Wargaming 4Play - Part II

After the previous game with 4 units per side and 4 Turns in which to achieve victory, I decided to tweak things a bit based upon what I felt I had learnt from the game. Namely I needed to increase the Attackers force by about 50%, giving me 6 units against 4. I also changed the units for both sides as can be seen below:

OOB - Attackers

1 x Grenadiers (Superior)

2 x Line Infantry

1 x Light Infantry

1 x Medium Artillery

1 x Light Cavalry

OOB - Defenders

2 x Line Infantry

1 x Medium Artillery

1 x Light Cavalry

The Game

The victory conditions remained the same as last time, so without further ado, let the play begin!

An overview of the table, with the Attackers on the left once more. The terrain was moved slightly to make it seem as if the defenders had set up there defensive postion at a nautral choke point.

The Defenders left flank.

And their right flank.

The Attackers right flank, with the Grenadiers on the right.

The Attackers artillery piece.

The Attackers left flank, with the Light Infantry on the right and the Light Cavalry in reserve.

At the start of the game, the Attackers Light Cavalry charged, with the Defenders counter-charging. 

The end of Turn 1. The Attackers left flank got a double move, allowing the Light Cavalry to make its charge. As the left flank closed towards the enemy, the Light Infantry came under crossing fire from the artillery, but survived to make it to shoot at the enemy. All across the front both sides engaged each other, but with no decisive hits occuring. The Attackers cavalry got the best of the melee, forcing the Defenders cavalry back to reform.

The Attackers right flank make one move and open fire.

The left flank close in and the Light Infantry have taken enough hits to affect their shooting ability.

The Attackers cavalry fail to follow up the retreating Defenders cavalry.

The Defenders cavalry are trying to reform.

The end of Turn 2. As the Defenders cavalry retreated to reform, the Attackers all got a double move, allowing them to really take the attack to the enemy at close quarters. Again shooting erupted across the front, resulting in the Attackers Light Infantry having to retreat to reform.

The Attackers right flank gets up close and personal. The unit on the left survived crossing fire from the artillery as they advanced. The Defenders Line Infantry have taken 3 hits and so are in a precarious position.

The Light Infantry having moved back to reform.

As the Line Infantry hold the attention of the Defenders, the Light Cavalry have moved up to possibly advance past the defensive line.

The Attackers canon hasn't really hit anything yet...

The end of Turn 3. The Grenadiers rout the Defenders infantry on the right flank, but their supporting infantry have been forced back to reform by canister fire from the artillery and are lucky not to have routed. Pressure is building on the Defenders right flank.

The Grenadiers make the first breakthrough.

But the Line Infantry have had to retreat to reform.

The Defenders right flank is very vulnerable.

The Attackers cavalry have moved past the Defenders to threaten the opposing cavalry.

The end of Turn 4. As the Grenadiers move to threaten the Defenders artillery in the flank, the Defenders right flank crumbles as both the Line Infantry and Cavalry rout. Victory is complete for the Attackers!

Despite getting into a good position to shoot, the Grenadiers miss the artillery.

The Line Infantry have moved back to reform, having come under artillery fire again.

The Light Infantry have rejoined the fray in time to ensure the demise of the Defenders Line Infantry.

The Attackers Cavalry complete the victory by routing the Defenders Cavalry.

The gun has no choice but to surrender.

Post Game Thoughts

Well another small game that I really enjoyed, with this one going down to the wire. Again actual game time was about 45 minutes, but it felt longer and was certainly an engrossing game throughout. Some thoughts from this game after the tweaks I made:

• The Attacker's Artillery really didn't contribute anything to the game. I think I did make one mistake on the deductions to the dice roll for the artillery behind the gabions, but it didn't affect the outcome at all. Whilst having the Artillery felt right, games wise another unit of Infantry would have been a better choice.
• The 6 x 4 worked much better than the previous 4 x 4, allowing the Attacker to have a fighting chance to take the position. In the game 2 Infantry units had to retreat to reform, but having those extra units allowed the attack to continue, which wouldn't have happened in the previous game.
• The Attacker certainly got the jump on the Movement and Fire Initiative rolls, which helped their cause. Both side dice rolling was average, so no wild swings that might have affected the outcome.
• The crossing fire worked well, as whilst it didn't stop the Infantry in its tracks, it did contribute to both units have to fall back and reform later on.
• I didn't use the commanders ability to rally off hits, not their chance of being KO'd if close to a unit that came under fire or attack. Next time I hope to use both to see how that goes.
• I can see these games forming a nice start or finish to a campaign, as here the Attackers would have captured a gun, which could have been woven into the campaign narrative, as either a bonus for the Attacker or a loss for the Defender.

