Gang Rumble in Downtown Lancaster, PA

    A terrified pedestrian backs against a wall as the Flippos arrive in downtown Lancaster

For the first time in years, the First Command Wargames crew was heading to a big convention to run our games. Five of us had scheduled events at Historicon 2022 in downtown Lancaster, PA. I would be running Mean Streets on Thursday night and Friday morning. Jenny would be helping me run Wars of Insurgency on Friday night and Saturday morning. I had created a terrain setup that would be usable for both games, which minimized the amount we had to haul east and pack and unpack out of the convention. Meanwhile, Mike S and his son Jason would be running Battles on the American Frontier using Song of Drums and Tomahawks rules. Steve V would be running his Battle of Mollwitz, 1741, using his War of Austrian Succession supplement for his For King or Empress rules.

    Two gangs of bitter rivals battle it out on the Mean Streets - the Flippos and the Mohawks

Kicking it all off was my Gang Rumble in Lancaster Mean Streets scenario. I have to admit, I did nothing to make my terrain resemble downtown Lancaster, PA. Until this point, I had never even been to the downtown portion. I was pleasantly surprised at all the historic buildings and the many restaurants, markets, and brewpubs there were within walking distance of the convention center. Jenny and I arrived Wednesday night and met up with Jason M, who had reserved the rooms and been very helpful reminding us when event registration opened and so on. One of our regular Sunday night gamers, Andy, also arrived Wednesday night. We met him and his roommates Tim and Don for beers on a rooftop bar that evening. It was an enjoyable way to begin a weekend convention.

    Our Thursday night group of players start to rumble on my downtown battleground

The convention actually began on Wednesday, but its first main day was Thursday. After breakfast, Jenny and I grabbed a hotel cart and took the terrain, miniatures, and First Command rule books up to our table. The Historicon staff was very gracious and placed all three of our event tables adjacent to each other. We hoisted our First Command Wargames banner and (I think) made a nice presence in the Commonwealth room. It took less than an hour to set up the terrain for Mean Streets. I was given an 8'x5' table, which gave elbow room for the players with my 5'x4' setup. I was really pleased with how the table looked. In the last couple months, I have made some tweaks to my urban terrain. I've added cork squares as the asphalt streets to place between the acrylic floor tiles which resemble gray concrete. The latest addition were my street medians, which I had scratch-built using wooden molding decorated with Woodland Scenics street lamps and small shrubs and flowers. The scratch built guardrails on each end with their yellow and black pattern really set them off. I find it is the little things like the medians that often make a table "pop" and draw attention.

    The martial arts gang, the Daos, stand their ground as the Santanas approach in their leather jackets

Once we were finished setting up the terrain, we wandered through the rest of the convention center to check out the early games that were under way. One that stuck out to me in particular was the Have Gun Will Travel Old West game. His game spread across several tables popping with eye candy, including a mine lit with electric lights and a native American cliff dwelling. When the Exhibit Hall opened at noon, I was able to take my time and get my shopping fix in right away. I didn't want to buy a lot on the first day, though, because Jason would be trying to sell my last three 15mm DBA armies in the flea market. If they all sold, I'd get an influx of more than $300, so I was going to buy only the things I really needed Thursday. Or, at least that's what I told myself! I'll cover my purchases in the next post covering my Wars of Insurgency game.

    The Kings, in their black and green gang colors stalk towards the gas station to join the rumble

I had a very relaxing start to the day, and was ready to go when 7pm and rolled around and the first session of Gang Rumble in Lancaster was set to begin. The table was completely full - as were all four of my sessions of both games. I find that if you can set up your game early, place a sign telling potential players which event it is, then your terrain can sometimes recruit those last spots to fill up. That was my #1 reason for getting set up first thing that morning. Most gamers at Historicon don't know me or my games like folks back home in HMGS Great Lakes country. I'm lucky back home that enough people have had fun in one of my previous games that my events tend to fill up.

    A Flippo tries to convince a market stall owner to pay protection money (their gang mission)

The scenario is my standard one for Mean Streets. There were six players, each controlling their own gang. I chose my most eye-catching gangs, which for this game would be the Flippos in their clown masks, the punk rock Mohawks, the leather jacketed Santanas, the black and green Kings, the Highlanders in their checkered pants, and the Daos in their purple and yellow martial arts attire. Each gang would have a Primary mission, which might be stealing a car from the service station garage, shoplifting at the general store, or shaking down merchants for "protection money."

    Meanwhile, Ramona of the Santanas sneaks into the service station bay to steal a car

Each gang also had a secondary mission, which was to get some payback on a rival gang that had put a "beat down" on them last week. I selected the target gang so that every gang had one other going after them. Finally, all gangs had the additional way of earning victory points by "tagging" buildings with their gang logo. Players received a stack of foam circles emblazoned with each gang's logo. Players also lost victory points for each of their gang members knocked out of action.

