Before We Move On.

By itself, the choice of what size of grid square or hex to use on a gridded wargame table shouldn't necessarily effect how the game is played. However, if the size of the table is fixed, then the size of the individual grid areas will obviously affect the number of grid areas which will fit on the board which may affect how a scenario plays out, or at least how it looks. Less obviously, for many of us, habit and the "look of the thing" can change our perception of what is actually happening on the table. For the rules tinkerers amongst us, this sort of thing can be 'dangerous'! 

(Rule #1: Don't Panic.)

This time the cards determined that most of the ambushers were hidden behind the hill near the bridge. The convoy was also better arranged with close escorts for both wagons.

When I started playing the Blasthof Bridge scenario  as the first game on the restored 6" squares, the units seemed to be moving across the table so fast that I stopped the game and started trying to "fix it".  Naturally, part way through the game, I realized that the "fix", a reduction in movement rates, was causing new problems. The combination of the short moves, the density of troops, the unintended terrain chokepoints and the longstanding "if you move adjacent to an enemy you HAVE to not only stop but also resolve a melee" rule was making Red's job practically impossible and suggested that this might be a good time to revisit the altered rules again. 

The NorthWest Rifles were cut apart by some accurate shooting but the escorts had had the opportunity to deploy to threaten the flank of the ambushers. 

No need to bore everyone with all the false starts or the details of issues raised in two unreported test replays of the scenario, suffice it to say that some were too quick, others boring. others just 'wrong' but others helpful.  It was beginning to look like a problem beyond my ingenuity but then I remembered that the Battle In A Box mat had 6 fewer  grid squares than my current table and that that had felt like plenty of playing space. I had been focusing on the wrong bits and looking for the wrong sort of solutions.

Eventually the rocky hill was taken and the convoy could move forward with the DG Bodyguard covering the right flank with the help of the infantry. 

In the end, I finally hit on some of the smallest but most radical (philosophically) changes to the rules since I started experimenting with gridded games about a decade ago, After much thinking, experimenting and play testing,  I reduced the various numbers of combat dice per unit to just ONE per unit AND removed the compulsory mutual "melee" process for adjacent opposing units during each player turn. Instead, I made the declaration of a charge with mutual resolution a voluntary action while allowing short range shooting at that range as an option. This reflects eye witness battle reports much better and made the battlefield feel a little larger again without losing any of the tactical options. 

To be honest, I was skeptical that it would work. I was always leery of rolling 1 die per unit since that meant a binary result, you hit or you didn't and was used to rules where you might do average damage when shooting or do worse or better.  The game started off slow until I started to get used to the restored movement and increased endurance of the units given the lack of double hits that could remove a unit in as little as two turns.  

The sun was starting to sink in the west when Col MacDuff led his tired but enthusiastic Highlanders in a gallant charge. The rebels were stubborn though and when MacDuff took a hit, the Highlanders dragged the body back to safety. Things looked bleak! 

Once again, the game came down to the last throw of the dice but this time, the game raged across the entire battlefield rather than being boxed into a narrow strip. The various troop types strength and weaknesses showed up well and the advantage swayed back and forth as more troops were committed to combat and the players (me & myself) had to constantly make command decisions rather than often just rolling the dice. This time, both sides had to to strain their brain a bit and consider the effect of their deployment and manoeuvres on the enemy and vice versa before deciding what to do each turn. 

At last! This was the kind of game that I have been wanting!

As the sun sank, (the bottom half of the final turn) only desperate measures and good luck could offer even a faint hope to save the day for the convoy. They got it. The combination of accurate firing and a fierce bayonet charge did enough damage to break the rebel's morale. The road to the bridge was clear! (Phew, it didn't make it during either of the two unreported plays through!)

I'm keen to try the rules with a different scenario, but its time to give the 54's a bit of R&R while dealing with the occasional broken sword or scratched paint, adding a figure here or there, not to mention hunting down a deserter from the Mounted Rifles. There are also other recruiting drives in progress so my painting desk needs to be readied, not to mention the matter of the last game in my medieval/fantasy mini-campaign needing to be played.  

Link to The Square Brigadier 

A Close Encounter

Last time, we left the convoy fighting for its life. It had been ambushed by Rebels, the NW Mounted Rifles advance guard had suffered grievous casualties, and the wagons were in dire danger of capture.

