WARGAMER’S NOTES QUARTERLY

Issue 3 Volume 1 : June 2017

Kursk Campaign

Re-Fighting Waterloo

Naval Teaser!

Writing for the Zulu War WARGAMER’S NOTES In this issue... QUARTERLY Setting the Scene for Russo-Japanese Naval Armageddon - Part 3...... 3 Welcome to the third Wargamer’s Notes. Simplicity and Brevity in Game Scanning the table of contents we think that Design – Part 2...... 6 you would agree that this is another jam- packed issue. Whether it be Conrad Kinch’s The Tigers are burning - A Kursk Campaign Day mammoth Kursk campaign, “Musketier’s” for Memoir ‘44...... 9 Waterloo Bicentennial game or eve the first of our Naval teasers, we hope that there may be The Spencer Smith Project...... 20 something for everyone within these pages. Building Walmington on Sea...... 24 Our contributors give us so much to be thankful for. Pinning’ Kallistra’s Hexon...... 26

Embarrasingly my article on how I paint my Naval Teasers No 1 - Surprise Attack...... 27 own Spencer Smiths which i promisedin our last issue has had to be held over due to my Little Lead Men ...... 31 being somewhat overcommitted. better luck Writing Rules – Rorke’s Drift, 1879...... 32 next time, eh?

Marking the Bicentennial – in Waterloo ...... 37 In a way it’s the old story; when we enough money days to buy most of the toys we fancy Charge! the Rearguard...... 42 we do not have the time to play with them! I am sure the reverse was true in our younger days.

We would be utterly remiss if we did not take a moment however to thank the briliant people who make this magazine possible, especially our layout artist and proofreaders who do so much of the really hard work of getting a publication like this out.

Greg and Stokes

Graphic Design by Amy Geddes. Proof reading by “Musketier” Contact the Wargamer’s Notebook team at: [email protected]

Front cover: Zulu War Action! Stadden British Infantry. Zulus by Black Tree Design.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 2 Setting the Scene for Russo-Japanese Naval Armageddon - Part 3 Rob Grace, UK

A Quick Campaign Overview gives a player control of that area in the following turn which will limit their opponent’s ability to The campaign theatre of operations is divided conduct missions; a mission may enter an enemy into several sea areas (see map). The Japanese controlled area but may not pass through it. accrue victory points (VPs) for successfully convoying their army across the sea to seize Port Glossary of ship types Arthur; 35 VPs are required to win the war. The Russians win by either denying Japanese VPs AC Armoured Cruiser or cancelling them out through actions such as BB Battleship bombarding the disembarkation ports. Each LC Light Cruiser turn (two per month), aside from the initial attack OAC Obsolete Armoured Cruiser on Port Arthur, the players have to apportion OBB Obsolete Battleship their ships across variety mission types; these OPC Obsolete Protected Cruiser include patrols, convoy escort, bombardment PC Protected Cruiser and minelaying / sweeping. Players must TBD Torpedo Boat Destroyer specify the route that each mission takes to its destination (the return leg is ignored) hopefully For those interested maps, order sheets and avoiding any enemy patrols. Of the different campaign timeline (schedule of troop convoys, mission types patrolling is probably the most reinforcements, etc.) can be supplied via the editors important. Successfully patrolling a sea area on request.

Seeking to escape from pressed on regardless but all were sunk before they checkmate a Russian surprise could reach the channel. sortie delivers the decisive In material terms this was a Russian victory but encounter. the magnificent display of suicidal courage by the Imperial Navy only served to deepen the gloom in In May 1904, the Japanese having gained near Port Arthur, which, like Vladivostok, was again mined total moral ascendency over the decayed and by the Japanese. enfeebled Russian fleet now sought to seal up the As May wore on the Vladivostok squadron risked remnants with a block-ship attack on Port Arthur. the minefields in an attempt to catch an unguarded The attempt was intended to take place at dusk on minelaying mission. This was always a forlorn the 15th of May but a heavy storm broke out and hope and faced by four armoured cruisers and four the attack was brought forward to make use of the protected cruisers the three Russian armoured cover it provided. Unfortunately, while the wind cruisers were quick to show a clean pair of heels. remained strong and the swell heavy, the skies Again, despite the fair weather, the Russians were cleared exposing the block-ships to the full force of able to escape, but not before taking considerable the Russian shore batteries. In a magnificent display damage. of devotion to the Divine Emperor the block-ships

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 3 to bombard Chinampo. The Russians had gambled on achieving surprise by sailing before completing repairs from previous actions and by navigating through two Japanese minefields. Lady Luck at first smiled on the Russians as they passed through the minefields unscathed, but then, ever-fickle, delivered them up to the guns of the Japanese.

The Third, and Final, Battle of Wei Hai Wei With squalls from SW and just 2 hours to sun- Vladivostok Combat (26-May-1904). White = Russians. set the fleets met again off Wei Hai Wei. In terms of battleships the odds appeared even Bereft of ideas the Russians staked all on a last at four apiece, but the Japanese, benefiting throw of the dice to wrest back control of the from the greater capacity of their dockyards, sea off Wei Hai Wei. On this desperate venture, were all fully repaired and fit for action. The they committed their entire battle fleet except Japanese battleships were also supported by four the battleship Pobyada which was held back protected cruisers massively over-matching the

A Handy Widget for Damn Battleships Again (DBA)

The rules used in my RJW campaign were a modified version of Phil Barker’s ‘Damn Battleships Again. These were chosen to provide fast flowing games that would allow several actions to be fought in a single day’s wargaming to keep the campaign moving along. To further accelerate the games a widget was made to aid movement (distance and turning) and define arcs of fire.

The pictures below show the widget in use to advance ships and set limits on turn angles. Ship movement consists of a number of base lengths and ships can turn once by up to 90°. The ‘knuckle’ angle is the tightest turn a squadron in line can make without giving the enemy an advantage when firing at ship turning in sequence at the same point.

Forward move, one base length. A 90° turn. Arc of fire & ‘knuckle’ angle turn.

For those interested in the widget a template can be supplied via the editors on request, similarly with the modified set of DBA rules used in the campaign. The original DBA rules are at: www.wrg.me.uk/PHIL/DBSA%202003.htm

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 4 TBDs escorting the Russian ships. The Japanese While the Port Arthur squadron was being advantage would have been even greater if immolated a Russian minelaying mission (3 x the Nisshin and Kasuga (ACs) had not been TBDs) to Wei Hai Wei came to grief when the TBD overlooked1 and summoned to join the fleet from Boevoi / Boiki sank after striking mines off Port their nearby station off the port of Wei Hai Wei. As Arthur.2 The one Russian success set against these ever the Russian tactic of sailing close inshore to try disasters was the bombardment of Chinampo by and hide their silhouette against the land resulted the battleship Pobyada. This successful action, in an island interposing between the fleets as they the first of its type, could not offset the decisive spotted each other. This time there was to be no defeat at the 3rd Battle of Wei Hai Wei at which the repetition of previous chases around islands as both Pobyada may have been better employed. sides elected to pass it to the East. As May drew to a close the Japanese laid yet more At first the gunnery duel hung in the balance but mines off Wei Hai Wei, Vladivostok and Chinampo the Japanese slowly gained an edge which, added (twice!3) while similar TBD mission off Port Arthur to the unrepaired damage carried by some of the clashed with a Russian TBD patrol. Little tactical Russian ships, rapidly became decisive. The Russians finesse shown by either side, both charging and also suffered from poor gunnery direction, their passing through each other in line abreast like battleships at times switching fire from their opposite two squadrons of cavalry. The Japanese came out numbers to engage the Japanese protected cruisers ahead but with the loss of the TBDs Harusame / that were massacring the Russian TBDs. With the Murasame could not lay an effective minefield Russians falling into confusion the Japanese pressed rendering the mission abortive. in to ensure a decision before dark. The Japanese With the Vladivostok squadron bottled up and resolve in closing in for the kill was vindicated in the most of the ships in Port Arthur undergoing ensuing melee during which the all the Russian TBDs or awaiting repair, the month of June passed were sunk and the battleships Poltava and Tsarevich without any significant action. Needless to say, the were crippled and struck their colours. Another Japanese took advantage of this lull to continue hour of daylight would probably have rendered the their relentless minelaying campaign. victory absolute but the Sevastopol and the crippled Petropavlovsk managed to escape into the night. With the Russians unable to break the close The one-sided nature of this victory was confirmed blockade4 or prevent the relentless Japanese with the crippling of the Akashi (PC) as the only minelaying operations yet another Japanese troop significant loss suffered by the Japanese. convoy arrived unhindered in Chinampo on the 7th of July increasing the pressure on the siege of Port Arthur. This situation could not long endure, and with the writing on the wall5, and no relief in sight6, the Russians capitulated...

VICTORY!

1. Accidentally overlooked and left in the box at set up! 2. Minelaying requires a minimum of 3 TBD elements (a TBD element = 2 vessels). 3. A mistaken and wasteful duplication of effort with two minelaying missions to the same area 4. An attempted Russian mission to Chinampo was rendered void as they had overlooked Japanese control of the Port Arthur sea area; missions are allowed to enter an enemy controlled area but may not pass through. 5. Japanese win guaranteed by the last Chinampo convoy which would deliver another 8 points over the next 4 turns which would require a successful Russian mission on every turn to stop the win. Third Battle of Wei Hai Wei (27-May-1904). White = Russians. 6. The Russian Baltic Fleet would not even start on its epic voyage for another three months.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 5 Simplicity and Brevity in Game Design – Part 2 John Acar, USA

