Tuesday 21 December 2021

Blog Update - Seven Years & 100,000 Views!

I'll start this post dear reader with a Hearty "Thank You!" on the behalf of Captain Darling!

Who would have thought just over seven years ago the Blog I created would ever reach 100,000 views...yeah I know most are bots etc having a nosey but still I'm pretty chuffed!

This excerpt is from a front page story from the 'Adelaide Reporter' date unknown;
 
"It has been reported that on hearing the news of reaching 100,000 views on his Blog Captain Darling immediately celebrated, he; bought a new Lagonda Drophead Coupe to motor the streets of Adelaide in, and he visited the Duck & Weave Hotel, a very reputable establishment where engaged himself in consuming a large medium rare steak with vegetables and gravy washed own by a mighty number of frothy beverages!

Captain Darling outside of the Duck & Weave Hotel inspecting his new Lagonda Drophead Coupe motor vehicle, you'll notice his trusted hound Maximillian is christening one of the tyres as he does so!

This Blog was started to share my Victorian Science Fiction Stuff and record my hypothetical 1879 Imperial Russian Invasion of the Colony of South Australia, even though such an invasion was very unlikely at several times during the later part of Nineteenth Century the Leaders of some of the Australian Colonies were convinced one was imminent! I believe it has been very successful in featuring my VSF foibles and following my customisation of the FUBAR VSF ruleset I use but despite finishing the 'historical' background to 'The Russians Are Coming' Campaign and the listing the miniatures to be used I have not completed the series of seven games that were planned! "That's a bit disappointing!" I hear you say well here's a big statement, in 2022 I will complete games six and seven of the 'The Russians Are Coming' Campaign and get them posted up on the Blog...this will not mean that the scenarios featuring South Australian Militia gainfully fighting the Imperial Russian Army will not reappear as there is plenty of scope for more independent scenarios including perhaps a river battle on the mighty Torrens!

Overall content has slipped over the last few years but I expected that. Initially there were many posts regarding VSF and 'The Russians are Coming' Campaign miniatures and all the whacky VSF contraptions I built or scratch made and these boosted the post numbers. Due to space limitations I have stopped adding to these collections so now only games and their related details are going up! I foresee maintaining the current level of posts on the topics this Blog concentrates on in the future (remember as all my other gaming related posts are on the Toy Soldiers for Old Gits (TSOG) Blog). I also want to get back to core Victorian Science Fiction stuff so the Pulp games that have diverted me recently will give way to fleets of steam vehicles supported by colourful infantry, robots and flyers having at each other with aplomb!

I hope you'll keep up your patronage of Captain Darlings Miniatures Emporium and continue enjoy what you see and read! I hope you enjoy the Yule Tide Holidays and have a very Happy New Year!

Oh and a Merry Christmas from Captain Darling!

Next Time; the Land of the Lost AAR?

Tuesday 14 December 2021

Jungle Cuisine, Explorer Broth - Scratch Building an Explorer in a Cooking Pot!

The final preparation work for the Land of the Lost game is done. The scenario needed one more specialty plot piece that required scratch building, 'the lost explorer in a Native Cooking Pot! Surprisingly I couldn't find a commercial one available but I don't mind pottering (pun haha) around anyway and putting something together myself. Here's the result...

Anyone for Wayward White Explorer Broth?

Explorer Broth ingredients;
Milliput
Wire
Twigs
Sheet styrene
An old figure, preferably with a sun helmet

Again I just created this on the go so here's the steps I followed!

