Fallcon CLA Playtest

This evening I held another play-test of my Contemptible Little Armies scenario that I will be running at Fallcon in just over a week. I think all were quite pleased with the results. We played the game in a about three hours - with a player who had never played before. There were very few headaches and instances of having to BS new rules on the fly.

Much has changed since the inception of this scenario. While the general idea has remained the same – four armies in the “Back of Beyond” – the forces involved have under gone some sudden and drastic changes. Not so much in the make up of the forces – but in the very physical nature of the forces.

About a week or so ago I decided to tear all my Back of Beyond figures off the washers that they were individually based on and stuck them on to new multi-figure stands!

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)

There are some of the Russians


Some Canadians and Chinese.

Okay I dropped the Army of British India from the game, shifted the action further east to Mongolia or Eastern Siberia and replaced them with an interventionist force of Canadians.

Any way Gary and John showed up again (they had helped me with a play-test of the game last week) as well as Mr. Britton MacDonald – who was coming out to try out miniature wargaming for the very first time (hope we didn’t scare him off!!). Britton took the Canucks, I took the Chinese, John took the White Russians and Gary took the Bolsheviks.

Below are some pics and commentary of the action.

As I have hats for the Bolsheviks and Canadians. Britton and Gary got to wear hats!


There’s Gary in my Bolshevik Budenovka


Britton looking rather dapper in my Canadian Service Dress Cap.


The Chinese Horde! (and some Canadians in the Back ground). This entire force was wiped out the only Chinese left on the table at the end of the game were the Warlord himself, a Staff Officer, the Executioner and a stand of Assault troops…!

An overall view of the table. In the foreground are the Bolsheviks (yeah... not quite done those Bolsheviks yet...). Off to the left are the White Russians. To the right are the Canadians and in the back is the Chinese Horde


The Chinese spreading out and doing a “frank” attack on the White Russians


The Chinese Cavalry and White Russian Cossacks meet again! This time the Cossacks got the better of the Chinese and sent them off in a route!


Chinese trying to winkle out the Russians in the town.


White Russian Mercenaries in the service of the Chinese Warlord meet the Canadian Jocks with cold steel!


Nearing the end. This was about turn eight. The object was to control the most buildings by the end of turn 10. Here the Chinese and Bolsheviks each hold one, and the White Russians two. I desperately tried to winkle out the Russians in one of the buildings but they held on to it with a stubborn tenacity!

Should go pretty smoothly in Calgary. I just have 32 Bolsheviks left to paint and have to finish painting the bases on the lot of them…. So maybe I’ll just stop typing now and get on with that…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Tim’s 2007 Fallcon Report!