When Life Gives You Lemons

Otherwhen in its Current Full Glory

This year has tossed me several unprecedented changes one of which is having my eyes rebuilt. For the most part this is a wonderful improvement allowing me to see better than I have in over a half century, but it came with a major unforeseen issue that I can not see up close the way I have in the past, even with corrective eye wear. What this means is I must relearn how to paint. Complicated figures or painting patterns are outside my skills for now, so I went back to the simplest figures I had to recover with, these being my Toy Soldiers.

New 12 Figure Otherwhen Unit in Line

Having made this decision there are two unexpected effects with which I am now dealing. First is this painting will increase my “Collection.” I chose this word deliberately as I discovered that my formally “Practical” force, which being enough figures to play normal size games I host, was going to become larger purely for my own gratification, thus changing from being just gaming to collecting. The second was if I want to ever use this many figures in games, I needed to simplify the rules I use. Neither of these is a bad thing, but both require me rethink goals.

New Otherwhen 12 Figure Unit in Column

Organization: I am now looking at going from games of three to four players per side to ultimately nine players per side. The new organization for this is going to be in steps, the beginning being to switch brigades from four regiments down to only three, then adding a Light Cavalry Brigade of six squadrons of lancers and hussars and rearranging where artillery was allocated. This would bring me to three full infantry brigades and a light and heavy cavalry brigade along with Corp artillery for six players per side.The full future expansion was to bring all six infantry brigades up to four regiments of infantry and a battery of artillery, with each division adding a light cavalry squadron. A Light Cavalry Brigade of four squadrons, which would go from six figures to twelve and a Heavy Cavalry Brigade of six squadrons. Both cavalry brigades would also be gaining a Flying Battery of horse artillery. The Corp Reserve would go to three batteries of heavy artillery and two flying batteries of horse artillery. Commanders would increase to ten with six infantry, two cavalry, a Corp artillery, and a Commander-in-Chief.

Nodd 3 Regiment Brigade With Artillery and Hussars

Rules: These need combat simplification and command restructuring. Combat will likely combine with morale something like Command and Colors systems, while command will likely change to limited unit activation per turn with players still having a reserve order pool to improve results. C-in-Cs will likely add command improvement cards that they can assign or hold to implement themselves. I have many general thought but few actual rules right now. Critical to my thinking is that players will still be able to do more rather than less as I retain my view of game design being that players want to be rewarded, not penalized in their game play.

Otherwhen 3 Regiment Brigade With Artillery and Lancers

New Nodd Division

New Otherwhen Division

Another Bloody Hill Line

The latest battle again featured a hill line defense. This saw Otherwhen attacking Nodd to open the central road and continue their campaign to seize the eastern province of South Riding. For a change I made this primarily an infantry battle, with the cavalry fight taking place unseen and off board. Otherwhen had a slight numerical infantry advantage, a few superior infantry units in their Queen’s Own Guard, and Zeebataillon (their elite Marines), and double the artillery. Both sides had a smattering of light horse to help guard against flanking attacks and plug the inevitable holes in the line. Each side expected additional infantry reinforcements. I made an error in my measuring and the central hill that was supposed to give Otherwhen’s artillery a useful supporting position, turned out to be just out of range against the main infantry line of Nodd.

The opposing forces. Otherwhen on the left, Nodd on the right.

The battle opened with Otherwhen launching a general advance across the entire line. This surprised me some as during the planning part of the game they had talked about starting with a bombardment before advancing. This was something I thought was a wise choice given the length of time they had to accomplish their goal, (ten turns and only needing about four turns to bring their infantry into contact against the enemy’s main line). Both sides artillery played a substantial roll in the outcome of the battle.

On Nodd’s left flank the Black Barron’s brigade was withdrawn behind the hill line while all their artillery concentrated on the advancing center units of Otherwhen. The casualties inflicted were moderate, but the outcome was substantial. Otherwhen’s Senior brigade had three of its four battalions panic, meaning they could take no offensive action for the rest of the day. This included both elite units. Substantial counter battery fire eventually drove off or destroyed Nodd’s artillery, but the damage had been done.

The Black Barron’s Brigade withdrawn behind the hill. Otherwhen’s Senior Brigade advancing in the top center.

View from the center of Nodd’s defensive line, The target of the attack.