The infantry escort deployed and engaged the hunters all along the line while the Mounted Rifles scouted ahead. 

The congestion was hampering the Dominion forces and the occasional bullet was finding its way into the convoy. Gen. Douglas ordered the Bodyguard  to force their way to the front and clear the way.

Job Done! The convoy resumed its forward movement.

The escort was taking heavy losses and the convoy drivers were near to panicking as the sniping continued to take its toll, but they had reached the bridge and desperate action was needed to stop the supplies from going through. The Kree warchief, Buckmaker, studied the enemy and his own warriors who had taken some heavy losses themselves. 

Raising the war cry, Buckmaker led his warriors in a ferocious charge, hoping to overwhelm the remaining guards. The dismounted horsemen stood their ground though and fired rapidly with deadly accuracy. The Chief himself went down with a bullet wound and his warriors had had enough. Carrying their Warchief, they scrambled back to their ponies and rode off. 
The supplies would go through.

Time for bed!

Spring Surprise!

With spring comes the first resupply convoy for Fort Henry. Some years it gets there without any trouble, other years........

As the convoy caught side of the bridge ahead, the hills erupted in gunfire.

After a brief exchange of fire, the Mounted Rifles pushed ahead, leaving the infantry
 to clear the knoll nearest to the road while the wagons did their best to push on, trusting
the infantry to hold off the enemy.

To be continued!

Looking Back and Planning Ahead

I've been pretty busy so far this week, doing not much of anything......, so today I decided that if its too cold and damp to do much outside work and I can't get my brain going to write about my rules or catch up on overdue bookkeeping as tax time rushes silently closer, I could at least get set up for another game. (sighhhh - hopeless!)   

"Any sign of the enemy Sir?"
"Umhhhhh..,,Nope! The hills look clear as far as the bridge. Signal the convoy to come up"

However, I did manage to surprise myself when looking back through my blog for early mention of the Square Brigadier. It seems that the first discussion and drafts started appearing in March 2011 as I tried to add a bit more of tactical flavour, and my tastes,  to Bob Cordery's not yet named Portable Wargame which he was busy developing.   

I also confirmed that in 2017, I was fielding units of 6 infantry and 4 cavalry on a 6" grid, but on my then 6ftx8ft table, twice the size of my current table. The extra grid squares, large enough for 54's to fit comfortably, removed a number of my current scenario layout and rules issues but it also made the room pretty much a single use space quite apart from me having an increasingly hard time reaching the centre!.  

2017 Square Brigadier game.

Some details of the rules have come and gone (and comeback and....) as I tried to handle various issues, especially with the smaller table and my reduced stamina, but the basics have remained very similar, right up to when I realized that I had room on the 6" grid to separate bayonet and cavalry charges from close range firefights by simply having a charging unit move into the enemy square to contact the target now that the squares were big enough to do it. Not only did that make it clear who was fighting who it also clarified messy situations where multiple units were adjacent to multiple enemy units. 

To make the table a little big bigger yet, I also reduced the movement rates. Now infantry can't rush through the enemy infantry's 'killing' ground untouched quite so easily and scenarios can develop more naturally with room to manouevre.

Was that a fluke? We'll see when the convoy rolls forward in this old chest nut from C.S. Grant's Scenarios for Wargames. 

 

The Battle of Neufield Bridge

Spring had come early but the armies were eager to leave winter quarters and take the field. Both generals had studied the maps and both had reached the same conclusion. If the Dominion moved quickly to seize the bridge at Neufield, they could grab the initiative, setting the Origawn rebels on the defensive. If the rebels could blow the bridge however, everything was up for grabs.

The armies' advance guards approaching the bridge, passing by meadows of new growth grass and  fields awaiting plowing. 

Moving swiftly under General Lannigan's eye, the Rebel cavalry has seized both ends of the bridge. Unsupported by the Princess Louise Hussars who have been sent over the river, the NorthWest Mounted Rifles dismounted and opened fire in hopes of holding the enemy until the Dominion infantry could come up. 

    

As the battle developed, observers began to wonder about Douglas's plan, or if he had one. Later reports blamed the absence of the usual staff which was perhaps a bit harsh on the engineer sergeant who was filling in because he had a note pad. It is below us to repeat comments overheard about the mess dinner held the preceding evening. 

