48. Death in the Desert

As I mentioned previously, I'm playing a game in honor of Inter-Galactic Solo Wargaming Day (IGSWgD).  I've kept it simple.  One squad of French Foreign Legion, assisted by a unit of Tirailleurs Algériens, is to make contact with a noted Professor/Archaeologist and escort him and his artifacts to safety.  The Arabs would like to stop that from happening.

I played this using the "Pith Helmet 2" rules by Don Bailey (although since all three games I've played using these rules involved the French Foreign Legion, maybe I should rename them "Kepi").

Pith Helmet 2 is written more from the perspective of gaming with British troops against their many enemies.  There are provisions for using German, Sikh, Gurkha, Japanese, U.S., Boer, Other European, and Egyptian troops; as well as Punjabis, Imperial Chinese, Native Levies, Zulu, Pathan, Boxer, Dervish and Other Natives.  So as you can see there is no real option for French Foreign Legion and Arabs/Berbers/Tauregs/other North Africans.  As I did in my previous games, I will use the FFL "as British."  To represent the Arabs, I decided on using them "as Native Levies."  I wavered between Native Levies and Pathans; I wanted to be able to see the determination of the Arabs but still show their general lack of organization (more a mob than a squad).  In the end, I opted for Native Levies, as their stats were, I felt, a good compromise between the two choices.  I was also leery of making them too tough for the FFL, since I was planning on taking 60 Arabs versus 30 Legionnaires (and allies).  I wanted a fighting chance for both sides, after all.

My table layout is shown in a previous post here.

Pre-Game Setup:

The situation is as follows:  a French Archaeologist, Professor Trouver, while attempting an unauthorized dig deep in the desert, has sent word that he needs rescuing from hostile locals.  He has "acquired" many valuable historical relics from an ancient ruin, but he fears for his safety in getting them out of the country.

In response, the local constabulary has requested aid from the French garrison.  The officer commanding has ordered a squad under an upwardly-yearning Lieutenant to extricate the errant Professor as quickly as possible, with as little fuss as possible.

The Arabs would like to stop them.

In game terms, the French must travel to the Objective area (the Ruins), make contact with the Professor, and escort him and his Bearers off the same table edge by which they entered.

The view from the Legion starting position.  At the far end of the table is the Archaeologist, behind the trees.

The Archaeologist--the famed Professor Trouver--and his Native helpers, ready with the historical relics he has stolen, er, liberated.

The French Foreign Legion (Légion Étrangère), led by Lt. Sylvère, assisted by Cpl. Favrel.

A unit of Tirailleurs Algériens, led by Cpl Cendrars, for added firepower.

A view from Prof. Trouver's position.

The same view, but with the Legion in focus, so you can see them.  That's a lot of open ground to cross.  Then again, it is the freaking desert.

Before I began the game, I wanted to build-in the element of suspense.  I originally diced for where the three Arab units would appear, then diced individually for which turn they would arrive.  However, I didn't like the perfect fore-knowledge this gave me; instead I wanted their arrival to be "imminent" but unpredicted.  I finally settled on a suitable compromise.

I decided to add the Turn number to a d6 roll.  On a 6+, all three Arab units would enter at the same time (I liked that better than them arriving piecemeal) at a d6-rolled table edge (divided into sectors, numbered 1 through 6).  I then arbitrarily determined to not allow the first three turns.  This pretty well guaranteed an arrival very quickly, but not so soon that the Legion couldn't at least get onto the table.

There are three units of Arabs, 18 men plus a leader and a sub-leader figure.  (As you can tell, my figures are built to conform to The Sword and The Flame, but I don't know how to use those rules solo.)  One unit is armed with Swords, one with Spears and one with Rifles.  Some of the figures (but not all) in the Swords and Spears units also have pistols.  This gives the units a ranged attack, of a sort.

Turn 1:

I knew the Arabs were out there, coming closer; I wanted to get the Lieutenant to the Professor as quickly as possible, take him under my wing, and get off the table.  I didn't know exactly how long before the Arabs would show up.  Luckily, my Action Points allowed me to move almost halfway onto the table.

Each turn I rolled a d100 for each Unit, compared that to their Initiative and came up with 2 to 4 Action Points.


