Unto The Breach - Friday's Siege Games

The Colours of MacDuff's Fusiliers wave proudly as the grenadiers move up for an assault.

When we started out to stage a siege game, I wasn't sure it could be done as an interesting convention game, or an interesting game at all for that matter. The solo play test was enough to alleviate fears on both scores but many questions remained.

Friday Afternoon, the 1st saps are planted.

The original plan called for a 10 foot wide fortress front with 3 bastions and enough pieces were cut to allow for that but once it became apparent that the fortress was going to need over 3 feet of depth, we became uncertain that the remaining space was sufficient for the besiegers. After my play test, I was afraid that a 6 feet front would not be wide enough  for zig-zag saps and batteries but a depth of only 3 feet for the attackers would mean starting at the 2nd parallel at best, in other words skipping the beginning of the siege.  After discussing the pro's and con's we ended up agreeing to lay out a 6 foot front and start the 1st parallel 6 feet from the walls. After the play test, we moved the parallel slightly forward to put it 5 feet from the ravelin, allowing effecting fire by the besiegers from turn 1 (well, for most of the besiegers.)  One thing that became obvious during the playtest, was that the compressed front made it difficult to plant richochet batteries against any point except the ravelin but that the saps were easily enfiladed if the players weren't careful. Both items went into player briefings  and didn't seem to present any great difficulties during the games though some of the saps were less zig-zaggy than our test ones had been. (it was easier to just point them off table and sap forward in leaps and bounds, the end result and purpose was the same.)  We were also afraid that a single 3-4 hour game might not be enough so allowed for a 2nd game to follow on from where the first left off.

Friday afternoon, a second parallel has been planted and the saps continue.

As we prepared for this game, it became obvious that many things had been glossed over or assumed when the brief rules were laid out. How many troops and guns should be used? How many engineers? Could you pack several into a sap? Why are the tactical rules so close to Charge! without being precisely the same? Abridgment or amendment? Can you fight from a sap?

To avoid confusing people, we opted to follow Charge! where ever possible. This meant that guns firing from over 2 feet were inflicting 1/4 casualties rather than 1/2 but, on the other hand, it looks like we might have fielded more guns per foot than Duffy did.

Initially we planned to limit the supply of engineers so that the siege might be ended by losing them all but in the end, we treated them as a limited but inexhaustible supply. The besiegers had 3 each turn, 1 and only 1 of which could supervise a battery or sap. If a parallel were to be dug, even a partial one, each engineer could supervise 1/3rd of it. That  meant that a few lucky 6's wouldn't end the siege but the loss of an engineer meant the loss of a day's work on that section of work.  Rather than fussing about where the engineer was placed and dicing a la Charge! to see which figures were hit, we merely rolled a die with a 6 indicating that the engineer was hit. We did the same for gunnery officers.

Rob and his son, Norman who did the finishing work after Duncan's wizardry with power tools did the basic construction, watch the besiegers sap forward.  (My only input this year was in planning)

When a sortie or assault was announced, we made players declare which troops they were committing. Only committed troops could fight and only against other committed troops. Any troops committed to a tactical turn were not available when we got back to the siege turn. We did consider not carrying out a siege turn if there was a tactical but that seemed like it might encourage the besieger to launch feeble sorties every day so we laid out digging and did troop moves, then resolved tactical combat then finally did the siege bombardment. Troops who had been deployed to dig were not allowed to fire but were allowed to defend themselves in melee. (For that matter, no firing was allowed from a sap and only 1 rank of figures allowed to occupy it. Parallels included a firing step and had room for 2 ranks.) If enough survived the sortie, the sap etc was built. In practice, it was up to the supports in the parallels to drive off the sortie and as in play tests, attempts to drive forward too quickly without supports tended to be costly to the attackers. If an attack, or counter attack, went beyond the initial goals then more troops could be committed once the situation changed (for example, an escalade following a repulsed sortie)

    Friday afternoon, the 3rd parallel is placed  

Once again, Duffy made no mention of reduced moves if "obstructed" or firing but we adhered to Charge! on both accounts. In retrospect, I am interesting in trying Duffy's simplified tactical rules as written to see of it picks up the pace and captures that desperate scramble aspect that I imagine for sorties and especially for forlorn hope assaults. On the other hand, the sorties and assaults were exciting as it was so why mess with something that works?