On the flanks it was a different story. After a slow start, Otherwhen’s right flank began driving in the Black Barron’s brigade This was helped by a daring attack by the Barron’s cavalry against the battery of artillery and an advance off their hill line to support this. Rather than maneuver to the artilleries flank the cavalry launched a head on charge from maximum range. While the battery had been reduced to half, it was still a not well thought out assault. Covering such a long distance into a firing line had predictable poor results for the cavalry who were driven off repeatedly. Their supporting infantry came off the worst in the firefight and having come down off the hill were finding it hard to get back up against the pursuing infantry.

Otherwhen attacking the remains of the Black Barron’s Brigade on Nodd’s left flank after the hussars failed charge on the artillery.

On Otherwhen’s left flank their infantry line supported by highly effective artillery fire was making dynamic headway. When their reinforcements arrived in the way of a flanking attack the results became catastrophic for Nodd. The cavalry and infantry defending this flank stood their ground repeatedly while being virtually annihilated in the process. Otherwhen commanders had become so obsessed with this success that they had overlooked a serious problem. There was no attack being made on the central position that was the objective. With both flanks collapsing Nodd’s generals were using the command abilities to their fullest to delay Otherwhen’s progress until the sun had set and time had runout.

Nodd’s right flank under heavy pressure. Casualties are already mounting as the flanking attack through the forest begins to develop.

Otherwhen pressing in on the right flank while Nodd’s forces stubbornly holdout.

Nodd forces holding on until the end.

It was a costly victory for Nodd, but they had finally stemmed the tide of Otherwhen’s success. The keys to this victory was the unusual result of three infantry battalion’s morale collapsing with so few casualties, especial for elite units, and the failure of the attackers to switch any forces over to the center to capture the objective. Overall this was a very well-played game by all parties.

Nodd infantry holding strong. This central hill was never attacked.

Otherwhen’s Senior Brigade seen at the end of the battle where it had stalled early on.

New Scenario: C-in-C’s at Work

I ran a different sort of scenario for my Toy Solders game on Wednesday. The goal of this was to test out an idea of reserves. I wanted C-in-C’s to have a broader job than just moving from crisis point to crisis point adding the command points. I worked out rules to activate and attach reserves for the game that required them to be within command range of the divisional commander they were attaching to. We played through it twice and while it worked, it still lacked the crises point issue that I had hoped for. The scenario both times went well, so all is good on that front.

Game 1 opening moves

In the first game both sides shifted forces to attack/reinforce the town road exit. This led to a weakening of the central road position that the forces of Otherwhen succeeded in taking. 

Reinforcing the town

Cavalry battle on the town flank

Assault on the central hill line

In the second game cavalry was sent to the high hill flank while the main assault came straight up the central road. Devastating fire from the Otherwhen forces had the Nodd defenders reeling. Even with this the Nodd defenders were not pushed off the hill until the last turn. 

Game 2

The cavalry battle near the town, while the key assaults approach the hill line.

Otherwhen assault advancing up the main road

Otherwhen's assault on the big hill begins. 

Nodd's infantry stand ready on the central hill 

Cavalry face off in the valley below the big hill.

Otherwhen cuirassier and lancers in the foreground. Nodd hussars to the left. 

The cavalry battle near the town road.

Last of Nodd's cuirassier defending near the town await the Otherwhen charge.

Otherwhen's Queen's Guard lend their weight to the assault on Nodd's Royal Foot Guard. 

At battles end the field nearly empty of Nodd defenders 

At near days end Nodd's Royal Foot Guard still holding on to the main road right to the end

Title Picture

What are all those games on the top of the page I hear you ask. Good question. These are several my favorite things to play. 

Slaughterloo

I have a very special place in my heart for Napoleonic uniforms and tactics. I also love the odd and off the wall. Alternative Armies caters to both with their 28mm Slaughterloo game. In this world humans are all gone, but the Elves (French), Orcs (English), Rats (Scotts), and Dogs (Austria) fight on. Some day I may take the plunge into historical Nappies. Well at least paint a few French Cavalry figures. 

Rommel

Strategic WWII by Sam Mustafa via Honor Game. These are 6mm Australians defending against the German Sea Lion invasion campaign I ran. Sam is a name you are likely to see on here a lot. I like a lot of his designs.

Flames of War

Yup, the popular WWII miniatures game. This is a 15mm very late war battle I ran. US forces assault a German occupied town. I have played these rules since first edition. These are the armies that have seen the most time on the gaming field. Over the years the rules we use change, but the troops carry on. 

Toy Soldiers

One of my biggest figure collections are the 28mm Eureka miniature. I have well over 400 hundred of these painted and I keep adding on. Originally designed as my catchall force to play all black powder period games, they have evolved into a period of their own. Using my own rules, the armies of Nodd and Otherwhen are at perpetual war.