Wednesday, June 12, 2013

A Very Moderate Swedish Conflict - AAR #1

On the last club meet we had a firts test game for our "A Very Moderate Swedish Conflict" project. The first rules to be tried out was the "Tragedy & Triumph".

As I didn´t realy like the card activation system in the rules I used the one from Muskets and Tomahawks that have proven to work well in multiplayer games, and we where 10 players the other night...


The game was played on a 180x120cm board, all terrain was made by me and all minis was painted and provided by my friend Björn. Please also visit Björns blog and take a chanse to order some inter war Swedish Soldier:)

First we have some scenario notes.

Background 
During the autumn of 1931 the different fractions in Sweden tried to gather resources for the up-coming struggle of power. One of the main issues was to get the hands on a fuel resources, as a response to the increased amount of fuel thefts the Swedish army posted troops as almost every petrol station to protect them and their black gold. But it was a difficult task as so many of the militia and semi military movements wanted to get their hands on the goodies…

Scenario 
This scenario will represent one of several dawn raids to gather resources. This time there is a contry side Petrole station guarded by a section of Swedish regulars that will be assaulted by a unholy alliance between a group of Socialist Youth Movement and a Communist Movement group.

OOB 

Swedish Army 
2xCommanders (Löjtnant Jansson och Fänrik Stål)
4x6 Infantry sections with rifles and bayonets and one section with a BAR.
1x Strv m/21 with one HMG (Light Tank)

Young Eagles (Swedish Socialist Youth Movement)
1xCommander with one (1) grenade (Section leader Tage Erlandsson)
2x6 Eagles with rifles
1x Sniper with "big-game rifle"

Red Action (Swedish Communist Movement)
1xCommander with one (1) grenade (Commissar Hugo Sillén)
2x6 Comrades with rifles

Set-up 
The Swedish Army has 2 infantry sections and one Officer at the filling station in the middle of the gaming area. The rest of the Swedish Army troops and the Tank will enter as reinforcements during the game. The troops at the filling station have to send runners to get the reinforcement, that arrived the activation after the runner has left the gaming board by the friendly short edge.

The Sniper may be deployed as per the Sniper rules.

Objectives 
The winner is the fraction that after the game ended have a unpinned unit within the premises of the petrol station. (The sniper or the light tank can´t be used to claim victory) If there is a draw, count the number of minis in the claiming units, most soldiers left are the winner.

Game Length 
We use random game length. At the end of turn 3 roll 1D3 and play that number of turns and then the game ends, i.e in total 4 to 6 turns.

Second a short AAR of our game:


The Army soldiers guarding the Filling station suspect that something is going to happen and the Second Lieutenant decid to send for some reinforcements...


Private 87 Axelsson where ordered to run for reinforcements...taking his time...


The suspicion was right as several groups of bolsheviks emerge from the forest, seems like reinforcements will be well needed. Just as private 87 Axelsson have left the filling station he is shoot at by a sniper, but as it was at a long range the shoot misses but it get the Private to run faster:)


The red forces advance throught the idyllic Swedish contry side... The Swedish offices at the Filling station tries in wain to get them to stop and retreat, not even warning shoots helps...


The Swedish soldiers open fire with devastating effect amongst the bolsheviks.


Several of the red insurgents fell behind the round pole fence and their comrade tried to respond to the fire from the Swedish soldiers...


Things got worse for the bolsheviks as the army reinforcements arrived with a Tank !


The slow moving tank advanced along the road to the filling station with close support of a squad of Swedish soldiers...


The 2 squads of reinforcing infantry moved out on the flanks to support the deffender of the filling station as the Tank slogged along the road...

The bolsheviks managed to get their grips together and managed to put at least one of the squads at the filling station out of action...HURRRAYYY !!!


The arrogant tank comander was comanding his tank from the open turret hatch to get a better view ordered his tank of the road and in to the front yard of the small homestead in his hunt for insurgents...


As the tank entered the frontyard the Socialist Youth Movement Leader Tage Erlandsson took the chanse to throw his grenad at the tank and especially the comander in teh open hatch. The tanks movement come to an abrupt end in the potato field....

The last Socialist Youth Movement squad gathered enought courage to charge the damaged tank, the dazed crew surrender right away...


Even with the victory over the tank the red side by now had taken to severe losses to be able to put up a fight about the filling station, so they decided to withdraw and analyze what to do different next time...

...as the umpire and scenarion maker I can right away say I need to give them more troops about 3x8 to them each...

Even a bit unbalanced I think all participants had a good and entertaining game. T&T worked ok, some small things that that I have to think about, to use the M&T activation system was step in the right direction and turned out realy well.

More "A Very Moderate Swedish Conflict" to come but next time we might be trying out the TFL rules "Through the Mud and the Blood"...



Monday, June 10, 2013

1930´s Filling Station "Nafta"

For our swedish inter war gaming I have painted a Filling Station, not truly 1930´s era but god enought for me. The Filling station was donated by my friend Oskar that had planed to use it for he´s russian zombie project some years ago, but now it ended up in our "A Very Moderate Swedish Conflict" setting instead:)

The station name will be "Nafta" that was oil company founded by the Swedish Nobel brothers during the later part of the 19th century to produce oil in Russia, and it was for a time the world's second largest oil company, after Standard Oil.



