Blood and Plunder, sorting my Force lists

My Force lists for Blood and Plunder are all at 100 points.  Part of my game will be the award of 10 points for a win, so technically the French should already be at 120 points, but those were 15mm games and I'm going to 28 so starting again.

One way my lists differ is that I have an Officer figure with each unit, usually on a round base instead of the 20mm MDF squares the others use.  This is simply how I keep track during the game and has no other impact on how I use the rules.  The "Officer" is simply one of the ordinary figures in the group, almost always surviving to be the last killed, either by skill or cowardice...  It's a simple narrative tool that assists my solo games.

English Buccaneers

English Buccaneer Commander Untested @ 0

4 Forlorn Hope @ 28

4 Freebooters @ 24

7 Sea Dogs Core Unit, Trained @ 28

1 Brigantine  @ 16 + 2 Swivel guns @4

Total Points: 100      

English Buccaneers.  Capt "Fat" Errol Flynn Untested Commander
Billy Bones, Mate: Forlorn Hope 4 Figures
Training	Main	Side	Fight	Shoot	Resolve
Trained	Brace of Pistols, Buccaneer Guns, Standard Melee Weapons	Explosives	6/6	6/7	4
Traits: Ball & Shot, Fast Reload, Vanguard
Israel Hans, Bosun: Freebooters 4 Figures
Training	Main	Side	Fight	Shoot	Resolve
Trained	Buccaneer Guns, Standard Melee Weapons	Pistols	6/6	6/7	5
Traits: Ball & Shot, Fast Reload, Marksmen, Sailors
Ben Gunn, Master Gunner: Freebooters 7 Figures
Training	Main	Side	Fight	Shoot	Resolve
Trained	Pistols, Standard Melee Weapons	None	6/6	7/7	5
Traits: Brawlers, Expert Artillery Crew, Sailors

            
"Fat" Errol's Brigantine is called the Nancy and his men have been dubbed "The Nancy Boys" by everyone on the Main.  He is pretty much a failed pirate, but since he holds a Letter of Marque from the previous Governor of Jamaica Errol dubs himself a "Gentleman Privateer."

Fat Errol and his 100 point crew

French Buccaneers

French Buccaneer Commander Experienced @ 15

4 Flibustiers @24

4 Marins @ 16

5 Boucaniers @35

1 Longboat @ 3 x Add swivel gun 2

1 Longboat @ 3 x Add swivel gun 2

Total Points: 100

French Corsairs.  Capt Rathboné de Mayonnaise Experienced Commander
"Lanky" Lautrec, Mate, Flibustiers 4 models
Training	Main	Side	Fight	Shoot	Resolve
Trained	Brace of Pistols, Buccaneer Guns, Standard Melee Weapons	Explosives	5/7	6/7	5
Traits: Ball & Shot, Fast Reload, Sailors
Old Claude Monet, Bosun de Boucaniers 5 Figures
Training	Main	Side	Fight	Shoot	Resolve
Trained	Buccaneer Guns, Standard Melee Weapons	None	7/7	5/6	6
Traits: Ball & Shot, Fast Reload, Marksmen
Big Paul Cezanne, Gunner de Marins, 4 Marins models
Training	Main	Side	Fight	Shoot	Resolve
Trained	Pistols, Standard Melee Weapons	None	5/7	7/7	5
Traits: Brawlers, Artillery Crew, Hard Chargers, Sailors

           

 The French Pirate Captain Rathboné de Mayonnaise (Basil to his friends) is a figure of some renown on the Main.  They are reduced to two Longboats, and sharp eyed individuals will note that Old Claude Monet and his unit are yet to be painted.

