Mud & Blood - Triumphant Standards

Introduction
Whilst going through the play-test phase of developing Through the Mud and the Blood it rapidly
became very clear to all involved that this was a set of rules with very broad potential. A significant
minority of the play-testers came back and said “These are great, and I am going to use them for…”,
and you can insert anything there, from Russian Civil War and China in the 1920s, to the North West
Frontier, even Nazi scientists hunting Mummies in Egypt. Not quite what I had originally envisaged,
but let’s face it, not unusual as we wargamers tend to diversify at the first opportunity.
For some years now we on Lard Island have been talking about developing a set of rules entitled “Arse
End of Nowhere”, covering all of those obscure little conflicts that littered the world between and
around the two World Wars. In Mud & Blood we have probably found the vehicle that will make that
happen, but more immediately I wanted to provide some rules that could work for three conflicts that
interest me. First is the Irish War of Independence, inspired by Musketeer Miniatures beautiful figures
and RH Models ever popular 20mm range. Then was the Freikorps and the German revolutionaries,
and finally a more recent interest, thanks to the chaps at Solway Crafts & Miniatures and their
fantastic Source Book, the hypothetical British Civil War of 1938.
In side this small supplement you will find details of force organisation and armament, along with any
conflict specific rules and troop ratings. Along side this we are adding three scenarios for each
conflict to, hopefully, provide some indication of how we put our games together. What I do not
propose to do is make any comment on the history, or the rights and wrongs of the conflicts or the
people involved in them, as undoubtedly readers will already have formed their own opinions on who
are the good guys and who aren’t.
Contents
Section One The Irish Civil War Page 2
Section Two The Freikorps and the Red Revolution Page 12
Section Three A Very British Civil War Page 22
Triumphant Standards 1 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

Historical Background
The Irish War of Independence ran from the start of 1919 to 1922 when the settlement created the
Irish Free State. The war was largely a guerrilla campaign conducted by the Irish Republican Army
against the forces of the Royal Irish Constabulary. The former were almost entirely irregular in
nature, the latter were a para-military force that was said to be too much of a police force to be an
effective anti-guerrilla body, but too military to be an effective police force.
Crown Forces
The Crown forces were split into two main groups, the RIC and the British Army. The former was a
locally recruited force that broadly represented the community in that its members were recruited
from both the Protestant and Roman Catholic population. Its officers were spread throughout the
country in barracks that varied in size depending on the community served. A small village may
expect to have a police station manned by a Sergeant and five Constables, whereas towns could have
up to 100 men based from the barracks, although only those on duty resided in them, off-duty officers
living in their own private residences. For the IRA the smaller barracks represented their only real
source of weapons, and the early days of the conflict saw many outposts attacked in order to capture
these. The RIC was obliged to abandon a large number of these outlying barracks as they were too
easy a target for the IRA, withdrawing to the towns and defending their bases there with barbed wire
and metal shutters on the windows to provide security.
As the conflict developed the British found it necessary to supplement the forces of the
RIC with men from England. Recruiting in Ireland had dried up as the threat to normal
police officers increased, and the RIC Reserve Force was introduced in January 1920.
Initially short of the dark green, almost black, uniform of the RIC, many of these men
wore a mix of British Army Khaki and odd item of police uniform, gaining for them the
nickname ‘Black & Tans’ after a well known Irish hunting pack, a name that stuck
despite them soon receiving the correct green uniforms. Largely ex-servicemen
(not criminals from British gaols as some of the more unlikely propaganda states)
they gained an unhealthy reputation for violent retribution, and undoubtedly
there was a general problem with the laxer discipline of the RIC compared to
rigidly enforced rules that they had experienced in the Army.
In addition to this force an Auxiliary Division was formed, made up largely of the
unusual phenomena of “temporary gentlemen”, former rankers of the British
Army who had been commissioned during the Great War and with its end had
lost their status and new career. These men struggled in civilian life where
unemployment among former officers was higher than any other group, and
the opportunity to join the RIC as Temporary Cadets, as they were designated,
provided a welcome chance to get back into uniform.
The Royal Irish Constabulary had been founded in 1822 and was, throughout the Victorian era, seen as
a model force. Indeed the police forces of New Zealand and Canada were modelled on it. Each
province had an Inspector and each county a Chief Constable. Under them were Divisional
Commissioners, District Inspectors, with Sergeants, Head Constables and Constables below that. The
men were distributed throughout 1,400 police barracks throughout the country where weapons were
kept, although largely the police went about their business unarmed until the advent of the troubles.
In Dublin the Dublin Metropolitan Police were an unarmed force with their headquarters, like that of
the RIC, in Dublin castle.
Broadly the Black & Tans were incorporated into the normal RIC force as Constables, serving in police
barracks. Their training was brief and focussed on an understanding of the basics of the law, rather
than on counter-insurgency warfare, and their use was consequently coloured by that. Largely they
were unable to operate as police officers in the traditional sense, but they were capable of providing
men to guard facilities and conduct sweeps and searches. It is unfortunate that the term “Black &
Tan” was used as a catch-all phrase by the Republicans to cover all Crown force, as this can be
confusing to the reader. Whilst the Black & Tans had numerous moments of ill-disciplined excess,
largely prompted by the killing of one of their number by the IRA, they were undoubtedly less

troublesome than the Auxiliaries, whose organisation and role gave them greater opportunity for such
behaviour.
The RIC Auxiliary Division, unlike the Reserve Force, operated as independent units, with a total of
fifteen companies of around 100 men strong, forming fast moving mobile columns. The standard
arrangement for each company was two Ford motor cars with six Crossley tenders, suggesting column
strength of around sixty-five men. Their uniform was blue with the Tam O’Shanter bonnet with the
RIC badge, headgear worn by no other unit (and certainly not the Black & Tans who were very soon
indistinguishable from the RIC). Ranks were generally Temporary Cadet with Auxiliary Commandants
as officers. In their free-ranging roles the “Auxies” were detested by the IRA; as is usual in such
conflicts the level of hatred mirrored the success that the unit had against their opponents.
It is certainly true that the mobility of the Auxiliaries served to harass the IRA at every
turn, ensuring that whilst the RIC had abandoned certain areas the IRA could never be
said to completely control them.
The British Army was the other major Crown force in Ireland. This was garrisoned
there in its peace-time role as it was in other areas of the United Kingdom. It was
initially loathe to get involved in a conflict that it saw as the responsibility of the
police, and certainly its distaste for the whole affair is notable from the private
correspondence of the time. Nevertheless involvement was inevitable, and the Army
found its Regiments in Ireland split up into company or half-company sized garrisons
with responsibility for providing large numbers of men to support the RIC. Some
commanders, notably Major Percival (who later as General Percival surrendered
Singapore) gained reputations for their zeal, yet many others remained aloof and
were considered fair by their opponents. The population of Ireland learned
quickly to distinguish between the sound of the engines of an RIC Crossley
tender and an Army lorry, the former being potentially much worse news
than the latter.
By 1921 the Army, like the Auxiliaries, was operating in flying columns of three lorry-borne platoons,
with light kit only and rubber soled boots. Indeed by the time of the cessation of hostilities the British
had largely reclaimed the territory abandoned by the RIC, and were considered by even their
opponents to be winning the war. However the price had been the loss of support from the majority
of the Irish population, and the military campaign was subsumed by the political reality.
Equipment and Rating

The Royal Irish Constabulary was almost exclusively rifle and pistol armed at the start of the conflict,
with limited numbers of Lewis guns being added to their armoury as things intensified. The Auxiliaries
were better equipped, along military lines, whilst the army retained its late 1918 structure with two
Lewis guns per platoon. Grenades and heavy machine guns were not normally used in Ireland,
presumable as they were considered inappropriate for a policing action.
The RIC used the Crossley Tender with a capacity of ten passengers; the Army used a heavier lorry
with room for fifteen men. Peerless and Rolls Royce armoured cars were deployed in Dublin as early
as 1919, along with a few tanks as a show of strength. The former were used outside the capital in
1920, tanks were never used in anger.
The RIC should be rated as Regular, as should the Black & Tan reinforcements. The Auxiliaries should
be rated Regular or Veteran, never Green. The British Army may be rated anything from Green to
Veteran. In terms of morale the RIC should be reasonable. The Auxiliaries and the Army may be
anything from Poor to Good, with the norm being Reasonable. Big Men should be present with the
Army and the Auxiliaries at the same rate as for the British Army in 1918 in the main rules. The RIC
should have less senior Big Men present, and tend to be of lesser status in military operations.

