Spectre Rules Battle Report

1st Spectre Game 

So the day of the first game had arrived and later I would wish I'd taken more photos, but we were learning.

A quick recap. A week ago my friend Lee and me decided to try Spectre miniatures rules for the first time. After frantic building and painting we were here, as close to ready as we were gonna be, but a lot closer than when I managed to persuade Lee to buy them at Salute 2019.

Terrain:

The night before I set the dining room up, with permission of course! All of the terrain is getting its first use except the corn fields which are a staple of our 15mm games. The mat is from Deepcut Studios, wastelands I seem to remember, the rest recently built and painted and explained in the Terrain post. I removed the barbed wire before we started to allow more freedom of movement, it was our first game.

Scenario: Seize Vital Assets

We decided for our first game to follow the rules advice and use the basics and the starting scenario on p116.
The objective is for the attacker to have at least two models in contact with the Asset for 1 turn without being targeted, in 5 turns.
Battle area, 2x2 table, well mine was already setup, 4x2 it'll be alright. 50% scatter terrain to break line of sight and to provide cover, not quite 50%. Now we had heard cover was important, we also know cover is important, but it's a only a game with dice right?
Next it recommends 6 Elite against either 8 Professional tier or 12 Militia, well we wanna use our models so we will mix it up.

The forces:

The British,

• Corporal, Assault rifle with scope, pistol, frag, smoke.
• Sharpshooter, DMR with scope, pistol, frag, smoke.
• Rifleman 1, Assault rifle with scope, UGL, frag, smoke.
• Rifleman 2, Assault rifle with scope, frag, smoke.
• Rifleman 3, Assault rifle with scope, frag, smoke.
• Rifleman 4, Assault rifle with scope, frag, smoke.
• Rifleman 5, Assault rifle with scope, frag, smoke.
• Rifleman 6, Assault rifle with scope, frag, smoke.

All are equipped with Comms, Body armour and Battlefield trauma kits.
All are professional tier and the Corporal used the Sergeant stats.
Some may have noticed a lack of Minimi/saw, this is due to Lee not having bought the figure yet.

The Insurgents,

• "Abdul" the boss, Carbine with scope, frag and smoke.
• Bodyguard 1, Assault Rifle with scope, frag and smoke.
• Bodyguard 2, Assault Rifle with scope, frag and smoke.
• Bodyguard 3, Assault Rifle with scope, frag and smoke.
• Bodyguard 4, Assault Rifle with scope, frag and smoke.
• Bodyguard 5, Assault Rifle with scope, frag and smoke.

All are equipped with Comms, and one man has a Battlefield trauma kit. NO body armour.

These guys are trained tier with Abdul having the sergeant stats.

Insurgents support Local Militia,

• Militia leader, Assault Rifle and frag.
• Militia man, Lmg and frag.
• Militia man, Assault Rifle and frag.
• Militia man, Assault Rifle and frag.
• Militia man, Assault Rifle and frag.
• Militia man, Assault Rifle and frag.

These are just locals who have been given rifles and some grenades to act as cannon fodder.

These are militia tier, with the leader again having the sergeant stats.

Whilst it was tempting to use even more militia as I had 22 altogether, we decided that we would bring them on if the Insurgents were getting smashed.

Deployment and Objective:

I gave Lee the choice of attacking or defending, he chose attacking!
I deployed Abdul and friends inside the small building in the top right compound, this was the location of the Vital Asset (a box). The local Militia squad deployed in the compound as well.

The British came on behind the large villa type building.

The Game:

I will try to give you a narrative with a few game terms, but we were learning, and in my head the turns blurred into one action as it should. Next time more pics and notes.

Lee has the initiative automatically so splits his squad. Charlie fire team with the corporal perform a combat sprint going left around the villa. Delta fire team do the same going for a small ruin opposite the villa on the right. They know the location of the Asset and the local fighters.

Brits try to flank with Charlie fire team.

Delta move, we had forgot about the coherency at this point, and Lee said he would correct it in the next turn!

My move. The militia had been warned of the British intrusion and rushed to get out of the compound, not quite reaching the open gate. Abdul and his boys moved up onto the roof.

No shooting so far and I now had the initiative. This surprised us, whilst no one was suppressed, I had expected the Brits to be on top. Lee had in fact rolled low when he needed high, this would not be the only time! 

Somehow I had missed an opportunity to shoot at Lee whilst two of Delta fire team had moved in behind the ruin. As the Miltia ran out the compound entrance, Adbul and gang fired over the top from height towards the ruins, gaining modifiers for the height which were  nullified by the great cover (one was out of sight). Even with the great cover, one of Abduls men scored a hit and a Brit disappeared from view. Lee's dice didn't do as he asked and the guy was seriously wounded and bleeding out.

