Keep it simple, stupid..! (Part 1).

I was working on two War of the Roses armies in the summer recess when a guy who was returning a chainsaw to me noticed them and asked what I was doing. He seemed quite enthralled so I promised that when I’d finished them I’d invite him around for a game…and some Pastis…(markedly different from Pasty’s, but just as bad for your health when consumed to excess). 

For a newbie I wanted to make the game playable and fun so I had been on the fence for a while about what rules to use. While trying to translate a few recognised sets into French for my opponents benefit I kept coming back to a set I’d devised myself back in the day. Now it meant a certain amount of, cough, …erm…  « work » (lol) to translate these too, but they were considerably shorter at only 9 pages and being hugely lazy that was all the excuse I needed to choose them. 

I would normally shy away from blow by blow accounts of a games mechanics but since I have picked up a few ideas off other people over the years I thought I’d break the habits of a lifetime and share some of the more esoteric, nay controversial aspects, that these rules include.

First off, and worth stressing, is that they are very abstracted and simplistic, designed actually for big battles with tiny troops like my 2mm ECW lads. They seek to bundle morale, training and equipment into one of four classes, ignoring the usual levy / retainer type designations. If you really want to know how far an arrow can fly against a 20kmh headwind or you resist the very notion that guys with the best equipment can be just as likely to run as peasants then these will be of no interest to you. Move along. Nothing to see here.

I started with the premise of two roughly equal forces and that there would in each game always be an attacker and a defender. The objectives in this period / setting are thankfully pretty simple - kill the enemy noble, or a good proportion of his forces. Settling on 15 units per side, (with a unit approximating a company) I decided that the loss of 5 units of any type would break an army and cause an automatic game loss.

Two other things to note are that 1) with small scale figures, and these troops are 6mm, on board counters can clutter the battlefield and spoil the aesthetic, so I’ve kept them to a minimum. 2) The battle depicted is actually only one wing of a much larger engagement and it is possible for you to lose the encounter but win the day (if that makes any sense).

The attackers army is composed of 5 companies of archers, 1 mounted men at arms, 2 dismounted men at arms, 3 units of billmen, 1 unit of mercenary handgunners, 1 unit of light artillery, 1 unit of light horse, and 1 company of peasant spearmen.

The totally made up Earl of Dudley’s retinue which are the attackers and thus include the light horse in the left foreground. 

The defender gets something similar but swops out the handgunners for crossbowmen and the light horse for a company of mercenary pikes. 

The equally made up Duke of Tipton (family / west midlands joke) and his retinue of defenders, mercenary pikes to the fore.

The defender chooses one of his units to leave off board in exchange for 3 items of defensive terrain. In this case 1 set of pavises for the crossbows and 2 sets of sharpened stakes for the archers. He also chooses 6 hexes worth of regular terrain that he deploys to his best advantage.

Before any units are deployed the attacker gets to move (if he wants to) up to 2 hexes worth of the terrain by a maximum of 2 hexes in any direction…but not off board.

The defender chose to anchor his flanks on 4 hexes of impenetrable gorse and 2 of woods (counting as rough terrain). For his part the attacker moved two of the gorse bush hexes (as indicated by the red arrows) in order to create an opening of clear ground around the flank and rear.

In accordance with keeping it simple there are only 3 types of terrain, clear, rough going…and impenetrable.

Finally the defender deploys his entire force including the defensive terrain items chosen when he sacrificed a unit.

The two units of archers on the left are protected by the stakes to their front. Not so obvious is the bunch if pavises in front of the crossbows in the middle of the line. The pavises can be moved with the troops if required but the stakes cannot.

Having had a chance to observe the defenders deployment the attacker sets up his units in the hope of exploiting any perceived weakness. Two companies may occupy a hex together if they are of the same type or they are archers which can be paired with billmen or dismounted men at arms. Such a pairing provides advantages and disadvantages depending on the type of combat engaged in and which unit type is foremost.

The attacker deploys in order to exploit a perceived weakness in the enemy line. Players are invited to imagine that fighting is also taking place on one or more flanks.

So far, so good, but now we get to the weird bit most folk won’t like. 

Apart from the command stand each unit is secretly awarded one of the following quality markers. Note each army commander has, initially at least, no idea as to which of his units will perform well in battle, (for who can know what is truly in men’s hearts?). The quality markers are 1 x « We could be heroes », 2 x « In it to win it », 9 x « Only here for the beer » and 3 x « Ready to leg it ».

