Advisory Note

Please Note: This blog contains poorly painted toy soldiers that may offend those of an aesthetically sensitive disposition.

Sunday 10 March 2024

Free

 A free hobby find is always welcome, and this paper house is just that. It come courtesy of Erny's Place, and there are more posts with such buildings if one cares to look. Thanks Erny. I think he really caught the look of the 1980s Warhammer scenery.

A Free House (ie a Pub that's not linked to a single brewery)

I'm not very gifted when it comes to model making, but this one was nice and simple. I copied the image then printed it onto the thin card you can buy that will run through a laser printer. The card is quite flexible so I stiffened the walls by attaching some thicker card with a glue stick.


With hindsight (that really should be available on prescription) I should have left some card at the bottom of the walls to make tabs that could be stuck onto a card base - will definitely do that next time.

Friday 16 February 2024

Three

 For the third post of the year I fought a Mini Campaign using 3x3 Fast Play Portable Wargame rules again. I was quite expecting it to go to three games, but as it seemed drawn at two I stopped there, leaving things open for a re-match.

The Map

The Empire, tired of raiding parties playing havoc with the economy, have sent a force across the wide river to give the local tribe a bloody nose. As this involves quite a lot of logistics, the barbarians have had time to get a force of their own together and marched to meet the enemy.


The First Battle

The two armies arriving

The Barbarians take the initiative 


Evenly balanced

The Empire begin to push back

but run out of resources and must fall back instead

The second battle


A reinforced Barbarian Army chases the Empire force to the nearest town where they also gain additional numbers.


The confident Barbarians attack

but are repulsed

and now the Empire is on the offensive

The Barbarians are driven off with few crossing the river at the end of the day



Sunday 11 February 2024

Sittangbad

 More from the Journal of General Sir Bartholomew Archibald Tiberius Henry Norman Wells. Today I'm looking at the defense of Sittangbad (from Charge! (1967) by Brig. Young & Lt. Col. Lawford, in case you didn't know!)

Slightly edited Map from Charge!

I laid an 8x12 grid over the original map of the battlefield and created a plan for a Portable Wargame version of the classic scenario. I also added names to two features that hadn't been named in the original.

The Plan

The Reality - buildings by Monopoly (trademark)

The pre-battle situation, as detailed by General B.A.T.H.N Wells, is summarized as follows:

After a failed incursion into Red territory, the remnants of Blue's Army are camped between Sittangbad and Eisenberg. General Wells has been sent with a small force to take command of Army Blue, and to hold Sittangbad, or at the very least defend the river crossing from an approaching Red Army, commanded by General Kernel. 

The opposing forces are as follows:

Army Blue 
2 Units of Cavalry @ 3SP (1 unit starts in Sittangbad)

1 Unit of Light Infantry @ 3SP

3 Units of Line Infantry @ 4SP (1 unit starts in Sittangbad)

1 Unit of Artillery @ 2SP (starts in Sittangbad)

General Wells @ 6SP (starts in Sittangbad)

Total 28SP (EP at 19SP)


Army Red

3 Units of Cavalry @ 3SP

1 Unit of Light Infantry @ 3SP

4 Units of Line Infantry @ 4SP

2 Units of Artillery @ 2SP

General Kernel @ 6SP 

Total 38SP (EP at 25SP)

The objective of both sides is control of the East end of the bridge by Turn 16.


The Affair at Sittangbad 

Blue's preliminary position

After a wet night in the field, General Kernel ordered Army Red to march towards Sittangbad at first light. Having spent a comfortable night in an hotel in the town, General Wells sent orders to his men to the West of Eisenberg to begin moving back towards the town, leaving a Regiment of Line Infantry to harry the approaching Red force from the village.

The position at daybreak

Red's Artillery began to bombard Eisenberg on arrival. The defenders themselves fired at the Red Cavalry who were swinging by to their North, under orders to ride around Sittangwald forest and out flank the retreating Blue troops. General Wells, wise to this had already sent some of his own cavalry to head them off.


Despite all of Red's troops now being on the battlefield, the early attack on Eisenberg was proving to be ineffective. General Kernel's cunning outflanking manoeuvre had also been countered and a cavalry melee had begun.


 As the morning ground on, the attack on Eisenberg Village finally began to wear down the defenders, however the Cavalry fight was going Blue's way despite Red's superior numbers.


To avoid the village, Red began moving forces up and over the steep sides of the Grimmberg.


Once past this obstacle they could begin the assault on Sittangbad. The Blue Regiment in Eisenberg stubbornly held on.



