Deal wargames club

The main reason we didn't finish the Blog a day in October was because i was on holiday in Kent. While there i found out that a kent wargames club met at the end of my Grandparents road. So we visited...

Chairman, Adrian White (see one of the models designed by him below)

 ttp://www.frontlinewargaming.co.uk/20veh.html, put on a WWII game that they had recently staged at one of the shows (and had reported in one of the mags), just for us! It involved our forces (British/Gurkha) making an amphibious landing across a river in Burma. We won if we managed to take the Japanese headquaters in the Burmese temple on the ridge.

They had really pulled out all stops, creating splash markers (for those japanese shots tht missed our boats), landing craft and wading models (cut a model in half and stick to see through plasticard)

the Gurkha landings went well with only a few boats sunk and a few men from those making it ashore.

With the Gurkha landings complete this was our force and soon we had cleared out all the Japanese from the low ground on the right wing and were engaged with those in trenches on the left. Our bombardments of the ridge also went well, with two mortars and some soldiers taken out by the blasts (and a good deal of crater markers where we missed)

at the end we had not yet captured the ridge, but we were making good progress and had just landed our British wave. so we can take it as a draw, we were on track to win but had not done yet.

Battle for Spongia IX

For many months now Lord Lilithus had been persuing the Grey knights. Ever since Lady Kerr's defeat at the hands of Kaldor Draigo's Paladin squad Lord lilithus had been on their trail until finally he caught up with them on the Dormant Necron tomb world Spongia IX. Lilithus was intent on revenge and h knew that though Spongia IX was an imperial planet it was known that it contained a mass of catacombs in which lurked a dormant Necron civilisation.
He walked into one of the Crypts where he saw a whole legion of necrons lying dormant. He picked up a stone and dropped it onto the floor. The whole legion sat bolt upright and Lilithus began to laugh

This game was fought at warhammer world between six players (most of whom have featured in other reports). It was 6000pts aside with Grey knights, eldar and eldar against Necrons, Dark eldar and Chaos space marines.

Alliance of Revenge

• Necron lord on Command Barge
• Necron destroyer lord
• Necron Lord
• Lord Lilithus, Archon
• Baron Sathonyx
• Terminator lord
• 7 man death watch kill team
• 5 Incubi
• 7 Harlequins
• 3 Hekatrix bloodbrides
• 5 Lychguard
• 5 immortals
• 5 chaos terminators
• 10 Necrons
• 10 necrons
• 20 necrons
• 5 hellions
• 5 kabalites
• 5 kabalites
• 6 khorne bezerkers
• 10 chaos space marines
• 10 chaos space marines
• 8 scarab swarms
• 3 reaver jetbikes
• 6 scourges
• 4 chaos bikers
• 6 necron destroyers
• 2 necron wraiths
• 1 necron monolith
• 1 chaos predator
• 1 chaos rhino
• 1 dark eldar raider
• 1 Defiler
• 1 drop pod

Forces of Order

• Avatar of Khaine
• Avatar of Khaine
• Seer council of Ulthwe
• Castellan crowe
• Brother captain stern
• Librarian (nick named adolf after a painting accident)
• 5 striking scorpians
• 6 Harlequins
• 10 Harlequins
• 5 howling banshees
• 5 fire dragons
• 10 dire avengers
• 10 dire avengers
• 10 dire avengers
• 14 guardians
• 1 warlock
• 5 rangers
• 5 rangers
• 7 grey knights
• 8 grey knights
• 5 terminators (with some crazy invincible creation of matt ward's which literall can never be removed from play. i don't know what it was called but we'll call it Matt)
• 5 warp spiders
• 5 dark reapers
• 2 fire prisms
• 1 night spinner
• 1 warp hunter
• 3 wave serpents
• 1 venerable dreadnought
• 1 dreadknight

The 12" by 4" board ready for action with fortress of redemption, two bastions and a landing pad

Our right flank defended by chaos space marines and dark eldar kabalites facing off against Eldar and rangers in the fortress of redemption
(one objective at each end of the fortress of redemption)

