Chain of Command: Operation Sea Lion

Operation Sea lion was the planned German invasion of Great Britain, intended to take in 1940. Fortunately the Luftwaffe failed to gain the required air superiority due to the great success of the RAF in the Battle of Britain.

 This game was played using Chain of Command published by Two Fat Lardies and using the 1940 exapanion book, at Lincombe Barn Wargames Society https://www.bristolwargaming.co.uk/ in September 2025. We had five players, each with around a platoon and their own force morale.

 

The beach was heavily fortified with trenches, barbed wire, tank traps and more. Further along the coast was an small beach surrounded by cliffs with bunkers on top. In the village beyond there was a military camp for the garrisoned troops.

 On the German side we had regular infantry to attack the main beach, mountain troops to scale the cliffs and glider borne paratroopers to appear behind the beach. We expected the main beach to be hard work, the plan was that I would land my fallschirmjager beyond the cliffs and attack the bunkers from behind. This would allow the mountain troops to come ashore quickly and we could then support the main beach landing, attacking the trenches from the side and rear.

 It turned out we had no control at all over where the gliders would land. One landing zone was at the far end of the village, with the troops coming onto the table split between two back gardens. I didn't get the dice to move them as I still needed to secure the other landing zone in case it was overrun. The defenders got a double turn, moving sailors from the street to the houses, and then assaulting one half of my squad in one of the gardens. I took heavy losses including the leader and the rest routed off the table and the landing zone was lost. My remaining troops started to come on not too far from the cliffs.

 On the main beach there was little progress. The defenders unleashed a Panjadrum (you may have seen something similar in Dad's Army)

 

The mountain troops were making good process and nearly overwhelmed the bunkers before reinforcements appeared from a nearby house.

 Local volanteers including armed Land Girls prepared to face off against my Fallschimjager. We had correctly guessed which house had been fortified and our Stuka raid had damaged it, but it didn't collapse. There were also a number of bunkers.

 With all my surviving troops in one place I attempted to put our plan into action, but after a succession of terrible movement rolls through the small wood we decided the fight at the cliffs would be over before I got there. Instead I would move to the main beach to support the landing there.
First I needed to deal with the bunker. While the firing slits were facing the other way there were a lot of Land Girls ready to defend it.

 One of my squads drove the defenders in the wood back with casualties, while the other stormed across the bridge ready to assault them and then the bunker by the back door. However another double turn and a single Lewis gun wiped out half the squad and routed them.  With several units and most of my leaders dead my force morale was extremely low, and any further action was likely to break them. I moved my troops back into the wood to try to last out the battle.

I had been under sniper fire and I knew Carol had moved her sniper a couple of times though I didn't know officially where it was. There were only two buildings that he could be in though and I sent a pioneer team over the bridge to enter one of them and set fire to it. With hardly any dice to roll they were unable to move away and the sailors killed two before assaulting them. The last one surrendered and that took my force morale to zero, broken.

 The volanteers now headed en masse towards the beach where Brian had reached the defences at last but a mine sent them back to the waterline. With my force broken, Matt's mountain troops locked in a long tussle over the bunkers and Brian unable to advance under under fire it was clear that the attack had failed and Britain would remain free, or this seaside town at least.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reveile 2025

 On 30 November Lincombe Barn Wargames Society held our annual show, Reveille at our regular gaming venue, Lincombe Barn in Bristol.

The show was well attended and visitors and traders seemed very happy.

We had an emphasis on participation games this year with a 1970s heist game. 

 

WWI tank participation game.

A viking raid participation game by the Skirmish Wargames Group.

 

WWII participation game in 15mm.

 

Traders included Great Escape Games, Blotz, The Square, Martin Hackett, Oakbound Studios, Disain Studios, History of Wargaming Project, Scarab, Reinforcements, Gloster Models, HeadBunny Games, Grubby Tanks, Black Scorpion and MC Model Painting and there was a table for our own club members which was also busy.

 

A donation from door receipts was made to charity. 

