Samurai Clash

 Hosted a Samurai game using Lion Rampant at the local mini-con.  

While the new 2nd Edition of the rules has the rule's author Dan Mersey argue for the one-failed-activation-and-you-are-done rule to be continued, I and many others have not done so as the players have felt dejected from not having any involvement for turns - or for the entire game in one famous event! However, as this game was essentially a four-way fight and each player only had 2 or 3 units, I made this original rule in effect.  Of course, there were many failures but this had the turns fly by and kept everyone very much engaged.  "What? My turn again? Excellent"

One event of the game stands out.  The banner of Okudaira Sadamasa was "stalled" lacking the activation to move with the army by PeterM's usual rolling.  However my also usual poor activation dicing had this prime target for the villagers to gain victory points out of reach.  This sorry state would last for much of the game, turn after turn.  Meanwhile the other players had a time with great slaughter.... 

The camera must have been on one of those funky settings.  The villagers are massed behind the building ready to come out of the gate...if i could only roll high enough dice.....

Samurai!

 Samurai!

With the club once again opening up for participation, decided to take my Samurai with some basic terrain.  I laid out the terrain in a haphazard method, placed troops on the table only in their clan grouping without any respect to tactical positions, and said to the players your troops start in those positions and gave the terrain descriptions ( this and that are rough ground, etc. )  Quickly looking around the table, I then gave them the briefest of objectives ( which turned out to all converge upon the village centre as I soon discovered ) and had them to it.   So much for careful scenario design, eh? Still better than the 'kill the other guy' routine.

Pictures from the game:

Added a small contingent of Europeans to the collection.  Perhaps rather un-historical but adds to any scenario design as mercenaries if needed.

The 'sacred white stone' in the centre of the village. (Hey, I found this interesting very white stone in the gravel and so gave it its own sitting stool. Very Zen. And a scenario objective. )

a rare picture of the Peasants. They are usually slaughtered early in the game, usually within the turn of first combat!  Nice Perry figures nevertheless.

The week in gaming

Still haven’t got to my “Saratoga” game set up on the table for the last three weeks..... but did take my Samurai on the road for a Monday Game.

The Oyamata were to escort the musicians and gifts to a wedding while the rival Takeda wanted to halt the convoy. Used Lion Rampant rules with an add-on for the Teppo (handgunners).

The Oyamata procession

Takeda ashigaru soldiers

  Short story:  the Oyamata players rolled poorly and wore out fairly quickly.  Extremely poor courage tests by both sides had units vanish rather than be battered.  I guess one’s life (based as ever on the randomness of the fates) was not worth the honour of wedding gifts, even for the Samurai…..

The mounted Samurai who, with rather poor activation rolls, did not move but once the entire game (but didn't really need to....)

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On Friday, it was the ClubNight and, after offering scenarios set up for Will’s Jacobite game (see his blog: link ), I got into Lisa’s Congo rules game of slavers vs tribes vs rival tribe three-way.  She made a call for additional figures and a couple of us offered what we had; and ended up playing in the game anyway.

The jungle, the Lisa version, using plastic plants to good use.

 The interesting rule introduction by Congo is the method of unit ordering and activation.
The player has a handful of cards each. The cards have an initiative number together with symbols for movement (footprints), shooting (bow and arrow) and/or panic (umm, something scary to Congolese warrior).  These come in various amounts and so the player can pick three of these to play in their next three plays.  You can sorta guess what you might need to do in the next 3 turns but things could certainly change which makes the selecting difficult and hit-and-miss.

The 'ordering and activation' cards.  The rules use an assortment of dice 

Various 'stress' tokens.  Too many and you start having fellows leg it.

more examples the activation cards.  In this case, my turn is probably after everyone else (the top '2' is low).  I can shoot with 1 unit and move another.

