AUTUMN BIG GAME 2018 - THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

HEREFORD AVBCW AUTUMN 2018 BIG GAME

“BRIDGE OVER TREBBBLED WATER”

LATE NEWS SPECIAL BULLETIN

TABLETOP TEASER

The Hereford AVBCW Autumn 2018 Big Game ("Bridge over Trebbbled Water") is nearly upon us! A "hard-core" of AVBCW gamers are committed to converge on Burley Gate Village Hall, Herefordshire, at 10am on Saturday 13th October for a full and frenzied day of "double fisted" AVBCW action!

That's right, double fisted! Each player is bringing along not one, but two, full Platoons to commit to action! (note1) It's going to be the greatest test of each player's command ability since, well, um, lesssee now...well, at least since Zama! But will Sir Gilbert Hill prove to be Scipio or Hannibal? With the fate of his nephew, Chief Superintendant Ronald Bigsworth-Hill, hanging in the balance (and the possibility of dear Ronald being hunted down and himself hanged by the BUF unless it goes "the right way"), Sir Gilbert has doubled his efforts and re-doubled his forces...

Sir Gilbert Hill intends to fight "double fisted" with his two Platoons

Sir Gilbert has bravely announced his "battle line up" well before the Big Day, trumpeting the addition of a "Colonial & Dominion Platoon" to the original "Golden Valley Invincibles". But will this "propaganda coup" hand the military advantage to Sir Gilbert's enemies, or is it mere recognition that the much feared Government Intelligence & Telegraphs Section ("GITS") would be bound to discover the composition of his forces before the "Big Day"? After all, it appears that they have already discovered the location of Sir Gilbert's intended battleground:

An Intelligence Map hand drawn by a GITS operative, said to be based on Sir Gilbert's own
Operational Maps. The meaning of "Table1", "Table2" and "Table3" remains obscure, but
may be a secretive Government code.

If the Government's intelligence is accurate, it appears that Sir Gilbert and his Anglican allies plan a river crossing to the west of Hereford itself, striking from the south to the north of the County in the area of Winforton and Willersley. But what tactics will Sir Gilbert and his Anglican allies (variously, the Bishop of Ludlow, the Rev. Canon Colcannonroo and the Rt. Rev. Canon Winters) adopt to try to "force the crossing"? A straightforward "charge of the assault boats" across the river? Or a careful construction of Pontoon Bridges to bring the Anglican Tank Brigade into play (if there is an Anglican Tank Brigade, of course)? Should Sir Gilbert concentrate all his available forces (at least 18 infantry sections plus supporting weapons!) on one part of the battlefield, or should he spread them out in the hope of reducing the Government's resistance and counter-fire? How will Sir Gilbert use his section of "tracked and armoured smoke dischargers" to best advantage?

And what of the newly promoted Group Leader Giles and his newly arrived Government ally, Lieutenant Everard? What will be their plan of defence with their available forces (at least 12 infantry sections plus supporting weapons)? Field fortification and investiture of Willersley, Winforton and "the Farm" may have many advantages, but may also leave the "Western Approaches" ("Table 1") dangerously denuded of defenders, an open avenue for the Anglican Forces to pour through in the direction of Mortimer Country. How will Group Leader Giles use his BUF Tank Brigade (if there is a BUF Tank Brigade, of course) and supporting "Big Guns" - well in advance of his principal battle line with the aim of disrupting the Anglican crossing of the River Wye, or echeloned deep in defence?

Fleet Street's miiltary correspondents breathlessly await the opposing C-in-C's solutions to this "tabletop teaser", just as their Foreign & Colonial counterparts muse over the first entry into the Hereford VBCW of substantial bodies of "native levies" from the Empire and beyond (note 2):

Lt. Everard leads a section of the Cameroon Highlanders, a regal gift from the Fon of Bandjun,
King Kamga II, hereditary ruler of Cameroon, to his "fellow monarch", Edward VIII. The
Cameroon Highlanders are expected to play a major part in the Government's resistance
upon the Wye and and throughout the County.....

....while Sir Gilbert has of course welcomed Chief Kansan O'Flynn and his native levies into the
tender embrace of the Hill Enterprises (Dominions&Colonial) Platoon (blogposts passim)

The newly arrived Lt. Everard has been heard to sniff that his native troops are at least trained and uniformed regulars, rather than "mere mercenaries"; an insult which, it is understood, Chief Kansan intends to remedy by "poppin' Everard in ma'evah boiling pot" at the first opportunity. And how does the Chief intend to do this? Why, dark rumours are already circulating of the Chief's principal "ju-ju man" and his mastery of the dark arts.....

Can Lt. Everard escape the encircling coils of "ju-ju"? Can Sir Gilbert and his allies triumph, and save Sir Gilbert's nephew from "the long drop"? Do the Anglicans - or even the BUF - really have a Tank Brigade? Can Group Leader Giles pull off another masterpiece of "fighting defence" (and yet another promotion)? All these questions can only be answered by participation in the AUTUMN 2018 BIG GAME, BRIDGE OVER TREBBBLED WATER....

Notes

(1). The late addition of the Rt. Rev. Canon Winters means that the Bishop of Ludlow's forces will be fought as usual, one Platoon commanded by the Bishop (Clive) and one by the newly arrived (but still Rt. Rev) Canon (Robb). The remaining forces (Roo, Doug, Giles, Alan) will nevertheless indeed be fought "double-fisted". May any modern and bad taste jokes resulting please be directed to Umpire Roo.....

(2). if you ignore the Abyssinians, of course. And the "Chinese Christian Converts". And no doubt others innumerable now lost in the mists of campaign history....

Late Notes for Players

(1). Given the lower numbers of players than usual, we will be playing all three tables as "one table" in wargame terms, even if the same are slightly separated physically. C-in-C's should note that sections of Platoons can therefore be "intermingled" by Players if it is thought to their tactical advantage, and Platoons (and their constituent sections) are not therefore restricted to "one table" as usual. Food for thought....

(2). Please have a late check of the special Scenario Rules (blogposts passim) applicable to this Big Game, and remember that we are playing the original "one phase" rules, not the Mort amended "two phase" rules. A look at the original rulebook may therefore help....

(3). Remember your own lunch and the usual tenner!