Star Wars: Rebellion

The First Annual "CasinoCon" was held on Super Bowl Saturday 2017.  There was only one event and two attendees.  While the ladies played the slots, Brian R. and I were lucky enough to find an empty conference room and set up a first try at Star Wars Rebellion.  It does a pretty good job of simulating the asymmetrical conflict situation of Rebels vs. Empire while retaining all the thematic elements one would expect from a Star Wars game.  We were a little pressed for time so I'm sure some mistakes were made.  I would like to try this one again soon.

Chicago Wargamer In The News!

2016 was a busy year for our family here in Chicago leaving little time to get to the game table. The regular Wednesday night game with Dan K. was a year long campaign of Grant Takes Command frequently interrupted by real life destination weddings and emergency hospital visits (just to name a few events of a rather chaotic year).  We finally finished in December as the siege of Richmond came to a conclusion with a hard fought Union victory.

The Siege of Richmond - June 1864

As frequent readers will know, Dan is a regular weekly opponent when not authoring such fabulous works as his epic 2-part Zebulon Finch series.  Dan is also an editor and reviewer at The Booklist Reader.  He recently wrote a review of Shelby Foote's The Civil War: A Narrative which I had recommended to him as part of our transition into playing American Civil War games.  Dan was gracious enough to tell the story of his time here gaming as part of the review.  You can find the article at The Booklist Reader.  My thanks go to Dan for allowing me to "destroy" him and for his kind words and continued presence.

Next Up: Dan wants to "see the elephant" in the Civil War Brigade Series!

The U.S Civil War

We are starting off the New Year once again with some strategic American Civil War action. This time with GMT's The U.S. Civil War.  Here are some pictures from our Wednesday night game pausing in Spring 1862.

The State of the Nation - Spring 1862

The Union pushes into Tennessee and Arkansas

Stonewall takes Washington D.C.!

Amateurs To Arms!

Today marks the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans and the end of the War of 1812. To celebrate the event, Vance came over to Chicago Wargamer HQ for a game of Clash of Arms' Amateurs To Arms!  Certainly the best treatment of the era with some interesting mechanisms that do a good job of recreating the events of the war. I would like to try this one again soon.

2014 Year in Review

Dan K. has inspired me to write up a year in review report based on his BoardGameGeek forum threads for 2013 and 2014.

Here is a breakdown of games played here at Chicago Wargamer HQ by opponent. Several large projects were completed, bringing down the variety of titles attempted.  

Dan K.:  

Flying Colors/Serpents of the Seas: Raleigh vs. Druid Duel, Minorca, El Ferrol, Cape Henry, Algeciras Bay, Flamborough Head, Suffren v. Hughes Campaign, Lake Ontario Campaign, Glorious First of June, Trafalgar

Fading Glory: Salamanca, Smolensk, Borodino, Waterloo, Jena

The Battle for Normandy: Campaign Game

Vance: 

Rebel Raiders of the High Seas

East Front (Columbia Block)

Mike L.:  We will finally be finishing up our run of all GCACW titles once we are done with Grant Takes Command.

Stonewall Jackson's Way II: Cedar Mountain, Lee vs. Pope, Jackson's March, From the Rappahannock to Bull Run, Bag the Whole Crowd, Which Way Did He Go, From the Rapidan to Manassas

Stonewall's Last Battle: Chancellorsville Campaign

Roads To Gettysburg: The Battle that Never Happened, Gettysburg Campaign

Battle Above the Clouds: The Chickamauga Campaign, The Chattanooga Campaign

Grant Takes Command: Grant's 1864 Offensive Campaign

Ending out the Year with Grant Takes Command

John H:  My stalwart ASL opponent for many years via VASL.  We have been concentrating on HASL, so no individual scenarios played this year.

Red Barricades: Campaign Game III  (officially started in 2013, but finally completed in May 2014)

Valor of the Guards: Campaign Game IV  (I took a serious beating as the Germans)

Singling Campaign Game

Pegasus Bridge Campaign Game

Jared: Our newest opponent, we hope to see more of you in 2015

Blood & Roses: 1st Saint Albans, Blore Heath

The Battle For Normandy Finish - June 15

The Normandy campaign came to a sudden halt after the Allies broke out from the German lines.  June 15 was an optional sudden death victory check date, so we decided to apply the rule as the Allies had amassed enough victory locations to bring an end to the game.  We would have liked to play it out farther, but time issues over the next few weeks and the impending holidays pushed us in favor of wrapping it up.

Normandy: Evening of June 15, 1944

The Americans conducted a breakout from the Vire River line near Saint-Jean-de-Daye with the 2nd Armored Division spearheading a race to seal off the peninsula at Lessay and driving deep south to Coutances. In the north the American 90th Infantry Division assaulted the defenses of Cherbourg and pushed through to the coast at Carteret.  This double envelopment pocketed the remaining German defenders on the Cotentin.  The Allies ended the day with 37 points of geographic objectives.

American Breakout: June 13-15, 1944

Some post game stats:
Play length: July 8 - November 11, 2014
Play time: 17 sessions averaging 4.15 hours
Total play time: 70 hours
Total Campaign Game Dates: June 6 - August 11 = 67 days (201 turns)
Completed Campaign Game Dates: June 6 - June 15 = 10 days (30 turns)

Spirits of Old Park Ridge Event October 2014

Location: Town of Maine Cemetery, Park Ridge, Illinois

Features: Guided tour of historic cemetery, October 4, 2014.

History: The Park Ridge Historical Society organizes this guided "spirit" tour of the Town of Maine Cemetery.  At the cemetery a tour guide will lead your party to the markers at the burial sites of notable local personages.  At each of these stations is an actor in period costume who will briefly relate the history and life of the person they are portraying.  This year featured a variety of people including several mayors of Park Ridge, a Major League ballplayer, early settlers, teachers, and entrepreneurs.  Of interest to the Military History Traveler was Colonel Thomas P. Robb, a prominent Illinois Civil War veteran and friend of U.S. Grant. Robb was responsible for formally introducing Grant to Illinois Governor Richard Yates, thereby starting Grant's Civil War career.  Also presented on the tour was Charles G. Sherwin, a young Civil War volunteer, who unfortunately succumbed to disease in 1861, the most common cause of fatality during the war.

Traveler's Notes: This is a fantastic concept for relating local history.  Even though it was our first blustery Fall day here in Park Ridge, the enthusiasm of the volunteer actors and staff, along with those who came to take the tour, was high.  It was very encouraging to see the use of memorials as educational points of "living" history.

Resources: Park Ridge Historical Society, Park Ridge Herald Article Reviews Event

George and Laura Penny, Brickyard Owner

Charles G. Sherwin, Civil War Soldier

Dr. Gustav and Mary Fricke, Town Doctor

Harriet Rand, First School Teacher