On Saturday June 16th, The Battle Standard hosted another “Dystopian Wars” event with the following “Commodores” in attendance:

All fleets could be a maximum of 500 points, consisting only of elements from the “Naval Starter Box”.

Terrain for all Missions was determined randomly. (Rolling once for each 2’x 2’ section of the table. 1-3 = Terrain, 4-6 = Open Water. A minimum of 1 piece of terrain must exist on each half of the table.)Each Mission Round was pretty much a straight up fight with equal deployment zones on opposite sides of the table (4’ x 6’).In addition, Tiny Flyers were allowed the ability to retreat from the player’s “starting edge” in order to refuel and re-arm, then return in the following game turn.  Alternately, any Model attempting to leave the board from any edge was considered “destroyed”.

As outlined on Page 44 of the Version 1.1 Rulebook, Victory Points were assigned as followed: ·   DOUBLE Points value for enemy models that have been claimed as PRIZE ·   FULL Points value for enemy models that have been DESTROYED or left DERELICT ·   HALF Points value for enemy models that have HALF or less of their initial Hull Points remaining
The described levels of success were then used to award “Mission Points” for each round of play.

All games lasted until either Player had no models remaining on the board, either through withdrawal or enemy action.  Alternately, the games also ended at the conclusion of the players’ current turn when “TIME” was called.  (TIME was set to 90 minutes.)

Some special “CARGO” rules were implemented in an effort to add some atmosphere to the event. ·   Models could transport a number of CARGO units equal to its initial Hull Point (HP) value. ·   Models could pick up an unclaimed CARGO unit within 4” range on a roll of 4, 5, or 6. ·   CARGO on a “Destroyed” Model had a 50% chance of sinking. Otherwise, it would float to the surface once again “unclaimed” ·   CARGO on “Prize” Models became the property of the controlling player. ·   CARGO on “Derelict” Models became “unclaimed” ·   Each CARGO was worth 10 Victory Points

MISSION 1: RECOVERY AT SEA Preparations:   A total of ten (10) CARGO units were placed in a 3 x 3 grid at the center of the board, spaced 8” apart.  (two (2) units at the exact center of the board, with the remaining eight (8) surrounding them.) Deployments:

MISSION 2: WHEN CONVOYS COLLIDE… Preparations:   Each Player had a total of five (5) “Loaded” and five (5) “Empty” CARGO units to place on board his or her deployed fleet.   Deployments:

MISSION 3: BLOOD IN THE WATER Preparation:   After terrain was placed, each Player took turns placing their six (6) CARGO units, one at a time.  No CARGO unit placed within 8” of each other, or within 12” of any board edge.  (CARGO units could NOT be placed on terrain, but could be placed adjacent to terrain, so long as they remained accessible from the main body of water.) Deployments:

Congratulations go out to all “Commodores” for a “Jolly good day on the High Seas!”  I look forward to seeing all of you and more at the next event!   (The next event has yet to be scheduled.  There have been a couple of individuals who mentioned the possibility of running the next game and given some upcoming restrictions on my time and schedule, it is likely that the organizational duties may be handed off for a while.  More details will follow.)

SPECIAL THANKS:

To all the returning players who once again participated in the event, as well as to all the new players who joined in this time around.  (There wasn’t another “Diablo 3” release to interfere with turn-out, nor was the “day-before-Father’s Day” enough of a deterrent to keep some away!)

To the staff of TBS for their support and encouragement of the game in general, as well as providing the environment in which to play.

To Bob S for once again providing additional prize support. (Custom cut, Hull Point damage tokens.)

– Commodore E. L. K.

ew this week to The Battle Standard is Spartan Games title Dystopian Wars.    Dystopian Wars is set in an alternate timeline in 1870. In this world, technological advances have occurred over a century before they would in our timeline, which has had dire consequences for the conduct of warfare on this particular world.

