Field Of Battle 3 - Weissenfels scenario (and a purchase)

Game with Stephen today using GDA scenario Weissenfels with French attacking Russians across river and my always favoured Field Of Battle rules.

This is a rather tough task for French as only three crossing points (two bridges and a ford) for non-skirmishers despite having greater numbers of troops.

I did launch several 'Forcing A Passage' attacks but all were initially beaten off with several of my units being routed (Stephens melee dice were pretty good) including my best unit the Baden Dragoons !

I did eventually manage to take the two bridges but Army Morale losses were such that my morale pool had dwindled and I quit the field on first eligible Army Morale roll (Russians had 5 Morale remaining out of 21 with 3 'gifted' by French from their 30)

As usual with FOB this was a slick fast playing game full of incident and key rolls, not much manouvre due to the choke points but still good stuff and completed in reasonable playing time.

Baden Dragoons routing back across bridge after nasty Russian musketry, they did rally but Infantry had taken bridge by then so took no further part in proceedings.

French Legere unit skirmishing at river (it took ages to get them across)

All three crossings contested but still in Russian hands

To Force A Passage (if Russians defending bridge exit) French had to form into March Column but were allowed to charge into contact (normally disallowed to March Columns) 

French foot in all sorts of traffic jams until a crossing can be captured

Overview from French right

French forming for another assault

Another unit repulsed at second bridge (Artillery support unable to effect enemy)

More routing French as Russian artillery battery arrives

A tough nut to crack

French never made much headway at the ford despite several attempts, the Jager here were very tough

Cossacks on Russian left forced to retire as a small French battery engaged them. Their Leader went Hors De Combat at one point but they did their job holding off my skirmishers (I do not allow units in skirmish to come within 1 move segment of mounted) 

And a final birthday purchase (61 yikes !!!!!) arrived as well.

Will I play them who knows but nice to have a lite option for skirmish level games.

  

Ulster Wargames Society - Battle Of Tsushima and more

Society meeting today and I took part in a very engrossing naval game (not a genre I have played much at all) with Battle of Tsushima 1905 set up by Dave T using his very nice 1/24000th fleets.

I played as Japanese with Dave B as Russians with each ship model representing 2 real life equivalents.

Ground scale was I believe 10cm to 1 nautical mile, bit of record keeping required for each ship but nothing onerous as essentially just marking off hits/damage.

Rules were a set called Tsushima (no idea of publisher) and were pretty easy to grasp and play with each Division (2-4 ships) activating alternately with winner of turn initiative having choice to go first or second but firing first in firing phase.

Ships rated for armour in various aspects (hull, main guns and secondary guns) with varied amounts of main guns and secondary turrets to fore, aft, port and starboard with some having torpedoes.

Game sets up with Russians heading north shadowed by some Jap Cruisers and a horde of lowly Destroyers and main Jap fleet moving intercept from north.

Once units got into firing range things soon became a sort of slow moving 'dogfight' as I tried to maneuver to surround the Ivans.

Highlights were Russian shooting in general being awesome despite being inferior to Japs, Dave B just rolled a fearsome amount on 10s to hit (on D10) and I had a couple of ships with lots of holes but still afloat. 

Jap shooting was less than stellar with their Battleship flotilla shooting woefully throughout even when at short range with full broadside and 'crossing-the-T' for maximum opportunity !!

However  I did manage to roll two Critical Hits (out of several possible) that caused catastrophic explosions, with Ivans (I think) causing flooding and steerage damage with couple of their Critical Hits .

However even slowing a Russian tub effectively means it cannot escape (the Russian main aim) and I did send a few ships to bottom or damaged whilst suffering a couple of losses.

Another....umm......highlight was one of my Destroyers managing to hit a friendly Battleship and send itself to bottom in a sort of reverse Kamikaze.

As we wrapped things up it was decided that whilst Russians could likely exit two main ships the rest likely bottled up and so a marginal Japanese victory was declared.

Fun stuff and much kudos to Dave T for running the game.

Tough to take decent pics with phone of such tiny items which is a pity and nicely detailed and painted.

Japs disrupting the support types, note sunken marker for Russian vessel sent to find Mr Jones locker

My heavy Squadrons (centre right) after more ineffectual shooting on Ivans target (orange dice indicates Division has fired)

A Jap Destroyer has gone beneath the waves  after slamming into Fuji in middle of my Battleship flotilla

Divisions of both sides going hither and thither (red marker indicates a stopped vessel)

Both sides circling like sharks trying to get drop on enemy

One my Cruisers dead in the water (red marker) but managed to survive and repair dame to get underway again albeit slowly. His mate (at bottom) forced to break off from action

Jap light Cruisers use Evade status (Green marker) meaning slower, but hard to hit and less effective shooting as they try to go fore and aft of Ivans. Those bloody deadly Ivan yellow D10 visible

The frankly useless Jap Battleships (at bottom) steam ahead trading shots 

My Destroyer fleet ( at right) unable to join action until later

One of better pics of Russians at set up (Blogger insists on putting pics in reverse order)

And shadowing Japanese

Another view of Ivans at start

Bulk of their main fighting ships to left

Jap shadows at start

Also as club were other games (usual proviso that I had little time to see what occurred in each) 

Leslie and co played a Sudan game with very nice 10mm kit (rules unknown)

Andy ran a 28mm 'what if' 'Napoleonic game using GDA2 and Brits vs French (this was a small scale affair by Andy's usual standards)

Charlie and co had a Battle Tech game on some nicely complex terrain.

Commands & Colors Vassal - Cannae ends and Dertosa begins

Just completed another C&C scenario with Mike in our ongoing Vassal PBEM 'Campaign' with his Carthaginians under Hannibal handily dealing with my Punic (Puny ?) Romans.

We are now onto scenario entitled Dertosa which is an encounter I know of as Battle of the Ebro (Scipio vs Hadrasbul in Iberia) but hopefully Rome can exact revenge.

Starting positions

 

Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game - Orcs vs Men and Elves

Game at Stephens and he selected to play MESBG and I choose to use the Minas Tirith list again (points upped to 700) and he used a list (forgotten name) with Elves and Men.

Of course I had Witch King on Fell Beast (I mean how can you not !?) with a Troll (again !) and usual mix of Morannon and Mordor Orcs with couple of Spectres in tow.

Stephens lot had Glorfindel on a horse as main character with nasty Elvish Archers and several Elven swordsmen and Men (Gondorians ?) with sword or spear and couple of archers with two chaps on horses.

Fun game once again although I struggled to recall how best to use all the varied options available to characters and armies.

Troll was hammered by Elevish bowfire then dispatched by Glorfindel but he did tie up a flank for a bit.

This allowed my Orcs to get to grips with enemy and the Witch King flew in behind enemy ranks to inflict multiple casualties, but not enough to out do the losses inflicted on my Orcs and Evil doers defeated.

Fun game with a Fantasy subject matter I can live with :-)