Trying new rules with a new scenario book

Started by Leman, 27 September 2021, 10:01:25 AM

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Leman

I have just bought Musketry Like Thunder 2, from Wargame Vault. This is a set of 11 imaginary ACW scenarios. I will use them for the ACW, but I was mainly attracted to them as it stated that the initial forces and setup could be adjusted, and furthermore they could be used with other periods, with a little imagination. The first scenario is very small and it was suggested it could be used as an introductory game for a new wargamer or a try out for a new set of rules. I decided to use it with Field of Battle 3, which I hadn't yet played, and set it in the FPW. Here is the map as presented for the ACW:



I changed the farm to a walled chateau and did away with the fencing down the road. Two brigades with artillery support are simultaneously sent out by their respective army commanders to make contact with, and ascertain the strength and location of the enemy forces. The units are pretty much the same, so I replaced the Union brigade with three Prussian line units, a unit of jaegers and a battery of Krupp 4pdrs. The French (confederates) got three units of line, a unit of chasseurs and a battery of 4lb rifle muzzle loaders supported by mitrailleuse. Initial positions were as follows:



Using the system of Piquet cards that come with the game I found it played smoothly and quickly as a solo game. The Prussians were lucky to get a 3 segment move to start with, and they were able to get into line as the dice roll was even. The Krupps guns deployed on the small hill and caused damage to the French battery, but the mitrailleuse escaped this and was able to catch one Prussian unit in the flank as it was attempting to deploy from march into line. Enough damage on an even roll was caused that the Prussians fled in panic. but that was the end of any French luck. Over the next few card turns the jaegers attacked the mitrailleuse in the flank and overran it. Two of the French march columns were only able to roll odd dice on their move card and were caught in rear by the Jaegers, who had been able to form attack column, and the third French line unit was sent packing by two Prussian line units in the shelter of the chateau and its neighbouring wood using schnellfeuer. At this point the French chasseurs thought melting back into the woods might be the best option.

In conclusion I was pleased with the adaptability of a very inexpensive, but well produced, scenario book, and with the very streamlined systems used in FoB3. For solo play FoB3 will work very well with small/medium battalion sized battles so I will be able to get a lot of use out of them. For biggish affairs though it will be back to the likes of BBB and Altar of Freedom.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

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Westmarcher

An interesting small action there, Andy!  :-bd

How much better do you find FoB3 over FoB2?  I hardly ever get the opportunity to play FoB2 so it seems uneconomical to buy the 3rd edition if there's not that great an improvement and I'm not going to play it very often.
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.

Leman

I found it good for solo play as it seems to be a bit smoother and is more flexible, with some specialist cards that are quite vague, so you can determine what they signify before the game starts. However, if you are unlikely to play it that much you may as well stick with 2. In general I find the system is great for solo and also smaller battalion level actions. I doubt it would work for me as a solo set with more than 15 or so units per side.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

Nick the Lemming

Nice! Are the other scenarios larger in scale compared to this one?

Leman

Yes, they gradually get bigger, with the last requiring an 8x5 table using 15mm figures with Johnny REB or Regimental F&F. I am currently using 10mm FPW at full scale, but for some of the medium sized games I would be inclined to drop to 2/3 scale. In my current game I have the armies on the opposite side of the game board, have given the units randomly generated stats, including the commanders, and also ignored the roll even/odd nonsense to speed up play. This has generated a much more interesting game, especially as the incident card caused the entire French command to rush forward and engage in melee. Next I will see what happens when two cavalry brigades clash.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!