The third terrifying tactica tale

Tactica 2018

So the dust has settled and Tabletop Saxony third tactica demo is finished.  This year we returned to an old faithful and ran a muskets and tomahawks game. This time set in the AWI down South. Alex made a fantastic southern Manson complete with cottenfeilds.  Martin drafted scenarios pitting the Swamp Fox versus Bloody Ban complete with a hanging man and burning down the mansion. Some chap has a french Indian wargame on the way and he used the set-up for eye candy for his book.  We ran about a dozen games during the weekend with club members rotating roles between greeter, umpire and disappearing for workshop, demos and shopping trips. All the games when very well with all of the participants walking away happy.

No T(h)anks for the heating in the tank museum 

Pre-show I persuaded the guys to take a minor detour to to the German tank museum in Munster. Walking around a big tank shed in -10C is probably not the best way to see the exhibits. But they are impressive and it is worth a trip if you are in the area. Just wrap up warm and mind your head crawling around in the tank

Tabletop Saxony making the local news
(Martin and myself were removed from the picture to spare the innocence)

Aside from the game some of the hilights of the show for me were show seeing a 3d body scanner in action it was very slick. Also Interesting is that the scanner guy (jens?) got a re-enactor buddy to provide the body scans for his Napoleonic kickstarter.  

Ooh shiny 3D scanner in action

3d scans of a re-enactor 

Another highlight was getting to play the triumph and tragedy game themed around Beau Geste and the French foreign legion. I am on a Foreign legion journey at the moment so it was interesting to see someone else take on the genre. An added bonus was the triumph and tragedy author, Bjorn, was running the game so that should help with the rules queries. Martin and Myself took the legion against an american chap and his German friend took the tuareg.

Beau Geste in Triumph and tragedy 

Somewhere in the desert

The demo was split into two games. The first sees a legion supply column moving through some broken ground on its way to the fort with the Tuareg intent on stopping it. The second sees the Tuareg assault fort zinderneuf with Beau Geste and Sergeant Markoff making an appearance. Bjoern explained in advance the games were a little weighed against the legion but who cares so long as it is fun.  Game one saw me convincing a somewhat suspicious Martin we should sprint through the valley with the supply column. Quote of the game was probably “Seriously Martin, they need to roll a 6 on a D6 to catch us, they are good odds”. Predictably they rolled a 6 and out mounted section met a grisly end at the hands of the Tuareg. But the action force the Tuareg to commit early and the rest of the column fought its way through the valley. With Martin repeatedly denying my requests for bayonet charge at seemingly every opportunity.  He seemed reluctant to let go of the initial mishap with the mounted section :)  Bjorn declared a draw. Technically, I think it was a winning draw for the French seen they wiped out all the Tuareg. But the Tuareg players disagreed since none of the column managed to actually leave the table in time.    

You are all going to die

(Bjorn doing his Red queen impression during the legionary briefing for the scenario)

Martin and Myself on Guard duty in Fort zindernuef

Here they come again

Game Two saw the assault of Fort Zinderneuf.  The French defence was complicated by the lack of water since the supply column did not make it.  So the defenders were split between the fort and ther oasis. Lost the Oasis and the defenders died of thirst lose the fort and the defenders died unpleasantness. Both sides had a couple of sneaky trick that could be relieved during the game. The French plan was to hold the Oasis then fall back to the fort hopefully the battle could be resolved before the lack of water became an issue.  The defence of the Oasis went suspiciously well with the Tuareg assaulting but not putting a lot of effort into it. Sensing something was amiss the defenders began to fall back. But it was too late as a second force of tuareg swept around the fort and some traitor open the gate to let them in to capture the fort. Game over :(

The hanging man in Musket and Tomahawks

Swamp fox Vs Bloody Ban

The demo took up most of Saturday evening. Sunday again saw me at a demo game (see note1). This Matthias and I faced off in my first ever game of Black powder. I am in the market for a multiplayer black powder rule set. I love Maurice but I am not sure it scale well past 2v2. Black powder seems purpose built for hosting large multi player games.  The setting was the battle of Leizpig. Matthias took the French, I took the Prussian.  Unfortunately I do not think the demo showed Black Powder in its best light. Yes, I lost the game. But  build up seemed a little weak with the game starting at the point of the first contact without any build up.  The French blitzed across the table and smashed the Prussian line with the Prussian struggling to reply for the rest of the game.  Alternatively, the Prussian could have blitz across the table and tried to do the same thing. The lack of build-up ment it seemed like a case of let's just roll dice rather get a feel for the scenario. The figures and terrain was nice, but I bugbear of mine for Black Powder era games is formations, when guys form squares I want to see it visual, but it did not happen. Overall, it was a little disappointing.  I had planned for several other demo’s but just did not have the time. I would have liked a go at Donnybrook (17th century skirmish rules)  , Conan, kugelhagel (rain of lead, 18th Black powder rules), Zen Saga (Saga in feudal japan) maybe next time.

really nice diaroma of WW2 Germans in Italy

On the purchasing front I was Helion Books first customer at their first ever Tactica. Ideas for  Napoleonic Caribbean campaign is forming and a bucket of 28mm plastic (AWI British and Americans, Revolution French) were got to support this. Also my Americans for Force on Force gets some Humvees and LAVs probably influenced by The Long Road Home TV show.

French Indian wars diorama

The trip was home consisted of discussions for the theme for next year. Pirates, Mad Max, age of sail conquistadors are all in the running.

Bloody Ban on the fox hunt

I have upload some more eye candy to youtube if anybody is interested.  The Music is by Di Evantile.

Note1:

I really like two day events for the opportunity you get to try demo games. While the shopping is nice. I think Tactica triumphs Salut and Crisis for being a bit more relaxed and less frenzied.

That is all for now thanks for stopping by.