Great write up of a game of I Ain’t Been Shot, Mum from the keyboards of Dan Albrecht and Shane Waley.
Dan used a modified version of the third scenario from the All American scenario pack, along with a modified version of IABSM using Derek Hodge’s command card activation system.
Click on the pic below to see all:
I was adding another IABSM battle report to the 500+ already on the site (plenty more room: keep sending them in) when I noticed the links to five reports in particular were broken.
The reports were all from from the extremely talented Sergeant Perry: five different AAR featuring the same scenario from the Welsh Guards scenario pack played at the same convention back in August 2012.
The table set up and games look magnificent so, having repaired the links, I thought it worthwhile to highlight them again. Click on the links below to see all:
And here are a couple of photos to whet your whistle:
My turn to host a game of I Ain’t Been Shot, Mum, so I chose a scenario from the first September War scenario pack that would allow me to field some of my new motorised infantry vehicles: #24 Ambush in the Beskides.
The game would feature a German attack on a prepared Polish position. The Germans would have the numbers, but had a time limit, and those Poles were very well dug in!
Click on the picture below to see all:
I’ve been doing some work on my collection of 15mm WW2 Poles (for the early, 1939 September War rather than the later periods) and whilst looking through the I Ain’t Been Shot Mum theatre book on the subject I noticed a somewhat embarrassing omission in one of the lists.
This has been corrected, and the v2 edition is now available to download from the Buy IABSM Theatre Supplements section of this website. Click here to go straight to the page.
Don’t worry about the “buy” bit, this theatre book remains FOC both here and on the TFL site to start players off on their IABSM journey: and where better to start than the beginning of the war (let’s not think about the Marco Polo bridge incident!).
The early war period is one of my favourite to play, and the German, and the Soviet, invasion of Poland has got a little bit of everything in it. There are also sixty (yes: sixty) scenarios available for IABSM across the two September War scenario books. You will have to pay for them, but at under a tenner for each (£8.29 to be exact) that’s only 28p per scenario.
If you’d like to read some of the After Action Reports from games that have used the scenarios, there are about twenty of them on this website, not all of them from me. Here’s a link to a good one featuring scenario #03 and you should be able to find more by navigating from there.
Re-reading a lot of them whilst writing this post, one thread that seems to run through them is how close the games are…that and how disastrous it is to put me in charge of Polish cavalry. There’s something about massed cavalry in IABSM that just screams “Charge!” to me, usually with unfortunate results for the horsemen involved!
A rare victory for the Polish line cavalry and lancers
So if your new year’s resolution is to start a new theatre or period, please do give some thought to choosing the September War: I’m certainly dusting off my figures and looking forward to working my way through the scenario books again.
As mentioned in previous posts, one of the things I like about publishing scenario packs (in addition to the extra money to buy more figures) is reading people’s AAR of the games therein.
I’ve featured a round of reports from the first scenario of the Marlowe to Maidenhythe pack, The Attack of Marlowe, and am pleased to say that the people playing through the campaign seemed to have enjoyed the first game well enough to play through the second: Widbrooke Common.
Here a link to the Blunders on the Danube blog where disaster is narrowly avoided during the game when one of the tables used collapses! Despite the unexpected earthquake (this is Berkshire after all!) this is a great looking game with some lovely figures deployed. Here a pic:
The Start of the Game
Then it’s on to the Troop Time! blog, where Widbrooke Common has also been played out, thankfully without any near-catastrophes.
The author of the blog, Zanoni, does mention that he’s disappointed that the M2M scenarios aren’t linked more closely, but as I’ve explained before, that’s the way they are designed.
As the first multi-game supplements for FK&P, I wanted M2M and SoN to be scenario books that primarily provided people with lots of easily run games i.e. without any barriers to playing any of the 24 scenarios provided in any order.
I did think about going the whole hog and writing a campaign based on a dependency tree and with characters/units who can progress or expire (much like I do for my IABSM scenario packs) but felt that, at this stage, what FK&P needed was just lots of individual games that people can play
That said, I also wanted to link them together in some way, so there's a strong campaign thread running through each pack, the games feature the same people and units throughout, and there a neat tracker provided so that players can keep a running score of how they are doing: hopefully a good compromise, "best of both worlds" product.
So hopefully Zanoni will keep playing through the pack: he certainly seems to be enjoying himself so far.
