Chain of Command Case Yellow Campaign Game 1 'Probe' German v British

Having discovered that, surprisingly, there is another club which meets in a café near where I live and play CoC campaigns I thought I'd join in one.

The campaign is a little different to our usual Pint Sized Campaigns in that there are several participants on each side and you can play as many games in each campaign phase as you wish given the time limit. This also means you (probably) won't play the same person every game. It's an interesting concept and should work well with a lot of enthusiastic participants.

The campaign is based on the German invasion of France in 1940. As they were short of German players I joined the German side using a 1st Wave Platoon which is strong in numbers but gives 4 extra support points to the opposition every game.

My first game was against Alex who used the British Regulation 1940 Platoon. With only 3 support points I chose an Adjutant, Jean Claude the sniper and a 5th Columnist. Alex had a small French tank (an R35 I think), a couple of minefields and some wire.

The scenario was 'Probe' where the attacking Germans have to get a team off the opposing table edge. The French countryside is initially peaceful:

The patrol phase sees both forces advancing towards the farm. The minefields and wire block (to some extent) the Germans on the right:

The Germans are pleased to get jump off points fairly far forward:

Two German sections deploy, both on overwatch:

The British respond with an allied French R35 tank. With only 3 support the Germans couldn't choose anything to damage a tank so it is almost invulnerable:

The German section by the barn moves along the edge of the minefields and wire:

While one German squad makes it's way around the minefield to the stone wall a third squad and the mortar team deploy to replace them in front of the barn:

The R35 fires HE at them and the first casualty of the attack takes a hit:

The Germans push on reaching the fields beyond the minefield with Feldwebel Beckenbauer urging them on:

Further HE fire from the Renault puts another German Landser down:

Rather surprisingly no British forces have deployed yet. Where are they?! The German section on the right continues forward into the fields:

The British appear to have left it too late to deploy, the Germans close down the only British jump off point on the right of the table. They do have the Renault to fire at any emerging Germans but will it be enough?

To keep up the pressure on the (still non-existent) British the 4th German section deploys on the left:

Led by Obergefrieter Mueller the rifle team make a dash for the table edge! The Renault fires it's MG but only manages to put one German down and wound Obergefrieter Mueller:

With a double turn and a CoC dice to use the German rifle squad makes it off the table to complete the mission:

Total losses for the Germans were three men, one of whom was killed with the remaining two missing the next game. As no British troops deployed at all and the Germans had nothing to hurt the tank not a single shot was fired by the Germans!

One of the more unusual games of CoC I've had, Alex felt he didn't have a suitable opportunity to deploy his British and relied on the Renault to stop the German advance. However, early war tanks are not that powerful at all (for example with few crew the Renault can't fire it's machine gun and main gun at the same time) so the Germans could just ignore it and accept the losses from it's occasional fire while crossing the table, admittedly with some nice movement rolls which helped.

My next game will be a Blitzkreig scenario against Rory's British in which I'll have a mighty 18 support points with Rory getting 15 so we should see plenty of kit on the table!

Cold War Commander Warsaw Pact v Americans Scenario 7 "Pursuit"

The third game in Simon and I's CWC campaign. In the first game the Soviets made a successful Deliberate Attack and followed up by defeating the American Counter-Attack. The Soviets are now pursing the retreating Americans who are making a fighting retreat.

To win the Soviets need to inflict 25% casualties on the Americans for a minor victory or break the battlegroup for a major victory. The Americans have to exit 25% of their force across their baseline for a minor victory or 50% for a major victory.

Not being entirely sure how I'd stop the Americans retreating I went for one command of T-72's one of T-64's and one of the inevitable BMP-1's. In support I chose two Hind helicopters and three rocket artillery batteries.

The first surprise for the Soviets occurred when the Americans placed eight potential minefields on the table! This was followed up by a deployment that suggested 12 (very expensive) tanks was their entire force:

As usual the Soviets waste no time moving to the attack. The T64's appear on the Soviet right and move up to the nearest minefield. BMP-1's lurk by the forest on the left and in the distance the T-72's use flank deployment to arrive in the American rear:

The Americans respond instantly by moving three tanks to the crest of the hill and opening fire supported by another three tanks lurking by the wood. Perhaps the Soviet advance was a little rash as hits and suppression mount up:

One T-64 has brewed up and three are suppressed leaving only two effective tanks. This is not the start the Soviets were hoping for!

However, the two remaining T-64's heroically fight on and take out two American tanks! Meanwhile the BMP-1's move through the wood in support:

Order is restored among the T-64's:

With three American tanks burning hulks the rest of the Americans decide to withdraw and attempt to take on the T-72's blocking their exit from the table:

The T-72's face enemy in two directions but manage to trade losses:

Neither side can make much of an advantage, all the while though the T-64's are closing in on the American rear:

The Americans can't break through the T-72's and are in grave danger:

With the T-64's ideally placed to shoot up the remaining American tanks the Americans admit defeat and the Soviet pursuit is successful.

What happened to the Hinds and the artillery? Well the Hinds failed to appear at all yet again and the artillery managed a couple of moderately useful shots. As such they didn't really help me much at all, partly as it was hard to get their forward observers in position to direct them on to the enemy and partly due to the Hinds failing every command test they took!

