Following on from setting up the game in the previous post
https://sidetracked2017blog.wordpress.com/2017/08/03/blowing-up-desert-trains-part-1/
This was my second chance to use my large new 192 Hexes of Joy board, set out as a railway crossing of swampy stream running through an arid desert region.
https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/01/192-hexes-of-joy-a-larger-hex-game-board/
I wanted to create a quick, not very realistic Lawrence of Arabia style scenario using a train, a desert and a bridge crossing.
More Desert Needed
I ran out of Heroscape desert hexes, and the rest of my household judged the board not quite deserty enough and a little too much green showing.
The sand pit source of sand was flooded – too long to dry, a trial Woodland Scenics bag of desert grit was nowhere to be found. Instead a quick trial repaint of some green and grey hexes with a desert colour sort of worked.
I had no desert sand Revell Aquacolor Acyrlic to hand, so mixed their Matt Flesh with a little Matt Mud Brown and Gloss White to produce a pinky desert hue. Lots of deserts have a rusty orange to pink palette, as do desert animals like lizards and even the famous “Pinkies” or SAS “Pink Panther” desert camouflaged armed Land Rovers. http://www.eliteukforces.info/special-air-service/mobility-troop/sas-land-rover/
A quick PVA glue sand mix on a trial desert pinkie hex did not work well, so I quickly wiped this off.
some Astroturf marshy grass strips, brown railway moss and white shell gravel (salvaged from a failed Triops Sea Monkeys set) all added more desertness.
The heliograph message prompted a rescue party of reinforcements, 2d6 dice rolls determining when they would be arriving – Turn 11.
After the first few volleys of ineffective rifle fire on both sides, British and Indian troops crossed the bridge to pitch in with bayonets in melee around the log blocked track.
The presence of the German horsemen, along the few supplies and barrels scattered around the hut and amongst their hidden tent created the possibility (overlooked during the rapid set up of this scenario) that they could be engineers, ready to blow the bridge and derail the train. They were probably responsible for the blocking of the line with any available logs or rubble in order to halt and capture the train.
Very rapidly, Allied rifle fire and repeated melee across the railroad tracks cleared the remaining German and Turkish troops.
The last two Askaris rolled d6 for their next action and wisely retreated along the stream bank off the board to safety.
I also discovered during the game a novel use for the 2cm gap along the board edge. This little Valhalla strip is good for neatly storing casualties off the board, out of sight and out of the way.
For those expecting reinforcements, it was sadly not Rolls Royce armoured cars racing across the desert or down the railroad tracks to the rescue. I never bought the lovely A715 15mm ones made by Peter Laing, shown on the Tim’s Tanks website. http://timstanks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/peter-laing-15mm-miniatures.html
Instead reinforcements arrive on horseback, the desert outback cowboys of the Australian Light Horse …
I was quite in interested in the aftermath or what would happen after the last Askaris left the game board.
This aftermath would make for a sequel game if required, a Turkish counterattack.
Checking out the hut and tent for hidden enemy soldiers or engineers would also be an interesting tiny scenario.
Overall I was happy with the look of the game, including the improvised extra pinky desert.
It was a good fast game lasting only 7 moves, having started the game with troops already in place or detrained.
I also enjoyed the restrictions or challenges put on the game of troops being exposed having to cross the bridge and railway line due to the stream and marsh being impassable.
Peter Laing 15mm Figure ID – WW1 series 700 / Colonial figures series 600
- M605 – Imperial Yeomanry figures as mounted Germans in slouch hats
- F650 – Indian Army Sepoy advancing
- F743 – German Infantry advancing , SH Steel Helmet – desert sand colour
- F754 – Turkish Infantry advancing
- F632 – Egyptian Sudanese Infantry firing – as Askaris
- F603 British Infantry advancing
- M602 British Cavalry, horse walking
- A605 British Heliographer
- F651 French Foreign legion advancing – not too sure of the French Officer F8004?
The Peter Laing troop types used are approximate to the WW1 era and of the right feel, rather than a game for uniform purists.
Ironic that the morning after the evening game I found the bag of Woodland Scenics buff desert coloured ballast that I had been looking for to make some more trial desert hexes.
Blog posted by Mark, Man of TIN 5th August 2017.
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Delightful little battle! I don’t have personal experience of deserts but it sees to me that apart from the occasional “Sea of Sand”, most deserts are a mix of rocks and sand and parched vegetation and quite mottles in colour not a monochrome yellow, therefore your mix just looks More like a real desert!
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I have only been to Californian scrub desert around San Diego and it is pretty bleached out, varied and scrubby so hopefully the desert pinky hexes do fit. I shall have to look again at the photos but it really made you appreciate how harsh living and travelling desert conditions were for the local Native American Indians (who survived better off the land) and for the first settlers. Amazing times they must have been. Mark, Man of TIN blog
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Nice scenario. Despite all good intentions, I’ve had to order a Train in a Tin! So much potential.
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There are two versions I have found – ought to put them online, The Apples and Pears train in a tin set with an oval of track and more US markings. it also has spare couplings. There is also the dotcomgiftshop / Rex international (they have a shop on ebay) in bigger card packaging. I got mine mail order online from Fred Aldous. Its bigger (and oddly slightly cheaper) and it has a point track switch and more track with same rolling stock and more UK markings. Both are equally good with a bit of weighting and complementary. I hope you have joy and many scenarios of your train in a TIN. Mark, Man of TIN
One day the hypnotic effect of running the train around and around in circles novelty will wear off …
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Thanks. Fred Aldous is new to me – they certainly have an interesting selection of “stuff” to browse.
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MJT
Now posted online Train in a TIN versus Train in a BOX https://sidetracked2017blog.wordpress.com/2017/08/10/deconstructing-trains-train-in-a-tin-vs-train-in-a-box/
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