A Charge Is As Good As A Rest

I hadn't realized how much I missed my multi figure based armies until I played that last 1790's game. What devil had wanted me to go back to single figures, something I'd almost never done until I wrote MacDuff for 25mm Colonial games in the 90's and finally played Charge! which I'd had since '73? The new rules using individual soldiers worked ok, but took twice the time and work to play, and added nothing really apart from a a few 'war stories' and photo ops. It had no more drama, history, or opportunities for generalship, than my old Hearts of Tin had provided, and took a lot of extra time and effort.

I decided it was time to  give myself a break from the 1790's. Atlantica always seems like a good place to go to escape from reality. Here's a quick look at what followed:

The Free Corps fighting to keep the Kapelle Territory free and independent for a little longer.

I decided that the scenario would consist of a column of Faraway Trading Company troops, backed by some battalions of the Queen's regulars, paying a visit to a native Kapelle village to collect taxes and punish resistance. The village elders had sent out messengers seeking help and Brigadier Zinn's Oberhilse Free Corps, in the pay of neighbouring Kyuquoit, answered the call.   

Mid-game, the Free Corps has managed to march on and deploy in the nick of time. Prolonged and bloody close quarter fighting ensued.

The struggle for the village was prolonged with the middle houses changing hands three times, and casualties were high on both sides.

Both sides had taken heavy losses as the sun sank. (3 turns left out of 15) Her Majesty suddenly appeared out of nowhere, surveyed the table, and ordered Larsen's Lancers to over run the mercenaries battery and sweep away the armed farmers, allowing her redcoats to secure the village. 

I forgot to time the game, and was interrupted a few times, but I think it took about two hours of actual playing time and victory (possession of the village) and wasn't decided until the last turn when the remaining troop of Lancers made their 2nd charge on the guns and rolled three 6's while the gun whiffed. The loss brought the defenders to their break point on the last turn. Soooooo close!

The rules used may be found here: A Whiff of Dice: A Hearts of Tin variant.

The struggle over the gun was bloody but HM was right and her soldiers cleared the rebels out of the town and forced, what she considered to be mercenaries, to retreat. Her troops paid dearly for their narrow victory but the merchants and land speculators were pleased.

Now, I return myself to the French Revolution........

Never As Easy As It Seems

The plan was to play a game this morning.

What happened was a lot of useful work refurbishing units and getting them ready to play.

A Faraway Trading Company column approaches an apparently empty Kapelle village. (But we know better)

Yes, having exhausted various ways to make every collection different in rules, level of play etc, I've finally decided the challenge is over and I'm going to be lazy again and just play what works for me. This 1840's game could easily be played with my French Rev armies using essentially the same weapons and tactics but since I have these guys and like 'em, and still have space for them, I'm not going to worry about it. 

Now it's a Sunday Solo 1840's Kapelle game using Whiff of Dice (aka Revived and improved Hearts of Tin) that I'm planning.

When I decided to downsize my table last year, I thought seriously about a 5 ft x 5 ft table but the room was cramped enough and I only had a 4'x8' board to work with. I whimped out and settled on 4'x5' table. While testing my convention game I jury rigged a 5'x6' surface and imagined a foot or two of sea to help fill the table while leaving room on each end for coffee cups etc. 

Well, I took down the temporary expansion and the 4x5 looked so forlorn, and having a square table had been so handy that I relocated or removed some shelf units, boxes etc and started collecting ends and scraps of 1/4" board of various dimensions. It was a bit tricky to get everything steady and level but I got there and touched up the old paint just enough to blend in a little.

I wanted to test the table and the rules but wanted a break from the French Revolution so turned to an older collection. 

5'x5'
Its the illusion of perspective that makes the square look longer than it is wide.

So, somewhere in the disputed Kapelle region, two armies converge on a sleepy little village at a crossroad....

Assault On North Village

Finally, here is a short report on last week's battle.

Having repelled The Oerbergers' raid on the the Dominion's supply depot, orders were issued to clear a road block at North Village so the planned offensive could begin.

After an extended barrage by a full field battery and a half battery of naval 4.7's, the order was given for the attack to proceed. Ross's Rifles were ordered to sieze the western end of Long Hill in order to drive the rebels away from the road. The  Royal Regiment was ordered to clear the village.   

Apparently the barrage had had little effect on the defenders on the hill and deadly MG, rifle and artillery fire cut the Rifles to piece. Those stout veterans did not falter though, and while unable to storm the hill,  the firefight was prolonged.

The assault on the left did not meet the same deadly hail of machine gun bullets and shrapnel and quickly closed on the village which was defended by a handful of rebel villagers, and by the newly raised Kapelle Rifles, their first taste of battle. It didn't take long for the dominion forces to realize that closing with the enemy wasn't the same as driving them from their positions. The brutal, hand to hand fight in the village was prolonged and deadly.  

"A" Company of the Royals, on the left, eventually took 1/2 the village, but were unable to push on any farther. "B" Company, supported by the MG company,  took the perimeter wall after a prolonged fight in which the new Kapelle Rifles defended their post to the last man (turn after turn of drawn melee). As the sun set, the cavalry, supported by the Armoured Car were unleashed in hopes of over running the dismounted Oerburgers who had finally come forward from the reserves but the Oerbergers' rifle and MG fire was too deadly.

The Dominion forces were exhausted and there was nothing to do but retreat under the protection of a renewed artillery barrage on the rebel positions. 

While We Are Waiting

I was too busy today to write up the battle but here's an aerial view of the game in progress. 

The Dominion forces attack with the aim of clearing the road. 

