Translating WWII Tank Armour Into Tabletop Wargaming: How Realism Meets the Table

In WWII, tank warfare was deadly, complex, and evolving at a breakneck pace. From the lightly armoured early-war Panzer IIs to the hulking late-war Panthers and IS-2s, both offensive firepower and armour protection saw radical changes. Real tank crews didn’t just rely on thick armour—they used tactics like angling their vehicles, going hull-down behind terrain, or positioning to encourage glancing blows. But how do we, as wargamers, bring those layers of complexity into our miniature games?

That’s exactly the question explored in my latest YouTube video. We look at how several major WWII wargames approach the representation of tank armour, including Flames of War, Rapid Fire!, What-a-Tanker! and Chain of Command. Each of these games takes a different stance on how armour is modelled—some use it as a “save,” others calculate penetration directly, and some abstract the whole process for the sake of fast, cinematic play.

We also dive into the history behind real-world tank armour innovations, like sloped armour, side-skirts, and spaced plating. Understanding these developments can not only enrich our gameplay but deepen our appreciation for the tank crews who risked everything during the war.

Whether you're a seasoned tabletop tactician or just starting out in historical gaming, this video offers a thoughtful and engaging look at how we recreate tank warfare on the tabletop. It’s packed with hobby discussion, rules comparisons, and respectful historical reflection.

Hunting Big Cats in the Normandy Bocage

Tiger Tanks and Panzerschrek teams lurk in the woods and Bocage of Normandy 1944. This What-a-Tanker battle report combines several games testing out my supplementary rules that bring Panzerschrek anti-tank teams into the game.   

The rules are nothing fancy, just an A4 sheet of very basic rules using tokens (some of which are Blinds) for the movement of Panzerschrek teams in the Normandy Bocage in the summer of 1944. If you want a copy just drop me a line with your email address and I'll be happy to send them to you.

Tank Duel at Breville

Today I thought I would share a very short video battle report that follows from the game I posted on my channel on Friday. I recycled the same terrain for a very quick game of What a Tanker!

The game was pretty short, but good fun none-the-less. 

The Busy Wargamer

I was off work last week and despite a bit of a slow start, I got a lot done while I was off. I managed to get in a couple of Solo games, film them both for my YouTube Channel (the first will be posted for viewing on Friday) to get some painting completed and I've had a big reorganization of my room to make more space for some new terrain.

Wehrmacht Checkpoint

The latter items were prompted along by the fact that I wanted some of the pieces for my most recent Chain of Command game. In particular, I needed a German checkpoint with a gate and guard hut.

I bought these from Peter Pig a few weeks ago but I didn't get time to finish them for the Painting Challenge. The models are metal and very nicely cast so there was little work needed cleaning them up. The set comes with the Guard Hut, the swing bar gate, and the sandbag wall. There is also a small drum stove but I haven't painted that yet.

Polybian Romans

I have also been busily rebasing some of my 6mm ancients figures. Actually rebasing isn't exactly true, I have changed the size of the bases the figures are mounted on. Madness I hear you cry, and you'd be right. This picture shows the Hastati, Principes, and Triarii of my Polybian Roman army as there originally based (on the left) and the new compact basing I have moved towards on the right.

The Romans had a line exchange maneuver that allowed them to swap fresh troops into the front line and the To the Strongest! rules have a new way of representing this in the game. I still needed to be able to move the lines of troops forward and back but they are now a single deep unit and the original basing gave them a massive footprint on the table. By cutting the empty half of the base off, and placing the strips on a movement tray, I can swap the lines around as needed in a much more compact and visually pleasing way.

Solo Wargaming

As indicated in my introduction I have managed to get a couple of solo games completed and filmed for Battle Reports, the first of which will be on my YouTube Channel on Friday. Both games were exciting to play out and have reinvigorated my enthusiasm for solo games. I'm still looking forward to getting back in the Shed-o-War for face-to-face gaming, but that is still a few weeks away.

The Fictional Punic War game The Battle of Aquilla will be available to view on Friday.

..and the equally fictional Assault on Morris Battery (a Chain of Comand game) will be available to view next week.

And there's more!

In addition to solo wargaming, I'm currently hip-deep in two remote games that are more about overcoming the fog of war and command and control than pushing mental figures around the table.

