Pepin the Fat, King of Franks

Longships!  It's all my own fault.  "Let's have a look," they said.  "I'll buy the rules and get some Vikings in," I said.
"Ah, but..."  They said, "we have loads of old, really old, true 25mm figures."  "No problem, 25mm it is," I nod...

Oh how I lead with my chin when I've been drinking!

Warrior Miniatures 25mm Vikings were the answer.  Great figures, and proper old school 25mm scale.  I bought three boat crews, just for a look you understand.  Job done!

"Ah, but let's expand this and do a campaign," they said.

Irish, Welsh Scots Saxons and Vikings, we had the lot.  Nobody had the Franks though.  Well,  I've always liked the Carolingian figures from Minifigs.  It's that wacky helmet.  "I'll do it!" I pledged.

Mind you on second thoughts that helmet always looked like a souwester to me. 

I never learn it seems.

Caliver, the current Minifigs producer couldn't supply the Carolingians, for complicated reasons I still don't quite understand.  So I went back to Warrior, with a cunning plan.  That Carolingian helmet is more than dodgy, and plain nasal helms far more likely.   The Ottonian Gospels show mounted Warriors in mail on horses with round shields (as well as kite shields but the date is 983 AD so that would be late for our campaign.)  

An Ottonian illustration.

So... Mounted in mail with nasal helms, round shields, swords and spears.  Most Dark Age cavalry would do at a pinch, but I went for Spanish from Warrior's El Cid range.  Technically these are a century out of time, but they look fine as Ottonian Cavalry.  The Spanish have a mix of unarmoured and mailed cavalry, and I gave them plain round shields.  

As for the Moorish influence on some of the figures... well the Carolingians fought the Moors for a century or more, Roncevales Pass comes to mind.  With those plain round German shields they look perfectly acceptable as Franks.

The first part of the plan was to base them up individually.  To use them as pseudo Bretons with my Lion Rampant armies they need a matching base pattern.  The army of Conan the Vegetarian has much the same composition as the Franks.  

My Normans are of course Conquest Miniatures, big modern sculpts, but the Normans would consider themselves superior to the Bretons anyway, being that much bigger figures in terms of medieval iconography... sometimes my head operates its own logic! 

I also wanted these Franks based individually to allow me to explore Outremer Faith and Blood, the Osprey Wargames skirmish rules for the Crusades.  Using the figures in their actual period, fighting Ben Yusef's invasion of Spain is quite tempting.

With that in mind I ordered a few Moorish figures from the same range.  I have a vague notion for a Campaign on the History of El Sid, Count of Benidorm, and his Conquest of the resort.

The Franks will be a formidable enemy for any stray Vikings in our Longships  campaign, with the ability to charge in Swineshead and sweep away the enemy, and with 30 more points than everyone else!  This is the army of the paladins; Roland, Oliver and Charles Martel.  Expect them to charge like the crazy guys they are!

The Army of Pepin the Fat, King of the Franks

General, King Pepin the Rotund
Unit 1. Lord Roland (6 bases). Leader 3x Armoured Cavalry 3x Unarmoured Cavalry  20, 45, 27 = 92  
Unit 2. Lord Oliver (6 bases). Leader 3x Armoured Cavalry 3x Unarmoured Cavalry  20, 45, 27 = 92   
Unit 3. Captain Martel (8 bases). Leader 3x armoured  
3x Unarmoured 1x Champion 20 24 39 10 = 93
Unit 3. Captain Namon (8 bases). Leader 3x armoured  
4x unarmoured 20 32 39 = 91
Unit 5.  Archbishop Turpin. (8 bases). Leader 4 x unarmoured 3 Levy 20 32 9 = 61
Total 429 

The figures were easily cleaned, and mounted on plasticard or 20mm metal discs for the foot.  I tend to undercoat in a mix of brown and beige for medievals. 

The day before they are due to appear on table... well getting there...

King Pepin  really is a fatter figure than his lads. Looking a little rough here without any dip....     

The Foot get magnetic basing, to adhere to a 40mm square template.  The horse are on narrower bases, but under Longships it doesn't really matter since its not the size of the base that counts so much as the unit itself.  I want these horsemen for skirmish gaming too, so a smaller base is preferable.

