The Holiday & The Update

 I have been on an ‘olliday. There was a river, there was a pub on the river. We had a nice time. 

If you would like to know where I went. I will give you a tedious cryptic clue. If anyone actually guesses it before the next post I will send you a small prize. 

The clue is: A police officer within a national border. 

Anyway, onto the Wargames, and some progress has been made despite the ‘olliday. 

I have painted half the rabble - the dirty half what are in rags, and furs etc. These will be additional fighters that help to defend an Aoul when the Russians Mount an assault against a Murid Aoul (mountain top fortified village or town). They are the men of the poor families who have little and can’t afford firearms or fancy daggers (Jindals) and sabres (Sasqyas). Or horses to go raiding for that matter. Quite often, when the Russians broke into an Aoul and started clearing it, the women and old men and boys would come out and fight alongside the male warriors. These figures will also represent that. Each Aoul will be given a size rating, and according to this size rating, will give the number of additional fighters that are available at that particular Aoul. 

I’m addition to these, I have undercoated the command base ready for proper painting, and will finish painting the rest of the Aoul melee troops - the rest of whom in Cherkaska coat. Basically, it’s the coat typically worn by Cossacks as well - a long heavy woollen coat. So these will be painted in the same way as the musketeers. 

I am still working on the rules and will put up a new draft on here over the next few weeks. Painting is obviously still the priority. TTFN

The Rules - Not Play Tested!

 Hello and welcome. 

I would like to present to you the rules I will be trying to develop for wargaming the Murid wars - Imperial Russia campaigning in the Caucasus and attempting to subdue the Islamic natives of the region. Basically, these are very specific rules dealing with the unique characteristics of the Imperial Russians and the Murids, and the different ways they fought and their strengths and weaknesses. 

I am sure you, clever readers will be able to adapt them to your colonial wargames, and if you do, and try using these rules then please get in touch and let me know how you get on and if there is anything you like about them. These are the basic rough draft rules that have not been play tested as yet. They will be developed much more as I will persevere with them now I have the basics down.

If you want I can send these to you in a Word document or Google Docs. 

You are free to use these rules for your own personal use only. 

 

At The Edge Of Empires™ ©

Murid force generation

Roll 10 x D10’s.

Add them all up. This is the number of Murid infantry you have.

Pick the 6 highest D10’s.

Assign them with the highest first to the following attributes:

Marksmanship

Fatigue

Defence/Attack (you will either be attacking or defending)

Initiative

Morale

Ammunition

With the remaining x4 D10’s, add them all together for a final value and halve this number (rounding down). This is now the number of free hit points you have.

Each value you have assigned, and the free hit points are now displayed by different dice – try to use a different colour for each. Keep them on your baseline. You are allowed to keep these hidden from your opponent.

Your free hit points are where you take casualties from first. The, once these are used up, you must start taking them from your attribute stacks.

Your attributes determine how well your force shoots, fights, moves, and continues in battle.

Roll x3 more D10’s. Each one (your choice) is the number of officers, musicians, and flag bearers you have available. Each one gives different benefits.

You must then split your forces, evenly or un-evenly, your choice, between each officer. So if you have a group of 60 Murids, and 6 officers, you will end up with 6 command groups, however, you do not have to do an even 10 man split.

Then split your musicians and banner bearers however you want between the commanded groups.

You also have a C-in-C base in addition.

Then roll 1D3 for the number of artillery bases. Artillery does not need to be grouped under an officer.

Russian Force Generation

A Russian force always starts with x12 units of 10 including an officer, musician, and standard bearer. Plus, a C-in-C base.

They will also have a baggage train. 1 baggage model per unit.

A ten-man unit represents an under paper strength company.
When a Russian ten-man unit is lost – it can be replaced once or twice if preferred. You can either receive a direct replacement on your base line (the same unit starts back on your baseline). Or, you can replace it with the following:

1 lost unit = 1 light gun

2 lost units = 1 medium gun

3 lost units = 1 heavy gun

4 lost units = 1 siege gun

So as you can see, you can save lost units up and bring up some artillery instead.

This represents Russian forces coming up from the column and nearby outposts/patrols etc after hearing the reports of battle.

Playing The Game

Deployment

You have both forces, and you are ready to deploy.

The Russians deploy first, up to a quarter of the way into the table from their base line.

