Mike's Wargame Blog

First Game of Flames of War

2012-02-06T20:55:00.001-05:00

I played my first game of FoW this weekend and really enjoyed it. To be perfectly honest, I was not expecting to like this system at all. I have played Command Decision in it's different versions since it was first published in the late '80's and it is one of my favorite rule sets. It still is for the level of play it represents, the battalion commander.
FoW on the other hand is one level lower, the company commander. It is a fun system. If you haven't played this system, don't be narrow minded as I was, play it and have some fun. Richard provided the figures and terrain (and the coffee.) We played a meeting engagement between a mobile German force and and US paratroop force supported by arty and M-10's. I used the German mobility and zipped all over the place. In the end, I knocked out all of the US tank destroyers and most of an airborne platoon. Great fun, we will be playing more of this.

Richard has already purchased quite a collection, so I have offered to paint some infantry and vehicles as my contribution to this scale. All of my WW II collection is 20mm, plastic for the most part.


Kampfgruppe Mike


M-10's appear at the top of the photo, recon leads the way.


250/9's zip over to shoot at the US arty


End of the road for the M-10's


Recon on the flank!

Our next club game will be a Command Decision game. In March we will do a FoW game for the group.

More Austrians

2012-01-29T18:37:00.001-05:00

I have been painting Napoleonic Austrians. I plan to play the battle of Raab from 1809 and need to add some specific units. The first is a stand of Hungarian Insurrection infantry. In an army of white, these guys in their blue will break up the landscape. Each large, 3"x3" base in Volley and Bayonet is either a brigade or large regiment. I need three of these Insurrection brigades.
I added some landscaping to this base. The plowed field is one of my wife's blouses that she no longer wanted. I looked at it as I put it into the charity pile and decided it would look good on the tabletop as terrain. I'm working on larger plowed fields in my spare time. The stone wall was created with air dry clay. I still need to put the flag on this unit and ink their faces.

Next is a stand of Hungarian Insurrection cavalry. This specific base is a one strength point "skirmish" stand. Normal cavalry stands in my armies have 6-8 figures on them. The skirmish bases have only three figures. I need to paint one more of these bases.

Finally there are three infantry skirmisher bases. In Volley and Bayonet, these 1.5"x1.5" bases represent detachments of light infantry or small units of other infantry. There are two jager bases and one landwehr detachment.

Time for more painting.

Christmas Day Attack Command Decision AAR

2012-01-22T19:20:00.000-05:00

At the February gathering of the IU Conflict Simulations Club we played the Christmas Day Attack from the Command Decision Bastogne scenario booklet. It's a big game and needed more time than we had available, but we are concentrating on Command Decision so we can learn the latest version.This was the last attack on Bastogne before Patton's army relieved the city. Vehicles, figures, and terrain provided by Jeff, my ground cloth.

Bob, Richard and I played the Germans while Jeff, Big Mike, and Jim T were the US defenders.

Bob and I split a regiment of Volksgrenadiers and attacked the US right flank. We were supported by a company of Panzer IV's. Bob's battalion attacked Champs, while I moved through the woods toward Chateau de Rolle.

The US left is held by two batteries of artillery.

Richard rolled panzergrenadiers and armor down the road in a bold flanking maneuver.

The German attacks go in...


Champs at the top, Chateau de Rolle below

The German attacks captured Champs, overran the artillery, and threatened Chateau de Rolle. The US reinforcements were sent to deal with Richard's attack and temporarily stopped him. He pulled back to organize for another attack.

After taking Champs, Bob turned his armor to support my attack.

US Reinforcements

US defenses behind Chateau de Rolle

German reinforcements rolled on. I was confident that one more turn of fighting would have give my control of Chateau de Rolle. Richard was ready to attack again supported by our reinforcements. We were celebrating our victory.

The US players were just as positive that they could hold against anything we could throw against them.

And of course, time ran out. A fun game. We are getting confident with the rules. If the US players had just given up, it would have been a perfect day.

Next month we will play the Mokre scenario from Bob Mackenzie's excellant website. It is a smaller game and we believe we can finish it.

Hordes of the Things!

2012-01-20T11:51:00.001-05:00

Last night, my son and I stopped by the local game store to watch some games of Warmachine. My friend Bob told me about it on Sunday and I wanted to see how the system played. It's an interesting setting and system, but I don't plan to get involved.
However, after the first round of games was finished, they brought out the HOTT armies. I estimate that I have played over 1000 games of DBA or HOTT in the past. I haven't played either for years. Brady and I played a game and my son beat me in his very first game of HOTT. I'm looking for my old figures and will post more on this entertaining rule set.
It's fun to show up and then not only play a game, but teach it to the youth.

Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy, Issue 58

2011-12-31T14:08:00.001-05:00

My wife gave me a subscription to Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy for Christmas. I asked for the digital version and received my first issue, number 58, within a few days of the order. This is a great issue. The theme is the 1809 war between the french and Austrians. What great timing, I'm painting Austrians!
The cover has a small diorama of Austrians marching through the mud. I plan to use the painting techniques from one of the articles to do a base of Austrians ro Volley and Bayonet crossing a muddy field.
There are also rules for Napoleonic skirmish level play, including a scenario, and a set of rules where each stand is a brigade. There i a scenario and OB for Aspern-Essling. A review of Napoleonic rules and miniatures round out the 1809 portion of this issue.:

There's also an article for gaming the defense of the hospital at Rorke's Drift, including instructionss to build a hospital model. It's one of those periods I have been able to avoid up to this point. After reading the article, I'm tempted.

Figure reviews, book reviews, columns, as i said before, it's a good issue. It's also a good value about $20 for a one year, six issue, digital subscription.

Battle of the Bulge Pictures

2011-12-22T07:32:00.001-05:00

Like many, I belong to some yahoo groups. I get a lot of email, most of which I delete without reading. Here is a link to some pictures from the Battle of the Bulge that was in an email. The pictures are good. There's one of a PzJgr IV and when I build my next model of one, I'm going to try to copy the original paint job.
67 years since the German attack in the Ardennes. Surely that's reason enough to drag out the tanks and have a wargame.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2075565/Vivid-new-Battle-Bulge-photos-offer-seen-look-war-weary-soldiers-braving-frigid-weather-fight-Nazi-Germanys-major-offensive-World-War-II.html

Book Recommendation: Charlie Wilson's War

2011-12-19T20:46:00.000-05:00

This book, by George Crile, is highly recommended. It is the story of the CIA's secret war in Afghanistan and the movers and shakers behind it. For me, the story of the people supporting it was secondary to the story of the war itself. It was very interesting to learn how the appropriations were handled and that part is compelling. The agreements forged by Wilson between various countries to aid the Mujahidin yielded good results, even when his actions greatly exceeded his legal limits.
The book is much better and very much more comprehensive than the movie. Larger than life characters and a desparate struggle against tyranny. What more can you want in a book.

If you have any interest in the Cold War, the CIA, or are looking for a good piece of non-fiction, this is the book for you.

Napoleonic Austrian Artillery

2011-12-04T16:32:00.007-05:00

We used to have a member of our group with a good sized Austrian army. Alas, he finished his PHD and left Bloomington to start his career. He did not leave his Austrians behind. I have a small Austrian army; roughly one corps in Volley and Bayonet terms. It allows me to fight some of the 1813 battles such as Liebertwolfwitz. I need more Austrians.
I recently made my first purchase of painted figures from Ebay. Almost every figure in my Napoleonic collection has been painted by me. I got these for a very good price and they fill a much needed gap.

The basing is basswood, with air dry clay painted brown, drybrushed tan and flocked.

There are six bases. I plan to double my Austrian army to 2 corps, plus cavalry. Someday, I want to refight Dresden.
I plan to run the battle of Raab in the first quarter of 2012 at one of our monthly club meetings.