The Irish Republican Army
The emergence of the Irish Republican Army as a significant force came on the back of the British
execution of the ringleaders of the Easter Rising in 1916. This heavy-handed response turned a largely
loyal population into a largely disaffected one, and the calls for Home Rule now changed to demands
for independence.
The IRA was controlled by a central headquarters in Dublin, with each area having a Brigade. Each
Brigade was composed of between three and six battalions, each of which had four to seven companies
with a theoretical strength of 75 to 100 men. However to think of the IRA as a standing army is to
misunderstand the nature of their campaign. Men were normally collected together formally only for
periods of initial training, after which they would assemble only for specific operations. Reports on
the strength of the IRA vary, but what is clear is that the numbers operating in the field at
any time were small. A view of the RIC Roll of Honour is sufficient to confirm that the vast
majority of actions were small assassination attempts on representatives of the Crown
and those thought to be their agents. Typically small gangs would come
together to carry out such an attack, and then disband and disperse as
soon as the deed was done.
For larger operations Flying Columns of around forty men were the norm, with the ten
man section being the normal sub-unit, but even then a great deal of care had to be
taken not to attract the attention of superior numbers of Crown forces, with scouts
preceding every advance. Such a force would have specific and limited objectives,
primary amongst which was the securing of arms and ammunition by attacking
barracks and patrols. At their most audacious an ambush could be launched on
Crown forces, usually triggered off by the killing of a Unionist civilian and leaving
the body prominently displayed, with a suitable warning note to traitors pinned
to the corpse, in the hope of provoking a reaction from the local garrison. If
the ambush was successful, any vehicles would be burnt and weapons seized
before the column would head for safe houses and avoid any pursuers. This
tactic was, naturally, only of limited use as the police and the army quickly learnt to
ignore such obvious bait.

The IRA used whatever weapons it could get, with sporting guns being prominent in the early days,
along side a mix of Mausers, Winchesters and Mannlichers, but the Lee Enfield becoming the norm as
these were captured. Much to the annoyance of the British the IRA used a large amount of dum-dum
ammunition, which could inflict terrible wounds. Light machine guns, such as the Hotchkiss or Lewis
Gun, were extremely rare but not entirely unknown. No heavy support weapons or armoured vehicles
were available, with the horse and cart being the prime mode of transport or, on very rare occasion,
the odd motor car.
One possibly surprising weapon was the spade, with ditches across roads being dug in the hope of
breaking an axle on an army or police vehicle, and explosive devices were assembled both to be used
as landmines and to break through the heavy doors of police barracks in a major attack. These were,
however, often faulty, not exploding at all or failing to have the desired effect.
During the winter the IRA were able to operate more freely than in the dry months, as the unmade
tracks were often impassable to Crown motor vehicles, thereby allowing more freedom of operation to
the insurgents.
The IRA should count as Green or Regular troops, never Veterans. This is a reflection of their general
lack of military training and the fact that we are likely to be gaming larger operations which were not
their usual modus operandi. Their morale may be Good or Reasonable, it is unlikely to be poor.

April 1920 and the men of the West Limerick IRA were intent on proving their long memories. In 1867,
during the Fenian Revolt, the R.I.C. barracks at Killmallock had been unsuccessfully attacked and at
least one Fenian had been killed. Now, more than fifty years later, many of the men taking part in
this attack were the descendants of the original attackers, this time they would not fail.
This is a relatively small game, with just thirty or so men a side, and whilst the historical background
does make this one unusual it is, essentially, typical of so many attacks on police barracks that were
conducted with a view to seizing arms for the cause. What is unusual is for a barracks of this size in a
large town to be attacked this early in the war.
IRA Briefing
Now is the time to punish the Peelers for the outrages of fifty-three years ago, when they had the
temerity to shoot the patriotic Fenians who were attacking them! This time they will not get away
scot free; you will ensure that they are defeated and their weapons and ammunition taken.
You have a column of seventy men with you, however forty or so of these have been sent off to watch
the approaches to the town and ensure that your attack is not interfered with. This leaves you with
twenty-six men armed with rifles, and two Big Men, Michael Brennan, status II who has come from East
Clare to join in the fun, Jerry O’Mahoney, Status I, and yourself, Sean Finn, the commander of the
West Limerick Brigade and status III.
In addition to your rifles you have bought along some kerosene and a selection of heavy weights. You
have noticed that the house next door to the barracks is some two storeys higher than the police
building, and from a side window you can drop weights through the roof and then, with the kerosene,
set the place aflame.
You begin the game in the houses opposite the barracks and the one next door. The civilians have
been sent away under guard, so the scene is set for a great victory!
Special Rules
Arson: Setting alight to
buildings is dealt with as an
Engineering Task, with a
numerical value required to
achieve it. Setting alight to
a building with inflammatory
material, such as petrol or
kerosene, requires a
cumulative total of 12, with
1D6 begin rolled per
attempt. It takes one turn
to pour the liquid onto the
building and subsequent
turns are spent ensuring that
the fire is properly lit and
encouraging it to burn.
In this case heavy weights

were hurled down onto the slated roof in order to break a hole through. This must also be considered
a Task. One such attempt may be made per turn by one man (it’s a relatively small window), rolling a
D6 for each attempt. On a roll of 6 (this is not cumulative) a hole is made that may then have
kerosene poured into it. The kerosene was poured from the adjacent window by the bucket full, and
burning rags were thrown down. One such attempt may be made per turn, succeeding on a roll of 4-6
on a D6.
Once the building is alight the occupants of the barracks may attempt to douse the fire during the first
six turns, rolling one D6 for each two men dedicated to this task. On a roll of 6 they put the fire out.

However if the IRA have two men dedicated to throwing petrol on the fire it will be impossible to
extinguish it.
Fire in the barracks will spread if not extinguished. After six turns of the blank card the top storey
will be unusable. After a further six turns the ground floor will have to be abandoned. After that the
fire may spread further, roll a D6 on the turn of the blank card with a result of 6 resulting in the fire
spreading to one adjacent structure. Dice for which with an equal chance.
Crown Forces Briefing

The R.I.C. barracks at Killmallock has a proud history, no rebel has ever been able to take on the
Police and win, and you have no intention of that ever changing. You are Sergeant Tobias O’Sullivan,
status II, a long serving member of the force, with you are Sergeant Thomas Kane, status II, and
Constable Arthur Hooey, status I, along with twenty Constables. You are all rifle armed and ready to
uphold the King’s law in your home town.
Umpire’s Briefing
Lord Edward Street, where the barracks was located, was a typical British main street, with buildings
packed tightly together, so the game can be fought on a very small table. Indeed only the frontages
of the houses on the opposite side of the road need to be represented. A 3’ by 2’ table is certainly
adequate. Maps of the period suggest that both sides had more tactical options than just shooting it
out, and the players may decide to take a more aggressive stance with either side.
The game begins with the IRA forces occupying two houses opposite the barracks. The RIC men should
be divided equally between the various rooms of the building which, for ease, can be assumed to be
two rooms on the ground floor and two on the first floor. At this stage in the conflict barracks were
not surrounded by barbed wire, but did have steel shutters at the windows, so to all intents and
purposes this is a large, solid, fortified house, counting as Heavy cover. At the left hand side of the
barracks as looked at from the front is a double gate, about eight feet high, the same as the wall that
encloses the yard, which bars the entrance to the rear yard where the stables are located. These
stables are single storey and now unoccupied by horses, but are a solid structure with solid stable
doors remaining. The connecting outbuilding between the stables and the main barracks building is a
single storey rear office which provides access to the yard from the barracks itself.
The houses in which the IRA were located are brick construction and count as medium cover.
If the IRA forces decide to attempt to break into the police yard they will have to first get rid of the
gates. These may be broken down with a task roll of 30, with one dice being rolled for each man
attempting the task. No more than five men may attempt this in any turn.
The deck is made up as follows:

IRA Crown Forces Common
IRA Blinds Crown Blinds Time for a Snifter
Big Men Big Men Blank Card
1 x Command Initiative I 1 x Command Initiative
Historical Outcome
The attack began just after midnight with the IRA opening fire on the barracks from the houses across
the road, provoking an immediate response. Whilst this fire-fight was taking place the men in the
house adjacent to the barracks began throwing weights down onto the roof, and then throwing
kerosene down by the bucket-full and setting it alight. But still the RIC men fought on. At 2 am Finn
called on the policemen to surrender, but they refused. When the building was completely ablaze the
police withdrew to the stables and still refused to surrender, at which point the IRA withdrew. Two
Constables were killed and six wounded in the action, the IRA casualties are not known, however
Captain Liam Scully was certainly killed. In response to the attack the police burnt down several
houses, a creamery and a public hall.

