Angus  Konstam's Edinburgh Wargames

Edinburgh Wargames Journal             

      Issue 40  -  November 2009  

Periods featured in this issue:  Coastal Forces (1/600), Indian Mutiny (28mm),  Franco-Prussian War (10mm),

Pirates (28mm), Second World War Naval (1/2400),  plus a report of the Targe 2009 show.

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Coastal Forces Encounter, Mediterranean, 1943  (The Quick and the Dead) 1/600

This was one of those surreal wargaming moments. This week was our club Annual General Meeting, and useful gaming time was wasted by discussions about our annual show (Claymore), the accounts, which charity to support (we opted for Combat Stress), election of office-bearers, changes to the by-laws,  and other such necessary but dull nonsense. That didn't leave much time for gaming, so I too along The Quick and the Dead, a set of card driven rules for Second World War Coastal Forces. The rules claim you could finish a game in 30 minutes. Well, ours were going to take a bit longer, as we had seven players (none of whom had seen the rules before), and 14 little boats on the table. We still managed to finish in within an hour though, even though the whole thing had more of the the air of a multi-player game of Snap than anything else!

Every player was dealt around seven cards, which governed movement, shooting and modifiers (offensive and defensive). Everyone had two boats. There were no turns, and everyone played an "action" at the same time - moving, firing and so on. when you ran out of cards you tested morale test, then took new cards. Some players picked up the idea right away, while others were floundering a bit. One player sulked after his opponent blew him out of the water with a perfect hand, while others were continually firing, only to meet a swathe of defensive cards that thwarted their efforts. By the time it was over we still didn't really know what we were all doing, but on the whole people enjoyed the chaotic experience. It certainly lived up to the "fast paced" tag, and it was very lively. We'll try The Quick and the Dead again, although with less players, and more planning!

The Coastal Forces page

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The Relief of Lucknow, Indian Mutiny, 1857  - League of Gentleman Wargamers  (Legends of the West - modified) 28mm

Once every four months the "League of Gentlemen Wargamers" gather somewhere for a big game. The November one is usually played in Stonehaven, just south of Aberdeen, and is usually less serious than the two earlier games of the year. This one, laid on by Peter Nicholson, was set in the Indian Miutiny, and used a modified version of the Legends of the West cowboy rules, modified of course for such things as stampeding elephants and sunstroke. Twelve players took part, six on each side, while Peter did his best to umpire the colonial mayhem that ensued.

We actually had two tables. The main one was about 16 feet by 16 feet, with two pop-up hatches in it so that players could reach their figures. for game purposes these hatches were declared to be impenetrable jungle. General Wheeler (played by Charles Grant) set up in Cawnpore in the centre (the town with the turquoise mosque in it), while various Indian Mutineer factions began in towns around the periphery of the table. these included one Indian Maharajah who remained neutral - or at least he did until the British arrived, when he quickly hoisted the Union Jack and joined the fray. Dave O'Brien was a natural choice for the backstabbing, unscrupulous turncoat.

On the second table - an 8 foot by 6 foot one, I was besieging the British residency in Lucknow, defended by Kevin Calder. Unfortunately Sir Colin Campbell's relief column appeared on turn 2, and as the local mutineers I spent the rest of the day trying to hold my ground against a British onslaught. The residency proved too tough a nut to crack, but I whittled most of the garrison down - and had my own force depleted in the process. One building was fought over for six hours of real game time - surely the longest-running melee any of us have ever fought! In the end it came down to a fight on the steps of my scratch-built Dilikusha, where the mutineers and their commander were finally cut down, although they took a spectacular number of British troops down with them. One of the quirky Warhammer-esque rules we used was the "surgeon", who gave a saving throw for up to three killed British troops who fell within 12" of him. Those two surgeons were the key to victory in Lucknow, damn them!

Over on the main table Cawnpore was attacked from four sides, but Charles held on, even though he was driven back to the main building - a pink-roofed monstrosity dubbed "The Call Centre" (these days most British corporate help lines are answered from Indian call centres). Barry Hilton and Pete McCarroll assaulted the town from one side, and Dale Smith from the other. Barry was slightly distracted by the appearance of the British behind him - commanded by Dave Imrie), and an assault in his flank by the back-stabbing Maharaja. The Rani of Jhansi) was kept from the fray by the appearance of another British column led by Andrew Nicholson, Peter's brother. In other words, by the end of the first day, Charles was still holding out in his call centre, and fighting was raging around Cawnpore, on all parts of the big table. It was utter mayhem!

