Borodino 1812 New From Osprey

 Historical, Osprey Publishing  Comments Off on Borodino 1812 New From Osprey
Sep 022012
 

Borodino 1812

$ 21.95 SRP

 

The battle of Borodino was one of the greatest encounters in European history, and one of the largest and most sanguinary in the Napoleonic Wars. Following the breakdown of relations between Russia and France, Napoleon assembled a vast Grande Armée drawn from the many states within the French sphere of influence. They crossed the river Neimen and entered Russian territory in June 1812 with the aim of inflicting a sharp defeat on the Tsar’s forces and bringing the Russians back into line. In a bloody battle of head-on attacks and desperate counter-attacks in the village of Borodino on 7 September 1812, both sides lost about a third of their men, with the Russians forced to withdraw and abandon Moscow to the French. However, the Grande Armée was harassed by Russian troops all the way back and was destroyed by the retreat. The greatest army Napoleon had ever commanded was reduced to a shadow of frozen, starving fugitives. This title will cover the events of Napoleon’s disastrous Russian campaign of 1812 in its entirety, with the set-piece battle of Borodino proving the focal point of the book.

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Republic F105 Thunderchief new from Osprey

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Sep 012012
 

Republic F105 Thunderchief

$ 18.95 SRP

 

The Republic F-105 Thunderchief was the fastest and most successful strike fighter of the Cold War. Designed to deliver nuclear weapons at low altitude and then fight its way back to base, by the early 1960s it was the primary weapon in the USAF’s tactical strike arsenal. Thunderchief pilots in Europe, the Far East and the USA stood on short-notice alert, ready to take on the formidable defenses of their Communist Bloc targets. The F-105 was, however, to become a legend in a very different conflict. As direct American involvement in Vietnam increased, F-105s were deployed – initially as a deterrent, but ever more as conventional attack fighters against insurgency in Laos and Vietnam. With the start of the bombing campaign against North Vietnam, the Thunderchief became a vital element in attacks against some of the most heavily defended territory in modern history.

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Tomorrow’s War Game Review

 Miniature Game Reviews, Miniatures, Osprey Publishing  Comments Off on Tomorrow’s War Game Review
Jul 252012
 

Tomorrow’s War is produced by Osprey Publishing for Ambush Alley Games.  The book is just the right size for the gamer, 260 pages.  It is fully embossed with several nice pictures and easy to use charts.  Even though the fog of war cards are available as a deck  I wish they  were removable.

There is not a models line for this game.  there is a complete list of manufacturers that carry adequate mini’s in both 15mm and 28 mm that can be used.

Tomorrow’s War is set in the 24th century.  Humanity has begun colonizing off world.  This has lead to the discoveries of new technologies and even alien races.

It is a game of Modern Warfare game.  It covers just about everything you want in Sci-fi, Vtol’s,off and on board artillery, reinforcements,and airstrikes.  It uses a pointless system for army construction.  That is to say that a marine is not x points.  Instead all troops are assigned a experience type ranging from green to elite.  Each troop type has a different die value for its skills.    Most of your troops in a game are green so it balances nicely.

The game mechanics are a little different.  As I mentioned before the experience of the troop determines the die value, Green troops use d6 while the best troops use a d12.  When making a skill check you would roll the appropriate die.  This is an opposed roll.  You may roll 5d6 against 3d12.   What is important about the system is that a success of 4 plus can be trumped by a higher opposed roll.  I have played the game and I like the system.

Tomorrow’s War is a great Sci-fi game for clubs. You can take it anywhere in the world and teach someone how to play, it is that easy. Without a point system it lacks the structure needed for tournaments.

What I would like to see in a future print run is a quick reference sheet.

 

I should note that the Fog of War cards are available at your retailer.

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 Posted by at 2:26 PM

The Spanish Tercios 1536-1704 From Osprey in July

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Jun 282012
 

The Spanish Tercios 1536-1704

$ 17.95 SRP

 

A mixed infantry formation made up of about 3,000 men armed with pikes, swords and handguns, the innovative and influential tercio or ‘Spanish square’ was the basic combat unit of the armies of Spain throughout much of the 16th and 17th centuries. Arguably the first permanent tactical formation seen in Europe since the Roman cohort, the tercio was the forerunner of modern formations such as the battalion and regiment. The variety of different weapons fielded in the tercio meant the Spanish infantry could resist opposing cavalry forces while overcoming every kind of enemy infantry deployed against them. Featuring full-colour artwork and photographs of rare items held at the Spanish Army Museum, this study covers the whole period during which the tercios were active, opening with the third Italian war between the forces of France and the Holy Roman Emperor and concluding with the final transformation of the Spanish tercios into regiments in 1704. Softcover; July 2012; 48 pages

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Home Before the Leaves Fall (HC) from Osprey in July

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Jun 272012
 

Home Before the Leaves Fall (HC)

$ 24.95 SRP

 

The German invasion of France and Belgium in August 1914 came close to defeating the French armies, capturing Paris and ending the First World War before the autumn leaves had fallen. But the German armies failed to score the knock-out blow they had planned. The war would drag on for four years of unprecedented slaughter. There are many accounts of 1914 from the British point of view, and the achievements of the British Expeditionary Force are the stuff of legend. But in reality, there were only four British divisions in the field, while the French and Germans had more than 60 each. The real story of the battle can only be told by an author with the skill to mine the extensive German and French archives. Ian Senior does this with consummate skill, weaving together strategic analysis with diary entries and interview transcripts from the soldiers on the ground to create a remarkable new history. Hardcover; July 2012; 384 pages