The last phases are the easiest.  A wash with Vallejo highlighter, and some texturing on those bases, followed by some varnish to seal the figures.  But this is not Cyprus, where textured bases dry in an hour.  The Vikings took two days, so that might be a little delayed.

 

Out in the cold, planning a pint sized COC campaign.

Out in the cold: Moose and Otis in the Snow, 1944

I've been reading up on the battle of the Bulge as part of my fivecore games featuring the US 2nd division and it's defence of the twin towns.  Further West however another veteran US Division, the 1st Infantry, or Big Red One, was also fighting to hold the line on the Morschheck road.

12 SS are just down that road,  and they mean business.

Using maps from the official history I've singled out E company's battle, and focused in on the platoon holding the vital road to Morschheck.  Only a tiny part of the centre of the map shown will appear as a tabletop

This looks very much like a pint sized Chain of Command campaign for my 20mm Italeri figures in Durham!  Moose and Otis of E Company 26th Inf Regt, 1st Inf Division "The Big Red One" have survived D-Day, Normandy and Aachen.  They now find themselves deployed on the critical ridge in front of Dom Burtgenbach right in the path of 12th SS advance.  Can our heroes survive against the Hitler Jugend? 

An alternate name for this pint sized cam could be "what's that coming over the hill, it's a jagdtiger...!

Game One.   The Kubelwagen on the Morschheck road.

Game One:
The first morning.  Recce elements probe the newly constructed E company defences. Light German Infantry forces support this.
Big Red One:
1st Platoon E Company 26th Inf Regt
2 bazooka teams attached

12 SS Reconnaissance.
2 Kubelwagen,
2 Sdkfz 234/2 Armoured Cars
One section 8 Infantry.

Game 2. The Reich strikes back, the Jagdpanzer attack. 

Game 2:
Next day, and the Germans are moving main elements against E Company.  1sr Platoon still hold the centre between the other platoons in the Company and E Company 18th Regt on their left.
The Germans have sent another Puma Armoured car, but this time a Jagdpanzer and an Infantry Company are in support.  E Company must take the brunt of it.

Big Red One:
Survivors: 1st Platoon E Company 26th Inf Regt
2 bazooka teams attached
1 30 CAL MMG team.

12 SS
1 Sdkfz 234/2 Armoured Car
1 Sdkfz 186 Jagdtiger
One platoon, two sections 8 Infantry, 
Support one MMG Team

Game 3. When I nod my head you hit it... 9 Kompanie attacks

Game 3.
Day three.  E Company 18th Regt have been destroyed on our right.  Our company has had to extend across to fill the line.  G company 26th have move to support our left.
Support has come up with some 57 mm A/T guns, butt the Sherman tanks supporting us are just to the rear.

Big Red One:
Survivors: 1st Platoon E Company 26th Inf Regt
2 bazooka teams attached
2 57 mm A/T guns Sgt Warner
1 30 CAL MMG team.

12 SS 9th Kompanie
1 Sdkfz 186 Jagdtiger
One platoon, two sections 8 Infantry, 
Support one MMG Team

A photo from the action as the 57 mm guns move up through the mud.  My reading suggests that this is actually Warner and his team, and the Bűtgenbuecher Heck treeline can be seen in the background.

Game 4: What the Heck?  26th Pz Grenadier Attack

Game 4:

We survived another day!  The Bűtgenbuecher Heck is a forested area to our right front.  So far the Germans have been using the road, but E Company's defense has made them reconsider.  An SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment is moving through those woods with the sole intention of destroying E Company.  German Infantry, how tough can they be?


Big Red One:
Survivors: 1st Platoon E Company 26th Inf Regt
2 bazooka teams attached
1 57 mm AT gun
1 30 CAL MMG team.

12 SS, 26th Pz Grenadier
Hauptmann Mueller
1st platoon, two sections 8 Infantry, 
Support one MMG Team
2nd platoon, two sections 8 Infantry
Support Mortar team

Ernie's strongpoint

Game 2 of Five Men in the Bulge

PFC Ernie Borgnine has been left to hold the Krinkat road.  In a ruined house hastily fortified Ernie and three of his boys await the dawn, and reinforcement by C Company.  

