Ulster Wargames Society - Gross Jagersdorf with (you guessed it ) Field Of Battle 3 - and other games

Club meeting today and I put on a scenario based around action around Norknitten Woods during Battle of Gross Jagersdorf (converted from a Black Powder scenario) using, of course, FOB 3.

Usual suspects signed up for game with Dave T taking the attacking Prussians and Dave B the defending Russians.

As ever a cracking game ensued with Prussians concentrating their forces on Russian right flank.

Russians had great sequences of cards and good move rolls but continuously failed to take advantage when shooting or in close combat. 

They thereby suffered badly in early going despite managing to charge cavalry onto flank of infantry twice (Fusilier Bttn 40 had a charmed life !) and then outnumbering enemy in 3 of 4 combats and losing every single melee !!

The Prussian Grenadiers (4 units) were rather poor including failing to move several times and both sides Cavalry were pants.  

These set backs saw Russians bleed morale and they were soon tottering on the brink and giving Morale to Prussians, but they passed their first Army Morale and seemed to have a resurgence of fortunes winning several combats (including at least 2 when roll a D4 vs enemy D10+ !!) and managed to survive numerous Daring Deed rallying rolls.

This saw several Prussian units shattered but the cost in Russian units was crippling and the slaughter continued until a second Army Morale appeared and the Russians quit the field.

The Prussians had a mere 3 Morale left (both sides started with 30) but had been 'gifted' 23 by the enemy so a crushing win for Prussia despite Fredericks absence.

Prussian assault into woods in full swing

A Brigade of Garrison troops is heading to Prussian right to try to get their cavalry out of trouble

A heavy melee in the woods

Russians trying to redeploy (they had to set up first) to Prussian concentration

Prussians bringing reserves into play

Russian right being turned

Prussian Fusilier Bttn 40 visible just outside wood near center having survived 2 flank charges by cavalry

Overview of battlefield before Prussian cavalry arrived (on foreground left edge) 

Also at Club were several other games (another busy meeting and great to see) that I did not see much of and don't know how these ended.

Chris and co played a very nice game using Bolt Action 3 (I would have liked to have seen these in action) with Japs mounting a sea landing against US troops. Some eye catching terrain and kit

Paddy put on a 28mm Cold War game using I think 7 Days To The Rhine rules

Charlie and co had a 20mm game using Crossfire (again I would have liked to see this one as an old but super set) which seemed to be late war Allies versus Germans with several tanks

Pics from before any units deployed

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.

  

Bolt Action at Bryns

Game at Bryns (my first visit to his 'Shed of War') on Thursday evening and a WW2 1940 French vs German game using Bolt Action 2.

Bryn had set up the attractive terrain and Shane brought his excellent 28mm kit with the Char B and the PzIV looking very 'sexy'.
German attack vs French defence (but no hidden units bar a French sniper team) to keep things simple as all new to rules.

Bryn and Shane took the Nazis and Simon and I the French.

I had tried version 1 solo eons ago and thought bit meh but found this outing produced a surprisingly enjoyable game despite a couple of jarring abstractions.

Not a fan of the Artillery model with the all or nothing hit or miss (no deviations) and burst circles but it sort of works in game context.
Infantry model ok (buckets of dice shooting) but lacking variety ie no setting up your MGs to suppress whilst rest of section moves in as whole sections operate as one entity at all times.
Close Assault a real dice fest with defenders firing then attackers rolling 1 dice per man the defenders if they survive (simultaneous in certain circumstances) with loser completely and utterly destroyed (no push backs or retreats or similar), certainly decisive !
Did not happen in this game but previously I thought it was just too easy to Close Assault and sort of a no-brainer if you outnumber enemy and so way too many such assaults can occur.
But again works in context of fast playing KISS style WW2 lite system.
The Pinning/Damage system works fine and the best aspect of game for me is the Orders dice as you simply have one dice per unit placed in bag with enemy dice, you pull these out randomly and then activate a unit to complete 1 of 6 orders, simple and fun with some nice decisions to make.

Overall an enjoyable game (think player attitudes helped) with low rules overhead giving a fluid fast paced game, very suitable for an evenings time slot.
Certainly more 'game' than simulation compared to say Chain of Command but if one plays historically (ie minimize the Warhammerish gimmicks of system/army lists) it is a decent light set preferable to both Flames Of War and Battlegroup for me.

Maybe its just an age thing that I am increasingly attracted to fast playing sets despite their abstractions ? although I do think rules such as Bolt Action could become stale quickly as not enough depth and some abstractions that may grate, but with my variety of games, periods, and rule sets this may be unlikely to happen :-)





French section in orchard supported by Panhard

French in house with visible blokes actually inside on ground floor with other on 1st floor but this was apparently incorrect as a whole section cannot split so must be all on 1 floor or other, bit odd but again just fits in with how rules for shooting/command/actions works

Char B in all its glory (did very little bar intimidate in game) with section in support as Simon sets up a 25mm ATG

Two sections of Boche advancing. Version 2 has enhanced rules for Officers (the chaps to rear at house) allowing them to activate nearby units in addition to themselves (they simply remove additional dice from bag) up to a limit dependent on Rank.

More Boche advance under Bryns command with very annoying spotter in upper floor of damaged house.

My sections taking some Pins

Order dice (commercial versions) in evidence

Panhard ko'd by Sdkfz 222. No defined ground scale in BA but it sort of feels like 1" = 10yds or so, meaning all combat is pretty close

Boche lining wall (hard cover)

Char B pokes its head out

French firmly stuck in that orchard

Shanes PzIV arrives

Damnable German 105mm (yes on table)

Simon sent to sleep by Bryns attack