November 1920, and Tom Barry had just completed a week of training for the recruits of Cork No3.
Brigade. As part of the completion of training Barry, a veteran of the British Army and now one of the
IRA’s most daring commanders, had planned to ambush the regular motor patrol of Auxiliaries that
passed each day from the barracks at Macroom to Dumanway and then on to search one of the
surrounding villages in search of their foe.
This scenario gives the IRA player the opportunity to plan his ambush, whilst obliging the Crown forces
player to drive helplessly into it, only really taking control of his forces once the bullets start to fly.
That said, the card based nature of the turns mean that Barry’s IRA forces will need to time their
ambush well, if they leave it too late the Crown forces could simply pass by.
IRA Briefing
With the Black & Tans taking the Macroom to Dumanway road every day, on their way to terrorise the
land, it’s a fine opportunity for your lads to stop them and give them a taste of their own medicine.
With you are forty men, all armed with rifles. How you divide them up is your choice, however if you
place scouts out you’ll be better placed to spring your trap. Within that force there are four men you
can trust to command, Pat Deasy (a Status II Big Man), Mick O’Shea (Status I), Paddy Whelan (Status I)
and Bill Houlihan (Status I), you, Tom Barry, are a Status III Big Man.
As you will see from the land, the road turns a sharp left before running straight for a short distance
and then turns to the right on its was to Dumanway. The vehicles will be obliged to slow down for the
turn, so here is an ideal place for the ambush, especially as the barren slopes are littered with rocky
outcrops that will give some cover to your men.
You may deploy your forces anywhere on the table that is at least 18” from where the main road
enters and leaves the table. Your scouts may be anywhere on the table if used. You should be aware
that you may encounter some traffic going both ways on the road, and that some of it could be
military.
Your objective is to kill the patrol, take no prisoners, burn the vehicles and capture the weapons and
ammunition before making your escape off any table edge. Your troops are Green, but with good
morale.
Special Rules

Special Rules
Road to Hell: The “Road to Hell” rule covers the inevitability of driving into an ambush if that is what
the scenario demands, as it does here. In this case the Crown forces use this road every day without
incident, and are certainly not expecting anything untoward to happen on this day, it would therefore
be absurd to see the player allowed to do anything other than bowl along towards impending doom.
To reflect this the force concerned start the game on the table rather than on Blinds. A ‘Convoy’ card
is added to the deck. When this is played the column will proceed at maximum possible speed along
the main road, being unable to undertake any action other than move. It will do this until any firing
begins, at which point the player may take complete control of his force. The vehicles in the column
will keep a gap two vehicles’ length between each vehicle, all vehicles moving at the same speed until
the ambush is sprung.
Ambush: An ambush may be sprung by concealed, unspotted, troops opening fire before they are
spotted. When this happens the amount of Shock caused by the firer in that turn is doubled to
represent the surprise factor.
Firing at Soft-skin vehicles: Troops in a soft-skin vehicle that is fired on will take hits as though they
are in the open. The vehicle offers some scant cover, but its passengers are also tightly packed, so we
presume that one cancels out the other. Roll a D6 each turn that vehicle crew lose a man dead. If the
number rolled is less than the number of men killed then the driver is dead and the vehicle immobile.
Moving Soft-Skin vehicles: Soft-skin vehicles that are moving on a hard flat surface roll 2D6 and
doubling the number of pips dice rolled, with this being the distance in inches they travel. When
turning a corner of more than 45˚ or when on a poor surface (muddy, bumpy, etc.) the basic dice
score is used.
Poor Fire Discipline: This card is added to the deck. Each time it is dealt any Group on Blinds with
poor fire discipline roll 1D6 when an enemy comes within range. On a 1 they are deployed on the
table, some fool has opened fire too early!
Crown Briefing
Another day, another patrol. Surely it can’t be long until you find the last of these Shinners and
restore the King’s peace to this rebellious bog! Today you are leading a patrol of thirty men in three
Crossley tenders from the barracks at Macroom to the Dumanway area where you’ll be sweeping the
area for Sinn Fein rebels. After that, a few drinks in the mess…
The British force is led by Auxiliary Commandant Edward Stanton-Jeffers (Status III), under whom
there are two other Big Men, Cadet Arthur Watson (Status II) and Cadet Geoffrey Heap (Status I). With
them are twenty seven other Cadets. Your troops are Regular with Reasonable morale.
Umpire’s Briefing
The map shows the table as it should be set up, with the Crown forces entering the table at A on turn
one and heading for B. As per the Ambush rules they will do this until attacked. The IRA may deploy
anywhere on the table and will not be spotted until their first unit opens fire, at which point the
Crown forces may attempt to spot as normal. The ground to the south of the main road is boggy,
movement within 9” of the road is with -1 pip per dice. Further than that from the road this is
increased to -2 pips per dice.
The high ground to the north of the road is rocky, with the outcrops and low stone walls giving light
cover. The main road is solid and dry, the side roads are muddy. The table is 6’ by 5’ in size.

Poor Fire Discipline Big Men
Big Men Convoy
1 x Command Initiative I 1 x Command Initiative
1 x Command Initiative II

Historical Outcome
Barry’s force ambushed what was actually two tenders (I have increased it to three to make a better
game, and the patrol was often made up of three or four vehicles), with the IRA Commander standing
in the road in his full uniform. In the poor light the leading driver assumed it was a Crown officer and
slowed down, only to be killed. A brief firefight broke out, the troops in the lead tender were gunned
down, those in the second put up a fight. In the end the Auxies attempted to surrender but were
killed anyway.
There is to this day some argument about what happened. The British authorities claimed that the
men had been killed with axes, Tom Barry claims that the Auxiliaries feigned surrender before opening
fire again. Modern Irish historians are divided, with some suggesting that Barry killed the men in cold
blood, however it is rather naive to assume that Barry had any options other than to kill them or let
them go free, he certainly had no facilities for prisoners. In the past he had been know to let Crown
forces captured go free after taking their arms, this time it seems that he was less generous.

March 1921 and the Crown forces had emerged from their barracks after the long wet winter, with a
view to clearing Cork of Sinn Fein rebels. In a major sweep of the county the 1st Essex, two Companies
of the 2nd Hampshires and a company of Auxies were on the heels of Tom Barry’s Flying Column, a
total of nearly 1200 men in search of just 70.
Major Percival had a score to settle with Barry, too many of his men have been murdered for him to
stand by and allow this Shinner to get free, and several British columns are converging on Crossbarry,
searching every house along the way. Already that day the notorious Charlie Hurley, commander of
the IRA’s Cork Brigade had been killed, caught hiding in a farmhouse he attempted to escape but
defective ammunition foiled his attempt and led to his death. Now the British are confident that
Barry’s force is on the ropes and intend to finish it off for good. This game is typical of the conflict in
1921, with the Crown forces taking the war to the IRA and, from a purely military perspective, on the
verge of winning the war.
Crown Briefing
We have these rebels on the back foot, and this time we are going to clear Cork and restore Crown
rule for all of its citizens. We cannot rest in chasing these Shinners, no stone must be left unturned in
capturing them. We have had a major success already today with the IRA Brigade commander being
killed, now is time to get the rest of them. You must work your way through the cottages in
Crossbarry where you suspect more of the enemy may be hiding. Move fast, DO NOT let them slip
away due to your being too slow.
Your force is made up of four lorries and two Crossley tenders, with a total of sixty British regulars and
twenty Auxies. You are Captain Roland Grimes (status III) and you have Lieutenant Owen Davies
(status II), Sergeant Arthur Miles (status III) and Corporals Ron Barking (status I) and Reg Dagenham
(status I). The Auxies have Cadet Walden (status II) in command, however they will take instructions
from any of your Big Men of commissioned rank as well. Your men are all rifle armed, with three
Lewis gun teams amongst them. The army forces have four lorries with 15 men in each, the Auxiliaries
have two Crossley tenders with ten men in each. Big Men may travel in any vehicles they like in
addition to the passenger numbers stated. Your men have reasonable morale and are veteran troops.
Special Rules

