Great Plains scenario completed against Mike with my Romans coming out victorious despite a suicidal light cavalry charge (I tried surrounding Cartho leader with a HC unit but got stuffed).
Now its on to the last of the scenario booklet games: Zama 202BC but I do have another 7 scenarios from C3i for us to try (I only own base game).
End on the Great Plains
Game at mine today with Stephen and decided to give Valour & Fortitude rules an outing using my Prussians against his French circa 1813/14.
We tried 400 point forces and used GDB again to generate terrain which worked fine.
Been a while since we used V&F and not sure we have tried latest version (but no radical changes).
Enjoyable test of rules that certainly play very smoothly as written, and being very much a broad brush and fast play style set.
Very liberal movement system (even more so than BP) but works along with Actions Phase and shooting/melee all easy to adjudicate.
Units stats feel pretty much as per BP but nice addition of the Army Traits and card deck Special Abilities.
Of course couple of things we decided to house rule re Light Infantry, Heavy Guns and some Skirmish Shooting, but really only minor tinkering.
Decent set of rules at really good price.
I was on defending Union side with Mike and Ian and facing a large Rebel force under Andy, Ivan, Simon and later Bryn.
Great game it was too with plenty of action all across the board.
Mike took initial Union forces deployed around Snodgrass Farm and ridge line with Ian and I controlling oncoming reserve Brigades.
Hard pressed he was too as scenario special rule had his forces facing possible confusion/friendly fire (literally blue on blue) when attempting to fire on Kershaws Rebel Brigade (under Andy) as being dressed in blue uniforms historically caused problems for Federal chaps.
Simon commanded following Reb Division on Andy's left with Ivan sweeping further left with 2 Divisions and Bryn bring further Division on as reserve to rear.
I controlled a Division supporting Mikes left and Ian another Division on his right.
A ding dong engagement soon developed all along the Union lines which ended up in a right angled formation.
I managed to break a Brigade of Andys which thereby forced Bryn to commit Reb reserves to face my lot.
Ian suffered horrendous losses with several broken Brigades as he faced superior numbers of Ivans Rebs, whilst Mike held on as long as possible around Snodgrass before being forced back.
A broken Brigade on my flank meant any forward progress by Union was stymied and our right flank was totally collapsing so Union called it a day (ie referee told is we were duffed).
It was a bloody affair with numerous broken Brigades on both sides.
Black Powder would not often be my first choice but it mostly certainly works for these large multi-player games.
Action near end as Union push on left at zenith and right wing under intense pressure, with central Division pushed back from Snodgrass Hill
Of course several other games at club and of course as usual I saw little of these or outcomes
Dave P and Adam played a 20mm Late War East Front WW2 game using Battlegroup with some lovely toys on display
A Sharp Practice 28mm game run by Jeremy D with several participants
A 28mm game of Lion Rampant run by Leslie with Phil and others
And last but not least a Battle Tech game with Charlie and co
We also tried the newer Skirmishing rules (almost a complete re-write) which does away with skirmisher screens (now just a single dice roll at longer range ala Valour & Fortitude) and amends formation widths and numbers of dice used by Light Infantry in skirmish and in fact we simplified it further.
We tried to accommodate the Grenadier trait from GDA by making Light Infantry Superior/Regular (superior for Training which includes moving and firing but regular for Motivation) but this did not quite work as intended as Superior a rather more powerful effect in SOTE.
With hindsight we would restrict the Superior status to truly Elite units with Grenadiers/Young Guard as Regular/Superior which would enhance their melee and morale but not training attributes.
Hits in system are very debilitating to units as you cannot rally off last 2 and whilst carry hits (up to being weakened) does not effect firing it has massive effect on melee as you count total losses suffered not just those in the current combat.
So a unit entering melee with 2 or 3 hits if enemy has none or 1 is pretty crippling as generally they would lose combat and fall back (with a further hit).
Two attack columns managing to contact a line seemed to favour the columns as Line spreads melee hits across two targets but suffers all losses leading to line suffering greater loss overall and Falling Back
This seemed especially tough on cavalry who cannot shoot and rely on melee, but maybe in SOTE we need to better husband mounted arm for later in game ?
Foot in Line seemed in little danger from mounted with no real need for square (unless of course foot are inferior)
Certainly makes things decisive but maybe a bit harsher than we are used to and the rules do play quickly and systems are generally easy to understand.
Plan is to re-try V&F next
Finished up Ilipa scenario with Mike from our Vassal Campaign with my Romans coming out on top in short order.
Such a playable system that works well on Vassal in Pbem mode
Mike never really get off the mark and early loss of his Elephants (to my lights shooting) for no gain was painful.
Now onto next (penultimate) scenario entitled Great Plains 203BC
Dave P (https://www.facebook.com/p/David-Pentland-Art-100063262537233/ ) is well known in wargaming circles for his military artwork with several gracing the pages of Battlegroup series of WW2 rules and box art of the associated PSC plastic kits amongst many others.
Great artwork on display including a few I had not seen before (mainly aircraft related)
Not wanting to steal his thunder so no pics of actual paintings as such.
Exhibition in large room in library nicely spaced out
One of a couple of model displays (this one of Wittman's Tiger at Villers Bocage accompanying Dave's painting of same and a book collection of his Tank art)
Start up screen from original game
There was a small catalogue of his work (Cranston Fine Arts) and I saw this little ditty re an IRA bomb incident in Belfast back in 1991 at which I was on duty and in attendance and which brought back a few memories (I was behind the Opera House at further end of Glengall Street when device detonated) .
Had I have known I could have sat for him, clothed or nude at his discretion !!!
