A few Sci-Fi skirmish games with visitors

The medieval armies got a bit of a rest this weekend as some Sci-Fi skirmish games found their way to the tabletop. Our Daughter is visiting from New Zealand and she is quite happy to play a game or two of One-Hour Skirmish Wargames. The rules use cards to determine figure actions and combat outcomes and are very entertaining to play. Our previous games have used a Necromunda style setting in the wastelands surrounding the hives. However, it was different this time as we ventured into the under-hive. This setting provided the opportunity for me to use a boxed terrain set I have.

We both selected 7 miniatures. I picked some local law enforcement figures who were trying to quell the gang activity in the under-hive while my Daughter selected a group of gang figures.

The local law enforcers

The gang or undesirables

A couple of games were played using different terrain configurations. We both won a game so honours were even.

The first setup

The second game setup

I have posted about this terrain by Tenfold Dungeon earlier this year. It has proven to be very useful on a couple of occasions, and can be setup and packed away very quickly. As you open one box there are more boxes inside, all or which can be come rooms, and finally you come to the doors and barricades. Although I tend to use my Games Workshop scatter terrain.

The Facility by Tenfold Dungeon

Opening the boxes reveals more boxes for rooms and corridors.

There is a lot packed into one of these boxes

Some of the other rooms

The 28mm figures fit quite nicely into the terrain.

A game underway

We came up with some house rules for shooting through doors and moving, to avoid having to measure movement distances in confined spaces.

Unboxing some Sci-Fi terrain while on a short break

Browsing the local games shop I came across Tenfold Dungeon's compact tabletop terrain. They mainly produce fantasy style dungeons, but also produce one set with a Sci-Fi theme. The terrain is essentially a series of cardboard boxes of different sizes from which you construct a series of rooms and connecting corridors. I was going away on a short break and thought it would work well as portable scenery for my Necromunda under-hive collection.

A recent purchase

The boxes are revealed once the outer cardboard sleeve is removed.

One of the advantages of the boxes is the ability to store within my various figures and some extra terrain.

Inside the larger boxes there more boxes to be revealed.

All the boxes and their contents laid out.

I cut some foam to fit inside some of the boxes to help protect the models.

Along with the various sized boxes there are printed doors which fit into plastic clips. These are then used to hold the boxes (rooms) together. A very clever design. There were barricades as well which slot together. I opted not to use these as I was able to fit all my Necromunda scatter terrain into the boxes.

The doors are part of the clips used to hold the boxes (rooms) together.

The barricades on the right compared to my existing Necromunda terrain and figures.

A few dividing walls are included which are attached with clips.

A facility I have created for a game.

A closer view

Figures are setup in their starting positions for a quick skirmish game.

The opposition arrives.

And the game begins - "who is going to open the door?"

I use One-Hour Skirmish Wargames as my goto rules with a few modifications to suit the Necromunda under-hive setting.

Rules used

I suspect I will be using this terrain at home as well as when away.

Starting the Necromunda Campaign

Originally I was going to use a snakes and ladders campaign approach I used with a Jacobite campaign (see here) for my Necromunda gang campaign. Then after working through a campaign background where three gangs (Orlock, Escher and Goliath) are trying to control one of the levels of the massive city spire Sub-Primus-X. I decided instead to try an approach based around the Monopoly and drew up a small campaign board (see below). The idea has gangs moving around the board and for each habitat square (with skulls) they land on they get to control it. There are additional squares where gangs:

• Recruit new members - Gangs can add one new member every time they pass through two of the corners.
• Go to jail - Lose a member through arrest.
• Trade - Gangs are able to gain new equipment and abilities
• Raided by the authorities - Gangs facing off against Adeptus Arbites)

When a gang lands on a habitat square controlled by another gang a game is played. If the winner is the controlling gang, they keep control of the habitat block and improve the likelihood recovery for any members downed during the game. Should the controlling gang lose the game, control of the habitat is given up to the attacking gang, but neither gang benefits from improved recovery for members downed.

