Space 1889: Battle for the Trading Outpost - Part 1

The prosperous Trading Outpost near Niliacus, complete with Liftwood supplies

It was with excitement and melancholy that Gav and I setup for our Space 1889 game this morning. Excited because EVERYTHING was going onto the table, including my brand new unit of French Cuirassiers on Gashants! A chance to get all of the last 4 years of building my French Armee de'Mars onto the table!

Mars pour le Francias!    

But also melancholy because this would be out last game for a number of years because I am moving overseas. Even in the wargaming community, Space 1889 is a rare 'niche within a niche' and finding a fellow geek only 15mins drive away who you can have a disturbingly informed conversation about the relative merits of 'Martian tack vs European tack' on Gashant models is rather special and rare!  Anyway, on with the game...

A Martian Artillery Battery - ready to defend!

After recent victories on the pains of Xanthe, French confidence and ambition was high. With conditions set and flanks secured through diplomacy (and slightly shadier means), the invigorated French army attempting to forcibly annex the outlying trading posts of the trading city state of Niliacus. 

Located on a nexus of four wet canals, Niliacus offers a strategic access into Mare Acidalium, and a clear demonstration of strength would likely swag its ruler, Prince Dardag, to follow the example of Ideaus Fons and enter into an alliance with France. If this also granted access to the Driftwood plantations around Chryse and helped curb American ambitions from Thymiamata then all the better.

Rarely on Mars have Europeans mounted a Brigade level offensive operations, but that was exactly the plan here: 

- on the Left flank the French Sponsored Sepoys of Ideaus Fons (2 units of Regular Infantry), supported with a mitralleuse (poorly trained), and 2 units of Hill Martian sharpshooters

- on the right flank the légion étrangère (2 units of Regulars) with an attached unit of sharpshooters

- in the centre the Attack column comprised of 3 units of Grenadier Guards (Regular infantry with Fierce and Elite) and an attached company of sharpshooters. Closely supported by Ironclad Squadron with one Heavy land cruiser with Cannon and two Light land cruisers fitted with mitralleuse.

- In reserve, the Cavalerie Brigade, comprising French Curassiers, Lancers (models borrowed from the British garrison but most definitely French!) and Sepoy Cavalry, all mounted on Gashants

- in support, the French aerial gunship 'Le Epee' armed with a cannon

In total this was 19 units - about 3 times the size of a regular TMWWBK game

The Martian 'Red Legion' - gallant defenders of the Trading Outpost against the Earthmen!

The Martian defenders were arrayed in 4 Legions - the Red Legion in the Outpost, and a Legion on each flank on the plains. The Outpost itself offered the benefit of heavy cover at long range (including obscuring targets) but only light cover at short range where targets could be seen better

The Martians also had a supporting Gashant Cavalry Legion of 3 units, which was both impressive and imposing on the table!

Victory Points would be awarded as follows, with subtle difference between armies

French

• Capture the Trading Outpost 5 VPs
• Capture the Ruins 1 VP
• Eliminate Martian forces 1 VP per 2 units
• Break Enemy Formations 3 VP per Legion
• Have Prince Imperial Louis-Napoléon enter Combat and survive 1 VP (rumours of his demise in Zululand were greatly exaggerated!)

Martian

• Hold the Trading Outpost 5 VPs
• Hold the Ruins 1VP
• Break French Forces 1 VP per unit
• Break French Formations 3 VP per Battalion
• Prince Imperial Louis-Napoléon falls in Combat 1 VP

The Martian 'Black Legion' on the Martian right Flank

Rules:

We used our usual adjustments to the rules, including the 'bag pull' method for random unit activations.

- the French Cuirassiers we treated as standard Regular Cavalry but their armour gave them the equivalent of light cover: that is, requiring 3 hits per casualty vice the usual 2.

- For simplicity, Le Epee got to move automatically but had to roll to activate her cannon armament, which fired as a standard cannon. (We still havent gotten around to making some specific damage tables and effects for Airships and walker Land Cruisers)

To suite the larger game size, we broke the Armies down into Commands of 2-3 units, all of which would be available for activation when their time came. To reflect better command and control, Martian Commanders could activate 2 units for each activation while French Commanders could activate 3. Units still had to individually dice for activation success when activated.

- for simplicity, the Commanding Officers of each unit group didn't really have an active role/impact or have individual skills, but that would be a nice addition for next time. The scale and scope of the game, with only 1 player per side, didnt permit it in this case

With the formations set and his orders given, General de Brigade Claude Escargot looked out one last time across the plan and signalled his men to begin the attack...

A Zulu Fort...for Mars?

Imagine this...with a liftwood observation post floating above it!

 

Just posting a quick article I came across in an old, old Magazine for making a Zulu War encampment by Mr Ian Weekley himself. Naturally, this sparked the idea of one for Mars for my Legion troops to defend against hordes of savage Hill Martians!

click for larger version

click for larger version

In fact this article comes from the hallowed pages of Miniature Wargames Issue 26 from July 1985, well back in last century (and almost 40 years ago in fact!)

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Which reminded me of the lovely Martian Fort from the Slaute "Couldships of Mars" project of...well, a long time ago anyway

Pics courtesy of: http://www.werelords.com/cloudships/fort.htm

WIP pics showing construction detail:

Russians on Mars

Having decided that my French army is sufficiently big, I was scoping another Space 1889 force. My mate Gav already has some British with designs on Prussians, so what to do... Russians!

