Monday 27 March 2017

The BIG DAY BRIEFING NOTE

The Spring 2017 Big Game is this weekend - Saturday 1st April 2017. This Briefing Note will be available in hard copy on the day itself, but for those faction leaders alerted by able Intelligence Services (or for the merely curious), here is an advance copy. Steal a march on your opponents by taking full advantage....

SPRING 2017 AVBCW (TNG) BIG DAY BRIEFING - “THE COUNTY CUP”
aka “THE APRIL FOOLS DAY MASSACRE”

Sir Alan McGuffin and the Committee of the Hereford Golf Club (which is neither Royal nor Ancient) welcome you to the County Cup Charity Challenge and wish you a pleasant day’s play.

You are “teeing off” from your “home tee”: TEE (1 - 12, number to be drawn randomly on the BIG DAY). Your command figure should be placed on your “home tee” and your attending party of “supporters and well-wishers” should be placed within a radius of 12 inches of your “home tee” before the start of play. If you have not played the Hereford course before, there are six Tees per table, three on each side.

Done that? Then the Club Committee wishes to apologise, but it seems that ONE of your infantry sections (your choice) has failed to appear/sat down for tea/preferred to play cricket. Please remove ONE of your infantry sections (your choice) and place it on the “Spare Units” table before you start your round. By way of small compensation for your loss, the Club Committee hereby grant you one “MY GOLF BUDDY” card (to be provided on the BIG DAY). Please write your (campaign) name on your card and hold it ready to exchange with another player before the start of play - if you choose to do so. Remember, there can only be one winner of the County Cup!

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Special Rules for Today (“the Rules of Golf”)

1.            On your table are a two golf holes (marked with a Flag), each served by a green (which may or may not be surrounded by bunkers and/or water obstacles) and a fairway. Off each fairway is “the rough”, consisting of the usual variety of trees, low hills, scrub and bushes, together with a number of “Special Objects”. In the very centre of your table is a Special Tee (marked 18 or 18A). The Special Tee may or may not be defended by an independent force (“Ben Hogan’s Friends of Herefordshire Golf” or “The Herefordshire Police Watch Committee” or somesuch).

2.            Your Aim is for you first to “capture a Flag” (by placing any of your figures immediately next to it) and then to place your command figure (or most senior surviving command figure) on the Special Tee. By placing such a figure on the Special Tee, and by the magic of Hereford1938”TNG”, your entire force (as then surviving) will be instantaneously teleported to the “18th Fairway” (separate table) where Sir Alan and his Committee wait with the County Cup. Sir Alan is already - and anxiously - “taking soundings” as to what the Club will do upon spotting a hostile force (or forces) advancing along the 18th Fairway towards the valuable Cup. Some are in favour of conscripting and arming “Fleet Street’s finest” (so bothersome with their endless requests for interviews) in order to mount a “brave last stand”, while others are in favour of a communal sing-song (“Nearer, My God, to Thee”?) as Lady McGuffin and her ladies hastily manufacture a host of white flags….

3.            Anyway, back to you. It might be jolly difficult to achieve your Aim all on your own. That’s why you have your “Golf Buddy” card. Before the start of play, you have the option of swapping your “Golf Buddy” card with another player, and thereby concluding a temporary “alliance”. Golf Buddies may not shoot at (or otherwise damage) each other’s forces during their “alliance”, and may otherwise co-operate as they might agree. “Golf Buddy” cards are automatically returned at lunchtime (or upon a call from the Umpires). Upon return, you can then take the opportunity to swap again with the same player, or a completely different player, or no player at all.

4.            And here’s “the rub of the green”. If either you or your Golf Buddy (on that turn) have captured at least one flag AND have at least one of your command figures (or most senior surviving command figures) on the Special Tee, BOTH of your forces are instantaneously teleported to the “18th Fairway” (separate table) where Sir Alan and his Committee wait with the County Cup. Your “GOLF BUDDY” alliance is automatically cancelled upon your arrival on the 18th Fairway. There you’ll have to battle it out with your erstwhile ally (and perhaps others) - remember, there can only be one winner.

5.            The Club Committee will immediately replace any Flags that are captured. This means that you can capture a Flag from a Green even if another player has already done so. You can also capture a Flag from another player in the course of a victorious melee action (or by picking it up from a deceased flag carrier). The Special Tee may be used any number of times, but after the first occasion, becomes increasingly difficult to do so (Umpire’s Decision on a D6).

6.            “Special Objects” may be investigated by placing any figure in the centre of the objective. Each Special Object has a special envelope telling you the results of your investigation (ask the Umpire). “Special Objects” may only be investigated once (i.e. will be removed after investigation). There may be great advantages in investigating a Special Object (e.g. can you gain a “special Flag” by doing so? or the return of your "Spare Unit"?) but there may also be any number of catastrophic consequences.

7.            The immaculate fairways and greens of the Club count as “roads” for the purposes of this Big Game. Otherwise, the usual “WTDW” terrain rules apply.

