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Friday, February 5, 2021

Taiping Era - First Game

Great title, no? 

While I have two of Graham's wargame rules and currently playtesting a third, Taiping Era is a new one to me.  Therefore, it was with great interest that Graham offered this up for the weekly game.  The battle was a dry run for Graham's presentation at this weekend's VCOW.  With briefings and QRS in-hand, five players set to work. The game, played on a grid, is very suitable to remote play. 

The battle comprised a meeting engagement between Gordon's Ever Victorious Army joined by a Hunan army against the Taiping Rebels.  I was placed in the role of Gordon and would be attacking on the left.  A brief, one-sided report of the battle follows but for a more detailed account with better photos, please visit Graham's battle report at Taiping Trial and Error.  My report is one-sided in that I primarily focused on the action seen on my side of the table.  My Hunan comrade, Ian, seemed to be holding his on my right but having trouble passing his Moral Vigor rolls.
The advance to contact begins.
Gordon moves swiftly and deploys into line
 as the Hunan army keeps pace on his right.
EVA fire takes its toll on the Taiping right
while a clash on Gordon's far left develops.
The EVA gives a volley and countercharges!
The first clash on Gordon's left ends in a standoff
while Taiping skirmishers  at the crossroads turn
tail and break for the rear.
The Taiping right collapses as Gordon's EVA remains
Ever Victorious!
Graham provides a post-battle briefing
as the destruction of the Taiping right is evaluated.
Even though I had not read the rules, play from the QRS was possible after a couple of turns.  Most of the information needed for play was at hand on the QRS and easily found and understood.  The game provided an enjoyable three hours as Gordon marched to victory.

The rules employ some interesting mechanisms that I may dive into further in another post.  Perhaps after having played another game?

On the gaming front, I will see four battles in four days.  Three remote and one F2F.  Yes, F2F!  The F2F game will feature a very cautious, properly socially distanced, two-player playtest of a Commands & Colors Lace Wars variant for Culloden.  WoFun 18mm figures will be present.  Oh, and the Battle of Rivoli continues to rage across my gaming table.

65 comments:

  1. Following that test, I'm reducing the EVA presence at the game by half. I'll try and accommodate another playing for you as soon as these SCW rules are put to bed.

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    1. Penalizing success? I await another outing when time permits.

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  2. It is hard to judge how much of your success was down to the whether the scenario was imbalanced or you are a tactical genius. By reducing the numbers no doubt I will prove the latter.

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    1. Well said! I’m hoping your null hypothesis holds.

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  3. Blimey, it's taken me months to get the clever wordplay of the title!!! Another nice game and you are certainly a busy chap on the gaming front Jonathan:)

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    1. What do you make of "It's Getting A Bit Chile" then?

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    2. Steve, I remain busy on the gaming front, for sure. Four games on four consecutive days is unheard of in this household.

      It is a clever title, no doubt. I think "To Ur is Human" is my favorite.

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  4. Clever angle to the rulebook name. Enjoy your F2F .... a highlight by any measure these days.

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    1. I think my last F2F game was outside on a picnic table in July. That was a long time ago.

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    2. Same here. Got some games in last summer in a gazebo in the garden. That'll be repeated once this is all over, as it was jolly enjoyable.

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    3. Gaming outside was fun. I expect to do it again once the weather cooperates.

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  5. Nice looking game, and I'd be putting victory down to your tactical genius there Jonathan. No restrictions on gaming here other than the continuing summer heat which seems to promote a sense of lethargy, even with airconditioning turned on. We have organised our first game of the year for three weeks' time, so definitely a slow start to 2021.

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    1. Lawrence, i am sure the game presentation looks much different in person than from my iPad via Zoom. Still, it is enough for me to gain my bearings and play on. you are fortunate that your life is still almost normal compared to the Rest of the World. Of course, this has likely wrecked most tourism so your economy may be suffering like everyone else.

      Happy to see you have a game planned. hope to see a battle report once it is in the books. What game is on the docket?

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  6. Good looking game and nice to hear Chinese Gordon continues to lead his ever victorious army !
    Best Iain

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  7. Handn't heard of this set of rules: even if set in China, always interested in seeing treatments of 19th Century (ie, post Napoleonic, pre WWI) warfare!

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    1. Ed, I am always interested in 19th Century warfare too but this is a new conflict to me. The game was very interesting with a very colonial feel rather than civil war.

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    2. It's the conflict no one has heard of, but everyone should have. Sort of like the 10 Cent War. I specialise in them. The game felt colonial because it had the EVA in it. Games without Western trained troops are different. Read Flashman and the Dragon for an easy way in.