Action Points:  FFL, 3.  Tir.Alg., 4.  Professor, 4.
Swords, Spears, Rifles:  Not on table, no roll, no AP.

I then drew a card from a shuffled deck of normal playing cards, to determine which units could act first.  This is divided into French (FFL+Tir.Alg.), Professor, and Arabs (all three units).


The Arabs scored highest, but were not on table so no move.  The Professor scored next but chose to pass.  The French were able to act with half of their units and use up to all AP.  Lt. Sylvère had the Legionnaires advance 3 AP worth of movement.  "Quick march, double time!"

Turn 1:  The Foreign Legion advance, in column, three moves worth (27 inches!).

There was no mêlée, and no Morale checks.

(I realize that it may seem odd to draw cards for units that are not on the table, but I like to stick to a certain amount of continuity.  It helps me keep my place if I get interrupted or confused, especially with stopping to take pictures.  If I always do the turn sequence the same way, then I never have to think about it.)

Turn 2:
Action Points:  FFL, 4.  Tir.Alg., 4.  Professor, 4.
Arabs:  Not on table, no AP.

Professor Trouver drew highest, but passed as he continued to wait.  The French drew next highest, 1 unit, up to all AP.  Lt. Sylvère ordered  Cpl. Cendrars to bring up his Tirailleurs Algériens three APs worth of movement, in order to keep them close to the Legionnaires; and then to reform them into Open formation.

Turn 2:  Not wanting to get too far from our support, I brought up the Tirailleurs Algériens.

Turn 2:  I then ordered the Tirailleurs Algériens to reform into Open formation.  I wanted them as a screening/scouting force.

There was no mêlée, and no Morale checks.

Turn 3:
Action Points:  FFL, 3.  Tir.Alg., 3.  Professor, 3.
Arabs:  Not on table, no AP.

The French drew first action, 1 unit, all AP.  Sylvère advanced the Legion squad 2 APs worth of moves, then, fearing the imminent arrival of unfriendly Natives, formed them into a Supported Firing Line.  The Professor passed; he is not going to come out to meet me, and risk losing sight of his precious artifacts.  The Arabs are not on table yet.

Turn 3:  I advance the Legion as far as possible.

Turn 3:  While I would have liked to move the Legion even closer to the Professor, my limited Action Points forced me to stop a little short.  I felt the more pressing need was to re-order into a Supported Firing Line; the dust clouds of the approaching Arab force were plainly visible in the near distance!

A view from the Legion's table entry edge.

Only twenty men, but a formidable firing line, with the glint of bayonets.

There was no mêlée, and no Morale checks.

Turn 4:

I rolled 1d6=2 + the turn number 4 = 6.  The Arab forces appear all at once, as early as possible!

Turn 4:  The Rifles arrive to the left of the line of retreat, behind sand and more sand.

The Spears appear to the right at the far corner of the table -- ready to block the line of retreat.

And finally, the Swords appear just to the extreme right flank of the Legion, as they face back the way they came.  They are the closest immediate threat.  "Allahu Ackbar!  Allie allie oxen free!"

An all-in-one view:  Rifles to the upper left, Spears to the upper right, Swords to the lower right; Tirailleurs Algériens in the center, the Legion at the bottem.

We are about to be well-and-truly engaged, and soon.  And the Lieutenant hasn't even made contact with the Professor yet!

A slightly better view of the tactical situation, and the relative distances involved, between the Tirailleurs Algériens, the Legion and the Swords.

I love to savor this moment of tension just before battle begins.

Action Points:  FFL, 2.  Tir.Alg., 2.  Professor, 4.

Swords, 3.  Spears, 3.  Rifles, 2.  (Oddly, out of six d100 rolls, I rolled an 89, 3 times!)

The carpet represents deep, sifting sand; or in game terms, Rough Terrain.  It affects LOS in that units can see into but not through it, and it can make movement slower.  The [poorly] sculpted sand dune functions exactly the same, and has the same Rough Terrain movement characteristic.  There are four such areas on the table.

The French drew first action again, 1 unit, 1 AP.  Whee.  Apparently the Lieutenant was taken by surprise by the sudden arrival of the enemy, and was unable to give coherent orders.  I detached the Lieutenant from the Legion, leaving it under the command of Cpl. Favrel.  I opted to not consider the Lt. "a unit."  He moved 1 AP worth, 9", toward the Professor.

