On the outskirts of Hue the 810^th NVA were ordered to delay the US advance by either successfully playing two CoC dice or reducing American morale to zero.

The Marines were tasked with moving two squads off the NVA board edge or breaking the NVA morale.

The game began with the usual patrol phase.  Aiming for deployment points on the edge of Hue and in the jungle on both flanks the NVA moved their patrol markers forward cautiously, allowing the Americans access to the majority of the board.

 

The Americans opened hostilities by bringing their supporting armour on the road and deploying an infantry squad into firing positions by the service station.  The NVA chose not to respond and looked forward to taking possession of the comfortable US boots approaching them. 

CoC points were slow to come for the NVA.

 

 With their confidence growing the Americans committed their remaining squads to covering positions on both flanks. Their armour support crawled up the road towards Hue

 

 With no response from the NVA the Americans pushed forward on their right flank aiming to eliminate the NVA left wing deployment point.

 Seeing the US making good progress and closing down  potential NVA firing arcs, the Vietnamese freedom fighters responded by ambushing the advancing Americans from the cover of the building on their extreme left flank.

 

Effective NVA fire brought the American advance to a halt but exposed the NVA heroes to the combined firepower of the whole US force.  The NVA were annihilated!  NVA morale was badly hit.  How could anything stand against such awesome firepower? 

To add insult to injury, as the NVA approached their first CoC dice the Americans played their ace.  By expending their own CoC dice they reduced the NVA CoC points total by three.  Time was not with the NVA.

To forestall an American advance on the NVA right a second squad was now deployed in overwatch positions in the jungle. 

The NVA now made the critical decision to reinforce their positions on the left by deploying two further squads and a heavy machine gun into the buildings on the edge of the city.

 

The NVA continued to pour fire into the leading American squad, causing leader casualties and building up the level of shock on the squad.  Return fire from the supporting American infantry and armour was lacklustre.

The NVA then delivered the coup de grace by launching a human wave attack against the beleaguered US squad.

Seeing the danger to their right wing the Americans pushed forward from their positions around the service station.

Too late!  The ferocity of the NVA assault swept away the remains of the leading US squad.  US morale plummeted.  Despite taking fire from the entrenched NVA  the Marines pressed on with their countercharge. 

The Americans also advanced through the jungle terrain on the opposite flank, only to stall in the face of NVA fire.  US morale continued to fall.

 

 

The final act of the battle was now played out as the advancing NVA and the countercharging Marines met in mortal combat.

Despite the Marines destroying their opponents the savagery of hand to hand combat led to an orgy of  mutual destruction.   Marine losses finally caused their morale to fall to 0 and the day went to the heroes of the NVA.

 

Steel Lard took place on Saturday 18^th November at Patriot Games in Sheffield.  Games are played in an old machine shop customised for its new function as a gaming space.  All the facilities you would expect are provided including a nice little coffee bar and bistro.  The cost for the day was £10 including a £6.50 lunch voucher for use on the premises.  How could I say no?

 

The event followed the usual format whereby attendees are offered a choice of two games from the list that are being played that day.  This year the list included favourites such as  Chain of Command and Sharp Practice but also featured What a Cowboy, Kiss me Hardy, Through the Mud and the Blood and Pickett’s Charge.

 

Nine games were on offer

A Rock and a Hard Place

 

Chain of Command, presented by Graeme Atkinson

 

20th May 1941. Operation Merkur, the German invasion of Crete is about to begin with von Braun’s glider assault on Tavronitis Bridge.

 

 

Death in the Donga

 

What a Cowboy, presented by Simon Walker

 

You are escorting the French Prince Imperial on a patrol in Zululand. What’s the First Rule?  Don’t get him killed!

 

Harpers Ferry: A Tragedy in Two Acts

 

What A Cowboy, presented by Richard Crawley.

 

An exploration of John Brown’s insurrection at Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859. Players take on the roles of abolitionists, civilians, and US Marines in one of the pivotal events of pre-Civil War US history. All of the playable characters are named individuals whose actual fates we know. Can you change history?

 

Mayhem in the Med

 

Kiss Me, Hardy!  (Version 2 development game), presented by Charley Walker

 

A gale has blown most of the British Squadron off station.  Only their Inshore Squadron remains to confront the Franco-Spanish invasion of the Isla San Nicolas and its crucial port facilities.  Outnumbered and outgunned, can they hold off the Spanish and French ships long enough for their supporting ships to return and thwart the troop landings?

 

 

Morning Glory on the Combahee

 

Sharp Practice, presented by Ken Welsh

 

Based on a historical Union raid up the Combahee River during the American Civil War to destroy plantations and rescue slaves. The raid was accompanied by the famous abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Will the Union troops achieve their objectives before the Confederates can put up a coordinated response? Can the Confederate mounted troops put up a spirited defence, hold the river crossing and protect the plantation family members before the delayed arrival of their infantry? And just what do Southern Belles keep hidden in their underpinnings? 

 

 

 

 

Oh Sugar!

 

Chain of Command / CoCing Up the Mud and the Blood, presented by Alex Sotheran

 

As part of the British Fourth Army, the Canadian Division was tasked with capturing the small village of Courcelette, including the surrounding German defence lines on the north west of the operation. 21st Battalion of the 4th Canadian Division faced the Sugar Beet Factory on the outskirts of Courcelette which was held by Germans of the 211th regiment of the 45th Reserve Division. Using the lessons learned, the Canadians stormed the German defences and cleared the Sugar Factory before going on to clear the village itself. Will history be repeated, or can the Germans hold the line? Using an early iteration of Chain of Command Great War.

