What was the last rules set you played 2019

[Dave Fielder]

AAR to the Wavre 1815 Game, for those in the Bloody Big Battles Yahoo Group there is much eye candy in the photos:

The Prussian commander (Steve J) had sent an email to the French (me) earlier in the day saying he would be late home from work and hence we would have to postpone. The French ignored the Prussians request to parley i.e. I didn't see the email and turned up anyway much to the surprise of the family. It all ended well as Steve (Prussian Commander) soon arrived home and felt bullied enough by the French to play a game .. the table was set up by him earlier anyway. We agreed on an eight game turn which was probably enough for the French to storm one of the three crossing points at Wavre (on the French right), Bierges in the centre or Limale on the French left.

The French assigned III Corps to attack the left (Limales) and IV Corps to take Wavre. Bierges was to be  ignored by the French in this battle. France had the initiative and true to form the command rolls meant they struggled through the woods and attacked piecemeal for the first three hours/turns. The Prussians simply sat in their positions bombarding and volleying from the Northern river bank. The IV Corps even had its artillery destroyed as it advanced ... not a good start.

However, the French managed to get established and a heavy firefight began on both positions. The Prussians cavalry was dispersed by Pajol's horse artillery and the Raw troops in Liamles began to feel heavy pressure with one Brigade being destroyed in the open. Wavre held firm being classed as a Town rather than a village.

Throughout IV Corps took heavy but also dished out heavy casualties but it could not break the Prussians or storm over the bridgehead in 8 hours of heavy fighting.

III Corps attempted three assaults across a bridge with artillery shooting in to their flank and failed to break into Limales with the bayonet. But on the 8th and last turn the Raw, Disordered and Spent Prussians in Limales finally broke and fled the village leaving it open to French III Corps and the Cavalry to flood over the River. A tough and hard won French victory (just). Next week Grouchy, thinking he has beaten the Prussians will pursuit towards Waterloo not knowing the result of Napoleon's defeat!

More to follow. ....  this is what might follow... with Wavre and Waterloo now completed and much of the initial forces in tatters there is the pursuit and subsequent actions to carry out.

Grouchy has managed to storm over the river forcing the Prussians back, they have their Trained brigades in quite good order plus the artillery but the cavalry and Landwehr have disappeared! Grouchy has received some additional orders: "Grouchy you buffoon, the Emperor has lost Waterloo because of your incompetence! Your are to march to his aid pushing aside the Prussian resistance and falling on the rear of Wellington's lines stopping his pursuit. Don't blow this one, otherwise don't bother coming back to Paris - signed Marshal Ney."

Wellington has been bled but is still standing, Blucher is now pursuing the Corsican back to Paris. Picton's Corps has forces in tact from Waterloo but they are spread out and still reforming. They hope to be able to stem the tide of Grouchy's pursuit and rear assault. Contrary to French propaganda Uxbridge is also intact and has not lost a leg! Thus he has been busy reforming the Light Cavalry, unfortunately the Heavies get mauled by the French Guard Cavalry in the Northwood re-fight (wherever that is!). Thus expect a randomised arrival schedule so cunning that even the umpire doesn't know how it will work ... yet.

[Steve J]

Nice summation of the game Dave .

[Steve J]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Post of Honour
2) What armies were confronted? - Austrians vs Prussians SYW
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? -  Two
6) What went well? - The Austrian deployment and commands, despite having all Dithering commanders.
7) What could have been improved? - The Prussian deployment and their sole Dithering command getting stuck in a town for nigh on 3 moves didn't help their cause.

[Chris Pringle]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - playtest version of the forthcoming Breakthrough! ruleset by Frank Chadwick
2) What armies were confronted? - 9th SS Pz Div Hohenstaufen and friends vs Guards Armoured Div and 11th Armoured Div
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? -  Four. (In fact we ran it three times with varying cast.)
6) What went well? - Terrific ruleset; and the battle situation makes for a great game with both sides forced to maneuver and having plenty of options to choose from.
7) What could have been improved? - my terrain could be prettier and my armies need to be based for the rules.

This was a Normandy game for the 75th anniversary of D-Day (though the actual Bluecoat battle happened in August 1944). AAR here:
http://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2019/06/operation-bluecoat-wilderness-in-bocage.html

Chris

Bloody Big BATTLES!
https://uk.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/BBB_wargames/info

[fred.]

Sounds an interesting rule set. What does a base of troops represent in the game?

[Chris Pringle]

Sounds an interesting rule set. What does a base of troops represent in the game?

One 2" base is a battalion. One inch is 500m. Three game turns per day: AM, PM, Night. Thus our scenario pitched two British divisions against nearly as many Germans on a 24x20km battlefield, covered 3 days' battle (8 game turns), and took about 3.5 to 4 hours to play.