Basil Rathbone and his crew

Spanish Carribean Militia

Spanish Militia Commander Untested @0

4 Lanceros @20

6 Trained Milicianos @24

5 Untrained Milicianos @15

7 Milicianos Indios @35

1 Light Cannon on a Structure 5 + Add Grapeshot @1

Total Points: 100

Spanish Militia Don Diego de la Banderas.  Commander
Training	Main	Side	Command	Cmd Points
Untested	Pistol, Sword	None	8"	1
"Speedy" Gonzales, Mate. Lanceros 4 models
Training	Main	Side	Fight	Shoot	Resolve
Trained	Lances	None	5/7	-/6	5
Traits: Elusive, Ruthless, Scouts, Skirmishers
Hopeless Manuel, Sargento de la Milicanos 6 Figures
Training	Main	Side	Fight	Shoot	Resolve
Trained	Matchlock Muskets, Standard Melee Weapons	None	6/6	6/6	5
Traits: Drilled, Poorly Equipped, Ruthless
Young Franco, Sargento de la Milicanos 5 Figures
Training	Main	Side	Fight	Shoot	Resolve
Inexperienced	Matchlock Muskets, Standard Melee Weapons	None	6/6	7/8	6
Traits: Drilled, Poorly Equipped, Ruthless
Saba, Carib Chief 7 Figures
Training	Main	Side	Fight	Shoot	Resolve
Inexperienced	Bows, Standard Melee Weapons	None	5/8	6/6	6
Traits: Elusive, Quick, Scouts, Skirmishers

Don Diego de La Banderas and his motley Militia. Only the undercoated Lanceros Officer is unpainted.  Getting there!

I have a couple of options for my Spanish Commander, but I'll probably go with the Officer in Morion.  All of my trained militia are in Morion, then untrained in floppy hat.  I used dark skin tones for a lot of this army but the figures I really like are the Woodland Indians.  I know they are not good representations of the Carib or Arawak, but my goodness they look fierce.  

The Indian leader here is Saba (meaning Rock in Arawak) so clearly these are the fledgling Carib revolt.  Initially they will count as bow armed but with each victory "the Rock" will add muskets to his force and more "Mission Indians."  Eventually my Pirates may be facing the wrath of the tribes.

The KAR defend the border, 1940

My KAR platoon have taken up position at the border of British Somalia, awaiting the onslaught of an invading Italian army.  I have completed my 36 Askaris, giving them all the red fez of a Kenyan a battalion rather than the black ones Nyasaland units wore.  Each section has a lewis gun rather than a bren, but the KAR were well trained, often acting in an independent constabulary role.  With the Black Watch also finished I am about ready to start my campaign.  The Black Watch piper, Wee Jock McGurk is a sight to see!

The first three games involve 2nd KAR.  The Askaris names are Kenyan and Maasai.  The Italians will be randomly generated to give me a solo game. The Italians are probably going to be commanded by Tenente Marco Buttafuoco and his Sergente, the long suffering Trombono Porco.

2nd Bn Kings African Rifles
2nd Lt Farthingdale
Platoon Sergeant Kakenya

Section One
Corporal Korinko
Lewis Gunner and 7 Riflemen

Section Two
Corporal Lekuton
Lewis Gunner and 6 Askaris Riflemen

Section Three
Corporal Meitikini
Lewis Gunner and 6 Askaris Riflemen

Section Four
Corporal Lemasolai
Lewis Gunner and 6 Askaris Riflemen

HMG Machine, Mark I, Vickers, .303-inch
L/Cpl Olekorinko plus one Askari

L/Cpl Olemeeli
Light platoon Mortar plus one Askari

Italian Spearhead
Random selection: D6

1.  Elements of 3rd Bersaglieri Motor Cycle battalion

2.  A Colonial Infantry platoon

3.  A platoon of 2nd Black Shirt Bn

4.  CV33 Tankettes

5.  A Regular Italian Infantry platoon

6.  Italian Heavy Machine Gun section

The KAR platoon must retreat past the Wadi, but all losses will be cumulative.  If young Herbert Farthingdale can get his platoon back with more than 50% still present he will have won a victory of sorts...

Turn 1 0500 hrs

The KAR place their patrol markers, but in reality they are only trying to get the jump off point into the old Turkish redoubt guarding the river crossing.  The Italians deployment point is at the crossroads.  I believe that bridge is going to be a kill zone.

Generated Italian Forces
One section 3rd Bersaglieri M/C battalion, 
two CV33 Tankettes, 
two Italian Heavy Machine Guns

Italian dice.

