League of Gentlemen Anti-Alchemists (updated 9/5)

[valleyboy]

Wow, stunning table and buildings LT

[World2dave]

Great stuff. One of the pics makes it look 1:1 scale

[Robaffet]

The following has been lifted from my own blog and dates back to 2016:

A little late posting this, but Wardi and I went off to Cavalier in Tonbridge at the end of Feb where we met some old cohorts now calling themselves The Gentlemanly League of Anti-Alchemists (who can and do turn Gold into Lead). They ran and won the days participation award for a little jaunt into the early life of a certain Rommel (later of the African Corps etc.). John and Chris et el are a sort of arms reach SEEMS cast off now stretching across the country and displaying independently of the original club who held their own game (which to my shame we didn't have time to join in) in the other hall.

The incredible terrain has been out in a few guises over the last few years and is mainly the work John while Chris is responsible for the many figures. The scenario using the Triumph and Tragedy Rules was based around an early WWI episode when Rommel lead a scouting unit to reconnoitre a French occupied (and owned) town. It was a simple get someone off the other end of the board for the German's with the problem of having a celebrity target in charge. The French had to stop them but suffered from a lack of officers (they had withdrawn to another village for breakfast).

Rommel's strategy (badly played by myself) revolved around an early false advance to draw out and damage the French followed by a move quickly across the enemy's front and around its flank. Didn't quit work partly because of a miss-understanding on my part in how fast the troops could move and that, as we'll see my opening volleys of destruction, weren't. Also because Wardi, (the darker bearded fellow in the photo's below) had four units and cleverly kept one off table to counter any such deceit.



The opening scene shows the German positions advancing upon the town at the point where the two look-outs became aware of them (the tall gentlemen to the right is John who scratch built much of the terrain).



Rommel's approach



Some of the incredible scenery through which the German advance should have moved.





The French opening positions.



Rommel and his small scouting unit advance into the town only to spot the above mass of French troops marshalling only a few blocks ahead of him.



A German section advances on the French Look-outs firing a mass volley of destruction which failed to do anything other than wake the Frenchmen up.



French secret weapon, a guard platypus.



The look-outs troop hearing shots advance to see if the they have bagged a couple of rabbits yet. In an apparently locally recognised form of salute a flock of passing nuns moony the French unit.



The first German unit attempts to draw forward the central French units while The second section shows the power of the German Volley hitting a single look-out and managing only to spill the guards coffee.



Rommel and co use the distraction to cross the flanks (this is were the movement restriction scuppered his plans as I had expected him to be able to move fast on consecutive turns and so miss-judged the distance he could travel. Of course the blame for this is totally mine I should have read the order card properly).



The French movement god completely ignores the German volleys and moves up his troops who, it turns out could shoot better than the Germans in spite (or maybe because) of the lack of commanding offices. The left most of the bespectacled trio in the centre is Chris the figure maestro.



The Germans continue their attempted flanking movement but fail to do any real damage to the French except for Rommel who in frustration at the lack of shooting prowess of his men pauses for a second and uses his Luger at long range to inflict the only French casualty of the turn "dat's how you do it dumkuff" (apparently this echoed actual events as he did much the same thing in reality, only taking a rifle from one of his men to snip off a few of the enemy himself).

Lower in the picture the French display a little of what their French officers should have been doing. With a great moment of inspiration one of the troops decide to commandeer a vehicle to run down the German advance...only to find as he climbs behind the wheel that he cannot drive.



At last the French missing unit matches onto the board having had time to digest breakfast and wino.





Meanwhile taking advantage of the German's slackening of pace the French set up a trap of their own.



The French fire-power unlike the German is particularity effective. (Note Rommel has jumped the fence crossing back behind the French advance. A potentially winning move unfortunately he was running out of time).



The French trap is hindered only by its enthusiasm as one unit practices the American art of friendly fire.



With the town centre now clear Rommel has a clear(ish) run to win but time gets the better of us. Recognising that he would need at least three turns to get off the board (if he wasn't intercepted) and we only had one left I accept defeat while the French mop up the remnants of the main German force beyond the church.

Well done Mark and Thank You the Gentlemen Anti-Alchemists.

[levied troop]

Brilliant stuff Rob, many thanks for doing this.
We are stretched a bit further across the country/ies these days but plan to resume a bit of display activity in the future - hopefully get to see you again.

[Shahbahraz]

Looks terrific. Very nice work on the terrain LT. Love the colour choices. I did go looking for more details on the Triumph & Tragedy rules, but it looks like all the various sites are dead.

[levied troop]

Thanks Doug. T&T are a neat set of rules, a bit like Fistful of Lead, with a lot of scope for adjusting between different periods. LAF has a dedicated page to them, there’s a recent suggestion that they might be currently available only through one of the members:
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.ph ... c=130868.0

[HMS Priapus]

What a cool table - and I totally dig the nuns.