The Ambush and both soft-skin rules from scenario one applies here, but not the Road to Hell or the
Poor Fire Discipline rules. Additionally the following rule will be used if the IRA decide to dig a ditch
to block the road.
Anti-Vehicle Ditch: This will be spotted if any Crown troops are within 6” of it on the Snifter card. If
not spotted and driven into by a vehicle it will render that vehicle stuck for the rest of the game.
IRA Briefing
The British Army are closing in on us; earlier today it looked like there was little chance of escape, but
now there is a small ray of hope. One of the British columns converging on Crossbarry, the one from
the West, looks like getting here significantly earlier than the others, so much so that you think you
can deal with them before the rest arrive and make your escape. In fact this is an opportunity to give
the British a bloody nose!
With you are sixty men, all armed with rifles. How you divide them up is your choice. Within that
force there are six Big Men, you, Tom Barry are Status III, Pat Deasy and Mick O’Shea are Status II,
Paddy Whelan, Jerry Flaherty and Bill Houlihan are Status I. You may dig one ditch barricade to block
the road if you wish.
Your objective is to destroy the British force that is pursuing you or at least damage it to the point
where it can no longer follow you. There may well be more Crown forces arriving, but not until after
you have had time to take on the first column. It may well be that you feel strong enough to take on
more forces as they arrive, but remember that your objective is to inflict a morale raising blow on the
British and escape off the map at point X. Your men are Regular troops with Reasonable morale.
Umpire’s Briefing
The map shows the table, 6’ by 5’ in size. The lead vehicle of the Crown forces will enter from point
A on turn one with the rest following in column with a two vehicle length gap between each one. The
cottages are stone built and offer heavy cover, whilst the drainage ditches, shown in brown, and
hedges offer light cover.
Once the firing starts add a blank card to the deck. On the third and subsequent time that it is dealt
roll a D6. On a roll of 6 forty British Army regulars with a Sergeant (status III) and three Corporals
(status I) will arrive at B or C (dice for which) on foot. They will have two Lewis Guns, with the rest
being rifle armed.
The IRA win a victory if they can inflict losses of 2:1 on the Crown forces. If they achieve 3:1 they
achieve a major victory.

1 x Command Initiative I Column
1 x Command Initiative II 1 x Command Initiative I
1 x Command Initiative III

The collapse of the German Reich at the end of 1918, and the consequent armistice that ended the
hostilities on the Western Front, saw the formation of a political vacuum that the left attempted to
fill. A Socialist Chancellor in the Reichstag was not enough for those who looked eastwards for a
model of social revolution, and in Berlin the Spartakistbund attempted to seize power, whilst in
Bavaria a Red Republic was declared with its attendant reign of terror, and the Army Committees in
the Ruhr backed the industrial workers in their declaration of a republic. In the northern ports the
Volksmarine were flying the Red Flag.
Unable to count on the regular army, infected as it was with the germ of revolution, the Socialist
government sought out a force strong and reliable enough to defend them. The result was the birth of
the Freikorps.
The Freikorps
With the declaration of the armistice on the 11th of November, the German army began its obligation
to withdraw from occupied territories. Its component units withdrew as complete entities, returning
to their depots in Germany with their arms and structures intact. During this process two distinct
sorts of units emerged; those that embraced the newly declared Republic and formed soldiers
councils, and those that saw such developments as symptomatic of a political cancer and
imminent threat of social breakdown.
In the case of the former, units tended to disband as men returned to their homes,
leaving a rump of highly politicised, well armed veterans who provided the Left with
the nucleus of the forces of revolution. With the latter the units tended to remain
more coherent, and under the leadership of charismatic commanders formed the
Freikorps to which the government turned to restore order.
These forces were by no means of any typical size or structure. Some units were
merely Companies, the rump of a battalion maybe, whereas others fielded full
Divisions with artillery, armour and even air support. What was consistent was their
retention of the old Imperial ethos and their aggression towards men who, they
believed, were a threat to Germany. Indeed they showed little compunction when it
came to deploying the full panoply of war against the fellow countrymen.

Fielding a Freikorps force is a simple matter of taking a late war Imperial German unit
structure from the main rule book and working around that. The Freikorps operating near the capital
tended to be well supplied, there was no shortage of military equipment after the conclusion of the
Great War and Berlin was where most of it was available, so units were often equipped with motor
vehicles as well as armoured cars and even tanks, and able to conduct a far more mobile campaign
than had been possible in France. There seems to have been an emphasis on increasing the number of
support weapons available where possible, the potential firepower of a unit could be huge, but as the
Freikorps tended to be on the attack there was still a great reliance on the bayonet, rifle and hand-
grenade to achieve their goals.
Freikorps units should be rated as Stormtroopers, being veteran and of good morale. They can be
supported by ad hoc Police units, these being regular with reasonable morale, or even regular Army
units which are Regular but with poor morale.
Big Men will tend to be of high quality, squad leaders status II as a norm, senior NCOs and officers
status III or even status IV.

The Forces of the Left
The forces of the left were every bit as disparate as those of the right, with various groups springing
up around industrial centres and large cities. In Berlin the Spartakistbund was not content with a
Socialist Republic, for them only the Soviet model would be acceptable and, supported by the Red
sailors of the Volksmarine they attempted their putsch in December of 1918. With over a quarter of a
million workers demonstrating on the streets of the capital the Spartakists took over key buildings in
the city along with the press, however they were ultimately defeated by the Freikorps due to the
disjointed command system created by soldier councils and a lack of a cohesive strategy or objectives.
In Munich a Red Republic was declared and the Bavarian Red Army, 25,000 men strong was formed,
opponents of the new regime were executed, and a Socialist government in exile formed at Bamberg.
Again the Socialist government called on the Freikorps, and again they responded, crushing the
Bavarian Red Army in short order.
In the Ruhr, around Dusseldorf and Essen, the Ruhr Red Republic was declared by the workers and
soldier committees of this highly industrialised region. Here the railways provided excellent
communication lines, and the Ruhr Red Army, well supplied with armoured vehicles and even an
armoured train, was able to stop the Freikorps attacks until the Berlin government were able to
negotiate a solution, fearful that the region’s mines would be flooded.
As we have seen the Soldiers’ Councils provided the core of these new forces, with plentiful supplies
of equipment with which to arm themselves. The structures were reminiscent of the old
Imperial German army, but without the officer corps which allowed it to
function coherently. What resulted were forces that could perform well at
local level, especially when led by charismatic commanders, but that
struggled to present a consistent and rational strategy. This was not a
failing that its opponents had, and the forces of the left paid the price
accordingly.

All of the weapons available to the Freikorps were equally accessible to the
forces of the Left, with the exception of tanks (and nobody had many of them),
however their overwhelmingly defensive stance means that accounts of fighting focus on the
machine gun and the sniper. That said, some of the units raised, especially those from tough
industrial neighbourhoods and inspired by political devotion could form very
aggressive small units who were noted for their hard fighting in close
combat.
Unit structures should be based on the Imperial German Army as seen in the main rules, but with less
emphasis on the ad hoc nature of the Stormtrooper units. Whilst Big Men will be present as squad
leaders there will be a notable lack of officers. Each force should have an overall commander, but his
position is more likely to have come about due to his skills as a political orator rather than a military
commander, so he could be of any quality, from status I upwards.
At the outset of any period of conflict the forces of the left are likely to be either Green or Regular,
with Good morale. As time progresses the quality become Regular, but with morale falling to
Reasonable or even Poor. This is, of course a generalisation, even in the death throes of a movement
there will be men who are inspired to sell their lives expensively, happy with a martyr’s grave.
Special Rules
Commissars
Red forces may have a political officers, or Commissar, attached to their force. These men may be
attached to any Group in a force, moving with it and acting with it as normal. They may not shoot,
but they may take part in close combat. They will also have their own card in the deck, and when this
is dealt they will have two Action Points. These they can use to move on their own, for example if
they are leaving one Group to join another, or to attempt to rally any Group that they are with. To
rally a Group they must roll 1D6 per attempt. On a 4, 5 or 6 they may remove one point of Shock. On
a 1 they roll again. On a second one they have a disagreement with any Big Man attached to that

Group and execute him as a traitor to the cause. If no Big Man is present they will shoot a random
member of the Group. On any other result that add one point of Shock to the Group.
Committee!
Any Socialist or Communist force may suffer from its members having an over-enthusiastic idea about
democracy, and attempting to discuss orders rather than simply carrying them out. When the
“Committee!” card is dealt all the Command Initiative cards for that force that are currently in play
are returned to the deck, lost for the current turn.

