Although Chain of Command (CoC) isn't usually featured on Vis Lardica - this site being devoted to TFL's company-sized games, and CoC being a skirmish-level, platoon-sized game - it's nice to be able to let you know that the Lardies are having a bit of a sale and offering CoC at 15% off:
News from Lard Island: the TooFatLardies are launching a sister company named Reisswitz Press.
Here's a copy of the release:
It isn’t often that a new publishing house dedicated to historical wargaming is launched, but that is precisely what is about to happen as Reisswitz Press prepares to publish it’s first set of wargames rules, Pickett’s Charge by respected game designer Dave Brown, the man behind such classics as General de Brigade, British Grenadier and Battlegroup Panzer Grenadier.
For the uninitiated, the Reisswitz name comes from the author of what are widely viewed as the first set of modern wargames rules; the 1824 Kriegsspiel which was adopted by the Prussian Army and led to an explosion in military gaming which became popular with military men and enthusiastic civilians alike. Indeed it is testament to von Reisswitz that his rules are still being used today and, probably more importantly, that the hobby he did so much to launch goes from strength to strength.
Most wargamers, especially readers of Lard Island News, will be familiar with TooFatLardies. As game designers and publishers we have long been convinced of the importance of history within our wargames; with a large dollop of Clausewitzian friction and an emphasis on command decisions being our trademark. The founding of Reisswitz Press will allow us to publish wargames rules which fall outside the traditional scope of Lard but which share our dedication to historical gaming.
What is more, Reisswitz Press is an opportunity for us to work with some of the most dynamic and influential people in the hobby. As we have seen, Dave Brown needs no introduction and we have been very pleased to work with Henry Hyde who has done our graphic design and layout on this project and to use the artwork of the peerless Don Troiani on the cover.
Over the coming weeks, as we move towards our launch publication date, we’ll be keeping you informed about Pickett’s Charge with articles on design and reports on games. We are also looking to produce a range of short videos to show the rules in play.
Great news: the TFL Summer Special 2016 has landed and is now available.
Contents and blurb from Rich:
Packed with the usual mix of Lard related articles, scenarios and campaigns. This is a bumper edition weighing in at a collosal 136 pages
Introduction
The usual waffle from the less-than-dynamic duo.
Death Road to Corunna
Alfredo Vitaller & chums from Club Dragon in Madrid present a chilly Napoleonic campaign for Sharp Practice
A Fast & Dirty Guide to Tactics
Playing Sharp Practice and looking for top tactical tips? Look no further.
Let’s All Get Equally Confused
Two Operation Torch scenarios for I Ain’t Been Shot Mum from Charles Eckart in the USA
Team Desobry
Men of the midlands, Ade and Al, head for the Ardennes as Team Desobry defend Noville in December 1944 with Chain of Command
109 Beat It
Jim Jackaman takes on the Hun over northern France with Bag the Hun
George Washington’s Indian War
Simon Walker applied his war-paint and looks at this little known but rather spiffing war for Sharp Practice.
On the Trail of Fort Jefferson
A scenario for the above conflict.
Our Moccasins Trickled Blood.
Another Indian War scenario. You know that they say, red moccasins…
At the Sharp End…of the Runway
Some campaign ideas for Bag the Hun from James Crate in the US of A.
Binky Faversham’s Guide to Banter
Tally Ho chaps, Caribou nibbling on the croquet hoops, Scramble! Binky makes sense of banter from his high security psychiatric institution
The Company Commander in Big Chain of Command
Len Tracey suggests uses for the main man in large games of CoC.
Matching Scale and Wargames
La Roundwood introduces us to fine art and even finer figures for the Thirty Years War
The Japanese Army 1936-42
A guide to Japanese tactics from Len Tracey in Australia.
George of the Jungle
An IABSM scenario set in Burma in 1945 and starring George Macdonald Fraser.
A Fighting Withdrawal
A Dunkirk perimeter campaign for Chain of Command. Can you save the BEF?
Itching to Mix It
The Hun are raiding Swanage. It was the last time anyone went there out of choice.