I Remember, Veteran's Day, 2011

2011-11-11T08:26:00.003-05:00

I was born in the '50's, so I remember the veterans of World War I. As a child, I remember teachers, and community leaders, tall and old. My grandfather, Allen Hert, was one of them. And then in the '60's, they retired; or died.
I remember the veteran's of WW II. These men were teachers and community leaders as I grew older. My uncles, Allen Hert, Jr., and Onis Frank Hampton, were two of them. When I entered the work force, they were at every job. The man that taught me to weld was a veteran of WW II. And then they retired, and died.
It was the same with the veterans of the Korean War. My father is a veteran of that fight. I worked with many veterans of Korea. There were times that it seemed as if most of the men of that generation served in Korea. They've all long retired, and are dying.
I'm watching the veterans of Vietnam age, retire, and die. Men that I've worked with for 20 years or more.
And the veterans younger than me. Building their lives and families and contributing to the community.

It has been my privilege to know these veterans.

I will always remember them.

Battle of New Orleans OOB

2011-11-08T13:49:00.009-05:00

Next year is not only the bicentennial of Smolensk and Borodino, but also of the last declared war between the US and Britain. Here in Bloomington, on the campus of Indiana University is the Lilly Library. It has a large collection of documents and manuscripts from the War of 1812 and they are planning a celebration. As part of it, my friend, Jim, and I will be running some demo games. One of them will be the Battle of New Orleans.
We will use Volley and Bayonet at a reduced scale for the battle. Jim is painting most of the figures and I am responsible for the OOB. Here is the first take. Each strength point is equal to 100 men or two guns.
I've rated the British 7th and 43rd Foot as morale 6. Packingham planned to use these two regiments to maintain order in New Orleans after it's capture. The Highlanders are also rated morale 6.
For the Americans, Jackson is both Army Commander and Division Commander. The militia units are not rated as militia, merely Poorly Trained. By this point in the campaign, the Americans are very confident, believing they have already beaten the British twice. Due to their training, Plauche's Uniformed Militia retain M4, but are not considered Poorly Trained.

British Army

Pakenham AC

1st Brigade, Reserve, Lambert DC Exhaustion 16

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO/OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

14th Light Dragoons, dismounted M5 OOO
7th Foot, Left Wind M6 OOOOO
7th Foot, Right Wing M6 OOOO
43rd Foot, Left Wing M6 OOOOO
43rd Foot, Right Wing M6 OOOOO
5th West India, Left Wing M5 OOOOO
5th West India, Right Wing M5 OOOO

2nd Brigade, Right Wing, Gibbs DC Exhaustion 17

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO/OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

4th Foot Light Co, M5 SK O
21st Foot Light Co, M6 SK O
44th Foot Light Co, M6 SK O
5th West India Light Co M6 SK O
95th Foot, 1st Detachment M6 SK O
95th Foot, 2nd Detachment M6 SK O
95th Foot, 3rd Detachment M6 SK O
4th Foot, Left Wing M5 OOOOO
4th Foot, Right Wing M5 OOOO
21st Foot, Left Wing M5 OOOOO
21st Foot, Right Wing M5 OOOO
44th Foot, Left Wing M5 OOOOO
44th Foot, Right Wing M5 OOOO

3rd Brigade, Left Wing, Keane DC Exhaustion 14

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO/OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

7th Foot Light Co, M6 SK O
43rd Foot Light Co, M6 SK O
93rd Foot Light Co, M6 SK O
95th Foot, 1st Detachment M6 SK O
95th Foot, 2nd Detachment M6 SK O
95th Foot, 3rd Detachment M6 SK O
93rd Foot, Left Wing M6 OOOOOO
93rd Foot, Right Wing M6 OOOOO
1st West India Foot, Let Wing M5 OOOOOO
1st West India Foot, Right Wing M5 OOOOO

Artillery Reserve Dickson DC Exhaustion 10
OOOOOOOOOO/OOOOOOOO

Carmichael's Battery 2 9 pdrs, 4 6 pdrs
M6 OO Field
M6 OO Field
M6 OO Field

Crawley's Rocket Battery
M6 OO Rocket
M6 OO Rocket
M6 OO Rocket

Naval Battery
M6 OO Heavy
M6 OO Heavy
M6 OO Heavy

Americans

Jackson AC Exhaustion 11

OOOOOOOOOOO/OOOOOOOOOOO

7th US M5 OOOO
Plauche's Uniformed Militia M4 OOO
Lacoste's Free Men of Color M4 PT OOO
Redoubt Battery M5 OO Field
Battery 1 M5 OO Heavy
Battery 3 M5 OO Heavy
Hind's MS Mounted Riflemen M4 Light OO
Ogden's Troop, 1st US Dragoons M5 SK O
Harrison's Bn, KY Militia M4 PT OOO

Caroll DC Exhaustion 10

OOOOOOOOOO/OOOOOOOOOO

Daquin's Free Men of Color M4 PT OO
44th US M5 OOOO
Caroll's TN Riflemen Left Wing M4 PT OOOOO
Caroll's TN Riflemen Right Wing M4 PT OOOOO
Battery 4 M5 OO Heavy
Battery 5 M5 OO Field

Coffee DC Exhaustion 9

OOOOOOOOO/OOOOOOOOO

Coffee's TN Riflemen Left Wing M4 PT OOOO
Coffee's TN Riflemen Right Wing M4 PT OOO
Adair's KY Riflemen Left Wing M4 PT OOOO
Adair's KY Riflemen Right Wing M4 PT OOO
Battery 6 M5 OO Heavy
Battery 7 M5 OO Field

Command Decision AAR

2011-10-18T09:17:00.010-04:00

The Indiana University Conflict Simulations Club met Sunday for it's monthly meeting; a WWII, Command Decision game and Gladiator combat were the two games played.
I have played many games of Command Decision since it was published in the late '80's, but this was only the third time I have played the latest version, Command Decision-Test of Battle. I like this version, it's faster and the spotting and artillery rules are improved. We played a meeting engagement with generic forces as a learning game.
Jeff provided the terrain and vehicles. He has a very nice collection of HO scale tanks, tracks, and trucks. My old friend Bob the Knob made a special guest appearance; he and I played Germans and Jeff and my son, Brady took the Americans.

The table:

On the first turn, the Gemans did a Hasty Advance with everything, racing for the center of the table.
My Panzer IV's pull up as an overwatch. The AA asset watches the sky.

The Germans reach the woods near the center of the table and deploy.
Also on the second turn, my Puma races down the road, looking for Americans and finds the head of their column, and an M8. The armored cars exchange fire and my Puma blows up!

Bob's infantry make it to the woods and deploy.

The US forces move down the roads leading from their entry point. My Panzer IV company moves past the woods to engage. They kill two M8's and then find themselves facing 8 enemy tanks and tank destroyers.

A disengage order allows my Panzers to escape.

View from the US end of the table.

After a few more turns of long range sniping with tanks and some effective artillery, I decided to send my tanks to Bob's flank and help him against the three Shermans on that end.

Seeing his position about to be overrun, Jeff moved his company of Shermans onto a hill, trying to get hull down. Bob and I advanced our tanks and the Panthers cleared the hill. At that point, the Americans conceded.
A fun game, Command Decision is back in the rotation.

On the other table, Big Mike ran a couple of games of gladiator combat. It sounded like great fun.

Tsaritsyn AAR

2011-10-08T21:23:00.005-04:00

I recently found these pictures from a game I ran at Origins a few years ago. The scenario represents the White right flank attack. The White artillery started game with very good shooting. Their cavalry moved to the attack while the infantry moved forward as fast as they could. It was a fun game, and regardless of how it appears, I do not put an armored train in all of my RCW games.

The mighty Red armored train rolls on; and picks up a hit from the White artillery.

The Whites advance down the table.

The White cavalry moves past the armored train.

Long view of the table.
The pictures were taken by one of the players, Peter Bogdasarian. The Reds held on and won this one. I really enjoy the Red Actions system; it models the period very well, is easy to learn, and if the scenario is set up correctly, provides a resolution in a reasonable amount of time.

