WhatsApp Wars of the Roses

 Over the last few months my 10mm WOTR armies have been undergoing a major upgrade and a complete rebase. The project is now at about two thirds completion and there are enough finished units to put on a game. I also have a nice new battle mat although the terrain is still a work in progress.

The Armies Before Rebasing

Hence, this week's remote game was to be Bloody Barons via the medium of WhatsApp. Unfortunately, the lighting is terrible in my back room and the game photos weren't great but as I've had a request to record the game here we go......

The Opposing Forces Muster - fully rebased

For this inaugural battle the forces were:

Lord Sacriston T

Baron d'Eclair T

Count Catchmole M

2 Household

6 Retinue

4 Levy

2 Handgunners

2 Light guns

Sir Falus de Farthingdale, Lord Waldridge ATM

Lord Lambton A

Marquis Ravensworth ATU

3 Household

5 Retinue

3 Levy 

1 handgunners

1 Heavy gun

The Forces Deploy

Lord Waldridge won the pregame, becoming the attacker. Sacriston deployed first with an even mix of units across his front. Unusually, Waldridge chose to deploy a mainly Levy centre, in the wood, with massed Household on his left flank and his right flank in boggy ground.

Defender depletions

After carrying out defender depletions, it turned out that most of the defenders Levy had not turned up and several units were down by half a base.

Both sides had also chosen to advance there left centre zones. This put Lord Waldridge in command of the central hill with a force of 2 Levy and a Retinue.

Ready to Begin

Both sides gained slight bonuses in the Scenario phase with the Defenders having a slight advantage.

One of Sacriston's units was upgraded to Household and Waldridge's position on the hill was undermined by his Retinue being put back into the reinforcement area. On the plus side, for Waldridge, it was apparently an unseasonably hot day and the bog had dried up.

Waldridge's centre was now dangerously weak but the non arrival of Sacriston's Levy meant he wasn't in a position to take advantage of this.

Sacriston Advances

The game began with a general advance by Sacriston, pulling in a unit from the right flank to bolster his centre facing the hill. Even Count Catchmole left the safety of his hill, presumably to 'dig in' in the hedgerow country on the right flank.

Waldridge also advanced to meet Sacriston's attack head on and an archery duel commenced.

Taking advantage of a good archery result, supported by fire from his light gun, Sacriston launched an attack against the uncommanded Ward opposite, driving them back to their baseline.

Sacriston Pierces Waldridge's Line

[ Note: the nasty yellow counters, in the photos, are casualty markers and the red shock markers show units that are out of order. I have plans for better markers but for the purposes of this game I felt the brightly coloured markers helped players see the action better.]

With his weakened left centre held by Levy and his right centre being driven back, Waldridge commanded an all out attack on both flanks. Both attacks were successful with d'Eclair and Catchmole's Wards being driven back to their start lines; d'Eclair falling in the process. By contrast Catchmole led a charmed life and survived against all expectations.

Ravensworth and Lambton Drive Forwards

Despite his early success, the tide was now turning against Sacriston, with both flanks falling back. Nevertheless, his own Ward continued their advance driving the opposing Ward from the table.

A Blurry Sacriston Drives Forward Whilst His Flanks Collapse

Unfortunately, this was too little, too late as the next move so both his flanks driven from the field; even the charmed Catchmole falling in the process.

As Dusk Approaches (ahem) Sacristons Army Collapses

All in all this was a successful game and the players seemed to enjoy the proceedings, despite the limitations of the format. The Peter Pig style grid system is a real benefit for remote gaming.

New Game - New Table

Now that we're all locked down for the foreseeable future it's an opportunity to review my home gaming resources. First up the table.

Since I joined the local wargames club, many years ago (16 maybe?) I've not really had a need for a decent table. That said I've still hung on to my old table which resides in the darker recesses of the garage. This consists of 3 boards, each 4 foot by 2 foot, that can be assembled to give a 4 by 4 or a 6 by 4 foot table. The boards are simply placed atop two old ironing boards which has the added advantage that they allow some height adjustment. One side of the board is painted blue, for naval games, and the other side is flocked. I quite like the flocked side,which is as hard as nails, being sealed with an interior varnish; none of the surface has come off in over 30 years.

So what's the problem? First off they're really too big for the available space. I played last week's What a Tanker game on the 4 by 4 configuration and it all but filled the back room (aka the War Office).