“Imagine a world similar to our own, but subtly different. Now imagine the year is 1870 and the Industrial Revolutionoccurred decades earlier than in our own world. Technology is far advanced, and in many cases, unrecognisable, which has led to the development of fantastic naval vessels, hulking land ships and terror from the skies in the form of airships and war balloons.

Dystopian Wars is set in a Steampunk Victorian world and is designed to ensure a fun game with a large selection of high quality models in a couple of hours. The rules support Naval, Aerial and Land models from the outset, so that you can set up battles and scenarios in any combat setting. Spartan Games will supply highly detailed, high quality resin and metal miniatures with which you can roam the high seas, scour the smog filled skies of Dystopian Wars for enemy flying ships, or doggedly defend the cities and countryside of your home nation.”  – Spartan Games

In this tabletop miniatures game focus is placed on vehicle combat hence why we are dubbing it the first “fleet” game to be fully supported at TBS.

An introduction to The Great Powers…

Now Available:

• Prussian Empire
• Empire of the Blazing Sun
• Kingdom of Britannia
• Federated States of America
• Republique of France
• Covenant of Antarctica

In the future:

• Russian Coalition
• League of Italian States
• Ottoman Empire

Source Credit to: Spartan Games, Wikipedia

[wdgpo_plusone]

 For Stalin!!!!!!

The results from February’s Firestorm Bagration have finally been tallied!  After four weeks of battles, the campaign has come to an end. On the evening of Wed February 29th, when the smoke of battle had finally cleared away, the Soviet Red Army stood victorious over the fields of battle.  Marshall Phil Messier and the gallant commanders of the 1st Baltic Front as well as the 1st, 2d, and 3d Belorussian fronts had almost completely wiped out Field Marshall Tom Slopnick’s German Army Group Center. From the start of the first weeks battles, the Russians quickly took the initiative and began pushing the German players ever farther back with bold and determined attacks.  Marshall Messier allocated his resources masterfully and several encirclements of german forces occurred.  Field Marshall Slopnicks Army Group center rallied time and again to try and stem the red tide, but the Soviets would not be denied!  After 4 weeks of hard fighting the germans had been decimated. Stalin will be summoning Marshall Messier and his Field commanders to Moscow to properly show his appreciation for a job well done.

This campaign has been a great chance for players to try new lists.  For many of our players this was their first campaign and they enjoyed it thoroughly.  A total of 23 games were played over the 4 week period, including games played on the weekend on open tables at the store.  The Staff of the Battlestandard were , as always, magnificent in their continued support of our FoW crowd and this campaign.

Now just because this campaign is over, it doesn’t mean anyone has to miss out on the action!  March is open gaming on Wed nights for the Flames of War players.  This is a great time to come on in and see what it’s all about.  We have players of all skill levels from novice’s to Nationals tournament champions.  New players are always welcome, and any of our gamers are more than willing to show a new player how this game works.  Don’t forget to check out the Battlestandards online calender of events under Flames of War to see what events we have coming up.  We also have an active presence at the Battlestandards online forums also under Flames of War.  Drop in and see what we’re going to be up to next or to ask us questions about the game.

See you on the high ground at The Battle Standard Wednesday nights for Flames of War!!!!

– Chris Kadish, Flames of War Tournament Organizer for TBS

[wdgpo_plusone]

This month TBS and Tournament Organizer, “Black Ops” in-training David Koske (Lycane) bring you MERCS, a tactical team-based miniature combat game. In MERCS you command a small elite security force that has been issued orders by the corporate entities on high to complete various missions. This may include scenarios where the mission is to secure an  objective, or resolve a border skirmish or perhaps eradicate an existing threat before it’s too late!  The open-ended theme behind MERCS allows for countless exciting game opportunities.