Our centre defended by my dark eldar and rogue space marines facing off against grey knights and rangers in the bastion
(one objective in the ruin between the dark eldar and grey knights)

Our left flank defended by necrons and the Defiler facing off against eldar
(the final objective was on top of the skyshield landing pad  and the other in the Ranger held bastion)

The Forces won priority but there first turn on the right flank was just an advancement, it got more exciting on our turn when the scourges took the lascannon turret objective and my kabalite squads ran for the fotress behind the cover provided by the chaos bikers and rhino (which set off a smoke screen)
Forces =1
Allies =0 (1)

In the centre flank the forces first turn was slightly more interesting with the dread knight letting rip with all its guns killing two hellions a necron and immobilising the raider before it could move. In the allies turn the dark eldar harlequins and hekatrix charge through the ruin objective, the harlequins assualting the terminators. Lord lilithus (whose transport was out of action) jumped out of his raider and lead the charge up the hill towards the bastions with his incubi bodygaurd. Baron Sathonyx and his hellions assualted straight into a squad of grey knights lead by Adolf but were all (save the baron) cut down with no casualties inflicted! The baron then turned and fled.
Forces =0
Allies =0 (1)

(Note: As i didn't have any men on the far left i have no idea what happened there throughout the entire game save that 4 lychguard, 2 wraiths and a lord turned up where there had been 20 dire avengers, 10 harlequins, 5 banshees, an avatar, the seer council, 6 destroyers, a destroyer lord, a command barge, a defiler, all the scarab swarms and a few tanks, and thats all i can really tell you. at the beggining they were there at the end they wern't also the game ended with no one holding the skypad so we'll discount that one for this report) on the left flank the necrons, together with lord lilithus and his guard, storm up the hill towards the defence line and bastions which were defended by two fire prisms and 5 rangers. The immortals were all blown to bits before they even moved.
Forces =1
Allies =0

When the 7 Harlequins engaged with the 4 terminators lead by Matt and the brother captain stern a suprising ammount of carnage insued with all but one terminator and the captain (including Matt) were cut down by the harlequins who took just two casualties (the troupe master and shadowseer). unfortunatly Matt pretended he wasn't dead and stood up again.

The unfortunatly nicknamed Adolf

Turn two on the right flank saw the warp spiders blast apart the scourgs and the fire dragons the bikers, though it wasn't all bad luck for the allies and the rhino somehow managed to wipe out the dire avengers.
Forces = 1(2)
Allies = 0

On turn two in the Centre Castellan crowe engaged the hekatrix bloodbrides killing one. The terminator, Matt, captain sterna dn the grey knights smashed up the rest of the harlequins only to have a drop pod land on their rear in the next turn and the deathwatch appear with guns blazing (their silly invulnarable saves protected  them however)
Forces = 1
Allies = 0

And finally on the left flank the venerable dreadnought charges into Lord lilithus and his bodyguard, however neither side does anything to the other as the dark eldar dodge out the way of it's fist missing with their haywire grenades. Then the monolith appeared inside the defence line on the hill and the monolith blows the bastion objective to pieces leaving a pile of rubble as the objective.
Forces = 1
Allies = 0

In turn three on the right flank the rhino is wrecked by eldar tank shooting leaving the Bezerkers to race out and assualt the warp spiders in the fortress. The kabalite squad that got as far as the lascannon turret objective also assualt the Warp spiders and together both squads slaughter the warp spiders to a man and the kabalites feed off the pain.
Forces = 1
Allies = 1

The Nemesis dreadknight appears to challenge the monolith!

The Avatar, Harlequins, Terminator and Grey knights assualt the killteam in their drop pod and massacre the lot!

Turn three in the centre saw the death watch wiped out by the terminator, avatar and harlequins but it also saw Matt blasted down by the chaos preadator (all guns blazing) and Castellan crowe chopped up by the remaining blood bride.
Forces = 0
Allies = 0 (1)

Turn three on the left flank was a bit more eventful, the venerable dreadnought and Incubi lead by lilithus did nought to each other but the two fire prisms are forced back and the necrons lead by their lord suceed in taking out one of the grey knight squads.
Forces = 1
Allies = 0

As you can see utter carnage on the far left where there had been an entire eldar army and the elite parts of a necron one there was now only 2 wraiths, a destroyer a destroyer lord a command barge and an immobilised defiler facing off against 4 banshees, an avatar, a shadow seer and a dire avenger.

