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Wider Wargaming => Rules => Topic started by: pierre the shy on 15 January 2022, 10:03:09 PM

Title: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: pierre the shy on 15 January 2022, 10:03:09 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - General Quarters 1 and 2
2) What armies were confronted? - RN/USN vs IJN somewhere in the South China Sea December 1941 
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes, very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No, I've been playing them since 2013.
5) How many players were in the game? - 3/4 (Paul is umpiring the campaign but wanted to run the USN destroyer flotilla).
6) What went well? - For RN/USN pretty much everything, for the IJN not very much.
7) What could have been improved? - IJN cruiser gunnery

This was the first game in our refight of the "Defence of the Malay Barrier" Campaign by Old Dominion Game Works 

The RN Wesforce, based in Singapore, with a USN destroyer flotilla attached, sortied to intercept a Japanese invasion convoy that had been spotted by the RAF off the East coast of Malaya (as it was known in 1941). The sighting report was not that accurate (The brylcream boys reporting carriers rather than cruisers!  :o) ).

The interception was sucessful and Wesforce deployed with Exeter (flag), 3 old D class light cruisers and a total of 12 (mainly WW1 vintage) RN and USN destroyers facing off agianst an IJN invasion convoy of 11 transports, 2 Mogami class heavy cruisers and 8 modern destroyers.

Each IJN cruiser mounts 10 x 8" guns, agianst the Exeter's 6. The D class light cruisers only mount 5 x 6" individual centreline mounts.

Exeter opened fire on the leading cruiser at fairly long range and hit her 3 turns in a row, slowing her significantly and damaging her enough to force its withdrawal from the action. Meanwhile the one flotilla of 4 relatively modern destroyers was sent in to attack the head of the Japanese formation. While still relitively undamaged they were able to mount an effective torpedo attack on the Japanese flagship, which was hit by several torpedoes and literally exploded when its magazines lit off, taking the Japanese admiral and many of the crew with it.

Meanwhile the Japanese destroyers frantically laid smoke to protect the lumbering transports. The Exeter, hardly touched by Japanese fire, on the opposite course to the convoy was able to sight the tail-end ship of the nearest column and engage it. Exeter's good fortune continued, hitting its target squarely with a with a full 8" broadside. This caused this ship to explode as well, since it was carrying ammunition and other flammable supplies.

My destroyers did start suffering quite badly and the cruiser line is about to turn away with Japanese destroyers approaching.

But I think I have done enough damage to force the Japanese to withdraw since the Admiral's flagship failed morale and there are losses amongst their transports which (if I read the campaign rules correctly) means the whole force withdraws (or at least has to test morale....which is a bit of a novelty in my naval gaming experience). I just hope the umpire agrees with my reading of that particular section!!  ;)  :-\

As Admiral Palister was present on Exeter's bridge he has directed his flag secretary to prepare a recommendation for the immediate award of a suitable decoration for the Exeter's Captain and Gunnery Officer.

Tally Ho!                         


   
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: paulr on 16 January 2022, 12:17:28 AM
Quote5) How many players were in the game? - 3/4 (Paul is umpiring the campaign but wanted to run the USN destroyer flotilla).
I wanted to introduce a little inter-navy confusion to the Allied side ;)

I agree with your reading and once you decide what you will do if the Japanese break off Roy and I can finish the action off.

My account of the action will appear in this thread (https://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,21410.0.html) in due course
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 16 January 2022, 07:41:18 AM
Sounds like good fun.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Steve J on 16 January 2022, 07:42:40 AM
Well it certainly seems to be a good start for the ABDA in the campaign. Fingers crossed their luck holds...
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Steve J on 16 January 2022, 07:46:01 AM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Practical Wargmaing by C Wesencraft.
2) What armies were confronted? - Generic Ancients.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Not bad given it was my first go with them.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes.
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo.
6) What went well? - Not bad for a first run out with the rules, that look to have plenty to offer. You can see how Neil Thomas took these rules and updated them.
7) What could have been improved? - Not much really. The game then allowed me to spot bits I'd missed etc. I certainly look forward to giving these another run out soon.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: paulr on 16 January 2022, 08:00:03 AM
QuoteWell it certainly seems to be a good start for the ABDA in the campaign. Fingers crossed their luck holds...
X_X  X_X  X_X
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Chris Pringle on 26 January 2022, 09:16:28 AM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? Bloody Big BATTLES! (BBB)
2) What armies were confronted? Austrians vs Prussians - Trautenau, Austro-Prussian War, 1866
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 players, one umpire (Crispin)
6) What went well? A stonking good fast-moving game, fought to a finish in two hours flat
7) What could have been improved? I was on the winning side but in a way a draw would have been even better - honours even is always a nice result.

I report this mainly because I'm so pleased with the scenario that generated a nice mobile game, plenty for both sides to do and a nice 'shape' to it. Full AAR here:
http://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2022/01/back-in-bohemia-trautenau-1866.html
Scenario available from the BBB group:
https://groups.io/g/bloodybigbattles
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: T13A on 29 January 2022, 11:10:39 AM
Hi

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - General de'Armee (Napoleonic)
2) What armies were confronted? - French v Late Prussians
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - No
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes
5) How many players were in the game? - 3, with two of us playing and one trying to understand/interpret the rules.
6) What went well? - Not a great deal from my point of view. These rules just didn't grab me which surprised me as I really like 'O' Group by the same author and the good review they got on on Little Wars TV. Some of the mechanisms seemed overly complicated and in particular I didn't like the way skirmishers were handled (it seemed a bit like a game within a game).
7) What could have been improved? -  :-\

Cheers Paul
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: T13A on 29 January 2022, 11:23:20 AM
Hi

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Live Free or Die (AWI) by Little Wars TV
2) What armies were confronted? - Rebels v British
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Fairly
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Second time.
5) How many players were in the game? - 2
6) What went well? - The rules 'flowed' well and were easy to pick up. Will use them again.  :)
7) What could have been improved? - A couple of things could have been explained better in the rules (which are only four pages long) but nothing serious that we couldn't make our own decisions on.

Cheers Paul
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: fsn on 29 January 2022, 05:43:26 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Nobby's WWII Air War Rules
2) What armies were confronted? - 1941 USN vs Japanese Navy (12 Wildcat vs 8 Zero & 8 Kate)
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yah.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Nope ... played a few in development
5) How many players were in the game? - 1
6) What went well? - Lot happier with the rules now. The "feel" is getting better.
7) What could have been improved? - Still not good. Needs less paperwork.

Wildcats intercepted a raid by the Kates escorted by the Zeroes. The Kates fared badly (lost 4, further 3 damaged) but the Wildcats lost out to the Japanese fighters (4 Wildcats down,5 damaged; 2 Zeroes down, 1 damaged)

US victory I suppose, in that the Kates didn't manage to press home the attack, but the cost was high.   
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Ithoriel on 29 January 2022, 08:54:04 PM

QuoteUS victory I suppose, in that the Kates didn't manage to press home the attack, but the cost was high.   


 "Another victory like that and we are done for." - Pyrrhus of Epirus  :)
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: paulr on 29 January 2022, 09:49:57 PM
Not at the rate the US is building planes and training pilots ;)
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: paulr on 05 February 2022, 02:50:57 AM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - DBA 3.0
2) What armies were confronted? - 1373 French & Scots v English & Free Company
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? -Not by a long way
5) How many players were in the game? - 4
6) What went well? - The French Knights on the left distracting most of the Free Company and the Scots push of pike
7) What could have been improved? - The English & Free Company PIP rolls at key points

The English chose to dismount all their men-at-arms and deploy them to support their long bow. The Free Company was deployed on the English right with the English and French men-at-arms dismounted. The German and Spanish Knights remained mounted.

The French deployed on the left and right with their mounted knights on the flanks. The Scottish pike were massed in the center.

The French knights on the left went wide forcing the Free Company mounted knights and reserve to cover them. The French knight on the right were forced into column to avoid riding through ploughed fields

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51861657082_04d9a584f9_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2n1QxPq)

The English long bows disrupted the French and Scottish attack and quickly overwhelmed the French cross bows on the hill on the right. This left the dismounted French general on this flank somewhat isolated

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51862618051_0d6da9211d_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2n1VttR)

The English had deployed their two commands one behind the other, this meant that one command was fighting both the Scots and the French right. Casualties mounted on this command while the other English command could only bring some of its forces against the French left. Eventually the first English command broke and the second command was then demoralised by mounting casualties against the Scots pike.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51863276535_d5af319dee_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2n1YRe2)

The Free Company was unable to bring the majority of its troops to bear against the French left as almost half its troops were drawn off to oppose the French Knights on their wide sweep around the left flank and the remainder struggled to get into action against the refused inner flank of the French. When they did the timely intervention of the French Peasant levy supported their dismounted Knights as they charged down off the hill

Victory to the French, perhaps John of Gaunt's Chevauchée was not going to be as great  :-\

This was the first time we had used the earlier version of the French and English armies which have a different character to the Agincourt era armies. Both the Scots and Free Company gave a good account of themselves in their first time on the table
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: steve_holmes_11 on 05 February 2022, 10:55:00 AM
You've upped the ante for 2022 with photographs.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: DecemDave on 05 February 2022, 11:09:15 AM
Excellent.   =D>
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: T13A on 05 February 2022, 12:46:05 PM
Hi

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - For King and Parliament
2) What armies were confronted? - Rebels v Royalist
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - 3
6) What went well? - Rules are great and everything flowed pretty freely.
7) What could have been improved? - Prince Maurice not losing a brigade of 3 regiments of horse in one turn!

