Jutland

After our practice game we started on Jutland proper, having selected some optional and advanced rules, namely U-boats and British sweep.  I was in favour of the latter as it seemed in keeping with the actual battle.  The U-boats was more a balancing exercise.  

I started the sweep late.  U-boats started early and so our initial moves found nothing.  As 30 May 1916 progressed the Germans quickly discovered that the Grand Fleet had combined into one Task Force.  There was then a race and chase back to the German home port.

Richard, who commanded the High Seas Fleet provided the following descriptive text:

It was late afternoon on Tuesday, May 30th 1916. The sun was low in the western sky as strands of light stabbed at the grey sea below through the scattered clouds which danced in the last glorious days and hours of Spring.

At 1800, precisely, Fähnrich zur See Steinhoff had taken his position as officer of the watch in his uncomfortable nest that would be his world for the next 8 hours. Steinhoff had clambered into his watch position with a strange enthusiasm that evening. They had been at sea for a couple of days now and the crew had become used to the relentless monotony of watch and sleep, but today was different somehow. He felt a knot in his stomach as he scanned the horizon. Something was up, he could feel it.

A gentle swell splashed at sides of their sea monster and the Imperial Ensign fluttered proudly in the wind, but there was a squall, nay a storm, brewing on the horizon.

Steinhoff thumbed his pocket watch, it was 1900, scanning the horizon, he strained to see through the spray. He felt the weight of duty on his young shoulders that day for he was literally the eyes of the fleet. As he wiped the salty spray from face, Steinhoff gripped his binoculars once more and stared into that eternal sea. Suddenly a wisp of smoke!  He held his breath and started to count, first one, then two and then many grey ghosts which now loomed into view.

"ENEMY FLEET SIGHTED BEARING 315!" he roared, "BATTLE STATIONS!"

However, battle there was not.  

So that everything was not wasted, we just set up the battlecruisers and had a game.

The British battlecruisers sailing into action

The end of the game.

The dice are just to denote for the photo the damaged ships.

Red are British, white are German.

The rest of the German fleet is coming to the rescue.  The British could have added more ships, but the physical job of managing it all becomes a bit of a chore.  Also, there is a distinct lack of visual appeal.  Pity as the game system is relatively sound and I have since found some articles in the General magazine that offer some interesting rule changes and options.

I'm investigating 3D prints, and it is first a question of what scale to go for.

The above image is 1/6000.

The model Hood is metal from a different game,

but shows what a model at that scale would look like.

Austrian Light Dragoons - Painted, Based and Blogged

This is a follow up to this post:

https://onesidedminiaturewargamingdiscourse.blogspot.com/2025/03/austrian-light-dragoons-rescued.html

Very happy with the result.

East India Companies

Well, Compagne Francaise Des Indes Orientales actually.  Richard was the Swedish concern (yellow) and amassed 125 points.  Russell was the British East India Company (red) and scrapped up 104 points while I was Blue and finished with 139 points.

Carthaginians versus Romans

Specifically, 2nd Punic Wars Carthaginians versus Early Republican Romans.  Using Great Battles option of Basic Impetus to provide a six-player game.

Romans: CinC Dave, Right Flank Brad and Left Flank John.

Carthaginians: CinC me, Right Flank Karl, Left Flank Mark B.

The Romans were out scouted and chose ground that placed a lake in the Carthaginian centre.

The lake was bigger than they realised and also consisted of a patch of difficult going.

Deploying first the Romans split their main command.

The Carthaginians massed on the Roman right.

Note: Dave was a bit short on figures, so his Romans are just 8 figures per unit.  I had failed to bring a unit of Spanish LF and was using a unit of Spanish S on a the LF base to represent them.  The command bases help keep track of who has activated etc.

The Carthaginians sent their Numidian cavalry out on the flanks.

Both sides advanced except that

the Carthaginian right about faced.

Numidian cavalry run down Roman skirmishers.

