The Game to end all Games?

Phil and I seem to have settled on Mondays for our weekly games day, and, today being Armistice Day, it seemed appropriate to try out our embryonic rules and armies for the 1914-15 period of the Great War. The action sees a farm held by Phil's small German force which the larger B.E.F.  contingent must capture.

The Gordon Highlanders are tasked with assaulting the farm itself, held by elements of the 9th Lauernberg Jaeger Battalion, supported by the 48th von Stupenagel (95th Brandenburg) Infantry Regiment.

The Gordons are supported on their left by the South Staffordshire Regiment, who will move through the woods to engage the enemy's right flank.

While their right flank is covered by a small Brigade of cavalry and the Royal Scots Fusileers.

The B.E.F. advance gets underway, supported by firing from the Brigade's artillery support,with both the Gordons and the South Staffs loosing men, including their Regimental machine guns.

The German position is looking strong at this point as they take full advantage of the cover along the road.

The Gordons, lead by the skirl o' the pipes, assault the farm but are repulsed with some loss!

The South Staffs make progress through the woods to engage the enemy's right flank.

Meanwhile the 2nd Brandenburg (Graf Haeseler) Ulhans move to support the German left flank.

The Gordons rally and once again rush the farm, this time driving out the defenders decisively!

The B.E.F.'s right flank begins to look as if it will successfully outflank the German's left, endangering their hold on the defensive line.

The Ulhans are driven off the heights they had seized with the advantage of the initiative for two turns.

The German position becomes untenable and Phil orders a withdrawal.

A grand day's gaming and so appropriate we felt for the day. For the purists out there, the game lasted nine turns in about three hours, not bad we felt for a set we are developing and revising on the hoof! The figures are from our joint collections, almost all by Great War Miniatures, though you may spot a Tiger Miniatures mule or two and two Musketeer stretcher bearers! I assembled the farm from bits and pieces made by Hovells and the vegetation is all by The Last Valley. As I said at the beginning, we are working on our own rule set which will allow you to play smallish games like this without the need for vast numbers of figures. A Battalion is represented by 10 bases of two or three figures, an artillery section by a gun and six crew. Cavalry are based singly or in pairs with six figures representing the tactical unit deployed in small games like this - Regiments would need more figures. The Great War Miniatures range needs some additions sadly: dismounted German cavalry skirmishers; cavalry machine guns; German Hussars; and finally, a German Command set for starters. Perhaps the 2014 centenary will see all or some at lest see the light of day!