Back when I was a child (so it was a very long time ago), I used to enjoy reading Hergé's Tintin books. Amongst my favourites were KING OTTOKAR’S SCEPTRE and THE BROKEN EAR. The latter was mainly set in the South American country of San Theodoros, which was in an almost constant state of revolution and/or incipient war with the neighbouring country of Nuevo Rico.
At one point war breaks out between the two countries for control of the Gran Chapo and its oil fields ... mainly due to the influence of the international arms dealer Basil Bazarov, whose Korrupt Arms Company is working as a sales agency of the Viking Arms Company. Bazarov sells arms to both sides, and encourages both of them to claim the Gran Chapo.
This is the backstory to the following battle report, which sees a Nuevo Rican attack on Fortine Olivaro, a San Theodoran outpost on the Rio Pirana.
A note about the rules used
The rules were basically the Early and Mid Twentieth Century rules from DEVELOPING THE PORTABLE WARGAME with a few minor changes. These were:
- The Pinning and Unpinning rules were not used.
- All artillery (including mortars) was deemed to be capable of Indirect and Direct Fire.
- The number of times artillery units could fire was limited to reflect the limited ammunition supply situation.
- Machine Gun units that has armoured-piercing ammunition could destroy Light Tanks during the Fire Phase but the amount of such ammunition was limited.
- All hits on units normally cause the loss of Strength Points (SPs). In other words, the RESOLVING HITS ON UNITS table did not include the retreat option. (This is what I have termed in my Eastern Front/Great Patriotic War rules, the 'not one step back' rule.) However, the rules pertaining to commanders who are co-located with units that have been hit were used.
The battlefield
The fortine (fortified camp) is occupied by San Theodoran troops, and is located on the banks of the Rio Pirana. It comprises a series of trenches whose landward side is protected by a series of barbed wire entanglements.
Opposing them are several lines of trenches that are occupied by Nuevo Rican troops.
The opposing forces
The San Theodoran defenders are drawn from the regular 1st Division, which is one of the main formations of the army. It is led by Colonel Juanitos and comprises:
- 1st Division
- 1st Infantry Regiment (Average, 4 SPs)
- 2nd Infantry Regiment (Average, 4 SPs)
- 3rd Infantry Regiment (Average, 4 SPs)
- 1st Machine Gun Company (Average, 2 SPs) [Has one belt of special armoured piercing bullets that will pierce the armour on light tanks]
- 1st Mortar Company (Average, 2 SPs)
- 1st Artillery Regiment (Average, 2 SPs) [Has enough ammunition to fire six times]
- Colonel Juanitos (Average, 6 SPs)
- Total = 24 SPs; Exhaustion Point = 8 SPs
The attacking Nuevo Rican troops are members of the 1st and 2nd Divisions, who have been reinforced by additional troops. It is led by General Diaz, and they comprise:
- 1st Division
- 1st Infantry Regiment (Average, 4 SPs)
- 2nd Infantry Regiment (Average, 4 SPs)
- 3rd Infantry Regiments (Average, 4 SPs)
- 1st Machine Gun Company (Average, 2 SPs)
- 1st Artillery Regiment (Average, 2 SPs) [Has enough ammunition to fire six times]
- 2nd Division
- 4th Infantry Regiment (Average, 4 SPs)
- 5th Infantry Regiment (Average, 4 SPs)
- 6th Infantry Regiment (Average, 4 SPs)
- 2nd Machine Gun Company (Average, 2 SPs)
- 2nd Artillery Regiment (Average, 2 SPs) [Has enough ammunition to fire six times]
- Additional Troops
- 1st Tank Company (Average, 3 SPs)
- General Diaz (Average, 6 SPs)
- Total = 41 SPs; Exhaustion Point = 14 SPs
The initial positions
The Nuevo Rican troops can be seen occupying the trenches on the left, whilst the San Theodorans are in those on the right.
