Battlefield 3D Sdkfz 251/10

 After playing a few of the WRG games I was keenly away of my lack of an armed Sdkfz 251 in grey (I have various armed halftracks in three tone camo). The obvious vehicle to get was an Sdkfz 251/10, which entered service in summer 1941.

Models proved surprisingly hard to track down (rather like the US T12 75mm halftrack) but Battlefield 3D do this version with a high gunshield. I would have preferred the low version, but needs must. I had vaguely thought of getting a Zvezda 251 and doing a conversion myself with a spare Pak 36 I happen to have in stock,  but in the end I couldn't be bothered.

This is a resin print with just two parts - the entire halftrack is a single piece print and only the gun is separate. The mounting lug for the gun is tiny, but hopefully I put enough glue on it to keep in place.

This model is perhaps a bit cruder than some of the other B3D models, but I guess it depends on the master STL files. It is still a nice model though, and miles better than eg my SDD 251 which is a just a big lump of crudely cast metal. I suspect that given the fine-ness of the detail, the STL is aimed at larger scale prints.

The tools and doors etc are nicely moulded though. I added the crew myself (none are provided). The standing commander/gunner is a a PSC Sdkfz 251 MG gunner, while the seated bloke is Peter Pig. I was in such a painkiller addled state with my back when I painted this, that I accidentally painted the seated guy as an American! And was then a bit puzzled why I had a spare US crewman apparently wearing a German gas mask tin. I just repainted him.

The external stowage (tarp wrapped around a helmet) is from the mass of stowage in the PSC Sdkfz 251 kit box. The gift which keeps on giving.

This got the same paint treatment as the Pz III and Pz IV. VJ Panzer grey wash over a Humbrol Sea Grey base with a drybrush. The wash has actually worked really well on the wheels, but I picked out the tools with a pin wash. Otherwise I just added a couple of balkan crosses and it is good to go, another useful addition to my ever expanding 'grey' fleet, I've even got a scenario in mind for it. 

The '45 with Dominion of... Part 2.

 A couple more engagements from the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion using Dominion of the Claymore etc. in 2mm. This time it is Clifton Moor and Falkirk Muir. The former is notable for being the last land battle on English soil.

First up Clifton Moor, which was fought in December 1745 on the road between Kendal and Penrith (the modern A6?) as the Jacobites retreated north to Scotland pursued by the Duke of Cumberland. This isn't one of the supplied scenarios so I designed this one myself, based mainly on Cassells 'Battles of Britain and Ireland' rather than the somewhat dismissive wikipedia entry.

 Cumberlands force consisted entirely of Dragoons and Mounted Infantry, and rather conveniently three Regiments (3rd, 10th and 11th) formed his front line dismounted, while the second line was two mounted regiments of horse and another 1000 Mounted Infantry which all translated neatly into six units.

The Jacobites under Lord George Murray had Glengarry Highlanders and the Edinburgh Regiment and held the village of Clifton as a rearguard, but as Cumberlands force approached, Prince Charles despatched two more Highland Regiments to aid the defence, Macphersons and the Stewarts of Appin. So the Jacobites had three units of Claymores and one of Line Infantry.

Battlefield from the south, the River Lowther is on the left and the Jacobites occupy Scalebarrs Hill (right) and Town End (left) with Highlanders while the Edinburgh Regiment is back in Clifton looting the village. Lord George Murray is back with his HQ and baggage train.

Cumberland reckoned the position was 'one of the strongest he had ever seen' as the entire position was fronted by enclosures and boggy ground, so I gave all the Jacobite units a Defence advantage. The Glengarries in Town End were actually set as an ambush and could put flanking fire across the front, so I rated them as 'Ambushers' instead of Claymores. 

Cumberland has a front line of three Line Infantry (dismounted Dragoons) with two more cavalry and another Line Infantry in reserve. These guys are all average and his HQ and baggage train are behind.

The action opened as historically with Cumberland making a direct attack up the road. This ended in catastrophe as the Glengarries ambushed the unfortunate 3rd Dragoons, they were replaced by one of the mounted Regiments, who in turn were routed by the Glangarries as well! Dear me. Ambushers get to fight first (even before muskets), but only hit on a 5+. The Glengarries rolled hot dice.