On the right flank in turn four the last three kabalites assualt the rangers killing all five of them and gaining their 2nd pain token. But the fire dragons ran into the fortress of redemption followed by the dire avengers, cornering the kabalites. The chaos space marines assualt the warp spider.
Forces = 0 (1)
Allies = 1

In the centre in turn four the last terminator and grey knight take out the hekatrix bloodbride and one of the chaos space marines.
Forces = 1
Allies = 0

On the left flank it was uneventful as usual and no one was killed.
Forces = 1
Allies = 0

Luckily Grey knights are not famed for their brains. The last grey knight blasted off his incinerator cannon at point blank range into the useless drop pod and the vehicle blew up killing 2 harlequins and the grey knight himself decisivly taking out one of the force's last troop squads. This was the tipping point of the battle, the point that denied the forces victory

Turn five on the right flank saw the guardians wipe out the kabalites, the dire avengers capture the lascannon turret and the continuos battering of the warp hunter by the chaos space marines.

Forces = 2
Allies = 0

On the left flank however the Venerable dreadnought began to make progress taking out lilithus and three incubi.  the necrons lead by their lord engage brother captain stern and the Dread knight plunges his nemesis sword straight into the monlith blowing it to pieces
Forces = 1
Allies = 0

Adam urgently looks for a loop hole in the rules book

The 2 wraiths, 4 lychguard and necron lord appear behind the froces after carving their way through one entire eldar army. The rangers, dread knight and captain stern are surrounded.

 The entire right flank in all its glory. 7 immobilised tanks just over ten eldar, an avatar, 7 chaos space marines and 5 newly arrived terminators and a lord.
 The entire left flank in all its glory. a wrecked tank an immobilised vehicle and a wrecked command barge, a venerable dreadnought, dreadknight about 15 necrons a necron destroyer lord 2 dark eldar, 5 eldar, 2 wraiths, 4 lychguard and a necron lord
Forces = 1
Allies = 0

Having just moved into contact with the ruin objective Matt fails to realise that he is in direct line of sight  through two buildings of the desentegrator cannon of my immobilised raider (as i said grey knights arn't famed for brains). Matt was blasted to bits, this was the deciding moment of the battle.

The game ended 0:0 as all the objectives were now disputed from this last shot! a draw and turned from a loss by my immobilised raider and immobile drop pod (though the chaos terminators did engage all the eldar in the fortress of redemption but that was but minor!)

The two raiths the practicaly destroyed an entire eldar army and finished off the venerable dreadnought!

Lord lilithus looked on from the deck of his immobile raider. That Dreadnought had ripped one of his arms off and his leg was hanging by a thread, his ribs were all broken and some poked through his skin wich was dangling with his guts to the floor. But he didn't care, once he finally died of his fatal wounds the haemonculi would regrow him. He looked on at the scattered forces and the shells of tanks and buildings littered the field. The forces were to scattered to continue the fighting and Lilithus' fools had gathered up pieces from the dark eldar who had died and had fixed the raiders engines. the raider took off, Lilithus looked at spongia IX below him as he flew towards his galactic barge. Revenge was his, Castellan crowe had been sliced down and only the dread knight and captain stern were now left alive. "Me lord, your dying" said Lilithus' Reaver champion, "yes i am, throw my body with the rest of them send us to the haemonculi and  they'll regrow me... I think i'll adopt a new name, yes, how about Mr Chuckles!" then he droppeed down dead.

