Little Wars 2015 Mech Attack Battle Report

Last Saturday, Tim and I met up at Little Wars to run our 28mm Mech Attack game. This was our third year running the game at Little Wars, and Mike C. also stopped by to lend us some dice and hang out.

This was the same scenario that we ran at Adepticon last month, and to be honest I didn't record the event quite as well, so this report will be a bit shorter. Suffice to say the attackers' (green) goal was to earn 15 points by destroying defenders' (grey) pillboxes of varying point values. The defenders' goal was to hold them back until the end of the game or destroy them all.

Even before the convention began, I knew we were off to a great start. Five of the eight spots were taken during preregistration a month before the convention. Even better, on the day of the game we had almost as many people waiting for a potential last-minute spot as we had players!

The game layout was similar to the previous convention, but we added a bunch of scatter terrain. It had no effect on gameplay but sure looked nice. The only additions were a bit of train track for the elevated train station, a batch of sci-fi shipping containers made from vintage Micro Machine playsets, and a transport truck.

Since we had twice as many players as at Adepticon, I gave every player only two units rather than three. This still resulted in 50 percent more units on the table, but didn't seem to affect the flow of the game.

The battle ended up being fairly straightforward. However, the younger players were quickly drawn to the idea that mechs could climb on top of buildings, and some dramatic scenes ensued. The actual result of the game was a bit of a surprise to me. I assumed that with more mechs on the table to block the attackers' slow advance, the game would certainly go to the defenders.

However, with only two units per player and each side activating one unit per player, the gameplay went quickly.

It took the attackers less than two hours (the game had three hours allotted) to destroy the three pillboxes and win the day.

With so much time left, I gave the players the choice of leaving, but those who stay could either continue the game or have a death match. They chose deathmatch! We reduced the playing area a bit, gave each player one mech and divided them into three teams. It took just an hour for one team to make enough kills that the others conceded.

Being able to play the same scenario with different numbers of players and units was very instructive. After two years, three conventions and at least five play-throughs, the scenario itself is very tight and players seem to enjoy it, but it's probably time to do something different. Two of the gamers from Little Wars 2014 came back this year, and we should probably give them a new experience next year. Also, it's clear that the players can handle more units than I am giving them. Maybe it's time to put infantry and vehicles back into the game, as we did in the first year we put on Mech Attack at Little Wars in 2013. 

Little Wars as a whole was a positive, if slightly mixed experience. As in the past, I was only able to be there for Saturday during the daytime, so I can't speak to the entire convention. Having a double helping of excited and interested gamers was really encouraging though. It's almost enough to make me run the game twice next year.

On the other hand, the Saturday morning flea market was two hours earlier than last year and half as interesting. Further, I just didn't find as much to love in the dealer section, which seemed even lighter than last year (which was down from the year before). I made a few nice finds (including a box of Oldhammer chaos warriors and two Rogue Trader commissars), but in total I dropped half as much cash as I have in the past. Buying and bargain hunting is one of my favorite parts of a convention, so that was a bit of a let-down. As for the general vibe of the convention, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and while the early morning had at first seemed a bit low in numbers, by midday it was plenty full of happy gamers.

-- Karl, Chicago Skirmish Wargames club member

Mech Attack at Adepticon 2015

Earlier this month, Tim and I had the opportunity to run Mech Attack at Adepticon. Though we didn't have anyone sign up for the game ahead of time, we were able to acquire enough passers-by to run a good four-player game.

The scenario and objectives were nearly identical to the game we ran at last year's Little Wars convention, with the attackers on a punitive raid to earn points by destroying the defending teams' bunkers. Each bunker's type and points value was hidden from the defender until it was destroyed. The defenders' goal was to keep the attackers from reaching their objective by the end of the game time.

The main difference between this year's game and last year's game was the quality of the terrain and mechs. Last year's plastic crate buildings had all been replaced with more detailed model buildings.

