Black day for the All blacks

Thursday 1st Dec

                          With Lady Watson still knocking the cherry vodka back in Warsaw I decided to head for the club to see what was on offer.The usual suspects were playing a Napoleonic game which for me was an instant turnoff.

Lull before the storm

                                  On offer at the next table was a game called Spectre Operations which raised my eyebrows but alas it wasn't a James Bond game that I hadn't heard off but a game involving New Zealand special forces against insurgents in some mythical state on the Arabian peninsula.Obviously although the game sounded like some real scenario taking place in another part of the middle east the names had been changed as the actual skirmishes might have felt a bit to close to home.

Typical downtown Thursday evening.

                               Jack Glanville who was playing against Michael Charge offered to let me take on responsibility of one of the spec op squads as they ventured into a hostile village with the the intent of nullifying arms caches.Sounded straight forward and for the most part of the game it was with the All Blacks taking care of the insurgents with ease including a sinister looking heavy machine gun crewed by a sinister looking guy.

It actually had more bark than bite.

                                Although the bad guys were well armed they were just one step up from an armed mob and even although they were indulging in mob heavy charges the spec ops guys were holding their own with just a few grazes.

My squad leader just about to fire a well placed grenade into the onrushing horde.

                               

The result.

 This set the pattern for the evening with Jack and I fighting of the hordes with ease until the game changing moment came when Campbell wandered over from his own game and mentioned to Michael that his sniper had a clear shot at my squad who were hunkered down safely behind a concrete barrier picking off bad guys with ease.

A few well placed shots

The one shot that turned everything upside down.

                                    One shot changed the game plan with one of my men going down with a serious injury and being true to western philosophy I decided to drag him back into cover in order for us to fix him up.
                      This changed the whole outlook of the game with forces pounding our guys with machine gun and rpg fire most of he time unchallenged as the focus of the insurgent fire was concentrated on my second squad as the first squad were out of the line of fire.
                           

Jack heading for a bar room brawl

  Meanwhile Jack's squads had made their way around the side of the village without any problem and had made their way into a side street only to get invoved in a firefight with the depleted horde that had been on the end of my grenade and lmg fire.
                                       His squad ended up going toe to toe with insurgents in some buildings where shotguns and grenade were used with abandon.

A balcony with a view.

                             As the evening wore on it was obvious from our casualties it was time to get out of Dodge but since we had no helicopters it was going to be a long walk home.Luckily the final whistle went and no more damage could be done to us.
                                    A very good game where the rules balanced out the difference in numbers.

                         Figures and scenario were provided by Michael Charge with Jack Glanville providing the NZ Special Op forces(although I think he is away to paint some with shotguns) as well as scenery.
                      Also thanks to Campbell Hardie for letting me use some of his photos.          Thanks for the game boys.