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    3. Graham, at least I had heard of this conflict and the 10 Cent War! What draws you to these obscure conflicts?

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    4. I do explain in each rule book why I get interested in various periods. The Taiping rebellion saved me from failing one of my special subjects in my second year at Uni.

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    5. I should either read more carefully or remember what I have read.

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    6. Well, the comments are in introduction, which is little bit self indulgent usually.

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  8. I have a good friend who introduced me to the conflict (and the EVA in particular) years ago. I think he and Graham ("Trebian") would find much in common!

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    1. I think you are right! Up until now, my primary exposure to the period has been in painting Foundry mid19C British in the bell top shako!

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    2. You can use them for the 1840 Anglo-Chinese War, which the rules are suitable for.

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    3. No one I game with has any mid-century Chinese. What about Indians, Afghans, or Turks?

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  9. You have certainly been getting a lot of gaming in over the last couple of months.

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    1. I certainly have! This weekend begins four games in four days; all in different periods with different rules.

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  10. Your record speaks for itself, a win is a win! Interesting to see the period on the table...history gives few more lopsided battle results.

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    1. Thanks, Joe! Rumor has it that Graham is cutting the EVA force in half due to my performance...

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    2. I did cut the force in half, and Tony Hawkins did a manful job, despite inflicting 24 MV tests on an MV7 unit rolling 8s and not rolling a single 8. The Taipings just kept on coming. The Mongol cavalry were useless, but Michael did a much better job with the Chung Wang's forces than Richard, although he did die in the process. As did Prince Sung-Hai.

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    3. Will we be treated to a battle report from the VCOW game?

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    4. Yes. It might be shorter than normal to get all of the games in.

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    5. The report has been posted: https://wargaming4grownups.blogspot.com/2021/02/vcow-february-2021-saturday-morning.html

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    6. Thanks! I guess this demonstrates that the null hypothesis is rejected and I am not a tactical genius...

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    7. Different circumstances. Tony allowed his opponent to impose himself on him, which you did not.

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    1. Thanks but Graham gets all credit for this game, Michal.

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    2. Thanks. I love these armies. And that wooden town.

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  12. Sounds great Jonathan...Even if I would have liked to have close ups on the troops!

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    1. I would enjoyed close ups too! With remote gaming and the view from my iPad, this is the view I see. For some close ups, visit Graham’s blog give in the link above.

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    2. I have worked out a way to make the camera more mobile, so you can get some close ups.

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  13. Interesting and not a period I know much about👍

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    1. I am in the same position as you. Perhaps we should learn more?

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    2. Everyone should be aware of it, IMHO. If it had happened in central Europe it would be part of the school curriculum. There's a good BBC podcast in the "In Our Time" series with Melvyn Bragg, which I recommended on my blog post that covers the highlights. This is the link in the UK: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b00yqvqt.

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    3. Your recommended podcast provides a good, high-level overview of the conflict. Thanks for that!

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  14. Very jealous of all these games you're getting in Jonathan! Looking forward to the Culloden bash.

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    1. Maybe battle reports from the front will ease these emotions. Culloden is up today.

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  15. Life is beginning to return to the wargaming world! ( I'm picturing two masked men with long rakes pushing the figures about on the board.)

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    1. Ross, your mental image will not be far off. I imagine the windows may be open too and we will be freezing!

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  16. Great report and something different, looking forward to Culloden.

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    1. Something different for me too! I will report back on Culloden.

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  17. I admit that I don’t get the title of the rules. But hurrah for you for a F2F game! All the remote games are great but the I imagine the in person social gaming is really missed. 😀

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    1. Think "Typing Error" Stew. The F2F gaming has been missed, for sure. We have been meeting occasionally for walks in The Great Outdoors to discuss current events and shake off any cabin fever.

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    2. Some times I'm too clever for my own good.

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  18. I was lucky enough to play in the game yesterday and what an enjoyable time was had by all. I commanded some Taipings. Terrific fun.

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    1. That is great! Which Taiping wing did you command and what was the final outcome?

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    2. Yes, please tell us how you thought it went!

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  19. Ah so it was General "Chinese" Gordon of Khartoum fame...a very unusual era - what figures were used?

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    1. Yes, it is the same Gordon. He was a Victorian hero before he got sent to the Sudan (that's why he got sent). The figures are Irregular 15mm. The Taiping are from the "Indian Mutiny and Early British Colonials" range. The Imperial Chinese are from his Boxer rebellion range. The Mongols were Museum Miniatures, I think. Anyway, just buy the rules and then send Ian Kay a big order. He's a nice man.

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  20. Clearly it was Jon's tactical genius at work! :-)

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