Yesterday I had the opportunity to take a part in a wargame about the the Battle of Warsaw, 1920, and it was the first wargame I have fought in quite some time!
The wargame was one of the regular ones organised by the Jockey's Field Irregulars. The Irregulars are a group of wargamers who meet once a month in central London, and the total membership is probably somewhere in the thirties. Some 'members' go to every session whilst others (like me) go as and when they can. The average turn-out per session is between ten and fifteen, and yesterday there were just ten of us.
The wargame was set up by Ian Drury, with the assistance of Richard Brooks (whose OP14 rules were being used) and Alex Kleanthous (who provided the venue and who helped set out the large gridded battlefield). I volunteered to take on the role of the Russian commander, Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevsky, and I was very ably supported by three subordinate commanders:
From my point of view it was a great game. I sat in my HQ in 'Moscow' (in actual fact a rather pleasant office ... once we managed to get the air conditioning to work!) with my maps and a signal pad, sending orders to my subordinates. They commanded their troops on the tabletop ... and I am very pleased to state that they were very diligent in keeping me as up-to-date with the situation around Warsaw as the primitive communications allowed. (Written messages were passed to and fro via the umpire and often took many hours of gameplay to arrive.)
The end result was close ... but it was obvious that the Russians were about to be pushed back, even though they had managed to reach Warsaw's outer defences in one sector. What was particularly pleasing was the fact that what I had plotted on my maps was not too far from the situation I saw on the tabletop when the wargame ended.
The wargame was one of the regular ones organised by the Jockey's Field Irregulars. The Irregulars are a group of wargamers who meet once a month in central London, and the total membership is probably somewhere in the thirties. Some 'members' go to every session whilst others (like me) go as and when they can. The average turn-out per session is between ten and fifteen, and yesterday there were just ten of us.
The wargame was set up by Ian Drury, with the assistance of Richard Brooks (whose OP14 rules were being used) and Alex Kleanthous (who provided the venue and who helped set out the large gridded battlefield). I volunteered to take on the role of the Russian commander, Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevsky, and I was very ably supported by three subordinate commanders:
- Nick Drage (Commanding part of IV Army and XV Army)
- Chris Ager (Commanding III Army)
- Alan Buddles (Commanding XVI Army)
From my point of view it was a great game. I sat in my HQ in 'Moscow' (in actual fact a rather pleasant office ... once we managed to get the air conditioning to work!) with my maps and a signal pad, sending orders to my subordinates. They commanded their troops on the tabletop ... and I am very pleased to state that they were very diligent in keeping me as up-to-date with the situation around Warsaw as the primitive communications allowed. (Written messages were passed to and fro via the umpire and often took many hours of gameplay to arrive.)
The end result was close ... but it was obvious that the Russians were about to be pushed back, even though they had managed to reach Warsaw's outer defences in one sector. What was particularly pleasing was the fact that what I had plotted on my maps was not too far from the situation I saw on the tabletop when the wargame ended.
My thanks go to Ian Drury for organising this wargame, to Alex Kleanthous for providing the venue, to Richard Brooks for writing such an excellent set of rules, and to all the other participants. It was an excellent day ... and I am already looking forward to the next one that I can go to.The participants. From left to right: Alex Kleanthous, Phil Steele, Richard Brooks (Umpire), Nigel Drury, Nick Drage, Chris Ager, Ian Drury (Umpire), and Alan Buddles (who is almost completely obscured). Missing are John Bassett and me.
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Bob
ReplyDeleteGreat looking game. This is a period that I find has a lot of flavour and appeal. I remember Richard Brook's rules and articles from old WI and MW issues and always enjoyed his stuff. Are his RCW rules available anywhere?
Oh yes and good to see you back at the gaming table again.
Cheers
PD
Peter Douglas,
ReplyDeleteI find the inter-war period very interesting because of its mix of early tanks and aircraft with foot infantry and cavalry.
Richard Brooks's OP14 rules can be downloaded here: OP14. The password required is: yague.
Read and enjoy.
Bob
Bob
ReplyDeleteThanks for the file. Yes the mix of armoured cars and cossacks is tough to resist!
Cheers
PD
Peter Douglas,
ReplyDeletePleased to have been of assistance.
All the best,
Bob