August 1914 - The battle of Stalluponen (again)

Over the weekend of Triples I was joined by Wayne Thomas and on Friday evening we played the Stalluponen scenario which I had previously run through as a solo game.  As befitted our relative abilities Wayne commanded the efficient Germans and I the bungling Russians.  The photos below are all taken from the Russian side of the table. 

Initial dispositions were similar to the previous game and the forces nearly identical.  I say nearly because the Russians (by virtue of drawing a red card) benefitted from a howitzer unit to bolster their artillery strength.  The first photo shows the situation at the end of turn 1.  Stalluponen (and the Germans) is near the top of the frame.

Turn 2 ended with all of the Russian infantry halted and deployed, awaiting the German onslaught.  The Germans meanwhile, are already beginning a flanking manoeuvre.

At the end of turn 3 the Russians have tried digging in, though with very limited success (clearly the ground is hard in August...)  The Germans are now all deployed and look rather menacing!

The Russians have largely abandoned digging and pushed forward to meet the German attack.  One Russian brigade is pushed back but it's chums take revenge on the lead German brigade (which has by now lost 75% of it's strength).

A series of flanking attacks have by now left both sides worn out and the Russian right wing has pulled back to consolidate.  Although the Germans were the first to test for exhaustion, it is the Russians who become exhausted first and begin their flight to the border.  All in all a close run and very enjoyable game.

Triples 2010 part 2

Another participation game I spotted at Triples and which i feel is particularly worthy of a mention was the Ambush Alley game involving British troops and Taleban forces in Afghanistan.  The game was run by Richard Holden who is running it at a number of events to raise funds for The Royal British Legion.  Richard's website is here: https://www.bmycharity.com/V2/RHminievents - please visit the site and make a donation.

Richard has kindly sent me two photos of the game in progress.  It used 20mm toys.  It is pleasing to be able to report that the publishers of the rules http://www.ambushalleygames.com/ not only supported with copied of rules etc, but also made a cash donation.

While chatting to Richard on Sunday morning at Triples he mentioned that one of their most memorable players had been a serving soldier recently returned from a tour in Helmand.  Interestingly he opted to play the Taleban.  Unluckily for him, the Brits (played by his father) made some amazing die rolls and wiped the floor with him...

WD at Sheffield Triples

Last weekend saw the first outing of 'The End', WD's new participation game.  

Triples was a great success at it's new venue (the English Sports Institute) which was much more spacious and accessible that the Octagon.. The show now has room to grow, and I look forward to more games and traders next year (21st May 2011).

Moving on to the game, I commented on the finishing of the toys a couple of weeks ago, and I now reproduce the briefing below:

Berlin May 1944.


Has it really been four years since the Wehrmacht’s last victory?

The heady days of success in Poland and France seem so long ago.

Stalingrad was ours, Leningrad and Moscow seemed to be within our grasp, but now?

We lost heavily at Kursk and are not capable of mounting a serious attack against a formed Allied defensive front.

The Soviets are massed along the Dneiper, the Allies are in Italy and about to cross the Channel and the bombers, the relentless stream of bombers...

You have been promised Vonder Waffen to stem the tide but will they arrive in time and will they work?

Yet there is still hope! The Wehrmacht has demonstrated time and time again that we are still able to fight mobile battles against enemy breakthroughs and defeat their exposed forces with counterattacks.

You are in command of the German Armed Forces, starting in June 1944. Your aim is to prolong the war beyond its historical end point, May 1945. The Army is unable to successfully attack static enemy fronts, but each month the Allies will attack in a number of sectors. You will have forces to counterattack and defeat these operations.

Allocate these forces wisely, as if Berlin falls, Germany loses. The forces available will vary from month to month, and these may be supplemented by prototype wonder weapons, but there is no guarantee the new weapons will work properly.

The Allied forces will advance at different rates in different sectors, and some are easier to defeat than others.


The map was based on a design by Jim Wallman and was scaled up and printed onto fabric by Matlock Media.

WD Display Team North draws your attention to our supporters:
Wargame Developments

Wargame Developments (WD) is a group of like-minded wargamers who are dedicated to developing wargames. It is a non-commercial organisation, and its aims are:

 To provide a forum for the exchange of new ideas and concepts.

 To develop both new and existing methods of recreating military conflicts.

Wargame Developments was founded in 1980, and since then it has pursued its aims in several different ways. These include:

 Running an annual conference (COW - the Conference Of Wargamers).

 Publishing a regular journal (The NUGGET) that is sent to all members nine times per year.

 Putting on participation games at major wargames shows in the UK in order to demonstrate the sort of developments in wargaming that are being undertaken by members of WD.

 Supporting groups of members who work together to develop particular ideas and concepts (e.g. Megablitz (Operational level rules for 20th Century warfare) and Matrix Games).

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www.matlockmedia.co.uk

Tel: 01629 734826 Fax: 01629 732994 Email: sales@matlockmedia.co.uk

Matlock Media offers high-resolution photo-quality large format digital colour printing on an Epson CF1000 and Agfa Sherpa printers with water and UV resistant Inks and can print up to 62 inches wide with amazing detail and sharpness on a range of papers and canvas.

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Megagames are large games involving teams of players. The subject matter ranges from politics, economic, history, even science fiction and fantasy. Much of what goes on might be described as roleplaying - though there is also a large element of problem solving, strategy, negotiation - and of course, humour.

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Wargames Emporium
Orchard Square
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0114 275 4826
http://www.wargamesemporium.co.uk/

The Sheffield store is located in Orchard Square, in the Heart of Sheffield, up in the craft shops. The store stocks a wide range of products for all your gaming needs, ranging from GHQ to Essex Miniatures, Games Workshop to Peter Pig to name a few, also stockists of Osprey books, Miniature paints, Scenery and Dice.

August 1914 - The Battle of Stalluponen

This was the first battle to be fought between the German and Russian armies on the Eastern Front during the Great War. As the Russians crossed the border into East Prussia General von Francois the commander of the German I Corps launched an unauthorised attack intended to drive the Russians back into Poland. 

After some success and the capture of 3,000 prisoners, von Prittwitz (the commander of VIII Army) feared that Francois's corps could be encircled and ordered him to fall back on Gumbinnen.

Below: the town of Stalluponen (from the Irregular 2mm terrain range)

Below: The armies deploy.  Stalluponen and most of German I Corps is towards the bottom of the table.

I Corps ready to march out to meet the Russians.

Russian III Corps crosses the border.

Turn 1: both sides advance, while the German detached brigade (right) is recalled.

Turn 3: The Russians have begun to deploy (in turn 2).  On Turn 3, the German detached brigade draws a club so is unable to move.  The stationary Russian brigade (second from right) begins to take root (indicated by the placing of the MG stand).

German artillery.  Field guns on the left (with 2 gunnery points) and howitzers on the right.

Still in turn 3, the Russians concentrate 2 brigades against a single German brigade but roll appalling dice (low rolls are good).  Meanwhile the Germans inflict a Rusian casualty.

Turn 4: The German detached brigade draws another club (no graduates of the staff college here!).  The Russian main force launched an ill advised and costly assault on the German line.  The Germans then roll round the Russian flank and their assault is shot in by all of the corps artillery.  The Russians pass their first exhaustion test.  Meanwhile the central Russian brigade has dug in.

The dug in Russian brigade.

The Germans are now able to concentrate against the exposed Russian flank.

Finally, as their line disintegrates the Russians fail their exhaustion test and pull back across the border.

All in all a broadly historical outcome.  A rerun of Gumbinnen will (hopefully) follow in a couple of weeks.