Live Free or Die

As recently mentioned, I had no plans to purchase any new rules this year. Afterall it's not like I'm short of them. However one day after reading some reviews of 'Live Free or Die' by those Little Wars TV chaps on a few Blogs, I sought out a copy of the rules that inspired them, Loose Files & American Scramble, to see what all the fuss was about. I was immediately taken with the simplicity of the rules, but ones that had a lot of depth to them. 

So off to a good start as it were. Then I watched the Youtube tutorial of how the game mechanics broadly work and was further impressed. The Little Wars TV chaps also have some supporting info on their website, including a sample scenario, which can be found here: Little Wars TV. Again all looked rather enticing.

The only fly in the ointment was that it was not stocked here in the UK and I'm not one for reading a pdf online, which was one option to buy it from across the pond. Then a week or so passed and then I saw that it was available from Caliver Books in the UK, but for just over £30 plus p&p. This seemed a tad on the high side for some rules, but then it was clarified by others that along with the rules you also get the scenario book too. It should be noted too that half the proceeds from the sale of the book goes towards supporting the American Battlefields Trust, which is great to see. Happy to support this trust and having liked what I had read so far, I dived in and bought the book.

So what do I think of the rules? Note that I've yet to play them, but with that in mind, read on:

• The book is spiral bound so lays nice and flat when on the table, which is always a good thing in my book.
• The rules really are only 4 pages long, but everything is pretty clear and is certainly more 'modern' in its thinking than the original 'Loose Files & American Scramble'. This is very clear when you watch the Youtube video play through.
• There is a page of designer notes, which I find very useful when reading rules as you get an idea of where the writer is coming from. Neil Thomas is very good at setting his stall out in this regard.
• There is a page of FAQs and some Examples, again all useful. As they say, they can't cover every conceivable situation in 4 pages of rules, so feel free to come up with house rules where required. It is only a game after all. There is also a link to their website where you can find a free pdf for some optional and advanced rules that didn't make the cut. Again all good to have.
• There are 3 sets of QRS sheets for some reason, which I think is simply down to them combining the rules and scenarios into one book.
• Then there are 13 very detailed scenarios of all the major actions of the American War of Independence. Whilst these naturally are designed for these rules, they could easily be tweaked for other rulesets should you so wish.
• The only down side with the rules is that you do need an awful lot of bases to play these scenarios. Monmouth for example requires the British to have 99 bases, the Americans 79. I for one certainly don't have anything approaching this, even with my mdf figures. So either some bathtubbing is required, or you play a portion of the scenario or simply use the rules for scenarios from the likes of Messrs Grant & Asquith.
• Aside from the AWI, I can see these rules working perfectly well from the French & Indian Wars through to the War of 1812. In fact the latest Miniature Wargaming magazine is doing something along these lines with the War of 1812.

So there we have it. In short I'm very happy with these rules and am glad I decided to buy them, plus in some small way I've helped towards preserving thos wonderful American battlefields that we've often 'fought over' on the games table. I'm looking forward to giving these a run out in due course, hopefully FtF in May, with a fair wind.

Until next time, stay safe and keep healthy.

Flexible Roads

Flexible roads are one of those things I've wanted to have a go at for years, but have never quite gotten round to trying. My stop gap measure and one that has worked perfectly well for years, has been my felt cloth roads that I've used for Bloody Big Battles and on occasion Honours of War. Whilst the work really well they lack a certain aesthetic alongside my other terrain.

So last night with an hour to kill and not in the mood for painting, I decided to have a go at making some flexible roads, using one of my felt ones as a basis. The following photos will show you how I went about making a trial piece.

The basic felt road, which is 1" wide and 12" long. Also seen are some pva glue (the one builders use for mixing in wide cement, plaster etc) and some beige water based emulsion paint.

I mixed some of the paint in with the pva glue, diluted it slightly with water, and then applied this liberally to the felt. I wanted to make sure there was enough for the next stage. Note that this was all done on a piece of polythene plastic to make sure it didn't stick to the backing.

I then added some very fine sand in the middle section, the sort you find for children's sand pits, then some of my usual basing mix to the left hand section. This was then left to dry overnight.

The result in the morning after the lose sand and grit had been removed. As you can see, the finer sand has stuck to the pva on the backing sheet, but this was easily removed.

