Modder Fokkers

It was Renfrey's last Tuesday before going back to UK & Mitch showed up after a long break so we had 8 players tonight.

Germans: 1 Fokker DVII (StveJ), 1 Pfalz III (Jim), 2 Albatrii V (Mark & Nick).
British: 4 Camels ( Mike, Mark, Mitch & Renfrey.

Game 1:

It started with 2 pairs of Camels at the far end of the table & 2 pairs of Germans at the near end.

The Germans are looking worried.

Nicks' Albatros is finished off by Mike's Camel.
Chris's Albatros goes down soon after & the Pfalz & Fokker run for home & escape.

Game 2:

This time the cards started the Germans in the two corners this side of the table & the Brits between them.  Both Brit pairs flew towards the Fokker & Pfalz in the enar corner.

The Pfalz & Fokker dived under the Brits to join the Albatrii before turning back, but the Camels turned faster & got the upper hand.  After Renfrey got lucky & shot down the Fokker their best aircraft, the other Germans were in deep trouble, outnumbered 4 to 3 by superior aircraft. 

The Pfalz took a wrong turn & was next to go with Mike & Mark on its tail.  Then it became a Albatros shoot, Mark getting Chris & Renfrey getting Nick.  All 4 Germans planes shot down for no loss. 

Modder Fokkers is our most exciting game & is best played with lots of players.  It's really scary up there when there are 4 fokkers gunning for you & one wrong turn can mean your doom.  

Sunday School: Men o' War

Scenario has 4 player each with a squadron of 4 or 5 ships.
Pic after 1st turn (which was a double turn).

Wind from the right down the table.
Mike: 1st British : Left near side.
Renfrey: Spanish: Left far side.
SteveJ: 2nd British: Right far side.
Chris: French: Right near side.

The action starts as the 1st British meet the Spanish. 

The superior firepower of the Brits was compounded by terrible Spanish dice & the head of the Spanish squadron got pounded before their extra number could take effect.

The French arrived too late to help the Spanish & got their T crossed by the 2nd Brits as well. 

The Spanish have lost 2 ships captured, 1 sunk & the others running away.
The Frech are breaking thru the 2nd Brit line inflicting serious damage, but coping worse themselves.  

One French ship stirkes its colours & the other run for home.

A decisive British victory with 3 prizes, 1 enemy sunk & no losses themselves. 

The Sudan: reprise

Same armies as last week, different deployment zones, different players.
Mahdi: Renfrey & Mike
Anglo-Egyptians: Jim & Steve

Views from behind the Allied right.

Both sides advanced their right flank, leading with cavalry. 

On the right the Egyptian cavaly charged the Mahdi's light horse.  Both sides advanced infantry to cover their cavalry's flank.
On the left the Mahdi's heavy cavalry charged Egyptian infantry.
In the cente the Mahdi's light troops skirmished with the thin line of Allied infantry.On the right the Egyptian cavalry was backed up with good dice ,broke the Mahdi's horse then wheeled left to support thier infantry.  
On the left the Mahdi's cavalry was beaten off. 

On the right the Egyptian cavalry is rolling up the Mahdi's left.
In the centre the Mahdi is counterattacking with infantry & camels.

The British infantry withstood the Mahdi's charge in the centre long enough for support from each flank to arrive & turn the tide there.
The Madhi's army has lost more than half & fails army morale. 
The Allies have had no units broken. 

It was very different result to last week when the Mahdi had a narrow victory. 
This week the Allied had the better plan & were blessed with better dice as well.

The Sudan: Anglo-Egyptians v. the Mahdi

 Mahdi: Steve, Renfrey, Mark
Anglo-Egyptians: Mike & Chris

The Mahdists are deployed on the right.  The prime objective of both sides is to destrouy the enemy, but the Brits also have to reach the oasis before nightfall to secure water supply.

The Mahdi immedately advance on the whole front.
The Allies stand on the ridge on their right while advancing their left towards the oasis.

On the far flank the Mahdist charge into contact with foot and horse.

The Allied right has countarrattacked the Mahdi'd left as heavy fighting continues on the far flank.

On the far flank the Egyptians are generally being pushed back, back at high cost..
On the near flank, both sides are wining some losing some. 

Eventually both sides go over half units broken & fail army morale in the same turn.  Neitehr side has enough units left fit to fight to continue the fight, but the Brits have failed to take the oasis so have to concede defeat & retreat.

