Ulster Wargames Society - Zoom presentation by Barry Hilton

Just finished a Zoom meeting via UWS club which had a guest ‘speaker’ in noted wargamer Barry Hilton (of League of Augsburg/Beneath the Lilly Banners fame) about warfare in Ireland in period 1688-1689 (hopefully more to come about rest of the period 1690 onward)

What an excellent idea and an equally excellent presentation it was.

Barry was very pleasant to listen to with great graphic back up (which I was not expecting) I particularly  liked the use of 28mm (?) wargame figures to show infantry and cavalry units on a 1:1 scale, great stuff

Very much a quick overview but with lots of wargaming content and on a sound historical basis.

Couple of screenshots to give a just a flavour

Pike & Shotte - another (and better) Grand Alliance outing

Another game with Pike & Shotte at Billys with Simon and Bryn (Shane came, saw and cleared off early :-) ).
Essentially a repeat set up of last time, with Jacobites defending a ridgeline, but trying reduced Musket ranges (half for all small arms) and couple of rules we had forgotten last time.
Simon and I were the Jacobites with Billy and Bryn the Alliance forces.
Simon cannily withdrew his whole wing backwards to refuse our whole right and this frustrated Bryn whose forces failed to advance quickly enough to engage.
Simon had left one battery of guns on the ridge which managed to annoy Bryns forces.
Bryn did however send his Cavalry force to assist Billy on the Allied right.
And so the Jacobite left wing saw a real ding dong engagement from the get go with Billys Cavalry crashing into mine but being initially repulsed.
However his second wave pushed one of my Brigades back but thankfully some dismounted Dragoons and a supporting Brigade shored up this flank.
Simon did have some Cavalry support poised but not required.
Meanwhile (and in stark contrast to last encounter) Billys foot advanced en mass and even managed to get opening volley (I was holding mine for inevitable close combat) but thankfully this was mostly ineffective. Before engaging my ridge line units.
A to and fro battle ensued which the Jacobites managed to win breaking several Allied Foot units and eventually breaking 2 Brigades.
My Cavalry were battered and one Brigade broke but the other held.....just.....and with Billys Foot beaten the Allies yielded.
All in all a much better game with reduced firing ranges as more manouvre possible and units do get eyeball to eyeball much more.
Still find Black Powder system a bit too free and easy for my sensibilities at times especially in this period of slow/staid movements but it certainly plays quickly and decisively with lots of units in action.
Billys 15mm troops are a joy to behold (pics do not do them justice)
One thing to note in the above I had no moans about my dicing for once !

Pike & Shotte - A Nine Years War encounter

Game at Billys last night using Pike & Shotte rules with his super 15mm Grand Alliance troops of which there are copious amounts !
Billy set up forces to accommodate 5-6 players but in the end just Billy, Shane and I controlled the hordes.
I took Jacobite force (5 Brigades of Foot and 4 Cavalry with 3 Gun Batteries) nominally defending a ridge line with the chaps controlling the Grand Alliance forces (6-8 Foot and 5-6 Mounted Brigades and 3 Cannon ?).
Lots to control but with Black Powder stable of rules highly doable.
Grand Alliance had poor Command Rolls and then hit a steel wall/storm of musketry and cannon fire (of which more later) which pretty much stopped any general advance with lots of units Disordered and several Shaken.
In P&S units with Pikes in Disorder can cause Disorder on units interpenetrating or interpenetrated, a nice simple rule although we got this slightly wrong as made it an auto cause instead of on a dice roll of 6 only.
The Pike Company rule is good (Cavalry lose all bonuses against Infantry units with a Pike component and such Infantry gains versus Mounted) meaning its a foolhardy Cavalry unit that would charge Pike assisted units in most circumstances.
On Allied right Billy charged from get go (its BP system !) hitting my own mounted and 2 units of Dismounted Dragoons (treated as small units of skirmishing Infantry).
One Dragoon Fired and Evaded the other failed to Evade but performed heroically (good dice rolls) halting the enemy Mounted unit.
My impacted Cavalry lost and retired and Billy used a Sweeping Advance to hit support which also Retired.
However his unit now isolated and vulnerable to my supports.
On my turn my supporting Cavalry Brigade duly charged into Billys defeating them and with supporting Musketry he soon had Shaken.
Meanwhile my dismounted Dragoons continued to hang on inflicting casualties on enemy horse and surviving 2 Break Tests which with my dice rolls is no mean feat !
Subsequently Billy Brigade broke (3 out of 5 units Shaken) and he had to commit a fresh Brigade which fared little better with several being Disordered from my shooting (several opportune 6's !!!).
On my right Shane and I exchanged volleys with Allies suffering slightly worse and both reticent to commit Mounted Brigades (after having seen the carnage elsewhere was probably prudent).
Only 1 Allied Foot Brigade even got close to my lines and its front ranks were Shaken and Disordered by Close Range Volleys.
We called it there as seemed Allies were never going to get in any sort of order or strength.
Spectacular looking game with lots and lots of units and indeed very fast playing.

