The Free Finnish Army

This post can be considered an introduction to one of my armies for Konflikt '47. As many of my friends know by now, I love writing narratives and developing lore for basically everything I have that's a hobby and Konflikt is no exception. We've got some really cool plans and ideas for our future Konflikt games and I figured it'd be best to start with introducing the factions.

In traditional Bolt Action, I primarily played Finland and Italy—a factor that ultimately led to my decision to play both in Konflikt as well (that and the fact the Finland gets access to the new German panzermechs was also another deciding factor). In this post, I'm going to detail the IC lore and background behind my faction of the Finns who have deemed themselves the "Vapaan Soumen Armeija" aka the "Free Finnish Army".

Overview

The Free Finnish Army, often abbreviated to "VSA" based on its native name Vapaan Soumen Armeija, is a primarily anti-Soviet unaligned faction of the Finnish Resistance with the main goal of liberating Finland from Soviet occupation.

A breakaway faction from the German-backed SS Freiwilligen Division, the VSA espouses the ideology of an independent Finland without the assistance of the authoritarian government of the Nazi Third Reich. As a result of Finland's complicated political situation, the VSA receives no direct support from any countries and is entirely reliant on local Finnish Resistance cells for resources as well as their own training in self-sufficiency.

Most of the active military personnel of the VSA are former members of the Finnish Pori Regiment and are veterans of both the Winter War and subsequent conflict with the Soviets in the Continuation War. Trained from youth in the art of the rifle, members of the VSA are highly skilled in the art of long-range shooting and their dogged determination and perserverance makes them tough fighters. As a result, the VSA is well-suited for the ambush tactics that they commonly employ as they are highly trained, well versed in the mountainous terrain of their homeland, and familiar with its characteristically harsh winters. However, despite their skill, the small size of the VSA (estimated at only 200 actual combatants) is considered their biggest weakness and makes them incapable of fighting in long-term engagements.

Equipment

The forces of the Free Finnish Army primarily use a combination of German equipment that was stolen when the VSA broke from the Freiwilligen Division and any salvagable equipment they are capable of repairing in the field.

Captured Mosin-Nagant rifles and stolen Kar98ks make up the largest part of the VSA small arms arsenal with a limited number of varying anti-tank rifles and StG 44s (often reserved for the elite Shocktroopers the VSA employs as its primary assault infantry). Several Maxim machine guns and MG42s are known to be in service with the VSA alongside at least one captured PaK 40 75mm AT cannon and a number of Soviet 105mm and 122mm howitzers.

Vehicles are very precious commodities in the arsenal of the VSA and are religiously maintained to keep them at optimal working order. They are crewed by the most technically inclined members of the Army and their use on combat missions is almost always limited to support roles. While no true inventory of the VSA's vehicle arsenal exists, it is known that at least one Thor and one Zeus were hijacked from the SS Freiwilligen Division when the newly organized VSA disappeared into a blizzard on the fateful night of 20 November 1946. A number of Panzer IVs and StuG IIIs have allegedly been used in VSA ambush operations with at least one report of a Jagdpanzer IV, although the latter has never been confirmed.

Opponents
The Free Finnish Army primarily fights against the Soviet Union and the majority of reported actions involving the VSA are recorded as ambushes involving Soviet supply columns. However, their political position which distances them from Nazi Germany has put them at odds with pro-German Finnish Resistance cells which includes the SS Freiwilligen Division. Although rare, inter-Finnish fighting has also been reported by non-aligned observers of the conflict. While the VSA is not opposed to the western powers, it has inadvertently engaged in combat with British paratrooper units on more than one occasion.

Konflikt '47: Welcome to the Weird War

It's been quite sometime since I posted (seven months, actually, and I admit I've been neglecting this blog more than I should), but I have some exciting news!

Several years ago—during my college days—I used to play Bolt Action on a relatively regular basis. In fact, some of the original posts that got me inspired to start working on this in the first place are Bolt Action related. I stopped playing right before the release of Bolt Action 2nd Edition and I didn't particularly feel the need to pursue 2e (or its weird war counterpart Konflikt '47) since the friend I played it with the most eventually moved a good distance enough away.

Four years later, Bolt Acton is making the rounds again when one of my friends decided to make a British Paratrooper Army to satisfy a WWII itch. This later expanded into exploring the Weird War side of things and lo-and-behold a community around Konflikt '47 began to grow!

Originally, I was quite hesitant to get back into Bolt Action. Several factors (primarily financial) made me want to wait a bit before I got back into rebuilding my armies and relearning the rules. Let's just say, previewing the Thor and Zeus Panzermechs quickly changed my mind (alongside a birthday present of Finns from my good friend Morgun).

It's very hard to look at models that are this badass and not like them.
In this image, a Zeus heavy panzermech is flanked by two Spinne light panzermechs.

