UBOOT-Patrol # 12

Thursday week, we got in our 12th UBOOT patrol, this was particularly exciting as we finally reached our destination and are now scouting for a channel to approach the British naval base. Patrol log from Heikki as follows.

PATROL 12

Time 0400 

Course AN22

Radio: new mind field AN 26/41… also small boat activity betw Orkneys and Scotland

Time 0700

CAPTAIN ACTIVATES PA-SYSTEM: “announcement to whole crew…”

As you start to approach operation zone, Captain makes an announcement to whole crew, reveals the true nature and target of this mission. Younger crew members get careless when they start to worry what dangers lie ahead.

/- RADIO MALFUNCTION

Sparks fly in radio room, electric short circuit and radio goes silent. RADIOMAN REPORTS: must be faulty wiring somewhere, would need at least 4 hours to go through cables all the way to electric batteries to locate it.

REPAIR ORDER - 4 hours…

  Captain gives motivational speech to raise morale, and offers some special tasty chokolade

Time 0800 sunrise

Time 1000 sighting 2 merchants, portuguese and ?

Time 1200 radio is still under repairs...

Time 1300 

POLITICAL EVENT 

To offer quick aid to Germans, Spain marches land troops in to secure Gibraltar. 

Mussolini becomes jealous of control rights over Gibraltar and Mediterranean. Mussolini announces intention to invade Gibraltar.

CAPTAIN TAKE 1 STRESS DICE

Time 1500 UBOOT ran into storm

Time 1700 

UBOOT EVENT

Captain orders diving tanks to be partially filled with water.

This will minimize time needed for emergency dive.

Time 1900 radio is fixed, storm is out, raining

Time 2000 sun goes down

Time 2200 raining, overcast

Time 2300 torpedo tube 1 needs repairs, 2 hours

Time 2400 sighting of lighthouse on Orkney Islands, quarter speed ahead - CAPTAIN ORDER: Look for mines

Time 0100 

OFFICER EVENT

Watch Officer comes to bridge with steaming pot of Mittelwächter - mix of very strong coffee laced with rum.

Bigger wave splashes the bridge and rocks the boat.

Watch Officer loses hold on ladder and falls down the hatch to control room.

Rum is lost. Donnerwätter.

Watch Officer takes damage from head trauma, and is unconscious for rest of current watch.

Time 0300 weather clears, sighting

Time 0500 sighting small boat, 

CAPTAIN ORDER: start depth measuring

Time 0600 torpedo tube is fixed

Slow ahead… scanning the coastal waters and water depth.

Time 0700

UBOOT tries slow speed to sneak into the narrow strait ahead…

NO CAN DO… water depth becomes only 10 meters and UBOOT is in potential danger of running aground. Time is New Moon which means LOW TIDE for next 2 weeks. Captain prefers NOT to get stuck sitting at the bottom for 2 weeks, UBOOT backs off to deeper water.

Sun is rising in 1 hour. CAPTAIN orders UBOOT to move further out to 150 meters depth and stay submerged in place without moving, using periscope depth and hydrophone to observe enemy traffic during the day.

Long and quiet waiting time begins….

SAGA AoM - In-Person Game!

On Thursday last, I finally got in a game where my opponent was in the same room...over a year! It was my first game with Adam since the fall of 2019 and my first game of AoM since the Summer of 2019. I had some AoV SAGA games with my friend Luis in Montreal in December and January of last winter, it is amazing how the past year and some has been turned upside down.

Anyway it was great to get in a game and interestingly enough, I suspect it will be my last game at the Hobby Bunker........as they are moving to a new location in Wakefield.

 

Game Set-up (BoB Chaos)

Scenery-Standard

Deployment-Confusion

Special Rule-Forced March

Victory Conditions-Subjugation

Game Length-Until Dusk

The Lords of the Wild (7 SAGA Dice)

The Hunter (1)

Monster Titan (1)

Creature Flyers (1)
Sorcerer (1)

4 Mounted Hearthguard (1)

8 Bow Armed Hearthguard (2)
8 Bow Armed Warriors (1)
Sacred Ground-Primitive Totem

The Otherworld (7 SAGA Dice)

Archdemon (1)
Winged Sorcerer (1)

Monster Scourge (1)
12 Hearthguard (3)
8 Hunter Warriors (1)
8 Warriors (1)
Sacred Ground-Unstable Portal

