Warlord Black Powder Crimean War Supplement. Any good? Meh?

‘Into the Valley of Death’ is Warlord Games’ latest Black Powder supplement. It has just been published to coincide with the release of a new miniatures from Warlord, building on the existing but previously incomplete range. (Even with the many new additions there are gaps, e.g. no Turks, no Russian sailors, no Sardinians). Hopefully these will be added in time but …….? Anything that promotes the Crimean War as a fascinating and colourful period well worth exploring is probably most welcome.

What do you get for your money? The book follows the usual format outlining the background to the war before looking at the armies of each of the protagonists, including unit characteristics and special rules. There are loads of excellent examples of eye candy as one would expect. 

I’ve been gaming the Crimea for many years using BP with my own amendments and statistics and I have to say my first impression of what was presented in this new supplement was, and remains, underwhelming. Ok, much of this stuff is about the author’s perspective and understanding of the war and the troops involved, as against what I believe. However, there do seem to be some fundamental errors, inconsistencies and oversights, as well as to me some odd stats and special rules that make no sense to my simple brain. The good thing about all BP supplements is that you can still do you own thing based upon your own research, which is what I have always done. There’s no need therefore to go through the numerous bits in the supplement that I would challenge on an item by item basis.

One example I found puzzling; I was surprised that the British cavalry regiments are classed as ‘standard ‘ units, even given the fact that they were woefully under strength even by the time they hit the beach. I would have thought they would have been more accurately classed as ‘small’. Maybe the author’s approach is to give them enough wallop to take on their Russian foes. There are other ways and means to achieve that goal. Maybe it’s because Warlord sell 12-figure units of cavalry? Also, in terms of muskets, the British 4th Division and I recall a fair few French were still armed with smoothbore muskets. Easily fixed I guess. 

The free miniature is carrying a pathetically small-sized flag, less of a flag, more of a handkerchief and my free sprue was some French Napoleonic infantry (why not one from the Crimean range?) The artwork on the from cover also looks a bit weird in my eyes. 

Overall, this is pretty much as I expected and the low bar I was anticipating was achieved. As a Crimean War primer the book is fine and probably worth the money for the eye candy alone. I don’t regret buying it but I doubt I shall adopt the characteristics and so forth in my next Crimean game.

Tiffin Vignette

I came across these two in the box of doom so I knocked up a quick vignette for my Crimean collection.

Not sure about the shell burst but the cannonball wrecking the tea cloth and tiffin pots looks ok, if you know what it is!

Today’s Displacement Activity

Despite my best efforts I’m still doing almost anything except paint Russian Napoleonics, particularly cavalry. I’ve been distracted by a frenzy on eBay selling a remarkable amount of excess (never needed) unpainted figures, a bit of tidying up and finishing these odd pieces to decorate the table.

First up, a Russian senior officer and his Cossack aide. I thought I could use these for the Crimea, but also for any of Bismark’s wars as a Russian Military Observer to one side or the other.

A Prussian general in hussar dress, either for 1866 or 1870/71. 

An Austro-Hungarian General or just something to decorate the tabletop. He could also join the ranks of my growing international community if military observers.

They look ok and do the job they’re supposed to. All of them together with the Lioness of the Burrow eying them menacingly , thinking “if you don’t tickle my tummy I shall trample all over these men and kick ‘em on the floor where the puppies will eat them!” As if she would …..🐲

I will hopefully get the first two squadrons of Russian dragoons finished tomorrow…..but I’m itching (if that’s the right word) to start my 3D resin cuirassiers.

Crimean War Game - the Directors Cut

Following on from the game last Saturday we agreed that those of us who were available would try the scenario again, which is what we did on Friday. This time I reinforced both armies. The Otomans had their two-gun battery increased to three guns. The British were given a completely new battery of Royal Artillery while the Russians benefitted from the troops I’d left off last time, ie a fourth brigade of cavalry and the divisional artillery and the horse artillery were increased to their ‘official’ strengths of 12-gun batteries, represented by six models each! The Russians also received two battalions of reservists and two of sailors. 

The objectives were to be the same but Paul allowed us to keep our cavalry off table if we wished so they could arrive in the rear or on the flanks of the British. The Ottomans could do the same. Paul umpired and played the Ottoman commander, Makkem Bey, and Conrad and I were the Russians. Jim and Richard were the British. On to battle.

Russian left flank with the advancing British in the far distance.

My artillery on the ridge. 

