Battle of the North Road- a VSF battle report

The situation in the disputed zone between Teyrnas Caerellin and Al-Zafiran continues to deteriorate. Caerellian forces are escorting a column of settlers to establish a settlement near the proposed fort where the Kuna Creek flows into the Green Gorge. Expecting interference from the local Tama’Rin tribe, the escort is strong and ready for action.

Brigadier General Madoc Penrhyn leads Prince Taleisin's Light Infantry (PTLI), Arandor Native Auxiliaries, Free Crown Volunteers, Ladies Exploration Society Fencibles, Princess Morwenna’s Own Hussars.The Free Crown Volunteers, known as “The L:ibert Legion”, formed the close escort on the civilians a baggage while the Native Auxiliaries led the way in skirmish formation under Colonel Hugh Cracken. The PTLI followed just ahead of the civilians, with the Fencibles taking up the last position. The Hussars had been sent ahead to establish a safe camp for the night.


Fire soon erupted from ambushing tribesmen on the left flank. The force responded well, the Natives charging a small hill to defeat the first of the enemy in close combat but Colonel Cracken fell to an enemy dagger. The PTLI soon came under fire from a ramshackle building and a small field gun in the distance while the Volunteers skirmished along the road, screening the civilians.

Miss Eluned Pryce, noted field correspondent of the “The Caerellin Chronicle” and her photographer, Mrs. Brangwen “Branwen” Rhys-Davies, are attached to Captain- Miss Ceridwen Llewellyn’s Ladies Exploration Society Fencibles. The heroic news team captured the daring deeds of the Fencibles in text and photo fighting off the ambushers.

The firing soon became general and Brigadier Penryh ordered the troops to see the ambushers pushed out of range of the road and the damn cannon to be silenced. The Arandor Native Auxiliaries swept on to seize a second hill and overrun the gun, but suffered from enfilading fire during the daring attack. The Legion continued to skirmish in the center of the line as the Fencibles and PTLI prepared to attack the remaining enemy. Just as the attack would start, a second force of ambushers appeared on the far side of the road. Some fired on the column while two bands charged the thin Legion screen protecting the civilians and baggage.

This sneak attack could have been a disaster but the Fencibles and PTLI reacted with impressive martial discipline by about-face and firing on the enemy with great effect. The Volunteers faced off the charging enemy in hand to hand fighting under the inspired leadership of Commander Ross Poldark.


With this second attack beaten off, the remaining attackers slipped away into the hills and brush, leaving the column to take stock of losses.

Casualties:

PTLI: 4

Arandor Native Auxiliaries: 5 + Colonel Cracken killed in action

Free Crown Volunteers: 4

Ladies' Exploratory Society Fencibles: 1

Hussars (not engaged): 0

TOTAL: 15




Tribesmen and Al-Zafiran attackers: 32 plus the gun

Fencibles react to the attack at the end of the column

Volunteers skirmish and protect the civilians and baggage

PTLI and Natives react at the head of the column.

Cracken falls in the charge.

The initial ambush shock has subsided.

Fencibles clear a zeriba.

And start to close the gap in the column.

Arandor Natives charge the second hill and the enemy field gun that is firing on the PTLI with some effect. 

PTLI stand steady in the center under fire. 

The gun is taken at a cost. 

PTLI clear an area.

A dastardly ruse...a second attack from the other direction. 

Only a thin screen of the Free Crown Volunteers stands in the way.

Fencibles pull back to protect the column. 

The militia hold their own.

A confused melee in the center.

The Natives reorganize after seeing off the ambushers. 

The column is safe and can reorganize before moving into a safe camp up the road. 

November 2025

17 years in the hobby...still going strong. A great month with painting and game. I am almost done all of the on hand VSF figures. Should close them out by end of the year. 

I attended the HMGS Fall IN convention this month in Lancaster, PA. 6 great games and I only bought 1 thing (bases). This completed one of my major 2025 retirement objectives...to attend all 3 big HMGS conventions. 

Militia and mix of character figures for the VSF project

Mix of VSF figures

Testing my 6mm operational scale sci fi rules

Littoral Commander at the club

Zanzibari's

and some more

Continued work on my 6mm sci fi operational level game. I think the core mechanics are now set. Next will working on formatting for ease of use. 

PAINTING 

132  points of Colonial/VSF

Total: 132

YTD: 1273

Next up: 

1) Continue the VSF project. I think I have 1-2 months of on hand figures.

GAMING 

1 x Quar with BattlegroundHD test game at home

6 x Fall in Games (Combat Patrol x 2, 7TV, CoC2, Setting the East Ablaze, Quar)

1 x sci fi test game

1 x Littoral Commander board game at the club

YTD: 47

BUDGET

$195- $180 on bases and movement trays, $15 rules

YTD:  $3645 (Sold: $1367)  

Fall IN 2025, HMGS convention

 I attended the 2025 Fall In convention at the Lancaster PA Wyndham Host over the weekend. Played in 6 games and bought very little loot for a change.