These quality markers affect how a unit responds in combat and can be explained broadly like this:

1. We could be heroes. These guys will go the extra mile in combat, ignoring the first of any melee hits and getting to re role one combat dice. While you would naturally assume mounted knights might automatically adopt this mantle the random deployment of the quality markers means any one unit could receive it. I would justify peasant spearmen with this marker as being highly motivated by the proximity of their home settlement.

2. In it to win it. Broadly speaking these are troops who might materially benefit from the battles outcome and thus fight with a little more determination than most. Benefits could include the possibility of individual ennoblement, the acquisition of enemy territory or even just the prospect of expensive things that can be stolen off the wealthiest of the corpses. 

3. Only here for the beer. These lads are here because they’ve been told to be, and not showing their faces on the day might prove detrimental to their future employment and their families housing prospects. They’ll fight as well as they have to, but don’t expect too much when the going gets tough.

4. Ready to leg it. Bad morale, cowardice, treachery, are all possible factors affecting this bunch. They really don’t want to be on the battlefield and will seek the first possible opportunity to bugger off. Typically this might naturally include any peasants but in this game it could just as easily be the cream of society. 

Usually you only get to see the quality of your own or your opponents units when they come under missile fire or are engaged in melee, but shown below the owning player is able, once per turn, to secretly view the status of any units he is currently adjacent (i.e. in the next hex to).

Before the fighting kicks off the Duke of Tipton is disturbed to find his leading dismounted men at arms are apparently ready to leg it, the guys behind them are not exactly convinced of his cause and the only unit he can really put his full trust in are the motley bunch of billmen recruited from the local town.

Equally disappointed is the Earl of Dudley - with no feel for who he can really depend on, so far, and the nagging worry that the « We could be heroes » quality marker may have been discarded along with the unit he sacrificed to provide the field defences.

If you feel you have the time as the army commander you can of course spend precious command points moving your command stand around the field to assess the men’s individual determination. There is also the limited ability to change men’s quality but more on this later.

So the two armies are deployed and the attacker automatically gets to go first in the first turn. Here he rolls 2D6 and scores 8, which gives him 8 command points to spend this turn. Fighting in melee occurs automatically as does missile fire (within the constraints of firing arcs and line of sight) but command points are needed to move units, shake off disorganisation, activate special events and resupply archers running low on arrows.

A useful command point score - but there’s lots to do.

I’ll do another post shortly on the battle itself, but I’ll close with exciting news on the crisp front.

Having been subject to the French crisp market for nigh on nine years (give or take) I’ve long viewed the lack of Cheese and Onion flavour (truly the king of flavours) as a glaring omission and quite frankly a source of national shame. Deciding to « be the change I wish to see » I recently wrote to President Macron  highlighting the matter and asking him to ensure that immediate action be taken to remedy the omission - especially with the eyes of the world upon us during the olympics. Though he is obviously a busy chap (and disappointingly never wrote back) ((rude))… it can hardly be a coincidence that this was the first thing I noticed when perusing the croustillant racks in Carrefour yesterday. 

Coincidence…?

I think not!

Toodleooh!

  

Bugger me that went quick

Yeah it went quick alright. Quicker than a thousand greased gazelles to be honest. One minute it’s April and I’m signing off for a bit of a break and the next thing you ruddy know it’s almost September!

As it happens I swore off the bloggersphere almost entirely, so apologies to anyone whose blogs have been sans moi this past few months. Like I told the wife recently. « It’s not you it’s me, love. »

Starting on a grim note (always play to your strengths) I’ve been investigating the VERY local activities of this particular son of a bitch.

You can expect more on this twat and his merry men when the mood takes me. It’s always good to have something to look forward to I find, n’est ce pas? 

Thankfully, light relief has been provided by the wonderful zoom games I’ve been allowed to take part in, which are very well documented over at Palouse Wargaming Journal and Prometheus in Aspic. Other than that I’ve been tinkering in my geek cave of mystery with the following:

Galleys and Galleons - always good for a bit of fun solo gaming. This piccy is from « Revenge of the Megalodon » I think…(given there’s a ruddy great shark fin in the middle of the photo). I enjoyed myself so much with these 1:450 PP models that I broke out a few more from the pile of shame and have now painted them up.