Warhammer world was great and was well worth a visit, there's the ciadel hall with miniatures painted by Gods, Bugman's bar (with the belly bursta and fat bloke burgers, i had a potatoe) and the shop that can order stuff from HQ within 2 hrs! Behind us a massive apocalypse game was going on with eldar and imperial guard against tyranids, necrons and tau. everything was on that table, eldar revanant titan standing on a chimera, a reaver titan, bio titan, harridan, barracuda, tons of imperial tanks, nearly over a 1000 tyranids and about hlaf that many necrons, two monoliths and loads of jetbikers. I think it was a tyranid victory as the revanant titan was cut down.
there was also a campaign tournament going on. one thousands son army in the campaign contanined a defiler converted with the top half of a necro sphinx.

Wargaming period

The “men fight for what they lack” period is an alternative history where one of the Senegalese Tirailleurs at stale mate with the British at Fashoda accidently fired his rifle and hit a British naval officer in the face. After that both forces in Fashoda started firing on one another and the valiant Tirailleurs took up shelter in an inn which they defended till the British withdrew (they later also withdrew).

This incident however did not turn into a war, most of the officers were well disciplined and both sides came to an agreement. The people of Fashoda would speak with one voice (a British one)!

Though no conflict emerged from the incident it was decidedly harder for Britain and France to sort out their colonial differences in the future.

This period of wargaming refers to any Anglo – French conflict following the 1890s, it sits on the fence between historical wargaming and alternative history wargaming  

A very Pyrrhic War - Securing the Ofanto

Securing the Ofanto
The year was 278 BC, Pyrrhus' army had, the year beore, defeated the roman army at Asculum and now he was heading south. But a roman army under the command of Publius Fabius had positioned itself on the south bank of the river Ofanto standing directly in between Asculum and Taranto and the romans knew that soon Pyrrhus would have to cross by way of the single brdge or ford. Pyrrhus dispatched a small army led by the Samnite king and Hermotenes (also called Hector) of Corinth to break the roman army defending it reasoning that if his men were better than the romans they could shorly break through the bridge or ford.

Pyrrhics

• Hermotenes of Corinth (special character)
• Samnite king (barbarian warlord)
• Dionysus the Honest of Syracause (Roman senior commander)
• Bruttian heir (barbarian chieftain)
• 16 Tarentine hoplites (spartan hoplites)
• 16 Tarentine hoplites (spartan hoplites)
• 14 Samnite hoplites (spartan hoplites)
• 14 Scythian mercenarys (hun horse archers without spears)
• 7 Cataphracts (samnite cavalry)
• 13 Thessalian cavalry (armoured hun horse archers)
• 10 Epiroite peltasts (persian immortals without spears)

Roman army

• Publius fabius (Roman senior commander)
• Augustus Vespasian (Roman junior commander)
• 11 Triarii (Legionnaries)
• 11 Triarii (Legionnaries)
• 9 Triarii (Legionnaries)
• 12 Hastati (un armoured raw recruits)
• 10 Hastati (un armoured raw recruits)
• 10 Hastati (un armoured raw recruits)
• 11 Princepes (drilled raw recruits)
• 9 princepes (drilled raw recruits)
• 9 princepes (drilled raw recruits)
• 12 Velites (legion light infantry)
• 10 Velites (legion light infantry)
• 8 Velites (legion light infantry)
• 16 Equites (Illyrians)
• 18 Po valley celtic cav (celtic cav)
• 48 Po valley celts (celtic warriors)

The Romans to the south (left) and the Pyrrhics to the north (right)

The Roman army deployed their infantry in front of the bridge with the front ranks being made up of Velites and with a flanking force of 48 celtic warriors. Fabius and the cavalry deployed in front of the ford hoping to strike across the river before the pyrrhics did.

The pyrrhics adopted practically the same deployment, their 15 by 4 man Phalanx forming a wall infront of the bridge with peltasts on the flank. Their much stronger cavalry deployed towards the ford preparing to charge across supported by flanking fire from the horse archers.

The game started with the Samnite king and his samnite and Thessalian horsemen charging straight for the ford, Fabius seemed to have had the same idea and his cavalry struck for it as well. allot slower the great blocks of infantry made for the bridge with the hoplites making better ground due to the roman Velites holding back the majority of the roman infantry from marching.