Cumberland then switched to the right flank and attacked Scalebarrs Hill. The musketry had no effect on the Highlanders and their countercharge routed the 11th. They were replaced by the other mounted Regiment.

Both sides now focussed on Scalebarrs Hill, and in heavy fighting the Appin were routed but so were Cumberlands cavalry. The Edinburgh Regiment took over but Cumberland had no reserves now.

He managed to rally one of the infantry who went on the right flank, then the Hanoverians attacked the Highland centre to no effect. The Glengarries once more made no mistake and routed their opposite numbers. Cumberland was in trouble now.  

Although one last attack by Cumberland did rout Macpherson, the Glangarries poured flanking fire into the redcoats and the Hanoverian centre collapsed. With all their rallies used, Cumberland was defeated. A historical result.

I tried it again but this time rated the Glangarries as a Claymore unit instead of Ambushers. The action this time started on the right, to no effect (lots of 1s and 2s!).

Next round Cumberland attack the right and the Glengarries the left. No effect, again. Well, the battle was fought in the dark, in the rain...

Same again, this is getting boring now.

In a shock development next round, both the Glengarries and Appin were routed, with no loss to Cumberland! The Edinburgh Regiment took over the Appins place. The Jacobites managed to rally one unit and put it back into Town End.

Cumberland attacked again and made no mistake, routing both the Edinburgh and Appin regiments. Game over for the Jacobites.

Historically although the Jacobites won, they just withdrew overnight so Cumberland was able to pursue his advance the following day.

I enjoyed that scenario and it worked well I thought, I particularly enjoyed experimenting with the Ambusher type units. It was good to have at least one historical result too, as the second game was marred by extreme dice, pretty much all 1s or 6s with little in between.

The other battle I did was Falkirk Muir which is one of the provided scenarios. It took place in 1746 as the Jacobites besieged Stirling Castle after winning the battle of Inverurie (covered in Part 1). An army under Henry Hawley marched up from Edinburgh to lift the siege.

Battlefield from the south. Stirling is a few miles north, and Falkirk is in the bottom right corner (the village model does indeed feature a Kirk). Otherwise the battlefield is bounded by a river on the left, 'Hawleys Enclosure' on the centre right and Torwood to the top right, There is actually a marsh southwest of the enclosure, and Hawley managed to bog down all his artillery in it prior to the battle.

Strangely the forces are very similar to Clifton, the Jacobites have three Elite Claymores and one Elite Line Infantry (the Franco-Irish Brigade) in reserve. As before, I swapped Elite status for a Defence advantage to better reflect the Scots high morale.

Hawley has two cavalry and three Line Infantry. The front line consists of cavalry and two infantry with the rest in reserve. The infantry on the right is Cholmondleys Brigade, who fought ferociously and are rated as Elite and Disciplined(!). The reserve infantry are our old pals the Glasgow Militia.

Fighting broke out in the centre and right, to no effect.

Right and left this round, in a shock development, Chomondleys Brigade is routed! (the Jacobites threw a 6). The left flank is indecisive. The Glasgow Militia take Chomondleys place.

Left and centre. The left is indecisive but the Hanoveran centre routs, to be replaced by the other cavalry unit. Still no Jacobite losses!

The Glasgow Militia fire ineffectively, but the Highlanders finally rout the Hanoverian left. 

Hawley manages to rally an infantry unit to fill the gap.

The Glasgow Militia manage to finally rout one of the Highlanders and the Franco-Irish Brigade fills the gap, but the Hanoverian centre collapses as the Jacobites counterattack.

It is pretty much game over after that. The Hanoverian right fails to rout the Franco Irish, and the Highland centre flanks the Hanoverian left and routs it. With no rallies, that is game over for Hawley and a historical result.

As before, I thought I'd give it another go.

This was a very different run. Cholmondley routed the Highlanders opposite and then on the left flank both the Highlanders ran but the cavalry vanished from the battlefield in pursuit. The Jacobites managed to rally a Highlander who filled in their right flank.

