Scenario Generator for Algy

After posting a scenario on the Algernon Pulls It Off! group the other day and getting very little response, I wondered if I was barking up the wrong tree when devising historical scenarios based on actual events. It's a suspicion I've had for quite a while now, not just for Algy but also Bag the Hun, for which I've written lots of stuff but with little sigh of it being played.

I was thinking that a more productive approach would be to devise a simple scenario generator, to allow players to roll up a 'pick up and play games' rather than overly restrictive historical dogfights. Not that this wouldn't produce accurate match ups or outcomes, as it would be based on typical actions and be as realistic in set up as possible.

The template for this would be the sortie generator in Finest Hour, the Battle of Britain supplement for Bag the Hun. It wouldn't be a complete campaign system, just a means to roll up engagements for either side, based on a squadron strength pool of scout aircraft for the RFC or RNAS, with German Jasta and French Escadrille as a further development once the initial system has been hammered out.

I may or may not tie it in to a specific year or include tables to roll up fighter types, the option being to leave it open to interpretation albeit with the caveat that contemporary aircraft should be a historical match. I'd leave out two seater observation types apart from having them as an object to escort, but would include two seater offensive aircraft like the Brisfit as an option. 

It's very early stages at the moment but I'm planning to work something out over the holidays, ready to post on the Facebook group as a Xmas bonus. The framework would include patrols, escort sorties, balloon busting, offensive sweeps and possibly strafing or ground attack missions, but that's all a bit sketchy at the moment, so I'm not going to get too bogged down in specifics. 

Tally Ho!

Militia Tanks for AK-47

The new group build competition on the AK-47 Facebook group is to assemble and paint a Militia unit of more than 60 points. After some farting about I've decided to use two old Skytrex T34/85 tanks and a handful of the new Peter Pig militia crew figures to do a rusty, clanky and probably dysfunctional armoured unit. The idea will be to go to town on the weathering and detailing, which is what I really enjoy, but keeping things as stripped down as possible. Lots of rust, oil leaks, junk and a splash of colour should do the job nicely, I reckon. This will be my project for next month, when I have a couple of weeks or so before the holiday break. 

Finest Hour Forward

A couple of years ago I started work on a Bag the Hun Finest Hour solo campaign project, featuring a fictitious RAF Hurricane squadron, No.27, based at Middle Wallop, which is about twenty minutes from where I live. The Luftwaffe fighter opposition was represented by another fictional unit, 7/JG31, which gave me the opportunity to flesh out the counterfactual background in some detail. I devised rosters of pilots and started painting a load of 1/600th aircraft but then drifted off course, as full time work commitments wiped out any time to either paint or play any games. 

At this time of the year, my thoughts turn to projects for the year ahead, and I am keen to reboot the Battle of Britain campaign, especially as I've already invested a lot of time and effort into the background. As a change of pace, I may even use the first edition of Bag the Hun, as it is almost identical to Algernon Pulls It Off! and will give me some insight into a potential campaign set up for the Western Front. 

Tally Ho!

You can read all about my campaign ground work here:

http://jimswargamesworkbench.blogspot.com/search?q=Finest+Hour

Arena of Blood Redux

 

I had an email from Wiley Games this evening with an updated version of the Arena of Blood gladiator rules, which I was going to try out when they were originally published but never got around to. My eldest is now back home and he's been keen to get some wargaming going, so I've suggested we might dip into some gladiator combat using my decent collection of 28mm figures. I'm going to print off the revised rules and try then out, as soon as we can find some time.

Flaming the Furniture Van

I have written up a scenario for Algernon Pulls It Off! set in late November 1917 during the Battle of Cambrai. It is based on an old scenario I devised for another set of rules but has been adapted and amended to make it compatible with the rules. It's available to download from the Facebook group files. Tally Ho!.

Plane Painting Progress

It doesn't look like much but I have made some progress painting the Jasta 17 Albatros D.II models today, as well as starting on the Schusta 13 Roland C.IIa models, both for late 1916 to early 1917. The Albatros kette has been tidied up and given an ink wash, ready to be highlighted tomorrow, while the Roland's have had the undersurfaces and upper camouflage pattern applied. I'm hoping to finish painting all of these by this time next week.

Warfare 2025

Off to Warfare in Farnborough today with my eldest for the first show in at least three years. It was a bit underwhelming to be honest, with none of my favourite traders present and a relatively sparse selection of demo or participation games. No disrespect to the organisers or contributors, of course, but it just didn't have the vibe of the old venue. A couple did stand out, one a Lord of the Rings 54mm game and the other a Spanish American 28mm game, but otherwise it was a okay. I did come away with some gratuitous lead in the shape of some Perry Samurai figures and a single Perry Afghan mountain gun, for no particular reason but just because, so it wasn't a complete washout. One thing I did find of interest was a range of 1/600th scale ACW and War of the Pacific printed ships, which were very nice indeed, although I completely forgot to buy one until after we had left...typical. 

AK-47 Militia Competition

Over on the AK-47 Republic Facebook group, one of the other admins has set up a competition for the next couple of months, the objective being to assemble, base and paint a unit of militia troops for the game. I singularity failed to get myself organised for the last challenge, so I'm determined to get an entry in for this one. I'm thinking of painting up a look large foot unit using the old militia figures that I have collected for a People's Popular Front army, as well as some heavy weapons and perhaps a vehicle or two, which will be a core for the army as a whole. The deadline is mid-January so there's plenty of time to get something organised. I have neglected AK-47 this year so it's a good opportunity to get back into it.

Algernon and the Battle of the Bathtubs

I have picked out another old Knights of the Sky scenario to convert it for Algernon Pulls It Off!. This one was written for a club game a few years ago and is a bit of a cracker. To set it up for play testing I've added four Tumbling Dice 1/600th Roland C.II two seaters to the painting jig, although painting anything at the moment is a bit difficult as the garage is full of builders clobber!

Battle of Cambrai Scenario Research

 

I've been working on the historical background research for the Algernon Pulls It Off! Battle of Cambrai games, digging into War in The Air: Volume 4 of the official history of the RFC in WW1. I have several ideas but, for the moment, I'm looking to retro fit the Knights of the Sky scenario into the German counter attack, specifically around Bourlon Wood. This extract gives some idea of the frenetic and furious nature of the action, described as an 'absolute melee of aircraft' of numerous types. I need to unpick this but there's potential here for a scenario focussed on German two seaters being intercepted by RFC scouts, so well worth a closer look even if it's not an exact match for the scenario as written. One of the other things I'm considering is a focus on Jasta 5, the only fighter unit present on the 20th November when the offensive began, but active throughout the battle. The Albatros D.V scouts of Jasta 5 are particularly colourful and it would be great to incorporate them in at least one scenario.