The last game had to be called shortly after the relentless advance of the siege had led to the defenders being forced out of the covered way with insufficient reserves of men and guns to stop the attackers from planting Breaching Batteries and forcing a surrender  within a few days time. Another hour of play would have reached a more satisfying conclusion but we just didn't have it. Unfortunately, the game had progressed too far to start the 2nd game at that point. After a quick huddle, we stripped every thing back to the 2nd parallel and started the 2nd game from there. All that would be lost would be a few turns of relatively ineffectual fire and some practice at digging. (yes this means we probably could have played across a 3 bastion front, starting from the 2nd parallell, maybe next time.)

 The Grenadiers of MacDuff's Fusilers have moved forward for the Big Push. Supported by the Queen's Brigade, they wait for the word to go........

 "Over the Top" 

So far, the first game had been quite different from the play test apart from the ability of the besiegers to smother the defender's fire. We were eager to see if the next game would be different again.  Oh...yeah! Unfortunately, while I had had my cell phone in hand to take a few snaps of the 1st game, I got too wrapped up in the 3rd game and completely forgot to take pictures!  I'm trusting that Rob who had his real camera out during the weekend will be able to provide some.

Its always hard in a system like Charge! to figure out the exact impact of potentially widely varying combat results dice. In the 2nd game, a pair of veteran gamers, each claiming a reputation for "Cold Dice"  were matched up against two younger but not inexperienced gamers defending the Family Fortress.  I have to say that as far as I can tell, the attackers rolled just as many 6's as the defenders but the defenders rolled 6's while trying to claim special effects or officer casualties while the attackers seemed to like to roll them looking for say "2 or better" to hit, saving the 1's for when they wanted to destroy a gun or do some real damage with a volley of musketry.

The end result was that by the game's end, the attackers who had started with 12 guns to the defender's 9, (hmm wasn't that supposed to be 8?) were out gunned by the end.  That doesn't tell the whole story however as the attackers, despite heavy losses,    sapped forward,  planting a parallel almost crowning the covered way. The defenders launched a massive sortie but the attackers reacted with full force, rushing reinforcements up the saps and across the open ground. The ferocity of the counter attack and the doggedness of the defence of the saps, catching the fortress commanders a bit by surprise. Two thirds of the parallel was delayed by a day but the sortie took such heavy casualties that it restored the balance of power between attack and defender.

Undaunted by losses of time, men, guns and engineers, the siege continued. The parallel was finished and the saps pushed forward. As the defenders evacuated the covered way to conserve manpower, the attackers launched  a surprise escalade of the now undefended ravelin (they had expected it to be lightly held).  It was the turn of the defenders to be caught off guard and forced to choose between abandoning the redoubt and covered way thus allowing the attackers to place their breaching batteries, or counter attack with every available man. Like a ant's nest that had been stirred, men came racing to the defence of the ravelin. A confused melee took place in the gorge of the ravelin, a series of 1 to 1 combats. Its no wonder that I forgot to take pictures, amid such excitement of sorties and assaults. Perhaps if the Rosish troops hadn't been evicted from the ravelin in the end.... 

 
In the next post I will conclude with the 3rd siege and the Relief game.

Rolling, rolling, rolling, keep them wagons rolling. Game 1.

