Op Compass Game 7 - Sandstorm

Lumbering Matildas slowly crossing the Desert whilst sand swirls around the troops as they advance into the unknown, would adequately describe Game 7 of our ongoing Op Compass Campaign and what follows is the Scenario and AAR.

Italian troops wait for something to emerge from the Sandstorms 

If you want more information on the Campaign I have set up a separate page which is updated regularly with updates on rules along with links to all the previous games,

https://yarkshiregamer.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/opcompass-1940-resource-page.html

The games are based on an excellent book by Robert Avery which is available from The Toofatlardies, there is a direct link to purchase the book on the Resource Page.We use 28mm figures with this scenario taking place on an 8 x 6 table using a home brew set of rules, based on Iron Ivans Disposable Hero's.

Ratty and Mole discuss their latest adventures

Historical Background 

Its the 10th December 1940, the previous day (see our recent games) the Italian Forts at Tummar fell, the British Forces moved onto the Sidi Barrani position. Part of the force was detailed to take a small hamlet known as Alam el Dab.

The weather was appalling, a high wind whipping up sand and dust into a constantly changing fog / sandstorm, visibility rapidly changing minute by minute. As the British advanced the cloud of dust lifted long enough for the Italian Artillery to destroy the approaching lorries, the British Infantry helpless, only able to watch as their lift home disappeared.

Italian 75mm Field Gun

As quick as the visibility increased it dropped back to nothing, the British troops now supported by their old friends the Matildas of 7RTR swept forward into a cloud of dust towards where they believed the Italians to be.

Table Set Up and Terrain 

This battle is fought over an 8 x 6 table. The game begins with the Italian positions hidden.

Table Set Up

You should just be able to see on the table a series of yellow dots, these are dividing up the table into 24 equal squares to help with plotting positions and artillery. The terrain is random scrub and rocky outcrops with a single building representing the position of Alam el Dab.

The following Special Rules are in force (see Resource Page for full details),

Difficult Going and Breakdown.

New Rule - Variable Visibility - to represent the fluidity of the distance troops could see in this battle Visibility is limited to 9" plus 1d10 inches. Visiblity is determined once at the start of a new turn and again on the turn of an event card, giving a maximum of 3 and a minimum of 1 change in Visibility per turn. Whilst in force all firing is considered to be at long range.

Spoiler - The Brits have a secret objective, the game ends when they take all three gun positions, the British players should not know this until the game ends.

British Briefing

Italian Artillery has once again proven it's worth, take you troops into the mist and capture their positions. Be careful, the sand is soft, our tanks break down and visibility can change at any time.

Best suited for 3 players. Each Task Force has the following,

1 x Matilda Infantry Tank
1 x British Infantry Company consisting of,
HQ Section with 1 x Officer, 1 x Radio Operator and 1 x Sgt with SMG
Support Section with 1 x 2 man 2" Mortar Team and 1 x 2 man Boyes AT Team
3 x Infantry units of 1 x Sgt with SMG, 1 x Bren Gun and loader plus 7 Privates with Rifles

So 3 tanks and 111 men to get the job done. One TF will start in the centre of the table whilst the others will start equidistant from the centre tank and the table edge.

Advance into the unknown

Italian Briefing 

Once again you find yourself trapped in a difficult position with the seemingly unstoppable Matildas heading towards you. This time you have the advantage of cover and limited Visiblity, hold on as long as you can and cause as much casualties to the attackers as you can. Defend your guns to the last.

Your forces consist of,

1 HQ Section of Officer and Radio Operator 
8 "Blackshirt" units each with 1 Sgt with SMG, 1 x 2 man LMG Team and 7 Rifles.
1 x 65mm Gun and 3 crew
1 x 75mm Field Gun and 4 crew
1 x 100mm Field Gun and 4 crew.

The above photo shows the layout of the Italian positions, only place the terrain and troops on table once they are visible, the Italian player chooses where in the line their three gun pits go.

The position was a series of fox holes rather than a formal trench system hence the use of barbed wire. The Italian positions are static and could easily be played by an umpire or as a solo game.

