New Items completed recently

Just a list of some eclectic things completed recently for the wargames collection...

28mm Russian Air Ambulance for the Russian/Afghan War

28mm T55 for the Russian/Afghan War

28mm Russian armoured car and trucks for Finn/Russian Winter War

28mm 1/2 Tracked Russian Armoured Car

28mm Natal Mtd Police dismounted for Zulu Wars

28mm Dacian Warband

28mm Union Light Gun Battery

28mm Union Big gun Battery

28mm Roman Auxiliaries

28mm Roman Command

28mm Roman Legion

28mm British Napoleonic Brigade

28mm Bloody 11th Devonshire Regiment

28mm Command bases for Dux

trailing the 3, 2, 1 basing to denote level commanders

28mm "Pip" the dog for Rorke's Drift...

28mm supply stands

ZULU our 2015 Chuckadice Christmas Game

ZULU's SIR FOUSAND's of THEM...

This year saw me running the Christmas game for our Monday night game group of friends (Chuckadice Group) which have met every Monday night for the last 32years from what I can remember, scary eh boys?...
The older members of the group have gamed for even longer than that!!

This years all day event was held on Bank Holiday Monday 28th December 2015 at the Zaple abode, as usual we gathered in the morning with terrain, figures, our left overs from Chrimbo, and a host of beverages of varying degrees, some of us not able to partake in alcohol!

The Motley Crew "Chuckadice" 

Top Left to right  Paul "Panjo", Andy "Pink Fluffy Bunny", Colin "Edgecombe", Rob "Zob"...

Bottom Left to right Me... Nathan "Stumpy", Jason "Taffy/Grasshopper...

We had decided to refight the Rorke's Drift game in 28mm, using the "Boys from Isandlwana" rules, the below is a picture history of what occurred throughout the day...

The scene is set, terrain was laid out on a 6'x4' board

Andy, as Lt.Chard, Zob as  Lt.Bromhead, and Colin as Colour Sgt Bourne, each with 2 x 8 men sections and various other characters, such as Sgt.Reynolds, Henry Hook, Commissary Doulton, Surgeon Reynolds, Cpl.Scheiss, Lt. Ardendorf, Pip the dog, and various NPC's as ammo and water carriers, making 63 figures...

Panjo and Jas are playing the Zulus with 15 x 16 man units, and 4 x 8 man rifle units, each being recycled three times making 816 potential figures for battle, and me running the game...

Zulus in the distance, defenders manning the barricades, with one eight man section out in fore ground retrieving a wagon, one section building a redoubt in front of surgeon group in the middle of the defences, and one section at the back of the defences clearing the camp/tented area...

There would be 12 turns of daylight and D6 turns of twilight, where two waves would be available to use, and then darkness would fall and the third wave would be available for a final attack. 

Zulus at the barricades... Hold Em.... In these rules British fire is devastating, and HtoH fighting is bitter...

Bleedin Zulu in the camp....

As normal the day was filled with good humour, loads of friendly abuse and a good deal of laughter and friendly bickering.. 

although it looks overwhelming for the gallant defenders the rules give the advantage to the lesser numbers, but the Brits do have the advantage of the defences and the terrain, making it hard for the Zulus to break in, twice they managed to get in over the wall at the Krall area, but the Brits fell back to the storehouse and the biscuit box defences.

Holding the Storehouse was a hard fought battle and the Zulus swept around both areas coming in both sides, semi co-ordinated...

The Brits held off the Zulu force until dusk...

When the Induna seeing his dead lying on the field and the faces of his defeated men he felt he would not be able to break in the defences and sending a small force to sing honour to the valiant defenders of  KwaJim's Land, the Zulu Impi turned and left the area in search of death and honour elsewhere...

My thanks to all the Chuckadice boys, your company and gaming was exceptional as always, like herding cats..

In a few weeks we will fight another Zulu game but on a more open battle field, how will the British Forces handle the Zulu without defences?

We shall have to wait and see?

Battle at Tokar Part 3 in Sudan Campaign

A couple of weeks ago we fought our second battle in the Sudan Campaign that I'm running,...

2nd Brigade under Major Pengilly marched on after his battle at Sinkat, capturing the towns of Sinkat, El Teb and Tokar, bypassing the town Maj. Pengilly camped the night on the open plain in square formation, on the Dawn of 27th January, 7 days after his last action, a washer woman came from the town to inform him that there were several thousand Tribesmen massing to attack him being led by their local leader Osman Dinga...

The square forms up with the stand to...

Square is formed up with the Cavalry ready to sweep in where required...

Stand to!!!!

 

After the first charges are sent in by the Fuzzy Wuzzy's the square has reformed to give more firepower to bear, casualties mount rapidly on the native units...

 

More Fuzzy's rapidly advance off their blinds ready to attack the Egyptian infantry who have just turned up with the water supplies (in the background) to assist their British friends...

 

Fierce fighting had caused the natives to fall back on the left and the cavalry took the opportunity to charge in and smash a couple of units... with the Royal Marine Light Infantry and Gardiner in support... Those damn guns reeked havoc amongst the massed ranks of natives... The artillery piece was lost retaken and lost several times, fighting was fierce around this point...

