LnL World at War Series: Blood and Bridges - Hold The Line Scenario Replay

Here's a replay of a beloved game and scenario. This time I used my Hexon tiles. In the earlier game Hotz Mats was used. See World at War: Blood and Bridges, Scenario 5: Hold the Line

(click on the pix to enlarge)

I created a word document with all the scenario information
(scanned units and counters) as the reference guide for my
group that shows all the units (enlarged) used on the table to
mitigate clutter on my table. Being able to read the counter
information because the print is too tiny on those counters makes
game play easier for these tired eyes. I believe at one point,
LnL (under Mark L. Walker) released unit cards but I don't
think they're available under the new management.  

Scenario page shows Victory Conditions with 
Turn Marker when special units arrive, etc. 
helps game flow and keeps accuracy of events 

WIP Hexon Game Board: Using masking
tape as placeholder for roads 

WIP Hexon Game Board: Using blue colored sand to
represent rivers on my custom-made hexes

WIP Hexon Game Board: Using carpet tile samples (4" squares) easily
acquired from local DIY stores (e.g. Lowes or Home Depot) and cut
to hex shape. Different colors denote burnt crops or planted fields 

WIP Hexon Game Board: Using PicoArmor Euro Village Buildings and my
custom-made rubble and building ruins to represent towns and villages 

WIP Hexon Game Board: A bigger picture

WIP Hexon Game Board: Applied colored sand mix (gray, black
and brown - again easily acquired from any craft shop:
e.g. Michael's or Hobby Lobby) for roads

WIP Hexon  Game Board: Finally coming together, most of these
components were used in the earlier posting

Close up view of some of the riverside towns
with my scratch built trellis bridges 

NATO Air Power
Top row: British Lynx
Middle Row: FRG BO-105
Tornados (flanking) and F4 Phantom 

Lynxs on the prowl
Trees are from 'We Honest' (a Chinese website
featuring cost-effective trees great for gaming)

The point of a minis table is no clutter with TMI. Instead I use
lettered beads (from Michael's or Hobby Lobby) in lieu of markers
to denote unit status (D = Disrupted, R = Reduced)

2xT80 Platoons + an HQ Unit (H = HQ)

Here are some dismounted NATO infantry supported by FVs and a Milan
Modified pipe cleaners make great missile markers

GHQ conifer trees on pennies

Red disks indicate 'Ops Complete' mode for units
that completed any action (move or combat)

Another artillery barrage landing on
a Soviet advance in the woods

Using the trees as cover the Soviets advance but is
pounded on by NATO artillery strikes

A NATO elevated over watch position 

Smoking and burning hulks are wrecks
and this Soviet HQ company was decimated

Artillery barrage represented by Paper Terrain explosion pack

Perilous river crossing for the Soviet BMPs Infantry Carriers

Bombardment aftermath: Destroyed BMP and Disrupted BMP on the bridge
Adjacent hex: Destroyed

NATO fortified position with dug-in infantry
and Dragon support weapon

Another T80 platoon casualty

2xT80 platoons out of Command Control
and effectively out of the fight

Scale Differences: Time Cast vs GHQ, Part 2

Russian Orthodox Churches are very interesting structures that lend a regional flavor to any Eastern Front table top battle field. Other 6mm manufacturers have this particular building type in their inventory but Timecast has one of the best that I've seen, IMHO.

Authentic wooden Russian Orthodox Church 

GHQ's Russian Orthodox Church from their online catalog - nothing wrong with this excellent model except that most of my battles in the Eastern Front are in rural areas and this particular model seems to fit in a more urban setting.

Timecast's Russian Orthodox Church next to their Lvov Townhouses

I love the rustic look of this wooden church

Scale Differences: Time Cast vs GHQ, Part 1

There's a definite scale difference between two 6mm (micro armor 1/285th or 1/300) manufacturers: Time Cast and GHQ. I prefer Time Cast because of it's truer scale proportions comparable to real buildings. GHQ makes great micro armor scale vehicles but tend to compress the scale when doing buildings IMHO.

(click on the pix to enlarge)

L-R: Lvov Town Houses and Orthodox Church by Timecast,
Country Manor and Town Homes by GHQ
In the foreground are GHQ infantry mounted on pennies

L-R: Orthodox Church by Timecast, Country Manor and Town Homes by GHQ.
Notice how the GHQ Town Homes are severely out of scale and proportion

Numerous Timecast Euro farm houses

Ditto

Numerous Timecast Eastern Front hovels and cottages

Ditto

A10 Warthog

A little deviation from my current projects when I really need to focus and get that rail yard done for 15mm but alas...

This poster says it all.

One of my favorite ground attack aircraft aside from the famed IL-2 Sturmovik of WW2.

After savaging what looks like a Soviet tank.

Some nose art choices...

And here's the culprit and cause of the current derailment of my train of thought. Sigh... another project to add to my ever growing list of 'to do' items which can't be helped since I wanna do it all, dammit! 

An old kit that was a gift from oh so long ago...

You know, come to think of it. I haven't put together a full on kit since at least a few decades ago. (I'm not counting those plastic vikings and Mobile Infantry neither since all you got is a head and a couple of arms.) So now, in my maturing years, I'm not sure I'll have the patience and the eyesight to tackle this project. 

The two most important things needed are a great light source and a good magnifier. 

The more light the better!

Goggle types are the best.

My homemade combination. Time for a magnifying goggle upgrade.

OK, who the hell am I kidding? I've got umpteen projects on my list and when am I gonna be gaming in 1:144 scale? 


Back burner... Yeah. 


Besides I already have a pair of Warthogs, albeit in another scale...

A flight of GHQ MicroAircraft from my collection