Italian Artillery can fire over open sights at any target they can see, if they have no target they will fire at random. Dice for one of the 12 squares on the British side of the table, take the centre of that square as the aim point and then randomly deviate by 2 x d10 inches, reroll for each gun.

Italian AT Gun pretending to be a 65mm Gun behind a Renaissance Gabion, it's all accurate

How did we get on 

Once again a good time was had by all, these scenarios really throw up some interesting match ups and with the randomness of the rules players are definitely kept on their toes. The Visablity  rule worked really well and we all got the feel of a swirling sandstorm with targets frustratingly appearing and disappearing usually at the most inappropriate moment.

It's broke Sir

Round 1 went to the Italians without an initial shot being fired, "Hedgehog" one of the three Matildas broke down the first time it tried to move, the random roll produced an unfixable fault and that was it. Next turn the Italian Artillery landed a 100mm shell on the engine deck just to make sure.

The game settled down into a now you see it now you don't gun fight with the variable Visibility, the Brits taking quite a few casualties from the Italians in their fox holes and the randomly landing Artillery.

Things were going well until the tank Gremlin struck again, this time it was Mole in the centre of the attack, who broke down, it was fixable but with Italian small arms easily in range no one was getting out to fix it ! With the Artillery falling else where Mole quickly became a Pillbox, if only it had an AP round.

With the tank stalled, the British went headlong with fixed bayonets into the Italian positions. The Blackshirts held firm and held their fox holes, just.

But the fight drastically reduced the numbers of the defenders and next turn a fresh wave of British troops took the position.

The elation was short lived as the extra move forward revealed more Italians in the Hamlet.

On the British right the last mobile Matilda "Ratty" kept it's slow but seemingly unstoppable crawl towards the wire in front of it, rifles and LMG fire isn't much use against an Infantry Tank.

The Brits in the wire wisely decided to move away from the Hamlet and charged one of the Italian Gun positions, it fell but not without a fight.

The Italian Commander was busy on the radio, but no help came.

On the British left the tankless ("Hedgehog" smoking in the background) company had been wandering around blind for some time, the sandstorm preventing it from seeing anything of value, gradually the advance revealed that the Italian positions were not a straight line and the units moved to engage the flank positions.

The game built up to a nice close, the British had broken into the Italian positions in one location and a couple of others were holding on, however they had taken some pretty heavy casualties, three units had already been wiped out and it was touch and go if there was enough men left to do the job.

Everything came to a head in the final turns, on the right "Ratty" rolled over one of the Italian positions and with the gun position next to it taken that side of the table was taken.

In the centre there was another bayonet charge and again the first unit was wiped out at the wire whilst the remnants of the second one taking the position.

Whilst on the flank the British managed to roll over the 100mm Field Gun with hardly a shot fired.

The game ended when the Pillbox, sorry Matilda in the middle finished off the final Italian Gun and the British objective was complete, but not without considerable losses which were pushing 50% at game end.

So points wise I am going to give the Italians one (for the High casualties) and 3 to the British giving a Campaign Total of 18 to 10 in favour of the Brits.

Game 8 will be up soon, next time after a few games relying on the strength of the Matildas the British are back in the flimsy early Cruiser Tanks. But before then we will be playing on the fields of Edgehill and the Italian Wars Project will see the light of day again.

Sixty Opinions That Nobody Should Care About

So it started with a Tweet... I think a lot of Internet stories start like that... but this one started with a fashion tweet that led me to an idea of tweeting 100 opinions on a topic. So... I tried...

Didn't quite make it, and I didn't start any flamewars, so I guess my opinions are either safe or just not controversial enough! Ha! Anyway, for your amusement and/or edification, here's about 60 or so opinions I have about the #osr scene...

The OSR #rpg movement is like punk rock, it's undefinable although there is a lot about that can be defined. At the end of the day, playing games the way they were played in 70s/80s is about what calls the person to play it that way.

There are bad actors in the #osr, and there are some really frakkin' awesome cool people who just want to put butts in chairs to play games.

