Tangerines!

Part 1 of an Invasion Florida Campaign

The Campaign

So far, I've dabbled with a couple Cold War games, but I decided to do a mini-campaign.

• This will be a best of 3 scenarios.
• I'm using my MicroBattle rules.
• Scenarios will come from Neil Thomas's One Hour Wargames (OHW)

Background

I'm using the same backstory as before.

This campaign follows a band of American insurgents. Known as the Tangerines for their orange bandanas, these insurgents are behind enemy lines in South Florida, striking at the military forces of the Communist Cuban occupiers.

Defense of Lonely Hill

The Tangerines retreat into the Everglades after hitting a Cuban depot.

They must make it across a canal and hold a defensive position on a lone hill.

This is scenario 20 - Fighting Retreat from OHW.

The Tangerines' light infantry make it across the canal and make for the hill. The heavy infantry units make a stand at the bridges.

The Cuban light armored vehicle wipes out the infantry on the east bridge.

The Tangerines on the west bridge faces long odds. The Cuban armor races toward the hill.

The armor wipes out the hill's defenders. The Tangerines stubbornly holds the west bridge.

I got so caught up in the game I forgot to take more photos! :(

Things look bleak for the Tangerines. The heavy infantry on the bridge gets overwhelmed while the Cuban armor takes the hill.

But then the last remaining Tangerine infantry drives the armor off the hill. Following up, the infantry seizes the hill. This gives the Tangerines the victory.

GAME NOTES

• Campaign score: Tangerines 1, Commies 0
• I was perusing OHW, wondering if I could convert the scenarios to a 3 x 3 type game. Finally, I just decided to play one of the scenarios using MicroBattle.
• Because my units can only take 2 hits before being eliminated, I decided to reduce the number of turns the Tangerines had to hold on. Victory would go to the side holding the hill on turn 10.
• This scenario was cool in that the Tangerines were in it to the end, even though they got shot up pretty bad.
• Kudos to the heavy infantry on the bridge. They really kept the Tangerines in the game by bottling up the bulk of Cuban forces.
• You might notice that the Cubans were short a unit. They also had a helicopter, but I require a 6 on the activation roll for it to come onto the field. It just never happened.

Baseball is Back!

After some consideration, I finalized my plans for a dice baseball league.

The League

I'm calling my league the Roaring 20s Baseball League.

I had Microsoft Copilot create a logo. Not bad, but some obvious flaws.

The Teams

I devised an 8-team league drawn from some of the top major league baseball teams of the 1920s. These are the teams I chose.

• 1929 Chicago Cubs (98 wins, National League champions)
• 1920 Cleveland Indians (98 wins, World Series champions)
• 1923 New York Giants (95 wins, National League champions)
• 1927 New York Yankees (110 wins, World Series champions)
• 1929 Philadelphia Athletics (104 wins, World Series champions)
• 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates (95 wins, World Series champions)
• 1928 St. Louis Cardinals (95 wins, National League champions)
• 1925 Washington Senators (96 wins, American League champions)

Note: I originally chose these for the initial iteration of the R20BL, which never completed play.

The Schedule

I went around and around about how many games to play and how to format it. I finally decided

• Each team will play 14 games (2 vs each other team).
• Teams play home and away against each other
• The top American League team will then play the top National League team for the R20 championship.
• I don't have a set schedule when I will play the games. I'll just do it when I feel like it. I hope to finish by the real World Series in October, but we'll see.

Initial Games

The league is under way.

Series 1 - Chicago Cubs vs Washington Senators

• Game 1 - Chicago 6 - Washington 4
• What a game! The Cubs raced out to an early 3-0 lead. Cleveland scored 2 in the middle innings. Late in the game, the Cubs scored 1 on a home run. Then Cleveland's #7 hitter, Doc Johnston, belted a 2-run homer to tie the score.
• In extra innings, the Cubs had bases loaded and their slugger Hack Wilson up. Cleveland's relief walked him, bringing in the winning run,
• Game 2 - Chicago 4 - Washington 0
• Pitchers Guy Bush and Art Nehf combined for a shutout and the Cubs scored 4 in the middle innings to win easily.