The Rebel's biggest issue was the bottleneck between the farm and the bridge. The general talk afterwards was that the owner should never had been allowed to build that close to the bridge even if the house had come first.(?!) 

B company of the Hochelaga Fusiliers, not having received orders to hurry to the front, interrupted their approach march to brew up while listening to the rumble of the artillery fire and the pop pop of the rifles. At last, the cavalry, which had been getting the worst of a long range firefight with the  Rebel infantry holding the farm, received orders to mount up and flank the enemy. It was down to the Mount Royal battery now to stop the Rebel sappers from blowing up the bridge.

At least the Dominion artillery fire was accurate. General Lannigan had to ride forward in person to steady them at their work. Belatedly the Dominion infantry was ordered to advance on both flanks.

The sun was setting low when General Lannigan decided that he couldn't risk the artillery fire any longer. If the explosion wasn't powerful enough to break the bridge it should at least damage it and in any case he felt comfortable of holding the bridge till dark.  There was a muffled roar and a piller of smoke as the sappers scattered to the shore. When the dust settled there was a gaping hole in the middle of the bridge's roadway. It could be temporally patched to allow infantry to cross but it wouldn't take artillery or wagons anytime soon. Soon the Dominion bugles could be heard sounding the recall.

A set back for the Dominion but the campaign season stretches ahead.

_______________

Note: Any resemblance to the Blasthof Bridge scenario in Charge! is due purely to me adapting it for my purposes.

Next up: A discussion of the table, the scenario, my sudden revelation on the grid and rules etc and on my revised plans and so on. Probably posting the first bit  late Wednesday or on Thursday. 

How Went The Day?

 Very well, but I'm off to my bed and anything more will have to wait till tomorrow.

However, I have to say that over the last week or so,  I've had some realizations that should have some positive impact on my hobby. but that is also for another day. 

Battle For Neugrid Bridge: Teaser

Spring is upon us and in the Origawn Territories, the armies have come out from their Winter Quarters.

Stay Tuned!

Is it ready Major?

"I would have liked another week Sir, but it is my considered  opinion that the grid is now Practicable. You may commence your assault General!"

"Well Russell, how did the coin fall?"
"Heads! Red will enter from the South. General Lannigan, your mission will be to blow the bridge by turn 15, General Douglas, your mission is to prevent this and capture the bridge. Gentlemen, take your places and remember,  any unit crossing the Blue Taipe within two squares of the bridge will be disqualified."

And so it begins again.

How's that Grid coming Major?

"General, my men have been working hard, very hard, but terra forming 104 6" squares is a lot of work for one company of Pioneers, a LOT of work." 

"Yes, I thought it might be, so I approached General Lannigan and he has agreed to lend us a company of his sappers to help with the work." 

"We're planning a battle for Sunday Major, so even if its not done and dusted, it'd better be ready enough for a trial by then." 

"Yessir!" 

. 

Anyone Not See This Coming?

It was almost inevitable right? 

Over the last few years I've been struggling to find the right mix for my 54's. Just the right look, enough figures to paint without over crowding the table, something simple and fast for when I'm tired but capable of longer more complex games when I have the time and energy. It also had to be something that could share my table with my other collections. 

I've always liked a lot about the Square Brigadier but it was hard finding the right balance of size of grid and organization given that it needed to share the table and I had space constraints. There were a lot of good games but the smallest games didn't use enough figures to satisfy me while the largest ones sometimes dragged on without room to manoeuvre and with too many repetitive throws due to the number of units. 

A switch to larger squares so I could use more figures without increasing the complexity of the games was promising but my table at the time wouldn't hold quite enough squares and attempts to subdivide them into 3"x 3" quadrants for the smaller figures didn't really work either. Stalemate! 

Work in progress.

Welllllll, I was looking through old battle reports last week while working on my 'Battle in a Box', and I was reminded how much I liked the look of the table when it had a 6" square grid painted to look like terrain features rather than abstract lines. It was practical and much more attractive than a either a monochrome green table or a table covered in a clearly abstract, artificial, grid.   

A shot of my "Sittingbad" game, the last game in 2018.
(The table here had been patched together into a temporary 4.5 feet x 6ft table. Great size if the room had been single use apart from the difficulty of reaching the middle....)