The #osr had a huge impact on 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons, and I think that explains, in part, 5e's popularity. 5e takes the game back to being a social game, not a numbers/grid game.

The #osr, back in the 2000s, started off about getting more content, but it was DIY. It became a publisher's game. It's now swung back, IMO, to being DIY, who publish like rabbits. Embarrassment of riches.

The best thing about #osr is about teaching folks to look at rules as toolkits, and settings as the destination.

I asked about ten years ago where our (the #osr's) Empire of Petal Throne/Blackmoor is. The weird. The odd. The stuff that breaks the mold. Ten years later, we have it in spades, but it will always touch on common themes that come from our deepest mythologies

I think the best #osr games follow the approach "Give a person a fish and they'll be fed for the day. Teach a person to fish and they'll never go hungry." Give a platform and an approach. Show, not tell.

Tables are great, but giving someone the examples and workflow of how to use those tables and mold a great game is the way I think we give life to the #osr punk sound.

One of the hardest things to teach someone who's played only newer versions of D&D is that the answer is found in your imagination, not on the character sheet. So how do we promote that thinking ON the character sheet?

The #osr blogs of the 2000s are now the #osr DTRPG 'zines, the podcasts, the YouTube channels and the Discord, just to mention a few channels. There is a lot of content to sort through, but I see the common themes that were in those old blogs.

We have enough retroclones and rewrites of B/X. We need more settings and more games that take B/X (or other D&D rules) and tune them to the setting. In a way, more Empire of Petal Thrones-esque clones. (that's 10... 90 more to go!)

If I could only use 2 - the d6 and the d100. The d6 allows enough of a varied result, and the d100 gives me that fine feel to "how well did it work".

The stories of the "jerk DM" and the rebuttal stories of the "jerk player" are not just #osr, but constants across gaming. We don't hear about the amazing stories as much, the games that were the purest joy and forever in our memories.

Being a referee in an #osr game isn't about a god-like trip, but a setting and expectation of roles. Whether like a sports ref, or a storyteller ref, or something in between, the referee is part of the process and an important one.

Beginning #osr refs should know it's OK and important to seek out feedback and cooperation in games. It's also important to draw the boundaries and set the expectations. This feels scary at first. It's a huge key to the success of a game.

The age-old debate on "setting" vs. "rules" is chicken/egg. You need both. It's a personal taste as to which to spend more time on. It will influence how you DM, be aware of your preference!

I think too many in the #osr think they have to publish to matter. This concept of "I must be a celebrity to matter/contribute" is pervasive. It's hard to DIY without some ya-ya being fed. Finding your motivations and feeding them will keep you active.

The oldtimers in the #osr are going to struggle with how fast culture and opinions change - this is more about age than about the scene itself. It still has to be addressed and talked about.

At some point, 3e is going to be 30 years old. This is why #osr is about "how" we game, not "when" the game was made.

Running a ten year #osr campaign was less about the rules/setting and more about keeping the relationships with people alive - and allowing for growth and change. So too, the hobby.

#20 - I'm not sure I have 100 opinions on the #osr. I know that there are a lot of great voices that I listen to across the world who are a lot smarter than I am, and I hope they continue to share. That's what makes this hobby grow.

The creators of the OG #osr games aren't meant to be followed religiously or blindly. That defeats the purpose of what they originally created.

"Make it your own" is the ONLY rule to follow to. the. letter. That also stands true for the creators of today.

Gygax, Areneson, Barker, et al, all broke their own rules and changed things on the fly. They wanted to play games, not invoke dogmatism. #osr

That being said, there's things to be learned from by-the-book play. Do it. Then make it your own. If your own is the book, awesome. #osr But it's been written once already... I want to read YOUR creation.

I also think that the OG creators were a little bit crazy. Awesome crazy. It helps to tap into that bit of creative insanity to come up with worlds and games. #osr

I'm glad we have 40 years to learn and grow from. I may like the game, but I do NOT like the OG layout and scattershot. I'm looking at you Chainmail, OD&D, AD&D, EPT etc.