    A late-arriving police officer puts knocks down a Flippo with one blow from his billy club

After one of my CincyCon games, I have a special mechanism I've installed in my gang warfare games. If a player is essentially knocked out of the game with all (or nearly all) of his gang members down for the count, I have that player control a police car which arrives on the scene. The player is given complete control over where to bring it on and what he wants the two policemen to do. They can get payback on the player who beat them up, try to take out the one that appears in the lead, or just have fun with it. I tell the other players that they hear sirens. This also has the effect of encouraging players to wrap up their missions and heading for the board edge. I don't tell them the game is moving towards a conclusion, but by this time, they are getting into their role of a street thug and they begin to think it might be a good idea to take their winnings and skedaddle!

    Julio, gang boss of the Santanas, and his warchief Cruz catch Kira in the act of tagging their turf

I thought about writing separate battle reports for Thursday evening's and Friday morning's games. However, I figured that might get a bit redundant. I liked how the balance worked out, though. The gang that scored the most victory points on Thursday, the Flippos with 21, actually scored the least on Friday. Similarly, the winner on Friday, the Mohawks, were in the bottom half of scores on Thursday. Some players were laser-focused on their primary missions. For example, the Kings on Friday barely engaged in any scuffles with other gangs until they had completed their mission. Once they each had a six-pack of beer under their arm, they returned to the street ready to rumble. Other gangs ignored their mission for most of the game and concentrated on attacking or evading other gangs. The Daos did that on Thursday, and it ended up causing them to fail to complete their mission of convincing the owner of Finn's Factory to pay protection money. In fact, Manager Keith bloodied the nose of the punk who tried to rough him up!

    The other Mohawks come to avenge Kira's knockout, while the Kings decide to join the fray

One thing that was common in both games was much of the mayhem centered on the gas station near the center of the board. The wide open space and clear path to rival gang members was too much for most players to resist. At one point, nearly every gang was involved in a huge scrum in the center of the board. Mohawks traded punches with Santanas, while Kings and Daos duked it out in front of the alarmed patrons of the Shell station. When I am setting up scenario, I make it a point for each gang to have to traverse the board to a far side to complete their missions. So, a player who starts in the middle of one of the long edges of the board will likely have to go to an opposite corner to reach their objective.  If you were to draw arrows from where gangs deployed to where they ended up, you'd see the arrows intersecting many times in the middle of the board.

    The Santanas don't look happy that other gangs have muscled in on their turf - the gas station!

Adding in the secondary mission of wanting payback against a certain gang, and making knocking their figures out of action worth double points, usually tempts them away from focusing only on their primary mission. The player may have planned to stay on target, but when they see a punk from a rival gang by himself, they can't help but dash in and beat him up! Honestly, I feel that if players just moved around the board and tagged buildings and then beat up shopkeepers, it would be a fairly boring game. That's why I structure my victory points and starting positions/objectives to encourage them to mix it up. I am always reminded of my old friend Eric's frustration in a game when no casualties were being removed and it was mostly maneuver. He pounded the table with his fist in mock anger saying, "I just want to kill something!"

    The Flippos and their creepy clown masks are always a scary sight on the streets

Keeping Eric's adage in mind means my games and scenarios are designed to allow players to inflict casualties. Mean Streets' combat system reinforces this. When a gang member wins a combat, he either inflicts a wound on an opponent (permanently giving that street punk a -1 to further rolls...and wounds ARE cumulative), doubles them and inflicts twice as many wounds plus a special effect for the weapon the figure is armed with, or triples them knocking that figure out of action. No matter how mild mannerd a player may be in real life, there is a visceral thrill to beating up the rival players' street punks. This is YOUR turf and you're the baddest street gang out there!

    What's this? A truce between the Santanas and Highlanders to go beat up other gangs??

And speaking of casualties, both games saw the police car arrive on board late game. This time, I told the player the cops are armed with billy clubs but also have their pistol. They could choose whether to shoot the gang member or just try to beat up the punk. Surprisingly, no shots were fired this time around, but the officers did knock out a punk or two! The arrival of the police car always seems to light up the table. Players smile and pull out their cell phones to take pictures. Maybe I should find on that has actual flashing LED lights? Or maybe I should get a police siren sound effect on my phone and play it when the cops arrive? The thing a GM wants is for his or her players to have fun. Anything that adds to the thrill is worth looking into!

    The colorful Mohawks are one of my favorite gangs - most figs are modified from The Assault Group

Speaking of which, all the players said they had a great time. It is always satisfying to hear your players say that, and even more when they are excitedly recapping events in the game. As a rules designer, I love to hear players say, "Hey, I could use these rules for ____!" Mean Streets seems to get those comments more than any other system. It is a "toolkit" kind of system which can be accessorized and added to so that it fits a different period. I have run this same engine for French & Indian War frontier raids and even Pulp adventures in the South Seas. 

    In both runnings of the game, a swirling melee broke out in the back alley near the gas station

This was our first time coming to a convention and having several vendors already stocking our rules. So, although we had a small holder with a copy of the rules we were using on the table for our games, we did not have the whole line displayed like we have done at other conventions. We told players where they could buy the rules in the Exhibit Hall and encouraged them to to get it from them (even though we make less on wholesale to vendors than retail to players). As a company, we realize we can't be at every convention running games and then selling them off of our table. We need those vendors out there taking our rules to shows, putting them on their websites, and so on.