It suddenly struck me today that the new table was just big enough, to have just enough of the bigger squares, to do that again with more squares than my "in a box" set up. I also realized that recent reductions in collections/periods/scales, meant that I was no longer running any gridded  games that needed a smaller grid apart from the portable one that has its own cloth. 

So.....the table is now down for unscheduled maintenance. I predict a test game by Thursday at the latest.

And its a wrap!

Well folks........its done!

OK OK...nothing around here is ever "Done" done. There's always the possibility of a tweak or addition of a few extra bits, but the stated objective has been reached. 

Its even got pictures on the side!
(OK, the pictures may cover info about what was originally in the box but, more importantly, they are to remind me what's in this box when in 5 years time, I'm digging in the closest, even if I can only see one box side.)

The box is roughly 11"x 7" x 2" and weighs just under 1 pound. Inside is a painted, gridded battlefield with terrain items, 72 painted figures, rules, dice, and cards: everything you need to play! 
(and NO!, I'm NOT marketing these for sale! ) 

Now what? I'm not sure. 

I'm tempted to put the big version of this on the table or to have another run at a skirmish game, or to play the last game in the Gathering of Host Raid mini campaign, but there's a backlog of non-hobby stuff to do and spring seems to be arriving early. Might just go back to the painting desk with some bigger figures. Something that's actually better if I only do it for short bits of time.

Battle in a Box Played (link to rules fixed 24 Mar 22)

This game was a simple clash of advanced guards with equal forces (2 cavalry, 2 guns, 5 infantry inc 1 elite) on a 9x9 grid. Both sides were tasked with securing the crossroad within 12 moves. An army that lost 1/2 of its units would be forced to concede and retreat. The armies were the newly painted 1/76th (or 1/80th) Red (Dominion of Faraway) and Blue (Oregawn Free State or Rebels). 

Turn 2: The Dominion cavalry have seized the crossroad (imagine them dismounting). 
btw, the walls at the crossroads are actually Marx sandbag entrenchments from my WWI set. 

The rules used for the first game were the 2021 version of the Square Brigadier which was meant for larger armies on a bigger table for 3-4 hour games. That didn't really work so I went back to the original idea of rules for a small game on a grid, tested a rough version, tweaked them a little and finally they were back working the way they were originally intended to work. The revived  Square Brigadier rules can be found here.   (See 2012 Draft for comparison).

Essentially, the active player rolls to see how many groups of units he may move that turn. Units may move OR shoot then both sides resolve combat between adjacent units. With unusual firmness, I resisted the temptation to add more details with formations etc. All that 'stuff' is supposed to be handled by unit commanders, not the general (ie player). Combat, whether long range fire or point blank fire or assaults with cold steel, is resolved by rolling dice to achieve the appropriate score, with a minimum of modifiers.  I dislike removing figures without reducing a unit's combat ability but the goal was a simple game without rosters or markers and, in any case, removing 1 figure from a 4 man unit is not meant to imply 25% casualties! 

As the remaining units arrived and deployed, each side's plan developed. For the Dominion, it was easy, just hang tight and don't get flanked. For the Rebels, a frontal assault would have been difficult so it was either a  matter of roll up one flank while pinning the rest or else bombard the crossroad while  threatening both flanks and keeping a strong reserve with the hope that a last minute, well prepared, charge could take the weakened enemy position before the Dominion could react. Seemed like a long shot to me but.... that's actually how they won the 2nd test game. 

The Rebel's plan of weakening the defense by fire while massing to overwhelm one flank was hampered by rolling low for several turns both for orders and in combat!  

Eventually the dice evened out, but the Dominion had troops under cover and on the objective. 

As the day started to run out, the Rebels launched a desperate attack on both flanks but judging by the dice, their soldiers were exhausted while the Domion troops were exalted! There was nothing to do but retreat. 

Today I went back over the bases, inc the bottoms. Once I add a little bit more terrain, 1 more Red infantry unit, find or make a small, but not flimsy, box to hold all this, and decorate it like a playset with a photo of the figures in action etc, I can call this "a Wrap".

Is it just me or..

 Does the victorious Rebel commander look just a bit smug?

