The Sharp End Gaming

Battle of Vimeiro, Portugal - Final Turn Doug at Cry Havoc and I just completed the 16 turn Battle of Vimeiro from the new John Tiller Software release "Peninsular War." I highly recommend purchasing this game.  It is now my favorite title from JTS and my favorite game right now. I've always been interested in the fighting in Spain since I first read about it in C.S. Forester's " Ship of the Line , "  (a great Horatio Hornblower title). Vimeiro features Sir Arthur Wellesley and the British holding a superior position with a slightly superior force.  His infantry advantage is almost 2 to 1  and the French advance is split into three columns. It is an incredibly tough nut to crack as the French player, compounded by a skilled opponent (Wellington in the real battle and Doug in the cyber battle). Doug and I have played a few PBEM scenarios from the JTS Leipzig campaign and I know he won't miss anything. He is well versed in this period of warfare...

Crossing the Mius is a my first scenario for the John Tiller Campaign Series. This scenario simulates 14th Panzer Division's approach on the port City of Taganrog on the Sea of Azov.  To seize the city the Germans needed to cross the Mius river.  This scenario pits a German recon battalion vs. a Russian rifle battalion. The village of Andreevo Melentyevo holds the first German objective.  The GE attack is two pronged.  A company of Schutzen supported by a company of armored cars approaches from the south through the village of Grudinov. The main thrust of KG von Bassler comes across the plateau which overlooks the river crossing.  Soviet defenses are just west of the objective and clustered on a small rise in the middle of the village. At this point I've swept past the Soviet defense of Andreevo and I am approaching the river crossing. The main road to the bridge is blocked which forces the vehicles into some wide, flat fields to the south of the roa...

I am on turn 4 of a 10 turn scenario for the Eastern Front Module of John Tiller's Campaign Series. (Available for purchase at Matrix Games' website).  This system is relatively easy to use which makes the gaming very accessible. This is the central area of the battlefield of this particular scenario.  Soviet tanks have broken through my line and I am trying to close it off with a Pak 40 and an Engineer platoon.  While almost two Schutzen companies supported by 3 machine gun platoons assail the flanks.  Not pictured, roughly two Soviet infantry companies and a company of tanks pouring fire into the woods held by my infantry to the south of the breakthrough. 

So far, my attack in the center has been stalled by two 37mm AT Guns and some supporting Polish cavalry platoons.  I've deployed an Engineer platoon, a number of tanks and two IG guns to break through here.   In the south my reconnaissance with my motorcycle units has struck a minefield and disrupted one of my units.  The second unit though has bypassed the field and is closing in on the Polish left flank.  The Polish objectives are between 2-4 km away now.   You can see the armor reinforcements I've received on turn 3 on the left edge of this screen.  I am purposefully holding them back.  I've moved an engineer platoon supported by a tank unit to assault the 37mm position south of the road.  The northern AT gun was eliminated by my own 37mm gun, some tank fire from a PZ IV and an airstrike! My flanking manuever to the north and south seem to be working so far.  The flanks are relatively unprotected and I've been able to move a...

Doug at Cry Havoc has a full AAR of this John Tiller Campaign Series scenario set in Poland.  After completing three of the tutorials, I decided to play this too.  One of my reasons is because there are so many scenarios to choose from I didn't know where to start!  The other is that it is set in the Eastern Front. I will try to also do a full AAR for this scenario when I am done.  It's bigger and more complex than the tutorials so I am interested in seeing how it progresses and how much time it takes. Extreme zoomed out 3D view.  The scenario objectives are clustered around the town of Gross-Klonia on the extreme eastern edge of the map.  I am playing as the Germans. My plan for this attack is to use my motorcycle platoons in a reconnaissance role. I've sent three forward.  One down the main road, another to the north using a dirt track in the hope of finding a smoother axis of attack against the objectives and one along the southern dirt ...

After reading Doug's post about John Tiller's Campaign Series ( JTCS ) and then doing some research about what the game has to offer (hundreds of scenarios, a full editor, etc.) I decided to spend the $29.99 to purchase the game. The bad : The graphics have a 1999 feel to them (this is less important than it used to be for me, don't let it dissuade you from looking at the title).  The UI takes some getting used to. Scenarios with more units than the handful I commanded this morning would be immense undertakings in terms of time. The good :  Great depth in missions. Full editor.  The Action points system (which covers all unit actions) is easy to understand. Turn 2 Allies: I am moving my LMG into some woods parallel to the fortified German chateau I am assaulting. While my infantry crosses a stream headed for some woods south of the German positions.  The cross-hair is from my mortar section which is just out of sight.  Turn 5 Allies:  This is t...