Although the game was set at 6 turns, time was limited as Adam had to pick up his little girl. The game started off well for both of us, I was able to get in the first kill by using the ability Call of the Spirits, which took out 4 of the The Otherworld Hunters. We seesawed back and forth then, with Adam taking out 1 of my Mounted Hearthguard as well as his Scourge killing all my Warriors. I was able to take out a few of his Hearthguard with my Bow Armed Hearthguard. Adam did a much better job using his Magic spells than I which did give me quite bit of grief. Unfortunately, time went by quickly as we had not played any AoM for over 18 months and we had to finish off after 5 turns only. We did the Arithmetic and Adam was ahead, but it was pretty clear as you can see in the last photo his Archdemon was under significant threat. I believe if we got to turn 6, he would have been done for as I had yet to initiate the Call of the Wild, a one off ability the Hunter has to activate all units for free. Famous last words!

It was great fun to go to the Hobby Bunker, see Adam again and get in a game of SAGA. I also was quite pleased to get a new warband for SAGA on the table. Hopefully another game soon.

WaC Campaign- Game1, Highway Robbery

This past Wednesday, we restarted our What a Cowboy campaign. The campaign rules have undergone a major re-write and I have to say that are much improved especially in respect to progression. We rerolled up our posses, we have decided to limit our basic posse to 4 characters. I wend with my "Man with no Name" posse!

Tuco-Legend-Outlaw-2 Colt 45's-Deadeye, Stealthy, Shoulder Stock

Blondie-Gunslinger-Outlaw-Winchester Carbine-Deadeye

Angel Eyes-Shootist-Ex-soldier-Colt 45-Rifleman

Le Français-Greenhorn-Merchant-Colt 45-Slow

P-Y went with a new posse, but still good guys.

Robert "the Savage"Cain-Legend-Ex-Outlaw-Adams Revolver, Colt 45-Quick Draw, Ambidextrous

Elmer "Two Lives Pratt-Gunslinger-Ex Outlaw-Winchester Carbine, Colt 45-Lucky

Moses "the Viper" Rivera -Shootist-Buffalo Hunter-Colt 45

Herman "the Mute" Elliot-Greenhorn-Railway Worker-Colt 45, Sawn-off Shotgun-Tough

As usual, P-Y had set up a beautiful terrain, we decided to go with the Highway Robbery scenario. We diced, P-Y won and decided to play the Defender. The scenario was quite simple, but I believe pretty difficult for the Attacker. Some loot was hidden in or around a small town, salted bacon I believe. I think P-y wanted to show off the pigpen he designed, printed and painted! Six markers were placed, with one of them representing the loot. The Attacker had to cross over them to reveal if they were dummies or not. Once the loot was discovered it had to be carried off the Attacker's table edge.

The photos below are in no particular order, but suffice to say 2 of the Sheriff's men were placed in the buildings and I started from the western edge of the table, while P-Y had to bring his other 2 men in from the east. I decided to advance from the the northwest edge with 1 character and bring the other 3 characters in from the more southerly edge. I should of spent more time thinking about where P-Y had put his initial 2 characters and under which of the 6 markers might he have hidden the loot. I did not and ended up with a plan to try to run over all 6, I actually was able to run over 5 and of course the one I had left at the end of the game was the loot! As usual, I have now forgot some of the details but we each were able to drive one character off the table, it was interesting as usually I am lucky on the Critical Hit table, but this time despite 4 Critical Hits, I never got better than a 2. Eventually however I was really starting to run out of Action Dice except for Tuco, and decided to withdraw from the table before I was forced to take a Skedaddle Test. 

We then went through the much improved post game campaign process, each character now gains Reputation Points, and with every 5 points gained your character advances. We both did pretty well and the good guys earned $40 to buy new equipment while the bad guys gained $20. I will put the Reps earned in my next post for the campaign.

I really enjoyed this game, and am looking forward to the next episode that is tomorrow night.

Drive on Minsk-Game 3, Session 3

We had our 3rd game in our Barbarossa campaign and Eero has just released his usual excellent reports. I am now managing 2 mobile platoons one with some BA-11's and one with my T-26's. I was able to advance both platoons up the Soviet left flank in our counter-attack on the German positions. WE had a bit more success in this game and I was able to take out a PxIII. Eero's report can be found here. I append some photos.