I was very, very excited to find out that both the factions that I primarily played in Bolt action (Finland and Italy) have rules in Konflikt with the Finns having access to German technology and Italy having access to its own stuff (although fractured into two warring factions). There's a lot of cool stuff to be head like tesla cannons, heavy infantry, and walkers.

Perhaps the coolest part about Konflikt, though, is its mixing of old and new. Despite the discovery and production of these new technological wonders—known as Rift-tech—their presence on the battlefield does not entirely supersede the familiar WWII technology that we all know and love. There are still Shermans, there are still Kar98s, etc. and they are all very much still in common usage.

Imperial Japanese Sentou-Gaikokkaku engaging Australian Troops.

There is some really, really, weird war stuff in Konflikt too, which comes with the territory of making something in a setting such as this. We have things like zombies, bear-people, werewolf infantry, etc. Some of it is a little too weird war for me and I'm generally not a fan of the whole "genetic manipulation" idea for something set in the 40s, but to each there own! I definitely know people that are into the occult aspect of the weird war and they love it.

So, instead of complaining about why I think genetic manipulation doesn't belong in a WWII (or post WWII) setting, I'm developing it as an aspect of my lore for my Finnish Army (which I will be working on and making a post about soon!).

And with that being said, I am very much looking forward to playing some Konflikt '47! First game in two days and I'm hoping my Finns survive...

A Return from the Unknown with Dropzone Commander

A return four years in the making! I have finally finished schooling and started getting settled into the life of a working adult. A steady income and a solid schedule had finally enabled me to come back to table-top gaming; specifically Dropzone Commander! Several years ago, there was a steady group of DZC guys and I fondly remember playing the game until various circumstances led to its eventual disbandment (things such as work, marriage, school, etc.). In 2014, I effective shelved my DZC armies in favor of focusing on my major.

It's 2018 and I've managed to gather up a crew, mostly my teammates from airsoft, and convince them that Warhammer is not the only good table-top game out there. We've made some big orders, started gathering up our forces, and constructing various buildings out of paper and cardboard in anticipation of our first games!

About Me

As I mentioned in my introduction those many, many moons ago I've been an avid tabletop gamer ever since my childhood with my beginnings in Battletech. When I was really young, my older brother (who is eight years my senior) and his friends introduced me to the game, but I didn't really at all understand what was going on until I got a few years old. I don't consider myself having developed my own game sense until 2004 during the back half of Wahammer 40K's fourth edition. A handful of friends and I got into it together and we were instantly hooked into gaming.

Warhammer remained my bread and butter tabletop for most of my formative years and I did not being to expand my wargaming horizons until the introduction of Warhammer's sixth edition. By then, I had expanded my hobby into Warmachine, Bolt Action, and Firestorm: Armada. My introduction into Dropzone Commander didn't come until 2014. One of my mates saw it being played at our FLGS and decided to check something out that was significantly smaller scale. Got a chance to play it for a few years and loved it (before the aforementioned circumstances that eventually disbanded our local DZC group).

Risk: Legacy - Setting the Stage for a New Age of Conflict

Risk: Legacy, a game in which every decision players make can alter the battlefield forever. There is no turning back. What happens can never be undone. And it will provide a game of Risk like no other.

When you are invited to permanently sign a board understanding that the events that take place are by your own doing and those of your comrades for this journey, you know it's a serious game. That the stories that will be born of Risk: Legacy will be stories to remember.

"We, the undersigned, take responsiblity for the wars that are about to start, the decisions we will make, and the history we will write. Everything that is going to happen is going to happen because of us."

~Andrew Malic

~Andrew Hoffman

~Stephen Jackson

~Vincent Malic

The wars started on the following date: 12/19/2014"

***

New Superpowers Arise

Setting up a game of Risk: Legacy is unlike any other form of Risk I have had the pleasure of encountering before. Once something is done, it is effectively set in stone and there is no reversing it. 

Each faction is given a permanent power from a set of two -- a pair of stickers in which one is placed on the faction card and the other disposed of, never to be used. The permanence of it all is equally as exciting as it is intimidating.

In true table-top gamer fashion, we all agreed that setting up the elements of the game randomly would make the first game truly interesting. With each related factions' pair of powers, we rolled a D6 to determine every permanent bonus.

The Saharan Republic: 

You can make your maneuver at any point during your turn.

When making your maneuver, you may maneuver between any two territories you control, even if they are not connected.

Imperial Balkania:

When recruiting troops, round up when dividing your territory and population by 3, not down.

You still draw a resource card at the end of a turn where you expanded into 4+ territories, even if you didn't conquer a territory.

Enclave of the Bear:

The defender subtracts 1 from his lower defense die in the first territory you attack during your turn.

If your attack roll is a natural three of a kind, and at least one defending troop is defeated, you conquer the territory. Remove all defending troops.

Die Mechaniker:

Your starting HQ is always treated as FORTIFIED when you defend it.

If your defense roll is two natural 6s, that territory cannot be attacked again for the rest of the turn.

