My version of a Valley Campaign

With my Napoleonic forces taking place in 6mm I decided to do more work on the battle board, as well as planning a mini campaign.  Basically the battle board is turned four times to give the advancing force a different tabletop for four different engagements.

The game is designed for a Blue Force advancing from the bottom of the table map to the top in four steps.  Equally it would work as a Red Force advancing down the map against a Blue occupying Force.

Both sides are a strong Division, with a Cavalry Brigade.

I intend to use these games to test some options for Napoleonic rules.   Table 1 will be General d`Àrmee.  Table 2 will be Polemos 6mm.  Table 3 will be an old favourite, Shako.  Table 4 will be Black Powder.

The Crown Principality of Cinnabaria, "Das Rot."

Crown Prince Rudolph, the Red nosed (The Gentleman has a bottle!)
Ferdinand, the Red Duke  (Inspired Leader)
Margrave Flatulenz  (Steady)
Kolin Halkett of the Guards Brigade  (Coward) (2 Large battalions)
"Hoots" Drummond of the Scotch Brigade (This Gentleman also has a bottle) (2 battalions)
Alten, 2nd Brigade  (3 battalions)
Kohl, 3rd Brigade  (3 battalions)
Schröder, 4th Brigade  (3 Militia battalions)
von Deckchair, Electorate of the Grun Jäger Brigade
von Merkel, Heavy Cavalry Brigade


The Grand Duchy of the Blau

Grand Duke Ferdinand (Bald as a Coot)
Maximillian, the Blue Count  (Cad)
Baron von Pumphosen (The Gentleman has an Apricot Pie)
Van Tromp   The "Alte Guards" Brigade (Blusterer) (two large elite battalions)
Van Pompe   2nd Brigade (3 Line, 1 Light Battalions)
Van Stomp   3rd Brigade (3 Line, 1 Light Battalions)
Van Dompe   4th Brigade (3 Line, 1 Light Battalions)
Van Krompe  5th (Militia) Brigade (Four Militia battalions)
Van Bompe    Dragoon Cavalry Brigade

Blue vs Red, the Victory

The first Red vs Blue battle has been raging on my table all weekend.  A large factor in this length of time is the fact that I am using new rules, General D'Armee by the Toofatlardies.  These have 90 pages of rules before the optional rules begin.  Having become used to Dan Mersey's rules style this year I am finding it difficult to step back to "Complicated."

The Red have been having trouble with the guards brigade, two large elite battalions,  (B1) but as the guards advanced they were forced into square.  A charge by the Blue dragoons was seen off in fine style, although the guards suffered from casualties inflicted by the horse artillery cannister fire.

 In the centre the blue 3rd Brigade attacked the garrisoned BUA with a supported column.   

 The Red Guards stand off the Blue dragoons.

 The Red advance on the left, with the cavalry brigade coming into line beside the advancing Guards.

 The shock of the battle is the revelation that the Blue have a second Dragoon brigade on their blinds.  These are revealed and immediately assault the advancing Red Brigade five. 

With the Blue Dragoon Brigadier leading his charging first regiment the small Red battalion on this flank are unable to stand. The square breaks. 

  

 The Blue bring up their horse artillery on their left flank, as a second regiment charges.

I had to face the fact that the Blue had lost this flank.

 The Red Guards cause the massed column to retreat.  Clearly the red have won on their right.  Those elite troops were just far too tough to handle like this.

 The Red Third brigade are roughly handled and begin to falter.  The green troops are holding the garrisoned farm, but the Red have lost the centre too.

At the end of the game the Red have three brigades faltering or destroyed, the Blue have lost one with a second Faltering.  With large parts of the red Army dispersing the Red Duke withdraws, swearing vengeance.  

Max, the Blue Count, probably has a date with Sophia Loren somewhere.

A good game, but I`m still getting on top of these rules. 

