Chechnya - New Xenos Rampant Vehicle Damage rules.

Having painted up a number of in fills an excuse to give them a first outing.

The additional Russian and Chechen support units will come in handy and will give both sides that extra punch.

Now to break the freshly painted curse.

Looking back of previous scenario's I thought about giving the original scenario a run out a mere 8 when it first landed on the table, at the time with less figures using Chris Peers at close quarters rules. I was interested to see if Xenos Rampant gave a better feel.

It did not disappoint.

June 1995 somewhere between Benoi and Vedeno - Chechnya.

A Russian BM21 has broken down on a major supply route, a couple of sections of infantry and supports have been left behind to protect the rocket launcher whilst reinforcements arrive with a repair party. The area is known for insurgent activity who would like nothing more to get their hands on the extra fire power. The Federal forces must protect the vehicle and drive off the Chechen fighters.

The table looks a little better than 8 years ago with more rural looking buildings and repurposed woods. The BM21 can be seen in the centre of the table with the access road at the bottom of the picture. The Chechens will enter randomly on the table edges, with the reinforcements for the Russians appearing on 1d6 turns.

The centre point of the table, 2 squads a HMG and Sniper hardly seem enough to hold back the insurgents.

With the defenders awaiting the column, Chechen militia appear on the wood lined hill tops over looking the valley and the stranded rocket launcher. The Russian HMG and Sniper covering this flank to hold back the fighters.

On the opposite side of the table a Chechen sniper team appears the Russians unable to see him at over 12" push up the hill to drive him off.

A second sniper is spotted and again the Russians advance to close the gap.

The sniper having drawn out the infantry instead of firing calls down mortar fire on the infantry, in the first salvo 50% of the advancing troops are killed or wounded and the rest flee back down the hill.

At the far end of the table Chechen's creep into the settlement ready to slow the rescue party.

The Russian HMG chews up the militia in the tree line.

The Chechen mortar disproving the myth that freshly painted troops always lose, switches his focus to the sniper sending him running for cover.

Meanwhile the rescue column makes it's way on to the table.

Rpg rounds hit the column and the lead BTR70 is destroyed sending the infantry running for cover. 

Another whoosh of AT rounds and the BMP1 falls back behind the house.

Before the rescue party could regroup from out of the barn another RPG round smashes into the BMP forcing it to retire. 

The rescue mission had failed their would be no break through today.

That was fun, heavy weapons such as HMG's can really hurt infantry as can mortar rounds if you catch them in the open. 

The vehicle rules felt like they needed a little extra, if played correctly XR only allow for one vehicle but they can certainly handle multiple vehicles, the only potential downside is the attritional nature of the rules where strength points chip away at units. So I introduced a chart similar to that found within Bolt Action.

It worked well and resulted in the lead APC being destroyed in short order after being hit by a unit with the Anti-Tank capability. Hopefully this does not break the rules but makes the use of vehicles more challenging for larger games and could make for tank on tank encounters a little quicker.

Feedback welcome.

Dispatches from the front XXVIII - In house rules & desert purchases.

It's been over a month since the last dispatch and still everything is still middle east focused.... I was hunting around for some extra terrain items for the desert and spotted some nice pieces on Two Shed Fred's eBay page.

As usual great service from Fred.... a set of walls which will add to the village and be useful for multiple periods.

Add to that three Mine Fields, these are great pieces very simple in design with a barb wire fence around each of them, with 6 movable signs, 2 generic, 2 British & 2 German. 

Having had Fred make me some bespoke roads a few years ago, I was wondering what to do with my Battlefield in a Box Roads, the answer was found in a couple of cans of Desert Yellow and Bone Yard and there they are..... Desert Roads..... and an excuse to add a couple of house rules for the desert games around bogging and mid day heat.

To compliment these pieces a small order from Ironclad Miniatures with a selection of fox holes, nothing says desert warfare than a bunch of infantry hiding in fox holes, whilst these are rather high I like the fact that I can drop them over the top of infantry or support teams rather than half figures.

On the subject of House Rules, I played a couple of Pint Size Campaign games with Chain of Command over at the Wyre Forest Club, a good encounter between the French Defenders and the attacking Germans... It's been a few years since I last played CoC, they have some nice mechanisms and feel a little more realistic than Bolt Action however my gaming tastes have changed slightly and I am leaning more towards the 'fun' game but still keeping a degree of realism. 

It got me thinking about adding in certain key elements of Chain of Command into Bolt Action.

I like the Force Morale elements in the Too Fat Lardies game mechanism, this makes you think about when you commit your troops but also not leaving sections too exposed. So adding a Bad Things Happen Table for the loss of a unit in addition to a loss of a dice makes for some jeopardy. 

