Stephen takes us through a recent free set of medieval rules that appeared in the Wargames Illustrated magazine.
‘Assassins & Templars’ (A&T) was a free set of rules that came with issue 455 of Wargames Illustrated. If you missed it then you can purchase a copy from WI, along with all the paraphernalia required. Or you can download it all free from the WI website (not the rules though – if you missed the free copy you now have to buy it).
Having downloaded the card decks from WI and printed and cut them out, I thought I would have a test game because it was absolutely chucking it down with rain outside.
It has a lot in common with its predecessor: Here’s The Ruckus. Ruckus is focussed on the War of the Roses. Both use the exact same mechanics and if you know one then you know the other. Warbands comprise 12 models. They are led by three ‘Hero’ figures – a single commander (a knight) and two sub commanders (squires, or lesser knights). The remaining 9 models are made up of spearmen, crossbowmen, archers, etc. In A&T they have introduced horse archers. The Hero models each control 1 or more of the retinue troops so on a simple level a warband will comprise three 4-man ‘Spears’.
Hero figures also have specific traits or special skills. The list of traits in A&T is much smaller than Ruckus but I see no reason at all why the expanded trait list can’t be imported into A&T.
Turns are completed by turning cards in the Hero deck. This will tell you which Hero (and Spear) to activate, or it could be a Cunning Plan card. The Cunning Plan deck contains cards that allow extra bonuses – things like a re-roll, etc. But there’s also a Divers Alarums card – these are better thought of as special events.
Both Ruckus and A&T are aimed at ‘narrative games’ where the game is more about the story and the cinematic elements of the game than a simple win or lose. To that end there are rules in there for things such as climbing, falling, swimming, balancing, etc. An important part of this, and an important part throughout the rules, is the concept of the ‘Mishap’.
If you roll a 1 when shooting, for example, you have a Mishap (e.g. bow string snaps) or if you have a Mishap whilst climbing you may fall. This whole section on Mishaps felt ‘tacked-on’ to me. I love the concept, and it’s what gives narrative games their…well, narrative. But there was quite a bit of this in A&T – sub-rules just tacked on (‘If X or Y happens then check table C for the effect). Arguably no big deal, but at the same time it didn’t feel like some things were baked in to the rules. You get the feeling that during the play test something happened and someone suggested, ‘well, if that happens just get them to roll on a Mishap table’. And they just shrugged their shoulders and said, ‘yeah, alright’. And there’s a different Mishap table for each different action.
It’s a free set of rules, so no big deal. Good concept, average execution.
Right then, Heroes have a command radius. If a member of their ‘Spear’ is outside they are considered ‘Feckless’ and, you guessed it, they have to roll on a table to see what they do.
Things are kept nice and simple though. You need a 6+ to hit at long range, and a 5+ at short range (different ranges for different weapons). Melee is a bit more involved, as you would expect with a low-model count. What will happen is that when two (or more) models move into contact they will fight up to three consecutive melee phases. In the first phase, all combatants fight at their full potential. If both are still standing you conduct a second phase of melee immediately, where chances to hit are reduced. If they are both still standing after that then a third, and final, phase of melee is fought immediately – still with a reduced chance to hit and now unable to bring to bear any special skills. All this is to reflect fatigue during combat. This means that there’s a chance to pull something back in melee, but also means that combat is likely to produce a resolution that round rather than drag over multiple rounds. If both are still standing at the end of the third melee phase then both participants back off so they are 1” apart.
Heroes have three wounds with other models having just the one. All models also get a Save roll, in both missile and melee. In missile fire an extra roll (again!) is made for any intervening obstacles for the shot (why that couldn’t be added into the shooting mechanism I have no idea – probably because the game uses D6s and just one modifier can have a big effect. Which begs the question, why not design the game with D10s?)
So how did it play in the end?
Actually, it gave a very enjoyable game.
I used the scenario that came in the rules – there’s a central watering hole and the winner is the first who has sole control of the watering hole or kills the opposing leader. To have control you have to be the only one with models within 1” of the watering hole. Realistically, that’s only going to happen if you completely wipe out the opposition so in actuality killing the opposing leader is going to be the way to win the scenario.
It’s a short game (about an hour), so would be great for a one-day campaign. In the scenario I played there was no need for climbing and jumping etc, so that aspect was missing. I did forget about the shooting Mishaps though. On a couple of occasions 1s were rolled but I forgot to apply the Mishap rules. Just put that down to first-time play where rules do get missed. To be honest, it doesn’t take long to master the game so next time around I am sure I will remember to use the Mishaps. That’s no reflection of the rules.
In the game the assassins moved up. The templars (I didn’t use templar models and just used my Normans as early crusaders, there was nothing really that exclusive to why they couldn’t just be Frankish crusaders), moved up with one of the Spears taking up position by a wall and letting rip with a crossbow. The Assassins and the Templars reached the waterhole at about the same time. Two of the Assassins ganged up on the Templar leader, who took two wounds but was still standing at the end of the melee so all participants were separated. But the Assassins went in again with wounds being taken by both sides – the Templar leader was killed but he also killed his assailants. The Templars had lost their leader, though, so the game went to the Assassins.
Yeah, it’s a good game.
Will we be playing it at the club? I don’t know. Keep in mind that we have a whole Saturday, and I’m not sure the game has legs for a whole day. If you meet in the evening for a couple of hours, then it’d make a great game because you can fit in two or three linked games, which is precisely what A&T is all about.
It’s great as a freebie but, having played it, I’m glad I didn’t spend money on it, although at £5.99 it probably is worth taking a punt on. I think Osprey’s ‘Outremer’ does the job better though, so if I was looking at a medieval game with a dozen figures a side I would probably play that instead.
Another good turn out for the second meeting of the year, around 20 members were present with 5 games in progress.
First up we have John L running another naval game, this time in the South China Sea with Emperor Ming taking on Li Chee (the Pirate Queen) using Galleys and Galleons rules.
We then move on to David P running a small Chain of Command 2 game, in 20mm, to introduce the rules to a couple of players.
Former Chairman John ran a 6mm Ancient FOG game with multiple players
Current chairman Mark, together with Dave and Chris put on a Legions Imperialis game using masses of tanks etc.
And finally Stephen ran the third of his trilogy of 173rd Airborne in Vietnam games, Operation McLain, in 15mm. A write up of this game will be appearing soon.
MWS meet on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month (except the 4th Saturday in December) from 10:00 to 17:00 at Linton Village Hall, south of Maidstone on the A299.