Simon surprised me with the minefields and having an entirely tank force, initially I thought he would blow through the T-64's easily before the T-72's could intervene and the BMP's could get close enough to help out but the T-64's survived remarkably well (aka were lucky) only taking a single loss and managing to take out three American tanks.

So that's three wins in a row for the mighty Soviets. Next we move to Scenario Eight "Encirclement" assuming Simon has the enthusiasm for what may well be another battering.

Post game discussion included looking at the points values for the various tanks and discovering some American tanks that cost more points were actually worse than the cheaper ones and that the Soviet tanks seem very cheap considering their effectiveness! The Soviet command bonus for all doing the same thing for each command also seems to help a lot as, as far I can tell, you very rarely want a command to do different things.

I'm certainly still enjoying the games though as there is a lot to consider when you add some new things in (I also used a Reconnaissance tank for this game) and perhaps the Americans are not an especially favoured army in the rules, when I tried using the British they seemed much better!

FoGR Scots Covenanter v Scots Royalist

Another FoGR game in Norfolk, this time with my Scot's Covenanters taking on Bill's Scot's Royalist in 15mm. 

Even at 650 points the Covenanter army was huge with an impressive 15 units and four commanders. On the downside several units were 'Poor' quality and some had an insufficient number of muskets!

The Covenanters won the initiative and decided to attack in agricultural terrain. Heavily outnumbered the Royalists adopted a somewhat defensive deployment:

The Covenanter's pour forwards while the Royalist's send vast numbers of Highlanders to capture the village on the left:

Both armies continue their advances:

The Royalist Highlanders destroy some Dragoons facing them while Covenanter Horse push back the Royalist Moss Troopers:

The Royalist Highlanders capture the village:

The Covenanters are beginning to put pressure on the Royalist left though:

The Royalist foot decide it is time to advance and engage the weakened Covenanter centre:

With Covenanter Horse lurking the Royalist Highlanders seem unwilling to leave the village:

Finally the two main infantry lines clash! The Royalists have more troops in the front line but the Covenanters have more reserves (admittedly poor quality!) and the superior 'Campbell of Lawers' Regiment (in the blue bonnets) to contest the field:

A break-through for the Covenanters as the White Regiment first weakens it's opponent with some accurate (aka 'lucky') shooting and then charges in to finish them off:

Poor Covenanter foot to the rescue! Covenanter frame guns are also pounding the Royalist foot:

The veteran 'Campbell of Lawers' regiment storms through the Royalist foot producing a large hole in the Royalist line:

With a couple of other units down the Royalists admitted defeat and retired from the field. It's great to be getting back into FoGR, I think numbers certainly counted in this game (combined with a lotof 1's and 2's for Bill's death rolls) rather than lack of quality!

Blucher 1809 Austrian v French

My first Blucher game for quite a while with my never before used but painted years ago 6mm Austrians taking on Sean's French. I went for a powerful Advanced Guard corps and two similar mixed infantry/cavalry/artillery Corps.

Sean immediately surprised me by committing four cavalry brigades to scouting and thus winning the initiative in the Scharnhorst campaign. 

After a couple of moves the Austrians got to declare the battle:

The French had achieved one more VP than the Austrians but the Austrians could still win on VP on the table if they managed to take the French held village.

All the Austrian army was on table, the French had two columns on table with a third entering from their left rear:

The first action occurred on the Austrian left where some French Dragoons attacked advancing Austrian foot:

Despite not being prepared the Austrians see off the Dragoons easily:

Having to defeat the French army the Austrians quickly move to the attack, hoping to use superior numbers (and quality) to overwhelm the French corps on the right before the second French corps can redeploy to reinforce them:

The Advance Guard cross the stream and move to the attack:

On the left the Austrians have disposed of all the French cavalry but are now a long way from the action:

The Austrian attack makes progress but the second French Corps is arriving to fill some of the gaps:

Fierce fighting continues:

Grenadiers and Cuirassiers charge home:

On the left the Austrians are unable to move due to the Austrian command being rather busy elsewhere! The Dragoons do move up a little though:

The French are taking a pounding and start to withdraw covered by their second Corps:

The Austrians close in for the kill, will they be able to destroy enough French brigades before night falls?

Most of the French are very depleted now and on the edge of breaking while the Austrians have also lost a few brigades:

The French still hold the town so if the French army holds on until nightfall they will win the battle:

The Austrians manage to disperse one more French brigade breaking the French army:

A close game which was only decided with a couple of turns left, the French got very close to withdrawing all their battered brigades successfully before night fell.

Sean's army was an interesting composition with a lot of cheap allied cavalry and infantry plus artillery batteries attached to brigades rather than concentrated and gave him a lot more units than I expected.

Playing in 6mm worked well, the (relatively) bigger table made a bit of a difference with march moves not being quite so effective but it gave a good visual impression, was easier to transport the armies and has the potential to play more points on the same size table.

Hopefully after spending many years in a box since being painted the tiny Austrians will make more appearances!

Field of Glory Renaissance Cossacks

Another addition to my 28mm FoG-R armies, this time four bases of Cossack light horse. I was told they were Croats but I'm fairly convinced they are actually Cossacks! As the Imperial army can have either Cossacks or Croats it does not make much difference:

I was also told they were by 'The Assault Group' but couldn't find them in their list, they are certainly really nice figures though and in their style. Another view of the unit: