One Page Rules Regiments - Dwarves vs Orcs 2025pts

2024 was a bit of an odd year for me, for <reasons> and it meant that I didn’t get much blogging done.

2025 is a new year and we have some significant plans for gaming in the year.  I hope they come to pass, but whatever happens I’m hoping to blog more consistently.

Kicking off with our first session, this evening we diverted into One Page Rules (OPR) Regiments.  OPR has been a solid standard in our gaming schedule for a few years now and its an excellent suite of simple and playable rules.

Regiments is something we’ve not tried much of, so here we go.  During 2024 I spent some time using up the 10mm miniatures I had left over from my Warband Fantasy armies, and I had enough to put together an orc army and their traditional adversaries, the dwarves. As these were ‘what I have left’, rather than planned lists it meant that they are not in OPR terms ‘competitively validated’, but no worries. In 10mm I roughly had 4 figures to a single base, with each base being a single figure in game terms.

So we set out with a test game, and therefore no scenario involved. We put some basic terrain down and ran our standard ‘5 objective in an X’ to determine victory.

I handed over the armies to my friends and took the role of arbiter, remembrancer, and keen observer as to how OPR:R runs.

The armies

Orcs

Dwarves

Deployment

Both teams set up in batches of three units. This is a variance to OPR’s rules, but we tend to do it this way to save time. It works for us. Both sides deployed an extended line with solid unit matches. A couple of tactical observations. The dwarves placed their cannons on the flanks in a move that would prove lethal. The orcs deployed their heavy hitting giants and swamp beast in the reserve line, which would see them get the worst of the early game.

Turn 1

The dwarves kicked off proceedings with their cannons obliterating both units of orc cavalry! It was interesting that both sides immediately prioritised their shooting units to try to thin out the opponent’s ranks, with good effect.  In any game the dice play a factor and throughout this game the dwarf players were rolling far better than the orcs. This played a frustrating part of the engagement, especially for the orcs who would struggle to make headway against the winds of randomness.

Hmm...shouldn't those giants be leading the orc battle line?

Following the archery exchange, the melee units of both sides, hampered by bad terrain advanced as best they could.

With the orc flanking losses, the turn ends with objective control as follows:

Dwarves control 2

Orcs control 1

Turn 2

The short-legged dwarves being slow moving, struggle to make progress and so the orcs storm across the table smashing into the dwarf lines.  The early combats are brutal with heavy losses on both sides, but the orcs get the worst of it. The dwarves cost very similar points to the orcs but are a better quality and this is telling.  We assume the points are similar due to the dwarves being slow, but overall, the feeling in our groups was that the slowness doesn’t significantly impair them to compensate for the better quality.  The orcs really struggled to stand up to the dwarves in melee as a result.

That could've gone better for the orcs...

Also, spears are worth ever point they cost. Striking first in melee is a HUGE advantage and the players very quickly simply refused to charge into the front of a spear armed unit.  The orcs sought out non-spear armed units to attack instead. I feel like the spears special ability is very strong and probably under costed in the army building.

Dwarves control 2

Orcs control 1

Turn 3

The orc heavy hitters break out into the front lines, charging hard across the open ground to get to grips with the dwarves.

The swamp beast and both giants finally get into the mix and smash apart the dwarves’ right flank. The swamp beast advanced alone in the dwarves’ left flank, weathering repeated shooting, and shredding its way through the dwarf lines.

Slithering, poisonous, and horrific monstrous swamp beast makes its way forwards.

Outside of these big monsters, much of the orc army is destroyed, as is half the dwarf battle line.

Meanwhile in the centre the dwarf elite hammerers smash their way through the orcs before them.

The game’s victory conditions remained unchanged though, so Turn 4 would be the decider. In the other forms of OPR we play, the game is usually decided by the end of Turn 3, so this was interesting to watch.

Dwarves control 2

Orcs control 1

Turn 4

A scramble of the victory objectives now ensued. The dwarf right flank was mostly destroyed, but there were few orcs left here too.  The few surviving orcs with crossbows advanced into the teeth of a dwarf cannon crew but are shaken by cannon fire securing the objective there for the dwarves.

The dwarven gyrocopter air force on their left flank took control of the objective in the orc lines on that flank.

Can anyone else hear 'Ride of the Valkyries'...?

The final scuffling melee around the swam beast's breakthrough.

Meanwhile the orc swamp beast rampaged through the dwarf lines, and despite being reduced to below half its wounds, succeeded at its morale and loved to capture the dwarf objective on that flank. This would bring the battle to a draw, but with the dwarves having enough force left in play they were able to move to contest this objective to secure a narrow win.

