Quar of Command at KEGSCon

As stated in my last post, my Quar of Command game at KEGSCon went over fairly well. A player on the losing side wanted to fight it out to the bitter end because they were having fun. Having fun even when you're losing is a Good Thing in my opinion, so I must have done something right. Or they were just happy to be at a gamesday and rolling dice.

I was so busy GMing I didn't take any pictures. I used the same scenario and similar table set up as I had with the Mad Padre and in a second game with Scott and Patrick to test the cards with CoC. Two companies were advancing to try and control some abandoned trenches out in No Quar's Land. I used an abbreviated Patrol Phase. Each side got three Jump Off Points and 4d6 to allocate between them for movement. So they could advance them 6 inches plus 1 or 2 d6 inches further. Each side managed to get their JOPs into some cover.

Instead of the CoC activation dice,  which can be frustrating in a convention game, I used the Clash of Rhyflers activation cards. A deck made of 3x threes, 4x fours, and 3x fives. The top card is discarded at beginning of each turn to prevent card counting. When it's your phase, the next card is drawn by the GM or your opponent, but you can't see what you've got until you try to activate that fourth or fifth thing and are told you've run out. One run through the deck is a turn. At the end of a turn routing troops and captured JOPs are removed. I used the CoC Force Morale system as written. 

Although a suggestion from the Quar Discord was that killing a Medic would increase Force Morale by a die roll, because the rhyflers are so enraged by the breaking of the Laws of War. I had mentioned having to forbid players going for easy "Support Option Eliminated" points by shooting at the stretcher team and someone gave me that suggestion as a remedy. 

Here are the Player Quick Reference Sheets I made up. What you can do is on the front, weapon stats on the back. A sheet for each side. I've taken photos because it seems trying to add tables from Word docs results in the right hand columns getting cut off. But if you want, you can download the docs from the Quar Discussion Facebook Group files section. 

You'll note that I've included my own tractors, not just the official models. 

The Royalist players quickly grasped using cards to activate Big Quar, and then using them to activate teams and sections. The Crusaders didn't and fought a lot of the game with their Big Quar and half of their company off table.

Everyone grasped using the pykpyks for rerolls though. Each side had 8 thanks to 3d printing!

I'm pretty happy with the weapon stats and this might become my main way of playing Quar going forward. Although I'll need to do a sheet for the Partisans and armies 4 and 5 probably. 

Blücher at KEGSCon 2024

Another weekend getaway minibreak for Mrs. Rabbitman and gaming day for me at KEGSCon, held once again at the very posh Retrosuites Hotel.

We had some excellent meals out and I spent Saturday at the convention my friends organize in Chatham, southern Ontario. 

Saturday afternoon I ran my Quar of Command game in their first public showing. But I'll talk about that later. Saturday morning I finally got to play in one of Keith's Blücher games. 

It was a modified 1814 scenario. Napoleon is facing an Allied army of Austrians, Russians, Prussians,  Bavarians,  and I think some Wurttemburg troops were present as well.

I ran the Allied right wing, some Cossacks, a Corps of Austrians and the Bavarian Corps. 

Bavarians!

My view of the French lines

French on the right. Allies on the left and foreground. Our plan was to fix the French right, and attack their center and left along that ridge

Prussians advance

Russians begine the assault on the ridge and the French center-left

Bavarian cavalry brigade who did sterling work supporting the Prussians and Russians to my left

Russians storming the ridge in the back. Prussians, supported by the Bavarian cavalry attacking in the foreground

And again!

Finally!

I'm pushing the Bavarian Corps through the woods to by pass a garrisoned village to my right. That big block  in the background is the Young Guard coming up.

Allied right. Austrian Corps is trading artillery fire wiht the French, who have lost a brigade. My two right flank brigades are in square. Just disappearing to the right of the picture are French dragons who are being kept busy by the Cossacks.

Clearing the last French off the ridgeline. Bavarian Cavalry get a flank charge in and Prussian infantry is attacking from the front. More Prussians (or are they Wurttemburgers?) are heading to occupy the town

The Guard cavalry have charged our center and left causing some discomfort. But they've pushed too far and gotten scattered. A Division of Russian Cuirassier are coming into the picture on the left. They, and a Corps of Russian Grenadiers, will counter attack.

Endgame! Massive Allied victory. Austrian infantry stormed up the ridge to overrun a French artillery brigade lower right. In the center those Russians cuirassiers have charged into the French center and eliminated three brigades that were each down to 1 SP. This got us well past the 7 stands we needed to eliminate for a win.

