Category Archives: Miniatures

Ambush At Kattego

East African Renaissance Campaign, Miniatures, Renaissance, Sessions

Remembered that I needed to role for Disease and Mishaps before starting play.  The dice were not kind to Lord Renaldo.  One of his two Targeteer units thought better of the whole proposition and deserted.

The Portuguese reacted well to the ambush, forming a defensive line.  The Kattegoan warriors were too far away to make contact on their first move.  View for the following photo is to the West.

By the end of Turn 3, the Portuguese right wing units had moved up  to support  units in melee.  The Kattegoan archers focused their efforts on the Portuguese right, but with little effect.  The Portuguese musketeers struggled to attain good lines of fire.  The following photos are looking North and West, respectively.

During Turn 4, the Portuguese line stabilized.   Lord Renaldo’s Targetters anchored their center. The Kattegoan archers flanking fire was still ineffective.  Here’s another view looking North.

By the end of Turn 5, the Portuguese musketeers were firing with some effect.  One melee has ended in a “Bloody Draw”, with both sides recoiling due to Resolve of only “1”.  Neither unit can be rallied because Lord Renaldo is in melee, and the Kattegoan leader has somewhat inexplicably moved off some distance to  the left (North) apparently to support the archers.

 

Renaldo’s Approach March

East African Renaissance Campaign, Miniatures, Renaissance, Sessions

I set up the initial dispositions using  the die rolls described in the previous post.

The Portuguese are disorganized,  with Lord Renaldo near the front of his faction.  The bulk of his companies are East and some distance from him.  Only the grenadiers proceed him.  His force is close enough to Kattego to trigger an immediate ambush.

The Kattegoans rolled for two ambush groups with forty percent of the force West of, and three units distance from the Portuguese.  The larger group is to the Southwest and five units distance from the invadiers.

After a series of failed photographs last night, I changed the overhead light and saw the chance for a striking aerial shot of the battlefield.  It is shown below.  That orb is the reflection of a task lamp bouncing off my brand new plexiglass map cover.  If it isn’t one thing…..

No, That Isn’t The Moon

 

Expedition to Kattego

East African Renaissance Campaign, Miniatures

Working on parameters for Lord Renaldo’s grand foraging expedition to the village of Kattego.  This is an ambush scenario, with special rules.  By the way, the leader of the Kattegoans is Oumar, of whom little is known.

First a quick primer on Irregular Wars rules terminology.

Distances are based on multiples of unit base widths, or “units”, abbreviated as “u”.   In my games the base widths are 40mm.  So 1u equals 40mm.  A unit is referred to as a “Company”.  The force commander is “The Lord”.  A force or army is referred to as a “Faction”.

The Kattegoans  will be concealed .  Their attack will be triggered by a Yes/No die roll beginning each turn the Portuguese are  9u or closer to the village.

A directional die will determine the location of the tribal faction(s), with Kattego being North.

A Yes/No die will determine if there are one or two ambushing groups.   If “Yes”, a percentile die will determine the allocation of companies.  A d6 will determine the ambushing force(s)’ distance  from the Portuguese.

The Portuguese will have already rolled for their formation used approaching the village.  The formation will be tactical on a d6 roll of 1-2; column if 3-4; and disorganized with a 5-6.

Determining the positions of each company in the disorganized formation will be fun.  Each company will be placed using a d6 roll for distance from their Lord.  The Lord’s  position will have already been  determined by a d6 roll, with 1-2 being forward; 3-4 being in the center; and 5-6 in the rear.

When ambushed, each Portuguese company will make a reaction die roll if  beyond 2u from the Lord.  The Impetuous Actions table will be used.  Units with a d61 will not only “Run Away”, but will also lose one resolve.  Note:  I decided not to use the ambush rules that call for an automatic -1 resolve when contact with the enemy is made.

The villagers will be considered a company with a resolve of 4, melee strength of 2, and a short range shooting rating of 5+.

The Army rosters are finished and the table is set.  The game will start after my return from a bikepacking overnighter.  It’s a fun way to maintain social distance.

 

Irregular Wars- Re-Boot

East African Renaissance Campaign, Miniatures, Renaissance

Well, the breather has taken a few years. After completing the last of my Irregular Wars forces, the East African campaign had to be re-booted. Here is the updated situation.

