IABSM AAR: North of Caen

I was browsing the 'net, as one does, and came across David Burden's excellent blog Converj. 

On there was an equally excellent account of his first game of IABSM: a solo game split across four or five posts and using the North of Caen scenario from the rulebook.

I hope he doesn't mind (as I haven't found a way of e-mailing him) but I've merged his posts into one AAR for you all to enjoy.

Click on the pic below to see all, and make sure you visit David's blog to see the other good stuff on there.

IABSM AAR: In the Orel Salient from Small Sagas

Great battle report from the Small Sagas blog featuring a game using one of the Normandy scenarios included in the IABSM v3 rulebook to an encounter on the eastern front.

Click on the pic below to see all...

IABSM AAR: Over the Hill

Here's a great looking battle report from the Devon Wargames Group, playing the Over the Hill scenario produced as a free PDF download by Rich Clarke the author and co-partner of Too Fat Lardies during the early incarnation of the rule set and easily converted to the latest version of the rules.

The scenario along with others is available to download from the Lardies Yahoo Group, which is well worth joining if you are interested in the best WWII Company level rule sets available!

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Toofatlardies/info

Click on the pic below to see all:

IABSM AAR: Bouncing the Somme

Here's a great solo AAR from James Mantos' excellent Rabbits In My Basement blog.

Inspired by reading the Cinderella Campaign and the dash across France in Sept 1944, featuring the 4th Canadian Armoured Division, James plays a Sherman-heavy assault on a German position.

Click on the pic below to see more:

IABSM AAR: Lucky Shot!

One of the great things about the IABSM Facebook page is that it encourages people to post a few photos and comments about their games, even if they don't have the time to write up a full AAR.

Sometimes, however, all the various bits and pieces posted on FB about a particular game add up to what is effectively a full AAR: a group effort if you like!

Mike Whitaker, for example, posted a note about an incredibly lucky shot in a recent club game: an Elefant spotted despite cover, distance and the weather, and then dispatched by a single shell from a 17pdr, despite a considerable difference in Strike and Armour values.

The German player, Gary Martin, then replied:  giving an outline of what happened in the rest of the game. Put the two together, and Lord Salisbury's your uncle...

Click on the picture below to see how I've stitched the various posts and pictures together into an AAR.

IABSM AAR: A Solo Game

Here's a quick AAR from James Tree, taken from the IABSM Facebook page, featuring a recent eastern front game of IABSM played solo.

The Germans are defending a village as the Soviets move in for the attack. Click on the pic below to see who will triumph.

IABSM AAR: Near the Niemirov Ferry

Here's a quick battle report from Ioannis Pavlidis, take from a recent post on the IABSM Facebook page.

It's 1941. A unit of Soviet soldiers has fallen back in disarray in the face of the overwhelming German assault. The German spearhead has now moved on, leaving a force behind to mop up the battered Soviets, who have fallen back to an abandoned barracks not far from the Niemirov Ferry crossing.

Click on the picture below to find out what happened.

IABSM AAR: Bashnya or Bust! #01: Near Osen

Fellow Lardie Desmondo Darkin takes his panzers for a spin in the first scenario from the Bashnya or Bust! scenario pack set against Operation Bagration in 1944.

See how he gets along by clicking on the picture, below...

CDS AAR: Village Sweep

Here's something we haven't had for some time:  an after action report for Charlie Don't Surf!

This is taken from the CDS Facebook group, and involves a small force of US troops conducting a sweep through a village searching for rice and weapon caches.

Click on the picture below to see all:

IABSM AAR: Operation Sealion: Tally Ho!

Here's a battle report from a game I played in last weekend, using the Tally Ho! scenario from the Operation Sealion scenario pack.

The report is not written by me, but by Dave...who had the unfortunate task of referring a game in which I was participating. John and Mark played the Brits trying to re-claim a small corner of the UK for Queen and country; I played the dastardly Hun seeking to expand the Third Reich over England's green and pleasant land.

Click on the pic below to see how it all turned out...

IABSM AAR: Training Game

Desmondo Darkin posts another game report on the IABSM Facebook site.

The Brits are advancing through Normandy, the Germans seeking to hold them up. A devastating pre-game stonk is just a preamble to the Germans getting a thorough spanking!

Click on the pic below for the AAR:

IABSM AAR: Operation Compass #03: The Invasion of Egypt

Although just being published now, this AAR covers my last game of 2017.

It's the Libyan/Egyptian border in September 1940, and the Italians have finally got their act together and invaded. A huge column snakes its way down the desert strip towards Egypt. In their way are the Coldstream Guards and their supports.

