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"Boer War: polishing a rough Diamond (Hill)" Topic


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Comments or corrections?

ChrisBBB2 Supporting Member of TMP13 Oct 2025 8:25 a.m. PST

The Boer War has given us some really good games. The one duff one was Diamond Hill, where the first draft of the scenario didn't work. Well, Anton and I have fixed that and the revised version is nicely polished. If you want to see Anton's Boers in action again, here's a photo-AAR:
link

Sydney Gamer13 Oct 2025 7:33 p.m. PST

What a clever and interesting example of historical scenario redesign! Did you make the heroic Zarps elite and give the Boers some outranging Long Toms? Also, could I play this in 6mm with BBB on a 4x3 foot table – or is that too small?

ChrisBBB2 Supporting Member of TMP14 Oct 2025 1:06 a.m. PST

Thanks, Syd! Actually, although the 'heroic Zarps' (and all the other Boer commandos) have potent firepower, they get rated Fragile (a penalty in the Assault) because they don't like it up 'em and prefer to shoot and scoot.

Can't comment on the Long Toms, all the Boer artillery is rated BLA – Breech-Loading Artillery, but Anton's orbat doesn't specify what they have. Presumably a mix of Long Toms, pom-poms, and whatever else, but I don't know exactly.

If you shrink the table by a third, you'll need to do the same with the ranges and movement distances. That should be easy: as everything in BBB works in 3" increments, you just change them to 2" increments.

Personal logo Old Contemptible Supporting Member of TMP15 Oct 2025 9:33 p.m. PST

Nice game.

There were only four Long Toms (155 mm Creusot) in the field. Two were captured and two destroyed.

The Long Toms were used at:

Mafeking (1899–1900) – one of the best-known sieges.

Ladysmith (1899–1900) – most famously on Pepworth Hill and Umbulwana Hill.

Kimberley (1899–1900) – though mainly smaller artillery was used there.

Buller's Natal campaign and the defense of Pretoria (1900).

The advantage you have with 2mm figures, brigades you can do bigger games in smaller spaces. By contrast here are my 28mm battalions. They have a bigger footprint.

My Boer War games.
link

ChrisBBB2 Supporting Member of TMP15 Oct 2025 9:57 p.m. PST

Your games look good, OC. Nice photo collections too.

Obviously 28mm is a good way to go for small actions of a couple of battalions. Horses for courses.

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