Nuts AAR - No Way in Hell!

I've been away for a while after moving last year. And with a 1 br apartment being our only option, most of my games and figures went into storage, I had to wait until we upgraded this year. Now I can finally play games again, though with unpacking becoming a slow process, I had to make due.

This game I played is Nuts, a World War II wargame from Two Hour Wargames. Now in the base game, you get your choice to play as forces who are American, British, German, or Russian. However, the Compendium, which includes loads (and I mean LOADS) of options, allows you to play as other forces. For my game, I went with Norwegian forces, and my game is based on the Norwegian resistance.

Quick history lesson. When Germany began taking over countries all over Europe, very few just sat around and accepted their rulers with open arms. Most fought back in subtle fashions, making life miserable for their occupiers. And Norway was no exception. In fact, when you try and control the descendants of Vikings, don't expect a happy ending.

I went with a slightly alternate history here where the resistance was even more violent and vicious. In my game, the Germans not only landed on the southern coast but also the north-west region and are trying to move south. This means passing through the village of Hell. And while the name normally means something like 'cliff,' this time it's going to take on a less-than-innocent meaning.

Now games from THW require no Game Master, and in fact, everyone can play on the same side if they wish. I'm playing solo, and I'm playing the Chocolate and Cigarettes version of the game, which is more squad based and with more RPG elements.

My first game will be a Defend Encounter, since I felt it fit the story the best. The goal is to hold off enemy forces as long as possibly and, if possible, drive them off the board. You can use any board or figures for the game, so I found an old generic board to use and army men figure for my troops. Norwegians are Blue and Germans are Green.

I placed my squad at the bottom of the board and lined them up so I could remember which soldier was which. Each soldier has a Reputation (Basically functions as character level, hit points, combat ability, etc.), which foes from 3-5. In addition, soldiers have Skills (Fitness, Savvy, and People) and Attributes.

Here they are in order:
Boss: Rep 5; Fit 4, Sav 3, Pep 5; Self Rally, Charismatic; SMG.
Shaggy: Rep 4; Fit 2, Sav 4, Pep 3; Wussy, Dim; SMG.
Punt: Rep 3; Fit 3, Sav 1, Pep 2; Knifeman, Rage; Bolt-Action Rifle w/ bayonet.
Bull: Rep 4; Fit 4, Sav 4, Pep 2; Crack Shot; BAR.
Smiley: Rep 4; Fit 3, Sav 2, Pep 4; Plucky, Smooth; SMG.
Scrooge: Rep 3; Fit 1, Sav 2, Pep 3; Greedy, Logical; SMG.
(S) Vyper; Rep 3; Fit 2, Sav 3, Pep 1; Touch, SMG specialist, Fit; SMGs (x2).

Vyper is my Star, the character I control. Usually the highest Rep is your Star, but I decided to try something different. Also, I gave him dual SMGs, which means he has a 1 in 6 chance of scoring a hit. Hopefully firing 6 shots a turn will almost guarantee a hit each time. Hopefully.

The red d6 at the top are PEFs, which stands for Possible Enemy Force. These could be enemies, civilians, for nothing at all. And until we find out, they move around the table, just as if they were alive.

Now let's gets started!

Rolling for Activation (initiative), we go first. I'm using Green d6 for us and continuing to use Red for the enemy.

I split my forces into 2 groups: Boss, Shaggy, and Punt are the first group, while the rookies are in the second. Boss takes his group up the west side, hoping to flank the enemy. My group, meanwhile heads up the other side of the buildings.

Now it's their turn.
One PEF moves away from everyone. The other two move toward my rookie group, stopping in an alcove.

Group A continues north, inching along the outer walls of the buildings. Group B meanwhile rushes ahead, sopping behind a wall. PEF A inches forward, while PEF B retreats. PEF C though remains in place.

Finally, one of the PEFs emerges and it's 4 German troops, patrolling the road. Another PEF slips in behind it, but it's not a threat at the moment.

