Friday 12 April 2013

They will fight us on the beaches... (Invasion of Vulgaria part 1)

This Funny Little Wars game was played at the Sheffield Club on 10 April.  To spare our knees Martin and I had agreed to play a tabletop game using half size units and Centimetres instead of Inches.  The full game report will run to four parts - all lavishly illustrated with the vary latest in full colour woodcuts.
The background to the war was outlined in a previous post.  The Anglophobian flotilla soon found a likely looking bit of coast and quickly landed a Naval Battalion and an armoured train.  Unusually good planning had ensured that the train would run on the narrow gauge Vulgarian track.  Confirmation that this was indeed Vulgaria soon arrived in the shape of a shell from a coastal defence gun (above) which was accompanied by a local defence battalion.
This was the first outing for my armoured train...

...which also provided the first Anglophobian casualty - after a direct hit from the enemy gun!

The train soon got it's own back by killing a pair of the defenders

As a second battalion (left) landed,  the train's infantry company was detached to occupy a strategically placed ruin

The action ashore was followed by the crews of two gunboats

The Vulgarian artillery fire took a steady toll of the attackers...

...while the train made life in the open untenable for the local defence troops.  It was soon being referred to as 'The STUG'.

The Rifle Company from the train were soon seeking photo opportunities in the ruins

As the sailors advanced it became clear that something would have to be done about the Vulgarian gun

14 comments:

Brian Carrick said...

Nice Train! (is that a requisitioned Thomas the Tank Engine?)

Best wishes, Brian

Robert (Bob) Cordery said...

Tim,

I think that you have really hit on a winning idea with your half-scale FLW on the tabletop!

It makes the whole H G Wells/Little Wars-style of wargaming much more achievable for people who don't have a lot of space, but who would like to give it a try. I think that a COW session is an absolute MUST!

By the way, I love the narrow gauge railway. Yet another great idea!

All the best,

Bob

Tim Gow said...

Brian Carrick
I'll put together a post on the train which will reveal all!

Tim Gow said...

Bob Cordery
It certainly makes FLW a much more realistic proposition for a club night.
More on the train coming soon.

Peter Douglas said...

Tim

Is there a small child somewhere who has been traumatized by the re-worked Thomas? I expect some dastardly behaviour from Vulgarians not Anglophobians!

PD

Martin Rapier said...

The Anglophobians and their terrible machines were a horrid surprise for the simple peace loving Vulgarians. We have horses! The self propelled armoured infantry gun was most unfair, bullets just bounced off it. Clearly an idea to copy.

Sean said...

Yes, nice train. I also like the idea of patellar preservation.

Tim Gow said...

Peter Douglas
The smiley face might have been too much for the poor old Vulgarians to bear. After all, nobody smiles in Vulgaria.....

Tim Gow said...

Martin Rapier
This wild idea of yours to have an armoured gun carriage which needs no rails is clearly doomed to failure.

Tim Gow said...

Sean
I suspect that if I'd had to lie on the floor on Wednesday I'd still be there!

Don M said...

Great story thus far, looking forward to more!

Anonymous said...

Am I the only one stuck on the whole 'quickly landed a Naval Battalion and an armoured train'.

They landed a train from a ship.

This doesn't astound anyone?

A train!

They had to beach a ship at high tide, lay temporary track across a beach to, presumably, a coastal rail line, and do it quickly.

Obviously this is all lies.

The Anglophobians are backing some sort of 'fifth column' movement in the Vulgarian Railroad industry. A low and underhanded tactic at best, certainly beneath even Anglophobian standards. It smacks of corporatism. Heaven forbid if those fellows become involved in a noble pursuit such as international conflict.

Tim Gow said...

Don M
Plenty more still to come!

Tim Gow said...

SAROE
Well you know what they say - the only good thing about Vulgaria is that the trains run on time...