Dux Britanniarum

I got to play my first game of Dux Britanniarum at this months meeting and thought I would share my first impressions.

I have followed the launch and uptake of this rule set ever since hearing Richard Clarke discussing them on Meeples podcast and as I am a fan of pretty much all things "Lardie" I was really pleased to have a play. In addition I am enjoying all the drama of this period on the British History podcast at the moment and so had an itch to start forming a few shield walls.

We set up a little raid scenario where I was leading three warbands of Britons, supported by some archers and javelin-men raiding a Saxon village in search of loot. I was to be opposed by a similar sized force of Saxon troops coming onto the table three turns after my force.

The object thus, to get in and search the village and get out before my perimeter defences were seriously challenged by the locals. The moves and combats in the game are generated with a combination of cards and die rolls in the best traditions of a Lardie game. There is nothing very complicated in the process and I could quickly see that when you are aware of the potential pitfalls and opportunities offered by the card play lots of options are presented to the players.

The combats are simply a matter of gaining d6s to roll vs your adversary, with formation, situation benefits ( flank attack etc) plus special cards that capture the feel of these dark age clashes. These cards can see one side being goaded into charging the other in a situation that the wargame commander would not necessarily choose to do; others can influence the addition of extra die to roll for a benefit the card imparts.

Once the combat die are rolled each side gets to try and save the hits based on how well kitted out your warriors are and how good they are at looking after themselves. All this play is simple to do but gives a real feel for the period.

My game saw my force quickly establish a defence of units around the village whilst my levies searched the houses, quickly finding the loot. My left flank was surprised by a Saxon ambush and my chaps got the worst of it. My force was able to quickly pull out of the village losing a half warband of levies.

The game has a very neat campaign mechanism that simulates what happens after the table top clash. This models the effects of pursuit and the replacement of casualties together with the value of any booty taken. As the game progresses players are forced to consider disposing of cards they would use in the combat to ones that offer benefits to the army in pursuit or retreat. The aim is to get as many cards that help your force in the post battle phase. As it turned out I was able to get as many retreat cards as my opponent had pursuit ones, but although I also captured the loot my casualties and low casualties to my opponent combined to make the game a draw. Altogether, a very clever rule set.

There seem to be a few minor rules queries that you have to use common sense to interpret, such as how many dice to roll to generate backward movement, without facing away from the enemy. That seems open to debate in the rules but we soon came up with our own interpretation.

As I expected these are a solid set of rules with some clever mechanisms that really capture the feel for the period. I'm not a great Dark Ages fan, but if I were looking for a set of rules to play this period, Dux would be right up there.

Thanks to Nick and Mr Steve for a fun game and for breaking my Dux duck.

Operation Cerberus - The Channel Dash 1942

This month at the club I got to try out a mini-campaign that I had always wanted to try and replicate, namely the famous German Naval operation, code named Cerberus, to move its heavy surface fleet of ships from Brest on the French Atlantic coast to Wilhelmshaven in Germany via the English Channel. This daring plan challenged the historical record in that no enemy fleet had successfully navigated the English Channel since the Anglo Dutch Wars.

Channel Dash

Originally I had planned to just replay the scenario where the German ships were attacked by five WWI vintage British destroyers, but then I came across this very interesting little game recreating the whole operation as a simple board game and thought about using it on Cyberboard as a basis for fighting the whole thing using my trusty old copy of ShipBase III computer rules to determine the combat.

Operation Cerberus Channel Dash

So having deployed the various combat units on the map, it was determined that the British were on a low state of alert as Admiral Ciliax prepared his fleet to break cover from the protection of the Brest harbour and move out into the Western Approaches.

The first command decision for the German admiral was whether to press on at a full 27 knots and take advantage of the British unpreparedness and cover two areas in a move instead of one but run an increased risk of taking hits from British mines in the Approaches.

(The way we handled the various areas with a minefield needing to be traversed, was based on the fact that in the board game there is a one in six chance of encountering mines. Thus on the table we simply divided the sea area into six zones and the British plotted their minefield in one of them, whilst the Germans pre-plotted their course by selecting a column to move along. If the course went through the mines we moved the action to the table as the various ships attempted to move unscathed until through them. If as happened the Germans chose to move at full tilt then they would not be able to plot a course change to reduce their time traversing the mined area, if they only moved cautiously to one area per turn they could. We used ShipBase III to determine potential mine strikes. This created quite a bit of tension as both sides attempted to bluff about where things would be and as you will see a lot of nail biting with each move among the mines.)

