The Hereford VBCW Autumn BIG GAME 2019 will take place at the Burley Gate Village Hall, Herefordshire, on Saturday 12th October 2019 from 10am - 5pm (set up from about 9.15 am). All our usual arrangements apply (see the "Practicalities" paragraphs to this preceding blogpost) save that, as already notified to intending participants, our game charge has increased to £20 for the day in order to account for the recent significant increase in the Hall booking fees.........anyway.......
Those VBCW battlefield tourists looking for a memorial cross at Mortimer's Cross will be sadly disappointed. The only memorial to a battle on this hallowed ground is a simple stone pedestal:
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| The Mortimer's Cross Memorial |
recording not a VBCW event, but a much earlier "Wars of the Roses" battle on 2nd February 1461. An account of the 1461 Battle can be found HERE.
Some 475 years later, the land around Mortimer's Cross still remained largely agricultural in nature, populated by historically tight-fisted farmers, but now criss-crossed with roads (of varying quality) carrying the commercial traffic of the County:
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| Mortimers Cross in 1937/1938 |
It is to this area that Senior Captain Maynard retreated after the Second Battle of Shobdon, defending the vital cross roads before the River Lugg. And it is to this area that the "Red Horde" of Comrade Professor Winter's slowly advanced, seeking to gather support (financial and political) for their Red Revolution....
The battle lines have stablised as all parties seek to recover from the exertions of recent VBCW events. Both Maynard and Winters have, as a matter of irony, received identical orders from their respective HQs - use this temporary lull in order to gather support from the local farmers, and to tax them in order to pay for the continuing Civil War.
Neither High Command has explained to our gallant battlefield commanders how both these tasks can be accomplished simultaneously. Politics!
And thus to our player's starting positions:
Senior Captain Maynard : is situated to the east of the battle area, with a full "WTDW" Platoon of Government forces. His orders are to collect £100 of "back taxes" from every farmer in the area, whether in cash or kind, and give a bloody nose to any Communist forces he might encounter in the process. His forces have no money in their own Treasury, and are running low on food, petrol and ammunition....
Comrade Professor Winters : is situated to the west of the battle area, with a full "WTDW" Platoon of Communists forces. His orders are to collect £100 of "voluntary revolutionary contributions" from every farmer in the area, whether in cash or kind, and give a bloody nose to any Government forces he might encounter in the process. His forces have no money in their own Treasury, and are running low on food, petrol and ammunition....
The Farmers : occupy their farmhouses as randomly distributed across the battle area, each with a full "WTDW" Platoon of Local Defence Volunteers (i.e. their tenants, workers and family). Their task is to avoid paying any money to anyone, if they can get away with it, and at all costs to preserve their own property, and preferably independence. This doesn't just mean their own farmhouse, for their fields are scattered with their animals (horses, cows, pigs, sheep, ducks, rabbits etc...), and so are their neighbours'. Of course, the Farmers have no love at all for their neighbours (too many boundary disputes over the years), and a "VBCW disruption" might be just the time to rustle some of their neighbour's animals. Troops in the field are always hungry! Each farmer has only £50 in his Treasury (hidden under a bed in his Farmhouse), and dreads a visitation from the Government Tax Man/Revolutionary Contributions Gatherer. They need that money to keep their own people fed (and ammunitioned)!
And in the surrounding area (or aether):
The Commercial Traffic : The crossroads of the B4362 and A4110 is a busy junction, choked with "commercial traffic" frantically trying to deliver goods and services in the middle of a Civil War. Vans and trucks race along the roads, seeking to avoid being hi-jacked and robbed of their valuable cargos....if they have any, of course?
Operation Scylla : What is Operation Scylla? Everybody's been talking about it (in hushed tones, of course), but nobody seems to know what it is....A plot to rescue the captured Bishop of Hereford? The use of poison gas? A mechanised attack of some kind? A Communist bombing raid from the newly capture Shobdon Airfield? Shhhhh....don't mention "Operation Scylla"!
Scenario Rules
1. Animals : the agricultural animals are scattered across the playing area in a random fashion, placed by the Umpires before the start of the Big Game. Animals do not move by themselves. They may be "rustled" by any foot figure coming into base to base contact with them. Once "rustled", such animals stay in base to base to base contact with such foot figure, unless (a). the figure is killed; or (b). the figure is part of a unit that becomes "Jumpy", or (c). the Umpires use their discretion to account for unforeseen circumstances. On any such event, the animal is "released" and moves in a random direction for a distance of 2D6. EM4 direction dice may be used (other brands are available). There is no fixed value ascribed to any particular kind of animal : this is a matter for the players and "market conditions".