Lt. Sylvère finally gets the Professor's attention.  "I'm here to rescue you.  I've got your R2 unit.  I'm here with Ben Kenobi!"  Wait, wrong rescue scene....

I then had the Tirailleurs Algériens move into the sand dunes.  In order to do so, I had to roll a 7 or less on a d10; I rolled a 4, so the Tir.Alg. successfully navigated the shifting sand.

The Tirailleurs Algériens advance into the Rough Terrain sand area.  Units can see into but not through Rough Terrain, so I judged that LOS was blocked until a unit is within 1" of the edge (to represent the hiding capability of the deep sand).  Therefore the Tirailleurs get closer than 10" to the Swords before being forced to stop, due to the fact that they did not have LOS until much closer.

Normally units must stop when within 10" of, and in LOS of, an enemy unit, forcing a Reaction check.  However, the Tirailleurs were in LOS-blocking terrain until within 1" of the edge, and that edge put them closer than 10", so the Reaction occurred at less-than 10".  No worries, it's all legal.

The Arab Swords react to the sudden appearance of an enemy by Firing! at them.  Only eleven model have pistols out of the twenty swordsmen, but they roll well enough to cause 1 potential casualty.  The Tirailleurs react to this poorly, firing at half their capability and then falling back.  Their shots miss, but they make their Rough Terrain roll and promptly fall back in good order 4".  (Any time a unit 'falls back' I left them facing the direction from which they came; if they 'retreat' then I faced them in the opposite direction.)

Turn 4:  The Tirailleurs are forced back, losing LOS.  The casualty would normally go "off-table" into the Rally Zone, but for simplicity's sake I just tipped them over this game; same result.

By falling back, the Tirailleurs broke LOS with the Swords.  The Swords reaction, then, was to Fire! but since they were unable to fire (owing to not seeing the Tirailleurs anymore) they advanced 1d10=3" towards the Legion.  They then spent a normal Action Point and advanced 9" towards the Legion.  This brought them to 10" from the French, prompting a Reaction.

The Arabs advance in Mob formation, ignoring the Tirailleurs.

A tactical view of the Swords and the Legionnaires.

The Legion reacts by not reacting, so no AP is spent.  The Caporal is cautious....

Meanwhile at the other end of the battlefield, the Arab Rifles advance 9" into sandy Rough Terrain.  They must roll a 7 or less on 1d10; they roll 10!  However, all Native troops may re-roll a failed terrain roll once; they then roll 3, and move into position.

The Rifles move into cover behind the sand dunes.  Are in they in range?

The Professor, feeling safe enough to venture out from his ruins, advances his Bearers in Open formation 9" to join up with the Legion, the Lieutenant at his side.

"Professeur, nous devons aller!"  "Eh, bien."  Finally, the Native pack bearers are under the protection of the Legion.  Now maybe we can get outta here.

There was no mêlée.  For the Morale Phase, I drew one card for the Tirailleur in the Rally Zone.  He would remain there, his survival undetermined.


Turn 5:

Action Points:  FFL, 4.  Tir.Alg., 3.  Professor, 4.

Swords, 4.  Spears, 2.  Rifles, 3. 
A lot is riding on the next draw of the cards.

Professor Trouver, while amenable to letting himself be "rescued," is nonetheless a bit bull-headed.  He doesn't completely see that he, an elder in society and a respected Académicien, should blithely follow some young pup's orders.  He has his own ideas about how best to get his historical relics to safety--after all, what could be more important than his unearthings?  (In game terms, I kept the Professor and his Natives as a separate card draw for Action Points.  He consistently, turn after turn, rolled extremely well for Action Points, indicating to me that he was a bit headstrong.)

The French won the card draw, with the ability to use one unit and all their AP.

The Swords threaten.

I judged the Swords to the most imminent threat and fired the Legion at them.  They caused 3 casualties, one of which was the "officer."

The Legion looses a volley.  Arabs fall.

The Swords reacted using their "NCO's" Coolness number, and did quite well, firing back and causing 2 casualties to the Legion.

