The Teasers...

Over a period of years in the late 70's and early 80's, Charles Grant published a series of articles in "Battle", and then "Military Modelling" called the 'Table Top Teasers'.

As time has passed I've picked up various copies, been given some, but have basically collected a number of them together - they're an invaluable source of scenario idea's, so on this page I thought I'd share them with the world.

The page is intended then as a resource for what I think were a brilliant set of articles, and an endless source of good game ideas - I've played these games over and over again... the page is also meant as a VERY respectful "nod of the head" in the direction of one of the "greats" in the wargaming world, namely Charles Grant, and a now legendary series of articles... my thanks to Charles for giving permission for me to continue hosting these articles.

By the way, happily, Charles started writing these again for "Battlegames" magazine before it folded - these will definitely not be appearing here..

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Word Document	JPG's of the original article (be warned - they're quite big!)	Teaser Title	Teaser Description
February '78 (Battle)	Page 1 (1.8Mb) Page 2 (2Mb)	No. 1 - "The Bridge Demolition"...	"Blue forces have broken through thirty miles to the north. Red is re-organising to counter attack in two days, but has been caught off balance. In order to give himself time to prepare he has to delay Blue. In this particular sector the bridge at X must be destroyed before it falls into Blue's hands. "
March '78 (Battle)	Page 1 (1.8Mb) Page 2 (1.9Mb) Page 3 (2.2Mb)	Playtest of "The Bridge Demolition" Teaser...	"This is an account of Teaser number one played between Charles Grant who commanded the Blue forces of the aggressor, and this humble writer who took Red's side. The former led the army of the Vereinigte Freie Stadte and assumed the august personage of Fritz Von Tarlenheim, Marshal General of the V.F.S. To those of you who are familiar (either through this magazine or the book The Wargame by Charles Grant) with the wars of the V.F.S., it will come as no surprise to learn that Red was therefore represented by the forces of the Grand Duchy of Lorraine, commanded 3n this occasion by General Chambray."
April '78 (Battle)	Page 1 (290Kb) Page 2 (330 Kb)	No. 2 - "The Wagon Train"...	"One is perhaps inclined to overlook, amid the heat and excitement of the battle some of the apparently mundane but important problems, which beset commanders. All too often the organisation that is required to send a soldier into battle well fed, dressed, and with ammunition and weapons is forgotten - "Wagon Train", for want of a better name, is such a scenario".
May '78 (Battle)	Page 1 (1.9 Mb) Page 2 (1.8 Mb)	Playtest of "The Wagon Train" Teaser...	"The Ancient British and Roman scenario suggested as one of the options in teaser two was well suited to the armies of several members of the Dover covent. For this reason the wagon train was set in motion across the much fought over Grant wargame table last August".
June '78 (Battle)	Page 1 (1.6 Mb) Page 2 (1.5 Mb)	No. 3 - "The Advance Guard Action"...	"This particular scenario is not designed for the faint of heart. The commander of an advance guard may from time to time be presented with an opportunity too good to overlook. The option then arises to risk all and take advantage of the situation, or to ignore the chance and let it pass by".
July '78 (Battle)	Page 1 (1.7 Mb) Page 2 (1.8 Mb)	Playtest of Teaser #3 - "The Advance Guard Action"...	"It is believed that the Austrians hold the bridge at 'X'. Your orders are to secure the town at 'Y' prior to an assault on the bridge by our main force when it arrives tomorrow -your immediate objective is to be taken by nightfall. The ultimate possession of the bridge will be essential for the launching of our main offensive..."
August '78 (Battle	Page 1 (1.7 Mb) Page 2 (2 Mb)	No. 4 - "Hold Up in the Badlands"	"on occasions the contingencies of war may force commanders to do battle on ground which is to neither side's liking. Worse still, the ground may be a downright disadvantage to both. This teaser puts our old favourites Red and Blue into just such a situation where battle is inevitable but the ground for both is unenviable."
September '78 (Battle)	Page 1 (1.7 Mb) Page 2 (775 Kb)	Playtest of "Hold Up in the Badlands" Teaser...	"You command a garrison force protecting the extreme left flank of the army. To the south are the "Badlands", a swampy area which would take the Confederates beyond, about three days difficult march to cross. To the north and east of your position lies friendly territory but with no other troops. Your task is to guard the flank of the army and prevent any enemy incursions".
October '78 (Battle)	Page 1 (1.4 Mb) Page 2 (1.7 Mb) Page 3 (528 Kb)	No. 5 - "The Dawn Attack..."	"This month our Teaser deals with the use of night to gain surprise and thus deliver a 'dawn attack'".
November '78	.	.	Articles moved to "Military Modelling" after the magazine merged with "Battle"…
December '78 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (1.7 Mb) Page 2 (2.2 Mb)	Playtest of "The Dawn Attack" Teaser...	..."With the coming of dawn, the two pickets of Austrian Uhlan nearest the approaching French, raced to warn the sleeping camp"...
