Preparations commence for BoB campaign game - part 1

Ambush on the Harbin-Suifenho railway, west of Mulingchan (Republic of China)

Playing Area: 36" x 36"

Terrain: Straight railway line running N/S. Telegraph poles along the rail line. Woodland flanking rail line. Cleared area to either side of the track, in front of the treeline.

Scenario Terrain: Obstruction upon rail line, centre of length.

Brazilian Expeditionary Force

. CinC: Pistol: +0

. 10x Brazilian Soldiers: C3/M4: Rifles, Grenades/Rifle grenades, 1x LMG

. 5x Brazilian Soldiers: C3/M4: Rifles, Grenades

. 2x Engineers: C3/M3: sapper armour (equivalent to leader saving roll)

Possible reinforcements (after turn 3, plus dice roll success of 5+/1d6):

. 2iC: Pistol: +0

. 5x Brazilian Soldiers: C3/M4: Rifles, Grenades, 1x LMG

Objectives:

. Clear the obstruction of the rail line.

. Engineers survive.

Deployment area:

. Start in the gaming area, along the rail line near their own table edge. Not in the woods. Positioned logically as best as possible.

Chinese forces of Warlord Zhao Lingwei

. Warlord Zhao Lingwei: Big Sword: +1

. 2iC: Pistol: +0

. 10x Chinese Soldiers: C4/M4: Rifles, 1x LMG

. 5x Chinese Soldiers: C4/M4: Close Order & Poor shots : Rifles 

. 5x Chinese Dare-to-Die: C3/M3: Big Swords, Grenades, Pistols

. Chinese Sniper: C3/M3

Objective:

. Rout the foreign devils

Deployment area:

. 10 Chinese soldiers (LMG) start in an ambush, in the woods to one side of the rail line obstruction. Hidden until discovered, or open fire. 2iC attached.

. The Sniper starts in an ambush, in the woods opposite the above. Hidden until opens fire.

. The rest start in woods towards their own table edge. Positioned logically as best as possible, out of sight of Brazilians.

MANCHURIAN RAILWAY SABOTAGE EXPLAINED [NRW BoB Campaign - solo diversion]

Warlord Zhao Lingwei Issues Stern 

Warning to Foreign Armies

FROM OUR NORTHERN CORRESPONDENT

MULINGCHAN, 18th this month

The mystery surrounding the abrupt halt of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force on the outskirts of Mulingchan has been partially lifted following the circulation of a proclamation attributed to the Manchurian commander Zhao Lingwei, a regional military strongman whose influence is said to extend along the Harbin–Suifenho railway corridor.

According to local sources, the disruption of rail traffic was not the work of Bolshevik irregulars, nor of Japanese agents, but rather a calculated operation carried out by an elite detachment known colloquially as the Iron Fang — a hand-picked guard unit personally loyal to Zhao himself. Witnesses report disciplined troops armed with pistols and long swords appearing briefly along the line before vanishing into the forests, leaving rails obstructed and signalling equipment disabled with professional efficiency.

In his statement, Zhao Lingwei declared that foreign military forces transiting Manchuria without invitation would no longer be tolerated, accusing the Brazilian Expeditionary Force of acting — knowingly or otherwise — as a “shield and screen for the ambitions of the so‑called Harbin Imperialist Russians.”

“Manchuria has suffered enough from armies who claim neutrality while clearing the road for others,” the proclamation reads.

“Those who travel our railways in armoured trains and foreign uniforms must understand that they do not pass unseen, nor unjudged.”

Zhao further warned that any force allowing itself to be “guided, supplied, or directed by émigré Russian officers and capital interests clustered around Harbin” risked becoming an instrument of renewed domination in the region — a fate he claimed to be resisting in the name of Chinese sovereignty and local order.

While the Brazilians have made no official response, observers note that the wording of Zhao’s declaration leaves open the possibility of future negotiations, should the South American contingent demonstrate independence from Russian influence and restraint in its movements.

For now, however, the message is unmistakable: the rails beyond Mulingchan are no longer neutral ground, and Zhao Lingwei’s Iron Fang Detachment stands ready to enforce his will with steel and fire.

NRW Brazilians in the Back of Beyond Campaign

FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

VLADIVOSTOK, 14th this month.

The arduous trek of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force through the Manchurian hinterland has taken a most curious turn. Having departed the port of Vladivostok with their commander-in-chief chauffeured in a Ford motor vehicle, the South American contingent struck northward, effecting a clever bypass of the Imperial Japanese outposts stationed near Rasdolnaya.