The County Widows and Orphans Fund thank you for your contribution to their continuing work.

Tuesday 21 March 2017

A Note about Photography and Propaganda

Fleet Street's Finest have gathered at Hereford Golf Club to witness the results of the County Charity Challenge, but are notoriously protective of their copyrights....

Post Big Game "News Accounts"/"Outrageous Propaganda" has always been one of the fun bits of the Hereford1938 Campaign. However, two of our most prolific "Big Game" photographers - Storm Leader Giles and Sir Gilbert Hill - have had to give their apologies for the Spring 2017 Game. Consequently, this is just a note to players/intending propagandists not to rely (well, not too much) upon other players' photographs being available in due course - if you'd like the world to know of your Platoon's triumphs (or other Platoons' failures) please bring along your own camera. Don't be worried if you're inexperienced : blurry photographs are better than no photographs at all.

The Bishop of Ludlow's Chicago Police "Citizens Relations" motorised infantry unit breaks Stokkies Joubert's
line in the closing stages of  the Battle of Brimfield, Spring 2016 Big Game, bringing chaos and imminent
 destruction to rear area Royalist artillery and softskin transport. Can't think why this photograph was
 chosen to illustrate the value of post Big Game propaganda. 

A Note about Tuck and Boot Sales - and Last Call for Platoon Rosters

The Hereford 1938 Spring 2017 Big Game draws ever nearer.....but the ongoing Civil War has depleted the Golf Club's supplies...

Previous Big Games have benefited from a buffet lunch organised by JP/Giles during the day, and then a curry at Giles (for those who could attend) in the evening. As Giles is presently moving barracks, the option of curry won't be available this time; and please note neither will the buffet lunch. Tea and coffee will be on tap throughout the day, plus crisps and biscuits aplenty, but if any player wants or needs something more substantial by way of provisions, please BRING YOUR OWN TUCK BOX. In best "British Rail" style (or should that be "GWR"), Hereford1938"TNG" would like to apologise for any inconvenience that may be caused - but trying to organise an outside caterer at Burley Gate on top of everything else has proved beyond our resources.

Notwithstanding the changes to tuck, TNG would certainly like to maintain the tradition of boot sales at the Big Game : if you have any excess VBCW or interwar stuff that you'd like to sell on cheaply, please bring it along : we'll leave aside a special table for your excess wares to be recycled, in return for a bit of cash, into other players' armies.

Finally, Sir Alan McGuffin would like to thank all those who responded to the second call (see previous post) for Platoon Rosters. For those who still haven't sent in their Platoon Roster, please note that the weather at Hereford Golf Club is notoriously localised and changeable, and that thunder, lightning, hailstorms and very heavy rain can slow individual Platoon movement throughout the day and dramatically interfere with firing effectiveness at critical times.....this is now the LAST CALL for Platoon Rosters.

Thursday 9 March 2017

And Sir Alan McGuffin Welcomes.....

"Platoon Roster Sheets" have been requested from all the players in the forthcoming "Spring Big Game", to take place at Burley Gate Village Hall on 1st April 2017, and the results are flowing in....like glue. Nevertheless, it is already known that Sir Alan McGuffin and the Committee of the Hereford Golf Club will welcome:

MAJOR MILES STRAITT-JACKETT (Alan), distinguished supporter of HM Governmenttogether with his well known collection of Cheltenham Ladies College schoolgirls (with hockey sticks and rounders bats!), Gas Street Irregulars (lead by Boss Alfie Lightfinger), Wulfhere Company BUF (West Mercia Division), etc, etc......

"THE BLESSED" LADY RITA TALBOT-PONSONBY (Rita) of the Anglican League, with an equally well known collection of County freedom fighters, including the Bishop of Hereford's Suffragan Militia, the Hereford Small Traders Defence League, the Archenfield Young Farmers Association, etc., etc...

COMMANDER EUSTACE SPODE and his BLACKSHORTS (JP), a Senior Commander withn the BUF Three Counties Legion, leader of the Marches Blackshorts, the Ladies Fascisti, the Sidcup Highlanders, etc., etc....

CAPTAIN-GENERAL TEDDY "BEAR" JERMINGHAM (Mort), Commander in Chief of the Anglican Forces in Herefordshire, accompanied as always by Sergeant Harry "Ratty" Reed, leading the shock troops of the Bishop of Hereford's forces, the instantly recognisable Anglican "Cherryberrys"

THE REVEREND PERCY FITZNEATLY (Craig), a new entrant to the rolls of Anglican heroes within the County, leading amongst others the North Herefordshire Parishioners Militia and the Tillington and Burghill Gentlemen's XI...

Alan and Rita have already obtained the "Special Favour" of the Campaign Umpires (TNG) by the fastest return of Platoon Rosters. Woe betide those who, by belated return of Platoon Rosters, incur the "Special Disfavour" of the very same Campaign Umpires (TNG)....