Cold wars 2018 Extravaganza

Caunter-scheme british Cruisers in Fireball Forward


Hey gang, I've been trying to figure out how best to show all the cool stuff I saw, and decided to just wall-of-pics it with video at the end.   Brief summary:  40k tournament, Ancients tournament, assorted hosted games and tables, Force on Force 28mm

Cold Wars 2018 was a blast, enjoy the pics and TWO videos.

German Panzers have to breakthrough the British tanks while minimising casualties in order to win.

Team Yankee Event @ Lords of War

SU-25s, T-72s and BMP-2.   Shockingly all three units survived in my game!

This past weekend, Rob and I drive down to Oakville @ Lords of War Hobbies to play in a Team Yankee event.   Big thanks to Drew from  http://covering-fire.blogspot.ca/ for letting us crash at his place to avoid a hotel cost.   We ended up with 8 players total, and we played the new Mission and Victory conditions, and it used fixed missions, but with bid-for-attack / defend, NOT Battle plans.   Also, 3 different pts levels were used, 100, then 75 then 50pts in the interests of letting us have a big game but not being there until 8pm.     I brought my BMP Motor Rifle Bn with 2 maxed units plus assorted support as filler.

Rob was using Cdn's-as-Germans.   Here are his M109s and Luch's

Team Yankee 50pts Dust-Up Cdns vs Russians

Objective:  Smoke break outside an M577 'Queen Mary'

With a Team Yankee tournament in 2 weeks' time, Rob and I decided to christen his new gameroom with a 50pt Dust-Up.  He is using West Germans with as much of it painted as Canadians as possible until the legit list comes out.    So for now he has Geppard and Luchs german allies for his Leopard 1 list and is using M113-TOWs repping Jaguars.  Enjoy the pics, and as always, video and battle report at the bottom and pics of Rob's WIP Cdn Leo II turret conversions.

Cold Wars 2017: Friday Team Yankee Game 14: Stem the Red Tide

Germany is the missing link to stem the Red Tide?

Hey guys, got a Cold Wars 2017 game of Team Yankee with Tom Mullane (aka Capt Echo) his Germans vs my Russkies.   We played encounter after a grueling doubles Version 3 Flames tournament in which we came away in 2nd place with Dingos, Deacons, Bishops, and trucked infantry!

As ever, the video bat-rep is at the end.

He had 2 formations, Gepards, Marders,Luchs and infantry in one, and Leo's and BO-105s in the other.   He deployed infantry on the left side objective (crashed Cdn Huey)..

Team Yankee Mech USA vs Mech BMP Dust Up, 80pts

Foreshadowing...

DESERT BATTLE Team Yankee TX National Guard vs West Germans, Encounter, 75 points

Scott's incredible desert Leopard IIs

Time for another (11th) Team Yankee battle report.   Scott has finished his gorgeous West Germans, and thus the two desert armies fight, on a desert board (Note, Kevin's Iraqi Republican Guard are still being worked on.. sooo many..T-55)

"Ludwig, vee haf not been to ze Desert since Rommel!"

Here are a few pics, but with multiple games and movies going on, the Video tells the better story.  As ever, video is at the bottom:

CCCP v TXNG Team Yankee Counterattack 75pts

Don't Mess with Texas, National Guard!   Tris and I play Counterattack (as always, video below), I always bid attacker, we play on a nice board set-up at Scott's place, see below deployment pic:

The 3 M1s on left are in Ambush, not really there!

Freshly-painted units for me:  Hinds 3 and 4

And my 2nd full company of T-72s (these now all have their decals done)

Hungarians! vs USA, TEAM YANKEE, 75 points, No Retreat

That's Right, Hungarians!   Obviously, there is no list out for them, but since the Warsaw Pact used Soviet stuff, why not break from the norm and go with a minor Soviet power.   Brett is using his Hungarians as Soviets for now (and likely VA book soon)  Let's take a look, No Retreat, 75 points vs Tristan's US Tank list, Desert-themed Texas National Guard. Both armies painted by the talented Scott 'Obsidian23' Roach

Tank HQ, 2 x Tank units, 2 ZSU-23s, 2 Hinds, and a short Motor Rifle Coy in BMP-2s with SA-14 team.   The rotor blades are indeed painted with the hungarian stripes.. historical (at airshows!)

Dice Devils Podcast 'The Lost Tapes'

In keeping up a busy schedule and spending the better part of last year working and not much down time, it was tough to get together and chat. Seems easier to grab the recorder and get some stuff onto 'tape' and posted for all of our loyal listeners without trying hard to schedule something. We appreciate the support and we hope to make this a regualr thing once again. Giving you something to listen to, when you're painting, on the road or relaxing.

Two new podcasts are posted, the first one is Episode 6 and is one that Dennis and recorded on the way back from a Flames of War tournament in Kingston. This is an older recording that went missing and may be a little louder as far as background. Taping it in my jeep is similar to sitting in a C-130. It's worth it!!

The second episode was done over the holidays, Andrew and myself sit down for a candid conversation about Flames of War, Team Yankee, some version 4 stuff and video game/movie topics. Episode 7, you can use the links or visit us directly on DICE DEVILS PODCAST PAGE to see all the older episodes and their links for your entertainment.