The Legion, thoroughly unprepared for such stubborness, reacted poorly, firing at half their capability and falling back.  Their shots missed, and they fell back 1d10=8", right through the Native Bearers!  Even with an 80 out of 100 chance, sometimes you roll an 89.

The Arabs loose a volley, too.  Legionnaires fall.  And for some reason, they fall back, in good order, through the Native bearers.  "Je ne vais pas mourir à leur place!"

The Swords reacted to being shot at, and didn't like it much either, also firing at half their capability and falling back.  As the Legion was now out of pistol range, the Arabs simply fell back 1d10=1".  One whole inch.

I actually had to pause the game here, for quite a long time, while work called me away, except for a couple of days when I was sick and just didn't feel up to the book-keeping necessary to make a solo blog report.  It's given me plenty of time to mull over the situation, though, to be sure.  That "strategic withdrawal" by the Legion put a definite kink in my plans.  It was exquisitely delicious torture trying to decide what to do next.  This was a most unexpected development.  It just goes to show that even the best of troops can sometimes lose their nerve, and it will always be at the most inopportune moment!

It was still the Legion's turn, and they had 2 Action Points remaining...what to do?  You'll find out in the next write-up; this one is getting pretty long as it is.  Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it at least a little.

Here are some further "action shots" of the battlefield.

A better view of what the Rifles can see.

In this photo, it almost appears as if the Lieutenant is ordering the Native to lead the way!

47. Inter-Galactic Solo Wargaming Day

You may recall I played a solo game in appreciation of International Solo Wargaming Day, due to the fact that it was January 1, 2011 (or 1-1-11).  Well, as it turns out, there is another date with even more 1's coming up (and another date that is already past:  November 1, 2011 or 11-1-11).  The one coming up is November 11, 2011 (or 11-11-11).  [Even though it consists of 1's, you could argue that it is actually eleven's and is disqualified.  But if you want a good excuse to play a game, then don't argue.]

11-11-11 is being widely circulated as the definitive solo wargaming day, and I have therefore christened it Inter-Galactic Solo Wargaming Day.  (It is also Veterans Day, or Armistice Day, or Remembrance Day, but as these are real and sobering things, they have no place in a day of warGAMING.  I will honor those fallen, separately from my gaming; my flag will proudly fly outside my house.)

Today is only the 7th, and I won't actually be able to play on the 11th, so I am going to play a game "in honor of" IGSWgD.  It will probably take me much longer than one day to finish it, since I will have to play in quick snatches of time stolen from Real Life's uncouth interruptions, so I likely wouldn't have been able to play it in one day anyhow.  But I wanted to show everyone that I am serious about playing.  The table is set up, the dice are warmed up, and I am ready to go.

Here follows the general table layout and scenario.

Looking from the Objective area, facing the direction from which the troops will enter.  The Professor and Bearers are at the lower left.

Looking from the Entry area towards the Objective.

On the Left:  French Foreign Legion, 20 men, with bugler (le clairon), Caporal and Lieutenant.  On the Right:  Tirailleurs Algériens, led by a French NCO.

Arabic opponents:  Spearmen and Riflemen, 20 each.

More Arabic opponents:  20 Swordsmen.

A slightly closer view of the Objective area:  an Oasis, some ancient ruins, the Archeologist's hut, and the Professor (l'Archéologue).

An even closer view of the Objective area, and in fact, the Objective:  the Professor who must needs be rescued.

The scenario is simplicity itself.  (Especially when playing solo, I like to keep the game simple:  no fancy motivations for the enemy, no complicated mission objectives.  I want to play, and I don't want to put any more hurdles between myself and playing than necessary.)

The rules I will be using are Pith Helmet 2, by Don Bailey (available here).  You'll have to scroll down to find them.

The situation is as follows:  a French archeologist, attempting an unauthorized dig deep in the desert, has sent word that he needs rescuing from hostile locals.  He has "acquired" many valuable historical relics from an ancient ruin, but he fears for his safety in getting them out of the country.

In response, the local constabulary has requested aid from the French garrison.  The officer commanding has ordered a squad under a upwardly-yearning Lieutenant to extricate the errant Professor as quickly as possible, with as little fuss as possible.

