Airlift Into Demyansk!

Flames of War is burning bright here at the Wargate!  Going into it's second consecutive season, the WWII battle game has captured our imagination and hunger for knowledge.  The Eastern Front project has been very edifying, to say the least.  Now, we're going into The Demyansk Pocket to see what happens to our intrepid companies as they continue their tour of duty across Russia and Germany.

The real story of Demyansk begins with the encirclement of Kholm a month earlier.  Those interested in the actual events can begin their research here.  Though Russia historically won the war, in Demyansk the actual outcome is different.  Here, the Germans hold out for an entire year after our battle here is over.  Our regiments taking part in the battle around Demyansk will fight there - until Stavka reassigns them!

General Winter is a rule that's in effect for the campaign that simulates some of the effects of the extreme weather.  It makes it harder for certain actions to be accomplished, due to heavy snow, mud and the rugged Russian countryside.  This will add an element of urgency and danger to all maneuvers undertaken in what is sure to be a grudge-match campaign!

The State of Play is up!  We have some interesting stuff going on in the next few weeks as well, so make sure to stay up to date by visiting our FaceBook page!  We have a big meeting at noon on Sunday to discuss some new initiatives and this years' projects, so until then komrades - stay warm, stay alive, and I'll see you on Game Day!

Brave the Halls of Moria!

It's been quite some time since we've visited Middle-Earth.  Not for the lack of trying, however - we've literally been so swamped with mad gaming it's coming out of everyone's orifices.  Yet, the new season starts next game day, and The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game has it's triumphant return to Schedule 1!

This time, we're trying some nifty new things new all around.  The campaign is more of a dungeon crawl than an open wilderness battle.  It's set amidst a fouled reconnoitering of Moria by several groups of Men, and their mad flight from evil while trying to grab anything of value that they can along the way.  The terrain used will reflect the constricted areas of fighting, and the maps will resemble Dungeons & Dragons maps more than the sort we're used to.  Yet, we hope to open a discussion on how this sort of game can be achieved and look forward to sharing ideas all around.

This season's Halls of Moria (which has it's page on the State of Play -->) will be played cross-chapters!  That's right folks, the Smith & Co. down at the Texas Chapter will be fighting for treasure as well!  We will be holding a conference with those guys during a very long overdue reunion that is set to take place sometime in the next week to go over everything, but rest assured we'll see a lot of action in the first wargames season!

We're readying a metric ton of cool stuff to be traded / eBayed off for some of the stuff on the itenerary.  A full inventory and budget plan will be presented on Game Day in the next few weeks.  Big thanks to all the movers and shakers out there - you know who you are.

Be sure to check out the State of Play to get the skinny on the new campaign! We love your comments here, but cruise by FaceBook as well to discuss The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game, or whichever game you like.  Just remember to keep as quiet as a goblin in the dark whilst navigating the unforgiving chambers of Moria...

2014 Campaign Schedule

Howdy folks!

2013 is wrapping up, and so is the last season of the year.  The Toropets-Kholm Offensive has been great fun, and this last year we had five total wargames campaigns.  We had 3 RPG campaigns, 4 if you count Greyhawk as two!  That's a pretty good haul for the year!

So what's in store for next year?  We've got a ton of awesome games coming up, that's what!  We're excited about the upcoming games, and the projects are ramping up.  In order to help facilitate some of those, we're posting the 2014 schedule so everyone can see it.

Wargames Seasons

1. (January -February)  Lord of the Rings (Schedule 1) and Flames of War (Schedule 2)
2. (March - April)  Clan Strife
3. (May - June)  Warhammer 40,000
4. (July - August)  Warmachine
5. (September - October)  Warhammer Fantasy Battle
6. (November - December)  Flames of War

In addition, there are two major RPG campaigns planned for 2014 as well.  In March, we begin a Dark Heresy campaign that will cover the next few months.  We're really going to put some time into that one, and stretch the system as far as we can before adding any of the other 40krpg books to the mix.  After that (November) Legend of the Five Rings, 4th Edition will be on the table to go along with all those clans - what with their strife and all.  I personally am looking forward to that one - with GM Skim at the helm, I'm sure the samurai swords will all be sharp.

Signups will be required for most campaigns coming this year, and we'll get your Lord of the Rings signatures this coming Game Day.  Also, we're excited to be working with The Smith and our Texas Chapter to get some serious gaming done in 2014.  We love working with other game clubs, and to that end there's a lot of potential stewing up.  There's wars and rumors of wars on the horizon, so don't take this schedule to mean this is ALL we're doing next year.

You should still get your giant robots ready, though.  You'll probably need those.  Dragons, samurai and Nazis are all optional.