In January 1919, the Reichstag was surrounded by militant Spartakists who were insisting on Soviet
style government. Many government offices and newspapers were in the hands of the forces of
revolution, with in excess of 250,000 workers demonstrating in the streets in support of these
demands. The new Socialist President, Freidrich Ebert, entered into talks with the revolutionaries,
whilst at the same time secretly instructing his defence minister, Gustav Noske, to call upon the
remaining orderly remnants of Imperial Army to crush the rebellion. In response the Freikorps were
born, and under their old officers and flags they converged on Berlin intent on clearing the streets and
crushing the revolution.
News of the Ebert’s instructions reached the Spartakists and all talking was abandoned. The
demonstrating workers were called upon to take up arms in defence of the revolution, requests were
sent to the Volksmarine for help. The scene was set for civil war in Germany.
This scenario is typical of this violent period, with elements of the Freikorps attempting to seize a key
junction and the government building, while the forces of the left prepare to defend them to the last.
Freikorps Briefing
The very existence of Germany is in your hands. The forces of anarchy and disorder have seized the
capital and are now attempting to force a Soviet government onto the President. Your force has held
together since the end of the war a month ago, marching back into Berlin to the cheers of the crowds.
Now things have changed, but surely these Berliners on the streets cannot be the same ones who
welcomed your return? These are the traitors who stabbed the front line soldiers in the back; it is now
their time to pay the price for treachery.
Your force is made up of forty men, all well armed, with two MG08/15 light machine guns and one
heavy flamethrower team. The rest have rifles and grenades, two men have trench broom SMGs, and
may be formed into Groups of riflemen and bombers as desired. You are Hauptmann Max Lehrmann,
status IV, with you
are several other
Big Men, Leutnant
Jurgen von Stehr,
status III,
Feldwebel Adolf
Bloom, status III,
and Gefreiters
Harald Schmidt
and Richard
Bendler, status I.
You must clear

the cross-roads by
the Post Office of
the enemy and
thereby open the
way to the
Reichstag for
other forces.
Your force is
made up of
Aggressive,
Veteran troops
with Good morale.

Spartakist Briefing
Workers and Red Sailors to the barricades! The revolution is under threat from the forces of reaction.
We must stand firm against these running dogs of oppression and defend the rights of all free men.
Your force is made up of twenty Red sailors and twenty armed workers, the former being Regular
troops with Reasonable morale, the latter Green troops with good morale. You have two Maxim HMGs
with the rest of your forces, being rifle armed. The sailors may designate up to six men as bombers,
the workers are all riflemen.
You are Comrade Leutnant zur Zee Wilhelm Hider, status III, with you is Matrose Heinrich Schatz,
status I. The workers militiamen are under the command of Joachim Blum, status III. You have also
called for help from nearby detachments, so you can only hope some arrives. There seems to be
fighting all around, so the situation is unclear.
Umpire’s Briefing
The table here is only 3’ by 4’ and is largely covered in city buildings which, due to their size have
several doors as marked by the door steps. These are largely apartments and offices in the heart of
the city, so it is possible to move through these via the entrances marked. The Freikorps start the
game at point A on turn one, whilst the Spartakists may deploy anywhere inside the red dashed line.
They may also place up to 24” of barricades within that same are in any configuration they like.
On turn two the Spartakists should be told that a tram is coming there way, about to enter that table
on the tram lines at A. This will arrive on the corner on turn three, with several civilian passengers
alighting and moving away off-table (they play no part in the game, but the Freikorps player does not
know that). The tram will then attempt to continue on its route which goes round the corner and
straight past the Post Office. The Freikorps may commandeer the tram if they can reach it with one
man. The tram moves at 3D6 inches per turn, or 2D6 in a turn in which it starts or finishes moving. It
will be derailed if it attempts to crash through a barricade with 1D6 hits on any passengers, however
any troops manning the barricade will roll for 2D6 hits, counting no cover.
A blank card is included in the deck, and each turn this dictates the tram’s movement if it is acting
independently. If commandeered by the Freikorps is will be activated on the relevant Big Man’s card.
In addition to the tram, a D6 will be thrown each time the card is dealt. On a 6 roll again. On 1 or 2 a
party of 1D6+4 Volksmarines will arrive at either point B or C. On a roll of 3 to 5 1D6+4 workers
militia will arrive at the same points, on a roll of 6 a peoples’ commissar (status II) will arrive.
The Cards
Freikorps Spartakists Common
Freikorps Blinds Spartakist Blinds Time for a Snifter
StormAbteilung Vor! HMGs 1 & 2
Freikorps Rally 1 x Command Initiative I
1 x Command Initiative I
1 x Command Iniative II

The Bavarian Red Army was more of a political than a military force, largely due to the pseudo-
democratic nature of its workers committees that ensure something of a schizophrenic approach to
campaigning. As the Freikorps advanced towards Munich there were several hard fought actions where
the Red Army performed credibly at local level. This hypothetical scenario is an attempt to represent
one such action.
Yesterday a Freikorps force seized the north Bavarian village of Schönkirchen before moving on,
leaving just a small garrison to hold the place. What nobody told the Bavarian Red Army force that
had been defending the town was that a significant weapons cache was in the warehouse on the edge
of the village, and this was left behind as a result. Today a forces has been assembled in order to
retrieve the cache.
Freikorps Briefing
Yesterday your main force captured this small Bavarian village and then continued on its way towards
Munich. You have been left behind with a party of twenty men to garrison the place in case any Reds
come back. Slim chance of that, they are on the run. Nevertheless you know your duty, and you will
ensure that your men are at their posts just in case.
Your force is made up of you, Fahnenjunker Rudi Stehrmann, status III, Gefreiter Hans Beyer, status II,
and Gefreiter Albrecht Meinhof, status I. You have twenty men, with one MG08/16, one Lewis Gun
and two SMG trench brooms, the rest of your men are armed with grenades or rifles as desired. Your
men are Veteran, Aggressive troops with Reasonable morale.

Bavarian Red Army Briefing
Your force has been assembled for a special mission, to rescue a cache of arms that is in danger of
falling into the hands of the reactionary forces. You have discussed the venture with your men, you
had a vote on it, and the view of the majority was that this was a plan that they could approve. Now
you are leading a column of sixty men and one car in the direction of Schönkirchen where you must
identify the cache before telephoning Munch so that the Lorry Drivers’ Union can vote on coming out
to pick up the weapons. You have been assured that this is a mere formality, as there is much grass-
roots support for such a venture. Which is good to know.
You are Peoples’ Leutnant Rolf Obermeyer, status III. You have with you four Big Men, Peoples’
Feldwebel Michael Muller, Status II, and Comrade Hals, Boden and Biebermann who are all status I.
These are Green troops with Good morale. You also have one Ford motor van which has a Maxim HMG
mounted on the rear flat bed. This moves as a soft-skin vehicle, as per the additional rules.
You know that the arms cache is in the warehouse on the edge of the village, but whether the enemy
has any troops there or not, you are unsure. You must drive off any enemy troops and seize the arms
in order to win the game.
Umpire’s Briefing
The table here is 6’ by 5’, being largely flat but with a hill along the southern edge of the table. The
Red Army arrive on turn one on the western table edge within 18” of point A. The Freikorps may be
anywhere on the table in the area of the village, but not initially in the wood to the south.
The buildings are of solid construction, offering heavy cover, whilst the draining ditch (shown in
brown) and the edges of the wood and the garden walls and fences offer light cover.
This is a straight fight, with no hope for assistance for either side, as such it is a relatively small, quick
scenario. You can enlarge the scenario if desired by having a second Freikorps force, the same size as
the first, arrive on the road on the eastern table edge on the turn after the Red Army enter the
factory yard. The Reds will then not only have to capture the weapons cache, but also hold it whilst
the lorries arrive. This will take four turns of the blank card before two vehicles enter the table at
point A, and then a total task roll of 36 in the warehouse yard being loaded up. That is with the two
drivers both rolling 1D6 each turn. If any additional men are used to assist then they too may roll 1D6
each, adding to the total. Your men are Green troops with Good morale.
The Cards
Freikorps Bavarian Red Army Common
Freikorps Blinds Red Blinds Time for a Snifter
StormAbteilung Vor! Committee
Freikorps Rally 1 x Command Initiative I
1 x Command Initiative I 1 x Command Initiative II

Following the restoration of the Socialist government’s rule in Berlin, Defence Minister Noske
embarked upon a campaign to regain control of the northern ports which were under the control of
Red sailors. Again the Freikorps were unleashed, and again they crushed all opposition in short order.
In the Ruhr the industrial workers responded by striking and were supported by the local soldiers’
councils. Arming the workers, the Rhine & Ruhr Red Army was created, and was quickly involved in
skirmishes with the locally raised Freikorps Lichtschlag and other forces from Berlin.
This scenario looks at one such skirmish in the industrial heartland of Germany near the Krupp steel
town of Essen which is set in an industrial landscape.
Ruhr Red Army Briefing

To arms! The reactionaries are attempting to force their way into the industrial area, they are
threatening the canal crossings by the rail yard. They must be stopped.
Your force currently controls the west bank of the canal, the railway sidings and associated buildings.
You have sent for men with explosives to destroy the iron bridge, the supplies you have to hand would
not even scratch the paint, but now you must hold until they arrive. You have fifty men, chiefly rifle
and grenade armed, but with two Maxim HMGs and one sniper in your ranks. You have heard rumours
that the enemy have at least one armoured vehicle, and you have used your explosives to create three
charges that in the last resort may be used to take on such vehicles.
Your forces can be split into groups as you see fit, with up to sixteen men as bombers. They are
Regular troops with Good morale. You are Comrade Kurt Edelmann, status III, and with you are
Comrade Willi Kantz, status II, and Comrades Josef Bischoff and Abraham Kaufmann, both status I.