America’s First D-Day
Charles Eckart presents a US-Mexican War amphibious landing.
Kernow’s Corner
A last-ditch fight for the DCLI as they stand up to the German Spring Offensive of 1918. A Muddy CoC scenario.
Tanks in the Wire
The NVA attack a US Special Forces camp in 1968A scenario for Charlie Don’t Surf from Ross Bowrage.
It was just my Imagi-Nation…
An introduction to Big Rich’s Seven Years War project.
The Khazi is Revolting
An Indian Mutiny Scenario from the Deep Fried Lard Games Day. Can you get the Major Piles Relief Column through in time?
Saving the Honourable “Tootles” Ash
A cinematic adventure into WWII with arescue mission for Chain of Command.
The Roundwood Report
Sidney discusses firing mechanisms and much else with Big Rich.
Creating Facts on the Ground
Fighting the Six Day War Lardy Style with Robert Avery
Exciting news from Lard Island: with advanced orders for Sharp Practice now being taken.
Sharp Practice is the TFL large scale skirmish game designed for use from the Napoleonic era to the end of the catalytic wars.
Here's what Big Rich had to say about the release:
The rules are at the printers, the cards are being produced, the Poker Chips are en route and the Game tokens are rolling off the production line. That can only mean one thing: Sharp Practice will be released on St George’s Day later this month and we are now taking advanced order.
And what spankingly good advanced orders we have for you too. You can, of course, get the rule set on its own, but there are also five bundle deals which you can select from which provide some assistance when playing the game. Let’s take a look at what these bundles contain.
It's a 120 page book which contains the rules and Army Lists for five different conflicts. These are the French Indian War, the AWI, Peninsular War, ACW and Indian Mutiny.
However, the rules won’t stop there. We have lost of other periods ready as free downloadable Army lists covering stuff like Garibaldi in Italy, Napoleonic warfare, Revolutionary Wars in Italy, US Mexican Wars and a whole host of other exciting stuff.
You can choose whether you want to use a card deck or pull chips from a bag or cup. It’s entirely up to you which you use. You will need ONE set or cards or chips to play a game. You do not need one per player.
The poker chip set are 34 tokens in engraved MDF which are very easy to paint up and look superb when they are done. The cards are a proper poker standard set with rounded corners and come in a tuck box. As it happens we got 40 cards to a deck as this suited the printer card sizes so the card deck is slightly larger.
A set of 18 acrylic tokens to indicate when units Present (ready to fire a controlled volley), when they are firing an uncontrolled volley and when they are broken. We have played many many games and this set of 18 tokens have been all we needed for any game situation. No need to duplicate unless you are really going to push the boat out on game size.
We will be posting photos of all of the items as they arrive from suppliers, for now you’ll have to trust us as to the fact that they are all designed for purpose and rather swish. Here’s the bundles in detail.
The monster of a bundle with everything anyone would wish for on the Sharp Practice front.
At £38 this saves you £21 as a bundle.
Chips with everything (as per Bundle 5 but no card deck)
At £34 this saves you £19 as a bundle
Card Sharp (as per Bundle 5 but no Poker Chips)
At £35 this saves you £19 as a bundle
Rules & Chips
At £28 this saves you £17 as a bundle
Rules & Cards
At £29 this saves you £17 as a bundle.
These bundle orders are for the hard copy rules with extras and they PDF comes free as a “thank you” for placing an advanced order. Please note, the free PDFs will be sent out on the 23rd of April, the release date.
We will be releasing the PDF bundles on the 23rd of April which will cover the PDF versions of the rules along with bundles of hard copy cards, chips and tokens, so if that’s your bag keep your eyes on the web site or Lard Island News for more details.
So some of you may have noticed that I've added Google AdSense to a couple of pages of the Vis Lardica site. Not exactly ready to retire yet on the proceeds (so far I've made enough to buy about half a 15mm tank!) but it's certainly quite an amusing journey.
AdSense looks at a combination of the content on the page and the cookies associated with you, the visitor, before deciding what ads to serve. Usually that means there's advertising for retirement products (oh, we are just so old, us wargamers) or online computer games: not a bad match.