2. Taxes (or Voluntary Contributions) : Taxmen have a limited degree of discretion as to the amount of taxes they collect. Taxes (etc) may be paid by agreement in kind. Monetary taxes do not need to be reflected on the table by figures (the cash is simply handed over between players) but animals or "other goods" traded in lieu of taxes must be handed over by use of the "base to base" contact method. HQ "runners" may be very useful for this purpose. A failure to collect Taxes (etc) may result in further shortages of petrol, food or ammunition being experienced by the defaulting player, with serious effects upon their continuing ability to fire and/or move and/or keep their troops spirits up....Of course, payment of too much by way of Taxes (etc) by any of the Farmers may equally result in them suffering identical shortages...It is up to the Umpires, in their complete discretion, to decide at any given time whether any of the contending players have "run out of money", and what the battlefield consequences are for their forces.
3. Commercial Traffic : various trucks and vans are scattered across the roads of the playing area in random fashion, placed by the Umpires before the start of the Big Game. Additional trucks and vans may enter/exit the playing area during the Big Game, all as directed by the "Commercial Traffic Controller". Trucks and vans move according the WTDW rules at the end of each move. It is well known that these trucks and vans are usually stuffed with trade goods (and perhaps even money!) and are "ripe for the picking". But be warned: on some occasions, anticipated treasure may turn to real terror! Trucks and vans may be stopped by any reasonable method (foot troops pointing rifles and shouting "Stand and Deliver"!, Armoured Cars parked across the road, cavalry surrounding the van, etc. etc.). The Commercial Traffic Controller (an Umpire) will decide when a truck or van is sufficiently stopped by a player's forces, and the result of the hold-up....all by using the unique Umpires Random Predictor Mechanism (TM).
4. "Shoddy Tanks" : those who have completed their "Shoddy Tank Conversion" as part of the 2019 Armoured Modelling Challenge (see blogposts passim) can field one such "Shoddy Tank" in support of their forces as a special umpire bonus. Congratulations! Unfortunately, these tanks are appropriately named : they have reduced armour (treat as armoured car for firing at purposes) and are prone to misfires and breaking down. Before moving or firing, a "Shoddy Tank" must throw a D6 : 1 - 3 failure, 4 - 6 success. The Umpires never said they'd be game changers!
5. Non-Aligned Forces After the disaster of the Second Battle of Shobdon, the Automobile Association have resolved never again to "act as a courier" for any of the contending factions, but instead to return to their independent role as "Guardians of the Road". They have their Armoured Car, a section of AA Patrolmen (with LMG) and a "Shoddy Tank" (see blogposts passim) in the area of Mortimers' Cross, and are supported by the Mortimer's Cross Police Detachment (2 sections of policemen with LMG, and a Police Anti-Tank Gun. (These police may be "moving about the area" in vans). In addition, as Luctonians RFC playing fields are just opposite the Mortimer's Cross memorial pedestal, there will be a group of rifle armed Rugby Players (all the forwards, a scrum half and stand off) with a unique VBCW weapon - an exploding Rugby Ball! The ExRB (as kicked by the stand off) operates just as a VBCW mortar, but with one key change: instead of the ball exploding where it lands initially, it bounces in a random direction (well, it is an oddly shaped ball - use that EM4 direction die), performs another mortar move, and only explodes on "second landing". Use the mortar template as usual. The same rules apply for these "Non-Aligned Forces" as for the Peace Protestors in the preceding Second Battle of Shobdon, i.e. you can use your Action Cards at your discretion, not to move/fire a section or playing piece of your own force, but to move/fire a section or other playing piece of the Non-Aligned Forces. As with any other section/playing piece, Non Aligned Forces can only move/fire once per move.
6. Diplomacy : in the usual way, there are no fixed rules for diplomacy. Farmers may find it helpful to ally with/betray either the Government or the Red Revolutionaries (or indeed with each other - who needs these taxmen, anyway?), dependent upon their interests at the time. Perhaps a farmer can obtain a remission on their tax (etc.) bills by a useful alliance...or can get away without paying anything by another?
7. Rules : our usual (latest Mort amended) rules, save that, as per the last couple of games, we are playing "one phase" moves rather than "two phase" moves, and cavalry do not have to take a morale test before "charging home". Any other modifications will be notified before the start of play (or approved by the Umpires during the course of play).
8. Chance Cards. Alan's Chance Cards are intended to be in operation for this "Big Game".
9. Operation Scylla : Shhh! Don't mention Operation Scylla! If Operation Scylla occurs at all (and that's rather difficult to predict, as no-one know what it is) then the Umpires will re-issue amended Scenario Rules.
What is Operation Scylla? As ever, the answer to this vital question (and many more) can only be discovered by participation in the Hereford VBCW Autumn 2019 BIG GAME ("Mortimer's Cross Redux aka Operation Scylla")..........
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