[fred.]

Thanks Chris, so a very large scale then. Sounds interesting our group has liked Rommel, but this moves things up another step. And my WWIII is largely on 50x30mm bases, so two of those together should work.

[Westmarcher]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Steve Holmes's Age of Discovery variant of Dragon Rampant
2) What armies were confronted? - 16th C. Portuguese vs Somalis
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes. However, Dragon Rampant is the fantasy variant of Dan Mersey's Lion Rampant and therefore very similar to The Pikeman's Lament which I have played.
5) How many players were in the game? -  Me and our own Steve Holmes.
6) What went well? - Well, almost everything for Steve who won.
7) What could have been improved? - Possibly my tactics and troop choice and definitely my dice rolling.

I'm not really a Fantasy war gamer and with all of the games Steve and I have played so far having been of a historical nature, I thought it was time Steve got the chance to roll out his fantasy figures and try out his "Age of Discovery (in the Far East)" variant of Dragon Rampant.

Steve had compiled his own army lists based on historic powers from the 16th Century which, Steve's words, saw the age of exploration, the spread of firearms and other significant developments in several parts of the world. It's about as late as Dragon Rampant can be applied. His lists combine historical armies with folklore from their place of origin. Depending on the force I selected (Colonial Portuguese, Somali, Ming Chinese or Indonesian), I had the choice of Dragons, a Giant, Undead types like a Pontianak (a female vampire ghost), a Karkadann (an enchanted rhino), a Quilan (a giraffe like creature) and Rui She (Imperial Guardian Lions). What did I go for? A killer crocodile unit ....

Strangely enough, in the scenario Steve devised and I selected, Steve did not get the option of including any mythical beasts because it was supposed to be a surprise seaborne raid by my force and his force was supposed to be "hastily assembled." Yet he still won. Essentially, the scenario basis was that my force were patrolling inland seeking loot. In this scenario I had to find 3 trails at the far end of the table through patchy terrain that would take me further inland. To win I had to exit at least one unit at at least two of the three trail entrances.  Trouble was Steve's Somali force was in the way!

To some extent, the game therefore reminded me of an American football game. As I advanced, I had to try using some units as blocking units, while others ran behind them ready to change direction as the situation developed. Not having any cavalry, I also had to be mindful of Steve's sole horse unit so much of my movement had to be wary of this mounted threat and either between or via slower forest areas for two of my troop types. I made good progress to begin with and Steve was the first to lose men and units. But, although then becoming outnumbered due to these losses, his superior numbers of missile troops and the mobility of his cavalry then began to tell. I should probably have held my killer crocs back to make the break for a trail objective when a gap presented itself because they were my fastest unit but, instead, I tried using them as a battering ram; a tactic which ultimately failed. So, cutting a long story short, I lost 5 units out of six and Steve lost two(?), meaning I only had one unit left which although successfully reaching its objective was not enough to win the game.  Thanks again for hosting an entertaining game, Steve.

[Steve J]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Bloody Big Battles
2) What armies were confronted? - French vs Allies,  the day after Wavre 1815
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? -  Three
6) What went well? - 2 Prussian Brigades holding of 2 French Corps with artillery support until the penultimate turn. Their sacrifce left Grouchy and Co unable to pursue Wellington and Co.
7) What could have been improved? - The French advance on the right flank was really, really slow which allowed the Prussians to hang on for so long. As this was a 'what if?' scenario and the first run out, the Allied random arrivals needed a tweak which we all agreed on at the end of the game.

[steve_holmes_11]

A very fair summary there.
It was the first outing for the scenario, and this army pairing.

I thought my number was up when Westies explorers quickly dispatched my two units of close fighting warriors.
There was a following lull in combat during which we regrouped.

Battle re-commences with the Portuguese impetuous crocodiles rushing forward, whiel the Emir's son led his cavalry unit against an Arquebus unit on the flank.
The Portuguese followed up with a sword and buckler unit of "gentlemen adventurers", who dented the Somali line, but found themselves in range of three shooting units.
Eventually the battle was decided by firepower.


The next episode will see the two main forces clash as the Portuguese march inland seeking settlements to loot.
Fantastic creatures will be available to either side, and the objective will be to scatter the enemy force.


Many thanks for a great game..

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Steve Holmes's Age of Discovery variant of Dragon Rampant
2) What armies were confronted? - 16th C. Portuguese vs Somalis
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes. However, Dragon Rampant is the fantasy variant of Dan Mersey's Lion Rampant and therefore very similar to The Pikeman's Lament which I have played.
5) How many players were in the game? -  Me and our own Steve Holmes.
6) What went well? - Well, almost everything for Steve who won.
7) What could have been improved? - Possibly my tactics and troop choice and definitely my dice rolling.

