Category: black ops

Black Ops: Trouble With the Guards

One thing about “Black Ops” that still gives me pause is the concept of ‘raising the alarm’.  In one sense the game has dual-states; either the defenders are unaware of intruders or they are not.  Unless individuals become aware, and then the question arises of what it takes to...

The Littlest Big Igloo

Back in the day, at the height of the Cold War, cloak and dagger battles were deadly earnest affairs, with only the rare example of a Get Smart to lighten the mood.  Today is no different, with the added frisson of a clandestine asymmetric war waged by entrenched forces...

Black Ops: Extraordinary Rendition

Been breaking out the old Black Ops for a bit of the one-two lately.  The African militias work great as disgruntled Americans, and now we can run some domestic, near-future wargaming on the streets of Bloody America. Rebel Minis makes a fine selection of modern figures, suitable for everything...

Black Ops: Octopod Escape

 In a Black Ops battle featuring two newly painted forces, a small Octopod task force has been discovered operating deep inside Prang!* territory.  The 12 man group of conscripts including one leader (Ace) and one RPG toting heavy (for a total of 54 points) have regrouped inside a...

Shrodinger’s To Hit Roll

Continuing on from yesterday’s discussion on suppressing fire in Black Ops, but the same sort of thing happens in a number of wargames where the condition of a model is left ambiguous until that model next activates. So there you are, staring at the table where your opponent has...

Shooting Around Corners in Black Ops

When somebody uses suppression fire at my table, they always announce it like this. Osprey’s Black Ops uses a card driven activation system.  It’s a randomized IGOUGO system broken up by held actions, orders, and suppression fire.  As can be imagined, suppressing fire is more likely to have an effect, but...

Black Ops, Trial Run

In northern corner, the crew of the G.S.S. Myconis, four hard charging Special Forces. Crew of the SS Myconis, from left to right, a specialist,heavy, trooper, and ace. In the southern corner, a dozen conscripts working for Hazmat Security, Inc. An ace, a heavy, and ten troopers. Since this was...

Black Ops, Around the Horn

Welcome to another clickbait article.  This one has a lot less weird tricks and local single moms and a lot more Black Ops.  With the rules out for less than a month, there aren’t a whole lot of actual play posts around the web just yet – I haven’t...

Black Ops Counter-Intuitiveness

Apparently I’m not the only one having a hard time wrapping his head around a couple of quirks of the Black Ops system.  Over on the Lead Adventure Forums asked a question that had bothered me on my first reading as well. In Black Ops your model stats are...

Black Ops: A Capsule Review

Is that what you call it when you write up a review of a game where you’ve only read the rules?  You’ll get a proper review after we’ve had a chance to take these bad boys for a test-drive. These rules are great.  in just about every sense they hit...