Battle of Lake Baikal AAR

The Red Fleet moves to attack

Last weekend we gathered and played my Lake Baikal scenario for the Russian Civil War. Our rules of choice are Red Actions from the Perfect Captain. This game had three gunboats and two armored trains, as well as three gun barges and four batteries firing from land. It was a completely different game than what we normally play; different and yet still fun.

One of the Czech Legion armored trains

The other Czech armored train

I plan to post the scenario soon. The premise is that two Czech Legion armored trains are moving through this area as they roll East. They are "escorted" by a brigade of Cossacks from the Siberian Provisional Government. A small infantry command garrisons the train station.
A group of gunboats are moving to attack, accompanied by a transport. The game begins and both sides fight to control the rails in this area.

The Red gunboats pull gun barges and screen the transport

 

The Cossacks are pounded by the gunboats

This armored train begins to take hits

View from the hill behind the White position

I needed to have a large hill on the table. I wadded up newspapers and put my ground cloth over them. With a little more practice, I hope to be able to perfect this terrain method.

The gunboats clear the way for fire from the barges.

It was a very lopsided affair. The Whites did not put a single hit on a gunboat or a barge. The Reds managed to destroy all of the batteries, as well as both trains. The only positive for the Whites was the beating they gave the Red infantry and cavalry that landed from the transport.

A fun game, but the next one will be more traditional with infantry and cavalry roaming the table.

As a matter of fact, I'm working on a scenario for the Red attack on Kiev in early 1918.