The first game is a Seven Years War clash being organised by one of the Rejects. It's being managed via email and our job is to issue the orders with the mechanics and movement being handled remotely by the umpire.

 

The Battle of Stoliboz has been as much about fighting the fog of war as it has the enemy but everyone taking part is enjoying the game immensely. Check out the game updates on the Don't Throw a One blog if you want to know more.

The other game is with another group entirely (flirting with other gamers!). I was approached by a long-time reader of this blog and author of Vultures Wargaming Blog to join in a game of What a Tanker using WhatsApp to issue orders. We are still early in the game but it's been another excellent lesson in trying to see through the fog of war (literally!).

 

This is the grainy B&W Aerial Recon picture of the battlefield we all started the game with. It's littered with the wrecks of vehicles from earlier games and has been largely blanketed in early morning mist up till now. I'm one of the two Allied players and somewhere on this map the enemy is lurking.

The game is still at an early stage but it's been great fun so far. We get updates in the form of photo's from the tank commander's perspective so figuring out even where my co-player is has been a challenge.

I'm back at work this week so I expect things to slow down a little but the remote games will keep me busy for several weeks and I'm working on some more 6mm figures for ancient gaming, so keep your eye's peeled for updates on this next week.

Tank Battle at River Cottage

Last week I posted a Batrep for a Chain of Command game set in Normandy 1944 which kept me happily occupied in the early part of the Half Term holiday. I had a few days off work but we weren't going anywhere so I decided to keep myself busy getting in some Solo games. It took me a couple of days to set up the terrain (I'm very fussy!) and I completed a full game of Chain of Command which saw my American Riflemen beat a German Infantry Platoon who were ensconced in a Normandy Farmhouse. When I'd finished the game I packed away the figures but decided I didn't want to break down the terrain set up I'd built instead reusing it for another Too Fat Lardies game, What a Tanker!

The Setup

The action in this game is set earlier in the day before the infantry arrives and sees a Tiger I face off against a Sherman M4 and a Firefly. I've played a few games with the Tiger before and I knew from experience that it's a tough nut to crack so although the Allied tanks came in at more points I didn't feel that this was an unbalanced game. 

The Action

As with my earlier Batrep, here's a picture of the setup, this time showing the Tiger coming in from the left and the M4 and Firefly coming down the lane from the right. 

You may notice that this layout differs only slightly from the Chain of Command game I posted last week. The shell craters at the main road junction are missing...but I'll come to this a bit later! 

As with my previous Batrep, I'll be listing the dice rolls for Command Dice for each tank so you can see how I decided to use the dice. I'll list the dice in order, from one to five. Any 6's are at the end where they belong but I'll try to show what I converted them to by striking them through and listing the conversions afterwards in italics (where I remembered to write it down!). Later in the game, as temporary damage is taken, you'll notice the number of command dice being reduced or increased as the damage is inflicted and repaired. 

You'll also notice that the order in which the tanks go varies because I'm rolling for initiative each turn which occasionally made for some interesting moments! 

Turn 1

Tiger 111345 - The tiger is unbuttoned and remains so throughout the game... partly because that's how I did the model but also to improve its vision and therefore targeting opportunities. The Tiger moves towards the junction but poor movement dice means it doesn't get all the way there. 

Firefly 112345 - The Firefly is in front of the M4 so moves out of its way by driving to the bottom of the hump-backed bridge. Its a tall tank so can still see over the bridge, giving it a 'hull down' position. The commander can't see the Tiger yet so doesn't acquire the target this turn. 

Sherman M4 11136611 - The perfect set of dice to be honest. The Sherman's engine roars to life and the tank surges forward. It makes it to the stream, crosses, and still has enough movement (using the wildcard dice for movement) to get to the field gates in a bold flanking move. If it can get behind the Tiger it can get a rear shot while the Firefly keeps it busy to the front.

Turn 2

Tiger 11256623 - The Tiger moves up to the junction and Acquires the Firefly (converting wildcards to Acquisition dice) but doesn't have enough dice to aim and fire. None the less the Firefly command must be having palpitations as he looks directly down the barrel of that 88!

