Holding up the sky!

Again! Don't be alarmed though loyal readers, I've not developed Atlas delusions! I've merely been supporting a backboard which is sometimes used by Dan to blot out the unwanted background when taking pictures here in GHQ. He visited GHQ on Thursday to take photographs to accompany the latest piece I've had accepted for publication in an upcoming edition of Wargames Illustrated, where the theme will be Pulp Wargaming. I can't say too much about the piece or the issue involved, but here are a few pictures of aspects of the layout, taken just before 'the balloon went up' ~

Summer 1940, somewhere in sleepy Shropshire... Blandings Castle, ancestral home of Clarence, Earl Emsworth, his family and his prize porker, the 'Empress of Blandings'.

Scenes of rural idyll abound. Sheep may safely graze, or not. Boy Scouts must always be prepared, but for what we wonder?

About as busy as it gets in sleepy Market Blandings...until now that is.

Meanwhile, who can this distinguished guest be arriving with military escort at Blandings Castle?

It's almost 'Opening Time' at the Red Lion inn, but will it be 'Last Orders' for these gentlemen and other residents?

The greatest feat of flying for the Luftwaffe's ace pilot Otto von Bikkel sees the glider land exactly on target! {Matt made this glider model from scratch using card and air drying clay, along with another for the British paras, when he was 13. I've kept and treasured them for thirty years now so I hope you'll appreciate it too.}

Professor Braynstawme, the greatest scientific mind of the age, prepares to fire his D-Ray in an unexpected live test! Some visiting 'foreign Johnny' called Einstein looks on in awe!

What could these strange objects be? Giant mobile pepper pots perhaps? Or some dastardly Hun secret weapon? 

"Is it bird? Is it a plane?" they ask. "No, it's B.E.R.T. at Blandings!" Another of Professor Braynstawme's projects arriving in the nick of time to save the day...or not? 

All taking place under the scrutiny of that great British institution, the British Broadcasting Corporation and that nice Mr Dimblebury.

Even in the midst of the struggle for national survival in 1940 Winston can still find time to visit Blandings to witness Braynstawme's latest 'triumph'. Lord Emsworth and the family gather to welcome their distinguished guest as he inspects the local troop of Sea Scouts.

Meanwhile, it's stiff upper lip time for the staff of Blandings Castle as they face an unknown foe...

If any of this has wetted your appetite, and I do hope it has, don't forget to keep an eye out later in the November issue to see how the action unfolded ~

In the meantime, remember that "KBO!" is the Order of the Day, as Winston Churchill would undoubtedly have remarked to Braynestawm in the heat of the action!

Holding Action at Crooked Brook

For our regular Monday game Phil and I decided on a return to the Operation Zeelowe games which we set in PGWodehouse's imaginary world of Blandings Castle;Clarence, Lord Emsworth and the Empress of Blandings herself. As Jon had effected the rescue of Lord E from the clutches of the vile nazi, Von Brecher, in the game's last outing it seemed like a good idea to play a follow up game with the Krauts on the offensive having been stung by loosing their prize captive and his extensive porcine knowledge! The retiring British force have decided to fight a holding action along the course of Crooked Brook. While the brook is a minor obstacle to movement it is crossed by both a road and a rail bridge. These need to be denied to the advancing German force. But, the German commander has received vital intelligence from a noted 5th Columnist in the area, leading to a decision to mount. Glider borne landing to take the bridges before the British can fully deploy. To represent the chaos of a retiring force the positions of the defenders are marked by hidden number counters, the numbers corresponding to a list of British forces. As each dice is drawn in Turn 1 for the British the counters are turned from right to left across the table and the numbered unit accordingly deployed! It didn't go too well for the British I have to say. We limited the game to 12 Turns as usual, with only the Falscrimjaegers on the table until Turn 7 when Wehrmacht reinforcements could arrive. So, to the game ~

Just a few scenes to give a flavour of the action during the game. The German glider was made by Matt when he was a young boy and so, along with the British glider, is very dear to me so bear with me in using it. The Germans won in Turn 11 when the British tanks had no choice but to retire, lacking infantry support and having been assaulted successfully already. A notable incident was the duel between the surviving RN Rating, Anderson G, who held off the elite paras for three turns before expiring in a hail of enemy fire! A VC for sure we felt, though sadly posthumous...

As some of you will know, Photobucket is trying to loose customers. Until I can sort out what is happening Blog entries are liable to be brief. Sorry!

Blandings to Berlin!

A surprise insertion into the revealed gaming programme, but very welcome for reasons I'm sure you will understand. Jon has managed to organise a 'sitter' for his mum on a Wednesday evening, which means he gains valued free time to recharge his batteries and also that we can now plan for a game at least once a month. As the table was already set up for the VBCW game on Monday I opted for a simple substitution of forces and came up with a scenario for our next Blandings/Operation Zeelowe game. You may recall in the previous game Lord Emsworth, a prisoner of the cunning Von Brecher, was the subject of a failed rescue operation. Herr Hitler has sent a plane to whisk Emsworth to Berlin, where the simple aristocrat may be 'persuaded' to advise the 1000 Year Reich on its pig breeding programme! Getting wind of the plan from a spy in Market Blandings Colonel White has organised an ambush. In a 7 turn Bolt Action game the British have to free Emsworth while the Germans must simply exit the table top with the Earl. On to Blandings 1940 ~

Under close guard Emsworth is escorted to his car by von Brecher.

