Yesterday I had the opportunity to take part in a play-test of the new, inter-war version of Paul Wright's FUNNY LITTLE WARS rules. The action was fought out in an excellent central London location and was set in a not-quite-Spanish-Civil-War setting. It saw the Loyalist forces (of which I was a member) besiege the (imaginary) Alhambra Military Academy, which had been seized by the Rebels and held by a number of Cadet Officers, their instructors, and some members of the Civil Guard.
The Alhambra 'fortress' ...
... formed the centre of the defences ...
... which included a walled garden, ...
... a hospital, ...
... and some outbuildings.
The siege started with a long-distance bombardment of the Alhambra, and this did significant damage to the buildings. (Hits of the buildings are indicated by sticky coloured dots.) At one point, a signaller was seen on the roof of the main building, but at the time the besiegers had no idea of the importance of this incident.
Confident that the defences were now weakened, the besiegers began to cautiously advance towards the Alhambra.
They were met with withering fire from machine gun nests that had been set up in the rubble created by the bombardment.
At this point the Anarchist militia (which had 'acquired' a number of tanks), also joined in the attack on the Alhambra.
The attackers could no longer rely on the support of their long-range artillery, and as they advanced, the besigers began to suffer greater and greater casualties.
The besiegers had almost reached the walls of the Alhambra when it became apparent that their casualties had mounted to such a level that they were uncertain of being able to mount a successful final assault.
At this point, the importance of the signals sent earlier in the battle became apparent. One of the Loyalist long-range artillery positions reported that they could see Rebel armoured cars approaching their position.
Was this an indication that a relief column from the Rebel Army of Africa was on its way?
The battle ended at this point, and everyone agreed that we had had a great time. The rules worked, and we were able to test (and modify) the air combat and bombing rules. (These are not featured in my battle report as I could not take photographs and take part in the air combat and bombing at the same time. However, the following are a couple of photographs of some of the aircraft that were used.)
My thanks go to Paul Wright for organising the whole event and for providing the venue, the terrain and the vast bulk of the toy soldiers we used. Thanks also go to Tim Gow for supplementing the besieging troop with figures from his own collection, and to Ian Drury and Paul's son Jack for playing their parts as fellow Loyalist commanders and for their very enjoyable company. A great day of wargaming was had by all ... and we hope to stage another battle in the not-to-distant future.
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BOB,
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting looking Outdoor Battle- I've got to ask how you managed kneeling to move the troops with that pavement- instead of a nice lawn? Some years back I was building up for a outdoor WW1 batte in 1/32nd - the whole project was dropped because of the potential participants health complaints due to being unable to kneel on grass...anyway- I'm glad you had and enjoyable time with your Friends. Stay safe and well there. Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteLuckily my host knew that bending and kneeling were difficult for me, and gave me a role that required neither. I was the Loyalist general in notional command of the besiegers, although the other players occasionally usurped my overall control at times.
It was a great way to spend an August Saturday. Good friends, a great venue, lots of wonderful toys to play with, and it hardly rained at all!
All the best,
Bob
PS. It is possible to fight battles with 1:32nd figures and vehicles on a tabletop, as Ross Macfarlane has regularly shown on his blog. Stephen Briddon also uses 1:32nd kit to fight PW battles … so anything is possible!
BOB,
DeleteAh- being responsible as a General negates the kneeling and moving troops - best to issue orders of command. Yes, I've seen how Ross games with his 54mm - it is all possible on a regular games table. A chap I know games his 1/32nd on a 6ft x 12ft table...I'll settle for 25mm on my 4ft x 11ft table. Stay well and safe there Bob- we're in Week Nine of Lock Down with another Month or more to go. Lucky I've a Fantasy Project to keep me occupied. Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteMy briefing was as follows:
The General – a Regular Army officer who has remained loyal to the Republic. He has friends in the fortress, and wishes the siege to be as bloodless as possible. He is dismayed by his Militia allies and not too worried if they are weakened in this battle.
Tasks –
1. Formulate the overall strategy for the siege and nominate the sectors that each unit will hold for Turn 1
2. Position the heavy artillery (at a minimum of 10ft away) on the perimeter
3. Position the field artillery and tanks in the City – on their start line
4. Request the turn for the initial bombing raid and the 2 x turn of CAP
5. Finally, hold a command group and deliver your orders, but only after consulting with the Commissar and the Minister...
I have vague plans for fighting a tabletop battle or two using my PW rules and 54mm figures, inspired by what Ross and others have done,
Infection rates are beginning to rise again in the UK, and it is not beyond the realms of possibility that we may see more regional lockdowns or restrictions, especially once schools in England go back next week.
Stay safe and stay well,
Bob
Splendid little Wargame! I particularly like the pigeon handler! Great fun had by all !
ReplyDeleteTradgardmastare,
DeleteIt was a great game, and thoroughly enjoyed by all.
Almost all the figures were conversions, including the pigeon handler. I'm not quite sure what he started life as, but he certainly looked the part standing on top of the roof of the Alhambra!