The Tsar on Mars - what might that look like? 

The Central Asian campaign look is probably most period correct (and matches the arid Mars terrain)

Vasily Vereshchagin, ‘Russian troops storming the city’

Siberian Coassack

Copplestone Castings - Back of Beyond Range - White Russians, might be sueful for some elements

Sep 2024 Edit: so yeah, of course this happened. I picked up 38 second hand Empress Russians to start the force.

Space 1889: Grey Lady Down - Rescuing Airship Leland!

Back to Mars today, hosted by club mate Gav and with fellow Space 1889 aficionado Charles. Highly unusually for us, we kept the game size way down at 24 points, and played a modified scenario from TMWWBK rulebook. 

Using our modified rules tweaks listed here (but forgetting to use the Bolt Action dice drawing technique) I played a French force comprising:

- French Garde Grenadiers (12 man Regular Infantry) with Elite and Fierce (8 points)

- French Foreign Legionnaires (12 man Regular Infantry), with Fierce (7 points)

- 2 Skirmisher Squads (6 man/half strength Regular Infantry) (3 points each)

- Aerial vehicle crew (6 man/half strength Regular Infantry) (3 points)

The Leyand was cleverly constructed using card by Andrew P - all the fittings are magnetised

The aerial transport ship Leland had emergency landed on the Xanthe plain while transporting French supplies to Idaeus Fons. The local manager of the owning company, Dubauve and Gallais, had great influence with the local magistrate and was able to solicit military assistance for its recovery. Locally stationed legionaries had linked up with the crew, and now waited for a rescue column to arrive- led by the newly arrived Garde Grenadiers on their first foray out of the city! 

Against them, 4 mixed Martian companies (*8 units of Cutters and Shooters) advanced, seeking to forcibly claim the weapons and technology of the Earthmen.

The superior French rifles kept a number of Martian units pinned down and whittling them away slowly.  I managed to get my relief column into range and the volleys crashed out with regularity.

The Martians got some luck when their musketry took down a couple of the Airship's crew, pinning the unit. It failed to rally and the sailors fell back, abandoning the ship and their advantageous firing position. The race for the ship was on!

...and won by the Garde, who surged forward and began to pour the fire on. The Martians lost momentum and their casualties began to tell, falling backwards with a couple of units dispersing under fire.

The sound of rifle fire died away as the Martians melted back into the hinterland to lick their wounds

I thought I would be overwhelmed quickly, but lacking good leadership the Martians failed many of their activation rolls. In contrast, I didn't fail a single one all game and the Garde never rolled less than 11 !  That made it a rather one sided affair, though the Legionairres almost failed a pin check after taking a single casualty at a critical time and that would have really turned the game around.

My Armée d'Mars in all its Glory! (minus the Cavalry WIP on my desk)

Thanks to Gav and Charles for another fun game and the chance to get our figs out onto the table! Naturally we dreamed big plans for our next armies (my French army is now getting waaaay too big....said nobody ever!)

French Land Cruiser unveiled!

Our planned game this week, to debut the French Grenadier Garde I painted earlier this year, unfortunately had to be cancelled when my mate got sick. Instead I invested time into a long stalled project... a French "Land Cruiser"!

Having trialled the design, the first four production vehicles were deployed to the German border to bolster the defences. Another pair were subsequently deployed to North Africa for expeditionary campaigning, and field tests were conducted in arid conditions.  With those lessons implemented, model Number 7 aka "Sept Chanceux" (Lucky Seven) was assigned to Franciase Corps expéditionnaire du Mars.

This was one of those models that stays in the cupboard for years awaiting the perfect time, and then rushed through the painting process in under 24 hrs to be ready for a game.  After all, a model finished to "good enough" standard is far better than "Parade Ready" too late (or so I have found out, years too late...!)

Fitted with a large calibre, short barrelled naval cannon

This model is a pre-release one that my friend allowed me to have while he implemented some improvements. The body is resin with the legs, weapon and mast in metal.  The model came with 6 different weapon options, so they are temporarily mounted depending on the field commander's needs! To add a bit more of the "Battleship on land" feel and add some colour, I made minor modifications to the mast to rig it, and then made some naval signal flags (still no wireless radio in 1889 you know!) 

Overall I am very happy with how it came out - thanks Drew for allowing me to have this model ahead of time (no release date currently)

Painting notes: Black Undercoat

Heavy Drybrush with GW Skavenblight Dinge

Drybrush with Model Colour (vallejo) Light Green Grey 70.971

Pinwash with GW Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade for rust spots

USA on Mars

What if....Lt Colonel George Custer went to Mars with the 5th Cavalry....

A wonderful idea by Roderick Campbell here: 

https://highlanderstudios.blogspot.com/2011/10/us-5th-cavalry-on-mars.html

     Custer was actually one of the few survivors of the Little Big Horn. This combined with his political leanings and glory hounding caused some consternation with the War Department. Custer was quietly shipped off to Mars at the head of a troop of 5th Cavalry where he would be out of the way. On a routine patrol he finds himself once again surrounded by angry native forces. 

US Infantry, Philippines, 1899

From GDW's "The Soldier's Companion"

Roderick's excellent 15mm conversions

And some 28mm USMC Infantry on patrol (on Venus in this case)