Gaspar Toucan and the Murder at Farthingdale Hall

Over Christmas I participated in a murder mystery game with my family as the other seven players.  I took the role of Suki the makeup artist.  Suffice it to say "Darlings" I nailed it and solved the case, but so did everyone else.  

Inspiration struck.  Artizan do a character figure of Gaspar Toucan, Flemish Detective.  You may suppose that he's merely a Poirot clone, and you have a point, but Gaspar has a big nose, Toucan by name etc... he also carries an M73 Dutch service revolver, hidden in his generous cummerbund, obviously.

The M73

Toucan was in my head after that, all over Christmas and into New Year.  Aware that the Toofatlardies are due to publish What a Cowboy in February it struck me that here was a game set in the same time period, but in Britain (and the Empire) that could piggyback the rules.  A swift order to Artizan was in order and I went for Drawing Room Murder style figures.  Big time.

All well and good, except that I'm not aiming at a formulaic game of Cluedo with figures, although some of the mechanisms are interesting.  My suspects will not come quietly into custody, and some fighting will be necessary to subdue them.

Tying in with this idea was a Christmas present, Agatha Christie's "death on the cards.". This find the murderer card game fits perfectly with my idea of using miniatures for a "Cluedo Wargame. " Or so I hope!

Gothic horror is also one of my interests, especially Hammer horror style movies.  Our suspects may include a wolfman, a vampire or an escaped murderous lunatic.  Lord Farthingdale collects ancient Egyptian artefacts and sarcophagii.  What could go wrong with that?  A criminal gang may invade the Manor, looking to steal the family jewels, the Egyptian gold or the plans for the latest battleship.  Or how about an international assassin, posing as a guest and about to strike again?

Of course simply solving the case isn't enough for a wargamer. As we all know a true master villain will have minions.  I need  a final battle. My thinking for this was a couple of sprues of WW2 Partisans from Wargames Atlantic.  That will give me eight or so underworld ruffians, or, as Gaspar Toucan would say, Pervy Blinkers. (Prone to Malapropism is our Flemish Detective.) 

I also have the Red Dragon Tong of Dr Chou En Ginsberg, MA, (Failed), or rather a few of my Boxer Rebellion figures reused, Eventually I'll raise the forces of that infamous Prussian warlord, the Red Helmet.  Any of these villains could burst into the manor, or be hiding there to cause mayhem in a fight with the Detectives and the Police.  

Testing the game theory

The Farthingdales have held the Lordship of Waldridge for some hundreds of years, but they have paid a terrible price.  As the village saying goes, "No Farthingdale ever dies a-bed."  The family are known to have been cursed in the Middle ages, reputedly for the failure of Lord Hugo to slay a worm that crawled out of a local well.  

The curse supposedly involves a Hound of Hell that stalks family members across the fells.  An amusing after dinner anecdote perhaps, except that many of the Farthingdales have perished on these same fells, as well as upon many a battlefield across the world.

It is 1887, and young Captain Herbert Farthingdale is recently returned from Military service in Egypt.  Old Lord Sable Farthingdale has gathered his friends and acquaintances to welcome the lad home.   Dinner guests arrive at Waldridge Manor during a snow storm, among them Gaspar Toucan, large nosed Flemish Detective, Herbert's special friend.

Lord Sable opens the dinner with a few well chosen remarks before telling his guests that one of them is a cursed werewolf.  He then falls across the soup turine, murdered, stone cold dead.

The Terrain

I do not intend building a miniature Manor house, and the Pathfinder set of battle mats includes a "lodge house" upstairs and down, that will fit in with my plan pretty well.  Other terrain types are available, archaeological digs, London warehouses, the mad scientist's secret laboratory, lots of options.

The suspects

Professor Parker D. Plum. Mad scientist

Reverend Quincy Green. Vicar

Miss Kitten Scarlet, actress

Colonel "Mad Mike" Mustard of the Guards

Mrs Victoria Secret Peacock grand dame

Mrs White the "two soups" elderly Maid

Wadsworth, the taciturn butler played to hilarious perfection by Tim Curry in 1984s Clue.  Armed with a Calderwood & Son .44 percussion cap pistol, circa 1855.  He's a blocking counter but just perhaps...

