Sometime around the seige of Vienna

 A fictional scenario set in the 1680s was the subject of last night's fictional game, Ottomans vs Imperials, played with our preferred Volley and Bayonet rules. Here are four photos of Jon's 15mm armies.

Back to the Peninsula

The Volley and Bayonet rules have a great scenario generation system included. For me it works well, but it doesn't always suit the needs of every 'gamer.  For this reason I at times try to create a fictional scenario that might be challenging, that might appeal to others. It is however something of a black art (which is a euphemism for 'I'm not very good at it').

This week I tried to create something very different, set on the Peninsula, using my 25mm Spanish and French armies. The setting was a French attempt to clear a road for its future advance. There was a somewhat tired garrison of Spanish troops in a town (M4), and the French advance was led by some second rate French dragoons, also M4. Reinforcements for both sides fed into the battle on predetermined turns. The Spanish force included some guerillas, for which I created some bespoke rules.

Some candid shots from along the way..

The issues were:

1. The guerilla units were too strong... sharp shooters who could be deployed in any terrain feature, and could be redeployed in following turns if 'eliminated' by melee contact. If destroyed by shooting, they were permanently removed from the game, if contacted in melee they simply melted away, able to reappear next turn (just not in the same terrain feature).
2. The French 'escalation' was too slow.. they needed more troops earlier in the game. They had 10 turns to clear the town and road along the 6' length of the table.
3. Rating the dragoons as M4 made them too fragile, and even though the opposing Spanish cavalry was also M4, they were a part of the larger divisions. The French were an independent cavalry division. The M4 rating made their exhaustion level too low, and so they were far too fragile.
4. The French needed a greater cavalry superiority if they were to successfully push along the entire length of the road.

That said, it was great to get to push the 25mm napoleonics around the table again, and as you might expect there was plenty of wargamer chat and banter to make the evening enjoyable (and oh, did I mention sausage rolls?). I am again remind however that these figures would now be older than many of the 'gamers in our city.

Some fabulous fantasy modelling

While visiting last night, Murray shared with me two new model pieces he has finished for HotT, or DBF.

A Great Flyer for the Ratmen

This one a knight, specifically a chariot, for the Ratmen. The figures are old GW figures.

Two new Spearhead players

 First game this week saw me introducing two new players to WW2 Spearhead (my preferred rules option for WW2 games). Murray has experience with Great War Spearhead, while Jeff hasn't played any of the Spearhead stable of rules. I set up a simple 'learning' game set in 1940. A French infantry battalion from an Infantry division, supported by an independent tank regiment of FT-17s (I made it simple.. these were all armed with the 37mm gun).

To keep this first game simple, there was no artillery, and very few support weapons, just those intrinsic to the battalion.

The German force had a tank regiment from a Panzer Division, and a battalion of the division's infantry, all slogging it on foot. Again there was no artillery, just the intrinsic support weapons. Murray commanded them, and opted to cross attach, creating one armour heavy manoeuvre battalion, and one infantry heavy.

No blow by blow AAR here. That said, while theoretically the French were well and truly outmatched, in 9 turns one of the two German battle groups was driven back (took 50% losses and failed its morale throw). The damage was mostly done by the FT-17s.. whew, who would have thought.

The models are all from the Heroics and Ros 6mm range, from my own collection. The game was a great success.. two new Spearhead converts who thoroughly enjoyed the game, each showing a natural inclination towards the planning aspects of the game.. kerching.. 

Serbian Divisional Headquarters

I am about 3/4 of the way through painting up the figures for an early war (1914) Serbian infantry division (for use with the Great War Spearhead rules). The infantry figures are currently all HaT Serbians (sadly not their best work). I decided to break the tedium by painting the divisional HQ. I usually put Div HQs onto larger (1.5" square) bases, generally for ease of identification in game play. This gives the opportunity to do something slightly different, and in this case I chose the idea of the HQ moving past a damaged artillery limber.

The figures are from the Lancashire 18mm range kindly sent to me by Shawn, but they are large enough to sit alongside 20mm figures with ease.

I have one more regiment to paint, to complete the division.. so.. back to it.

Spider Beast Packs.. another DBF game

Having last week played a game of DBF using the spiders as hordes, this week I played a smaller 80 poiont game against Andy, but this time trying them as Beast packs. Under Hordes of the Things, spider hordes seemed right, but un der DBF it didn't. Under DBF hordes are unwieldy, do count towards army losses for victory, and don't come back. The idea of beast type packs assailing the enemy seemed more appropriate. 

Andy fielded his British napoleonic fantasy army.

The initial deployment: both sides were constrained to the central deployment zones, meaning additional forces had to be deployed behind

Scots Greys. Andy had based them 2 to a base many moons ago, which ought to make them Light Horse, but hey.. Scots Greys.. Knights of course

The 'heavy hitters in the spider army... two behemoths and a hero

The spider Beast Packs

Righto.. let's be 'at it'.. straight in..

Spider Behemoth General vs Brit Knight General.. the Brit general was destroyed... so it didn't look good for the Brits from there on in

The second spider behemoth destroyed the British shooters, an the breakthrough of the British line was made

Howeve Andy had posiiotned his two artillery pieces to the rear...

The spiders attacked the first artillery piece and destroyed it

Meanwhile the British were keeping the beasts at bay

Action between the spider best packs and a mix of British shooters, and warband (Scots infantry)

The behemoths attack the second artillery piece

The artillery wins and the attacking behemoth flees

In Andy's next turn he fires artillery at the second spider behemoth (general) and it too flees

However British losses had mounted and finally the game was won by the spiders... a very different game from that in which the spiders had been hordes. Mind you, in contrast to the previous game, my die rolling with the spiders was .. well ... extraordinary. I think it was 7 combats in a row with a die roll of 5 or 6.... as they say, some days you are the pigeon, some days you are the statue. That said, the DBF rules continue to challenge and satisfy.