Showing posts with label Goulburn Wargames Club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goulburn Wargames Club. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

The “Bonnie Blue Flag” ACW weekend in July

 July is our clubs annual ACW and mid-19th century bash where a few of us roll out our games for two days of gaming in the period.

Boyd, Rich, John, Dave, Mat and I played two games of 28mm ACW using Jonny Reb III rules over the two days.

On the First day we played a little round top scenario by Scott Mingus. Boyd and Richard commanded the Union, the confederates were commanded by John and I.  The Confederate attack had early success when John’s long range shooting caused a number of casualties on the unit beside the 20th Maine, who fell back in disorder, the confederates moved forward and received and gave moving fires for two turns, the union sharpshooters commanded by Richard really whittled down the confederates so much that one Confederate Regt failed morale and ran off the table leaving the others to continue the assault, mostly cracking rolling by Richard (by the 20th Maine) seen another off triggering a Brigade Morale test which I promptly failed….1s pick up remainder  of brigade….the follow up brigade fared no better and the game ended around 2pm, time to set up for the next day!

The second day Boyd, Richard and Dave commanded the Union against, the confederate commanders John, Mat and I. The game was a fictional game based on a counterattack by the union against the tired Confederate centre around the Wheatfield’s along Plum Run on the second day of Gettysburg.

The Confederates had a +1 disadvantage to all morale rolls, which is ok early but once the casualties start…….. The Union had a +1 firing modifier which really tolled if they rolled well. The Union  were a little worried as they advanced but their artillery done great damage on a number of units, one battery actually rolled all sixes and all but wiped out a small 12 figure batn, who promptly routed and took one other with them in the process, leaving a gaping hole between two brigades. The union advance on the right was extremely successful with two confederate batns totally destroyed and two others routing leaving a gaping hole in the line, the union were finally blunted and Johns troops counterattacked which was quite good to see, whoever the entire left flank of the confederates collapsed after two batns routed and the remainder of the brigade become shaken and then finally routed, this caused morale rolls all through my brigade which became shaken and finally routed leaving the hill and the fields to the union troops…….must get myself some new dice I think!














On Sunday a second game ran behind us with around ten players playing a Kriegspiel wild west game, that always seemed on the edge of anarchy! The town was aptly named “Profanity.”   My favourite recollections coming from that general direction;




Cowboy Player “ I’m going for a long range snap shot”
Gamemaster “ well it is extreme range and there are Mexican civilians in the way”
Cowboy player “ that’s ok”
Gamemaster rolls dice
Mexican cowboy “ok, who shot the women and baby, now my gang of Mexicans will be very angry”



Cowboy player “I cannot see anything to shoot, can I shoot the sheep?”




Cowboy Player “I am going to hide in this building”
Gamemaster “it’s on fire”
Cowboy Player “that’s fine”
Gamemaster “OK, now you do know that you have a bag of the tnt with you…….oh shit (boom)”







Player “damn Pinkertons, how come they shoot so well”
Gamemaster “well they aim, they are using rifles, and you are on you galloping horse, with a pair of pistols trying to shoot up to a two story window with a verandah in the way”




It was as funny as it sounds…….

Day two union assault a confederate siege gun position, rules JonnyReb III







Cheers
Matt

Saturday, May 18, 2013

RIP Frederick Funcken


On Thursday, May 16th 2013, Fred Funcken passed away at the age of 91 years leaving a legacy and fond memories for many wargamers and Comic readers on my generation. Fred was born in Belgium in on October 5th,1921, he published his first comic at the age of 12, then learnt his trade duing the war, first print making and then  working as a comic illustrator. After the war he joined his friend Fernand Cheneval at  Heroic Albums and later met his wife Lillianne, they started thier wonderful working relationship and the fantastic Tintin comics series. In the 60s Lilliane and Fred started the Uniformology Military Uniforms series covering all periods of history, which are still held in high esteem today, by wargamers and historians today.

His historical comic series included Tintin, White Knight, Harald the Viking, Jack Diamond, Lt Burton, Captian and the Saint Preux .

As a fellow red nut I was excited to get my tintin comics as a young kid, (and will now activly source all of this series) and at the age of Ten my mother bought me the two part series Arms and  Uniforms of the Napoleonic wars and I was hooked for life, 35 years later I now own probaly 8 of his uniformology books and always on the lookout for more of them.






Fare the well Fred


cheers
Matt


Saturday, December 8, 2012

Liebster Blog Award




Like a lot of other gaming bloggers I've been nominated for this award and would like to thank to gaming buddies of mine Mike of Satrap Miniatures and Greg of Unlucky General via his Blog Project Lewes (of which I am the yet to be built Royalist side) for the nominations. A nice little pick me up before Christmas. There are a bunch of Wargame blogs out there that need some recognition, with less than 200 followers.