 

Things start to look a bit dodgy for poor old Major Pengilly and his 2nd Brigade, the preacher starts praying the lords prayer, yeah I walk through the valley of death... Osman Dinga has called forward all his troops to smash this invader... Camels... and more Rubs arrive to surround the British... The sweat pours down the back... especially when the Gardiner jams...

 

 Seeing a gap in the lines, where native rubs have been wiped out after the See You Jimmy card forces the highlanders to charge... Major Pengilly playing his Bravery Card, storms forward with his escort and manages to capture Osman Digna after fighting his body guard in single combat and defeating him...

 The next card is a Native rub card allowing the Mahdist to charge into the fray and rescue their brother and leader and capture the Imperialist leader as well... Allah and victory must surely be with them...

At that point the British Cavalry card is next out and they charge the Fuzzy's surrounding Major Pengilly and the enemy leader, they manage to wipe out the enemy to a man saving Maj. P and recapturing Osman Dinga...

At this point the native troops seeing their leader captured and the many Rubs Flags lying in the sand covered in blood the remaining force starts to drift away into the deserts beyond leaving the battered British force to thank the lord for the brave actions of their leader and saving them from certain death...

 

Casualties have been relatively low considering the Brigade was almost over run... over 900 dead, wounded, and missing, but inflicting over 4,000 dead on the natives...

 

The day of 27th January is over for the 2nd Brigade, collecting dead, tending to the wounded, distributing ammo, the Maj. has now to choose his next actions...

 

Meanwhile Major Ralls and his 1st Brigade on board his Steamer convoy is just about to reach the 4th Cataracts just outside Kirbeka...

Waterloo Bi-Centenary Game, 1815 - 2015

Waterloo Bi-Centenary Game, 1815 - 2015

At the latest Club meet at the Devon Wargames Group I was leading our club tribute to the significant anniversary that takes place next week commemorating the Allied victory over the Imperial French forces of Napoleon at Waterloo on the 18th June 1815.

I have been piecing together my collection to be suitable for re-fighting the Hundred Days Campaign and so this little skirmish was put on played with Nick, and Ian as Silly Billy and Wellington, not necessary in that order, and Andy and Vince as French Marshal Ney.

 The game depicted yesterday was a re-enactment of the fighting around Quatre Bras.

 

View from the North East, Quatre Bras on the left, Bossu Wood, Gemioncourt Chateau Farm and Piermont of inn the distance top left... Perponcher with 3 units fortify the Farm, whilst the Prince of Orange rushes down the Brussels road with Nassua and Artillery, whilst the first French Diviaion arrives on the scene... 

 

 

 

Gemioncourt Farm... Perponchers Dutch Militia and 2 Line Regiments hold the farm, whilst the French start to mass Infantry, Guns, and Cavalry...

 

 

 

 

Piermont held by Nassua Infantry, are pounded by Horse artillery and covered by Guard Cavalry...

 

 

French start to assault the Farm...

 

 

French light Cavalry, Chassuers and Lancers race ahead to cross the stream... before the Allies can deploy a defensive line...

 

 

The next Division arrives...

 

 

Yet more French arrive at the road... but it starts to become a bit of a log jam as the French cannot shift the Dutch from the farm...

 

 

Light cavalry crossing the stream slowly...

 

 

WofO manages to get his guns and infantry deployed, but with the French building this surely cannot last long?

 

 

The French try and tie up the Farm and bypass the Dutch, but take musket fire from the flank in march column...

 

 

On they come, as  Picton arrives in the distance near Quatre Bras...

Chassuers charged the Nassua and bounced as they were behind a wall, the Lancers also charged the Belgian guns on the hill opposite, and bounce!!! Vince's 12 dice versus Ian's 4 resulted in a BAD melee for the French, we anticipated the Lancers munching the guns, but Vince's Lancers couldn't poke anything let alone Belgians!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Picton forms his defensive line, Wellington finally arrives on the left, Alten's Division arrives and deploys into Bossu Wood...

 

Picton's Line, Dutch Belgian Light Dragoons see off the French Chassuers, with the help of a very poor dice roll from me... Nick was slightly happy at that, I can still hear him laughing now!!!

 

 

French surrounding the Farm, and the cavalry retreating back across the stream...

 

 

Alten's Division awaiting the French columns...

 

Perponcher still holds the farmhouse at the end of the game... he was a thorn in the side of the French... a very painful one...

 

French columns swarming around the farm, trying to cross the stream, being shot up from the rear...
 

Other pictures of the game courtesy of Nick & JJ...

 

The French were unable to clear the road by the end of time we had to play, the game was only half way through the scenario, and with another three divisions to arrive would have eventually been able to put pressure on the allies, but as it stands with three French units Broken and none of the Allies, Nick insists it was a glorious Allied victory at 7pt to 0!!!

 

Anyway the rules used were Lasalle which played quite well for a fairly big game...

 

The highlights included French lancers taking a face full of cannister whilst trying to charge Dutch Belgian gun Battery and some Dutch light cavalry performing way above their pay grade.

 

Thanks to Ian, Nick, Andy, and Vince for playing... Vive Le Emperuer...