I would love to be in a position to present 5 detailed battle reports but alas I took few pictures, no notes  and wasn't on the ball enough to grab the order pads, therefore as memory's lamp is already dimming, only the most vague and disjointed accounts are possible. The only saving grace is that some interesting tactical and gaming lessons remain reasonably clear and hopefully may be of some interest. (More pictures of the games may be seen at Rob's blog and Norman's blog.)  BTW, if any of the players are willing and able to add a comment explaining their plan or relating their experience of the game, please do so) 


The Situation.  Notionally, this year's games comprised a reprisal for last year's Raid on St. Michel.  The Northern Alliance led by Rosmark, has invaded Schoeffen-Buschhagen seeking compensation for damage done. To enforce their demands, they are planning to lay siege to the fortress of Adelheim.  Some of the Pragmatic Allies who had composed the raiding force last year came to the defence of Adelheim,  one joined the Northern Alliance, and the rest stayed home.  (in reality based on what troops were required for the games rather than on any political machinations)


GAME 1. Stocking the Fort. The 1st game was a variation on the Wagon Train scenario from CS Grant's Scenarios for Wargamers played as a straight up Charge! game with 3 infantry or 2 cavalry or light infantry companies/squadrons per scenario unit .  The goal for the Pragmatic force was to get 4 or more wagon loads of supplies into the fortress. The goal of the Northern Alliance was to capture at least 4 wagons.  Their force was the largest but they were scattered and marching on at randomly selected times and places.  As it turns out, they came on in a remarkably compact fashion with only 1 gun arriving from the North.    1 cavalry regiment failed to show but alas it was due to GM confusion rather than the dice.  (Sorry lads!)

The only picture I snapped, Not exactly an ideal shot. There is at least 1 more on Rob's blog.

Four notable things stand out in my memory. 


Light Infantry vs Cavalry. The first was a charge by 2 squadrons of Dragoons upon the Pandours, a light infantry battalion. The authors's commented that a unit of light infantry must shoot well to survive a cavalry charge, and the Pandours had heeded their advice. Winning the toss, they fired at short range and scored incredibly well, despite the 1/2 casualties for cavalry. In the melee, they did quite well in the 2:1 combats and at the end of the 1st round, the melee was drawn with the cavalry being only a few figures above being below strength. I think I would have pulled back, content to have done damage to the light infantry and  tying them up for two turns but the cavalry commander was made of sterner stuff and demanded a 2nd round of melee. Being heavily outnumbered, these combats were all even up. If the dice in the 2nd round hadn't favoured the cavalry, they would have been wiped out but as it was, the final result was a drawn melee with the cavalry being 1 figure above under strength.     


Grudge Match.  The 2nd was a clash between old enemies the Allied Hussars and Rosmark's Yellow Hussars. Last year the Yellow Hussars won every encounter hands down, filling the prisoner cages with Wachovian Hussars. This year, in a straight up fight,  the Wachovians and their Schoeffen-Buschhagen allies routed the Yellow Hussars in 1 turn of melee taking several prisoners and driving them under strength. OH the humanity! At least I now have a reason to paint up a new light cavalry regiment, I'm thinking Uhlans.  Anyone want to buy 20 slightly used Hussars?  I suppose I could just melt down every 1oth man........


Infantry Tactics. The 3rd was an example of simple rules working effectively. It just doesn't pay in Charge! to be in a hurry when the enemy is nearby unless you are pressing an assault.  On several occasions, Northern Alliance infantry, in their rush to get at the enemy, moved forward full speed, in penny packets, either in line, or deploying from column as they went, when the enemy were advancing in good order at a measured pace (i.e. 6") towards them from outside musket range. The result? The Pragmatic infantry were able to unleash their initial volleys without reply. On the other side, the infantry had not only been unable to fire, they had also been unable to close to the point where they could charge next turn without defensive fire.  Luckily for the Northern Alliance, numbers told as wave after wave was fed in  but either an orderly advance in line in 18thC fashion, a massed assault by overwhelming numbers or a rush in column from beyond musket range to within in 3"  would likely have served their purpose  with fewer casualties and more effect.


