Big Muddy Historical Gaming Alliance – St. Louis Barracks Battles @ DieCon 2026 Saturday June 6th

Barracks Battles went full tilt on Saturday June 6th with a wide variety of opportunities for those who attended. Here’s some pics from the games…

Session #3 (9am-1pm) 

• Table #1
  GAMEMASTER NAME: Tom Vielott
  TITLE OF GAME:  Battle of Heraclea
  GAME RULE PUBLISHER: Reisswitz Press
  RULES USED (NOTE IF HOME RULES OR MODIFIED): Midgard Heroic Battles
  MINIATURE SCALE: 28mm
  # OF PLAYERS (MIN-MAX): 2-6

• 
  GAME DESCRIPTION: In 280 BC, Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, found himself camped across from a Roman army of similar size near the Tarantine town of Heraclea. He had posted his light troops to guard the river Sinni, which stood between them. Now, he finds himself surprised when at dawn the full force of the Roman army begins to charge across the river, and he must take his cavalry and elephants to block the Romans and allow his Phalanxes to deploy. 

• 
  Table #3
  GAMEMASTER NAME: Burt Campbell and Bob Alsop
  Title of Game: Battle of Trenton
  Game Publisher: Perry Brothers
  Rules Used: Valor and Fortitude
  Miniature Scale: 15mm
  # of Players: 2-6

• 
  GAME DESCRIPTION: Washington’s surprise dawn assault on the Hessian garrison at Trenton, New Jersey December 26th, 1776, is an iconic moment in American History. Three American commands converge on the town along the frozen roads while three Hessian regiments scramble to mount a defense. Speed, coordination and control of the King/Queen crossroads are the keys to American victory. Hessian survival depends on holding long enough to break out across the Assunpink Creek bridge.

• 
  Table #5
  GAMEMASTER NAME: Adam Jones
  Title of Game: Destroy Them on the Ground
  Game Publisher: MSD Publishing
  Rules Used: Kamikaze 1946
  Miniature Scale: 1/300
  # of Players: 4-18

• GAME DESCRIPTION: The invasion of the Philippines by the U.S. triggered the Japanese to begin Kamikaze attacks against U.S. naval vessels.  The surprise attacks
  were initially successful with one escort carrier sunk and dozens of other vessels damaged.  The U.S. struggled to repel the attacks. The naval brass decided to hit the Kamikaze at their source. The former U.S. base named Clark Field was identified as the main base of the suicide attacks and decided to launch a carrier strike to neutralize the
  airfield.

• Table #2
  GAMEMASTER NAME: Stephen Lowry
  Title of Game: Battle of American Jutland 1916 Hypothetical
  Game Publisher: General Quarters 
  Rules Used: General Quarters – Action Imminent
  Miniature Scale: 1/2400
  # of Players: 2-8

• GAME DESCRIPTION: Opposing fleets of American and German battleships fight in the North Sea in 1916, assuming an early American entry into World War 1.
• 
  Session #4 (2pm-6pm

GAMEMASTER NAME: Alex Gluck
TITLE OF GAME: A New Dawn
GAME RULE PUBLISHER: Spectre Miniatures
RULES USED (NOTE IF HOME RULES OR MODIFIED): Spectre Operations
MINIATURE SCALE: 28mm
# OF PLAYERS (MIN-MAX): 2-6

GAME DESCRIPTION: Based on Red Dawn – It has been a year since the Soviet and Cuban Occupation with the US broken into two. Now, with the opportunity given to them by resistance fighters, US forces are preparing for a counterattack. To do this they sent in a US Special Forces team to destroy the Soviet and Cuban Command Elements during a meeting at an old school.

GAMEMASTER NAME: David Schaffner
TITLE OF GAME: 1st Blood at Bull Run
GAME RULE PUBLISHER: Studio Tomahawk
RULES USED (NOTE IF HOME RULES OR MODIFIED): Muskets & Tomahawks mod – Epic Battlefields ACW
MINIATURE SCALE:28mm
# OF PLAYERS (MIN-MAX): 2-4

GAME DESCRIPTION: It is July 20, 1861, and Col. Nathan Evans has received report that the Union Army is crossing the Bull Run at Sudley Ford, heading towards the rear of his small Demi-Brigade still east along the stream, and now threatening the flank of the entire Confederate Army of the Potomac.  Join this pivotal action as the Rebels attempt to defend Mathews’ Hill against Yankee Col. A. Burnside’s historic morning attack at Bull Run.