Yesterday, however, you may have noticed that I posted about my latest painted unit: a UAR or Egyptian infantry platoon for the 6DW.
What advertising do I see today?
Yup: "Date Arab Women" from arabmatchmaking.com!
Remind me never to post about Big CoC*
R
*Big Chain of Command
News from the front: the TooFatLardies are having a January Sale. Here's what Rich said on Lard Island News:
"It wouldn’t be January without a Sale, and this month we have not one but two great deals on offer. Firstly we have all of the Sharp Practice range available at 35% off list price, that’s the rules in hard copy or PDF format and all of the supplements. You can find them on our web site here: Sharp Practice
"Secondly, we have a focus this month on I Ain’t Been Shot Mum, our hugely popular Company sized rules for the Second World War. The rules and all of the huge range of supplements are available at 20% off for the rest of January. Our IABSM products are listed here: IABSM
"There’s never been a better time to get hold of two Lardy classics!"
You can click on the titles in bold to go straight to the TFL online shop.
First chance I've had to publicise the arrival of the TFL Xmas Special 2015, available as a pdf for just £5 from the TFL website by clicking here.
For those who aren't familiar with the format, the specials are a twice-yearly collection of Lard related articles and features that provide hours of good reading and gaming. Here's what's in this one:
For those who need to buy some more Lardy products (cough, my scenario books, cough*), Rich is running a 15% off sale over at the main TooFatLardies webstore. You can get there by clicking here.
Not sure how long the sale will last: Rich says until he's finished the Xmas Special...so Easter then!
*all my scenario books are updated for IABSMv3...and if you don't fancy them, there's always Q13!
News that the Lardies have released a new set of markers for Chain of Command. I'll let Rich tell all...
"Two of the things we are regularly asked for are a set of Patrol Markers and a set of Jump-Off Points for smaller figures such as 20mm or 15mm. We thought it would be a great idea to kill two birds with one stone and, in partnership with our chums at Warbases, we have produced sets of eight markers for both the Axis and Allied forces. Each set contains four robust MDF Patrol Markers with either the Allied star or German Baltic Cross. The four Patrol Markers are 5cm diameter circles and four smaller jump off points are 3cm diameter. Both are in 3mm MDF laser cut and etched for each painting.
"Here’s what they look like “naked”.
"I decided to slap a bit of paint on my own sets. I went with a black undercoat for both before applying Vallejo Russian Uniform Green to the Allied ones and Middlestone to the Axis ones. I then added some camouflage to the German one before detailing the Allied Star in white and the Baltic Cross in black. The German one then got a yellow rim to make it stand out on the table. On reflection, I think I might do the Baltic Cross in white and maybe replace the yellow with a bright red. Early War Panzer grey would be a nice look too. Part of the fun is deciding how you like yours!
"The best news is that both the Axis and Allied sets are now available on the web site for just £3 each. Now, there’s a stocking present for you!"
Yesterday saw the release of another pint-sized campaign scenario book for Chain of Command: The Scottish Corridor.
This supplement focuses on a German counter-attack on the salient held by 15 Scottish Division on the Odon river in the latter stages of the war. As ever, it is available for £3.60: the price of a pint in Richard's local.
Here's the blurb from the TooFatLardies website:
"The Scottish Corridor is the fifth Pint-Sized Campaign for Chain of Command, designed to be played using the campaign handbook, At the Sharp End.
"Twenty nine pages long, The Scottish Corridor follows the established Pint-Sized Campaign format, with an overview of the forces involved on both sides, their deployment shown on period maps and the course of the campaign described in detail before going on to present a mini-campaign covering the initial German counter-attack against the narrow corridor projecting down to the Odon river and Hill 112. A mixed force of two Kampfgruppe attack in the hope of isolating the British spearhead and restoring the line.
"The campaign is a total of six game tables with the duration running between six and eleven games. Briefings are provided for both sides, along with measurable objectives, period maps, force and support option listings and everything you need to play this campaign through to its conclusion.