Squad Sergeant "Rock" Hudson is leading the rest of the section up in support, but has waited at the canteen for a good breakfast before setting out. 

Weissmueller's section move on table, but the MMG hammers away.  Two of them bail off table. 

Johnny is left with his section of 8 men

Ernie and his boys have just had coffee and are midway through a pack of Lucky Strikes... each.   The radio guy is just out of shot visiting the latrine.

 Hooray for our side, Hudson leads his reinforcements on table.

Weissmueller gets a scurry move.  They get into cover and deploy the Lmg.

A good shot causes the Yank MMG gunner to flinch.  He ducks behind cover, scared.  The radio guy returns from the latrine and gets on the net to the Major.

The Germans shooting is better.  A knock down hit on Ernie!  Just a scratch, but he slumps to the floor.

Hudson splits his men left and right.  Two of them risk a peek over the snowdrift hedgerows.

But Johnny Weissmueller has sent two of his own boys out to the flank. 

Young Klinkerhofen sprays away with the SMG.  The shock dice make the two GIs bail.  A grenade from Andi Merkell completes their rout.

Young Klinkerhofen gets a flinch as the Americans target him.  He ducks back into cover, scared.

But Klinkerhofen and Merkel use the position to lob grenades into the strongpoint.  One knockdown, lots of smoke.

The Germans rush up more men, but Ernie is back up and gets the MMG working.   One knockdown 

Close quarters and the Germans are struggling. 

Another potato masher across the hedgerow.   

But Ernie repositions the MMG in a scurry.  The Germans at the hedgerow are enfiladed. 

Bob Seger and Tommy Hanks arrive to relieve the bunker.  Any Lucky Strikes left Ernie?  NO?

Johnny leads his Panzer Grenadiers off table.  Hopefully the Yankees won't have an MMG next time.

But an on a minute.  Where in all of that was Sergeant Hudson?  Turns out he stayed at the back behind the furthest hedgerow.

The platoon Commander has requested Hudson be transferred to battalion.  That has since been accepted, as has Ernie Borgnine's promotion to temporary Squad Sergeant.

Hudson's less than impressive Bulge

One of those pub conversations following a club game had me thinking about Five men in Normandy (A really small Hollywood style game) and Five Men at Kursk (a section vs section game).  The Honourable McGurk rated them highly, and I remember gaming with them last year and liking them a lot for solo play.

I had already dug out the 1/72 2nd Indianhead to revisit Sergeant "Rock" Hudson and his defence of Krinkat.   Hudson's Bulge was to be a Chain of Command game, but Five Men at Normandy are in many ways radically different and worth a go for a solo game.

I was convinced enough to give it another go...

In a "Scurry" move Hudson and his boys begin their patrol at dusk.

As each side begins their turn a d6 is rolled.  Hudson rolls a 1, a scurry move, and his entire squad can make a full move from the table edge "redeploying."  They can't be fired at, but have no line of sight to the Germans of Gefreiter Weissmueller's 990th Pz Grenadiers.
A 6 would have indicated a general firefight had broken out.  Instead of two figures acting during the turn all figures can fire.  I didn't get one of these all game!

Weissmueller's gets his Lmg team covering the road.  His men are in good cover behind hedgerows and snowdrifts.

Two of the Panzer Grenadiers use their turn to pop a peek over the hedge into the field beyond.  Weissmueller is the figure on the left here.

An American is spotted at the far end of the road.   The LMG must take a displacement roll 1d6 inches in a random direction.

The LMG randomly moves into a fairly good position, but PFC Ernie Borgnine makes a pretty convincing shot.  A loader finches and is out of action. 

Most shooting rolls a kill dice (black here) and a shock dice.  Ones and sixes give results.  The kill dice is self explanatory, a 1 is a knock down, a 6 is an out of action.  The shock dice is more radical.   A 1 is a flinch, d6" out of position, or a bail, 12" towards your entry point.  Different weapons roll different dice, but typically it's one of each. 

