Battle of the Bulge game 2024-25 Preparation

Below are pictures and maps of my preparations for a Battle of the Bulge game, specifically the Battle of Foy-Notre-Damme-Celles involving British, American and German forces on December 25, 1944.  I started working on this in January 2024 but other projects like Cangames 2024 took priority in mid  April and the game did not happen in 2024, but maybe it will in the the not too distant future.

Overview of Battlefield

6mm French 1940 Infantry and German Fallschirmjagers

 Now that I am back in to playing 6mm W.W.II (Spearhead and Fist Full of TOWs3) I have pulled some of the figures out of storage including German, French and British AFV and infantry. Although the scenarios I have played recently with the Spearhead rules were set in Normandy in 1944, I have always wanted to play some games set in France in 1940 so it is time to start painting my French 1940 Infantry by Heroics and Ros (H&R) and GHQ. Plus as I will note later some 6mm German Fallschirmjagers (FJ)/ Paratroops that can be used for 1940-45 will be on the painting table soon (I hope).

 

Painted H&R Classic German Fallshirjager with LMGs

WIP GHQ & H&R French 1940 Infantry in Vallejo khaki green

Building a Canopy forest with removable top in 6mm scale

This is a summary of how I built a 6mm scale prototype forest with a removable canopy top in 6mm scale for second World War games, which might also work for 15mm scale infantry, possibly for War of 1812 games. The finished product is shown below.

Top half of photo shows Forest with removable canopy and base

I decided just to make one forest to start with, figuring I would likely learn by my mistakes, and best to do that with one forest before going into "mass production" of 10 or more.

Spearhead Battalions Advance OMG February 2023

 I was pleased that some new members at my Games Club the Ottawa Miniatures Gamers (OMG) club  have expressed an interest in playing  Spearhead, a battalion / regiment level Second World War land battle game,  reviving one of my favourite micro scale Second World War rules sets that I had not had a chance to play in over a decade at the club.  This game took place on Sunday February 5th, 2023 at OMG, it is set in the Summer of 1944 in Normandy with two reinforced British battalions attacking one German reinforced battalion that is defending a town and a nearby ridge line. The scenario is an introductory scenario since both players  had not played for some time and with an AGM a the club meeting interrupting the game we had limited time. The game was played in  6mm, 1/285 scale on a 3' x 4' gaming area, a Warzone Homeland - green grass and earth mouse pad mat.

 

Scenario map

The map above is based on a 36" wide by 48" deep table where each grid square  is 12" in width or 1200 yards. A series of woods break-up the battlefield and provide cover for both the British forces and the German defenders, whom I was playing.

The scenario called "Battalions Advance" can be found here: https://ww2spearhead.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/battalion-advance/comment-page-1/#comment-292

Second World War Wargame Rules for 6mm or 1/285 scale

 One of the games I listed to hopefully play in 2021 was 6mm 1/285  (Micro Armour) Second World War.  The question is which rule set.  First I will present some pictures of past games before briefly reviewing various rule sets I have played or considered.

 Operation Charnwood July 8, 1944

A list of games to play in 2020

New Years is a time for lists so here is my wish list of 16 games to play in 2020 plus a long term plans for a siege game (#17). Some of the games are hold-overs from last year.  As usual I suspect I will be lucky to get half of them done, but at least I have something to strive for.  There is also  the possibility of a new game being added to the list (like SAGA Age of Magic) got added to my 2019 list) or an older game making a comeback like Sharpe Practice, War of 1812 or a Superhero game (#18).

1. SAGA Age of Magic and SAGA Historical 28mm

Part of an Undead Legion Warband

SAGA Trojan versus Greek game

Planned 6mm D-Day game 6mm

For many years I have been planning to run a 6mm, 1/285 scale D-Day game featuring the Juno Beach landing.  Perhaps it was the D-Day diorama at the old Canadian War Museum (CWM) on Sussex Drive in Ottawa that first inspired me to do this as well as some Spearhead players in the UK and the U.S.   I have accumulated all the materials I require and just need to paint some additional resin defensive fortification by Leva Production and D-Day specific miniatures like DD tanks. 

D-Day beach, work in progress

Hopefully this will be the year I get it done, as 2019 is the 75th anniversary.   I have played D-day games in 15mm but I think 6mm gives me the ability to represent much more of the battle.

A List of Great War Spearhead First World War games I have played.

Great War Spearhead (GWSH) games by Shawn Taylor including an April 2017 Battle of Vimy Ridge 1/300 scale reproduction of the battlefield, by the author at the Canadian War Museum (CWM) and earlier games I ran.

GWSH in 6mm: Battle of Vimy Ridge
by Shawn Taylor at the CWM 2017

A list of some of the Second World War Micro Armor Games I have played since 2004.

  Second World War in 1/285 or 6mm scale (Micro Armor) was my primary game / genre from 1978 to 2007 originally using WRG rules and now using mainly Spearhead (SH) or Micro Armor the Game (MATG).  It was the genre for my annual Cangames game from the 1980s up to 2007.  It has now taken a back seat to some other games but is still in the mix of my top 10 games. Games below set in either North Africa, the Russian front or the Western Europe. 

Canadian advance under fire in 1944 in Normandy,  using SH 2012