6mm Baccus WOTR troops. 15 stands of men from the Earl of Dudley’s (made up) retinue were completed.

And here are a similar number of chaps who are followers of the Yorkist Duke of Tipton (also made up). Each force represents one wing of a larger Yorkist / Lancastrian army and they were created along with some home brew rules to introduce a French friend to wargaming. I’m pretty chuffed with the rules so these will be getting a good old work out I suspect. 

2mm Martian madness. These tripods were cobbled together out of fishing weights and bent coat hanger wire. Necessity is definitely the mother of invention it seems. The steam tank / land ship came from Brigade if I recall. This project is now mothballed for the foreseeable.

Victorian / steam punk submarine wars. Two lashed up subs to test some home brew rules…which were reassuringly terrible…sigh. The one on the left is the « plongé » armed with an extendable hollow charge explosive device which it can attach to enemy ships and the one one the right is the « SS Steak Knife », equipped with an oversized underwater ram on the nose and three internal mines released via the dorsal hatches. Another project shelved, probably for ever.

Bit of a tangent…but I’ll leave you with some pictures of the wonderful world of French crisps. No cheese and onion unfortunately but we do have these delightful flavours by way of compensation:

Two of my five a day. I need these, my therapist says, because I am weak. 

Not sure which genius came up with the mushroom flavour but I’ve written to Macron suggesting they get the medal of honour. 

Toodleooh.

The home front

There’s not much wargaming or painting going on over here at the moment, and god knows when my 6mm Baccus Lancastrian army will show up, so I’ve decided to close up shop for a couple of months while I generate a few things to write about (if Stew can do it so can I). 

If nothing else I should have a few ECW battles and an airship mission or two to kick things off again when I return.

As an early retiree on a limited income (cue the playing of a very tiny violin) I sometimes have to make difficult decisions on how to spend my hobby money. This month (in a spend I shall have trouble categorising for the wargaming census) I err spent it on a couple of birds…

Literally.

Meet my two new family members, Bancroft and Makepeace. 

Bancroft & Makepeace. Hanging out with chickens can be very restful. 

They’re a pair of fancy pants chucks, Bancroft is a Brahma and Makepeace is a Favorolle - not that you’re especially interested I’m sure. 

Makepeace doing a runner after taking a dump in my welly.

Being French they immediately went on strike over the lack of adequate wi fi in their enclosure, so no eggs of note so far.

Les Poulets avec les gilets jaunes. It’s a French thing.

Hopefully they won’t start blocking access to the garden or burning tyres.

Have a great summer everyone. 

Toodleooh.

Gas bags over Lovitznia

As I revealed in an earlier post I have a bit of a “pash” for airships and especially fantasy / steampunk ones. Since Christmas I’ve been running a smallish campaign covering the 1890´s aerial conflict between the two Eastern European Imaginations of Maltovia and Lovitzna so I thought I’d bore the arse off everyone with a few piccies and a brief description of what’s what. If nothing else it’ll be a break from the ECW. 

Variety. 

You know.

Spice of life and all that.

Anywhoo…

The two countries (Maltovia and Lovitznia) were borrowed from my Penguin paperback copy of Capt W.E. Johns “Biggles Goes To War”. I was a big Biggles fan when I was little, which probably explains a lot.

Maltovia and Lovitznia’s border is long and difficult to traverse. In the south the two countries are separated by a high mountain range and in the north the border is marked by a thirty mile stretch of the river Dniepr.

In 1888 the Lovitznian High Council agreed the funding and construction of the Lovitznia Maltovia Friendship Bridge and by mid 1891 where my campaign begins it has finally been completed.

Not long after the bridge is finished the Maltovian government receives intelligence that the Lovitznian army is conducting “manoeuvres” within striking distance of the crossing. Reconnaissance by the Maltovian’s sole Aeroleve confirms the situation. The Lovitznian ambassador is summoned but denies any ill intent on behalf of his country. Maltovia begins to mobilise its small and ill equipped army and hurriedly arranges the purchase of a single outdated Montgolfier class cruiser recently decommissioned by France. Within days of its arrival it is pressed into service on a desperate mission.

The Maltovian high command concludes that only way to halt a Lovitznian invasion is to take away the ability to cross the Dniepr in any numbers. The shiny new bridge would have to go.