    The back alley rumble gets bloody as more gang members wade in with chains, clubs, and knives

One of our vendors told me that people must have had fun with Mean Streets because there was a "run" on the rules he had. That was satisfying to hear. Only a dozen people total participated in the two sessions of Gang Rumble in Lancaster, but you hope your game creates a "buzz" as they tell their friends and others how much fun they had. Based on vendor feedback, First Command Wargames' trip to Historicon was a success. Based on my players' comments, it was a knockout success!

    Mean Streets cover was drawn by one of my students - pick up a copy if you don't have one already!

President of Kammebalango's Nightmare Motorcade through Capital

    I ran my "To Kill a President" scenario for Wars of Insurgency at DayCon 2022 this past weekend

I wanted one final tuneup of my Wars of Insurgency scenario that I am taking to Historicon next weekend. So, I scheduled an afternoon session this past weekend at DayCon 2022 for "To Kill a President." It is a reworking of a scenario that I had first run in 2018 at Advance the Colors. For this version, I added a sixth player faction. I wanted to run it to make sure things still ran relatively okay. I also pared down and reworked the order of battle a bit more, too, so things would move quickly with six players.

    The table at DayCon (and rule books) all set up prior to the start of the game

The six factions include the President in his motorcade of two jeeps with heavy machine guns (HMG) and two up-armored SUVs. Inside these four vehicles are the drivers and two extra crewmen or passengers of "Professional" status (best troops in Wars of Insurgency). The player controlling the faction decides which vehicle the President will ride in, and where in the vehicle itself. They can choose between one of the two SUVs or two jeeps. He can't be a driver or machine gunner, though!. On the President's side is the Peoples Militia of Kammebalango. They are immensely loyal to the "Great Elephant," and are there to escort him the president and keep him safe. They control three squads of 10 Militia with small arms. Each squad also has a Militia light machine gunner (LMG) and RPG man.

Players read through their mission briefings to learn their individual goals & victory conditions

Opposing the President is one of the local army commanders. He is from a rival tribe whose people have been neglected, mistreated, and persecuted by the president's regime. The general has brought soldiers loyal to him in a bid to assassinate the president. They are riding in two armored vehicles, each equipped with a HMG and an extra crewmen. Each vehicle also carries a squad of four Regular soldiers with small arms and one with LMG. Also attempting to prevent the president from escaping off-table (he is on his way to the airport to fly to Cairo for a meeting of African leaders), is a Mercenary faction. These have been hired by an unnamed country who wants to have a "chat" with the president to convince him to sign away some mining rights to them. Their job is to kidnap the president and take him to the undisclosed location where the "chat" will take place. They arrive in two helicopters, each armed with a LMG, and each carrying a squad of four Professional mercs with small arms.

    'Kammebalango for Kammebalangans' (K4K) arrives on table through the park playground

Slightly less anti-president is the faction of UN Peacekeepers from Ghana. For their own selfish political reasons, they do not want the president of Kammebalango to attend the meeting in Cairo. Their forces have been ordered to divert or prevent him from escaping off the designated board edge heading to the airport. They are NOT to kill him -- that would be a disgrace to the nation of Ghana if their peacekeepers killed the president of their host nation. The peacekeepers are all on foot. They have two Regular squads of eight men armed with small arms, plus a LMG and RPG gunners in each squad. Finally, the forces of a new and somewhat mysterious movement are present in the capital - Kammebalango for Kammebalangans (K4K). They also have two squads armed identically to the UN peacekeepers. However, their mission is to attack and drive off any foreigners. They believe only citizens of Kammebalango should determine the future of the nation.

    The Peoples Militia of Kammebalango marches down the dirt road to meet the President's motorcade

So, the way I intend for it to work out is there are three factions somewhat on the president's side, and three factions who are somewhat (or wholly) against him. They all have their own individual victory conditions which do not coincide perfectly. Even the goals of the intensely loyal People's Militia are subtly different than the President's. Each faction doesn't know the other players' goals, so it is a bit of a free-for-all rather than a straight up, two-sided confrontation. I ended up with five players signed up, so Jenny volunteered to play the role of the President since she will actually be helping me run this scenario at Historicon. I am also running Mean Streets, so she's giving me a break or two from GMing. She was there to observe and learn, and what better way to learn than to be thrown into the role of the President and his motorcade, trying to navigate the streets safely to the opposite corner of the table?

    As gunfire erupts in the streets, two helicopters hover over the downtown streets of the capital

The game opened in a relatively low-key fashion, with two squads of the Peoples Militia advancing down the alley, cheering as they met the Great Elephant's motorcade on the main street. A third squad began sneaking down the long table edge behind the buildings, climbing the chain link fences separating each apartment block from each other. To the President's right, the two squads of K4K advanced through the park playground and took up positions along the wall, making his bodyguards very nervous. Gunfire first erupted, though, from the Peoples Militia climbing the fences when they spotted the Ghanaian peacekeepers. One blue-helmeted trooper went down. With the sound of gunfire, all the forces on table suddenly became alert, fingers on their triggers.