The Red vs Blue games... structure

The Crown Principality of Cinnabaria, "Das Rot."
Crown Prince Rudolph, the Red nosed (The Gentleman has a bottle!)
Ferdinand, the Red Duke  (Inspired Leader)
Margrave Flatulenz  (Steady)
Kolin Halkett of the Guards Brigade  (Coward)
"Hoots" Drummond of the Scotch Brigade (This Gentleman also has a bottle)
Alten, 2nd Brigade
Kohl, 3rd Brigade

Schröder, 4th Brigade

von Deckchair, Electorate of the Grun Jäger Brigade
von Merkel, Cavalry Brigade

The Grand Duchy of the Blau
Grand Duke Ferdinand (Bald as a Coot)
Maximillian, the Blue Count  (Cad)
Baron von Pumphosen (The Gentleman has an Apricot Pie)
Von Tromp  The "Alte Guards" Brigade (Blusterer) (two large elite battalions)
Von Pompe   2nd Brigade (3 Line, 1 Light Battalions)
Von Stomp   3rd Brigade (3 Line, 1 Light Battalions)
Von Dompe  4th Brigade (3 Line, 1 Light Battalions)
Von Krompe 5th (Militia) Brigade (Four Militia battalions)
Von Bomp    Dragoon Cavalry Brigade

Maximillian, the Blue Count  forms a massed column,
 as the Red Guards finally move.

Von Pompe's 2nd Brigade moves against the farmhouse,
 whilst Alten's 2nd Brigade crowd their flank.  
Meanwhile the Blue has a Brigade in an On Table 
Reserve behind the woods on the hill to the right.

The Red Duke Invades

My Imagi-Nations Red vs Blue game kicked off with a first battle this weekend, I didn`t finish it yet. This is mainly because General d`Armee has ninety pages of rules, before you get to the Optional rules.  I`m not used to this sort of complication.  in fact they are almost as complicated as Post Captain.  (But I mastered that so...)

The Ferdinand, the Red Duke, General of the Armies of Cinnabaria, or Das Rot, had once again invaded the grand Duchy of the Blau.  (I`m using my brigadier No 5 figure for him since I seem to be lacking a Red CinC)

My game map shows the location of the fighting, which just happens to be on the Meckel Kriegspiel map.

The Red are attacking into the Blau, and the Blue Count has mustered a Divisional sized force to deal with them.  The Red Force includes an allied Jager brigade from the Green, and a brigade of the Red Guards.  The Blues have a more unified force of twelve battalions in three brigades.

The fighting occurs to the north of Grossmalle.  The Red Duke has garrisoned the farm at Gut Hohenhof with a battalion of Green Jager, and his line runs roughly behind this position, with the Guards and his heavy Dragoons behind GrossMalle itself.  

As the Red forces close in on the Blue Division the Count releases his right flank brigade up the hill with a "Forwards" order.

Unfortunately the Red Guards have refused orders and are "Hesitant."  With the Artillery opening fire I left the game for now.

The System of using ADCs to deliver orders and allow re-rolls of the command roll works really well. (Its just that the Red Guards threw a one, twice!  Could it be that their commander is an upper class twit?)  

I`m still working through the rules, but so far so good.  

One of the Blue Brigades is in an On table Reserve behind the hill and woods.  This may be the critical side of this battle.

The General de Armée Battle Board

Work on the battle board continues.  A lot of flocking to do but it`s already good for a game.

Buildings for General D'Armee

I'm not usually too keen on paper model buildings.  The standard offerings seem too flat and uninteresting.   On the other hand they are cheap!  I'm quite keen on cheap!

All buildings look better embedded into a textured and detailed base of course, so I decided to make a few buildings for my General D'Armee project, and mount them on robust mdf templates.

One of my pet hates when it comes to terrain are ridged edges.  They take away from the illusion.  I shaved down the edges of my mdf templates as I cut them out, bevelling the lip of the template to blend with my terrain.  