The Miltia and Delta fire team traded fire inflicting suppression and causing a command test which the Militia passed. Charlie had begun to move through the back of the villa with hope of climbing the stairs at the front to reach the roof. 

Initiative once again in my hands, Adbul stayed put whilst the Militia moved passed the Well  not sure whether to head for the roof of the villa or Delta team. One of Delta moved to provide first aid on his fallen oppo. Charlie moved out the front of the villa using the barriers as cover. Abdul's gang opened up on the Delta team guy giving first aid. Three lots of shooting and he was no more. 

The militia threw a grenade towards Charlie, missing, its drift caused a serious wound on the UGL man who was out of LOS. Charlie exacted revenge with a grenade towards the Well, automatically killing one and stunning the RPK gunner. 

The little court yard in front of the villa was not the place to be, the Brits had the iniative and the Corporal rushed across to the wounded UGL guy whilst the Sharpshooter covered the door with overwatch just in case. Another rifleman by barrier stood ready for the approaching militia until a shot from the Sharpshooter whistled pass missing the insurgent who'd charged through the gap killing him in close combat. Another Militia member came through the gap seriously wounding the Corporal giving first Aid. 

Elsewhere the remainder of Delta started to move to support what was left of Charlie having nearly reached the back door. Abdul and boys with nothing to shoot at decided to leave the compound and were almost out the gate with the fifth and final turn about to start.

Again the Insurgents had the initiative, the end was near and the Brits were down to 3 active men. The Sharpshooter soon became entangled with some Militia, and the rest of Delta pushed pass the back door poking their heads round the corner of the villa. Combat resumed and Charlie fire team ceased to exist, but in all the haste to cross the open ground Abdul's boys were facing the wrong way. They didn't see Delta and Abdul hiding at the back dropped down dead. The British withdrew.

What a game, safe to say the British lost, even though the last shot killed the head bad guy, he wasn't the mission.

My thoughts:

Really enjoyed it, as we learnt the rules the game started to unfold a lot like a movie. We messed up some rules, the grenades have a range interval and a modifier that we missed, can't remember every roll so no idea if it mattered. Although Lee had some very bad rolls which did help.

When I charged the Militia across the table I didn't expect them to make it. However the covering fire from Abdul's men made it happen along with Lee's dice. 

The importance of cover was proven, along with bringing concentrated fire. We didn't use the Fire control order but with proper fire and manoeuvre it would be ideal. Lee needed access to the roof, he didn't know there were no stairs inside. Distance would help, all firing took place within the 1st range interval, so pretty deadly. 

Great game and really impressed with the rules, so many ideas, scenarios and possibilities. 

Missed The Terrain prep?
Meet The British
Meet The Insurgents

Empress 28mm Modern British.

The Brits

So we've met the Insurgents now its time to meet the British Infantry. Now these are impressive Empress Miniatures painted by my friend Lee using the Spectre Miniatures Multicam guide adjusted to suit what he owns, which is mainly Army painter. Neither of us paint as much as we should or would like, however with a deadline Lee smashed these out over 4 evenings. I especially like the eye protection. Multicam scares me, but seeing the results I'll have to give it a go.

Sharpshooter Rifle.

UGL.

Missed The Insurgents follow the link.

Missed 1st Spectre Games Terrain follow the link.

28mm Insurgents

1st Spectre wargame "The Insurgents"

28mm Insurgents

So I needed some minis, previously I brought the Spectre miniatures 1st edition rules (that's how long Ive been waiting to play), some good guys, and some bad guys I also brought a larger group of Insurgents from Empress minatures.
The problem with the baddies, is that you need lots and lots and lots!!!!!
Now 28mm has I think, a reasonable selection, but you always want more, even if the wallet and wife aren't so keen. Off the top of my head I think I have around 30 Insurgents, including the Spectre BMP, still in its box. My pile of shame only ever seems to increase!

Spectre Insurgent
Kill Team
Wip

A bit wash heavy, but a great learning curve, sometimes you've gotta just go for it, but remember to varnish otherwise you'll regret it!

Dragnov, Mosin, and Fn fal.

RPK, and PKM's

DPM attempt, and reasons for varnishing before use.

 

RPG 29, LAW

Again bit to heavy with the washes, need to remember I'm not trying to smash out 15mm

So I had 16 nearly done before the game, some quick patching up, finishing the Spectre kill team, and adding the RPK and PKM and 22 highly motivated Insurgents were ready and waiting.

Paint scheme

Obviously the Spectre kill team had to look semi professional, choc chip camo looked interesting so I gave it a go. The rest of the webbing and weapons were given a plain and modern look, cos I wanted them on the tabletop.

