No actual game pics but new potential gaming Adventures - Checked out X Wings - Kissel Run tournament - looks like a great simple games using easy game mechanics I can see why its gotten so popular - With a small Investment of maybe a $100 to $125.00 dollars you can easily get enough models to compete in
store run tournaments. however did not realize today until late in the day that (prepurchase) of the miniatures was required. So Got to watch a couple of Games, might trade off some stuff in the future to get into it at some point. Game Mechanics seem very similar to Wings of War but lacks any three dimensional action that a space battle game should probably have. Which could easily be added
with a set of house rules if it was so desired.
X wing and 2 Tie Fighters
Y wing fighter
Darth Vader's Tie Fighter
Now onto the FOW War Game Falaise GAP - interesting set - up about a 4 x 12 table Lots of restrictive terrain scattered woods and two centralized road networks essentially a curved plus sign in the middle of the table. Americans and British enter from opposite ends of the table while Germans defending a narrow frontage and attempting to escape or utilizee passing troops for additional defense - this did not work well for the Germans -
Gamemaster and Helpful American player David MacElhannon
Novice FOW American - David C
Experienced British - Patti
Germans - Peter and Chris (Both excellent players in a difficult game design and situation)
While I was a novice in the game the more experience British player Patti proved an excellent shot at taking out German forces with her air power and blocking the Greman retreat access on the first attampt to retreat - A partial jeep convoy carried high HE rounds was caught by a stray rocket intended for Finnish Artillery and exploded taking out the artillery and blocking access down the road. two turns later a set of german Panzer treks approached but were slowed by the road obstuction. German MPs were operating in the center of town in an attempt to slow and draw Germans retreating into the German defensive battle line.
American off board artillery support succeeded in neutralizing several key German battle tanks which ultimately led to a hard won American victory though pinned down by numerous types of German fire - The American veterans were able to elude the Germans and set up a trap that lured German tanks int the forest in an attempt to massacre US forces with heavy German Armor.. Althogh lucky with most of his die rolls for much of the battle. The German commander young stormtrooper officer Peter von Goring was unable to extract his panzers after they bogged down near American infantry forces. Who close assaulted the german tanks capturing or eliminating them in quick succession.
On the right flank Americn light Armor baited a trp using built up areas and ruins for cover which allowed US heavy artillery support to force the German armor into an ill timed attack. By the end of the day both flanks of German armor had been eliminated or forced to retire and the actual storm troopers were strafed by Patti's British air support but missed getting severely mauled when a lucky set of anti aircraft shots by the german's clipped The Air wing forcing them to withdraw.
Even so - Not til the last turn of close assaults were the Americans making any headway in the battle. The last key to victory was the attempt by the German commander to rescue one of his King Tigers in trying to prevent its capture by the Americans. (the crew had bailed due afetr getting hit by American 105howitzer fire. The German commander barely succeeded but only after taking heavy losses. The next round of combats could well have sealed the German infantry's fate.
While not the actual battle (sorry forgot my camera) here is a Utube link of Company of Heroes that can serve as an illustration of today's action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d729lXiNnsU
Company Of Heroes 1 Tales of Valor - Falaise Pocket - Mission 1
Also while not "David MacElhannon's actual set up" below is a pic that is basically representative of the overall game set up and intentions that I found on the web. I want to thank dave and everyone else for a most enjoyable game and I look forward to participating in more as time allows.
