"Over by Christmas, new WW1 rules by the Crush the Kaiser " Topic

Over by Christmas – the new WW1 rules by the Crush the Kaiser "crew" – now available.
Over by Christmas covers the early part of the Great War on the Western Front from August 1914 to early 1916, and includes detailed organisations for the British, French, Belgian and German armies. Allows you to fight fast moving open warfare with cavalry charges and horse artillery as well as the beginnings of the trench war. Lots of period flavour including improvised grenades and mortars, trench catapults, rapid fire by British Regulars and "Attaque a l'outrance" by French infantry.
We are proud to sponsor and sell these rules. Unlike some retailers !!!! , I have actually played these rules and find them easy to use and fun to play – Paul Thompson – EWM . If I did not like them, I would not sell them.

You can find details at:
earlywarminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=366_367&products_id=2237

We also have a special on our webstore where if you buy both the Where the Poppies Grow which covers the Western Front from 1916 to 1918. Includes rules for using tanks and aircraft, as well as varied artillery barrages and counter-battery fire, gas, mines and stormtroopers.
AND
Tools of Victory has detailed battalion and brigade organisations for infantry, cavalry and artillery for the armies that fought on the Western Front from 1916 onwards. These include British and Empire, French and German and also US, Belgian, Portuguese, Austro-Hungarians and the Russian Expeditionary Corps.
You can both these for £26.00 GBP
You can order at:-
earlywarminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=366_367&products_id=1959

Crush the Kaiser rules give you:
 Fast play battalion and brigade level rules designed by wargamers, for wargamers
 Fully researched and historically accurate for the period
 Detailed organisations for all the armies on the Western Front 14-18
 Rules are scenario based not points driven
 Suitable for all figure scales, no need to re-base your figures
 Company or squadron are smallest units for infantry and cavalry, with a company typically having 14 figures
 Rules are written in order of play, so no need to flip back and forth through a book, with examples running through the rules
 Minimum number of dice rolls for casualties
 Four different experience levels for troops from Raw to Veteran, which determines how they shoot and react.
 Simple and effective mechanisms for morale at company level, with more detailed battalion level morale only needed if losses are high
And if you dont want to take my word for it , here is what the wargames press said about the Crush the Kaiser rules:
Miniature Wargames October 2012
"My first reaction on reading through was here is another laudable set which goes to show that Two Fat Lardies don't have a monopoly on well researched and (I can well imagine) enjoyable to use rules"
"Closer reading soon followed whereupon it became apparent just what a well devised and I imagine heavily play-tested set this is. It would suit newcomers to the period or indeed wargaming as, though complete, the set is very clearly laid out. Also suitable for those more steeped in trench warfare lore who want rules which distinguish between creeping, static, lifting, whirlwind or drumfire barrages and who would consider a set of rules incomplete without rules covering the use of pigeons or dogs."
Battlegames Issue 28
"These rules, although fast play, are not simplistic, so would ideally suit those players who already have some knowledge of wargames concepts and could sort out worthwhile scenarios and victory conditions. I suspect those who clicked with Rapid Fire could take very well to these rules and might find the change of period refreshing"
"Although the rules are designed for any size of figure…the accent on smaller units means they would be ideal for 28mm. Those with 20mm WW1 forces will find these rules ideal."
"The mechanisms are quite straightforward as you expect from fast play rules and give a quick yet bloody game"
Wargames Illustrated on-line Feb 2012
"Recommended"
"These rules slip neatly into the gap between rules like Through the Mud and the Blood and the Great War on the one hand, and Great War Spearhead and Squarebashing on the other."
"In a test game the rules were easy to follow, the game seemed to flow and a decision was quickly reached. More artillery was needed to cut the wire, suppress the defenders and to cut off re-inforcements next time I think – just like the real war thinking in fact!"
Wargames Soldiers and Strategy Issue 59:
"The Crush the Kaiser series is recommended if you want to play large fast play WW1 battles. The rules will provide a great basis for recreating the decisive battles of the Western Front."

