Scooby-Doo and the Halloween Horror

This is the narrative of a game played for Halloween at Wycombe Warband as an introduction to 7TV2 for multiple players. The game was played with the 7TV2 rules from Crooked Dice using the Scooby-Doo Programme Guide for Mystery Inc and open casting rules for the villains.

The scenario rules are available to download here.

Tonight's TV listings

Prologue

It’s Halloween and mysterious things are happening as usual at Crystal Cove. Sheriff Stone has been plagued by calls about ghosts and evil spirits, and has asked Mystery Inc to help so as to get rid of some of his less likely cases and reduce his workload. He’s more concerned about the farmer’s daughter, who has been reported missing, and he intends to get down to Abner’s pumpkin farm to search for her as soon as he can.

Mystery Inc are interested in Abner’s farm as well. Fred knew Abner’s daughter from junior school, and he recalls her telling the tale that the farm is haunted by a giant pumpkin monster at this time of year. It’s probably just a publicity stunt so that they can sell more Halloween pumpkins, but it’s fair to say that stranger things have happened in Crystal Cove.

The Casts

MYSTERY INC & FRIENDS

Fred (Co-Star, 5)

Daphne (Co-Star, 4)

Velma (Co-Star, 4)

Shaggy (Co-Star, 4)

Scooby (Co-Star, 4)

Mystery Machine (Vehicle, 4)

Sheriff Stone (Extra, 3)

4 x Deputies (Extra, 2)

Police Patrol Car (Vehicle, 3)

Cameraman (Extra, 1)

TOTAL 39 points

THE SCARECROWS

The Scarecrow Witch (Co-star, 6)

Jack O'Lantern (Co-Star, 4)

The Reaper (Co-Star, 5)

The PumpKing (Co-Star, 7)

8 x Pumpkin-Headed Scarecrows (Extra, 1)

5 x Corn Dolls (Extra, 1)

Farm Truck (Vehicle, counts as Land Rover, 4)

TOTAL 43 points (but the truck is part of the scenario and I would let it be driven by either cast)

Cards made up for this game are available to download here.

And… Action!

Cue music… Scooby-dooby-doo, where are you…

All is quiet on Abner's pumpkin farm

It is night time and apart from the sound of occasional vehicles moving along Highway 432 and the creaking of the windmill in the light of the full moon, all seems quiet on Abner’s farm.

"Are you sure we can park the cars like this, Sheriff?"

The police, accompanied by Mystery Inc, arrive at the entrance to the farm.

"Daphne, these aren't yours are they?"

Leaving the Mystery Machine parked at the edge of the highway, keeping close together, they all cautiously advance along the farm track.

“Whatever you do, don’t split up”, Fred advises. “You know what happens to us every time we do that”.

The police are wary of something ahead of them in the fields, but it turns out just to be an old scarecrow. Nothing to be worried about, surely.

Fred’s eyes are drawn to something on the ground at the side of the track – a clue! As he bends down to pick it up with a stick, the gang gather round to look. Fred appears slightly embarrassed.

“Er… It appears to be a pair of ladies’ underpants,” he stammers. “I wonder how they got here?”

Velma cleans her glasses to get a closer look, and takes the stick from Fred, who is very happy to hand it over.

“Size 8, 60% cotton, off-white with well-worn elastic. Pumpkin-stained, with traces of straw caught in the fabric, some from quite long ago. They’ve been on and off a lot and from the smell I’d say they haven’t been here more than 14 hours.”

“Definitely the Farmer’s daughter”, Fred nodded. “I remember her from Junior School”.

The cameraman begins to wonder if he is in the right place

As the cameraman films a long-distance shot of the gang, the villains make their entrance.

There's something coming through the corn...

What’s that coming through the fields? Is it a monster?

Er, no – it’s two monsters.

Grrrr!

The Scarecrow Witch advances slowly through the corn.

"Whoops! This mud is really slippery!"

Yes, there is definitely something moving in the corn, and it’s not a scarecrow, or at least not a normal one. The police are having some difficulty though. One of the officers has trodden in something unpleasant, slipped and fallen to the ground, while the others are trying very hard to make out what it is approaching them.

“Freeze, or we’ll shoot”, shouts Sheriff Stone. There is no response, and so the police open fire, while the gang hang back, all but Fred still examining the clue.

All ready for a quick getaway... almost.

At about the same time, as Act 2 starts, the farm truck is finally fully- loaded with pumpkins.

“Well done, men”, the villain currently known as Jack O’Lantern says, rubbing his hands together. “No-one will guess the goods are stuffed inside those pumpkins. Surely nothing can stop us now!”

There is the sound of timely gunfire from outside.

“You”, Jack snarls, pointing at one of the pumpkin-headed scarecrows in the barn, “Get that truck on the move. The rest of you come with me – we’re going to find out what’s going on outside.” And as they leave the building, they see the police car appear around the corner of the farm track, and realise they must act fast.

"I tell you it's an old woman! Who else would wear a hat like that?"

Meanwhile, back in the cornfield, the Scarecrow Witch unexpectedly puts his handy disguise kit to use.

“Hold your fire, men”, Sheriff Stone calls, suddenly becoming aware that their target is actually an innocent old lady out for a stroll under the full moon on Halloween, and nothing at all suspicious. “It appears to be an innocent old lady out for a stroll under the full moon on Halloween, and nothing at all suspicious”. His men lower their weapons, but don’t look particularly convinced.