This is the draft.

Snipers in BA can be pretty lethal and players always go for the LMG in a squad, Force Morale makes Officers more important and their loss could reduce the Force Morale which feels better rather than just taking dice from the bag.

Movement within BA can feel a little rigid with 6" for Advance and 12" for a Run so I have tweaked this with 1D6 for Advance and 3D6 for a Run HOWEVER if you get a double a unit gains a pin. This makes a Run a useful move but you may need to spend a turn reordering the ranks in a future turn.

If a unit fails a pin test and breaks under the house rules now units fall back 6" plus 2D6 and then go Down, but also take a Bad Things Happen Test.

One of my gripes with some rules is how whole units are taken off the table after a few casualties, it takes so long to paint units do I really want them back in the box after a few rounds of fire. So when it comes to Hand to Hand now when units lose they not taken off the table but rout backwards and gain pins equivalent to the difference in casualties.

The initial run through in a small game as French take on the Italians for a desert watering hole played really well.

How to test it with a few more players who are used to BA proper let's see if the tweaks hold up.

Happy gaming...

Martian Empires - Indirect Artillery Rules

Just a quick posting this evening, after last weeks outing, I thought I would produce some inhouse rules for the use of Indirect Artillery fire for the Martian Empire rule set, due largely to the fact that I picked up these Heliograph teams from Peter Pig several years ago but they have finally made their way to the summit of lead mountain.

So the rules.

I have pointed them out at a cost of 50 points with a limit of 1 per 1000 points being fielded.

They will require an order to send a message from their position to the gun section. 

The gun section must have a command element within sight of the heliograph team and be within command radius of the guns to be able to command it to fire. 

Heliograph teams are treated like Officers and Characters for the purposes of movement and actions, they may be attached to a unit if charged but will not influence that unit in any way for morale or fire purposes.

Now back to the brushes.....

Mud and Blood - Rules by the Too Fat Lardies. The Japanese Army in the Russo - Japanese War 1904 - 1905

I have long been a fan of the Too Fat Lardies WW1 rule Through Mud & Blood and thought that with a few tweaks they could be used for the Russo - Japanese War, these are the in house rules under by our club Wyvern Wargamers.

The Japanese Military machine had changed greatly following the Meiju Restoration a conscript army had been formed but the sense of self discipline and the spirit of sacrifice for the emperor remained their skills had been honed in the Civil War of 1877, a war with Chinese and the Boxer Rebellion, based on the German military doctrine Foreign observers rated the quality of the Japanese infantry close to European standard. 

The army whilst small compared to the Russian Army approx 400,000 bayonets had the advantage of a well led educated Officer Corp with a spirit of self sacrifice and discipline.

When war broke out Russia had to face a Japanese army, that was well trained, well equipped, well led and highly motivated. 

Troop Quality.

Japanese Infantry will generally be of Regular quality, although they may field units of Veteran status.

Artillery and HMG teams are likely to be Regular.

Japanese morale is likely to be Good or Reasonable.

All Japanese Infantry are Aggressive in close combat.

The Cards

Within Mud & Blood outside of the usual cards (sentry, Blinds, end of Turn (in our games SAKE) the following cards are assigned to the Japanese Commander.

Big Man Cards one per Section.

I have added the Status of each Big Man, their influence range and their Experience and Morale, together with the weapons within the section to make referring to the rule book during play a little easier.

Support Unit Cards

These can be any type of support weapons that are allocated to the field force. This can range from pre-planned artillery support, SOS artillery support, Off Shore Naval fire, heavy machine guns, or a sniper. I have added the Weapon details to each card.
The RJW was the first war were modern machine guns were widely used, the Japanese had adopted the light Hotchkiss machine gun.

This was easier to move than the Russian equivalent to represent this, the Japanese HMG team my deploy on a single action before being able to fire.

Given the early use of the Machine Gun, HMG's unjam on 6 rather than a 5 and a 6 as stated in the rules.

Command Initiative Cards

Given the quality of the average Russian Force during the RJW I have assigned the following ruling

For every Two Big Men add one Command Initiative card, the first being Status I, the second Status II and so on, up to the highest Status Big Man present. Once you get to that point begin again with Status I.

Rally Card
To represent the endurance, self-discipline of the average Japanese Soldier each Japanese field force will include a rally card in the deck. On it being dealt the relevant player may remove one point of Shock from a single unit.

Hesitant Troops
The Japanese recruited units of Honghuzi or Chinese bandits to harass the Russian Army, this card represents lower quality units that are inclined to sit tight and fire rather than take the battle to their opponent. once this card is dealt it is noted and if the next card is a Japanese Big Man in control of a Honghuzi unit he may not use his initiative to move any Groups; they may only fire, spot or take cover.