I then gave everything a simple drybrush, using the beige emulsion as a basecoat. some highlights were added and a few darker bits on the middle section.

My standard grit mix, whilst fine, is too coarse for a road surface but would work well for 28mm figures and vehicles.

The fine sand mix worked a treat and with more TLC, would look pretty good I think.

Some drybrushed felt that looks like, well, drybrushed felt!

The proof of the pudding so to speak. The test is pretty flexible, even over a relatively sharp edge as can be seen here.

The only down side, if one can call it that, is that it leaves a gap, as can be seen here, which you don't get with purely felt roads. However some addition of pieces of lichen would cover this up and not look out of place.

So my verdict? The test worked as well as I hoped it would, even for a quick paint job, it looked pretty good. The main question going forward is do I really need to make roads like this when i rarely use them going over a hill, given that I have perfectly usable mdf roads as it is? I need to have a think on this as as always, my time should be spent on painting figures rather than making more terrain!

For another approach that works equally well and with probably less effort, check out Jon Bleasdale's Blog to see how he approached this subject. I think you'll agree that it's pretty damned effective.

Thoughts on a postcard and as always, keep healthy and stay safe!

Spring Has Sprung ...

Spring has sprung, the grass has ris, 

I wonder where, them wargames is?

Well it's been about a month since my last post, so high time for a bit of an update on what has and hasn't been going on chez moi.

The Tail Wagging The Dog

I'm not alone in feeling that at times, Blogging can become more of a chore than it should be. Norm Smith has put this far more eloquently on his currently paused Blog than I ever could. It certainly became the case for me that, despite enjoying my current BKCII campaign, the weight of expectation to produce another AAR became like an albatross around my neck. So I simply decided to take a break from gaming and re-charge the batteries.

Alongside this the issue of the time taken writing an AAR for only maybe 5 comments led me to question whether or not to continue down this road at all. Again there have been lots of comments, ironically enough, on this issue as a result of Norm's post. Many people have made very valid reasons why they do not or cannot comment on posts, but it had become a somewhat thankless task for me, which I did not want it to.

Then there is the issue of the amount of time spent online, which whilst not excessive, was taking up too much of my time, which needed to be spent on other things. To give you an idea we went away for a day and a bit to visit my Dad for his 85th birthday. I never take my laptop with me so was offline for maybe 36 hours. When I got back and checked in on Blogs I follow, it took me 1 1/2 hours to read and comment on them. That really brought it home to me that something needed to change. So I cut back on the number of Blogs I follow and am consciously spending less time online, to give me time to do other things. So far I feel better for it.

Spring

After a very long, cloudy and wet Winter here in Bristol, some recent lovely weather has meant much more time outside doing my gardening and trying to shed some of the Winter padding that accrued whilst being stuck indoors. When the weather is this good my wargaming very much takes a back seat, until such time as it changes with our fickle maritime climate. 

DIY

Decorating the house has also consumed much of my time, meaning that by the end of the day I have been physically and mentally pooped and so the last thing that has been on my mind is painting toy soldiers of sorting out a game. On days like these I've really felt my age!

Family

As I've mentioned before, being a full-time carer for our neuro-diverse son, means that I have to deal with our Local Authority on his behalf. This can be at times an exhausting experience as despite the staff wanting to do their best, there simply aren't enough of them and the system is broken. A few times I have been in the mood to do some painting, plan a game etc and then a 'phone call or e-mail will leave me deflated and fed up. It really is a constant battle to get the simplest things done. 

Books & Painting

One benefit of less online time is that I've spent more time reading, which has been a constant pleasure throughout. Each morning I try to spend about half an hour or more reading before the day proper kicks off. That bit of 'me time' is a great boon and much treasured. Painting has been rather erratic due to the above, but I have done a bit, but more on that in another post.

A collection of some of my Patrick Delaforce books. I bought these years ago and have read some, but not all. I recently picked up one on the 11th Armoured Division on a whim and enjoyed it immensely. I'd forgotten how much useful info there is in these books for the wargamer, whether fighting in Normandy, Belgium or Germany in '45. Highly recommended if you haven't read them before. Get the hardbacks if you can as they have better maps than the softbacks.

I hadn't planned on buying any new rules this year, but having read good reviews on these as well as looking at their inspiration, 'Loose Files and American Scramble', I'm glad I did. I aim to do a more detailed review on my Blog soon.

