Bayou Wars - The Convention

As my third and final posting, I'm featuring some of the other games that were being run at our regional convention - Bayou Wars.  Some of you might recognize a few familiar faces.

 

Travis M. (center) from Vicksburg, Miss. ran a demonstration of his new strategic board game on the American Civil War.  It seemed to be popular with the crowd and the players were having fun.

One of several runnings of Portsmouth Games Bloody Broadsides games using their very nice 1:900 scale Napoleonic ships.

Editor Julia watching the racing during one of Bill M.'s "Rubbin' and Racing" games.  I played in this one and had a great time.

Ken H. (white head in center) checks line of site during his British versus French skirmish game "Search for Pigs" using Two Hour Wargames 95th rules.  I think the French won as they were able to corral some mighty meaty heifers and get them away from the "rosbifs."

An American Civil War game based on the Confederate attack on Baton Rouge, Louisiana, using the Regimental Fire and Fury rules and 20mm figures.



An American War of Independence game involving a very nicely made stockade with 25mm figures.

A Bolt Action game between the Germans and the Russians.



A Call of  Cthuhlu board game using some very nicely made large figures.

Doc Ord (a fellow Jackson Gamer and TMPer) runs his 28mm Indian Mutiny game using one of our favorite rule sets, The Sword and the Flame.  I was a mutineer player and we beat back the redcoats and their Indian lackeys very handily.

Mark Bobe of Bobe's Hobbies, talks with Ken H.  Mark had a very nice dealer set-up with products for several different gaming genres.  I bought a very nice book from him - Byzantine Armies: 325 AD - 1453 AD by Dimitri Belezos with very colorful illustrations by Christos Giannopoulos.  So far it has been a wonderful read.  Portsmouth Games (Jeffrey Hunt) and my old Army buddy Rudy Nelson were also there as dealers, along with several role-playing dealers.
 

A Persians versus Turks game set in the mid 1400s, using modified Field of Glory rules.

Dudley G. lecturing the players before the start of his "Race for the Maus" WW2 game between the Americans and the Russians, using the Command Decision Test of Battle rules.

The first part of  two part game involving a secret Nazi base somewhere off of the southern tip of Argentina.  The second part, of which I didn't get a picture, featured the action inside the underground base that was revealed when the "roof" was lifted off the terrain piece pictured here.

A big fortress assault in medieval times with siege engines, siege towers, and a cast of hundreds of figures.

A Star Wars - The Clone Wars game using 28mm figures and a modified version of Warhammer 40K rules.

A strategic Seven Years War board game's action involved a number of players.

And to keep with the "Epic Battles" theme, the battle at Wavre (1815) was recreated using 15mm figures and Field of Glory Napoleonic rules (I think).

 

 

Well, that was this year's Bayou Wars.  All in all a very nice regional convention with a number of interesting and well laid-out games.  As far as I could tell, everyone was having fun.





Even Editor Julia as she watches a Bloody Broadsides Napoleonic naval game.  A group of us, including Ken and Teresa H,, Bill H., and I took her to supper Friday night at one of the St. Francisville local eateries - The Magnolia Grill.

Bayou Wars Pictures - Part 2

This set of pictures from the Gulf South regional convention will focus on one of the games in which I played.

My friend Bill ran a pulp fiction game using the Two Fat Lardies rules I Ain't Been Shot, Mum that pitted a British column escorting some archaeologists (with their treasures) against some Chinese bandits.  Aiding the British was a unit of American rocketeers while a detachment of German Zeppelintruppe were somewhat allied with the Chinese bandits.

The jungle covered terrain traversed by a rough road and a small stream.  The various flagged markers are the "blinds" that the players use to initially mark their troop positions.

The British column led by HMAC Ajax, a Rolls Royce armoured car.  The archaeologists are beside the Ajax while their "treasure" truck in behind it.  The flags are the blinds that the British players used to initially conceal their sections' locations.