The Cyberboard module up and running on the monitor to allow the German fleet commander to observe his progress

To keep the period feel of the game, I kept the pictures in black and white format interspersed with pictures of the real thing.

The map above shows Ciliax went for the bold move and sped out into the Channel charging through the mines. In response the MTB flotilla at Plymouth motored out to intercept south of Lyme Bay.
However the German Admiral guessed wrong about the location of the mines and soon found himself at full speed ahead in the middle of them in Area one.

The view from a German escort plane as Scharnhorst hits a mine

Suddenly a massive explosion rocked the Scharnhorst and the mighty ship lost speed and the control of her rudder as a British mine found its mark. This would be another dilemma for the German admiral to deal  with, whether to slow to one area per move and escort the damaged Scharnhorst, taking longer to pass through the danger zone but offering better protection to all vessels or to leave her with a small escort and press on with the faster elements. The order was given to maintain formation.

Scharnhorst losses her rudder to a mine

As the fleet regained its composure and started to exit the minefield, the rear of the column was lit up as the Prinz Eugen kept its destiny with another British mine. The meeting between the two was devastating as the explosion penetrated amidships, detonating Y turret magazine and causing the mighty cruiser to disappear in a pall of black smoke.

Prinz Eugen strikes a British mine and is ripped apart by a massive internal  explosion

As the German fleet pressed on with no time to mourn the loss of their comrades in the Prinz Eugen, lookouts on the Z31 leading the column spotted small craft ahead at 20,000 yards on heading 030'. Alarm sounded over the ship as signal lamps flashed out their warnings to their neighbours. Eight small vessels were counted as the guns were brought round to bear on to the new threat.

Not all mine strikes had the desired effect

British MTBs are met with a hail of gunfire as their torpedoes speed off in search of enemy hulls. The launch counters and track markers can be seen indicating the course interception. As in history they were launched at max range on a slow setting.

Soon the initial salvos from the destroyers were joined in by the secondary and tertiary mounts on the big ships and amidst the shell spashes could be seen the occasional flash as a shell found its mark. In a matter of about 40 minutes of firing the small on rushing craft were destroyed but not before eight 21" torpedoes had been sent on their course of interception.

ShipBase is known for having too high a rate of fire for each class of ship, the original stats being based on best conditions range firing. In combat the rate of fire would be much different and so I reduce all my ship direct fire rates by 50%.

Just as with mines, the passage of a torpedo spread can be just as nerve racking as each vessel that crosses the tracks tests for impact. As the Germans had ordered full speed ahead and "damn the torpedoes" they were not at liberty to make a course change.

The beauty of ShipBase is that you set up the torpedo attack by selecting the speed and thus the range of the launch together with the bearing as indicated by the two markers each carrying an identifying letter; spread A, spread B etc. Once the markers are on the table, the software monitors the time the "fish" have been in the water letting you know when they have sunk or, in a test for contact, letting you know if there was a bang or a dud. Simples!!

With only eight fish in the water fired on a low speed setting at maximum range, The British were not expecting much action, but as luck would have it and with six tests all missed the Scharnhorst was suddenly shrouded by a massive plume of water as she was struck amidships. The blast caused 25% flooding reducing the speed of the great ship still further.

Needless to say, the remaining torpedoes missed and the German fleet limped on further up the Channel.

A rare colour combat shot as seen in Signal Magazine two months after the Dash.

The map above shows the situation mid-channel with Scharnhorst's counter flipped to its red side to indicate the damage and Prinz Eugen's counter removed. With five more areas to cover before slipping into Wilhelmshaven it was looking pretty serious for the remaining German ships, if the British became aware of exactly what was going on. Had those pesky MTB's given a full report before being destroyed? Had the Luftwaffe done their job in keeping away RAF reconnaissance aircraft?