    The rebellious army commander's troops roll onto the table inside two APCs, ready for a fight

More shooting was about to erupt, though. The armored vehicles of the rebellious army commander rolled onto the table almost precisely where the President would be trying to exit. They moved steadily towards the intersection with the main street, down which the motorcade was progressing. Turning the corner, they saw the President's jeeps and SUVs, escorted by a massive throng of the militia, all headed towards them. BRAAAAP!! The gunner on the HMG opened up on one of the President's escorting jeeps. The other Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) turned the corner and opened up on the same jeep. Sparks flew and the vehicle shuddered to a stop. Its occupants were Professionals, though, and immediately began firing back, pouring rounds aimed for the driver's observation slit. With two jeep-mounted HMGs hosing down the APC, one round made it inside, killing the driver of the lead vehicle. It rolled forward past the median and slowly ground to a stop. 

    Blue-helmeted peacekeepers march onto the table and take up positions on the Jersey barricades

Gunfire erupted up and down the main street, echoing off the walls of the downtown buildings. The sound of the gun battle reverberated back and forth, at first masking the sound of the rotor blades of two khaki-colored helicopters suddenly arriving overhead. One of them hovered inches above the hotel's roof. Four white mercenaries leapt out and raced for the trap door, leading to the ladder from the roof to the building's top floor. Soon, the clamor of the helicopters began to drown out the sound of the gunfire. With the arrival of the mysterious choppers, two other factions leapt into action. The K4K squads clambered over the park walls and advanced down the alley way. One squad of UN troopers dashed along the concrete Jersey barricades between the street and the hotel. The other squad ducked through a side door into the neighboring, three-story apartment building. Half of those blue helmeted troopers dashed upstairs to the second floor, as well. From there, they engaged the militia they could begin to see advancing down the street. The militia had fired first, after all - at least that was how they interpreted their rules of engagement!

    Cheered on by the jubilant militia, the President's bodyguards escort him down the main street

The APCs continued to fire upon the militia and the bodyguard. The second jeep was also disabled, but both HMGs were still operational and firing back. The militia added their small arms fire to that of the bodyguard's, as well as keeping up a running gun battle with the UN troopers. Everyone kept eying the hovering helicopters, which so far, had yet to tip their hand why they were there. As the helicopter over the roof lifted off, the two switched places, disgorging another squad of mercenaries onto the rooftop. Suddenly, one of the choppers descended abruptly to low level, alongside the three-story apartment building. The crew chief's LMG roared to life shattering the glass and riddling the second floor firing position of the Ghanaian peacekeepers. The Mercs were firing on the UN! 

    The tiger-striped K4K troopers spring into action, vaulting the park walls and advancing

The blue helmets ducked to avoid the spray of bullets and then returned fire. Sparks flew and bullets ricocheted or pierced the sides of the chopper. From the first floor, an RPG rock screamed skyward and slammed into the underside of the helicopter. The explosion sent red flames rushing out the sides of the aircraft, which lazily spiraled down to the street. It crashed onto the pavement, turning partially on its side as broken rotor blades whirled like deadly scythes through the street. The UN troopers continued to fire on the wreckage. Both pilots were killed, but the crew chief was able to sprint from the wreckage for safety.

    The President's escorting HMG-armed jeeps begin to take fire from the rebel's APCs

Meanwhile, the president's bodyguard had a decision to make. There was a lot of shooting and flames in the intersection they had been rolling towards. Talking back and forth by radio, the bodyguards decided to turned down the alley behind the Shell station. Maybe the SUVs could work their through the alleys and rejoin the main road beyond the intersection? They kept their eyes on the tiger-striped, K4K troopers who seemed to have no interest in them. Both K4K squads disappeared in the direction of the intersection. One of the squads ducked inside the Shell station and took up firing positions looking across the street towards the hotel and the diner. The  other crept alongside the buildings towards the same intersection.

    A huge gun battle erupts in the streets as the milita and bodyguards return fire on the rebels

The bodyguards in the disabled jeeps kept firing on the rebel soldiers. Both APC squads dismounted and scrambled for cover along the front of the gas station. One squad eventually worked up the nerve to get back into the fight and moved to the corner of the building and opened fire. The other passed by the K4K, giving them a wide berth, and ducking into the service bay of the Shell station. There they watched the opening, ready to engage the motorcade if it came that way.

    UN troopers take up a firing position on the 2nd floor of an apartment building overlooking the street

Meanwhile, the mercenaries' day continued to get worse. The first squad descended the stairs and into the alley. For some reason, they decided to go around the front of the building rather than rear. The K4K player had been waiting all game for the perfect opportunity and he opened fire. "Die Mzungu!" Half of the mercenary squad went down, the rest retreating into the diner. The second squad, hearing the gunfire erupt where their companions had gone, wisely ducked around the back of the building, making their way towards where the President would have to exit the board. 

    Chopper down! Concentrated gun & RPG fire from a UN squad forces shoots down a Merc chopper

The UN troopers celebrating the downing of the helicopter were surprised when the militia squad, which had been clambering over fences, suddently burst into the first floor of the apartment building. A point blank range gun battle erupted. Wood splinters, stuffing from chairs, and shattered glass flew into the air. The UN troopers were badly outnumbered, even when their mates from the second floor hurriedly clambered down the stairs to join them. The Ghanaians eventually fled the building and joined their other squad at the Jersey barricades.