Series 2 - Cleveland Indians vs. St. Louis Cardinals

• Game 1 - St Louis 2 - Cleveland 1
• The Cardinals scored 2 runs early on a homer by cleanup hitter Chick Hafey. Cleveland got 1 on a triple by Ray Chapman. The next batter grounded out to end the game.
• Game 2 - St Louis 4 - Cleveland 1
• Midgame, the Cardinals score 4 runs on 4 doubles. They breeze to an easy victory

Pyrrhus in Italy (Dominion Style)

I was getting a little tired of the 36 battles so I decided to do something different with Dominion of the Spear (DotS). I previously ran a Pyrrhus in Italy campaign using MicroBattle. Let's see how he does with DotS.

Notes:

• I used the Epirus Pyrrhus and Tullian Roman lists as the basis for the armies but added allied spears to both for 14 point armies. Otherwise, Pyrrhus was a little thin.
• I used the Tullians because the Polybian list has elite legions. I'm not sure that quite applies to Rome yet.
• I used the terrain generation rules from the 3 x 3 Portable Wargame. I haven't totally figured out how terrain will affect the battles. For Heraclea, I rolled a river but I ignored it. Then I rolled no terrain for the second battle. So it was a moot point.

Heraclea

King Pyrrhus lands in Italy and advances to Heraclea to confront a Roman army threatening the Greek colonies.

Here are the initial dispositions.

• Rome (red) - armored legions on flanks with new recruits in center. Javelins (using LI counter but counts as Melee Infantry), cavalry, and Italian allied spears in reserve.
• Pyrrhus - From L to R, elephants, archers, and Pyrrhus with his elite cavalry. Phalanx and Greek allies in reserve

The new legionaries charge Pyrrhus's archers and wipe them out. Meanwhile, there is a brutal melee between Pyrrhus's elephants and one of the veteran legions. In the end, both are rendered hors de combat.

Pyrrhus leads his cavalry against the veteran legion (R). HIs charge breaks the legion, but his cavalry is blown. Meanwhile, the Greek allies hold off a charge by the Roman cavalry.

Pyrrhus sends his phalanx against the Roman recruits in the center. Pyrrhus is confident. But the recruits put up stiff resistance. They finally break, but the phalanx is spent.

Pyrrhus realizes that he cannot win the day. He calls retreat.

Note that I did not eliminate Pyrrhus even though his unit was destroyed. I'd like to think that he would at least stick around for the rest of the battle. The counter is just there for window dressing, however.

The Pyrrhic army withdraw back towards the Greek city-state of Tarentum.

Tarentum
The Romans pursue Pyrrhus back to Tarentum. Just outside the city, Pyrrhus makes a stand.

Same army compositions as Heraclea. I made a roll to see if either side lost points but both passed.

This time Pyrrhus puts his phalanx in the front. The battle starts off well when Pyrrhus leads his cavalry in a charge that rides over a legion. But his elephants fare poorly against the armored legion on the other flank.

Pyrrhus's archers fill in the gap left by the elephants. The legion blocks the archers' hail of arrows on its shields. Then the legion charges and routs the archers.

But the charge leaves the legion disordered. Pyrrhus's Greek allies pounce, and drive off the legion. On the right, their is a brutal cavalry scrum, knocking both sides out of the action.

Pyrrhus is wounded in the fray so he retires from the field.

I rolled to see what would happen to Pyrrhus. I rolled a 1, which I would normally interpret as death. But he's the star of the show. Instead, I decided he was gravely wounded and could not remain with the army. That's why you don't see his counter in the next picture.

His infantry holds out. But the Roman javelins (R) come up to the phalanx's flank and pepper it. This forces the phalanx to retire.

Pyrrhus's army retreats into Tarentum. The Tarentines, however, have little interest in sustaining a siege. Faced with the city elders' grumblings, Pyrrhus decides to leave the Greek colonists to their fate. He packs his army into his fleet and sails away.

Finis

Campaign Notes

I chose to repeat Pyrrhus's adventures in Italy, a campaign I originally completed using my MicroBattle rules. Using DotS, I was able to complete the campaign in one morning.

I had planned to play Pyrrhus's Sicily campaign using MicroBattle, but put that on hold after discovering DotS. Now I think I will run the Sicily campaign using DotS.

Spring Is Here and Other Musings

In my usual GADD (Gamer's Attention Deficit Disorder) fashion, I find myself searching out a change of pace. I put the Dominion of series to the side for now.

But there is a DoTS game report coming up this weekend. Stay tuned!