Reliable dispatches reaching this office indicate that the Brazilians successfully secured passage upon the Harbin-Suifenho railway, part of the great Chinese Eastern Railway, their iron horses steaming westward toward the heart of the continent. However, word has arrived that this progress was abruptly checked on the outskirts of Mulingchan. It is reported that the lead train was brought to a standstill by the interference of agents unknown, leaving the expedition’s present status a matter of grave conjecture. Whether this obstruction was the work of Bolshevik irregulars working on the orders of a reportedly disgruntled Vladivostok military commander or some other shadow force remains to be seen.

Cave Woman conversion update. What if Bettie Page was cast in a 1950s caveman movie...

Update photograph of the Reaper Miniatures Cave Woman miniature that I started back in 2023. Back then, the miniature was solely going to represent a fictional female prehistoric human, but last year I became aware of Bettie Page comic books, which lead to me discovering more about the real-life person and her work. Which saw this miniature having more work done to it, to represent a fictional Bettie Page in a 1950s cave woman movie, or some such nonsense, which could explain her presence in tabletop prehistory games.

Below are two photos from the 12 November 2023 blog post.

       

Stock miniature - Reaper Miniatures

Ideas for a 1950s comic book secret agent Bettie.

Taking an image of a Bad Squiddo Games WW2 Resistance sculpt from off the Internet, and using a basic computer paint program to make a crude artist's impression of what the miniature could look like with hair bangs, you get the above image. I used this same method when conceptualizing the cave woman miniature before I attempted to sculpt hair bangs onto it.

Brazilian CinC de Castro Pereira has his photo taken (sort of)

After the recent tabletop wargame, depicting the Imperial Japanese attempt on Bolshevik-held Vladivostok, there was some back-and-forth banter between myself and the player commanding the Red Russians in the game on the NRW discord channel. As I said in the AAR of the game, two posts back, the comrade commander didn't view the Brazilian Exploratory Force's efforts as benefitting the defence in any way, and when I asked if anyone knew where I could find a motor vehicle for the Brazilian CinC to now be ferried around in, the comrade commander hit back with the statement that there was no posh cars to be found in the Soviet Republic. Obviously that was too good a statement to ignore...

Posh car found in the Soviet Republic!

Contrary to the claims of the comrade commander of the Vladivostok garrison, the Brazilian CinC, de Castro Pereira has been able to find for himself a posh car in the Soviet Republic (a capitalist Ford Model T automobile no less!) and he's been chauffeuring around town two of his ladies squeezed-in next to him, waving to the locals as they pass them by.

The above is the headline and news story I posted in the campaign thread on the NRW discord. The image is AI generated, using ChatGPT.

Coincidently (as I didn't give too detailed a description to ChatGPT), the AI generated chap has quite the resemblance to the miniature I'm using to depict de Castro Pereira on the tabletop. Even better, I've a Model T Ford model from Warbases, that I'm going to use as de Castro Pereira's command vehicle in games going forward 🤣

Portrait photograph of the wounded de Castro Pereira, shortly after his valiant contributions in the defence of Vladivostok - hence the bandages around his arm - alongside a photograph of the gallant officer with his accompanying, unmarried female friends (who he brought with him from Brazil and who are now having to nurse him while he recovers from his wounds.)

[Images are, again, AI generated using ChatGPT.] 

North Riding Wargames December 2025

I only went to the club (suggestions on a postcard as to what to name us) twice last year. This showcases what was happening on my second visit. 

Game: ACW (Altar of Freedom) 10mm. Battle of Corinth scenario

Outcome: I lost. And got my (Confederate) commander KIA.

Game: WSS (homebrew rules) using Paper Soldiers mounted on MDF bases

Game: SYW (Honours of War) 10mm.

This was the busiest game in terms of player numbers (bolstered by a local gamer turning up for his first visit and being allotted a command to play in the game). It was so busy, and I was so busy losing at Corinth, that I only took one photo - Which isn't the one I'm using.

Photo the property of A. Fenton.

If its of help to anyone wondering the age range of the NRW membership, at this game meet I would have been the youngest present at 44yo. Out of the full membership, I'll be one of the youngest members. I'll make the claim that none of us would have been born later than the mid-to-late 1980s.

Battle of Vladivostok (club BoB campaign)

 The Brazilian Exploratory Force (BEF) makes its long awaited debut into the theatre!

Firstly, why the Brazilians, you're probably wondering. The answer is, there was already too many British players. And yes, those are late war WW1 British figures being used to play the Brazilians.

