Chain of Command: They Don't Like It Up 'Em, Me Babber!

Last month Phil organised a Chain of Command Operation Seelöwe game for Jen, Jim, Andy and myself, with the Fallschirmjäger (commanded by Andy and Jim), having seized Bristol (Whitchurch) airport in a lightning attack, the German paras are now advancing down the Wells Road towards the city. All that stands in their way was Jenny and I commanding the brave (old) men and boys of the Local Defence Volunteers - the Home Guard!

Let's be 'aving yer! A section of the Whitchurch LDV advance towards the German lines - before deciding Nazi para sections sporting two spandaus are not the best thing to attack over open fields - so they retire into a nearby house.

Acthung! The spandau totting Boche hide behind a hedge as the LDV occupy the building.

C'mon lads! Let's sort those Nazi bounders out Bristol fashion!

Vorwärts! Another section of heavily armed Fallschirmjäger advance towards the British lines...

And a third! Blimey, this could be tough on the old boys of the Home Guard!

Boom! The LDV fire a Victorian era museum piece they acquired at the advancing squareheads!

It only had one shot, but it managed to inflict some Shock on the advancing paras. Take that Fritz!

Rat-a-tat-a-tat! The LDV open fire on the Nazis with a Vickers machine-gun hidden in a house...

Fallschirmjäger fall dead and their comrades take Shock, as they pay the penalty for advancing across open ground! Gert lush!

Five runs rapid fire chaps! The LDV open fire on the Nazis who have occupied their local!

Unfortunately the Germans return fire...

Their two spandaus inflicting Shockand a couple of casualties on the brave Local Defence Volunteers!

Their weapons might be as old as their enemy's parents, but the brave boys of the LDV put them to good use, especially this Great War era Lewis Gun which took up where it left off in 1918!

Boche fall to the floor, the Nazi paratroop leader shot stone dead!

Join in chaps! Another section of the Home Guard arrives and they join in firing at the nefarious Nazis!

Who under fire from three sections of the LDV, a Lewis gun and the Vickers start to amass casualties and Shock!

Gott im Himmel! This is too much! One section of the Nazi super-men run away. "Deutschland Uber Alles my arse!" cry the LDV!

The Vickers continues to pour hot lead into the Fallschirmjäger ranks...

Shock and casualties mounting up on the remaining Squareheads. But the two spandaus keep the LDV honest and the British Force Morale is beginning to drop to a worry level.

A burst of fire from the Lewis polishes off two of the retreating Fallschirmjäger - the only good Nazi is a dead Nazi are all, and the German Force Morale plummets to zero!

A resounding victory for the brave old souls and boys of the Whitchurch Local Defence Volunteers, with the Nazi plans to storm Bristol port thwarted before they got anywhere near the city. Thanks to Phil for putting such a great game on and letting Jenny, Jim, Andy and myself play with his toy soldiers (and Jen for us to play with her lovely houses).

Chariots Rampant: The Relic of Parha...

It's been a good couple of years since the halls of Bristol Independent Gaming echoed to the sound of chariot wheels and bronze age warfare, but recently we dusted off Chariots Rampant (the Bronze age supplement for Lion Rampant from Wargames Soldiers and Strategy). 

Umpiring the game for two Rampant newbies, Jim took on the role of Muwatalli the Merciless, leader of the Hittite Warriors of Tarḫunna, whilst Phil channelled his inner Kubaba the Conqueror, commander of the Warriors of the Green, a Sea Peoples warband now in possession of a stolen sacred camel that the Hittites desperately wanted back! 

Kubaba advances as part of a forward screen comprising of him with The Lightning of the Sand Sea (light chariots) and The Death Rainers (archers).

Meanwhile Muwatalli leads The Eye of the Storm (light chariots) forward, supported by The Vengeful Arm (veteran heavy infantry), with The Conquerors and The Stalwart Wall (both heavy infantry) following The Stabbers (skirmishers).

The Sea Peoples spread out with The Mighty Death-Bringers (Lukka warrior infantry) escorting the captured sacred camel, with The Thundering Hooves (ox-carts) moving remorseless forward to support their warlord.

The Lightning of the Sand Sea charge forward, Kubaba the Conqueror killing two of The Stabbers hiding in the palm trees.

Whilst The Vengeful Arm move forward to engage The Wind Runners (Trekker light infantry).

The Lightning of the Sand Sea charge into The Stalwart Wall but are beaten off, losing one chariot!

But The Thundering Hooves show how it is done, mercilessly hammering The Vengeful Arm and The Conquerors and trampling many a Hittite under their hooves and wheels!

Meanwhile The Ferocious Fiends (Lukka warrior infantry) attack The Stalwart Wall, but the Hittites beat them off.

However Kubaba sends The Death Rainers forward to shoot down the Hittite spear.

Meanwhile, their fellow archers, The Sky Blackeners, engage The Anvil of Heaven, a Hittite light chariot unit that was trying to outflank the Sea Peoples and re-capture the scared camel.

Sending the Hittites packing!

The Thundering Hooves (the King Tigers of the Biblical Age in my opinion) continue to trample The Vengeful Arm into the dust...

Before moo-ving in on The Conquerors...

Crushing the Hittite spear under their hooves! Muwatalli the Merciless flees the battlefield as the Ox-carts relentlessly plod forward.

