(Fistful of Gnomes) Abbey Road

At this point of the war Lt Langveiler expected to be sitting in some warm, quaint Swiss gnome home, nibbling on chocolate and picking out which timepieces to send back to his family.  No one had anticipated the Swiss to defend so well against the modern weaponry of the Germans, much less begin a counterattack that had sent them scrambling.   Now, the field-promoted gnome had rain pouring off his hat as he stood with his surviving men in the ruins of an old church.  The standing remains offered a short respite from the cold rain, but it was much too unstable to stay under it for long.  

Wiping the water off of his face only added more water, but he couldn't ruminate on his situation.  Private had been assigned guard duty on the other side of the old brigade, and when he came running back over the bridge, his only report has "Swiss Rangers, 10, I think they saw me."

The men were roused from whatever primitive shelter they could make.  

Surrender was always an option, but they needed to put up a fighting effort, the old laws dictated it. 

Forces: 

Remnants of the German 27th (Die Leinenkugels) 

1 Sergeant (Lt Langweiler) 

5 Riflemen

Fight with Honor:  The Germans will surrender if wounded.  They can declare this prior to a wound recovery roll.  If an out of action result is rolled, the figure is assumed captured/surrendered.   Results of Out of Action during combat are treated as kills.   Two point per figure surrendering/captured.  The Swiss aren't the only nationality that can tunnel in a pinch.   

Flee with Honor:   The Germans already know that there's a large Swiss unit beyond the abbey.  The only chance to fight another day is to cross the bridge.  Three points per figure that get over the bridge and is alive at the end of the game. 

Kill with Honor:  One point for each Swiss out of action at the end of the game. 

The Swiss National Park Rangers

1 Officer (Capt Fishgeruch)

1 NCO (Sgt Richard)

8 Riflemen (with close combat hatchets)

Eliminate Threat:  Two points for each German killed or captured.

Do Not Underestimate the Sneakiness:   The Swiss lose one point for each escaping German

The Swiss Rangers pull up to the Abbey. 

Turn One:  The Swiss swore they saw a lone German trooper running through the countryside, so Capt Fishgeruch sent an advance to carefully creep up the stone arch to see if anyone was waiting for them. 

The precaution was in vain as a single shot range out from across the river, and everyone but the scout saw Ranger Meier's head turn into red mist.  

"Sniper!!!!"

Headshot!

Ranger Baumann, behind Meier was in the German Rifleman's sight, he pulled the trigger, and just heard a *click*  

"Goddamn rain..." 

The other Germans huddled over to the sniper, finding the right line of sight for the advancing Rangers, but nothing was as effective.  

The Swiss found cover at the base of the bridge, and prepared for an all out charge. 

Turn Two:  The Swiss though they had the upper hand, but it would take longer to storm the wall than they initially thought.  One Swiss used the wall of the bridge as cover and fired down on the German position, to no effect.  A German bullet dropped him to the cobblestone, wounded.  Another Swiss tried to draw fire from around the base of the bridge, but it just gave the sniper enough time to clear his weapon, reload shoot him in the head.  Another Swiss on the bridge dropped dead. 

Meanwhile Private Meier, how had held a good cross-fire position across the road from the abbey, must have been inspired by the sniper, and took it upon himself to find a new position to pick off Swiss early. 

Turn Three:  Captain Fishgeruch grabbed Sergeant Richard by the shoulder, "The pension plan for the Park Rangers isn't all that great anyway, let's go!"  The duo charged passed a opening within their men.  Captain Fishgeruch reached the wall first, punching one of the German rifleman in the face with the pommel of his sword, before slicing the supposed sniper below the neck with his sword, dropping him.  The Sergeant followed quickly after, but there no witnesses to whether he was shot or beaten in hand to hand.  Nevertheless, his lifeless body adorned the other side of the wall. 

The Germans were quickly realizing that those early shots may have convinced the Swiss of a "Take No Prisoners" approach to the engagement. 

Turn Four:  When when point blank shot grazed the Captain, he wisely dove face-first in the mud on the other side of the wall to feign death (re; he earned a shock token). 

With the remaining rifleman pinned or bleeding near the bridge, Park Ranger Schneider pulled out his trusty hatchet and dove over the wall.   The two Germans broke his momentum, pushing him back, but not before they both were on the ground, quite dead.

Pondering an escape route, Lt Langweiler pulled out his pistol and fired upon Schneider, wounding him.  For a moment, it appeared that the officer could possibly dashed across the road and support the pinned Schneider in the trees, possibly pushing through the remaining resistance and to freedom.  

Turn Five:  Park Ranger Schneider got better real quick (a well timed Queen of Hearts for initiative, removing the wound and allowing him to act).  Leaving his firearm in the mud, Schnieder dove at the officer.  The German proved to have more mettle than Schneider expected, and soon the two were locked in lethal hand-to-hand fighting (a tie for the close-combat roll!)

Meanwhile, Captain Fishgeruch recovered himself from the mud, and dove over to the last German rifleman, plunging his sword into his chest. 

Lt Langweiler had one final trick up his sleeve ... or a few inches away from his.   He managed to grab his pistol from a puddle, but as he turned it to shoot Schneider, the Ranger turn it into the officer's body as the gun went off.