Upcoming events at Lincome Barn in 2026:

Wargamer's Tabletop Sale, 26 May 2026 https://www.bristolwargaming.co.uk/ttsale.html

Hordes of the Things tournament: 21 June 2026 https://www.bristolwargaming.co.uk/barnhott.html

Reveille  will return in November 2026

Crusades 15mm

We played Soldiers of God, published by Artorus Games at the local club the other week.

https://www.bristolwargaming.co.uk/ 

 

I had the Muslim right flank, Brian had the left and centre. We chose a mission that gave us a move-shoot-retire order on each flank and manoeuver in the centre. Opposite John has the Christian centre and left, and Kev has their right.

 

 Each turn we draw four additional order cards and assign them to commands as we see fit. Orders include charge, rally, shoot etc. I repeatedly use advance-shoot-retire, concentrating on the enemy knightly order unit. Almost worn down they charge and I unexpectedly win the combat, destroying them.

 

 On the left Brian is doing the same.

 In the centre the infantry move forward very slowly. Eventually they come together but their foot knights are much better than our spears.

 

 John's mounted mena at arms charge my horse archers but there are other priorities for melee cards so nothing happens here for a good while. I moved my camalry into the flank of the sailors and marines but with no charge card to make contact they stayed like this for six turns. In fact we didn't draw a single charge card in the whole game until we sacrificed some cards to change our orders.

On the left Kev's force moved forward. Shooting and running is no longer viable so everyone charges.
 

With a charge card now available every turn. I wipe out the enemy on my flank and kill the commander. Having killed the sailors my camalry charge archers in the centre rear, supported by my own archers who have killed the centre commander. And my infantry position themselves to join the fight in the centre.

 

However we have lost in the centre. Both side's army morale was down to six, from twenty five, a draw.  

Hordes of the Things tournament 2025

 On 15 June Lincombe Barn Wargames Society hosted our annual HotT competition.

We had 12 players of which 10 were from outside the club.

 

Prizes were donated by Alternative Armies. 

https://www.alternative-armies.com/

Hot pies were provided at lunchtime.

We had five rounds, with a total of 30 games played.

 

 

I debuted my Turkish Star Wars army, complete with furry monsters and mummies, based on one of the worst films ever made. You can find the whole movie on Youtube.

 

The winner was Keith, winning all five games,with his Asag and the Stone Allies army. 

The top prize was an army and there were smaller prizes for 2nd and 3rd place, all from Alternative Armies. There was also a chocolate dragon for last place.

Thanks to all those attending, Nick for running it and Andy for cooking.

 

Treasure Hunting with Donald Featherstone's Skirmish Rules

 After our AGM at the club we John Curry ran an 8 player game using Donald Featherstone's skirmish rules, published in 1975.

 We each had two characters, either a veteran and novice, or two average types. One remained on the boat until the first character was incapacitated. We were searching a south sea island for a rumoured horde of gold.

We split into three group to search for the treasure. It was semi-cooperative, but there might be an advantage in being first to find the treasure horde.

One of the party was eaten by a giant crocodile before even getting ashore. 

Our party were attacked by a large gorilla which started by throwing coconuts at us.

We killed it but the second one had an adventurer pinned to the ground and another killed. I put a big rock between me and the gorilla and tried a risky shot at the gorilla to save my associate but rolled a one, killing him. The Gorilla then got me and all three of us brought on our replacements.

 

The group in the centre encountered hostile natives and soon found a corral. One of them fell into a pit trap, his would be rescuer was killed by a thrown spear.

 We wen to help them clear out the corral and encountered a native and a loudly dressed individual who wanted to capture him.

 

The group at the other end encountered were attacked by natives, but chasing one round rock found he disappeared  and ran into some lavers,who weren't inclined to fight. 

They fought off a gorilla and discovered a temple, a likely place to find the treasure. 

The temple was empty but slavers were rushing past us in the direction of our boats carrying a glittering chest. We gave chase and shot from all directions at mostly long range as they stole a boat. Several adventurers rushed to board the boat, several were killed but at least one got aboard. 

The last slavers tried to surrender but we weren't showing mercy to a slaver. We took the treasure and saved the boat. Most of us had lost our first adventurer, one or two had lost both. The rules were quick and straightforward and we all had fun.