Absolutely nothing's new on the western front

Hello! This Tuesday (Thursday polling - club was closed), we decided to go Great with 28mm First World War with a muddle of rules (Chain of command mixed with Through the Mud and the Blood - or simply Muddy CoC). The British, after extensive barrages, got into the first German trench line, A platoon of veterans trying to survive until the rescue would come, played by Peter. While Alisdair played the German platoon who supposed to help a platoon of stormtroopers (played by Bart) to get back what belonged to the kaiser, at least in his point of view.

The tanks were bombed out the barrages otherwise occupied, we just wanted to see what two platoons vs one plus a HMG would do. Aand the stormtroopers had a flamethrower ...

Well turns out it was probably too advanced towards the end of the war, as both players were reluctant to risk an all out attack at the same time and after some honorable advances and fire fights and losses it ended pretty much as a draw.

Still I had fun, but I would like to have seen more slaughter. Next time we will just do 1 or 2 set off points in the trenches and two to advance/fight out ... and we will incorporate some tanks ... without the german rabble seems too frightened to get over the papermachee top ....

Below some pictures from our Kaiserlichen Kriegsbericherstatter sampled photographs, achieved and shot under extreme conditions and danger of life.

The Initial set up

Stormtrooper before the storm

Normal Germans on their way to the slaughter 

Massed infantry before the storming attack

The trench packed with Brits

Ready to defend the new captured trench

To kill as many huns as possible 

While these huns "approach"

until the end of the foremost post

Meanwhile the stormtroopers

storming in their trenches

and firing with rifles at the enemy

The Brits get hurt but not too much 

Crucially not the heavy machine gun

and their supporting mates

they even fire their mad minutes

But the Germans somehow 

are stuck in their trenches

The British officer reading the news

while the storm troopers attack via the connection trench

but everybody get shot who sticks out their noses

The British line seems impenetrable 

Then in the last hour all advance - Attack!

Even the stormtroopers get near to melee with a British unit 

But in the end ... nothings new on the western front.

When you feel the urge for overkill ... (Ar-Bart-Ghorgorgorgoroth-al-dhul)

This time we decided to play Lord of the Rings, 28mm, with Alisdairs figures. He came up with a  typical last stand scenario, where the dwarves meet Galadriel with just a few guards (played by Bart) and then the overpowering hordes of (Dol-Guldur?) Gorgorgoroth come along to crush everybody (played by me as I have a soft spot for all evil, and was a dark owner of a once mighty (350 souls) ork horde). Alisdair would kindly play the umpire as me and Bart didn't (as usual) read the rules.

So task was easy, I had more units because I'm evil and then more because it was a last stand scenario - hey I like it! Bart out manouvered me a couple of times and hit first and got some charges, but in the end I made my numbers count. I send my beast and hard units to his flank and showered the others with arrows. Hach, da plan worked! Slowly Barts dwarven line was melting away, his Elven cavalry attack rode into doom, and then I killed Galadriel (ups, pardon moi, I know, very politically incorrect, but I didn't hit her, the arrows of my horde just did it), end of movie, credits start to run, no happy end (at least not for Celeborn for a while) as we run out of time, but Bart conceded defeat, so I had also demoralised his fighting spirit ... total victory on every level - I imitated a cinematic evile laugh ...

Then Alisdair apologised for underestimating the power of the horde and the set up of an unbalanced scenario ... ts, ts, ts, puny humans always get so easily emotionally unbalanced. Me though had a marvelous evening, and enjoyed killing good ones ... Yours, sincerely evil Captn Bad!

P.S. and at home I finished a late project ...

Thats me, the Vice-Chancelor of Minas Morgul with a cool move pointing at all he wants to be dead

Thats my horde plus the 20p coin is the center of the lidless Eye!!!

On the hill for now the elves and stunties (dwarves) and Galadriel

My deathknights and trolls advance to crush the puny humanoids

Then my death knights collide with the elven guard, me again pointing towards victims

while my goblin warge riders crush small dwarves!

Elves look good, even better when dying

the pointing-towards-victims-move did work!

a few stunties less to worry 

even the hands of the dwarf gods cannot prevent a few additional pages in the book of grudge

Thats my ever firing gogoroth horde - did I mention, I like hordes? 

short attacks followed by feigned retreats and then a shower of arrows

my small hordes surrounding the allies

my warg riders behind the lines 

the death knights sourounding the dwarves

Galadriel the sexy beast throws herself into battle wow! 

... just to get shot down - Galadriel no more!

Oh, may I introduce my 2 new friends: 6x4Eins and 6x4Zwei

together they are even better

1781 the slaughter at Villeneuve - AWI

Last Thursday we re-vamped the 28mm AWI mini campaign with the help pf "Eve of Battle".

Bart (the French-American) would have a river on his side and a BUA in front of his nose, a scouting unit and a fortified position (12") and the 1st turn, while Alisdair (the British) had a surprise attack (25% of the deploy can attack from the flanking table sides).

Bart got really quick into the heavy positions (the BUA and the fence plus his fortified position), before Alisdair could come in and make any real surprises! But he choose the Grenadiers to do so behind the enemy lines on the right flank behind the river. Bart just opposed him with his wavering Militia and a Continental Army regiment.

Alisdair had a unthankful task, but if his Grenadiers could kill one unit, especially the wavering Militia (or drive off field), he could retreat and play on time. Unfortunately in the ensueing fire fight he rolled two times so bad that, with some french help Bart was able to kill of Alisdairs best unit.

Now he really had to do what Bart would like best, attacking his fortified positions. Brigade-Gen. Alistair MacWatson did the heroic and nearly softened the Continentals in the house to breaking point, but they just hold! Then the French line came on the flank and brutally ended the combat and indeed the battle with a killer enfilade. Alisdair conceded defeat and Bart leads now the competition with 3 glory points (hey! its just the start!) ... next time Peter (the Hessian) must defend the King vs Mike and his Americans ... watch this space!

The British choose to come in march column ...

While The French-American had the first turn and were already in good position 

The little Hamlet was built up to a fortress

Then the Crown forces arrived in the second turn at the fences 

Basic position plus the surprise attack of the Grenadiers 

Shoot the rabble off the field!

But the rabble outnumber the Grenadiers .... 

Meanwhile the French allies hold their positions easily

Wave after wave is repelled in deadly volleys

Where  another British Line tries to outflank the hamlet 

Again fierce fire fighting, and the Grenadiers last stand

and the flank peppered by redcoats 

But the fire fights have one downside

The Rebels are in the better position

A house as good as new, aka Villeneuve ... 

The last ditch attack against the walls and the house

The British are inside the "garden"

But the French come in with a killer flank attack 

After this failed combat The British officer ceded defeat and the French American won the day!

Brig.-Gen. Bartholome d'Affrontal wins 3 glory points!!