FOGH Club Games – Saturday 5th October 2024

October already?! Well, the start of a new month sees the start of a new era with Bolt Action V3 making its debut at the club. Also very nice to see ‘The Men Who would be Kings’ having another run out, as much as anything, to allow all of the favourite quotes from Carry On Up The Khyber to be dusted off.

28mm WWII 8th Army v. DAK – Bolt Action V3 from Warlord Games

The dice bags were rattling again at the FOGH as the men from Deutsche Afrikakorps kicked up a desert storm setting about the plucky lads from the 8th Army. All the toys were out on the table as the Friends got to grips with the new incarnation of the WWII favourites.

28mm 1930s action in the NW Frontier – The Men Who Would Be Kings (TMWWBK) from Osprey Games

This was a re-run of a scenario played earlier in the year. Lessons had been learned and the Imperial forces were determined to put on a much better show this time. A highlight of the TMWWBK rules is rolling for the officers characteristics at the start of the game. The Imperial officers were a rum lot and no mistake. Drunkards, cads, cowards and yellow-bellies to a man. Probably not many heroics to be expected! The scenario sees a well armed Imperial force on its way to rescue a downed Bristol Fighter crew, Flying Officer Wooster and his navigator / valet, Jeeves. The local Pathan tribesmen had other ideas and were also determined to secure the aircraft’s crewmen for ‘questioning’.

Despite the low morale fibre of the Imperial officers, they seemed to know what they were about, and they made best advantage of their up to date 1930s era equipment. Pathan skirmishers and sharpshooters were quickly suppressed by accurate machine gun and artillery fire, while the Highland infantry took no time in rescuing the very relieved aircrew. A brief standoff followed while the Pathans worked there way closer to the Imperial troops without being visible to the Imperial crewed weapons.

A final desperate Pathan charge was held, and then defeated, by the unflappable Sikh infantry who saw off the tribesmen, ensuring that all were back to camp for tea and tiffin well before dark. Hoorah!