(http://i.imgur.com/dSMxaH6.jpg) (https://imgur.com/dSMxaH6)

(http://i.imgur.com/wO21ZPm.jpg) (https://imgur.com/wO21ZPm)

(http://i.imgur.com/SOGWylj.jpg) (https://imgur.com/SOGWylj)

Cheers Paul
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: DecemDave on 05 February 2022, 12:52:51 PM
Terrific   =D>

Shouts in direction of display cupboard:  "No you can't have irregular shaped bases like they do"   
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: steve_holmes_11 on 05 February 2022, 07:35:36 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Dragon Rampant
2) What armies were confronted? - Portuguese "Civilisados" Vs Bijapur Sultanate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deccan_sultanates#Bijapur_Sultanate).
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes - through it had been a while.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - 2: Myself and Westmarcher (of this forum).
6) What went well? - Rules ran smoothly, scenario was simple enough to follow without problems.
7) What could have been improved? - The Sultan's activation rolls saw his troops caught with their chaddis (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chaddi#:~:text=Noun,India) male or female underpants) down.


1512 somewhere close to the Portuguese Goa.
The Sultans troops reconnoitre with a view to recapturing the Portuguese enclave.
Spies have reported their movements to the viceroy, who has organised a night time assault on their encampment.

Westmarcher and I met for our delayed kick off game of 2022.
The rules were Dragon Rampant (Daniel Mersey / Osprey), using scenario G "Beating up Quarters" form the Osprey Pikeman's Lament rules.

The Bijapur forces occupied a square campsite, with 2 units on sentry duty; the remainder sleeping in their bashas.
The Portuguese approached in a double envelopment, taking advantage of darkness to draw close to the objective.
They quickly pressed a successful attack into one corner of the camp.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4ZS3E-43CAsLUlpIluOPpnfOwaC3TWZ3EqbE4g0lmqAmLRrf23Gugo2EJeoHLIWK98Tp0NoOjY5z4424mmzSaMcJ_kiYKP5lIHQX1FrcPzfP_mVKwNGYRyqlQvQv58wMfaUxDXl-YQ=w2400)

The Bijapur forces tried to form up, but two units were eliminated before getting into fighting order.
The commanders charged his cavalry to attempt a break-out, but was evaded and drawn into crossfire in the dark.

The last of the Sultan's troops managed a crossfire of their own, routing one unit of Portuguese shock troops; but all too late.
The Portuguese returned to Goa triumphant, and with light casualties.
The Sultan's headquarters saw the smoke of their burning encampment.
A handful of injured fugitives straggled in during the day, confirming the magnitude of the defeat.






Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: fsn on 05 February 2022, 07:42:19 PM
Interesting game.

1512? Please could you tell me what units were involved? Despite the imprecations of an august member of the forum, I am somewhat innocent of the early C16.



PS. Love the robo-cougar in the background.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: steve_holmes_11 on 05 February 2022, 08:02:01 PM

QuoteInteresting game.

1512? Please could you tell me what units were involved? Despite the imprecations of an august member of the forum, I am somewhat innocent of the early C16.



PS. Love the robo-cougar in the background.
From recent memory:


The Viceroy of Portuguese India (Westmarcher)

2 units of 12 Offensive heavy foot (Armoured sword and buckler troops) - 6 points each
2 units of 12 heavy missiles (Formed arquebusiers) - 4 points each
2 units of 6 scouts (Skirmishing Arquebusiers) - 2 points each

The Sultan of Bijapur (Steve Holmes)

2 units of 12 heavy missiles (Bunduquis) - 4 points each
1 unit of 6 heavy riders with missiles (Lance and Bow armed cavalry) - 5 points
1 unit of 6 scouts (Jezailichis) - 2 points
1 unit of 6 scouts with venomous shooting (Rocketeers) - 5 points.
1 unit of light riders (Zambaruk Camel Gunners) - 4 points


Any further questions, ask away. 

Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Westmarcher on 05 February 2022, 08:59:48 PM
Thanks again for hosting and organising another entertaining adventure in 16th Century India, Steve (nice 15mm minis and palm trees, btw). My commiserations (at least West Ham won today  :) ). Although my own half-baked plan worked out, to be fair, I think we were both bemused by the actual turn of events - and this time purely 'historical' without mythical beasts, zombies or magical powers. Kind of glad you didn't choose elephants for your Indian army - otherwise I'd be asking for special powers to counter them - e.g., box of mice or bag of buns. Incidentally, is that a second victory for Vasco Mourinho?  ;) 

p.s. Your 10mm figures for the period also look very tasty - no doubt, we can get these on the table in future when you can introduce me to the delights of Irregular Wars - Conflicts at the World's End?
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: steve_holmes_11 on 05 February 2022, 10:10:07 PM
Yes
QuoteThanks again for hosting and organising another entertaining adventure in 16th Century India, Steve (nice 15mm minis and palm trees, btw). My commiserations (at least West Ham won today  :) ). Although my own half-baked plan worked out, to be fair, I think we were both bemused by the actual turn of events - and this time purely 'historical' without mythical beasts, zombies or magical powers. Kind of glad you didn't choose elephants for your Indian army - otherwise I'd be asking for special powers to counter them - e.g., box of mice or bag of buns. Incidentally, is that a second victory for Vasco Mourinho?  ;) 

p.s. Your 10mm figures for the period also look very tasty - no doubt, we can get these on the table in future when you can introduce me to the delights of Irregular Wars - Conflicts at the World's End?


I hope the first of the 10mm figures will show up at the Painting Competition.

I've checked the Irregular Wars army lists and am horrified to see how many more stands I require to fill out a typical Indian force.

Above the "patrols and excursions" scale of Dragon Rampant, most forces incorporate an awful lot of levies.
Porters, grooms, cooks, water carriers, but most expected to fill out the ranks in a typical battle between Indian states.

They're typically rather dull to paint. I'll engage my impressionist brain and see whether I can devise a "painting by numbers" scheme to churn out lots quickly.

Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: pbeccas on 05 February 2022, 11:37:38 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Fistful of Lead
2) What armies were confronted? - Soviets v Finns
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes, very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes
5) How many players were in the game? - 2
6) What went well? - Easy stress free rules
7) What could have been improved? - We played a meeting engagement between two recon forces.  Would have been better if there was an objective rather than just kill each other to win.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: fred. on 06 February 2022, 08:23:00 AM

QuoteYes



I've checked the Irregular Wars army lists and am horrified to see how many more stands I require to fill out a typical Indian force.

Above the "patrols and excursions" scale of Dragon Rampant, most forces incorporate an awful lot of levies.
Porters, grooms, cooks, water carriers, but most expected to fill out the ranks in a typical battle between Indian states.

They're typically rather dull to paint. I'll engage my impressionist brain and see whether I can devise a "painting by numbers" scheme to churn out lots quickly.


Not wanting to add to the bad news, they are a bit of a liability within the game - and can rather break and route off table if just one of them is destroyed!


But they do feel a core part of the forces and I think working out how to use them - if not effectively but at least not as a liability is important. 

Painting wise, it feels like a variety of browns?
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: fred. on 06 February 2022, 08:24:15 AM

Quote1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Fistful of Lead
2) What armies were confronted? - Soviets v Finns
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes, very
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes
5) How many players were in the game? - 2
6) What went well? - Easy stress free rules
7) What could have been improved? - We played a meeting engagement between two recon forces.  Would have been better if there was an objective rather than just kill each other to win.
Was this WWII? We've not tried FFoL for WII yet, mainly used if for Cowboys and Colonials - I assume they rules worked well, for a more Hollywood take on WWII?
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: steve_holmes_11 on 06 February 2022, 10:35:53 AM

QuoteNot wanting to add to the bad news, they are a bit of a liability within the game - and can rather break and route off table if just one of them is destroyed!


But they do feel a core part of the forces and I think working out how to use them - if not effectively but at least not as a liability is important.

Painting wise, it feels like a variety of browns?


Yes that "Unreliable" makes them liable to desertion outside the commander's radius.
The kicker being the risk of starting a domino effect rout if within the commander's radius.

Maybe I don't need to paint as many as I imagined.
The art will be applying that variety of browns without looking as though they were only primed and dipped.
I'm currently mulling over contrasts, and looking at lots of google images.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: fred. on 06 February 2022, 10:53:45 AM
And Unreliable also means they are very likely to stand around and do nothing (at best) if outside the command radius. Resolve 3 melee troops really are hard to use in Irregular Wars. You think great I've got a horde them ripples of Resolve loss and suddenly they have all legged it!

