Like most of my wargaming periods, I dream about gaming them for several years until I start to paint miniatures. The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 was no exception. Though I'm more of a mid 19th century horse and musket period guy, I'm interested in the obscure wars of the early 20th century like the Chaco and Russo-Polish wars. I'll probably do these periods in a few years.
Miniatures
A natural starting point when starting a new period is what miniatures are available. There are no dedicated ranges for the Russo-Japanese war. However, several figures can be used from the Boxer Rebellion and WWI.
I use Boxer Rebellion figures from the Irregular Miniatures 15min Colonial range. I love the Russian infantry with the variations in equipment. All of the infantry figures stand at attention with their rifles held vertically. I wish they had a firing pose.
The Japanese infantry are good but I don't like them as well as the Russians. They are all in an advancing pose and seem a little "stocky". All cavalry figures including Japanese cavalry and Russian dragoons and Cossacks are nice.
There weren't any Russian and Japanese MG crew at the time when I ordered from Irregular Miniatures two years ago. I used the British MG with attached crew and cut them away. I then used the Japanese officer for the crew. He's standing and looks out of place as a Russian but it works. Several months later, Russian MG's and crew were available. I haven't seen the figures so I can't comment but they are probably good. As a possible substitute, you can use the early British MG and crew for the Japanese.
For artillery, I use the Russian and Japanese guns from the colonial range for light artillery pieces. For heavy artillery, Irregular has a really useful generic type gun range. The guns are designed to be used with 15 and 20 mm figures. I use gun type one A for the Japanese and gun type seven B for the Russians. Irregular carries early 20th century Japanese and Russian crew figures.
Another 15 mm Boxer Rebellion range I'm familiar with are Frontier Miniatures carried by Modeler's Mart. Though I haven't seen any, I've heard from several wargaming friends that the molds are old and the figures have a lot of flash. A review in the Gauntlet newsletter confirmed this.
The last possible source of figures would be Minifigs WWI range for Russians. I'm not familiar with the range so I can't comment. In 25 mm, the only dedicated range is from Falcon Figures (in the U.K.). There were only a few figures available two years ago but I don't know if they've added any since. In 6 mm, the Irregular WWI Russians could be used for both sides with paint modifications.
Rules
There are several WWI rules that can be used to game the war. Just remove the tanks and make the quality of the Japanese good. The Russians will be generally bad. I use a modified Great War rules myself published by the Potomac Wargamers over ten years ago. I've sent them in to Hal so hopefully they'll be in this issue or the next one.
Great War uses an action deck to simulate command and control. Combat is deterministic and based on a formula. If the result of the formula is 480, that means four figures are killed with an 80% of killing another figure. It is quick and playable. I've grafted on some features from Rocket's Red Glare rules that use the same concepts. By the way, Rocket's Red Glare features rules and scenarios for the War of 1812 and is worthwhile to pick up. Great War might still be available. Try writing Fred Haub at 10211 Gary Road, Potomac, MD 20854. The rules cost $10.
I haven't personally tried any other rule sets I'll mention. I will provide an overview of the mechanics and what I think from reading the rules. The first one is Over the Top by the now defunct GDW. It is based on Command Decision and modified for WWI. It looks "easy play" to me but an article in the Canadian Wargamer's Journal felt it was too complex.
Ogerna in the U.K. has two rule sets available. The first one, Over the Top seems OK from reading it but one aspect is very strange. It's based on the concept of hit percentages. The base hit percentage for a rifle is 77%. This base percentage is modified for the target being a trench. My question is why the base percentage wasn!t rounded up to 80%. It would simplify the math and you wouldn't need a calculator as much.
Stretcher Bearers Wanted, also carried by Ogema looks better. Combat is by bases and cohesion is emphasized. Though the basic element is a company, a unit could be a battalion or regiment for larger games. The rules are written for 6mm Irregular WWI miniatures but could be used for 15mm with minor changes.
Elan carried by the Gauntlet uses a variation of the EDNA system pioneered in England. Each unit has a Elan strength that decreases due to failure. To fire, two six sided dice are rolled. If the dice total is under the Elan rating, the action succeeds. If not, the action fails and the Elan rating goes down by one. Though I have not played these rules, they look good.
Principles of War rules have army lists for the Russo-Japanese War. I use them for Garibaldi and Spanish- American War. They work quite well but I wanted to get away from the math and rosters these rules use. I know there are rules for trench action games but I can't remember their titles. If you're aware of any more, please write an article or letter to MWAN.
Wargame Magazine Articles
With the Russo-Japanese War not being a popular wargame period, articles on it are not published all of the time. However, if you go back, there are several articles. Years ago, Peter Gritton published several scenarios in Miniature Wargames magazine.