By the next turn the first Blood was spilled as the Samnite king lead his cavalry in a charge across the ford, into Fabius' cavalry who were all killed to a man (including the right honurable Fabius) and straight into the celtic cavalry who turned and bolted. The Pyrrhics had their first men over the river! Over in the east the Pyrrhics started marching their Hoplites across the river, but instead of being charged by the Roman infantry the Roman Velites came to a halt holding the rest of the infantry back and began to plet the Hoplites with javeins and rocks, but they had no effect on the phalanxes.

The Pyrrhics took their oppurtunity and with the Ofanto crossed they charged into the midst of the Roman army like wolves in a flock of sheep. Dionysus charged his Phalanx towards some of the Velites who fled causing panic through the back ranks, skillfully Dionysus managed to redirect his phalanx in mid charge towards some other velites and soon the entire centre of the roman battle lin was in flight and the Tarentines were only stopped from single handedly routing the enemy by a firm unit of Triarii, whom they engaged with. Over in the west the cavalry met with just as much success and they sent a unit of Hastatii running along with the celtic cavalry. When the dust settled we could see that half of the Roman army was running away and with their army general dead it would be hard to rally them.

Dionysus storms across the Ofanto, smashing apart the roman Centre

The Pyrrhics continued to take full advantage of the fleeing Romans cutting down all but one of the units of lone standing Triarii with minot casualties of but 3 men, however it was not all fun and games for the pyrrhics and one of their very powerful (and expensive) Phalanxes was cut down as it fled from Vespasian's Princepes.

Seeing how Vespasian had so easily cut down the Hoplites the Romans start to rally and even manage to force some of the Thessalian cavalry to flee for the ford. However Hermotenes took the initiative and charged his Samnites into Vespasian's flank and he fled (what an example!). The scythian mercenary's took this moment to cross the river by the bridge, leaving just the lone Peltast (all his comrades had been killed in the missile duel that had been going on with the celts) to defend the north bank

Vespasian rallied but to the rear of his army. The allied cavalry stormed off south sending the Princepes scatterling and thundering into the Velites. growing bord with the Peltasts the Po valley celts turned their missile fire on the Samnites taking out their back rank.

The allied cavalry continued their thunderous charge south getting further and further away from the river, sending the Velites fleeing and clashing with the Celtic cavalry. Hermotenes and his much depleted unit of Sanites took action and the five of the charged into all 42 Celts.

In an amazing turn of events Hermotenes sent the celts fleeing and cut them all down as they ran, the celtic horse was also annihilated and both Phalanxes moved south. Taking the initiative Vespasian dived towards the undefended bridge and sent the Scythians bolting north as he captured the bridge.

It was quick work for the Pyrrhics to finnish off the Romans and the only unit (in the entire battle) to survive was some four or five Velites who fled the field.

The final stand of Vespasian was a dramatic moment as Hermotenes and Dionysus with their hoplites surrounding him ordered his surrender, but instead he drew his sword and lept into battle souting "Death or Glory" after this he was promptley cut down and his head mounted on the tusk of one of Pyrrhus' elephants.

Now Pyrrhus' army was free to head south and onwards to Sicilly

Game review: As Owen called it "The closest run thing you ever saw!". We've come to the conclusion (after many years) that we are equal opponents, we've fought many battles and defeated may opponents together but the battles we fight always end with annihilation and with one of us having only a handfull of men left, "very bloody afairs" as we've now termed them.

Historic review: With the Ofanto crossed Pyrrhus could continue his march and it would be hard work for the Romans to block him again. with stories of rome's defeat flying all over italy and beyond, how they fled at the sight of the Tartentines and how their general was killed within the first few miniutes of the fighting (indeed he was one of the first ten to die), Rome had difficulty maintaining psychological fear and soon many Italians were flocking to Pyrrhus.

day 20 - night attack in achaia

For this game we brought Lloyd into the studio (you may remember him from a previous game where his dwarves and my empire trounsed the skaven), It was the first time that the studio WAB armies had actually been used in a game (it was also only the second game of WAB either of us had played).
Lloyd used the studio's hoplite army and I used the scythian one.

