Knights, Danzig, and an Emperor’s Pet Elephant: A Crash Course in Impetus

Not too long ago, Max and I received an exclusive introduction to Impetus at the clubhouse of "Zamgwürfelt" in Munich, hosted by Bernhard and Bernhard, who also provided the miniatures. We played a 400-point game fielding Imperial Germans against the Teutonic Order, the latter reinforced by a contingent of allied troops from Danzig.

True to tradition and ancient custom, the German princes have always preferred to beat each other over the helm with great enthusiasm. Exactly what the dispute was about could no longer be recalled by anyone involved afterwards—only that it crashed and banged thoroughly, leaving more than one rather dented helmet behind on the field of battle.

We were far too busy grappling with the new rules to produce a proper, detailed AAR, so today we are making an exception with just a few photos and commentary.

I promise to do better in the future!

The deployment—Imperial Germans at the bottom, whose left flank I am commanding, and the Teutonic Order at the top, whose left flank Max is leading (in this case, the Danzig contingent).

My command, consisting of light cavalry with crossbows, a unit of crossbowmen, infantry, and two heavy cavalry units.

That lot rolling straight toward me, including heavily armored knight-brethren on horse and on foot... this is going to be so much fun ... 👀

The men of Danzig march up with flying banners and standards.

Center and right flank of the Imperial Germans—perhaps a bit dry to look at, but solid blocks of infantry and cavalry. The elephant is the Emperor's pet and did not participate in the fight 😂

I try to maneuver into favorable positions to prevent the knight-brethren from deploying their full force and to weaken them with ranged fire beforehand; otherwise, things promised to turn quite ugly for my troops.

Meanwhile, the units in our center and right flank are deploying as well.

My cavalry secures the hollow way through which enemy cavalry can only approach single-file. My crossbowmen are supposed to drive the skirmishers out of the wheat field so they can target the dismounted knights, while the heavy infantry provides cover.

The Danzig forces charge headlong and recklessly straight into our infantry...

... and pull off a breakthrough!

The cavalry on our right wing immediately finds itself in trouble as the Danzig troops ruthlessly exploit their success.

The knight-brethren charge; I counterattack and manage to push them back, but that’s about it. One of my cavalry units is now in a rather awkward position, currently wondering how on earth they managed to get themselves into such a spot.

Somehow our cavalry manages to stabilize the situation, and the Danzig troops run out of steam.

The overall situation—we are holding firm on the left, while the center and right flank, though thinned out, managed to turn the tide and are now advancing victoriously against the rest of the Danzig forces.

The skirmishers are chased off the battlefield, the Order's light cavalry doesn't dare advance, and I succeeded in pushing back both the dismounted and mounted knight-brethren! At the same time, the Order's center and left flank completely collapse, and the remaining Danzig troops flee the field. Consequently, the Teutonic Knights are left with no choice but to retreat as well to avoid total annihilation.

Conclusion

The game and the rules were an absolute blast! A big thank you once again to Bernhard and Bernhard for providing the brilliantly painted miniatures and introducing us to the Impetus rules.

Unfortunately, we’ve really caught the bug now. Especially since another interested player joined us during the match—we’ve all agreed to launch an escalation campaign: the Peloponnesian War. More details on that will follow here on the blog very soon 😉

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The Road to Warsaw: Testing the "Scourge of Princes" Rules for Large-Scale 17th-Century Battles

After Max and I expanded our respective armies for By Fire and Sword well beyond the task force level—Max taking the Imperialists and myself the Swedes—we are now looking for a suitable rule set for larger battles.

The background is that we have chosen a joint project: the "Battle of Warsaw 1656." This three-day battle between Sweden and Brandenburg on one side, and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Crimean Tatars on the other, ended not only in a Swede-Brandenburg victory, but ultimately paved the way for Brandenburg's transition from an electorate to the Kingdom of Prussia, while also signaling the decline of Poland as a great power.

Max and me have shortlisted a few rule systems, which we will play at least 3–4 times each to gauge them properly before making a final choice.

We are kicking things off with Scourge of Princes by Sam Mustafa; the basic rules with an army size of 100 Ducats each seemed like a sensible starting point.

Engagement at Geroldshausen

The Thirty Years' War is in its death throes when advancing Imperialists encounter a roughly equal force of Swedes near Geroldshausen.