Defense of the Train Station AAR; RCW

2011-09-19T19:48:00.008-04:00

Yesterday I ran a Red Actions game; the Defense of the Train Station. It was a hypothetical scenario set two after Kolchak's lines break in Western Siberia. The Whites set up their defense amid the buildings. The Reds entered at random points on the near table edge. The tanks and armored cars are all inoperative, although the Reds did not know that. I had the Whites roll at the end of each turn to repair the vehicles as a ruse.

Red cavalry moved through the woods, attempting to avoid the White artillery and move to attack the White left flank.

On the Red left, conscript infantry advance. More Red cavalry move behind the infantry towards a woods.

The Whites receive cavalry reinforcements and start riding toward the Red conscripts. Red cavalry intervenes before the Whites can reach their targets and a cavalry fight begins. By games's end, the Reds are slowly pushing the Whites back.

A White armored train rolls on the table. The train station, in the official colors of the Trans Siberian Rail Road, sky blue and white, is only a few moves away.

On the next turn, a Red armored train appears, carrying three companies of Red regulars. It heads for the White lines.

Six companies of Red cavalry are now facing the White center and left and attempt, again and again to close to contact. One company crosses the rail road and forces a retire result. It then receives fire from a fresh White unit and retires. One of the White guns is destroyed by the armored train, but the White lines hold.

Great period, great rules, great players.

The Battle of Phlegmbutt Manor AAR, ECW

2011-09-19T19:14:00.005-04:00

Yesterday at our club's September game day, Richard ran a Spanish Fury/Very Civile Actions game. I was busy running a Red Actions game and did not get to keep up on the flow of the game. I did take a few pictures. Richard also sent an AAR for the game.

Jim Walker and Luke Casey commanded the hard-pressed Royalists defending the manor and, more importantly, the main road junction it commands, from the unexpected attack of superior Parliamentarian forces commanded by Jim and Connor True. Throughout the battle, reinforcements trickled in on both sides as supporters of the King fought to stop the Roundheads from taking the crossroads and falling upon the loot-fattened supply and pay train making its slow way along the main road. Total forces engaged by the end of the day were estimated at sixteen Royalist companies and five guns defending against twenty-two Royalist companies with no artillery.

Surprises abounded – mostly to the disadvantage of the Royalists. A surprise flank attack from off-board Roundheads assaulted the small fort whose brace of cannon dominated the crossroads and which anchored the right end of the Royalist line. Traitorous plots against the Roundhead forces were ineffective. But, a traitor to the King managed to distract the fort’s Royalist garrison while spiking the fort’s guns, enabling a small Parliamentarian storming party under its Fanatical Captain to lay ladders and swarm up onto the walls into hand-to-hand combat that took two “great turns” to yield apparent Parliamentarian success.

Just as the game ended after three “great turns”, the Inspirational Royalist Captain had decided to give the order to abandon the now-doomed fort and blow the powder supply. Perhaps the crews of the spiked guns would have escaped the conflagration, but this would have meant almost sure death or injury for those meleeing on the walls and, perhaps, disastrous results to the four companies (both Royalist and Roundhead forces) engaged close to the fort.

As “sudden torrential rain and devilish winds” brought the fighting to a close (we had to begin packing up the game at 5 to be out of the room by 6), the Royalists could be seen to have kept effective control of the main road and crossroads, if barely. Luke held at bay a strong force of New Model Army infantry reinforced by a regiment of heavily armored lobsterback cavalry on the Royalist left flank, whereas Jim on the Cavalier right had managed to form a strong line on the flanked right end of the Royalist position, guarding the road and intersection in the event of the loss of the fort (which seemed inevitable as the game ended.)

Connor’s Roundhead Dragoons on both flanks took noticeable casualties from the accurate fire of Royal cannonade (three demi-cannon and two demi-culverns, until the fort’s demi-cannon were spiked) and musketry. This, plus a Royalist terrain advantage which required fewer troops to defend than would have been the case on clear ground, stalled the Parliamentarian attack. The Roundheads lost three squadrons of Dragoons from two companies, two squadrons of Pike from one company and one squadron of Musketeers in the attack. Royalist casualties were somewhat less – consisting of four squadrons from as many companies (I’m not sure of the composition of the losses.)

The game lasted from about 1:30 (after preliminary briefings) to 5:00 PM with a 20-minute “R&R” break midway through. Referee’s Victory Ruling: Minor Victory for the Royalist side.

Four Hour RCW Armored Train

2011-09-18T21:02:00.004-04:00

Shortly after starting my Russian Civil War project five years ago, my friend Richard gave me a Peter Pig 15mm armored train as a Christmas present. I was a little surprised as Christmas was months away and we did not give one another presents. I gladly took the gift and painted it and it made an appearance in our next game. At that point Richard confessed that it really wasn't a gift, he knew if I had it, the armored train would be painted and on the table quicker than if he had to paint it.
It's fun having an armored train to trot out when needed, and whenever I host a game and the railroad tracks are on the table, everyone wonders if an armored train will appear. Most often it does not.

Of course, having one armored train is never enough. I had the idea to scratch build one. I took air dry clay and sculpted the basic shapes of the engine, tender, and gun car. After the clay dried, I added a few details and painted and dry brushed it. I then realized I needed to sand some of the edges, so after that, I painted and dry brushed again. Total time, not including drying time was about four hours.

It is still very rough, and I plan to do another one. I will spend a lot of time sanding and squaring it. But it doesn't look too bad from 3'.
I can see a game in the future on Lake Baikal with armored trains dueling with gunboats!

Touching History, 1, 2 3, and 4

2011-09-17T23:38:00.002-04:00

I recently purchased the pdf's for the four issues of Touching History by Paul Darnell. These are amazing and I recommend them to anyone that has ever built wargame terrain or is thinking of trying. The pdf's are only $7.59 each and as far as I am concerned, the value is far more than that.
The first issue covers Napoleonic Peninsular; buildings and terrain. I really like the windmill and plan to give that a try.
The second issue covers the English Civil War. Oddly enough I am playing in an ECW game tomorrow. I haven' built any of the terrain.
Issue 3 contains two periods, the Sudan and WW II. In addition to the model and terrain building, there is also an AAR for both historical periods. The Sudan portion contains great pictures of the gunboat Paul built.
The last issue of Touching History covers North America; the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the French and Indian War.
Each issue contains ideas, advice, commentary and much more.

They are available at http://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/shop/

I haven't done anything but read them and I can already encourage you to buy them.

Book Recommendation: The British at the Gates

2011-09-06T20:31:00.003-04:00

The British at the Gates by Robin Reilly is a history of the campaign that ended in the Battle of New Orleans, during the War of 1812. It's very well written. It is detailed, yet very readable. It explains the causes of the war in what I consider a balanced way. The author then gives a narration of the important events of the war leading to New Orleans, the final battle.
My friend, Jim, and I are starting a War of 1812 project and this volume by itself will keep me going for a while. I was fortunate to have this on the shelf at home when I needed to start my research.
Highly recommended.

Maus in the House

2011-08-22T20:57:00.004-04:00

On are recent trip to Hobby Town USA, I found a Forces of Valor 1/72 scale Maus on the clearance rack. Not something you need for very many scenarios, but the same can be said for the T-35 and I have one of those.
A nice pre-assembled and painted vehicle, it has the test turret so I need to add a gun and crew to it.
Zossen, anyone?

Book Recommendation: White Terror: Cossack Warlords in the Trans-Siberian

2011-08-19T22:15:00.004-04:00

White Terror: Cossack Warlords in the Trans-Siberian by Jamie Bisher is highly recommended. It is a comprehensive, detailed book that tells the story of the Russian Civil War in Siberia. When I read it, I made notes that I will someday turn into wargame scenarios.
It is compelling and horrific at the same time. By the time I finished it, I was emotionally exhausted. The cruelty of this conflict is well known, the intensity of that cruelty in the Russian Far East was astounding.
If you are interested in the Russian Civil War, Cossacks, or history in general, this book is for you. There are now soft cover and ebook versions, making it accessible to all.

My Unusual Dice

2011-08-05T20:27:00.005-04:00

It seems that all the hip gamers are posting pictures of dice on their blogs. I learned this important fact from the Angry Lurker. Here are some of my unusual dice.