So once again I hope you enjoyed this little action and as always, any comments are greatly appreciated!

TTFN.

Wargaming 4Play.

My wargaming mojo has been weak of late, due to some glorious early Spring weather combined with the usual trials and tribulations of being a parent carer. However whilst watching Youtube one afternoon, the following popped up as a recommendation, a video from Barry Hilton on one of his 4x4 games:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lE8QDPa-LU

Many moons ago I'd seen these on his League of Augsburg site and had forgotten all about them, but they instantly reminded me of the fun you can have on quite a small table and with just a few units per side. So very 'One Hour Wagames' in fact. This spurred me on to set something up on my 2' x 2' table and see how things would play out. Afterall I was desperately in need of a wargaming hit after a few stressful days!

I decided to use the superb 'Honours of Wars' rules from my good friend Keith Flint, as not only do they always give a good game, but I had not had my 18thC figures out on the table for far too long. Having played plenty of Black Powder II earlier in the year, I felt a complete change of period was in order.

Attackers OOB

1 x Line Infantry (Superior)

3 x Line Infantry (Standard)

Defenders OOB

1 x Line Infantry (Standard)

1 x Light Infantry (Standard)

1 x Cavalry (Standard)

1 x Light Artillery (Standard)

Scenario Details

A few tweaks to suit using HoW:

• The Attacker would automatically get the Movement Initiative in the first Turn. There after to be rolled for as normal.
• Each unit would act as if it were 'Independent', using the 'Dependable' commander table.

So onto the game, with captioned photos giving details of how things unfolded.

An overview of the table, with the Attackers on the left.

Grenadiers lead the way in the centre, with Line Infantry on either flank and the centre.

The Defenders left flank.

The Defenders right flank.

The Defenders camp and slightly less than mobile artillery.

The view from the gun.

The end of Turn 1. The Attackers pushed forward, with the Grenadiers eager to close with the enemy, but the left flank failed to move. Both sides exchanged fire, but only a few hits were scored.

The Attackers right flank closes and opens fire.

The Line Infantry in the centre come under fire from the big gun.

The Grenadiers rush to try and overwhelm the Light Infantry by the barricade.

The end of Turn 2. The Attackers left flank suddenly decided to rush forward to join the action, whilst elswhere units moved forward to try and get to close range. The Defenders fire was rather effective, with the Line Infantry on the right flank forced to fall back to reform, with those in the centre just avoiding having to do so.

Devastating fire forces the Line Infantry to fall back and reform. Will they be able to make it back to the fray in time?

That big gun could have done more damage...

On the Attackers left flank, both units fail to disturb the Light Infantry behind the barricade!

The Defenders Light Cavalry poised to exploit any opportunity.

The end of Turn 3. The Defenders Light Cavalry charged the Line Infantry in the centre, routing them and then following on to the Line Infantry in the right who were reforming, routing them too. Simply devastating! Elsewhere the Grenadiers had been forced to retreat to reform and then routed as the Line Infantry from the centre fled past them. It was all over in a flash!

The Light Cavalry have taken hits, but see the second Line Infantry unit rout from their charge.

The Line Infantry from the centre and victims of the first charge in full on rout.

The Grenadiers follow suit.

Despite being in an excellent postion, the Line Infantry unit were all on their own.

The Defenders happy with how things panned out.