The split Roman centre decides to connect up 

via the difficult terrain. 

Numidian cavalry have shot their dash,

eh, I mean done their bolt.

The Roman right decide to fall back.

Well, the Numidian cavalry might have been dispersed,

but the Roman cavalry is about to suffer the same fate.

One mob of Gauls charge in the centre but just fail to contact.

The Carthaginian right starts to advance.

Those Gauls suffered badly for their failure,

but Libyan spearman have come to their rescue.

More Gauls are moving up as well.

The Romans are now fully engaged on their right

but the Carthaginians are in the ascendance.

On the Carthaginian things are also 

looking good.

The Romans are smashed.

I have to say the Great Battles option certainly gives a good multiplayer game.

Scythed Chariots

One of these I had for decades and one I've had for years.  There was a steep increase in price and I was unmotivated to do them up until now.  They were fiddly.

Back in the 1980s or maybe early 1990s a guy at the Canberra Games Society had a very nice Seleucid army that he had built using Tin Soldier figures, but doing some extra value add with detail etc.

That was where the idea for the whips came from.

Here you see the model pre whip and pre reins.

Also you can see the bases I made for each horse so I could position them better.

Positioning the horses was the major bit of fiddliness.

I went with thick wire for the reins as it was in better keeping with the models.

The whips are cotton thread coated in PVA glue.

As can be seen the scythes on the wheels are not the best.

I was tempted to add bits but decided against it.

They look mean enough.

Next step is to get them on to the table top.

Testing Napoleon's Battles Casualty Markers

Just a quick game using Desaix's corps versus Otto's column from the Marengo OOB.  Aim was to test the dedicated casualty stands that also hold the command label.

Unit labels stand out, but the casualty bases blend in well.

The casualty base is an additional base and can be placed wherever it is convenient 

provided it is properly aligned with its unit, a bit like a general's base in that regard.

The French advance and we place a mat to represent the BUA

 that the Austrains are resting their left flank on.

The Austrians can't help themselves but charge with their lone cavalry unit.

The French Legere promptly form square.

Subsequently the Legere were charged by Austrian infantry.

They routed and fell back to Desaix to rally them.

The Austrian infantry press on and receive their comeuppance.

On the French right the Austrians have acted aggressively.

The Austrian cavalry are thrown in again.

The French have stalled due to Desaix being a tad busy rallying and fighting.

The Austrians are struggling as the French corps finally gets its act together.

The French surge forward wiping out the Austrians,

although they had suffered two brigades dispersed and lost its artillery.

But the important thing was testing the new casualty bases, and we worked through a few issues.  The main thing is to remember they are a marker and that works/looks best with the single figure bases.  I also need to make more cavalry casualty bases as currently their casualty base has to function as a regular base as well. Nothing is easy in the search for perfection!

Dogger Bank Scenario from AH's Jutland

In the tradition of read the book play the game (or with Weimar, play the game watch the show), Richard and I had a go at the Dogger Bank scenario as part of a learning exercise with AH Jutland.

German Battle Cruisers commanded by Richard top left.

Big blue square represents the hex centre 

and is really only there in case we moved off table.

The blue arrow is the wind direction which we failed to use,

as it is to show where ship smoke will be to obscure the target

(but I'm thinking as firing is line of sight, smoke in between won't help either party).

British Battle Cruisers sailing to intercept.

This game was first published in 1967.

The capital ship counters are detailed representing individual ships.

Cruiser and destroyer counters represent multiple ships. 

Two of the German screens are sunk.

Other damage had been inflicted, but this is recorded on a separate sheet.

The last German screen unit is sunk,

The British destroyers launch torpedoes.

Sadly there are no counters to show critical hits of which there were a few.

Two British Battle Cruisers are under no fire restrictions from hits,

while two German Battle Cruisers are under no move restrictions due to hits.

At this stage we had learnt enough.