The battle:

The Japanese launch a surprise invasion of Vladivostok, catching the Red Russian and myself (the Brazilian player) off guard. 

I've a (no longer) secret agreement with the Red Russian player, allowing my forces to land at Vladivostok and ride the railway.

Unfortunately, the person commanding the Red Russians in this game wasn't aware of this (proxying for the actual Bolo player) so didn't know I was meant to be on his side. And the Japanese technically weren't at war with the Brazilians either. So I was the fly in the ointment, arriving on turn 3.

The Japanese landing craft arrive!

And is immediately bombarded from the shore batteries.

With the battle in full-swing, the first unit of Brazilians arrive.

(I thought it was a great idea to randomise the entry point - And they arrive into a firefight!)

Soon followed by the Brazilian CinC, de Castro Pereira, who it 

turns out is an adrenalin junky who has no idea how to properly command a train.

(Again, I randomised for his entry point, and he turned up on the opposite table edge.)

Yes, you're seeing things correctly. The Brazilian 2iC did order his troops to advance along the railroad line, halting the fire from both Red Russians and Japanese - The Japanese player did comment how the Brazilian flag did look remarkably similar to the Star and Stripes of the USA.

Not that it stopped him from then ordering an aerial bomb attack into the Brazilian-Bolshevik grouping. My Brazilians joined in with the opportunity fire at the aerial target, which the Reds had initiated. (The Brazilian ROE state not to initiate combat with the Imperial Japanese, unless fired upon first.) But luckily we Brazilians of the Legion are rubbish shots, and missed!

Meanwhile, on the other side of Vladivostok, the train isn't moving fast enough so de Castro Pereira orders more speed.

With disastrous consequences!

Broken arm not stopping him, de Castro Pereira orders his surviving men to leave the carriage.

The foot race to reach the end of the derailed steam engine in full-swing. Gold medals to the boys from Brazil!

(Its a good job the Umpire didn't call for a dice test, to see if the intermingling of Brazilians and Japanese didn't devolve into a massed brawl.)

At this point in the game, the central warehouse has changed hands a few times between the Imperial Japanese and Red Russians. And the Russian player had reached the end of his patience with the Brazilians running around his home port - So he ordered his troops to open fire, justifying his actions with "I don't know which side they're on," which I replied with "I'm on your side!" The Russian reply of "You should have said so," didn't bring back the Brazilian KIA. 

(I did say that it was a secret agreement I had with the campaign's Red Russian player. Unfortunately, in this game, he wasn't in control of the Bolshevik forces and I went along with keeping the game's Russian player in the dark.) 

The flag of the Republic of the United States of Brazil is placed proudly on the quayside at Vladivostok. Objective number one seized. We control the water front.

(The flag is correct, though an anachronism for our time frame.)

de Castro Pereira enters the central warehouse (Brazilian objective number 2. Also a Bolshevik and Japanese objective.) Ready to claim it should the Red Russians inside become KIA from the Japanese tank fire, and hold it for the infant Bolshevik-Brazilian alliance.

This is where the game's Red Russian player disagreed with de Castro Pereira's presence and my claim that the Brazilian Exploratory Force had helped secure Vladivostok. It wasn't my fault the Japanese didn't shoot at us in the game and, therefore, allowing the BEF to follow ROE and engage them in battle.

####

The rules used were Setting The East Ablaze (STEA)

Those present at the game were:

. Commanding Player Imperial Japanese Forces

. Commanding Player Brazilian Exploratory Force (BEF) aka the Brazilian Legion, or Brazil Legion

. Commanding Player Imperial White Russians (solely as an observer of the game)

. Player controlling Vladivostok's Bolshevik garrison (and who's house we played at)

. Campaign Umpire

Game outcome:

A mess. 

Both the Bolshevik and the Japanese army morale broke at the end of turn 8. But the Bolsheviks were defending, so get to keep Vladivostok and lay claim to a victory. 

The Japanese retreated to prepare for a future (possible) attempt at the port. While, also cutting Vladivostok off from the sea with their fleet and destroying the railroad line to the north. Vladivostok is, effectively, cut off from help.

The Brazilians, meanwhile, are boisterous in the victory they perceive they achieved. The commander's accompanying ladies are quickly ferried in from the offshore ships (as somebody has to nurse him, now he has TWO broken arms. Or was it two break to one arm?) Either way, he won't be using his sniper rifle, nor commanding from the front, for the foreseeable future.