The Imperialists form a strong cavalry wing on their right flank, supporting their numerous horsemen with a unit of commanded shot and enjoying the advantage of fielding light cavalry there as well. Their two infantry regiments, together with two batteries, form the center, which is also assigned a cavalry unit in reserve. A unit of dragoons is tasked with securing the forest on their left flank.

The Swedes likewise form a strong left cavalry wing, assigned an infantry unit to serve as an anchor point onto which the horsemen can retreat if necessary. Two infantry regiments and two batteries also make up the center for the Swedes, but on the right flank, three dragoon regiments are ordered to advance decisively and use their numerical superiority to take control of the forest as quickly as possible, throw back the enemy dragoons, and threaten the Imperialists' flank and camp—forcing them to potentially pull units from their left flank or center. At least, that was my plan...

The initial deployment—Swedes advancing at the bottom, Imperialists at the top.

The extreme right flank of the Imperialists—light cavalry and commanded shot try to force the Swedes to wheel inward.

The center and left flank of the Imperialists, alongside the Swedish dragoon regiments advancing into the forest.

Well-aimed fire from the imperial artillery immediately takes its toll on my infantry.

The Imperialists wheel one of their infantry regiments inward and advance into the forest.

The left wing of the Swedes; the cavalry lines are closing in on one another.

The Imperial light cavalry attempts to outmaneuver the Swedes.

Inside the forest, progress has ground to a halt; the three Swedish dragoon units are bogged down, and orders are in short supply to effect any change here.

The Swedes are forced to deal with the light horsemen and launch an attack to clear some breathing room.

The Imperial cavalry seizes the moment: after one of their batteries punishes the Swedish infantry, they charge...

... while simultaneously, the resistance of one of my Swedish infantry regiments collapses in the center—the combined fire of artillery and imperial infantry eventually became too much.

The battery posted to the left of it seemed like easy prey for the cuirassiers, but they were stopped just in time by our own heavy cavalry...

... and instead of capturing the battery, they took to their heels themselves.

The last of my infantry regiments in the center desperately tries to hold firm and buy time, even though it is on the verge of breaking.

Made it, but just barely—the victorious horsemen from the left wing come storming up.

My infantry collapses indeed, but the imperial troops follow suit shortly after, as they have no answer left for the attack hitting their flank.

And on the left flank as well, after fierce melee combat, everything turns out well in the end for my Swedes, leaving the Imperialists forced to clear the field.

Conclusion:

Max and I liked the rules extraordinarily well—they are quickly learned, produce a fluid and coherent game, and the momentum points used to maneuver units are a scarce commodity that must be deployed thoughtfully. As in real life, a battle becomes very difficult to control once it has begun; keeping to as simple a plan and setting a clear main effort (Schwerpunkt) are, just like in history, the keys to success.

Fortunately for me, neither Max nor I had quite realized this, so we ended up getting bogged down, and only with more luck than sense was I able to turn the tide and win the engagement.

My dragoons on the right flank were completely wasted given how things played out—I should have either made this my main effort and committed my commander there to push forward forcefully while the infantry center held back and the cavalry wing waited; or acted as it happened, but held the forest with only one, maximum two dragoon regiments and positioned the remaining dragoons on the left flank to attack there.

You wouldn't believe how quickly you run out of momentum.

In any case, we are already looking forward to our next game, this time including the advanced rules.

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Rangers Lead the Way: US Forces push out of Gela at Ponte Dirillo

Due to vacation and a subsequent wave of work-related stress caused by holiday understaffing, it’s been quite quiet here on the blog for a while—but that is changing right now.
Despite everything, we still found time for a few games, and the battle reports will follow gradually as I find the time to sort and edit the photos, not to mention writing the reports themselves.

Today, we kick things off with our primary system, naturally Chain of Command:

The landed US troops attempt to break out of the Gela beachhead against the stubborn resistance of Italian Bersaglieri.

The vanguard of the attack was formed by a Ranger platoon, supported by a squad of Goumiers.

The latter advanced toward the farmstead and dug in, tasked with drawing fire and pinning down the enemy suspected to be in the small village of Ponte Dirillo.

Meanwhile, the entire Ranger platoon was ordered to advance northward under the cover of the olive groves east of the village, preparing to envelop it from that flank.

However, the Bersaglieri had similar ideas, and two of their squads suddenly opened fire from the citrus plantation. But at least a third squad and the anti-tank gun squad were pinned down around the village, and this distance made it difficult for the single Tenente (Senior Leader) to keep track of everything and intervene if necessary, as he was leading from the front "like in the good old days."

