The Back of Beyond, Contemptible Little Armies / The Back of Beyond, 28mm

This “Back of Beyond” game wasn’t part of our came, but was more of a pre-cursor. it was set somewhere near Artashat on the Russian-Turkish border in Armenia after the Great War, before the Turks launched their fictitious expedition into Central Asia. So, the game was set in  Really it was an excuse to field a couple of armies which haven’t fought each other yet – my Turks and Dougie Trail’s Bolsheviks.The outnumbered Bolsheviks were defending a village, but in previous Contemptible Little Armies games the attackers were mown down in droves, so the Turks needed the extra manpower! One particular Bolshevik machine gun was well-sited, covering the left side of the village – where the main Turkish “push” was launched.Less effective was the Russian cavalry reserve, which trotted up and down the Red baseline while its commander decided what to do next. That might have had something to do with them being fresh from Dougie’s painting table, and he didn’t want to lose ’em in their first outing. Well, the Turkish machine guns and artillery chipped away at the defenders, but the Turks suffered moderately heavy casualties in the attack.The Russians were unable to prevent the Turks reaching the village, whereupon an almighty hand-to-hand battle was fought out. The Red cavalry was sucked into the fray, but when the dust settled it was the Turks who were still standing.However, things didn’t all go the Turkish way. Their cavalry circled the Bolshevik defences, then charged a unit of Red militia hiding in a small orchard. They were halted, while a supporting attack against that pesky machine gun was cut to pieces.In the end the few remaining Bolshevik reserves managed to cover a general retreat, and the battered Turks were declared the victors. Like any Chris Peers rules set Contemptible Little Armies is fast, fun and incredibly bloody. Granted the rules are simplistic, but sometimes that’s exactly what you need.

Tags: Contemptible Little Armies