Contact!

 The Battle has begun......

To be continued....

They Went Down To The Crossroad.....

 

Coming soon: Oberhilse and Faraway meet again.

"There's going to be a brawl"

Coming Out Of Winter Quarters

I have an odd attachment to these shiny 40mm, 1830's to 1840's toy soldiers.

Under the current rules, each stand is a "Company".  2 stands in a square may form a line or a march column. Up to four stands in one square may form a "square" facing 4 directions, or a "mass" 2 wide and 2 deep.

Hopefully there will be a game on Sunday.

I'm Going Down To the Crossroad.

I was quite happy with squares instead rulers last Saturday, and it has encouraged me to dust off and update my Square Brigadier rules and give them another go. 

 

Save The Cows!

In the days when the Roman Empire was beset on all sides and Britain was told to defend itself, some of the garrisons remained to fight the Saxon and Pictish raiders. In those days, heroes rose to the cause, and the bards sang of legendary heroes who fought to hold back the darkness. This is one of those tales:

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(Note: this was a wargame played out at a community games day. It was designed for 2 to 4 players and possibly a GM, but as it happened, we settled with just 2 of us and it was a close fought game to the last turn. The figures are largely Elastolin 4cm figures, a few originals, and many more of the unpainted kits that showed up in the US when Elastolin dropped the range. Many of the unpainted kits and broken figures were converted once they fell into my hands.)

The Duke's cavalry showing off their skill at the Cantabrian Circle if not at shooting. 

The Scenario: A local British 'Duke' whose scouts have reported that a warband of Saxons and Picts had gotten past Hadrian's Wall and was raiding at will. He has ordered this village to be ready to evacuate as many of the cattle and stores as possible if the enemy appeared.  The local Romano-British Count is on the trail of the raiders. 

Rules: Last year I decided to try going back off the grid for a while and resume variable length moves. It allows more flexibility but prolongs the time needed to complete a turn, mostly due to the constant dice rolling and the measuring. Last week I decided to give the grid another chance and in many ways I was happy to be able to spend my time and thoughts on the battle plan rather than rolling endless movement dice and low level manoeuvres.

(Current version)

Duke Stephen deploys his warriors to give his Lady to organize the business of moving the cattle, sheep, and a cart of valuables and food to safety. To his joy, before the fighting begins in earnest, the Count has arrived to join forces. (1d6=turn# or less).

The hand to hand fighting was fierce but the first Pictish assault was repulsed. Behind the British battle line, the evacuation was slower and less orderly than hoped. (Units, including animals and their herders, have to roll to move if not in command range. ) Beyond the town, the RomanoBritish held back most of the Saxons.)


As the Saxons moved forward and plunged into town, the British were forced back, but they did their best to give the herders as much time to escape as possible.

At last the convoy, or most of it, got together, led by the Duchess. Slowly, but steadily, the Picts pushed forward through the town while sending their cavalry around the flank where they captured their supper on the hoof and the cart. The prize bull, 2 pairs of cows and the flock of sheep got away under British escort. 
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It was a very good afternoon, and a pleasure to rejoin the Tabletop Games group at one of their Quarterly days. I'm looking forward to the next one. Hopefully we'll entice a few more wargamers to join us.

Hold The Pass!

It was winter in 1544. France and England were once again at war and King Henry VIII had laid siege to Boulogne.   When word came of an approaching relief force, the Earl of Belmont was sent out to stop them. 

The English scoffed at a bunch of Frogs and Germans but then scouts reported a contingent of Scots, eager to seek revenge for Flodden. Well, the English were used to beating Scots as well Frogs. The Duke deployed his army on a ridge at the head of a pass through a hilly, wooded stretch of land.  

The French, their allies, and mercenaries, pressed quickly forward on a broad front. The main force consisted of three blocks of pikemen one French, one Landsknecht and one Scots. A screen of light cavalry and shot covered the gaps and did their best to weaken the English archers, 

The French and Mercenary pikes were held by the Billmen but there were not enough of them and the Scots rolled over a line of Bowmen and a handful of billmen.

Both the French and Landsknects were forced back but the Scots were now unopposed as they wheeled to pursue. The sun was sinking and the Earl began to feel that he could still hold out if he was careful. 

While the French were reforming and renewing their attack, the skirmishing by light troops resumed and numbers began to tell. The Duke decided to pull back slowly hoping the French would stop at dusk but his casualties had been heavier than he thought and his army was ready to break, so he sent over a herald to request a meeting while ordering his army to retreat quickly but in order, ready to fight.

There would be another place and another day for him to stop the French.  

Note on the figures: These armies are 40mm, about 2/3 are home cast most original sculpts but some based on conversions of Meisterzinn homecast figures The rest are from here and there including a number of slightly smaller Elastolins, many from kits rather than the original factory painted ones. I included the smaller figures because they are so wonderful. The armies were started for a game co-hosted with Rob Dean at Cold Wars 20 years ago.

How Went The Battle?

 It was a long and bloody affair. Check in on Friday to find out more.

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"Just a roll on the drum and the war has begun"

Well, this war actually started 20 years ago, but I have high hopes of the game being finished tomorrow.

Note: Post title from lyrics of Fairport Convention "Sloth" (Full House album.) Ahh the 70's!

"The trumpets to the cannons, the cannons to the heavens"

In other words, the battle has begun!

The English have taken up a position on a ridge across a pass in some hilly ground and defied the French to dislodge them. As the French begin their attack, the English cannon open fire. 

40mm figures. About 60% are original homecast figures, the rest are a mix including Elastolins, Mertan,  a handful of modified Irregular, a couple of Perry's and a few odds and ends.

To be continued....

Meanwhile, Back in France....waaay back.

The table is reset, the rules have been slightly revised, (one page rules here), a scenario designed, and there is no other plan for the day. 

What are the odds that something will interfere? I think I'd rather not know!

The French army finds the pass blocked.

These 40mm armies are mostly original homecast figures,  reinforced by various commercial figures and some Elastolins.

To be continued.....