Get to the Chopper!

The second part to yesterday's post.

Having pushed the other team in from the wall and into the compound and having wiped out the support team, the fire team in the barn is the only British element overlooking the eastern sector. The Taliban engage them in a firefight, with the rest of their fellows in disorder, but are almost wiped out


Talbian team skirt battlezone to bring relief to their comrades at the perimeter wall


British team at the barricade take fire from farm wall, their return fire has some effect


But the fire team in the barn really put the hurt on them


Combined groups in the western sector stage a mass attack across open ground


And they have a significant effect, as the British start to take casualties on the ground. Back inside the compound though, the troop RTO has made contact with 'Grim' and he has plotted an extraction point to the east


The command team reaches the out-of-action GPMG team, to find two dead and one just dazed - the GPMG gunner (although he was always a bit deaf anyway!). Dragging their casualties through the compound they get ready to move out


Having wiped out the dangerous attack on the west side, the withdrawal begins, starting with the fire-team at the barricades


The Taliban come back out into open to count casualties, and they engage the British in a firefight as they do so


The command team leads the way, with the GPMG gunner on point (everyone else is helping with the casualty evacuation)


Covering fire from a team at the perimeter wall takes care of the last significant Taliban group


Or so they thought! Fresh reinforcements arrive and the RPK and AKs open up from the trees at the flank of the command team, bringing two of them down


Miraculously, both the troop leader and medic survive with minor abrasions from hitting the dirt (later they reckon that Corporal Williams' dead body took most of the fire


Out last, having provided overwatch fire for the final move to the treeline, this fire team finished off Taliban casualties in their path


Fresh Taliban reinforcements are too late, having just come in on the road from the eastern sector. They'll never reach the British in time.

Total British Losses: 3 KIA, 2 Serious Wounds
Taliban losses estimated as: 5 KIA, 12 serious wounds, 23 undetermined

Post-Mortem:
The Talbian's plan was to attempt to generally engage the British across the battlefield, in order to then overwhelm the GPMG team, which was placed on the highest point of the compound. The first move was to attack the command team (upon which the greatest hopes of extraction lay) but by a group the GPMG team could still intervene against.
This worked very well, and once that happened the command team, without any support on the northern sector was forced to withdraw.
They failed to capitalise on this though, as the team in the barn acquited itself very well indeed, pretty much keeping the entire eastern sector under its mailed fist.
While the Taliban's reinforcements weren't as numerous as they could have been they weren't terribly low, and the RTO still being around at turn 4 meant that the extraction point was set as early as possible.

A big nod to Jim Hunsinger too! A worthy winner of the 'To the Last Round' competition

Things are looking Grim

Ambushed by a large force of Taliban and cut off from retreat, an SAS Troop, call-sign 'Dragon' makes for the crumbling remains of an old farmstead, which would provide refuge for the beleagured team. An American CH-57 Chinook, callsign: 'Grim' has been scrambled but will take some time to arrive at the nearest extraction zone.

The British move into the farm compound, it looks suitable as a temporary hold-out.


Will someone get rid of these goats (Sergeant Evans has had bad experiences with goats ruining hidden positions in Iraq)


A Taliban probe from the northeast is turned back by command team


A fire team sets up on roof top of barn in time to support a second attack on the command team's position


Taliban move to edge of treeline to fire on that team


But they come off second best in that exchange


A Taliban team moves through field from the west, using the cover to screen it from any interference


Meanwhile another team closes in from the northern treeline


And combining with them is a team from the western sector to put immense pressure on the GPMG team


They take fearful losses, but the GPMG team is down to just the gunner himself


The British fire team behind the barricade reacts quickly to give their mates respite, at least temporarily


But the GPMG team goes silent after another fusilade


Reinforcements arrive from west to bring casualties in the copse of trees back into the fray


The MI6 officer goes down but the return fire wipes out that Taliban squad - this'd better not be serious or the detailed intelligence gained from the mission will be lost...


Another group of Taliban take a risk to move across open ground in support of the wiped-out group


One survives and is forced back into the trees to see the British command team leg it into the compound


The command team gets inside the compound safely and attempts to get 'Grim' on the radio...


Can the troop hold on until their exfiltration?

See the full scenario here
I'll post the remainder of the game tomorrow [now posted: Get to the Chopper!]

Another Blog Retrospective (100+ Posts)

Well, I passed 100 posts a few weeks back, but didn't really notice...This is post 105!
I very happy with the blogging since the 50 mark. I'm up to 37 followers (and a total of 53 RSS readers) and have posted fairly regularly over the last year - about once a week. I really appreciate the attention and comments from people.

I'm just about keeping ahead of the project sharks!

My current Project Build over on the guild is going well. I've completed three tasks (and a small bonus task) of the five so far - painting up about 70 25mm Stargrunt figures that have been sitting in storage for more years than I care to admit!

I am also considering a new small project for the William Atkinson Memorial Build over on The Guild. The theme is simple but broad - "England" - but I don't want to do something that just slots into one of my existing collections.

I was thinking a small selection of miniatures and maybe a scenario/game to go with them...

-Medieval Pilgrims (defending themselves against an unjust toll)
-Elizabethan Adventurers (a bar brawl over some Shakespearean insult)
-Highwayman & Victims (well, a highway robbery obviously!)

I've added a new poll on the right to see if people have any preferences, but again comments would be welcome with the pros and cons.

My Pulp Dinosaur Hunting project is more or less complete. I have several hunting parties and loads of dinosaurs in service, and have run games at two conventions in the last year. The rules are pretty much done, I just need to get around to a last edit. I intend to release them as a pdf from here, and hope that someone out there gets some enjoyment out of them.