Next a coat of diluted pva.  These bases are probably too small to need it but it's good practise.  I drew in the shapes for my buildings, and located the length of walling I would need.  My card models are probably too small to be strictly 1:300, but it's the look I'm going for here.

One important then to remember is that the farmyard

(or churchyard), will need to accommodate a battalion, two 40 x 20 and another two 20 x 20 bases.  That is a large footprint.  (It's also one of the reasons my churchyard has no headstones)

I started with a walled farm, balsa walls with supports added.  The flock was cemented in place using diluted pva.  The colour I opted for was autumn pasture but I added scattered patches of sand and darker brown flock.  The farmer's wife's garden had some additional flock with coloured flower beds.  In one corner I added a vegetable patch.  

The church fills up most of one side of its template, and I added a walls from a wooden coffee stirrer.   A lichgate to give access and some pathways up the churchyard were added detail, and I used a larger scatter of flock on the far side of the church building.  Some foliage dotted here and there hid the joins.  

So far so good, but tomorrow I tackle that battle board, as well as another farm and the village.

My General d ' Armee Project

Wargames rules are getting expensive.  Since I retired, selling up most of my collection, I tend to notice this sort of thing more.   For a good set of rules I have no problem of course, and since I try to buy rules on pdf format to keep my clutter down I minimise the cost too.

I have in the past however paid lots of money for rules that I am unsatisfied about, and Napoleonics is probably the worst period for this.  Still I decided that the Toofatlardies are a brand that I respect,  and I had watched the videos on YouTube to get an idea of what these rules were about.  Time to lay out my £16 for a pdf (one of the cheaper sets these days) and see what they were like

My 6mm Napoleonic figure collection is limited to about 8 battalions a side, the traditional French and British.   A couple of cavalry regiments each and a few guns.  A quick read through of the rules and I realised that this wasn't going to be enough.

The French: three Brigade's of Infantry, one of Cavalry

Actually I was quite pleased that my 6mm Napoleonics matched what I needed for General d' Armee quite well.  My battalions are mounted on one 40 by 20mm, and two 20 by 20mm mdf bases, in double ranks, with two additional skirmish bases of 20 by 20mm.  This uses around 28 Adler miniatures.

For space saving I am considering  using single 40 by 20 bases to represent the battalions, with a double sided "square" or "column" marker for when those formations are in use.

Space is a real consideration.   The 6mm have travelled back to the flat in the UK with me. ( and that was an uncomfortable moment at airport security!)   My table here is circular and about 3 feet across.  Fortunately I have a plan to deal with that.

I bought a canvas artists frame 100cm by 70cm in the Works some time ago, intending to turn it into a battle board.   The big idea... I'm going to create a 6mm sculptured terrain.  The glossy pictures in wargames magazines show this integrated sculptured terrain, and it looks great.  For 6mm in particular it's possible to engineer a small piece of real estate that looks great.

No static grass  of course.  I'm convinced that this stuff will eventually kill half of all wargamers...and thier families.  I have astma of course so am probably biased, but I get seriously ill whenever I am near the vile stuff.  My plan is to use good old fashioned Javis flock.  It sets like concrete when added to diluted pva, and I can vary the shades quite easily.

• The battle board will have some moveable features, such as wood and village templates that match the flock colours, but it will also have fixed hills, a ridge in one quarter, a rounder hill on the opposite side.   A small river or stream will run across the centre, and roads will cross at a ford.   
  
  This will be a Western European terrain for the Waterloo period.

I will be blogging this project as it develops.

The British: Three Brigade's of Infantry and one of Cavalry

MTB Missions

One of my requirements for a Coastal Forces Warfare game was clearly set out in my wishlist:

Make the game mission card driven.  

Mission briefings, are cards that include 1-3 encounter locations in the Patrol area. A mission objective is located at the centre of the table, or else a nominated vessel at the centre.  

