AARs: Show Us Yer Games!

Mk 1 · Post by **Mk 1** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 2:27 am

ACWBill said:
I truly hope everyone enjoys the AAR.

Enjoy the AAR? You betcha!

Excellent job, Bill! Bravo! Great pics, great story, great models, FANTASTIC terrain. Musta been one heck of a game!

HERE HERE!

ACWBill · Post by **ACWBill** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 2:33 am

Tom, I used a mix of Farm Pasture blend from Scenic Express and various and sundry foam terrain browns and burned green. I also mixed in about 1/3rd a box of fine brown ballast and and harvest gold static grass also from scenic express. I would say the blend is about 50% farm pasture, 20% mixed foam and 15% each ballast and harvest gold. I hope this helps.

B

mluther · Post by **mluther** » Sun May 06, 2007 9:56 am

The following link is to a flickr album with pictures from the Salerno scenario we recently gamed. The Brits totally crapped out and lost the game. Their artillery was mostly not available and the promised air support of Spitfires didn't show. Semovente HEAT rounds were killers and the Shermans couldn't hit the broad side of StuG

Enjoy, Mark

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8155094@N0 ... 0180775997

jb · Post by jb » Sun May 06, 2007 7:42 pm

Mark,
Very nice job. The results looked like a good time.

Mk 1 · Post by **Mk 1** » Mon May 07, 2007 5:07 am

Mark:

Oooh, dat's what I like to see. Great AAR!

Can you tell us a bit more about the scenario? Pre-game naval bombardment -- was that part of the game, or just a feature of the terrain? What forces were involved?

Also, I am quite interested in how you've done the terrain. It appears, from the bases I see on the trees, hedges, vineyard, etc. to be some form of mix-and-match terrain pieces. But the overall effect is more like scuplted terrain boards. How do you get so much into the base, on which the pieces have been placed?

mluther · Post by **mluther** » Mon May 07, 2007 6:59 am

The scenario was really more of a meeting engagment with both sides having orders to occupy the same terrain features. Brits had a coy of infantry with attached 6 pdr battery(I use the other guys Loyd carriers). A couple of Sherman troops provided the firepower. They were suppose to get some Spitfires for support but they didn't show(random event). The promised 25 pdr bttn was also reduced to a battery(bad luck again). Germans were in 2 distinct units. The grenadiers with some mmgs and Semoventes started on board. The recon element from the HG Div came on a couple of turns into the game. The pregame shelling was decided in a random manner, it was mainly just another addition to the scenery.
The table is made by building up the different heights with insulation foam sheets from the home repair store. Then I put a couple of layers of cloth sheets over the foam boards. The top layer is in a color that represents the ground color in the area. I have a green sheet, a brown sheet and a white sheet for winter games. Then I place out the various terrain features like buildings, walls, orchards, woods, fields... When I'm satisfied with their placement, I use pastels to color in things like roads, streams, slopes or whatever. It adds some contrast and color to the table. The nice thing about pastels is that they mostly wash out after a game in the clothes washer. Then I add things like the telephone poles and individual trees, rubble, craters, scrub.
There was a link to a winter East front game we played a couple of months ago in one of the threads. The next game is going to be a late war west front game so I can use my Comets.

tstockton · Post by **tstockton** » Mon May 07, 2007 7:50 am

mluther,

Thanks for the link to your pictures, and your description of the game!

Your terrain looks very good, and seems to offer a great mix of flexibilty, playability and visual realism. I love your use of pastels to not only provide roads, but to accent differing elevations, etc. Very cool!

Your models look very well done, and the only ways I could think of to improve your photography would be (a) a little more light, and (b) a little larger picture -- all the better for these bi-focaled eyes to see them with!

Very well done! I look forward to more of your posts!

Regards,
Tom Stockton

mluther · Post by **mluther** » Tue May 08, 2007 5:01 am

Tom,

You are correct regarding lighting. That is really the biggest problem when taking pics of actual games in progress. I do the setup in my baesment, which has overhead flourescents and a good floor lamp, but still not enough for good reproductions. We have a pretty short time limit on gaming also, so I try to be as quick as possible with the shots. Combine that with just figuring out how to work this camera and posting photos and there you have it. I still haven't figured out how one post photos to this site?

Mark,

Mk 1 · Post by **Mk 1** » Tue May 08, 2007 6:03 am

mluther mentioned:
That is really the biggest problem when taking pics of actual games in progress. I do the setup in my baesment, which has overhead flourescents and a good floor lamp, but still not enough for good reproductions. We have a pretty short time limit on gaming also, so I try to be as quick as possible with the shots. Combine that with just figuring out how to work this camera and posting photos and there you have it.

I've struggled with the photography as well. My digital camera is really not up to date, and I have seen the difference in the photos between my camera and the cameras that other guys have used.

But I muddle along as best I can with what I have.

