Sudan Wargame

This afternoon 11 brave young wargamers delayed the start of their weeklong vacation to participate in a large colonial wargame.  A 12 foot by 4 foot table was set up, bathed in the late afternoon sunlight.

Six native players were set to take on five imperial ones.  The native commanders could talk to one another, but the British commanders couldn't.  This proved to be a tremendous advantage.

The winner would be determined by points.  These could be accumulated by destroying enemy units as well as taking key geographical objectives on the table.  At one end there was a small town held by two companies of highlanders and two companies of raw militia.  Adding to the defense was a section of royal artillery and one of miserable native stock.  In the middle was a vital oasis defended by two companies of redcoats.  And then at the extreme opposite end was the bulk of the allied force made up of four British companies, three Egyptian, two sections of royal artillery, two troops of British lancers, two troops of Egyptian cavalry and a large baggage train.

To oppose this formidable force were several groups of native warriors.  Initially, this observer thought they would be hard pressed to make their way through sheets of disciplined fire to come to grips with their enemies, but this proved not to be the case.

The town, awaiting the assault

The powerful relief column

The two companies trying to defend the oasis are overwhelmed by native cavalry.



 The British were not able to coordinate their defense.  Each company seemed to fight a battle of its own with little or no support from the others.  Inevitably, each would be swallowed up by vast numbers of howling tribesmen.

This last picture is symbolic of the problems that plagued the British commanders throughout the game.  Note the limbered artillery at the rear of the town.  What a difference it could have made.  But alas, the two young lieutenants found this out too late.  It cost them and their men their lives.

Despite the lopsidedness of the victory, everyone agreed that it was a fun game.  As the young commanders bounded off into the coolness of the evening to begin their vactions, one could hear talk of a rematch being requested.  That's always a good sign.

Unique Opportunity for MBMS Students: Military History Saturdays with Mr. Winser

Unique Opportunity for MBMS Students: Military History Saturdays with Mr. Winser




If your child has participated in a Military History in Miniature class with our very own Mr.Winser then you will be pleased to hear that MBAF is offering several Saturday Military History in Miniature workshops. The first two workshops will be held on Saturday March 10 and April 14 from 8:00-12:00 at MBMS, Room 213.



This class is open to students currently in grades 4-8 and can accommodate 6 students (grades 4-5) and 6 students (grades 6-8) for a total of 12 per class. Online registration with specific class content information and parent cost will be available as of February 15 at psmanhattan.org. (Click on the Military History Class link.) Enrollment is accepted on a first come basis, so please enroll online ASAP. There will be two subsequent Saturdays later in the spring, with information and enrollment to follow after Spring Break. For any questions, please contact Nancy Rosenburg, MBAF Program Director at 503-1771 or nsrosenb@aol.com. If this class is new to your child, then you have an exciting and unique opportunity to consider.

Pictures of Our RFandF game

Here are some pictures of our Regimental Fire and Fury game held on January 27, 2012 at Manhattan Beach Middle School.

The game gets started.  The Confederates on the left, the Yankees on the right.  The objective of the game was to gain control of the bridge seen in the upper middle of this picture.  Just click on the pictures to enlarge them.

This is from the Confederate left flank.  Hood's division, made up of crack troops, is taking on a larger number of green Union troops.  The South's rather aggressive tactics proved to be their undoing in the end.

On the Rebel right, the two sides came into conflict very quickly with the men in grey getting the upper hand.

A lonely rebel battery from Hood's division holds an intersection.

Hood's left flank is collapsing.

Towards the end of the battle, the Union had gained control of the bridge and thus secured the victory.

Unfortunately, our game was rather short.  But we did get familiar with the rules.  All 13 players felt like they were involved in the action and had a good time, so we considered the event a success.

Great game today

13 kids showed up today for a game of Regimental Fire and Fury.  Six Confederate brigades were given the task of holding off six large Union brigades, the major prize being a bridge over a small stream in the middle of the table.

Our time was short, and this was the first go at these rules for us.  Despite that, we were able to get through six turns in a little over two hours.  The Rebs did a solid job of holding back a disjointed attack on their right.  On the left, however, Hood's division lost sight of its major objective, which was capturing and holding the bridge.  The much larger Union regiments, though mostly green, were able to drive back a skeleton force while troops from the center were successful in capturing the bridge.  We had to end the game just as things were getting pretty interesting.  In the end, though, it was clearly a Union victory.  I'll post pictures over the weekend.

Game coming up

The club I have started at school will be putting on its second game on Friday, January 27, from 3:00 to 6:00 P.M.  We are going to try out the Regimental Fire and Fury rules to see if they are a little easier for the students to pick and if the game moves more quickly.  There will be room for twelve players, though I am sure we will have more show up than that. 

Today at nutrition there were 20 kids that showed up to get an overview of the rules.  I have some painting to do to make sure I have enough stands for a decent scenario.  I am just finishing up Hood's Texans and the Louisiana Tigers.  Next up will be the Iron Brigade and Berdan's Sharpshooters.  I hope to have at least 150 stands per side as well as 12 artillery stands per side.  If I am really fast, I will also paint up some more Union zouaves, but that might be too ambitious.  I'll post pictures soon after the event.

Merry Christmas

I hope one and all had a very Merry Christmas and took a moment to remember the reason for the season.  As the day draws to a close, I am so thankful for my family.  I wish everyone a very prosperous New Year.

Regimental Fire and Fury

I just received my copy of Regimental Fire and Fury in the mail in time for Christmas break.  I have been putting together some bases fitted to RFF to try out the rules.  They are fairly simple.  The book is well illustrated and gives examples.  The support page is also helpful.

I really like the fact that I can create labels for units.  I had fun doing various units at Antietam.  I have also been able to adapt several of the scenarios from Undying Courage by Scott Mingus to the RFF format.  It's easy to do; you just have to double the ground scale and number of figures per regiment.  It makes for much smaller battles, but I like the larger units.  They look great on the battlefield.

I am going to keep at it and hopefully have some pictures to share in the next couple of days.