Ultramodern Wargaming – Ukraine 2024
Recommendations: 13004
About the Project
Lately, I've been running war games every weekend with members of the community via web conference. Players log on and play wargames with each other in real time, regardless of location, and we usually have at least a couple spectators as well. Many times it’s been Darkstar, but we’re also running wargames in Panzer Leader, Arab-Israeli Wars, and now Valor & Victory.
BoW/OTT community members @brucelea, @damon, @davehawes, and @rasmus have taken the plunge, leading battalions across thousands of meters of desert, starfleets in pitched battles across the heavens, or vicious firefights in the jungles of Vietnam, all without leaving the comfort of their home.
Hard-core, old-school command-tactical wargames can now be run (complete with spectators and recordings) in real time, with BOTH PLAYERS moving pieces across THE SAME virtual game board, thus maintaining player agency, speedy and instant results (no play by e-mail), interwoven turn sequences, any questions / feedback instantly received and addressed, and with the game being virtually recorded as it goes, a ready-made battle report can actually be created as we go.
All of this without the players having to install any new software on their computer, on any platform (PC or Mac). All that's needed is to agree on a time, a handful of dice, and a bellyful of courage!
Every weekend can now be a boot camp! All without costing me thousands of dollars in airfare, too!
Related Game: PanzerBlitz
Related Genre: Historical
This Project is Active
The Ops Center Returns Tomorrow
The Ops Center returns tomorrow with a four-part series commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the Persian Gulf War. Often known as Operation Desert Storm (or Operation Granby in the UK), this conflict is near and dear to some in the OTT community because they were there, “gaming” this conflict at 1:1 scale if you take my meaning.
Part One will go up on January 2. Subsequent parts will go up at two-week intervals.
We hope you’ll join us as we review this dramatic event, how to best wargame some of its more climactic episodes, the opposing armies, and the effects it had on the world going forward.
"The Crossing" - A Rare "Good" Historical Film
It is currently 8:00 local time in the east United States, and 244 years ago this hour … saw the opening of the Battle of Trenton (December 26, 1776).
YouTube has a pretty good upload of that rarest of species … the military historical movie that is actually pretty good. I have posted this below. Starring Jeff Daniels as George Washington, this film actually does a pretty admirable job at depicting what is probably the lowest point … and miraculous survival, of the United States military during the Revolutionary War.
Playing the Ardennes Offensive in SSI Panzer General
One more piece of Christmas content from the Sitrep Podcast, where we look at the SSI classic Panzer General and run the Ardennes Offensive scenario playing as the Americans and their British allies.
The opponents are an approximation of von Manteuffel’s 5th Panzer Army and Dietrich’s 6th SS Panzer Army, crashing through our sleeping winter front line roughly along the German border on 16 December, 1944. These Germans represent the best the Third Reich has left, hell-bent for Brussels and Antwerp in a desperate, last-ditch to force the Western Allies into some kind of a negotiation position in the waning days of World Waar II.
Suffice it to say the Americans in southern Belgium and northern Luxembourg are in for a very, very rough Christmas. The “Battle of the Bulge” rages well into January, with the tide largely turning near Christmas Day 1944 as the weather finally clears and American airpower re-enters the fray.
In the meantime, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Battle of Trenton Community Game
Hello everyone:
Here is the recorded stream for the recent game between myself and Elessar2590 – recreating the historic “Christmas Miracle” at the Battle of Trenton, December 25-26, 1776.
Battle of Trenton Live Stream Community Game
Sunday, December 20 we’ll be featuring our last weekend wargame for 2020 on the Sitrep Podcast. Given the Christmas Season, we’re recreating the complete Battle of Trenton in the Sitrep original Battlefield: Rebellion system. This will be a community wargame with “Oriskany” Jim and “Elessar2590” Dylan.
This was the famous “Christmas Miracle” that saved the American Revolution and kept the candle of hope in that war burning for just a few more weeks, long after the the Patriot Rebels had any right to hope for survival, let alone victory.
And I know we have mostly people from the UK on this site … don’t worry … we actually fight the Germans in this one. 😀
Wehope you’ll come by and join us to see a community wargame recreating one of the most important “Christmas Battlefields” in history.
Here is the complete map (more or less) of our upcoming recreation of Trenton, December 25-26 1776. The Hessians are asleep in their barracks, with no idea that a small (and desperate) American Army is about to descend upon them. army is 
Set up for the initial Hessian dispositions. The game has activation rules to see if and when the Hessians are alerted (there were guard houses and sentries, contrary to popular belief - they were just overwhemed by advance American troops and the surprise remained nearly total). Doesn't mean it will be like that on our table, though ...
The American Army ... the WHOLE American Army, December 25, 1776. Each figure is about 80 men. This really was the state of the US Continental Army, and really the whole military outside of fort garrisons and state militias, etc. Washington had started his New York Campaign in August with 20,000+ men. Five months later, he had about 2,000 left.
The Americans make their Turn 01 movement, with historical units, routes, and march orders.
The end of Turn 02, and here is where we will start our live stream later today. :D SO FAR ... the Hessians have not been alerted (guard shacks and sentries overwhelmed and captured with bayonets and swords). They get a roll roll at the beginning of their Turn 2 (not terribly great, but each of the three "Hessian" regiments gets a roll) but are automatically alerted once gunfire opens up. Narco Shootout - Mexico 2020 - Live Stream 7PM UK / 2PM US
Join us tomorrow when we run a live stream game, imagining a shootout between the Mexican Policía Federal and US DEA agents … against the dreaded “Los Zetas” drug cartel in northern Mexico.
It doesn’t get much more “Modern War” than this.
New Mexico Cartel Wars counters - female cartel shooters and MFP (values and names will change as I design the actual game). US DEA agents will also be in the scenario.Replay Videos - Valor & Victory in 1993 Somalia
This week we have run not one but two games of Valor & Victory – Modern Expansion – in 1993 Mogadishu, Somalia. The finished videos are now posted – perhaps fun to have on in the background while you paint up your latest batch of modern warfare miniatures.
The second game features new Delta Force units to jump out of my Little Birds, and tweaked helicopter rules from questions rising from our first game.
Enjoy!
Battle of Mogadishu 1993 - Valor & Victory Modern Expansion
Join us for a live game of Valor and Victory (Modern Expansion) as we revisit the setting of our most popular Valor & Victory stream ever. I’m talking about Operation Gothic Serpent, the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia, 3 October 1993. We’ll be trying out new helicopter counters for the US Rangers, as well as new and improved technicals for the Aidid SNA militia opposing them.
Completed map for today's game, 12 x 24 hexes, about four standard Valor & Victory Map Sheets
A small sample of the kind of thing we hope to see in today's game. 