One or two spot colours will probably lift them from looking as if they have only been 'dipped'. But for un-dyed cloth the 'dipped' look isn't too bad
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: pbeccas on 06 February 2022, 11:51:41 AM
Quote from: fred. on 06 February 2022, 08:24:15 AMWas this WWII? We've not tried FFoL for WII yet, mainly used if for Cowboys and Colonials - I assume they rules worked well, for a more Hollywood take on WWII?


It just a fun WWII game Fred. Five figures a side.  Just had a 3x3 playing area.  Probably went about 40mins.  You can use those rules for anything.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: fred. on 06 February 2022, 03:51:40 PM
Cool. I've a bunch of 28mm WWII figures. Largely bought for Bolt Action - of which one play was quite enough! So would be good to get them on the table - though might need some more terrain
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Shecky on 08 February 2022, 06:27:29 AM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Oak and Iron (late 17th - early 8th C. Naval)
2) What armies were confronted? - Dutch (petite frigate and fluyt) vs. Pirates (Queen Anne's Revenge and sloop)
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - somewhat
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes
5) How many players were in the game? - 2
6) What went well? - quick game, sailing is easy, nice flavor.
7) What could have been improved? - I should have read the rules better. We forgot a few rules in our haste to get the game going.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: FierceKitty on 08 February 2022, 11:03:54 AM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - IACTA ALEA EST!
2) What armies were confronted? - 3rd Crusade vs Ayyubids
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - 2
6) What went well? - The Frankish charge finally hit where and when I needed it to, with back-breaking results.
7) What could have been improved? - Lost Richard the Lionheart early on. But Philip took over to good effect.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: T13A on 11 February 2022, 04:18:54 PM
Hi

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Honours of War
2) What armies were confronted? - Russians v Prussians
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - 'ish'. Still learning the best way to play the rules.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - 2
6) What went well? - The Russians deciding to frontally attack a brigade of Prussian Grenadiers backed up by a battery of heavy artillery.   :d 
7) What could have been improved? - The Russians deciding to frontally attack a brigade of Prussian Grenadiers backed up by a battery of heavy artillery.  :(

Cheers Paul
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Steve J on 13 February 2022, 12:50:31 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - BKCII with some house rules.
2) What armies were confronted? - British vs Fallschirmjager.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Not by a long way.
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo.
6) What went well? - The British Recce got off to a good start, which certainly helped the attack go in. Using a weatherboard for the first time worked a treat.
7) What could have been improved? - Both sides command rolls, especially for the Fallschirmjager at the start.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Duke Speedy of Leighton on 17 February 2022, 09:35:10 AM
Quote from: Steve J on 13 February 2022, 12:50:31 PM1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Two games of Divisions of Steel run by Si Hall at Leighton Buzzard
2) What armies were confronted? - British vs German LW armour then British vs DAK infantry in the desert.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - basics are same as MeG/ReG but some nice twists. So yes.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Not by a long way.
5) How many players were in the game? - 5 then 4 with 3 more watchin and Si umpiring. All in 10mm!
6) What went well? - The British moralecwas astounding. The Getman aim was devastating. The players are organising a second game for next week!
7) What could have been improved? - I need to paint more desert British infantry and platoon command stands for my DaK!

A good night. Lots of questions answered by playing the game.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: steve_holmes_11 on 20 February 2022, 06:29:37 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Mortal Gods and Mortal Gods (Mythic)
2) What armies were confronted? - Greeks Vs other Greeks, and Hades against Legendary Heroes
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - No
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes, first time out.
5) How many players were in the game? - 2
6) What went well? - The Historic match up felt sensible and balanced, the second game with mythological participants descended into a morass of fiddly special rules and power gaming.
7) What could have been improved? - Post match read through the rules revealed that we got quite a lot of detail wrong.


My Friend Hugh visited to test out Mortal Gods: https://footsoreminiatures.co.uk/collections/mortal-gods

The game is quite similar to a Samurai game called Test of Honour which we have played two or three times.
Test of Honour never really impressed me: each game featuring the leaders dashing about slaughtering the rank and file until the inevitable clash between the two surviving bosses.

Mortal Gods adapts the rules to better reflect the constraints of hoplite warfare.
 * Hoplite style rank and file can combine into bigger groups which enhances their staying power at a sacrifice of manoeuvrability.
 * Leaders can use their activation to command a unit, rather than dash about killing stuff - this brings a lot of balance.
 * The 4 die rolls for each samurai swordfight have been replaced by two - and a possible reaction test where one side loses badly.
 * Power differences between leaders and rank and file are less pronounced.

Our second game featured mythological forces (using the mythic supplement).
This re-introduced all the undesirables from the samurai game.
 * Wildly overpowered characters who can slaughter almost any rank and file unit at minimal risk.
 * Little incentive to command a unit when your leader can simply charge in and cause carnage.
 * Special rules pile on extra die rolls before and after combat.
 * It's likely to end with the opposed faction bosses going toe to toe.

Summary: Rather good core rules for historic skirmish. Poorly implemented supplement.

Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Steve J on 20 February 2022, 07:22:56 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - BKCII with some house rules.
2) What armies were confronted? - British vs Fallschirmjager.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Not by a long way.
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo.
6) What went well? - The FJ spoiling attack broadly worked, but at some cost.
7) What could have been improved? - The British command rolls and some more appearances by the Typhoon would have helped!
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Chris Pringle on 24 February 2022, 04:38:43 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - BBB - but with mods for the 18th century.
2) What armies were confronted? - Marlborough's army against the Franco-Bavarians - refight of Blenheim.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Took a couple of turns to get the hang of the rule mods - after that, great.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - First time with the rule mods.
5) How many players were in the game? - five.
6) What went well? - Rule mods worked very well to recreate C18 linear warfare. Game was good, ebb and flow and change of fortunes, key objective changing hands three times.
7) What could have been improved? - Would have been nice to set more villages on fire so Matt could use his battery-powered illuminated fire markers!

Full photo-AAR here: https://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2022/02/blenheim-or-should-that-be-oberglau.html
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Steve J on 04 March 2022, 08:35:58 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - BKCII with some house rules.
2) What armies were confronted? - British vs German Heer.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Not by a long way.
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo.
6) What went well? - The British Typhoon ground attacks and the flank attack by 'C' Coy, 7th SLI.
7) What could have been improved? - The German command rolls might have helped inflict some more casualties on the British.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Elliesdad on 04 March 2022, 09:21:30 PM
Quote1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - BKCII with some house rules.
2) What armies were confronted? - British vs German Heer.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Not by a long way.
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo.
6) What went well? - The British Typhoon ground attacks and the flank attack by 'C' Coy, 7th SLI.
7) What could have been improved? - The German command rolls might have helped inflict some more casualties on the British.
I'm looking forward to reading the full AAR on the blog Steve. Hopefully you'll have posted it by the time I'm back from Hammerhead tomorrow evening. What a way to look forward to spending your Saturday evenings, eh?
Cheers,
Geoff
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Steve J on 05 March 2022, 07:14:00 AM
QuoteI'm looking forward to reading the full AAR on the blog Steve. Hopefully you'll have posted it by the time I'm back from Hammerhead tomorrow evening. What a way to look forward to spending your Saturday evenings, eh?

You hedonist Geoff ;)  >:( . The pics are uploaded, so all I have to do now is write up the AAR...
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 06 March 2022, 08:37:57 AM
1) Battlegroup NorthAG
2) Soviet vs British US Army and USMC - latter 2 are unofficial
3) Very
4) Not exactly
5) 6 players
6) Overall the entire game played very well
7) nothing really.

Fun game for one of our club's occasional Saturdays. All the games were good and the day went well. We used 6mm it was nice to root out my veteran Soviet kit.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: T13A on 08 March 2022, 07:40:09 PM
Hi

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Honours of War
2) What armies were confronted? - British/Hanoverians v French
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Pretty much.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - 2
6) What went well? - My French massed battery of 3 guns blowing holes in the Allies centre and the French cavalry defeating the British cavalry
7) What could have been improved? - French 'inferior' infantry are next to useless in virtually all aspects of the rules (but maybe realistic?) Still not completely sold on these rules but I think that is partly down to how we are playing them.

Cheers Paul
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: T13A on 17 March 2022, 01:41:27 PM
Hi

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - To the Strongest!
2) What armies were confronted? - Early Achaemenid Persians v Early Carthaginians
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yep!
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No!
5) How many players were in the game? - 2
6) What went well? - Really hard fought game and loads of fun.
7) What could have been improved? - Should have kept my scythed chariots back a bit allowing them to get some momentum before crashing and burning on the spears of enemy hoplites.

(https://i.imgur.com/ERezokk.jpg)

Cheers Paul
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: paulr on 17 March 2022, 06:35:37 PM
 :-bd  =D>  :-bd
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: T13A on 24 March 2022, 08:05:31 AM
Hi

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - To the Strongest!
2) What armies were confronted? - Lancastrians v Yorkists
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? - 4
6) What went well? - A plan that actually worked (more or less)! Very exciting game and loads of fun, we lost part of our camp but still managed to win. One general on each side was lost to being wounded in the same combat.
7) What could have been improved? - Not losing three units of longbowmen in the same turn, but at least they had shot off most of their arrows.

