Ummagumma

The opening of the scenario in The Forgotten Battles .  The Soviets need to attack the German garrison at Gorodok.  Meanwhile, a half dozen partisan units do what they can in the German rear. The end of the Soviet first turn with some stacks spread out so you can see the units. I haven't had much time to devote to wargaming recently. I continue to occasionally acquire games that are in the wheelhouse of my interest, mostly stuff in the various series lines from MMPGamers that I have followed for over 30 years. The Operational Combat Series (OCS) is in the midst of a multi-year project of connected games depicting the war on the Eastern Front in World War Two from September 1943 to April 1944. This features aspects of the war that I have been interested in all my adulthood. This is the moment the Soviet forces surpassed the Germans in military prowess. They were more numerous and they had learned much from three years of fighting the vaunted Wehrmacht. Though the German panzer...

The beginning of the final turn in OCS Luzon .  Even though they are close to victory, the Japanese still have a lot to do to win the game.  They must breach the US/Filipino Victory Line (which will force a draw) and get at least one supplied combat unit across the Japanese Victory Line (partially shown at the bottom of this screen shot).  Though they are physically close, it is not as easy as it may seem. I have played the Operational Combat Series (OCS) since 1992, though not much since I started this blog. It remains one of my favorite gaming systems and offers the most realistic and insightful take on warfare on this scale (predominantly World War II) available in the world of wargaming. Because of its sophistication and detail it is not every gamer's cup of tea. The series is complex and typically takes a loooooong time to play. But if you stick with it, you will be rewarded with the best simulation of how operations worked in 20 th century air-land combat (wi...

The set up for the "Eviction Notice" mini scenario in OCS Crimea .  The Germans and Romanians are ready to strike the Soviets.  The offensive starts with a series of fighter sweeps around Kerch to surpress Soviet air power in order to clear the way for air support of the upcoming German overrun attacks.  Please note that I do not show Reserve Markers any any of the screenshots in this post (there are only a couple).  That allows you to better see all the units involved. In a way, it seems odd that I have rarely mentioned the Operational Combat Series (OCS) since starting this blog. I really enjoy this series and, as I posted back in 2011 , “OCS is the best modern operational model wargame I’ve ever played...no game better simulates how an actual “blitzkrieg” attack works upon a defended area or how the oozing breakthroughs of the Soviet forces can drive the German army back.” The last OCS game on my gaming table was Baltic Gap back in 2009. But I didn't post an...

The initial set up. Wilder is stacked with his artillery while his three regiments cover the Alexander's Bridge and its flanks.  Liddell deploys at long range, using the woods to cover his two brigades where possible. [This is a continuation of a look at the Line of Battle wargame system that I began here .] I've been tinkering with the “Opening Guns” scenario from This Terrible Sound , which I purchased last year.  It features a couple of Union cavalry delaying actions that occurred at the beginning of the Battle of Chickamauga (see here , here , and here ).  One of them involves the command of Colonel John T. Wilder whose Illinois and Indiana mounted infantry are mostly armed with Spencer Repeating Rifles, as I have commented on before here and here.  Wilder is an excellent leader with a 4 – 4 rating for command and morale. At the opening of the battle, Wilder's command is split up with half of it under his direct supervision guarding Alexander's Bridge along the ...