The battles and issue numbers are the following:
- Battle of Te-Li-Ssu, #14
Battle of Nan Shan, #31
Cavalry Action in the Russo-Japanese War. the Hsin-Kai Bridge Raid, #35
Battle of Chiao-Tou, #43
Each article features a good map, OOB's with suggestions for gaming the action and suggestions on what aspects your rules should cover. A most valuable resource. Besides that, Mr. Gritton wrote an article in the fast Wargames Illustrated on wargaming night actions as a solo game. The featured action is a Japanese night attack on a Russian Trench. In Gauntlet # 1 1, Mal Wright covers the battle of Lao-Mu-Tin. This is an ideal introductory game because each side only has about 18 units.
The best and most comprehensive article covering the war was by Major Jeff Lesser in Courier #63. Jeff covers the uniforms, figures and books written on the war in great detail. The only thing lacking are rules. Jeff wrote like the Courier was going publish his rules. However, they never were. Jeff, if you're reading this article, why don't you send them to MWAN? I'm sure the readers would love to see them.
Books on the War
Several books have been written on the war but I have only read a few. Jeff Lesser's article in Courier #63 covers the official histories that came after the war in great detail. Also, most of the other books written on the war are covered. I'm not sure what books are still in print. A great book search on the Internet is www.bibliofind.com By searching for a given title or subject, registered book stores and their phone numbers are listed that have the book in stock.
Connaughton, Richard, "The War of the Rising Sun and Tumbling Bear", Routledge, 1991, London: This book offers a very good overview of the war. 'Me maps and OOB's are rough but you can fill in the details to generate scenarios. The official histories that came out after the war are probably better though.
Menning, Bruce W., "Bayonets Before Bullets: The Imperial Russian Army, 1861-1914, 1992, Indiana University Press": Though this book covers the Russo-Japanese war in one chapter, if you're interested in the Russian Army after the Crimean War, pick this book up. Menning in my opinion is the guru on the Russian Army. How the Russian army tried to change their tactics is clearly explained. Chapters on the Russo- Japanese and Russo-Turkish Wars have useful maps and battle reports.
Westwood, J. N., "The Illustrated History of the Russo-Japanese War", Henry Regnery Company, Chicago, 1973: This should be the first book you read on the war. The text is short, concise and a good introduction. But the pictures will encourage you to game the war.
Magazine and Miniature Sources
Gauntlet Publications, c/o Craig Martelle, American Embassy Moscow, PSC 77, DTRO-M, APO AE 0972 1. Craig carries the excellent Gauntlet wargame publication. Back issues are available for $6 postpaid. Elan rules cost $12 postpaid. gauntlet2@hotmail.com
On Military Matters, 55 Taylor Terrace, Hopewell NJ 08525. Principles of War are carried by this firm for $18 plus $3.50 for postage. Army list books retail at $12 each. Ogema rule books are carried too. Besides carrying rulebooks, On Military Matters has a great book service and will notify you if they've found a book for you even two year later. Dennis Shorthouse heads up one of the finest wargame related companies anywhere.
Ogema Publications, 3 Workshop Road, Snenion, Nottingham, NG3 2BA, U.K.. Ogema rulebooks are hard to get a hold of because they don't take a credit card. Try On Military Matters above.
Irregular Miniatures, 3 Apollo St., Heslington, York YO1 5AP. Another fine company. Irregular does everything from 2 to 20mm that other firms wouldn't even touch. Even with airmail postage, their miniatures are still cheaper than other firms like Peter Pig (I like Peter Pig but at 40 cents each are a bit too expensive). They take a credit card and ship within three weeks with airmail! Ask for their 2/6/10/15/20mm "posh" catalog.
Falcon figures (U.K.), 34 The Causeway, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN 15 3DB. If you want to game the Russo-Japanese War in 25mm, drop them a few IRC's (International Reply Coupons available at your post office) and see what miniatures are available.
Conclusion
If you want to try a modern period that pre-dates WWI but has some of the technology, this is a good period. One advantage is with the addition of a Chinese Army and some allies for the Japanese and Russians is that you're all set to game the Boxer Rebellion. Also, you can game the SinoJapanese War if you like something more obscure.
Interest seems to be generated lately in early 20th century conflicts. I plan on writing some scenarios for Russo-Japanese war actions not covered in the magazine articles I mentioned and send them into MWAN. If you have anything on the Russo-Japanese War or other early 20th century conflicts, why don't you write it up for MWAN?
Battle of Yosheri: July 31, 1904
Battle of Heavenly Pass
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© Copyright 1999 Hal Thinglum
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