Points were allotted to victory conditions.  As a Masfusi I wish to rescue our prince, and the other captives, kill slavers and prevent the hated Kosi from doing the same.  It did not start well for me as, of course, I picked up the dreaded chit as I entered the rough terrain and so panicked so firing at the nearest group (friend or foe).  It was to be my fellow Masfusi  for me to blast away using my only trading-muskets causing death and wounds.  This then panicked that group who fired back with accurate spear fire, killing three of five musketmen!   Meanwhile another group of mine were shooting at the slavers.  There was only a small chance to killing one’s own but my fire firing did just that!  While usual for me, not a great start….
I managed to gain the most victory points at the end so redeemed my early ineptitude however. I still think I eliminated more of my own than the enemy!

To add a bit of weight to her plastic models, Lisa glues them to old pennies (the same size as an American penny).  Canada no longer uses pennies as currency.  So when I mean old, I mean old - note the minting in 1929!   Mind you metal washers cost much more than 1 cent these days.....

Quote of the game:  the Kosi player having fun with a small group of poison dart armed Pigmies (pun included??) also envisioned his tribe to be cannibals.   A rule of ‘Congo’ could have you add a stress token to your unit for a chance of saving figure from being killed. “Nah, we’ll eat him later”  We had a light and fun attitude to the game….

What a Tanker! BIG battle

I wanted another go at “What a Tanker!” so I put out an email to the usual club crowd of my hosting. I got a couple of replies which was usual.  What I didn't expect the number of players joining up…just before starting I looked around the room and there were the usual games going on - the fantasy crowd and the small games along the window wall, the big-table small ship naval game, the WW1 Canvas Eagles game at it usual table - but nothing else.  Lots of empty tables as all the historical wargamers were here at my rather white table, many with their own tanks, ready to start shooting!  I was a bit stunned to be honest.  Eventually we had 12 players!  I have never heard of a WaT game having such numbers. Luckily I could find or have a few of the veterans of the game find dashboards for all.  But 12?!
I quickly had each German player pair up with a Russian player.  I instructed the German player to roll his command dice at the same time as the Russian with the effect that we had only a six player rotation overall.  If the same two players were able to shoot at the other, a simple roll-off would determine who would ‘activate’ first.  This only occurred a few times during the game and did not cause any problems.  This new system worked very well and I was quite pleased with myself for inventing it off-the-cuff as it certainly lowered the downtime of the players awaiting their turn.

Amusingly it was only halfway through the game when I was asked loudly by several players to repeat the scenario victory points. I guess all that before-the-start-discussion was mute once the shells start flying (grin) .  The Russians I declared must be within 4 inches of the distant church while the Germans must have at least a tank in the burnt out village to win.  I hoped this would encourage movement forward rather than the “sit and shoot” tactic.  The Russians were more aggressive and a Lend-Lease Matilda, driven by a rookie player encouraged by the tank’s high armour rating (for this time of the war in 1941!),  finally got in a position to make a late game run to the church but the continual pounding by the Germans had reduced his command dice significantly.  He got close but no drive dice doomed his fate.  Aimed flank shots had his crew bail out.  The Russian last hope was a t-34 but it was rammed (!) and enough dice loss also doomed this Russian advance.

my t-26 following the Matilda trundling forward ...to its, and my demise in a turn or two... (note the white washed PzKwIII in the distance, and the couple of Pz 38t lurking at the woods)

showing all 6 Russian tanks (2 are already done for) In the background is the Russian Matilda - camouflaged near the trees advancing with the rather dubious support of my second t-26 (photo by Bill E)

My couple of vintage t-26s did not help much (I spawned the first one only to have the second reduced to the same fate…not surprising with seemingly tinfoil armour) With none near their victory spots the game ended in a draw.  But the players seemed to enjoy the game which is the real victory.

Mini Gettysburg - Day 1

The monthly ClubNight had KevinA, the Micro King, put on his “three-day Gettysburg in an evening” game.  Spoiler: it only went to the end of the first day, but it was an interesting game.

We, the all knowing gods, could indeed see all the 14 by 11 miles of the field of battle and surrounding territory but still with the long distances the troops could travel in a turn (some four hours game time) things moved quickly and so kept the mysteries alive.  I didn’t quite know in which direction the Union troops would take and that was mirrored in my own decision for the entry of Longstreet’s corps, the third and last to arrive.  Go north and reinforce Hill and meet the onslaught of the masses of Union troops arriving in a couple of turns, or go slowly across country to mass against the isolated Union corps on this side of the the Round Top ridge line?  After some internal deliberation, I choose the latter.  The pressures of higher command!