Young Audie lobs a grenade, catching two Germans, who bail.  Just out of shot is Weissmueller who chases them and rallies them back to the action. 

The German LMG gets a line of sight on Young Audie and his rifle grenades.   He tries to bail but is knocked down.

The GIs use fire and movement to assault the survivor of Young Audie's grenade.  He should have run faster as his guard fire fails and he is put out of action

Hudson moves his men to outflank the Pz Grenadiers left. 

And Ernie Borgnine and his mate get on the right flank.   Ernie's fire causes yet another German to bail, one of the loaders, even though the kill dice are poor.

But the LMG fire sees Hudson himself bail from the ruined house.  Gee Whizz Sarge!

Young Klinkerhofen lobs a potato masher at Ernie and his pal.  Ernie's mate flinches away a full 6 inches.  That's almost a bail!

But Ernie earns his keep, with a bail and a knock down.  That will teach them to cancel Airwolf! 

Gefreiter Johnny Weissmueller rolls a scurry.  With the campaign in mind he takes his men back within three inches of the baseline, and off table.

And after the game...

The 2nd "Indianhead" Infantry Division have lost one man killed, and two, including Young Audie are returned.  Ernie Borgnine had only a scratch!   Hudson has lost his men's faith and must regain it next game.

Private Klinkerhofen returns to duty for the 990th but the Germans lose two men killed and two wounded and missing next game.

In retrospect I used the American fire and movement well, aided by the automatic Garand rifle which allows the Americans to fire at any point in their movement.  I nearly came unstuck when the BAR man was killed, and Young Audie didn't duck back before firing, since I left the "Peek" marker on him.  That allowed him to be targeted.  The right flank move by Ernie was the winner.

The Germans tried to defend a static position, but were exposed on both flanks.  Weissmueller needed to attack at one point rather than a spread out and ineffectual defence.

But the campaign continues...

Weissmueller dices for the follow up game.  It's a "Destroy" Scenario.   The Americans have set up a machine gun nest in the ruined buildings on the Krinkat road.  The 990th must wipe it out. 

PFC Ernie Borgnine commanding the strong point during the night.  He expects the Germans at dawn...

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Recruiting Ramjet's Rangers

Back in the day I often had armies in two different scales.  Actually I once owned Caesarean Romans in 28, 15, 10 and 6mm.
No more of that I promised myself... Until the latest French Indian War offering from Warlord Games appeared, a Rogers Rangers pack of 12 figures in a nice shiny box, lurking in Durham Model shop.
This was not the clincher; the 20% discount was.

I'm not even going to justify my double scale madness.  I've been gaming Rebels and Patriots in 10mm where I already have a small Ranger force, but actually of course a small force is just about all you need.

Then I noticed a new range from Warrior Miniatures as I was planning my remaining Viking boat crews.  One each of these gives me more than 20 different Ranger figures in my force, and a great character figure for Lootenant Bucky...

The Warrior Miniatures Rangers.  I really like these guys.

28mm does bring something to a game, and especially a solo one, but I fully intend to keep this project small.  It is an add on to my 10mm forces rather than a replacement.


Robert Rogers was a complicated character.  A heroic leader and guerrilla fighter, but also a roistering party animal and gambler.  Despite his success during the French Indian War he was treated shamefully by both Britain and Congress. 


My Imaginations style Indian War has as its heroic Ranger Captain Roger Ramjet, a caricature of the 20th American Century perceptions of a hero rather than anything to do with Robert Rogers himself.  


My Rangers Captain character is about as deep as his cartoon persona.  To emphasise this his sidekick, the annoyingly cheery Lootenant Bucky, is drawn from another American cartoon series, as is Grizzled veteran Ranger Bob the Sponge with his pet wolf Squawpants.  The poor local Militia of Jebadiah Nathaniel Springfield are also there, mainly to be rescued.

Warlord Games are providing the French, as well as Magua for my Native American Chief.

After paying Warrior prices ten quid for six figures brings a tear to the eye, and a shake to the wallet.


Game One

A small skirmish on the Conococheague.