1. Mix up a large blob of Milliput.
2. Roll most of this blob it into a ball, then elongate the ball rolling it so you get a cylinder with rounded ends, flatten one end, this will bulge that end and this will be the bottom of the pot, put your thumb into the other end and with a wet finger slowly work a lip between your thumb and finger, once flared and thinned and it looks like the top of a cooking pot smooth the surfaces and set aside.
3. Cut about a 35mm piece of sheet styrene and with the rest of the Milliput create a donut bigger than the pot diameter, flatten it and then add broken twigs to it to represent fire logs.
4. Push the cooking pot carefully onto the bases 'logs' to form an indent in it so it will sit level on the base later.
5. Form a piece of wire into a handle, at each end bend the wire at right angles and press into the cooking pot, let the pot set a bit first so you don't deform it. You could let it dry completely and drill small holes for the wire to fit into, I did it while it was still soft to save drilling.
6. When dry glue the cooking pot to the base and paint as desired.
7. Create a torso to fit in the cooking pot. I used a Warlord German Tank Commander and cut the head off as a base for the explorer, I then added a sun helmeted head left over from an Empress Miniatures vehicle. Add paint as desired!
8. When the cooking pot and figure are dry pour superglue into the cooking pot creating a pool and fit the torso into the centre of the 'puddle', I would recommend test fitting the torso and get it set up right to be level before pouring the superglue! There you're done!

This is the only 'in progress picture' I took, this is the end of step 6 above...

Dr Livingston on the boil!

A view from above, the liquid effect was simply done by creating a puddle...okay pool as it sounds cooler of superglue and then plunging Dr Livingston's torso into it!

Dr Livingston 'in the pot' and 'saved by the explorers'...hmmm not an exact match as he's grown a moustache to twirl out of the pot! Never fear dear reader it won't matter on the night!

Next Time; Most probably the land of the Lost AAR!

Sunday 12 December 2021

Scenery - Rope Bridges & A How to Scratch Build Them!

The upcoming Land of the Lost game requires several ubiquitous bits of specific Jungle Terrain the most iconic being 'rope bridges'! I need three for the game so how to make these suckers? I just went ahead and started making the first one and worked it out as I went.



The 'How To'...

I didn't take pictures as I went  (DOH!) so added what I have where they're relevant!

1. Cut from sheet styrene two anchor points, make them the width of your bridge and them around twice the width measurement again for the depth.
2. Strip some electrical wire to bare the copper strands.
3. Cut 4 bits of the copper wire to the length required, i.e. the span of the bridge (allow for some sag) plus about an extra  centimetre extra.
4. Twist the lengths into two pairs.
5 Superglue the lengths to you bridge supports from step 1.

This picture shows the rope bridge at the end of step 5 and in the foreground are the roughly cut slats from step 6!

6. Cut out uneven slats for your bridge and the superglue them onto your 'ropes', I used pop sticks, ice cream stick, coffee stirrers whatever they're called in your neck of the woods.
7. From a wood coffee skewer cut four lengths, drill a 0.5mm hole in each just down from the top and glue them onto your bridge supports from step 1 in line and near the end of your main ropes/slats. I drilled a hole into the support base and glued them into there for extra strength.

This picture shows my first attempt at the supports I cut the hand guide rope too short though as it should feed through the skewer uprights and then anchor onto the support base, a later pic will show that!

8. Cut two long lengths of the copper wire for the hand guide rope, feed them between the skewer support posts and anchor them at the back edge of the support base with superglue.

See here the hand guide ropes should look, sorry painting has already started.

9 Paint as desired and you're done!

Looks great (even if I do say so myself)!

For game purposes, as you would expect there is a chance these rope bridges will break causing the Scenario Characters on said bridge to fall into the crocodile infested river at the bottom of the deep ravine I had to make a broken bridge. It used the same basic process as above...

So there you go advanced rope bridge making covered, hope it may be of help!

Next Time; Explorer Broth!

Tuesday 7 December 2021

The Land of the Lost - The Historical Background and Scenario Details - A Pulp Action Game

I learned a lot running the Pulp Terror on Skull Island game last year and this year with updates to the gaming system and still using adapted FUBAR VSF rules we're all set to go again, welcome to A Bad Day in the Land of the Lost! Here is the Scenario Background and information on the Teams involved!

Best not to be a wayward Explorer in the Land of the Lost...
you may end up on the locals menu!