I actually had to leave at the end of the Saturday, but the fighting continued until Sunday afternoon, by which stage it was clear that the Great Mutiny had been thoroughly crushed. An attempt to recapture Lucknow from the British ended in disaster for the Mutineers, while everywhere else the forces of the Empire swept all before them, relieving the beleaguered garrison of Lucknow, and crushing the last pockets of Mutineer resistance - all the while aided and abetted by their turncoat Indian lackey. The rules might have been quirky, but at least they were simple, and everyone had a great time. for most players this wasn't a period they were particularly interested in, but the game was both spectacular and enjoyable - exactly how a colonial game should be, and rarely is. My hat goes off to Peter Nicholson for organising such a great weekend, and for playing the umpire.

LOGW Indian Mutiny playsheets (a Powerpoint file)          Indian Mutiny page  

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Targe 2009  (Wargames Show in Kirriemuir, Scotland)

Targe  - the small but perfectly formed wargames show in Kirriemuir is always a must on the wargaming calendar. The "Kirrie" show is a place to chat  with old friends, see a handful of impressive games, and to visit traders without the jostling and pressure you get in larger venues. This year it was held in the local school. While a bit more spacious than the town hall, I have to say I prefer the old venue - a place with far more character, and in the heart of the small town, rather than on its periphery. This was just another small show in a school or college, and lacked "Kirrie's" usual charm.

We - the South-East Scotland Wargames Club - ran a participation game - Storming the Dilkusha! - which I'm delighted to say won the participation trophy. The rules were basic "5-6 to kill" kind of stuff, and if you're interested you can download the fler (and our very simple rules) here.

The centrepiece was the Dilkusha - an Indian pleasure palace garrisoned by the Mutineers. Inevitably, it was dubbed the "Bombay Barbie" house!

The objective was for two rival squads of British troops to storm across the sun-blasted lawns and reach the steps of the building. We played it several times throughout the day, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. The building was built by Dougie Trail and I, and the figures came from our collections, and that of Chris Henry. Bill Gilchrist and Colin Jack did great work running the games, and answering queries from visitors.

The best demonstration game and the overall winner of the show was Inverurie 1745, a 15mm Jacobite Rebellion game run by the Aberdeen Club. This really was spectacular - a table dominated by an accurate and eye-catching reconstruction of the town, exactly as it looked in 1745.

Other highlights included another Indian Mutiny game  - the Siege of the Lucknow Residency - laid on by the Iron Brigade of Aberdeenshire, a 15mm Western Desert 1940 game put on by the Glasgow Club, and a large 28mm English Civil War battle staged by RAF Leuchars.

Then of course the show gave us a chance to chat with traders - represented here by young Chris Horsforth,of Bears Den Miniatures - a rising star in the hobby. I was also delighted to see a new trader - Mutineer Miniatures, and several old faces, like Dave Thomas and Under The Bed.

My hat goes off to Dale Smith and the guys from the "Kirrie" Club for laying it all on, but please, let's return to the nicer old venue next year! Also, Dale's interminably lengthy prize-giving was cut to just 25 minutes this year, but it was still far too long - (nobody needs to sit listening to long lists of runners up in the fantasy painting completion for the under 14's) - but that's just a minor quibble about what was otherwise a grand wee show!

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The Battle of Froeschwiller, 1870 (1870 - with modifications) 10mm

I missed this game 'cause I was up in Orkney, performing my filial duties, and I obviously missed a treat.  Actually, it probably was just as well I missed it - I was down to command a Corps of Bavarians, and in this game the Prussian side were badly thrashed by the outnumbered but plucky French. this seems to be a running trend with these Franco-Prussian games - the defenders usually have all the advantages, and the Prussians players often find it difficult to win.

