FOGH Club Games – Saturday 27th May 2023

28mm Polish-Lithuanian v. Swedes – Pikes & Shotte

A game set during the 1626-9 campaign for the Vistula Estuary. A Swedish force is trying to relieve a besieged star-fort. One Polish force started on the board as the besiegers with a small Swedish force in the fort. A larger Swedish force had to march on to the board, and to the rescue. (Unknown to the Swedes, the Poles also had some skirmishing cossack cavalry hidden around the board.) The Poles were to be reinforced by some ‘Foreign’ troops also marching on to the board.

A fun game ensued with fortune seeming to switch back and forth as different forces appeared and converged on the fighting.

The relief column marches on to the board.
The beleaguered star-fort, who are short on powder, food and hope!
The besieging Polish troops stand ready to repel the relief column.
The relief column starts to deploy ready to break through the defending Poles ahead. (Mmm, that wood on the right looks suspicious, but it's probably fine!)
Some reinforcements arrive for the Poles in the form of Rajtar (German cavalry).
A strong brigade of Swedish horse sweep on to the board and prepare to smash through the Poles ahead of them.
Ambush! Polish cossack cavalry break from the wood edge, where they have been in hiding, and fall on to the baggage trayne. Only the a few trayne guard are there to defend the precious wagons.
The Swedish horse, who were preparing for a heroic charge in to the Poles ahead of them, suddenly find that they are needed in the rear, and what's this? More Poles appearing from the village in the rear?!
With the Poles ahead reinforced with the Rajtar, and cossack cavalry in the rear, things are looking much tougher for the Swedes.
More Polish reinforcements - this time a column of Foreign infantry with some artillery support.
The Polish cossacks finish off the trayne guards and loot the baggage wagons!
Having beaten off the ambush from the village, the Swedish horse turn to see off the Polish cossacks who have looted the wagons.
Polish dragoons take the Swedish relief force artillery.
The Swedish foot hold steady but lthe opposition ahead continues to get stronger.
Disaster! While the Swedish horse are chasing off the Polish cossacks, the Rajtar break through to the remaining baggage.
With the relief column in sight, and the Poles ignoring them, the troops in the fort prepare to sally out. Is it too late?
With all of the relief supplies captured and looted by the Poles, the Swedes decide they can no longer break through to the fort and withdraw. A Polish victory!

FOGH Club Games – Saturday 13th May

Matilda IIs in the Western Desert

10mm Western Desert – Blitzkrieg Commander 2 (heavily amended!)

15th Panzer took on some plucky New Zealanders who were backed up by the queen of the desert; a formation of Matilda IIs. It all started well for the Empire forces while there were only elements of the DAK reconnaissance on the table. Thing quickly went bad though once the actual panzers arrived. Men of the match were the motorcycle troops from the DAK recce who held off a strong attack by infantry and tanks.

“Sorry sir, you can’t park that thing here!”
Bayonets fixed, the Kiwis advance.
Infantry tanks, with infantry!
Think we’ll let the foot sloggers take a look over the hill first.
More steady advancing by the 8th Army.
DAK woz ‘ere!
DAK recce calling for support.
Still looking for the Bosch …
… who are mostly sneaking.
Found them. Should mop up this recce stuff pretty quickly.
Oh no! The big stuff has arrived.
Hordes of the blessed things.
Recce support.
Recce taking losses but the Matildas are having to fall back.
Panzers sweep forward.

28mm French v. Russian – Black Powder

A French force, on the march, was ambushed by the Russians. An exciting game ensued where the Russians threw themselves at the unprepared French who stoically attempted to form a defensive position.

The French started the game in column of march moving along the table.
Ambush! The first Russian units arrive on table.
Soon reinforced.
Russian columns forming to attack while the French hastily a defence.
French and Russian light cavalry clash.
Russian attack columns in melee with the French.
Russian ‘big guns’
French holding the Russians back.

54mm Crusades, Battle of Antioch – Ancient & Medieval Wargaming by Neil Thomas

Another outing for this new club favourite; 54mm Timpo classics, Crusaders and Saracens. This time refighting the Battle of Antioch with the Crusaders in possession of the ‘Holy Spear’, that had luckily been discovered the night before the battle.

Crusader infantry.
Saracen cavalry.
The Holy Spear, with banner.
The two forces clash.
The Holy Spear encouraging the Crusader infantry.
Outflanked!
The Crusaders plough on inspired by the reliquary relic.
Cavalry clash.

FOGH Club Games – Saturday 29th April

Getting behind with the blog posts! Here are some pictures from a fortnight ago. Three very different games at a busy club meeting, and nice to see some new faces coming along to try us out and join in some games.

