Playin' with the big boys

Big as in 1/32. Playing = test game of Nuts!

It has been around four years since I first acquired the rules with the intention of doing some squad level games of the Second World War. They had passed the read test, but what about a play test?

Stephen and Julian travelled up/over for the game.

July has been 'visitor season' for us, so I did not get a chance to re-read the rules before hand. The fellas were extremely patient as we used the first couple of moves to get accustomed with the basic mechanics. They are quite easy to come to grips with, albeit idiosyncratic, as were the details of shooting, mêlée and vehicles as we progressed.

Simple game, simple scenario. A couple of squads of paras making their way from the drop zone to the Arnhem bridge. German defenders in woods awaiting them.

The German infantry defenders (front) with possible reinforcing squad of Waffen SS behind (accompanied by a PzKpfw V).

Two squads of paras, one with jeep and 75 mm pack howitzer.

Julian advanced the first squad of paratroops carefully towards the woods, spread out and going prone at each 'step'.

Sgt Smithers and the other leadmen entered the edge of the wood, sparking an 'in-sight' test for the closest German defenders.

Successful with the test, the Germans opened fire, hitting Sgt Smithers who used his 'star' quality to downgrade the hit to a 'duck back'. Corporal Clobber and the other paras returned fire killing the German rifleman who had hit Smithers and taking Col. Klink 'out of the fight'.

Not a good opening for the German infantry with one rifleman 'definitely dead' and Col. Klink 'out of the fight'. However Cpl Harte and Pte Krak remained in place with the MG42.

Paratroops' grenade attack! Fell short.

Unscathed, Harte killed one of the paras and forced the others to take cover.

A second grenade attack also missed the target, but the charge by the paras was more successful. Harte and Krak killed in the ensuing mêlée.

Lead by Corporal Clobber, the paras prepared to advance further into the wood...

While this combat was occuring, Stephen brought the second squad of paras down the road, jeep and gun to the fore (a combined roll of 7 for the initiative had produced reinforcements).

Next turn, we rolled a double for the initiative, producing a 'possible enemy force'. The Waffen SS and tank entered the game.

Kaptain Konrad and his squad come on behind the Panther. It probably should have been a Stug to be more accurate for Arnhem, but that PzKpfw V looks so good!

The Germans seized the initiative, so the Panther moved towards the second squad of paras, stopped and opened fire with the main gun.

The thin-skinned jeep was no more, but Captain Flashman jumped clear (thanks to his 'star power') directing the remaining members of his squad towards the wood.

That brought an enjoyable little game to an end.

It had been great to finally have a go with Nuts! and to get the 1/32 figures back on the table after so long. Both will feature again at some stage for sure.

Thanks to Stephen and Julian for making this first game with Nuts! such an enjoyable experience with laughs a plenty.

Rules

Nuts! 4th Edition by Two Hour Wargames (2017).

Figures and vehicles

Airfix British Paratroops

Airfix German Infantry

Mars German Elite Division (Normandy 44-45)

Classic Toy Soldiers German Panther tank (camouflage)

Newray Willys Jeep 1/32 Scale Diecast Metal Model

Gun that came with a packet of toy soldiers

Out of sequence: All Hell Let Loose—Advance to Arnhem

This post is one out of sequence: a few turns of a Second World War game. It is clearly not related to my focus on the First World War and 1916 in particular, but does go back to late 2019 when I had painted and based some of the 1/32 figures of my youth (plus a few that I purchased to supplement them). These figures had sat, patiently, in one of the cupboards in my shed waiting for a 'run' on the table. Current projects and my focus meant that I had nothing planned for them in the near future. Then, enter my good friend serendipity.

Early last month, I was looking over some some of the many blogs that I follow and stumbled across a review of the rules All Hell Let Loose by the 'Emperor' over at L'Empereur Bête et Méchant. They sounded quite interesting, so I looked into them further, including looking at one of several links he had included; to the blog of the rules' author. I was further encouraged by what I read so, since they are available in a form that includes a pdf download and printed version, not super-cheap, but 'reasonable', I decided to get a copy.

Reading them convinced me that they could be worth a go. I had intended my activities for the Second World War to be at the squad level, but these rules, nominally company level for games from division to corps size, would allow games at these higher levels of operation. Even better, they have been written so as to be completely scalable and 'scale agnostic'. I decided to take the latter concept a step further and use the rules, pitched at 6 mm figures, with my 1/32 scale figures!

When I mentioned the idea to Julian he was super keen. We were getting together for one of our roughly monthly sessions, so it seemed an opportune time to try a few turns.

I set up a scenario loosely (very loosely) based on the advance of the 1st and 3rd parachute battalions following their landings on 17th September 1944. The paras were advancing towards Arnhem, having just passed through Wolfheze and would be opposed by German forces in the wooded areas to the east.

Battle of Arnhem 17th September 1944 (Source: Wikipedia)

 

My rough interpretation for this playtest. Third parachute battalion at left, first at right. Wolfheze off-board behind them, woods ahead. Using 1/32, each figure/50 mm^2 base represents a platoon. Each formation (e.g. the two para battalions has an HQ, represented by the officer & radio operator figures. I considered the vehicles  to have a 'footprint' of the same size; i.e. 50 mm^2 at the front-centre

We had a long catch up, dinner and a lot of 'chewing the fat', so only had time for a few turns, just managing to begin the action. We took a parachute battalion^ each, both deciding what the Germans should do. Julian carried out the firing and managed three hits from six platoons; 'destroying' one para—one of mine!
^ Re-reading a bit of the rules, these two 'formations' would be better considered to be part of one of the para battalions. This makes the scale more appropriate too.

Paras advance, not knowing that German troops await in ambush in the wood.

The first German formation springs the trap.

Six platoons fire on the paras.

Three successful hits, resulting in one platoon 'destroyed' (which represents no longer combat effective).

This was sufficient to demonstrate the potential of the rules and, pleasingly, that they could work with the 1/32 figures. I'll play a few more turns later and see how it turns out.