Gang members don't want to lose too many members in their games as they can only recruit twice for every rotation of the board.

I will be writing up the rules in more detail as the campaign progresses and I firm up some of the rules.

Campaign Board

I will be using the scenarios from the original Necromunda rule book and dicing to determine which scenario to use.

The original rules have lots of ideas for the narrative and running a campaign.

The campaign moves began with:

• Gang Escher moving quickly (6 rolled) to secure control of a habitat block. 
• Gang Goliath moved slowly (1 rolled) and controls a habitat block. 
• Gang Orlock moved through the level (rolled 5) and had one gang member arrested.

The second campaign turn threw up a couple of games to play:

• Gang Escher moved forward (2 rolled) to secure control of a second habitat block. 
• Gang Goliath were raided by Adeptus Arbites (1 rolled) who were aware of gang activity on the level. 
• Gang Orlock's bad luck continued (rolled 1) and landed on the habitat block recently controlled by Gang Escher. There will be no easy pickings.

Situation after turn 2. Two games will be played. The smaller coloured dice indicate area controlled by the various gangs.

The first game to play is the clash between Gang Orlock and Gang Escher. Both gangs begin with 10 members. The scenario is a straightforward gang fight with the gangs entering from opposite sides. Victory going to the gang that remains standing or does not run away.

The rules I am using are One-Hour Skirmish Wargames.

A 3x3 foot tabletop is setup

Orlock Gang arrive

Elements of Eschar gang arrive

Now time to play the game...

Reworking rules and ordering figures for new project

I have been playing around with the combat rule mechanism in the WW2 Western Desert rules I am using for my campaign games. These rules themselves are a slight variant on the Tank on Tank rules from Lock n Load publishing. The recent changes have the combat mechanism using opposing D6 dice rolls. After working through the percentage chances of hits I found they were exactly the same as the original rules. This was both interesting to do and made me laugh. I will keep the changes as I do quite like the opposing dice rolls.

The other change made is the introduction of chance cards using a very similar approach to those described in One Hour Wargames (chapter 22) which has about a third advantage cards, a third disadvantage cards, and a third no effect cards.

When making these changes I had started the next campaign turn and have decided to loop back and replay with the turn with the modified rules. I have yet to write up the rule amendments, which will be one of this weekend's activities.

The next campaign game on the tabletop

A few expired down-lights converted to scatter terrain for my Necromunda games have now been painted. I must be getting close to the end of this terrain project and will soon be starting a mini skirmish campaign as I have sufficient figures painted to begin with three gangs. I just need to decide how best to run this campaign, and will most likely be using a snakes and ladders approach as I did with my Jacobite campaign.

Scatter terrain representing some sort of vent.

For a while now I have been thinking about dabbling in the ancients period. The furthest back I go with my collections are: a One Hundred Years War Minifigs collection and 1066 paper soldier collection. The idea of collecting a couple of ancient period armies was cemented after reading Airfix's Guide to Ancient Wargaming.

recent reading

My first efforts at wargaming in this period go back to when I was just a teenager, or maybe a fraction younger, and was with Airfix's Romans and Ancient Britons and a few Robin Hood figures thrown in for good measure. The book "Introduction to Battle Gaming" by Terry Wise was my inspiration at the time, and I used to look at the old black and white photographs time and time again.

Wonderful battles with Airfix figures.

With this in mind I opted to go with soft plastic figures for nostalgia and to keep the costs down. Looking around at what was available online I opted to go with a few Roman and Carthaginian army boxes by HAT Industrie figures

HAT Roman Soldiers

HAT Carthaginian Soldiers

As for rules I have not given it a lot of thought, but I am very tempted to go with DBA as I do have a copy of the rules (version 1.1), and I am sure OHW rules will also get a go.