Freikorps Briefing
The Ruhr has risen in rebellion against the government. There seems to be no end to the wave of
rebellions that has torn Germany asunder for the past year or more. No sooner have the Red sailors
been dispersed than another nest of Bolshevik vipers appears. You must fight to suppress these
communists.
Your force is made up of fifty men armed with one MG08/15 and a mix of rifles and grenades. You
also have a British Mark IV tank now in the colours of your Freikorps. Your force may be split into
groups of riflemen and bombers as you see fit. Your men are Veteran troops with Reasonable morale.
You are Hauptmann Otto Lichtschlag, status IV, and with you are Leutnant Matthias Kleinheisterkamp,
status III, Feldwebel Helmut Freidrichs, Status III, and Grefreiters Rudolf Beiber and Karl Dellenbusch,
both status II.
Umpire’s Briefing
The table here is 6’ by 5’, being almost completely flat. The Freikorps arrive at the start of turn one
at point A, whilst the Reds may deploy anywhere on the table on the West bank of the canal.
The buildings are of brick construction, offering medium cover, whilst the iron bridge has solid sides,
offering complete cover from anything firing from the sides. The lock gates offer no cover at all,
whilst the package crates offer light cover. Naturally the tank blocks like of sight and firing lines.
The Red impromptu charges explode with a strike of 4 against vehicles or with six dice against
infantry.
The Reds should be encouraged to wait for the explosives that will, in fact, never arrive. They can
only win of they force the Freikorps to retire back across the canal, or stop them ever crossing. The
Freikorps win if they clear the table of Reds.
The Cards
Freikorps Ruhr Red Army Common
Freikorps Blinds Red Blinds Time for a Snifter
StormAbteilung Vor! HMG 1
1 x Command Initiative I HMG 2
1 x Command Initiative III 1 x Command Initiative II

The inspiration for this section comes directly from the excellent Source
Book, 1938, A Very British Civil War, written by Rob Jones, Steven Mortimore
and Simon Douglas and produced by Solway Crafts & Miniatures. I am
extremely indebted to them for agreeing to me including force rating here.
The premise is that civil war has broken out in Britain after King Edward
VIII refused to abdicate. What happens then is outlined in full in the
Source Book and I would recommend anyone interested in this alternative
reality to get a copy. Here I have attempted to provide an outline for
using these forces with Through the Mud and the Blood, with ratings for
the forces concerned and special rules where required to cover this very
different conflict.
One of the things that most appeals to me is the chance to take the
background provided by the Source Book and then apply your own local
story on top of that. The scenarios presented here do just that.
Organising your Forces

Broadly the forces concerned are assumed to operate using an organisational structure
based on the British Army. Typically for the size of forces covered by Through the Mud and the
Blood this would be sections, platoons and companies. Clearly there is room for variation on
that theme, as the rules allow Groups of any size to be used for large scale skirmish battles. A
British Army platoon was made up of three sections, each with eight to ten men. Three or four
platoons made up a company. Within the various factions the terminology can differ, for
example the BUF used the term ‘Troop’ for a Platoon, but the essential structure is retained.
Full details of troops, their levels of supply and armament may be found in the A Very British Civil
War source book. The following ratings are our suggestions, there can obviously be some
variation on troop quality and morale, the latter especially varying according to
circumstance, and the gamer may feel free to amend the levels suggested to suit his
scenarios or preferences.
Force Experience Morale Notes

Police Regular Reasonable/Poor
Police Regular Good/ Will only be activated by a Regular Police Big Man on
Auxiliaries Reasonable a roll of 3-6 on a D6
Regular Army Veteran Good/ Guards are Aggressive troops and always have Good
Reasonable morale. “Up and at ‘em” may be included.
Territorial & Regular Reasonable
Yeomanry
BUF Legion Regular Reasonable Should count as Brittle in the optional rules
Local Defence Regular/ Good These may be Aggressive if fighting for their homes.
Forces Green Will be Brittle if defending someone else’s home.
Communists Regular/ Reasonable/ Add the Commissar and Committee! Cards from the
Green Good special rule section
Anglican League Regular/ Good May add a Vicar or Bishop to their force along with
Green the “The Good Book” card.
Navy Sailors Veteran Good/Reasonable
Liverpool Veteran Good Aggressive troops, with a “Up and at ‘em” card added
Bodyguard along with a Rally card.
Liverpool Green Good These will only be activated by Big Men who are from

Militias their own militia. May be Brittle.
Force Experience Morale Notes
Scottish Army Veteran Good Guards are Aggressive troops and always have Good
Regulars morale. “Up and at ‘em” may be included.
Highland Regiments Veteran Good Aggressive troops, always with “Up and at ‘em”
Scottish Territorials Regular Reasonable
& Yeomanry
Welsh Nationalists Green Reasonable Morale rises to Good when defending their own
homes. May be Brittle.
South Wales Militias Green Reasonable Morale rises to Good when defending their own
homes. May be Brittle.
Irish Blue Shirts Regular Poor Should be Brittle.
Special Rules
In order to introduce the flavour of the conflict we have included the following special rules.
Modern Weapons
To all intents and purposes the only real change in infantry armament in between the wars was the
replacement of the Lewis Gun with the Bren in regular army units. The Bren fires with four dice per
action point but is not subject to stoppages like other light machine guns.
Brittle Units
Most units will fight until they reach a certain point, whereupon they simply dissolve under the pressures
of combat. For many units they may be rallied and brought back into the fight, but some units reach a
point of no-return. These units are considered Brittle. A Brittle Group that has one and a half time the
amount of Shock as men remaining will be considered permanently broken, fleeing from the field with all
of its Action Points on subsequent Snifter cards.
The Word of the Lord

Forces of the Anglican League may be joined by a Vicar or even a Bishop. These men
may not fight in any way, however they may be attached to a Group in order to give
inspiration. This is done by adding “The Good Book” card to the game deck. When
this is turned the clergyman may choose to either move to the nearest friendly group, this
happens automatically irrespective of distance (they move in a mysterious way), or to rally
the men they are with by reading from the Good Book. When doing this they may remove
one point of Shock from that unit. Bishops may remove two points of Shock.

With the declaration of the Liverpool Free State and the take over of Manchester by the British Union
of Fascists, Cheshire found itself in a precarious position. On the Wirral the Socialist Soap-workers at
Port Sunlight had declared their support for their fraternal comrades in Liverpool, opening a possible
route for supplies to be shipped from the Wirral into the besieged city. From Manchester B.U.F.
requisitioning parties were scouring the countryside for food to support the urban population, and
from North Wales parties of “Nationalists” had begun crossing the border in order to steal cattle.
In Chester the County Council attempted to promote a system of trade with the warring factions under
the slogan “Trade Not Raid”, however this was initially ignored by all parties, forcing the authority to
take matters into its own hands. Unilaterally extending the County Palatine powers that had
historically been in place, Cheshire declared its loyalty to the King but also its intention to defend
itself. The Cheshire Yeomanry, a mounted Regiment, was mobilised and the rump of the Cheshire
Regiment was used to form the nucleus of the Palatine Defence Volunteers, calling on civilians to join
the colours for the duration of the emergency in order to protect their homes and families and defend
the county boundaries against raiders.
Sadly this policy, initially intended to serve simply to dissuade foraging parties by a visible armed
presence, has escalated to the point where the County is openly in conflict, albeit unofficially, with
the two major groupings who are operating on their northern border. The following scenario
represents a Free State requisitioning party that has penetrated deep into Cheshire using the main
Chester road, a modern dual carriageway road that bisects the county.
Palatine Defence VolunteerS’ Briefing

The Reds are here! Major Beck has just telephoned from Hartford Hall with news that a heavily armed
Free State requisitioning party are at Leftwich Hall, undoubtedly trying to get stuff from Bert
Johnson’s Market Garden. From your platoon base in Davenham you can move down towards the by-
pass and take them on, the Major has promised assistance from the Yeomanry squadron who are based
at Hartford.
Your force is made up of thirty PDV men with two Lewis guns, the rest having rifles, led by you,
Sergeant Fred Pickford, status III, Corporal Harry Forster, status II and Lance Corporal Bert Price,
status I. You are currently in the Bull Hotel in Davenham and will move down the London Road
towards the By-Pass. You start the game anywhere on the southern table edge within 18” of point A.
Your men are Regular troops with Good morale.