An interesting book, full of info, but not an easy read. I think if I hadn't read all of Sear's books on the ACW I would have really struggled to understand what Paddy Griffith was driving at in his arguments. Worth getting and it does make you question some of the ACW rules out there.

I have been after this book for some time, but each time I have checked, it has been listed at silly prices on Amazon, Abe Books etc. After a comments conversation with Nundanket on his Blog, I checked ebay on a whim and managed to pick this up for just over £20 inc p&p. Result!

What's Next?

Well the DIY is nearly finished, so I should have some more free time soon for gaming and painting. Certainly I feel more in the mood for both after my 'break' and certainly feel more refreshed on the gaming front. Who knows I might even get a game in this weekend!

So until next time, stay safe and keep healthy!

Operation Cygnet - Campaign Moves - Day Three

With the British attack for the bridge South of Pemba having been a comprehensive success, both sides settled down for the night and carried out any moves as required.

Day Two - Night Moves

As the remnants of the German force defending the bridge retreated towards Pemba, the British 'B' & 'C' Coys secured the bridgehead, with their accompanying Sherman's. The 3rd Recce Sqdn moved over the bridge and advanced to the outskirts of Pemba, with one eye to the North in case any German reinforcements appeared from that direction.

'A' Coy and the 2nd Recce Sqdn continued to monitor the situation to the West in square 7. 'D' Coy with the AVRE's in support kept a weather eye towards Wuppertell, as did what was left of the 1st Recce Sqdn. The British Churchills moved to link up with the 1st Recce Sqdn, with the Cromwell's and Artillery moving towards 'D' Coy's positions.

For the Germans, the Fallschirmjager continued to hold Wuppertell whilst a Blank unit moved in from 16. Another blank unit moved from 6 - 7 to reinforce the Volkstuurm there. The remnants of 1st Fallschirmjager Kompanie moved from 15 to 14 with their Blank unit, possibly able to threaten the British LoC. 

The final German reinforcements arrived at 6 and two in 2.

An overview of the night moves at the end of Day Two.

The British are in a strong position near Pemba (3), but the Germans are massing in 6 & 7 which could cause problems for the British Club Route.

Much needed British reinforcements arrive (17 & 18), but again the Germans are massing either side of 'D' Coy, with units as yet unknown.

Day Three - Turn 1 - Weather - Mist

The German prayers must have been answered as as dawn broke, the whole area was covered by mist, thus grounding the British Air Support.

Despite this (hopefully) minor setback to their plans, the British decided to attack Pemba at first light, with 'B' & 'C' Coy's and the 3rd Recce Sqdn. 'A' Coy and 2nd Recce Sqdn would continue to monitor the Germans in 7, with support from the newly arrived AVRE's. The Cromwell's and Artillery arrived by 'D' Coy's positions, with the Artillery deploying alongside another Battery to support 'A' Coy's positions. The mist meant that any other support was unfeasible due to visibility problems. The Churchill's arrived by the 1st Recce sqdn and observed Wuppertell through the wisps of mist.

The Germans sensing an opportunity with the dreaded 'Jabo's' grounded, decided to mount an attack from 7 towards 'A' Coy and their supporting armour. The Blanks revealed themselves to be the 2nd Fallschirmjager Kompanie and the Panzer Schule Kompanie with their older marques of Panzers.

Some of the Blank units turned out to be just that, but in 2 a unit turned out to be a Battery of Nebelwerfers, whilst the other Blank in 2 moved into 1. The 1st Fallschirmjager Kompanie and their Blank unit moved into 13, ready to bring pressure to bear on the British 'D' Coy positions. With no armour support the Falschirmjager in Wuppertell stayed put and dug-in as best they could.

An overview at the end of Turn 1 - Day Two.

The fight for Pemba (the campaign objective), with the Germans receiving much needed support from the Nebelwerfers in 2.

The German attack goes in against 'A' Coy's positions, with the British luckily receiving another Artillery Battery just in time to support the defence.

Things could get interesting around Wuppertell and 'D' Coy's positions during the next Campaign Turn...

So some more interesting moves on the Campaign front, with two very different battles to be fought. The British should have the advantage in their attack on Pemba, but fighting in the mist in a BUA might out weigh the numerical and materiel superiority.

In contrast, what a mix of German units going into the attack! Thankfully for them they have the mist to help their advance and hopefully this will not cause and C&C issues. This could be quite closely fought and I must admit I'm rather looking forward to this one, given there are Volkstuurm and obsolete Panzer's being used!