All the best,
Bob
He looks like a Timpo plastic GI with different helmet.
DeleteI enjoyed looking at the wonderful buildings. The armoured cars are very attractive. I'd like to know who made them. The figure conversions are interesting. I liked the machine gunner with Timpo German head. I can see some Airfix Japanese too. I'd love to see some close ups of the figures.
DeleteThe game is inspiring me for my next outdoor game as Australia begins Spring.
Quantrilltoy,
DeleteI am not sure what figure was used for the signaller, but you suggestion sounds very likely.
All the best,
Bob
Quantrilltoy,
DeletePaul Wright provided the terrain and most of the figures etc. I think that the buildings were a mixture that included some from Elastolin (the towers of the Alhambra, I think) and I believe that the armoured cars might have been Russian in origin. As to the figures, I understand that a large number of them started life as Airfix Japanese figures, but with quite a few US Infantry and other odds and ends that had been given new heads.
It was very inspiring, and I must admit that I was very tempted to drop my own current projects to do some 54mm wargaming!
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob
ReplyDeleteLooks really interesting, sparking memories of HG Wells "Little Wars".
My first thought was bending and kneeling as well. Back in the day (early 1970) Jan and I fought wargames on the sitting room floor. Even then it became uncomfortable after half an hour or so. And that was on carpets, not stone.
Must have been an interesting experience.
regards
Paul
Thistlebarrow (Paul),
DeletePaul Wright's rules are very much in the mould of HG Wells' LITTLE WARS, and draws heavily upon them for some of their game mechanisms.
I must say that I find fighting such battles much easier on a lawn. The cobbles looked great for portraying a cityscape, but kneeling was only down when it was absolutely necessary as the surface was very unforgiving.
It was a truly great experience, and the location was second-to-none. I cannot say where it was, but playing a wargame in such a historical location added greatly to our enjoyment.
All the best,
Bob
Looks fun! As I read the announcement of the game yesterday I took a look at our backyard. The paving stones are offset rectangles, almost perfect for a not-so-portable wargame of our own.
ReplyDeleteMr. Pavone,
DeleteIt sounds as if you have a terrain resource that is crying out to be used!
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob -
ReplyDeleteAs usual, these events look like a lot of fun.
Years ago I ditched a lounge suite that I had acquired second hand in 1976, and kept for 30 years. BUT I had the sense to hang onto one of the squabs, for the kneeling upon when mucking about in the garden or on the lawn.
I really MUST do a lawn war game when the weather gets warm. It looks such fun.
Cheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteI have a garden kneeler that converts into a stool … but didn’t take it with me yesterday as I was travelling by Underground to get to the venue.
I’d certainly encourage you to give lawn wargaming a try if you can. It is great fun … and gets you out into the fresh air!
All the best,
Bob
Looks a great game Bob!
ReplyDeleteSimon
Simon,
DeleteIt was!
All the best,
Bob
That looks and reads like a good way to pass a summer's day!
ReplyDeleteRoss Mac,
DeleteI can think of few better ways to spend a Saturday during the summer.
All the best,
Bob
A very fine game. Though the General was a decidedly shifty character....
ReplyDeleteTim Gow,
DeleteIt was an excellent game ... but when it came to shiftiness, I think that the Commissar made the General look like an amateur!
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteHaving read your Portable SCW book, I'm thinking about forming 2 armies large enough to play the scenarios in it. The sheer number of uniforms worn by soldiers on both sides, however, is in a sense intimidating; an on-line image search resulted in hundreds! I guess I could rely of them alone, but I'd rather have something more organized. What do you consider the best sources (on a somewhat slender budget)? Are the two fairly recent Osprey books worth the money?
Thanks and best regards,
Chris
Chris,
DeleteThe problem with SCW uniforms is their lack of uniformity, particularly at the beginning of the war when the Republican militias pretty well wore their normal work clothes with some basic military equipment and some for of identifying headgear. As the war progressed, both sides began to wear more uniform clothing, but even so, many soldiers wore their own individual versions of it, often with some unusual results.
The Nationalist Army of Africa was probably the only force that wore uniform uniforms throughout the war, with the Carlists (who wore a big floppy red beret) and Falange (who tended to favour blue caps and shirts) becoming more uniform as Franco took control over the Nationalists.
The International Brigades started the war wearing whatever was available, but often brought with them military clothing from their home countries. For example, the French IB wore French Army-style uniforms (including Adrian helmets) and the Americans wore US Army-style uniforms (but not with lemon squeezer hats,) often with blue work shirts.
Both the Osprey books are quite useful starting points, but the best books are probably ‘Uniformes Militares en Color de la Guerra Civil Española’ and ‘ Uniformes Militares en la Guerra Civil Espanola’ by Jose Maria Bueno. Both are available on the second-hand market, but can be very expensive.
A Google search for images (using the tags Bueno Spanish Civil War Uniforms) will often throw up loads of scans from Bueno’s books. Likewise, a search of my blog will throw up images of the uniforms worn by the Nationalist at the victory parade.
I hope that you find the above helpful.
All the best,
Bob