Historically the battle was set in the Corinthian war. The Scythians were a mercenary army hired by the Corinthians for conducting night attacks, ambushes and scouting. The hoplites were from Sparta and had made camp for the night on the road to Corinth, with king Agesipolis I of Sparta camped in the centre. We used the night attack scenario from "Vlad the Impaler" to represent the conditions of the attack. The mercenary Scythians had been sent by the Corinthians to kill Agesipolis and as many of his hoplites as they could, as well as burning or stealing their supplies. a completly mounted army vs a completly non mounted one!

Spartans (1500pts)

King Agesipolis I     
Prince Cleombrotus 
10 Peltasts (persian immortal archers in skirmish)
14 spartan hoplites
16 spartan hoplites
16 spartan hoplites


Corinthians (1000pts)

King Madyes
Lord Paratua
7 Bodyguard (cataphracts)
14 horse archers
13 light horse

My horsemen thundered down on the camp! The light horse crashed into the peltasts taking two casualties from their bows but slaughtering eight of them, mean while my horse archers (i can see the rashness of this now) smashed into the rear of the smaller hoplite unit, failing to kill any of them. over in the south of the camp Madyes and his bodyguard charged into the flank of a hoplite unit, each side taking a casualty. It was not looking up for the men of Scythia when the hoplites on both sides reformed to face them!

In the Spartans turn the casualties came quickly! Madyes and his guard killed two of their opponents taking no casualties, their Kontos' proving their worth.

But on the north side what had started off as a mistake quickly became a disaster when the hoplites lead by the king's son dispatched seven of the horse archers taking just one casualty

In Scythian turn two the remaining horse archers fled, the rest of their comrades cut down by cleombrotus and his hoplites.

Madyes and his bodyguard killed off another two hoplites before they were flank charged by the remaining hoplite unit which inflicted no casualties, after this the remaining light horse charged the rear of the already engaged hoplites, leaving three riders to finish off the last peltast.

The two Scythian lords and their warriors made short work of the hoplites chopping up four of them, altough they did take a casualty from the hoplites on their flank. However the light horse didn't have as much luck against the peltasts taking one casualty and inflicting none!

The remaining seven hoplites were quickly dispatched and the horsemen turned on the hoplites on their flank and Agesipolis, killing three of the hoplites to only one casualty. This luck was not duplicated in the north though and the remaining Peltasts finished off her two mounted opponents.

The Hoplites fight on as the horsemen of Scythia quickly dispatch their men.

Lord Paratua again leaps into Madyes' combat killing two hoplites. Over in the north the remaining horse archers rally and start to pester the slow hoplites with their arrows, knowing they are perfectly safe! the other two horse archers begin taking shots at the remaining peltast, desperate to dispatch her.

The combat in the south quickly heightened when Cleombrotus joins the frey, slashing out aginst lord Paratua. the horsemen kill three hoplites, taking two casualties. Meanwhile the other hoplites loom ominously near!

With the charge of the last hoplites the combat comes to a sharp end! Partua and Madyes are both knocked to the ground and captured, the last guards are slain (but not before they kill two hoplites) and the last horseman flees, now only three horse archers remain and the spartans are certain of victory

The three remaining do all that they can knowing that if they kill Agesipolis they could still snatch victory from the Spartans, but their arrows are too week and they only wound him once.

The game end with Agesipolis rushing into battle with the horse archers, who flee.

The game ended in a Spartan victory

Game overview: its a great game and the rules really suit historical fighting, having seen my Bodyguard in action i'm always going to take kontos' where possible as they are game winning! Always strikes first and +1 strength, amazing! I believe that my loss was the fault of a failure to coordinate attacks and rash decision making by the men, my horse archers charge was certainly not a good move and I forgot that if i killed Agesipolis I would automatically win. I now think that i should have devoted more to killing him and maybe a more focused attack from just one direction would have worked better, i could have even kept out of combat and just peppered the king with arrows (29 strength three hits a turn is bound to do something)