I have long wondered why a feature film hasn’t been done on the St Nazaire Raid. There was “Attack on the Iron Coast” and “Gift Horse”, but both deviate significantly from the challenges and heroism of that day. A movie would be great! It would include all of the action and wait. Why not play the raid!
Initial thoughts:
Operation chariot
Scale: 15mm to reduce cost and increase play area Rule Set: Modified Big Chain of Command or IABSM by TFL Scope: The action taking place from 01:34 in the morning immediately after the ramming of the drydock by HMS Campbeltown to the destruction of the dock.
Special Considerations
Sentries: Roving sentries and security patrols. Rules by Pat over at Wargaming with Silver Whistle cover this nicely.
Civilians: Adapt Pat’s rules for sentries for the dockyard workers.
Naval Element: This would include the MLs and MGBs/MTBs so I’ll need to come up with rules for them. I think using them like tanks, each with a Junior Leader would be a good starting point. Getting a number of models, including one of HMS Campbeltown will be a challenge. This may be a good time to use 3D printing. I can come up with a rough outline of what Campbeltown looked like up on the dry-dock and go from there. The other boats will be a bit easier to source… I hope.
Terrain Set-Up: This is probably going to be the other hurdle and will take a lot of work. I’m thinking that terrain boards will be the way to go in order to model all the docks and caissons etc.
As you’ve already seen, I have many cunning plans. This one will be in the far distant future, but it does mean that I’ll keep my eyes out for useable naval elements and slowly start coming up with a proper plan. I’m sure you’ll see more on this in the coming years. If you come across and 1:100 vessels or drydock fittings that might be of use, please let me know!
As I mentioned earlier, I have a plan to run a Dux Britanniarum in my world that centres around the Daughter of Rovas and the land she disappeared from hundreds of years ago. My RPG/Wargame went well, but life is making it hard to keep a consistent schedule for an RPG. So, I’ve made up a few changes to Dux and am going to run a campaign. As people are able to come over, we’ll run the game and see if the Iron Band can continue to expand under the guidance of our erstwhile heroes.
The area that will be fought over. Note that the Dalmorian names are in the south, where our heroes are starting
The Gardal
A rich area at the northern end of the Burway, the area is almost all farmland, with few pockets of wilderness left. Market towns dot the area, and there is little evidence of the collapse of the Rovians except further north near the plains where ruins poke up from under bushes and are turned up by plows. To the west, the Dunwood is known to have many gobblins, so-called eaters of the dead. They dislike water, so are mostly seen in Grontoft and Grongard. The Greenwood to the east is known to lead people astray, and there are stories of walking trees and the dead following the flutes of majestic creatures. Shren Nesna is a hilly area full of ruins that is the biggest reminder of a fallen civilization. No one claims it, and strange magicks are often attributed to it. The tower near the Greenwood in Markadal is the ancient tower of Con Adoran, one of the few active towers of the Dal-Amach, the Blood Mages. Thus far the Dal Amach have not entered into the fighting.
Campaign Overview
The Iron Band has proven its worth in pacifying the lands beyond the river Celental. With the departure of the Southern Banner forces of the Rovians, the King of Dalmor’s control is uncontested. Or it should be. The Duke of Florick has finally risen in revolt. The Earls of Steirlund have declared their fertile land off limits to either group. Local lords and rebels north of the river Tula, ostensibly not under the control of the Regent of Rovas, are hiring mercenaries and attacking Dalmorian forces belonging to anyone. At the same time, the Alfar, the faerie folk, have been angered by the disregard of the Treaty Stones. Gobblins and worse have attacked farms but have so far refrained from open conflict. In order to calm the situation, the King has ceased his push north and is moving the bulk of his forces south. He has commissioned the Iron Band to hold the area north of the river Tula while his loyalists fight the rebels in the Kingdom.
Campaign Objective
The Lord Commander has assigned small forces under your command to hold the Burway north of Tur Malen, a fertile area known as the Gardal. You are to raise your own forces and, if possible, expand the areas under the Iron Band’s control. Your centre of effort should be to push the Rovians back and take the key city of Athramere and then threaten Tur Heva. With the Gardal secure, the Rovian forces will be forced onto the plains of Mag Ushil. Once your forces are robust enough, you will be directed to take Tur Heva. Then, the eastern flank of the Kingdom will be secure. As you become more successful, you will rise in the ranks and gain more wealth and power. Note that taxes of a Beggar’s Bowl are due to the Iron Band every year. This is can be offset by the natural wealth of the Gardal. Every year, roll 1d6 per province you hold. On a 6, you gain a beggar’s bowl worth of wealth.
You and your peers will each have one province to start from: Grondal, Rikdal, Wegrik.
Procedure
At the beginning of each month, declare if you are going to be raiding, resting, or contesting ownership of a province. Your starting forces may seem large, but due to the tense situation they are required. You must declare how many troops you are leaving to guard your lands from others including the Alfar. Any troops left behind will be led by your lieutenants and subordinate leaders.
Raiding
Declare which province you are raiding. Consult the Table of Raids, set up the table and fight!
Resting
If you are not engaging in conflict, you can build up your forces. If the Alfar attack, your whole force can be used against them.