England under the jackboot!

The convoy moves off towards the landing strip.

Fearing the worst, von Brecher has ordered the local garrison to sweep the
countryside for the enemy.

British soldiers of the KOSLI are already holding the farm! The Germans
close in for the assault!

The Rolls Royce armoured car comes off second best in an encounter with
the Panzer 38T.

With the ambush sprung, Col White orders up the Vickers MkVI and
supporting infantry. Will von Brecher make a dash for it?

The Vickers Mk VI knocks out the Panzer38T!

British reinforcements pedal hard towards the farm! The enemy convoy
seems to have stalled!

A cool head manning the Pak 38 leads to the Vickers being knocked out!
The convoy can make a dash for the air strip.

With fighting raging all around, von Brecher orders a dash forward. Can the
Hun pull off a win at the death?

The Boyes antitank rifle team knocks out the kublewagen. The column fails
its order test and is a sitting duck for the British!

In Turn 7, with the column halted, the British surge forward and snatch
Emsworth to freedom. In the confusion von Brecher escapes death or capture
and lives to fight another day!

As with all Bolt Action games I've found, the game swings backwards and forwards and produces a tense finish. The decisive factor in this game was the pile of pin markers the convoy suddenly accumulated in Turn 4 and the failed Order Test which resulted. All in all though a grand game which we both thoroughly enjoyed. Roll on the next installment in the epic of Emsworth, the Nazis, and the Empress of Blandings!

A Few New Additions

Since we got home on Sunday Sue has been working at the University and I find that my days are largely my own. I managed to get over to Phil's on Monday, despite being rather tired from the previous day's travel, and play in a 1st Carlist War game which surprisingly I managed to win! I've also been able to get on with painting some figures to add to the VBCW/Blandings/Operation Zeelowe games here in GHQ. First up are some Footsore Miniatures {formerly Musketeer Miniatures of course} to add some figures to the Express and Star Rifles as reporters and printworkers ~

Next up from Sloppy Jalopy are my miners, sculpted by Matt with heads by someone else, to represent the Hilton Main Miners' Collective. The Hilton Main pit was quite close to our home and so it seemed a good choice for our VBCW games set in the local area of South Staffordshire around Wolverhampton ~

The banner of the Shropshire and South Staffordshire Miners' Union was made generously for me by Pete Barfield, based on a photo of the original I found on the web. It should probably be larger, but that's a matter of convenience for storing the group really ~

The mine foreman sports a Wolves scarf as a further nod towards our local setting in the VBCW games here in GHQ. His personal bodyguard is made up of two figures with shotguns, ideal for nasty close up combat ~

The remainder of the group is made up of a two man Lewis Gun team and four riflemen, one about to lob some liberated company dynamite ~

While I'm quite pleased with the way they turned out, the close ups reveal that I've made a bit of a mess of a couple of eyes! Probably I should give up painting them in, but I always have done it where the sculptor has given me something to work with, so I guess its a case of old habits dying hard! They all need to be varnished of course, but the weather is not playing fair at present!
Next up are some more Footsore Miniatures, a mixture of Workers' Militia and IRA figures, to fill out the Boulton Paul Workers' Militia with some appropriate figures. I've made a start on the two man anti-tank rifle team first, and then there will be 14 figures to paint for the unit to be finished. I'll pop them up sometime next week hopefully, if all goes to plan that is!

Pigs might {not} fly!

Devoted followers of our dotty doings here in GHQ from time to time might recall that we occasionally dabble in alternate WWII 'history' set against a partially successful German execution of Operation Zeelowe. Our games are set in Shropshire, in and around the fictional location of Blandings Castle created by  P.G.Wodehouse. These adventures feature the eccentric Earl Emsworth and his equally unusual family and staff. Its been a while since we last paid them a visit, and as the table in GHQ was still laid out for last week's VBCW game, it seemed an opportune moment with some modifications to the layout to stage a Blandings game. In our last extravaganza Emsworth was unfortunately captured by the Nazi invader, having failed to keep his end up when it mattered most! Our scenario sees a scratch force of mostly Estate staff and LDV stage a daring raid on Blandings Castle to free the Earl ~

'Empress  Force', as we called the rag tag assembly of fighting Brits, assembles for the task of freeing Emsworth. It comprised three companies of mostly Estate staff together with some local LDV and their support weapons ~

In Turn 1 the Castle Company storms towards Home Farm. My plan was to make it into a strongpoint around which the Germans would be eliminated while my 'Snatch Squad' took on the task of freeing Emsworth and his sister, along with their Staff, and the Empress of course ~

Things were looking quite good at the end of the first turn! I've learned however that in Bolt Action games it does n't pay to rely on anything happening in the order you would prefer. On my right flank the second company from the estate advance supported by the 'Iron Pig', hoping to draw the German defenders away from their target while the 'Snatch Company' sheltered behind a field wall waiting to make their rush~