BUT.........I do feel this period is ill served overall by BP/P&S (as written) rules as the musket volleys are equally as 'good' as those of SYW or Napoleonic period and with a massive 18" range ! (no doubt with 28mm it would not look just as 'bad').
This jarred for the period and meant at up to 18" with First Fire I could unload 4 dice per unit (more than Arty which only gets 2 dice) and even I when firing say 10 units (40 dice) will manage at least 1 or 2 sixes to Disorder the enemy with hits added bonus.
Cavalry all get 1 Dice to fire as well (up to a huge 12") which of course means on a 6 they can Disorder target, again this just does not gel with my feel of the period (Pistol armed types 'only' fire to 6" but as this is Close Range they hit on 3+ rather than default 4+ as we understood rules !?).
If I were to House Rule I would try reducing Muskets/Carbines/Pistols to half range (keeping moves and artillery as is) with no + at Close Range and -1 at 3-9".
I would be tempted to reduce these ranges further as in period, volleys were generally  loosed off at well under 100yds indeed often at under 50yds due to training, accuracy (lack thereof) and doctrine, maybe 6" maximum.
Only if charged would I allow the +1 hit benefit, if only to discourage relentless charging.
Mounted I would only allow the 1 shot as Closing Fire and without any +1 benefit.
Only Shock Cavalry (essentially the French) would get +1 to hit benefit in Charge/Counter-charge situation Firearm types get the 1 dice shot.
I would consider this Mounted Shot as not being able to Disorder but that might be too severe.
For Foot I would not allow a Charge to Contact with enemy until after First Fire has been used.
I would also consider making it harder to get 2 or 3 moves with Foot (-3/4 = 2 moves -4 = 3 moves vis Command Roll ?) to reflect ponderous non-cadenced moves of the period as opposed to 'Exocet missile' mode they currently possess (an overall BP system 'problem/issue').

Not fully sure there would be no unintended consequences with these tweaks and could slow game slightly (maybe not so desirable for a big evening game ?) but do on face value seem at least in principle somewhat more akin to late 17th Century European Warfare as I understand it.
Otherwise its just another Lace War (or Blue Team vs Red Team) in different uniforms, only real difference being the Pike Companies (a nice rule that works and is easy).

Always a balancing act between game speed/playability and history I guess, but personally I much prefer more historically based substance to a simple 'moving diorama' and/or 'dice fest'.


All figures and terrain courtesy of Billy (his room is a treasure trove of figures in all scales and periods !).
The amount of troops and units present here certainly put 'Grand' into the War of Grand Alliance for an evening game.
His hospitality (and on this occasion dice rolling) much appreciated especially as mine was much better than usual.
Is this how the 'Dice Demon' gets to feel every game/roll !!!!!?????










Billy deploys his ill-fated Horse Brigades (note just some of his collection visible behind)

Central massed Alliance Foot Brigades (and more shelves of figures)

Alliance left commanded by Shane.