January '79 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (1.6 Mb) Page 2 (799 Kb)	No. 6 - "Beach Landing..."	"An amphibious assault is probably one of the least enviable of military operations. Bad enough if it is an assault river crossing .. but a far worse problem for the commander if the assault is from the high seas into another country"..
February '79 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (1.3 Mb) Page 2 (1.6 Mb)	Playtest of the "Beach Landing" Teaser...	..."With the dawn breaking, my OPs, in particular the one in the lighthouse saw the menacing black silhouettes looming through the grey swell of the sea"..
March '79 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (704 Kb) Page 2 (613 Kb) Page 3 (212 Kb)	No. 7 - "Railway Incident..."	"..the idea is derived from that splendid film 'The Horse Soldiers' where the train, supposedly full of reinforcements pulls into the town, met only by a small party of soldiers who are much surprised to find that far from re-reinforcements, the train disgorges the enemy".
April '79 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (646 Kb) Page 2 (800 Kb) Page 3 (262 Kb)	No. 8 - "The Hasty Defence and Relief of a Town"...	"..a one day action with a holding force in a poorly defended built up area, holding out (we hope) until sufficient reinforcements can arrive to turn the tide. On the other hand, we have a somewhat uncoordinated but numerically considerably superior force aimed at taking the town and destroying the garrison".
May '79 (Military Modelling)		Playtest of "The Hasty Defence and Relief of a Town" Teaser...	"...the attacking troops dispositioned as at 8 o'clock in the evening, and the three commanders assembled at the windmill. These three commanders fielded Prussian armies of the Seven Year's War..."
June '79 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (1.9 Mb) Page 2 (2.1 Mb)	Playtest of the "Railway Incident" Teaser (March 1979)...	"...The action at Cornpore Junction could not in any way be described as the Way I had envisaged the Teaser unfolding... ".
July '79 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (2.4 Mb) Page 2 (2.5 Mb) Page 3 (861 Kb)	No. 9 - "Ambush" ...	"...A crashing volley fells half the closed-up soldiers and the rock and bushes spring to life - 'ambush'!"
August '79 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (840 Kb) Page 2 (802 Kb)	Playtest of the "Ambush" Teaser...	"..You are to select positions for your force to ambush a convoy proceeding from the west. This convoy consists of Princess Zenobii of Kali and her considerable dowry escorted by soldiers of the future husband, the Emperor Osbosis of Dubris. You are to intercept and seize both Princess and dowry before They cross the bridge to the south and safety.".
September '79 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (1.7 Mb) Page 2 (1.5 Mb) Page 3 (2.3 Mb)	No. 10 - "Rear Guard"...	"..This month's Teaser centres round a blocking position occupied by a rear guard and provides the defender with the choice of a forward or a reverse slope position or indeed a combination of both..."
October '79 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (2 Mb) Page 2 (1.8 Mb)	Playtest of the "Rear Guard" Teaser...	"French forces, late of the Grand Duchy of Lorraine, were given the following orders: You command the advance guard following up the retreating Prussians. The enemy rearguard appears to be making a stand on the Saltau Ridge, presumably to cover the passage of his main force over a ridge a day's march to the north, where intelligence indicates it will link up with another army. You must drive off his rearguard position during the day (24 periods) in order that our pursuit can press on to prevent the union of the enemy's forces." ..
November '79 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (676 Kb) Page 2 (530 Kb)	No. 11 - "Advance Guard"...	"The commander of the advance guard must have an eye for the ground considering not only his own forces but also likely enemy ploys and positions..".
December '79 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (1.8 Mb) Page 2 (2.2 Mb)	Playtest of the "Advance Guard" Teaser...	"The "Advance Guard" Teaser was fought in Dover under the title of "Spearhead" and, using 20mm scale [WW2] troops... "
January '80 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
February '80 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
March '80 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
April '80 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (610 Kb) Page 2 (386 Kb)	No. 12 - "Key Point"...	"..our teaser concerns a key point or critical feature.. places which may assume momentary but enormous strategic importance by virtue of the circumstances immediately preceding..".
May '80 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (1.8Mb) Page 2 (1.9 Mb) Page 3 (2.2 Mb)	Playtest of the "Key Point" Teaser...	"Last month the "Key Point" teaser presented a scenario where a garrison force protecting a border crossing find themselves in a desperate struggle to hold out against an enemy flying column sent to seize the suddenly vital junction. This teaser was fought at Dover in a mid-eighteenth century setting."..
June '80 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
July '80 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
