July Game

What no post ?

June Meeting

June saw a large Spanish Civil War skirmish run by Chas. It was an early war scenario, so both sides were seeking to grab territory and had fixed on taking a village.

Two Nationalist columns approached the centrally located village from opposite corners, whilst two Republican forces came from the other corners.

The Government army rushed into the village led by the brave POUM militia's armoured car and occupied as many buildings as they could.

The Foreign Legion led by Brett took the edge of the village and exchanged machine gun fire with the Assaultos armoured car and Malcolm's workers militia, that were lining the edge of a wood.

Elsewhere JJ's militia contested a wood on the opposite edge of town with the mad Moroccans led by Steve M, whilst Rob's Carlists rushed into the village and straight into hand to hand combat.

Following a vicious melee the remaining Carlists and miltia settled to firing at each other from the buildings.

All around the village a fire fight ensued, with both sides die rolls leaving a lot to be desired, although some Civil Guard who tried to double down the road wished they hadn't and the odd unit of militia was wiped out.

The POUM armoured car (the mobile chip shop) sat in the middle of the square, where it failed to see any of the combats around it !

Eventually Steve's Moroccans and Falange tried to throw JJ's militia out of the church, whilst the Carlists assaulted the POUM armoured car.

It was touch and go, but massed fire cut down the Carlists and Ian's Stalinist 5th Column supported by the Chip Shop gunned down the Moroccans at the church door. The respite allowed JJ's militia to halt the Falange and the the Nationalists, bolt well and truly shot, conceded.

I thought it was odd that, having waited for half the game, in the queue at the Chip Shop the Nationalists went home as soon as it opened for business.

A good game to "Rate of Fire" rules, run with a light touch by Chas.

It was nice to see 250 figures in a fast flowing 28mm skirmish game and it could easily have gone either way.

I think Malcolm and I were competing for the title of "Worst Shots in the Game". I think I won, as my guys were supposed to be professionals, although I will let him have the "Blind G*t" award, for failing to spot a small war happening within a 100 yards of his Chip Shop.



Vince

May is done, bring on June!

Last Saturday was probably the busiest day the club has had, in terms of numbers of games, for a long time. Four games were played by 14 people!

First up was an ancients game between one bunch with lots of chariots and another bunch with not so many chariots, using the Impetus rule set. Andy and Brett faced off against Vince and Chas. Then Vince left to watch Exeter City scrape a win and Chas, according to Vince, threw it all away. I'm guessing that means they lost.

In the far corner we have Guy and Eoghan playing the all new Warhammer Ancient Battles 2. Guy had a massed horde of barbarian types, who threw themselves onto the pikes of Eoghans successors and died! Oops.

In the centre was Jack and his son Charlie. AWI was the flavour of the month there, with Charlie commanding the British as they drove the damned rebellious colonials off the table.

The remaining 6 players were involved in a Napoleonic battle depicting a "what if" scenario from Waterloo, using Rank & File rules. A few gallant Allied units (8 units of 5 infantry, 2 units of 6 light cavalry and 4 batteries of artillery) faced off against a veritable horde of French (16 units of 6 infantry, 2 units 6 light cavalry, 2 units of 6 lancers, 2 units of 6 dragoons, 2 units of 6 cuirassiers and 8 batteries). The Prussians were "on the way", with 14 units of 4 infantry, 2 units of 6 light cavalry, 4 units of 6 heavy dragoons and 8 batteries. The allies held for long enough that, by the time the French had broken their line, the Prussians were rolling up the French right flank.

All in all it was a good day. Next month there will be a Spanish Civil War game from Vince and Chas, plus another ancients game from Nathan, Gus and myself, using Greeks this time though.

Sadly I didn't take my camera, so there are no pictures.

Cassano 1705

Ignoring the nasty "buzzy" things on the "Bag the Hun" table, the gentlemen of the club prepared for a re-enactment of the battle of Cassano.

In 1705 Prince Eugene crossed the Italian border to relieve the siege of the cities and castles of Piedmont. Success would keep the duke of Piedmont in the war, failure would surely lead to his defeat. Key to this plan was the bridge at Cassano.

At Cassano the French deployed in and around the Cassano redoubt which protected their supply routes. They were confident the series of irrigation ditches to their front would protect their forces long enough for them to move to meet any threat.

Eugene, of course, had other plans and was across the first ditches before the French knew what was happening.

It was at this point our scenario started.

I led the Allies, taking the cavalry, abley supported by Clive on our left and centre and Steve M on our right. Facing us was Malcolm holding the redoubt and left flank, with Chas taking the centre and right flank.

The Allies rushed to cross the remaining ditch, with Malcolm doing his best to frustrate this. Chas deployed a holding force and rushed the bulk of his army from right flank towards the left where it could cover the redoubt.

