Great Northern War Project - Batch #2

Here's a new batch of Great Northern War Swedes.

I've added a fourth 'company' to my Swedish Foot. My reasoning is as follows:

Each battalion (two per line regiment) was composed of four companies, each with c. 160 men, 30% of which were pikemen. So, about 640 per battalion. The pikemen from each of the companies were formed together in the centre of the battalion when it was arrayed for battle.

Adding a fourth unit (composed solely of pikemen) allows me to field either three units of Shot and one of Pike, or (which makes more sense), four blended units. Although it isn't stated as such, the nominal scale of The Pikeman's Lament (Osprey) seems to be 10-20 men per figure -- that's how it plays, anyway.  So what I've got is a battalion -- or perhaps four battalions using other sets of rules.

Four companies, Pikemen to the front.

Four companies, Pikemen interspersed.

Pastor Ilaff Christmannbogga leads the way.

Blue Sonja, Daughter of the Regiment.

Schmenge, the Dwarf Dudelsackpfeiffer encourages the lads.

Gunnar, leader of "Gunnar's Gunners" (kind of resembles Trevor Howard, maybe?).

Two twelve pounders.

A section of battalion guns.

The Regiment, marching through Pomerania.

"Good morning, my Dear!" Gunnar tries it on, the swine.


Since I always paint up my collections in opposing pairs, below is a first unit of Russians.

And more to come... unpainted Swedish Horse, below.

Cheers!

Great Northern War Project - Batch #1

Recently I've been assembling a 28mm Great Northern War army of Swedes to do battle with fellow gamer Will's splendid Russians, using The Pikeman's Lament set of rules (Osprey).

It's been a long slog, but here's the first batch, featuring Foot and Guns.

Fribytare-Regemente Wallander (Wallander's Regiment of Freebooters)

Three command stands combined to form a unit of Pikes.

Wallander's Regiment currently consists of three 12-fig. companies. I've based these so that they can be deployed in three different ways:

1. Pike & Shot

As seen below, this consists of two units of Shot and one of Pike, with the Pikes at the rear.

I wanted to avoid them looking like employees at a well-know big box store, and so I gave them a 'ragged rebel' appearance. By mid-war the stocks of material and dye in Sweden were getting pretty low. Many uniforms were made of homespun wool.

2. Three Blended Units

This would consist of each of the three companies having one of the command stands shown above, plus musket-armed figures. The units would perhaps shoot with a penalty, but would "Attack' (melee) with a bonus. This is to reflect the Swedes 'Ga Pa!' view on life.

3. Super-sized Units

This is stretching the rules a bit, but is my preferred option, as it really reflects the Swedish approach. Instead of three units, I field two, but each has 16 figures. The units fire normally with 12D6 (6D6 at half-strength), but melee with 16D6 (8D6 at half-strength). They cost more, of course, but no need for modifications. What I would like to avoid is the battles degenerating into War of the Spanish Succession firefights -- and something  has to explain the Swedes' well-nigh unstoppable cold-steal tactics!

(For a description of how the War of the Spanish Succession  plays with The Pikeman's Lament, checkout an earlier posting in this blog.)

Super-size me!

"Ga Pa!"

Special Characters

To add some spice, I've included some special characters, as per the rules:

The Reverend Ilaff Christmannbogga

Blue Sonja: Daughter of the Regiment

Schmenge, the Swedish Dudelsackpfeiffer

Gunnar Olufsen's Company of Gunnes (know locally as "Gunnar's Gunners")

(Better yet, how about "Bang! and Olufsen"? :-))

Gunnar's unit(s) comes in two different configurations: two units of 12-pounders, or supporting units(s) of 3-pounder battalion guns.

Above are two units of 12-pounders, deployed for siege work. The gunners are in homespun cloth and floppy hats (not unusual for the Swedes until late in the war), plus infantry as helpers. Gunnar himself, shown at right, of course appears in his finery!

A single unit of battalion guns (six gunner).

Next time, Batch #2, featuring Horse and Dragoons (including "Sedin's 'Goons").

Cheers,

Russian Civil War

A couple of months ago fellow-gamer Denis C. brought in his 25mm RCW collection to a Trumpeter Society game night, and since I had never gamed this period before, I took part.

