Monthly Archives: August 2019

Old, Fat & Lonely in Bangkok

I worked in Bangkok for more than 6 years.  Thai people are unfailingly nice but even for all of you who are young and slim, there are times when you can’t help but feel a little lonely.

These are times when you wonder, as exotic as this city is, perhaps you’ll find a wargame store?

I found one : Battlefield Bangkok

I am going to tell you how to get there.  I am nice like that.

Bangkok has an elevated rail system [ElRR B32.1] called the “BTS Skytrain”.  Everything’s in Thai & English so it’s not hard to navigate.  Get to a station called “E11 Punnawithi”.

punnawithi

Once you get off the train, head towards the south exit, marked “Exit 6”.  You will find yourself walking along an elevated walkway under the elevated train tracks.  This keeps you away from the busy streets.

Tourney

When you see this, you should be ready to get off the elevated walkway and to make a left turn down the street.

You will see local food stalls and lines of motorcycle “taxis” as you walk eastwards.

Tourney

Don’t you feel at least a slight twang of excitement finding yourself walking towards the “Golden Pearl Hotel”, named like a bad 70s Hollywood movie?  Oh, if street food is not your thing, you will be happy see a courtyard of restaurants on your left.

Tourney

This is the Golden Pearl Hotel.  Go up those stairs.

Tourney

This is Battlefield Bangkok.

Once you push through the door, remember one thing [ALERT! ALERT!]: take your shoes off and put them on the rack.

TourneyIMG_7150

It’s a nice and airy place, with plenty of tables for people to game.  There seems to be another room behind doors where folks were playing.  I could only hear them.  Either that or they were unsuspecting victims of some sort.  I am rather happy about it either way because I was scouting this place out as an Advanced Squad Leader tournament venue!

Tourney

This guy here seems to be the owner.  I asked him for permission before I started taking photos and then I was too busy looking at the racks.  They have board wargames but it’s mostly miniatures.

Tourney

So here you go.  Please let me know if you have any questions or if you have made it here as well!

Advanced Squad Leader scenario 3 The Czerniakow Bridgehead (AAR)

It’s September 22nd 1944, Warsaw.  The 1st Polish Army, fighting under Russian command and the Polish Home Army (the famous “Kampinos Battle Group“) defended the Czerniakow Bridgehead withdrawal against Kaminiski’s White Russians, fighting under German colors across the Vistula.

The “Germans” need to take more CVPs than the “Russians” and have enough on Board 8 to exert 20 unmodified FP at the end of 10 turns.

Thoughts

  • This is a good German management team, 7 leaders totaling -5 Leader mods.
  • The Poles have numerical superiority : 27 squads vs German’s 15 (balanced off by half the team having bad ELR). We have a force that will happily swap bodies in CC.
  • The 1st Polish Army need to recover quickly post “bombardment” and re-situate to interdict where the Germans decide to cross in force.
  • The Poles don’t have the firepower to engage the Germans inside buildings and have to seek shooting opportunities in Open Ground.

ASL AAR After Action Report

The Poles had been able to delay the Germans at the crossing enough to for the Kampinos battlegroup to resituate.  Once the Germans bring their machine guns into the buildings acrossing the river it will be much tougher for the Poles with their lower firepower and shorter range.  I would have to figure out how to take maximum advantage of our stealthiness, MOLs and sewer movement (ie, fight up close).

Advanced Squad Leader scenario 3 The Czerniakow Bridgehead

The Germans made an approach to the bridge on the left as well.  As a result I need to retain forces to the left of the board.  I have a squad, an LMG plus a -1 leader HIP’d at the G/F of the building where you see Defensive Fire going to the DM’d German stack (red dotted line).  Unfortunately they will never get to leash hell on the bulk of the German forces since we decided to end the game here.