Sherman  M4 1224461 - The Sherman using its wild dice to get more movement in and is now almost behind the Tiger in a hope to force it to shift position. 

Firefly 2234563 - The Firefly commander is able to Acquire the Tiger (it is VERY visible right now!), orders the gunner to aim and fire. The shot is on target but rather disconcertingly the AP shell impacts uselessly on the Tigers frontal armour. 

Turn 3

Tiger 335666111 - The Tiger goes first again and now the commander has a decision to make. He has the dice to shot at the Firefly but he's about to be flanked by the M4, so instead he decides to shift position. The Tigers engine belches black smoke and it lurches forward down the road to the farmhouse. A 90° turn puts it in front of the Farmhouse with a close-range side view of the Firefly. He's unable to fire this turn but it will force the Firefly to move. 

Sherman M4 1135561 - The Sherman moved across the Wheatfield into the road but can't acquire this turn.

Firefly 1122361 - The Firefly commander is a little perturbed to have the Tiger pointing its huge gun at his side armour to decides to reverse 90° into the field and use the Bridge to obscure itself from the Tiger. Both tanks loose acquisition in this careful games of chess. 

Turn 4

Tiger 2555661 - With the Firefly temporarily retreated the Tiger reverses out of the farmyard back on the road, shielding himself from the Firefly with the building, but now facing the M4 down the main road. The Target is acquired and the gunner is aimed but there are not enough command dice to fire the gun... maybe the mechanism jammed or the gunner wasn't quick enough. The Sherman Commander's life flashes before his eyes! 

Firefly 11246622 - The Firefly commander decides that he needs to change position again. He gets out onto the road and over the bridge and while he can acquire the target again he's not in a position to fire just yet. 

Sherman M4 334562 - The commander has a moment of rash bravery and decided to fire at the Tiger rather than trying to reverse out of trouble. The shot hits but once again the round bounces of the Tigers armour. The commander's heart sinks little knowing that inside the Tiger the German crew are more than a little alarmed at the second resounding strike on them. No one likes being shot at, no matter how thick the armour! 

Turn 5

Sherman M4 1224463 - The Sherman commanders luck holds as he gets to go first. Another round of AP streaks towards the Tiger tank scoring three hits. The Tigers armour should have shrugged this off but with just two saves it takes a point of temporary damage! The Tiger will operate with one fewer command dice until repaired. Having hit its target the Sherman reverses back into the wheatfield and out of view. 

Firefly 23456633 - Now the firefly gets to shoot, converting wild dice to aim dice to improve the shot. It scores three hits on the tiger but with 5 saves the shot impacts harmlessly on German armour. 

Tiger 22345 - No drive dice to move, not enough acquisition dice to see the Sherman through the Bocage and no wildcards to repair the damage. There is little the Tiger can do this turn. 

Turn 6

Tiger ????? - For some reason, I didn't write down the dice roll this turn (sorry) but again little happened and the Tiger is still in the sights of the Firefly. 

Sherman M4 ?????? - Yep still didn't make a note of the dice but with no drive dice amongst them the Sherman can do little this turn. 

Firefly 4566661333 - With some wild dice the Firefly takes very careful aim... scoring 5 hits on the Tiger. Three saves mean the Tiger survives for now but as most of the hits were criticals the damage is permanent so the Tiger lose one command dice which cannot be repaired. The hull is hit damaging the running gear so the tiger will move a little slower in future. 

Turn 7

Firefly 344455 - Perfect timing for the Firefly to win initiative. It takes aim, fires, reloads, fires a second time and reloads again. The first shot impacts harmlessly on the Tigers armour but the second hit does more temporary damage to the already beleaguered Panzer. 

Tiger 16Repair - The Tiger repairs a point of temporary damage but that returned command dice will only be available next turn so, for now, all the Tiger can do it try to get out of the Firefly's view. The Panzer reverses (slowly) behind the farmhouse. 

Sherman M4 14556623- The Sherman commander senses the wounded Tiger and decides to continue shooting at it. The M4 pulls into the road again and fires, but once again its shell impacts harmlessly on the Tigers impressive frontal armour. 

Turn 8

Tiger 336Repair - All the Tiger can do now is repair the temporary damage and hope its armour holds out long enough to give it a chance.