The battle
Turns 1 to 4
The first four turns of the battle saw the Nuevo Rican 1st and 2nd Artillery Regiments fire a continuous artillery barrage at the frontline San Theodoran trenches.
The Nuevo Rican 2nd Machine Gun Company also took part in this barrage, sweeping the parapet of the opposing trenches.
As a result, both the San Theodoran 1st and 2nd Infantry Regiments were reduced to 50% of their original strength.
(San Theodorans had lost 4 SPs; the Nuevo Ricans has lost none.)
Turn 5
The Nuevo Ricans moved first this turn.
As soon as the guns fell silent, the sound of cheers could be heard from the Nuevo Rican trenches as the 1st and 2nd Infantry Regiments of the 1st Division and the 4th and 5th Infantry Regiments of the 2nd Division climbed out of their trenches and - accompanied by the Nuevo Rican 1st Tank Company - began their charge across the no-mans-land between the two lines of trenches.
In response, the San Theodoran 1st and 2nd Infantry Regiments, the 1st Machine Gun Company, and the 1st Mortar Company opened fire on the attackers.
This inflicted casualties on the Nuevo Rican 1st, 4th, and 5th Infantry Regiments.
(Both sides had lost 4 SPs.)
Turn 6
The Nuevo Rican and San Theodoran artillery opened fire. The Nuevo Rican 1st and 2nd Artillery Regiments tried to knock out the San Theodoran 1st Machine Gun Company, ...
... and the San Theodoran 1st Artillery Regiment concentrated its fire on the Nuevo Rican 2nd Infantry Regiment (which lost 1 SP).
The San Theodoran moved first this turn.
The San Theodoran 1st and 2nd Infantry Regiments, the 1st Machine Gun Company, and the 1st Mortar Company again fired on the attackers, with varying results. Because the Nuevo Rican 1st Tank Company was within range, the 1st Machine Gun Company used its single belt of armoured-piercing ammunition ... and inflicted the loss of 2 SPs on the tank unit! The San Theodoran 1st Infantry Regiment's rifle fire inflicted the loss of 1 SP on the Nuevo Rican 4th Infantry Regiment, but the 2nd Infantry Regiment's fire proved ineffective. The same was not true for the 1st Mortar Company, which reduced the strength of the opposing Nuevo Rican 1st Infantry Regiment by 1 SP.
Cheering and firing wildly as they advanced, the Nuevo Rican infantry reached the barbed wire entanglements in front of the San Theodoran trenches. The 1st Tank Company crashed through the wire, and began to attack the San Theodoran 1st Machine Gun Company. The San Theodorans lost a total of 3 SPs to the fire of the Nuevo Rican infantry and the 1st Tank Company's guns, and although Colonel Juanitos was still with the San Theodoran 1st Machine Gun Company, he escaped death for a second time.
The close combat between the Nuevo Rican 1st Tank Company and the San Theodoran 1st Machine Gun Company proved indecisive, and both units ended up facing each other across the parapet of the San Theodoran trenches.
(By this stage in the battle, the San Theodorans had lost 7 SPs and the Nuevo Ricans has suffered the loss of 9 SPs.)
Turn 7
In the hope that their fire might help their infantry to break through the San Theodoran defences, the Nuevo Rican 1st and 2nd Artillery Regiments fired at the San Theodoran trenches. In reply, the San Theodoran 1st Artillery Regiment fired at the Nuevo Rican 1st Tank Company.
As a result of this artillery fire, the San Theodoran 1st Infantry Regiment was destroyed ... as was the Nuevo Rican 1st Tank Company!
The result of the battle was now on a knife edge. The San Theodorans had reached their Exhaustion Point (the loss of 8 SPs), but the Nuevo Ricans were only 4 SPs from theirs. Both sides threw a D6 dice, and the side with the highest score would move first. The Nuevo Ricans threw a D6 die score of 4 ... and the San Theodorans threw a D6 die score of 6! The San Theodorans moved first this turn.