The Arabs would like to stop them.

In Game terms, the French must travel to the Objective area (the Ruins), make contact with the Professor, and escort him and his Bearers off the same table edge by which they entered.

The Arabs will be controlled by the mechanics of the game, using the Reaction System built into the rules.  Their arrival will be determined by triggering events (yet to be determined), and their sole aim will be stopping the French, either by killing/driving them off, or by capturing or killing the Professor.  They will win a minor victory if they stop the Bearers from escaping but everyone else escapes.

I will have more details in a future posting:  exactly how I will rate the Legionnaires and the Arabs, the triggering events, etc.

Thanks for reading, and for keeping me honest!  I will play a game, finally!

46. Shhh, Be Vewy Vewy Quiet, I'm Hunting Dinosaurs....

I recently played a game of Two Hour Wargames' "Adventures in the Lost Lands" (AitLL) with a friend.  We were a bit rushed, and I was a bit rusty with the rules, but it was fun.  We encountered two herds of plant-eaters, I shot one of them, saved the carcass and was in the process of leaving the table when a couple of vicious predators showed up.  My friend was closer to them than I was so I high-tailed it out of there, while Tom got charged and eventually eaten (serves him right for abandoning me, long, long ago [scroll to the very end for the grisly story]).

Nevertheless this left me wanting more, so the next day I dug out my brand new copy of Saurian Safari.  I'd read through it once, and after only a second quick skim I was ready to play.  This time I was solo, but the game is perfectly suited to solo play.  Since this was a first-time test of the rules for me, I took a single Victorian-era Hunter, wielding a Martini-Henry bolt-action rifle, and went a-huntin'.  I played the first scenario, the very basic Jurassic Park hunt.  (I started to take the fabled Dinosaur Gun, but the chance of it knocking me down scared me away from it.)

First I rolled up my Hunter's stats.  Believe it or not, and I swear it's true, the dice were very good to me.  I gave them a very thorough shake before rolling.  Sometimes I get lucky.  Sometimes.

My Hunter:

Shooting:  100

Awareness:  100

Agility:  7

Strength:  6

Martini-Henry rifle:  1 shot/turn.  Misfire chance 3%.  Black powder.  Penetration:  5.  Damage Factor:  8.

Turn 1.  I roll for my Movement on 1d6 = 6".  Dinosaur encounter roll = 50%.  No dinosaurs are encountered.

A view of the general table layout, largely unchanged from the "Adventures in the Lost Lands" game.  I decided on a veldt terrain rather than a jungle terrain but it does make my other terrain pieces stand out.  Then again, I guess a river bank would be green even in an arid land.

Turn 2.  I roll for my Movement on 1d6 = 6".  Dinosaur encounter roll = 51%.  No dinosaurs are encountered.

I decide heading for the safety of cover is a good idea.

Turn 3.  I roll for my Movement on 1d6 = 3".  Dinosaur encounter roll = 35%.  No dinosaurs are encountered.

I manage to enter the depths of the cover.  From here I should have a good view of the whole table.

Turn 4.  I choose not to move.  Dinosaur encounter roll = 62%.  A dinosaur is encountered!  It is a Stegosaurus (Move 4", Toughness 7, Damage 12).  It comes on the table at coordinates 7 x 3 (long [left to right], by side [top to bottom]), facing 4 o'clock.  On my 6' x 4' table, this puts it roughly 49" x 14" in.  It is in the open and I self-rule that it did not emerge from cover (what cover?).

What luck!  I swear it was randomized with the dice, but you'd think I just put him there, right in my line of sight.

I decide I would like to shoot at said dinosaur.

Steady.  Steaaady.  Fire!

The Stegosaurus is more than 12" away, but not more than 24" so I take one -10% modifier to my Awareness of 100 = 90.  I roll percentage dice (d100) = 43%.  I am aware of the six ton monster.  I roll to see if my gun misfires; I roll 82%, far more than the 3% chance.  It does not misfire.  I shoot:  I take the same -10% penalty to my Shooting score (100), no other factors apply; I roll d100 = 37.  I hit!  But did I do damage?  I roll 1d6 + the gun's penetration value = 1 + 5 = 6.  I compare this to the Toughness of the dinosaur, 6 vs 7.  It bounces off his scaly hide!  Drat!