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Me 262 Bomber and Recon Units from Osprey in July

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Jun 262012
 

Me 262 Bomber and Recon Units

$ 22.95 SRP

 

When the revolutionary Messerschmitt Me 262 jet first appeared as a bomber in the skies over north-west Europe in late 1944, it represented both a new dawn in aeronautical development and a great shock to the Allied air forces and armies. In mid-1944, Adolf Hitler, having seen the impressive and formidable performance of Me 262 prototypes, stated his firm desire to see the aircraft enter service as a bomber. There was nothing which the Allies had in their air forces which could touch the Me 262. Although, due mainly to problems associated with delays in engine deliveries, its debut was too late to contest the Allied landings in Normandy, when it finally did enter service in the autumn of 1944, the bomb-carrying Me 262s conducted several hit-and-run raids against RAF airfields in Belgium and Holland. From then until the end of the war the Me 262 remained one of the most feared weapons in the Axis arsenal. This book covers the complete history of the Me 262 bomber and reconnaissance units during World War 2. Softcover; July 2012; 96 pages;

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Jun 262012
 

I have already done a review of Force on Force based off of the demonstration game I played at Origins Game Fair.   This will be a little more in depth than that review.   You can read that here.

Most of you probably already know that Force on Force is a modern warfare skirmish game published by Osprey Publishing for Ambush Alley Games.  It is an independent miniatures game without a miniatures line.  The book has several recommendations where you can purchase models .  I originally thought that not having a minis line would be detrimental, but the rules are set up so you can freely play any modern forces from 1960 to present.  The other unique part about not having a line of minis is there is no set scale.  You get to determine the size of your battlefield based off of what you own.

Continue reading »

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WWII US Cavalry Groups: European Theater from Osprey

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Jun 262012
 

WWII US Cavalry Groups: European Theater

$ 18.95 SRP

 

The cavalry regiments of the US Army were in the process of being transformed into a mechanized force when the USA entered World War II. While those cavalry regiments deployed to the Pacific to fight the Japanese were turned into infantry units, those sent to Europe were employed as light armor in the cavalry’s traditional spearhead roles – reconnaissance, the screening of advances and flanks, and the pursuit of beaten enemy forces. Equipped with M8 Greyhound armored cars, M5 Stuart and M24 Chaffee light tanks, and halftracks, these units were designated cavalry groups (mechanized), each c. 1,700 strong and divided into two heavily armed squadrons. They were seldom attached to divisions, but to higher-level corps commands, meaning they could be shifted around quickly and independently and be formed at need into flexible battle groups with armored, infantry, and other units, depending on the mission. Featuring specially drawn full-color illustrations depicting uniforms, insignia, armored vehicles, and tactical scenarios, this is the story of the US cavalry units that led the advance to victory in Europe during World War II. Softcover; July 2012; 64 pages;

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Archibald Wavell coming in July From Osprey

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Jun 252012
 

Archibald Wavell

$ 18.95 SRP

 

Archibald Wavell remains one of the great Allied commanders of the early phases of World War II. In fact, between June 1940 and June 1941, he was the only British theatre commander actively engaging Axis forces. At a time when the British Expeditionary Force had been expelled from Europe, Wavell was conducting campaigns across nine countries and two continents. In those 12 months, he planned and directly oversaw a multitude of campaigns, from the hugely successful winter campaigns against the Italians in the Western Desert and the conquest of Italian East Africa, through the Iraqi revolt, the invasion of Vichy Syria and Lebanon and the ill-fated British involvement in Greece, to the unsuccessful attempts to break the siege of Tobruk that led to his replacement in June 1941. While Wavell’s great victories are often overshadowed by those of other commanders later in the war, this should not detract from his proven abilities as a strategist and tactician. This book tells the complete story of Wavell’s wartime exploits and examines his strengths and weaknesses as a commander. Softcover; July 2012; 64 pages;

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Americas Secret MiG Squadron From Osprey in July

 Games and Education, Gaming News, Osprey Publishing  Comments Off on Americas Secret MiG Squadron From Osprey in July
Jun 252012
 

Americas Secret MiG Squadron

$ 25.95 SRP

 

As a Vietnam veteran and Phantom F-4 pilot, Colonel Gail Peck (call-sign “EVIL”) had been disappointed with the level of training offered to US fighter pilots. He was determined to ensure that they were unbeatable in the air, particularly against their Cold War adversaries flying the already legendary MiG fighter jets. Working with the support of General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, Jr, and under conditions of the utmost secrecy, the CONSTANT PEG program was launched with Peck as the original “Red Eagle.” This fascinating history was first revealed in Steve Davies’ acclaimed Red Eagles: America’s Secret MiGs, but this book is the insider’s perspective, complete with never-before-published anecdotes and photographs, revealing how Peck battled bureaucracy and skepticism to ultimately establish the premier fighter pilot training center. Hardcover; July 2012; 352 pages

 Posted by at 1:08 AM