More guns and the Naval infantry.

The British advanced, 1st Division on their left and the Light Division on their right. The cavalry brought up the rest.

HM 23rd Fusiliers 

The British line. 

The 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers again. They were to make several attempts to dislodge the Russians from the ridge.

Conrad moved his artillery forward to bombard the Turks while his infantry began their advance.

The battlefield as seen from behind the British line.

The leading battalions of the Light Division reach the river.

My Russian riflemen attempting to slow the enemy advance.

The ridge was held by a brigade of Russians plus the Naval battalions.

The British moved across the river, seemingly unstoppable.

Conrad’s force approaching the Ottoman fort.

The Light Brigade alerted to the presence of enemy to the rear.

Four regiments of Russian cavalry and a half-battery of horse artillery. The uhlans were prevented from advancing when Jim turned his artillery (in the distance on the hill) about 180 degrees and caused a fair bit of damage to the uhlans. My horse artillery forced the 17th Lancers to retire and the Cossacks charged the 15th Hussars but were driven back. The Cossack commander was also killed.

The 23rd attack on the Russian artillery was beaten back (phew!)

The rest of the Russians on the ridge were being shot down by the highly effective Minee rifle-armed British. They were fo4ced to pull back to safety. My hussars were just getting in the way.

Russians lurking in the scattered woodland lining the stream.

Retiring Russian artillery forced from their position. I really must paint up my limbers that I’ve been trawling off eBay for several years.

The 23rd attacked the Russian gun line again, this time forcing the gunners  To limber up and get away.

This left room for a counter attack by the Russian infantry, which successfully destroyed the 23rd Fusiliers! Hurrah!

The Guards were a different kettle of fish and they drove all before them. They looked very impressive, that is until the whole brigade was forced to pull back after the Coldstream Guards (above) were blasted back by my cannon.

Priest blessing the troops.

The Russian secret weapon, a mobile Icon to boost the morale of their men.

Meanwhile Conrad had driven off two battalions of Turks stationed outside the fort but the subsequent assault on the fort was driven back by the determine defence of the Turkish defenders. Paul’s cavalry also made an appearance and caught a half battery of Russian artillery in the flank,  but Conrad’s own cavalry was about to hit them in the rear or flank.

At this point we had to end the game. The Russians had successfully held the ridge; the appearance of our cavalry in their rear had forced the British to redeploy a battery of Royal Artillery which had been making life difficult for me on the ridge. This alone made my cavalry’s rather lacklustre performance worth it. Sadly the Turks still held their fort but it was only a matter of time (imho). The result was too close to call but as things stood the Russians had the edge.

This was a great game, and over the five hours we played 18 turns and still had room for pizza at lunchtime. It was also great to see my Crimean collection out on the table again. I love the uniforms of the British, painted about twenty years ago if not longer. Despite the war itself not being packed full of game-able battles a little imagination in creating alternate scenarios such as this fictional Danube campaign goes a long way towards getting lots of enjoyment from the period. I have no desire to paint any more figures for the British but I could, as mentioned earlier, finish the limbers. Oh, and there are several boxes of plastic Russians somewhere in the greenhouse……

I must now prioritise finishing my 1808 Russians so we can play a Russo-Swedish War game sometime soon.

It’s the Other Partizan tomorrow so that shove a good day out. If you see me do say hello.

A Crimean War Game.

On Saturday I set up a fictional Crimean War battle for the guys to play with Paul umpiring and using his own Panoply of War rules. I’ve created a different narrative for this period whereby the allies decide to use the French to take Sebastopol on their own (and therefore probably with more success) while the British advance to the Ottoman-Russian frontier in Bulgaria to bolster the Turk’s defence and then press on to push the Russians away from Silistra and capture their fortress at Izmayil, thus strengthening the Ottoman hold on the Danube where it enters the Black Sea. Very fanciful but why not?

So, the Turks are deployed defending a fort armed with heavy guns able to command the Danube and discourage any hostile shipping from passing. They have a smallish force of six infantry battalions, a battery of guns and a cavalry brigade of two regular regiments. They also had some Bashi-Bazouks.

The Russian force was made up of my fictional 29th Corps under Lieutenant General Buggarov, comprising the 16 battalions of the 29th Division, six regiments of cavalry of the 29th Cavalry Division and the 29th Artillery Brigade. With hindsight I should have allowed the Russians some reinforcements as I still had two dragoon regiments and four infantry battalions in the box. Oh well.

