PBEM / MBX Wargaming

Here is a summary of a small Indian-Russian engagement started yesterday. It is not yet complete, but the Russian side needs to determine how to proceed from where it is now. Situation: Indian Ocean. INS Delhi (Type-15 DDG), and INS Rajput (Kashin- Mod DDG) are providing protection to INS Jalashva (former USS Trenton LPD) during movement from India to unnamed islands to the SW. A Russian naval force consisting of Admiral Chabanenko (Udaloy II DDG) and Burnyy (Sovremenny DDG) has been ordered to stop the Indian force from off-loading the LPD. The engagement starts out with Sea King Mk.42’s and Ka-27 Helix’s scouting out forward of their respective forces with a…

Today's engagement was limited to the few data sheets that I had with me. A Ticonderoga Class CG took on one of its predecessors a Virginia class CGN. Hostilities had already been declared so both combatants were looking for action. Since VA had no embarked helo, and since time was of the essence, I did not launch any helos from the Tico. Both ships were on intercepting courses and at Long range, defined as 25-85nm apart - but arranged so that after the first movement turn they would be at 25nm. The VA was active while the Tico was passive. VA, shouting over here was only successful in getting itself passively detected by the Tico. Tico declares combat, and l…

Spent 3hrs of game time (<1hr) conducting cat and mouse ASW between an approaching Burke DD and Perry FFG versus a lurking Kilo. The Kilo often detected the US ships but was waiting for the prized LHD, who was trailing by 10nm. The fact that the US ships could detect a contact occasionally allowed it to warn the LHD, LSDs to stand clear and the Perry was rotating SH-60B's. Through this play through the Kilo often avoided detection, and when it could not avoid, the US ships failed their localization. Awfully Slow Warfare is the word of the day. I need an idea of how long the sub would play this game before breaking contact and try a re-approach. The sub is lyi…

Well combining these two threads along with my re-learning, not that I ever truely learned, GDW's Air Superiority/Air Strike. The updated rules to the former Airpower series is The Speed of Heat published and still available from Clash of Arms. AS/AS models individual planes in the 80's and 90's. Each hex is 1/3 of a mile, 12-15 seconds per turn, targets, err I mean ground units (in Air Strike) include fireteams/platoons and individual vehicles, along with a slew of counters representing everything from bridges, dry docks, port facilities, POL, command postsfactory/warehouses, rail yards, power stations, airfield/facilities, shelters, etc. In planning the IP Inbo…

Hi As per topic title, 4 players are required for a small harpoon game to be played via e-mail. The scenario will be run on the excellent CIC warfare plotter, so you will need a copy. http://www.stratsims.com/CIC_MP01.asp September 1st 1995. In the past few years the relationship between Libya and Russia has become rather frosty. Since the cold war ended Russia has been far less interested in backing regimes that were actively against the west. Russia has suffered terrorism particularly in response to its invasion of Chechnya. The latest information from the security services has laid the blame firmly at Libya’s door, providing training, weapons and funding for…

These scenarios, "Battle of the Garagiola River" and "Battle of the Garagiola River Revisited" are authored by LtCol. John F. Schmitt, USMCR and are found in his book "Mastering Tactics", Copyright 1994 by Marine Corps Association. The scenarios were originally published in the October 1992 and December 1992 editions of Marine Corps Gazette respectively. "Battle of the Garagiola River" - Map293 Situation: You are the commander of 3d Battalion, 4th Marines (reinforced) consisting of Companies I and K on assault amphibious vehicles (AAVs) near the Garagiola River, Company L on trucks at Androida, a light armored reconnaissance (LAR) company west of the river, and a…

Hello all, I hope you all don't mind me posting up a PBEM game I'm playing against Dewayne Harris. It's not Harpoon but it sure has been an interesting game and I thought I would share it with you. I'm playing the ever peace loving Japanese Empire against the evil Allied Powers. Currently we're up to spring of 1942. However, I will provide all the pertient moves (good and bad) up til then. More to follow....

Thanks to a very generous surprise I played my first TacOps battle just now. The Joint Chiefs would do well do send me to command school or leave me out on the Blue Water Harpoon Ops! Victory was mine but at an inordinate cost. Thanks to Artillery and Air Support (and using my M1 takes fairly intelligently) my forces were successful in taking the objective and eliminating the OpFor. If I hadn't already committed to some Harpoon playing today surely I'd be refining my technique, learning what the controls actually mean, etc! Note how I lost all of my APCs Time Left: 9 minutes Mission results: Blue - Mission accomplished Red - Mission failure P…

The Marine Corps Gazette Tactical Decision Game Archive url has changed to TDG Archive. A number of them lend themselves very well to TacOps scale. There seemed to be a golden era in the mid to late 1990's. Every could foresee that MCA/MCG's decision to move the TDG's from the print magazine to their website would spell doom to the "program".