"Like all of our Pint-Sized campaigns, this is available for the price of a pint in our local pub. We're sure that you'll agree, that is great wargaming value!"
Although we don't really do Chain of Command (or CoC, as it's known) on Vis Lardica, I've played the game a handful of times and always had a great deal of fun.
I'm pleased, therefore, to post about the latest TFL "pint-sized campaign" scenario pack for CoC, Operation Martlet, released today.
From the TFL website:
"Operation Martlet is the fourth of our Pint-Sized campaigns for Chain of Command, designed to be played using the campaign handbook At the Sharp End.
"Twenty eight pages long, Operation Martlet follows the established Pint-Sized Campaign format, with an overview of the forces involed on both sides, their deployment shown on period maps and the course of the campaign described in detail before going on to present a mini-campaign covering this combined arms operation launched by the British 49th Division immediateloy prior to Operation Epsom to seize the Rauray Spur from the defenders from 12 SS Hitlerjugend.
"The campaign is a total of six game tables with the duration running between six and eleven games. Briefings are provided for both sides, along with measurable objectives, period maps, force and support option listings and everything you need to play this campaign through to its conclusion.
"Like all of our Pint-Sized campaigns, this is available for the price of a pint in our local pub [Editor's Note: £3.60 at time of posting]. We're sure that you'll agree, that is great wargaming value!"
Click here to go straight to the TFL shop and buy Operation Martlet.
I usually keep my posts on here to either my own wargaming stuff or something about one of the TFL company-sized games (IABSM, CDS etc). Today, however, I'm happy to pass on news about a sale involving one of the TFL skirmish-level games, Dux Britanniarum. I'll let Big Rich tell you all...
With the Dark nights creeping in and the inclination to spend the evening sat before a warming fire, what better time could there be than to reach for a copy of Dux Britanniarum, our Dark Age rules, and summon up tales of valour and heroism as told in the halls of Arthurian Britain? Indeed, what better incentive than a magical twenty percent off the Dux Britanniarum rules and the Raiders rules supplement throughout the month of October. Even Merlin would be impressed!
So what is Dux Britanniarum all about? The main rules focus on the British defence of their island in the face of a Germanic invasion by the Saxons, Angles and Jutes. Choose the region of Britain over which you want to fight and enjoy the campaign system which allows you to conquer lands, amass experience, gain additional supporters and build fortifications and other enhancements to allow you to hold on the your kingdom. Typically a campaign begins with a Saxon force of around forty five models raiding from the Sea before attempting to win land and settle. Meanwhile the British player will attempt to keep the invaders at bay and hold on to his lands.
The Raiders supplement allows you to introduce three new factions, the Picts, the Scotti and the Irish and extend your campaigning to the northern lands above the wall and the island of Ireland to the West, both of which stood unconquered by the Romans and have very different cultures which are represented in the rules.
Normally £25.00, Dux Britanniarum bundle of the main rules and card deck are just £20.00 during October, whereas The Raiders expansion set with book and card is now £14.40 rather than the usual £18.00. The Double Dux bundle, with both sets of books and cards is now just £32.00. Now is the time to go forth and conquer with Dux Britanniarum.
You can order the above by clicking here.
I don't often post about the TFL WW2 platoon-level game Chain of Command as this site is really reserved for TFL's company-level games.
I do, however. enjoy a nice game of CoC every now and again, so am happy to help Rich promote the "Chain of Command Challenge": a 20%-off offer on the rules, whatever the format.
Here's what Rich said on Lard Island News:
It’s not often we’ll be so direct as to ask “Do you prefer CoC, or the alternative?” but a very comprehensive review of Chain of Command and one of the alternative rule sets out there aimed at platoon level actions has certainly got people talking. You can read Trailape’s comments on his blog here: http://trailape.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/so-youre-platoon-commander-comparing.html
Now, we’re not making any claim for Chain of Command to be the biggest, best or anything else, but we do know that we all have a huge range of rule sets to choose between and often it takes a bit of a poke with a sharp stick to get us to jump in and try something new. So, we thought that now would be a great time for us to launch the Chain of Command Challenge to encourage those gamers who’d been thinking about giving Chain of Command a try but who hadn’t quite got round to it yet. For the remainder of September we are slashing 20% off the price of the rules in hard copy, PDF or tablet-friendly format making Chain of Command fantastic value and this the ideal time to make that jump and give them a whirl.