After defeating the Portuguese, Bey Imen Mahir established a semi-automonus sultanate in Behefe. He pays annual tribute to Sultan Efe, but controls the city and the surrounding area. The Bey’s relationship with the natives in Neo is good, as he is a benevolent ruler, requiring only minimal tribute. The locals hold him in high regard, and will eagerly  fight for him if the Portuguese or other aggressors appear. He is now an experienced leader, and while not a heroic leader, is no longer considered “shy” by his followers.

Sultan Jabir Efe maintains in control of Meheyne, and has convinced the Ming Chinese leader in Aden, Lei Qiu, to establish a stronger trading presence at his port city.  Efe’s relationship with the natives in Sanwa is still good, but they are leery of any formal alliance, content to take advantage of the increased trade at Meheyne.  Sultan Efe is content to increase his wealth through trade and taxation, and has no immediate plans for military adventures. He is an experienced, but cautious, leader.

Lord Riccardo Nicholau Renaldo still has overall command of the Portuguese forces in Ekene. However, his reverses have not endeared him to Portuguese leadership in Lisbon. He is on a short leash, receiving minimal government support.  Future failure will not be tolerated. Still, his confidence remains high. Lord Renaldo commands the loyalty of his small army, which has been reorganized after the retreat from the outskirts of Behefe. His relationship with the natives in Kattego is not good. The Portuguese have undertaken a number of “foraging” sorties, and has taken, not paid, for livestock and crops. Monsoon season is coming and his Lordship is contemplating an expedition to subjugate Kattego, taking direct control of the village and its resources. Still a bold leader, Renaldo is anxious to re-establish his prestige, and is planning to seize Mwenye in the near future.

A new development is  rumors that an Imam has emerged in the interior preaching opposition to Zanj domination of the region. His message has an appeal to both Muslim and long-standing Akamaba and Massai beliefs. However, little is known about him or his exact whereabouts.

In addition to these shenanigans, a “Northern Area of Operations” will open using the historical 16th century regimes of Medri-Bahri (Eriteria), Ajuran Sultanate (Somalia), Adal Sultanate (Somalia) and the Kingdom of Abyssinia. The Ottomans will be an active presence, as will, to a lesser extent, the Ming Chinese and Portuguese. The latter two will continue to be active in the “Southern Area of Operations”.

Lord Renaldo’s expedition against Kattego will reopen the campaign. His sortie from Ekene will serve as a rules refresher, with the outcome prompting reactions in the South.

 

And Another…..Another

Colonials, Miniatures

OK, this is small and pathetic….but it’s the last piece for my 15mm British colonial forces.

15mm

This particular group goes back to my Kansas City days, and the great, unrealized, World At War 1898 project.  I sold off my French figures, but kept one large unit of Highlanders.  Sometime last year, I re-discovered a cache of unpainted Sikh, British and miscellaneous Minifigs, and decided to paint them up.  The plan is to use them in a campaign against my Arab hordes (what a versatile force….good for late Ancients through the 19th Century).   The idea of a campaign also provided the motivation to order and paint baggage camels, and other domesticated animals for proper camps and baggage trains.

After some research using the usual resources,  I decided to use a couple of rule. The first is Soldiers of the Queen.

Soldiers of the queen

 

I have a weakness for Tabletop Games figures and rules.  Don’t know why.  This a fairly straight-ahead 19th century colonial proposition, but livened up with event cards, and a number of army lists for various sized forces.  This flexibility in army size is a very good thing for a campaign game.

The other is Science vs. Pluck.

science

This not just a set of rules, but also compendium of ideas, a character creation resource and source of general information.  It is designed for the Sudan, and to be played  with an umpire.  I think it’s more versatile than that.  Long out of print, it is available for download at The Wargamevault.

Don’t know when I’ll get the figures out on the table, but it is nice to have the painting finished.

 

And Another…..

Colonials, Miniatures, Skirmish

Finally got on it and finished up my four remaining The Sword and The Flame (TSATF) figures.

20200120_172010

 

The quality of today’s sculpting is so much better than these Minifigs from the early ’80s.  No comparison.  And, the newer figures are so much easier to paint acceptably.  With these old guys, it’s fairly grim work for a pedestrian painter like myself.