(https://i.imgur.com/TNUMsHt.jpg)

Cheers Paul
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Steve J on 14 April 2022, 08:49:11 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - 'Live Free or Die' by Little Wars TV.
2) What armies were confronted? - British vs Americans.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very, considering it was my first game using them.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes.
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo
6) What went well? - The rules are very intuitive, so things flowed along at a nice pace. Nothing really jarred.
7) What could have been improved? - The QRS doesn't include the morale section of the rules, but easy enough to copy this and put it in the QRS envelope. As with any ruleset, as you play them you then find the answers tucked away in a sentence here and there, but nothing major to cause any problems.

All in all very impressed with them.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: FierceKitty on 15 April 2022, 02:29:53 AM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? Ten More Sons!
2) What armies were confronted? - English vs English, 1643
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
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? - Lee was careless enough to let things turn into a cavalry action before her foot came up, and wasn't properly deployed.
7) What could have been improved? I was too casual about scouting, and was lucky that an ambush didn't really hurt me.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: T13A on 15 April 2022, 09:21:45 AM
Hi Steve

Regarding the 'Live Free or Die' AWI rules, I have only played two solo games myself and did like them. The only thing that did 'jar' a bit was the morale rules. Which, unless I have not been playing them correctly, means that a unit taking a morale test that is down to it's very last 'stand' (i.e. it could be down to well over 50% or more of its original strength) has exactly the same chance of passing the test as a unit taking a test for losing it's first stand. Is that how you read the rules? I'm trying to think of a simple 'house rule' so that a unit has less chance of passing a test as it progressively loses stands but haven't thought of anything straight forward and simple enough yet. Grateful for any thoughts you might have. :-\

Cheers Paul   
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Steve J on 15 April 2022, 09:26:10 AM
It did seem slightly strange that a few units that were down to their last stand would carry on fighting, without any impact on morale. However in my trial game they would have soon been hors de combat due to being heavily outnumbered to their front. I think some more games are required to fully appreciate the morale rules.

It is worth remembering that they were designed for quick and easy play at conventions for newcomers to wargaming. I think it wouldn't bee too difficult to tweak them to reflect the declining morale of a unit, such as may a 6+ required to pass a test, or one less die rolled etc, down to a minimum of one.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Westmarcher on 15 April 2022, 03:27:57 PM
Quote1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - 'Live Free or Die' by Little Wars TV.................

On reading the review on your blog, Steve (and many thanks for that), I see some 178 bases are required to re-fight Monmouth (some 500 - 700 figures depending on how many figures per base?). Not having anywhere near that with my own modest "toe in the water" venture into skirmish level AWI using Pendraken figures, I'd be interested to know how many bases are stipulated in the rules for the smallest scenario.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Steve J on 16 April 2022, 06:47:56 AM
Eutaw Springs for example has about 40 bases for the British, 50 for the Americans. IIRC in one of the scenarios a 4th Class American unit consists of 9 bases! Personally I will be gaming either a section of the larger battles or bath tubbing them somewhat, but mainly using the rules for some of the Grant & Asquith scenarios from their books.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Westmarcher on 16 April 2022, 01:21:20 PM
Thanks, Steve. Whew! That's still a lot of bases for me. I've just re-visited the LittleWarsTV video, Learn to Play Live Free or Die, and they say you normally require at least 50 bases to re-play most of the battles of the AWI. They also say each base represents 50-75 men with regiments expected to be between 3 and 10 bases strong so definitely agree with your envisaged bath tubbing approach. It's a pity but in view of this, I reckon I'll stick to my skirmish level Rebels & Patriots games for the time being and only if I expand my collection, will I then consider Live Free or Die.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: T13A on 26 April 2022, 05:56:55 PM
Hi

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Age of Honor (SYW).
2) What armies were confronted? - French v Hanoverians/Hessians/British.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Pretty much although haven't played them for a few years.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Two, introducing a friend to the rules (on the quest to find a SYW set of rules that ticks all our boxes).
6) What went well? - The 'see-saw' effect of the cavalry battle and the rules seemed to flowed nicely and intuitively.
7) What could have been improved? Probably (as usual) too big a game for an introduction to the rules but that was my fault.

The Allied centre:
(https://i.imgur.com/OsZ3WWR.jpg)

A French brigade advances through a cornfield:
(https://i.imgur.com/sjkRQ81.jpg)

Hanoverians hanging on against French foot but about to be flanked by successful French Cavalry:
(https://i.imgur.com/l1kxO0x.jpg)

Cheers Paul
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Steve J on 26 April 2022, 06:35:56 PM
Great looking game there Paul 8) .
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: fred. on 26 April 2022, 07:40:44 PM
A great looking game - I can understand why you want to get lots of figures on the table!
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: pierre the shy on 26 April 2022, 07:50:48 PM
Great stuff Paul.

Your "big battalions" certainly give the impression of a mass battle. Reminded me a bit of those pictures of masses of 30mm SYW figures out of "Charge!" or "The Wargame".

Good luck with your rules quest...plenty of choices these days! 
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: paulr on 26 April 2022, 08:11:17 PM
 :-bd  =D>  :-bd  =D>
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: T13A on 08 May 2022, 11:29:56 AM
Hi

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - 'Live Free or Die' by Little Wars TV.
2) What armies were confronted? - British vs Rebels.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Pretty much.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Two with me umpiring/coaching and introducing them to the rules.
6) What went well? - As previously mentioned there are a couple (IMHO) of issues with the rules but nothing that can't easily be house ruled. Managed to finish the game, the batlle of Hobkirk's Hill scenerio.
7) What could have been improved? - The QRS doesn't include the morale section of the rules (as Steve already said).

(https://i.imgur.com/0pHmiil.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/gV0H4uW.jpg)

Cheers Paul
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: FierceKitty on 08 May 2022, 11:44:32 AM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? IACTA ALEA EST!
2) What armies were confronted? - Late Roman republican vs Jugurtha's Numidians
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
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? - Well, one unit of Lee's light horse didn't manage to escape when they tried to buzz a legion. And OK, it was a fun game.
7) What could have been improved? Not much, unless the real secret is to deploy in a single long, thin line of heavy infantry and systematically sweep over the field in unison. The elephants might be a problem, but they can't be everywhere.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: T13A on 10 May 2022, 08:40:26 PM
Hi

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - 'Post of Honour' (SYW) not published but draft copy available for free via the Honours of War website.
2) What armies were confronted? - Prussians v Austrians
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - First try out game.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes.
5) How many players were in the game? - Two.
6) What went well? - Seemed to flow well and after just one game to test out the mechanics feel they have a lot of potential.
7) What could have been improved? - Not a fair question really as they are only in draft but see above.

Cheers Paul
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Steve J on 15 May 2022, 07:49:10 AM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Shadow of the Eagles
2) What armies were confronted? - French vs Austrian 1809
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very, even though a while since I last played them.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Two, including the author, Keith Flint.
6) What went well? - The Austrian Light Infantry caused problems for the French throughout. The Austrian die rolls went well at crucial times.
7) What could have been improved? - The scenario needed some tweaks, as the terrain and lack of light infantry really hampered the French. Also the arrival of the Austrian reinforcements meant that there positions was never seriously threatened.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: T13A on 17 May 2022, 07:32:57 PM
Hi

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Live Free or Die
2) What armies were confronted? - British v Rebels. Battle of Freeman's Farm (1st Saratoga)
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Pretty much.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Three, plus me umpiring/coaching
6) What went well? - Well balanced scenario from the book of 10 scenarios that you can purchase along with the rules. A good game and a lot of fun was had by all (including the umpire).
7) What could have been improved? - Need to write down some of the decisions we made where the rules are a bit vague (bearing in mind that they are only 4 page long)!

Cheers Paul
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: T13A on 07 June 2022, 04:23:51 PM
Hi

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Live Free or Die.
2) What armies were confronted? - British v Rebels. Battle of Bunker Hill.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Pretty much.
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? - We managed to play out the 10 turns in the scenario. The British Grenadiers storming the redoubt at the first attempt and seeing off a unit of Rebel riflemen and counter attacking militia, although they did have 50% casualties (and yes we did have the tune playing in the background)
7) What could have been improved? - Still have trouble with the way the rules work allowing units to go down to just one base and having the same chance of staying on as when they were at full strength, altough I accept that maybe that is part of the swings and roundabouts of having fairly straight forward rules allowing to finish a game in reasonable time.

Interesting scenario with the complete opposite outcome to the real battle. The British did not manage to secure Breeds Hill or Bunker Hill (which they had to do to win the scenario) as the Rebel player managed to slip a unit on to the very edge of Breeds Hill in the very last turn even though the British had secured the redoubt and caused twice as many casualties to the Rebels as they them selves had (that said I was the British)!

