Five Core

I accompanied Mikey to a small game day in nearby Brantford last Saturday, Over the Top hosted by the Lords of the North game club. A dozen tables, maybe 60 people and a couple of dealers.

I wasn't running my game until after lunch so I prowled the hall checking out the games. A couple of guys with a very compact board did a hard sell on their game so I figured why not and got Keith and Barry to join me.

The board is maybe 2x3 feet

The game was 15mm, Soviet Airborne vs Mujahedin and used the Five Core rules from Nordic Weasel Press. Each of us ran a 5 figure section and a BMD IFV of Soviets. So a platoon in a tight urban area.

Ready to assault the objective

The game rattled along quite briskly and the game mechanics achieved battlefield friction, suppression and morale in very interesting ways with minimal dice rolling. I can see that after you memorise a few key things like how many dice each weapon uses, you wouldn't need to look anything up! I was quite impressed and am intrigued by the sound of the slightly bigger scoped No End in Sight, which says it will handle a platoon plus supports and emphasises the leaders and the stress of command.

The only drawback is that the rules are only in PDF format (available from Wargames Vault) and I find PDFs disappear into my hard drive or tablet to be forgotten!

Some other random pics from the show:

Flint and Feather 

Sharp Practice 

Big Napoleonic action using Might of Arms and 1/72 scale plastic figures 

Charlie Company Vietnam game

Big DBA!

ACW with Black Powder 

Rapid Fire?

Call Sign 21 having another rough day at the office

I used card activation this time which worked well. Still need to tweak it and think more on adding in a card for when other stuff like indirect fire or medevacs arrive. Since I was running the Taliban the Canadians did OK: two prisoners and no KIAs.

The Empty Warren

It is with some sadness that I report that Biggles, International Rabbit of Mystery, and the last of his warren, hopped off to join his ancestors last night.

So now my Basement o'Rabbits is rabbit-less.

10 weeks shy of his 10th birthday puts him somewhere around 90 human years.

Most of pictures are from when he was young and more active. In his later years he'd spend his days in the box and wait for snacks, then go home to his cage when I'd show up for dinner.

The last 2 months though he's been slowing down and like a senior worried about the basement stairs, he wasn't leaving the cage. We did spoil him silly with the treats though. Half an apple? Branch off the apple tree? Even better (leaves and all, he happily stripped all the bark off).

Yesterday morning I gave him the stalk from some broccoli but after work I visited him and he'd fallen and couldn't get back up.

I'm going to miss the little fuzz ball.

Sculpting a C7

A bit of time with a knife, a file, and some green stuff and I've got this:

Before

After

One Australian with a Carl Gustav and an F88 rifle converted into a Canadian with a Carl Gustav and C7 rifle.
The GPMG gunner didn't need anything to get his pack to fit, but I had to use my Dremel tool to grind off some of the Carl G operator's fanny pack.

Canadian on the left, Australians centre and right

Carl Gustav team

I'm not going to make a career as a sculptor but I'm pretty pleased. I'm not sure if this is more or less complicated than a head swap though.

North West Frontier Troop Lists for Sharp Practice 2nd Edition

Spent time with the Sharpulator and MS Word making up rosters for my North West Frontier troops, so I can do a proper game with force support options etc.

The following fits the predjudices I have formed from my own reading. Hopefully my math is correct. I did notice on the Sharpulator that groups armed with rifles were always one point less than groups armed with rifled muskets. I suppose he's meaning muzzling loading hunting rifles used by jaegers etc. So I used Rifled Muskets as the basis for the breech loader armed Imperial troops. But I think they're pretty expensive compared to the Pathans as is really.

Veteran troops, both native and British, have had service on the Frontier and have experienced officers and NCOs. Green British troops are just off the trooper from Portsmouth. Trained and disciplined, but lacking experience, especially among the officers and NCOs. They aren't acclimatised yet so don't Step Out etc. as easily. Green native troops are newly raised or Imperial Service troops from a friendly Raj.

British cavalry actually never served on the Frontier, but I included them for completeness and for later Boer War usage. Indian and British cavalry were using rifles by this time instead of carbines.