With luck at least one of these battles will be fought next week, but not sure which yet will get to the table first. Plenty to think about in advance though. So until then stay safe and keep healthy!

Operation Cygnet - Day Two - The Bridge to Pemba

Having just seen off a determined attack by the Fallschirmjager from Wuppertell, the British High Command decided to try and force the bridge to the South of Pemba before the German defences could harden. Time was of the essence with it being late afternoon and the attack needing to go in before nightfall.

German OOB

1 x CO

1 x FAO

2 x HQ

3 x Infantry

1 x MG

1 x 81mm Mortar

1 x IG

3 x Stug III

1 x 105mm Artillery

1 x HQ 

2 x Pz IV

British OOB

1 x CO

1 x FAO

1 x FAC

5 x HQ

8 x Infantry

1 x MG

1 x 6pdr ATG

9 x Shermans

3 x Sherman Fireflies

1 x 25 pdr Artillery

1 x Typhoon GA

Scenario Details

The German troops have been able to make some defensive preparations, but not to the extent they would have liked. The British broadly knew where the Germans were due to the high ground which over looked their positions. With limited time to prepare for the attack, the British hoped that planned Air Support and a flank attack would allow for a successful operation.

Some details to note:

• The German infantry units count as Dug-In, so they were hit on a 5+ and I gave them a 6+ save. 
• The German Pz IV's would arrive at the start of Turn 2.
• The British CO and FAO would only arrive on Turn 4, to reflect them rushing from the recent clash near Wuppertell to support this attack.
• The British had one Scheduled Attack by the Typhoon.
• Dusk would fall on Turn 7, then Night on Turn 8.
• The river can only be crossed by the bridge.

Table Layout

As per previous games, the Warplan 5/5 maps and terrain details made this an easy table to set up. The terrain is broadly open grazing land with fences. I had to use some hedges as you need a lot of fencing, even on just a 4' x 4' table. 

An overview of the table, with the German troops deployed just North of the river, with the British 'A' & 'B' Coys to the South of it with their accompanying armour, whilst 'C' Coy and their tanks would arrive on the road from the Eastern table edge.

The objective, with open flood plains either side of the river and only the narrow bridge from which to cross the river.

The German troops spread either side of the road, with the Stug III's mixed in with the Infantry.

The view from the German lines towards the bridge.

The German FAO on the hill.

The British tank park, with 'A' Coy to the left and 'B' Coy to the right, with a combined tank force as the vanguard.

'C' Coy to the left and 'C' Sqdn to the right, ready to come on with mobile deployment.

The British Air Support, CO & FAO.

Turn 1

The British started their attack with the Typhoon coming in on a scheduled ground attack run, suppressing a Stug III, an Infantry unit and causing hits on others. The British tank Vanguard moved off, closely followed by 'B' Coy, whilst 'A' Coy held their positions and acted as a reserve. On the flank 'C' Coy moved on and paused by the fence, whilst 'C' Sqdn moved smartly forward and engaged the German Infantry and Stug III to their front, KO'ing the latter. Certainly things got off to a good start.

Across the board the Germans all failed their command rolls, but the CO managed to move a Stug III to cover their left flank, taking up position to cover the road and KO'd a Sherman in the process.

The Typhoon leads the attack, dodging desultory AA fire...

... and leaves mayhem in its wake.

The end of Turn 1

The British Shermans lead the advance with 'B' Coy following on behind.

'A' Coy hold their positions.

'C' Coy move to the fence on the left whilst 'C' Sqdn KO the Stug III to their front, but lose a Sherman in the process.

The Stug III, having moved to cover the flank, successfully engages the Sherman on the road.

Turn 2

The British FAC failed to call in another Typhoon strike, but the tank vanguard pushed onto the bridge, but could get no further and had a Sherman suppressed by opportunity Fire. 'B' Coy failed to move forward, but 'A' Coy advanced and engaged a Stug III across the river, suppressing it and forcing it back, with combined Sherman and 6pdr ATG fire. The Germans responded with their MG42 htting the 6pdr, but failed to suppress it. On the flank, 'C' Coy advanced cautiously, whilst 'C' Sqdn moved to the road and in a prolonged duel (ie really bad die rolls over 4 goes!) finally managed to KO the Stug III that was covering their approach.