Post Game Thoughts

Well that was fast and furious and lots of fun, despite lasting only 3 Turns! It certainly did what I hoped it would do in allowing me to get in a very quick and simple game after a couple of weeks away from the games room. As always a few thoughts etc:

• Despite not having played 'Honours of War' for quite some time, the rules all came back to me and felt very comfortable to play. I only had to refresh my mind a few times with the rulebook, as otherwise the QRS did everythinng I needed. A perfect reason to continue with sticking to a few core rulesets.
• This sort of scenario, where you are straight into the action, is a great way to quickly learn the basic rules mechanics of any new set, or old ones for that matter. I think my game took about 45 minutes to play, if that, so plenty of time to press the re-set button at the end and have another go.
• To play this again I think I would tweak the forces involved to suit the period and the rules, possibly giving the Attacker a lsight numerical or qualitative advantage. I've left the game set up so I can have a play around with this.
• With the size of the board, I can see maybe up to 6 units per side working well and possibly a few more Turns. So as mentioned a the the start, all very 'One Hour Wargames' stuff.
• The Attackers poor shooting in Turn 2 coupled with the opposite for the Defenders did for them in the end. There is no chance for subtly here as the scenario is very much about trying to overwhelm the Rearguard so the main force can try to get through. Normally you would hope to whittle the Defender down, but no chance of that here, which presents an interesting challenge.
• The Light Cavalry's charge was very cinematic and as seen, very devastating. They bided their time well and made the most of the opportunity presented to them.
• As with many of my recent games, this one has reminded me of how much I still have to paint, even to get to a good core force for both sides. But possibly more on that in another post...

Well I hoped you liked this quick little AAR and as always, any comments greatly appreciated!

TTFN.

Das Wiener Schnitzel Kreig, 1848 - The Night Of The Hunter

Background

After the raid on his baggage camp, 'Il Cacciatore' was determined to regain his ill gotten goods, and so planned an ambush for the following day. Bouyed up by the arrival of a unit of Line Infantry, he made his plans and by a series of forced night marches, got ahead of the Austrians just before dawn.

'Fighting Joe' Radetsky was pleased with his loot, but wished he had gotten more. Not sitting on his laurels, he set of in the night to try to get back to the safety of Trauberk and its environs, where he and his troops could get a well earned rest. 

Austrian OOB

Kapitan 'Fighting Joe' Radetsky

2 x Line Infantry

1 x Light Infantry

3 x Jaegers

1 x Light Cavalry

Italian OOB

2nd Tenente 'Il Cacciatore'

3 x Line Infantry

1 x Light Infantry

1 x Dragoons

1 x Light Cavalry

Scenario J - A Long Way From Home

I took this as the basis for the campaign scenario, but made a few tweaks to fit in with the background:

• The first two Turns are early dawn, with visibility limited to 12". 
• The Austrians get to move first.

The Action

As always, the captioned photos will hopefully give you a feel for how the action unfolded. So without further ado:

A view of the battlefield. The Austrians are arriving from the NE corner, with the Italians equally split on the SE and NW corners.

The Austrians have the flanks well covered with Light Troops and Cavalry.

One part of the ambush force, consisting of Line Infantry and Dragoons.

The other half of the Italian force, with Line Infantry, Light Infantry and Light Cavalry.

Russell and Fenton from the Trauberk Thunderer are on hand to record events.

The long road which the Austrians need to traverse to reach safety.

The end of Turn 1. As dawn began to break, the Austrians moved down the road, but one unit of Line Infantry lagged behind. In the early morning light, the Italians could only hear the Austrians moving, but not see them to engage. They moved towards the sounds, but the Light Cavalry and Dragoons failed to advance.

Italian Line Infantry move forward to try and pin the Austrians in place, making out some dim shapes in the dim light of dawn.

Austrian troops on the left flank cover the baggage train.

The baggage train and guards.

As the Dragoons fail to move, the Line Infantry pass them to try and reach the road to seal off the Austrian escape route.

The Italians on the other side of the road move to try and ambush the Austrians.

'Il Cacciatore' strikes a pose on the ridge to encourage his troops forward with the cry of 'Avante!'

The end of Turn 2. The Austrian troops on the flanks began to engage the Italians, but to no effect due to the dawn light making it hard to target the enemy. The Italian response was patchy, but at least they had given the Austrians a surprise, even if not all of their troops moved forward to battle.

The Italian Line Infantry form Close Order to make the most of their first volley, if they can.

The Italian Line Infantry continue to try and advance to cut the road in the distance.

The Austrian left flank moves to engage the threat from the Italian troops formed up in Close Order.

On the Austrian right flank, the Jaegers come under fire and are Disordered as a result.

