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Made in ie
Buttons Should Be Brass, Not Gold!




Kildare, Ireland

Battlegroup NORTHAG - 750 point Company Level 'Escalation'.



A real humdinger of a battle last week... reduced Forward Screen units gave the British an early advantage but with the main component being dug in infantry platoons, the front remained largely static except for the Spetnaz LRRP and the British Scorpions buzzing around trying to poach objectives. An artillery delivered mix of mines and Hi-Ex was an unpleasant surprise for the Soviet infantry as they sat in their foxholes...



Battle was joined on turn 3 when the Soviet vanguard arrived and the T64A tank company drove full pelt through the town to try and force the British lines but ran into arriving Chieftains instead. A close range game of cat and mouse began in the town as tanks tried to get shots at each other with the short ranges being devastating to the T64As whose armour wasn't as great as the Chieftains, but both sides took losses and half the T64 company involved in a long range duel with two dug in Chieftains fared worse.



A sneaky move by the Spetsnaz poached the British objective, and another in no man's land was secured by part of an arriving T80 tank company and with two tanks knocked out, the objectives, the Soviet 'Advance and Hold' special rule and 'Tank Preservation' saw the British tank a whopping 9 chits in Turn 6...



Things turned to the Soviets...

Then two Lynx helicopters buzzed in and popped two T64s and it looked like things may swing back until the SA9 Gaskin popped one Lynx and fire from the Shilka forced the second to jink away. In return a Hind flew in low... followed by a second!



The Hinds launched attacks on a lone dug in Chieftain, knocking it out, but losing one Hind to a Rapier Battery that had arrived and managed to get off missiles thanks to a pile of 'Heroic Action' chits.



Burning wrecks and chits piled up as the T80s closed to engage the remaining Chieftains and finally the last Chieftain still holding out at the edge of the town fell victim to enemy fire. As a another Chieftain crew bailed out the the loss of this tank caused the British battle rating to be exceeded and the survivors pulled back. They had not broken the Soviet Battle Rating but the T64A tank company was largely destroyed, and the T80 tank company had also lost 30% of its vehicles.

A hard fought battle and the British, dogged by bad Comms rolls took a bit of a hammering...

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/08/27 14:57:43


 Strombones wrote:
Battlegroup - Because its tits.
 
   
Made in us
Monstrously Massive Big Mutant





The Wastes of Krieg

They made the Motherland proud, and brought the world closer to Proletarian revolution!
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





Central Valley, California

https://www.facebook.com/ThePlasticSoldierCompany/posts/2440763986031687

Pictures of starter sets and others up on Facebook. No other link i could find, but it's by Plastic Soldier Company and the Battlegroup page as well.

Interesting they chose 10mm for the scale. October pre-order deals soon.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/09/28 13:01:35


~ Shrap

Rolling 1's for five decades.
AoS * Konflikt '47 * Conquest Last Argument of Kings * A War Transformed  
   
Made in us
Powerful Phoenix Lord





PSC has said several times on Facebook that the 15mm market has stalled heavily, so they're taking a 10mm route, however the game is written to function with 10mm and 15mm, etc. So the scale you choose to play in is still up to you. Depending on price I'll probably take a crack at 10mm, since I think it's far more reasonable for modern stuff on a 6x4 table etc.

PS: PSC came out and said October 18, 2019 is the date for Battlegroup NORTHAG...but didn't say if it was a release, or a major info release, etc. It'd be superb if the book was coming out that soon.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/09/28 19:30:27


 
   
Made in us
Been Around the Block




 Shrapnelsmile wrote:
https://www.facebook.com/ThePlasticSoldierCompany/posts/2440763986031687

Pictures of starter sets and others up on Facebook. No other link i could find, but it's by Plastic Soldier Company and the Battlegroup page as well.

Interesting they chose 10mm for the scale. October pre-order deals soon.


I thought BG:NORTHAG was platoon plus sized. Do you really need upwards of 10 T-64s in the game? I was under the impression based on BG:Kursk that typical game size was about 35-55 infantry and maybe 3-6 vehicles including tanks/apcs/etc.
   