This was the 2nd test game as I re-familiarized myself with the rules (Minnow doesn't bother with rules) and adjusted them to fit the plan. I'll post a report on the 3rd and final test game tomorrow, then it'll be time to move on.

Game in a Box Pt 2

The recruiting, equipping and training is done, the rules have been refreshed, the terrain hastily made up and the table set. 

A small encounter between Dominion forces and Rebels as a new campaign season opens.

This has to be the fastest I've ever gone from the germ of an idea to the first game with newly painted soldiers taking the field. Nine days from the first thought of putting together a 'battle in a box' of some kind to playing the first game (that's a couple of hours of hobby time over nine days) . The first five days were spent examining my options given a $0 budget, the next 4 days saw some 74 figures  painted in roughly 10 hours including minor conversions to over half of them (eg such as removing brims from kepis to make 'pork pie' forage caps etc). Luckily I didn't need to do much research to roughly duplicate an existing collection.

OK, the little guy is not an exact replica but he's a toy soldier not a model!  

One of my first decisions, even before choosing the period, was that I wasn't going to do any complex conversions or any carefully detailed and shaded painting on a horde of tiny (less than 20mm) boardgame pieces that were going to hide in a box with a few outings a year IF they were lucky. My decision to tie the small game to my 54mm collection and backstory, made the whole thing easier. 

The Dominion forces seen from far, far away...

It didn't take long to realize that my eyes, esp my depth of focus and speed of refocusing, and my steadiness of hand has deteriorated again from last winter when I painted up the new Hat 1/72 ACW figures. The toy soldier route was a good decision from that angle but these also remind me of my old Marx Miniature Playset figures.

Some of the handful of least damaged 30mm Marx hard plastic figures from my Over The Top playset.

But enough jawing! I need a bite to eat and then there is a battle to fight! 

(Best get to it before the little blighters start without me!)

Game In A Box Pt1

My first wargame in a box arrived at Christmas  in the early 1960's. It was one of the Marx Miniature Play Sets but, no, there were no rules, just imagination to guide the players. The WWI set came a few years later.

This isn't actually a picture of my set but its the same set.
Thanks to marxwildwest.com for the picture and the delightful site. The figures were 25/30mm-ish hard plastic and came with a printed battle mat. I still have a lot of the pieces and some have even seen action recently.

Prior to Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame, the closest I came was early this century when I assembled two small DBA armies using 1/72nd  figures mounted on 15mm DBA bases (with a little extra depth). Nothing fancy, but they got used a couple of times. With perfect timing, Bob started developing his Portable Wargame not long before I had my heart attack. A game that I could play sitting down at a card or garden table was suddenly of tremendous value to me. The only really portable version I did was a 1/72nd Russian Civil War game that fit into a small plastic tool case, mostly because of the size and thick material of the battle matt. It was last used in 2017 before moving on to a better place. 

1/72nd RCW Portable Wargame. Various plastic 1/72nd figures on a Hotz map.

The carrying case evacuated by the Russians was soon taken over by two 1/72nd plastic fantasy armies for a Dragon Rampant game at Huzzah 2018. Last summer a desire to amuse myself outside came over me, but in the shade while sitting on a chair, so out they came, complete with a smaller, thinner, square gridded cloth that appeared to have materialized out of nowhere. It definitely looks like my handiwork on what is a scrap of my main terrain cloth, I just don't remember when or why I made it!  Fair enough, its a fixture now, though I may paint the other side as well and paint on a river instead of using my painted foam one which tends to slide around.

Hosts gathering for a One Hour game in the sun last summer. (see post).

The grid is composed of 9x9 3" squares which is perfect for laying out One Hour Wargame scenarios at 3/4 scale.  (Thomas's maps represent a 36" x 36" table with one option being 4" wide units.)  Some basic terrain feature are painted on but others can be added and troublesome ones covered over or ignored. It seems like a good fit but of course can be used for any scenario I dream up. It is also a thin material that folds up easily into a small space.

The last thing to decide was: What period? The obvious thing was to use some of my already painted and based 1/72nd ACW troops. 2 infantry or 1 cavalry or artillery stand. Done! .......except........ I don't really need or want another  ACW game. I want something more Kriegspiel/Little Wars-ish with Red vs Blue and no interference from real events and issues. The next obvious thing then, was to put a bunch of the hordes of unpainted ACW troops into some other uniform and let them at it. 