Of course, as Hans is telling us, we mustn’t forget that Chain of Command benefits from all sorts of nice free to download support products like the notes of bigger battles which can be found here: Big Chain of Command
But there’s much, much more than that. We are rolling out free Army lists which will eventually cover the whole of WWII as well as producing a range of scenario and campaign supplements to make your gaming even more fun. Why not check out Lard Island News and search for Chain of Command Free Downloads to see the whole range of what is already available, or even try one of our Pint-Sized Campaigns, a whole campaign for the price of a pint of beer!
To take part in the Chain of Command Challenge you can find the rules at this great introductory price on our web site here: Chain of Command Products. And just to make things a bit more fun, we’d love to see your reports on your blogs, Facebook or Twitter feeds (hashtag #spreadthelard ), on the TooFatLardies Forum or Yahoo Group, or simply post your comments in a reply to this post. Why not take the Chain of Command Challenge today?
Long time Lardy Thomas Nissvik (you can see his gallery in the 2015 Painting Challenge, and several AARs in the appropriate sections) has posted this piece of news on the TFL Forum:
My buddy Daniel asked me to post this. I will be participating as an Umpire, but Daniel is running the event.
"I plan to hold a big game event next year. The event will be a four day event, probably a Thursday to Sunday thing. It will be based on the 101. Airborne sector during Market Garden and the fighting around Hell's Highway. Rules will be IABSM (I Ain't Been Shot Mum) with a good amount of some local "house rules". Knowing the rules is not necessary as all tables will have umpires. It will be for friends so it is not some commercial event or open to the public.
A pic from the Lardy D-Day Games Day showing British Paras in action around Ranville
My thought is to do this some time in August (when most people have vacation) in the a place which is only ten minutes by car from Arlanda airport and about forty minutes from Stockholm central by train. The idea is to rent a community house. It has a pentry so it will be possible to make food. I am still inquiring with the people responsible and will visit the house in September. I will ask all participants for a modest entry fee to cover the rental expense for the house (which will be fairly low).
It will be played over several large tables with the Son bridge in the south and Uden in the north. Each player will command a force or battle group either consisting of elements of the 101. Airborne, XXX Corps or the German forces. Each force might be equalling a reinforced company or so. I also have plans of having people being commanders of the whole Airborne force, XXX Corps and so on, responsible for coordination, allocating resources, reserves and supplies and communication as well as some higher level support units (especially when it comes to the XXX Corps).
The idea is not to cover the whole Market Garden operation so the Nijmegen, Arnhem, Eelst/Driel sector will not be covered. Some tables will be connected to each other making it possible to send troops directly over to the next while others while require some "extra move points" or "deductions".
I plan to use my friends Koen, Jocke, Laffe and Thomas as umpires. Myself also being one but more on a coordination level. Perhaps they will also have some force responsibility depending on how many will join. All of us will obviously do our best to bring forth the necessary terrain and so on.
I would like to ask you if you would be interested in joining this. Perhaps you also know some people who would be interested in joining as player participants or as umpires, full or part time?"
So, anyone interested?
Cheers/Thomas
Those of you who haven't been to a Lardy games day before should visit the AAR section of this website and see the reports from previous events. They are at the bottom of the right-hand column of AARs.
It would be great if this happened, so if you do fancy a trip to Sweden next year for a big game of IABSM, let Thomas know by replying to his post on the forum here or by e-mailing him at thomas.nissvik@gmail.com.
The TooFatLardies have just announced the release of this year's Summer Special.
This issue contains the following articles:
You'll note the article from your's truly about a points system for Q13.
The TFL Summer Special 2015 is available for only £6 by clicking here.
