Fantastic Great War blog post

Check out this great post set in Bagamayo 1916

Really inspiring to see a sea land battle fought out.

Battle Report Late War Germans vs Russians

It was the second outing for my draft Russian list wih this time incorporating core units of conscripts as compulsory who were subject to the new Collective Seeds of Rebelln rule.

My opponent Troy took a late war German list which was always going to be outnumbered by my conscripts but would outnumber me in the artillery stakes.

This list I chose included two conscript companies and with three and two platoons respectively, a cavalry company with command and two cavalry troops of nine each, a medium field gun, a HMG and the obligatory Batallion command (made up of the excellent west wind Romanov holiday set).

Approximately 837 points under my draft army list.

The Germans went artillery and hmg heavy with a couple of platoons of old boys who decided it was better to look after their chums with the big guns than volunteer for the storm trooper batallions.

With the wind at their backs the Russians sally forth with only one failing their rebellion test.

The Germans consolidate their positions within the two homesteads and await the advance of the unruly conscripted Russians 

The Russians on their far right decide singing revolutionary songs was better than advancing into the teeth of the German menace

Forward you conscripts 

A devastating German hmg attack whittles the Russian (French substituting) cavalry troop but survives the required morale check

The second cavalry troop make it through the firestorm to defeat the Hun hiding behind the hedge only to be left exposed to a German counter attack

Revenge on the last trooper is served with a side of sour kraut

The Russians seek the protection of the hedge - it won't save them from the two hmgs lurking in the forest on their far right 

 The advance on the Russian left flank has faltered so the Germans advance

Likewise the Russian conscripts on the right and the centre are either fleeing or no longer in a position to threaten the other village so the Germans advance over the stone walls 

The second conscript platoon command ponder the loss of the left flank from the safety of the forest

The Germans continue to advance in the absence of Russian opposition 

The German artillery send a couple of shells over the head of their victorious infantry

From the safety of the village the German high command celebrate the decimation of the Russians 

Another fantastic game but I made a couple of mistakes on my draft rules as well as some other basic mistakes - I need to be released to play this game more so I don't make so many mistakes I keep telling my Wife.

The final result was a clear German victory as they held their nerve to let the artillery and rifle fire do what they do best and the Russians fell and or fled with only one unit of cavalry making contact with the Hun.

My opponent Troy is not only a top bloke but also has some of the best Great War Germans you will find on any table top.  My apologies for the under coated dudes and the blurry pics but things will get better in future reports

New Great War Russians

Thanks to those legends at Footsore miniatures here are some new additions to my expanding Russian troops.

They are slightly slimmer than the White Russians from Copplestone Castings but this is only noticeable on very close examination.

Footsore also produce an excellent Battalion command group including tsar Nicholas himself.

Great War Russians vs warlord Chinese

These are some pics from a game today of warhammer the Great War using British late war rules for the warlord Chinese and a draft Russian list.

As usual it was a bloody affair with both units of cavalry decimated and a desperate struggle for control of the strategic pagoda on the Russian right flank. Much like most of the battles of WW1 this ended in a stalemate.

We will tweak the Russian list with the core infantry reducing their WS and BS to 5+ from the current 4+ in the draft. Having larger infantry units with poor skills seems appropriate along with our soon to trial vodka rule and summary executions for units who fail morale.

Usual blurry pics to follow.

The Russians move towards the pagoda tower knowing the will be exposed to the wraith of the Chinese HMG.

The warlord Chinese seize the pagoda tower.

The warlord Chinese emerge from beyond the safety of the walls and prepare themselves for the charge of the Russians.

Although a few of their comrades are lost to rifle fire from the Chinese, the remaining cavalry charge into them to extract bloody revenge.

The cavalry command joins into the charge.

The cavalry charge is complete with the target fleeing after losing half of their platoon.

The consolidated cavalry command consolidate only to be gunned down before they can take down the battalion command.

Russian infantry charge and occupy the pagoda removing the incumbent Chinese. 

The remains cavalry troop take out the Chinese warlord and his entourage but likewise leave themselves exposed to the warlord battle line.

The Chinese counter arrack on the occupying Russians is swift and brutal.

The occupiers numbers are less than ideal with the veterans of the warlord Chinese closing in.

The Russians are soundly defeated and flee the pagoda.

The infantry command make a final turn desperate charge to retake the pagoda.

The veteran Chinese and infantry command battle it out high above the battlefield.

The battle ends in a stalemate with both sides unable to control the pagoda and with a heavy heart return to their respective HQ to plan their next mission.

Overall although the Russian list needs some tweaking and a few rule oversights by myself the game was a blast and I still am hoping GW or forge world release the eastern front supplement.  If not, we will continue to tweak our own rules and enjoy this tragic theatre of war. 

First Great War / WW1 Russians

Thanks to copplestone castings these are my first Great War Russians.

These are fantastic miniatures to paint so please check them out and buy yourself a sizeable stash.