It got me thinking that it wouldn't be too much trouble to augment my existing 6mm First World War collection for use with the RCW. So I painted up some necessary command stands, and what you see below is the result.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red and White RCW Command Stands

The focus of my WWI collection is 1914-15, so my Mark V & FT17 tanks, armoured cars, etc., don't get much game time. But with RCW, it's everything goes, all the time!

Rules? I'm starting out with an old fast-play set by Andy Callan (of 'Loose Files & American Scramble' AWI fame). He describes the RCW as the ACW with WWI weapons and medieval command and control. What could go wrong?

A Red battalion steps forth. Could it be the 'Women of Death?' You mean you can't tell the difference? 😊

 

Kolchak's Whites on the move.

 

 

What with foot, horse, guns, tanks, armoured cars, aircraft, armoured trains, etc., etc., it's pretty much every gamer's dream all wrapped up in one package -- and you don't even need to go to some fantasy alternative universe to get there!

 

I usually dread the prospect of getting into a new period, but this was a piece of cake. Thanks Dennis!



Retreat from Mons, 1914

A rare, grainy film shot of advancing German infantry, 1914

 

Colin, Denis, and Jospeh were kind enough to endure my 'Retreat from Mons, 1914' game (using 6mm Irregular Miniatures) held at our local Trumpeter's Gaming Society meet-up on Friday night (Nov 3rd).

 

Here's the advance blurb on the game:

 

It's August 24th 1914, and the BEF is in full retreat -- in spite of them giving the Boche a bloody nose along the Mons canal. British General A.E.W. Gleichen's 15th Brigade (with De Lisle's 2nd Cavalry Brigade, in support) is desperately holding the left of Smith-Dorrien's II Corps. Should they cave in, the entire BEF will be enveloped by von Armin's IV. Armee-Korps. Smith-Dorrien has tasked 15th Brigade to cover his retreat. "Kindly lay down your lives", says he. But I say, must they, really?

 

So, with Joseph running the BEF, Colin (as 8th Div. commander, General der Infanterie Ernst II. Herzog von Sachsen-Altenburg) and Denis (as 7th Div. commander General der Infanterie Julius von Gross Genant Schwarzhoff) doggedly threw their battalions forward.

 

In a nutshell: Joseph gambled on placing all of his forces on his right, which is exactly were both German divisions attacked. Had the Germans attacked the British left it would have been a walk-over, but instead the game resulted in a typical 1914 bloodbath. The Germans units were savaged, but still managed to hold on to their forward positions. They initially had trouble bringing their considerable artillery to bear, but eventually began ranging-in, and the BEF showed signs of cracking towards the end of the game. Never-the-less, Smith-Dorrien managed to escape.

 

Notable incidents included the death of von Schwarzhoff, who was killed by the first (misdirected) shot of the game -- much to the great glee of Joseph --and a successful cavalry charge by the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards against a mounted(!) bicycle unit of German Jaegers (not sporting, that). 

 

My thanks to all who played.

 

Colin's 8th Division, advancing on concealed British positions (flags)

 

Denis moves up his 7th Division

 

 

Units of the BEF's XXVIII Bde. RFA, lie in wait.

 

4.Thüringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 72, backed-up by Mansfelder Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 75.

 

Anhaltisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 93 and Dragoner-Regiment Nr.7 move up on the left

 

The Irish Dragoon Guards spy a unit of bicycle mounted Jaegers conducting a recon, and...

 

"Ha! Ha! Got ya, then!" They charge to glory, and to Joseph's immense delight.

 

It's not all one-sided: The 1st East Surreys are being annihilated by German artillery, machinegun, and rifle fire at 'The Mine of Death'. The white cross is a spotting round marker for much German hate. The 1st Bedfordshires, out-of-frame on their right, and have been shot-up and are falling back. L Battery RHA, has been destroyed.

 

 

Another rare shot of advancing German Infantry (what do you do when you've got a lousy picture? Photo-shop it, of course!).

 

The rules we used were a variant of Osprey's The Men Who Would Be Kings, cheekily called The Men Who Would Be Fodder. The original required little modification; the biggest change being the inclusion of a spotting chart and rules for Indirect Fire.