The rules are:

- Copy and paste the award on your blog, linking it to the blogger who has given it to you.
- Pass the award to your top five favourite blogs with fewer than 200 followers by leaving a comment on one of their blog posts to notify them that they have won the award and list them on your own blog.
- Sit back and bask in that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing that you have just made someone's day.
- There is no obligation to pass this onto anyone else but it is nice if you do.

The blogs I'd like to nominate are all members of our club, and as Australians I have decided to stay local:


Richard's M lovely 20mm ww2 blog, just sensational pieces of work, Richard and I get together to roll out our ww2 figures not often enough

Working on the Lead Mountain


Richard T also from Sydney, a very fine painter, a Napoleonic and a ancient gamer of renown......and someone who introduced me to Impetus rules.

Tartys Tin


and finally Greywolf, a supurb artist who has a healthy interest in wolves and naked females, Guy is more of a individual figure painter but does have a few armies floating around


Greywolf's Last Valley



Keep up the great work guys!


cheers
Matt














Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Sheaf Hall ECW BatRep

Greg (unlucky General) finally came up for a game before he returned to work this week, as I was hosting  the game I elected to pull out my ECW collection that doesn't really get much table time and put on a Scottish vs Royalist game. We used the well tested WECW rules

My Scot Army consisted of
Maquis Montrose  143pts
Army std 100pts
Col General Lord Gordon 53pts
Gordon horse 7 strong  158pts
A McColla 120pts
Macollas Lifegaurd 108 pts
10 Scot dragoons 112pts
1 light gun 55pts
1 Scot steady tercio of 32 228pts
1 Irish Tercio of 32 468 pts
3 Scot 25 figure clan units each with a Highland gentleman 429pts

1974pts

Unlucky Generals English (my figs also)
King Charles 100pts
3 buffoons 60pts
army standard 103pts
Elite Regt trotters 11 fig 274pts
three vet Pike and shot blocks of 32 1212pts
2 Falconets 130pts
8 steady dragoons 128pts
32 clubmen 69pts

2076pts

The game kicked off we me losing the toss, therefore becoming the aggressor so I advanced on both flanks and in the center, I also set up my hidden unit McColla and his lifeguard in the Sheaf Hall itself, things looked onomous when Greg's guns both hit units in the first turn and managed to route the scot gun crew and kill two members of the gordon horse, Unlucky generals luck was turning.....


turn two
I advanced with the Irish on the right to within musket range of the Kings Regt of foot, The scots advanced through the middle of the town and the highlanders on the left. Gregs  artillery were still shooting well and hitting the Irish and the Gordon Horse again! The Kings Regt of foot move up to the hedge so they have some cover, and the Horse advance on the Highlanders.

turn three
I advanced again with everything, I open fire with McColla's bodygaurd killing a single Horseman,Gregs shooting from the Kings Regt sent more Irish to their maker, and the return fire from the dragoons and Astleys regt into McCollas manage to kill a member of McColla's bodygaurd, Gregs arty were also on target again killing another Scot Dragoon, they pass morale just!

Turn Four
I advance and fire my Irish shot, causing a single casualty to the Kings Regt, I divert one unit of highlanders through the village to threaten the Kings Regt flanks, my Scot pike block continues to the edge of the town and fires a volley at Astley's regt, McColla and his bodygaurd open fire on the Kings Dragoons killing one, I move my Dragoons to the right to help with the assault on the Kings Regt, my highlanders line up to receive the Kings Horse regt.

Greg , declares a charge with his Horse against the highlanders, they fail to get a single kill and lose the combat and flee, my Highlander units both chase but fail to catch him, this causes morale checks all over the place, Gerards regt  flees completly off the table in fear, the cannon and the clubmen along with the retreating Horse are all that remains of Greg's left flank. He also returns fire with Astley and the Kings Regt, both manage to wick off a few more casulties.

Turn Five
I charge my highlanders against the Kings regt, along with the Irish who fail too reach, my Gordon horse charge off chasing the Kings Horse off the table, I advance my Highlanders against the Clubmen on the left, remove McColla from his lifegaurd so he can join a Highlander unit, unfortunately on the right the Kings regt beats the highlanders, they recoil and run a long way taking the Irish and the dragoons with them, Greg decides not to follow up with the Kings regt.......still disaster on the right for me!
Greg decides to charge Astleys regt in the middle who beat the scotish pike and run the down and put them to the sword, the remaining members of McCollas Lifegaurd surrender.......my center now has collapsed

Turn six
I manage to rally the Irish, the Highlanders and the dragoons, the Highlanders on the left charge the clubmen and cut them all down, the cannon decides to flee at this site, the second Highland unit moves to attack Astleys regt in the flank, the Gordon horse charges the Dragoons who elect to fire and flee.....the charge fails to catch them. Greg reforms Astley regt, and adds the king to stiffen them, so they can face the coming highland charge, and manages to rally the dragoons.

