"Firing into the Brown" #67 - Air War Games, gibbets and stuff...

"So Carnehan weeds out the pick of his men, and sets the two of the Army to show them drill and at the end of two weeks the men can manoeuvre about as well as Volunteers. So he marches with the Chief to a great big plain on the top of a mountain, and the Chiefs men rushes into a village and takes it; we three Martinis firing into the brown of the enemy".

Kipling "The Man Who Would Be King"

Time for another update..

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Noticed I had a whole load of little planes in the spares box the other day...

Four Spitfires and a half dozen Stukas - two of them appear to be tank busters..  Heroics & Ross perhaps?? Note the turning template in the background..

...and while I've never been that bothered* about wargaming battles in the air, a number of posts and blogs about the blogosphere that have been mentioning "Bag the Hun" piqued my interest, so I thought I'd see what else was about on the web, and if there was anything that might float my boat...  errr.. plane..

I'm not a fan of the Lardy rule sets, I've tried three or four of them now and it must just be the way my brain is wired but I can never understand them, so I wasn't bothered about buying "Bag the Hun", but I did have a copy of Don's "Air Wargames" on my book shelves..

* and apropos of nothing that's where this aside comes in because back in the day, a way away day (50 years ago), I did have a brief dalliance with WWI aircraft fuelled by that book - not sure I ever played a game as it was just all too complicated to represent height ..  bamboo poles with the planes on sticks that moved up or down the pole..

.."Air War Games" is not one of his better known, or even one of his better books - when it was written (1965 I think) the hobby was very much in it's infancy, and the same spirit of 'make do and mend' that dominated the table top game also extended to this branch of the hobby..  nets across the table with planes suspended at varying heights on bits of string, advice on how to attach string to show a diving plane, but unlike the classic "War Games" no rules are provided, just suggestions and ideas for a  framework, so I was back to the drawing board..  or rather the Interweb..

Which was where I found a free set called "Flight Squadron" described as "Ultra-Simple WWII Air Combat" (http://www.hmwrs.com/FlightSquad.htm). I liked the ultra simple bit, and although they are written for battles in the Pacific (torpedo bombers feature), they looked kind of interesting..  took a copy, condensed them to take everything out that wasn't relevant to the game I was going to play (take off/landing/anti aircraft/torpedo bombers/bombers) and put some planes on to the table for a little set to..

Planes made by AIM and is N scale (10 or 12mm) originally bought to support my Minifigs N scale WWII troops painted pre blog, 2007 maybe? Blue dice show altitude ie. the Bf109 is higher

I couldn't be bothered to start cutting up and basing the small one's so I used a couple of bigger planes that a while ago I painted for the WW2 project as ground attack options, and so it was that the dulcet tones of a 1085HP Daimler-Benz DB 601 and an Allison V-1710-39 V-12 roared across the desert for a meeting engagement between a Kittyhawk and a Bf109 - nothing clever I'm afraid as I just wanted to get an idea of how the rules worked...  didn't even do any turns or loops (as despite they fact they are described as ultra simple the rules for loops, rolls and S turns were frying my brain). Both planes entered at ceiling and I had an idea the 109 would be able to dive on the Kittyhawk for tactical assistance, but as it happens they both moved forward, fired... and shot each other down.. 😂

Interesting interlude..  but still not sure air wargaming floats my plane... 😏

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Was watching Clint in "Hang 'em High" the other night (great fun by the way - not so well known as the spaghetti one's, but holds up well) and was much taken with the gibbet... 

I may need one for Cedar Gulch..  perhaps it's time to get the hot glue gun out again..  😀

By the by, I was also very much taken with the prison wagon...  what a scenario idea that is!

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 Laters, as the young people are want to say...

"Firing into the Brown" #66 - Verbeek, Saloons, hitching rails and stuff...

"So Carnehan weeds out the pick of his men, and sets the two of the Army to show them drill and at the end of two weeks the men can manoeuvre about as well as Volunteers. So he marches with the Chief to a great big plain on the top of a mountain, and the Chiefs men rushes into a village and takes it; we three Martinis firing into the brown of the enemy".