[Robaffet]

I do have another report from 2018 which I will endeavour to add soon... something about a cannon.

[Robaffet]

Again this has been lifted directly from my own blog

How to Start a Revolution

This is Chris, he will be my opponent this chilly morn at Cavalier 2018 in Tonbridge. For this morning he represents Texas, a place he has once visited and therefore is an expert in its terrain. He was also in the Army so a natural infantry expert (can you see where I'm building my excuses early, no, good).



I represent the Mexican Government and have been sent on a diplomatic mission to recover a stolen cannon. I have my hands tied by orders, I am not to loose more then three of my five units but equally am not allowed to run more than three of the invading foreigners off the field and certainly try to avoid hurting any of them as this would be considered a diplomatic incident.

In other words I have to confront armed thieves who out-number me, retrieve said stolen goods without anyone getting hurt - fat chance! Also we have already been attacked last night in camp although we did see them off easily without hurt.



We're using 2nd edition Sharp's Practice in a participation game run by The Gentlemanly League of Anti-Alchemists (who can and do turn Gold into Lead). I love the Fat Lardies games but this is one I've not yet played so am not up on the rules. This becomes very apparent when my Cohort Wardy joins and we decide to split our forces. Bad move rules-wise as we only have one officer. How bad did not really become apparent until later, as the officer starts off-table and the problems only really start when he enters and we discover how badly reduced in efficiency we are without a second officer.

First two moves go to the Texans as Tiffin ends the round before we even enter the field. This gives them the chance to control the field with a unit straight to the only central terrain feature.



The cannon is the last thing brought onto the field and never really leaves the enemy edge of the table. In the above picture its behind that large clump of Texans in the far distance.

The sleeping peasant and a wagon further up the table represent my potential start off points.



There's the cannon at the back (left group) and there's more Texans.



The Texans in the centre open up on my lead unit.



I am on a diplomatic mission and even with lasts nights provocation my men have yet to fire. My lead most unit have not only come under fire from the centre but also from stolen cannon fire. I was later to learn as I await my firing squad that the firing of that cannon signified the start of a civil which even as I relate is being hard fought at some place called Alamo. Effectively I had lost the mission as soon as that cannon ball launched but for the honour of Mexico I would attempt to get it back!



I allow the fired on unit to return fire while I attempt to close the distance on the Cannons location aware that its fire power could be devastating at range and that even if I were able to reduce its protection by the considerable firepower of my own troops it would most likely flee out of range (off the table) before I could reach it.



In the distance my other two units whose job it was to distract the Texans have entered the field. They did amiably without expert leadership (although I see the Wardy, in charge left his post before the battles end, I bear no grudges, after all he got shot yesterday).



My second unit attempts to close the range while keeping up a steady gun fire.



I myself am lagging behind caught between trying to support my beleaguered first unit and needing to be in the charge for our goal, that dreaded cannon (yes ok, now I now they only had one cannon ball but then I didn't then) a constant worry.



The red jersey'ed headless gentleman was our umpire John. I am gratified to know that he played the Mexicans before and in a later game and fully cognisant with the rules still failed to achieve even a reasonable victory.



Without leadership the other team fared badly. Here they seem matched.



Here the Texan supremo points to where the reinforcements are about to arrive.



Unit 1 outgunned by the riflemen in the centre (We alas only have muskets) withdraws. At the top of the field under fire from yet more fresh faced Texans the second unit has suffered 50% casualties and yet in true Mexican marshal spirit they attempt to charge the enemy.



There's the cannon we would need to have a full brigade to cross that open space and break that advancing line and be able to achieve our goal...and yet...onward we persevere.



There still there, a half unit of heroes twice brought to a stand still by devastating fire, retreat, are rallied and returned to the fray.



Even under the extra firepower from the riflemen in the centre, they keep going and while they take the enemies attention my own unit finally breaks the Texan rabble in front of the cannon...and here we made are greatest error. You see while fighting for the honour of Mexico, with our friends and countrymen dieing beside us we actually had the audacity to kill one Texan, one Texan, ONE mealy mouthed rabble rousing, land stealing Texan and because if this, because he now has become a martyr, I am here awaiting my death. I can still hear the court-marshal "You killed one", "sir, they attacked us the previous night, they opened hostilities on the day and had already wiped out a third of my command...", "But it remains you killed one and started a war, firing squad!"



On the far side of the field my remaining forces had given up and fled.



The incredibly well painted Texan rabble with the cannon hiding at the back. We stood no chance and I die in disgrace. For my fallen men I Salute You, and the Texans I spit and curse you lying, treacherous scum and hope the Alamo and all its inhabitants are slaughtered to a man. Alas I won't be around the see it. Adios Amigo.

[Count Belisarius]

Excellent report