After setting up the classic - pin the front, threaten the flank, and finally “hit the hinge” maneuver - so loved by Napoleon, my dice (and the Union commander ChrisP’s good dice) failed me. All five attacks failed and my forces were pushed back and bloodied.  The main attack I set up on the hinge unit itself had my 12 dice to the Union’s 5 only to have me to roll 40% success to the Union’s 80%! Ugh.  Did Napoleon have to endure that?!

Thus ended Day 1 and the game unfortunately as time ran out.  While not really feasible in only four hours, with experienced players with the rules, and a full day to play, yes, Gettysburg could be done.  The rules were  “Bonnie Blue Flag” HEAVILY adapted by KevinA.  Diced for command points use is crucial.  Combat dicey but simple.

The overall look and feel was good.  I like the 6mm for the grand tactical effect. Each stand represents a brigade of some 2500 men.  The long ‘operational moves’ (infantry stands could move up to 12 inches off road and 18inches (!) on road) meant corps would be quick to be placed in the battle but real thought would be to where, as once in battle that is really where they would remain and die.

yes, a board game could do the same, but it would not have the visual 3D look now would it?

Buford's cavalry before the Lutheran Seminary.  Their commander choose not to fight there and retreated to the hills beyond Gettysburg thereby changing the game from a historical to a what-if.  

Union has the darker blue labels, the Rebs the whiter ones. The player commanding Hill's corps departed suddenly so I was left with what he had done.  Like Robbie Lee trying to make sense of what was what when he arrived on the battlefield I suppose.....

The red beads represent disorder. Note my Rebs have a lot of them, and lots of hits too... The infamous "hinge" was near the location of the blue die and marks the high point of Confederacy in this game!

Retreat from Moscow - 1812 edition

On the cold road home......

Another “Trumpeter Salute” convention by the local Trumpeter Tabletop Society club is over and leaving me with a bit of a “wargamer hangover”  This can be described as a worn out feeling, sore feet, weak voice, throbbing head, aching back, and always that slight regret of not purchasing that good deal…..

the 'Vodka Wagon' pulled along

I hosted my “Retreat from Moscow” game.  For those two fellows in the back row unaware of the history (or myth…) Napoleon’s Grand Armee consisting of most of Europe’s armies was making its way back from the disastrous campaign in Russia in 1812 and through the snows of winter.

The game has very simple rules using measuring sticks and lots of randomness which helps in the fun atmosphere. Because the Russians (mostly armed peasants but a smattering of Cossacks and Jagers) are on ‘auto-pilot’ they can act in unforeseen ways but in this game with my rather low rolls, generally did not give the Allies much grief.  This, at least to me, rather boring state of affairs would change when one of the players, having safely crossed the bridge with his two units abruptly turned about and starting shooting at his compatriots!!

The peasants make a rare stand near the log pile

a close up of the Polish contingent

Apparently he decided on gaining the ‘Vodka Wagon’ for himself and the points.  He had asked me before doing this nefarious act, if he "could shoot at any unit?".  I said “yeah, sure I guess” not thinking it would be his friends.   JimD, up from the States, after this action, said he moved closer to me so I would hold him back from lunging at “the traitor”. He later said he was really angry.  I totally missed his reaction and thought the whole thing amusing and made the game that more interesting…….

congestion on the bridge

the 'traitors' (on the left) fire upon their erstwhile compatriots who retreat from the fire and abandon the wagon

As a note I made up a rule, on the spot, about the bridge, over which they must cross lest they chance dying in the frozen waters of the creek, a chance of partial collapse.  1 in 6 chance.  Of course, it would break three times each time having a greater chance.  PeterM, our statistician, wryly was calculating if it were better to chance the cold water instead!  

the Old Guard form a powerful rear guard...that is until JimF orders his unit to break rank to run for the bridge leaving PeterM to hold on his own with only half the firepower.  Only his good dice and random fate (aka my poor dice rolling for the Russian aggression) allow him to retreat intact also. (the bridge held intact long enough!)

