3x3 Portable Wargame

I've been intrigued by Bob Cordery's series of Portable Wargames played on grids. They're popular on Facebook, and many players have devised their own variants that Cordery happily publishes. While I've experimented with them during Chess Club at work, they're a touch complex for my taste - or at least would take more play and practice which, if you've followed me at all, you know I'm too flighty to hold still for long.

But just in the last week or two a "half-hour" version has been created. A lot of reports have already been posted on the Portable Wargames Facebook group, and it seems like it really is possible to run quickly in a small space. So I started with the four-page rules and two-page WWII amendments.

I apologize for the poor photography, though they're actually better than they seem when looking at the phone-screen. I marked the 3x3 grid with spots at the corners of six-inch squares. I'm thinking actually of taking this outside - in such a small scale it would be easy enough to do it on a picnic table, and there'd be plenty of light.

The units are 54mm toy soldiers, and except for the MG crews and command groups I chose pairs of the same pose so that one can be removed to indicate hit-point loss (each element starts with two "SP").

The WWII variant has a roll for terrain; in this case I had one hill in the defender's (German) side. The defender could also move one of its units before the game.

Deployment: Each side has two rifle units to left and right, with one rifle unit, one machine-gun unit, and one command unit in the center. 

 

Both sides score hits, losing an SP apiece.

A square holds only two units, but this being my first game and not having played in a while, I ended up having combat inside the same square for part of the game. "Close combat" and firing, at least for infantry, has the same range, which caused the confusion.

The rifle units in the closest squares get +3 to their rolls
for being supported by an MG and command element.

This was also a bit confusing; I started allowing both units in a square to fire or fight, but reading the rules closely indicates that only one unit fights, while the others support. This has the bonus of preventing confusion over who takes the damage.

One of the German units here had the choice to lose an SP
or retreat from the board, then roll a 5+ to return.
It chose the former.

You can see from some of the 1-man elements that
units have lost SPs; one German on the right
retreats instead.

The rifle team on the hill is gone, reducing the defenders'
effectiveness - the MG can get +1 support from the HQ,
which I'm not sure can itself fight with a +2 from the MG.

Inconclusive combat.

Both sides on the left must fall back.

US center, with +3 to the roll, wipes out a German unit.

The Germans try to gang up on that pesky command element.

Overhead and endgame. The Germans are still stubbornly holding the hill.

As usual with new rules for me, the game helped me clarify the rules, and I think the next game will go more smoothly. This "lite" variant of the Portable Wargame, for me, lies in between the simplicity of Featherstone and the complexity of games like Charge! It's an easy and fun way to spend a half hour (well, an hour given the photography and rechecking of the rules! We'll see if I can cut that to 45 minutes next time).

My Colonial Collection, Part Four: Zulu War

 Been a while since I looked at my 1/72 Zulu War figures; I'd forgotten how few of them I'd based. I started with about sixty Zulu and twenty redcoats just for small games of TSATF, and it seems I also finished a squadron of lancers, a handful of gun crews and thirty Natal Native Contingent. There are actually a lot more troops for both sides. What I have will do for now, as I intend to stick to The Sword in Africa for now. I'll use the Zulu as tribal proxies, and the gun crews might stand in for Belgians or Germans in a pinch.

The Zulu are very attractive; I bought them off Ebay from a painter who individualized each unit with differing shields. They're delicate, though; the kit clearly came with separate spears and shields and some require repair.

A smallish horde of Zulu.

White, brown and black shields.

Black and white shields.

White and brown shields.

Black shields with white spots.

White shields.

A squadron of lancers, and a company of redcoats.

Gatling gun crew, and either surveyor or heliograph crew.

Natal Native Contingent, and a naval Gardner battery.

Experimental painting

 Ever since the library's teen tech-lab, YouMedia, started a Dungeons & Dragons group and got a new 3D printer a few months ago, I've been eager to try painting again. The initial plan was to sit down the DnD players with their new character minis and teach the basics of painting; the current, tentative plan is to open this up to all teens. This may seem like the same thing, since virtually all high-schoolers at my branch end up in YouMedia - it's nearly impossible to run teen programs outside of it, so we really haven't. But my manager wants me to try, to the point of actual advertising with posters and the library's social media. The YouMedia staff, luckily, are okay with this, since it can still be done in or next to YouMedia and they can spend a few minutes talking up the program to any kids who aren't already in it. It does at least let us get to kids under the age-fourteen limit, and maybe interest parents too.

That does mean we'll need extra minis beyond the ones designed by the DnD players; something generic is in order, possibly animals, videogame characters or ordinary medieval warriors or civilians. We'd pick a few types, and print a couple dozen ahead of time for anyone who hasn't already designed their own. Suggestions welcomed, though I lean towards animals for the appeal to younger kids. Perhaps suffragettes for Women's History Month?

Civilians from Paperboys Little Wars.

The one on the far right is hand-drawn, inspired by Man of Tin.