Keith's done a great job with the presentation and terrain, so it was a lovely gaming experience, and I'm a fan of Bavarians in any scale. Blücher is also a great game and it really captures the to-and-fro of combat and how the momentum of a battle will shift from one sector to another. Something definitely missing in traditional games. 

Scott and I are now looking at using Blücher for the 1809 Danube campaign. 

Chymo! Crusader Combat Engineers

The Sappers of 31 Combat Engineer Regiment 

Machine gun fire kicked up dirt along the edge of the crater. Is-Caerten Lyam ap Br'tyn rolled along the edge of the puddle and hugged the muck. As the fire moved away from him he risked a peek over the edge. They were close. The wire blocking their assault was only a few meters away. 

"Polyto, suppression fire on the slit!"

Some WIP pictures to give you a better idea of how he went together. The rhyfle is from the Western Anaryan arm set, and it is essentially a cut down Ryshi. I thought the folding stock and cut down barrel made it look very assaulty and perfect for some sappers who tinker with things to make them better.

Metal ammunition pouches and trench axe from an Accessory Set. Everything else is 3d printed.

"You got it, bossquar!" The older rhyfler dropped the fat worm he was thinking about eating and shouldered his heavily modified assault Ryshi and took aim over the lip, sending 20mm rounds towards the firing slit on the bunker. The other rhyflers added in fire with their Bogens. Getting a round through the firing slit would be a miracle, but the impact of their bullets around the edge would hopefully spray enough concrete chips to make the machine gunner shoot wild.

Lyam twisted the fuse on a smoke grenade and as he hurled it towards the bunker shouted "Wire team!"

Wire cutters added from an Accessory Set. Extra grenades. Helmets with goggles seem very Assault Pioneer as well.

More of the section threw smoke grenades to thicken the screen and three of his sappers jumped up from a crater and dashed forward at a crouch. Throwing themselves down in front of the belt of barbed wire just as a burst of machine gun fire slashed through the smoke over their heads. They pulled wire cutters from their packs and began furiously cutting at the tangled wire and pushing the sharp strands out of the way. 

Protected by the smoke, Lyam could watch their progress closely. When they rolled to each side and waved he shouted "Breaching team!"

Extra grenades from the metal Accessories. Satchel charges are just made from the mystery box that people use for everything. Satchel charges are kind of nondescript anyway.

Three more sappers from another crater got up, and crouching low under the stream of tracers, dashed forward carrying heavy bundles. "Let's go!" Lyam shouted at the three rhyflers with him and they jumped from the crater and dashed through the smoke.

A rhyfler beside him stumbled, blood gushing. He and Polyto each grabbed a strap on the wounded quar's harness and dragged him along. They dodged to the right after clearing the gap in the wire which the machine gun was now thrashing.

They were crouched against the concrete wall of the bunker where the arc of fire from the machine guns couldn't reach them. One of the wire clearing team started first aid on the casualty while Lyam got his bearings. 

A hatch popped open and a hand flung a grenade out. Lyam kicked the grenade away and shoved his Grifkis shotgun in the hatch before it closed. He fired both barrels and pulled it out. Reloading, he looked around and caught his Yawdryl's eye. "Ready, Rykko?"

Yawdryl Rykko hefted a couple of satchel charges. "You betcha bossquar! Let's blow the doors offa dis termite mound!"

Leaving the wire team to cover their rear, he lead the Breaching team along the wall to the back corner of the bunker. A blue grey helmet poked up from a trench. A fusilade of Bogen fire and some grenades made it go away. 

3d printed officer. His aggressive pose got him the job to command the sappers. I got Don to switch the head in Blender for a regular helmet, because I'm perverse and don't like the official officer's helmet.

Lyam risked a quick peek around the corner. He was met by a burst of machine gun fire. Ducking back he said "There's a machine gun port covering the door."

Rykko also took a peek, drawing more fire. "Right, 'bout 4 meters I'd say."

He pulled the fuse on a satchel charge and began swinging it. "One thousand and one, one thousand and two..." he chanted and then gently lobbed the deadly bundle around the corner and ducked back. A gratifyingly large explosion threw dirt and chunks of concrete past them. Rykko threw a smoke grenade and hefted another satchel charge. He ran to the armoured door and carefully set the explosive against it. He pulled the fuse and ran back. A second explosion followed. Before the dust even settled, Rykko yelled "Cyrs'n an' Polyto with me!"

