Binning Bag the Hun?

I've been a bit ill over the last couple of days and I'm now whacked up on antibiotics, so wargaming and modelling has been shoved to one side for the moment. I have, however, had plenty of time to think about what I'll be up to in the Autumn, which is looking like it might be quite free, given the lack of work around. I do have a few weeks of gainful employ lined up for September but after that who knows, so I might find myself with some extra time for a new project or two? 

One of the things I have been considering is a replacement for my erstwhile standard set of air wargaming rules, Bag the Hun, with something a bit more streamlined and fast play. I have played Bag the Hun to death and think it's about time I changed to a different, lighter and more flexible set of rules which don't need a hex mat. Not that Bag the Hun isn't a good system but I guess I'm just a bit tired of it after many years of playing and umpiring, not to mention writing scenarios and running participation games.

I have a few rules systems in mind but the one I'm thinking about at the moment is Sturmovik Commander, which has the bonus of being completely free. It's very streamlined and designed for fast play games, with no shortage of aircraft statistics, special rules and other extra bits to add some depth. I'm thinking of using it for 1/600th scale games, using the Tumbling Dice range of models that I've also been painting for the Wings at War series of games, specifically MiG Alley and Desert Spitfires. I've had a mind to switch scales from 1/285th for a while, so this would be a good opportunity to do so.

The Wings at War series is the other set of rules that I really want to get to grips with, as I have yet to actually play MiG Alley despite now having virtually everything I need including aircraft, flight stands, terrain and ground targets. I quite like the idea of some WW1 air wargaming with Duel of Aces too, although Desert Spitfires should really be my next Wings at War focus. In the meantime, I'm thinking of the Winter War for Sturmovik Commander as a possible starting point for a bit of plane painting over the next few months. 

I have a whole load more naval wargaming things to do first, however, so there's no rush!

Back Garden Bag the Hun

It was a lovely morning, so I set up a game of Bag the Hun in the back garden against my daughter, using the Deadly Pairs scenario as a starting point. She took on the role of the RAF with two 129 Squadron Spitfire Vb's flown by F/Lt Robinson and F/Sgt Blanchard, while I had two FW-190A2's of III/JG2 flown by Lt.Berchmanns and Fdw.Tomas. The sun was in the South East, both in the scenario and in real life, so it was also very hot. As a result, we played for about an hour before escaping into the shade for a cool drink.

It was an enjoyable game but not as much fun as the others we have played recently. There was a lot of manoeuvring for position and some really good tactical play by the sprog, but she found the gameplay slower and the card deck turn sequence frustrating, as she couldn't just do what she wanted. We both had a chance to fire at each other but missed, so there wasn't any turning point in the game that we could use as a way to determine a winner. A bit hit and miss in more than one sense.

It's a shame, as I really like Bag the Hun for multiplayer games, but that's just the way the rules work. I've been thinking of trying an alternative set of rules at some point, perhaps the old Blue Sky / Luftwaffe 46 series, which are similar but not turn card based, or even the free Sturmovik Commander rules which are very straightforward but still quite comprehensive. I might even try Check Your Six! again, even though I didn't warm to it when I've played it before, a long time ago.

Sturmovik Commander

I've been thinking about the potential of 1/144th scale model kits for WW2 air gaming again, with an eye on something suitable for a simple multiplayer, participation style club or show game. I had some initial thoughts about this 'upscaling' idea before and had picked up a few Zvezda and Revell aircraft model kits with this is mind. These kits are quite cheap and there are sufficient aircraft available to re-enact some early to mid-war low level actions on the Russian Front:

https://jimswargamesworkbench.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/1144th-scale-ww2-russian-front.html

However, I got stuck on a set of hex based rules to fit with the Hexon terrain that I decided to make use of, as the most convenient way to organise movement and firing. I was thinking of a simplified version of the original Bag the Hun but thought it might be too fiddly. I didn't even consider a non-hex based option until I found a download of Sturmovik Commander on the laptop hard drive. Now, this would be a potential set of rules to use, being hex less and relatively user friendly, not to mention being completely free. I will have to give them a closer look, especially as I have a very nice 6' x 4' winter terrain cloth that would be perfect!

http://assaultpublishing.com/sturmovik-commander/