Viking Game - 29th June 2010

Situation:
In Nordic law, someone who had killed another man (of similar rank) could be outlawed, usually for a year. During this year he could be killed with impunity.
Of course, this usually meant that he would hide or ensure he had lots of friends and family around to protect him!
Scenario:
This is the case in our scenario, a Nordic force is pursuing justice for one of their number, and are facing the outlaw and his supporters!

The battle occurred at a river crossing in a quite wooded area; both forces were intent on taking a large hill in the middle of the table. (Isn't it funny how large pieces of terrain always seem to suck figures towards them!!!)

 

The outlaw forces moved in a compact line toward the large hill, attempting to take advantage of its defensive qualities, they were able to reach the hill first as the Nordic troops had to cross the river, one half crossing at a stream and the other fording the river in front of the hill. They left a few mounted Hirdsmen on their left flank to threaten and delay the Nordic forces right wing troops.

 

 

 

 

The outlaws soon found that hills make you a lot more visible to archers, and fell back to the lee of the hill after taking several casualties. Fully half the outlaws own missile troops hid behind their shield wall further round the hill, and were unable to shoot back!

Seeing the hilltop outlaws retreating in confusion from the arrow storm, some of the Nordic troops tried to attack them, lead by several Berserkir.

 

 

The other half of the Outlaws supported by some archers, seeing this, swept round the right of the hill to try and encircle the Nordic troops storming up it. The Nordic troops detached a small force to intercept these outflankers, but soon these Nordic troops were fighting in small groups against the greater numbers of outlaws.

 

The Nordics Berserkir failed to make the headway expected as the outlaw troops fought back desperately.

The right wing of the Nordic troops were (frustratingly) unable to get to the hill in time to affect the outcome of the battle beyond shooting a few outlaws with arrows and slingstones. The Outlaws had moved too rapidly towards the hill for them to react.

The fight on the hill ended when the Nordic troops fell back to the protection of their unengaged right wing.

Justice must wait for another day….

Pictures by Lawrence
Commentary by Richard (herkybird)
Rules: our own club set

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War of the Spanish Succession Game 22nd June 2010

War of the Spanish Succession game June 2010-06-22

Forces:

Imperialist/Dutch played by Craig and Frankie

French played by Pete Foggin

The battlefield was largely flat with some woods and a village.

 

Their deployment was conventional, with the infantry battalions in 2-3 lines in the centre of their deployment area.

 

 

Both sides set up with their cavalry on or opposite the French left, both sides had additional cavalry behind their infantry lines.

The artillery set up in front of both armies fired, starting the battle.

The Imperialist foot advanced causing the French centre to fall back after one brigade panicked and ran.

 

 

At the same time both strong cavalry wings advanced and after a desperate struggle the French horse were victorious and chased the Saxon Kuirassiers and Imperial line cavalry facing them off the table.

 

 

Seeing a weakness in the imperialist line, several French brigades advanced through a wood to attack the village facing them, however, the Saxon cavalry of the reserve made a successful counter attack and scattered two of the French brigades.

The victorious French left wing cavalry returned in the rear of the Imperialist infantry, but exhausted from their pursuit, their attack on the village defenders failed miserably, and they left the field licking their wounds!

In the Imperialist/Dutch centre, the infantry, thinned to provide support for their threatened right flank was attacked and broken by the greater number of French battalions, and the French reserve cavalry, which descended on them.

 

 

 

 

The game was played using the Great Captains rules. It lasted about 3 hours.

French figures were Old Glory 10mm

Allied figures were Pendraken 10mm

Photos and report by Richard Bradley (Herkybird)

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Py-rates!
28mm skirmish game played Saturday, 19th June 2010.
Somewhat ambitiously, given Lloyd having only recently returned from a danceathon in St Petersburg (that's in Russia, the former Soviet Union, geographically-challenged friends) and Steve having spent the week in Essex and London shouting at IT charlatans, we tried to put on a pirate game at 10 minutes notice.

The scenario saw Blackbeard Teach's vessel, the 'Black Pig' (it is so - Queen Anne's Revenge my erse) in dock with a busted rudder after a fiscally rewarding voyage and a tired and emotional crew sleeping it off. Meanwhile, the even more legendary buccaneer, Rock-Step Roger in his ketch 'Io id Sententium Prius' is bent on a dawn surprise raid to a) kill Teach; b) get his treasure; c) take the 'Black Pig' a prize; d) all of the above.