~Matty

Counterattack! 60 Points of Team Yankee W. Germans vs United Kingdom

Welcome to the new year! Even though we are into another year of gaming, writing and painting, most of us were too busy to get together much over the holidays for any real games. Such is life and some things never change, but it didn't keep Andrew, Scotty (acting as spectator and umpire) and myself from getting a little game of Team Yankee in. Sticking around afterwards, we also have a new podcast recorded and should be posted in the next couple of days!! Very exciting news all 'round.

Still need to unbox this lot and start getting it together! I'm excited to add to my army and increase the number of flexible options for my British Army. I listed my points total below at the end of this article. Sorry I didn't include a breakdown of Andrew's forces. We both feel at the moment, somewhere in the 60-75 point range is going to be a lot more likely than 100 points.

2016, what did I paint?

How I feel after a hardcore painting session..

Not much pre-amble:  last year I kept a loose tally of what I painted.   This year I kept better track.   Taking inspiration from a bunch of folks from around the 'net, here is what I painted this year, first pics, then a video with more explanation

January was me rebasing my old Perry Miniatures 28mm French Napoleonics for the Black Powder ruleset.  This is a small brigade of 3 battalions of line infantry, their brigadier, and the three wound markers. The wound dice go in the green spaces on the markers..

Another Gaming Year Winding Down

It's been a busy 2016, with the release of a few new games such as Team Yankee, the re-vamp of Warmachine and a shift to plastic miniatures by Battlefront for Flames of War. It signifies it's a great time to be a nerd and enjoy all things dice related moving into a new year.

Make sure you have enough money and time going into 2017! You're going to need plenty of both to get your armies to where you will be comfortable getting them onto a table.

Team Yankee, Pair of 60 pt games, USSR vs USA & UK

A Lynx and burning in the distance... surely not a hint of things to come??  Note optics box above the gunner's seat.

We had another Team Yankee Night.  60 point game, my Soviets vs US (Ca$h) and UK (Matty) allied together. We find 10 points per side per foot of table to be very good right now so far.    This time instead of just rolling dice, we decided to play a mission by the book, bid for attack and defence and all that.  

Initial set up below, Soviets on the right, NATO on the left.

They opted to deploy the Lynx's on the board behind trees, the M109s, and the formation M1 tank commander, with 2 M1s in Ambush.   I had my BMP-Blob and some T72s.   Everything else was delayed/scattered reserves.

Team Yankee Extravaganza

Column of Chieftains at a parade in West Berlin. The mega game felt like this vs 20 Chieftains! 

Hey everybody, got a Team-Yankee flavoured post here.. first of all, I have finished my unpainted Soviet stuff (more on order ofc) and here is a closeup of my 2S1 Gvozdika's AKA Carnations.   Doing my research, the barrel linings were coated in red so you could see wear and tear.

Let's Get a Move On Yeh!

Having a slight connection to the UK, it was easy for me to get into a few new games over the fall. Both Saga and Team Yankee offer a little bit of everything that brings me into all things Queen and Country! Saga stuff is one the way, just need to choose a faction. The British Army on the other hand, is here an assembled! Can't wait to take on the Communists!

CDN NATIONALS: Friday Night Fight, Massive Team Yankee Game!

Only part-way through deployment, Soviet side

 In what I hope is a tradition going forward, Rob K organized a big Team Yankee game Friday before the tourny by using 4 of the Tourney tables pushed together, plus our TY scenery.    Rob "I dunno, I think maybe 24 feet by 8 is too much"

The other part of the room, tables ready for battle

Some WIP French Napoleonic, Italian and Team Yankee shots

French Artillery limbers

A quick post to show off what I've been working on.  Plus got some decent pics of my Italians from last post I was talking about.   lately been trying to finish off another Brigade for my Napoleonics.   I have an Infantry Brigade of fusiliers and some light infantry, so it was time to finish off a Cav Brigade.

Team Yankee Game 3: USA & CDN vs CCCP

*Komrad, eliminate those Leopards on our Obyektif*

Hey gang, another video bat rep for Team Yankee.. very few pics taken, but the video at the bottom shows us doing Dust-Up.   I just finished painting a french Voltiguers battalion for my Napoleonics too, so I think next on deck at the painting table is some Italians???? :)

Cdn M113 TOWs at a Gasthaus.. no surprise!

Rob's Cdn Leopard (counting as an M1) on the objective.

Our paltry 2 platoons: BRDM-3's (Recce BMP-2) and the Motor Rifles (the BTR-80s are BMP-1s)

VIDEO:

Hobby Saturday and Football!!

HELPING YOU STAY ON TARGET FOR 2016!!

Easy enough to watch football on a Saturday morning, we're talking soccer here folks. NFL wasn't on until the afternoon! A perfect backdrop to getting some models and some pre-painting prep done. So after a Newcastle victory, we moved on to watching NFL and finishing up some stuff we've just started working on for this year. With more than my fair share of unopened boxes and new games, it's going to be fun getting this stuff done and on the table.

2016 a New Year of Gaming and Looking Ahead

 

As we get ready to take on another year, I can't help but think of what's to come in 2016. More Flames of War, we'll also be playing a load of other games in the coming year! X-Wing, Beyond the Gates of Antares, Team Yankee and some more Napoleonics! We plan a relaunch of our gaming podcast and more frequent updates. We hope you'll make the journey with us!