My last article (Vol 1 Issue 1) covered the basics Cavalry may not shoot. They are allowed to of wargame design. I finished by devising some charge into combat and may gain a bonus of simple, no frills rules. Today, we are going to double dice against any infantry unit in the open. add some chrome to make that game more They move at 12” per move. They are especially interesting. good at riding down infantry of all types. They are much less effective against units in broken Chrome – The shiny stuff terrain, gaining only half dice in combat. Cavalry units are represented by 6-8 figures per unit. When a game designer says “chrome” he is talking about interesting rules and bits that help make Artillery may shoot at great distances but may the game feel like the period it was intended never initiate melee combat. They move 6” per to portray. Chrome can be the basic unit types move and shoot up to 48”. Artillery units are like cavalry, infantry or artillery. It can represent represented by 1 gun model and 4 figures. the more obscure facets of warfare like leaders, morale, weapon types or experience grades. You pulled that out of thin air These are all important aspects in any era of didn't you? warfare though the list may vary greatly from era to era. Everything outlined above is fairly standard in “old school” games. Infantry moves tend Too much? to be 6” and cavalry twice that. The musket range was specifically set so that a defending A friend of mine once said that if you have a rule unit would get at least one shot at any enemy that hardly ever gets used, it probably should advancing to contact. In the melee sequence, the not be in your game. Similarly, if a rule slows the defender fights first but uses its shooting score. game down too much or leaves the game open to If the unit has no shooting score then melee is being...well...“gamed” then maybe it shouldn't be simultaneous. The attacker, assuming it survived there either. the shooting from the defender, fights back with its melee score. Since casualties are sometimes The basics not simultaneous, the attacker in melee combat will hit harder but sometimes with reduced Our theme is “Horse and Musket.” I chose this strength in figures. Effective range of 18th theme because there are very few troop types. A Century field artillery was about 800 yards. A narrow focus can leave you with a greater ability musket has a maximum range of about 200 yards. to make a satisfying game and yet still be brief. Therefore, artillery has an effective range of four For our purposes, we are talking about 18th times the maximum range of a musket. So, four century warfare. Here are our three troop types time 12” is 48”. It's all that simple. No hard scale is that will form the basis for all other troop types. required. Infantry have already been defined in my previous article. They can move 6” per move and Basics inside basics – Like a shoot 12”. They may not initiate melee combat nesting doll. with cavalry unless the cavalry is already engaged with another unit. Infantry units are represented Three unit types is more interesting than one by 12-16 figures per unit. but it is still kind of bland. We can tweak our unit

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 6 types to make even more distinct unit types. modify how a unit behaves can greatly extend the amount of unit types in a organized manner that Grenadiers/Guards were usually recruited from is easy to remember. the biggest and strongest men in the army. They tended to shoot about as well as any other The Intangibles – I can't see infantryman. In melee combat, however, they tend to excel. Because of their large stature and what you did there! strength or because they can throw lit grenades, You can't see it, feel it or touch it but it's there. these troops should have a bonus in close Fear of pain, suffering and death are all normal combat. A suggestion would be to allow the human reactions in combat. It is also the single player to re-roll dice that missed once, accepting driving factor of unit behavior in combat in our the result after that. game. Light infantry usually fought in a spread out Generals can influence morale checks by 1 formation. They were especially effective in point up or down if they are within 6” of a unit. broken terrain such as woods where they could However, if they do participate in the check, there seek cover behind rocks and trees and blend into is a chance they will be hit and removed from the surroundings. When shooting at light infantry the game. Roll a die. On a '6', the general is hit treat open ground as light cover and woods as and cannot influence the morale check. He is heavy cover. Light infantry move at 9” per turn removed for the duration of the game. Yes. The instead of the usual 6”. They may flee a charging General is tangible but his effect on combat is enemy up to 1 full move once per turn. If they are not. caught, they may not strike back in melee. Light infantry may never initiate melee combat. Morale grades are experience levels that help make a unit stand firm in combat. A veteran unit Dragoons may fight as cavalry when mounted will add 1 to any morale check while a green unit or light infantry when dismounted. It costs will subtract 1 from any check. This is to make the them a full move to mount or dismount. When unit more/less likely to pass a morale check based executing a mounted charge, they get 50% more on the experience level of the unit. dice instead of double dice against infantry in the open. Morale erosion should occur as the unit takes casualties. This represents the physical and Hussar(d)s are fast moving cavalry with two roles mental fatigue the unit has taken over the course to perform. First, they were usually the scouts of the game. If a unit has taken 25% casualties, of the army. Second, they were often held in deduct one from all future morale checks. If a reserve until the enemy broke and ran. The unit has taken 50% casualties, deduct 2 from hussars could be used to ride the fleeing enemy all morale checks. A unit that reaches 50% or down before they can rally. They have a 15” move greater casualties may not charge into combat. but no charge bonus against infantry in melee. Units that take 75% or more casualties are Light Guns represent small caliber weapons. They removed form the game. generally have a shorter range than their heavier Disorder occurs when a unit does not get a good counterpart. They may unlimber for free and, result after a morale check. Any result of 3 or less therefore, shoot if they did not move. They have a will result in the unit being disordered. Those shooting range of 36”. units will fight and shoot with half dice. Note that those units that move as a result of morale checks I see what you did there! also may not shoot as they performed a move instead. Perhaps the biggest change to any of the unit types is with light infantry with only 3 tweaks to consider. The other units have just one or two tweaks at the most. Making simple rules to

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 7 But command and control (Eds - we thought it would be worth re-printing should be far more restrictive! John’s basic rules)

Understand that when a unit approaches Simple Horse and Musket combat, it should do exactly what you order it to 1. Units are made of 12 figures. They may all do. It's when a unit gets stuck in that you have shoot. command problems. You almost always will have situations where a unit takes casualties and then 2. Play alternates between players. Starting needs to make a morale check once combat is with the first player, make morale checks for joined. Commanders, casualties and experience all units. Carry out compulsory moves for or morale grades will make the unit more or each unit. less likely to pass the check. By using the failed morale result as that unit's move, you are indeed 3. Perform one action with any or all units. making a very simple command and control Actions may be move, shoot, charge, change system that will deliver the goods. formation or change facing. The finishing touches 4. Units move straight ahead up to 6”.

The last bit I can think of off the top of my head is 5. Units may change formation for half a move game length and recording time. You can simply and move the rest as desired. record time in turns. A game such as these could 6. Valid formations are line or column. last 12-15 turns and you could probably resolve an engagement of about 8 units per side in a 7. Units may face up to 45 degrees for free or couple of hours. A variable way to resolve time face in any other direction for half a move. is to record everything in minutes. Lets say that They then may move the rest of their move we want a game to last 2 hours or 120 minutes straight ahead as desired. in game time (not real time). After both players have taken their respective turns, 3 dice are rolled. 8. Units get 1 die per 2 figures for combat. The total is deducted from the total game time. Melee hits on a 4+. Short range shooting (6”) When the “clock” reads 0 minutes or less, the on a 5+ and long range shooting (12”) on a 6. game is over. It adds a little uncertainty as to how long the game shall last. 9. Each successful hit may be saved on a 5+. One casualty is inflicted for each failed save. Amen? 10. Units that took casualties check morale at the So, there you have it. I've now taken a basic set of beginning of their next turn. Throw a D6. 1 rules and added some rules that break the rules. fall back 1 full move facing away. 2 fall back This is an untested set of rules so there are likely half move facing enemy. 3 no move. 4-5 half a few things that will need to be tweaked. Play- move this turn. 6 full move testing is always the key. Multiple test games can reveal a lot about what is working and not 11. Deduct 1 from morale for each 25% of working in your design. casualties. Units quit the field at 75% casualties. Next time, I will show you some simple methods to verify that your game is statistically sound. There may be a troll involved somehow. Until then, good gaming!

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 8 The Tigers are burning - A Kursk Campaign Day for Memoir ‘44 Conrad Kinch, Ireland

Including modified original material by Richard Borg by the kind permission of the author.

For those of you that are unfamiliar, Memoir ‘44 I’ve been fascinated by the battle for years, it’s is a fast playing “boardgame with miniatures” vastness, the sheer savagery of the fighting, written by Richard Borg. Played on a thirteen by the strangeness of the thing. One snippet that I nine hex grid, the game uses a card activation came across this time around was a discussion mechanic to model command and control and of the strategic thinking behind the offensive. bespoke dice to resolve combat. The game is While the German High Command were eager deliberately simplified using only infantry, armour to regain the strategic initiative and wipe out and artillery with a few variations to create an the Soviet offensive capacity in a kessel, one of experience that is challenging and snappy. What the additional goals was the capture of a large makes Memoir ‘44 really stand out to my mind is number of Soviet prisoners. the Overlord rules, which allow the game to be played as a team affair. This places two standard The thinking behind this was that they would be boards next to each other to create a twenty six of use in giving the Reich’s industry an injection by nine hex playing area. of forced labour. I found it shocking to think that one of the largest battles in human history was The battlefield is divided into three sections in some sense, a slave raid. I didn’t think I could with one player commanding each section and still find things to be shocked about during the a fourth Commander in Chief player distributing Second World War. cards to these three players from a central pool. At a push, one of the subordinate commanders I took the following approach to the campaign. I can take on the role of the Commander in Chief. wanted to play Overlord games and at a pleasant pace, I could not see us finishing more than three You can read the complete Overlord rules here: games in a day. We could play more, but only at (https://cdn0.daysofwonder.com/memoir44/en/ the risk of chivvying players or playing into the img/mm_overlord_en.pdf) night, with the result that everyone would be cranky and tired by the end of the evening. So Now while Memoir ‘44 itself is a board game, with three game to play, I needed a campaign it was originally written by the author, Richard structure that gave the players some decisions to Borg, as a fast play set of miniatures rules. We play make, but that wasn’t so involved that it ate up the game on two Hotz mats marked out in five too much of the playing time. Short and snappy is inch hexes and using 1/72 scale figures. The idea the name of the game here. was hatched to play a campaign in a day, a format made possible by the fact that Memoir ‘44 battles In the end, I settled on the “Kursk: The Movie” take about an hour, so playing three of them in campaign. The idea was to imagine I was making a day isn’t a huge challenge. I chose the battle of a film of the Battle of Kursk. Obviously, the Kursk, for the very sensible reason that it had an massive tank battle at Prokorovka is the first thing interesting mix of engagements and because I that springs to mind. Now as it happens there is wouldn’t need to paint any additional figures for it. already a Prokorovka scenario available, so that cut down the amount of work required by a third.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 9 But Prokorovka is a finale, not an opening scene. • The Terrain Pack (for the additional terrain hexes) Mulling over it - the other image of Kursk that always came to mind was columns of panzers • The Russian Front Expansion (for the Russian moving through wheat fields and then running units, ideally two copies) into miles and miles of defences, so I wanted to get that idea in somewhere. I’ve always had an • The Equipment Pack (for Command car, Tiger interest in the battle of Ponyri, since I first read and tank destroyer rules) about it in a Crossfire supplement. • Airpack expansion (for the air sortie rules) The assault on Cherkasskoye on the 5th of July NOTE REGARDING AIR PACK RULES: All the above, seemed to fit the bill very well. There were other except the Airpack expansion, are currently defensive battles of course, but this one had the available. If you wish to use the Airpack rules, they advantage of having a big shiny picture in the are available from the Days of Wonder website Osprey and that is recommendation enough for me. (https://cdn0.daysofwonder.com/memoir44/en/ Ponyri is an odd battle, an island of brutal urban img/mm_airpack_en.pdf). However, you may combat in what is mainly remembered for long prefer not to bother. In which case, ignore the range tank engagements. Essentially the battle reference to airplanes in the reinforcement pool revolved around possession of a train station and and give each side a number of air tokens equal resulted in a days-long fight in and around the to the number of air sorties. Each air token can station that was later compared to Stalingrad by be played once by the Commander in Chief to men who had been there. While all of this was conduct an airstrike (as per the Air Power card, going on, the Germans were trying to flank the though both Axis and Soviet airstrikes roll two town, but ended up fighting through more anti- dice each). Only one token can be used per turn. tank guns, minefield, etc, so in many ways Ponyri It does not count towards the number of cards shares some characteristics with the first battle. played by the Commander in Chief. So my rough plan looked a bit like this. Playing with Miniatures