Information about the Society, including directions, can be found here.
The diary of planned games can be found here, this is updated throughout the year so please have a look from time to time.
Maidstone Wargames Society held their first meeting of the year on Saturday. This meeting includes our AGM so often has a good turnout.
Around 24 members were in attendance for the meeting. The AGM was, as usual, short, only around 30 minutes. Also, as usual, the existing committee was re-elected without opposition. Despite the chairman’s pleas to be released!
There was also a very good turnout of games, covering a variety of scales, periods of genres, here’s a short photo round up.
John L brought out his 1:1200 Baltic Galleys for some Naval action.
Another naval game, but a few centuries later and under the water rather than on it, Peter M staged a 1:100th Stingray game, “Anything can happen in the next half hour“.
Paul and Colin brought out some 3mm Ancients for some FoG games.
Tony G and Stephen both fielded Anglo-Saxon warbands for some 28mm SAGA games.
Some more recent conflict now, some late WW2 Chain of Command action staged by chairman Mark J with 28mm vehicles and figures.
And last, but by no means least, Tony F and Phil staged a battle from the Lord of the Rings, again in 28mm.
That’s it for the round up of the first meeting of the year.
MWS meet on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month (except the 4th Saturday in December) from 10:00 to 17:00 at Linton Village Hall, south of Maidstone on the A299.
Information about the Society, including directions, can be found here.
The diary of planned games can be found here, this is updated throughout the year so please have a look from time to time.
After the casualties taken fighting in and around Dak To in the final months of 1967, 2nd Battalion of the 173rd Airborne returned to barracks in Tuy Hoa to rest, refit, and train replacements.
Throughout February 1968 key towns and cities in Vietnam have been rocked by the Tet Offensive. For the most part, the 173rd Airborne have not been involved in the offensive. However, intelligence has come in that units of NVA with VC sappers are planning an assault on Tuy Hoa Air Base. To prevent this your company has been deployed north of Tuy Hoa to block the enemy advance. You will take up position in the area of Nha Long village. As such, this is NOT a free fire zone – all support fire (that includes company mortars) will require authorisation. Additionally, you may not fire small arms at targets within 6” of any village building without authorisation.
The enemy are expected to be arriving from the North West.
Report from Cpt P Smith CO of Alpha Company 173rd Airborne
The Battle Rages
Intelligence had confirmed that Communist forces were advancing towards the US Airbase at Tuy Hoa. The 173rd Airborne Division were tasked with blocking and destroying the enemy in the vicinity to the north and west of the village of Nha Long.
The 1st Platoon, led by Lieutenant Francis, and the Weapons Platoon were deployed to the east of the village and advanced immediately to the west. The squads of the 1st Platoon took up positions to the north, south, and within the village, while the Weapons Platoon advanced westwards, north of Nha Long. We soon made contact with enemy forces to the west in light cover and to the northwest in light cover on higher ground.
I promptly requested authorisation to activate our company mortars to lay down a barrage on the enemy troops to the northwest.
Lieutenant Francis’ 1st Platoon engaged VC sappers to the east of the village. The Weapons Platoon’s M60 machine gun teams provided long-range fire against an NVA platoon to the west. As the engagement intensified, the villagers in the adjacent paddy fields quickly sought cover within the village. Meanwhile, the company’s Dog Team was dispatched to the village at a rapid pace to search for hidden caches of food and ordnance. Thanks to their diligent efforts, a substantial quantity of rice and several satchel charges were discovered.
Lieutenant King’s 2nd Platoon and Lieutenant Claridge’s 3rd Platoon received orders to deploy via Huey transport helicopters in succession. The 2nd Platoon disembarked in open terrain to the north of Nha Long, despite encountering some ineffective small arms fire from the ground. The gunship escorting the transport Hueys provided covering fire to ensure a successful landing and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy to the front of 1st Platoon before taking evasive action to evade more intensive ground fire from adjacent enemy units.
As the 2nd Platoon commenced their advance from the landing position, the mortar barrage was promptly authorised and initiated on the enemy positions to the west. This stalled the enemy’s advance by pinning them down. The barrage was halted to allow Lt. Claridge’s 3rd Platoon to deploy in a Hot LZ in open ground closest to the enemy.
As 3rd Platoon rapidly disembarked from the Huey transports, they took one fatal casualty as they came under enemy small arms fire, RPGs and sniper fire. Again, the Huey Gunship delivered sustained heavy fire on the enemy positions on the ground. As a consequence, the VC sapper platoon was broken and dispersed from the field.
Shortly after an NVA platoon withdrew from the field as it took heavy casualties from the Gunship and all three of our company’s platoons. An air strike was requested and authorised to attack enemy positions on the high ground to the northwest, but the enemy withdrew before the aircraft arrived.
Along with the food and ordnance caches, a high number of enemy bodies were recovered after the engagement which indicates how the enemy dispersed from the field in disarray.
Although, regrettably, our company took 3 fatal casualties, overall this was an outstandingly successful mission.
M60 Teams Lay Down Fire
Weapons Platoon In The Rice Paddies
Weapons Platoon Advances
Viet Cong Sappers Approach The Village
Report from Lt T Francis 1st Platoon
1st Platoon Walks Down The Road
Acting on orders from my company commander, I deployed first platoon either side of the main highway, with two squads up and one in reserve. The weapons platoon and company HQ were to our left flank in the open ground. The platoon advanced steadily, keeping an eye out for enemy troops both in the village and on the ridge line beyond the huts, although no definitive sightings were made.
When the weapons platoon were engaged by enemy forces, I ordered first squad to lay down fire in support of them and third squad to advance to take their place and enter the village. Local Vietnamese non-combatants generally kept their distance, although one pointed third squad to a place where he told them that VC forces had stored supplies – this turned out to be a red herring and nothing was found.
First squad continued to engage enemy forces on the edge of the jungle to the north west of the village in support of the weapons platoon, with several hits claimed. Meanwhile, second squad had spotted what turned out to be NVA troops to the east of the village beyond the paddy fields. Judging that they were outside of the restricted zone around the settlement, I ordered them to open fire. Third squad moved through the village and engaged further NVA forces directly north of their position with immediate effect.
The platoon consolidated its position, all squads continuing to engage the enemy, until the aerial insertion of third platoon swiftly alleviated any pressure from NVA forces to our front. I advanced first and second squads in line with the north of the village, at which point it became clear that the enemy had broken.