This immediately triggers an In Sight Test (sort of a Surprise check). We win, with Bull and Smiley dropping all 4 opponents.

Back to Group A, they spot 3 German troops through an alley and attempt to sneak up on them.

Success! My team wins its In Sight test and opens fire for 3 easy kills. By the way, the bottom trooper only fell out of sight; he was well within Shaggy's crosshairs before the shot.

Only 1 PEF left. And Group B is ready for anything.

Scratch that - they're ready for Almost anything. You see, in addition to enemies and civilians, sometimes PEFs resolve as Random Events. In this case, I rolled Artillery. And Bull and Smiley  are right in the LOS.

I rolled damage for all 4, since Shorty and Vyper, while behind cover, are still in the Blast circle. The d6 represent damage. If they're equal to or higher than Rep, you're Out of the Fight (meaning incapaciated but alive. If it's a 6, you're Dead. Bull takes two hits and gets knocked unconscious, but Smiley and Scrooge aren't as lucky. Vyper however gets singed but survives.

Vyper remains standing, and had this been an actual opponent, combat would continue. Fortunately, the Artillery is off the map so he is able to rescue Bull and reunite with the others.

That what the last PEF and my squad survived, so this Encounter is a success. The Germans were driven out of the village of Hell for the time being, but a group of them, with a really big gun, sit somewhere outside the village. We'll have to find them another time.

After the Encounter, I rolled to see who improved his Rep or Skills. Only Boss did though, moving up to Rep 6. At least our leader is still strong for the time being. But we're down two troops and the enemy is nearby. Will they take our beautiful village?

Hell no!

Nuts is available from Two Hour Wargames and can be found here, along with the Compendium:

https://twohourwargames.com/ww2.html

You can also find a number of scenario books covering battles from all over the war.

Returning to Nuts an AAR

I recently received the updated rules for Nuts! a World War II game from Two Hour Wargames.  In addition, I got the Compendium, with covers a number of optional rules, such as ski troops, mascots, weather, air strikes, and urban fights.

After playing the videogame Snipe Elite 4, in which you go through Italy during WWII, I decided to play my own sniper game.  I like this especially because the rules in Nuts allow for unlimited maps and missions.

This will be a Chocolate and Cigarettes game, meaning a game with smaller numbers of troops, as my entire 'team' consists of one lone sniper.  Since I wanted to be a good guy but still a cold-hearted, ruthless killer, I went with a Russian soldier.

Meet Dimitri Kozlov, a Rep 5 Russian Sniper.  Fitness 5, Mental 4, People 3.  Basically, his skills mean he's in incredible shape with above average intellect and average people skills.  Hopefully he won't have to do any negotiating.

For Attributes, I went with the Compendium rules, which allow for a wider variety.  I started with the Sniper Package, which is Sniper Expert and Stealthy.  I then randomly rolled Dim, which means he's a hell of a sneaky shooter, but he really, really doesn't play well with others.

The campaign starts with both sides at Morale 4 and Investment at 4.  As the first Encounter is a Patrol, Investment is a 3.  Using the Compendium rules, this will be a Sniper Patrol, meaning I not only have to reach the top of the map, but I must drop two major opponents, whether they're officers, enemy snipers, ect.

In case you're wondering, no Dimitri is not about to play Twister.  Using my living room as the board, I set Dimitri at Section 9 at the top of a hill.  The orange and green represent the forest at sections 1, 4, and 7.  The red circles are the three PEFs, starting in Sections 2, 4, and 5.

PEF #1 resolves as Nothing.  However, PEF #2 resolves as an NCO and a Rifleman ( I rolled at random because at the time, I wasn't sure how to resolve specific troops).  PEF #3 resolved as 3 Riflemen. 

