NQM Great War 100 Days Modifications

As discussed on previous blogs we've been running a September 1918 Great War scenario featuring the 6th Northants using Chris Kemp's "Not Quite Mechanised". I have used a fair few "Scenario Rules" to make the game run as desired in a show/participation set up and to allow me to demonstrate the particular nuances of late 1918 Western Front Combat. These amendments may have a wider application to gaming the Great War, so here's apost covering the scenario as we play it and the rule changes made.

This is the game map I used to set the toys up. It's based on the British army trench map from late 1918 for the area. The various barrage lines are indicated by blast markers at either end. Green shading indicates wooded areas, brown shows built up areas and the blue crosses show where I put in higher ground. The letters in white circles cross reference to model buildings, and the chevrons are sections of trenches. "A" and "B" are the liaison points with 12th Div (to the North) and 74th Div (to the South) which must be occupied at the end of the game. "I" and "II" are German MG posts. The letters at the ends of roads are to help me set the game up and have no other significance.

For deployments companies of 2 bases are shown. Bases with red dots are battalion HQs. The attack was made by a strengthened 54th Brigade. The battalions involved are:

Light Blue: 7th Royal West Kents

White: 2nd Bedfords

Buff: 6th Northants

Dark Blue: 11th Royal Fusiliers

Brigade HQ had two trench mortar baes. Two Vickers MG posts to cover the left flank of the advance are also marked.

I didn't do a German deployment map. They had a regiment of three battalions supported by two field guns. The bases were liberally scattered across the area in three bands, north, centre and south. The MG posts had half an MG company each from 1st Battalion. The other MGs from the other battalions were situated at "D" and the square to its south. The game runs for 5:20am to 9:00am, when the rain stopped.

The width of the table is 18 Division's frontage. The attack is being made on a narrow front to avoid  the low lying ground known as "The Basin" to the north of the jumping off point which was covered by German MG posts.

The opening barrage starts at 5:20am on a North/South line and rolls forwards until 7:00am, when it switches to an East/West line, as shown. The RWK and the Beds are to clear the village by this point. The Northants and RFs are to be in position by the end of the 7am turn to launch their attack at 7:20am. They have to clear the East/West trench line and the MG posts as well as Lempire (marked with the A in a circle), before linking up with 12th Division.  The timing is very tight to get this done, but it is possible. The Germans are operated by the umpire, and are mainly passive, being under bombardment. If the British loose the barrage things will get tough for them.

These are the change to rule mechanisms given with reference to the original NQM rule book paragraphs.

2.1 Ground Scale: The game used 6" squares representing c250 yards, an effective ground scale of 1:1500. This means a square is a similar area to four conventional NQM hexes at 1:3000.

2.3 Figure Scale: Two SP3 bases make up one company. (i.e. one base = two platoons). Battalion HQ is a SP1 base. A square can hold 14SPs, but attack / defend with only 7SPs. For capacity purposes a tank = 1SP, but fights as 3SP. This means you can attack with a full company and a tank. One of the company bases should be represented as Lewis Guns.

4 Timescale: A turn is 20 minutes.

8.1 Turn Sequence: As recce is less important and artillery fire cannot be called down independently by on table units a revised turn sequence is used. "New Orders" as a concept has also been dropped to make lives easier for the players at a show. They are given a detailed attack plan briefing and reminded constantly of what their aims are and the time frame allocated in the plan. As artillery fire is all pre planned from the British side, deviating from the plan is a high risk strategy.

8.7 Ranges for Shooting: these are amended and are given in the Shooter/Attacker/Target/Defender revised table below.

8.7.1 Artillery Shooting: This is a major change to the way the rules are played. Artillery (except for direct fire field guns deployed by the defenders which fire over open sights only) fires on a pre planned basis. Bombardments fired in support of the attack are designed to suppress the defenders and allow attackers to move onto the defensive positions before the defenders are able to emerge from hiding and occupy them.

Attacking barrages are eight squares wide (2,000 yards) and three squares deep (750 yards). This is the width of the narrow edge of the table. Each square in the barrage has a barrage marker placed in it. In the "Move Barrage" phase the eight markers closest to the attacking edge are moved forwards two squares to effectively roll the barrage on.