Battle One - A German attempt to Obviously, your approach with miniatures will breakthrough a Soviet defensive line. depend on your own collection and what sort of space you have access to. You can simply play on Battle Two - The Battle around Ponyri the standard game board using 1/300 figures, but we use 1/72 scale figures on two five-inch hex Battle Three - Prokorovka mats from Hotz. Standard units are four figures The idea was that each team, Soviets and strong with specialists (mortar, machine gun, etc) Germans, would be assigned a number of reserve represented by the appropriate figures on a small tokens and air sortie cards. They were also given base. a menu of reserve units that they could buy and assign to any of the three scenarios. The first two While Memoir ‘44 uses 10mm tanks, typically games were worth a point each, while the last three to a unit, to represent an armour unit we was worth two. Thus it would be possible to lose use a single 1/72 scale model and add hit markers both of the first two games and still scrape a draw (small resin shell bursts or puffs of teddy bear by playing well in the final match. stuffing smoke) to show the current strength of the unit, adding one each time the armour unit Playing without Miniatures takes damage.

• Two copies of Memoir ‘44 (for the boards) Artillery are represented by a gun and a number of crewmen with each base representing one • The Overlord Expansion (the Overlord card model in Memoir ‘44 terms. If you are using the deck is rather better than the standard one) Air pack rules, we used 1/72 scale models on

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 10 flight stands, though you could certainly get away 11.00 Ask each team what reinforcements they with using smaller scale aircraft. are assigning to the first scenario. Be sure to inform the Soviet players what Modeling terrain will present some problems as the German player’s decision is and offer all collections are different. You will need to play them the chance to modify their decision this on a hex board. HEXON is a popular choice, accordingly, as per the Red Orchestra rule. though you can make your own (tricky) or use a pre-printed mat. We used bespoke hex hills cut 11.15. - 1315 from foam, marked roads with kitty litter and Play scenario one. used trees and model buildings to indicate woods and build up areas. Two special points regarding 13.15.-13.45 the terrain. Set up second scenario. Break for a drink and a pee. Crops - You will need a lot of these as tall standing crops were a significant feature of the 13.45-14.00 battle. We used teddy bear fur from a local fabric Second round of battle planning, if shop, which was then marked out with a hex necessary. Assign reinforcements. template and cut to size. 14.00-15.30 Minefields - While it would be perfectly possible to Play scenario two. use the markers from the boardgame to represent 15.30-1700 these, it would be a pretty poor show. We used Break for lunch. some resin shell holes from Frontline Wargaming and slipped the counters beneath them. 17.00-17.30 Final round of battle planning, if necessary. Umpiring Notes Assign reinforcements.

There is actually very little umpiring required 17.30-1900 in this campaign, though I did find that having Play scenario three. an umpire to chivvy the players along helped matters. The first scenario, because it will involve Conclude with clear-up, post-mortem, excuses, the players getting to grips with all the material and recriminations and then retire to the bar. and because it is the only scenario in the campaign where the players will have the chance to have the freedom to deploy their forces, will We managed to get through all three scenarios take longer than the others. We found it lasted while adhering roughly to this time-line, which about two hours, with Ponyri taking about an I think gives a pleasant day’s wargaming and hour and a half and Provhorovka lasting just a leaves plenty of time to chewing over the game little over an hour. This last is mainly due to the afterwards in the bar later (or as I like to call it the high tempo of operations in Provhorovka because “German-generals-writing-their-memoirs-phase”). of the large amounts of armour units committed. The umpire’s role is mainly to manage rule disputes and ensure that the timetable doesn’t A suggested time table for the campaign day: slip too badly. I’ve found that it is best if you’re up front with players about how long you expect 0930 Organiser and any helpers arrive and set things to take as it helps manage expectations. up the table and terrain for first scenario.

10.30 Players arrive and are divided into teams. Give each team a copy of their respective campaign introduction and send them to different rooms to draft their battle plan.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 11 Campaign Introduction - German

July 1943 - Operation Citadel

The summer offensive is here. It is unlikely Air Sortie Cards: 8 that we will be able to hit the Soviets a second time this year, so this blow must count. Soviet Commander in Chief begins with one Air Sortie forces are concentrated in the Kursk salient, card in hand at the beginning of each scenario. preparing to launch an offensive against us. We The C-in-C must determine how many Air Sortie shall attack first, pinching off the salient and cards are being committed to each scenario trapping the Russians in a cauldron where they before the scenario begins. can be slaughtered like sheep. This will allow Air Assets us to destroy the Soviet armoured formations, robbing them of offensive capacity, and capture (3) Stuka - Strafing, Ground Support several hundred thousand prisoners, who will add (3) Bf 109 - Strafing substantially to the Reich’s labour pool. A victory at this point will also garner considerable political No more than one aircraft of each type may be capital, reassert our strength and convince our airborne at any one time. wavering allies to stand firm. Reinforcement Tokens : 6 To this end, we have concentrated the heavy armoured reserves of the Reich, including heavy The C-in-C must determine how many tokens Tiger tanks and new Panther tanks, as well as are being committed to each scenario before the Ferdinand tank destroyers to the north and south scenario begins. of the salient. These armoured spear-points will break through the Soviet defences and bring Reinforcement Pool about a decisive battle of annihilation. Wespe Mobile Tiger Supply Truck Scenario One - Assault on Cherkaskoye - One Artillery campaign victory point. Replacement Artillery Command Car Scenario Two - Battle at Ponyri - One campaign Stuka victory point. Supply Truck Artillery Scenario Three - Battle of Prokhorovka - Two Supply Truck Combat Car campaign victory points.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 12 Scenario One - Assault on Cherkaskoye - Northern Front

Cherkaskoye

Briefing Steps The XLVIII Panzer Korps under General Von 1. Germans place preliminary bombardment Knobelsdorf has cracked the Soviet defence (counts as two Air-power cards - rolling two around Butovo and is executing a swift advance dice) on areas where they believe Soviet to drive deep into the heart of the Soviet troops be. positions. However, scouts report further Soviet forces around Cherkaskoye and the 10th Panzer 2. German engineers work through the night Brigade and SS Grossdeuchland major reserves of to gap the minefields. Each German Field armoured combat power have been fed into the General may remove seven minefields in battle to smash the Soviet second line. Your first his section. Each cleared hex may only be assault has run into massive minefields and your adjacent to one other cleared hex. engineers have worked overnight to create gaps 3. Germans deploy placing units in the base for the next assault. Forward momentum is critical line. and you must break through. 4. Soviets deploy. Palm Forests are field hexes. 5. German’s take the first turn. Additional units No movement restriction. -1 to battle into a field may be deployed on subsequent turns once hex. Blocks LOS. there is room on the baseline. Soviet defences are permanent and are not removed if vacated. German Forces

Germans: 12 cards plus one Air Sortie All German infantry is elite. Soviets: 10 cards plus one Air Sortie Left Flank Centre Right Flank Victory Conditions: 15 victory medals to win. 2 Elite Armour 3 Tigers 6 Armour Germans: At least three of these medals must 1 Tiger 6 Infantry 6 Infantry 1 Command 1 Command come from exiting troops via the hexes between 6 Infantry the two exit points. Car Car 1 Command Soviets: Count Tigers as two medals. Car

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 13 Scenario 2 - Battle for Ponyri - The Stalingrad of Kursk - Northern Front

Briefing The town of Ponyri is seven hexes and is a majority temporary objective. The Soviet player After the Assault on Cherkaskoye, the Soviets does not gain any medals from it. It is worth two launched a counterattack with an entire tank medals to the Germans. army temporarily halting the advance. However, the Tigers of the XLVI Panzer Korps stopped the Palm Forests are field hexes. No movement attack in it tracks, knocking out over 70 Soviet restriction. -1 to battle into a field hex. Blocks LOS. machines. Now several days later, the next point of attack is Ponyri, a vital point on the Orel-Kursk Soviet defences are permanent and are not railway. Heavily defended, it was taken by the removed if vacated. 86th and 292th Infantry Divisions, but they were driven out by a strong Soviet counterattack. Railway - no movement restrictions for infantry. Ponyri has been identified as a vital point and its Armour and artillery must stop. Does not block capture is top priority. Do not fail. LOS. No combat restriction.

Germans: 12 cards plus one Air Sortie Trucks marked with badge are Combat Cars. Armour marked with HT symbol are Halftracks. Soviets: 10 cards plus one Air Sortie Armour marked with TD are Ferdinands. German - 16 victory points

Soviets - 16 victory points. Tigers & Ferdinands count as two medals.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 14 Scenario 3 - Battle of Prokhorovka - Southern Sector

Briefing broken and this is the place to do it. Fail here and the battles of the proceeding weeks have been The dogged resistance of the Soviet defenders for naught. in the Northern sector has slowed the rate of advance unacceptably, it is up to the II SS Panzer Germans: 12 cards plus one Air Sortie Korps to deliver a smashing blow. The Soviet Soviets: 12 cards plus one Air Sortie 5th Guards Army has been rushed to the sector and the two armoured fists clash outside the German - 15 victory points settlement of Prokhorovka. The Soviets must be Soviets - 15 victory points.