Rules in the cupboard waiting to be used

Necromunda gang addition and small terrain items

With spring on its way here in Melbourne I am enjoying spending more time outside in the garden planting vegetables and consequently less time painting and wargaming. However, during the week I did managed to get in a WW2 Western Desert campaign game and paint up a few more items for a Necromunda style campaign, which I am still in the process of planning out.

A lone psychic to add a bit of variety to the games

Drain covers for the sewers. Three have been made to allow gangs to enter one and appear randomly the next turn at one of the other two drain covers.

Old used down lights with their connection pins removed will be used to create some more scatter terrain

The WW2 Western Desert campaign is progressing again with the next campaign turn and one game has already been completed during the week. All being well a second game will be played later this weekend. 

I have been tinkering with the rules for these desert games. The current set are very much based upon Tank on Tank rules, but use a D10 dice rather than 2D6 dice for combat resolution. The current tinkering has opposed D6 dice rolls where the attacker adds the number or attacking units and the defender adds a defence value. A few more games will be required before I settle on them, or return to the previous approach.

The early stages of a WW2 Webster desert game

Another change to the game is the introduction of chance cards. 15 cards for each player which are very much along the lines of those described in One Hour Wargames, with slight variations to fit with the rules used. 

I find the use of change cards also helps me to keep track of time in the game, as I always seem to forget to push froward the game clock and in next to no time have lost track of the turns. If find I do not forget to pick a chance card and once the cards are all used up it is the end of the game.

A mix of wargaming activities

My original plans this past weekend was to get close to completing the wooden block sci-fi terrain, but this had to be deferred due to continuous rain. As an alternative I began by painting up a few more Necromunda figures and prepared for the next WW2 Western Desert campaign game.

A few Warhammer figures are adapted for a Necromunda game.

In the last campaign game the attacking 21st Panzer division was repulsed by the South African infantry division in defensive positions. Axis forces have a mobile reserve waiting for a breakthrough and now are having to make an attack using one of their Italian infantry divisions. This game will be played later this week once I have finished gaming with my War of the Spanish Succession paper armies, which currently occupy the tabletop.

WW2 Western Desert campaign map

When Sunday continued to be a wash out weather wise. I opted have a War of the Spanish Succession game and give some simple rules I had written a few weeks back another go. For the game I thought I would tryout the Battle of Wynendael, September 1708, from the book "Battle Notes for Wargames" by Donald Featherstone. 

A game prepared guided by Battle Notes for Wargamers

The battle took place during Marlborough's campaigns in the Low Countries. The action was between an allied force protecting a convoy of supplies required for the Siege of Lille and intercepting French forces. 

Allied forces under command of General-Major Webb were 6,000 infantry and 1,500 cavalry. French forces commanded by Count de la Mothe consisted of a mixed force of 24,000 men. Webb was aware of the French and chose a defensive position flanked on both sides by woods.

Plans of the battle

The battle notes suggest French morale should be viewed as poor and their commander considered below average. As the rules being used don't dice for morale, I opted to reduce the effectiveness of French shooting in the game. In addition the French cavalry would not attack unless attacked or any forces came within each of a charge move to represent the below average commander.

Allied forces take up position between the woods with small detachments in the woods on either side. They are bombarded by artillery for two moves before the infantry advanced.

French forces come under fire from infantry detachments positioned in the woods as they advance.

Allied cavalry remain ready in reserve while their infantry lines are engaging in musket fire.

The hits are mounting up on French first line of attack.

The first line of attack is starting to falter and the next line prepares to fill the gaps in the line.

All French and Allied infantry are now committed.

Hits are mounting on Allied infantry and cavalry move up ready to provide support.

The French attack finally ends. The Allied infantry were close to exhausted and required the support of their cavalry to help hold their position. No advance was made on towards the French cavalry.

The game followed the account of the battle. This was mainly due to the reduction in the effectiveness of French musketry. Without this adjustment it would have been a definite French victory. Historically this was an important action which allowed the convoy of supplies to get through to the siege of Lille by Marlborough.