 

The game itself was based on an article appearing in Wargames Illustrated #322, which featured a game by Worcester Wargames Club. Cheers!

 

 



Zulu Wars in 28mm

Just to show that I'm not hopelessly restricted to 2mm & 6mm, here is a shot of some of my fairly extensive 28mm Zulu War collection. Click to enlarge, SVP.

The scene, Peitermaritzburg. Hoping to inspire a company of the Natal Native Contingent, Lt. Vereker takes up a shield and leads them forth on parade. The 'powers that be' are not impressed. "Good God, Durnford!" says my Lord Chelmsford. "That officer of yours has gone positively native! Where the Devil does he think he is? Ireland?"

Marlborough's Wars with The Pikeman's Lament, Part II: Archie's Lament

This is a continuation of the previous posting:

 

The Battle

Having brought his force to the van of Marlborough's army, friend Archibald Cunningham is now tasked with taking and holding a vital crossroads. Can he do this before the French beat him to it?

The scene of battle, showing the crossroads town of Elixham.

 

The golden light of dawn on an early morning Flemish landscape (van Ruisdael would love it).

On the left, the Dutch and Imperialists move up... and spy French columns in the distance. 

There they are: the French right, consisting of a mixed force of Bavarians and French (oh, and O'Doul's Wild Geese, too).



The French left, moving up splendidly on Elixham.



Time for Archie's lads to deploy. That's our Hero himself, leading the Dragoons in the centre. Cunningham's Own Company of Heroes are on his left, Converged Grenadiers to his front. "I say,"  asks an officer of Grenadiers, "are those the Fwench just over there?".  



"Good God!" he answers his own question. "Fwench Twotters!" The Grenadiers have rolled snake-eyes on their activation roll and have inexplicably routed to the rear, colliding with their own Dragoons en route. The French haven't moved a muscle! It's up to Archie to rally them: "Get back in the ranks, you mutinous swine!" bawls he, pistoling a few, and thus concentrating their attention.


Meanwhile, the Dutch and French begin to come to grips on the left.



A bird's eye view of the field as the sides start to engage: French on the left, Allied on the right.

French and Dutch companies blast away at each other, while Imperial and Dutch support moves up.

It's all happening now: Dutch and Bavarians giving each other Hot Hell...



... and the Bavarians break. Good use of 'First Volley' is highly important in the rules. Shoot too soon, and you've thrown your 'First Volley' away. But if you time it right, and wait to see the 'whites of their eyes', you can quickly cripple your opponent.


To whit: now the Dutch have been sent reeling by the first volley of the supporting French company.



The Dutch commanding Officer is sent packing by a French volley

Montrose's Highlanders occupy Elixham. "We'el aw gang intae yon bonny wee toon (mind the Kirk, 'tho)."

But when they try to deploy in order to charge a nearby French company, they, too, are blasted away by its first volley.

Things are looking pretty bleak for Archie's command. The Converged Grenadiers move up, hoping that the French Dragoons facing them will fail their charge activation, and thus give them the chance to go into 'Close Order'. No such luck; the Dragoons charge before they can form, and they're sent scattering.

The mandatory follow-on charge by the French smashes them into Archie's own Dragoons, and he, too has to make an inglorious run for it.

Battle over! Loses are four-to-one in favour of the French!

So how did it play? Pretty well, but things tended to move very fast in the game. For example, there were four units of field guns, but only one had the chance to actually unlimber and get into the action. The others were left bringing up the rear, failing their activation rolls as they went.

Also: you need to be careful which unit (Horse or Foot) you assign your Officer to. If Horse, you get to lead from front but risk getting taken out early... and your entire command with you. Three of the four Officers in the game were leading Dragoon units, and all were routed. The fourth led an infantry unit, and got to steadily control things from the rear.

As I mentioned in the earlier post: the 6mm scale is a prefect one-to-one figure-to-man fit for the notional scale of the rules, but even through they work just fine (with a few adjustments), I think that 28mm probably 'feels' better. Osprey's Honours of War most likely has a better feel in 6mm

And as for Archie? Disgrace in this action left him packing his things for an extended stay the Highlands, and a future meeting with Rob Roy.