Sunday, August 2, 2015

Going to the wall


I'm contemplating the next game in my VBCW campaign set between the Anglican League based in Thetford, Norfolk, and the BUF out of Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk. The League scored a major success in the last action, almost destroying the BUF platoon and helping to capture part of the Crown Jewels. The BUF were sent reeling back to their main line positions on the axis West Stow-Culford-Ingham-Ampton, with an outpost the East side of the Mere at Great Livermere.

My original idea for the next game was a direct attack by the Anglican League down the A134 against BUF positions in the village of Ingham. Further thought led me instead to the eastern end of the lines. 

The tiny Domesday village of Ampton lies approximately half a mile east of Ingham. Its main claim to fame is as the birthplace of Robert FitzRoy RN, captain of HMS Beagle during Darwin's voyage. The small, early 14th century church of SS. Peter & St. Paul stands to the south end of the village. Ampton Hall lies to the East in extensive walled grounds nestling up against the Mere. New Road runs north to south straight through the village. Approximately a mile south of Ampton at the hamlet of Timworth Green the road turns to the west and joins the A134.

Anglican League intelligence reports the village is garrisoned by the battered remnants of the platoon which opposed them at Honnington aerodrome and later in the Battle of Three Farms. HQ believes if enough pressure is brought to bear this platoon will fold. Piercing the BUF lines at Ampton will enable League forces to use New Road to outflank the BUF lines and directly threaten their communications with Bury St. Edmunds. 

III BUF Platoon got battered right enough, and lost its inept leader. It has been reinforced but is not in good heart. The terrain in and around Ampton favour defence though, and might be enough to help them hold a further attack. 

Which leads me to my recent terrain building session...


 
One feature of Ampton I gleaned from the Google map street-view is the presence of a number of high walls lining New Road. These would obviously be a major feature of the defence. Not having any suitable walls to hand, I made some. A quick search for brick walls brought up a number of useful images. Doing a bit of cutting-and-pasting using Paint enabled me to print off several sheets of brick paper, which I then folded and cut and pasted for real on corrugated card. The bases are cut from wooden tongue depressors, and the 'grass' is green sand fixed with diluted PVA. This also helps weigh down the wall strips, which otherwise would be too light. 

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