Good turnout this month given the holidays. I believe we had 17 people involved in playing 4 games.
The games were :
WW2 action in operation Market Garden.
WSS Blenhiem.
Zulu war, Rourkes drift.
Ancients, Late Roman vs Sassanid.
Setup time.
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Photos curtesy of the Editor.
Rorke's drift, The Zulu War 1879.
Using Front rank fire rules in 25mm.
Using terrain and models by Phil.
AAR by Phil.
Players
British : Leslie.
Zulu : Adam.
Umpire : Phil.
The Zulu War 1879
Battle report for Rorke’s Drift. My favourite period for Wargaming is WW2 followed by the colonial period. I have been planning to replay the battle of RD for over a year but a delay in finishing the roof of one off the buildings, couldn’t get planning permission, I mean time slowed things up.
The game was played by Adam (Zulu),Leslie (British )and myself umpiring. Everything on the board was from my 25mm collection mainly Minifigs, Ral Parthia and Warrior miniatures. Rules Front Rank Fire, a super, free to download, set by Jim Walkman with some changes.
The terrain was set up as close to the historic battle as I could make it. I have around 600 Zulu in my collection and in the game each miniature = two Zulu. The British is 1/1 and had 90 men manning the walls, 5 Boer and ten wounded in the hospital. The Zulu are in units of 30 (60) with 6 units deployed in turn one to the east of RD. After a roll of a D6 this decided how many turns the Zulu player had to wait for reinforcements. Adam got a 4 so after 4 turns the Zulu got two units each turn that could be placed on any table edge but the west. This would also include 2 units of 15 (30) Zulu armed with rifles/musket’s on the Oskarberg hill.
Right from the start Adam pressed hard with the 6 Zulu units at the East wall off RD using the rough kraal for cover. Leslie was having none of it and with one volley using the aiming rule caused enough casualties to run off the board!
As Adam’s Zulu started to get reinforcements he continued to keep the pressure on East wall including the small kraal and the rampant between it and the store building. Leslie was just about managing to keep the Zulu back with volley fire. Zulu morale is good in the rules with controlled fire more likely to stop the advance than make it rout off the table. The Zulu units were slowed but other units were able to continue the advance.
Leslie started to redeploy more troops to the East rampart this in turn left large gaps in the North wall. Adam deployed his next two reinforcements to take advantage of this!
With Adam trying to get his Zulu force into Melee at the Eastern rampart and Leslie just holding them. Adam deployed his rifle and musket armed units on to the Oskarberg their fire proved to be ineffective against soldiers in cover. Adam continued to send more reinforcements to the south. Leslie now had 3 Zulu units pressing forward on the Eastern rampart but with heavy casualties. Two Zulu units closing in from the North and a further two units threatening the hospital. Leslie’s response to this was to contain the threat to the East by continuing to reinforce that area. Slow down the Zulu advance in the north with a few Boer sharp shooters and move more infantry into the hospital.
If the Zulu are to stand any chance of winning they need to get into melee. Adam had decided not to waste time throwing spears but get into hand to hand as quickly as passable. The picture shows how depleted his units were becoming on the Eastern rampart. We use a simple and quick method of dealing with melee. Due to the British player being outnumbered for example 3 to 1 the British players if he wins the first round kills a Zulu after that on this turn he can only block the attack. For the next three turns the British Infantry fought the Zulu units but were steady pushed back losing 30 men.
The Zulu units break in. The British soldiers at the Eastern rampart are all but wiped out only a few making it to the relative safety of the store house. The two Zulu units coming in from the North made it into the compound almost intact. And one unit from the south got into the compound between the store house and the hospital. British casualties had reached 50 men the rest now holding out in the two buildings. We had decided that the Zulu player would roll a D6 and this would be how long it takes to smash through a door. Some bad rolling delayed the last stand. Sadly time was up.