First platoon’s advance to, and defence of, the village ensured that enemy forces were unable to emplace themselves within it and create a stronghold from which it would have been difficult to eject them. That the operation was carried out without casualties is testament to the skill and professionalism of the American soldier.
Elements of 1st Platoon Approach The Village
Mayhem In The Village
Taking Cover By The Paddie Fields
Dog Teams In The Village
Report from Lt A King 2nd Platoon
2nd Platoon Advances Down The Ridgeline
2nd Plt under 2LT King was inserted by UH-1 helicopters on the left flank of the company’s advance, near the edge of a lightly wooded area and close to a patch of elephant grass to the west and northwest of Nha Long village.
On approach to the LZ hostile forces were spotted on a hill within the woods and in the elephant grass. The platoon’s gunship escort engaged the enemy in the Elephant Grass with machine gun fire, causing a number of casualties. The pilot requested approval to use rockets on the hostiles in the woods, due to the mission Rules of Engagement, but this was not received.
1st and 2nd squads, the latter with the platoon LT, disembarked from their slicks and hunkered down, engaging the enemy to their front, pinning them down. 3rd squad disembarked and moved rapidly into the woods, with the intention of advancing on the enemy flank.
1st and 2nd squads came under fire from approximately platoon strength forces, causing some shock and one casualty KIA in 1st squad, Pfc Simms.
3rd squad advanced through the woods and, on reaching a slight rise in the terrain, hunkered down to engage the enemy forces on the wooded hill to their north.
As the slicks lifted off to collect 3rd Platoon, the Huey Gunship repositioned to engage the enemy, but was driven off by some lucky shooting by the enemy.
The enemy in the elephant grass was hit by mortar fire called in by other elements of the company, this, together with the steady fire from 1st squad caused them to lose their nerve and withdraw.
1st Squad had not come through this firefight unscathed, in addition to the KIA they suffered they also had suffered some shock. 2LT King moved up to 1st Squad to provide encouragement, they then advanced onto the vacated enemy position and through diligent searches uncovered a punji pit the enemy had left behind, with no further casualties suffered.
2nd and 3rd Squads, having suffered no casualties, advanced through the woods towards the enemy on the hill, but these troops fell back, perhaps due to casualties inflicted on other elements of the enemy forces by the rest of the Company.
1st Squad was about to police the remains of the enemy they had been fighting when elements of 3rd and Weapons platoon took the position.
2nd platoon’s deployment between the 1st & Weapon’s Platoons and the woods helped tie down around 2 platoons of enemy troops and helped prevent enemy forces, later discovered to be a mixture of NVA and VC Sappers, from reaching Nha Long village.
Viet Cong Sappers Engage The 173rd
NVA Platoon Atop The Hill
Rock n Roll!
Air Assault
Report from Lt J Claridge 3rd Platoon
Apocalypse Now
The engagement at Tuy Hoa had been in full swing for a while. 3rd Platoon were on standby having just watched 2nd Platoon take off and head for the landing zone. As the radio traffic became more frantic the order finally came to go.
Embarking on the UH-1 transports and accompanied by a Gunship it was clear this was going to be a rough ride. More radio traffic told of a NVA sniper causing trouble and several hits from a concealed RPG team.
As 3rd Platoon flew over the LZ orders came through from the CO of the 173rd to land in a forward position almost on top of the encroaching VC forces near the village. 3rd Squad disembarked into a hail of enemy fire suffering a casualty in the process and becoming pinned. The squad had no choice but to hunker down and return fire.
Meanwhile the supporting gunship peeled of and laid down a devastating fire against the VC.
Receiving further orders from the CO to step up the rate of fire the VC were routed bringing a much-needed reprieve.
The supporting gunship searched for other targets and managed to destroy the RPG team. This was the last straw for the NVA and VC, they began to withdraw from the field leaving our forces to lick their wounds.
Jeremey is on holiday this week, so he’s left Tony the keys to the WIP Wednesday post…
We’ll start off with Chairman Mark’s fine collection of 28mm Shermans that he’s been working on for a while, building up towards a big Nijmegen game later this year. There’s been a bit of rivalry at the club over who has the biggest Sherman collection – we suspect Phil is still ahead, with Dave also a strong contender, but Mark’s catching up…
He’s also added a British half-track (likely an M5) and Daimler armoured car, a German bunker and some anti-tank guns (type unspecified, but some internet research points at them being 50mm Pak 38s).
Eric has been turning yet more Matchbox cars into wasteland warriors for a Gaslands game with all manner of add-ons and accessories. The one on the right with exposed wheels looks especially cool.
Stephen has made some 15mm objective markers for Vietnam games, which should also serve for WW2. I suspect a few of us will be hunting for those in an upcoming game of Charlie Don’t Surf.
And finally, I quickly turned out some individually based figures to act as Big Men (NCOs and officers) for a game of TFL’s Quadrant 13. They’re only 6mm, so really they should be Little Men. Or Little Big Men ?
Jeremey will be back next week, you’ll doubtless be pleased to hear !
Stephen umpired the game and ran the Communist forces. The US forces (A Company, 2nd Battalion, 173rd Airborne) were under the command of Captain Pete, who also ran the Weapons Platoon, with the three Rifle Platoons under the command of Lieutenants Tony F, Andy and Jeremey respectively.
We’ll start with Stephen’s summary of the game:
A Company of the 2nd Battalion, 173rd Airborne, scored an important military victory against the North Vietnamese Army today.
Led by Cpt Pete the company advanced up Hill 875, located the enemy and engaged them.
It was 3rd Platoon under the command of Lt Jeremey who first reached the top of 875. Meanwhile, a grenadier of Lt Andy 2nd Platoon earned recognition for posting a M79 round through a bunker slit. Lt Tony’ 1st Platoon got bogged down in a vicious firefight and took several MIA.
Company mortars, and a Huey gunship that shredded some NVA recoilless rifles, helped the 173rd to victory.
News on stateside TV reported the battle and civil demonstrations ensued at the loss of American life. It may have been a military victory for the US but the NVA scored a political victory.
Here follows the US Platoon commander’s accounts of the battle.
1st Platoon
First Platoon (Tony) advances early in the game.
This is as far as I got, a vicious firefight with an NVA platoon (and some less than favourable activation draws) saw me pretty much stuck in place for the rest of the game.
The NVA platoon in question, about to receive some 60mm mortar vengeance courtesy of Pete.