Seeing a different sinister figure moving through the corn on the other side of the track, Sheriff Stone orders his men to shoot at this new target instead, and The Reaper is mercilessly gunned down before he can even wave his scythe in their direction. Then, as the attention moves back, the Scarecrow Witch has a sudden attack of stage fright and finds himself temporarily unable to act, much to the director's annoyance.

"Sheriff, we appear to be on fire."

Undeterred, and ignoring the hammy acting of the Scarecrow Witch, Fred moves towards another clue he has spotted in the middle of the cornfield.

But before the police can open fire again, there is a minor technical mishap with the special effects as a pyrotechnics canister malfunctions. Sheriff Stone and his men find themselves unexpectedly on fire.

"Ouch! Fire! Hurts!"

The cameraman is perfectly positioned for a great shot of the burning policemen, though it only lasts a short while before one of them has to seek medical assistance off-camera.

Vegetables on the attack

The villains, realising that time is running out, and that they are likely to be a lot more effective attacking in numbers, go on the attack. Not before time, flanked by more pumpkin-headed scarecrows, the PumpKing makes its appearance.

“Raaarrrgh!” it growls, as only giant vegetable monsters can.

Thinks... Whatever you do, don't split up...

Sheriff Stone and two of his remaining deputies, having put out their burning clothes, face the threat of the giant vegetable.

Fred, meanwhile, investigates the second clue, relieved to find it is not another item of ladies’ underwear.

“Hmmm,” he ponders. “A gas station receipt for diesel fuel. Enough to fill the tank of a large farm truck for a long journey with a full load of pumpkins. I wonder what that can mean?”

And while Daphne, with an uncanny sense of what needs to be done, runs back to the Mystery Machine, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby ponder why Fred might have been so concerned earlier about the party not splitting up.

Scarecrows in attack formation

It doesn’t take too much pondering. Five corn doll scarecrows appear in the field on the other side of the track to the PumpKing.

“Oh-oh”, says Velma

“Roh-oh”, says Scooby

“Zoinks”, says Shaggy

[In vegetable voice] "We have them now!"

The PumpKing looks threatening as it momentarily poses for the shot before the action.

"Who do you think you are, Starsky & Hutch?"

The deputy driving the patrol car grasps the urgency of the moment, and in a Dukes of Hazzard-like manoeuvre, screeches the vehicle to a halt immediately in front of the farm truck.

***BANG!!!***

Unfortunately the farm truck is bigger and tougher than the police car. Its pumpkin-headed driver stamps on the gas. For a moment, the wheels of the truck spin wildly, and then the truck rockets through the police car, which is written off and knocked aside, its driver thrown clear as the damaged truck barges past.

In moments, the unfortunate driver is surrounded by Jack O’Lantern and his henchman.

"Yikes! I'm sure I had some nerve gas somewhere..."

Meanwhile, the corn dolls close in on Velma, Shaggy and Scooby from one side as pumpkin-heads attack from the other, and a chaotic punch-up ensues. In the confusion Shaggy searches his pockets desperately for something useful.

“Hey, Scoobs, what’s this?” he says, pulling a cylindrical object from his pocket in a scatter of Scooby snacks. “Your old flea powder. Hold your breath!” The flea powder canister explodes in a cloud of foul-smelling noxious gas. The scarecrows falter as the vapour weakens their resolve.

But Shaggy is now in big trouble, attacked on all sides by spooky scarecrows with blunt agricultural implements.

"Take aim carefully, now..."

Sheriff Stone orders his men to help.

“It’s a risky shot, men, so be very careful” he announces, and they all open fire in an explosion of lead. Missing the scarecrows completely, their first shot hits Shaggy in the backside.

“Oops”, says the deputy

“ZOINKS! That hurt!” cries Shaggy.

“I told you to be careful!”, said Sheriff Stone. “Let me show you how it’s done.” And so Sheriff Stone takes the risky shot instead, and Shaggy is hit in the backside a second time.

“Oops” says Sheriff Stone.

“ZZOOIINNKKSS!” says Shaggy, and falls to the ground.

“Rrraaagggy!” howls Scooby.

And the bad guys all sieze the moment and pounce in, and a massive punch-up develops again. Things are not looking good for Scooby-Doo, who disappears beneath a flurry of pounding farm implements, and like Shaggy is taken out of the game. Velma is lucky to get away without even losing her glasses.

Hissss..... Boing! Hisss....

The PumpKing, which is evidently not really a pumpkin at all but in fact some sort of large inflatable construction filled with pressurised gas and operated by several villains inside, has evidently sprung a leak, perhaps caused by a stray bullet that actually hit the correct target. The sudden release of gas allows the giant vegetable monster to leap into the fray, and it bounds into the surprised policeman with enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm, that is, rather than effectiveness. The police stand their ground as another big punch-up develops.

Woman driver

Meanwhile, somehow overlooked by the director and the TV cameraman, Daphne has managed to drive the Mystery Machine into the farm where she stops the escape of the farm truck by carefully crashing into it. She jumps out, but is not quick enough to grab the clue, so promptly jumps back into the dented van and drives off to comparative safety.

"Wha... How did that happen?"

As the dust settles on the massive punch-up on the farm track, the scarecrows look around for signs of Scooby-Doo, who was definitely taken out of the game but has somehow managed to get back in to it. It seems that in the confusion of the fight, in typical cartoon-fashion, Scooby-Doo must have crawled out of the bottom of the melee to make an unlikely escape into the field nearby, where he runs away to safety.

