AVBCW: Shobdon 2019 03 23 – Part Three

The third table for Shobdon Correctional facility, at the other end of the hall didn’t get much attention from me – too busy staving off both losing my voice entirely (I had a curry night lined up), and staving off a crushing defeat.

The camp – the idea was the BUF and Royalists would evacuate some high profile convicts.

At least they (Tom) got some barbed wire to defend themselves, as once again they were outnumbered 3;1. (Old Man shakes fist and shouts at sky)

The Bishop of Hereford (Clive).

And his allies Tim and ??? move in for then kill.

I don’t think the convoy escaped.

From memory, some of the lorries used to ram the oncoming hordes were “dummies” without any of the convicts.

Random stuff from the middle table (eye candy):

Yes, random fields have pill boxes, airfields and other important sites don’t. ;-/

Now back to editing Frost grave photos – next AVBCW in October 2019 !

AVBCW: Shobdon 2019 03 23 – Part Two

We had three tables, mind was on the southern end, in the middle was Shobdon Hall, and the third was Shobdon Correctional Facility.

My allies should they bother were coming from the middle table.

Lots of AA vans for the Royalists.

But there were a group of squabbling LDVs to get past.

Here they came having made a deal with at least one LDV.

But one of the other LDVs got an it5chy trigger finger and the convoy ground to a halt.

Even the late arrival of an LDV lorry, and the Twiggy Moments (summoned by GM pity on me), field to make a difference.

Under artillery fire, I pulled my troops back taking casualties but dishing out a fair amount more.

With the KO’d lorry acting as cover, my troops outnumbered and outgunned fight to allow two of the transports to escape.

Before, as the LDV’s lorry was damaged still some way from the airfield….

Captain Queeg evacuated his remaining troops (about half of the platoon) in the third and final transport plane.

What the “Special Stuff” was, was never found out and is in the hands of the LDV.

AVBCW: Shobdon 2019 03 23 – Part One

A Big Game in the Village Hall – you’ll spot we’ve just started renovating it…but that didn’t detract from the gaming tables provided by Clive and Too which were as ever excellent, aided and abetted by Tim.

The day for me was great, marred only by a hacking couch that had come on with a vengeance and developed in to laryngitis over the next week.

First posting focuses on the table I was.

On my own, holding Shobdon Airfield, against 3 forces of revolting Reds.

What was surprising that both sides were fielding sailors…in land locked Herefordshire !

So here’s the arifiled, yes an empty field nicely mown. No defensive obstacles installed by the nimble brained Royalists that pleaded with Wryrd Force 1 to defend. And who parked the a/c and lorry on the furthest point from the road ? BUF !

So I was allowed to deploy on the edge of the airstrip, and what’s this – the red blob, yes a fizzing bomb dragged around by two sheep courtesy of the local pacifist group (or rather the GM’s EVIL and disruptive plans…each player got an extra initiative card to move one of these round the board to cause mayhem). Somehow, mutton was going to be on the evening menu.

The enemy deploy, or “Sailors Sir, thahsands of them !”.

Plan A was the Marines were to load up in the lorry and go rescue the “Special Stuff” that resided on another table, as per my orders. However it rapidly became clear that (a) the rate of progress cross country by the vehicles was laughable, and that a third squad was needed to defend against the advancing unwashed hordes.

A squad of Jolly Jack Tars advanced towards the edge of the field and towards the road leading in from the middle table (see subsequent post).

BOOM ! The bomb and the sheep were machine gunned, in order to secure the airfield’s land strip – the bombs would cause craters which aren’t good for the incoming planes that were meant to collect the “Special Stuff”.

Just for good meaqsure, I moved two pigs and a bomb in front of Rob’s hedge removing tank (his commander got longer and longer numbers of titles throughout the day something like Comrade, Commander, Captain Commisar….).

Sadly, Rob then used his card to keep the pigs out of the way.

Incoming – the radio tower had got one of the cargo planes incoming !

The hedges were my only “cover” and were quite far forward, so the hedge clearing tank despite coming under fire from my mortar, Oikerlon AT gun, and HMG advanced unscathed.

My advance got this far and no further. The lorry (top right) broke down with a puncture courtesy of random event cards so never made it to the road even, instead being turned into some cover !

Second aeroplane lands. So now I have the means of getting the “Special Stuff” out of the airfield, but there was no sign of my “allies” turning up.

There was also a lot of sign of Roo’s cavalry dismounting and pillaging the farmhouses along the road and taking up position to rake any traffic coming down the road.

Rob’s infantry were not far behind – they had sensibly used such novel inventions as “gates” as opposed to trying to jump over hedges.

In a pattern to be repeated throughout the rest of the twentieth century, vandals ripped out the hedge, my only cover, and allowing easy access for the red hordes.

Just as the red artillery opened up. Luckily only one casualty, and the squad being Veteran and Courageous stood their ground (for good or bad).

Now all three transports were landed, fuelled and ready to take off.

A BUF biplane fighter made a brief strafing run, before…

…being shot down by LMG fire and crashing at the far end of the airfield.

Having ruined the hedge, the tank withdrew as the infantry piled in. Finally, I hit and immobilised the tank, and then machine gunned an enemy squad.

Now where were my allies with the “Special Stuff” ??

Cont’d…

AVBCW: 6th Anniversary Big Game (Part Three)

This is for all the info I have on the other tables, so its a bit of a hotch potch.

Table 3, the Commies form a traffic jam, typical, getting in the way of other road users.

Whilst other desecrate the farmland trampling the crops, including their new hedge busting monstrosity that is busy looking for a hedge to dismember.

The urban proletariat clearly have no idea about the countryside they are so eager to liberate.