First, the special Origins dice from 1999, 2006, and 2008. My younger son has been banned from using the '06 and '08 dice; they always roll exactly what he needs! It's very unusual.

Next are the pewter dice that my Mother gave me as a gift. Bless her heart, these heavy things have never been rolled on a table containing any of my miniatures.

Lastly, a completely blank die. No matter how many times you roll, it always gives the same result.

Who else has dice pictures to share?

GenCon Visit

2011-08-04T21:09:00.002-04:00

I was at GenCon today. I was actually in Indianapolis to attend a seminar covering virtualization and backup software. Lo and behold, the seminar was at the Marriott, right across the street from the convention center where GenCon is being held. As a matter of fact, the Marriott is connected to the convention center by a walkway and down the hall from my seminar was a room full of RPGer's. After the seminar, I walked over to have a look around. I have been to Origins many times, but this was my first time at GenCon. GenCon is much bigger, as expected. The registration line was at least 70 yards long, but moving along well. It seemed that there was a larger percentage of participants in costume at GenCon than at Origins. I wasn't registered so I couldn't get into any of the gaming rooms, but walking down the hallways and seeing the sights was fun.
I don't know if we will run up there on Saturday or not, but if not this year, then hopefully 2012.

More Bones

2011-08-02T21:13:00.007-04:00

Following the advice of my fellow TMPer's, I went to Dollar Tree and picked up some of the dinosaur skeletons. I cut them into pieces and the results are below.

I have enough to finish some loose pieces to throw around.
I also used air dry clay to create the obligatory walk through rib cage.

The terrain for this game is really coming together. I still need to build a cave and some type of alter, and a bunch of trees.

Bone Yard

2011-07-24T15:08:00.006-04:00

I am working on my first Pulp game. I have an outline and am working on the specifics. One thing it will have is a bone yard. I am working on it and yesterday during a trip to Hobby Lobby, I made a good find, Dinosaur Skulls in a Toob!

They look very well with 25mm figures.

I've also made a couple of pieces from air dry clay to help fill the space.

More to come.

Napoleonic Allied Command Stand

2011-06-29T21:28:00.004-04:00

I am reorganizing the storage of my figures. I found this base in a box of Napoleonics waiting to be rebased. I had forgotten this one. It will come in handy for the 1813 games.
I wonder what else I'm going to find.

Mars Attacks Game Report

2011-06-20T16:03:00.005-04:00

My friend, Jim, is running four miniatures games at Origins this year. Two of them are games with Martin invaders. We play tested one of the games recently. This scenario has the Martians in a small town, attempting to load the comatose inhabitants of the town into their saucer. The National Guard is racing to their rescue.

The rules are a variant of Dead Walk Again, which are written for Zombie miniatures.
The Martians have Ray Guns and Jet Packs. It was a terrible surprise for the humans when a Martian fired and vaporized a tank. The National Guard advance slowed at that point and they deployed for a slower, more deliberate attack.

The mighty saucer looms over the town.

A squad of National Guard, about to be zapped by a ray gun. I got all but one with one shot.

This tank pulled back, and prepared to fire across the length of the town. I had my final Martian riding on top of the saucer to chase it when he was picked off by a machine gun.

A very enjoyable game; even though the Martians were defeated.
If anyone is at Origns, I recommend this game.

NYPL Digital Collection

2011-05-03T14:12:00.005-04:00

It's Election Day here in Bloomington, and a day off for me. I spent a couple of enjoyable hours browsing the NYPL uniform plates and thought I should post the link as a reminder of this great resource.
Have fun!

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgtitle_tree.cfm?title_id=269277&level=1&tword=

Second Battle of Polotsk AAR

2011-03-16T10:11:00.015-04:00

We played my Second Battle of Polotsk scenario recently. A tough fight for both sides, and although the Russians won this one, the potential is there for a French victory.
There were four of us playing, my son, Brady, was the Bavarian commander, I commanded the French and Dan and Jerry split the Russians.

The French and Bavarians defend Polotsk in a horseshoe shaped line. There are a lot of Russians; fortunately, many of them are militia or small units.

Polotsk viewed from the Russian right flank. The large swamp, seen in the upper right of the picture, created a false sense of security for the French.

The Russian right advances quickly; they crossed the swamp!
The snack bowls appear on the table just as quick.

The Russian center begins to move forward as well. The units marked with the red pipe cleaners are the permanently disordered Opolochenie. There were so many stands of them that even though I have a reasonable number of Opolochenie bases, I had to use line for one of them.

The French throw the Russians back across the swamp. The Russian left approaches the Bavarians.

The Russian left inches closer, looking for an opening. From the French/Bavarian side of the table, it seemed like there were a dozen of the linear Dragoon stands threatening us.

The Russians recross the swamp.

The Russians apply pressure all along the line.

The attack hits the end of the Bavarian line.

At the same time, the other Russian flank hits the French.

The Bavarians launch a vicious counter-attack that throws back the Russian left.

The stronger Russian left flank pushes the French back to Polotsk, and then across the river. Having no choice, the Bavarians follow.
It's an interesting situation for both sides. The Russians have a clear numeric superiority, but much of their army is militia, or morale 4 line, (the night before the battle, Wittgenstein incorporated 5,000 militia into four line regiments.) Their attack has to be strong to avoid potential counter attacks.
The French must look for opportunities to launch counter attacks that will sap the strength of the Russians. The Bavarian commander, my son Brady, did just this near the end of the game and kept nearly half the Russian army at bay. I should have done the same with the French.
The scenario is definately worth a second playing.

2nd Battle of Polotsk OB

2011-02-24T20:59:00.012-05:00

I'm working on some smaller, 4 player or so, games. I'm hoping to play more games this year; each of my games does not have to have 10 players in it. This is designed for Volley and Bayonet.

The first is Second Polotsk, St. Cyr's defense of the French northern wing in Russia.

Nafziger was the main source for this OB. His book, Napoleon's Invasion of Russia, always seems to have what I need. I also found some on-line resources, including several good maps. I hope to soon post the map and scenario notes.

I would appreciate any comments from those in the know.

2^nd Battle of Polotsk, October 18, 1812

II Corps St Cyr
Heavy Arty M6 [ ][ ]
Field Arty M6 [ ][ ]

Cuirassier Bde M5 [ ][ ] Heavy, dg

6^th Div Legrande Exhaustion 4 OOOO/OOOO

26th Legere/56th Line M5 [ ][ ][s][s] dg

19th and 128th Line M5 [ ][ ][ ][ ] dg

8th Div Maison Exhaustion 4 OOOO/OOOO

11th Legere/2nd Line M5 [ ][ ][s][s] dg

11th and 124th Line M5 [ ][ ][ ][ ] dg

9th Div Merle Exhaustion 6 OOOOOO/OOOOO

Bde Candras M5 [ ][ ][ ][ ]

Bde d'Affry M5 [ ][ ][ ][ ] dg in Polotsk

Bde Castrex M5 [ ] Light, Chasseurs

Bde Corbineau M5 [ ][ ] Light, Chasseurs and Polish lancers

VI Corps Wrede
20^th Lt. Cav Bde M5 [ ][ ] Light

Div Deroy Exhaustion 3 OOO/OOOO

Bde von Siebein M5 [ ][ ] dg

Bde von Raglovich M4 [ ][ ][ ] dg

Bde Rechberg M4 [ ][ ]

Div von Wrede Exhaustion 3 OOO/OOOO

Bde Minucci M5 [ ][ ][s] dg

Bde Beckers M4 [ ][ ] dg

Bde Dalwigk M4 [ ][ ]

Russians Wittgenstein

1^st Corps Berg

Advance Guard Div Balk Exhaustion 6 OOOOOO/OOOOO

25 & 26 Jagers M5 [ ][ ][s][s]

Combined Grenadiers/Kexholm Depot Rgt M5 [ ][ ]

Ingrie Dragoons and Grodno Hussars M5 [ ][ ] Mxd

Cossacks M4 [ ] SK

Field Arty M6 [ ][ ]

