A game of Global conquest...

We are running a large wargame this week with 30 odd players and a team of Umpires.

Our fictional world has 3 major powers (Blue, Red and Grey), each allied to 3 minor powers (Purple, Green and Yellow respectively) who between them control the only canal between continents, plus some non State Actors (Orange).  The world is set up as shown below with two large oceans (in white):

Each country is run with a team of players including a President, Diplomat, Treasurer and Military Commanders.. There are a range of game moderators who also run the UN and World Bank.  Each turn includes economic & trade, diplomacy, industry and of course military action in a pretty rapid fire sequence:

10 mins of team strategising
10 mins of interaction between teams
20 mins for moderated game moves (in a separate room, only Commanders allowed)
10 min for combat resolution

We will running 8 turns over 2 half day sessions later this week, after which Victory will be calculated as follows:

And finally, each turn a country gets to generate military assets by expending resources, each of which has special capabilities:

As you can see, Units have Attack-Defence-Move stats like a classic SPI/AH board game, which are used to resolve combat with a few die rolls

Apparently you can't hoard up technology points to develop nuclear weapons...I know because I asked :-D

I am on the Blue team in the role of Diplomat (an unusual role for me!) and all alliances and deals must be sealed with real world beers!

More to follow as the game unfolds...

Unreasonable distractions

Awesomely, this is one of our textbooks

There are very real perils in undertaking the fascinating Strategy and Policy course of study I am doing at the moment.  Each week we study a new war in depth, analysing the strategies of different sides, diplomatic and economic factors, operational conduct and so on.  Clearly this has a reading burden associated with it, but its also a burden to the gamer in that every week something shiny comes along!  One week I want to refight the Pelopennesian War between Athens and Sparta, the next week it is the French Indian Wars, then the Napoleonic era... you can see the problem!  Really quite unfair to the wargamer's typically undisciplined mind.

This week really threatened to make me crumble as we revisited the German Wars of Unification, reactivating my desire to game the FPW which I have mostly held a lid on since the early 1990s.  I almost fell off the wagon for Baccus's lovely 6mm range last year, so I just have to close my eyes and think about all the other projects I have in train or planned.  Like my 6mm ECW project.  Of course, if somebody wanted to jump in (I'm thinking of you 'Bish) I might have to change my mind yet again..

And before anyone says it: yes, its great to have such a dilemma!

Addendum: The Fall of Kagul III

Dave (who posted the original pics) has told me that the following house rules were used for the extra models (to the best of his memory).  Hope this helps resurrect some old favourites to the table!

• Hormagaunts were Stealers you could hit on a 4+, rolled two dice in combat (vice 3) and subtracted -1 from the highest.
• Warriors you could only hit on the sustain, they had Parry and added +2 to the highest roll.
• Carnifex was like Warrior but need two hits to kill . It also got to add the lowest die rolled to its combat score.
• Chaplain was a Sergeant with +2 to his combat roll and a 4+ save. (But I've seen some more elegant options to this around the net)
• Inquisitor was all that, plus a digi weapon that killed anything before it attacked on a 6.

Space Hulk: The Fall of Kagul III

Some nice footage of Space Hulk gaming at Adepticon 2015 over the weekend, with an interesting scenario for six players.  Not sure what rules were used or who manufactured the Hulk terrain.

Pics and narrative courtesy of Dave here: http://www.forum.specialist-arms.com/index.php?topic=7081.0

A huge game of Space Hulk played on a Creative Gamescape setup. Four marine players had to find an Inquisitor and get him off planet in twenty turns. Probably the closest game I ever played (see the last couple of captions) which made for a very cinematic game.

Ultramarines on the hunt for the Inquisitor 

Deathwing looking for a way to open the landing bay door

The board - 4 marine and 2 stealer players

Blood Angels look for the Inquisitor on the other side of the landing bay

Hormagaunts get shot to pieces

The Chaplain was the luckiest model on the board. He waded through bug after bug and lost combat 5ish times but made his saves each time

Shoot the bugs Brothers, not the wall!

Racking up the kill count

Moving toward the second level

The Grey Knight Captain shot down an entire swarm guarding the bay door console

Almost!

This guy was fun to bring around the corner - the warrior won

The Inquisitor is found

Overwatch time!

The guy took out the warrior.  A hormagaunt finally got him

A stealer gets the first Grey Knight kill

With one turn left the Carnifex stands between the Inquisitor and his escape!

He boxcar-ed it! He and the pilot race toward the shuttle and...and 1AP short.  Bugs win!