The Detectives

The Adams 

Gaspar Toucan M73 Dutch Service revolver

Captain Herbert Farthingdale, Beaumont-Adams .45in  revolver

The Law

Inspector Ego Farley 1979 pattern Tranter .450 Revolver

Sergeant Patrick O'Dogsbody, .442 calibre Royal Irish Constabluary Revolver 1868 pattern.

5 Officers armed with Webley and Sons Metropolitan Police revolver .450, 1880 pattern

Detective reinforcements

Lord Peter Flimsy, aristocratic criminologist

Local amateur sleuth and jam maker Miss Agatha Marbles, democratic umbrella.

Mr Hervé Porridgé, moustachioed Belgian Detective

Chuanli Chang, Inspector of the Shanghai Constabulary on sabattical

The Gothic twist

(For an advanced game I think!)

Ghost

The Doctor's Creatures

Werewolf

Mummy

Vampire

Escaped from the Asylum

Farthingdale Hall

Wadsworth the Butler greets Gaspar Toucan, Captain Farthingdale and Miss Marbles at the front door.

Toucan discovers that Rev Quincy Green is a secret Romance novelist.

And Miss Marbles finds out about Mrs Peacocks prankster past.

Colonel Mustard is the second victim.  We are getting closer.

Miss Scarlett holds the Murderer card.  She produces an automatic and Captain Farthingdale mercilessly shoots her down.  Its how she would have wanted to go.

Really enjoyable.  It worked well as a game.

Cestria by Gaslight

Cestria, 1880.  Inspector Rumpo of The North Durham Constabulary has taken command of the demoralised Chester le Street detachment.  He has been ordered to sort out this lawless town, victimised for years by the Likely Lads, an armed criminal gang.

Inspector Kenneth Rumpo
Sergeant Sidney James
Senior Constable Ronald Corbett
Constable James Dale
Constable Bernie Cribbins
Constable Chas Hawtrey, with Police dog "Flash."
Probationary Constable Les Phillips 

CID

Detective Inspector Theodore Ray
Detective Sergeant Ronald Barker

(Constable Philips is a wildcard.  He is dice controlled and will spend any game following a lady, usually any lady.  Ding dong!). Ted Ray had been intended for the part of the Sergeant in Carry on Constable but because of studio politics Sid James played the role instead.  The two Ronnies are added to my complement with a few other Carry on stalwarts making up the numbers.

The North Durham Likey Lads

The Likely Lads are yet another of those late Victorian criminal gangs.  Gateshead to the north has it's Pervy Blinkers, Sunderland has its Dirty Cats and Durham has the Tattsyrup Locals.

Gang leader Bad Bob Bewes is a local legend and the only thing he is afraid of is his wife, Thelma.

Bad Bob Bewes
Terry Bolam
Thirsty Gazza
Timmy Healy
Bobby the Rob
Big Ant
Wee Dec
Hardcase Cherl
Jimmy the Nail

Jimmy is a wildcard.  He is a drunk barred from the Fighting Cocks who constantly tries to get back inside, circling the building if he comes into play.  He will only join in with the gang 's activities if Hardcase Cherl is within 10 squares.

The Public
Miss Scarlett
Reverend Quincy Green
Dr Plum
Mrs White
Mrs Peacock
Corporal Mustard

Cestria Market Square

The Objectives

The Likely Lads objectives and whereabouts will be unknown to me at the start of the game, but as play progresses the Law will activate plot points for clues.  The Constables move on beats, around the town footpaths drawing "incidents" as they cross plot points. Police reinforcements and open movement only begin, if a whistle card is played. 

Gang members appear and draw a crime card.  If seen near the scene of the crime they become "suspicious," eliciting a Police reaction roll.

The game ends when the Likely Lads are in custody, or a last orders and time gentlemen please have been played in order.

Where was that then?  Plot point roll.

1. D6 of the gang seen drinking in the Joiners arms

2. A pair of the gang leave the Bridge Inn

3. A gang member seen in the Red Lion

4. A fight reported on Corporation street

5. Jimmy the Nail is back in the Fighting Cocks

6. Suspicious activity at the North Burn Yard

The "intended crime" cards

Lead from the church roof

Stealing a pub's takings

"Braying" a local dignitary

Stealing coal bags

Kicking Miss Scarlett's customer

Assaulting Mr Utterson, the solicitor

Police reaction cards

Just a minute!

