross the bridge.

A squad reinforces the village. This is prolly my favorite shot of the game.

The small square and fountain.

Boom goes the dynamite! The American mortar team is obliterated by the Panther seen in the background. Unfortunately we did the computations wrong; applying the AP penetration modifier (heh, heh, he said 'penetration') instead of the HE modifier. Oh well, as my old friend Kevin recently said: they'll have an asterisk on their grave stone.

The halftrack provides MMG support as the Germans line up on Hitler's Highway to enter the town.

American defensive fire is withering. They're passing out pins like they're set-up guys in a bowling alley.

Um, we're not stupid; there's a Panther out there.

See?

This squad is actually advancing through 'mouseholes' in the buildings but they look great anyway.

It's about to get even hairier. 

The American M10 engages the Panther in a gun duel. Clearly outmatched in armor, the 76.2mm gun can still do for the Panther. Not once, but twice, Ogre needed anything but a 1 to off the M10 and twice rolled a 1. Chris also had an M21 mortar carrier. I really like that model. (BTW, the Panther won. Scratch one M10 but she had her chances too.)

The airborne squad needed to exit the building to draw a bead on the advancing Germans. Not a great choice to have to make but I reasoned it was better than sitting in the building and giving the Germans non opposed ingress. (Remember, the Germans can sit next door and score a VP.)

The squad with three pins would eventually rally and enter town.

With the Panther having already gone this turn, the M4 gets brave and comes out to play. Scratch one Sd.Kfz151/1. (Called a Hanomag by no one, BTW.)

Like a boss.

Time is dwindling. The Germans need to advance!

The Americans are taking tons of return fire now and each side is well within range. This squad would eventually be eliminated as they tried to stop the inflow from HH.

It's chaos! Pins abound; shells are falling and squads are Fubaring! The three Germans against the wire had gotten into the destroyed townhouse only to Fubar their rally attempt and skedaddle into the barb wire. The airborne dispatched them quickly and with little patience.

Schnell, schnell! 

The M21 assists in keeping Ogre's infantry from running headlong into the village.

Tony's veteran infantry also prepare to enter town. They look determined, don't they? Except that one lazy guy laying down in the back.

War is heck. 

(If it was real life, it would be 'hell', but it's just a game.)(BTW, I like how you can barely see the cupola of the M4 in the upper right.)

Tony's veterans have a toe hold in town. And still the airborne and Nat's Heer struggle in the street. This is getting exciting! (Note the unit with three pins in the shell hole, upper right.)

Wait for us!

The M4 crew didn't last until December '44 by being dopes; that panther is out there. They back up and start using the MG's to work over the relentless advance of the enemy.

Hasn't moved all game and didn't need to. The Panther influenced troop decisions from one end of the board to the other just by the potential damage it could deal out. Well played by Ogre.

Another new opponent for the airborne; this one with a flame thrower!

I hate that the FT model is laying down. WTF is up with that? But... the airborne pass their MC and stay in the fight and deny the Germans a victory point!

Last turn. Remember those guys with three pins? Well, they rallied and entered town, hugging the walls of the destroyed house. The airborne MMG in the church tower could perfectly see one guy's head. It was quite cool actually. But we determined that was not enough of a target to allow them to fire. Damn! Those guys just tied the game 7-7 as time ran out. Thank God for Chris' improbable waxing of several German MMG and mortar teams or we'd have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Final positions. So many what-ifs for both sides! From the first turn demise of the MkIV to the 50/50 chance of a 7th turn (which happened) and gave the Germans the extra turn to push into town, it was one hell of a ride. 

Thanks so much to the gang for allowing me to indulge myself in this kind of fun. I so enjoy putting together a game of this size and love that my family and friends humor me in it's execution!

Hopefully will return to Pittsburgh and run it again real soon.

So long.