Well apparently the answer to those questions was a resounding No and Yes, as try as they might the British command testing as each area was entered could not get a d6 to roll any higher than a 4. The table on the map shows the scores required to raise or lower British Alert Levels and only one 4 was rolled which only moved the response up one level. It is only when the BAL reaches level 3 or above that a response kicks in and as the Germans moved clear of the Dover straits the British were hoping to at least get in a Swordfish strike at the end of play. But it was not to be.

The Ship Record at the end of the game showing the damage sustained to Scharnhorst from the mine and torpedo strike

Admiral Ciliax breathed a sigh of relief as his reduced force traversed the mines in Area 6 and plotted a course for Area 7 and then the sanctuary of Wilhelshaven. This was literally the last chance for the British to really spoil the party as the minefield off the German port was deemed to be of moderate concentration rather than a light field as all the others had been.

One more strike on the Scharnhorst could be very serious and so avoiding this field would be quite important to avoiding further loss. The game of bluff started up again and the British commander having noted that in each previous course plot the German admiral had attempted to move his ships along each board edge decided that he was more likely to break the pattern and try to move up the centre.

Wrong! Admiral Ciliax kept to his plan and stayed on course along one table edge, skirting the edge of the British mines and entering port without further loss.

The Scharnhorst having its damage assessed the day after arriving in Wilhelmshaven

So our game ended with a tactical victory for the British having destroyed one of the German big ships, Prinz Eugen, and badly damaging the Scharnhorst. If the God of Dice had not been supporting the Germans it could have possibly been a lot worse.

Thanks to Ian for a very entertaining afternoon in the English Channel.

Indian Mutiny - The Devil's Wind

Indian Mutiny at Devon Wargames

Pictures by JJ, Game Report by Mr Steve.

Scale : 28mm

Rules: The Devils Wind, Rules for Wargaming Battles from the Indian Mutiny 

Game organiser and Figures: Chas and probably someone else, I wasn't really paying attention.

Mutineers (sorry, that should read Heroic Defenders of Liberty) occupied a small village and barricaded the hell out of it 

One of the games at the October meeting was a 28mm Indian Mutiny run out using “The Devils Wind” rules; I was keen to try this set as part of my on-going search for something I can use to re-fight the Anglo-Sikh wars in 15mm.

As it was the first time most of us had used these rules two battles were arranged , first there would be a smaller skirmish style game with limited forces so that people could get to grips with movement, firing, casualties and morale etc. The longer the Mutineers could hold back the British then the more time would be earned to allow the main force to erect defences for the second game later.

Frankly not much happened in the first game and as we quickly mastered the necessary rules we moved on to the bigger bash.

In the main game the Mutineers (sorry, that should read Heroic Defenders of Liberty) occupied a small village and barricaded the hell out of it , we also had two guns which we sited in the centre of the board and some cavalry that did what all cavalry do and that’s look pretty and do nothing.

Cavalry that did what all cavalry do and that’s look pretty and do nothing

Faced with the daunting prospect of attacking a heavily defended village the Imperialist oppressors and their lackeys (sorry, that should read the British forces) moved onto the table, Their Sepoy’s were massed on our left flank, the centre although only thinly held was very artistically made up of units in lovely pastel shades and then on our right were their British regulars and other European’s forces.

The serene centre units so beautifully coordinated were now adding large dash’s of red to their ensemble through the judicious application of large cannon balls

The Sepoy’s moved into close range and proceeded to shoot it out with the defenders and not surprising lost out despite their numbers. (The Sepoys had the same ratings for both H2H and firing as the mutineers but had lower morale) I would like to say it was mainly through my skill that I flung back this attack but it was probably because I was getting a 50/50 saving throw for being in cover and they didn't. The fact they stood for so long at all was only through the assistance of a couple of “Heroic Chaps” who were tagging along, “just to help out, don’t you know, what, Pip Pip “.

The serene centre units so beautifully coordinated were now adding large dash’s of red to their ensemble through the judicious application of large cannon balls helpfully supplied by the Mutineers artillery, the peaceful and calming effect of their uniform choice didn't appear to be working but fortunately they did have a lot of “Pluck” (its what the rules call morale) so they held on. 