Dwarves control 2

Orcs control 1

Conclusion and observations

The Battle

It was a jolly fun fight with the orcs getting battered throughout and their battle being saved by the big beasts they brought to the fight.  The dwarf cannons began the horror early for the orcs, pretty much deleting two orc units! After that though the battle swung back and forth over control of the objectives. Ultimately the dwarves simply had too much left in the field for the orc remnants to capture objectives effectively, although they made a good try at it and almost succeeded!

The rules

OPR remains an excellent system with many versions well worth playing. Regiments is an interesting beast. We ran it in its basic form, but for us it lacked a couple of things. The main issue we found was that units don’t exert a ‘zone of control’ which allowed weird interactions and unit moves in front of enemy units.  As mainly historical players this jarred with us a bit but its easily house ruled I think.

The orc and dwarf basic troops were similarly pointed, but generally the dwarves were superior in combat to the orcs.  This was frustrating.

Spears are highly effective.  They effectively stop opponents wanting to charge them as they always fight first, a massive bonus. It feels like this is too powerful for the points cost. Aside from this they have the effect of stymying the game’s movement and frictions as two opposing spear units will tend to stand and look at each other rather than engaging.

Overall, an interesting try-out for the OPR Regiments rules. We’re undecided on whether we’ll use these much in future.  Time will tell!

One Page Rules: Orc Raiders vs Human Defense Force

 

Its been a funny old year 2024. I've been focussed on non-photogenic gaming for the most part, roleplaying and boardgames, so my wargames have been bumping along quietly in the background. Its meant I've not posted much at all this year.  

Anyway, this evening we broke out the One Page Rules again and I took my orc raiders against a marvellous Human Defence Force army, modelled using Turnip28 miniatures. This was the first outing for my opponent's freshly minted Turnip army and it was gloriously splendid!

On to the game though, we played a simple deployment with 5 objectives.  The player who controlled the most at the end of turn 4 would be the winner.

My orc raiders started with their one and only tactic, a general charge onto the root-infested guns of the enemy. We deployed so that we each had two objectives so the fight would be over control of the centre.

The orc raider left flank was heavily supported by flying choppers festooned with rockets, and goblin-piloted clanking walkers.

Their left flank was mostly infantry but included a mob of tough boss orcs and a crew armed with flamers.

Over on the HDF line were large units it root-infested riflemen ably flanked by fast moving root-pig herds (using the HDF biker stats). Snipers took up overwatch positions in the upper floors of the local ruins.

Their centre was held by a fearsome and unbelievably tough fire-breathing charybdis, and two large artillery pieces (which would prove somewhat unreliable).

So the battle begins...

...and the orc raiders open proceedings with a headlong rush forwards in the centre, led by the boss-mob and goblin walkers. I made the mistake of moving and shooting rather than a longer move rush towards melee. Orc raiders are poor shooters and this was the wrong tactic I think.

The HDF right flank pig monsters shuffled forwards to try to grab the orc-held objective ahead.

At the end of Turn 1, the orcs control the central objective to go 3-2 in the lead, but their position is poor and the Turnip rifles, snipers, and charybdis flamer will take their toll in the coming turns.

Turn 2 and both sides have their ambushers arrive.  With no free space in the HDF rear, the orc jetpack mob drop down in front of the charybdis monstrosity. This is not a position that will prove tenable, the charybdis flamer makes short work of the screaming, jet-fuel addled orcs.

Over on the other flank, the HDF bearskinned rooty scouts emerge from hiding behind the orc lines, heading for the objective by the building. Like the orc jet-pack boys, this ambush will prove somewhat ineffective as the orc boy unit gets distracted from supporting the chopper advance, turns back and butcher's the scouts.

The piggy flank force sweeps around to head into the objective but pull up their advance over 12" from the orc mob impatiently waiting near the objective. The pigs are wary of the power of the orc melee charge and decide to wait and see how the battle develops. A Turn 4 rush to contest the objective would be most effective. This standoff can't stand surely?

Absolutley brutal rippling fire tears the advancing orc units to peices, destroying the jetpack boys and shaking the flamer crew. The Turnip leaders instruct consistent 'take aim' orders to their units, greatly enhancing their shooting power. The boss mob and their big boss leader are also chopped up (but not shaken thanks to the morale boost of the leader), stymying the advance on this flank.

Over on the other flank the orcs make more progress charging into the surprisingly tough artillery piece. But they fail to destroy it, despite a brutal charge. The artillery make all 17 of their requred saves! The orcs were relying on a win here to capture the objective, a gambit that was doomed to failure.

In the centre, the thinned orc line still holds the middle objective and the big boss takes on the charybdis with his boss mob (who are torn to bits by the big crab).

The unsuccessful orc attack is countercharged by a fast moving piggy herd and all but wiped out! 

By Turn 3 the orcs are still wining 3-2, but there are few of them left now and the tide is surely turning. Despite that they still have enough in the field to maintain or at least contest the objective control.