The Ranger platoon also deployed out of the olive grove and took up firing positions along its edge and a heavy firefight ensued, in which the Rangers ultimately gained the upper hand.

On one hand, the Bersaglieri struggled with a lack of maneuvering space and couldn't bring their full potential to bear—unlike the Rangers, who also benefited from a Goumier team firing into the Bersaglieri's flank.

Complicating matters further, one Italian leader after another was wounded or killed, causing the Bersaglieri morale to collapse rapidly, forcing them into a retreat.

Not helping matters was the specific "Patrol" scenario rule we were playing: "The first player to lose a Command Dice loses the game and abandons the table."

The area around the village of Ponte Dirillo is defined by agriculture: wheat, olives, and citrus fruits.

The village awakens, cows are driven to pasture—just another normal day.

Morning breaks at the farmstead too, the rooster crows...

..but then all of a sudden the peaceful atmosphere ends as shots rip through the air. Darby’s Rangers have advanced to the attack, their vanguard reaching the edge of the olive grove.

Opposing them, Bersaglieri take up positions along the edge of the citrus plantations.

A squad with 20mm Solothurn rifles takes up position on the edge of Ponte Dirillo.

A Ranger squad is caught in the crossfire from the citrus plantation and Ponte Dirillo—pinned down by suppressing fire and taking heavy hits.

The two Bersaglieri squads lack room to maneuver and have to split their fire between the Ranger squads in the olive grove and the Goumiers—not exactly an advantageous position.

An overview of the situation: Even though part of the right-hand squad couldn't place their shots as precisely as expected of Rangers, the Bersaglieri couldn't withstand the combined firepower of three squads for long, lost their leaders, and finally had to execute an orderly retreat.

Conclusion:
In contrast to me, Max rolled multiple double phases, which theoretically could have left me watching from the sidelines. However, thanks to accumulated Chain of Command points, I was always able to intervene dynamically: on one hand, minimizing higher casualties through "Hit the Dirt," and on the other, using "React Fire" to halt a Bersaglieri push into my positions because they had to duck for cover themselves.

This mechanism of CoC points is truly brilliant. No player is ever genuinely inactive, unlike in other game systems with a rigid "I go, you go" structure; usually, you always have a way to actively influence the action.

And my Ranger list, including the special rule "Rangers Lead the Way," performed exceptionally well once again without upsetting the game balance in the slightest.

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Small Scale, Big Impact: Testing My Eyes with some Iron Warriors Marines for Legions Imperialis

And now for something completely different ...😎

I wanted to test whether I could paint in really small scales again following my eye surgery, and 6mm seemed like the perfect challenge. However, I didn't want to buy a whole new set of figures just for a test run.
As it happens, my gaming partner Max had plenty of figures waiting for paint—specifically for Epic 40k and Legions Imperialis. He kindly brought me a box of Space Marines, and in return, I painted a unit consisting of three infantry bases and one command base for his Iron Warriors Legion, for free of course.

I have to say, the assembly and painting went surprisingly well, and I’m quite pleased with the result, but judge for yourselves:

Unfortunately, just from doing the necessary research on appearances, color schemes, and background lore for Epic 40k / Legions Imperialis, I’ve caught the bug... the Imperial Fists are calling my name louder and louder! 😂

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US Forces in the MTO: Ranger, Rifle, Parachute, and Armored Rifle Lists for Chain of Command v2

Here it is: the army list for CoC v2, completing my mini-series on the US Rangers.

Since the Rangers didn't follow rigid equipment structures but rather adapted their weaponry flexibly to each specific mission, I have integrated these variations as options within the available support choices.
For instance, in more defensive missions, the standard BARs were often replaced by M1919A4 LMGs, or additional BARs and/or SMGs were issued to the platoons when more firepower was required for offensive operations.

In addition to the Ranger lists, I have included lists for other US troops deployed in the Mediterranean theater, as well as the support options available for battles in North Africa, Sicily, and mainland Italy.

I also recalculated the US Rifle and Parachute Platoon lists using the new v2 CoCulator. For the US Armored Infantry, I arrived at the same Force Rating (+6) as listed in the rulebook.

Please follow the link to download the PDF here:
US Forces in the MTO

Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions or if you spot any errors I might have missed!

