Marks First Game Back

My good friend Mark has been ill, coupled with the pandemic that has meant we have not had the pleasure of his company at our games for over 2 years. This week saw a turning point that has meant he has been able to get a game in so I took the 40mm over to his place as he hasn't seen them in the flesh yet and we had a wee game.

At the last minute he could only get one table so I dusted our garden table down from the back of the bins and we had a small ridge where mine and Marks met that gave us a 4 x 4 foot playing area so just enough.

Mark loves big guns and as Chris Charlton had just donated a lovely gun position that was perfect for 40mm I thought I would get a gun and small redoubt painted for the game, no time for the crew though.

So the premise of the game is that the French are holed up in a small garrison off table and the Spanish have built a position for their big gun  to batter the walls down. They have however neglected to put  a guard on said position. 

The French sally out to destroy the gun and position whilst the Spanish with some British support scramble to see the French off.

The French have 

4 Groups of 8 line with a Level 2 and Level 1 Officer

2 Groups of Grenadiers with a level 1 Leader

4 Groups of 6 Skirmishers with a level 2 and 2 level 1 leaders

72 figures

8 Leader Points

The Allies have

32 Spanish Line with a level 2 and 2 level 1 Leaders

2 Spanish Guerilla's with a level 2 and a level 1 leader

3 Groups of 60th Rifles with a level 2 and 2 level 1 leaders

62 foot

11 Leader points

So the Allies have less troops but more leaders and much more points, those rifles are expensive.

We start fairly predictably with the line troops slowly sorting themselves out whilst some of the Skirmishers get forward pretty quickly. The French Legere are the first to find both cover and range and start hittign the Rifles.

The Allies are only able to get one unit of Rifles forward initially whilst the French have all four skirmish screns up , with just one target to concentrate on the Rifles take a hammering with 2 casualties and 6 shock they are pretty ineffective for the moment.

The Second unit of Rifles push forward and occupy the gun emplacement just ahead of the French Grenadiers who now have to push them out.

The Spanish line opens a long range volley into the skirmishers causing some shock and casualties but spread across two units, whilst the French line hold their fire for shorter range and advance steadily. 

The Grenadiers volley the Rifles causing casualties and enough shock to force them back out of the earthworks.

Meanwhile the Guerillas have finally got going and pushed up the Allied left, they do not however have any cover.

Before the Grenadiers can capitalise on pushing the second group of rifles out the third group press past them and re occupy the earht work whilst pouring a volley into the Grenadiers.

We are now trading fire as the French line try to get into position to open up on the Spanish line. With small numbers of casualties and shock on both sides.

Behind the Spanish line the first rifle unit is gradually reducing its shock but with a level 1 leader it may not manage to be effective before the game is decided.

I am hittign the Guerillas but not convertign the hits to any damage.

Its a different story on the left another volley from the Grenadiers plus a shot from the Skirmishers sess 5 of the third unit of rifles down and the unit is broken,

The French line is now finally in short range but who will get to fire first. I have played 4 cards to get two goes for the line commander removing shock and beign able to both advance and volley in the same turn.

On the right one unit of voltigeurs is badly hit and takes 2 casualties and 2 shock but they are still in the fight.

The Guerilla's finally take damage from my skirmishers, one dead and two shock but not enough to put them off.

I think it all hangs on the next volley from the line units.

My skirmishers destroy the second unit of rifles and the earthworks are captured.

The cars are playeed and the French line is drawn before the Spanish and they unleash that first deadly volley which decimates the French line, the end group takes 4 casualties and is forced back the central group also takes 4 casualties and a one followed by another one kills the Captain of the Spanish Line. The last unit also takes a casualty and 3 shock.

The return volley doesnt do enough to cause the French pause and the Allies are now in trouble, with the Rifles spent, the earthworks taken and the Spanish line in disaray the Allies conceed, A French victory and a fun re-introduction to Sharp Practice for Mark.

A thoroughly enjoyable day, with Scones, clotted cream and Jam to finish off, thanks Mark.

For those of you that havent seen him for a while Mark says cheers!

More figures for the Russian Civil War

 This almost complete collection (When are they ever actually complete) is due for an outing soon, with figures from other collections it should be a pretty big game and I was keen to harness my enthusiasm and finish off some bits I had.

So after rebuilding a badly damaged red Biplane I turned my attention to various unfinished bits of business. 

Firstly Partisans. Lovely figures these and I dont have anything I can use as red guards or partisans so the figures from Russia are really useful.

Particularly in the Ukraine ex sailors of the Black Sea fleet formed a trained core of the partisan units, there were many of these with Machno's anarchist forces in eastern Ukraine. These two are from the same pack as the figures above but based together so I can either add them to a partisan unit or a navy unit.

A red commander, I dotn have enough commanders for either side, this one started as an artillery officer but is just as nice ina  more generic role.

Lastly an officer of reactionary White Gangsters! Another figures from Russia , the horse is slightly smasll but looks well outside of a unit giving me another commander for the Whites.

Thats it for now but I do have some Shkiros wolves to finish so hopefully wont be too long before I have those complete.

 

More off the Workbench

 With the first French Hussar finished a game coming up I was keen to get some more of these completed.

Five more of these gives me 6 which is kind of enough for a small unit. The Perry Hussars have two different troopers and two different horses, the horses come in separate halves. This horse one has had the two halves of the horse swapped with another to give a slightly different pose and I quite like it.

The uniform is still ornate and covered in braid but also ready for campaign with no Pelisse slung over the shoulder and the Shako's covered.

The separate right arm and 5 separate heads allows for a reasonable variation in the figures.

This is one of my favourites.

Another with the two halves of the horses swapped, worked ok but not quite as well as the other one.

As we have a Russian Civil War game coming up I thought a few Red Partisans might be nice as I dont have any troops without uniform. These are actually Studio Siberia Machnovist Anarchists but perfect for non uniformed types of any side.

I have tried to keep a mix of mainly civilian clothes with these guys along with a smattering of various uniforms.

I have also taken the opportunity to make a start on the British Light Dragoons. Perry only do two riders and two horses, both riders are Carbine armed, one loading and one firing, so dont really lend themselves to a unit. I decided a bit of chopping of figures was in order to make things work.

This first one is fairly simple adding a French Hussars right arm with sword and a hand to left arm. I like how this has come out.

A similar approach to the next one which didnt come out quite as nice but still ok.

This one had the same treatment but also a head swap to add some variety, it came out ok rather than brill but will look good as part of a wider unit I think.

Lastly a leader figure, the arm is a Sash and Sabre arm and the Horse is a Front Rank AWI horse, this took a little more work but I think works well as the leader for the Dragoons.

Here they are together, so with a leader and single unit of 8 thats 5 more required. I have made a start on the horses so these will be done over the coming weeks.

Lastly another bunch of Partisans/Machnovists. Nice to get some RCW figures complete after a long spell.

These are Studio Siberia figures and really nice, very characterful and a good fit with the Copplestone part of my forces.

I love this lewis gunner and gave him sme quite generic civilian clothing.

Martial colours but non uniform for this fellow.

I gave this chap a Civilian coat but it could equaly be a Ukranian Army coat.

A couple more of these will give me a full unit. Hopefully have these based for the forthcoming game.

Watch this space.