ConsimWorld Expo 2014 - Game Play-by-Play

[Mark]

OK - have been recovering from ConsimWorld and am finally getting into the pictures we took and formatting them to be posted.
We had a great time in Phoenix - what a great con - I really recommend it to anyone who is into monster multi-day games. . .it is a great environment.  I will try and go back next year.

On to the game recap!  Things started as they usually do. . .in Autumn 1939. . .
The BEF landed in Normandy to keep the transports well out of the range of German aircraft.  The French started extending the Maginot line into Champagne and the Germans began redeploying their best leaders and units to the Western Front.  Poland fell with more of a wimper than a bang - minimal German casualties this time as I guess the Poles were caught unawares. . .

[Mark]

In the Winter of 1940, The Germans invaded Norway.  The initiative fell in a way that prevented the British navy from reacting - so the Germans got off with a relatively easy landing at Narvik. 

The Germans also executed a well-planned invasion of Holland and Belgium in the Winter - again with relatively light casualties.

In North Africa, Italy remains neutral, but is landing a larger army at Tobruk and Benghazi under Graziani.

[Mark]

Spring 1940 - France falls as Guderian's blitzkrieg slices through Sedan and on into Paris.  Again the Germans get off with relatively light casualties - this is starting off to be a tough game for the Allies. . .

The British did not have enough shipping to get all of the BEF out of France, so they got the armor and artillery out and dispersed the infantry into Brittany and Normandy to collect French production (Free french volunteers and whatever French equipement could be salvaged I suppose).  Hopefully the Allies will get a good initiative chit draw in the summer to get the rest of the BEF out of France.

The Germans continued to take the rest of Norway, pushing the Norwegian army out of Oslo and back to a last ditch defense of Bremen.  The British are too pressed to send them any reinforcements - especially with German air dominance over the sea zones off of Southern Norway.

Finally - the situation in North Africa remains relatively unchanged with the Italians building up in Libya and still neutral.

[Mark]

It appears I did not capture the action after the Summer 1940, turn - sorry about that.  A lot of action however. . .
The Germans executed a very aggressive strategic warfare campaign against the British - with u-boats, a raid with their surface fleet into the North Atlantic and industrial bombing of Southern England.  The British were down to only 8 PP at the end of it - a rough time.

In the Med, the Italians declared war on Greece and took Crete with a combined amphibious invasion and Italian para-drop.  The Germans sent Rommel to North Africa with a good sized armored and air force and the British managed to reinforce Wavell on the the Libyan frontier - but he may be a bit over-matched and need to withdraw.

In the Balkans, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria joined the Axis and the Italians are massing for an invasion of mainland Greece.

[Yoper]

It appears I did not capture the action after the Summer 1940, turn - sorry about that.  A lot of action however. . .

Yeah, tequila and ASU coeds!!! 

"Hey ladies!!!  Do you want to see my metal miniatures?  They're painted!"

[Mark]

They are Pewter, actually. . .    and, no, it was not the best pick up line. . .

I have to say I liked Tempe, Arizona - the area around the convention (Mission Street) was full of bars and restaurants.  A very cool area.

[Mark]

Winter 1940 - end of turn

In North Africa, the battle of Sidi Barrani resulted in Wavell falling back to Alexandria.  German Stukas took a toll on British Artillery. . .The 8th army digs in at El Alamein as Rommel pauses on the Egyptian border to await reinforcements.  Cunningham's fleet is still intact and rules the Eastern Med, but has not engaged the Italian navy in the central Med due to significant Axis air superiority.

In Eastern Europe the Germans are massing on the frontier for apparently an early Spring Barbarossa. The Soviets have met their minimum border requirements of 7 front line units and 1 air unit with mostly infantry and are reinforcing defensive zones around Minsk, Kiev, and Odessa.  One of the bright spots for the Allies in the early game was that the Russians took minimal casualties in the Winter war with Finland - so, while the Germans got off light in Poland and France - they are at least facing a little bit stronger Russia for Barbarossa.