As the Allies scrambled over the ditch they were "pinged" by skirmishing dragoons and infantry. A couple of units were caught disordered by charging cavalry and Clive's men suffered at the hands of an infantry firing line.

Weight of numbers drove the French back, but the ditch was slowing our advance, as units halted to redress ranks (JJ would have been proud !). Elsewhere Chas's men made a steady pace towards the fortification.

Allied dragoons forced their way through Malcolm's line and blocked Chas's progress, as Steve pushed the French left back.

Despite Chas's best efforts, the arrival of large numbers of Austrian cuirassiers caused several French units to fire high, waiver and run, but a new line held strong and both sides released their cavalry reserves.

Meanwhile Steve's first assault on the redoubt was turned back by a face full of cannister.

By this time so many cavalry were crammed into the centre that no one could move and Steve renewed his assault on the redoubt.

Seeing the writing on the wall, the Adder waved to the defenders of the redoubt as he crossed the bridge in his coach.

Malcolm's men were last seen being cut down by the bayonets of Steve's fresh grenadier units.

A hard fought battle and the French could complain that had their muskets been on target when the cuirassiers charged things might have been very different.

When told of the casualties amongst his forces Chas was heard to say "More men will be conceived in Paris tonight than were lost on the field today." His report of the battle is said to be very critical of his subordinates and the Chardonnay served with dinner.

I thought it was a good game with around a thousand 28mm figures on the table. The rules (Rank & File) gave a simple, quick game, with a believable result and we played at least 20 turns. Not a competition set, but fun for club bash involving lots of figures.

On the other table JJ & Jason couldn't agree on the difference between the front and the rear of an aircraft (remind me never to fly with them !) and JJ's pencil case got broken.

Vince

The day is rapidly approaching.

Soon masses of 25mm figures will trade volleys of ill-aimed musket fire as Chas watches from his palatial carriage and sips his Chardonnay. Still none the wiser as to what is going on, just that its a bunch of lace-clad types picking a fight with a bunch of even more lace-clad types.

At the same time tiny little planes will be dogfighting over some corner of this green and pleasant land, as the valiant RAF attempt to hold off the nasty, caddish and downright mean Luftwaffe. Gus is setting this one up, using his planes on my mat.

March 13th Games

It's another month and another game or two. First up is a 25mm War of Spanish Succession game, by Chas, Vince et al. Not sure which rules it is, but I'll bet there are going to be loads of figures on the table and Chas will be in a carriage on a hill sipping fine wine.

The other game will be a first play of Bag the Hun 2. Chocks away, Tally Ho and all that. Dakka dakka dakka willl echo around the room as Gus fails to hit anything again.

And onto the Ancients game

A Warhammer Ancients battle, fought between Sassanids and Khazars. A report was received from the Sassanid commander, so please take into account the slight bias in his view. Over to you Vince.

The Sassanid king surveyed his army deployed on the plain. A horde of Parthian vassal horse archers, Iranian horse archers, Lakhamid horse, elephants, Arab and Iranian infantry all subordinate to the Sassanian Noble clibinari.

The nations of the empire were all here, the army was vast and it was a good day to slaughter the barbarian invaders.

Then the Khazar horde rode out of the heat haze onto the field. Innumerable horse archers were screening solid blocks of noble cavalry and a group of infantry with yurts. "Tents, why have they brought tents to a battle ?" the Shah of Shah's mused. No matter he thought and waved the Sassanid army forward to attack.

Battle was joined by the opposing horse archers and a swirling melee in the centre led to a large number of Sassanian cavalry fleeing the field. Clibinari charged horse archers along the line firing as they went and saw the retreating skirmishers feign flight as they fired over their shoulders.

On the left Steve M and the Khazar allies under Steve H danced around each other firing as they went. Many saddles were emptied but not one would come to close quarters.

On the right Andy meleed the Khazar light cavalry under their war leader Chas and both sides saw warriors flee the battle.

Frustrated at chasing shadows, a unit of clibinari rode down the yurt guard only to lose half their number to a cloud of arrows from skirmishing horse archers. The elite of Andy and Chas's army came to push of kontos, Andy's elephant stampeded (surprise, surprise !) and Steve M started to get the better of Steve H's cavalry in the shooting contest.

End game came with Steve H's forces boxed in and losing the resulting melees. My clibinari joined in and were glad of the rest from the continual pinging by nomad cavalry commanded by Malcolm. Chas had routed Andy's clibinari but, seeing no answer to the large blocks of untouched infantry, quit the field roundly cursing his allies.

The Sassanids held the field and remarkably their infantry was intact, but neither side had got off lighly.

I thought it was an enjoyable game, played in a good humoured fashion and it reminded me why I hate being pinged by nomad horse archers !

Vince