Let’s break it down…

Each faction consists of 6 architypes of which the player selects the best 5 to suit their own preferences and tactics. Combat is resolved using a d10 system that is simple enough to understand yet still develops the interactions well between the miniatures.  In the end, this makes gameplay effective without being too complex.  The game is played on a 3′ long by 2′ wide gamespace where the terrain elements are crucial to planning a successful strategy.  This is because MERCS incorporates a snap-to-cover system that allows you to use the terrain in various ways. You can use it to boost forward a bit, or move into a slightly better line of sight position for your next turn. You can also “snap” to claim cover to protect yourself from taking fire, or claim a pieceof cover to negate the effects your enemies would otherwise get. The snap-to-cover system is a uniquely fun game mechanism and single-handedly sold store owner Jared Brodeur (DaBrode) on the game when engaging in a demonstration at Templecon this year.

Once you have the rules down, and the terrain setup, gameplay lasts only 30-45 minutes.  This makes for quick matches with the potential for multiple rounds and therefore several opportunities for varying outcomes.   A very exciting prospect to say the least. There are already 8 players for MERCS at The Battle Standard and we are just getting around to officially announcing it’s arrival today.  In conclusion, MERCS is a very affordable, easy-to-learn, quickly-played game and we’re very pleased to have it in stock at The Battle Standard.

Play MERCS on Thursday nights at The Battle Standard or get a free demo with our Tournament Organizer David Koske on Thursday nights and Sunday afternoons.

Hello TBS Fans!  It has been a great 2012 thus far and with 1 day left to February (leap year!) we thought we’d break it down for you and then provide some insight as to what to expect before the end of the 1st quarter.

“MORE TABLES PLEASE!”  We’ve heard the call for more tables and we’re answering!  In an effort to squeeze in more open gaming and make additional room for tournaments and events, we’ve made some floor changes.  The original table configuration was our three 7′ tables (tables with the 1′ open table edge) in a line at the center of the room and the four 6′ tables dispersed throughout the space.  This worked for a while but anyone that’s been to the store during primetime knows our fanbase is growing fast and those tables are filling up!

The new configuration has put the four 6′ tables in the center of the room and the three 7′ tables at the WWII wall.  What this has done is given us more space in our steampunk themed section of the store.  This new found space will be used for an 8′ foot table. Why 8′ you ask?  Let’s do the math together!  We currently have a 4′ table in that area with an open edge.  An 8′ foot table with an open edge gives us a seamless 12′ of game table.  That amount of table space is not only GREAT for large scale wargaming (Apocolypse anyone?) but, 12′ of table can be divided up nicely into three 4′ Warmachine/Hordes tables OR two 6′ Games Workshop or Flames of War tables.  Then there’s the potential for six MERCS tables…but more on MERCS later.  😉

We’ve made a few theme additions as well.  At the front of the store you’ll find our “wargaming miniature incubators” are complete!  We’ve also done some further painting and decorating on the steampunk wall adding a water bucket, an alchemist’s shelf (later today) and a birdcage (soon).  Our hopes are to have a mascot in there soon but mechanical birds are so hard to come by.  Where are the gods of Olympus when you need them?

The Khador Abandoned Rail Depot table (4’x4′) is juuuuuust about done.  Some minor electrical work and a bit of paint and then a matte coat to seal and protect it and we’re underway!  The materials for the Imperial Alloy Recycling Facility has been purchased and we expect this table to be complete very soon.

Trees, trees, trees!!!  Our new Bachmann SceneScapes trees are almost completely modified to size and ready for use.  Our terrain tables will certainly be improved with the addition of this dramatic scenery change.  To support the addition of all these trees and to better organize our terrain, we plan to introduce brand new terrain shelves on the back wall of the store.  More on this in the 2012: The Year of Terrain Update #2 coming soon…

So there you have it!  A brief glimpse at where we’re headed over the next 4 weeks and a few notes on the first leg of our journey into 2012.  As always we thank everyone for the support and remind you that no matter where you play your games, remember to support your local game stores by making purchases and participating in events.  When they do well, the games go on!