So I "borrowed" a tyrannosaur from some of the samples YouMedia have been cranking out, and bought a handful of Army Painter bottles and a few Contrast paints.

About 15mm scale, I think, and is poorly balanced.

Based with Army Painter Ash Grey and a basic brush.
Will use spraypaint in future.

"Basecoated" with Ork Flesh Contrast paint.

Sorry for the poor lighting.

Scar Tissue mouth and Troll Claws on
the teeth and claws.

Crude stripes in Matt Black. Also tried
highlighting with Goblin Green and Skeleton Bone;
doubt it's visible even in good light.

Better view of the stripes, which I tried
(but failed) to taper.
Paint pens would work better.

Complete with base to keep him standing.

This should be a good sample to show what a beginner painter can make of the models the new printer makes. Having painted a couple from the older printer, I'm surprised at how smooth and realistic this model is; it was remarkably easy and fun to do. Even counting drying of the different layers, might have taken an hour (though a few days working in my spare time). I do suspect a proper event might require two days even with prebasing.

I next hope to try a large bust of Groot (the Treeman from Guardians of the Galaxy), which should show off Gore-Grunta Contrast paint to effect and be easy to drybrush as well (with good-sized brushes, of course).

It's been a long while since I tried to paint something like this; I'm looking forward to trying again, and getting some teens to do it with me!

Reading, and surviving the plague

 Am not getting much done game-related at all this first week of 2022, due to having caught the plague (though I don't think it was at the Regatta, more likely passing out thousands of Covid tests at work). Appropriately, I just finished two books by Martin R. Howard:

 

Thanks to commenters Ross MacFarlane and James Fisher, who recommended the second one. Both are short and contain lots of period commentary. I will admit that, at least, government response to the present pandemic could have been a LOT worse. Walcheren fever (seemingly malaria) is sickeningly and repeatedly described.

Also received two Charles S. Grant volumes from On Military Matters: 

• Refighting History vol. 7: Warburg, Vellinghausen, and Wilhelmsthal
• Wargamers Annual Summer Special 2015

I ordered the latter on a tip from Graham Cummings on the Wargaming the '45 Facebook group, who wrote a very useful article and wargames campaign for the abortive French invasion of Britain in 1744. I may need it, as it looks increasingly like Bonnie Prince Charlie in my '45 campaign is going to run into overwhelming numbers of unhappy Government troops. After the "conventional" campaign ends, I may want to try the '44 too. We'll see!

As for the first book, I have to admit I like the smaller, more compact style of Grant's previous series, Wargaming in History. I have his first two volumes and find them delightful. The newer series is in a larger format, but there's something about it... maybe the lack of artwork by the late Bob Marrion, though the German artist whose characterful, almost cartoony sketches fill the pages is just as good in his own way. Maybe more white space. And maybe the lack of detail about the Lorraine and VFS armies, as the Refighting series uses more deliberately historical units. I won't tire of rereading the Wargaming in History volumes.

That's not to say they're not good. I selected the 7th and 8th volumes specifically because I'm not as interested in Frederick the Great and more in the British and French, and these are specifically about the Western theater. There are useful and beautiful articles about the British, French and German "specialist" units such as legions, early Highlanders and converged grenadiers. They make me want to collect Crann Tara... (No, Jennifer! Bad hobbyist! Stick to stuff you'll actually use!)

I was hoping to spend this week painting a couple 3D prints as samples for the program I keep telling myself I'll do at work. Not happening anytime soon now, though I'll have to delve thru my desk to see what paints I have undried.

Back to bed, with books to finish reading. Hope your turn of the year is better than mine.

Christmas Clash

No, not Trenton (though I've done that in the past, and might next week at work), but a repeat of Prestonpans. While I feel the Charge! version was a mess, there's another reason for a simpler game - more units on the table. With Stephen Simpson's rules, a regiment just needs a couple bases and one or two casualty figures, and this way I can field the number of units recommended in the Black Powder supplement and fit them on my table. I tried Simpson's '45 scenarios (from Wargames Illustrated 134) last year shortly before starting this blog, and was very pleased with them. The blog title image is from my runthrough of Culloden.

Unfortunately, Simpson's rules use D8 and D10 dice, and virtually all my RPG dice have been turned over to the Dungeons & Dragons group at work. But I found a variant of Simpson in MWAN 98, written by Prior Aelred Glidden, which uses only D6s. It was apparently inspired by a review of Simpson's rules by Wally Simon, and if anyone can tell me where that review is I'd be obliged. I like Wally's writing very much, and I'm interested to know what he thought.

The above is Simpson's simple Prestonpans scenario from WI 134 - an empty field with five regiments on each side. The British units are all "below average;" ie, they will rout after one morale failure. According to the Black Powder scenario and my successful 'Rising rolls, there will be twice as many units available:

Government:

• Five infantry battalions (White, blue, yellow, green facings and Hessians)
• Two dragoon regiments
• Three guns

British army, with supplemental cat butt.