Historical Background:

Captain Darling’s daring 1885 Darkest African Expedition came back to haunt the him and others during the Great War that ravaged the World! Darling had naturally answered the call of King and Country as soon as the conflict kicked off and his service found him engaged in all manner of outstanding adventures in which he carried out multiple feats of derring-do. The particular operation involving Darling that interests us this time dear reader sees him carrying out a Top Secret mission for British Military Intelligence in the Middle East during August 1917!  The assignment called for Darling and three associates to plan a route for the Entente’s imminent offensive targeting Southern Russia! They were the vanguard of Dunsterforce and their task would be complete once they met a British contact in Baku! Naturally under Darling’s command the path was quickly scouted successfully. They arrived in Baku just hours before the scheduled meeting with their contact allowing them time for tea and biscuits. The ‘contact’ turned out to be no other than S.O.E. Agent and long time friend of Darling’s Edward Bigger, the two men quickly finished their business and were retiring for an evening repast when things suddenly unravelled! They were ambushed by Cheka agents with Bolshevik military support! Darling and Bigger easily evaded capture and with their revolvers blazing they decamped with their accomplices leaving their Bolshie assailants confounded!

The next morning Captain Darling noticed two pages from his dairy were missing, they must have slipped from the volume during his escape from the Bolshies, Bigger quickly discerned Darling's misgivings regrading the loss of the pages. Overhearing Darling muttering to himself he may have unlocked the ‘Doorway to Hell’, he announced to his stoic companion he would recover the missing sheets for him forthwith! With that the two parted company Darling heading south and Bigger vanishing into the shadows which he consistently inhabited.

Our story then takes us forward three weeks to the headquarters of the Cheka in the bowels of Kremlin in the heart of Moscow. A top level meeting including representatives from the Politburo had taken place with the discussion revolving around two crumpled scraps of paper which lay before them on the table. The Head Cheka Agent summarised their conversation saying, “so Comrades it appears that the Evil Capitalist’s Great Land Grab in Africa has not been as complete as they believe, there is a void they are not aware of that we can fill and in which we can create a new Soviet State, there our egalitarian ideals can gain a foothold right under their big fat noses!” The statement was followed by murmurs of agreement and polite applause after which the attendees of the meeting adjourned for a celebratory round of vodka. As the Bolsheviks revelled none of them noticed the ornate Faberge Heirloom Credenza in the meeting room move slowly from the corner over to the same table at which they had gathered. Once there a wiry hand appeared from one of its drawers and snatched the crucial papers! The Credenza then edged silently back to where it first stood! Crack S.O.E. Agent Edward Bigger had come up trumps again, disguised as the Credenza in question not only had he recovered his best friends missing dairy pages but he had thumbed his own nose at the Bolshies!

Unfortunately for Bigger the contents of these pages had been perused and copied. They contained the location of the long lost plateau in central Africa that Darling had explored all those years ago. The 'Genie was out of the Bottle' and even though the Bolsheviks were embarrassed at losing the valuable original documentation they had all they required to send group of their own explorers to investigate (and conquer) this new land!

Two years later in 1919 the Russians were at last ready to mount their expedition to uncover the secrets and riches of the Land of the Lost...

The Teams...

From Great Britain! - The Fine British Explorers


British Military Intelligence supplied with S.O.E. Agent Edward Bigger’s comprehensive report on the Land of the Lost wasted no time in planning a mission to ensure the Pinko Bolshevik Horde could not spread their poisonous doctrine outside of their borders! A retired Guards Officer, Major Burke was tasked with organising a company to thwart the Reds! Naturally Major Burke found all the stout chaps he would require from his ‘Club’! So, funded by the British taxpayers and well supplied with tea and biscuits this stout band of Explorers set off to lands unknown ready encounter any dangers while beating the Bolsheviks to their objective, the Land of the Lost...