Find out how the Italians did by clicking on the picture, below.

IABSM AAR: Whitaker on Tour!

Last Friday, The Centurions Wargame Group played host to fellow Lardy Mike Whitaker, who volunteered to run a demo game of IABSM. The game was held at The Source Comics and Games in the Twin Cities.

A company of infantry with armor support on each side provided an afternoon of great entertainment. Click on the pic below to see all.

IABSM AAR: Canadians at Caen

Here's a great AAR from the IABSM Facebook Group, posted by Desmondo Darkin and friends.

In a fantastic-looking game in 20mm, the Canadians attempt to push through German defences on the outskirts of Caen.

Click on the picture below to see all:

IABSM AAR: The Dukla Pass (Poland 1939)

On 8th September 1939, German Gebirgsjaegers moving along the Carpathian mountain range bumped into a unit of Polish Border Protection Corps mountain troops near the Dukla Pass. After a short battle, the Poles withdrew, leaving the pass open for the Gebirgsjaeger to continue their advance.

That was the background to scenario #39: The Dukla Pass, taken from my just-published scenario booklet, The September War, Part 2: another thirty of so scenarios for IABSM covering the German invasion of Poland in September 1939.

The game would involve both sides wrestling for control of two objectives, with victory going to side that controlled both objectives on any appearance of the Tea Break card.

Click on the picture below to see who triumphed in the two games we had, and why one of them ended in a Steward's Inquiry!

IABSM AAR: September 2 #58: Jablon

Whilst I'm waiting for the go-ahead to publish my latest scenario pack, The September War, Part II, giving you another thirty early war scenarios covering the invasion of Poland in 1939, here is a battle report from one of the play-test games.

It's late September, and a mixed bag of Polish troops are holed up in the village of Jablon. They want to slip away over the border, but there's a fast-moving column of Soviet tanks and infantry heading towards them. They'll have to hold out until nightfall...

Find out if the Poles held off the Red Army hordes by clicking on the picture, below, and don't forget to keep a tenner of your Christmas money back to buy the pack once it's out!

IABSM AAR: Pestszentimre (easy for you to say!)

Here's another great battle report from Mark Luther. This time the action is in Hungary, 1944, near the town of Pestszentimre: giving Mark a chance to roll out his new Hungarian figures.

Click on the picture, below, to see all:

Following up on Monday's post about Part 2 of the September War scenario pack, I'm pleased to say that that is now finished. Huzzah! 

Just waiting for Big Rich to sort a few details out, but it should be available at the end of this week...so keep a few of those Xmas Pounds/Dollars etc back for a last minute present for yourself. Should work out at about a tenner (£10 or about $13) for another thirty Poland 1939 scenarios, just under half of which involve the Soviets.

Exciting!

IABSM AAR: Jack & Cabbage!

Sorry about the lack of posts for the last few days: I've been busy with another of Jack's amazing after action reports. This one weighs in with an extraordinary 239 photographs, each of which I've had to individually download and label!

The report is taken from Jack's blog, BlackHawtHet...and you'll be pleased to hear that he and I are working on a better way to transfer the content from there to VL.

Anyway, this time Jack takes Kampfgruppe Klink on a trip to the cabbage fields of Moiste: using the IABSM scenario that I wrote for the TFL 2005 Summer Special "Moiste Cabbage and a Quick Cognac". 

The background is simple: The Germans have found a ford that gives them access to the French flank, the French dispatch a force under the eponymous Captain Cognac to close the gap. 

Jack seems to have had a cracker of a game (239 pictures!), so click on the photo below to see all:

IABSM AAR: Germans vs British, 1944

Another quick battle report from the pen of Burt Minorrot, taken from his great Spanish-language blog Las Partidas de Burt, or 'Burt's Stuff'.

Here, British troops attempt an advance against a strongly-held German position.

See how they did by clicking on the picture, below:

IABSM AAR: KG Klink, Game 5, France

Here is our first I Ain't Been Shot, Mum! After Action Report from Jack, taken from his blog BlackHawkHet.

And what an AAR it is: fully 169 photographs with a comprehensive accompanying text. It's taken me a few days just to get it all loaded up on here!

Having been in contact with Jack, I'm pleased to say that the inspiration for the game actually came from VL, and from one of the other battle reports posted here. To be specific, it was from James Tree's Pushing On game, taken from the Operation Martlet scenario pack for CoC.

Click on the pic below to see Jack's epic work...