Paleontologists Ambushed by Bandits in the Gobi

Paleontologists Ambushed by Bandits in the Gobi

A Back of Beyond Game with "Contemptible Little Armies"

Our group recently did a game with "armies" from Chris  Peers' Back of Beyond Army List for Asia.  We played the Contemptable Little Army rules, with the Ambush scenario from the East Africa army lists.

These are the forces.  The rules call for a 2:1 ratio in favor of the attacker.  The attacker is the group moving into the ambush.

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Units with Points

Bandits

Under TouStevWoo

1 infantry bolt action 50 points

1 infantry with single shot rifles 30

1 "regular" soldiers 70

2 (@15 figs) Red Spear/Big Sword each 40

1 Cavalry 70

1 sniper 20

1 HMG 72

Paleontologists

Under command of Rob Chapman Andrews (RCA)

2 armored cars 120

2 HMG cars  100

1 Unit  Paleontologists

  (6) rifles  84

  (2) with Lewis Guns 44

1 Chinese soldiers  80

1 laborers  20

2 snipers  50

2 HMG  144

642 points

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The Paleontologists and their supporters were placed on the table in their line of march.  The ambush rules say to come on one at a time, and that the ambushers can be 12" from edge of table where they come on, but this is to be a convention game so we wanted it to be a little more fair.  So Bandits had to be 2 feet from table edge.  The Paleontologists line was

Machine Gun truck, Chinese bodyguards, Americans with baggage, laborers,  and the other MG truck; on top (right flank) a HMG, armored car, sniper. On bottom the same

Along the board in front of the expedition were patches of bad going.  RCA sent out the armored cars to scout the patches.  Here one finds a contingent of bandits. 

In the center, a machine gun truck overran a sniper and then, itself, taken out by a heavy machine gun hidden in a rock formation. 

Close up of HMG with bandit leader

On the right flank, the other Armored car flushed out some more bandits, who fled around the car towards the main column.  The AC is completely scratch built by Nick Nascati.

Late arrivers attacked the column from its right flank.  Ex-white Russians and two groups of Big Sword groups. The expedition's body guard and laborers formed a line to protect the baggage.

  Two views

Close up of the Machine Gun truck (those familiar with our games will note this is the makeshift truck from Tanga).

The Big Swords attack and are shot to pieces by laborers!

The baggage in the center.

Then on the column's left flank, bandits began to attack.  Cavalry is behind the hill in lower right.

The cavalry attack and are shot down by the Americans.  A Lewis gun and Tommy gun is not that helpful when group is attacked 1 on 1.  Also "trench brooms" (Tommy guns) get no melee benefit against cavalry!  Cavalry do  get +2 vs foot so took a heavy toll of the explorers.

Expedition sniper hiding behind Old Glory Lanchester Armored Car.  How is the scale match?

All in all a good game, played in 2 ½ hours by 4 players.  I spent about ½ hour  previous setting up the game as I will do it at a local convention in January.