The 1st Platoon under fire and pinned. 1st squad suffered badly (7 KIA out of 10), although remarkably 2nd and 3rd squads emerged from the action unscathed.
2nd Platoon
2nd Platoon (Andy) A Company were deployed at the base of Hill 875 with the Weapons Platoon and Company HQ to our left, and 3rd Platoon to our right.
The platoon began its advance with 1st and 2nd squad leading, with 3rd Squad and the Platoon CO in reserve.
1st squad soon spotted insurgent troops further up the hill, the first of the Company to do so, and promptly engaged them. 2nd squad and part of 3rd squad joined in, the remainder of 3rd squad being out of line of sight of the enemy. The fire was effective, causing part of the enemy unit to suffer casualties and become pinned. 2LT Andy reported the sighting to CPT Pete, with a request for mortar support.
3rd squad deployed from reserve to the right of 2nd squad in order to bring its full firepower to bear.
The firefight with the enemy continued, with 3rd Platoon joining in, both 2nd and 3rd Platoons suffered some KIAs, but appeared to inflict more than they suffered.
Under the relentless fire of 2nd & 3rd Platoons the insurgents suffered further casualties and were seen running from their positions back over the crest of Hill 875 and presumably they continued down the reverse slope.
Slightly later a few ranging rounds began to land near 2nd Platoon’s position, expecting an NVA mortar barrage 2LT Andy ordered all squads to advance up the hill as fast as they could. 1st & 3rd squads succeeded, but 2nd squad got bogged down and didn’t move very far.
1st squad’s success in movement proved to be their undoing. They soon came under heavy automatic fire, believed to be either a DShK 1938 or KPV heavy machine gun, in a previously unseen bunker.
1st squad took a couple of casualties, but immediately hunkered down and returned fire, the squad’s M79 gunner achieving an excellent shot which put a 40mm HE round into the bunker, silencing the HMG.
2nd and 3rd squads advanced past the battered 1st squad, joining elements of 3rd Platoon in sweeping across the hill, engaging the remnants of the NVA defenders in the flank and driving them from the hill, at the cost of some more US KIA.
Eventually 2LT Andy’s prediction of a VC mortar barrage came true, but by the time it arrived on it’s original target all US forces had moved further up the hill and none were in the beaten zone.
As 1st squad looked after their dead they discovered a food and material cache buried on the hill side.
The mission proved to be something of a Pyrrhic victory for 2nd Platoon, we engaged and defeated the enemy, destroying a bunker and locating a cache, but at a cost of 5 KIA, 4 of them in 1st squad.
3rd Platoon
3rd Platoon (Jeremey) deployed on the far right of Hill 875. The mission was to assault the hill and so I decided to get moving and threw caution to the wind and advanced quickly up the hill.
Unfortunately after a few moves this left my three squads quite scattered. On top of that the first contact with the NVA turned out to be a real unit who immediately scored a casualty. My return fire was more effective and with support from Andy’s 2nd platoon the NVA were soon routed.
Despite the resistance I decided to continue my advance up the hill, I reached the top of the hill without further resistance but then the bunker was revealed along with more NVA troops. I took a few more casualties and would have taken more if not for Andy’s 2nd Platoon taking out the bunker on the first try.
Laying down some more fire on the remaining NVA, they routed and we claimed the hill.
Company Command
A company’s Forward Observer (Pete) performed well by adjusting the ranging mortar rounds and the subsequent Firing for Effect on the NVA positions on the hill which contributed to the general degrading of the enemy.
Also, significant contributions to the victory came from :-
Lt. Tony’s 1st Platoon made steady progress up the left flank but took heavy casualties due fire from a heavy weapons squad with recoilless rifles. These were suppressed by the fire of the Co HQ’s MG squad lower down the hill.
Lt. Andy’s 2nd platoon’s impressive accurate fire which neutralised the fortified position on the summit of the hill soon after the position was observed. The HMG in that bunker would have caused devastating casualties if not dealt with swiftly.
Lt. Jeremey’s 3rd platoon made a rapid advance up the slopes of our right flank, although sustaining several casualties, routed the enemy troops before them.
Although Air Support was requested, a Huey gunship arrived after a delay due to the Priority 2 rating of our Area of Operations, but completely destroyed the NVA Heavy Weapons squad enabling all platoons to advance and secure the enemy position on the summit of the hill, seizing enemy weapons and rice caches on the way.
I, Capt. Pete commanding officer of A Company,2nd Battalion,173rd Airborne, recommend citations for all the commanding officers of A Company platoons.
The view from the other side of the hill
The NVA side of things, as recounted by Stephen. Hill 875 was occupied by a reinforced NVA company – three rifle platoons with AK47s, a pair of recoilless rifle teams, plus the regimental HQ (historically, the rest of the regiment was situated in the hills adjacent and being engaged by the ARVN). Regimental HQ had a mortar spotter (the mortars were actually sited on a hill to the west), wireless team, and HMG in a bunker.
My general plan was to close with the enemy as soon as contact was made to mitigate against the inevitable artillery and airstrikes the US would call in, a tactic referred to as “belt-grabbing”.
The bunker being taken out promptly by US 2nd Platoon took the smile off my face. That HMG would have caused havoc and blunted the US advance and I was going to walk the mortars up to leave the US forces
sandwiched between the HMG and the mortars. But it never came to that.
It was a very historical outcome – the US captured the hill but suffered heavy casualties doing so, and there was considerable public outcry because of it.
And the final word also goes to Stephen:
Thanks to Andy, Tony, Pete, and Jeremey for making it an enjoyable game as I learn the rules. But a special thanks to Pete for his help and knowledge.
Just need to come up with a better name than the toe-curling ‘Big Men’ next…
Club member John reports on a game from a lesser known historical conflict.
Introduction
Our youngest daughter lives in Chile and she gave me a copy of ‘Andean Tragedy’ a history of the Pacific War 1879 – 1884. This detailed book covered the war between Chile and the allied forces of Peru and Bolivia, a war which started over mining claims in the Atacama Desert. The area was an important source of Nitrates for explosives and fertilisers and when the Bolivian government sought to tax Chilean mining companies mining on Bolivian soil, war was inevitable.
It was impractical to march a Chilean army by land through the Atacama Desert so the initial campaign was a Naval one (itself a good subject for wargaming) where Chile gained control of the sea and could then launch amphibious operations initially on the Bolivian coast and later the Peruvian coast. These were successful with Lima being captured and resulted in Bolivia being land locked (still contentious today). A later Guerrilla war took the fighting high into the Andes before Peru was finally defeated.