Major Burke (twice retired!) - Hero Type - Revolver
Sir Sterling Silver - Hero Type - Revolver
Prof Thaddeus Bracegirdle -Trusty Chap - Revolver
Steel Balls - Trusty Chap - Shotgun
Dick Bonefat - Average Bloke – Elephant Gun
Watson Later - Average Bloke – Elephant Gun

From the Middle East - The Jihadist Rabble


With the Great War ending the Western Powers began carving up the Middle East in what they believed would be best for its inhabitants. Eager to prove their worth many locals fired up with the spirit of Jihad resisted the Entente, it was time to strike a blow against these arrogant foreigners. Sultan Habib Hafiz while plotting his own Jihad learned about two Expeditions that were travelling into central Africa in search of great treasure, excited at the opportunity to hack these men into pieces whilst lining his voluminous baggy pants pockets with gold he gathered around him his most rabid followers. Once organised they travelled to the centre of the Dark Continent and followed the drums towards the Land of the Lost...

Sultan Habib Hafiz - Hero Type – Revolver & Sword
He-Is Afakir - Hero Type - Revolver & Sword
Boghus Fakir - Trusty chap – Revolver & sword
Alibaba the ‘Sheik’ - Trusty Chap - Bolt Action Rifle & Sword
Putta Inbin- Average Bloke - Repeater Rifle & Big Knife
Abu Nasal - Average Bloke – Repeater Rifle & Big Knife

From the Gutters of Society - The Evil Villain’s Minions


The seedy backstreet of London’s poorer districts were always abounding with rumour, gossip and scandal and a loose lipped British Civil Servant in search of dubious activities added to the mix! Whilst drinking in a dodgy establishment he let slip about Major Burke’s undertaking! It was not long before the evil mastermind Doctor Badlove came to hear of Burke’s mission and naturally his curiosity was peaked! He contacted an ex-Etonian known as Professor Omega and the two of them quickly organised their own Expedition made up of the dregs of society to beat the Governments official party to Africa. Well equipped they promptly departed Ol' Blighty helped by British Military Intelligence’s documentation, their destination the Land of the Lost...

Doctor Badlove - Hero Type - Revolver
Professor Omega- Hero Type - Revolver & Sword Cane
The Strangler of Edbury Hill -Trusty Chap – Revolver & Club
Jack the Knife- Trusty Chap - Shotgun
Fred Bedlam - Average Bloke - Bolt Action Rifle
The Moors Stalker - Average Bloke – Bolt Action Rifle

From The Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic - The Bolshevik Expedition


The Cheka furnished with information on a wonderous lost land from Captain Darling’s Diary pages were quick to realise they could use the information to gain the Marxist Revolution of the Proletariat a foothold on the Dark Continent! Advised of the details of the Cheka’s discovery the Politburo hungry for Prestige (and possible riches!) selected their two best Bolshevik diehards to lead an expedition to Africa. These two Commissars, Boris and Natasha were given support from the Cheka and the Red Army to complete their mission. It took time to organise but by 1919 they were ready. Two Junkers F-13 aircraft were secretly acquired to transport the Expedition members and their equipment on their glorious ‘crusade’ against the Capitalist West, they were headed to the Land of the Lost...

Commissar Boris – Anti-Hero Type – Mauser C96 Automatic Pistol
Commissar Natasha – Anti-Hero Type – Nagant M1895 Revolver
Cheka Agent Yuri - Evil Chap – Nagant M1895 Revolver
Private Sasha - Evil Chap - Rifle
Private Anatole - Average Bolshevik - Rifle
Private Pavel - Average Bolshevik - Rifle

Here is a sample of the Player Sheet which each Team gets, this is the Bolshie one...

And the updated for Pulp Gaming one page FUBAR VSF Rules we'll be using...

Here's the The Land of the Lost table ready to go, all the Event driven terrain has been removed and the silver Event Marker discs are now discretely hidden by jungle looking lichen!

Next Time: the Land of the Lost AAR!
Well maybe not as we're not playing for three of weeks!

Saturday 13 November 2021

Captain Darling in the Sudan OR Working on a Tan while Battling Natives!

Our Christmas game looms, read on for relevant details gleaned from the diaries of Captain Darling...

