Futbowel: The Christmas Truce...

"Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse..." because we were down Bristol Independent Gaming playing the WWI version of Futbowel we tried out last year...

This year Andy and Stephanie played the British against Phil and Jenny who managed the Germans (though Phil wandered off to look at Dark Ages figures with Jim for On Bloody Ground!)

The first half ended goalless after the British goalie made a couple of easy saves, though one British player was sent off for a bad tackle on a German player...

The second half kicked off with the Germans grabbing a quick goal, soon followed by another... As the British got one back the Germans resorted to some dirty tackles with three of their players being sent off, but their compatriots held on for a famous 2-1 victory, avenging last year's defeat!

Sharp Practice: Relieving Dojjibotti!

So 1st February saw the big day arrive - Winter Wonder Lard V! 'The Relief of Dojjibotti' had been tested and seemed to work ok, fingers crossed that it would be "alright on the night"...

Following the trial game a couple of small tweaks were made, the most noticeable being setting the Mission up at an angle to make dealing with any potential assaults on the walls easier to handle.

Game One:

Andy Crow, Bill Jenny and Chris Clark played the first game, Andy and Bill taking command of the Indians...

Chris, rather appropriately sporting his monocle, the British (what ho? pip, pip eh?)

Bill, taking the role of Subedar Tendulkar launched his forces forward towards the mission...

Whilst Andy as Jemedar Ganguly sent a group of Light Cavalry out along the Indian left flank, soon discovering firangee skirmishers...

And then a column of the North Somersetshire marching to relieve the mission!

Where the Gurkhas, Sikhs and Sergeant Knocker of the Bengal Horse Artillery manned the ramparts.

On the flank the South Gloucestershire horse spot some pandies.

A detached group of which face down the cavalry, whilst Ganguly's skirmishers start poking around in the jungle...

Major Turner-Round (played by Chris) deployed the North Somersets into line - and then for some reason about faced to turn their backs on the on coming enemy!

The goat-herders decided that the top sahib had been out in the sun too long!

Not content with having his column facing away from the enemy, Chris also did the same with his skirmishers! The Indian cavalry not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth charged!

And wiped the British skirmishers out!

Having learnt a lesson here, Major Turner-Round turned the main force around...

Took aim,..

And fired a volley into a column of sepoys advancing on the mission!

They don't like it up 'em! The spot column disintegrated and fled back towards the village!

Meanwhile another report column marched closer to the mission...

And despite withering fire from the Piffers, charged the walls!

One group reaching an unguarded section, and began to scale the walls!

Fortunately Captain Olde-Duffer was able to get a group of Sikhs round in time to beat the pandies back!

However the British Force Morale was really low by this point and Jemedar Ganguly spotted an opportunity to seize the British deployment point and win the battle! Unfortunately as his cavalry charged down the road towards it past a patch of jungle, on a random roll, a group of monkeys therein threw feces at the sepoys spooking the horses and causing them to flee with excess shock!

The the mission still holding out and the Indians unlikely to further impact the British Force Morale victory was awarded to the British.

Game Two:

Matthew Tressider, James Jennings, Pete Mellet and Nathan Goodyear played the second game...

The mutineers poured out the village charging towards the mission, Tendulkar keeping Ganguly and his skirmishers well within command range!

The Bengal Horse Artillery at the Dojjibotti mission hammered the attacking Pandy columns...

But still they advanced!

The fire from the Mission was unrelenting...

And soon the relief force arrived nearby to add its weight of fire to proceedings.

Wait till you see the whites of their eyes chaps...

FIRE!!!

Despite the weight of fire, the sepoys managed to charge in to fisticuffs!

But the sharp Sheffield forged bayonets of the North Somersets made bloody work of the rebels and sent they reeling back...

Handing victory to the forces of the Crown - huzzah!

Two good games which both sets of players seemed to enjoyed - it was interesting to see the different approaches, the players in game one embracing the role-playing aspects of their characters with Ganguly ignoring orders from Tendulkar when out of command range and looking for the treasure, whilst in game two the players played a more straight forward wargame with the Indians concentrating on trying to take the mission, ignoring the treasure hidden in the jungle.

Second Anglo-Maratha War: Maratha Compoo and Irregulars...

For a little while now, on and off, I've been painting up the first of my planned 6mm Second Anglo-Maratha War figures from Irregular Miniatures, with a view to getting them all on the table some time next year using Bloody Big Battles.

I've now finished the first Compoo comprising of four regiments (all here in column) using the Irregular Sikh regulars as they most looked like Maratha regulars in 6mm. I need to duplicate this amount of figures for the total needed to play the likes of Assaye using BBB.

I also finished off three units of Maratha Irregulars (two of five bases each, one of three) which I suspect will have minimal impact on the tabletop but they fill up the battle line...