Khan Industries:

At the start of your turn, place one troop in each territory that has an HQ you control.

When drawing a territory card, you may place one troop into that territory if you control it.

***

New Resources Discovered

The next stage of our set-up in Risk: Legacy was determining which twelve territories would be the most resourceful at the start of our New Age. Each territory starts with a resource value of one, but before the game starts twelve will be given an extra value increasing their worth.

Again, as before with our above factions, we decided this at random by each taking turns and pulling cards from the top of the shuffled deck.

Alaska

Scandinavia

Mongolia

Eastern Canada

Iceland

Argentina

Western Australia

Russia

Western Europe

Peru

Japan

Great Britain

***

The Lines Are Drawn, The War Begins

The Board has been set. Factions are decided, and a battle for the New Age begins.

A Lack of Activity

I apologize for the apparent and obvious lack of activity on the blog! As a student in college, it has been quite difficult to get material up and running, but as the holidays pass and the next semester gets rolling I'll be getting more articles up -- even if it means it's just talking about available units in various games.

Oarai Girls High School vs. St. Gloriana Girls Academy

The match-up between Oarai and St. Gloriana is the first sensha-do battle that our main characters of Girls und Panzer (with the exception of Miho) participate in, and their utter of lack of skill really shows in the fight (as if the ridiculous paint schemes pictured above wasn't already enough of a hint).

For the scrimmage between the two schools I've pointed the Oarai vehicles in their lowest experience level for obvious reasons. The Panzer IV ausf D, however, I pushed up to Regular as Miho -- an experienced tank commander -- justifies that they perform somewhat better than the rest of the team.

Oarai Girls High School

- Regular Panzer IV ausf D: 135 Points

- Inexperienced Panzer 38(t): 108 Points

- Inexperienced Type 89B: 100 Points

- Inexperienced StuG III ausf F: 184 Points

- Inexperienced M3 Lee: 176 Points

Total: 703 Points

Low, low, low points. The hodgepodge of tanks and lack of experience puts Oarai at 703 which is far less than half of the normal points I play in Tank Wars.

St. Gloriana Girls Academy

- Veteran Churchill VII: 522 Points

- Regular Matilda II (x4): 620 Points

Total: 1,142 Points

The Matildas alone are almost enough to match Oarai in terms of points. I gave St. Gloriana's Churchill a Veteran rating as it is commanded by Darjeeling who -- as is demonstrated for the rest of the series -- is a very competent commander. The rest of the team, which will be a usual case for the other teams as well, I rated at Regular since most of these crews practice sensha-do literally every day. If they are not Veterans, they are at least good at what they do.

Now, let's talk line-up.

The Churchill alone already spells trouble for our titular characters. As a super-heavy vehicle by Bolt Action terms, it possesses an armor value of 11+ meaning only two Oarai vehicles are capable of penetrating its armor. Even the Matildas prove to be tough targets considering that (under Bolt Action) the Type 89 and Panzer IV ausf D are armed with light howitzers that possess a horrid Penetration value.

Bolt Action vs. Girls und Panzer
As expected, Oarai puts up a better fight than one would predict in the anime. They do lose, however, as much of their amateur experience in sensha-do really works against them. If played out in Bolt Action it would be entirely one-sided. The only thing working in favor for Oarai would be their far superior maneuverability since all of the British infantry tanks possess the Slow rule. On the table-top, if Oarai could score some hits to the rear, they could stand a teeny chance of leveling the playing field. They would have to rely almost entirely on Pin markers caused, but even that would be a struggle considering the Inexperienced level of four out of five crews.

Girls und Bolt Action

Not sure how many of you are familiar with the anime Girls und Panzer, but its a great show made by Actas with perhaps one of the most ridiculous premises I've ever encountered. In this alternate reality, Japanese schools (which, for some apparent reason, have been built into these gigantic city-sized aircraft carriers) practice a war game sport known as sensha-do (literally, the way of the tank). It's a fun story where these high-schoolers ride around in WWII-era tanks and fire dummy rounds at each other in a mock-form of armored warfare. If you haven't seen it and you're a fan of anime, I highly recommend it.

Now, since all of the tanks featured in Girls und Panzer -- with a few exceptions -- did see action in World War II, I have decided to transliterate all of the teams seen in the anime and its OVAs into Bolt Action. Since the release of Tank War, I've set a long-term goal of recreating every team in miniature form and this will be an ongoing project that I will cover on this blog. 

As of right now, however, all I have done is point up each team for a side by side comparison to see how each match in the show lined-up. For the most part, I've assumed all tanks to possess Regular crews excluding character vehicles which I have pointed in their highest form. I will analyze and discuss each match-up in order of their chronological occurrence in the show which I have listed below:

- Oarai vs. St. Gloriana Scrimmage
- Oarai vs. Saunders
- Oarai vs. Anzio
- Oarai vs. Pravda
- Oarai vs. Kuromorimine