The problem now is whether or not I buy some more Boxers.  I have too many Europeans, and TSATF rules call for fairly large units.  If unit size is reduced, the CRT results distort, and I’d rather not make even a simply adjustment to it.  But, even though old and poorly sculpted, 25mm Minifigs are not cheap.

I’ll keep scouring E-Bay and The Miniatures Page for cheap recruits.

 

One Finished

East African Renaissance Campaign, Renaissance, Uncategorized

Quick post.  Over to Portland to see Tim for some football and to finish our Operation Jupiter Europa game.  It has been a real saga so far, and I’m looking forward to telling that story when I return later in the week.

Well, I have to flock one stand’s base, but the Irregular Wars army project is finally finished.

Probably bought the figures over eight years ago.  Started the East African campaign a few years ago, but moved on to something(s) else.

The Abyssinians were the last 200+/  point force left to paint.  Finally got on it in November.  Now I have to re-start the campaign.  Still have my maps and notes.

Probably will happen when I take a break from my survey of skirmish games.

 

 

Clear The Woods – Pt. 4

Colonials, Miniatures, Sessions

The Lieutenant’s options are pretty straightforward; if you think about them for 10 minutes rather than the minute or less he has to ponder the situation.

  1. Withdraw – You’ve cleared the woods, now get the hell out of there.
  2. Fire and Then Withdraw – Punish them.  But, they might get the initiative and being only 12 inches away with a D6x4 charge roll, they can run you down in the Woods.
  3. Fire and Hold – Same as (2) above,  but you will be in melee, and the woods have no favorites.
  4. Charge – Hope they break.  If not….

I cheated, playing both Options 1 and 4.  In Option 1, the Marines successfully broke contact and moved towards camp.

Two of the three Boxer units fled the Marines’ Option 4 charge.  Only the riflemen remained, killing one Marine before melee.

Marines Ready To Close. Die Roll of 1-5 Needed. Piece Of Cake.
Two Boxer Units Fail Their Stand Die Roll of D6 1-3. Marines Close With Remaining Riflemen And Gunners.
Into The Bastards!

 

The melee took two turns.  The Marines had a +1 D6 modifier because of the rifle and artillerymen’s presumed ineptitude in hand-to-hand combat. OK….????

In the first round, two Marines retreated, with one Boxer killed, one wounded and three fleeing.

Five more Boxers, one lightly wounded, fell back during the second round.

The Boxers left the battlefield on a D6x4 roll of 14,  leaving the bloodied and exhausted Marines holding the ridge.

What Now, Lieutenant?

 

 

Clear The Woods – Pt. 3

Colonials, Miniatures, Sessions

Event and Terrain Cards are played.  The former limits visibility to 20 inches, while the latter causes a Marine to badly hurt his leg and fall behind the others.  

Event Not Applicable, So I Changed It To One Marine Hurting Leg And Falling Behind.

The Boxers roll for reinforcements each Movement phase.  A roll of “Yes” generates a number of units equal to a D4.

The Marines respond artillery fire by shifting to a skirmish line, but vegetation (bad die rolls) slows movement to the edge of the woods.

A second artillery round (the antiquated cannon can shoot every two moves), kills the limping Marine.

Limping Marine Killed By Artillery. Others Struggle To Extend Into Skirmish Line And Avoid Artillery Casualties By Bunching Up.

A combination of bad Boxer luck and two good movement rolls allow the Marines to reach the tree line.  They can easily destroy the Boxer field gun if their luck can hold concerning Boxer reinforcements.  But, NO.  A “Yes” is rolled with a D4 of “3” calling for three Boxer units, one of which will be a rifle unit.  

Will the Boxers be positioned on top of the ridge, or in defilade?  A “Maybe” roll for top of the ridge leads to a 50-50 chance.  The ensuing die roll indicates the Boxers are massed along the ridge.  Such a tempting target!

This is a SERIOUS problem for the Marine Lieutenant.  Does he engage or withdraw.  His orders were to clear the woods.  The Boxers have already had their Movement Phase.  If the Marines fall back now, they can probably make it back to their camp and report the presence of this force.  If they send a runner, he might summon reinforcements for support.  Or, is it “Death Or Glory”?