The two lines clash! Picture from the Troop Time! blog.
Now all we need is the Iron Mitten to catch up with his Widbrooke Common game!
Here’s an after action report that shows how flexible the IABSM scenario books are.
James Moulding and friends played scenario #4B from the Blenneville or Bust! scenario pack, but with the roles reversed i.e. in the original game, the British are attacking defending Germans but in this game it’s the British defending with the Germans attacking.
Click on the picture, below, to see all:
Note that this report is taken from the IABSM Facebook page. I hope James doesn’t mind me reproducing it here.
Another great 6mm I Ain't Been Shot Mum game from Mark Luther played at Gigabites Cafe in November 2021.
The scenario is taken from the Anzio: Wildcat to Whale scenario pack and features US infantry and armour assaulting a collection of four farmhouses held by men from the Herman Goering Panzer Division.
Click on the picture below to see all:
Simon Miller and I have just published the digital edition of my second scenario pack for For King & Parliament: The Siege of Norchester.
Buy The Siege of Norchester here
Hopefully you'll have seen (and had your appetites whetted!) by some of the many playtest battle reports posted here (the last post before this one being an example) but for those who haven't, here's the marketing blurb:
The Siege of Norchester is a supplement for TtS! For King & Parliament that contains twelve free-standing, fictional scenarios in a loose chronological order.
The pack is designed to give players who don't have enough time to write their own scenarios a number of games that they can play with little or no preparation. All you have to do is print out the game and player briefings, set up the table according to the map, break out the figures and cards, and start the first turn. You don't even need to print the pack out in full: just the pages you need for the scenario you're going to play.
The Siege of Norchester tells the story of the investment of the fictional, Royalist-held city of Norchester. It starts with the Parliamentarians gradually pushing the Royalist foraging parties back into the city itself, then looks at the Royalist attempts to delay the construction of encircling works. There’s an assault on the outskirts of Norchester and then a Royalist attempt to get a messenger through to the King to ask for aid. Finally, there’s the arrival of a Royalist relief force, the fall of Norchester and the attempted escape of the main Cavalier protagonists. The same officers and units are used throughout the campaign, and it is hoped that the players will come to adopt and recognise them as their own or the enemy.
action from scenario #2: munces wood
The games can be played either as a series of linked games or as a collection of one-off battles. To emphasise: each scenario is free standing and they do not have to be played in any particular order…but it is anticipated that players will play them in order as a campaign, keeping a running total of each sides’ score as they go along. The pack provides a Campaign Record Sheet as an easy way of doing so.
Finally, although specifically designed for FK&P, with a little work the scenarios can be adapted for any set of English Civil War/Renaissance rules: the basic elements of why, where and with what each side is fighting being largely common to all systems.
So whether you’re for the King or for Parliament, The Siege of Norchester gives you everything you need for many hours of joyful gaming!
Another great 6mm IABSM after action report from Mark Luther, this time featuring scenario eight from the September War Part One scenario pack (available from this website).
Played at Gigabites Cafe, Marietta, September 2021, the game involves the Germans attacking Grudziadz, a town in the Polish corridor in September 1939. The Germans thrust was from East Prussia i.e. they were actually attacking from the east.
Click on the picture below to see all:
Dan Albrecht and friends played a great game of I Ain’t Been Shot Mum the other day, using a scenario from the Sicilian Weekend pack: the Herman Goring Division attacks US Airborne and infantry forces on the Piano Lupo.
Click on the picture below to see all:
Dan Albrecht and friends played out the second scenario from the All American pack the other day. This report lifted, with Dan’s kind permission, from the IABSM Facebook page.
Great looking game. Click on the pic below to see all:
Exciting news. My Marlowe to Maidenhythe scenario pack for For King & Parliament has been printed in physical form i.e. is now not just available as a pdf but also as a wire-bound book.
This is the first time one of my books has been available ready-printed since the heady days of Vis Bellica.
I’m sure that you have all bought M2M in digital format already (and if not, why not!) but here’s the link to the hard copy.
As a reminder, here’s the marketing blurb:
The 66 page Marlowe to Maidenhythe scenario Book, written by Robert Avery, is a physical print book, designed for the TtS! For King and Parliament English Civil War rules but useful with other rule systems too. It is printed on 130 GSM paper and is wire-O-bound so that it will lie flat on the table.