Captain Darling posing by a statue during his 1886 Expedition into the deepest depths of the jungles of Central Africa...reportedly the expedition discovered a lost plateau and while exploring it engaged in all manner of exciting adventures and made many curious discoveries...here Darling is seen standing beside what appeared to be Egyptian ruins where they should not be!
This Picture was taken by Percy Fiddler a member of Captain Darling's 1886 Expedition with a 
prototype Eastman Portable Camera, these became commercially available in 1888!

During 1884 with the Mad Mahdi running rampant and Her Most Glorious Majesty's African Possessions in great peril Captain Darling stepped forward (as one would expect) donned his uniform and headed to the front of the battleline!

After an arduous journey across the Indian Ocean by cutter Darling and a small contingent of fellow Antipodean volunteers landed at Port Suâkin in early September 1884. Knowing his ol' mucker Chinese Gordon was in a spot of trouble in Khartoum he and his stout band made plans to travel there to join him. It soon became apparent to Darling that due to the Mahdist siege of the city this was not possible and the good Captain decided to wait for the relief force from Britain to arrive so they could join that. As it turned out waiting for Sir Wolseley's column was a mistake as it arrived too late to relieve Gordon and Khartoum! Despite this disappointment Captain Darling still joined Wolseley's force and was at the Battle of Abu Klea where he won great accolades and of course many medals for his bravery! After this victory believing the Mahdists had been defeated and order was once again restored to Victoria's African Empire Darling and his brave cohort departed Sudan. They left Khartoum in April 1885 for the Antipodes arriving in Adelaide, South Australia in time for tea and scones in January 1887.

Now dear reader it is at this point where our story gets interesting; why did it take so long for Captain Darling and his comrades to arrive at Port Adelaide, why were two members of the contingent missing both Bluey and Stan had just disappeared, how did Bert lose the lower part of his left arm and finally what was in the large number of elephant sized crates that accompanied them?

Rumour and gossip abounded regarding this Expedition, firstly in the fine drinking establishments of Adelaide and then around the globe spreading rapidly thanks to the wonders of modern telegraphy! It was said that Captain Darling had led his boys on a escapade of adventure and daring do in the environs of Central Africa! There were stories of exotic animals bigger than elephants and more ferocious than lions as well as treasures beyond the wildest  dreams of average man in the street! Each of these wild stories varied in their details and minutiae but they all included one phrase 'the Land of the Lost'! 

'The Land of the Lost', what dear reader is the significance of this? Stay tuned for more details about this!

Next Time, The Land of the Lost Scenario!

Saturday 21 August 2021

The Battle For Chateaux 'X' - FUBAR VSF AAR

Hello again Dear Readers it's been a while but I'm back and I'll hopefully will be able to divert some more time to my VSF passion over the next few months! This post, my first in quite a while is a FUBAR VSF AAR, yep I got the TSOG guys to play a game last Monday!

Background

The Great Steam Wars of the 1880's engulfed the World and battles between the European Empires raged across the length and breadth of virtually every Continent! The Low Countries in Europe were a hot spot of activity and as allegiances and alliances changed Armies of the Great Empires fought many actions within their borders...one of those was fought for the possession of Chateaux 'X'!

The Battle for Chateaux 'X' begin German Steam Armour advances with Infantry support!

The Armies!

British Army - Lord Arfwitt - the 22nd Steam Assault Detachment
Unit                              Activation         Expertise          Armour           Suppression     Hero Pts
HQ                                    2+                    4+                    6+                    2                     2
Guard Infantry                  2+                    3+                    5+                    4                      2
Armoured Infantry 1/2      3+                    4+                    5+                    3                      1
Armoured Infantry 2/2      3+                    4+                    5+                    3                      1
Line Infantry 1/2               4+                    5+                    6+                    2                      1
Line Infantry 2/2               4+                    5+                    6+                    2                      1
Naval Auxiliaries              4+                    5+                    6+                    1                      1
Artillery Detachment        3+                    4+                    5+                    2                      1
Automaton MG                3+                    3+                     4+/6+           Special Rules     0