However, it this game it was the French who did much of the attacking. They came up with a fairly aggressive plan, and one French wing went over onto the offensive, and practically wiped out the poor Bavarians, and the Prussian 5th Corps. The French cruised to an easy victory, and they still had two infantry divisions and their heavy cavalry in reserve! The French light cavalry division ran over several Prussian and Wurttemberg units, and held up two Prussian Corps for five turns - the equivalent of a couple of hours. All in all it seems to have been a pretty decisive win for the French.

Probably the best thing about the game was Gerry Henry's purpose- built terrain. I loved the little details like the statue in the little village, or the vineyards, tramples by soldiers' boots. Let's hope he runs another game soon, and gives the Prussians a chance for revenge...

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Return to Treasure Island, 1719 (Legends of the High Seas)  28mm 

This is another game I missed - a sort of expanded version of the Treasure Island game we ran about a year ago. It was laid on by Hugh Wilson, who built the spectacular terrain, and scrounged most of the ships from his local charity shops! I don't really know what went on, but at least here are a few pictures, to whet your scurvy appetites...

Pirates page

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The Battle of Cape Spada,  19th July 1940  (General Quarters, 3rd edition) 1/2400mm

The grandly-named Battle of Cape Spada was a meeting engagement, named after the headland which marked the north-west corner of the island of Crete. Just over a week before Mussolini's Italy had declared war on Great Britain and France, and two days earlier, on 17th July, two Italian cruisers put to sea, in an attempt to intercept British convoys sailing between Egypt and Greece. Instead they met a force of four British destroyers. The game picks up there, at dawn. We changed the names of the Italian cruisers to reflect the ships we had available, but otherwise the encounter was a historic one. Inexplicably the destroyers raced away to the north, and the two Italian light cruisers set off in pursuit. An hour later the reason for this evasion became clear - the fog lifted, revealing the Australian light cruiser Sydney, escorted by another destroyer.

The battle proper began at 08:20 hours, when the two sides opened fire. By that stage the range was down to just a few miles, which gave the Australians the edge - the "rapid fire" rule allowed the Sydney to fire its 6-inch guns at a higher rate for a short period. By the end of it the first Italian cruiser - the Luigi Cadorna was a blazing, sinking wreck. However, the Italians struck back. The Alberico de Barbiano scored several critical hits, knocking out three of the Australian cruiser's four gun turrets. She lost two of her own 6-inch turrets too, and her director control tower was knocked out, making it difficult for her to score any more hits.

By that time though the British destroyers had returned to the fray, and the Italian cruiser turned and ran towards the table edge, trading Parthian shots with the destroyers as it went.The destroyers of course were also armed with torpedoes, and for several turns the Barbiano dodged salvos. Then, at 09:05 hours she was struck by a salvo fired from HMS Havock, which struck her on her starboard side. The Italian cruiser was ripped apart, and she sank quickly, as the British destroyers moved in to pick up survivors.

The best thing about the game was that for a month now Dougie Trial has been obsessed with gaming the naval War in the Mediterranean, and has been boring anyone prepared to listen about the merits of the Italian Navy. This was his first baptism of fire, when his ships were taken apart with clinical precision by the Kevan Gunn and his "rapid firing" Sydney. Dougie's lamentable excuses were sweet music to our ears - and of course you can't expect too much from anyone who champions the Second World War Italians and wears a Kermit T-shirt...

As for the rules, General Quarters (3rd edition) performed very well, and no doubt Dougie will have learned to keep the British at a longer range next time round. Our only real problem with the new rules lies with the use of torpedoes - its now very difficult to score a hit, unless the target is virtually dead in the water. In the end the Barbiano was pummelled by gunnery rather than torpedoes, and only finished off by torpedoes when her top speed had been reduced to a mere 10 knots. Still, it was a good, tense, lively game, and no doubt Dougie will have his revenge - or try to.

 The real HMAS Sydney (left)

and Captain Collins RAN (right).

Historical note: In the real battle the Italian cruisers were the Bande Nere and the Bartolomeo Colleone. Captain Collins in HMAS Sydney hit the Colleoni, and left her dead in the water. She was finished off by the destroyers, who sank her with torpedoes. The Bande Nere broke off after scoring a hit on the Australian cruiser, and after a two hour chase the Sydney broke off the action. In our game the poor Italians lost both of their ships.

Second World War Naval page  (updated)

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