Fantasy Awakens

It's been a couple of months since I did anything fantasy related. Over the weekend, I completed another quest in Demonslayer. This has awakened my interest in fantasy, and now I'm looking at a solo RPG.

When last we left my solo RPG campaign, my hero Ser Killian finished the Dragon of Icespire Keep adventure. I did it using Micro Dungeon, my quick play dungeon crawl rules. 

What next for Ser Killian? I debated retiring him and experimenting with Micro Dungeon using low level characters. Recently, I came to a decision. I will continue his adventures with the Storm Lord's Wrath. These D&D adventures require a bit of modification for Micro Dungeon, but I prepped the first encounter. I should play it soon.

The Pitfalls of Blogging

I really enjoy blogging, writing the narratives of the games I play. But sometimes it can hold me back. When I do play something, I want to photograph it for posterity.

Sometimes I just want to roll dice, but I don't want to spend time recording the results. When this happens, I usually do nothing. It would be nice to have a game that does not require a lot of record-keeping.

In the Spring an Old Man's Fancy Lightly Turns to

Baseball! At least here in the States.

Back in 2022 I devised a fairly simple baseball dice game. I planned to play out a full league schedule. Naturally, GADD struck and I abandoned the campaign after a few games.

This struck me as an answer to my blogging dilemma. With quick play baseball, I don't have to write full reports for every game and I don't have to photograph. Instead, I could just keep the box scores and then post periodic league updates.

There are some drawbacks to this approach, however.

• I lack the discipline to maintain a long campaign.
• I need to investigate ways to streamline the game. If I recall, my biggest issue was prepping the scoresheets. Can I make this process easier?

So now I am pondering a return to baseball. Stay tuned!

Zo Long, Zorrak.

Sir Roderick has defeated another demon lord.

It's been 2 months since Roderick's last victory. Over that time, I've mostly played Dominion of the Spear, but I decided to try a little adventuring using Demonslayer.

Here is the map of Roderick's wanderings. He started at the star and ended at the shield.

Here is his diary of encounters.

When he found the Demon's Mark, he was able to use his clues to summon his next enemy, Zorrak the World Eater.

The two combatants circle each other, looking for an opening. Roderick dodges under the demon lord's claws. Using his knowledge learned from a wizard, our hero knows exactly where to strike. His magic sword bites deep. Zorrak howls in rage.

The demon slashes with his claws. Roderick does not move and the claws rend deep into his flesh. But Roderick is within reach of Zorrak's weak spot and he does not want to give up his advantage. He stabs again, deep into Zorrak's vitals. The demon howls and claws madly. Roderick takes another brutal wound but he holds his ground. With a mighty slash, Roderick splits open the demon's belly. Black ichor spills over the warrior.

Zorrak collapses and his body disintegrates.

Roderick is victorious! Only one demon lord left!

Cold War Dominion Style

My Cold War Gone Hot campaign has gone cold. Meanwhile, I've spent most of my gaming energy on the Dominion of (Do) series of games. Do makes it very easy to pull out and play a game in a short time. Because of that, I found that I would reach for my Do box set rather than set up a Cold War game when I had some free time.

This has got me thinking - it would be nice to have a Do version for modern games.

Why I Like Dominion

I really like the Do series (Dominion of the Spear, Dominion of Pike and Shot) because it really fits my preferred style for solo gaming:

• Fast play - 5-10 minutes for a battle
• Small board - my battles have been on 4 by 6 inch "mat"
• Each base = 1 unit - no bothering with multiple figures or bases per unit
• Quick combat resolution - a single die roll determines results

Applying Dominion Principles to the Modern Era

Can I do Dominion for the modern age? I see opportunities but also issues.

• Coupled with DoPS's rally rule, I think the 1 hit = a kill rule can work. Although I may do like the Portable Wargame and roll to see if the unit retreats or is destroyed.
• Having left, center, and right sections can work. It works for Memoir '44 after all.
• Due to the ranges of modern weapons, engagement ranges are much longer than ancients or pike & shot. Therefore, I think the battlefield needs some depth. Perhaps make it 3 deep (long range, medium range, and short range).
• Also, modern armies rely far more on cover. Therefore, I will need to introduce terrain.

Test Game

I decided to run a quick test, making up rules on the spot.

Florida 1985. An invading Cuban column (brown) advances through the Everglades up US27. American partisans prepare to ambush them.

