Military Board Game with Tanks

[Steelspear]

Does it exist any fun / realistic / interesting board game were you do battle with tanks? Im also interested if there is any kind of rules for simulating company assaults on maps or similar.

[Paul G]

Avalon Hill's Panzer Blitz, Panzer Leader and Arab Israeli wars cover Tactical combat from 1941-1973. Each counter equals a platoon of tanks or infantry.

 

These are considered the premere battalion/regimental level games.

 

Advanced Squad Leader is the premere Squad level game with each counter representing a single tank or infantry squad.

[Michael Eastes]

I enjoyed all the games previously mentioned,but my personal favourite was the old Avalon Hill "Tobruk" game, covering the Tobruk-area fighting on the individual vehicle/infantry section/gun crew level. The fire tables were very detailed as far as what weapon effected what vehicle from what angle and range,and the rules were graduated so that each scenario gave you more to work with. It also makes a really good miniature game.

 

Stukas can be very bad to run into. Italian tanks can be very ugly to try to command.

[Tempest]

I can't remember the name of the game that uses GHQ miniature tanks, and hexes to make 3D terrain, but it rocks! I found it much more fun than playing with flat little cardboard peices

[Tim the Tank Nut]

We used to use Advanced Squad Leader rules on a board with 1/72 and 1/76 scale model tanks. The hexes were 8"=40 meters. Used model train accessories for landscaping. The boards were about 12' long by 8' wide.

Those were the days.

 

7 or below to hit 5 or below to kill colored die is a one Rate of fire!

[Manic Moran]

The two big WWII miniatures wargames are Spearhead and Command Decision. I play the latter.

 

NTM

[Jim Millard]

Anybody there played DASL[Deluxe ASL] with 3-D maps + GHQ?? I haven't had either the time, money, or storage space, but am told it is THE way to go. WWII only, of course; I don't know what's out there for a good modern game.

 

~Jim [tread in a grunt's shell] Millard

[EvilTommy]

GDW had a series of games in the 80's which were reminiscent of PanzerBlitz et al, Mech War '77, Red Star/White Star, etc., which began with a game called something like Assault '85, followed by Bundeswehr and Boots & Saddles. I have them all but have not played them in over ten years, but they were interesting Cold War simulations which depicted thrusts by the Red Army into Germany on a platoon scale. The game placed heavy emphasis on pre-arranged bombardments and the reconnaisance duel. The motorcycle troops were particularly amusing - RPGs, but the eventual facing off between the armor and anti-tank missiles made or broke your side. The numbers were usually limited to a few companies or a Squadron of Nato against a battalion+ of aggressors.

[Guest Hans Engström]

Jim. I've plaid DASL with GHQ miniatures, but, alas, not with 3D mapboards. Unfortunately, due to the size of the mapboards, the scenarios are rather constricting.

 

Hans

[Jagdpz04]

Ive played all these board games before, but are there good miniature tank games... Any suggestions.

Thx

Edited August 20, 2021 by Jagdpz04

[Jagdpz04]

with micro tanks and infantry models

Edited August 20, 2021 by Jagdpz04

[Guest Master Blaster]

Originally posted by Jagdpz04:

2) How bout landscaping...ive seen some pretty basic warzone landscapes, but nothing serious.  What materials should i use to make a map with towns, roads, feilds, etc...

 

Thx

 

You might try the model railroad section of your local hobby shop. ther sacles are different, but the techniques are similar in constructing scenery. they often have lots of books on the subject....

[Brad Sallows]

1/285 (or 1/300, or 5mm) infantry is manufactured. But finding rules which pay adequate heed to infantry is difficult.

 

If the cost of metals is too expensive, there may still be one or two companies which manufacture micro-armour using resin. I think "Scotia" was the name of one such small firm.

 

Depending on how you want to model relief, a few yards of a dark green, heavy, felt-like fabric is a good base - looks good, sits well. Add whatever for terrain, and push stuff under it for relief. Maybe add loops of brown thread to establish where contour intervals are for rules purposes.

[Mk 1]

For micro-armor scales, if GHQ costs too much, I suggest Ross & Heroics of the UK. Adequate quality and much less expensive. They have a very broad range of models -- including lots of the odd stuff that until recently wasn't available from GHQ (trucks, tankers, motorcycles, engineering equip, etc.). Their infantry is particularly good -- a little oversized in the width, but that makes them much more durable for actual gameplay. They come in squad sprues -- you get the right mix of rifles to LMGs, etc. Unfortunately they don't seem to have a web site, but they have very productive mail-order service. You can find them advertized in any of the wargaming magazines at your local hobby shop.

 

For easy and cheap terrain I suggest corrugated cardboard. Just take a knife and slice up some old cardboard cartons into odd oblong shapes-- you get 3D AND terrain map precision all in one. Hit it with some earth-tone spray paints, mixes of greens with a little brown for Europe, sand tones on the opposite side for desert, etc. (I actually place my micro units on the cardboard for the first layer of camo painting -- re-use of the over-spray, in the right colors for my unit's areas of operations). Also has the advantage of being easy to store.

 

Colored tape for roads (masking for dirt, electrician's for paved) and for streams (blue duct tape -- add brown duct tape for creek-side sub-level gullies). For trees, go to your local crafts' store for "Bump Chennil" (like overgrown pipe cleaners, but alternating puffed up and close-cropped, hence the "Bumps"), cut it into various sizes, and hot-glue two or three to a penny. Instant evergreen forests.