According to the rules, Stegosauruses (Stegosauri?) are not very bright, but they will charge anyone shooting at them.  I am in his front facing, so he can see me, even though I have a cloud of black powder smoke around me, and I am in cover.  Nevertheless, he will charge me at his fearsome 4" per turn!

Turn 5.  I choose not to move.  Dinosaur encounter roll = 11%.  No other dinosaurs are encountered.  The Stegosaurus moves 4" closer to me.

He may be big and slow, but he won't stop.  Keep shooting!

I decide to shoot again.  The same modifiers apply.  My Awareness roll = 61 vs 90.  I am aware.  My misfire roll = 48 vs 3.  No misfire.  My Shooting roll = 78 vs 90.  I hit!  Damage = 2 + 5 = 7 compared to Toughness of 7.  No effect!

Uh oh.

I decide to stand my ground.

Turn 6.  I choose not to move.  Dinosaur encounter roll = 54%.  No other dinosaurs are encountered.  The Stegosaurus moves 4" closer to me.

He's getting closer....

I decide to shoot again.  I will take down this dinosaur, or run at the last second!  The same modifiers no longer apply.  The Stegosaurus is now closer than 12" from me!  My Awareness roll = 97 vs 99 (100 is always a miss).  I am aware.  (I actually had to re-roll this, as the first time I rolled 97 vs 90, not realizing the dinosaur was now only 10" away.  After I re-rolled, I rationalized it as the clouds of powder smoke clearing....)  My misfire roll = 54 vs 3.  No misfire.  My Shooting roll = 97(!) vs 99.  I hit!  Penetration = 5 + 5 = 10 compared to Toughness of 7.  A hit!  Was it a critical?  I roll d100 = 76, no critical, so I deduct the rifle's Damage Factor from the Stegosaurus's Damage Value; 12 - 8 = 4.

According to the rules, if one shot removes more than half its remaining Damage Value, it is stunned.

The Stegosaurus is stunned!  It falls over.  Huzzah!  That's good, because he was getting pretty close.

The ground trembles as the multi-ton monster falls over.

Turn 7.  I choose not to move.  Dinosaur encounter roll = 38%.  No other dinosaurs are encountered (which is probably a good thing, since I'm having so much trouble with just one).  The Stegosaurus has fallen over and does not rise (I forgot until just now that it should have had a chance to stand, 4+ on 1d6.  Oops.  Oh well).  

I decide to shoot yet again.  My Awareness roll = 54 vs 99 (seems a little silly to roll for Awareness of a downed, motionless dinosaur at which I've been shooting continuously for 3 turns, but them's the rules).  I am aware.  My misfire roll = 35 vs 3, no misfire.  My Shooting roll = 3 vs 99.  I hit!  Penetration = 3 + 5 = 8 vs Toughness 7 = I hit!  Was it a critical?  I roll d100 = 77, no critical.  I deduct the rifle's Damage rating from the Stegosaurus's Damage Value; (now)4 - 8 = -4.  It's dead!

Turn 8.  I decide to run off the table.  I roll 2d6 = 7".  Dinosaur encounter roll = 55%.  No other dinosaurs are encountered.

Turn 9.  I decide to run off the table.  I roll 2d6 = 4".  Dinosaur encounter roll = 43%.  No other dinosaurs are encountered, which is good since it's taking me longer to RUN off the table than it did to WALK on at the start.

Turn 10.  I finally run off the table, 2d6 = 7".  Dinosaur encounter roll = 68%.  A dinosaur is encountered!  It is another Stegosaurus, but since I have now left the table I don't go any further with the results.  (This was partly because I was time-crunched in real life, too).

Verdict:  A successful dinosaur-hunting expedition.  I bagged a dinosaur and survived.  I may have acted somewhat overly-cautious and dare-I-say-it cowardly, but my only other experience is with AitLL, where the ferocious dinos are ferocious indeed!  Plus, I didn't have a lot a time to play as thoroughly as I would have liked, but the mere fact that I was able to play A GAME in 30 minutes, at all, is a "good thing" in my opinion.

I will definitely be returning to these rules sooner rather than later.

Thanks for reading!