Breeds Hill with the redoubt on top and a couple of British warships at anchor in the Mystic River and before the troops were deployed (Bunker Hill is just out of picture to the right):
(https://i.imgur.com/rbvuuaa.jpg)

The British advance:
(https://i.imgur.com/0ErEmYA.jpg)

From behind the British looking towards the Rebel redoubt on Breeds Hill:
(https://i.imgur.com/xpYTueZ.jpg)

Rebel Riflemen in the redoubt await the British advancing below (not sure why the Rebel commander didn't put more troops in the redoubt itself, there seemed to be plenty about):
(https://i.imgur.com/AnKiffe.jpg)

The 5th Regiment of Foot's first attempt to storm the redoubt (it failed) with General Howe cheering them on, the Grenadiers are to their left:
(https://i.imgur.com/SOU4ZGu.jpg)

By the way General Howe suffered 3 light wounds during the engagement but gallently stayed on the field while General Clinton suffered a more serious wound requiring his evacuation to Boston. The Rebel General Prescott was killed and General Israel Putnam suffered a light wound.

Cheers Paul
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: fred. on 07 June 2022, 06:42:20 PM
Great looking game - I particularly like the ships off shore. 

Sounds like it was only a rebel victory on a technicality. 

With the morale save, by the time a unit gets to 1 stand has it had to pass a few tests to still be on the table? If so I guess overall there is a low chance of a single stand remaining, but on each test the chance is the same. It probably looks worse due to casualty removal of stands that what its really reflecting in game terms (i.e. a loss of effectiveness by 75% rather then a loss of 75% of the men) 
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Steve J on 07 June 2022, 06:44:10 PM
That is a lovely looking game 8) .
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: paulr on 07 June 2022, 08:38:53 PM
 :-bd  =D>  :-bd  =D>
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: steve_holmes_11 on 08 June 2022, 06:45:10 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Irregular Wars
2) What armies were confronted? - Colonial Portuguese Vs Vijayanagar
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - I'd read them several times, but this was the first time use in combat.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yea
5) How many players were in the game? - Two, myself and Westmarcher of this forum.
6) What went well? - Picked up the rules after 3rd turn and they moved along at a good rate.
7) What could have been improved? - A few unknowns on first outing with the rules, relatively little role for our chance cards.




Dom Olmes led an expedition inland to persuade Raja Westmarcher of the benefits of Portuguese vassalage.
Priests, fortified wines, custard tarts, more priests...
Unimpressed, The Raja rallied his elephants, archers and mercenary cavalry scouts.
Placing himself at the head of his royal swordsmen and mustering levies along the way.
He marched out and organised a defence in dense terrain of forest, hills and marsh.

Olmes struggled to maintain his large contingent, several units suffered straggling due to disease.
Two of his professional units deserted along the way.
They preferred the  Raja's dancing girls and hashish pipes to the prospect of battling elephants in stifling heat.

The armies met, and Olmes struggled to control his large force.
Westmarcher kept his force concentrated, except his mounted scouts led by an enterprising captain (Chance card).
The Indian force withdrew behind terrain forming a concave line while avoiding fire from the Portuguese field gun.
This forced Olmes into a long advance which straggled, leaving slow moving pikes in the lead.

After a brief firefight Olmes led his pikes into the bag, which soon became a deadly trap.
Shot up, flanked and charged by elephants, demoralisation spread rapidly (The army collapsed in a single turn).

The Raja returned home with all his companies intact.
His decisive victory earned his the title of "turbanator".

Olmes warrants a single sentence in the expedition's histories.
Not mentioned by name, he is referenced only as the "Loser from Lisbon".



Congratulations to Westmarcher for "pulling a Hannibal" while using a completely fresh set of rules.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Ithoriel on 08 June 2022, 07:27:43 PM
Nice write up, Steve, and, for a first outing, sounds like Westmarcher got the hang of the rules OK :)
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Westmarcher on 08 June 2022, 09:51:38 PM
Happy to participate in your first game and debut of your newly painted Pendraken collection using these rules, Steve.  Good fast play rules so happy to have another outing with them in future. 

Thanks again for your hard work hosting the game, excellent rules tutorial (including paperwork provided before hand) and getting that nice collection of yours completed and ready on time for the game (some featured in this year's painting competition, folks).  All done by a man still recovering from major surgery some 10 weeks before hand. 

Almost feel guilty about winning the game now ...

Almost.    :P 
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: fred. on 08 June 2022, 10:11:37 PM
Sounds like a great game. We've been playing Irregular Wars on and off for a good number of years, and we keep coming back to it. 
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: steve_holmes_11 on 08 June 2022, 10:19:50 PM

QuoteNice write up, Steve, and, for a first outing, sounds like Westmarcher got the hang of the rules OK :)
He is a lot smarter than he lets on.

Completely outwitted my by withdrawing into a concave line/trap, while talking about avoiding the fire of my field gun.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: steve_holmes_11 on 08 June 2022, 10:27:21 PM

QuoteSounds like a great game. We've been playing Irregular Wars on and off for a good number of years, and we keep coming back to it.
I found the rules easy going for a first game.

In general, we aimed for a path of least resistance if something unexpected occurred.
I do intend to read through tomorrow and spot any situations where I may have interpreted things wrongly.

I was a little surprised by the way melees worked out.
2 evenly matched units can go at it for turn after turn creating little but indecisive draws.
Some other match-ups saw such a big point spread that one side could not win, it was more "Hang on and hope the flanking unit arrives".

When the end came, there were 4 wavering units in separate melees quite close together.
A charging elephant scattered the first, and the collapse cascaded across the whole front line.

I am working on more contingents with a view to Portu-geezers and Hollanders fighting all comers around the Indian Ocean.
Some extra business fo Pendraken, and a lot more painting and basing.



Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: fred. on 09 June 2022, 07:53:12 AM

QuoteI found the rules easy going for a first game.

In general, we aimed for a path of least resistance if something unexpected occurred.
I do intend to read through tomorrow and spot any situations where I may have interpreted things wrongly.

That's generally my approach - always seems a read through after a game spots things in the rules that you don't see before playing

QuoteI was a little surprised by the way melees worked out.
2 evenly matched units can go at it for turn after turn creating little but indecisive draws.
Some other match-ups saw such a big point spread that one side could not win, it was more "Hang on and hope the flanking unit arrives".
Yes, similar statted units tend to grind out combats with little damage to each other. Really big differences we find are rare, but the chance to inflict 2 wounds is very satisfying when it comes off. Flanking is the most reliable method of causing damage in the game.

QuoteWhen the end came, there were 4 wavering units in separate melees quite close together.
A charging elephant scattered the first, and the collapse cascaded across the whole front line.
This is very common in the rules - the loss of resolve for broken units, can really cause a cascade of friends routing. There is often the slow chip away of resolve on units, then a sudden break of many units!

I




[/quote]

Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Westmarcher on 09 June 2022, 09:20:31 AM
QuoteHi

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Live Free or Die.
2) What armies were confronted? - British v Rebels. Battle of Bunker Hill.....

The 5th Regiment of Foot's first attempt to storm the redoubt (it failed) with General Howe cheering them on, the Grenadiers are to their left:
(https://i.imgur.com/SOU4ZGu.jpg)


Nice photos, Paul.  :-bd
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: steve_holmes_11 on 09 June 2022, 11:04:18 PM
I wonder whether any of he other Irregular Wars players could help me.

I've re-read the rules, and feel pretty smug that Westmarcher and I got almost all the calls right on our first play.
(An advantage of a short and well written ruleset).

I have been unable to find victory conditions for the "default" battle scenario.

All the others like Ambush, Cattle Raid or Forcing the Gap had a suggested game length and sometimes victory points.
I cannot find anything like that for the straight up battle.

We called our game when Westmarcher's forced had scattered all my side's regulars including the lord's company.
But I can see that a closer engagement might have dragged on for ages.

Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Gwydion on 10 June 2022, 12:34:38 AM
I haven't played Irregular Wars in ages (want to play again now) but I had to dig them out and have a look through to see. You're right (sorry this is no help at all) I can't find any other victory conditions for a straight up fight than in the description: 'two foes whose sole aim is to drive their opponent from the battlefield'.
So I guess that's it, although just below this he does encourage players to devise their own scenarios, and I guess by extension, victory conditions, if you don't want to be slogging it out to the last musket/club.

I'd not noticed before - probably because we always devised scenarios with set objectives - relieve the fort, capture the supply wagons sort of thing.
Thanks for reminding me of a great set of rules though!
Sorry I couldn't find anything either.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Steve J on 30 June 2022, 03:15:20 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Shadow of the Eagles
2) What armies were confronted? - British vs French 1815
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very, even though a while since I last played them.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo.
6) What went well? - The first game I forgot a few things, but the second game pretty much everything worked fine. These are playtest games to get au fait with the rules in advance of a Waterloo game next week.
7) What could have been improved? - Not a lot really as I was trying out various situations to get to know the rules. The second game was a convincing win for the Brits as the French tried to force a ridgeline and were bloodily repulsed.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: paulr on 30 June 2022, 08:26:18 PM
Isn't practicing considered akin to cheating in some circles ;)

A couple of games to get refamiliar with the rules makes a lot of sense to me :)

I look forward to hearing about the Waterloo game
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Steve J on 01 July 2022, 06:21:49 AM
As I will be taking on the role of Wellington, I need to be au fait with the rules as some of the other players will never have played them before. Or you could just say I'm cheating ;)  ;D .
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 01 July 2022, 07:56:43 AM
Quote from: paulr on 30 June 2022, 08:26:18 PMIsn't practicing considered akin to cheating in some circles ;)

A couple of games to get refamiliar with the rules makes a lot of sense to me :)

I look forward to hearing about the Waterloo game

And it ruins the fun  :P
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Ithoriel on 01 July 2022, 09:04:16 AM
"I wouldn't give tuppence for all the rest" :)
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Westmarcher on 21 August 2022, 10:18:05 AM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Honours of War
2) What armies were confronted? - Prussia vs Austria (Seven Years War)
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes, even though a while since we last played them.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Two. Steve Holmes (Prussians) and me (Austrians)
6) What went well? - The whole scenario went quite well (see below)
7) What could have been improved? - Other than perhaps refine the supply wagon rule that we added, not a lot really.