Stolypine's Detachment Stolypine Exhaustion 2 OO/OOO

Reserve Jagers M5 [ ] SK

St Petersburg Opolochenie M4 [ ][ ] Militia

Riga and Iarnburg Dragoons M5 [ ][ ] Med

Main Body Harnen Exhaustion 10 OOOOOOOOOO/OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Perm IR M4 [ ][ ][ ][ ]

Sievesk IR M4 [ ][ ][ ][ ]

Mohilev IR M4 [ ][ ][ ][ ]

Kaluga IR M4 [ ][ ][ ][ ]

1^st Div Combined Grenadiers M5 [ ][ ][ ][ ]

Polotsk Depot Regt M5 [ ] SK

Guard Light Cavalry M6 [ ][ ] Light

Riga Dragoons M5 [ ] Med Linear

Field Arty M6 [ ][ ]

Horse Arty M6 [ ][ ]

Reserve Beguiczeff Exhaustion 4 OOOO/OOOO

5^th & 14^th Div Combined Grenadiers M5 [ ][ ]

Guard Depot Bn M6 Shock [ ][ ]

Conv Cuirassier Regt  M6   [ ] Hvy, Linear

 Heavy Arty M6 [ ][ ]

 Corps Jachwill Jachwill

Advanced Guard Vlastov        Exhaustion 3 OOO/OOOO

23^rd and 24^th Jagers M5  [ ][ ][s][s]

St Petersburg Opolochenie#4 M4 [ ][ ] Militia

Grodno Hussars M5 [ ] Light, Linear

Main Body Sazonov Exhaustion 7 OOOOOOO/OOOOOOOOOO

Tenguinsk & Toula IR's  M5  [ ][ ][ ]

Navajinsk & Estonia IR's  M5 [ ][ ][ ]

St Petersburg Opolochenie#5  M4  [ ][ ][ ][ ] Militia

Voronege Opolochenie M4 [ ][ ] Militia

Conv Dragoons M5 [ ] Med

Heavy Arty M6 [ ][ ]

Field Arty M6 [ ][ ]

Alekseieff's Detachment Alekseieff Exhaustion 4 OOOO/OOOOOOO

1^st Marine Rgt M5 [ ][ ]

St Petersburg Opolochenie#6  M4   [ ][ ][ ]

Mittau Dragoons M5   [ ] Med, Linear

Conv Hussars  M5  [ ] Light, Linear

1^st and 2^nd Provisional Rgts M4 PT   [ ][ ][ ][ ]

2nd Battle of San Juan AAR

2011-02-06T19:55:00.020-05:00

On Super Bowl Sunday, my friend, Richard, and I played the 2nd Battle of San Juan, using the Perfect Captain's Spanish Fury:Actions rules. We now use these exclusively for our Renaissance gaming. Perhaps when Pistolado 2 is released we will give them a try.

The Boqueron Hill, before the fight.

The Spanish defenders; only two units fit behind the meager entrenchments.

My wily English opponent set up heavy on his right, hoping to flank me.

On the first turn, the English rolled an extra Saker for reinforcements and advanced their line. Long range shooting put a Terror marker on one of my militia units. I began to move units from my right to strengthen my threatened left flank.
On turn 2 the repositioning of troops continues for me. The English sakers put a Terror marker on my Saker. The English Shore Parties on their left move toward my fortifications.

During the third turn, the English kill a stand of militia. Their Shore Parties continue to close the distance.
On the next turn, The English shot trimmed another stand from my already suffering militia unit. Their Shore Parties began climbing the hill, putting themselves into charge range

Both English Shore Parties attempt to charge, but fail their morale roll. My three stand unit of Spanish Pike turn to face the enemy. It has been a while since we've had Spanish Pike in a battle and my over-confident opponent has forgotten how powerful they are. If I can charge his shot units, I should be able to blow a hole in the middle of his line.
I have not made a single successful roll for reinforcements. Richard has picked up two additional Sakers and two Shore Parties, which are hugging the table edge and closing the range on my Saker.
During the next turn, fire from my Shot drove off one of the Shore Parties. My Saker put a Terror on the other. The English Shot killed one of the stands in my Spanish Pike unit; a bitter loss. Then my Pike take another stand loss, and then charge to glory against the Sorsair Shot; and get a locked result. The battle quicly resolves in the next couple of turns. One of my Militia units with an Heroic leader charges the English Shot at the edge of the hill. The Shore Parties overwhelm my right flank. My belated reinforcements of a Militia unit and Militia Horse arrive too late to make a difference.
With the English turning bloth of my flanks, overrunning my Saker, and my attacks stalled, I concede.

Altogether, another fun game of Spanish Fury:Actions. To balance the scenario I think I will double the amount of Spanish entrenchments and limit the reinforcements to one of each type. We are already planning the next game.

2nd Battle of San Juan Scenario

2011-02-02T14:26:00.006-05:00

It's a snow day; sent home from work at noon yesterday and local government closed today!

I have been thinking about a scenario for this battle since reading some posts about in on The Miniatures Page. Spanish Fury:Actions seemed like a good choice of rules for an action this size.
I will be playing this game on Sunday afternoon, before the football game.

The Second Battle of San Juan, the Boqueron Hill, June 18, 1598

George Clifford, Earl of Cumberland, left England on March 6, 1598, with a large force; 20 vessels in all. He sailed for the Americas, intent on attacking and capturing San Juan. He would not repeat Sir Francis Drake's mistake of attacking via the seaward approach. Cumberland landed his forces a day's march from San Juan. A four gun battery on a hill at Boqueron blocked his approach. John Berkeley led the English attack. As the land forces moved up the hill, an English ship was grounded on the shoals facing the battery and opened fire.

English Sir John Berkeley

English Veteran Shot 6 stands
English Veteran Shot 6 stands
English Veteran Pike 4 stands
Corsair Shot 5 stands
Corsair Pikemen 5 stands
Shore Party 4 stands
Shore Party 4 stands
Saker

Reinforcements:
1 Saker
2 Saker
3 Shore Party 3 stands
4-6 Nothing

Spanish Antonio de Mosquera

Spanish Musketeers 3 stands
Spanish Pike 3 stands
Colonial Militia 4 stands
Colonial Militia 4 stands
Colonial Militia 4 stands
Saker

Reinforcements
1 Saker
2 Colonial Light Horse 2 stands
3 Colonial Militia 3 stands
4-6 Nothing

The terrain is quite simple. On a 30” by 40” table, set up an 18” hill in one corner. This hill is the Spanish deployment area. The four gun battery is not deployed on the table. Any two of the Spanish units are placed in entrenchments.
After the Spanish have deployed, the English set up anywhere on the table, but must be at least 12” from the Spanish and must cover a fron of at least 18”.

The English must drive the Spanish from the hill.

Reinforcements:
At the beginning of each turn, each player rolls on die and consults their reinforcement list. The same reinforcements may be rolled and placed more than once per game. The Spanish place their reinforcements in the corner edge of the table behind their hill. The English place their reinforcements 6” behind their start line.

Design Notes: This scenario is designed for the rules, Spanish Fury: Actions, by the Perfect Captain, http://perfectcaptain.50megs.com/captain.html I have used troop types from both Spanish Fury:Actions and Spanish Fury:Voyage.

The English outnumber the Spanish by two-to-one. Their quality is also superior to the Spanish. The actual troop types and number of stands are conjecture; your guess is as good as mine. The reinforcements are non-historical; something thrown in for fun.

Marshall Massena

2010-12-30T06:58:00.003-05:00

I have had this miniature for years (decades!) I decided to paint it as there is always a need for more French Generals on the table. It's from one of the Old Glory French Marshals packs.

One of my goals for 2011 is to learn to take good pictures with the camera.

Battle of Dennewitz

2010-07-25T22:09:00.026-04:00

We recently played the Dennewitz scenario with Volley and Bayonet. A six player game, we played for 5 hours.

The brave Allied defenders, Chris, Kyle, and Brady.

