1926 and all that.

Look; this blogging and solo gaming thing…it’s just not working out. I’m sorry…I really am…but over the last few weeks I’ve been… I’ve been…seeing other people. 

Yes that’s right I’ve gone from Mr Billy No Mates solo wargamer to international gamer de jour. You name a continent or a time period and I’ve been there, pushing lead around like nobodies business. (Well okay just North America…but it is a big place so I’m sort of counting it as at least two).

The AWI painting has slowed a bit because of these commitments but the enthusiasm is still there and progress is still being made on my second batch of Continentals. Slowly slowly catch a monkey and all that.

What I did end up doing, despite my giddy social whirl, was set up another of my 1926 General Strike games on the premise of trying them with Mr Lambshead’s skirmish rules rather than Norm’s excellent Tigers at Minsk ones. The rules are entirely playing card driven and if you consider swapping one individual soldier (as per the rules) for a base of soldiers it sort of works. 

The scenario:

The general strike has now been on for five weeks and the wheels are beginning to come off of HM Governments response to it. With the majority of the armed forces proving unreliable the Prime Minister has begun to rely more and more on that other army of concerned citizens - the Organisation for the Maintenance of Supply - and their proto fascist militant wing.

With pressure increasing on the strikers in Birmingham the armed militants in the Free City of Liverpool have begun sending small conveys of arms and ammunition to aid their midland comrades.

One such convey is heading down the A41 towards Wolverhampton when it is intercepted by the OMS.

The workers revolutionary defence force will achieve a victory if they get their lorry full of ammo off the southern road edge. The forces of repression (sorry the OMS) will achieve a victory by capturing or destroying the self same truck.

The forces of repression: From left to right - A Squadra of blue shirts, Carlotta the armoured car donated by Il Duce, two squads of OMS armed volunteers (The Rotary Club Fencibles - as they are derisively known) and a squad of Inspector Knacker’s K Division coppers with Edgar the traction engine.

And here’s the opposition.

A nice bunch of lads having a jolly day out. Two squads of Workers Revolutionary Militia with their “transports”, a twin turreted Austin armoured car and a natty little motorcycle combo. They’re the only thing that stands between the OMS and…

….a Fryco lorry stuffed full of explosives. Behind it is an ex army truck carrying a squad of former British Army soldiers (now wearing the red armband of the Workers Defence Force) and at the rear of the column is a Lanchester armoured car. 

Fortunately for the reds they also have eyes in the sky!

“B1” An Airco DH4 of the Birmingham Corporation Air Force, toting 4 x 20Ib cooper bombs and a bad attitude. 

These days I can leave the whole thing set up, so although I’ve run out of time today I can hopefully get the game played and an AAR posted here next week.

Toodleooh for now!