Rolling Activation, the Germans move first.  This triggers and In Sight Check, with the winner basically getting a free turn.  I rolled Red d6 for Dimitri and Green d6 for the Germans, with 1, 2, and 3 being Successes.  The side with the most successes win In Sight.

Uh oh!  Even though they get a -1d6 penalty for my Stealthy Attribute, they still win and get to go first.  While the NCO has an SMG which doesn't have the range to hit me, the Rifleman has a Bolt-Action Rifle that can, even without a scope.  He's a Rep 4, but I'm at the top of a hill and prone so the chances of him scoring any kind of hit are-

Crap!!!!  Not only does he score a direct hit, but for damage I roll another 6, which is Obviously Dead!  He scored with a head shot to my soldier!

Wait, I still have Star Power!  That means my Star, the character I control, rolls a number of d6 equal to his Rep, and as long as he rolls, 1, 2, and/or 3, he can reduce and even ignore the damage completely.  All he needs are a couple of those rolls and he'll be completely in the clear-

Um, yeah . . .about that . . .

So ends the saga of Dimitri Kozlov.  In his first mission, a lone, lowly enemy soldier puts a single bullet right between his eyes and ends his adventures. 

Luckily, it's not over yet!  I rolled up a new character and the Russian platoon, upon learning of poor Dimitri's fate, has sent another sniper to take his place.  I'm keeping the campaign the same.  Luckily, the Campaign Morale remained the same.  However, since I lost the Patrol encounter, my new character will start his adventure with a Defend. 

But that's for another story.

For now, RIP Dimitri Kozlov.  Dropped before he ever fired a bullet.  And this will go down in history as my quickest RPG adventure yet.

Hopefully, my new character has better luck.

KA-#%%^#$%^$##$%-BOOM! CR 2015 . . . with Grenades!

Col. Vondel of Germany, having lost most of his squad in a recent battle, fled to the town of Basque.  Reduced to using only pistols, they found a cache of grenades and decided to literally go out with a bang.  Meanwhile, Major Lockheed of the United States Army arrived in the town, and his troops had also come upon the explosives.  Vondel thought no one would be stupid enough to trade explosives in such a small town.  Vondel had never before met Americans.

The purpose of this game was simply to have fun blowing people up.  Everyone was armed with grenades and pistols (in case they couldn't ready a grenade in time).  Vondel and Lockheed are Rep 5, while everyone else is Rep 4.  Once again, Radio Operators allow their group to act as Rep 5 for Activation and Reaction tests.

This battle is set up with Vondel's forces in Black on the left and Lockheed's forces in Blue on the right.

In addition, I created a house rule for Grenades versus Buildings.  Here's how it works:

• Every time a grenade goes off (not counting misses), a Blast Circle is placed.
• At the end of every round, I count every Blast Circle touching a building.
• I then roll 2d6 versus the number of Blast Circles for that building.
• Pass 2d6:  Building collapses.  On Doubles, the rubble can still be used for cover.
• Pass 1d6:  Building is Damaged (Orange circle).  +1 to number of circles for rest of game.
• Pass 0d6:  No damage.

The battle started with both sides remaining in cover and tossing grenades close to their opponents' positions.  This did little damage to troops, but the buildings felt the effects.

After the first round of combat, several buildings were crippled and one was reduced to pieces, though allied forces could still hide behind the debris.  And while a few troops got singed, no one suffered serious injury . . .

 Then a soldier, whose name must be German for, 'Butter-fingers,' lost control of a grenade and got a face full of shrapnel as his buddy just barely dove away from it.  Unfortunately for him, he ended up flat on his chest while American troops opened fire.  Now, this guy's name must have been German for, 'Dodge,' because he managed to roll and avoid all incoming fire (None of the American troops could ready their grenades in time).

One American soldier decided to leap over the debris he was hiding behind and launch himself at the enemy.  The German soldiers saw him first and both pulled out their grenades.  Unfortunately again, it seems Mr. Butter-fingers had a brother.  And this time, neither avoided the blast.