Thanks for your interest,
Regards
Paul T@EWM

Have played a few games with the rules and enjoyed them, enough detail for Bn sized games without getting swamped!,

Tally Ho!

Do I understand correctly that Over by Christmas is a stand-alone rulebook and you don't need Crush the Kaiser to play it?

Yes it is, dealing with the early period of the war,

Tally Ho!

Hi Schogun,
As Nickinsomerset correctly says, it is stand alone but also has unit and organisation details built in as well.

Thanks for your interest,
Regards
Paul T@EWM

These sound great and I've just ordered them from EWM. The postage is shown as 10% and yet I was charged £2.70 GBP. It's not as if I can't afford it but I find that a bit annoying.
Any thoughts?
I realise this may not be the place but hey!!

Nick, my crew has played Square Bashing with 8 figures (2 per stand) per battalion, on a 6 X 4 foot table.

Would we be able to use our battalions as companies? (Do the rules count figures?)

And can we use tanks, flamethrowers, etc?

Hmm, actually, it looks like Where the Poppies grow might be what we want. Have you played that set, Nick?

Yes, I have enjoyed a few games with early tanks zipping around the battlefield at about 2 miles in every hour so if you are keen for the latter period then Poppies is the way ahead with flamethrowers etc.

A British Coy is 14 strong with a 2 fig Lewis Team, which changes to 2 x Lewis guns in 1918. My 20mm chaps are based 2 per base but so that is not a show stopper, if you are on Facebook have a look for the Crush the Kaiser page,

Tally Ho!

Quote "These sound great and I've just ordered them from EWM. The postage is shown as 10% and yet I was charged £2.70 GBP GBP. It's not as if I can't afford it but I find that a bit annoying.
Any thoughts?
I realise this may not be the place but hey!!"

Well mr meshrewba, its not the place but as you mentioned it….. it's a minimum p&p of £2.70 GBP or 10% if higher to UK address's, stated clearly on the webstore. As postage in the uk has just gone up again by an average of 40% this month for small parcels, I would say the current rates are a bargain. I now need to put up my minimum postage to customers due to the money grabbing sh**s of the post office!!!!!

Hope that helps clear things up, and thanks To our post office for increasing the cost of doing business, very helpful in these current times?

Seriously though, even at the previous rates, with most parcels, the charge did not always cover costs of postage and packaging. Like most small business's who try to keep the costs of postage down, even before this recent price rise, I lost a little with a lot of order shipments.

Anyway, I really hope you enjoy the rules, which are great. All customers who have ordered will get some samples of my new EWM WW1 British 1916 to 1918 miniatures. These are the first 9 figs in the range with many more to follow. Your will be posted in the morning.

Thanks again for your order,

Regards
Paul T@EWM

It did occur to me later there would probably a minimum charge as is pretty standard and that I'd over looked – I thought "Oh good -I've made myself look like a knob on TMP"!!
Apologies Paul!!!

Well I have jumped in with both feet as well.

Rich

Mashrewba,

best you open the packet carefully and look for wires, greasy marks etc!! If you fancy popping down the A37 for a small (12 x 6) game let me know!

Tally Ho!

Especially as I bought one of those dodgy James McCormick bomb detectors! Be good to sort out a game indeed.

Quote "It did occur to me later there would probably a minimum charge as is pretty standard and that I'd over looked – I thought "Oh good -I've made myself look like a knob on TMP"!!
Apologies Paul!!!"
No problem, thanks for your interest and order. It was posted this Moran so should be with you shortly, plus a few samples of my new, soon to be released ww1 Brits 1916-1918.

Do let me know when it arrives with you,
Enjoy.

Regards
Paul T@EWM

Cheers Paul -you're a gent.

