The Back of Beyond Campaign uses a simple but effective order system for each turn. To keep things easy to understand, I’ve provided a brief explanation here, so that everyone will know how it works. It does rely on some email communications and some organisation by the umpire to sort things out and to match up the players for their games, but otherwise it is pretty straightforward.

The objective is to reach the ancient town of Urga by crossing the Gobi desert. Each commander has a particular reason to reach the city as set out in their individual campaign briefing. All armies begin SIX ‘steps’ away from the town. Each of these ‘steps’ represents a turn in the campaign. Each turn the players have one of three options:

1. Do nothing and stay put.
2. Conduct a forced march across the desert
3. Attack an enemy of choice from the list of players

As there is no consideration of the relative position of the different armies there is no restriction on choice of opponent. Each turn one player will be given the initiative and will select his/her options first. This will be determined on a rota basis,  using an alphabetical list of the players. The other players will then select their options in descending order of initiative.

The options chosen for each turn of the campaign will be e-mailed to the umpire by a date set and the outcome determined i.e. meeting engagements allocated, results of forced marches determined etc. These instructions will then be posted on the club website to allow players to set up their games. The time available for these games to be resolved will be flexible to account for holidays, but will typically be between four and six weeks, with an obvious end date for completion.

If one player is attacked by another player with the initiative, then the orders issued for their army will be cancelled and there will automatically be a meeting engagement between the two forces. If two players attack each other in their orders, this will also result in a Meeting Engagement game.

If two or more players attack the same army, the armies will be paired off according to initiative. Any players whose choice of opposing army has already been allocated to another player with a higher initiative, will have the chose of attacking another player further down the initiative hierarchy or may elect one of the other options i.e. forced marched or remain stationary.

The results of a Forced March order will be determined by the umpire according to a modified version of the official supplement rules i.e. the umpire will roll a D6 with the following outcomes: 1-2 advance one step, 3-4 remain stationary, 5-6 retire one step away from Urga.The consequences of a successful forced march will also be applied in any subsequent battle that occurs in the following turn. This means some of the players units may fail to turn up for the battle.

If any player does not wish to take part in a game in a particular month for any reason e.g. work commitments, holidays etc. they must inform the umpire in plenty of time so that other players don’t attack the absent players army. Their army is assumed to have remained stationary for that turn and will be omitted from the initiative rota.

Simple!

You are an American oil prospecting expedition under the leadership of Texan wildcat oil tycoon U.R.Barking. You are exploring the wastes of the Gobi Desert in search of a big strike.

As a result you have assembled a convoy of vehicles and a motley team of engineers, surveyors and roustabouts to survey potential oil fields along the trail to Urga. You will be travelling through hostile territory infested with bandits and renegades, so you have come armed to the teeth and ready to shoot first and ask questions later.

You have hired a small band of White Russian mercenaries to escort you across the desert and provide some additional firepower. You have improvised some armoured trucks using boiler plate and a couple of spare machine guns that you acquired ‘no questions asked’ from a disreputable arms dealer. You are also equipped with an army surplus aircraft, which will be used to scout ahead of the convoy and as aerial support in case of attack.

You are able to hire the services of an ex-WW1 fighter ace, Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Eagelberger who has been touring the region with his barnstorming flying circus having fallen on hard times. He is an outstanding pilot and a specialist in aerial dogfighting, having shot down twenty three opponents single handed over the Western Front.

(This ‘Dinosaur Hunter’ based force is a veteran of two previous campaigns but will not be taking part in the current Back of Beyond shenanigans. It may make an occasional appearance along the way, however, when it will stand in for other players who can’t make it that turn.)

Your force is the Third Workers and Peasants Shock Brigade under the fraternal leadership of People’s Commissar Nasti Tchestikov and Military Specialist Comrade Colonel Igor Tubugerov. You have been dispatched on a vital political mission to Urga.

Your task is to disseminate soviet propaganda amongst the populace and undermine the counter revolutionary attempts of the imperialist powers to destabilise Soviet influence in the region.

As part of your mission, you have been instructed to contact a Soviet agent Vladimir Ilych Proletarski, who has been dispatched to Urga by Lenin himself to make contact with secret revolutionary cells inside the city.

You have also been instructed to seek out and destroy any forces of reactionary imperialist bourgeois counter revolution that you may encounter on your march. These are rumoured to be infiltrating the region through the supposedly un-traversable wastes of the Gobi Desert.

(Jim’s Bolshevik army may not have the best troops but it is well-motivated, thanks to the political commissars and their lively Marxist Leninist ideological debate, not to mention their habit of shooting anybody that doesn’t show enough enthusiasm!)

Your force is a regiment of renegade White Russian infantry and cavalry under the command of Colonel I.P.Addreski. You have escaped from the Civil War in your motherland and have been wandering through the Back of Beyond, hiring out your services to the highest bidder as professional mercenaries. You are in-between engagements at the moment and funds to pay and equip your troops are running dangerously low.

