Blast from the Past: Radio Fryer, Q&P AAR

As my Earthlink-based gaming website heads towards internet oblivion, I am reposting some fun AARs using the rules we play onto my blog here. This is another game using Tom Graves' For Queen and Planet rules. 

Martian/Mahdist Commanders (L-R), Dave, Joel, and Tom survey the battlefield and the advancing Italians

So, Tom, feeling sorry for my poor Colonial Italians that I'd painted up for his Victorian Sci-Fi/Colonials system, designed a scenario so the oppressors of East Africa could take the field. The background behind the game was this: A Martian vehicle had crashed in Sicily, providing the Italians with a chance to salvage some advanced technology. Jealous of their fellow European powers, they located their research facility in their East African possessions. Their experiments attracted the attention of Martian scouts, who were promptly shot down by the Marconi Radio Cannon. Realizing they were discovered, an Italian field force was dispatched to secure the Research Facility, while simultaneously, the Martians sent a Mahdist force to capture it.
The battle report below was written by one of the players, Joel Sams.

Madhist/Martian force of Flying Machine, Beja Rifle, Beja Warband, and Ansar Cannon advance

Battle Report: Radio FryerMartian/Sudanese Recon Force: Commanders: CnC Joel Sams, Tom Graves, Dave Welch
Italian Rapid Reaction Colonial Force: Commanders: CnC Mike Demana, Joe Merz, Keith Finn

An Italian Radio Cannon brought down the Martian S.S. Millennium Faulkner.  A Martian/Mahdist Recon forces dispatched to investigate had a meeting engagement across the fast moving Dheep Dudu River, with severely restricted crossing points.  The Sudanese forces, on the right flank (Dave), moved quickly to capture Cannon Hill, but the high frequency and highly accurate cannon fire (Joe) drove off all the natives, repeatedly. 

Meanwhile on the left flank (Ptomas) and the S.S. Faulkner were on the verge of being overrun by Eritrean Italian Askaris (Keith).   Martian cannon fire slowed their advance enough to allow a fanatical tribal warband to maneuver onto a Italian flank.  What followed goes down in tribal history as "their finest hour" (if they could tell time that is!). Hats off and a Martian Salute ('nnack 'nacKK!) to Ptomas for a job well done. 

Meanwhile the Martian center (Joel) command developed slowly due to indecision, formation changes and the river crossings.  When the battle draws to an exhausted end, the New Sudanese Army "won" but too few survived to exploit the victory.

Italian center advances in column over a hill towards an East African village

Thanks again Ptomas for running- Keith for letting us use the club house.

Blast from the Past: Clash of Warmachines, Q&P AAR

My Earthlink-based gaming site will disappear before long, so I'm salvaging some fun AARs using the rules we play and reposting them here. This is a August 2007 report of a battle using Tom Graves' For Queen and Planet rules.

British forces roll towards the Sudanese, led by their steam-powered Imperial Walker

Tom Graves ran his eagerly-anticipated Colonial Sci-Fi game at what is becoming our regular gathering spot, "Keith's Clubhouse." We had a great turnout -- six players and Tom as GM. Keith Finn, Joel Sams and I were the Sudanese defenders of a zariba (thorn fort) and village. Allen Sams, Dave Welch and Steve Verdoliva were the imperialistic British attackers. The scenario showcased Tom's new resin British gunboat and his scratch-built Arab dhow. Nice eye candy for the tabletop, though most of us felt they should be able to DO more...

Tom's nifty new gunboat was great eye candy on the tabletop!

It was a knock-down, drag them out fight, with the British overpowering the Sudanese. Our Martian weapons ended up outclassing and defeating their infernal machines (Steam Tank and Walker), but that was our only real success. In the most one-sided butt whupping that I've been a part of recently, Steve Verdoliva's elite British force handily thrashed my command.

In Tom's game, you roll 2d6 vs. your shooting or melee factor. The less you roll under it, the more casualties you cause. Steve's dice rattled off "3's" and "4's" repeatedly against me, then after he'd wiped me from the board, marched on and started to chew up Joel's force. He capped his evening rolling back to back snake eyes against Joel! Even when Joel snatched his dice away -- forcing him to roll different ones -- Steve slaughtered him. In short, his elites fought like elites, while our tribesmen fought like...well, we had somewhere more interesting to be...off table...like now!

The bitter end -- British crash through the zariba fort, despite the efforts of the Martian Scout Walker

It was a great scenario, and really did come down to the end, as both sides had suffered grievous losses. Both commanders continued to pass their army morale checks to avoid quitting the field, so it dragged on to the bitter end (for the Sudanese). The British seized the ford, and was able to secure a crossing to relieve General Gordon at Khartoum.