The British column consisted of His Majesty's Armoured Car Ajax, two "big" men (to use the rules' parlance), two British infantry sections, a Ghurkha infantry section, and a Vickers machinegun team.  They were escorting five archaeologists and their "treasure" truck.  Their objective was to proceed across the stream and exit the playing area on the opposite side.

The afternoon sun glints off the stream.  The various flagged markers are the blinds each player used to conceal their initial locations and forces.

A closer look at the Ajax and the archaeologists' truck, with one of the British blinds to the right of the truck.

The German blinds in the background have spotted one of the British blinds, revealing an eight man section, one of the "big" men, and the Vickers machinegun team.

The Germans had two or three (I can't remember exactly) sections of Zeppelintruppe that had off-loaded from their Zeppelin which was off the board.  Their mission was to "invite" the archaeologists to return to the Fatherland, meet Der Fuehrer, and assist the Reich in their hunt for powerful archaeological relics.

More British forces, some of the Germans, and one of the Chinese sections have been revealed.  The Ajax has crossed the stream but has been pinned down by the Chinese bandit ambush.

There were four bands of Chinese bandits.  One of them had a heavy machinegun team and another had a heavy mortar.  Between those two, they were able to pin the British.  The Chinese mission was to block the British column and recover the looted treasures from the archaeologists.

Towards the end of the game with the British still pinned at the stream crossing.  The red markers are "wound" indicators which are decrements to the fighting strength of the sections.  The American rocketeers are just off the picture to the left.  There were three sections of rocketeers whose mission was to aid their British allies.  The figure at the rear of the archaeologists' truck is one of the German "big men" who was trying to reach the archaeologists.

The British were unable to complete their mission due to the able emplacement of the ambushes by the Chinese.  But the Germans didn't complete their mission either as all the archaeologists remained under British control.

It was a fun little game and my British, Ghurkha, and Chinese troops all saw action together.  HMAC Ajax was unfortunately outclassed by the Chinese heavy weapons and really didn't have much impact on the fighting.  We'll definitely have more of these games up in Jackson during the coming months.

The Relief of Wadi Zoum-Zoum

Finally after more than a week, I'm able to post the pictures and report of my Victorian Colonial game at the HMGS-Gulf South Bayou Wars convention.  The game went well from my game master's perspective.  I hope that the various players had fun.  I didn't take as many pictures as I normally take but my friend "Electric" Ed contributed two to this report, the first and the last ones.

The scenario involved a small Egyptian force protecting a supply base at Wadi Zoum-Zoum along the Green Nile River (the least well-known and explored branch of the river in the Soudan).  The Agandar of Karres decided that raiding and destroying this base would garner him much support from the scattered remnants of the Madhi's and Khalifa's armies.  But he had Egyptian spies in his camp who passed along his plans.  The British immediately sent a riverine force to aid the Egyptian garrison repel the Agandar's attack.

As usual, please click on the pictures for larger images.

Photo by "Electric" Ed

Here we have yours truely, Col Campbell, giving pre-game instructions to the players.  The zariba enclosing the supply base is in the center, manned by its garrison, and part of the native attacking force is on the right.

The mighty native players (from left): "Beja" Clay, "Dervish" Paul, "Agandar" Mark, and "Arab" Michael.  This was Michael's third Bayou Wars convention.  During the first he had the "misfortune" to be a British player in my massive and ill-conceived Zulu game.  I think his role in this game was more to his liking.

The stalwart Imperialists (from left): "Egyptian" Martha (actually "Agandar" Mark's wife), "Lord Sterling" Jay (who gave up his position as Egyptian cavalry commander to "Cavalry" Rick after a couple of turns), "Steam Launch" Jeff, and "Gunboat" Phil.

The action commences in the distance as "Cavalry" Rick (right) enters with three troops of Egyptian and allied cavalry.  "Arab" Michael begins to maneuver against him.

"Beja" Clay and "Dervish" Paul launch their ansars against the walls of the zariba and the artillery emplacements.  The zariba is a tangled mass of thorn bushes that can only be penetrated after it has been burned.  The attackers will begin that process at the end of this turn.  In the distance are part of the skirmishing riflemen of "Agandar" Mark's command.