The Cubans catch wind of the attack, sending heavy infantry and IFVs to deal with the ambushers. A unit of American partisans flees the field.

Followed by another unit. But the Americans use anti-tank missiles to destroy an IFV platoon.

But the other IFV platoon flanks and scatters more American partisans.

The rest break retreat from the field.

Game Notes and Thoughts

• The result did not go my way, but it was a fun and quick (about 10 minutes) game.
• The rules I used are not strict translations of Do to the modern era. They are more inspired-by. In the end, the game was more like the 3 x 3 Portable Wargame.
• I started the armies 3 spaces away, which I declared as long range. I actually rolled to see if the Americans could sneak up closer, but they failed.
• I used a number of mechanisms from MicroBattle.
• Each turn I rolled to see how many units a side could activate.
• I used the hit resolution system.
• I made a few changes, however.
• Units were destroyed with 1 hit.
• But, units could roll to retreat instead of rout. Interestingly, in this scenario, all units failed the retreat roll.
• I also allowed 2 units per square. It worked fine.
• I technically, did not have a reserve but it worked fine without one.

Modern Age Box Set

Last year, I consolidated all my gaming from period-specific boxes to a couple joint boxes - one with counters and the other with boards, terrain, dice, etc.

Now I find myself thinking of reversing that. I created a dedicated DotS box, which I also used for DoPS. How about a modern box? I still haven't decided; stay tuned.

Modern Terrain

I also need terrain that is more appropriate for modern warfare, especially urban environments. Another little project!

Battles of the Roman Republic

Using 36 Ancient Battles for Dominion of the Spear

I now turn to the Roman battles in the book.

Summary

Here are the battles I played and the results (showing units remaining at game end)

• Cannae - Carthaginians 4, Romans 1 - See below for an account.
• Magnesia - Seleucids 2, Romans 1 - See below.
• Carrhae - Parthians 5, Romans 1 - Romans lost all battles in the first round to a hail of arrows.
• Taurus - Parthians 4, Romans 1 - Romans lost a legion and slingers in first round.

Ouch! Those Parthians did a number on Rome.

Cannae

I previously played a version of Cannae using the standard army lists in the main book. I noted that the list was not applicable to Cannae. For instance, the real Hannibal did not have elephants. But I played that battle as more of a what-if scenario.

Now we have a more accurate set-up. Let's see how the Romans fare.

In the initial clash, the Carthaginians run off the Roman horse. Like the actual battle, this leaves the legions vulnerable.

The end of the battle - the flank legion (right) falls to the Carthaginian cavalry.

This leaves a lone legion totally at the mercy of Carthage.

Well, that played out much like the real battle. Well done, DotS.

Magnesia

Things started poorly for Rome. They lost their legionaries and allied spears in the initial clash. But their archers chased off the Seleucid scythed chariots.

Rome brought up its reserves. This is the ensuing matchups.

Again Rome suffered. This time their cavalry routed. Once again, the archers drove off their enemy. This led to a climatic showdown between Thracian spears and Macedonian phalanx in the center. Alas, the Thracians were no legionaries. They fled from phalanx. Rome lost the day.

Dominion of Pike and Shot

I have been touting Dominion of the Spear since I discovered it earlier this year. Now the author has published a version for Renaissance battles. Welcome to Dominion of Pike & Shot (which I shall abbreviate as DoPS).

Overview

The game engine is pretty much the same as the original Dominion of the Spear, which I described in a previous post. Naturally, there are modifications to account for differences in warfare in this new period. For example, there is a pre-battle bombardment phase as well as artillery units. But most units still fall into the Foot or Mounted, Missile or Melee dichotomies. And again, there are modifiers for elite or armored units (no ferocious this time, though).

Test Run

I decided to give DoPS a quick test run the other day.

The year is 1529. The Ottoman army advances towards Vienna. An Imperial army stands in its way.

Here are the opposing army rosters, with units from L to R then in reserve.

• The Ottomans (blue army) - Sipahis (elite horse archers), Janissaries (elite Arquebusiers), Akinjis (horse archers); reserve = Azab archers and horse archers.
• Imperials (red army) - Székely Hussars (horse archers), arquebusiers, mounted arquebusiers; reserve = Landsknechts (armored pikes), gendarmes (armored heavy cavalry)

As the armies deployed, both sides initiated rather desultory cannonades with a scattering of light artillery. The bombardments were ineffective.