One German, though, decided to get brave and charged forward, chucking a grenade at Lockheed and his ally.

"Incoming!" the soldier yelled.
"Oh &#@&!"  Lockheed yelled as they both dove back into the street.

This, however, put them right into Vondel's line of fire, and the two group exchanged fire before Lockheed's group sled into an alley.

Seeing the advantage, Vondel ordered his troops to continue their assault, driving the Americans even farther back.  When grenades failed, they rushed forward, firing wildly at their foes.

This hasty move coast them dearly as Lockheed chucked a grenade right at them.  "Catch!"

And Vondel did just that.  The grenade went off in his hands, and one other soldier was dead before he could face-palm.  The remaining soldier opened fire and caught Lockheed in the chest with a lethal shot (Star Power succeeded once but failed the second time).  The last two Americans turned and bolted from the town, giving the wins to the Germans.


Overall, it was a fun and quick game.  Since troops kept tossing grenades at the corners of alleys instead of directly at opponents, I rolled fewer In Sight tests, which sped up the game.

Next time I'll be running my first High Moon game, which is a new game from THW and covers the supernatural wild west!

World War II! CR 2015 Large-Scale battle.

For my next game, I decided to try a larger scale battle, with about 20-30 troops on each side.  Since I don't have enough Rebels or Imperials, I chose to use my WWII minis instead while using streamlined Nuts FV rules.

Here's the set-up.  Germans in Black and British in Blue.  Also, Squad leaders (with rubber bands around them) were Rep 5 (including my Star), while everyone else is Rep 4.  I also included Radio Operators, who act as squad leaders for their group when rolling for Activation and Reactions.

 This is a simple game with the objective simply being to eliminate all opponents.  In addition, all buildings are 1-story.  Snipers who duck back can move backward to another building as long as it's no more than a space away.

The first round began with everyone making a mad dash for the center.  Multiple In Sight tests took place, and bodies quickly littered the streets (which you can see by the figures beside the map).

This British Demolitions Officer and Radio Operator got cocky and tried to split German defenses.  Unfortunately, they failed the IS test against both groups and got slaughtered.

This is what happens when you roll Activation without an RO.

My Commando (with the red rubber band) lost his IS test.  While he managed to avoid both the enemy DO and RO, he got caught by the Sniper.  I rolled OD for damage, but I still had my Star Power to save me!

CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Luckily, those in range past their Crisis Test and continued on without their brave leader.

Inspired by their leader's loss, my troops continued on and quickly thinned out the enemy's ranks.  Pushing forward, they eliminated our foes . . .

 . . . one at a time.  This left the Germans with their Sniper/Squad Leader and an RO against, well, quite a few opponents.  Their brave leader may be gone, but my loyal and able troops have this fight in the bag!

Or not.  At least we still have 2 against 1.  

Make that 1 against 1.  But the sniper lacks movement.  My last remaining soldier passes 2d6 on Fast Move and attempts to flank the enemy.   We still hvae a chance!

Never mind!  and what's worse, the enemy Squad Leader would've advanced to Rep 6.

Overall it was a fun game, though at times, I forgot who had acted and whose turn it was.  when in doubt though, I just stopped and rerolled Activation.

Once again, this used CR 2015 rules from Two Hour Wargames, which made battles with this many troops easier, at least for me.  If you like games like these in the WWII genre, I highly reccommend Nuts Final Version.  This game covers multiple aspects of WWII, with armies, weapons, random encounters, and scenarios.  Also, you can pick up supplements that cover battles in Russia, France, Japan, and (in upcoming books) Italy and Norway.  You can even find a supplement covering experimental technology like lasers and robots.

Go to www.twohourwargames.com for more details.

Next time, I'm going to try for a smaller game, but everyone will only have pistols and grenades.  I also completed rules for Grenades vs. Buildings.  Let's see what happens when everyone is just trying to blow each other up!