A wounded and bleeding Langweiler let out a sigh of relief, "I surrender... if I don't bleed out first."

Breaking down the victory conditions, it was a brutal 12-6 Swiss win.    From the first roll, the dice had bloodlust, forgetting about wounds and going right to "out of actions."  Only one death was the result of a recovery roll!  There was no mercy, which was the harsh reality the Germans discovered as their war machine effectively eliminated any of the old, honorable ways the that gnomes had fought with before.  

All the blue tokens represent out of action, all but one on the initial wound roll!

Rolling on the basic campaign chart in the core rulebook, the merely wounded Swiss Rifleman would miss the next engagement but return fine.  Sergeant Richard and Lt Langweiler both suffered greatly from their wounds.  Richard would never be the same again, and was eventually relegated to a training company.  Langweiler would be in no shape for an escape attempt, and would be never see combat again... if he survived captivity. 

Rules are Fistful of Lead by Wiley Games.  Figures are Gnome Wars by Brigade Games.

This scenario was based off of  Flintloque scenario Sharke's Abbey on Orcs in the Webbe.

(GNOME WARS) House on the Hille, or "Sikh and Destroy"

It was a weekend to hang out with daughter #1, Maja.  Most of the time was an evening at the Wilkes-Barre Hight School production of Grease that her friend had a part in and a meal at Maja's favorite Thai restaurant, but there was enough time to get some gnomes moving on the table in the apartment. 

Alternative Armies recently released a new scenario for their Flintloque rules and figures.  While I never got into Napoleonic Fantasy, I'm always intrigued by how they would work for Gnome Wars.  

This is that story:

After the early engagements of the Wishing Well War (WWW), the first "modern" war of the gnomes, but before the forests were razed and replaced with trenches, it was every unit for themselves.   Many of the Sikh units jumped sides when supplies, ammunition, and money disappeared.  Many went rogue, or "Independent" and scavenged what they could until a side decided to hire them, or they could find a way home.  

It was also during this time that the German industrial war machine's mechanical prowess was so dominant, that it actually poisoned the forest.  Some of the  oil and chemicals leeched into the soil, killing many trees.  Much ran off into streams and rivers, making the water undrinkable, but enough worked further below the surface, poisoning aquifers and ruining wells that had been essential for the survival of the troops.  The search for clean water was a focus during this part of the war.

The 17th Independent Sikhs found a  pure well in a farmstead deep in the forest.  Historians are unsure what happened to the seven gnome farmers living there, but rumors still persist that one gnome, a mute,  managed to escape and were more than Happy to tell the Swiss what had occurred.  

Portions of the 1st Swiss Reserve and the 9th Swiss Rangers were dispatched to disrupt the Sikh occupation quite violently and secure the clean water supply.  

Goals:

17th Independent Sikhs:  So long as one figure is alive within 10" of the well pump, the Sikhs win. 

1st Swiss Reserve:  Seize control of the well pump with more than 50% of troops.  If standing (non-wounded/killed) troops levels drop to 50% or below, the unit routs.

9th Swiss Rangers:   Seize control of the well pump with more than 75% of troops.  If standing (non-wounded/killed) troops levels drop to 75% or below, the unit routs.

The Swiss do include one Swiss Bernard Medic in each unit, and the Sikhs don't use medics, so adjusted the original objective to include fallen comrades before the medic phase.  

Extra Rule #1:  the Swiss can traverse the harvested field (no cover) or use the full field of wheat (no line of sight to fire).  However, any figure activated in the wheat field will roll a die.  On odds, they may proceed as normal, but on evens, they stop and enjoy a hidden respite for one turn.  This effect only happens once per figure, and when/if it occurs, the figure no longer rolls if they remain in the field.

Extra Rule #2:  Maximum move on the hill is 6".  Figures may move 6" and still fire.

The Sikhs were still searching the grounds, using the well pump, when the rangers surprised them at the same time the Swiss emerged from behind haystacks.  They scrambled to secure cover and form a line to defend against both attacks. 

The 9th Rangers had snuck in through the woods, but were quite disorganized, trying coordinate the attack.  

The Swiss Reserves split up, the Captain taking a group across the barren field, while the Sergeant led his group under the cover of the wheat field.  

The Sikhs inflicted the first casualties on the Rangers, wounding a few that were too close to the edge of the tree line.  But as they reloaded, the dreaded Limburger Greandier threw their stinky cheese with precision, knocking the one Sikh out of line, and sending him scrambling away.  

Not one, but TWO cheese attacks sends the Sikh running.

The Sikhs holding the line against the Reserves were crack shots from a distance against the ones charging across the open field.  The volley fire,  and the lead scouts in the wheat field freezing up at the sounds of gunfire,put the rest of the unit in peril.  

For the Sikhs against the Rangers, they finally got a clear shot and volley fired.

The +1 for volley fire was negated by the woods, so they still only needed a 3+ each to hit. This was catastrophic 

The Rangers threw a larger volley of cheese at the Sikhs, disentigrating the line, finally firing at the scattering Sikhs and moving in. 

The Swiss St Bernard for the Reserves managed to recover two the wounded in the field.  The Sikhs continued their focus on the Reserves as they took shelter behind a nearby mushroom house on fire.