I've got my copy – exactly what I was looking for. The figures Paul sent out are excellent. The metal used is perfect -I usually cut bayonets off to prevent bendy rifle damage but I don't need to with these -not brittle either.Good poses, good detail and weapons to scale but tough enough to survive the wargame table.
I will certainly be buying the early war figures when they come out (will there be early figs or did I dream that?).

Good afternoon Mr mashrewba,
Glad you like the rules, I think they are fun to play. Thanks also for giving your view on the sample miniatures I sent, appreciated. There are a few more pictures of them on the "work bench" part of the EWM webstore.

Early figures are started for French and Germans but only a few of each in march poses for Germans currently, but I did a full French early gun team operating the 75 with caison. More will follow.

I want to get a lot more 1916-1918 Brits done first before that part if the range comes out.

Full details of all WW1 stuff is in the Over The Top range on the store.

Cheers again,

Thank you for your business,

Paul t

Period flavour can be improved still further by not using '…rapid fire by British Regulars and "Attaque a l'outrance" by French infantry'. Players should consider at least some games without these features. Detailed analysis of British musketry has shown that the effectiveness was over-rated by the reports from Old Contemptibles. Put another way, German and French musketry was also very effective in defence. Other detailed work, most notably by Zuber and Delhez, has exposed the myth of 'attaque à outrance'.

Robert

Just taken delivery of more stock of the rules and tools for victory. The interest in recent weeks and sales has been excellent.
Feed back from customers who have read the reviews posted and bought them has been equally positive.
The free sample figures of my new ww1 British 1916-1918 troops have also been well received. Thanks all for your feed back.

Same applies, all new orders will get some free sample figures with their CTK rules.
Regards
Paul T@ewm
Details of how to order at the start of this thread.

Nick were abouts on the A37 are you as I'm on the A39. I certainly would be interest in looking at these rules!

My 15mm stuff is based 4 to a base alla DBA style. Would that be a problem?

We are in Yeovil, but meet at the Tall Trees Community Centre,
Ilchester just of the A303:

link

We meet every Thursday Evening, but will not be doing CTK for at least 3 weeks. Have you seen the CTK Facebook site? Your basing is not a problem,

Tally Ho!

could these be used for early 1914 eastern front as well ? I saw they are advertised as western front?

That's what I plan to do.

It will need some thought to add a few factors to cover the relative differences between the Russian, Austrian and German capabilities.

Cheers

Mark

Any chance of a specific Eastern Front supplement coming out with lists for German, Austrian, Russian, Turkish and Italian forces? Add on modifications for the Russian Civil War would be great.

Cheers

I don't have the very latest update but…… The authors were working on an eastern front edition last we spoke?
Good idea for the Russian civil,war addition as well. I would imagine that they eastern front would need an early war version and a late war split from a tactics and arm list perspective , but it's not my main interest so I will lets others with more knowledge answer that one?

BTW, just released my WW1 1917-1918 Belgian miniatures this week. More updates for the middle east coming soon as well.

Cheers
Paul T@EWM

I've bought all three volumes in this series..

I wish these rules had a forum, I would love to debate their quality ratings…. it's a shame that morale and ability are wrapped into one rating….

Just starting out in the period with early war Austrians, but looking to explore the Eastern front and spread out into the RCW. Will certainly be picking up the 1914 booklet up for ideas.

Again total novice but like the options for movement that the open eastern plains offers, in particular the more important role of cavalry and scouting.

Cheers guys

Hi chaps

Paul is right, we are currently working on something for the Eastern Front, which will cover the period 1914-17 (RCW will be dealt with separately as that's a whole different ballgame!). No definite plans on a release date yet though.

Bindon we don't have a forum, but will hopefully have a new website (as opposed to just a webpage) in the New Year. We've always said that the rules aren't cast in tablets of stone, and if you've got some good ideas on ways to separate morale and ability whilst still keeping the fast play theme then great, we'd be happy to have a chat about them! You can email us as always on crushthekaiser@yahoo.co.uk or see our blog at crushthekaiser.blogspot.com

By the way Paul the Belgians look great!

Happy Christmas everyone!