    A K4K squad takes up a firing position overlooking the diner and hotel (and some rebel infantry)

The key moment of the game was approaching, though. First, one SUV zoomed past the service bay of the Shell station. The rebel soldiers fired into the engine block and tires, hoping to disable it. Bodyguards, with their red berets, fired back. The first SUV successfully ran the gauntlet and accelerated through the gas station's lot. But was that the one carrying the President? Then it was the turn of the second SUV. It also braved the rebel soldiers' gunfire. It also made it past without being disabled, these being special up-armored limos purchased from the United States. As it turned out, the passenger in the back seat of the second SUV was the President. Had the troopers known this, and fired upon him rather than the vehicle itself, they could have won the game then and there. However, his armored limo escaped only slightly damaged, and the President's driver hit the gas and accelerated to safety. 

    Return fire from the President's bodyguards and the militia begin to whittle down the rebel ranks

We'd reached the three hours allotted for the game, so we decided to call it a Presidential victory. The surviving mercenary squad decided to exfiltrate rather than block the president's exit. The UN had come under fire by K4K, too, so knew they couldn't do anything to stop the limos at long range. My players all said they enjoyed the game. I was very happy with how it progressed. Everyone was involved, everyone was firing on rival factions. There was an air of mystery till the end on what some of the factions were doing. So, I liked that dynamic. My favorite part was how it literally came down to the last attack roll of the game. If the rebel soldiers had scored more hits, and the limo had made fewer of its armor saves, the President may not have made it out alive.

    A squad of mercenaries descend the stairs into the alley, preparing to move out

I look forward to my two runnings of this at Historicon Friday night and Saturday morning. The game at DayCon certainly set a high bar, though! It's hard to see how things can go as well as this game, at least from a GM's perspective!

    A full squad of K4K advances towards the intersection, continuing to hold their fire

    A squad of militia burst into the ground floor of the apartment, surprising the UN troopers

    The President's bodyguard decides to turn the SUVs into the alley and try to find an alternate route

    One of the Merc squads wisely advances along the backside of the diner away from the gun battle

    The President's limo and decoy limo turn up the alley - but which is which??

K4K squad fires at the 2nd limo putting two hits on it, but not disabling it - the President escapes!

    The battle's end - a great game with a gripping ending. Most importantly, everyone had fun!

Operation Hyrdos - a Wars of Insurgency AAR from 'Down Under'

 

    Troops mass along the river in an 11-player (!) Wars of Insurgency game in Australia

As the rules author to the modern skirmish rules, Wars of Insurgency, I am very lucky to have an avid group of players in Australia called the Nunawading Wargames Association. They are in the midst of an Imagiafrica campaign where they have divided up the continent and created their own independence era nations. I have posted Facebook links to their battle reports on our First Command Wargames site from time to time, but not everyone has Facebook. So, I am going to start re-posting them here on my Lead Legionaries blog.

 

All of the photos and text come from the NWA members. There are many, many more they took that I could not include. Go to Facebook and join their group and the BushwarsNWA group to see their reports! This report comes from Mike Fly Goldyn. Thanks, Mike, for letting me share it! 

 

Defending aircraft were the real killers of the game repeatedly causing damage to the bridge builders

 

OPERATION “HYDROS” 

Or..."It is going to get wet!”

Early on the morning of Saturday, 9th July, 1979, the combined forces of the Quatro Alliance (Mdrongo, Omovo, Umgawaland and Vlessadwassa), along with a support contingent from Brimibian, rumbled down an isolated dirt road heading towards a site for the construction of a pontoon bridge for a river crossing.

Puerta Docielo was being destabilised by the increasingly agitated political situation in what was once Tikada. The newly declared independent ’Ard AlJamal was descending into tribal inspired violence. The Quatro Alliance was asked to provide peacekeepers. Leaving their assembly area in western Vlessadwassa, the column was cutting a shortcut through Puerta Docielo to West Tikada.

 

Apparently, most of the western Imagiafrican nations objected to what they perceived as interference by the Quatro Alliance into their sphere of influence. These nations banded together and sent out a blocking force. Reconnaissance flights conducted by the Allergerian Air Force spotted the Quatro Allies approaching a river. It was decided to send out some ground reconnaissance units to verify the location and the intentions of the Quatro Allies. Units from New Guernsey and PKL converged onto the location provided by the Allergerians.

 

 

Nunawading Wargames Association has tweaked my rules to make them friendlier to larger games

Cautiously driving closer to the river, the PKL unit tried to radio in their positive identification of enemy units attempting to build a pontoon bridge across the river. However, they also discovered that their radio batteries were completely flat. Someone had left the radio on listening to Dulocean singing bowl and ukulele music all night.

 

The New Guernsians experienced a similar problem, but not as severe. Atmospherics were interfering with signals and the transmissions were either garbled or static. They also found that this incessant use was depleting the battery charge. Fortunately, the NG platoon commander wisely stored away fully charged batteries on one of the transports. Communications were restored. The NG troops even left some batteries for the PKLers to pick up and install in their radios. This positive situation wasn’t completely satisfactory as the Allergerians were still receiving gobbledygook. A change in location soon fixed that. Something to do with radiation from a previous UFO crash site.