The book contains twelve free-standing fictional scenarios set around in the counties of Buckinghamshire and Berkshire during and shortly after the English Civil War. They tell the story of a series of clashes between Sir John Boulters (for the King) and Sir Christopher Grey (for Parliament). Each scenario contains a background briefing, separate briefings for each of the players, a deployment plan and orders of battle. The scenarios can be played individually or in sequence, as a campaign. Many of the characters and units recur throughout the campaign.
And finally, here’s a couple of pics of the Cookham Moor scenario just starting, one from a game I played over Zoom recently and one taken from the FB 6mm Miniatures & Wargaming group.
Last weekend I had the chance to re-play the final scenario in my Marlowe to Maidenhythe scenario pack for FK&P: Rogue Nation.
It’s a stand-up fight between a late ECW period Parliamentarian army and a combination of militia and clubmen set, once again, around the village of Gappe.
As is customary these days (but not for much longer!) we played via Zoom: with my opponent being able to see the whole table via an overhead webcam, and more specific areas of the battlefield via an on-table mobile phone.
Here’s the report:
Although it looks as if I outnumber the rebels, the points scores are equal!
Typical: you spend years defeating a Papist King and then everyone else starts rebelling as well!
The Roundhead artillery would only fire a few shots before being masked by their own troops.
Much to my surprise, the rebels come forward: pike in front, Rabble behind, and Dutch horse on the wings.
Note my horse charging forward in a both-wings enveloping movement.
Both sides’ infantry met in the middle of the field and a colossal scrum ensued.
It’s a bit dicey for a few turns, but slowly my superior quality starts to count. His foot are pike-heavy, so quickly run out of ammunition for double-shot volley fire. Not so for my men! Plus his Rabble have no guns.
…is starting to thin out now as the enemy units collapse and flee.
I’ve already punched through his line with a unit of Swedish horse and a battalia of infantry. Even if he hadn’t crumpled now, my subsequent flank and rear attacks would have finished him off.
So a glorious victory for my Parliamentarians for a change. My opponent’s post-game e-mail began “what was I thinking?” as I think he realised that coming forward as his men did had been a mistake.
What was also pleasing was that my run of extremely (really extremely) bad cards seemed to have come to an end. In fact, another reason that my opponent gave for his defeat was that he was careless of his tactics as he was expecting my cards to be as bad as usual! Well, this game I actually had some quite good luck for a change, especially in the opening stages of the main infantry clash.
My victory was, however, not enough to reverse the course of the campaign in general. The M2M pack gives you a totaliser to keep track of how you do in each battle…and I think it fair to say that after twelve games played I was firmly on the losing side.
Great fun, and I must start writing the new pack soon!
As I was playing the Rogue Nations scenario, the chap of FB who’s playing through the campaign was playing the Pinkney’s Court game:
Nice to see that someone else also has problems with the Royalist horse at this stage of the war!
One of the nice things about writing scenario packs (in addition to having a little bit of extra cash to buy more figures) is seeing that people are actually playing games based on your work.
Marlowe to Maidenhythe, my English Civil War scenario pack for For King & Parliament was only published about two weeks ago, so it’s really pleasing to be able to report that I’ve seen the first AAR based on the first encounter of the campaign.
It’s posted on FB, in the 6mm Miniatures & Wargames Group which, as it is Private, you might not be able to immediately see from this link…but it is there, let me assure you!
I hope the author doesn’t mind, but here’s a quick pic of the initial stage of the battle:
If anyone’s interested, you can buy your own copy of Marlowe to Maidenhythe by clicking here or on the picture below.
Exciting news: my new English Civil War scenario pack for the For King & Parliament set of rules is now available!
In the UK:
In Europe/the USA:
Here’s the marketing blurb:
Marlowe to Maidenhythe is a supplement for TtS! For King & Parliament that contains twelve free-standing, fictional scenarios: nine in a loose chronological order and three bonus scenarios following the fortunes of the main participants after the campaign ends.
The pack is deliberately designed to give players who don’t have enough time to write their own scenarios a number of games that they can play with little or no preparation at all. All you have to do is print out the game and player briefings, set up the table according to the map, break out the figures and cards, and start the first turn. You don’t even need to print the pack out in full: just the pages you need for the scenario you’re going to play.