Exciting news for all 28mm 20thC/modern gamers: the TooFatLardies and Warbases have got together to produce a new range of laser cut terrain pieces. Here's the news item from Lard Island News:
Part of the joy of wargaming is the opportunity to, albeit briefly, suspend our disbelief and see ourselves as Napoleon or Wellington, commanding vast armies, or Sidney Jary at the head of 18 platoon. For me, a big part in creating the environment which encourages that immersion in the narrative of our games is getting a table that not only is pretty, but also looks right. In so many cases it is the small detail which makes a big difference. In all of the games we have run around the shows, it has been stuff like telegraph poles and (believe it or not!) cabbages growing in the garden which have received the most comments. Interestingly, it is small detail like this which I have so often found myself having to scratch build, with varying degress of success if I am honest, as most terrain companies tend to focus on the big stuff, like buildings, bridges and walls, rather than the minutiae. Well, that’s all about to change.
Before Christmas I had a long discussion with my old chum Martin up at Warbases and floated the idea of starting a range of terrain for Chain of Command. To my mind it is the skirmish or platoon level game which really comes to life when you add some extra detail, and I wanted us to work together to start producing the type of items which I really wanted to see in my games. As always, Martin came up trumps, as my dodgy sketches and vague ideas were turned into something practical and VERY pretty. The great news is that we will have the first two packs available at Salute. These are as follows:
Pack One includes the following:
Pack One
As you can see below, the lean to greenhouse will fit neatly onto any flat walled building
Pack Two contains the following:
PACK TWO
All of the models are in laser cut MDF and, where shown they have suitably embossed paper to cover the roofs and serve as tar paper or roof felt as used in the early 20th century. Even better is the news that each of the packs will be retailing at just £16 each, great value for models which will really transform your wargames table. We hope to have these available on the web site immediately after Salute, although I reckon these will be a sell-out at the show!
These look great! Now all I need is for them to be produced in 15mm as well!
Old Hickory, released today, is the third of the Pint-Sized campaigns for Chain of Command, designed to be played using the campaign handbook At the Sharp End.
Thirty pages long, Old Hickory contains an overview of US operations in Normandy and beyond from Operation Cobra to the German counter attack at Mortain, Operation Luttich. It goes on to present a mini-campaign covering the defence of L'Abbaye Blanche, a key position to the North of Mortain where the US 30th Division stood firm against 2nd SS Das Reich, and Der Fuhrer regiment in particular.
The campaign is a total of six game tables with the duration running between three and eight games. Briefings are provided for both sides, along with measurable objectives, period maps, force and support option listings and everything you need to play this campaign through to its conclusion.
Now available at only £3.60 (the price of a pint!) at www.toofatlardies.co.uk.
Hopefully the next special will contain a conversion for IABSM as the Christmas Special 2014 did for the first Pint-Sized Campaign for Chain of Command, 29! Let's go!
Just a quick note: the TooFatLardies have just published the second of their pint-sized campaigns for the WW2 platoon-level game Chain of Command.
Here's what they say about them:
"Kampfgruppe von Luck is the second of our Pint-Sized campaigns for Chain of Command, designed to be played using the campaign handbook At the Sharp End.
"Thirty pages long, Kampfgruppe von Luck contains an overview of the British airbrorne landings and the response of 21 Panzer Division on D-Day before then going on to present a mini-campaign covering the first counter-attack by Kampfgruppe von Luck, striking for the bridges on the Orne.
"The campaign is a total of five game tables with the duration running between five and eight games. Briefings are provided for both sides, along with measurable objectives, period maps, force and support option listings and everything you need to play this campaign through to its conclusion.
"Like all of our Pint-Sized campaigns, this is available for the price of a pint in our local pub. We're sure that you'll agree, that is great wargaming value!"
Hopefully the next Special will contain a conversion guide for IABSM!
You can order KvL by clicking here.
I went over to Lard HQ last night for the final game of the year, billed as a Chain of Command re-fight of the climactic battle from the film The Eagle Has Landed.