Part 1: Rangers Lead the Way! Origins, Training, and Organization in World War II

Part 2: From the Desert to the Cliffs – The Ranger Force in Action in the Mediterranean Campaigns

Part 3: Darby’s Men on the Tabletop - Adapting the Rangers to Chain of Command

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Darby’s Men on the Tabletop - Adapting the Rangers to Chain of Command

Welcome back to the 3rd part of my little series covering the US Rangers.

Let’s look at how a Ranger Platoon actually operated at the tactical level and how we can translate this into an Army List for Chain of Command - of course tailored for the 1943 Mediterranean Theater our group prefers.

This list including the available Supports will be ready next week to upload it on this Blog.

Darby’s Rangers: Table of Organization & Equipment (1942–1943)

Patterned after the British Commandos but utilizing American equipment, the Ranger organization evolved rapidly between the landing in North Africa (Operation Torch) and the fighting in Sicily (Operation Husky).

High-Level Organization: Force X and the Battalion

In Sicily, specifically for the Gela landings, Colonel William O. Darby commanded a provisional grouping known as Force X.

This was a reinforced task force consisting of:

• 1st Ranger Battalion
• 4th Ranger Battalions
• three companies of the **83rd Chemical Mortar Battalion** (armed with 4.2-inch mortars)
• 1st Battalion, 39th Engineers

Ranger Battalion

For us wargamers, a Ranger Battalion is kind of a unique beast.

Unlike a standard US Infantry Battalion, which carried heavy logistical weight, the Rangers were a lean "all-killer, no-filler" force designed for shock action and night infiltration consisting of:

• Headquarters Company
• six line companies (Able through Fox)

The total authorized strength was approximately 26–31 officers and 434–473 enlisted men each.

The Ranger Company

(useful for games like Big Chain of Command, O-Group etc.)

The company was the primary tactical building block.

By the time just after the North African campaign, the structure had been refined to move heavy equipment out of the platoons to keep them as mobile as possible - real Light Infantry!

Company Headquarters (Command Section)

• Company Commander (Captain)
• First Sergeant
• Clerk
• Messenger/Orderly (often armed with a submachine gun)

Two Rifle Platoons (for their organisation see down below)

Company Support

Following a reorganization in July 1942, the 60mm mortars were centralized at the company level. This section included two mortar squads, each with:

One 60mm M2 mortar and a 5-man crew (Sergeant, Gunner, Asst. Gunner, and 2 Ammunition Bearers)

Authorized Strength: 3 Officers and 63–67 Enlisted Men.

The Ranger Platoon

In CoC terms, a Ranger Platoon is compact, aggressive and packs a surprising amount of firepower at close range, though of course it lacks the raw manpower of a standard US Rifle Platoon.

A historical platoon numbered only about 25 to 30 men and consisted of:

Platoon Headquarters

- Platoon Leader: 1st or 2nd Lieutenant (Senior Leader)

- Platoon Sergeant: Staff Sergeant (Senior Leader).

- Messenger: Private/PFC (Armed with an M1 Thompson SMG)

- Sniper: T/5 or Private (Armed with an M1903A4 Springfield with telescope)

Two Rifle Sections, each with

- led by a Sergeant (Superior Junior Leader)

- an Assistant Section Leader (Corporal, just another Rifleman regarding the list and member of the BAR Team).

- Scout Team: 2 Scouts (one armed with an M1 Thompson, one with an M1 Garand).

- BAR Team: 1 Gunner (M1918A2 BAR) and 1 Assistant BAR man (M1 Garand)

- Rifle Team: 5 Riflemen (M1 Garand rifles - one rifleman is equipped with an M2 Rifle Grenade launcher)

Authorized Strength: 1 Officer and 25–31 Enlisted Men.

Support Weapons Pool

Darby had what his executive officer called a "fetish for firepower". 