28mm Battle of Tippermuir 1644 – Pike & Shotte

A refight of Montrose’s first battle in the ‘year of miracles’ against the doughty, if not terribly experienced, Covenanters. The two forces were based on Mr. Reid’s account of the battle which downsizes the Covenanter force.

The game followed the historical form with a victory for the Scots Royalists under Montrose. The Covenanters did have some awful runs of luck on the dice, but all players had a very enjoyable game.

54mm Crusaders v. Saracens – Ancient & Medieval Wargaming by Neil Thomas

A darling rescue mission was being mounted to save a small, surrounded force of Crusaders. In this instance the rescue failed and the Saracen’s were victorious.

28mm British & Commonwealth v Deutsches Afrika Korps – Bolt Action

Classic Bolt Action action! Another hot day in the desert. A first run out for some very nice, newly painted 8th Army figures.

FOGH Club Games – 15th April 2023

Your roving reporter managed to grab a few precious minutes away from #Salute50 preparations to go and take some pictures of the games at the FOGH Saturday club meet (and grab tea and biscuits of course!). Three rather fab games.

28mm Opium Wars – Black Powder 2

An interesting challenge for the British Imperial troops who had to cross a river in the face of much armed resistance. Also an interesting challenge for the Chinese troops who seemed to keep running away!

British cavalry trying to clear the way but meeting much resistance.
The Chinese ‘big guns’.
Just time for some of that delicious Chinese tea while the infantry march in to position.
Sailors and rockets; what’s not to love!
By far the safest place to stand – behind a very high wall!
Here come those cavalry again.
Many “pointed sticks” are brandished.
Not only Tiger Feet, but the whole blooming tiger!
Apparently they were meant to approach through the long grass and scare the enemy horses with their amazing tiger costumes. Not working on this occasion.
Still trying to get over that bridge.
Briefly across the river but were soon running back across again due to some awful dice throwing.

28mm 1940 Fallschirmjäger v. French – Bolt Action 2

A glider born attack by the Fallschirmjäger during the very, very early war period.

French overrun the landing zone early on.
French infantry hunting down the infiltrators.
Fallschirmjäger hunkered down in the wood.
More Fallschirmjäger.
The gliders were fabulous.

10mm DAK v. 8th Army – Blitzkrieg Commander 2 (adapted)

Another blisteringly hot afternoon in the desert for the DAK and 8th army. A healthy number of armoured targets on both sides at least meant the British guns had something to shoot at!

British armour coming under accurate German artillery fire.
Crusaders advance.
Workhorse of the DAK forces – the Panzer III.
British 2 Pounders start to find their mark.
British A13s cruising.
More Crusaders plough on.
The A13s continue to take a hammering from the German artillery.
German command organise the Panzer forces.
“Anyone for another mug of tea?”
No end of Crusaders.
Close-up of the rather lovely barrage markers.
This showed the centre of the board, apparently.

FOGH Club Games – 1st April 2023

There must have been something in the air on Saturday when the FOGH decided on the games for the first of the month meeting!

54mm Crusaders v. Saracens – Ancient & Medieval Wargaming by Neil Thomas

A pretty amazing game of crusader action in ‘the big scale’. A hotly contested game in which the Saracens were victorious, in no small part due to their unstoppable ‘Black Guard’.

1/3000th Royal Navy v. Kriegsmarine – Victory at Sea by Warlord Games

A crushing victory for the Germans! Ajax and Achilles are left badly damaged as Graf Spee makes a run for Montevideo due to a ruptured fuel system. A parting torpedo spread sank the Achilles whilst Ajax was crippled by repeated 11” hits. “There is something wrong with our ships today”!

FOGH Club Games – 4th March 2023

Apologies for the slight delay in getting this club report up on the site!

Three very different but equally fun looking games this week.

28mm Peninsula French v British and Portuguese – Valour & Fortitude

Another try out for these new-ish rules from the Perry Miniatures stable. this time switching from central Europe to the dusty plains of Spain for a classic match up of French v Allies. A beautiful display of figures from Friend Dave 1.

French columns massing for an attack.
Masses of them!
The French artillery prepare the way for the infantry attack.
Combined voltiguers.
British lines prepare for the onslaught.
The brigade commander marshals his forces.
The ‘thin red line, tipped with steel’!
“Steady boys!”
A brigade of French combined voltiguers advance on the Portuguese brigade.
The British send out combined light companies in skirmish order.
The French move forward their artillery.
The French combined voltiguers coming on in fine style.

28mm British & Commonwealth v Deutsches Afrika Korps – Bolt Action

A number of the Friends of General Haig are getting in to Bolt Action at the moment and Friend Andy 2 ran a couple of ‘training games’.

The DAK moving forward with armour infantry and support.
A 222 takes cover behind a handy building.
8th Army troops taking up position.
The Jocks after a jog in the desert sun.
Whatever did for the Humber is making the Stuart nervous!
Lorry loads of DAK infantry.
The DAK ‘beast’!