Here, I want a word with you!

Get stuck in son.

I seen nuthin' Sarge

Take a bribe? Me?

Three x whistle cards.

Call in CID 

"Shots fired" armed response

Let me bloody at 'im

Last orders

Time gentlemen please (returned to the deck of Last orders is not in play)

The major plot point - (or the final insult!)

1. The Raspberry Blower of old Cestria town

2. Eddie Tattsyrup comes calling

3. Reverend Quincy Green, a latter day Dr Syn!

4. Solicitor Utterson's briefs

5. Mr Satterthwaite's cash box

6. Thelma Bewes appears and ushers her husband and his gang home.

The first game

Early evening in Cestria.

⁹

Constable Dale has words with Bob Bewes and his mate Terry 

Gazza and Healy leave the Red Lion, and are seen by PC Phillips, but he ignores them

Gazza fires a shotgun into the air.  A proper headbanger that boy.

Whistles blow.  The Inspector leads reinforcements into the Market Square

Sergeant Corbett fires a round at Gazza, who on that shock roll of one runs for it.

The plot point produces Miss Scarlett.  PC Phillips gives chase at a fast walk.

"Ding Dong"

Bob and Terry leave the Joiners arms, having drawn a "steal lead from the church roof" crime card,  but PC Cribbins has a cautious moment.

But disaster for Bob as his wife appears.  The Likely Lads run for it and peace breaks out.

So I need to sort out my cards, but a good little first run.  Rematch tomorrow.

GDA, Second battle of Lardeville.

The Red have been called to the river Glutonne, on the border with the Blue.  Lardeville is just inland from here and a Militia garrison is called out just as a Brigade of Regulars arrives.

Unfortunately the Blue have arrived in Divisional strength.  Let's hope they don't find out about the hidden Ford.  

Lardville and its surrounding countryside

And at the bridge Old Hans' Farm

The Red

General of the Red Charles Bierguùt, 

Brigadier General Walter Stomachs

Four regular Battalions

One Light Infantry Battalion

Brigadier of Militia Alan Paunch

Three Militia battalions

The Blue

General De Le Blau August Pumphosen

Brigadier General Henri Windenreek

Two Regular Battalions

Two Light Infantry Battalions

Brigadier of Militia Antoine Gross-Farht

Three Regular battalions

Brigadier of Cavalry Pierre le Pew

Three Regiments of Cuirassier

Two batteries HA guns

Blue are spotted and deploy as Red dice to scout them out.  Only the Red Brigade on the far right is seen.

Red close on the Ford, but suffer "Hesitant" results on that vital right flank.

The Red Guards assault over the bridge into a storm of fire.  That didn't go well!

Red push the elite Jäger battalions across the river ford

And Blue's fore is devastating as Red is unformed by the crossing.

Blue charge home the Cuirassier breaking the Red Jäger.  Its a win for the Grand Duchy!

One-Hour Skirmish Wargames, Cassino 1944

An impulse buy from kindle (I suppose I'm susceptible to wargaming advertising) One-Hour Skirmish Wargames fills a gap in my gaming.  I decided a scenario from Donald Featherstones Skirmish Wargaming seemed to fit the bill.

My battle for the Hotel Continental will feature a section of New Zealanders versus a squad of Fallshirmjager, larger numbers than Don's scenario so I'll use a small street rather than just the two buildings.

I'll run through the rules as I progress through the game, I'm in a learning curve for these.

The Game

The Anzacs prepare their assault.  The Sergeant goes central.

Closer in.  The mission, capture that fountain.

the Germans have a sniper and an observer in the tower.  They have the walls loopholed

The bren team cross the road and use the fence walls as cover

I get a bomb team over centrally.

Building assault.  Bodies everywhete.

the Germans retaliate with grenades.  The Anzac Sergeant charges over and assaults the garden position opposite

But my corporal gets hit

the Germans suffer casualties too

The bomb team take out the sniper in the tower, but the garden position holds out.

the Germans pull back, but grenade the street as they do.

Not quick enough as the Anzac Sergeant used his smg.  He is not by a German though

the bren hoses down the garden, as the Germans run for it.  I catch two.

Game over, but the Garden has been boobytrapped.  I advance acoss the street!

A pretty good game.  Never been happy with these 28mm WW2 but at this level it works.