Then the Murids deploy up to halfway into the table from their base line.

Activation

Each side activates one unit alternatively until all units have been activated, at which point that turn ends. All units must be activated in a turn before the turn is over and do something.

Once activated, each unit can perform one action.

Actions

Move

Shoot

Melee

Limber

Unlimber

Mount

Dismount

Movement

Murid infantry move their Fatigue rating in inches. So a Fatigue rating of 9 means a movement of 9”.  At the end of each turn, for each murid group that moved, they lose 1 point from their fatigue rating. This then applies in the following new turn.

A Russian infantry unit moves 1” + 1D6 inches.

A unit does not have to move its full allocation.

Infantry units can move backwards and side to side as well as forwards.

Artillery can only move when limbered but can pivot in place as required for free.

Artillery when limbered 1D6 inches.

Shooting

Always at the nearest enemy unit.

Shooting is conducted by adding up the number of figures firing, then adding any bonuses, then rolling that number of D6’s and comparing the results on the range table.

If shooting at enemy unit that contains an officer, standard bearer, or musician then an addition D10 for each is rolled. Allocate each dice to each specific type of figure and roll. On the roll of a 1 or a 10 (0), they become a casualty.

Musket (Muzzle-loading smoothbore flintlocks)

Murids

A command group of Murids will shoot at the nearest enemy target.

Measure the range.

Count the number of Murids firing.

Add to this the Marksmanship rating.

This the number of D6’s that will be thrown.

0-2” Point blank – hitting on anything but 1’s.

2.01” – 6” Close Range – hitting on anything but 1’s and 2’s

6.01” – 10” Medium Range – hitting on anything but 1’s, 2’s, and 3’s

10.01” -12” Long Range – hitting on 5’s and 6’s

12.01” -13” Very Long Range – hitting on 6’s only.

Russians

Count the number of figures firing at a group of Murids – must be nearest enemy unit.

Roll that many D6’s.

0-1” Point Blank – hit on anything but 1’s

1.01” – 3” Close range - hitting on anything but 1’s and 2’s

3.01” – 6” Medium Range - hitting on anything but 1’s, 2’s, and 3’s

6.01” – 9” Long Range - hitting on 5’s and 6’s

9.01” -12” – Very Long Range – hitting on 6’s.

Artillery

Light Artillery

Max Range 24”

Point Blank/Canister 0-3” Roll 4 dice, hit on 2+

Close Range 3.01” – 6” Roll 3 dice, hit on 3+

Medium Range 6.01” – 12” Roll 2 dice, hit on 3+

Long Range 12.01” – 18” Roll 1 dice, hit on 4+

Very Long Range 18.01 – 24” Roll 1 dice, hit on 5+

Medium Artillery

Max Range 48”

Point Blank/Canister 0” – 6” Roll 4 dice, hit on 2+

Close Range 6.01” – 12” Roll 4 dice, hit on 3+

Medium Range 12.01” – 24” Roll 3 dice, hit on 3+

Long Range 24.01 – 36” Roll 2 dice, hit on 4+

Very Long Range 36.01” – 48” Roll 1 dice, hit on 5+

Heavy Artillery

Max Range 60”

Point blank/Canister 0-12” Roll 6 dice, hit on 2+

Close Range 12.01” – 24” Roll 5 dice, hit on 3+

Medium Range 24.01” – 36” Roll 4 dice, hit on 4+

Long Range 36.01” – 48” Roll 3 dice, hit on 5+

Very Long Range 48.01” – 60” Roll 2 dice hit on 5+

Siege Artillery

Max Range 72”

Melee

When a unit contacts an enemy unit, a melee will be fought.

The Murids will use either their attack or defence rating. That’s how many dice they can roll. The Russians roll 1 dice per figure in the unit.

Roll dice simultaneously.

Match up dice with like for like numbers. If either side has any additional dice that can’t be matched – that is a casualty to the opposing side. If all dice can be matched, or if both sides score an equal number of casualties, then it is a draw. Otherwise, the losing side withdraws 1” + 1D6 inches.

Contacting Artillery

If a unit makes it into contact with a gun, then the crew surrender and the gun is lost.

Limbering/Unlimbering/Mounting/Dismounting

Each of these takes 1 full action and no other actions taken by the unit until the next turn.