Campaign Introduction - Soviet Union Kursk, July 1943

Comrades - the Hitlerites are growing wary of For the Motherland! our increasing power. The losses of the last two years have been severe, but with proper planning Scenario One - Assault on Cherkaskoye - One we intend to strike back at the Fascist viper and campaign victory point. drive him from our land. The area of the Kursk- Scenario Two - Battle at Ponyri - One campaign Orel Oblast was recaptured some time ago, but victory point. intelligence has reached us months ago that the Hitlerites intend to retake it. However, rather Scenario Three - Battle of Prokhorovka - Two than using the Oblast as a springboard for a campaign victory points. summer offensive, Comrade Stalin has hatched a far more cunning plan. The Kursk salient has Air Sortie Cards: 6 been heavily fortified with mines, anti-tanks guns and fortifications. The invaders will spend Commander in Chief begins with one Air Sortie their strength on our defences and exhaust their card in hand at the beginning of each scenario. offensive power. We will then counter attack with The C-in-C must determine how many Air Sortie fresh reserves and snatch the initiative away from cards are being committed to each scenario them. before the scenario begins.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 15 Air Assets Umpire how many tokens they have committed to the battle and what reinforcements they have (3) Sturmovik - Strafing, Ground Interdiction taken. The German players will be unaware of (3) Yak-9 - Strafing, Ground Support this, so be careful when discussing this in front of them. No more than one aircraft of each type may be airborne at any one time. Reinforcement Tokens : 8

Red Orchestra - You have excellent intelligence The C-in-C must determine how many tokens both from spies inside Germany and from British are being committed to each scenario before the Intelligence. Once the German players have scenario begins. assigned their reinforcements, you may ask the

Reinforcement Pool

Elite Armour Armour Unit Mobile Artillery Unit Supply Truck Armour Unit Anti-Aircraft Unit Supply Truck Armour Unit Special Weapon Asset (2) Supply Truck Special Weapon Asset (2) Special Weapon Asset (2)

Anti-Aircraft Unit - Counts as a one strength When we played this scenario originally, I had armour unit. Causes a 1d Aircheck on any enemy miniatures to represent three mortars, three aircraft that moves adjacent. Aircheck is rolled as anti-tank team (we used miniatures with PTRDs) soon as the aircraft moves adjacent. Air Sortie and three machine guns. This would seem to be Cards may not nullify this effect. a reasonable mix, but in this as in all things, cut your cloth to suit your measure. Special Weapons - Spend one reinforcement token to add a SWA to two infantry units. SWA will be mortar, anti-tank or machine gun depending on availability.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 16 Scenario 1 - Assault on Cherkaskoye - Southern Sector

Cherkaskoye

Briefing Steps The XLVIII Panzer Korps under General Von 1. German preparatory bombardments. Knobelsdorf has broken through your first line of defences around Butovo and is executing a 2. Germans deploy placing units in the base- swift advance to drive deep into the heart of your line. positions. You have driven off their initial probes, 3. Soviets deploy. but intelligence reports indicate that further assaults are to be expected supported by heavy 4. German’s take the first turn. Additional units armour. You must break the panzers and bleed may be deployed on subsequent turns once the German formations white. There is to be no there is room on the baseline. retreat and the men of the 6th Guards army are to fight and die where they stand. Special Rules Germans: 12 cards plus one Air Sortie Soviet single strength figures are artillery Soviets: 10 cards plus one Air Sortie observers, treat as snipers, but may not battle. The Soviet player may play Recon as Bombard on any Victory Conditions: 15 victory medals to win. unit within LOS of an observer.

Germans: At least three of these medals must Soviet defences are permanent and are not come from exiting troops via the hexes between removed if vacated. the two exit points. Palm Forests are field hexes. No movement Soviets: Count Tigers as two medals. restriction. -1 to battle into a field hex. Blocks LOS.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 17 Scenario 2 - Battle for Ponyri - Southern Sector

Briefing The town of Ponyri is seven hexes and is a majority temporary objective. The Soviet player After the Assault on Cherkassaye, you launched does not gain any medals from it. It is worth two a counterattack with an entire tank army which medals to the Germans. staggered the Hitlerite advance. However, losses were fearful and the survivors have been pulled Palm Forests are field hexes. No movement out of the line to regroup. Now several days later, restriction. -1 to battle into a field hex. Blocks LOS. the next point under attack attack is Ponyri, a vital point on the Orel-Kursk railway. It is heavily Soviet defences are permanent and are not defended by the men of the 2nd Tank army. removed if vacated. However, the town was taken in assaults by the enemy 86th and 292nd Infantry Divisions. They Railway - no movement restrictions for infantry. have been driven out, but you know they will be Armour and artillery must stop. Does not block back. Ponyri’s defence is top priority. Do not fail. LOS. No combat restriction.

Germans: 12 cards plus one Air Sortie Trucks marked with badge are Combat Cars. Armour marked with HT symbol are Halftracks. Soviets: 10 cards plus one Air Sortie Armour marked with TD are Ferdinands. German - 16 victory points

Soviets - 16 victory points. Tigers & Ferdinands count as two medals.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 18 Scenario 3 - Battle of Prokorovka - Northern Sector

Briefing gathered their finest war machines here to secure victory. It is up to you to set the Tigers burning. The dogged resistance of our brothers in the Northern sector has slowed the enemy’s rate Fail here and the battles of the proceeding weeks of advance to a crawl. It is believed that they have been for naught. will attempt to punch through the defences in our sector in attempt to recapture their Germans: 12 cards plus one Air Sortie momentum. The men of the 5th Guards Army Soviets: 12 cards plus one Air Sortie have been rushed to the sector to launch a sudden counterattack that will rob the Hitlerites German - 15 victory points of time to prepare their own offensive. They have Soviets - 15 victory points.

Conrad Kinch lives in Ireland and has been wargaming for longer than he cares to remember. If you’d like to see how we got on and see some pictures from our game, you will find them here: http://joyandforgetfulness.blogspot.ie/search/label/kursk%20campaign

Angry missives: [email protected]

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 19 Fortunately I have both of these in great The Spencer Smith quantities. Project When I have trimmed all the excess plastic of figures I mount 4 or 5 of them on a wide lollipop Will Harley, UK stick and paint on PVA glue. The glue is left to dry for 24 hours before painting.

The next stage is an undercoat of grey acrylic car Back in the mists of time circa 1973 was the first spray (sometimes I use red spray undercoat for time I read “The Wargame” by C S Grant and the Swiss). In terms of applying the base colours, I iconic pictures of massed infantry and cavalry think bold, bright and contrasting colours work in tricornes have stuck with me. I had always best. wanted a Spencer Smith army but my initial purchase of a test package back in 1989 was Undercoated grey car primer spray and a work in disappointing, at that time I did not have the progress. painting and modeling skills to do the figures justice.

Fast forward to 2014. In August 2014 I was net surfing and spotted Spencer Smith 25mm plastic cavalry for sale on flea-bay. I bought them for the grand total of £12.50 including the postage. The items arrived; I thought I was buying 30 figures. To my delight and surprise there were 228 mounted cavalry figures! A combination of a few lucky flea-bay purchases and the sourcing of some plastic Spencer Smiths from various other places, and by the end of 2014 I had 350 cavalry and 600 infantry, more than enough to build two decent 18th century armies. Which armies should I do? France, Prussia, Austria or imagination? I settled for a mixture of France, Piedmont, and the imagination of Tiberia.

The most time consuming part of working with plastic Spencer Smiths is the cleaning up and trimming of the flash. This takes a very sharp modeling knife and a lot of patience.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 20 As I require some different figures a few Tiberian Naval infantry and Burgundy Militia conversions were carried out. infantry.

I use acrylic paints on my figures, undercoat in grey then block paint in the colours. I paint all the base colours on my figures then I will add a bit of A hussar officer with a head swap and Burgundy white to the colour to highlights (using yellow for dragoon. red highlighting). When this is fully dry I use an ink wash (normally Games Workshop Earthshade) for shading, less is more and when this is fully dry add brighter highlights. After everything has dried for 24 hours I matt varnish the figures, ensure matt varnish is well stirred before use. Always use well stirred thin washes of matt varnish or it will thicken and go white. Slow and safe is my mantra when it comes to varnish.

Horses are painted either grey undercoat and highlighted to become greys or white. Brown horses are given a grey undercoat with flesh or yellows base coat, followed by an ink wash to become browns.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 21 Using Spencer Smith plastic figures and Zvezda GNW 20mm Swedish artillery I made a Tiberian mountain artillery battery.

Senior officers and a Swiss battalion gun.

Foil, paper, brass wire, spare bits, liberal amounts of super glue and PVA glue. Based on MDF 50mm x 50mm.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 22 Finished Tiberian border mountain battery A Piedmont Grenadiers. troop.

B troop deployed for action.

Spencer Smiths are now available in metal (see Rob Grace’s article issue 2); again they take a bit of cleaning up and are not to everyone’s taste. However for me it’s more the style of the figure than the perfection of the figure.

Spencer Smith metals: www.spencersmithminiatures.co.uk/html/ssm_ c18th.html

Zvezda artillery: www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review. aspx?id=1714

I have completed about 300 infantry and 120 cavalry of this project so far. It’s still work in progress. Preparing and painting these figures is a labour of love and I have to take breaks from painting them. I hope this short article is of interest to some and inspires others.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 23 My ambitions, though, are limited by various Building Walmington constraints. Basically, they’re the usual trinity of time, money and space. Walmington is not on Sea my only project and I’m retired, so spare cash is not generally sloshing around. But it’s space Part 2 – First Steps that concerns me most. My games table can be as long as 14’ but is only 4’ wide/deep. This Noel Williams, UK means I can reproduce quite a length of the sea front, East-West – which I plan to do – but the town may be somewhat compressed North In my previous article, I mentioned a map of to South. This strikes me as typical of coastal Walmington I’d found carefully compiled by one games, such as D-Day, so not much of an issue. of the actors from the series, Bill Pertwee in his But it does mean that the N-S dimension (or book, ‘Dad’s Army: The Making of a Television ‘table depth footprint’, if I was trying to pretend I Legend’. (You can probably find a copy for know what I’m talking about) of each individual two or three pounds if you hunt around). feature needs more consideration than their E-W There’s a similar map, more attractive but less dimensions. So, for example, some key features comprehensive, in Wikipedia. These have been that might be problematic are: created by diligent research into the episodes themselves, though, despite their details, they’re The railway station not as complete as might be supposed nor as The lines and therefore platforms run east-west, consistent. Nor, in fact, do they fit with the maps but the map shows a depth of eight sidings shown in the early episodes themselves, key which, if laid properly, would occupy more locations such as the High Street, Manwaring’s than 12” of N-S townscape, so I’ll have to limit HQ (the Church Hall), and the Novelty Rock those sidings radically. (By the way, being of Emporium are located in different places in the the generation I am, I can only think in feet different sources. and inches, so apologies to the younger, more True topographers would, of course, throw metric-oriented amongst our readers). their hands up in horror at this but for the gamer, it’s actually good news. It means there The church is no definitive map that can be reproduced on the games table, and so the modeller has Obviously churches run east to west, with the freedom, within reason, to do whatever the altar at the Eastern end, but this tends to suits. In fact, if you search the web to see what mean that the graveyard, churchyard and, most other modellers have done with Walmington, importantly for this set-up, Church Hall, are very few seem to have worried too much about likely to be north or south of the main building, authenticity. I’d like to create a slightly more meaning that the overall footprint is likely to be accurate reflection of the programme than large. Probably a little gamers’ license can be most – partly for the challenge, partly because used here. there seems little point in creating a model called “Walmington” if it bears no relation to its The pier and the harbour origins other than being on the coast, and partly An early consideration is how much sea to because I plan to run some of the scenarios include in the model. The more sea you have, from actual episodes, if I can (e.g. “The Battle for the less room there is for actual townscape. Godfrey’s Cottage” in which two sections of the I did think about planning two versions of platoon each fire on the other thinking they’re Walmington. One would have the seafront faced Nazi paratroopers). by a reasonable amount of water, permitting