"Put your tendrils in the air!"

The police back away from the ineffective attacks of the PumpKing as the episode draws to a close.

“Freeze!” shouts one of the deputies, brandishing his gun at the rapidly-deflating giant vegetable, and, realising the game is up, a group of villains slowly make their way out, their hands in the air.

“Abner!” cries Sheriff Stone. “I never would have thought it was you!”

“Yes, Sheriff”, admits Abner the Pumpkin Farmer. “And I nearly got away with it despite those pesky kids!”

Epilogue

Later, in hospital, the gang visit Shaggy, who is recovering from his unfortunate bullet wounds. Shaggy is trying to understand Velma’s explanation of what happened.

“So what you’re saying is Abner dresses his men up as spooky scarecrows to scare people at Halloween because people will pay more for a pumpkin grown on a genuinely haunted pumpkin farm than they will for just any old pumpkin? And because of that he’s been arrested on minor charges of fraud and conspiracy to scare small children? And it turns out his daughter wasn’t missing at all but had simply shacked up for a few days with one of the farm hands she fancied who didn’t work over Halloween because he refused to wear a pumpkin on his head?”

“Yes” says Velma

“Yes” says Fred

“Res” says Scooby

“Er… are you sure we didn’t miss anything?” says Daphne.

And they all laugh. Daphne always found solving mysteries challenging and rarely understood the obvious explanations. Everyone knew she was only in Mystery Inc because of her good looks and impeccable fashion sense.

“Rooby-Doo!”

THE END

Closing music

End Credits

7TV2 cards for the villains created by the author and produced using Jorge Robles' excellent 7TV2 Studios Casting Agency 

Mystery Inc from Hasslefree Miniatures 

Pumpkin-headed scarecrows from Rapier Miniatures 

Corn Dolls from Crooked Dice 

Scarecrow Co-Stars from Conquest Games

PumpKing scratch-built from DAS clay, Milliput and Green Stuff by the author.

Clear bases from Sally 4^th 

Scarecrows standing in fields from Bad Squiddo Games 

Pumpkins scattered in fields are painted putkha pods (used in flower decorations), purchased from Hobbycraft 

All terrain scratch-built by the author.

Thanks to all my players for their excellent senses of humour and original ideas and contributions to the screnplay. Which was, by the way, a minor victory to Mystery Inc.

No pumpkins were harmed in this production.

A Small Part Of The Frozen City

Somewhere in the frozen city...

It's taken me a long time to sort out terrain for Frostgrave but at last I have constructed enough pieces of general terrain to make a small but relatively densely-built part of the frozen city as well as some special terrain pieces to be able to play a few of the scenarios in the basic rulebook. The game has also provided an excuse to get some old fantasy figures out of retirement and onto the table after a little rebasing and touching up. I've added a few newer figures as well to make up a couple of warbands.

My basecloth is a 36" x 36" square of table-protecting material. This is used upside-down, painted in grey emulsion, textured in places with PVA and chinchilla dust, painted in patches with a black wash and then when dry with more patches of matt white emulsion. I didn't use snow flock on the base as I reasoned that this was likely to come off inconveniently and probably leave marks. The whole looks pretty good with the terrain pieces on top and rolls up reasonably conveniently for transport.

The terrain is made from wood offcuts, cardboard, mounting board and balsa wood based on 3mm MDF. The rough hewn brickwork effect is scored onto balsa wood using an old pen. I made the main pieces before taking photos but have taken a few shots of some of the scenario pieces as they were constructed, as the techniques are pretty much the same. The examples below show the monk's cells made for The Haunted Houses scenario.

For elements with balsa wood walls, I first cut the wood to size and roughly to shape so that the pieces would fit together. Then I scored rough brickwork onto the balsa using a ballpoint pen. 

Balsa wood pieces cut and scored

I made sure the brickwork looked correct across adjoining edges and cut individual bricks at the top wall edge to give a less regular effect than the wall being the same height all along. I made sure that each cell had an entrance, either cut to appropriate size as as an open doorway or an open gap in the stonework.

All parts were then assembled and stuck together using PVA glue on an appropriately sized MDF base.

Assembled room, with rubble mixed and ready for application

There's a fair bit of rubble on the ground in my city. This is useful for covering edges and filling difficult areas on the terrain pieces but also I think gives the finished item a great look. The rubble is made using a really cheap and simple solution that I first discovered some years ago making ruined buildings for WWII terrain, from crushed peanut shells roughly milled with the help of a coffee grinder. This was mixed with PVA glue and a little water and then applied in rough heaps to selective areas at the base of the walls.

Rubble added to the base

Once the rubble had dried, i used a small amount of Milliput to fill the larger cracks between balsa wood pieces and tidy up corners, and textured to the remaining areas of the MDF bases with a basic basing mix of filler, PVA glue, sharp sand and a little water. I sprinkled this with some scattered chinchilla dust.

Finally, all pieces were painted grey and washed with black. When dry, I added patches of Woodland Scenics snow flock in layers, to give a finish a little like snow and ice that has thawed and then re-frozen.

Completed room

Some of the buildings I made have non-balsa walls which required a more subtle texture than their bases. Areas requiring this lighter texture were painted with a PVA/water mix to which chinchilla dust was directly applied to give a sort of rough-plastered wall effect. The building shown is the central structure for use in The Mausoleum scenario.