I'll count all of these, except the Hessians, as three-base units - under Glidden's rules, they will rout after one morale failure. But at least there are more of them, including guns, so it might not be as bad as it looks.

Rebels:

• Eight Highland clans (all with four bases, or average strength)
• Two dragoon squadrons (I'll count these as a single regiment with, like the British, three bases to represent its small size.)

Left.

Center.

Right.

Two thirds of the Scots will start 14" from the British - ie, one move out of musketry range. The rest of the units will be 19" away, or two moves. 

The British formation will be classic, infantry in the center interspersed with guns, cavalry on the flanks. Glidden's version of the rules includes brigade commanders, who provide bonuses to rally attempts (but can be killed in the process, so let's not have Charlie do any of this!). The Brits get one commander, Cope, and the Scots get four - Charles as CinC, Murray, Perth and Nairne.

To save table space, I started the game immediately after the first Scottish move, at which point the two left-hand brigades are in musketry range and the third will have to move again first. This will allow the British a round of shooting before the Highland charge of ten inches next turn. The Scots are advancing (hence their generals in front of the units) and the British are holding their ground (Cope next to, rather than before or behind, his line).

Turn 1: Firing

• All Scottish fire misses (Highlanders have -1, so needed sixes).
• Three Highland regiments are hit. Two, rallied by their commanders, take no effect, but one loses a base. It may continue, but one more loss and it will break.
• A British dragoon regiment charges, but fails to hit despite +2 to the roll (+1 for first round of melee, +1 for cavalry charging infantry.

Turn 2: Highland charge!

• Four of the five clans in range of Cope's line pass their rolls to charge (requiring the number of unit bases or better). The last may still move forward, but not contact.
• One dragoon regiment takes musketry and breaks off the board.
• The second continues its combat with the Highlanders, who lose a base but do not break.
• The white foot regiment loses a base and breaks.
• The rebel dragoons take casualties from a Hessian volley and break.

Right moves up, with cavalry flanking.

Some badly lit charges:

Turn 3: Hand-to-hand struggle

• Two more clans get into the fight, which is however inconclusive until...
• General Cope is killed while trying to rally one of his regiments!
• His army checks as one and ... holds on. Boring!

Battle in the center.

Hessians and gunners hold out on the right.

Turn 4: The final push?

No, not really, though...

• One gun is eliminated and presumably captured.
• Two clans are decimated and driven back.

Turn 5: The grind

• One of the retreating clans reforms.
• The Hessians, after holding the British left flank all alone for ages, are overwhelmed and retreat from the board.
• One of the British guns, cleared to fire, fails to run off the increasingly unhappy clan in front of it.
• On the British right, a regiment swings into the combat on its right but despite the +2 roll, fails to hurt its opponent.

British right flank. The battle threatens to turn into a swinging door
as both rights outflank!

Turn 6: Maneuvering for advantage

The Scottish right, ready to sweep down the field.

Turn 7: Collapse imminent?

• Units on both British flanks break.
• One reduced clan does its best to keep the remaining dragoons busy, charging and retreating.

Turn 8:

• Yellow-faced regiment takes casualties and breaks.
• The Scottish right reforms into column with intent to cut off the British line of retreat.
• The dragoons turn about and charge into the Highlanders pushing back their infantry. Only the Scottish brigadier manages to keep them in the fight.

Turn 9: 

• Last gun eliminated.
• The Scottish right has marched to the center.

Turn 10:

• The last two British regiments (blue-faced and dragoons) take casualties and break. End game, at last!

Outflanked.

The scrum!

That really should have ended earlier - like right after the Government commander was killed. Perhaps I should have repeated the army-wide morale check? There isn't a flanking rule, either, and it's pretty hard to outnumber in melee. A little free kriegspiel might have been useful here. I'm not entirely satisfied with Glidden's rules, mostly because of the morale check, which is random and a roll of 1 or 2 always keeps a unit in the fight. In Simpson's original rules, to-hit and morale are combined. I think I'll return to them for future games, but under the circumstances this still went much better (and quicker) than Charge!

Now for the Black Powder campaign recovery table. One British dragoon unit left the table without suffering casualties, while the Hessians took casualties before leaving the table and all other regiments were destroyed. Also, the Scots captured three guns.

Their recovery roll is 3. Units destroyed are lost, but those that left the table without taking casualties first (remember, as Poor units they can only take a single "casualty") are restored. That's one dragoon regiment and the Hessians who escape to join Wade south of the border.

On the Scottish side, one Highland regiment and the dragoons were destroyed, and three Highland regiments took casualties.

Scots roll a 6 on the recovery table - that allows them to restore the damaged units to full strength, get half the destroyed units back (I'll take the Highlanders), and upgrade two units. That enables me to make two of the Highland regiments elite - ie, they now get three hit points.

They also get to roll on a Jacobite Victory Table: 6 again! D3 Highland regiments join my cause - and I roll a 1. Ah, well. I now have nine Highland regiments and three guns to advance on England with. See you next time!