Not sure when I'll get around to the cavalry currently based, undercoated and sat in the RUB as I need to crack on with the figures for my Winter Wonder Lard VI game next month.

Cold War '85: Soviet BMP-2 Motor Rifle Battalion

Following on behind the T-64 and T-72 tank battalions, we now have the BMP-2's for a Motor Rifle battalion (with a couple of spare command vehicles)...

The models are all GHQ and painted using Vallejo 924 Russian Uniform, I had planned to paint up the infantry at the same time but had run out of 6mm Modern Soviets so a small order has gone off to Heroics & Ros (which may have seen the start of a new modern army for an adjunct to the main Cold War Hot in Germany - suffice to say it will be a quite chilly Cold War!)

Cold War '85: Soviet T-72 Tank Battalion

Following closely behind the recently painted 6mm T-64 tank battalion, I have now polished off a T-72 one in (for me) quite quick fashion!

The models are all 3D prints, I think of Bergman STL's, from the now defunct Resin Historicals. Vallejo 924 Russian Uniform once again, washed with Dark Tone, drybrushed with Russian Uniform then some light highlights with Russian Uniform lightened a bit with Stone Grey - quick and easy! Onto the BMP-2 next!

Cold War '85: Soviet T-64 Tank Battalion

Whilst I haven't added anything to my Cold War '58 project of late, efforts have returned to the IGB (Inner German Border) as I looked at the pile of shame and thought I really ought to do something with the masses of unpainted GHQ and other classic Cold War models that I have amassed over the last few decades...

So starting the liberation of West Germany rolling I have painted up a battalion of T-64's, mainly GHQ but with a company of 3D printed models that I think I bought from Resin Historicals a few years back when they were around.

Next up a battalion of T-72's followed by a shed load of BMP-2's and BTR's of various model - better buy some more Vallejo 924 Russian Uniform!

Western Desert: 7th Armoured Division II

Over the last couple of weeks I managed to try out Dan Mersey's Armoured Storm tank battle rules and whilst I plan to write up a more in depth piece about the games and thoughts on the rules, let's just say the bug has bitten!

Initially I only planned to paint up one squadron/company of tanks per side but having had such fun I decided to expand beyond the Crusaders with a quick order to Scotia Micro Models see a squadron of 1/300th Matilda II's winging their way south pdq. They are the Bergman STL's resized (under licence) and the prints were exquisite!

I decided to go with a basic sand scheme, the three colour Caunter scheme being a little too daunting in 6mm, but on the plus side they'll be on the table this week!

Sharp Practice: The Relief of Dojjibotti!

Having tested Phil & Jen's I Ain't Been Shot Mum! scenario for Winter Wonder Lard V four days before the event, I thought it a sound idea to give mine a run through two days before! Ideally the scenario needed four players (two a side) each with differing objectives, but one man short we combined the British commands into one.

The scenario centred around the small mission station at Dojjibotti, the mutineers under the command of Subedar Tendulkar tasked with capturing the mission and killing all the Firangee within. His subordinate, Jemedar Ganguly had his eyes on another prize though...

The Dojjibotti mission was garrisoned by Captain Older-Duffer of the Punjab Irregular Force with his Sikhs, a cannon of the Bengal Horse Artillery and some Gurkhas who had just arrived under the command of Lieutenant Goodmount, along with a Mem-Sahib and some native attendants.

Tendulkar had three units each of three groups of Mutineers under his command and he pushed these forward towards the Firangee...

The lead unit led by Jemedar Dravid coming under fire from Sergeant Knocker's cannon taking Shock and casualties.

Meanwhile Jemedar Ganguly, now outside the command range of his commander, decided to pursue his own agenda - trying to find stolen treasure rumoured to be hidden in the jungle around Dojjibotti.

Unfortunately the first thing his men found was an angry tiger which inflicted some Shock on them!

Meanwhile the North Somersetshire Light Infantry commanded by Captain Turner-Round was marching double-time to relive the mission with Lieutenant de Poncenay-Bout's South Gloucestershire Light Cavalry protecting their flank.

Jemedar Dravid's sepoys bravely pushed forward, now finding themselves under fire from  Lieutenant Goodmount's Gurkhas.

Heavy casualties were taken...

But with the help of a Holy Man removing their Shock, the Sepoys reached the walls of the mission station!

One group of Sepoys were beaten back by the kurkis of the Gurkhas, but a second group managed to take a portion of the wall!

Unfortunately for Dravid the group he was attached to was forced to fall back and came once again under fire from the Bengal Horse Artillery. 

Although a small number of mutineers were inside the mission, they were outnumbered by the defenders and with the North Somerset's relief column in site we called it a day and went for a well earned drink.

Overall I was happy with how the game had gone and with a few tweaks was looking forwarding to inflicting it on the public at Winter Wonder Lard V that weekend.