The mausoleum

I applied the same light texture to some plinths for statues for The Living Museum scenario. The statutes that stand on these plinths are separate items so that they can easily be moves as normal creatures once they become animated.

Statues on their plinths

I also made a grille - the entrance to some underground chambers, perhaps, or a closed off well or shaft. I'll write some rules for a scenario using this for a separate post.

The entrance to underground tunnels, perhaps?

I'm pretty pleased with the overall effect and looking forward to playing a few games of Frostgrave at the club!

Star Wars Day 2017

Da da da da-dee-da da-de-daaa..

Many Bothans died to get you this information... 

(I love the way the computer insists on changing Bothans to Bothams, giving me visions of rebellious cricket players fighting stormtroopers, and the urge to try that out on the tabletop using 7TV2 rules).

Actually, they didn't, but anyway, not so long ago in a galaxy very​ close by...

Given that 4th May was a club night, it would have been churlish not to have played something Star Wars related. So it was an excuse to get some old toys out and play a few games of X-Wing. I'm not going to write any detailed battle reports, suffice to say a good time was had by all. Here's a few pictures of the action on the day.

May the fourth be with you.

Tie fighters try to hie behind flat asteroids

But it's a trap!

Meanwhile, in a part of the galaxy with real asteroids...

The Wedge of cheese strikes back

29, Let's Go! - Turn 4: St Germain-du-Pert

"Little Bird to control, we have a spot on the target. Over."

"Go ahead, Little Bird. Over"

"Four nine three four north, one zero four west. Repeat four nine three four north, one zero four west. Two self-propelled guns, with supporting infantry. Over"

"Got that, Little Bird. Message received. Over"

"Roger, control. Over and out."

Pulling the stick gently left, the pilot smiled to himself. Job done, they'd found those guns, and no ack-ack this time.  Its twin engines roaring against the headwind, the P38 accelerated as it banked, beginning to turn a wide circle, heading for home.

-----

The duty officer saluted, turned smartly, and walked back to his desk, leaving the small written note in his senior's hand.  Despite the success of his men at Arthenay, the Colonel remained troubled. Cota had been lucky, but now there were more damned 88mm guns on the flank of his tanks. That was not what he needed, not at all. And there was no question about it, there would be no further advance until those German guns were silenced. Too many good men had died on the beach at Omaha and he wasn't going to have more unnecessary deaths on his conscience. Not this time. He picked up the phone to give the order.

-----

The smell of freshly brewed coffee beckoned Lieutenant Cooper, George Company, 3rd Battalion, 175th Infantry, towards the tent at the top of the hill, where an older, heavily moustached man stooped above a field table, poring over a map with two other officers. But for his helmet, and the colour of his uniform, he might have been mistaken for a commander in the US civil war.

"Major Foster?" he asked the group.

"Be with you in a moment, Lieutenant", the older man replied, apparently without even looking in his direction. "Sinclair, get this man some coffee".

In moments a steaming metal mug of black liquid was forced into his hand by a fussing, subservient lackey, who scurried away as rapidly as he had arrived, before Cooper had even registered from where he had appeared. The coffee was strong, burnt and bitter, but still very welcome.

"Lieutenant Cooper". The Major spoke his name as a statement, not a question. "Good of you to join us."

Not as if he had any choice, he thought.

"You'll be aware that we've been ordered to halt again," the Major continued. "Well, you and G Company are going to get us on the move again".

D+4, 10th June 1944

Now the attention moves away from the main attack towards Isigny. Concerned about the vulnerability of their flank, and aware of the presence of a Marder battery around the village of St Germain-du-Pert, the Americans halt until they are able to outflank this German position. The fresh German force defending this position comprises as infantry platoon supported by two Marder IIIs, and begins the game with a Force Morale of 9. American forces comprise a platoon with support points spent on two Shermans, a forward observer and 81mm off table mortar battery, a medic and additional BARs for each team. They start the game with a Force Morale of 10, so begin with the initiative. This is Scenario 5 from the rule book. After the Patrol Phase, German jump-off points are concentrated around the church and houses of St Germain du Pert, with three of the US jump-off points at their starting table edges. One of their jump-off points ends up within the village, dangerously close to the German positions and allowing American troops to deploy in one of the houses.

Dangerously close jump-off points

Sergeant Franks was feeling pretty pleased with himself. After marching through the night, the platoon had split up two hours ago about a mile from St Germain-du-Pert. It was a clear night, with a bright moon, and though they could hear the occasional sound of movement, for the most part it was quiet. He'd pointed out the ruined farmhouse on the far western edge of the village, and the Lieutenant had agreed it was unlikely to be occupied by the enemy, who seemed to have been caught off guard. Not even any signs that they had set a watch tonight. That building would be an ideal position, both to scout out the enemy and to ambush them from the rear when the main assault began, and so his Section had been ordered to take position there. 

Stealthily crossing the fields, shielded by a herd of cattle that barely registered their presence, they reached the edge of the building easily and entered without a sound. A bombed-out ruin, its roof collapsed, the outlying building offered no shelter and understandably had been left abandoned. Finding good defensive positions, so close to the enemy that they could hear at least one man snoring, they waited in silence for the attack to begin.