The first 2 tables are well underway!  We’re playing catch up from January as the schedule for our year long project was set at the end of that month.  So right now 2 tables are being built simultaneously to get us back on track.  Speaking of “tracks”…

January Table #1 – Khador Abandoned Rail Depot has been assembled and primed and is ready for painting.  It includes both inlaid and modular tracks, hoists and control centers for cargo transfer, 4 refuse piles, a water tower, custom-converted “palette-jacks”, 4 rail cars (1 Tanker, 1 coal car, 2 flatbeds – 1 carrying old Warjacks) and a fully converted steam engine complete with armor and Khador emblems.  Phew, that’s a lot of stuff!  OH! And we almost forgot…don’t working street lamps sound cool?  We thought so too.

February Table #2 – Imperial Alloy Recycling Facility build is starting this week.  You may have seen our large crane piece on the gaming table in previous weeks.  Well it’s getting an overhaul along with all the junkyard pieces and some new pieces as well.  The intent will be to make a large multi-tier junk mound with the crane on top.  The crane will include a large scrap magnet to which it will be loading material into a crusher.   The crusher will have large bay doors that can be closed to walk over or opened to use for cover.  Tire barricades and other solid scrap obstructions will also be available for cover.

We plan to include a full array of scenario rules for both of these tables should players want to add a little flavor to the game.  We’ll also have small prizes or awards for those that defeat an opponent using these rules in various ways.  Achievements!!! *ding!*

Not your cup of tea?  Perhaps these first 2 tables are not what you’ve been craving to fulfill your gaming desires?  Perhaps they aren’t themed in the genre you enjoy?  Well take a stance my good man (or woman)!  Join our message boards and access the TBS Tabletop Terrain message board located under the Tabletop Gaming header!  Voice your opinion, lend your ideas and if you feel it’s warranted – lavish us with compliments!  We await your replies!

In general, overall improvements in terrain quality and functionality have also begun.  TBS has purchased 4 cases of coniferous trees in varying sizes to make better forests for Fantasy and Sci-fi game fans alike.  Specifically, Bachman SceneScapes Spruce and Pine trees (see photo) in heights of 4″ to 10″ are currently being re-mounted on metal bases with the trunks cut down to better fit our use.  These metal bases not only help keep the tree standing upright due to a lower weight distribution, but also allow us to magnetize them to Tommy’s highly-praised Forest Bases (see photo).  We’re extremely proud to state that these new forests are some of the best we’ve seen to date.  They are pleasing to the eye.  The scale is much more accurate to the models.  They are completely functional due to the ability to remove the actual trees leaving a flat surface to measure and move across.  They are the tabletop gamer’s forests, not just slapdash railroad modeler’s terrain.

We hope you enjoyed this first look at “2012: The Year of Terrain” from The Battle Standard and we look forward to seeing you at the gaming table soon!

(Special thanks to the terrain crew… Jay Hyland & Bob Seitz, We wouldn’t be able to do this without your help!)

In an effort to energize WARHAMMER 40K players and bring in those players too far away to visit us on a more regular basis TBS has organized a 2-part event themed to prepare players for AdeptiCon.

AdeptiCon 2012 is a well-known ‘con’ featuring a parade of events and a bounty of contests peppered with attractions and vendor tables. This year it is being held on April 19th-22nd in Lombard, IL. Information on the con itself can be found by visiting adepticon.org however this post’s focus will be on our event in Manchester CT.

Rules for this 2-part WARHAMMER 40K event can be found below and also within our event calendar (see Events, top menu). For those new to our website, you may also see all upcoming activities in the menu to the right and all upcoming Tournaments and Competitions in the Exclusive Events section just below that.

On to the event! Part 1 will be hosted this Saturday February 11th. The rules are as follows:

• 5th Edition Rules
• 1850 Points
• 3 Rounds

As always prizes will be awarded accordingly and painted armies are always a bonus though there are no official restrictions.

Part 2 of the WARHAMMER 40K AdeptiCon Practice Event will run on Saturday April 7th. Rules will mimic the 1st part listed above. We expect a large turnout for both this Saturday and April 7th and as most players will be returning to the 2nd event from having played in the 1st, we recommend you get in ASAP. Event entry cost is as posted at $15.00. Please don’t wait until the last minute! We are a fairly large location but even we have our size restrictions.