The bold French attackers, Jim, Ted, and Dan

All of the French allies, except the Bavarians, were supplied by Dan; Italians, Poles, Wurtemburgers, and Saxons. It's been 5 or 6 years since Dan has been at one of our games and we are glad he was able to join us.

Bertrand's IV French Corps pins the Allied left. The French plan was to seize the Windmill Heights and Gohlsdorf and exhaust the Allies as they attacked.
The Allied plan was to reinforce their left before the French could overwhelm it and take the Windmill Heights and exhaust the French as they counterattacked.

Both sides in this game get reinforcements for the first five turns. A meeting engagement of the historiacal kind. Here French reinforcements move up the Leipzig Road toward Dennewitz.

The action was hot and heavy on the Allied right as the two armies fought back and forth.

In the last half of the game, control of the Windmill Heights changes several times. The heights and the town of Goehlsdorf are victory points for the French.

By the end of the game the reinforced Allied left attacks the French as well.

This game ended in a French victory, 75-22. This is one of my favorite Napoleonic scenarios. Created by my good friend, John Holtz, I've played in it five times and GM'ed it once. Each game is different and exciting. It's easy to understand why Frank Chadwick included this one in the rule book.

Johnny Con 3

2010-07-03T16:54:00.005-04:00

I attended the first day of JohnnyCon 3. Here's a couple of pictures of me playing in Dean West's Freiburg game.

For a full report of all three days of the Con, see http://pavelft.wordpress.com/

Link to Knotel Prints

2010-06-21T16:09:00.005-04:00

http://www.grosser-generalstab.de/tafeln/knoetel.html

I found this link to a nice selection of Knotel prints on Gaming with Chuck,
http://chuckgame.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog.

Might be time to paint some more Napoleonics.

Or at least look at some prints.

Front Royal

2010-05-18T20:05:00.026-04:00

I started playing Johnny Reb in the mid '80's. I have probably played close to 200 games of this system, but only a few games since the turn of the century. Since I plan to attend Johnny Con in a couple of weeks, I needed to play a game to refresh my memory of the rules.
My friend Ted had never played Johnny Reb, so I invited him over so we could play a small learning game.
I setup the Front Royal scenario from the original version of the rules. Three Union regiments and one secion of artillery vs. two small brigades of Rebs. The Union troops are protecting the two bridges over the Shenandoah River, (I need to build some bridges!) If they cannot protect the bridges, they should burn them.

The terrain and Union setup at the start of the game.

On turn one, the Rebs march on.
The Louisiana Tigers are here and there is a scenario rule that forces them to roll a d6 each turn to see if a train enters the board. If it does, the Tigers will immediately charge the train and plunder it.

The small Union battalion moves toward the second bridge to cover it; or burn it.

On turn two, as the Rebs continue to advance, the front most US unit disengages. The small Union battalion continues to move toward the bridge.

Turn three, Reb Artillery on First Fire.

The lead Rebel unit comes out of march column and forms on my right flank. I move my unit that disengaged, and is still in disorder, toward the threatening unit. I fire at it and miss!

The 6th VA Cavalry rides on and heads for the northern bridge, (the one the small US battalion is trying to reach.)

On turn four the Tigers charge. They catch the disordered unit forming; never a good thing for the defender. The first US unit routs. The Tigers threw a large charge move bonus, so they hit the second US unit and routed it as well. Both Union units were now routed and within the range of the Tigers charge move. They both picked up.

Here is the situation after the initial routs of my two units.

The Tigers were now positioned perfectly to pounce on any unsuspecting trains to enter the table.

On the other end of the table the 6th Va charged the small 8 figure battalion. Again my opponent rolled very high for his charge movement bonus. I rolled pitiful for my defensive fire; no casualties. My last infantry unit routed and was hit again as it tried to escape.

A quick game and a new player introduced to Johnny Reb. We'll play this one again.

Basing Jaegers

2010-03-02T21:00:00.004-05:00

I am experimenting with a new basing scheme for Napoleonic Lights. The first group is Russian Jaegers, early uniform. I am planning to base all of the "pure" light infantry brigades like this; moving in a loose order through some type of tall vegetation.

Some day I will learn to use the camera.

Retreat From Erfurt

2010-03-02T20:38:00.006-05:00

We recently gathered at my place for another Volley and Bayonet game; this one a hypothetical battle following Leipzig. War Artizan from the Miniatures Page posted an AAR and I decided to take his idea and run with it.
This battle assumes that the Allies were able to coordinate their pursuit of the French and cut their line of retreat. The battered French aremy must push through the Allies and get Napoleon off the table.
The French corps have all been reduced to divisions. Two corps have been left off the table; detached for one reason or another. The Allies start with one Austrian Corps on the table in a blocking position and two Prussian and two Russian Corps arriving as reinforcements from random roads. The Alloed Corps have all been reduced by 50% from their pre-Leipzig numbers.

The French advance from the top of the picture to the bottom. Prussians and Russians are moving on from the left.

This shows the farthest French advance, still two feet from the edge of the table. Although the French moved well, the Allies were able to close in on the French right and put two strong lines of troops in front of them. One Austrian brigade defended against every attack and didn't move back an inch, (M4 poorly trained at that.) In the end, the Allies held and the French retreat ended.

It was a table full of troops. Perhaps too many. But with seven players, everyone needs 8-12 stands to push.

Fort Caroline

2010-01-30T22:09:00.018-05:00

Last Summer, we visited Fort Caroline, the Huguenot fort at Jacksonville, Florida. It was quite something to see a sight from the Wars of Religion here in the US.
Although the actual fight here was too one sided to be much of a wargame scenario, the what ifs are intriguing.
Some day I will build this in 15mm and fight it out with Spanish Fury Actions.

Guilford Court House Scenario

2010-01-07T12:49:00.004-05:00

This is the scenario for Guilford Court House. It is by Frank Chadwick and I found it on the Volley and Bayonet Yahoo group.

GUILFORD COURT HOUSE
March 15, 1781

Monmouth proved to be the last large-scale battle in the north. The British
no longer had the resources to prosecute an offensive campaign against the
main American armies, but could still launch offensives in the south. The
lower civilian populations south of Virginia dictated smaller field armies,
as there was insufficient local agriculture to support large armies away from
the seacoasts.

Cornwallis moved south as theater commander, and brought with him a number of
picked unit. If the British field armies in the south would be small, they
would also be exceptionally good. In August of 1780, Cornwallis shattered the
main southern American army under Gage at Camden. The remnants of the
American force fled north as Cornwallis took town after town.

But Nathaniel Greene, the commander who replaced Gage, had a keen strategic
sense. Moreover, the destruction of a large force of loyalists at King's
Mountain, North Carolina in October of 1780 convinced Cornwallis to break
off his move north and consolidate his position in South Carolina. Greene
divided his meager army and in January of 1781 the wing under Daniel Morgan
won an important victory at Cowpens over a British detachment under Colonel
Banstre Tarleton.

Throughout February Cornwallis pursued Morgan's detachment with his main
army, chasing him north back into North Carolina. In early March Morgan
joined the main American southern army under Greene at Guilford Courthouse,
and Greene decided to make a fight of it against Cornwallis.

The Armies
The Line Infantry: The British infantry at Guilford Court House was the sort
of army that very young wargamers would put together; it comprised the picked
troops of the army. O'Hara's brigade of Guards was the central striking
force, but the line regiments were every bit as effective, if not quite as
fashionable. The 23rd foot was a fusilier regiment with a proud tradition of
combat. The 33rd foot was Cornwallis's own regiment, probably the best
equipped and most studiously drilled unit in the army. The 71st Highlanders
had lost their 1st Battalion at Cowpens, and so the 2nd Battalion was a unit
with a score to settle. By this time, most Hessian regiments had been
relegated to garrison duty, but the Regiment von Bose was widely held to be
the best of the German troops in the south.

Players will notice that the British at Guilford are rated higher than
British units in the Army list. This is because the army Cornwallis assembled
was anything but typical, and the losses he sustained at the battle were
genuinely irreplaceable.