I forgive and understand because you were first. I love the OG for the foundation. I love the #osr retroclones for clarifying and giving me basis for going back to OG and seeing it for what it is.

I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for those first AD&D design meetings. Trying to codify D&D for the first time must've been a trip. #osr #history

I would have also liked to been a fly on wall when MAR Barker was inventing those languages. Now there's a random generator that we need - invent-a-language by rolling a few d100s.

I think that the documentaries that are getting oral histories from the folks that were OG are critical, so that we know the "why" #osr themes exist and how they came to be.

People from the #osr that I salute... No particular order, Matt Finch for Swords and Wizardry, Old School Primer

The authors of OSRIC for clarifying AD&D 1e #OSR

Mark Allen and Peter Mullen for their art. #OSR

Marv Brieg for Swords and Wizardry White Box and the OD&D forum, best friendliest forum #OSR

Rob Conley for being fellow long term campaigner and doing great work #OSR

Jeff Rients for the great blog... Tho dude... The whole ZS thing... Not cool. Let's talk.

Michael Curtis as a fellow Three Header and for following your dream.

David Bowman who had an awesome blog and with me, invented the One Page Dungeon

Alexis of Tao of D&D for inspiration and then for why your way isn't my way.

Jacob Fathbruckner of Iron Wind Metal Ral Partha for bringing back that minis catalog of true 25s. Huge part of #DnD history

Now for unpopular opinions (although given the silence on my previous 30, they must all be unpopular!)

We have enough clones and retreads of the originals. The hacks are great, but settings/rules-to-fit-settings are where I think we can truly define the #osr

The #osr does have an issue in that there are older generation folks who are not going to change/progress to the world of today. That doesn't excuse bad behavior. BUT, that doesn't mean they should be written off. Forgiveness/understanding is divine #Buddhism

Settings should be stolen from and adapted/changed, not used as-is. I'm looking at you, Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Tekumel, Arduin, Third Imperium, etc. #osr

Minis are absolutely a part of the game - the visual 3d thing that allows players to "be there." #osr #minis

I have no intentions of ever playing LotFP. Not a fan of game or publisher. #osr Same for ACKs. Now looking to see how many followers I lose...

Bryce Lynch of tenfootpole.org says it way better than I do. Make stuff useful at table. Put detailed history fluff in back or separate/alternative book OR novel. Or a written oral history. I'll provide my own fluff, based on your foundation. Let ME imagine!

Gygax, Arneson, Barker, et al put on their pants one leg at a time. They made mistakes. They're not the be all - end all. Don't worship at their altars.

Gygax, Arneson, Barker, et all were fucking awesome for being the first. Respect. I hope to have that much original imagination or ability to adapt tropes as well.

It doesn't matter how bad what you wrote is. Keep trying. I'm an idiot and I keep writing/podcasting/painting minis. I get better, gradually, always trying to learn. Don't listen to those demons on your shoulder. Beat the fuck out of them with your enthusiasm.

It is actually really hard to write good, original RPG content. Respect to those who set out to do what they do listening to their own drummer. Many will try, few will succeed. Learn from those that do well, if that's your goal.

The #osr needs to highlight and support/promote more women and minority authors/content. I know, duh... but I wish I knew who was out there TO support from that realm.

I've had same-sex NPCs in relationships from day 1, all genders in positions of power/military and making world-changing decisions. Proud that my players have never objected. I don't focus on it, but build it in to the foundation. Making the world what I want to see.

My games aren't about politics, but I am sensitive enough to know that people bring politics/beliefs to the table. I want them to be themselves or what they want to explore. No judgements, no restrictions. Only way to do that is to show it. It starts with the world.

The #osr needs more of that, IMO.

(and it might be out there. I don't buy many settings or books. I'm your worst audience because I want to make all of my own stuff, not buy yours. Sorry. Not sorry. Just how I am. If it is out there, and it's #osr, point me to it, pls?)

