Claymore 2012

Claymore is Edinburgh's long established wargames show and I always get over for a couple of hours at least.  I thought the standard of games was excellent this year and there was a substantial trade presence.  There is a good sized bring and buy as well.

Falkirk put on a game based in Latvia in 1919 with the Freikorps taking on the Soviets. The game was designed by David Burns using Triumph and Tragedy rules.  He provided most of the figures although I lent him a few of my Germans.  All figures painted by Marco of Rif Raf Miniatures

Some photos of the Latvia game

Overview of the game with David on the right and Chuck on the left

I really like the Freikprps Cavalry converted by Marco

The Soviets advance

Soviet Sailors and Siberians

My Germans

A Soviet strongpoint

Another view of the cavalry!

My acquisitions were modest.  10 28mm ECW clubmen from Reiver Castings.  An interesting first hand account of the Indonesian Confrontation - 'The Last Conflict The Durham Light Infantry Borneo 1966, A copy of the first edition Ga Pa rules from the bring & buy (£1!) and a pot of red paint for my Warmachine models.

I have slowly been collecting the old Knights Battles for Wargamers series and was gutted when I was Chancellorville being bought on the bring & buy.  Still it shows that there are still copies around.

One company that I will definitely be buying from in the future is 4A miniatures.  I really like their Sci Fi figures .  As soon as I get my Pig Iron figures painted I will be putting in an order.

Both Dux Bellorum and A World Aflame were on sale at Caliver Books.  I have them on pre order from Amazon and decided to wait until they are delivered but they did look good.

No game played which makes 6 in July unlikely but at least another blog entry done.  Now for some painting.....

Freikorps v Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine

On Monday I had another go with the Triumph and Tragedy rules.  Allan has a fair sized Ukrainian army but just a couple of squads painted so he put out 2 x 10 man units, trained, each with a leader and an LMG.

To provide a bit of variety I had a veteran 10 man squad with leader, LMG and SMG and an HMG section.  The points were roughly the same.

I took my camera but have got out of the habit of taking photos at games so apologies – you will have to rely on my descriptions I am afraid.

From my side of the battle field there was a wood on my right and a wooded hill more towards the centre.  More or less dead centre of the board was a 2 storey house and on my left flank about 2/3 of the way towards the Ukrainian base line was another wooded hill.  There was also a fairly central wood in the Ukrainian centre.

We drew maps.  My plan was to take the far hill on the left and sweep around from that flank supported by the HMG which set up centre left.  Allan started with one squad in the wood with the aim of occupying the building and his other squad went for the same wooded hill as mine.

Allan made the hill first and engaged my squad from cover.  My superior fire power eventually told and I forced him to flee.  However my casualties were high and his guys rallied just before leaving the table.

In the centre my HMG initially had the better of it but the Ukrainians made it into the building and the value of the cover made them difficult to hit and my team started to take casualties.  I eventually threw 3 ones and the machine gun blew up.  My one remaining guy on the hill shot it out with the 3 survivors of the other squad until he also fell.

A victory for the Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine!

It was the first time either of us had played the rules without the support of a more expert player so despite the low numbers of troops on the table it was all rather slow.  Enjoyable nonetheless and we are both up for a rematch.

It’s not the taking part that counts; it’s being part of a winning team

Imagine the scene.  Cuba 1898.  Two evenly matched forces of Spaniards (in a ridiculous blue and white stripped pyjama uniform) and Yankees both head towards an isolated church to seize it for use as a strongpoint.

The brave Americans are also possessed of low cunning and start much nearer the church allowing one squad to quickly occupy it.  A long exchange of fire then begins with a squad of Spaniards cowering (yes I said cowering) behind a stone wall.  Meanwhile my brave lads dash over a high hedge to be confronted by an elite unit of Spanish and another fire fight erupts (I say elite- their stats may not have been any better but they certainly had elite dice rolls)

A few lucky shots takes down almost all my freedom loving  men but one brave fellow scrambles back over the hedge to assist his comrades in the church.  A certain amount of readjustment of the hedge was needed to set up a good firing position, but it was all done in the name of democracy.

This infuriated the pyjama clad hordes who sent volley after volley of fire into his position.  Truth be told it did put him off his aim a little and eventually he fell to a cowardly bullet much to the glee of the Spanish commanders who pronounced victory. 

Too soon - too soon.  My esteemed colleague in the church, much aided by my diversionary tactics, was able to finally put the ragged remainder of the dastardly opposition either to the bullet or to flight and we loudly proclaimed victory.

The crestfallen Spanish commanders tried to deny me my part in the ensuing celebrations, spuriously claiming that as all my men were dead or wounded I could not claim any of the credit for the American Triumph (as against the Spanish Tragedy)  but I roundly denounced their feeble attempt to diminish my hard won glory in no uncertain terms.  The question of terrain manipulation was also raised and ignored with contempt.

Death to the Spanish!