All the Reserves traversing the wheat field eventaully felt the urge to simply hide for a moment, while their comrades were barely surviving a hail of bullets.  One shot even got the good Captain, and he could not be saved.  

As the wheat field Reserves finally emerged, they quickly killed two Sikhs, disrupting their line and volley fire, forcing the at least two to find a new defensive position behind a cart.  The two Sikhs behind the hay bales did manage to kill two Reservists, which forced the surviving Sergeant to consider retreat (six of eight possible casulties). 

On the next critical turn, the remaining Sikhs came in last in initiative.  The Rangers mopped up their scattering Sikhs while the charging Reservists dispatched their enemies at the hay bales.  

The last two survivors retreated to their last stand, the well pump, an mixed group of Swiss engaged them in viscous hand-to-hand.  

Outnumbered 5-to-2, one of the Sikhs quickly stabbed two Swiss, but he Sergeant attacking from the rear doomed them. 

I shall name this well after my first daughter, Aquafina!

With a slightly smaller hill, and a set-up using the stuff I could grab first, the scenario works.  I would move the woods back a bit and remove the Swiss medics for a manic game.  I may also return to the scenario to see how Swiss tunneling would affect it.  

As I peruse the Gnome Wars rules, there are no special rules for the Sikh Officer figure that was available.  Treat the Sikh Officer as a regular Sikh.  They do not have to roll for morale, so his presence in the unit appears to be merely perfunctory. 

(Gnome Wars) AAR: Battle of St. Abe

This weekend was Fall-in! in Lancaster and my buddy's rockin' Halloween party. Due to family and financial reasons it was deemed improper to spend the day travelling. I had planned a Saturday of raking leaves, cleaning up around the house, and possibly run a few errands.

That was before my buddy Brian called on Friday, seeing if I was going to either. To make a long story short, he still wanted to game, I wanted to game, and since there was no Gnome Wars in the PEL this year, he decided to come up today and slap some gnomes on the table.

Since the garage still has heating/electrical issues to resolved, we set up the board on the dining room table.
**WARNING WARNING - Unpainted/Primer only lead, out of scale buildings, and "wrong" items used as terrain. Kindly deal with it or suck an egg. Thank you**

The quaint little village of St. Abe, know for its roads of "Cheese"

The village of St. Abe is patterned after some pictures from Wargames Illustrated #264 last year. Warbands of Scottish Highlanders allied to the Germans have been a scourge to the Swiss countryside. The village of St. Abe was where the Swiss wanted to put an end to it. The Swiss 14th Infantry set up a barbed wire fence and barricades on the bridge to the village and deployed only a few troops near it to lure the Highlanders in. We both agreed that it would work, and play ensued.

Turn 1: The bagpipes sounded and the Scout unit charged forward, the light machine gun setting up early to pepper some Swiss defenses down the road. The Swiss took some shots and fell back, as the troops in town wound up the Bicycle tank. The tank stormed out of the town .

Turn 2: The Swiss took the initiative and the Bicycle tank's machine gun opened up the Highlander scouts trying to take cover behind the bridge. It was a bloody affair. The Cheese Grenadier chucked a hunk of Limburger at the Highlander leader, and it forced him to move forward and through the barbed wire. The Highlanders focused their fire on the bicycle tank. We agreed due to the lack of firepower, that the bicycle could be hit by small arms fire if the figure needed better than a 6 to and rolled a 6. We would consult the light mortar chart, so there was a 50/50 shot the tank would tank a hit. First hit knocked out the gunner, dropping the machine gun to 4d. Second hit destroyed the tank outright.

The Scout leader charged the Cheese Grenadier, but in a sight that shocked all, the Grenadier shoved some cheese in his face and took him out of the game. As things looked bleak for the Highlanders, the rest of their unit came storming down the road.

Turn 3: Another blow of the bagpipes and the mainbody of the Highlanders met up with their decimated scout brothers, and procedure to unleash hell on the Bicycle Tank, outright destroying it. The Berserker Champion and two lochbars used their weapons to knock down the barbed wire. The Swiss continued making pot shots with little success. A unit of pickaxes was moved from the church closer the treeline the others were hiding in.

Turn 4: The Swiss Cheese Grenadier threw another hunk of dairy at one of the lochbars at the barbed wire, causing him to charge forward into base to base contact. Again the brave grenadier won a melee against a superior. So lucky was this gnome that he survived a barrage of fire from four Highlander Arquebus coming over the bridge. At the end of turn, reinforcements arrived in the form of "Silver's Raiders" and unprimed Highlander unit, and the 27th Swiss Colonial Infantry, a unit of Eureka teddy bears my 18-month old daughter picked out before she and my wife left to go shopping.

Turn 4: The Cheese Stand Alone

Turn 5: Our fearless Cheese Grenadier chucked another hunk of fromage, this time at the line of arquebus, scattering them before he disapeared into the woods. The Highlanders machine gun was moved to the top of the bridge and Silver's Raiders begain the pour onto the bridge. Survivors of the first unit began a hunt for the Cheese Grenadier.