Meanwhile the Anglicans are also doing exactly the same clogging up the roads with their foul polluting vehicles trying to intimidate farmers going about their business. Bunch of wish washy liberals.

More traffic mayhem reported on Hereford BBC Radio.

The Anglicans brushed the skirmish line of the LDV aside.

But not before a report came in of a RTA involving a tractor and some geese.

Anglicans finally getting stuck in with the LDV defenders.

LDV defenders swarm around the lone Communist car having shot its occupants for talking strange.

Communists get bored of waiting in traffic jam and disembark, just as the BUF turn up.

The cricket pavilion goes up in flames. Storing all that alcohol and linseed oil was not a good idea.

The LDV newly emboldened with Royalist and BUF allies, counter attacks against the Reds.

AVBCW: 6th Anniversary Big Game (Part Two)

My general advance began, into the corn field where I slowed down.

And came under fire from the defenders (JP) lurking in the woods.

Major Strait Jacket’s (Alan) troops advanced more easily at first before they encountered the so called Police (Doug of em-4).

I was not sure how I was going to breach these defences !

General advance, Strait Jacket set his engineers to work clearing the unexploded bomb by the road side.

My HMG opened fire on the lurkers in the woods, and in an exchange of fire whittled them down and pushed them back, alas the HMG received as good as it dished out and was destroyed.

To make matters worse, reinforcements turned up for the defenders, like this field gun.

BUF and Police shoot it out.

Bomb disposed of, my armoured car nips forward, shoots and is shot at ending up “Jumpy”.

BOOM !
Major Strait Jacket is felled by an explosion targeting his HQ section.

His 2-i-C opens negotiations with the enemy shortly afterwards.

Whilst my armoured car is assaulted by a bomber, which immobilises it. the crew stunned to survive the attack, realise they’re in an armoured pill box and recover their nerves.

Unlike the defending lDV in the wood who are now caught in across fire by two of my sections, and continue a slow retreat.

They even have to call up some rusty old contraption of an armoured car to help them out. Good job I moved my Oikerlin Anti-Tank gun up !

Strait-jacket’s men whittle down the so called Police whilst negotiations continue.

The defenders must have been rattled, as another section of reinforcements was summoned.

The Communists beat the traffic jam and finally get through to the hall.

Three tables pushed together to make one big table.

Negotiations are completed over lunch, and the LDV accept BUF/Royalist help to protect them. In exchange for territorial integrity in the future.

Strait Jacket’s forces bring up their own vehicles to get to the scene of the fight, and promptly cause a traffic jam, meaning my troops have to let them pass as we are nominally meant to be slower. 😉

The Hockey girls get stuck in with the enemy.

My troops finally get going, top right, a bunch of Jolly Jack Tars notice the brewery is now undefended, and out of concern, decide to occupy the brewery and ensure that the contents don’t fall in to the hands of the advancing Anglicans (hic !).

At this point the flu had worn me down so I had to flee the scene leaving my remaining troops in Alan’s care.

A good day, and I sneaked in the occupation of the brewery as a farewell gift.

(Allegedly we were joined by some toffs in red later)

AVBCW: 6th Anniversary Big Game (Part One)

Yes its been 6 years since Jon and I did our first Big Game. The Next generation chose a date that both of us could attend, only slightly damaged thanks to my bout of flu (Day 11 and still going).

The full details of the back ground can be found here.

Table 1 above, scene of the Anglican attack. The radio station was the key objective.

Table 2, scene of the Royalist/BUF attack. The brewery was the key objective.

The hall, everyone’s target.

Complete with formal garden, made by Too, allegedly for his daughter’s school project.

Table 3, with the cricket pavilion the key objective.

All four tables, ready to be crunched together should the attackers break through.

The Royalist & BUF forces of WyRD Force and Major Strait Jacket’s men get ready to attack.

The lDV deploy everywhere, including their newly placed mine fields, unexploded bombs and other defences !!

Table 1-more unexploded bombs left lying around, the LDV should dom some serious litter picking exercises to tidy up the countryside !

Traditional Herefordian car park, with lots of vehicles going no where fast.

Another Herefordian traffic jam in the making.

This post was delayed due to a council meeting, where we had the newly appointed county council leader, and he even managed to crack a joke about the state of the roads in Herefordshire: “I don’t drive on the left, I drive on what’s left”.

Communists do it off road.

LDV defenders with contraptions.

Due to me having flu, I mostly concentrated on my table, so see Part Two.

AVBCW: WyRD Force

In preparation for tomorrow, and should I be capable of attending for more than 5 minutes (due to recovering from Man-Flu administered probably by Russian agents) I dug out WyRD Force.

WyRD Force is the Wyvern River Defence Force, charged with keeping pirates and ne’er do wells off of the lower ares of the Severn and Wye rivers.

Command unit, mostly Empress Matelots and inter/early war British infantry. Added to which a couple of medics from the Dice Bag Lady.

Warlord British Naval Landing Section.

Second section, again Empress Matelots.

Third section, inter/early war from Empress.
I really wish they’d do a Lewis gunner standing up, and yes I know that is starting to stretch the physical capabilities of troops lugging it around at waist/chest high.

The support – Vickers HMG and Oikerlon gun used as an anti tank gun.

the wheels. I thought if they were a river borne organisation vehicles would be rare so I don’t think I’ll add any more vehicles other than maybe motorbike outriders and the like.

Medical team, from Dice Bag Lady/Bad Squiddo’s Land Army grils range.

The hawk eyed amongst you will have noted I haven’t finished painting most of these figures – they need highlighting. That was this week’s job. 😦

But good enough to field on a large war-games table. 😛