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Hello i hve heard about these two skirmish WW2 games and i wondered if anyone has played them and could give a review of them?

IABSM is a very friendly sort of game. You pretty much have to be chums with whoever you are playing and a referee is suggested. It's more like a toolkit on how you would play WW2. There's a lot of reliance on the other guy trying to make sure you both have a good game---moreso than just about any minis wargame I've seen.

Can you give a run down or review of how it plays

I've got a brief summary on this TMP link. I've also copied my original post below to make it easier.

http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=96549


I must say, this is one of the best sets of rules I've played in quite a while. It doesn't get too bogged down in details and provides a great game. The following is a report filed on our local gaming site. Enjoy.


Backround: In the days leading up to D-Day. The Americans and
British ran a series of "Blue/Red" wargames. This report chronicles
the general action of a British Infantry Company going up against an
American Infantry company. Both consisted of HQ and three platoons
with no additional support. Both Companies had orders to take a
ridge between the two deployed forces

The British 95th Regiment Alpha company deployed with two platoons
advancing directly towards the ridge and with the third platoon
flanking to the right.

The US tried a similar tactic except that their flanking platoon was
to the left, directly opposing the British flanking force. The
Americans initially got a good start, but got slowed down while
rying to cross a creek. The US 3rd platoon on a flank attempt
managed to cross the stream at a bridge and advanced into a field
surrounded by hedges. They spotted the British 3rd platoon crossing
and open field further down the road and sporadic fire from the
Americans put the British 3rd platoon into the ditches as they dived
for cover.

Meanwhile, the 2nd British platoon managed to get into the woods on
top of the ridge and began taking up defensive postions.
Unfortunately two of the squads got tangled in thicker brush and
were unable to reach positions to see out the back side of the
forest. The complete 1st platoon was struggling to cross a series of
hedges and just having a "balls" of a time advancing.

The American 1st and 2nd platoons acting in concert managed to
assault the British second platoon in the woods producing a
devastating close range firefight. Remarkably, the British 2nd
platoon held on for a while but found themselves in such a
devastating crossfire that they were quickly whittled down to a few
skelatan sections attempting to hold their position. They almost
made it as the British 1st platoon finally entered the woods on the
left flank of the American 1st platoon and began to apply a
whithering fire. Unfortunately for the British 2nd platoon this
relief came too late. A lone mortar team eventually retreated from
the center of the ridge leaving the wounded and dead behind.

The two flanking forces became engaged in a long ranged firefight
exchanging rounds at a regular basis. The British managed to
infiltrate a section into a corpse of trees where they openned fire
on the entire American platoon in the hedge surrounded field. Their
position on the wooded hill provided a good field of fire and kept
the american 3rd platoon from advancing. This also resulted in their
taking an enormous amout of incoming fire, which the managed to
weather due to the excellent postions they found. Over time the
British sharpshooters managed to weaken the American 3rd platoon to
the point that they decided to withdraw their remaining men and
reposition. The battle weary americans retreated in staggered order
leaving a squad behind as it was in no condition to move and a
second was unable to keep up. They were fortunate that the British
3rd platoon was unable to organize an effective pursuit and the
REmaining Americans of the 3rd platoon managed to support the troops
in the central highland.

The British 1st platoon managed to do significant damage to the
American 2nd platoon with concentrated firepower. The American 2nd
platoon then attempted a half-hearted assualt attempt in which they
were beaten back and retreated to safer cover higher on the ridge.

With the British 2nd platoon broken, and despite the significant
casualties to the American 1st platoon, the British found themselves
in dire straits. The remainder of the American 2nd and the near
full strength, but scattered, 1st platoon pushed against the british
2nd platoon. The American Captain managed to get a squad with a MMG
in support on their flank and opened up. The withering combined
fire eliminated one of the three brish sections and the rest of the
British 1st platoon moved to a wooded corpse of trees nearer the
American sector. They believed the open field of fire between the
two forces would enable them to hold off the next american
offensive.

It was at this point the the stragglers from the American 3rd
platoon moved into a firering position and managed to get their MMG
into position. The Lt incharge of the 1st British platoon,
recognizing the futility of continuing, ordered a slow retreat. This
ended up being the right decision as their third platoon, while
still at nearly full strength, was having trouble negotiating the
rugged terrain on the far side of the right flank.

Conclusion: The americans managed to hold the hill. The cost was
high but acceptable.


This was a fun and entertaining simulation. Being our first action,
we muddled through the rules and found that it produced a great game
that gave us a feel for the nitty gritty of the battlefield. The
movement of Blinds provided an interesting fog of war that kept us
guessing. I highly recomend this for anyone who likes the simulation
of battles were you never have complete control. The battle ebbed
and flowed and the tide changed direcions at least twice. While
being soundly defeated, I had a blast. The terrain on the sand table
alos provided an excellent backdrop and helped "set the mood" Can't
wait till our next battle using IABSM.

Skipper

Skipper 12 Jan 2007 9:19 a.m. PST
I forgot to mention, we played with 6mm figures using unmodified ranges. I can't wait to get some more paint on the British then my Germans.