54mm Pirates – Home Brew Rules

“Aaarrr! M’hearties!” (There was a lot of this sort of thing over the afternoon.) Perhaps a pinch of March madness, but this Pirate game certainly looked spectacular. Many pirates ended up overboard and were eaten by sharks. Friend Clive put together the amazing fleets, crews and suitably piratey rules.

“Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest.”
“Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.”
“Drink and the devil had done for the rest.”
“Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.”
“Ev’ry man jack could ha’ sailed with Old Pew.”
“Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!”

FOGH Club Games – 18th February 2023

A busy day at club with three games, and some new faces to join in with the gaming fun!

French allied infantry marching forward.

28mm French with Allies v. Russians – Black Powder

A large and hard fought game with a strong force of French and allied troops attacking a Russian force. Lots of action across the table with the French finally finding a breakthrough on their left flank at the end of the day.

Russian elite infantry defending the high ground.
More Russian infantry supported by cavalry and artillery.
Russian reserve infantry.
Cossacks await an opportunity to counter attack.
Hot work serving the Russian heavy guns.
French artillery and reserve cavalry.
Vive L’Empereur! The French advance.
Columns waiting for the French guns to prepare the attack.
Infantry clash.
The Russian centre await the French attack.
French taking casaulties as they advance.
Saxon Grenadiers lead the French attack.
French cavalry cover the infantry attack.
Cossacks looking to threaten the French flanks.
The French massed lancers are finally unleashed but are countered by Russian cavalry.
The French left wing allied infantry still held by the Russian stubborn defence.
The French lancers, victorious in their clash with the Russian cavalry, rampage through the hard pressed Russian infantry ensuring the French break through.

15mm New Kingdom Egyptian v. Hittite Empire – Hail Caesar

A set of armies that haven’t seen the table for many years were dusted off and brought out on to the table top to try their hand with Hail Caesar. The God-King from the Nile struggled to make the most of his combined arms force, while the Hittites were able to deploy the much easier to use “get them” plan!

The Hittite general deploys his infantry.
Massed Hittite chariotry.
The Egyptians getting their valuables ready to leave.
The Egyptians hoping to keep the confrontation at bow range.
Hittites closing the range.
Egyptian bows, marines and Sea People mercenaries.
The Hittite main attack force ‘wheeling’ forward.
Hittite chariots advance in to the arrow storm.
Hittite chariots weigh up the Egyptian infantry.
The Hittite infantry are brought up in support.
Hittite chariots trying to press forward while the Egyptian elite infantry charge the Hittite infantry.
The Hittite infantry buckle but do not break, and hold the line.

28mm Caesarian Romans v. Gauls – Ancient & Medieval Wargaming by Neil Thomas

The Neil Thomas rule sets continue to be popular at the club and this was a classic clash of Romans versus the unwashed barbarian hordes – in this case Gauls. The Romans did not shrink from battle and ploughed forward in to the enemy masses. The Gallic chariots and horse were able to fold in the Roman flanks and the legions ran out of steam, and men .

Disciplined cohorts, supported by slingers, await the order to advance.
More legionnaires supported by allied cavalry.
Gallic Infantry confidently advance.
The Gallic nobility in their light chariots.
More chariots.
Yet more!
Gallic light horse.
Roman light artillery.
Roman infantry amidst a sea of enemy warbands.
The Roman general leading his men forward.
Winning at the front, but losing at the side.

FOGH Club Games – 4th February 2023

Two classic games at club on Saturday. Lots of hot tea and hot table top action to chase off the February chills.

28mm Montrose Royalists v. Covenanters – Pike & Shotte

Montrose, accompanied by the Royal Standard of Scotland, urges on his brave Irish and Highlanders.

The game was loosely based on Alford 1645, with Baillie’s Covenanters trying to bring the wily Montrose to battle. This is a tough battle for the Covenanters as, although roughly equals in numbers, the quality of the Royalists makes attacking difficult for the boys from the Kirk.

The command dice favoured the Royalists early on and the Covenanters struggled to get their troops on to the battlefield and deployed. A sneaky Covenant flank march provided a great opportunity to wrong foot the King’s representative in Scotland, but it was not to be and the Covenanters finally went down under a fury of claymores and musket butts.

Balcarres leads the better of the Covenant foot on to the battlefield
The Royalist highlanders sweep down from Gallowhill.
Lord Gordon’s horse advance on the Royalist right.
Lord Aboyne’s Gordon horse on the Royalists left are halted by Covenant shot.
Irish foot hard pressed by Covenant horsemen. on the Royalist left.
Royalist infantry push forward in the centre.
Covenant lancers thrown in to halt the advance of the Highlanders.
The Royalist right wing make repeated charges in an attempt to turn the Covenant line.
Montrose urging the Gordon Horse to make just one more charge.
Covenant horse surrounded by angry highlanders.
The Royalist right wing proving to be more resilient than their Covenant opponents.
Both sides cursed their dice at different times. When you only need 3s to hit!