By comparison, the American infantry was a very mixed bag. The North Carolina
militia had only recently been called up and so were poorly disciplined and
inexperienced. The two brigades of Virginia militia were better; they had
some campaigning experience already and so had begun to settle down as units.

The two regiments of Virginia continentals were comparatively new recruits.
The 4th Virginia had been under arms for about six months, and had spent much
of that time marching back and forth with Greene's army. The 5th Virginia had
only been in existence for three months and had just joined Green.

After the disastrous battle of Camden, the survivors of the two brigades of
Maryland line were consolidated into a single regiment (the 1st) of two
battalions, the 1st and 2nd. Colonel Otha Williams, the commander of the 1st
Maryland Regiment, had overall command. In practice, the two battalions
formed a brigade under Colonel Williams.

By the time of Guilford, the two Maryland battalions were commanded by Lieu
tenant Colonels Gunby and Ford, who on paper commanded the 2nd and 5th
Maryland regiments. This has led some historians to identify the 2nd
battalion as the 5th regiment, and also to suppose that it was inferior to
the 1st Battalion with respect to manpower. In fact there was no difference.
The 2nd Battalion at Guilford Court House was made up of the survivors of the
old 1st Maryland Brigade while the 1st Battalion was the survivors of the old
2nd Maryland Brigade, and both units had absorbed a number of replacements
recently. They were both good, solid units.

The Light Troops: The British light troops were built around the survivors of
Tarleton's Legion. The light infantry had been destroyed at Cowpens although
the light dragoons had managed to escape and served under Colonel Tarleton.
In addition, there was the light company of the Guards Brigade and a company
of Hessian jaegers. These were attached to Webster's brigade on the left.

The Americans had a much stronger force of light troops. "Light Horse Harry"
Lee's Legion was the premier light infantry force in the army, consisting of
a balanced force of light dragoons and light infantry. On the other wing
another "legion" was improvised by combining Colonel Washington's composite
regiment of continental light dragoons with Kirkwood's light infantry
battalion. Kirkwood's battalion comprised his own crack company of Delaware
lights and a single company of Virginia light infantry (the best men of the
4th Virginia), which had already fought under Kirkwood at Cowpens. Each of
these light detachments were reinforced with a battalion of riflemen. These
were state troops, not continentals, but most of them were veterans of
previous actions.

The Artillery: Neither side had a large artillery train; the terrain would
not permit it. But in both cases the guns were well-served by trained and
experienced gunners. The British brought three 3-pounders with them while
Green had four 6-pounders.

The Battlefield
The battlefield, largely wooded, is defined by the trace of the New Garden
Road, as this was the British route of advance on the court house. The first
notable feature was a large clearing, with several fence-enclosed fields,
just east of the Little Horsepen Creek. The other major feature was a second
large clearing near the court house itself. This clearing featured high
ground to the northeast as well as another series of fields, these surrounded
by low stone walls.

The surrounding countryside is almost completely wooded, and was described as
dense with heavy undergrowth. The area around the clearings, on the other
hand, was somewhat more open, in common with many woods in the American east
at the time. The selective harvesting of the woods for firewood meant that
the trees were well-spaced and the ground was all but free of brush wood and
fallen trees. Infantry in the open order favored by both armies in America
had little problem maneuvering through these areas, and their main effect was
on visibility. Once away from the clearings, however, movement became
considerably more difficult for infantry and all but impossible for cavalry.
It is not surprising that the main cavalry action of the battle took place in
the open clearing near the court house.

The Historic Battle
Had Greene deployed his army in a single array, the militia would have been
the obvious weak link. Instead, Greene elected to deploy his army in a series
of layers, each of similar types of troops. The first line would be the
inexperienced North Carolina militia. The rear line would be the two brigades
of continentals, deployed on the high ground northwest of the court house. In
between these two positions would be the intermediary position, occupied by
the Virginia militia. The two bodies of light troops would deploy on the
wings and fall back from line to line as the battle moved east.

At about 1:00 PM on March 15th, the British troops crossed the Little
Horsepen Creek and deployed for battle, with Webster's brigade on the left,
Leslie's brigade on the right, and Ohara's Guards Brigade (less the detached
1st Battalion) in reserve. They advanced immediately against the North
Carolina militia, traded a volley with them, and charged. The two brigades of
militia immediately disintegrated and fled, to play no further part in the
battle.

The light troops on the American wings, however, were a different story; both
forces stood their ground. Webster's brigade attacked Washington's force with
its light troops and the 33rd, while Leslie brought forward the 1st Battalion
of the Guards (before this in reserve behind his main line) to deal with
Lee's Legion and Campbell's attached riflemen. Von Bose soon joined this
scrappy little fight, and the two British units, suffering losses as they
advanced, drove Lee back to a hill on the southern end of the battlefield.
Both Lee and the two British battalions would be effectively out of the main
fighting for the rest of the day.

The need to deal with the light troops on the flanks had opened a gap in the
center of the British line and into this gap marched O'Hara's Guards Brigade.
The British continued their advance and soon encountered the Virginia militia
in the woods. Fighting here was particularly difficult as the tangled
undergrowth broke up the British formation considerably, and the fighting
degenerated into a series of small unit actions. The Virginians put up a good
fight, and inflicted a number of casualties, but eventually they were forced
to retreat as well. Unlike the North Carolinians, much of the Virginia
militia fell back in good order and rallied at the Court House as a reserve
for the third line.

The third phase of the battle started when the British emerged from the woods
in the final clearing and began their assault on the American continentals.
The highlanders and Guard Grenadiers were still tangled up with Stevens
Brigade of Virginia militia (which put up a particularly stubborn fight), but
the rest of the British line to the north began forming up for the final
attack.

Webster emerged from the woods first, on the British far left, and roughly
opposite the center of the American third line. Webster's men charged up the
hill, with the light companies hitting a regiment of Virginia continentals
and the 33rd assaulting the positions of the 1st Maryland Battalion. But the
continentals held and drove the British back in disorder.

The 2nd Guards Battalion came on line next charged the 2nd Maryland
Battalion, routing it with heavy casualties and thus turning the southern end
of the American line. With no formed units between the British and the
American retreat route, Greene decided to break off the action. He ordered an
immediate withdrawal, first pulling the 4th Virginia out of the line and
designating it the rear guard to cover the withdrawal of the other units.

But even as the Virginia line was pulling back, the 1st Guards were being
hammered from two directions. Washington's continental dragoons had withdrawn
earlier across the American front and formed on the south side of the
clearing. They now charged north, catching the British battalion in flank and
rear, just as the 1st Maryland changed face and charged south, hammering them
from the other side. Only the direct fire of the British light artillery into
the melee allowed the Guards to break free and escape.

By now the 23rd Foot and the Guard Grenadiers were coming on line as well,
and so Greene elected to continue the withdrawal instead of renewing the
fight. Had he continued, he might have won a great victory, but he might
also have suffered a disastrous defeat. Instead he settled for a tactical
draw, knowing that he had gained a tremendous strategic advantage. He had
inflicted crippling losses on the elite of Cornwallis's army, and was able to
withdraw with the continental regiments, which formed the essential hard
core of his army, still intact. Greene had suffered a total of 79 killed and
185 wounded. A further 1,046 men were missing but most of these were militia
men who simply headed home after the battle instead of returning to the army.

Cornwallis, on the other hand, had lost over 500 irreplaceable British
veterans, including over one quarter of the officers in the army. Cornwallis
no longer considered a campaign in the Carolina interior to be profitable and
determined to move his area of operations north, into Virginia. This
decision, the ultimate product of Guilford Court House, would lead Cornwallis
and his army to Yorktown and defeat.

Gaming the Battle
The following notes should make it possible to recreate the Battle of
Guilford Court House.

Scale: This battle is fought using the Battalion Scale as modified for the
American War of Independence. Each roster strength point represents 100 men
or 2 guns. Each inch on the playing surface represents 50 yards of actual
ground. Each game turn is 30 minutes.

Mounting: All troops, except for infantry skirmishers, are mounted on linear
stands.

Weaponry: All infantry is musket-armed and all artillery is smoothbore.