How The Murids Work

At the start of the game, the Murids have a pre-determined amount of free hit points. All casualties are taken from this until they are all used. Therefore, there is no figure removal.

Once the hit points are all used

At the start of every turn from now on, all Murid units must take a morale test.

To take a Morale test, roll 1D10. The score must be equal to or below the Murids current Morale rating. Any that fail are removed from the game and another point is removed from the Morale rating.

This includes artillery and cavalry as well as infantry.

All casualties against the Murids are now taken from the available ratings points of the Murids. The owning player chooses from which rating to remove hit points.

Each movement of a Murid unit costs one fatigue point from the Fatigue rating.

Each Murid unit shooting causes 1 point to be removed from the ammunition rating.

Ammunition is the only rating that can be replenished. Move either a baggage unit or the infantry unit into contact with the baggage unit next turn roll 1D6, and halve it, rounding down. Each unit can do this once per game.

Each melee hit causes 1 point to be removed from the Attack/Defence rating in addition to melee hits, which can be taken from any rating as the owning player chooses.

If the Fatigue rating reaches 0 – no units can move except to withdraw/flee.

If ammunition reaches 0 and remains at 0 for the next turn, the Murids leave the battlefield immediately. Game over.

If Morale reaches 0, the Murids immediately flee the table – game is over. Automatic Russian victory.

If Attack/Defence rating reaches 0, all units cannot move into contact with enemy units, and any units contacted by the enemy automatically surrender and are removed from play.

If Initiative reaches 0 – the Russians can activate three units in one go per 1 Murid unit activated.

If Marksmanship reaches 0, obviously you have no points to add to firing, but also all dice scores are halved.

Murid Sharpshooting/Marksmanship (OPTIONAL)

Once per game, a Murid unit firing, may activate its sharpshooting rating and use it in one go. This will, however, immediately 0 your marksmanship rating and use 50% of your Ammunition i.e., you will need to deduct half your total Ammunition points from your Ammunition rating. If activated, you can target all officers, musicians and standard bearers of all Russian units within range.

To do this, take your marksmanship rating, that is the number of dice you will roll for each unit you target. Roll this set of dice for each unit targeted, and if, according to the range, you score hits, then you can allocate those hits to the officers, standard bearers, and musicians as you, the Murid commander, chooses.

Murid Command & Control

Each figure is, at the beginning of the game, assigned to a command group, with an officer. If an officer is lost from the group (see special rules) then it no longer counts as a group. Therefore, each figure, counts as 1 unit for activation. And moving and firing is done with the roll of just 1 dice per figure.

Un-commanded figures cannot move into contact with the enemy. However, they can be attached to a nearby group as an action when they are activated. Must be within 6” of friendly unit to perform attachment as one action. Otherwise, they will have to move closer to the unit as an action first until they are within 6”.

If there is a standard bearer with the unit, the unit receives plus 1 dice to shooting and melee dice pool. Once per turn.

If there is a musician still with the unit, that unit can move +1” to all movement for that unit. Once per turn.

C-in-C

If the C-in-C is still on the table, then they will generate an additional +1 morale point and +1 fatigue point per turn. The C-in-C can be shot at and contacted like any other unit.

If a C-in-C attaches to a unit, the +1 morale and fatigue points will not be generated for that turn onward until the C-in-C becomes un-attached again. However, the unit receives plus 1 dice to all shooting and melee attacks and doesn’t have to take any morale tests for as long as the C-in-C is attached. However, the C-in-C will be vulnerable to any shooting and melee attacks the unit receives.

Each time the unit with the attached C-in-C receives hits, roll 1D10, on the score of a 1 or a 10 (0), the C-in-C is lost and removed from the table immediately. As a result of the loss of the C-in-C, the Morale rating is immediately zeroed. All units currently in contact with the enemy surrender or flee and are removed from the game. All other units must then immediately take a morale test. At the start of each successive turn, every unit activated must take a morale test.

How The Imperial Russians Work

An Imperial Russian force starts with 12 infantry units of 10 men plus a C-in-C.

Each unit includes an officer, standard bearer and musician.

At least 4 units and up to 8 units can join to form a battalion massed unit. So, you could start with just 3 large groups of 4 units if you wanted. Owning players choice.