For those of you who have missed out on this cinematic masterpiece, Michael Caine leads a bunch of Fallschirmjaegers on a mission to assassinate Winston Churchill as he visits a small village in rural England. All is going well for the Fall-ies, who are disguised as Polish Paratroopers, until one of their number saves a local girl from going under the wheel of a water mill but is killed in the process, with his paratrooper uniform being ripped to reveal his German uniform underneath. Now discovered, Caine's men fight a battle to hold the village against an assault by nearby-based American troops whilst Caine himself (Steiner IIRC) goes off to kill Churchill.
The game, therefore, featured me leading three squads of US infantry supported by a Staghound armoured car into the village to firstly find out what was going on; secondly to identify any disguised Germans; and, thirdly, if any were found, to kill them!
The Germans, meanwhile, who were already occupying the village, had some convoluted mission requirements that seemed to involve tracking down a local woman who was actually one of their spies in order to be told where the secret tunnel was that led to the mansion house where Winnie was staying. I say convoluted because everything for the Germans seemed to get more and more confusing as the game went on: surely nothing to do with the immense amount of champagne that Mr Clarke, who was allegedly running the game, consumed as the evening went on.
After my last Lard HQ Chain of Command debacle (which no-one seemed to have forgotten unfortunately) I was determined to redeem myself. Rather than following the course of action from the film (where the Yanks charge into the village and get shot to bits before retreating for a more cautious second approach), we arrived at the edge of the village and cautiously moved forward towards the first house in order to try and find out what was going on.
There (well in the outside privy to be exact) we met a section of British infantry who confirmed that the Germans did indeed have men in the village, disguised as Polish paratroopers. That was all they could tell us...hardly surprising as they turned out to be more Germans on a mission to stop the main German mission for political infighting reasons.
Confused? Not as much as we were when Rich revealed that he'd brought the wrong box of figures with him so we would have to be portrayed using German figures. So we have Germans using British Paratrooper figures pretending to be Polish; more Germans using British infantry figures pretending to be British, and being played by a Scotsman; and Americans using German figures pretending to be...oh, no, sorry: actually being Americans!
Anyway, having sussed out what was going on, the Americans went forward cautiously: one squad hanging back as a base of support, one moving towards the church, and one moving up to the Whippet Inn (also somewhat confusingly portrayed by a German beer hall).
The squad advancing towards the church took fire from the steeple and lost a man, but our return fire was incredibly accurate and wiped out the German Bren team that were doing the shooting. The squad then started cautiously moving into the church itself. Meanwhile the Staghound moved into a position near the first house from where it could cover the village main street with its .50 cal.
The other two squads then leapfrogged forward until one was in the inn providing a base of support whilst the other was pressed against the back wall of the first house in the village, covering both the main street and the gardens to the rear.
Stalemate then ensued until the Germans realised that firstly all we had to do was keep them occupied until the end of the game and secondly that they needed to get back into the church to find the woman to find the secret passage to find the Churchill...you get the picture.
As false-Polish paras hit the high street, heading for the church, we opened up with everything we had: the Staghound's .50 cal, chewing up scenery as the two squads covering the high street actually did the damage. The first German squad was effectively rendered hors d combat (no, no French on the table...at least I don't think so...but at this stage, a bottle and half in, who knew) but another moved up and threw grenades into the church in an attempt to clear it.
This was not as effective as it should have been (one dead American), and the Germans soon suffered as a hail of grenades and small arms fire came right back at them. That squad was soon pinned and then wiped out as well.
The game then drew to a close. We occupied the church and commanded the main route through the town; the Germans needed to control both in order to fulfil their mission, but were now down two full squads against our losses of four men (three killed by a demented local high on home brew).
All in all, a great game of Chain of Command, if somewhat chaotic. I was quite rightly accused of taking the game far too seriously (it was the Lardy Christmas game, after all) and have no excuse except to say that after last time I had no choice lest my reputation be damaged beyond repair!
My thanks to Rich, Nick, Panda, Trevor, Dougray McScot, Al, Noddy, Mark, Harpers, Panda, Elton etc for a most entertaining evening, with mince pies and booze thrown in for good measure. Just make sure you save me an After Eight when the packet is eventually opened!
Glad tidings of great joy: the TFL Xmas Special 2014 is now available.