My old 4 by 4 foot table 

Secondly, these boards are heavy; they're made from chipboard and are actually off cuts from when I replaced the garage roof. Dragging them out of the garage is a right old faff and usually ends with me doing my back in.
Thirdly, although I quite like the flocked side, the blue side is not great. It does have the advantage that features such as shoals etc. can simply be chalked onto the surface but it really is a bit basic looking. So much so in fact that, last year, I splashed out on a nice new sea mat. Hence, this side of the board is now redundant.
So what is needed is something more appropriate for the available space, lightweight and easily stored. I do remember that when I was a young lad (yes I can remember that long ago - just) I used to game on my Dad's wallpaper pasting table and wondered if I could use one of these as the basis for my table. Hence, after a trip to the local DIY outlet I purchased a suitable pasting table; which was fortuitous as this turned out to be the day before lockdown.

It must be said that these things are cheap and nasty; the advantage is that they are CHEAP, lightweight and easily stored. In its folded state, the table measures 3 foot by 2 foot.

Folded table

When set up, the full table is 6 foot by 2 foot. Not a particularly useful size but I did have a moment when I realised that two of these would give a standard 6 by 4 foot table. However, sanity prevailed as the only place that I could use a 6 by 4 table would be the lounge and that was never going to happen!

The fully extended table

However, as these things are so simply made, I figured that it shouldn't be too difficult to take it apart and reassemble it  in a more useful configuration. So after a bit of trial and error I reconfigured the table into a more useful 4 foot by 3 foot.

The disassembled table

The only extra bit of work needed was to add a couple of extra legs to make the table stable. The whole thing is a bit flimsy and wobbly but I reckon this is more than adequate for its intended use.

That said, due to lockdown, it has seen more use as an 'office' desk so far - and is proving a godsend in that respect.

My new 'office'

So now equipped with a new games table, this week's lockdown game would see its first use. Once again I put on a game using WhatsApp. This time around it would be a game of our Lion Rampant variant (Rampant Fistful) and involve four players. Each team of two would run one 22 point retinue. Although this would work well with 2 players, I chose teams of two as I believe the social aspect of the whole exercise is important. This time around there would be little fog of war and the whole game would play out on a single WhatsApp group. Each team did have their own group so that they could discuss tactics and the umpire could inform them of the card draw but everything else was open to both sides. This week we also had a guest player based in Cyprus so we were also dealing with different time zones; it all seemed to work well enough although it was to be a late night for our Cypriot player!

Although we're all gearing up for our Crusades campaign I didn't have enough figures for a crusades game. However by re-purposing my crusaders as English I could pit them against my original Scottish retinue. So the table was set up to represent somewhere in the Borders.

The battlefield

I had originally intended to flock the table surface but as it is so thin and flimsy I suspect that it would warp. Hence, I used a green cloth (much greener than the photo would suggest) as the playing surface. Looks like I need to invest in a nice mat for this project. The terrain consisted of bits and pieces from my Dark Age (Dux Brittaniarum) - terrain is going to be something else I need to upgrade!

For the game we would use the 'Hold on Tight' scenario, where both sides fight over a central objective. In this case it was to be the old tumulus known as St. Kevin's Tump; a vital landmark in setting the local land boundaries.

The Scots Retinue

Foot Men at Arms*

2 Foot Sergeants

Archers

Fierce Foot

The English Retinue

Mounted Men at Arms*

Mounted Sergeants

Foot Sergeants

2 Crossbow

The game itself ran smoothly enough after the first few card plays; there was a small learning curve as players became used to the system but by and large were up and running pretty quick. For this game I dealt the cards and informed the two teams of their respective hands via their team WhatsApp groups. When activated, the players rolled their own dice and informed the umpire of the result. I then moved the figures or removed casualties as appropriate. This does require players to be honest with their dice rolls but as we're all gentlemen that was no problem.

From the outset, the English appeared to have the better plan (or a plan). Essentially the mounted and crossbows would cover the flanks whilst, in the centre, the Foot Sergeants headed for the Tump.

For their part the Scots were intimidated by the crossbow (I believe the comment was 'Two lots of crossbows? WTF?!!')

The English Plan

Both sides advance cautiously; the English to maintain a battleline, the Scots to stay in cover. In the end the English advanced to the tump and kept possession of it until the end. The Scots, for their part, seemed to have forgotten their mission and only contested possession of the tump in the last move. That said, their fear of the crossbows proved well founded as these wreaked havoc whenever they shot.