Kipling "The Man Who Would Be King"

Time for another update..

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The mini is a Peter Pig British  Cavalry officer and was
painted and gifted to me by Prinz Geoffrey over on the
Cavendaria blog

"Verdomme" muttered Verbeek, as he kicked his horse Teufel into a fitful gallop across the dry featureless sand of the south Sudan.. 

"This is the second time these damned British have almost had me killed!", completely ignoring of course that on the previous occasion it had been he himself that had managed to get himself captured...

Happily Suakin, and safety, were only a few hours away. As he peered over his shoulder at the scene of the recent battle, he could see that the Dervish camelry were circling on top of the little hillock they had so recently occupied - their weapons in the air, he could also hear the sounds of their triumphant ululating... more importantly though, they were not following...

"God zij dank", it looks like he and Teufel would live to 'observe' another day.. glancing around he could see the gunners on their limber also looked relieved, but after just one look at the the face of the British Colonel recently in charge of the desert position, Verbeek decided to hold his counsel - their would be time enough later for his observations.. (😏)

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The last of the Cedar Gulch buildings has just left the painting table..  the Silver Dollar Saloon and Hotel..  "Whiskey, Beer and Rooms"

Pleased with this one..  a very imposing building on two floors both of which are accessible as I didn't glue them together..

Not sure I'll ever need to access the interior as I'm happy the floor plan idea is working, but you never know..

Dry brushed with dust brown, red windows and frames (very effective, was pleased with those), woodgrain doors, and the roof is a tawny brown ink wash..

 

The Saloon sign came off the Interweb and was serendipitously just the right colours!

Also pleased that the veranda is just the right size to fit the bases of my figures.. calling that one done - the beers are on me, boys!

With a bit of spare time after I'd finished the hotel I then knocked up a few hitching rails to put outside my various buildings - these were just extra-long BBQ matches cut to size, and then the hot glue gun was deployed for the first time in an age to stick them together...  hot glue guns are hideous by the way, the stuff strings up and goes everywhere. Black undercoat and then two contrasting shades of mud brown finished them off - bases are MDF with the usual PVA glue and sand/clump/stone cover..

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 Laters, as the young people are want to say...

One Hour Wargames Scenario 26 "Triple Line" - Setup and Game

So as promised, for the first time in seven years (😏), the Sudan troops have been deployed..

A return to my trusty side kick "One Hour Wargames", showed me I am now up to Scenario 26, so I chose that for the battle. This scenario is supposedly based on the real battle of Bladensberg in the War of 1812 and posits a situation where an ill prepared defender (of 4 units) has to try and stop a determined and overwhelming attacker (of 6 units) who has suddenly appeared. 

In a colonial/Sudan setting I think I would almost always make the defenders the Imperial side, it just seems right, so rolling for each side gave the Imperial/defenders 3 regiments of infantry and a small piece of artillery, and the Dervish/attackers got 2 rubs of rifle armed Ansar, 3 rubs of sword and spear armed foot and a rub of camel mounted sword and spear.

The tricky issue for the Imperials (and that's in addition to being outnumbered) is that they are also assumed to be so disorganised that, although they are allowed to fire, none of their units can move until an enemy is within 6", and one of their units is very exposed and deployed far in advance of their other units, despite being theoretically safe behind a river bank.

Move 1 and Table Set Up (following):

Table as follows..   

• defender edge to the left, attacker comes on from the right, and to the right of the river
• river is impassable except by the crossing
• the hill, the area of scrub, and the two rocky areas are bad going
• the road runs the complete width of the table, and is also the only crossing over the river

The defenders start deployed, and given the forces they had randomly rolled, their positioning was a bit of a no brainer - their foot was all of an equal quality so were deployed as per the scenario - the Sikhs defending the bridge, the artillery deployed on the hill for both visibility and range. Also on the hill were the  force commander and Captain Lucien Verbeek [clicky] (and his horse Teufel 😊). Verbeek is on attachment to the British army as an observer for the Belgian army to report back on the tactics and weaponry of the Dervish (in the event they coincide with any Belgian expansionist policy in North Africa), but also the tactics and weaponry of the British (because, well..... you never know..😏).