In Western Europe, the withdraw of the Luftwaffe to Poland has provided England with some relief from strategic bombing.  U-boats ported in Brittany have range to hit all of the Atlantic convoy zones.  The U-Boat Pen largely protects the u-boats from air attacks while they are in port.  Another win for the Allies in the early game was that ASW warfare managed to eliminate 2 u-boat aces with only Prien left by the Winter of 1940. . .

[Mark]

Spring 1941 - end of turn

In the Med, the Greeks continue to hang on and inflict significant casualties on the Italian invaders despite being heavily outnumbered. . .
The battle of Mersa Matruh ended inconclusively with Rommel falling back to Sidi Barrani and the British falling back to El Alamein.  Auchinlek takes command.  The 8th army is receiving a lot of reinforcements while Rommel's Afrika Korps is dwindling in resources and supplies.

On the Eastern Front, the Germans launch their surprise Barbarossa in the Spring of 1941.  Hoeppner's panzer group has taken Odessa and forced Budenny's army back across the Dnieper.  In the North, Hoth has taken Lithuania and Guderian led a mech assault on the defensive zone around Minsk.  He ended up taking it but suffered significant armor casualties.  The Soviets have fallen back to regroup in the better defensive terrain in front of Moscow and Leningrad.

[Yoper]

They are Pewter, actually. . .    and, no, it was not the best pick up line. . .

I have to say I liked Tempe, Arizona - the area around the convention (Mission Street) was full of bars and restaurants.  A very cool area.

Actually, I don't think that there is any line that would have helped you!  Not that I would have done any better.

As for the con location, that was what John Kranz (con organizer) was going for.

[John D.]

It was a great venue. All I can say is that folks stay in good shape with the good year-round weather...

[Mark]

Summer 1941 - End of Turn

The British 8th Army launches an offensive and drives Rommel out of Egypt! Though Auchinlek suffers significant casualties in the process. . .While the British took Bardia on the 2nd mech phase, they were over extended and to weak to really defend it and fell back to Sidi Barrani on the Egyptian border to regroup. . .

In Russia, the Germans turned South with their panzers, taking full advantage of the good Summer campaigning weather and the double mech move that comes with it. . .Guderian's panzergroup swung South and along with Hoeppner's group that ended in Odessa in the Spring conducted a double envelopment of both Kiev and Kharkov.  The end of the Summer has the Germans in Rostov and the Soviet armies in the South reeling. . .

In the North, the German armies advanced less dramatically.  Being stripped of most of their mechanized forces, the Germans were only able to clear the Baltic States and send a recon-in-force to seize Smolensk before concentrating their forces around Vitebsk.  The Soviets continue to reinforce and dig-in in front of Leningrad and Moscow.

[John D.]

I remember the Germans lost a lot of product hitting Minsk during the mech phase. Its easy to get over confident with Hoth or Guderian during the initial phase of Barbarossa. After losing about 6 armor units - I asked myself - "why did I just do that?" I could have just stayed put and Soviets would have backed off during the non com phase...
I'm sure I had some grand plan in mind for the summer double mech phase...

[Wolf]

I have to admit, I really appreciate/admire the paint jobs on some of those miniatures.

Nice work.

[John D.]

Mark has outdone himself. It was a long winter in New England...

[Mark]

Autumn 1941 - End of Turn

In North Africa, Rommel is reinforced and advanced again to retake Bardia.  The British are overstretched and have not been able to get reinforcements forward - though they finally are getting something close to parity in air power.

In Russia, Guderian's panzers sweep South out of Rostov and cut the Crimea out of supply.  The Germans reinforce the 10th army, under Rundstedt, with heavy artillery to storm the isolated Soviets in Sevastopol next turn.

Army Group North fights their way into the terrain around Leningrad, taking Pskov and Veliki Luki.  The Soviets continue to reinforce and dig-in.  Hoeppner's panzer group concentrates around Kursk.

Thanks for the compliments on the miniatures!  I can't take credit for the planes though - they were done by a friend of mine who is a MUCH better painter. . .