Twelve new mech models made their convention debut at this game, a few of which are pictured above. Tim brought five massive Zaku, their green paint schemes fitting well with the attacking forces. I brought three Kryomek Striders, three plastic mechs and a rebased prepainted Mechwarrior die-cast Legionnaire.

The scenario background was as follows. In 2366, the occupying forces of the United Colonies were in full retreat. The tide had turned and they were being driven off the planet Melk-3 by a well-organized rebel advance. The vital hub city of Borschtegrad in St. Martin's Parish was the scene of some of the bloodiest mech vs. mech combat in the campaign. There, the retreating UC forces halted their withdrawal for two days and unleashed the Ventauran Legion in brutal punitive raids. Their aim: to cause as much damage as possible to one of the planet's most important industrial centers.

Thus explained, each player chose three mechs and the battle began. The UC forces (in green) advance from the western countryside into the city.

After the opening moves, the Melk-3 rebel forces (in gray) sent two mechs on patrol into the heart of the city.

The tan bunkers are all visible toward the defender's table edge. The rebel forces quickly moved through the city to protect the most westward bunker.

The UC forces quickly reached the first bunker and began to fire on it.

Making use of the dense neighborhoods, the defenders rushed to trap the attackers in a crossfire.

On the north side, the rebels hunkered down...

...as three UC mechs attempt to rush the flank.

The advance is slowed, but only for a moment. The combined firepower of three heavy mechs ripped apart the defending heavy mech and shortly after destroy the bunker. It was an ammo dump! The bunker exploded and did minor damage to the green behemoths.

The advance continued.

Returning to the south side, the UC continued to pour fire into their targeted bunker.

It was eventually destroyed, and the UC attackers discovered that it was a rebel comm center! In the confusion, the attackers make an additional advance (one free move). However, the Melk rebels exact a high price.

Tactical use of crossfire and flanking destroyed the attackers' southern front completely, and the defenders turned their attention to the north side of the city. The defenders took up positions...

…and prepared to sell their lives dearly...

But it was not to be. They slowed the UC advance and managed to protect their city long enough for reinforcements to arrive. The surviving UC mech were in full retreat and the battle is over.

The game was up and we called time. The UC had lost half their force, and the two bunkers they had destroyed had not netted them enough points to claim victory. Though they had lost two mechs of their own, it was a solid win for the defenders. And with that, it was time to pack up the mechs and see the rest of the convention.

I was very pleased with the battle. We had built the game to support eight players running two mechs each, but two players per side running three mechs worked very well.

As always, Mech Attack proved itself to be a system that gives a really fun game. It is easy to teach, with enough detail to keep the players interested but streamlined to keep play moving fast. In my previous post, I discussed my overall experience as a first-time Adepticon game master. Suffice it to say it was an excellent experience and I plan to run a game -- probably Mech Attack -- at next year's convention.

-- Karl, Chicago Skirmish Wargames

Mech Attack Adepticon Playtest Report

The club is putting on its first-ever game at Adepticon next weekend, and so last week we got together to playtest the scenario we'll be running there. The setup is similar to last year's scenario: a raid where the attackers are aiming to destroy certain buildings in a built-up urban environment.

The rest of the details will be a surprise for the actual players at the game. If you like what you see below, join us at 10 a.m. Saturday at Adepticon. We still have some spots available!

For those unfamiliar with our convention Mech Attack games, it's mostly a matter of scaling up. Usually at the club we play with 10mm scale rebased MechWarrior clix units, but for the conventions we double the ranges and use 28mm scale mechs ranging from 4 to 8 inches tall!

We've also moved from crate buildings to actual models this year, which will provide a visually striking improvement. The crate buildings are very lightweight and easy to pack up, but these new buildings are a good deal more gritty and realistic.

Also, we've moved from desert to an urban theme, though I still have to drybrush the grey fabric "concrete" mat. I'll also be putting out alot of scatter terrain that will mostly have no effect on the game but will make some of the open areas look a bit less bare.

Tim has prepared five new Zaku mechs for the Green Attackers. These guys are massive!