The Germans attacked with what they could, given their losses in armour, with the FAO calling in his artillery on 'A' Coy, suppressing two Infantry units. Combined MG, Mortar and IG fire KO'd the 6pdr ATG and KO'd a Sherman by the bridge. Not a moment too soon the Px IV's arrived but could only advance to the first hedgeline.

An overview at the end of Turn 2.

'A' Coy have come under Artillery and Infantry fire from across the river.

The Sherman vanguard could only make it to the middle of the bridge, losing a Sherman as they advance.

'C' Coy moves up to the next fence line to support the attack across the bridge.

'C' Sqdn struggle to hit the Stug III but eventually manage to KO it.

Turn 3

The FAC managed to get through to the Typhoon cab rank and called them in on the newly arrived Pz IV's, to great effect, KO'ing both! The Sherman vanguard moved over the bridge only to be hit by a Panzershreck, leaving a Sherman Firefly suppressed, whilst 'B' Coy moved up in support. 'A' Coy in support KO'd the German MG unit, whilst 'C' Coy and 'C' Sqdn continue to probe forward.

With the Germans having sustained so many losses already, they pulled back, hoping for the Artillery to cover their withdrawal, which it failed to do, but they did manage to exit the table with the remnants of their force.

The Typhoon swoops down to the attack, again dodging AA fire and...

...leaves carnage in its wake.

Another view of the Falaise like destruction.

An overview at the end of Turn 3.

'A' Coy begin to move forward in support.

'B' Coy likewise move up in support.

The Sherman vanguard and 'C' Coy meet up as a Firefly only just survives being a hit by a Panzershreck.

The remains of the German force as they prepare to exit the table.

End of Game

The German troops had little option but to withdraw vaguely intact whilst they could, given the losses already sustained and the position that the British troops were already in.

German Losses

1 x Infantry unit, 1 x MG unit, 2 x Stug III, 2 x Pz IV, with a Mortar unit and Infantry unit over 50% hits.

British Losses

2 x Shermans, 1 x 6pdr ATG and 1 x Firefly nearly KO'd.

Campaign Impact

With such a comprehensive victory to the British, the road to Pemba appears to be pretty open, with only an Artillery unit in there and the German remnants from this engagement fleeing back to the town to bolster the defence. The Germans have to hope and pray that some reinforcements arrive during the night to come to the aid of the town. We shall have to wait and see.

Post Game Thoughts

Well that was much more one sided than I thought it would be. Unusually the Germans never got a chance to really get into the game. A few thoughts on why that might have been and on the game itself:

• The Typhoon's attacks really got the British attack off to a great start, followed by its attack in Turn 3. The Germans were never really able to recover from this. Even what little AA fire there was failed to hit.
• The BKCIV Ground Attack template, which is 30cm x 10cm (12" x 4") is much better than the previous circular templates. However it is not easy from reading the rules to know how you are meant to align it. So I simply pivot it on the spot to try and cover as many units as possible. I stand to be corrected on this and will check the Pendraken forum to see if there has been any clarification on this.
• Alongside the Typhoon attacks, the rapid and deadly advance by 'C' Sqdn significantly contributed to the easy victory over the Germans. With their flank turned early on the Germans were in a tricky position from the start.
• The failed command rolls by the Germans in Turn 1 only added to their woes. Normally the Artillery and Mortars, especially the latter, would inflict casualties and suppression on Infantry unit, severely disrupting the ability of the British to prosecute their attack. This just didn't happen to any significant effect in this game.
• The Pz IV's not being able to get into the game at all was a huge bonus for the British. Normally I would expect them to arrive and cause mayhem amongst the Sherman's, brewing quite a few up. They never got to fire a shot!
• I made a mistake with the Mortar & Infantry Gun KO'ing the Sherman by the bridge, when in fact it should have only been able to suppress it with indirect fire. I know it was relatively 'easy' to penetrate and engine deck with 'shrapnel', thus disabling a tank, but this could be reflected by allowing say 120mm Mortars to actually KO a tank. Something to ponder.

So there we have it. Another interesting campaign game and one that normally you would not play, given the disparity in the forces involved. But it could have turned out a lot worse for the British compared to the actual result. I'm looking forward to the next few campaign Turns and to see what that brings up in terms of potential games to be played etc.

So until next time stay safe and keep healthy!