A Ripping Yarn

We arrived at the club to find Rob with case on case of 'stuff', the table was set up as the village of Nateby, Lancashire, 1938 when the Civil War broke and turned the country on its head. It transpired that the Bishop of London had 'acquired' the Crown Jewels and split them up for safety. Some were carried North by Anglican League members who were cornered in Nateby by the British Union of Fascists, during the firefight the crown jewels were secreted about the village as it was known friendly forces were on the way. All but one of the Anglican guards were killed.

I took on my role as Colonel, the Honourable, Lord George Black VC with three platoons of regular royalist troops, helped by the dastardly Gestapo agent Herr Flick and a platoon of the Volunteer German Legion. We were to regain the royal regalia for the King. Also heading for the village were all sorts of adventurers, rebels and downright scum all intent on gaining loot. I was unsure who was who so shot at anyone who came close while scrabbling in the walls and hedgerows to uncover the jewels. The Germans began by gunning down some Lefty mercenaries and Soviet advisers led by the traitor Lady Felicity Lymehurst last seen jumping from a train in distant parts to escape from the clutches of Lord Black and a date in the Tower. Felicity was not her old self and she and her acolytes retreated to a nearby barn and stayed there for the whole game, terrified to come out.

The heroic Lord Black VC and his trusty batman.

The German Legion alongside the Cameronians

My regulars I posted in a couple of buildings in the path of Simon's Rebel troops and managed to hold them off with accurate machinegun fire. The Germans had found several of the crown jewels but had lost quite a few men so Herr Flick ordered a withdrawal, this left a platoon of Cameronians to hold my left flank, which they did manfully scything down a hardened, if mentally challenged, commissar and his men, however these men were just too stupid to run and merely went to ground. All the communists were now basically out of the picture but being still in the area meant I could not risk pulling back the Jocks.

Soviet advisers and Lady Felicity, booo.

More Commies. They only found cheap paste imitation jewels.

I now got some handy reinforcements of Kenyan Rifles and as I spotted Lord and Lady Strickland and their estate workers carrying what was obviously a wounded man I set after them with the intention of interrogating the unfortunate as to exactly where the jewels were hidden. The workers dropped the body and ran for the nearest building, Simon got to him first only to find he was dead, so I now set the Kenyans on the nearest Rebel troops, I won the fight but did not deal out enough damage to force the enemy to run.

Blue Shirts and Police along with Inspector Foyle.

Boss, boss the plane, the plane.

It was now that the drone of an aircraft engine was heard and down hurtled an Me108, managing to miss decapitating the Kenyans and landing near Herr Flick and his survivors loaded with loot. I ordered all my troops to follow me as we ran for the plane, this of course was against the grain for a VC but the mission came first. Simon tried several times to hit the plane but even with holes appearing nothing serious was damaged as Black, Flick and the accumulated wealth were pressed into the tiny cockpit and the plane lunged forward. As Nateby disappeared below a shadow fell over the cockpit, a Gloster Gladiator had turned up, so close, but wait, it was an escort, we sped off into the sunset.

A great little game and in keeping with the turmoil of a Very British Civil War tied in with characters used by Rob in other games in the back of beyond. I have always wanted to give this a go. There were some really nice figures amongst the many factions and the added flavour of an armoured car, armoured train and the aircraft really set the scene. Oh, and did I mention that in the Me108 was a vast haul of crown jewels which gave Lord Black the win.