LOGW BIG GANGSTER WEEKEND

I was away at the weekend at Kirriemuir in Angus for a Gangster event.  Over the two days 12 gamers attended from the LOGW.  All the scenarios were developed by Peter Nicholson and Colin Jack.  The figures were supplied by various members of the group and Colin and Peter supplied the vast bulk of the terrain.

Docklands scenario

On the first day there was a choice of 6 tables with differing scenarios.   Each of the players played 4 games on a different table.  The scenarios were the docklands, the airport, a city centre, Mexican border town, Canadian Border and a backwoods moonshining operation

Nowhereville kinema

On the Sunday we played a single big game – set in the impressive fictional city of Nowhereville.  There were 6 gangster gangs and 6 law enforcement teams some of whom turned out to bigger crooks than the gangsters.  Each player was attempting to make money and achieve 2 secret objectives.  Mine were to rob a bank and kill a police commissioner.

Nowhereville airport

The first bank raid

It was an enjoyable weekend and the rules adapted from Legends of the West worked well and were easily picked up by all the players.   My thanks to Peter who acted as the hard working rules umpire.

Big shootout at the Bank of Baltair

All my photos on flickr at

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bill26048/albums/72157660511046638

I am responsible for planning our next weekend meeting in March which will be a series of Muskets and Tomahawks FIW games.

28MM GANGSTERS: THE KEY LARGO MASSACRE

On Wednesday I went to Hugh Wilson’s for the first part of a two part saga set in the era of the VBCW.  Tim Watson came up with the scenario.  A VBCW faction has been buying guns illegally in the USA and they are being shipped to Key Largo Florida by the local of the teamsters.  Various other criminal and law enforcement groups are trying to stop or hijack the shipment.

The Lucky sue awaiting her cargo.....

I commanded the state troopers and the national guard, Donald commanded the Italian gangsters, Hugh the local police, Bart the teamsters and Colin a gang of molls led by Bonnie Parker.

We used the gangster variant of Legends of the West.   The game worked well.  The teamster convoy only got half way to the harbour at Key Largo when it was stopped by the local police.  This enabled all the other factions to close up and a general firefight ensued.   The truck carrying the cargo was driven into a river by a teamster to prevent its capture.  However it was then found that the cargo was silk stockings as the arms had already been transferred to a VBCW submarine.  It had all been a decoy.

Teamster convoy on the way

State troopers advance on the bridge

 

Once again Hugh did a really great job with the terrain.  The second part of the game will be the arrival of the arms in the war torn VBCW UK.  

Truck with vital cargo reversed into the river

BUSY WEEK - NAPOLEONICS AND KUNG FU

It has been a busy week with games.  On Monday I went to Falkirk and District Wargames club and played a small Black Powder Napoleonic game with Dougie Kirby.  We each had 2 infantry brigades and a cavalry brigade.  In 2 hours play I lost my 3 regiment cavalry brigade and my Swiss infantry brigade.  It was a decisive British victory.

 

Dragoons beat the British heavies but then had to withdraw from the field as a broken brigade

Swiss emerging from the forest - broke not long after.....

On Thursday I was at the SESWC in Edinburgh where we gave the new Osprey rules -  A FISTFUL OF KUNG FU – a first run through.    We played a number of 2 player games.   My Japanese Yakuza gang won the game against Campbell’s  Hong Kong police squad.  Having read the rules after the game it was obvious that we had missed a few rules.   We will definitely try the rules again and I think the activation/reaction system gives a good feel to the play.

My Yakuza gang...

The Hong Kong Police

 On Saturday Colin Jack and Hugh Wilson came out to my place as I staged a second game of my Craonne 1814 scenario.  Colin commanded the Russians and Hugh the French.  I supported Hugh playing the French left wing and umpired.  We played 14 moves during the afternoon.  The French were definitely doing better when we ended than at the same point in the previous game.  In fact the Russian Army was at the point were it had to retire as half of its brigades were broken.  We used the same scenario and OB as before but this time the French had to decide in advance which entry points all their brigades were using.

First French attacks go in.....

The highlight turn of the game was when Colin’s 2 hussar regiments managed to charge 2 French infantry units on their flank.  The French could not react and fought at a disadvantage.   Amazingly the Soumy hussars with 6 attacks needing 3s to hit managed to roll six  1s and 2s and bounced of their Line infantry target.  However the Pavlogard Hussars beat the Old Guard Grenadiers who failed their break test – being stoic they could reroll – but got the same result again and fled the field…….