The British expeditionary force was made up of the 1st (Guards and Highland brigades) and Light Divisions and the Light Brigade of cavalry. We played down the length of the table, which is nearly 14 feet long and 6 feet wide. The Turks were at one end, the British were at the other and the Russians in the middle. The latter had to hold of the British while trying to capture the fort and destroy the Ottoman troops before the British were able to interfere. Paul umpired while Dave (Major General Trupsov), Mike (CinC Buggarov) and I (Major General Nikolai Frankivali) were the Russians. John the Red the was the Ottoman General Yahya Kirmizi Pasha, and Conrad (Raglan) and Jim (Duke of Cambridge) the British. 

Here are some pictures of the game with a brief narrative which will I hope give a good idea of how the game went. This is of course the ‘official’ Russian account of the engagement, but is not in least bit biased…….

The Russian cavalry under my command, together with a substantial part of our artillery held the ridge with the intention of slowing the British advance lmg enough for the main body to deal with the Turks.

The Russian infantry stretch out into the distance, all16 battalions, under Mike and Dave.

Conrad and Jim’s British. What they lacked in numbers they more than made up for in quality. In the background you can see a surfeit of cupcakes, courtesy of the ever efficient commissary department.

Johns Turks held a nice little fort on the river bank. It would be a tough nut to,crack.

The British begin their advance, 1st Division on the right as you look at them, the Ligjt Division on the left and the Light Brigade to the rear.

One of the brigades making up the Light Division.

More of the British.

The British came on really quickly and were soon putting my Russians under some pressure. My Cossack horse artillery suffered from the rather effective fire of the Rifle Brigade and Royal Horse Artillery.

Dave and Mike made a very tortoise-like amble towards the Turks advancing heroically slowly,  their feet dragging in the grass..

The battlefield from the Danube end. John’s Turks against the riverbank facing the still slow advance of the Russian infantry. Beyond them my cavalry and artillery are under pressure from the British who are taking advantage of the superiority of their Minie rifles and good discipline to start pushing me back.

The fort.

The view from behind the British advance.

Ottoman infantry ready to resist the Russian assault.

And the Ottoman cavalry was also keen to get into the fray….er sorry I read that wrong, it should have been keen to get away!

The British were unstoppable in their advance. In desperation and to buy some time for my heroic pedestrian colleagues I launched two brigades of cavalry against the enemy. The attack was repulsed and both brave brigade commanders were killed at the head of their men.

These were the chaps that broke my cavalry charge.

On the other flank the Guards were almost across the stream having driven my ineffective riflemen before them.

My battered cavalry recovered from their failed attack and began to withdraw in the face of the steel tipped line of redcoats.

Dave’s command finally changed into second gear and hit the Ottomans, although not before they had to deal successfully with some aggressive moves by their cavalry.

Smile please! The Middlesbrough Gazetteer’s not so famous war photographer Robert Mortimer in the thick of the action with his assistant Victor Reeves.

The Guards drove all before them, overrunning a battery of Russian artillery and almost catching another.

The Russians press the Turks hard. They have their backs to the river so will undoubtedly be a tough nut to crack.

Mike had been struggling to get his men to advance but they were slowly closing in on the redoubt.

I extracted my now almost leaderless cavalry, followed  shortly after this picture was taken by the demise of my cavalry divisional commander (me on the table).

It’s that same bloody battalion again! They picked off my cavalry commander from afar with their Minie rifles.

In a final desperate attempt to slow the British my final cavalry brigade  launched a suicidal charge against the British. They were shot down in droves and retreated, leaving their commander dead on the field of battle.

Dave holding John’s cavalry at bey (😫 groan).

The Ottoman battery was destroyed but a flank attack by their cavalry saw off a battalion of Russians.

It was all going wrong for the Russians.

The Ottomans in the fort.

The British kept their cavalry well to the rear, and as a consequence the only damage they suffered was to their outfits which would need a good clean in due course. 

More of the Light Brigade.

HM 17th Lancers.

It was pretty obvious that the valiant Russians would fail to defeat the Turks before the British technology rich infantry hit them in the rear, so an Allied victory was declared. It was despite that an enjoyable game, although the rules were ones unfamiliar to most of the players, and perhaps fighting down the length of the table was a bit ambitious on my part when working out the scenario. Anyway, we might even replay the game before I pack it all away, and this time I will not be leaving any Russians in the box!