Turn 1, Phases 1-5

The US deploy their forward observer and one Senior Leader behind a hedge with a clear view of the whole village. Squad 1 with their Junior Leader are deployed in the house at the rear of the village. The Germans deploy infantry squads in two houses and the church, where they also deploy their Panzershreck team. The Americans deploy their remaining infantry teams close to the forward observer and one Sherman along the road. They successfully request mortar support.

Lieutenant Cooper checked his watch. It had been an hour already, plenty of time for Franks to have gotten his men in position. In the silence, Cooper could hear distant metallic squealing; the wheels and tracks of armour - the movement of those Nazi self-propelled guns, no doubt. 

Squinting into the distance, towards the church, he just caught a glimpse of one of the Marders before he was caught unprepared by the sudden explosion. Slate tiles on the church roof and the western side of the steeple flowered out amongst a cloud of dust as the mortar barrage began, covering the area around in smoke. Behind him the he could now hear American tanks behind his position. Shermans of the 747th, announced by the unmistakeable, reassuring drawl of their Detroit motors.

The Americans deploy

Turn 1, Phases 6-7

US infantry squad 1 advances tactically along a hedge line towards the village, as the Germans deploy both Marders in the village close to the church. An immediate mortar barrage is slightly off target but hits troops in the church, killing one man, and one of the Marders, to no effect. The Sherman advances and another appears along the road behind, as the second US Senior Leader deploys.

The 29th Infantry advance

A shadow moving forward towards him out of the cloud shrouding the church took solid shape. There was a brief muzzle flash from the Marder's 88mm gun, as its shell whistled above Cooper's position, off-target, and exploded at the edge of the road. Its target, the lead Sherman, was showered with black mud from the ditch, but otherwise unscathed. Some distance to the left, a second flash betrayed the presence of another Marder, and the wall of the house crumbled in response, the bodies of two of Franks's section tumbling down, sickeningly, to the ground amongst the rubble. Weapons opened up from troops in both houses, each trying to find advantage. Cooper understood now that the house Franks had occupied was too close to the enemy positions, too vulnerable to their response. But he would do what he could. He gave the order to advance,  and his men started to make their way cautiously through the hedge and across the open field beyond.

Turn 1, Phases 8-12

One Marder moves around the church to face the Shermans, and shoots inflicting 1 shock, while the other shoots at US troops in the house, killing 2 and causing 1 point of shock. The troops in the house shoot back and a firefight develops between houses over several phases, killing 1 German, but with the US troops taking the worst of it, with 2 men killed, 5 more points of shock accrued, and its Junior Leader wounded such that he may not activate again this turn.  US squad 1 continues its cautious advance, and US squad 2 crosses the hedge and moves tactically across the field beyond towards the church.

One of the Marders leaves the smoke of the mortar barrage behind

"Take cover!"

As soon as he had shouted the order and fallen face-flat in the damp earth of the field, he realised he and his men were not the target. Another German shell whistled overhead, missing, with two coming back in response. Cooper looked up. The house was still there, just about, though its front wall had largely collapsed, and he could see the movement of men from Franks's section leaving the building from the rear, and Germans advancing to the front. The advance position had been lost - and there was nothing that Cooper could do about it.

Cooper ducked instinctively, cursing as he bit his tongue in the moment of the explosion. He hadn't even seen the shell, but there was now a crater in the road behind, with one wheel and some tracks of the lead Sherman in it. The tank wouldn't be going anywhere, but those men were lucky it hadn't been any worse.

Phases 13-16

The Marder shoots the Sherman again but fails to hit, and both Shermans return fire causing 1 shock. The firefight between the houses continues, the Americans suffering a further 4 kills and 6 points of shock, and they break. The mortar barrage kills 2 Germans in the church.  German infantry leave one of the houses and capture the US jump-off point at the edge of the village. German infantry leave the church to take up positions along the hedge line. Finally, the Marder returns fire successfully and the lead Sherman is immobilised.

Shermans return fire

Shells were exploding all around.

"Sir?"

A young man had rushed to his position, thinking the Lieutenant injured.

"I'm OK son," Cooper reassured, "Just bit my tongue. Nothing serious."

It was time to get the men moving. There was confusion ahead and behind and he knew this was the situation the Germans would take advantage of to counter-attack.  As if on cue, as their advance began, they could make out the enemy at the edge of the smoke ahead, and opened fire. Caught by surprise, the Germans tried to take cover, but the firepower of Cooper's men, alert to the danger all around, vengeful of the friends they had seen killed, was more than they could take. As the Americans ran forward, a young German officer turned, desperately attempting to hold them back, disappearing into the smoke as Cooper opened fire in that direction with his Thompson.

"Forward", the Lieutenant ordered, gritting his teeth as his men advanced toward the German armour which had once again found itself beneath the smoke of the mortar barrage.

Phases 17-20

The mortar barrage shifts, killing two Germans now caught in the open and causing 2 points of shock, while the US infantry continue their advance, despite German harassing fire. The Marder is about to fire, but the Americans use a Chain of Command die to interrupt, and the Sherman fires first. Shots are exchanged but miss. The German platoon opposing the US infantry advance takes heavy fire and is wiped out, and its Junior leader is also lightly wounded. The Marders shift position to oppose the advancing US infantry and the one remaining effective Sherman. 

Dangerously close!