Turn 6: The Swiss Colonial Teddy Bears were rushed to the treeline, prepared to charge the bridge to take out the machine gun. The Highlanders had other thoughts as the bagpipes blew and Silver's Raiders came charging over the bridge, just short of the other side of the treeline. The original scout unit took positions on their flanks, one side hunting for the notorious Cheese Grenadier, the other taking out the few Swiss 14th left behind some sandbags defenses. Despite the best effort of the St. Bernard, the 14th were dwindling fast.

Turn 6: So Close, Yet So Far...

Turn 7: The Swiss 14th made a few last-ditch efforts. The 14's Bier Maid had snuck around the woods during the healing phase (healing a certain Cheese Grenadier that may have been mentioned earlier,) and charged the Scout units Bier Maid. The Swiss Maid fell quickly to overwhelming odds.

Maid on Maid Action

Silver's Raiders charged through the treeline into the Teddy Bear Colonials. It was a massive 16-on-14 melee, and after the two turns were done, both sides decimated the other, but only the Teddy Bear Captain Fuzzy and his trusty flagbearer Lance against the horde of Scots. The Last Moments of the Teddy Bear Colonials

On the Teddy Bear Colonials turn, the valiantly took out two more Highlanders until they were ultimately cut down. The remaining Highlander Scouts wiped out the 14th Swiss Grenadiers and Arquebus, leaving only the melee unit.

Turn 8: The Swiss melee group pounced on Silver's Raiders, but the dice gods were not fair and they were slaughtered to the man. Looking at the board, only Highlanders remained, however they had no officers or champions among them. Technically, when all a unit's leaders are removed from play, the unit automatically routs, but we didn't call it two turns earlier. Despite making the victory feel a bit less exciting, are initial reaction was actually correct. Although none of the reference sheets had it listed, Highlanders never check morale! Let's just say I REALLY hope Jim has GW 2.0 ready soon, I need a little continuity and an easier reference book.

What we thought at the end of the game as a minor Highlander victory, actually was a major victory for those crazy Scots. Their raiding forces have been significantly weakened, but I do have some time to figure out the exact effects (there are no Highlanders in East Africa).

And for a little explanation on the name of the battle. At the very end, when we lined up the Teddy Bears and Scots for the massive melee, my lovely wife and daughter arrived home with a bag of Abe's Hot Dogs, a Wilkes-Barre institution. I figured it was only appropriate.

And an FYI, as I review the pics. I actually used the cheese thrower templates for the roads.

2010 Year in Review

A year in review... in October??? To the average reader that might seem as absurd as stocking Christmas items for St. Patty's Day, but for me I've always treated my gaming years as October-through-September. It made my desire for recordkeeping straight somehow.

So it's the completion of Year 22 of my gaming lifetime. Twenty-two years of chucking dice, eating Doritos, and drinking Mountain Dew. The birth of my daughter Maja and her subsequent mobility, has reduced my gaming time even more.

Call of Cthulhu: Ran a Texas Fried Rock-themed one shot, finished No Man's Land with survivors, Dr. Millheim failed at solo investigation, and Coal Crackers went to New York, possibly to stay. Without Adam, the group dynamic feels too small. Perhaps with the addition of Mr Dalcin, we could get things interesting again.

Gnome Wars: As a gaming group, we technically did not finish the Wishing Well campaign, although all scenarios were completed. The Swiss did their best to stall the German invasion, Field Marshal von O’Hara escaped with his life, the Scots look to be a potential German ally, and the Irish are just pissed off at everybody. I got zero painting done this year, and with a crate- load of new stuff I'm definitely behind. Outside of the campaign, I did get an impromptu game off during Mepacon Spring, and I did demonstrate superior generalship at Cold Wars, even if only the center of the Swiss line listened to my commands.

The annual Risus-IOU game at the Day of Sloth was a hoot. It reaffirmed my faith in role-players and started an interest in reading the other books of the Oz series for a campaign (as in Wizard of, not the HBO prison series.)

Steve’s Bar was a test area for true beer-and-pretzels Burning Plastic, as well as figuring out the mechanics for Mouse Guard. The beer was pretty good too…

Fall Mepacon wasn’t much of a gaming success, but I did finally get to play Robo Rally. If I can find it on sale, I’m certain to pick it up.

I also discovered that a wife AND child will make Drunken Diplomacy a difficult game to finish. As much as Drunken Supremacy seems appealing, we may rely on more mundane games to play (like Zombies!)

Con-wise, Cold Wars and Historicon were blasts. A short weekend with the boys drinking and moving lead for Cold Wars consisted of two Gnome Wars games, as well as a Fort Zinderneuf French Foreign Legion game using a revised version of Heroscape rules (Sandscape!). Most of my Arab cav in that game were gunned downed in a charge that would make the Light Brigade look like cowards, but my skirmishers held off the relief column to allow the fort to be taken.

Historicon for me could be summed up in two words: Uncle Duke. I finally got to play in not one, but two of his games: his Northwest Frontier and Zulu game. My generalship Her Majesty’s forces were enthusiastic but sub-par. As a native leader, however, I rock the house, or the kraal in the Roark’s Drift scenario.

The Mepacons were enjoyable, even with the extra drive up to Clarks Summit now. I think I ran Gnome Wars at the Fall ’09 con, but Brian Nichols and I decided to go up for Saturday at Spring '10, pay to get in and snag some cool swag at the auction.

