Bashnya or Bust! Published (IABSM Scenario Pack)

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Originally posted 10th June 2014

Well the big news this week is the launch of Bashnya or Bust!, my latest scenario book for IABSM. Here's the full info, but if you liked Blenneville or Bust! and Vyazma or Bust!, you'll love Bashnya!

You can buy Bashnya or Bust! either from the TooFatLardies website, or from the Buy Stuff page on this website. Doesn't bother me which one you use!

Bashnya or Bust! is a collection of fictional scenarios for IABSM set on the late war Eastern Front as part of the Kaunas Offensive. Soviet forces are attempting to drive through German defences in the Chera valley in order to break through into Germany itself, 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. Each of the three briefings for each scenario (Umpire, Soviet player, German player) contains enough background to give the game the same sort of context as with the background to an historical scenario.

Bashnya or Bust! is deliberately designed to give players who don't have enough time to write their own scenarios a huge number of games that they can play with little or no preparation at all. 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. You don't even need to print the pack out in full: just the pages you need for the scenario you're going to play.

The campaign is structured so that you'll get maximum use of the standard forces presented in Vpered Na Berlin, with well-designed and balanced scenarios for IABSM, or indeed any company level rule set you happen to game with. Anyone who has a company-sized force of Germans and Soviets for late war, eastern front should already have enough figures to play any or all of the games.

Bashnya or Bust! follows on from the popular Vyazma or Bust! and Blenneville or Bust! campaign/scenario packs, also available from the TooFatLardies.

Bashnya or Bust! contains an introduction, details of the campaign structure and forces involved, sixteen 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): Bashnya or Bust! is designed to allow you to just print the scenarios as you use them.

AAR Two More From Amokfigure

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Originally posted 8th June 2014

Two more AAR from Amokfigur. No photos this time as unfortunately the site has corrupted a bit, and the pictures for these battle reports are now unavailable...even on the Internet Archive. 

But they are a good read anyway!

Two more AAR from Amokfigur. No photos this time as unfortunately the site has corrupted a bit, and the pictures for these battle reports are now unavailable...even on the Internet Archive. 

But they are a good read anyway!

Glory in Russia

Vodka and Steel

AAR: Two from Amokfigur

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Originally posted 5th June 2014

As those of you who regularly visit this website know, I love discovering new sources of battle reports. Here's another find: a website from Denmark, I think, with a handful of reports dating back to 2006!

The site is currently marked as being in hiatus, and I hope that changes, as the reports are great. Here's the first two.

The Briansk Front
Eastern Front Game

Q13 Army Lists: The Gitungi Revised

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Originally posted 9th May 2014

One of the most annoying things about sci-fi gaming in 15mm is the way some manufacturers never properly complete their ranges. The standard release is an infantry squad of 4-6 different troopers, with maybe the odd officer or support weapon: not nearly enough to make up a proper company-sized force. 

Sometimes this is down to economics (the original release didn't sell, so no throwing good money after bad), sometimes down to real life interfering. Whatever the reason, it's jolly annoying all the same.

Well one alien race has just been saved from a similar fate: Micropanzer are just about to release a second wave of Gitungi figures featuring a whole series of new troop types and support weapons. This almost makes up for the change in OB and the fact that some of their original support drones have mysteriously migrated to another manufacturer's range!

The new troop types are just what you'd expect from Micropanzer: beautifully sculpted, imaginatively realised alien troopers. And there are some cracking concepts in here too. In addition to some powered armour types, some jet packs that can be added to exisiting figures, and some more tripodal support drones, are a nice little anti-tank tracked support gun; some really nicely whacky tech guys (these are brilliant: why can't more manufacturers release the same sort of tech crew); some powerlance-armed snail-slug riders; and a specialist mole mine operator complete with mole mines. I could feel the chrome!

Here, then, is the revised Gitungi army list, taking into account all the new releases. Should mean the birdmen get stuffed next battle!