Red Star Rising

[Ignatieff]

The latest instalment from those lead groovers, The League of Extraordinary Kriegspielers, joined this time for a guest appearance by 'Westphalia Chris' (as the Brits, complete with crystal cut accent - good work fella!)

The Background

Lenin is pissed off.  The Revolution has stalled on all fronts, and although the Reds came close to the gates of India (see our last adventure 'End of Empires'), the southern territories of Russia are overrun by hordes of counter-revolutionary, reactionary and Imperial scumbags!

Most annoying of all are the Bukharians, under the perenially successful, Adrian Enver Pasha, the so-called 'Beast of Bukhara'.  He has occupied and conquered a vast swathe of southern Russia, including vast areas of vital oil producing hinterlands.

Lenin has therefore assembled the largest Bolshevik army of the Revolution, aimed at starting the re-conquest of Bukharia, starting with the strategically important port of Krasnovodsk.  Read on, gentle readers.........

Red Star Rising: Bolshevik Brief

You are Comrade General V.I.Blackwood

(Astrakhan, Thursday....).

Although the invasion of India unluckily stalled right on the cusp of success, high on the frozen frontier, Bolshevik Strategic Command (BolStratCom) did learn two important strategic lessons:
1.   It is possible to co-ordinate and effectively deploy heavy assets far away from the traditional Bolshevik heartland.
2.   Before India will fall, the destruction of the renegade rebel republic of Bukhara must come first however to secure all internal lines of supply

To that end therefore, Operation ‘Camel Toe’ has been put into action.  Its objective is simple: the complete destruction of the Bukharian ‘state’ and the liquidation of that degenerate Imperialist lackey, the so-called ‘Beast of Bukhara’, Emir Adrian Enver Pasha.

Army Group South has therefore been formed in Astrakhan.  Phase I of ‘Camel Toe’ is the re-taking of the vital Caspian port of Krasnavodsk.  This is a major rail link for the Bukharian military, as well as the main supply base for their lick-spittle German allies, under Von Stauffenberg.

You therefore have the following forces under your command for what should be a mere clearing up operation, followed by a delirious welcome by flower-throwing liberated loyal Russians:

Infantry
1 x coy (10 figs) of elite Siberian rifles.  T3 M3, marksmen, with bombs, 1 LMG
1 x coy (10 figs) of Transcaspian Cheka.  T2 M2, ferocious, with bombs, 1 LMG
1 x coy (10 figs) of Caspian Sailors. T3 M2, ferocious, with bombs, 1 LMG
1 x coys (10 figs) of Volga Regulars. T4 M4, with bombs, 1 LMG
4 x coys (40 figs) of Red Guards, Irregulars, M4’s. No bombs or LMG’s.
1 coy (10 figs) of Red Maiden Revolutionaries.  Irregulars, M4, ferocious. Bombs and 1 LMG

Cavalry
3 x 9 Regular Cavalry.  T3 M3. Bombs and 1 LMG each

Specialist troops
2 x Red snipers.  T2 M2, with bombs
2 x regular HMG’s T4 M4
1 x Red Navy HMG T2M2

Artillery
6 x off table high-explosive rounds, pre-planned (T3).
2 x Red Cossack horse batteries.  T3 M3

Armour
1 x MV tank. T4 M4
1 x Cheka Austin Putilov half-track T3 M2
1 x Austin Putilov armoured car T3 M3
1 x Model T Ford machine gun carrier.  T3 M3

Other Assets
1 x transport barge, capable of carrying 10 + 1 figures (unit plus sniper) and a HMG team.  The HMG may be fired on board, with LMG range and effect
1 x gunboat, T4 M4, 1 QF 2” gun, 2 x LMG’s
1 x Fokker DVII, T3 M3
1 x Junkers Ground attack aircraft (Major Yuri Gagarin) T2 M2
1 x armoured train, with three carriages, armed as seen. T2 M4
3 x trucks capable of carrying 1 coy of infantry each. T3 M4
2 x Commissars T2 M2

Intelligence

Krasnavodsk has a small German garrison made up of second line troops, under the command of a Major Plzen.  Your spies estimate somewhere around three companies, along with a few support weapons (HMG’s and field guns).

In addition, there are some unreliable former White mercenaries under the notorious Colonel Orvitz, who ranks 457th on the Bolshevik states ‘most wanted’ list.  Estimates vary as to their strength, but somewhere in the region of three companies, including some horse and obsolete artillery pieces. 

A German supply plane is sometimes moored in the harbour.

A Royal Navy squadron is known to be active in the Caspian sea, although it is known to be re-coaling at Baku at the moment.

Bukharian police elements are operational to the south of Krasnavodsk.  Mostly irregulars, with some obsolete heavy weapons and a smattering of front line troops.  Intelligence suggests around 4 companies of police/regulars and around the same number of irregulars.  Reports suggest that relations between the Germans and The Beast of Bukhara are worsening, and that he might be about to break off diplomatic relationships with his guests.