Contesting Ownership
This most likely means a battle and can only be done at the rank of Captain or higher for the Iron Band. If the enemy forces are weak, they may retreat behind their walls and remain under siege. If friendly forces arrive to engage the besiegers in battle, the weaker forces can join in. If the siege is not lifted by friendly forces, the remaining enemy will surrender when the siege ends. Note that if we get large enough forces, we may use Hail Caesar for battle resolution.
Alfar Interference
Every month, after you have decided your action, roll 1d6 per province you hold. On a 1, the Alfar will conduct a raid on that land, regardless of what your forces are doing.
Forces
Most of the professional soldiery of the Iron Band are tasked elsewhere. Your starting forces are as follows:
Leadership
Status III Reeve
4 Status II Lieutenants (you can only bring 2 with you on a raid)
1 Champion
Foot:
Elite – The old “heavy company” of the Iron Band. These warriors are experienced and well armed and armoured. You begin with 1 group of 6 Heavy Company fighters. Warriors – The bulk of your forces. You begin with four groups of 6 warriors. Levy – Scarecrows. Following the traditions of the Iron Band, the newest recruits are called Scarecrows and classed as Levies. You begin with two groups of 6 Scarecrows who are just learning their way.
Cavalry:
Shock Cavalry – Heavy, armoured warriors. As you become more successful, you can gain some. Light Cavalry – Light cavalry armed with bows. You begin with 3 of them.
Skirmishers:
Archers – You have 5 Iron Band Archers who are unique as these troops can be used in combat as Levies. They are difficult to train, and take 1 additional month to replace compared to the type of losses incurred.
I have the career progression for the players updated, it is right here.
In any event, those are the instructions to the players. I intend to post the outcomes of their campaign on here. Next weekend I’m hoping to bring some of the guys together and experiment with a battle or raid and then kick this off.
I’ve not only got plans for WW2 and Napoleonic, but also fantasy (with some history thrown in for good measure).
Dux Britanniarum – TFLs ruleset for skirmishes and battles with a campaign system baked in. I’m hoping to use this for an Arthurian campaign with full on Sub-Roman Britain with heavy cataphracts riding down Saxons, raids on the Saxon shore and all. I’m happy to play some of this solo to keep the story moving but while I have some bits standing by in the lead pile, this project is a ways out.
Daughter of Rovas (DoR) – I have been slowly building a world for RPGs/fantasy wargames. It’s low magic, a bit gritty, and fun. But I’m biased. I’ve run an RPG campaign in the world, with the players part of a mercenary company, “The Iron Band.” This was modelled loosely after The Black Company, by Glen Cook. In between adventures there were battles (using Hail Caesar or Dragon Rampant). The adventures fed into the battles, and vice versa. It was an experiment and was fun for all. Due to life, the campaign is on pause, but we will be restarting soon with a Dux style system before warping a few hundred years into the future for an RPG set in the world that the players have helped shape.
King’s Stone – DoR – In the campaign world set above, I have a cunning plan to run a convoy escort over several terrain boards. I’ve got the rules I’m going to use already modified, the forces are partly painted, and next is the construction of the terrain boards that will include a night battle with (electric) bonfires! This particular project keeps me smiling as I think of it.
LOTR – No idea which ruleset, but maybe use a Dux system with the Enemy being the Saxons and the others being the Britons. I have a large number of LOTR figures and this one sounds like a good way to have some fun.
This afternoon I swore I felt a small earthquake. Nothing big. Almost like a door slammed in the wind and then a tiny bit of shaking. I checked online and I was right!
Living on Vancouver Island is different from elsewhere in Canada – not only for the lack of major snowfall. We are perched at the edge of a small tectonic plate, and we are overdue for a “1 in 500 year” quake. You know, the type that caused a tsunami in Japan about 300 years ago. We are ALSO overdue for a “1 in 10,000 year” quake. Which is even worse. By a lot. This week over 250 small quakes hit the island in less than 24 hours. This is normal slipping that occurs each year. And each year the island tilts a bit more and moves 5mm to the west. Where we will eventually link up with New Zealand and create a new dominant pacific empire! Or not.
Anyway, earthquakes are on people’s minds out here. There are many earthquake preparedness seminars around. People have emergency supplies for a couple of weeks (well, some of us do). Schools practice earthquake drills, and so do all major provincial and federal government offices (including the Naval Base in town). The CBC, our public broadcaster, even has a podcast that walks people through what we will experience with the two major types of earthquakes that we are likely to have.
Being from “Out East” (anything east of the Rockies for Islanders) this is different for me, but really interesting. People from out here look at houses near the shore and instead of thinking only of the beauty, think, “Tsunami danger.” And indeed, there are tsunami warning signs and sirens in low-lying areas on the western and southern portions of the island.
A common sight along the West Coast
While we all know that the “Big One” will happen in the near future, and so people talk about preparedness when we see earthquakes hit similar places like Christchurch, NZ. Then they forget and think about 72 hours of supplies instead of weeks.
Interesting point to note, 72 hours comes from nuclear fall-out not from earthquake survival. Yes, for most nuclear weapons, if you shelter in a basement for 72 hours you can then walk outside without significant risk of radiation poisoning. The West, during the Cold War, told people to be prepared for war, and over two generations those lessons seem to have stuck and now emergency preparedness here on the Island has to push to get people ready for longer as our mountain passes and transportation links are vulnerable.
All in all, something about Island life (and lasting impacts from the Cold War) that people may not know about.