I also don't buy the rules or hacks. I have my own game based on the old rules and modified by free clones/stuff I read on the blogs, hear in podcasts. Again, I'm your worst audience. I'm not alone #osr

'Zines are the way to get someone like me to buy stuff. Give me tools. #osr

Someone smarter than me should create rules/expansions to the Dungeon board game that would allow for multiple playthrus with same character going on new quests. I'd buy that. #osr

Maybe instead of making snarky books to make passive aggressive statements, Jim could support/highlight talent/authors from marginalized communities. That would be far more productive. #osr #grindingaxe

Then again, I'd like to see active pursuit by all #osr publishers in that regards. Or maybe I'm an idiot, they already do that and I'm just not seeing it. Is that true?

Need For Speed Games Part 1: The Need For Speed, Need For Speed II

This week on Super Adventures, I've decided to finally write about some Need for Speed. It's the most successful racing game series of all time and it's been around almost as long as Mario Kart, but I haven't written about a single of one them yet!

The trouble with racing games, and the reason I don't write about them much, is that they're all about racing. I mean that's not a problem when you're playing them, many would even consider it a positive, but it makes writing about in detail a bit tricky as all you do is drive down a road, often in circles. Then if you do it right you get to go do the same thing someplace else! I could fill up space by taking lots of screenshots of cars and menu screens, but I'd run out of stuff to say fast as I'm not exactly an expert on the subject.

But I've thought of a clever solution: if I write about lots of Need for Speed games then I don't have to write so much about each one! And seeing as the 25th anniversary game, Need for Speed: Heat, is coming out in four days, I've decided to write four separate parts covering the series' first 10 years, in chronological order, starting with Road & Track Presents The Need for Speed and Need for Speed II!

Read on »

Brave Browser the Best privacy-focused product of 2020

Out of all the privacy-focused products and apps available on the market, Brave has been voted the best. Other winners of Product Hunt's Golden Kitty awards showed that there was a huge interest in privacy-enhancing products and apps such as chats, maps, and other collaboration tools.

An extremely productive year for Brave

Last year has been a pivotal one for the crypto industry, but few companies managed to see the kind of success Brave did. Almost every day of the year has been packed witch action, as the company managed to officially launch its browser, get its Basic Attention Token out, and onboard hundreds of thousands of verified publishers on its rewards platform.

Luckily, the effort Brave has been putting into its product hasn't gone unnoticed.

The company's revolutionary browser has been voted the best privacy-focused product of 2019, for which it received a Golden Kitty award. The awards, hosted by Product Hunt, were given to the most popular products across 23 different product categories.

Ryan Hoover, the founder of Product Hunt said:

"Our annual Golden Kitty awards celebrate all the great products that makers have launched throughout the year"

Brave's win is important for the company—with this year seeing the most user votes ever, it's a clear indicator of the browser's rapidly rising popularity.

Privacy and blockchain are the strongest forces in tech right now

If reaching 10 million monthly active users in December was Brave's crown achievement, then the Product Hunt award was the cherry on top.

The recognition Brave got from Product Hunt users shows that a market for privacy-focused apps is thriving. All of the apps and products that got a Golden Kitty award from Product Hunt users focused heavily on data protection. Everything from automatic investment apps and remote collaboration tools to smart home products emphasized their privacy.

AI and machine learning rose as another note-worthy trend, but blockchain seemed to be the most dominating force in app development. Blockchain-based messaging apps and maps were hugely popular with Product Hunt users, who seem to value innovation and security.

For those users, Brave is a perfect platform. The company's research and development team has recently debuted its privacy-preserving distributed VPN, which could potentially bring even more security to the user than its already existing Tor extension.

Brave's effort to revolutionize the advertising industry has also been recognized by some of the biggest names in publishing—major publications such as The Washington Post, The Guardian, NDTV, NPR, and Qz have all joined the platform. Some of the highest-ranking websites in the world, including Wikipedia, WikiHow, Vimeo, Internet Archive, and DuckDuckGo, are also among Brave's 390,000 verified publishers.

Earn Basic Attention Token (BAT) with Brave Web Browser

Try Brave Browser

Get $5 in free BAT to donate to the websites of your choice.

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