The League of Extraordinary Kriegspielers presents..The Manchurian Candidate

[OSHIROmodels]

       And how many did every one else have   

Shame there's only a couple of ales in there.. Never mind 

cheers

James

[Ignatieff]

      And how many did every one else have   

Shame there's only a couple of ales in there.. Never mind 

cheers

James

Thats (predominently) Scotsmen for you!!

[OSHIROmodels]

Yes, I saw the McEwans Export 

It sounds like you chaps have a rare old time. Always good to read your reports 

cheers

James

[Remington]

Blimey! That is an impressive amount of liquids! 

[Ignatieff]

Blimey! That is an impressive amount of liquids!  

War may be hell, but a stiff drink doesnt half take the edge off it.......

[Ignatieff]

And whilst I wait for the Doc to produce the pics, here's another brief.  The key one for the (end) game: The Tibetans....

The Manchurian Candidate                     The Dalai’s Brief

Your brief
There is a malevolent bacillus at the core of humanity that is speeding on a train heading east, which if not eradicated will destroy all mankind.........
You are the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader to millions of Buddhists the world over.  You are also a Living God, and absolute ruler of the mysterious mountain kingdom of Tibet.
You are also the All Seeing Eye, the Protector of the Ying and the Yang, The Great Leveller and the Protector of Good within the Cosmic Soup.  In the chaos following the Russian Revolution there have been many cracks and fissures in the duvet of harmony, but none as serious as is currently heading towards Manchuria.
Dr. Manfred Isaacs, thought destroyed along with his inhuman abominations in the High Pamirs a few years ago, was in fact smuggled out of the chaos by agents of the Bolsheviks.  Over the past 18 months he has been rebuilding his army of chaos deep in a secret dungeon in Moscow.  They are now heading towards Manchuria, intent on exporting Revolution, chaos and World Disorder.
You must stop them.

Your objectives:
1.   Destroy Isaacs and his Horde from Hell
2.   Give the Reds a right bloody nose

Forces
His Holiness The Dalai Lama: +2 morale general
15 Irregular Tibetan Cavalry: Irregular M5
3 x 10 British trained regular infantry: T3 M5, stubborn.  1 LMG per unit
20 x Irregular musketeers: M3, stubborn, with single shot rifles
10 x Irregular musketeers: M3, stubborn, with single shot rifles

2 x Yak towed HMG’s: T4 M3

1 x Yak towed Field Gun: T4 M3

1 x Flamethrower, T2 M2

1 x Biplane: T3 M3

You are currently 10 miles south of the main battlefield.  You hear gunfire and head north................

Special Rules
1.   Divisional Activation Roll: At the start of the game, The Dalai must throw for his Grand Tactical Rating (n.b. this is in addition to his personal +2 rating).  This can range between 0 or +3.  Throw 2 x D6: 2-3 = 0; 4-7 = +1; 8-10= +2; 11-12= +3.  He then adds this to his Divisional Activation Roll, which is made the first time one of his unit cards is drawn from the pack each move. If the Dalai’s personal card is first out, he adds an additional +1 to his dice throw. His division is activated on a 3-6 on 1D6, plus whatever modifiers he has, e.g. The Dalia has a Grand Tactical Rating of +1 and his card is first out that move (another +1).  His division therefore ‘activates’ automatically that move.  An ‘activated’ Division moves and fires as normal.  If however his division fails to activate they may not move, but can fire.  Mounted troops can also counter-charge if attacked.  If the Dalai is attached to a unit he and it can move as normal, regardless of the throw for the rest of the division.
2.   Divisional and Army Morale: The Tibetan army must check morale when casualties  (measured in on-board units lost) reach 50%. A throw of 3-6 on 1D6 ensures they fight on.  On reaching 60%, a throw of 4-6 is required to stay on the field.  On reaching 70% a throw of 5-6 is required, as it is for every 10% lost after that. +1 is added to any throw if the majority of the Division is in cover.
3.   Buddhist Karma: The Dalai brings harmony, peace and enlightenment to his followers and troops wherever he goes.  This karmic confidence means that all Tibetan troops within a 12” radius of the Holy One, ignore one morale test each turn.  However should the Celestial Being be killed, all Tibetans cannot move for three moves as they experience the ascendance into another existence by their Supreme Being.  However they can defend themselves and fire and fight as normal.  They also do not take any morale tests during this joyous festival.  After that they fight and move as normal.
4.   The Yeti: Oh yes, they’re back!  Any Tibetan troops within 18” of a mountain terrain square can throw for the appearance of the Yeti if there any enemy troops occupying this feature.  2 D6, and a 10-12 mean that the guardians of the hills will appear!  They fight as four humans, never take morale, but never leave the mountains.

[Admiral Benbow]

Ahhh, back at least, Steve! And with an impressive list of drinks as well. What a game, and what a birthday!
 

I hope the Christmas season will get you more time to show all the other goodies from your last game, and of course from Africa, too!
 

[Ignatieff]

I hope the Christmas season will get you more time to show all the other goodies from your last game, and of course from Africa, too!
 

Thats the plan Michael!!

[Patrice]

What an astonishing table 

I was planning a 4-metres table for a BoB game, but nothing as nice as this one 

Thank you, it shows that with a lot of work it is possible to do wonderful things 

[argsilverson]

Onge again magnificent!

more pics please!