Cooper heard nothing. There was a sudden flash, and he was thrown backward. Blood, warm against his skin, tickled his cheek. Mortar shells were falling nearby, exploding, and at least one had hit one of the Marders, which was on fire. As his hearing slowly returned, he could make out the screams of men caught in the wreckage or burning nearby. War was hell. But before he had time to take in more of the situation, he heard the other Marder, close by. Too close, its shadow emerging from the smoke ahead as its muzzle flashed again. Without a thought, he ordered two of his men forward with grenades. That open turret was too good a target to overlook, and they were so close. Two, three, four grenades, but the Marder's relentless advance could not be stopped. Cooper's men fell back, some of them too slow, trapped between the hedge and the advancing vehicle, bearing down on them with its crushing tracks.

The end of the Marders

But it was not to be. The second Sherman fired and the Marder stopped dead, armour, tracks and wheels destroyed by the perfect hit on its side armour.  The two men emerged, mud-stained, from the ditch, unexpected grins of relief on their faces. Peterson, the first to emerge and, behind him, Garman, the Lieutenant recalled, pleased that in the moment he was able to remember their names.

"Damn, Sir, that was close," Peterson stuttered, and then fell to the ground as a single shot rang out. Cooper swung round instinctively, firing back at the shooter, the German officer, the one who had previously disappeared into the smoke. This time he fell to the ground, dead.

"Damn it to hell," Peterson yelped, holding his leg where the bullet had torn a hole in his ODs and opened the skin; complaining, but knowing his luck - this wound wan not serious.

Cooper smiled. The guns were destroyed and the Germans had fallen back again. Major Foster could rest easy, the job had been done.

Phases 21-31; Turn 2 Phases 1-4

One Marder is hit by the continuing mortar barrage and takes sufficient shock to be abandoned by its crew. US infantry are close enough to attack the other Marder with grenades, which they do over several turns. The Marder tries unsuccessfully to run the infantry over, and is finally destroyed by a shot from the Sherman against its side armour. Finally the wounded German Junior Leader is killed and German force morale is reduced to 0, though the result is close with the Americans ending the game at Force Morale 2.

Vive La Resistance!

Last week at the club we played a game of Chain of Command to introduce new players to the rules. The game was also an opportunity to use Bill's lovely French Resistance figures.

Background

It is the day of the Normandy landings. The Germans have been caught off-guard, having expected the Invasion to have taken place further north, closer to the pas-de-Calais. Believing Normandy to be a diversion, Hitler was slow to release formations from the armoured reserve, which meant that only 21st Panzer Division, based in the wider area of Caen, was immediately available for a counterattack, though many of its units were dispersed.

At the edge of the village of Airan, just over three miles south-east of Caen, two miles north of a muster area for tanks from 21st Panzer, there is a small bridge over the Muance River. Too small and too far from the coast to be a target for air landings, the bridge was nevertheless considered important as a possible route for Panzer reinforcements moving towards Caen. It was important that the bridge was destroyed, and this task was assigned to a resistance cell in the area.

During the previous week, telegraph lines to Airan were destroyed in an attempt to isolate the village, and later, a Lysander landed in darkness in a remote field and weapons and explosives were passed to members of the Resistance.

Now, it is the early hours of the morning of 6th June. Timing their activity to coincide with the landings at Gold beach, resistance fighters approach the village of Airan, their objectives to place charges and blow the bridge before the arrival of armour from 21st Panzer, and thus to help the allies capture Caen before the end of the day.

Unbeknown to the French, on June 5th a German platoon including field engineers who had been tasked with repairing broken communications lines were moved to Airan.

Game Setup 

Bill surveys the battlefield while Alan has a sly nap. The houses of Airan are off to the left beyond the river. The bridge just in the picture on the left in the objective; the French enter from the right table edge.

The houses along one table short edge represent the outskirts of Airan, with a road running through them. Another road leads out roughly along the table centre-line, crossing a small river about 1/4 of the wall along the table from the village, within a band of marshland. Hedges and farmland with isolated trees, and a farmhouse, cover the rest of the table with some small woodland blocks at the table far side.

• The Germans have a basic platoon with no support points, but two Marders of 21st Panzer Division (each with a Junior Leader) are on the way towards the village along the main road. Each of these becomes available to move onto the table along one of the roads in the village when one Chain of Command die is expended before command dice are rolled for that phase - that's one die per tank.
• The French begin the game with 8 points of support. They can spend up to two of these points to give them one or two extra Phases at the start of the game, though they are not allowed to shoot or fight, or set explosives, during either of these Phases.
• The game starts at the point where the alarm has been raised in the village. Somehow, the Germans have become aware of Resistance activity in the area.
• The Resistance get the first Phase.
• The bridge is the objective. To blow the bridge at least three Resistance fighters, which must include a Junior or Senior Leader, must start their Turn on the bridge. They must spend one Chain of Command die to place explosives. At the start of each subsequent phase roll a die. On a 6, the bridge detonates. At the start of each subsequent phase, add another die to this, so the chance of the bridge lowing increases each Phase. If the Turn ends, the bridge will blow.
• The Germans can stop the bridge from blowing if at the start of one of their turns they have at least three engineers plus one Junior of Senior leader on the bridge and they expend a Chain of Command die.
• The Resistance force is comparatively fragile, and begins the game with 8 Force Morale points.
• Regardless of Force morale, the Resistance win the game if the bridge is blown.

