Jul 16
Another game of Downtown with Paul this afternoon. This time D14: Walk on the Wild Side – a Linebacker II raid against targets around Hanoi.
Paul took the USA and planned a raid on eight targets by 48 B-52s supported by F-111s, SEAD and CAP.
The F-111s struck first at my airfields and effectively closed them, but not before two MiG-21s launched from Kep and Phuc Yen.
I managed to shoot down two Phantoms (one by Fire Can and one MiG kill) and two B-52s (one by SAM and one MiG kill). Two more B-52s were damaged by SAMs but recovered safely.
Paul destroyed six targets with heavy bombing and his SEAD shutdown three SA-2 sites.
Paul scored 18VPs (6×2 for targets; 3×1 for SAMs damaged; 3 for my extra MiG points); I scored 19 VPS (2×2 for shooting down a pair of Phantoms; 4 for capturing four aircrew; 1 for some collateral damage Paul inflicted; and 2×5 for shooting down a pair of B-52s).
Overall the score was -1 VP for a significant US defeat.
This was by far the largest scenario we’ve played and given it was set in late 1972 used a more complex set of rules than before.
Tagged with: Downtown
Jul 12
Ian and I played a game of Warhammer 40K today in the Aberdeen Games Workshop.
He took his Space Marine “Taskforce Heavy” and I took all his Tau.
Vindicator, Landraider, Termiantor marines and two Tactical Squads commanded by Lysander versus two Hammerheads, Kroot, two Fire Warrior squads and three Crisis Battlesuits.
We played the Fighting Withdrawal scenario from Battle Missions.
The game started well for me with him losing the Vindicator to my first shot and almost an entire Tactical squad.
But in turn three things started to go badly when his Terminators and Lysander miss-dropped and then worked up the battlefield destroying the Crisis Battlesuits, a Firewarrior squad, a Hammerhead and moved towards the objectives. The Landraider took out the other Firewarrior Squad and then charged over the Kroot, routing them twice.
The the game ended with me still holding one objective and the other two uncontrolled, so the Tau won.
I think if the game had lasted one more turn Ian would have taken a pair of objectives and won, but he didn’t!
Tagged with: Warhammer 40K
Jul 11
After our Downtown game this afternoon, Paul and I played three games of Mr Jack today. Remarkably I won all three.
Its is amazing how such a simple game can lead to such intense thinking and headscratching and a real sense of achivement in winning.
Tagged with: Mr Jack
Jul 11
Played Downtown scenario D3 You Keep Me Hangin’ On with Paul today.
I took the USN and was assigned a strike on a Haiphong POL storage site – a major target in a heavily defended part of Route Package 6B. The raid launched from the Oriskany consisted of four flights of Skyhawks, escorted by two pair of CAP Crusaders, two pair of armed escort Crusaders and two pair of SEAD Skyhawks with Shrikes. Post strike recon was to be a pair of RF-8Es.
I planned a quick dash from the sea direct to the target, egressing Haiphong to the East and back out to sea.
Paul decided to defend with a “SAM day” due to North Vietnam’s inability to deconflict aircraft and SAM defences early in Rolling Thunder.
Initially my SEAD Skyhawks were successful killing a Fire Can AAA system and shutting down a SAM site with Shrikes. Unfortunately there were four more SAM sites in the area and lots of AAA. One Crusader and two Skyhawks were shot down attacking the target and another 2 more Skyhawks crippled whilst heavily damaging the target.
The Haiphong AAA was amazingly successful in shooting down both recon Crusaders meaning no BDA was obtained!
All in all a USN disaster with a result of -22VP for a very significant defeat.
Tagged with: Downtown
Jun 13
Julie is stuck at home today having sprained her ankle yesterday. She’s started to watch the 1995 TV version of Pride and Prejudice.
Ian sat down with her for a few minutes and asked “where are the Zombies?”
I think he is confusing Pride and Prejudice with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies!
Tagged with: Ian • Zombies
Jun 03
We were watching a TV news article about proposals for a minimum price for alcohol earlier.
Ian wants to know why the government is trying to put his Granddad out of business.
He also wants to know if the ban on advertising will mean Weavers will have to repaint the vans.
Tagged with: Ian
May 29
Played Downtown with Paul today. Scenario D18: Eve of Destruction from C3I 18 which covers a 1965 strike on the Thanh Hoa Bridge a notoriously difficult target for the Americans.
Paul took a USAF strike of 15 flights of Thunderchiefs escorted by some F-100s and followed by a Voodoo recon flight. The entered over from over the Gulf of Tonkin and egressed over Laos.
I scrambled MiG-17s from airfields in the Hanoi area, but they were unable to reach the strike force before it got to the bridge which was heavily defended by two medium flak batteries and a pair of Fire Cans. Paul was able to damage one Fire Can and suppress the flak and heavily damaged the bridge.
In the process he lost 2 planes shot down (a Thud bit by a Fire Can and a Super Sabre shot down by a Fresco), 4 crippled and 1 damaged which all recovered OK.
As a result it was a significant US defeat – due to the political cost of the losses.
Tagged with: Downtown
Mar 27
Ian and I took part in a Warhammer 40K doubles tournament today at Games Workshop in Aberdeen.
We took a Space Marine force (Strikeforce Crimson) consisting of Chapter Master Omar, a pair of full Tactical Squads, a Venderable Dreadnaught and a Landraider Crusader.
We lost our first two games against Chaos Demons (actually lost, is an understatement – we were utterly destroyed) and won our final game against a mixed Sisters of Battle and Imperial Guard force.
Great fun!
Tagged with: Warhammer 40K
Mar 07
Because “it keeps my wrist warm.”
Tagged with: Ian
Mar 05
Paul and I played another game of Twilight Struggle today. I won as the Soviets in turn 4.
I spend all game accruing VPs and Paul seemed hamstrung by being dealt only Soviet cards.
Good game.
Tagged with: Twilight Struggle
