tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post2386506379683945493..comments2023-09-11T08:26:12.004-07:00Comments on BlackHawkHet: CrossfireJust Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03552962741823929433noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-71529253437787682382017-05-15T04:53:46.331-07:002017-05-15T04:53:46.331-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-45245831540157996322017-03-04T18:00:58.875-08:002017-03-04T18:00:58.875-08:00Steiner,
Thanks man, I appreciate it. Yeah, we (...Steiner,<br /><br />Thanks man, I appreciate it. Yeah, we (I, actually) made some 'known' mistakes under the guise of "it's just a test game," but then it started feeling like the old games with the old problems with the stalemates we had.<br /><br />We'll get back to it, but I'm such a butterfly and have so many different projects going on that I'm not sure when that will be exactly.<br /><br />V/R,<br />Jack<br />Just Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03552962741823929433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-39293304933760107952017-02-27T11:50:19.433-08:002017-02-27T11:50:19.433-08:00Hi Jack,
I haven't checked your blog for a co...Hi Jack,<br /><br />I haven't checked your blog for a couple of weeks, so hope I haven't missed the boat here. Stick with Crossfire, for me, one of the best rules for infantry fire and manoeuvre. The armour rules aren't great in my view but there are fixes for that. <br /><br />My main advice on your bat rep is on terrain placement. Try to avoid long sight lines that are unbroken across the table. This can easily cause stalemates. I think attack defence games work best with 2:1 or 3:2 odds for the attacker. <br /><br />The 'Hit the dirt' scenario book is a very worthwhile investment if you can find it. I've not played a bad game yet from it. <br /><br />And smoke can really help avoid the stalemates. I think the game can be brutally decisive but you also need to learn to recognise a draw when you play this. Steven's 2' city game is a good place to start for quick turnaround fun games. The beauty is when you get a draw, you can quickly re-set, change sides and try again.<br /><br />Hope all this helps or is of interest. <br /><br />Semiper Fi. <br /><br />Kpl Steinerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01208639526234041132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-89247380648228770522017-02-03T11:38:35.392-08:002017-02-03T11:38:35.392-08:00Sounds great, just let me know.
V/R,
JackSounds great, just let me know.<br /><br />V/R,<br />JackJust Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03552962741823929433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-54227069395540734172017-02-03T04:17:45.982-08:002017-02-03T04:17:45.982-08:00There's no hurry as I need to get a bit more t...There's no hurry as I need to get a bit more testing in, as well as edit the text and sort out the army lists (so far I've managed British, French, Polish, German, Dutch and Belgian - only Norwegians and Danes to go!). I'll let you know when I have something I'm happy to share. I think you'll like them: they give a very fluid game, but feature a command system that throws up countless dilemmas! Oh, they're called 'Forward Command' (ForC for short!), by the way.Garethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09486311422850536804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-53072103209625324252017-02-02T16:09:11.024-08:002017-02-02T16:09:11.024-08:00Gareth,
Cool, more Crossfire fights coming this w...Gareth,<br /><br />Cool, more Crossfire fights coming this weekend. I'd love to take a look at what you've got, give them a run out if I can. I haven't quit KG Klink, they've just been in hibernation for a bit ;)<br /><br />V/R,<br />Jac<br />Just Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03552962741823929433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-41600446410628220392017-02-01T06:19:04.059-08:002017-02-01T06:19:04.059-08:00As I said, I look forward to reading more batreps....As I said, I look forward to reading more batreps. Whilst on the topic of rules, I've been working on a set myself. It's company-level and WW2-specific, although it would be pretty easy to use if for later conflicts. And running to a grand total of five pages plus army lists it's damn simple (which I know you like!). I wonder if at some future point you might like to try them out. So far I've only created lists for 1939-40, so you'd have to being Klink out of retirement... Let me know if you're interested! Garethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09486311422850536804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-83861057082580957702017-01-31T15:57:58.768-08:002017-01-31T15:57:58.768-08:00Gareth,