Note - pre-battle bombardment occurs even if the army has no artillery units. I take it that this represents a small number of artillery pieces behind the lines covering the advance.

Initially, both sides probed for weaknesses without any serious engagement.

In other word, no casualties in the first turn.

Then, the Ottoman Sipahis attack and rout the Hussars (L). In the center, the Janissaries advance versus the Imperial arquebusiers. There is withering fire from both sides. The Janissaries rout the arquebusiers, but they in turn are too shot up to be of any further use.

The Imperial commander brings up the cream of his army, gendarmes (L) and Landsknechts (center). The Landsknechts charge the Azabs, clearing them from the field.

Then the Landsknechts lure the Turkish horse archers into melee, slaughtering them without mercy. On the flank, the gendarmes and Sipahis have been dueling in a back-and-forth struggle. But the gendarmes break.

This allows the Sipahis to descend on the Landsknecht flank. Exhausted from its prior victories and surprised by the sudden attack on the flank, the Landsknechts break.

With that, the Imperial army must retire. The road to Vienna is open.

Thoughts

• Well, that was an entertaining battle, It could have gone either way. If the Sipahis had failed, then the Landsknechts were going to fall upon the flank of the horse archers.
• Like DotS, DoPS really creates an interesting and plausible narrative. For someone who likes to write battle reports, it really works well!
• The Dominion series also gives you the feel of an army general. You decide where to launch your attacks, and which units from the reserve to plug into the battle line. All in under 10 minutes!
• There is one change from the original DotS rules that I really like. Originally, you determined combat results in each zone, from left to right. Now, the attacker chooses a zone to resolve then the defender chooses another one. This allows for some decision making - which is the optimal zone to contest? That really gives the feeling of being a general (Gentlemen, we are going to launch our initial attack on the left flank...)
• I forgot to use one new rule - rallying. Although after I put away the game, I rolled to see if I could have rallied the Landsknechts. I rolled a 1.
• I added a little randomness. I roll to see who goes first every round. The side determined to be the attacker at the start of the battle gets a +1 modifier to this roll. This represents the changing tide of battle - the initial defender may go on the counterattack. It also adds just an extra touch of fog of war.
• I need to try another new features of DoPS - artillery. Some of the later armies should have artillery units. Next time.

DotS Greek Battles

I've been playing more 36 Ancient Battles for Dominion of the Spear (DotS), this time going through the Greek battles.

Battle Results

I haven't been taking pictures of all the battles, but I've been keeping track. Scores show remaining units at battle end.

• Marathon - Greeks 3, Persians 1. The Greek's armor proves decisive!
• Plataea - Greeks 3, Persians 1. The Persian archers cannot hit the broad side of a barn.
• Gaugamela - Alexander 3, Persians 1. See account below.
• Ipsus - Antigonus 2, Coalition (Cassander, Lysimachus, and Seleucus) 1. See account below.
• Raphia - Ptolemaic 4, Seleucid 1. Opposing elephants eliminated each other then Ptolemaic pikes prevail.

Gaugamela

This battle features Alexander the Great and his Macedonian army vs. the mighty Persian Empire.

Things start poorly for Alex (red army) as the Persian scythed chariots wipe out his pikes.

But he gets things back on track. White flags indicate that the unit routs.

Then Alexander' Companions (left) flank the Persian reinforcements and rout the center. Alexander is victorious!

Ipsus

While the pikes in the center sparred inconclusively, Antigonus's spears prevailed (right) while Seleucus's elephants triumphed on the other flank (left).

This sets up this final turn. The flanking spears wipe out the coalition's pikes. Meanwhile, Antigonus's pikes hold off the elephants.

Victory for Antigonus!

NEXT!

Time for some Roman battles. There are 4 from the Republic days and 4 from the middle to late Empire. I plan to do them as 2 separate posts.

Returning to Your Regularly Scheduled Coverage

Since the new year began, I have consistently published multiple posts per week. This occurred due to a couple of factors:

• I built up a backlog over the holidays
• I was experimenting with fast play games

Well, it looks like the well is drying up. My output has slowed and I only have one post ready, which I'm saving for Saturday.

Unfortunately, this means fewer posts for the near future.

Invasion Florida

I decided to do a little Cold War game. This will be a prelude to my upcoming not-Wolverines campaign.

I decided to run a One Hour Wargames scenario. I rolled randomly and got scenario 1 - pitched battle. I fiddled with the terrain to fit the story.