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 24 landings and coastal craft of some kind. The The key problem is rigidity – or its lack. (There’s other would have only a nominal strip of water, an opportunity here for sly sexual jocularity. with the gaming emphasis on streets and I’ll let you write your own punchline). Card buildings. This may be over-complicated. But if buildings need bases to keep the walls fixed the model of the town “sits on top of” the sea, it in place, robust, flat and steady so they don’t can be shuffled North-South to give a different look more like playtents than buildings on the width of sea as needed by the scenario (I was games table. However, a base prevents you tempted to write “sea-nario” here, but, thankfully, storing another building inside. This problem restrained myself). The problem with this is led me to abandon the idea for my medieval those features which stretch out into the sea, buildings. I did think of creating supports which such as any headlands, harbour wall or, most the card could be clipped onto during games importantly for authenticity, the pier, which – for example, blocks of Lego bricks that the features in several episodes. I saw three choices card shell could be placed over – but this would here: compress the pier to a token length, or mean quite precise architectural printing (the build it to a decent length, but remove it when internal dimensions of the building would have there’s not enough sea, or build two models, to be accurate enough to give a snug fit over and use the most suitable one in different the Lego, for example), and would probably be scenarios. very fiddly, so I’ve not pursued it.

The last of the three solutions for the pier But the telescope idea might work. By this, problem obviously is the most demanding, I mean you slide buildings sidewise inside and would double the storage need, and it each other, rather than from underneath. The was seeing this which led me to my solution. advantage is that you can give buildings a firm I’d build a pier which has a removable middle base. The disadvantage, obviously, is that the section, so it can be used in either a short or a side of a building has to be removable. The next long form. Ideally, I’d build one section so that it stage, clearly, must be experiment. can be stored inside the other, in a similar way to how unfolding telescopes – er – telescope. Meanwhile, I’ve decided I need to compile my And this, in turn, gave me a more general idea own map of the place, to plot the elements I for the whole town. need rather than rely on the rather cluttered maps of others. Because I want to use the I’d been experimenting with printing card same basic pieces in other games, I’m using buildings from the internet. There are some interlocking foam tiles as the basic elements really good models available, which can be of my town planning. These are flexible but printed onto card, or onto paper which can robust flooring tiles which jigsaw together, be mounted on foam board or MDF or cork – intended to be used as a mat for such things as whatever materials you prefer. My initial idea garages, exercise mats or children’s play. Mine was to print the same buildings in slightly came from the UK auto and bike supply shop, different sizes so that they could be stored Halfords. They’re approx. 18 inches square and inside each other. I tried this first not with multicoloured, so need to be painted grey. Each Walmington, but with a medieval town for tile has a smooth side and a rough surface, a game of the first battle of St Albans and, which might at a pinch be used to represent a for medieval buildings, in higgledy-piggledy stylised road surface a bit like cobbles. In the streets, with little town planning or uniform 30s and 40s the UK still had many minor roads building codes, having buildings of slightly which were cobbled or built with stone setts different scales actually looks fine. Using rather than macadamised, so such a surface buildings of two or three different sizes, I could can be justified. (In fact cities like Sheffield, store them like Russian matrushka dolls and my home town, still contain many small side- save quite a bit of storage space. This, I thought, streets which have a cobble-like surface, as might work for Walmington, too. does Scarborough, one of my prototypes). Twelve of these squares gives me an area

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 25 potentially three feet by nine feet, leaving the would be the most generic, whereas those with remaining one foot wide strip of my table to be key buildings or functions would be the most used as sea. highly restricted. So I decided to begin with tiles which were “essential” for authenticity (i.e. would Using such tiles has the big advantage that I contain significant locations from the TV series) to can build in a modular way, one tile at a time. explore how generic they could be made whilst A drawback, as with all such terrain systems, still satisfying the Walmington criteria. is that the more specialised the tile becomes, the less useful it’s likely to be in different All of this means a long period of contexts. A plain tile can be used for anything. experimentation. Can I come up with a map A tile with a built in steel factory is not going which is reasonable, yet ensures at least 50% of to be much use for medieval gaming. Another my tiles are usable in other games? Can I model compromise would be needed here, especially buildings which “telescope” in some way, and when considering authenticity. It seemed likely sit on these tiles realistically? I’ll report on my that tiles being used on the outskirts of the town answers to these questions in the next article.

Pinning’ Kallistra’s Hexon Rob Grace, UK

I sometimes get frustrated with ‘unit creep’ on the wargames table and debates over how far a unit can move and what is, or is not, in range. To overcome this I bought some hexagonal terrain tiles (Hexon by Kallistra). While this has delivered spatial clarity to my games, any time saved by eliminating the debates has been swallowed up with setting up the terrain tiles and especially fitting the clips that hold them together.

I had been seeking an alternative fixing method for some time when inspiration came to me in a ‘Pound- store’ of all places! There before me was a rubber pin mat – the penny dropped! I bought one, took it home, and cut out a 4x4 array of the rubber pins and it was a perfect fit for the tiles – see photo. Now, an adjoining tile simply placed down next to the one with the pin-mat connector is firmly held in place – what could be easier!

I quickly cut up the rest of the mat which provided me with enough connectors for the perimeter of any layout I might require. I admit I may have been lucky getting the right size by chance but you could either take measurements or a hex-tile with you when you go shopping.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 26 Naval Teasers No 1 - Surprise Attack Peter Douglas, Canada

Series Introduction • A description of the seascape for lack of a better term. For a land teaser we would This is intended as the first of hopefully a series discuss the ground or terrain, but those terms of tabletop teaser type scenarios aimed at Naval don’t really apply at sea. I will describe the Wargamers. As such they are an unapologetic key landforms such as shorelines, islands and and shameless rip-off of the classic land based known shoals. This section will also include a Tabletop Teasers developed by C.S. Grant. The discussion of the weather. The wind direction impetus for this series came from the realization and strength will be of key importance in that interesting historical scenarios could be the age of sail, and will also affect gunnery in transposed (or morphed) to other theatres and later periods. Sea states, tides and currents periods and yet retains the same basic challenge. can all have an influence on the outcome. Visibility will also be of importance for some The intent here is not to refight large actions actions. There will of course be a chart, which along the lines of Lepanto, Trafalgar or Jutland should serve more as a guideline than a strict but to give a worthy challenge for an evening or framework. afternoon wargame session. Some of the teasers may be scaled down versions of a famous battle • A mission description for both sides (who will but others will come from the world of naval of course be Red and Blue). This will include small unit actions featuring lighter ships. After each admiral’s forces and objective. There may all, history has shown us that in many cases the also be information that should not be known prestige ships tended to spend an inordinate to the opposing admiral. amount of time swinging at their moorings while the smaller ships did all the real fighting. • With regard to forces, the key will be the balance of forces between Red and Blue. So what types of situations make a good naval teaser Where Grant’s land teasers used universal that would serve across multiple periods? Convoy “units” that could be easily translated, I actions and amphibious landings date back to Greek don’t feel up to creating standardized naval and Roman times. Forced passages of narrows, equivalents. However, I will give general breakouts, surprise attacks and stern chases are descriptions of the types and numbers of equally timeless. Shore bombardments require vessels Red and Blue should field in several gunpowder weapons but are valid ever since their periods. In many cases quality will be more successful use on board. And so the list goes on. important that quantity! However, I will restrict the force selections to the gunpowder Each teaser will include the following sections age. Gamers of earlier naval battles are • A general overview of the teaser outlining welcome to come up with galley or longship the problem at hand and the objectives for forces to suit the situation, but these are both sides. I may include a discussion of the beyond my comfort zone. teaser’s inspiration and will likely describe the • A discussion of game mechanics that will periods that I feel it can be used in. I will also outline instructions on playing the game, give an outline of possible player options. For including initial deployment and potential instance where the element of surprise is key reinforcements. In some cases there will need it may be best to have the organizer either to be suggestions for rules to fit particulars of take the side with that advantage or act as an the teaser. umpire.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 27 • And finally there will be a section on victory Chinese landing in Korea, and in the Dreadnought conditions. Of course no gentleman plays Age we can picture the Goeben interrupting only for the victories but a worthy challenge landings on Gallipoli. And so on. requires that we recognize the admiral who has come out best on the day. Seascape Teaser I The map included is based on a six foot by eight foot table (2.4 metres by 1.8 metres for those of you who have evolved past measuring things in General Overview medieval kings’ body parts), but can be adjusted Blue has landed an army on a territory that is to fit gaming space and rules used as required. contested by Red. The troops have landed safely The Northern and Eastern table edges are land but depend on Blue’s navy to protect them and with the exception of a strait at the North East secure their supply lines. Blue’s landing was corner. I would suggest that the entrance to the a surprise to Red but Red has recovered and strait cover one quarter to one third of each table dispatched a squadron to attack Blue. In a fight edge. on the open seas, Red would have difficulty defeating Blue. However, Blue will need to split In addition there is an island in the middle of the his forces to cover possible lines of attack and table that divides the entrance to the strait into Red will have the advantages provided under the two routes, the Eastern and Western Patrol routes. cover of night or poor visibility. In each route an oval Patrol area is marked. Blue’s forces will be divided into two equal Success or failure will depend on each side’s detachments each of which is assigned to one of ability to contest the seas around the landing site. the two Patrol Areas. Blue needs to fight off Red and retain enough of his forces to control the local area. Red needs to For simplicity I would suggest that the “land areas” inflict enough damage on Blue that Blue will be also include the shallow areas of the littoral zone forced to withdraw. and so that Red and Blue can move anywhere marked sea but will run aground and be lost This teaser can be played in any gunpowder when they enter a landform. era period. In fact this represents the origin of this series of teasers based on historical actions that could be morphed to different periods or theatres. The general situation in strongly based on the 1942 Battle of Savo Island. I was reading a history of the Guadalcanal Naval Campaign and realized what wonderful scenario idea this contained. Not having Pacific campaign forces, I realized the roles at Savo Island could be filled with my Mediterranean fleets with the Royal Navy subbing for the Japanese role and the Regina Marina filling in for the US Navy. I have run several games along these lines, which appear on my blog as the “Battle of Savos” based on an Italian landing on Greece or Crete.