I'm bringing six new mechs for the Defenders: 3 Kryomek Striders and 3 plastic mecha kits

You can identify them easily in the pictures because they haven't received a wash yet and their bases are bare.

Lastly, here's the diecast Mechwarrior Legionnaire. It was a favorite from last year. I've got another one of these that I might base up. The stock paint job is nice enough that you just have to base it up and maybe dirty the feet a bit.

And that's all for now. The countdown to Adepticon is on! Remember: We'd love to have you join us there for the game or just stop by and say hello

-- Karl, Chicago Skirmish Wargames club member

Robotech, Battletech and Mechwarrior Mechs for 28mm Wargaming

Thanks to a recent trade with a gentleman on DakkaDakka, I acquired a huge box of mech toys for 28mm gaming. With this acquisition of figures, my collection has gotten pretty big, so I took some time to write up a guide to Robogear, Battletech, Mechwarrior, Macross and other mecha suitabable for 28mm gaming.

Throughout the review I'll refer to them by the name under which they were sold, with the Battletech universe name alongside in parentheses. The figures provided for scale are all Games Workshop Cadian Imperial Guardsmen with Pig Iron Kolony heads. The squares on the background are in inches, but the grid starts about three-quarters of an inch off the table. The angle of the photos will make the largest mechs appear a bit taller.

Exo-Squad/Robogear
In the 90s, after the Playmates toy company had produced the last of its original designs for the "Exo-Squad" line of toys, they reached outside the cartoon (and back a decade) and reissued a wide range of Robogear toys from the 80s. Robogear was the English language version of the Japanese cartoon "Macross." The early years of Battletech also used many Macross designs in the artwork and background. You can see the whole range of ExoSquad toys at the excellent Virtual Toy Chest. Most of these figures are still available for decent prices on Ebay.

Exosquad/Robogear Medium series
This series of 6 to 7 inch action figures are fairly simple with nice articulation, but no separate parts, or pilots. They look great on the wargames table, and are just big enough to work well with 28mm figures. The two on the outside are stock, the middle three have been repainted (and some modified). From left: Invid Scout ship, Excalibur Mk IV (Warhammer), Spartan (Longbow), Raidar X (Rifleman), Gladiator (Archer)

I acquired these three stock versions and the Mechwarrior Legionnaire (more on this later) in the big box!

Robogear large series
These larger vehicles had opening cockpits, lots of articulation and space for pilots (who, curiously, were not also reissued). They are nice toys, but VERY big. From left: Officer's Battlepod (Marauder), Tactical Battlepod, Invid Shock Trooper

Battletech 
These toys were released for the Battletech cartoon of the 90s. They were the first toys made based on non-Macross Battletech designs. Though not in scale with their action figure pilots, most (though not all) of these mechs are very close to 28mm scale. Back row, from left: Bushwacker, Axeman, Thor, Hunchback, Mauler. Front row: Toad (Elemental Battle Armor)

Mechwarrior Die Cast
Released by the Joyride company in the early 2000s to accompany the "Mechwarrior: Dark Age" collectible miniatures game, these metal and plastic models were described as 1/56 scale, but came with 1/87 scale pilots. The same models were produced both as pre-assembled action figures and self-assembled construction kits. Though not all perfectly sized for 28mm, this line contains some of the finest Battletech models yet produced. The Mad Cat in particular (disregarding the size of the pilot) is one of the best. Absent from the picture below is the Jupiter mech, which is very nice looking, but even more out of scale than the rest. These become available with some regularity on Ebay, but unfortunately they often command extremely high prices, especially the Mad Cat. From left: Legionnaire, Mad Cat, Forestry Mech (comes with an interchangeable claw arm, awesome!)

Other Model Kits 
Robogear - With minimal conversion, these remarkably affordable 28mm to 35mm Russian model kits have lot of potential for mech gaming. They're widely available on Ebay.
Macross - Coming in a bewildering array of scales and configurations, these Japanese model kits are very nicely detailed.
Gasaraki - Hard to find, but these beautifully done 1/35 scale model kits look right at home alongside 28mm Battletech and Macross designs.

