Every Christmas we get a box of dates, I tell my wife that it’s a Christmas tradition - we don’t particularly like dates that much - but I do like the boxes that they come in! They are long and narrow with rounded ends. Originally made of wood and cardboard, the 'Eat Me Dates' now have plastic boxes that are eminently suitable for model making. Below are a couple of suggestions for wargame models, together with a brief scenario for their deployment. These are not scale replica's, just generic rough and ready types (with the emphasis on rough), suitable to add flavour to a scenario. Nile Steamboat Basic kit: One or two plastic date boxes, some dowel, some strips of plastic (I use coffee stirrers) for decking or rails and a small matchbox. Use the two rounded ends from the lid as paddle wheel arches, stuck onto middle or rear end of the main body (inverted, so that the bottom forms the deck). It will need one or two smoke stacks (dowel) and a wheelhouse and upper cabin using the matchbox. The model can be adorned with various fixtures and fittings from scrap materials. Suitable for 15mm crew figures (mount a Gattling gun or 6pdr in the bows and one possibly amidships. My colonial figures on the shore are 20mm but the model will fit in - giving a sense of the vessel being some distance away from the riverbank. Sudan Scenario: ‘Riverboat shuffle’ Can be used with 'Gentlemen Rankers' rules (LW 116, Sept ‘96). The River Nile flows along one of the narrow edges of the table, extending out about six inches. The gunboat is placed close to shore about halfway along the table edge. The troops deploy on the riverbank next to the gunboat and must march to a hostile village - destroy it, then return to the boat. The gunboat can give covering fire with artillery and or Gatling gun. Set up two villages (a couple of huts each), one at end of table, one in centre. To determine which village has been ‘giving comfort to the enemy’, the colonial command element must be in base contact with one of the huts. Roll a D6 - a score of 1 or 2 for the centre village or 3,4,5,6 for the further village indicates that it is hostile. If it fails the dice throw, then this village is friendly or at least neutral and the other village automatically becomes the hostile one (therefore no need to test it). To destroy a village: a colonial element must be in base contact with a hut and not partaking in any other form of combat that turn. Roll D6 - the hut burns on an odd score (try again next turn on an even roll). When all the huts of the village are ablaze, the village is destroyed. If the troops are hard pressed they can attempt to destroy the first village they come to without first testing to see if it is the hostile one. Roll to test the village after the troops return to the gunboat. If it rolls ‘non-hostile’ - the mission is an embarrassing failure: “there will be an awful row at home about this” when the Times Correspondent files his report! W.W.2 Landing Barges Date boxes make ideal landing barges for German ‘Seelowe’ operations or possible Japanese landings. For the projected invasion of Britain, Hitler amassed a motley collection of Rhine barges to be towed across the English Channel - nothing like the purpose built landing craft used by the Allies for D-Day. They can be built as either powered or towed barges. The date box is wide enough and deep enough to hold a 20mm tank. Fit landing ramp on front and deckhouse at the stern. Towed barges will need a tugboat to pull them - look out for suitable kiddies’ bath-time or seaside toys to convert. Flak barges mounting 20mm Flak vierlings also be built to provide anti aircraft support. WW2 Scenario: 'The Sea Lion has landed' Using ‘Rapid-Fire’ rules. Set up: 4’x5’ table - 2’ sea 1’ beach 2’ mainland. There is a 4” deep mine field and a line of barbed wire running across the beach. German Forces Three un-powered landing barges: Each with one Pz38(t) or PzII and a company of infantry (8 figures). 1 powered Assault pioneer barge: Carrying engineer co with flame-throwers and demo charges and support company with MG and 80mm mortar. 1 Flak Barge. Stuka: JU87. ME109 British Defenders Home Guard Coy (8 figs). Home Guard HQ 5 figs inc. CO + 2” mortar and Boys AT rifle. Home Guard Northover Projector team (2crew) - treat as rifle grenade launcher. 2Pdr anti tank gun (reg. Crew) no tow. Bofors Gun, (reg. Crew). Shore batty: 1x 4-inch gun in fixed emplacement (class as pillbox). Three pillboxes (up to two manned with HMG & 3 crew). Plus reinforcements (see random events). Un-powered barges floating in with the tide move at D6 inches. Powered barges move at 2D6 inches. Barges are treated as class E vehicles. Light damage has no effect. When a barge hits the beach, infantry debus as per rules. Tanks roll D6 indicating number of turns the vehicle must remain stationary, whilst they are unloaded and dried out. Shore battery: range - length of table. 1 observed 4” round per turn. Crew 4. Pillboxes: on first attempt to fire on Germans in range - D6 score of 1 or 2: pillbox is empty. At least one will be empty and one will be manned (i.e. if two have both rolled empty, the third will automatically be occupied or if two have both rolled manned, the third will automatically be empty). Random Events Each turn roll D6 score 5 or 6 - a random event occurs: Random events (roll D6) - German: Air support ME109 drives off RAF units or strafes infantry (on table for one turn) Air support Stuka dive-bombs shore batty or pillboxes (on table for one turn) Naval bombardment (treat as one round Katyusha fire) More barges - recycle one destroyed / beached barge + crew More barges - recycle one destroyed / beached barge + crew Flak Barge (carrying 20mm Flak vierling) - place on table within 12” of German start line. Cannot move. * British: Air support Spitfire or Hurricane (on table 3 allied turns)* Home Guard Lewis-gun team set up in empty pill box* Regular infantry co (8 figs) arrive FOO team arrive (direct batty of two 6” Howitzers off table)* 2pdr AT gun and tractor* Light aircraft (converted trainer e.g. Tiger Moth) carrying 2 light bombs *This event occurs only once. Objective: Germans must exit 3 tanks off the British table edge. I would like to dedicate this article to the memory of the late David Barnes. I never met him, but he was gracious enough to provide illustrations for many of my articles and even wrote an article outlining a scenario for my Gentlemen Rankers rules (one of the greatest compliments I have ever received). Thanks for all your work on behalf of the SWA David. We’ll miss you. Back to Table of Contents -- Lone Warrior #138 Back to Lone Warrior List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2002 by Solo Wargamers Association. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com