However, one need not stop in World War Two. In the Napoleonic Age, we can have a French landing in Ireland or the West Indies contested by a British force. In the ironclad age we might have a Japanese squadron contesting a Russian or

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 28 Blue Force

Blue has overseen the landing of land forces off table to the North East. Blue needs to secure the sea zones around the landing site until the army has moved off the beachhead and established a defensive perimeter. Once the Army is in position, Blue can withdraw and escort the transport to home waters (it is assumed that additional Blue forces will be assigned escort duties on supplying the beachhead). Blue is nervously awaiting this time.

Blue’s objective is to defend the two patrol areas and defeat the Red squadron. A Blue victory requires that the Red Attack be repulsed while retaining enough ships to patrol the landing zone. Blue will automatically lose if any Red ships leave the table through the straight to the North East as these ships will be able to attack the transports and beachhead.

Suggested Blue Forces are given below for several periods. Blue must divide these evenly between the two patrol areas. Blue must give the order of sailing, the spacing between ships and the direction (clockwise or counterclockwise). The Patrol groups should be moving at a safe cruising speed (approximately one half to two thirds full speed) and may not leave their patrol lines until the enemy is spotted.

One light ship (indicated with italics in the force listings below) from each patrol group may be assigned picket duty and may be placed up to 12 inches (30cm) further out to sea. The picket’s movements should conform to the lead ship in each patrol group until the enemy is sighted.

WW2 WW1 Late Victorian Napoleonic I Napoleonic II 8 Cruisers (light or 2 pre- 4 Sea going 8 ships of the line 6 frigates heavy depending dreadnoughts ironclads on models 2 frigates 2 sloops or brigs availability) 2 armoured 2 Large Cruisers cruisers 6 Destroyers 2 Small Cruisers 4 Destroyers

Red Force Red has been surprised by Blue’s landing and has rushed to the landing site with the forces readily available. Red’s fleet is to disrupt the landings by forcing Blue to withdraw. However, Red cannot afford to take too many losses and must retain a viable fighting force. If the two fleets were to meet in open waters in a standard battle, Red would be hard pressed to gain a victory. However, the poor visibility and Blue’s need to cover multiple approaches gives Red an opportunity to defeat Blue piece-meal.

Red’s objective is to attack the transports off the north eastern corner of the chart. Red can achieve victory by either exiting ships off this corner or by defeating Blue’s squadron so that Blue can no longer patrol the area.

Suggested Red Forces are given below for several periods. Red enters on either the Southern or Western map edge. Red must enter in a single line ahead formation, with the exception that up to two light ships may be detached as pickets up to 12 inches (30cm) ahead or on a bow quarter of Red’s main formation. Red should be moving at a safe cruising speed (approximately one half to two thirds full speed) and must follow pre-plotted moves until the enemy is spotted.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 29 WW2 WW1 Late Victorian Napoleonic I Napoleonic II 6-8 Cruisers 1 Battle Cruiser 3 Sea going 3 ships of the line 4 frigates (light or heavy ironclads depending on 1 Modern Light 2 frigates 2 sloops or brigs models availability) Cruiser 2 Large Cruisers

6 Destroyers 2 Small Cruisers

Execution The following sequence is suggested.

• Both sides are given their force listings, objectives and a copy of the chart

• Blue divides his force between the two patrol areas, gives an order of steaming and nominates any pickets

• Red assigns his order of steaming, nominates any picket ships and sketches his proposed course from entry point to the exit at the upper right corner

• Blue places his ships on their patrol zones. The umpire (or Blue if no umpire is available) rolls a d12 and uses this to random place each group along their patrol route. It helps to assign 12 O’clock and 6 O’clock positions prior to rolling.

• Blue and red each move their ships along their pre-plotted routes until the enemy is spotted. Blue steams along their patrol routes and Red steams on the pre-plotted path.

• Depending on the spotting rules in play, one side may spot the other before the other. This may mean that Red is able to move to attack Blue before Blue realizes the enemy is at hand for instance.

• It can aid Blue’s confusion if Red uses a variety of markers including a number of dummy counters prior to being spotted.

• Ships who have successfully spotted the enemy can maneuver off their plotted courses. Once general shooting has started all captains know that the enemy is at hand and can maneuver at will.

• Don’t forget to allow for the possibility of “friendly fire” between the two Blue groups.

• Red should be given a timeline to complete his attack, either based on the number of turns elapsed or the lateness of the hour.

Victory Conditions For this scenario success and failure depends no on the number of ships lost, but rather on the number of ships able to continue to fight. Count only the ships still afloat which are able to maneuver at cruising speed and fire their main batteries. Sailing ships with masts down or at least of half their batteries dismounted must retire. Steam ships with significant engineering damage or who have lost half their main guns must also retire. Ships suffering a steering hit may attempt to repair this – and must retire if the repair is not successful. If your rules do not cover repairs allow a successful repair on a roll of 4+ using a d6.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 30 Blue retains 50% of original force Over 50% of Blue’s force lost or retiring Red retains 50% Minor Blue Victory Major Red Victory! of original force The landing goes on as planned but the Blue retires the transports and abandons threat from Red’s navy continues. There the landing. Red remains in control of the will be tense times for Blue’s land and sea seas in the area. commanders

Over 50% of Major Blue Victory! Minor Red Victory Red’s force lost or retiring Red been defeated and the landing goes Blue retires the transports and abandons on unopposed (at sea). the landing. But Red losses leave it unable to control the area

A note on balancing forces – this scenario works well if Blue had bigger and more powerful ships on paper, whereas Red has an advantage in crew quality affecting their gunfire and spotting abilities.

Little Lead Men Chris Gregg, UK

Chris is a talented artist. If you are interested in purchasing his work please contact us and we’ll be glad to put you in touch with him. More examples of Chris’ work can be found at www.cheltenham-art.com/chrisgregg.htm

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 31 daunting a prospect, so I was pretty satisfied that Writing Rules – the ratio of figures would represent a suitably Rorke’s Drift, 1879 challenging game for the British players. So, figures sorted, the next thing was game Greg Horne, Australia structure. How was I going to represent an hours- long series of assaults on the British barricades by huge numbers of Zulu warriors?

I was inspired this issue by John Acar’s rules One idea presented itself immediately. Some writing piece to put pen to paper describing a years back I had taken part in an enormous small convention game which I put together this refight of the siege of the Peking Legations during year. the Boxer Rebellion. In this case, the game was I had chosen Rorke’s Drift, partly because I had a day’s long campaign with the fighting broken always wanted to ‘do’ it, partly because I already down into campaign and tactical moves. Each had most of the figures in my stash already and campaign move was of a strictly limited duration lastly because this battle always seems to do well (an hour if memory serves) during which the at convention games. players worked through as many tactical moves as was possible within the time. Once time was I think there are a few reasons for this. Name called, the table was reset. recognition is one. Everyone has heard of the battle, or seen the film or read Mike Snook’s I adopted this approach for my own game. I books. These latter were very important to decided that there would be five campaign me as they seem to have revolutionised our moves, each of forty-five minutes with breaks understanding of the battles id Isandalwanah and between for resetting the table. I thought this Rorke’s Drift and in my case at least, excited new would provide a game with plenty of time for interest in gaming them. The battle itself is easy twists and turns to develop without requiring too enough to recreate from a material perspective Herculean a commitment of energy from me! in terms of terrain and figures. The overwhelming The Zulu player would deploy different numbers numbers of Zulu warriors may be represented of units in various locations per a deployment simply by allowing them to regenerate their table. In many ways the deployment table was casualties. The terrain is straightforward, the key the key to driving the whole enterprise and I was elements to recreate being the terrace the station particularly careful to try and have it reproduce rested on the forward lip of and about a metre or the overall feel of the battle. I mentioned so of mealie bag breastworks. And lastly, it’s a hell earlier that a key to trying to get a feeling of of a fight. Who would not want to recreate the Zulu numbers would be a mechanism to allow heroism and drama of this famous battle? them to regenerate their casualties. I included a Now, I’m a fairly simple fellow and I have always tactical rule that allowed them to regenerate 1D6 felt that two-page game rules are enough for casualties per move if they remained stationery. anyone to have to swallow sight unseen at a Unit size was normally 15 warriors, but I allowed convention. Therefore, any rules I wrote were them to reinforce to a capped limit of 20. In play going to be quite Featherstonian in their brevity testing I found this was an important way of and simplicity. Further to this, I intended the keeping depleted units viable and keeping up game to be in the nature of a grand skirmish, the pressure on the British player. It also forced scaling at about 2:1 for the British. I had about 60 the British player to try to eliminate Zulu units singly-based redcoats and 150 Zulus. That would completely, preserving others from damage while have to be enough. Manipulating more than 200 this was being done. singly based figures would probably be the upper In designing the game I was forced to make a limit of what can be done on the table in the time couple of choices around what I was wanting to I was envisaging. Indeed, as I laid out the Zulus depict on the gaming table. This was especially on my table, those 150 Zulus looked suitably

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 32 true as to the granularity of the hand-to-hand I ought to make one more point on game combat within the Hospital. The second was structure. The episodic nature of the game was around Zulu firearms. designed to allow different players to cycle through the game in a convention setting. The The fighting in the Hospital would make a minimum I felt I could ask of any player was to sit good skirmish game in itself. It was gruelling through a single 45-minute session. This felt like a and complex and the more I looked at it, the reasonable investment of time in a game among less convinced I became that I could do it in the competing demands of a medium sized the context of the larger game without over- convention. complicating the melee rules. So, I dropped it and made the walls of the hospital just another Looking now at the tactical rules, I really wanted barricade that had to be fought over. Just like the to model four things in the game. The first was breastworks. Nothing more nor less. I was more the importance of British firepower in defeating interested in keeping the game fast and freely the Zulu assaults. The second was the benefit to flowing overall and if losing the complexity of the be had from fighting from behind a breastwork. fighting inside the hospital was the price, then it Third was the advantage the British enjoyed when was one that I was willing to pay. fighting from an elevated position on the lip of the terrace on the northern side of the position. Historically, about a quarter of the Zulu warriors The final feature I wanted to highlight was to at Rorke’s Drift had firearms of varying quality. force the British player to shorten his perimeter as Generally they were not too good at hitting casualties thinned out his line. anything with them, but I looked at giving a quarter of my figures firearms and a chance of I managed the first three points pretty simply. hitting (roll a 6 on a D6) and it seemed that with British fire became drastically more effective 35 shots going in every move, you’d run out as ranges closed. It was possible to defeat Zulu of garrison in fairly short order! This in mind, I assaults purely by fire – in my mind though, decided to give the Zulus eight warriors with the Zulu losses also included men who went to firearms and to put them up on the terraces ground in the face of the hail of lead to which behind the outpost and let them blaze away they were being subjected. from the third campaign move onward. I thought that this might produce the small trickle of Melee was mediated by adding advantages for casualties that were a little more accurate a result defending a breastwork and for fighting whilst historically. In the game’s first real full-blooded elevated – a plus one in each case. This was run they accounted for a third of The British straightforward, really, and took little thought. casualties, and so I was pretty satisfied with the Trickier was forcing a steady trickle of casualties result. The balance felt about right, and they on the British. The last thing I wanted was for certainly attracted the attention of the British them to take catastrophic casualties mid-game riflemen! that would hamstring them for the rest of the