And continued to hold on, whilst General Kernel committed his artillery to pounding the village. 


 Finally Eisenberg fell to Red, however the defense of Sittangbad was proving to be even more staunch. Blue's Light Infantry in particular were firing steadily and accurately, inflicting heavy casualties.

The Assault on Sittangbad

By mid-afternoon, both sides were nearing Exhaustion Point and Red was still a long way from his objective.


 Finally Red managed to get some artillery up onto the Grimmberg where it could fire down onto the town, but too late...


Army Red's cavalry finally broke through on Blue's left flank, but EP had been reached. Blue's accurate firing from the town had cut down the attackers making further progress impossible.


By turn 16, Blue had suffered almost 30% casualties, whilst Red had 42% dead or wounded.

Another victory was chalked up by General Wells who had saved the honour of Army Blue.




Sunday 21 January 2024

First

 


For the first game of 2024, I had a hankering to play what is possibly the first published scenario in the hobby. Unfortunately, due to busyness on both the Work and Domestic Fronts, I haven't been able to dig out anything but the smallest set-up. So here is another first (I think, please correct me if I'm wrong). Hook's Farm as a Fast-Play 3x3 Portable Wargame.

The Plan

Farmer William Hook's Farm is situated at the West end of a ridge that happens to be of strategic importance in the on-going war between Red and Blue. The only other building of note is Firefly Church, at the Eastern end. The West facing slope is steep and heavily wooded and impassable to all arms. Red's Camp is in the Reserve area to the North; Blue's to the South. The objective for both sides is to dominate the ridge by the end of the game (turn 15). There is no exhaustion point and the throw of initiative dice determines the number of actions a side can take each turn (move/fire/close combat all counting as 1).

General Wells (Blue)

The Reality

The opposing Armies approach the battlefield

Blue had the best initiative rolls in the early part of the game and quickly established himself on the ridge. Red attempted to outflank his adversary by sending cavalry across the low ground to the West. This was blocked and Red's horse suffered badly in the face of Artillery fire and then melee. 
Early manoeuvrings

Red dispatched his reserve cavalry to the fighting on the West flank while bringing up his artillery to fire on the Blue force now dominating the ridge.


Losses mounted on both sides as the day wore on.



 Red, now running out of turns, threw infantry into a frontal assault on the farm and sent his last reserves to the West flank.



General Wells led his reserve Infantry to join the defenders on the ridge


Coming under concentrated fire, General Wells fell back whilst the rest of his men on the ridge finished off the last of Red's Artillery


As the sun sank, it was clear that Blue had prevailed, despite a small Red force still fighting gallantly around the Farm.


 In the words of General Wells, "The affair of Hook's Farm was one of those brisk little things that did so much to build up my early reputation." (Little Wars 1913). Brisk indeed, but containing the spirit of the original I think. I wonder what other classic scenarios could be shoehorned onto a tiny playing surface?


Friday 22 December 2023

Of Shakos and Machine Guns

 A long time ago I planned to do some Early WW1 games and duly bought some 20mm figures from Irregular Miniatures. The project stalled, as so many do, and the figures languished part painted in a drawer. Recently I rediscovered them and have finished enough for a PW game.

At that time I was basing figures individually and adding static grass etc. These days I go for plain multi bases as it means I might actually get round to finishing a few units in a reasonable time frame (ie ever). This is by way of explaining the strange appearance of mixed basing styles.

The Setting - Le dernier jour de la Belle Epoque

It is August 1914. The German Army has invaded neutral Belgium, aiming to rush through into North France and capture Paris. The Belgians aim to hold the German Army allowing the French and British time to come to their aid.

The game features a small sector in East Belgium. The German objective is to get at least 3 units across the board, to simulate their advance, by Turn 15. The Belgian objective is to stop the Germans.

The German force is 7 units strong. 4 Line Infantry, 1 Jaeger (Elite) 1 Uhlan, 1 Machine Gun


The Belgian force has 6 units. 2 Line Infantry, 2 Chasseurs a Cheval, 1 Carabinier (Elite), 1 Machine Gun (dog-pulled). Half of the Force did not arrive until Turn 3.


The Belgians got the initiative and quickly set up defensive positions behind walls.


The Germans advanced along a farm track (actually Warbases' River sections)



The German plan was to rush forward and get the required number of units over the enemy's base line as soon as possible. Unfortunately things soon bogged down...


..until the German Army reached Exhaustion Point at Turn 9

Exhaustion Point!
At Turn 10 the German force withdrew rather than continue to take casualties. The Belgian's had succeeded in stalling the enemy, in this sector at least.