Played our last game of 2008 here in Darkest Rawn-Li, it was an encounter between the forces of Comrade General Bikliski and the forces of the notorious warlord Wan Ung-Lo. I am sad to say that out of two players I came about fifth
We used the Warhammer Great War rules and found that they gave a good game, unless you are Chinese when your artillery run off after one move of being shot at, your mortar may as well be lobbing dumplings and all your infantry are short-sighted
Here is a pic early in the massacre
More are on my website in the Back of Beyond Gallery.
The table was 6 foot by 4 foot with a stream running across the middle, it was deemed as crossable across the whole length but would count as difficult terrain except at the ford also the armoured car would bog down on anything but a 6 if crossing anywhere other than at the ford. On the Chinese side of the stream there was a dense wood lining the stream for about 2 feet, also on the Chinese base line was a dug in heavy mortar along side another dense wood.
The Bolshevik commander sent ahead his cavalry and armoured car along the road meanwhile he sent two of his units a conscript and Siberian rifle platoon cross country towards the wood on the opposite bank of the stream. In the meantime his other 2 infantry units, HMG’s and field gun continued down the road. The armoured car took up position at the ford coming under fire from a Chinese field gun positioned on their baseline; it missed which was to prove unfortunate. The Chinese in the wood lining stream fired on the advancing Bolshevik conscript unit causing a leadership test, which they passed helped by being able to use the nearby Commissars leadership value.
The armoured car now fired on the Chinese gun causing a leadership test, yes you guessed they failed and being only two inches from the table edge disappeared from the game. Meanwhile covered by the fire from the armoured car the cavalry began to ford the stream, over in the centre the advancing conscript unit fired back at the Chinese unit in the wood, doing enough execution to force a leadership test on their Chinese counterparts. Now really the Chinese unit should have fell back as the Siberian unit and the conscripts would be in short range next turn, but buoyed by the fact that they had the cover of the wood and would be first to fire at short range stood still and fired. Fourteen shots needing a 5+ and thy got 10! Hits, now to convert to wounds on 4+, result? One five and the rest ones or twos, arghhh! The mortar fired on the cavalry crossing the ford causing a leadership test there, again the Reds passed.
Reds advance! the armoured car now turned its attention to the mortar who despite being entrenched received a casualty and became pinned, the cavalry continued down the road whilst the Red artillery took up position at the ford (some neat fire and movement work here by Bikliski) over in the centre the Reds brought all their fire to bear on the Chinese in the wood reducing them to two figures, so much for the cover of the wood. The Red cavalry had come into view of the Chinese HMG positioned in the wood next to the trench, it fired, Bikliski expected the worst and suffered……..
Two casualties. The two figures in the wood failed to inflict any casualties and the mortar crew were pinned so that was that for the Chinese, during the Reds next turn all the mortar, HMG crew and the two remaining infantry in the wood were wiped out.
At this point Dave said is it time for lunch, what timing for this was the signal for the Chinese reinforcements to arrive, unfortunately they would have no one to reinforce!
01 June 2010, 11:50:58 AM