My purchase list was much larger than anticipated. Roleplaying stuff was minimal, but dirt cheap, mostly picked up at auction. I managed to accumulate three more gnome units (Sikh, German, and Swiss), most of the Gnome War support pieces, and a Gnomenizer tank. Two Teddy Bear units were acquired for the girls, plus a gnome bicycle tank from Eureka. I snagged a copy of Supremacy through the auction setting and can't wait to play.

My favorite purchases for the year : The Tanga and Zulu Campaign books by Skirmish Elite. It will keep us busy for some time.

My favorite mini purchase: USMC Recon Team from Eureka. I don't even do Modern (yet!), but these figs are just awesome.

A meeting with Mr. Dalcin...

So, this past weekend I had the good fortune of meeting up with my buddy Mike (we tend to use his last name primarily, so henceforth he'll be Dalcin). I met Dalcin in the reserves, he was the horribly annoying high school junior with little respect for authority and no filter.


Our one connection? D&D. Despite an unhealthy love for Raistlin (sp?) from the Dragonlance novels, he was the catalyst for my second big D&D campaign, which I refer to nowadays as The Army game. This game developed the depth of subsequent campaigns: The Instability of the main village of Eding, Sargeant-of-Arms Torm Touchberry, Krull and Theron, and a mercenary company, and making non-descriptive gladiator combat such a big hit.


The game broke up when our unit was deactivated and we parted ways until Griffon Games was started up in Wind Gap. Dalcin lived between Bath and Wind Gap and was a constant customer. He was a consistent force within our Battletech, Necormunda, Mordheim, and RPGA games. Of course, it could be argued that his bounced check began the downward spiral of a store run on a tight margin, but I don't hold that against him.

When I started up my Hackmaster campaign, Mike was already on my short list of players. He ran numerous quirky characters that equally promoted role-playing and drove the other players of the Burning Trogs batshit crazy.

After Hackmaster, outside of Facebook, we fell out of touch. It was great to see him. His personality is much more subdued and he has decided to make some changes in his life, but it doesn't affect is drive to game. We discussed gaming and our apathy towards 4e, and followed that with a solid game of Gnome Wars. We finished the final scenario in the rulebook, Battle for St. Gothards Pass with his Germans getting into the Swiss village with heavy casualties. It was a grand time, and he's certainly invited to our summer games. At worst, I'll send Nichol's address to the unemployed Dalcin and see what exciting gaming starts... hehehehehehe

(Gnome Wars) Game Prep - Part Duex

This week I've been stealing away to the garage, not to clean it out (and oh does it need it), but to play a few turns of the Fort in the Teutonburg Forest. Monday was two rounds, Tuesday two more, and tonight I got at least five rounds done.


First, the picture:

Yeah, it ain't Miniature Building Authority. The "bridge" is the carboad top for a pack of ATKM minis, and the walls of the "estate" are foam pieces from one of Maja's gift, but a little gray spray paint, a $30 bridge, and some lichen and it's passable.

Of course, painting figs might be good too...

Ten turns into it, numerous units are wiped out, one of those has already achieved a partial victory, and a "super-team" is storming the estate. The "column" of remaining German vehicles are making a break for it through the bridge defended by Sikhs (the playing pieces).

I'm still trying to balance the artillery/vehicle/machine gun ratios, but melee is deadly. Unfortunately I won't be running this at Mepacon (reason: life).

(Gnome Wars) Game Prep

As a bit a therapy, I set up some gnome on our banquet tables, and over the last week, I've added a little more here and there. After finally bringing my new Sikh unit and Gnomenator Tank into the garage, I formerly set up the board for the Battle of the Fort in the Teutonburg Forest. Pictures forthcoming, but I've played through two full turns and some "tweaking" already needs to be done for our actual campaign game:

• The column will still get first play first turn, but they'll be set-up further onto the board.
• The Schneider Tank on the German side allows an awesome kill zone if set up properly.
• The Gnomenator Tank should be set up behind the advancing Sikhs.
• I've got to find a balance for a German cannon, and perhaps an Allied Mortar.

Over the next few nights, I'll a few more turns and see if the Allied forces can punch a hole through some questionable German defenses, and what happens when things get tweaked again for campaign-specific rules (new alliances, truck, and tank issues.)

We have met the enemy, and the camera's battery died

This Sunday we got a small Game Day together. Steve and Nate drove up from Allentown and we got *gasp* two different games run.

First was the next Gnome Wars scenario: The "Battle" of Regensburg. With the rail depot denied to them, the Germans began advancing through the Swiss countryside. At Regensburg the Swiss mounted resistance:

German Units, under the command of Field Marshall Von O'Hara:
3rd German Infantry (The Flying Monkeys)
15th German (The Badenboens)
2nd German Cav
One Schneider Tanks (Two 4d Machine Guns)
Two trucks full of booze and dignitaries.

Swiss Resistance, commanded by General Millheim:
5th Swiss
Regensburg Defense Force
A French Mortar Team as "Advisors"
The 1st Sikhs, who came in turn three

The Early Turns: The Field Marshall led with the Tank down the main road, the 3rd Germans moved to the left to search houses. The 15th accompanied the Trucks "secret service" style, full move pointing away. The Swiss set up in each building, hid behind walls, and secured their HQ in a large barn to the right of the German advance. General Millheim set out four digging teams , all but one survived the game.

