Gaming - Back Of Beyond , retreat from Mangashlak

 Today saw a further battle in the group campaign game . Last game turn the Bolos had failed in an assault at Fort Alexandrovsky and were badly beaten . This game saw the Bolo army being harried by more arriving Cossacks while trying to extricate themselves from the Eastern side of the Caspian Sea area. The Bolos were all Morale 4’s (needing 4+ to pass ) which saw a number run retire or rout ..and this felt right for the scenario . They were short on squad LMG’s and no artillery .

The Bolo army retreating eastward to a rail line .

 

The local Cheka are mobilised at the sound of firing 

The sailors try to man a vessel coming under fire from White naval units 

The armoured train arrives to provide more support 

 

The massed ranks of the Cossacks arrive 

Charging on they come 

Overunning a Bolo Maxim 

  

The Red Cavalry evaded away from the Cossack hordes 

The Bolo infantry rolled well for movement and were able to outpace some of the attackers 

White naval assetts hit the retreaters 

It looks great and somewhat scary when it’s heading towards you .. it fired a few shots  hitting nothing! But that was its first game .

A number of Bolo units were shooting very well causing significant Cossack casualties, over 30% of the overall attackers . The Bolo cavalry managed to escape being overrun  and regrouped having taken only one casualty. The White forces decided to not press the attack and 3 Bolo infantry units escaped to fight again . The train has had an outing and its presence put the White commander off advancing further , 

We tried a change to STEA system . Rather than activating by particular unit , we used the Bolt Action dice draw and you  could pick . I will make up some MDF tokens to use rather the dice for future use . This speeded thing up nicely , and we used the STEA rules for everything else . It was a good game , not as disjointed as some STEA can get . It also looked the part 

We are doing a very large game in November at the Battleground show . My last job is to paint up the die cast aircraft I have for the Bolos once the large decals have turned up . 

The army stats used .

 

 

Back of Beyond .Armoured Train part 2

 Some more progress on the armoured train . Martin had sourced me some more Teamsterz pieces . So I have made up another carriage and there will be another loco along shortly 

Teamsterz running gear with a balsa flat bed and MDF sides 

It takes a 60 mm base in the middle so I will make up another suitable gun in due course 

It should give the White forces some issues to deal with 

In addition I have based up all the spare On30 track I had . I had the laser room at Pendraken cut me 18 and 12 inch x 50mm straights and curves . I did a double layer and chamfered the top then added the track . Sand and PVA then added with a dry brush 

 

That gives me about 16 feet of track now , so more than enough . Time to build a station building I think .

I have an aircraft to sort out for the November big game - I have a die cast one that needs a paint job in due course . 

There is a BoB campaign game this weekend where the train might get a run out . 

Back of Beyond - Trotsky’s train guards

 This weeks job has been to finish off the last of my lead pile for this project . I have taken the opportunity to paint up Trotsky’s train guards in their glorious red uniforms . These guys were probably Latvians and classed as good troops . 

I suspect they might just be bullet magnets in any game . 

The usual Copplestone figures 

There were also another 3 LMG , Lewis Gun guys in the pile and these have been done too .

 

This rounds out the total force nicely now .Army as it stands.:-

Infantry, sailors, factory militia and Cheka   - 136 inc 10 LMG , various officers and standard bearers .

Mounted - 19

HMGs - 3

Tachankas - 2 

Field guns - 2

Transport vehicles 3 

Armoured vehicles 3

Small boat 

To complete yet for the big game in November  :-

armoured train 

Medium size boat

Tomorrow sees a return to the winter of 44 with a big game with Ardennes stuff . There are few new terrain pieces added to that which I will share next time .

Gaming - the Battle of Orenburg Junction

 Today’s game was a BoB campaign game with the Freikorp attacking the Bolos at Orenburg junction . There are rumours of imperial gold and Comtesse Reynaud plying her wares .i was umpiring with DiscoDave as Bolos , Bob as the Freikorp , and John as the White Cossacks . 

Bobs Freikorp had massed to attack the junction , outnumbering the on table Bolos by 2-1 . 

Freikorp  Here they come 

Train guards and the “secret Comtesse”

Comtesse Reynaud ,, working out where to go .
Having watch Dr Zhivago again recently Julie Christie , AKA the Comtesse will I am sure be a regular in our games 

Bolo Tachanka with Dismounted HMG 

The train is refueling with coal and water - rolls1d6 per activation , needs to get to 16 to move . A 5 , then 1, 1 , 1 4, 4 , means turn 7 before before steam is available.

Bolo infantry arrive 

After turn 3 the Cossack Lancers approach the train.

Bolo cavalry v White regulars .. nasty 

Col Osipov eyes the Comtesse and encourages the train crew 

Time to leave with objective done for Col Osipov’s Whites 

Cracking game . As umpire I managed to keep info from the 3 players and feed stuff into the  game as it  went on . John concentrated on his objective , Bob and Dave fought each other . John won . Bob[s Freicorp wrecked railway works , but not the Cheka HQ . The Bolo defensive fire was brutal at times , the Frei corp will lick their wounds in due course l 

The imperial gold and the Comtesse are back in the White sphere after the Cossacks overwhelmed the train guards and Col Osipov leading from the front he jumped onto the footplate of the loco and persuaded the the driver and fireman to stop the train and move in the other direction . 

The Bolo reinforcements secured the area both the Freicorp and Whites retired , 

A great game was had 

Gaming - Counter Revolution in Tashkent. The Osipov Revolt

 Today was a game with my Bolos being attacked by John’s growing White force . The scenario was lifted from the Red Dawn Rises early revolution scenario book for Setting the East Ablaze . It’s set on a6x4. The whites outnumber the reds who expect reinforcements after turn 6 .

White cavalry on their left flank 

Railway workers man the limited trench line 

Red Guard cavalry mass in the town square 

 

The Bolo 2 I/c Commisar urges the gun crew on . 

White Armoured support advances .

White infantry let by a flamethrower team advances .

Red Guards launch a counter attack .which hammered the Cossacks , until an armoured unit let fly with its MGs 

The Cheka stay at the back in the barracks . 

The two white armoured  units are causing a lot of damage and I have little to stop them with .

White start to attack the brewery area .

The  railway workers who are heading toward the town are suppressed by fire .

The flamethrower kills a Bolo LMG team and then sets fire to the building . Causing it to be abandoned 

The white aircraft turns up on turn 4 , heading down the Bolo line 

The Bolo commanders advances to the rear to join in the final defense of the barracks with the Cheka . They fall to the man.

Bolo reinforcements turn up on turn o but are pinned in by the White armour 

A dog fight that is inconclusive takes place over the station 

White raise the flag over the barracks .

The remaining white cavalry arrive in town

This turned into a full White victory . It was touch and go until turn 5 . The White aircraft was lethal , knocking out a field gun , straggling the railway workers and then moving on to Harry the reinforcements. The loss of the Bolo field gun in the town edge early let the Whute armoured units advance with impunity - and they didn’t even break down . 

 

A great game was had . We took the time to work through the various firing and morale mods and get these more embedded in the memory .