The Tankettes deploy on the road and drive forward for a modest 7 inches, threatening the redoubt.

The Motorcycles take route 1.  They seem to skip over the terrain, even though some of it is terraced, making a full 12 inches and creating a dust plume.
I also bring on the machine guns, advancing behind the tankettes

The KAR dice

Young Herbert Farthingdale and his men deploy a section in the Redoubt.  Another goes in location 3 under the platoon Sergeant, and I bring on a third on the terrace at location 2. 

The Italian column on the road

Those damn fast motorcycles move onto the flank

Sergeant Kakenya puts some fire down onto the road

 Turn 2

The KAR dice are pretty good.   Platoon Sergeant Kakenya lays down fire onto the road, suppressing the lead Tankette. 

Herbert leads an MMG on table at the Redoubt, and orders the section already there to lay down fire on the Motorcycles.  The Italians deploy from their bikes and take cover under a terrace. 

Italian Dice. 

The Tenente rolls dreadful dice.  That pair of ones is a challenge.  An MG fire team from the M/Cycle squad try shooting at the KAR section in front, but fail.  One of the Italian machine guns moves into a solid position to fire at the Redoubt.    

Turn 3

And at this point my planned write up hit some problems.  I got so into the game I forgot to record the dice rolls!

The Platoon Sergeant brews the tankette. 

Turn 4

Sergente Buttofuco has his men fire into the Askaris above them. 

Meanwhile those pesky Italian MMGs also target the vulnerable KAR section, all but wiping it out.

 
Turn 5

Corporal Korinko is killed and his section reduced to three men with six shock.

KAR 1st Section does one!

Turn 6

Leaving an MMG to hold the rearguard Lt Farthingdale withdraws the platoon back to Hargeysa and the second game.

The Black Watch platoon, almost ready for Tug Argan.  That platoon transport looks like its been in a crash!  That will be the fault of "Careless" McGurk, REME driver.   Turns out that most of my Black Watch bear the surname "Mcgurk..."

 

Chain of Command East Africa in 20mm: Building the forces

On 3 August 1940, General Guglielmo Nasi led 35,000 Italian troops, the vast majority of them native conscripts, across the border from their staging point at Harar into British Somaliland. 

The invaders were organised into three columns: one on the left, which would advance north to the coast at Zeila—a route recently vacated by the now-Vichy French—before swinging east to Berbera; one on the right, which would make the opposite motion on the Burao road; and a main central column.

As ever I shall be following the exploits of the central column... Led by Carlo de Simone, containing the bulk of his forces their objective was to capture the British positions at Tug Argan and make straight for the port of Berbera, effectively ending the campaign with a single decisive battle.

I have prepared several Chain of Command scenarios, mainly using the 2nd battalion Kings African Rifles as my allied unit.

The Italians cross the border at Tog Wajaale on the 3rd.  Here a redoubt (1) has been constructed on  the terraces to cover the road.  A single platoon of the 2nd KAR under the less than formidable Herbert Farthingdale represents the only British force standing in front of an invading Italian army.

The Honour of leading the Italians falls to the Bergsaglieri Motorcycle platoon of Tenente Marco Buttafuoco and his Sergeant the long suffering Trombono Porco.

Border outpost of Guray Xasan, at Tog Wajaale in the Woqooyi Galbeed Highlands

I used HAT Askaris to form the core of the KAR, with some additional Newline metals.  Some scratch building was necessary to create the Lewis gunners.  The Italians are a mix of Early War Miniatures metals and HAT German Shutztruppe plastics.  The Breda machine gunners are almost all EWM. 

In terms of vehicles the Tanker campaign over in Durham has depleted my resources.  A couple of CV33 tankettes, British truck and Bren carriers and a few guns are all I can muster.  I`ve also built a Semovente SP gun.  There were limited resources in the real life campaign any event so, like the original events these games will have the feel of the Great War rather than the second ...

An Italian platoon.  Drying out those bases is a pretty quick job here in Cyprus

The Black Watch, and some of my KAR

Still working on the vehicle park and the rest of the Black Watch

So still a work in progress, but getting there...