The Battle For Borgenfluffen - A Border Steam Punk Fight between Hermany And Blusia

 Borgenfluffen is a village unhappily situated on the border between Blusia and Hermany; in fact, past wars and battles saw it divided in half, between the two countries. Hermany probably got the better deal as it kept the machine factory which now produces weaponry for Army Black.

  Below: A Herman Steam tank takes on the Blusian Foreign Legion. The legionnaires in this unit were almost wiped out. A Blusian steam tactor is in the background. In the foreground is the statue of the Herman medieval hero, Conrad Tickleburger.

  Below: The imposing Blusian Steam tank is well armed with siege cannon and Gattling guns.

                                                              Blusian heavy artillery

                                                                   Blusian zouaves

   Background: Blusian elite heavy cavalry prepare to counter-attack Herman lancers after the latter clashed with Blusian lancers.

                                              The view from the Herman walker

                                 The initial Herman lancer charge against the Blusian cavalry.

                                                         Blusian cavalry before the clash

                                          Herman infantry prepare to shoot at Blusian cavalry.

                                                       Herman artillery in the foreground

                         A duel across Square Lake. The Herman rifle regiment is in the foreground.

                                                                     Hermans in reserve

                                                      Blusians in experimental uniforms

                                   The Herman Rifle unit is positioned in front of a quaint cottage

                                             Herman machine gun in second story of a building

                                                                  Herman grenadiers

                                                                  Herman Rifle unit

                                                    Blusian walker with twin inked cannon

                                  A view of Herman positions:  The factory is well protected.

  Captain Von Stinker laughs manically, as he sends his shark tank grotesquely munching through a regiment of Blusian Foreign Legionaries.

SETUP

Each side could set up to a third of the way down the ends of the board. Each side had gun emplacements on buildings. The Blusians had a heavy cannon emplacement located opposite the Herman Grenadiers in their building emplacement. 

  I won the dice rolls for set up and first move so Mat had the disadvantage of setting up first, thus giving away his positions to which I could counter. Also, my deployment covered a wider section, but the Blusians were more hemmed in.

  The Hermans initially had more units in position, but the Blusians had more in total but in reserve. The Blusians also had more canons. Each side had a walker and a steam tank but the Blusian walker was in reserve.

PROGRESS OF BATTLE

  The Herman infantry edged up from my left flank, with a rifle regiment in open formation in the lead. I located a machine gun in the Sesame Street building. My other infantry supported the rifle regiment advance which stopped once the Foreign legion Blusian reserves were seen arriving on that flank.

  On my right flank my infantry advanced a short distance and took positions in a cottage and behind rocks.

  Then a disaster hit the Blusians as one of my shells fell on a limber. The resulting huge explosion blew up among infantry, cannons and the general staff. The damage was extensive and even killed General Pepe Lashank and wo of his staff officers. The Blusians then had to wait three moves for a replacement general to arrive, so all their forward movement ceased.

  At this point my two units of lancers charged the Blusian cavalry which had been slightly reduced by infantry fire. Whilst the Blusian lancers were mauled the Blusian elite cuirassiers drove off a sad remnant of the Herman lancers. However, Herman infantry fire then drove off the few remaining Blusian cavalry.

  My grenadiers and other infantry shot up the gun crew in the emplacement. mat moved in some infantry to be novice gunners, but they too suffered. 

  As if through karma, a Busian shell landed on one of my limbers, causing another huge explosion which caused a chain reaction with another limber blown up, A number of infantry, two guns and crews were destroyed. The walker received some minor damage.

  A new Blusian general has arrived, general Pierre Manet.

   Captain Von Stinker had been playing the shark tank's Gattling gun on the enemy and next he charged the vehicle towards the Blusians, shooting up the legionaries before charging the tank straight into  them. Then the Blusian land ship malfunctioned and reversed straight into the steam shark. This caused some minor damage to the shark before it reversed back into the Blusian legionaries who were so reduced that the remnants retreated.

   The Blusian land ship then resumed its cautious advance forward with the Busian walker also advancing. Herman General, Frederick Cloffenburger, and his staff, watch this advance with apprehension.

RULES

WE used an adaptation of Funny Little Wars and special rules for the steam vehicles similar to those for Ork looted vehicles in Warhammer 40K - don't ask me which edition.

VICTORY CONDITIONS
Number of enemy units destroyed and table quarters.

We are currently completing move eight. We had to pause the game and will continue tomorrow. Generally, our games go for 12 moves plus extra moves if the dice god so decree it. So far Blusian casualties and lost units are greater than Herman ones.

  More photos and reports will come over the next day or two.