The Middle Turns The tank took two hits from the mortar, killing one crew member. von O'Hara turned it into a stationary weapons platform killing the mortar crew, a group of Swiss trying to reman it, and then firing indiscriminately into the barn and a farmhouse directly across. The 3rd Germans met fierce resistance in the first farmhouse from the RDF and... *ta da* the Wizard and a flurry of gnomelings. I treated the explosions as down and not "blown up" and the German Bier Doktor had a 100% rate treating those that fell. Soon, the first farmhouse was in German hands. On the road, two Swiss riflemen crawled from a tunnel, ran across the road, and shot the driver of the first Truck. In a sweet act of karma, the truck drove out of control right into the two Swiss, both of whom failed their saves. The 15th Germans slowly creeped behind the burning wreckage. The 2nd Cav emerged gallantly from the wood in charge formation, jumped a fence with only one falling and realized they were heading right into the 1st Sikhs, who had wisely formed square. The Sikhs took out at least a half dozen rabbits. and the remainder headed out towards the road.

The Final Turns: The 3rd German were focused on mop-up on the left side of town, fighting Swiss who were falling back. The 15th Germans on the road were subject to line of volley fire from the advancing Sikhs. Part Florence Nightingale, Part Jesus Christ, and Part Sam Malone from Cheers, the Bier Doktor and a Bier Nurse dashed to the scene and saved 8 of the 10 casualties of the volley fire. The 15th would return fire, and despite a St Bernard nearby, the Sikhs still refused western medical aid.
In an act that could be considered foolish, General Millheim deployed their lone Alphorn upon a hill at the far end of the board, to "alert everyone of the German advance". It stayed on it's little hill, undefended, until it met the charging German Cav. The Cav had been forced to make a morale roll, and then proceeded to stymy the Swiss counterattack and escape off the board. At that point General Millheim deemed it appropriate to withdraw from the town.

Despite a significant German victory at first glance, the Swiss resistance did more than kick them in the proverbial shins. One destroyed beer truck depletes the German spoils, their tank has significant damage, and the Cav is at recon strength rather than attack strength. The Swiss are at full strength, their new Sikh allies will send reinforcements, but not too many, and we still don't know the allegiances of the Scots or the Irish.

Next session will the Battle for the Teutonburg Forest, where the Swiss+Allies finally go on the offensive, and the despicable Field Marshall von O'Hara's motives are discovered. All are welcome.

The second game was a semi-short two player Call of Cthulhu game, using Dr. Millheim and his buddy Steven. A write-up of Dust to Dust will be done shortly, after the two previous Actual plays are written up. Let's just say the duo thought a bit too much, and for once, they didn't save the day.

(Gnome Wars) Wishing Well Campaign - Battle of Marklin Depot

Set-up: The German moved to the village of Marklin, a major rail hub if the German advance were to continue.

Swiss defenses were stretched to the limit. The 3rd Swiss Infantry had been quickly patched together to aid the Marklin Civil Defense Force (CDF) in defense of the rail depot. The CDF did posses an old heavy mortar which they drug behind the railbed and sent a good number of their melee troops behind a hill as an advance force to encounter the Germans. The Irish were also present at the depot, but for a completely different reason. Unable to recover their “sacred” gold, the Irish were compensated by the Swiss for their loss as well as their services in the Battle of the Thirds. The Irish were unloading their new gold from Swiss trucks onto an awaiting train at the station. Once the gold was loaded, or once the fighting got too close and the engineer decided it was time to leave, the Irish would depart.

Both German units (3rd and 15th) continued their rampage from the last battle, however, with each success, command had been turned over to a subordinate officer with less experience. Field Marshall Von Erichoff’s crushing success with the 3rd at Chucaquatre turned to Colonel Nicholas’ solid victory at The Thirds. Nicholas had been recalled to the border to help prepare the German armor units, so command was turned over to Captain Michael Stepanski a half-german/half-polish gnome commoner turned officer with no combat experience before this war began and a field promotion to Colonel. To compensate for the lack of hvy artillery, a unit of rabbit cavalry (Aussie Cav used to fill in) and a light sausage mortar were brought up from the rear. To negate the wizard’s influence, the witch was convinced to make an appearance with her pumpkin bombs.

The witch was a welcome addition to the German juggernaut. Having her exposed to the Swiss guns early in the game... not wise

Turns 1-4 The German Commander’s inexperience showed even before a single shot was fired. Units were mixed throughout the woods, the 3rd Germans were clumped on the Swiss left flank with the 15th, and the cavalry emerged from the woods in charge formation, with nary a target to charge towards. The young Colonel wasted turns moving the 3rd Germans to the opposite side of the board. The German 1st Cav was left exposed in the middle of the field with a perfect view from the CDF mortar, which obliterated most of them. The bugler for the 15th was ineffective to rally his troops, so the Badenboens lay exposed as the initial turns ended.

The Swiss massed their hand-to-hand specialists behind a hill. Despite complete annihilation, their battle frenzy crushed the remaining spirit of the German left flank.