Command & Control. The last was  an example of how command and control rules aren't really needed in a multi-player setting.  The Carabiniers were tasked with protecting the left flank of the Northern infantry. After some bumping and shuffling, they eventually cleared the way and took up positions just inside cannister range from the forts guns, facing down any attempt to sally from the fort onto the flank of the infantry.  Despite some increasingly less subtle hints that the rules allowed them to fall back the necessary inch to reduce their losses, they stalwartly maintained their position.  Even the approach of the undefended convoy, moving past their flank and towards their front was insufficient to elicit a squadron to run them over. Finally the rallied remnants of the  Schoeffen-Buschhagen Dragoons hit them in the flank just as more cavalry finally sallied from the fort, hitting them as they rallied. 


In the end, the Voluntaires de St. Lambert, under the command of the same player,  pushed through a gap in the lines, nabbed the last 3 wagons and beat off a rescue attempt by the Pragmatic Hussars.  A draw despite the best efforts of both sides.
    
I think this is long enough for 1 entry so tomorrow I will start on the siege games.


  




  

Histori-gone

Well, 4,300 km and 12 days later and I am back where I started. There is a lot of catch up to do both on line and off, not to mention some resting up  so I am going to break down my AAR (after action report) into 3 Blog entries, a mercifully brief travelogue,  a review of the Sieges of Adelheim concentrating on the rules and sieges in general and a look at some of the "future of my wargaming" thoughts which always seem to follow when I  spend too much time by myself cruising down various interstates after 4 days of games and discussions.  I will add a few pictures but the siege has been well covered by various members of the Dean family at the Sharp End of the Brush and  Junkyard Planet.(and thank you to Norman and Rob for not mentioning the membership and end product of the mysterious 5th team in the Iron brush made of of various spectators swept together at the last minute)

The 1st & 2nd day of my vacation were family days. On July 4th, I crossed over to the US at Calais Maine and was promptly hauled over for a car inspection and extended questioning, supposedly due to random computer selection. Having been reluctantly released as neither a terrorist nor a smuggler of either drugs or valuable miniatures, with a compliment on my miniature painting, I proceeded on. The plan had been to replace my missing maps and get some US cash at an ABM but having strayed off the Interstate and it being a holiday to boot, both items proved illusive. The price of foreign roaming charges for data and voice discouraged me from using my "smart"-ish phone but eventually when I arrived in Brewer when my little google route planner seemed to indicate that I should be on my way to the coast before arriving in any urban areas, I decided to ante up and connected  to find out just where I was. Right on target apparently, google just didn't consider Brewer to be map worthy. I wonder what they did? or didn't do?  Anyway in no time at all I had located cash and a map, a bag of apples and the right road and was parked watching an Independence Day parade cross the road ahead of me. Upon learning that it was no where near the end, I decided to explore alternate routes. Eventually I found myself enjoying a holiday ice cream cone in 32 degree weather, gazing across the hazy Penobscott River, briefly the border between Canada and the US during the War of 1812, staring at Fort Knox and trying to figure out how to get there.

    Fort Knox, Maine. A typical mid-19thC coastal battery, seen through the haze. 

By now, I was nearly 2 hours behind schedule and tired so I decided to skip a look at the remains of the British encampment at Castine as well as skipping the admission price to walk through yet another 19thC fort that never fired a shot in anger. (The haze makes it hard to see the layout but it was much clearer in person and very similar to various other forts I have visited. The position on a bend in the river is magnificent.)  It turned out to be a good call as I hit heavy thunderstorms which reduced traffic on the Interstate to about 20 kph for nearly an hour but I still hit my campsite in the the hills of New Hampshire well before dark.

Fortunately no M'qma warparties struck during the night.

Extracting myself from the backwoods of New Hampshire took  a little longer that I expected and yet another traffic jam on an Interstate didn't help (no wonder I have long leaned towards variable length moves). but eventually,  I arrived at Rob's place and as usual we sat up too late talking. On Wednesday I had the pleasure of defending the fort against Norman, the stone mason and wicker-worker whose paint brush had brought the fortress of Adelheim to life. 