I've had Vegemite, but not Marmite ;)...Gareth,<br /><br />I've had Vegemite, but not Marmite ;)<br /><br />I gotcha man; the rules are definitely different, but I love the concept (big fan of BKC/CWC too), and want to make it work, and will give it our best shot. I plan on getting another game or two of Crossfire this weekend, so stay tuned. We plan on making the table a bit bigger, and using more troops.<br /><br />V/R,<br />JackJust Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03552962741823929433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-36717420373112698552017-01-31T15:55:10.683-08:002017-01-31T15:55:10.683-08:00I think this week we'll up the table space and...I think this week we'll up the table space and the troops, probably won't get to the clock yet, but will eventually.<br /><br />I gotta see if my Yahoo account is still alive!<br /><br />V/R,<br />JackJust Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03552962741823929433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-48637318312753759032017-01-30T13:52:02.456-08:002017-01-30T13:52:02.456-08:00We have a saying across the pond that a thing can ...We have a saying across the pond that a thing can be "like Marmite". Marmite is a spread made from yeast extract and so distinctive is its flavour that people either love it or loathe it. Hence the expression. 'Crossfire' is without doubt a "Marmite" rule set. A Royal Marine I used to regularly game with owned a set and we used them a couple of times. He wasn't very keen and we soon switched to BKC. I actually rather enjoyed the mechanics, but then I generally like abstraction in my rules and I was excited by Mr. Conliffe's radical approach to wargaming. Certainly I've never played anything comparable since, which is rather sad. To this day it remains a revolutionary design concept that would leave most GW/FoW fanboys scratching their flaky scalps in bewilderment. And that is a definite plus in my book! <br /><br />Having said that, now that they are back in print I haven't exactly rushed out to buy a copy. You see, although I can appreciate what they seek to do I'm not really sure if they provide the sort of gaming experience I'm after. And I'm not really keen on having to mod a set heavily so that it does. Still, I would advise perseverance and after a couple more games you should have decided for yourself. I look forward to reading the reports!Garethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09486311422850536804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-87719694240850569502017-01-30T13:44:04.090-08:002017-01-30T13:44:04.090-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Garethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09486311422850536804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-74538722948903933832017-01-30T11:31:03.996-08:002017-01-30T11:31:03.996-08:00Give it a shot and try the turn clock. It really ...Give it a shot and try the turn clock. It really gives you some incentive to get the hell onto the objective. Looking forward to seeing your AARs. Also believe it or not the yahoo group had a ton of useful stuff includung scenarios, home brewed rules and access to lots of SMEs!Disgruntled Fusilierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10995610821904415726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-61781784941344306212017-01-30T08:31:03.404-08:002017-01-30T08:31:03.404-08:00Steve,
Thanks for checking in man, I appreciate i...Steve,<br /><br />Thanks for checking in man, I appreciate it! I'd seen the clock thing mentioned before but hadn't messed with it; I'll have to take a look. Light a fire under some butt, so to speak ;)<br /><br />"I dont mind the back and forth nature of what i like to think if as "firefights" in CF. Sometimes things will drag on and at that point i might switch to another part of the battlefield or we'll slog through it."<br />Sure. Part of it for me is I want bold moves, boom or bust (though not maniacal), and certainly part of the problem was not having enough troops on the table, exacerbated by being 1:1.<br /><br />I appreciate the help, and we'll get some larger forces out this coming weekend. Man, I haven't been on a Yahoo group in years! <br /><br />V/R,<br />Jack<br />Just Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03552962741823929433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-20557090580386308512017-01-30T08:27:23.971-08:002017-01-30T08:27:23.971-08:00I recall trying Crossfire solo a number of years a...I recall trying Crossfire solo a number of years ago, I just couldn't do it. Something about taking chances against yourself, it was too easy/compelling to cheat ;)<br /><br />V/R,<br />JackJust Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03552962741823929433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-41910915026205646012017-01-30T08:26:33.872-08:002017-01-30T08:26:33.872-08:00Shaun,
Deadlocking is certainly a real-life issue...Shaun,<br /><br />Deadlocking is certainly a real-life issue, it's just that I don't want real life, I want free-wheeling, high risk, high reward, rollin' up the flanks and kicking butt! ;)<br /><br />Regarding 2' x 2', I've been talking to Ivan and he says he plays 15mm on 3' x 3', so I was thinking it could/should work, but it does look a bit small. My only concern with table size is making sure the boy can see and reach everything.<br /><br />V/R,<br />JackJust Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03552962741823929433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-76886661758718665232017-01-30T08:24:27.322-08:002017-01-30T08:24:27.322-08:00I appreciate it, Phil!