Panzer Schaden

“What a Tanker” game from a month back.  My Pzkw III would charge up to take on some little Frenchie thing, but heavily armoured.... apparently, so did no damage.  I got shot up, tried to reverse out of trouble, ran out of command chits and was brewed.  No Iron Cross for me.

Craig's nice layout.  Will's effective Char B can be seen in the middle left of the scene. 1/56 (28mm) scale.

Having reversed but not out of trouble, I am finally put out of commission but the "little Frenchie thing" unseen to the far left.

Near a bridge in Russia....

"Where are we, Francois?", the recruit asks of his veteran friend.  "Near a bridge somewhere in Russia which the Major is ordered to control. That is all I know and that is more than you need to know", responded the much older and worn French cavalryman.

This could only be the exchange between the miniatures, as I dragged them out of the box, about the rather simple scenario I came up with placing the terrain randomly upon the green mats.  As we would have WillB's Russians ( Perry metals ) and JimF's newly painted French (Essex metals) along with my French (Perry) plastics, the small wooden bridge was called the objective for the game.  Honestly it was only going to be a playtest of sorts for our "Hussar Rampant" rules; these really just a minor version from the popular 'Lion Rampant' medieval rules.

WillB's Russians on the left, JimF's dragoons near the bridge, and my French lights centre top

Will pushing his Russian cuirassiers into position while Jim's dragoons cross the stream.

Now this version has had many editions as I struggled to give them a more horse and musket formal feel to them and thus, they got more complicated.  My final version got so complicated that I believed them somewhat unplayable!  However, the new 'Rampanty' rules of "Rebels and Patriots" has a new and brilliantly simple incorporation of random charge movement with the activation which, in a head-slap moment, solved many of the issues which I struggled with.  Essentially, as you make your charge activation, the two-dice total you rolled also indicates the total inches you can move in that charge.  The higher the dice total the further your unit can move.  It can also come to pass that your unit, while able to charge, was slow off the mark and could come up short to actually contacting the enemy.  Oops. Such is friction of war.  This randomized movement also works very well for evades; so now units further away probably have a greater chance to get away but the chargers may still catch them.  Now incorporated seamlessly in the rules, any complicated ordering sequence is unnecessary.

With that rule in place we were joined by DennisC taking one of Will's commands and off we went charging about.  Jim had to cross a small stream, worried about my "Death in Rough Terrain!!" rule......he passed the rolls without issue!.  The armoured cuirassiers are tough buggers, units die quickly but usually stick around for awhile, and counter-charges are important...are some of the things we learnt.

My depleted Chasseurs, having failed their charge activation,  hold up the larger number of  Hussars behind them

The white clad Russian cuirassiers charge in. The French fail to make a mark on them.....

...so the cuirassiers could meet my hussars, and attached commander, next turn. 

But while we maintained formations, the movement was point-to-point without the care of wheeling or changes of facing.  Not what we might consider for the "formal formations and tactics of the day" but it was simple, and lessened any complications to the moves.  The rules seemed to work and all the players had fun without issues.

GaPa again!

Another Saxon/Russian GNW defeat!

Excited by each of us increasing our GNW forces, KevinA’s Swedes, WillB’s Russians, and my Electorate Saxons, another battle at the club was scheduled.

In many ways it had a similar theme as our previous battle, having the Swedish elite cavalry exploit the woods on the left of the Russian/Saxon line to outflank and roll up the allies line.

A bird's view from the Swedish left.  The Swedes are deployed to the right with the elite horse in three unit column in the far distance.  The Russian/Saxon alliance is holding the fortifications to the left with the Saxon horse moving around the woods to counter the Swedish advance on their flank. (photo by Kevin)  

The Russians on the right flank advanced without opposition hoping to attract attention from the Swedish in the centre but failed to do so, while the Russians of the centre were unwilling to abandon the defensive positions to attack to the left.   The battle concluded as the Saxons holding the left collapsed, but as the new Swedish Guards failed to advance further under artillery fire in their first time under fire in the field of battle after being proudly painted by Kevin, he was not able to attack the vacant middle of the Allies line allowing the Russian forces to escape intact.