Made in us
Powerful Phoenix Lord





You can play the game in 10mm or 15mm, so I don't see why there would be an upper limit to the size of the conflict. Also, it's very possible that the conflict is more deadly so more models are put in place. With vehicles being able to shoot 3-5KM more easily, ambushes by guided ATGMs, more aircraft presence, etc...it might be expecting a higher/deadlier rate of engagement.

Ideally the game would also be 100% playable at a smaller scale, including a platoon or two each of infantry and a handful of vehicles. I don't see why the game won't scale both directions.
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran





Charleston, SC, USA

The game core is company level. So a company of tanks or mechanized infantry is the primary building block. Smaller and larger games are ofcourse possible.

Authors have been play testing it in 10mm, but as with BG WW2, can be played in most other scales. I would rule out 20 and 28 personally, but 6 or 15 would both be fine.

October is a pre order. Those that get in early will get the book and boxed sets around February, as opposed to the planned April release coinciding with Salute- ofcourse changes and delays are possible.

As Im limited to mostly a 5x6, I'm going with 10mm. The PSC army in a box deals will be a big help.

From what Ive seen, I think the game may even be better than Battlegroup, which in my opinion, is saying A LOT.
   
Made in us
Fickle Fury of Chaos



San Lorenzo, CA

 Strombones wrote:
The game core is company level. So a company of tanks or mechanized infantry is the primary building block. Smaller and larger games are ofcourse possible.

Authors have been play testing it in 10mm, but as with BG WW2, can be played in most other scales. I would rule out 20 and 28 personally, but 6 or 15 would both be fine.

October is a pre order. Those that get in early will get the book and boxed sets around February, as opposed to the planned April release coinciding with Salute- ofcourse changes and delays are possible.

As Im limited to mostly a 5x6, I'm going with 10mm. The PSC army in a box deals will be a big help.

From what Ive seen, I think the game may even be better than Battlegroup, which in my opinion, is saying A LOT.


I've been interested in Battlegroup but haven't played it. Can you tell me about it's strengths an weaknesses as a rule set? I'm a big fan of Fire and Fury's Battlefront rule set and there is a rules conversion for Modern 1980's combat, but I'm always looking out for good rules. Does the WW2 set include all nations or do you have to buy supplements for other nations? I'm wondering if the initial release of NORTHAG will just be BAOR and Warsaw Pac. I'm heavy invested in US and West Germany and Warsaw Pac.

Thanks, K.

Lurking & Posting since 1997.

 
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran





Charleston, SC, USA

Korthu wrote:
 Strombones wrote:
The game core is company level. So a company of tanks or mechanized infantry is the primary building block. Smaller and larger games are ofcourse possible.

Authors have been play testing it in 10mm, but as with BG WW2, can be played in most other scales. I would rule out 20 and 28 personally, but 6 or 15 would both be fine.

October is a pre order. Those that get in early will get the book and boxed sets around February, as opposed to the planned April release coinciding with Salute- ofcourse changes and delays are possible.

As Im limited to mostly a 5x6, I'm going with 10mm. The PSC army in a box deals will be a big help.

From what Ive seen, I think the game may even be better than Battlegroup, which in my opinion, is saying A LOT.


I've been interested in Battlegroup but haven't played it. Can you tell me about it's strengths an weaknesses as a rule set? I'm a big fan of Fire and Fury's Battlefront rule set and there is a rules conversion for Modern 1980's combat, but I'm always looking out for good rules. Does the WW2 set include all nations or do you have to buy supplements for other nations? I'm wondering if the initial release of NORTHAG will just be BAOR and Warsaw Pac. I'm heavy invested in US and West Germany and Warsaw Pac.

Thanks, K.


The first book in the Cold War series (NORTHAG) will only be British and Soviet. Other NATO nations will follow on with other books.

Lots to say about Battlegroup, but let's see if I can sum it up neatly. BG is a series of theater specific books that revolve around a core rule set. Equipment available to nations is restricted to the time and place of the book. Forces revolve around army lists such as panzer division, infantry division and so on. Play as a panzer division and you will have access to mechanized infantry, ECT...