You have heard a rumour that the Imperial Russian gold reserve has somehow ended up in a bank vault in the town of Urga on the other side of the Gobi Desert. You have decided that it is your patriotic duty as a son of Mother Russia to liberate the wealth of the Tsars and return it to its rightful owners. By happy coincidence you are a distant relative of the Tsarina’s second cousin, twice removed, so that means you!

You are now en route to Urga with your troops and have taken the precaution of arming yourself to the teeth in order to fight off any rival claimants to the Tsarist gold, especially those repulsive Bolsheviks and the equally unpleasant Chinese Warlords that you have been working for over recent years. You have no illusions about either of these unsavoury factions, or any others for that matter, so will shoot first and ask questions later!

You have also heard a rumour that a beautiful Mongolian Princess is also seeking the gold and, as you are a bit of a ladies man, you have decided that she would be an excellent companion in your quest. You are prepared to cut her into the deal, if she lends her support to your force, especially as she commands the loyalty of many of the Mongolian tribes and clans along the route.

(Colin’s army has a core of very tough and well motivated troops. He can back these up with plenty of armour and artillery. This is a formidable force, if they don’t have too much vodka for breakfast!)

Your force is a detachment of the infamous Asiatic Cavalry Division, led by the Mad Baron himself, Ungern von Sternberg. You have heard tales of a Buddhist monastic library in Urga, which is rumoured to contain a secret annex full of mystical scrolls, one of which supposedly contains the details of an ancient transcendental ritual which, when enacted will possibly reveal the one true path to enlightenment.

The omens have spoken and the bones have been cast, revealing to you a vision in which only you can retrieve the mysterious scroll and attain nirvana, as all others are not worthy of such an honour. As a result, you have set off across the Gobi Desert with your army in order to storm and pillage Urga in search of the ancient manuscript, although where the monastery actually is remains a bit of a mystery.

Obviously, any other forces that you meet on the way to Urga have heard of your divine mission and will be trying to stop you from attaining the one true path. Your shaman has warned you about this, so you have hand-picked your best troops and formed them into a retinue for your divine mission. Any ‘unbelievers’ must be wiped out at the first opportunity, so you have decided to shoot first and ask questions later.

You have heard tell of a wandering Tibetan lama who may be encountered somewhere along your route and who could reveal to you the location of the monastery that you seek. If encountered, the lama will join your band for part of your journey, in return for safe passage across the wilder parts of the Gobi.

(Chris has the Mad Baron’s army, with some very colourful units. This force is very ‘unusual’ and a little bit unpredictable, to say the least. It can be very effective but also has it’s weak elements that a cunning adversary can exploit.)

Your force is the British Museum Department of Oriental Antiquities Archaeological Excavation Party under the unflappable leadership of Brigadier (Retd) Henry Winstanley Arbuthnot Cholmoneley-Warner. You have assembled an expert team of archaeologists and antiquarians in order to survey and excavate the ruined lost cities of the ancient Silk Road, escorted by a detachment of Chinese Warlord troops and Mongolian cavalry.

Your task is to recover ancient manuscripts and works of art for inclusion in the British Museum’s Central Asian collections. As these artefacts are extremely valuable you must be prepared to defend yourself from marauding bandits and other unsavoury types, using your small arsenal of high powered rifles. You have improvised a number of armoured vehicles to protect your party and transport the antiquities to Urga. You will shoot first and ask questions later.

You have a potential ally in an old army chum, Colonel Algenon Utterley-Barkinge, famous big game hunter and all round good egg. He has set out for a spot of big game hunting on the Mongolian steppe, zoology not being his strongpoint. He is keen to join your expedition for part of the way and, as he is a crack shot, he will be a valuable asset to the party.

(Andy’s British Museum expedition is based on the Dinosaur Hunter army list in the Back of Beyond supplement. Andy has perfected some tip top tactics for his archaeologists which make them difficult to pin down. This is a surprisingly robust force and will put up a stiff fight, not to mention a stiff upper lip!)

Your force is a flying column of Imperial Japanese troops under the command of General Sushi Miyagi. Your mission is to cross into the Gobi Desert as a reconnaissance force, with the aim of linking up with a Japanese agent, Captain Kagemusha, who has been operating in disguise on an intelligence gathering mission in Outer Mongolia.

As such, the mission is highly sensitive and clandestine, although you have successfully evaded detection thus far due to the small size of your convoy and the clever use of camouflage, night movement and counter intelligence, not to mention bribing the various tribal leaders along the way with gifts. You suspect, however, that your presence may soon stir up a hornet’s nest.

