CoC Far East Chindit Raid at SWWG

First run out with the new Chain of Command Far East rules from the Too Fat Lardies. We decided to give the very asymmetric Demolition Derby Mission from the new book a go with Nye bringing a Platoon of Elite Chindits to the table tasked to destroy a supply cache guarded by my second rate Japanese Garrison Platoon. 

With the field of battle setup we start the game. The asymmetric nature of the game means that the Chindits get the initiative and deploy first, meanwhile the Japenese are only allowed a single squad at the start of the game and must spend a Command Dice to raise the alarm and bring the remainder of the Platoon onto the table.

The Chindits are almost upon the objective as the Japanese Squad deploy in a prepared position. This allowed the Japanese to deploy the squads JL into a bunker and deploy up to 4 hidden spider holes each containing 3 riflemen. These are only placed on table when they choose to activate and they provide hard cover for the occupants.

Straight away the first spider hole activates and opens fire to little effect against the advancing Chindits

Quickly followed by a second spider hole

And a third!

The scrap that ensued was hard and desperate. 

The Japanese while ineffective with just rifles against the SMG's and Bren's of the Chindits were still in hard cover and it took close assaulting and blank range fire to eventually break the squad.

Just as the Guard squad collapses the Japanese get their Chain of Command Dice and Raise the Alarm.

Reinforcements arrive!

Sadly the Dice Gods force the fresh Japanese force to deploy on the far side of the table from the Chindits rather than appearing on the table edge they must withdraw to.

With charges set the Chindits withdraw a safe distance 

The charges successfully go off

The advancing Japanese force can't prevent the Chindits melting back into the jungle to claim the Win

Really enjoyed this game, Playing as the under dog adds a grim determination to hold on long enough for help to arrive, Choosing to spend all my support points on the Squad Prepared Position paid off making it necessary for Nye to get his Chindits in close where there SMG's could be most effective, A better quality squad equipped with a LMG in the command bunker would make this particularly deadly,

The mechanic for setting the charges worked well. 

I'd like to think that if the Dice Gods had smiled on me and allowed me to enter behind the Chindits it could have swung the result but Nye admitted he'd kept one squad back to spring in an ambush should that have happened so it's unlikely.
Some of the mechanics introduced in the Far East book will be a part of the recently announced Chain of Command Version 2 which I'm really looking forward to 

ACW - Black Powder at SWWG

 First game of Black Powder with Nye at a recent SWWG club night. 

Nye hasn't played Black Powder before so with enough painted units for both union & confederate forces, after a year of painting , this was to be a (re)learning of the basics. 

Union & Confederate forces meet and prepare to do battle

Meeting across a fairly open landscape the Confederate brigades all try to form line and advance. The Union artillery rush forwards to take position behind a wall as the infantry columns advance.

The Confederate left flank advances under fire from the Union artillery and infantry.

After some hesitancy the Confederate centre gets it's act together and advance towards the farm and road.

 

Over on the other flank both sides Cavalry are playing out a Mexican stand off to see who will move first.

Under withering fire the Confederate left flank advance falters and falls back. This allows the Union forces to swing around the flank of the advancing Confederate centre to enfilade their fire.

With the Confederate centre also in danger of collapse and the time ticking on the Confederates decide this is a battle they can't win and withdraw from the field. 

As this was a (re)learning game for Nye & myself we flew pretty fast and loose with a lot of rules & concentrated on getting the basic mechanic's of Orders, Movement , and Shooting down and had an enjoyable throw down game.
Other club members who play ACW Epic Black Powder were glad to see it back at club and no doubt we'll be organising some bigger multi player games in the near future. 

  

Narvik

In September 2022 I had the chance to visit Narvik in Norway,

In 1940 Narvik in Northern Norway was the setting for the scene of intense naval, air and land battles as British, French and Polish forces supported Norwegian forces and fought the German invaders back almost all the way to the Swedish Border.

While in Narvik I got to spend a few hours looking around the The Narvik War and Peace Centre. 

The first part of the centre uses an animated floor projection to recall all the events of the battle. Projected onto a 3D relief on the floor it's informative and engaging with ships and aircraft moving around the fjords and engaging in battle.  

The excellent displays of period uniforms and equipment from the battles then leads onto displays recounting the Occupation period and the recriminations and reconciliations afterwards. 

The last part of the centre is dedicated to Peace and the resolution of conflicts and uses thoughtful displays and interactive activities to make you truly consider the victims and consequences of war.