What a TWanker!

Wednesday 18th April

The rules are nice eye candy.

                                            We just about had a full house out at sunny garvald this evening with six of the seven Gothenburg Gamers turning up for a no holds barred game of What A Tanker from the Two Fat Lardies stable.

Another village in another war.

Bill's hiding place.

My beautiful Stug.

                                           The game is a straight forward tank against tank game which involves rollin six dice and trying to get your tank to take out the other guy before he does the same to you.Every dice roll gives you a chance to do a certain action.I.e to move you need roll a one,to acquire a target you need to roll a two,to aim you need to roll a three,to shoot you need to roll a four and to reload you need to roll a five.Finally a six gives you the chance to do anyone of the moves.
What could be more simple.In fact it is simple.

Mr Ray's chariot.

The accoutrements of the game.

                                                     The tanks were divvied up between four of us with Dave O'Brien and myself taking the role of German tank commanders whilst Mr Ray and Bill Gilchrist were encumbered with British Shermans.Chief skulker Donald took the part of the umpire as Colin had to dash away to deal with a minor problem.Both of them would become involved in the game later on much to everybody else's despair.

Mr Ray's tanking surveying the scene.

                                                           

Dave's chosen weapon of war.

Donald's black Panzer.I think he would have preferred black and white stripes.

 As luck would have it I started the game off thanks to the highest roll on the initial activation dice roll but only rolled decent  one dice to help me move so I slowly crawled towards the enemy.And so the game began as usual very cagey with everyone trying to get into a spot where they could take a potshot without getting potted themselves.

Bill's Sherman about to do or die.

Mr Ray ducking and driving.

Watch this Bill.

Another view of Donald's tank.

                                                             Bill deciding against the norm decided to move into the open and attempt to deal with Dave's Panzer which was lurking behind a wood due to a lack of movement dice.He finally made it out into the open giving Bill a clear shot but he missed the barn door.This just ruffled Dave's feathers and so when he replied Bill's tank went up in a puff of smoke.

And Bill's off!

"Catch this"

"Booyah!"(in German)

                                                                  Mr Ray decided in his infinite wisdom to hide behind the cover of the village but that wasn't going to stop me flushing him out and perform the coup de grace.
   That's when my dice roll started to play up for although I rolled perfect activation dice when I tried to destroy him luck wasn't having it.

Not a mark in sight.

Mr Ray backing up.

Not letting him get away even although I couldn't hit him for toffee.

So he hides behind the hedge.

"

Dave edges up.

                                                                Colin arrived back home,his good deed done and immediately took possession of a Sherman Firefly which has a big gun and was going to prove fatal to the three German tanks as Donald was about to find out as he was the first German tank to come into Colin's sights.I think Donald should have stuck to umpiring.

Colin's tank arrives to deal out some trouble.

"Now you see him"

Bang!

"Now you don't!"

                                                                Sure enough after a few targeting rounds Colin fired for effect Donald's tank was the next on the casualty list with a plume of black smoke billowing from his Panzer.Poor Donald couldn't find anywhere to hide never mind skulk.

Dave about to waste Mr Ray's Sherman.

And he does!

                                                                      Dave and I decided to flush Mr Ray's tank out but he kept reversing eventually ending up in a field using a hedge for cover.I fired a few shots at him but it didn't cause him anything more than a scratch.This was playing into Dave's hands as he crawl ever so nearer in order to catch Mr Ray in the side.This he did eventually causing Mr Ray's tank to erupt  into smoke and flame.

Colin moves out.

And creeps into town.

Much to my annoyance.

                                     After Colin had dispatched Donald's tank he edged ever so near to our tanks so I decided to try and hit him from long distance giving Dave ample opportunity  to move up and hopefully end the arrogance of this interloper.Great plan but alas Colin had other ideas.I managed to hit him but it was just a flesh wound to quote Monty Python.After warding off that hit he decided to fire back turning my tank into a mass of molten metal.

Looking to finish the game.

Dave hangs on.

                                                      Dave was trying to edge his way nearer Colin's tank and the both of them danced their way around each other firing off shots at each other before Dave's luck took a tumble and eventually went the same way as the rest of the German tanks.

High noon in a French village.

The inevitable happens

And it's home for tea.

                                                          Homefield victory for Colin and well worth it.
                                      A great game played to the Gothenburg Gamers' high standards which mean not too seriously.The rules were easy to follow and I think they are good for a quick fill in game.Once again all figures,scenery and scenario provided by Colin Jack who once again surpassed himself with the provision of a delicious repast.
                                                   Hopefully see you all next week when we head out to wilds of Bellesquarry for a Musket and Tomahawk venture.Can't wait.