Heroic Leader
One Big Man may attempt something absurdly heroic, with his chances of success being agreed upon by the players or assessed by the umpire. Once this card has been used it will be removed from the deck.

Dynamic Commander
A Big Man of the player’s choice may personally take a bonus move, whether he has already moved or not. This is restricted to his figure moving using two Action Dice. He may not be accompanied by any troops, and he is restricted to moving only.

Ammunition Shortage
This may be included in the deck for any force that is running short of ammunition. It may be in the deck from the start, or be added at a point during the game as specified by the scenario. If this card is dealt immediately after a Group or Groups of that nation have fired, then they are declared to be running short of ammunition. They may then only fire at close range for the rest of the game or until resupplied.
In our games we will often include a Supply wagon or Pack Mule to each opposing force, once a unit reaches the supply unit they are deemed as resupplied, alternatively a unit may send a runner who must reach the supply unit and return to his unit, before the unit can be deemed as resupplied.
Ideally only the player affected by this will be informed of this ruling.

National Characteristic Cards

These cards will be included in the deck to represent the strengths and weaknesses of a force. For every 2 units fielded one of the following cards can be selected to maximum of three cards in any game.

Should the majority of the Japanese Force be of Veteran status then an additional card my be taken, should the majority of the force be of poor quality then one card is removed.

Banzi (2 per deck)
A single group or Blind of the player’s choice may take a bonus move, over an above their normal activation in the turn. They may only move. They may not fire, take cover or spot, however they may enter close combat with enemy infantry or physically attack a bunker.

For the Emperor

Any Group or Formation within 8" of a standard may remove 1D6 Points of Shock.

Mud and Blood - Rules by the Too Fat Lardies. The Russian Army in the Russo - Japanese War 1904 - 1905

I have long been a fan of the Too Fat Lardies WW1 rule Through Mud & Blood and thought that with a few tweaks they could be used for the Russo - Japanese War, these are the in house rules under by our club Wyvern Wargamers.

The Russian Army in the Russo - Japanese War had changed little over the last 100 hundred years, yes the weaponry was vastly different, but the command and control was still based on aged doctrine.

There was little bond between the 2nd rate conscript soldier often drafted from the rural population in the east of Russia, pay was low and conditions harsh.

The officers were drawn from an aristocratic background or the landed gentry and looked down on the troops under their command. The Officer Corp massively underestimated the Japanese army it was assumed that their lack of experience and their recent westernisation would make them no match for the Russian Army with it's tradition and experience.

Troop Quality.
Russian Infantry will generally be of Green quality, if the units are of Western in origin they may be Trained or Elite.
Artillery and HMG teams are likely to be trained.

Russian morale is likely to be reasonable or Good.

The Cards

Within Mud & Blood outside of the usual cards (sentry, Blinds, end of Turn (in our games SAKE) the following cards are assigned to the Russian Commander.

Big Man Cards one per Section.

I have added the Status of each Big Man, their influence range and their Experience and Morale, together with the weapons within the section to make referring to the rule book during play a little easier.

Support Unit Cards

These can be any type of support weapons that are allocated to the field force. This can range from pre-planned artillery support, SOS artillery support, Off Shore Naval fire, heavy machine guns, or a sniper. I have added the Weapon details to each card.

The Russian machine gun was deployed as a defensive weapon. It was fitted on a limber and had a gun shield to protect the crew.

To represent the shield if being fired on from their front, they will always count light cover.

To represent the more cumbersome nature of the Russian HMG, they will deploy on two actions before being able to fire.  

The early adoption of the HMG means that they will unjam on a roll of a 6 rather than a 5 or 6 as stated in the original rules.

Command Initiative Cards

Given the quality of the average Russian Force during the RJW I have assigned the following ruling

For every Three Big Men add one Command Initiative card, the first being Status I, the second Status II and so on, up to the highest Status Big Man present. Once you get to that point begin again with Status I.


Rally Card
To represent the resilience of the average Russian Soldier who generally fought well each Russian field force will include a rally card in the deck. On it being dealt the relevant player may remove one point of Shock from a single unit.

Hesitant Troops
To represent the defensive strategy of the Russian High Command of awaiting the Japanese assault on their fixed positions before advancing when numbers were in their favour, This card should be included in the deck which once this card is dealt it is noted and if the next card is a Russian Big Man he may not use his initiative to move any Groups; they may only fire, spot or take cover.

Friction
The Russian high command were static and ineffectual to represent the poor command and control this card is added to any Russian Force. In effect this is a negative Command Initiative card. Once dealt it is left in play until the next Big Man of that force is dealt. He then has his Command Initiative reduced by one for that turn.

