The Mission

The Johnston Mission is located in an idyllic clearing, and everything seems peaceful.

However on their way are two threats - a band of Askari brigands and a pack of Raptors



The Askari brigands exit the clearing, heading straight for the creatures; but the Raptors close quickly



A large Achillobator stalks through the jungle



The other Achillobator rushes with lightening pace to pounce on an Askari



Captain Lewis, along with his sister and her husband Reverend Johnston race for the car. However in the scramble to get into the car Lewis discharges his pistol and hits his brother-in-law (only the man's sturdy cap saves him from a serious wound). Lewis bundles him into the car to recover from his concussion



Mrs Johnston storms off towards the house while Lewis is distracted - she spots an Askari running hell-for-leather away from the beasts



He's followed by another Askari - Tehpoe, who is caught from behind by a Raptor



The crafty Achillobator sneaks into the shed, and approaches the parked car



The Askari has scurried up the chimney to safety, but the Achillobator clambered up onto the roof after him!



Having downed the Achillobator in the shed Lewis and Johnston walk inside to put the beast down



Tehpoe is outnumbered, but somehow manages to kill one of the Raptors



The Revered rounds the corner and doesn't seem too worried about his accuracy - his shotgun maims the Raptor but leaves the Askari unharmed



Tehpoe is finally slain by one of the surviving Raptors



The two Raptors here are being fended off by the Reverend, but they seem to spot easier prey in Mrs Johnston



racing after her, her attempts to defend herself result in a lost shotgun and she shrieks in terror to run blindly into the jungle



The badly wounded Achillobator, having eaten the Askari on the rooftop, struggles to descend until Lewis' car stalls just beside the house



The Reverend Johnston, striding purposefully to kill a Raptor is blindsided by the wounded Achillobator



Taking cover behind some boxes Lewis and Johnston fend off the remaining two beasts, who slink off into the jungle



But what will happen to Mrs. Johnston, alone in the jungle and without anything to defend herself with?

Mobsters in Monrovia

Off to Gaelcon tomorrow, these guys may make an appearance

Bourne's smuggling crewe - known for shipping the finest rum



Thompson, the main mover in Monrovia, with his hatchetman - Dillahunt



Reilly, Thompson's up-and-coming rival



The Meet



Yates' Mob, led by Reilly



Well, lets see how Tommy Guns do vs. a Spinosaurus...

Ex-Askari Brigands

A band of Kru Askari rule the highway near the American Mission

Two experienced men, veterans of the Great War and armed with modern weaponry lead the group



The rest of the Askari, armed with muskets move along the trail



They form a firing line, commanded by the infamous (and disgraced) French officer DuPont



Mobsters next...

Kpelle Warriors

Some natives for the campaign - they may be a dangerous obstacle on the Perilous Trail, or might unite with the adventurers against the dinosaur menace

A small group of Kpelle tribal warriors



More warriors from the highland tribe on the trail



The Kpelle are beset by an Allosaurus



Out of the undergrowth



Next up: some tribal bandits using more modern weapons...

Dinosaurs Roam the Earth!

Some extra beasties have arrived for my Perilous Trail! game at Gaelcon in a couple of weeks.
You'll notice a distinct lack of herbivores...

Why not? Well two things:
1. In 28mm dinosaurs are more expensive and more difficult to transport to a convention than the 10mm versions I've been using previously. For that reason alone there's going to be less dinosaurs
2. I did notice that herbivores got less interest from players - some of that may have been due to the survive/protect nest style objectives they had, but it's no crime that people prefer more active/aggressive roles (especially in a one-off game)

The two larger creatures are from Papo - these are approx 1/40 and are a bit big, but will work fine I think.

Allosaurus



Spinosaurus



The smaller guys are from Honourable Lead Boiler Suit Company (discontinued now I think)

Raptors



More Raptors



I think these are dwarf Allosaurs but I'm calling them Achillobators (just because of the cool name you understand)



I'll see if I can get some shots of them alongside 28mm miniatures as well, just so you get a good sense of scale.

Operation Snakepit - Scenarios

These scenarios allow you to play out actual engagements from late 2007 in Afghanistan. In most cases I have scaled down the scenarios to match my modest collection and for playability purposes.

I have used Stephen Grey's book Operation Snakebite / Into the Viper's Nest as my main source – doubtless you shall find inaccuracies and mistakes below; they are all mine.
The main effort to retake Musa Qala was undertaken by Task Force 1 Fury (comprising 1st Battalion of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment). The scenarios below represent the preparatory and peripheral missions of the operation.

Download the PDF

In time I will update this document with scenarios representing those core missions – but also updating the campaign outcomes affecting TF1 Fury's engagements.

Diversion

Sangin has been pummelled in the first major Taliban offensive in ages, though they slipped away at nightfall, intelligence suggests they’ll be back in the morning. A Company of the Royal Gurkha Rifles is sweeping in between the river and the canal to cut off them off when the Taliban spring a surprise of their own…

The Taliban occupy the outskirts of Sangin



The Gurkha patrol approaches the sturdy-looking compound on this side of the irrigation ditch



Taliban engage the Gurkhas as they cross the open ground to take control of the compound



The leading fire team takes fire as it enters the building from the courtyard - the sniper team look on helplessly, they can't draw a bead on the Taliban inside



Stiff resistance continues in the compound - two Taliban die hard



With the compound secured, the Gurkhas cross the irrigation ditch on the right flank



With control of the compound, a sniper team is on overwatch backed up by a fireteam on the roof



An IED goes off inside, despite the quick-reacting sniper team. The rooftop team scarpered, dragging their wounded man with them



Across the way, the leading section pushes through and clears the market

#

Another IED trigger man catches up with the rear party - platoon HQ is organising the evacuation of the seriously wounded. The vigilant fire team on security see off the trigger man's efforts to hit a lucrative concentration



Back at the compound the sniper team takes on the goatherd - but thinks better of just shooting him, they take him prisoner instead



Evacuating the casualties



The lead section clears the green zone across the ditch - shutting down avenues for Taliban reinforcements to reach the area safely



A Soviet legacy mine takes out the remaining Taliban on the battlefield



A clear-cut victory for the British - after seeing the debacle the previous day this was a very disciplined approach by the British player.

We played this again (but no photos) with two complete novices, who showed some good nous and aggression. This time the Taliban came out on top (their player shows an unerring ability to get Fog of War cards!)

I'll post the scenarios here in a few days. Thanks for reading.