Raid on Centerville Pt 1

The situation at the end of Turn 3. 

After some more thought,  I decided that I should try a traditional style MacDuff game after all. After a  quick fix to the rules to remove some attempts to make it something else, I set to this evening. The rules as being used have been uploaded to Google Docs, (see link on the left).

The Faraway defenders consisted of 3 x 8 man independent companies of militia, a militia gun and a troop of irregular cavalry with Colonel Jefferies acting as Brigadier. I threw 2 dice each turn for each unit of potential reinforcements with these arriving if the score was equal to or less than the turn number. General MacDonell would arrive with the first reinforcement. Drawing on the War of 1812 for inspiration, I decided that the 3 infantry companies would be detachments from 3 different battalions rather than a complete battalion. My Faraway cavalry are somewhat limited so I included 1 Troop  of the Director-General's Bodyguard and a 2nd troop of Larsen's Lancers which would combine to form  a Squadron.

Oberhilse committed General Scott and the 1st and 3rd Infantry on turn 1, a battery and the Blue Guards on turn 2 and a squadron of Dragoons, a troop of the Peipur Tigers and one of the Frontier Light Horse on Turn 3.

All units had to pass an orders test to move on table so might be delayed.

General Scott's plan was to send the 3rd Infantry supported by a troop of light horse against Lieutown with everything else going left. Colonel Jefferies plan was to deploy the gun to the south west of Centerville to support Righton with the lancers in support while the York Volunteers pushed on to Lieutown. By then hopefully the first regulars would be arriving.

The 3rd infantry, perhaps unused to working with the rifle armed Voltigeurs which had been attached, struggled to carry out its orders. The rifles sniped at the defenders from Turn 1 but by Turn 5 no assault had gone in.

On the Oberhilse left though, the 1st Infantry pushed ahead despite heavy defensive musket and artillery fire and stormed the Stone House one turn and the Blue house on the next. By Turn 6, Righton was firmly in Oberhilse hands.

Turn 4. B company of the 1st Infantry storms the Stone House.

Finally on turn 6 the Queen's cavalry and artillery began to arrive, followed shortly by the infantry. 

MacDonell and the cavalry arrives just as Jefferies is struck down by a fragment from a howitzer shell. 

Is it a case of too little too late?  As the Redcoats appeared on the edge of Centerville, the 3rd Infantry stormed the General Store. So  far losses to the Bluecoats have been minimal. Can the Queen's soldiers hold Centerville against twice their numbers? Let alone recapture the Hamlets?  

We'll find out tomorrow.  

I'll also give my thoughts on the rules, organization and feel with the Faraway campaign in mind. Suffice for now to say that I have at least remembered why I used to enjoy MacDuff games.