I'm not really a Fantasy war gamer and with all of the games Steve and I have played so far having been of a historical nature, I thought it was time Steve got the chance to roll out his fantasy figures and try out his "Age of Discovery (in the Far East)" variant of Dragon Rampant.

Steve had compiled his own army lists based on historic powers from the 16th Century which, Steve's words, saw the age of exploration, the spread of firearms and other significant developments in several parts of the world. It's about as late as Dragon Rampant can be applied. His lists combine historical armies with folklore from their place of origin. Depending on the force I selected (Colonial Portuguese, Somali, Ming Chinese or Indonesian), I had the choice of Dragons, a Giant, Undead types like a Pontianak (a female vampire ghost), a Karkadann (an enchanted rhino), a Quilan (a giraffe like creature) and Rui She (Imperial Guardian Lions). What did I go for? A killer crocodile unit ....

Strangely enough, in the scenario Steve devised and I selected, Steve did not get the option of including any mythical beasts because it was supposed to be a surprise seaborne raid by my force and his force was supposed to be "hastily assembled." Yet he still won. Essentially, the scenario basis was that my force were patrolling inland seeking loot. In this scenario I had to find 3 trails at the far end of the table through patchy terrain that would take me further inland. To win I had to exit at least one unit at at least two of the three trail entrances.  Trouble was Steve's Somali force was in the way!

To some extent, the game therefore reminded me of an American football game. As I advanced, I had to try using some units as blocking units, while others ran behind them ready to change direction as the situation developed. Not having any cavalry, I also had to be mindful of Steve's sole horse unit so much of my movement had to be wary of this mounted threat and either between or via slower forest areas for two of my troop types. I made good progress to begin with and Steve was the first to lose men and units. But, although then becoming outnumbered due to these losses, his superior numbers of missile troops and the mobility of his cavalry then began to tell. I should probably have held my killer crocs back to make the break for a trail objective when a gap presented itself because they were my fastest unit but, instead, I tried using them as a battering ram; a tactic which ultimately failed. So, cutting a long story short, I lost 5 units out of six and Steve lost two(?), meaning I only had one unit left which although successfully reaching its objective was not enough to win the game.  Thanks again for hosting an entertaining game, Steve.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Naval Thunder x 4
2) What armies were confronted? - Battle of The River Plate x3, Scharnhorst vs Duke of York x 1
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - yup, but had to look up torpedoes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - for me, no, for Paul, yes, then no, no, and no...
5) How many players were in the game? - 2
6) What went well? - Some dice
7) What could have been improved? - many more dice...

Game 1: Spee sunk by torpedoes from Achillies, as Achillies turned turtle and the burning wreck of the Exeter slid under.
Game 2: British do doughnuts to produce smoke, then fire through own smoke using radar to sink the Spee.
Game 3: Swap sides, Exeter silenced all of Spee's main guns before being crippled, secondary guns cripple Acjlhillies as Do we slips under.
Game 4: B turret and fire directors crippled in first salvo on DoY,
Leaves Scharnhorst as more accurate ship, staying at long range to eventually silence all DoY main guns and fire control, then escape to the fjords for repairs.
Mark 8, me 2 (2 wins, 2 draws)

[FierceKitty]

Been on holiday in Cape Town for a few weeks, which explains my lack of AAR. Shall be back in the saddle later next week.

[sunjester]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Rebels and Patriots
2) What armies were confronted? - British vs French, Then British Rangers vs Indian War Party
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Not for me, but it was for LH
5) How many players were in the game? -  Two
6) What went well? - Most things, except my shooting in the second game
7) What could have been improved? - It's another Dan Mersey set of rules from the Lion Rampant stable, with various improvements taken from previous sets in the range. I had tweaked the army lists, I didn't like they way First Nation Indians were treated as large massed warbands so I made them all skirmish units like those on the British side, which seemed a better reflection of their tactics. We enjoyed both games, but my impression was that these rules work better for games with mainly conventional units and a few skirmishers. Our second game, which was all skirmish units, didn't seem as satisfactory to me. It may be I need to tweak things a bit more for skirmish only games, but I should probably play it a bit more to make a final decision.

A picture of the table I took before the first game (and forgot to take any more photos all evening  )

[paulr]

 

[Steve J]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Bloody Big Battles
2) What armies were confronted? - Battle of Dioran, July 1913, Greeks vs Bulgarians
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? -  Two
6) What went well? - The scenario in general was excellent and a challenge for both players. The Bulgarian shooting early on, followed by the Greeks in close combat.
7) What could have been improved? - The Greeks' command rolls (Dave) as the terrain made it hard to get units moving forward. The Bulgarians suffered the same problems later on.

A great game full of incident and a full AAR to follow, once I've got my head around my hastily scrawled notes!