Fire & Sword in the Sudan Campaign

Our Colonial Campaign gets ready to kick off! Turn one has already begun and the Sudan has erupted into revolt. See how the campaign is going here… Our First Fire & Sword Campaign.

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Fire & Fury: The ACW in 28mm

This is an all new section – during 2009 I’ll hopefully be building brand new Armies in 28mm for use with the Fire & Fury (both Brigade & Regimental versions of the rules). Previously I played Fire & Fury extensively in 15mm, from when it was released in the early ’90s until about 2000, at which time I sold all my 15mm ACW forces & terrain. I am looking forward to getting back into it in 28mm. Continue reading “Fire & Fury: The ACW in 28mm”

Roundie Town

The following is a brief photo gallery of the Auckland Wargaming Club’s Wild West Town, entirely scratch built by member Wayne “Roundie” Steward and photographed by member Kieran Mahony. It is the scene of many a gun fight by the clubs various “Posses” using Games Workshop’s “Legends of the Old West” rules. Continue reading “Roundie Town”

Kofler “befehle die Marines”

Kofler & Feldwebel Orange-Haare.
Kofler & Feldwebel Orange-Haare.

You will recall from the details of Kofler’s last adventure (Kofler “im Hinterhalt auf Kwuzlundi) we left him bleeding amongst the casualties of his Askari, as the African Tribesmen threatened to overrun the camp, and to add insult to injury half the surviving Seebatallion marines, including Hauptmann Muenst, had fled routing out of the camp… As it turns out the staunch Askari did not disappoint, led by Feldwebel Buergerhoff they managed to drive off the tribesmen inside the camp then reform to guard the perimeter, while Oberst Stuehmer rallied the 3 remaining Seebatallion marines to assist them, and Herr Riedel kept up regular sniping at the surviving Zanzibari.

Seeing this the remaining coalition of Natives quickly dispersed, and knowing the game was up the Zanzibari once more dispersed off into the African jungle…

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Kofler “im Hinterhalt auf Kwuzlundi”

Seebatallion Maxim MG team
Seebatallion Maxim MG team

After Kofler’s (forgettable) first experience of colonial action in Darkest Africa (Kofler “benetzt seine Hose), the column had regathered itself and slowly moved further into the hinterland, following the trail of the suspected Zanzibari Sklavenhändler (slavers). The trail led them towards the village of Kwuzlundi, near the edge of the regularly travelled parts of East Africa. Word was that the Zanzibari were due to pass by this way in the next few days heading to the coast with their victims, having stirred up the local tribes enough to preoccupy the Kaiser’s Imperial Forces!

Further assistance had arrived to the column in the form of two experienced and well travelled Hunters & Adventurers, Herr Hans Deutschlaender and Herr Arno Riedel – the latter famous locally for his garishly bright shirts & hunting jackets!

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The Sword and the Flame [TSATF]

Larry Brom wrote TSATF in 1979, and 30 years later it’s still going strong with very little changes! Having played TTG’s Soldiers of the Queen* [SotQ] fairly extensively since it was published in 1987 (in my earlier wargaming years) until a long hiatus from all colonial gaming in the early 1990s, I was only introduced to TSATF in recent years for the first time…

* Not to be confused with the Victorian Military Society’s Journal “Soldiers of the Queen“!

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Kofler “benetzt seine Hose”

Oberleutnant Kofler
Oberleutnant Kofler

Arriving in German East Africa Oberleutnant Kofler is immediately summoned, along with his superior, by the Colonial Governor – some Zanzibari slave traders have been stirring up the local tribes in the area of the German Colony, and have stirred them up with stories of the Germans taking all their women! The Governor wants an immediate show of force in the area to settle things down and ensure these verabscheuungswürdigen Sklavenhändler are found and dealt with. No-one casts aspersions on the Kaiser’s newly acquired empire!

Setting out, the column consists of a company from the Seebatallion detachment with a Maxim MG team, and a Deutsche Ost-Afrika Gesellschaft Askari company, which Kofler is told off to, his first command in Darkest Africa! Supporting them is a small river boat steamer which will ferry supplies forward as needed should their expedition take more than the week or two expected.