The Andean Tragedy, W.F. Sater University of Nebraska Press, Jan 2007
I started to paint up forces from Pendraken intending to use ‘Principles of War’ as the rule set but in 2020 a new rule set ‘It’s Getting a Bit Chile’ was launched and I decided to use this period specific set. This required more troops and a gridded cloth. The project stagnated then Stephen kindly donated me a cloth, the reverse side being ideal for a desert, it was the kick up the backside I needed and within a few weeks I was ready.
Chilean infantryBattalion Misti PeruBolivian Colorado BtnLibres del Sur BoliviaArtillery
Review of ‘It’s Getting a Bit Chile’
It’s Getting a Bit Chile, G. Evans, Wargaming for Grown Ups Publications 2020
I was attracted to this set of rules for its period specific nature which I felt was merited after reading ‘Andean Tragedy,’ I didn’t want to use any generic 19th Century rules. When I received my copy, I realised it was more than just a rule book. The book includes a history of the war, a uniform painting guide and a bibliography, it is well laid out and the rules are easy to follow with diagrams to help with explanation, there is a scenario included with the rules and a quick play sheet is included. I also discovered that the author had visited the same location in Peru which was his inspiration, the previous year to us.
The rules are army level where each army can be organised into divisions, though these are smaller than European armies. The rules are I go – you go. The lowest organisational unit is an Infantry battalion or Cavalry Regiment consisting of four bases, Artillery are a single base. Unit formation is determined by how the bases are aligned in a grid square.
Each formation has a different number of firing bases, support bases and melee bases and is a specific target type if fired at and a separate melee target type. For combat a dice is rolled for each eligible base and the sum of the dice rolls is compared on a “To hit multiple” table to determine how much damage is dished out. This avoids the 6 to hit method of casualty calculation and damage is instead noted as disorder. A fresh unit with no disorder fights using a d8 per eligible base, a unit with one disorder uses d6’s and a unit with two disorders uses d4’s. If the target formation has a support base, a disorder marker can be absorbed by the support base allowing the formation to fight unaffected if all disorder is absorbed. Changing formation can reduce the number of support bases and hence increased unabsorbed disorder, reducing fighting capability. Disorder can be rallied off by the unit itself or an adjacent Divisional or Army Commander and this is key to maintaining fighting capability.
The “to hit multiple” table and disorder mechanic are very neat and set these rules apart.
Play Test
The set up
As usually happens with a new project, there was lots of last minute stuff to do which meant I hadn’t spent much time on planning a scenario. I decided to have three objectives on table, two minor ones were to secure water supply either at a village or Nitrate mine.
Peruvians advance on the villageChileans occupy the Oficina
The main objective being capturing the hill. The Allied forces had an extra infantry battalion and an extra Cavalry unit, this last tied down some Chilean artillery as it threatened to outflank.
The Battle for the hill
In the centre, the Chilean assault on the hill ran out of steam and in true style, the Chilean Cavalry followed the routed Bolivian cavalry off table.
The Cavalry Battle
Thanks to Tony Gibbs and Jon Roche for helping. The rules played very smoothly with hardly any queries. Afterwards, I read through the rules again and posted some queries with the Author. I received an e mail back within 24 hours so excellent support.
Next Steps
I have three Peruvian battalions ready for painting and artillery limbers have arrived this week. I’m considering the small dice holders and dice to keep track of disorder. Whilst the card buildings are OK from three feet away, I’m considering making some better alternatives. Finally, I’ll need to put some time aside to consider scenarios, perhaps working those into a campaign.
Stephen takes us through a recent game of Charlie Don’t Surf.
Throughout 2024 I put together a collection of 15mm Vietnam stuff. The Vietnam War was one of the first historical wargaming periods I ever gamed, back in the early 90s. This was, of course, because of the spate of Vietnam War films of the late 80s and early 90s and because the music of the period was so good. All of which I loved.
However, like things do, it fell by the wayside and I sold it all on. But last year I joined in a game of Pete S’s ‘Charlie Don’t Surf’ and Pete M’s Vietnam game, both of which I really enjoyed. This re-kindled my interest in gaming Vietnam and so I started collecting models and miniatures.
I also enjoyed ‘Charlie Don’t Surf’ so I decided that would be the rules I would use.
So, having put a game in the club diary for May, I decided I would run a solo game so I could refine my knowledge of the rules. I decided on a simple meeting encounter.
It is late 1967. Military intelligence is bringing in lots of reports of large communist troop manoeuvres in the south. Something is clearly going to be happening in the run-up to the Tet holidays. Two US infantry platoons have been detailed to perform a blocking action to prevent troop movement of local VC elements in the locality of the village of Boc An. This village is known to have communist sympathies and, as such, the provincial authorities are keen not to alienate the locals any further. Therefore, this area is not a free fire zone and any use of indirect fire will require authorisation.
On the opposite side are two platoons of Main Force VC infantry. They are armed with AK47s and so will count as assault rifle squads. Their objective is to exit the table on the opposite side they enter from. The VC are operating on blinds (with two dummies). Since this is a solo game I decided that I would dice to see which blinds are dummies and which are real when the need comes.
The table was set up with the VC blinds on one edge and the US platoons deployed within 6” of the opposite. The US forces had two Big Men (God, I HATE that term!) as platoon commanders, one Big Man is company command with a medic. Company mortars are available but will require authorisation. I set the US platoons up in standard formation – one squad on point with the other two squads behind. All US squads would count as machine gun squads (the M60s having been distributed amongst squads rather than as a separate weapons squad).
The US forces would have a slow advance because they were soon having to wade through the rice paddies. I had them avoid the village just in case anything happened that would antagonise the villagers. The plan was to spread out once they’d passed the village to stop any VC slipping through the net. Similarly, the VC also had a slow advance through the jungle – still operating on blinds, so still unsure which units were real and which were dummies. The two central dummies advanced up the hill with the two flanking dummies moving around the flanks to create a dilemma for the US forces.
The US 1st Platoon rolled badly for movement through the paddies so the squads started bunching up. Meanwhile, 2nd Platoon did quite well and so managed to move up to put them in a position should one of the flanking VC units turn out to be real. Mind you, 2nd Platoon would also have a patch of elephant grass to wade through as well, so making a bit of time through the paddies was a bonus. As for the VC, two of the blinds had reached the summit of the hill with the other two making slightly slower progress on the flanks. It would soon be at the point where the US platoons could start making spot rolls as the VC were now on the edge of the jungle.