Your spies also have reported that Major Plzen’s wife and mother-in-law are visiting Krasnavodsk as they are keen students of ancient Persian and Turkic architecture.

Deployment

Most forces will deploy on, or near, the table.  Such a large enterprise does naturally involve a huge amount of co-ordination however, and so some delays are inevitable.  You can hold troops off-table if you wish, but they need to throw over their ‘T’ rating to come on. Aircraft subject to the usual deployment rules, as are armoured trains.
27/11/09


Red Star Rising: German Brief

(Camp Schwarze Samstag, Krasnavodsk).

You are Major Gerhardt Plzen

You have been sent to this godforsaken fly infested post in the middle of nowhere. You could never have imagined anything further from your ambition’s desire, all this and accompanied by Frau Plzen and your wretched mother-in-law.  Your orders are to keep the port and supply lines to the Graf open at all costs and keep the locals on-side.

You are now the master of all you survey – 3 squads of 10 of Graf Von Stauffenberg’s finest, except that these are the sick, wounded and ‘less able’ (T3-M3/4). Each squad has an LMG and bombs, and you have trucks to ship them around. However as supplies are tight, they only have three shots each. In addition you have a fully supplied engineer company ready to train for the front line (T2 M2, stubborn: 1 flame thrower, 1 light mortar and 1 anti-tank rifle and 1 LMG), one sniper (T2 M2), one HMG in the old fort to the east of the city (three shots, T3 M3), and one HMG in the main town (three shots, T3 M3).  You also have one Erhardt A/C (T3 M3), one anti-aircraft battery (T3 M3) and one field gun (T2 M3), with varying levels of ammunition.  In the fenced off harbour area, you have a full months supply of food, shells, ammunition and bombs, that are due to be shipped by rail to Von Stauffenberg.  A Brandenburg seaplane (T2 M3) is also in station there.  The waters off the port are mined.

‘Helping’ you are some White Russian allies, under a local Turcoman leader, Col Orvitz (NPC). Though he himself is pleasant and generally open to following orders, his troops are generally unreliable, and are more interested in filling their pockets than supporting the joint German/Bukharian (and hence anti-Bolshevik) efforts.  He commands 3 squads of 10 militia, armed with rifles; 9 Turcoman cavalry, 2 modern Russian field guns crewed by former White Russian officers and an ageing French Schneider tank. Ammunition and spare parts for all of these are in short supply.

Your mission, for the last two months, has been to keep the area quiet and guard the supply lines to the Graf’s efforts further to the east. – that’s all it ever is!
However, in the past two days successive travellers from the north, south east and west bring rumours of unrest, as a result you send a patrol out daily to have a look about. You have also cancelled the usual target practice to conserve what ammo you have until the arrival of the next supply ship, not due for several days yet. Food and water are plentiful.
Yesterday’s patrol had returned reporting nothing out of the ordinary and as dawn breaks on the start of another day the temperature is already rising – it’s going to be a hot one.
Intelligence

Your ally, The Emir of Bukhara, has local defence forces some way off to the south.  However these are not front line troops, and also may be difficult to contact.  There are also rumours that ‘The Beast’ is growing tired of his German Allies, so it may be best not to rely on them.

There are rumours of increasingly aggressive Bolshevik patrols to the north, however you haven’t sighted anything as yet.  ‘Radio Red Bukhara’ has increased its ranting in the last few weeks about a forthcoming ‘War of Liberation’.  You’ve heard it all before however.

A Royal Navy squadron, under Commodore Clive Christian (on whom you are on cordial terms), is active in the Caspian sea.
Deployment

The umpire will deploy most of your forces.  You will however have some discretion on the day.

25/11/09

Red Star Rising: British brief

You are Commodore Clive Christian

(Enzeli, Thursday....).

You are the commander of the British armed merchantmen, HMS Imperceptible.  Your job is to keep the Caspian clear of Reds, Whites, Bukharians, bandits, pirates and any other ne’er-do-wells that try and interrupt HM’s governments mission in the region (whatever that is!).

You are currently ferrying a convoy of re-inforcement troops from Enzeli in Persia upto Dunsterforce’s base at Baku.
Onboard you have the following:

Infantry
1 x coy (10 figs) of Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.  T2 M2, stubborn marksmen, with bombs, 2 LMG’s
1 x coy (10 figs) of 59th Sikh Rifles.  T3 M3, ferocious, with bombs, 1 LMG
1 x coy (10 figs) of 27th Rajput Rifles T3 M3, with bombs, 1 LMG
1 x coy (10 figs) of Royal Marines. T2 M2, ferocious, with bombs, 1 LMG
1 x Rajput sniper T2 M2

Cavalry
1 squadron (9 figures) 13th Bengal Lancers.  T2 M2, 2 LMG’s

Artillery
7th Bengal Indian Mountain battery, T2 M2
2 x HMG’s  T3 M3
Other Assets
Col. Mainwaring, staff officer (+1)
At Baku: Elements of the RAF, including DH10 bombers and 15th fighter squadron with Bristol Bullets (both T2 M2).  These will obviously need to be radioed up and will take time to arrive in theatre.