Using the my TDG “Battle along the Tziepov” inspired map, pitted a USMC battalion with mech support, a tank platoon, and a section of AH-1W against an OPFOR company’s worth of BTR-80’s. Their ATGM support was in the form of AT-14 Kornets. OPFOR also had a battery of 2S31 SP 120mm Mortars. Each has a sortie of air support with the US and OPFOR having 25% and 10% respectively additional support. Changed M1A1D’s to M60A1’s. Changed AT-7 Saxhorns to AT-14 Kornets Running the 1min turns in 5min clips 0700-0705 Starting out in ageton, Heavy Guns punches out as a screen. Ends about 1km south of the Thorpe Bridge. Alpha Company moves up maintaining a suppor…

OK, I have long known of the Perry Castaneda Map Room at the University of Texas - Austin for maintaining a plethora of digitized maps. Now, through another wargame forum, I found and present to you the: University of Texas Map Room - Army Map Service The US Army 1:250,000 series. Somewhat dated but plenty of maps for all kinds of wargaming, may of which would support H4.1 littoral operations.

Cross posted from the Current Events forum (yep, I get to do that) ... The May 2007 issue of Air Force Magazine contains the annual USAF Almanac 2007, which is a collection of PDF documents detailing the US Air Force in facts and figures, its organizational structure (including reserve components), and USAF installations worldwide. Its a great source, especially for database work and PBEM/MBX wargaming. You can find it here.

Decisive Action Decisive Action is a modern Division and Corps level simulation that depicts combat with maneuver brigades and battalions along with supporting artillery, airstrikes, electronic warfare, engineer, helicopters, and even pysops units. Units are depicted with official NATO symbology, and US Army official map control measures delineate the battlefield. New life may have been blown into the languishing gem with the very recent release of v2.7. The sim is available from HPS Sims. I have had an on again off again love affair with this sim. The civilian version is a deviation from a product used at the US Army Command and Staff College. It suffers fro…

Neat tittle tool for creating do it yourself wargame counters. Too bad it is rerstricted to ground units. Land Unit Counter Renderer Hmm, air-naval. Perhaps it may get Tony's creative juices boiling.

Set up the belligerants tonight. Iranian airbases, aircraft squadrons, air defense brigades, naval vessels (including fast attack craft and "speedboats capable of attacking tankers with rockets, and sowing "limited" mines), and Silkworm missile batteries. Iraq, two air bases and a handful of squadrons. Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Oman - airbases and squadrons - only Saudis seem to have really good aircraft. US: CV-63, CVN-68, SSN, BB, outside of the gulf, on the strategic map, also 2x B-52 squadrons, P-3, F-15, the US Supply Head, CH-47, and 5th Marine Amphibious Brigade on Diego Garcia. Various USN surface combatant…

Okay, Gulf Strike arrived yesterday, maybe even the day before, I've been away house sitting for a week. The game is in pristine condition, appeared to even have the original shrink wrapping on the package. Since I found it so late in the evening I only had time to page thru each of the booklets (the box was stuffed to the brim with supplements and counters and maps galore). Hopefully I'll spend some time with the game before Pete slaughters me and place my findings as a paper wargame novice in this thread.

OK, using the Gulf Strike system I ran a short, small-scale engagement. Background: Iran has declared itself the arbiter of all naval traffic in the Straits of Hormuz. The straits have be sown with sea mines and Iranian fast attack craft have been attacking/harassing western naval assets in the gulf. Two US Carrier Battle Groups, along with an Expeditionary Strike Group are operating in the northern Arabian Sea. USCENTCOM tasks CENTNAV and CENTMC to destroy the silkworm batteries both along the Iranian coast and on Qeshm Island, and clear Qeshm Island of all Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps forces. US forces for avoid attacks into and around the Iranian militar…

This is an introductory scenario for Gulf Strike, a game designed by Mark Herman through Victory Games. Ethiopia is attacking western interests in Somolia and Djibuiti. Each attacking force is provided with air defence by a soviet Anti-Air Regiment. A US's Kitty Hawk CBG has been tasked with conducting air strikes in support of the friendly goverments. ROE prevents the CBG from attacking the Soviet AA units themselves. The US commander is also given two B-52 sorties per turn. Soviet naval and air forces are arrayed along the southern Arabian peninsula and in the Arabian Sea/Indian Ocean. There orders are to attack the US forces in the area, to include the US …

Currently on the table is an old gem called Air & Armor, by West End Games. It depicts NATO Brigades/Soviet Divisions, unit of maneuver is battalions, and regiments respectively. The system uses a "step" counter beneath a unit counter to depict anything from a company sized force, up to a nine step motorized rifle regiment. Oh, the fog of war. Time is two hours per turn First scenario I ran was Race for the Bridges. Soviet 20th Motorized Rifle Division racing through a screen of the West German 35th PzG Brigade, for theany undestroyed bridges across the Main river, in the vicinity of Wurtzburg. The Canadian 4th Brigade Combat Group arrives in turn 3 of 5 to …

Brief AAR Scenario Z TRAP AAR Scenario Z (TRAP) Scenario and Map by Nadir Elfarra. The game is a relatively old Avalon Hill wargame called MBT (Main Battle Tank). The was a follow on game called IDF which had the same rule set. A vassal mod has recently been released and the designer has been entertaining a re-release in the near future. Ground scale is 100m per hex. Time is the nebulous 1-5min per turn. Counters depict are individual vehicles/helicopters/aircraft/squads/half squads/weapons teams Scenario here. First Clash Map Modifications: The USMC ground force was changed to 3x Rifle Squad, 1x MG Team, and 1x Team (Assault – SMAW) Opfor Anti …