We played C S Grant's "Bridge Demolition" Table Top Teaser. The background was that the Austrians had caught the Prussians off balance and were advancing down two roads towards a vital bridge with the aim of capturing it intact. Meanwhile, a Prussian rear guard with engineer support had arrived with orders to demolish it.

At the start of the game, every Prussian unit was on the field. The only Austrian units were 4 scouting squadrons of hussars.  Austrian reinforcements were expected to arrive at two entry points over the course of the first 6 turns - but, because of the confusion of marching overnight, which units will arrive where, and when, is unknown. This was covered by writing the names of each unit down, shoving them in an envelope and then throwing two D6; one D6 determined the Turn number and the other (odd or even) which entry point. It was like the oscars as we opened the envelopes on each turn.

In our game, the engineers expected to be ready to destroy the bridge by the end of Turn 12. However, to add to the excitement the Prussians had a supply wagon which, if it could arrive with more powder before this, they might be able to destroy the bridge sooner. In another extra rule, we decreed that if the engineers were hit by small arms fire on the bridge, a D6 would be thrown to see if a stray shot would set the charges off!

As host and organiser, I was concerned that the scenario might prove to be a damp squib because, as C S Grant pointed out, the game would have little purpose if it is too easy for either side to achieve their aim so the number of turns chosen to prepare the bridge for demolition was obviously going to be critical. Fortunately, thanks to the author's suggestions, it all worked out well and we had a thoroughly enjoyable game, even though I was beaten yet again by Steve.
[Not fair! They're my toys and I should be allowed to win at least once!  :'(  :P  ]

P.s. If you're a member of the Honours of War forum, a full report with photos has been posted (if you're not a member, why not join just to see some SYW eye-candy in various scales?)

Honours of War Forum (http://honoursofwar.com)
 
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: T13A on 20 September 2022, 06:37:25 PM
Hi

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Age of Honor (Age of Eagles (AoE) derivative) SYW.
2) What armies were confronted? - Prussia vs Austria/Saxons
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? - Flowed pretty well, fortunately the others were familiar with the Fire and Fury rules which these are based on.
7) What could have been improved? Takes quite along time to work through the hand-to-hand die roll modifiers but will come with practice.

A couple of photos:

(https://i.imgur.com/Cz27sEP.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/AJxRDEB.jpg)

Cheers Paul
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: FierceKitty on 21 September 2022, 03:44:58 AM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Iacta Alea Est! with mini-campaign supplement
2) What armies were confronted? - Persian Civil War (Anabasis)
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. Not quite a standard game, however; I deliberately made mistakes to help the game resemble the battle of Cunuxa, and shall be controlling various forces in the next few linked battles.
6) What went well? - Things turned out pretty authentically. If Cyrus had won and become king, it would have been a very brief campaign.
7) What could have been improved? - There was no chocolate cake!
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: T13A on 21 September 2022, 10:21:56 AM
Hi

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Twilight of the Soldier King SYW.
2) What armies were confronted? - Hanoverians/Hessians/Prussians v French (Battle of Krefeld)
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - No. First trial game for all of us.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - yes
5) How many players were in the game? - Four
6) What went well? - Well, I did like the fact that it was harder to unlimber artillery than limber it up.
7) What could have been improved? To be honest these rules were not my cup of tea, I thought several of the game mechanics 'fiddly' and some simply not right. That said we are giving them another go next week.

A couple of photos:

(https://i.imgur.com/270FdVp.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/9nSGmVF.jpg)

Cheers Paul
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: steve_holmes_11 on 21 September 2022, 10:44:22 AM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Irregular Wars
2) What armies were confronted? - Hollanders (Myself) attacking and East Indies Sultanate (Westmarcher)
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes, but got confused with a couple of minor interpretations - next time will be perfect.
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 East Indies infantry were handled superbly.
7) What could have been improved? - Slow setup (Mainly my poor logistics) and the "Sodden ground" chance card really slowing the action.

It's been a very busy couple of weeks since the game, the summary is therefore extremely brief.

A naval landing party pushed inland, while the locals waited in ambush.
The naval guns could not keep up with the advance, so were left with an escort of sailors.
Local elephant forces harried the advance guard with light artillery, while their infantry crouched behind terrain in ambush.

Then the rain came leaving the ground sodden and all terrain rough.

Combat continued, through very slowly.
A flanking move by the Sultan's horse and some tribal scouts eliminated the cannon, their guard and captured the preacher.
The Hollanders defeated the elephants, and the ambushing native infantry won a tough battle against the Hollanders musketeers.

With mobility limited, and both sides badly reduced, the Hollanders marched back to their ships without pursuit.

An attritional draw, rather spoiled by the effects of the sodden ground card.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Raider4 on 21 September 2022, 11:24:48 AM

Quote. . . next time will be perfect . . .

A bold claim!  ;)
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 21 September 2022, 12:25:36 PM
Anmd very unlikley  :d
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Hwiccee on 21 September 2022, 03:51:05 PM
Quote from: T13A on 21 September 2022, 10:21:56 AMTo be honest these rules were not my cup of tea, I thought several of the game mechanics 'fiddly' and some simply not right. That said we are giving them another go next week.


Paul can I ask which mechanics you found 'fiddly'? Also which were not right?
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: T13A on 21 September 2022, 06:22:07 PM
Hi Hwiccee

I hope this can give you an idea of where I am coming from.

Units can be Standard, large, small or tiny each representing approximately 3000 men for a large unit, to 1250 for a tiny unit, but they all have the same 'footprint' on the table. That seems odd to me.

Our 10mm SYW units (Pendraken of course!) have a frontage of approximately 10cms which meant that a 'base width' was 5cms. As a normal infantry move in line is one base width (within 'tactical' distance) that meant a normal move was just 5cms, and that is just moving straight forward. Pretty much any other move including wheeling requires a successful 'action test' (i.e. a die roll and on occasion several, one after the other). Moving in any sort of 'bad going' is half a base width i.e. 2.5cms in our case. There are occasions after combat where units are required to move a quarter of a base width i.e. 12.5mm in our case. There is an example in the rules of a unit with 'standard' mobility having to take 3 separate moves and two action tests to 'oblique' forward one move. I see from the rules that they recommend (kind of) a 'base width' of 6cms, but even if we had used that I do not think it would have made any material difference, to me that all felt 'fiddly'.

When moving into contact with an enemy unit the move can only be in a straight line (no wheeling etc.) and an 'action test' is required. Units are then moved so that they align exactly with the unit they are opposing (which unit actually moves to align depends on whether it is infantry or cavalry). Any units in 'rear support' from either side can also be moved to align with the unit they are supporting (and as far as I can see this can be any number of units in line one behind the other). The above means that you can easily have the situation that a unit moving forward into contact with an enemy unit that just 'clips' the very end of the opposing unit, successfully contacts it, and then either they or their opponents are moved bodily to conform/align with each other, moving a considerable distance from where the initial contact was made. That just does not feel right to me.

When a 'wing' (i.e. left, centre, right, reserve etc.) loses half or more of its units it has to take a morale test. Fair enough, but as far as I can see in the rules the strength of a 'wing' cannot change during a game. I can understand that the units in a 'corps' in the Napoleonic period (for example) might not change during a battle but I'm pretty sure that there were times in the Seven Years War period when a 'wing' was sent reinforcements of a number of battalions and or squadrons from another part of the field and thereby changing the original strength of the wing. Doesn't feel very Seven Years War 'ish' to me.

The above are the main issues I personally had with the rules as written, and as I mentioned we are planning on giving them another go next week. As this was our first outing with the rules I am sure we got some things wrong and I would be happily corrected if any of the above is wrong.

Cheers Paul
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 22 September 2022, 07:20:00 AM
Quote from: paulr on 30 June 2022, 08:26:18 PMIsn't practicing considered akin to cheating in some circles ;)


No but as I said before it ruins the fun !
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Hwiccee on 23 September 2022, 10:40:13 AM
Paul,

Thanks for your detailed reply. I know the system so I will try to explain the idea behind the things you mention.