The troop transports of the British relief column arrive with "Steam Launch" Jeff's two Gatling armed launches on their shoreward side.

The Beja warriors succeed in lighting the zariba which the Egyptian irregular tribal levies cannot extinguish.

The HMS Shilleleigh of "Gunboat" Phil's command begins to fire its Nordenfelt machineguns against the Arab attackers.  In the background, "Arab" Michael's and "Cavalry" Rick's forces meet in some furious cavalry/infantry melees.  Rick was successful and defeated Michael's troops although it was a hard-fought series of engagements.

With part of the zariba burned and another part burning, the Beja warriors are ready to close with and destroy the tribal irregulars.  But unfortunately, "Egyptian" Martha's die rolls were much better than "Beja" Clay's and she repulsed several of his attacks.  "Dervish" Paul couldn't persuade his ansars to close with the Eyptian gun in the the emplacement just beyond the Beja since a lucky ball had taken his leader's head off.  Without the leader's encouragement, the ansars just wouldn't continue.

Photo by "Electric" Ed

The final actions with the British Naval infantry and Royal Marine Light Infantry, accompanied by Gatling guns, advancing through the base toward the luckless native attackers.  Even though they penetrated the gate and overran one artillery emplacement, the Agandar's force just didn't have the punch left to deal with the British.

I called the game at this point.  There was no hope that the native attackers could succeed in their mission, not with two platoons of British infantry and two Gatling guns, backed up by four naval machineguns.  Also it was drawing close to the end of game time and I still had to drive back to Jackson to see my wife who had broken her leg the preceding Friday night and was having a pin installed about the time we started the game.  (By the way, she is doing fine but still cannot put any weight on that leg for another almost two weeks.) 

Tower and Emplacements Finished!

I've finally finished the watchtower and the artillery emplacements for my Relief of Wadi Zoum-Zoum game at the Bayou Wars convention on Saturday, June 12 in New Orleans.

The tower was painted grey and then dry-brushed in desert tan while the base was sprayed camouflage sand and then dry-brushed in desert tan.

One of the three artillery emplacements (from the front).

And from the rear showing the wood revetments inside the emplacement.

All the figures are 25mm Ral Partha Egyptians and the gun is a 25mm Ral Partha Krupp in Egyptian service.

With the exception of repairing and repainting one of the river bank sections, I am finally finished with my game preparations!  Whew!!

Tower & Zariba Post #1

As I continue to prepare for my June convention game (The Relief of Wadi Zoum-Zoum at the HMGS-Gulf South Bayou Wars convention in June), I have started building a watch tower for the supply base and the defensive zariba that will surround it.

So far on the tower, I've constructed the base and sides of the observation platform.

It will be 3" x 2" (~75mm x ~50mm).  The base is made from some craft sticks I've had for a while supported on some square sectioned balsa beams.  The sides will be glued down after they have finished drying.  One of my 25mm British naval officers is inspecting the platform's construction.

The zariba will be constructed in 2" sections to facilitate the game mechanics for setting it on fire, which will be the only way that the native attackers will be able to penetrate into the zariba.  For those who don't know, a zariba is a thorn enclosure designed to seriously impede passage by man or beast - a "natural" barbed wire.  My zariba's bases are large craft sticks with a section of foam core glued on perpendicular.  I'll paint it sand-colored and then glue on the material I'm using as the thorn bush.

Here are the beginnings of the zariba with a couple of Royal Marine Light Infantry posed behind two of the sections.  The idea for this construction method was from my wargaming buddy, Bill Hamilton.

More pictures to follow as the construction of both the tower and the zariba proceed apace.

Note:  Soon to be posted on the Jackson Gamer's blog (link) will be a brief report and pictures of the first play test of the scenario for The Relief of Wadi Zoum-Zoum that we conducted last Saturday (April 17).

Assault on Fort Khalaam

And finally, a week after it occurred, here is the report on the Assault on Fort Khalaam, which I ran at our regional convention, Bayou Wars. The game pitted an Anglo-Indian field force against a Pathan-like tribe called the Haddabiera. We used The Sword and the Flame rules, 20th Anniversary Edition, by Larry Brom. [As usual, please click on the photos for larger versions.]