As a side inspiration may I humbly suggest to have a look at:
http://generalpettygree.blogspot.com/2010/12/chapter-45-captivity-fiends-and-angel.html

[Ignatieff]

Arge

Good to hear from you my old friend!  What a splendid blog.  If I ever have a spare year it would be good to adopt this new technology!  Pics, yes, the dco has gone to ground.  I think he is on a mission.  More later

Steve

[coggon]

Steve,

Let me (belatedly-sorry-dealing with 16 inches of snow over the weekend) add to the chorus of admirers.  I have honestly run out of adjectives, so lets go with "simply stunning"

Allan

[answer_is_42]

Cor. As ever, it's fantastic.

[Ignatieff]

The good doctor has sent a few updates, though there are plenty more to come!

This first shot shows just how close the Reds had managed to get overnight to the key White position at the railway station.  Red forces are led by the cream of their army, with sailors, Cheka and Siberian rifles in close support.  Facing them is Smirnoff's Cavalry Divison, dismounted and dug in.  In the distance you can see the sacred banner of The Black Madonna, carried by Doleczech's men. And yes those are Chinese acting as dismounted White cavalry...even I ran out of figures on this mega-lead-fest!  on the left centre of the picture you can see the Great Redoubt that proved the toughest nut to crack for the Reds.  The HMG team on the left of the Redoubt played a blinder, making 16 saving throws through the game.  When you consider they would have been destroyed on a 1-2 on a D6, a supreme achievement!




Next up is a view from the northern flank.  Der Baron's Asiatic Cavalry division (which of course didnt have much cavalry) pulled the right flank card.  Here you can see his Austrian/German POW's occupying a defensive sanger at the frozen river mouth.  Facing them was not a single Red!




A good deployment panorama shot.  The Reds are going to use the railway station as their point of decision, and have heavily loaded their right.  White left flank is the dismounted Smirnoff cavalry division, centre Doleczech's (led by Mikhail Gibson) and on the right Der Baron.  The tomb of Temujin can be spotted left centre, in the heart of the White deployment zone.

[Ignatieff]

The Beast's Brief!

Your brief

“The tomb of Temujin! By the shores of Lake Baikal! By Jove, that’s incredible!  I must get there as soon as possible.  Tell my Intelligence Chief to formulate a ruse to allow me to travel there!”
You are Adrian Enver Pasha, The Beast of Bukhara, the twentieth century Iskander, Shaka Zulu of Somalia and heir apparent to the Empire of Temujin!  You rule over a 1,000 year Empire, the likes of which the world has not seen the age of the Great Khan.  From the High Pamirs to the Horn of Africa, across the tribes and Khanates of the former Ottoman Empire and Imperial Russia, you rule supreme.  You know that symbols matter, and the chance find of the tomb of Genghis Khan means that you now add these treasures to the new Imperial Historical Museum collection in down town Bukhara.  The simple mound, marked for a thousand years by a fresh bleeding horses head, is rumoured to contain vast treasures plucked from the enslaved kingdoms of China, Asia and Europe.
Your Chief of Intelligence, Mustafa Ali Bi, has planned an elaborate expedition based around your passion for butterfly collecting.  Though how you explain away motorised field guns and armoured cars in this guise Allah only knows!
You do however know you are moving into a war zone. A place where the evil empire of the Bolsheviks is engaged in a titanic struggle with rump of Imperial Russia.
However much you hate the Reds however, you only want the treasure.  However the temptation to have a pop at the godless swine may prove too much along the way!

Your objectives:
1.   Recover the treasures of Temujin
2.   If possible lend a hand to the Whites.

Forces
Adrian Enver Pasha: +2 morale general
2 x10 regular Adrianstani infantry T4 M2, stubborn, with bombs. 1 LMG each
10 Ghazi fanatics.  T3 M2’s, ferocious with bombs. 1 LMG
24 irregular Ghazi ‘Musselmen’. Irregular M2, fanatics.
1 X HMG T3 M3
2 x field guns T3 M3
1 x armoured car (Erhardt) T4 M3
1 Lloyd Aviatik recon plane. T3 M3

You are currently 10 miles south west of the main battlefield.  You hear gunfire and head north................

Special Rules
1.   Divisional Activation Roll: At the start of the game, The Beast must throw for his Grand Tactical Rating (n.b. this is in addition to his personal +2 rating).  This can range between 0 or +3.  Throw 2 x D6: 2-5 = 0; 6-8 = +1; 9-11= +2; 12= +3.  He then adds this to his Divisional Activation Roll, which is made the first time one of his unit cards is drawn from the pack each move. If The Beast’s personal card is first out, he adds an additional +1 to his dice throw. His division is activated on a 4-6 on 1D6, plus whatever modifiers he has, e.g. The Beast has a Grand Tactical Rating of +1 and his card is first out that move (another +1).  His division therefore ‘activates’ on anything but a one this move..  An ‘activated’ Division moves and fires as normal.  If however his division fails to activate they may not move, but can fire.  Mounted troops can also counter-charge if attacked.  If The Beast is attached to a unit he and it can move as normal, regardless of the throw for the rest of the division.
2.   Divisional and Army Morale: The Bukharan army must check morale when casualties  (measured in on-board units lost) reach 50%. A throw of 4-6 on 1D6 ensures they fight on.  On reaching 60%, a throw of 5-6 is required to stay on the field.  On reaching 70% a throw of 6 is required, as it is for every 10% lost after that. +1 is added to any throw if the majority of the Division is in cover.