 

In addition to a large fealt table-cover, get lots of cut-up fealt (pre-cut, or cut it yourself) in various rectangular and odd oblong shapes, in various shades of green and brown. Use them for agricultural fields -- planted or plowed. There is no such thing as "open terrain" in Europe. Every bit of land is used. Use the oblongs for forrest floors (with your trees spread upon them), so that you have clear boundaries for your line-of sites.

 

For buildings, there are several makers of good resin buildings on the market. But I also like to add my own. I use two primary sources. First, I make some with balsa. To make my own East Front peasant huts I use square rods as the base, with half-oblong rods for the roofs. With a wire brush attachment on a power drill I ruff up the roofs (and round off the ends of the roof) for a thatched appearance. Roofs washed yellow-green, huts off-white with brown doors and windows. Three hours of time invested and you got a village. Second, every little odd item that comes packaged in plastic offers the opportunity for a micro-scale building. Auto parts in particular have provided me with plastic vacu-formed factory complexes, grain silos, rail yard structures, and appartment buildings. They just need a little imagination, cutting-out, and painting.

 

Enuf for starters?

 

-Mark 1

[Manic Moran]

I do my mail-order shopping from Tabletop Games in the UK, the lad's very good.

 

29 Beresford Avenue

Skegness, Lincolnshire

PE25 3JF, UNITED KINGDOM

Phone (01754) 767779

 

If he has it in stock, he'll ship it next day. If he doesn't, he'll get it for you and ship it when he does. My 1/300 stuff is Skytrex and Heroics & Ross. The Skytrex was a mistake. The H&R T-80U, for example, is a work of art. Not -quite- GHQ standard, but easily more than enough to pass muster. Last I checked, it was 32p for a main battle tank, or 28p for a PC or WWII vehicle.

 

If I recall, he'll send you a catalogue free of charge.

 

NTM

 

[Edited by Manic Moran (19 Nov 2001).]

[Tempest]

"Oops. Forgot one thing. Infantry! is there such a thing as 1/285 scale infantry???"

Yes. I usually don't bother with them though, unless your whole wargame centers around it

 

GHQ is expensive, but on EBAY they often sell entire lots of hundreds of vehicles for like 20 dollars. And compared to some of the fantasy wargameing (warhammer, gear kreig, and others) $8 is not much at all! They can get up to like $15 for ONE little peice! And usually hobby stores are struggleing and they make things expensive to keep in business

 

"2) How bout landscaping...ive seen some pretty basic warzone landscapes, but nothing serious. What materials should i use to make a map with towns, roads, feilds, etc..."

 

For landscapeing, I used to use the 3D hex's (styrofoam?) but they aren't cheap and they get worn out once trees are attached to them. I used to make craters with superglue (it melts it) (for easy trees get the pipecleaners that are thick in the middle, and then get thin, then thick, then then again, then just cut them to look like trees).

 

I can't afford that anymore so I just get a large table like a dining room table, clear it off, put random things underneath to make hills, and drape a card table (I'm not sure what it's made of... felt or velvit or something?) and drape that over. It makes nice terrain (the one I have is forest green so it fits well).

 

For buildings, I liked to used the buildings from the "Life" boardgame.

 

"3) Rules...should i just apply the Board game rules or are there special Minature games that are better?"

 

There are a set of universal rules but I don't remember where, I'll try to find em

[Manic Moran]

Umm.. Since Infantry are rather an important part of most battles outside of a desert environment, you really have to include them. Certainly Command Decision can make infantry dangerous if you know how to use it right. Not so sure about other games.

 

NTM

[Tempest]

I don't bother with _miniature_ infantry I mean. I use the flat cardboard peices

[MikeD]

I've just bought a Russian Combined Arms Battalion (advanced guard) for recognition/tactics training. How much artillery!?

 

The minatures are H&R from these guys: http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/modmicro.html

 

Manic - I see what you mean about the T-80 - a real beauty!

[Michael Eastes]

Originally posted by MikeD:

I've just bought a Russian Combined Arms Battalion (advanced guard) for recognition/tactics training. How much artillery!? 

 

 

Soviet-era formations had a battalion of artillery at regimental level, consisting of 3 batteries,usually of s.p. 122mm guns,6 each. I don't know if that is the current situation. Other artillery could be assigned for special situations.

 

Motor rifle battalions,IIRC,had organic mortars,but no dedicated artillery as such.

 

This may be superceded,as my information is A) from memory and from 80s-era manuals,mostly.

[MikeD]

Originally posted by Michael Eastes:

Soviet-era formations had a battalion of artillery at regimental level, consisting of 3 batteries,usually of s.p. 122mm guns,6 each. I don't know if that is the current situation. Other artillery could be assigned for special situations.

 

Motor rifle battalions,IIRC,had organic mortars,but no dedicated artillery as such.

 

This may be superceded,as my information is A) from memory and from 80s-era manuals,mostly.

 

 

Thanks Michael, but the "How much artillery?!" was meant more as a statement than a question - as in there's sh#t loads!!!

 

Traditionally, a tank/MR Battalion as an advanced guard would be re-enforced by an artillery battalion from Division or Regt.

 

Our current "Generic Force" manuals give a combined arms battalion its own integral artillery battalion, in the form of 24 2S31 'Vena' 120mm SP Mortars. The battalion could be additionally be re-enforced with 2S19s from the Brigade Artillery Regt.

Thats alot of firepower for a battalion!

 

 

 

[Edited by MikeD (21 Nov 2001).]