It was at this point that I remembered the unused Battlecry figures which are a bit smaller than Airfix but on big, stable bases. I started thinking about Kriegspiel   and various European armies which led me to think about having to make some terrain that was more European-ish.....and a back story and....suddenly, the choice was made! 

The fictional but existing Origawn Rebellion in 1/72nd was as good a choice as any,  as 'Toy Soldier' as you like. I know the uniforms and there is no mistaking any scenario as history gone wrong. No new terrain to make or background stories to invent. Don't even need to invent new rules when the Square Brigadier has been looking for an "in". No new uniforms for Blue and if the brims of the kepis are trimmed off, the figures easily pass as wearing forage caps.

A sample of Faraway forces in 20mm. In keeping with the original 54mm toy soldier version, I am also painting these as toy soldiers with minimal detail, no shading, and a bit of a shine. 

Recruiting is already in full swing and volunteers are pouring in. 

To Be Continued....

  

Hit and Run: A Scenario as played.

 It took me a week to play a two hour game but its done.

The Confederate artillery bombardment.

To be fair, most of the time 'lost' was due to domestic duties but there were also multiple pauses as I banged the 'Brigade as unit' version of the rules into the shape that I wanted. Naturally, it now needs a couple more test games with different scenarios then with more than one player, but the ACW has had its time in the sun for now.  The Quick Reference sheet for the current draft of the rules is available here: Plastic Army of the Potomac. 

Overview of the battlefield early on.

The Scenario

The scenario pits two detachments from opposing armies and could easily be shifted to a different setting/period, scale and rules. The 'Red' army is defending an off table supply depot which is being moved to a safer location. The 'Blue' army's mission was to pin the covering force until the other half of a  pincer movement captures the depot from the other side and surrounds the 'Red' defenders, forcing their surrender.  The 'Blue' force, however, has had a difficult march over bad roads through an area of thick woods made worse by inaccurate maps. Instead of being deployed in the open and ready to attack by early morning, they are still straggling in, one brigade at a time. The situation is too good to pass up, the order goes out for the 'Red' forces to deploy to attack. 

Mid game: The Confederate Highwater mark as they capture the southern wood and come close to cutting the road before the last Brigade in that column arrives. 

Victory Conditions.

In game terms, the game lasts for 15 turns. 

The Yankees have one brigade deployed on table on the edge of the wooded hill on the Southern flank and one just arriving in road column behind them. Each turn the Yankee General rolls 1d6 needing 1 the first turn, 2 the next turn etc for the next brigade or battery to arrive. At that point the next unit starts rolling starting back at 1. The 1st Division is moving along the southeastern road, the 2nd Division along the northeastern road.  They win if they can capture the two Confederate exit roads before they exit with more than 1/2 of their original units. (I'm not sure yet if its possible.)  (6 x  infantry units (8 stands each), 4 guns)

The Confederates begin deployed up to 1/4 of the way on the board. They win if they can either rout the Yankee force or do more damage than they suffer and have a clear exit path off the two road exits in the  southwest corner of the board. (6 x infantry units (8 stands each), 1 cavalry unit, 3 guns) 

The Yankees win by routing the Confederates and being able to pursue, or by cutting the two critical road exits trapping over 1/2 the Confederate force. Anything in between is a draw though it could be judged to be a draw in one or the other side's favour.

On the Northern flank, the column must have hit a good stretch as the Yankee brigades pour onto the table, one after the other. I've rarely seen a 'side' happier to roll SO many one's in a row!  

Out of curiosity, I copied Les's deployment from the last game but made my own decisions from there. Things started OK and the attack on the right was more successful than I expected. The reinforcements poured on MUCH faster than in the last game but the Blue commander was a bit off his oats and forgot for a long while that he couldn't win by sitting on the hill.

Belatedly Blue, launches an attack up the Northern end of the field. (His left was in no shape to attack up the other, vital flank).  

The Confederates didn't manage to wreck the Yankee Corps and suffered almost as much damage as they took but they came close and still had a clear escape route so I awarded them a minor win.

____________

AND NOW...........SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT:

An 8 ounce 'Battle in a Box'.

Stay tuned!