English Advance

Scots Advance

Scots seek cover 

Battle lines

English seize tump

Endgame

In normal circumstances, we usually play until 'pub o'clock' and then assess victory points. In this case we played until bedtime (or well past in Cyprus). In the end it was a decisive victory for the English with 5 Glory points versus the Scots 2 Glory points.

English Casualties

Scots Casualties

Lock-down with What a Tanker

Well within a week we've gone from 'social distancing' to compulsory lock-down but I'm still determined to keep the spirits up by persevering with the Thursday night gaming.
This week I decided that, rather than a solo game, I would umpire a remote game for some of the lads. The game would be coordinated via social media; which is ironic as I'm the least social media inclined of our group. The game would be What a Tanker and be run using WhatsApp.

I chose an historical setting and set the game near Ste Mere Eglise during the Normandy invasion. I used an approximation of the terrain around Neuville au Plain on the 7th June 1944. I say an approximation as I didn't look it up but just set it up from memory, using the information in my IABSM scenario book 'All American'.

The backround is the advance towards Ste Mere Eglise by the 1058th Grenadier Regiment supported by the 709th PanzerJager Battalion. Here they were counterattacked by the US 82nd Airborne Division supported by B Coy. 746th Tank Battalion.

This being What a Tanker, we would only be concerned with the armour. Hence two players (we'll call them Hans and Fritz) would run two Stugs; the opposing players would run Shermans. As an aside. the allies had chosen to go by the call signs Arse and Drink!

The game was very simple in concept. We had a WhatsApp group that allowed communication between all players plus umpire. A second (Team Axis) consisted of the German players plus the umpire; with a similar (Allied Tankers) group set up for the Allies.
Players were free to communicate between themselves on their respective groups representing the radio net. Orders were given and received by the umpire by the individuals personal WhatsApp account; i.e. this bit was only seen by the umpire and the relevant player. This way I could include a photo of the view from their own tank. Both sides had an overview at the start (aerial reconnaissance) but after that were restricted to the view from their own tank.

I, as umpire, rolled all the dice and reported the result. The main difference from standard What a Tanker was that, in the interest of game flow, players were required to assign all their command dice all at once at the start of their turn.

From the off it was an amazing experience, I as umpire had the normal wargamer's helicopter view but the players didn't and, judging by the chatter on their respective radio nets, the Fog of War was very apparent. It was also hard work as the umpire was required to monitor 7 different WhatsApp channels and as the players were all talking to each other the background 'chatter' was quite intense. We played for 4 hours encompassing 9 player turns; which is the equivalent of 36 command rolls. . Not too shabby really. Like I say hard work but would I do it again? Absolutely. I'm still buzzing several days later. The use of photographs to create the Fog of War worked brilliantly and turned a rather simple game into a pretty good simulation. I only hope the players had as good a time as me. Judging by the banter and the drinking they seemed to be having a good time. A definite tonic for current times!
Below I will post 3 different versions of the same battle from different viewpoints; I know the players at least will find this interesting.

The Helicopter View

View looking north from allied lines

View looking south from Axis lines

Both sides deployed opposite each other, with the Stugs taking up position behind a bocage hedgerow. From here they had fleeting glimpses of the advancing Shermans but were themselves completely hidden.

Stugs observe allied advance

The Allies were having trouble finding the enemy so switched their advance to their right flank covered by the farm buildings.

Arse and Drink look for enemy

Arse switches advance

Hans had observed this change in direction and maneuvered his Stug to a position where he could see the flank of Arse as he moved to the T junction.

Hanz lines up on Arse's flank

From here Hans put in a good shot which hit the Sherman in the flank causing temporary damage. Meanwhile, Drink had crept up to the edge of the farmhouse and had turned his turret to observe the farmyard.

Drink catches Fritz nosing past building

Shortly afterwards, Fritz nosed out from behind the barn to be greeted by a shot from Drink which flew over his front glacis. Taking fright he reversed back between the buildings.

After being hit in the flank, Arse turned left down the road and attempted to flank the German position. Hans tracked his movement and pumped in more shells; Arse only being saved by his sandbags. Unfortunately, he was also in sight of Fritz who, due to a good command roll, got in 2 shots against the Sherman; both missed.

Umpires view of farmyard battle

Arse's view

Fritz's view

While Arse was attracting enemy fire, Drink used his Hell Driving ability to reverse back down the road to begin a movement around the rear of the barn. Meanwhile, Arse was fighting back putting in a couple of good shots against Hans who took permanent damage and was forced to reverse away.
Then in what would be the last turn of the game Drink came screaming around the barn and pumped a shell into the rear of Fritz who promptly brewed.