On June 4th 1891 the two machines of the Maltovian airforce took to the sky and headed east, the mew cruiser laden down with a clutch of bombs and the escorting aeroleve carrying half a dozen rockets. 

The rules used were my favourite Galleys and Galleons, modified for hexes and with the combat system changed to better suit my needs. So barely Galleys and Galleons at all come to think of it. 

The Montgolfier Class Cruiser (left - painted in Maltovian colours) leaving a cloud bank at high altitude and heading east at a tear arsing 40kmh. On the right is the Maltovian aeroleve (body of a small airship but fitted with wings to aid lift) and its battery of six forward firing rockets.

Seems the Lovitznians have also been shopping for an air force. This patrolling Danube class vessel could put a spanner in the works!

“And there’s more” - as Jimmy Cricket used to say. An ex Austro Hungarian Pfeil class vessel comes in as a Lovitznian back up.

Over the target. The Maltovian airforce scores two bomb hits on the bridge. Not enough to destroy it on this occasion but enough to prevent its use until its repaired. On the right the aeroleve fires a rocket (and misses).

The aeroleve attempts to pop a cap in the Lovitznian’s ass again (as I believe my American cousins might say) and misses (once more).

Now that the gloves have come off the Lovitznian airforce responds in kind. But un obligingly doesn’t miss.

Stat card for the Maltovian cruiser. Red dice indicates activation limiting damage and the two home made counters show damage to the engines and the command crew.

Job done, both Maltovian vessels high tail it for the exit and slip away without any further damage. I think it’s fair to say the Lovitznian Embassy won’t be hosting any more “cocktails and canapés” friendship nights in the near future.

Toodleooh. 

The king is dead long live the err…

Woe woe and thrice woe. 

Erm… alas and alack…etc.

I think this pamphlet produced in Birmingham probably explains it all. 

In other news the positions of major garrisons in Spring 1943 is shown below. The Parliament expanded its holdings in the North West and the Royalists pushed north east to establish a chain of allied settlements between the midlands and the other Royalist powerhouse in York.

Royalist recruitment has picked up and revulsion over the kings death during Parliaments brief custody has led to a number of political splits within its higher echelons. Since the Royalists now have a martyr for the cause, the main question amongst many of parliaments grandees is what to do with the Monarchs body?

Rupert and the Generalissima are determined that Charles’ death will not be in vain. The Royalist forces have suffered two major defeats but now have enough recruits and arms to make another effort. As spring gave way to early summer, camp fever began to swell within the royalist ranks forcing Rupert to march out of Birmingham at the head of a significant host. Parliaments leading generals hurriedly convened in London with but one question on their lips. Where could he be headed?

Toodleooh.

Space Nazis next methinks.

ECW Campaign. Battle 2. The fat lady sings - Winterton

Get yer microscopes out lads…it’s time for another migraine inducing squinty eyed 2mm battle, brought to you via Broomtech’s latest crapovision technology. (Teeny weeny figures, crap lighting and dodgy iPad camera).

Background fluff

Spring 1643 saw the re emergence from winter quarters of both armies. With his supply lines constantly ravaged by parties of Royalist horse, Parliamentary General Waller continued to slowly retire from the midlands towards the Thames Valley. His brief occupation of Coventry and Banbury had rattled the King in his new Birmingham capital but had been unsustainable with the majority of resources now redirected towards General Essex in the south. 

Meanwhile in Birmingham Queen Henrietta Maria had been more than a little disappointed in her husbands lack of martial prowess and had chided him, continuously, to do something material to advance his cause. Party to some of her majesties more caustic comments Rupert suggested that Charles could take part in the ongoing pursuit of the retiring General Waller. Perhaps keen to escape his wife’s opprobrium Charles agreed. 

In early April the Kings new horse heavy field army approached the tiny village of Winterton surprised to find that General Waller had decided to make a stand on the ridge that ran behind the settlement. It seemed an ideal opportunity to burnish the kings martial credentials and at the council of war, Rupert proposed a bold plan. 

The ridge ahead of the royalist army was bisected by a road and the Parliamentarians had occupied both sides of it. Rupert proposed that he take four of the five cavalry regiments available in order to push the enemy off the rightmost flank. The King could oversee the occupation of the enclosures in the centre ground, fixing the attention of the Parliamentarians while Rupert ran amok. 