I think the first thing to mention is that in these rules a 'unit' is a brigade of many battalions and squadrons which are often the units in other rules. This means you can do big battles easily but also means that you do somethings differently to rules that us a battalion as a unit. For example the first thing you mention.

QuoteUnits can be Standard, large, small or tiny each representing approximately 3000 men for a large unit, to 1250 for a tiny unit, but they all have the same 'footprint' on the table. That seems odd to me.
The idea here is that a unit's footprint represents the area occupied by the battalions/squadrons represented but also the gaps between them for manoeuvre, smaller bits of terrain not worth putting on the table, etc. It is in effect the 'footprint' of a portion of the army's front. Whether a game unit is Standard/Small/Large represents how many troops are put into this area and not always the frontage of the units involved.

You also need this as in reality a single battalion would face up to a single opposing battalion even if the two are of different real sizes.
QuoteOur 10mm SYW units (Pendraken of course!) have a frontage of approximately 10cms which meant that a 'base width' was 5cms. As a normal infantry move in line is one base width (within 'tactical' distance) that meant a normal move was just 5cms, and that is just moving straight forward. Pretty much any other move including wheeling requires a successful 'action test' (i.e. a die roll and on occasion several, one after the other). Moving in any sort of 'bad going' is half a base width i.e. 2.5cms in our case. There are occasions after combat where units are required to move a quarter of a base width i.e. 12.5mm in our case. There is an example in the rules of a unit with 'standard' mobility having to take 3 separate moves and two action tests to 'oblique' forward one move. I see from the rules that they recommend (kind of) a 'base width' of 6cms, but even if we had used that I do not think it would have made any material difference, to me that all felt 'fiddly'.
The movement rules are intend to reflect the realities of linear warfare and unfortunately this is often not the case in other rules. So moving straight forward in the open is easy, doing anything else is difficult and/or risky.

You are right that infantry only move 5cm, in line, in your set up but they can make multiple moves in a turn if they wish. The Commanders can use their skill points to potentially give extra moves. Plus you might want to risk going in march column and/or using roads. Clearly moving through areas of bad going are going to slow so 'Line' units should, as in reality, avoid them or at worst go through in march column and on a road if possible.
The ¼ BW move is really just move the minimum so there is a gap between the opposing units. The exact distance doesn't effect anything.

On the action tests and manoeuvre the reality was that in linear warfare for most standard troops manoeuvring was, as mentioned, difficult and/or risky. Again something that is not often reflected in rules. Most rules allow too much manoeuvrability for this era and, for example, moving oblique forward was not to be undertaken lightly for most units. The example you mention is to show a possible sequence to try to do this but is really saying it is only to be undertaken when you are desperate & is likely to fail. But again Commanders can help here as they can give extra chances to pass action tests or give extra moves.
Generally though the early moves in a game should be fairly quickly done as units move into position, although this probably wouldn't be the case in early games you play. Similarly players should soon realise that, like in reality, you should stay in line and doing something else is a risk. You should find that the first moves will be quick as the units make simple moves and most games will take 3 to 4 hours.

QuoteWhen moving into contact with an enemy unit the move can only be in a straight line (no wheeling etc.) and an 'action test' is required. Units are then moved so that they align exactly with the unit they are opposing (which unit actually moves to align depends on whether it is infantry or cavalry). Any units in 'rear support' from either side can also be moved to align with the unit they are supporting (and as far as I can see this can be any number of units in line one behind the other). The above means that you can easily have the situation that a unit moving forward into contact with an enemy unit that just 'clips' the very end of the opposing unit, successfully contacts it, and then either they or their opponents are moved bodily to conform/align with each other, moving a considerable distance from where the initial contact was made. That just does not feel right to me.

This is partly practical game reasons and partly to reflect normal practice. So in reality if the units are basically coming from the front, you don't do this if the come from the flank/rear, then as they advanced they would face up 1 to 1 against there opponents. If they didn't do this then they were basically potentially giving the opponent a free open flank to attack. So while the on table move is straight ahead the individual battalions/squadrons will be 'angling across' to confront the opposing battalions/squadrons & stop non confronted enemy units from having a golden opportunity.

As far as the game is concerned you could just leave the units where they are and assume that the frontline battalions/squadrons have matched up but leave all the rest in place. Yet this then creates other problems like what if the supporting lines are now in the way. This is a problem with having brigades as units and this is a solution to this.

So think of this as the units show the general area the battalions/squadrons are operating in and the moves show the general direct. But if you could 'zoom in' to see the battalions/squadrons then they would be doing different things – like drifting. It is a similar idea with 'combat'. When 2 units are in contact the individual battalions/squadrons are not all in melee. Some might be but some will but it is assumed to be a series of actions that includes individual battalions/squadrons firing, resting, rallying, pursuing/being pursued, etc.

QuoteWhen a 'wing' (i.e. left, centre, right, reserve etc.) loses half or more of its units it has to take a morale test. Fair enough, but as far as I can see in the rules the strength of a 'wing' cannot change during a game. I can understand that the units in a 'corps' in the Napoleonic period (for example) might not change during a battle but I'm pretty sure that there were times in the Seven Years War period when a 'wing' was sent reinforcements of a number of battalions and or squadrons from another part of the field and thereby changing the original strength of the wing. Doesn't feel very Seven Years War 'ish' to me.
I think generally that Napoleonic armies are a lot more flexible than SYW armies. This was why 'Corps' were used and also there is more promotion on merit than in earlier times. So I would say doing this is at least as difficult as in Napoleonic times and probably a lot more difficult.
I am also struggling to think of any occasions when this actually happened in the SYW. That doesn't mean it didn't but I can't think of an occasion – can you think of one?

It is fairly common in games that units or groups of units are switched from one location to another. Ideally these will be some kind of 'Command or Wing' but could be just an individual unit/individual units. Often it is a good idea, if you can, to move a senior commander, the Army Commander perhaps, to help with this move.

In any case assuming it happened I think it is OK to swap 'wings' with a unit if you want to. There would have to be a procedure. So perhaps a Commander would have to use one of his 'command points' to switch the unit/units. They would then take an action test and if hey pass they are 'switched'. The Wing break values should then be recalculated.

QuoteThe above are the main issues I personally had with the rules as written, and as I mentioned we are planning on giving them another go next week. As this was our first outing with the rules I am sure we got some things wrong and I would be happily corrected if any of the above is wrong.

I hope I have helped a little with your issues and I do think that if you play more then it will make more sense. The rules are a little different to most others and do take a few games for players to 'get it'. That said of course no one set of rules is going to be liked by everyone ☹
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Chad on 23 September 2022, 11:25:57 AM
Nick & Paul

I hope you won't mind a small comment. I think one of the issues Paul is finding (and I may be wrong) is switching from a battalion based game to a brigade based game. For example, units in Soldier King will generally represent about 4 battalions in line abreast. So to wheel the brigade means that the battalion on the relevant flank will in effect have further to move than the battalions inside it. Add to that will be the need to maintain a solid front of the 4 battalions and dress lines. The need for an action test becomes a reflection of the difficulty of performing such a difficult task for a brigade as a whole. The same criteria are applicable to moving obliquely reflecting the difficulty of performing such a manouevre by 4 battalions simultaneously.

Hope that helps.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: T13A on 23 September 2022, 05:46:25 PM
Hi Nick and Chad

Nick - many thanks for the detailed reply above.

Just for the record I have been playing 'brigade level' wargames (including ones that have different unit 'footprints' depending on the numbers represented) since the early 1990's (at least, and wargaming in general since the 1960's) so 'switching from a battalion based game to a brigade based game' is hardly an issue.

Regarding the difficulty of moving troops in line, I take your point (and I personally have a certain amount of prartical experience, as my ex-Sargeant Major can attest to  :-X ), but that in itself does not mean that the method used on the wargames table to represent that has to be 'fiddly' to use my term.

Quotebut they can make multiple moves in a turn if they wish

This may well be an area that we got wrong, we were under the impression that units could only make more than one move by using the 'skill level rating' of a  general. Grateful if you could clarify the point.

Cheers Paul

 
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Hwiccee on 24 September 2022, 04:55:14 PM
Paul,

Quote from: T13A on 23 September 2022, 05:46:25 PMRegarding the difficulty of moving troops in line, I take your point (and I personally have a certain amount of prartical experience, as my ex-Sargeant Major can attest to  :-X ), but that in itself does not mean that the method used on the wargames table to represent that has to be 'fiddly' to use my term.


Ah so you have experience of this. The thing to bear in mind is that at this time they are just starting to do the kind of marching that is standard now. So in the game the 'Improved Mobility' guys are capable of doing something like you would have done. In most cases not as well or with as many techniques, procedures, etc. So probably not as efficiently as you managed and of course you would probably doing this kind of stuff on a nice level parade ground. They would be doing it over bumpy muddy fields with odd rocks, trees, bushes, etc in - not to mention people shooting at them and smoke everywhere. The 'Standard Mobility' units wouldn't even have many of the techniques, etc, you had and many of the things you used to manoeuvre were literally not in their drill book.

It must have been a nightmare, even compared to modern drill :)

On the 'fiddly' hopefully this will disappear after a few games.