This can be done at the start of the game, or during the game, so long as each unit has not suffered more than 2 casualties. This will cost 1 action per unit during the game.

Battalion masses fight as per all other rules.

Unlike the Murids, Russians take hits in figures, each hit removes a figure form the unit receiving the hit.

A Russian unit does not need to take a morale test unless it has lost its officer. If it has lost its officer, it must roll 1D10, if the score is greater than the figure count for the unit then it has failed and is removed from the table. If scores equal to, or less than it passes. A Russian unit that has lost its officer must test for Morale each time it is activated first.

A battalion mass of 4 units must lose all four officers first before it must take a morale test.

If a Russian unit still has its standard bearer, it receives plus -1 to any morale tests taken.

If a Russian unit still has its musician, it receives +1” to movement.

A Russian C-in-c can only attach itself to a battalion mass, if it does so, the battalion mass receives +2 dice to all combat (shooting and melee), does not need to test for morale even if all officers have been lost, and moves +2”. However, you must dice for the C-in-C as per normal for officer casualties whenever a hit is received.

All other rules apply as normal.

© At The Edge Of Empires™ 2023

The Murid artillery is complete!

 After a busy week I made slightly slower progress than hoped but I still made progress and now all the Murid artillery is painted and halfway through basing as you will see. The Murids had very limited artillery reserves - mostly archaic with a smattering of captured Russian pieces and I have done my best to portray this. For the Murids, artillery shot and powder reserves generally were always in short supply and so raiding were one of the ways they were able to top this up. Though there were apparently open veins of coal and lead in some of the areas they occupied which helped a little. However, they did not mine as in create deep cuts in the rock and tunnels and create deep mines as far as I am aware. I have a social weekend this weekend so not much painting but I hope to start the next batch of Murids on Sunday afternoon. 

I have also managed to bring together the ideas for my rules in an almost cohesive fashion and I am now on the third draft. The first two being a lot of ideas all jumbled up. But from it, I hope, will rise a useable set in the third rough draft. They are specifically focused on colonial wargaming, drawing on the strengths as well as the weaknesses of an irregular force fighting on home soil. Remember, the Murids were able to hold the mighty Imperial Russians back for nigh on 30 years! 

The prep work continues

 So this week I ‘ave mostly been prepping! Anyone in the UK reading this remember The Fast Show? Anyway, the less fun side of things is getting new units and models prepped for painting. For all you visually stimulated ADHD’ers out there here are the photos somewhat prematurely.

I am now ready for the painting to continue over the weekend and next week. I envision these will take approx. two weeks to complete. Then it’s just the Murid cavalry left - forty eight cavalry in all. Oh and the C-in-C group/mini-diorama. Oh and the baggage/camp mini-diorama etc. I estimate about four weeks work in total. All other things being equal. 

Now for some light entertainment. When at the painting desk in the new luxury, purpose built, gaming shed - see photo at end, I like to listen to audio books. One of my favourite series of this year has been a literature RPG (commonly referred to as litrpg apparently). It is called Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman and ready by Jeff Hayes/Soundbooth Theatre. Now I find most litrpg to be, let’s be kind and say, less than excellent. However, the Dungeon Crawler Carl series is in a league of its own. It’s brilliant, funny, entertaining, wonderfully woven, with a unique cast of characters, hilarious, and at time heart wrenching.

 If you like Sci-fi combined with a fantasy dungeon crawl with hilarious results then this could well be your thing. Don’t judge the book by its name - I mean I quite like the name of the series, it’s very Ronseal (it does exactly what it says on the tin)! Jeff Hayes is a genius voice actor - he does a lot of the voices himself. You have to hear it to disbelieve it’s all the same guy! And the new book is out, and the new audio book version is due out beginning of September. However, be warned, it is definitely an adult series. 

So, if you are still reading and paying attention (God bless you, yes you!), how do you paint your Cream Eggs? What do you listen to? Or watch? 

The Review - Wargaming Campaigns by Henry Hyde

 Well, where to begin? I am not an experienced reviewer, and I'm not a fan of rambling reviews either. I can confirm that I have read the book thoroughly once, and also then referred back through it for my own purposes. Therefore, I feel fairly well informed abut the subject and now feel comfortable submitting a review for anyone else who hasn't yet purchased this book but may be thinking about it. 

