Holding the line - rules

 The rule paly test has involved one Battalion with supporting arms, facing a Company across 'no mans land.'

Terrain

We have played a numebr of trench games outdoors - usually based on Brigade ++ attackes.  One of the difficult things to simulate outdoors is the narrowness and claustraphobia of trench warfare.  A walk around the preserved trenches in Ypres gives a real feeling for this.  Lord Reith described trench warfare as standing in a narrow, deep, ditch in a field.

The terrain in this game is designed to replicate the narrowness of trench warfare, and the general lack of visibility.

Night fighting

Most of the action took place at night, and the rules used the HG type screen - and party popper for flares.

This seemed to work well.

Summary

This was an interesting play test for a small scale campaign, at battalion and company level.  Thansk to the two Pals commanders, TG and JW.  On the German side, it was fairly busy, but on balance, much better than being down south, in Verdun ...

'It will all be over by Christmas'