One thing I have found that helps me out on game day ... practice beforehand! Set up a small part of your terrain, and take some photos of your micros when you are not under as much time pressure by the limits of game time and gamers' patience.

Then you get to be a better/quicker photographer, and we get to see more pictures of your stuff!

I score that as a win-win in my book.

I still haven't figured out how one post photos to this site?

Easy. Like this:

The string is img, and /img. You put it inside brackets [ ].

You start with OPEN BRACKET img CLOSE BRACKET,
you put in the URL of the .jpg you've parked up on FLIKr (or whatever photo hosting site you use),
and then you put an OPEN BRACKET /img CLOSE BRACKET at the end.

Just hit the quote button to reply to my posting, and you can see what I've done to insert the photo. Look for the URL with the .jpg at the end. You'll see it between the img and /img.

Works just like magic. Not tough at all. And then the crowd gives you oohs and aaahs for your fine work!

Mickel · Post by **Mickel** » Tue May 08, 2007 1:29 pm

If your photos are uploaded to photobucket there is a dead easy way to post them here. Under the thumbnails on the site there are three link types. The bottom one is IMG. Select the whole text and copy the lot into your message. Job done. No brackets to worry about, no IMG text to remember to get right. Nothing.

Another way; when you're typing a post, top right there is an img button. Press that, then copy the link at the cursor, then press the button again.

I hope that is of help to anyone that wants to post pics.

Nice AARs everyone. I especially like the pictures because they motivate me to do more. My last game was a Harpoon exercise. A Charlie cruise missile sub loosed 16 missiles. The Tico emptied half her magazine at them, and a carrier emptied a Sea Sparrow launcher on the leakers. One got through and gave the carrier a wake up. No exciting, colourful pictures.

Tanks next time though.

Mike

tstockton · Post by **tstockton** » Tue May 08, 2007 2:13 pm

Mickel said...

A Charlie cruise missile sub loosed 16 missiles. The Tico emptied half her magazine at them, and a carrier emptied a Sea Sparrow launcher on the leakers. One got through and gave the carrier a wake up. No exciting, colourful pictures

Sounds pretty exciting to me! Guess everybody was too busy dodging missile fire to take pictures, eh!?

Regards,
Tom

Mickel · Post by **Mickel** » Tue May 08, 2007 4:46 pm

hehe... the 'game' was over in 3 minutes of playing time, so not much dodging involved.

I think that 99% boredom and 1% terror changed to about 99.9% boredom and 0.1% of something more than terror with the advent of the supersonic anti-ship missile. However I've just acquired a new set of rules for the big gun period, so I should start saving my pennies for some ships of a more majestic time, from the days of the great "castles of steel". That might be more photogenic.

Steel Arrows · Post by **Steel Arrows** » Thu May 10, 2007 2:07 am

Greeting Fellow Tread Heads,

Here is a link to a game which a great group of people from the Steel Turtles Armor Group in So California. Scott Wallace is the host of each event at his home. This group has been gathering for more than 15 years as a club.

I hope you enjoy as much as I did. The gaming area is a large sand table which is also spray painted each and every game they run.

http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIn ... 510957&pw=

"On The Way!!"

Mickel · Post by **Mickel** » Fri May 18, 2007 2:40 pm

In the Blue corner, weighing in at 10,136t and 9,767t std, San Francisco & Helena.

and in the Red corner, each weighing in at 9,850t std, Atago & Takao

Visibility was around 8Â½ miles. The US ships had a radar contact and were trying to head off the enemy. The were unable to do so before the Japanese cruisers appeared in sight. Japanese gunnery was immediately on song, knocking out San Francisco's forward 8" mount. Helena was luckier, and avoided being hit. Atago suffered some damage, reducing her maximum speed.
The Japanese cruisers, realising the disadvantageous position they were in, beared away to port. Range now just on 6 miles.

More shells rained down on San Francisco, knocking out a second gun house and starting a fire amidships. To add to the woes, Helena took a serious hit, causing engineering damage and slowing her to 21kts. This was damage the crew would not be able to repair. Atago lost her forward turret, and further loss of speed to San Francisco's return fire. Helena hit Takao, but her 6" guns were unable to dent the heavier ships' thick hide.
The USNs battle had come to a swift end and it was time to vanish.

Helena had the final word. While her guns could not penetrate armour, they were perfectly capable of starting a fire on Takao.

With Atago now limited to 27kts and Takao burning, it was decided that it was better to let the US ships go than risk more damage trying to run them down.

Being out gunned, the US side needed luck to get the upper hand. It was not forthcoming. The two initial serious hits on the US heavy meant the best they could do was escape intact.

If I find the inclination, I'll try this again with another set of rules and see what the result is.

AARs: Show Us Yer Games!

Re: Eimen Shima - conclusion of the game.

Grass

Salerno game AAR pics link