Blenneville or Bust! published (IABSM Scenario Pack)

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Originally posted 16th October 2012

My latest scenario pack for IABSM is now available to buy!

At 300 pages and 97,000 words, the Blenneville or Bust! campaign pack for the I Ain’t Been Shot, Mum! company-level WW2 rules is a whopper!

Blenneville or Bust! is a collection of fictional late war, western front scenarios set in a valley just south of the Normandy beaches a short time after the D-Day landings. US and British forces are attempting to drive through the German defences in the Ribeaux valley in order to break out into the open country beyond, the Germans are trying to stop them.

The pack contains thirty-one individual scenarios set up in a five-step pyramid campaign i.e. scenario 1 leads to either scenario 2A or 2B; the result of this second game leads to one of scenarios 3A, 3B, 3C or 3D; and so on until scenarios 5A to 5P. Although written as a fictional campaign booklet, no two scenarios are the same: each is unique and is also designed to be played as an individual game.

No need for any preparation: each scenario contains a full briefing for the Umpire and for each player. All you have to do is print out the three briefings, set up the table according to the map, make up the deck from the list of required cards, break out the figures and dice, and start the first turn.

The campaign is structured so that you'll get maximum use of the standard forces presented in Battle for Liberation, with well-designed and balanced scenarios for IABSM, or indeed any company level rule set you happen to game with.

Blenneville or Bust! contains an introduction, details of the campaign structure and forces involved, fifteen different maps (some games are played across the same terrain, albeit in a different direction), thirty-one different scenarios, and a collection of templates allowing you to print off Blind markers as appropriate. Please note, you don't need to print this out like a book (although you can if you wish): Blenneville or Bust! is designed to allow you to just print the scenarios as you use them.

Sample Briefing:

More Soviet WW2 Planes from Little Fokkers

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Originally posted 14th October 2012

Two more 'planes from the Old Glory Lil' Flyin' Fokkers range: the Polikarpov biplane that I remember fondly from Johnny Red and the Ilyushin IL-2 Sturmovik which I suspect will appear more often than the others.

Polikarpov Biplane

Ilyushin IL-2 Sturmovik

The Polikarpov I-16 from Old Glory/Little Fokkers

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Originally posted 6th October 2012

Old Glory advertised their "Little Fockers" range of 15mm aircraft on TMP a couple of weeks ago, and such is the power of advertising that I couldn't resist buying the four different WW2 Soviet 'planes that they do.

First to leave the painting table is the teeny tiny Polikarpov I-16 fighter: very dinky!

Yet More Gebirgsjaeger

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Originally posted 9th September 2012

The final two units of the Gebirgsjaegers company:  the third platoon, and an anti-tank gun zug from Regiment. 

Again I'm struck by the contrast in quality of figures from Battlefront. The anti-tank gun team are works of art: a joy to paint and come our brilliantly. The infantry are manikins:  horrible compared to the ATG crew. 

Ah well: just a few Peter Pig skiers to paint to finish the project, and then on to the Harook: bird men with guns from Mad Robot!

AAR: Let's Get The Bastards!

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Originally posted 27th August 2012

More from the extremely talented Sergeant Perry: this time it's five different battle reports featuring the same scenario from the Welsh Guards scenario pack played at the same convention.

Just count those Churchills:  I think they needed a bigger table!

AAR: Action at Galmanche

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Originally posted 26th August 2012

"Sergeant Perry" is a long time contributor to the TFL Yahoo Group. He plays IABSM in 20mm with a stunningly beautiful collection of figures, vehicles and scenery.

His After Action Reports are always very picture heavy. Here are three featuring the same scenario from the IABSM v3 rulebook: Action at Galmanche.

Gebirgsjaeger MMG Teams

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Originally posted 19th August 2012

More Gebirgsjaeger: this time the MMG platoon. I'm very disappointed. The casts from Battlefront were very poor, especially on the chaps actually firing the machine guns. If you look closely, you can actually see that one of them is missing half his head!

Well, Rob, you may say, why didn't you just get them to send you some more: they're very good at that sort of thing. 

Well, I'd reply, they're very good at that sort of thing because they have plenty of bleedin' practice! If they had the quality control to start off with, then I wouldn't need to bother! I love BF stuff, on the whole, but sometimes they do themselves no favours.

No, the bad casts can stay up here for all to see: I'm bound to buy the three MMGs I need for theSchwerer Zug anyway so, assuming they are of respectable quality, they will be the ones I eventually use on the tabletop. Pity it's only Battlefront who do Gebirgsjaeger in 15mm. For now! Plastic tank anyone?

More Gebirgsjaeger from Battlefront

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Originally posted 26th June 2012

More Gebirgsjaeger from Battlefront. Some of my initial enthusiasm has worn off, but I still think they are very finely sculpted figures. I'm almost sure two sculptors did the range: most of the figures are amazing, but there are a few that are more blobby mannequins!

First off, I'm loving this Big Man. Full of character and paints up really well.

Next, here's the first infantry zug completed. I particularly like the standing LMG team, far left in the middle squad as you look at the picture:


Note that I've changed the way I base my infantry. Rather than singles on 5p pieces, I've used doubles on 2p pieces, with a five-2p-piece movement tray allowing even quicker deployment. The 2p coins do come out of the movement tray for casualty and in-cover deployment.

And finally, here's a group shot just to let you see some more of the sculpts:

Right: on to the mortars now!

Gebirgsjaeger from Battlefront

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Originally posted 9th June 2012

Even if I am now buying all my tanks and other vehicles as plastics from the likes of PSC and Zvezda, I still have a soft spot for the Battlefront infantry. Some of it is far from perfect (British Paras!) but some of the ranges are exceptional...including the relatively new Gebirgsjaeger.

I've only just started painting them up, but here are the infantry guns and an FOO:

Zvezda SdKfz 251 Half-tracks

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Originally posted 4th June 2012

Buying all the vehicles you need for an armoured infantry company is always a painful experience, whatever nationality you're collecting. My late war Germans need half-tracks, but the thought of buying four per platoon caused my wallet severe palpitations!

Step forward Zvezda! They do a lovely little SdKfz 251/1 that I managed to pick up at only £2.99 a go. With P&P, my nine models cost only £30: a bargain considering what purchasing them from other manufacturers would have cost me.

The models snap together easily in about five minutes...once you have the knack of it. You need to take care you don't bend the front axles when popping on the wheels, and the curious thread-through, over-and-under body construction took me a bit of time to figure out.

So, how do they look? well, judge for yourselves:

PS  I know these are the Ausf. B so technically early war...but who's going to notice once they're on the tabletop!