27 July 2016

New Zealanders, the Pacific War is here!!

-with Greg




Well, it is if you're in New Zealand like we are. That's right, those good buggers over at Mighty Ape have stocked up on your Flames of War - Pacific toys ready for you to order and get cracking on!

Check them out here and get your orders in!

Mighty Ape's Flames of War - Pacific Releases


If you haven't been sold on FoW Pacific yet, what are you waiting for? Dive on in and check out some of our articles and reports for inspiration! It really is a great period to game in and there is more coming from the dudes at Battlefront.












21 July 2016

Panzershreck XV - A Perspective

- with Greg



Another Panzershreck weekend has passed and I tell you what, they just keep getting better and better! Half of the fun of travelling for a wargaming tournament is the getting there and how you do it. Banter, trash talk and plotting is just part of what happens and the rest of it is just a laugh a minute.


For those of you unfamiliar with the New Zealand geography, we travelled over 500km (about 300 miles in old money) from Auckland to Palmerston North to take part in the event. 4 lads piled into a people mover can make for some interesting conversation. But, this is New Zealand, and the scenery on the drive is definitely worth it.





The drive itself is a blast. Stopping by small-town New Zealand and seeing all the happenings and goings on that we wouldn't normally see.





This year we stopped at the New Zealand Army museum in Waiouru on the way down rather than the way back for obligatory photos with tanks.















Once we arrived at our RVP in Shannon (Kia Ora Pearce Whanau for having us once again!), we unpacked and got down to the serious business of plotting and planning for the following day. In actuality, none of this happened and we watched Deadpool, drank bourbon and then watched terrible music videos. In what has become somewhat of a tradition, we try and find a "catch-phrase" with which to set the tone for the gaming. This year we would Drop It Like It's Hot.... SNOOOOOOOOOOOOP!


Day 1 of Panzerschreck dawned and we were in business. I'm not going to give you run downs of the games I played or anything like that, the photos of the event tell the stories better than I could. Glider assaults, Strelkovy blobs, Panzers and more all on display, all vying for the top results and the best tactics. Laughter and fun were definitely the order of the day. This year's event was 2000 point EW so there was definitely some grinding games across the course of the weekend and from what I understand, a number of hard-fought draws.









































Day 2 saw the army parade first thing in the morning and everyone had their force laid out for us to ahhhhhh over. I tried to capture as many of them as I could. As wargamers, we all know that getting a beautifully painted force on the table is a labour of love. Its worth showing them off.


























































































The last photo is Bede Bailey's entry which took out Best Painted. Frenchies!
And there can only be one winner on the day...





1st Place - The BB Guns







2nd Place - First to Warsaw







3rd Place - Conquest 04







Wooden Spoon - Bratwurst and Spaghetti


Wayne and Victor were good enough to donate their prizes to the next lowest scoring team, The Old Dogs. Best sports was, eventually, given to The Beer Snobs who had seemingly forgotten their team name. Well done to all the teams and a massive thank you to Battlefront for prize support and their continuing support of the event, both in terms of prizes and also making the trip and participating. Its not often that you can proudly say you've curb-stomped the writers and developers of one of the biggest wargames in the world!

This year was also the first Panzerschreck since the passing of our friend and comrade, Nick Garden. The lads from Wellington all made fitting tribute with this year's shirt being dedicated to him. Kia kaha lads.










And what does one do when they're completely shattered after a weekend of wargaming? Magic: the Gathering and couch-potato'ing, that's what!










You will note the pile of EW intelligence briefings on the couch....the plotting has already begun for next year's Panzerschreck which will once again be EW. Yay!


EPILOGUE

The drive back to Auckland was even more stunning this year. Despite having to detour for a serious accident on the Desert Road, the scenery was no less beautiful.























Fearless Veteran leader on his birthday.






We also managed to get some civic service in, reporting maniac drivers to the local constabulary.







If you've never had the experience of road tripping for a wargaming tournament or event, you absolutely have to do it. The experience and memories definitely over-shadow any fatigue you have for the next couple of days.


This, IMHO, is the best way to enjoy our hobby. Getting out in the community and having an absolute blast. So what are you waiting for? Get planning!

12 July 2016

Panzerschreck XV - Road Trip!!

- with the Team




It's July and that can mean only one thing.... ROAD TRIP!

This will be the 3rd instalment of the team's annual pilgrimage to the bustling metropolis that is Palmerston North to play in the oldest running Flames of War tournament in the world.

This year it's being mixed up a bit. While it's always a doubles tournament, this year we'll be playing Early War, which is quite a change. The rules are pretty simple. Each player has 1,000 points each to determine their force and they can lend a maximum of 100 points to their partner. No Blue/Red alliances are allowed unless specifically approved by the TO for historical reasons.

We typically mix pairs up over the years for variety, although some teams you just cant split! So what can you expect to see...


Damo and Dan: Team Koch Bloch. These two are finally teaming up this year. They're running DEATH FROM ABOVE with Fallschimjager in gliders and they're hoping to "Alpha Strike" with "Steel Rain".

Mike and Andrew: Da Momma's Boys are back at it again this year and repeat last year's glorious victory. When I asked Mike what he was running, he replied....Panzers...a man of mystery as always!

Greg and Ken: Clock's Tickin' and Time's Awastin'. The team name belies the speed at which we're intending on running our opponents over. Kradschutzen and Czech Panzers are seeking to get into the enemy lines as quick as possible and mess things up.

So there you have it guys. We'll likely be live tweeting the whole 6 hour road trip from Auckland to Palmy so if you're not following us on Twitter, you should be! We may even Periscope some of the travels.

As well as the gaming, we're also hoping to get a video interview with Evan Allen, master sculptor for Battlefront so if you have any burning questions for Evan, let us know.


IT'S PANZERSCHRECK TIME!!!