Ramjet and his men are pursuing a raiding party of Abenaki along the Conococheague creek.  The Native warband is suddenly reinforced by Magwoo, the (short sighted) War Chief of the Algonquin, and they turn on their pursuers.

3 groups of 6 Rangers with 3 Leaders
Captain Ramjet
Lt. Bucky Browne
Sergeant Bob Sponge and his pet Wolf Squawpants

2 groups of 12 Abenaki
1 Group of French woodsmen.

The War Party under Magwoo starts at point 1.
The Rangers enter at point 2
The French and their Huron allies are at point 3.
The French include French Lieutenant de Militia Jean Luc Petomaine
Sergeant Christophe Courgette
Marine Bou Baguette.

Random events

6.  The Bear.
A large and angry Grizzly appears within 6" of a random group, between the group and the river.

5.  The Wolf
The howl of a lone wolf echoes across the tabletop.  A Ranger from a random group looses a shot at it.

4.  The coward
A figure in a random group breaks and runs for their home baseline.

3.  The trip/broken leg
A clumsy fall, and a figure in a random group breaks a leg.  A comrade will assist him towards the baseline at quarter speed.

2.  The mud pit
A randomly selected group discovers a mudpit to their direct front.

1.  Wet powder
The group nearest to the river has damp powder.  Hand to hand only from now on.

Planning the 2019 Autumn Campaign

I have a wide range of games in the planning stage for Autumn 2019.  Some rely on new recruiting and painting, others on old friends dug from the depths of my collection (not as big a collection as it once was of course!)

Although some of these are one off games there are a few campaign style games planned too.  Enough for the Autumn Campaign season I think.

The games
1809, Austria  stands alone.  

A series of six games following the progress of the Austrians and the "Black Band" at the Adige River.  Using Sharp Practice 2 I have blogged the campaign setup already.  Almost all of the figures are ready to go.  Can the 57IR and the Black Band drive Eugene back across the Adige?

Auxilia in 20mm.  
Plastic 1/72 figures.  A mini campaign following the progress of a single Auxiliary Cohort in Britain.  Either Sword and Spear or home grown rules.  One heck of a lot of painting needed for this one.  

Corunna SP2.  
The first two games in my Corunna campaign have been completed.  A Dawns and Departures style game.  Ready to go on this one and no painting required but it does need input from my Petain Commanders as the games unfold.

Hoplites in Cyprus
Aside from the fact that I have to paint up 40 more Hoplites and a dozen or so peltasts this game is ready to go as well in terms of planning.  Using Men of Bronze it will be a series of formalised Hoplite battles between city states.  

French Indian War 10mm
A return to Rebels and Patriots, with a full French Army and the Militia padded out with more of the superb Pendraken 10mm figures.  This game will focus on the Pennsylvania frontier and the French incursion into the Ohio valley.  This may include a FIW Naval game in 10mm using Blood or Plunder a Rebels and Patriots home grown set.

FIW skirmish in 28mm
This look at the French Indian War will focus on the New York Frontier.  It relies on smaller forces, the French Canadian militia, Forest Indians and a newly raised force of Warlord Games Rangers.  Can Roger Ramjet and his Rangers defeat the dastardly French?  Will Lootenant Bucky ever get a grip?

Breville Gap COC
Not sure if I`ll get as far as this one.  having read "the Manner of Men" and various other accounts 9 Para's defence of the Breville Gap it seems like it could make a great Chain of Command game, although I may go for a larger scale and make it an IABSM game.  9 Para were reduced to platoon and Company sized numbers by 8th of June so either would work.  I have some great 10mm Paras and German Grenadiers, both Pendraken, Wargames South and Minifigs (technically these are 12mm but the foot look fine beside the smaller guys)
Time to get the WW2 ETO collection back on table.

Out in the cold: Moose and Otis in the Snow, 1945 
A small Chain of Command for my figures in Durham.  Moose and Otis of the Big Red One have survived D-Day, Normandy and Aachen.  They find themselves deployed on the critical ridge behind Dom Burtgenbach right in the path of 12th SS advance.  Can our heroes survive against the Hitler Jugend?  Really nice Italeri figures.