One up the arse for Fritz

A cracking game then and a good hard fight. Looked to go all the Germans way until the last moment fight back by the allies.

The Allied View (edited for brevity)

Drink: up the road is ballsy but probably inadvisable.

Arse: I was thinking 2 an 4. Agree road just silly.
Drink: should we concentrate on the left hand side?
Arse: 1 and 2 then.
Drink: OK we'll go alphabetically Arse 1, Drink 2. If he deploys on our left he will probably try to take cover behind the buildings. If not he will take a while to get there.
Arse: They'll avoid the right hand side of the road, too open. They come through the buildings to the left.
I've reached the gap in the hedge, straight ahead. No sign of enemy.
Drink: I'm moving forwardsto hedge from position 2. I see no enemy from here.
Arse: I've reached the next hedge. Turret aiming at buildings. No sign of enemy. Will head for  the  gap next.
Drink: I'll cross hedge and make for right hand hedge to cover you.
Arse: I'll turn and head for  the  gap.
I've nearly reached the T junction. Still no sign of enemy.
Drink: I will follow you. We need to look into some fields. I will turn my turret and look behind the buildings.
Arse: I'll go straight ahead and look into field.
Been hit from the farm to my left
Drink: behind you, not quite past farm have buttoned. Better be no infantry AT coming from the farm, I'm gonna be really miffed.
Arse: Stug in the farm!
I've been shot at again but missed.
Returned fire but missed.
Can head round other side of farm?
Drink: Is the Stug behind the main farmhouse?
Drink: Can see the buggers now, there's two of 'em'. One behind the farmhouse, one behind the barn.
Arse: Lay some fire. I'll try and work round other side of farm. Past the haystacks and left.
If I can still see one of em I'll keep lay down rounds but will move off If I can't

[this section was intercepted by the enemy (sent to wrong WhatsApp group!).
Drink: Have used Hell Driving to reverse back along road to come at em from the rear.]
(the axis still got themselves flanked even with this intelligence - Fog of War!!)

Arse: Been hit. Can see both Stugs. Fire from one behind barn. Damaged.
Hit again saved by Sandbags.
Been shot again both missed. From between the farm buildings.
Both the swine are pointing at me. Get around the farm and you will see their rear.
Drink: Will do
Arse: Theyre both after me. Have you been able to get round farm?
They've come forward towards the road at me.
Drink: just been able to cross hedge.
Arse: Hit Stug.
Hit again Stug has reversed.
Drink: AHA, I have the bugger's backside in my sights. Acquired and loaded.
Got him!

The Axis View (edited for brevity)

Fritz: 4 and 5 looks like a better position
Hans: 3 looks like suicide agree 4 and 5
Move up to hedge perhaps you could go towaards hedge between road and house.
Fritz: Yeah we'll have the first hedge as checkpoint then
Hans: engine trouble, haven't moved
I can see one of the schweinhund
Fritz:  Ja so can I. We shall bunker down and have at em.
Hans: Just have to watch they don't flank us on road.
Hans: A hit!
Fritz: Hurrah. I appear to have lost sight of the enemy, can you see them?
Hans: have seen one Sherman moving across our front to our left and managed to hit it not sure how badly.
Fritz: shall we advance then, I'll take point?
There are some logs piled up I can advance for cover.
Hans: have crossed the hedge am to left of the farm already the logpile will give you some cover and a possible flank attack
Fritz: advanced in between the two buidings
Can't see any sign of the other tank
Hans: am on left of house behind piles of hay. Not moved since I fired. Need to reload
Fritz: not fired yet they got out of my line of sight
Hans: Sherman heading down road has moved out of my arc but am tracking
Fritz: I'll try and head up to the intersection and head them off.
Hans: there is one on the road almost up to farmhouse
I have missed it
Fritz: I hit the Sherman heading down the road but he's still in action.
Have been shot at glanced off glacis
Hans: just been shot at but they missed.
Have scored another hit
Fritz: fired two shots both missed
Hans: got another hit. So frustrating not knowing if it did any damage.
Fritz: one is driving down the road, am in pursuit.
Hans: I'm shooting at it.
I think!
I have been hit
Been hit again, moving backwards.

BOOM!!!!!

Hans: Fritz? Fritz?