North West Frontier Imperial Forces

Guides Infantry				Type	Elite
Points Value	12	Weapon	Breech Loading Rifle		Size	8
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
Always	Yes	Yes	2	2	3	Good shots, Moveable DP, Stubborn, Tactical
Guides Skirmishers				Type	Light Infantry
Points Value	12	Weapon	Breech Loading Rifle		Size	6
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
Always	Yes	No	-	2	-	Good shots, Moveable DP, Tactical
Gurkhas				Type	Elite
Points Value	11	Weapon	Breech Loading Rifle		Size	8
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
Always	Yes	Yes	3	2	3	Aggressive, Big Choppers, Thin Red Line
Veteran British Infantry				Type	Regulars
Points Value	10	Weapon	Breech Loading Rifle		Size	8
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
Always	Yes	Yes	2	2	2	Stubborn, Sharp Practice, Thin Red Line
Green British Infantry				Type	Regulars
Points Value	8	Weapon	Breech Loading Rifle		Size	8
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
No Shock	Yes	Yes	3	3	3	Stubborn
Veteran Native Infantry				Type	Elite
Points Value	12	Weapon	Breech Loading Rifle		Size	8
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
Always	Yes	Yes	2	2	2	Aggressive, Stubborn, Moveable DP

Green Native Infantry				Type	Conscripts & Volunteers
Points Value	5	Weapon	Rifled Musket		Size	10
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
No Shock	No	No	-	-	-	Poor Shots, Weedy Coves
Highlanders				Type	Regulars
Points Value	10	Weapon	Breech Loading Rifle		Size	8
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
Always	Yes	Yes	2	2	2	Aggressive, Stubborn, Thin Red Line

British Skirmishers				Type	Light Infantry
Points Value	12	Weapon	Breech Loading Rifle		Size	6
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
Always	No	No	-	3	-	Sharp Practice
Guides Cavalry				Type	Impact Cavalry
Points Value	8	Weapon	Breech Loading Rifle		Size	8
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
Always	No	No	-	2	-	In Hand, Tally Ho! Moveable DP
Bengal Lancers				Type	Impact Cavalry
Points Value	7	Weapon	Breech Loading Rifle		Size	8
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
Always	No	No	-	2	-	In Hand, Tally Ho!
Dismounted Cavalry				Type	Skirmishers
Points Value	10	Weapon	Breech Loading Rifle		Size	6
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
Always	No	No	-	3	-	Sharp Practice
British Lancers				Type	Impact Cavalry
Points Value	7	Weapon	Breech Loading Rifle		Size	8
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
Always	No	No	-	2	-	In Hand, Tally Ho!
British Dragoons				Type	Impact Cavalry
Points Value	7	Weapon	Breech Loading Rifle		Size	8
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
Always	No	No	-	2	-	In Hand, Tally Ho!
Mounted Infantry				Type	Dragoons
Points Value	8	Weapon	Breech Loading Rifle		Size	8
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
No Shock	No	No	-	3	-
Mountain Guns				Type	Artillery
Points Value	5	Weapon	Light Gun		Size	4
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
No	Yes	Yes	-	3	-
Royal Horse Artillery				Type	Artillery
Points Value	7	Weapon	Medium Gun		Size	5
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
No	Yes	Yes	2	2	-
Royal Artillery Elephant Battery				Type	Artillery
Points Value	8	Weapon	Heavy Gun		Size	5
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
No	Yes	Yes	2	2	-
Maxim Gun Detachment				Type	Artillery
Points Value	8	Weapon	Machine Gun		Size	5
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
No	Yes	Yes	2	2	-

Here's my take on the Pathans. Even though many of them by the 1890s had breech loading rifles I figure lack of fire discipline would reduce the weight of musketry.

North West Frontier Tribal Forces

Ghazis				Type	Clan
Points Value	8	Weapon	Rifled Muskets		Size	12
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
No Shock	No	No	-	1	-	Aggressive, Big Choppers, No Bayonets
Tribesmen				Type	Tribes
Points Value	7	Weapon	Rifled Muskets		Size	12
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
No Shock	No	No	-	2	-	Good Shots, No Bayonets, Hearth & Home
Skirmishers				Type	Irregular Skirmishers
Points Value	7	Weapon	Rifled Muskets		Size	6
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
No Shock	No	No	-	2	-	Good Shots, No Bayonets
Tribal Cavalry				Type	Irregular Cavalry
Points Value	3	Weapon	Rifled Musket, Lance, Sword		Size	8
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
No Shock	No	No	-	1	-
Mountain Gun				Type	Artillery
Points Value	5	Weapon	Gun		Size	4
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
No	No	No	-	-	-
Dacoits & Badmashes				Type	Wallahs
Points Value	2	Weapon	Spears, Bows, Swords		Size	12
Formation	First Fire	Controlled Volley	Crashing Volley	Step Out	Drill	Characteristics
No	No	No	-	1	-	Weedy Coves

There we are. Just need to try out some proper games with force support options and a scenario.

Should figure out something for machine guns though.

Post Script: discussion generated by this on the Sharp Practice Facebook group has come up with the interesting idea to represent the Pathans as various types of skirmishing infantry (except the ghazis of course)