Field Of Battle 2 (a sighting thereof)

Seem to have been waiting for this pre-ordered set of rules for eons but now a cover picture has appeared so they must be real and hopefully at chez Steiner very soon !
Sad to say first thing I will do upon arrival is open them and sniff (I kid you not) fresh ink/print a whiff of sheer wargamers bliss.....................................
Amazing how publication of new rules gets me all giddy like a girl I really must grow up someday............. not !!!!

Last Argument Of Kings SYW Battle

Another SYW game today this time using Black Powder and its supplement Last Argument Of Kings. Usual Russian versus Prussian bash. Stephen had actually read the rules (in contrast to myself) and had listed options for troops and new rules to be aware of (we stuck with our standard house rule of having Shooting Phase first in turn sequence). We used half measurements but even so on our 6' x 4' table with 15mm figures mounted could go a whopping 27" with 3 moves (we will try 1/3 measurements next time) Not much thought (ie time) devoted to scenario set up so we just threw out terrain (too restrictive in hindsight) . I fielded 6 Brigades (2 Mtd & 4 Inf) against 5 Prussian Brigades (2 Mtd & 4 Inf). We both advanced Mounted Brigades on my left and this developed into a swirling morass with both sides ending bruised and battered.

Russian Hussars won a major battle honour as they saw off a unit of Dragoons (saved 5 hits suffered and inflicted 4 out of 5 with 6 dice thrown whilst Stephen failed to save any !!) and an enemy Hussar unit which initially pushed them back but came of worst after Sweeping Advance (ie follow up), Huzza !! indeed......

Not much occurred elsewhere as Artillery ineffectual for both sides and Prussians (we gave foot Superbly Drilled, Steady and Platoon Fire) retired after initial advance as they felt unable to deal with solid Russian Infantry (they had Steady and Valiant). Supported units in BP are tough to beat frontally if steady which seems fine. Armies quite evenly matched compared to other sets we have used although Freddie does get a nice command bonus (essentially some extra order roll attempts).

A very playable and quick system that flows nice and smoothly. I f we use rules again we must devote more effort to scenario or pre-game preparations.

Prussians deploy

Russians line up in opposition 

Prussian Mounted Brigade on their left

Prussian Foot Brigade with Grenadiers to fore

Russian Infantry Brigades arrayed

Artillery shoots in center

Cavalry melee on Russian left with heroic Russian Hussars about to see off Dragoons on left

   

Prussian mounted retired battered (Russians similarly bruised)

Die Fighting SYW action again

Another game using Die Fighting with our Seven Years War Russian and Prussian armies as Stephens' brother John came along and wanted to see Die Fighting in action. I generated the terrain and the scenario using Command Piquet system which saw fairly standard deployments but with Russians losing 2 units prior to game but Prussians having to deploy first. A very enjoyable game as ever with Ivans running out of dice in the end (rather too many actions attempted as I tried to show John how rules work). Prussians had rather decent commanders (generating some 30+ leader dice and Superior CinC)) but poor old Ivans a rather lamer bunch (a mere 17 leader dice and an Inept CinC) and combined with usual higher Command Divisor (we used 3 for ubermensch vis standard 4 for Ivans) and control over phase cards the Prussians command and control was much more effective (which seemed perfectly fine). John seemed to like the system although same initial comments as ourselves regarding 'bloodless' nature of combat and resource management being key. We allowed Leader dice to be used in Melee Defence and limited losses to maximum of initial value of units. The losses limit is probably enough in fact as one less likely to pile several leader dice into a combat if maximum dice loss one can inflict is thus limited. New Volgodski units managed to survive (mainly due to limited action with Inept sub-commander in charge).

Prussians line up in good defensive terrain (look at all those leader dice !!!)

Russians in more open half (spotting leader dice a tad harder and not because they are blue !)

Prussians deploy in town

Russian Cavalry massing

Prussian Brigades deploy in center 

Russian Infantry on left wing 

Prussian Infantry about to take hill position

Watched by Ivan

And voila the hill is quickly in Prussian hands

Ongoing Cavalry engagement on Russian right

Prussian center

Russian Infantry advance and suffer from Artillery fire

New SYW Russian Units

Just finished up two more Russian Infantry units (Volgodski Regimental Standards) which is last (hopefully....ha ha ha) of a project thats been ongoing for 10+ years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope to blood them in game planned for this coming Saturday which is of course a sure fire method of seeing them suffer complete annihilation and humiliation.........................................

Next up are two more Prussian units of Landwehr Cavalry (24 figures) for Lasalle then the plan is to get stuck into the Peter Pig AWI British Army pack that awaits.
Intention is to get these finished (or at least bulk thereof) by mid-November as its hopefully annual jaunt to Warfare Show in Reading where 'new projects/periods' plans are usually hatched.






As ever poorly lit photos (although I did try using flash for one pic as someone suggested)

Is it just me or has the flash made the drummer to rear of central stand look decidedly evil (click to enlarge pic) ? I wont sleep tonight now !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Also tried to give this unit a more dusty campaign look but may have overdone on figs on right stand ?

Book Purchases

Was in Scotland for couple of weeks (work related as such) but managed to obtain a few wargaming related items on trip to Glasgow (which has couple of gaming and modelling shops) including some paints, trees and a few books.

Also upon return this had arrived (just when I will get reading all of these is open to question !)

FOG Renaissance Later German Catholic vs French

Back to fray after busy few weeks away and working with a FOG R game using a Later Catholic army against Stephen's French (he had painted up a few new command figures and wanted to give them an outing so he choose game). Another very enjoyable encounter.
I had several average units of Pike & Shot (Tercios gone by this period in lists) arrayed behind some field fortifications as they are tad under powered against the French foot which are Impact rated. As French also held back centrally therefore and with two artillery batteries in centre also this meant battle was fought on both wings amidst quite a bit of terrain.
On my left I deployed 2 Kurassier units combined with Commanded Shot and two units of lesser Reiters which came up against French Determined Horse units with three units of Dragoons and later a couple of Pike & Shot units. One unit of Reiters were decimated by Dragoons (two unlucky death rolls saw unit auto-break) and I had to then shuffle about to fill gap as French came on to try to exploit success through a vineyard. This wing was under severe pressure at game end with both Reiters gone, one Kurassier in Rout and the other in melee but in danger on its flank.
On my right wing I advanced my Tratischer (sword and buckler types) supported by Dragoons and Schutzen (Light Inf) revealing two ambushing units of enemy horse. My Tratischer gloriously charged a Pike & Shot unit (first time I have ever managed to get them into contact in a game !) and trounced it and also saw off a unit of Horse. Their victories were tarnished somewhat though in post match analysis (ie waffling session) as I realised the unit should have had only four bases not the six I fielded (got confused over order of march number vis strength....at least that's my excuse).  The Dragoons were destroyed but supporting Schutzen had inflicted damage and fragmented another unit of French Horse.
We had to call time with my Imperialists on 10 attrition points (15 needed) and French on 5 (I think 16 needed) so a 'winning draw' for French declared.

Imperial foot behind their defences

French Horse on their right

French center

Imperial Kurassier and Commanded Shot

Imperial left wing

Tratischer threatened by French Horse (after having destroyed enemy Pike & Shot unit)

French at start

French using vineyard to move against Imperial left

French ambushes revealed on Imperial right

Imperial left moves forward