[Epic Modern] What we call Conflict '89

Had a great game with Jason the other night.
We hadn't hung out in a while so we decided to have a game of Epic Modern. After spending so long working on it with fellow ChCh gamers, Pooch, Jon and Andy, it is imperative that we play it now and again.;-)
Jas said, 'Fulda Gap' and it was on like Donkey Kong. 1750 points, so roughly a battalion each.
That is where I used to play a lot when I first started in this hobby thirty six years ago.(!)

Slight variation, Jason was using the FRG's 1st Armored Brigade's Panzergrenadiers and Leopard 2a4s, while I was using the traditional Soviet Guards Motorized Rifle Battalion.

"What makes you think that this is the main effort Hans?"

Sadly a lot of my photos were crap so hopefully Jas got some good ones of his awesome army.
Including Raketenjagdpanzer, Marder 1a3s, Leo 2a4 and Luchs' .

T-72B's in their assembly area

 We were using the mobile defence scenario that Pooch had come up with last year and we had playtested a couple times.(?) Half of the defenders on table, the other half need an activation roll, then on a 4+ they enter. Otherwise it's next turn.

Tracked Recon Platoon

 The recon platoons in my armies are always there and they seldom survive. Irony? In this scenario we gave the recce boys a free move. That put them into the frozen marsh to cover the right flank of the target bridge.

Motorized Rifle Company in their assembly area

 The plan was run the motorized company up the left flank, paste the bridge defenders with the Hind and the 2s1's. Recce covering the tanks as they move up to smack whomever reacts. Ahem.

Krok eviscerating Panzergrenadiers

 Paste the bridge. With some lucky rolls this became truly horrific. First the AA missles missed. Then I finished off several vehicles and a few infantry stands. Finally the 122mm howitzers hit, killing a couple more stands and breaking the formation.
I was stoked, this is easy, just move up the grunts and we're done right?
The Motor company rocks up to the river and we pop one for moving over 5cm in difficult and rolling a 1.
No biggie...

Crossing the frozen river becomes problematic

Then we get hit by the 120mm mortars from the postcard village, kills another couple BTR's and two infantry squads fail to survive as well. 7 BM's.
This is starting to look like work! Bring in the tanks bro!

The last moments of my unscathed tank company

 Hiding behind a chemical refinery, that's an awesome idea Adam. Sadly, I didn't even do that right.
Can you hear the Leopards? (That's an AT3+ Macro weapon with 75cm range kids, someone is going to get hurt.)

Recon platoon covering the flank from a frozen marsh.

The recon platoon has been trading potshots with the Milan armed Racketenjagdpanzer on top of a rise. We finally succeed when we roll two 6's! Woot, two dead panzers and a broken platoon; for a minute.

The flaming wreckage of 10 T72's

The Leos show up and smash three T72's, I make a short move into the refinery and shoot back, killing one. Of the Ten.
Then I fail to activate my MRR company, twice.
Also the Hind, being air farce types. Go on their break.
Then all seven remaining T72's dissapear in gouts of flame. I hadn't hidden them well enough.
Luckily the Leos fail to activate in here somewhere. You know after the shooting.

Finally it comes down to my recon platoon charging the bridge and shooting down the Luchs'. Then the Marders from the survivors of the original defending company kill two BMP-2's breaking the platoon.
Draw.
Very fun to test our knowledge of the game that we hadn't played in a bit. We did pretty good. Started late and finished not too later. We both know and pointed out our mistakes and bad die rolls.

Huzzah Jason!

[EPIC Modern] Blood for Oil!

I know, not my usual mantra of 'Blood for the Blood God!' but I'm trying to appeal to a wider demographic now.;-)
Had another fun game last night and introduced a friend of ours to the new awesomesauce. Sadly Kruger didn't didn't make it though his Iranians did, and they look great as usual from him. Chieftans, Pattons and Tomcats oh my!
Pooch and I took on Andy and Keith for a playtest of some new rules as well as an intro for K.
This is will be brief as I'm trying to finish my Bulgars and fight another battle today!

Pattions and OT64's protecting their blitz objective behind the refinery

F15's dispatched the Iranian Cobras quickly

Chieftans ready to pounce with macroweapons!