To sum up first then, I thoroughly enjoyed the thorough read through, and at no pint did I feel like I was just having to go through the motions in order to get to the next bit of information that maybe relevant to me. Mr. Hyde has an uncanny ability to engage the reader through every page, no mean feat given that the subject matter could easily turn very dry very quickly. Explaining wargames campaigns to anyone who has no previous experience of wargames etc. could so easily end up being a bloated mass of nonsense. However, this is very much not the case, the conversational tone is pitched just right. This book will explain to the novice everything they need to know about a wargames campaign, and if they have read the Wargaming Companion in advance by the self-same Henry Hyde then these may be the only two books a novice will need to get them started and see them through their wargaming journey. Mr. Hyde has now become a one stop shop with these two volumes, for total wargames, and wargaming careers. 

For the experienced wargamer, this book will be full of helpful information to assist you in running your campaigns, and enhancing them. This book then, Wargaming Campaigns by Henry Hyde, will commend itself to the un-initiated and the experienced wargamer alike, guaranteed. It will certainly become a well worn go-to reference book for me, and combined with the Wargaming Compendium, is the basis of my wargames reference library alongside Mr. Featherstone, and Mr. Bath. 

If you would like more information - then buy the book cheap-skate!

Wargaming Campaigns by Henry Hyde

The Basing is complete!

 So I managed to get all one hundred and sixty bases done on Sunday. I was basing from approx. Three pm until approx 9pm, but at a leisurely pace, whilst watching Red Dwarf and drinking pints of strong sweet tea with milk (is there any other way?). I have also now finished my first read through of Wargaming Campaigns by Henry Hyde, a marvellous resource, but also a surpringly engaging read. Mr. Hyde definitely has talent as a hobby writer. Not at any point was I bored or did it feel like a chore for what could so easily have been a useful but dry affair, difficult to get through as a stand alone read. My. Hydes passion for this subject is obvious from the start. 

I decided on a very basic basing affair. It simply involves smothering each base Vallejo light earth texture paint stuff, and then dipping it a mixed concoction of dry sand, small stones, and a bit of static grass, turf/clump stuff. I think it’s quite effective and doesn’t involve the time consuming process of staining and then dry brushing the textured base once dry. I may yet add a tuft of some description to each base. Let me know what you think? Does it look naff? Or, does it look suitable? 

Now, what shall I paint next for the Murids? Their small light artillery units? The rabble infantry (60), or the mounted raiders (I think 48 total), the C-in-C group with Imam Shamil himself, or, the small camp/baggage stuff? 

The Next Stage

 Well it’s been another lovely week here in the fens of olde England, and today has been no different. Taking the optimists view, today has definitely been a day for staying indoors and painting, much to my dogs disappointment. He’s been out but only for short walks. However, the painting of the one hundred and sixty Murid musketeers is now complete and the matte varnish is currently drying. They will be left over night. Then tomorrow the basing of them can begin. I am also three quarters of the way through Wargaming Campaigns by Henry Hyde. 

My plan is to start an imagi-nations campaign based on the Murids (Islamic highlanders) trying to drive the imperial Russians from the  Dagestan and Chechnya regions of the Caucasus whilst uniting all the various clans, and trying to form their own Khanate/Sultanate/Caliphate. The campaign will start in 1830. The more successful the Russians are, the more Russophobia grows in Europe, particularly within the capital of a European island who are currently carving out a vast empire for themselves in the east/Asia. The more successful the Murids, the more interested the Islamic empires become such as the Ottoman Empire and the Persian empire. But also, the Russians can , and will, massively expand the army of the south in order to counter Murid success, and loss of Russian prestige, which is very important to Tsarist Russia at this time. The Great Game will go hot at some point. However, it will be set in an imaginations world, with proxies for all powers with unique names etc. 

So I will be setting this all up from scratch, doing it solo, and on a tight budget, and in a relatively small space. I will therefore, be piecing together lots of ideas from various authors, especially Henry Hyde, Tony Bath, and, of course, Donald Featherstone. As well as Nordic Weasel Games. With a smattering of my own ideas. As well as trying to develop my own set of tabletop rules for fighting large skirmish battles in essentially colonial settings I.e a highly motivated and skilled, but irregular force, versus a large drilled, disciplined regular army.