QuoteThis may well be an area that we got wrong, we were under the impression that units could only make more than one move by using the 'skill level rating' of a  general. Grateful if you could clarify the point.



Yes that is right.

In any case I hope you enjoy the next game you play more.


All the best,


Nick
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: T13A on 26 September 2022, 04:40:20 PM
Hi

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Live Free or Die, AWI.
2) What armies were confronted? - British vs Rebels. Battle of Harlem Heights.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Pretty much, now have some answers from the authors where the rules were a bit ambiguous.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo.
6) What went well? - Despite being a relatively simple set of rules (only 4 pages) they give a good 'feel (IMHO) for the period. Very enjoyable game.
7) What could have been improved? The British light infantry were rubbish despite being elite (must have been on the bottle the night before)!  ;)

Some photos:

(https://i.imgur.com/sJe4Ghp.jpg)
British Light infantry being 'flanked' by rebel riflemen.

(https://i.imgur.com/OfyZ0jg.jpg)
The 'gallant Forty-Twa! Apologies for being a bit out of focus.

(https://i.imgur.com/ThsPfm7.jpg)
His Majesty's 33rd Regiment of foot with a battalion of combined Grenadiers in column behind.

(https://i.imgur.com/K7PGPrq.jpg)
Rebels! The Hudson River in the distance behind the trees and keeping a lookout for low flying aircraft!

Cheers Paul
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Steve J on 26 September 2022, 04:59:24 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Black Powder II with Glory Hallelujah! supplements tweaks.
2) What armies were confronted? - Ruskian vs Ruthenia, mid 19thC imaginations.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Pretty much,but a bit rusty in places as it's been a while since we played.
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 Ruthenia defence of a redoubt and wheat field, where two regiments and an artillery battery held off two Brigades for around 4-5 Turns. Very enjoyable game too.
7) What could have been improved? - Not a lot really as we enjoyed ourselves. Ruskian die rolls could have been better early on though.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: paulr on 01 October 2022, 08:16:39 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Big Battle DBA
2) What armies were confronted? - Two II/32a Later Carthaginian & one II/9a Syracuse in Sicily v two II/33 Polybian Roman & one II/11 Gallic
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes, but we hadn't played them since May
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Four
6) What went well? - A very tight enjoyable game
7) What could have been improved? - The initial charge by the Gallic cavalry

3 Gallic cavalry charged 2 Carthagian cavalry and a Numidian light horse. Expected result some recoiled elements and maybe killing the light horse. Actual result, 2 dead Gallic cavalry leaving their cavalry General facing 2 Carthagian cavalry and a Numidian light horse :o :o X_X With the support of a couple of Roman Equites he managed to survive until the end of the game, unlike his warband
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Steve J on 03 October 2022, 11:50:17 AM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Black Powder II with Glory Hallelujah! amendments
2) What armies were confronted? - 19thC ImagiNations Europe.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Getting back into them after a break, but pretty happy so far.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo.
6) What went well? - For a quickly knocked together game, not bad at all.
7) What could have been improved? - Both sides shooting was poor at times. Still not sure on a few rules, but all will become clearer after more games.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: collegialhoagie on 10 October 2022, 12:55:28 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Gå På Wargames Rules for the age of Marlborough, Eugene and Charles XII, 2nd ed.
2) What armies were confronted? - Swedish vs Danish
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Reasonably, I've had a decent readthrough of the rules in advance, and have "rolled through" out different aspects of the mechanics.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - Yes
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo.
6) What went well? - Two things I really enjoyed; the "command & control mechanics make for a game in itself, and are very enjoyable. I also really liked how the ebbs and flows of cavalry vs cavlary combat turned out(charges, counter-charges, a lull in hte fighting so the commanders can try to redress the ranks and try again). Plays very well for solo play fwiw
7) What could have been improved? A few situations got pretty complex rules-wise, had to go through certain aspects but will be a lesser problem next time I play them.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: paulr on 10 October 2022, 07:16:38 PM
A link to the pictures of the above game for those who missed it in collegialhoagie's project thread
https://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,21641.msg348427.html#msg348427 (https://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,21641.msg348427.html#msg348427)
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: pierre the shy on 15 October 2022, 09:22:36 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - For King and Parliament
2) What armies were confronted? - Scots Royalists vs Covenanters in a refight of the Battle of Kilsyth 15th August 1645.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very, including the Celtic Fringe add ons we are playing with
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - 4
6) What went well? - I spent a fair amount of time researching and writing up this scenario, and I think I have captured the essence of the battle pretty well. A BIG thanks has to goes to DGuy (Bill Linhart) for his excellent terrain map drawn in FK&P terms (i.e. fitted to a grid).
7) What could have been improved? thought I had relabelled everything but missed one of the Irish regiments  :-[

We started this game last night and will finish it at our next session in a couple of weeks, so I will do a proper write up once its finished. So far the odds are fairly even, though Balcarres' cavalry brigade has been roughly handled by Nathaniel Gordon's Brigade, much to Lester's (the Gordon brigade commander) delight as he is of Gordon descent himself  :) 
 
However we left the game at the stage where MacColla's highland brigade are about ready to charge into Ballie's Covenanter infantry line.....and of course I'm looking after Ballie's brigade and the reserve line of untried Fifeshire militia...oh @#*%  ;D
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: steve_holmes_11 on 26 October 2022, 05:49:07 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Irregular Wars
2) What armies were confronted? - Rajputs attacking Mughals
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes, almost everything ran smoothly, though we forgot to roll for commander casualties on a regular basis.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Two, myself and Westmarcher.
6) What went well? - We managed two fairly quick games in a single afternoon.
7) What could have been improved? Random events took a vice like grip on either game.



Westmarcher and I decided to try a more cavalry oriented run out with Irregular Wars, so picked Rajputs (with fierce lancers) against Mughals (with classic Lance and bow cavalry).
Some randomisation at the beginning assigned Westmarcher the Rajputs on the attack.
I laid out a table with minimal terrain.

The force selection dice gave us both rather small contingents. 
The Disease and Mishap phase then played havoc with the Rajput force.
They were weakened to a point where the first shot of the Mughal cannon scattered two units and caused two more to waver, as morale collapsed.
The remaining Rajputs launched a couple of half-hearted attacks, but the game was over before our tea break.

We decided to change sides and armies, using the same troops for the replay (This saved a lot of setup time).
Disease and mishaps saw the Rajput commander set off on a death of glory ride at the Mughal line, with a few other units making shorted uncontrolled advances.
The commander slammed into the Mughal cannon, but was enveloped on each flank, and then the rear - going down fighting as his force tried to react.
A classic morale collapse followed, as units lost resolve through seeing their commander slain, and then having near neighbours flee.


I certainly enjoyed both games and attempting to resolve the slings and arrows that random events threw our way.

We have now played 4 (or 5 or 6) games of Irregular Wars and the defenders have won each time.
There's certainly a friction penalty for the force attempting to advance on a well-set defender.
We are contemplating skewing the odds a little by giving the defender 4 force picks and the attacker five.


Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: paulr on 26 October 2022, 07:17:42 PM
Definitely sounds as if the odds need skewing, the classic rule of thumb is the attacker needs a 3:1 ratio for a successful attack
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Gwydion on 26 October 2022, 08:05:20 PM
3:1 is certainly an oft quoted rule of thumb for modern era (effective rifles, infantry hugging the ground) warfare but I don't think it was required or often achieved in black powder and earlier battles.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Steve J on 27 October 2022, 12:48:50 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - BKCII.
2) What armies were confronted? - British vs Germans 1944.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo.
6) What went well? - The Churchill Crocodile flamethrower which was devastating and a game changer.
7) What could have been improved? - If I'd been a bit more with it after the Covid & Flue jabs would have helped.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: Steve J on 27 October 2022, 12:51:26 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Black Powder II with Glory Hallelujah! supplement.
2) What armies were confronted? - Abdul the Abulbul Emir vs Count Ivan Skavinsky Skavar.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo.
6) What went well? - The Emir's early advance and some amazing morale saves allowed them to win the game.
7) What could have been improved? - Both sides shooting.
Title: Re: What the last rules set you played in 2022
Post by: steve_holmes_11 on 24 November 2022, 01:12:19 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? - Honours of War
2) What armies were confronted? - Prussians (Westmarcher) and Austrians (Myself)
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes, I regard this as the game where our rules knowledge "clicked" referring to the rulebook for just two obscure situations.
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? - Excellent scenario that brought both armies into contact quickly.
7) What could have been improved? - Both sides rolling "dithering" commanders for their Cuirassier brigades.


We fought over a town and control of a nearby bridge.
The Austrians won the foot race to seize the town, and were subsequently blasted out of it by well handled Prussian infantry and artillery.

The Prussians maintained a cohesive infantry force in the centre, while the Austrians failed to take advantage of a cavalry advantage on a wing.
The Austrians compounded this error by leaving their howitzer in the rear to lob mostly harmless shells.
The Prussian tactic of wheeling their guns into cannister range to win the firefight proved far more effective.

I mentioned above that we now know the rules.
At least one of us is still seeking effective strategies to use his army.