AAR: The Lacôme Canal

Will the Germans manage to keep their blitzkrieg going by taking the bridge over the Lacôme canal, or will the French manage to check the enemy advance?

Find out by clicking here to read this exciting battle report from France 1940.

Site Update

The reloading of the site's contents continues apace!

I have now finished re-loading all the IABSM After Action Reports as far as the one-off battle reports up to the end of 1942. That's all the scenario booklet AARs done, and about a third of the one-off games done.

Some people ask me why I bother to try and record every game of AAR about which a battle report has been written.

Well, there are a number of different reasons. Obviously the reports can be source of inspiration: encouraging you when the 'can't be bothered to game or paint' blues have got to you.

On top of that many of the reports are just such good reads: being so well written that they deserve to be published to a wider audience - and here I commend you to Mr Clarke's body of work.

Many reports also have vast numbers of really good photos attached to them: certainly enough to get your hands itching for a paintbrush again...and I know from personal experience that my terrain collection has grown in sophistication just so that my photos look more like those of the masters.

On top of a bit of inspiration, quite a few of the one-off game reports (especially Kev's) give complete game briefings: enabling you to play the scenario out yourself. Ideal if you're stuck for a game to play and (obviously) have played every scenario in my many scenario booklets!

Note also that some of these reports are now only available here on the Vis Lardica site. There are those that have been written specifically for the site, but there are quite a few others that have been lifted (usually with permission!) from sites or blogs that, for any number of reasons, no longer exist. Vis Lardica has become the IABSM archive, and I would like to see that archive as complete as possible.

So, in summary, read and enjoy the huge body of IABSM (and CDs and Q13) AARs that appear here. Even better: submit your own for inclusion. E-mail me at admin@vislardica.com. I'll do all the work: all I need to know is how I get hold of the text and any photos. All standards of work are included!

R

IABSM Army Galleries Reloaded

I have now finished re-loading all the galleries of my WW2 15mm figure collection.

Very satisfying: and tells me what I've got and, more importantly, where the gaps are...especially with Santa arriving soon.

You can see a list of the galleries here.

 

AAR: Diot

Played a great game of I Ain't Been Shot, Mum! today using scenario #4H from the Blenneville or Bust! scenario pack. 

Exciting action as the Germans attempt to outflank the Allied advance via the strategically vital town of Diot, only to run into a company of Scottish infantry determined not to let them past!

Click on the picture to read the whole AAR:

And for those whose appetites are whetted by the above, I've reloaded the IABSM AARs down to the last one from the Fall of the Lion Gate Malaya and Singapore scenario pack - I'm doing all the scenario pack AARs first before moving on to individual games and the Games Day reports. Check them out!

AAR: Ploschad

Last week Neil and I played the climatic battle in our Bashnya or Bust! campaign: with the Soviets trying to get past the German defenders of Ploschad.

A cracking game, even if my camera was playing up a bit.

Click on the picture below to read the whole AAR...

I've also found the time to re-load the first eight or so IABSM AARs from the Blenneville or Bust! scenario pack too, so check them out!

AAR: Near Devyat

Craig Ambler gives us the next installment in his solo-play Bashnya or Bust! campaign. This time it's action near Devyat, featuring a German raid to spike some Soviet guns.

Click on the picture to read more...

And for those who like a bit of Vietnam action, I've finished loading all the Charlie Don't Surf! After Action Reports. Use the navbar in the header to go there now (well, after you've read Craig's AAR, of course).

AAR: Near Ploschad

Craig Ambler gives us a write-up of Scenario #3B from the Bashnya or Bust! scenario pack: the Germans launch a surprise attack on a Soviet column Near Ploschad.

Click on the picture to see more...

AAR: Last two From Amokfigur

Originally posted 26th August 2014

The last two After Action Reports rescued from Amokfigur's site-in-hiatus..

These are from the Franco-German border region, but one is from 1939, Neighbours at Neunkirchen, and the other, The Road to the Ardennes, from 1944.

AAR: South Pacific

Originally posted 24th August 2014

A couple of After Action Reports culled from the distant past of the Internet.

These are two Pacific Theatre reports from 2009: Australian Forces at Bougainville and Somewhere in the South West Pacific.

AAR: Belle Maison

Originally posted 10th August 2014

An After Action Report from a game I played recently over in the Oxford area. It's Normandy 1944, a village called Belle Maison, and the Germans need to clear the road for their heavy artillery..

 

AAR: A Canadian VC

Originally posted 4th August 2014

A real first on today's update: an AAR in German!

Those of you who don't speak German need not worry: the report, or spielberichte, is in two parts. First up are some words which Google and I have translated for you and, secondly, there's a great cartoon strip version which is in German...but you can always look at the pictures!

 

AAR: WTHHYBB x 3 from NYC

Originally posted 19th July 2014

I found a new source of IABSM After Action Reports today: a blog by a member of the Metropolitan Wargamers of Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York City, aptly named Brooklyn Wargaming.

Kimber has recently discovered IABSM, and has written a review here

He has also posted a couple of short After Action Reports from the Where The Hell Have You Been, Boys?scenario pack.

#1:  Find the Guns

#2: Holding the Pointe

#4: South of Vierville

AAR: Sorok

Originally posted 15th July 2014

An AAR covering the next game in the Bashnya or Bust! campaign I'm currently playing against my regular opponent, Neil.

Following the events of the last game, the initiative had passed to the Germans. Their objective: to take the ford at the village of Sorok...

AAR: Germans Retreat

Originally posted 10th July 2014

Another great AAR from the Mark Luther archive (all available on Flickr but gradually being added here too). This is another IABSM game in 6mm: this time it's action on the Eastern Front as a German column retreats.

 

AAR: Eastern Front Double

Originally posted 5th July 2014

Added a couple of archive battle reports from Amokfigur:  these date back to 2006 and are taken from a website that declares itself in hiatus. Well, I hope all is good with Amok and he's still playing IABSM...and I do love the way that King Tiger is painted.

Heldenhausen

Somewhere in Russia

AAR: Vyazma

Originally posted 28th June 2014

Craig Ambler finishes his Vyazma or Bust! campaign with Scenario 3B: The Outskirts of Vyazma. I can't wait to see what he makes of Bashnya!