Heroic Leader
One Big Man may attempt something absurdly heroic, with his chances of success being agreed upon by the players or assessed by the umpire. Once this card has been used it will be removed from the deck.

Dynamic Commander
A Big Man of the player’s choice may personally take a bonus move, whether he has already moved or not. This is restricted to his figure moving using two Action Dice. He may not be accompanied by any troops, and he is restricted to moving only.

Ammunition Shortage
This may be included in the deck for any force that is running short of ammunition. It may be in the deck from the start, or be added at a point during the game as specified by the scenario. If this card is dealt immediately after a Group or Groups of that nation have fired, then they are declared to be running short of ammunition. They may then only fire at close range for the rest of the game or until resupplied.
In our games we will often include a Supply wagon or Pack Mule to each opposing force, once a unit reaches the supply unit they are deemed as resupplied, alternatively a unit may send a runner who must reach the supply unit and return to his unit, before the unit can be deemed as resupplied.
Ideally only the player affected by this will be informed of this ruling.

National Characteristic Cards

These cards will be included in the deck to represent the strengths and weaknesses of a force. For every 2 units fielded one of the following cards can be selected to maximum of three cards in any game.

Should the majority of the Russian Force be of Veteran status then an additional card my be taken, should the majority of the force be of poor quality then one card is removed.

Vodka

A single group or Blind of the player's choice may advance towards the enemy with +2 pips per movement dice.

For the Motherland

Any Group or Formation within 8" of a standard may remove 1D6 Points of Shock.

Cossack

A Russian Cavalry Group or Formation may Charge with elan.

All accounts would suggest the Russian Cavalry was largely ineffectual, prior to the RJW they had a reputation for ferocity for gaming purposes I have given them the benefit of their reputation prior to the RJW. 

LOTR Zombies Rules

Having played several games of Pike Shot & Zombies over recent weeks albeit with an Elizabethan flavour, the urge for bigger games has started to take over, having spent a number of nights working away without PC or paints, it gave me the perfect opportunity to attempt some in house rules merging GW's Lord of the Rings Rules with Pike Shot & Zombies.

PS&Z has some great mechanisms I love the idea of umpire driven arrival points and their random movement is a great way for the umpire to keep control, rather that the more random movement rules with All Things Zombie which has been a favourite of our club for quite a while. However trying to move PS&Z beyond 10 figures aside bogged the game down a little.

So here goes a first draft of Zombie rules for LOTR, For the most part, the rules are exactly the same as The Strategy Battle Game - The Lord of the Rings.

The stats for your basic undead figure is as follows.

	F	S	D	A	W	C	M	W	FT
Zombie	2/-	2	3	1	1	-	0	0	0

Zombies move 4" and are worth 4 Points Value.
They have no Courage rating and will always fight to the death.

Special Rules

Terror

The Living Dead have no fear and rely upon tearing and biting attacks on the living, Any human wishing to charge a Zombie must test their courage or will stand in place racked by fear.

 

The Shambling Dead
The Living Dead aren't the most agile, so any model must roll two dice for Jump and Climb tests, selecting the lowest score as a result.

Devour

Should a Zombie defeat and kill a living character they and any victorious zombies will spend 1-3 Turns feeding on the body. Any Zombie with 12" will move to join the feast of flesh.

Dead Sight

The undead will pursue any living character with 12" within their Line of Sight, once line of sight is lost the undead will follow the most recent and loudest sound generated by the group or living characters.

Any zombie characters without an active target will move on the random movement of a dice, for each group of undead roll 1D6 this number represents the move distance and number of zombies that my move from the group this turn.


Plague Pits & Burials Mounds.

The starting points for your undead forces. These will be hidden from the players at the start of every game and will be come active once a player comes within "X" inches of the plague pit.

Plague Pits will generate 1D6 Zombie each turn, until the Zombie player reaches his point allocation or you run out of models....

Burial Mounds can be suppressed/closed by inflicting 3 wounds on the terrain item, the stats are as follows.

	F	S	D	A	W	C	M	W	FT
Plague Pit	5/-	-	8	-	3	-	0	0	0

They are worth 120 Points Value.

Each turn a player conducts one of the actions below roll the following dice if the distance reaches the location of the plague pit the pit will be activated and will being spitting out its evil content the following turn.

Sounds             Description                                                           Dice Modifier
Quite                 Moving                                                                  1D10
Noisy                 Hand to Hand/Shouting/Musical Instrument        2D10
Loud                 Firearms                                                                 3D10 + 3
Deafening         Volley Fire or Cannon Fire                                    3D10 + 6

I would welcome any feed back as like many rule sets it will take a few more competitive games to iron out any kinks.