'Il Cacciatore' fails to make his troops move, despite repeated cries of 'Avante!'.

The Italian Light Infantry open fire on the Austrians.

The Italian Light Cavalry strike a pose.

Russell and Fenton capture them in all their glory!

The end of Turn 3. As morning arrives in all its glory, the Austrians make the most of the good light, causing the Line and Light Infantry on either flank to become Broken. The Italian Line Infantry manage to rally but the Light Infantry fail and Rout off the table! Once again the Dragoons fail to move, which is really hampering the Italian plans.

At least it looks like the Italians will be able to close the road soon, as their Light Cavalry is already there.

Austrian Light Infantry move forward to threaten the Light Cavalry by the road.

The baggage train is yet to halt.

The Italian Light Infantry rout!

Russell and Fenton on hand to record 'Il Cacciatore' as he moves his troops quickly forward and into line.

A 'position magnifique'.

The end of Turn 4. As the Austrians move to try and flank the Italian positions, they reply with some effective fire, but the Austrians hold firm. It is all in the balance at present...

The Italian Dragoons finally move, but the Line Infantry falter at a crucial moment!

The Italian Line Infantry are now at half strength and have little offensive capability.

The Italians form Close order as a tidal wave of Austrians move towards them.

Russell and Fenton see the tide possibly turning...

... and so capture 'Fighting Joe' leading his troops!

The end of Turn 5. As the Austrian right flank all miss with their shooting, the left flank steps up to the mark, causing the Line Infantry and Light Cavalry to rout! The Italians advance but quickly realise that the game is up and that discretion is the better part of valour.

The Line Infantry rout.

"Sod this for a game of soldiers!"

The Dragoons arrive too late to affect the game.

Russell and Fenton capture on the hill...

... to capture the moment of Victory!

End of the Game

All too quickly the Italian position become untenable and once again poor old 'Il Cacciatore' had nothing to show for encounter with 'Fighting Joe' Radetsky, who on the other hand had his star in the ascendent!

The Butcher's Bill, with Italian losses at the front, Austrian the back.

The Campaign

It is hard to see how 'Il Cacciatore' could come back from such a string off losses, most of which were all too one-sided. So he left the theatre of war to go and liase with Garibaldi and chums to see how, if given the chance, he could cross swords with his foe in the future. Time would tell...

Post Game Thoughts

Well I thought 'Il Cacciatore' would have a real chance in the game, but for multiple reasons, it just never worked out for him. So a few thoughts on why as follows:

• It's a funny old scenario upon which to base out action. All the Italians would need to do would be to deploy their troops as close to the bottom edge of their deployment zones, giving them a very good chance of sealing off the road in the first Turn or two. Not much of a game then, as the Austrians would be fighting a fairly static line of troops, losing all the narrative etc.
• Even with the 'free' Line Infantry unit, the Italians suffered from a lack of troops to close the road, hampered in no small part but the Dragoons failing to move for 3 Turns in a row. I think this is a tough scenario for the Italians to win, but didn't feel this when setting it all up, quite the opposite in fact.
• Allowing the Austrians to move first felt right, as moving second would have meant a great chance of a simple 'break the line' type game.
• The Italians did suffer more from poor command rolls and certainly some pretty bad Morale saves, which cost them the game early on. With the loss of the Light Infantry early on, they were very much on the back foot from then on.
• I completely forgot to use Radetsky's extra move allowance and the 'Fortuna Belli' which if I had remembered, might have made things even harder for the Italians.

What Next?

I had another scenario up my sleeve, dependent upon the outcome of this game, but in all honesty it feels the right place to end the campaign here and now. I've learnt a lot from these games and they have given me plenty of ideas to take forward for future narrative driven campaigns. I may do a post on my musings in due course, but let's wait and see.

I have been painting up some ECW units for another possible campaign, either set purely in the ECW and based around where I live, or re-visiting the 'Camberwick Green Chronicles' again with Dragon Rampant. After so many games of R&P, games wise something completely different is in order I think.

As mentioned previously, this is likely to be some AVBCW action or maybe even getting enough units painted so I can start my mini-campaign based around the Canadian landings, but with my fictional Regiments. Lets see what grabs me the most over the coming days.

Anyway, thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed the campaign and as always, any comments are greatly appreciated!

TTFN.