The great battle in the centre rages on, and the orc boss is finally felled after reducing the giant crab to only one wound (of its starting 12)! His mega-claw (A4 AP4) really took its toll on the crab, which the orcs also pounded with every rocket they could muster, but in the final attack the charybdis just managed to cling onto that 12th wound! Its strike back in the melee tore the orc boss into two pieces, securing the conditions for an HDF win against the orcs.

Defeating the orc boss, the charybdis staggers on, barely alive and trailing prurts of root-infested blood to take the centre objective.  The game swings on the final Turn 4 and the HDF secure a 3-2 win over the orc raiders!

Another excellent game of One Page Rules, which we've not played for many months. A well deseved win to the HDF, but as we all know, if orcs are fighting they win...hehe...

Rapid Fire Reloaded - WWII D-Day Commemorative game

Last night, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, we ran a commemorative battle.

We used the Rapid Fire Reloaded rules to refight the 1st Hampshires attack at Les Roquettes, Jig Sector, Gold beach.

Here's the after action report over at the Durham wargames Group websiteDurham wargames Group website.

For our tomorrow they gave their today.

One Page Rules Age of Fantasy Regiments - Dwarves

 My interest in One Page Rules (OPR) continues to endure, mostly as its an excellent game system!

We've not played much of the Age of Fantasy Regiments yet though, so I've been beavering away on a plan to build a couple of armies for that.  As I have a stock of 10mm Pendraken figures left over from my Warband Fantasy projects, I've decided to use them to see if they work for OPR.

As it turns out they look very good in that format! 

There's more to come but here are some (poor quality) work in progress shots for the dwarves so far.

To help with the practical elements of unit cohesion, I've put them on some sabot bases (from Warbases) to help movement.

Still a lot to do, but its shaping up well so far.

I have a goblin army and an undead army to build too.  Not sure which one to tackle first!

More to follow...

AVBCW (OPR) Battle of Barlow 2nd June 1939

The morning of 2nd June 1939 at Barlow Village broke in relative calm after the action of the 1st June.  The Black Horse in Barlow had done a roaring trade last evening as the victorious chaps of the Lord’s Alliance celebrated pushing the Chopwell Reds out of their positions.  The taps were drunk dry. Overnight the Gateshead supply trucks had brought in plentiful ammunition as their merry soldiery, together with Lord Lambton’s Hounds dug into fresh positions.  Their commanders had instructions to hold the bridgehead as best they could while reinforcements were brought down from Winlaton.  Unfortunately, mechanical issues and a lack of fuel stalled these precious reserves and by daybreak an understrength force remained at Barlow.  They had clear orders to keep Barlow Road open and clear for the next push into Chopwell-held territory.

The Chopwell Reds had not been idle either.  The command HQ at High Spen was in uproar as disputes and bitter recriminations between the Harding loyalists and moderates flew over the planning tables.  The Lord’s Alliance attack had been unexpected and much of the Chopwell strength was concentrated to the south around their continued efforts to break through into Durham.  The lost of what had been considered a ‘safe’ outer defensive position at Barlow was causing panic. Despite this, the efficient administrative functions of the Chopwell forces brought up ammunition trucks, and raised what militia they could to mount a counterattack and retake Barlow Village.  On home ground, the Chopwell forces were able to sneak forwards in the night to try to trap the Lord’s forces in Barlow by cutting off Barlow Road, and thus an envelopment action was in the offing. The armoured reserve at High Spen was released to support the attack.

At dawn, as a local cow herd wandered into the area (having escaped from their field due to yesterday’s shenanigans), the hastily raised Red forces began their attack against the dug in Lord’s Alliance regulars.  The regulars has pulled back and dug in to the north-east of the village itself to defend the road, so the battle was going to be a race for the Communists to get forwards quickly.

The main Red forces arrived up Pawston Road to find the Lord's Alliance dug in on Barlow Road.

The attack began from the south as a force of rioters (armed with pistols and firebombs) and local volunteers (with shotguns) stormed out of cover into the Gatehead regulars flank.

Across the road to the north, another Red flanking move advanced quickly into the Lambton position, supported by a barely functioning Vickers tank.

The main Chopwell force watched in dismay as their flanking forces attacked earlier than planned. The leaders here spurred on their troops to cross the village as quickly as possible.

To the south, the rioters had early success, swarming into melee and routing half the Gateshead regulars, and driving off their lancer cavalry.  But their actions were costly and as the Gateshead lads reacted, the disciplined rifle fire supported by a Vickers machinegun shredded the Red flank.  A couple of chaps were killed, many wounded, and the rest panicked and quit the field under such sustained fire.

The situation was similar to the north with the Red infantry routed off after an initial success in driving off the Lambton militia.  Shortly after, peppered with rifle fire the tanks crew panicked, bailed out and left the damaged vehicle in the field.