Firefly 1222461 - Having lost acquisition of its target the Firefly decides to change position and box the Tiger into its current position. The Firefly moves up to the junction with ample move to take up a partially concealed position behind the farm's pigsty where it reacquires the Tiger. 

Sherman 12246631 - Once again the Sherman nips out into the lane, acquires its target down the road, aims and fires. However, this time in its haste to shoot it misses its target entirely. Using the last wild dice it reverses back into the field and relative safety. 

Turn 9

Sherman M4 34456611 - Once again it nips out into the road, aims, reloads another AP and fires before darting back into cover. This time the shot is on target but predictably the hit is saved by the Tigers armour. 

Firefly 1244563 - Shifting position slightly the Firefly hits the Tiger once again with its 17pounder gun. The shot is on target but once again the Tigers formidable armour shrugs off the impact. 

Tiger 1344 - The Tiger commander has some wounded (possibly dead) crew, damage to the running gear of his tank, the inter-com is on the blink so he having to shout orders and all the remaining crew are being deafened by the gong-like clang of AP rounds hitting their armour. 

Turn 10

Sherman 1133465 - Another move into the road, aim and shoot again on target but with little effect. The Sherman commander curses orders the gun reloaded and reverses the tank back into the field again to take some concealment from the hedgerow. The fact that the Tiger hasn't fired in a while suggests the enemy is having some trouble. 

Tiger 366Repair x2 - One of the unconscious crewmen is revived and the intercom is fixed (two wild dice used for repair) so the Tiger regains two temporary damage and will be back up to 5 command dice next turn...if it lasts that long! 

Firefly 1122463 - The Firefly moves again but is able to aim and fire once more inflicting two temporary damage on the Tiger once again!! The Tiger crew are now sooner repairing the damage that they are receiving more. If they don't fire back soon this fight will end only one way. 

Turn 11

Tiger 226Repair - The Tiger does the only thing it can, repair some damage and hope to survive long enough to hot back. 

Sherman M4 1133465 - Convinced now that the Tiger is critically damaged in some way the Sherman commander hoves out onto the road and rolls down to stop next to the Firefly. Taking careful aim its shot is on target but once again ineffectual. 

Firefly 1134565 - Aims while reloading from the last turn then fires and reloads again. This shot is critical and deals another point of permanent damage and cripples the Tigers running gear even more.

Turn 12

Tiger 445 -Again the Tiger can do nothing and the crew are too shaken even to make any repairs. 

Firefly 135666445 - The Firefly gunner aims carefully, and prepares to out two rounds into the crippled Tiger. The first hit slices into the Panzers weakened armour, hits some of the rounds inside and with a muffled WHUMP the commanders hatch blows open and flames shoot skyward. 

Analysis

Well, that was a very satisfying game which went on longer than I expected. The Tigers armour is formidable, shrugging off multiple hits from both the Sherman and the Firefly. In the end, it was the 17pdr gun in the Firefly which did the job. Once the Tiger started to take damage and was unable to move out of sight of the Allied tanks it couldn't repair damage as quickly as it was taking it. 

Shortly after this encounter German artillery bombarded the road junction in response to a request from the Tiger commander, radioed in just before he was killed. The Allied tanks skedaddled and German infantry took possession of the Farm as a forward command post. The burning Tiger was recovered and hauled away from the road just before some American infantry arrived to try and take this important position back from the Germans. 

Shootout at Akarah Oasis - Socially Distanced What a Tanker

Over the weekend I did a YouTube video that mentioned a planned game of What a Tanker to take place over the interweb for members of the Rejects. Well, that game took place yesterday and I have to report it was a huge success. Four members of the group took part and I umpire the game and did all the dice rolling and necessary admin to make the game work even though all the participants were dialling in from various locations. I've just posted a new video that shows a little of what we did, but here are some more pictures of the game and a summary of the rules changes I implemented to make the game work while socially distanced. 

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In order to run this game, and make it work, I needed to make a few changes to the rules. The aim was to reduce the amount of dice rolling required...primarily because I would be doing it all, and there was already a lot to do. Most of the changes worked well although having completed the game there are a couple of things that need refinement and I'll discuss these below. First off though here's a picture of the setup in my Operations Room.