The US company command as well as 1st Platoon all failed in their spot rolls and so when it came to the VC activation they had a choice – stay where they were and remain hidden or, with the US platoons in the open, take advantage of that and open fire. I went with the latter – it was going to happen sooner or later and so it made sense to let rip while they had the advantage. I rolled for the two VC blinds on the hill to see if they were the real units. And, you know what, they were! So troops were put on the table. This meant the game would turn into a straight fight rather than a hunt and pursue.
So the VC let rip with their AKs. US 1st Platoon were caught in the open. They’d crossed the paddies and were in the area of scrub between the road and the hill. The lead squad took a pasting and accumulated several Shock and became Suppressed. I was surprised at how lethal the game could be, but then the fire was at a unit in the open at close range. It wasn’t looking good for the US platoons. When the US activated they managed to give back a little of what they’d received, but the VC were in the jungle, so whilst it was at close range it was still a poor shot. Nonetheless the lead VC squads took two kills as well as being Pinned and Suppressed. Ouch!
The firefight now brewed up. The US 1st Platoon commander found himself in a dilemma – whether to get his squad returning fire before the VC went again or to rally some of the Shock to make them more effective. There was only one choice; with all the Shock they’d taken their fire would be ineffective, so he had to take the gamble and rallied some of the Shock on his troops. Meanwhile, the company commander recognised the potentially lethal situation he found himself in and called for the company mortars to strike the hilltop, but he would have to wait until authorisation came through. The VC fire came in once more and this time it was deadlier – two US killed! However, the Critical Wound card came up, meaning one of the killed was a serious injury. The Medic called in a casevac chopper and proceeded to tend to the wounded man and try to get him to a suitable LZ for evacuation.
Two things then happened. The US 2nd Platoon spotted and engaged the second VC platoon. The VC took one killed and a few Shock. Seeing the kind of fire-power the US could give out, the VC second platoon pulled back to the downslope of the hill, the intention being to disappear back into the jungle and find another way off the board. Also, authorisation for the mortars came through nice and quickly (clearly, higher command saw the urgency of the need), which meant the mortars might be coming in soon. 1st squad of the US 1st Platoon pulled back after the mauling it had received so the other two squads of 1st Platoon could engage the enemy.
Then it happened. In came the mortars. Only the shot hadn’t been as accurate as hoped. The barrage actually missed the VC and hit the side of the hill, which meant the barrage also fell on part of the village! The villagers well and truly copped it – not only Pins, Suppressions, and Shock, but four civilian fatalities! Not good. Not good at all. This caused the company command a dilemma – should he call off the mortars or would he be able to correct fire in time. If he called off the mortars then this may result in more delays as authorisation would be needed to resume firing, but if he couldn’t correct fire then the village would take another leathering. Such is the fate of war. Well, such is the random turn of cards. He kept the fire up and just hoped that he could correct the mortars in time.
And lucky him, because that’s just what he managed to do. Yup, his card came up before the mortar card came up. It’s as cold and simple as that. But he managed to correct fire and put it straight on top of the VC 1st Platoon. The effect was devastating.
The VC 2nd Platoon had pulled back, returned to a blind and, when the Di Di Mau card came up managed to bring on a dummy blind so it was hard to say which was the actual platoon and which was a fake. The two dummies split up and went back to the original plan of moving around the flanks. Meanwhile, the VC 1st Platoon moved to get away from the mortars, but the US company command just walked the mortar barrage with them to keep up the pressure. It was now starting to look unlikely for a VC victory. The US casevac also came in allowing the medic to pass on his charge and off it went with the US wounded.
It felt like things were coming to a conclusion. The US 2nd Platoon cleared the elephant grass and made a spotting roll for the VC blind that was moving around that flank. A successful roll, so now to see if it was the actual unit or a fake. It was real! This meant the US would have the VC trapped and their whereabouts known. The VC were not idle though. Whilst their 1st platoon was now stuck under falling mortars, their 2nd platoon opened up on the US 2nd platoon, causing a fatality as well as Suppressing them. It was far from over.
That said, the numbers were starting to tell. The VC 1st Platoon was really piling up the Shock and they were about to break. And with the rest of the US 2nd Platoon coming up to engage the VC 2nd Platoon and the ever-present threat of falling mortars, it was obvious what was going to happen. The result? The US had won a military victory, but with the casualties sustained and, more importantly, the mortar strike on the village, the VC had won a political victory.
A slight change to our normal Wednesday progress post this week. Members are busy preparing to take our newest show game to the big wargames show Salute on the 12th April.
Bradley (l) faces off against Atari-1.
This year we are putting on a rendition of the classic arcade game Battlezone. If you’re going to be at the show do come along and try your luck against three other opponents! You won’t need a stash of 10p pieces just some good dice rolls.
You can hear more about the game courtesy of OnTableTop’s coverage of our game at the Cavalier show in February.
Atari-1 has Brigade in its sights.
This is our entry in the Salute line up: Maidstone Wargames Society – Battlezone – Futuristic Tank Warfare in 1980 – STAND: GK11
Stephen reports on the beginning of a new Lion Rampant Campaign. Andy’s apologies for taking so long to get this onto the blog.
After the debacle of our Crusades campaign I demanded satisfaction from Andy and we agreed to another campaign based around the Norman Conquest.
My Normans rarely see the light of day so this was a chance for me to get them out and gain a bit of glory. Andy took the English.
In the same vein as the Crusades campaign we upped the points values a bit – two 24 point forces, two 30 point, and the final game would be a 48 point bloodbath. Each army gets an extra free point that can only be spent on Leader skills (though more points can be taken from the army total to buy more expensive Leader skills). As before, army lists have to be drawn up ahead of the campaign and assigned to each battle before they are rolled for.
So to kick off we rolled to see who would be Red (Andy) and who would be Blue (me).
And then we rolled for the first encounter of the campaign – we rolled The Village and then rolled again to see which specific scenario – The Taxman Cometh!
So it begins.
For this first game I had a 24 point, fully-mounted, force. I purchased the Strongbow Leader skill. My force consisted of 2 Elite Cavalry (the knights), 2 Heavy Cavalry, and 1 Heavy Cavalry with crossbows.
Andy’s Anglo-Danish force had 30 points, comprising 2 x Elite Foot (1 containing his leader), 2 x Heavy Infantry, 1 x Light Infantry and 3 x Skirmishers. Andy’s leader purchased the Commanding Skill.