The glorious and less than glorious Russian hussars charge in....

DEATH IN AFRICA 1883 AND GANGSTERS

I managed to catch up with some gaming this week.   During our Thursday meeting at the SESWC club, we tried out the death in the Death in the Dark Continent set of rules by Chris Peers. The game was organised by Colin Jack, who umpired it, provided all the figures, terrain and the scenario. In this battle the Egyptians were commanded by myself and Angus Konstam, whilst the Mahdists were led by Donald Adamson, Campbell Hardie and Bart Zynda. The game was played along a 6ft by 8 ft table.



Madhists surge forward

The Egyptian objective was to advance down the table and capture the village of Ey Bai at the far end whilst the Madhists simply had to prevent this.  It quickly became apparent to Angus and I that this was beyond the ability of our force - our best armed troops were all raw - and we decided to form a firing line and hope that the Madhists would destroy themselves against it.

We only attacked on our right flank where Angus threw the Egyptian light horse against a unit of Ansar.  The cunning Madhists had deployed a unit of soldiers in a hidden position  at the side of the table and after defeating the Ansar our cavalry were surprised by the ambushers.  They attempted to ride round the Madhists lines to escape but were cut down by a unit of Beja.



Hicks pasha watching the steady Remington fire

In the centre our infantry did well initially destroying the Madhist cavalry and inflicting heavy casualties on the Ansar screening the advancing fanatical Beja units.  Things were going well until I decided to throw my Egyptian armoured cavalry into a Beja unit.  The cavalry broke in the melee and the resulting morale tests disrupted 3 of our 4 well armed infantry units.   The Beja saw their chance and charged 2 of our infantry units who firing widly into the air broke under the attack and fled the field.


Just before my fatal decision to charge with the heavy cavalry....

At that point with things looking very bad for the Egyptians we ended the game.  Death in the Dark Continent worked well and were fun. They are different from Chris Peer’s other more skirmish type rules - but still very simple - the actual rules are only 26 pages.  We will be trying them again.  I may even write a review.  Here are the orders of battle of the 2 sides.

EGYPTIANS
Hick Pasha, disciplined
Raw Soldiers with breechloaders (1)
Raw Soldiers with breechloaders (2)
Raw Soldiers with breechloaders (3)
Bazingers, untrained soldiers with muskets (1)
Bazingers, untrained soldiers with muskets (2)
Bashi Bazouks, untrained skirmishes with muskets
Mounted Bashi Bazouks, untrained light horse
Heavy cavalry
Medium rifled field gun

MAHDISTS
Uthman Digna, organised
Heavy Camelry
Jihadiya, soldiers with breechloaders
Jihadiya, elite soldiers with muskets, hidden
Beja, elite warriors (1)
Beja, elite warriors (2)
Beja, elite warriors (3)
Ansar, untrained skirmishes with muskets
Ansar, skirmishes with spears
Untrained light field gun
 
On Saturday I went to Hugh Wilsons for a big 1920s Gangster game.  Colin Jack worked out the scenarios and he and Hugh provided the figures and terrain.  Many thanks to Susanne Wilson for providing the US themed lunch.  



Hooverville.....

The rules we used were a modification of Legends of the West and came from an article in Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy.  There were 10 players at the game.  We played as 2 two man teams and 6 individuals in 2 mini leagues were we each played 3 games and then had a final round of games to decide the overall winner and loser.



Docklands before the bloodbath....

The long table was split into 4 districts each of which had a different scenario to play - the Docklands, Mainstreet USA, Hooverville and an aerodrome.   My gang got to the top final game after 3 fairly bloodless games.  In an exciting dockland shoot out with Dave O'Briens 18 strong Chinese tong - my guys were giving better than they took - nailing 9 of Daves for 5 losses on my side - until they headed for the hills or at least Brooklyn heights.



Aerodrome with impressive 1/48 diecast DC3

 Heroes armed with Tommy Guns and 38s are very effective.   No one made any use of vehicles and that is something we should look at in our next game.  There are a few minor things I would like to change in the rules to better suit gangsters but it all worked and it was great fun. 



Dave's chinese tong gang take cover from my shooting...

This coming week we are preparing our game for TARGE the Kirriemuir Wagames club show on Saturday the 10th.  So my next report will be all about TARGE 2012.