Sunday 29 November 2015

LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT THING!!! Club Meeting - 29/11



Apparently, this week's meeting was the last of the year. Given that Clash of Kings is on during the next club meeting and the whole Unholy Trinity will be there, no one can open the doors. Well, shit. There is some chattering about basement games though, so keep an eye on the Facebook.

That being said then, I'm sure I speak for the totality of the UT when I say thank you for you continued and ongoing support of the BEST WARGAMING CLUB in Auckland.There's no way it could be done without people showing up and having a great time enjoying the hobby. Well done, top notch indeed!

So, what did we do this week? Well!!!

One thing was dominating the scene at TCOW this week. Andrew and his Borg Cube. Now, I'm not talking about a Scout Cube. I'm talking a HUGE, full size (in scale) Cube. I mean, look at this thing:


Andrew and Ryan had a couple of games with this thing on the table. I believe that Ryan won the first and then lost the second. Andrew has plans to light this one up inside, which will look AWESOME!





We had 3 games of Flames of War this week, all as part of the Rust and the City Firestorm: Caen campaign. 

Mike and Pat fought at Juno Beach with Pat's 12. SS managing to escape the clutches of Mike's Canadians and securing a 4-3 victory.


Beautifully laid out table with some equally well-painted models on display for this game and some very interesting turns. From what I heard, Mike definitely used his RAF support to its fullest.







Pablo and Jon fought in Breville, with the AARR attempting to hold back the Hun tide as best they could. This would see them secure a 4-3 victory, despite Jon's best attempts to dislodge them.




And finally, Wayne and I battled at Villers, with my American 3AD attempting to block a counter-thrust from Wayne's 2. SS Panthers supported by Michael Wittman. I managed to hold them back, but at rather large cost, taking the victory 4-3.

A significant moment in the game occurred when Wayne's reserve Pz IV's rolled on by the objectives. I had my ARP holding them but under weight of fire, they find themselves pinned. Wayne moves in for the assault and I have 2 Bazooka's (pinned, remember) which can make defensive fire. 5's needed and....a 5 and a 6!!! Hits! Now, Wayne makes his saves...or rather...doesn't. One killed and one bailed and the assault fails.


The APR then, seeing these buttoned down tanks, unpins and assaults, capturing all of them! WE HOLD THE GOAT!

So 3 games played to contribute to the campaign and a minor Allied victory all told. Nice to be on the winning side of the ledger!

Francis and Jed played a game of Kings of War, Undead vs. Denizens of the Abyss I believe. From the mutterings I heard, this ended as a draw.






And finally, more EDH action as guys start getting practice in for the eagerly anticipated TCOW M:TG EDH League, starting next year!


At one point on about turn 5 of this game, Damo decided to crack his incubator and create....48 MYR TOKENS!!!


Which he then gains himself 48 additional life from...


So we told him to go away, while we played properly...


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So, there you have it. The final meeting of TCOW for 2015 and what a year its been! Keep an eye on Facebook for details of the first 2016 meeting and also information on DanCon III, the most highly anticipated Flames of War tournament in January.

From all of us behind the scenes at TCOW, we wish you and yours a very Happy Holidays. Have fun, stay safe and we'll see you in 2016.

GAME ON!



Monday 16 November 2015

Firestorm West! Club Meeting - 15/11


Like many other wargaming clubs and groups around the world, TCOW (with the help of Mike Haught) are participating in the global Firestorm: Caen Flames of War campaign. This is being run by Cam over at Rust and the City and it being embraced really well. 

We had 2 games this week, both covering the battles over at Bayeaux. I took on Jon with my British Tanks and Gav took on Pablo in a similar battle.


A very French battlefield indeed and the games were both contested well. The addition of Firestorm troops to the mix certainly adds for some longer games, given we're playing at 1500 points.

My additions included a Cromwell platoon backed up by a Firefly and an infantry platoon. Great for holding objectives!








British armour massing, ready to roll down the wide roads and punish the German defense.

Support in the form of some M10SP's and infantry as well as some carrier recce. This should be good!














Ahhhh......Shermans. They just have a knack of getting set alight!











So with the games finished, we had a 5-2 to the Germans and a 4-3 to the Allies, I believe. So these results will be sent in and potentially change the balance of what we can expect in the next round. Such a great idea and very happy to be involved!


As always, we had multiple systems hitting the tables at TCOW this week. Kings of War, Dropzone Commander, Warmahordes and TNT all being played. ST:AW got a table in the annex and when all was dusted, we got some EDH practice for Magic in. Looking forward to the EDH league starting in the new year.








Kings of War action! Ogres vs. a Herd army.



















Dropzone Commander in action.








Mutant Cannibals attack in TNT.








Casters and Jacks do battle in Warmahordes.






ST:AW and M:TG








So there you have it! A plethora of pictorial pleasure pertaining to our pastime. The most TOP NOTCH wargames club in Auckland (still undisputed) meets again and a great time was had by all! We're so damned good, we even have guys escaping Hamilton to come and play games with us! No board games this week though, something we may have to rectify soon....

Until next time....GAME ON!

Tuesday 3 November 2015

BLUDGEFEST 2!! TOP NOTCH!


Who run Bartertown? TCOW does Master Blaster!

The second iteration of Bludgefest was held on the weekend and once again, a veritable Portobello Road of nerdiness appeared. Just about anything was on sale and everyone was keen to buy! Gimme your money, gimme your money!



No matter what period, scale, genre or whatever. It was there!






Meanwhile, inside a whole heap of gaming was taking place as well...


Well it did eventually. Some X-Wing got played this week with The Bludgelord taking Stevo (of FlamesCon fame) through an intro game with the new starter set. I must say, the new paint jobs on the TIE's and X-Wing are indeed 
TOP NOTCH!




We got some SAGA back in at TCOW this week as well with Wayne and his Vikings (I think) taking on Rob and his Skraelings. Some very nicely painted models on display here. Not sure of the result though, so I'm gonna say that Wayne won.



TNT and Warmahordes also made an appearance. These are really some club stalwart games. The TNT campaign is still going strong and we might get Pablo to write up a wee update at some point for you all.



And almost finally, we got some Flames of War in as well. This week saw the start of the global Firestorm: Caen event being run through Rust and the City .
Gav and Nod played the Seize and Hold mission from Overlord while Pablo and I ran Cauldron. I think the results finished as a 1-1 for Allies - Axis.




Really looking forward to seeing this one pan out across the world and its an awesome thing to be involved in! Thanks Mike!

Finally, some more EDH M:TG action! I love that Magic is being embraced more and more at TCOW. Its just more fun to have! With the new 2015 Commander decks being released soon, the TCOW Commander League will also be kicking off.




So there you have it team! Another TOP NOTCH TCOW meeting with smiles all around! I even managed to get some buying done....


It's not a Puma...