V/R,
JackI appreciate it, Phil!<br /><br />V/R,<br />JackJust Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03552962741823929433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-42299905991817989572017-01-30T08:23:48.169-08:002017-01-30T08:23:48.169-08:00John,
Well there you are! I've been waiting ...John,<br /><br />Well there you are! I've been waiting for you on my Philippines batreps, but I'll take ya on the Crossfire one ;)<br /><br />That's a very interesting concept on the attrition, definitely worth looking into. The half dice thing is interesting too, but I'm not sure I'm following: you're saying only one fire group per initiative. Do you mean if you can't get into position for a Crossfire (which is certainly difficult to pull off)?<br /><br />In real life that's certainly the realm of supporting fires, but I'm sort of ambivalent about that, preferring to keep all the toys on the table.<br /><br />Thanks man!<br /><br />V/R,<br />JackJust Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03552962741823929433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-21715714152235938062017-01-30T02:09:04.652-08:002017-01-30T02:09:04.652-08:00This is a great write up and i love the terrain an...This is a great write up and i love the terrain and troops. Gives ghe "Mediterranean" feel nicely.<br />One of the things we use successfully is the "turn clock" feature which acts as a forcing function to make you move. There are 2 ways to do it. Designate a start time like 0400, and each time the initiative switches to the germans, roll a d6. The clock moves 30 minutes if you roll a 4+. The game ends when you reach 0900. <br /><br />Another way to do it is to roll a 1D6 at the end of each turn, with the game ending when u hit a fixed number like 70 or 80. <br />The clock really gets you moving and forces you to do something to ensure you meet your objective.<br /><br />I dont mind the back and forth nature of what i like to think if as "firefights" in CF. Sometimes things will drag on and at that point i might switch to another part of the battlefield or we'll slog through it.<br /><br />My recommendation is to try it with the turn clock and see how you like that feature. Additionally, i think your idea about adding squad or additional support weapon for the attacker and possibly less for the defender is spot on. Give that a go. If you dont like it after 2 games ill help you find a new one myself!<br /><br />I thought your setup was good terrain and table wise. More terrain favors the attacker, less favor the defenders <br /><br />One more thing is check out the yahoo group and pose your question there. Or do a search for this topic (i know its been brought up before). That group includes the "world's preeminent experts" on CF. They might have some ideas on how to break or avoid impasses.Disgruntled Fusilierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10995610821904415726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-11487714065578102242017-01-30T00:20:28.154-08:002017-01-30T00:20:28.154-08:00'attracted' not 'attached' ahhhhhh...'attracted' not 'attached' ahhhhhhhAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03395077729696472548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-80441583097010650762017-01-30T00:18:45.921-08:002017-01-30T00:18:45.921-08:00"Having never played Crossfire all I can add ..."Having never played Crossfire all I can add is that I have read the odd CrossFire battle reports that have this "issue" of deadlocking (just like in real life so maybe not really an issue)."<br /><br />Paradoxically Shaun it was one of the main elements that attached me so much to Crossfire initially-it felt so real...but from a gaming point of view it can seem like the game is going no where and its groundhog day in the trenches- frustrating if you're trying to achieve anything resembling a real result. I still love it as a solo though...I have played it with a brother in law and we had a great game but it was very scenario driven.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03395077729696472548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-20189799645544958302017-01-30T00:08:38.189-08:002017-01-30T00:08:38.189-08:00Having never played Crossfire all I can add is tha...Having never played Crossfire all I can add is that I have read the odd CrossFire battle reports that have this "issue" of deadlocking (just like in real life so maybe not really an issue). I also think 2'x2' may be too small for the size of actions you want, without it looking crowded. Shaun Travershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05691522858410783769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-22075690018460152422017-01-29T23:56:11.531-08:002017-01-29T23:56:11.531-08:00Sounds very nice, a great looking table to play on...Sounds very nice, a great looking table to play on!Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08913029478686087197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-36445567073795101432017-01-29T23:51:40.732-08:002017-01-29T23:51:40.732-08:00"acquiring" not "accessing" bl..."acquiring" not "accessing" bloody spell checker ;)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03395077729696472548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1328749298871119665.post-24654888012579512332017-01-29T23:50:13.329-08:002017-01-29T23:50:13.329-08:00I commented on TMP but another idea I thought of i...I commented on TMP but another idea I thought of in the past was for faster games that develop into a slow slog was maybe keeping track of the overall amount of "suppressions" or even"pins" a particular unit received. Your small beads in another unused colour could be used well from this. <br /><br />The frustrating thing for me with Crossfire is successfully accessing a suppression on a unit within a group only to miss the next fire and immediately watch the blasted enemy rally. There's no "wearing down effect". The frustrating rallying feels like a bunch of computers rebooting rather than a shell shocked unit reluctantly been rallied back into action.<br /><br />I know its more book keeping but I reckon if a unit has accumulated 4 suppressions in the battle it should leave the battle (reflecting it losing its combat effectiveness due to receiving sustained effective fire.<br /><br />I've had situations where I've out numbered an enemy 3:1 but due to Crossfire's mech not allowing more than a single fire group to activate in that single initiative I've been stalemated. I eventually added half a die per each group in LoS of the target. The half a die is only added to ONE of the fire actions (usually the attached MG)<br /><br />So a MG with the support of another platoon firing on an enemy in cover receives 3.5 die <br /><br />So four dice with the half die (differentiated by colour) needing to hit on 6's (not 5's) Two supporting platoons add a full die meaning the MG receives 4 die etc...<br /><br />Anyway I enjoy employing that house rule and it's worked well in reducing the amount of stalemates.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03395077729696472548noreply@blogger.com