German troops under the barrage are automatically PINNED. This is a new rule not in core NQM. Pinned troops that do not move or shoot do not take any damage from the artillery. Any troops moving or firing within a barrage square immediately roll two Combat Dice on the Heavy v Light part of the combat table.

Attacking troops "Hugging the Barrage" may get hit by their own artillery. Roll 12 D8s. (NB Core NQM only uses D6s). Group them by numbers rolled. For each dice greater than one in each group roll a light v light dice against the attackers hugging the barrage in that square, counting left to right (i.e. top to bottom in the map above). e.g. if you roll 1,1,2,4,4,5,6,6,6,7,7,8 that will inflict 1xD6 damage in square 1, 1xD6 damage in square 4, 2xD6 in square 6 and 1xD6 in square 7.

German defensive artillery fire will be severely disrupted by counter battery fire. The randomness of what gets fired is simulated by rolling coloured pairs of D8s and D6s, to give a grid reference from the table base line. We use 8 pairs for this game. 

As you can see, once the British get more than six squares from the left hand table edge they will only be hit by their own artillery.

8.7 Ranges for Shooting: See table below. Note all ranges are restricted to 1 square until sunrise.

8.8 Movement: Infantry and armour movement is 2 squares. This can include one diagonal. Command bases can move up to four squares, again with one diagonal. Tanks move 1 square cross country, two squares on a road. On table artillery may not move.

9.2/9.3 Shooter/Attacker/Target Defender: 

This table replaces target classification and ranges. Note range restriction for darkness. The Ronssoy game starts at 5:20am. Sunrise is a 6:40am. 

There are some notes at the bottom of the table:

MGs in a square roll until they miss. If there are two MGs and one misses, the remaining MG fires until it misses. Limit this to three rolls unless the attackers are getting cocky. 

Close Assault: This is a new type of fighting. It covers troops Hugging the Barrage who move into the square the turn the barrage lifts, i.e. before the defenders can Unpin. Defenders do not fight back as they are being overrun before they can man their firing posts, being bombed and bayoneted into submission. This is the only fighting that causes "Out of Ammo" if a six is rolled. Such bases may fight normally but may not Close Assault until Reorganised.

Armour in a square increases defensive value to Heavy.

"Lewis Guns Deployed" means when fighting other than in Close Assault the Lewis Guns fire in support from squares (including corners) from which troops are not advancing.

9.4 Post Combat Outcomes: Add a d6 to the un-reorganised hits as usual. Troops that are Close Assaulted surrender and are immediately removed to the P.O.W. Cage. Otherwise the loser requires one square. Roll for hits for any troops driven into the barrage as if moving. Draws carry on fighting.

If the square is overrun by Close Assault post combat outcome the attackers move forwards to the far edge of the square, and remain hugging the barrage. Other troops may follow up into the new square, or into the square they have vacated.

9.6 Reorganisation: Pinned markers are removed automatically during the Reorganisation phase and do not require a command stand to do so. There are no British med or log units on the table. When reorganising hits casualties are being removed by stretcher bearers to the rear and stragglers are being re-integrated into the unit. This is done by the relevant Battalion HQ or Brigade HQ being orthogonally adjacent. Battalion HQs can also resupply to reenable Close Assault. Troops defending have battalion aid stations where the battalion HQs are located. They can reorganise up to three squares IF both the HQ and the target unit are not under the barrage. If they are, they can reorg, but take a Heavy v Light hit roll.

"Winning the VC" : L/Cpl Lewis of the 6th Northants won a VC in this action. To simulate this and other acts of extreme bravery I made use off a set of playing cards Phil gave me, which consists of reproduction post cards from the Western Front 

If the British player suffers badly from an attack on a position and loses the Post Combat Outcome they can opt once per game per battalion to do something very brave. They are given the deck and invited to shuffle. They then turn over the top card of the deck. If it is:

• British/Imperial: capture square, proposed for VC (i.e. you have something to write home about)
• Allies (French/Americans): take hit, try again.
• Germans and their Allies: take two hits. Halt.

The odds favour success. You could do this by rolling the dice, but the cards add a little bit of flavour.