From left: Robogear Werewolf (lightly modfied), 1/72 Macross Valkyrie (custom gun), Gasraki Shinden Battle Armor (weapon swap on left arm), Robogear Locust (mostly stock)

Here's another photo showing a comparison of the largest of the various lines along side each other. From left: Macross 1/72, Robogear/ExoSquad Medium 7-inch, Robogear Exosquad large series, Mechwarrior by Joyride

Conclusions 
Most of the unmodified mechs described above were recently acquired in the "big box." I've been searching for many of these (especially the Battletech toys) at a price I an afford for a very long time. Unfortunately most of them are significantly larger than the majority of the mechs I have. In my 28mm mech gaming, I'm not a stickler for mech sizes, but the majority of the Battletech and larger Robotech toys are drastically larger than the rest of my current collection of mechs (most pictured below) and would look out of place.

On the positive side, it's great to be able to finally see these toys in person. The Mechwarrior die cast figures and the additional Robogear medium kits will make excellent reinforcements. Even if I end up selling the Battletech and larger Robogear toys, perhaps they can fund the acquisition of some other rare mech models.

-- Karl, Chicago Skirmish Wargames club member

Mech Attack Battle Report from Little Wars

Last month, the club put on a game of Mech Attack at the Little Wars convention in suburban Chicago. As with last year's game, we again invited players to witness the spectacle of giant 28mm scale mechs stomping across the table blasting each other to pieces.

We made a few changes for this year's game. First, the new scenario focused not on destroying the enemy mechs (though there was plenty of that) but rather on destroying or defending key objectives. Also, we removed the 28mm infantry component, added more mechs, and included some new models.

This year's scenario was a continuation of last year's game. In the year 2166, with the Unified Colonies nearly driven from Melk 3, they again turned their wrath on St. Martin's Parish, a small outpost that had first blunted the UC's expeditionary elements in 2165.

With planetary occupation no longer feasible, this punitive raid of revenge sent an armored wedge of mechs and vehicles into combat along an urban industrial corridor.

This was a four-player team game, with each player controlling three or four units. The grey units represented the Melk Defense Command (MDC). The green units represented the Unified Colonies (UC) punitive expeditionary attackers.

Objectives 

• UC Attackers - Score 150 points by destroying defender's pillboxes 
• MDC Defenders - Keep the attackers from scoring 150 points within the two-hour allotted game time 

Each pillbox was able to take 30 points of damage before being destroyed.

The picture below shows the layout of the terrain from the defender's position. Note the four pillboxes -- each was secretly assigned a value by the defenders before the game started. They were:

• Command Center (100 Points) 
• 2 Ammo Dumps (50 points each) - When destroyed, they deliver a medium missile hit to a blast area determined by a d10 roll. 
• Comms Center (50 Points) - When destroyed, the attacker gets a free standard move for all of his units to represent them taking advantage of the defender's lack of coordination 

Defenders were also allowed to place their mechs anywhere in the city.

The UC set up on the opposite table edge. They were allowed to keep units off the board as reserves, though no one took advantage of this rule.

The UC controlling the slightly-lower-tech Conscript mech squad, shown below, deployed slightly deeper into the industrial corridor.

Here's a look at the start of the game (minus the Conscripts, which arrived moments later).

After a bit of rules explanation, we were off! Several players were returning veterans from last year's Mech Attack game, and they proved invaluable in helping the new players get up to speed quickly.

On turn one, the UC attackers advanced up the left flank.

A small UC contingent held the center of the table to discourage flanking by the defenders.

The MDC defenders were able to stymie any advance by the attackers in the center by committing just a few units to that area.

It wasn't long before a UC Centurion succumbed to enemy fire.

On the other side of the board, however, the UC pressed their attack with some success.

