Beachhead 2024

[Wardy64]

Thanks Simon. Ben wants to do another next year, not sure what game!

D&B

[Colonel Kilgore]

Finally some photos of our game. Scenario rules and some of the scenery (also the engineers?) by Big Mike; the rest of the scenery (particularly Le Hanmel and the marshes), as well as the British tank park by Miles. I just rocked up with my dice and the Germans. Colin borrowed Miles's dice but may have had a big hand in the landing craft 

First up - the calm before the storm:





In the scenario, the Germans got to place a couple of lines of dragons' teeth, some mines and barbed wire.

Simon

[Colonel Kilgore]

Our game started off with some Sherman DD tanks and mine-clearing engineers landing on the beach. These were followed by some "Funnies", including flails and bridge-layers.





The well-protected 77mm gun at Le Hanel did considerable damage to both tanks and landing craft, but couldn't get shots offs fast enough to stem the tide.

[Colonel Kilgore]

By this time, the sole two German platoons on the table - both support, with machine guns and mortars, respectively, were now feeling both lonely and a little exposed.





With nothing to hit the tanks with, the Germans tried to kills as many infant's they could, but their flanks was soon turned as the British drove through the minefields to the East and onto the coastal road.

Fortunately by now a couple of infantry platoons had arrived (better late than never...). One squad hiding in a rapidly fortified strong point to the rear of the German lines scored a point blank hit with a Panzerfaust on a DD's side armour, resulting in the Sherman immediately brewing up.

[Colonel Kilgore]

Meanwhile, another platoon was infiltrating through the town of Le Hamel, just in time to resist the seaborne invasion across the sea wall.



The British advance from the East was inexorable, with the pillbox falling to a tank HE round.

Both the machine gun and mortar platoons routed off table, having failed a morale test and being reduced to just a couple of bases each.

[Colonel Kilgore]

So that was where we got to on our Saturday refihght of Jig Sector of Gold Beach.

We used the latest version (#90) of the evolving rewrite of the PBI rules, alongside some additions that Big Mike had written specifically to deal with the various beach defences.

The core PBI rules worked fine, even (in this scenario with few infantry) the new limits on opportunity fire.

Mike came up with a clever mechanism for the concrete defences, effectively using the AP rules against a defined defence value and needing a margin to destroy the defence piece.

No doubt more lessons will have been learned today about how best to play this particular scenario!

Simon

[Colonel Kilgore]

As Miles has pointed out previously, this was designed as an accessible game to put on. No big boards or anything too fancy (other than bigger cloths, and lots of buildings and vehicles!).

We didn't win a prize, but hopefully showed what can - with some thought and patience - readily be achieved by The Common Man and a range of products from Peter Pig (some may have come from other manufacturers too  ).

Simon

[Smiley Miley 66]

I agree with Simon, I am hoping to have some  PP buildings in Le Harmel by the next time.
We looked at the old pictures of 2019 against the newer version, and realised the the Harmel and sand dune and road line needs to move up 6 inches, giving a further 6 inches of beach to actually cross.
Other than that Mike did a fantastic job on recreating the original MDF boards we had in 2019.
The main objective was to make the whole table a lot easier to transport and using templates that we use in other /normal RFCM games, that we achieved.
I will have to make a "big" plastic foam board template for La Harmel to raise the town slightly in the Sea wall area, and buy some Wall pieces from Grubby Tanks.
A very good exercise in making it a lot simpler to make and put together and transport etc, a few more things to look at and talk about to make the game run a bit better and give the Germans a slightly better chance to get some achievable small victories in game, as we know in the end the Germans didn't win ? lol !
Miles

[Colonel Kilgore]

All good points, Miles.

Other than that we all know the Germans won on Saturday 

Simon

[pigsticker]

Great looking game gents! It re-kindles my idea to do a amphibious landing game for Gallipoli 1915. A few years ago I bought  a 5 x 3 mat with the sea & beach longways for this. I already will try it out as a club game at Burton when I get my ANZACs painted up. I have the Ottomans painted & based.

[Colonel Kilgore]

Thanks for popping by the Forum, Ray, and glad you liked it.

Gallipoli could look fab on the tabletop. What rules would you use - maybe PBI adapted for WW1?

Simon

[martin goddard]

The game did indeed look splendid. Well done you chaps.


martin

[Gangleader147]

That is a nuisance for you Lee 
See you at Entoyment some time


martin

Absolutely, well overdue and lacking on the gaming front currently.

[Big Mike]

Thanks for the write-up of Saturday's game, Simon. We received plenty of positive comments from show attendees. My thanks to all those who contributed figures, models and scenery to make it such an enjoyable game on both days.
Mike   

[Colonel Kilgore]

And well done to you, Mike, on organising us all and writing the special rules, which I think worked very well.

Simon