Jumping into October in a big way with our Semi Regular Retirees Game Group we had three games on the table equalling a monthly game day in activity. The group has devoted it’s recent game days to preparing our selection for Mark Williams History 102 class and this was probably our final run through.
Mark brought his enlarged and enhanced version of Worthington Games “One Hour WWII”. Steve T, DJ, Gregg D and Mark W all took roles as national leaders working through the global conflict on the grand strategic scale. The game ran into 1945 with an Allied Victory that saw a German Army cut off in Stalingrad.
1915 Haiti and the US incursion featuring the Battle of Fort Riviere using “One Hour Skirmish Wargame Rules” by John Lambshead which was the culmination of the USMC pursuit of the Haitian “Cacos” was run by Kevin F and Mark J pulling the game back to a two player encounter which should reflect the numbers we will see at the school. It appears that all the previous weeks of play testing the scenario have paid off as we were able to not only get the game completed well within the allowed time, but also get much closer to the historical outcome.
Our third table was a our enlarged and enhanced version of Steve Kling’s “55 Days at Peking” and the fight for survival of the Western Diplomatic Legations in 1900 China during the Boxer Rebellion.
Jay was kind enough to take notes on the Peking game and provide us with a view of the afternoon’s activities so we will turn it over to him…..
“The semi-retired crew got together to put three games through their (hopefully) final paces in preparation for a classroom event later this month. Peking, Haiti 1915, and One Hour World War 2 were on the menu. Kevin and Mark J worked on Haiti, Steve L and Jay played Peking and Mark W, Gregg, DJ, and Steve tackled One Hour World War 2. Kevin has coverage on what happen in the other games while I took notes in the game with Steve L. Steve represented the Allies while I took the role of the Chinese for the first time.”
“To open the game, the Chinese tried to take advantage of some exposed Austro-Hungarian (AH) units on the corner of the compound. The Chinese had split their force with a little over half facing the AH corner and the others on the side with the British, US and Russian forces just to try to keep them honest. Apparently the AH deployment was a trap as Steve elimnates two Chinese units and demoralizes two others with hot defensive fire, which just about breaks the back of the Chinese attack. The Chinese do manage to eliminate a AH infantry in return. For the Allied turn, the Italian artillery gets to work and pushes back two more Chinese units and the Allies in general look good.”
“Turn 2 sees the Chinese trying to attack and lose another unit to the murderous Allied defensive fire and they don’t accomplish much. The Allies promptly get their AH infantry unit back on their turn with their 1 replacement card. The Allies celebrate by eliminating another 2 Chinese units.”
T”urn 3 The Chinese retreat from the AH corner after suffering heavy losses and decide to focus their attention on the Dutch legation house (very isolated in the corner of the board). The Allied defensive fire is just as good here as it is by the AH corner and some more Chinese units march off to the eliminated pile and another joins them on the Allied turn as Steve turns up the heat.”
“Turn 4 The Chinese get a good attack card and manage to eliminate a British and AH infantry unit. The Allies respond by sending another two Chinese units to the elimination pile, but the hero Chinese unit in the Dutch Legation compound holds out. At this point, the Chinese are hurting pretty badly and Steve is more or less on the offensive and is being pretty aggressive going after the remaining Chinese units.”
“Turn 5 The Chinese draw the Chinese houses card (new units appear in Chinese house buildings). The compound where some of the houses are at is empty because the Allied units have mostly left to go finish off what Chinese units remain, so this is a welcome distraction that forces Steve to bring a unit or two back to deal with them. The Chinese manage to eliminate a Russian infantry unit near the Dutch Legation, but the hero Chinese unit that had been holding the Dutch Legation house finally goes down to defensive fire of all things.”
“T6 and 7. T6 wasn’t much. Each side loses a unit as the Chinese lick their wounds. Steve knows the Imperial Chinese are coming soon and tries to get ready for them. T7, the Imperials come in (last possible turn they could have under the rules we are using). Steve celebrates by eliminating two more Boxer units. “
“T8 and 9. The Chinese manage to get rid of a British infantry. In the face of mounting losses and the onslaught of the Imperial troops, Steve falls back to a more defensive position to avoid being pinched up by the AH legation building. T9 sees the Chinese draw about the best possible card they could in that it gives both Boxer and Imperial units offensive bonuses. The Chinese manage to eliminate 3 Allied infantry, but the Allies get rid of an Imperial infantry in return.”
“At this point, the unit count for both sides is way down due to the bloodshed. The Allies actually have more units than the Chinese do. We play another 6 or 7 turns in quick fashion (not a lot to move around and attack with, so turns go pretty quick). Both sides lose more units and while the Chinese have a much better replacement rate, it may not be enough. The Allies still have their 3 machine gun units and artillery. However, when we call the game due to time, they had something like 13 infantry units in the elimination pool. In general, it was felt the game had not been decided, but that the Allies had an advantage.”
“It was a good run and I enjoyed giving the Chinese a try. Steve was very aggressive early and really had me on my heels. Both of us are known not to have the best luck with dice most of the time, but Steve had some good rolls today, especially on defensive fire. I think my luck was probably around average for the most part except for the one turn the Allies lost 3 units. I needed that to stay in the game tho. Also in my opinion, I think Steve did better with tactics than I did as well.”
“All in all, the general belief is the game is ready to go for later this month with the few tweaks/“
Thanks to Jay for his game report and pictures. We also would like to offer our Thanks to all the players who came out to enjoy a fun afternoon of gaming. As always we extend our ongoing appreciation to Miniature Market Cave Springs for their continued support.
Remember to shop local!
Big Muddy Historical Game Alliance of Greater St. Louis
Our public educational demonstrations including rules and game evaluation sessions use historical miniature and historical board gaming to explore military history, historical decision-making, and the people, places, and events of the past.
Historical Gaming in Action is a public educational program presented by the Big Muddy Historical Game Alliance of Greater St. Louis.
Using miniature figures, terrain, maps, historical research, and guided play, our games explore military history through the decisions faced by commanders, soldiers, and communities. Visitors can examine the table, ask questions, learn about the historical setting, and—when space and time permit—join the game.
Our scenarios are based on historical sources. While game rules simplify some details for practical play, each event is designed to encourage discussion of historical events, geography, leadership, logistics, strategy, and the human experience of conflict.
Historical gaming can be both enjoyable and educational. Big Muddy provides public educational demonstrations, seminars, and convention programming that promote historical miniature gaming and military history.