These are the two burn cards that the Royalists can play during the game.

And for completeness here are the Parliaments burn cards.

On the Royalist left a force of dragoons, infantry and a regiment of horse under Wilmot were left to fulfil a screening role. Wilmot was a capable commander but under somewhat of a cloud after his participation in the recent southern failure with Hopton.

The battle commenced after lunch with a desultory Royalist canonnade that caused little loss amongst the enemy. 

General Waller was dismayed to see the size of the army before him and even more so when he realised the King himself was leading it. Hurriedly he toured his restive foot and ordered them to dig a ditch the better to defend themselves. Taking up position on the crown of the ridge he watched his own battery of cannon below as they readied to return the royalist barrage. 

Initial battlefield deployments. On the left are the royalists with Rupert in the foreground. On the right Hesselrig’s cuirassiers line the ridge, in the middle are Chudleigh’s infantry and way over in the background is Lord Stamford’s horse.

Seemingly moments later he found himself unhorsed and partially deaf, being ministered to by anxious staff officers. The site occupied by his grand battery of cannon was now a scorched and flattened slope littered with the dead and dying. 

« Ere corporal pass us that briar of yorn…but mind you don’t trip over that budge barrel. Oh eck »

Messengers began to arrive from the Hesselrig’s horse on the left most ridge and Lord Stamford’s horse on the right. Both sought reassurance about Waller’s continued good health but Hesselrig also reported a worryingly large party of enemy horse massing to his front.

And so the battle began in earnest.

On the Parliamentary right Lord Stamford noted the weakness of the Royalist screening force and after approval from Waller led a sudden rush of horse down the ridge into Wilmot’s unsuspecting cavalry. Already weakened by having despatched scouts Wilmot’s men took 75% casualties but stubbornly held their ground. Though successful and suffering minimal casualties it was Lord Stamford’s men that withdrew to reorganise and reload. 

Lord Stamford’s men give Wilmot’s chaps a real pummelling before pulling back to reload. 75% casualties but still holding their ground.

In the centre of the field the Royalist foot advanced and in concert with a regiment of dragoons secured the defensively important enclosures while the King watched on from a small hillock to the rear.

The royalist centre seize the central enclosures then begin a slow advance on the enemy ridge line.

Rupert on the Royalist right had amassed a mighty force of four regiments of horse and as soon as his scouts came back with news of Hesselrigs occupation of the ridge ahead, he gave the order to move out. The cohesion of his advance was interrupted a little when the Parliamentarian cannon chose to immolate themselves but the ride up the gentle slope of the ridge still hit his opponents cuirassier horse with great force. Though his initial units were thrown back they caused some casualties and a great deal of confusion, confusion exploited by Rupert who raced up a small defile to arrive on Hesselrig’s flank. 

Rupert, centre of picture, sends Hesselrig reeling after 2 of his own regiments are beaten back.

Within moments of Rupert’s arrival Hesselrig’s broken squadrons began streaming back towards Waller on the other ridge. Rupert pursued, causing yet more losses until he ran into the hurriedly repositioning foot of Lord Chudleigh. The parliamentarians managed a ragged volley that was enough to throw Rupert’s men back with loss. 

Watching Rupert’s progress Waller began to dictate orders for his army to retire from the field when fate took an unexpected hand.

On the Parliamentary right Lord Stamford’s men were unaware of battlefield developments elsewhere but could clearly see that the Royalist screening force to his front were weak and over extended. Marshalling his two squadrons of horse he urged them forward once more. 

Wilmot’s horse saw them coming this time but aware they were all that was available to block the onrushing enemy they stood their ground. Wilmot and a small group of troopers survived the onslaught but the rest were swept away and Lord Stamford’s men found themselves unexpectedly amongst the enemy baggage train and the King’s entourage. The Royal Standard fell and Stamford was forced to shoot one of his own men who raised his sword to strike the unhorsed King. 

The King’s entourage watch in disbelief as Lord Stamford’s two squadrons destroy Wilmot’s remaining horse and head towards them.

After destroying the Royalist baggage Stamford loops around to attack the Kings party from front and rear. The leader casualty check revealed the King had been killed (two crossed sabres) but I downgraded it to captured as being the more likely outcome.

Apologising profusely to the Monarch, Stamford saw him immediately remounted and then hurriedly rushed him from the battlefield under the protection of every trooper he could still muster. 