 

 

Rome or Death – The Battle of Mentana,1867

 

Pickett’s Charge, presented by Ken Reilly

 

It’s 1867 and whilst most of Italy has joined the new Italian State. The Armies of the Pope supported by the French are maintaining a separate Papal State.  Our old friend and redshirt, Garibaldi has decided it’s time to take Rome for the nation and to the rallying call of “Rome or Death” he rallied his men to the cause.

 

Bring your best red disco shirt or your Sunday vestments and let’s get the party started.

  

The Spy Who Larded Me 

 

Sharp Practice, presented by Matt Slade

During the American Civil War the small town of St Orbens stands in the hotly disputed Lard County. Through skilful diplomacy, Mayor Rickard Clarke III has kept his town intact and out of the line of fire despite attempts by the north and south to turn him one way or the other.

Today Mayor Clarke is to wed the beauty that is Miss Niccola Skinner. What he does not know is that Miss Skinner is in fact Sir Sidney Roundwood, the disgraced English gentleman and ace confederate spy. A master of disguise, Roundwood has infiltrated the mayoral office and plans to murder Mayor Clarke on their wedding night. The “grieving widow” would then lay the blame at the door of the northern forces surely drawing Lard County into the war on the side of the south.

Union have sent in a detachment to persuade the Mayor that the love of his life is not quite who he thinks. 

Rebs have got wind of this and are trying to stop the union capturing the nefarious Roundwood (think Terry Thomas) who will spill the beans with very little resistance.

Walk This Hue!

 

Chain of Command, presented by John Savage

 

31^st January 1968. The North has launched a huge nationwide offensive, soon to be known as the Tet Offensive. While targets and cities across South Vietnam are attacked, nowhere does the offensive fall heavier than on the City of Hue. Here, US forces in the MACV (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam) Compound south of the city, are surrounded and in danger of being over-run by strong NVA forces. 

Captain Batcheller’s Company A, 1^st Battalion, 1^st Marine Regiment have been ordered from their base at Phu Bai north along Highway One with orders to break through and relieve the US forces in Hue.  Supported by M48 tanks from the 3^rd Marine Tank Battalion, the US column crosses the An Cuu Bridge as Highway One stretches ahead on a tree-lined berm to the outskirts of downtown Hue. 

 

But elements of the 810^th NVA Regiment have already taken up defensive positions to block the road. Can you lead Alpha 1/1’s first platoon to break through and secure the route into Hue and the MACV Compound? Or will you take command of the NVA and shut the door on the advancing Marines and cut-off the MACV Compound?

 

 

 

 

Tussle in Trumpboro

We played another game of Sharp Practice set in the American Rebellion, this time based upon the Richard Clarke Tussle in Trumpboro scenario.

In this scenario it has rained heavily and the British under the command of Major Sir Gerrard Mandering, have despite their best efforts have been unable to keep their powder dry. Sir Gerrard was, however, unperturbed. He would attack with the bayonet and tomahawk, relying on British steel to clear the rebels from the town. The Rebels, luckily, have access to an ammunition cart, so have been able to re-supply enough for each group to fire one volley.

Luck definitely wasn’t with the British, as the Rebels managed to deploy several units into Trumpboro.

The Rebels looked around and could only see a few skirmishers in the distance.

However, their mates soon turned up.

The light infantry advanced

And were joined by their American friends in the Queen’s Rangers.

The Rebel frontiersmen, leapt over the fence, fired a volley, killing two Brits. However, they failed to make contact with the British.

Back in Trumpboro, the state line were moving out from the crossroads, with the continentals making a meal out of getting over the fences to the south of Trumpboro.

The light infantry, with help from the Queen’s Rangers pushed the frontiersmen back but the state line were lurking behind the fence.

The grenadiers advanced rapidly along the road only to be hit by a volley of musket fire from the rebels manning the crossroads.

They were soon seen off by a bloody bayonet charge leaving a single grenadier to help his wounded officer to the medical station.

In retaliation the main column under Sir Gerrard charged the rebels and soon they were in disarray and running for their lives.

The game was called at this point as the Rebel force morale had plummeted and the British skirmishers were closing in to kill off the last of the Rebel skirmishers.

No Pain No Grain

This week for a change we played a game of Infamy Infamy from the Too Fat Lardies. The scenario chosen was the civil war in AD69 one from a WSS magazine written by Richard Clarke. The scenario involves the Othonian and Vittelian forces both looking for supplies from the same farm whilst the locals looked on nervously.

The Othonian gladiators headed straight for the farm,

Whilst the marines made for the river ford as this was the only available crossing point for the Vittelians.

 

 

The Vittelians arrived, with the legion heading down the road.

 

The marines were soon at the ford.

With the Vitellian archers and auxiliaries advancing and heading for the woods near to the ford.

The Vittelian legion slowly lumbered up the road, having severe command and control issues.

They eventually arrived at the ford to face off the Othonians, but the gods (and command cards) were not with them, as they spent several turns looking at the marines.

Pila were thrown by both sides with minimal effect and the legion charged in. The bun fight ensued and both sides were forced back due to morale issues.

Meanwhile, the gladiators were raiding the farm and soon had all the supplies they needed.

The Vittelian legion were unable to clear the ford and blocked it preventing the fresh auxiliaries from taking the fight to the depleted marines.

At this point the game was called as it was late, due to time spent checking the rules as we hadn’t played in quite a while, and also the Vittelians were unlikely to prevent the gladiators making off with the supplies.