Convention booklet cover

The Opposing Forces:

Khalaam Field Force (Anglo-Indian)

Commander with escort (one hussar and one lancer)

One company of 93rd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (company commander, color sergeant, and two 20-figure platoons)

One company of 30th Punjabi Infantry Regiment (company commander, company havildar major, and two 20-figure platoons)

One platoon of 5th Ghurkha Rifles (20 figures)

Cavalry commander (major of the 10th Hussars)

One troop of 10th Hussar Regiment (12 figures)

One troop of 10th Bengal Lancer Regiment (12 figures)

One battery of Royal Artillery (battery commander, 12 gunners, and 3 guns)

One battery of Indian mountain artillery (battery commander, 12 gunners, and 3 guns)

The commanders of this fine Anglo-Indian force were:

(from left) Jonathan Shushan (Highlanders), Jay Stribling (overall commander and Indians), and Duane Guilbeau (cavalry and Ghurkhas)

The Haddabiera tribe had gathered warriors from near and far, even dipping into the Royal Aooghastan Army for a unit.

Emir Tubeir and his personal banner bearer

Black Leopard Clan (clan leader, two 20-figure rifle units, one 20-figure spear/sword unit)

Silver Fox Clan (clan leader, two 20-figure rifle units, one 20-figure spear/sword unit)

Soaring Hawk Clan (clan leader, two 20-figure spear/sword units)

Cavalry commander

Emir's Bodyguard (12-figure rifle armed cavalry unit)

Royal Aooghastan cavalry troop (12-figure carbine armed cavalry)

two guns (one modern with four gunners and one ancient with 4 gunners) [The Haddabiera were aided by an artillery advisor from the Khan of the Steppes (the Russian Tsar), one Ivan Skavinsky Skavar (one version of the poem "Abdul Abulbul Amir"). As long as he stayed with the modern gun, it would never have to roll to see if it could fire.]

Commanding these valiant warriors were:

(from left) Paul Arceneaux (Silver Fox clan), Larry Reeves (overall commander and cavalry), Josh Switzer (Soaring Hawk clan), and Larry Brom (Black Leopard clan)
[P.S. The special t-shirt Larry Brom is wearing commemorates the 30th Anniversary of The Sword and the Flame and can be ordered from Sergeants3.]

As you can see, I was honored with the participation of the rules author, Larry Brom (far right in above picture), who ably defended the Fort of Khalaam until late in the game when he was called away. Josh Switzer then took over his command.

Jay Stribling (my college room mate and long time wargaming buddy), Larry Reeves, and Josh Switzer are all members of our Jackson Gamers group.

The objective of the Khalaam Field Force was to take and destroy the Haddabiera hill fortress at Khalaam (pictured below) and destroy the ability of the Haddabiera to threaten the peace and stability of the Vale of Khalaam and the rest of the North Central Frontier of Aooghastan. The Haddabiera's objective was defend the fort and to kill as many of the infidel British and idolater Indians as possible.

The Hill Fort of Khalaam, garrisoned by a rifle armed unit (20 figures) from the Black Leopard clan. The Emir Tubeir and his personal banner bearer were also in the fort.

The Field Force started all set-up on the battlefield, with the Highlanders and the Royal Artillery on the right facing the fort, the Indians (infantry and artillery) occupying the village of Khalaam in the center, and the cavalry and the Ghurkhas on the left flank facing the Watchtower Hill.

Highland Company skirmish line facing the fort.

The Haddabiera started the game with one unit from each of the four commands hidden in concealing terrain, a unit of the Black Leopard clan in the fort, and both guns hidden in concealing terrain. All the other units would enter as reinforcements on Turns One and Two as the movement cards were drawn.

The troop of Bengal Lancers sends out scouts who discover a force of Haddabiera on the slopes of Watchtower Hill.