The rules changes I made:

• Fixed Command Dice - Rather than rolling for command dice at the start of each turn I gave each tank a fixed set of command dice. This reduced the amount of dice I needed to roll each turn and sped up play. So each tank had command dice for Drive, Aquire, Aim and Shoot and two wildcard dice*. 
• Always loaded - Rather than use a command dice for reloading I decided that all tanks would reload automatically. That freed up one dice to be converted to a Wildcard dice. 
• Always Buttoned - This just simplified the tank Dashboard for remote players. 
• No Damage - I ignore the damage chart entirely, just taking damage as either Temporary (ie repairable) or Permanent. Again a simplification for remote players and the umpire alike. 
• *TwoWildcard Dice - These enabled players to boost specific command dice when needed, either for more movement, to acquire targets or improve aim. I also allowed players to opt to use both wildcard dice to reload and fire a second time in a turn. This gave plenty of tactical options for players to think about. 

For the umpire (me in this instance) there were several changes that needed to be incorporated aside from the rules discussed above.

• The Umpire Rolls - All dice rolling was handled by me. I used a dice tray and rolled the relevant dice in the tray, in view of the camera, so players could see what was happening. 
• Removing Damage - When a tank took Temporary or Permanent damage I removed the relevant number of command dice, starting with the fixed dice, leaving the wildcards to last (so that temporary damage could be repaired if the player wanted to make that choice). I would roll a d4 dice to decide which command dice was effected. Again all rolls were done in view of the camera so players knew I wasn't cheating! 
• Initiative rolls were also handled by me to randomise the turn. I think next time I'll try to find a better way to do this, just to speed up this bit of the game. 
• Movement -  Each player would describe the direction of movement, or desired destination, and I measured and moved the tank for them. 
• Frikin Lasers! - I used a laser pointer to check lines of sight. This worked well for remote players who couldn't get down to eye level to check for themselves. However...
• Moveable POV - I placed the video camera (my phone) on a tripod overlooking the table but I regularly took it off to get close up shots of the table or the Tank Dashboards. All players could at any time ask for such a closeup if they needed it and I think this helped a lot with the remote aspect of the game. 

We used Zoom (a web app primarily used to facilitate meetings) to gather together. Meetings are usually limited to 45 minutes (unless you subscribe) but we were able to reenter the meeting multiple times and keep things ticking along for a couple of hours, during which we got two games done.

Participants were able to focus on either a split-screen like this, to see everyone or just a single screen like the tabletop. Feedback from the guys suggested the quality of the video feed was a bit variable but as already indicated I was able to bring the camera in when they needed more clarity or a close-up view of the table. Overall I think Zoom worked well for a small group like this, but I think it would have been more challenging if we had had more players. Having said that, additional participants need not have been playing, they could just join in with the banter and follow the game.

All in all, I think this worked very well and I can see us trying out other games like this in the coming weeks, especially if we find ourselves socially distanced for many months.

The Panther Hunt

A few days ago I put away all the Frostgrave Terrain and started to put together a Normandy table for a game of What a Tanker. The Rejects and I ran a demo of this a few weeks ago at Skirmish (probably our last show for a long time!) and I decided to use a cut down version for a game at home on my small table. Once again I used the Panzerfaust Rules that I write for use in this game. 

The Setup and Order of Battle

So the layout is just a variation of the one we used at Skirmish. Lots of Bocage, small fields, a farm and a couple of downed gliders and a few dead cows to set the scene. The Allied player (the Padawan) started the game with two tanks, A Firefly and an M4 Sherman. Facing them I had a Panther and control of the Panzerfaust teams. The Table is small, just 4ft by 2ft 6", but with all the terrain we'll need to get fairly close to acquire our targets. 

The Action

The Setup...lots of Bocage and small fields.  

There isn't a lot of room in my room so we used some of my storage boxes for the tank Dashboards, dice etc. 

The Padawan looks so thrilled to be playing something historical....

The Firefly gets a turn of speed on and whips around a road, keeping as much cover as possible between it and my panther. In the process, one of my Panzerfaust tokens comes within 6". It is spotted and destroyed...but it was only a cow! 