My Saxons in position....

....however they are forced to reposition to the left.  Not done in my usual technique, these are painted in a style to compliment the others collections.

Saxon grenadiers.  These are from the old Wargames Factory sprues. These have a third of the figures having half torsos and lots of arm, weapon and head bits so allowing such fun options. The Warlord version does not give these options and is much the poorer for it (as well as your wallet!)

The 'left' woods, the scene of most of the action

KevinA's Swedes including his CharlesXII command stand which includes a poor Russian soldier getting his buttocks attacked by the dogs! 

And WillB's stoic Russians in the fore, Kevin's Russians holding the entrenchments.  Our collections are primarily Warlord/Wargames factory plastics along with some Old Glory and Warfare miniatures. 

ACW: 20mm in the Wilderness

Joined DennisC’s game of 20mm American Civil War Wilderness Battle(s) on his special designed mat for the table; a very large dark green outdoor carpet with exact cutouts for the rare clearings in this heavily treed area of Virginia some 150 years ago, unfortunately laying between Washington and Richmond and thus, a battle zone.

The two yellow stars represent the two crossroads the Confederates must take to prevent Union reinforcements coming.

The figures are 20mm metals in Dennis’s collection (but a good portion painted by myself a few years ago) using the new brigade version of “Fire and Fury”.  These employ the same, rather overly complicated, IMHO, firing charts that the regimental rules used.  Some of the players had a tough time trying to figure out how to go thorough them and seemingly forgot each turn forcing me to have it at hand and calculate over and over. This task certainly took much of my attention away from my commanding my own forces (so much so that I think I failed to move some brigades for a turn or two!)

Some of the Union boys (painted by me for Dennis a few years ago)

Command control was important for a huge game like this, as Dennis does a very good job in setting up a historical affair but perhaps a bit to big for the limited time at available on the club’s Friday nights to have a satisfying conclusion.
In this case, the conclusion within the umber of turns, and real time, was a “cheesy” move by John to sidestep his lead brigade, so successful it was behind the Union front lines (!) onto the crossroads yellow star to claim ownership thus eking out a technical partial victory for the beleaguered Confederate side.

As you can see in the photos, “fog of war” were the blocks of wood which hid the potential forces of both sides placed in their historical positions.  As “Commander” of the Rebs, I gave detailed instructions to all three of my co-players who nodded their agreement, then immediately proceeded to wander about doing their own thing!  Sigh. ‘Friction’ indeed. Interestingly I had recently read a wargame magazine article in which the author was suggesting that special rules were not needed to create confusion or command control difficulties for armies on the tabletop; just use lots of players!  Now I know how Lee or Grant felt when battles and their sub-commanders did not proceed as anticipated.

large Union out flanking move...or faint with few or none?  The use of blanks.

John on the right, was rewarded for what he admitted was lucky rolls for himself and poor by the Union player by gaining control of the reserve troops formerly commanded by myself.  Isn’t the dictum “Reserves are to reinforce breakthroughs, not to stop them”?
My other reserves saw an opportunity to race up the other road in march column to take the undefended other crossroads but a single brigade, unengaged as Colin, in the Rebs centre, opted to do a two-on-one attack, leaving this lone brigade to move across the road to block the advance and pour fire on the column.  That the fire-effect was poor (Jim L, the Union player having a rare bad die roll) did not prevent the “blitzkrieg” advance from being halted and the chance of the Rebs down that road was done.

big fight in the woods

The many blocks of Union turned out to be many blocks of troops and thus the Confederate advances could not break through…. I really thought many would be ‘dummies’ but as Dennis, somewhat smugly suggested, “ some are ” (…like only one or two !….)
Great scenario with lots of potential for different outcomes with different dice rolls!  However, like R.E. Lee knew some hundred and fifty years ago,  the Union numbers are hard to beat.