The raiders first launched their jolly little boats with crews intent on silencing the lookouts and securing the coastal batteries defending the entrance to Teach's harbour. The battery in the background fell without a shot but the lookout on the nearer post spotted the raiders and gave the pre-arranged warning blast on his newly-fashionable vuvuzela. Malheuresment, this signal was also exactly the same one as the pre-arranged signal for '5 of the clock and all is well' and thus the second battery fell and the way was clear for Roger to sail into the cove.



The 'Io Id Sententium Prius' sailed smoothly into the harbour, still without rousing Teach's slumbering crew, came up alongside the 'Black Pig' and threw lines across to facilitate boarding. Simultaneously - and at the same time - the two shore parties sneaked forward to enact a double envelopment.








At this point, victory for Roger looked assured: the principal portion of Teach's crew were still asleep in the Admiral Benbow at the side of the quay or in their camp in the lee of the hills on the east side of the harbour.

The ship's complement seemed blissfully unaware of their impending doom and Roger did a Spot Turn (Cowboy Style) on his foc'sle deck in anticipation of the easy pickings.

However, finally, the sound of one of Roger's grappling irons smashing a loose bottle of Morgan's Spiced (as quaffed by all discerning swabs this year) awoke Teach's cabin boy, who managed to raise the alarm.





There then followed much merriment, fisticuffs, cutlass-and-boarding-pike play, avast!-ing and shivering of timbers at the end of which, Teach was an ex-Pirate and the Black Pig was in the hands of the raiders.

The larger part of Teach's crew were still about, but at this point the previous week's exertions caught up with the participants who, frankly, ran out of steam.

Still - looked good, what?

Game:	Lloyd and Steve
Rules:	Games Workshop (Legends of the High Seas) plus usual home-grown fixes, tweakery and whimsy.
Figures:	Foundry 28mm (Steve)
Scenery:	scratch-built (Lloyd) and Hovels (Steve)
Ships and Jolly Little Boats:	Steve, but scratch-built by the lunatic genius Stuart Hitchinson

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D-Day +3 skirmish game

D-Day +3 game at Tyneside Wargames Club played on Saturday 5th June 2010

Situation
It is D+3 in the British sector of the Normandy beachhead. The Army is pushing inland prior to the major assault planned against Caen.

In this game scenario, the players are moving a platoon of British into an area where an enemy tank has been reported, with the intent of clearing a path for the following armour to advance safely.

As the British anti-tank capability at squad level is rather limited (Gammon bombs etc!), a 6-pounder has been given them together with one of the PIAT teams from Company.
The British advanced their squads in a line formation, using the solo system in the rules to decide where the 6 pounder , 2” mortar and PIAT teams went. Curiously, the AT teams both went in support of the right hand squad, and the 2" mortar stayed back initially in support of the centre.

The centre and left sections advanced cautiously through some woods to their front and were shot up by 2 squads of German infantry waiting in ambush, and had to fall back quickly after taking several casualties.

On the right, the advancing squad, supported by the AT teams forged ahead through an enclosure and into an area of long grass.

Hearing the fire to their left, the 6 pounder moved a little ahead of the infantry and were ambushed themselves by a half section of Germans on a low rise to their front – supported by a Stug III!.

In the first volley, the Jeep driver was killed and the vehicle crashed. Fortunately only one of the gun crew was injured. They set up their gun and hid behind the wrecked jeep and their gun shield.

The supporting infantry filtered forward in cover and eventually drove the Germans from the rise, while the 6 pounder managed to disable the Stugs gun, though only after a couple of near misses from the Stugs 75mm! – they were lucky!

The Piat team was, incidentally, unable to help due to all the lead flying about.

Back in the centre, the German infantry, seeing their opponents falling back decided to counterattack. The British infantry, however, were not as beaten as the Germans believed, and managed to ambush the advancing Germans in turn after a vicious close range firefight. The Bren guns especially proving their worth!

The remaining Germans fell back and abandoned their previous position, allowing the battered but unbowed British to move up in support of their heavily engaged right hand squad.

Back on the right, the Stug retreated from the table for repairs, and the British infantry followed up onto the rise previously occupied by its supporting infantry. No sooner than they got to the top when they came under heavy fire from two emplaced Medium Machine guns set up in a copse on the other side.

These caused several casualties.

Having achieved their objective of clearing the enemy armour from the forthcoming advance, and having already taken casualties, the British fell back, ending the game.

Conclusion
The British had taken about 20% casualties, and had not killed the Stug, leaving a question mark over whether this operation could be considered a success.Also, when we checked the hidden counters remaining as we were clearing up, we found the British had missed a Pak 40 lurking in another part of the table…



Pictures by Lawrence and Richard.
Figures: Germans-Black tree, British-Crusader
Rules - our own

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