Wargame In a Bag

 

Wargame In a Bag

The rules

I found the 'Wargame In a Bag' rules by Nick Grant on a demonstration-video on Youtube. Earlier it was followed by a link to the rules, but the link now seems inactive.

The scenario

I've placed this skirmish to the United Nations largest mission in both scale and operational scope during the Congo Crisis 1960-65, when UN troops 'peacekeeping' was more offensive 'peace enforcement' with force.

Situation:

This skirmish is finding place in fictional place of Lumbaya in the early January of 1963, when the UN during operation 'Grand Slam' are turning their attention to the remaining Katangese strongholds in Southern Katanga after after securing the Katangese capitol of Élisabethville.

Place:

Lumbaya is a very small village located 80km south west of Élisabethville, and are made into a stronghold by a small platoon of Katangese Gendarmes. The village is one of several strongholds in the area to trying to hold the UN off while trying to keep the self-proclaimed president Tshombe by power of the self-proclaimed Katanga state.

Forces:

• Katangese:
• 2 rifle-squads each of 10 soldiers, a LMG and and a bazooka/flame thrower. Each squad can operate as 2 fireteams independently. 
• 1 HMG-detachment of 3 soldiers
• 1 sniper
• HQ-section with platoon-leader and 2 medics
• After turn 12 if rules include vehicles or skilled troops: A QRF consisting of 1 truck with a HMG and a section of 10 'veterans' with a LMG and a bazooka arrives from the next village. Only if Lumbaya is still held by Katangese forces. Since these rules doesn't support vehicles, the QRF enters the village at foot.
• UN:
• 1 Platoon of 3 rifle-squads each of 8 soldiers and a LMG. The squads can operate independently.
• 1 Light mortar-detachment of  2 soldiers and an observer
• 1 bazooka-detachment of 3 soldiers
• HQ-section with platoon-leader
• 1 Jeep with HMG and 2 soldiers. Since these rules do not include vehicles, the Jeep stayed stationary with the HMG at the deployment-area acting a 1 unit.

Mission:

• Katangese: To hold the strongpoint of Lumbaya. Can request QRF-support as mentioned in the force-section from turn 12 if still holding whole or part of the strongpoint.
• UN: To take and hold the strongpoint of Lumbya, preferably within 12 turns, and take control on as many Katangese gendarms located there as possible.

AAR

Time:    1 hour and 40 minutes

Turns:   9

Result:  UN defeat

In the initial phase of the UN attack on Lumbaya, their (stationary) armed jeep came under heavy fire. Luckily they didn't loose it at this point though:

The fire ranges seems pretty generous with these rules, so being in some kind of hard cover will benefit your troops, even if they are receiving enemy fire and gets a -1 on their own shots. This gave the defending Katangese forces a benefit being positioned in a rapidly fortified defense line:

The UN-forces advanced by using firing and maneuver and tried to give each other covering fire. This wasn't enough for the UN forces as they met heavy enemy fire both when advancing and when under cover. In the outskirts of the village they had to seek cover and used several turns to just exchange fire with the opposing forces:

After several hits, the UN also lost their armed jeep, and was a unit less. Now the Katangese could focus their fire on the remaining UN forces...

...The repeatably and intence Katangese fire started to take a toll on the UN forces, and it soon became clear that they couldn't break through the Katangese defense lines. Even though these rules doesn't have mechanics making units to retreat at some time, it seemed reasonable for the few remaining UN troops to start retreating by turn 8. 

Despite trying to give each other covering fire during their retreat, the Katangese forces just finished off the few remaining retreating UN troops. The Katanges on the other hand had minimal losses.

Pros

• It's simple and can be played with easily available and cheap army men or toy soldiers from a lot of different periods.
• Units getting shot at gets a -1 when shooting back. Naturally they'll keep their heads down and don't expose them self too long by aiming.
• Units not moving,can target enemy units anywhere along the path the enemy squad has moved.
• If more than a "6" is needed to hit, the game mechanics let you roll a "6" followed by a re-roll of either 4, 5 or 6 to get "7", "8" or "9".

Cons

• The (free) written rules don't seems to exist any more; Neither in the Youtube-description or online elsewhere.
• The game actually require unit-tokens which is or was for sale, but I used some 3D-printed flame-tokens instead. Any substitute will do.
• It's just too simple and doesn't have rules for dividing different weapons by their damage-potential. I think the written rules had some advanced options regarding heavier weapons.
• It' doesn't have any rules for vehicles.
• I think the hand-to-hand fighting is way to like the board game Risk, and not one of my favorites to resolve melee.
• A +1 for cover behind barbed wire seems too generous. Barbed wire fences don't provide much cover.

Conclusion

These rules seems to have no limits regarding firing ranges, so a gaming setup should offer a lot of covers, so the units just can't be stationary and exchange fire across the tabletop. I also like the idea that covering fire gives an effect of -1 on shooting for the forces being shot at. Just too bad that the written rules doesn't seems to be available anymore neither in the Youtube-description or online elsewhere. If you decides to try out this game, you can just substitute the tokens with anything else, as they don't seems available anymore either. If you try out a similar scenario as mine, feel free to give a feedback if you were more lucky with fighting dug-in enemy troops with these rules than I was.

Hang on; There are more wargames to be played, and more battle reports to be written.