Sepoys with “Heroic Chaps” who were tagging along, “just to help out, don’t you know, what, Pip Pip “

More successful was the British left , made up of their European units they advanced onto the flanks slowly pushing back the Mutineers , their application of Peace through Superior Firepower was proving effective but at a cost. Shooting works like this: throw to hit, then convert to a kill, and then a saving throw if any.  They may have been better shots then us but troops in the open don’t get a saving roll.

After two hours the game was over, the Sepoys were falling back, unable to shoot away their enemy and there was no point in trying, instead, to go in with the bayonet, the centre was holding but now having to stand a lot further apart to occupy the same ground, the British left was closing on the village but very thinned out and it looked unlikely they would be able to force out the indigenous population. 

We all agreed that the best option for the British would have been to have sat just outside musket range and shot us to bits with their rifles therefore forcing us to come out and advance on them, whereupon we would have been mowed down.

These rules are ideal for an evening’s game when you only have 2-3 hours available and not really suited for a club afternoon with plenty of time despite the large forces we had on the table.

So after we had packed up we had to decide what to do next as it was still only mid afternoon, we could either watch our colleagues play their games, go home and help the wife with the shopping or go to the pub.  Pint please!

My search for a decent set of Anglo-Sikh rules goes on.

Big Chain of Command

Just in the way of a side dish to Jason's AAR on this month's COC game I thought I would post my own pictures of the game, which I managed to snap in between the broadsides being swapped by Hughes & Suffren.

Lovely looking game as always

JJ

Big Chain of Command, 1944(ish)

Last month Nathan and I put on a multi-player game of Chain of Command, using the Big Game Amendments published by Two Fat Lardies recently.

German commanders await their turn

The scenario was a delaying actions with the Germans trying to slow down the advance of the American advance.  The Americans had 3 platoons, one of US Paras, one US Armoured Infantry and a platoon of 5 Shermans.  Facing them the Germans had a Panzergrenadier platoon and a platoon of 4 Tigers.  Nathan had somehow found a prototype of a Jagdtiger in July 1944 and added that as well. In Nathan's defence, he can't help it.  He suffers from that rare disease of "Tigeritis", where he has to have more Tiger tanks in his collection than the Germans produced in WW2. 

US infantry advances

The initial turns say the American infantry push up on the left,  with the Paras sweeping the right with its more open spaces.   They were relying on their superior training and experience to make up for the lack of cover.  Both US platoons had opted not to take any extra Bazookas as they had Sherman support, which proved to be a mistake.  The Germans deployed their infantry to face the American infantry, hoping the Tigers could stop the Paras.

Germans try to stop the US advance

 The sheer number of German LMGs caused some delay to the infantry advance, but supporting fire from the 30cals, mortar and a couple of Shermans meant the German infantry were suffering loses of their own and soon had to fall back.

The Tigers made an appearance and their heavy fire soon drove the Paras into cover, with their shortage of Bazookas making it hard for them to cause any worries for the Tigers.
 

As the game went on the American infantry were decimating the German troops, but there was no effect on any of the Tigers.  The mortar FO called in a barrage, which shocked the crew of one Tiger for a little while, but nothing could touch the Jagdtiger. 

Two Tigers appear

When we called it an end the German infantry were down to one squad at about 50% with the CO commanding them directly.  Their force morale was shakey, but they were still holding.  The Tigers were undamaged and had only lost a couple of force morale points due to the infantry losses.  The US Armoured infantry were holed up in cover, trying to stay out of sight of the Tigers while the Paras were a bit shakey, but still fairly combat effective while skulking in the woods.  The Shermans had lost one tank and, despite concentrated fire on one of the Tigers, had failed to kill any of the enemy tanks.

What the heck is that?

Everybody seemed to enjoy the game, but we did come up with an issue for tank platoons with no supporting infantry being able to still advance against enemy infantry.  That and the strange 1944 Jagdtiger.  ;-)

Battle of Providien 12th April 1782

Yesterday gave me the opportunity of giving my Suffren & Hughes collection of ships a run out as we played through the Battle of Providien. This game follows on from the Battle of Sadras, 17th February 1782 which we played back in February last year.