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BC’08 Conclusion: Results & Aftermath

It had been a hard weekend, with all the games being fairly challenging and the last 2 having been particularly hard fought battles. Our final result was 64 VPs, and 2nd Place – probably not bad for a team made up of a first time DBMM’er (Campbell) and a notorious over-aggressive under-achiever (i.e. Me)! Ivan & Andrew did magnificently to win, although I think the huge Warband force (69 German and 14 Gallic Warband elements) may have overawed some people (see BC’08 Round 1: Early German Cimbri & Tigurini Gallic Allies 102BC Report)! John & Lance with their Sassanids and Brett & Lawrence with the Medieval Germans also did well and it was a constant tussle each round with two of these 4 teams in first and second place after each of the rounds (Ivan and Andrew managing to be first in the third round and stay there, being 1st after the most critical one, the last)! Continue reading “BC’08 Conclusion: Results & Aftermath”

BC’08 Round 4: Sassanid Persian with Sabir Hun Allies 463AD

Our (winning) Draw (if you can call it that) in the third round put us on 54 VPs and in 2nd place; 5 VPs behind the new leaders (Ivan & Andrew; whom we had played in the first round) and 8 VPs ahead of 3rd place (Brett & Lawrence whom we had just played). As a result our final opponents were John Calnan & Lance Knighton, who were currently in 4th place with 44 VPs; and were running a force of Sassanid’s with lots of Cavalry(S) and (O), Elephants(O), and Knights(X).

Caesennius had not managed to leave home before the Sassanid’s had wandered into the Eastern regions of the Empire! Continue reading “BC’08 Round 4: Sassanid Persian with Sabir Hun Allies 463AD”

BC’08 Round 3: Medieval Germans with Swiss Allies 1478AD

Our big win in the previous round put us on 39 VPs, and top of the table (1st place) at the halfway mark, our next opponents were Brett Preston-Thomas & Lawrence Antill, who were on 36 VPs and currently in 2nd place. Caesennius decided to venture north and wander into the lands of the Germans (not to mention about 14 centuries into the future as well) – what was this obsession he had with invading Germany?! Anyway in true style he found a suitable area to set up camp, and then proceeded to relax, as was his want, and not be too hasty. However he rather unusually camped amongst some woods and vineyards, in front of a fairly open plain, so left his army with less than ideal terrain to deploy in. Continue reading “BC’08 Round 3: Medieval Germans with Swiss Allies 1478AD”

BC’08 Round 2: Kushite Egyptians 700BC

Our Draw in the first round put us slap in the middle of the pack, 14 VPs ranking us 2nd Equal with 2 other teams (so effectively just in the top half of the table), and resulting in Philip Abela & Andrew Hunter (who were similarly ranked 2nd equal) being our afternoon opponents. (If I recall correctly) Caesennius found himself defending Rome’s Eastern environs’ from encroaching invaders this battle! And the dastardly fiends had decided to attack along a River, no less! However this soon suited Caesennius, who found the edge of a suitable plain to encamp on, forcing the Egyptians to deploy in an area thick with Marshes and an Orchard, with the River running through their deployment area, and Vineyard on their flank next to the River. Continue reading “BC’08 Round 2: Kushite Egyptians 700BC”

BC’08 Round 1: Early German Cimbri & Tigurini Gallic Allies 102BC

On the first morning we drew Ivan Truong & Andrew Fergus for our initial game. The morning actually got off to a slow start with some fluffing around, and all 4 games being played in the first round probably lost about 20-30 minutes of game time, plus took excessively long to do terrain placement and deploy. Once underway Caesennius, the Roman C-in-C, soon managed to invade Germany for whatever reasons, we presume in the South-East perhaps? Anyhow, Caesennius managed to encamp on the edge of a German plain forcing the Cimbri to pitch tents in an area of poor terrain that was mostly Marsh (3 features of such in the German deployment area), while the Roman’s deployed on the adjacent open plain – but perhaps the Germans preferred being amongst the wet boggy muck and the joke was on Caesennius?! Continue reading “BC’08 Round 1: Early German Cimbri & Tigurini Gallic Allies 102BC”