Club member Mark placed six tax counters face down on the terrain – these all had a (hidden) value and each side would gain Glory equal to the total value of counters they could get off the table. In addition to this players gain Glory for making Boasts. My Boasts were ‘I shall strike the first blow’, ‘They shall tremble before me’, and ‘I shall burn their homes’. Andy went with ‘They shall tremble before me’ and ‘I shall destroy more than I lose’.
One of the counters had been put in a church and, since I had a mounted only force, we had to make a decision on mounted troops being able to enter a building. The rules say nothing on this. So we rolled randomly and decided that mounted troops could not enter buildings. Although this went against me it made absolute sense and was the right decision. However, this left me with a dilemma – it meant that I would be unable to secure one of the tokens. This shaped my choice of Boasts. I decided that since I would be unable to get it I would try to deny it to Andy by burning down the church! I think you’ll find that such actions are all part of the job description and duties of being a Norman tyrant. (Andy: Sacrilege!)
The first couple of turns of the game were a general advance on both sides. We both did well on Activation rolls and as I recall we both managed to activate all units for the first two turns.
Norman knights out for a ride
Andy had put his skirmishers on his flanks, where two of the tax counters were hidden in the woods, and he managed to secure both. He also made a general advance in the centre with his light infantry, heavy infantry, and dane-axe wielding elite huscarls.
Anglo Danes take the hill
I steered one of my units of heavy cavalry to the woods on my right flank to get the tax counter there, and my mounted crossbows to snatch the tax counter hidden in the woods in the centre.
Shall we shoot or shall we burn something
Those had been the easy ones. The struggle was going to be for the two central tokens – one in the church and the other in some ruins.
View from the Anglo Danish side
Surprisingly, Andy’s unit on his right took their token and fled the table (you only count tokens you get off table). I thought they might stick around for a bit longer to hold the flank. Then he advanced a unit of skirmishers into the ruins to claim a third token.
View across the battlefield
That was annoying, but I saw it coming. I knew it would be difficult to budge them – we classified the ruins as rough going with cover. This made it all the more essential that he didn’t get the token in the church. With that in mind I activated my archers to loose their bolts at the English light infantry who were approaching the church doors. I scored a couple of casualties and this forced him back. With my mind on the Boasts I’d made, I then stuck the spurs into the Leader’s unit and charged the English heavy infantry.
Norman Lord leads the charge
We caused casualties on each other but we both passed our Courage checks and bounced off each other.
On your marks, get set, go!
I then took my chance with the church. A unit of heavy cavalry had moved up and now I made a roll to see if I could burn it. With only 6 men in the unit this meant I needed a 9+. I rolled and scored…11!
Up went the church. This meant it now counted as impassable terrain making it impossible for anyone to get the last tax token. That’ll teach those English rebels, I laughed haughtily.
Normans set fire to the church
Meanwhile, out on my right flank, I could see Andy was trying to find a way of harassing me with his unit of skirmishers. Problem was that in the woods they were safe but out of range. To get in range they had to leave the woods and this would put them at risk of a cavalry charge.
Then something unexpected happened.
On Andy’s activation he charged his heavy infantry into my Leader’s unit. I rolled to counter-charge but failed!
Anglo Dane Elite Infantry charge the Norman Leader
Oh well, I thought – those knights are well armoured and might take a casualty but not the end of the world. And, yes, they did take a casualty. But I rolled a double 1 which meant it was the leader that coped it!
Down he went.
The Normans were now leaderless.
However, one thing was in my favour. The two tax counters I had were high value ones, and I’d also managed to fulfil all my Boasts. So, despite the loss of my Leader, I figured I was still in a strong position.
Problem now, though, was that my mounted crossbows, who had a token, were in a difficult position with both the English heavy infantry and elite infantry getting within charge distance. If I lost them, and their token, then the fortunes of war would be reversed, and I could see in Andy’s eyes that he knew that too.
So the race was now on – get off the table with what I had.
Being mounted had an advantage because I was faster than him. Andy started pulling back his skirmishers with the tokens to secure them, whilst trying to put the pressure on me.
It got a bit hairy when I failed an activation roll to move the crossbows, but Andy was just out of charge range and the following turn they were off and that was the end of the game.
I had secured 5 points of tax tokens and gained another 5 Glory for my Boasts plus an extra 0.5 Glory for facing a larger enemy. This gave me 10.5 Glory.
Andy also scored 5 points of tax tokens, but failed to achieve either of his boasts, so lost a point for each, giving a total of 3 Glory
The first game went to the Normans with a convincing 10.5 to 3 win.
The winner gets to choose the next game and I chose The Road. We rolled for the specific scenario and came up with Meet The Neighbours.
In this game players start in opposite corners and gain Glory for units they get off the opposite corner (plus Boasts).
In this game I had 30 points and my (new) Leader had also taken Strongbow. My force consisted of 2 Elite cavalry, 1 Heavy cavalry, 1 Heavy infantry, 1 foot crossbows with pavises, and 2 skirmishers. My Boasts were ‘Their arrows shall be lost like tears in the rain’, and ‘I shall avenge them’ (I chose his Leader’s unit – after I had lost my Leader I couldn’t let him get away with all the goading that would be coming and had to even things up!).
Andy had a smaller force this time, only 24 points, a single unit of Elite Infantry containing the Leader, 2 units of Heavy Infantry and one of Light Infantry, the force being completed by 3 units of Skirmishers. Andy’s leader purchased the Commanding Skill again.
Boldly he chose ‘Half the Enemy shall fall to my Swords’ and ‘I shall destroy more than I lose’. At least he’d start with an extra 0.5 Glory for facing a larger enemy.
Going into the second game I was cautious. Andy is a very good player and could easily turn fortunes around. So I decided that I would avoid combat where possible (the exception being to nip off the English Leader). My plan was to advance as quickly as I could with the infantry and use the cavalry to protect flanks and threaten any English units if they tried to attack.
That was the plan.
So the game started. The problem we both had is that we couldn’t get all our units in the deployment area, meaning those units off table could only come on with a successful Move activation. Andy went first and made a general, broad, advance. He managed to activate all his units and even bring on the excess unit.
Off to war they go
Things didn’t go quite so smoothly for myself. I started with my Leader’s unit off-table. The first unit I tried to activate failed and without a Leader to prompt a second attempt that was it! The English advanced again.
Back to me. Well, a bit better – I managed to move one unit, which created a gap for me to bring on the Leader. Which I failed. He had another try. Failed again! That breakfast croissant or pain au chocolat was obviously keeping him busy.
