Blood and Spectacles: Battle Report: Castles in the Sky- Book Launch Demo

Monday, August 1, 2022

Battle Report: Castles in the Sky- Book Launch Demo

We had a nice Book Launch party at Gestalt Studios in Powell, Wyoming on 7/23/2022. Thanks to everyone who was able to make it! We managed to keep the Demo table full, founds some new recruits for our wargaming group, sold some books, supported a local business, and had an all around blast!

I did not get to play in the Demo game, as I was busy trying to circulate around, chat up the visitors, and be a good host. Therefore, I do not have a play-by play of the game. However, I do have some random photos and I know some of the outcome.

The battle itself was the British Royal Navy defending a radio station from being bombarded a strange alliance between the French L'Aire National, and the German Empire's navy. We hade four players each with a Battleship, a cruiser, and an escort. We had an American Fleet and a second British fleet in reserve if needed, but we were able to keep all the action on one table as people came and went.

Thanks to the following Painters:

Marc Harrison of The Painted Dwarf in Powell, WY for this great American Fleet from Brigade Models. It has made an appearance on this blog a few times, most notably in the Pseudo-War posts.

The Painted Dwarf

The we also had a great Royal Navy fleet from Brigade Models painted by Michael "Misha" Hansen of Lone Wolf Painting out of Rexburg, Idaho.

Lone Wolf Painting

We also had a French Fleet from Brigade Models painted by me....

And a very cool and unique German Fleet designed and made by John, the creator of the Warcaste TCG.

Warcaste TCG YouTube and Website

Again, I was not able to give a word for word description of the game, as I mostly just umpired as needed. However, I know the results. The French/German alliance was successful in bombarding and destroying the British Radio Tower. However, there was a heavy butcher's bill, as the French Battleship and command ship exploded in a fireball high in the sky, and damaged the nearby Gloire cruiser. In addition, the British also had a Warrior cruiser explode, and a Shah Frigate crippled in the action.

Here are some photos to wet your appetite.

This was the table set-up for the start of the game. You can see a variety of terrain, including some cloud banks, and some level 1 hills along the river. Each player had a QRS, a laminated ship stat card, and a ruler. You can see off to the side we had a side board that held extra dice and such. I also used a white board to help us track Command ratings, Altitude, Speed, and Damage during play. Some players opted to use the dice on the table method as we played as well as the white board to track ship status.

Here the game is well underway, with the British closing in on the target to help defend it. The French are in the upper left and coming in hot! The French used their Battleship as a high altitude distraction, while the rest of the German/French fleet went in low. This worked surprisingly well, as the British got distracted by the high flying French ship, and did not fully concentrate on stopping the lower level attackers.

At this point, the British Radio Tower has been destroyed, and the Alliance is turning away from the battle to escape. However, the British are still going to try and exact a heavy toll! Of note, you can see Air Mines were deployed near the center of the board.

Here, you can see where the British Warrior-class airship exploded while in pursuit of the German Nassau-class Battleship. Ka-boom! Perhaps that was the Warrior trying to punch above its weight class? The French Courbet class Battleship as all ready been removed at this point of the battle thanks to the fire of a Queen Elizabeth class British dreadnought. It also went Ka-boom!

You can see the QRS I used for this battle on the Message Board here. There are other useful resources and tokens you can use here.

Overall, another fun book launch at Gestalt Studios in Powell. Thanks to everyone who came, and thanks to everyone who has purchased a copy of Castles in the Sky from Osprey all ready! Happy gaming!