German Army Oberst Oinker - 3rd Grenadier Gruppe
Unit                              Activation         Expertise          Armour           Suppression     Hero Pts
HQ                                   2+                    4+                    6+                    2                      2
Jager Border Guards       2+                    3+                    5+                    4                      2
Armoured infantry 1/2      3+                    4+                    5+                    3                      1
Armoured Infantry 2/2      3+                    4+                    5+                    3                      1
Line Infantry 1/3               4+                    5+                    6+                    2                      1
Line Infantry 2/3               4+                    5+                    6+                    2                      1
Line Infantry 3/3               4+                    5+                    6+                    1                      1
Artillery Detachment        3+                    4+                    5+                    2                      1
Automaton MG                3+                    3+                    4+/6+            Special Rules     0

All Vehicles       
Activation         Expertise          Armour             Suppression      Speed      Crew
      3+                    4+                    3+                        2                   10”          5/6

Vehicle Notes;
Vehicle Activation roll of a 1 requires an unmodified 1D6 Roll on Breakdown Table
Vehicles must move 3” straight ahead before it can turn up to 45 degrees
Vehicles without turret have 6 man Crew

Special Rules;
1. Heroic Points can be spent to reroll a die per Point HQ may use its Points on Unit within 12”
Gain 1D6 movement
Gain 1 FP factor for a shot
Reroll a save at 3+
2. Automaton requires 2 successful unsaved hits in the one attack to kill, 1 unsaved hit causes a roll on the Malfunction table, if Controller is closer to firer than the Automaton he may be targeted and has 6+ Armour, the Controller must be within 12 Inches of the Automaton if not it rolls to activate a pass and  it remains stationary a failure and it rolls on the Malfunction Table
An Automaton Activation roll of a 1 requires an unmodified 1D6 Roll on the Malfunction Table

Scenario Rules & Victory Conditions

The Chateaux 'X' scenario begins with both sides placed within 6" of their table edge, one Armoured Steam Wagon enters along the road for each side per turn for the first three turns and at the end of turn three each side places their Artillery Detachment anywhere within 20" of their table edge, once placed it can not move but it can pivot.
The game runs for eight complete turns and at the end of the game victory is given to the side with the most Victory Points at that time.
Victory Points are earned for;
1 VP per live figure within 12" of the edge of Chateaux 'X' on the player's half of the table
2 VPs per active vehicle within 12" of the edge of Chateaux 'X' on the player's half of the table
2 VPs per live figure with 12" of the edge of Chateaux 'X' on the other player's half of the table
4 VPs per active vehicle with 12" of the edge of Chateaux 'X' on the other player's half of the table

Chateaux 'X', everyone's objective, seems the Senior Officers of both sides wanted a classy bivouac for the night!

The AAR

With cold Autumn nights approaching many Commanders sought better lodgings and Chateaux 'X' drew the attention of both Lord Arfwitt and Oberst Oinker, they manoeuvred their forces to gain control of this vital location in the lowlands of Holland.

The Germans deployed with a strong right wing and their elite Jagers in their centre with their Automaton under the control Engineer OberLeutnant Willi Orvontee. The British placed their troops in a long line on a board front with their Guard Grenadiers in the rear and their Automaton supporting their left flank. Both sides expected reinforcements of Steam Powered Armoured Wagons and Artillery which would enter along the road.

Both sides advanced aggressively the British skewing their advance toward the dead ground behind Chateaux 'X' where as the German continued their attack on a wide front!

The road was the centre of the action for the Steam Powered Armoured Wagons of both sides and it became a battle within a battle. In a confused firefight interspersed with Breakdown Events a draw ensued, One British vehicle was destroyed, one bogged down and the other dogged by fires fought on valiantly earing them double VPs, while for the Germans two vehicles were destroyed and the other successfully ended the game near the Chateaux giving them VPs.