Visibility into concealing terrain could only be declared by the Anglo-Indians when they were within 6" (~150mm) of the concealing terrain. The Haddabiera had to deploy their unit at that time. The Haddabera would also be deployed if they opened fire on the Anglo-Indians, which is how the guns were discovered.

The Indian company was deployed within and to the left of the village of Khalaam with their artillery on the far side of the village (and mostly hidden behind the far left building). In the far distance is the battery of Royal Artillery on Gun Hill behind siege gabions.

The Royal Artillery and, for one turn, the Indian artillery concentrated on breaching the near wall of the fort. The Indian infantry in the center and the cavalry and Ghurkhas on the left skirmished with the opposing Haddabiera in an effort to whittle down their numbers and to interrupt the flow of reinforcements towards the fort. The Highlanders kept the fort's defenders suppressed, discovered and destroyed a Black Leopard clan unit in some rough terrain to the right of the fort, and held off a charge by both Haddabiera cavalry units. The wall was breached by Turn 4 and the Highlanders moved up to assault positions at the base of the breach.

One Highland platoon advances to the base of the breach, trades rifle fire with the defenders, and prepares to assault the breach. On the right, the massed Haddabiera cavalry attack the other Highland platoon, causing tremendous casualties before being totally destroyed by rifle fire from the Highlanders, gunfire from the RA battery, and mounted carbine fire from the Hussars, who rode all the way across the table to arrive in the nick of time.

With hopes of defeating the Anglo-Indians fading the Haddabiera launched several frenzied attacks. The cavalry attack has been mentioned already, but the Soaring Hawk clan also attacked the Indians in the village. Passing their morale test, the Indians were able to withdraw in front of the attack and lure the Soaring Hawks into a fire pocket.

The Soaring Hawks (on the oval base in the distant center) shortly before they were shot to pieces by the Punjabi infantry. In the foreground is the Indian mountain battery which is aiming at some Haddabiera reinforcements in the distance. And just visible at the bottom of the picture are the heads of some of the Hussars as they ride over to the right flank.

The procedure for the assault on the breach was for the assaulting force (in this case a platoon of Highlanders) to stop at the base of the breach and trade rifle fire with the defenders on the first turn. The second turn would see the Highlanders climb to the top of the breach where a melee would be fought with the defenders. Presuming the Highlanders won that melee, the defenders would retreat into the courtyard where a second melee would be fought. If the Highlanders won that melee then the fort would be theirs.

The Highlander 2nd Platoon assaults the breach. The Emir's banner can be seen fluttering in the courtyard. The three Highlanders facing to the right are part of the 1st platoon, while the three Haddabiera outside the fort's gate are the remnants of a Soaring Hawk clan unit that tried to reinforce the fort.

In The Sword and the Flame rules, the attacker must pass a "Charge Completion" morale roll. The British number is 18 or less on a D20. The Highlanders rolled well below that and flooded onto the breach. The defender must then pass a "Stand and Fight" moral roll. The Haddabiera were using the Pathan statistics and had to roll a 10 or less on a D20. Wanting to have a melee, I bumped the number up to a 15 or less because the Emir was with them and they were defending the tribal home fort. Unfortunately the die was against them and they rolled a 20!

The Emir and the remnants of the fort's defenders flee over the back wall, heading for the mountains further up the Vale of Khalaam, there to hide and wait for another opportunity to smite the infidels and idolaters!

The game ran very smoothly and everyone seemed to have a good time. Having it go down to a final opposed die roll (the two morale rolls) instead of just petering out as many games tend to do made it, in my mind, successful. Of course it would have been even better if there could have been a melee for the fort, but one can't have everything.

I plan on writing this scenario up in more detail and posting it on the ColonialWars and SwordFlame Yahoo groups. I'll announce on both this blog and on TMP when it is posted. I'll also make it available to any gamers who aren't on either Yahoo group with those details included as part of the announcement. One comment of note at the end of the game was a recommendation that the British and Indian artillery batteries be reduced from 3 guns and 12 gunners to 2 guns and 8 gunners each. The artillery was just too powerful in this particular scenario. This change will be incorporated into the scenario writeup.