With the Hittite right now just a bloody smear in the desert sand, The Death Rainers moved forward to engage the remaining enemy troops...

Raining death on The Stalwart Wall!

Which eventually crumbled!

Leaving a solitary Stabber alone to carry news of Muwatalli the Merciless's failure to recover the sacred camel to Hattusa and Kubaba the Conqueror's glorious victory...

It's been a long time since Lion Rampant (or the Chariots Rampant variant) had been on the table down Bristol Independent Gaming, and I'd forgotten what fast, furious and bloody fun it can be - even if I was somewhat rusty on remembering some of the rules...

Sharp Practice: The Road to Roganjosh

Catching up on the blog backlog, here is a report of a Sharp Practice game set during the Indian Mutiny from earlier this year...

As the Devil's Wind sweeps across India and with the Residency at Peshwarinan besieged, a number of the native rebels bored at the lack of loot to be found in Peshwarinan decide to head off towards Roganjosh to see if better spoils can be found there...

Standing in their way, the Thin Khaki Line! Rule Britannia and all that, eh what?

That bounder Subedar Poosh Dittin led his rebellious Sepoys down the road towards the British...

Whilst Badmashes led by Argi Bargi and his sister Min Jeeta swiftly moved across the Indian countryside, flanking the Mutineers, looking for easy loot.

Sag Aloo and his irregular Badmash skirmishers, pushing quickly forward ahead of the Mutineers other nefarious native types!

Blimey is there no end of the buggers?! The somewhat dubiously named Andi Pandi appeared out of the crops leading his fanatical Ghazis into the deserted village on the Indian right flank.

Egad! That's a lot of Pandies and Badmashes...

And a worrying amount of Ghazis! Gulp, steady in the ranks...

What ho! It is the brave Lieutenant Moore-Bacon and two groups of skirmishers from the North Somersetshire Regiment arriving behind the advancing natives and giving them a volley what for!

A Badmash falls dead and his bally friends take a lot of Shock - well so would you if you got shot up the rear!

BOOM! Sergeant Knocker of the Bengal Horse Artillery sends a nine-pound cannon ball into the advancing Pandies!

Whilst Moore-Bacon's men attack the rear of the Indian column...

Destroying the Pandy Artillery! Good show old bean!

The surviving artillery crew running away - that'll teach the bounders eh?!

BOOM! Knocker fires once more into the Mutineer ranks...

 Poosh Dittin having now deployed his men into line.

Wait 'till you see the whites of their eyes men! Captain Turner-Round orders the men of the North Somersets to fire a volley...

At Argi Bargi's onrushing Badmashes.

Lieutenant Moore-Bacon keeps up his attack on the Mutineers rear, tying down two groups of Mutineers led by Jemadar Ram Dittin who were attempting to sneak down the British right flank...

Captain Oulde-Duffer and his Piffers (Punjabi Field Force Sikhs) engage the Ghazis who had attempted to sneak down the opposite flank...

The loyal Piffers show their mettle, coolly firing into the fanatic ranks... Bole So Nihal Sat Sri Akaal!

One Sikh battle knocking the bounder Andi Pandi to the ground. Jolly good shot that man!

BOOM! Knocker keeps up the 9-pounder's firing into the Pandy ranks...

Who are starting to accumulate Shock. Will they need the ministrations of Holy Man Mahatma Kote?

Tally Ho! Lieutenant de Poncenay-Bout and the South Gloucestershire Light Horse arrive at the enemy rear!

Having been sprinkled with Holy Man magic juice, Subedar Poosh Dittin's mutinous sepoys push forward and loose a ragged volley...

Killing two of the loyal Sikhs and inflicting Shock on the Piffers! Gad!

Can the Mutineers break through the Thin Khaki Line? The British left is looking worryingly undermanned...

Not that the North Somersets can help as they are charged by Argi Bargi's Badmashes!

Present! Aim! FIRE! Roars Captain Turner-Round...

And a bally Badmash falls dead, his comrades reeling from accumulated Shock.

CHARGE! De Poncenay-Bout leads the men of the South Gloucestershire Light Horse into the Badmashes of Min Jeeta...

A fierce melee ensues, but the Badmash Bint (as she is affectionately known by the British rank and file) is knocked to the ground...

And the surviving Badmashes flee, dragging her with them!

Meanwhile on the British left, Oulde-Duffer keeps the Piffers firing at the Ghazis...

The Sikh fire whittling down the fanatics ranks!

Having forced the Badmashes back, the South Gloucestershires follow up, charging into the enemy rear...

Sending them fleeing...

Straight down the barrel of Sergeant Knocker's nine-pounder! BOOM!

The North Somerset's join in with a volley...

Breaking the Badmashes who run for the hills...

Leaving their unconscious leader to be captured by the British... 

With this the Indian Force Morale hit zero and the forces of Queen Victoria had once again shown the bally natives that rebellion against the Crown is a futile endeavour. What ho!

Another fun Sharp Practice excursion in rebellious India, with the Mutineers only needing to get two units off the board, I thought the Thin Khaki Line would be soon overwhelmed by the enemy masses, especially as the British reinforcements arrived at the furthest point away from the main force. But the Piffers just about managed to hold the left flank, allowing for the regulars to teach the Pandies a lesson they won't forget!