 

    They regular players are involved in a campaign, each creating their own nation and force in Africa

 

The message was sent: “Enemy located”! Coordinates were transmitted. Reinforcements were on the way - ground troops from Allergeria; the TOFU contingent from Tarzania (in western Imagiafrica on a goodwill visit and now joining in the fun) and a completely lost Kalemnitkan rifle squad (?!?? - go figure!)

PKL troops were the first to engage, shooting at Mdrongoan troops dug-in across the river. The Mdrongoans replied. Slight casualties taken on both sides.

 

On the other flank, the Umgawans took the opportunity to fire some long range recoilless rifle shots at some NG recce vehicles. Losses on the NG unit were heavy. Then the Umgawan artillery of four 25 pounders added their weight to the fight. First, PKL vehicles were turned into scrap, followed by salvos aimed at the New Guernsians. Losing an M113 APC with all it passengers and crew was a severe blow - 16 men in total!

 

    The central position for the attackers who were attempting to bridge and cross the defended river

 

The Vlessadwassan engineers, with feverish activity, erected the pontoon bridge, initially hampered by a truckie’s hitch that refused to untie. One knife later and the elements of the pontoon bridge were launched onto the river. The Vlessadwassans had taken some casualties from PKL fire but still managed to complete the bridge. The signal to the Brimibians and Omovans to cross was dispatched.

 

Just at this moment of success, a flight of two Allergerian F-4U Corsairs dived in from the sun, aiming for the bridge. Firstly, the Vlessadwassan Shilkas opened fire, followed by a hail of Umgawan HMG bullets. But the first Corsair made it through the curtain of lead, fired two rockets and started to weave away. Bang! 23mm AA shells from a Shilka cut the the tail off the aircraft. With the pilot dead at the controls, the plane dove straight into the lead section of the bridge. Along with the two rockets fired, this left the forward section in itsy-bitsy pieces.

 

    A strafing run looks like it will be deadly to any troops exposed on the bridge!

 

Clearing the dead and wounded, fresh Vlessadwassan engineers rushed forward with new ramps and other bridging equipment to repair the damage. This is when the second Corsair flew in, releasing two of its own rockets towards the next section of the bridge. The ensuing carnage killed more engineers and put another hole in the bridge. Vlessadwassan AAA retaliated in revenge shooting the Corsair down into the river. The pilot parachuted to safety, landing on the other side of the river. But he didn’t get far. He was obliterated by a burst of fire from the second Shilka.

 

After dropping mortar shells on random targets on the far side of the river, the Omovan and Vlessadwassan mortar teams received new orders to drop smoke on the far end of the bridge, hopefully providing cover for the Vlessadwassan engineers desperately trying to bring the pontoon bridge into use.

In the meantime, the Allergerian, Tarzanian and Kalemnitkan forces had arrived and were converging on the bridge. Sporadic gunfire was erupting all along the line.

    Attackers massing on the banks, hoping to get a chance to cross safely - it is a long way across!

 

Just as the Vlessadwassans were gaining in repairing the bridge, an Allergerian Mirage thundered in from the west and launched another two rockets at the beleaguered bridge. Fortunately for the Quatro Allies, one rocket completely missed and the other only caused minor damage. For the Mirage, it suffered the same fate as the previous two Corsairs. As it was now hurtling towards the earth, the pilot ejected successfully whilst the navigator was not so lucky, breaking his neck on the canopy which did not detach in time.

 

As the Mirage swerved to port and plummeted into the ground, the pilot floated down by parachute. Everyone held their fire as the pilot headed gently towards the river -- the crocodile infested river! With a splash, the pilot landed in the water, immediately struggling from his parachute harness. Within the blink of an eye, he was assailed by two hungry crocodiles. Miraculously, he managed to fight one off, but sadly, not the second one. He was pulled underwater, never to be seen again.

 

    A pontoon bridge is assembled by very brave engineers in the face of determined attacks

 

The report from the Vlessadwassan engineer commander was not very positive. The bridge was repairable but would take time. And with the enemy approaching rapidly, the ongoing repairs might be too hazardous. New orders were sent to the artillery battery to drop a smoke barrage just ahead of the bridge. Hopefully this would provide sufficient cover.

 

The bridge was still under threat from another air strike. The decision was made to dig-in along the river and wait for dark. Whilst these decisions were being made, the West Imagiafricans were coming closer.

With the setting Sun, hostilities eased greatly. Both sides were taking stock of the day’s combat, making plans for the following day’s operations - a river crossing probably in the face of a counterattack.

 

    Thanks again to the players of the Nunawading Wargames Association - I am a lucky rules author to have you guys as fans of the game!