Screaming "CHYMO!" like bloodthirsty night terrors, the three jumped through twisted ruin of the door, weapons blasting. Lyam scrambled to follow. Inside was smoke and dust and blood and rubble. Rykko tossed a grenade around a corner, shouting in a sing-song voice "Chymo!" He ducked back with a grin. Cyrs'n was firing into another chamber howling bloody thunder. Lyam saw a bleeding Blue stagger out from the machine gun position that had been covering the door. He raised a grenade and his other hand reached for the pin.

"Don't!" Lyam shouted and fired both barrels from his Grifkis into his chest. The Blue fell against the wall. Lyam kicked the grenade away. 

Suddenly it was quiet. Polyto pulled a flag from his pack. "I'll go put this up!"

They stepped outside. Already the Second Wave was streaming past and fighting their way into the Communication and Support Trenches.

Cyrs'n was already getting a brew going on a relatively clear section of the bunker floor. The practical minded sappers always felt that if "consolidating on the objective" didn't include getting a brew up then summat was wrong.

Yawdryl Rykko was getting the rest of the section sorted. Wounds tended. Ammunition inventoried. Lyam fumbled trying to light his pipe. He realized his hands were suddenly shaking.

A heavy gloved hand thumped on his shoulder. "Chymo!" Yawdryl Rykko used the traditional Engineering Corps greeting and toast. "Ye did good, kit. Good assault. By the numbers."

Lyam got his pipe going and offered the veteran his tobacco pouch. "Chymo, yawdryl."

My original sapper and two others, who get to be in the section because they look out of place standing like that in a rhyfle section. I could use them as extra heavy weapons crew too if required. 

***********************************

The Crusaders need some elite assault troops too, and the helmets with goggles and wire cutters just made me think sappers.

They will be two 5 figure units of elites infantry in Xenos Rampant, with the Demolition rule. Or a Combat Engineer section of 3 teams in Quar of Command, plus a couple of Big Quar. 

These are my last Crusaders, at least for now. 

I have grand intentions to build a First World War style bunker to add to the trench system, or perhaps even a small fort inspired by the fortifications around Verdun. I mean how hard can shaping a hill and putting some low gun turrets and MG slits on it be, really?

And apropos of nothing, I finally assembled and painted the ammunition caisson for my Coftyran field gun and tractor. It is a RAFM ACW limber with a second limber box added. I removed the horse traces and shortened the pole.

Just need to figure out some seated quar.

"Chimo" is the battle cry, toast, and greeting of the Royal Canadian Engineers. It is derived from the Inuktitut word for "friend," "hello," "peace be with you."

On Alwyd, a chymo is a small, digging mammal known for it's cunning and ferocity.  The Crusader Engineering Corps adopted the animal as a symbol and battle cry.

Special Forces Quar

Sylwedl M'nwryng was agitated. 

You could tell by the way he thrust his knife into the marmalade pot, as if he were attacking a Crusader, and the quick, violent strokes with which he spread it on his toast.

Through the wire!

"Damn it all, it just won't do!" He muttered, nibbling on his toast. "Won't do at all!"

"What won't do, sir?" Is-Caerten Bynti ventured. Being the junior member of the Mess, he didn't really know any better than to leave agitated Adjutants well and truly alone.

The two Caertens who were also breakfasting in the dugout, Fr'k and Bryk, exchanged knowing looks.

"Eh? What's that?" M'nwryng looked up from inspecting his tea,  where some dirt had fallen. Knocked loose by the tremor of a distant shell burst. 

Caerten Fr'k said "Young Bynti doesn't know."

"Know what? What's going on?" Bynti protested. 

Caerten Byrk said "Oh yes, all tucked up in his nest last night."

"Dreaming of pretty nurses!" Interjected Fr'k.

The Adjutant decided that not too much dirt had fallen into his tea, and used his oatmeal spoon to skim the top of his mug.

"What is it?" Bynti squeaked. "I wasn't Duty Officer. What's happened?"

Ready to bomb a dugout!

Corners are dangerous. "Shhhh... be vewy, vewy quiet."

Bryk gave a knowing look and tapped the side of his snout. "We have guests."

Fr'k nodded sagely. "Yes. Interesting guests."

"The Sneaky Snouts" said Bryk.

"It's always interesting when they come for a visit" observed Fr'k. 

"Damned inconvenient, is what it is!" The Adjutant growled. "Take over our dugouts, draw from our stores, take whatever they damn well  please without the proper requisitions. It makes my Daily Returns to Division a nightmare!"

A figure appeared at the curtain. "A gift for the Mess." He put a jar of Easky Mountain Squidgeberry jam on the table with a couple of fresh loaves, and a tin of Western Arnyaran Black tea. "Since I will be your guest for a day or two."

