By Patch
Last week the new Australian Army Supplement (can be found here or in our downloads section) was released by Warlord Games with an extremely positive reception. It was written and designed by Bryan, with my meager assistance, along with some fantastic input from other members of the community and given the official stamp of approval by Alessio himself.
This is exciting news, not only for those wanting to play Australians but for the game itself, as it introduces an entirely new faction with genuinely new and exciting content. British national rules have been replaced with all new ones unique to Australians. Never Give Up for example gives all infantry and artillery units the Fanatic special rule when defending in an assault. Following the British model you can chose from three other rules with an example being, Fighting Withdrawal. This gives AIF and Militia units the option to advance into ambush, so long as the advance is directly back toward their own deployment zone.
Now we can all stand around patting each other on the back and toasting to the Queen, however the true test of how successful this new force will be is now in the hands of the community. To test the waters I threw a challenge out to a few of our friends, using the Australian PDF to come up with a 1000 point list without any consultation. I deliberately picked a mixture of people from various countries to show that you need not be Australian to play this force.
Casey - Texas, U.S.A
1942 Australian Reinforced Platoon (Kokoda)
Special Rule - Fighting Withdrawal
1st Lt +1
|
Vet
|
100
|
Militia Infantry Section (10)
NCO SMG
|
Inexperienced
|
73
|
Militia Infantry Section (10)
|
Inexperienced
|
70
|
Medic + 4 Stretcher Bearers
|
Vet
|
74
|
AIF Infantry Section (8)
NCO SMG
LMG
|
Vet
|
127
|
AIF Infantry Section (8)
NCO SMG
LMG
|
Vet
|
127
|
Papuan Infantry Section (8)
NCO SMG
|
Vet
|
123
|
Papuan Infantry Section (8)
NCO SMG
|
Vet
|
123
|
Forward Air Observer + 1 SMG Soldier
|
Vet
|
103
|
Boys AT Rifle Team
|
Reg
|
30
|
Sniper Team
|
Reg
|
50
|
1000
|
Colin - NSW, Australia
(Format Rules)
Jungle Division
Special Rule - Jungle Warfare Masters
2nd Lt
|
Regular
|
50
|
| Jungle Division Infantry Section (8) - LMG | Regular |
85
|
Jungle Division Infantry Section (8) - LMG
|
Regular
|
85
|
Medic
|
Vet
|
30
|
Jungle Engineer Section (10)
SMG x 3
Flamer
AT grenades
|
Regular
|
154
|
| Papuan Infantry Battalion (5) |
Regular
|
60
|
| Papuan Infantry Battalion (5) |
Regular
|
60
|
| Independant Commando Company (7) - LMG, SMG x 5 |
Vet
|
113
|
3 Ton Truck - MMG
|
Regular
|
54
|
MMG Team
|
Regular
|
50
|
Bofors AA
|
Regular
|
60
|
Heavy Mortar - Spotter
|
Regular
|
75
|
Matilda CS
|
Regular
|
124
|
1000
| ||
Jakob, Sweden
Jungle Division
Special Rule - Jungle Warfare Masters
2nd Lt +1
|
Vet
|
100
|
| Jungle Division Infantry Section (7) - LMG, 4 x SMG |
Vet
|
123
|
Jungle Division Infantry Section (7) - LMG, 4 x SMG
|
Vet
|
123
|
Jungle Division Infantry Section (7) - LMG, 4 x SMG
|
Vet
|
123
|
Jungle Engineer Section (6)
SMG x 3
Flamer
|
Vet
|
120
|
| Platoon Scout Team |
Vet
|
51
|
| Medium Mortar with spotter |
Vet
|
75
|
| MMG |
Vet
| 65 |
Light Howitzer
|
Vet
|
55
|
Matilda Frog
|
Vet
|
186
|
999
| ||
It is excellent to see that the guys came up with a variety of options to run their lists with no two being the same and it's great to see both early and late war sectors were used. One thing I do notice is that the lists all have some very good support options, a variety of infantry units and a mix of experience levels. This is a very good thing for a person who was on the design team, as it suggests that there are enough good options that the players did not have to feel they needed to maximise a particular unit to be effective.
Let us know what you think of the lists and your thoughts in general of the new Australian Army supplement!