Always a source of great ideas, and incredible value for money: highly recommended.
Contents are:
Introduction
A Festive greeting from Lard Island. Grab a mince pie and feel the love...
Cocking Up Through the Mud and the Blood
We present a merger between Chain of Command and Through the Mud and the Blood. Great War gaming just got even more exciting.
Kaiserschlacht 1918
Amid a storm of steel, we present a Great War “Pint-Sized” campaign for Through the Mud and the Blood or the Chain of Command Great War adaptation. Can you win for the Kaiser? Sturm Auf!
Fondler’s Rebels
In the Year of Our Lord 1796, Richard Fondler takes on the United Irishmen and their French friends in a battle to save Ireland for the Crown!
4D6 Shades of Green
The Dux Peterboroughiarum himself, Mike Whitaker, presents more terrain ideas for the Dux The Raiders.
29, Let’s Go Large!
We convert our Normandy Pint-Sized campaign for use with I Ain’t Been Shot Mum and company sized actions. Let’s roll!
Catch the Pidgeon!
An Eastern Front scenario for Bag the Hun from Winchester based Ace, Jim Jackaman. Tally Ho Comrade!
The Irish Question
Pay attention at the back! A nautical Kiss Me Hardy scenario to partner with Fondler’s Rebels. Mr Baines, set course for Bantry Bay. I’m for the Oysters!
The Roundwood Report
Star of stage, screen and his own vivid imagination, Sidney La Roundwood, chats to Big Rich about maps, and looks into the future with his crystal balls.
Fighting Season
Respected author, Leigh Neville of Sydney, introduces us to Fighting Season, our forthcoming modern counter-insurgency rules for Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. As we go to press Leigh will be walking down the aisle and committing himself into perpetual marital bondage. Another good man down...
Building the Deutsche Reichsbahn
Star of the blogosphere and beyond, Pat “Sliver Whistle” Smith, shows us how to build railways for wargaming. Toot toot!
Last Train to Fischhausen
April 1945, a scenario for Chain of Command on the Eastern Front. Can you keep the trains running on time?
Battle of Britan – Over the Mediterranean
Jon Yuengling of Pennsylvania steps into an alternative reality with this “what if” history of 1940 for Bag the Hun.
Of Mines and Men
Da Nang is DAMN HOT in this scenario for Charlie Don’t Surf from the pen of Abingdon’s finest, Ross Bowrage. Are you a mine or a man?
Bloody November
Alfredo Vitaller and Annibal Invictus of Madrid play a home fixture with this Pint-Sized campaign for Madrid in 1936 using Chain of Command España. To Parsaran, or not to Parsaran, that is the question!
The Battle of Mahiwa
Charles Eckart of Denver takes us to Africa and the exploits of von Lettow-Vorbeck, with this Great War scenario for If the Lord Spares Us. Heia Safari!
To the Bitter End
April 1945 and the Kings Own Scottish Borderers are still meeting resistance in the heart of the Reich. This scenario for I Ain’t Been Shot Mum recreates a company sized action on the Elbe River.
Boots & Saddles
Myron Shipp of South Australia mounts up to present some ideas for matching US Cavalry and Plains Indians with Sharp Practice. Additional material from Essex’s own diamond geezer, Simon Walker.
Tweetface with the Lardies
Providing addicts with a daily dose of Lard through the limitless joys of social media, ahem. We provide a guide for the cool kids in 2014. Kicking innnit!
The TooFatLardies Xmas Special 2014 is available to buy from here.
Vis Lardica is a website devoted to wargaming and military history, with a special emphasis on the company-sized rulesets produced by the TooFatLardies: I Ain't Been Shot Mum (WW2); Charlie Don't Surf (Vietnam); and Quadrant 13 (science fiction)
Welcome to Vis Lardica, a not-for-profit website mostly dedicated to the company-sized wargaming rules produced by the TooFatLardies, but encompassing my other gaming interests as well.
If you need to contact me, you can do so at:
vislardica@gmail.com
If you have enjoyed visiting this site, please add a link to it on your own wargaming blog: www.vislardica.com.