Andy advanced again. He swung two units of skirmishers south, toward an area of woodland which meant that if I wanted to advance that way I’d have to endure some bow fire.
By this time Andy was halfway across the table. I’d moved some units but still had others in the deployment zone. It was obvious my plan of getting across the table was going to fail. Andy would be off sooner than me and would win the game with a good score. I had to change my tactics. The only way I could win is if I prevented Andy getting off the table and the only way I could do that was by eliminating his entire army! I went on the attack!
Norman firing line
It was more by luck than design. By the time our two forces came face to face I hadn’t advanced too far but the position I found myself in was an advantageous one. To one side of the road was a hill and to the other was an area of rocky ground. I decided I would put the crossbows on the hill, the skirmishers in the rocky ground, and use the heavy cavalry and spearmen to plug the gap with the knights behind to act as a mobile reserve where they could either exploit a gap in the enemy or charge to the defence if the enemy broke through. It was a strong position which I can’t take any credit for.
The key to this would prove to be the rocky ground. I think Andy recognised that and I could see him manoeuvring units that way to launch an attack. Lines were drawn. Now the battle started.
Anglo Danish thanes and huscarls make a steady advance
My skirmishers in the rocks opened fire (thanks to the Leader’s Strongbow skill) on Andy’s light infantry, causing a couple of casualties. Meanwhile he started moving the heavy infantry around the side of the rocks and his Leader’s unit came forward. The English skirmishers opened up with some desultory bowfire – thankfully the rocky ground provided good cover.
Norman archers in the stones
Seeking an opportunity I thought I’d try my luck. With his Leader within charge range of the Norman heavy cavalry, and an eye on my Boasts, I thought I’d give it a go. In went the cavalry. I caused one casualty against the English (failed the Lucky Hit to bag the Leader) but Andy had given me a fair wallop – I took three casualties. Not only were the Norman cavalry Battered but they were at half strength as well. Oh well, I thought, I’ll use them as an expendable unit and see what more damage they can do to the English Leader (a perfectly acceptable attitude for an invading Norman tyrant).
On Andy’s turn he did something that surprised me – he charged his light infantry into the rocks to take on my skirmishers! Well, I suppose I don’t blame him. If he left them there then it would cause a lot of problems. He had to do something. In response to the charge I decided to Evade. That took me out of the rocks but it caused casualties on the charging English which meant they had to retreat. Meanwhile, to the south, the English skirmishers in the woods and the Norman crossbows on the hills just stared at each other. I moved a unit of Norman knights behind the hill but in position so they could charge if the skirmishers dared come out the woods.
Norman corssbows supported by Norman knights
The fight around the rocks continued. The English heavy infantry moved forward. This could be a potential problem. I had two choices. Ideally, I wanted to shoot with both my skirmishers to loosen them up, and then charge with the Norman Leader’s knights. The skirmishers would shoot on a 7+ and the knights charge on a 5+. If I failed with either of the skirmishers then activation would switch to the English and I’d miss out, so maybe I could just charge with the knights? The Norman Leader had the Strongbow skill, but I’d used that to order the crossbows to shoot at the English Leader’s unit (another casualty on them, but still not the Leader).
Anglo Danes march pass the POND OF DEATH
I decided to put my faith in the dice. I rolled for the first skirmisher unit. Success! They fired. Then I rolled for the second unit of skirmishers. Another success! OK, so the English heavy infantry had taken a few casualties. Now was the time. In went the knights, led by the Norman Leader – let’s just hope it wouldn’t be a repeat of the previous game.
In they go
No, it wouldn’t be. The English infantry took more casualties and failed their Courage test. They fell back, Battered, and below half strength. They’d taken enough casualties that it would be hard to recover.
Feeling cock-a-hoop with my charges I sent the Norman heavy cavalry in against the English Leader again. Another casualty on the English meant they were now at half strength, but in return they eliminated the last of the heavy cavalry. I didn’t care. They’d done their job. It was now starting to look good for the Normans and I could see another victory coming.
Andy realised he had to go for it. The skirmishers to the south moved out of the woods and shot at the crossbows. They caused a single casualty but I fluffed the Courage roll and they had to retreat behind the hill. My skirmishers moved back into the rocks and continued firing at the English light infantry causing more casualties and Andy obligingly rolled a double 1 for their Courage. Off they went. It was now looking very good.
We were moving into the end game. My thoughts turned to Glory points. If I entirely eliminated the English army that would be game end but since I hadn’t got any units off I would only receive Glory for the Boasts I’d made and none for the game objective. It was going to be hard to do anything about that.
Andy points an accusing finger at the Norman spears
Andy still had a unit of heavy infantry in the centre. They lined up against the Norman heavy infantry and went in. It was pretty much a draw, with a casualty on either side. In the meantime my skirmishers kept opening fire on the English Leader, but bad dice rolls meant I just couldn’t cause any casualties. I then sent in a unit of knights against the English skirmishers and completely eliminated them. In response Andy moved the other unit back into the woods where they would be safe. The Norman heavy infantry charged the English heavy infantry and, again, a couple of casualties on either side but the Normans failed their Courage test (and would ultimately fail to rally and rout off table).
Then came the final act. The Norman Leader ordered the crossbows to open up at the English heavy infantry. At close range the bolts thudded in and off they went. The skirmishers drew their bows, took aim at the English Leader and…down he went at last! All the English had left was a unit of skirmishers hiding in the woods.
Ironically, I didn’t want to destroy them. What I wanted to do first was get some of my troops off-table. Andy knew this, so it was in his interests for the skirmishers to either be eliminated or get off themselves to bring the game to an end before I gained too many Glory points. What I also wanted to do was weaken the skirmishers to reduce their effectiveness but without actually killing them. A burst of fire from the crossbows did the trick, reducing them to half strength. Both sides made a rush for the table edge. The English, though, were closer and were soon off, bringing the game to an end. I hadn’t got any of the Normans off.
Final Glory scores were just 3 for the Normans (for successful Boasts). The English had got a half strength unit off, earning 1 Glory, and had the extra 0.5 Glory for having the smaller force. But they had failed both Boasts meaning -2 Glory giving a final total of -0.5 Glory.
A second Norman win! Glory tallies at this point are 13.5 for the Normans, and 2.5 for the English. We still have three games to go. Andy is a good and capable player, so whilst I’m happy with this lead I am not complacent.
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