On Friday, I'm off to visit family, to celebrate Canada Day on the 1st and then, since the three of us were all born in July, we'll celebrate our birthday month.  Not quite sure how it is that my sister who used to be only 3 years older than me will be 70 by the end of the weekend, but there we are.  

Another One Rides On Board

 This twice converted Scruby ACW 40mm cavalry unit is now ready to rumble and roll dice. 

Since this is minor sideshow, I've decided to limit the armies for the Kapelle Rebellion to what is needed for small scenarios such as the ones in  One Hour Wargames and various other sources. Just enough to make use of whats done for a quick game now and then, a game a bit different from my usual fare. 

Apart from moving some infantry and gunners from abandoned foamcore test company bases onto individual washer bases, the Faraway Expeditionary Force in Kapelle is now complete with 6 infantry companies, two squadrons of cavalry, one mountain and two field artillery guns plus an armoured car and various comandeered trucks. The rebels and their allies just need  two more mounted figures and a bit of basing and they'll be done as well. 

But, whats not done can wait for a while, its time to get back to the 1790's!

Preservation of the Aim

Once my rather impractical, nostalgic, detour ended in failure (again),  I turned back to an older, simpler, yet more effective early version of the rules as a guide. It's been hard sometimes to let go of expectations formed over the decades before Rob Dean introduced me to Joe Morschauser's rules and philosophy, but whenever I manage to do it, it always gets me closer to my goal. 

That goal is to have a simple, fast play system that will let me set up and play a small simple, yet interesting and sometimes challenging  scenario, in not much more than an hour, without losing the capability to play larger, more complex scenarios with more troops, lasting several hours, using the same armies and rules. I spent a little time going back over some of my older Morschauser inspired rules, but I got there.

Fierce fighting for the bridge.

I kept the same OHW scenario (#19 ) but used just 6 units aside and the 5" grid that I've been working on. The units themselves were the slightly larger ones that I had been preparing before the nostalgia for the old 3 stand, 18 man units grabbed me.  It all worked like a charm. I managed 15 turns in an hour with several turns of fortune in a game which hung in the balance to the very last turn. Next up I need to set up a more complex scenario with twice the number of units and see how that goes. Won't happen this week though. 

Turn 7,  all units are now on table and free to act. 

In the background, the 2nd Infantry have finally charged across the bridge.

The Wolf Regiment has seized the ford so that the attackers now control both crossing points. If they can keep that hold they will win but Larsen's Lancers have just routed the Blue Lancers after several charges.

At the start of Turn 15, Blue holds both objectives and Red's army is only 1 hit from breaking but their commander wins the initiative. Against the odds, the Brooklyn Fusiliers storm the bridge, throw back Blue's 2nd Infantry, and regain the crossing. Closer to the camera, Larsen's Lancers, 1 hit away from breaking, charge the irregular skirmishers, riding them down then pursuing into the Wolf Regiment, breaking it as well, all without taking that single hit. Suddenly Blue has lost both crossings and has now lost over 1/2 their units which means they must give up the game! 

Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory for Blue.

The draft of the basic rules can be seen here: The Square Brigadier 2022.

At Last!

They're a bit rough around the edges but the armies are again ready to rumble.

Well, some of them anyway.

And its supposed to be yet another rainy day tomorrow! Game ON!

The FTC Returns to the Kapelle District

A NEW BEGINNING 

With the failure of  last year's Trade Negotiations with Kyuquoit,  (see Across the Border)  things looked bleak for the Faraway Trading Company's prospects of expansion but the company representatives had not crossed the Kapelle without noticing its possibilities as a colony in its own right. The Queen's ministers agreed and once again the Queen's men under General Turner were loaned to the company so that they could establish a series of posts from the Kapelle River to the northern plain to serve as a  base for colonization. The various villages and tribes in Kapelle formed a loose confederacy but there was no government and no army so little opposition was expected, unless of course, their neighbours decided to march to their aid in order to stop any further advance by the FTC.   

A small party of villagers ambushed the advance guard, driving back the light infantry and forcing the Buffs to deploy and drive them back through the palm grove. 

The skirmishers in the wood were proving more persistent than expected so the Buffs were left to deal with them while the rest of the army deployed to attack the town. Before the assault could go in,  the neighbours had shown up, The Black Fox and a force of the Brethren! General Turner ordered the artillery to open fire and sent in the lancers to sweep them away. The resulting fight was long and bloody but eventually the Brethren were driven back and half the town taken.

It was then that Brigadier Zinn's Oberhilse Free Corps reached the field. Either Kyuquoit had released  them in hopes they could keep the FTC away from their border, or they had marched on their own to strike a blow at the old enemy. All was yet to play for.

 

The fight was fierce and prolonged with heavy casualties on both sides but once the villagers and Bretheren had fled the field, there were not enough of the Free Corps to retake the town so Brigadier Zinn had the bugler sound retreat. There would be other battlefields.  

One small skirmish had ended but the war was just beginning.

Early Edition: Fierce Fighting in the Kapelle.

 Reports have been received of resistance to the Faraway Trading Company's expedition to establish an inland trading post in the Kapelle District.

Details in the Sunday morning papers.

Wide Open Plains

 After last year's bloody battle on the Kyuquoit frontier (See The Newport Noodle Report <link>), the FTC decided to pull back and consolidate its position in the Kapelle. Finally, in January of the following year, they sent a small expedition to establish a border post. As the cavalry scouting ahead of the column passed through the defile between a cliff and some jungle, shots rang out!  

Leaving the enemy sharpshooters to the infantry, the Lancers spurred ahead, into the wide open plains surrounding the village.

The table is set, the first 2 turns have been played so that I could show some Redcoats on table, and all is set for the game to resume on Friday or Saturday.  (Yes, its another go at the OHW Late Arrival Scenario.)