Marlowe to Maidenhythe tells the story of the clash between Sir John Boulters (for the Royalists) and Sir Christopher Grey (Parliamentarian): erstwhile friends now separated by their different loyalties. The same officers and units are used throughout the campaign, and it is hoped that the players will come to adopt and recognise them as their own or the enemy.
The games can be played either as a series of linked games or as a collection of one-off battles. To emphasise: each scenario is free standing and they do not have to be played in any particular order…but it is anticipated that players will play them in order as a campaign, keeping a running total of each sides’ score as they go along. The pack provides a Campaign Record Sheet as an easy way of doing so.
Finally, although specifically designed for FK&P, with a little work the scenarios can be adapted for any set of English Civil War/Renaissance rules: the basic elements of why, where and with what each side is fighting being largely common to all systems.
So whether you’re for the King or for Parliament, Marlowe to Maidenhythe gives you everything you need for many hours of joyful gaming!
Another absolutely beautiful battle report, this time featuring a game of I Ain’t Been Shot Mum played using the first scenario from the Defence of Calais scenario pack.
The report was originally posted on the IABSM FB group, which you can access by clicking here.
It’s May 1940, and with British troops being evacuated from the beaches at Dunkirk, the ancient port of Calais stood on the critical western flank of the Anglo-French lines.
In a desperate bid to shore up the flank Churchill committed the British 30th Infantry Brigade to defend Calais to the last. What ensued was an heroic struggle that is writ large in the annals of British military history.
This first scenario features men from the Searchlight Battalion, supported by anti-tank guns, trying to hold off the leading elements of the German advance. Click on the picture below to see all:
Here’s another I Ain’t Been Shot Mum battle report from the A Wargamer in Cyprus blog. It’s another adaptation of one of the scenarios from the Operation Compass scenario pack: a third scenario from the Australian assault on the Italian fortress of Bardia.
16th Australian Infantry Brigade are within the Italian perimeter and have made some progress against a fairly irresolute defence. The Aussies have followed a wadi and discovered a second line of Italian defences ready for them. Click on the picture below to see what happens next:
Here’s a great I Ain’t Been Shot, Mum AAR from Tim Whitworth and his friends at The War Room featuring the second scenario from the Anzio ‘Wildcat to Whale’ scenario pack.
At dawn on 25th January 1944, the Guards Brigade, headed by Number 1 Company of the Grenadiers and with Shermans from one squadron of 46th Royal Tank Regiment (crewed mainly by Welshmen from Liverpool) in support headed back towards Aprilia. Using the embankment of the disused railway line (the “Bowling Alley”) as their start point, they first had to take Carroceto.
Click on the picture below to see how they did…
Lovely little battle report from Dan Albrecht and buddies, taken from the I Ain’t Been Shot, Mum Facebook page.
They used Scenario #14 from the Anzio: Wildcat to Whale scenario pack, North of Carroceto. The scenario focuses on the German attack on the Right Flank Company of the Scots Guards holding the area of Carroceto railway station during the late evening and night of 9th/10th February 1944.
What is particularly interesting about this game is that it features the use of a sand table, something that you rarely see these days. Click on the picture below to see all.
Back to sanity after all this pike and shot malarkey with a quick game of I Ain’t Been Shot, Mum.
I’d decided to play through the Vyazma or Bust! early war eastern front campaign with K., Daughter #1’s boyfriend: trapped with us for the duration, but now an avid wargamer. I was looking forward to this game, especially as K. had been happy to let me have the Soviets.
Unfortunately, it was to be one of those games where the dice gods had utterly deserted me: even K., nascent gamer that he is, commented on the fact that I couldn’t roll a five or six to save my life: he even mentioned it later when I rolled double six whilst playing Monopoly (I won that one at least, bankrupting K. in the process!).
Click on the picture below to see my humiliation!
Vis Lardica is a website devoted to wargaming and military history, with a special emphasis on the company-sized rulesets produced by the TooFatLardies: I Ain't Been Shot Mum (WW2); Charlie Don't Surf (Vietnam); and Quadrant 13 (science fiction)
Welcome to Vis Lardica, a not-for-profit website mostly dedicated to the company-sized wargaming rules produced by the TooFatLardies, but encompassing my other gaming interests as well.
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