Intelligence

There is no lack of intelligence in this region.  Making sense of it is the problem.  The main bad guys are the Bolsheviks, and HMG’s policy is to shoot on sight.  After that there is no end of armed bands, gangs and armies who may or may not be friendly.  Advice from the Foreign Office is to be friendly to everyone, but keep your safety catch off.  European forces active in the area include the French and Germans, both of whom you have cordial relationships

Deployment
You will be advised of this by the umpire.  Basically however you can load and unload upto three units per turn from HMS Imperceptible.

Red Star Rising: Bukharian Brief

(Vishka – Thursday)

You are Colonel Mustafa Kurtz.
An urgent coded radio message from The Great Leader Himself!
Apparently he has decided that our German allies have come to the end of their useful life, and it is time to re-claim our ‘back garden’ as he calls it.
You have therefore been tasked with the glorious task of taking re-possession of the vital port of Krasnavodsk from Major Plzen, one of Von Stauffenberg’s subordinates.
The message from Bukharian High Command (BukHiC) furthermore states that although Major Plzen should have been informed of this decision, and that Bukhara wishes a friendly disengagement, you should not fall for any dissembling on the part of the Germans.  The deal has been done, and they should move on peacefully.  You are to help them in every way possible, including the provision of transport, supplies and ammunition.

You have a scratch force of police and second line troops.  In addition you have some religious fanatics that The Emir has been keen to keep away from the front-line for fear of taking some of the shine off Bukhara’s carefully burnished image as a progressive moderate Islamic state.

Infantry
2 x coys (10 men each) of Transcaspian Constabulary, T3 M3, stubborn, with bombs. 1 LMG each
2 x coys (10 men each) of 3rd battalion The Khiva Regiment. T4 M4, with bombs. No LMG’s
2 x 24 Ghazis.  Irregulars, M2, fanatic ‘warriors’, equipped with modern rifles. No bombs or LMG’s
2 x Ghazi snipers.  Irregular M2 fanatics.

Cavalry
2 x 15 Irregular Cavalry, M4.  Carbines, no bombs or LMG’s

Artillery
2 x obsolete field guns, elephant towed.  T3 M3.
1 x modern regular field gun T3 M3, vehicle towed
4 x rounds of off- table high explosive with an on-board observer (T4).  May also be pre-planned instead.

Support Weapons
1 x Putilov Garford A/C (2 x LMG’s plus one tank gun) T3 M3
1 x Bussing Nag A/C (1 turreted LMG) T3 M4
1 x HMG, T3 M4
2 x trucks, each capable of carrying 1 coy of infantry or 1 HMG
2 x trucks of ammunition and supplies
1 Lloyd Aviatik reconnaissance plane.  With 2 light bombs and 2 MG’s T3 M3
Intelligence

The Germans have three coys of second line infantry, plus whatever transit troops are moving back and forth up the line.  There are a few MG’s and field guns as well

There is also a mercenary White Turcoman detachment supporting them, of about the same strength. These troops are completely unreliable and more prone to looting rather than fighting.  They are under the command of Colonel Orvitz, a notoriously cold hearted killer, who is known to have sympathies with Bukhara.

Red forces are known to be active to the north of Krasnovodsk, though in what number is not known

British naval detachments, based out of Baku, are known to be active in the Caspian Sea.

Deployment
You may deploy upto 2/3rds of your land units on the board, in an area to be advised by the umpire.  The remaining third may deploy from move 2 in one formation without dicing for arrival.  However if you choose to deploy them in any other order, you will need to throw for their arrival, getting higher than their training on a D6.  Aircraft deploy as per the rules.
27/11/09


Nxt - battle report and pictures.....

[answer_is_42]

Out of interest, do you write this all up and present it to the players on the day, or make most of it up during/after the game (which, I must confess, is what I do more often than not)?
It's great, by the way.

[Westfalia Chris]

Out of interest, do you write this all up and present it to the players on the day, or make most of it up during/after the game (which, I must confess, is what I do more often than not)?
It's great, by the way.

I remember that British briefing as being the same one I was given on the day as a handout. If there's one thing that stands out even more than the excellent visual appeal, it's Ignatieff's level of organisation and preparedness, eye to detail and yet readiness to improvise if need be.

[coggon]

Ignatieff,

 :oMore pure anadulterated genius on your part.  When do plan on publishing a scenario book?

[Ignatieff]

Out of interest, do you write this all up and present it to the players on the day, or make most of it up during/after the game (which, I must confess, is what I do more often than not)?
It's great, by the way.

All written in advance, sent out in advance if the scenario demands, otherwise handed out on the day (I love the look of panic)

[Ignatieff]

Ignatieff,

 :oMore pure anadulterated genius on your part.  When do plan on publishing a scenario book?

I should really.....

[Admiral Benbow]

Brilliant setup and briefing as usual, Ignatieff. You should definitely publish a scenario book. I will now most happily move on to the picture tour of parts 2 - 4!