 

Cast of Playing Characters

The Quatro Alliance (Blue Team - Attackers)

• Mdrongo - James Booth
• Omovo - Jasper
• Umgawaland - Alan Newman
• Vlessadwassa - Esteban Blanco
  

(Attached)

• Brimibian - Brian Roberts

 

The West Imagiafrican Coalition (Red Team - Defenders)

• Allergeria - Russell Charles
• New Guernsey - Aaron Mauger
• PKL - Piotr Kaczmarek

(Attached)

• Kalemnitka - Geoff Kelly
• Tarzania - Andrew Waligora

Water or Gas - what's your poison? First Post-Apoc AAR

    Tosh of the Bass Reeves examines the gas pump to figure out how to extract fuel with no power

Summer break from school is already half over, so I figured it was high time that I kick off my Post-Apocalyptic games that I've been planning. I have been painting miniatures and creating terrain and markers for awhile now. So, I invited the Sunday evening gaming group over yesterday to my place and set up our first scenario using Fistful of Lead Core Rules. We'd played the Western rules a couple times, but this would be our first game with these rules in a different period. Since it had been a couple months since our last game with these rules, I played it safe and kept the force size small at four miniatures per team.

    The stealthy, camo-clad Bucknuts stalk through the trees towards the water tower

The teams represent bands of human survivors after a recent nuclear apocalypse. As in Arnold Schwarzenegger "Terminator" movies, an artificial intelligence has taken over the war machines created by the nations of the earth and launched an extermination of mankind. In desperation to take down the machines, the nations of the earth resort to nuclear weapons. The resulting Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) does seem to cripple the A.I., and it is no longer able to coordinate its extermination efforts planet-wide. However, the local bots that survived are still on the rampage, and appear to be controlled by regional networks that are still a danger. Meanwhile, society breaks down as groups of humans scramble for control of scarce food, water, and other supplies. The players each control one of these groups.

    The Bass Reeves take up firing positions around the gas station to cover Tosh's attempt

This scenario begins as word spreads that someone has found a way to tap into a local water tower and pump out clean, fresh water. Rumor has it that also nearby is a gas station still has some fuel in its pumps. The survivors set out to secure these supplies for themselves. To Hell with the other groups -- they have lots too many of their friends and families to rival groups to have any sympathy for the other survivors! We had six players, so I started one in each of the four in the corners of the board and the other two in the centers of the long edges. The water tower and gas station were on the center line of the table, one on the more to the right and the other on the left.

    The Nightstalkers eschewed the loot and instead targeted members of the rival teams of survivors

Each group adopted different tactics. In one corner, the Nightstalkers made no real effort to push towards the gas station they could see ahead. Instead, they took up positions in the ruins of buildings and sniped away at the rival gangs. Players could earn "Renown Points" (victory points) by either obtaining water or gas or killing their rivals. Keith was playing the Nightstalkers, whose advanced armor and firepower resulted in killing the most enemy figures. He was even able to take down one of the Scout Bots that was drawn to the area by the gunfire. The arrival of bots is triggered by the number of player figures being killed. A Scout Bot arrives when combined table losses reach 10%, a Sentry Bot at 20%, and a Military Bot at 30%. If one bot is killed and the higher level one has not been triggered yet, a replacement of the lower type appears.

    A Scout Bot rolls onto the table edge, preparing to fire at two Followers of the Dark Prophet

The bots are actually controlled by the players. Whoever has suffered the most losses is given the first Scout Bot. Next most losses at the time gets control of the next bot to arrive, and so on. They arrive at any table edge, but will fire on the closest human (even if it is under that player's control, so they have to be careful). If a bot is downed, it becomes another source of potential Renown points. Figures can go up to it, and if they make a Hard Task roll, can remove useful hardware such as weapons, ammunition, or technical components. In our game, the last turn ended with a Sentry Bot gunning down one of the Bass Reeves. With that, the players agreed it was time to scram and their figures began to leave the field in droves.

    The truce at the water tower as the Followers of the Dark Prophet and Bucknuts agree to share

On the water tower side of the battlefield, though both the Bucknuts and the Followers of the Dark Prophet advanced towards it and took up positions in opposing woods, overlooking the tower. The Followers shouted a truce offer across to their rivals - one member of the party from each side be allowed to draw water without being shot at. Amazingly, the truce was adhered to by both sides! First, one of the Followers trotted forward, analyzed the apparatus that had been installed to tap into the water tower, and passed his task roll to figure it out. He filled up a container of water just as Jackie O from the Bucknuts jogged up. Watching how he did it, she also was able to draw water for her team.

    The Blood Brotherhood looks at the gas pump -- sooo close -- but watched over by two rival teams

The moment of calm was interrupted by gunfire, though. F Troop, whose members had recently made their way back from the wars to their home town, opened fire on the Followers of the Dark Prophet. Both sides blazed away at each other with the ex-military unit getting the worst end of it. Both of their leaders, Capt. Amos and Sgt. Seneca, fell to the return gunfire from the black-clad Followers. The remaining two members of F Troop retreated off the board, dragging with the them the unconscious bodies of their leaders.

    Finally, the Grandmaster of the Blood Brotherhood dashes forward to fill up his gas can

Meanwhile, at the gas pump, things were about to explode in gunfire. Both the Blood Brotherhood and The Bass Reeves had team members poised to dash out into the relative open of the pumps. Each had taken a casualty from the sniping of the Nightstalkers, but persevered to where they were in position. The Bass Reeves jumped first, with tech-savvy Tosh darting from behind the battered Coke machine and reaching the nearest pump. He also passed his Task roll, figuring out how to get gasoline from the pump in the absence of electrical power. He quickly filled his plastic container and dashed for safety.

