Sunday Night Gaming......

Sunday night saw an outing for the Boxer Rebellion, Simon a fellow Lardy enthusiast very kindly asked me to play test one of the forthcoming offerings from Too Fat Lardies.

"War without Mercy" a set of rules for the Indian Mutiny, using the Sharp Practice System and very nice they are too. some nice touches to bring the period to life....

Lacking suitable mutineers, we opted for a similar mass of angry locals to rush forth on to stout colonial defenders.

The scenario was a simple one escort the wagon and the Christian missionaries  up the road and away from the angry locals filling the countryside.

Russians, US Marines and French Sailors make up the column, with the Boxers waiting in ambush further up the table.

We tested a number of rule adaption such as Low Ammunition and Mutineer initiative, both added flavour to the period and caused the Europeans to consider how to handle the encroaching boxers, whilst the Boxers initiative added a risk to any plan hatched by the enthusiastic rabble.

Hand to Hand was bloody with a number of elements familar to those who have played Terrible Sharp Sword, the introduction of a panic rule made flee units an interesting affair and added to the shock amongst my whole force. Civilians really don't like seeing regulars falling back...

Bad dice rolls on my part saw the Boxers close with my Russian sailors who filled with shock were forced to retire behind the safety of the US Marine corp - How embarrassing.

The US Marines beat back the Boxers only after the French had been forced back to their start line to regroup. The Colonial forces had picked up sufficient shock to slow their advance for several turns..... forcing them to turn back, the road to Peking was closed...

We made a few mistakes and had many questions for the designers a Yahoo Group has been created to discuss the rule tweaks, so I am sure lively debate will follow.

The moderated group can be found here.
War without Mercy.

Napoleon in Egypt - Arab Cavalry and Civilians

These must have been sitting at the foot of Lead mountain for about 18 months, I had under coated the cavalry but something shiny came along and they fell down the painting queue, however having finished the last of the Russo Japanese in recent weeks, I thought I would catch up on a few of the other projects for this year.

The casting are by Black Tree Designs, larger than others on the market, they did contain rather a lot of flash on the horses and one of the horse molds appears to have lost an ear, but they paint up rather well and come with plenty of sculpted detail which is not lost when undercoated and base coated.

They will make a useful addition to my Egyptian/Ottoman forces.

Thanks to the likes of Phyllion over at Diary of a Gaming Magpie.

http://infrequentwargamer.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/pulp-building-arab-market-scene.html

And Frank over at Adventures in Lead.

http://adventuresinlead.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/genuine-indostani-rug-sale.html

I was inspired to dig out a bunch of Arab civilians to kick start my Arab market.... Thanks chaps another project.

I picked these up from Mega Mini's a few months back when I heard that Johnny was shutting up shop in December, These are from his Arabian range, but will serve to populate my market and Arab village. 

I have never purchased from him before, but he always had a range of off the beaten track figures, which always come in handy.

A little small in comparison to Perry and Brigade's offering, but they will serve a purpose to give the village a more lived in feel and give the French a challenge of knowing friend from foe.

The Napoleon in Egypt project has moved up the painting queue, so much so that I hit the button on several packs from Old Glory today, not my favourite manufacture but they can be relied upon to have a broad range of troops for the more obscure periods, more on these shortly.

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. 

Copplestone Castings - Siberian Rifles

Last of this weekend's efforts, 10 Siberian Rifles from Copplestone Castings, having completed the last of Tsuba Miniatures Russian's at least until the next order, I thought I would bolster the Russian command with a further unit of Russian Infantry.

The Copplestone Casting Miniatures are slightly larger than their Tsuba counterparts, but when based and painted fit in fine and the Fur hats and overcoats mask any size variances.

This brings the Russian forces to 4 sections and a HMG, next up Cossack cavalry....

Copplestone Castings - Chinese Armed Bandits - The Honghuzi..

Having finished the main Russian and Japanese Troops for the RJW Project (at least until the next order arrives), I thought I would paint up some Honghuzi or Chinese Bandits, I had a bunch of these from a back of beyond project that never took off, but they are perfect for the RJW albeit fractionally larger than the Tsuba miniatures, but once based there is little to tell the difference.

During the Russo-Japanese War, the Honghuzi took advantage of the conflict to carry out attacks against Russian forces. The Japanese had in their employ Chang Tso-lin, a famous Honghuzi leader who led his men against the Russians, given the treatment the Chinese population received at the hand of the Russians it was relatively easy to recruit armed men to harry the Russian forces.

It is believed that more than 10,000 of these bandits were operating in Manchurian area, divided into companies of from 200 to 300 each led by Japanese officers in the pay of Japan.

Two Hour Wargames - Arab Revolt

We have all been there, you have a great idea for a project, you get the first batch of figures in the post, you start painting, you know you need at least 30 a side and you can't wait to get them on the table before the next shiny thing comes along. But before you know it you have 30 figures in a box and they have never been played with.

Mark has kicked off his Desert War Project and has done a cracking job on his Afrika Korps, but they lack opponents at present, so we agreed to put them up against my Arabs in a scenario inspired by a Commando comic of my childhood...... :-)

Played using the Two Hour Wargames - Chain Reaction Rules.

The village of Ali Bar Bar the Afrika Korp settle in for a nights rest, they are in desperate need of supplies, there armoured car has run out of fuel, they are in need of water and this is the last watering hole before the long march back to their own lines. 

They had been tracked for several days by the local tribesmen, seeing a chance of seizing prisoners for a chance of a ransom to either the Germans or British, as the sun sets they pour out of the desert.

The German MG34 Team, man the walls of the central compound.

Manning the roof tops the Germans stand to.

The local natives pour from the desert having spotted an undefended door at the rear of the central compound, on a high dune, native riflemen fire into the compound pinning a German MG team as they attempt to move to a position to cover the exposed rear door.

At the southern end of the village the Arabs filter into the outskirts of town, however their efforts are thwarted by a sniper in the tower, every time they step into the street they are gunned down or forced to cover.

A further group push forward but are stopped in their tracks by fire from the roof tops.

The natives reach the large door at the rear of the compound and smash their way in, however the Germans have moved an LMG team to cover the door and as the Arabs break in they are swept by machine gun fire, killing several and driving the rest into cover.

Natives push through the orchard but are brought down by German Rifle Fire, before they reach the defenders.

As the sun sets the Arabs have lined the wall to the compound and are breaking through the windows, but they have lost half their number for the loss of only 3 Germans. Meanwhile the Afrika Korps have moved reinforcements to the Alamo stopping the remaining Arabs in their tracks.

A great excuse for  a game, with a set of rules perfect for this type of one off scenario. The Arabs were completely outclassed and outgunned, but the game had some great moments including the killing of the German senior NCO with a spear through the chest..... One of those rare moments when 3 6's are needed.....