After Action Report- SEALs hunting a bomb maker

Last weekend Colin and I played through another of the scenarios from the forthcoming Despatches II. This time, the scenario was all about a SEAL team ambushing a bomb maker as he lays an IED. The ambush is happening at night, so the SEALs have the advantage of their NVGs.

I brought the SEAL team you saw earlier in the week:

The scenario was that the SEALs started the game on table, lying in wait for the bomb maker, who had to come out and lay two IEDs.

SEALs in position:

The bomb maker advancing into position, then beginning to lay the bomb:

Now, reading the one sentence introduction, you might be thinking "That sounds odd Pooch, why would he be setting up 2 IEDs? How could the Taliban win the game? Well, those are both very good points. And that is where Colin and I got to very quickly! Basically the bomb maker walked on, then he got shot at, and then ran off the table.

Game over.

Was it fun? No.

So Colin and I took the scenario apart, and rewrote it. While we might consider ourselves to be rules writing super heroes, more often than not how we think things work in our heads, really isn't how things work on table. You can't be too precious about it, sometimes, things just don't make for a fun game!

Game Take 2

The bomb maker is just finishing up laying an IED, with his small protection team around him. Unbeknownst to them, a team of SEALs is lying in ambush positions, ready to capture the bomb maker.

The SEALs moved into position, getting eyes on the bomb maker.

Unfortunately, one of the Taliban had been eating all his carrots, and spotted one of the SEALs as he moved into position. The eagle-eyed Taliban shot.... and rolled a 12 to hit. When he needed a 14. Sigh. Damage? Lots. Armour Save? Not lots. Net result? One SEAL down, and the Talibs know that there are SEALs about!

Colin is becoming alarmingly good at shooting first!

With the first shots fired, the bomb maker saw his opportunity to escape. With his reserves arriving at one end of the road, he thought he would leg it the other way while the SEALs were distracted.

Pictured: A distracted SEAL, as he engages multiple hostiles, picking off the heavy weapons

The bomb makers escape was somewhat cut short as his attempt at running full pace was met with a crowd of civilians, tripping him up...

Yes, he really did trip up, right next to the civilians!

While this was going on, one of the Taliban had managed to bring a PKM to bear, engaging the SEALs, who's light body armour no help against the heavy caliber bullets.

The bomb maker had managed to disentangle himself from the civlians, and continued his mad dash away from the SEALs. He didn't count on the SEALs superior fitness, one of the team was able to not only run the bomb maker down, but also managed to subdue him.

Behind you!

While the bomb maker was being quickly escorted off the table, the remaining SEAL slipped quietly away.

And with that, the game was over!

The mission is much better now (you will be pleased to hear!), it is a quick and easy game, one which can easily be played due to the small numbers of troops on table. I know that you are going to love playing this one, it is pretty darn fun trying to chase down the bomb maker and arrest him!

Hoping to get another game in next weekend, there are still a couple of scenarios which we haven't shared yet. There is one in particular which I really think you are going to like.....

Pooch

Empress Miniatures DEVGRU Miniatures

In preparation for Colin and my latest playtest game (I am just working on the AAR now, it will be up here on the weekend!), I needed to complete a set of the Empress Miniatures DEVGRU.

The miniatures I chose are the DEVGRU from the Empress Miniatures Website:

Having just watched Zero Dark Thirty a couple of weeks ago (I know, finally!), I had a pretty clear picture in my mind for how I wanted them to look. Like this in fact:

Image not owned by Radio Dishdash, images owned by Columbia Pictures and Annapurna Pictures

So with that as inspiration, this is my take on them. I wanted to get a washed out look for their uniforms, it seemed to me to be the only way to really paint the desert multicam!

All up, the DEVGRU from Empress are some absolutely cracking figures- some of the best that I have ever got from Empress actually. The proportions on them just "feel" right and the detail is superb. The Quad-eye NVG is a little annoying to fit, but with a little Green Stuff and superglue it was a simple enough job. Oh and patience. Patience is good when doing slightly fiddly things! For me, the NVG makes them look like futuristic space aliens, and I just love that aspect about it! Naturally had to go with green lenses on it as well. I am debating whether I make the lenses even more neon, but I am worried they might get a bit "cartoony". So for now, dark-ish green. I have added some tufts to the bases too, just to finish them off.

The AAR will be up at the weekend, of the SEALs in action hunting a bomb maker....

Pooch

Armies of Afghanistan- Craig W (SEALs)

Who am I?
My name is Craig and I helped to design and write Sangin. I’ve always been an avid gamer, be it wargaming or roleplaying. My aim has always been to play the games that resonate with my perceptions of genre. When it comes to working on games as an author/designer/modeller I take the same approach. If it doesn’t interest me it doesn’t get done! So when Chris, Colin and myself dreamt up the idea of a painting challenge it took me a while to think of what I wanted to do.

Why? Well I have a reasonably big collection of troops for Sangin – all British of course, because that’s what floated my boat when we designed the game. But I’ve got a lot of British. So after much internal debate (I would do modern Chinese or Russians but they are not in theatre.) I picked my next favourite thing - Americans.

What Army am I playing?
Due to the fact that I am very busy preparing troops (Kiwi’s and Aussie’s – from our own figure range) and terrain for Salute in April 2014 and writing my PhD (Slacker- Ed) I decided on a small force that would not take up much time and would still wet my appetite for gaming.

So I decided a small American special forces team would be it. Both Colin and Chris foolishly offered me some troops and thus my new nightmare has begun. Much internet research has led me to embark upon Navy Seal’s as my troop force with ultimately a bigger force later with accompanying vehicles (painted by my brother http://houseofqueeg.wordpress.com/ The Great QUEEG!-yeah nobody said I couldn’t get a ring in…)
So what are Seals – no they are not fish eating mammals that live in the oceans, hmmm maybe they are. Anyway the Navy SEAL Website describes SEALs as:
“Navy SEAL - Sea, Air, Land.
Navy SEALs are a unique breed of warrior who conduct special operations in any environment, but who are uniquely trained and equipped to operate from, around and in maritime areas. SEALs take their name from the environments in which they are trained to operate: sea, air and land. Their small highly trained teams usually work quietly at night conducting some of the nation's most important missions. SEALs are constantly deployed throughout the world to protect national interests.
Navy SEALs and their high speed boat driving counterparts, Naval Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen, form the operational arms of the Naval Special Warfare community, which is headed by the Naval Special Warfare Command. NSW acts both as the Navy's special operations force as well as the Navy component of the U.S. Special Operations Command, which is responsible for all U.S. special operations forces.
NSW training and preparation stresses an enduring commitment to individual initiative, personal responsibility and mission accomplishment. Naval Special Warfare goes to great lengths to ensure that its forces are capable and prepared.”


So I have ordered a few additional books to keep me warm at night while the paint fumes dry and booked some serious computer time to drool over videos found online.

What am I getting with my starting funds?

To begin with I am getting a couple of packs of Empress Miniatures (Delta miniatures to paint as SEALs):

Which I intend to paint as:

Then I intend to get one of these for my bro to paint for me:

Then its game on!