The game revolves around breaking your opponents morale that consists of a Battle rating number that is aggregated by what you bring. A platoon of infantry gives you around 12, while two off table artillery pieces give you none. As your units die and become pinned, players must reach their hand in a bag and blindly draw a chit with a number on it. Once you gather enough chits that total more than your rating, your force morale collapses and your army quits the battlefield.

Short list of strengths.
1.Streamlined and easy to understand
2.Very historically accurate
3. Impossible to build "uber" lists because of the morale mechanic.

Best game on the market in my opinion. I take it to cons to demonstrate and highly reccomend it.

Soft back core rules should have limited lists for Canadians vs. SS in Normandy to get you started.
   
Made in us
Powerful Phoenix Lord





Yep, while it's been a while since I played some Battlegroup, it's just the best WW2 small scale game out there for what I wanted. It removes a lot of the "wargame" nature of stuff you find from Battlefront and GW etc. Originally it was self-published by Iron Fist Publishing and only recently(?) became a PSC product. I hope this doesn't change how the game was done.

Because it's not tied to a miniature line, there's no limit to what minis/models you use, nor is there a limit to what is put in the book. I hope this process continues. They have done plenty of solid research into the periods from the books/games I've played. There is a spotting requirement (units moving, firing, etc. become spotted easier). You can essentially shoot covering fire (fire into a building even if you fail to spot, and get hits on '6's etc.). Artillery is not on the table unless it's a simple mortar. You can have issues contacting your off-board artillery and aircraft. etc.

The morale chit system is superb, as your opponent remains blind to your plight. You can draw from 0-5 points per chit. So if your army breaks at 30...your opponent will have no clue if you're sitting at 22 or 9. They know making you draw more chits is good, but they can't "math" it out. Obviously in the bag there are different numbers of each chit, with 1-2 being most prevalent, etc. Likewise you could have a rather short game if you draw poorly five or six times in a row - which is historically accurate. Maybe your force believes they're facing stronger resistance, or simply don't have the time/force to dedicate to the fight so they break/withdraw.

While not super in depth or mega-chunky, the game rewards basic tactics. If you run an infantry squad in the open in front of a machine gun...you're going to have a bad time. The armies play differently, and have a lot of special rules which reflect historical issues. Armies can also develop during the war, as they did...so your Russian army fighting in Berlin will be completely different (not just units, but rules) from your Russians defending against the Germans in 1941, etc.

Vehicles have a very reasonable amount of info, with guns rated for armour piercing, high explosive, etc. This is an example:


Just enough detail without going really far into the weeds. Unlike some games which insist on making things a bit too even...Battlegroup accurately reflects the complete inability to hurt vehicles if you shoot crap weapons at them, etc. All in all, it's a reasonably priced, very well put together game. It's just heads and tales above other WW2 games that I've played, and most importantly it has no "arms race" which so many games fall into. Game stats are not tied to model releases (I hope this continues as PSC is now publishing the line).

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/10/01 21:08:29


 
   
Made in us
Buttons Should Be Brass, Not Gold!




Kildare, Ireland

Just to note...

Battlegroup WW2 and Battlegroup NorthAG are different rulesets.

While some parts are similar and some parts have the same mechanics, they are very different games. Dont expect NorthAG to be like Battlegroup.

It's a whole new game as it's for a new period, though its lineage will be clear to Battlegroup players.

NorthAG is a larger game setting than BG, so yes... expect to field 10 - 20 Soviet tanks.


NorthAG will only have the core rules and BAOR and Soviet army lists, but will be followed by a CentAG book containing lists for the rest of the Warsaw Pact and NATO.

Its split into two softback books in order to keep production and postage costs down.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2019/10/04 21:45:08


 Strombones wrote:
Battlegroup - Because its tits.
 
   
Made in us
Powerful Phoenix Lord





Well, that's unfortunate news! I was rather excited to see a similar game. Guess I'll have to watch a bunch of reviews/games when it hits the market instead of pre-ordering. On the plus side...could save me a bunch of money
   
Made in gb
Buttons Should Be Brass, Not Gold!




