Operation Grenade

Oh boy. The Seagull has Landed 2015 was a fine tournament. A fun event for the Bolt Action player. And worst of all for Operation Grenade: it was a high benchmark for all other Bolt Action events.

Operation Grenade was a Bolt Action tournament in Chatteris, hosted by the Chatteris Warlords. We were off to a good start: despite some hairy driving in the fog, it was less then an hour from Cambridge. Then we arrived:

Niles models the top end of the hall while Rob bows down

And the lower end

Well, perhaps the Seagull has Landed 2015 was quite a revelation in nice tables, but the quality and layout of most of these tables were usable. They had some standout nice tables, while a few others were very thrown together. Not something you want for an event, leaving me anxious for the day.

My army for the day, plus everything else I needed for games!

Despite original intentions to play my Soviet Shock Army like Seagulls, I had to swap to the Axis side as we had an extra Allies player who wouldn't be able to play unless I did. So I dug out my SS. A much less competitive lists, I was much less hopeful for my chances. Still, I went forward with a decently mixed list: some rifle squads backed up by StG armed assault squads, with a STuH 42 as support and a Nerblewerfer as added help. A sniper rounded out the soliders, with a Kubelwagon for my Leutnant/Untersturmfuhrer and a medic to fill the last seat.

The board for game 1

Oh dear. As an owner of a train and rails for BA terrain, the hugely oversized train here really threw the board and the mat underneath ended any illusion of a excellent board. A lack of balance in the terrain (more building and hardcover for one side) made it so I was not looking forward to this game. The mission was the final clincher: demolitions, my least favorite of the book missions.

An assault squad advances

Again my lack of name memorization bit me in the backside, but I ended up playing who I was later told who was Steve (the eventual winners) main competitor. He had a very strong and game-y list, but I did enjoy my game against him regardless and after some good dice we came out with a draw. What a surprise.

The closest my opponents got to my base

Or not really! Still, I found out at the end of the game there was a secondary objective. Not written anywhere in the pack, it was the start of a long list of grievances. Only by sheer dumb luck I contested it without knowing it existed.

Prepped for my second game

My second game dawned. A hopeful looking table: it still had the rugish base but the wrecked vehicles, again much to big thanks to the odd scale, ruined it once more. In fact, I believe the table could have worked without it.

Apparently, my Nerblewerfer can't see the building.

Playing against a US airborne army, it looked to otherwise be a fun game. Once more though it was marred: point defense was the mission, a notoriously unbalanced game type.

The SS advance

After a few lucky shots (such as my STuH taking out my opponents Meatgrinder on turn one with a lucky indirect hit), I came across my first issue: terrain. While admittedly they had laid out a sheet for each table, I was unaware that the hills were considered impossible to see over regardless of true line of sight. Having misplaced my Nerblewerfer because of this, my opponent refused a retroactive re positioning, one of the first breaks of the good sportsmanship during my time playing Bolt Action events.

On final approach

A few other problem arose, such as no indication to outflanking along with a potential for cheating which I had to let slide. Ultimately, we drew again based entirely on running out of time. Having been aware of the secondary objective this game (after making sure by asking the TO) I did manage to grab it.

The kubelswagon once more shows it's impossible to kill, coming out of a hit from an AEC with only a pin

My last game was against a British Commando force. And what a game. Against a fun and friendly opponent, we went into a game of attrition. As is commonly the case, the free British artillery proved to strong for even my excellent luck that game to save me.

The wrecker advances

The STuH had a fun time, removing five units in three turns thanks to some excellent rolling and filled UCs to shoot at. Ultimately, I lost but this was still my most fun game all day!

I know one commander who got an Iron Cross that day...

So, conclusions? Better luck next time! I came fourth (again), just missing on on prizes. But the TO is where I ultimately place that statement. From poor organisation, rolling for missions at the time, to a unclear, to a bad tournament pack, to mediocre terrain and poor organisation (half the people I talked to during and after the first game were entirely unaware of the secondary objective and it turned out we needn't arrive as early as we did) left a salty taste in my mouth.

Jack, in his infinite smugness

Still, Jack won what amounts to least lucky. So we have that!