Meanwhile, the M4 rather boldly sticks its nose out into the road and acquires the Panther. With a perfect set of dice, it gets two shots off against the frontal armour of the Panther, inflicting some temporary damage. 

My Panther crew easily repair the damage and try to acquire the more dangerous opponent, the Firefly. However, the Padawan has positioned her tank well and I can't get line-of-sight. 

The Firefly moves behind the farm building, only exposing itself when there is minimal cover between it and the Panther. 

Meanwhile, the M4 continues to get multiple shots on the Panther, again inflicting temporary damage. 

The Firefly now has the panther in its sights....

BOOM! Two well-aimed shots rip through the frontal armour of the Panther sending its turret spinning skyward.  Huge plumes of acrid black smoke belch from the hull, and it's game over. 

Well, that was disappointing for the Germans!!

Analysis

Playing my daughter at home is starting to feel like punishment duty! Three games on the trot. In her own words, she had her arm twisted to play, come in, blew my shit up and left! Game over in under 30 minutes. 

I really need another hobby...

Panzerfaust Teams in What a Tanker

So over the weekend myself and fellow Rejects Ray and Stuart headed down to Sidcup for one of our regular game shows. It's a small affair based in a school and usually features a handful of demo games and traders. We usually make an effort to attend, especially as it's only a short run in the car to get there for us three at least. Several times we have said we should run a demo game here and a few weeks ago Ray suggested it again. I blithely said, "I'll run a game of What a Tanker" without doing the math in my head...I had less than three weeks to throw together a game! Well, the show is over, the game was a success and we had a blast. I think we may very well be doing this again. 

I wanted to run a 1944 game of What a Tanker set in the Normandy Bocage country as I had a lot of terrain ready for use, and most of the vehicles I would need. However, I also had an idea for a 'special rule' to use Panzerfaust Teams in the game. The rules don't include infantry teams but I really wanted to give the Allied player several things to think about, not just "where is that blasted Tiger"! The following rules were the result. I did a bit of playtesting before the game but the real test was on the day and I think they added a new element to the game that was very interesting. 

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The German player can deploy two Panzerfaust Teams on the table. For each team, the player will be given three blinds/tokens, only one of which will be marked to confirm this is the team and the others are red-herrings.

Movement - 6”
Range - 6”
Strike Factor - 6

When an enemy vehicle comes within 6” of a token the Allied player can roll to see if he has spotted anything. However normal target acquisition rules on arcs of visibility apply. When ‘buttoned up’ the visibility arc is 60° to the front of the vehicle plus 60° to the front of the turret if it is pointed in a different direction. When a vehicle is ‘unbuttoned’ the commander and crew have 180° visibility to the front of the vehicle plus 60° to the front of the turret. If the Panzerfaust team is outside the visibility arc of the Tank Commander and his crew it does not have to be revealed unless the controlling player wishes and can continue to move as hidden until spotted. Alternatively, the German commander can choose to reveal the token and commence an immediate attack.

When a Panzerfaust token comes within 6” of an enemy tank - and if it is in the visibility arc of the Commander or Crew as described above - then the allied player rolls 1d6 to spot the enemy team.

• 1,2,3,4 “Must have been an animal” - The Tank commander sees nothing. The token is revealed and if it is a Panzerfaust Team the German player makes an immediate attack roll.
• 5,6 “Enemy Infantry!” - The tanks MG’s spray the area with bullets. The German player reveals the token and if it was a Panzerfaust team, it is destroyed.
• Tank commanders that are ‘unbuttoned’ get a +1 to the roll because their visibility is better.

When a Panzerfaust team is revealed, if it is not destroyed, it must make an immediate attack against the closest enemy tank. Consult the Attack rules and treat just like any other shot on target. Note the following:

• Panzerfaust teams attack with a Strike Factor of 6.
• They are automatically considered to have Acquired their target, are Aimed and are Loaded.
• As the range will be 6” or less the to-hit number is 6 on 2d6 with the usual modifiers as stipulated in the shooting rules.
• Panzerfaust teams that are in contact with an obstacle ignore that first obstacle for the purposes of modifiers, just as a vehicle would.
• These are one-shot weapons so when the attack is completed (successful or otherwise) remove the team

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The effect of this simple bolt-on rule was to give the Allied player an interesting tactical conundrum. 'Buttoned up' they have a better chance of survival against the Tiger but have less chance of spotting a Panzerfaust team sneaking upon them. The Panzerfaust has the potential to destroy a tank like a Sherman but its more likely to cause some damage that could prove crucial later in the game. Its a balancing act that gave the allied player plenty to think about. It also made the game more interesting for the German player as he had to move his tokens to bring them within the very short range of 6". 