Introduction

• Washington, DC 1984 - a terrorist attack kills much of the senior leadership of the Federal government. After much politicking, Representative Walter Taub becomes President. An isolationist, he immediately orders de-militarization.
• Mexico, 1984 - a coup establishes a pro-Soviet Mexican government.
• Germany, 1985 - a Soviet invasion overruns most of Europe. The US remains neutral.
• United States, 1985 - sensing an opportunity, the Soviet launches a sneak attack on the US. They land in Alaska and push south through Canada and down along the American west coast. Meanwhile, the Mexicans invade Texas and the Cubans land in Florida.

We now join American forces at Homestead Air Force base south of Miami. The Cuban invaders advance on the base.

Deployment

• The Cubans (brown) advance upon the base's gates from the south (right). They need to pass through a residential area.
• There is a unit of infantry manning the gates. Reinforcements rush to the gate.

Note: I don't have appropriate modern terrain so I am substituting. The walls represent chain link fences so do not block line of sight. I assume there are sandbags so there is light cover.

The Battle

The Cuban armor rushes forward. Their initial attacks fall short. An American aircraft joins the fray (center).

Note: Because this is an airbase, I figured it is fitting to give the Americans some air support. I had a rule that I had to roll to bring it onto the battlefield.

The Cubans push their armor through the gates. There are heavy casualties.

A Cuban helicopter (top) is hit and retires from the battle.

American air support destroys the Cuban armor.

And Cuban rocket launchers.

The Cubans retreat.

Aftermath

Realizing that they cannot hold the supply lines to Homestead, the Americans abandon the base and pull northward. They escape with most of the base's aircraft before the Communist hordes overrun South Florida.

DotS 36 Ancient Battles

I started playing the battles from 36 Ancient Battles for Dominion of the Spear

These are the first four battles. They all feature chariots in some form.

Megiddo 1479 BC

New Kingdom Egyptians (red) vs. Canaanites (blue)

End of the battle. The Egyptian chariots ran roughshod over the Canaanites.

Final score: Egypt 3 units remaining, Canaanites 1 unit remaining

Notes: 

• You can see some of the markers I use. The orangey looking (supposed to be gold) tokens indicate Elites. I use the white flags to mark destroyed units.
• I also added hills to the battlefield. DotS does not use terrain. Instead, it accounts for advantageous terrain in the unit ratings. For example, the Canaanite spears were historically deployed on hills. To account for this, DotS treats them as armored. That's what I did as well. I just used hills to indicate this rather than using an armored token.

Kadesh 1274 BC

Hittites (blue) v New Kingdom Egyptians (red)

A rough turn for the Hittites - 2 units lost!

Final score: Egypt 4, Hittites 1

Note: Speaking of armored tokens, here are some in gray (silver).

Arrapha 616 BC

Neo-Babylonians (blue) v Assyrian Empire (red)

Early in the battle. The opposing archers wipe each other out in the center.

A bloody battle. The Assyrians were near defeat, down to 2 units. But they rallied for the victory.

Final score: Assyrians 2, Babylonians 1

Thymbra 536 BC

Lydians (red) v Early Achaemenid Persians (blue)

In the center, the Persian chariots break on the Lydian elite armored spears. But the Persian archers dominate the flanks.

The archers would continue their dominance, routing the Lydians.

Final score: Persians 4, Lydians 1

Notes

• Estimated time to complete these 4 battles: 30 minutes!
• Only one close battle - Arrapha. We'll see how the Greeks fare.
• I thought I had enough chariots for all possible armies but I fell short for Kadesh. The Hittites had to borrow Egyptian chariots. Worried that my math was wrong, I went back and checked. My math was not wrong; I can do all the armies in the core book. But the Kadesh scenario has different orders of battle than the standard lists.

More Cold War Thoughts

Just some random thoughts on my Cold War project.

New Counters

I was short on counters so I made a few. I added some more infantry and artillery to the mix.

I also made some helicopter counters.

They turned out bigger than the 1/2 inch square bases I had (they are closer to 1/2 x 3/4). I mounted them on 1 inch wooden square bases, which I subsequently cut down to size.

Air Battles

I'm thinking of adding some aerial conflict to the project. Why? Just because.

I have WW1 and WW2 style plane counters for air wargames but I lack jets. Time to rectify the situation.