The Germans, commanded by Phil of course, were not in any move to cooperate with my plans! Units were switched to the weaker left flank and an anti tank gun deployed to deter armoured attack from that front ~

Meanwhile, the important task of guarding the castle and its distinguished prisoner was entrusted to a unit of Gestapo! They were not allowed to leave the inner perimeter, nor to support the Army units in any way, to introduce an element of inter faction rivalry so common in the Nazi set up ~

From Turn 2 onwards things began to unwind for the plans of 'Empress Force'! That's one of the small joys of Bolt Action we find; the order of dice drawn always leads to interesting situations and the need to make decisions on the hoof! My plan to seize the farm failed in Turn 2 when Phil's squad of Germans with a MMG made it in first and began to hammer my lads in the open with devastating burst of fire! A further concealed MMG on the corned of a field also opened fire and my 'Snatch Squad' was caught unawares and also suffered loss and gained pin markers ~

A second German squad now took up position in the adjacent field and began a steady fire on my units, bringing further losses and pin markers! All attempts on my part to issue orders to these companies failed totally in Turns 3 and 4 with disastrous consequences for my planned rescue ~

Just when it seemed things could not get worse a German tank hove into view on their right flank. Before it could get into action patriotic locals rushed from the cover of the buildings of Blandings Parva in an attempt to disable it! No such luck though: the gallant assault failed and the tank rumbled on towards the action ~

At last the Navy made an appearance, having commandeered, and upgraded, a river barge from its absent owners. This brought me much needed firepower and a small force of sailors who could be landed behind the German right flank ~

Although things were looking ominously bad for 'Empress Force', the sailors stormed ashore and took up position to enfilade the German positions on their right flank ~

That was at the end of Turn 6 though and the dicing for 'additional turns' showed that we would only play one more turn, making it impossible for the battered forces to rescue Emsworth and the Empress ~

While one company of 'Empress Force' had penetrated the castle's inner perimeter it was all too little too late. Emsworth and his sister and their staff remain prisoners of the sinister Graf von Brecher and the feared Gestapo! When we next visit Blandings later in the year the scenario will see Emsworth being transported to an airfield to be flown to meet Hitler himself, unless the convoy is ambushed along the way of course...

All quite barmy of course, but enjoyable none the less, while still incorporating problems for both commanders to solve with the limited forces at their disposal. That's it for a while now from GHQ. All being well Sue and I are off to South Queensferry with Phil and Di for a few days. Coincidentally the visit is over the weekend of the Falkirk club's Carronade show which Phil and I will be taking in on the Saturday. I even have a list!!!

Taking to the Air

Just a brief post to keep anyone interested in our doings here in GHQ up to speed. Later this week we are playing a Rapid Fire! WWII game here in GHQ. Its a rule set I keep returning to as it does the business for me in providing the kind of scale of game I like without making my brain melt and dribble down my nose with unnecessary details. The table is already laid out for the coming battle ~

Pop back after next week for an update on how the game went. Sorry you have to wait that long, by the by, but Sue and I are down in Devon for a few days. Continuing on the WWII theme: well, encompassing our VBCW and 1940 Zeelowe/Blandings games as well as pukka WWII gaming I've added two aeroplanes to the collection via eBay auctions. They are both 1/72 scale, which I prefer for use in both 20mm and 28mm gaming. The first is a Hawker Hart bomber from 1938 ~

While the second is a plane I've been after for ages for the VBCW, a Bolton Paul Defiant ~

The Boulton Paul Defiant was made just up the hill from where we live. Indeed, until quite recently there was a museum there and a restoration group who held quite frequent open days. I believe they have relocated to Cosford Aerospace Museum following the host factory's closure and move to the i54 development. I really did n't want the night fighter variant, but I got it so cheaply I think I can swallow my pride. I may repaint it at some stage or I may take advantage of its black colour scheme and rebrand it for the BUF {provided in our games by Phil at the moment.} I'll have to sleep on it for a while and see where the muse takes me.
Continuing the WWII theme, I've also started making two 3' x 2' terrain tiles to double as either a landing beach or a wide river ~ I can use it then in all sorts of games! I have reused my old beach mat I bought ten years ago when we moved into GHQ, the original. The mat has stored really well and I hope to complete the basic cutting and gluing of the second tile tomorrow. I will need to take the tiles over to Phil's then, as he has our stock of green towelling and teddy bear fur, to make a blend of the join between beach/bank and the rolling landscape of wherever! That will most likely be in July I think.
Finally, two items of news from GHQ: firstly, I'm painting three new units for my 28mm Late Roman armies, using the cheap and cheerful "it'll do from 3 feet away" approach, and they will feature next month in a game I hope. Ive almost finished the second Roman unit, leaving just a Saxon unit to paint. Secondly, I've gone back on a decision not to attend Claymore in August. Sue and I have booked three nights in South Queensferry at the Hawes Inn for a short break and a chance for me to see my Scottish chums and admire their wonderful games. If you have never been to Claymore then do make the effort, its well worth the journey in my experience. In the meantime, back to Late Roman medium infantry!Oh Joy.....