The Game

Apologies for the quality of the photos and the general lack of them, which makes the story of the game a little abbreviated. The Germans deployed in houses and ahead of the river behind a hedge, while the French came on from the opposite table edge, advancing boldy despite enemy fire. Their chances looked slim, but luck was on their side...

The Resistance deploy in the woods

And around the farmhouse, with their vehicles

Advancing, they come under heavy fire

They rush down the road towards the bridge in their vehicles. The driver of the Citroen is shot and it ends up crashed in the hedge, but the truck continues toward the objective despite the heavy gunfire.

Despite suffering a lot of shock, the French make it to the bridge, having seen off the Germans in advance positions. They lay charges on the bridge

BOOM! The bridge unexpectedly explodes, killing everyone nearby, and even causing the photo to be out of focus. Many French died to bring Victory to the Resistance!

Despite the Resistance success, if I were to play this again I would add some rules for night fighting to make the approach to the objective less fraught. It makes sense that the French would try to get close to the objective before sunrise, and some mechanism by which the alarm can be raised by the Germans would raise the level of excitement.

But overall, this is a great set of rules, giving a real sense of playing out something out of a classic war film. A very enjoyable game as well and very satisfying to have played it easily in an evening.

29, Let's Go! - Turn 3: Arthenay

D+3, 9th June 1944

Stretching his arms and beginning to enjoy the morning sunshine, Lieutenant Carter's attention was suddenly seized by a jeep sending a cloud of dust up from the road verge as it sped around the halted tank column towards him, two men aboard, one of whom was almost certainly an officer. He corrected his helmet slightly and stepped forward as the vehicle pulled sharply nearby. A young man, who couldn't be more than eighteen, was sitting stiffly in the driving seat, his face betraying the nervous attention to duty of the junior-ranked assigned to the most powerful of the senior. Slouching in the passenger seat, the stub of a dead cigar between his teeth was an older man, a general, his face familiar to every man of the fighting 29th.

"Son, you need to get your men moving," General Cota stated, his tone firm and undeniable. "I don't care what orders have come down to you from Colonel Goode's office. The 29th are taking the initiative again."

"Sir, yes sir", snapped the Lieutenant, smiling, moving back to cascade that order to his men. Thank God there was someone in command who knew what needed doing and was doing his part.

General Cota wryly smiled as well, tossing away the dead stub of his cigar, patting his pockets in search of a new one. He sat back in the passenger seat of the jeep, hunting in another pocket for a lighter, and waved the driver forward further along the column to encourage other units.

"Run me up that road, son."

Colonel Goode's call for a halt at La Cambe has been overridden by personal order of General Cota. The US immediately seize the initiative and attack during Turn 3.

Just over a mile to the west, the Germans, retreating from La Cambe towards Isigny, had halted overnight at the hamlet of Arthenay, where they planned to fight a delaying action against the advancing Americans. They had had little sleep. The radio operator was frantically trying to make contact with HQ, but the lines were still down. On the western horizon the orange-red glow of Isigny burning persisted, as it had through the night. But there was a glimmer of hope; they had made intermittent contact with a self-propelled gun battery to the north-west, well-positioned to support their position.

Moving back after darkness fell at La Cambe had been essential, but Unterfeldwebel Lund was all too aware of the effect this had had on his men. Sullen, stern faces everywhere; but the NCOs were doing their best to bolster morale, keeping soldiers busy and even cracking the occasional joke, despite their lack of sleep. Here, at Arthenay, they would halt and attempt once again to slow the relentless American advance. A small farmstead, the woods and hedges at Arthernay seemed a reasonable defensive position, especially if they could get the support of those Marders to the north-west.

German infantry defend the hedge line at the edge of the orchard

The Germans are defending with a denuded force following the US victory at La Cambe. Their basic force finds itself nine men short, with six dead and three wounded, returning next game. The one man they were missing after turn 1 has now returned to duty. The Germans select two snipers and an MG42 on tripod mount as support. They begin the game with 8 Force Morale points.

The Americans are supported with two Shermans with Junior Leaders, a forward oberver with 81mm mortar batters, additional BARs for all rifle teams, and a medic. They begin the game with 10 Force Morale points.

By the time the first of his men had taken up positions, there were already signs of the American advance. Movement within an orchard, partly concealed by a hedge line, betrayed the presence of enemy scouts. Lund snapped the order for his men to move faster and they took up positions swiftly.

Turn 1, Phases 1-5

US deploy Forward Observer, Squad 1 and Sergeant.in the front corner of the orchard and along the hedge line. With three consecutive turns the Germans deploy Squad 1 in the house 1 with Junior Leader, Squad 2 on left hand flank at small hedge line, a sniper in the front left hand building, Squad 3 at the front of the small orchard, their MMG team in the front left hand house and the Senior Leader in the front right hand building. The US deploy Squad 2 in the orchard and call for support fire from mortars.

The simple option would have been to stay in position, holding as long as possible, hoping to wear the enemy down. But that would not work today, Lund knew. Morale was low, and the enemy determined and numerous. A static defence wasn't going to hold for long, and he would simply lose more men if they sat still. Their only hope was to take the fight to the enemy, and Germans were strong in counterattack.

Obergefrieter Schmidt was given his order. "You four and you three with the machine gun", he shouted, pointing, "With me, now". He scrambling forward with his men, leading them to the opposite hedge, to draw the enemy towards them. Half-crawling, the soldiers worked their way across the muddy field to the opposite hedge line, as American mortar fire opened up on the German lines, hitting the house with a shower of roof tiles, a second shell landing nearby as the squad took cover in a field ditch alongside the hedge. As the noise of the shells subsided, they could make out the unmistakable sound of tanks moving along the road towards them.