Turn 7
I charge two units of highlanders into Astleys regt, rolling like a hero they cut down both front ranks, leaving only two pike to fight back, Montorse challenges the king and cuts him down, the remainder flee and are all cut down by the highlanders, the Gordon Horse charge and cut down the dragoons where they stand, the remaining flee of the table, greg rolls the panic roll and the Kings regt flee along with the remaining gun....A victory from the jaws of defeat to the Highlanders!
















A good day out was had by all

cheers
Matt









Tuesday, July 17, 2012

"Defend the Gap"

A few pics of the club ww2 game on the weekend, Boyd ran out his BEF (which is his latest project) along with some support from Ian's BEF and my Belgian Ardennes Rifles batn, and Greg used his 1940 German collection, the rest of the pics and a battle report will be on my ww2 blog Kampfgruppe Willow on the side bar.

impotent Pierre, who managed to fly over twice and not spot a thing........ I see nothing!!!!!






cheers
Matt








Friday, July 13, 2012

The Last Earl Of Montrose


The easterly mist covered the small village of Upper Wuthering, the quite of the dawn was broken with the sound of three armoured vehicles tearing along the hedgerow lined road, the car lights lite up the main village square as the vehicles screeched to a halt, ghostly figures set up a perimeter around one of the armoured cars.   The people of these parts had seen very little of the troubles of the civil war being so far to the south west, quietly closed their blinds and quickly enter their cellars, hoping and praying that they would see the light of day once more...........

A tall dignified man exited the motor vehicle; it was none other than the James William Graham the Earl of Montrose, former peer and Navy Commander, his personal bodyguard stood by in full body armour and a large detachment of the CWAF (Coventor Women’s Auxiliary Force) had quickly taken up positions anxious and hoping their rescue would be on time as most of their vehicles were almost out of fuel.

Hot on their heels were the notorious Republic of Scotland (ROS) toughs lead by Captain Archibald Stuart Sinclair McPherson, tagging along was his best chum and adventurer Bertram Chudliegh Starkaddder leading the 6th coy of the Republic of Scotland Boy Scouts (ROSBC), like all ROS men they fancied  loud bikes, trucks and big guns.

Just south of the Border the “Kings Own Scottish Borderers” (KOSB) received a phone call that a number of armed men had arrived in Upper Wuthering, The officer on duty young 1st Lt Ralph Fiennes-de Bohun decided that he would nip the trouble makers in the bud before they crossed the border and decided to investigate.

Unbeknown to all parties a snatch and grab crew from the IRA lead by Liam Shamus O'Phartie  of the  Irish Republican Army, seeking Royalists or anyone of quality to snatch and use for propaganda.

Turn one and two seen the ROS and ROSBC advanced noisily up the road towards the village the scouts sweeping to the left and the ROS went up the centre, the KOSB advanced cautiously up the road and debussed within sight of the village, the IRA headed into cover sending the Lewis team and a rifle squad towards the local tavern. The KOSB advanced cautiously up the road and debussed within sight of the village, the IRA headed into cover sending the Lewis team and a rifle squad towards the local tavern.

Turn three LMG and small arms fire sprayed out from the village some ROS and KOSB men are pinned, the scouts do some house decorating and clearing with grenades and the IRA men continue towards the tavern.

Turn four
The sound of angry bees greeted the  Kings Own Scottish Borderers as rounds from a LMG whizzed into their midst  the KOSB needed to follow rules of engagement  :lol:  so they returned fire but could only engage targets they could see, several men were pinned the truck driver was fatally hit.

The IRA men reached the top floor of the tavern and prepared the LMG, the ROS and ROBC continue house clearing with grenades.

turn five
The IRA wins the all important initiative and enfilade the Coventor’s pinning most of the CWAF in the street, the KOSB head towards the cover of the buildings, the ROS  continue firing but a number go down the ROSBC are caught in the open and are pinned.


turn six
To add to the confusion Captain Peter Sinclair arrives in the Warrnambool Air Leagues aircraft to see what all the fuss is about, he decides to strafe the street causing a lot of casualties among the CWAF and the Coventor’s. The IRA Lewis gunner decides to fire upon the plane and manages a engine hit, they want Montrose alive! The ROS and ROSBC decide to take cover in the buildings

turn seven,
The ROS and ROSBC decide retreat is a better type of Valour. The KOSB decide to start house clearing, two privates surprise Montrose but are gunned down, The remaining KOSB stay hiding. The CWAF are all killed in the crossfire and the remaining Montrose men flee into the buildings. The Covenanter’s rescue unit arrives on the edge of the table. Sinclair decides he had better head home

turn eight and nine
The IRA men occupy a Covenanter armoured car and decide to intercept the rescue squad and manage to stop them in their tracks. The remaining IRA members take Montrose alive and are last seen heading for the coast!




































Figures
Cannon Fodder
Artizan
Musketeer
Bob Murch
Old Glory
Foundry
Hassel Free
Hinterland Miniatures
Vehicles
Sloppy Galopy
Company B
Various Matchbox diecast
plastic kits

bought to you by the Goulburn Valiant Stormers, Australia

cheers
Matt