..and so the game started...

Now the Dervish commander (me 😏) had come up wth what he thought was a cunning plan, which was to bring up both his rifle armed Ansar units to the bridge and by a 2:1 majority destroy the "accursed Sikh's" before unleashing the faithful on the rest of the "infidel dogs". For the Imperial commander, the decisions are far easier, but no less frustrating, as his hands are tied (which makes this a very good solo scenario).

The Dervish commander kicks off his plan and the Ansar riflemen open fire with what can only be described as the most lacklustre shooting seen this side of the Irrawaddy in the last 20 years (poor dice throwing!), and while the Sikh's don't seem to be doing much better, the artillery on the hill is smashing the cricket ball out of the Oval. Very soon one of the Ansar units is destroyed, and with much froff'ing at the mouth, and howling of curses, the Dervish commander orders his camels forward to finish the Sikh's, which they do in short order...

Honours even at this point - the Dervish have lost a unit of riflemen, but the camel unit has destroyed the Sikh's - note black dice for recording hits, and blue dice for Dervish initiative/activation - I used red for the Imperials

The Dervish commander finally has a clear path across the river and orders his three sword and spear armed units to attack the foot on the Imperial left flank (Egyptians), the camels to attack the Imperial unit on their right (a Home Counties regiment), and with the battered but still available rifle unit to support the camels.

 

As the Dervish close to contact they are of course subjected to volleys of rifle fire, and the imperial gun on the hill is doing shocking damage.. 

... but they can't shoot everything, and in the end the camels smash home, and on the other flank, two units of sword and spear crash home on the Egyptian foot. With both forces engaged closely, the Imperial artillery falls silent, they cannot fire with their own forces so close...  

Dervish superiority in hand to hand contact is matched only by their lack of superiority in small arms and first the Egyptians are broken and sent packing (but not before they destroy one of the Dervish sword and spear units attacking them), and then the brave boys from the Home Counties also break and run.

With his force all but destroyed, and the artillery about to be overwhelmed (following picture), the Imperial commander orders the gun to be disabled, the gunners to escape by any and all means, and then orders his staff, and a certain Belgian staff officer, to do the same...

His troops spent, and his camel riders reporting their camels are blown, the Dervish commander has no choice but to let them escape...  no matter, the infidels were defeated, he has a rich haul in better and more modern rifles for his Ansar, and his mission has been overwhelmingly successful..  his master will be most pleased... 

Post match analysis:

• In hindsight, the Dervish commander (me! 😏) should have realised that the Imperial gun effectively nullified the 2:1 odds he was hoping for on the bridge.. mea culpa..   with the Dervish (as with the Zulu) their shooting is not their best suit, far better to get them in close with hand to hand weapons - I should have sent the camels in straight away.  
• The Rules [clicky] used were these.. v2 as I made some slight changes straight after the game based on observations made at the time.. 

Laters, as the young people are want to say...

"Firing into the Brown" #65 - John of Bohemia, Sudan and stuff...

"So Carnehan weeds out the pick of his men, and sets the two of the Army to show them drill and at the end of two weeks the men can manoeuvre about as well as Volunteers. So he marches with the Chief to a great big plain on the top of a mountain, and the Chiefs men rushes into a village and takes it; we three Martinis firing into the brown of the enemy".

Kipling "The Man Who Would Be King"

Time for another update..

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The post about the death of Sir Edmund Verney bought to mind the account of John, the King of Bohemia (the modern-day Czech Republic), killed at the Battle of Crecy .. 

Edward, The Black Prince after the battle of Crécy contemplating the slain King John of Bohemia, painting by Julian Russell Storey, 1888

John had lost his eyesight at the age of 39 or 40  in 1336, probably from what is now believed to have been ophthalmia. For political reasons, he had sided with King Philip VI of France at the outbreak of the Hundred Years' War in 1337.

Despite his infirmity, for the Crecy campaign John commanded Phillip's advanced guard and the  contingents of Charles II of Alençon and Louis I, Count of Flanders.