The venue is passable. Cost was OK, food on site acceptable with many options close by. The hotel is a maze and not very mobility friendly, but the smaller rooms did help with convention noise. The flea market area was very dark, that has to be corrected. 

Thanks to all the GMs, especially the HAWKS club for the Combat Patrol games. 

Only loot is not worth a picture...4 boxes of plastic bases.

Chain of Command 2, France 1940

Wild West movie set with Combat Patrol

Mongolia Back of Beyond with Setting the East Ablaze

Pulp Jonny Quest with 7TV

Quar with Clash of Ryflers

Bataan 1942 with Combat Patrol

BattlegroundHD, second skirmish test game with Quar

The second test game of the BattlegroundHD skirmish rules using my Quar sci-fi figures. A bloody assault by the Crusaders defeated. They were trying to destroy the tractor (tank) getting repaired in the courtyard before it could get away. The defenders only had a sniper team on watch, and the platoon HQ in the building with a squad coming back from patrol later. 

The loss of the Crusader MG team very early on (I should have kept them in cover until the assault team was ready) hurt badly. Coftyran marksmanship was also much better this game. 

Trying to save/aide wounded figures before they die is an added wrinkle. 

I need to read up on leadership actions, and suppression/grazing fire in the rules. 

Coftyrans: defenders

2 Heavy Wounded

Hero of the battle: the sniper's guard/observer. After the sniper was wounded, his #2 shot up several attackers in the distance and in the courtyard.

Crusaders: attackers

8 KIA

1 HW

1 Coward, trial by Court Martial

Hero of the battle: The squad leader that picked up the Splagen (AT weapon) from the fallen gunner, only to be cut down himself. 

Covered position for the attackers to advance

Tractor getting repaired in the courtyard

Sniper team takes down the MG team early

The rest of the base of fire peppers the farmhouse but it is a strong defensive position

The patrol rushes to the sound of the fighting

Flank attack gets moving

Sniper is wounded, but his #2 is in the next room

AT team sneaks up

It is about to get ugly

Crusaders shower the courtyard with grenades (to limited effect) and rush in

They are just in time to try to destroy the tractor

Missed! and now caught in the open

The base of fire has collapsed

Bloody! after the AT team if gunned down, the squad leader heroically tries to pick up the Splagen (AT), but he is KIA. Posthumous medal.

PL throws smoke to cover the retreat from the killing zone

They dash for the woods and pull back.

The tractor moves out, one of the crewmen is left behind with the medic. 

BattlegroundHD skirmish rules test game with Quar sci-fi figures

I played a test game of the BattlegroundHD skirmish rules at home using my sci-fi Quar figures. It was a reinforced squad vs squad meeting engagement game. The Quar are essentially interwar technology, so I extrapolated the unit/weapon stats from some of the BGHD supplements and made up my own data sheets in google sheets. 

The rules are very detailed, could handle up to a platoon on a side. They are marker/status heavy but things flowed very well as I got on with the game. I have read the rules several times and watched all of the demo videos at least twice. I did not use the Fog of war/spotting/awareness except in one instance.

I love trying out new rules mechanisms. The opposed dice pools and the details made for a great game.

The Coftyrans earned a hard fought victory with 3 KIA and 1 heavy wounded. The Crusaders pulled back after initially taking the farm but being forced back with 3 KIA, 2 heavy wounded, and one of their wounded being taken prisoner in the farm. 

Highlights of the battle were
1- the Coftyrans being caught short of the orchard in the open and taking heavy casualties.

2- The Coftyran medic trying to stabilize a wounded Quar...but having a critical failure resulting in a kIA. 

3- A lone Coftyran Rhyfler breaking off to sneak up on the occupied farm house and tossing in a grenade. This was the turning point in the battle. 

I forgot to use the unit luck points I had assigned to each squad. 

Farm house in the disputed zone

BattlegroundHD rules and counters

Crusader LMG team sets up overwatch

Coftyran LMG(SAW) team has the same idea, but takes an early casualty.

Rhyflers advance on the orchard.

Crusader team under heavy fire from the Coftyran LMG. 

Casualties and pinned troops.

The Coftyran Rhyflers get caught advancing into the orchard, two KIA. 

Medic rushes to his buddy but it is too late (Rolled a critical failure...making the heavy wound into a KIA). 

Brave Coftyran rushes the farm house and tosses in a grenade. The pivotal moment in the battle.

The orchard firefight is intense, a Coftyran grenade swings things in their favor. 

The Coftyran HQ team members make it to the farm house and take a prisoner. 

Grabbing the wounded, the Crusaders pull back. 

A hard fought Coftyran victory.