At least this action had occupied the Lords defenders allowing the main Red force to advance quickly and relatively unhindered.

The cows had wandered into the village.  This was to cause the Reds advance on the norther front to stall somewhat.  There may be a war on but there's no sense in risking the local cattle so the cow herd formed an impassable barrier that could neither be moved or fired through!

The Chopwell forces to the south soon came within range of the Gatehead rifle fire and as they advanced quickly, they suffered terribly from this shooting.  the cavalry were routed by the Vickers team and the infantry were chopped up.

The T26 tanks however, pushed on around the flank, intent to get onto the objectives at Barlow Road, while their supporting infantry dealt with the Gateshead regulars.

The Reds here assaulted the dug in regulars, while a unit of militia sprinted on though the gap along the road between the Gateshead crew and Lambton's Hounds.

One of the T26's came under sustained Vickers and rifle fire, damaging its tracks and panicking the crew, who abandoned their charge and fled the field.  The other T26 did manage to bypass the position though and got to the objective, threatneing the cut of the Lord's positions.

Comment: The victory conditions for the battle were control of the three objective markers at the end of Turn 8.  With this move by turn 6, the Chopwell Reds now controlled 2 of the 3 objectives.

To the north of the road, Lambton's Hounds were keeping the Red advance at bay.  The tank here had been damaged and taken out of the fight, and delayed by the cow herd, the Red infantry was struggling to make headway.

In the centre the Chopwell rush was halted by close range light field artillery fire. Knocked about, and with many casualties, the Red force here petered out.  the wounded crawled back towards the village looking for aid.

With the road cut, the Gatehead position relocated their Vickers team and sprayed the T26, knocking it out with a hit on the fuel tank.  Luckily, the tank was practically empty and the tank was running on fumes so it didn't brew up.  The crew still panicked and ran off to the south.

It was here, in the final turn that the game was decided.  The Reds had cut the road but the Gateshead crew were able to take it back for the win, by withdrawing their Vickers team to retake the objective.  However, the Red unit to the north of the road had advanced to a position where their Lewis gun was in range and in an amazing long ranged volley they managed to hit the Vickers crew and pin them!  

By the absolute narrowest of margins the Reds managed to squeak a win, retaking Barlow Village and forcing the Lord's Alliance regulars to retreat in good order back along Barlow Road to Winlaton.

Comment:  This was an incredibly brutal and tightly fought battle, and immensely enjoyable as victory came down to the final attack and final morale die roll of the game!  Both sides were basically shattered, and although the Lord's Alliance regulars remained in a better state, with the Reds winning by controlling two of the three objectives, it felt more like a draw than a win.  We've been playing AVBCW for years now, using various rule sets, and it never fails to be a fun time!  We might go for a smaller skirmish action next time.

Of all the rulesets we've used One Page Rules has been very good.  Simple, robust, and gives a good, swift game.  For this battle with included the 'Overwatch' special action, which the Lord's Alliance forces made great use of.

You can find the AVBCW lists in the OPR Army Forge Community books. Go to 'Grimdark Future > Community Books' and search 'LUDD'.

________________________________

SCENARIO RULES

Day 2 (2nd June) – Loyalists won day 1. Counterattack.

With the Loyalists capturing Barlow village they are spent and hunker down for the night to rest, recover and rearm. Materiel is withdrawn to the rear for repairs and refuelling, and only a partial infantry forces is left to garrison the village.

However, the Reds had drawn up reserves for a swift counter assault which comes at dawn before the Loyalists are able to muster for the next push.  Controlling the surrounding countryside, their aim is to encircle and cut off the Loyalists in Barlow.

Game length: 8 turns         Table set-up: see plan

Objective Markers

On Barlow Road 12” in from the Barlow Road table edge

At the Crossroads in Barlow

Placed anywhere by the Loyalists, at least 9” from either objectives 1 or 2.

Victory points (scored at the end of turn 8)

Each objective marker scores 1VP for either side.

Red Forces

Each Red player has 1500pts to construct their force.

The force may include infantry, civilian vehicles, and armoured vehicles.

Loyalist Forces

Each Loyalist player has 1000pts to construct their force.

The force may include infantry and civilian vehicles, but not armoured vehicles.

Prepared positions: Any Loyalist infantry may begin the game “dug in”. They count as in cover until they move.

Deployment

Loyalists: Deploy first.  Their baseline is the Barlow Road table edge. They may deploy anywhere up to Barlow Lane, but not within 12” of any table edge. They cannot ambush or scout.

Reds: Deploy second. Their baseline if the Pawston Road table edge.  They may deploy anywhere up to 12” in from the Pawston Road table edge. Each Red force may deploy up to three units within 6” of either table edge between Barlow Land and the Barlow Road table edge. They cannot ambush or scout.