The San Theodoran 3rd Infantry Regiment moved into the position formerly occupied by the 1st Infantry Regiment, and opened fire on the Nuevo Rican 2nd Infantry Regiment, inflicting a loss of 1 SP. At the same time, the San Theodoran 1st Machine Gun Company poured its fire into the same target, destroying the Nuevo Rican 2nd Infantry Regiment in the process. The San Theodoran 1st Mortar Company failed to inflict any casualties on the Nuevo Rican 1st Infantry Regiment, but the San Theodoran 1st Infantry Regiment was luckier, and caused the Nuevo Rican 4th Infantry Regiment to lose a further 1 SP, destroying it.
At this point both sides had reached their Exhaustion Points (the San Theodorans had lost 8 SPs and the Nuevo Ricans had lost 14 SPs), and the battle ground to a halt. The Nuevo Rican attack had almost succeeded, but the initial artillery bombardment had not weakened the San Theodorans sufficiently, and the barbed wire had stopped them reaching the San Theodoran trenches. As night fell, the Nuevo Ricans withdrew to their trenches to restock their ammunition supplies and to await reinforcements. Whilst they did so, they could hear the sound of the San Theodorans repairing the damage their trenches had suffered during the fighting.
The fighting near Fortine Olivaro was now in a state of stalemate, but who could tell what might happen next?
Fantastic setting Bob (I'm also a big fan of Tintin so biased!)
ReplyDeleteI like the limited ammunition rule - I have been considering using a similar rule my games.
The figures look splendid as does the scenery - I haven't seen these trench hexes before.
Maudlin Jack Tar,
DeleteI love the Tintin books, mainly because they were so well researched by Herge and his team. I understand that many of his illustrations were based on contemporary photographs from magazines and books.
Limiting the amount of artillery ammunition does ensure that players cannot just win battles with massed artillery barrages.
I’m very pleased with the way the figures looked on the tabletop, and the Hexon II terrain makes setting up a battlefield very quick and easy. (The trenches and other fortifications are manufactured by Hexon II.)
All the best,
Bob
Very good Bob. Yes, the limited artillery ammo seems to work very well.
ReplyDeleteMartin Rapier,
DeleteCheers! Limiting the artillery ammunition does help to keep the game from becoming dominated by artillery firepower.
All the best,
Bob
Hello there Bob,
ReplyDeleteA cracking game and great to see those veteran figures in action once again! I like the limited ammunition idea - it would certainly make one think about how best to employ it. I have a feeling that a follow up action may well be in order....
All the best,
DC
David,
DeleteIt was a very enjoyable battle to fight, and the minor rules changes made the action clip along at a fair pace. I also found using the small dice to keep track of unit SPs made record keeping much easier. That’s certainly something I’ll use again.
There may well be a follow up battle, but probably not until I get the date for my operation and I can plan more than a day or so ahead.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very nice looking and functional set of Terrain from Hexon II that you've assembled. Your Peter Laing figures look excellent too. Will there be a follow up battle? Regards. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteBuying the Hexon II terrain was one of the best decisions I made with regard to wargaming. It is easy to set up and looks good ... and comes in a number of different finishes.
I wish that the Peter Laing figures were still available. If they were, I’d still be buying loads of them!
There may well be another battle on the cards, but not until I’ve got the next book published and I have a date for my operation. Until I get the latter, I’m not planning anything much beyond the next day or so.
All the best,
Bob
There are some Peter Laings around on eBay from time to time (we flag these up on the MeWe Peter Laing page) currently it's usually ECW and ACW such as these quite pricey figures4sale ones on eBay but they are becoming fairly scarce ... more from this seller https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15mm-Peter-Laing-Wild-West-Native-Indians-Mounted-x-23/124315829644?hash=item1cf1cd058c:g:7woAAOSw0F9fP1ds
DeleteMark, Man of TIN,
DeleteI follow the sales of Peter Laing figures on eBay (I am a recently joined member of the MeWe group), and some of them sell for much higher prices than I would be willing to pay.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob -
ReplyDeleteA fine encounter - possibly a border incident leading to a more general war?