While the platoons were light, the battalion maintained a weapons pool in the HHC to be distributed as needed:

• M1919A4 .30 Cal Machine Guns: Initially 1 per section, these were pooled at the battalion level after July 1942 to keep the assault sections fast. They were issued back out for defensive missions.
• Bazookas: Each battalion was issued approximately 14–20 of them. These replaced the British .55 cal Boys Anti-Tank Rifles the Rangers had used in training.
• 60mm Mortars
• 81mm Mortars: Sometimes used to replace 60mm mortars for heavy-duty beach assaults (e.g., Arzew).
• Large supplies of "sticky" grenades, thermite grenades (White Phosphor grenades) and Bangalore torpedoes for demolition work but used against tanks in the fightings in and around Gela

Darby’s Cannon Company (The "Aces")

Following the armor threats at Gela, Darby permanently integrated mobile heavy support, formed August 1943 at Corleone, Sicily:

• 4 M3A1 GMC (Gun Motor Carriage) - M3-Half-tracks armed with 75mm guns

They were named after the card suits: Ace of Hearts, Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Clubs, and Ace of Spades and were used as aggressive, mobile direct-fire artillery and for anti-tank defense.

One of the M3A1 GMC of the Ranger Cannon Company (looks loke it´s the Ace of Diamonds)

Special Rules

Some special rules for Darby´s Rangers I´m thinking about to include in the upcoming Army List:

• Rangers are Aggressive
• "Rangers Lead the Way!": Rangers ignore the first point of Shock received when moving in the open, and they treat rough/broken terrain as normal terrain when executing a *Run* action.

What do you think? Too much special rules or would they be appropiate to portrait the characteristics of these men?

See you next week when I will upload the finished Army List for the Rangers!

Part 1: Rangers Lead the Way! Origins, Training, and Organization in World War II

Part 2: From the Desert to the Cliffs – The Ranger Force in Action in the Mediterranean Campaigns

Part 4: US Forces in the MTO: Ranger, Rifle, Parachute, and Armored Rifle Lists for Chain of Command v2

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Hell over the Bocage: P-47 Thunderbolts vs. the Luftwaffe

Last Saturday, I finally had the opportunity to play a session of "Check your 6!" with Bernhard, Stefan, and Marc. The scenario, titled "Hell over Bocage," was part of a weekend-long Bolt Action campaign focusing on the D-Day landings.

The Mission: The German Luftwaffe, represented by Bernhard and Stefan, fielded four Bf 109s and two Fw 190s. Their objective: protect two vital supply columns heading toward the front to reinforce the defense against the landings. Column One consisted of tanks, protected by a Sd.Kfz. 7/1 flak vehicle; Column Two was a convoy of trucks carrying infantry and ammunition, also escorted by a Sd.Kfz. 7/1.

Marc and I were tasked with intercepting them. Each of us commanded four P-47D Thunderbolts. To maximize our impact, our Jugs were loaded with bombs—which, unfortunately, turned us into "sitting ducks" against the Luftwaffe’s agile fighters. To make matters worse, we arrived in waves; Marc’s squadron had to hold the line alone for a while before I could join the fray.

We set a direct course for our targets, keeping a wary eye on the enemy fighters closing in. With a mix of precision gunnery and a fair bit of luck, we managed to knock out both German Sd.Kfz. 7/1s early on. This left the supply columns defenseless, at the mercy of the fighters circling above.

 

Marc’s pilots quickly proved their worth as seasoned Jabo (fighter-bomber) crews. One truck after another fell victim to their strafing runs, turning the roads into a hellscape of burning wreckage, exploding munitions, and chaos.

When my squadron finally joined the fight, we were severely handicapped by our bomb loads. A wild "dogfight" ensued. It was a rollercoaster of emotions: sometimes the German pilots couldn't hit the broad side of a barn—leading to some frustrated pilots fearing a transfer to the Eastern Front—but once they found their range, the sky turned lethal. By the end of the engagement, five of our eight P-47s had been shot down. However, the Luftwaffe paid a heavy price as well, losing two aircraft to my squadron alone.

A near crash mid-air - but thanks to Marc´s piloting skill handled with ease 😀

As fuel gauges dipped toward empty and the fighting subsided, the truck column had been completely annihilated, and more than half of the German tanks were left as smoldering wrecks, choking the Wehrmacht's supply lines.

Even though the US Air Force technically lost the game on points, we had achieved our true objective: virtually no reinforcements would reach the hard-pressed German troops on the ground. We were rewarded with the heartfelt gratitude of the US Bolt Action players—a victory of its own, in our books.

Conclusion: "Check your 6!" is an incredibly exciting system. It truly lives up to the motto "easy to learn, hard to master." The multiplayer mode is exceptionally well-balanced—there was absolutely no "downtime," which is a rare feat for flight simulation tabletop games.

Needless to say, this game was a game-changer for me: I now absolutely need a squadron of planes for our Sicily campaign and a proper flight mat!

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