Battle of Sadras

Map of the battle from Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy Magazine 

As with the Sadras game I was using the "Eight Bells" app on the Ipad to moderate the game together with the ideas on signalling to the fleet covered in "Kiss Me Hardy" both covered in the previous post. I took further inspiration from fellow DWG member Eoghan Kelly and his great article "Indian Ocean Frolics" covering this and the other battles in the campaign published in "Wargames Soldiers & Strategy" magazine issue 63 which is available as a PDF from Karwansary at £3.90

Wargames Soldiers & Strategy Magazine Issue 63

Suffren's line, on the left, closes on the British line, with the white breakers top right indicating the proximity of the reef.

The Battle of Providien came about after Admiral Hughes' fleet was spotted by Suffren escorting transports and supply ships. Several days followed with the British successfully avoiding action as they made progress towards their base at Trincomalee, Ceylon, modern day Sri Lanka.

Le Vengeur, 64 guns, a third rate copper hulled former East Indiaman, commander Captain M. de Forbin 

However Suffren was not to be denied his battle and the two fleets came to action off the coast of the island close to Providien which gives its name to the battle. As at the Battle of Sadras, Admiral Suffren had the wind gauge, but both commanders were painfully aware that the wind was blowing on shore and the low water reef line was a reminder to both commanders of the risks of grounding.

The battle commences as the French fall into line and open fire with chain shot at British rigging

As the French fleet closed on the British, Suffren signalled his ships to load chain and shoot for the rigging. In the game I gave the French two signal cards in the deck with just one to the British. This reflected the command ability enjoyed by Suffren compared to Hughes. A simple order could be sent to the fleet on the turn of these cards.

The two fleets assume their positions with signalling frigates left and right

Because of the command superiority of the French admiral, their ships opened fire before the British admiral was able to signal his fleet to do the same. The British commander decided to rely on his better trained crews to fire ball at the French hulls, and both sides settled down to pummelling each other at close to musket range.

HMS Superb 74 guns, centre, Hughes' flagship, catches fire under attack from L'Orient 74, Capt. Dupas de la Manceliere

With the variable movement rates generated by Eight Bells, both fleets struggled to maintain their lines, and with ever increasing damage to rigging and masts, plus shot up wheels, rudders and the occasional fire to be extinguished, various ships occasionally started to fall out and drift down wind towards the reef.

L'Orient, centre, was a fast ship, and her speed forced her out of line, coming into musket range as she worked her way along the British line

Eventually a gap appeared in the French line and with the British ships signalled early in the battle to increase sail to "All Plain", The British were able to get slightly ahead and turn the French line at its head. Both commanders signalled "Fire as she bears" and both sides got stuck in at close quarters.

Hughes signalled his line to turn the French and the battle became close and furious at the head of each line. The reef waited the badly damaged.

With the British slowing due to damaged masts and rigging, the French changed to round shot at the hull, but the continual pounding from the British had caused much damage to their ships and crews and French fire was struggling to damage the British ships, With the heads of the lines coming to grips Le Flammand was grappled and boarded by the Monarca. When the British got onto the French upper deck they found only the dead and the dying, following the terrible pounding suffered under the British cannon. The lower deck was also quickly taken and the 64 gunner was taken as a prize.

The Superb is now well alight as her crew attempt to fight the fire and the French

Both forces were very badly shot up and keen to break contact from each other and the ever threatening reef. As our game came to a close we tested for repair of remaining damage. A small fire had broken out on the British flagship, Superb, requiring a 4, 5 or 6 to extinguish it. Failing to do so caused the fire to increase in intensity requiring a 5 or 6 to extinguish. Needless to say the fire became a raging inferno requiring a 6 to extinguish. As the two fleets pulled apart in the failing light, the sea was lit up as the British flagship exploded.

Thus our game ended with what looked like a marginal win for the British with their capture of Le Flammand, being eclipsed by the loss of their commander and his 74 gun flagship, C'est la guerre.

Thanks to Tom, Steve H, Steve L and Ian for a very entertaining afternoon in the Indian Ocean, with much fun had by all. The Eight Bells app whist providing a fast fun alternative to dice and record keeping is showing its need for an update as it seems to lock up occasionally on ISOS 8, which was a bit frustrating, but didn't stop the game.