28mm 8th Army v. Deutsches Afrikakorps (DAK) – Bolt Action

A classic pair of WWII enemies in a game of Bolt Action that saw DAK armour and motorised Infantry assaulting 8th army artillery, AT guns and infantry.

A favourite scenario at the club, with two play throughs managed over the afternoon. Both sides got a win over the two games and so everyone went home happy.

Desperate action as the 8th army gunners try to stop the DAK armour.
Panzers roar across the desert.
DAK infantry taking the easy way to the front.
DAK on the start line for game 2.
A lovely British 25 pounder.
The thin khaki line, tipped with steel.
DAK troops dismount to assault the British lines.

FOGH Club Games – 21st January

A busy day at the club with three great games played out, accompanied by lashings of hot Yorkshire tea to stave off the chilly weather.

28mm Ottomans v. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth – Pike & Shotte

Hussars and Sipahis clash.

A first time match up at the club for these two arch rivals of the Renaissance world. Pasha Stallard brought his new Ottoman Empire force to take on not one, but two Polish forces. One of the Polish forces was originally started in the late 1970s and was finally being brought to the table over 40 years later; now there is a slow burn project! On a day when the main Ottoman mounted force must have been engaged elsewhere, the game saw the Commonwealth attacking a strong Ottoman gun-line supported by the elite troops of the Porte in the form of Janissaries and Sipahis.

It was a bloody game with heavy loses for both sides as the Poles endeavoured to come to grips with their wiley opponents, while the Ottomans expended vast quantities of powder in an impressive demonstration of firepower. The game ended in a noble draw with both sides not being able to quite break through their opponents.

Pride of the Porte – Ottoman cavalry.
The Ottoman gun-line – a terrifying gamut of guns!
The Ottoman left wing.
Polish dragoons cautiously advance.
The Polish strike force.
Polish infantry prepare to advance in the centre.
The Polish right wing – Husaria!
Janissaries bravely attempt to hold back the Polish attack.
Polish cossack cavalry against the Ottoman flank guards.
The Hussars rally back and prepare for another charge.
Another Polish mounted attack forming up.
Ottomans prepare for the onslaught.
Hussars v. Sipahis of the Porte – a classic matchup.

28mm Qing Chinese v. Burmese – Crouching Tiger rules

An incredibly colourful game using Crouching Tiger rules. Figures and rules from Tiger Miniatures (https://www.tigerminiatures.co.uk/). Hordes of nellies – what’s not to like?!

The Pachyderm parade!
Elephants on the march.
Chinese and Burmese clash.
Facing down elephants is terrifying, how ever long your spear is!

28mm British v. German First World War – Blood & Valour

A fabulous looking game with a second try out of the Blood & Valour rules. Lovely to see this collection back on the table. Perhaps some tanks next time, chaps?

British and German infantry practicing fire and manoeuvre.
The Kaiser’s finest advance.
A German section moves across a small field.
The British take up a defensive position in some ruins.
The Germans swarm forward.

FOGH Club Games – 7th January 2023

28mm Thirty Years war with Pike & Shotte

Easing in to the new year with a straightforward match up between Gustav Adolph and Wallenstein in the Thirty Years War, using Warlord Games’ Pike & Shotte rules.

The game became a bloody encounter with plenty of ebb and flow between the two armies. Both sides’ right wing of cavalry eventually overcame their opposite numbers, but were not able to then fall on the flank of the enemy infantry centres. Wallenstein led a final epic charge with the pike from his own regiment into weakened unit of Swedish infantry. However the Imperial generalissimo was not able to break through with the Swedish foot heroically holding on and refusing to break.

Exhausted, the two armies both withdrew as darkness fell and a draw was agreed after a fabulous afternoon’s gaming. A great start to the year’s gaming!

The Swedish right wing deployed ready for battle. Swedish cavalry supported by commanded shot and light artillery.
Imperial Infantry preparing for the Swedish infantry to attack.
Pappenheim on the Imperial right flank prepares to send forward his Croats to harry the Swedish left.
Mass cavalry clash on the Swedish right. the Swedish light artillery is caught by Imperial Arquebusiers.
Swedish infantry heading in to a hail of fire from their Imperial counterparts.
Pappneheim leads his cuirassiers into Swedish horse.
Pappenheim has been temporarily thrown back and the Swedish left flank cavalry recklessly prepare for their own charge.
Casualties on both sides as the infantry forces get in to close range.
Wallenstein’s large veteran block of pike try to break through the enemy foot.