The rest of the Insurgents were given a mixed dress so they could fit in almost anywhere in current conflict zones.

DPM, bright colours of modern clothing mixed with traditional dress, the dragnov sniper wearing a red and white sports jacket being my favourite.

Inspiration came from many online photos, and books that I own.

1st Spectre Rules Wargame prep Terrain!

1st Spectre Rules Wargame prep Terrain!

So on summer leave and Lee and me organise what we hope to become a regular wednesday hobby day/night, were both off, so this time it'll be a day. Question is what to do? Chain of  Command, Battlegroup, or Bolt Action which I've played but Lee hasn't? Lee suggests we finally try the Spectre miniatures rules, which I persuaded him to buy at Salute 2019 so I'd have an opponent. Great idea I said, a week to go, he has no minis painted, I have some partly painted Insurgents from Empress and Spectre, and terrain well I started a foamboard building at some point. Oh and to add to that I recently moved even closer to home (hence the hope of a regular hobby night) and everything is still boxed inside the spare room, were my father in law is staying for the week.

The room before the father in law visited.

The father in law left on the Friday morning and frantically searched boxes for terrain and minis.

Terrain

• Foam board building, not finished.
• Foam board building test piece, call it finished. 
• Spectre walls, base coated.
• Spectre cinder blocks, painted.
• Red vector? Walls built not painted.
• Sarissa ruin, half built.
• Forgotten 4Ground ruin, built.
• Crop fields door mat.
• Various trees for 15mm.
• Desert gaming mat.

Base coating

Floors and walls

Getting there, and some morale.

Desk is chaos, but the walls have sand on and a basecoat.

Found the bits to make barbed wire.

Lee said "wouldn't it be cool if we had a well or something"

Now not having decided on the blog, it was only an idea until conversations and research over this past week. I didn't take the normal amount of pics that I would send to Lee of my progress. Safe to say by the of the weekend we had some almost finished terrain, but I also needed some minis! 

Get me Wargaming!

Get me Wargaming!

Why a blog? 

These days there are plenty of online sources and videos around compared to when I started playing with plastic soldiers many years ago. The standard plastic army men and an interest in War led to Airfix, with a glimpse of a friends dads GW collection, a 40k box set of some edition was purchased late 90's. But with little interest from friends and a glance at a white dwarf for reference the figures stayed grey. 

Rugby drinking and work in that order meant that my interest in gaming disappeared, and the plastic found the loft and for some the bin. 

My collection of books on Warfare only grew as the years went on, how could I take this further, the odd model kit and museum visit was not scratching that itch. I stumbled across a Flames of War starter set with a 3 Sherman's , 2 Stug's and some dice, what the hell I thought. That evening on the coffee table whilst the future wife was at work I glued together the the resin and metal with the wrong glue, and read the rules. Some dice rolls later and I was looking on my laptop (long gone) for more information on Flames of War.

The Blog....? I'm getting there!

That was around the early 2000's, my interest was there and I had a couple of friends hooked aswell, fast forward, stuck in a dead end job I joined the army late at 28. Up to now I'd painted and gamed with some late war 15mm germans for Fow, that got me hooked, but the camo stopped me in my tracks. The info and techniques were out there in books and on the web, and growing monthly. A break whilst in training and moving meant packing everything up. Married, with kids, and in the Army I needed a hobby again and managed to find Boscombe down and Amesbury wargames club around 2016.

Meeting like minded fellow gamers and playing what would soon become my favourite rule sets, Chain of Command, and Battlegroup spurred me on to buy and assemble, but not necessarily paint more minatures. Inviting my old friend Lee along (I was posted locally), we were both hooked again, he painted and I painted, gaming at the club and privately, work and life getting in the way of expanding armies and scales.

The communities online around Chain of Command, Battlegroup, Spectre Wargames and Bolt Action, alongside expanding ranges of models and terrain meant I was always searching and reading up on wargames. Looking forward to the next article, blog post, or you tube video on this, that, and the other, I'd ask myself, How are some people so motivated? How do they stay motivated? 

The answer that many have pondered over and what I think has led me here is too talk about it.

Why a blog...? Honestly I'm getting there.

Wouldn't it be cool, if I could post all the pics on my phone of games and models? Like others do online, not just on facebook, but in one place. I wish I could do something like those blogs by The Tactical Painter and Lard island news too name a couple. I don't know enough about computers, I don't even have a computer, and my English isn't the best??

But then i couldn't paint once (debatable now I know), I couldn't drive a tank once either. What's that? a friend started a blog on his van restoration, you mean anyone can blog? All you've got to do is type.........? On a phone? I couldn't do that could I....?

Tom 29/08/19, all because I had an idea that kept me awake until I started typing..............