UB and sushi...

Made it out to UB for the Buffalo Area Consim Simulation Gamers (BACSIM) meet. Yes, the head of the group, Grant LaDue, knows that's a mouthful! Drove out in 90F degree weather, and my a/c stopped working (I drive a 12 year old RAV4, and it's been "touch and go" with the a/c for a few years now. Luckily, with all the windows open, there was enough of a breeze to keep me alive. Started off with a 6-player Pacific Typhoon, the card game of Pacific Battles. I believe I finished in last place. It was just one of those games... For the last 6 or 7 hands I had Admiral Halsey, which would have let me play two American ship cards instead of just one. In all those hands, I had Japanese cards exclusively, save for one hand where I had a wimpy American sub. Just the way the game goes, sometimes.

After that, I played two games of Combat Commander with Bob Titran. We played Scenario 23 from the Mediterranean set, which is an Italian vs. British fight in the Western Desert. No terrain, save for a road running diagonally down the middle of the board. Both sides start in trenches, and a British leader with a heavy machine gun has infiltrated "no man's land" during the night to set up a sniper's nest behind an abandoned truck. 6 squads for the Italians, 3 for the British, a medium mortar for the Italians, a light for the British, and both sides have 2 light machine guns. The British also have some off-board artillery, but special scenario rules make it difficult to use (as fire was sporadic, at best).

The first go round saw me as the Brits. Bob quickly pounded my sniper with mortar and machine gun fire, and he ended up running back to his friendly trench line, under a cover of smoke, heavy machine gun in tow. There after, the game became a medium/long range slug fest, and the heavy machine gun did quick work of any Italians leaving the trenches. A British squad was able to grab a couple objectives on the road, under a smoke screen, and this provided the margin for victory.

We then went out to lunch, it being mid-afternoon. We were going to just grab a burger at Red Robin, but we drove past a new Japanese place called Kyoto Grill, so we stopped there, instead. Bob had a shrimp/chicken hibachi dish, while I had a bento (sp?) box that had a beef/scallion dish, dumplings, salad, and a California Roll. We also had a few draft beers -- Killian's for me, Blue Moon for Bob. After the meal, as I came out of the bathroom, Bob had already picked up the check -- and it weren't a tiny one. Next time he's in Rochester I've gotta take him to a nice place...

After returning to UB, we switched sides, and the scenario played out very differently! I was able to kill his sniper right away, and then deny the Brits from using artillery for the rest of the scenario. Over time, the Italian squads moved out under smoke cover, capturing objectives, and even infiltrating the British trench line. By the time it was over, the Italians were in control of the board. It's a great game, and interesting how each scenario can play so differently each game -- goes to the strength of the system, and its inherent "chaos," something I both like and find quite realistic. In a tactical game, I don't want perfect control over my troops. I realize that's anathema to some, though it truly is much more realistic than knowing exactly what everyone can do every turn...

But we have games for 'em all, we do!

After the 2nd Combat Commander game, Bob hit the road, and I watched the 2 train games in progress. Nels Thompson and I talked about playing another game, but I was having trouble staying awake by then (beer, early morning, and old age, I guess!), so I decided to hit the road back to town. Nels lives in Buffalo and works in Rochester, so we'll have to get together one of these evenings, as it's been too long.

And, of course, it's always a pleasure to come home to my waggy-tailed friend who missed me!