Ready to Roll

The latest addition to my convoy is now table ready.

The carts are surplus Irregular Miniatures that Rob passed to  me a couple of years ago. I replaced the wheels with Prince August ones for a more 18thC look and used PA draft horses.

I had thought of having the drivers walk along side but had never really noticed the scale difference, especially for the larger HE and new 7YW figures. The sight of a driver pointing across a draft horse's back made it look more like a draft pony. So I took late 19thC seated drivers from Zinnbrigade and Irregular, gave them new heads and painted them in waistcoats.

The loads are 1/35 sandbags and are removable as are the drivers.

Pack mules are next and anything else will just give me more options to choose from.

All I Ask is a Tall Ship

And a hex to steer her by.

I'd hoped to have the two carts on my painting table done but the drivers aren't quite finished.

So instead, here are some gratuitous shots of Thursday's game at Ron's. Nothing like having to beat to windward through a narrow channel to reach open sea to face a stronger English fleet.

It was an interesting and fun game but we ran out of time not long after we got to grips. Next time we're going to count each hex as 2".

Go on, have another!

I wasn't going to replay this scenario.

The Queen's Grenadiers easily repulsed the first Rosmark attack.  

Actually, it wasn't until after I had cleared away the troops and the buildings on Friday that I decided that I was in the mood for another game. After a pause to consider options, I decided to reset and play the same scenario using the alternate activation method of just pulling one card to determine who goes first each turn. 

The Maritime Alliance chose to swap the Light Infantry unit for some Grenadiers and put its full weight into the left hook. Rosmark kept the same force but led the attack with infantry this time. The result was the same.

Rosmark decided to leave the village unoccupied and put all of their infantry into the field. The Alliance responded by sending the Grenadiers and mercenaries  over the right hand ford leaving the artillery and cavalry to hold the bridge. 

A charge by the King Michael Carabiniers hit the Grenadiers whose powder had been soaked in the river (their story) and sent them flying back over the ford.

On the other flank the 2nd Carabiniers crashed into the flank of the Queen's Regiment but inspired by the Brigadier's bravery these veterans held together as best they could and went at the enemy like 5's and 6's.  Still the cavalry and the long musket duel had taken their toll and the Maritime advance on their left has been halted. The attack on their right was still in progress but there was faint hope of it taking the town before dark.

The game was beginning to look like a draw but there was just time for Rosmark to make one more attack on the bridge. It depended on luck and timing (aka initiative).  

The Rosish gun was taken as the sun set but the Carabiniers still stood between the mercenaries and the town. The issue was to be decided at the bridge.

Rosmark was revenged.