Turns 5-8: As the 3rd German emerged from the woodline, the Swiss were surprised to see the witch leading the charge, far ahead of the main body. A few well aimed shots of the CDF’s arquebusses fell the witch and sent the pumpkin bombs scattering. Once the 3rd managed to reach a stone wall, they managed to regoup and assaulted the CDF troops. The 15th German became the new target of the CDF mortar, and what was left was nearly wiped out by the melee group hiding behind the hill in the center of the battlefield. The melee group mopped the remaining German 1st Cav and crippled the 15th German to the point of routing.

End of turn 8 total number of Swiss Casualties: 6

Total amount of Irish gold loaded onto the train: 60%

The remains of the 15th Badenboens in the foreground. The main body of the 3rd German "Flying Monkeys" prepare to charge toward the stone walls.

Turns 9-11: As the only German unit left, the Flying Monkeys pressed forward sending peasant infantry forward to clash with the CDF in hand-to-hand with surprising results. The remaining troops suffered heavy losses, but continued to push the CDF back over the tracks and behind the depot.
It has been said that one action can change to tide of battle. The 3rd Germans were weakened but still possessed enough firepower and élan to jump the tracks and rout the CDF forces. One lone German Beier Stein Grenadier’s actions made that an impossibility.

The Swiss hand-to-hand specialists laid waste to the Germans, only to be shot down to the man by survivors of the melee. The five remaining German figures soon routed, so their deaths were not in vain.

The Irish leader “King Jim” had been standing at the corner of the train depot, keeping tabs on both the battle and the slow progress of his troops’ loading of the gold. Despite some heavy fighting coming closer and closer to the rail cars, “King Jim” attentions were directed at some poor Irish Shoe Thrower who couldn’t keep up with the hectic pace. With his back turned, he was an easy (and automatic) target for the German Grenadier. “King Jim” failed his attempt to heal himself during the Medic Phase, and his Irish, instead of routing, went berserk on EVERYONE. No one noticed who hit “King Jim” and between the Germans’ theft of the gold and Swiss’ failure to protect it everyone was fair game.

"King Jim" standing on the train platform. Who knew a foolish throw by some lowly grenadier might change the future of the war?

At that moment, I called the game. The three other units on the board were severely weakened I figured the Irish would run roughshod over them. The 3rd German would flee at the sight of an intact (and very angry) unit of Irish charging them. The 3rd Swiss had enough firepower available to do some damage, but for the wisest thing to do would be to rapidly fall back from their position. The CDF had a few arquebus near the Irish that would get taken out quickly, and a mortar team that would be overwhelmed before they could figure what’s going on. The engineer of the train would panic and leave without the Irish, but with 70% of their gold. The Irish would become a wild card in future scenarios.

(Gnome Wars) Wishing Well Campaign - Battle of the Thirds

(Table set-up, pic taking during a later turn, the white card box is the barn, and unfortunately, no, the beer is not in play. Adam has not been rolling well.)

The Swiss retreated from the Holy Shrine of Chucaquatre and the National Park surrounding it to a small farm to regroup. The Swiss 3rd Infantry arrived by truck to relieve the 14th TC and set up headquarters. The 3rd Engineers set up defenses around the barn.

The farm seemed like a decent place to defend against further German advances: plenty of walls for cover and a deep river to the west. The 3rd Germans were advancing through the woods, however the Swiss were not prepared to see more Germans forming across the river. The 15th German Infantry (The Badenboens) had snuck through the National Park and was attempting to strike the rear of the Swiss, after they forded the river
 

(The 15th German Infantry "The Badenboens" crossing the river along the wheat field. If I only had more time to paint this would look awesome!)

Swiss turns 1-3: The 3rd Swiss’ fortunes turned disastrous from the 1st turn. The 3rd German had massed their forces in the Northeast corner near the barn, so the 3rd Swiss Officer order a portion of troops to tunnel from the farmhouse. The first tunnel check rolled failed horribly and the those troops were trapped/killed for the remainder of the battle. Colonel Mosher of the 3rd Engineers took command of the remaining infantry and had them man the stone walls near the river.

German turns 1-3: The 3rd German stayed within the treeline and began firing into to the barn, yielding a slow, but growing number of casualties. The 15th Infantry had slow going, as they could only cross the river in groups of twos. Germans crossing the river were easily gunned down the Swiss Arquebus, but the Bier Nurse was able to revive most of them.

Turns 4-6: On the eastern front, the 3rd German continued their firing from the woodline, eventually sending a few a peasants out to attack the stone walls with surprising success. On the western front the 15th German began taking heavy casualties, but with numbers on their side, were winning a war of attrition against the remains of the 3rd Swiss.

Support units were now making an appearance on the board. First, German air support made their roll and was allowed to make on bombing run, softening up the Engineers defending the bar. Secondly, a “Canada Post” truck appeared across the river, towing a cannon! As the truck crossed the river, Swiss air support made there lone appearance and managed to destroy it. Finally, as the remains of the 3rd Swiss fell back to the farmhouse, everyone’s favorite Allied Gnome, The Wizard made his appearance (via outhouse).

(Does anyone have any hand sanitizer?)

