The Anglo Sikh Wars ..

The Anglo Sikh Wars are a new sub-period for us, an application of our ever faithful Volley and Bayonet rules. The period is one that Adrian has been beavering away at for a little while, and so this was the first outing of yet another two beautifully painted 15mm armies on the Friday night table top.

This image from the web site 'Second Anglo Sikh War' gives an artist's impression of warfare on the Infian Sun continent during this confict. See if our game photos create anything quite like this..

Adrian had thought through a few modifications to the VnB rules to cater for this sub-period and so, with modifications and armies in hand, it was indeed 'game on'!!

Rather than give a blow by blow account, here are a few photos from the game, and comment on a couple of notable events.

This was the inital set up, Sikh forces on the right, British forces on the left.

The British were attacking and stormed forward.

Included in the British forces were the elite 17th Lancers (M7!!) and a unit of Indian cavalry (who were no slugs themselves, I hasten to add).

The Sikh forces included General mounted on elephant, and a couple of war elephants.

The Sikh forces also included Warriors.. fearsome guys, but no firearms!!!

... and a couple of rocket batteries.. here is one attached to the Sikh cavalry.

Action was soon joined...

... and Adrian's British attacked the Sikh left flank.

In the centre an intense firefight developed.

A Sikh cavalry attack against their Indian counterparts was foiled, and then the Sikh cavalry division driven into exhaustion in two quick turns of combat!!

The Sikh calary division failed it's exhaustion check, and so became a sitting duck for the British cavalry to pick off at will.

The British infantry broke through the centre and attacked the warriors waiting behind.

The elite Sikh fanatics were attacked by British infantry with Shock (bad timing on my part) .. not pretty ..

... as were the remainder of the Warriors ...

And it was all over.

A fascinating introduction to a brand new sub period. We will be play testing the rules modifications a little more (we weren't sure that things panned out quite as they should, but it was still a great game).

Wars of Religion .. with Armati

The usual Friday evening 'gaming turned into a Saturday evening of 'gaming this week, and we decided to play some more Armati Renaissance. The first game featured French Hugenot (Adrian) against Austrian Imperialist (me). We were once again using Adrian's 15mm armies.

It was a close fought game in which I misused the Austrian Hussars and allowed Adrian to tackle my centre at his leisure. Misjudgment on my part allowed his pike blocks to slam into my lines of arquebusier (and all a turn earlier than I'd planned).

Hugenots advancing!!

French Millars and Reiters....

The lines at the point of contact.

It was initially a 'push of pike' in the centre as we jostled each other.

The Millars took on the Imperialist Reiters.

While some  Imperialist Hussars got in behind the French lines and attacked their artillery .. my misjudgement was to use them in this attacking role, in which they are not particularly strong - they are Horse Archers, Robin.. for goodness sake!!). Bad die rolling and they took a casualty from the artillery. never a good sign!!

And then the French mounted arquebusiers hit them in the rear... this may not end well (especially when I rolled a 1)!!!

The French Gendarmes hit an Austrian pike block in the rear, but by a miracle of die rolling (two 6s in two successive rounds of combat) the pike block held!!!

However the cumulative losses for the Austrians finally took their toll, and the day belonged to the French.

We played a second game using the French against a Moldavian army. This was a dismal affair in which I had my head served to me on a platter... Adrian used his horse archers to good effect, harrying my flanks and causing large numbers of casualties. The army fell apart.. urrgghh... Here are just three random photos.. all that remains to record a dismal defeat, but a great night's 'gaming!!!

1813 Prussia re-emergent!!

1813 and Napoleon is under pressure on all fronts. Peoples from across Europe are crawling out from under the heel of his rule and re-asserting their independence - their voices shall be heard!!

The Prussian people are no exception, and a slightly raw Prussian army has confronted it's French tormentors, the pain of past defeats still keenly felt.

This was a Volley and Bayonet game generated using the Road To Glory scenario system, played using Keith McNelly's 6mm armies.

On the plains of central europe pastoral idylls are about to be rent assunder.

The day began with bold advacnes by both armies, and the French commander (Andrew) pushing his left wing cavalry out to threaten the Prussian right.

Action  quickly developed on the Prussian right as the Prussian right wing (an infantry division and a cavalry division) pushed aggressively forward to tackle the French left.

The French infantry came down from their defensive position on a hill top to attack a brigade of Prussian Landwehr. They seemed to think that these guys were easy pickings. However one of the two French Brigades lost cohesion coming off the high ground.

It all turned very messy, with the vicrtorious Prussian infantry division losing some cohesion itself. The Prussian cabvalry division pushed across the river behind the French right, and was met by a defending French cavalry division. There was a furious calary melee from which the Prusians emerged victorious, and th French cavalry diviosn exhausted.

Meanwhile the Prussian centre, reinforced by the delayed right and reserves under Keith's command, pushed forward, forming its own 'grand battery' and applying pressure on the French centre.

Andrew withdrew his centre n the face of the overwhelming firepower.

Andrew pushed his last reinforcements, two regiments of Napoleon's Old Guard, across to his right to hold off the now rampant Prussian Cavalry.

The game ended at this stage with the French on the back foot, gradually withdrawing across the river in an attempt to re-establish a defendable line. There was of course still the matter of the intact Prussian cavalry diviison behind the French lines, on the French side of the river ... oh dear!!!

'The fate of Admiral Kolchak'

I recently purchased and read this interesting book 'The fate of Admiral Kolchak', (ISBN 1 84158 138 0). Written by Peter Fleming (brother of Ian Fleming, of James Bond fame) it was first published in 1963. My copy is a 2001 reprint.

The story of Admiral Kolchak, former commander of the Black Sea fleet, and Supreme Commander of the White Russian forces, is interesting but tragic. The book provides an overview of the circumstances that lay behind the Allied intervention in Russia in 1918-1920, and hence the circumstances behind Kolchak's acession to power (albeit very briefly). The style of the writing and the vocabulary might seem to the modern reader to be a little dated, but the book rewards perseverance with a reasonable understanding of the events that lead to Kolchak's ultimate demise. The book is short on detail in some areas, and provided little coverage of the campaigns of Kolchak's forces in Siberia. That however was probably never the writer's intention. Fleming does however succeed in painting a brief picture of the barbarity that epitomises civil wars in general.

The book is worth reading if you have an interest in the Russian Civil War.

EpicA Air support

Imperial Thunderbolt fighter bombers recruited in support of the Space Marines, these Citadel aircraft came off the production line last night. I'm not that happy with them, so I may even reblack them and start again.

Two Thunderbolts painted up for ground support, although I am considering repainting in a proper camouflage pattern that might better fit their role.

These next two Thunderbolts are meant to be used in the CAP role. Again, I'm not convinced about the look, or maybe it's just the poor execution.

DBR at Natcon 2011

Finally from the Natcon 2011 weekend, four photos of a couple of tables in play in the DBR competition.

I really liked Brian's Ships ...

ACW Volley and Bayonet in 6mm

On the second day of Natcon 2011 Andrew and played a casual Volley and Bayonet game using Andrew's 6mm ACW armies. The difference here is that Andrew has based his 6mm figures on full sized (3"x3") bases. These look grand on the table top!!

Here again are just a few assorted photos. The game was set in 1861 (after all it is the 150th anniversary this year). The Confederates got the better of the day.