German troops advance to take up forward positions

Turn 1, Phases 6-10

The Germans send a four-man rifle team around the small hedge moving tactically towards the Americans. The US mortar barrage  is on target and causes 1 point of shock to each of the sniper, MG team in left hand house and the rifle team in right hand house. The US then deploy the first Sherman. The German rifle team advance tactically with their LMG team and Junior Leader and reach the hedge line.

From the cover of the hedge the German squad watched the Sherman approach ahead of them, pursued by a jogging platoon of fresh-faced GIs. There were certain to be others in the column, following behind. Mortar shells flew overhead, exploding around the houses and the positions they had moved from only moments before, their sound interspersed with the screams of the injured and the shouts of NCOs trying to encourage their men to hold. Smoke from the mortar barrage obscured the landscape all around the houses, and then, suddenly, the barrage ceased.

In the comparative silence, the German officers tried to establish control, sending a Panzershreck team forward as more tanks and men appeared as the enemy column continued its relentless approach.  In support, American infantry on its flanks moved forward, leaving the cover of the hedgerows and moving cautiously across the open fields towards Arthenay, while a supporting squad provides support, waiting in the hedgerow, their weapons trained on the German positions.

US troops, supported by tanks, advance

Turn 1, Phases 11-13; Turn 2, Phases 1-2; Turn 3, Phases 1-3; Turn 4, Phases 1-2

US Sherman advances along road, while the US 3rd Squad deploys along the right hand hedge. The mortar barrage continues, delivering 1 point of shock to the MG teams in both houses and killing the Junior Leader in the right hand house. The German Senior Leader removes 1 point of shock from all the teams in the right hand house. Squad 2 MG team reaches the hedge. The Germans use a CoC dice to end end the turn, hoping to stop the mortar barrage, but the US use one of their own CoC dice to maintain it. The barrage is moved 6” towards their own lines to improve the smoke screen, causing 1 point of shock to the MG team, and 1 point of shock and 1 kill on the rifle team in the left hand house, and 1 point of shock on the MG team in right hand house. The Sherman advances. The Germans remove 1 point of shock from each team in the right hand house, and spend another CoC dice to end turn. This time the US mortar barrage ceases, and when requested again it becomes unavailable for the rest of the game. A second Sherman in deployed, as is the Panzerschrek team.

From the upper storey of the house, Lund could just make out the enemy troops moving in and around one of the farm buildings on the opposite side of the field. The radio operator beside him was attempting to make contact with the artillery battery to the north as he scanned the horizon. Seeing an opportunity, he gave the order to open fire. Gunfire burst through the air, smashing through the windows of the opposite building. In response, the Americans behind the hedge fired back at the German positions, killing the man standing adjacent to the radio operator, sending him tumbling backward into the furniture in the centre of the room. The enemy fire intensified, supported by the forward tank, and a shell burst through the wall, exploding, throwing Lund to the floor.

Deafened and bruised, as Lund came round, he became aware of the men lying dead and wounded beside him. Obergefreiter Steiger, a young, enthusiastic man liked by his men, was one of them. Another life wasted by this terrible war. The gunfire continued, peppering the room, but the radio operator was excited, alert, shouting co-ordinates to someone on the other end of the line. In moments, a shell, fired from a distant gun, whistled through the air and below, at the front of the column, the lead Sherman exploded with a direct hit. A momentary success, but the mood was clear, and in the ensuing firefight he saw another of his NCOs fall. Too many Germans lay dead or injured; they had failed to hold the enemy back or delay their advance, and the defences of Arthenay would soon be overrun by the enemy. Lund did not have to issue the order as his men fell back in disarray and the relentless American advance across this corner of Normandy continued.

Turn 4, Phases 3-8; Turn 5, Phase 1; Turn 6, Phases 1-7

German and US forces exchange fire over multiple phases, the Germans taking the majority of shock and kills and using command points to remove shock as a priority. American firepower is more intensive and more effective, helped by their having three successive phases. The Germans use a CoC die to shoot with the off-table Marders at the lead Sherman, knocking it out, and spend their final CoC die to end the turn, healing one of their injured Junior Leaders. Opening Turn 5, US Squad 1 shoots at German Squad 2 killing 3 and causing 1 point of shock and wound to Junior Leader. The German Squad 2 runs away. German Force Morale is reduced to 3. The Americans use a CoC die to end the turn, and German Force Morale is reduced to 1. With little to lose, the Germans continue shooting, but shock inflicted is easily removed by the US Leaders. US shooting wounds one of the German Junior Leaders in due course and German force morale is reduced to 0 and the game ends.

Campaign Movement at the end of Game 3

Again the Germans have suffered a loss, this time with 11 casualties, one of whom is Obergefreiter Steiger, who on a roll of 6 is not replaced. This means that when Lund's men next take the field they will be denuded by 10 mean and 1 Junior Leader dead plus 3 wounded. All others retired safely. With the German CO still out of radio contact, his opinion remains unknown. The attitude of the men moves from -1 to -4, which will affect future force morale, and Lund's own outlook remains Worried.

The 29th's successful breakthrough at Arthenay improves Colonel Goode's outlook to Worried.