I made some generic fighters jets, loosely based off the F-15.

I debated making some attack planes but have held off for now. Given the wide range of missions that late Cold War fighters could undertake, I think these will do for now. Just need to print and mount them.

When?

This is a question that I am pondering. When should my fictional Cold War Gone Hot take place?

• The movie Red Dawn came out in 1984.
• But I was thinking of switching up to late 80s. This is when I would have been in the military if I hadn't washed out of Air Force pilot training due to medical issues.
• I ordered the Team Yankee: Red Dawn booklet from Battlefront. I understand it is set in 1985. Might be best to stick to that date.

More DotS

Despite my little detour into Cold War gaming, I haven't forgotten Dominion of the Spear (DotS)

An Expansion

The author Steve has already put out an expansion - 36 Ancient Battles for Dominion of the Spear

You can find a detailed description at Wargame Vault.

I already purchased my copy. I look forward to playing all these battles! Stay tuned for battle reports.

My Boxed Set

I'm putting together a boxed set for DotS. I'm creating two new counter armies specifically for the box. I'm going with the classic Red vs. Blue.

If I did my math correctly, each army should have enough counters to make any force listed in the main book.

Here is my completed Red army.

Flanks: Missile (left) and Melee Mounted
Upper middle: Missile (top) and Melee Infantry
Middle: Leader
Lower middle: Chariots (Melee on the flanks, Missile in the middle)
Bottom: Elephants

To save space and money, I made the counters double-sided - melee on one side and missiles on the other. For example, I have 6 infantry stands with melee on one side and missile on the other. Therefore, I can field either (a) 6 melee infantry, (b) 6 missile infantry, or (c) any mix of melee and missile up to a total of 6 units.

The Red army is done. I am still working on the blue army.

Leaders

DotS does not have separate leaders. Instead, leaders are factored into a unit's rating. But I like having leader counters, so I made one.

I'm still not sure how to use them in games. Steve made an excellent comment on this post about a lack of evidence about them switching units. Still, I think the idea is plausible despite a lack of evidence. I'm wrestling about it now.

At least, I can attach a leader permanently to a unit, kind of like DBA.

Campaigns

Once my box set is complete, what do I plan to do with it?

• Great battles - Play through the 36 battles in the DotS expansion.
• Pyrrhus - Two stages
• Replay the Pyrrhus vs Rome campaign I did using MicroBattle.
• Play Pyrrhus vs. Carthage on Sicily. I planned on doing this with MicroBattle. I may play it with both rules sets and compare the results!

Cold War Convoy

In keeping with my Red Dawn craze, I played a quick scenario using my MicroBattle rules.

Somewhere in the US, The year 1984. 

A Soviet (brown) column is heading down a road. American insurgent forces (gray) strike, destroying the infantry at the head of the column.

The Soviets take damage, but they drive a squad of insurgents out of the woods.

They pursue.

But this opens the Soviet tank to short-range fire. Kaboom!

The rest of the column turns around and flees!

Game Notes

• I initially created the counters for sci-fi battles. They may not look exactly like Soviet vehicles of the time period, but they'll do as stand-ins.
• I haven't mounted my green army yet. When I do, Americans will be green.
• I assume that the American infantry have anti-tank weapons. In addition, the heavy infantry (oval around a dot) have mortars.
• I would ultimately like to add helicopters to the mix. Need to make some new counters!

Wolverines!

Ah, GADD (gamer's attention deficit disorder) has struck again!

My New Inspiration

It's all because of this movie.

I finally watched it last weekend. It gave me a hankering for some Cold War action.

If you are unfamiliar with the movie, here is the Wikipedia description.

The Project

How to go about gaming this?

Well, I don't think I will reprise the movie itself. Instead, I'm considering an "inspired-by" approach gaming a Soviet invasion of the U.S. in the 1980s.

I have some generic counters I can press into service.

I'd like to have each counter represent a squad or team of infantry or a single vehicle.

For rules, I'll likely tweak MicroBattle for my needs. I am researching rules, looking for some ideas on handling the different weapon types. For example, how can I include helicopters and RPGs? Also, how do I adjust the rules so that guerrillas have a fighting chance against regular force? I welcome any suggestions!

Rather than battling in the Rockies, like Red Dawn, I may set battles in my home state of Florida. Perhaps a Cuban invasion in support of the main Soviet effort.