My right

Jacobite centre

And left wing

Dragoon 'heroes' just about visible on extreme left

Green 'puff' indicates a Jacobite Brigade with Freshly Raised and Untested units

My right wing Cavalry moves forward but never went further as Allied Dragoons dismounted in wooded area

The lone Allied Infantry 'almost' assault. The purple dice on my unit to right signifies that its Untested outcome gave it a very desirable 4 Stamina

Allied right in disarray as one Brigade breaks

Allied horse repelled. The hero Dragoons still in situ despite having hits (should read 3)

Musket balls exchanged at 18" (it even looks daft to me here) and note hits and disorders on enemy waaaayy across field

Shanes Guard units with hits from my 'long range snipers'

Good view of Allied lines staggered far too far from my ridge line but it does look epic

Jacobite cavalry begin to push their advantage on left wing

Jacobite centre also with several Disordered units from Allied long range laser guided Musket Volleys. Two were also Shaken out of 5 Unit Brigade at this point.

Field Of Battle 2 - Neerwinden

Another game using FOB2 today this time at Le Ducs using his Nine Years War 28mm stuff.
He set up a scenario based on Neerwinden with he and I as French attackers and Tony and the Dice Demon as defending Williamites.
Another excellent game which with the big moves for 28mm saw us fairly whizz through the game finishing in a mere three hours despite there being some 40 plus units on table.
Le Ducs house rules for the period disallowed any oblique moves and of the opposing mounted arms only French Cavalry could conduct Immediate Melees.
Additionally for this scenario the entrenched Allies could only be attacked by Foot who could then remove a section of hasty defences to allow mounted to break through or at least that was the theory.
I had right flank forces with two Infantry and two Cavalry commands not sure what Le Duc had.
The Allies had more but smaller commands it seemed.
The game was pretty much split into two distinct action areas with my wing fighting Tony and Le Duc engaging the Demon with very little overlap.
However I knew things were going somewhat eschew on my left as the air was turning blue with Le Duc becoming exasperated with his troops ("bloody French b******ds" was heard at least once)
My foot Commands managed to advance 3 moves on our first card and attack several sections of the hasty defences and the Rumsdorp village on my right.
I repulsed two Allied foot units and dismantled said hasty defences and took the village.
However Rumsdorp was lost and retaken whilst it seemed to take an age for my mounted troops to get into position to exploit the hard won gaps.
Eventually did manage to charge through and rout a damaged Allied infantry unit then engage its supporting cavalry being initially forced back then forcing back the enemy with supports.
My second cavalry command was about to assault the other breach just as game ended.
Le Duc on the left suffered terribly from Allied firepower and he managed to lose a whooping 4 Commanders (despite it only occurring on a 1 on a D20 !!) including Berwick and Luxembourg the CinC.
He did take a section of defences on his extreme left but like me could not exploit in time.
When our Morale Chips hit zero the Allies had only a few (8 ?) left themselves but we were unable to inflict any further losses on them before handing over a few to them then of course on the first Morale Card we turned the game ended giving William the field.
Another cracking game of FOB2 and again I hope Tony enjoyed the game and now has a decent grasp of the FOB system and its nuances, strengths, abstractions and indeed limitations.









My initial advance and one just achieved breach visible at Tonys right hand

Le Duc struggles to attack Neerwinden itself but again note the breach on extreme left

French cavalry approaches  as my foot attempt to clear a path

Rumsdorp changes hands for final time as French push out defenders

Swiss Garde suffer trying to pierce the other breach in allied defences as my cavalry push forward in other breached section

The 'Demon' I don't actually know how well he rolled but can only assume he put a hex on Le Ducs dice going by his fervent outcries !!

Le Ducs dark mood...……………….

Tony armed with hot coffee

My other mounted command swings to assault other breach

Whilst their colleagues at last enter the Allied 'back field'

Nine Years War action with Field Of Battle 2 at Le Ducs

After a few weeks enforced hiatus from gaming (sob...) had a wonderful game of FOB2 at Le Duc's based on battle of Walcourt 1689 using Duc's most excellent 28mm troops.

As ever a great and excitingly fun game fought to completion with FOB.

Intense Cavalry action on my left wing, a stand-off in center and a glorious charge into buildings by British troops against Wild Geese on my right !

I also managed to lose both British Commanders namely Messrs Tolemarche and Lord Churchill !!!!
How different history would have been under my tutelage.

But sadly the Coalition Forces under Waldeck (a pitiful D8 CinC) succumbed to first Army Morale check.

However it was close as Duc's French down to 3 Morale Chips even after having 4 of mine.