It is 1891 and the Germans, in the guise of a Bolivian mining corporation, have ignored the International Treaty Survey of 1823. They have moved to the Chilean village of Agua Nada to exploit the rich deposits of brass. The Chilean nation has accepted the help of the French government to throw the Germans out and reclaim the mining operation. Chileans win if they control the town, the new bridge, and the mine building. It is a total victory if they also capture the German fieldgun and truck with its load of brass. The rules I used are The Sword & the Flame, with some extra stuff. The Chilean force enters on the foothill road. It cannot leave the road until it reaches the plain, 12 inches from the board edge. The Chilean force may enter in any order and includes: 2 units of veteran cavalry, 10 figs each. 1 unit of French veterans, 12 figs. 1 French machinegun on a pack horse and crew. 2 units of Chilean regulars, 12 figs each. 3 units of peasant miners armed with old muskets (green troops), 20 figures each. 1 steam powered armored car with a gatling gun in a turret and towing an old howitzer. The gun crew is in the armored car. German forces may begin anywhere on the map on the mining company side of the dry riverbed and within 12 inches of Agua Nada. Starting on the board are: 1 unit of German veteran infantry, 18 figs. 1 German machinegun and crew. 3 units of miners (2 green, 1 regular), 12 figs each. 1 medium German breech-loading field piece and crew. 1 steam powered truck used for hauling brass and moving the field piece. Each German unit begins the game with 2-6 inch sections of tall walls with loopholes. If it wants, it can trade these sections for 1 card pull. Whether or not this trade is made, the unit then rolls 1D6 for additional card pulls. Card pull results are: Ace of spades = Human bomb. He appears anywhere in the French startup area at any time. He has the same effect as a 3 inch mine (roll 1D6; 1-5 blows up, 6 = dud). Ace of hearts = Upgrade 3 units by one class. Ace of clubs = Upgrade 2 units by one class. Ace of diamonds = Upgrade 1 unit by one class. King = 6-inch mine. Destroys everything in a 6-inch diameter circle and every fig within 6 inches of the blast zone must roll; 5-6 = dead. Queen = 3-inch mine. Same as above but with 3-inch zones. Jack = 1 Molotov cocktail. Must be assigned to a figure, who may not melee or fire. Range is 8 inches and is only good against vehicles or to block roads. It burns for 1D6 turns when blocking roads, or vehicle destroyed on 1D6 roll; 1 = immediately, 2-4 = 1 turn, 5-6 = 2 turns. 10,9,8 = Works. Same as short walls, but give an additional +2 against rifle and machinegun fire. 7,6,5 = Tall walls. Tall walls have holes for muskets. +2 against rifle fire, +1 against machineguns, cannot melee through. 4,3,2 = Short walls. +1 against fire from muskets and machineguns, +1 for melee. Artillery hits against walls take out a 3-inch section and kill all those immediately behind that section. Mines are hidden before the start of the game and marked. When you wish to detonate a mine, tell the umpire and roll 1D6: 1 = explodes, 2-3 = explodes next turn, 4-5 = explodes in 2 turns, 6 = dud. Additional special rules: 1. The German truck starts 36 inches away from the board edge that it must leave. 2. The Andes foothills extend 12 inches in from the board edge and may only be traversed by road. 3. Only vehicles can move artillery. It takes an entire turn to limber or unlimber. 4. The German truck moves 12 inches on the road and 6 inches off road. 5. The Chilean armored car moves 16 inches on the road and 8 inches off road. 6. If the German truck crosses the board edge and the Chilean armored car crosses leaves the board on the same edge, the truck is captured. 7. Houses are totally destroyed by 3 artillery hits. On every hit roll 1D6 for each fig inside; 4-6 = dead. 8. Every turn the armored car or truck is traveling off road, roll 1D10; 1 = breaks down. It may not move the remainder of the game. 9. The dry riverbed offers no protection from enfilade fire. Here are some basic armor rules for 25mm. These work and can be easily fiddled with for different effects. Movement in inches Wheeled 18 on road, 12 cross country, 9 in rough Tracked 9 anywhere For anything else, ask the ref. Firing These rules look complex, but they really are not. It is just a lot to read through at first. Targets must be spotted before they can be fired on. A target that moves, fires, or is in the open and in a line of sight is spotted. If a target does not move, fire and is 90% concealed, it is spotted if the enemy comes within 12 inches. To resolve firing, roll 1D10. If there is a hit, pull the indicated number of cards and consult the results table. Guns vs. Armor Target Hit on less than: Cards pulled/result Unarmored vehicle 8 2 Front armor 3 1 Side armor 5 2 Rear armor 6 3 Artillery 6 Roll D6 for each fig; 6 = dead Hit modifiers are added to or subtracted from the die roll. A natural 1 is always a hit. In cover +2 Either side moved last turn +1 for each Attacker heavier -2 Attacker lighter +2 Firing on artillery piece from side or rear -3 Card results Ace Destroyed King Cannot fire 1 turn Queen Cannot move 1 turn Jack Cannot fire rest of game 10 Cannot move rest of game 9 Turns 90 degrees right and stops 1 turn 8 Turns 90 degrees left and stops 1 turn 7 Can only move forward, no turns 6 Must full reverse 2 turns 5 Crew is killed. May re-crew with officer and 2 infantry 4 Blows up inflicting an immediate damage check on anything within 6 inches. Pull 1 card on any vehicle; roll 1D6 for infantry or cavalry 5-6 = dead 3 Stunned. No action allowed 1D6 turns 2 Shell bursts in breech. Gun destroyed and crew killed Special rules You may fire on a target at any point where it moved through your line of sight. Some artillery may fire indirectly. They need someone who can see the target. When firing, pick an impact point and roll 1D6; 1 = on target, any other number is the number of inches it is off target. Odd = long, even = short. Indirect fire has the same effect as a 3-inch mine. Finally, remember it is a game. If you don't like something, change it.  Map Key A = Andes foothills, accessible only by road. B = Chilean Army enter on the road here. C = Roads. D = Old Bridge that might support cavalry or vehicle. Collapses on a 4,5,6 (1D6) for cavalry or vehicle, on a 6 for infantry. To move across, move to the middle and roll a die. If the bridge doesn't collapse, continue movement. If the bridge collapses, all on the bridge are killed. E = Small dunes. No vehicles allowed. Movement 1h for all others. F = Dry riverbed. Acts as works; take 1 turn to cross if not on the bridge. No vehicles are allowed. G = Large hill. Same movement restriction as dunes. H = Village of Agua Nada. I = Water tower. J = Mine company building. K = New bridge. L = Road on which the French truck must exit. M = German steam powered truck. Back to MWAN # 121 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2003 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com