9 Commando

Bynti looked wide-eyed at the jam, an unheard-of treat from an enemy country. He looked at the newcomer. He was lean, wiry, and clever looking. The high collar was missing from his rhyfler's tunic, and the folds of a black sweater neck replaced it. He wore a rhyfler's harness, heavy with ammunition pouches, and a big fighting knife hung at his hip instead of an officer's sword. He set a well cared for Doru submachine gun against the wall. "Don't worry. I haven't got any grenades on me.... yet."

He turned and offered his hand to the Adjutant. "Caerten Gyrnh'm-Yng, 9 Commando, 11th Special Operations Group." He shook hands with everyone around the table. 

"Trench raiders!" Gasped Bynti. 

Grynh'm-Yng took Byrk's empty mug and filled it from the tea urns. "D'ye mind old snout? Ta much." And began drinking before Byrk could protest. He looked at Bynti. "Don't believe everything you read in the magazines. Half of it isn't true, and the other half is Classified."

"So there's going to be a raid? When? Are we helping?"

Gyrnh'm-Yng chuckled. "Eager for some adventure, eh, kit? We're always looking for bright young quar who can think fast when their snout's up a termite mound."

He used his fighting knife to hack off a chunk of bread and smear jam on it. "Now, which way to your OP? My Yawdryl and I would like a look around before it gets dark." 

He put a black knit cap on and stood up. Looking at the Adjutant. "We'll be drawing heavily from your grenade and mine stores tonight, sir." Slinging his Doru across his back, he left, munching on the bread.

M'nwryng snorted. "Damn nuisance! And why can't they polish their buttons? Eh?"

*******************

Here is the elite unit for the Royalists, some Trench Raiders, loaded up with bravado, grenades, and Doru submachine guns to bring the fight into enemy trenches. 

The troops are all 3d printed. Two different poses. The leader is a resin torso with plastic arms and head left over from the Coftyran set. The wire cutters slung across his back are metal from one of the Accessory packs I bought last year.

The Leader

Wire cutters. Appropriate because he's leading from the front, and he's the only one with a full tactical harness on to attach it to.

Most people follow the catalog and paint their masks as metal helmets, which seems to me to rather defeat the need for stealth. I went with Vallejo German Grey. I also added smears of dark grey camouflage paint, or more likely soot from a lamp, across their snouts and on their hands

Nine figures gives me three teams of three. I want to add two packs of the metal (I like those sculpts better than the new siocast) trench raiders with my next order. That will produce 3x five figure units of elites for Xenos Rampant and with some sniper and machine gun supports will be a decent force to play by itself.

In Xenos Rampant they will get either the Infiltration or Special Insertion rule to help them sneak up on Crusaders. I suppose I could also use them to play a game of Black Ops as well. 

Quar Partisans

Ryta checked her hat in the mirror and tied the ribbon carefully under her chin. "Oh c'mon you!" Jyn't shouted from the door. "We're going to be late meeting Aelf and Byrt!"

"Hush you." Ryta looked around her small house. "Now where's my purse?"

Jyn't pointed at the table. "There it is! What d'you want that for?"

"No that one!" Ryta rummaged in a closet. "Ach! Here it is!" She brandished a large shoulder bag. "I like this one. It can hold more magazines."

They regarded each other, in their best coats and nice scarves. Two respectable farm wives. Ryta pulled a submachine gun she had purchased from a Western Arnyaran trader last year out of the umbrella stand. "Right lassie. Let's be off."

******************

The truck bumped and creaked down the country road. Nog was at the wheel and Milwer Ogan sat beside him, feeling pleased even as they bounced around inside the cab. The Quarter-Master had sent them out to forage for supplies among the farms along the valley, and they'd found barns stuffed full of produce and termite boxes and worm bins just brimming. There were even a few stills with cases of homebrew that were gladly loaded onto the truck. They'd left receipts and military scrip to pay for it. They weren't marauders. It was all very legal.

The truck rounded a sharp corner and Nog stood on the brakes to keep them from crashing into a farm wagon. Muffled curses came from the back of the truck as the other two rhyflers were thrown into barrels and boxes. A wagon had lost a wheel and two dynas* were squabbling about it as one unhitched the cadier that had been pulling it.

Ogan banged on the back of the cab and shouted "Oi! You two! Get out here and help!" he turned to Nog with a sigh. "C'mon. Let's help the dearies and get the road cleared."

"Nice parking Ryta!" one in a pink coat scowled. "Oh hush you Jyn't!" the other retorted.

Milwer Ogan was all smiles. "Right then ladies! What seems to be the problem?"