Your force is sufficient to ensure that it can easily deal with any potential threat, having an armoured car, heavy machine guns, a battery of artillery and an attached reconnaissance aircraft. Your troops are also of high morale and very well trained, so more than a match for any potential opposition that you might encounter.

You also have a considerable asset in the form of Captain Kagemusha who has been sent ahead on a secret mission to Urga. Captain Kagemusha is an expert in the customs of the region and speaks numerous local dialects. He has travelled extensively in China and Mongolia and has many useful contacts and a detailed knowledge of the lie of the land.

(Gary’s Japanese army is a well balanced and powerful force. His troops are tough and have high morale. This army is definitely one to watch and stands a very good chance. The figures are from the Copplestone Chinese range with a simple paint conversion).

Your force is the Citroen Kegresse Trans Asia Expedition, under the leadership of famed French desert explorer Commandant Henri Lostagaine. You have successfully crossed the Sahara desert, using the latest in French automobile technology – the Citroen Kegresse half track – and now have been set the challenge of crossing the Gobi desert in Outer Mongolia.

The French government is very interested in the military potential of the Citroen Kegresse and the Citroen company is very interested in selling the half track design to the French army. As a result, you have been given a military escort and an attached army officer, Lieutenant Croissant, will be accompanying your expedition to evaluate the vehicles.

You have been warned by the French Secret Service, the Deuxieme Bureau, that foreign powers may try to steal the design of the latest half track model whilst you traverse the inhospitable and remote wastelands. As a result, you must be prepared to fight against any potential enemy force that you encounter – shoot first, ask questions later.

In addition, it is rumoured that your friend and fellow desert explorer, the eccentric adventurer and aristocrat, the Comte de Camenbert, is travelling through the Gobi on one of his famous expeditions. If you manage to meet up with him, his in depth knowledge of the terrain and his desert field craft expertise will be very useful.

(Colin’s force is based on the Dinosaur Hunter army list from the Back of Beyond supplement and a real Trans Asia Citroen Kegresse expedition in 1931. It has some nifty half tracks that he scratch built using Airfix bren carrier tracks and die cast trucks. It’s a tough little force to tackle as it is escorted by the French Foreign Legion. Zut Alors!)

Your force is the rag tag  army of His Excellency Wei Phat Mac.

You were until recently the Tuchan or governor of Suchow province but have been deposed by a rival and forced to flee into the desert. You have a poorly equipped but loyal force of warriors including your ferocious bodyguard of ‘Dare to Die’ troops.

You are seeking refuge for your force in Urga, where you hope to recruit foreign mercenaries from the large number of White Russian refugees that are available for hire in the city. You will take advantage of any opportunity to obtain equipment and weapons for your badly equipped troops, especially if they can be captured on your way to Urga.

So, if you bump into anyone on your march across the Gobi desert, you have decided to shoot first and ask any questions later.

You also hope to hire the services of the notorious arms dealer Herbert Maximoff, who is rumoured to be in the area seeking potential customers. He is an unscrupulous and greedy profiteer, so you should get on really well. If you bump into him he’ll be sure to provide you with some much needed firepower, for the right price.

(Alan’s Chinese Warlord army is very colourful and has some really ‘interesting’ units including Dare to Die sword wielding fanatics, sub-machine gun armed assault troops and well-disciplined close order infantry. It even has an executioner!).

The fourth club Back of Beyond multiplayer club campaign will soon be starting and we have seven players ready to march across the Gobi Desert in search of fame, fortune and the nearest Mongolian watering hole.

The campaign will start in November 2016 and will run for SIX turns and/or until a player wins. If there is no clear winner by the end of the campaign, the front runner will be declared the victor. There will be a final big battle to round off the campaign with all of the various factions taking part. This is always lots of fun and pretty spectacular!

The campaign is set in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. It is semi-historical and includes a briefing for each of the commanders to explain how and why they are involved. The individual players will be encouraged to take these motives into consideration, in order to give the campaign and the battles a degree of colour and narrative.

The Major Players

This is the current list of participating players.

The Chinese Warlord – Wei Phat Mac (Alan)

The Bolsheviks  – Third Peasants and Workers Shock Brigade Colonel Igor Tubugerov / Peoples Commissar Nasti Tchestikov (Jim)

The French Trans Asia  Citroen Kegresse Expedition – Commandant Henri Lostagaine (Colin B.)

The British Museum – Brigadier Henry Winstanley Arbuthnot Cholmoneley-Warner (Andy)

The Mad Baron! – Baron Ungern Von Sternberg (Chris)

The Whites – Colonel I.P.Addreski (Colin N.)

The Japanese  – General Sushi Miyagi (Gary)

The player campaign briefings, house rules and explanatory campaign notes will be dispatched soon, but there is plenty of time for a few Contemptible Little Armies practice games before the campaign begins.

If you have a questions ask Jim and he’ll try to work it out!