Good luck to the players and may the best General prevail!

If you haven’t seen some of the latest work from the team at Privateer Press then you have certainly missed out. So let us catch you up!  From Colossals to the Iron kingdoms RPG they have been hard at work coming up with exciting new content for 2012. At Templecon 2012, TBS owner Jared Brodeur had the opportunity to see the newly announced Colossal (Khador) fully assembled and painted. It is truly a monumental miniature towering in height over battle engines and filling the previously considered battle-engine-only base in it’s overall diameter.  From the questions asked, Jared can report that…

– They believe the point-cost for these behemoths will be in the 18 – 22 point range

– They are trying very hard to keep the price point just over that of the Battle Engines

And you Hordes fans out there can be just as excited because, as stated in the video below, there IS going to be a Hordes counterpart to Colossals!  To the left is some very exciting concept art of the Trollbloods faction mega(?) beast!  For those of you thinking that perhaps such large beasts will not fit the current fluff, (Isn’t Mulg the Ancient the biggest baddest Dire Troll of them all?!) Jared has been assured that Privateer Press has considered this and has a great way to introduce these monstrosities without stepping on the faction history and character back story.

So in wrapping up, Privateer is full steam ahead (pun intended) and The Battle Standard is supporting their games 100%! We are making a weekly push to show you we have the stock and will continue to bring in new product. Currently, a HUGE order has arrived and our shelves are toppling with Warmachine and Hordes product.  We will continue to monitor Privateer Press’ activity so be sure to Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up on what TBS is watching out for from companies like Privateer Press in 2012!

Below are a few videos directly from Privateer Press.

2012 has arrived and TBS is ready for another successful year!  We’re charging ahead expecting to make 2012 a year of great progress.  Some of which is…

• An overall increase in on-hand product for our current games
• An introduction of new games to our shelves (Mercs? Malifeaux? Dystopian Wars? Let us know your opinions!)
• A more robust and interactive online presence including an up-to-date Events Calendar, Photo Gallery and Message Boards (Most of this is already in place!)
• And of course, we will continue on our quest to be the #1 tabletop gaming location in the northeast!

These are great goals and let’s face it, we should strive to accomplish this level of success every year.  So for 2012 we wanted to set a very specific goal.  Something that will help set us apart and make us a go-to location because other stores simply can’t match us.  Our answer is gaming terrain.  For The Battle Standard 2012 will be “The Year of Terrain”.

How will we accomplish this?  It’s already in progress.  TBS has brought onboard a Terrain Manager (Jay Hyland) to keep the projects rolling.  The plan is to turn out a brand new table (or complete a previously in-progress table) each month.  This means you should see 12 newly completed tables of terrain this year.

Doesn’t seem like much?  Consider this, these will not be just another painted, flocked flat surface.  We’re looking to do themed tables, multi-level tables and even bridged tables for large scale games.  The terrain quality WILL be top notch and IS going to set a standard for The Battle Standard and other game stores in the region.

What does this mean for you as a customer?  It simply means we are committed to having the best tabletop wargaming tables in the CT/MA area by the end of 2012 and you are the beneficiary so we need your help.  You may see new rules in place designed specifically to care for this new terrain so it lasts for many years to come.  Some changes we are making that we’ll need your help with will be…

• Refrain from placing books, bags, boxes or carrying cases on top of the tables at any time (dice, templates and models only please!)
• Keep all beverages, beverage containers, food or food wrappers off the tables at all times

We understand that this is different than what you may be used to.  We understand we’re asking you to conduct yourselves differently than you may have at previous venues.  Please remember that change can be good and in this case we feel if we can get our customers to work with us to keep our terrain in a pristine condition we can continue to put out some of the best terrain in the northeast region.

We thank you in advance for your efforts and we hope to see you gaming on some new fantastic terrain at The Battle Standard!