Queue fat lady breaking into song.

So, the curse of the ECW campaign strikes again, my first campaign, six years ago, was also cut short by a series of unexpected in game events. 

Doh…

So it’s over…almost before it began.

Or is it?

Here are a couple of options that I’d like your thoughts on. I’ll go with whichever seems the most popular. 

1) Enough with this never ending ECW stuff let’s have some Space Nazis!

2) Carry on with Charles briefly imprisoned but then escaping while dressed as a washerwoman. 

3) The Queen and Rupert ride an upsurge in Royalist support for the shameful handling of the monarch and attempt to free him by continuing the fight.

4) The King agrees a modified list of Parliamentary demands and remains a heavily curtailed ceremonial figurehead. Game over. Parliament automatic win. Until the King does some double dealing in the  future and we get a second civil war I suppose.

5) The Royalist party claims the captured king is an imposter, A « lookey likey » used by Parliament after the real King was bravely killed at the head of his troops. The King’s eldest son is proclaimed King in a low key Birmingham ceremony. The war goes on.

6) Any other outcome you feel you’d like to see…that doesn’t include Space Nazis.

Toodleooh

Yet more ECW - Soz

It’s been a busy couple of weeks here at Maison Broom, what with building works and getting the garden ready for spring. 

The hobby mojo has disappeared entirely for now, but fortunately gaming of sorts has continued through remote stuff with Max Foy and my ECW campaign - an update of which I present below.

Background fluff update.

King Charles was greatly disappointed by the Autumn reversal in the south west and reluctantly instructed Hopton to consolidate the gains he’d made rather than advancing to link up with the Royalist forces around Bristol. 

Fortunately for Hopton all eyes at court were soon focussed on the rapidly approaching army of General Waller. In a few short months the man had marched almost unopposed across the midlands and had garrisoned Banbury and a sympathetic Coventry - right on the doorstep of Charles’ new Birmingham capital. 

Such a situation could not be allowed to stand and the Kings nephew Rupert of The Rhine led elements of the new Birmingham field army to interdict Waller’s extensive lines of supply. By mid December the situation had become untenable and Waller withdrew in good order back towards London. Both abandoned sites were garrisoned by the King within a week of Wallers withdrawal but Coventry, a hotbed of Parliamentary sentiment, was to prove an ongoing problem with numerous acts of dissent and constant heavy handed suppression required to maintain order there.

Anxious to retain some credit at court Hopton eventually coordinated a daring seaborne raid on the isolated Parliamentary garrison in Pembroke south Wales. The destruction caused by his landing parties was only minor but its purpose was a mere diversion, for the main blow came from royalist units marshalled in Carmarthen. The towns distracted defenders were caught off guard and the town fell within hours, extinguishing the last pocket of Parliamentary influence in the Principality. 

In some ways this action was a copy of landings effected by Parliament earlier in November. On that occasion their forces landed by arrangement with sympathisers in Liverpool and by the time Waller had begun to withdraw from the midlands uprisings in Manchester and Preston had raised their own milita and secured the two towns for Parliament's cause.

At the end of the year the situation had largely stabilised and bad weather eventually forced both of the major combatants into winter quarters. Despite having failed to secure an outright victory over each other both sides had cause for some celebration. The King had secured a new capital, and the enormous industrial potential of both Bristol and the midlands - his army though modest in size slowly filling out as recruits drifted in from Welsh towns that were ‘squeezed’ into open support of the Monarch.

Apart from victory in the first major battle, Pym and the Parliamentarians had secured London, opened a second front in the north west and unsurprisingly, given popular sentiment in the region, seen the formation of an Eastern Association of towns geographically secure from the Kings forces. The only fly in the ointment was an unexpected outbreak of belligerent neutrality around Guildford that soon spread to neighbouring Tunbridge Wells. 

On one incursion to secure unpaid taxes, a regiment of trained band soldiers was turned back by nearly 4,000 angry country folk armed with home made weapons and a banner proclaiming…

In Birmingham a new monthly news sheet was launched and its second edition seized on the south eastern discontent with some relish.

The Good burghers of Guildford give Parliament ‘the bird’

With the discontent rumbling on Winter slowly gave way to Spring. New army’s were assembling and plans laid for victory in ’43. 

Areas under control Dec 31st 1642

Toodleooh.