By the time of Crecy he had been almost sightless for 10 years, but according to the Cronica ecclesiae Pragensis Benesii Krabice de Weitmile, when he was told by his aides that the battle was lost, and it was better he fled to save his life, he replied 

"Far be it that the King of Bohemia should run away. Instead, take me to the place where the noise of the battle is the loudest. The Lord will be with us. Nothing to fear. Just take good care of my son."

The medieval chronicler Jean Froissart left the following account of his final words and actions..

'Sirs, ye are my men, my companions and friends in this journey: I require you bring me so far forward, that I may strike one stroke with my sword.' They said they would do his commandment, and to the intent that they should not lose him in the press, they tied all their reins of their bridles each to other and set the king before to accomplish his desire, and so they went on their enemies. ...

The king .. was so far forward that he strake a stroke with his sword, yea and more than four, and fought valiantly and so did his company; and they adventured themselves so forward, that they were there all slain, and the next day they were found in the place about the king, and all their horses tied each to other'.

I think it was the similarity of what can only seem to me to be that same dreadful fatalism that had made Sir Edmund take the field at Edgehill unarmoured, "he would neither put on armes or buff cote the day of battell, the reason I know not", and Sir John take to the field while blind...  both of them must have been fully aware of what the outcomes were likely to be, but still acted as they thought proper...  

On the shoulders of giants...

Ave..

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Difficult to believe it was so long ago (2017!), but bear with, as the Sudan collection has been deployed. 😱

Before I could play the game though (One Hour Wargames Scenario 26 "Triple Line"), I first of all needed to remind/review myself on my rule choices. Looking at my project page then, I seemed to start off with my own rules (a derivative of the 7YW/AWI Will McNally set), then moved to "A Good Dusting" by David Bickley but these days I yearn for simpler and simpler sets of rules, and what drives me is the narrative rather than the mechanisms. 

For this game then I thought I'd use the rules lifted direct from One Hour Wargames, but with some modifications..

• the rules in the book are for European warfare and don't account for native troops
• I wanted to throw in some solo amendments - a bit of grist in the mill

My basis was the American Civil War rules that DG and I worked up over a number of games a few years back - and specifically I was thinking of that initiative dice mechanism which I've always loved, and can provide some surprisingly awkward decisions even when you're playing both sides!

Game report to come but a copy of the rules (a work in progress) are here [clicky]

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Laters, as the young people are want to say...

"Firing into the Brown" #64 - The Jolly Boys march again, Sir Edmund Verney, and stuff...

"So Carnehan weeds out the pick of his men, and sets the two of the Army to show them drill and at the end of two weeks the men can manoeuvre about as well as Volunteers. So he marches with the Chief to a great big plain on the top of a mountain, and the Chiefs men rushes into a village and takes it; we three Martinis firing into the brown of the enemy".

Kipling "The Man Who Would Be King"

Time for another update..

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"My soro is beyond all that can bee sade..."

Detail from a portrait of Sir Edmund Verney, ca. 1640 by Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641)

Sir Edmund Verney was born in 1596 and knighted by James I in 1611. In 1612 (so could have been only16 at the time!), he was made a gentleman of the privy chamber to Charles, Duke of York, later Charles I. In 1623, he went to Spain with Charles and the Duke of Buckingham to court the Infanta Maria. They travelled incognito, and while there, he protected a dying Englishman from receiving his final rights from a Catholic priest by punching the priest in the face. Clearly the Spaniards weren't too happy about this but it does give a clue as to his religious leanings.

He was made Knight Marshal of England for life upon the coronation of Charles. He also stood for and was elected to parliament for Buckingham in 1624, New Romney in 1625, and for Aylesbury in 1629. With the approach of the English Civil War, he was also in the Short Parliament and then the Long Parliament (as member for Wycombe). 

He was no "yes, man" and despite his friendship, often found himself in opposition to the King, mostly due to his opposition to the Laudian religious policies (in essence making the Church of England more High Church/ceremonial/hierarchical). He was Puritan in his religious outlook, though not fanatical about it.  