I did get into Ambush Alley in a big way, and really enjoy the system, not least the banter and support over on the Ambush Alley Games forum (although that's slowed down considerably with a lot of the active members playtesting the hell out of the new editions.

Unfortunately I've not been able to get the Napoleonics project off the ground, time being the biggest constraint. I reckon that a campaign is the only way to go here but maybe that's aiming too high with current restraints...

Speaking of which, we're expecting our second at the end of November so I imagine the gaming will take a break for a few months as we reacquaint ourselves with the rigours of taking care of a brand new infant!

The Battle of Marburg

Meeting the Bohemian army besieging the fortress at Marburg, Alexios Doukas presses into action to control the bridges over the river Drava.

Doukas plans to use his heavy cavalry on the open ground on his left flank and his massed infantry on the right to decide the battle, holding a skirmish line in the centre to prevent any decisive movement of reserves from one side of the river to the other



After a slow initial advance, Doukas' massed cavalry charge into the opposing force, doing some serious damage before withdrawing to avoid getting drawn into a close-range struggle in the woods



On the other flank the Bohemian infantry advance cautiously, sticking to the wooded hills to stave off any opportunistic attack by the enemy



The Bohemians counter-attack in the centre aiming at the holding force in the forest connecting with Doukas' centre. Despite the involvement of heavy infantry and cavalry the attack peters out



A fierce infantry engagement breaks out on the right flank, with the lines becoming confused and broken with Doukas gaining the upper hand but with no clear winner



The final struggle for victory on the battlefield takes place back on the left flank where the Bohemian heavy infantry is attack by heavy cavalry charging through the woods with a flanking force of Doukas' personal guard. With this decisive attack and when a last valiant effort by the Bohemian infantry on the other flank Doukas' army firmly grasps victory



Is there any force now in Ruritania that can block Alexios Doukas' ascent to the throne?

Sakhan Mercenary Sniper Team

Did these guys over the last few days for The Guild's Sniper Speed Build.

Art by WightZombie

A company of Sakhans have joined forces with the Liberation Army of Novaya Sakha. These famously brave and stalwart light infantry have fought on both the Human Co-Properity Sphere and Neo-Soviet sides over the last century in central Asia and on various colony worlds.

Sakhan Mercenary Sniper Team



Sniper creeps up to get close and personal



Sniper settles into position



These are two of the four sniper poses from GZG's 25mm Stargrunt range of NAC Gurkhas

The Battle of Garestin

The forces of Johannes of Bohemia are arrayed outside the town preparing for an attack on Francesco Savorgnan.

Johannes (the Bastard) or Bohemia is breakfasting in the town and relies upon his lieutenants Ulric Meinhard of Görz and William Wittelsbach or Bavaria to execute the battle plan



But the wily Italian from Udine has hired a strong band of mercenaries from Brabant and marched through the night to raid the town at dawn. Here the Brabazon crossbowmen advance in a line up to the strong walls surrounding a large field of young wheat



Francesco Savorgnan keeps his men together and prepares to sweep the town in search of the claimant of the throne of Ruritania from Bohemia



William Wittelsbach hurries across footbridge, holding up his men-at-arms as he negotiates the old wooden structure



Ulric Meinhard heads for the ford with his trust squire beside him



Geoffrey of Brabant's light cavalry race around field. Are they going to head off Meinhard at the ford, or are they just avoiding the heavy foot traffic through the town?



They avoid contact at ford and turn into town, perhaps dissuaded by the presence of archers on the hill overlooking the ford



They are shot at as they approach Wittelsbach and they wheel away to circle the butter market in the town square



Johannes of Bohemia emerges from hiding now that relief has arrived. He begins to back away towards Wittelsbach's men-at-arms



Archery from river bank begins to tell on the mercenaries. Over the course of the next few minutes, the infamous Saracen archer Yusuf Edrisi (reputed to be blind) wounds two crossbowmen and two men-at-arms with his accurate shooting



A cavalry charge hits home, but one of the knight's timing is off and he doesn't arrive in time to support his fellows



Savorgnan's infantry stands fast and repels the knights, wounding two of the horsemen



One of the knights is pursued by two infantry, Ulric would have taken one prisoner except he thinks better of sticking around while wounded and continues his flight



A grand melee erupts as Johannes of Bohemia advances to support his beleaguered knights



A flanking force finally arrives from Wittelsbach's retinue, killing two men-at-arms outright



They follow up to set Geoffrey of Brabant to flight (thinking of his profit margins no doubt) until arrows from Savorgnan's trusty hunter kill Wittelsbach's squire



The grand melee intensifies. with Savorgnan's infantry making in into contact. Wittelsbach sees off three men-at-arms, capturing a soldier on foot and a hobilar. Savorgnan himself is taking on Johannes the Bastard and a brave footmen wielding a voulge, despite the odds he wounds Johannes in the face. Geoffrey of Brabant is taken prisoner by one of Wittelsbach's trusted retainers



Johannes of Bohemia is mortally wounded by Francesco Savorgnan who has single-handedly turned the battle. The disheartend forces backing the Bohemian's claims rout, but the pursuit is lacklustre as losses have been high and the dreaded Saracen bowman still holds the ford



Alexios Doukas' claim, the Byzantine Knight in Exile, is in the ascendency, but resistance must be stamped out before a new claimant can hold his hand up. A silver must be found to pay the Brabazon mercenaries...