"LRDG map-based mini campaign" Topic

My LRDG patrol was painted years ago but has yet to make it on to the table. Sigh. The main reason for this is that I always planned to use them in a map-based campaign, which would see the patrol assigned a mission type (road watch, transport SAS raiding force, infiltrate agent, beat-up etc) based on a die roll with random events generated (or not) as the patrol progresses over the map. Speed would vary according to the going (determined separately for morning and afternoon by die roll), and possible events would include terrain (e.g. bogged down), weather (sandstorm etc), mechanical failure and enemy action (ranging from aircraft flying over but not attacking up to encounters with an Axis patrol, and pursuit on the way home).

The map part (i.e. the journey there and back) is key to this, and I don't want simply to set up troops on the table and throw a dice to generate a meaningless one-off "meeting engagement".

While I have a lot of this in my head, I have never got round to sitting down to work out the details as something else always seems to get in the way. After that introduction, my question is simple. Is there anything like this already available, either commercially or by a gifted amateur willing to share their creation with a fellow enthusiast?

I'm not sure I'm going to be of any help, but the game you describe almost sounds like a WWII version of the Howard Whitehouse game Science vs Pluck where the players are all on the same side (Colonial Force in SvP) and the enemy and, in particular, the challenges as they head off on their mission, are run by the Umpire (who is the real enemy of course ) …

Our games of SvP have always been as much about managing the column and tackling the daily unexpecteds of a hostile climate as ever they have been about fighting dervishes!

I can see a lot of parallels …

Phil
(PS – I think you can now get a download version of this game)

Phil – thanks very much for your thoughts. I had heard of SvsP but never seen it, but have found the download version you mention. From an initial scan of the Umpires handbook it looks as though it will be worth reading the whole thing, as it has some interesting ideas.

Although I am not really a colonial gamer (solely because I have not got around to it) one of my friends has British/Zulu and British/Pathan forces (sadly no Dervishes!)and we do play from time to time. I'm sure some of the ideas can be used to good effect in those games, and I will see what I might be able to borrow for my LRDG concept.

Have a look at 'Way of the Warrior' on the Warp Spawn Games site link (scroll all the way down to the bottom to the WWII Squad Level games).

The game is designed for infantry patrols in NW Europe or Russia, but the mission set up and process may be useful inspiration. It's not map based, but you roll for an objective and a random number of steps to get to it. Each step is a terrain feature with a chance of an event or enemy forces.

Although aimed at Modern scenarios, Scudbusters 11- Back to Iraq,may have something to offer, encounters and reaction tables etc, and an easy yet clever mechanism for 'hunting' in the desert……..

link

I could be wrong, but I think FoW Buring Empires had something like that in it.

hello
i was planning a similar game…an idea could be to draw a map, collect TOES and, maybe, draw a list of possible casal events..and finally some objectives..basing everythong on a manageable and well documented campaign involving those raiding troops..
Personally i choosed one of the first raids..in practice the LRDG involvment…included in the general campaign for the conquest of Italian Lybian Sahara..i choosed and suggest you this one for the following reasons:
- few troops involved so could be played at 1 to 5 scale
- Involving of exotic/colonial Italian troops as ennemies
- availability of recently published sources with clear maps
i suggest you those texts:

link

link

link

I would second the Scudbusters recommendation. The base game itself is fun to play and well worth the low price of the rulebook.

BUT the campaign system is absolutely superb, we have used it to generate WW2 games many times, for several sets of rules: Crossfire, Red Poppy and DH.
It is designed around commando style raids so is ideal for what you are hoping to do.

Toofatlardies has a couple rules books that are pretty close to what you're describing.

"Platoon Forward" has a very good scenario generator, defend, attack with several iterations of both.

"At the Sharp End" is a campaign system, that shows you how to run a campaign with actual maps.

You would have to come up with the random events, but that is easy to do. You could pull those from existing rules sets.

Peter Pig's Patrols in the Sudan might be another source for ideas (particularly the ever-changing terrain!)

Thanks guys for all the suggestions. It's a little surprising that there doesn't seem to be anything specifically for the LRDG, as I would have thought there is plenty of potential for a popular commercial game when someone gets around to designing it. Clearly a gap in the market exists, although I doubt my amateur efforts will fill it!