Tundra Con 2022

On January 8th, 2022 we held the 7th Tundra Con at the American Legion Hall, always on the weekend after New Years.  With the surge in COVID variants we didn't know what to expect but wanted to forge ahead anyway and let people decide for themselves about their risk comfort level.  In the end we were below average for attendance, but did better than expected.  The Legion Hall is ideal for a one-day convention, featuring adequate space and food and refreshments available on site.  This year they had an expanded menu of specials for us.

We had eleven game masters running an assortment of games on land, sea, air and the dungeon.  Participants paid a $10 fee and could play in as many games as desired.  Some games were longer than others but many played three games and all could get in two.  Take a look at the pictures below to get a feel for the day.   

Battle of Midway, a possible surface action with 
Naval Thunder, Adam Apell game master.  Savo Island
followed on the same table.

Walking in a Winter Killing Field with Flames of
War, Michael Mathews game master.

Relief of Fort Kasala with The Sword and the Flame,
Greg Miller game master.

Battle Tech Grinder - A Learning Game

Battle of Lake Takitwithya with Drums Along the
Mohawk, Todd Prochniak game master.

Bolt Action demo games all day.

Encounter Appleton with All Quiet on the Martian 
Front, Bob Rondou game master.

Dan Verssen Games, one of our valued vendors.

LOD Enterprises, another regular vendor.  Not pictured,
Jadeco Hobby.

Action heating up in the Battle of the Bulge game.
Will Peiper take the bridge in time?

British relief column vs. the Mahdi looking to rescue
the Egyptian garrison and missionaries.

Ireland Forever, Maybe! with Nevermind the Billhooks,
Todd Prochniak game master.

Invasion at Normandy with Memoir '44, Todd
Chirhart game master.

Rescue and Ambush with Flames of War 'Nam.  Paul
Alaniz game master.  One of three tables.

Relief just needs to drive down this road to rescue
the L,R.P.S. team.  No problem, right?

NVA regulars intercept and engage the now distracted
US armor.

Puff the Magic Dragon and heavy air is available
to support the drive.

A heavy toll is exacted, but the insurgents win in 
the end.

Shadows of Brimstone, Alex Drumm game master.

 

A view of the Legion Hall in the morning.

Yes, I was even seen smiling.

Not pictured are the evening games of Wings of War with Bob Rondau and Mind the Gap with Armageddon '89 with Dan Wideman.

Finally, a shout out to the American Legion Post #38 who has worked with us for years to bring this event to life, and to the men and women who have served with honor.

Blood in the Sand

 A mixed coalition force disembarked from the River Witch and quickly dispersed a Mahdist force and prepared to march inland.  Their mission: to recover hostages held in the distant village or mosque.  To complete the job the "army" was composed of Royal Police, US Marines, German sailors with an Askari unit, and traditional British regulars.  The well-armed River Witch retained her crew for protection.  Rules are the classic The Sword and the Flame with 25/28mm figures.

It is a long trek across the table to the distant village.

While the mission seemed straight-forward enough, there was a kicker.  One of the coalition contingents had been bought off with the promise of gold and a tiny kingdom of their own.  Each of the four coalition players drew a card, the secret holder of the joker could time their treason at their own choosing.  Their mission, to make sure lots of prisoners fell into the hands of Osman Dinkus, the fourth Dinkus to hold the title recently.  (Big family, all bullet magnets.)

The Royal Police in the foreground and Marine squares beyond.

The objective and the worried prisoners.

At an early point a unit of swordsmen boiled out of cover and attacked a British square.  Gunnery dropped some, others became stragglers and some would not close, but one warrior persevered!

Bad picture, but he cuts his way through most of the square,
only being stopped by their officer, he alone retiring unhurt.

Elsewhere, another sword unit emerges from cover to
attack the lead Marine square.

Their charge comes up short, and then....

All paused with bated breath, expecting the American rifles to decimate the Jihadists.  But to their suprise...

Oops.  Lucky me.  I chose to reveal now since my
square had multiple coalition targets available.

Some helped double-team the Germans and Egyptians.

Centrally located, they took and gave a lot of fire.

Despite movement phases being cut short twice by flipping
jokers, the rallied hero charges again!  Eventually shot down.

Other Mahdi units hit the Egyptians as the Marines
fired into the melee.  Oh well.

A few survived that onslaught, only to be gunned down.

The German officer and one other drag wounded past
the British regulars who have fared well.

A laggardly pursuit happens as the coalition forces
seek succor.

Seeing the field littered with dead and wounded, the
Americans stand fast the rest of the game.

Amid good-natured ribbing, I did point out that it was the 4th of July weekend so I was just replicating shooting redcoats from 100+ years before!  The Mahdi units could pursue and I collected my own wounded and dead.

All the survivors converge on the safety of the River
Witch, defeating another sword unit along the way.

But wait, another surprise!  (Not really.)  The ship's crew
has been neutralized and the best cannon manned.  The
other two cannons had been dumped into the river by the
crew before being struck down.

Osman Dinkus rides forth at the bow!

And is promptly shot down by the enraged British.

And so the survivors recaptured the River Witch, taking no prisoners, and escaping with their shocking tale of treachery and deceit.  No doubt protests will be lodged at the appropriate embassies and reprimands issued, but in the end the Mahdist cause continues another day.  One other friendly fire incident took place and needs to be noted though.  As the Mahdi tried to swarm a British square the nearby German officer fired into the melee "to help," striking down a redcoat.  After seeing off the swordsmen, the British returned fire, ineffectively.  Though no more fire occurred, Lt. Baker-Baker, later Major General Baker-Baker, was heard to say "there will be a reckoning.  If not in this century, then the next."

Relief of Peking

The Three Amigos chose to have a blast from the past and pull out The Sword and the Flame along with 20mm/HO scale soft plastic figures for a Boxer Rebellion game.  The Coalition relief force of two British, two German, two French and two Russian infantry units, along with cavalry from England and Russia and two modern guns were to drive up the road to the relief of the besieged forces in Peking.  The Allies could enter anywhere along their long table edge and the Chinese all started concealed on a sketch map. 

For those unfamiliar with TSatF, it is card-driven for movement and combat results, d6s for variable movement and gunnery.  So all units will eventually move and shoot but you cannot predict how far with certainty.

British infantry and guns plus Germans arrive.  All Boxers are hidden.

French and Russians with all the cavalry on the other end.

A battery of Chinese regulars unmask and opens fire.

Ends up fairly effective fire.  Some figures are molded prone.

Despite a bunch of stragglers the cavalry eliminates the gunners
as hidden Boxers turn to face a new threat on their flank.

The Germans take out the Boxers and prepare to move as more
appear, as if from the ground.

From the woods storm three units of ill-equipped but fanatical Boxers.

British move forward to provoke the Chinese into closing as
artillery on the hill behind them fires overhead.

The French and Russians press onward after masking the woods.

The Chinese move forward, losing men to artillery and rifle fire.

The last British reserves are committed and the Chinese begin to rout.

Victorious but decimated, the Boxers pull away on the far right.

The battle reaches it's climax in the center.

Loses for both sides but the Coalition is successful

The victory becomes complete on the left as well.

The well-served artillery contributed mightily to the victory.

It must have been 25 years since I last played this system.  It has some goofy, Hollywood ways of resolving some things but is still a fun time.  Bob has a large collection so we may see more games, especially if the long-delayed new edition comes out.

Thanks for reading and