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 33 fight. There would not be a lot of fun to be had 30 British which was about 50% more than the there! In the end they got (like the Zulus) a historical result for both sides. More sophisticated form of casualty recycling, although theirs was morale rules would have pared these results back, strategic rather than tactical. At the end of every I think. 45-minute campaign move, the British p[layer was allowed to roll a D6 for every casualty in the The British were forced back to their final line of hospital. On rolling a 1, the figure was ‘dead’ defence in the mealie bag redoubt and may have and removed from play. On a 5 or 6 the figure been fortunate to hold on at the end. was considered to have recovered sufficiently to It had been a fun, close-fought game which return to duty. On any other result, the fellow was maintained its tension right down to the very last considered to need to remain in hospital. move. So then, in the final analysis, did it work? Over the page are the full rules. Why not print I think so. In the game’s first outing, the Zulus them off and give them a try yourself? Perhaps suffered approximately 750 casualties against you could write your game up for our next issue?

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 34 Rules for Rorke’s Drift, 1879 Close Combat Factors Officers, NCOs , Induna +1 Tactical Rules Defending an obstacle +1 Elevated +1 Turns If any defenders remain on an obstacle then it Roll for initiative. The winner may elect to go first. cannot be crossed. In a turn a player can activate all their units and undertake the following actions: Morale Move, Shoot, Close Combat. For a unit to move into close combat a morale test must be passed. Roll 2d6 aiming for equal or less Move than the number of figures in the unit. If failed the unit is halted. All British movement is 8”; Zulu movement is 1D6 + 6”. Fire! Linear features halt movement and can then be Any Zulu warrior in contact with a building moved across freely the following turn. If the for 2 moves and undertaking no other action, feature is occupied, then close combat is required may elect to set it on fire on rolling a 6. Figures to cross the obstacle. in the building have two turns to escape the Zulus may only Move or Shoot, British may move conflagration before perishing. 4” and Shoot. Reinforcement Shooting The game is structured into rounds of 45 minutes. Restrictions – Zulus in long grass or scrub may On each round a number of Zulu units come into not be spotted for purposes of shooting. play per the Deployment Table below.

Shooting is done at 1 die per figure. Zulu units (basic unit size is 15 figures) can reinforce during a round. To do so they must Unit <10in 10in + remain halted for a turn and can reinforce by 1d6 Regulars 3-6 5-6 figures. Unit size is capped at 20 figures. Zulus 6 6

-1 on dice rolls if target is behind cover or has moved on the Move phase.

British soldiers who are wounded are placed in the hospital.

Close Combat Takes place at the end of a player’s turn. Combat is resolved using opposed dice rolls. The loser is killed or wounded. Ties ‘rebound’ figures 1”.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 35 Strategic Rules

The game is played as five rounds using the tactical rules above. Each round is forty-five minutes in length. A round consists of as many turns as may be played in 45 minutes.

Each round, different numbers of Zulus attack the mission station. The numbers of Zulus attacking and the axes of their attacks, are pre-programmed as in this table:

Round Zulu Forces 1 3 Zulu Units attack from the south. 1 Unit of Zulus from the North-West. 2 5 Units of Zulus from the North-West. Two units from the South 8 Units of Zulus attack from the North-West. One unit of rifles deploys on the Oskarberg 3 terraces. 8 Units of Zulus attack from the North-West. Two attack from the North-East. One unit of rifles 4 deploys on the Oskarberg terraces. One Unit of Zulus attacks from the North-West. 8 Units of Zulus attack from the North-east. 5 One unit of rifles deploys on the Oskarberg terraces.

At the end of each round, all Zulu figures are removed from the table. Units are deployed in accordance with the deployment table above.

In each case, newly deployed units must start on the relevant base line.

Linear Obstacles At the start of the fourth round, the British player may place the mealie retrenchment wall. At the start of the fifth, the British players may construct the mealie bag redoubt..

Casualties All British Casualties are removed to the Hospital (or the commissariat store). At the end of each Round, roll a dice for each figure.

1 figure is dead and removed from play.

2-4 figure remains in hospital.

5-6 figure returns to duty.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 36 but friend Graham chose to nudge us onto Marking the the slippery slope to madness, by mentioning the new 1815 range which the Perrys has just Bicentennial launched. To be fair, he didn’t need to twist my arm very far: I had long admired the Twins’ – in Waterloo handiwork, and this provided an excuse to start a proper collection of it. Discussions, comparisons ‘Musketier’, Belgium and calculations ensued, but 15mm never really stood a chance. By early 2009, the outline of our project was agreed: We would honour the It all started sometime in 2008, when our little occasion by a game portraying the whole battle, circle of wargaming friends here in Brussels - all played on or around the anniversary, on or near four of us - realised that the Waterloo bicentennial the battlefield, using 28mm figures of the Perrys’ was looming on the horizon. Since that battle, in making. its Airfix and Bondarchuk versions, had played a key role in bringing each of us into the hobby, The rules we would use weren’t clear yet; our and we now found ourselves living within half notes of the time very optimistically say “brigade- an hour’s drive of the place, we obviously had to level rules tbc”. (Mindless optimism, as we shall mark the occasion in style. see, was a hallmark of the whole undertaking). Rank and File and Age of Empires were both At the time we were deep into the Seven Years’ considered, as was the as-yet unreleased Blücher. War in 18mm, using Old Glory figures. With Eventually, after two years of hemming and Airfix armies long abandoned for metal ones, hawing, we settled on the classic, Brig. Young’s none of us had any troops for 1815, or even for Charge! or How To Play Wargames. What with the last few years of the Napoleonic era. I had skirmishers and attack columns, we had long felt noticed however that the OG15s catalogue listed it to be more Napoleonic than 18th Century in all the various troop types one would need for inspiration, plus we figured it must have been the Hundred Days, including some of the more written around 1965 (being published in 1967), esoteric ones. So I suggested that if we all set to thus giving us another anniversary to celebrate. it, by 2015 we could probably stage, if not the entire battle, then one or more scenes from it Opting for the larger figure size had meant with suitable terrain, as illustrated by Stephen cutting the number of contributors down to two Maughan’s series of booklets that had just been for various reasons, which added to the pressure published. of starting from scratch, but simplified planning in a way: To avoid overlap in building our units, Graham and I would split the battlefield down the middle along the Brussels-to-Charleroi road, him taking formations battling west of it, and me the ones fighting it out further east.

One thing was clear in any case: We would need French troops, and rather a lot of them, so that is what we both started painting, while also working out tentative rosters based on Adkins’ Waterloo Companion. My first real foray into 28mm historical figures, a battalion of 32 French infantry in greatcoats, took me less than a month, and I remember drawing up a calendar on that basis – again somewhat optimistically, as life in I would still contend today that this was a all its rich and varied forms would intervene soon perfectly reasonable and practical proposal, enough.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 37 Over the following years there would be house A breakthrough of sorts occurred when the moves, family matters, health issues and simple conversation turned to army commanders’ actual daily life to contend with, slowing the gathering management of the battle: “How many orders of hosts to an unsteady trickle. The original did Napoleon himself actually give on the day?” plan, requiring something in the region of 1,500 No more than half a dozen when you think about figures for units scaled precisely to their historical it: re-deploying Lobau’s VI Corps, forming the counterparts, was therefore rapidly shelved. Grande Batterie, starting Reille and d’Erlon on Under Plan B, we would use standard Charge! their attack, supporting the cavalry attacks begun unit sizes, each 16-man company representing a by Ney, sending part of the Guard to shore up brigade, each 8-man squadron, a cavalry division. Plancenoit, and risking the core of the Guard in This simplification shaved the number of figures his last gamble. required to a mere 1200 or so… This triggered a memory of an exchange on It wasn’t all doom and despair however. Graham’s some internet forum, where someone bemoaned overseas posting proved to be a blessing in the passing of the good ole days when, in his disguise: Finding himself with few distractions in recollection, a battalion of highlanders, a handful the evening, he soon launched into production- of rifles, a pair of guns for Mercer, a squadron of line painting, quickly putting my own, halting Polish lancers and the Old Guard where all you progress to shame. Two enthusiastic local chaps needed to game Waterloo. (I’ve since vainly tried also joined our group, Peter committing to paint to find the actual quote; if any reader recognises at least one Dutch unit, and Sven expressing an it, please shout out.) interest in playing on the day. Also, progression in our respective jobs meant that the cost of the - And the realisation hit: We had given ourselves whole undertaking would make less of a dent in needless headaches and sleepless nights by our family budgets. aiming too high, focussing on details, and not going far enough in our “bathtubbing” of the battle. Each Charge! unit would now be a Corps, with squadrons and guns distributed in proportion. Finally, with less than two years to go, we had a workable army list, and by contrast to all the earlier tables it fitted on one sheet of A4 paper. Not that it meant we were all that closer to target though, as the final roster still required about 300 French figures, as many for Wellington and 200 Prussians.