Mech infantry and T55's in their starting positions

Hvy Cav foreground, MEU background

Pasdaran dug in holding a wadi

Iranian counter attack on the Marines

M1's LAV's and LAV TOW holding down the left flank in a wadi

Heavy Cavalry Troop supporting Marine infantry and CAAT 

OT64's and supporting infantry

Broken T55's and lurking Scorpions in a wadi

M551 Sheridans tear ass into the city Patton hunting!

Both of my Marine infantry companies got caned but we won in the end. Very fun game despite the fact I also lost 6 Abrams. My FA-18's did the business though our artillery didn't get much done.
The Heavy Armored Cavalry Troop was intact and ready for another fight!

[EPIC Modern] The customer is always right. (!?)

In this case the Soviet's customer was an unnamed client state in the near Middle East that had been pantsed by the Israeli's and needed a 'little assistance' since he was deep in over his head.
As we all know, the customer is always right and in an effort to keep this customer the Soviets sent in their closest units. The 810th Separate Naval Infantry Brigade and the 23rd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment.

Pooch was borrowing Andy's Iraqis and playing them as Soviets with a couple companies of T55's a company of Motorized Infantry in BMP1's and a T72 tank company as well as his recon BMP platoon.
Jason had his IDF mob with a huge Golani company including the Achzarit, as well as Merkavas and a ton of grunts, supporting them was a pair of Cobras and a pair F16's as well as a company of paras and a Magach company.
Andy had his new gang of Magach, three companies as well as Cobras and TOW Zeldas and recon Zeldas.
I had my usual bag of Soviet Naval Infantry, including a T72 company with ZSU, a NI Assault Co. in BTR80's, a recon platoon in BMP2's, ATGM platoon in BRDM's, 2S1 battery and an SU24 flight. The SU24's were stated as SU25's for an extra 50 points.

Jason's gorgeous IAF F-16's and Cobras

 We had gone light in the air department just bringing the one pair of SU24's. The IDF however hadn't.

Israeli Magachs and their Chapparal AAM protection

 That looks like a main effort to me, pretty much opposite ours. Hmmn.

Andy's gorgeous new Magachs on our left

 Covering our left these guys had a big open area covered with wadis to deal with, it would become their killing ground working in tandem with another Magach company. They would rain fire on a total of three companies.

Soviet doctrinal use of T55's and smoke screen in the center

Despite some scepticism this actually worked a bit as they faced down the  two companies of Magach mentioned above. Obviously a bit two edged sword as they blocked the BMP saggers as well.

Israeli recon Zeldas lurking in a wood, our extreme left

23rd MRR BMP1's ready to follow up the T55's in the center

More 23rd MRR T55's, center right

810th NIB and 23rd MRR tracked recon platoons, both holding the mosque

Naval Infantry moving through town, extreme right

Israeli reserve paras holding the center right objective

122mm bombardment goes first

We win initiative and open up on the tank parking lot, first with our 2S1 battery which shuts down the Chapparals and BM's a couple Magach. A lot of good saves were made in what became a trend.

Quickly followed by a close air support bombardment.

Again we got a few hits followed by a bunch of saves! Damn drunk air pirates!

Cobras paying back the NI boys

Turnabout was fair play but with TOW's being macro-weapons there was no chance for the PT76's or BTR's they hit. Flaming death! Luckily the infantry were dismounted.

Then more Cobras show up! Finishing the PT76's

What! More Cobras! Spread the wealth around a bit guys. The last two PT76's go up in flames.
I am missing my SA13 model. (Sadly I even brought it but couldn't afford the points.)

Israeli regulars from the Golani Brigade brought everything including their Achzarit

Pooch has the brilliant idea to charge the Golani with his Recon. Stopping the impending assault.
Then they vanished in a wall of main gun, HMG, GPMG and Dragon fire.
Our newest Heroes of the Soviet Union, Lt Nicolai Valivesky and his 23rd MRR Recon Platoon (Tracked), will live forever in the hearts of the fatherland.