Subsidiary Nafta Syndicate Ltd, which imported its petrol from Russia, had a number of petrol stations in Sweden. After the Russian Revolution it became increasingly controlled imports and Nafta was forced in 1937 to sell off its Swedish brand to Gulf. By its american competitors on the Swedish market it was called "Bolsjevikpetrol"


Here some pictures of the Filling Station, a good objective to start a civil war conflict for...


The Bolsjevikpetrol station advert for Imperialistic drinks:)


News bills telling about the Ådalen shooting in 1931


Swedish soldiers have a shoot out with some petrol thiefs...


We will run the first test game for our  "A Very Moderate Swedish Conflict" setting tonight at the club meet, the rules for the first game will be the "Triumph & Tragedy" rules with a small twist for the activation system.


The first game will focus on a dawn raid on a filling station (no guess...), guarded by Swedish Regulars, by a unholy allianse of different Socialist and Communist movement groups....


Idyllic Swedish homestead...



Swedish contryside road during the early part of the 1930´s

I hope to have an AAR in a week or so...



Saturday, June 8, 2013

Tunga Stycken

Tunga Stycken i.e. Heavy Gun... After the 1st of the light guns I thought I needed a real seige gun for the Danes, the Swedes probably never had any... this bombard I have had in my bit box for several years, so I´m not sure of the manufacturer of it.

Inspired by the Perry bombard I added a bit of loggs the back of the gun and some extra crew members and a lod man that "know best". Now I just have to order me a Perry one to...









Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Lion Rampant AAR #5

I and Jonas Introduced some friends to the latest draft of Dan Merseys medieval skirmish rules "Lion Rampant" here comes soem pictures from the game and a short AAR.

OOB

Swedish Crusaders
2x6 Knights
3x12 Ledung soldiers

Baltic Pagan
1x6 Hird
3x12 Warriors
1x6 Skirmishers
1x6 Horse Archers

We run the scenarion there the Pagans should defend their Sacred Temple that the crusaders had to burn. Two units of pagans was at the Temple in the middle of the gaming area, the rest of the pagans woud arrive as reinforcements.


The Swedish Crusaders emerge from the deep baltic forest and try to make a swift advance forward the pagan temple to cleanse it by fire...


The Pagans assamble their small force to defende their Temple...


The Bishop of Åbo and several Swedish noblemen ruch forward in the name of their god...


The Pagans are ready to set-up a stiff recistance amongst the old oaks...but they seems to hesitate a bit...


As the Crusaders advance the pagans at last understan that they are safer in the woods...


Eager to win glory for their god the Crusader Knights makes a headles charge in to the forest to get to grips with the pagans...


The Crusader Knights ofcourse get their butts kicked by the Pagans, that have the advantage of the terrain, and have to retreate...

Pagan reinforcements closing in...


BUT... the uneducated Pagans decide that it is a REALLY good idea to follow the Crusader Knights out in the open...


The Pagan charges a groupe of Swedish Ledung soldiers...


...and are forced to retreat back forward the forest...but still in the open...


Crusader Knights like to have their pagans served in the open...not a single pagan was left to be converted to the true faith...


One of the groupes of Crusader nights advance to meet the threat from the Pagan reinforcements...


The Crusaders chase away the Pagan forces in from of the Pagan temple as the Pagan Horse archers ruch forward shooting to no vain...


The Crusader Knights respond as usual with a charge...AND manage to catch up with the horse archers...


Pagan horse archer are no match for the glorious Crusader Knights...

In a last desperate effort the Pagan Warlord ordere his Hird to charge in to the Bishops depleted Knights...


Not a fair fight the Pagan Warlord and his Retinue slaughter the Bishop and his last Knights...


Losing their Bishop the Crusaders loses their faith and decides to retreat and fight it a nother day...

We had a greate game and the new commers quickley gasped the basics of the rules, the new (old to Dan) combat system worked well and the Knights wasn´t the Ultimate Killers they have been in the last games, they are still very tought but absolutely more balanced.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Just painted some Interwar Swedes

Björn was kind and gave me 2 pre-casts from his Interwar Swedish Infantry range, I´m have had them for a while so i thought it was time to paint them up.

They was realy nice and easy to paint with distinct areas. Sins I´m not a expert in Swedish uniform colours, as Björn are, you have to excuse some of the colour choices, but I´m happy with how the minis ended up:)

If you haen already visited Björns Blog please do, lots of interesting articles about the Swedish interwar army and a greate chanse for you to get your own Swedish minis;)










Saturday, June 1, 2013

Ådalen miniatures now available.

I´m very glad to tell you that, after a long wait, the miniatures from my friend Björn´s  Ådalen Ranges are available for purchase:)

If you want to order them right away go here !

If you want to read more about the minis or the Swedish army during the early 20th centery go to Björn´s  exellent blog.

Here coms a first sample of the painting guides Björn are working on for his Ådalen Miniature range. This time the Swedish Infantry Uniform m/23.