    The Followers of the Dark Prophet at the edge of the woods overlooking the water tower

Peering from the ruins nearby, the Blood Brotherhood were perhaps shocked by the audacity of Tosh's move. They noted how he was able to milk the pump back to life and only opened fire only as he was dashing away. Perhaps they were worried a stray bullet might cause an inferno, but Tosh made it to cover safely. The crimson-robed Grandmaster of the order hissed to his men to provide covering fire and sprinted for the pumps. Mimicking Tosh's actions, he was also able to fill up the gas can he'd brought along. He was also equally fortunate in dashing back into the ruins for cover unscathed.

    Jeremiah and Sarge of the Bass Reeves are surprised by a Sentry Bot while looting the Scout Bot

Tosh wasn't so lucky, though. A long range burst of automatic weapons fire from the Nightstalkers brought him down. The Bass Reeves leader, Big Bass, darted over, tossing the unconscious Tosh (and the gas can) over his shoulder and scurried offtable. This was about the time that the Scout Bot arrived. It fired a burst at the Nightstalkers, whose return fire must have hit a critical component. The Scout Bot crashed into a wall and fell over, its sole wheel spinning. One of things we were worried about with Fistful of Lead rules was whether the 3 Wounds each figure can take would even come into play. Or would most of the casualties come from "Out of Action" rolls on the Wounding chart that players roll on after scoring a hit? In our first Western game, this was certainly the case. In this game, of the five characters and one bot taken out of action, five of the six were knocked out by a d10 roll of 8-10 on the Wounding Chart. There were many others that were hit with Shock Markers or Wounded by shooting, so the percentage of kill shots was definitely less than our Western game. Still, it is something to keep an eye on and perhaps tweak.

    F Troop before the game - players chose which four characters to take on the mission

I informed the players that the downed Scout Bot was another way to earn Renown points. The Bass Reeves jumped at the chance. Two of their members closed in on the wreckage. Just as they bent over the the armored scout, looking how to pry it open or remove components, the sound of mechanical gears and the metallic stamp of feet grew louder from around the corner. They turned and saw the gleaming bronze surface of a Sentry Bot, its machine gun swiveling towards them. Sarge grabbed a panel that had been jarred loose by gunfire and tore it free as he darted through the ruins towards the table edge. Jeremiah struggled to pull free one of the scout's guns, but was too slow. A long burst of machine gun fire sliced into him from the Sentry Bot. Jeremiah slumped senselessly onto the surface of the Scout Bot.

    The Blood Brotherhood, a cult whose members have sworn to protect each other and the Order

At this point, more and more characters began running for the table edge. The machines had arrived and it was best to flee to fight -- or scramble amidst the ruins for supplies -- another day. Seeing the Followers of the Dark Prophet fading back into the trees, Brutus of the Bucknuts lumbered forward with his water container. Jackie O had to call out instructions on how to operate the apparatus, as he was fumbling amidst the levers and wheels with no success. He finally figured it out, just as another Scout Bot rolled onto the table. Luckily for him, it pursued the fleeing Followers of the Dark Prophet. Brutus finished filling his container and ran for the table edge where his teammates were waiting for him, gesturing frantically.

    "All right, I can take three of you with me..." Bucknuts: "Take me, Coach Coop!"

I came up with a rough system to award Renown Points to the teams. Using this, the Blood Brotherhood were the winners, getting two cans of gas and killing two rival team members for 7 Renown points. Well, their characters killed one and the Sentry Bot they controlled gunned down another. I am awarding full points to the players controlling the bots to ensure they act with appropriate, Terminator-like bloodthirstiness! Close behind were the murderous Nightstalkers and stealthy Bucknuts with 6 points apiece. Both the Followers of the Dark Prophet and the Bass Reeves earned 5, while F Troop escaped with a single Renown point for exiting the table with 50% of their number alive. I hope to allow players to adjust their characters using the Renown Points, acquiring new skills or similar experience.

    The Nightstalkers weren't there for gas or water -- they were there to hunt their rivals!

There is also a table in Fistful of Lead (and the Post-Apocalyptic supplement Wasteland Warriors) to roll on to see what happens to the characters who were wounded or knocked out of action. I forgot to keep track of the wounded, so they will all get a free pass on this game. However, here were the results of the out of action rolls:

• F Troop, Capt. Amos: "It's Not So Bad" (miss next game)
  
• F Troop, Sgt. Seneca: "It's Not So Bad" (miss next game)
• Blood Brotherhood, Brother Fortitude: "It's Not So Bad" (miss next game)
• Bass Reeves, Tosh: "It's Not So Bad" (miss next game)
• Bass Reeves, Jeremiah: "Shot Full of Holes" (miss next game and suffer a Negative Trait as permanent damage).

 

I felt the game flowed well. We had a couple times when players forgot they had a certain value card and didn't activate when they were supposed to, but we kept needling each other and everyone stayed focused. I think the mix of objectives and "go kill the enemy" was good, so I will likely try to replicate that. I think I will also add in some "payback" Renown points, where you get a bonus point for taking out an enemy figure whose team took out one of yours last game!

Hopefully, the players will be eager to get together again soon for some revenge and to try another game soon!