Brave Alpinieri raid the Mountain Fort and Railway – Bruschia Attacked!
My latest quick 30mm flat skirmish was played out on a rocky terrain of Heroscape hexes and a ‘paint and make’ your own push out wooden 3D castle set. A railway line was quickly added and train in a tin locomotive and wagons.
Solo game played using 30mm flats and simple skirmish rules (details from previous posts).
Early morning light … The Bruschian forces in the Mountain Fort are attacked by their rival neighbours the Alpinieri, crack Mountain troops.
The Alpinieri, headed by Capitano Alberto Bertorelli, aim to disrupt the train line, destroy supplies and possibly take and hold the Fort.
2d6 were thrown to work out when the Mountain Train will arrive with the fur-hatted Bruschian reinforcements to change the guard – it will arrive in turn 12.



Explosive satchel charge swung into place to blow the drawbridge down.
A Bruschian artillery shell hit the gathered Alpinieri troops around the drawbridge, knocking out three troops including Capitano Alberto Bertorelli.

More Alpinieri rush into the castle in a final attempt to capture it. There is fighting in the courtyard, as Bruschians fire down from the battlements at Alpinieri troops inside the courtyard.
They hear the morning train in the distance.
A blockade of boxes, ladders, barrels and carts has been made across the railway track by several Alpinieri. One of the Alpinieri takes aim at the train from the station halt windows.
Turn 12 – the train arrives!
D6 Dice thrown to see if the train will brake in time or be derailed. It smashes into the barricade and derails into the station building, flattening the Alpinieri rifleman inside.
Dice thrown for each of the Bruschian reinforcements inside the train carriage and caboose. Only two are killed, the other eight and their officer survive unharmed.
The last Alpinieri before his leap down the rocks to escape, only to be swiftly shot down.
The Alpinieri may have perished to a man but they achieved their mission – they damaged the railway system and the took out most of the Fort garrison.
The Figures
WW1 troops 30mm Flats bought at random on EBay about 5 to 10 years ago. They were already painted but needed a little paintwork touching up in places.
What an exciting game and a visually pleasing one. The flats exude charm as ever, something a Zinnfiguren…
The fortification works really well on your board and is a lovely, brooding edifice which I hope we will see again soon. I assume, hopefully not wrongly, that the fort is a cheap one upcycled by you. I think I have seen similar in the Works?
Strangely enough I have been working on a toy soldier homage piece of mountain terrain with card , glue and paper mache which I will post in the next day or so.
As ever a splendid narrative. I enjoyed this with my coffee once more Mark .
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I thought the castle was suitably Ruritanian. There was lots of fighting up and down towers, balconies, forecourt and battlements that I did not write into the narrative … as much fun as the rare Airfix forts (Hey Airfix – why not reissue these again like they did in the nineties when it was the only source of many such figures?)
The original wooden castle was made up about five or ten years ago for and with younger members of the family – FSC wood – and such push out precut kits are still on sale for example https://www.amazon.co.uk/Quay-Knight-Castle-Woodcraft-Construction
There is an intriguing “castle in a tin” gift that I have not yet bought or made – not entirely sure what scale figures it would suit. Available in many places online – a princess version is also available!
https://applestopears.com/View/20340/castle-in-a-tin
I look forward to seeing your mountain terrain. I must look out for spare Heroscape hexes in my collection or another cheap starter set so that I can spray paint them white and rocky for instant mountain scenes. Then I will have options of grass, desert, grey rock, some water tiles … and snow.
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Flat figures have such a style and flair that round ones don’t seem to capture .
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I think the animation on them is impressive, somehow some of the more highly animated Airfix and other plastic poses (Atlantic) just look weird. Hence the Airfix charades game?
Plastic Soldier Review is quite amusing and opinionated on this animation / useless repeated figure question e.g. http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=25
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I don’t want to start collecting flats, but I do like the look of them, and they have a very distinct nostalgic magic.
Michael
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Thanks Michael. As Don Featherstone observed in his first book War Games 1962,
With its Ancients Hyborian game with Tony Bath, flats are “available in the most amazing variety of periods, types and positions … It is quite true to say that there is no army or soldier that one can name that cannot be obtained in Flat and in any desired position, including wounded or killed.” (Chapter 2)
Much the same could be said of 1/72 or 1/76 plastics or increasingly 28mm today.
I didn’t intend to start collecting them either, just bought some very cheap eBay random lots out of curiousity … I am being highly restrained.
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Mark. A very good scenario and battle. I like this sort of skirmish a lot. Good narrative too as always. Regards Tony
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Thanks Tony – it’s supposed to be stirring stuff of fight to the last man or daring commando ops etc, so I am glad that you enjoyed it.
Short deadly skirmishes with savings throws optional but with a d6 option from time to time to detach or depart, discretion being the best part of valour.
It’s fun that all you need is two boxes of Airfix of which WWI and WWII are still available OOHO and 1:32 https://uk.airfix.com/shop/figures … and some simple DIY rules.
I have your kind donation of 1960s vintage Airfix in a tin to continue working through for more interesting small skirmish ImagiNations sides. If you are inspired to want your original figures back,
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…. (your original figures) I am more than happy to return them, although many 60s Airfix are becoming quite brittle. New ones are always a good option. The rereleased WW1 figures are a great return, especially for ImagiNations gaming …
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Mark. Thanks for the offer but the old Airfix figures are far better off in your hands than mine. I still have a couple of boxes, unopened, of artillery figures somewhere if I get an urge !!!!!. They were bought several years ago but never used. Regards
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Just checking. As mentioned, the WW1 Airfix rereleased figures probably have a longer life than the 60s and 70s ones.
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Stirring stuff! Love the use of d6 in the train smash – was that situation pre-ordained, or did it only occur to you once playing that a barrier might be a good tactic and thus, the train might derail?
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The train smash was not preordained but was a mission target to disrupt the railway – it developed out of the Alpinieri troops blocking the track with what they found. The fact that one of the Alpinieri involved got squashed in the railway hut, where he had taken cover to fire on the Bruschian reinforcements, by the train he helped derail is just unfortunate!
This makes a solo game more unpredictable, once the original broad mission aims or victory conditions have been set – if in doubt, scribble a quick d6 set of options.
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At last I’ve broken into my wordpress account again and can once again comment as well as read!
An absolutely delightful post for a Sunday morning. The terrain and figures are just right for each other and stir the imagination.
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Thanks Ross. Glad you have got into the WordPress account again – I have not like the changes or improvements they keep making without asking users.
It’s good to get the portable Hex gaming board out again and start stacking up the 3D defunct Heroscape terrain again.
Somehow mixing 2D figures and 3D terrain and buildings curiously works!
I must get around to making / spraying a set of Heroscape hexes white for snowy encounters.
On another day if I had had time, I would have written it all up in more dashing Boy’s Own Paper style …
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Very entertaining! I do like flats and, in my weaker moments, have occasionally almost succumbed to purchasing them. Guilt has always stopped me from actually doing it. Instead, I’ll simply enjoy these lovely figures.
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What lovely flats Mark. Great to see them getting amongst it!
Regards, James
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Released from their protective postal card and based, what adventures they will have from time to time!
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