Despite this, with the outbreak of war Verney declared himself for the King, bottom line, Charles was a personal friend as well as his King

“I do not like the quarrel, I do heartily wish that the King would yield to their desires, but I have eaten his bread and served him near thirty years, and will not do so base a thing as to forsake him now; and choose to lose my life (as I am sure to do) to preserve and defend this which it is against my conscience to do.” 

...for his service and loyalty, Charles made him Keeper of the King’s Standard.

His eldest son, Ralph, declared for Parliament, his younger son (also Edmund) declared for the King.. if ever there was a family that proved the statement this was a "war without an enemy" this was a typical one.. 

At Edgehill he died while defending the Royal Standard...

"[Sir Edmund Verney] himself killed two with his own hands, whereof one of them had killed poore Jason [Verney's servant], and brocke the poynt of his standard at push of pike before he fell, which was the last account I could receive of anie of our owne side of him … he would neither put on armes or buff cote the day of battell, the reason I know not” 

..from a letter to Verney's son Ralph, after the battle..

The standard was later recovered, but no trace of Verney's body was found - it's highly probable that he was buried in an unmarked grave on the battlefield.. Verney's widow wrote afterwards..

"My soro is beyond all that can bee sade; it tis not possibly to bee greater then it tis; but truly it trubles me much that his bodie was beriede amonst the multitude; I know itt coulde not have added anythinge to him, only have sattisfiede his friendes to have hade a cristan beriall" 

He died on the 23rd October 1642 (at the age of 46 years), and the anniversary of his death this week prompted this snippet proving that yet again history shows that we stand on the shoulders of giants.. 

Ave..

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Tex, Zeke and Robbie, reconvened at the livery after their recce of the gang's hideout - the ground was rough and broken and was perfect for a divided approach and attack... the three agreed that Tex should cover the front of the cabin, while Zeke approached from the side and Robbie the back.

Pausing only to get their weapons ready, Zeke and Robbie with a grin on their faces then pulled on their old uniforms - a bit snugger than they used to be, but if the three Jolly Boys were going into action again, it only seemed right...

Tex is armed with his trusty repeating rifle, and for this skirmish, Zeke and Robbie have 6 guns in addition to their old Sharps carbines. Black and Cole have their 6 guns as per the last skirmish. 

Move 1:

Start of move following... 

Tex (3♦), Zeke (Q♥), Robbie (Q♠) and in the cabin (floor plan left), Black (2♠) and Cole (8♠)

Crouched in the dust behind a rocky outcrop that backed on to the cabin, Robbie spat out some grit and listened out for any noise from the cabin - hearing nothing he doubled forward through the outcrop taking cover just short of the cabin but covering the back window. Over to his left, Zeke does the same but in moving kicks a rock. In the cabin, Cole looks up in surprise [I threw a D6 giving them a 50:50 chance of being surprised - I figured that they would be on edge] springs to the window, and spotting Robbie out back shouts a warning to Black as he draws his six gun. On the other side of the paddock, Tex hears Cole shout, throws up his rifle and takes a snapshot at Black through the window but not surprisingly misses. Black pulls his six gun and moves into better cover by the side of the front window.

Move 2:

Start of move following... 

Tex (5♠), Zeke (K♣), Robbie (10♦) and in the cabin (floor plan left), Black (K♠) and Cole (7♥) cover the front and back windows

In the cabin, Black sees Tex across the paddock and immediately guesses what this is about - 'stupid old man has come to get his bag of money back!'.. pausing only to rest his gun on the window frame, he aims and fires and is rewarded by the sight of Tex reaching for his ribs - crimson showing between his fingers. Zeke curses - this isn't what was supposed to happen - damn bad luck dogs him, first the damn stone alerting the bad guys and now a stupid lucky shot has hit Tex! Running forward he crouches besides the front door of the cabin. 

Robbie can see Cole and fires off two shots from his six gun. At this range there's no need to use his carbine. All he wants to do is make him keep his head down, but shouts with joy when he sees both shots hit Cole in the leg! [He threw 11 twice, needing only 8 or more to hit!] 