An image that has stayed with me from the Tintin stories, I think from the Broken Ear yarn, was of an army on the march, the men obviously in uniform, yet in different shades of brown, buff or grey, presenting a rather tatterdemalion look. Like you I might very well have gone that route for an imagi-nation.
It was reading the artillery preparation phase that I was reminded of something that has crossed my mind about this rule set that I've not put into practice. It was an idea used in the computer game 'Panzer General II'. This was that, although artillery or bombing could reduce SP in a target, they could not destroy a unit outright. The last SP had to be destroyed by infantry, cavalry or armour.
The reason I haven't tried implementing this idea is that I'm in two minds about it! But as one might argue that a long enough preparation would have destroyed the garrison eventually (give or take any limitations on the ammunition available to the attackers), then the final assault could wait until there were no more defenders.
This is kinda bringing me to possible siege rules for campaigns of the 'Blacklands War' type. They'd have to be very simple, so as not to interfere with the overall running of the campaign - and, unless involving an attempted coup-de-main, or large-scale sortie, conducted mainly on paper.
I haven't come up yet with anything much, looking at your set-up here is starting to interest me in this type of operation!
Cheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteI have no immediate plans for a follow up battle ... but I would like to revisit the Gran Chapo war!
The image you describe is from THE BROKEN EAR, and the troops look suitably ragged and care-worn in slightly variably coloured ‘uniforms’.
Limiting the artillery ammunition supply is more realistic than allowing them to fire ad infinitum and puts the sort of limit on the players that means that they have to think about how to use their artillery most effectively.
I like the idea that the last SP cannot be destroyed purely by artillery and/or bombing. We had a similar rule in MEGABLITZ whereby a unit could be reduced to 0 SP, but had to be assaulted by an enemy unit in order for it to be totally destroyed.
In sieges (about which I’ve been writing a lot recently as it is such a major feature of the Pike & Shot period), there always seem to be some defenders left, regardless of how effective the artillery barrage has been. The final attack by the ‘forlorn hope’ was what finally clinched the result of the siege. (There’s a whole chapter about sieges in the forthcoming PP&SW book.)
All the best,
Bob
Game looks great Bob, and a very good AAR. Love the Tintin setting.
ReplyDeletePeter Douglas,
DeleteCheers! Quite a few of Herge’s Tintin stories have suitable backgrounds for imagi-nation wars.
All the best,
Bob
A lovely looking game, a great AAR and I love the TinTin inspired setting. The limited ammo rules are a neat idea and worth using across a number of rulesets.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago there was a good documentry on Herge and a lot of the illustrations were from near to were he lived, so you could actually view the buildings, streets etc. Remarkable work and beautifully drawn.
Steve J.,
DeleteThanks for your very kind comments, I agree about the limited ammunition mechanism being useable with many other sets of rules.
Tintin is a great favourite of mine, and I’m sure that it is the sheer quality of Herge’s illustrations that makes them so attractive.
All the best,
Bob
Happy happy happy Peter Laings! Their brief time in the San Theodoran sun has come again. Combined with Tintin - magic!
ReplyDeleteBefore and After an operation and plenty morphine a few years back, Tintin (and Asterix) were as much as I could focus on, one frame at a time. Beautifully and stylishly drawn as they are, they repaid such careful attention one frame at a time.
Mark, Man of TIN,
DeleteIt is a great combination! What’s not to like?
The Tintin and Asterix are extremely good examples of the comic book creator’s art, and I can quite believe that you found them so readable when other types of book were difficult to read.
All the best,
Bob
It is good to see your Peter Laing in action again. Makes me want to get mine out again. Living in the US, I had never heard of Tintin. Between your mentioning it, and another blog talking about Noggin the Nog, I think I might have to do some research; I seem to be missing out on some good possibilities for war-game ideas.
ReplyDeleteJhnptrqn,
DeleteNow that they’ve been taken out of storage, I’m hoping to use these figures again soon.
