Shedquarters Day - February 2022

It is disappointing that the prospect of a full day of face to face wargaming (or indeed any face to face wargaming) is still a novelty and quite an exciting prospect. Well, it was time for our quarterly get together with our friend from the West Country. Alas Phil is still in hospital, but I was joined by Richard, Chris A and Gary.

I took the opportunity to inflict "It Rolls for Ivan" on the assembled players. West Country Richard and Gary took the Reds and Chris took the Whites. I threw a lot of units at the game, and increased the terrain count as well. I also gave both sides a mix of Off Table Assets, including reserves, air and the armoured train. I don't often put the reserves into the OTA mix, but I think it worked really well here, and I will probably do it more often.

The Reds are to the right, and the Whites to the left. The Reds have a couple of three battalion regiments, and artillery battery and a cavalry brigade of two regiments. Oh, and a couple of companies of Cheka. The Whites, initially, have a four battalion regiment and an artillery battery. They have a cavalry brigade and an armoured car section somewhere, heading towards the scene of the action.

The Reds started boldly. The infantry in the woods have some Cheka behind them, gently encouraging them along.

The Whites, noticing that they are initially outnumbered, head for some cover. By the way, for this game I dispensed with the normal coloured counters, and had players tuck the cards played under the relevant command stand.

The Red cavalry arrive.

Chris brings up his guns. As you can see from the Coercion markers, he has had to have words with some of his chaps.

What's this? A red fighter plane arrives. Lining up on the road, he strafes the arriving artillery.

They take some hits, and retreat in panic.

The Reds are definitely on the front foot, and emerge from the woods in skirmish order. There has been some reluctance, but nothing the Cheka can't deal with.

Chris moves his men up to the front of the wood, and deploys into a firing line.

Chris got his guns deployed and opened up. Such is the way of these things that he missed his original target, and instead caught a completely obscured cavalry unit.

Scarcely believing their luck, the original target emerged from between the woods, with the intention of overrunning the artillery.

It really wasn't the artillery's day. Having previously been shot up and chased around by aircraft, this time they were slaughtered by the Proletarians on Horseback.

The cavalry's elation didn't last long. Chris summoned up some reserves, and they stormed onto the table, forcing the Reds back.

A second round of combat swiftly followed...

...and the Reds were driven back again.

On the other wing, the Red infantry closed on the wood and opened fire.

Chris then pulled another rabbit out of his hat, and stormed up the road with his shiny new armoured car squadron. Their firing was completely ineffective, and all the units around them also refused to fail any Terror Tests.

Richard moved his infantry out of the way, and Gary's artillery deployed and opened up. They succeeded in destroying both of the armoured cars. They don't have a long life in my games, do they?

Gary was now able to reorganise the cavalry that Chris' artillery had hit by accident.

Down by the station the White infantry closed on the Red guns, still congratulating themselves on destroying the armour.

A wide shot of the action shows everything is still to play for.

The White infantry overrun the Red artillery line. Not a good day to be a gunner at all.

Fired up, the infantry carry on through the position and rout the unit behind the guns.

The Whites close on the railway station.

It doesn't end well.

The firefight in the woods is getting intense. The Whites have already taken several permanent casualties.

Some of the Red units have had enough, even with the Cheka behind them.

The Whites take advantage of the temporary interruption in the Red command structure to drive home their advantage on that flank.

Chris resolves to clear the centre with his cavalry reserve. They move briskly up the main road...

...they deploy into attack formation...

...and charge into the unprepared Red infantry.

Only to find the infantry are more resolute than expected, and they are driven back.

That's the final throw of the dice. Both armies are now exhausted, so the game ends as a draw.

Phew!

Time for a quick break, and off for something a bit different.