One of the dangers of trying to plant breaching batteries without a supporting parallel. I have no memory of why a wooden slat is slicing the air just as I snapped the shot.

 Thursday saw us loading up 2 cars and heading North to Pennsylvania, me following trustingly behind Rob with his navigator Norman. My internal navigation sensors were already tingling and I was starting to sneak peeks at my not-nearly-detailed-enough map when Rob pulled into a parking lot. A brief council of navigation was held which condemned Pennsylvania's Dept of Highways sign posting habits (or the lack there of) and approved Norman's proposed minor course correction to get back on track and in due course we arrived at the convention center and had our 10 am game laid out and ready to go, almost on time. 

This was my first experience of the convention center and despite the excellence and size of the facility, frankly, I didn't care for it. The main issue for me is that our convention was spread out over a labyrinth of rooms and it was hard to find anything or see much in a quick tour. It was also hard to judge attendance. It felt light to me, not because our own games were sparsely attended but because I saw only a handful of crowded games, more empty/near empty tables than usual and thinner viewing crowds but due to the layout of the place that could have been because there was more total space and just bad timing on my few quick tours. Just an impression. There was certainly no shortage of cars in the parking lots. Speaking of which, as a born again country mouse, the sight of acres, nay square miles  of concrete and asphalt stretching from the highways   beyond the center to somewhere  beyond our hotel a mile or so down the road, not even broken by sidewalks and with only token trees planted here and there in holes poked through to the earth, were unsettling to the soul. 

The dealers hall was large enough for me to get lost in, several times. I probably should have worn my driving spectacle to aid in navigation. Being light on cash and in the throes of trying to reduce my over all mass of figures, all I bought was a copy of Featherstone's Lost Tales. A worthwhile book despite some disappointment with the introductions and comments but more on that another day.  Ok, to be more precise that was all I bought the first day...........    Additional loot included two dvd movies that I have had on my "to see" list, Errol Flynn's Charge of the Light Brigade and the last Sharpe movie, set in one of my periods of interest, post-Napoleonic India, some Italeri Union cavalry and a box of supposedly quick assemble trucks for my 1960's forces in case they ever take the field again. The flea market also turned up some "bargains" an old Courier that . caught my eye with articles on the Mexican-American War in California, a 1/48th early 20thC automobile to go with my Zinnbrigade 1900 Prussians in case that ever comes to anything, and the crowning glory, a short score of 40mm Elastolin Prince Valiant kits, no cavalry alas but a few of the poses that I was missing.

I did manage to get in one game as a player, Swedes vs Russians playing Fire as She Bears.

At last, a naval game that made sense to me and played smoothly! 

 . 

I'll get into our games in another post so its time to dash off north again. By 8pm on Sunday, I was encamped by Lake George. After a quick drive by the reconstructed fort in the morning (couldn't find my way into the miniscule pay for parking lot), I decided that I was too mentally and emotionally tired for sight seeing and did the theoretically 11 hour drive back to my sister's, (technically, my niece's little farm where they both live) in just over 12 hours thanks to construction, downpours and thunderstorms, a closed highway and various other distractions, mostly after night fall  (variable moves? activation rolls?). Finally on Tuesday I rolled home to Nova Scotia, pausing at my favorite fort, the twice besieged Fort Beausejour, for some pictures since the topic of sieges was on my mind. In particular I wanted to see if there was evidence of a glacis and covered way despite its hill top location. There is, but more on that at a later date.

  

I am fairly sure that Fort Macduff bore a strong resemblance to both Fort Beausejour and Fort Anne. More research is needed (not to mention much model construction!) 

   In short, a good vacation, well worth the cost and effort. Not because of the games, shopping or any sights seen, but because of the  friendships renewed (some stretching back over 30 years) and new friends encountered.

The next post will look at the 5 Charge! / Fire& Stone games we ran, the one after will look at some of the things that I saw/read/experienced that got the little grey cells working.