A Gathering of Friends

Last year, my friend Brian organized a game weekend at a small inn on Lake Huron to replace crossing the border to attend Fall In.  

International relations being what they are, it was repeated again this past weekend and 16 of us gathered for a weekend of games, food, comradarie, and cheer.

The gang, 8 of us are on the Hotlead Team.

Most arrived Friday night and left Sunday. With beds being limited, and only living an hour away, I drove up Saturday morning and left after dinner. 

Big Dave does a good charcuterie board, which is my favorite board game. Sadly missed it.

Table from Friday night game of When Nightmares Come

There were a bunch of games put on. Here are photos from the other table.

What a Cowboy

Great Helm, Medieval skirmish 

Something in Vietnam 

One of Big Dave's trees

Devilry Afoot, with characters from Black Adder S2.  Lord Flashart saved Queenie from the werewolf. 

The tea lights providing atmospheric illumination are there because the overhead lighting was nonexistent 

Some more supernatural shenanigans 

I played in a game of Nimitz, with Keith's lovely 1/2400 scale collection. He'd forgotten his sea mat so instead of Mediterranean blue, we sailed on Reflecting Pool green.

Donski and Brian commanding the Regia Marina 

We had the Italians on the ropes, but I got too aggressive with our cruisers trying to bag one of the Italian battleships, leaving a light cruiser division isolated. As the RM were withdrawing they sank HMS Ajax, which gave them the tactical victory 39 points to 35.

Brian then set up a scrumptious 15mm game of Big Chain of Command 2nd edition. Set in Normandy, Don, Keith and I ran a German kampfgruppe with 2 grenadier platoons, supported by a StuG III, 2x PzIVh, and a Jagdpanther.

US objectives are the closest farm, the crossroads, and the road bend behind the furthest farm.

Facing us was a reinforced US rifle company. 3x infantry platoons, with a platoon of Shermans, and attached M10 and M18.

The Americans also had a preparatory barrage, hampering our deployment in Turn 1. German armour couldn't arrive until Turn 2.

So we were naturally eager to end Turn 1 and spent our first CoC Die to end the turn. 

Turn 2, American player Joseph promptly rolled 4x 6s, ending that turn!

Brand new, just painted, M18 advancing 

I deploy a section to cover one of the US objectives in the building 

Don deploys a section to cover the other flank and ambushes the M18, blowing it up in spectacular fashion. 

A Sherman advances up the center. I try to deploy 2 sections. 1 is held up in the barrage. 2nd section fires a panzerfaust and misses. 

Americans approaching on left

I deploy another section in my next phase and manage to blow up the Sherman. 

It was late so I handed my troops off to Keith. 

German armour arrives to engage the American armour 

The Americans bring down a mortar barrage pinning Don

Smoke from a fire, which started end of Turn 1, is spreading merrily 

The Americans pushed me off the left hand objective,  starting the Countdown Clock. American player Joseph then rolled 3x 6s ending the turn and the game! 

So German victory with us holding 2 out of 3 objectives. 

Good day out and it was a pleasant drive in lovely fall weather. These were games 39 and 40 for the year!