2025 Hammfilade Saturday - GDC Battle of Logovo (pt 1 setup)

 Saturday had us setting up for the semi annual General du Corp game. It's a convention fast play ruleset (not published). Bases are roughly a division, commands are corp. Turns represent 30min. Each player commanded 2 corp (roughly). Since we have done most of the historical battles Doug decided to make up a roster of 12-15 corp. The two teams then were able to select 10...both sides having an option to sacrifice a choice to get a benefit (Russians took some fleche/redoubt fortifications and a large artillery reserve). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The teams split up to make their choice, and then decide a rough battle plan and setup  blindly. The table was split down the middle plus the left flank(s) were also open for placement (i.e. both sides could immediately be subject to a flank attack on their right). A stream (crossable but disordering) was roughly diagonal across the whole table).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We positioned cards in alternating fashion to denote the start point of the leader of each corp. The cards were flipped and placement of the troops happened alternating in order of the cards. It was fun and different and we ended up with some interesting match ups. 

 

 

 

The Russian plan (my side) was to  go artillery heavy on the left in a crossfire to give the french a problem to solve. We dropped our fortifications on the right, assuming an attack there, created a battle line across the front, and left a strong reserve of cavalry and elite infantry. 

 

 

 

 

 

The french overloaded their left flank and refused the right. A token force was left there. The centre had a reasonable force to push. Roughly 60-90 minutes after 'starting' we were all setup and ready to start fighting. 

 

2025 Hammfilade - Bad 6s cavalry game

 Another August rolls around and Doug hosted another weekend of gaming at his lovely basement set up. Friday  we started off with some napoleonic cavalry fight. Originally the rules began as a riff off of dragon rampant, but they have evolved quite far towards a system that is descriptively called '6's are bad'.

 

 

 

Units are 12 horse (we experimented with some small units of 6 as well). Generally speaking you try and activate your unit to do an action by not rolling a 6. As you go on you will accumulate BAPs (bad action points) which increase your friction, you roll extra dice and 6's are bad (a 6 is not only a fail but also increases your BAPs). There are opportunities for rallying/recovery to get rid of BAPs. The units have 2 actions a turn.....assuming they pass the first action. 

 

Movement into contact is a fight. After a fight the loser has to rally off all his BAPs before they can reform. Getting hit while unformed puts you at substantial disadvantage. 

 

 

 

 

The game was largely French vs Anglo-Allied. There was very little balancing. There are some unit characteristics but they don't do a whole lot (light, heavy, armored, hussar, lancer). We were play testing leaders (which were OP and the french had a bunch) and a cannon (which needs some tuning).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Game play was fast and free wheeling and it was very common to hit the opponent and then have to deal with a counter charge for long enough that the original opponent was able to pull themselves back together and start moving again.  

 

 

 

 

We all had 2 units. Doug had one of his units chased off the board, and then finally (FINALLY) managed to get a shot off with the single cannon on the game (roll to, limber/unlimber, move, load, fire, accurate hit, and then........a bucket of dice).  

My largely intact hussar unit disintegrated. Naturally I rolled something like 10 or 11 6's out of 24 dice, but I think even with more predictable rolls the gun is a one hit to cripple a unit. 

There was much hilarity at this result including from myself, it was just such a terrible example of rolling.  

 

 

 

My other unit kept the barn between the gun and itself as we started to think about how to hunt the gun down. Eventually it got late and it had been a travel day for many so we retired.  

 

Salute 2011: Bob Murch China Station

 Vagabond posted some pictures of 'China Station' the (somewhat) famous table of Bob Murch (sculptor and proprietor of Pulp Figures ). He is/was hoping to do something in the same feel....colonial, edge of empire, heart of adventure aesthetic (If I'm groking his post correctly). I casual mentioned in the comments that I had played a game on the table before and he asked me if I knew where any more pictures were......

 

 

 Trumpeter Salute (Vancouver BC April) often sees Bob Murch visit/come out (he lives a couple hours away). I'm not sure how often he hosts games but he certainly has his stall with an awesome display of figs to tempt your spending cash. In 2011 I was lucky enough to sign up in time to play. He game each of the players a hat corresponding to the command. Damn there were a lot of them. Also the secret objectives of every player sometimes overlapped and sometimes completely opposed other players. 

 

What I recall is I was a British commander of a small column of colonial troops (sikhs) and an armored car. We needed to escort some civilians (science types and ladies) safely to the ships. There were some Germans in our way, I forget their exact mission (maybe find some science maguffin in a crate), but VERY USUALLY we joined forces to march on the town. The Chinese Warlord wanted to extract as much money and goods from anyone coming into town (the combined force was able to stare him down well). The science types (suspected of having the maguffin) wanted to sneak a crate containing a poorly sedated giant gorilla to the ships. The zepplin troopers, a radical german outfit, needed to hit the other germans for something but didn't feel confident to do it with the combined brit/german column. The Tong were somehow duplicitous to the Chinese warlord (maybe wanting to steal equipment in town). And there was some sort of two fisted larger than life Hero character also trying to achieve something (possible related to the scientists, the gorilla, or something else in town). 

Hilariously the British-German truce finally broke down in the alleys of town very close to the ships as the British opened fire with their machine gun armoured car on the Germans (it only seemed prudent). It's possible I wasn't a total jerk in that the Germans may have triggered something (The gorilla, now in a frenzy, escaping from his box)....but I can't quite remember. There was hilarity all around. I think the Zepplin trooper was the only person who had quite limited game options (I really was hoping to see the flying zepplin trooper models hit the table). 

 Here is the eye candy pictorial essay to follow.