Andy's other company of Magach on our extreme right

With the recon blocking the road temporarily Andy's Magach try to turn our flank and grab some suburban real estate. They look threatening even for M60's.

Pooch's T72's from his best company bring the pain to the Golani boys

After much pointing and exited talking from the NI commander, the 23rds CO turns his T72's onto the giant Golani Brigade company threatening to further their toehold.

Jas' Magach move out to support the paras

The garrisoned para company on our right center is already quite a sticky thorn and now it's being reinforced by a Magach company. Which way do we turn our tanks?

This is what happens to the biggest unit on the table in EPIC. Everyone wants a piece

Well, when you have their biggest unit on the ropes you go for it. There were still a couple infantry stands threatening our neighbors' socialist ideal. So we poured it on. NI BMP's finish off the last of the Golani's armored vehicles.

NI BTR's roll up to finish off the Golani company

With the company now broken Naval Infantry BTR's roll up to finish off the infantry with their 14.5mm HMG's.
The nearby Magach company, sniffs the air...

The SU24 appears again to try to discourage the Magachs, to little effect

Another SU24 bombing run comes in. Flying nap of the earth evidently sapped their concentration so much that it was inconsequential. 1 BM.

Heavily infested wood! Very worrisome, but he is facing three tank companies.

The Magach in the wood open up on my T72 company across the highway from them.  Now these are one of only two units nearby our blitz objective. You boys better hold fast!

Uh, two and a half companies. My T72's get caned!

They are ok at first but then the Cobras show up and do even more damage! Narrowly avoiding breaking they marshall and move. Ducking behind a wood they try to help cover the city with their ZSU.

Then they shift right to help cover the city

T55's charge into the suburbs and get bounced by Cobras

With the door being closed by the recon platoon earlier it gives us a chance to push back through nthe town towards Andy and Jasons blitz objective!
The Cobra's pounce in a desperate attempt to slow the venerable T55 attack.

Then the Magachs  assault the slightly outnumbered T55's, and get smashed! Bad rolling

Then the company of Magach swarm in on them. Should have been an easy fight for the superior numbers and superior vehicles. But their luck truly deserts them and Pooch rolls 11 smashing their assault and sending them reeling towards their own lines.
The NI recon BMP's roll up onto the objective and decimate the broken Magach with 3cm autocannon and missles.

SU24 has it's best bombardment yet, breaking this company of Magach

 Soviet air finally came through in the end, stopping their ability to chase us off of the blitz objective.

There are four unmolested recon BMPs in that flaming mess

So in the end we get a point for destroying the largest unit as well as a point for the blitz.
A glorious Soviet Victory. Go Red Team!
The battle was never well in hand until the very last turn when we won the initiative, even then it required a bit of luck.
Remember guys, a lot of what I write about is based on what pictures I took and which ones came out well.
Feel free to post up your version;-)
Very fun game, maybe our best yet.
Huzzah!

[EPIC Modern] All your base, are belong to us.

That is correct folks!
Basing some 6mm units is a good idea and it looks cool too. I use it to simplify which unit is part of which formation, or to illustrate special abilities. It also gives you a chance to model with a bit more flexibility.
Obviously your mileage may vary etc.

This is what owns your base with 8 tons of Soviet 'precision' guided munitions

 This is an SU-24, kind of a Soviet version of an F-15 meets an F-111. Bombs, long range, very fast, cool.
They also had decent ECM and radar as well as defensive AA missles, a problem. This is using a typical Pooch designed base of 3cm disc, a couple heavy washers and a paper clip. Needed for this heavy pewter aircraft. (Then again it may be the bomb load.)

Recon Plt Tracked with a BRM-1 and three BMP-2, also the Bn CO in his K1Sh1

 The basing will illustrate their wider zone of control, makes them look different too. More important if you have different units using the same or similar vehicles.

Naval Infantry PT-76 platoon

 Usually attached to my NI Company, so no need for bases. But if I was using them as a separate tracked recon element then I would. I have bases ready to go!
6mm game on Friday! Those Israelis are up to their old tricks so the Red Team has recruited Pooch.

The Khan approves

I am very close to posting these guys up. Just a few niggles to deal with. (Basing and fitting to their horses!)