Patrol areas are taken from my map but also include Coastal Command Information, Weather reports and Sea State. as well as details about the Mission itself. 

Protect Minesweepers

Attack Enemy Convoy

Protect lone straggler

Sweep for Enemy E-boats

Land SOE agent on enemy coast

Commando attack on 

Patrol enemy coast
Protect Merchant ship
Patrol the Swept Channel
Interdict the enemy supply lines
Pick up agent from enemy coast
Depth charge attack on an enemy harbour
Intercept enemy patrols
Intercept an enemy Submarine landing enemy agent
Daylight pickup of downed pilots

Evening the odds, my scratchbuilt
Fairmile B Gunboat

Other notes

1 inch = 5 knots

An E-boat at full throttle will move at 8 inches per turn.

A chart of Patrol areas is linked to mission briefings and will have three encounter areas that form part of the mission.

I must look at Blinds for night action?

Aircraft strafes and bombing runs will cross the table in two turns.

Weather

Clock face vessel, aircraft appearance or event occurrence.

Compass face for bearings instead of the wheel on my prototype board. 

“Events” can be the appearance of enemy units, in a Babbage style, keyed into the mission card.

Combat should be swift and deadly, with Damage inflicted by weapon type: The dice frames hold engines, crew, hull, weapons.  A simple d6 roll to hit uses movement and distance as the variables and another to locate the hit.   A Miscellaneous damage roll for misc...rudder, props, raft, lifebelts, fuel fire, Aldis lamp/ Wireless Transmitter, etc..
Each hit causes some damage to the boat, it's crew or both.
...

I've missed off star shells (or rocket parachute flares for an MTB) as well as depth charge launchers, and bear in mind that an E-boat would have four weapons turrets/points, and reloads for torpedoes. One Of my S
-boote is equivalent to at least two MTB.

Randi and the Rajputs

Oh Captain Whitmore’s Great Grandson Sir,

It is I, the Randi Ram, still serving here in the army of the British Raj.  Since the terrible curse laid upon me by my brother, the Mad Fakir, I have been doomed to live as a Sepoy until such time as I found my courage.  This is a thing that has not yet occurred and so I am now a Havildar in the 11th Rajputs.  By my estimate I am one hundred and twenty five years old, yet I seem no different to that day of the Fakir’s execution at Fort George, and his terrible words.

Commissary Havildar Randi with two of the Dogras Pioneers

I serve in the Commissary of course, counting bullets and spades.  These Rajputs are not like the men of the old 2nd Madras.  No, no, these are grim faced serious men, and seem to have a wish for death in battle.  Only half of these men are Hindi, yet they call on Hanuman to give them courage in battle.  

The Randi Ram has of course met Hanuman in person and I am here to report that the Monkey God is not really so serious as they are.  That Hanuman was of course a very drunken and strangely shaped hairy person I met in the Military prison at Seringapatam.  He laughed at my curse and told me that he thought my brother had played a great joke.

I am aware that this all may seem difficult to accept.  My Commanding Officer Major Stroker calls me “a daft old coot,” even though he is aware that I have served with this battalion since the Great Mutiny.  Yet I recall the great battle of Assaye, where I stood behind Major Tudor of the 2nd Madras when we volley fired into the ranks of the Maharathas, and the breach of the Mountain Fortress of Gawilghur where the 2nd Madras fell about me like scythed grain and I was the last of them, unwounded but frozen in terror.

The Rajputs have been my home ever since, and now we are posted to the Soudan to destroy yet another mad prophet.  Our troop ship, the sensibly named Ganges has finally arrived here at the Red Sea Protectorate port of Suakin.  We stood along the rails and watched native horsemen riding along the coast.  They are most numerous.

The rajputs on operations.  Clearing a village.