Command: Green and Cornwallis are Army Commanders. All other commanders are
Unit Commanders.

Game Length: The first turn of the game is 1:00 PM. The last turn of the game
is 6:30 PM. (The game is a total of 12 turns long.)

Victory: To win, the British player must either reduce both continental
brigades to exhaustion or cut off their retreat route by holding the exit
point of the road which runs north from Guilford Court House. If the British
capture this road exit point after one or both continental brigades have
withdrawn, the British do not meet their victory conditions.

To win, the American player must reduce all three British infantry brigades
to exhaustion and have at least one brigade of continental line not
exhausted.

If both sides achieve their victory conditions, the British win. If neither
side achieves their victory conditions, the game is a draw.

The American player may, at any time, exit some or all of his troops off the
north edge of the table at the point where the road from Guilford Court House
exits the map (provided the troops can physically march to that point and it
is not already held by the British). Troops so exited may not reenter the
table later, but do not count as eliminated for victory purposes.

Deployment
The Americans and British are deployed as shown on the accompanying map. The
British player moves first.
Although the historical deployments are suggested for the first time players
refight this action, after that the players should feel free to experiment
with alternative deployments. If so, the American player sets up first, but
writes down his initial positions on a photocopy of the scenario map. Only
the troops on the edge of the western clearing (and thus visible to the
British) are placed on the table. The British player then deploys and moves
first. Additional American units are placed on the map as they are
encountered.

THE AMERICAN ARMY OF THE SOUTH (Greene)
Army Troops
Singleton's Battery (Field Battery) [2x 6-pdr] 1-6
Finley's Battery (Field Battery) [2x 6-pdr] 1-6
Butler's Brigade of North Carolina Militia (No Commander)
Exhaustion = 2
Right Wing (Militia)[300] 3-4
Left Wing (Militia) [200] 2-4
Eaton's Brigade of North Carolina Militia (No Commander)
Exhaustion = 2
Right Wing (Militia)[300] 3-4
Left Wing (Militia) [200] 2-4
Stevens' Brigade of Virginia Militia (Stevens)
Exhaustion = 3
Right Wing (PT, NE)[300] 3-4
Left Wing (PT, NE) [300] 3-4
Lawson's Brigade of Virginia Militia (Lawson)
Exhaustion = 3
Right Wing (PT, NE)[300] 3-4
Left Wing (PT, NE) [300] 3-4
Left Wing Light Troops (Lee)
Exhaustion = 2
Lee's Legion Cavalry (Light Cavalry) [75] 1-5
Lee's Legion Infantry (skirmisher) [82] 1-5
Campbell's Virginia Rifles (sharpshooters) [200] 2-5
Right Wing Light Troops (Washington)
Exhaustion = 2
1st & 3rd Continental Lt Dragoons (Lt Cav) [86] 1-5
Kirkwood's Delaware Light Battalion (skirm) [110] 1-6
Lynch's Virginia Rifles (sharpshooters) [200] 2-5
The Maryland Continental Brigade (Colonel Otho Williams)
Exhaustion = 3
1st Maryland Line (NE) [300] 3-5
2nd Maryland Line (NE) [300] 3-5
The Virginia Continental Brigade (Bde. Gen. Issac Huger)
Exhaustion = 3
4th Virginia Line (NE) [400] 4-4
5th Virginia Line (NE) [400] 4-4

THE BRITISH ARMY OF THE SOUTH (Lt. Gen. Cornwallis)
Army Troops
MacLeod's Battery (Light) [3 x 3-pdr] 2-6
North Carolina Loyalists (militia) [130] 2-4
Light Dragoons (Colonel Tarleton)
Exhaustion = 1
Left, Tarleton Legion Dragoons (light cavalry)[90] 1-4
Right, Tarleton Legion Dragoons (light cavalry)[85] 1-4
The Guards Brigade (Brigadier O'Hara)
Exhaustion = 3
2nd Guards Battalion (Shock)[300] 3-6
Guard Grenadiers (Shock)[120] 2-6
Webster's Brigade (Lt. Col. Webster)
Exhaustion = 5
23rd Fusiliers (Shock)[258] 3-6
33rd Foot (Shock)[322] 3-6
Guard Light Company (Skirmisher)[100] 1-6
Hessian Jaegers (sharpshooters)[97] 1-5
Leslie's Brigade (Brigadier Leslie)
Exhaustion = 5
2nd Battalion, 71st (Highland) Foot (Shock)[212] 2-6
Hessian Regiment von Bose (NE)[313] 3-5
1st Guards Battalion (Shock)[300] 3-6

Toulouse

2009-12-30T07:17:00.013-05:00

The town of Toulouse, my fourth game at Origins 2009. The rules were Volley and Bayonet; Road to Glory. This was a smaller battle than Vittoria. The French setup in Toulouse and on the Heights of Calvinet. The Heights are the key to the French position.
The French occupying the Heights. I treated this as a level 2 hill with field works. The road leading off of the Heights goes to Toulouse.

The British move to attack the Heights. The British attack tried to attack the Heights all along it's perimeter.
The attack on the Heights. It failed.
The British right flank attempted to storm the city walls. These attacks were also unsuccessful.
This game ended in a French victory.

Vittoria

2009-12-28T21:11:00.013-05:00

The third game I ran at Origins 2009 was Vittoria. It was a four player, five hour game, in 15mm with Volley and Bayonet, Road to Glory.

The British objectives, the town of Vittoria and the French baggage train next to it. The French were deployed in three lines in front of Vittoria and screening forces guarding the bridge that British General Graham's command must cross to attack.
The first French line. The Britsih advanced to 2" and started a 4 turn firefight. It was the largest, longest firefight I have seen in a V&B game.

While the first French line was engaged, the British attempted to slip past the right end of the French line. The french used reserves to plug the gap. One of the things that very much appeals to me about Volley and Bayonet isthe fact that movement is large enough to allow players to keep and commit reserves.
The British flanking attack thwarted! Graham crossed the river and supported by dahlhouse, attempted to breakthrough to Vittoria. The French counterattacked, pinned the british to the river and annihilated the left wing of the British army.
The British were unable to break or flank the French line.

This is a large, fun game.

Guilford Court House

2009-12-27T21:46:00.010-05:00

The second game I ran at Origins 2009 was Guilford Court House; a four player, three hour game.

Looking at the American position from the British point of view.

The British advance. They will shake out their line to attack the Americans all along their first line, with a slight overlap on the British left.
The Americans decided to bring their entire army forward to the first line for a stand there.

The British lost every melee except one. After tow hours of play, they conceded.
I have run this game twelve times. I recommend it as a well balanced, fun game. It doesn't take alot of troops or table.

Fuentes de Onoro

2009-12-26T19:04:00.006-05:00

I ran this game last Summer at Origins. This is from behind the French lines at the start. The French attack hit the British line and was stopped.

This was the French high water mark, just south of Fuentes de Onoro.

The end of the game. The French have been unable to break the British line. I've run this game twice and the French have lost both times.

Liebertwolkwitz Game

2009-09-01T12:13:00.007-04:00

We refought Liebertwolkwitz this weekend using Volley and Bayonet, Road to Glory. There were four French players and five Allied players. I added "what-if" commands so everyone could keep busy.
The set up was historical with the added commands coming on as reinforcements. The Austrians, on the Allied Right, advanced on turn one. Most of the French cavalry moved behind the lines to the French Left. On turn three, the Austrians advanced to long range and opened fire. In their turn the Fench charged. By the end of the game, the entire Austrian Corps had collasped, leaving the remaing three French cavalry brigades to face a second Allied line of cavalry and Russian infantry. A lot of action on this flank.
On the Allied Left, the Prussians try to push against the VIII Corps and are stopped in their tracks by the Poles. How historical!
There are three small Russian Corps pushing against the French Center. They are commanded by two players and there is no coordination between them. The Russians take Liebertwolkwitz and the French are unable to throw them out. The Russians briefly hold about half of the original French Center before the French reserves throw them back and re-establish the line.
A fun game. The second edition of Volley and Bayonet is a keeper.