Stargrave - First Game in the 'Ravaged Galaxy'

This was our first attempt at playing 'Stargrave' - sci fi skirmish rules. It was set on some bleak, dark, post industrial futuristic world in which both gangs of intergalactic renegades had to collect loot, kill the opposition and avoid being killed.

The rules worked very well. The game mechanics are straightforward and we churned through the turns more quickly as we progressed, as we got used to the sequence. They are fun rules that enable you to develop an ongoing narrative which, in our game, included extreme cowardice, falling off buildings and extensive use of a flame-thrower!

The figures are from the excellent Games Workshop 'Necromunda' range, which can be used effectively for Stargrave. The terrain is also heavily influenced by the Necromunda setting, although it comprises of inexpensive MDP sci fi terrain and homemade pieces.

Stargrave - Necromunda Project

Ok, first off, I’m an old ‘historical miniatures hand’. I’ve never done ‘fantasy’ wargaming, as it were.

My son has been interested in sci-fi and we have been working together on a joint Stargrave/Necromunda project.

To this end, we have been creating some futuristic/sci-fi terrain and building some ‘gangs’ (based on Games Workshop (GW) miniatures).

I have to say that I am completely blown away by the quality of GM miniatures. They are SO good, I am almost lost for words (and I have been wargaming for 35 years now!). The attention to detail, the consistent aesthetics, the quality of the sprues, the imagination – just brilliant! I can’t believe that I have ignored their products for all of these years, and the Games Workshop HQ and factory is only a couple of miles from where I live here in Nottingham (GW is over the Trent river there in Lenton).

The only criticisms would be around pricing – they aren’t cheap - and customisation. You can’t really create your own figures. You have to follow the GW templates in building the miniatures with little scope to be creative, other than painting them.

Anyway, here are a few photos of our first attempts at this new project. I will update with completed miniatures and terrain over the next couple of weeks etc.

As for Stargrave – great. Elegant, yet sophisticated rules that allow your imagination to run wild.

My thought is - Some of us on the historical side of wargaming have a lot to learn from the fantasy/sci-fi gamers….and probably vice versa……

And here is the "Orlock Gang" finished. They have a bit of a biker gang/Wild West look to them.

ACW – Early Months of the War Scenario

This scenario is the first meeting of the forces that I have been working on to eventually refight the Battle of First Manassas at the Bull Run. The armies that met in the first few engagements – at Big Bethel and Bull Run – had some interesting uniforms and features for the wargamer. Colourful zouave and chasseur uniforms, some Northerners in grey and some Southerners in blue, Stars and bars flags only for the Confederates etc.

In this refight, the Union were successful on their left flank and the Confederacy on their left, leading to a ‘revolving door’ front line. The Confederates also had the better of the fighting in the centre and killed more enemy troops, so on balance the C.S.A had the better of the evening’s fighting.

Louisiana Tiger Zouaves

Player View

Battle of Bull Run Wargame

14th Brooklyn Chasseurs ('Red Legged Devils')

JEB Stuart and the Black Horse Cavalry

33rd Virginia (on right) in blue coats

NY Fire Zouaves

79th NY Highlanders hit in the flank

Boeotian War 378-371 BC – Thebes vs Sparta

Sparta clashes with Thebes in this classic historical match-up. The game was another one of our online club games. This period has proved popular for online games as they are easy to set up and relatively straightforward for players to command their forces.

In this clash the Thebans made good use of marshy ground on their right flank to slow the Peloponnesian advance down and massed their superior cavalry on their left flank to sweep the Spartan cavalry from the field. The centre was hotly contested but a stubborn unit of allied Boeotian hoplites (despite being inferior and unreliable) held out long enough for the Sacred Band to land the knock-out blow to the Lacedemonians.

Player View

Cavalry Melee 

Peltasts

The Theban Phalanx including the Sacred Band

Burma WWII - "The Road to Mandalay"

 

Another online club game, this time set in Burma in 1945.

The British are tasked with clearing some stubborn Japanese defenders on the drive to Mandalay. They have a half squadron of Lees, a battalion of Gurkhas and a battery of Royal Artillery 25pdrs to complete the task. The Japanese have 2 depleted infantry battalions dug in and a company of Chi Ha tanks to frustrate the British. The rules used were Rapid Fire. Unbelievably, the game was decided on a double six role, enabling a Chi Ha to KO a Lee which determined the game in the Japanese favour.

[Please note that there probably weren’t any (or very few) historical encounters between Lees and Chi Has in WWII – certainly not any in which a Chi Ha gets the better of a Lee!]

The British plan takes shape

Gurkhas advance, kukri knives at the ready

Stubborn Japanese defenders dug-in

A dug in Chi Ha

Close support from a mortar

Lees and infantry in close support

A Lee enjoying some battlefield superiority

Player view on the laptop

A suicidal lunge mine attack is embarrassingly unsuccessful!

Chi Ha Shinhotos arrive

A Lee is KO'd by a Japanese AT gun

AT gun and KO'd Chi Ha

Last die roles of the game. A Chi Ha KO's a Lee with a double 6 !