The one with the large feather in her hat looked at them incredulously. "I'd think that was obvious sonny. Or are they taking blind rhyflers these days?"

Ogan turned to the other two rhyflers who had come from the back of the truck. "Right lads! Let's get this wheel back on and help these nice ladies on their way."

After some heaving and grunting, the four of them got the wheel back on. After a bit more effort a retaining pin was fashioned from a chisel in the truck's tool box.

Ogan stood back. "There you go ladies, now we can get your cadier hitched back up and you can be on your way! Going to market were you?"

"Summat like that sonny, but perhaps before you go, you can unload your truck into the back of the wagon here." Ogan looked up and found himself staring into the barrel of a large automatic rhyfle. The one with the feather in her hat had produced a submachine gun and was covering the other three.

 

Nog made a sudden step forward. The pink coat stepped back. "Eh now! Don't be clever sonny!" She gestured behind them. They heard the clicking of bolts and risked a glance over their shoulders.

A couple of Quar in workers overalls had come up behind them. One carried a Bogen and the other a submachine gun.

Another Quar stood up from the bushes where he had been well hidden. He was wearing a cloak made of leaves, common with country folk and good at keeping the rain off. They were also popular with poachers. This one levelled a long barreled Harlech at Ogan's head.

"As I said" said pink coat. "We'll be taking the harvest you've stolen."

"Stolen? This is all legitimate appropriation for the war effort!" Ogan explained. "We've paid for everything in military scrip and given receipts."

"War effort?" The country folk all laughed. "Crown or Crusade, we dinnae care."

Nog shouted "How can you not care?"

Pink coat nodded at the feathered hat. "Ryta's got a son off in the Crymuster and a nephew has run off to join the Crusade."

She nodded to the poacher. "Byrt shouldered that Harlech for the Crown when he was a lad." She gestured behind them "And Aelf there had a medal pinned on him by Alkynder himself."

Feathered hat, Ryta added. "And Jyn't's Pol never come back from the the Wars, did he love?" 

Pink coat, Jyn't, looked downcast. "No never he did. Not sure I care which side he was on. It's no matter to us. Big snouts in fancy 'owses make up ideas and get arguin' and then it's lads like my Pol get killed over it."

Ogan replied "Yes, yes, all very sad. But our requisitions are all legitimate and we've paid for everything in military scrip and given receipts!"

"Oh aye. And how's Granny Ogg up the valley with all her wee kits supposed to eat this chythwyn on your military scrip! A fine soup that'll make!"

Aelf, the one with the Bogen, said from behind them. "Supposed to be a bad 'un this year! You can tell if'n you watch the pykpyks and moths."  

Byrt, with his Harlech pointed at them, took a careful sip from a cup of something, which Ogen hoped wasn't alcoholic. "Aye. Bad chythwyn comin'" He resumed aiming at Ogen's head.

Jyn't raised her rhyfle again and sighted down the barrel between Ogan's eyes. "So, we'd rather just took what was ours and left you breathin', but we can do this another way too. No credit bein' a dead hero for a few cases of Byrt's hootch, now is there?"

Ogan swallowed loudly. "Right lads! Let's get the truck unloaded and leave these nice folks alone."

*Dyna: a female quar.

**************************

I hadn't set out to make a force of Partisans, but I saw the creative potential with the 3d printed civilian figures and the extra arms etc and couldn't help myself. The joy of 3d printing being you can have extra figures to mess about with. And if you cock it up, oh well. It's not nearly the risk as trying conversions with metal figures that cost you $4 or more.

So here they are, Faction number 3 for the Quar.

Byrt, with the harlech from the plastic frame, started as the farmer with beetle. He required a bit of surgery to reposition his arm so that the butt of the rhyfle rested on the ground. The other two males partisans are the mechanic with different arms. The submachine gun carried by the one with the pink hat comes from the Western Arnyaran set.

The two dynas are Western Arnyaran figures, and the first offical quar females. They have slightly wider hips and if they weren't obscured by their weapons, a slight bust under the coats. They also have larger eyes, which can be seen on the bareheaded one, Jyn't.

The Western Arnyaran helmet looks like a hat to me, held on with a ribbon. To make it even more hat like I added a feather made from paper glued to a length of brass wire and then glued into a hole drilled into the hat.

These were fun. With some of the men I've tried to suggest faded uniform colours on the hats, but otherwise keeping them very civilian. I even tried a plaid shirt on pink hat.

I'll wait until the plastic partisan set comes out before I expand the force. Until then I guess I might have to try the Rhyfler's Handbook skirmish rules which only require a few figures a side on a 2x2 area.