In fierce fighting Cholmondley routed the Irish while the Highland centre routed the Hanoverian infantry there. Cavalry filled the gap. 

With no rallies left, it was soon over for the Jacobites and the rest of their army was routed. Most certainly not a historical result and a hard won victory for Hawley. Medals all around for Chomondleys Brigade!

I really enjoyed both those games and I particularly enjoyed designing the Clifton scenario. These short games capture the essence of the event and really bring history to life.

Society of Ancients Conference 2025

I recently attended the 2025  Society of Ancients Conference. Unlike COW it is a quite structured mixture of lectures and gaming sessions, and I greatly enjoy the variety. 

This year was a change of venue, away from Madingly near Cambridge and off to Missenden Abbey. As I missed COW this year, it was great to be back at Missenden especially as the venue is closing later this year. 

Richard welcomed most of us on Friday evening although the conference proper opens on Saturday morning. Phil and Sue Barker sent their regards to us all, but aren't really up to attending these days. 

The entire SOA membership of the Isle of Man (two) was in attendance! 

The WD contingent repaired to the bar for some light gaming on Friday evening. First up was The Never Ending Odessey. 

This involves laying a series of cards illustrated with classic Greek images on them to spin an epic yarn. Each player take it in turns to add to the tale, with dialogue based on the images on the card. It is a bit like the kids game where you write a sentence and pass it on, but more heroic.

The epic is complete when all 20 cards are laid. There is a "frustration" version where you can preview the next card and spin the yarn to make the next players life difficult. 

That was rather good fun, and suits any number of players. We played it twice. 

We also played Dionysia, well, two of us did and the others watched as it is very much a two player game. 

This game is essentially a pattern matching game with 18 cards. The idea is to construct a Greek play of three acts each with three cards. The cards are marked with two of dagger, skull and cup symbols in various combinations. 

The completed plays. They are scored by totalling up the sequences of symbols (eg dagger, dagger, cup) across cards as specified on the cards themselves, and there are bonus points for eg having the most skulls in a single Act. 

In this particular game the final scores were 19 and 15 respectively.

Saturday morning was the usual scramble to sign up for games. 

First off, Duncan Head presented a very interesting talk on the Battle of Cunaxa, which also happens to be the theme of the SOA battle day. 

I hadn't appreciated that it was an unusual battle in that some of the accounts were by people who were actually there (like Xenophon) rather than being written hundreds of years later! So we can be fairly confident about eg what colour tunics each side wore, at least some of the contingents.

After that there was a gaming session with five games running in parallel.

There was another outing for Kim Salkelds 'Aegaeon', a game of galley fleet actions. 

I played this at the conference last year, and I was interested to see how the system had evolved, both in terms of mechanics and props. 

I think unfortunately the session suffered a bit from scale. Last year we had two players and six squadrons per side but this year there three players and 12 squadrons per side, and it hadn't really reached a conclusion when time ran out. There was a good washup at the end though, which largely focused on the incremental movement system and how it meshed with the order system. 

I had a bit of a float around to look at other things going on. 

Battle of Issus with To the Strongest. This was a pretty big game. 

Saxons vs Romano-British with Dux Brittannarium. 

This seemed to be pretty standard TfL fare, and I got confused between this and Dux Bellorium because of the similarity in titles! 

Along with Aegaeon, I went to a fascinating worksop session run by Matt Bennett about how to game the march of Xenephons 10, 000 to the sea after the Battle of Cunaxa. It was really interesting looking at the terrain and considering the challenges the hoplites would have faced, and it was a very free wheeling and open discussion about how to approach gaming it. 

Meanwhile Issus ground on. Parmenion bites the dust here, but really as far as I could see not much had happened and a lot of the players were just sitting there chatting with nothing to do. It reminded me why I really don't like TtS, but perhaps it is a decent two player game? 

Battle of Kadesh with Hail Caeser in 10mm. This looked pretty good and seemed to be rattling along at a fair old pace. 

After lunch Ian Piper gave a very interesting talk about the Syracusian tyrant Agathocles, and the battle of White Tunis in 310 BC. 