Our Officer, Mr Lieutenant Farthingdale, in charge of the Dogras Pioneer Company summoned me to count water bottles, and so I was busy when the battalion began to disembark.  The red coated Officers from a British home Service battalion named the Queen’s Own watched us parade on the dock, and called many insults at the Rajputs.  The Dogras company have grown used to this sort of thing, and have been included only to assist in building a railway.  But the Rajputs are veterans of more wars than these foolish persons have ever heard of and even our Dogras have seen more blood.

Later the Subadar Major, “Andy” Pandi inspected the battalion’s Snider-Enfield rifles on the dockside, and noted with pride that only one man had allowed dirt to show.  I promised him that I would do better next time…

As this occurred the howitzers of the Mountain battery were disembarked.  The muzzle of that gun is large enough to fit a man’s head inside.  This is what Captain Barkinge-Madly of the Sultan of Gujarat’s Artillery shouted he would do to the sightseeing Englishmen.  He has done it before…

We have been assigned to Water Fort Number One.  This is a goodly name for an old ruin and bare parade ground.  The Subadar Major had us begin digging defences, much to the amusement of these men of the Queens Own who were taking their ease in tents nearby.  Only when the he was happy could we fall out and begin to erect our own tents.

This place is miserable.  It has plagues of flies, plagues of mad hairy natives and plagues of dry desert heat.  The Rajputs want to see this finished and go home.  

In honour of your Great Grandfather Sir I will write of events here, until the battalion is allowed to go back to our garrison in Rajistan.  Be like him I implore you sir, a bold mad of actions.  Come out to the Soudan and see the Randi Ram and his Rajput friends catch this Mad-hatti fellow and place his head into the Sultan’s great howitzer.

Rangeet Ram, Havildar, 11th Rajputs.

11th Rajputs

4 Companies of 12 Infantry.
1 attached Mountain gun from Prince Albert's Own Bengal Artillery, on mules. 
1 attached pioneer cart.

Major W. Stroker, SM. VD
Capt Myles Long (Mile Schlong to the ladies)
Capt Drew Peacock 
Captain Hugh Jeers PDQ, 
Captain Barkinge-Madly FA, Certified.

Lieutenant Herbert Farthingdale and Subedar Major A D Pandi commanding the Dogras Pioneer company.

Three Havildars, Charu, Vikram and Dilip to take command if their Officer falls. 

Battalion Surgeon Pant

The Rajputs battle cry is " Bajrang Bali ki Jai"  a prayer to Hanuman, the Monkey God, to move a mountain... ie perform a heavy task.

The 4th Foot and the dodgy Camels

The 4th Foot:

Major Sir Portly Flatulent, of the Kibblesworth Flatulents

1st Company Captain Windy Whole, Lieutenant Sidney Schmeller

2nd Company Captain Frederick Ffaart-Arsse, Lieutenant Whiffy Gassington

3Rd Company Captain  Bartholemew Brownstreak, Lieutenant Stinky Fartington

Colour Sergeant Rip Oneoff commanding the gun

The Sangar needs relieving, and Flatulent's boys are just the chaps to do it...

Using The Men Who Would be Kings I sorted out my 24 points as two Infantry companies a Cavalry Troop and a gun.  The Gun was placed in the Sangar by random allocation and the rest of the Imperial marched to thier relief.

Mr Babbage, inventor of the difference engine and a fiendish solo program, placed a camel unit in my path.  Up on the frontier the Camelry are probably incorrect, but there is no point in arguing with Babbage about this sort of thing,

The covering unit volley fired and drove the camels off.

So much for Babbage and his camel fixation.

The unit of Pathan tribesmen who appeared to the flank off the Sangar did better, but that defensive wall showed that even an artillery unit can stand up behind defences.  They drove off the tribesmen.  Sergeant Rip Oneoff doing well here.

More Camels!  Captain Windy Whole shows his colours with a tremendous blast.  Four killed.

Pretty much job done.  Babbage's dice go poor and Flatulent reaches the Sangar.  The frontier is saved.