Rollcall 2016 - Flames of War

[leopard]

1st weekend in April, 1,550 points EW singles event, open to have an Axis and Allied list to avoid blue/blue games, held at Cranfield near Newport Pagnell. Lots of other games at the same event, though Bolt Action sold out in minutes.

Haans & Poncenby-Smyth will be there

[leopard]

Following the test games at the weekend a slight change in focus is occurring here, thoughts are to leave the DAK at home and take 2. Panzer in the East with a force of panzer IIIG, IIF some 8-rad and armoured grenadiers as they have a bit more punch while retaining mobility - the DAK are lovely but were never actually built for the eventing circuit (built them for Raiding Aces), so since 2. Panzer failed mid war with the Pz-IIIG list may as well try them when they are 'state of the art' so to speak.

Soviets are also going to change, likely to run a 'Red Banner' list to get Fearless-Trained in the hope that while there are fewer of them they are harder to hit and can hit harder - the idea of taking what works MW into EW doesn't translate very well it seems. Will have a bit more of a think and see what I can come up with

[Baldie]

The Dak could be good as they are so blooming mobile, if the Luftwaffe had nobbled the Matilda's your boys would have rolled my guns.
Stuka vs Matilda's really.

Re Russians if you can get a platoon of T26 to take the hurt to the enemy you can give them even more to worry about. The AT guns are great, I only ever use four but that is just cos I only have four but think I have two more barrels left from my Spain in flames lads.

In your game with Reese I would have dug in infantry and waited. Your support stuff would have taken off a few platoons. If you were attacking the Jerries would have really struggled to hold multiple objectives.

[leopard]

Mobile I'll give them, specially when the boys mount up in the trucks, they are however somewhat fragile and lacking the bite to do much when they get in. Taking down artillery is made awkward by the direct fire, which is usually enough to bounce them unless the artillery has been crippled, in which case I tend to ignore it anyway.

Will make them work though, just not for this event.

Lists have gone in, Red Banner Strelkovy (Fearless Trained) so they should stick about a bit longer, the main hordes are the same size but have lost the SMG guys and the lighter artillery. A mob of 28 + 7 combat attachments with a trained rating will take a bit of shifting and should be able to make a mess of most things that get close..

Germans have changed direction slightly, have dropped the Panzer III idea, which only buys a small number of armour 3 hulls and gone with Panzer 38(t), which allows three more hulls with the same frontal armour, worse at the side and only AT:6 with lower RoF - but adds a Panzer II (downgraded to the 'C' but don't think it matters).. then allows priority Ju-87B with the extra dice for how many planes.

Thinking with the germans is to have enough hulls to roll unprepared infantry, what we drop in rate of fire we make back with more guns with the same FP rating, we also have a bit of infantry in the list and with 12 tanks, plus four 8-rad, should have enough to handle lighter stuff while we leave heavier tanks to the luftwaffe.

Will see how it goes, but has the advantage of not needing more models for the Germans and nothing I don't have for the Soviets with the single exception of one Flak AA truck, which will hopefully have its gun added later this week or early next... failing that its just going to be a truck that cannot dismount.

Oh well, lists are in so will so how it works out

[leopard]

Runners and riders for this are up. Only three, including myself have gone for both an axis and allied list.

Have seen one of the two list players forces before, light tankovy which could be interesting for the Pz-38(t) list and a German panzer list that took my British apart last year but that my Soviets could do better again..

Otherwise there are two Japanese infantry lists, a motostrelkovy (the third of three soviet lists), French infantry (?), British armoured cars, a second very light panzer company and a German infantry company.

Likely to be interesting.

[Baldie]

Looks like some interesting lists.
As you know the Soviet light tank can put 30 plus tanks on the table which means lots of AT 7 to take out enemy vehicles and stuff dug in and a hundred or so MG shots for owt in the open.
Japanese infantry vs Russian infantry is not something I have faced yet but have booked a game as I expect they are evil
The French are surprisingly tough as well my soviets got taken apart when I attacked them, infantry with good AT, light tanks, artillery and armoured cars all of which can fight well.

Sure you will give as good as you take but those look like some tough lists.
Look forward to the AAR's inc pics

[Baldie]

Looks like some interesting lists.
As you know the Soviet light tank can put 30 plus tanks on the table which means lots of AT 7 to take out enemy vehicles and stuff dug in and a hundred or so MG shots for owt in the open.
Japanese infantry vs Russian infantry is not something I have faced yet but have booked a game as I expect they are evil
The French are surprisingly tough as well my soviets got taken apart when I attacked them, infantry with good AT, light tanks, artillery and armoured cars all of which can fight well.

Sure you will give as good as you take but those look like some tough lists.
Look forward to the AAR's inc pics

[leopard]

Yeah that Soviet Tankovy is a mean little list, lots of stuff painted green, but thankfully with pants armour and easy to hit - dangerous when used aggressively as the player who runs does... thankfully my list with Germans doesn't have much the MG can hurt, and at least we are hard to hit... Not that this has worked Mid War ever. I'm half hoping if I face him for it to be his German list, think the Strelk have a chance there.

Have seen Japanese played and familiar with the rules, you have to kill them to stop them, the swines very seldom run away and are brutal in combat - only hope is that my lot being trained and having quantities can grind them down as the IJA forces tend to be small and expensive. Will be interesting, we both want to get into combat, but not at any price.

Have faced a list with French in it once, though as allies, their artillery rules are mental.

Still will have the camera charged, five games over two days so hope to post something Saturday night and probably a longer write up on Monday evening.

Only my second EW event, lists still a bit driven by 'this is what I have' more than what I actually want, but still learning my way round this period, really entered it as a warm up for the two Mid War events that follow, aim is to enjoy it and try to do better than a single close win and four heavy defeats that we managed last year.

[Baldie]

Good luck sir the gods of war salute you and will have some graves pre dug just incase.

[leopard]

Calm before the storm, not totally sure how but have managed to get both armies into one KR case.. A 1k55 Soviet Strelkovy FFS into one is normally beyond the possible, have got the German armour in there as well..

Mind you helps the Soviets are a bit smaller than usual and the German armour isn't exactly flush with models either..

How hum, camera on charge, dice at the ready, paracetamol packed...