By now it was late 2013, and I had to face the inevitable: With various other commitments for 2014, there was just a year left to go, and my Still the painting targets eluded us. By 2012 side of the road would only be completed with plan B. was binned in turn, and for a while massive help from elsewhere. Enter Mabuhay we considered Plan S instead: Rather than Miniature Painting service in the Philippines, re-enacting Waterloo, we could play the whose then owner Fons I’d met at Crisis, the asymmetrical Sittangbad scenario from Charge!, November show in Antwerp. Although heavily adapted to a pursuit situation after the main engaged with bicentennial forces for other battle with the larger army composed of different customers, he agreed to get two Prussian Allied contingents. It would have been easier to regiments painted for me, including extra achieve, but might have let the occasion down command figures for Charge! (for which I sent him somewhat. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed the sprues). and we went back to parsing the Waterloo order of battle together with our friends.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 38 That still left us dangerously short of British Other buildings were bought in at the eleventh infantry, Prussian cavalry and most importantly hour from Hovels, who must have worked perhaps, French cuirassiers and Guard. This final, overtime to paint up yet another set of their crucial contingent would come from our friend Waterloo buildings so close to the bicentennial. John in Wales, barely making a dent in his vast In the best Charge! tradition, individual buildings collections. Though sadly unable to attend in would stand for groups of houses or whole person, John very kindly offered them as a long- villages: a single farmhouse each for La Haie term loan, thereby saving the whole project. Sainte and Papelotte, the iconic central château for Hougoumont, with the Hougoumont During all those years, the understanding had gatehouse relocated to Plancenoit alongside the always been that we would play whatever game church. emerged al fresco, on the battlefield itself: There is a picnic place near Wellington’s crossroads, Finally, on the weekend preceding the with a roof to keep out the all-too-frequent anniversary, I drove my trusty Volvo first to North Belgian showers, and we imagined we would Wales to pick up a sizeable contingent of all types just commandeer that spot early on our chosen and nationalities, and then to Heathrow to bring day. As that date approached however, it became clear that for once, the local authorities were getting their act together and planning a grand celebration over more than a week. Though excellent news in the greater scheme of things, it meant that we could kiss goodbye to having the place to ourselves anytime around the anniversary.

Playing on the other side of the valley, closer to the French starting positions, was briefly considered, but just as quickly discarded as that area would offer no protection from the unpredictable weather. Luckily, with a few phone calls “Le 1815” hotel on the other side of the crossroads was able to provide the solution to our dilemma, in the shape of a ground floor meeting room with a separate entrance from the car park, with morning croissants and afternoon cake included in the modest price for the day – this is Belgium after all. Three of its handy tables would give us a playing surface of 7’6” by 5’, with enough space on side tables for food, drink and reinforcements.

While focussing on procuring sufficient figures, thoughts about terrain had been somewhat neglected, but our friend Robert of The Wargamorium (https://thewargamorium. wordpress.com/) came to the rescue. Now, Robert may swear by nothing bigger than 18mm, but his is a manly table alright, and his hills are made to match; under our green cloth cover, they would form perfect ridges for Wellington’s men to take position on. And among the relics of an earlier, 28mm existence, Robert still had a Flemish-style Running repairs..! church he was happy to lend us for Plancenoit.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 39 in Graham and a very heavy cabin bag. With these Nevertheless, being acutely aware of the eventual reinforcements, and Graham enacting some Prussian intervention, Stephen chose to throw last-minute repairs on his travel-weary troops, Lobau’s skirmishers into the attack on the ridge, everything was in place for the big day. along with the regular infantry units of Reille and d’Erlon. The morning’s advance followed historical After all our trials and tribulations during the run- precedent with the defenders of Hougoumont up, the day itself went almost too smoothly. We holding on to their redoubt, while Sven’s drove out early on 17 June, before roads were to Dutch militia on the Allied left got badly shot be closed for the Prince of Wales’ visit, and after up, but held its ground. After all these goings- partaking of coffee and croissants laid on by the on, interspersed with visits from friends and hotel, arranged the tables and set out our terrain. acquaintances touring the re-enactment camps, A last-minute decision had to be taken about the it was time to break for lunch. This being Belgium, roads on the battlefield, when it became clear that became an extended affair, but then we had that the available ones would not conform to the cause for celebration… cloth-over-props terrain. Not wishing to risk the ire of our hosts by scattering sand onto the table, In the afternoon, the French renewed their we opted to dispense with roads as such, since infantry attack on the ridge, supported by they do not influence rates of movement under heavy cavalry hoping for the breakthrough. Charge! rules, and just mark their approximate The morning’s fighting had cost them dearly trace with hedges. however, and they retreated back to their starting positions even further diminished in Allied and French troops were deployed strength. Thus it was that when Peter arrived and according to their historical starting positions, deployed the Prussians between Papelotte and but our players – Graham as Wellington, Sven as Plancenoit, they met with very little resistance, Orange and Stephen as Napoleon – would be and shortly thereafter our Napoleon conceded free to use them according to their own plans. the day without even risking the Guard in a last, The Prussians’ arrival was scheduled somewhat desperate move. flexibly for the afternoon, both to keep things less predictable and because Peter, their commander, could not make it for the morning.

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 40 After all the troops and terrain had been packed up again, there were high-fives and back-slaps all around in the shadow of the Lion Mound. Other groups and clubs would have bigger games, with vastly more figures and grand terrain, to mark the bicentennial, but we had done it on the field itself, where re-enactors were even now pitching their tents for the upcoming pageant. A very happy, if somewhat exhausted, little group shook hands and went their separate ways.

Lessons learned?

Don’t do jubilee games, or if you must, pick a scale and scope where you already have most of what is required. Starting from scratch to pull off our game has been a great journey, but at times racing to meet the deadline felt just too much like work. After the event, most of us felt all shako-ed out, and needed a change of period and theatre to keep the hobby flame alight. Only Peter has been soldiering on, his Dutch forces now a respectable size, and slowly the rest of us are returning to Charge! and the Hundred Days. There’s even talk of staging another game at Le 1815 this summer – but this time, using just the figures we actually have…

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 41 turn along the road at point A; which unit arrives Charge! being determined by a D6 as follows: the Rearguard 1 = Hussar sqn. 2 = Cuirassier regt. Rob Grace, UK 3 = Hungarian Inf. regt. 4 = Austrian Inf. regt. 5 = Artillery battery #1 This was my first attempt at a Table-top teaser 6 = Artillery battery #2 for my ‘toy soldier’ armies using Brigadier Young’s Charge! rules. Not being blessed with a 9x7 foot table like Charles Grant I needed something that would draw out the action or it would all be over in few turns. To achieve this, I went a bit overboard with the ‘armies’, separated by a river and entering over several turns; all in a rearguard scenario where one side would be seeking flight rather than fight. This was crammed on to my 8x5 foot table as shown opposite with the game in progress a few turns in.

Unit arrival is diced for at the start of the turn, after order writing, and the unit will march in column along the road. If the entry roll indicates a unit that is already on the table, the unit with the lowest arrival score that has yet to arrive is substituted. This mechanism should ensure that the lower numbered units arrive sooner.

The Bavarians mostly enter at Point B with some appearing at C or D; they dice for order of arrival in the same way (entry point in parentheses) as follows:

1 = Hussar sqn. (C) 2 = Militia regt. (D) The Scenario: revolves around an Austrian force 3 = Dragoon regt. (B) seeking to evade a much larger, off-table, French 4 = Bavarian Inf. regt. (B) force attempting to pin them against a river 5 = Swiss Inf. regt. (B) while a smaller Bavarian force tries to block their 6 = Artillery battery #1 (B) escape. The Austrians enter the table at point A (see map) and must exit at point D by move 15; Before the game begins the Bavarian player anything failing to do so is deemed captured rolls a D6 for each river section to determine by the pursuing French. The Austrians start which are fordable (4-6 on a D6). A sketch is with a light infantry regiment of 2 companies drawn to record the results but is not shown to of Pandours holding the house and wood on his opponent; the ticks and crosses on the map the northern side of the western bridge and a indicate the fordable sections as played in the company of Croats on the road 12” from point game described below. A . The rest of the Austrians enter one unit per

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 42 The Game: opened with few surprises; the The Pandours were reinforced by a company Austrian hussars being the first to arrive to lead of Hungarian infantry to prevent any attempt the army to safety while the Pandours pushed to rush the bridge (see photo) by the growing forward in skirmish order towards point B to delay number of Bavarian units marshalled against the approaching Bavarian infantry. The action them. These superior numbers were brought to developed rapidly over the next few moves as, bear and the Pandours, and to a greater extent spotting Bavarian militia approaching from the the more exposed Hungarians, started to take east (D), the Austrians sent their hussars and heavy losses from Bavarian musketry and artillery. Croats to seize the eastern bridge while still clear. The hussars overthrew the first militia company Finally, the much-anticipated Austrian cuirassiers (see photo) their success underlining the value appeared bringing up the rear of the column as of cavalry and the frustrating absence of the the last unit to arrive! The lackadaisical attitude of Austrian cuirassiers. While the hussars crashed this unit of dawdlers continued as they marched into the militia across the bridge the arrival of along the road unconcerned by the sight of two the Bavarian hussars (at point C) convinced the squadrons of Bavarian dragoons eyeing them Pandours that discretion was the better part from the ridge across the river (north of point A). of valour and they fell back to more defensible The cuirassiers’ composure was rudely shattered terrain covering the western bridge. as the dragoons declared a charge on them – the possibility that the river might be fordable had been overlooked! Somewhat unfairly these haughty cavaliers escaped punishment for their hubris thanks to a scandalous sequence of lucky die rolls which saw them win the resulting melee. It now dawned on the Austrians that the river was not the reliable barrier they had assumed it to be and henceforth more caution was exercised.

As the casualties mounted in the firefight at the western bridge the Austrian column reached the eastern bridge, now cleared of the militia by the hussars and Croats. On crossing, the Austrian infantry wheeled to their left to form a defensive line to shield the following units (see photo). As more troops poured onto the table the This line was soon put under pressure as the Pandours effectively shielded their army’s flank Bavarians shifted their weight of effort from the as it marched at best speed to the eastern bridge. western bridge to the eastern crossing. Initially

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 43 the infantry firefight was fairly ineffective and all started to shift until in the twelfth move both seemed to be going well for the Austrians but armies reached their break points! The Bavarians then the Bavarian artillery evened things up with claimed a draw with honours even, while the several turns of devastating fire. No doubt this Austrian argued for a technical victory, as with the was Lady Luck offsetting the outrageous luck Bavarians withdrawing the Austrian line of retreat enjoyed by the Austrian cuirassiers in their earlier was left open… With such an unsatisfactory fracas with the dragoons. With the Austrian outcome, further conflict is inevitable, perhaps artillery mostly staying limbered to keep pace you can achieve a more decisive result? with column, the Austrians were unable to reply effectively. As a result, the balance of the game

Wargamer’s Notes Quarterly: Issue 3 | June 2017 | Page 44 Afterward...

And that’t it for another issue. We’ve started compiling Issue 4 already as the cycle keeps on going and it’s starting to take a shape. Our feature article will be on the Eureka Stockade, a little known (outside of Australia!) colonial skirmish. There will be articles on naval games, building ships and boats for wargaming, setting up a Renaissance campaign and the start of a new series on the Brandenburg army in the time of the Great Elector.

Eclectic enough?

All the best, Greg and Stokes