At the moment we are using the CLA rules. Our last action was the Tel el Saba the other week.
The only issue arose was the Command, communications and using leaders to upgrade bad morale with the Aussies and New Zealanders
Something we need to iron out across the specturm. Here is the report:
Well our play test of Tel el Saba was played last Saturday afternoon and early evening.
Being a play test we did not go to any lengths to construct dedicated terrain. I brought over a number of commercially available terrain pieces and from there we looked at the topography of Tel el Saba without placing in the wadi.
Due to the feature being so flat and large we undertook to arrange books underneath the sheet to give the larger raised area and placing a distinctive feature on top (Games workshop). Visibility was also taken into account because of the very nature of the time and season. Hence, visibility was reduced for the Anzacs attacking the Tel.
A few sand dunes were diced for location on the board and we were then set to dice for sides. Andrew dice throw favoured the British/Anzacs and Pete and I went to the Turks and I then said to Pete that I’d be the Austrian adviser and he would be in C&C.
Please look at the file for OOBs for both sides. We were using the CLA rules for this scenario. Of note, are the Anzac squadron formations divided into three troops of one officer, one SNCO, 2 NCOs and twenty troopers. Included in the troopers was a Hotchkiss LMG. (Lewis guns for this play test).
As we didn’t have the German Rumpler CI we had to use the good old Sopwith Schneider seaplane. Andrew has already received and constructing since writing this play test up a model of the Rumpler CIV from the brand Planet Models. They also do the CI A as well.
I placed the green Turkish troops in the forward trenched with the remainder located behind the raised trenches as reinforcements. Pete placed one of the better Turkish units in the rear trenches to provide the mettle needed in case of a breech in the trenches. MGs were located both in the centre and on the flanks of the Tel.
My Austrian adviser was within communications of the forward Turkish troops where as Pete kept his command just on the reverse slope.
Having a staff stand provided us with the initiative for every turn, but since we were not moving anywhere in a hurry we handed the initiative firstly over to Andrew to get his forces on the table.
Andrew’s first unit was the FOO party for the Somerset Battery RHA (off board) armed with 13lbs. (for this play test we were using 18lbs as 13lbs).
Some additional rolls for arrivals of which some failed to come on board followed this. Naturally it was sit and wait for us on the Turkish side as Andrew was dicing for new arrivals and trying to advance his mounted elements behind a successfully diced creeping barrage. The first Rumpler was diced for coming on board but failed to arrive so we decided to go for the second Rumpler when our turn for movement came around. At last a successful dice throw under the tactical rating (which is four in this case) and throwing a handful of dice (six dice for aircraft) we proceeded to move our first aircraft.
By this time being turn three our centre MG opened up on the 1st Auckland Mounted MG Squadron in which they sustained the first casualties of the play test. By turn four and with the second Rumpler on board the first Rumpler was sharing the rewards (with some good dice throwing) with the three Turkish MGs on the feature in wiping out the Auckland MGs and the 3 ALH 1st MG Squadron. Note when mounted its easier t wipe out these units, but once deployed it’s a lot harder.
Turn four also saw some successful casualties from the forward Turkish trenches on the 3rd troop A Squadron ALH with the officer/NCOs and a number of troopers becoming casualties. Andrew’s good dice throwing for morale ended up this unit going down two morale levels.
All this time the creeping barrage was steadily moving forward. The Inverness Battery RHA was moving up with the mounted formations in readiness to deploy for action. Alas this was not to be from the joint adventures of German aviation marksmanship with bombs and just some lucky dice throws. This was between deployed mounted elements and artillery following up behind.
Suffice to say that between some very good dice throws and long range MG fire that now closed within short range (30 inches) the deployed units started taking lots of casualties. Once Andrew’s forward units were behind the forward sand dunes they dismounted. One out of every four figures was needed as horse holders. You can now picture that taking fire from long range and following up to short range it doesn’t leave much in a way of a fighting force. The Turks were also taking casualties from the deployed troops and also managing to fail some morale rolls too, but having the adviser close at hand manage to stem a possible rout to the rear. Also, they have the addition of being stubborn (even green troops in defence) but this was taken away when I could have had three possible morale failures (I’d used up my ace).
Short range from the Turkish rifle (12 inches) and Turkish LMGs (24 inches and yes they did have them) successfully drove back two flanking manoeuvres by the Anzacs who were mounted. Oh and not forgetting the Rumplers which saw one fly off after turn six and the other having a last engagement at the Inverness Battery (now deployed) which scored a successful hit and the battery now down to one gun (this was out of four gun models). In turn this Rumpler flew off as well after the obligatory six turns were used.
At the end of Turn nine we called a halt on the game. Andrew had indicated that now he needed the reserve forces to assist the depleted and now very battered attacking force.
We now have looked at this battle with some discussion afterwards and we are now looking at maybe a different framework of rules to nut out the command and control. On a number of occasions in the game Andrew was not getting the desired results with command stands rallying morale affected troops. We will get back to you on this once we play test this game again using the framework of Sword in the Flame.
I’ve kept the Post Game Report short and not to detailed as you can probably picture the casualties undertaken from both sides when you do get in close. Andrew indicated that perhaps some smoke from the off board artillery would have assisted in the attack up close, however, to be fair on Andrew he was coordinating a lot of troops and placing these on the table. We had Doug turn up just after we had called it quits. George was recovering from his Grid Iron game so didn’t turn up, but sent his apologises.
On reflection, the battle itself (back in 1917) was a near run thing and there were certainly a lot of casualties for the Anzacs as well as some luck on the day.
30 June 2008, 05:24:56 PM