Turns 7 -11+: On the Eastern front, the 3rd German advanced en masse out of the woods pushing the Engineers puck through and around the barn. Those falling back were met by the front the 15th Germans who disregarded the remaining 3rd Swiss and moved towards the barn. The Wizard took a few pot shots at the 15th Germans, but suicide being the better part of the valor in this battle, Took the truck parked at the farmhouse, and with the Alphorn, St. Bernard, a pickaxe, and the 3rd Swiss Officer, floored it towards the 15th. The Germans were crafty and succeeded in jumping on the floorboards of the truck and in brutal hand to hand took out the alphorn and the officer. The 3rd Swiss was officially routed and the Wizard pulled a bootlegger reverse and floored it towards the undefended woods.

(A Wizard and His Dog, in a Stolen Toffee Truck)

 As the wizard left, both sides pulled their trump cards: The Irish had been alerted that the Germans had raided the shrine of some Irish gold being stored there and sent a unit to “collect” it. They arrived from the south near the farmhouse, jumped the stone fence and laid a beating on the 15th Germans. The Engineers were still out of luck, as the Germans had hired some mercenary Aussie Cav, who proceeded to charge over the fence and assault the remains of the Swiss.

At this point, we decided to wrap up the battle. The Irish, who managed to bloody their shillelaghs on Germans and Australians prevented the Germans from achieving a complete victory. Both the Swiss 3rd and 3rd Engineers survived to able to fight in future scenarios. The German advance would continue…

(Gnome Wars) The Wishing Well Campaign Opening Shots

The Wishing Well War
Scenario 1: Battle of Chucaquatre

The bloodied pilgrims were the first sign of a problem. The Holy Shrine of Chucaquatre was a tranquil site, the pilgrims who traveled there were respectful, contemplative, and most importantly non-violent.

It was unknown whether it was intentional or not, but the German Gnomes used their territory just across the border for military maneuvers and a proving ground for new weapons. Despite this apparent affront, the Germans were exact enough that not even a bullet fell on the grounds of the Swiss National Park that surrounded the shrine.

That is, until today.

Two German units, the 3rd “Die FleiderAffes” and the 27th “Die Leinenkugels” crossed the Swiss border during a training exercise. This mistake may have been forgiven within the diplomatic channels if the General Leinenkugel did not give the command to shoot pilgrims.

To keep the holy site peaceful, very few troops were kept within the area. The Park Rangers were better suited to shoo away squatters and pilgrims who overstayed their welcome at the park’s campsite rather than armed troops. The 14th Swiss Training Company had been ordered there for the last month of their training, moreso for litter collection than peacekeeping. The only other units within close proximity to the site were the 3rd Engineers. The 1st Engineers were swift and efficient in their work. What little they couldn’t accomplish was given to the 2nd Engineers. The 3rd were routinely loaned out to the Ministry of the Interior and ordered to perform road repair.

The Swiss units arrived at the clearing around the holy shrine around the same time as the Germans. As the 14th Swiss TC hid behind a hill and begun to tunnel, the 3rd Engineers sent a small group underground, the rest blindly charging forward toward the German right flank and the Leinenkugels’ guns. Their overabundance of pickaxes and lack of firepower made their tactics very limited.

The right flank. Rounds 1-3.
The 3rd Engineers were beset by disaster from the start. They instantly lost their tunneling party. The 27th Leinenkugels let loose one volley that decimated the troops trying to jump a fence. The leaders and most remaining troops fled to the safety of the hill on the far right of the battlefield. The Leinenkugels proceeded to jump fence after fence to destroy the remaining engineers and flank the 14th TC.

The left flank Rounds 1-3.
With the 14th TC hiding behind a grassy knoll, the Die FleiderAffes focused on occupying the shrine, taking pot shots at the few Limburger Grenadiers chucking cheese at them.

The right flank – rounds 4+
In a moment of Swiss desperation and German blundering tactics, the 3rd Engineers Cheese Thrower emerged from behind a wall and let loose it’s Molten Lactose Hell upon the Leinenkugels, who were bunched within a small area behind the shrine. Up to 80% of the 27th lay trapped within the cheese. This doomed the unit to eventual rout, but since the troops were still on the board, allowed the Leinekugel's Sergeant to fight a bitter battle with the remaining troops of the Engineers. The Sergeant lost a tough melee, and the 3rd Engineers made enough morale to survive until the 27th routed to oblivion.

The left flank -- round 4+
The Swiss tunnelers surfaced to the rear of the 3rd Germans, creating decent casualties, but were eventually brought done by.... the German Bier Nurse. To add insult to injury all German casualties were save by the German Bier Doktor!
Before the remaining 14th TC rose over the hill, a strange noise emanated from the outhouse near the shrine. A few moments later, the Gnome Wizard appeared out of it! Armed with his lightning bolt and two ineffective gnomelings, the wizard stopped the 3rd German advance to the shrine itself, but not one step further.
As the 14th TC charged over the hill, and epic one-on-one combat ocurred. Swiss Bier Maid versus German Bier Maid. Multiple ties were rolled until the German Fraulein reigned victorious.

The scenario ended with the Gnome Wizard following the 14th TC in a retreat (and eventual rout), and the Die FleiderAffes (Flying Monkeys) in control of the shrine. The German cost was high, with the loss of the entire 27th Infantry, but they now had not only a foothold into Swiss territory, but the booty of the shrine itself...