Leslie believed he had done enough to get a draw. Adam thought he would have got into the building or set fire to them, which I believe he could have done. But considering that British casualties were already 3x higher than the real battle I believe it was a hard thought Zulu win.
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Photos curtesy of Gary and the Editor.
Game from the War of the Spanish Succession. Using Black powder in 28mm.
Players
French : Bryn, Billy McClenaghan.
Grand Alliance : Andy Smith, Gary.
AAR by Gary.
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I managed to get included in a 28mm Malburian game being run by Bryn, Billy and Andy (so not a small game) using Black Powder which suits this sort of big bash venture.
I was paired with Andy in command of the Allied forces facing Bryn and Billy commanding French of the Sun King.
A pile of units involved and I had control of a Brigade of 4 Scottish Foot, a Brigade of 6 Allied Foot (Dutch, Swedes and Hessians) and a huge Cavalry command of 12 Squadrons (4 Dragoons and 8 Heavy Cavalry) and a couple of Artillery pieces in support.
Andy had 3 or 4 Brigades of Foot (20+ units) and at least 1 Mounted Brigade plus Artillery.
French had several Foot and Cavalry Brigades which included Swiss, Irish and Bavarians alongside the French.
Very enjoyable game ensued with plenty of action, I was facing Bryn and Andy faced Billy mostly.
Allies had a stream to negotiate (game loosely based on Blenheim battlefield) with on 3 crossing points that artillery could use and marched on in column from off-board.
French deployed along their table edge but with some of Billys Brigades off-table on their left flank (able to come on through Oberglau village).
I advanced my massed mounted force on extreme left adjacent to suburbs of Blenheim (really only decorative for game purposes) with Infantry occupying central areas.
Highlights on my left wing included:
Two of my Dragoons dismounting to form a sort of skirmish line popping away at some French units (Shaking a unit of Foot) before being chased off by enemy cavalry.
My Foot units getting across stream at a quick pace and getting deployed before French could intervene.
I launched several cavalry charges (not much choice as soo many) some of which contacted enemy others were staggered by enemy closing fire (Bryns shooting was pretty good all day long) and did manage to break a French Foot Brigade early on.
Both sides Cavalry then mostly faced off against each other as reluctant to close without a firm advantage.
My Foot Brigades advanced into a hail of musketry and artillery fire (guns do not roll many dice in BP but any Casualties or Morale tests inflicted are hard to pass) and returned desultory fire despite having advantage of Platoon Fire (ie an extra dice if steady).
This firefight lasted several turns and eventually another French and both of my Foot Brigades were broken.
All the while Andy was trying to assault Oberglau and counter Billys French cavalry and both suffered a real log jam of units.
Andy had a Foot Brigade that (and I kid you not) failed to move at all for a whopping 9 turns (scarcely credible as only need a 7 or less on 2D6 to generate at least 1 move !!!!), Billy also had his reserves delayed or 'stuck in the mud'.
Bryn and I both tried a couple of last gasp fatalistic charges but neither of us could break another enemy Brigade at games end.
Andy had lost 3 (?) Brigades including British Guard contingent and I think similar for Billy so a minor French win was (grudgingly) declared.
One interesting twist employed was each player having 5 re-rolls (of any single dice including enemies) for use which saved me a couple of times for failed morale rolls and inflicted a loss on Bryn.
The game blow by blow.
Allied right late in game, note Allied Brigade 'stuck' behind guns as they were for 9 full turns !!!!!.
My Scots and Allied Foot engage Bavarians in Center (both mine later broken).
Massed Allied Horse and Dragoons fully occupy French on Allied left (good rally rolls on my part here).
View from French right as I push forward in center.
All kit supplied by Bryn, Billy and Andy (left to right).
Action hots up around Oberglau.
Trying to exert pressure on French center but their guns done lots of damage.
Allied Foot Brigade still stuck (commander needed hung drawn and quartered).
Some very nice flags on display with Andys units.