Free State Requisitioning Party
Things are getting harder every time you come out to requisition food for the city. You now have to
go deeper into Cheshire, and each time that increases the risk of bumping into one of their reactionary
landowner militias. Who do they think they are, stopping you redistributing resources to where they
are most needed, while they simply fight for rich landowners who seek to exploit the working man by
charging him money for his sustenance? Well, if they want to fight you’ll show them!
You have parked your truck in the grounds of an Aristo’s residence. This can serve as a base while you
have another truck loading up at the market garden opposite, and parties out on the outskirts of the
village across the by-pass. You are Comrade Commander Reg Hatton, status III, with you is Jim
McCartney, status II, Alf Lennon, Status II and Commissar Dick “Red” Starkey. With you are forty-five
men. Twenty start the game with you on the drive of Leftwich Hall, including one Lewis gun. Five
men with one truck are across the road in the market garden loading up vegetables. There are twenty
more searching the houses in the village in Groups of five men. All of these are rifle armed. Also with
you is one truck with a Maxim HMG mounted on the rear deck. Your men are Regular Troops with
reasonable morale.
Umpire’s briefing
The table is 6’ by 4’, with the northern edge being at the right hand side. In the bottom right corner
is Leftwich Hall, a large residence occupied by a widow. To the top right is Bert Johnsons’s market
garden. Here five Free State men are loading vegetables onto their truck. Each turn roll 1D6, when
the total reaches 37 the truck is full and the bulk of the requisitioning is done. A further five
additional men may be added to work on this task, but this could well be a case of too many cooks,
and they add D6-2 to the total each turn.
The other twenty Free State men are in Groups of five in the first four houses when the game begins.
The Free State player may choose how he allocates his Big Men to the force as a whole. The game
begins with the PDV on the table edge.
On the fifth turn of the blank card a force of Cheshire Yeomanry will arrive on the By-Pass at point B.
They are made up of twenty men with Captain Charlton, status IV commanding them, accompanied by
Squadron Sergeant-Major Parker, status II. These men have rifles and swords.
The Free State forces win the game if they load up the truck with vegetables and escape. They lose if
the vegetables are intercepted. The degree of victory is dictated by the casualties taken; the
Cheshire units will want to teach the Free State forces a painful lesson.
The Cards
Free State PDV Common
Free State Blinds PDV Blinds Time for a Snifter
Commissar 1 x Command Initiative I
1 x Command Initiative I
Added on Yeomanry Arrival

With the siege of Canterbury underway the Intelligence Department of the British Union of Fascists
have noted that several prisoners of war are (or at least were, before they met with ‘accidents’) from
St. Albans. Twenty miles to the north of London St. Albans was a bastion of the Anglican League, with
the city’s Abbey Cathedral home to Bishop Furse, a tough colonial who had previously been Bishop of
Pretoria and had campaigned with the Union forces against Lettow-Vorbeck in East Africa.
It seemed now that the St. Alban’s Martyrs Battalion had been sent to Kent to take part in the battle
there, potentially leaving St. Albans weakened. With sympathisers in Hertfordshire, it was hoped that
a fast moving BUF column could seize the Abbey by a coup de main, thereby capturing Bishop Furze
and seizing this important city for the Crown.
To the south of St. Albans lies the village of London Colney, a dormitory for the staff who worked in
the four local lunatic asylums. It was said that visitors had trouble identifying which were the lunatics
and which the staff, and here, just off the A6, the BUF enjoyed popular support. It was arranged that
a group from the local militia would escort a small column of BUF Legion into St Albans by the route
that would see them closest to the Abbey, thereby allowing them to drive straight through the
Verulamium park up to the Bishop’s front door. Against them would be a weakened Anglican League
force, surprise may well win the day.
B.u.f. Legion briefing

Around half an hour ago you met up with
your guides at the isolated Wagon and
Horses pub on the A6. Now, having
passed through several small villages you
are travelling up Watling Street on your
way to St Alban’s Abbey. Your mission is
to seize the Bishop and, with luck, knock
the stuffing out of the Anglican League
defenders.
You are Captain Romney-Hythe, status

IV, a veteran of the Great War and
former regular soldiers. With you are
thirty men of the BUF Legion, with three
Lewis Guns and the rest with rifles. One
group is made up of assault troops –
trench cleaners in the parlance of
Through the Mud and the Blood – who
have a mix of grenades and bayonets.
Your right hand men are Lieutenant
“Knuckles” Parker, status II, Sergeant
“Nosher” Dimchurch, status I, and
Corporal Bill Stickers, status I. The local
London Colney BUF Militia are a rum lot,
strange looking coves, with a leader who
seems barely sane, Patrol Leader
MacMillan, status I. They have fourteen
men, all armed with rifles.
Your force is travelling in three trucks.

Your men are Regular troops with Good
morale (they have been hand-picked for
the job), whilst the Militia are green
troops with Reasonable morale, but they
are Brittle troops.

Anglican league briefing
You have just received a report by telephone that the London Colney B.U.F. are on their way towards
St Albans. They appear to be coming via Park Street, up the A5. It is unfortunate that a significant
number of our best troops have been committed to Canterbury, however the OCTU from St Albans
school has been called out and they, along with some of the remaining men from the Martyr’s
Battalion. You are assembling at the key road junction by the King Harry pub, next to St Stephen’s
Church, in order to stop these ruffians. It is likely that they are just out looking for beer and a fight, a
normal Saturday evening for them, but today is a Wednesday, so more could be afoot.
Your force comprises of Lieutenant Matthew Rushkin, status III, Sergeant Mark Aldermann, status II,
and Corporal John Dunnet, status I. With you are twenty-four men of the Martyr’s Battalion with one
Lewis gun, the rest having rifles. The OCTU from the school has supplied twelve sixth-former Cadets
under their master, Mr (formerly Major) Barry, status III. They have with them an explosive charge
that they knocked up the laboratory during “Stinks”, not enough to crater the road, but quite
sufficient to bring down one of the large trees that are in St Stephen’s churchyard, thereby blocking
Watling Street at this narrow point. Your forces are all Regular with Good morale. You also have the
Vicar of St Stephen’s with you who will be putting in a good word with the Almighty.
Umpire’s Briefing
The table here is 6’ by 4’ (or 5’ if you have room), with Watling street running from the bottom edge
up to the King Harry pub where the road dogs-legs round the corner. The road to the Abbey Cathedral
is the one to the right marked B. The buildings here are close to the road, it is just wide enough for
two cars to pass. The churchyard has a 4’ wall around it, and the trees that run along the wall are
well established, any one of them being brought down would block the road to motor vehicles.
The cottages opposite the church are small brick built structures which, along with the King Harry pub
and the large modern house to the top left of the map, offer medium cover. The church is well built
in Hertfordshire stone and offers Heavy cover, albeit with limited windows from which to fire although
the tower could provide a good position.
The BUF start the game with their lead vehicles at point A. They are expecting a trouble free entry to
St Albans, so the ‘Road to Hell’ rule in the additional rules section applies. The Anglican League are
already on the table, being deployed anywhere as far down as the southern wall of the church.
The tree-blasting charge will be set off by any group (or single man) using one Action Point. Roll a D6
and it succeeds on a roll of 2-6. On a roll of one the fuse fails. Further attempts may be made to set
off the charge, but not this turn.
The BUF are, essentially trying to exit their column at point B. If the road is blocked then they will
automatically be thwarted in that, however they can still score a moral victory if they can seize St
Stephen’s church and the King Harry pub and call for reinforcements, as this would give them a foot
hold right on the edge of St Albans. The Anglican League win if they send the BUF packing, killing
more of them than they lose themselves.
The Cards
Anglican League B.U.F. Legion Common
Anglican League Blinds PDV Blinds Time for a Snifter
Big Men Big Men
Let Us Pray Convoy
1 x Command Initiative I 1 x Command Initiative I
1 x Command Initiative III 1 x Command Initiative II

The following scenario has been deigned to be generic, allowing the gamer to transpose it onto their
own locality as long as they have canals nearby. For me this is set on the Trent Mersey canal at
Whatcroft in Cheshire, but it could just as easily be the Grand Union or any other navigable waterway.
The forces I have chosen to represent here are an underground Communist contingent based at
Middlewich who are determined to support the Liverpool Free State by fighting against the PDV, which
they see as a reactionary movement, a private army of Cheshire landed gentry. Once again, however,
you can substitute any groups as you wish.
Communist Briefing
Your instructions were quite precise. The barge would be here at 8pm with the guns. You were to
transfer the weapons to the back of your truck and get them back to the warehouse as quickly as
possible. It’s now 8.15 and still no sign of the barge! What is more worrying is that the telephone in
the lodge has been ringing, and whilst the occupants are all trussed up safely you can only hope that
nobody comes down from the Hall to investigate.
You are Comrade Arthur Greenhall, status II, and with you is Fred Whitley, status I, and twenty men of
the Democratic Middlewich Salt-Workers Peoples’ Alliance, which admittedly is not a good name, but
you couldn’t agree on any other. You are largely rifle armed, although three men have only got
fowling pieces. Your men are Green but with Good morale, albeit Brittle. You can only hope that the
barge arrives soon!
You begin the game with your truck on the bridge and your men within 6” of that structure. At least
two men must be in the gatehouse, C, to guard the occupants.

Palatine defence volunteers’ briefing
Your platoon is based at the Bull Hotel in Davenham and is responsible for local civil defence, an issue
that is becoming increasingly troublesome since the escalation of hostilities with both the Fascists in
Manchester and the Reds in Liverpool. Whilst the Yeomanry and the Cheshire Hunt Volunteers had
been responsible for all patrolling duties in countryside areas, their numbers have been proven to be
inadequate, and your force has been reinforced and issued bicycles for local patrols during daylight
hours. You have just received a call from Whatcroft Hall to say that Meeples, the head game keeper,
suspects that ne’er do wells are assembling on the canal for illegal purposes. You sent out Bert Price
with a cycle patrol five minutes ago, but now a second phone call from the Hall has reported gun fire
from the canal. You will take your platoon and sort out the trouble.
Your force is made up of thirty PDV men with two Lewis guns, the rest having rifles, led by you,
Sergeant Fred Pickford, status III, Corporal Harry Forster, status II and Lance Corporal Percy Dale,
status I. Corporal Bert Price has already gone ahead with his eight man bicycle patrol, all rifle armed,
so will start the game first at point A. Your men are Regular troops with Good morale.
UMPire’s briefing
The table is 6’ by 5’ and represents the canal where it is crossed by a small lane, the rear entrance
into Whatcroft Hall. This is normally a very quiet road, and the white iron gates to the Hall are
normally locked. The canal and the towpath that runs along side it are in a dip in the ground, there is
a muddy path from the road down to the towpath. The fields are edged by hedges that if crossed with
deduct one dice of movement.
The Communists and Bert Price’s cycle patrol start the game on the table, with Bert’s men on Blinds
at A, the Communists on Blinds around the bridge.
This is a game where the action will develop, with units arriving on the turn of the blank card. This
will happen as follows:
Third Turn: Meeples the gamekeeper, status I, and six men will arrive 24” to the right of the estate
gates. They are all rifle armed and will count as Green troops with Good morale, but Brittle. The PDV
player may take command of them.
Fourth Turn. A Canal boat arrives at point B. On board are twelve Communists under Comrade Terry
“Trotsky” Robinson, status II. They have on DP light machine gun, two SMGs and nine rifles. In the
hold are three boxes of rifles. To unload each of these onto the towpath takes two men one turn, no
more than two men can work on this task due to limited space. Once on the path they require two
men to carry them and count as an awkward object. The canal boat moves with 3D6, discounting the
lowest dice and then moving at 1” per pip on the remaining two dice. If slowing down or starting off
the highest dice is discarded.
Fifth Turn. Sergeant Pickford and the PDV platoon arrive at A on Blinds.
The Communists must drive off the PDV and escape with the rifles in their truck via either end of the
road. In order to unlock the gate they will need to ransack the gatekeeper’s cottage, discovering
them on a task roll of 12. The PDV win if they capture the guns or kill/capture all of the Communists.
The Cards
PDV Communists Common
PDV Blinds Communist Blinds Time for a Snifter
1 x Command Initiative I Boat
Committee!

Special Rules Summary
Road to Hell: The “Road to Hell” rule covers the inevitability of driving into an ambush if that is what
the scenario demands. Typically this will be in cases where one side expects no trouble and security is
lax as a result. To reflect this the force concerned start the game on the table rather than on Blinds.
A ‘Convoy’ card is added to the deck. When this is played the column will proceed at maximum
possible speed along the main road, being unable to undertake any action other than move. It will do
this until any firing begins, at which point the player may take complete control of his force. The
vehicles in the column will keep a gap two vehicles’ length between each vehicle, all vehicles moving
at the same speed until the ambush is sprung.
Ambush: An ambush may be sprung by concealed, unspotted, troops opening fire before they are
spotted. When this happens the amount of Shock caused by the firer in that turn is doubled to
represent the surprise factor.
Firing at Soft-skin vehicles: Troops in a soft-skin vehicle that is fired on will take hits as though they
are in the open. The vehicle offers some scant cover, but its passengers are also tightly packed, so we
presume that one cancels out the other. Roll a D6 each turn that vehicle crew lose a man dead. If the
number rolled is less than the number of men killed then the driver is dead and the vehicle immobile.
Moving Soft-Skin vehicles: Soft-skin vehicles that are moving on a hard flat surface roll 2D6 and
doubling the number of pips dice rolled, with this being the distance in inches they travel. When
turning a corner of more than 45˚ or when on a poor surface (muddy, bumpy, etc.) the basic dice
score is used.
Poor Fire Discipline: This card is added to the deck. Each time it is dealt any Group on Blinds with
poor fire discipline roll 1D6 when an enemy comes within range. On a 1 they are deployed on the
table, some fool has opened fire too early!
Commissars: Red forces may have a political officers, or Commissar, attached to their force. These
men may be attached to any Group in a force, moving with it and acting with it as normal. They may
not shoot, but they may take part in close combat. They will also have their own card in the deck,
and when this is dealt they will have two Action Points. These they can use to move on their own, for
example if they are leaving one Group to join another, or to attempt to rally any Group that they are
with. To rally a Group they must roll 1D6 per attempt. On a 4, 5 or 6 they may remove one point of
Shock. On a 1 they roll again. On a second one they have a disagreement with any Big Man attached
to that Group and execute him as a traitor to the cause. If no Big Man is present they will shoot a
random member of the Group. On any other result that add one point of Shock to the Group.
Committee!: Any Socialist or Communist force may suffer from its members having an over-
enthusiastic idea about democracy, and attempting to discuss orders rather than simply carrying them
out. When the “Committee!” card is dealt all the Command Initiative cards for that force that are
currently in play are returned to the deck, lost for the current turn.
Modern Weapons: A Bren fires with four dice per action point but is not subject to stoppages like
other light machine guns.
Brittle Units: Most units will fight until they reach a certain point, whereupon they simply dissolve
under the pressures of combat. For many units they may be rallied and brought back into the fight,
but some units reach a point of no-return. These units are considered Brittle. A Brittle Group that has
one and a half time the amount of Shock as men remaining will be considered permanently broken,
fleeing from the field with all of its Action Points on subsequent Snifter cards.
The Word of the Lord: Religious forces may be joined by a clergyman. These men may not fight in
any way, however they may be attached to a Group in order to give inspiration. This is done by adding
“The Good Book” card to the game deck. When this is turned the clergyman may choose to either
move to the nearest friendly group, this happens automatically irrespective of distance (they move in
a mysterious way), or to rally the men they are with by reading from the scriptures. When doing this
they may remove one point of Shock from that unit. Senior clergymen may remove two points of
Shock.

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Introduction

Section One The Irish Civil War Page 2

Section Two The Freikorps and the Red Revolution Page 12

Section Three A Very British Civil War Page 22

Triumphant Standards 1 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

Triumphant Standards 2 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

Equipment and Rating

Triumphant Standards 3 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

Equipment and Rating

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In this case heavy weights

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Crown Forces Briefing

The deck is made up as follows:

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The deck is made up as follows:

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Triumphant Standards 10 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

The deck is made up as follows:

IRA Crown Forces Common

Triumphant Standards 11 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

Equipment and Rating

Triumphant Standards 13 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

Equipment and Rating

Triumphant Standards 14 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

Triumphant Standards 15 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

You must clear

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Triumphant Standards 18 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

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Ruhr Red Army Briefing

Triumphant Standards 20 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

Triumphant Standards 21 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

Organising your Forces

Force Experience Morale Notes

Triumphant Standards 22 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

The Word of the Lord

Triumphant Standards 23 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

Palatine Defence VolunteerS’ Briefing

Triumphant Standards 25 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

Triumphant Standards 26 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

B.u.f. Legion briefing

You are Captain Romney-Hythe, status

Your force is travelling in three trucks.

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Triumphant Standards 30 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

Triumphant Standards 31 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

Triumphant Standards 32 www.toofatlardies.co.uk

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Mud & Blood - Triumphant Standards

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