Tintin first appeared in the 1930s, and some of the earlier books cover the confrontation between San Theodora and Nuevo Rico during the period up to and including the Gran Chapo War (i.e. Paraguay and Bolivia and the Chaco War), the rival Eastern European/Balkan countries of Bouduria and Syldavia, and the start of the Sino-Japanese War.
The full-colour cartoon story books are readily available in Europe, and there are several specialist Tintin book/memorabilia shops across the continent.
Noggin the Nog was a BBC animated series produced in the late 1950s/early 1960s by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin, who went on to make many other animated series, including BAGPUSS and IVOR THE ENGINE. (A piece of trivia: Postgate was a maternal cousin of the actress Angela Landsbury.)
All the best,
Bob
Great report, Bob, thanks! A really interesting and quite unusual table set-up and period setting.
ReplyDeleteAny chance of some slightly more 'close-up' pics of the Peter Laings? ( don't worry, I am the last to make any criticism of painting styles! )
David in Suffolk,
DeleteI’ve used the smaller table setup for previous games, and it means that I can fight small-scale battles that I are easily moveable should the need arise. Furthermore, the Hexon II hexes fit quite tightly into the base frame, and as a result, they don’t move about during games.
If I can, I’ll try to feature some photos of some of my Peter Laing figures in a future blog post.
All the best,
Bob
Funny, The Broken Ear and King's Ottokar Sceptre are the stories I loved to read as a child, and probably for the same reasons ;-)
ReplyDeleteOne of the nice things of the TinTin books is that many of the names are derived from Brussels dialect and are a mix between French and Dutch/Flemish, but I'm not sure how far that is carried over in foreign translations.
Just as an example, the tribe of the Arumbaya speak Brussels dialect, and Ottokar is an (by now older) dialect word for automobile (otto = auto, and kar = car)
Phil Dutre,
DeleteThey are great stories, and stand up well nearly ninety years on.
I knew that the original names were derived from local Brussels dialects, and that the character we know as Snowy is actually called Milou after one of Herge’s early girlfriends. (It is rumoured that she was particularly well-endowed in the chest area!)
In the English edition of THE BROKEN EAR, the Arumbaya speak with a version of the London Cockney dialect ... so the translator obviously got the idea from the original book.
I have two copies of TINTIN IN AFRICA, one in French and one in Flemish ... and it wasn’t until I bought the second of these in a bookshop in Blankenberge that I realised the he wasn’t called Tintin in Flemish.
All the best,
Bob
Yes, Dutch/Flemish is one of the only languages in which Tintin is not translated into a similar sound rendition. Probably this is due to the FLemish translation being a very early one. BTW, 'Kuifje' refers to his hair, with kuif = crest, and the -je being a dimunitive.
DeleteI guess you have also already visited the excellent Hergé museum near Wavre?
Phil Dutre,
DeleteInterestingly, the word ‘kuif’ is one of the possible origins of the English word ‘quiff’. Somehow I don’t think that ‘Little Quiff’ would have been a particularly good name for the character if he was going to appeal to English readers.
I have yet to visit Wavre, but I would love to at some point in the future.
All the best,
Bob
I forgot to mention Carole Flint's Hipployta's Tiny Footsteps gaming blog where she creates a Syldavian back story going back through the 19th Century to Roman times - but not forward to Tintin times. Re-inventive ImagiNations, beautifully painted ! For example https://hippolytastinyfootsteps.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-rest-of-syldavian-konigliche.html
ReplyDeleteMark, Man of Tin,
DeleteThat is interesting! I did something similar for Laurania (the imagi-nation created by Winston Churchill). See History of Laurania.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob. Just out of interest what was your thinking behind dropping the pinning rules for this battle?
ReplyDeleteKind regards
Simon
Simon,
DeleteThe simple reason was a desire for a short, sharp battle.
All the best,
Bob
Thanks - and great to see that you are back at the keyboard!
ReplyDeleteSimon