While the armoured clash continued the foot soldiers of both sides drew closer to the Chateaux and each other. Initially the British had the better of the exchange of fire but near the font entrance of the Chateaux the garden became a killing field and two British Units were hammered by the German Armoured Infantry.

During the last two turns the British artillery came into play pushing back two German Units and then the fresh British Grenadier Guard Unit was released and on entering the fray unleashed a barrage of fire that made the difference! They defeated all the Germans facing them and they then pressed forwards to earn even more VPs for their side!

At this point the action ended with a British triumph over their German foes, they scored 54 Victory Points to Germans 34!

Our Battlefield, the British are in the foreground!

The British initial positions...

Captain Walee and his new Automaton on the extreme British left.

The Germans deployment mostly hidden in the fruit orchid...

The Huns left flank advances!
(the blue mini die indicates Units that have Heroic Points they can spend during play!)

The British move forward carefully shielding their reserve, elite Guard Grenadiers armed with the latest repeating rifles and grenade launchers with a Naval Unit...

Germans massing at the edge of the orchid about to begin their grand attack! Their best Unit is ready to lead the way!

The first German Steam Powered Armoured Wagon to arrive coordinated closely with the Infantry!

"Mensch Vorwarts!" The German advance begins!

Meanwhile the British Steam Armour was in difficulty, a fire broke out in their leading vehicle!
(the infamous Breakdown Table strikes!)

Not to be outdone the Germans Armoured Behemoths too fell foul of fickle mechanics! This allowed the British to hit the middle vehicle below destroying it!

Meanwhile the first infantry casualties are taken, the Germans best troops, their Jagers take hits from opportunity fire!

The roadway became the location of a hot armoured action! Below in the distance two British vehicles move down the road toward their German counterparts, a third one after putting out an internal fire veered off the road when a second fire broke out (curses!). In the foreground the two surviving German vehicles face them.

In an attempt to clear the road for their last vehicle the second British Armoured Wagon moved off the road but due to a power surge it ended up bogged down in the Chateux's pond! It became a pillbox for the rest of the game, luckily though it was within 12" of the Chateaux so qualified for VPs at the last moment!


Firing was now general across the line as both sides Units advanced, initially the British got the better of this but in the foreground of the below a shattered Unit of Redcoats retire losing seven out of ten figures (the red disc indicates routing units!)!

The British artillery deployed on their left and proved deadly targeting the German foot troops...

The final German push supported by artillery looks promising and despite losses they were advancing steadily!
Note the lonely looking German Automaton ambling forward in the centre of the picture, its operator, Willi Orvontee is lurking near the artillery behind the hedge.

Ground level view of the German right...

Despite losses the British gunners toiled and their work reaped rewards, they broke two German Units pushing them back out of the VP area of the Battlefield!

The last German Steam Armoured Wagon destroys the the British vehicle facing it and trundles down the road! It ended up earning the Germans VPs.

The final dispositions around Chateaux 'X'! These are the figures/vehicles that earned the sides VPs, the British are to the right and Germans (obviously) are to the left, it was 54 British VPs to 34 German VPs! Take that Huns, three resounding cheers her Her Majesty Queen Victoria! Hussah!

The Summary!

Alan and I lined up as the British and Dave and Maurice took the reins of the Germans. This was a proven scenario formula I have used many times before, it forces players to advance to a central point and if the want to win 'advance lots'! The victory conditions rewarded the attacking and both sides did that, uncertainties of the Breakdown Table ensured that both sides Steam Armour were not major influences and as usual the Automatons proved unreliable (as they should be). The British tactic of retaining a strong reserve in their Guard Unit as against the Germans advancing their best Unit, the Jagers proved crucial and was telling in the end result. We haven't played these rules for ages but they were quickly picked up and the game ran quickly and smoothly. Fun was had by all and the fickle steam vehicles added a lot to the entertainment! 

Hopefully we'll get another game in before the FUBAR VSF Christmas Extravaganza!

Next Time; Back to the Russians are Coming Games!