The lead conscript rounded an office building and brought his weapons to bear on the first pillbox.

His comrades soon joined in and destroyed the pillbox, which turned out to be an ammo dump (worth 50 points). The explosion did only minimal damage to a few nearby mechs, and they continued their advance.

To counter this advance, the UC swept toward their right flank into the city, attempting to flank the attackers...

...and in some places they succeeded.

It wasn't enough, though. The UC pressed their advantage and directed intense firepower on a second pillbox.

The second pillbox exploded, and it turned out to be the Command Center (100 points) giving the UC players 150 points and the victory with just 10 minutes left in the game.

We were very happy with the way the game turned out. Had the Command Center been in a different pillbox, the defenders could well have held off the attack long enough to win the day. Also, the removal of infantry from the game resulted in a much faster scenario. For a game night, I'd probably put them back for more variety, but for a convention game this was definitely the right choice.

Once again, Mech Attack proved to be a fast playing and engaging ruleset that gives all of what you need and love about battlemech combat with none of what you don't. Most importantly, the players were able to quickly learn the rules and really enjoyed the game. All in all, it was a very successful morning.

Many thanks to the Little Wars organizers, HMGS, the players who participated and Armor Grid Games, which gave free copies of Mech Attack to the winners. And extra special thanks to the members of Chicago Skirmish Wargames, who took spent many hours leading up to the event playtesting this scenario and painting mechs. This year's game featured seven new mechs!

I'll leave you with a headshot of one such unit as painted by Mattias. Yep, that's a freehand pinup on a patch of armor smaller than a quarter!

Karl's Thoughts on Little Wars
This year Little Wars was slightly less than last year by most metrics. There were fewer attendees (at least as far as I could tell), vendors (about a third less) and flea market participants. Also, this year's convention lacked a paint-and-take booth, which is always a lot of fun and a great way to kill time between events. Still, it was a good time. I found some good stuff in the flea market, both for myself and to re-sell online to help fund my hobby. As with last time, we didn't have any empty seats at our game. I'll likely return next year with Mech Attack! We now have enough mechs, terrain, and experience that this is a pretty easy game to run at a convention.

Pat's Thoughts on Little Wars
I attended with Karl and the rest of the club and helped run the Mech Attack game.Each year I am surprised that Little Wars never seems to introduce a "Shopper" badge that lets people stroll through the vendor area and just spend money. It would cost them literally nothing and would be a great marketing bit to throw at potential vendors. "We let shoppers in for free, you'll be up to your elbows in grognards and cash-mad dads!"

Consider what happened to me: As a GM, I arrived late and had to haul stuff in the side doors at the last minute. Consequently I never got a badge -- and I didn't notice until our game was over and I was headed to the vendor area. I got stopped by a LW volunteer who told me I had to go register. I got a guest badge (because at that point I had about 45 left before I had to leave), but a guest badge doesn't officially allow you to shop in the vendor area. My wallet would have been $80 - $100 lighter if I had the opportunity to just buy some stuff on a guest badge. Again, why not? Open the floodgates to casual shoppers! Promote this on the web! I don't see how this can by anything but a master stroke for all involved.

I think there is a fundamental disconnect between the perceived customer base at Little Wars. Organizers believe that everyone who walks through the door is a player and should share the responsibility for planning and running Little Wars, not to mention renting out the DuPage Expo Center for the weekend. The vendors pay only for their table space. However, this calculus leaves no room for new blood -- casual gamers and suburban dads who might wander in after hearing about this "toy soldier show" taking place in town and think it might be a great place to take their 11-year-old sons for a few hours. These are the very elements that HMGS needs to attract if it is to remain relevant.

I'm not privy to the internal economics of Little Wars, and of course I'm grateful to the all-volunteer crew that puts it together. We're looking forward to next year's Little Wars -- just make it a little easier for us to buy stuff, please!

-- Karl and Pat, Chicago Skirmish Wargames club members
-- Photos by Josh, Chicago Skirmish Wargames club member