So much Cavalry so little room.
Cowardly French curs holding back in center.
Traffic jam unfolding.
My Mounted suffered several Disorders and Shaken but I was able to rotate units and Rally.
French guns (3 batteries) made advance a bloody prospect.
My cavalry negotiate stream in column.
French right smaller but more numerous Brigades.
French center with guns and Bavarians, French and Swiss in triple lines.
More French cavalry in support on left.
Andys mounted cross stream as foot lag behind.
My foot cross in column.
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Photos curtesy of Gary.
Late Romans v Sassanid Persians in 28mm
Using Never mind the Kontos a supplement to convert Never mind the Billhooks to periods earlier than the Wars of the Roses by David and Adam.
Players
Late Roman : Adam.
Sassanids : David Pentland.
AAR by David Pentland.
Another raid in strength on a Roman border fort by the Sassanids. A Legion and auxiliaries with a super heavy cataphract unit, light cavalry, skirmish troops, 3 Ballista's and 2 Skorpions, faced 2 elite Cataphract, 3 Clibinari (super heavy horse archers), a heavy cavalry, a heavy levy, skirmisher units and 2 Elephants.
The Persian right flank super heavy cavalry units come under Skorpion and Ballista fire from the fort and field as they advance, luckily for them the Roman dice rolls are terrible and unbelievably only 1 casualty was taken in the first few turns.
In response the Roman right flank light and Skirmish units advance towards the shrine, to meet oncoming enemy Heavy Levy infantry, and on turn 2 the Sassanid allied Horse Archer skirmishers.
Over the next few turns these units are engaged in firefights, with Roman units running forward to fire and then retreating to their original positions to stay out of close archery range. This ultimately results in the loss of the Sassanid Heavy Levy who rout unexpectedly rout following a few losses, while both sides skirmish troops take heavy losses but don’t break.
Meanwhile in the centre both sides failed to activate for the initial turns, but eventually the Elephants manage to get to charge range, and along with the Persian right wing drive into the Roman legion and cavalry.
The Cavalry battle is virtually an even clash with the two Cataphract units nearly identical in size and armour. Only the Persians have a slight edge in quality, and it makes the difference as they win the melee, but the Romans pass their morale check and the battle would have continued another turn had not a second Sassanid unit (Clibinari) charged to reignite the melee. Routing the remaining Roman Cataphracts, and engaging a ballista team.
Alongside this breakthrough, the charging Elephant’s archers fired on the waiting Legionaries doing some damage before taking return arrow, dart and caltrops damage. One of the elephants was killed taking full hits, the second continued into the melee, and although losing the battle, it rampages breaking through the Roman line, and disordering the unit.
Finally back on the Roman right flank, a Roman charge by their heavy cavalry pushed back an elite Clibinari unit inflicting heavy losses on it. A counter attack though by allied heavy cavalry virtually destroyed the Roman attackers, leaving them daunted, but not broken.
At that point unfortunately the game ended. Defeat was in the balance for the Romans, with the Sassanid breakthrough on their left flank and its right flank in turmoil. Despite that its centre was still intact, and for the moment slightly ahead in points, so it was agreed to call the battle a draw.
From our point of view both Adam and myself (David), voted it a most enjoyable game. It gave us a chance to further refine our ancient version of Nevermind the Billhooks,( Mind that Kontos) and see how they played out on the table. Still some tweaking to go but I think we are getting there.
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Editorial comment.
If I were the Romans I would have just hunkered down in the big stone fort.
However they may have been concerned that the Sassanids may take a leaf out of Graham Chapmans book and daubed "Romanes eunt domus" ( People called 'Romanes' they go the house ) on the walls. Forcing them to send Centurion Cleese out to correct it to "Romani ite domum" ( Romans go home ).
Simpler just to enforce Pax Romana and send the legions in.
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Photos curtesy of Adam, David P, Gary and the Editor