August '80 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (560 Kb) Page 2 (780 Kb)	No. 13 - Neutral Ground...	"Perhaps it is the legacy of the wars of the 20th century which makes us think of war in terms of a 'nation in arms'. It is almost inconceivable to us that the countries ... should be able to carry on all other elements of daily life isolated from a military struggle. It was not always so however.".
September '80 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (1.8Mb) Page 2 (2.1 Mb) Page 3 (1.8 Mb)	Playtest of the "Neutral Ground" Teaser...	"Of the many and varied teasers that have been fought but at Dover, this particular one must surely be one of the most enjoy¬able, at times amusing and always exciting, of the series so far"..
October '80 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
November '80 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
December '80 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (840 Kb) Page 2 (875 Kb)	No. 14 - "Peninsular Conflict"...	"..to try and portray the situation early in the Peninsular War when comparatively small and reasonably experienced French armies, led by seasoned commanders, were able to take on and beat considerably larger Spanish armies. To this end some special morale consideration was required to provide the Spanish army with the appropriate disadvantages and this will be studied in more detail.".
January '81 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (1.8 Mb) Page 2 (2.1 Mb)	Playtest of the "Peninsular Conflict" Teaser...	"The year is 1808 and the French Armies have stolen the Spanish crown and are spreading their tendrils over our country. A small French advance guard is pushing ahead of the main body intent on seizing one or both of the passes of El Roco which guard the fertile plains beyond. Your force is to defend the passes throughout the day in order to prevent the French gaining control of one or both. If you can hold the French throughout the day, the night will see you reinforced by militia and regular units arriving through the pass. If the French are allowed to take one pass their armies following behind will be able to march into the plains unopposed. It is therefore imperative that you succeed."
February '81 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
March '81 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
April '81 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
May '81 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (2 Mb) Page 2 (2.5 Mb)	No. 15 - "Viking Saga"...	"This excellent idea for a Teaser comes from Glasgow Wargamers Club who put on a display wargame called "Viking Raid" at the Scottish Association of Wargamers meeting "Fiery Cross '78". The sight of the table with the longships in the bay, the lusty warriors leaping ashore and the villagers and cattle running in all directions was a great advertisement for wargaming."
June '81 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (861 Kb) Page 2 (822 Kb)	Playtest of the "Viking Saga" Teaser...	"As dawn broke in period 1 the six longships slipped 12ins towards the mainland and were seen for the first time by the sentries at the beacon. This heralded a shrill alarm blast and the next period, the beacon was lit."
July '81 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
August '81 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
September '81 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (152 Kb) Page 2 (109 Kb)	"Last Ditch Stand"	"There are very few circumstances in which a unit will continue to fight and can be an effective force when there are losses in excess of 50%... nevertheless such actions have occurred".
October '81 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
November '81 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (2 Mb) Page 2 (1.7 Mb) Page 3 (2.1 Mb)	Playtest of the "Last Ditch Stand" Teaser...	..."Somewhere in the ruins of an old mansion house in Alabama today is a little sign which reads: "Colonel 'Kentucky' was no chicken, He nearly gave those Yanks a licken'.".."
December '81 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
January '82 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
February '82 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
March '82 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
April '82 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
May '82 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
June '82 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
July '82 (Military Modelling)	.	No article..	.
August '82 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (157 Kb) Page 2 (126 Kb)	The Last Teaser - "Infantry versus Cavalry... "	"...it is the teeth arms or combat arms which do the fighting, win or lose the battles, and consequently are seen to determine the struggle... many generals have become known for their preference for, or ability to use, one in particular. This tendency in particular to be a "cavalry" or an "infantry" general, is carried onto the wargame table."
September '82 (Military Modelling)	Page 1 (1.8Mb) Page 2 (1.8 Mb)	Playtest of the "Infantry versus Cavalry... " Teaser...	"Last month's "Teaser" set the scene for an ancient battle with a primarily infantry army set against one consisting largely of cavalry. Of the two possible cavalry armies suggested, I chose to play the heavy one using a force of Sassanids"..