Cole ducks down in agony, but fires off three shots [he had a 7 card which allows three actions] in rapid succession - not surprisingly none of them hit. Tex grabs his chance and darts into cover, out of sight of the cabin, but moving towards it - no way he was leaving his friends to do this on their own.

Move 3: 

Start of move following... 

Tex (8♥), Zeke (2♦), Robbie (6♠) and in the cabin (floor plan left), Black (A♦) and Cole (K♥) - the yellow dice indicates Cole is currently "lily livered" (ie. shaken)

Black sees Tex run into the rocks and loses sight of him, so runs to door of the cabin with the intention of getting a shot at him - flinging the door open though, he is shocked to come face to face with Zeke! 

Hearing the shout of alarm, Cole spins round from the window and snaps off a shot at Zeke who he can just see round Black [threw a dice giving him a 50:50 chance to be able to see him], hitting him in the chest. 

Tex can't get a shot as Zeke is in the way [threw a dice giving him a 50:50 chance as well, which he failed],  but runs to the cabin door. Out back, Robbie fires twice more at Cole and is rewarded with at least one hit! In the doorway, Zeke recovers from his surprise, grunts "Avon calling", and fires twice at Black grazing him and causing Black to back away into the cabin [Black failed his 'lily livered' test]..

Move 4: 

Start of move following... 

Tex (8♣), Zeke (5♦), Robbie (5♣) and in the cabin (floor plan left), Black (7♣) and Cole (J♦) - the yellow dice indicates Black is currently "lily livered"

From across the cabin Cole fires twice at Zeke, he can see Tex just behind him but he's the better target - he hits him in the leg and chest, and Zeke ducks back round the corner of the cabin. With the doorway now clear Tex fires twice at Cole, hitting him twice and killing him outright [third leg wound and second chest wound either of which did for him]. Black pulls himself together, and backs into the corner of the cabin shouting out as he does that he's had enough... Robbie covers him from the back window and tells him to throw his gun down, and come out of the cabin with his hands up...

Pausing only to give some first aid to Zeke, who they are pleased to see is not as badly hurt as they had thought, Robbie and Tex enter the cabin and recover the bag of silver dollars. 

They don't hang round - the rest of the gang might be back any time, they reload their weapons, Tex takes Coles six-gun, and then tying Black to his saddle they sling Cole over the back of the other horse and the party head for home..

Post match analysis:

• First the damage - good call by Black, though I'm not so sure it will be in the long run... 😏 Cole was out of ammunition, so would have needed to reload anyway.. even if he hadn't been shot dead the odds would still have been 3:1 

• For this game, rather than a D10 to decide firing hits, I used 2D6 as I think it gives a more reliable/stable result - in the rules you're hitting on a 6+ or 8+ depending on weapon range, but there are modifiers to this for aiming/cover/morale etc. so the mean of the 2D6 is on, or about, the same value as to hit - for this game they were missing as much as hitting, so I'll go with the modifier for a few more games to decide whether the outcomes are too bloody or not. If it's too bloody then an increase of 1 to each of the "to hit" values will resolve the problem
  
  
• Lily livered test - when a character becomes lily livered ("shaken") they can test by throwing a dice and adding the value of any card in their hand - for my games I don't use a hand so in the same way as I have had to modify the 'jump the gun' and 'unconscious' rules, I just get the character to roll the D10 and score over their toughness value. In theory this is much harder than the test in the rules (in fact I can't see how you would fail the test in the rules as written!) and it worked for this game..
  
  
• Back at the livery, Tex, Zeke and Robbie collapse into chairs, and share a bottle - that's another scrape they seem to have been able to get out of. His wounds bandaged, and somewhat shame faced at having ducked away from the door, Zeke volunteers to make the evening meal - the other two laugh, and say they would have done the same, but seeing as he's offering, "yes please, and does that include breakfast as well?".
  
  In the stables, securely tied up, and with a slowly stiffening Cole wrapped up in an old horse blanket for his only company, Black awaits his fate - in the morning Tex and Robbie are taking him and the body to the local sheriff, there's a small reward for them... alive... or dead... 

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 Laters, as the young people are want to say...