Kildare, Ireland

Well it depends what you mean...

NORTHAG uses the same chit system, same morale, and same firing mechanics. Alot of the mechanics are the same.

Its army building and fire resolution on infantry is different. Its overall feel is different too.

Same design team, but tweaked to suit a Cold war battlefield.

So not really unfortunate as BG as it was didnt suit Cold War to us... so we changed it.

 Strombones wrote:
Battlegroup - Because its tits.
 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





Central Valley, California

Big P wrote:
Well it depends what you mean...

NORTHAG uses the same chit system, same morale, and same firing mechanics. Alot of the mechanics are the same.

Its army building and fire resolution on infantry is different. Its overall feel is different too.

Same design team, but tweaked to suit a Cold war battlefield.

So not really unfortunate as BG as it was didnt suit Cold War to us... so we changed it.


With the same design team, I'm confident NORTHAG will be a quality experience. Sometimes cutting and pasting a
rule set into a different time period simply doesn't work.
Thanks for the info and updates. Looking forward to more.

~ Shrap

Rolling 1's for five decades.
AoS * Konflikt '47 * Conquest Last Argument of Kings * A War Transformed  
   
Made in us
Leutnant





Louisville, KY, USA

Big P wrote:

NorthAG will only have the core rules and BAOR and Soviet army lists, but will be followed by a CentAG book containing lists for the rest of the Warsaw Pact and NATO.

Its split into two softback books in order to keep production and postage costs down.
I know this is in PSCs hands now, but any idea how far out the CentAG release is? As long as I've been waiting for NorthAG, I'd hate to think I'll be forced to decide between buying into an army I'm going to trash/sell off as soon as CentAG comes out, or waiting a few more years to play the army I'd prefer.
   
Made in gb
Buttons Should Be Brass, Not Gold!




Kildare, Ireland

 Carlson793 wrote:
Big P wrote:

NorthAG will only have the core rules and BAOR and Soviet army lists, but will be followed by a CentAG book containing lists for the rest of the Warsaw Pact and NATO.

Its split into two softback books in order to keep production and postage costs down.
I know this is in PSCs hands now, but any idea how far out the CentAG release is? As long as I've been waiting for NorthAG, I'd hate to think I'll be forced to decide between buying into an army I'm going to trash/sell off as soon as CentAG comes out, or waiting a few more years to play the army I'd prefer.


We haven't been advised of a release date for CentAG but we are working on it anyway while NorthAG is in beta testing.

Personally I'd hope it follows the core game quite quickly... but that's all up to PSC now they have bought up Battlegroup and NorthAG.

 Strombones wrote:
Battlegroup - Because its tits.
 
   
Made in us
Pewling Menial



Atlanta, GA/USA

I noticed that NorthAG is set in '83. That's post-Falklands when the Brits established fast-roping from helos - is there any chance that is a real mechanic in the rules?
   
Made in us
Powerful Phoenix Lord





I don't doubt transport via Helicopter will be a thing. I doubt they'd differentiate fast-roping vs. landing for a quick drop off (as we did in Vietnam). The mechanic will probably be the same.

Now, if the Brits will have actual transport helos as a model/unit option is another question. At 10mm scale, and larger "armies", it'd be fantastic to have that as an option.
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran





Charleston, SC, USA

 Elbows wrote:
I don't doubt transport via Helicopter will be a thing. I doubt they'd differentiate fast-roping vs. landing for a quick drop off (as we did in Vietnam). The mechanic will probably be the same.

Now, if the Brits will have actual transport helos as a model/unit option is another question. At 10mm scale, and larger "armies", it'd be fantastic to have that as an option.


Transport Helicopters are in. Recent play test battle report had Soviet Paratroopers ferried in by Mi-8 to take an objective. Lots of cheap 1/144 helicopter kits available too.
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





Central Valley, California

Any word on pre-orders? I thought that was anytime now,could be mistaken.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Quick Google search pulls it right up.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/10/27 20:36:50


~ Shrap

Rolling 1's for five decades.
AoS * Konflikt '47 * Conquest Last Argument of Kings * A War Transformed  
   
 
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