An outline of Ians interpretation of the battle, which he planned on running the following day. Agathocles was certainly an interesting character who essentially mounted a successful authoritarian populist coup, and featured heavily in Machiavellis "The Prince". I'm sure stuff like that would never happen today. 

I was running Alexander the Brief in the afternoon, and got set up before lunch. I'd taken the full WD Display Team (North) kit it make it look a bit more professional, and I'm going to be running it at Partisan anyway so needed the stuff. I also had the demo copies of the rules to show to people, kindly provided by the author. 

I set up the Persians for the Battle of the Granicus with Alexander marching up to deploy. Eagle eyed readers will note that I've forgotten the custom battle board, but fortunately I did at least have the old army blanket I was going to use as a base layer. 

Martin Smith at Gaugamela. I had a reasonable turnout for this game, and although the first iteration took a while what with the explanations, three players took it in turns to play each of the three battles. After that the players did all three individually, which took fifteen to twenty minutes a time. 

Things go badly for Darius. 

Very badly in this case as the Persian left flank collapsed and Alexander overran the Immortals! 

In the end we managed five iterations (or fifteen battles), with a wide range of outcomes. Top score goes to Martin with three wins and one unit lost almost a record.  I'm afraid bottom of the pile was Paul with  two wins and seven units lost. Team John B managed three wins but achieved a staggering ten units lost! The worst ever.  I completely forgot to give out any Nuggets to the players as it was quite hard work marshalling all the players, but at least least it means there are plenty left over for Partisan. 

We also had a good chat in the session about the "Dominion" series in general, and I was very grateful to Steven for giving me some demo copies of both the Ancient and Pike and Shot sets for people to look at. I also brought along my own copy of the Marlburian set for people to look at. 

There were more parallel gaming sessions after Ians talk. Final stand of the Sassanian Empire (Sassanids and Arabs) and Introduction to Midgard (Romans and Britons). 

Battle of the River Parrett (Vikings and Saxons) and Runners and Riders (Bronze Age chariots). Apologies if I've mixed some of these up. 

Before dinner John Curry also ran a quick game of Phil Sabins 'Empire', covering the rise and fall of Carthage (and Rome, Persian etc). I'd read the game in "Simulating War", but it all seemed a bit modifier heavy. Seeing it actually played however, it rattled along very well and covered hundreds of years of warfare in an hour or so. It ended with Carthage marginally ahead on points (19) to Rome's (15) and Persia and Macedonia nowhere. 

Before dinner on Saturday, Harry Sidebottom gave a very interesting talk about Gladiators, which addressed what we actually know about them rather than the Hollywood presentation. 

He ran through the general sequence of 24 hours in a Gladitorial contest, and essentially presented highlights from his newly published book. (Available from all good booksellers). 

After dinner, John C broke out Tony Baths flats for another outing. 

It was great to see these old figures again, dated by modern standards but wargaming classics. I was fortunate enough to play with them a few years ago at COW. 

On Sunday morning Dr Matt Bennett gave a talk about the Battle of Hastings/Senlac Hill. 

It covered the now generally agreed location of the battle and a quite detailed terrain analysis as the area was in 1066.

Which in turn affected the deployment of the armies and course of the battle. This in turn is helped by interpretations of some parts of the Bayeux Tapestry (or Canterbury Embroidery as Matt called it, it being neither a tapestry nor made in Bayeux). Harold never had an arrow in the eye. Who knew? 

I spent most of Sunday morning playing John Bs "Laodika's War" which covered the Seleucid succession crisis of 246 BC. It was one of John's huge multi player operational Ancients games, similar to the Octavian/Mark Anthony games I've played a couple of times already. 

A spot of bother around Antioch! I was Prince Seleukos, rightful heir to the Seleucid Empire and successor to Alexander the Great. I'll do a separate write up for this one. 

We finished up after Sunday lunch with a conference wash up session.

There were some more games in afternoon, but I had a long drive and set off early. That was a great conference, very enjoyable and I hope to attend again next year whichever venue it ends up in.