Anyway, I commend these rules to the community, hope you find them useful. 

Spring Skirmish - Rejects go on a Tiger Hunt

Somewhere in the tangled lanes and tiny field of the Normandy Bocage, there is a Tiger Tank on the loose. Reports have come in of allied vehicles being destroyed and bad weather has made aerial recon impossible. This one tank (let's hope it is just one tank) could hold up the entire advance in this area. It needs to be rooted out and destroyed and a British tank commander has been given the unenviable task of dealing with it. It doesn't help that there are also reports of German Panzerfaust teams lurking in the countryside... this mission is going to be rough. 

Just three weeks ago the Rejects decided we would put on a demo game at the Skirmish wargames show in Sidcup, and somehow I got volunteered to put together a game. I'm still not sure how that happened, but despite the short preparation time, I think we were able to put on an entertaining game and a visual spectacle for visitors. I already had pretty much everything I needed for the layout and thankfully the What a Tanker! rules are easy to play. My main task (aside from a little painting) was to come up with a twist that made this game a unique and interesting element both for players and visitors. I wanted to bring in some infantry, namely Panzerfaust teams, to give the allied player something extra to think about. I'll publish these rules on the blog tomorrow, and I have tried as far as possible to keep them simple and in keeping with the basic ruleset. 

As usual, I took a lot of photo's but let's start with a few shots of our Demo Game before I move on to more general pictures of the show.

The Setup was planned with my available terrain in mind. As usual, we did a handout and table sign for anyone that was interested. 

At least two of the four British tanks had to start on the two roads. 

Airbourne troops have been here before...but none of them are around now. 

Several woods dot the area...any one pf which could be harbouring a Tiger!

The Big Cat is finally exposed when it opens fire, destroying a Sherman M4 with one shot in its side armour. 

It was mid-day and I still hadn't even looked at the other games! 

A burning Sherman and several half-tracks litter the battlefield. 

Postie won both games and poor ray could only look on and photobomb!

In between running the game we also found time to look at the other demos on display. There is always an eclectic mix here with Skirmish games next to full wargames and historical battles cheek by jowl with sci-fi. Not everyone's cup-of-tea, but I like it. 

Rainham Wargames Club were also playing What a Tanker, but they stuck to the brief and set in in 1940. 

Their game features a Char B1 and some Panzer Mark I & II's

Next to them were the guys from Skirmish Wargames. I did take one of their excellent handouts but try as I can't find it! Sorry guys! 

The Camera Team captures it all from above. 

The Privateers of London running their game Operation Catapult. 

Maidstone Wargames were using another Lardie ruleset, Chain of Command. Very impressive terrain...I was taking notes!

28mm looks really good with all this terrain. 

Milton Hundreds Wargames Club run a game called Enter the Zone

Nicely done chaps. 

Gotta love a bit of Star Wars. 

The Young Padawan would have loved this... it's her own fault for not coming to the show with me. 

The Old Guard

The Painting Demonstrations

Tunbridge Wells Wargames Society

There are only a handful of traders at Skirmish, with a bit of a lean towards model builders and toy soldier collectors. Having said that I always find something to buy and this time was no different. In particular, I made a special request of Debris-of-War and they made me a couple of packs of their winter tufts so hats off to them for being so customer responsive. I ended up going back to their stall and buying more stuff (yet more resin terrain). The Magazines were freebies being given away by the show organiser. Very nice, I'll enjoy looking at these. 

I think we will definitely run more games at Skirmish. Maybe next time we can get Ray to run a Donnybrook game? That is, of course, if it goes ahead. It looks like many of the larger wargames shows could be impacted by the growing Coronavirus crisis (not to strong a word now I think) an Skirish may be the last show were get to for some time. Let hope things have settled down by the Autumn when this show is back on in September.