Run

Figures: Rackham 28mm
Rules:Tomorrows War
GM: Jerry Acord


Well its about time I got a game in. After fighting a cold off and on for 4 weeks and missing several game opportunities I finally got to play. I hosted a game at my place so my good friend Jerry could playtest a game for an upcoming ECC convention in New York. He scaled the game down to a 6' x 4' board, initially it was designed for 5' x 8". Since he has to haul everything for a 3 to 4 hour drive north he downsized.

The game set up is simple. The Red Blok forces start off hidden in buildings and must try to escape off of the board edge. Points are awarded for each unit leaving the table. The power armor troops are the most valuable and must be exited for the Red Blok player to win. Some infantry and anti tank teams can be sacrificed but additional troops must also leave to boost up the point total.

The UNA forces start off of the board. Their infantry attack is supported by 2 walking bad ass tanks known as Firetoads. These are killers and a formidable presence on the field. The UNA also have jump troops able to ignore terrain features and can fast move (fly) up to 16 inches.

Since the Red Blok start off hidden they can attempt to ambush the advancing UNA or retreat. The UNA are given the initiative and enter on the forst turn. After the first turn each side will roll initiative as per the rules. In our game the UNA kept the initiative the entire game and the RED BLOK used noninitiative moves to run away and firing only when necessary. The Red Blok players must remember the victory conditions...GET OFF OF THE BOARD!

The UNA takes the initiative and advances into the buildings and structures. The Red Blok remains hidden and decides to have the Power Armor units run while the infantry covers their movement. In the first turn the UNA advanced with little opposition. I have a unit of infantry open fire which starts at a roadblock and is not hidden. I sacrifice them to slow down the UNA juggernaut.

As the UNA advance their firepower does severe damage. My ATR team had a great shot at a Fire Toad walking tank but missed. My poor roll caused their untimely death. In the follow up attack te UNA also knocked out most of the power armor infantry of one fire team. A bad start for Red Blok. On the first aid roll the Power armor regained most of the unit. The UNA kept the initiative through the game and the Red Blok reacted by moving back and using regualr infantry in defensible positions to give cover fire.

The Red Block was able to fall back during reaction movement in every turn. We tried not to engage in a round of fire to avoid UNA fire power superiority. Once a heavy casualty is scored on a figure in the unit movement is restricted and morale can suffer. Off board artillery strikes from medium mortars by the Red Blok did take out a fire toad. The Red Blok did not use smoke as it did little good and used an activation. I stuck to running away every chance I got.

In the end we managed to get some power armor and regular infantry off of the board so the Red Blok score 16 points. The UNA took out some power armor and infantry team scoring 5 point. It was a Red Blok victory. The game seemed to be balanced when we added the hidden starting positions for the Red Blok. This game lasted about 3 hours and we got in about 6 turns. In another playtest we had the UNA come on the board and they killed off most of the Red Blok in 2 turns, not a fun game for a convention. Thank goodness for playtesting. Now its off to New York to the ECC convention. Good luck Jerry.

2 UNA fire teams

UNA fire team close up...they were touched up but come pre-painted

Walking Tanks a.k.a. Fire Toads...we only used 2 of the 3

UNA right flank

The UNA left flank

Center of the board

Red Blok Power Armor

ATR team in the back

Power armor with infantry support...they start hidden

UNA forces advance from the left side

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Red Blok forces wait from the barricades...my spped bump

Power Armor and ATR team Casualties

A Fire Toad approaches

A Power Armor team makes it to the trees.

Jump troops move up on the left flank

The red Blok takes the brunt of the firefight

Red Block units take cover

The Fire Toad is taken out by artillery strike

The jump troops moved quick and did stop some power armor from getting away.

Tomorrows War

Rules: Tomorrow's War
Host: Jerry Acord
Figures: 28mm Rackham AT 43
Location: Icehouse



We play tested the rules and wanted to use armor as well as infantry. The rules are very similar to Force on Force and easy to remember when you understand the number and type of dice you need. Repetition is key to understanding most rules and that means we need to play as often as possible. The rules are based on fire teams. Each side rolls initiative, the winner declares actions (Move & fire) and the defender then reacts by firing or moving. When all of the fire teams for both sides have moved or fired then the turn ends. LOS is center of team to center of team.
In the first turn the Communist Forces entered the board. The idea was for the Communists to exit the other side of the board as quickly as possible.













The opposing forces are the Foreign Legion of the Republican Forces. The initial defense involved a blocking force at a key cross roads. The defenders were lightly armed with little support. They had a D8 quality and had AT capability. Gaining initiative is crucial to success.

















The communists are making use of any cover they can find during the advance. They have a D8 quality and basic armor (2D8). Each fire team has a SAW and an RPG giving extra D8 for firepower purposes.
















Several Mechs enter the board with supporting infantry and the Republican forces seemed outmatched. The fire teams all have AT ability rolling 3D8 vs 3D10 armor...hard to kill but still a chance.















The legionnaires take heavy casualties and can't seem to get the initiative in the reaction of opposing the movement of the communists. The Reds have an impressive armored assault. Advances are made across the entire front but how long will their luck hold out.














The last few Republican forces are holding on to a small corner of the the board. It looks like the Reds are going to have an easy go of it. The defenders were swept from the crossroads; the Red armor support was too much for them. Now the Reds need to move quickly to the exit point.

















A heavy battle mech looms in the background as the last of the republican forces are mopped up...but a call goes out for support. Armor was rolling 8D8 when attacking. The main gun and MGs were very effective. A distant rumble past the trees reveals a Republican heavy infantry unit with armor support to stop the Red menace.















Uh Oh...The mech emerges from the woods and erupts in flame as it receives fire from the heavy mech. The armored infantry moves from the woods and damages then destroys the Red mech. The Communist forces are flanked by elite units. Then all goes terribly wrong for the Reds. The Commie heavy tank loses optics and then a main gun. In the end it was only rolling 2D8 vs 6D10 armor....as you can guess it did not last long after.
















One of the Red's mechs makes a dash for the exit...but then gets recalled from HQ. An initiative result of "1" means a Fog of War Card is read resulting in recall orders...damn the luck. This particular mech had to turn around and go back. He won't be any help toward a victory for the communists this game.












Falling from the sky Republican jump troops land behind the Red forces....and the Red force is destroyed in short order on the left flank. The Reds realize they can not advance any further and must turn back.

The game lasted about 2 1/2 hours with several pauses for rules clarifications. Once you understand the basics of how many dice you get the game moves very quickly.

I recommend these rules for anyone looking for anyone looking for a fast paced game under 4 hours of play time. The fact that the are based on Force on Force is also helpful if you want to expand a core set of club rules to include several genres.