Thursday, May 23, 2013

Final Enfilade Preperations

The Enfilade gaming convention is this weekend and I’ve just been finishing up the final items I need for my games.

I haven’t talked much about the other game I’m running, The 2nd Battle of St. Leonard's Creek, mainly because there wasn’t a lot of stuff to paint up for the game. The British ships are borrowed and American gunboats were built for last year’s DANG, which only left some land units and ships’ boats needed to move those units around.

I ordered the ship’s boats from Bay Area Yards. They make a lot of nice accessories for ships and forts, including the boats. Here is a shot of some of the boats with a couple gunboats.
Gunboats and Ships' Boats

For the land units I wanted things to be in the same (or close to the same) scale. So I ordered some infantry from PicoArmor’s Napoleonic line. The infantry are pretty small and I had to use my magnifier to paint them up. I think they turned out okay (I won’t win any painting competition, but they are good enough for gaming). Here are some shots of the U.S. and British troops. Unfortunately, I didn’t include anything for size comparison, so you’ll just have to believe me when I say they are small.
A sample of British troops (representing Royal Marines)

A sample of US troops

Enfilade Naval Games 
I was looking over the Enfilade preliminary event list (you can find the full list here) to see what games are being put on that I want to try to play. Overall, it looks like there are some interesting games. As usual, I like to see how many naval games are on the schedule. Last year there were 11 naval games, including the two I put on. This year we are back up to 15, which is nice to see. There are also a good number of air games this year (including the attack on Tirpitz, which I didn’t count as a naval game). As with previous years, I thought I’d keep with the theme of the blog and post the list of Enfilade naval games.

Friday Afternoon 
Iron Castles Afloat (Rules: Fire When Ready) After the battle of Lissa (1866) the navies of the 1870s developed central battery ironclads, armed with rams and forward firing barbettes as well as traditional broadsides. While none of these ships saw combat, this game simulates an encounter between the Austrian and French navies of the period.

Friday Evening
Row Well and Live! (Rules: Row Well and Live!) Roman Proconsul Quintus Arius has tracked down and brought to battle a squadron of Macedonian pirates.

You may Fire when ready, Pierre! (Rules: Perfidious Albion) French and German Pre-Dreadnoughts battle each other in this Fictional "What If" encounter set in the 1890's. Easy to learn system and fast play will have Gamers in fear of the dreaded Magazine Explosion in no time.

Battle of the River Plate (Rules: Supremacy at Sea) Re-enact the classic naval battle portrayed in the movie "Battle of the River Plate" as the Graf Spee first lunges at, then flees from, a small British cruiser force.

Saturday Morning 
In Harm’s Way (Rules: Seekrieg IV) From the classic John Wayne movie of the same name. Can a line of US Heavy Cruisers, a few destroyers and a small flotilla of PT Boats do enough damage to the Yamato to make her turn around and return to base? Give it a try!

Learn To Row - Introduction to the Rules (Rules: Galleys & Glory) Learning Scenario for Sunday's Quest. Learn the rules and mechanisms of Ancient Navel combat with Galleys & Glory.

The 2nd Battle of St. Leonard's Creek (Rules: Sail and Steam Navies (modified)) Com. Barney's gunboat flotilla is trying to break out from St Leonard's Creek into the Pawtuxent River during the War of 1812. This is a mixed land-river action; the US Army and artillery are supporting the breakout from the land side, while the Royal Marines and Royal Navy try to stop them.

Saturday Afternoon
Napoleonic Naval Warfare (Rules: Sails of Glory) Learn to play Sails of Glory. It is a brand new 1:1000 scale naval miniatures game from the same company that makes Wings of Glory. No experience is necessary and instruction will be provided

Saturday Evening
Row Better and Live! (Rules: Row Well and Live!) Hellenistic squadrons battle for supremacy of the eastern Mediterranean.

Thunderboats! (Rules: Thunderboats) Popular hydroplane racing rules creates a certain sense of nostalgia as players design their boats and drivers, take their risks and win the Enfilade Cup.

Jutland +1 (Rules: Supremacy at Sea: Great War) In another timeline the major battle between the Grand Fleet and High Seas Fleet doesn't occur until May 31, 1917. Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Roosevelt ensures that the U.S. Navy is deployed to Britain in time to play a crucial role in trapping the Kaiser's fleet.

Trafalgar - the good parts version (Rules: Close Action) Command a British, French or Spanish ship of the line in the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar. Close Action is an updated version of the classic board game "Wooden Ships and Iron Men". Each player will command one, or at most, two ships. Detailed 1/1200 scale ship models by Langton Miniatures.

Utsire Island (Rules: Fleet Action Imminent) von Spee bypasses the Falklands and makes it to the North Sea. He is intercepted by RN armored cruisers off Norway on Christmas eve in a daylight fight!

Sunday Morning 
North Sea Rumble (Rules: Victory at Sea: Age of Dreadnaughts) Rumble in the North Sea: Meeting engagement by equal forces of The Royal Navy and German High Seas Fleet. Battle cruisers charge in with dreadnought closing fast.

Galley Quest (Rules: Galleys & Glory) Tournament for Galleys & Glory. Players will attempt to complete a quest from the gods, while beating other players to their goals. Prize to be awarded to winner!

1 comment: