Steven's Balagan

Musing on Yoshimoto’s Very Bad Day

20 Jun 2026 by Steven Thomas

I’m thinking about writing a variant of Tilly’s Very Bad Day for the Japanese “Age of Warring States” (Sengoku Jidai). Samurai, mounted Samurai with bow or lance, Ashigaru, firearms, that kind of thing.

What follows is a set of design notes examining how Tilly’s Very Bad Day (TVBD) maps onto large battles of Sengoku-period Japan.

To be honest I don’t think Tilly’s Very Bad Day needs extensive mechanical change and the rule align closely with Sengoku warfare — provided they are framed and applied with the right assumptions.

Vargas Swamp – A Bolivar’s Very Bad Day Scenario

21 Feb 202621 Feb 2026 by Steven Thomas

Table - Vargas Swamp - Bolivars Very Bad Day - Banner

Following my write up of the the historical Battle of Vargas Swamp (25 July 1819) and my Kind of Vargas Swamp – A Bolivar’s Very Bad Day Battle Report, I thought I’d write the actual scenario.

Kind of Vargas Swamp – A Bolivar’s Very Bad Day Battle Report

21 Dec 202520 Dec 2025 by Steven Thomas

Jamie came over to play test Bolivar’s Very Bad Day, my Liberators variant of Tilly’s Very Bad Day.

I made up the scenario on the spot but it was loosely based on Battle of Vargas Swamp (25 July 1819). We had small armies on a small table. But we did have the big hill (Cerro del Picacho i.e. Picacho Hill) that featured in the historical battle.

Summary: Really good fun game. The big infantry firefight on the hill was slow and grindy, so Jamie used his overwhelming Patriot horse to turn my flank. Despite the drama of of cavalry squadrons charging up a wooded hill into the exposed flank of a Royalist battalion, the battle was secured in the centre. Jamie’s infantry managed to rout a battalion in the centre and in the process killed my C-in-C who was valiantly trying to rally the unit. Clear Patriot victory.

Charlie Don’t Surf – Experiments in Vietnam

28 Sep 202527 Sep 2025 by Steven Thomas

Adam has been painting US Infantry, North Vietnamese Army (NVC) and Viet Cong (VC) for the Vietnam War. Yay. I’ve been wanting to game that period for a long time. Unfortunately, for me, he has chosen Charlie Don’t Surf: Wargames Rules for the Vietnam War to game with. This is by Richard Clarke, one of the Too Fat Lardies. Personally I buy all of the Too Fat Lardies books but I find the supplements more to my taste than the rules. But Adam loves them. I had a horrible experience with ‘O’ Group so I couldn’t help but wonder, would Charlie Don’t Surf be any better?

From Doctrine to Dice: The “Two Levels Down” Principle

16 Aug 2025 by Steven Thomas

Two Levels Down Military Principle - Banner

My mate Roland and I often talk about a specific principle of military command, where a commander focuses on units one or two levels down the hierarchy — no further. I wanted to use this to justify the scale of Wombat Gun, my Crossfire variant for the Vietnam War, so I went looking for its origins. In Wombat Gun, players take the role of company commanders. The “two levels down” principle is why the game tracks platoons and squads — not fire teams, not individual soldiers. Player authority is meant to mirror real-world command practice. But where did this principle come from?

Will Standard Crossfire Work for Vietnam?

2 Aug 2025 by Steven Thomas

After reviewing What to Simulate in a Vietnam War Company-Level Game, I decided to take a closer look at whether standard Crossfire could handle it. By “standard Crossfire,” I mean the version in the rulebook (plus HTD), where a rifle stand represents a squad of 9–12 men.

The short answer? It doesn’t — but I already knew that.

The point of the exercise was to identify the gaps. And those are exactly the gaps I’m aiming to fill with Wombat Gun, my draft variant for the Vietnam War.

What to Simulate in a Vietnam War Company-Level Game

28 Jul 202528 Jul 2025 by Steven Thomas

I’ve been toying with the idea of creating a variant of Crossfire for the Vietnam War—still at company level, just like standard Crossfire. I’m tentatively calling it Wombat Gun.

Then the other day, Adam came over and we played Charlie Don’t Surf by the Two Fat Lardies — another company-level game. That session really got me thinking: what are the key elements worth simulating in a Vietnam War company-level wargame?

Here’s where I’ve landed so far. These are the key features of the conflict that I think any ruleset should simulate. Please share if you have other ideas.

Download Bolivar’s Very Bad Day

11 May 202511 May 2025 by Steven Thomas

I’ve been working on Bolivar’s Very Bad Day, my variant of Tilly’s Very Bad Day for the South American Wars of Liberation, for a while now. Years even. So I thought I’d make it available for download (thanks to Hugh for the nudge). It is only four pages long with another two for the Quick Reference Sheet (QRS). And there is a massive caveat: it is only Beta. I thought it better to get it out there and gather feedback. All feedback welcome.

1645 Game 12 – South-East – English Civil War Campaign

26 May 20253 May 2025 by Steven Thomas

ECW-1211 Royalists close on left and in centre - Banner

Chris and I played the 12th game of Populous, Rich and Rebellious, our four player Campaign using Tilly’s Very Bad Day, and set in the English Civil War. Actually there were four of us on the night. Adam joined me, of course, on the Royalist side. And in the absence of Jamie, Big Dave turned up from the USA to help Chris with the Parliamentarians.

Summary: Fantastic game. Parliament did some clever moves with well timed interpenetrations. Chris’s careful manoeuvring and Dave’s shear impetuousness was a winning combination. That and the fact Parliamentary shooting killed two Royalist Generals. Parliament victory.

I’ve been quietly painting 1819 Patriots since I posted on my 1815-1819 War in the North – Steven’s Wargaming Project back in May 2024. Roughly a year later, it is time to unveil my 1815-19 Patriots (Phase 1 of the project). These are of course on Big Bases for South American Wars of Liberation using Bolivar’s Very Bad Day (a variant of Tilly’s Very Bad Day). The men are either from New Granada or Venezuela and I chose the units because they fought at Battle of Vargas Swamp (25 July 1819).

Draft Campaign Cards for the Vulture’s Feast

20 Mar 202515 Mar 2025 by Steven Thomas

The Vulture's Feast - Draft Map and Campaign Cards - Banner

So I’ve been Musing on the Vulture’s Feast, a Thirty Years War version of my Populous, Rich and Rebellious Campaign for Tilly’s Very Bad Day. Most of the flavour of the campaign comes from the Campaign Cards. I’m not sure which ones I’ll end up with but I thought I’d share the possibilities. Please comment if you have endorsements, tweaks and/or new suggestions.

Musing on the Vulture’s Feast – A 30YW version of Populous, Rich and Rebellious

8 Mar 2025 by Steven Thomas

We’re really joying Populous, Rich and Rebellious, our four player Campaign using Tilly’s Very Bad Day, and set in the English Civil War. But people keep asking me, what about the Thirty Years War? (Most recently Peter Godden.)

1645 Game 11 – Wales – English Civil War Campaign

2 Mar 2025 by Steven Thomas

ECW-1105 Royalist view - Centre - Banner

Adam and Chris played the 11th game of Populous, Rich and Rebellious, our four player Campaign using Tilly’s Very Bad Day, and set in the English Civil War.

Summary: In probably the best game yet, Parliament thoroughly crushed the Royalist defenders in Wales.