The Mahdists realised at the start that they had to avoid firefights with the better eqiped enemy & attacked relentlessly in massed formations.  The result was a long queue for virgins in paradise, but they wore the enemy down & eventually just managed to pull off a win.

Mech War: Brits v. ities

Chris chose to take the Italians & defend the oasis.  he had ti deploy first.

Jim then deployed the Brits in a line of columns massed to attack along the plateau.

The Italian armour adbance to meet the Crusaders.  Both sides fired artillery barages over their own armour.  The Italian howitzers hit one of the British trucks taking most of the passengers.

As the Carri advanced in half moves to keep firing while the Crusaders held their ground. 
The British decided that plan A wasn't surviivng contact with the enemy & pulled their remaining infantry back out of the killing zone as each side's artillery supported their tanks.

The British tanks advanatge of firing first each turn was counterbalanced by the Italian artillery providing more effective support.  Losses mouted on both sides as the armour slugged it out at close range.
The British infantry are now moving to attack the end of the Itailan defence in the wadi.

In the end the only surviving tank was a lone crusader which has charged on to attack the Itie artillery.
The Brit artillery has been decimated by counterbattery fire.
The Bits are making some porgress in their attack along the wadi, but the Italians are redeplyiong to meet the threat. 

The British infantry attack has petered out under deadly Italian artillery fire.  The brits concede defeat,

The decisive unit in the battle were the Italian artillery which was far more effective than the Brit's and tipped the balance the Ities favour.

Battle of Ankara 1402

 A scenario developed by PeterC.

Peter with the Timurids on the left.  Chris with the Ottomans on the right.
The ottomans deployed first to balance them having the better of the terrain.

The Timurids have weighted their left flank & are attacking there.
In the centre the Timurids have advanced cavalry to engage the enmy with archery.
On the left, the Ottoamns are advaning theircavalry while the Timurids deploy a skirmish line of horse archers to delay them.Timurids have deployed horse archers as skirmishers to delay them. 

On the far flank the Timurids hare smashing the Ottoman line.
In the centre the Ottomans have swiveleld their line to face the flank threat.

On the far flank the Timurids have reorganised their victorious troops ready to attack the Ottoamn's  new defence line. On the near flank the Timurids are now making a stand.

On the left the Ottomans are advancing while the Timutid cavalry fall back.  On the right , the Ottoman line is about to break from the renewed Tumurid attack.

The Timurid left has smashed the Ottoman's second line & is regrouping to their right again.
On the other flank the Timurids are making another stand. 

The Timurid right is still holding the line as their left starts poring troops towards the Ottoman rear.

Some mutual losses on the far flank has pushed the Ottomans over 50% units lost & they fail theri army morale.  The Timurids have had no units broken so have a decisive victory

Byzantium v. Arabs again

 Low turnout tonight due to ilnesses.
Jim's Arabs deployed first with a ridge to defend. 
Renrey & Mike deployed the Buzantines secons with orders to attack.
Same armies as lost week except the Arabs lost the elephants.

Pic from behind the Arab lines.

The Byzantines ar advaning on the whole line.  The Arabs are sending their reserve cavalry to the flanks.

After some long range archery the Arabs countercharged downhill at the enemy charges. 

On most of the front the Byzantines had superior troops only partly balanced by the hill.  But the dice gods did not favour the Arabs, who couldn't seem to get a win even in the actions where they had an advantage.  

The cataphracts & Varangians punched stright thru the Aran front line & charged on to take out teh second. On their lelf flank where the Arabs had the advantage in cavalry, they still lost.  Itw as crushing defeat for the Arabs.

It was clear that the hill advantage did not justify deleting the elephants from the Arab list.  Just making them deploy first was probably sufficient counterbalance.

Byzantium v. Arabs

 Battle fought lengthwise on the table between mountains & sea.

Chris & Mark are Byzantine at hte far end of the table.
Mike & Renfrey are Arabs at the near end of the table.
Both sides opted to put theri cavalry on the plain & infantry on the hill.

The Arabs lead with their elepjants on their right falnk.
The Byzantines lead with their cavalry on their right.The front turns into a diagonal as both side's right push forward.

The elephant attack ends in MAD, as the Byzantines counterattack the Arab right up hill.

Casualties are high on both sides, but the Arabs ha dmore untis to absorb the losses & the Byzantines failed army morale first.