Table #2
GAMEMASTER NAME: John Nozka
TITLE OF GAME: Westerplatte 1939
GAME RULE PUBLISHER: Warlord Games
RULES USED (NOTE IF HOME RULES OR MODIFIED): Bolt Action 1st Ed
MINIATURE SCALE: 20mm
# OF PLAYERS (MIN-MAX): 2-6 Players

GAME DESCRIPTION: In the early morning hours of September 1, 1939, the Germans launched an all-out assault on the Polish military garrison at Westerplatte.  This attack was not unexpected.  The Poles had been fortifying the peninsula in preparation for what they believed would be inevitable hostilities.  The Germans believed that the garrison would fall quickly, the Poles held out for seven days!  Come fight the opening battle against the primary defensive position at the foot of the peninsula, Wartownia nr.1.

GAMEMASTER NAME: TIMOTHY LALK
TITLE OF GAME: WHITE PLAINS
GAME RULE PUBLISHER: GREG WAGMAN & TOM McKINNEY   LITTLE WARS TV
RULES USED (NOTE IF HOME RULES OR MODIFIED): LIVE FREE OR DIE
MINIATURE SCALE:  1/72 FIGS REGIMENTAL UNITS WITH 50 MEN PER FIGURE
# OF PLAYERS (MIN-MAX): 4-6 

GAME DESCRIPTION: After Washington withdrew his army from Long Island he located it in a strong defensive position on Manhattan island near the town of White Plains.  His left flank was anchored on a hill, his right on the swampy Bronx River and two lines of entrenchments stretched between them.  On the morning of October 28, 1776, General Howe was finally ready to test the rebel line.  Howe assigned General von Heister over 5000 men to capture a lightly defended hill on Washington’s far right. 

GAMEMASTER NAME: Raymond Runge
TITLE OF GAME: Village Evacuation
GAME RULE PUBLISHER: Charlie Company
RULES USED (NOTE IF HOME RULES OR MODIFIED):
MINIATURE SCALE:20mm
# OF PLAYERS (MIN-MAX): 4 – 8 

GAME DESCRIPTION: Your company’s mission is to evacuate Vietnamese civilians from a village along the river in an area occupied by a battalion of NVA and before the area is bombed to oblivion.

Session #5 (7pm-11pm)

 Table #1
GAMEMASTER NAME: Tom Vielott
TITLE OF GAME: Battle of Asculum
GAME RULE PUBLISHER: Reisswitz Press
RULES USED (NOTE IF HOME RULES OR MODIFIED): Midgard Heroic Battles
MINIATURE SCALE: 28mm
# OF PLAYERS (MIN-MAX): 2-6

GAME DESCRIPTION: In 279, the Romans renewed their campaign against Pyrrhus. They met his army near the town of Asculum. Pyrrhus once again placed a river between him and the Romans, but this time the woods and rough terrain on the banks made it difficult for him to use his cavalry effectively. The Romans pushed him back onto the plains behind, but nightfall halted them. Now, both sides draw up for a stand-up fight on the plains.

GAMEMASTER NAME: Ray Gluck
TITLE OF GAME: Fall of Berlin
GAME RULE PUBLISHER:
RULES USED (NOTE IF HOME RULES OR MODIFIED): Fistful of Lead Bigger Battles
MINIATURE SCALE: 15mm
# OF PLAYERS (MIN-MAX): 4-6 

GAME DESCRIPTION: 25 April 1945. As the Soviet Union closed in around Berlin both Volkssturm and Hitler Youth made their last stand in the East. One such small battle was the fight for the bridges over the Havel River – the last escape route to the East. These must be held as long as possible as the Berlin Defense Commander General Weidling is trying to convince Hitler to let the garrison break out to the West. Without them, the garrison is doomed.

GAMEMASTER NAME: Stephen King
TITLE OF GAME: Congress wins!!!
GAME RULE PUBLISHER:
RULES USED (NOTE IF HOME RULES OR MODIFIED): Great and Glorious Days (Home Set Modified)
MINIATURE SCALE: 15mm
# OF PLAYERS (MIN-MAX): Max of 8

GAME DESCRIPTION: It is 1776, the second year of the Revolution. George Washington and the Continental Army have been forced out of New York by a series of disappointing defeats. Now George Washington sees an opportunity to finally stop the advance of the British..  AWI 250 Project Celebrating the founding of our nati

Thanks to the GMs and players for making this a fun day of gaming. We likewise extend our sincere appreciation to Jon Bancroft and the entire crew of DieCon who make this event possible each year with lots of hard work and efforts on their part.